“It doesn’t matter that you didn’t use it. I’m glad you didn’t have to.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. He knew she was brave but never really understood just how brave until he saw that knife. He’d known grown men that wouldn’t have had the guts to hide a knife on them surrounded by armed men.
He touched the gash on her temple. “Did they hit you with their gun?” He did his best to keep his voice level and calm.
She nodded.
“I need you to tell me where else you’re hurt, okay?”
“My ribs. Other than that my legs and arms are just a little cut.” She looked at her shredded stockings.
“Your ribs?” Silas made the phrase a question.
“Steven and Smith had a hard time chasing me at my house. Tackled me about a quarter of a mile from home… twice.” She limped toward the stairs.
Silas clenched his jaw and nodded. He was doing his best to stay calm but inside he was burning. He wanted to kill them again because once didn’t seem enough. It had been too quick, too easy on them after the way she had suffered. He turned to Gabe.
“Bring up some water, pain medicine, and wrapping for her ribs.”
Gabe nodded and went to the kitchen.
Emmie sucked in a breath for the first few stairs. She gripped the banister and took a break. Something was off with her ankle too, she must have twisted it on one of her falls.
“Sorry.” Silas was right behind her, clearly ready to catch her if she didn’t make it. “I moved much better at the cabin, I’m not sure why my body’s gone to hell now.”
“It was probably the adrenaline.” He watched her.
Emmie nodded in agreement and attempted to climb the staircase. She struggled up another step. Silas couldn’t watch this. Wrapping one arm under her back and the other under her legs, he swept her off her feet. He had expected her to argue, fight with him, or roll her eyes but she did none of those. She rolled her head over onto his shoulder and curled into him. He repositioned her weight and carried her up the stairs.
“Thanks.” She said timidly.
“You never have to tell me thanks, Mo Chuisle.”
He set her down on the bathroom floor while he ran a bath. Emmie realized how glad she was to be at Ava’s house—she had a proper bath, with hot water that came right out of the faucet, in an iron tub that would stay warm for longer than ten minutes. She thought about his words as he tested the water temperature.
“Where’d you pick up that phrase, Mo Chuisle?” She reached down and pulled off one of her ripped stockings.
He turned to face her. “It’s what my pop called my mom. It’s Irish.” He grinned like a kid and shrugged. “Mo Chuisle. My love. My pulse. My everything.”
Emmie smiled. She decided she liked that. In spite of everything that happened today, she liked being that part of him. He was that for her too, she realized. Silas walked over and helped her out of her dress, picked her up, and set her in the warm water. She could almost feel her skin absorbing the peace of the warm liquid that surrounded her. Closing her eyes she sank so deep into the water, only her neck and head were visible. When she opened her eyes she was surprised to find that Silas had seated himself on the floor next to her.
“You don’t mind, do you?”
She looked over half expecting to see him asking to smoke or something but he wasn’t. He was just staring at her.
Emmie frowned. “Mind if you do what?”
“That I call you that.”
There it was that insecure part of him that she’d only ever seen one time before. The part of himself that he kept hidden from everyone.
He licked his lips and continued. “As you saw today… I don’t always find myself surrounded with a lot of good. Other than my family, that’s about all the good I had, until I found you.” He swallowed hard. “And when I’m in that, that…” He rubbed his jaw trying to find the right word, “other world… you are my pulse. My heart. My good that I know I’m going to come back to. That’s what Mo Chuisle is to me.”
She smiled and a tear escaped her eye. Did he see that sort of thing every week? How could you keep your soul when were surrounded with that much ugly? She wanted to ask but couldn’t bring herself to do it right now; it wasn’t necessary. As much as she knew it should make a difference, right now looking at him, it just didn’t matter. Maybe it would tomorrow, or next week, or next month. But right here, right now, she just wanted him with her.
“You’re my Mo Chuisle too,” she said, reaching her wet hand out to cup his cheek. The words that sounded beautiful and Irish on his tongue, just sounded foreign on hers but it didn’t matter. As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew she’d said the right thing to him. His composure relaxed and he leaned into her touch, closing his eyes.
