A Man to Call My Own

Chapter 14

"YOU GONNA COME ALONG quiet-like, so I don have to bash your head none?"

The question was a gruff whisper. Marian was surprised she even heard it since it was muttered quite a distance away and not to her. But she'd been unable to sleep after that aggravating conversation with Chad after dinner.

It had infuriated her, really, how pleased he'd looked upon hearing her explanation, as if he were already thinking of using that ploy to gain Amanda's attention. She'd felt like kicking him. She certainly hadn't felt like talking to him anymore.

She was still castigating herself for revealing the truth about Amanda, which she'd never done before, and for thinking Chad was smart enough to have figured out by now that Amanda was better avoided than pursued.

Now, awake, and sharing a blanket with Ella Mae on the hard ground under the wagon, every little sound was gaining her notice, especially that ominous whisper...

Except she hadn't heard the stranger enter their camp. He'd gotten all the way to the campfire where Chad was sleeping, was leaning over him, had spoken to him, and had gotten there without making a single sound.

She could see him clearly from where she was lying under the wagon. He was really big, wide as well as tall, could easily weigh three hundred pounds. He looked wild, at least very uncivilized, clothes filthy, a thick bearskin coat, long gray-brown hair so matted, he probably hadn't seen a comb in the last ten years. And she could smell the stink. He'd brought the odor with him.

Chad had to be awake by now, though he hadn't moved and wasn't giving any indication that he'd heard the question. The giant mountain man got impatient for a response, thumped him hard on the chest with the butt of his pistol.

"You hear me, boy?"

"If I didn't," Chad replied dryly, "I could sure smell you—boy."

A chuckle. "You know me. I've worked for your pa before. You know I don' want to hurt you none if I don' have to. But you will be coming with me. Means five hundred to me. Means I'll be spending a nice warm winter this year, and I do favor warm winters at my age."

"I'll match that price if you take your stink elsewhere."

"Now that won't rightly do 'cause I gave your pa my word that I'd have you home 'fore morning. Have to keep my word, boy, you understand. It's a matter of trust—and more jobs when I need 'em."

"And pretty pointless. He knows where to find me now. He can come to me."

"I reckon he don' want to," the giant replied. "Matter of pride, you know. After all, you're the one that hightailed it, not him."

"You don't know anything about it, Leroy," Chad said with a degree of disgust.

"I don' need to know, don' get paid to know. Now are you coming—?"

A sigh. "I'd oblige you, if I didn't have women here that can't be left alone. And no, you're not dragging them another ten miles out of the way when they're only a few more hours from home. You can tell my pa I'll come by to see him sometime next week."

Leroy shook his head. "That ain't getting me my five hundred, boy."

"It will keep you from getting a hole in your chest, boy." Chad countered.

The gun was cocked, the sound incredibly loud in the still of the night as Chad got to his feet. The big man chuckled again, not seeming the least bit intimidated by the thought of being shot.

He even said in his congenial tone, "Your pa didn't say I had to bring you home in one piece, just to bring you home. You don really want to take me on. Six shots, if you got that many, ain't gonna stop me. I've taken worse and lived to crow about it. So why'n't you come along nice-like, and save us both a passel of pain."

Marian was moving stealthily toward the two men who were discussing violence so casually. They were talking loud enough that they didn't hear her, and she stopped each time when they weren't. She'd picked up a big branch, a small log actually, thick and heavy enough to do some serious damage. Whether she could actually swing it at the man called Leroy was the question.

Fights with her sister were one thing, and while they might get vicious, they never started out with that intent. But this was entirely different, attacking someone she didn't know with the intention of hurting him enough to alleviate the menace. She wasn't sure she could do it. But it didn't sound like she had much choice.

Another step should have her close enough. Her hands began to sweat nervously. She raised her impromptu club with its branchy spikes over her right shoulder, positioning it for a full momentum swing, and took that last step.

And broke a twig under her bare foot.

Both men turned immediately in her direction. Both pointed guns at her. She froze completely, eyes wide with fright.

Leroy started laughing first. Very well, so there hadn't been any time to think of dressing. So she was standing there in her ruffled underwear with a log raised over one shoulder and her loose hair tumbling down the other. It wasn't that funny, at least not enough to cause Leroy to laugh so hard he got tears in his eyes.

"What the hell you gonna do with that, gal?" he asked her. "I clean my teeth with toothpicks that size."