The Lady and the Sheriff Page 8

He’s clearly the sheriff, thought Emma, looking at the silver, star-shaped badge pinned to his shirt. Maybe Bill was right to leave me here after all. Maybe this is a safer place for me to be. Hopefully I’ll get the help I need and I can stay here a little while, she hoped. I might even find a job and be able to stay here. Still, she couldn’t decide how to answer his question. She wondered how much she should tell this stranger, even if he was the sheriff.

  When Emma didn’t answer immediately, Bob spoke up. “I’m sorry young lady, let me untie you first, and then we’ll find out what happened to you. I should have done that right away.” Bob quickly untied Emma and helped her to her feet, massaging her arms and wrists that were sore from being held uncomfortably behind her back. Bob then led Emma into his home where he sat her by the fire. Emma sobbed with relief as she warmed herself and she smiled gratefully when Bob returned with some food for her. She was famished and Bob watched as she hungrily ate it all. When she had finished, he decided to try again to find out how she had ended up on his doorstep.

  “Please tell me who did this?” the sheriff asked once more.

  “It was Bill Hawkins,” Emma sobbed, feeling betrayed by the man she had been shocked to discover she had fallen in love with. “He left me here.”

  “Are you OK?” Bob asked. “Did he hurt you?”

  Emma pouted. “Yes, he did hurt me,” she told the sheriff. “He hurt me a lot. He took me across his knee and spanked me hard, like I was some naughty child. He spanked me really hard and it hurt a lot. I hate him and I want you to lock him up for what he did to me.”

  Bob tried to suppress a smirk but failed to contain his laughter as Emma continued to pout and scowl, clearly outraged that Bill had dared to chastise her in such a humiliating manner.

  “I don’t see what’s so funny about me being kidnapped and beaten,” Emma stated angrily.

  Bob apologized to a now very irate Emma. “I’m sorry. I mean did he really hurt you?”

  Emma glared at Bob. “Of course he really hurt me. He spanked me really hard,” she answered indignantly, “and he bared my bottom and spanked me in front of his men. He had no right to do that. He had no right to spank me at all, and he most certainly had no right to bare my bottom. That just isn’t proper. And as for his men, they should have been gentlemanly and turned away, as they were quite obviously too cowardly to actually stop him from assaulting me. If they were real men they would have stopped him, but instead they stood and watched and even mocked me afterwards,” she sulked.

  Bob smiled. It wasn’t often he had sympathy with an outlaw, but he could fully understand why Bill Hawkins had felt the need to mete out a bit of discipline on this feisty young lady’s bare bottom. Bob wondered what on earth he was going to do with her. From her English accent, she was clearly a long way from home.

  “Let’s start again,” Bob said calmly. “You can start by telling me your name.”

  “Emma Bell,” she stammered, looking down at the floor and thinking about Bill again. She had been desperately missing her father when she had met Bill, and after Percy’s appalling treatment of her she guessed it made sense that she had found comfort in a man like Bill, who cared for her and wanted to keep her safe. Now that he had abandoned her she once more felt like she had no-one who cared if she lived or died. At that thought, Emma slumped forward and began to sob.

  She soon found herself being comforted by the sheriff gently rubbing her back as she cried. He whispered words of encouragement to her and told her to take her time, but that he needed to know what had happened to bring her to his town. Looking up at Bob, she wondered again how much she should tell him. He brushed away her tears and stroked her hair gently as he smiled kindly at her.

  “So, Emma, how did you find yourself in Great Bend?” he asked.

  I can’t tell him the truth, thought Emma. He’ll throw me in jail if I tell him that I assaulted Percy before robbing him and running away. He won’t believe me if I tell him Percy tried to rape me. No-one will believe me, but I’ll have to think of something to tell him.

  Bob waited patiently for Emma to explain. It was clear she was deep in thought, most likely fabricating some story, he guessed. A couple of minutes later, when Bob was still watching her intently, Emma spoke up. “I was travelling to Santa Fe with my husband. The train stopped abruptly and Bill Hawkins’ gang got aboard and robbed everyone. My husband was reluctant to hand his wallet over and Bill shot him dead. Bill then took me back to his camp where he made me cook for them. He wanted to have sex with me but I said no. He soon became bored with me and dumped me here last night.”

