As soon as he rode away, she opened her eyes and saw Sullivan vault the fence. “It’s just me,” he said in a low voice.
“I need your help, Sullivan. Becca is at Widow Muse’s place and I need to get her before they take her away.” Tears escaped her eyes and trailed down her face.
Sullivan kneeled before her. His blue eyes were full of determination. His eyes and his strong jaw made her feel a bit better.
“I can’t walk, I hurt my ankle. I could walk with a crutch. I’d rather just stay here if you’d get Becca for me.”
“I’d feel better getting you home first.”
“No get Becca please?”
He reached forward and wiped a tear off her face. He stood and looked around and handed Sheila a branch that could serve as a crutch. “Donnell and Murphy are supposed to be checking the grass to make sure there aren’t any poisonous plants for the cattle to get into. Wave them down if you see them and have them bring you to the house.”
“Thank you, Sullivan,—” He’d already jumped the fence, got on his bay and was riding away.
***
Didn’t people understand Sheila didn’t have a mean bone in her body? He hoped he didn’t meet any armed yahoos out in the forest. Russ’ friends were the shoot first ask questions later type. He rode slowly and silently. He made it to the widow’s house without a problem. He tied Zealous at the back of the widow’s house.
The back door opened. “Take her to safety. They were already here, and I bet they’ll be back. Bless you Sullivan.” She handed him the dark-haired girl in her arms.
“You be careful,” he told the widow. He mounted the horse with Becca in his arms and slowly rode away.
Becca kept turning trying to see his face and he leaned down to her ear. “We need to be so very quiet. I’m taking you to your ma.”
Her head dropped forward and he hugged her to him for a moment. She was such a quiet child to begin with. There were kids on the Kavanagh ranch she could play with.
Sullivan was confident his nine brothers would help him to keep Sheila and Becca safe. His gut tightened thinking about Sheila and Becca being in danger. He urged Zealous to go faster. It didn’t take long before he was at the ranch house. He swung down with Becca in his arms.
“You’d best get her inside,” Donnell advised. “Sheila is all kinds of worried.”
He nodded his thanks and he practically raced up the steps of the big ranch house. Once in the door, Becca squirmed until she was standing on the floor. She flew into her mother’s arms and began to cry.
“Are you hurt? Let me look at you.” Sheila peeled Becca’s arms from around her neck. “Did anyone touch you?”
Becca shook her head. “Just Sullivan. I like him but I was scared.” She dove into Sheila’s arms again.
Sheila met his gaze and mouthed “thank you”. The fear in her eyes got to him. Sheila was as fearless as they came. It wasn’t easy raising a child alone. Sheila made it look easy.
His relief of Sheila’s safety engulfed him and it made him uneasy. He liked to care but this was bordering on caring too much.
Dolly bustled out of the kitchen. She set a cup of tea and a glass of milk on the table. She peered at Sullivan and he nodded his gratitude. Dolly had been taking care of the family for as long as he could remember. With their parents gone she took on the role of mother and friend. She went back into the kitchen returning with a plate of cookies and her own cup of tea.
“It sounds like you both had an awful fright.” She put the cookies on the table in front of mother and daughter and then she sat on one of the chairs near the sofa. “Did you manage to bring any of your things with you?”
“It all happened to fast. It was all I could do to escape. Jenny Wren’s father carried her into the house. She was already dead, but he didn’t want to believe me. The next thing I know he started yelling it was my fault the girl had died. Russ and a few of his friends were outside and that’s when I heard them talking about burning the witch. I saw them head for my front door and I ran out the back and down a hidden path.”
“You poor dear.” Dolly commiserated.
Teagan the oldest of the brothers ran into the house and Gemma his wife hurried down the stairs. Gemma shouldn’t have gone down the steps so quick, she was heavy with child and out of breath. Teagan seated her.
“Oh your ankle is black and blue!” Gemma exclaimed.
Dolly immediately stood. “I’ll get a cold wet cloth to wrap it. Donnell pull the table closer so I can put her leg up on it.”
