Several seconds of silence hung in the air between Laramie and Mrs Caldwell. Her cheek bones still throbbed from his ‘friendly’ surprise. She did a quick survey of the nearby land while pretending to adjust her dress and mold stray hairs back into place.

Duke wasn’t as fidgety. He stood observing her with a watchman’s eye. It wasn’t often that he found a companion on the road … much less off of it.

“Duke,” Mrs Caldwell ventured slowly, “It’s been years since…, you don’t have to – “

“Seems as though you fell, Ma’am,” Duke interjected, pointing the butt of his rifle at the hem of her muddied apron skirt. Mrs Caldwell looked down as if for the first time. The yellow flowers in the print were the kind she’d see Penny play “He loves me, He loves me not” with. She winced. Those games died when O’Neil left.

“A dreadful accident with paprika today, the girls can be so clumsy.” Laramie chuckled softly and Mrs Caldwell breathed easily again.

“Be careful out there, Ma’am. It won’t be deer y’find past midnight.”