In the Sheriff's Protection

by Lauri Robinson

  “Yes, she is,” Clara agreed.

  “And you are the best employee we’ve ever had.” Sadie handed her the envelopes. “Go read these and relax a bit. You make me feel guilty doing so much.”

  Clara took the letters. “Don’t feel guilty. You just had a baby.”

  “Weeks ago, and because of your help, I’m fine now.” Sadie waved a hand toward the door.

  Clara left the kitchen and went upstairs to her room. She’d written to the judge, asking him to decline the reward on her behalf. This would be his response.

  The first letter was from Judge Alfords, but it made no mention of the reward. Instead it held a divorce decree, releasing her from all connections to Hugh. The judge had also penned a letter explaining the second decree concerned Billy. It stated that if the time ever came that she remarried, her new husband could legally claim Billy as his child, giving him a new last name.

  A sense of finality washed over her, but so did sorrow. There was only one man she’d ever consider marrying, and she couldn’t do that.

  Setting that envelope aside, knowing she didn’t have the wherewithal to go down the path her mind wanted to, she picked up the second one.

  It was a letter from Karen Ryan.

  Clara had barely made it through the opening pleasantries when she heard someone shouting her name. Jumping off the bed at the urgency that rippled her spine, she ran to the door.

  “Clara! Clara, come quick!”

  Hitching up her skirt, she ran for the stairs and started down them. Sadie stood at the bottom, wringing her hands together.

  “What? What is it?”

  “It’s Billy,” Sadie said, glancing toward the doorway.

  Racing down the last few steps, Clara asked, “What’s happened? Where is he?” As she leaped off the bottom step, she saw Kade standing in the doorway with a dirty, tearstained face.

  Clara’s heart clenched. “Where’s Billy?”

  “Sheriff Baniff carried him to Dr. Graham’s house.”

  Without waiting for the boy to say more, she ran out the door and all the way to the doctor’s office. Others stood outside the doctor’s house, including Brett and Fiona.

  “They’d tried climbing the bell tower on the church,” Fiona said. “Tom’s in there with him.”

  Clara started to step around the couple, but Brett took a hold of her arm. “Tom said you should wait—”

  “Like hell.” She twisted out of his hold and bounded up the steps, throwing open the door.

  A scream she recognized as Billy’s came through a doorway on the other side of the room just as Sylvia Graham grabbed her by both arms.

  “Let go,” Clara shouted, trying to get away from the woman who wasn’t any bigger than her.

  “No,” Sylvia said. “Billy’s going to be fine, but his leg is broken. The sheriff is holding him down while Nelson sets it.”

  Billy screamed again and Clara fought against Sylvia’s hold. She’d never not been able to get to her son when he needed her. “Please! Please, let me go to him.”

  “In a minute,” Sylvia said. “Billy will be stronger with the two men in there than you. Clara, look at me. Tommy broke his ankle last spring, so I promise Billy will be fine.”

  Clara knew Tommy still walked with a limp from the broken ankle, and understanding that not that long ago Sylvia had felt the exact way she did right now, Clara wrapped her arms around the other woman.

  “He’s going to be fine,” Sylvia whispered. “Just fine.”

  * * *

  Tom kept one eye on the door, praying that Clara wouldn’t barrel through it at any moment. He’d seen a lot in his life, but never a leg twisted around like Billy’s had been. Having just left Wolf’s gun shop, he’d grabbed a hold of Wyatt to ask what was wrong as the boy had run across the street, shouting for his pa. Tom’s stomach had landed in his boots when Wyatt had said that Billy was hurt.

  The story he got from the boys was that Billy didn’t want to leave Oak Grove so was going to hide out in the bell tower, and the rest of them would bring him food. Of course, all six of them had to try climbing the church bell tower first. Even Tommy, who had already broken one ankle so badly he’d walk with a limp for the rest of his life. When this was over, and Billy was fine, he’d give all six of those boys a talking-to, might even make them spend a night in jail, just so they’d think twice about pulling a stunt like that again.

