Marshal Sam Cain stood motionless in the dusty street and took careful aim at Red Bardo. It was an action that reacquired little deliberation on his part, yet he was having trouble keeping his focus on the man before him. All he was seeing was Emma Shannon's beautiful brown eyes pleading with him to help her as the miscreant held a gun to her head. He pushed down his concern for her because he could not afford to let it distract him. Emma's life depended on him keeping focused.
He was aware of movement going on around him and knew folks were gathering to watch the confrontation. Sam hoped Bardo did not have a cohort in town with whim, who was skulking about in order to get a good aim on him. The hair at the nape of his neck rose on end and the middle of his shoulder blades began to itch as if he had a target attached to his back. He ignored all of it the best he could, and concentrated on the man holding Emma.
Sam did not understand how quickly a peaceful day could have turned so chaotic. He and Emma had gone for a walk after eating the delicious lunch she had prepared for them. They were on the way back to the jailhouse, laughing and talking with one another one minute, and the next he was facing off with notorious outlaw Bardo, and Emma was caught in the middle.
He had recognized the outlaw as soon as he spotted him. The man's Wanted poster was plastered on the walls of jails all over the territory, Bardo was suspected of several robberies and murders. Sam had made a point to memorize every scar on the ugly, pox marked face. It had been an automatic reaction on his part to draw his gun and place the murderer under arrest. He had not counted on Bardo's reflexes being just as fast. Before Sam knew what was happening Bardo grabbed Emma by the arms and jerked her away from him.
"Let Miss Shannon go and I won't have to kill you," Sam growled.
"You aren't in any position to be making demands," Bardo laughed. "Throw down your gun and maybe I'll let the pretty little lady go. If you don't, she's as good as dead."
"You'll be dead before you can pull the trigger," Sam tightened his grip on the butt of his gun and resisted the urge to look at Emma. She knew it would be a mistake if he did, but he wanted desperately to see how Emma was handling the situation. It took effort on his part not to glance down for even a second. He would not further jeopardize Emma's life by trying to reassure himself how she was doing.
"It appears we have a draw." Sam adjusted his aim a little higher so that he had a clearer shot of his opponent's forehead above Emma's head. It was the only area on Bardo's body that Emma was not partially covering.
"I reckon we do. I ain't going to let anyone string me up." Red declared desperately, his gaze scanning the gathering crowd and noticing that some of the men had their hands on the butt of their guns. He was in a lose-lose situation and if he was going to go down, he was going to do it his way. He cocked his weapon and enjoyed hearing the gasp elicited from Miss Shannon lips, and the way the marshal's blue eyes widened in alarm.
The next few minutes were a blur to Sam as the hammer of the outlaw's gun slid backward in preparation of firing. Bardo's weapon discharged at the time Emma slammed her hands upward into it. Sam's bullet pummeled into the gunslinger's forehead as Emma fell to the ground. Bardo was dead before he hit the street next to her.
"Emma!" Sam cried out, falling to his knees beside her and gently rolling her over.
Fear threaded through him as Sam took in the deep gash pooling with blood on her forehead. No! He had already lost Jenny; he was not going to lose Emma too. He scooped her gently up into his arms, headed toward the doc's place at a run, oblivious to the collective stares, and muttered gasps of the crowd of onlookers.
Sam practically broke down Doc Danes door in his anxiousness to get inside. A startled Mrs. Danes, who quickly stepped aside to allow him entrance into the house, opened it. Doc Banes came out of the back rooms to see what the commotion was. He took one look at the unconscious, bleeding Pony Express housekeeper in Sam's arms and said,
"Follow me Marshal."
Sam followed the doctor into an examining room and lay Emma onto the bed. He stepped out of the way, as Doc Danes began cleaning the wound on Emma's forehead.
"What happened?" the doc inquired as he worked.
Sam quickly explained the altercation, which had happened between him and Red Bardo. His eyes never wavered from Emma's face as he did so. She still had not come around and each passing moment he did not know whether she would be all right turned the knife tighter in his heart.
As Doc Danes began to sew the gash up, Emma came to. She let out a gasp as pain swept through her head and Sam thought it was the most blissful sound he had ever heard.
"Sam?" Emma cried out, fighting the Doc's attempts to keep her still. "Sam!"
"Marshall, I can use some help here." Doc Danes said, but his prompting was not necessary.
Sam was beside Emma the first time she called his name. "It's alright, Emma. Calm down and let the doc tend to your head."
Emma quieted down at the sound of his voice, her pain filled eyes steady on his face. Sam took her hand in his and held it as Doc Danes finished suturing the gash up and bandaging it.
