Chapter 10

Breaking the News

By the time Adam had reached the ranch, he had thought through the past day about fifty-eight times. But no matter how hard he had tried, things still didn't make much sense. Why did Joe Goodman, a man a few years junior to him, resemble his father so much? Why had Juliet's father been so desperate to marry his daughter off to a completely unsuitable man, and why had a distinguished lady like Juliet spat on a man's head rather than telling her father she didn't want to marry a bigoted dwarf? Where did the nagging feeling come from that Jarvis Raymond had been a bit too interested in Adam's encounter with Poole? What had Raymond done to earn Adam's eternal dislike? Why did Adam still feel Juliet's dead weight in his arms and her head resting on his chest? What about her unexpected display of motherly instincts while dealing with the distressed stable boy? And why did he spend much more time on contemplating Juliet than Langford Poole?

Now, Adam thought while he bedded Sport down in his stall, that was one question that could be answered easily. Mylady was much more of a mystery than Poole. Poole was as easy to see through as a window pane. He was here to get revenge, to rebuild his reputation, and it wouldn't be easy to stop him. The next time, Adam was sure, a simple "no" wouldn't be enough. Poole's reputation was at stake, and that made him dangerous. Adam had no intention to replay their duel; but would he let Poole call him coward again? Adam threw the currycomb into the toolbox and shook his head. Honestly, he didn't know. Anyhow, whatever was going on in the gunslinger's head, Poole could become a problem. Adam snorted. Poole would become a problem.

Adam gave Sport a last pat on his hindquarters and left the barn to head to the house. The smell of roasted something wafted from the open kitchen window, and suddenly Adam felt ravenous. The missed lunch had left a huge void in his stomach.

He was glad to find his complete family assembled at the dining table and Hop Sing already serving steaming bowls. He was even gladder that, except for a short greeting, no one spoke much during supper until the emptied dishes and bowls had been substituted by smaller plates and a pan with blueberry pie.

While he drank his first coffee since morning he watched his family over the brim of his cup. They performed some strange interaction with a lot of eyebrow-raising, corner-of-the-mouth-twitching and head-nudging, until Joe finally rolled his eyes in surrender, and turned to Adam.

"Did you have a, um, good day, Adam?" he asked.

Pa stage-coughed and looked completely off-guard when Adam frowned at him.

"I mean, with Miss Juliet." Joe specified. "You two ain't...at odds, are you?"

Adam groaned inwardly. God, they were at that again. "No. Why should we be?"

Joe looked at Hoss, who stifled a snort and said, "Yeah, little brother, why should they be?"

"So your lunch with her was... nice?"

"We didn't have lunch."

Hoss and Joe changed a puzzled look, and Pa prompted, "You didn't?"

"No. Juliet had an accident, I had to take her to the doc and—"

"An accident?" Pa's face was full of concern. "What happened? Is she all right?"

"She had an encounter with a carriage, but she'll be all right." She was unconscious; I carried her to the doctor, and her head was resting at my chest. I still feel it. He shook the unbidden thoughts off.

"She's all right? After a collision with a carriage?" Now it was Pa's turn to look puzzled.

"She needed some stitches in her temple, but otherwise she was unscathed." I led her home and she clung to my arm until I got her settled. In spite of himself Adam chuckled. And then she threw me out of the house. "I'm going to check on her tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure she'll be working already, hardheaded as she is."

Pa and Hoss laughed with him, but Joe seemed to have something different on his mind.

"You are going to town again?" He sounded accusing. "What about the branding? You said you'd help with the branding tomorrow!"

"I'll help you when I come back."

"But...you'll be gone half the day!" Joe all but pouted. "You said she was fine, so you don't have to waste half a working day just to check on her."

"I'm not going to town to check on Juliet," Adam replied calmly. "We're a bit short of oats, and I want to restock them." It sounded lame even to his own ears, but Adam glared at Joe in a way that admitted no contradiction.

In the following silence Pa looked doubtful, Joe finally did pout, and Hoss...Hoss worked his jaw, thinking.

"Miss Juliet fer sure is a tough lady, Adam," he finally shared his thoughts. "But I still wonder how she came out of that accident so easy."

"She was lucky," Adam said not looking at anybody. "She was pulled back and saved from further injury by...a passer-by."

"A passer-by?" Pa looked up. "A stranger?"

Adam sighed. Well, sooner or later he had to break the news anyway, so maybe it was the best to get over with it right now.

"Well, not a stranger, exactly." Adam looked straight into his father's eyes. "It was Langford Poole."

"Poole?"

Adam nodded. "He's back, Pa."

ooOoo

When our relatives are at home, we have to think
of all their good points or it would be impossible
to endure them. ~ George Bernard Shaw