Peppermint Sticks for Susie (21 page)

"What has Jenny ever done to you?" Alex hoped to gain Jenny's release.

"Nothing," Stephanie answered, and then added, "It was her misfortune to get involved with you, and now she will have to pay the ultimate price. Tie them up and gag them," she ordered. "Come nightfall we'll move the cattle and make sure these two can't make any more trouble for us."

Once Alex and Jenny were tied up they were placed on the bed and tied facing each other. "Make the most of this last time together, you two." Stephanie led the others out of the room, leaving Alex and Jenny completely alone.

Jennifer could tell by the look in Alex's dark eyes that he was angry and feeling helpless. "We'll be fine, Alex."

"That witch plans to kill us, honey, and it's all my fault. I should have told you to keep your nose out of this situation. I love you so much and I can't bear the thought of anything happening to you, Jenny. You are so special, beautiful inside and out."

"Thank you, Alex," she said with a bright smile. "I'm going to remind you that you said that when you threaten to spank me the next time."

"Jenny, I'm so sorry," Alex sincerely apologized.

"You haven't anything to be sorry for, darling. Now, I want you to be careful while I wiggle a bit. I don't want to put one of my knees where it would hurt most."

"What are you doing, Jenny?" he whispered, as she did her best to bring her legs up without pushing her knees against him. She wiggled some more, mumbling under her breath as she did so. "Jennifer...?"

"I have a knife in my boot," she confided. "My Dad said that nothing could replace a good knife in an emergency."

"Your Dad is right," Alex agreed, nodding. He gave the ropes as much slack as possible while she wiggled and did contortions until her fingers could reach inside the boot and pull out the knife. Once she had the knife in her hands, it didn't take her long to cut the rope binding her hands together and free them. The ropes keeping her bound to Alex were next, then her feet. Once she was freed, she released Alex. "Good girl," he praised her. "Now I'm going to get you out of here and I want you to stay gone, no matter what. I do not want you injured or killed."

"I'm not leaving you here alone, Alex Martin, so just quit thinking like that. We are in this together."

"You are going to obey me, girl, or else!"

"We don't have time to argue about this. We need to get out of here before Stephanie and her rustlers come back."

She looked so cute standing there defying him, and if the situation wasn't so dire he would kiss her breathless. "This isn't the time for you to argue with me, Jenny. Come on." He grasped her arm and led the way to the bedroom door, opening it a crack and then listening. When he was greeted with silence, Alex whispered, "I can't hear anything or anyone downstairs, but be very quiet. All I have for a weapon is your knife." Jennifer nodded. As long as she was with him, she would follow. What she wouldn't do was go home and leave him here alone.

They did their best to be quiet, walking quietly in the hallway and then heading downstairs, skipping over a couple of steps that they knew would squeak and possibly alert the rustlers that they were free of their bonds. There was no sound at all, and Alex was grateful. The cow thieves were probably all outside with the last bunch of cattle stolen from some unlucky rancher. With any luck at all, he could put Jenny on her horse and head her back to town. He led the way to the front door when suddenly there was a gray mist in front of the door.

"We need to go this way," Jennifer spoke softly, heading for the dusty parlor. They were barely out of sight before the door opened and two men entered.

They weren't expecting to find an apparition in the form of an eerie wailing mist at the top of the steps, and one of the men fainted dead away. Alex jumped the second man and one powerful blow was all it took to knock him unconscious. Alex armed himself, trying to ignore the goose bumps that Kieran was responsible for. Jennifer helped herself to the other man's gun and then said, "What should we do with these two?"

"Lock them in that closet." Alex promptly decided. He pulled first one man and then the other into the closet that was under the stair steps. He turned the key in the lock, then pulled it out and put it in his pocket. "I have no way of knowing where Clyde is and that worries me. We know that those two were with Stephanie, but I'm sure there are others out there. I've got to go outside and look around. My guess is that they are in the box canyon where I found the other cattle that were stolen. I want you to head back to town and stay there."

"I can't," Jenny argued. "Stephanie could decide to shoot Angus, or Alma and Peter and little Susie! I cannot put them at risk. I am going to help you, Alex, and that is all there is to it."

