She turned to look at him straight on. Impulsively she reached out and tenderly touched the spot on his head. He leaned into her touch and looked her right in the eyes. That’s when she noticed his. They were bloodshot, swollen, and full of pain.
He grabbed a handful of her hair and snorted. “He took you up there to make you look like one of them.”
“Dry it up, Bo,” Silas shouted.
Emmie shook her head. She knew Bo was trying to distract her from the question she was about to ask. “Did your father do this to you?” she asked.
Bo looked down at the ground. His refusal to reply was enough of an answer for her.
“I’m sorry, Bo,” she said softly.
“Don’t apologize to him. He doesn’t deserve your sympathy or your pity,” Trick said from behind them.
Bo turned and glared at Trick. “I figure I’ve got good reason to be mad enough to shoot you without feeling bad about it, buddy. So you best keep your mouth shut. My sister told me what you called her.”
Emmie stared at Bo wide-eyed.
“Your sister diddled around with me to pass information off to your father and his man Parbour. I didn’t call her any name she didn’t earn,” Trick said with a grin.
Bo’s hand clenched into a fist like he was about to hit Trick but Al stopped him.
“Listen son, Walter told us your piece. We appreciate that you tried to intervene and went against your father’s plan, but I’m not sure now is the best time for this conversation,” Al said, his voice not unkind but also not friendly.
He fiddled with a button on the sleeve of his flannel shirt. “He used her just like he did everyone else. She didn’t know he would use the information to hurt you. Millie is a soft girl just like Emmie.”
“Just tell us what you came to say and leave before we help you out, boyo” Michael said from Silas’s bedside.
“I just wanted you to know I’m sorry. You know I’ve never been a fan of yours,” he said, looking at Silas. “But I didn’t want you dead, not most of the time anyway.” He swallowed hard. “Also, before I head home, I wanted you to know I will be continuing to supply in our area.”
“You will, will you?” Silas said, amused.
“I will. And if you won’t buy it others will. Walter and I are going in together. I’m the head of the Johnsons now and I will take care of my family. Maybe not the same way my father did but I will not skirt that responsibility. If you’re planning to shoot me over something, I’d rather get it outta the way now rather than spend the next year looking over my shoulder,” Bo said.
“Where’s the fun in that game?” Trick asked.
Silas laughed. Emmie looked at him through slitted eyes.
“No one is going to shoot anyone, kid, but it’s time for you to go,” Al said, nodding to the door.
Bo nodded and turned to Silas. “I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. Maybe all of this could have been avoided. The way Walter tells it, if I could have called three minutes earlier, you would have had them all out of the house.”
Silas nodded. “What Walter said is true.”
Bo looked at Emmie. “Are ever going to come get your dog?” He tried to sound lighthearted but came up short.
Emmie nodded and pointed at Silas. “As soon as he’s out of the hospital. Thanks for taking care of Spotty, especially in the midst of all of this. And thank you for everything. I am sorry . . .” but her voice trailed off because she wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence.
Bo shrugged. “We’re all going to be better off, right? He never really cared for anyone but himself anyway.” He said the words but she knew he wasn’t feeling them. He was experiencing a pain that only time would dull. She couldn’t fully understand what he must be feeling. His father was not a good man but there was always pain in losing a parent regardless what they had done.
Emmie squeezed his arm. He almost smiled but his face fell as he grabbed her hand. His head snapped around to Silas and then back to Emmie. “So, you’ve decided to be Mrs. Silas.”
“I’ve decided to be Emmie McDowell, not Mrs. Silas,” she said, lifting her chin. There was a big difference in those two names.
He grunted and nodded, mumbling something under his breath. Emmie followed him out the door. They heard the men in the room pick up a quick conversation before they made it all the way into the hall.
“I don’t expect you to walk me out,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Bo, I meant what I said. I’m sorry you are hurt. If I can do anything, just let me know. You are still my friend,” she said, looking up at him. “I think it’s honorable that you want to care for your family but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous to hear that you and Walter plan to go in together.”
Bo actually winked at her. “Talk to Walter about his plans and I guarantee you’ll feel better about it. I actually thought this was your idea. You’re making that old man soft.”
Emmie frowned, wondering what he meant. But mostly she wondered if Bo knew that Walter had fired the shot that had taken down Mr. Johnson. She doubted it. There was no reason for him to know. Mr. Johnson had come to kill anyone at the house that day and Walter had protected those he loved. Knowing the truth about that would only cause Bo more pain. Some things were better left unsaid.
“I’ll be home soon for Spotty.”
“No rush,” he said, turning to leave the hospital.
Her heart felt heavy watching him leave but she had enough faith in him to know in the end he would be okay. He had his sister and, regardless what Trick thought, she was not a bad person. They would cling to one another through this.
Chapter Fifty-two
Emmie took her time returning to Silas’s room. She knew he needed time to talk to his family. When Marco saw her standing outside in the hall, he joined her and asked if she was okay. She told him she was fine and thought she was being fairly honest. He said that he was leaving that evening on a train back to Chicago. He had promised to be better about keeping in touch and she believed him. Their relationship was strained but not broken. That was a vast improvement from what she would have said a month ago.
