Chapter 4: Whose

By dinnertime, the whole county knew.

I found out because Peg's phone rang nonstop between four and six.

Each time she said, "I don't know anything about that," and hung up.

At seven she took off her apron and told me we were going to the Hitching Post.

"I'm not hungry," I said.

"You're not going to eat," Peg said. "You're going to be seen."

She was right, and I hated it.

The Hitching Post was crowded for a Wednesday.

I recognized the bartender from the night of the blizzard.

He nodded at me and went back to wiping glasses.

Dalton was at the long table by the jukebox, with a beer in front of him and half the room leaning in.

His fiancee was not with him.

"Fellas, I'm just saying what everyone's thinking," he said as I walked in.

"The girl comes from out of state, she's got a story about money, and next thing, she's carrying."

"What's the timing on that?"

"Dalton," said an older rancher at the end of the table. "That's enough."

"It's a fair question, old man."

I walked to the middle of the room.

My heart was going so hard it hurt.

I climbed on the nearest chair so the room could see my face.

"Hi," I said.

The jukebox, for some reason, stopped.

"My name is Cassie Finch."

"A year ago I was living in Spokane with a man who told me his name was Dalton Miller."

"He told me he was a contractor from Idaho with no family and no money, and I believed him."

"He drained fourteen thousand dollars from my account and left me a two-line text."

Keep reading free with an account. Start Keeping the Cowboy's Baby from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.