Hi everyone! Sorry I've been missing for a while, been very busy with work, but I have now been furloughed again. So I now have all the time in the world to work on this story and try and pretend that everything in the world is fine!
As always I hope you enjoy the chapter and thank you for sticking with me!
Chapter 10
"Those darn boys couldn't teach a hen to cluck," Madsen wanted to agree with Emmett Dalton, but he remained neutral and kept his gaze rigidly fixed on Carl as he stared deeply into the fire. Esme was seated on a stool outside of their shared tent, watching her love with an expression of concern etched on her face. "They just keep bringing trouble to our door Carl, we need-"
Carl held his hand up, the gesture demanded silence. Emmett rolled his eyes and looked to Madsen to attempt to see what he thought on the matter, but as always Madsen was a closed book and impossible to read.
Madsen had been feeling tense ever since he had returned from Crestview and his earlier confrontation with Isabella had only pushed him closer to the edge. It was never his intention to get so boisterous with Isabella when he had gone to return her book. But the scene from Crestview flashed to the front of his mind, he recalled how tiny and fragile she had appeared as that man had towered over both her and Emily. And yet, she stood strong against that man, as if she were an eagle staring down a rooster, did she not realise how easy it would be for someone to break her?
And after all that; he still had to deliver the news to Carl that the Miner brothers had gotten themselves locked up. When Carl had finally returned from his business with Tyler, Madsen had been quick to inform him of the situation and the events that had taken place, knowing that withholding the information would only anger Carl.
"If we break them out, they will have a bounty placed on their head in this county for recapture. Do we really want to draw that kind of attention to ourselves already? We haven't even been here a week." Jasper dared to break the silence. "And then we will all be exposed in this mess too."
Madsen did not miss the way Jasper's eyes anxiously darted across camp, to the girl that was stirring up a storm within him. Isabella was currently seated outside of Rosie's tent with Louisa and Miguel, holding a book out for them to all see. Her eyes lit up as she read aloud for the children, her expressions transforming as she took on the role of each character.
"The boy has a point Carl; they only committed a minor felony. They'll do a bit of time, pay a fine and be released in a week or two. Unless yer worried they'll talk." Bill called from his reclined position on a bed roll that he had arranged by the fire. He tilted his hat back on his head so that he could connect with his younger brother. Those present waited silently as the brother's eyes remained locked in silent conversation.
"No, I trust them." Carl said adamantly. "I want eyes in Crestview though, I want to know if it escalates." Carl stated.
"I already sent Marie and Josie into town; Dawson took them as soon as we got back. They are going to stay with Viola for a while and I've told 'em to let us know if anything changes," Madsen informed Carl.
"I want our presence in that town limited for now, no unnecessary visits that might draw any more attention to us." Carl's eyes briefly shot to Isabella, and then to Madsen and Leroy, as he recalled their disastrous visit to Crestview. He knew they were not to blame for the actions of others, but he couldn't help but think that the Sullivan girl had been nothing but trouble since she had arrived.
"I'll go to town every couple o' days to make sure everything is fine, if the camp needs anything before then I'll travel back to Mono City." Madsen offered, his deep voice carrying across the crackling, orange flames.
The older man seemed satisfied, he nodded his head dismissively and wandered over to the armchair outside of his tent. As soon as he was seated, Esme planted herself on his lap and began massaging the tight muscles in the back of his neck. Taking that as a sign that the conversation was over; everybody began to relax and break off for the evening.
Across camp, Isabella finished reading the chapter they were on and closed the book.
"Can't we have one more chapter Miss Bella?" Miguel batted his big, ochre coloured eyes innocently at Bella. A grin stretched across her face as Louisa put on her own display of cuteness, clasping her hands together in a prayer-like fashion and her lower lip sticking out in an adorable pout.
"You're both such fast readers; at this rate, we will finish this book by the end of the week!" Bella exclaimed. The two young children giggled, and Bella tugged playfully at Louisa's plaited hair. "Perhaps I should have purchased a few more books whilst I was in town," she added.