  Emma believed she had given the sheriff a plausible explanation. Bob didn’t believe a word of it. He knew that Bill Hawkins wasn’t in the habit of taking young ladies from trains, and if an outlaw wanted to have sex with a woman and went to the trouble of kidnapping her, Bob was certain he would not simply take no for an answer. Bill Hawkins was a vicious outlaw, but his one redeeming quality was that he would never hurt a woman or a child, much less kidnap a woman after first gunning down her husband. Whatever this young woman’s reasons for lying to him, Bob decided to pretend he believed her for the moment.

  “Were you and your husband just visiting America?” asked Bob.

  “Yes, we came over from England about a month or so ago. My husband had business in New York and I asked if I could come with him as I had never travelled and I was keen to do so before we settled down and had children. Whilst we were in America, he was intending to take me all the way to Santa Fe on the train to visit family, before we returned to England,” she explained. “I was so excited and I was enjoying myself so much. I can’t believe this has happened,” she said, staring sadly at Bob. “We left New York about a week ago. I stayed with Bill Hawkins and his men for around four or five nights. I can’t really remember. I’ve lost track of time,” Emma added.

  Bob asked Emma for the details of the people who were expecting them in Santa Fe. “They must be worried that you haven’t arrived yet. If you give me their names and where they live I’ll get a telegraph message sent to them to let them know you’re safe. I’ll also let them know what happened to your husband,” he offered.

  Emma shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “I have no idea who we were visiting or where they live. They were my husband’s family. He had made the travel arrangements and I didn’t question him over where we were going or who we were going to see. Why would I?” asked Emma, wishing the sheriff would just accept her explanation and stop quizzing her.

  Bob decided to leave her alone for now. She was clearly getting agitated and he needed to gain her trust. If she wanted to talk to him, she would only do it when she was good and ready. She was becoming tense once more and obviously had her reasons for not telling him the whole story, whatever that may be. He would have to bide his time.

  Bob hoped she wasn’t in any real trouble. He had enough problems to deal with on an almost daily basis in Great Bend without this young woman bringing more.

  “OK, you can stay here with me for now. I’m Robert Booker—everyone calls me Bob. I’m the sheriff of the town of Great Bend, and I promise I’ll keep you safe, Emma, but I need you to trust me and tell me anything you can that will help me to protect you.”

  Emma nodded. She felt sure that even if Percy had decided to try and find her, he would never in a million years head here. She had told him of her love of the west and her plans to travel to Santa Fe with her father, and she guessed that if Percy did go to the trouble of looking for her, he would simply follow the main line from New York to Kansas and on to Santa Fe. When he failed to find her, he would surely return home and forget about her, assuming she had returned to England.

  Percy would have no reason to believe she would have headed to a small town like Great Bend. Surely there must be hundreds if not thousands of these small towns spread along the way from New York to Santa Fe. He couldn’t check them all. Emma felt certain she was safe here and saw no need to tell Bob about her troubles in
New York and her reason for fleeing to the west. Bob wouldn’t understand, and being a man of the law he would have no choice but to throw her in jail for what she had done to Percy.

  Emma decided that for now she would accept his offer to stay with him. Maybe she might even find a job and could stay in Great Bend, or she could eventually get back onto the train and continue to Santa Fe. But for now Emma was happy to stay where she was, certain that the sheriff would keep her safe.

  * * *

  After waiting for several weeks to hear back from them, Percy had finally been called into the offices of the Pinkertons. Upon his arrival one of the Pinkerton detectives, Richard Morrison, told him that after weeks of investigating Emma’s disappearance, he had discovered that Percy had been right about Emma and she had indeed headed west.

  Richard had learned that Emma had visited a pawnbroker in New York where she had traded in various items of jewelry, including her engagement ring. Percy was furious to hear this, wondering if the stupid girl knew how much the ring had cost him. Shaking his head, he thought angrily I bet she didn’t get a fraction of what that cost me. Ungrateful bitch!

