Chapter Fourteen
Things might’ve gone worse if Samuel had left the property sooner.
With him outside, and Jed firing off the rifle from indoors, the bandits quickly reconsidered their choice in target and rode off into the night.
It wasn’t too big of a posse, and even more miraculously, nothing immediately seemed to have been taken from the ranch.
Daylight would reveal more details, though his only focus now was making it there without any more trouble.
Jed was glad to have another set of eyes stay up with him.
The men traded off patrol every hour or so, with Maeve remaining in her father’s old room with Lila.
Whenever Jed came into the house to trade off with Samuel, he couldn’t help but grimace at the toddler’s clear sobs.
It was obvious no one was getting to sleep tonight.
He sat in the living room, stiffly upright in the old armchair set by the hearth.
The room itself was a mess, with shattered glass covering the floor from his shoot-off with the bandits.
Some of the furniture had been struck as well, namely the back of the couch, but most of the damage could be easily swept away or repaired.
It was still too dark to take a proper look at the outer walls, but Jed could imagine he’d find some major splintering and broken pieces.
He sighed, trying to push the idea of repair work out of his mind for now. That left him room for his and Maeve’s arguments to filter in; more repairs he didn’t have the energy for at the moment.
Early light slowly made its way through the shattered windows, catching the broken glass on the floor in a brilliantly macabre display.
An unusual knock came at the front door–a code of sorts Samuel taught him before their night patrol began, to ensure the two wouldn’t be tricked by bandits–and Jed shifted heavily off the couch to let the man inside.
He staggered across to the couch, glass and bits of wood crunching under his feet.
As he collapsed onto the couch, Jed began an impromptu hunt for the broom.
Miraculously, Lila had been quiet for the last hour or so.
Even if it was likely she and Maeve would wake up later than usual, he still wanted to clear the remnants of last night’s terror.
Especially since Lila had become quiet mobile.
“Took a quick ride around yer property before I came inside,” Samuel explained. “Busted yer barn’s front door a bit, but it don’t look like they succeeded in getting inside.”
Relief spread throughout Jed, lifting a small part of weight from his shoulders. It gave him the strength to begin sweeping up the glass and splinters, aiming to send the mess straight out the front door still slightly ajar. “Any bullet holes?”
“Not around the barn, though I admit, I didn’t get a good look at yer cabin.”
With one, grand swing of his arm, Jed send the debris out the door and scattering across the porch. He gave the nearest wall a quick glance, noting chips and splinters where he'd posted up with the rifle. “You’d done plenty fer us, Samuel. I dunno how we’re ever gonna pay you back.”
Samuel waved a tired hand, having since spread himself out across the couch.
He dropped his hat across his face, then folded both arms loosely against his chest, now rising and falling with rhythmic serenity.
Jed wouldn’t be surprised if the man had genuinely just fallen asleep.
But a long and undisturbed nap was the least he could offer Samuel after everything he’d done.
Carefully, quietly, Jed set the broom against the corner and closed the front door.
He set about locking it up tight, then moved across the house and toward the back hallway.
His hand hovered over the bedroom door, and after an anxious beat, Jed gave it a slow twist and gingerly pushed it open.
Just enough to slip his head through, though; he didn’t want to wake the possibly sleeping pair with his foot catching against a creaky floorboard.
He really had made a mess of things in that room.
Dozens of wood carvings had been knocked over from his hasty actions, and the bed’s frame was still shoved partially in the corner he’d put Maeve and Lila.
The pair had since migrated to the upheaval mattress, Maeve having partially covered herself with Lila’s blanket, with Lila herself curled up snugly against her side.
Jed almost didn’t notice the toddler, only catching stuck-up bits of black hair from beneath her lilac blanket.
A soft sigh slipped out from the toddler, and Maeve’s arms instinctively pulled her closer.
Jed closed the door softly behind him, unable to watch the scene any further.
Somehow, his heart had grown as heavy the rest of his body, and he could barely manage to stand upright any longer.
Leaning against the wall, Jed sank down to sit just above the bedroom door’s knob, mind stuffed up like a thick patch of cotton. Things had gotten so complicated.
He’d had a hand in making those things complicated.
He covered his face with his hands, sighing a deep, exhausted sigh. There was too much to think about. Too much to do. It was all too heavy right now to try and focus on.
So, Jed didn’t. He simply focused on the hardness of the wall against his back, the ache of his hands pressing against his face. He focused on his breathing, the swell in his chest when he inhaled, and the absolute emptiness he felt when he exhaled.
There was so much to do. So much that had to be talked about. But for now, Jed could only focus on his immediate surroundings. The rest could come later, when–hopefully–he could get control of his mind once again.
***
Jed woke with a start, arms trapped at his side. He sat up with a gasp, shoving off a large blanket from his body. Blinking furiously, he dragged his hands across his face, trying desperately to expunge the exhaustion from his person. When had he fallen asleep? And where had the blanket come from?
“Maeve–!”