He didn’t look at her as he spoke. “I’m sorry about today. You should never have seen… or been…”
She stopped him. “No, please don’t bring it up.” He looked at her surprised. She explained, “I know at some point, we’re gonna have to talk about that but not tonight. Please.”
He nodded in agreement. The conversation could wait. “Here, let me help.” He grabbed a washcloth and lathered it with soap, washing the dried blood off her arms and legs, and finally helping her wash the blood from her hair. She was surprised at the angry shade of red-brown the water turned when she was clean. He bent over and pulled her out of the water.
“Oh, Silas, you’re getting all wet. At least let me try.”
He grinned. That sounded a little more like his girl. She wasn’t broken beyond repair. This time anyway. He was going to have to be much more careful in the future or the good girl he loved was going to get lost. Silas took this as a warning, that’s why his father kept his mother and sister so far from business. He wrapped a soft white towel around Emmie and picked her up again. But he knew his girl would never be happy in the dark completely. His mother and sister weren’t closet bootleggers. He gave her a smirk. They were going to have to find a balance, but with her it was going to be tough. Silas carried her to his room where Gabe had left the needed supplies and laid her on the bed. He took his time wrapping her ribs and the larger cuts on her legs and arms. He went to his closet and pulled out a shirt and a pair of his boxer shorts.
“Sorry, I don’t have anything made of flour sacks.”
She snorted. It was music to his ears that he’d made her laugh. “Well, I guess that will have to do.” She slipped on his shirt and shorts and braided her wet hair.
Silas leaned down and kissed her temple. He was surprised when she grabbed his face and ran her thumb along his jaw. “I love you, still.” She kissed his mouth gently.
“Emmie.” They heard a familiar voice from outside the bedroom door.
Silas opened the door to reveal Trick, Millie, and Gabe. Emmie frowned. That was an odd combination of people. What in the world were they doing up here? That’s when Bo stepped around them grinning from ear to ear.
“Good news, Emmie. Millie saved him,” Trick said.
Chapter Fifty-two
“Spotty…” Emmie shouted and covered her hands with her mouth.
She scrambled off the bed as fast as her broken rib would allow. Silas helped steady her on the floor. The dog sighed and gave her a courtesy lick as she squeezed her arms around his neck in a quick hug.
“Easy there, Emmie. His belly is bound to be a little sore. He’s been upchucking for the last half hour,” Bo said pulling the dog back a little.
Emmie turned her eyes, wet with unshed tears, up to Millie, who was still standing in the doorway with Trick. “Thank you. How did you…? I thought he was gone?”
“When I heard ’em say Steven had poisoned him, I figured he’d used something around the farm and I was right. He’d given him some of our tranquilizers. If you can get ’em to get up before all of it gets in their blood, you got a chance at saving the animal. So, Bo and Trick took me to your house, we poured peroxide down his throat until he started to vomit.” She smiled. “I
think he’s gonna be okay now. I’d just watch him tonight and tomorrow, makes sure he eats and gets water.”
Bo smiled with pride, “She tends to the animals on the farm being as Pap ain’t got much time for the actual farming. Thinks she’s gonna be some kinda woman vet someday.”
Millie just smiled shyly. Emmie noticed the way Trick grinned at her before he spoke. “I’ve got a feeling that woman can be anything she wants to be.” Her cheeks blushed at his words. Bo turned and frowned at Trick before laying Spotty on a blanket on the floor.
Trick added, “Emmie needs some rest. I think we all do.”
Emmie walked over to the girl and hugged her. “Thank you Millie. Trick is right, you are one smart girl. I am in debt to you for this.” Then she turned to Bo. Leaning up on her tiptoes she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. “I’m so glad you are okay.” With her eyes closed she saw the image of him in the sights of Will Thomas’s shotgun. A cold shiver ran through her body.
