The Sheriff's Bride: A Golden Valley Story (Brides of Birch Creek Book 5)

by Laura D. Bastian

  “My shoulder will be just fine. You rest. We’ll figure all this other stuff out in the morning.”

  “Thank you.” Beatrice rested her head on the pillow and Elias placed his own head on his good arm stretched out behind the pillow. He placed his other hand on her waist and fell just a little more in love with the woman he’d married out of duty.

  ***

  Beatrice had never felt so cared for and protected in her life. She’d never been in love before, and now that she was here with Elias, she was certain she was falling in love now. He was everything she had never known she wanted. She had been so used to being in charge and taking care of herself that having a man to help her through this hard time was something she wasn’t sure what to do with.

  She would have stayed and cleaned up her office the moment she’d seen what had happened, but with his concern about her safety, she had decided to follow his directions and return to the boarding house.

  Tomorrow would be difficult, but tonight she would allow him to be in charge. To be the one who decided what was important to do in order to keep them safe.

  At least right now in his arms and in the quiet darkness she could forget for a moment that things weren’t perfect out there. Because right now, things were exactly how she needed them to be.

  She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep when sounds of shouting woke her. Elias groaned in pain as he rolled to his back and hit his shoulder. Beatrice jumped out of the bed and helped him up. They both rushed to the window and looked out to see the flames of a burning barn in the far back corner of the property.

  “Stay here!” Elias commanded and shoved his feet into his boots then rushed out the door, slamming it closed behind him. Beatrice wasn’t going to just stay there so she yanked off her night dress and pulled one of her work dresses over her head and buttoned it up as quickly as she could then put her own boots back on.

  Susan appeared in the doorway to check on her then repeated. “Stay in here. The men have gone out to see what they can do. The barn is far enough away from the house that we’ll be fine in here.”

  It can’t be a coincidence,” Beatrice said. I’ve got to go help. This is related to me.”

  That’s exactly why you should stay inside this house. Don’t you dare go out.”

  Beatrice scowled at Susan, but the other woman just pointed a finger at her and repeated. “Stay inside.” Then Susan left the doorway and went to soothe a crying child.

  Beatrice left her room but didn’t get past Grace’s room when she heard more children crying inside.

  “Don’t worry, love. Your daddy will be just fine. He’s gone to help them put out the fire. You just try to go back to sleep.”

  Beatrice hesitated a moment. The wailing of a hungry baby soon drowned out the fussing of the other children and Beatrice knew she should help. As much as she wanted to go help put out the fire, she decided to see what she could do for Grace. With a quick knock before trying the handle, Beatrice opened the door and peeked her head in.

  “What can I do?”

  Grace’s look of relief at seeing her made Beatrice know she’d done the right thing. A quick nod of Grace’s head indicated she’d like her to help with the older children. Beatrice moved over to where the three children were huddled together on one bed as Grace prepared to feed the infant.

  “Hey there,” Beatrice said. “Quite a noisy way to wake up.”

  The little girl who’d been crying the loudest nodded and climbed out of the blankets and onto Beatrice’s lap when she sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Our baby is always so loud when he’s hungry.”

  “Babies sure know how to tell their mommas what they want, don’t they.”

  The girl nodded. “I wish he’d learn how to do it quieter.”

  Beatrice laughed softly and stroked the sweet child’s head, encouraging her to lean against Beatrice. Before long, the little girl relaxed into sleep again and Beatrice lay her down on the bed. The older girl had pulled the small boy closer to her to help comfort him back to sleep leaving room for Beatrice to sit.

  Once she was certain the three children were calmed enough to sleep soundly again, Beatrice checked with Grace to be sure she would be all right, then slipped out of the room.

  The noise of people battling the blaze wasn’t nearly as loud as at first. She checked to be sure Susan wasn’t there to see her and slipped out of the back door. She had to help. Staying inside the boarding house while everyone else passed buckets of water seemed cowardly.

  Beatrice picked up the hem of her skirt so she could run to the barn, but before she took her first step, she was grabbed from behind and a hand clamped over her mouth while the other arm wrapped around her and pinned her arms to her side.

  “Not a word.”

  Beatrice struggled against her attacker, but felt the cold steel of a gun barrel against her head.

  “I knew you had money,” the voice said. “Dressed too nice to be some poor girl coming to marry some farmer.”

  Beatrice froze. She would recognize that voice anywhere. Dirty hat, who she now knew as Benny, cocked back the hammer of the gun.

  Willard, the man still holding her spoke. “Where is it?”

  Beatrice shook her head.

  “I know you bought that building, but heard talk that you had more money than that. You buying up all that stuff to put in your place. It wasn’t in there, so you still have it somewhere.”

  Beatrice struggled to sort her thoughts. She’d put the money in the bank. Most of it anyway, except for what she’d need for her immediate purchases. Maybe that would be enough she could give it to them and they’d leave.

  She tilted her head a little, trying to indicate it was in her room upstairs.

  “You’ll go get it for me,” Willard said as he turned her to face the building. “Understand. And if you make a sound, I’ll shoot you dead right here.”