"It sounds like you are spoiling them." Rosie announced her presence as she approached the trio. She paused beside them with her hands on her hips and a twinkle in her eyes as she regarded them. Bella looked beyond Rosie, towards the campfire where the atmosphere appeared to have lifted slightly. Her brother was smiling now as he spoke with Rosie's partner, Emmett. Jacob and Charles were also present, their laughter reaching them from where they were sat.
"Is everything okay?" Bella asked. "Am I in trouble? Did I get the others into trouble?"
"No, no." Rosie hurried to dispel Bella's worries. "It's nothing ya' need to worry about, the serious talk is over for now. And if I know any better, I'd say they're all about to get drunk. Which means, it's time for the children to go to sleep." Rosie offered her hands out to Louisa and Miguel. Both children sighed heavily as they begun to protest, but Rosie hushed them with a hard stare. Grudgingly they accepted her hands and got to their feet with sullen expressions.
"What do you say to Miss. Bella for reading to you?"
"Thank you," they chorused.
"Right, now Miguel, you go find your daddy. He was over by your tent not long ago. Good night Bella."
Bella rose to her feet too, with her book in hand she sluggishly strolled towards Jasper's tent to retreat for the night; after the day's events she was eager to rest. She had intended to hide away again after she had spoken to Emily and Connie, but Louisa and Miguel had cornered her, begging for her to read to them whilst their parents and the rest of the adults had congregated around the firepit to talk. As Bella was still deemed an outsider, she supposed her opinion was neither wanted nor needed so she had agreed to occupy the children.
When she reached the security of her tent, she struck a match and lit the lantern on the little wooden table and used its glow to ready herself for bed. She switched her day clothes for the night shirt she had purchased earlier that day in Crestview. The fresh, crunchy fabric swirled around her ankles as she dimmed the light, allowing the small flame to provide enough light for when Jasper would return. The nights were becoming warmer as they left the winter season behind, but still there was a slight chill in the air. She quickly shuffled over to the cot, climbed in and tugged the blankets up to her chin. Digging her toes into the sheets, she sighed heavily as sleep claimed her foggy mind almost instantly.
The following morning Bella once again woke before Jasper, he had always been a late riser. He barely moved as she swiftly begun to prepare herself for the day ahead, his snoring sporadically rising in volume, making Isabella cringe at the harsh sound. She carefully unpacked her new clothes from Crestview and tugged on a blouse and skirt, both were simple in design, but it felt wonderful to once again be in her own clothes. She pressed the front of the ivory shirt down, tucked it into the waistband of her skirt and secured it with a brown leather belt that pulled in at her waist. Once she had laced up her boots, she carefully stepped around Jasper and left the tent, ensuring that she closed the flaps so that the morning chill would not disturb her brother's slumber.
"Good morning Miss. Bella." Isabella jumped at the sudden greeting; Charles snickered to himself at her startled expression and held his hands up in defence. "Apologies, I didn't mean to frighten ya." Bella led Charles away from the tent, concerned that their voices might wake Jasper.
"It's perfectly fine Charles, I should have been more aware of my surroundings."
"Well, why don't cha' join me for some breakfast? Ya can keep an old man company." Charles gestured towards the centre of camp. "Leroy managed to get sausages yesterday." Charles added enthusiastically as he greedily rubbed his hands together at the thought. Bella chuckled at the older man's actions and trailed after him towards the sweet promise of delightfully cooked food.
The two ate breakfast together, occasionally breaking the silence to voice a stray thought, but mostly they observed the other camp mates as one by one they began to appear. Isabella recognised Connie as she emerged from her tent and stretched before glancing around. Her long brown hair was tied back in a tight braid, the spurs on the back of her boots glinted in the morning sun and her gun hung from her waist threateningly. When her eyes met Bella's, she smirked and began to saunter over at a leisurely pace. Isabella was intrigued by Connie, she terrified her too, but she surreptitiously respected the strong, independent woman.