He wrapped a long arm around her waist and tugged on her wet braid like he did when they were kids. “Oh, I’m alright. Don’t be getting all emotional on me now.” He attempted to brush off the seriousness of the afternoon. “Barely a scratch.” He touched his arm where the bullet had grazed his skin.
Silas stood still as he watched their embrace. She was wearing only his shirt and boxers and clearly her dress had never entered her mind or she’d be turning a lovely shade of crimson. When Emmie moved away from Bo, Silas wrapped his arm around her waist and tucked her firmly into his side.
“Looking a little informal up here, Emmie,” Bo said, giving her a good once-over.
Silas clenched his jaw and arched his brow at Bo in warning. Trick grabbed Millie’s elbow and laughed, “And that’s our cue to head back downstairs.”
Millie grabbed her brother’s shoulder. “Come on, Bo. It’s been a long day.”
Bo nodded, looking down at his feet. “You sure you’re okay, like this, with him?”
Emmie tilted her head to the side and gave Bo a sad smile. “I’m good, Bo. Thank you for everything and bringing me Spotty. You’re the best friend a gal could ask for. I will be fine, I swear it.”
Bo leaned down and scratched Spotty’s ears. The dog leaned into him for just a moment before going back to sleep. Bo headed downstairs and Silas closed the door blocking out the conversation from downstairs. This time when he picked her up it was a surprise. He tucked her tightly in the covers and dropped a soft kiss on her forehead, like she was made of glass. But the thing he did next surprised her most. He picked up Spotty and laid him at the foot of the bed. She stared at him with wide eyes.
“What? He’s had a rough day too,” he said defensively. “I think you need each other.”
He was right she realized. But the dog wasn’t all she needed. “Yeah, I guess so.” She tossed back the covers and patted the empty side of the small bed. “I need you too.”
Silas slipped off his boots, vest, and holster and slid in behind her. He held her tightly until her breathing slowed and she fell asleep. He watched while she slept, she looked like an angel. There was no crease of anxiety in her brow, no pain from her bruised body, nothing but peace. He was taking her away from here for a while. She needed a break from this place and so did he. Only the dog noticed when he snuck out of bed to get back to work.
**********
“Rise and shine, Emmie girl,” Silas said, putting a cup of coffee on the nightstand.
For the past few hours Emmie had hung in the balance between slumber and consciousness. She sat up and stretched. It had been nearly a week and Silas had all but kept her confined to this bed. Nearly everything that was broken about her body had healed but her rib and that was just going to take time.
Spotty bounded up the bed and danced around for her attention. She patted him and gave him a little back scratch before Silas shooed him off the bed. Then he went to the hallway and pulled in a large suitcase. Popping it open, he laid it on the end of the bed and she noticed it was full of her clothes. All in perfect rows, and organized by type of clothing.
“You packed me up?” she asked curiously.
“Yes. Pick out something to wear and leave the rest in there,” he said with a smile.
She squinted at him and frowned. “Are we going somewhere?”
“Home.”
“Your home?”
“Yes. Thanksgiving is next week and I’m thinking maybe we could stay through the holidays. What do you think?” He paused as he pulled clothes from his closet.
Emmie rubbed her face as she thought. She let out a deep sigh. “Silas I should probably clean things up at my house before we go.”
He shrugged. “I’ve already had that done.”
“What?”
“Yeah, it needed to be done… I took care of it.” He folded a stack of shirts.
“Oh.” She paused. “Well, thank you.”
She unbraided her hair and thought. “What about Spotty? I’m not sure he will like it in the city. He’s not really a city slicker, if you know what I mean. He likes a life of chasing squirrels and roaming the woods. Without Walter’s family here, I’ve got no one to feed him.”
“Trick’s already called Bo and his sister. They’ll take care of him.”
“Well, sure does sound like you’ve got all the details worked out without me.”
He stopped moving and looked up at her. His brows wrinkled in thought. “Of course it was without you. It’s called a surprise, Em.” He put a hand on his jaw and thought for a second before adding, “But, if you don’t want to go… that is fine.”
