The Convenient Mail Order Bride Page 6

  She followed him. “I don’t understand. If you knew, then why didn’t Abe know?”

  “No one told him.”

  “Why not? Don’t you think he had a right to know?”

  “Little lady,” he said, stopping to turn around and look down at her, “there are some things men have a right to, and when a half-breed bastard tries to take it, a distraction goes a long way.”

  A half-breed bastard? A distraction? What in the world was he talking about? “I don’t understand. What does that have to do with Carl posting an ad and you not warning Abe?”

  “Abe’s not one of us,” the man gently told her. “I can’t blame Carl for what he did. Abe wasn’t giving up.”

  “Giving up on what?”

  “Carl has a right to the land he’s on, and Abe’s been interfering with that right. Carl figured with you here, Abe would have better things to do than to fight with him.”

  “Are you talking about the part of the land with a stream on it?”

  He nodded. “Abe’s lucky Carl’s letting him stay in the cabin he currently occupies. You ought to remind Abe of that. It was Carl’s father who owned that land to begin with.”

  “But isn’t Carl’s father also Abe’s father?” The words flew out of her mouth before she had time to think over the wisdom of using them.

  “Unless the son is legitimate, he has no claim to the inheritance.”

  She shut her mouth then, only because it became clear he was talking to her as if she were a child.

  Fortunately, he turned back to filling the basket with items her mother had written on the paper, so she was spared from having to engage in any more conversation with him. She didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or angry about the whole thing.

  While the owner continued gathering the things, she browsed the other items he was selling, her enthusiasm at getting something new diminished significantly. In Ohio, she’d loved to spend time in stores, picking out things she’d love to take home. She couldn’t afford to take everything she’d wanted, of course, but she’d made it a habit of pausing and imagining what it’d be like to own the item of interest. Such fantasies eluded her now. She wasn’t sure she wanted to ever come back here again, let alone have Abe buy them for her today.

  The door opened, and thinking it was Abe, she looked over at the doorway. She hid her disappointment. It was one of the men, who’d been staring at her and Abe as she came into the store. No doubt, he was just as pleasant as the owner, what with the way he snickered and all.

  No, she must not think that way. It wasn’t fair to make assumptions based on her conversation with the owner. She’d give everyone a chance. Perhaps the man hadn’t snickered at her or Abe. Perhaps, he’d been thinking of something else. Or maybe he had something stuck between his teeth he was trying to dislodge with his tongue. There could be many reasons for what he did.

  As it turned out, the man came over to her. “Howdy there, Miss,” he greeted, tipping his hat.

  She stepped away from him, trying not to be obvious about the way he repulsed her. He smelled like he hadn’t had a bath in over a month, and worse, there was alcohol on his breath. “Good afternoon,” she mumbled then forced her attention to the row of staple items in front of her.

  He came around her other side, an action which boxed her into the corner, unless she chose to go around him, but that would require her to touch him, and she didn’t much care for that option.

  “I heard you came in yesterday,” he said, probably smiling in what he thought was a charming manner.

  She swallowed and concentrated on keeping her voice steady. “Yes.” Maybe if she didn’t give him more than simple answers, he’d go away.

  “I also heard Carl wrote a mail-order bride ad and sent you to Abe Thomas.”

  He took a step toward her, and she backed up, her hip hitting something on the shelf that wobbled. She glanced at the owner, who didn’t seem interested enough in what was happening to look their way. She swallowed. What was wrong with these people? Didn’t anyone offer help when they saw a lady who needed it?

  “Please, sir,” she began, “I need to go outside and get a breath of fresh air. Will you kindly step aside so I can get to the door?”

  “Actually, I was thinking we should get better acquainted,” he replied, stepping even closer to her.

  With nowhere else to go, she could only press her back up against the shelves. She glanced at the owner, hoping he’d do something to help her, but the owner was taking the basket of goods to the counter. He had to know what was going on. Why wasn’t he doing something to stop this?

