Shotgun Groom Read online

  “Come on, honey. I haven’t seen you in a year.” His gaze rested on her breasts. “It’s nice to see you again. Too bad Harvey didn’t leave us alone last time I was here. But he’s not here now.” With a knowing grin, he added, “In fact, no one’s here.”

  She looked at the doorway leading to the hallway. He was closer to it than she was and he was blocking the kitchen door, so she was, for all intents and purposes, trapped. “Harvey’s been dead since March.”

  “You playing coy with me by ignoring what I said?”

  Her back to the small table by the cook stove, she continued to put distance between her and Lou. “Why are you here?”

  “I wondered if you needed anything.”

  Hoping the polite tactic might get him to leave, she said, “It’s nice of you to be concerned, but we’re fine.”

  His eyebrows rose in interest. “We?”

  “My brother and I.”

  “Oh yes. I forgot about September.” He snickered. “How is little Sep?”

  Biting back a reply to suggest he not laugh at her brother’s name, she said, “He’s fine. He’ll be back real soon.”

  “I’m sure he will.”

  She didn’t know what to make of the amused grin on his face, but her stomach tightened into a knot.

  Lou examined the kitchen. “I suppose this place has potential.”

  “Potential?”

  “Let’s be reasonable. A widow living on a farm needs a man to step in to take care of things. You can’t handle a daughter and little brother all by yourself. Especially when you’re nineteen and easy on the eyes.”

  Swallowing the lump in her throat as he scanned her again, she reached for the knife. On her wedding day, he’d made it known he could warm her bed if her bed ever got too cold for her liking. Not only was she not going to cheat on her husband, but her times in the bedroom taught her that such activities held no appeal to her. She’d never be pinned under a drunk man who offered slobbery kisses and a painful intrusion into her body ever again.

  Clearing her throat, she shook her head. “My brother and I manage just fine on our own.”

  “I notice you use the word ‘fine’ a lot.”

  “I suppose that’s because it fits.”

  “Granted, things might be fine, but they could be better.”

  He took a step toward her and she grabbed the knife. “I’m fine. You’ve checked on me to see how I’m doing, and I told you. That’s all you need to know. Now I suggest you get going.”

  “Oh, April, you ought to be more hospitable than that. I see you’re cooking supper. Isn’t it rude to send a guest away without seeing to his needs?”

  “I only have enough for three people, and you’d be a fourth.”

  He clucked his tongue and shook his head. “It’s not nice to lie. I saw you and Sep come back from town with four large boxes.”

  “You’ve been watching us?” she asked, her heartbeat picking up faster than it had been before.

  “I happened to be in town and saw your brother at the mercantile.”

  “So you followed us home?”

  “There’s no need to be upset. We’re kin, honey. I got back from Kansas City and wanted to pay my respects.”

  “And you didn’t knock. You barged in here.”

  He took another step forward. “Harvey was my brother. You don’t need to knock when you’re family.”

  He wasn’t going to leave, at least unless he was properly convinced to. Mustering the courage she didn’t feel she had, she said, “Don’t come any closer.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I said so.”

  “Oh really, April. This is unnecessary. You know who I am.”

  He took another step toward her, so she showed him the knife she had in her grip. “I mean it. Don’t get closer.”

  He laughed. “What do you think I’m going to do to you?”

  “I told you to leave, and you’re not.”

  “Because you need a man in this house who can protect you and provide for you.”

  “I told you, we’re fine.”

  “No woman is fine unless she has a man in the house. Your brother is too young to do the job of an adult, honey.”

  Despite her trembling hand, she held the knife out. “Get out.”

  In a low voice she barely heard, he said, “I don’t think so.”

  He took another step toward her, and she understood he was daring her to stop him. She’d never used a knife as a weapon before, but she didn’t like the way his gaze kept drifting to her breasts. In what she feared was a futile attempt, she swung the knife in his direction to frighten him enough so he’d leave. But he was too quick for her. He caught her by the wrist and squeezed until she yelped out in pain and dropped the knife which clattered on the hardwood floor.

