Chapter 13
Cheyenne, Wyoming 1867
The sky overhead was an ominous grey, the massing storm clouds on the horizon portending the harsh winter's imminent arrival. In the confines of Róisín's bedroom, Haddie was a whirlwind of restless worry and impatience as she paced the cramped quarters.
She had covered for her friend's absences the last several Sundays, feigning excuses and deflecting Lochlan's suspicious inquiries. But the belligerent older brother had pressed her twice more today on Róisín's whereabouts. It was well past the seventh hour, and this was much later than usual.
The telltale creak of floorboards in the outer hallway finally announced Róisín's belated arrival. Haddie, perched rigidly on the edge of the narrow bed, immediately snapped her head towards the door. Her arms were crossed firmly over her chest in an overwrought show of feigned disapproval as her friend stepped into the room.
"Where have you been?!" Haddie hissed her tone a carefully measured blend of concern and hushed curiosity in deference to the nearby proximity of Lochlan's quarters. "Your brother's been looking high and low for you!"
Róisín's eyes grew wide with terror, her pupils dilating until her verdant irises were nearly swallowed by pools of black. "What did you tell him?" She whispered frantically.
A chuckle escaped Haddie's lips as she waved a dismissive hand. "Told him you went to pray at the church." She replied with a grin. "Now out with it - where have you been all this time?"
Róisín averted her gaze, her slippered feet shuffling awkwardly as she mumbled, "Out with...a friend."
Haddie's narrowed eyes raked over her instantly zeroing in on the disheveled state of Róisín's blouse - the buttons haphazardly realigned unevenly. "You always leave your blouse buttoned up so...crookedly?" She asked.
Róisín blushed as her fingers quickly rectified the oversight. "Oh, I...I, uhh..." she stammered
Sensing her friend's vulnerability, Haddie's grin softened as she rested a reassuring hand on Róisín's trembling shoulder. "If you don't want to tell me, I understand," she said gently. "We all have our secrets."
A heavy silence stretched between them, laden with unspoken tension, until finally, Róisín relented with a resigned sigh. "Alright, alright...there's this...man," she confessed in a hushed whisper, her eyes flitting towards the closed door.
"Well, that much is obvious!" Haddie exclaimed with a salacious chuckle, giving her a playful nudge. She scooted over, patting the empty space beside her on the bed in a silent invitation to share her clandestine tale. "Don't tell me it's Mr. Carson?!"
"Shhh!" Róisín whispered, pressing her fingertips urgently to Haddie's lips to silence her wild speculation. "If it were Mr. Carson, I wouldn't need to be sneaking about now would I?"
Leaning in intimately close, Haddie urged in a conspiratorial murmur, "So tell me everything about this secret admirer, you wanton hussy! Who is he?"
"Oh Haddie! He's the most amazing man I've ever known!" Grabbing her friend's hands impulsively. "And handsome! Tall and gorgeous dark hair..." Róisín trailed off wistfully. "But his eyes… his eyes are the most incredible warm brown that just...make my knees go weak whenever he looks at me." She punctuated the thought with an exaggerated swoon as she and Haddie lay back on the bed a flurry of giggles and secrets.