“George is a contrary beast, isn’t he? I just thought he’d feel better knowing someone held the reins.”
“Quite possibly. Thank you.” She shot another man at the same time Boyd fired his pistol and a man screamed.
Abbie was just reloading when she heard shots sound from behind them, from behind the men chasing them, too. She frowned as the men pursuing them began to slow their pace and search behind them and to the sides. Puzzled, she was just about to ask Matthew what was happening when he whooped in glee.
“I was hoping they would come,” Matthew said and grinned. “The sound of shooting must have brought them.”
“Who would come?”
“The Jones brothers. Our shepherds.”
“Shepherds?” said Boyd in what sounded very much like horror to Abbie.
“Sorry, lad, but our family raises sheep.” Matthew laughed at the look of sheer disappointment on Boyd’s face. “Makes a nice living.”
Boyd just shook his head. “Is that them?” he asked and pointed to two men riding hard through the trees on the right. “How much help can two shepherds be?”
“Yup, that’s them. And they are Welsh. Trust me, long history of fighting with the Welsh. Although I think those two have been practicing their shooting,” he mumbled as two men fell out of their saddles. “Owen and David Jones.”
The men chasing them hesitated only a moment before they finally noticed how many of them were dead. Helping up the ones wounded, they fled. Abbie had no liking for killing or wounding actual people so made no attempt to shoot at anyone trying to pick up the wounded, but she did wonder why they left. Even with the addition of the shepherds and accounting for the dead and wounded, the men were not yet outnumbered. She shrugged thinking that they had probably thought they had found an easy target only to have it turn out to be not so easy at all.
Then the wagon slowed to a halt and she scrambled over to pick up a now-screaming Jeremiah. It took her several moments to quiet the baby. He was sucking furiously on his fists so she knew the quiet wouldn’t last long. Hunger might not have woken him up, but he would feel it now. The noise and the rough ride were proving to be upsetting for him. Yet she could do little about that. She just hoped they did not have that far left to go.
She got out the nursing jug and moved to the goat only to find one of the Jones brothers petting the animal. “I need to fill his nursing jug.”
“I’ll do that for you, miss.”
He took the jug and easily milked the goat, talking softly to the animal in some language she did not recognize. “Which Jones brother are you?”
“Owen.” He grinned. “The smart one. Ow!” He cast a glare at his brother who had slapped him on the back of the head. “This is David.”
“Nice goat,” said David. “What’s her name?”
“I fear it is Delphinium.”
“Oh, that’ll never work. Got to call them by a name they might answer to, if they are in the right mood to listen.” Owen handed her back the full nursing jug. “Didn’t like all the shooting, did you?” he said to the goat, who nuzzled him and then grabbed his hat in her teeth.
As Owen fought to get his hat back from the stubborn goat, which caused his brother to laugh heartily, Abbie sat down and fed Jeremiah. The Jones boys were a handsome pair in a rough way. Thick, unruly black hair and striking blue eyes in a faintly rugged face made for a look any woman would appreciate. It was not a surprise that David’s wife was trying to help get the other brother for her sister. Not only would the woman be getting her sister a very fine-looking man but it would keep them sisters.
She listened to the men talk as she fed the baby, Matthew and the brothers exchanging news about his family, and she began to feel nervous. There were so many of them. She always felt awkward meeting new people and it was beginning to sound as if there were a lot of them at Matthew’s home. By the time she was patting Jeremiah’s back, Matthew had moved to sit beside her. She noticed he was looking a bit flushed and had beads of sweat on his forehead. Both could be the result of heat and exertion, but she was worried.
“Ready to head out?” he asked.
“In a little bit. He was badly upset by all the gunfire but I think he will settle down well in a minute now that he is full.”
“Settle him now,” said James. “I’m getting the feeling those idiots have found friends or courage.” James jumped on his horse.
“Another feeling?” she grumbled. “Am I going to have to make George run again? He really hates that.”
“I fear so,” James said, his voice full of laughter. “He’s strange, but he is a big boy. He can handle it.”
“We’ll go and make certain the gates are opened for you, Matthew, and that they know you are running in,” said Owen and hurried back to his horse, his brother following him. “Be back to lend you a hand in a bit so don’t get shot.”
“That was kind of him,” she said and then sighed because Matthew was laughing. Abbie decided she would never understand the things men thought were funny.
She settled Jeremiah in his bed, prayed the baby would be allowed to sleep, petted the goat, and got back in the wagon seat. Abbie really hoped that this time James’s feeling was wrong. She just wanted to settle somewhere for a little while before there was any more danger. She was not so na?ve she believed there was any place on earth where there was not some danger, but she really wanted just a little while to enjoy quiet and safety.
“He really needs to stop having feelings,” she muttered as she picked up the reins.
“Until he does, we will listen to them,” said Boyd as he sat down next to her. “Matthew and Dan say his feelings have saved their hides many times.”
“Then let’s head for these gates,” she said, and urged George into a quick pace.
Boyd clutched at the seat. Abbie noticed that even the hand on his wounded arm was working to hold him in his seat but she said nothing. The young man was just too afraid to knowingly try it out but she suspected that would change soon. It would have to occur to him soon. She idly wondered if there was any trick she could use to make him notice it faster.
Her eyes widened with a touch of fear as she glanced back and saw more armed men running after them. Abbie wondered where they were coming from since she had heard that a lot of the army had left the area. She also wondered what they thought they could gain from them as there was nothing obvious that would tempt their greed.