Milo.”
“Yeah. News travels fast.”
“He was roarin’ mad when he got back to the mill. Said you jumped him when he wasn’t lookin’.”
Ben shrugged. “He can say what he wants.”
James laughed. “Why’d you hit him?”
“I didn’t like the look on his face.”
James laughed again. “Good enough reason.”
“—And he fired me.”
“He’s fired almost every man we’ve got working for us at one time or the other. Are you goin’ or stayin’?”
“I’d be long gone if Odette wasn’t sick.”
“Can’t stand the heat, huh?”
Ben’s face turned hard. “Can’t stand men who abuse women.”
“Don’t much care for ’em myself.”
Ben looked steadily at the man sitting on the floor. He wanted to tell him that his brothers were meaner than a hungry wolf
to his sister and Jeanmarie. But Dory had insisted that James not be told.
Hadn’t the fool seen his sister’s face?
He gave himself a mental shake. This was a family affair and he’d best stay out of it. Yet questions nagged at his mind.
He decided to voice one of them.
“Why do the Callahans hate the Malones?”
James raked his fingers through his hair and wiped the sweat from his upper lip. He thought for a full minute before he answered.
“Our mother was raised in the Malone home along with Chip and Alpha, a girl about Ma’s age. She was the apple of the old man’s
eye and when she died, he turned to my mother and doted on her. She was no blood kin to the Malones and he wanted her to marry
his son, Chip, but she married my pa instead. That’s why the Malones hate us. Louis and Milo hated our mother because she
married their pa. She was considered a Malone, so they hate all Malones. Makes a hell of a lot of sense, doesn’t it?”
“Most feuds start over some little thing that doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.”
“Most of the feuding was on the part of Milo and Louis until Mick Malone was found dead in the woods. The Malones had, for
the most part, ignored us up to then.”
“They think one of you killed him because he was meeting your sister?”
“It makes sense… if you’re a Malone.” Then James’s eyes fixed unwavering on Ben’s and there was a terrible intensity in his
gaze. When he spoke again his voice was abrupt. “Don’t get it in your head that my sister is a slut. It’s rumored around because
of Jeanmarie, but no one says it to me or makes an unwanted move toward her, or they’ll get their head blowed off. Understand?”
“Perfectly.”
After that one terse word, Ben looked at James in silence. How could he not know how his brothers talked to and about his
sister? Hadn’t he heard her called Whory Dory by the men at the camp?
At that moment a hoarse sound came from Odette and she began to cough. James jumped to his feet and threw back one of the
blankets so that he could kneel beside her. He lifted her head and shoulders and leaned her back against his chest.
“It’s working, Waller. Get over there and turn the spout of the teakettle so the steam comes closer to her face. Not too close,
it’ll burn her. There, girl, I think you’re going to be able to cough up some of that stuff that’s clogging your lungs.”
Odette’s head, damp from the steam, lolled back against James’s shoulder. With long calloused fingers, he brushed the hair
from her cheek. She was so slight, so helpless. The soft curves of the body against his told him she was not a child, but
a very desirable woman. A strange protective feeling stirred within him.
Then her stomach began to heave.
“Get the chamber pot, she’s goin’ to vomit.”
Holding her tightly against him, one hand on her stomach, the other on her forehead, James leaned her over the chamber pot.
Liquid spewed from her mouth and with it thick slime from her throat.
“It’s the peppermint tea Dory made her drink,” James said, and glanced at Ben.
Odette gagged and spit. She groaned and gagged again.
“That’s
“Yeah. News travels fast.”
“He was roarin’ mad when he got back to the mill. Said you jumped him when he wasn’t lookin’.”
Ben shrugged. “He can say what he wants.”
James laughed. “Why’d you hit him?”
“I didn’t like the look on his face.”
James laughed again. “Good enough reason.”
“—And he fired me.”
“He’s fired almost every man we’ve got working for us at one time or the other. Are you goin’ or stayin’?”
“I’d be long gone if Odette wasn’t sick.”
“Can’t stand the heat, huh?”
Ben’s face turned hard. “Can’t stand men who abuse women.”
“Don’t much care for ’em myself.”
Ben looked steadily at the man sitting on the floor. He wanted to tell him that his brothers were meaner than a hungry wolf
to his sister and Jeanmarie. But Dory had insisted that James not be told.
Hadn’t the fool seen his sister’s face?
He gave himself a mental shake. This was a family affair and he’d best stay out of it. Yet questions nagged at his mind.
He decided to voice one of them.
“Why do the Callahans hate the Malones?”
James raked his fingers through his hair and wiped the sweat from his upper lip. He thought for a full minute before he answered.
“Our mother was raised in the Malone home along with Chip and Alpha, a girl about Ma’s age. She was the apple of the old man’s
eye and when she died, he turned to my mother and doted on her. She was no blood kin to the Malones and he wanted her to marry
his son, Chip, but she married my pa instead. That’s why the Malones hate us. Louis and Milo hated our mother because she
married their pa. She was considered a Malone, so they hate all Malones. Makes a hell of a lot of sense, doesn’t it?”
“Most feuds start over some little thing that doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.”
“Most of the feuding was on the part of Milo and Louis until Mick Malone was found dead in the woods. The Malones had, for
the most part, ignored us up to then.”
“They think one of you killed him because he was meeting your sister?”
“It makes sense… if you’re a Malone.” Then James’s eyes fixed unwavering on Ben’s and there was a terrible intensity in his
gaze. When he spoke again his voice was abrupt. “Don’t get it in your head that my sister is a slut. It’s rumored around because
of Jeanmarie, but no one says it to me or makes an unwanted move toward her, or they’ll get their head blowed off. Understand?”
“Perfectly.”
After that one terse word, Ben looked at James in silence. How could he not know how his brothers talked to and about his
sister? Hadn’t he heard her called Whory Dory by the men at the camp?
At that moment a hoarse sound came from Odette and she began to cough. James jumped to his feet and threw back one of the
blankets so that he could kneel beside her. He lifted her head and shoulders and leaned her back against his chest.
“It’s working, Waller. Get over there and turn the spout of the teakettle so the steam comes closer to her face. Not too close,
it’ll burn her. There, girl, I think you’re going to be able to cough up some of that stuff that’s clogging your lungs.”
Odette’s head, damp from the steam, lolled back against James’s shoulder. With long calloused fingers, he brushed the hair
from her cheek. She was so slight, so helpless. The soft curves of the body against his told him she was not a child, but
a very desirable woman. A strange protective feeling stirred within him.
Then her stomach began to heave.
“Get the chamber pot, she’s goin’ to vomit.”
Holding her tightly against him, one hand on her stomach, the other on her forehead, James leaned her over the chamber pot.
Liquid spewed from her mouth and with it thick slime from her throat.
“It’s the peppermint tea Dory made her drink,” James said, and glanced at Ben.
Odette gagged and spit. She groaned and gagged again.
“That’s
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