Letters and Love

Chapter Twenty: Noah

More than ever, I was on edge. Burns had reached the point where he wanted me dead. Or, at least, he wouldn't object if I were to die.

Worse, he had shown his hand when there was no other witness. I knew my friends would believe me when I told them what had happened, but no one else would. Why would they? They wouldn't believe me if I said it was a good day if the sun was shining overhead.

I kept the light low the evening after I was nearly shot. I didn't want to take a chance that Burns, or his brother, would sneak back and try again. It would be a move that I wouldn't put past them now. What wouldn't they risk to get revenge on me?

But what was I to do? How was I supposed to live if I needed to look over my shoulder all the time? Should I abandon my farm to stay with Earnest or the Harpers? What good would that do?

Who had begun the rumor about me taking advantage of Annie Burns? Both Mr. and Mrs. Burns had been furious. If I had to guess, I would say that they truly believe I had done it. Had Annie invented this story? Why would she do that?

She couldn't possibly have feelings for me, could she? Was this all the result of a teenage girl deciding to take matters into her own hands?

Every sound woke me from sleep. Once I managed to fall asleep, that is. And in the morning, I was not able to relax. For the first time in years, I was keenly aware of how alone I truly was. If anything happened to me, who would know?

Since Earnest was closest, I decided to head over there first. He'd known the Burns' longer than I had. Perhaps he might have a clearer idea about Annie, and maybe even some advice on what I should do.

"What now?" were the first words out of my friend's mouth when I rode up to his porch.

"Good morning to you, too."

"I thought I saw someone ride past last evening," he said, his expression serious. "Looked like it might be Burns' black mare."

"Was he alone?" I asked as I dismounted.

Earnest frowned. "As far as I could tell, he was," he said. "Why?"

"If you had seen him with someone, like that brother of his that rode into town not too long ago, it would have been proof," I said with a sigh. "Burns came out to my place last night, hopping mad. He was looking for trouble."

"Why was he mad?"

"When I was in town, I ran into Annie Burns," I told him honestly. "She heard I'm to be married, and didn't take too kindly to it."

Heaving a sigh, Earnest shook his head. "Why'd you even speak to the girl, Noah? You know how riled up her parents have been. There was no need to poke the beehive and stir them up."
"I didn't poke the beehive." Well, not directly. I hadn't told Earnest about my letter to the lawyer because I knew he would object. "What would you have had me do?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "There don't seem to be any right answer here."

Didn't I know it! If I did make a decision, it went horribly wrong. If I didn't do anything, it went wrong. What was the right thing to do? How was an ordinary man supposed to find his way out of a tangle like this?

"And I didn't speak to Annie Burns," I told him, just so we could clear that point up. "I was telling Mrs. Royal about how Elizabeth is coming. Annie overheard and became upset."

Earnest shook his head again. "Well, after all this fuss, the girl might have expected you'd be forced to marry her."

Could she really have expected that? Why would she want to be married to someone who didn't want to marry her? What kind of a marriage would that be for either side?