Mail Order Bride - Westward Sunrise: Historical Cowboy Romance (Montana Mail Order Brides Book 9) (13 page)

Elliot smiled at that.  “Is it your handwriting that looks like that?”

“Nope.  Doc’s.  I love the man like a father, but his writing is atrocious,” Marcus said.  “I wouldn’t move her until tomorrow when she’s stronger and someone should stay with her for a few days.”

“That’ll be me,” Elliot said.

“What about the store?” Marcus said.  “I’ll have Sadie sit with her during the day once you take her home.  Then you can be with her at night.  Does that sound all right?”

Elliot sighed and tried to be reasonable.  Rachel was a good employee but she couldn’t run the store by herself.  “Yes, damn it.”

Marcus laughed.  “Good.  I’ll set it up with her.”  He patted Elliot’s shoulder as he passed by to leave.

Rebecca came in the room.  “How is she?”

“Marcus said she’ll be fine with some rest.  Can you stay with her for a little while?” Elliot asked.

“Of course,” Rebecca said with a small smile.

“Where’s your husband?” Elliot asked.

“Down in the office.  He and Ben handed over those two miscreants to Mitch and Jack,” Rebecca said. 

Elliot said, “Thanks.”

When he entered Jake’s office, his fierce expression startled Jake.  “She’s done working for you, Jake.  As of right this moment, she’s done.  It’s not open for discussion.”

“Elliot, I’m sorry,” Jake said.  “Nothing like that has ever happened here before.”

“And it’s not going to happen again, not to her,” Elliot said.  “Find yourself another waitress, Jake.  Marcus said Abby should stay here until tomorrow, but I’ll take her home then.  I appreciate your hospitality and this is nothing personal, Jake.  You’re a great friend, but Abby’s my fiancée and I’ll be damned if she’s gonna be put in harm’s way again.  She’s not Sammi.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?  I never said she was.  That’s why Ben’s here,” Jake said as he felt his temper start to rise.

Elliot snorted.  “Yeah, that’s another reason she’s not working here anymore.  I don’t need him sniffing around Abby like he does.  Besides, both you and Ben were here last night and that didn’t keep her safe, did it?”  He didn’t wait for a response.

Jake fumed as he heard Elliot go down the hall and out the back door.  The hell of it was Elliot was right about him and Ben not being able to keep Abby safe.  He tried to put himself in Elliot’s shoes and knew that given the circumstances, he would make the same decision. 

Jake watched Rebecca like a hawk, but Rebecca mostly stayed with him behind the bar and only went out to play piano.  How had those guys gotten Abby out of the bar?  He knew that Mitch and Jack would find out.  He felt an incredible load of guilt settle on his shoulders.  Then something else Elliot said came to him as he heard the back door open and shut.

He recognized Ben’s walk and called to him.  Ben appeared in the doorway.  “Yes?”

“Come in and shut the door,” Jake said.

Ben did and sat down heavily in a chair.  “What?”

“Is there something going on with you and Abby?” Jake asked.  “And don’t lie to me, Ben.”

Ben was too tired to bother with a lie.  “No, there’s nothing going on.  Yes, it’s true that I’m attracted to her, but I’ve never mentioned those feelings to her, nor would I.  She’s completely in love with Elliot and engaged to him.  I’ve come to terms with it.  It won’t be a problem, I can assure you.”

“No, it won’t.  Elliot’s not gonna let her work here anymore and frankly, I think he’s right.  I should have never hired her,” Jake said.

Ben arched an eyebrow at Jake.  “Does Abby know that she’s out of a job thanks to Elliot?”

“I doubt it, and I don’t really blame him.  We couldn’t keep her safe, Ben.  We can’t guarantee her safety,” Jake said.

“So get more security,” Ben said.

“Where from?  If you hadn’t stepped into Sammi’s position, I’d still be looking for a bouncer, Ben.  Where am I supposed to find a second bouncer?” Jake said.

“Advertise for one like Mitch did for a deputy,” Ben said.