  “Name’s Enoch,” the man said, making a show of looking her up and down, his gaze settling on her breasts.

  She crossed her arms to block his view of them. “Enoch,” she swallowed, “I don’t know who you think I am, but I’m not that kind of woman.”

  “Come now, Miss Durbin. Don’t play games with me.” In a lower voice, he said, “You’re living with a half-breed. You can’t tell me he hasn’t enjoyed you.”

  He reached for her behind, and she slapped his hand away. “He most certainly hasn’t! Abe is a gentleman. My mother and I slept in one room, and he slept in another.”

  Enoch threw back his head and laughed. “You tell some entertaining stories, Miss Durbin, but I’m a man and there’s no way Abe has you out there without enjoying what you have to offer.”

  In a bold move, he pressed himself up against her and tried to grab her breast. Gasping, she made an attempt to push him away, but he was much too strong for her.

  “Sir,” she called out to the owner, “help me!”

  “He ain’t going to help you,” Enoch whispered as he lowered his head to kiss her neck. “He hates Abe too much.” He kissed her again.

  “No!” She hit him, but it made no difference. The brute was much too big.

  Suddenly, he was off of her. In one fluid motion, she saw him fly across the room until he crashed into a display of pots and pans in the middle of the store. He landed on the floor, and Abe pulled out a gun and pointed it at him.

  “What’s the meaning of this?” the owner asked, finally doing something.

  Phoebe gritted her teeth, wanting to throw something at the owner. Unfortunately, she was trembling too much to grab anything.

  Abe glared at the owner. “You got nerve, Benny. You were going to let this piece of filth rape her right here in your store?”

  “You kill him and they’ll hang you,” Benny said, not even having the decency to apologize for not trying to stop Enoch.

  Abe lowered his weapon, so it was aimed at Enoch’s crotch. Then he cocked the gun.

  “No, no!” Enoch covered his crotch, tears springing to his eyes. “Not there. Anywhere but there.”

  “I forbid you to fire that gun, half-breed,” Benny snapped.

  “You’re nothing better than a pig,” Abe spat on Enoch and then kicked at the man’s hands, effectively striking his crotch in the same blow.

  The man cried and fell onto his side, curling up and holding himself.

  “You ever touch her again,” Abe said, “and I’ll make sure that wife of yours doesn’t have any more children.”

  Wife? Phoebe’s eyes widened. Enoch was married?

  Abe turned to Benny and pointed the gun at him. “You listen here. I don’t care what you and the others say about me. But you will never treat Phoebe that way ever again. You hear me? Because whether they hang me or not, I’ll shoot you. By the way, you won’t be charging us for these items because of what you were going to let Enoch do.”

  Benny opened his mouth to protest, and Abe fired the gun. Phoebe hid her eyes, but then peeked between her fingers. The bullet had gone right past Benny’s ear and hit the sack of flour on the shelf behind him. No doubt, Abe was warning Benny. There was no way he could miss a shot that close.

  Benny clenched his teeth. After a tense moment, he grabbed the basket and dumped it at Abe’s feet. “Get out and don’t come back.”

>   Abe nodded at Phoebe. “Take it.”

  Despite the fact her legs were wobbly, she hurried to the basket and picked it up.

  Abe then glanced between Benny and Enoch. “If you or anyone else steps on my property to do any harm, you’ll live to regret it. I might not get away with killing any of you, but there’s other ways to make you suffer. Go to the wagon, Phoebe. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Phoebe was too scared to stay there, so she bolted on out of there. She threw the basket in the back of the wagon and scrambled up into the seat, lowering the hat over her forehead and avoiding eye contact with anyone who happened to be watching.

  Her heart was hammering so loudly in her chest she thought it might burst. She didn’t realize she was trembling until she noticed her shaky hands. Crossing her arms, she was able to steady them.

