Emily

by Paige Mallory

  “She’s wearing pants and a gun!” Sylvia said, shocked. “Do you think you should find the Sheriff or Doc Z?”

  “I’m not sure what is up, Sylvia, but don’t you worry. We can get Kathy from school and bring her home.” Sylvia nodded, and he could see she was very happy. “I’m proud of you, Sylvia. I know you are hurting, but you aren’t whining and complaining, and I know you are hurting.”

  “I want my child back, Hiram, and I will do what I need to do. I didn’t realize how terrible I was,” she admitted to him. “I’m ashamed of myself.” She bowed her head.

  “Now, none of that. We look forward from now on. If you start feeling sorry for yourself, I’ll take you over my knee again and spank you.” He meant the words, and she obviously believed him because she suddenly straightened up to look at him with solemn eyes.

  “I am still sore from the last spanking you gave me, Hiram. I don’t want another, thank you very much!” He winked at her, and in spite of feeling terrible, she had to giggle.

  *****

  Mac searched the entire town, and then realized that his wife’s horse was missing from the livery. The owner’s son told him that she rode out of town hours earlier. Mac asked if she said where she was heading, and the boy shook his head ‘no’. Mac was furious, but he knew that chasing after Emily wouldn’t do a bit of good. She was probably trying to get as far away from town as possible. She wanted nothing at all to do with her mother. He should have agreed to hide her himself, and then she wouldn’t have run away. His only option was to stay in town, meet the damn stage, and hope that Em’s mother wasn’t on it. If she was, he would have to find a place to keep her in protective custody until he could find Emily and disarm her.

  The stage coach was running late and Mac wondered how the day could possibly get any worse. He stood there, hoping and praying that the evil one got his telegram and wouldn’t arrive on today’s stage. Once he met the stage, he was going to go and have another talk with Lucy Zabarski; he couldn’t believe that Emily would leave town without giving her friend some hint of where she was going. He stood there for several more minutes, getting more and more irritated with each passing second. Finally, the stage came barreling into town.

  “Sheriff, Sheriff! We was stopped! A female stopped the stage, and she dragged a woman off the stage! Now, mind you, I don’t like the woman that was took one little bit, but we got no choice but report she was kidnapped!”

  “Who was the woman?” Mac asked. His heart felt squeezed by an icy band of fear. If Emily took her mother there was no telling what she’d done to her. Emily didn’t make empty threats.

  “Her name was Zinnia Craig. She was on her way here to ‘rescue her little girl from some lowlife,’ she said. Who the heck was she talking about, Sheriff?” the driver asked, scratching his head.

  “Me.” Mac headed to the Doc’s to talk to Lucy once more.

  “Hey, Mac. You want a cup of coffee?” Henry offered when he saw his friend on the other side of the door that led into his kitchen.

  “Where’s Lucy, Doc Z? Em ran off, and I’m afraid she’s in deep trouble. I need to see what Lucy knows.”

  “Lucy isn’t here. I just got home from delivering Amanda and Doug’s baby boy. I figure she’s at the school getting Kathy.” He pointed to the kitchen table. “Sit down and tell me what has you so upset, Mac. Lucy and I will help if we can.”

  “Emily swears she’s going to kill her mother if she comes here. I wish it was just an idle threat, but it’s not. The stage was stopped, and Zinnia Craig was kidnapped. If her body turns up, I might have to arrest my own wife for murder.”

  “Do you honestly think that Emily would go that far? After all, she has to know that the woman has no legal power over her…? She is of legal age, and she is married to you.”

  “Emily claims the woman would do anything to hurt her for being born, and if the driver is to be believed, Zinnia was nasty to him and to Tobias. She told them she was on her way here to ‘save her little girl from some lowlife!’”

  Henry did his best not to laugh at his best friend’s chagrin. “Lucy should have been home by now. It’s not like her to not have supper on the stove by this time of day.” He waited a few more minutes, and hurried to answer the door when there was a knock. To his surprise, it was Hiram, and he had Kathy with him. “Come on in. I’ve been expecting you and Lucy for some time now,” he told Kathy.