"Until you can't sit down, Miss Jenny," he threatened, but then took her hand and they hurried outside on the front porch. Their mounts were where they left them and Jennifer hurriedly mounted, looking all around and praying she would be able to keep Alex safe. She had no idea that he was praying that he could keep her safe.

* * *

Jennifer Shelley had ruined his life and Reverend Jeffrey Dixon decided that he was going to punish her as she deserved. The entire town was holding him up to ridicule and it was all her fault. His only mistake was thinking that she would make a nice girl friend; a nice diversion. He'd given up his old life in order to find respect, but no one in this town respected him now. Even Mrs. Neely thought him a terrible person, and all because that Peter Beckley made it known all over town that he'd lied about Jennifer Shelley. Everything he'd done in the beginning was to get the pretty redhead to come to him with her problems, but it didn't happen the way it was supposed to happen. He'd gone to Jenny and talked with her, just like his Daddy used to do. People paid attention when he spoke; when he counseled young women they did as he told them. So, why wasn't it working for him? He had no job and he doubted another church would give him a chance. He was going to settle with Alma Beckley and once she was dead, he would go and pay Peter Beckley a visit. Jeffrey was going to save Miss Jenny for last. Maybe he didn't get any respect as a preacher, but he was a damn good hired gun.

Jeffrey didn't bother to put on his frock coat. In fact, he strapped on his gun in the hopes it would frighten some of the gossips in town. He walked toward the edge of town and the house where the Beckleys lived. He pounded on the door, hoping to bring Alma to the door. Alma was wiping her hands on a towel as she opened the door with a smile on her face. "Jennifer isn't here," she said shortly.

"I'm here to see you, Alma. Thanks to your interference I never got to see Miss Jenny. That wasn't very nice of you. Your husband interfered, too. It's too bad I'm going to have to kill you, too."

"What?" Alma asked as her face paled and turned very white. "You are crazy!"

"I've heard that my entire life. It ain't true!" He screamed at her. His hand crept to his gun.

"You'd best calm down or the townspeople will send you away." Alma was stalling for time. She expected Peter any moment for lunch, and she knew that he would protect her.

"The church fired me," he admitted. "All because that Marshal came to town and turned Miss Jenny's head. You could have helped me, Alma, but you didn't... Why...?"

"Because Jenny fell in love with Alex and she didn't want to see you. You weren't nice to her, Preacher. You lied about her to Mrs. Neely, and you hurt Jenny's feelings. Mrs. Neely kicked her out of her home and Jenny had nowhere to go."

"She was supposed to come to me and ask me for help," he stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "But, did she? No. Alex Martin interfered and brought her here. You could have said no; you should have said no!"

He was almost screaming at her and Alma feared he was going to shoot her any second now. She was also terrified that Peter was going to come through the door and get shot before she had a chance to save him. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings," Alma said quietly, trying to stay calm.

"I'll just bet you are. That little girl of yours is going to be an orphan. Who knows, maybe I'll take her with me and raise her myself."

"I don't care what happens to me, but you will stay away from Susie!" Alma raged at him.

Jeffrey gave her one of his practiced smiles. She wasn't bad looking, even if she was a mite older than he preferred his women be. "What will you do to ensure your little girl is safe?" he asked.

"Anything," Alma whispered, her mind whirling with ways to escape the man. He was completely insane. At that moment the soup she was heating for lunch came to a boil and splattered from the pan to the surface of the stove. She automatically moved to pick up a hot pad and move the pan and give the contents a stir.

"Let that go and come here," Jeffrey ordered.

"No. You'll have to come and get me. I prefer it that way," she added with a giggle, lying.

Jeffrey holstered his gun, sure of himself now. Women had always been attracted to him. He hurried after her, chasing her around the table, and it never occurred to him that she was leading him back toward the stove until the contents of the pan of soup were stinging his face and chest. Jeffrey screamed bloody murder and his hand went for his gun. "I'm going to kill you, bitch!" he shouted.

A shot rang out and Jeffrey fell to the floor, dying.

"Are you all right, darling?" Peter asked as he holstered his gun and hurried to take Alma in his arms and hold her.

"Yes. He was going to kill me, then you, and then Jenny. Probably Alex, too. He's insane."

