“You better,” her aunt scoffed. “And while we’re on the subject, why didn’t you change into something more decent? It was a funeral, wasn’t it?”
Dakota let out a deep breath. Her aunt wanted a fight, and when there was nothing else to complain about, she always resorted back to Dakota’s clothes.
“It was just me, Blade, Millie, and Sheriff Wolfe. They don’t care what I wear.”
“Dressing like that”—her aunt gestured toward her clothes—“isn’t very ladylike. You’re never going to get a decent husband looking like that.”
Dakota looked down at herself. She had on pants and a shirt with boots. She liked the way it looked. Around her waist, she carried her father’s gun belt. It made her feel better to have weapons on her at all times.
“I’m not looking for a husband, and if I ever decide that I want one, he’d have to accept me the way I am.”
“You’ll be single all your life!” her aunt exclaimed. “Is that really what you want?”
No, it isn’t what Dakota wanted, but she wasn’t willing to sacrifice her own happiness and peace of mind to satisfy somebody else’s wants and needs. Yes, she wanted to get married and have children, but she also wanted to wear pants and shoot guns.
“I want to be able to be myself without being judged.”
Her aunt shook her head. “That’s not how the world works. Not for women.”
Dakota knew that, but she didn’t care. “Then the world needs to change, not me.”
“Your parents would have been so disappointed,” her aunt spat, red in the face.
Her words hurt. Not because Dakota believed them, but because her aunt was trying to guilt her by using her dead parents. Dakota balled her hands into fists at her sides, trying to suppress her anger. She had so many things she wanted to say, but none of them would change anything. Her aunt was a hateful woman, and Dakota didn’t want to lower herself to her standards.
“Aren’t you going to say something?” her aunt asked.
“I’m tired,” Dakota replied as she walked past her aunt. “I’m going to bed.”
Behind her, Dakota could hear her aunt yelling and complaining, but she ignored her. Once she was in her room, Dakota closed the door behind her and positioned a wooden chair under the handle so that it couldn’t be opened.
Dakota walked to the full-length mirror and took in her appearance. She looked much more like her mother than her father, but she was okay with that. Her mother was a beautiful woman, after all. She placed her hand on the old Colt she carried with her at all times and smiled. It had belonged to her father. Dakota’s aunt believed that what she had said was true, but Dakota knew that her parents would have been proud of the person she was. They had always encouraged her to be herself and would have been happy that she was following their advice.
Sitting down on her bed, Dakota thought about everything that had happened. Margaret was a sweet and caring woman who treated Dakota better than her own aunt ever did. Dakota couldn’t believe that she was gone and wondered how her death was going to affect Blade and Millie’s lives going forward. She really wasn’t sure what they were going to do, but she did know that Blade wasn’t going to wait until he turned eighteen to go after Austin.
The same anger that lived in Blade also lived in Dakota. Sometimes it faded a little, and other times it soared. She knew how to recognize it in herself and in Blade. He might not have mentioned it, but she could see that he was angry. Finding Millie while she was having an episode must have triggered it. Over the last couple of months, he had been growing more and more restless, and Margaret’s death could be the thing that set his plan into motion.
There was, of course, a possibility that she was wrong, but Dakota wasn’t going to take any chances. She had decided a long time ago that she wasn’t going to let Blade go on his own. Not because he wasn’t capable, but because she wanted revenge too, and more importantly, she couldn’t stand the idea of being without him for a day, let alone months.
Getting up, Dakota walked to her cupboard and opened the doors. Inside hung an array of dresses that her aunt had bought for her. Dakota ignored them as she took her father’s old gunnysack and saddlebags out of one of the drawers. It was time to pack so that she would be ready when Blade decided to leave.
Chapter 6
Blade didn’t get much sleep. It was after midnight when he got back home. He had ridden to Dakota’s house with her to make sure she got there safely. When he returned home, he checked on Millie and then got into bed. He tossed and turned for hours and finally decided to simply get up. If he had gotten even an hour of sleep, it was a lot.
Ignoring how tired he felt, Blade started on breakfast. Usually, Margaret or Millie made breakfast, but things were different now. He wasn’t much of a cook, though, so he settled on making oats, something he knew he couldn’t mess up. Wanting to help Millie feel better, he took her breakfast to her in her room.
He wasn’t sure whether to wake her or simply leave the food on her bedside table, but luckily he didn’t have to decide. Millie was sitting on her bed, leaning back against the wall as she read a book. A lantern on her bedside table lit up the room, and when he entered, Millie closed her book and focused her eyes on him.
“I made breakfast,” Blade said as he walked over to her. “You want it now?”
Millie nodded, causing a wave of relief to wash over Blade. She had been so traumatized the previous day that he couldn’t get any response out of her. Seeing her communicate and want to eat made him extremely happy.
He placed the tray on her bedside table and handed the bowl to her. “Will you be okay if I go to work?”
Millie nodded again.
Blade could feel himself relaxing. He had expected Millie to still be in bad shape, but she seemed to be doing all right.
