The Deputy: Sunday

Sleeping in a chair ain’t good for the bones. Not mine, anyhow. That's if I slept at all. Sure didn’t feel like it when I got disturbed by the dang bang clang of the sheriff throwing everyone out of jail this morning.

‘What the blazes! How’s a man supposed to get any sleep around here?’

‘Good morning Deputy. It’s a nine o’clock and there’s a beautiful day waiting.’ 

‘Well it can wait a little longer’ I said, as I lurched to the nearest cell and slumped on a still warm bed.

‘Grouchy.’

‘That's easy for you to say after a good night’s sleep in your own room. Try sleeping in a chair sometime and see how you’d like a curly spine.’

‘I have and I didn’t grumble half as much as you. Anyhow, coffee’s on the stove when you’re ready. You’re in charge today; I’m taking a day off while I can.’

‘What?’

‘I promised Cora we’d have a picnic just as soon as I could find the time.’

‘Who’s Cora?’

‘My fiancée.’

‘Well I’m happy for both of you. Go ahead and pack your pickles and leave me here alone.’

‘You don’t begrudge me a day off, do you? I haven’t had a day off in weeks.’

‘It ain’t that I’m begrudging, it’s just that Housty’s due home today and I had my heart set on seeing her again.’

‘Alright, give me a few hours and I’ll be back around four. You can go home then, okay?’

I gotta hand it to Emmett, he’s fair minded, though I did wonder why he let those fellas out of jail. I figure he must have fined them or given them bail. Sure appreciated the peace and quiet though as I drifted back to sleep. 

Getting something to eat on Sundays is danged nigh impossible. In desperate times, desperate men do desperate things and calling on Granny Applegate is the most desperate thing I’ve done in a long time. Ain’t that she’s a bad cook, but the old hussy has wandering hands and if she can embarrass the hell out of me, she will. She reckons she’s only funning when she says I tickle her fancy, but I ain’t so sure. Besides, if I was to tickle a lady’s fancy it sure wouldn’t be hers. 

Turned out I had nothing to worry about. Granny’s sister had just arrived from church and Granny was on her best behavior, groping me just the once. As for the food, stew and carrots went down just fine, and so did a piece of blueberry pie. 

Town was quiet, Sunday quiet. I spent most of the day hanging around outside Miss Sweet’s place, where I soaked up some sun and kept an eye on the main street. The only sniff of trouble came when I had a stroll around town and called at The Cat’s Whiskers for a beer. Tom Bradley and Bones Mallory smart mouthed me some, but I let it ride. Like Emmett says; there’s a time for stepping in and a time for stepping out, so I swallowed my pride with my beer and stepped out, leaving the peace undisturbed.
  

I sneakily hoped Emmett would lend me his horse when he got back, only the offer wasn’t made and I didn’t like to ask. ‘See you tomorrow’ was all he said as I trudged from the office, irked and horseless. 

The long walk home didn’t seem half as far once I got it in mind that every step was taking me closer to a warm woman. Kinda spurred me on and I marched to the beat of my heart as I came up by the creek. Then the house came into view and when I saw it in darkness, something sagged inside. Though it cheered me some that Nameless came out to greet me, there was no sign of Housty. Hell, what a disappointment. Then suddenly I felt tired, so tired that I barely had the strength to pull my boots off before going to bed.