Welcome To Corbin's Bend

by Thianna D

  With a nod and tears in her eyes, she said, "Muffin, no. Settle down now."

  Muffin gave a whimper, but sat and stared up at Elly with baleful eyes. Elly promptly appealed to Jerry with the same look in hers, making him feel like a heel again.

  "Do your business, Muffin," he said firmly. The little dog gazed up at him, gave a sniff, and went out into the yard.

  Elly wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. I know I should have been firmer with her, but I want to hold her so badly it hurts."

  Putting his arm around Elly, he drew her close. "I understand, sweetheart. It's okay. And it will get easier. This isn't for always, only a few days until you're both a bit stronger."

  His home phone rang, but now wasn't the time to desert Elly, so he let his answering machine pick up. After waiting awhile, he said, "I should at least check who that was. Why don't you come inside with me and I'll show you where your bedroom is."

  She glanced up at him then. "We won't be sleeping together?"

  Hesitating, he tried to read her expression. Though they'd been sleeping in the same room for the past couple of nights, they were hardly what he'd call 'sleeping together,' and last night she'd been alone. However, he suspected she'd had some difficulty falling asleep after the disturbance with Arthur, if she'd slept at all. "I only have a double in the spare room, so I think you'll be more comfortable sleeping alone tonight."

  "What about your bed?"

  "A king, but it's upstairs, and that's another no-no for you."

  "So many no-nos," she murmured, following him back inside the house.

  Chapter 14

  Elly gaped at the size of the bedroom Jerry had given her. The room appeared nearly as large as the master bedroom in her and Arthur's home. Decorated in Wedgwood blue and slate gray, it reflected a masculine touch without being macho. He'd added a TV and a desk to the room, so he used the area as office space as well as his spare bedroom. Though he'd said the four-poster bed was only a double, the mattress looked spacious enough to be a queen. The furniture suite he had chosen had a low dresser along with two nightstands. In addition, the room had direct access to a walk-in closet as well as the downstairs bathroom. Even better, the bedroom was situated on the ground floor, which apparently was a 'yes-yes.'

  In a daze, Elly walked about touching the polished walnut furniture that gleamed in the early afternoon light. "This is lovely, Jerry, and so convenient." She turned to gaze at him inquiringly. "Why did you take the upstairs room instead of this one? This one is clearly the master suite."

  Hands stuck deep into the back pockets of his jeans, he shrugged, then grinned. "I like lofts. They're sexy."

  She smiled at him. "A typical guy response."

  Another shrug. "What can I say? Guilty as charged."

  The sound of small, impatient yips and incessant hopping came from the backyard.

  "Oops. Guess I've exceeded my absentee time quota. I'd best go let her in." Elly started toward the door when Jerry slid his arm about her waist to stop her. He drew her in until she pressed against his front.

  "Can I trust you not to give in to your softer nature and pick her up?"

  When he held her like this, in strong arms meant to shield and protect, her feminine instincts came to the fore as did her natural submissiveness. She didn't enjoy arguing with him, especially when she considered he was looking out for her best interests. "Yes, sir."

  "Okay, I'll let you go. The dog cookies are in the pantry. You can't miss them since they're sealed in a huge 'Fido' canister a client gave me. Unfortunately, the biscuits are Jack-sized, so you'll need to break one into smaller pieces for Muffin."

  "Thanks," she whispered. "I'm sorry I was so difficult earlier, Jerry. You've been nothing but patient and caring with me, and I tried to snap your head off."

  He brushed his thumb along the edge of her bottom lip. "Snapping is a sign of fear. You've had a huge number of changes to accustom yourself over the past five days, and I'm not a stranger to a few nips on occasion. I don't mind too much, as long as you don't try to draw blood." Bending forward, he kissed her, and Elly gave herself over to his possession. Her reason clouded by passion, she flung her arms about his neck, then cried out when her stitches resisted with a painful reminder. He drew back as if he'd been burned.

  "Let me see," he ordered lifting her shirt. She wanted to slap his hands aside and continue kissing, except she knew the doctor in him wouldn't permit it, so she stood still for his inspection.

