He must have looked as confused as he felt, because she laughed merrily. Perplexed at her cryptic response, he puzzled over it until he finally understood and smiled. Giving her bottom a pinch, he said, “No one likes a wise ass either, Janelle.”
She squealed in delight at his own sassy reply and returned his smile. “I’ll tone it down, honey. It’s just that I’m so excited about this idea. But you said a ‘few rules’. Do you have another bombshell to lay on me? Is there a rule number two, Aaron?”
“Yes. Well not a rule per se… I just want to make sure you take credit for your work, Janelle. Use Doc’s name, but I’d like to see your name in front on the title page and cover. It’s your idea, after all.”
The smile that encompassed her face was radiant as she jumped into his arms, wrapping her own tightly around his neck. He was happy she had found something to fulfill her goal of helping others. With her cheek pressed flat against his chest, he bent his head and inhaled her fresh scent. This woman had done more than get under his skin—she had invaded his heart.
“I love you, Aaron. I was truly blessed the day God sent me you.”
“My sweet pea, I believe it was the other way around.”
* * *
Later that day, Aaron once again escorted Janelle to Doc’s office, where Janelle broke the news that although she could not work for him in his practice, she would like to collaborate with him on the home medicinal. He enthusiastically approved of the idea, and they soon had a plan to meet a couple afternoons a week. Doc even suggested that he meet at their home so she wouldn’t need an escort back and forth to his office. They launched into a vigorous discussion of herbs that he would first begin trying in his practice. They would track and record the effectiveness of each and list that in the book.
Aaron watched his wife glow with enthusiasm and was relieved they had found an acceptable resolution to their conflict and that their relationship was back on solid footing. When Janelle started talking about foxglove for heart dropsy and the scientific method for their research, Aaron bowed out. Heading out the door, he told her he would return to fetch her in an hour.
“Can you make it two, Marshal? There are some specific cases I’d like to discuss with Mrs. Jackson.”
Aaron thought about saying no at first. It was getting late, and they were expected at the ranch for supper. But Janelle was looking at him expectantly, and he realized that she was leaving the decision up to him. He appreciated that she was trying very hard to let him lead her, so he conceded with a nod of his head. A glowing, beaming smile of delight was his reward, and he left them chatting animatedly, shaking his head in wonder at his own behavior. He was as bad as his pa—a pushover for a pretty gal with a beautiful smile.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Janelle talked non-stop on the thirty minute ride from town. Eagerly clutching or tugging on his arm as she related the plans she and Doc had made, her excitement was barely contained. As they pulled up into the front yard, the sun was just setting over the mountains in the western sky. As he set the break, Luke and Heath walked down the front steps armed with pistols and shotguns.
“What is it?”
“The Jessups have been spotted on Hiram’s ranch.” Heath spoke soberly as he watched his brother help Janelle from the buggy. Aaron could tell by the rigid set of his brother’s shoulders that he wanted to say more but was holding back. Luke wasn’t as restrained and simply blurted out the rest of the news.
“Evidently, there were shots fired, and Hiram has been injured. Some say he’s dead.”
“Janelle, go into the house with Ma and Pa. I want you to stay—”
She interrupted, finishing his sentence for him. “I know, honey. I’ll stay put.” Cupping her hands around his face, she pulled him down for a kiss, then met his eyes with a watery plea. “I know you have to go, but please be careful.”
Aaron watched her turn to his brothers and begged them to be cautious as well. “Heath and Luke, please stay safe. I’ll expect all of you back here unharmed and in one piece, do you hear?”
He brushed the worry lines between her brows with a fingertip before seeking her lips for another kiss. “Quite the bossy little thing you’ve turned into, sweet pea. Don’t you worry. We’ll be careful.”
As they headed for the horse barn, Heath used the time to badger his baby brother, a favorite pastime of his. “Each time I see her, brother, I expect her to be wearing men’s britches and a gun belt.”
“Nah, she’s too pretty for that,” Luke chimed in. “I see her in one of those buckskin dresses with the fringe and boots, like Annie Oakley in that Wild West Show.”
