*Author's Note*

Thank you for the reviews.

I was writing for my SOA story but got hung up on it (the chapter's like 2/3 done lol) and decided to clear my head by working on my Hatfields & McCoys story. Viola just punched out another chapter.

Wagon Rides & Jealousy

Novella POV

I was sittin' next to Tolbert in the wagon as we rode down the dirt path road carved out of the grass and lined with yellowing trees that would take us to Pikeville. Tolbert's jaw was clenched and his grip on the reins was tight, tighter then what was necessary. His hands were dirty and calloused from workin' in the fields.

My own hands, usually soft, were now pink and blistered. I was pickin' at a particular blister that was half peeled off of my hand whenever Tolbert sternly barked, "Don't do that. Only make it worse."I looked sheepishly at him while placing my hands flat on my lap. "Mama can put somethin' on them to help when we get back." Tolbert suggested, his eyes softly dartin' between my hands and my face as he looked at me for a fleetin' moment.

"Or I could see the doctor. I'm sure Uncle Perry'd pay for it." I countered since Doc was only a short walk up the street from mt uncle's law office.

Tolbert rolled his eyes while snappin' faster than a dry twig, "I don't like Doc. He's an old drunk that never takes his damn cigar outta his mouth."

"Tolbert, he's not that bad." I told him only to earn a huff as a reply. "Remember the time he had to set my arm when I was nearly 14 after Skunk Hair tripped me and I landed funny, snappin' my wrist?" I asked in a small voice as my mind went back to that memory.

I remembered that incident as clear as day. I was walkin' out of the store with a package that Uncle Perry wanted me to pick up. It was somethin' that he ordered and it arrived by push-pull. Skunk Hair Tom Wallace, who got his nickname cause a funny streak of white appeared out o'nowhere on his head, was leanin' on the pole holdin' up the porch roof with some of his Hatfield friends. Some were older drunken Hatfields too like Bill Staton. As I walked by Skunk Hair jutted his foot out, makin' me trip and fall. Tolbert just happened to pull up to the general store and saw what happened to me. When I screamed in pain after landin' on my left arm he jumped down from the wagon, forgettin' 'bout pickin' up whatever he was sent for, and instead checked on me. When my wrist proved to be limp and wasn't movin' Tolbert rushed me to the law office, only to have my uncle make him take me to Doc's. After my arm was deemed broken and splinted up Tolbert charged off like a bull in a china store and confronted Skunk Hair.

"Yea, I remember." Tolbert nodded his head. With a ghost of a smirk crossin' his face he looked at me while sayin' "I busted Skunk Hair's face into the pole he was at by the general store for doin' that to ya."

"You were always takin' up for me when I got picked on by the Hatfield clan." I told Tolbert, in a way thankin' him for how he tried to protect me when we were growin' up. And he did take up for me a lot too.

Growin' up I was dubbed the Lil Orphan Girl or McCoy's Orphan by Hatfields and theirs anytime they came upon me. Tolbert always came to my aid when that happened if he was nearby. Since he has a bad temper he bashed a lot of heads in over me, to protect my honor and our family's name. He went on a rampage and got into a fight with a few Hatfields who made lewd remarks 'bout me durin' the last election day festival.

"Yep." Tolbert popped out before rantin' on to me that, "Hatfield's are nothin' but no good bastards. Their kind been goin' after us, botherin' wit' us for too long now." I didn't say a word, just nodded my head. There wasn't much for me to say, so I decided to just look as the passing trees as we trotted down the road in the wagon. "That's 'nother reason why I don't want ya seein' the Doc. That Hatfield with one eye might still be restin' up in there."

Tolbet made a valid point. "Yea, I'll make sure Aunt Sally tends to it 'fore dinner." I relented, done with any thought of seein' the Doc for my hand.

After an unmarked time of silence, we pulled up to Uncle Perry's law office in downtown Pikeville. Tolbert jumped down from the wagon and then offered me his hand. I winced as I placed my hand in his, since it was my badly blistered one that I'd been pickin' on the ride here. He noticed my wince and sighed while helped me get down.

Once my feet were on the ground Tolbert let go of my hand and grabbed it, turning it over to look at my palm. "Told ya you'd make it worse pickin' yer blisters." He chastised me, shakin' his head.

"What're you doin', Tolbert?!" I exclaimed right as he spit on my hand.

"Fixin' it up." Tolbert replied as he took his handkerchief from his back pocket. I just nodded skeptically as I watched him tie his white hankie around my spitted on hand. "It'll feel better soon, Ella." He patted my hand before lettin' it go.

"Thank you." I said as we walked over to the wooden walkway lining the street in front of the law office.

"No need to thank me. I'm s'posed to take care of ya." He replied, his velvet voice a tone softer than normal, as we walked across the wooden walkway and over to the door of my uncle's office. Silently Tolbert opened the door, making the door chime go off, and let me enter before following behind me.