  With careful practice, he eased the adhesive back. "Your incision is seeping a bit, but I don't think you did any damage." Replacing the bandage, he gave her a warning frown.

  Elly sighed and lowered her eyes. "No lecture, please. I know. I need to be careful. I just wanted to hold you."

  "And that's why you can't pick up Muffin." He tilted her chin up so she couldn't avoid his gaze. His hazel eyes gleamed with a combination of empathy and concern. "Understand now?"

  "Yes, sir."

  Giving a single nod, he released her. "Point made. Go tend to your ball of fluff before she knocks the door down with her frantic hopping, then I want you to lie down for an hour or so. All right?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Finally, a little respect."

  She snorted. He regarded her with a raised eyebrow for only a second before he gave a reluctant chuckle. "Brat. I suspect the phone call was from Beth, who probably wants to arrange a viewing for Mitzy. I'll take the call upstairs so I won't disturb you. Before I do, I'll bring Muffin's new bed down, so she can stay with you, but don't let her hop up on your bed. It could hurt her ribs. She has problems making some of the same movements you do, minus your self-control. So, Mommy, you need to set the limits."

  "I'll do my best."

  "That's all anyone can ask. I'll check on you later." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then strode from the room while Elly left to get Muffin.

  Despite her persistent hopping at the door to come in, the moment Elly stepped outside, Muffin gave a yip, and then raced to the middle of the yard to indicate she wanted to play. "I'm not sure it's good for you to chase a ball or a Frisbee while you're still healing, little one," murmured Elly, surprised when Muffin let out a bark and ran over to the fence on the opposite side of the enclosure where she started yapping excitedly.

  Mrs. Kline was in the dog park with Pepper, her elderly chihuahua. Muffin's yaps drew Mrs. Kline's attention, and she waved.

  "Elly, how are you dear?" The older woman called. "I was so worried about you. Come Pepper. Let's—"

  "No, you guys stay put," Elly called back. "We'll come across to visit you."

  Jerry's clinic and another house and yard separated his home from the dog park. Though the park was visible from both his house and clinic, he had no direct access to it from his backyard. That meant if she wanted to chat with Mrs. Kline, she either needed to invite the other woman in, or go to her. Although Jerry had invited Elly to stay with him, she still felt like a guest, which meant extending invitations into his home wasn't an option. Besides, both Pepper and Mrs. Kline were elderly, so making them come to her seemed not only unfair, but impolite.

  "I need to get Muffin and Jack's leash, and we'll be right over."

  Mrs. Kline waved back to indicate she'd heard.

  Though the prospect of talking about her stay in the hospital didn't thrill Elly, she wanted to find out what other members of the community believed had taken place Friday morning, and Edith Kline was one of Corbin's Bend's best sources for gossip.

  As Elly stepped inside to fetch the dogs' leads, she recalled Jerry had specifically told her he didn't want her going to the dog park; except he hadn't said why, other than to remind her she was supposed to be resting. However, as far as walks went, the park was a baby's crawl away. No more than three house lengths. Mrs. Kline didn't expect her to rush over, so Elly could turn the walk into a leisurely stroll. Convinced a gentle gambol there and back couldn't do her any injury; she decided Jerry was being overprotective. True she was still sore
and a bit tired, but each day left her a little stronger. A little more herself. A short walk and a visit would be good for her.

  She should probably tell Jerry what she intended to do, but decided against it since they'd only argue. Besides, he'd most likely be tied up with Beth Little for a while, and Beth's need was far greater than her own. Disturbing him now would be selfish on her part. Especially for something as picayune as a walk in the park.

  Her mind made up; Elly collected the dog's leashes and led them over to chat with Pepper and Mrs. Kline.

  Jerry took the stairs two at a time up to his loft bedroom and dialed Beth Little's number.

  "Oh, Dr. Douglas," she said, sounding breathless. "I just saw him."

  "Who? The man who hit Mitzy?"

  "Yes. He's sitting in his SUV now."

  "Where?"

  "In the lot, close to the dog park. Right near your clinic, in fact."

  Though Jerry's bedroom windows faced out onto his backyard, his loft allowed him to look out the front as well. When he glanced out, he didn't spot a midnight blue SUV, but that didn't mean the prick wasn't parked nearby. Most likely, Benson had situated his van so it couldn't be easily seen from Jerry's house or clinic.