  “We just come by to get Kathy’s doll,” Hiram stated. When he could see that Henry didn’t have a clue, he said, “Mrs. Z come by to see Sylvia and said she had to help a friend, and she was dressed for the trail, Doc.”

  “Did she say where she was headed?” Mac asked hopefully.

  “No, and I didn’t think to ask. I figured you knew, Doc.”

  “No. Let me see if she left me a note somewhere.” He came back in a moment, carrying a paper, which he read aloud, ‘Dear Henry, Mac was here looking for Emily. I’m going to help her. Please don’t be mad at me. I’ll be home as soon as I can. Love you, Lucy’. I’m going to…” He shut up when Mac raised his hand in warning.

  “Swallow hard,” Mac cut him off and reminded Henry that Kathy was in the room.

  “Do you want me to help you two?” Hiram offered.

  “Thanks, Hiram, but you can help best by taking care of Kathy and Sylvia right now,” Mac replied. “Henry and I will look for our wives and find out what they’re up to.” And his wife was in for another damn good spanking!

  *****

  “Do you ever shut up?” Lucy demanded as she pushed the annoying woman inside the deserted cabin. “Sit down.” Emily must have taken after her father because she didn’t look anything like the big woman who was glaring at her.

  “You are not fooling me, Sharon Craig!” Zinnia Craig declared, her voice loud and shrill at the same time.

  “Who?” Lucy asked, frowning.

  “You didn’t think I would recognize you, did you, Sharon! I should know my own daughter!” Zinnia declared triumphantly.

  Lucy looked at her in shock. “You think I am your daughter?” She shook her head and then laughed, clearly puzzling the older woman. “I really should feel sorry for you, but I don’t.” She drew herself up to her full height and said, “Sit your fat ass down before I shoot you where you stand.” She’d thought that Emily was remembering her mother with a child’s tendency to exaggerate, but the woman was every bit as awful as Emily said.

  “You have no right to speak to me with such disrespect, Sharon. If you weren’t wearing that gun like some common thief, I would box your ears!”

  “Lady, one thing you’d better realize right now is that I am trying to keep you alive. I’m beginning to regret that decision, however. I am not your daughter, and how you could even think that is beyond me. Your daughter and I look nothing alike.”

  “You’re trying to protect that no-good bastard you sold yourself to!” Zinnia sneered, and in the next moment she found herself flying through the air to land on her fat butt on the dusty chair she’d been told to sit upon.

  “If your daughter was here she would kill you slowly for saying that about Mac.”

  “She has no idea of the wealth she possesses. She can’t marry a nobody! She must come home and allow me to choose someone worthy of her!”

  “Allow you to pick a cruel husband, you mean? One who would beat her and suck the very life out of her?” Lucy quickly learned she was right when the woman’s eyes gave her away. Emily was correct when she said that Zinnia was full of hate for her.

  “What would someone like you know of society and money?”

  “I was born and raised in Boston, to one of the wealthiest families there. I escaped from my father’s marriage plans for me. And I would do anything to keep you from ruining your daughter’s life.”

  “She’s already ruined her life by taking up with that man who claims to be a lawman! I am going to take Sharon home with me, and I’ll have him arrested for rape!”

  “Mac is a good friend of
mine, so shut up… or else!” Lucy was furious and she had no idea how long she was going to have to keep the odious woman out of Emily’s sight. Hopefully, Mac would find Em and talk her down, and the Judge would write out an order of protection for Emily that would send Zinnia Craig home and out of Emily’s life forever. “Mac is a good husband to Emily, and she loves him. You are not going to interfere in her life.”

  “You can’t seriously think that Sharon would dare to defy me! I am her mother, and her legal guardian.”

  “Your daughter doesn’t go by Sharon, and since she is as good with a gun as I am, you can bet I think she would do more than threaten you if she set eyes on you. She hates you. She more than hates you. She wants you dead, preferably at her hand. I’m beginning to see why.” Lucy pointed at Zinnia. “You mistreated her; you kept her from her father. You hired a cruel woman who beat her, too. You don’t even know her real age, or you wouldn’t be out here trying to force her to a life of your choosing!”

  “I have documents to prove she is only nineteen!”

