"Though I do like the thought of him being too weak to resist me." She countered.
Jonah laughed, commenting, "I suspect he couldn't resist you regardless...it's a man's curse!" The right upturn at the corner of the mouth, a quick flit of the eye or turn of the head, and a man would do anything to make a lady happy!
Then Speed moaned and started to sit up, and Jonah moved in to push him back down by the shoulders, gently, so he didn't hurt himself. "Hey, there, Speed, lay still...you're fine." He was mindful that there could be violence until Speed's brain caught up with what was going on, and restraining him wasn't a good idea.
"Talk to him," he told Alice, then he spoke to Speed again. "Miss Fletcher...Alice is here, you can rest easy."
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
"Oh, nah, that's all right," Addy assured her, "don't mind talkin'." She grinned widely. "Would'a had a good time at finishin' school, had someone a mind ta send me! Would'a had all them fancy gals spittin' an' swimmin' in th' altogether in no time!"
She figured that she'd gone through her own form of 'finishing school' in the course of her life, in a manner that was suitable for her life style. While she and Leah had very different skills, they both had what they needed to survive.
"Reckon Speed's too ornery ta stay laid up too long. Worst fer town, I'm thinkin', would be if they don't find him what done it. Seems clear it was aimed at Speed, but that don't mean folks'll relax until th' culprit's in irons, or better, swingin' from a tree limb in th' middle'a town! 'Course, they might'a got him by now...an' if not, might never."
The mental picture of Addy at a finishing school was almost more than Leah could take. without bursting out in laughter at the thought of it. Not because it was Addy, but because it was Addy and she would certainly have upset the entire curriculum.
"Addy, the very thought of what you would do to a finishing school is something to marvel at. I'm afraid you would set back what they try and do for young women a hundred years, but it would be so worth it to see!" Leah admitted yet the second part of what Addy said brought her up short.
"Reckon Speed's too ornery ta stay laid up too long. Worst fer town, I'm thinkin', would be if they don't find him what done it. Seems clear it was aimed at Speed, but that don't mean folks'll relax until th' culprit's in irons, or better, swingin' from a tree limb in th' middle'a town! 'Course, they might'a got him by now...an' if not, might never."
"That is my fear as well, that Kalispell could be in need of serious help. I know that there are two factions that could make life here harder than it already is, and those are my brother Case, and my father. I doubt Case would try to take over the town, things like that just not done, I just don't. But my father, I cannot for the life of me begin to know just what he might do." She admitted.
"And the man that shot Speed, if he has not been caught by now, I too fear that he may never be, or, worse yet, that he would come back to finish the job unless he is unaware he did not kill the intended target."
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
It began with a groan, not loud but loud enough to be heard by the two people who were present at his bedside. Then Speed's head moving from side to side, slowly and another groan, and his eyes fluttered open when suddenly, he tried to sit up but fell back, his shoulder would not take the weight on it. "What happened? Is everyone else alright? the boy? Is he alright and the others?" And then, his strength ebbed as he reached for Alices outstretched hand.
"Speed, Speed, you're at the Doctor's. Jonah's place." She said in a rush of words. He looked gaunt, pasty, and worn out, but he was alive and alert. "Oh my God, you're alive. I was afraid I was going to lose you." Not that he was out of danger, not by a long shot.
"No, no one else was injured," Jonah assured Speed, moving back so Alice could get in. "Someone shot you while you were in your office, but fortunately, he wasn't very good at his job." He managed a slight smile. "My understanding is that several people are looking for him, but no one really knows anything specific at the moment. You're going to have to rest for some time, I'm afraid. Alice won't have it any other way!"
It was, indeed, a good sign that Speed was talking, and that he remembered enough to ask about the people he'd been with at the time. "You were shot in the shoulder, through and through, there was some bleeding, but I believe you will recover...in time."
"Time, how much time?" He asked, his voice weak, his words coming slowly. "No one else hurt, tha-that's good." He looked toward Alice, "An' don't you worry none. I-I'm a long ways from beging dead." But he was weak, he knew that, he knew there was going to be a time before he would be back to normal, back to being able to do his job, if he still had one.
"You'll be fine Speed, it will just take time to get you back full strength again." Alice said, her eyes brimming with tears of joy that her soon to be husband was alive and talking.
"Pike? Is Pike back yet?" He asked either one, "How long have I been out?" Alice looked toward Jonah, holding back the ears that were slowly escaping. If she spoke she knew she would breakdown.
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
"And the man that shot Speed, if he has not been caught by now, I too fear that he may never be, or, worse yet, that he would come back to finish the job unless he is unaware he did not kill the intended target."
"Might be they don't know...heck, we don't truly know, yet. Could still..." Frowning, Addy looked at Leah, then mused, "We can let 'em think whatever that we want, right? Say he's dead, an' they got no cause ta come after him...say he's alive, an' that might draw out whoever done it."
It would take some planning, but they could make Speed look vulnerable, and maybe they could catch the assassin...er...would-be assassin!
"That's the sad part, we don't know and it seems to be the best kept secret in Montana. So my thought has to be it was someone imported to do the job, not any of Dad's or Case's men, and believe me, they are all capable of killing for money." Leah explained. "The problem is that if it was a hired killer, only the one who hired it done knows about it, and they are not talking."
"I do believe that it is a hired man. Someone who would wait for a kill shot, it was not a quick turn of events, it was carried out by a man who would wait and take the best shot. Speed just happened to move."
Jonah could see that Alice wasn't in any condition to talk at the moment, so he took over. "It's been less than a day," he explained, "and no, Mr. Pike isn't back yet." Probably for the better, as the deputy might well get himself shot as well. "There are several men...and Miss Crory...trying to find who shot you. As for your recovery, that's mostly up to you. I haven't seen any long-term deficit, but we'll have to assess it again in a few days once the swelling starts to go down."
While he could do a preliminary assessment right now, Speed's arm would be far too swollen and painful to know how extensive the damage might be. "I'd like you to stay here for a few days, so I can keep an eye on you...and, of course, Miss Alice, you can stay, too. I have a room upstairs you can use, if you'd like."
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
She held on to his hand for dear life, "Yes, I will stay as well. I can be of help if need be." Alice agreed to Jonah's offer. "And, I realize this may take some time to heal up and get back to normal, as normal as possible."
"Time, well, we'll have plenty of that to deal with." Speed said weakly. The effects of the laudanum were almost as bad as the wound itself, though he had not felt much pain, nor did he recall the ride to Danfoth's home and office. "Tired. Sore. really weak. He got me good."