The Outlaw's Son

Bad Attitudes

CHAPTER 24 -  BAD ATTITUDES

"No! Ella, why does this have to happen? Oh, Ella, what has happened to you?" Lucas sobbed in the grass next to the wagon, clutching onto Ella's stocking. Mary Beth stood a few feet away watching with her small hand over her mouth. Her eyes looked horrified at what might have happened here.

"We need to keep movin', they may be close." Uncle Seth said with an anger shaken voice. He knew what finding her stocking meant. I could see the fury all over his face and I knew it matched my own. Ella and Uncle Seth had always been close. He had always said she was a remake of Mama. I knew he had feelings for my mother, but I never voiced my suspicions. What good would it do?

Lucas fell over in the grass sobbing and whining like a small child. Mary Beth was still in her same spot watching him, while he rolled around like a lunatic.

"Get up off the damn ground and get back in your wagon. We can't do nothin' 'bout this here. We gotta keep movin' and find her. Stop actin' like a fuckin' child." I said after Uncle Seth kicked Lucas' boot to get his attention.

"Britt, that is enough." Mary Beth said a little too loud for my liking. She started towards me with her finger in the air, pointing right at me. "You shouldn't talk to him like that, he loves your sister so you need to have more compassion!"

"Yeah, well, him 'lovin'', my sister is what got her in this damn mess to start with."

"It is not his fault, he told you he didn't want anything to do with this!"

"Mary Beth, just stay out of it. Get on your horse." I pointed at the white beast behind her.

"Don't tell me what to do."

I could see the fire in her eyes then. She didn't like that. Uncle Seth's blue eyes held a sparkle of amusement as he watched us. Lucas had slowly made his way to his wagon, still holding onto Ella's stocking as he watched us.

"I'll tell you what I damn well please. Now get on your horse so we get movin'." Nope. My stubbornness was not going to hide itself.

"Britt, you will not talk to me like that." Mary Beth said quietly. Her eyes were narrowed in on me and if looks could kill, I'd be on the ground.

"I believe I just did, darlin'." I retorted as I got on my horse. Uncle Seth's eyes were wide and Lucas looked as if he was afraid of what was about to happen. She was pushing my buttons and I didn't like it. "Now get on your horse before I put you in that saddle myself."

Mary Beth just stared at me. I could tell she wasn't sure if I would do it or not. She stared at me the entire time she mounted her horse. Her face was flushed and anyone with eyes that could see could tell she was pissed. Either because I told her to get on her horse or because I did it in front of other people, I don't know. Maybe both. My feelings for her don't change the fact that what I say goes. She is a woman and she does not "boss" me. Nobody "bosses" me. Nobody challenges what I say or do.

"Cool it down, little Mason." Uncle Seth whispered as he rode past me. I didn't respond. I turned my horse to follow him and waited to hear Mary Beth's horse. She followed and so did Lucas. The creaking of the wagon's wheels and the horses' hooves stomping the ground was the only noise in the plain.

I knew Mary Beth was going to stay mad at me. That's what women do. But after the bombshell she threw at me recently, I didn't care. I was still a little angry with her. She should have told me. She should have told me she was married before we had even gotten involved with each other. I understood she didn't want to be married to the bastard, but that's not an excuse. It's a legal marriage and so it should have been one of the first things to come up in our conversations. So I'll just be mad at her while she's mad at me.

We rode in silence for what seemed like hours. Lucas' sniffling and the birds occasionally broke the silence. I could feel Mary Beth's eyes shooting daggers at the back of my head, but I didn't dare look at her. Mostly because I was afraid of crumbling and apologizing. Her eyes had a way of making me feel exactly what she was feeling and if she had even the slightest bit of sadness in her eyes, I would crack. I couldn't apologize this early and especially not in front of Uncle Seth. He would never let me live it down. Never.

We needed to get the horses some water and find some shade. It was getting close to noon and it was blazing hot. I had finally given up on repeatedly wiping the back of my neck and so I draped my bandana around so that it caught the droplets of sweat before they could run down my back. Uncle Seth seemed unfazed by the heat. Lucas had stopped sniffling but I knew he was still upset. He was being too quiet.

"How much farther you think we gonna have to go 'fore we find some water?"

"It should be a stream 'round here somewhere. It's been years since I been through here but I think it's close." Uncle Seth looked around as he spoke, like he was trying to place exactly where this stream was. I hoped he was right and it was close. Apache had started to sweat pretty bad and some of his brown coat was turning white.

So far we had found Paw's hat and Ella's stocking. I hated to only find their things but at least it told me we were headed in the right direction.

'Hopefully we will find one of y'all soon.'

     It was hot, humid, nasty weather. There were dark clouds in the distance, the occasional roll of thunder and the sound of our horses' hooves beating the ground was the only sound. No one was speaking. We could all feel the tension between us. Uncle Seth didn't know what the problem was but he knew to stay out of it. He didn't question anything. He knew something else was going on other than Mary Beth being mad at me from earlier.

We had stopped for a while by the stream once we finally found it. The horses were rested and I was feeling a little better. Mary Beth and Lucas had not spoken a word to anyone since she and I had our argument, if that's what you would call it. The storm clouds were moving towards us fast so I knew we would be getting wet soon. There was no where we could stop to wait out the storm. The plain was empty except for a few trees here and there.

There was a wooden fence in the distance. Uncle Seth seemed to see it as soon as I did. "Maybe there is somebody livin' out here."

"Hopefully we can find somewhere to wait out this storm."

"You think if anyone is out here they woulda' seen Ella?" Lucas asked from the wagon behind us.

"It's possible. We will find out. Look." Uncle Seth pointed at the small cabin coming into view. The thunder was louder now and I hoped the people here would let us wait this storm out.

At least without making us use our guns.

A/N:

I updated this from my phone so if it looks funky I'm sorry! I hope you enjoy the update and please leave a comment :)