Howdy cowpokes!
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I'd like to thank GeezerWench for prereading / creative consulting
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Please be kind to me reviewers. Writing is hard. (I know I had promised some of you something.) Onward ho!
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I am hoping to make this story a nice even 30 chapters.
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"You mean to tell me . . . Brandon is a lady?" Peter asked, his eyebrows rising in shock.
"I don't know if I'd call her a lady, but yeah, she's a female." Emmett nodded slowly and grinned as Charlotte brought him a plate full of apple-scented baked goods and a steaming cup of black coffee. "Thank you, kindly."
Jasper shook his head in disbelief. "I had no idea."
"It was the strangest thing." Emmett placed his meaty hands on the table and stared into space as he recounted his story. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes. There I was, shootin' the breeze with the Doctor. He had to cut the trousers off of Brandon because they were so soiled, and there it was . . ." He paused searching for the proper word. "A woman's . . . thing."
Bella glanced nervously at Charlotte.
"How humiliating." Charlotte clucked her tongue as she set heaping full plates in front of Jasper and Peter.
Emmett shoved a whole apple fritter into his mouth and devoured it. "You ladies sure can cook. 'Course, I haven't eaten all day and we've traveled far. My Momma used to call it a 'fresh air appetite'."
Bella took the Marshall's hint and offered him some more sweets which he accepted with gusto.
"Why do you suppose she was dressed up like a man?" Peter wondered.
"I don't rightly know," Emmett answered between bites, and then sucked the sticky sugar from his thick fingers.
"Maybe she didn't have a dress," Charlotte offered.
Bella felt horrible for the woman, and suddenly a fantastic idea came to her. "I can give her one of my dresses."
Jasper smiled because his Bella was so good and generous and kindhearted, but mostly he was happy because he'd never have to lay eyes on that confounded rag Edward bought her ever again. "I think that's a wonderful idea, darlin'."
Peter leaned back in his chair and stared at his wife while he picked his teeth and patted his full belly. "Yeah, that sure is a nice thing for Bella to do for that poor unfortunate woman. I reckon she'll really appreciate it."
Charlotte pursed her lips and glared at Peter. She knew by his tone that he was attempting to sway her into making a donation as well.
Peter turned to Bella. "You know, the good book says: 'Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed'." Peter cut his eyes to Charlotte and pushed out his bottom lip as he stretched. "Such sacrifices are pleasing to God."
Charlotte threw down the dish rag she was holding and looked toward the Heavens. "Oh, all right! I'll give her a dress too."
Peter felt mighty pleased with himself. "That's very considerate of you, honey." He got out of his chair and tried to put his arm around his wife, but she batted his hand away. Feeling playful he swatted her across the rear, and chuckled as she glared at him with murder in her eyes. Peter wasn't sure why, but whenever Charlotte was mad with him it stirred his affections.
A few minutes passed before Edward appeared at the doorway. His eyes were downcast, his skin was pale, and his hands were covered in blood. He felt hesitant and cautious about entering his own kitchen to wash up—wary of another beating.
Marshall McCarty took notice and walked over to the sink. He started pumping water and motioned for the doctor to come wash his hands. "How's the patient, Doc?"
"I think she'll be fine." Edward soaped up his hands and arms up to his elbows.
Emmett continued to pump the water. "I've got some good news for ya'. After hearin' about Brandon's predicament, these fine ladies have offered to give her some dresses."
Normally, Edward would never allow such a thing, but under the circumstances he was grateful. With the outlaw still on the loose, he felt it necessary to stay at the hospital to protect Brandon. He turned his gaze to Bella. "That's very kind. Thank you."
He wanted to say more, but Jasper was glowering at him and making him feel uncomfortable. Edward averted his eyes and concentrated on drying his hands thoroughly with a clean dish towel.
"Since you're done now, I guess we can get the Whitlocks loaded. Would it be all right if I used your team?" Emmett asked.
"Yes. Use my rig as well, if you'd like," Edward said softly as he nervously folded the towel.
Emmett grinned and nodded at the young doctor in thanks. "Don't mind if I do. It's sure to be cleaner than the ol' jail wagon."
Charlotte squeezed past the men at the sink, "Excuse me." Her words were polite, but her eyes shot daggers at Edward. "I need to go change before we leave."
Edward's throat tightened. They were leaving. He would miss Bella and the way she brought light to his dreary existence. After all that had transpired, he felt sure that he'd not see her on friendly terms again. He turned sadly and started on his way to his room, keeping as far from Jasper as he could.
He was trudging up the stairs when Charlotte ran smack into him as she hurried down.
Her eyes were wild with fear. "He's out there! I saw him. James. I saw him from the window." She was visibly shaken.