“It took Mitch months to find one, too.  I don’t think it would matter to Elliot how many bouncers we had.  He’s not going to let her work here anymore,” Jake said.  “And I don’t think I would feel comfortable with it either.  We’ll just have to go back to doing things the way we did before I hired Abby.  But I will advertise for a second bouncer.”

Ben nodded.  “I think that’s a good idea.  I’m going to miss her and not because of my feelings for her.  She’s a good friend and she’s a lot of fun to have around.”

Jake smiled.  “Yes, she is.  Marcus was here.  She’s going to be here until tomorrow and then he’s taking her home.”

Ben nodded.  “I’ll steer clear unless I’m needed.”

“Good idea,” Jake said.

“Elliot, I feel fine,” Abby insisted.  “I want to go for a walk.  I’ve been in this cottage for three days.  I need some fresh air.  Marcus said it was okay.”

Elliot said, “You’re right.  Okay.  Get changed and we’ll go for a walk.”

Abby smiled.  “Good.  I’ll be right out.”

Elliot didn’t have to be at the store for while so taking a walk with Abby was going to be nice.  When she entered the parlor, she looked pretty in her pink calico dress.

He smiled at her.  “You are so beautiful.”

“Stop,” Abby said.  “I’m still a little pale and I need to get my hair cut again.”

“Well, I think you’re beautiful,” Elliot said as they left the house.

Elliot took her hand and they walked out to the main street.  Abby inhaled deeply and smiled.  “Ah, that’s better.  I needed to get outside again.  It’ll feel good to get back to work again, too.  My energy is coming back and I’m having a hard time staying still.”

Elliot smiled briefly and took a deep breath of his own.  “Abby, um, we need to talk about work.”

“What about it?” she asked.  She could tell from his expression that something was wrong.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go back to working at the Watering Hole,” Elliot said.  “It’s not safe for you.”

“Elliot, I understand why you feel that way, but there was a once in a lifetime chance of that happening,” Abby said and she put her arm through his.  “Jake and Ben will take care of me.”

“You mean like they were able to take care of you that night?” Elliot said.  The words had come out a little more sharply than he’d meant them to.

Abby said, “It wasn’t their fault, Elliot.  It was just circumstances.  It’s really my fault for trusting someone who bought a drink for me.  Looking back on it now, I realize how stupid it was.  I’ll be more careful, I promise.  I’ll only take a drink when I’m behind the bar and keep it under the counter with Jake.  It’ll be all right, Elliot.”

“No, it won’t, Abby.  Jake doesn’t want you coming back to work, either, because he doesn’t feel that he can guarantee your safety,” Elliot told her.  “I’m sorry, but this is for the best.”

Abby stopped walking and looked up at him.  “The best for whom, Elliot?”

“You.  If Ben hadn’t known what to do to counteract the laudanum, you could be dead right now, Abby.  If no one would have noticed you were missing as soon as they did, things would have been very bad, Abby.  They might have… or killed you.  I just finally found you.  I can’t lose you, Abby,” Elliot said.

She saw his eyes brighten with unshed tears and her anger began to fade.  “I know, Elliot, but I love my job the way you love the store.”

“I understand, but you’ll find something you like again. Something safer.  And it’s not like we can’t go to hear Rebecca play and stuff.  I just think it’s best for you to not work there,” Elliot said.

“I don’t want to find anything different, Elliot.”

He blew out a breath.  “It doesn’t matter, because Jake isn’t going to let you work for him anymore.”

She narrowed her eyes at him.  “Did you tell him that I wasn’t working there or did he say that?”

“We both said it.  You’re my fiancée and I’m not going to have you put in jeopardy every night while I have to sit at home wondering if you’re okay or not,” Elliot said.

“We’re not married, Elliot, so you have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do,” Abby said.

Elliot got ahold on his temper and said, “I know that, but as your future husband, don’t I get a say in the matter?”

Her eyes were stormy as she said, “You’ve had your say, Elliot, and now I’m going to have mine.  We agreed that until I got pregnant I could work at the Watering Hole, and that’s what’s going to happen.”

She began walking away from him.  Elliot said, “Abby, Jake isn’t going to take you back.”