Back in Virginia Isabella had never seen a woman in trousers before, it just was not the way things were. Men wore trousers and women wore dresses. She wondered to herself what events could have transpired in Connie's life that had led to her becoming an outlaw and gunslinger that rode with one of the most notorious gangs in the North West. What could drive a woman to harden herself so?
"G'morning Connie," Charles greeted her.
"Charles, it's a fine day for riding isn't it?" Charles nodded his head in agreement as he squinted at Connie, the sunlight piercing his eyes from above. "What do you think Isabella?" Startled, Bella turned to her in confusion. Connie had agreed the night before that they should keep their plans to themselves but they had not discussed any further how they were going to do that exactly, so Isabella pondered if this was all part of a plan that Connie had devised.
"Erm, yes? I mean, I don't really ride so I guess these would be ideal conditions?" She posed it as a question rather than stated it as a fact, uncertain with how she was supposed to respond. Connie narrowed her eyes in amusement, evidently satisfied with Isabella's reply.
"Well today is as good a day as any to learn," Connie stated. Isabella's eyes widened comically as she nearly choked on her mouthful of coffee. Charles snorted before gently patting her on the back.
"I-" Isabella did not know what to say to that, when she had approached Connie the night before she had asked her to teach her to defend herself, not to ride; where in the Sam Hill was she going with this? Isabella wondered. The desire to learn had crossed Bella's mind back in Placerville, all those days at the stables had left her longing to be on the back of one of those horses but the fear had prevented her from ever voicing her request.
"That sounds like a good idea." Charles scratched at his chin thoughtfully. "Living out here, it's kind o' essential that you learn to ride." Connie feigned concern as she agreed.
"I could teach ya, I have nothing better to do." Connie shrugged her shoulders carelessly. Isabella sat with her mouth gaping, impressed with how Connie had managed to manipulate the situation and Charles into working to her advantage.
"I guess so?" Isabella squeaked, she quickly wiped her face of any expression and diverted her gaze down to her hands as Charles looked at her strangely.
"Great, I'll see you in about twenty minutes." Connie smacked her thigh before disappearing among the tents. Isabella placed her tin cup of coffee down, the drink forgotten about as she internally began to panic.
"Relax kid, I can hear ya heart beatin' from over here." Charles laughed. "You've ridden on the back of a horse before haven't ya?"
"Yes, but with someone, I've never ridden on my own before. What if the horse throws me off? What if it starts running and I can't stop it?" Isabella worried aloud. This was not what she had in mind when she had approached Connie.
"You've travelled across America on your own, hunted down the Clayton gang and found yer brother… but you're scared of a nag?" Charles stared at her dubiously.
"All of those things were within my own control and down to my own abilities. I have no control over a horse and my riding ability is zero." Isabella whined.
"Take Bessie," Charles indicated to a palomino horse tethered to a post. "She's mine, been with me for years. She knows how to behave, and she'll look after ya." Charles climbed to his feet and indicated for Bella to follow him over to the horse. The horse flicked its ears back and forth as it watched them approach, her head turned towards Charles as he reached out his hand to greet her.
She was stunning and Isabella felt herself instantly warming up to the creature, although that did little to calm her frazzled nerves. As she stood beside the towering animal and compared their sizes, she felt the need to escape before Connie could return.
"Here," Charles held out a carrot to Isabella, who accepted the vegetable meant for Bessie. The horse's teeth ground together as she chomped on the treat, a moment later she was swivelling around to see if Charles had anything else to give her. When she gathered that Charles was ignoring her as he worked on her saddle and the stirrups, she turned her attention back to Isabella, who ran her fingers up the length of Bessie's face and back down again.
"So, I hear that we are going for a ride?" Isabella turned to greet Emily who did not look nervous at all; evidently, she had ridden a horse before. She supposed growing up in the West taught you a few skills, such as horse riding. Emily's expression transformed in to one of concern as she regarded her friend. "Are you okay Bella?"
"She'll be fine. That's why you're here Emily; moral support." Connie cut in from behind. "Now come on girls, let's go."
"Where are you going?" The three girls turned to see Madsen approaching, he seemed suspicious as he took them all in.
