by Ember Pierce
* * *
“I don’t think so, Henderson. As for the day I’m not in charge of this town, well, I’m afraid that’s a day you’ll never see, my friend. Now, this is all very quaint, Henderson, or should I say sheriff, for old times sake? It’s all very quaint but I have a town to take over.”
* * *
“I’m not the sheriff of this town, Bixby. You saw to that once. But you won’t scare me off again. You’re not taking over Gable Springs.” Scott was getting nervous. There was nothing to do but trust in Mae’s plan. His eyes darted over to her. Were her arms free?
* * *
Bixby took his gun out of his hip holster. Once again he twirled it for show then settled it on Scott.
* * *
“Enough of your small talk, Henderson. You have a choice to make. You tell the folks here to empty their pockets, satchels, and billfolds.”
* * *
“Oh yeah, kissing your boot tips as well. Wasn’t that another of your stipulations?” Scott grinned. He wanted to make Bixby angry. He wanted to see the smirk vanish from Bixby’s face.
* * *
“Ahh! But, of course.” The outlaw renewed his aim.
* * *
Scott decided to try something. He kept his eyes on Bixby but called over his shoulder to his wife.
* * *
“Mae, what do you think of this? What do you think of Bixby’s plan? If I don’t do his bidding, he threatens to kill you.” Scott hoped he sounded sarcastic and light. It was one of the most difficult things he’d ever done in his life. He prayed he had Mae’s plan figured out and was acting in the right way.
* * *
“What do I think? I think Wayne Bixby is none other than a manipulative, petty man. His plan...is that what he’s calling this fiasco?” Mae called back.
* * *
Scott kept his smile to himself. She was improvising. He was impressed by her cool head and quick thinking. Her ability to adapt to the situation at hand.
* * *
In that moment, he reckoned it was a shame that women weren’t sheriff’s because his wife would make a good one. She was a natural.
* * *
“Oh-ho, well, the little lady has something to say about everything. Do go on, Mrs. Henderson. I’d love to hear more,” Bixby spoke up with a malicious grin.
* * *
“You can never get enough attention, can you, you beast? I have nothing else to say about you or to you except that you’re a vile, poor excuse for a decent human being.” Mae glared at him. “Honestly I don’t know how you sleep at night,” she hissed.
* * *
“Such a strong opinion. My goodness, Mrs. Henderson, I must confess to being a bit hurt. But, tell me, just to humor me, will you? What would you say if I were to, oh I don’t know, shoot your husband?”
* * *
At that precise moment, Scott took a half-step toward Bixby. Once again every eye, every gun was on Scott.
* * *
Mae had steadily and slowly made her way to the end of the hitching rail, her ties were undone. She swung around behind the hitching rail and raised the rope that had only moments before bound her wrists.
* * *
She got it over Bixby’s head and Mae pulled to tighten it and dragged the villain down. The gun flew out of Bixby’s hand as the rope tightened around his neck. Scott came forward to restrain him as the sheriff and deputies aimed their weapons at the gang members.
* * *
Scott grabbed Bixby’s arm. The criminal was still struggling against the rope that was choking him. But Bixby’s other arm had recoiled and shot forward to land a fist squarely in Scott’s face. It sent him hurtling backwards.
* * *
Scott fell backwards, the wind and the majority of his consciousness knocked from him. Mae screamed and Bixby threw the rope off and made a clean escape.
* * *
Mae crawled toward Scott as one of Bixby’s men caught the hem of her skirt. She turned and, with her hand, tried to yank the fabric from his hands. He fell as a shot rang out.
* * *
Ephraim was behind her and shot another of the ten men. Ephraim and one of the deputies kept up steady gunfire as Ephraim and Mae tried to reach Scott.
* * *
Gunsmoke was everywhere, men were shouting and the sound of bullets filled the air. Scott crawled on his belly toward Mae. He wanted to get to her to keep her safe. She was almost to him. The wound in her shoulder had opened and blood saturated the front of her dress.
* * *
In the chaos, Scott rolled toward her. His hand flew out and he got hold of Mae’s hand. He pulled her to him, covering her body with his.
* * *
“Mae, are you hit?” He was frantic that she’d actually been shot this time.
* * *
“Scott, you’re okay! Thank God!” Mae smiled into his face.
* * *
He wrapped his arms about her and embraced her, tightly, pressing her to him. He pulled away and satisfied himself that it was her older wound that was bleeding. Otherwise, Mae was safe.
* * *
They took stock of one another. Ephraim had fallen back against one of the buildings and Mae and Scott followed his gaze to the square gates.
