Through the Eyes of Teresa O'Brien
Chapter Ten
Teresa pressed her shoulder to the wall as she made her way down the hall. There was a strange buzzing noise inside her head and everything either moved in slow motion or spun dizzily around her. She reached the door and pushed it open, holding onto the doorjamb to keep from unceremoniously falling into the room, praying the top hinge wouldn't squeak. As far back as she could remember, she'd heard the door protesting when Murdoch visited the room late at night. Daddy had said he was just reliving old memories, talking to ghosts from the past. She always thought that was an odd thing to say. But now that two of those ghosts had returned, she understood. And one in this very room. The thought titillated her like the romance novels and the forbidden penny dreadfuls she and Anna May read in secret.
A rush of warm air spilled out of the room, stuffy with the unmistakable smell of illness, yet filled with the heady scent of the man lying in bed. Johnny Madrid. Even the name conjured up images of a dashing gunslinger, as dangerous as he was handsome.
The lamp on the nightstand cast a pool of soft shadows across his face and nearly bare chest. The fresh white bandages Sam had wrapped around his chest only accentuated his tan skin. She felt warmth flush her face when she remembered her fingers tangling in the dark curls of his chest hair. The room suddenly swayed beneath her feet and she had to use both hands to steady herself.
A breeze fluttered the curtains, and the memory of her underhandedness this afternoon brought a tinge of regret with it. She really didn't think he would try to get out of bed. Now he lay propped against a mound of pillows, his thick black eyelashes crescent moons resting upon his cheeks as he slept. Had she never noticed how full his lips were, how they called to her to taste their sweetness? How his hand crushed the sheet lying across his waist, how those long tan fingers would feel caressing her? She felt things happening to her body that she had never felt. Even the stolen kisses behind the schoolhouse with Jason Black didn't make her feel like this. She ached with a need she had never felt before, and as if her mind and body were not hers to control she swayed unsteadily into the room, reaching a hand out for the bed. She wished now that she could have had a nightgown and robe like Anna May's. That Johnny would awaken and see her here, his eyes smiling with the same need she felt. A million butterflies danced in her stomach, reaching down to tingle in places she knew were forbidden.
She watched him breathing in and out, wondering if he was dreaming. Maybe he was dreaming of her. Even in sleep could he smell the delicate scent of her new perfume? Would he always think of her when he smelled mimosa? She truly felt sorry for this afternoon. Sometimes her anger just got the better of her. Maybe she would let him stay here at Lancer with her. He could learn to take orders from a woman if he loved her enough. He was so handsome. She wanted so much to touch him. Perhaps Anna May's idea to seduce him would work after all. He would do anything for the women he loved. She could envision him standing beneath a trellis of white roses waiting for her as she walked down a carpet of soft green moss, Murdoch at her arm as he gave her away. It was so beautiful she could cry.
Scott would travel back from Boston to be Johnny's best man and Anna May would be her maid of honor… Anna May. She had forgotten about her friend. Teresa turned back unsteadily as Anna May slowly tiptoed across the room, swaying her hips, letting her robe slip open to reveal her pink silk nightgown. She misjudged the distance to the bed and her knee hit the mattress. Grabbing for the footboard, the bottle of sherry clinked against the iron rails.
Teresa eyed the nearly empty bottle. Had they drank that much?
"Johnny Ma…drid," Anna May slurred, "he's beautiful."
"Quiet!" Teresa hissed. This was really a bad idea. What was she thinking when she'd said yes? She was not just introducing Johnny to her best friend, she was showing him off like a wounded animal she had found and nursed back to health. She knew it was wrong, in every fiber of her being she knew it was wrong. But she couldn't stop now. She was too proud not to show him off. "Keep your voice down, you'll wake him."
"No I won't." Anna May edged her way around the bed, her open robe falling off one shoulder. A surge of anger, or was it jealousy, rose inside Teresa. Johnny was hers. Anna May could have Scott, they got along so well at dinner talking about Boston and putting on airs. They were made for each other.
Anna May looked up and winked as she walked her fingers up the sheet toward Johnny's waist.
"Anna May, no!" Teresa panicked, stumbling over her own feet trying to rush around the bed in time to stop her. She grabbed for Anna May's hand and lost her balance landing on the bed sprawling across Johnny's legs.
Oh no…Oh no…This couldn't be happening. Anna May's hand wavered in front of her, clutching the sheet, the lamplight catching the look of mad delight on her face.
"You girls done gawkin'?"
Teresa's heart slammed up into her throat, taking her breath away. Anna May's hand froze.
"Johnny…" She watched in horror as his eyes slowly opened. She felt dizzy. She felt trapped. If only the floor would open up and swallow her whole.