Sullivan helped Donnell. Dolly came back with the cloth and wrapped Sheila’s ankle.
“That feels better. Thank you.”
“What else do you need? You probably know a plant to cure it.”
“Actually Sullivan if you have any of that liniment I gave you for the horses that would be wonderful.” She glanced at Dolly and then at Gemma. “I have cuts that need stitches. Are either of you—?”
“Your best bet is to have Sullivan do it. He has a way of doing it that makes a scar less noticeable.” Gemma nodded in agreement.
“Sullivan carry her to the front bedroom. It has a big bed Sheila and Becca can share,” Dolly instructed.
“I’ll get the water heated and gather the soap, cloths, thread and needle,” Gemma volunteered as she struggled to get up from the plush chair. She laughed and held out her hands for Teagan to take.
“Gemma, I’ll do all that,” Dolly instructed. “Donnell could you go over to Quinn’s place and see if Heaven can bring the kids over to keep Becca company?” She turned and stared at Sullivan. “Well? What are you waiting for?” “Oh Donnell grab the liniment while you’re out.”
Teagan and Gemma exchanged amused glances.
“Teagan you hurry on ahead of Sullivan and make sure the bed covers are turned down.”
Sullivan’s lips twitched. Dolly was good in a crisis, but he never noticed how bossy she actually was.
“Ready?” He gazed into Sheila’s dark eyes. When she nodded he lifted her into his arms. “You can help too Becca.”
Sheila wrapped her arms around his neck and he could feel her warm breath on his neck. It warmed his whole insides. He made his strides a bit longer; he needed to put her down. He was not in the market for a female especially a carefree one who thumbs her nose at all rules. She was very attractive, and he enjoyed talking with her but that was where it stopped.
Teagan turned down the bed and Sullivan gently put Sheila on it.
Why was he the one who was to stich her up? Gemma, Ciara or Heaven all probably sewed. It was going to be very awkward touching her skin. Hopefully it was just her arm or something.
Soon enough everything was brought into the room and everyone was ushered out except for him. This couldn’t be proper at all but Shelia didn’t seem bothered by it.
“I could ask one of the women to stay in here.”
“We’re adults, Sullivan. Open the door if you’re concerned.”
He did just that but he still didn’t feel right.
Chapter Two
They’d become good friends and now Sullivan acted as though she was contagious. Had she done or said something wrong? His was the one friendship she treasured. He never wanted anything from her. He was different from a lot of the men in town. They assumed her to be a lonely widow.
“I’ll need to take my dress off but I have proper undergarments and of course we’ll use the sheet to cover me.” Usually she said it to the patients to make them comfortable. She unbuttoned her dress and slid it off. “Worse than I thought. I can do it myself, Sullivan.”
He turned and saw her shoulders and back. “What happened?”
“Running through the woods and falling.” She fisted her hands.
“Painful?”
“Yes, and I don’t have my willow bark tea. It’s fine just get started. Clean the wound before you stitch.”
“I have some whiskey. I bet it would help with the pain.”
Her eyes widene
d and she shuddered. “No thank you.” She shivered. “I don’t drink whiskey.”
He carefully cleaned two spots on her left side. “I’m going to have to sit on the bed to reach the first one.”
“That’s fine.” She gritted her teeth as the needle went in. Deep breathing helped to manage the pain a bit.
Teagan surprised her by entering the room. “Gemma sent this up for you to drink.” He handed her the teacup.
She smelled it and smiled. “Willow bark. Tell Gemma I thank her.” She drank it and waited for it’s effect. Her body began to relax slightly.
“Do you need me, Sullivan?”
“I’m almost done. Make sure you leave the door open,” he quipped.
Teagan chuckled. “I’m not worried. You are always the protector not the one who causes trouble.”
Sheila turned to give Sullivan easier access to the other side of her back. She tried not to flinch at even his softest of touches but she’d never been able to help it. Despite the willow bark tea her mind kept repeating what happened that day. People didn’t believe in witches anymore did they? Mr. Wren certainly got people believing enough to search for her.