As he gazed down into her face, Sam wrestled with the memories of his wife's death and the emotions they called up within him. The same thing could have so easily happened to Emma today. He tightened his grip on her hand and worked to get himself under control.
"Can you see my fingers Emma?" Doc Danes asked as he finished bandaging up the wound.
Emma drew her eyes off Sam and focused them on to Doc Danes, "Yes."
"Is your vision blurry?"
"A little."
Doc Danes continued to ask Emma questions about her eyesight, pain, and dizziness she was having. Sam could see the questions were wearing Emma out, but knew Doc Danes would not be asking them if it was not at all necessary.
"I want to keep you here for a few days for observation." Doc Danes informed Emma. "If you don't have any lasting side effects from the wound, aside from the pain and dizziness, then I will let you go back out to the station."
"All right," Emma agreed.
"I'll let you two have a couple of minutes and then Sam, you'll have to leave. I want her to get as much rest as she can," Doc Danes said.
"Okay," he agreed.
Sam seated himself in the chair that Doc Danes had just vacated. His blue eyes soaked in Emma's beautiful face; her head wrapped in clean white cloth and realized just how close he had come to losing her. If he had not been so quick, if Emma had not pushed the gun up and away from her, she would have been as good as dead and it would have been his entire fault.
"I'm so sorry, Emma," he began but she quickly shushed him.
"It wasn't your fault Sam. You did not know how this day was going to turn out anymore than I did. You saved my life."
"If it wasn't for me being the marshal, you wouldn't have been in the middle of a gunfight in the first place," Sam said heatedly, his voice shaky with emotion.
"Sam," Emma started, reaching out to caress his jaw. Sam jerked his head back and stood up. "I need to go tell Teaspoon and the others what happened and deal with Bardo's body." Before Emma could respond, he left the room.
Sam saw to it that the undertaker buried Bardo's body before he rode out to the Pony Express station. Teaspoon Hunter, the PX stationmaster, was standing at the corral watching Buck Cross break a new horse. Lou McCloud, the Kid, and Jimmy Hickok were with him.
At the sound of his horse riding into the station, Teaspoon turned away from the fence to see who it was. Sam reined in his mount a few feet away from the corral.
"Sam, what are you doing here? I thought you and Emma were supposed to be having lunch?" Teaspoon asked as the Marshal swung down from the saddle.
"We did. There was an altercation in town between me and Red Bardo. Emma was caught in the middle of it," Sam told him.
"What do you mean 'caught in the middle'?" the Kid demanded, his blue eyes intent on the marshal's face, and concern flooding his features.
"Is she all right?" Lou wanted to know.
"She's supposed to be safe with you!" Jimmy growled.
"You all pipe down and let Sam speak." Teaspoon ordered them, and then turned his attention back on Sam. "Tell us what happened Sam."
Sam was brief in his description of how the face between him and Bardo went down. "Bardo's bullet grazed Emma's temple. Doc says she is going to be okay, but he wants to keep her at his place tonight."
"I'm going to see her," Jimmy said heading for the barn.
"Me too," Lou started to follow him, Kid on her heels, but Teaspoon's voice halted them in their tracks.
"You boys stop right there. Hickok, get back over here. Now!" Teaspoon commanded, his tone of voice brooking no arguments.
Jimmy, who had reached the barn, stopped walking as well, but did not immediately turn around. He was not someone who, by nature, took orders well. As Sam, Teaspoon, Kid, and Lou watched, Jimmy turned around and slowly walked back over to join them. There was a stormy expression on Hickok's face that they were all familiar with, but to his credit, Jimmy did not voice any further arguments.
Teaspoon turned his focus back on Sam. "Did the Doc say whether it was all right if Emma had any visitors?"
"Emma is resting right now. Doc didn't want me to stay too long." Sam did not let on that his own guilt over what had happened was the real reason why he had left Emma's side so soon.
"We'll go in to town to see her later on," Teaspoon decided glancing at Kid, Lou, Jimmy, and Buck who had stopped working with the horse he was trying to break and had walked over to find out what was going on. "There are regular chores to be done and since Emma's going to be laid up for a few days, we'll be doing hers as well."
Concerned looks were exchanged between the four riders. The last time Emma had been away from the station, Teaspoon had almost blown up the bunkhouse trying to cook. Who knew what could happen this time around?
Sam grinned as he caught the worried glances Lou, Kid, Jimmy, and Buck were exchanging around Teaspoon. "I'm going to head back down to town. I'll see you all later."
Teaspoon nodded. "Thanks for coming out and telling us."
Sam acknowledged Teaspoon's thanks with a curt nod and swung up into the saddle. The riders called out their goodbyes as they marshal rode away from the station.
