17

                                    

                                          

"Oh," I looked down at the still steaming meal and swallowed uneasily. "No I, I just am not hungry. I'm sorry, it's such a waste.
"Don't fret about it. I got the supplies loaded." His eyes never left my face, and I knew he was reading my expression. "We can go whenever you want."
It reminded me of our wedding day, the same desperate need to run away flooding my veins. The same resentment burning in my breast. 
"I would like to go, now." I stood as he dropped a few coins on the table, then took gentle hold of my elbow as we left the hotel together.
"If somethin' s on your mind, I got two good ears." He offered. I wanted to tell him but didn't know how. It was too frightening. 
"I...I think I'm more tired than I thought. Perhaps I should have stayed at the cabin today." From the corner of my eye, I saw Chess Gaines watching us. A cold shiver shook me from knees to shoulders, Tyler's grip tightening as he steadied me.
"It won't be too long before we're back home." Helping me up to the seat he climbed up next to me, picking up the reins. Biting hard on my bottom lip, I leaned into his shoulder, willing myself not to cry. The whip popped in the air, starting the team, and I told myself I had no reason to ever come back to Kelton.
The long trip back to the cabin was solemn and quiet. My mind whirled with Percy's words, and Gaines' threats. Had I made a tragic mistake by getting married? Maybe another solution would have presented itself if I had waited. Unable to look at my husband, I was ashamed that he would guess at my thoughts. 
How would he react to what happened at the restaurant? Would he blame me? Something about Gaines struck a chord of terror within me, shadowy familiarity leaving a sickening dread in my belly. Trembling with another chill I wrapped the blanket tightly around me. If Tyler noticed he said nothing, probably figuring it was the evening breeze that made me shiver.
Kajika and Puyallup were in the yard when Tyler reined the horses to a stop and jumped down. Speaking quietly, he gestured toward me in Shoshoni. The Indian came around to my side, gently lifting me from the wagon. His eyes were kind as my feet touched ground.
"Go inside and warm yourself Molly. The fire is ready. Tyler and I will unload the wagon."
Feeling as if I would faint, I nodded without protest. Weak with hunger, still the thought of food made my stomach churn. A sense of foreboding had set in, and I could not shake it. This same feeling had taken hold as I stood by my father's deathbed, watching him slip away. How much more could I endure? 
Huddled close to the flames, still wrapped in the heavy blanket, I blanked out. Again and again the scene in the restaurant played through my mind. Was it simply because of our first encounter at the saloon? Was Gaines the sort of man to hold a vicious grudge? Did he blame me for what Tyler had done in protecting my honor?
I could not imagine why the crude brute had locked his sights on me, nothing good was going to come of it. The more I thought about it, the more certain I became it would bode only doom. A sudden scrapping brought me out of my thoughts, and I found the cabin dark. Tyler was settling down in his chair after tossing more wood to the fire. It was disconcerting to find that they had prepared, eaten, and cleaned up dinner without my even realizing it.
"For a woman with nothing on your mind, you can sit a long spell." Gently pointed, his tone was hinting, brow arched.
"I assure you, I'm fine." Even to my own ears it sounded hollow.
"You're fine, that's rich. A good liar you ain't, Missus Tyler. Somethin's eatin' you from the inside." He leaned down toward me, his eyes sincere and earnest. I couldn't look away. "Talk to me."