Protection

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Clint flinched as Bliss’ father’s boots clomped down the hall. Sherman entered the room, laid eyes on his daughter, and suddenly his eyes filled with relief. He rushed to her just as she got up out of her chair, and wrapped her in his arms. Bliss simply stood there, stiff and her hands clenched into fists. She was probably thinking about that knife in her pocket and all of her nagging suspicions.

Clint found himself under the accusing gaze of Sherman Cooper. He let go of his daughter and crossed his arms.

“What did you do with her?” he asked.

Clint rolled his eyes. That was the last straw.

“If you people don’t trust me with Miss Cooper, then why am I even here?” he stood, placed Miss Cooper’s shoes on the table, and walked toward the hall toward his room.

He didn’t care what they said about him after he was out of earshot; he was too tired to care about anything. Every one of them accused him of doing something with Bliss, when all he had done was helped her home… and forgot to tie up the horses, but that was beside the point.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, and bent down to remove his boots.

They weren’t there.

The corner of his mouth tilted up as he lay back on his back. He closed his eyes and tried to force unwelcome thoughts from his mind.

*****

Bliss looked up at her father.

“What’s wrong with you?” she drew her eyebrows close together in anger.

“It was a logical question,” Daddy insisted.

“No, it was not! Mr. Slade has been the perfect gentleman ever since he arrived. Look at my feet,” Bliss motioned to the oversized boots on her feet and grabbed her broken shoe. “My shoe broke, but instead of taking the extra time to pound it back together, he chose to sacrifice his own boots and carry them for mw while he walked all the way here barefooted. He didn’t even get upset with me or complain once. He climbed to the top of Almighty for me even though he’s afraid of heights. He even saved my life today, and yet he comes home to your incessant accusations. I would even be surprised if he’s in there packing his gear to leave right now.”

Daddy took her broken shoe from her hand and looked at it. “What do you mean; he climbed to the top of Almighty?”

Bliss inwardly groaned. She’d done it now.

“I meant just what I said. He climbed that slope on the east side and then threw a rope down so I could get up, too. He knew how much I wanted to get up to the top, so he made it possible. Once we were up there, I slipped and fell over the edge. Just when I was about to slip, he grabbed by hand and pulled me up,” Bliss explained.

“What were you doing up there? You could have died!” Daddy exclaimed.

Bliss didn’t have to explain things to him. Her defiant nature rose up and she grabbed her shoes from the table and Daddy’s hand before walking back to her room without another word.

“Bliss, you come back here!” Daddy called after her.

Bliss reached her room and flung the door open to enter before slamming it as hard as she could behind her, rattling the walls.

“What am I doing?” she suddenly blurted to herself.

She was being no better than the spoiled brat that had married Seth Ryder. Placing her shoes on her dresser, she removed Clint’s boots and changed into her nightgown. When she finally slipped under the handmade quilt on her bed, she couldn’t get to sleep. Her eyelids felt heavy, but she couldn’t get them to stay closed. Questions bombarded her mind about the secrets that her father was keeping and suspicions filled her thoughts. Suddenly, she remembered the newspaper he had tried to hide from her.