Page 85 of Conveniently Wed
“And Edgar?”
He simply shook his head, a frown overtaking his expression.
“I need to talk to him,” she said.
He shook his head again. “He’s out making the rounds, talking to the others. We’ll have a watch on you girls all night.”
Between the men she knew would be keeping watch over the cattle, and now this…she guessed none of the cowboys would be sleeping tonight. Guilt surged, but her protectiveness over Emma won out.
“Could you…take me out to him?”
“He wants you girls to stay put.”
She’d asked, but couldn’t really imagine having such a conversation in front of his brother and her sister anyway.
“Then…is there any chance… Could you ask him to come to me?” She hated that her brother-in-law saw the tears she was fighting to keep at bay. Hated that she had to resort to nearly begging because of her stubborn husband.
“I’ll try.” Matty gave her a sympathetic smile. “How’s Emma?” he asked, with a glance at the canvas.
“Scared,” Fran answered honestly. Emma couldn’t stop shaking, no matter how much Fran reassured her. She was scared for Fran, panicking at the thought of Underhill taking her away.
Fran hated that the fear had returned to her eyes, wished that there was a way to comfort her sister, but she knew there wouldn’t be until this all had ended.
And the way things were going, Fran couldn’t see a way to a good resolution for all of them.
Emma’s safety was the most important thing.
“Ed said to remind her about the lesson from yesterday morning. He said he’d left y’all a present earlier.”
She nodded, reading between the lines to his true meaning. The shooting lesson and the pistol that Edgar had left them before Underhill’s appearance. She was a little surprised Edgar hadn’t taken it back, but she was glad of the extra protection. She didn’t know if Emma could shoot a man, but she thought she could, if her sister’s life depended on it.
Matty took his leave, promising to relay her request that Edgar come talk to her.
But he never came.
15
“You’re being an idiot.”
Edgar didn’t react to Ricky’s statement. He stayed in his squat, bent over his horse’s hoof. The animal had picked up a stone in the last few minutes of the day’s drive and Edgar needed to remove it and let the horse rest for a while.
“She’s up in the wagon, crying. Wants to talk to you,” Matty added.
Edgar shifted, edging his shadow out of the weak moonlight. He was working mostly by touch, but he’d asked for no fires, so he was doing the best he could.
He ignored his brother’s mention of Fran crying.
“Edgar—”
“I heard you,” he burst out, head against the horse’s flank. “Aren’t you supposed to spell John about now?”
Grass crunched, like his brother was pacing a circle, but Edgar didn’t turn to look. He’d gotten enough accusative looks from both Ricky and Seb all afternoon. He didn’t need one more.
“Edgar—” Ricky started.
“If I was going to take advice, it wouldn’t be from you!” he burst out. He couldn’t take the both of them ganging up on him.
“You think you know everything!” Ricky countered. “No one else can ever be right?—”
