Once Bitten: Twice Mad

Chapter Forty-nine

Chapter Forty-Nine: Jealousy, Maps and Making Plans

Frankie rolled her eyes and bit at a hunk of jerked beef, chewing it roughly as she glared at the staircase. The sound of Evangeline giggling reached her ears, followed by the the bedroom door to the room that she and Colt were holed up in slamming shut before Colt's own laughter came roaring through the bedroom door and down the stairs.

"They've been up there goin' at it for nearly three full days!" Frankie grumbled, slamming a fist into the top of the sofa and standing up.

"Jealousy does not become you," Rachel stated from the armchair where she was sewing up a hole in several skirts. Frankie sneered at her. Ever since the other night when Evangeline, Ox, Katherine and Colt had put Rachel in her place, the woman had been working overtime to be as helpful as she could. She rarely spoke, kept her head down and simply cooked, cleaned and sewed her little heart out.

It was honestly pretty damn sickening—or at least Frankie thought it was. Then again no one seemed to care much what she thought. Or at least Comanche didn't.

The man seemed to be avoiding her. It was as if she had some sort of monstrous disease that he was certain could be transferred simply by standing the same room together; though she noticed that he certainly didn't believe the new woman had such a disease. As a matter of fact he seemed quite attached to the brain addled woman.

Despite days of rest and relaxation the black haired, blue eyed and tanned skin woman still had no idea who she was or where she was from. The only thing anyone knew about her was that she was at least half injun, though not full-blooded given the color of her eyes. It was in their shared heritage that Comanche and Lily (Comanche had helped her choose the name after she had admitted her love of the flower) had developed a kinship.

They spent nearly every waking minute together, not that Frankie cared. If that stupid indian wanted another woman then Frankie wouldn't beg for him. She refused to shed a damn tear over him either. She had told him she loved him what more did he want from her? She wasn't a soft woman, she never had been and she never would be. If soft was what Comanche wanted then he could have the other woman. Frankie just wished it didn't hurt so damn bad.

"I ain't jealous of Colt and Evangeline." Frankie assured Rachel. She saw Rachel's eyes narrow and her jaw tighten at the mention of Colt's name. "Besides, least I still got folks around here that like me. That means I got a bit more than you do."

Frankie laughed at the shocked expression that crossed Rachel's face before the redhead stood from her chair and made her way quickly up the staircase with her sewing clutched tightly in her hands. . Frankie shoved the rest of the jerky in her hand into her pocket and pushed herself away from the mantle piece.

Thanks to the damn rabid that had attacked her, her ankle was once again sprained, though not badly enough that Frankie had needed those godforsaken crutches back. Instead she just limped around feeling like a giant waste of space.

She was restless. The last three days had been nice and peaceful. Too peaceful. Sure the occasional rabid entered town, meandering around in search of a meal, but they were low on ammunition so shooting them wasn't an option and with her ankle still injured Frankie hadn't wanted to go at them alone with her hatchet. No one else seemed too concerned with going at them at all.

Colt and Evangeline stayed locked in their room. Katherine, Ox and Susette spent all their time together like they were one perfectly happy family. Silas and Charlotte were glued to each other's hips as they kept the meals cooked and the cleaning done and Comanche spent all his time with his precious Lily.