Mason (3 page)
~~~
Emma was more embarrassed than she was
hurting. She did hurt, but the fact that her parents had to be called in made
her feel ridiculous. She took great pride in taking care of herself. Emma
looked at her mom when she said her name.
“The doctor is talking to you.” Flushing
again, Emma looked at the woman who’d been really nice to her since she’d woken
up. “Honey, are you sure you want to go home so soon?” Emma nodded before
looking at the doctor.
“I’m sorry.” Doctor Silva nodded at her as if
she might understand where her mind had been. “I’ve been really busy at work
lately, and I think I might have to leave before dark from now on. It was
really late.”
“Yes, so the police said. But they have
cleared you of all that happened, so you’re free to go as far as I’m concerned.
I would like for you to rest a few days before taking on any other would-be
rapists, if you don’t mind.” Emma nodded and shivered. “You did a good thing,
Emma. Had you not killed them, they would have surely killed you.”
That didn’t make the fact that she’d killed
two men any better. The police had been in earlier and asked her several
questions. They have given her phone back to her, minus the pictures she’d
taken, of course, and had told her that the video from the garage had confirmed
her story. She was so glad, but now she had to live with what she’d done.
Taking the bag from her mom when the doctor
left, she headed to the bathroom. Getting dressed was harder than she’d thought
it would be. Even with the soft terrycloth pants and shirt her mom had bought
for her, she was still struggling with them. And she was so tired too. Every
little thing seemed to drain her. When she was finally dressed, she came out of
the bathroom and sat in the room’s only chair, and contemplated how to not wear
shoes home.
Taking her shoes from her lap, her mom sat
down on the floor to help her. “I was terrified when we got that call. I know
you’re a big girl and all, but you’re still my little girl and I worry about
you. And your father nearly had a stroke when I woke him up to come here. You’d
have thought that someone had kidnapped you the way he was going on. I had to
have the limo bring us. He wasn’t fit to drive.”
“I’m okay, Mom. I took those defense classes
and I have…had a gun.” The police would return that later, they told her. And
one of them even commented on what a great shot she’d been. “I’m fine other
than a sprained wrist and a concussion, and a few bumps and bruises that will
heal soon. I’ll be as good as new.”
“Your office manager is here.” Her dad came
into the room like he did everything, powerfully and full of energy. “Can I let
them in?”
Nodding, she started to stand up, but her mom
pushed her back into the chair. When Mr. Foster, the president of their firm,
came in, she tried to stand again and he told her to stay where she was. He was
with his secretary, a woman that Emma had never liked.
“I just had a long conversation with my
security firm. They are going to…well, let’s just say that you’re never going
to run into this sort of issue again.” She nodded and started to tell him what
she’d told the cops…she shouldn’t have been working so late. “You will also be
escorted out to your car from now on; everyone will if they work past six o’clock.
Which brings up my second reason for being here. I had no idea you were working
so many hours.”
“I love my job.” He laughed and sat on the
edge of the bed. “I really do. I love working for this firm and what I do
there. It’s my fault and no one else’s that I was there so late.”
“No, it wasn’t your fault, and I’m looking
into that as well. How long have you been carrying Mr. Patterson?” She didn’t
answer, but he must have seen something in her face. “I see. That long, huh? I’ve
had my suspicions, but until now, until I had someone go to your office and…how
can you work in there? And I’m working on some other issues that have come up
regarding him as well.”
“It’s what I was given when I started there. It
suits my needs and it’s really close to the vending machine when I forget to
eat something. I try not to, but I get caught up in my work.” He nodded but
said nothing more. “Mr. Patterson has been giving me some advice on things that
I’ve taken to heart.”
“I just bet he has. You might change your
tune when you hear that he said that he’s been having to redo your work since
you’ve been there, and that he has had it on his list of things to do to fire
you for months now.” She glared at no one in particular, and Mr. Foster laughed
again. “I can see that you’re not at all happy with his assessment of you and
your work ethics. No matter, in a few weeks—less if I can help it along—Peter
will have shown his true colors…if he hasn’t already. The man is a lazy lawyer
and has been riding on my firm’s good name for too long now.”
