Page 67 of Repentance and Absolution

I’d never told anyone about that. Only Oscar and I knew how close I’d come to losing him.

“Oh, Jimmy, what did you do?”

I sat down, picked up the cloth I was using on the leather and started rubbing the grease into the bridle strap. “Only thing we could, which was try to get to the trees and into some cover. I was planning to find a place we could turn and face them, with some protection at our back. But we didn’t make it that far.”

Irene put a hand to her mouth.

“They brought Oscar’s horse down, and—” I took a shuddering breath. “When I saw him tumble off and the wolves attacked that horse, I rode o’er and grabbed him, though I expect he would have gone after those wolves if I hadn’t. He was so mad that they were killing his horse right in front of him. But I pulled him up onto Dixie with me and rode like hell to the trees, and I ain’t never been more thankful in my life.”

“Oh, Jimmy,” Irene whispered.

“That horse…Sprite was his name—well, he kept the wolves busy so that we could get to safety. Then they were so busy eatin’ him they didn’t bother us again.”

I gave Irene a hard stare.

“But I’m telling you, I don’t know what I’d have done if they’d got Oscar. I probably would have fought them with my bare hands and ended up dead as well.”

Irene stared at me, her face pale. “It’s plain to see you love him.”

“I ain’t—” I began, then swallowed. “I ain’t never felt so much for another person in my life. Sometimes it scares me.”

Irene gave me a weak smile. “I feel the same about Clarence. If anything had happened to him—”

We gazed at each other, long and silent for a minute.

“Well, we got each other now, don’t we?” I said, trying to make light of the turn the conversation had taken, but making a good point. “The four of us. If anything were to happen, God forbid, there’d be people to lean on.”

“Amen to that, Jimmy Downing. I reckon it’s good to have true friends.”

I nodded, and we were silent as we went back to our work.

“Now then, let’s talk about something more cheerful,” Irene said after a bit. “When do you want to have this wedding?”

I blinked. “I— Well, I don’t know. Shouldn’t we wait until spring? Maybe we could have a little ceremony out front of your place.”

Irene frowned. “I don’t know. I’d be mighty nervous doing it in plain sight, though it would be pretty. We don’t get many visitors, that’s true, but what if someone were to come across the two of you. I don’t think I want to risk it.”

“All right,” I said. “I agree, ’tis safer to do it inside.”

She smiled then. “That means we could do it as early as next week!”

“Now hold on a minute—”

The door opened and Oscar stomped his boots in the entryway. “Jimmy, I got a shooting arm as good as you now!”

I rolled my eyes. “I doubt that.”

He frowned, moving forward as Clarence came in behind him. “Well, I hit lots of bottles. Didn’t I, Clarence?”

Clarence laughed. “You did pretty good, son. You should be proud.”

Oscar crossed his arms. “I am proud…but he’s not.” He jerked his chin at me with a scowl.

“What?” I said, raising my arms. “Sure I am.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “But you don’t think I’m as good as you.”

“Oscar, I been shooting rifles since I was eight years old and hunting since I was ten.”