Emily

by Paige Mallory

  “Lots of coffee, scrambled eggs, ham, fried potatoes, and biscuits… Served family style,” Hiram stated without asking Sylvia’s preferences. She needed to eat, and eat well. She was staring at him when Cheryl walked away. “What are you thinking, Sylvia?” he quietly asked.

  “Aren’t you going to be embarrassed when she tells your son that she saw you in here with me?”

  “Why would that be a problem?”

  “I know what people think about me, Hiram. I know that they don’t believe that Willy existed. I ran off with him when he was passing through town and took a shine to me. He was a good man, but he had a terrible temper, and he wasn’t as fast with a gun as he thought he was. My own Pa didn’t believe that Willy married me, but he did. We didn’t do nothing until after we was married. Willy was good to me.”

  “I believe you, Sylvia.” He said the words and hoped he would believe her. She looked at him for a moment or two, and he repeated, “I believe you.” Her pretty eyes filled with tears once again, but she nodded and reached across the table for his hand.

  “Thank you, Hiram. Thank you so much.”

  Cheryl came then with food and placed the bowls and a platter of ham on the table. She then ran and came back with a pot of coffee. “I know how you love your coffee, Mr. Nielson,” she said with a smile. “Mrs. Crawford, are you okay?” Cheryl whispered. “Can I help you in any way? You look so upset.”

  “I’m okay; just not used to anyone being so nice to me as Hiram is,” she explained, trying to smile.

  “All the Nielson men are kind and just wonderful,” Cheryl insisted. “Now, if you need anything at all, you come to me. Mr. Bailey likes to sound all gruff, but he really does have a heart and he would give me time off to help if you needed it.”

  “Thank you, but I really am doing better now.” Hiram, the Z’s, and now Cheryl were all being so kind and reaching out to her with helping hands… even though Hiram’s helping hand had left her behind stinging and sore. She blushed as Cheryl hurried to another table and Hiram looked up to see her studying him intently. This time her smile was sincere and came unbidden. “Thank you, Hiram. You’ll never know how much I needed your help last night.” She could still feel the stripe across her back, too, and as long as she lived she would never strike anyone, but especially little Kathy, in that manner.

  “You’re welcome, honey. Now eat up,” he ordered and she was shocked to realize that while she was thinking about things in general, Hiram had filled her plate with food.

  “I can’t eat all of this!” she exclaimed.

  “Yes, you can. You’ll feel better once you fill your belly. Once you clean your plate, I’ll walk you to your store so you can open up, and I’ll go to Bill Tune’s store and get food to fill your kitchen.”

  “That’s not necessary!” she argued.

  “Yes, it is, and no more arguing, young lady, or you’ll go over my knee again.” He didn’t say the words in a loud manner, but she turned red and hastened to look around to see if anyone heard. To her relief, they hadn’t. “Eat up, Sylvia,” he warned, but refrained from smiling as she picked up her fork and took a mouthful of her scrambled eggs. She really was pretty, and he had a feeling she would be even prettier once she gained some weight.

  *****

  “What is wrong, Mac?” Emily asked as she saw him frowning. He quickly hid the frown and then smiled.

  “Not a thing, pretty lady. You are spoiling me, and I am seriously going to get fat. I used to take breakfast at the restaurant, and believe me, their food isn’t nearly as good as yours.”

  “You are exaggerating, Mac. And, something is troubling you. Have I done something wrong?”

  “No, of course not.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Sending his wife away with Lucy, as Doc Z suggested, wasn’t going to work out. Lucy was busy with little Kathy and Mac wasn’t about to permit Emily to go off on her own. He really had no choice but to tell her the truth. “Em, I have some news that is going to upset you. Your mother is on her way here; she wants to have our marriage annulled and take you home. I sent for Judge Parker and he is on his way to send her packing. You have your birth certificate; we have our marriage certificate. There is nothing she can do.”

  “Except die,” Emily said, getting to her feet. “When is she arriving?” she asked, her voice too quiet.

