Chapter 74

I climbed the hill behind the house and looked in all directions, but there was no sign of a horse and rider. Had he gone to call out Raven Strongbow? Would they fight until one was dead and the other was condemned by the law? Had he decided I wasn’t worth fighting for? I felt marginally better when I discovered the white pigeon was gone. He’d taken it with him, so he was likely on his way to Turtle Crick.

I scrambled to finish the morning chores both of us normally handled and was late for breakfast. Ma asked about Matthew, and I said he’d taken off somewhere.

“Again? The last time he was gone for a year.”

“No, just a few weeks. That’s when I shot him, remember?”

“Well, he was gone for a year the time before that. Lordy, I can’t keep up with that man.”

I didn’t do as good a job of feigning an appetite this time, and when I started for work, Pa walked with me to the forge.

“What happened?”

“We had a fight.” His gaze moved over my face. “Not a fistfight. An argument.”