Doc?”
“Nope.”
“He was cheating,” Hardesty said. “Got what was coming to him.” He surveyed the room, daring anyone to contradict him. No one did. He turned his attention to Molly. “Haven't seen range calico like you around here in a long while. Name's Pike Hardesty. Who would you be, purty lady?”
Molly shrank back until she came up against a solid wall of muscle. Startled, sheglanced over her shoulder and saw the rigid line of Seth's jaw.
“She's no business of yours,” Seth said in a quiet voice. “Come on, Mrs. Gallagher. I shouldn't have brought you in here.”
“Hold on just a minute,” Hardesty said, stepping in front of Molly. “I asked this here lady a question. I expect an answer.”
“You got the only answer you're going to get,” Seth said.
For a “patient man who tried to understand the other fellow's point of view,” Seth's voice held a decided edge to it. Molly quickly said, “My name is Molly Gallagher. I came here to marry Doctor Kendrick.”
There was a stunned silence in the saloon, and all eyes turned to stare at them.
“Well, now, Molly Gallagher,” Hardesty said with a lurid grin. “You don't want Doc Kendrick. Why, he's got guts slack as old fiddle strings. Don't even wear a gun. Probably scared he'll shoot himself in the foot.” Hardesty laughed at his own joke. “Why not try a real man instead?”
Molly had thought nothing of the fact that Seth Kendrick wasn't wearing a gun. No one in New Bedford carried a gun. In fact, anyone carrying a gun would have been highlysuspect. But apparently things were different in Montana.
She wasn't sure afterward exactly how it happened. But Pike Hardesty took a step toward her, and the next thing she knew, he was lying flat on his back in sawdust.
“Sorry,” Seth apologized, reaching down a hand to help Hardesty up. “Thought you saw my foot there. Didn't mean to trip you.”
Hardesty knocked Seth's hand away and scrambled to his feet. Red-faced, he began brushing himself off. “If I didn't know you better, Kendrick, I'd say you did that on purpose.” His voice was vicious as he finished, “But you being yellow-bellied clear through to your backbone makes that purely unlikely.”
Molly watched as Seth's face paled. A muscle in his jaw jerked. Yet he made no move to strike the scarred man. He said nothing to defend himself. She was appalled and confused. Surely no man could tolerate such an insult and hold his head up high. But if anything, Seth's shoulders had squared more firmly. What manner of man was this who did not regard another's slander? Was he the coward Pike Hardesty had named him? She looked at Seth, and there was nothing in his face that told her one way or another.
“Let's go, Mrs. Gallagher,” Seth said at last.
When Hardesty moved to intercept her, Red's shotgun barred his way. “Leave them be, Pike. You can be replaced. We only got one doctor hereabouts.”
That explained their tolerance for a man with no backbone, Molly thought. In a land as violent as this was turning out to be, a doctor seemed a dire necessity.
Seth's hand at her elbow urged Molly out of the saloon. She walked beside him, her head held high, looking neither right nor left as they headed back to the levee. She felt the speculative stares of the townsfolk. What did they really think of Seth Kendrick? she wondered. Did everyone believe him a coward? How would they treat the wife of such a man? He had promised her his protection. But what was to keep someone like that awful scarred man from accosting her in the street if no one feared her husband's retribution?
Neither spoke until they reached the door to her stateroom on the
Viola Belle.
Then Seth turned to her and said, “Pike Hardesty is a bully and a braggart. I should never have taken you where you'd meet up with a man like that.”
“Why did you let him get away with saying those things about you?”
“Maybe because they're true.”
Molly frowned. “Are they?”
A
“Nope.”
“He was cheating,” Hardesty said. “Got what was coming to him.” He surveyed the room, daring anyone to contradict him. No one did. He turned his attention to Molly. “Haven't seen range calico like you around here in a long while. Name's Pike Hardesty. Who would you be, purty lady?”
Molly shrank back until she came up against a solid wall of muscle. Startled, sheglanced over her shoulder and saw the rigid line of Seth's jaw.
“She's no business of yours,” Seth said in a quiet voice. “Come on, Mrs. Gallagher. I shouldn't have brought you in here.”
“Hold on just a minute,” Hardesty said, stepping in front of Molly. “I asked this here lady a question. I expect an answer.”
“You got the only answer you're going to get,” Seth said.
For a “patient man who tried to understand the other fellow's point of view,” Seth's voice held a decided edge to it. Molly quickly said, “My name is Molly Gallagher. I came here to marry Doctor Kendrick.”
There was a stunned silence in the saloon, and all eyes turned to stare at them.
“Well, now, Molly Gallagher,” Hardesty said with a lurid grin. “You don't want Doc Kendrick. Why, he's got guts slack as old fiddle strings. Don't even wear a gun. Probably scared he'll shoot himself in the foot.” Hardesty laughed at his own joke. “Why not try a real man instead?”
Molly had thought nothing of the fact that Seth Kendrick wasn't wearing a gun. No one in New Bedford carried a gun. In fact, anyone carrying a gun would have been highlysuspect. But apparently things were different in Montana.
She wasn't sure afterward exactly how it happened. But Pike Hardesty took a step toward her, and the next thing she knew, he was lying flat on his back in sawdust.
“Sorry,” Seth apologized, reaching down a hand to help Hardesty up. “Thought you saw my foot there. Didn't mean to trip you.”
Hardesty knocked Seth's hand away and scrambled to his feet. Red-faced, he began brushing himself off. “If I didn't know you better, Kendrick, I'd say you did that on purpose.” His voice was vicious as he finished, “But you being yellow-bellied clear through to your backbone makes that purely unlikely.”
Molly watched as Seth's face paled. A muscle in his jaw jerked. Yet he made no move to strike the scarred man. He said nothing to defend himself. She was appalled and confused. Surely no man could tolerate such an insult and hold his head up high. But if anything, Seth's shoulders had squared more firmly. What manner of man was this who did not regard another's slander? Was he the coward Pike Hardesty had named him? She looked at Seth, and there was nothing in his face that told her one way or another.
“Let's go, Mrs. Gallagher,” Seth said at last.
When Hardesty moved to intercept her, Red's shotgun barred his way. “Leave them be, Pike. You can be replaced. We only got one doctor hereabouts.”
That explained their tolerance for a man with no backbone, Molly thought. In a land as violent as this was turning out to be, a doctor seemed a dire necessity.
Seth's hand at her elbow urged Molly out of the saloon. She walked beside him, her head held high, looking neither right nor left as they headed back to the levee. She felt the speculative stares of the townsfolk. What did they really think of Seth Kendrick? she wondered. Did everyone believe him a coward? How would they treat the wife of such a man? He had promised her his protection. But what was to keep someone like that awful scarred man from accosting her in the street if no one feared her husband's retribution?
Neither spoke until they reached the door to her stateroom on the
Viola Belle.
Then Seth turned to her and said, “Pike Hardesty is a bully and a braggart. I should never have taken you where you'd meet up with a man like that.”
“Why did you let him get away with saying those things about you?”
“Maybe because they're true.”
Molly frowned. “Are they?”
A
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