“I don’t know what to say to that.” Mr.
Foster said that she had no reason to speak about him. “I’m coming back to work
as soon as my doctor releases me. I’ll work more to make up for the time I’ve
missed. I know that I have some vacation time coming, but I won’t be gone that
long.”
“Another reason I’m here. I’ve come to some
decisions while I’ve been hearing about you. You’re up for partner in a few
months, and I’d like to offer that to you now.” Her dad whooped and she turned
and smiled at him when he apologized. “You’ve raised a very intelligent and
well thought of young daughter; you should be proud. I’m proud of her myself.”
“Damned right we did. Her mother and I worked
hard on…nah, it’s all my girl there.” Her dad kissed her on the forehead and
reached for her mom’s hand. “She’s the best thing that we’ve ever done, this
one is. And you’d not do no better than having her as a partner.”
Emma flushed when her dad gushed over her. She
wasn’t used to high praise. It felt good to be acknowledged about her job, but
being offered the job she wanted was more than she could have hoped for.
“I don’t know what to say. Thank you. But if
this is because I was hurt, I’d rather get it on my merit, not this.” She started
to stand again and had to sit down quickly. Mr. Foster stood and helped her
back to her bed, and then stood over her. “I’m going to be fine.”
“I know that you are. And as your boss, I’m
going to give you an order that will keep you healthy too…starting the moment
you get to your parents’ house. I’m assuming that’s where you’re headed?” She
shook her head and her mom and dad nodded. “All right then, when you get to
your parents’ house, where you will be going, you’ll rest. And watch stupid
programs on the television. You’re going to eat when you want and as much as
you want. And you’ll do it for a month. And so you know, you being hurt only
expedited this promotion. You’re doing an excellent job, and I’ve had the
pleasure of seeing you in action a couple of times in court. You know what you’re
doing, and you have no problem with getting your hands dirty. The kind of
person I want working with me, not for me. I need you on my team, Emma, and I’ll
be happy if you say yes. But you’re still taking a month off.”
“A month? I can’t be there for a month. A
week tops, but not a month. I’ll be so behind that—” Mr. Foster cut her off
with a lift of his hand. “Sir, that’s a long time to be away.”
“It would have been a good deal longer had
you been killed last night.” Emma shivered at the image of the two men coming
at her. “Now, as I was saying, a month off with pay. And while you’re gone,
there will be some changes made to where you’re working, how long you’re
working, and if you trust me, I’ll hire you someone to keep your desk cleared
of most of the debris on it. You do like your tea, don’t you?”
“I do.” Mr. Foster stood up, and she watched
him shake hands with her dad. She was overwhelmed right now, and she wasn’t
sure what to think. But the thing that was forefront in her mind was, she was a
partner. A flipping partner. When he was gone, her dad laughed like a loon and
her mom told her how proud she was.
“My little girl a partner in a big law firm.
Just look at that. And it only took you…what? Four years?” She told her dad
that it took ten. “Four, ten. I don’t care, you did it. I’m so proud of you,
honey, I could just bust.”
The ride home was made better by a quick stop
at the drug store. Her pain pills kicked in about the time the big, comfortable
car was getting on the highway. Closing her eyes, she only opened them once
when she heard her dad cursing, but only smiled and let the drugs take her
away. By the time she was being carried to her bedroom, by a handsome cowboy no
less, she had decided that she really liked being doped up a little and fell
right to sleep again when he put her in the bed.
The dream started out like it always did. She
was trapped. Breathing was hard, and she couldn’t see anything. Her fingers
were raw from trying to climb out of the long dark hole she was in, and she
cried out when something touched her legs. There was no way for her to see what
it was, and she knew that she more than likely didn’t want to know. As a scream
started to build in her lungs, she could feel the terror in her heart, making
it pound too hard and too fast. When she let it go, the scream waking her from
the nightmare, she sat in the middle of the bed. Her bed. Her room. When the
door to her room slammed back against the wall, her father stood there with his
gun in his hand, wearing his boxers and tee-shirt.
“Where is he?” Emma asked him who. “Whoever
had you screaming the house down. Christ girl, you nearly gave us a heart
attack. There ain’t nobody in here?”
