by Nora Nolan
Aaron made his way to the man and grabbed his collar in his fist threateningly. "You'll address my wife as Mrs. Glover."
"Your wife? Lina, you're promised to John Walters!"
"My name is Mrs. Evie Glover, Clement. And I told you, the last time you brought Walters home, that I'd never marry that sniveling weasel."
"I ought to beat you bloody. We agreed you'd marry him."
"I didn't agree," Evie said. "And none of you will ever beat me again, including Walters."
"Well, we'll see. Prison can't keep us forever, you know."
Aaron wanted to get the men behind bars. "Evie, please step further back, away from us."
The soldiers put the men in the cells the same way they got the others in, and soon six of the seven prisoners were under control and safely locked behind bars.
Clement and Galen weren't vocally subdued, though. "Hey, Pa!" Clement yelled. "Lina's here. She got married to the deputy! I bet she told them we planned to rob the stage."
Evie responded quietly, "Yes, I did. And I'm glad they caught you. Our ma would be so disappointed. I'm glad she's not here to see this."
"You no-good bitch. I'll get you for this," Clement spat.
"No. You won't," the deputy said. His deep voice was firm, level, and very sure.
Shouts from the other Goodacre men came from the front cells, but Evie ignored them. Part of her wanted to yell at them for eight years of mistreatment, but the little girl in her wanted to run to Aaron and let him handle it.
"Sergeant Butler, we're ready for Walters now," Aaron said.
As the soldier brought him in, Evie could hear her brothers in the front yelling to Walters that she was in the back, and that she had turned them in. "That bitch. I'll get her for that, and for running away from me. I'll kill 'em all!"
In a flash, Walters dropped the rope that had once tied his hands together, and reached behind him to stab the soldier with the small knife blade he kept stashed in his belt. He let out a loud, murderous yell and ran straight down the short hall for Evie, blood dripping from the knife. As Aaron pulled his pistol from his holster, he heard a shot and saw Walters drop to the floor. Looking up, he saw Evie, only a few short feet from him, still holding her gun.
Sergeant Butler shouted, "Private Reynolds!" and ran to check on the soldier as Aaron ran to Evie.
In the cell, Galen hollered to his father and brothers in the front office. "Lina shot John! She killed him! Damn! Hit him smack between the eyes."
Their father called back, "Hell, she always was a better shot than you were."
Aaron took the gun from Evie and pulled her tightly to him. "Evie, sweetie, are you all right?"
"I think so. I'm still shaking, but I'm not hurt."
"I thank God for that. Come on. Let's go see how bad off the soldier is."
They could see the sergeant had the wounded private sitting up, so they were encouraged that his injuries probably weren't life-threatening.
"Aaron, why don't you and the sergeant get him on the cot in the back cell? I'll tell his men where to find Dr. Parker. Do you think we should get Jim here, too? He'd probably want to know." Evie wanted to draw attention away from herself. She didn't want to linger on the thought that she'd just killed a man, even a monster like Walters. "Oh, I suppose we should call the undertaker, too. Or can that wait until morning?"
"No, sweetie, I don't want you having to look at him any longer than necessary. Why don't you help the sergeant get Private Reynolds to the cot, and I'll give instructions to the men to go get Jim and the doc and the undertaker."
Evie nodded and went to where the sergeant was sitting up on the floor, leaning against Butler. She saw that the knife had entered him toward the side of his body from the front, just above the waist. They had a handkerchief over it, applying pressure. "Do you think you could walk a few feet to the back cell if we helped you? There's a cot in there."
"Yes, ma'am, thank you," he managed to say. "By the way, ma'am, that was some fine shootin' you did."
She ruefully smiled. "The odd thing is I wasn't nervous until it was over. I don't remember pulling the trigger. I must have just acted on instinct."
"Maybe it was instinct," Reynolds said. "Maybe your guardian angel was guiding your hands."
"You could be right. Here, let us help you stand. Hold the handkerchief to your side while we pull you up."
They got the soldier up on his feet with a minimum of struggle, and he was able to walk back to the cell with their help. Evie moved the cot to the back wall so he would be farther away from her brothers in the next cell. She made him sit down on the cot while she removed his boots, then she helped him take off his shirt so Dr. Parker would be able to attend the wound more easily. She remembered the pillow and quilt Aaron had brought from their house that they had used and she left the cell for just a moment to retrieve them from near the door. When they had the soldier as comfortable as could be to wait for the doctor, Evie and the sergeant went to the front office.
