With that, she turned on her heel and made her way down the street toward the saloon. She knew without looking back, the two lawmen would follow her. As before she stopped just at the entrance, but this time she needed to calm her temper. Taking a few deep breaths, she walked into the saloon.
“Everyone out. I want to speak to Dickinson alone,” she ordered.
“You gone plum crazy, Doc. You can't throw everyone out.” The barkeep barely looked at her.
“Ok, maybe I will have to persuade you.” Erin took the gun out of her pocket and fired a shot into the air. The crowd scattered.
“Dickinson, I know you are back there. Come out here where I can see you.”
“Doc Erin, you can’t go around shooting at ceilings,” Little Beaver protested.
“That's okay. I'm not aiming at the ceiling next time,” Erin replied, aiming her gun at Dickinson’s chest.
He grinned at her. “Now, little lady, why don't you put that thing away. Everyone knows you don't know how to use it.”
“That’s true, Mr. Dickinson. I am not a crack shot. But I guess even this little lady could do a lot of damage just pointing it and pulling the trigger. Do you want me to check?”
Dickinson blanched, obviously realizing she was serious. “Doc, calm down now. You can't go around threatening people. That's against the law.”
“The law!” she screamed at him. “How dare you quote the law at me. I have Mollie in my clinic and she'll be lucky if she lives to see nightfall.”
“Mollie's dying?” Lily came out from the shadows.
“Get out of here, Lily, ain't no business of yours. Dusty, take her out back.”
“You lay a hand on me, Dusty, and I swear I will tear your eyes out.” Lily looked so threatening, Dusty took a step back.
“What do you want, Doc? It ain't my fault a customer got a little carried away.”
“There isn't a place on that girl that isn't covered in a wound or bruises. Do you know how old she is? Fourteen. Yeah you heard me. Same age as your daughter, Mr. Larkin. A year older than yours Clay.” She didn't look at the fathers whose names she called out. Her attention was focused solely on Dickinson.
“You are responsible. You let this happen. You murdered Kathryn and now Mollie could die. I reckon you should be strung up from the nearest tree.”
The men behind her murmured. It was obvious to everyone the crowd was growing in number and they weren't happy.
“I told you, Doc. Kathryn took a train out of here and went back to her hometown.”
“You're lying. Her body was delivered to my clinic just the other night. I've been carrying out a post mortem trying to establish cause of death. It's difficult to work out which blow killed her.”
Erin let the implication sink in. The crowd's mutterings grew louder. She saw Dickinson exchange a look with Dusty who shrugged his shoulders. He was the weak link.
“Little Beaver, keep an eye on Dickinson, please. Make sure he doesn't move.”
Little Beaver moved up beside Dickinson. He stood with his arms crossed, a furious expression on his face. Erin turned her attention to Dusty. She aimed a shot at the floor near his boot. He yelped.
“Mind where you're shooting that thing,” he cursed at her.
“I was aiming for the floor. Next time I will aim a little higher.” She waved the gun in the general direction of his middle. “Even a child who has never fired a gun before can kill a man by aiming for his stomach. A stomach wound is never treatable. Death generally comes very slowly as you lie in agony. Your guts—”
“Stop, Doc, you made your point.” Dusty eyed the gun. “What do you want?”
“Who killed Kathryn?” Erin pretended to adjust her aim. “Did she say no to you just that one time too many?”
“Shut up, Dusty,” Dickinson warned.
Erin pretended not to hear. Still playing with the gun, she spoke conversationally. “The girls told me about your problem. How it takes you so long to—”
“It was him. He did it. Some fella complained she'd stolen his watch. Dickie got real mad, worse than I ever seen him before. He took her down the cellar.”
“Shut up, Dusty. I'm warning ye. I'll string you up myself.”
Dusty went white looking at Dickie. Erin fired another shot in the direction of his feet. This one hit him in the boot.
“You trying to kill me?”
“I'm just getting your attention. He might be threatening to kill you but I actually got the means to do it right here in my hand. My finger is a bit twitchy too. The gun keeps going off.” Erin twirled the gun again praying it wouldn't go off. She hadn't meant to hit him last time.
“Sheriff, stop her.”
“I can’t disarm her and I refuse to shoot a lady. You best tell her what she needs to know mister.”
“He did it. I buried the body right over at the old oak tree. You know the one, on the way out of the town toward the river. I was going to move it later but...”
“You can’t believe a word he's saying. He is just trying to save his neck. You ain't got witnesses.”
“Yes, they do. I saw him dragging the body. “
“Shut up, Lily, nobody going to believe a two bit...”
Lily moved fast. She hit Dickinson with a slap right across the face. “I know what I am but at least I can sleep peacefully at night. Where you're going, you ain't ever going to rest easy.”
“Little Beaver, arrest those two men. Ma’am we are going to have to take your statement. Are there any other witnesses?”
“A whole houseful, Sheriff.” Lily winked at Doc Erin. Erin had to look away. She couldn't condone perjury but she wasn't going to lose sleep over the girls lying to get Dickinson convicted. He was guilty and they all knew it.
“Doc Erin, I have to arrest you too.”