“We’ll see about that!” she said, and kept going.

Elliot knew that he wasn’t going to be able to reason with her and let her go.  He cursed because he had to get to the store to open up.  He jogged down the street and opened the doors.  Then he remembered that it was delivery day and groaned.  That meant he wouldn’t be able to leave the store until sometime in the afternoon because there was a lot of unloading and unpacking to do.

“Of all days,” he said to himself as he unlocked the back door.

Abby pounded furiously on the back door of Jake and Rebecca’s apartment.  She knew that Jake wouldn’t be in the bar this early in the day.  No one came to the door so she knocked even harder.  Suddenly it opened, but instead of Jake, Ben stood on the other side of the door.

“Abby?  What’s wrong, sugar?” Ben said in his Georgia drawl.

“Where’s Jake?” she demanded.

“In bed,” Ben answered.  “You don’t see him much before ten or so.  Rebecca, either.”

“Well, I need to see him,” Abby said.

              “C’mon in and sit down a minute.  Just keep your voice down, okay?” Ben said.  Despite his best attempt to control his feelings, he felt happy to see her.

              “You want some coffee?” Ben asked.

              “No.  You’re not dressed,” Abby said as if she’d just said that the weather was sunny that day.

              “No, I’m not.  I was also in bed.  My room is closer to the door and I’m a light sleeper,” he explained as he sat down on the sofa next to her.  “Now what’s wrong?”

              “Is it true that Jake doesn’t want me working here anymore?” Abby said.

              Ben thought about how he was going to answer that.  “It’s sort of true, I guess,” Ben said.

              “What does that mean?” Abby said.

              “It means that I think it has more to do with your fiancé then Jake,” Ben said.  “As far as I’m concerned, I don’t have a problem with you coming back to work.  I miss you and I promise to keep a better eye on you.  Plus, no taking drinks from anyone if it’s not Jake, me, or Rebecca.  I should have told you about that.  We all should have.  I’m sorry about that.”

              “I knew it!” Abby said loudly.

              Ben shushed her and chuckled.  “Don’t wake the bear in there.  He’s not a happy person to be around at this time of day.  Trust me.  If you want your job back, just do as I tell you.  Do you want your job back?”

              “Yes!  I love my job.  I mean, Elliot and I have an agreement that when I get pregnant, I’ll quit, but for now, I want to come back,” Abby said.

              Ben had to use a lot of control to keep the jealousy out of his voice that her statement about getting pregnant by Elliot caused inside.  “Okay.  I think that agreement is smart, but in the meantime, there’s no reason you can’t come back.  Besides, Jake is going to hire a second bouncer, so it’ll be even safer for you.  Tell Elliot that.  You work on him, I’ll deal with Jake.”

              Doubts assailed Abby.  She didn’t want to be in cahoots against Elliot in any way, but she also wanted her job back.  It wouldn’t be for all that long, but it would make her happy in the meantime.

              Ben sensed her indecision and pushed his advantage.  “Look, Elliot loves you, right?”

              “Yes, of course,” Abby said with a smile.

              “Then he’ll want you to be happy.  When you love someone, you want them to be happy.  Tell him he can come and sit here every night if he wants to,” Ben said.  “Plus, Reckless will still walk you home.  Wait!  That’s it!  Reckless.  Jake could hire him as a bouncer!”

              Abby’s face lit up.  “You’re brilliant, Ben!  That’s a fantastic idea!”

              Ben put his hand over her mouth when what he really wanted to do was kiss it.  “Shh!” he said and laughed.  “Don’t wake the bear, remember?”

              Abby giggled as she nodded. 

              Ben took away his hand.  “Okay.  Now get out of here before anyone catches you sitting here with me while I’m in my skivvies.”

              Abby blushed when she realized how much of him was bare.  The female part of her couldn’t help but notice his powerful muscles and fine form.  “Oh, Ben, I’m so sorry.”

              Ben shrugged.  “It doesn’t bother me, Abby.  I don’t hold much with convention, despite my upbringing.  Anyway, go on and talk to your fiancé.  Use those considerable feminine wiles on him.”