"I am going to teach the girls how to ride." Connie supplied as she untethered her own horse.
"Emily knows how to ride." Madsen stated harshly.
"I'm just tagging along for Bella." Isabella's eyebrows drew down over her eyes as the attention was brought back to her.
"You aren't supposed to be leaving camp without a chaperone." Madsen added.
"I'm her chaperone Madsen so cool it." Madsen narrowed his eyes at Connie, the tension in the air grew uncomfortably. "Are you doubting my abilities Madsen?" Isabella felt her admiration for Connie increase as she squared up to Madsen cockily, daring him to disagree with her.
"Alright you two, that's enough." Charles interjected, he rolled his eyes at the pair, evidently frustrated with their bickering. "Madsen, it's a good idea she learns, and Connie'll see to it that she comes back in one piece."
Madsen looked to Charles, then briefly to Isabella before he exhaled heavily through his nose and stormed off towards Nexus without another word.
"Right, now Bessie; you take good care of Miss. Bella and Miss. Bella," Charles turned to Isabella. "You take good care of Bessie." Isabella nodded once; her jaw tightened as she forced herself to approach the side of the horse. Charles stretched his arms out, one fixed onto Bessie's reins to keep her steady, the other hovered around Bella as she stared hopelessly at the horse.
"One hand here," Charles pointed to the saddle horn, Bella hurried to follow his instructions. "And one here… that's good, now pull ya'self up."
After a pathetic first attempt, and then a successful second attempt Isabella settled into the saddle with her feet in the stirrups, she quickly adjusted her skirts around her legs to ensure she was appropriately covered.
"That's why I got rid of the skirts." Connie snorted from where she was seated comfortably on her horse. Isabella noticed that Emily had mounted her horse and was confidently riding over to join them, she was envious of how easy the other girls made it look as she trembled with nerves.
"Now keep your back straight, but relax, she'll sense if ya not confident or relaxed and try and take control. Squeeze your legs together here," Charles gripped Isabella's calf through the material of her dress. "And she'll move forward." Isabella tightened her calf muscles around Bessie gently then yelped as the horse immediately started to trot forward. Charles laughed loudly from behind her as Bessie headed towards the edge of camp at a steady pace, leaving everyone else behind.
"How do I make her turn? How do I make her stop?" Bella screamed over her shoulder, panicking as she tightened her hands around the reins.
"Good luck, have fun girls!" Charles called out as Connie hurried to catch up to Bella and Bessie.
"We'll cut through the trees here." Connie took the lead as she led them off the trail and into the shelter of the trees. After a couple more minutes of riding she finally motioned for them to stop. Isabella gently tugged on the reins halting Bessie, then watched as Connie dismounted her horse.
"Come on then," Connie sighed impatiently when she realised Bella was still seated on Bessie.
"I- oh dear," Isabella muttered under her breath as she realised Connie and Emily were waiting for her to join them on the ground. She gritted her teeth as she removed her right foot from the stirrup, this was much harder without someone helping her down, she thought to herself. Grasping the saddle horn in one hand she swung her leg over and lowered herself to the ground, rather ungracefully, but as she landed on both of her feet she sighed proudly.
"Well done Bella," Emily giggled. Connie rolled her eyes as she secured the horses to a nearby tree. Bella grinned in response, after the initial panic of riding a horse on her own had worn off she had indeed relaxed into the saddle and begun to enjoy herself. Although, as she stretched her back and arms, she groaned as she suddenly became aware of muscles she had not even realised she possessed.
Emily and Bella waited patiently as Connie retrieved a sandy coloured bag from the back of her horse and flung it across her shoulder, her body and posture sagging slightly with the weight of the contents.
"Right, come on." She ordered, marching straight passed them and further into the forest.
They continued on foot, heading downhill until they arrived at a clearing that Connie deemed decent enough. The area was much smaller than the one camp was currently set up in, but for what they had intended, they did not require a lot of space, just privacy. She scanned the trees, spinning slowly to ensure that they were indeed alone. When she was satisfied, she threw the heavy bag to the ground, the clanging of metal and loose cartridges making Emily and Isabella flinch.