“Sheriff, you can't arrest the doc. She's got patients to see to. Without her, Mollie will die,” Lily pleaded.
“In that case, I am placing you under house arrest at the clinic. I will tell Mrs. Grey to keep a close eye on you. But I will need your gun.”
“With pleasure. I hate those things.”
Chapter 33
Against all the odds, Mollie survived. She gained more strength with every day that passed. Her broken arm would never be fully straight again but apart from that and a few discolored bruises, she looked almost as good as she had before her injuries.
“Doc Erin, I don't know how I can thank you for what you've done. I wish I could be like you.”
“You can. There is nothing to stop you. I've seen you reading. You are a very intelligent girl.”
“No way I could go to school, not now.” Mollie's eyes darkened.
Erin put a finger under her chin. “Look at me. You are not to look to the past but to the future. You would make an amazing doctor as you know what it is really like to suffer. You have a big heart too.”
“But how? I can't afford to go to school.”
“Yes, you can. We are going to help you. Wilma has a friend who lives out in Santa Fe. It’s far enough away for nobody to know you. You can be free, Mollie. You will never forget what happened to you, but you can use your experiences to help others.”
“I could be a doctor?”
“Or a teacher or a nurse. Wilma's friend used to work in a house like the Red Feathers. She now runs a home for girls who got in trouble. Not all of them worked like you did. Some of them had babies and their families threw them out. Others are orphans. Whatever the reason, she never turns anyone away. Wilma sent her a telegram and she replied to say she can't wait to meet you.”
“How will I get to Santa Fe?”
“Mick...” Erin paused as Mollie's face lit up and she interrupted.
“Mick is taking me?”
“No, Mollie. Mick has his own stuff to attend to. Mick’s friend Cookie offered to escort you there.”
“Oh.” Mollie looked so crestfallen Erin wanted to cheer her up but she didn't know how.
“Where is Mick going?
”
“He said something about Virginia.” Erin wasn’t sure what Mick was doing but he had to go away for a couple of weeks. “I think he might have decided to find his family. You know he has a wife and kids.”
“Yeah, he told me.” Something about Mollie's facial expression made Erin wonder but then Wilma distracted both of them.
“Mollie, you got a visitor.”
Wilma stood back to let a young woman come in. At first glance, Erin didn't recognize Lily.
“Lily, you look amazing. You are really pretty in that dress.”
“Thanks, Mollie. Mrs. Grey got it for me. She got me a whole lot of stuff.”
Erin hugged Lily close. “Thank you for everything you did.”
Lily shrugged but Erin could see she was pleased.
“Thank you, Lily. Doc Erin told me how you stood up and told the judge all about what Dickie did to me and the other girls. And to Kathryn.”
“Poor Kathryn. She should have left when she got the chance,” Lily said. “But she stayed to help us. She was determined we would all escape one day.”
“Well, she succeeded, didn't she? Are you sure you want to go to New York, Lily. You could go to Santa Fe with Mollie.”
“I'm sure.” Lily looked at Mollie as she spoke. “I got a brother there. He has a wife and a family. I wrote to him and he said I was welcome to come live with them. He don't know nothing about what happened to me.”
Erin got the impression Lily was lying but she wasn’t sure why. She hugged Lily closer. “You weren't responsible for what happened. Dickinson was. If you don't live your life to the full, he'll have won.”
“How come you know so much about what we went through, Doc Erin?” Lily asked making Mollie stare at her.
“I didn't work in a house like you girls did but someone treated me just like Dickie treated you. You cannot let men like him win. No matter who they are.”
The girls nodded solemnly, nobody saying anything. They were all caught up in their own world.
Mick raced to the train station desperate not to miss Mollie’s departure. He’d thought Erin was joking when she said the younger girl was leaving today. He’d only come back from Virginia yesterday. He’d wanted to call in on Erin to tell her how he felt about her. How he’d sold the farm and would use the proceeds to buy them a house in Clover Springs. She could continue being the town doctor and he would find something.
He’d planned to ask her to marry him. Mollie could live with them until she decided what her future held.
He’d been so shocked by the fact Mollie was set on leaving, he hadn’t got a chance to speak to Erin properly. She’d been rather standoffish. It wasn’t exactly the warm welcome he’d been hoping for. But he would sort it all out once he said goodbye to Mollie. Maybe Erin was jealous of the younger girl. Some people thought he wanted to marry Mollie.
“Matthews, I just have to say goodbye to someone,” he shouted as he climbed on board. Walking through the cars, he finally spotted Mollie and Cookie sitting ahead of him.
Both stood up as he approached them.
“You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye, were you, Moll?”
Mollie turned away so he couldn’t see her face. When he gently turned her back, he saw she had been crying. He wiped the tears off her cheeks.
“Why?”
“You know why. After what I said.”
“You told me you loved me. I love you, too, darling but as a little sister. I never want to lose contact with you.”
“Then let me stay with you.”
Mick knew he had to be the strong one for both of them. “Mollie, you got a chance to go to school. To make something of your life. You deserve so much better than a life here in Clover Springs. Here some will never let you forget about the past.”
