Barnabas was talking with Foreman Mike Wentworth, "I want men out, I doubt the place is in danger, but I'm talking no chances with these snakes! I mean, what sort of man targets women and children?" It was a precaution, but it was clear that the arrack had put everyone on edge. "I intend to get some answers from the woman about who set this up, Damn sure wasn't her or the man Em puty down. Best we get some men out there to bury him before he goes ripe."
When he had returned a few minutes earlier from rounding up some cattle, he had been quickly updated by Pecos Pete of what was going on. A lot of his work at the Rocking P involved him taking on the jobs that were far away from the ranch house. It made sense that he and the crew he was with wouldn't be alerted as it would've taken too long to find them. In fact, judging by what Pecos had said, they were already making their way back in a different direction from the one that had left for earlier in the day when the horse had returned without its rider.
After Barnabas had gone back inside, Mike started to head towards the barn to get a couple of shovels to bury the man that Missus Pike had shot. There was much time to think or ask some more about what had happen. By the time he returned to the front of the house, his boss had made his way down the stairs only to be stopped by wife.
"Em, what is it? Wheeler?" A bit of panic set in. Was something wrong with their son? He reached her and took her by the shoulders, "What's wrong?" He asked. Then, over his shoulder, "Be right with you, Mike, hold on."
Mike nodded and went over his horse where it was tied up near a water trough. Gently patting his horse, he sighed, "Looks like this thing's not over yet."
@ [Bongo]
@ [Flip
"That woman, she said you're her father...their father." Emeline shook her head to show she thought the allegations were ridiculous. "She said she wanted Wheeler because they were going to kill us...He was going to kill us."
"WHAT? Their father? HER father?" He was shocked by the allegation. then angered by it. Who was this female, and where was she from? Who told her that Barnabas Pike had fathered her and her brother? The questions were mounting, as was the anger over this falsehood.
"Love...Tom Love...it sounds like he put them up to this?" She was pretty sure she'd seen a poster in the Marshal's office, but Barnabas would know for sure. "He was there...somewhere..."
"Tom Love? Lorado and Will told me that there was a camp above where you were accosted by her and her brother. And, there were at least three more people up there. Love and a couple of his henchmen. Damn it! What was this about? What the hell is Love's game?
"I swear to you, I have never seen either of them, not ever. I got only one child, Wheeler!" He stated. But Tom Love? Whatever he's after, this changes everything. He is after something, and this thing he devised with you and our son failed."
"I know that," Emeline murmured, giving his hand a squeeze. That was a conversation for later. "So, it isn't over?" A wave of fear and nausea ran through her, to think that there was still a threat hanging out there, not just to her and her family, but to everyone here.
"I'll be all the more vigilant," she promised. The last thing she needed was for Barnabas to have to be overly worried about her and Wheeler. She knew he'd be on a bloodhunt, and she wanted him back.
"It sounds like Love put those two up to this." And that realization had her softening just a little for the injured woman. "Be kind when you talk to her, she thinks she's going to hang...she asked us to just shoot her."
As much as she was angry for the terror that woman and her brother had put her through, Emeline still couldn't allow herself to wish her harm.
Pike stood looking at Em for a long moment. Tom Love? Now what was that all about? "That seems like what happened here, I mean I'm trying, but other than the wanted posters, the name means nothing to me. All I know is he's threatened my family, and this isn't the end of it!"
Whatever the plan, whatever they had hoped to accomplish, all that was foiled by Em shooting the man and the arrival of the search party. Wounding the girl was a way to stop her without killing her because had she caught Em, Em would be dead and likely Wheeler too in the struggle. This would be a hard thing for him to get past, an assault on his family
"Alright then, I do need to talk to her and see what we can learn 'bout this Tom Love Character," He said, resigned to the fact that the girl had been under Love's influence, filled with lies about him and his family, that he was her and her brother's father. He knew that, sure, there was the possibility of one child created between a couple with no relationship, but two children? They would have had to have been together for a spell for that to happen, whether they lived together or not. A tall order with his background.
"The men should eat and rest," Emeline suggested quietly, not wanting to override her husband, but she thought it would be good for things to settle down before they made their next move. "Doesn't Speed know a tracker? An Indian? Maybe you could send for him?"
Certainly, there would be some sort of tracks in the hills that hadn't been trampled over by the rescue team, and at least it didn't seem like there would be rain tonight to wash them away. Besides, it was nearly dark, so any tracking would be difficult at best.
