Once Bitten: Twice Mad

Chapter Forty-nine

There was nothing for Frankie to do and nobody to do it with.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Jedidiah declared jovially as he stepped into the sitting room.

"Sure." Frankie mumbled with a shrug.

"You don't seem too happy, Frankie." Jedidiah observed thoughtfully. "Why is that?"

"What exactly is there to be happy about?" Frankie asked.

Jedidiah shrugged and sat himself down in the armchair that Rachel had vacated moments before. "Oh lots of things." He replied with a happy smile. "I'm breathing, you're breathing, everybody in our little group is breathing. I'd say that's a pretty good thing to be happy about given the current state of the world."

"Yep, everybody is good and happy in our growing group."

"So that's what has you so upset." Jedidiah noted with a click of his tongue.

Frankie snorted and glared at the nosy old coot. "What in the blazes are you talking about?"

"You don't like Lily." He replied. "Or is it just her blooming relationship with Comanche that upsets you?"

Frankie scoffed and limped over to the sofa before flopping herself down across it. "I think you've finally fallen off the crazy cliff, Jedidiah."

Jedidiah laughed as he pulled off his hat and ran his hand through his thin and tangled white hair. "I've been told that a time or two." He admitted.

"And why would I be jealous of that little woman? She's just a confused, soft, little waste of air—Hell her name ain't even Lily, Comanche just gave it to her."

Jedidiah nodded knowingly. "Yep, and Comanche isn't really his name. You gave that name to him."

Frankie grabbed a small decorative pillow from the sofa and chucked it at Jedidiah's head. The man laughed as he dodged. "Tell me, Frankie, what has this distance between you and Comanche?"

"That's none of your business." Frankie stated firmly, wishing suddenly that she'd thrown something a bit harder than a pillow at the man's head; a hammer would have worked nicely.

"Talk to me, Frankie, I have nothing else to entertain me this evening."

Frankie glared at Jedidiah and then let out a sigh. What the hell would it hurt? "That crazy injun is mad and throwing a temper just cuz I don't want to marry him or have his babies."

"He asked you to marry him?" Jedidiah asked with surprise.

Frankie opened her mouth to say yes but then stopped and thought back. "Well... no."

Jedidiah nodded slowly and scratched at his whiskered chin. "Reckon it was the way you so assuredly vowed that you never wanted any husband? I believe that would offend any man who was in love with a woman and did everything he could to take care of and be there for her. I sure as hell would get upset and feel like I was wasting my time or even being taken advantage of...."

"I wasn't taking advantage of Comanche! I love him!"

"Did you tell him that?"

"Of course I did." Frankie mumbled, wishing she had her pillow back to smother herself with.

"Okay then. Can I ask why you don't want marriage?"

"You're a nosy bastard."

"Been told that a time or two as well." Jedidiah agreed.

Frankie grunted. "My parents always pushed me to get married. They wanted me to be an obedient little wife that would manage a household and take care of babies all day. Wear stuffy old dresses, style my hair and invite the ladies over for brunch on Sundays...."