A/N: When 'you' is in the middle of the sentence, Jacob says you. When at the end, he says ya. Unless it's a special saying or with emphasis. Except when it isn't like that. Don't be confused; go with it and trust me. I know the accent.
Chapter Nine
"Jacob, you make the worst coffee in the Nevada Territory and beyond. And I've tried coffee from all over."
"Children," responded her brother, "should be seen and not heard."
Paige chuckled dryly. "And you were such a quiet child, so you can talk."
Jacob looked up from the fire, the light it cast making his gray eyes appear black and his stubbled cheeks look sallower. He smiled at her, his teeth white in the darkness. "Quieter 'an you."
Jacob had spent most of his childhood pushing, shoving, yelling, swearing, and fighting. Paige could never hope to be as rowdy as he was.
They were in the small makeshift camp, drinking coffee – really bad coffee – next to the tiny fire… Big enough to provide heat, small enough not to be sending up smoke signals for those that searched for the cattle rustlers. Jacob had taken her back there the minute he found her, tied up Thunder to a tree, announced to the men that Paige was back, and sat her down, demanding to know her story.
Naturally he wanted to kill Cameron's brother, but she told him not to bother—who would kill a dead man? No, scratch that… Jacob probably would if he could find a way.
"I'm glad you found yer way back," he told her. "I was looking for ya."
"I know." She looked down at her coffee nervously, and not because it would give her stomach pains.
"You were holdin' up business, costin' me money."
"Ooh, I'm so sorry about that," she said sarcastically.
"Well, yer family; yer worth it, I guess."
He meant every word he said in the exact way he said it, and that was what made Jacob unique, she decided. It wasn't always nice, but she could live with not nice. She'd grown up with it, after all. And he loved her. In his own way.
"But now that yer back, we can get to work."
She rolled her eyes. "Jacob, you've forgotten what I told you, haven't you?"
"Which bit?"
"The bit about wanting to leave…?"
He was honestly surprised as he sat up abruptly and stared at her over the flickering fire. "But… that was before."
"Why exactly did you think that being attacked would make me want to be a criminal again?" she asked dryly.
"Where else would ya go?"
"Oh, I'll find something."
Jacob took in a deep breath, giving his sister a suspicious look. "And where have ya been since then? Where'd the bandages come from anyway?"
She swallowed down some coffee, which she had been using to warm her hands.
"And the horse?"
She sighed and smiled. "Someone found me and helped me."
"Who?"
"The Cartwrights."
"Of the Ponderosa?"
"Yes, those are the ones." She wondered whether she should mention Riley. Probably not. Jacob hadn't forgiven him for skipping out—Jacob wasn't the forgiving kind.
His stare had turned to gawking. "You didn't tell them…?"
"Of course not; don't be ridiculous. They weren't pushy, didn't ask me any questions. Nice people, the Cartwrights."
He laughed derisively. She felt her fingers curl around her cup while her teeth ground together. How she hated that sound. "What?" he joked. "You'd rather be in their family than ours?"
"Yes, most definitely," she replied coolly, thinking of Hoss, but her brother just laughed.
"Can't pick your family," he reminded her, as though she didn't know. Just another way fate pushed her around; she had to be born into her family instead of one like Hoss's.
Not that she didn't love her family. For the most part.
They drifted off into a comfortable silence, which Paige saw fit to break.
"So… Jacob, I'll be leaving. Tonight. Moving out. And… I expect you to do the same."
His eyes were going to pop out if he didn't stop giving her shocked, wide-eyed looks.
"What?"
"I told you I'm done with being a criminal, didn't I? And I can't realistically expect you to do the same just because I am, but I do want you away from here. I'd hate to be guilty of helping a criminal. And… I think that you need to leave the Cartwrights' cattle alone."
He leapt to his feet in a hurry, eyes blazing. The rest of the gang, who had been hanging back and letting the siblings catch up, looked at him without surprise. Paige always made him lose his temper, which was odd, because she never lost her temper at him. Usually it was the other way around.
"Why, you dirty little b—"
"Watch what you call me," she snapped. "Don't forget we're related."
"How dare you… Just giving me up, are you? Who do you think you are?"
Her smile felt like a grimace. "Paige Anton, nice to meet you."
"You've always had delusions, Paige; you thought you were better than I am."
"Oh, Jacob, don't be stupid. I don't think that. I just don't want to get into any more trouble, and you obviously do."
"What are you gonna do? Stay with those filthy rich Cartwrights? You don't have anywhere else to go!"
"Maybe I will stay with them," she said coldly. "I can if I want to. It's a free country. And don't you dare call me what you're about to!"
"And yer just gonna tell me to move on and never come back, eh?"
She bit her lip to keep her from agreeing with what he'd just said. "Jacob," she sighed, but he interrupted her.
"Bein' with those Cartwrights gave ya more delusions. I've half a mind to get out like ya want me to—and just take some of the money in that rich-person house with me."
"You wouldn't be so ridiculous!" Now Paige was standing too. "Rob them just because they're honest? You simply wouldn't!"
Okay, so perhaps that wasn't the smartest thing she'd ever said to her reckless, grudge-holding brother.
His smile was positively sinister as he sat back down. "Sure, Paige."
"Jacob, that wasn't a challenge. Look, I'm…" She forced the word out. "I'm sorry, okay? Just… can't we part on good terms? Please?"
He sighed. "I can't believe you'd do this to me, Paige. Leave me for a bunch of strangers. Tell me to get lost. Usually ya let the law do that."
Paige pushed her dark hair behind her ear, biting her lip. "I'm too hurt and tired to explain it to you again. I'm trying to protect you. I love you, Jacob, okay?"
"Alright, Paige. But mark my words, you'll regret leavin'. I'm yer only family."
"I said, I love you, Jacob," she said through her teeth, and at last he got up and gave her a hug.
"Do you know the way back?" he asked.
"I'll find it."
"It'll be dawn soon."
"I know."
"You'd best go, then."
"Goodbye, Jake."
"Bye, Paige."
She turned, dumping out her disgusting coffee, and walked back to Thunder without so much as a backward glance. But perhaps she should have spared her brother one, if just to see the mean grin that spread across his face. Perhaps being with the Cartwrights had rubbed off on her, made her too trusting.
It wasn't until the sound of horse hooves clacking against the rocky terrain faded away that one of the rustlers, a blond, squat man, spoke up.
"So, what d'ya want us to do, Jacob?"
Jacob tore his eyes off his sister's retreating figure and smiled at the man. "Why, Davie, you heard the lady. We get ready to leave. Course, we'll need money for the trip, right?"
"You're the boss, Jacob. We just do what you say. You've never steered us wrong yet."
Jacob smiled and chuckled. He wasn't planning on steering them wrong now—who knew how much money those Cartwrights had in their house?
