Chapter 16
It was after midnight when Nick heard a knock at his door. He waited a moment to see if it would come again and when it did, he jumped up and lit the small lamp. He grabbed his gun, went to stand by the door and asked, "Who is it?"
"It's Sam. Nick, can I come in?"
Nick opened the door and Sam walked in hesitantly. Nick watched as Sam looked around at the small room before turning back to Nick. Nick had closed the door and waited patiently for Sam to say something.
"Are you leaving tomorrow?" Sam asked.
"I don't have any reason to stay, Sam."
"What about Emma. Isn't she reason enough?"
Nick sighed and walked over to the bed. He sat down on the edge of it and motioned for Sam to take the room's one chair.
"She doesn't want me to, Sam. I asked her and she said no."
Sam closed his eyes. He wasn't sure how much he should reveal to Nick but could tell that the other man cared for his sister. He knew Nick would treat her well and that if he left on tomorrow's stage, Emma would pay for letting him go for the rest of her life.
"David hurts her, Nick. I've seen him do it and I can't stand it anymore."
"That bruise on her arm was from him, wasn't it?" Surprisingly, Nick didn't shout this question, though he wanted to. But Sam's soft voice, plus the fact it was so late at night kept him from raising his voice.
"You saw it?" Sam asked. Nick nodded. Sam continued on, "It isn't just physically, Nick. He tells her horrible things. Tries to convince her she's nothing. I know I'm just a kid and don't know much about relationships, but I've watched how my pa treats my ma and what David does to Emma just isn't right. I hear her crying herself to sleep every night…"
Sam's eyes filled with tears and he unashamedly let them fall. He didn't care if he looked like a sissy in front of this man. Sam loved his sister and Nick was the only one who could help them.
"Why does she let him do it, Sam? Why is she so insistent on marrying him?"
"She won't tell me. I don't think Ma and Pa know how horrible he is to her, because if they did, I know they would stop him. Please, help her Nick. Please."
Sam began sobbing, placing his face in his hands. Nick waited for the boy to calm down and said, "I'll do what I can, Sam. But a lot of it depends on Emma. I'll go out and speak to her again tomorrow."
Sam sniffed and nodded his head. He felt better having told someone about David and Emma. Emma had made him promise he wouldn't tell their parents, but she hadn't said anything about Nick.
"Need me to get you home?" Nick asked.
"Nah, I can get back by myself. Thanks, Nick." They both knew the thank you wasn't just for the offered ride home. Nick smiled and watched as Sam exited the room. He lay back down and began to formulate a plan. He would send a telegram in the morning to his family letting them know he had been delayed. He would then head out to see Emma. He only hoped she would trust him to help her.
No one had heard Sam as he left the house late at night to go and see Nick. And no one heard him return. Sam had lain there for hours, listening to Emma's sobs, asking himself what he should do. His parent's room was downstairs, so they had no idea how many nights she cried herself to sleep. She had been doing that for the past three months and he had heard her every single night. But there was one night she hadn't cried. Only one in such a long time and that was the night she had seen Nick in town for the first time. He had come to supper and for the first time in months, Emma's eyes shined. And on the picnic, they seemed to have a great time too. Sam hadn't wanted to go. Not because he didn't like Nick, but because he was hoping Nick would say something that would make her turn to him and away from David. But Emma had been insistent that Sam go too, however she didn't tell him not to leave them alone.
Sam woke early despite not getting to sleep until late the night before. He felt energized, knowing that Nick would be coming by. He thought about telling Emma but decided against it. She would find out soon enough.
Emma was quiet at breakfast, not joining in on the conversation around her. Carl had some fence mending to do on the west side of the ranch and Sam asked to join him. Emma said she would care for the stock and Sam had to hide a smile. That would mean she would be around for most of the morning.
Emma had been working in the barn for over an hour when she heard a horse ride in. She assumed it would be David, coming out to check up on her. She absentmindedly touched her bruised arm. It was still painful but was healing. Hopefully, it would be gone before anyone else saw it. She was surprised that Nick had accepted her explanation about it before. She could tell he didn't believe her, but he didn't pressure her.
Emma heard footsteps and turned around. The sight of Nick standing before her made her eyes widen. She blinked several times to make sure she wasn't dreaming. He stood in the doorway, looking handsome in his black leather, his hazel eyes watching her. She had thought for sure the day before that she would never see him again. She had relived their kiss over and over wishing to experience it again.
"What are you doing here?" she asked softly.
"I can't leave you, Emma," he said, slowly walking toward her. She was rooted to her spot, her legs refusing to move. He was standing close to her, not even an inch away. He cupped her face in his hands and looked deeply into her green eyes. He lowered his head, still watching her face and placed a tender kiss on her lips. Emma closed her eyes and drew him closer to herself.