  Beth continued working up a good head of steam. "I'm going to go over and tell him exactly what—"

  "Beth, don't. The man can be dangerous."

  "Is it Arthur Benson? Did he hurt Elly? Harriet said she thought Arthur beat Elly."

  Ah, the wonders of community gossip.

  "We do think it's Arthur, and yes, he did hurt Elly. So, stay away from him."

  "I never did like him. He wouldn't even wave back when I said 'hello.' Rude, that's what he was. He deserves a piece of my mind. He had no right to—"

  "Beth, if I hear you went anywhere near the man, I swear I'll spank you myself."

  She giggled. Yeah, he was such a fearsome top the ladies tittered whenever he threatened a spanking. He had to develop a tougher image.

  "I mean it, Beth. Refuse to obey me on this and I'll have you brought up before the disciplinary board for endangering an ongoing investigation."

  "I'm sorry, Dr. Douglas," her voice sounded contrite. "I didn't mean to make you angry."

  "I'm not angry, merely concerned. Now stay inside." He hung up and immediately dialed Brent.

  Not bothering with preliminaries, he dove right in. "Beth Little just identified Arthur Benson as Mitzy's hit and run driver. She said he's parked near the dog park now."

  "I know, Jerry. Calm down. I've had people looking out for him since this morning. No doubt, he discovered Elly was released today. Don't worry; we have things under control. The Boulder police are due here any second. Just keep Elly inside."

  "At least that's not a problem," Jerry said with confidence as he rose to look out the windows facing his backyard. "I gave her strict instructions to— Shit." There the lady was, pretty as you please, walking two dogs toward the dog park as he spoke. "Gotta go, Brent. Elly's doing exactly what I told her not to do. Surprise—surprise. And I intend to give the little minx what for."

  "Jerry—" But Jerry disconnected the call, shoved the phone back into his pocket and went out after his girl.

  Elly had swiped her key to open the dog park gate and was guiding the dogs inside when steely fingers dug into the soft flesh of her upper arm and whirled her around. Her stomach dropped to her feet as the fury emblazoned on Arthur's expression registered in her mind. She didn't even have time to protest before he drew her toward him and shut the gate, locking the charging poodle on the other side. Muffin's furious yapping echoed through the park.

  Arthur's grip tightened. "You owe me an apology, so I expect you to come with me quietly, or I shall teach you a harsh lesson in manners right here."

  He's a bully, Elly. You mustn't back down. "You're a dreamer, Arthur," she insisted through gritted teeth as she attempted to jerk free of his hold. "Now let me go."

  "Not on your life." He started to drag her back toward his car, but she dug her heels in and pulled in the opposite direction.

  When he turned to glare at her, she decided to distract him. Surely, he'd been seen. Wasn't someone after him for running over Mitzy? "You've got a lot of gall coming here today after nearly killing me and leaving me to bleed to death on our living room floor."

  "I was after your annoying little dog, not you, but you shouldn't have attacked me, Eleanor. I am your husband. Your lord and master. And you will obey me."

  "Why should I? Because I spoke a vow on our wedding day? As I recall you promised to cherish and protect me, and you haven't done a stellar job in either of those respects, yet I don't hear you apologizing or begging my forgiveness for your failures."

  "I also promised to guide you, and you are headed down a path of willful disobedience I refuse to allow. I forbid you to have anything more to do with Douglas. He's been a terrible influence on you." His fingers clamped tighter. She suspected her arm would be bruised from his handling, but her attempts to resist only hurt her more, so she stood still and faced him directly.

  "You gave up any right to tell me what to do after you kicked me in the stomach and abandoned me. Your actions killed our unborn child."

  His spine straightened as he regarded her carefully. "What child? You weren't pregnant."

  "Yes, I was. Not that you'd care. Now, leave before I scream loud enough to bring the neighbors."

  "You never said anything to me," he whispered, his voice choked.

  The pain she saw reflected in his expression nearly undid her. "I didn't know," she admitted, her throat tightening at the remembered loss.