  “That’s it,” Nelson said. “You can let him up a bit now, but keep him still while I tie on some slats to hold it in place.”

  Tom may never have been more relieved. Holding Billy down while Doc twisted his leg all the way back around and then set the bone had hurt him dang near as bad as it had Billy.

  He’d released the pressure holding Billy down, but the boy didn’t let go of his arms. Instead he squeezed them harder.

  “That hurt, Tom,” Billy said, tears still falling.

  “I know it, buddy,” he said, resting his forehead against Billy’s. “And I’m afraid it’s going to for a while longer. Doc Graham has to bandage it up yet.”

  “It already feels better, though,” Billy said.

  “That’s good,” Tom answered, rising up slightly.

  “We don’t have to tell Ma about this, do we?”

  Tom had to smile, and nod. “Yes, we do. Matter of fact, she already knows.” Having heard her earlier, he added, “She’s out in the other room.”

  Billy’s head slumped farther against the pillow. “Can someone with a broken leg ride on a train?”

  Tom’s insides hardened as he said, “Yes.” Then, wanting to hear it from Billy, asked, “Why?”

  “Ma says we gotta leave here, Tom, and I don’t want to.”

  Not willing to express his thoughts on that, Tom said, “Climbing the bell tower wasn’t a good idea no matter what your mother said. And you’d better never try it again.”

  “I won’t. I promise.” With eyes full of sadness, Billy asked, “You aren’t mad at me, are you, Tom?”

  He was mad, but not at Billy. Standing up, just to put a bit more authority behind his words, Tom said, “I’m disappointed that you tried such a stunt, and I’m sad that you’re hurt, but I’m not mad.”

  Billy nodded and wiped at his eyes with both fists.

  “All done,” Doc said. “The break was just above the knee—that’s why it looked so bad. Luckily, it was a clean break. But he’ll need to stay in bed for at least a week, to make sure that bone reattaches.” Looking down at Billy, Doc continued, “And you’ll need to wear these splints until I say. A good six weeks at least.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  Doc nodded before glancing at him. “I’ll go get his mother now.”

  That gave Tom a moment to brace himself. He hadn’t seen Clara since she’d said she had to get as far away from him as possible. To say that had gutted him was an understatement. It had completely disemboweled him. But shouldn’t have. He’d already decided that he wasn’t what she needed and he should have been glad that she’d felt that way, too.

  But he wasn’t. He wasn’t glad about anything.

  The door opened and her tear-filled eyes met his for a moment before she rushed to Billy’s side. Tom stepped aside and kept his thoughts and opinions to himself while Nelson explained the accident and the break, as well as the healing requirements.

  “I’ll ask Brett to have Wally bring a wagon over from the livery to haul Billy to the hotel,” Nelson said.

  Tom thought about following him out, but couldn’t make his feet do it. Seeing her, the desire to go to her, hold her, tell her Billy would be fine, was twisting his insides into knots. That irritated him. He shouldn’t care about her. Shouldn’t love her. She’d said she wanted to be as far away from him as possible, but not other men. Every single man in town ate at the hotel, some of them three meals a day, and t
hey gushed about her cooking. He’d heard it, seen it, and it made him mad as hell. If she wanted to leave, then she already should have.

  A couple of minutes later, the doctor was back. “There are a few boys out here who want to see the patient. Is that all right?”

  “Yes,” Clara said.

  With his frustration building, Tom waited until the boys had walked into the room, as meek as he’d ever seen them, yet full of empathy for their friend. Then he walked to the foot of the bed and pulled Clara into the other room.

  “This wouldn’t have happened if you’d gone home already,” he hissed. “Why haven’t you?”

  Anger snapped in her eyes, which was fine with him. She could get as mad as she wanted and it still wouldn’t outbeat the fury inside him. If she was gone, Billy wouldn’t be hurt and he wouldn’t have to look at her, wish she cared as much about him as he did her.