Al left the room and practically ran into her. He cupped her chin. “Are you okay here or do you want me to take you somewhere?”
Just like with Marco, she’d assured him she was okay.
“I had a feeling that’s what you’d say. So, Silas, huh? You sure about that?”
“Positive,” she answered.
Marco and Al left together and she sat in a chair outside Silas’s door, watching the nurses move from room to room. After a while Trick popped his head out and shouted, “She’s out here.” Then he turned back to Emmie. “He’s asking for you.”
If they’d been talking about any tense family business before she entered the room, she couldn’t tell. The atmosphere in the room was night and day different from when Bo was in there less than an hour ago. That made her feel a little better. She was going to be sure Bo didn’t end up hurt from all this. He had already suffered so much.
Silas’s father draped an arm around Emmie as she entered the room. “So, I’m getting a new daughter? Silas has kept this tight-lipped.”
“Well the details are still being worked out,” Silas said with an arched brow, looking pointedly at Emmie.
She laughed.
“Jemma will be glad. She was disappointed not to have you with her at the Bell House this week,” the older man said, looking down at her. Emmie had forgotten she had promised to help there this week.
“When we are back in Chicago, I’ll look forward to helping. It’s a wonderful mission, Mr. McDowell,” Emmie said honestly.
“That it is, girl,” he boasted proudly. He and Trick left to return to the hotel not long after Emmie made her way back to the room, leaving her alone with Silas.
Silas patted the bed next to him.
She walked over, sat next to him, and leaned into his good side. “When do you want to be married?”
He rested his head against the pillow and looked up at the ceiling. “Four or five years from now?”
She smacked his leg playfully. “If you aren’t careful you will make me think you don’t want me.”
He squeezed her into him and dug his chin into her neck. His scruffy beard left red marks on her skin. “Oh I want you, especially in that dress. Whatever it cost it just may be the best money I’ve ever spent.” He trailed a finger up to the hem of her skirt.
She laughed and a moment of quiet passed between them as they both thought of how to continue the conversation.
“Silas, I want to marry you. But before we do this there is something else I want to ask of you,” she said, turning to face him.
His eyes widened. She rarely asked for things and Emmie could tell she had piqued his curiosity. “I don’t think I’m a moll. I’ve never seen you hurt people just to hurt them. What is good and bad anyway? Everyone is just doing what they think is best in the moment they are living in, right?”
He nodded at her words but kept quiet wondering where this was going.
“And . . .” she swallowed hard, “I understand why you need to work with the moonshine. If the police aren’t going to be able to keep it safe, somebody’s got to, right? Some of those bootleggers are bad people and some of them aren’t. I figure you’re as good a person as any to help sort through that.” She took a deep breath. “I’m not saying that I don’t expect you to be involved because I’m not sure that’s even what I’d want to ask of you. But I will ask for you to watch out for Walter and maybe if you could find it in your heart, after enough time for you to build some trust, for Bo too.”
Silas frowned and opened his mouth to speak but she put a hand up to silence him. “But also, I’m hoping that in the future you can spend a little more time in the office and a little less time chasing down people with your fists or guns. I’m not saying never because I’m not here to change you . . . I’m just saying not often. If we are to have a family someday, it’s what I’d need. I couldn’t be spending every night wondering if you’d come home with a hole in your chest.”
Silas toyed with the ring on her hand. “When we are married I’ll pick up more duties at the law office. Some of my responsibilities can be passed to others. Especially when Al returns to Bowling Green.” He looked down at his injured side. “Plus I spoke with the doctor again after you left. It seems this arm may not be the quickest draw anymore.”
“What do you mean?” Emmie asked, looking at his arm that lay to his side.
“Apparently the doctor thinks there is a chance of lasting damage to my insides that could impact how well I use this one,” Silas said with a frown. “He says only time will tell though. And you know me, I don’t give up that easy.”
She gently touched his arm and nodded, careful to keep emotion off her face. She needed to be strong for him. “You’re one of the most stubborn men I know. That should work in your favor for this battle.”
He grinned, weaved his fingers through her wavy hair, and pulled her mouth to his. His arm may not be working as well but there was no problem with his lips. Even in a hospital bed he could make her feel like mush.
“You warmed up?” he asked with a smile.
She laughed thinking of the night they had ice skated.
“Melted,” she said.
“You don’t know melted yet,” he tilted his head to the side as he spoke and kissed her neck then whispered, “but you will soon.”
