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When he finally stopped to rest, she was giving out. And she didn't join him, she kept a good hundred yards behind him. But she did take a drink of the cool water.
She saw him staring and she walked up to him bravely now. "Want a drink?" she asked huskily.
He came up to her very close and took one of the canteen and drank from it. "Thank you," he said, as his earthy demeanor kept her a bit wary of his tempter. "So, you follow?" He asked seeing the distress on her face. His glance slid over her with indifference.
"Yes, I follow, but I will not bother you, that I promise."
"Lady, you already bother me with your irate objections to your man friends advances."
"You don't understand," she held her tears in check as she spoke, but he saw them flickering in the corner of her eyes. "My father will blame me, he will come after me. And the consequences would be bad, if not worse than just staying there and telling him the truth. But you are the only one that knows what really happened. I cannot let you go, either you come home with me and explain it to my father, or I will go with you."
"And do you really think he'd believe me?" He looked astounded at her reasoning. "Even if he did believe it, he would hang me for killing his friend. And then think I was the one to rip your dress."
Shining Moon suddenly saw something strange in her expression.
"You are afraid of your father?" He muttered, as though it just dawned on him what her problem was.
"Of course, I am. Look at my dress. And then there's Earl."
"Earl was a bad man. Once you tell him what he was trying to do. The proof is in your clothes, look at you!" he told her.
She shook her head, "You don't understand. I can't expect you to understand my plight." She wailed. "You don't know him or me!"
He glanced at her now, "Why, because I'm an Indian? Is that the reason you don't think I can understand?" His arrogance asserted itself as he shook his head with impatience.
She looked at him with a sense of terror in her eyes. She sighed with resignation. "I guess it no longer matters. I'm doomed no matter what I do!" She looked at him now strangely, "You don't know me either! I guess I can't under the circumstances expect you to help me." her voice wailed miserably as she turned away from him.
"I thought I already helped you by killing this Earl.
I know this man you called Earl was attacking you, you didn't want him to, and now he is dead. That much I know. I thought it would help. That is all I need to know. If you are sorry, he is dead, I suggest you go home and mourn him."
"Oh, for goodness sake. I am not sorry about Earl!" she shouted. "I'm sorry that my father will not understand it. I'm sorry I came out here. I'm sorry I'm alive!" she cried, turning away from him again.
She was exasperated and scared to death, he noted. Her limbs were shaking, tears were in her eyes. He sighed and turned her around to look her in the face. "Lady, never be sorry you are alive! The Creator has deemed it so. Be thankful."
"The Creator?" she twisted her head. "You mean God?"
"Yes, that is what you call him, I believe."
"Y-you believe in God?" she asked with a spark of hope in her eyes.
"Don't you?" he questioned.
"Of course, I do."
"Then we have something in common." He smiled and gave her some jerky.
"Thank you." She offered him a drink and he took it gladly now. She took the jerky and chewed it. It was as though she didn't realize she was eating, just going through the motions.
"What am I going to do with you?" He shook his head. "You are a mess!"
"Well excuse the heck out of me, I didn't have time to change my clothes. And you will do nothing with me?" she said, her brow going up. "I can do anything you can do."
He rolled his eyes as though he couldn’t quite believe her. "Even you should know you cannot traipse around the countryside with an Indian. And especially looking like you do now!" He told her, as though she should have known it all along.
"Right now, the way I look is beside the point. Escaping is the point. I have no choice, any longer. You have no idea how much trouble I'm in now. You and I are the only ones that know the truth. If I lose you, I lose a witness to my innocence. Did you not think I thought of killing him myself?" She asked as she kicked a branch away from her feet.
The way she kicked it told him she was silently angry, but at who?
