Elijah’s nostrils flared, and his ears turned bright red. He suddenly didn’t have anything to say, and he stared back and forth between Jesse and Lily with shock and rage written on his face.
Jesse legged his horse to be parallel to the buggy and helped Lily climb astride behind him. She settled in and wrapped her arms around his waist. Jesse finally spoke to Elijah. “From now on, you’ll stay away from this woman and the women who work at my saloon. The law doesn’t see fit to punish you, but I swear on all that is holy, I will beat you to within an inch of your life if you so much as look cross-eyed at a woman under my protection. You may have fooled half the town, but you haven’t fooled me.”
Jesse kicked his horse into a canter in the direction of Lily’s cabin. She buried her face in his back, taking in his scent, which brought her comfort. He didn’t speak to her during the journey, and Lily knew he was very angry. “I’m sorry, Jesse. I shouldn’t have disobeyed you.”
He didn’t respond until they reached the hitching post in front of the cabin. He dismounted, helped Lily down, and tethered his horse loosely. The mustang took a long drink of water from the trough next to the post.
“You’re right, you shouldn’t have disobeyed me, Lily. Do your parents know you went off with Elijah alone?”
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “They didn’t reckon he’d harm me. My pa doesn’t think you saw things right.”
Jesse’s eyes flashed with renewed anger. He took her hand and strode to the cabin, tugging her along. “I need to have a talk with your parents.” Even with his limp, she had to jog to keep up.
For the second time that day, a meeting ensued. This time Jesse took Elijah’s place in the comfortable armchair her parents offered to guests. He looked as fierce as a grizzly, which was markedly different from the wounded puppy dog demeanor Elijah had displayed.
Jesse wasted no time in giving her parents a piece of his mind. “I won’t pretend I’m not offended by your lack of belief in what I saw,” he said tersely.
Lily’s ma handed Jesse a cup of coffee. Jesse took it without looking at her, his eyes fixed accusingly on Lily’s pa.
Roy responded. “It’s not that we don’t believe you, Jesse, but we think you saw things wrong. Elijah’s not that kind of person. He doesn’t associate with harlots, and he doesn’t have so much as a nip of gin on a cold evening. By all accounts, he was hosting a Bible study at the time of the attack.”
“Wrong,” Jesse said sharply, setting the coffee mug down with a bang on the table next to the chair. “Not by all accounts. Not by my account, and not by Maria’s. We both saw Elijah clear as day. He attacked a defenseless woman with a knife, and you two allowed your daughter to leave here alone with him.”
Lily’s ma and pa exchanged a look, appearing slightly regretful.
Jesse continued with a raised voice. “If there was even the slightest doubt in your mind about the preacher’s version of events, you shouldn’t have bet your daughter on it. That’s what you did. You tossed her like a chip on a poker table, then sat back and hoped you made the right wager.”
Lily felt very uncomfortable hearing Jesse giving her parents a dressing down, nearly as uncomfortable as they seemed to be, but she also felt a surge of gratefulness. Jesse was defending and protecting her more than anyone had ever cared to do.
“I gave Lily advice a few months back,” Jesse said. “I told her to find herself a nice fellow and settle down. Because she took my advice, she ended up with a bad man. That’s why I feel a duty to right the wrong I caused and see to it she remains safe. I’m surprised I feel that duty more strongly than her own parents.”
Roy scowled. “Now you look here, Jesse. I’ve heard just about enough, and—”
“I won’t apologize,” Jesse said loudly, cutting him off and rising to his feet. “I feel strongly that you’ve let Lily down, as have I. I thank the heavens nothing happened to her. I wouldn’t have forgiven myself or you.” Without offering so much as a word of leave, he walked to the door, opened it, and strode outside. Lily glanced at her parents, then rushed out after Jesse. She touched his arm as he untethered his horse.
“I really am very sorry, Jesse. Please, will you forgive me? I want us to be on friendly terms.”
Jesse glared at her. “You think about what it is you want exactly, Lily. I’ll tell you what I want. I want to turn you over my knee and give you the whipping you so richly deserve for your blatant disregard for your own safety, not to mention your disobedience. Then I want to dry your tears, hold you in my arms, and ask that you allow me to court you.”
“Oh, Jesse,” she cried. “I want that too. So, so much.”
“Which part?”