Without speaking, Irene nodded to Sam and ran her hand down his arm until her fingers met his and laced together.  She could breathe, now.  Now that she could feel the warmth of Sam's hand, she was able to move, leading the way to the stables.<br/><br/>She paused, blinking at the backsides of the horses tied into the slip stalls at the end of the stable, the box stalls further in, protected on all sides.  "Diablo..." she murmured and led the way inside to check on the horse.<br/><br/>"That was rather a large hole in that man...or holes," she said outside Diablo's stall.<br/><br/>Tomas emerged from the tack room, smiling as he pocketed a rag.  He asked if they were going to ride.<br/><br/>"Not now, Tomas," Irene said, dropping a hand to the young man's shoulder.  "Perhaps later."<br/><br/>"As you say," he said, touching his hat to her and nodding to Sam before returning to his job of cleaning saddles and shoes.<br/><br/>Diablo seemed fine, dozing in the dusty sunshine that filtered through the high window in the back wall.<br/><br/>Irene led Sam around behind the Saloon and up the stairs to her little veranda.  She pressed the lever on the door handle and leaned, but the door was barred...she'd forgotten.  "Oh..."  She looked to the left at the window in the thick wall.  The stucco had enough texture to afford her a bit of a toe-hold if she could summon her bravery to make the climb.<br/><br/>"I'll go through the window," she said quickly before she could lose her nerve.  She swung a leg over the short wall.  She pulled off her shoes and handed them to Sam.  Then, she tested a few spots, found a good niche and reached out to grab the edge of the window.  The fall would only be ten feet down to the ground, she mused, not looking.  She pressed with her feet and grabbed with her fingers and by sheer will managed to pull herself up to rest on her hands on the window ledge.  Leaning forward, she swung a leg inside like she was mounting a horse and then toppled inside, landing on the bed.<br/><br/>After a very few moments, she opened the door to SAm and stepped back for him to enter.  She smiled at him, pushing her hair out of her face.  Her reckless fall to the bed had dislodged pins.  "Please, do come in, Mr. Markham."<br/><br/>---> back to Irene's room...