Connie toed the bag open, revealing a range of guns, more than Bella had ever seen at once. She peeked out of the corner of her eye to see what Emily made of the vast collection of weaponry but was amazed that Emily appeared to be unfazed by it all. She assumed that living with the gang must have desensitised her when it came to firearms, especially considering nearly everyone in camp was equipped with at least one iron at all times. She silently wondered how long it would be before she, herself reacted with the same amount of nonchalance.
The two younger girls watched as Connie examined the guns. Isabella noticed that Connie too, seemed to be desensitised to the danger the guns presented as she caressed the handle of the largest gun in the bag as if she were touching a lover. Connie evidently decided against bringing the larger gun out to play as she selected a much smaller pistol. It looked like every other gun that Isabella had seen hanging from the hip of her brother, Charles, Madsen or the others. It had a black, shiny barrel and a sleek, mahogany handle with an eagle engraved into the smooth, mahogany wood.
Bella audibly gulped, anxious to get their lesson underway.
"This here," Connie held the gun out for both girls to get a closer look. "This is a Remington Revolver, it's a single action revolver. This is the frame, the cylinder, the loading gate, the hammer and the trigger." She pointed to each component with filthy fingers, her nails chewed down and lined with dirt.
"The cartridges go in here, in little chambers." Connie continued to demonstrate how to load the gun, cock it and then aim. "We always leave a chamber empty and the hammer sits over that empty chamber, or ya could have a nasty accident. Only point it at things you are willing to destroy and only put yer finger on the trigger when you are ready to fire." Connie held each of their gazes for a few moments, confirming that they understood the severity of her words.
"Right, your turn Miss. Sullivan." Connie offered the iron to her, the barrel pointed at the ground. Bella felt her eyes widen and her eyebrows raise as her mouth grew dry. Connie snorted as Bella seemed to freeze, she clenched and relaxed her jaw repeatedly, the muscles in her neck twitching beneath her smooth, pale skin.
"Come on kid, I thought you wanted to learn."
Bella tentatively accepted the loaded weapon from Connie. Cupping it in both hands, she brushed her thumb over the carved-out eagle as she contemplated how many lives may have been ended with this revolver. The gun itself was cold and heavy, the weight and strength intimidating Bella slightly, she quite literally possessed the power to end someone's life in her delicate hands; she was clutching the embodiment of human sin. This was the first time in her life she had ever held a gun; her father had never let her anywhere near his precious pieces. A lady's hands were too soft to hold something so hard and unforgiving; they were a man's toy; her mother had warned her.
And yet here she was.
"Isabella?" Bella gasped as she was pulled from her inner musings.
"Sorry, I guess it just feels so peculiar, I've never-" Bella trailed off indicating to the gun, her lack of experience was obvious by the way she awkwardly held it.
"Well, I'll have you making men dance in no time. I want you to unload it, reload it and aim, but do not shoot. We'll get to that part in a bit." Connie turned to retrieve a second, slightly larger revolver from her canvas bag. "Emily, take this one." Emily appeared more confident as she received the gun.
"What are ya' waiting for? The sun to set? Get movin'."
Both girls scrambled into clumsy action as they worked to unload their guns. Bella's fingers shook with uncertainty as she caught the cartridges as they were released from the chambers, the tiny shells clinked together in the palm of her hand. She noticed how they felt ice cold against her warm skin, just like the gun itself, it only seemed right in her mind that the thing that could deliver someone to death would be cool and unmalleable.
It took her a moment longer than Emily as she unintentionally dropped a couple of the cartridges in her haste but finally, they both completed their first task, then looked to Connie for approval. The blue eyed woman groaned as she rubbed the back of her neck wearily.
"This is going to take longer than I thought. Again."
"Better, now again."
"Again."
Over the following two weeks the three women continued to meet under the guise that Isabella was still learning to ride. She was proud to say that she was becoming a rather sufficient rider. Although her legs and bottom were sore; she realised she adored riding to and from the spot where they practised. She had grown rather fond of Bessie and she liked to think the horse was growing to like her too.
