and had taken shots at Silas’s character. “Not with you. Ever.”
He sighed. “Your choice. But just remember…whatever happens next is all on you. You could’ve prevented it.”
“I will prevent it when I tell Silas—”
His hands smacking the table cut her off again. “Don’t threaten me. You won’t tell Silas a damn thing.”
“Watch me.”
“Oh, I’ll watch him lose that temper of his and come after me.” A truly evil look settled on his face. “You’ve seen the damage I’ve done to him in the past. I’ll gladly do it again, except maybe worse if he gets it in his fool head to challenge me over your so-called virtue…or anything else.”
She stared at him and didn’t bother masking her horror.
“And you won’t tell him about my land purchase either, because deep down you are afraid he’ll confront me.”
Yes. Silas’s first reaction was to come out swinging. He wouldn’t consider Dinah’s fear over losing him enough to not engage with Zeke again. He’d fight, he’d lose—because West always seemed to get the best of him—and then he’d plan for the next time he could mix it up with his nemesis.
“The truth is, you’ll keep your mouth shut. Because either way…you have more to lose than I do.” West turned and strode to the door. He paused in the doorway. “On second thought, go ahead and tell him everything. I’ll be ready and waitin’ for him.”
As soon as West had gone, she sank to the floor. Her entire body shook, forcing her to bring her knees into her chest as she curled into a ball.
Breathe. He hasn’t really hurt you.
A tiny voice in her head piped in with not yet.
Silas would lose his mind to hear that Zeke had threatened her—if he knew Zeke had put his hands on her, he’d crack. What was she supposed to do? She’d never been in this situation. Where the result of one man’s reaction to another man’s actions rested entirely in her hands. For being such a good man in so many respects, Silas didn’t seem strong enough to withstand Zeke’s goading.
Would Silas ever take into account that he could die during these skirmishes? Or what if in a fit of rage he killed Zeke and ended up wearing a noose? If his own brother, who was the law, couldn’t get him to stop, what chance did she have?
Apparently Silas had missed the “turn the other cheek” lesson in Sunday school too.
Could she do it? If she were in that position?
Yes. Because she wouldn’t subject the man she cared about to seeing her in pain. She wouldn’t choose to stay and fight for something that didn’t matter and no one remembered at the end of the week anyway, when she could walk away first.
That was the core difference between them.
The biggest question for her was if Silas would continue to let this rivalry define him? Choosing to fight every time rather than learning to talk it out? Not just with others who vexed him, but with her?
So if she said nothing about this little visit, it’d save Silas a beating.
If she shared everything with him, including her fears that grew after every run-in with Zeke, she’d hope that this time Silas would change and choose not to fight.
But it wasn’t really a choice. She’d do whatever she could to save him from more pain. Even if she had to lie. Even if it made him mad.
She pushed herself to her feet and gathered up the scattered medical instruments to scrub them. The hot water had the added benefit of cleansing the memory of West’s hands on her.
Chapter Ten
Dinah’s saddlebags were packed when Silas arrived on Saturday afternoon, saving him from having to make forced small talk with Doc and Mrs. Agnes. But his intended immediately seized his saddlebags too—how much stuff did one woman need for an overnight visit?—and filled both sides with wrapped bundles.
Her preoccupation with the saddlebags ended when he kissed the daylights out of her.
With her arms twined around his neck, she caught her breath. “I like the way you kiss me, Silas.”
“There’s plenty more where that came from.” He smooched her lips. “The way you kiss me back…you’re a quick study, teach.” He forced himself to disentangle from her embrace. “Let’s ride.”
Silas kept up a steady pace that didn’t allow for conversation. After passing Henrikson’s much nicer, much newer, much larger homestead, he feared Dinah would judge his small cabin as lacking.