“Don’t give her ideas, brother,” Aaron said, glancing over his shoulder to where she stood on the porch, watching them go and hearing every word of their teasing. He winked at her and turned around, walking backwards as she blew him a kiss in return. “Besides, wait till you see her in one of her fancy new dresses. She’s a sight to behold.” Minutes later, they were mounted and heading out for the showdown with the Jessups.
* * *
Supper was long passed—although little had been eaten—and the kitchen had been cleaned and put to rights. It was nearing nine o’clock as Janelle paced nervously in front of the triple-tiered windows in the parlor. Pausing every now and then to peer uselessly out into the dark yard, she asked for the tenth time. “Where could they be?”
“Sit down, sweetheart. They’re probably headed into town and locking them up in the calaboose as we speak.”
“I hope you’re right, Henry,” Janelle said as she looked at her in-laws. Although they did a good job of hiding their concern, Letty’s nervous habit of rubbing the base of her throat was a giveaway. Janelle wasn’t surprised—having three family members tearing off to a shootout with three dangerous fugitives was enough to tweak anyone’s reserve. For her marshal husband, this was a common event, but Janelle didn’t know how she’d ever get used to it.
“We need a distraction,” Letty announced. “Come into the kitchen and show me what you have in your basket of goodies. Worrying and pacing won’t pass the time any quicker.”
“Oh, Letty, I nearly forgot in all the excitement.” Welcoming the distraction, she filled Letty in on her new venture with Doc as they headed toward the kitchen.
“Ladies, I’m going to patrol the area. You all—”
“Stay put,” their voices called back to him in perfect unison, Letty adding as she turned in the doorway, “We know the rule, Henry. Please, sweetheart, won’t you be careful?”
Janelle nodded in agreement. They didn’t need a fourth Jackson man out in the middle of the night, doing who knew what.
“I’ll be careful, Letty, darlin’.” He nodded, having gotten their agreement, and then headed out.
The women talked non-stop for an hour, although Janelle’s mind was still at the Jessup ranch. As she described every herbal in her basket, she pulled back the curtains to peer through the glass, looking for any sign of Aaron’s return. Letty continued with her air of nonchalance, until she finally frowned at the clock.
“My word, it’s 10 o’clock. Where could Henry be? It doesn’t take a full hour to patrol the house and barns.”
“Maybe we should go check on him,” Janelle said, already heading for the door when Letty called to her, “Wait, I’ll get a gun and go with you.”
Janelle waited for Letty as she checked the load in her Schofield revolver and then grabbed the 10-gauge shotgun for Janelle. “Let me get the lantern from the kitchen,” Letty said, “and I’ll meet you on the porch.” As she walked out the door and paused to allow her eyes to adjust in the dark, Janelle felt the cold, hard barrel of a gun pressed against her temple.
“Good evening, Mrs. Jackson. Nice night for a standoff, ain’t it?”
Janelle froze. The sound of Jamie Jessup’s voice sent waves of terror flowing through her. Oh my God, she thought frantically, I have to warn Letty. But the sound of the creaking screen door told her she was too late.
<
br /> She watched helplessly as another man grabbed Letty and pulled her outside. She heard Letty shriek and then heard a scuffling sound. A loud pistol report filled the air as the man holding her cursed and spun around. Janelle’s eyes filled with panic as this third man, slightly older but identical to Jamie Jessup, had Letty’s throat. Both Jackson women were contained, with a pistol at their head and an arm around their throat.
“Well, lookee here. If we had one more pretty lady, we could have us a party. As it is, Junior, you and Neville will have to share the old lady.” Looking at Janelle, he let out a cruel laugh. “But the marshal’s bitch, she’s all mine.”
“Fine with me,” Neville Jessup agreed as he rubbed his face in Letty’s hair. “She’s still purtier than all them whores on 6th Street.”
“What do you want?” Letty demanded, her voice trembling as a shudder went through her. Janelle watched in horror as Neville Jessup brushed his mouth along her cheek and pulled her closer. Cringing, she turned her face away from his undoubtedly fetid breath only to have his filthy fingers begin to unbraid her long auburn hair. “My husband’s on patrol with some of his men. We expect him back any second.”
