Chapter Nineteen

Craig had come into town to get a few supplies. He had left Ezekial and Delilah at home because the poor girl hadn't been feeling well. Of course Ezekial said it was Craig's fault for feeding the girl too many chocolate bars... it wasn't his fault his young daughter had him wrapped around her chubby little finger. She liked them so he'd bought them.

He was walking down the boardwalk and just passing The Golden Nugget Saloon when he happened to glance inside the swinging doors and froze in his tracks. It was as if he'd suddenly been shot back into the past.

Pacing across the barn, spilling drinks and upsetting patrons as she went was Willa. Brown cow hide guacho pants, red studded and tasseled shirt, big hat...

His feet carried him inside without his guidance at all. Willa was walking back and forth across that bar with men glaring up at her as they attempted to save their drinks. She was weaving and throwing her hands in the air as she yelled at everyone to get out of her way and threatened them to fist fights.

"Craig Crane! I know this woman is with your family!" the bartender bellowed at the sight of Craig entering. "Get her off my bar before I shoot her!"

Craig couldn't speak or move. His mind just went to Willie who had a habit of drinking too much, pacing on bars, threatening everyone and everything around him, pissing off bartenders and getting his drunk ass dragged out of saloons by Craig.

The bartender pulled out a shot gun and waved it. "Dammit Craig, I'm serious! Get her drunk ass out of here!"

Craig snapped out of his daze and decided he needed to save Eleanor's woman. He didn't need to let something happen to her, which would hurt Eleanor, and then give Zachariah one more reason to dislike him.

"Don't shoot her, Earl. I'm coming." He rushed to the bar, grabbed Willa's arm and yanked her off. "Come on now, Willa, let's get out of here."

"I don't want to go anywhere," she argued, digging her heels into the wooden floor. "Let me go or I'll kick your ass."

Craig just sighed and used his greater strength to take away her choice in the matter. Once they were outside in the darkening evening, Willa jerked away from him and stumbled forward a bit. She whirled around, lost her balance and fell on her ass in the dirt.

Craig just pinched his nose and went to help her up while she uttered curses and slurred threats. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "Where's Eleanor?"

"Eleanor?" That grabbed Willa's attention. She looked around and frowned. "Where is Eleanor?"

"How much whiskey did you have?" Craig demanded calmly. It had clearly been a lot if the scent of the woman's breath was any indication.

She held up both hands and spread her fingers apart. "About this many."

Craig shook his head. "Come on. I'll get you back to the hotel and you can sober up. Eleanor is probably worried sick about you."

Willa allowed herself to be led down the road, though her steps were wobbly and if not for Craig she would have fallen more than once. As they neared the hotel, Willa stopped suddenly and covered her mouth.

"I don't feel so good," she muttered. Craig realized her face had turned a nice shade of green.

"Don't you dare...."

It was too late. Willa proceeded to lose the contents of her stomach on the ground at Craig's feet, splashing those contents over his boots.

It was like having Willie alive and well all over again.

Craig sighed. He now knew how Gill had felt walking around with vomit covered boots the first night they'd met. "Come on. You just need rest."

He led Willa to the hotel where the clerk told him the room she was sharing with Eleanor. Getting up the stairs was fun given Willa's unsteady legs but they managed.

Craig knocked and waited. "Who is it?" came Eleanor's cautious voice.

"It's Craig. I've brought your lady love back to you."

The door was pulled open and Craig smiled at Eleanor as she tightened her shawl around her. Then she made a face. "Oh, you stink..."

"That would be the contents of your woman's stomach which have been elegantly spewed upon my feet."

Eleanor covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh."

She glanced at Willa who was still quite green and seemed to be more than a little ready to fall flat on her face and sleep off her drink. "Lay her in the bed."

"What exactly happened to her?" Craig asked as he helped Willa to the bed and she fell upon the mattress with a groan.

"She found out the truth about the gang and what led to Willie dying."

"And? I mean she already knew he'd been murdered."

"Yeah but she found out about who murdered him and why."

"Oh..." Craig sighed. "And she's blaming Gill and Pete?"

"Of course."

Craig nodded. "I did too for a while. But I learned it wasn't their fault."

"Yes, it was," Willa slurred.

"No, it wasn't," Craig replied, thumping the woman gently on the back of the head. "Shit happens. Bad shit. Shit nobody asks for. You don't wanna end up like me. So damn lost in anger and blame that I damn near lost everybody that mattered to me. Willie was one of my best friends, Gill is too, so is Pete. They didn't kill Willie. Major Winfield did."

Willa merely grunted upon the bed and pulled the pillow over her head.

"I hate feeling like I'm stuck in the middle," Eleanor admitted quietly.

Craig wanted to hug the woman because she looked so damn pitiful but he knew she wouldn't like that. He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Do you want me to take you back to the ranch while she sleeps this off?"

Eleanor was quick to shake her head. "No. I don't want her to think I've picked a side."

Craig nodded in understanding. "Maria's then? I can take you over there."

Eleanor seemed tempted a moment but she shook her head and raised her chin. "No, I'll stay with her."

It seemed Eleanor was more stubborn than he'd realized. Craig headed for the door but stopped at the threshold. "Don't let her mistreat you just because she's angry over this. She's too much like her damn brother. I can only hope she don't hold a grudge quite the way he did. Don't take no shit off her, Eleanor. You just come on home if she don't pull her head out of her ass."

Eleanor nodded and Craig sighed and left the room, closing the door behind him. He understood Willa's side of things but carrying that blame and hate was toxic to a person. He hoped she'd realize that before she made mistakes and did things that she couldn't take back.

***

Eleanor stood beside the bed and looked at Willa who was knew passed out cold upon it. She loved the woman but if horrible tempers and drunken stupors were common for the woman, their relationship would not work. Eleanor didn't like to fight and she didn't like seeing the woman she loved so drunk she couldn't stand.

Changing into her nightdress, Eleanor grabbed a spare blanket from the wardrobe since Willa was currently lying on the one on the bed. She curled up on her side of the mattress and pulled the cover tight around her.

She hated knowing that Willa was hurting. But the woman was doing it to herself. She was so angry over the loss of her brother that she was desperate to have someone to blame and hate for it. Eleanor had never been a person who sought blame for bad things. She simply knew that bad things were a part of life and usually they weren't the fault of a single person but the result of a million tiny things—and sometimes they happened for no real reason at all.

Reaching out, she turned off the kerosene lamp beside the bed, filling the room with darkness. The mattress shifted as Willa grunted and rolled over, attempting to pull Eleanor into her arms.

"No," Eleanor stated, pulling away. She knew that sober Willa would never hurt her but drunk Willa was someone she didn't know. Would she try to force herself on Eleanor? Willa attempted again to pull Eleanor into her arms and Eleanor felt that panic beginning to rise in her chest. She shoved Willa hard. "No."

Surprisingly, Willa whimpered, sounding like a sad child. She flopped to her other side and curled up in a ball. Eleanor took a moment to calm her breathing.

Glancing through the darkness, Eleanor took pity on the drunken woman and decided to share her blanket with her. She covered Willa up before rolling to face away from her and closing her eyes. She had a feeling she needed rest because Willa was going to be feeling quite bad in the morning.