The Unexpected Wife(42)
“Why did you grab me?” she whispered.
“There’s someone or something outside.”
She moistened her lips, which still tasted salty from his hand. With only her nightgown, she was very aware of her nakedness. “Who?”
“I was trying to find out when you came outside.”
She ignored the irritation in his voice. “I heard you get up and leave. I thought there was a problem.”
“There is. Now stay put.”
“Don’t you need a light?”
“No.” He eased his gun from its holster and started to move outside, his actions as graceful and lethal as a mountain lion.
Abby started to follow.
Mr. Barrington stopped. “Stay put.”
“I can help.”
“Stay.” His order sliced through the night air, cutting through any future arguments. When he was certain she’d obey, he disappeared into the night.
In the distance, the howl of wolves echoed in the dark. Abby’s heart slammed against her rib cage.
The boys! Abby remembered the boys were in the cabin alone. What if whoever or whatever was out there doubled back and took the boys? Unable to stay in the barn, Abby fumbled around until her fingers skimmed the handle of a pitchfork. Holding it high, she peeked out of the barn.
At first she didn’t see Mr. Barrington. Then she saw the glitter of moonlight on the barrel of his gun. He moved across the yard, a wraith moving as if he’d been born to roam the night.
Abby’s fingers bit into the handle of the pitchfork. Drawing in a deep breath, she watched him move into the shadows and out of sight.
Immediately, she ran across the yard toward the house, her flimsy gown billowing in the night. Quickly, she looked in on the boys. Certain they were fine, she closed the front door and stood guard.
Tense minutes passed. Finally, Mr. Barrington strode out of the dark toward the porch. He’d already figured out she wasn’t in the barn.
He holstered his gun as he approached. “Stay put. What part of those words don’t you understand?”
The bunched muscles in her back relaxed at the sound of his voice. “I was protecting the boys.”
He glanced at the pitchfork. “Next time, get the gun.”
She’d forgotten all about the gun. She felt foolish. “It was too dark.”
“Lesson number one. Never come outside at night without it. Keep it under your pillow if you must. If it’s not a stranger it could just as easily be a bear.”
A bear. She’d seen a bear in the circus once. It looked soft and furry. “Was it a bear?”
“I think so.” The dark made his features unreadable, but anger singed his words.
“Do they come this close often?”
He glanced toward the moonlit horizon, his face hard. “Often enough.”
“I saw a bear in a carnival once. It looked friendly enough. It wore a red vest and a laced collar.”
He looked at her as if she’d gone daft. “They can tear you to shreds with one swipe of their claws.”
“Oh.”
He tapped his finger against his gun handle. He reached past her for the lantern that hung by the front door. Pulling a match from his pocket he lit it.
“Maybe it won’t come back.”
“It will.”
“How can you be sure?”
“When an animal comes this close to a homestead, it’s grown bold. I start corralling the horses tomorrow, and I don’t like the idea of a bear this close to the homestead.” Buttery, warm light had Abby squinting until her eyes adjusted. Mr. Barrington held up the lantern and studied the ground.
“You’re not going after it tonight, are you?” she asked.
“No, it’s too dark, but I wanted to see if there were any tracks in the yard.” He turned and moved off the porch toward the barn and stopped.
Abby followed him. “What are we looking for?”
He knelt and pressed his fingertips into a large indentation of a claw in the dirt. “Tracks.”
Her hair fell forward as she held up her lantern and leaned forward to study the dirt. “How can you tell much? I mean, it could be another animal.”
He gently touched the imprint burrowed in the dirt. “It’s a bear. A male, judging by the size of the foot.”
“Oh.”
“He favors a paw. If he’s injured he’ll be more dangerous.”
“Good Lord, you can tell that by just one track?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell what color it is?” she asked flippantly.
He glared up at her.
She shrugged and pretended to stare harder at the dirt. “It looks like just dirt to me.”
He shoved his fingers through his hair. “I won’t be able to get a true read on these tracks until morning. Then I can follow it and find out where it came from.”