When Dutch Van Der Linde, Micah Bell and Arthur Morgan stumble across Violet Adler after a crisis that robbed her of the last family she had-her dearest brother, Jake Adler, and beloved sister-in-law, Sadie-she's offered a home. A temporary one, unt...
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"Back up a little from the cliff, Jack," I called out.
The young boy was quick to obey, dragging his stick idly through the soil as he went. I sighed softly in relief, but still didn't let my eyes stray from his small figure for too long.
It seemed the little Marston and I had both chosen this corner of the camp to cure our boredom with, which had put me on unofficial babysitting duty. But I didn't mind. Abigail surely deserved a moment or two to herself. She wore two hats most days, seeing as John wasn't too keen on tending to fatherly duties.
"I'm still bored, Violet," he mumbled, drawing an X through the circle he made in the dirt.
I smiled, glancing up from my book. This one, I'd borrowed from Hosea–The Case of the Shrew in the Fog. Far cry from Mary Beth's romances, but still an intriguing read.
"Me too," I told him. "You haven't been outside of this camp much lately, have you?"
"No. Momma won't let me."
"Well, of course. She just wants to keep you safe. You know that, right?"
He nodded, but still looked glum about the circumstances.
"I got a horse of my own now," I said conspiratorially and he glanced up curiously. "Maybe one day, we'll go for a ride. Nowhere too far, just a ways down the trail. I think that would be fun."
The suggestion effectively perked the boy up. "Yeah! I think so, too. And I'll pick some pretty flowers for Momma. All I can find here are leaves and sticks."
My heart warmed. "That's very sweet, Jack."
"Yeah, real touching, kid," another voice interjected. I turned my head to find Micah Bell invading our peaceful corner of camp, with a smarmy grin. "Make sure you bring those flowers back and don't go running off like your Pa."
Jack frowned. "What?"
"He's being a fool, Jack," I said quickly, cutting a glance toward the man. "Hey, why don't you go see if your momma needs anything? Maybe you can ask her which flowers are her favorite, so we'll know what to look for whenever we go for that ride."
"Okay," he complied easily and left in search of Abigail.
Micah returned to camp yesterday evening, a few hours after Arthur and I came back from our shooting lesson. I never got to know the gang member much personally after that day in the cabin, but most of what I'd gleaned about him from stories of his quick temper and ignorant demeanor was enough. And if Arthur detested him so much, I knew it was the smart thing to trust that man's intuition and keep my distance as well.