She needed her rainy-day money and she needed to take her daughter and run. She’d been wise enough to have bags packed and money hidden but she didn’t plan where to go. Texas was a big state but much of It was unsettled. They weren’t awfully far from Oklahoma. She could find a job that didn’t involve her vast knowledge of healing.
“What do you know about Oklahoma?” she asked trying to keep her voice nice and light.
“Not all that much. It’s not a territory yet and there are plenty of Indians, Choctaw Indians. It’s settled some but you can’t expect any help if the Indians decide they want you off their land.”
“That bad, huh? My family has lived in this area for generations. They must have had to fight to keep their land at some point. I think I’m the first to be run off.” Frustration had a hold on her.
“You planning on taking a trip?” She couldn’t see his face but she could tell from his voice he didn’t approve. She’d never needed any man’s approval and never intended to.
“I need to take Becca to a safe place. I’m not sure which way I plan to go. I also need to stop by my place and grab a few things and then dig up my money.”
“You might want to wait a few days. Your house is certain to be watched.”
Pounding on the front door caused her to jump. “I’ll just go with them, unless there’s another way out of here. Most don’t know I have a child.”
“Stay put.” he stared at her. “I mean it.”
She gave him a curt nod. But he’d soon learn he couldn’t boss her around.
***
Sullivan joined the rest downstairs and nodded to the man Russ from that morning. “What’s going on?” Sullivan asked Teagan.
“Russ here says Sheila Kelly killed a girl but he doesn’t know how she did it. Something smells fishy about the whole story.”
Sullivan turned to Russ. “How was she killed? Did Sheila shoot her?”
“No, nothing like that. Ed brought his daughter into the Kelly place and the next thing we knew, Jenny was dead.”
“But how sick was she and why did ed bring her there?” Sullivan gazed intently at Russ.
“The way I heard it, Jenny caught her dress on fire while watching her ma wash clothes. They soaked her in water for a longtime then one of the men was called to go get the doc but he wasn’t there. I guess they dressed Jenny and brought her to the witches house.” Russ shrugged.
“Have you ever seen a burned person, Russ?” Teagan asked. “Cold water helps a bit but it’s hard to see. She would have been in too much pain for them to put clothes on her. Unless maybe they drugged her. Give too much and it can kill a person.”
“She was limp and dressed with her eyes closed. That’s all I know. You make some good points but I doubt you’d be able to change Mr. Wren’s mind. He told me once that Shelia had put a curse on him and he believed it. I’ll go back but I know my voice wont be heard above the rest of the men out for blood.”
Becca walked to Sullivan and held her arms up to him. He immediately picked her up and snuggled her close.
Russ stared at him. “I never knew you had a child.”
Sullivan smiled. “She’s my pride and joy.” He wasn’t about to mention her name.
Teagan walked Russ to the door and practically pushed him out.
“He won’t be the last to come here,” Gemma said. “That poor girl must have been dead before they dressed her.”
“I’ll carry Becca upstairs. Dolly could you please make up a tray for them? I think we’ll need to move them tomorrow.”
The door opened again. Surprise crossed his brother Brogan’s face. “You do have them and they’re safe. I just got a visit. I have a feeling they won’t stop until they find Sheila.
“Good to see you Brogan,” Dolly said as she started to climb the steps with a platter of food. Sullivan walked behind her carrying the little girl.
“Teagan we’d better list possibilities of hideouts,” Brogan said.
Sullivan smiled at Becca. He should have protected them somehow. He should have seen this coming. There must have been something he could have done. As soon as they walked into the room, Becca squirmed down and ran to her mother.
The affection between the two always marveled Sullivan. It was a sight to behold. Shelia winced and Sullivan lifted Becca and sat her on the bed right next to her mother.
“There, this way you can both eat supper in bed.”
Shelia mouthed thank you to him.
“If you need anything just holler,” Dolly told her as she bustled out the room.
