Promises Prevail (The Promise Series) (61 page)

Shirley took another step back. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“She’s daring all kinds of things lately, Shirley,” Mara offered, “so I wouldn’t bet your health on that.”

Bri’s whimpers turned to wails. Shirley cut the baby a hate-filled glance.

“It shouldn’t have been you,” she whispered.

“What?”

“If you hadn’t interfered, whored your way into his bed, played on his sympathy, Clint would have married my Rebecca.”

Jenna blinked, pulling back a step as the pieces fell into place.

“Is that what this is all about? You thought Clint was interested in Rebecca?”

“You stole him from her.”

Jenna shook her head, the anger draining from her as understanding took its place.

“It wouldn’t have worked,” she said over Bri’s wails. “They never would have been happy.”

“At least she wouldn’t have stuck him with that filthy, disease-ridden
brat
.”

The rage surged free, welling out of nowhere, years of swallowing it back just giving it more force, coloring her gaze red and giving her strength that she didn’t know she had. With a hard push, Jenna sent the woman toppling backward off the raised walk straight into the horse trough. The cracking of ice punctuated Shirley’s shriek as water splashed over the sides of the rough wood and closed over her head.

Mara’s “Damn” drifted through the red haze surrounding her as Jenna stepped down to the trough where Shirley floundered on her back, her teeth already chattering from the frigid cold. With her free hand, she pulled the older woman’s face clear of the dirty water. Powder ran off her face in pale streaks as Jenna held her suspended.

“If you ever say a word against my children again, I’ll hunt you down and kill you.”

The swish of Mara’s skirts preceded her step into view. Sunlight glinted off the knife she held in her hand.

“And when she gets done with you, it’ll be my turn.”

Shirley tore her gaze from Jenna’s to the knife in Mara’s hand and back to Jenna’s face. Her pale face grew paler, blue mixing with the white. Her mouth opened and closed twice, and then she started to scream. Loud, earsplitting shrieks that grated. Jenna let her drop back into the water, and turned away, feeling shaky as the fury slowly subsided. Looking around, she noted towns person after towns person staring, their expressions in various stages of shock.

Her knees grew weak, and she started to shake.

“Well, one thing’s for sure, we’re going to be either heroes or villains in everyone’s eyes by the end of the day,” Mara muttered as she grabbed Jenna’s elbow and hurried her out of the crowd.

“Heroes?”

“Don’t you fall apart on me now,” Mara ordered as Jenna stumbled. “There are a lot of people who would love to have the courage to dunk that old bitch.”

The realization of what she’d done began to sink in.

“Oh God, I pushed the mayor’s wife into the horse trough!”

“Yes. You did.”

She pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. Her hand was shaking. Her whole body was shaking with the enormity of the potential consequences.

“I need to sit down.”

Mara cast a glance over her shoulder. “Not right now you don’t.”

Jenna followed the trajectory of her gaze. A crowd was gathered in front of the mercantile and from the gesturing, it was an angry one.

“Oh God, Clint is going to hate me.”

“Considering the woman called your daughter filthy and diseased, you’re not the one he’s going to hate.”

Jenna tugged against Mara’s grip. “I’d better go apologize.”

Mara dug in her heels and hauled Jenna along.

“What we’d better do is get ourselves to the livery and then home to our husbands.”

“Is Cougar going to be mad at you because of me?” Jenna didn’t need another person suffering because of her.

Mara shook her head and laughed. “He’ll probably want to know why we didn’t hold her under longer.”

“I didn’t even know I had a temper.”

“Well, you do, and as a witness to what you’re like when you get going, I’d say a pretty fierce one.”

“I don’t know what to tell Clint.” Pain in her leg took her breath. She had to work to get the words even.

“The truth is good.” Mara steadied her as she tripped in a rut.

“He’ll be angry.”

“And that’s a damn impressive man to get riled. The Mayor is going to wish he’d sent his wife back East like he planned last spring.”

“He’s not going to be happy with me either.”

Mara grimaced as they darted around a wagon. “No doubt we’ll both get the full lecture about not endangering ourselves.” She tugged harder on Jenna’s arm, jostling Bri, who hiccupped mid-cry and then paused to see if she liked the new sensation.

“I’ll give you a hint,” Mara grunted as she hopped a frozen puddle. “If you start undoing buttons about half way through, they lose steam fast.”

Jenna smiled. She couldn’t help it. She could just see the irrepressible Mara using feminine wiles against her big husband to get out of a lecture.

“I might try that.”

The glance Mara cut her was wry. “Since you’ve got a heck of a lot more ammunition in your pack than I do, you might get away with only having to listen to a quarter of the lecture.”

Jenna wasn’t sure about that. Her foot twisted in a rut and her leg gave out. She fell, pulling Mara off balance as she did. Bri, contrary as always, gurgled with laughter as they landed in a pile of skirts.

“You ladies ought to learn to take advantage of the alleys.”

