Once Bitten: Twice Mad

Chapter Twenty-Two

"What happens the next time you need to forget?" Comanche asked, his voice low and quiet, laced with pain.

Frankie avoided his gaze, but she could feel those dark eyes on her. Watching her; seeing inside of her and waiting for her answer.

"I'll find a new way." She replied, forcing herself to sound cold and indifferent. This wasn't fair of him to do to her. She had told him in the beginning that this was just for fun. Just a distraction. This had never been a serious relationship between them. She had told him she wasn't looking to get tied down and he had agreed with her.

She was supposed to change her way of thinking simply because the man had changed his mind? She hated to tell the damn injun but life just didn't work that way.

Without another word, Comanche turned and walked away from her, heading through the foyer and out the door. Frankie felt an ache in the pit of her stomach but quickly pushed the feeling away. It was better this way. Getting attached only led to pain. It was best to simply cut your losses and run.

Frankie also chose to ignore the disappointment she felt in realizing he was going to let her walk away.

She let out a growl when she realized that her head seemed to house two separate people. One who wanted freedom and one who wanted Comanche. Deciding that the side that wanted to settle down with Comanche needed a swift kick in the ass, Frankie strode back into the kitchen.

"I'm going to be leaving now, Colt." She said and the man nodded and pushed himself to his feet.

"You and Comanche will need some supplies....."

"He's staying with you." Frankie cut in quickly. "I'll be going alone."

Colt looked surprised but then he nodded. "Sure."

"Colt, you can't give her supplies!" Katherine argued as she stood up quickly. "We need the supplies we have! It's her choice to go off on her own."

Frankie was about to put the blond twit in her place but Colt spoke up before she could. "She saved my life, Katherine, and we have more than enough to spare."

"I think leaving is a mistake." Charlotte stated as she shifted the tiny babe in her arms.

"Well I don't reckon I recall asking you what you thought. What would you know about independence? You got you a big strong man to take care of you while you whimper and cry and hide behind him. Pathetic." Frankie shot back.

"I don't see why insults are necessary." Silas spoke up, fixing Frankie with a warning gaze. For a so called peace loving, Christian man, Silas sure did seem awful eager to fight anyone who had anything bad to say about his little soft woman.

"Katherine, go into the kitchen and put enough food for three or four days in a sack." He said and while Katherine still didn't seem as if she liked the idea, she nodded and walked out the back door of the dining room. Colt turned his attention to Frankie. "Follow me and I'll get the rest of your supplies." Frankie followed after him feeling awkward with all the eyes watching her leave.

"Don't you have an opinion about me leaving?" she asked Colt as they stepped into the sitting room and he grabbed a jar of kerosene and handed it to her.

"You are a grown woman, Frankie, and don't need to hear what anyone else thinks about your decisions."

Frankie nodded and grabbed the sack she'd packed her old belongings into that morning, along with a clean change of clothes.

Colt grabbed some ammunition for her forty-four revolver and handed it to her and Frankie smiled gratefully as she dropped it into the sack.

"There's some extra blankets in the cart in the barn and you should grab you one. There's also some cut up firewood in there and you should grab a bundle of it too. It still gets pretty cold once the sun goes down."