When the driver whipped the horse, it took off and caused Diamond and I to spring up inside the stagecoach. After our ride’s speed quickly reduced to a steady trod, Diamond peered out the window.

  Her floral fragrance brought a much more welcomed odor than the one Chip would have carried along. It’s funny an angelica the likes of her wore perfume. Most times only the married gals did, thinking it to cause envy in the hearts of their family who were forced to miss out on them. I wondered if the poor gal had been planning a certain important life event with that young man.

  While remaining silent, she seemingly had casted her strong will out into the wind, pretending it’d carry salvation to Dylan. I locked away my bad medicine on the matter in a dusty drawer where the worst thoughts go, never having trusted a gust of wind to guide desperations anywhere meaningful.

  Even if I was the sort to pretend the gal’s soldier boy would be alright, deep down, she’d be too shrewd to believe that that beast hauled him off to anywhere good. Calamity had proven in the alley that she didn’t have a smidgin of compassion that would spare him.

  The distant yipping from out-of-town coyotes started a song. Diamond picked right up on it with a soft beautiful tune. Her blonde curls, rosy cheeks, and birth mark appeared magical in my lamplight.

  Meet me by the moonlight, love.

  I’ve got a sad story to tell you.

  I’ve always loved you, darling.

  But you said I’ve never been true.

  The way she carried the note with her twang soothed my distraught for the collapsed inn. I whispered, “Where’d you learn to sing like that?”

  “I guess I always had the talent. Use to only sing for mama and deddy, but never really wanted to sing in church.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I wanted to sing something more than hymns. For example—now Dylan wouldn’t like it if he knew— but I often performed at the Saloon when he was away at war. We were on and off again sweethearts back in school, and off again when he was gone.”

  Stolen story; please report.

  I nudged her. “Now how did a hometown girl like you wind up entertaining the bad part of town?”

  She gazed off and said, “Juliet came to town that summer, and we took her in. She was all the way from France. Use to tell me about something that excited me so much I wanted to scream. She called it vaudeville, and I mean she traveled all over the place, dancing, and singing, and telling jokes. Now mama and deddy hated it when they found out she had been taking me to the Saloon to do shows with her, but they couldn’t stop me.

  I loved the dresses Juliet got us, white and sleeveless, and hemline all the way up to here.” She pointed just below her knee. “Now Dylan sure wouldn’t want me showing all that cleavage.

  And Juliet’s spirit was so free, her hair so brown and big. I couldn’t stand it, so she got me this wig.” She patted her puffy curls and snickered. “And now nobody sees me without it.”

  “What kind of glitz and glamour did that act of yours entail,” I said, keeping her mind off her lost soldier.

  “Well, for instance, let me tell you about one night, the candle lights dim as ever in the Saloon. Up front by the piano, we tap danced and then hugged arms and kicked our legs.

  All the people at the bar had turned our way. My goodness, they had more wooden chairs than table space for them and some of the men was standing up. Oh, I even miss the clouds from the men’s cigarettes and cigars. I guess somehow it brings back the memories. But I cherished hearing the women the most. They hooted and hollered and clapped the loudest.

  Anyway, Juliet and I had our arms locked, and she kicked her leg up so high, I think they saw everything. Then, I tried it and fell back and smacked my whole bottom on the wooden floor.”

  As she stopped the story and half smiled, I leaned in and said, “Well, were you ok?”

  She waved it off. “That was part of the act. The audience laughed heartily. That’s when I got up and noticed the sheriff at a table alone. He’d been quiet and serious, but then and there, he had the biggest grin I ever saw. His big eyebrows were raised all the way up his head.”

  I kept my opinion to myself, pondering on that guerilla smile; apparently, she viewed it differently.

  She continued on. “After Juliet and I finished and told all them people to let us get some air outside, we were alone. Juliet kicked the dust up and shouted, ‘Oh La’ La! Thee sheriff has been drooling over you all night.’

  ‘Juliet. No.’ I know I blushed. I didn’t believe someone so big around town was looking at little oh me.

  ‘You so famous now,’ she told me.”

  Diamond shook her head, recalling it. “I miss Juliet.”

  “Whatever happened to her?”

  “She’s a free spirit. Too free for Grand Jose. I wanted to go with her to France; was going to go, but Dylan came home, and he and I started hitting it off again. And I guess I was confused about my feelings for Chip, too.”

  After a moment of silence, I cleared my throat and said, “If I may— and you don’t have to answer this if it troubles you. It’s clear you think something of the sheriff.”

  “And so what?” She said.

  “What set you off when he thanked you for saving him?”

  “I didn’t save Dylan.” Her eyes teared up, and she buried her head in the sleeve of my jacket.

  I put an arm around her as the stagecoach came to a halt at the Sheriff’s Office.