  Beatrice nodded. He slowly removed a few fingers, then pulled his hand away from her mouth. He pulled the gun from his belt and pressed it against her back while Benny kept the other one pointed at her head.

  “Stay here,” Willard whispered to Benny. “Keep watch. I’ll go get the money then we’ll be on our way.”

  Beatrice swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. She prayed that Grace and her little ones would stay inside their room and not hear a thing. Susan as well. There were still muffled sounds of crying babies, so if she was lucky, they could go in unnoticed as the mothers inside cared for their children.

  Beatrice took a careful step forward, hoping to keep Willard from panicking and doing something drastic. As she felt the gun against her back with every movement, she remembered the revolver Elias had placed on the chair right next to the trunk. If she could manage to grab it before Willard noticed it in the dark, she might have a chance.

  But could she use it? She wasn’t even sure how a gun worked. She’d seen them shot before, but would it be ready to use? The ones these two men had used against her had both needed the hammer pulled back. She was sure it would be the same with Elias’ gun.

  Each step she took up the stairs made her heart pound harder and harder until she was certain anyone could hear it. Her own footsteps were quieter than Willard’s, but for a large man, he managed to move with stealth.

  “Please stay in your rooms,” Beatrice prayed in her mind.

  When she reached the door of her own room, she pushed it open slowly. She hadn’t closed it tight, hoping that Susan wouldn’t hear her leaving when she sneaked out.

  The room was just as dark as she’d remembered it. There was some light from the partial moon and from the flames that still burned at the barn. As Willard turned briefly to close the door behind them, Beatrice’s gaze searched for what she needed.

  There!

  Elias’ gun was exactly where she remembered it. Beatrice hoped Willard hadn’t seen it.

  “Where’s the money?”

  “In the trunk,” Beatrice whispered as she w
rapped her hand around the revolver’s handle with the right hand while lifting the lid of the trunk with the left.

  As she rummaged through the trunk, moving the fabric of her dresses to the side, she used her thumb to pull back the hammer of Elias’ gun. Could she really do this?

  “Once you give me that money, I think you’ll owe me something else.”

  Oh, yes she could, Beatrice decided.

  Willard took a few steps closer and grabbed her by the hair. “Where’s the money?”

  Beatrice turned around and pressed the gun against his stomach. “Let go.”

  Willard laughed. “Ah, you think you scare me?” He slapped her across the face, making her almost lose her hold on the gun, but she gripped it between both hands and raised it up then pulled the trigger as he lunged at her again.

  The flash of light from the barrel of the gun nearly blinded her, but not before she saw him jerk back as the bullet hit him. As he stumbled back he swore at her and pulled his own gun up and fired at her.

  Pain seared through her leg and she fell to the ground as Willard crumpled to his knees holding his stomach.

  She fumbled with the gun again, trying to pull back the hammer on the revolver, but her thumb slipped off and she tried once more, fearing at any moment he would shoot her again.

  But Willard dropped his gun and fell to his side, still holding his belly.

  Her arms shook as she kept the gun pointed at him, but he was no longer a threat.

  Beatrice set the gun down on her lap and placed her hand on her leg. The hot sticky blood that oozed from her leg began to soak her skirts and she pressed hard on the wound. She needed to slow the bleeding.

  A thunder of footsteps and a bright lantern burst through the door and Susan screamed.

  Seconds later more pounding feet stormed up the stairs and Elias burst through the room. His eyes searched the room then once he determined Willard was no threat he dropped to his knees beside Beatrice.

  “What happened?” He grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, bumping her leg in the process and she cried out.

  “He shot you?” Elias boomed.

  “Benny was here too. Outside,” Beatrice said.

  Elias shouted at the other men who had run up the stairs behind them to go find the man then focused on her. “Where were you shot?”

  Beatrice pulled up the fabric of her skirt and Elias cursed at the sight of all the blood.

  “Did it go straight through?” he asked. “Did it hit bone?”

  Beatrice shook her head. “No bone. Don’t know the other.” She tried to move her bloomers out of the way but the sticky fabric defied her.

  Elias took hold of the fabric at the knee and ripped it up the side so they could get a good look at where she’d been hit four inches above the knee.

  She rolled to the side while he studied the injury. “Went straight through. Won’t need to dig out the bullet, but we’ve got to stop this bleeding.”

  Beatrice laughed as she gritted her teeth against the pain. She had no idea what to do when the injury was in her own flesh. She needed to clean the wound and make sure there would be no infection, but if it needed stitching, would she be able to do it on herself?

  “Go find my doctor bag.”

  “Where is it?” Elias asked.

  “At the office.”

  Elias shouted at someone to go fetch her things while he grabbed the towel that Susan must have brought in with the hot water that was sitting on the floor next to them. He pressed the fabric against her leg then found another towel to press against the back of the leg.

  Beatrice leaned back against the trunk and lifted one hand to Elias’ face. “It’ll be all right,” she said.

  Elias gave an incredulous laugh. “Look at you, being the one to soothe me even though you’re the one injured this time.”

  Beatrice chuckled. “It’s better than bawling like I want to.”