“But I would be with you.”
He tilted her chin so she looked up into his face. “You need a man who loves you like a man not like a brother. You deserve a happy family. Your future is so bright, Mollie, can’t you see?”
“I'm scared.”
“I know you are, sweetheart, but Cookie, he's the nearest thing I have to a father. He's going to look after you. He won't let anything bad happen on the trip, I promise.”
“But Dickie...”
“He won't ever get out of prison. If he did, he still won’t find you. You have a new name and a new place to live. Wilma knows the lady you are going to stay with. She wouldn’t let you go anywhere if it was dangerous.”
Mollie looked unconvinced.
“Come on, Moll, where’s that fighting spirit gone? You got to go show people what you are made of.”
“Will you write to me?”
“Yes, of course, I will. Lots.”
“Don't lie, but once or twice a year would be nice.”
Mick smiled. “You know me so well. I will write at least twice a year, I promise.”
“You going to ask the lady doc to marry you?”
Mick's smile faltered. How did Mollie know anything about that?
“Don’t look so surprised. I seen the way you look at her. I spent ages wishing you would look at me that way.”
“She ain’t interested in me.”
“That’s ’cause she thinks you got a wife and family already but you ran out on them.”
“She thinks what? Why?”
Mollie looked everywhere but at him.
“What did you do, Moll?”
“I didn’t tell her the story, she heard it somewhere. But I didn’t tell it was a lie either. I’m sorry, Mick. I thought if she wasn’t interested then you would let me stay. Don’t be angry, please?”
Mick saw the desperation and loneliness in her face and his temper died as fast as it had risen. “Come here, you.” He pulled her into his arms and gave her a long steady hug.
“One day you will see what you feel for me is what is natural for a big brother. A man, a good one, will come alone and sweep you off your feet. You will fall in love, get married and have a family. But only after you get a decent education first.”
“Yes, Pa.” she joked.
He was relieved. He wasn’t sure if she would ever recover enough to let herself have the happiness a family unit could bring but that was up to her. He had done all he could. Now he had to sort out the mess he'd made of his own life.
The train whistle announced its departure. He gave Mollie another hug before turning to shake Cookie’s hand. The old man followed him to the door as he jumped out of the car.
“I'll look after her. Now go get that lady but don’t you dare have the wedding till I am back, you hear?”
The train pulled out of the station. He watched it leave taking the time to arrange his thoughts. He had to find a way of convincing Erin he loved her. But how…
Chapter 34
Mick knocked on the door of the clinic hoping to find Erin alone. She was and it was obvious she'd been crying.
“You missing her already?” he said gently.
“Yes. I know she needs a fresh start and Wilma's friend will look after her but she looked so young leaving here. I hope she will be okay.”
“She will be fine, she knows she can come back if she wants to. We will always have a home waiting for her.”
Erin smiled but the smile slid off her face as she seemed to register what he had said.
“Pardon?” she whispered.
He thought he saw panic in her eyes. It couldn't be. Surely, she knew he had been leading up to this moment.
“Erin, sit down. I have something to tell you. You may have heard the rumors about my having a family.”
Erin didn't sit, she moved from one thing to another. He was getting dizzy watching her move so quickly. He reached out and pushed her gently onto a seat. He took the one opposite her.
“Have you heard gossip about my family?”
Erin looked at a spot above his face. “Mollie may have mentioned something.”
“I had a family. Before the war.” He took the photogra
ph out and handed it to her.
She stared at it before looking at him in shock. “This looks just like Mollie.”
“Her name is...was Susanna.”
“She died in the war?” Erin asked softly still examining the picture.
“I don't know. All I know is Pa died on the battlefield, Ma died from some sort of fever at our farm and nobody knows what happened to the girls. I like to think they were adopted by someone kind but I don't think I will ever know.”
She looked at him, unshed tears making her eyes shimmer. “I am very sorry, Mick. Have you been looking for them all this time?”
“Yes, but I have to stop living in the past. The Stevensons bought my farm.”
At her perplexed expression, he explained how the Stephensons had been renting the farm. They had wanted to buy it for a long time but he didn’t feel it was right to sell. His sisters may come back.
“But I realized, well Cookie told me, if my sisters ever returned the Stephensons would tell me.”
“Did you not want to settle on the farm yourself? Raise your own family?” she asked, looking at the photo again.
“Erin, I don't think I could have a family. The injury I have may have prevented that. It is important I marry a woman who isn't looking to have children of her own. One that has a career she is already married to.”
Erin dropped the photo. They both bent to pick it up, bringing their faces close together. He leaned in and stole a kiss. She surprised him by kissing him thoroughly as if she would never get enough of him. It left him shaken to the core but with a feeling of foreboding rather than desire.
“Erin, I think you know what I am trying to say...”
She stood up again, wiping her hands down her dress over and over.
“Erin...will you?”
“Don’t ask me, please. Why did you have to bring this up now? Why couldn’t you leave things as they were? We were friends, good friends. Isn’t that enough?”
He stood. “Not for me. I love you, Erin Brennan. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. I sold the farm and bought the Red Feathers.”
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