"We didn' mean to wake you," Anna May whispered loud enough to wake the dead.
"A herd of buffalo would've been quieter," Johnny growled, wiping the sleep from his eyes with the back oh his hand. "I heard you all the way downstairs."
He heard them all this time? Anger surged through her. How could she have had a good thought about him, never mind what was going through her head a minute ago.
"How dare you," Teresa spat. "How dare you pretend to be asleep!"
"I didn't invite you, did I?"
She'd forgotten how much she hated that drawl. How much she hated him. Even with his black hair tousled against the white pillowcase, even with those sleepy blue eyes looking at her. She hated him even more because he made her stomach flip flop.
"I don't need an invitation in my own house."
Johnny raised an eyebrow and Teresa felt her temper flare beyond her control. She made to stand up but the room spun again and she landed on his legs for a second time.
"Easy honey, you'll hurt yourself."
"Shut up! You have no right to be here."
"I don't? Well I got news for you. As soon as your doctor friend lets me out of this bed, I'll be putting my name to the new deed. Lancer will be a third mine," he said smugly.
"Over my dead body."
Johnny's eyes crinkled into a grin. "Remember who you're talking to, darlin'."
"I know who I'm talking to. Johnny Madrid, gunslinger, killer. How many men did you kill? How many women did you plunder?"
"Plunder?" Johnny's eyes danced in the lamplight. "You've been reading too many of those Madrid books. I don't plunder. Every woman who comes to my bed does it with a smile on her face."
"You have a filthy mind and a filthy mouth. Get out. You don't belong here."
"Honey, this was my room long before you were an itch in your daddy's pants."
"You…you are a horrible vulgar man!" She punched his stomach as hard as she could and had the satisfaction of hearing him grunt. He deserved it. He was just so arrogant. She thought about smashing the sherry bottle over the top of his head, but how would she explain that to Murdoch?
"Teresa, keep your voice down. You'll wake the whole house." Anna May looked down at Johnny, her body swaying precariously close to falling onto the bed. "Mr. Ma…drid," she said, "we're just making sure you didn't need anything before we went to bed. And…we brought this in case you were thirsty." She lifted the nearly empty bottle of sherry to show Johnny. "We got a little tipsy." She giggled.
Johnny looked at the bottle and began chuckling. "Never would a guessed." He reached out and snatched the bottle from Anna May's hand, turning it slowly until he could read the label in the soft light from the lamp.
"I once did a job for a rancher, a real rich son of a…anyway, he bought this for his wife. Said it was the best money could buy." Johnny took a taste and grimaced. "I'd take rotgut over this any day."
"No one offered you any." Teresa tried to snatch the bottle but missed. "Anna May and I were…"
"Anna May." Johnny seemed to taste the name on his tongue as he swept his eyes from her face to her overly exposed cleavage. "You gonna introduce us?"
"Anna May Dixon." Anna May tried to curtsy but her knees wobbled and she had to grab onto the sheets to keep from falling. "And I know who you are…You're the famous Johnny Madrid. Teresa's told me all about you."
Johnny raised an inquisitive eyebrow toward Teresa. "She did?"
Teresa felt her face redden.
Anna May leaned over the bed and whispered loudly in Johnny's ear, "I want to see the moon tonight."
Johnny's eyes suddenly turned dark.
"Little tiny moon," Anna May giggled, reaching for the sheet.
Johnny grabbed Anna May's wrist. "Get out." His voice sounded so harsh, so cruel, and Teresa was suddenly very afraid. She knew she was seeing Johnny Madrid. He pushed Anna May away from the bed and she staggered back against the wall.
Furious, Teresa raised her arm to slap Johnny across the face, but he caught her wrist and squeezed until she cried out in pain.
"You get out of here and take your puta friend with you."
The door flew open and Scott stood in the doorway, the dim light from the hallway casting him in deep shadows. It took a moment for Teresa to realize that he was only wearing his pants. His eyes locked on Johnny's hand squeezing her wrist. "What's going on in here?" he demanded in a sharp whisper.
Teresa yanked her hand free. Even in the faint lamplight she could see the red marks around her wrist. She would have a nasty bruise by morning.
"I asked what's going on here?"
Anna May tried to push herself away from the wall but slid to the floor instead.
"Well?" Scott demanded again, crossing the room and pulling Anna May to her feet but she was as limp as a rag doll. "You can explain it in the morning," he said as he slung her over his shoulder. "Now you get to your own room."
Teresa was mortified. What would Murdoch say if Scott or Johnny told him? She looked down at Johnny and knew she had never hated anyone as much as she hated him right now.
"You'll pay for this," she promised and staggered over to the door. With as much force as she could, she slammed the door against her cheek. She could feel the warm trickle of blood from a cut on her upper lip. "You'll pay for this."