  “I’m not sure. It could be as soon as tomorrow or the next day; it might be another week.”

  “That is enough time,” she said, getting to her feet.

  “Enough time for what? You aren’t leaving town to avoid her.”

  “No,” Emily answered, filling her dishpan with hot water from the stove’s reservoir. She added soap, and began scrubbing their dirty dishes.

  He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. “Emily, please talk to me. Don’t shut me out. I want to help you and I don’t know what to do. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “You honestly don’t want to know,” she said, angrily scrubbing the plate she’d served bacon upon.”

  “Em…?”

  “Okay, I am planning to shoot her dead on sight! Are you happy now?”

  “No, I am not happy! I’m going to have no choice but to lock you in jail if you don’t rid yourself of this ridiculous idea.”

  “It isn’t ridiculous. I won’t allow her to come here and pretend she cares about me. She is the reason my Father couldn’t be with me when I needed him so much. She is a terrible woman, and how dare she pretend concern that I am married? I won’t have her here, Mac. If she shows up, I’ll call her out and I’ll shoot her dead. Now go and do some Sheriffing; I want to be alone,”

  “I’m not about to leave you alone until you calm down, Mrs. Forrester.”

  “Calm down!” She slapped the dishwater with her hands, splashing water everywhere. “Hell no! I told you I don’t want to see her; I told you I would kill her if she came here; I asked you to protect me and keep her away. If she comes here, she is as good as dead. No discussion.”

  “You aren’t going to kill anyone, Emily Forrester.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on it if I were you!” Emily hated the woman; truly hated her. “Send a wire, Mac. Do anything, but keep her away from me or I will do as I said.” In the next instant she was jerked away from the dishpan so quickly that it flipped off the counter and onto the floor, sending soapy water everywhere! “Look what you’ve done, Mac Forrester!” Emily was outraged and so focused on the water and dishes that were covering the floor that she didn’t realize that Mac was pulling her over to the table until it was too late. He’d already pulled out a chair and just that quickly, she was facedown over his knee and he was tossing up her skirts and pulling down her drawers! “No, Mac! Noooo!” she pleaded with him.

  “You’ve earned a damn good hiding, little girl,” Mac bluntly told her, raising his hand and bringing it down hard on her pale skin. Emily cried out and a fiery red handprint appeared. Mac didn’t hesitate to spank her once again, doing his best to get her attention. “You are not going to kill anyone, Emily Forrester. I don’t care how much you hate her and blame her for your father’s death, you are not going to kill her. I won’t see you hang, and that is precisely what would happen if you shoot her dead.” He spanked her naked butt once again, and continued to scold her as he spanked her until she was sobbing. When he thought she had enough, he put her on her feet, marched her to a corner with instructions to hold up her skirts and keep her nose in the corner and think things over.

  Mac was angry and he felt pretty darn helpless. How in hell was he to prevent that woman from coming to town? He could take his wife’s guns and hide them, and lock up all the guns in the office, but he knew how resourceful Emily could be. He had no doubt in his mind that if the redhead decided to shoot someone, she would find a way to buy a gun… or borrow one. He had an instant flash of awareness and knew exactly where his brat of a wife would go to borrow that gun, and he was damn sure that Lucy Zabarski wou
ld accommodate Emily. Lucy had her own issues growing up with parents who disliked her for being a female when they wanted a son. Yes, Lucy would take Em’s side for sure. He picked up the dishpan, and then got down on his knees and started cleaning up the mess he’d made when he’d pulled Emily away from the chore she was doing to give her a sound spanking.

  Emily was still sniffling and crying over in the corner, and her backside hurt. Her skin was on fire and she could feel Mac’s anger as her bottom throbbed mercilessly. He just didn’t understand how she felt. She did not want that woman to come here and do anything to destroy what she had with Mac the way she destroyed what she could have had with her father. It wasn’t fair. It simply was not fair! She rested her forehead against the wall and cried. What could she say to Mac? She knew him well enough to know that he would spank her again if she so much as hinted that she would kill that horrible woman! The only reason that woman wanted her to come home was so she could find ways to torture her and make her miserable. Emily was positive that her sweet husband had never met anyone as hateful and manipulative as that evil woman.