Her tormentor stepped closer, rubbing his nose along her neck and jaw. “You mean old man Jackson? We took care of him already, and his two puny cowhands.”
Janelle didn’t know what to do. She feared the older Jessup was going to strip and take Letty there on the porch before them all. Her eyes flew to Jamie, who was watching his brother begin to pull at Letty’s blouse as he chortled in delight. “Yer man and the marshal sure left you gals poorly protected. If we knew you were such easy pickins’, we’d done been here months ago.”
“What did you do with Henry, you low-life pig?” Janelle asked boldly, but Junior pressed the gun barrel harder against her head in warning.
“Aw, now, is that any way to talk to your new man, girly? Once we take care of the marshal, you’re all mine, bitch.” He grabbed Janelle’s jaw, viciously digging his fingers into her soft cheeks. As she cried out in pain, the disgusting man lowered his head for an open-mouthed kiss. Janelle felt the gorge rise in her throat, and reckless or not, she snapped her jaw tight. A second later, Jamie was screaming in pain and holding his mouth. “She bit me!” His hand arched high and slammed against Janelle’s cheekbone as he landed a stunning backhanded slap.
Her head whipped back, and her knees buckled. The only thing keeping her from falling down the stairs behind her was Junior. “Come on, now. Don’t break her, before we have our fun.”
Jamie stepped back, hand dabbing at his bloody mouth. “Let’s go inside where we can be comfortable.” He turned, holding the door so his brothers could drag their struggling captives back inside. They shoved them toward the sofa, Letty reaching out to catch the smaller Janelle in her arms as Jamie gave her an extra hard push as she passed. They sat huddled together as Junior and Neville held guns on them.
“It might be a long night, brothers.” Jamie cautioned as he rubbed at his mouth with his sleeve. At the same time, he peeked out the curtained front window.
“I sure could use some coffee.” Neville grabbed Letty roughly and pulled her off the couch. “Get in the kitchen and make us some coffee, Leticia,” he sneered, laughing as her first name rolled off his tongue. “Who knew that I’d one day be spending the evening in Letty Jackson’s parlor, drinking coffee?” He looked at his brothers and cackled. “Even more, who’d of thought I’d be spending the night in her bed? Imagine how them Jackson boys will feel knowing Neville Jessup rode between their purdy mama’s thighs! Maybe we can take care of that before the coffee. What do you say?” He pulled a struggling Letty into his arms and started grinding against her. Janelle tried to go to her aid, but Junior shoved his gun at her.
“Stop it, Neville,” Junior ordered. “Have your fun later when the marshal and his brothers are our prisoners. You can even fuck their mama in front of them if you want, but for now, keep your pecker in your pants.”
Neville grumbled, giving Letty’s breast a painful squeeze before releasing her with a shove. “We’ll get to the fucking later, my lovely. Now get in the kitchen and make my coffee.”
Letty stumbled against the wall with a whimper. “We’re out of coffee, you bastard.”
Neville chuckled evilly at the lippy woman. “I know that’s a lie, bitch. And you’re gonna pay for that name calling.”
“Letty,” Janelle called wildly to her brave friend, “just do as he says. I brought some fresh ground beans from town. They’re in my basket in the packet labeled ‘purshiana, Ivinson’s special blend’.”
Jamie called after them in his whiny, irritating voice, “Yeah, don’t give us none of that cheap shit. We want the best you Jacksons have to offer. Go with her, Neville, and watch the back of the house.”
It was a gamble, but Janelle was certain that the Jessups wouldn’t know that purshiana was what the Native Americans called ‘sacred bark’ and was the herbal ingredient in Cascara sagrada, which had been used as a purgative for years. In 2013, it was widely known as a harsh laxative with questionable cancer causing side effects. Janelle didn’t know why she had picked up the bark along with the other herbs and plants because she’d never intended to use it—until now. In high doses the bark would cause severe cramping, diarrhea, and in some cases, a rapid onset of vomiting. Janelle prayed that Letty remembered that fact. The outlaws would survive, but if they were incapacitated by uncontrollable puking and dysentery for a few hours, all the better for her and Letty. She had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing, despite the gravity of the situation. She just hoped it took effect before their hands got to wandering again or they shot anyone dead.
