“I think I’d like a drink after all.”
Aaron grinned. “I knew you’d change your mind.” He reached over the table and handed her his flask. She drank a small amount before she spat it out. How foul tasting. She glanced at him and was uneasy at his narrowed eyes. She turned the flask upside down and poured out the rest of the stinking whiskey.
“You little bitch! That was mine.” He lunged over the table, grabbed his flask, and slapped her face. “I’ll teach you to ruin things that don’t belong to you.”
The loud crack of his hand hitting her face echoed in her ears. She put her hand to her cheek and realized her lip was bleeding. It hurt and throbbed. “Get out!”
He slapped her again on the other side of her face. “You don’t talk to me that way. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand.” She hoped and prayed Poor Boy would return quickly.
Aaron stepped in front of her and cupped her cheeks with his hands. Leaning down he kissed her. It was repugnant, and she kneed him in the groin. He went down moaning in pain. Quickly, she ran out the cabin and toward the main house. She didn’t knock; she went right in and locked the door behind her. She trembled as she burst out crying.
Shannon hurried to her side. “Who did this to you?”
“Aaron. It was Aaron.”
Edith stood and crossed her arms in front of her. “What did you do to make him hit you?”
“Edith—” Shannon started.
“No, she must have provoked him. I’ve known Aaron for well over a year, and he’s good people. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.”
Cinders headed their way and lifted Molly into his brawny arms. He carried her to the couch and laid her down. “No woman deserves to be hit. What happened, and where is Poor Boy?”
“Poor Boy went for a walk with Ann Marie, leaving me with Aaron. Aaron had a flask of whiskey on him and he drank a lot of it. He wanted to kiss me, and I poured his whiskey out. That made him mad, and he struck me. I told him to get out, and he hit me again. He started to kiss me, and I kneed him. I ran here as fast as I could.”
Cinders gave her hand a quick squeeze. “I’ll take care of it.” He headed to the door. “Be prepared, I might have to hurt him,” he told Shannon.
Edith gasped and placed her hand over her heart when Cinders left. “He’d better not put a hand on that boy.”
“He’s no boy. He’s a no-good man,” Molly said miserably.
Shannon’s eyes narrowed. “Edith, have you looked at Molly’s face? No woman deserves to be hit. Maybe you don’t know Aaron as well as you think you do.”
“Now see here—”
“What in tarnation is going on?” Cookie asked. There’d been so much arguing, no one heard him come in. “What’s all the yellin’ about?” Before anyone could answer, Cookie’s gaze fell on Molly’s face. “Oh no.” He quickly went and put two cloths into a bucket of water, wrung them out and sat down next to the couch. He placed one cool cloth on one cheek while he dabbed at her bloody lip with the other. “What low-down polecat did this?”
“It was Aaron Pike,” Shannon said quietly.
“He didn’t take advantage of you, did he?” Cookie asked.
Molly’s face heated. “No, I got away before he could.”
“You have no indication that he would have attacked you,” Edith insisted.
“He tried to kiss me. I got away before he could.” Molly’s patience had reached its end.
“I’d still like to hear his side of the story,” Edith insisted. “Why were you alone in the house with him?”
“I already told you!” She stood up, grabbed her cloak, and flew out the door. No one believed her. She was neither a thief nor a liar, yet she’d been branded as one. It cut to the core. They didn’t know her, so her word counted for nothing. She darted to the side of the house and vomited. She could understand being blamed for the robbery, but not for Aaron’s attack. She was the victim but that wasn’t the way Edith saw it.
Tears ran down her face, stinging places where her skin was broken. Her word meant nothing. She tried to compose herself and then she walked towards the woods again. She needed to be alone. How could Poor Boy have left her with Aaron? He must really be taken by Ann Marie. Damn, she was jealous. Though she wouldn’t be around long, she had started to think of him as hers. It was selfish of her. Poor Boy had his whole life ahead of him. He deserved to be happy.