Teresa took her time getting ready to go downstairs. It was already late in the morning, but Murdoch had said she could sleep in. And she had needed it. Her head hurt from the sherry, but not as much as her cheek and lip did from the door. A colorful bruise had formed overnight, and a scab crusted the corner of her lip. She couldn't help but laugh as she looked at herself in the mirror. It had been worth the pain. Johnny would be out of here before the day was done.
Opening the top drawer of her dresser she pushed aside her carefully folded jeans to check on the bottle of sherry. The sight of it made her sick to her stomach. But it had been worth the risk sneaking back into Johnny's room last night to retrieve the bottle. Now it was just her word against Johnny and Scott's. And who would Murdoch believe? Two strangers or the girl he had helped raise?
Now the trick was to get to Anna May and tell her of her plan. It was all just falling into place so easily. She carefully opened her door and checked the hallway. Johnny's door was ajar. She would have loved to go in and show him her bruises, let him worry about what was about to happen, but she needed to get to Anna May first. Heading down the outside stairs she hoped she could get to her friend's room without being seen.
Luck was with her as she opened the front door and rushed down the hall to the guest room. She knocked as loudly she dared and the door opened. Anna May looked terrible. About as terrible as she felt. She pushed her way into the room and closed the door behind her.
"My God, what happened to your face?"
"Johnny."
"What? Johnny wouldn't…"
"Wouldn't he?" Teresa looked at herself in the mirror hanging on the wall behind the washbasin. This side of the house got the morning sun, making it much brighter than her room. Her face looked even worse here in this light. "I brought you upstairs," she said, playing with her hair, seeing how best to frame her beaten face, "to show you something in my room and we heard Johnny moaning. We had to check to see if he was alright. Then…"
"I don't remember…."
"Because nothing happened. Except the door I accidentally walked into on purpose. But Murdoch won't know that. By this afternoon Johnny Madrid will be gone."
"Teresa O'Brien, I never knew you had it in you."
"Lancer is mine. I'll do anything to keep it. Now hurry up and get dressed. I hope Murdoch is still here."
Anna May reached out and touched Teresa's shoulder. "Everything's kind of a blur…did I get to see the moon?"
"Don't you ever say that again," Teresa snapped. "If Murdoch heard you he'd know what we were doing in Johnny's room."
Anna May wrapped her robe around herself and huffed, "I'd never say it in front of Mr. Lancer. Or Scott. What do you take me for?"
Teresa didn't answer. She really didn't know Anna May. Last night was embarrassing to say the least. She'd been just as drunk as Anna May but she didn't stagger around the room half dressed. She hadn't…Teresa felt her face flush. The things that were in her mind… What had she thinking? Yet even now, she could feel her stomach tingling at the memory, and her hatred for Johnny ratcheted up another notch.
"Scott brought you here. It was after he left that Johnny tried to attack me."
Anna May sat down on the bed, stunned. "Scott brought me to my room?" She looked down at the open robe. "He put me to bed?"
"He wouldn't drop you on the floor, though you wouldn't have known the difference."
"Most men would have taken advantage…do you think?"
"As mad as he was last night you have nothing to worry about."
"Oh I'm not worried. I'm just disappointed."
Again Teresa had to ask herself how this woman could be her best friend. "Forget about last night and get dressed. I can't wait to see Murdoch's reaction."
Teresa walked into the great room hoping to see Murdoch sitting behind his desk. He was, but to her dismay, he was talking softly to Scott who sat in a chair facing the desk, his back to them. What had he told his father about last night? Would he be the gentleman Anna May thought he was and say nothing?
Teresa made a quick turn toward the front door pulling Anna May with her. She wasn't ready to set her plan into action with Scott in the room. He could ruin everything. With any luck Scott would be gone soon.
"Where are you girls going?" Murdoch called. His voice sounded normal. It appeared that Scott was not only a gentleman but also not a tattletale.
Teresa turned the bruised side of her face away from the men. "Just getting some fresh air. It's a beautiful morning."
Murdoch chuckled. "It was morning hours ago. I made breakfast like I promised and it's in the heating oven. The least you girls could do is eat. It may be a long time before you find me in the kitchen again."
Now what was she going to do? "Thank you, Murdoch, but we aren't hungry right now. We'll eat later."
"Feeling a little under the weather this morning?" Scott chuckled, still with his back to them. He wouldn't be having fun in a few minutes.
"Even more reason to have a hearty breakfast." Murdoch stood up and started walking toward the kitchen, motioning them to follow. "I will even serve you. But I'll leave the dishes to you if you don't mind."
