The Five Dollar Mail Book 3: The Road Home

93: When Only the Moon Rages

Cover painting by Angela Taratuta. Chapter artwork of Rosie by Melissa Zayas. 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.

"Hey, senorita..."

Rosie jerked her head around at the sound of Luis' voice in the doorway to her borrowed room, faint heat instantly warming her cheeks.

His tousled head popped into the doorway, a sweet smile playing about his lips. Dark, weary circles lurked under his eyes, but there was a glow in his face that made her heart leap inside her.

"I want to show you something," he said, an uncharacteristic shyness in his tone. "Can I come in?"

"Of course!" She stood up, her hand unconsciously going up to smooth her hair. "Is everything alright?" The sight of him made her giddy, her mind replaying, once again, how it felt when he'd kissed her. She knew she was blushing, and the thought of how pink her cheeks must surely be turning made her blush even more.

He was carrying what looked like an old ammunition crate. walking over to Mr. Bender's writing desk and carefully setting it down. "I made something to help me remember my letters," he said. "I want to see what you think of it."

"You made something?" Rosie stared at the battered box as if it contained the lost treasure of El Dorado. "When did you have time? I know how hard you've been studying, so..."

Luis was opening the box and poking carefully through the straw inside. "This is studying, senorita," he said, a dimple appearing in his brown cheek. "It's easier to understand when I can put my hands on it. It's not finished, an' I'm still working on it." He pulled out a clay shape about the size of a letter envelope and held it up to her. It took her a beat to realize she was looking at the letter R, fashioned of river clay and expertly painted with twining, blooming rosemary branches. Her mouth dropped open and her heart pounded in her ears.

"I made the R first. It's the prettiest one," he said, his own cheeks going pink. "The rest ain't so fancy."

"Luis..." she breathed, unable to say more. She took the letter from him, holding it carefully. It was perfectly sculpted, the painted leaves and flowers gracefully rendered in masterfully blended hues of blues and greens. The skill this must have taken to make... She exhaled, unable to find words. "Luis," she said again.

He was beaming, pulling out two more. "I have maybe half of them done so far," he explained, holding out an A, painted over with crawling red ants, and a B dotted with blueberries. "These ones ain' so pretty, but they work for what I need, yes?"

Rosie sat down, clutching the R to her chest, overwhelmed. She looked again at the letter in her hands. "I..." she shook her head. "I had no idea you could...that you..." She wanted to cry, or laugh, or both. "Luis, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"So...you like it?"

"I don't even know what to say", she said, looking up at him with something akin to worship. "It's incredible."

He was laying them out on the desk, caressing each shape with his fingers and saying the letter name. The F was shining with painted green fish scales. H was spotted like a painted Indian pony. E had a pair of yellow-lashed blue eyes peering from the top horizontal.

"See?" he said, clearly excited, arranging the sculpted shapes on the desk with practiced hands. "I can lay them out on the table to spell words. Easier that way."

"Luis, I'm so proud of you. She carefully placed the R back on the table and stood up, nearly overcome with emotion. "I really am."

His eyes met hers. "Really?"

"Yes." She reached for him, wrapping her arms shyly around him and hugging him, closing her eyes. This is too much. He's incredible. There's no end to his surprises. "You haven't even been sleeping. Have you."

His arms tightened around her, and she felt him sigh, holding her close. Her bones were dissolving. She could feel the thrum of his voice in his chest when he spoke.

"Not really, senorita," he sighed happily. "Too much bouncing around inside my head. I had to do this. I'm thinking about asking Wash if he wants to use them, too."

Rosie smiled against his shoulder, reveling in the warmth of him. "You're so sweet. What about your bet?"

"Senorita," he said, letting his face drop down to rest his cheek against her head. He let out a hitching sigh, as if he'd just washed up on a riverbank after spending the night clinging to a floating log. "Your arms are around me and I can read. What bet?"

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