Something Borrowed

Chapter 42

***Here's another crappy short chapter! The honest reason it's so short and poorly written is because it's real chilly in my apartment and my hands are cold and my fingers are stiff so writing is sort of a painful affair. But my personal opinion is that cliffhangers are rude and disrespectful, so I didn't want to leave that last one for too long unaddressed.***

Amelia

Amelia was done with the day around about the time Josh left for work-- which was to say quite early. It all began in the wee hours of the morning, when her lower belly began aching with the dreaded monthly cramps. They only ever lasted a few hours, and if they came in the day she hardly noticed them. At night they were an agonizing nuisance. So, by the time Josh got up, she had already been awake for several hours, groggily rocking in a chair by the fire and waiting for the pain to subside.

Josh awoke several hours after her and stumbled out to the sitting room. When she explained why she was already awake, he made several unsolicited and unwanted recommendations, which only made her crankier. She snipped at him, and he grumbled and left to tend to the animals, which left her feeling both annoyed and guilty.

Of course, Josh's departure woke up Rebecca, who decided instead of going back to sleep until the sun rose she would instead trail after her mother while Amelia bustled about her morning chores. The arrival of her monthly cycle already had her feeling messy and uncomfortable. Having her daughter rambling at her while she tried to build up the fire in the stove very nearly drove her into hysterics.

By the time Josh returned from the barn, she was in no more a mood to apologize than she'd been when he left. Instead, she ragged on him for trailing in snow that was already melting into muddy puddles in the entryway. He mumbled something under his breath, snagged up a heel of bread and a flask of water, and left for the day without eating the breakfast she'd been halfway through preparing for him.

In all, it was an unremarkable morning. Most were more pleasant, but it was hardly catastrophic. She was never in her best mood when she was bleeding, and Josh knew that. He made fun of her for it, in fact... but only after the fact. The only thing that assuaged her foul mood as she went about her chores and fought not to lash out at her daughter was the knowledge that she'd feel better tomorrow.

She'd calmed herself down to a simmer by lunchtime. She didn't know whether Josh would come home for the meal. Sometimes, if he was working in the area, he'd ride home so they could eat together, but there was no way to schedule those days ahead. She always prepared a little extra for him, just in case, and she rather hoped he'd make it home that day. She was ready to be made fun of for her crankiness.

She was just preparing a plate for herself and Rebecca when she heard a gunshot crack the air. The hair along her spine and the backs of her arms rose to attention. It wasn't the first time she'd heard gunfire and, although it never impacted her directly, it always came with sad news when Josh returned home. Some wild animal caught attacking the herd; a horse gone done with a broken leg that needed to be shot; an old dog; once, the most terrifying instance, it had been a small crew of outlaws caught living on the outskirts of the property. Josh had sent men out to drive them away but the outlaws had opened fire.

No, gunshots never meant anything good, but there was also little she could do about whatever catastrophe had ensued. Retrieving the rifle from its spot by the door, she brought it to the kitchen just in case and continued preparing lunch. Two more gunshots popped in rapid succession as she returned to the kitchen. Then a long several minutes of silence. A fourth shot, and then there were no more. Hoisting Rebecca onto a hip, she went to the back bedroom, where a window faced toward the woods. By her reckoning that was where the shots had come from.