Renegades and Pretty Women

Chapter Sixteen

　

“I’m not waiting any longer. My damn arm is fine and now it’s time to go figure out what happened to Bart and Reb.” Jonah declared impatiently a week and a half later. He had taken his arm from the sling that had held it in place for over a month and while it was still sore and Jonah figured it would take a while before he had full use without pain, it was good enough to get him by.

Jonah’s pa had been left handed and had used a cross draw holster so it was perfect for what Jonah needed until his arm was back to one hundred percent. Thankfully Jonah had always been able to use both hands.

“There ain’t no point chasin’ after them, Jonah. We’ll no sooner get down the road and them two will come ridin’ in and we won’t be here.”

“We? You’re riding with me?”

Jonah and Joe had been doing better since their late night talk by the fire and their agreement to be friends. Jonah was pretty good at pretending he didn’t want her for anything more than friendship and Joe didn’t seem the least bit interested in hitting the sheets with him.

“’Course I am.” Joe replied with a shrug as she went about cutting up the last of the potatoes that had been in the cellar. “That bitch of your’n owes me that twenty dollars fer getting her hoity toity ass to Barbadine. That and I had to leave my damn cart behind and I want the money to replace it too.”

“I never said I was going after her.” Jonah replied with a growl, unwilling to say that bitches name out loud. Joe shrugged, and then poured a bowl of cut potatoes onto a heated butter filled skillet and the scent of them sizzling made Jonah’s stomach growl.

“I just figured ya would is all.”

“Yeah I’m going after her.” Jonah admitted, as he moved behind Joe to get a better look at the dinner she was cooking. Joe stiffened a bit and then moved across the kitchen and got two plates off a shelf.

“Well I’ll ride with ya. She owes me.”

“I kinda figured I’d be going alone.” Jonah admitted and Joe slid past him and into the living space before sitting down in one of the chairs by the fire.

“I figured since we both want the same woman we might as well ride together to find her. ‘Course if you’d rather we can chase her separate…”

Jonah shook his head quickly as he stirred the potatoes to keep them from burning.

“No, it’d be good to have someone with me. Kinda hard to play poker alone and we’ll be able to watch each others backs.” Jonah waited for Joe to insist that she didn’t need anyone to watch her back but the words never came.

“We’ll give Reb and Bart a couple a more days and then we’ll go lookin’ for ‘em.” she said instead and Jonah nodded because the plan sounded good to him.

Joe joined him in the kitchen as he scooped their potatoes onto plates and she pulled the last of the pork that had been in the smokehouse from the cook stove.

“I think we’ll have to make a trip to town tomorrow for food to get us through the next couple of days.” Jonah stated as they sat down at the table and Joe grinned.

“Yeah I’d hate to have ya kill over from starvation and be forced to eat ya.”

“I wouldn’t taste good anyhow.” Jonah countered. Joe crinkled up her nose and studied him.

“Yeah, fatty meat ain’t no count fer eatin’.”

Jonah let out a bark of laughter before shoveling a bite of potatoes into his mouth.