  “It doesn’t have to be a bad experience for you, April,” he whispered. “I’ll do right by you and marry you. You needn’t worry I’ll get rid of you once I enjoy you.”

  Her lower lip trembled and she blinked back her tears. “No. Please don’t—”

  He pressed two fingers to her lips to silence her. “I don’t want you to speak. Be a good girl.” With his free hand, he cupped her breast and moaned. “You feel good, honey.”

  Something inside of her snapped. “No!” She tried to get away from him, but he tightened his grip on her wrist. “I said no!”

  She made an attempt to smack him, but he grabbed her other wrist. “Don’t fight me, April. It’s going to happen.” Then he pulled her into his arms, nearly crushing her in his embrace.

  As he kissed her neck, she struggled against him, tears trickling down her cheeks. “Stop.”

  He brought his lips to her mouth and kissed her, his tongue thrusting between her lips and she nearly gagged. His mouth stayed firmly on hers, his tongue sweeping across hers. She shuddered and pushed at him, but he held her around the waist and brought his other hand to her breast. She tried to scream but couldn’t since his tongue was still roaming inside her mouth.

  Tears slid down her cheeks. He was going to rape her, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. He was too strong. She hadn’t thought anything could be worse than enduring Harvey’s pinching hands and forceful movements, but now she knew there was. As a last ditch effort, she kicked at his shin, hoping her boot was sharp enough to catch him off guard, but she missed his shin and hit the air. The action caught her off balance and she would have fallen back if he hadn’t had her securely pinned against him.

  His mouth left hers. “I told you to be nice,” he snapped, pushing her to the table. He shoved her onto it and held her wrists above her head with one hand. He wedged his body between her legs and ripped the top of her dress and chemise. She wiggled as much as she could to get away from him, which proved to be a pitiful attempt since she only gained two inches. He grasped her bare breast and squeezed it.

  She screamed for Sep, hoping he’d be done taking care of the animals.

  Lou slapped his hand over her mouth. “Next time you scream, I’ll knock you unconscious. I’ll have you either way.”

  She screamed again, deciding she’d rather not be awake when he did what he intended to do. He let go of her mouth and raised his fist to strike her, but a gunshot echoed through the kitchen before he could do it. He stumbled and fell to the floor. Seeing her chance, she rolled off the table and ran to her brother who was holding a rifle.

  “It’s Harvey’s brother,” she told Sep though her voice shook so badly she could hardly speak.

  “Get up you sniveling coward,” Sep barked, his rifle aimed at the table.

  Gulping, she waited for Lou to get off the floor. Her stomach rolled and she swore she was going to throw up. Just don’t think about it. He didn’t rape me. He came close, but he failed.

  The click of Lou’s gun echoed through the small kitchen. Shrieking, she ducked and her brother fired as Lou emerged from the side of the table and shot at him. She placed her hands over her head and squeezed he
r eyes shut tight. A loud thud and shattering plates erupted amid a scuffle. Someone was going to end up dead. She just knew it! She just prayed it wasn’t her brother.

  When someone threw the door open, she dared a look up. She caught sight of Sep chasing Lou out of the house. Trembling, she got to her feet and hurried to the doorway. Sep stopped on the porch and fired a couple of shots, but Lou was already hightailing it out of there on his horse.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned to inspect the damage in the kitchen. The table was on its side and two of the dishes on one of the shelves lining the wall were scattered in pieces all over the floor. Upon closer inspection, she saw a bullet in the table leg, so Sep had gotten close to shooting Lou. Lou, however, hadn’t gotten close to Sep. The bullet on the wall was so close to the ceiling that April realized how drunk Lou was. She pressed her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. Thankfully, Lou was too drunk to shoot well.

  She opened her eyes in time for Sep to come back into the house. “I can’t believe I missed. The rat should be dead after what he was about to do.”