* * *
Wayne Bixby stood there, smoke rising about him, his hands at the ready near his hip holsters. Blood ran down the side of his face.
* * *
Scott immediately pushed Mae behind him admonishing her to stay down no matter what.
* * *
“What do you think you’re doing, Henderson? Huh? You think you can beat me? Never. Already, there’s too much I’ve done to make you fear me. You hide your little wife behind you because you couldn’t save the other one. You let her die in that mine tunnel. Not to mention your cattle. The grain fields. You have lost so much. I can understand why you want to win. But it will never happen. I have too much power over you.”
* * *
“Tell yourself what you will, Bixby. You’re done in Fable Springs. Your words have no power over me. None. Do you hear me? You have no power here because your words aren’t true. They don’t hurt me. Do you understand? I don’t blame myself for your evil ways. I don’t blame myself for any mistakes I might have made in the past.”
* * *
“How noble of you. I believe I’ve tired of this game, Henderson. I believe I’m done.” Bixby pulled a gun from under his jacket and aimed it directly at Scott. A shot rang out.
* * *
Ephraim and the deputies had been loading the ten men from the Bixby gang into the back of the jail wagon. They all turned to Scott and Mae.
* * *
“Are you hit?” Ephraim’s eyes were concerned.
* * *
Scott pointed in Bixby’s direction. “I’m fine. He doesn’t look so good.”
* * *
Bixby had fallen onto his stomach when the shot hit him. Blood ran out in a pool from beneath his body. Ephraim hurried to him and turned him over. The bleeding had stopped. Wayne Bixby was dead. Ephraim looked at Scott.
* * *
Scott shook his head side to side. His weapon had been knocked from his hand in the fight.
* * *
“Who shot him, then?” Ephraim asked, still looking around.
* * *
“It was me.”
* * *
Both men looked at Mae.
* * *
“You?” Ephraim questioned.
* * *
“Yes. I picked up a pistol from the road. I don’t know if it belongs to one of Bixby’s men or one of the deputies. But that doesn’t matter. I was able to get to it without anyone noticing. When it was clear that Bixby was going to shoot Scott, I had to do something.”
* * *
Scott grinned again and pulled her to him again, but this time, without thinking, he touched his lips to hers in a sweet and gentle kiss.
21
The people w
ho’d been on the street had rapidly gotten to shelter when the gunfire started. The five original men who’d stood up against the Bixby gang had been cheered as heroes and were being treated for their injuries by the town doctor.
* * *
Mae’s shoulder wound had broken open and blood covered the left side of her bodice. Elisabeth came running to them from nowhere, it seemed.
* * *
“Mae, Scott, are the two of you alright? Mae you’re bleeding, you’ve been hit.”
* * *
“No, I’m fine Elisabeth, this is from the other day. My shoulder was grazed. It’s okay.”
* * *
“That’s good to hear, I reckon, but I have to say I didn’t know your days were so active, Mae.. And Mr. Bixby....”
* * *
“What about Bixby? I reckon he’ll be going to jail.” Mae glanced over to where Wayne Bixby still lay on the ground in the middle of the square. A few people stood around him.
* * *
“Did you say Bixby?” Ephraim stepped over to the ladies.
* * *
“Yes, Mayor Charloux. He hasn’t moved,” Elisabeth offered.
* * *
“You don’t need to worry about him. Bixby’s dead as a doornail.” Ephraim looped his thumbs in the armholes of his vest and shifted to-and-fro on his feet.
* * *
“Dead?” Mae asked. “You mean I killed him?” She dropped her face in her hands. “Oh no.” She burst into tears, wracking sobs threatened to overtake her. She’d killed the man. That hadn’t been her intention. She’d only wanted to keep him from hurting Scott or anyone else.
* * *
Scott pulled her to him and held her tight. He stroked her hair. She cried harder.
* * *
“Mae! You’re a hero!” Ephraim smiled and helped her to stand up. Scott followed suit, standing up then he replaced his arm around her shoulder.
* * *
“What’s the matter, Mae?”
* * *
“I didn’t mean to shoot him dead.”
* * *
“It’s a shock the first time you shoot someone, Mae, I know. But you were defending yourself...and Scott. Bixby was on his way to the state pen for life. In fact, just yesterday, I took a ride two counties over, outside our jurisdiction, to follow up on something I’d heard.”
* * *
“What was it, Ephraim? You need to tell me. It was dangerous of you to go by yourself. Bixby could have men working in the towns where he knows they want him. Why else would the Marshal even know about him if he or his men haven’t already done something nefarious?” Scott’s brow was furrowed in worry.