The sergeant stoked the coals and added a log to the pot-bellied stove while Evie prepared a pot of coffee to put on top of it. Jim had arrived, and he and Aaron came in to join them.
Sergeant Butler spoke up. "Sheriff, Deputy, my men can camp on the outskirts of town, if that'll be all right. I'd like to leave two or three men here, if you don't mind, just in case these prisoners give you any trouble. Besides, I'd like one of us to be here with Reynolds."
"Yes, that's fine," said the sheriff. "The doc might want to take Reynolds back to stay with him. Depends on how bad he thinks he is. You might want to wait around and see for yourself what the doc has to say."
"Yes, sir, I will. I need to send a telegram to the base first thing in the morning."
"Yes, of course, that's just a couple of doors down." Sheriff Jim turned to Evie and put his hand on her arm. "Evie, I'm sorry you had to shoot a man. That's never a thing to take lightly. But you did the right thing, saving not only yourself, but most likely, others, too. I understand Walters was among the lowest of the low."
"Yes, he was, Jim. I've had a few encounters with him before. He was no good."
She looked over at the cells that contained her father and brothers, implying that the opinion she had of Walters applied to them, too. None of them responded and they remained silent.
The undertaker, Gerald, arrived in his wagon with a pine box for Walters' body. Dr. Parker came at about the same time and was ushered to the back cell where Private Reynolds waited.
Sheriff Larkin turned to the deputy. "Aaron, under the circumstances, why don't you take Evie home? She's been through a trying situation tonight. I'll stay here and take care of things. We'll see you in the morning."
"Good idea. Come on, sweetie. Let's get you home."
EVIE'S TEARS began to fall before they reached their front door. As soon as they entered the house, she sank to her knees, sobbing. Aaron picked her up and took her to the couch, where he still held her in his arms, stroking her hair and placing little kisses on her forehead and temple.
Eight years of resentment and frustration fell with her tears. She knew she should regret taking a life, but she didn't. What does that say about me? Am I so wicked that I can shoot a man and not be saddened by it? He was a bad man, a very bad one. But still, I took someone's life. I dispatched that man straight to Hell and I don't even feel bad about it.
She didn't realize she said that last thought out loud.
"Sweetie, you didn't send him to Hell. That's his own fault. All you did was protect yourself. I thank my lucky stars you did, or it could have been you the undertaker's putting in that pine box right now. I was pulling my gun, but I might not have been able to shoot him in time to save you."
"It was hard seeing my family like that. I didn't think it would be, but it was. There were times that weren't so bad, you know. Especially when Ma was still alive. We used to laugh. There wasn't much to laugh about after she died. Pa was always bad, but the boys didn't turn bad until she died. Pa
led them down that path."
"Evie, every man chooses his own path. They could have said no. You struck out on your own to find a better life. They could have done that, too. They'll all face prosecution. Sweetie, the wanted poster of Walters says there's a bounty of $750 on him. Since you aren't in law enforcement, you're entitled to it."
"I don't want it. I don't want it ever said that I killed him for the money. That had nothing to do with it. What about the soldiers who brought him in? Can it be split between them?"
"I don't know, but we'll find out."
"Aaron, what's going to happen to my pa and brothers?"
"I imagine they'll be taken to Rawlins as soon as it can be arranged. They'll await their trials in the jail there. It's bigger and set up to handle hard-core prisoners better. If any of them get convicted of murder, they'll probably hang. Otherwise, they'll do their time in the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie."
"Is it terrible that I hope they get life sentences?"
"No, sweetie, I hope they do, too. It's possible you may get called on to testify."
That shook her. "But why? I don't know anything for sure!"
"It's all right, baby. I just said you might be called."
They sat in silence for a long time, long enough for Evie to realize how tired and weary she was. She dozed off in his arms.
Aaron watched her sleep for a while, then he woke her. "Come on, sweetie, let's go to bed. We're both worn out."
"All right. Come to the bathroom with me. You have to do something first."
"What?"
She stood and stuck out her bottom toward him. "Did you forget? I need you to remove something."
He had forgotten. He shook his head in reflection, and smiled. "It's been quite the evening, hasn't it, sweetie?"
EPILOGUE
EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER
T he trials were held in Rawlins without Evie having to testify. Her father and eldest brother had been found guilty of two murders, several accounts of armed robbery, and assault and battery. Aaron had been right; they were sentenced to hang. The four younger brothers were all convicted on various charges of armed robbery, attempted armed robbery, burglary, several counts of assault and battery, larceny, and even one count of extortion. They all drew life sentences in the territorial prison.
