Jake Read Online Free PDF

it.”
    Her gaze flew to his and then to Billy’s. She saw determination in both of them. She nodded. “I’ll be fine. He’s just a little testy.”
    “I don’t care what he is,” his fingers gently touched her face where Billy’s hand had connected with it. “There’s no excuse for hitting you.” Without looking away from her, he said, “Do you understand that, old man? No excuse. Don’t hit her again.”
    Jake dropped his hand and walked out of the camp toward his own.
    When he was out of sight, Billy turned to her. “You better hope that boy don’t come back here. I’ll slit his throat when he’s sleeping or maybe someone else over there at that camp. You understand, girl.” He landed his right fist to her jaw, sending her crashing back to the ground. “No one tells me what to do. And I found that gold you hid in your bloomers. Don’t you be holding out on me no more.” He picked up his hat and left for Deadwood and the nearest bottle he could crawl into.
    She stayed on the ground until he was gone from view and then picked herself up. She righted the camp stool and added more wood to the fire. Gingerly she touched her jaw. She wouldn’t cry. It had been a long time since she cried. Billy beat that need out of her years ago.
    There was going to be a bruise. Could she avoid Jake for a few days until it went away? She wasn’t sure how she’d do that when she’d have to go fetch Billy, but maybe she could do it at night and he wouldn’t see her pass. She closed her eyes. He wasn’t deaf, none of them were, and they’d all hear her go past and then he’d come out to see if he could go with her and then he’d see the bruise. She sighed. There just wasn’t much to do about it.
    She slumped on to one of the camp stools and stirred the fire while she thought about Jake. No one had ever stood up for her before. Lots of people had seen Billy use his fists on her but no one had ever stopped him or even given a second glance for that matter. Until Jake.
    Banking the fire, she got ready for bed. Tomorrow would be a long one. Her jaw was already starting to hurt and by morning would not only be sore, but swollen and colorful. She hoped Jake would think it was from the blow he saw Billy give her, not the one she got afterward with his fist instead of the flat of his hand.
    She went into the tent and checked her stash. She’d dug a hole beneath her bedroll and was stashing some gold there every day. Someday, if her luck changed, she’d be able to get away from Billy. As far away as possible. For now, she was stuck, she needed the gold and so she had to stay with him, but after this, no more. She’d put up with enough of him. Taken care of him all these years because of guilt that shouldn’t have been hers to feel. And out of obligation to Grandma Bess. But her repayment to her grandmother, for raising her, was over. She was done…with Billy. She couldn’t do any more for him. He’d ruined himself and was ruining her. She had to get away. Sooner rather than later.
    ~*~
    Pain, throbbing like a giant stomping on her jaw, woke her. The whole left side of her face hurt. She touched it gently with her fingertips. Unless she was mistaken, and she didn’t think she was, her cheek and jaw were very swollen. Nothing to do about it except put a cloth soaked with the icy water from the creek on the injury and see if she could get the swelling down some.
    She walked down to the creek from her camp. They pitched their tents on a flat spot up the hillside from the creek. Even Billy was smart enough to know not to be too close to the water. Just a little extra rain could send flood waters racing down the creek. When she got down to the shore of the rushing river, she knelt, took a cloth from her pants pocket and soaked it in the freezing liquid.
    The cold cloth felt like heaven against the hot pain in her face. She held it there until the cloth warmed and then repeated the process again and again. Finally, she felt a