She walked and walked until the sky was no longer visible. In her teary-eyed state, she hadn’t paid much attention to the direction she was going. Turning around she walked back the way she had come, but nothing looked familiar. She leaned against a big boulder and shook her head. She hadn’t passed a boulder the whole time she had walked. Even with tears in her eyes, she would have noticed. But at least she could see the sky. Not a lot of it but enough to figure out which way was west.
Her father had taught her a lot of useful things. She could make a fire and feed herself if she ever got stranded alone. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that. If she could keep west she’d be fine, but the sky was hidden in lots of places. She’d need to mark her path. If worse came to worst she’d want the boulders against her back when it got dark.
Poor Boy cursed under his breath as he raced to the woods. He didn’t want to hear any of Aaron’s explanations or Edith’s accusations. Molly was out in the woods alone. Didn’t she think about bears or wolves? She could trip and fall. The moment he heard Aaron’s story, Poor Boy knew him for a liar. Molly would never be so forward, it was so wrong to hit a woman.
He wanted to pound Aaron’s head against the log cabin, but he needed to rescue Molly first. He hoped they just went back to town. He shuddered. Ann Marie had tried everything to get him to kiss her. She’d even said she had something in her eye and wanted him to check. Did she think he was stupid? Edith had put too many ideas into that girl’s head. She told him they were practically engaged.
No one was going to tie him down. He was rope-free and intended to stay that way. As a deputy, he needed to get a place closer to town. Since it would be just him, he wasn’t concerned. He’d find something. Cinders had already told him he could have his choice of horse, and he’d seen a couple he was interested in.
He’d been walking for a while now without a sign of Molly. Where’d she get to? Aaron had claimed to have given her no more than a light tap to her cheek, but from the look on Shannon and Cinders’ faces, Poor Boy could tell it was more than that. He’d thought Edith had changed her judgmental ways but obviously not. It had hurt when she told him Molly was a no-good thief who should hang from a rope.
Heck, if they hadn’t pushed Ann Marie on him, he might have liked to have gotten to know her, but now he wanted nothing to do with either of the Pikes.
Spotting a bent twig, he leaned over and examined it. He panned the area until he found another like it. He smiled. He’d caught her trail. She was marking it on purpose. Very impressive. But what direction was she going? North, it seemed. He continued to follow the trail, running when the ground was flat. The sun would be setting soon, he needed to find her fast.
He walked almost another hour, she was walking in circles. The temperature started to drop, and he was afraid he wouldn’t find her that night. He began to run again, keeping his eyes open for any trail markers. He finally saw a flicker of a fire in the distance. Hopefully, it was Molly and not some dangerous stranger. He approached the fire slowly and silently. A smile pulled his lips upward when he recognized Molly, looking very rumpled sitting in front of a fire cooking what looked to be rabbit. She must carry a knife with her. He’d never noticed before.
“Molly! It’s me, Poor Boy. I’m coming into your camp and I’m alone. You have no reason to be afraid.” He cautiously stepped into the circle of fire light. “I’ve had a heck of a time finding you. I’m glad you marked the trail…” He knelt down in front of her. “What the heck happened to your face?” Anger bubbled up inside him. Reaching out, he stroked one of her fiery
red cheeks with the back of his hand. He winced when he saw her lip.
“I’m fine, really I am.” She looked at him, not in the face but just left of his ear.
“What happened?”
“Aaron wanted something I refused to give, and it made him angry, very angry.” Her voice was flat. “He had a flask of whiskey and insisted I drink some. I poured it out instead and he hit me. I told him to leave he slapped me again then he tried to kiss me.” She trembled. “I kneed him in, well you know where, and then I ran.”
“I shouldn’t have left you alone with him. This is my fault.”
“No, it’s not your fault at all, and it’s not mine either. He had no right to try to steal a kiss. None.”
“It looks painful.” Poor Boy sympathized.
“Which part?” Molly asked.
“All of it.”
“You’re just in time for supper. I caught a rabbit.” She smiled then winced. “It hurts to smile.”