Surprise. Oh… She’d never really been surprised with something like this. “No, I don’t mean that. I just… I could have helped plan it.”
He laughed and pulled her off the bed and into his arms. “That wouldn’t have been much of a surprise. Do you not want to go home with me?”
“No I want to go.” She forced a smile. She hadn’t left the house since that day. The day she tried not to think about but occasionally little clips would play back in her mind.
Silas rubbed his hands down her cheek gently. “I think a little vacation from this place would be good for you. Everything will be here when you get back. Besides, my family wants to see you. Jemma’s been asking me questions nonstop. She wants to know if you’ve checked on the admissions for that teacher’s college.”
Emmie’s stomach sank. Of course she hadn’t. Gabe was right. She’d come back here and thrown herself into this little moonshining adventure and away from everything that used to be important. “I haven’t had a chance.”
“You will though. We have colleges up north too, ya know. Maybe we could check there.”
“Silas are you asking me to move to Chicago?” Her mouth dropped open.
“I don’t know. I just think you should keep your options open. This trip is a good place to start. Take a look around, see if you even like my city.” He smiled and added a stack of pants to the pile.
Emmie smiled. “Thanks for planning this. Getting away from here might be good for the soul.”
“Yes,” he said. “Good food. My family. No moonshine stills.”
She picked up a shirt and tossed it at him. He caught it without looking and laughed. “Train leaves in an hour.”
Emmie exhaled slowly. A little vacation was just what they needed. This was maybe one of the most perfect surprises she’d ever had in her life. It would be so good to see Ava and get away from the ugliness she’d found in her sleepy little town.
Chapter Fifty-three
Emmie sat on the front porch of Ava’s house waiting for Bo. Apparently this was the arranged pick-up location for Spotty. He lay curled lazily at her feet. It was an unseasonably warm day for the end of November and perfect porch weather. When Bo pulled up in his pickup Emmie was surprised to see Millie with him. She usually didn’t travel around town with him. She probably just wanted to check on the dog, being that she’d saved his life and all.
<
br /> Bo grinned as he slammed the car door and stepped toward the house. Walking to meet him, Emmie gave him a wave before whistling and patting her thigh for Spotty to join her. He followed her out into the grass diligently, wagging his tail when he caught sight of the two Johnsons making their way to him.
“Thanks so much for watching him while we’re gone. I’d like to bring him but he’d be miserable cooped up in the city,” she said, feeling guilty.
“It’s fine. You just leave us country boys at home and run off with your Yankee.” Bo said with a grin bending down to scratch Spotty’s neck.
Emmie frowned and crossed her arms over her chest playfully.
“Oh, don’t pay him any mind, Emmie. He’s just sore you’re leaving with Silas,” Millie said, smacking her brother’s arm.
Bo laughed, picked up a stick and threw it for Spotty to retrieve. That’s when Emmie was sure he wasn’t too hurt about being left behind. He and Spotty were a lot alike she decided. Emmie watched her dog dance as he laid the stick at Trick’s feet. They were both sweet, loyal companions but it wouldn’t take much for them to have their mind on something else.
“Got something for you,” Bo said with a crooked grin that showed his deep dimples. He pulled a pint-sized jar from his overall pocket.
Emmie gasped. “Put that up, Bo Johnson. Honestly, dragging that out here in front of God knows who.”
Bo laughed and Millie just shook her head at her brother as he put the jar back in his pocket.
“We finished it. While you were resting, Millie and I got it done.”
Emmie looked from Bo to Millie in surprise. “Of course. Walter needs the money. How could I have forgotten about it? You finished all of it?”
Millie nodded. “I hope you don’t mind. It was a good recipe. I cooked up the apples and mixed the spices. Hope it works as good as I hear yours did.”
“Well, I’m sure it will. Did you make your own recipe to finish it?” Emmie asked curiously.
Millie looked at her brother with wide eyes. “Umm… Not exactly.”
Rise and Shine (Shine On Series, Book 2) Page 26