*
Silas was in the hospital longer than expected. No infection set in, but the wound wasn’t healing as quickly as the doctors had hoped. Emmie began to almost look forward to the no-visiting hours each day because he had become such a bear. That man didn’t like bed rest. She’d spent all her free time at Max’s makeshift hospital in the white Victorian house. She asked Dr. Stone how she could be helpful. At first he very politely blew her off, saying he didn’t need any assistance. By the end of the first week, he sat her down with a couple of mothers that couldn’t read to help them fill out required hospital paperwork. Another time she showed up with a new book and read to the kids while their parents met with Dr. Stone. One day she cooked beans and cornbread for the folks staying in the house. They looked so thankful for the home-cooked meal. In the afternoons she made her way out to the shed and helped Max with reading. It wasn’t unusual for other kids to join them. At the end of the second week Dr. Stone had come up to her, making sure she understood he had no money to pay for her work. She’d laughed at his suggestion, letting him know she only wanted to help others and would never request payment.
Ridiculously enough, married or engaged women couldn’t be paid for their work but were allowed to donate their time for free. The ring on her left hand wouldn’t take away this opportunity. In the eyes of society Silas would provide the income and she would volunteer for the hospital. She thought it was a crazy rule, but she wouldn’t have wanted to take money from the hospital anyway. Those funds would be better spent on kids like Max.
She and Max sat at the foot of the stairs in the entry hall, finishing his math homework when she looked up and saw Silas standing in the doorway of Dr. Stone’s house.
“Silas. They’ve let you out early?” she asked, looking at the clock on the wall. She wasn’t due back at the hospital for another thirty minutes.
“Good behavior, I suppose.” He smiled and winked at Max.
“I know better than that.” She stood and wrapped her arms around him.
“So this is Max’s hospital?” he asked, trying to keep judgment out of his voice but failing.
“It sure is,” Max said proudly.
“They’re building a larger facility that will be finished next summer. This is actually run out of Dr. Jonah Stone’s home, remember?” They’d talked about the hospital a lot in the past couple of weeks.
Max gave Silas a tour that lasted all of three minutes. Silas smiled as he told Max about how nice the place was but she could tell he was less than impressed. Well, until he met Dr. Stone. The doctor limped up to them, shook hands with Silas, and explained how he’d started this little office that had soon grown into a real hospital. Emmie saw Silas’s demeanor change as he realized this doctor had a personal passion for his work with children. She wondered if her own reaction to the little white house had been similar that first day she’d stumbled upon it.
Trick had driven them all back to Tealbach that evening. Emmie was surprised to learn Walter and Mae had decided to spend the last couple weeks in the hotel rather than staying in their leased house. Too many bad memories now accompanied that little house. Before Silas’s father had left town he’d made sure they were put up in one of the largest suites. Walter didn’t like the finery, but he agreed it was better for Max so he went along with it.
Emmie stood in the lobby, waiting to walk upstairs when she saw Trick carry her bags downstairs. She looked at Silas and frowned. He grinned before he spoke.
“Are you ready to go home?” Silas asked.
“We’re going back to Bowling Green this afternoon?” she asked in surprise.
He nodded with a grin, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the hotel.
Chapter Fifty-three
Emmie was both excited and nervous as they drove back through the streets of her hometown. The night was clear, revealing a black sky dotted with stars. The drive home had been beautiful. Home. Her heart sank as she realized her house was gone. They’d passed the scorched land on their way to drop off Walter. The old man had told her to not even look at it, but she couldn’t help herself. Everything was gone now. Even the barn had burned down. She wondered if someone she loved had done that on purpose. Someone who didn’t want her to see the ugly word carved into the side of the building.
After they dropped off Walter’s family and helped them get settled inside their little farmhouse, she, Trick, and Silas had stopped at her land. Silas hadn’t wanted to, saying it was too late and she didn’t have to worry about that rig
ht now, but she wanted to see it. She had cried seeing the ruins of her home, but strangely enough, a part of her had felt at peace with the loss. That house had seen a lot of happy memories but it had seen a lot of horrors too. Ronnie had been murdered, not fifty yards from where she was standing. She had not darkened the door of her house since the day she was kidnapped.
Emmie had looked around in the pitch-black night and decided that it was time to let those ghosts go. She was moving on to do the thing she’d always dreamed of, carving out a real life for herself. She didn’t know if she would keep the land and rebuild or sell it, but that wasn’t something she had to decide under the glow of the moonlight.
Trick drove them away from her house; she sat in the front seat and watched her past get smaller in the window behind her. Silas massaged her shoulders from the backseat using both hands. His grip on his affected side wasn’t as strong but he was improving. She put her hand on his weaker arm and patted, turning to face forward. They drove the rest of the way back to town in silence. She had assumed they would be staying at Ava’s parents’ house but she was wrong. Trick pulled the car into Marco’s rarely used home. Emmie was surprised to find the front of the house lit up. Someone was expecting their arrival this late at night?
Emmie turned to Silas confused. “I thought he’d gone to Chicago.”
“He did,” Silas said mysteriously.
Silas carried her bag in his strong arm and rested his other hand on the small of her back, leading her into the house. Emmie walked up the stone steps slowly trying to sneak a peek through the large windows. Silas’s boots thumped loudly on the wooden deck, as if to announce their arrival. Trick laughed and Emmie frowned, her eyebrow arched in question.
Come Rain or Shine (Shine On Series, Book Three) Page 26
