New update – sorry for the wait!
Upon making camp for the night, on the outer circle of the wagons, Kimball left his mother and siblings for Summer's wagon and Grace kept looking toward the fire as if she was expecting someone. Only Wayne didn't appear to have plans; he crawled under the wagon and curled up, not even bothering to bring his gun.
"Wayne," Teresa said softly from her spot next to Grace. "Talk to me."
"I'm fine, Mama," he said. "Honestly. I just need sleep. That river crossing today was…was rough."
Teresa nodded, biting her lip as she remembered the young couple whose mules had failed them in the middle of the river, going under and dragging the wagon and the couple down with them. There was nothing anyone could do.
Teresa was tired of death.
"Hey," came a slightly raspy voice. "Everything okay?"
Teresa smiled at Dumar. "Hello there," she replied. "Yes, it's fine, everything's fine," she said when he repeated his question. "We're just still adjusting."
"What should I call you?" he asked. "Not Jane, of course, but Mashburn? Your maiden name?"
"Ms. Lisbon is fine," Teresa said, reverting back to her old name despite her earlier feelings on the matter. She didn't know who the Hell she was anymore.
"It's a shame about your husband," Dumar said. "He was just too caught up in that Red John business."
"Oh, he'll get him," Teresa said. "He'll get him. I just can't sacrifice my children so he can kill someone. But he's going on alone, and he'll get him."
"What if he doesn't?" Dumar asked. Grace, still scanning the other wagons, turned and gave the man a confused look. "What if you get to Oregon and find that he hasn't caught him? What if you get to Oregon and find he never arrived?"
"Well," Teresa said, "then I suppose I will start my own investigation."
Dumar's eyes shot up. "Really? You'd do that for him, after how careless he's been with you and your family?"
"He's my husband," Teresa said.
"Aren't you getting a divorce as soon as you get to Oregon?"
"Why is her personal life any of your business?" Grace asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Grace!" Teresa chided sharply. Her daughter lowered her head. "Even if we get a divorce, he's my husband now, and I married him because I loved him," she said. "We started out to get Red John and I'm going to help him finish it. I just refuse to do it in a way that will threaten my children."
"Well what if-"
"With all due respect, Dumar," Teresa said, "my daughter is right, this isn't any of your business. And if you're trying to flirt on me or something, I'm sorry, but I'm not interested."
"Whoa!" Dumar said. "I am not flirting. I just don't understand after everything that he's done to you, when Red John has done nothing to you, why you would want to continue to pursue the man."
"Why are you defending him?" Grace said, jumping up. "He's hurt so many people."
Dumar stood up as well, and feeling suddenly threatened, Teresa too got to her feet, putting a hand in front of her daughter.
"Red John," Dumar said tensely, "is a good man. I can't have anyone coming after him, not after what he's done for me!"
Teresa felt the blood drain from her face. "What?"
Dumar pulled the gun from around his shoulder and held it up over his head. "Don't yell. I'll shoot and run. See those trees? We're getting into the mountains now, they won't find me."
"And if we don't yell?" Grace asked, her hands shaking.
"Well," Dumar said, "that would just be inconvenient for me." Raising the gun to his shoulder, he pointed it at Teresa.
Two things happened then. Two things happened at once.
Grace jumped around her mother to use her body as a shield.
A shot rang out.
And then, with the briefest of delays, Dumar fell to the ground, choking.
Grace and Teresa stared in unified shock at Patrick Jane, standing at the edge of the trees with a shotgun, still smoking.
Grace turned around and buried her face in Teresa's shoulder, hugging her tightly. Teresa returned the gesture, placing one hand in her daughter's hair and holding her close. Her eyes were trained on Jane, barely recognizable in the twilight, staring back at her.
The shot caused a commotion from the inner wagon ring, and within a minute there were a good dozen people surrounding them, shouting questions, dragging Dumar's body off.
Jane dropped his gun and jogged over to them, stopping in front of Teresa and Grace just as Pete showed up and, fully realizing that she and her mother were okay, the red head fled her mother's arms for the boy's.
Jane took another step toward Teresa and then stopped, looking in her eyes, searching them as if needing to make sure she was okay. She was uncomfortable with the feeling that his look stirred in her, so she closed her eyes for a moment before refocusing. "Jane."
"I, I met with some people," Jane said. Some whites that have inbred with the native tribes. One of their daughters gave me some information on Red John, including that that man was…" he shook his head. "Was working for him. I didn't want you and the kids to be anywhere near him."
"Jane, let's go somewhere that we can talk," Teresa said. "There's too much going on here."
They walked a short distance away, into the trees. "You saved our lives," she said. "Thank you."
Jane looked as if there was something else he wanted to say, but he gave her a smile. "You're welcome." He nodded. "You're welcome. Look, Teresa…" he sighed, looking down. "I need to apologize. It wasn't fair asking you to drag your children along on this adventure of mine."
"No," she said, "it wasn't."
She didn't want to be so cold to him, and he knew it. He looked at the ground again. "I know I'm in no position to ask this, but…I'd like to continue with you and the children, at the wagon train's pace, until we get to Oregon. From there, I will sign whatever divorce papers you'd like, I will stay completely out of your life, I'll…I'll do whatever you want me to do. But I can't continue to Oregon on my own. I just can't. There's rivers, and bears, and…"
"Jane," she interrupted, stepping close to him and looking up into his face. "You can come with us. But I call the shots. You're not acting as my husband. You're acting as a tenant, minus paying rent. We will share a tent only if it is raining, and we will not engage in man - wife relations. I will act as authority when it comes to trading with other families or with natives. If my children do not want to speak to you, I will not chide them for being disrespectful. Understand?"
He nodded solemnly. "I understand."
She gave him a smile. "Then welcome to our wagon."
He smiled then, and before she could remember that she was supposed to protest, he stepped forward and gave her a hug.
Hope you enjoyed it! Two quick things. 1. I still own nothing, and 2. Reviews are really helpful and encouraging. :)