A Headstrong Woman(71)

***

Alexandria spent a miserable two hours at the corrals with the men. With Tristan’s coat on, she drew less attention but was terribly warm and Tristan himself was making her uncomfortable. He was solicitous, overly so. The angry looks Jonathon shot her way weren’t helping. With little to do but watch the men, Alexandria’s thoughts turned to what she had seen this morning. Had Elijah visited places like that and the women who lived there, had her brother; her father? Alexandria didn’t want to think that Elijah had been in a place like that but then he had certainly never touched her in such a way. Could that have been why? Alexandria tried desperately to shut the troubling thoughts out to no avail. By the time their business was concluded, Alexandria’s insides felt tighter than a sailor’s knot and her head pounded viciously.

“Might I offer you a ride to your in-laws?” Tristan offered politely.

“That’s kind of you, however, I need to speak with my men,” she responded as she handed him his coat.

“I’m sure that you and your men could talk more comfortably there at a later time.”

“Your offer is kind, Mr. Price, however, I need to speak with my boss, if you’ll excuse us,” Jonathon took Alexandria by the arm and directed her toward town. He was shocked by how possessive he felt toward her, that couldn’t be good; couldn’t be good at all.

“Could you slow down please? I know I’m freakishly tall for a woman but even I can’t keep up this pace,” Alexandria commented after they were out of earshot of the others.

“Slow down, Jonathon,” Rusty added from behind them.

“Sorry,” he muttered almost under his breath. Rusty parted ways when they reached the street his hotel occupied and Alexandria and Jonathon continued in silence to the Morris’s where they let themselves in the back gate.

They were half way up the back walk when Alexandria decided she’d had enough of the silent treatment.

“It was stupid to follow you, I’ll admit it so would you please stop ignoring me and say something? Anything!” her tone was clipped. Jonathon stopped short and turned to face her. “That’s an understatement, Alexandria. Not only did you put yourself in danger, you exposed yourself to things a lady should never see!” he all but yelled at her.

“And you should? Why did you need to meet the man there….”

“He changed the meeting place on us at the last minute as you know. I was no more comfortable in there than you were. In the future when I ask you to trust my judgment…”

“In the future trust me to be grown up enough to hear the truth about why you don’t want me somewhere!” she yelled back at him. “Do you think I enjoyed today? That I wanted to see those things; that I like the questions it raised? That I like wandering if my own husband, my brother, my father have been places like that? Don’t think that I didn’t know that half the men in there were married. Some of them even were wearing wedding bands in a place like that.

“I hate men! I hate the way they treat women, that they can pay to step out on their wives and it’s called business,” she spat at him with her hands shaking and tears streaming down her face.

Jonathon was staring at her in amazement. “Alexandria, I’m sorry…” he reached out to take her arms to have his slapped away.

“Don’t!” Alexandria lost her hat as she jerked away from him.

“Alexandria, I’m sorry I was angry with you,” he succeeded in pulling her close. Alexandria stood in the circle of his arms and cried like her heart was breaking. “I’m so sorry,” Jonathon whispered over and over again as he stroked her back gently. He raised his hand to smooth loose hairs from her face; his heart was aching, there was a wealth of pain in the sobs racking the slender frame in his arms. He wanted to take her somewhere away from the pain and doubts that plagued her. The trouble was he couldn’t take her away from herself.

Janice stepped onto the porch and watched with concerned eyes.

“I’m fine,” Alexandria finally said and pulled away from Jonathon. She turned to toward the house and spotted her mother-in-law; her steps faltered before she slipped around her and hurried to her room. Alexandria hated feeling vulnerable and right now she felt as though all her hurts and fears had been laid bare for all to see. Had Elijah visited a place like that? Was that why he hadn’t come to her bed, because he had been in another bed, one that didn’t ask for his heart or a commitment? Would these questions ever stop plaguing her now that they had started?