The Heart of a Soiled Dove (11 page)

“Thank you Philippe.” With ease, Aurora mounted and turned in the direction that would take her to town. That would take her to Sheriff Bradbury.

“Why won’t you let me take you,
Senorita
?” Philippe asked a final time. “It’s getting too dark for you to go alone.”

She waved good-bye to him without turning in the saddle. If she would have seen his pleading eyes she would have caved in and had him come. This was something she needed to hold her own on. Without giving in to condemnation, she would address her past with the sheriff. She’d do it to share about her freedom, and she’d do it for Emmy and Josie, still bound to the deceitfulness of sexual slavery.

Aurora looked upwards in wonder at the surrounding noises. She had company as she rode. Little squirrels scrambled high in the evergreen trees, dropping pinecones now and then in her path. As she peered up, she realized that the sun was going to fade soon. It was not yet too dark, although it would be by the time she returned, and the thought of traveling along this worn path at night was not a welcome one. But she would not risk the sheriff laying a finger on Josie on account of her – on account of anybody, if she could do anything about it.

Just beyond site of town, Aurora removed the handkerchief from her saddlebag and wiped her damp forehead. She stopped a moment to pray for courage and to quench her thirst. She was not too surprised when she arrived just inside of Pine City to hear gunfire split the air. She dismounted quickly and crouched low, even with the horse’s belly.

“And stay out of here!” Thatcher Poe shoved a man out of his saloon, a hot gun still in his grip. Without a look about, he ventured back inside. The town was going to come alive now that the respectable and wise ones have gone home behind closed doors. It was precisely where Aurora should be, after she made sure Josie was safe for failing to bring her to the sheriff.

With confidence, Aurora straightened her posture and strode to the jail. Prepared, resolved and… stubborn.

“Fancy seeing you here. Knew you were gonna miss me.” Corbin removed his feet from his desk and stood.

She swallowed hard. “I did not have a choice.”

“No, I don’t suppose you did.”

“Is that a woman out there?” A clanging reverberated in the back where the cells were.

“Put that tin cup away and shut-up, Wally.”

The prisoner moaned, “Come on, Corbin… I want some of that.”

Corbin looked her up and down. If she’d been a regular lady, she would have turned white and fainted all over his floor. She closed her eyes as he baited her. “Maybe I ought to give him a turn on you. Turn some profits tonight.”

She refused to respond and addressed the reason for being there. “I spoke with Josie.” Aurora stood close to the door.

He covered the distance between them. “Then you know how serious I am.”

“Why can’t you just let it be? Why threaten Josie? She’s nothing to do with me.”

Tobacco and whiskey scented stench filled her lungs as he breathed inches from her mouth. She would not cower.

“Do I look like the kind of man who would, as you say, let it be?”

Aurora ducked and stepped around him, unwisely putting her away from the door.

“But what is it going to do for you to hold my past over me? Your whole threat would be baseless if I made it known myself. Men like you need to control, to own others. It makes you appear big. Therefore, bribing will not work, exposing will not work.”

Corbin grabbed her by the upper arms and squeezed. “I don’t believe you. You don’t wish this whole town to know what you are. Especially Donovan’s men.”

Her face must have paled and her breath hitched. He’d hit a nerve and he knew it. He grinned shrewdly.

Wally called out, “What’s going on out there? Come on, sheriff.”

“Shut up!”

“Who’s out there with you? Is it Josie? It’s not fair that you got me locked up. You know I didn’t mean no trouble at Poe’s.”

Aurora’s heartbeat was erratic but she held herself together, had to for her own good.

“I told you to shut up and I meant it. Not another word, Wally.”

Corbin’s face flushed with anger and irritation. Aurora wished this Wally would indeed shut up. He wasn’t helping her one bit. “So, you’re telling me that your intentions are to speak openly about your life as a prostitute?”

“If I have to – because I won’t pay you a single cent and because I want others to know there is a life outside of it.”

He toyed with his gun a moment and snapped his eyes to hers. “Don’t think that will go well for you. It’s one thing to have a whorehouse that’s known to all, but to have one secretly is something else. People here will not tolerate you and your highfalutin’ ways, prancing yourself about like a normal, upstanding citizen… and all the while turning tricks in your backyard. What do they call that? Oh, yeah, hypocritical.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You know as well as I that I own nothing more than a ranch.”

“I know that. But by the time I’m done with your reputation, no one will believe a word you say. Your past and Emmy’s actions have already spoken otherwise. Most likely you’ll need to find another town to hide in. Wouldn’t that be too bad?”

She was catching on. “What will it take, then, for you to leave me alone?”

His smile unnerved her. “You.”

“You know that is something I won’t give. I’m not for sale.”

“Well that’s what it’s going to take.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to find out what the town thinks of me.”

She sensed his anger rise a few notches and turned to leave.

