The Five Dollar Mail Book 3: The Road Home

22: Judgement Day

Cover painting by Angela Taratuta. Chapter artwork of Rosie by Angela Taratuta. All graphics by me.

Book 1: The Green, Book 2: Lynch's Boys, Book 3: The Road Home, and the Riders & Kickers Anthology are available on Amazon under the name Regina Shelley. So if you hate waiting for chapter posts and/or want a more polished read, the finished product is available now.

Rosie gave Luis's arm a nervous squeeze as they walked across the spring-green grass surrounding the schoolhouse. He looked anxious, but there was no way he could possibly be more on edge than she felt. She had known that at some point, she was going to have to return to school. Wash had let her take a little time off, but eventually he had insisted she return. She had been dreading this moment. What do people know? Do they know the station was attacked? Do they know father was arrested?

She was trembling, and Luis glanced down at her, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze with his free hand. "It's alright, Miz Rosie," he said softly.

She wondered how, when she reached the doorway of the schoolhouse, she would be able to force herself to let go of his arm and walk in alone. She wished Tommy or Wash was here. She knew Tommy would have been happy to sit down and spend the day there. Luis, on the other hand, she knew would wait for her outside under the tree, and while knowing he was out there would be comforting to her, she would ultimately have to face the prying eyes and hushed gossip by herself. Tommy was on the mend, but he was still stiff and sore and weak, and Doctor Plunkett had insisted he rest at the station for a least a few more days. And with Mr. Peltier gone to Fort Bridger, Wash couldn't leave Tommy alone and the station unguarded.

"They've had time to come up with all sorts of wild stories," she said. "They're going to stare when I walk in there, and whisper behind their hands." School had been nearly unbearable up to this point, and the best thing she could do to cope had been to fade into the background. That tactic would obviously no longer work for her. Not after the harrowing stories about what happened at the station made it back to town.

He gave her fingers another squeeze, pressing her hand more firmly into the warm crook of his arm. "Let them. Who cares what they think, senorita?"

She nodded, trying to gather her courage. How can I be more afraid of a bunch of busybodies than I am an insane murderer? Or...or...wondering if one of my friends was going to bleed to death in front of me. She took a deep breath, drawing herself up and straightening her shoulders. Honestly, I probably ought to never be afraid of anything again. Not after that.

The tree in schoolyard had tufts of green sprouting from its awakening branches, and the cool morning air held a hint of damp warmth. Charlotte Cooper and her entourage were loitering beneath it and on the front steps. Their conversation ground to a halt and every face turned towards her and Luis as they approached. Rosie's face flooded with heat and she forced herself to remain impassive. Luis knows how terrified I am. He can surely feel me shaking.

Jed pushed himself forward from where he was leaning against the trunk of the tree, excited and startled to see them. He stared from Rosie to Luis and then back to Rosie again. "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" Luis shot back, sparing Rosie the need to answer. He raised an eyebrow. "You heard all sorts of stories, si?"

"Yeah, we heard all kinds of stories," Jed said, shoving his hands into the back pockets of his trousers. "We heard Page got his face sliced off and the injun got tied to a chair and burnt to death in the kitchen!"

Rosie's mouth dropped open. "What?"

Luis guffawed mirthlessly. "You shouldn't believe everything you hear, amigo."

Charlotte and Ruby were staring at her as if she were an insect under a glass. "Were you really there?" Charlotte said, accusingly. "Why is your father in jail? Did he do it?"

Rosie exchanged a glance with Luis, taking strength from his brown eyes. She nodded, turning back to Charlotte. "Yes. I was there."

"And it's not anyone's business why her father's in jail," Luis said quickly. "She don't wanna talk about it. And ain't nobody dead or got their face sliced off."

"What were you doing over there?" Jed blurted at Rosie. "They're saying you rode into town on an Express horse to get the sheriff and the doc."

"I don't believe that," Charlotte countered. "That couldn't have happened."

"That's the part that's true," Luis said, smirking. "She rode War Bonnet, our fastest horse. She saved our lives. Come on, Miz Rosie." He pulled her towards the schoolhouse.

"Thank you," she whispered. She was trembling, and almost desperate to sit down before the rest of them came in for school. Sliding into her seat, she felt herself deflate. As difficult as it was to come here this morning, sitting at her desk felt comforting. She realized it was the most familiar thing she'd seen for a few days. Her eyes fell on the inkwell, and the dark, meandering lines and stains marring the wood. She traced the black veins with her finger.

Luis slid into the seat beside her, sitting uneasily and leaning his elbows on the desk.

"Thanks for walking me, Luis," she murmured. "I'll be alright. You can go."

He shook his head, giving her an awkward smile. "Naw, Miz Rosie," he said. "I...need to work on my reading some, si?"

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