  Things couldn’t have transpired the way she thought they did in there. That horrible Enoch hadn’t been trying to grope her right in public, and worse, the owner hadn’t really ignored the whole thing. None of it was decent at all. In all her time in Cincinnati, she’d never heard of such a thing happening to a woman. Sure, she’d heard of places called brothels where men used women for pleasure, but that kind of thing wasn’t supposed to happen in a general store.

  She heard the door of the general store open and saw Abe coming out, his expression dark. He slammed the door and paused to look around. Curious, she followed his gaze, noting that six people were staring at him. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought his expression went darker, as if he was daring any of them to confront him.

  One of the women hurried off down the dirt road and scrambled into another building. The men, however, weren’t so easily dissuaded and only continued staring at him.

  After a long moment, Abe went over to the wagon and got up on the seat. Phoebe noted he was still holding his gun as he released the brake. Was someone going to shoot them? He had to think it was a possibility if he hadn’t put it back in his holster.

  She gulped and closed her eyes. If gunfire was going to erupt, she didn’t want to see it. Better just let it be quick and over with. She gripped the edge of her seat, sure something bad was going to happen at any minute.

  But the only thing that happened was the wagon moving forward, bouncing her as they went over the uneven road. It wasn’t until a few minutes passed before Abe told her she could open her eyes, and even then she was afraid to.

  “Phoebe,” Abe said, “we’re out of town. No one’s going to harm us.”

  She took a deep breath then opened them, sure that someone would jump out at them from the trees lining their path. But no one did such a thing. She glanced behind them, assured they really were safe. She exhaled, her grip on the seat relaxing.

  “I had no idea that was going to happen,” Abe said. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have left you alone. I’m sorry. I know they don’t like me, but I thought you were safe because you’re white. None of the other white women have to worry about that kind of thing around here.”

  “Why didn’t you have Enoch and Benny arrested?” Phoebe demanded.

  “I’m a half-breed. That makes me less than human. Enoch and Benny are white. It doesn’t matter what they do. The sheriff wouldn’t have done anything. Not when it’s two white men’s word against mine.”

  “What if I back up your story? We can go back and hold them responsible for what they did.” She gestured back to the town.

  “It’s not that simple. I didn’t realize your association with me would make you vulnerable. If I’d known, I never would have agreed to take you and your mother in. I would have insisted Eric do it. But apparently, they all assume you’re spending time in my bed. We’re not married, and I’m a half-breed. I should have known that was a bad combination. They think you’re no better than I am.” He shook his head. “Look, Phoebe, you have to get out of here when the stagecoach comes. You can’t live this kind of life. I’ll give you and your mother money and send you back to Ohio. I doubt you’ll end up with another half-breed. Chances are, you’ll find a good, white man who’ll take care of you and your mother, and next time, he’ll be the one who actually posts the ad. If we do this now, you can get back before the weather turns bad and travel is impossible.”

  She didn’t know how to respond to that. What he said made sense. It was the logical thing to do. Maybe she should do it. Her mother had survived the trip out here. She could survive the one back to Ohio. Then next year when they tried again, maybe that one would work out.

  If she couldn’t venture into town without someone trying to hurt her, how could she ever be safe? How could her mother be safe? She closed her eyes and tried to block out all the bad from her mind, even if it was a temporary reprieve. She’d think better once the emotions weren’t so fresh.

  Chapter Eight

  That evening as Abe was tending to the animals, he heard horse’s hooves hitting the dirt road leading to his property. He dropped the pitchfork and grabbed his gun. He rounded the edge of the barn and peered around the side that gave him the best view of the road. He didn’t think anyone would come onto his land to hurt him or Phoebe while it was light out, but who knew what to expect?

  The last thing he’d thought that lowlife Enoch would do was try to force himself upon her—and right there in the general store where anyone could see him. His grip tightened on his gun. If it was either Enoch or Benny, he’d put a bullet right between their eyes. He had every right to defend his home and the people who lived here.

  But as it turned out, the visitor was Eric Johnson. Breathing a sigh of relief, he tucked the gun into the holster and came out of hiding. “Over here,” he called out.

