The Outlaw and the Lady (4th in the Crane Gang Series)(womanxwoman)

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Willa had never in her life had a headache like the one currently throbbing between her temples. She pulled the pillow covering her head tighter and moaned upon the mattress. What the hell had she done?

Willa was definitely not the type to get dog drunk. She knew better than to do it because she couldn't handle the side effects. Her stomach rolled just to remind her of that and she wrapped her arm around herself.

"Ellie?" she whispered, her voice raspy and her throat burning. There was no response. Keeping the pillow over her head, Willa reached to the side but realized the mattress was empty.

"Ellie?" She called again, more loudly this time. Still there was no answer. Where was the woman? Had she left after Willa had stormed out last night? Dammit, what had she been thinking? She couldn't lose Eleanor.

Pulling the pillow off her head, Willa winced at the sunlight streaming through the window. She slowly managed to sit up and looked around the room. Relief filled her when she saw the Eleanor's belongings were still in the room... but where was Eleanor?

Willa realized she was still fully dressed and wearing her boots. How had she gotten to the hotel room? Not a damn thing made sense this morning! She remembered going to the saloon. She'd been so damn angry and hurt and sad and lost. She'd begun drinking and then things became real fuzzy.

She thought she remembered Craig... Had Craig been at the saloon? Craig had brought Willa back to the room—she remembered now.. sort of. Maybe Eleanor had left with Craig and simply left her things behind.

Damnation, Willa couldn't lose her. Damn her temper. She'd been so upset to learn the truth about her brother that she had taken it out on the one person in the world that she really loved. If Eleanor left her, if she decided Willa wasn't what she truly wanted... it would kill her.

Willa threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, holding the bedpost for support. She had to find Eleanor, had to apologize, had to beg the damn woman to come back. No matter what had happened with Willie and the gang, none of it had been Eleanor's fault and Willa didn't want it to come between them.

She laid a hand over her swirling stomach, squinted against the light, and headed for the door. Before she reached it, it came open and Eleanor appeared with a tray of food.

Willa saw her brown eyes widen slightly before she pushed the door closed behind her and carried the tray to the small table. "You went out by yourself," Willa stated.

Eleanor wrapped her arms tight around herself and shrugged, avoiding Willa's gaze. "Only to the hotel diner. I was hungry."

"Ellie..." Willa stepped forward but Eleanor held up her hand.

"I won't be put in the middle of this," she warned, her voice quiet but stern.

"I don't want you in the middle."

"I understand you're hurting and I understand why

but that is my family and you are the woman I love and I can't be caught in the middle."

Willa took another step forward and winced at the pain in her side. Had she fallen last night? Hell, she didn't remember. "Ellie I...." She swallowed hard and pushed her pride to the side. "I'm sorry. I love you. I shouldn't have acted that way."

Eleanor met her gaze. "I don't want to see you drunk like that anymore..." Tears shone in her brown eyes. "Whiskey never makes people better.. I've only ever seen it make them worse."