Authors: Linda Bridey
Mistletoe Mayhem: Clean Historical Western Cowboy Romance Novel (Dawson Chronicles Book 1) (25 page)
He grinned at her statement. “There’s still time. You don’t have to go inside just yet.”
“This isn’t funny, Bobby! I’m going to die a virgin, something I thought would never happen! I thought we’d get married and have babies and the only one who’s ever had a baby when they were still a virgin was Jesus’ mother!”
Bobby hugged her. “They won’t kill you and we’ll get married and have babies. You’ll see. It’s ok. I’m just glad we’re alive.”
“My hair! No wonder you don’t want to make love with me. I’m ugly now!”
Bobby drew back, looking at her critically. Her hair was all different lengths and somewhat frizzy. He tried to smooth the half-dry, tangled mass down, but it was hopeless. A laugh bubbled up and he couldn’t contain it.
“How can you laugh at me? I almost got eaten by a cougar and had to run home in the dark! I probably ran faster than any of our horses can! And now my hair is ruined and you won’t make love with me and marry me and have babies! How can you laugh about it?”
His stomach hurt from the force of his quiet laughter. “Shut up, Emily!” he whispered urgently.
“I can’t. I’m going to die!”
Bobby hugged her again and said, “Hush, woman,” in Lakota. “You will live for many years.” Pulling back, he kissed her slowly, his relief in having escaped and his amusement making him bold in his handling of her. Then he broke away. “Ok, you have to go in or we’ll be in even more trouble. I’ll come over in the morning and help explain.”
“No, you won’t. No one can know you were with me because then they’ll ground me longer or punish me worse. And you don’t need to be punished, either,” she said. “You just go on home and I’ll deal with this.”
“Emily, I can’t let you do that,” Bobby said.
“Bobcat Night Sky, you do as I say. I don’t want to be away from you any longer than I have to be. So please just do as I’m askin’?”
It was his turn to sigh. “Ok, but I don’t like it.”
“Duly noted. Now get out of here,” she said, walking with him around to the side of the house her room was on.
She continued on until she reached the window at the end of the hall. She gave Bobby a last kiss, raised the window, and slipped inside. As she stood there, her clothes still wet, she tried to think how best to handle it and just decided to meet it head on and get it over with.
*****
“Mama!”
The urgent whisper close to her startled Lacey awake. Opening her eyes, she saw that the sun was just beginning to rise. Looking up, she gasped and jerked backwards from where she laid on her side. She banged into Joe, accidentally jamming her elbow into his ribs.
“Hey!” he protested, opening one of his eyes.
He also caught sight of Emily and a zing of alarm shot through him. Lacey sat up, looking at Emily with open-mouthed shock. Her daughter stood in her nightgown. Her hair was a frizzy, uneven mass and scratch marks of some sort slashed across her face.
Lacey swung out of bed, keeping her voice low so as to not wake three-month-old Joe Jr., who slept in a bassinet a short ways from the bed. “What happened to you? Are you hurt? What happened to your hair?”
Emily’s angry expression blackened further. “I just wanted to tell you right away. Don’t interrupt me. I snuck out last night with the car, went for a ride to the swimming hole, had a swim, and got chased by a cougar. I was gonna come back home in the car, but the damn cougar got up in the car, so I couldn’t bring it home. It clawed the heck out of the seat. On the way to the car, I got caught in a picker bush and had to cut my hair off so I could get away from the cougar. I ran the whole way home and so now I’m telling you.” She was breathless by the time she’d finished.
It sounded like she’d had a nightmare, but the scratches on her face and her wild hair said that her story was real.
Joe’s jaw clenched as fury took hold of him. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“No, I’m not hurt. Just my pride. But I need help with my hair, Mama,” Emily said.
Lacey said, “Emily Marie! I can’t believe you! You could have been killed traveling around at night alone like that! You’re grounded for … forever! I’ve never felt more like spanking you than I do right now. Get over to your room. When you’re not eating, you’ll be working in the barn. You’ll clean all the stalls by yourself.”
“Yes, Mama,” Emily said tersely.
“You are not allowed to see Bobby for the rest of the month and no going into town unless it’s an emergency. And you’re not competing in the rodeo this year or even going to it,” Lacey said.
“Mama! Please just let me go to the rodeo! At least long enough to see our tribe dance,” Emily protested.
“I’ll think about that,” Lacey said, getting out of bed. “Let’s see what we can do with your hair.”
Joe let out a snort of laughter, but Emily didn’t smile. Whenever she misbehaved, Joe laughed, but the more he laughed, the worse her punishment always was. His relief that she was safe was tremendous, but Joe’s rage didn’t abate as he thought about how she could have been hurt and about the damage done to the car. However, his sense of humor always came through, even when disciplining their kids.
Emily’s hair reminded Joe of an angry porcupine’s quills. All she needed was a little brown nose and she could have been in a children’s play. He grabbed a pillow and buried his face in it as he erupted in laughter.
Lacey bit her cheek in an effort to stifle her own mirth, but lost the fight and grabbed another pillow, crushing it over her face before laughing. Angrier than she’d ever been in her life, Emily stomped out of the room, going to her own, and slamming the door. Little Joey woke up, letting out a huge, startled cry. Both of his parents groaned, lowering their pillows.
“You get him and I’ll take care of Miss Emily,” Joe said, his eyes stormy.
Joe went to Emily’s room and opened the door. “Get dressed. We’re going to Wolf Point.”
“Why?”
“There’s no way to repair that mess. You need to go to the salon and have it cut,” Joe said. “You know I know what I’m talking about.” He had to steel his heart when her chin quivered. “We leave in fifteen minutes. Be ready.”
Three hours later, she was on her way back home with Joe, a hat hiding her head, tears streaming down her face. Joe shed a few tears of his own at the sight of her short hair. He moved his horse closer to hers and rubbed her shoulders, some of his anger abating.
“I’m sorry about your hair, sweetheart. And I’m glad you got home safe. You know how much I love you.” He took her hat off, kissed the side of her head, and quickly replaced it.
It made her smile and she wiped away her tears. “Does this mean that I’m not punished?” she asked hopefully.
Joe broke into loud laughter. “Not a chance!”
Emily glared at him for a moment before putting her heels to her horse and racing ahead, leaving her laughing father far behind.
The End
******
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