She had heard it in the crowded rooms of Chicago, spoken by people who had never bothered to ask why she left. Silas had always insisted that his generosity entitled him to her labor, her loyalty, and eventually her silence. He had called every act of control a debt she owed.
Now he had followed her across the country to repeat the claim.
Caleb's voice remained level. “If you believe she owes you money, you can file a claim with the court.”
“I don't need a court. I need her to come home.”
“This is her home.”
“She has no right to be here.”
“She is my wife.”
Rourke laughed again. “Then perhaps you should have asked what you were buying before you paid her fare.”
Josie's face burned with humiliation.
Caleb's hand tightened around the rifle stock, but his voice did not change. “You'd better be careful with your words.”
“Or what?”
“Or you'll have to explain them to the sheriff.”
“The sheriff has no interest in a private disagreement.”
“Then he won't mind hearing both sides.”
A pause followed.
Josie stood slowly, pulling the furs around her shoulders. Her bare feet touched the cold floorboards, and she shivered. She wanted to retreat to the back room, to hide behind the flour sacks and wait until the danger passed. But the sound of Rourke's voice brought back every moment when she had been told to remain quiet while someone else decided her fate.
She had escaped once.
She had crossed a continent.
She had married a man who had never asked her to obey him.
She could not let Rourke reduce all of that to a debt.
“Caleb,” she whispered.
He turned toward her.
“I want to speak.”
He studied her face. “Are you certain?”
“No. But I want to.”
He nodded and moved slightly aside, leaving her a clear view of the door without placing her directly in front of it.
Josie drew a breath.
“Silas!”
The man outside fell silent.
“Josephine,” he replied, his voice suddenly smooth. “There you are. I've been worried sick.”
She closed her eyes for a moment.
The lie sounded exactly as it had in Chicago.
“You said I was your property.”
“I said you had obligations.”
“You said I couldn't leave.”
“You were confused about the arrangement.”
“I was not confused.”
Rourke's voice sharpened. “You were young, alone, and unable to manage your affairs. I provided you with a respectable position.”