“No. It’s a dream, just a bad dream.” He
turned on the light and shooed her mom back to bed. “I’m sorry I woke you. I
haven’t…it’s been a while since I’ve had bad dreams.”
“You still think about the time that Dirk
shoved you down that hole, don’t you?” Emma nodded. “That boy is not right,
honey. To have done that to his little sister and you being so young. You were
smart to keep screaming for us. It was the only way we found you. But I got you
here now, and I just might keep you.”
When he put the gun by the door and came into
her room, she snuggled down under the covers and watched him sit in the chair
by the bed. She watched him just sitting there watching her, his blinks getting
longer and longer until he yawned. When she did as well, Emma felt safe and
rolled to her side and let sleep take her. She knew that if she had any more
dreams tonight, her daddy was there to keep her safe.
“I’m going to go over and see the McBride’s
daughter, Emma. You want to come with me?” Holly thought that Georgie knew the McBride’s,
but after talking to her this morning, she realized that while she knew of
them, the boys had known only the son and dad. “You should come with me. We can
go to lunch if you want. My treat.”
“You always treat even when I ask you to go.”
Georgie was snapping green beans for dinner, and Holly wondered what Jace was
making them. He loved to cook, and on Thursdays the cook was off so he did it
for them. It was always some recipe that he found or someone had given him. And
it was always delicious.
“You know you want to.” Georgie shook her
head. “Come on. I want to go, and you’re making it hard on me to go shopping beforehand.
I need to get a few things at the store, and there’s that nice little shop that
opened that I want to go to. It’s called Indigo Dreams.”
“Really, honey, I don’t want to go. Your dad
is coming over tonight and I wanted to make his favorite dinner. He’s been
keeping me company while the boys are out.” Mason and the rest of the men were
out gathering some strays for the Mitchell farm. Mr. Mitchell had fallen ill a
week ago, and he couldn’t get out just yet. Holly wondered if he was going to
be able to get back into ranching again. She’d never cared for him. She had no
idea why, but he’d always made her feel dirty. Not that she wanted him to be
sick or anything.
Holly drove herself to town. She was still
scared at times. Jeff would be in the face of one of the strangers on the
street, or his mom would seem to leap out at her in the strangest places. Neither
of them were there, of course. Margaret Hardgrave was dead, and Jeff was still
in a mental hospital. He’d had a break down when they started finding the
bodies at his mom’s place. Four bodies, one of them his father’s, and he’d just
gone over the edge. But there was hope. The doctor had told them that he’d
recover. Not soon, but he’d be able to function outside the nursing home he was
in, a nursing home specially set up for people that had lost their way.
Stopping at the little shop first to get a
gift for her friend, she found so many things that she had a pile of them when
she realized she was having fun. Things had been a little tense around the
ranch lately. Not with her and Jace, but with the business of dealing with the
bank and the mill.
The new banker had been working hard to gain
the confidence of the town’s people. She and Jace had hosted a big party to get
the town to come by and meet him, and that had gone a long way. But the mill
was still closed, and with it all the needs of the town. It was costly for them
to have to go all the way across the state to get supplies, and Jace and his
brother Gerard had set up a storefront in an empty warehouse that was doing a
booming business. Holly thought that Gerard was having fun at it too, being a
shopkeeper.
Going to the counter, she waited as the
person in front of her was checked out, and smiled when a woman came from the
back room and started bagging things up for the customer. She knew she was the
owner of the place right away.
“You’ve done well in picking things out for
this place.” The woman flushed. “I’m Holly Douglas; my family has the ranch
just outside of town.”
“Doris Roman, and this is my daughter Tessa. We’re
having…I hope you buy like this all the time.” Trouble. Holly knew the sound of
someone discouraged about their business. It had been a way of life around here
for far too long. “That sounded just rude, didn’t it? I’m sorry.”
“No worries. I was thinking of how nice your
shop is and how much fun I’m having. If you don’t mind me asking, are you new
to town?” She told her that they’d moved in about a month ago. They were using
the upstairs as their home for now. “You’re doing well then?”
