Jacob rolled on the muddy, sloppy ground where the giant Pateman had thrown him. He thrust out his arms and stopped his bone-jarring tumble. Instantly he sprang to his feet and whirled looking for Pateman in the blinding downpour of rain.
As Jacob spun around, lightning flashed close by like a sun erupting. In the bright glare, he found himself face-to-face with Pateman, and within the man's long reach. He jumped backward as Pateman swung his right fist. The blow barely clipped Jacob's chin; still, it snapped his head to the side and staggered him several steps.
Jacob shook his head to clear it so he could defend himself. The man's fist was hard as a hickory maul. He saw Pateman charging at him with head shoved out ahead and fists cocked to strike. Jacob faded to the side and hit Pateman solidly on the side of the jaw as he went past. Pateman pivoted back and, moving with unexpected quickness, came again on the attack. Jacob was surprised that his blow seemed not to have fazed his opponent. He had never had that happen before. So give him a couple more! He dug his feet into the wet ground and hit Pateman with a hard left and right squarely in the face as the man came at him. , Jacob felt the satisfying jolt as his fists thudded on the man's face. The blows slowed Pateman, but growling fiercely he drove ahead.
As Jacob swiftly back-pedaled, he saw blood streaming from Pateman's nose. Then the man struck out with his long arm and his left fist hit Jacob in the face. The man's right fist followed immediately and slammed into Jacob's chest. He lost his breath with an explosion of air. The power of the blow lifted Jacob off his feet and he landed on his back in the mud.
A tornado of exploding stars spun across Jacob's vision. Through them he saw Pateman lunging forward to fall on him. He hurled himself desperately to the side. Pateman crashed down where he had lain a moment before. One of the man's hands grabbed Jacob by the shoulder, but he wrenched strongly away and the man's hold slipped loose from the wet buckskin. Jacob rolled once more to be beyond reach of the giant.
Pateman was by far much stronger than any man Jacob had ever fought before. Only his quickness had prevented Pateman from catching hold of him, and should the man have succeeded in doing that, the fight would have ended with Jacob badly hurt, or dead.
A cold wind blew through Jacob's mind and cleared it. This was a fight for Cora and he must win. He surged to his feet and pulled his pistol from its holster. He felt the slippery mud on the butt of the weapon and gripped it hard to maintain a tight hold. He leaped at Pateman before the man could climb completely to his feet, and slammed the pistol down onto the man's head. Pateman crumpled pole-axed onto the sodden ground.
Jacob sucked a deep breath of the rain-filled air, and holstered his pistol. What would Cora think about him hitting 'Pateman with the gun? As he started to turn toward her, a heavy weight rammed him in the back and knocked him sprawling. He heard a scream, wild and shrill, and a booted foot cracked against his ribs.
Jacob scrabbled away on hands and knees. He came to his feet with fists up to defend himself and looking for the man who had hit him. He was dumbfounded to see Maude hurrying through the rain at him. Her face was contorted with hate and she was screaming high-pitched, animal-like. Her hands were balled into fists and she struck roundhouse blows at Jacob left and right, again and again.
"Stop it!" Jacob shouted as he retreated, blocking her blows. He didn't want to hit the woman. However, she appeared deaf to his voice and, screaming loudly, continued to drive in as he hurriedly backed away. If her loud cries should alarm the camp, he could soon have all of the Mormon men on him. He reached past Maude's flailing hands and tapped her on the chin with his left fist.
"Stop it!" he shouted again.
The blow only served to cause Maude to scream more furiously, and strike more wildly. He blocked a blow and struck her hard on the point of the chin. Her forward momentum was halted abruptly and she sat down jarringly on the ground.
"Stay down there!" Jacob warned.
Cora ran up to Maude, knelt and caught her by the arm. "Maude, stop hitting Jacob. You're acting like a crazy person."
Maude turned her rain-washed face up. Cora shuddered as she saw the expression in her sister's eyes. In the murky light from the storm-lashed sky, Maude's eyes were black and staring and tinged with incipient madness. For a few seconds, Cora thought Maude was going to hit her. Then Maude's eyes lost their madness and a haunted, beaten look came into them.
"Help me, Cora," Maude said in a pleading voice.
"Yes. I will help you, Maude."
"Send him away," Maude said. She looked about in the rain until she saw Jacob, and then pointed a trembling finger at him. "Send that son of Satan away and never see him again."
"I'll do that. Let me help you into the wagon where you can lie down and rest."
"Is Clive hurt?" Maude asked in a little girl's voice.
Cora glanced at Pateman and found him sitting up and rubbing his head where Jacob had hit him. She spoke to Maude. "Clive is all right. Now get into the wagon and out of the rain. Sleep some and you'll feel better."
With Cora's assistance, Maude struggled weakly to her feet. Leaning heavily on Cora, she allowed herself to be guided to the rear of the wagon. She crawled in under the canvas.
Pateman regained his feet. He looked fiercely at Jacob.
"Don't come at me again or I'll break your goddamned head," Jacob threatened.
Pateman wheeled around on Cora. "Do what Maude asked," he ordered hoarsely. "Get rid of that damned gentile."
Tears came to Cora's eyes and she was glad the rain streaming down her face hid them. She took a few steps toward Jacob and halted. "You must leave, Jacob. There can be nothing between us. This is where I must stay, here with Maude."
"Why, for God's sake! What has your sister got to do with you and me?"
"Maude is going to marry Clive."
"Good. That means you can go with me," Jacob said. The situation might work out better than he had hoped. He would take Cora back to St. Joe, and then in the spring they would go together to California.
"No she can't," Pateman bellowed. "She's going to marry me. She has promised."
"Marry you? Why would she, when you're going to marry Maude?" Jacob turned to Cora. "Tell me he lies."
"He doesn't lie. I agreed to it."
"Why would you want to marry the same man as your sister? You deserve better than that. You deserve a husband of your own."
Cora choked with sobs. Jacob was correct and she wanted him to be that man. But Maude must survive, survive as a sane person, and she surely wouldn't if Pateman didn't make her his wife. And he wouldn't, unless Cora became his wife also.
She quelled her sobbing. "Go, Jacob. Leave now, for I will never speak to you again." She turned her back to him, and cried into the tumult of rain and lightning and thunder.
After a time she looked behind her. Jacob and his horses were gone.
Pateman was walking in her direction. He smiled a broad, victorious smile.