"All right boys, back to work." Teaspoon said.
A collective groan rose up from the four riders in response to Teaspoon's words, before the group split up and set to work finishing their individual chores.
Sam headed straight for the jail when he reached town. He was in a foul mood. All the way back to town from the PX station, he had kept replaying the scene with Bardo repeatedly in his head. Things had gone bad so quickly and yet he could not see what he could have done differently.
There had been no time to think, only to react. Even though he knew all that, the only thing he could think about was that he had almost gotten Emma killed. That had happened once before to the woman he loved and he was not about to let it happen again. The only sensible thing for him to do was to let Emma go. The thought of not having her in his life left an ache in him he did not think he would ever recover from, but it was better than the alternative. Instead of Emma only being injured, he could have very well been helping to plan her funeral.
***********************************************************************
Three days later…
"Easy, Emma, let me help you," Teaspoon cautioned the housekeeper as she tried to get down from the wagon by herself.
"Mr. Spoon, I'm fine." Emma protested as Teaspoon hurried around the wagon to help her down.
"Your head was grazed by a bullet Emma. The Doc said for you to take it easy and me and the boys are going to see that you do it," Teaspoon said firmly as he wrapped a supportive arm around her waist and led her into the house where all the riders greeted them.
"Welcome home Emma."
Emma smiled at them all. "Thank you, but there's really no need to fuss. I'm fine,"
"Fine or not, you'll be taking it easy for the next couple of days." Teaspoon reminded her, helping her to sit in a chair. "Would you like something to eat or drink?"
"A little tea would be nice." Emma knew it was pointless to argue with Teaspoon when he had his mind made up.
"Lou, fetch Emma some tea. The rest of you boys get on about your chores." Teaspoon shepherd the other riders out of the house.
Lou set about making tea for Emma per Teaspoon's orders. It was something she had had plenty of practice making when her ma was sick. She brought out some of the sugar cookies Emma made the same day she had been injured and placed them on a plate. She filled two cups with tea, placed the sugar bowl, jar of honey and cream pitcher onto a tray and carried it into the parlor.
She found the housekeeper staring out the window, a pained expression on her face. Lou set the tray down on the coffee table. "Emma, are you all right?"
Emma turned away from the window and moved back over to the chair she had been sitting in previously. 'I'm all right. Just thinking is all."
Lou handed Emma a cup of tea, seated herself, and then picked up the other cup. "Would you care to share?"
Emma put a heavy dollop of honey and some cream into her teacup, stirring it before taking a sip of the steamy brew. "I was thinking about Sam and me. Something's changed between us since the day the gunfight happened."
"Changed how?" Lou inquired, dunking her cookie into her tea, before taking a bite.
"Each time he came to see me he was distance, stand-offish, and only stayed a couple of minutes. It was like there wasn't more between us than just friendship." Emma's eyes were troubled as she gazed at Lou.
"That doesn't sound like Sam," Lou commented, a frown puckering her brow.
"No, it doesn't," Emma agreed. "I just can't understand why he's acting this way. Maybe he doesn't love me anymore."
"I'm sure that's not true, Emma," Lou was quick to say. "Sam will come out here as soon as he gets a free moment. Then the two of can talk things out."
"Perhaps you are right," Emma said even though she was not entirely certain how things were going to turn out between her and Sam.
Lou spent a few more moments talking with Emma, before she cleaned up the dishes and assisted Emma upstairs to her bedroom to rest.
**********************************************************************
Three more days passed and Sam still had not come to see her. Emma was back on her feet and in charge of the cooking and cleaning around the way station to the relief of everyone who lived there.
Each of the riders had taken a turn at cooking, and this time around, the food was more edible. Teaspoon was kept away from the stove at all times except to brew coffee. Despite his loud protests, the stationmaster was secretly thrilled that he did not have to cook either.
"Mr. Spoon, will you do me a favor?" Emma waited until the riders had left the bunkhouse before approaching Teaspoon.
"Sure." Teaspoon drank the last of his coffee and stood up.
"Will you go talk to Sam? See if he'll come out to dinner tonight?"
"All right," Teaspoon agreed. "I do have some errands to do in town today. Anything in particular you want me to talk to him about?"
Emma batted away the sudden moisture that filled her eyes. She took a deep breath and let it out. "No. Just see if he will come out for dinner. Any talking that needs to be done needs to be between us."
Teaspoon nodded in understanding. "All right, is there anything you need from town?"
Emma shook her head. "No. We're set with food supplies for about another week."
"Once I get the boys under way with their chores, I'll head into town." Teaspoon told her and left the bunkhouse.