  Keeping her voice low, she answered, “Because I promised Rollie I wouldn’t until Sadie—”

  Anger flared inside him. “Then why’d you tell Billy you were?”

  “Because we will be, soon.” She shook her head. “I didn’t want him to get his hopes up about going to school here.”

  “So you’d rather he broke his leg instead?”

  “No! I—”

  “He doesn’t want to leave, so was going to hide out in the bell tower. The others were going to bring him food.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me.” They were still whispering, which was hard when he wanted to shout.

  “Who told you that?”

  “He did, and so did the other boys. There was no reason to tell him you were leaving until it was time to go.” Getting madder by the second, he added, “There’s no reason to keep hanging around here, either, giving others hope that you might stay.”

  She twisted hard enough he had to break his hold or physically hurt her.

  Taking a step back, she asked, “What are you talking about? Giving who hope?”

  “Oh, pretending you don’t know again?” On a roll, releasing the rage that was tearing at him, he continued, “Why do you think every bachelor for a hundred miles around is eating at the hotel three times a day? They want a wife, and besides you, Bella’s the only eligible woman left in town. No man wants to marry a woman twice as big and mean as they are.”

  If he’d seen anger before, he now saw outrage almost as strong as what lived inside him.

  “You are the most rude, ignorant man on earth. How dare you speak about Bella like that. How dare you—”

  Cutting her off, he hissed, “Oh, that coming from a woman married to an outlaw. How dare you let those men think you’re available when you’re still married?”

  “Get. Out. Of. Here.”

  Giving her a sneer as glaring as the one she was giving him, he said, “I can’t. I need to carry Billy up to his room.”

  “I’ll ask Mr. Blackwell to do that,” she snapped. “Or one of the other men who aren’t as downright nasty and mean as you.” Lifting her chin, she marched around him and into Billy’s room.

  “Fine, do that,” he muttered, knowing she couldn’t hear. He didn’t care, either. Not one ounce.

  He wasn’t even out the door before admitting he was lying, and being an ass.

  Brett was on the front porch. “Wagon’s here. I’ll get those boys out of there.”

  Tom nodded, and followed a few steps back into the room where he grabbed a blanket off the sofa.

  “That’s what I was coming for,” Sylvia Graham said. “I’ll take it out while you get Billy.”

  Tom was about to protest when he heard Billy.

  “Where’s Tom? Why can’t he carry me?”

  “Right here,” he said while crossing from the outer room. Once in the examination room, he didn’t look at Clara. Couldn’t. He hadn’t meant to be so mean, to say such hateful things, and was ashamed by his behavior. “It’ll take both Brett and me. We have to keep that leg straight and steady.”

  Fiona ushered the other boys out of the room and Clara held the doors open, and kept the path to the wagon clear. Once Billy was settled in the back, Wally set the horse moving forward at a slow and steady pace. Tom walked on one side, Clara on the other, and though she spoke often to Billy, she never looked his way once.

  He couldn’t blame her.

  At the hotel, Brett once again helped him carry Billy inside and up the stairs. Clara ran ahead to open the door to their room. Walking backward, Tom had to keep glancing over his shoulder, and each time he saw her face, the blood in his veins ran colder. She no longer looked mad, more like heartbroken. And that pained him like nothing ever had.

  Billy was quickly settled, and people cleared out of the room with well wishes and promises to visit soon. Tom stayed put.

  “You can leave, too,” Clara said.

  “I’ll help you get his clothes off.” Nelson had cut the pant leg open just like she’d done his to see to his wound. “Don’t want him jostled too much.”

  She stood at the door. Holding it open. “I can manage.”

  “Clara—”

  “Don’t you think you’ve already said enough? I do.”

  Billy was looking at both of them curiously, and Tom, knowing she was right, patted the boy’s hand. “I’ll stop by to see you tomorrow.”

  “All right,” Billy said, still glancing between him and Clara. “’Bye, Tom.”

  “’Bye, buddy.”

  As he walked out the door, she hissed, “Don’t bother stopping by.”

