Lucinda (8 page)

“Then best you mind me, Lucy, and stay close to home.  If you get into trouble, I’ll set your fanny on fire and I won’t care how sore you already are,” he promised.

“You are my husband, not my father, and I would thank you to remember that!” she turned up her chin and marched through the Infirmary and out through the office.  Henry Zabarski was the bossiest man she ever did meet!  He acted as though she didn’t know how to behave, and she did!  He just hadn’t seen that side of her yet, she consoled herself.

She marched herself to the general store and Mr. Tune greeted her with a smile.  “What do you need, honey?” he asked kindly, looking up from wrapping a parcel for another customer.

“I’m going to look at some yard goods, Mr. Tune.  Please don’t rush on my account.  I’m in no hurry.”

“Gladys, this is Henry’s new wife, Lucinda.  Lucy, this is Gladys Anderson, Abe’s wife.  Abe has the gun shop below your home.”

“I’m pleased to meet you, Mrs. Anderson.”

“Likewise.  Doc Z is a good man.  Abraham and I think a lot of him.”  Her expression said she didn’t think much of Lucinda.

Before Lucinda could say anything, two cowboys came into the store, and they were both drunk.  “Hey, lookee here, Johnny.  Here’s just what we need.  Two women for sale.”

“That’s enough, you two.  Get out of my store until you sober up!” Marilynn’s father ordered in disapproval.

“I don’t think so.”  Just that quickly, the one called Johnny drew his gun and shot the store owner.  Mr. Tune fell to the floor behind the counter.  Gladys let out a scream when the other man grabbed her.

“You just come with us somewhere quiet where we can have some fun,” he grabbed her and lifted her off her feet.

The one called Johnny reached out for Lucinda, and she reacted instinctively, flipping him through the air.  He landed on a barrel and when it broke, he crashed to the floor, unconscious.  The other man let go of Gladys and took a swing at Lucinda.  She kicked out, and the fight was over.

“Gladys, please run and get Henry!” Lucinda bossed as she ran behind the counter to help Mr. Tune.

“What happened in here?” Mac demanded as Gladys tried to run past him.

“Bill was shot!  Lucinda saved us.  I’m getting Doc Z!” she said, crying as she pushed past Mac.

“Are you all right, Lucy?” Mac asked as he looked at the two men, then came behind the counter to kneel beside her as she tried to stop the flow of blood from Mr. Tune’s head.

“I’m fine!  Those two are drunk, and they were going to take us somewhere and rape us.  Mr. Tune told them to get out and the one called Johnny shot him.”

Henry came running a few minutes later, the look on his face full of concern.  He quickly saw that Lucy had stopped the bleeding and it wasn’t long before Bill Tune opened his eyes.  “Are you all right, sir?” Henry asked.

“The girls?  Those two…”

“Lucy and Gladys are fine, sir.  Let’s get you over to my office so I can check you out,” Henry said, helping him to his feet.  “Lucy, you come with me,” he said firmly.

“Doc, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but Lucy didn’t do anything to cause this,” Mac spoke up.

“I warned her to stay out of trouble!” Henry growled.

“Now just a minute, Henry Zabarski, I…” she broke off when he turned his furious blue eyes on her.

“Not another word, wife.  Now you come with me…”

“Son, you’re angry for no reason at all,” Bill tried to reason with his former son-in-law, but it was all he could do to stand at the moment.

Gladys was still in the office when they got back, and she was openly crying.  She threw her arms around Lucy and hugged her.  “Thank you, Lucy.  Thank you.  I was so scared I didn’t know what to do!  You were wonderful!”

“I’m glad we’re both okay.  Do you want me to get your husband?” Lucy offered.

“No, I’m okay… Just a bit shaken,” she admitted, but even as she was speaking, there were pounding footsteps on the stairs outside and a large man came inside and knelt on the floor beside the chair where Gladys was sitting.

“Mac told me to get up here.  Are you hurt, Gladys?”

“No, Abraham.  Doc Z’s new wife protected us.  I never saw those two men before,” she said, and told the entire story to her husband.

“I’m grateful, ma’am.  Grateful,” he said emotionally.  “Gladys, I don’t want you out by yourself until this Apache flare up is over.  Too many men in off the range with nothing to do but drink and act like fools.”

“Bill, are you all right?” Abe asked as he came out of the infirmary, a bandage on his head.

“I’ve got a headache, but I’m fine.  Feel stupid for letting that fellow get the best of me like that.”

