The Convenient Mail Order Bride (9 page)

“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

T
hat 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 fact 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.

Either way, it didn’t matter. Abe would be
putting her on the next stagecoach, and she’d be heading back to
Ohio soon enough. Retrieving his pitchfork, he returned to the
animals.

***

“Phoebe, remember that nice young man who
brought us here?” Phoebe’s mother called out from the other side of
the bedroom door.

Phoebe rolled over in the bed and called
out, “Eric Johnson?”

“That’s the one. He came here to talk to
you.”

Phoebe debated telling her mother to send
him away. The last thing she felt like doing was talking to anyone.
But then she thought about all the things Abe had told her about
how things were for him. Perhaps Eric wanted to hear her side of
the story, to find out whether or not Abe had defended her. It was
possible Enoch and Benny had crafted some story to hurt him. That
being the case, someone had to stand up and tell the truth, even if
she was now a tainted woman from her association with him.

Clearing her throat, she sat up. “Tell him
I’ll be right there.”

“Will do, dear,” her mother replied.

From the other side of the closed door, her
mother was talking to Eric in low, soothing tones, allowing Phoebe
time to make herself presentable. She took a moment to wash the
tears from her face. She knew she’d been sheltered most of her
life, but it hadn’t occurred to her just how protected she’d been
until she came here.

Once she could trust herself to be calm, she
went to the door and opened it. Eric was sitting in a chair, a cup
of coffee in hand.

“There’s really not much that happens in
town,” Eric was telling her mother who sat across from him.
“Usually, the worst thing I have to worry about is breaking up a
brawl at the saloon.”

“It’s nice there’s not a lot of danger to
worry about,” her mother replied. “We heard all sorts of stories
while we were coming here.”

“I’m sure you did. There are elements of the
West that are undesirable, but if you have the right people in
positions of influence, things work themselves out nicely.”

“It’s a good thing you’re the sheriff then.”
She glanced over at Phoebe and gestured to her. “Did you want to
speak to my daughter alone?”

“It depends on what makes your daughter more
comfortable.” Eric rose to his feet. “Phoebe?”

“My mother can stay,” Phoebe decided. She
had, after all, already told her mother what happened in town. And
if anything, her mother would support her story. She sat on the
couch and waited for Eric to sit back in the chair before she
asked, “How can I help you, Eric?”

“I wanted you to know I found out what
happened with Enoch,” Eric began, “and I know Benny didn’t do
anything to stop it.”

Surprised, she glanced at her mother then
back at him. “So, you know Abe came to my aid?”

“Yes, I know.”

His soft voice settled her nerves. “I was
afraid you’d think Abe did something wrong.”

“I know Abe, and I know he wouldn’t do
anything to hurt anyone unless they deserved it. When I heard what
happened, I knew Enoch and Benny were in the wrong. I just came by
to tell you they’re in jail. I told Abe, in the future, he should
bring this kind of thing to my attention. I realize how things used
to be for him, but it won’t be that way anymore. He’ll get fair
treatment from me.”

After all the things she’d gone through that
day, this was so unexpected she had trouble believing her ears. But
when her mother let out a cheer and thanked Eric, Phoebe realized
she’d heard right.

“If Abe doesn’t come to me, you can,” Eric
told Phoebe. “Either way, I’ll do right by all of you.”

“Thank you,” Phoebe said. Then, after a
moment of considering her words, she added, “Is it true that the
people in town treat Abe poorly?”

“Yes, it is,” Eric replied. “It’s not
something anyone talks about, but he doesn’t get a fair shake.
That’s why I wanted to take care of things. Abe is reluctant to
believe he has anyone to back him up. If you and I don’t work
together to make things better, things will stay as they’ve been. I
can only do my part. I can’t be everywhere at once. There’s bound
to be some things I’ll miss. But change won’t happen unless someone
stands up to make things better.”

Phoebe breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe
being here wasn’t going to be as awful as she’d feared. Maybe there
was a chance to work things out, to live in contentment, to have
the husband and children she’d always wanted. And it would be even
better if she didn’t have to make her mother go back to Ohio.
Though her mother hadn’t said anything, Phoebe could tell her
mother liked the cabin and mountains. It was a quiet and beautiful
area. And Phoebe liked it, too. So if she could do her part to make
things better, she would.

“I understand,” Phoebe told Eric. “Thank you
for being a man of honor, Sheriff.”

“I’m happy to do what I can.” With a smile,
Eric rose to his feet. “Next time you come into town, you can come
and get me. I’ll make sure no one harms you ever again.”

Phoebe saw Eric to the door and closed it
after he left. Then, unable to hide her curiosity, she looked out
the window and watched as Abe left the barn to talk to him. Eric
did most of the talking, only once gesturing to the cabin—probably
because he was telling Abe what he’d told Phoebe. By the look on
Abe’s face, he didn’t seem convinced the matter with Benny and
Enoch was truly settled, but he nodded to Eric. Eric, in turn, got
on his horse and left.

Abe’s gaze went to Phoebe, and she almost
turned from the window, embarrassed he’d caught her staring at him.
But something in Abe’s expression stopped her. She couldn’t tell
what it was, exactly. He had such a serious look on his face, and
if she was right, he would do whatever it took to protect her.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure what to make of
it. There was nothing the least bit romantic about the silent
exchange between them, but she felt a slight flutter in her stomach
all the same. He really was a good looking man. Maybe there was a
bit of darkness in his skin, but he still seemed more white than
Indian. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Even so, she had
the sudden inclination to touch it, to see if it was as soft as it
appeared. He had a nice, solid build, too. Broad shoulders. Strong
and tall, but not overpowering. And though the day’s events had
scared her, there was no denying he had protected her. He just
might make a good husband after all.