"Come on, one of you must be able to disarm me." Connie teased the girls as they grumbled in frustration. Emily knelt over, her hands resting on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. Isabella glared from beneath her lashes as she brushed the dust from her skirt, studying Connie's feet for a hint that she might suddenly change direction. "Maybe you girls should go back to embroidering." Connie snickered at her own joke.
Connie was balancing on the balls of her feet, her upper body leaning slightly to the right when Isabella suddenly jolted forward and tackled her. She pushed Connie's face away with her left hand as her right seized Connie's wrist; she jabbed her thumb into the pressure point there and grinned triumphantly as Connie's grasp on the revolver became slack.
Bella swiftly took possession of the gun and spun away and out of Connie's space. Her skirt swirled around her legs and her hair whipped against her cheeks until she came to a halt, her stance strong with the gun trained on Connie.
"There's nothing wrong with embroidering. Maybe I can teach you a thing or two." Isabella smirked joyously as Connie righted herself and smiled proudly. Emily giggled and clapped her hands together excitedly; it was the first time either of them had successfully disarmed Connie.
The girls continued to spar, getting filthier as they rolled around in the grass and dirt. Their grunts of pain accompanied by giggles as they found themselves in awkward positions as they wrestled for control of the gun. Occasionally Connie would give them directions and critiques, but Connie liked to let them learn from their mistakes, of which there were many.
They were by no means ready for a gunfight, but in the few short weeks it had been, already their confidence had magnified. Both girls could recognise the differences between a Remington Revolver and a Colt revolver, a Colt Repeating rifle and a Winchester Model 1887 shotgun and load them with sufficient speed and precision. Shooting them was a whole different game; both girls had fallen to their bottoms when firing the shotgun having underestimated the recoil. Connie had only allowed them to handle that weapon once so that they could get a feel of it, and truth be told Isabella was not sure she wanted to pick the shotgun up again any time soon. She certainly hoped to never been on the wrong side of the barrel.
"We should head back." Connie spoke up as she fixed her hat on her head and stowed away her guns with a careful hand. Isabella glanced between the trees, noticing that the sun was beginning to set, casting shadows across the space where they had been practising. The wildlife which had grown silent with their arrival slowly began to return. The birds whistled in the trees, singing to each other. A bush at the edge of the clearing rustled slightly, through the dense leaves Isabella could see a small rabbit raised on its hind legs keenly observing the girls.
The low position of the sun suggested they had been away from camp for most of the afternoon. Isabella grit her teeth in frustration as she mounted Bessy, already predicting the questions that Jasper would hurl at her. He was already showing a great interest in what the girls were getting up to and why Isabella kept returning from their outings covered in dirt and so exhausted. He had even joined them earlier in the week for a 'riding lesson'. It had infuriated the three girls, mainly because it interfered with their actual intentions of learning to fight, but on top of that Isabella had to pretend that she was still a terrible rider just to keep Jasper off of their backs for a little while longer.
The truth was Isabella was just not sure how Jasper would react to her learning to shoot a gun and fight. He might be perfectly fine with it, but was it worth risking everything to find out? No, at least, not in Isabella's mind, not yet.
"How about a race?" Connie called to the others. "To the creek and then Isabella can go back to pretending that she cannot ride." Connie smirked as Emily chuckled. Isabella rolled her eyes, then instantly kicked the heels of her boots into Bessy causing the mare to sprint forward, straight past the suprised faces of Emily and Connie.
The delight was tremendous as the wind ran through her hair and caressed her cheeks, her was smile broad and her heart racing in sync with the pounding of Bessie's feet as they struck the ground. The birds squawked as they took to the sky when she burst through the trees and joined the main trail. Isabella focused on her posture, her grip on the reins and forced herself to stay in control as she travelled faster than she ever had before. It was still not quick enough however, as Connie rapidly passed her, kicking up dust in her wake. Emily's laughter was infectious as she too rode up beside Bella and gradually began to overtake her.
