The clay mixing bowl shattered, corn meal and milk spilling across the floor. Cordelia jumped out of the way, spilling tea on her blouse. Hannah gasped and fell to her knees to pick up the shards.

"Wait." Cordelia knelt down and handed her a handkerchief. "Pick them up with this, don't cut yourself."

"What a mess!"

"It's just fine, Hannah. We have plenty of bowls."

Cordelia ran to the sink and pumped water into a pot. Carefully, the two of them collected the rest of the pieces and mopped up.

Hannah sighed heavily. "What a waste. And look, I've gone and ruined your pretty clothes."

"This is nothing, Hannah. Don't fret over it."

Cordelia dampened another kitchen cloth and dabbed the stain on her shirt. Hannah moved to the sink with the bowl of dirtied water. Morning sun washed over her face, highlighting shadows of worry under her dark eyes. Her mouth drew down in a little line. Again, the widow sighed.

"Is something the matter, Hannah?" Cordelia asked, her concern piqued.

Hannah turned towards her, blinking as though she had awoken from a dream. "It's nothin', darlin'. Just family matters."

Cordelia looked away. Family matters with the McCoys could very well mean problems with the Hatfields. After her interaction with Cap in the street, Cordelia had decided to distance herself as far as possible from the feud. It wasn't worth having an opinion on something that she might not even remember in a month. In a few weeks, she might be packing to leave for Massachusetts and be back in time for Christmas. She was still waiting for word from Marshall Rogers, but she had hope.

Cordelia changed into a clean dress upstairs and pinned the curls that had come loose from the knot at her neck. She glanced out the window towards their small barn. Jim McCoy's horse was tied up outside it. In the doorway, Hannah was wagging her finger at him. Jim threw up his hands and strode into the barn. Hannah shook her head and planted her hands on her hips, continuing to rail at him. 

Cordelia looked away. It wasn't any of her business. Best to stay out of it.

Her eyes trailed towards the advertisement on her desk. She had seen it in town, it was for the sale of a cow. She still wanted to be able to have their own milk instead of paying Hannah to bring a portion of her own. She didn't know the family selling the animal, so she decided to bring it to Jim's attention. 

Around lunchtime, she went down to the kitchen. Hannah was trapped deep in her thoughts as she sliced up a pork pie for them. She set aside a piece for Jim and Cordelia offered to bring it to him with a fresh cup of cider. Hannah thanked her, staring into the piece of dough she was kneading. Laying the advertisement on the tray with the food, she carried it out to the barn.

The day was bright white with the sun trying to break the light layer of clouds overhead. The trees were loosing their leaves, golden green foliage trembling to the ground around the barn. Jim's sleeves were rolled to the elbow, his motions jagged as he cleaned a stall. He didn't notice her until she was almost next to him. He straightened and wiped the sweat from his brow, his forehead furrowed. The deep hollow of his throat and arch of collar bone glowed with perspiration.

"We thought you might like something to eat," Cordelia explained, unsure of his frown.

Jim held out a dusty hand and took the plate from her. "Thank you kindly, Miss Robertson."

"You have been with us for sometime now," she continued, holding the advertisement at her side as she set down the tray. "It would be appropriate if you wanted to call me by my first name."

Setting the shovel to the side, he gave her a weary smile. "Alright then, Miss Cordelia."

"I wanted to ask you something. I saw this in town. Do you remember me mentioning the purchase of a cow?" She held out the yellowed sheet.

Jim studied the text, chewing thoughtfully. He swallowed with a nod. "I trust this family and their livestock. They take good care of their animals."

"Will you speak to them for us? We will pay the price they are asking."

He grinned softly as he peered up from the paper. "You plannin' on learnin' how to milk a cow, Miss Cordelia?"

She looked away and wet her lips with a laugh. "I'm not sure about that, Mister McCoy."

"You can call me Jim." He rubbed the back of his neck, his smile fading.

Cordelia moved towards the horse in the opposite stall, her back to him as she rubbed the animal's nose. "You must think very little of me, Jim, not possessing the proper skills for life out here."

"A body can learn such things," he ventured quietly.

She didn't want to though. She wanted to be gone from there and never look back. He had to know it. But from the way he looked at her, he wasn't willing to accept it. Turning towards him, she found that very look burning in his blue eyes. Skittish as a colt, she glanced away.

"I'm concerned about Hannah. Something is disturbing her today." Cordelia quickly changed the subject.

Jim shifted uncomfortably and swallowed the last of the cider. "I'm not surprised."

"Do you know whats wrong?" she asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

"I suspect its about my sister Roseanna."

Cordelia had heard the name before from Hannah. She was the McCoy sister who had been living in exile for a year because of her romance with Cap's older brother, Johnse. She had never met either of them and wasn't sure if she had the desire.

"Is she well?"

"She's healthy as far as I know, living at my Aunt Betty's for now. I'm sure you knew... Aunt Hannah must have told you where she lived before-"

"Yes, yes," Cordelia interrupted, waving her hand lightly as though brushing away a fly. She didn't want the untidy subject brought up. No doubt the girl had ruined herself all for a man who had no intention of marrying her. She winced as she guessed what had happened. "Is she..."

Jim grimaced. "She'll be having her baby next year."

Cordelia pressed her lips together, wishing she had never brought it up. Surely the baby's father would have to be held responsible. "Can anything be done?"

"Something already has."

"What?"

Jim leaned against the gate to the stall. "My brothers and I, we went out and found Johnse. We have him holed up in the woods."

Cordelia gaped. "Held against his will?"

"S'pose you could say that."

"What are you going to do? Make him marry her? Is he unwilling to make an honest woman of her?"

Jim shook his head with a growl. "No, hes willing. Only my brother Tolbert isn't."

"What are you planning on doing?" Cordelia's heart dropped to her stomach as Jim looked away. "Tell me."

"Tolbert wants him executed."

"You mean lynched." Cordelia scoffed. "It seems to me like the situation would resolve itself if the two would marry."

"But our father and his father have forbidden it."

Cordelia shook her head. "The shame of a child from wedlock, you wish that on your sister? And the murder of an innocent man?"

"There is an honest man willing to marry her, but she believes herself in love with Johnse."

"Believes herself to be?" Cordelia backed up a step. "Probably because they are. You would prevent such a union?"

Jim gripped the shovel and dug into the stall. "I knew you wouldn't understand."

"Understand what?"

"This is about honor, our family's honor. Things are different here than up north."

Cordelia clasped her hands in front of her. "What about your honor, Jim? Think about how that will look after you spill the blood of an innocent man. You mustn't let this happen. Wash your hands of it and walk away-"

"I need to get back to work, Miss Robertson," Jim cut her off, his voice low and threatening as he threw a shovel of hay over his shoulder.

Cordelia turned her heel and marched back to the house. Heart pounding, she stopped in the kitchen. Hannah was outside taking the sheets off the line. Pumping more water into the sink, Cordelia rubbed her hands with a bar of lye soap. The whole sordid business between the two families left her feeling dirty. 

She needed to get back to Springfield.