“Look at you, a regular pioneer woman. I don’t know many women who can catch, skin, and cook a rabbit. You seem very comfortable out here in the woods.”
She nodded. “I’ve had to learn over the years.”
He sat on the ground next to her. “We’re not far from the cabin. You circled around twice.”
“I was afraid of that. We can eat then go back to the cabin if you like.”
He nodded. “I’m so sorry for what happened to you. I shouldn’t have left you alone. Ann Marie wanted kisses and promises of marriage. Edith put too many ideas in that girl’s head.”
“Edith let me know that Aaron attacking me was my fault. That’s why I ran. I couldn’t breathe in there.” Her shoulders slumped.
“I used to have nightmares, and I’d run for miles in all kinds of weather. Eventually the nightmares stopped. But I know that exact feeling of needing to get outside to breathe. None of this is your fault. I’d like to wallop Aaron for what he did to you.” He stared at her face. “It hurts doesn’t it?”
“It stings on one side and throbs on the other, and my lip just plain hurts. But I’ll be fine.” She took a piece of rabbit off the spit and handed it to him before she took a piece for herself.
It melted in his mouth. “This is exceptionally good. I guess we didn’t get a chance to decorate the tree.”
“We can easily do it when we get back home.” She handed him more rabbit.
Home…he let the word spread over him. There was a pleasant warmth that went with that word. The only place he’d ever considered home was with Eats. It had been a one-room place, but it was warm. During his time in New York, he had known it was temporary, so he’d never tried to make it feel like home. He sat up straighter, shaking off his feelings. The cabin wasn’t his home either.
“Was there any word about the judge? Is he back yet?”
He wished he had the words to tell her everything would be fine but he didn’t. He didn’t have a clue how Judge Gleason would handle the whole thing. “I’m sure Edith would have told us if he had. Thank you for a splendid supper. He stood and held out his hand. She grasped it and he pulled her into a standing position. She ended up standing so very close to him. If her lip wasn’t swollen he’d have kissed her. Damn, he was thinking about kissing her too much.
He held her hand the whole way back wishing he had the right words to say but the only words they both wanted to hear was that she wasn’t going to hang. He wanted Judge Gleason to make it back quickly but at the same time, he hoped that day would never come. He squeezed her hand and hurried on. He had never been a dreamer, and it wouldn’t do for him to start now.
Chapter Six
“I can’t go to breakfast looking like this,” Molly told Poor Boy the next morning.
“I’m sorry it happened to you, but you have to eat.”
She sighed and put down the small mirror she had found on a shelf in the cabin. “You’re right. There’s no sense hiding out because of that lowdown scoundrel. Just don’t leave my side. Promise?”
He gave her a quick nod. “Promise.” He put on his coat and then held out her cloak for her. He helped her put it on, and off they went to the main cabin.
They went inside, and Molly’s heart dropped. She should have stayed in the small cabin. From the moment she crossed the threshold, all eyes were upon her. There were too many gasps to count, and a great deal of whispering. She tried to turn around and leave but Poor Boy held her fast. She tried to glare at him, but the courage she saw in his eyes was enough to extend to her. She could be brave too.
“Good morning.” She made her way to her chair, quickly sat down, and ducked her head. Her courage only went so far. She swallowed hard as Poor Boy sat next to her.
“What the hell—ah, heck happened to you?” Rollo asked in an angry voice.
She raised her head and wished she could hide. “Aaron Pike is what happened to me. I know you all think of him as a gentleman but he’s not.”
“He hit you?” Rollo jumped to his feet. “Poor Boy, why didn’t you arrest him?”
“I didn’t know he hit her. I heard he tried to kiss her, but all I knew was she had run out of the house and she needed to be found. I’m as hopping mad as you are. But right now, I need to keep Molly close and safe. I highly doubt Aaron is going anywhere. He’s running my restaurant for the moment.”
Cookie cocked his brow. “For the moment? Ya want me to go into town and fire him?”
Poor Boy shook his head. “No, but it would have been nice if you’d have put your fist in his face last night.”