Panic shot down his legs and threw him upright, but before he could yank the bedroom door open, Maeve’s face appeared at the mouth of the hallway. Her face was smeared in flour, and only now did Jed notice the savory scent of a buttery pastry lingering heavily in the air.
“S’ alright,” Maeve assured him. “We’re all alright, Jed.”
Jed blinked furiously, trying to shake off the rest of his fatigue.
He made his way toward Maeve, noting the dark circles under her eyes.
Evidently, the flour hadn’t stayed just on her face, as he noted white handprints dusted across the lower half of her dress.
She even managed to get a bit in her hair, creating a faint streak amidst her amber curls.
She must have caught him staring, because her hands went to try and dust the flour away. “O-oh. Um...I’ve been baking a bit in the kitchen. It’s not—I mean, I know I made a bit of a mess, but...?” Her sentence trailed away, and she stepped back down the hall.
Jed followed after, surprised at how put-together the living room looked.
Strong daylight streaked through large gaps in the window, somewhat obscured by sets of hanging sheets pinned along the frame.
Whatever jagged shards of glass had once been there had been broken off and smoothed down, and Jed couldn’t help but grimace at how expensive replacing them would be.
In truth, he was shocked Maeve’s family had afforded glass in the first place.
Then again, there was much about Maeve he still didn’t really know.
The smell of baking caught his attention once more, and Jed turned back toward the kitchen. Lila, shockingly, was propped up against the corner of the couch, cozily tucked underneath her blanket while she softly snored.
“Well, I’ll be...” Jed carefully approached, brushing a gentle strand of hair out of Lila’s face. He glanced up toward the kitchen, having been completely taken over by Maeve and filled with dirty dishes.
She looked determined to complete her work, a manic energy lingering behind while she stepped about the kitchen. It was as if she were trying to chase off the night’s terrors with a constant stream of tasks.
“How she looking over there?” Maeve asked, not even looking up from her work.
Jed glanced toward Lila, watching her chest rise and fall for a few bets. “She’s...still asleep.” He stepped toward the dining room, catching sight of a few deflated pies set to cool. As he tried to inspect the filling, he got a warning hiss from Maeve.
“Those there are thank-you’s fer Samuel. They’re my best-looking attempts.”
They really did look nice.
“He said he were headed to town,” Maeve continued on. “Something about the Independence Day festival. Dunno where he got all that energy fer traveling, though.”
Jed suspected it might’ve had something to do with Sadie.
“He said he’d let Joshua know ‘bout what happened last night, though. Once he got into town, I mean.” Maeve set her hands against the counter, staring daggers into its flour-dusted surface.
Jed’s brow furrowed in concern.
“He…he said they’d be back tonight. To help watch fer the bandits return.” She sounded so frustrated. So…disappointed with herself. Jed watched as Maeve furiously whisked a bowl of batter, making an absolute mess of herself and her workspace.
“Maeve?”
She didn’t look up from her work as she spoke. Not even as flecks of batter painted her face. “I know it’s past dinner, but Lila were so tired this morning after Sam left. I figured I’d just let her sleep as long as possible. The smell of food’ll eventually rouse her.”
It didn’t seem like Maeve was hearing Jed speak at all.
She just continued her work, practically flying across the kitchen as she checked a bubbling pot of stew, as she screwed on the lid of a jar, as she returned to the oven to check on her next attempt at a pie.
Jed wanted to try and lighten the mood. Make a joke about her making a feast for Samuel’s sake, but it didn’t feel like the right thing to say.
The right thing to say?
Jed stood for a moment, stunned at the thought he’d just had. That wasn’t supposed to be his area of expertise, but no one had told him that. He’d come up with it all on his own, without any outside force.
He looked around the kitchen once more, then started gathering up the dirtied mixing bowls before placing them into the sink.
Maeve craned her neck, glaring at him as Jed turned on the tap.
He reached for the washrag and began to give the bowls a good scrubbing, feeling Maeve’s eyes boring into the back of his skull.
He wanted to talk to her. To apologize for yelling, for calling her childhood dangerous and unfit.
He wanted to understand why she’d been so cold to Ms. Miller, then explosive when he talked to her about Lila leaving their home.
He wanted to comfort her, especially after she’d bawled her eyes out in front of him after the bandit attack last night.
He wanted to tell her about the letter he’d received from the post office, about his past seemingly coming back to get him.
He wanted to talk about Thomas, about his ranch, about the horrific choice he’d been given mere hours ago.
He stood at a fork in the road, and he didn’t know which path to take.
But it wasn’t the time for that. It wasn’t what she–what they–needed right now.
More than anything, Jed wanted to honor the promises he’d to Maeve.
To not be a burden. To work as equal partners.
And right now, he sensed she didn’t need him to talk to her.
She needed to work, to burn off the energy building in her chest since last night.
So, he was going to keep his promises. He was going to help, even if it meant quietly washing dishes and staying out of her way while she baked and cooked up a frenzy.