“There’s a wild bunch in town right now,” Abe said, shaking his head.  “Doc Z, your wife is sure special.  She saved her and Gladys from them two.  Mac is gonna have to clamp down tight on all the strangers in town.  It ain’t safe for the women folk to walk the street in broad daylight now!”

Mac came inside and said, “You going to be okay, Bill?”

“Yep.  No need to fuss.  I’m going back to the store before I get robbed blind.”

“I got someone watching the place for you.  I sent for Hughie.  Why don’t you go and lie down; you don’t look so good.”

“I’m fine,” the man grumped, and then said, “Thanks, Henry,” as he let himself outside.

“You got those two locked up, Mac?” Abe demanded.

“Yes.  They’re so drunk they won’t remember a thing tomorrow,” Mac stated.  “One of them has a bad cut on his back, Doc.  I’ll understand if you want him to rot in hell.”

“I’ll get my bag,” Henry answered, resigned to treating the man.  “Lucy, will you stay with my patients and keep an eye on them?  One of the men keeps waking up and wanting to leave.  He needs to stay in bed.”

“I’ll keep him there,” she promised, wondering why he was so angry with her.  His blue eyes were still full of rage, and she feared he was going to spank her the very second they were alone.  Soon everyone had left, and Lucy went to check on the patients.  One of the men was awake, and she told him he was too injured to follow after his Captain.  He nodded, and then went back to sleep.

Lucy was surprised that she felt like crying, but she did.  Her life had changed so much since she left Boston.  She was no longer under her Father’s thumb, but now she had a husband, and somehow it was worse.  Henry said he cared about her, and she knew that she had feelings for the man, in spite of the fact he spanked her several times.  He married her to keep her reputation in tact, but would there ever come a time she didn’t make him so angry just by being herself?  Lucy decided it was pointless to sit around feeling sorry for herself.  She was a married woman now, and she needed to make the best of things.  Perhaps baking a cake for her husband would help him see her as more of a lady and less of a problem maker?  She busied herself, trying not to think of Henry tending a man who’d wanted to harm her.  She just finished putting the cake in the oven when she heard one of the patients calling out.

She hurried into the infirmary to find the other man wide awake… and in some pain.  She did her best to reassure him he would be fine, but told him she had to wait until the Doctor returned before she could give him something for the pain.  She hoped it wouldn’t be too much longer.  Fortunately, Henry came back a couple of minutes later, and he praised her for waiting to check with him before acting on her own.  He gave the man something to ease his pain, and it didn’t take long for the soldier to fall asleep again.

“You are going to be a good nurse, Lucy,” Henry said with a proud smile.  “You have no idea how pleased that makes me.  As long as it is something you wish to do…?” he asked her.  “I won’t force you to help out in here if you don’t want to.  Mari couldn’t stand it…”

“I want to help.  I like to be useful,” Lucinda stated.

“Perfect.”

“Henry, I don’t want to ask you this and upset you, but why were you so angry with me earlier?” she had to know.  His temper was gone now.

His face turned red, but he admitted, “Gladys said Bill was shot and you were fighting…  I was afraid for you, and angry you were attacked, and I was afraid I’d be too late to help Bill.”

“You were reliving Marilynn’s accident…?” Lucinda asked quietly.

“I was.  I’m sorry.”

“For what?  You are human.  You came and you were able to help Mr. Tune.”

“I’m proud of you for handling those drunks, Lucy.  I want you to know that, and I am sorry I yelled at you like I did.  I have a temper, honey,” he confessed with a wry grin.

“I have a temper, too,” she giggled, and then surprised them both when she hugged him.  “I’m baking you a cake.”

“Now that sounds real special, honey.”

“I wanted to get back in your good graces,” she confessed.  “I thought maybe you were regretting marrying someone who can be less than a lady at times.”

Henry saw the doubt and confusion in her pretty green eyes and felt like kicking himself.  “You defended yourself.  I’m pleased you know how to do that, honey.  There are times when I have to be gone, and it will help to know you can keep yourself safe.  And, at the risk of having my head handed to me, I don’t want you setting foot outside alone right now.  There are too many others like those cowboys in town.  I don’t want you hurt.”

“I hate being restricted,” she complained.

“I understand how you feel, but I promise I’ll tan your sweet bottom if you disobey me, Lucy.”

She pouted but wisely kept quiet.  She still had her shopping to do, and she doubted if Henry would miss her if she slipped out for just a couple of minutes after she took her cake from the oven.