  Richard told Percy that Emma had also bought a train ticket to Santa Fe and had told the clerk that she was going to visit a terminally ill relative and had to sell her possessions to be able to afford to get there. She had also bought some new clothes, and the sales assistant had recalled “the friendly young lady” who was going to see her dying aunt.

  “See, I told you she isn’t to be trusted. She’s proved herself to be a slut and a thief—a violent thief who assaulted me to get what she wanted,” Percy whined. “And now she lets us see that she is a liar too. You must go to Santa Fe and bring her back immediately!”

  Richard told Percy that unfortunately he had also discovered that the train Emma had boarded had been robbed in central Kansas. After talking to other passengers on the train, Richard had discovered that along with all the valuables the robbers had stolen from the passengers on the train, the outlaws had also taken Emma with them. Percy’s eyes lit up with delight. “She’s bound to be dead then, wouldn’t you say?”

  Richard scowled. Percy claimed to love this woman and to be devastated that she had treated him so badly, but the way his eyes lit up at the thought of her death belied his claims to care for her. Richard felt some sympathy for the woman and could thoroughly understand why she had brought a vase down over his head. It would surely be a relief to be able to shut him up for five minutes!

  “I have no idea,” said Richard, shaking his head in disgust when Percy pouted like a small child and folded his arms stubbornly across his body.

  “I’m going to travel to Kansas tomorrow to see what I can find out from other passengers who got off the train there. I’ll let you know when I find something out, but for the moment she could be absolutely anywhere. I’ll keep you informed,” Richard told him.

  “I’m going to come with you,” stated Percy. “I have some business I can deal with in Kansas. As soon as you find out where she is, you don’t need to wait for me to head out to Kansas. I’ll already be there and we can go and find her together. I have a few words to say to that young madam when we catch up with her,” Percy fumed.

  Richard rolled his eyes, but as Percy added another large payment to the already generous advance he had given him to locate Emma, he found himself unable to turn the job down. After all, Emma had broken the law and it was his job to help Percy locate her so that she could be brought to justice. Richard’s personal feelings about the extremely rich and equally obnoxious Percival Woodhampton were not important.

  Chapter Eight

  At first Emma was happy to stay at home while Bob was out working during the day. She was content to spend her days cleaning his house and baking—a skill she had learned from Mary. She thought fondly of John and Mary, who she had written to a week after arriving in Great Bend. Once she had realized that she was safe with Bob and would be staying there for the foreseeable future, she thought it would be best to let them know where she was and that she was safe.

  She told them about her father’s funeral and where he was buried. She also told them the truth about Percy and why she had run away the night before her wedding, but she begged them not to contact anyone in New York or alert Percy as to where she was now living. She just wanted to forget that she had ever met him. She talked enthusiastically about Bob and how much she was enjoying living in Great Bend, and she spoke with equal enthusiasm about the few days she had spent with Bill, sleeping under the stars with him and his men. She told John and Mary not to worry, that no harm had come to her.

  It was now two months since Emma had arrived in Great Bend and she was thrilled to have finally received a letter back from John and Mary. She was even more delighted to read that they were now living permanently at Windmere and running the estate on her behalf. Their son had done well in the stock markets and he had used his newfound wealth to purchase Windmere, which John and Mary were putting to good use to slowly bring it back to its former glory.

  They told her to spend as long as she wanted in America, but to please take care. They were very glad to hear that she was enjoying herself, but talk of outlaws had them very concerned for her wellbeing. They were also very concerned about what Percy had attempted to do to her and believed she should have reported him, but they promised they would say no more on the matter if her mind was made up.

  After Emma had finished reading her letter from John and Mary, she was very excited and wanted to share her news with Bob. She was eager to tell him that the Windmere estate had been saved and was once again thriving. Although Emma had promised Bob that she would not wander into town on her own during the day, she was desperate to share her good news with him and for the first time since she had arrived in Great Bend, she headed into town alone. She had been into town many times with Bob and she was sure she knew her way around, and it didn’t look anywhere near as dangerous as Bob had warned her that it was. She guessed he was just being a little over-protective.