* * *
“You’re right, Scott. I should have told you sooner, but I never got the chance. The fight broke out so fast. I’m just glad we got Bixby.”
* * *
“But he’s dead!” Mae looked at both men, a question in her eyes. She’d killed a man. It was a traumatic event even though the man was a horrible scoundrel and bully. No matter what he’d done he should’ve had the opportunity to a trial with a jury of peers. But that would never happen, now. How could Mae hold her head up when she’d murdered someone?
* * *
Was she next? Would she go to jail for killing the likes of Wayne Bixby? The law was the law, she knew that much. Tears streamed from her eyes. She’d fallen for it. She never saw it coming. It was the last trap Bixby had laid for Scott, and Mae had stepped right, square into it.
* * *
Scott’s arm on her shoulders tightened. “Are you okay, Mae? Let me see your wrists. Hmm. Those are nasty cuts and bruises. But you’ll survive.” He smiled at her, then turned her hands over and kissed the inside of each wrist. A strange, yet enjoyable sensation coursed through her body and she found herself wishing she and Scott were alone. She was curious as to what his lips would feel like on her neck, for instance. Quickly, she banished the thought as she felt the color rise in her face. The reality of what was actually happening, Wayne Bixby was dead, came back to her and she rested her head against Scott’s shoulder. Ther tears came again. She’d killed a man.
* * *
Ephraim stepped forward. “Scott, let’s get her out of the street. The undertaker will be here any minute.”
* * *
“The undertaker is coming?” Mae whispered.
* * *
“Yes, Mae,” Scott still held her in the crook of his arm. “Bixby is dead. As much as I would like to, we can’t leave him in the street.”
* * *
“If your husband had his way, Mae, he’d have Bixby’s head on a spike at the town gates to warn passers-through.” Ephraim slapped Scott’s shoulder and guffawed.
* * *
“But what about…?”
* * *
“Yes, Mae?” Scott and Ephraim waited for her answer. It occurred to her that she was so nervous, so scared of going to prison that she couldn’t get her words out. She buried her face into Scott’s chest. Her knees felt weak. She wanted to go home.
* * *
“Why are you so upset, honey?’ Scott’s voice was gentle. Concerned.
* * *
“I’m upset...because now I’m going to go to jail.” She gave in to her tears. Her back and shoulders shook with the emotion of it. She cried and cried.
* * *
“Why Mae? Why would you go to jail? What are you talking about?” Ephraim asked her. “We are finally rid of Wayne Bixby. He’ll never terrorize Fable Springs again. And it’s all because of you.”
* * *
She raised her head from the shelter of Scott’s arms and shoulder. Her eyes snapped. Why was Ephraim being so mean as to coddle her now when she’d be spending the night in the town jail?
* * *
“Because, Mayor Charloux, I killed a man. In cold blood. Now, because of that evil rogue, I’ll spend the rest of my life behind bars.” She fell into crying again. “I’m a murderer. I’ll never be able to hold my head up ever again.”
* * *
“Mae! No! It’s not like that at all! Like I said… You’re a hero, Mae! You saved Fable Springs. Scott, explain it to her, will you?”
* * *
“Look, Mae. Bixby was a criminal. We all know that, but I started to tell you earlier he’s wanted over in Denton County. Dead or Alive. He’s wanted for murder. Probably ten times over. And he was going to kill Ephraim, Sheriff Bentley and, of course, you and me if he got the chance.”
* * *
Mae gasped. “No!”
* * *
“It was his master plan. He wanted Fable Springs. He wanted to run the townspeople out. He wanted to make our town his private amusement,” Scott said with a shrug.
* * *
“Bixby was looking at the hangman’s noose. He ought to thank you, Mae. You took him out clean, with one shot! No suffering. Hey, where did you learn to shoot like that?”
* * *
“I guess I forgot Mr. Bixby wasn’t a squirrel,” Mae gave Ephraim a wan smile. She dried her eyes with the back of her hand until Scott handed her a handkerchief. She smiled at him in thanks.
* * *
What had she done with the handkerchief he’d given her? Then she remembered it was safe in her satchel. Everything around her seemed to be in slow-motion. She thought she must have been mentally affected by the traumatic events of the last couple of hours.
* * *
Mae looked around. All of the townspeople, the sheriff, and the deputies cheered again that they were now rid of the evil influence of Wayne Bixby. Bixby’s men were hauled off to jail.
* * *
The word passed quickly that it had been Mae who had shot Bixby. The townsfolk all thanked her, Scott, Ephraim, and the other men who had stood up against evil to defend the town.
* * *