  Remembering her torn dress, she moved the fabric in place to cover her chest. “I’m glad you came when you did.” She took a deep breath to calm her stomach. As long as she kept her thoughts clear, she should be alright.

  “Why did he come here anyway? Did he come to take advantage of you?” Sep asked, bitterness in his tone.

  “He expected to walk right in here and be my next husband. I suppose he thought if he took advantage, I’d have to say yes.” Bile rose in her throat again and she swallowed. “I can’t talk about it, at least not until I can think about it without being sick.”

  “I understand,” he softly said.

  Nora’s cries broke through the awkward silence, and April was glad to think of something—anything—other than Lou! “I’ll get Nora.”

  He nodded. “While you do that, I’ll clean up the kitchen.”

  She could tell he wasn’t happy. And who could blame him? If someone had threatened him, she’d be mad enough to shoot a gun, too. Lou had always given her the creeps, but she didn’t honestly think he’d try to rape her. She grimaced as her stomach rolled again. Don’t think about it. She hastened up the stairs until she reached the crib where Nora was standing with her arms raised up.

  “I’m here, honey,” she whispered as she lifted Nora in her arms. Kissing her forehead, April judged how warm her daughter was and found that she was cooler than before. Tears sprang to her eyes and she laughed. “You know, with all that crying you were doing, you had me scared.”

  She laid Nora on her bed and changed her cloth diaper, throwing the soiled one into a bucket full of ammonia. Nora giggled and grabbed for the blanket which was folded on the bed and put it in her mouth.

  April brushed her tears away and smiled. “Silly, girl. You can’t eat that.” Removing the blanket from Nora’s hands, she asked, “Are you hungry?”

  Nora sat up and sucked on her fingers.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” April replied.

  As she put Nora on the floor, she saw herself in the mirror above the dresser. Her hair was untidy and she had a scratch on the top part of her breast from where Lou had ripped the dress. Hands shaking, she went to the basin on the small table by the dresser and poured some water into it. Taking the cloth off the hook hanging on the wall, she wet it down and rubbed the bar of soap on it until she worked up a good lather.

  She meant to clean the wound, but before she knew it, she was scrubbing her breasts and crying. No matter how much soap and water she used, she still felt dirty. The bile rose up in her throat and she leaned forward to throw up into the basin. When her heaving subsided, she remained over the basin, unable to stop crying.

  Nora tugged on her dress and called out, “Ma,” which made her sob harder. She had to be strong for Nora and Sep. She was the oldest one in the house. It was up to her to keep things going.

  Gathering all the strength she had left in her body, she straightened up and took a deep breath, aware that Nora stayed with her. She could do this. She could go downstairs and make supper. It was just a matter of taking it one step at a time and doing what needed to be done.

  She took the washcloth that was beside the basin and wiped her face. The cool cloth and familiar scent of honey soap provided a strange sense of comfort. Maybe it was because her mother used honey soap. It was one of her few memories of her mother who’d died giving birth to Sep.

  “Ma?” Nora asked, once again tugging on her dress. “Eat.”

  Right. Supper. She put the cloth down and turned to her daughter. “Yes, sweetheart. I’ll make you something to eat. I need to change my dress first.”

  When she had another dress on, she picked Nora up and left the bedroom. She’d empty the wash basin and clean it later. At the moment, she had to take care of her family. Cuddling her daughter, she headed down the stairs to make supper. Her daughter was feeling better, and as long as she focused on that, she’d be just fine.

  Chapter Three

  Early the next morning before Nora woke up, April got to work on sewing the ripped dress. The chemise was beyond repair, but she could fix the dress so that she could wear it again. She certainly didn’t have the money required to replace it, and she only had this dress and the one she had on. Pulling the needle and thread through the dress, she glanced out the parlor window. She enjoyed sitting by it. This morning, the snow was falling softly from the sky. Sep had put more firewood into the fireplace before he left to do the morning chores, and besides the crackling fire and the creaking of the rocking chair as she rocked back and forth, it was quiet in the house. It was the most peaceful time of the day.