  Eric turned in his direction and headed over to him. “I heard what happened in town,” Eric said as he got down from his horse.

  “Don’t tell me you came to arrest me for defending Phoebe,” Abe replied. “Enoch got lucky. I could have done worse than kick him.”

  “I didn’t come to arrest you. I came to ask why you didn’t bring the matter to my attention. Don’t you think I want to know if someone tries to rape a woman?”

  Abe shook his head. “It’s not that easy.”

  “No?”

  “No. It was my word against Enoch’s and Benny’s. They would have both denied what happened.”

  “It doesn’t matter what they would have said. I would’ve believed you.”

  “Maybe, but I didn’t want you to risk your reputation by siding with a half-breed. The others in town wouldn’t like it.”

  “I keep telling you I don’t care what they think,” Eric said. “I’m the sheriff in this place, and I’ve vowed to protect everyone in this town.”

  “Yes, well, protecting me could mean they come to your place ready to chase you on out of here or set fire to your house to teach you a lesson.”

  “Let them try it. I’m not scared of them.”

  “My uncle said that, too, until he got shot.”

  “Enoch and Benny might know people, but I do, too.” Eric rubbed the back of his neck. “Things aren’t as bad as you think they are, Abe. Not anymore. Anyway, I came to tell you I took care of it. Enoch and Benny are in jail.”

  “You arrested them?” Abe asked, not believing his ears.

  “Of course, I did. It was the right thing to do.”

  Abe didn’t know how to respond to that. The last thing he’d expected was for anyone to actually do anything about Enoch and Benny. Nothing had been done when his mother and uncle had suffered from the hands of the townsfolk. But then, that was before Eric came to live here.

  “Thank you,” Abe finally said.

  “You’re welcome,” Eric replied. “How is Phoebe taking it?”

  “Not well. She hasn’t said anything since we got back.”

  “I’ll talk to her. Maybe knowing they’re in jail will help set her mind at ease.”

  “Wait,” Abe said as Eric turned to go to the house. “I want you to do something for me. If someone comes after me for the fa
ct that Enoch and Benny are in jail, will you keep Phoebe and her mother safe?”

  “It’s not going to come to that, Abe.”

  “How can you guarantee that?”

  “Because I’m in charge around here, and I don’t tolerate injustice, that’s how. I understand what my predecessor was like. He looked the other way whenever it didn’t benefit him to stand for what’s right. But I care about everyone. I want this place to be safe.”

  “They might not come after me. They might go after you if you keep defending a half-breed.”

  “I’m not defending a half-breed. I’m defending a human being. What happened to your mother and uncle wasn’t fair, but I wasn’t here to stop it. I’m here now.”

  “You better be careful,” Abe said. As much as he admired and respected Eric, he was afraid the man was going to get himself killed.

  “I will be. No one really cares for Benny or Enoch. Benny’s been cheating people out of a fair deal, and Enoch’s a drunkard. They might be white, but believe me, people see what they’re like, and no one is going to be sorry to see them get what’s coming to them. I’ve never been able to catch them doing anything I could arrest them for, but I got them today. I’m keeping my eyes out on a couple others who haven’t done this town a bit of good. People are afraid to do anything about the lawlessness around here. That’s why it’s been allowed to go on for so long. But I’m here now, and I’m going to give the good people of this town a reason to fight back. To do that, I need help. You need to come to me if anyone does anything to hurt Phoebe again.”

  Abe nodded. “Alright. I’ll do that.”

  “Good.” Eric gestured to the cabin. “Mind if I talk to her?”

  “Go ahead.”

  As Eric headed for the house, Abe watched him, surprised Eric placed value on people, especially people like him. He couldn’t recall ever hearing any white person talking that way. And he did more than talk about justice. He actually put his words into action.

  The door opened, and Phoebe’s mother invited Eric in. The door shut, leaving Abe to wonder how Phoebe would respond now that Eric had done something about the situation. Abe hadn’t been able to solve things to her satisfaction. Maybe she’d be happy with Eric’s results.