Chapter Six

Lucinda’s cake came out of the oven in perfect shape, and once it cooled for a few minutes, she was able to take it out of the pans to cool.  Henry was with his patients, caring for them, and in spite of his warning to keep herself at home and off the streets, Lucinda decided she was going to try once more to make her purchases.  She couldn’t very well permit Henry to boss her around and restrict her just because they were married.  She wouldn’t be happy in a marriage of that sort.  True, there were strangers in town, but she couldn’t stay cooped up and live in fear.  She could take care of herself.

She let herself out through the private door that led to the alley in back of the building, and quickly walked the short distance to Mr. Tune’s store.  The older man was still working, in spite of the bandage on his head and the scowl on his face.  He glanced up when she entered the store.  “Well now, young lady, I was positive that Henry would order you to keep yourself at home until the town settled a bit.”  He smiled at her apologetically.  “I’m so sorry I didn’t protect you.”

“You weren’t given a chance,” Lucinda answered.  “Those two were drunk and being stupid.  How is your head feeling?” she asked politely.

“It hurts,” he admitted.  “But, I’m alive, so I can’t complain.  How did you learn to fight that way?  Gladys said you were like nothing she’s ever seen.”

“I learned from the Chinese couple who did our laundry; it’s called Martial Arts.  It’s a form of self-defense.  I studied a long time to reach this level; it is a good thing I did,” she smiled and then said, “I didn’t get the opportunity to look at yard goods earlier, and I am still needing to purchase some fabric.”

“You go ahead and look, Lucinda, and if you find something you like, I’ll be happy to cut it for you.”

Lucinda busied herself doing that and Bill waited on other customers in the meantime, always taking the time to introduce her if he thought it was someone she should meet.  It took her a while to realize that he was doing his very best to help her be accepted by the townspeople and let them know that the marriage had his approval.  Lucinda was touched by his thoughtfulness.  She finally chose the fabric she wanted and while Bill was cutting off the length, she found some matching thread.  Soon she was all finished and she hurried home the way she came, suddenly hoping that Henry hadn’t missed her.

As luck would have it, she slipped into the kitchen without Henry being any the wiser to the fact that she’d left.  She made the frosting for her cake and when it was all finished, she was proud as could be.  Lucinda put something on the stove for their evening meal and when Henry came into the kitchen, looking for broth for his patients, she had some ready for both men.  Henry thanked her gratefully, and she smiled.  So far their marriage was off to a good start, provided he forgot all about spanking her for looking for work in the saloon.  She didn’t think it a big deal, but Henry and most of the other people in town certainly did.

She decided that her husband might like a break, so she went to find him in the infirmary.  He looked up at her and smiled as she walked in.  “I thought you might want to take a break?  I can sit here for a while if you’d like?”

“I should go over to the jail and check on my patient there,” Henry told her.  “Are you sure you don’t mind keeping an eye on these two?”

“No, of course not.  Do what you need to do, Henry.”  It was enjoyable to actually feel helpful, and it didn’t hurt that it was something her father wouldn’t approve of, either.  As it did so often, her mind went to her brother, and while she was still sad at his loss, and would always be, in her heart she knew that Henry did everything possible to save Philip.   Even when Mac gave him an out and said he didn’t need to treat the man who attacked her, Henry had grabbed his bag and went to tend another human being… just as he did the Apache brave who tried to kill her.  She would never know why Philip lied to her, unless it was because he wanted to keep her in Boston.  She would have come if she’d known how desperately ill he was.  Lucinda brushed away a tear when one of the soldiers called out to her.  She got up and went to his side and quickly agreed when he asked if she would write a letter to his folks for him…

It was all Henry could do to keep from interrupting his bratty wife when he returned to the infirmary several minutes later.  His right hand was fairly itching to set fire to her bare butt, but she was giving comfort to the young soldier and right now that was more important than taking Lucy to task.  There would be time for that later… Once the young soldier said what he wanted and needed to say to his parents.  Henry wasn’t sure the young man would survive at this point, and a letter of this sort would give him… and his parents… much needed comfort if the worst happened.  He heard Lucy softly encouraging him and telling him not to give up.  The soldier nodded, and slept peacefully, thanks to her calming words.  Henry was seeing a new side to the pretty little redhead, but he was still going to paddle her for sneaking out and going back to Bill’s store after he told her it wasn’t safe to be on the street alone!