"Of course you are excused." Jonah couldn't help but chuckle at her passion. "And for what it's worth, Elias said that the hospital is safe." He didn't bring up the part of the conversation about a potential relationship between himself and Leah...no point, since it was never going to happen.
He stood, then pulled a chair close to hers before sitting. "This place will be a great success, and be a gift to the whole territory, and it's all your doing. You should be proud of what you've accomplished, and I've no doubt there is so much more in store for you."
"Well, I believe him. Yes, the hospital is safe, and was safe until you left the Evergreen, as for now, I wouldn't bet the farm on it. The man lies when it's easier to tell the truth or at least not say anything." She retorted, she was calmer, but there was still fire in her eyes.
"I'll need to meet with Santee and Bannister, just in case." She continued, "You need to be there because this concerns you too. If he has any idea about us, you'll be involved. Even if it's only in regards to the hospital, which I seriously doubt.
He stood, then pulled a chair close to hers before sitting. "This place will be a great success, and be a gift to the whole territory, and it's all your doing. You should be proud of what you've accomplished, and I've no doubt there is so much more in store for you."
"That, Jonah Danforth, is why I love you! You fight to believe what you say because you know that it is the truth." She said, and suddenly as it came, the anger dissipated before his eyes. "I have to believe we'll have a fight ahead of us, but it will be you and I, and we are a tough combination to beat!"
Loved him??!
That had to be just an expression, right? Surely there was nothing more to it! At least, he hoped not, for he'd hate to disappoint her, but he still wasn't willing to let her throw her life away on a cad and rogue such as he.
"I'm just following your lead, Leah. You're far more sure of yourself, and I have little business acumen." He chuckled. "All the chickens and rabbits in my yard prove that! But you're right, we can do this...we will do this. As for meeting with your men, I'm happy to do that, they've been involved with this from the start as well."
Maybe not as closely involved with the particulars, but keeping Leah safe was of vital importance.
She exhaled heavily, sensing his retreat into denial, well he could try that if he wanted, it made no difference to her, it just made things some harder than they needed to be. Then she smiled,
"Jonah? Do you even understand? She asked in a matter of fact tone. "Yes we will do this, build both the hospital and the orphanage, but, that has little to do with you and me, or did you somehow not figure that out? You should know that I think very highly of you. You have been the perfect gentleman all along, and I appreciate that more than you know."
"I need you to be the gentleman you've shown yourself to be, and a man ready to defend us. Elias will not see us as separate people, but as two people who are out to somehow do him harm, and his men will not care. Honestly, it may come to that." She added, sure he didn't really hear it the first time. This might take a while, but the idea of what her father was capable of was the reality of it.
Drawing a breath, Jonah nodded. Not that he was against putting up a fight, and he'd been in some scrapes, could hold his own, but his typical strategy was to just pick up and run. But that wasn't a choice any more. He had no intention of leaving behind what was growing for him here...for them, nor was he going to abandon Leah.
"Well, you aren't wrong about needing some training in fighting," Jonah agreed, glad that the topic was shifting. "I'm a crack shot with a derringer at two feet, but I think it would be better not to let anyone get that close!" He chuckled, but it was a serious topic and he knew it.
"I want to be able to protect you, if it should come to that." He looked into her eyes, serious. "I don't want any harm to come to you again, Leah..." Hence his reluctance to admit that he had feelings for her...
"Yes Jonah, I know that, and with some help from someone proficient with firearms and your willingness to learn, you will be in a better position should the situation arise," Leah explained. "That derringer of yours has but two shots, not enough. Hopefully, you will agree. I can set you up with the boys across the street for some pointers, and we'll get you whatever it might be that you'll need. They will know, not that you wouldn't."
It was a thought she had had, that perhaps she would also go heeled, not in the sense she would wear a gunbelt or a shoulder holster, but something concealable on her person, or in her clutch. And she also wanted him to be able to defend himself against whatever might be sent their way. He meant well, probably more than he realized. That was one of the things she loved about him and always had.
"I know, all of this sounds like I am worrying over next to nothing, but my father is involved. At times, to be frank, it scares the hell out of me!"
"It's better to be overprepared," Jonah assured her, "and disappointed when it's all for naught." Should they be so lucky! "I will speak to the gentlemen about what gun would be best and how to be proficient. And I do think you should have a way to defend yourself. Even if your father isn't a consideration, there are always threats lurking, especially at night."
It hadn't been that long ago that two young ladies had been attacked in the middle of the night, and had only been by providence that they hadn't been murdered.
"I've no doubt you are strong, and you know your father well enough to know what he'll do, and at least for a short time, he should be too infirmed to pose much of a threat. Hopefully, once the hospital is up and running, he'll lose interest in it."
"Over prepared? Yes, especially when we're dealing with my father." She said with a giggle at the way he put his statement.
"I will speak to the gentlemen about what gun would be best and how to be proficient. And I do think you should have a way to defend yourself. Even if your father isn't a consideration, there are always threats lurking, especially at night."
"Yes, yes I know, I have a gun, and I know how to use it, so I'm prepared to deal with whatever comes my way. You speaking with anyone of those men will be of great help to you. And I do mean any one of them, including Doc Gilcrest, but you make that choice for yourself. They know you and they like you. So it will be easy, and you'll do well, I'm sure of it."
Yes, she had faith in each one of them, and if asked it would be hard for her to pick a favorite. They had come willingly to her defense at great peril to themselves.
"Doc Gilcrest...I've always wondered, is he a doctor, or is that just a moniker given to him?" Not that he was one to question the 'doctor' label, but there were many reasons one might be called 'doctor', and he was curious. It didn't matter, of course, and he trusted all the men who protected Leah and would be happy to ask any of them for help, even if he suspected they might laugh at him!
"I'll get to that, and next thing you know, I'll be a gunslinger!" He chuckled. "'The Gun-Toting Doctor of Montana'! Perfect for a dime novel! Perhaps we can enlist Miss Mudd to pen the tale!"
"I would seriously doubt that Arabella Mudd would write dime novels, other than one about herself." Leah opined about the actress, "Unfortunately, Jonah, the need to carry a gun is real and not something to make light of, although this 'Gun Toating Doctor of Montana' monicker would certainly be entertaining. I mean most of those works are pure fiction."
She was certain Jonah had given some thought to carrying a gun other than his derringer, and she was certain it had never gone further than thinking about it, but this conversation was much more severe than any passing thought. This was, in actuality, bordering on a life-and-death proposition. This was about the dangers that were all around them.
"Maybe, Jonah, a shoulder holster would be more appropriate than a gun belt about your waist? What do you think, or would you wait until you speak to one of the men about such things?" She asked.