She was reluctant to leave the girls for too long - TJ was still far too young to be put 'in charge'. But the anger simmering inside of her propelled her forward and outside, seeing Manning in the yard. The sight should have calmed her, but instead she crossed the space with quick steps, her fingers twitching as she passed by the firewood and the place where the ax hung. The memory had quickened her breath and pulled up the sorts of strong emotions she rarely, if ever, felt.
She ignored his outstretched hand for the moment, her anger spilling onto him for lack of a better target (and that, too, was why she'd stepped out and away from the girls). When she pulled a breath to speak, it hitched in her throat and she clenched both her hands into fists (still smelling of dough and yeast, still with flour around the beds of her fingernails).
"Amelia's husband," she finally replied, her normally calm voice somewhere down near a growl.