  On her way into town Emma stopped and watched with curiosity as two men brawled in the street. One of the sheriff’s deputies, Lee, came to break up the fight, and on seeing Emma he told her that she should go home. “Bob said you’re not to leave the house alone. It isn’t safe out here. Get yourself back home before Bob comes after you and tans your hide,” he ordered.

  Emma really liked Lee, he had been so friendly since she arrived in Great Bend and often dropped in to see her during the day, but she scowled when he ordered her home like she was a little girl who wasn’t big enough to be out on her own.

  Emma blushed and scurried back in the direction of home, but as the deputy left, curiosity got the better of Emma and she wandered further into town. On hearing a piano playing inside a building, Emma pushed her way through the swing doors and grinned as for the first time in her life she found herself standing in a real saloon.

  Emma held her breath as she looked around the bar, and several pairs of eyes turned to watch her just as closely. As she approached the piano, the man stopped playing and regarded her carefully. “Can I help you miss?” he asked.

  “Can I have a go please?” she asked enthusiastically. “I love playing the piano. I haven’t played since I left London.”

  The man stood up and offered her the seat. As she started to play with expertise, at the same time singing along beautifully, a crowd gathered around her. * * *

  Bob had just spoken to his deputy, who had warned him that he had caught Emma wandering into town. He said that although he had told her to go home, she didn’t look very happy about it and so he had decided to check on her. She had not gone home and now she was nowhere to be found.

  “I’m sorry, Bob, I told her that you would spank her if you caught her out on her own. I hope I haven’t frightened her away,” Lee said with concern.

  Bob shook his head. “Maybe a sound spanking is exactly what that young lady needs,” he said sternly, as he went in search of his
wayward charge.

  Upon reaching the area where she had been spotted by Lee, Bob heard a mesmerizing voice filtering out into the street from one of the saloons. He shook his head as he recognized Emma’s voice immediately. Bob loved to listen to her singing around the house, and her voice was unmistakable.

  Taking a deep breath, Bob headed into the saloon. Out of all the saloons in town, he couldn’t believe Emma had chosen the one frequented by “ladies” from the nearby brothel, along with their customers. He certainly didn’t want Emma mixing with that crowd. She would find herself in a whole load of trouble that she couldn’t handle.

  Bob was stunned to find Emma seated at the piano, playing and singing to an enthralled crowd. After watching her for a moment, he approached her. “I thought I told you to stay at home, young lady.”

  Emma glanced up at him, totally unconcerned that he had caught her in a saloon when he had given her strict orders to stay at home. “Come on, we’re going home now,” he ordered.

  Emma scowled and turned her back to him, readying herself to start playing the piano again. “I warn you, young lady, if you don’t get up and come with me now, I’ll take you across my knee and tan your bare backside in front of all of these people. You’ll be singing a very different tune then.”

  Emma blushed and pushed herself to her feet, shoving her way past Bob and her amused audience. How dare he treat me like this, she thought, as she stamped towards the door and went outside. Bob caught up with her and grasped her wrist.

  “Lose that attitude now, young lady, or I’ll give you a painful lesson in manners right here and now,” Bob warned. Emma pouted and lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered.

  Bob marched her home in silence and Emma was very fearful of what he intended to do when they got there. As they arrived in his home, Emma was surprised when he sat down and pulled her into a sitting position on his lap and hugged her. “Emma, I’m not being mean. I’m trying to look out for you. There are many people of ill repute in this town, and others pass through on a regular basis. Look at the way you arrived in Great Bend. You were very lucky that Bill Hawkins would never hurt a lady. Believe me, it’s the man’s only redeeming quality. There are a lot of bad men out there just like him, and many who are much, much worse. You must be very careful. The west is not a safe place for a young lady to wander around alone. Please let me, or at least one of my deputies, escort you around town until you become more familiar with the area and know where it is safe for you to go.”