"Please don't leave, Nick," she whispered.
Nick wrapped his arms around her and held her for a long time. Those were the words he had wanted to hear her say the day before. He was silently thanking Sam for coming to see him the night before. He pushed Emma back but held onto her upper arms.
"We need to talk, Emma. Can you get away?"
Emma nodded. She walked away from Nick and into the house. She walked back out again not even a minute later, and her mother followed her onto the porch. When she spotted Nick, he smiled at her and she waved to him. He wasn't sure, but he thought he could see tears in her eyes.
Nick helped her saddle her horse in silence and they rode off. They rode back to the small pond where they had picnicked before and tethered their horses. There was no blanket to sit on this time or a lunch to enjoy, but neither one noticed. They began walking along the water's edge, Nick's large hand holding Emma's small one.
"Why have you been so insistent on marrying David, Emma?"
Emma sighed. What she was about to tell Nick she had never told anyone before.
"When I got back from California last year, things were worse than I had thought. We were a couple of months behind on the note to the bank. Ma was doing what she could. She had sold off a lot of stock but didn't want to deplete the herd anymore. We sold off all the horses, including Maisy and that helped bring us up to date, but another note was due soon. My mother and I went into the bank to explain our situation and to ask for an extension, but they wouldn't grant us one. David was one of the loan officers at the bank. He wasn't the one we spoke with, but he heard about our dilemma. He saw me in town one day and asked me to lunch, saying he might be able to help us. I was hoping he was going to offer me a job, though I knew I had no qualifications to work in a bank. He said that if I agreed to marry him, he would extend the loan and lower the payments enough so it wouldn't be such a stretch for us. At first, I was repulsed. I told him no, hoping we could find another solution. I didn't tell Carl or my mother about David's offer. I knew they wouldn't want me to accept it anyway, but the more I thought about it, and the closer the deadline came, the more I was convinced this was the only way. I told David I would accept his offer if we could have a long courtship. I didn't want to be married right away. I needed to help Carl with the ranch, and I was hoping to find a way out of this arrangement."
Emma paused, thinking about what she was telling Nick. It felt good to tell him her story.
"How did you get the bruise on your arm?" he asked, tightening his grip on her hand. He wasn't sure if it was because he was willing her his strength or because he was trying to brace himself for her answer.
"David's temper has always been rather short. I noticed that from the beginning. We were out riding last week and had stopped to give the horses a rest. To be honest, I don't even know what it was that set him off. I never really knew any of the other times either. He pushed me down. I was trying to get away from him and he grabbed my arm. I begged him to let me go, but he wouldn't. I was so scared, Nick. He'd grabbed and twisted my arm before, but never like that. He had such a fury in his eyes."
Emma stopped and closed her eyes at the memory.
"What happened, Emma?" Nick asked wanting and not wanting to know at the same time.
"We heard someone approaching. It was Sam. David grabbed my arm again and told me if I told anyone about this, he would deny it and we would lose the ranch. Sam must have known something happened, but he never said anything. David got on his horse and rode away. He left town the next day on business and the next time I saw him was yesterday."
"So, the only reason you were going to marry him was to keep the ranch."
Emma nodded.
"My father and mother had a ranch in Arizona. The summer I was 13 was hard. The drought was the worst we had ever seen. Most of the stock died because we couldn't get water to them. The bank foreclosed when we couldn't make the payments and my father died not long after. The doctor said it was his heart, but I know it had to be because of losing the ranch. When I got home and saw how badly injured Carl was and how they could lose everything they had built up...Oh Nick. I couldn't let it happen again."
Nick drew Emma closely so himself and stroked her hair. She was willing to marry a horrible man just so her family wouldn't lose their home. The thought made him proud that she knew the importance of family and yet chilled him to the bone at the same time. What if he had left that morning?
"I guess none of this matters now anyway."
Nick pulled away at her words.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I know now I can't marry David. So, we'll lose the ranch. I just hope Carl, Ma and Sam can forgive me."
"Emma, I can't believe they would want you to live a miserable life with David just so they could stay on this ranch."
They began walking again and Nick was deep in thought. A smile crept slowly onto his face and he began to lead Emma back to the horses.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"You and me, my dear, are going to tell your family what has been going on. Then I have a feeling Carl and I will be paying a little visit to the bank. After that, I have a telegram to send to Stockton."
"Telling them when you'll be home?"
"Telling them I need money to buy a ranch." At Emma's questioning look he said, "We're always looking for sound investments. And the way Carl has built up this ranch makes it as sound an investment as can be. Jarrod can wire the money out and have it here by the end of the week."