Mal placed a hand on Emma’s arm, then stepped in front of her to face Betty. “That’s all right, Em. Mrs. Cooper’s right. Trust needs to be earned. I’ll prove myself in time.”
“I’d rather you not hang around that long,” Betty grumbled. “Might not even need you after the new shipment of guns comes in. A rifle acts the same whether it’s a male or female pullin’ its trigger.”
“True,” Mal conceded, “but it does the shooter no good if he or she can’t hit what they’re aimin’ at.” He held his ground, meeting Betty stare for stare. “I understand my purpose here, Mrs. Cooper, and whether you trust me or appreciate my being here really doesn’t matter. I won’t be leaving until I’m sure Emma and the aunts are safe.”
Betty held his gaze for a long moment. Mal never flinched. Finally, the woman seemed to make up her mind and gave a sharp nod before tromping past Mal to head for the house. Emma followed, offering an apologetic smile to Mal as she moved past him.
“What brings you to the farm?” Betty asked, her long no-nonsense stride eating up the ground at such a pace, Emma had to skip a bit to catch up.
“I wanted to introduce Mr. Shaw around and ask a few questions about the fire. We’re trying to piece together all the information we can to see if we can figure out exactly what happened.”
“What happened was the church burned.” Leave it to Betty to sum things up succinctly.
“Well, yes, but—”
“Were you walking a perimeter just now?” Malachi interrupted, jerking his chin toward the gun Betty carried.
“Yep.” She made no effort to turn and face him, just kept marching. “Thought it a good idea after last night. Didn’t see nothin’ out of the ordinary, though. Was on my way back when I spied the two of you jawin’ with Katie.”
Malachi apparently had no trouble keeping up with Betty. His stride carried him past Emma with little effort and brought him abreast of the older woman. “I was thinkin’ it might be a good idea to set up a watch rotation,” he said. “Two ladies per shift, three shifts per night. Stationed in the church’s bell tower for best vantage. That somethin’ you might be interested in overseein’? Seems to me a woman who knows enough to check her perimeter would be just the sort I’d want to put in charge of the watch.”
This was the first Emma had heard of a watch, but it was a sound notion. She just couldn’t help feeling a little slighted that Mal was asking Betty to organize it instead of her. No one knew the town’s women as well as she did.
It’s not about controlling, Emma. The reminder scraped a raw spot on her conscience. Goodness. Was she really so full of herself that she thought she should be in charge of everything? How utterly impractical. There was plenty of work to go around without her getting her feelings hurt because Malachi thought someone else more aptly suited to a task than she.
And how better for Mal to prove that he wasn’t one of those autocratic males who pay no heed to a woman’s opinion? Even now, Betty was slowing her steps and regarding him with cautionary interest.
“I reckon I can manage that,” Betty said. “My late husband and I were stationed at Fort Elliott for five years before an Injun got him. He taught me how to shoot and how to recognize signs of enemy encroachment. I can train the others on what to look for.”
Malachi grinned. “Perfect. Consider yourself in charge.”
Betty dipped her chin.
“I planned to get everyone together this afternoon for some weapons instruction,” Mal continued. “I’d be grateful for your assistance with that, as well.”
“I reckon I can manage that. You might think about askin’ Grace, too. She’s more familiar with handguns. We got a paltry collection of firearms at our disposal right now, but next time Mr. Porter comes through, we should have a better arsenal to choose from.”
“When do you expect him?”
Betty hesitated.
Emma jumped into the conversation, thankful to finally have some information to contribute. “He should be here day after tomorrow. Monday.”
“Good.” Malachi eyed both women. “We can start the shooting lessons after he gets here. In the meantime, everyone needs to know how to load and care for the weapons. We can also inform the ladies about the watch. You think you can have a basic list ready by this afternoon, Mrs. Cooper?”
“Yep. I’ll have it ready. I’ll take care to mix ages and experience levels.” Her gaze turned to Emma. “You know of any personal issues I should be aware of? Any gals that shouldn’t be paired up?”
Emma thought a moment. “Flora can be a mite prickly. You might want to pair her with someone who has a more placid temperament. Oh, and I’m not sure Daisy can handle the stairs to the steeple. It might be better to have her contribute by watching Lewis when Tori is on duty.”
Betty nodded. “Good thought. Do you think your aunts can handle the climb?”
“Yes, though they should probably only be assigned early shifts. They tend to doze off easily once the sun goes down.”