  He shook his head as if to clear it. "I regret losing my temper with you, Eleanor, but I cannot be held responsible for an event I was unaware even existed. And none of this alters the fact you disobeyed me."

  "Nor does it alter the fact your kicks caused me to miscarry, Arthur. What you did is considered abuse, if not murder, and I'm filing charges against you."

  "I won't permit it."

  "Permit it? I don't need your permission. Don't you get it? I don't want anything more to do with you. In addition to pressing charges, I'm also filing for a divorce."

  "That's not possible. Divorces aren't allowed in my family."

  "Are you serious? This is the twenty-first century, not the nineteenth. Women have rights now. Newsflash—we've been given the vote. Now, let me go, or I'll scream."

  "Go ahead and scream. This is Corbin's Bend, Eleanor. As your husband and our HoH, I'm the one in charge, not you."

  "Not anymore you aren't." And without giving a second thought to what she did, Elly moved in close to the man she'd married and slammed her knee between his legs. That gained her release, so she quickly swiped her card again and ducked inside the park, locking the gate against him. Grabbing the two dogs' leads, she had to jerk Muffin's leash to get her furiously barking poodle to follow her.

  "Muffin. Stop it. Come here."

  Breathing hard, Elly knelt down in the cold grass and called Muffin to her. Though the little dog clearly wasn't pleased, she obeyed. As Elly rewarded her poodle with some soft words of praise and a few pets, she began to calm down; certain Arthur couldn't get to them now. The gate to the park required a key card, and she sincerely doubted he carried one with him.

  Unfortunately, she was wrong. Arthur didn't need a card.

  His smile evil in its intent, Arthur withdrew a small gun from his jacket pocket and shot the gate open. A thousand voices rose in alarm, dogs barked and even car warning systems honked in protest as Elly's world started to spin in lopsided revolutions. The gate's mechanism wasn't built to withstand bullets, so it swung open. The moment it did, Muffin leapt off Elly's lap and charged.

  "No!" Elly protested, lurching forward to grab Muffin's leash, but her dog was too quick. Then Arthur's gun fired again and Elly screamed.

  Chapter 15

  Oblivious to the reigning chaos and shouts, Jerry Douglas accelerated into protection mode and charged. Though the l
arger man topped him by a couple of inches and at least thirty pounds, Jerry grabbed Arthur's wrist, wrenched the gun out of his rising hand, tossed it out of the way and whirled Benson around to face him. Acting on instinct and training, he punched the surprised man in the jaw with a right uppercut and followed it with a left hook. An unsuspecting Arthur Benson took an unsteady step back, and then crumpled to the ground like a wadded piece of paper. Jerry flexed his smarting knuckles with a measure of satisfaction.

  "You and I need to have a few words about reckless endangerment," Brent murmured tightly, as he stepped over to stand beside Jerry. The police officers, who had been ready to arrest Arthur the moment he withdrew his gun, converged on the fallen man. Though Jerry had understood the plan, he feared law-enforcement protocol might make the officers seconds too late. As a private citizen, he'd been under no such restrictions, so he'd attacked.

  "I'll gladly listen to your lecture, just not now."

  Arthur might have known how to use a gun, but luckily for them, his aim sucked when directed at a small, charging target. The bullet served its purpose by stopping Muffin's advance, then went harmlessly into the ground several feet away from all humans and animals. Elly was on her knees, sobbing with relief mixed with terror as she clasped Muffin to her while the little dog licked her face clean of tears.

  Closing his eyes, Jerry massaged his bruised fingers. College had been several years ago, and he hadn't had a reason to throw his fists since.

  "What were you thinking, Jerry?" Brent asked, his voice tight with suppressed emotion as he launched into lecture mode. "You do realize charging an armed man when we have police officers on the scene, won't go down as the wisest thing you've ever done? You had no idea what Benson might do, and though your left hook was impressive, the risks you took were enormous. And you should never toss a loaded weapon onto the ground, idiot. I have a good mind to bring you up before the disciplinary board myself for pure stupidity, if no other reason. Couldn't you have put muzzle on that temper of yours and waited two more seconds?" Brent inquired with a touch of sarcasm as a couple of police officers wrestled a moaning Arthur Benson into handcuffs.