Doris just looked dejected before she spoke. “Not
so much. I mean, I know that it’s only been a couple of weeks and we get a lot
of traffic, but not many of them are buying. I was hoping we could do this
instead of working in a factory or something. Tessa here is working now for the
lady at the diner to help out. And I’m making stuff to sell that’s not moving.”
“You make all this?” Doris told her that she
made about seventy-five percent, the rest she had to buy. “It’s beautiful. I
think I might be in here a lot.”
Doris showed her around the shop and pointed
out the things that she’d made, and a few that she’d repurposed from auctions
or such. An old trunk was filled with finger towels that had been decorated
with hand stitching. A lamp with a handmade lampshade was covered in buttons of
all kinds. Doris was talented, that was for sure, and she had a good eye for
art.
“Have you a webpage?” Holly had only asked
her casually and turned when the woman didn’t answer her. “Doris?”
“I can’t read.” Her face deepened to a dark
red as the woman realized what she’d just confessed. “I didn’t get much in the
way of education when the babies came along. By then it was too late. My
husband was gone and I had me five children to care for. He took it all from us
that might have helped us out. But we made it, and I’m very proud of my kids.”
“As well you should be. Not many could start
a new business like you have and try to make a success of it. Good for you.” Doris
told her she was proud of them and that the boys, all four of them, had moved
to other states when they got good jobs. “I’m assuming that Tessa is your
youngest? And I can tell that if your sons are anything like their mother, they’re
doing well now too.”
“They’re good boys, all of them. They send me
money when they can, but three of them have families of their own, and I won’t
take what they can use. The other one, my youngest boy, he’s in college. He’s
doing really well and someday he’s going to be a fine doctor. I don’t want you
to think I’m asking you to feel sorry for me. I’ve done right by them.”
“Well, of course you have. And I’d punch
anyone who said anything different.” Doris nodded and left her there when her
daughter said she needed help with the phone. Holly contacted Jace and told him
what she wanted to do.
I’m all for it. But will you let me have her
investigated first?
She told him she was going to do it regardless.
I already figured that out,
honey. I just want to make sure, okay?
You should see the things she’s made. I’m
telling you, Jace, if she had an online store, she’d be rich in a month. And
this place would just be a place for the leftovers if she had any.
He told her to go
for it.
Thank you. I knew you’d see it my way.
Now if you can get someone to open a play
shop, I’ll be a happy man.
Her body warmed at the thought of going to a place where
they could play.
Holly, I can feel how aroused you are. If you keep that up,
I’m going to leave the men here and come find you.
No, but as soon as you come home tonight, I’m
going to be in the woods behind the house waiting for you.
His low growl had her
wet in seconds. Telling him to behave didn’t help either. When Doris returned,
Holly had to think how to speak, then what to say to her. Jace’s laughter didn’t
help at all.
“I’m going to help you.” Doris was shaking her
head, and Holly nodded. “I am. Now, sometime today if he can swing it, a man by
the name of…no, that won’t work. He’s with Dad on that trip. Let me see…okay. Irwin
Henderson is going to contact you. He’ll come with someone, but I’m not sure
who yet, but—”
“Slow down. Who are you sending and why? I’m
telling you right now, I don’t have any money to spare, and what I do have is going
to books for my daughter. Whatever you’re selling, Mrs. Douglas, I just can’t
do.” Holly laughed and told her that it was going to be great working with her.
“Working with me? I don’t understand. I don’t…what’s going on?”
By the time she’d gotten in touch with Irwin,
she was nearly finished explaining what she had in mind. Doris was still leery
about it, but Tessa was asking questions like a pro. When Irwin showed up an
hour later with a camera man and a laptop, Tessa was lining things up she thought
should be put on the webpage first. Holly left them to it, feeling the best she’d
felt in a long time.
Going down the long drive to the McBride
ranch made her think of her own home…not the one that she’d grown up in, but
the one that she and Jace had now. It was spectacular, and she loved every inch
of it. And the greenhouse that Jace had had put in for her was her sanctuary. Soon
they’d be adding to the house with the baby. That had her both nervous and
excited.