  “I am so sorry, Beatrice.” Elias glanced back at Willard, still laying on the floor, but now covered by a sheet that Susan must have grabbed. “This should never have happened.”

  “It’s not your fault, and don’t you dare go thinking it is. Willard is the one to blame, and he’s gotten what he deserved.”

  “It still shouldn’t have happened. You shouldn’t have had to protect yourself.”

  “Elias,” Beatrice said. “In a perfect world, no one would have to protect themselves from evil. That is just the way things are. That’s why we have men like you who make sure men like him don’t run wild. Now that he’s gone, hopefully they’ll catch Benny too and we’ll be that much closer to being rid of their kind.”

  “We’ll get Benny for sure.” Elias promised.

  “Now just hold me until they bring me my bag.” She leaned her head back against the trunk, fighting back the pain. “And tell me, how good are you at stitching up wounds?”

  “Not as good as you.”

  “Well then, I suppose I’ll have to see how I manage. If I can’t do it, you’re going to have to.”

  Elias nodded. “Anything for you my love.”

  ***

  Elias helped Beatrice off the make shift wagon they’d put together that was low enough to the ground that she didn’t have to use her leg muscles to climb up into a regular wagon. Once she was stable he handed her the cane he’d carved for her to use while she continued to regain her leg usage.

  They walked carefully into the clinic she’d not been in since the night she’d been shot. Once he was certain her leg would no longer bleed when she got up to move around, he had finally agreed she could come to her office. She’d begged, pleaded, demanded and bargained to be allowed to come, but he had been adamant that she rest up enough to heal without leaving any lasting damage.

  Only Grace’s and Susan’s continued assistance with her personal needs and healing as well as their company had convinced her that she should listen to her husband, even though she kept claiming she was the doctor.

  “We did our best to put things to right,” Elias said as he helped her into the building.

  She looked around and smiled. “You have been busy, haven’t you?”

  “I’ve had help. Elizabeth was here that first morning cleaning up all the spilled items and putting everything that survived to rights. Then we got the furniture from the woodworker and the shipment from Boise. I hope we put them in the right places.”

  “It looks good to me.”

  Elias took her hand and walked her to the room she would use as an exam room. “The patient bed you ordered looks nice. The table as well. I think you picked a good man to build it for you.”

  She took a few minute to pull out the drawers and check over the things in the room. He knew she’d rearrange it to how it would suit her but he could tell she was pleased with what she saw.

  “Then we had a few things delivered for the kitchen. I had someone help me get a water pump right inside instead of making you go out to the pump out there.

  “That’s wonderful,” Beatrice said, her eyes bright with what looked like tears. He hoped it meant she was happy.

  They looked around the kitchen for a few moments then she looked at the stairs that would lead to what would be their own private place for their home.

  “Do you feel up to climbing the stairs?” Elias asked.

  “I’ll be going slow, but I do want to see what’s up there.” She smiled at him like a child excited for a surprise.

  Elias offered his arm and she took it while using the cane to help with the sore leg. When they reached the staircase, she let go of his arm and used the railing to walk up. He kept right behind her in case her leg gave out, but she moved slow and steady until they reached the last step. The wide open area was brightly lit by the sunlight streaming through the windows. She walked a few feet in then turned around and looked at him.

  “How did you know what furniture to pick?”

  “I had lots of help,” Elias said. “Grace, Susan, Annabelle, a
nd Mrs. Howard were all very persuasive.”

  Beatrice’s smile was practically a smirk and Elias cocked his head to the side. “You knew about me doing this?”

  Her laugh made him laugh as well. “No wonder they kept leading me through the ordering catalog.”

  “Well, I had to do something since you wouldn’t let me be here in person. They kept bringing me over the book to look through and choose what I wanted.”

  Elias shook his head. “And here I thought I was being so clever to get this all set up as a surprise for you.”

  “I love that you did this for me,” Beatrice said. “The way you put it all together is just perfect.”

  “How do you know it was me and not what those other ladies insisted I do.”

  Beatrice laughed. “Because they told me you wouldn’t let them.”

  Elias rolled his eyes. “Darn right. I needed to feel like I was in charge a bit.”

  Beatrice stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m so glad you did this. Of course you’ve been in charge. Why do you think I stayed there at the boarding house instead of being here bossing everyone around?”

  “Because you could still boss from there.”

  Beatrice snorted. “True. But only a little bit of bossing. How about we take turns.”

  Elias kissed the top of her head. “We’ll see how that actually ends up.”

  “So show me the rest of the place. I need to see how those other items I ordered turned out.” She patted his chest and stepped away from him. Elias took her hand that wasn’t holding her cane and led her to the first door.

  “This is the room you wanted for a parlor or for visitors.” She only peeked her head in there and then smiled.

  “Looks nice.” She moved toward the other door. The one that would be their room then waited for him to open the door.

  “And here is our room.”

  Beatrice stepped inside and looked at the chest of drawers, drawing her hand across the top briefly before moving further into the room. There was a winged back chair near the window and a four poster bed in the center of the room with the head of the bed against the wall.