              Abby laughed softly.  “Thanks, Ben.  You’re a good friend.”

              “So are you.  Go on, now,” Ben said.

              Once Abby was gone, Ben sat back against the sofa and smiled.  He could have gone to get dressed, but he figured it would be a good chance for Abby to see him as a man and not just a coworker.  Ben knew it was wrong, but there was this part of him that just loved trouble and he couldn’t help himself sometimes.  If Elliot and Abby were really destined to be together, nothing he did was going to interfere with that. 

              Elliot stood in his office looking at a couple of invoices that weren’t adding up to him.  Suddenly he saw a white handkerchief wave from around the corner of the door jam. 

              “I surrender,” Abby said.

              Elliot smiled and said, “Me, too.  Get in here, Mouse.”

              Abby appeared and said, “I’m sorry, Moose.”

              “It’s okay, honey.  Shut the door, please,” Elliot said.

              She did and then hugged him.  “I don’t want to fight with you.”

              Elliot wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.  “I don’t want to fight with you, either.”

              “Good.  I don’t want to discuss my working for Jake here, but how about I make dinner at your place tonight and we talk about it then?” she said.  “Sort of a make-up dinner?”

              Elliot smiled.  “I like that idea.  Are you sure you feel up to cooking?” he said as he looked down at her.

              His concern for her was touching.  She arched an eyebrow at him and said, “I feel up to a lot of things.”

              She pulled Elliot down to her and pressed her lips against his.  His immediate response excited her.  He buried his hands in her hair and deepened the kiss.  Abby felt the familiar fire that his touch built inside her and she wished that they were over at the house right at that moment.  Elliot heard footsteps approaching his office and reluctantly released her.

              Abby tried to get her heartbeat under control again as Elliot straightened his shirt.  She’d been gripping it and the collar had wrinkled.  Elliot smiled at her as she rearranged her hair a little.  She smiled back.

              “See you tonight, Moose,” she said as she left.

              Elliot took a couple breaths and then slammed into Joe as the mayor was coming into the office as he was heading out.  Joe laughed as he grabbed onto the doorframe to keep upright.

              “Sorry about that,” he said.  “Your girl feelin’ better?”

              Elliot rubbed his shoulder.  “Yeah, she is.  Thanks.  What can I do for you, Joe?”

              “Well, I got a favor to ask.  How do you feel about filling in for Dean on town council while he’s gone?  Sort of a proxy, if you will,” Joe said.

              “Me?  Why me?” Elliot said.  He’d never had any political ambitions.

              “Lots of reasons.  You know this town inside and out, everyone likes you, and you’ve got a good head on your shoulders,” Joe said.

              “Why can’t whatever it is wait until after he comes back?” Elliot asked.

              “Well, we’ve got some stuff to vote on and we have even numbers at the moment and we’ll need a tie breaker if it comes down to needing one,” Joe said.

              “What stuff?”

              “I don’t have a list with me right now and I can’t give you the materials unless you agree to do the job,” Joe said.   “C’mon now, Elliot.  I don’t ask you for much outside of ordering my special underwear.  It’s just until Dean gets back.”

              “When’s the meeting?” Elliot asked.

              “Monday night.  I’ll drop off the stuff off to you this afternoon, okay?”  Joe clapped him on the shoulder and hurried off.

              “But, I didn’t really say I’d do it,” Elliot said, and then figured it was a lost cause to refuse at that point.

              Jake laughed.  “You want me to hire a seventeen-year-old brave to be a bouncer?”

              “Yes, I do.  He walks Abby home and Owl picked him purposely to do it, so he’s got to be capable.  I don’t see that ole’ boy putting a woman’s life in jeopardy,” Ben said.  “Then Abby would be doubly safe.  I talked to her about taking drinks from anyone but us and she knows better now.”

              Jake knew Ben had a point about Reckless.  Owl had always kept Sammi safe and if he hadn’t felt his nephew was up for the job, he wouldn’t have recommended him.  “I should have remembered to tell her about the drinks, too.  That’s not all on you, Ben.”