  The click of the door felt like a slam.

  * * *

  Holding the doorknob, Clara couldn’t move. She was numb, inside and out. The anger that had run hot enough to blister her earlier was gone and the pain left behind was too much to bear, so she pretended it wasn’t there. Just like she had so many other pains, so many other things.

  “Ma?”

  She turned around, and though she should, she couldn’t even muster up a fake smile.

  “You’re really mad at me, aren’t you?”

  Leaning against the door, giving herself time, she said, “I’m not happy about what happened, and I’m very sad that you were hurt, but I’m not mad.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m too sad.” Pushing off the door, she walked to the side of the bed and sat in the chair. Sad wasn’t the only thing she felt. Guilt completely filled her. “You could have been hurt worse than a broken leg.” Hoping Tom had been wrong, she asked, “What possessed you to climb the bell tower?”

  He bowed his head. “I don’t want to leave. I like it here. I was going to hide in the bell tower until you left.”

  Taking a hold of one of his hands, she asked, “Do you think I would have left without you?”

  He shrugged and wiped at his eyes. “No, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

  She didn’t know what else to do, either. “Well, climbing the bell tower was not a good idea.”

  “That’s what Tom said.” Billy sighed. “I didn’t mean to make you sad, Ma.” Looking up at her, he said, “I didn’t mean to get hurt, but leaving here makes me sad.”

  “I know, and I didn’t mean to make you sad, either. And I certainly didn’t want you to get hurt.” But he had gotten hurt, and it was her fault. She was pretty sure Tom hadn’t meant to hurt her, either, but he had. And that was her fault, too. She shouldn’t have told Billy, and she shouldn’t still be here. The one thing she hadn’t wanted to happen was for someone else to get hurt, yet that was exactly what had happened.

  A knock sounded on the door, and she considered not opening it. Was still contemplating if she should or not when it cracked open and Sadie poked her head around the door. “I brought up some warm milk. Figured it would help him sleep.”

  “Thank you,” Clara said.

  Sadie set
the tray on the dresser and then wrapped her arms around Clara. “It’s hard seeing those we love hurt, in pain.”

  Clara didn’t trust herself to speak.

  “All we can do is love them more,” Sadie whispered. “Just love them more.”

  Clara nodded and stepped out of the hug before the tears pressing hard to be released won the battle and broke loose.

  “I’ll help you get his clothes off,” Sadie said.

  Clara didn’t decline the help, was indeed thankful for the assistance. Sadie didn’t leave until Billy was settled beneath the covers and had emptied the glass of milk. In no time at all, Billy was asleep, and Clara, sitting in the chair, let the tears fall.

  They fell until she felt completely empty and sore, and then she laid her head on the table as a few more tears fell. When those tears dried up, she sat up and looked at her son. No matter what she tried to do, it turned out wrong. So wrong.

  Knowing sitting here wouldn’t help anyone, not her, not Billy, not Tom, she rose. Dr. Graham had said Billy would sleep for most of the day, and ultimately, needing even more funds now in order to pay the doctor, she washed her face and went downstairs to help with the evening meal.

  Sadie, Rollie and Bella all tried to send her back upstairs, but she insisted there wasn’t anything she could do. Sitting by the bed wouldn’t make Billy heal any faster, and she’d left the door open to hear if he called.

  They finally gave in and let her get to work, first peeling potatoes and then frying pan after pan of chicken.

  Hours later, there were only a few pieces left, meaning any late eaters would have to settle for something else, when Sadie tapped her shoulder. “Altina’s been fed and sound asleep. I’ll take over.”

  Clara started to say no, but concern for Billy filled her.

  Sadie must have sensed that because she said, “Billy’s sleeping. I checked on him, too. You are the one who needs to rest now.”

  Clara was exhausted, but sleep wasn’t going to help. Her body wasn’t tired. It was her mind, and heart. With a nod, she walked over to hang up her apron.

  “On your way through the dining room, stop at table four,” Bella said. “They want to compliment the cook.”