To Thine Own Self

He yelped and grabbed his nose with both hands. At that point she put all her strength into a punch with her right fist. She aimed and hit him in the stomach. He grunted and dodged, giving her time to roll out from under him. She lunged to her feet and grabbed the pitchfork. Jabbing it at him, she turned the tables, threatening him until he lay flat on the floor. His nose was bleeding profusely. She shoved the tines against his neck until they made indentations.

"You get out of here and off my land and don't ever come back!" She spoke through clenched teeth and her tone must have been convincing because he looked scared.

"Take it easy," he said. "I wasn't going to hurt you. I was just having a little fun."

"I wasn't," she snarled.

She stepped back and held the pitchfork ready as he scrambled to his feet and headed for the door. He silently left the barn and she watched him go to the house. How he would explain that bloody nose to his co-inhabitants would be interesting to see.

She leaned the pitchfork against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. It was a nice feeling to know she could handle that situation on her own. Who needed a gun anyway? Of course, there was a difference here. He intended her no physical harm. He didn't get physical until he decided she thought she was too good for him. He probably felt humiliated. She must be pretty good at humiliating people.

Rob had one thing right, though. She definitely missed Alex - and it had nothing to do with sex - well, not much anyway.

She called Alex again, before she left the barn, but it went to his answering service. This time she left a message.

"Alex, this is Carmen. Call me. We need to talk."

She was through fretting and crying. Either he could come home or he could pack the rest of his things. She mounted Princess and left the barn. As she crossed the yard, Rob and Aaron came out on their way to the car. Rob was holding a bloody cloth over his nose.

Aaron glanced up at Carmen.

"I'm taking him to the doctor. I think his nose is broken."

She met his gaze. "Good."

Without another word, she nudged Princess into a lope. It would take him a while to whip that nose into shape. Maybe from now on he'd keep it out of other people's business.

Carmen stabled Princess before going into the house. This time she informed Felipa about what had happened. The chances were slim that he would try it again, but Felipa needed to be forewarned.