Parking the car, she went up to the door and
was let in by Mr. Fox. She laughed when she realized that he wasn’t just Mr.
Fox, but he was one. He grinned at her as well.
“I’d heard that you’d made some changes in
your life. I’m happy to see that they’re suiting you well.” Holly told him that
she was having a good time. “Very good, miss. I’m very happy for you.”
“I came to see Emma. She and I have known
each other just about forever, I think. How’s she doing?” He told her she was
resting but wanting to get out. “I bet. She never was one to sit still for
long.”
Holly was taken to the living room and brought
some tea and scones. Mrs. Baker had always been the best cook, and she wondered
if she’d tell the recipe to Jace so that he could make these too. When Emma
came in, Holly nearly swallowed her food whole.
“Yeah, I know, I look like shit.” Emma
hobbled into the room and, after sharing a hug with Holly, sat on the couch
near the fireplace. “I’ve been thinking that the doctor might have been right
in telling me that the worst was yet to come. Christ, I hurt in places that I
had no idea that they had names for.”
“You look good other than you’re beat to
shit.” They both laughed. “How are you, really? I’d heard that you were mugged,
but this looks like more.”
“I don’t know what they intended other than
they were going to get me. The police said that they thought rape and murder; nice
combo, right? But I don’t think they expected me to fight back or have a gun.”
Holly had heard that as well. That Emma had
killed both men who had attacked her. And when Logan had gotten home yesterday
after helping the McBride’s put Emma to bed, he said that she looked like
someone had run over her. Logan had wanted to go and find the men and kill them
again, he’d been so upset.
They talked for a time, and Holly gave Emma
her gift…well, gifts. She’d gotten her the lovely lap blanket with the hand
embroidered work done on it, and a basket of homemade soaps. Emma said she was
looking forward to using them.
They talked for an hour, catching up on
things. Holly wasn’t surprised to hear that she’d been offered the partnership in
the firm she worked for, and Emma was thrilled for her and Jace about the new
baby. It wasn’t until someone started shouting from the hall that she realized
that Mr. McBride was home, as well as Dirk.
Holly had never cared for Dirk. Few people
did, she supposed. He was an ass and a jerk. Dirk also treated everyone like
they weren’t good enough to be around him, including his parents. Holly had
always thought that someone should take him down a few notches, but so far as
she knew, it had never happened. When Emma said her name, she looked back at
her.
“He’s gotten himself in trouble again. And I’m
not going to go to court with him. Not that I could, but he’s pissed.” Holly
nodded. “He’s no different now than when he was little, in case you didn’t
notice.”
“What did he do now?” Emma told her that he’d
been caught stealing a car. “I thought he had one. I’ve seen him around town
driving it. Did he wreck it?”
“No. He lost it. And I don’t mean that he
lost it as in he doesn’t know where he parked it. Though from what I understand
from Fox, he did do that. But he lost it playing poker. Dad won’t buy him a new
one and he thinks that he should, of course. Then there’s the money he owes for
breaking up a bar that night too. I can’t understand how he’s part of my
parents DNA.” Holly didn’t either. “And now Dad is kicking his ass out. As of
this morning, the locks have been changed and all the accounts have been barred
from him. He’s flat broke and out on the streets.”
“Your mom must be heart broken.” Emma told
her that she was glad for it really. “I see. Well, then good. And so you know,
Mason, my brother-in-law, had a run in with him the other day. I guess he hit
him and then fired Fox.”
“I bet that was great. Dirk is a bully and he’s
always been one. I was going to court for him weekly for a while there, and
then I told him I was done bailing his ass out. You can imagine how well that
went over.”
Before she could say anything to Emma, the
door to the room was shoved open and there stood Dirk. He’d not aged well since
she’d seen him last. Dirk wasn’t fat, but he had a gut that she thought of as a
beer gut. But his clothing was pressed, his shirt was done up nicely, and his
shoes had a shine on them that was nearly blinding. That was another thing
about Dirk. He spent more money on his appearance than he did anything else.
Well, not his money, but Mr. McBride’s. She remembered a time when she’d been
shopping for a gift for her dad when he’d come into the same store.