Sullivan put the tray on Shelia’s lap and sat on the bed, helping Becca. She was a good eater and polite too.
“We’ll have to move you tomorrow,” he casually told Sheila.
Her eyes filled with fear. “What do you mean? I thought it would just blow over.”
“I don’t think it will go that way for now. Don’t worry, I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
“I still need to get my clothes, medicines and my money.” Her voice grew louder.
“It’ll have to wait.”
“Take the tray off me. Take it now!”
He lifted and she scrambled out of bed. She turned toward him. “I don’t like people telling what to do. I have my own life.” She paced in front of the bed. “I want to be consulted on decisions. I’m not a mindless person who just follows the dictate of others. If you don’t mind I can help my daughter.”
She waited until he left the room and then she shut the door.
He went downstairs and Donnell’s eyes were full of humor. “Kicked you out didn’t she?”
Sullivan rubbed the back of his neck.
“We all know you’re sweet on her,” Donnell teased.
It would have been so easy to just punch Donnell and get his frustrations out that way. “It doesn’t matter. We need to see to her safety.” He brushed by Donnell hitting his should with his own shoulder.
“She wants to be consulted in any decisions. I’m not sure that’s in her best interest.”
Gemma and Dolly both turned on him at the same time giving him shocked expressions.
“Sullivan Kavanagh, sit!” Dolly pointed to one of the wooden chairs at the table.
First and last name, he must have done something wrong. He sat and waited.
“Does she have a condition I don’t know about? Are her thoughts scrambled?” She ut her hands on her hips as she stared at him.
“No, ma’am.” His brothers snickered in the background.
“She’s been raising that beautiful girl all by herself for some time now hasn’t she?”
He slowly nodded.
“Then what makes you think you can run her life without asking her? You might think of her as a damsel in distress but she’s not incapable of taking care of herself. Do you think Gemma, Ciara or H
eaven would allow their husbands to tell them what to do?”
Sullivan pushed back his chair causing a loud scrapping noise. “I get the point. I’m not stupid.”
Dolly hurried over and hugged Sullivan. “No one said you were. It’s just that I see how you two looked at each other when the other isn’t looking. Don’t push her away.”
He took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. They didn’t understand him at all. “Let’s get a few ideas so we can ask her what she’d like to do.”
The door opened again and this time his brothers all filed in, Donnell, Murphy, Fitzpatrick, Angus, Rafferty and finally Shea.
“Horses coming. A lot of them,” one of his brothers announced.
Quinn came in the back with Heaven, Owen, Tim, Daisy with Ciara and Orla. Orla locked the door behind her.
Brogan put his arm around Ciara and nodded at his sister-in-law Orla.
“Women and children upstairs and stay down away from the windows,” Teagan yelled right before he kissed Gemma.
The brothers all scrambled for extra ammo. Then Quinn put out the lanterns while everyone took their places near the windows.
“Why are they back?” Donnell asked.
“They must know Sheila and Becca are here,” Murphy answered.
“Russ saw Becca and someone probably told him I don’t have a daughter,” Sullivan said sounding frustrated.
Continue Reading
Teagan: Cowboy Strong
Teagan Kavanagh pushed his hat back and frowned as he stared out over his pasture, dotted with grazing livestock. He shook his head and looked again. A good many of thecattle on his land didn’t belong to him. “Tarnation!” he muttered as the truth dawned on him. Someone had knocked down the fence again.
Running his gaze over the fence in the distance, it didn’t take him long to spot the breach. It was hard not to see considering several scrawny cows were jumping over the downed posts and wire and roaming onto his land as he watched. Still mumbling under his breath, he spurred his dun, Sandy through the hole in the fence and rode for the Maguire house.
The broken steps, unpatched roof, and the door barely hanging on its hinges surprised him. Why was the place in such disrepair? It couldn’t cost that much to fix it up. They had plenty of cattle. Maybe they didn’t know that because they were all on his land grazing on his grass.
Brogan: Cowboy Pride: The Kavanagh Brothers Book Three Page 10