Uncle Perry, sitting at his desk, looked up from the book he was reading only to ask us, "Tolbert, Novella, I know harvest time lasts longer than this. Whatever is the matter?"

"Poppy needs you to come to dinner tonight. Floyd Hatfield stoled our pig, poppy needs yer help." Tolbert explained the problem, his face twisting and turnin' when he mentioned the pig theif.

Closin' his book and placin' it on the desk corner Uncle Perry nodded his head while saying, "Oh, and this is the pig that went missin' a few years back I presume?"

"Yes." Was Tolbert's firm gruff reply.

"I'm waitin' on an appointment with a man comin' to town all the way from Texas to deal with his late father's estate. I'll make sure to get to your house right away after that."

"The Mahone case's today? Why didn't you say so?" I asked Uncle Perry with a raised brow. He always had me with him when he met with clients so I could help and write things down as he made his silver tongue law speeches.

"I would have told you later, but since you already typed up all the needed documents I felt that the use of you being here was not needed. I felt you'd be of better use helpin' the McCoys and learnin' what to do durin' harvest." Uncle Perry told me right before the door opened and the chime dinged.

"Excuse me, I'm Justin Mahone. Here on the matter of my dad Jon Mahone." A man spoke as he walked into the office, coming to stand next to me and Tolbert. With his slicked back dark hair and broad built he was the opposite of Tolbert, who was tall with taunt muscles and ginger hair. Mr. Mahone's smooth honey dipped voice was even opposite from Tolbert's gruffly velvet one too. "Oh, hello miss. Aren't you lovely. Might I ask your name, or is that too bold? He asked me with a twinkle in his eye as he flashed me a toothy grin.

This man's mighty bold, but before I could tell the Texan that Tolbert's booming voice snapped, "Don't worry bout her name. Yer here to talk to Perry Cline, not her." His eyes narrowed into slits as he stared down my uncle's client, who was lookin' at the angry redhead like he'd sprouted another head. Tolbert quickly looked at Uncle Perry, his nostrils flaring like an angry bull, and announced gruffly, "We're leavin'."

Uncle Perry just nodded his head at Tolbert before waving Mr. Mahone over to his desk and telling him, "Mr. Mahone, please take a seat. I do believe we have lots to discuss."

Silently seething Tolbert grabbed my arm, right at the crook of my elbow, and dragged me out of the law office. I saw how his face twitched and his jaw tightened as he quickly drug us across and plank board sidewalks and over to his wagon. Tolbert helped me up onto the front seat of the wagon, a bit roughly too if I might add, before joinin' me. The only word he uttered was a loud 'Yah' as he snapped the reigns, making the horses pull the wagon away from the law office.

Once we rounded the corner and was a little way down the road I turned my attention to Tolbert. He was fumin' mad, clenchin' onto the reigns with a white-knuckle grip. Oh my god, he was jealous! Jealous of the bold client from Texas, Mr. Mahone. I wanted to say somethin' calmin' to him, but I didn't want to get yelled at so I opted to stay quiet.

We were nearly to the McCoy house whenever Tolbert broke the silence between us by askin' in a rushed and crackin' voice, "If we weren't courtin' would you've taken to that fancy man's flirtin'?"

"The man's from Texas, he's not likely to stay in these woods and hills." I answered him, as I looked at the trees and bushes we were passin' by as the wagon smoothly went down the road. Now if the bold Mr. Mahone wasn't a Texan and wasn't a bold flirt then manybe he'd be somethin' to consider since he was a looker, but it wasn't the case. I was with Tolbert, who other than his jealous outburst, wasn't that bad to be 'round today.

"He better leave after he signs what yer uncle gives him t'sign." He grumbled gruffly, his teeth grittin' and his jaw twitchin'.

"Don't be jealous, there's nothin' for you to be jealous 'bout." I told him as gently as I could, hopin' to calm him down.

"Reckon there ain't." Tolbert reluctantly agreed, letting out a heated sigh. Suddenly he looked at my hankie wrapped hand and his eyes softened up a bit. "How's it feelin'?"

"A bit better. Thanks for fixin' it up." I answered him as we drove deeper into the woods, the trees startin' to frame our wagon along the path to the house.

Tolbert looked between me and the road before telling me in his velvety tone, "Ella, I'll always try and fix ya up. Darlin', yer my girl now so it's my respons'bilty to make sure yer cared for."

We fell into a silence after that and shortly we pulled up to the house. After parkin' the wagon by the barn Tolbert hoped down and then helped me. Once my feet were firmly planted on the ground Tolbert ran his thumb over my hankie wrapped knuckles and looked at me softly. Still lookin' at me he dropped my hand and said, "Mama should be inside by now. Go get yer hand tended to."

"Okay." I simply told Tolbert before turning around and walking off towards the house's porch steps. As I walked up the steps and over to the door I could hear the barn door opening and knew that Tolbert would be tendin' to the horse while Aunt Sally took a look at my blistered hand.