  Mac finished cleaning up the mess and was surprised at how long it took him to do it. The fact that Emily was still crying in the corner wasn’t lost on him, but he couldn’t keep her there forever. He walked over and put his hands on the wall on either side of her, with his body against her sore rump. “Well, Mrs. Forrester? You know perfectly well what I want to hear.”

  “I know what you want, Mac, but I’m not going to make any promises no matter how much you spank me and try to change my mind. You have no idea what she is like; I do. I will not permit her to come between us. And, if she does, she will pay with her life.”

  “I can’t stop her from coming,” he growled. “Am I going to have to lock you in jail?”

  “That is up to you, Mac, but I won’t forgive you if you do.” She paused when she heard him take a sharp breath. “May I please pull up my drawers and lower my skirts? You need to get to work, and I have baking to do.”

  “We aren’t finished with this discussion, Emily,” he warned.

  She looked at him, her green eyes full of tears. “I won’t change my mind, Mac. She is evil and I hate her. She’s worse than Kathy’s mother.”

  Mac winced. “You can fix your clothing, but you are to stay right here today; in this kitchen, and nowhere else.”

  “I need to make the bed!” she told him, her voice expressing her shock.

  “If you can do that from this kitchen, then make the bed; if you can’t, then it’s best you don’t unless you want a paddling for defying me and refusing to accept this punishment, and, believe me, it is a punishment. I want you to think about how you would feel confined in jail or prison for the rest of your life if you commit a crime. I wouldn’t be able to protect you, Emily, and I promise you that I won’t forgive you if you end up going to prison or hanging. You are confined to this room, and no other.” He turned on his heel and stomped from their apartment to the Sheriff’s office next door.

  “What the hell am I going to do with her?” he asked himself as he unlocked the door to the street. Thankfully, there was no one waiting for him to open up. That was a good sign; it meant that there wasn’t any cattle rustled during the night, and perhaps it would be a quiet morning and he would have time to think about the situation with Emily and how to handle it. Mac headed for the telegraph office and he tried to send a telegram to her Mother, hoping it would reach her and she would cancel her plans. He was blunt and told her that Emily hated her and didn’t want to see her, and had threatened to kill her if she showed her face. He knew that the telegram would prove premeditated murder, but Mac would do everything he could to keep Emily from doing something they would both regret.

  He ran into Henry in front of his former father-in-law’s store. “Having a slow day?” he asked

  “I am; no one waiting in my office this morning, no calls during the night. Lucy sent me for thread.” He held up a small package. “What about you?”

  “Things are quiet… except for home. I told Emily that her Mother was coming and she reacted even worse than I thought she would. She promised to kill her.”

  “Good grief! She’s as headstrong as my Lucy,” Henry declared. “She needs a good blistering, my friend.”

  “She’s wearing one right now, Doc Z, and she is confined to the kitchen for the day. I want her to experience a small taste of jail.”

  “If you think of anything I can do to help out, let me know, friend,” Henry offered. “In the meantime, I think you will be interested in knowing that Sylvia Crawford is sober and Hiram Nielson is responsible. She came by this morning to see Kathy before she went to school. Sylvia apologized to her, told her how much she loved her, and she asked Lucy if she would keep Kathy a few more days until she is feeling better. Hiram was with her, and Lucy thinks that Sylvia is sincere. She invited the two of them to supper tonight so that Sylvia can see Kathy. I think that Hiram is going to stay by Sylvia’s side until she is through this rough time. Lucy isn’t going to get her cabinets right away, but she said that is fine with her if it helps Kathy have a better life.”

  “Hiram is a good man. I hope he can get Sylvia to the point she will leave the booze alone.”

  “He returned quite a few unopened bottles to Bill and exchanged them for food, plus he bought a bunch of groceries for Sylvia. The man is trying to help her, and I pray it works.”

