{"product_id":"whippoorwill-9780966269666","title":"Whippoorwill","description":"\u003cp\u003eDREAMERS ARE BORN NOT MADE Sleeping with men for money was not something Leticia Murphy had planned on doing when she grew up  but then  neither had she planned on being orphaned at twelve  or winding up in a godforsaken place in the Kansas Territories like Lizard Flats. But here she was  like most of the other lost souls whod come West  looking for something better  and in her case  wishing for a second chance. She knew the odds were against her  but it didnt stop her from yearning. There was a ritual from her childhood that she performed each evening as the sun was going down. She would step out onto the balcony off her bedroom above the saloon  lift her face to the heavens to search for the Evening Star  then stand quietly in the growing shadows and listen for the call of the whippoorwill. It came from a memory of her mother who had died when she was ten. Always  she was sitting in her mothers lap outside their clapboard house watching night fall across the land. They would sit on the front step with their bare feet planted firmly in the still warm dirt while enjoying the first cool breezes of evening. As they sat  they would search for the first star and wait for the call of the whippoorwill. Her mother had told her the bird was searching for its mate  but Letty had yet to meet a man who was worth the call. However  the memory was one of the few good ones she had left. Two years after her mothers untimely death  her father was killed by a Comanche hunting party. Letty survived by hiding in a hollowed out badger hole. That was the last time fate showed her any kindness. At twenty-seven  she was well past the marrying age and nearly too used up to care. Yet she didnt stop wishing  and she didnt stop dreaming about a different sort of life. Then one day  something happened in Lizard Flats that had never happened before. Word began to spread throughout the area that a real preacher from back East was coming to perform a wedding. The news set off a whole series of unforeseen events. Caught up in the excitement of the occasion  Letty couldnt help but think that a change was coming for her  too.    A gunshot sounded just outside Lettys window. It wasnt the first time shed heard that sound in Lizard Flats and she would bet her next years wages it wouldnt be the last. When the sound of an argument followed  she didnt even bother to get up and look out to see what was going on. Chances were shed see both of the stupid louts whod started the fuss before the night was out. Men were always the same. Drink. Fight. Then celebrate their victories or losses by paying for her pleasures. And since her friend  Truly Fines exit months earlier  Letty was the only woman still working at the White Dove Saloon  which meant she got more than her share of fools in her bed. Refusing to think about the boredom of her life  she pushed the coal oil lamp a little closer to the mirror and then leaned forward  giving herself a final check before going downstairs. Her eyes were still blue. Her hair was still brown  but there were fine lines at the corners of her eyes that hadnt been there last year. She pouted her lips to check her lip rouge then gave a stray curl a final tuck. It didnt do to dwell on the inevitable. She was getting older. The day was going to come when she would no longer be able to get a dollar for each man that she laid. The strange thing was  she had never been able to see beyond that fear. What happened to old whores  she wondered? Did they just dry up and blow away like the earth in Lizard Flats  or was there something worse? Something more sinister than even she could imagine? She made a face at herself just as Will the Bartender banged on her door. \"Letty! You come on downstairs now. I got customers wanting a little female attention.\" \"Im coming! Im coming!\" she yelled. Just before she left her room  she blew out the lamp and then walked to the open door leading out onto her small balcony overlooking main street. There was a faint breeze blowing  shifting the thin lace panels over her windows in an effort to get inside. She ran her fingers over the lace. Hanging the curtains had been a feeble attempt to give elegance to her life  but they also gave her a sense of satisfaction to know shed paid for them herself. Her momma would have loved the fine lace  she thought  as she walked out onto the balcony  although she would have heartily disapproved of how Letty had come by the money to pay for them. Once outside  she looked up. The sky was clear without a cloud in sight - the Evening Star already evident. The air smelled of dust and gunpowder. The thin slice of moon hanging just above the horizon would not cast many shadows upon the darkening land. For Letty  it was a night like so many others  yet she still listened  waiting to hear that call. Just as she was about to give up and go inside  she heard the haunting  mournful coo of a lone whippoorwill. Even though it was what shed been waiting\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67902234755125,"sku":"ByrdShop_0966269667","price":52.41,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780966269666.jpg?v=1793820989","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/whippoorwill-9780966269666","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}