"Yeah, yer right, Cookie's got the grub ready an' we best grab a plate with 'em an'fill up. Might be a long night ahead talkin' with this young woman who says she's my daughter." Pike said, still simmering. "Tom Love, I want me a piece of him!"
It took another moment or two for Barnabas to cool down enough to consider what needed to be done. "Mike, get the boys fed and some watches set, I'd rather not be surprised in the middle of the night, Cookie's got everything ready, an' I'm sure it's getting' on past time for chow. Me an; Em'll join in once they're fed. Any questions?"
Meanwhile, upstairs, Doctor Angelique Laurant was preparing to tend to the woman's shoulder wound. "Now this doesn't look so bad, I see that they had bandaged this as best they could out on the trail. And a nice looking job of it too/ Let's just start peeling this bandage away and have a look."
Slowly, she first cut the muslin wrapping away as close to the skin as she dared. There was no sense risking more damage to the area, "Now the last layer will likely have some dried blood sticking to it and your skin, but I'll be as careful as I can be. Might be a bit painful, but we need to get this treated before we have other problems."
She smiled at the young woman. "My name is Angie, what's yours?" She asked, lifting away the first layers one by one. She was surprised at how well they had bandaged her, although she probably shouldn't have been. Men on the range carry all manner of things in their saddlebags, and bandages were certainly one of them, A man never knew what might befall him or another of the men he rode with.
Best give me the baby, Mrs Pike
"Now this doesn't look so bad, I see that they had bandaged this as best they could out on the trail. And a nice looking job of it too/ Let's just start peeling this bandage away and have a look."
Despite the woman's pleasant bedside manner, Sis winced and whimpered every time Dr Laurant's hand hovered anywhere near her painful shoulder wound, and when she actually touched the area, she infallibly let out a loud hoarse scream.
Slowly, she first cut the muslin wrapping away as close to the skin as she dared. There was no sense risking more damage to the area, "Now the last layer will likely have some dried blood sticking to it and your skin, but I'll be as careful as I can be. Might be a bit painful, but we need to get this treated before we have other problems."
"Ah Ah Ah ARGGHHHHHH!!!" yelled Sis, more in anticipation of pain than the real deal as the caked on bandage was cut away. The boys on the trail had done a good job, but at the end of the day, the rocking of the horse and the roughness of the ride back had meant a good deal of blood had oozed out of the bullet hole that Pike had put in the girl's fat flesh.
She smiled at the young woman. "My name is Angie, what's yours?" She asked, lifting away the first layers one by one.
Talking seemed to help distract the girl and, apart from moments when she really did gasp with real pain, her hysteria subsided a little. The lady was being nice to her. It was a long time since anyone ad been nice to Sis.
"Sis... Cicely... I was.. OW!... I was called Cicely Lister but... Tom Love said I had to be called Cicely Pike from now on... he said it was the law. An... an' I said he was a outlaw, so why'd he care... but he ju' laughed... Oh Mrs Angie, are yu gonna digthat bullet out what Pike me with... cause I'm awful scared o' how much that's gonna hurt!" she asked, clearly terrified of the apprehended pain.
@[Flip]
"Well, Sis, may I call you Sis? It will only hurt for a moment." Angie promised that, even though some pain would linger, there was the cleaning of the wound that would need to be done, but Angie figured she would deal with that when the time came. She had an anaesthetic in her bag for just such 'emergencies.' Not that this really was one, but the young woman's fear of the pain involved was reason enough.
"Now this Tom Love fellow, an outlaw you say? And where does he say he found all of this out about you and Mister Pike?" She felt that this was going to be something of a tall tale that this Love outlaw had concocted for some nefarious purpose that would eventually get Sis shot. "Don't you think Mister Pike would have recognized you? I mean, rather than shoot you."
Emeline needed to keep busy so that she didn't go stark raving mad, so she started with organizing a guest room so that Dr. Laurant could spend the night, since it wasn't safe for her to be traveling in the dark, even with an escort. Then she rummaged through her wardrobe and pulled out one of the skirts she'd worn while she was pregnant that had an adjustable waist that tied front and back, and would probably fit Sis, although it would be short. Along with one of Barnabas' old work shirts, it would give the woman something clean to wear.
That done, she went to the kitchen to settle Wheeler into the crib she kept there, then started making snickerdoodles, since they didn't have to rise and didn't take long to bake. She still wanted to make a treat for the men, and now more than before, and unlike pie, they could take these out on the trail.