Jane held her breath as something caught Gideon’s attention; he leaned forward and stared hard out the window.
“Avery! Here. Now. Dix! You and Marcie keep an eye on the front door.”
Jane said, “Please let the boys go.”
“No.”
It was said with such finality that Jane did not argue. She placed a hand on Rabbit’s shoulder and smiled at Finn. She meant to reassure, but there was a tremor in her fingers and her chin wobbled. She averted her head and quickly blinked back tears. Beneath her feet, the floor shook as Avery’s heavy footfalls pounded through the house.
Gideon held up his hand as he continued to look out the window. “Two of them. They just went into the barn. I can’t be sure who they were. They’ll see to their horses first. Maybe…” He crooked a finger at Rabbit. “Why don’t you come with me, son?”
Jane shook her head vehemently. “No. I’ll go. The boys stay here.”
Gideon’s chuckle was without humor. “I know you heard a question there, but it really wasn’t. The boy comes with me. Dix! Get in here. Sit with Mrs. Longstreet and Finn while Avery and I mosey out to the barn.”
Jane took a step forward, but Rabbit jumped up and blocked her progress.
“It’s all right, Mrs. Longstreet. I don’t mind goin’ with these gentlemen, and you got supper there to think about. I’m kind of curious about those potato cups you’re makin’. Sure would like to try one.”
Jane nodded because she couldn’t speak. She ruffled the hair at Rabbit’s nape before he jammed his hat back on his head. When Gideon held out an arm, Rabbit marched right up and allowed himself to be nudged out the door.
Finn had a lopsided grin for Jane. “Don’t worry about Rabbit. He does all right fendin’ for himself now that he’s thirteen. Now, if he had asked me go, well, that’d be a worry for everyone, even me.”
Jane thought he was extraordinarily philosophical about it.
Finn set his folded hands on the table with great aplomb and regarded the man who was charged with keeping them in the kitchen. “So,” he said gravely, “what sort of name is Dicks anyway? No villain should have a name that sounds like his man parts.”
The Eggs Susette was ready to come out of the oven when Gideon, Avery, and Rabbit walked back inside. Gideon had Rabbit firmly by his coat collar. He marched him up to the table, kicked out a chair, sat him down hard, and then he pushed the chair in until Rabbit’s chest bumped the table.
“Was that necessary?” asked Jane. “He’s a boy.”
“He’s man enough to tell your hands to shoot me when I was holding a gun to his head.”
“Oh, yes. Of course you would do that. It is a very tired tactic, Mr. Welling, and one that shows a singular lack of imagination. To use it on a child to elicit the cooperation of the ranch hands is unconscionable.”
“Lord, ma’am, but you have a mouth on you.”
Finn leaned forward and whispered to his brother across the table. “She does kinda, but it’s real pretty how she says things.”
Gideon shot daggers at Avery and Dix when they snickered. They backed out of the way. “You see?” he said to Jane. “They got something to say about everything, just like you. What you should be saying is, ‘Thank you, Mr. Welling, for not killing the men who help my husband run the ranch.’ Ain’t nobody died, so you can get right down off your high horse. It’d be a mistake, though, to think I won’t pull the trigger on any one of you. Have a care. Your men—” He gave Rabbit’s chair a shake. “What’re their names again?”
“Jem and Jessop Davis.”
“Yeah. Your men, Jem and Jessop, are trussed up proper in the bunkhouse, and Avery’s goin’ to watch over them once you give him his supper.” He went to the china cupboard, took out a plate, and handed it to her.
Jane chose the largest of the potato shells to give to the big man. She placed it on the plate and asked him if he wanted coffee. He thanked her politely and added some whiskey to his cup when she gave it to him.
When he was gone, she asked, “Are the rest of you going to sit down to eat? One of your men is still at the front door.”
“I know where my men are. Marcie! You want something to eat, come here.” Gideon sat and grunted softly when she handed him his supper.
Marcie and Dix ate standing up although there was room for them at the table. Jane put a plate of food in front of each of the boys. They recognized immediately there was nothing left for her.
“Finn and me can share one of these,” Rabbit said. “You take the other.”
Jane shook her head. “No. Thank you, but I don’t really have an appetite.”
Finn looked her over. “I heard that’s true sometimes when you have a delicate condition.” He shrugged when Jane simply stared at him. “Just somethin’ I heard.”