Jenna froze. She knew that voice…that tone. She slowly looked up. Sunlight flashing off Mark’s badge streaked her vision.

“Jenna Hennesey, you need to come with me.”

Every nightmare she’d suppressed suddenly screamed for recognition, stealing her breath and her strength until alI she could do was sit there on the ground in a cold sweat, pinned by memories that were no longer willing to be denied.

Mara scrambled to her feet, and glared at Mark. “That’s Jenna McKinnely and she’s not going anywhere with you.”

“The mayor appointed me deputy while the sheriff is gone, so that pretty much means she goes where I say.”

It wasn’t what Mark said, but more the way he said it that sent chills down Jenna’s spine. Mark could be very unpredictable—to the point that she’d often questioned his sanity. It wasn’t wise to provoke him the way Mara was doing.

“It’s okay, Mara,” Jenna said, getting her good leg under her and standing slowly. She was Clint McKinnely’s wife. Mark wouldn’t dare touch her. “I’ll be fine.”

“You’re darned right you will because you’re going home to your husband.” Mara reached for her hand. Mark grabbed Jenna’s upper arm and with a bruising yank, lifted her up and back, out of Mara’s reach.

“If Clint wants to see his wife, he can look for her over in the jail.” He jerked his chin in the direction of the small, windowless structure set back in the alley beside the livery. “She’ll be staying there waiting for a trial.”

“Trial?” Jenna stared at the dark, square building. They were going to try her?

“For what?” Mara demanded.

“Mrs. Salisbury is charging her with attempted murder.”

“I just pushed her in a horse trough.”

“And in this weather, she could have died.”

“But she didn’t, and there’s no way in heck those charges will stick,” Mara growled, her hands on her slender hips, looking dainty and fragile and feminine, throwing the kind of challenges Mark lived to squash.

“That’s for the judge to determine.” Mark took a step back, Jenna stumbled after him, clutching Bri tightly, her weight on the wrong leg throwing her off balance.

“Like hell,” Mara shot back.

Against her back, Jenna felt Mark’s fury at being questioned by a woman coalesce into interest as he asked, “You looking to end up in jail yourself for blocking justice, little lady?”

Mara slammed her hands on her hips. “You’re calling this justice?”

Jenna felt Mark’s breath catch as Mara ended the challenge with a sneer.

Oh God, Mara had no idea what she was inviting.

“Mara,” Jenna said, forcing the words past her tight lips, “you need to take Brianna home for me.”

Mara hesitated and for one split second, Jenna thought she’d cooperate, but then her chin came up and her shoulders squared.

“If he wants to arrest you, then he has to arrest me too.”

“No!”

“I was just as much a part of it as you,” she insisted, daring Mark to do it.

Quick as a snake, Mark grabbed Mara’s arm. “Be more than happy to.”

He pulled Mara’s face up close to his, lifting her up on tiptoes with ease.

“Taming you could be fun.”

Mara blanched, but being Mara, she didn’t back down. Instead she spat in his face. Mark didn’t even flinch, but he laughed that low satisfied laugh that haunted Jenna’s nightmares. Through the roaring in her ears she heard the approach of multiple footsteps, a murmur of voices, and then one voice rose above the others, clearly triumphant.

“Oh good, you’ve got them.”

“And they’re not going anywhere either,” Mark promised, turning them so that they faced Shirley. She was wrapped in a wool blanket, her lips still blue, the occasional shudder still running through her. She didn’t look anywhere near dead.

“At least not until the judge makes a determination.”

“I’ll take the baby,” Shirley said.

“No.” Jenna twisted away, ignoring the wrench Mark gave her arm There’s no way she would let this woman who’d called her precious Bri diseased, take her. Shirley stepped in, her intent clear.

Mara struck out with her foot, catching the other woman in the stomach, “Keep your filthy hands off Brianna.”

“That’s assault, Mrs. McKinnely,” Mark offered.

“If she tries to touch Bri again it’s going to be murder,” Mara promised while Jenna searched the crowd for a sympathetic face. She didn’t find one, only bored cowhands looking for a show, and townsfolk who didn’t know what to make of the situation.

“A word of advice, Deputy. I wouldn’t mess with the McKinnely women,” a cowhand, who looked to be straight off the range, offered.

“The McKinnelys are no more above the law than anyone else,” Mark snapped.

“Mister, in case it escaped your notice, the McKinnelys
are
the law in these parts.”

There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd. Mark’s only reaction was to tighten his grip on Jenna’s arm and bark out another order.

“One of you men come get this baby.”

The cowhand stepped back, hands raised. “If you want to piss off the McKinnelys that’s your problem, but I don’t want any part of it.”

As if pushed by an unseen hand the crowd took a step back, shaking their heads and murmuring uncomfortably until there was only Shirley, Mark and a wrangler Jenna didn’t recognize standing in the middle of the street with them.