Author Note:

We are at the mid-point of this reviewer-inspired Story! A big thank you to Calico West who keeps me focused and grammatically correct and to CoryLynne who helps me portray Mort! If this is the first time you are reading this, please read The Reluctant Imposter first. I appreciate you taking the time to read my story and your comments. Many of your questions are answered in my first two stories.

Dear Mort ~ Chapter 10 ~ A Thousand Miles apart

Dear Daisy,

First of all, nothing is wrong. Slim worked hard all winter to keep the animals warm and safe and caught an early spring cold. He's recovered now, and has Miss Benson keeping him company now.

She's a marvel, Daisy. She organized the ladies in town and they brought a different soup every day he was sick. She made biscuits with honey and fresh butter and then taught him how to make biscuits too! She also brought her famous sugar cookies over one day and they had a picnic. Why he doesn't just up and marry her, I don't know!

The last, I hope , winter storm blew in several weeks ago. We had drifts so high they reached windows! Luckily, most of the ranchers were well stocked with the provisions Jed and Caleb brought them so no one suffered.

Hope the concert went well.

Mort

Mort POV:

I hate lying to her. If she were to find out how sick Slim has been, she would be furious with both of us. If she was here, the only things she could do would be to watch him sleep, help him when he coughs, and cool him down when he gets a fever. No sense in having her come back here for that.

I was really shaken to my boots though. I'd never seen Sam so worried. I sent a telegram to Andy when Slim took a turn for the worst. He almost pitched himself off his bed in a fever dream about Jess in trouble. At one point though, during a rare moment of luciidity he asked me if the stars that looked down over the ranch were the same that looked over Jess, even though they were a thousand miles apart.

My voice choked up and tears threatened when I tried my level best to calm him down. I have no idea why night is the worst time for my best friend but he seems to think in his fevered state that Jess is alone and hurting. Those two share a bond that maybe he really is hurt somewhere. I've seen it in the past -Jess being lost in a cave, or when Slim was thrown off a cliff in the winter and Jess slugged me. They seem to "know" when the other one is hurt or sick and nothing stops them from going to their friend's aid.

Thankfully, he turned the corner and I sent another telegram to Andy. Spring can''t come soon enough for me.