Josiah’s judgy little eyebrows jacked up even higher. “Did you?”
“Yeah, Jo, I did. You want proof? That man you just insulted has filled the hen house, fixed my snow machine and four-wheeler, and brought his own snow-machine, just in case you’re comparing him to my moocher asshole late-boyfriend. Ian has been working himself to the bone chopping firewood, and he gets up earlier than me every morning and has my breakfast warming on the stove. He works until sundown getting our place ready for winter. He’s gone on two hunts, has my once-empty freezer half-filled, and he protected me from a fucking bear attack without a thought for his own safety.” She yanked up the hem of her pant leg and showed him the scabbed over claw marks. The stitches were still in the worst one. “And it’s him who’s been doctoring me without me ever asking, and no he doesn’t need the money or the land, you snooty dick-weevil. He has a plane and runs a successful bush pilot career that he put on hold to come prepare me for winter. And,” she growled, stomping past him, “I love the guy, so there’s that.”
“You were attacked by a bear?” her brother called after her.
“That was your only take-away from that entire tirade?” Elyse asked. “Seriously?”
The sound of Josiah’s boots became louder and louder as he jogged to catch up. “When?”
“Two weeks ago. We were fishing, and a brown bear sow and her cubs went after our fish. And then after me.” The memory still made the blood in her veins run cold.
“Why were you fishing in brown bear country in the first place?”
“Because my freezer was empty, Jo. I missed the big salmon run, and it wasn’t hunting season yet, and we needed meat fast.”
“Why was your freezer empty? Hey!” Josiah pulled her arm, yanking her to a stop. “Why were you that hard up for meat?”
“Because Cole drained me dry.” Her voice shook with the admission of her weakness. She’d kept all this from Josiah. Sure, he knew that Cole had been bad news, but he hadn’t known just how much Elyse had let him take advantage of her. “I know you thought that advertisement for a husband was stupid. I know. But I was desperate, and I got lucky as hell when that one showed up.” She jammed her finger at Ian, who was talking to Mr. Fairway and his wife near the tractor with the baler on the back.
“Elyse, why didn’t you tell me it was that bad? I knew you were losing weight, but I thought it was a vanity thing. You could’ve told me, and I would’ve hunted for you.”
“Don’t you ever get tired of taking care of me, Jo?” She let her shoulders hunch forward and sighed. “I do.”
“As opposed to him taking care of you?”
“It’s not like that. Ian doesn’t coddle me. He’s teaching me to snare rabbits, shoot worth a damn, and can food more efficiently. I even killed and plucked my first chicken last week because he thought I should know how to do that kind of stuff. He’s not taking care of me. He’s making me stronger.”
Josiah took a step back and scratched at his beard as he watched Ian laugh and shake Mr. Fairway’s hand. “I still don’t like it,” he muttered, but the vitriol had left his voice.
“You don’t have to like it, big brother,” she said, clapping him on the shoulder as she passed him by.
“And I’m not a swamp turd,” Josiah called from behind her.
The stretch of her smile felt good. If her brother would give Ian half a chance, he would see the good man she’d fallen for. Ian and Cole were like night and day. Josiah was just being stubborn.
“Don’t eat that,” she said to Miki, who was chowing down on what looked like pebbled rabbit crap.
“He’s a good lookin’ dog,” Josiah said, walking ten paces behind her.
“He’s a hellion.”
“They all are at that age. How’s potty-training going?” There was a smile in his voice that said he already knew.
“Not awesome. How are my cows doing?”
“Fair enough. We lost one to wolves week before last. When do you want to come and get them? The temperature’s dropping.”
Like she couldn’t feel the chill. Now she dreaded the winter for all sorts of reasons. With a sigh, she turned, waited for him, and didn’t even kick his shin over the obnoxious grin on his face like she did when they were kids.
“My sister, the grizzly attack survivor. Shootin’ and huntin’ and plantin’ and cannin’. Uncle Jim would be right proud of the Alaskan woman you turned out to be.”
“Don’t tease.”
Josiah’s voice went serious when he said, “I’m not.”