Kate & Jesse: A Vengeance Road Novella by Erin Bowman

Author:Erin Bowman [Bowman, Erin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

I don’t say a word as we ride north ’long the creek.

Jesse knows something’s wrong. He keeps asking me what happened, but I don’t wanna talk ’bout it. I don’t care what Martha Vaughn thinks, or anyone else in town, neither. I ain’t never cared ’bout the opinions of most folk, so this shouldn’t hurt. ’Cept it do.

’Specially ’cus I’s seen unwed girls dance with men at celebrations in town, their bodies far closer than Jesse and me’s ever been seen walking together on them Prescott streets. I’s even seen young ladies walk into church to be wed, their bellies swollen to the final stretches of a pregnancy. Decent folk lie together before marriage all the time, and I ain’t doing nothing but being happy. I wanna scream at that prissy hen of a woman for trying to take even that from me. After all I’s been through, I deserve a bit of happiness. Jesse, too. We ain’t bothering no one.

Jesse quits pestering me by the time we reach Fort Whipple, and the rest of the trip is completely silent, save for the creak of the axels and the clomp of Silver’s shoes.

I go to work on the pie once we’re home, and Jesse heads to the barn. He’s leaving again for a job come dawn and needs to ready Rebel. I roll dough and slice apples and stare at my flour-coated fingers.

Your daddy would be ashamed.

I glance at Jesse’s jacket hanging on the pegs by the door. His spare boots near the rug. His rifle resting ’longside the hearth. All these pieces of him everywhere and I know I already got a piece of his heart. It don’t gotta be official to make that any more true. I know it don’t.

You might consider working at the whorehouse, Kate. Then at least you’d be paid for your services.

Is this how it’s gonna be for the rest of my life? Folks judging me and damning me and thinking they’re better just ’cus I ain’t following the same path as the rest of them?

“Christ, Kate, tell me what’s wrong.”

Jesse’s standing in the doorway, his face pale. I realize tears’ve been pooling in my eyes. I blink and one breaks free, trailing down my cheek.

I count to ten fast. Swipe it away. “I’m fine.”

“Clearly you ain’t. Now tell me. Please.”

“I’m just sad to see you leave again,” I says, which ain’t a lie but also ain’t the whole truth. “You sure you gotta go so early?”

He nods, somber. “Need to check in with Sarah on the way south, and then it’s a long run with Benny this time. I reckon I won’t be back till close to Christmas.”

“Almost four months.”

He nods again. Watches me roll out the dough for the second crust, cover the pie, and go ’bout pinching the seam.

“Say, Kate? When’s yer birthday?”

God bless him. He’s trying to act like he didn’t just walk in on me upset, trying to go along like all’s normal.

“June fourth,” I says.

“I missed it.”

“You were running cattle.

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