  She continued working on the dress, nothing particular on her mind. She’d glance out the window to monitor how much snow they were getting. From time to time, she saw Sep as he made his rounds on the property. By the time she heard Nora babbling upstairs, she had finished repairing half the damage done to the dress. Gathering her dress and her sewing kit, she took them upstairs. Once she entered her room, she smiled at Nora who was pulling herself up on the bars of the crib.

  “You look good this morning,” April said as she set her things on the dresser. “I think the fact that you were able to sleep all night helped.”

  Nora lifted her arms, so April picked her up and changed her diaper. By the time she had her dressed for the day, the front door opened and Sep called out that he was done with the morning chores.

  “It’s time to get breakfast going.” She took Nora in her arms and carried her down the stairs. When she reached the kitchen, she set her girl in the highchair and turned to the shelf to grab the flour. “Do you want pancakes this morning?” she called out to Sep who brought in a bucket of water from the well out back.

  “That sounds good.” He placed the bucket on the work table. “The temperature’s dropping out there. I think we’re in for a snowstorm. Hopefully, the doctor’s assistant will make it here.”

  “Even if he doesn’t, Nora’s on the mend.”

  “I’d still like for him to come out here.”

  Surprised by the determined tone in his voice, she eyed him. “What’s going on with you?”

  He shrugged and turned to the cook stove. “I already put cow chips in there.”

  She placed the sack of flour and large bowl on the table. Putting her hands on her hips, she walked over to Sep as he placed a pot on the range. “I’m your sister. I know when you’re up to something, so you might as well spill it.”

  “I’m concerned about Nora, that’s all.” Avoiding eye contact with her, he retrieved the bucket of water and poured some of it into the pot. “Want me to start coffee?”

  “Sep,” she said, a warning tone in her voice.

  A knock at the front door echoed through the house, and she caught the relieved look on his face before he scurried out of the kitchen to answer the front door. With a sigh, she grabbed the apron from the hook by the kitchen door. She’d get breakfast for ever
yone, and that included Joel. She couldn’t send him off into the snow without a full belly. As she finished securing the strings on her apron, Joel entered the kitchen with a small bag. She frowned. Where was Sep? For someone so concerned about Nora, he was nowhere in sight. Her brother was definitely up to something.

  Joel smiled as he walked over to Nora who was banging her hands on the tray in front of her. “Good morning.”

  “Morning,” April replied, her gaze shifting to the hallway. From where she stood, she couldn’t see Sep.

  “I’d ask how Nora’s doing, but the color’s back in her face and she’s happy.” He touched her forehead. “The fever’s gone.”

  Forcing her attention off the hallway, April looked at Joel and nodded. “Yes. After you helped her settle down yesterday, she had a real good nap, and when she woke up, she was much better.”

  “Good. I’m glad I made the trip for nothing.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Sep said.

  April’s eyes went back to the hallway and she gasped. Her brother came to the kitchen entrance with a rifle in his hands.

  “Sep, what are you doing?” she asked.

  Instead of answering her, Sep stepped further into the kitchen and motioned for Joel to sit down.

  “Now look here, you can’t go threatening people with a gun,” Joel said in a soothing voice. “Put it down, and we’ll talk-”

  “Sit down!” Sep lifted the rifle and pointed it at Joel, his finger on the trigger.

  April rushed over to Sep and tried to take the gun from him, but he dodged her. “You can’t kill him,” she said, her heart pounding anxiously in her chest. What was her brother thinking?

  Sep rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to kill him. We need him.”

  “Nora’s fine. You don’t need me,” Joel argued.

  “Oh yes, we do. You’re marrying my sister,” Sep told him.

  “What?” April shrieked.

  “You can’t be serious,” Joel added, blanching.

  “I’m as serious as can be,” Sep said, not taking his eyes off of Joel. “Sit down or I shoot. I might not kill you, but I can do some damage.”