Page 26 of Scarlett

Emmett reached for Scarlett and came over her, his mouth covering hers. The lovemaking was passionate, their bodies in perfect unison.

The sensations that took over her had nothing to do with mentality, but with the physical reactions to what transpired. Scarlett soared and floated as Emmett made love to her.

Somehow she pushed away any thoughts on the irony between their physical and emotional relationships and allowed herself to be lulled into a satiated slumber.

The daysthat followed were a repeat of the first. Finally one morning after completing her household chores, Scarlett couldn’t stand to remain at home any longer.

She donned her shawl and placed a few dollars in her reticule, along with a handkerchief and fan. Once satisfied of her appearance, she went out the front door and headed to the seamstress shop.

* * *

Through the window, Emmett caught a glimpse of Scarlett walking from the house. As usual, her shoulders were square and posture perfect. He had to admit, his wife was very attractive and he was glad for it.

She remained elegant even while making love, which he had to admit made it much more enjoyable. Although he knew very little of her background, it was apparent Scarlett came from good upbringing and tutoring. Interesting that she also had no qualms with maintaining a household and although her cooking was not the best, neither was it tasteless.

“Dr. Jones?” Gladys entered through the side door. “Someone’s coming.”

A wagon neared at a fast pace. The person driving it brought the horses to a quick stop and jumped down. “My brother’s been shot,” he called out rounding the wagon. “Help him please.”

When Emmett went to the back of the wagon, he found a dusty man writhing in pain. There was blood everywhere.

They managed to get the man inside while he thrashed, incoherent with pain. The man who’d brought him didn’t help things by demanding Emmett do something more while he examined the wounds. He gave the man something to do by instructin him to apply pressure to one of the gun shot injuries.

Gladys cut off the injured man’s clothing while soothing him. “Calm down now, you’re not helping things. It’s going to be fine, just breathe.” She kept repeating the words as she worked the scissors through the fabric of the man’s clothes.

Someone must have alerted the sheriff because Colton Blake entered and took in the scene.

Emmett motioned him to come closer. “Put pressure there on his leg.”

Finally the injured man calmed, his eyes rolled back and he passed out. The brother’s eyes rounded. “Is he dead?”

“No,” Emmett replied, although he feared it wouldn’t be long before the man did die. There were too many bullet holes and he’d bled too much.

As he continued working, the sheriff helped where he could. Gladys also worked steadily. She cleaned the wounds and packed each entry point to staunch the bleeding as much as possible.

Within minutes the injured man died and Emmett took his time ensuring there was nothing to be done before speaking to the brother who stared at his brother’s chest urging him to breathe.

“I’m sorry,” Emmett said and placed his hand on the stricken man’s shoulder. “He’s gone.”

Heart wrenching sobs echoed through the room as the man clutched his brother against his chest. Emmett along with the sheriff and Gladys moved away to allow him privacy.

Blake looked toward the sad scene before speaking. “Did he say what happened?”

“No,” Gladys answered first. “Only that his brother had been shot. We’ve been to busy trying to save him to ask any questions.”

The sheriff nodded and met Emmett’s gaze. “How many times was he shot?”

“Six, whoever did it wanted him dead.”

“Seems that way.”

It was always hard in these instances to know how long to wait before approaching a grieving person. Emmett was thankful for Gladys. The older woman had a better sense of these things and she motioned for the sheriff and him to go out to the front porch. “Wash up and wait a bit. I’ll let you know when it’s time to come back inside. Sit down for a bit Dr. Jones,” she instructed and settled onto a chair where she could knit and keep watch on the brothers.

Emmett couldn’t help but consider how he’d react if the same thing happened to one of his brothers. As the eldest, he’d always protected them. Even now, it didn’t matter that Evan and Elias were grown men, he would die for them and kill anyone who harmed either of his brothers.

The man inside his clinic was living a nightmare he wouldn’t wish on anyone, and his heart broke for him.

Scarlett exited the door wearing a shawl and reticule. She never came to the clinic and today he was glad for it. Unfortunately, she noticed the blood on his shirt and hurried over.