Up ahead Isabella noticed that Connie had reduced her speed to a gentle trot as a familiar line of trees began to appear. From within the trees there was a plume of smoke snaking its way towards the sky signalling that they were close to camp. Isabella shifted in the saddle, pushing her weight backwards, Bessie responded immediately and slowed her pace.
"Yer becoming awfully good at riding, seems like those lessons are paying off." Isabella nearly fell from Bessie as she spun in the saddle to see who was behind her. The lingering adrenaline from the girls' race burned in her veins once again as she was blinded by the sun, making it nearly impossible to identify who was there. But she recognised that voice; she had heard it in a dream recently, although he sounded much angrier in her mind.
Madsen tilted his head to the side curiously as he rode up beside her, waiting for a response.
"Connie is a wonderful teacher." Isabella offered as she gently nudged Bessie into matching Nexus' pace. She wordlessly scolded herself, knowing that if word made it back to her brother at just how good she had become then her lessons might end abruptly. Isabella chewed on her lip thoughtfully, wondering if she could 'accidentally' lose control, when Madsen disrupted her thoughts.
"How have you been Miss. Sullivan?" Isabella's eyes narrowed as she stared at his back in disbelief, he had not spoken a word to her in nearly two weeks. The last time he had spoken to her was to tell her how reckless and weak she was.
Madsen glanced back over his shoulder; one eyebrow drawn down as he regarded her bewildered expression.
"I'm fine." Isabella stated heatedly, not that my well-being is any concern of yours she thought.
"Did you fall down today?" Madsen asked abruptly, his deep voice inquisitive as he gestured to her dirty clothes. Isabella glanced down at herself, sighing as she took in the grass stains and brown dust, realising that he must think she looked pathetic.
"I guess you could say that." Isabella muttered, letting him believe that she was still a clumsy rider; it may work to her advantage anyway, she thought.
"How's Crestview treating ya Madsen?" Connie joined their conversation as Madsen and Isabella finally caught up.
"Well, I must admit it's nice having a bath every night in warm water and not the cold stream." Isabella refused to look up as she thought of Madsen bathing in that cold stream and her spying on him. She had only just recently succeeded in banishing those inappropriate images from her mind and now he had dragged them back to the forefront.
"Yer packing a few extra irons there Connie, something you know that the rest of us need tobe aware of?" Emily and Isabella looked to Connie and her bag of guns, both trying to keep their faces vacant and their panic hidden.
"Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none, Madsen." Connie laughed him off, not even bothering to look over her shoulder as they stepped through the last line of trees that encircled the camp. Isabella fully expected Madsen to argue but was amazed when there was only silence. Curious, she peeked at him out of the corner of her eye and gasped when she noticed that he was gazing intently at her. She quickly diverted her eyes, focusing on Bessie as she dismounted and began to lead the horse over to the hitching posts. As she removed the heavy saddle, she felt Masen brush past her. She didn't realise that she had been holding her breath until Louisa's excited voice cut through the uneasy atmosphere.
"Bella, Bella, where have you been?"
Bella turned to Louisa as she finished securing Bessie, her face broke into a glorious smile.
"Have you been to town? Did you bring any books with you?" Louisa looked to the empty saddle bag, her body deflating a tad when she realised Bella had no new reading material.
"I am afraid I have not Louisa, I'm sorry. Sometime soon I will get us something new to read, I promise." Isabella hoped she could keep her word to the small girl as she breathlessly agreed.
"Okay Miss. Bella. Dinner will be ready soon; will you sit with mama and me for dinner?"
Isabella gladly conceded, allowing Louisa to pull her away from the horses and from Madsen, who was still lurking by Nexus as he calmly brushed through the horse's mane. As the distance grew between them, Isabella felt the tension in her body dissolve slightly now that she was no longer being scrutinised by those devilish, green eyes.