Teresa's heart was in her throat. She thought this was going to be so easy. It would have been if Scott wasn't sitting there.
"Come on, ladies, you will just have enough time to eat breakfast before you start making lunch. And if I know Sam as well as I think I do, he'll be her just in time to…Teresa, what happened to your face?"
Anna May pulled her into a tight embrace and looked icily toward Murdoch. "Mr. Lancer, I know he is your son but…"
"What are you talking about?" Murdoch demanded, walking across the room to turn Teresa around to face him.
"Murdoch, please," Teresa sobbed. "He didn't mean it. He's been so sick and…"
Scott was standing at Murdoch's side now, a look of disbelief on his face.
"What happened?" Murdoch demanded again, his huge arms around her shoulders. It always amazed her that he could be so gentle, yet Teresa could feel the anger pulsing in his grip.
"Teresa wanted to show me a book she had been reading and…I know we shouldn't have gone in, but Johnny was moaning and we thought he might need help…."
"You two were so drunk last night you couldn't read a book if your lives depended on it."
Anna May took a step closer to Scott. "That's a lie. How dare you suggest that we were drunk."
"I have no reason to lie. I had to carry you downstairs last night. You were dead drunk. And Teresa wasn't far behind."
Teresa looked up at Murdoch, tears spilling from her eyes. "I had one glass of sherry at Christmas and hated it. You know I don't drink. It was a terrible idea to go into Johnny's room. But we were concerned…"
"You were sprawled over Johnny's legs and your friend was asleep on the floor."
"That's not true. Murdoch, you have to believe me."
"You were fine when I left to take Anna May to her bedroom."
Murdoch turned on Scott. "Are you saying you left Teresa alone in Johnny's room?"
"I told her to go to bed. Besides, Johnny was in no shape to be any threat to Teresa. Especially after yesterday's ill conceived trip to the window."
"It appears you were wrong," Anna May sniped.
Teresa lowered her head as if she were shamed. "It was a terrible idea to go into Johnny's room. But we were worried that…"
"Yes it was a bad idea. You should have woken me or Scott. But that doesn't concern me now. This does." Murdoch gently pushed her hair back from her face to get a better look at the bruising. From the corner of her eye she could see Scott's piercing eyes. "What happened, Teresa, and tell me the truth."
Teresa made a show of gulping back the tears. "We went in to see if Johnny needed anything and when I reached over to check his head for fever he grabbed my arm." She drew back her sleeve to show the bruising on her wrist. "That's when Scott came in. He was mad because Anna May was only wearing her nightgown and robe. But we'd just come upstairs to get my book. When Scott left to take Anna May back to her room…"
Anna May put her arm around Teresa's shoulders. "It's all right, honey. Tell Mr. Lancer exactly what happened."
"I can't. It's too awful. The things he said…they were so crude. I wanted to scream for help but I was afraid he would hurt me….or worse. Then he hit me."
"You were so drunk you probably walked into the door," Scott said.
Teresa turned on him. "If I was so drunk where did I get the sherry? Look in the liquor cabinet, look to see if there is any sherry missing."
Scott glowered at her and then walked across the room to the liquor cabinet. He drew out an almost full bottle of sherry. He was playing right into her hands and making a fool of himself, opening the door for Murdoch to kick Johnny right out of the house.
"They were drunk," Scott insisted as he put the sherry bottle back. "Miss Dixon probably brought the bottle with her."
Anna May snorted daintily and Teresa fought to hide her smile. "Please, Scott, I am not in the habit of carrying a bottle of sherry in my valise."
Teresa looked up at Murdoch. She could see the vein at his temple pulsing. It was a sure sign that he was about to explode. She just needed to add a bit more fuel to the fire.
"After Scott left the room Johnny…he said he really wanted my punta friend, but I'd do."
Teresa couldn't remember ever seeing Murdoch quite that mad. "I want that son of a bitch out of my house today!"
Teresa grabbed Murdoch's arm. "No. He's still too sick. It was wrong of me to be in his room…"
"Don't try to protect him. I knew the minute I laid eyes on him that he was no good. How could I have thought I could bring a monster like that into my house and expect him to behave like a civilized man? Scott, tell Cipriano to get the buckboard ready to take Johnny into town."
"He can't handle a trip like that," Scott protested.
"I don't give a damn what he can't handle. I won't have him under my roof. And you can go with him if you can't obey orders!"
Teresa couldn't believe how brilliantly her plan was working. If she played her cards right she might be able to get rid of both of them in the same day.
Murdoch headed for the stairs and Teresa started after him but Scott grabbed her arm. "I know what you're doing. I won't let you get away with it."
She snapped her arm back. "We'll see." She grinned and raced after Murdoch.
TBC