“Shoot that dog!” The woman hollered closing in on Charlie still holding the baby. “Look what it done to me Charlie!”
Beti knelt and hugged her old friend. “Thank ye, girl.” It had been so close. She gazed up through watery eyes to see Zeke, rifle still aimed at the couple. Gathering behind him was Moses Woodbridge, Captain Taylor and others of the men in their wagon train.
She stepped into Zeke’s arms dislodging his stance. She buried her face into his chest, which she noticed heaved much as Nellie’s had. She wrapped her arms around his middle. “Thank ye.” Tears flowed freely. “Thank ye for coming.”
His arms came around her. “Shhhh.”
“Shall we chase ’em, Cap’n?” Mose’s eagerness jumped in his words.
“And do what with them?”
Zeke stiffened. “Surely ye don’t mean to let them go?”
“I ask ye then—what do ye propose we do with them when we catch ’em? Take ’em to Kentucky?”
“I aim to make sure he is never fit to touch a woman again.”
“And the child?”
“We can at least bring them to the law in Norfolk.”
“We don’t know if there is any law in Norfolk. Last I saw it was naught but a burned-out husk.”
Zeke stayed put.
“Captain, I should like to say thank ye, for help—”
“Try to keep ye-self from trouble, Miss Sigridsdatter. We don’t have the time nor the resources to rescue ye every day.”
“That’s what comes from having females traveling alone.” Mr. Edwards made himself known by the sharp resounding tones of his speech. Beti saw others from the group now, nodding their heads and heading back out of the forest.
Eight
Isaac stomped out of the woods. What was the woman thinking, traipsing off into the swamp like that? Hadn’t she heard the stories of the criminals in swamps of Princess Anne?
It wasn’t going to play well in the overall group either. He’d already heard several times from Reverend Edwards all about his disapproval of a woman traveling alone. Isaac could already feel the preacher’s influence in the group. He’d seen them nodding ascent as the man intoned his opinions like he was reading from the Epistles. Well, he’d deal with it, but this latest wrinkle caught him by surprise.
It shouldn’t have, the vehemence Zeke displayed when he insisted that Miss Beti was not safe to travel on her own. The fact that he couldn’t let the subject drop, that he taken an instant dislike to Toby Abbott. Yet it wasn’t until he’d seen Zeke’s fierce protection of her as he held Miss Beti in his arms that it hit him like a tomahawk. Hezekiah Smith was smitten. And if Isaac knew Zeke, and he did, he could be sure that Zeke was fighting his feelings with all his might.
A rare laugh escaped his lips.
Aggie stared at him. So she heard that did she. Well, he’d deal with that too.
“Cap’n?” She trailed him.
He spun. “What?”
“Is Beti safe?”
The sentiment did her credit, still he couldn’t keep the scowl off his face. “The fool woman wandered off into the woods, but yes, she is safe now.”
Charity Edwards stepped away from her uncle’s wagon. He’d yet to hear the woman speak. Which was not surprising since her uncle had enough to say for three people. “Did ye say she walked into the woods?”
Isaac was struck by her voice. Not prim or missish it was deeper than most women without being dusky or raspy. It was at once mannish and completely feminine.
“Aye.”
“I would have thought a child would know better than to walk off into some strange woods by herself.”
So that’s what she was like then. Too bad. He agreed with the sentiment, but he didn’t like the way she said it. “Aye.”
He touched the brim of his tricorn. “Ma’am.”
“Did I say something amiss?” The words reached him, but he kept moving toward his mount.
“No, it is just him.” He swallowed a smile at Aggie’s answer.
“We will push on before we stop to eat,” Isaac informed Gordon as he stepped up on his right.
“I figure we’ll clear this patch in about an hour, we can hold out until then.” Gordon answered.
“How’re the boys? I don’t have to tell ye to keep yer eye on them.”
Gordon squinted his annoyance. “I choose not to challenge ye on that ludicrous question this time.”
Isaac paused. “We will talk later. Right now I think we get outta here.”
