Unlikely Angel

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Hound Dog heard the door to his office open, looked up from the newspaper he was pretending to read and was surprised to see Susan walking all alone through the doorway. He knew she was more than capable of saddling that palomino she’d grown so attached to. He had a hunch she’d taken to Honey more because of her resemblance to Johnny’s horse Starlight than any other reason. But the mare was a good horse and her disposition suited little Susan well. Of course, even the wildest horse the boys brought in gentled considerably when Susan was near. No one was fool enough to let her ride an unbroken horse but if she was near to the fence, saddling one was far easier. He still wondered about her having saddled Honey and ridden into town on her own.

“Well, hey there sweetheart, does your daddy know where you are?”

“Yes. He is resting. I asked to visit you before he fell asleep.”

The marshal raised an eyebrow at the child.

“He’s resting?” he asked. Johnny was a stubborn young man. A year or so back, Johnny had broken his arm when he was thrown from a horse and Hound Dog had personally witnessed him still doing nearly all his chores around Alice’s. “How did you manage that?”

“I told him he would not get better if he worked so hard,” she said flatly. “He said he was fine but I told him the skin near the hole is getting red and hot and he needed to rest.”

“Well, you are a good nurse to him. Sounds like he was starting on an infection.”

She nodded, “Yes, I told Tusk because he has medicine that helps.”

Hound Dog watched as Susan sat down with her pad of paper and a pencil and began to draw. He was always fascinated by the peace that overtook her when she drew, almost as if she channeled something of the divine. Perhaps she did. Far be it from a mere mortal like Jasper Clay to understand all of the mysteries of the world. He thought about asking her the reason for her visit but then he knew that if she wanted to talk, she would in her own time. So he just rocked onto the back two legs of his chair and folded his hands across his stomach and allowed his mind to wander and ultimately wonder. He wondered at the power of this child to turn a hot headed boy into a responsible family man. He wondered how Pat and Billy were faring and he wondered what Allie was thinking about fixing for their supper.

He had nearly started to doze off from the effort of wondering so many things when he heard the soft voice address him. She had been sitting across the room but had walked closer to him while he was lost in his wondering.

“Hound Dog I am scared.”

Those five words, spoken so softly and in that unemotional way that was common only to her, brought his eyes open, his feet and chair legs to the ground and his arms open to her. She took up the invitation immediately. Hound Dog knew she still didn’t always like to be touched and yet sometimes she craved the contact. He wondered what that kind of conflict felt like. For his part, he loved the times when she would crawl on his lap and allow a hug, or even give him one. It was like having a grandchild and that was an idea he liked very much.

“What’s scaring you?” he asked softly.

“Daddy is hurt. I do not like that. He is getting sick.”

“Now, little girl, you are taking right good care of that daddy of yours. You said Tusk gave him medicine, and you made him get some sleep. I’ll just be willing to bet that when he wakes up, he’ll be near to all better.”

Susan was quiet but seemed to try to make herself even smaller in his arms.

“What else is bothering you?”