  “Give it up, Zinnia. Emily is twenty-two. She has a copy of her birth certificate, and her marriage license. The Judge is on his way here, and he is going to send you back east… without your daughter. If you try to pass off forged documents, he will send you to prison… and that is something I would love to see.”

  “You are the one who will go to prison for kidnapping me,” the woman threatened, her face a mask of ugly anger and rage.

  “Like I said, Mac is a good friend. I won’t go to prison for protecting his wife from you.” No, Lucy admitted to herself. She wouldn’t go to prison, but she might never sit down again once her husband gets his hands on her. “So tell me, Zinnia. Have you ever plucked a bird or skinned a rabbit?” Lucy asked with obvious delight. “I’m going to see what I can find for our supper, and since I’m the one who will shoot it, you can clean it.”

  The woman turned green and gagged, making Lucy laugh. She took out strips of rawhide and tied Zinnia to the chair. “If you twist, you’ll just tear the skin on your wrists and cause the rawhide to shrink. Why don’t you sit quietly and do some soul-searching, Zinnia? You might just remember why your daughter hates you so much.”

  Zinnia yelled and yelled for help after the petite woman left the dirty and dusty cabin, but no one came to her aid. That ugly redhead swore there was no one within miles, but that didn’t sound possible. Zinnia heard a couple of shots, and then the door opened a few minutes later.

  “Did you honestly think the neighbors would come to your rescue, Zinnia? The only people who might come running are Apache, and I don’t think you would like it if they came calling.”

  “Why aren’t you afraid of them? Only a woman who wasn’t decent wouldn’t fear being used by a band of Indians!” Zinnia looked at the door as if she feared the Apache would come through the door at any second.

  “Keep it up, Zinnia. I’m not a very patient woman, and you sorely try what little patience I do have.” Lucy didn’t know how long she would be able to stay here with Zinnia without murdering her; the woman was mean and nasty, and how she could be Emily’s mother was unimaginable!

  *****

  “I can’t believe that I didn’t take Em seriously,” Mac said as he and Henry rode out of town. They were going to try and use what daylight remained to see if they could get some idea of where Emily took her mother.

  “If Lucy is with Emily, she won’t permit her to commit murder,” Henry said with certainty. “She might have a wild temper, but she won’t let her friend do something that would put her behind bars.”

  “I hope you’re right, Doc Z. She wouldn’t promise me that she wouldn’t kill her. Believe me, I tried to make her see reason.” He waited a bit and then admitted, “I can’t believe she is able to sit her saddle. I wore her out this morning until my hand was burning!”

  “Then hopefully they won’t be too far from where Mrs. Craig was taken.” Henry couldn’t believe that his wife would go along with kidnapping Emily’s mother! He was going to switch her until his right arm wore out, and then he would use his left! How in hell he was going to keep her out of prison this time was a mystery to him; it would be a miracle if she didn’t hang!

  *****

  “Hey there, Mrs. Forrester. Mac was in here lookin’ for you hours ago. You’re sure out awful late to be by yourself.”

  “I had some thinking to do, and I went for a long ride,” Emily said tiredly. She wasn’t about to admit to the man that she didn’t ride all that far, but spent most of the day swimming and thinking over her problems. It wasn’t just her now, and she had to think of Mac and his position in town. She needed to trust him to protect her from her mother and ask the Judge to send the evil woman on her way. She was sure that Mac wouldn’t be very happy with her when she went home, but to her surprise, Mac was nowhere to be found! She walked over to see Lucy, and their home was dark, too. Emily didn’t know what to think. She went back home and busied herself baking some cookies.

  When there was a knock at the door, she was surprised to see the manager of the stage line standing there. “I need to see the Sheriff, Mrs. Forrester, and see what he is doing about that woman who was kidnapped this afternoon.”

  “What woman?” Emily asked, but she already knew.

  “Her name is Zinnia Craig. My driver said she was taken at gunpoint. Where is Mac?”

  “He must be out searching for tracks,” Emily answered. “I wasn’t here when he left.”

  “I see. Well, you tell him I want a full report in the morning. I cannot permit ruffians to kidnap passengers!”