  “Me too, friend. I need to go and check on my Em and hope she is obeying me. I’d hate to have to whale her again today, but I will if she takes one step out of that kitchen.” He turned and walked down the street and into the jail. No one was waiting for his help, and he had no prisoners to take care of. He entered his apartment and walked straight into the kitchen and found it empty! He cursed under his breath and decided that Em was going to wish she hadn’t decided to test his resolve. If she thought her butt sore now, she would soon learn just how sore she could be!

  Chapter Eleven

  Emily wasn’t about to be restricted and punished for wanting to be free of her bitch of a mother. The woman hated her and Emily wasn’t going to give her a chance to come between her and Mac. After hunting for bounties for several years, she already had a very good idea what it was like to be jailed. She also had witnessed quite a few hangings. No, she didn’t want to hang… and no, she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life in prison, but she would rather do either of those things than face the evil woman who professed to be her mother. She waited until she was positive that her husband would be gone long enough she could make her escape without a physical confrontation, then she changed her clothing and slipped quietly out of their home, which was attached to the jail.

  Mac would not be happy when he came home and found her missing, but the only prayer he had of keeping her in that kitchen was by sitting there and never closing his eyes. Emily wasn’t the type of woman who would meekly obey. Her husband should know that by now! She needed some time alone.

  *****

  Lucy jumped when the kitchen door banged open. She whirled around and saw Mac Forrester standing there, glaring at her. “Where is she, Lucy, and don’t you dare tell me you don’t know who I mean!”

  Lucy’s famous temper immediately flared. “Don’t you come inside my home and take that tone of voice with me, Mac Forrester!” She could see he was furious, but she didn’t like his attitude. There was only one man in the entire world who had the right to take her to task, and it wasn’t Sheriff Mac Forrester. Besides, she didn’t have a clue what Mac was talking about.

  “I’m not in the mood for any of your sass, woman. Where is my wife?”

  “I don’t know!” she answered, clearly exasperated with him, her mind whirling. “Why don’t you know where Emily is at?” She was curious as to what was going on. “Did the two of you have a fight?”

  “Where’s Doc Z?” Mac demanded in exasperation. If it wouldn’t mean a fight with his best friend, he would shake the impossible Lucinda.

/>   “At the Bishop’s. Amanda is delivering.”

  “Are you hiding Emily, Lucy?” he asked in what he thought was a straight forward manner.

  She looked at him suspiciously. “Why would she need hiding from you, Mac?”

  “Don’t be funny, Lucy. Em’s not where she is supposed to be, and she is in a terrible temper. I’m afraid she is going to kill someone if I don’t stop her.” The worry in his dark eyes immediately calmed Lucy’s temper.

  “Her mother…?” Lucy asked immediately, her eyes giving away the fact that she was very concerned. “She told me how much she hates her, and with good reason. That woman is evil.”

  Mac explained that Zinnia Craig was on her way to town, and his sweet wife was furious, and Lucy nodded in understanding. “If she comes to me, I’ll get word to you,” she promised. Once Mac was gone, she quickly ran into the bedroom she shared with Henry, and quickly changed her clothing. Then she hurried down the street to Sylvia Crawford’s store.

  “What’s wrong, Mrs. Z.?” Sylvia asked when she saw the look on the other woman’s face, and the way she was dressed.

  “Sylvia, I know I promised to help with Kathy, and I really want to, but a friend of mine is in some serious trouble, and I need to help her before she does something that will ruin her life forever.”

  “What is happening?” Sylvia asked sympathetically. “Do you need my help?” she offered, willing to do what she could to help the obviously distressed woman.

  “Yes. Could you pick up Kathy after school and keep her? I might not get back tonight.”

  “Mrs. Z, what’s going on?” Hiram asked, frowning. He’d come out to the store when he heard a woman’s voice raised in distress, and he wanted to make sure that Sylvia didn’t have a situation she needed help with.

  “I don’t have time to talk right now, Hiram. Please help Sylvia with Kathy, and if my husband comes looking for me, well, tell him I might be gone for a day or two.” She turned and took off running.