The soldiers decided that Private Reynolds, the one who had been wounded, should receive the bounties for all the men brought in, not just the one for Walters. He insisted on dividing the total equally among the men who had worked the detail with him.
Aaron traveled with Evie to her old home, north of Separation in Sweetwater County. Upon the death of her father, control of it fell to her. All she wanted from it were her mother's books and a few other items she treasured. Evie wanted to burn the cabin down to symbolize the end of a regrettable chapter in her life, but Aaron convinced her to leave it as a refuge for travelers in need of rest. Maybe it could be the beginning of another love story such as theirs.
Evie learned through a series of wires that Aunt Sylvia was indeed alive and well and living in Laramie; she'd never moved to Cheyenne after all. She'd never gotten word of the death of her sister, but she had assumed she had died since she'd received no other communication. None of her letters or wires had been answered. The good news was that Evie's grandfather had been a wealthy man, and he'd set up a trust for his absent daughter and her family. Sylvia now controlled the trust since the man's death. In view of the brothers' incarceration for the rest of their lives, she turned the money over to Evie. She did it as a surprise; she invited Aaron and Evie to visit. Evie was eager to see the aunt she'd never met, and her enthusiasm spread to her husband.
When they arrived in Laramie, they rode past the territorial prison on their way to Aunt Sylvia's house. It was as close as Evie wanted to get to her brothers. After a night of rest, Aunt Sylvia insisted on a drive so she could show them the city of Laramie. She asked Aaron to take the reins of the buggy, and she told him where to turn as she pointed out landmarks, as though it was simply a joy ride. Finally, she asked him to stop in front of a large building that held legal offices. They went into the office and were greeted warmly by the secretary of one of the attorneys. When Evie learned she was the recipient of a very large sum of money, she could scarcely believe it. She'd never had money in her entire life, and now she was quite well off. Even Aaron was surprised at the amount.
Aaron's brother, Matthew, and his family came to visit Aaron and Evie and ended up enjoying the visit and the town so much that they decided to move there. He built a saw mill and set up a lumberyard and a very successful woodworking business.
Harriet and Arthur came to love the town so much that they were thrilled when Arthur's employers asked him to move there and head up their new operation. Once it was decided that they were moving to Big Rock permanently, Arthur no longer required Harriet to carry her spoon. It did, however, occupy a place of honor hanging on the wall beside the fireplace, within easy reach. When it was clear Arthur was succeeding in his post, he decided to start his own business on the side. Harriet urged him to build a brewery. He did, and it thrived.
Harriet, Evie, and Amy continued to meet for tea at least once a week and became fast, lifelong friends. Their husbands never knew exactly what the ladies discussed over tea, but each one of them realized their wives were wildly amorous on those days. They encouraged them to get together more often.
As for Evie and Aaron, their love deepened, and so did their level of intimacy. Evie no longer balked at Aaron's darker desires; indeed, she sometimes initiated scenarios between them that most other women would find horrifyingly shameful or degrading. She took great delight in pushing her own boundaries, and she sometimes even shocked Aaron with her boldness and creativity. Although she was mostly a good girl and minded him, Aaron did occasionally have to keep Evie on the straight and narrow with a good, old-fashioned, serious application of his belt or the spoon. He kept to his word, though, and never even hinted at it in public as Arthur might. In public, he always treated her like the lady she truly was.
Life was good in Big Rock.
THE END
NORA NOLAN
Nora Nolan is one of my pen names. It’s nice to meet you! I love to read all kinds of books. All kinds! So far, though, I’ve only written one basic type. They usually have fairly normal, sexy, fun relationships between the main characters, infused with a little wicked kink. So if you like age play, strong D/s lifestyles, or women in chains who beg to be caned, you might want to look for other authors. I’m not there yet.
My newest joy is sitting at the keyboard, letting the characters in my head write their stories. They often lead me in directions that surprise me. I never know when I start out what direction they’ll take or where they’ll end up.
I live in the southern central part of the US. My happier days find me with our family, or spending time with my wonderful alpha husband.
Email Nora directly at [email protected]
Website: https://www.noranolanbooks.com
Don’t miss these exciting titles by Nora Nolan and Blushing Books!
Big Rock Romance Series (Historical Western)
Marriage by Mail - Book One
A Badge in Big Rock - Book Two
Deputy’s Dilemma - Book Three
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
&nbs
p; Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
Nora Nolan
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