“Whoa,” Cinders said. “Cookie wanted to go after Molly when she ran out last night but we knew you’d find her. The heat of the moment isn’t always the best time to act. Like you said, Aaron isn’t going anywhere. Judge Gleason should be back today from what I hear. We can file a complaint with him or Shane. It’s really whoever we see first.”
The blood drained from her face at the mention of Judge Gleason. Her fate would be determined sooner or later. A lump formed in her throat, and she realized her hand was resting against her neck. She was going to hang, and soon.
“Eat up men. I have some salve to put on Molly’s face,” Shannon said.
“Not Cookie’s salve, is it?” Dill asked.
The men looked at each other and cringed.
“Is there something wrong with it?” Molly asked.
“It smells something awful,” Rollo said as he shivered.
“It works,” Cookie said defensively.
Shannon smiled. “It does have an odor, but it’ll help your face heal.”
Molly nodded. “Does it really matter? I doubt I’ll be here long enough for it to heal.”
Everyone was silent and somber after that. The men finished eating then one by one, they nodded, and left.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for everyone to feel bad. Everything I do lately has been wrong. I apologize.” Her heart broke. “It’s almost Christmas, and here I am ruining it for every one of you.”
Shannon stood up and sat in the empty chair next to Molly. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not pity I’m after. You all had a life before me. A happy one without the problem of me. Don’t worry I’ll be fine.” Molly did her best to smile. “Now where is this salve?”
Cookie smiled. “Coming right up.” He brought over a big jar and when he opened it she almost gagged.
“People really use this?”
“Smart people do,” Cooke responded. “Here let me help you put it on.”
She silently prayed the whole time and then some afterwards. The smell didn’t go away. “I’m going back to the cabin. Poor Boy, you don’t have to come. I promise I won’t run away.”
His lips twitched. “I can stand it if you can.”
“We could finish decorating the tree. Christmas will be here in two days.” She brightened for his sake.
“Let’s get it done—alone this time. We don’t need help.”
“No, we don’t.”
“See you two b
ack for lunch,” Cookie called as they went out the front door.
She dreaded coming back and having the men stare at her, but she hadn’t done anything wrong. She had every right to hold her head up high…this time at least. She walked with Poor Boy to the cabin, and her confidence wilted with each step. This was a problem of her own making.
Poor Boy strung popcorn and hung the strings on the highest branches while Molly did the bottom half of the tree. He tried his best to entangle them, and they laughed as they tried to untangle themselves. Her laughter was a beautiful, light sound. It was almost musical and his heart lightened.
The future was too unknown, but he hoped they’d be able have a nice Christmas together. It would be the memories he’d live off on when she was gone. A chill ran the length of his spine. His thoughts shouldn’t have gone there, the lightness he felt darkened considerably. Why Molly? Why’d he have to fall for her? There was no future. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. They had today and hopefully tomorrow and if he wanted happy memories, he’d better make some happiness.
He took her hand and then took a giant step back from the tree. “Looks good, doesn’t it?”
She nodded. “It sure does. I do believe it’s the biggest tree I’ve ever had. Thank you, Poor Boy. You’ve gone out of your way to make me forget, and I appreciate it more than you know.” She turned. Stood up on tipped toe and kissed his cheek. “Ouch. I guess I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Since it hurt you maybe not, but I liked it all the same. You are unlike anyone I’ve ever known. It’s hard to explain, but I feel as though I’ve known you since forever. You’re straightforward. And you don’t hide your feelings. Well, not very well anyway.”
“I’ve always been an awful liar. People can tell by my face if I try, so I don’t bother. One lie leads to another and then another, and before you know it, they all tumble down on you. We had to lie about ourselves everywhere we went, and I was mostly kept out of sight. My family was always afraid I’d give them away. They were probably right. Thank you for doing the holiday with me. You could have easily just sat there and treated me like a prisoner. I feel a connection to you too. Strange as it is, I’m comfortable around you.”
Poor Boy's Christmas with Bonus Book Page 6