Before either of them had the chance to move from the stairwell there was a loud bang and a shattering of glass.
Edward inhaled sharply. "Go hide at the top of the stairs, behind the wall," he ordered.
It seemed like a secure spot.
There were more shots, and then an answer of return fire. Edward realized that the Marshall must have left to fight the outlaw. He rushed down the stairs to find that none of the men remained in the hospital, and he didn't see Bella.
The Doctor grabbed up his still sleeping patient and carried her into the kitchen, where he found Bella cowering behind the china cabinet.
Emmett and Jasper had just started to move the Whitlock's belongings, under Peter's supervision, when James had fired his first shot. The bullet was meant for the Marshall.
James had aimed straight for him. He cursed the inaccuracy of the stolen rifle. The piece of junk's sight was off.
Luckily for Emmett, the bullet whizzed right by his head and shattered the front window of Edward's house.
The Marshall handed Jasper a six-shooter and they both returned fire, while Peter, who was unarmed, ducked for cover behind the wagon.
James took shelter behind an empty building that sat across from the Doctor's house. He took a few paces beyond the wall and started cracking off shots towards the hospital.
Emmett and Jasper scrambled to join Peter behind the wagon and reloaded their weapons.
Thick clouds of gun smoke swirled on the cold evening breeze.
"Turn yourself in James, or I'll have to shoot ya'," Emmett yelled.
James only laughed. "You won't be able to shoot me when your dead, Marshall. Send Brandon out and I'll leave."
There was no way that was going to happen. Emmett snorted and squeezed the handle of his revolver tightly in his fist. "Brandon is dead, and you're about to join him! Last chance to drop your weapons and turn yourself in."
"So you and your buddies can lynch me? Never!" James steadied himself then turned from behind the building and began to rain fire on the Marshall and the brothers.
There was a tooth rattling blast behind the men and James suddenly spun around, his hands flying up to his chest, and then he hit the ground.
The three stunned men turned toward the house where the sound of the explosion came from, and were surprised to see a cloud of blue-grey gun smoke curling from the Doctor's upstairs window.
Peter had a notion of who had fired that fatal shot, a gut feeling, and he was torn between wanting to throw her over his knee and spank her for putting herself in harms way, or giving her a big, sloppy wet kiss. Maybe he'd do both. He barged through the front door and bounded up the stairs two at a time. By the time he reached the top he was wheezing for air, but there he found his wife sitting solemnly on the edge of the bed with Edward's old rifle across her lap.
She didn't turn to greet her husband; instead she stared blankly into space.
Peter knew she was in shock, he'd seen that reaction many a time back during the war. His insides clenched when he realized that Charlotte had tears in her eyes. He slowly and gently removed the gun from her hands and placed it safely on the floor, and then knelt in front of his wife and took both of her hands into his own.
Her lip trembled as she tried not to cry.
"You did good, honey. You did what you had to," Peter reasoned.
Charlotte couldn't bring forth any words. She knew that the man she had killed was pure evil, but when it came down to it, taking a life was something serious. It had affected her in a way that she hadn't imagined it would.
"You saved me," Peter attempted to smile. "You're a hero. You saved all of us. C'mere." Peter embraced his wife and held her tightly. He ran his hand over her back and tried to soothe away her worries.
Charlotte's eyes welled with tears as she peered out the window. Over her husband's shoulder, she watched as Jasper and the Marshall went to collect James' body.
"Don't fret none, he was a real bad man."
She blinked her eyes a few times, and her body went rigid. She thought James had moved. Could it be her mind playing tricks on her? She squinted through bleary eyes and gasped as she dug her fingers into Peter's biceps. She tried to yell, but her voice was only a whisper. "He's not dead."
"What?"
Peter spun around in time to see James rise up from the ground and, fast as lightning, he pulled the Marshall's leg out from under him.
The giant man toppled to the ground, and James lunged on top of him.
Jasper saw the outlaw reach into his boot and pull out a knife. The blade glinted in the soft light of the sunset for a brief moment before Jasper kicked the weapon from James' fingers and stomped on his hand.
There was a crunching of bones and a gurgling scream of pain. It would be his final breath.
The stunned Marshall clamored to his feet, and shot James dead.
As the smoke cleared, Emmett removed his hat and extended his hand to Jasper. "You saved my life, friend. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."
Jasper shook the offered hand, looked down at James' still body on the dusty ground, and then turned his eyes toward the setting sun. No matter what happened, he was still determined to marry his Bella before the day was through. "No need to repay me, Marshall. Just help me load up. Times a wastin'."
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I promise, for real, they are going to get married. Some of my reviewers needed the wedding ASAP, but we wouldn't want James showing up and ruining it . . . would we?
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Next chapter will be titled "The Wedding"