Page 146 of Conveniently Wed
Just then a sharp, short whistle sounded, and Drifter lunged away from her, parking himself at Gideon’s side.
“Stay.” The sound came out so much like a growl, Leah almost missed that it was a word.
Silence fell over the room, and she had no idea what brought on the tension woven through the quiet. She glanced up at Gideon, who had seated himself at the table and lounged as if nothing was out of the ordinary. A quick look at Miriam showed a seething scowl aimed directly at her older brother.
Miriam broke the silence by carrying a tin plate of gravy to the other side of the kitchen, farthest away from the table. “Come’on, Drifter. I’ve got a treat for ya, boy.”
Leah turned back, expecting the dog to trot eagerly toward the yummy stuff. He didn’t, though. Despite his longing gaze toward the plate on the floor, he kept himself planted beside his master.
With a frustrated grunt, Miriam planted both hands on her hips and glared at her brother. “Gideon.”
The unspoken dressing down seemed to work, for Gideon relented. “Go,” he growled. The dog jumped to his feet and bounded across the room.
Somehow, there seemed to be an insult to her somewhere in Gideon’s behavior—at least, Miriam seemed to think so—but the entire exchange was really rather amusing.
She’d never seen a dog so well-trained as Drifter, nor so devoted to his master. Why didn’t Gideon want the dog to greet her though?
Whatever the case, the big brother loved his baby sister and just couldn’t say no to her—a trait she appreciated a great deal in this case.
11
The prayer was said by Gideon in his usual to-the-point, no-extra-words-spared style. “Bless us, Lord, and these Your gifts. Make us grateful. In Christ’s name, Amen.”
After the blessing, lunch was a silent affair, with each of them focused on their white gravy poured over beef and bread. Again, the beef was almost too tough to eat, and very salty. What made it so tough? Had Miriam cooked it too long?
To her surprise, Gideon was the one to break the silence. When his plate was almost half empty, he spoke without looking up.
“Well, I reckon the only thing for ya to do is go back to where ya came from. St. Louis or Richmond or wherever that is. I can help arrange for travel and such.”
It took a moment for Leah to realize he was speaking to her. He wasn’t looking at her when he spoke, an action which would be considered quite disrespectful in proper circles. She worked to push down her rising hackles. “Mr. Bryant, I thank you for the kind offer, but I won’t be going back to St. Louis, Richmond or any other place in the southeast.”
For the first time, a flicker of emotion passed through his very green eyes as he raised them to look at her.
“Ma’am.” His tone was measured, controlled. “You will have to go back to where you came from. There’s nothing for you here. My brother is dead.” The words were flat, then he dropped his eyes back to his plate.
Compassion pressed at her. She needed to clarify her statement. “Mr. Bryant. I understand I cannot stay here. Iamplanning to leave. I simply am not able to go back to St. Louis, nor to Richmond, which is the city from which I originally hail.”
A blue vein appeared on Gideon’s forehead that hadn’t been there before. “And why is that, if I may ask?” He spat each word as if he were expelling cat hair from his mouth.
“Because, sir, when I arrived in Fort Benton, the gateway to yourfineterritory, I was robbed of my reticule and all funds. Therefore, I have no money with which to pay for travel back to that same Fort Benton, nor the expensive ship ride to St. Louis. Nor train fare for thefive daysit would take to travel from there to Richmond.”
Both her voice and body temperature rose with each sentence. “And not only that, but there is a man in Richmond who is seeking to marry and poison me for my inheritance. I last saw his agents when I was in St. Louis, so I willnotbe going back to that city.
“However, Mr. Bryant, you need not fear I’ll impose my presence upon you any longer than absolutely necessary. If you will kindly tell me the way to Butte City, I’ll leave posthaste.”
She dropped her focus to her plate. It was too hard to meet the man’s piercing gaze after such an outburst. Why had she let her temper flare like that? She didn’t need to let these people know how desperate she was.
As she picked up her fork and speared a piece of soggy bread, the silence that ensued cloaked her like a suffocating blanket.
Miriam came to her rescue. “Well, I for one say going to Butte City isnotan option. With all those out-of-work miners in town,it’s not safe for a woman to walk by herself in daylight, much less live there alone. There’s no way I’m letting a friend of mine stay there by herself with no protection.”
Leah looked up to see her sweet little magpie friend with arms crossed and eyebrows raised. Even though she disagreed with Miriam’s opinion, tears sprang to her eyes at the emotion behind the words. It felt good to have someone care about her. Emily’s face flashed through her mind. How was her dear friend doing?
Miriam’s voice interrupted her tender thoughts. “I know what you should do, brother. Since Abel’s not here to marry Leah, why don’tyoudo it?”
Leah choked on the bread she was swallowing. Through her coughs came the sound of a fork clattering on the table, boot thuds on the floor, a sharp whistle, and the slamming of a door.
“I’m sorry I embarrassed you, Leah, but I still think you should marry Gideon.”