Thirty minutes later, they were all back in the living room. Letty had served them coffee, surreptitiously winking at Janelle as she passed. Janelle could only hope she had the Jessups’ coffee liberally laced with cream and sugar and a healthy dose of purshiana. Shrewdly, she had made Janelle and herself tea. As Letty joined her on the couch, they clasped hands. The only thing left to do was wait for something to happen.
It came a few minutes later in the form of Neville Jessup who abruptly bent over, holding his cramping belly. “I need the toilet,” he said abruptly as he headed upstairs. His brothers looked curiously after him, thinking it strange, but seeing no real cause for alarm. Within five minutes, they were bent over as well. A groaning Junior hightailed it outside, leaving a miserable Jamie to guard the women.
As he crumpled to the ground in pain, he eyed Letty and Janelle, raising his gun to them. “What did you bitches do to us?” A severe cramp seized him, and he fell forward, vomiting onto the floor.
Letty and Janelle grimaced at the sight but rushed forward to relieve him of his weapon.
“That was absolutely brilliant, Janelle,” Letty laughed as she watched Jamie fall into a puddle of his own making. It quickly changed to a grimace as his bowels released uncontrollably. “My new rug!” she complained as she clamped a hand over her hand and mouth against the foul smell.
Janelle looked at her mother-in-law and dearest friend and laughed. “It was Aaron’s idea. I’ll have Aaron buy you a new one.”
It took them a while, but Janelle and Letty eventually dragged the puking, soiled men outside and tied them up in the yard. It hadn’t been easy, but between the two of them, they had thrown out the refuse. Letty had declared that Aaron also owed her a set of linens since they had to wrap Neville up in a sheet in order to drag his disgusting form down the full flight of stairs, through the first floor, out the front door, and down the steps to the yard. In each case, neither woman had shown the least concern as the men’s heads thumped like melons against each wooden stair tread.
Afterward, they tied up their prisoners face down in the yard. Letty had set the tone by blithely telling them how considerate they were for leaving them face down. She had pressed Neville’s face into the dirt, exacting a bit of revenge for his cruel treatment of her and said, “We could have left you fl
at on your backs to drown most cruelly in your own fluids.” Looking over at Janelle, she had nodded emphatically. “It would have served them right.”
Janelle in turn had taken an inordinate amount of pleasure with Jamie’s bindings. Following Letty’s lead, she had also shoved his face in the dirt as she pressed her knee into his back. “How does it feel, asshole? To be bested twice, by a mere woman?”
Once they had them secured, the ladies did a quick search of the barn for Henry and his men, but came up empty.
“Maybe they lied?” Letty said hopefully.
“I don’t know, but I have a way of finding out.” Janelle stomped back across the yard with Letty a step behind. When she stood over Jamie Jessup’s repulsive body, she nudged him with her foot. “I have an antidote I can give you if you tell me what you did with Henry Jackson and his men.”
He hesitated. Another moan escaped, but still he didn’t answer.
“One time offer, you prick. Otherwise I let you shit yourself until you’re wrung out and next to dead.”
“Janelle?”
She froze. Aaron’s deep voice coming from behind her had her dropping her head in vexation. “Why do you always appear when I’m least expecting it?”
“More like when you’re most disobedient.” This came from Henry who was unsteadily half-walking, half-being carried between his two oldest sons.
Letty cried out and rushed to her husband, checking him for injuries.
“It’s just my head, honey. I guess it really is as hard as you’ve always claimed.”
“If you’re making jokes, Henry Jackson, then I know you’re okay. Where were you?”
“We found him and two hands tied up in the hay loft,” Heath answered as he and Luke stared in amazement at the captured Jessup brothers.
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