"I hurt! I hurt! You burned my face!" Jeffrey screamed at Alma. "Why? Why? All I wanted was a nice wife to impress my Daddy. That's all. Miss Jenny never turned to me... even when I let that Lefty Bridges escape. He didn't scare her at all... Now I am dying and it hurts so bad. Daddy! Daddy, don't whip me again. I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Oh, it hurts so bad." He closed his eyes and died.

* * *

Clyde and his men had the rustlers rounded up by the time Alex and Jennifer reached the canyon. "I was worried about you, son. What happened?"

"You are supposed to be dead! Both of you!" Stephanie was not a bit happy to see them. With Jenny's testimony she would be charged with attempted murder in addition to rustling.

"I never figured you were behind this, Stephanie," Clyde said quietly. "I'm going to hate seeing you hang."

"Hang?" She paled. "They won't hang me! I'm a woman!"

"That ain't for me to decide. Alex, you figure we got this all wrapped up now? These boys keep saying that Stephanie is the brains behind the operation."

"She is," Jenny spoke up. "I overheard her planning to kill you and Alex."

"You can testify to that, Miss Jenny?" Clyde asked, stunned.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, now maybe I don't feel as bad about seeing you hang as I did a while ago, Stephanie." He looked at Alex and then Jenny before saying, "I'll see these rustlers back to town and lock them up. No need for you to come along; I got me plenty of help."

Alex said, "There are two more locked in a closet back at the house."

"Good job. Let's go get 'em, boys." They rode back to the house and then tied the two rustlers' hands together and to their saddle horns. "We'll head on back to town now. You staying here...?" he asked.

"Yes, Clyde. Miss Jenny and I need to have a serious talk."

Clyde looked at Jenny again and then nodded. "I reckon you do. I'll see you back in town. Don't stay so long that you sully Miss Jenny's reputation. Folks talk, and I want you to put a ring on this gal's finger before things go too far."

Alex felt his face turn red. "Yes, sir." He accepted the reproof with good grace. The town loved Jenny. He would do well to respect that.

"Alex, we can ride back with the others..."

"No, we can't. We need to discuss a few matters." He took her arm and led her into the parlor. He then removed the white sheet covering the sofa and tossed it on the floor. "Have a seat."

Jenny sat, prepared to be scolded. Instead, she was in for a surprise.

"Jenny, I've been planning to retire for a while now, only I couldn't find a ranch that I liked... Until now. I fell in love with this place the first time I saw it, and I bought it the next day. All I had to do was pay the back taxes and it was mine... Ours... If you will agree to live here and be my wife...?"

"Oh, Alex! Are you really sure?" she asked. "I mean, you want us to get married and live right here and run a ranch?"

"Yes. You know I love you."

"I love you, too. But what about my job?" she asked.

"Angus will need to find someone else, honey. You will have a full time right here." He kissed her, then asked, "Do you think that Kieran will approve?"

"Yes," she said with confidence, and they heard a door open and slam. "Is that a 'yes', Kieran?" she asked. The door opened and slammed shut again. "It's a yes."

"Good. Now then, we have another matter to settle."

"Noooo! Please, Alex! I wanted to keep you safe."

"You disobeyed me, Jenny, and I won't have it. I never did give you the hiding you had coming to you for going back to work against my wishes, and I think we need to get this matter settled once and for all."

"There is no need. You won't be a Marshal, and you won't be in danger and I won't have to worry about you. Things will be just fine, and..."

"I have to know you will obey me, Jenny. An outlaw could show up gunning for me. Indians could come riding in wanting a fight. I have to know that you will do what I say, and we are going to make sure you learn that lesson right now." He reached for her and put her over his knee. He jerked her pants down. "You won't be wearing these again, either. I'm going to burn them." He also took down her drawers and held her in place in spite of her wiggling and struggling. "Hold still."

"I can't! You spank too hard!" Jenny started crying before she felt the first burning smack to her rear. "See! That hurt really bad!"

"It's supposed to hurt, young lady," he said, trying not to smile.

"But not so much," she retorted. "Please, Alex. I know I disobeyed you; I love you; I wanted, no, I needed to save you. I know I disobeyed, but I had to. Please try to understand. I'll try to take this spanking if you promise you won't kill me with it...?"