"By Joesph, Bella, did that horse drag you through a bush?" Jasper laughed as he took in his sister's appearance. Isabella grinned sheepishly, annoyed at herself for forgetting to clean up before dinner, her father would have punished her for arriving at the dinner table looking the way she did. Although she supposed the standards were not so high around here as she lowered herself to the ground and crossed her legs neatly in front of her.
"Oh no, my Bessie didn't do that to ya, did she?" Charles piped up from his position at the end of the log he was seated on, he glanced nervously at Bella, checking her over for injuries.
"No Charles, she's a sweetheart, I'm just a little clumsy." Isabella shrugged her shoulders, hoping that they believed the lie. If they believed that she was still a terrible rider, then they would not question her time with Connie, therefore allowing her and Emily more time to practise with the guns. Heavens knows, she needed more practise. She just hoped that Madsen would not say anything to contradict her words.
Connie and Emily joined the group, each breaking off into conversations with different people. Slowly the area around the fire became full of activity and chatter as more people appeared. And not long after that, Leroy announced that dinner was ready, Carl and Bill received their food first. Then with the help of a few others it was shared out among everyone else until they were all full and satisfied.
The food was delicious, Isabella had worked up quiet the appetite after their day of physical activity and helped herself to a second, slightly smaller serving. Some of the men who had already finished their meal escaped to a table off to the side to begin what turned out to be a loud game of poker. Carl had switched on his phonograph, the sweet music filtered through the air, which when combined with the sound of the crackling fire caused Isabella to relax back against the log with her head resting on Jasper's shoulder.
"Bella, how old are you?" Rosie asked, breaking her from her peaceful moment.
"I will be eighteen in a few weeks' time." Isabella gently spoke, a yawn capturing her words at the end.
"To be an orphan at such a young age," Bill added from across the fire. Isabella tensed slightly; it was the first time Bill had spoken in her presence. "Then again, most of us here are orphans, we all have our tragic stories to tell."
"Speak for yerself," Emmett interjected. "My story ain't tragic, it's legendary." Emmett puffed out his chest and grinned cheekily causing laughter to erupt around the fire. "Hey, I fought a mountain lion with my bare hands, that beast didn't see what was comin' and now at night when I take my wife to bed we roll around-" Rosie swiftly threw her palm over Emmett's mouth as the laughter swelled. Isabella's cheeks ached as she struggled to control her giggles, although she had no idea what Emmett had been about to say, she enjoyed watching the couple's interactions with each other.
Marriage looked different here, Isabella thought. Whilst her mother had been a doting and obedient wife, Rosie seemed to be an equal to Emmett. He taunted her, but she gave back as good as he gave, their love for each other was evident to anyone with eyes. Whereas her mother had always seemed withdrawn around her father, fearful of upsetting him.
It was refreshing to be surrounded by empowered women and Isabella was proud of herself for taking that step with Emily and Connie to ensure her own strength and independence.
"Carl! Bill! Carl!" Abruptly the babbling stopped, and the laughter ceased, a second later the music was cut off as a woman came hammering into camp on the back of a maroon nag. The horse had barely stopped when the woman dismounted and ran the rest of the way, freezing in the centre of the campsite where everybody was gathered. Isabella recognised the young woman, Josie. Her panicked eyes searched the faces of everyone present until she spied the Clayton gang leader. "We have a problem in Crestview."
Carl who had been calmly leaning back in his chair, immediately sat up straight, his posture became rigid and his eyes narrowed in apprehension as he waited for Josie to continue.
"Just after Madsen left, someone recognised Clay and George; they're talking about hangin' em." Varying sounds of shock and outrage exploded around the fire; Bella turned to see her brother's reaction to the news, but his expression was indecipherable. "I wanted to come sooner, but I didn't wanna' look suspicious."
Everyone waited with bated breath for Carl to act, his eyes hardened as he wordlessly considered his options. It felt like an infinity had passed but was in fact only seconds when he finally addressed the men of the camp.
"Well, we've never left anyone behind before, and I certainly don't plan on starting now."
Thanks for reading, I really hope it was worth the wait!
Now that I have more time on my hands, updates should be a lot more regular!
As always I love to hear what you all thought!