Lenna wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hugging her close. “You were lucky he was with you. He’s had experience with bears. You did a good job on the stitching too.”
Esther turned to the other woman. “I hope it was enough. What did you give him?”
She shrugged her shoulders, closing her eyes for a few moments before opening them again. “An herbal mixture our people use to fight off infection. Tastes bad. Works. Keep an eye on him for the next few days and I’ll make sure to stay close by in case he needs any more medicine from Mother Earth.”
Jealousy stabbed her chest. She didn’t know these tricks of health. How would she help him?
“Don’t worry. He’s had worse wounds when he was in trouble with the law.”
Esther blinked fast. Her head swam as she tried to take in what she had heard. Outlaw. He was an outlaw. Blast it all! This wasn’t the type of man she wanted or needed in her life. He lived his life on the edge. That was no way to bring up a family. Pain and heartache are what this life would bring.
“He what?” Her voice rose. Her hands shook as she pulled them away from Bev whose eyes were cast down. Even she knew the bad deeds of her husband but Esther did not. Great. Marry to get away from one bad man to find herself married to another.
The men in the camp turned to look at them. Her husband, hand pressed to his chest, raised a brow in her direction. She didn’t turn back when the ladies tried to warn her to let this be for now. No. He’d answer her questions now. She held the front of her dress up in order not to step on it. The last thing she needed was to fall on her face in front of everyone.
***
Obadiah ran his hand over his arm, trying not to cuss from the pain settling in his chest. His wife’s voice carrying across the field. Crazy woman. What riled her up this time? She marched over to him as if she would knock him down. He caught Lenna’s attention over the top of Esther’s head. Her nose scrunched up as she mouthed the word “sorry”.
Great. Lenna had something to do with why his wife was mad. He wished Lenna had not came on the expedition with her husband, but who would have made him the herbs to drink? The herbs were important to healing he knew. He narrowed his eyes to small slits as he tried to control his emotions.
“Outlaw! How come you didn’t tell me?” She shouted the words for everyone to hear. The men laughed as they held up their hands and backed away from the two of them. Everyone in town knew. It wasn’t a secret. He’d not had a big bounty on his head or anything. Why it mattered to her Obadiah couldn’t understand. It had nothing to do with her in any way. Her hands were on her hips and all he could think was that she looked so cute when she was mad. Cheeks red and freckles standing out.
He rolled his eyes, and leaned against the tree. Pressure…too much pressure from the pain. As he put his weight against the tree, the pain lessened and he wished he still had the bottle of whiskey in his hand.
“It was before you. Let it go.”
Her eyes widened at his words. The corners of her lips pressed harder into one another. She threw her hands in the air before she put them back on her hips. The movement made him watch her carefully with hooded eyes. Get her away in private, kiss her senseless until she listened to him seemed best, but then she might hit him if he tried.
“No. I won’t.”
Obadiah let out a low growl. This woman might be the second thing to get him down today. He closed his eyes and tried hard to take a breath in. He didn’t want to talk about what he’d done before. Not many knew the actual crimes, just that he was an outlaw and had spent time in the local jail.
“Don’t make that noise at me.”
James ran up to them, coming between the both of them. He wanted him to kill him in front of everyone. Obadiah clenched his fist together, ready to put a fist in the side of this man’s face. He seemed to always try to come between he and his wife, like he was a good man. Far from it. Obadiah was a saint compared to this man.
Don’t allow your anger to come out. Choose peace like the Good Word says. Words his Ma told him more than once popped in his mind and he tried hard to shove them away. Doing right wasn’t what drove him. He wasn’t like his brother.
“You have to speak calmly to her.”
Obadiah turned his full attention to his enemy. He had the nerve to try and tell him how to act with his wife after the way everyone knew he treated his and other women was rich! A right hook to the face might send James a message. Every word the other man spoke made Obadiah want to drive a fist into him.
“This has nothing to do with you.” He bit the words at James. Esther’s eyes grew wider. James tugged on her hand and turned his attention to her and his back to Obadiah. Mistake number two from James today. She jerked her hand away from him. He didn’t miss the frightened look on her face. She rubbed her hand. Redness showed around her fingers. Stepping forward, Obadiah shoved him backward. “If you ever touch my wife again…it will be the last thing you do.”
James got his balance just before he fell on the