  “Well, maybe she was murdered and the body buried where it will never be found. I am positive no one will miss that woman!”

  “What a terrible thing to say!”

  “I have cookies in the oven, Mr. Andrews,” she practically slammed the door in his face. She couldn’t believe that her mother was kidnapped from the stage! What she didn’t know was who did it…! Could Mac have decided to take the law in his own hands? It didn’t sound like him, but if he thought that kidnapping her mother would keep Emily from killing the horrible woman, then he just might do it… especially when he didn’t know where she was. But, that didn’t explain where Lucy and Henry were…? Emily hurried to change back into her pants and gun, and then she ran back to the livery to get her horse.

  “You ridin’ out again, girlie? Does Mac know about this?” the owner demanded, puffing his cheeks out in indignation for her husband.

  “I’m trying to find him; there’s a problem he needs to know about,” she stated. “I’m riding out to where the woman was kidnapped today, and I hope to find him. If he returns without me, tell him where I went, please.”

  “I shore will, girlie. You be careful now.”

  Emily promised she would, then rode out of town as fast as she could, anxious to find out what really did happen to her mother. If someone thought to hold her for ransom they would be very surprised, because there was no way in hell that she would pay even one cent to get the woman freed. In fact, she would empty out her bank account to pay them to take her to some foreign country and lose her. Emily laughed aloud at the thought.

  *****

  “I like my new bed, Mr. Hiram,” Kathy said with a big smile as she sat in the middle of the bed he’d built for her that day.

  “It’s very nice, isn’t it, Kathy?” Sylvia asked with a huge smile for her daughter. Hiram had done so much for them. He’d also helped her clean their home when she wasn’t with customers, and she’d had a good day in the store, too. She’d been very busy, and it was nice to see some actual money in her purse. She wanted to pay Hiram back for all the groceries he bought.

  “Where is Mr. Hiram going to sleep, Mama?” Kathy asked innocently. “In the big bed with you?”

  “Honey, your Mama and I aren’t married, so we can’t share a bed. It wouldn’t be proper. I’ll sleep in a chair in the parlor.”

  “I’d like it if you and Mama got married. I wo
uld love to have a Papa,” she said wistfully.

  “Kathy, you shouldn’t say things like that, honey girl. It’s just…” Sylvia’s cheeks were red with embarrassment

  “Kathy, I like you and your Mama just fine, but right now your Mama and I are only friends. I’m helping her until she feels all better. She is a woman and I am a man, so I need to sleep in the parlor.”

  “Oh…” It was obvious that the child was disappointed.

  “We are lucky to have a good friend, daughter.”

  “Yes, we are, Mama,” Kathy agreed. “I love you,” she said, wrapping her arms around her mother to give her a kiss goodnight.

  “I love you, too,” Sylvia said, hugging her and then tucking her in. “You go to sleep now, Kathy. You need lots of rest to do well in school.”

  “Okay, Mama.”

  Kathy smiled to herself and said a prayer that her Mama would continue to be happy and feel better. She also added a prayer that her Mama and Mr. Hiram would get married and he could be her new Papa.

  “I’m so sorry for what Kathy said,” Sylvia apologized to Hiram once they were out of the bedroom.

  “Why are you sorry?” Hiram asked. “She’s a child expressing a desire for a Papa. That isn’t wrong of her. And, I need to be honest, Sylvia; I’m hoping our friendship develops into something more. I’ve been a widower for a long time, and you are the only woman who’s caught my attention since my wife did all those years ago. I’m already half in love with you, but I know you need some time to get well before you go making any serious decisions. For now, we’ll be good friends.”

  Sylvia felt her eyes fill with tears, but she stood on tiptoe and gave Hiram a kiss on the cheek. “You are such a good man, Hiram. I don’t know if I am worthy of you…” she whispered, then cried out in shock when he grabbed her and carried her through the curtain and into the store, and then into the small room where she kept extra stock.

  Hiram lit a lantern, and then closed the door on the two of them. There was very little room for either of them to move, but he quickly took a seat on the stool she used to climb upon to reach items on the top shelves. Sylvia tried to pull away when he took her arm, so he gave a tug and when she toppled forward, he caught her and flipped her over his knee.