************************************************************************
Sam fidgeted with his coffee cup, his mind not on drinking it or anything else job related. His mind was on Emma Shannon. The pretty redhead's image danced before his eyes, pleading with him to help save her. Ever since the gun battle three days ago, he had relived the moment of Emma being shot repeatedly. Only in his nightmare, Emma was killed.
"Howdy Sam,"
The familiar drawl brought Sam out of his reverie with a start. He settled his cup onto the desk and looked over at the doorway. Normally he was glad to see Teaspoon, but not today. Not when he was feeling he had not gone out to the station to see Emma.
"Morning, Teaspoon," he replied. "What can I do for you?"
Teaspoon stepped into the jail and made his way over to the cook stove. He poured himself some coffee and then sat down in a chair across from Sam. "I had to come to town to pick up some supplies and thought I'd stop by and see how you're doing. Was wondering if you were feeling poorly since you haven't been out to check on how Emma's doing."
Sam resisted the urge to squirm under the pointed look Teaspoon was giving him. He had known that eventually the stationmaster or one of the riders would be in to inquire on why he had not been out to the station. There was not a straight answer he could give the stationmaster for why he had not gone out to the station to see Emma other than he was a coward.
The older man could see that his question had caused some inner struggle to rise in the marshal. "I don't want to pry, Sam, but if you and Emma are having problems maybe I can help."
"Ain't any problems, Teaspoon, except for me being a fool," Sam confessed.
"I reckon we've all been one of those from time to time." Teaspoon commented with a smile. "Mind sharing why you think you deserve being called by that moniker?"
"Emma almost died because of me," Sam started. "If I had been quicker or if I had pushed her behind me when I first saw Bardo, she wouldn't have been hurt."
"You can't go second guessing what you've already done Sam. If it were not for you, Bardo would have certainly killed her. Your actions saved her life and there isn't a one of us who blame you for her getting hurt, least of all Emma."
"Maybe you are right, Teaspoon, but it doesn't make me feel any better. I've already lost one woman I love; I don't think I can handle losing another."
Teaspoon finished his coffee and stood up. "Don't let your fear of what might happen keep you from living your life Sam. If you do, you'll wind up alone."
"I know, "Sam ran a hand through his hair. "I guess I've got me some thinking to do."
"You do that, Sam. When you're done, come on out to the station for dinner." Teaspoon left the jail before the marshal could respond.
************************************************************************
Sam did a lot of thinking after Teaspoon left. He concluded that the older man was right. If he continued on the current path he was on, he would wind up alone and have only himself to blame. He did not want to be alone. He wanted to share his life with Emma even if they only had a couple of days, instead of years together. He arrived at the station a lot earlier than the regular suppertime. He and Emma needed to do some talking, and he wanted to do it without the rest of the station's inhabitants around.
Emma was hanging wet laundry on the clothesline when he rode up. He reined in his horse and dismounted. Sam slowly approached Emma, who had stopped hanging up clothes, and was now watching him walk towards her.
"Hello, Emma,"
"Sam."
The sun set her red hair aflame with orange and gold streaks that he found particularly appealing. A few strands of it had escaped from the confines of the bun she wore at the nape of her neck and framed her beautiful face. Emma's brown eyes were filled with unasked questions and wariness.
Sam hated that he had caused the uncertainty in her cinnamon orbs. She had experienced too much pain in her life already. "I'm sorry I haven't been out to see you Emma. I had some thinking I needed to do."
"I thought as much." Emma steeled herself for the words she believed we are coming next.
"When I saw you fall, I thought I had lost you like I lost Jenny," Sam's voice cracked with emotion. "It scared the hell out of me, Emma."
Emma stepped closer and reached up to cup his chin with one hand. She had prepared herself to accept that he was going to tell her they could not see each other, but now she knew different. As terrifying as the event was to her, it had been far worse for him. "I am fine, Sam. Bardo did not win. He'll only win if you allow your fear to keep us from being together."
Sam gazed down into her upturned face and smiled for the first time in days. "You're one hell of a woman, Emma Shannon."
Emma grinned back at him. "Don't you ever forget it, Sam Cain. Are you staying for supper?"
"Only if I can stay for breakfast too."
Emma's only response was to kiss him. Sam wrapped his arms around her waist as the kiss deepened. Both were breathless by the time it was finished.
"I'll take that as a yes." Sam ducked as Emma took a playful swing at him.
"Help me with the laundry and then we can go inside and talk some more." Emma moved away from Sam and started to hang up laundry again.
Sam took a clothespin from her and helped her hang up a sheet. There was some more talking to come for the two of them, but for now things were on an even kilter again.
The End.