“Do
not
turn your back on me.”

“I’m free to go. I’m free to do whatever I want. Is that what bothers you so much about me, sheriff? Is an independent woman who’s been delivered from her past such a threat to you?”

“I’ve wanted you since the first day I saw you,” he murmured. “I will have you one way or another.”

She aimed to wound his manly pride. “It’s true. You can take me by force. I suppose that’s what cowardly men have to do when they…”

“Don’t finish those words.”

“You’ll never have me the way you want – willingly.”

Submission was exactly what he wanted. She knew it.

“That’s a challenge I’m willing to take on. Let’s see who comes out ahead shall we?”

“You’re letting me go?”

“Disappointed?”

She remembered Josie. “You’ll not hurt Josie?”

His smile faded. “I’ll do whatever I want to that whore.”

“All of this boils down to you having me?”

With the palm of his hand Corbin rubbed his chest slowly. “It does.”

“You would leave Josie alone if I allow….” A lump of bile choked off her finishing thought. His dark enthusiasm and eager eyes answered her. He wiped his palms against his thighs in wait of her decision. Dread overcame her. Josie was worth this. But his supposedly leaving her alone would not be enough. Josie would want her freedom as well and it wasn’t Corbin’s to give. Josie belonged to Thatcher.

“I need to think,” she said.

Finally he capitulated his demanding stance and stepped aside for her to depart.

“As you wish.”

Aurora was barely at the edge of town when something on the ground snapped, and this time it was no animal. Aurora felt her throat close with fear and she dismounted, better to defend herself. She wanted to get to her rifle, more than ever grateful for Roman’s teaching on weaponry and firing. Had Corbin decided to come after her? Claim her after all? Her arm was touched lightly. She beat against her attacker wishing she’d had the rifle in hand. Instead she flung her arms in wild defense.

“Whoa, Aurora! It’s me.”

The voice was familiar and she focused through her tears. “Luke?”

He backed away, hands shooting to the air in surrender. “What in tarnation are you doing out here?” His voice was scolding, as if he’d a right to assert authority over her.

All of her suppressed anger surfaced. “You scared me to death!”

“I didn’t mean to. I should have called out first. I apologize.”

Her body trembled with pent up fear. She began to cry and was furious with herself for doing so. But when he wrapped his arms around her she could not care about that. It felt good to be held, to be comforted by someone. She wished she wasn’t so lonely.

“There now,” Luke murmured against her head. He stroked her wild hair, loosened from pins during her struggle against him. Her body slackened and she remained in his strong arms far too long. Yet she could not leave his embrace. It was a foreign feeling to lean on someone else, but she was getting weary dealing with so much on her own. In a heartbeat and without arrogance, Aurora knew she could depend on Luke to take care of her. It would make her life easier. But easier wasn’t what she was called to.

“I wish I did not scare you, Aurora. But it is not wise to be traveling at this hour. I’m surprised that you would be so….”

“Stupid?” she finished for him.

“I was going to say, careless, but since you mentioned it.” His smile was generous now that she was calm. “I saw you riding through town. What in blazes were you doing at the jail?”

“Some business I needed to tend to.”

He looked at her with disbelief, but he let it go. “If going into the saloon does not offend you, let me buy you a sarsaparilla. We’ll settle our nerves, then I’ll take you home.”

If this were put to her by anyone else, she would have known them to have an ulterior motivation, but not Luke. He was genuine, kind and concerned. She eyed him suspiciously though, just for fun. “I’m going to surprise you further tonight, Luke Rigby.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“I am going to take you up on your offer.”

Perhaps she might run into Emmy and be able to check up on Josie. It was perfect. She could do those things while being under the guise of having a chaperone.

She knew she was playing with fire when Luke took her to Poe’s and the sheriff was there. Since her newly found boundary with him, Aurora thought and felt to have a sense of control over the man. Her body. She watched Josie eyeing her with much curiosity as she worked the men playing cards. To Aurora, every woman in the place was worth giving a piece of herself away for, and if she hadn’t known God, she would have done it. God would have to intervene though. She had no intention of submitting to the sheriff. This is where the trusting Him came in that Leona Smythe had described.

I trust you Lord to provide me a way to deliver your daughters from their wretched environment. I pray that they might come to know you as I do and more.

Something deep inside Aurora wanted to know how these women, Josie in particular, could stay here when there was a clear offer on the table to get out? What was Thatcher’s hold? She’d experienced Madam Hazel’s hold on her first hand, but took the first chance to get away from it all. Josie was right; she did judge. How could she make them see that she’d been the same without exposing her past to Roman, Carrie Anne, Reverend John and Luke? She couldn’t do that to the people she cared about.

After observing Betsy being groped by an impatient customer while trying to sing, Aurora determined that her life would have meaning before she left this earth. With an empty feeling in her stomach, she looked around for Emmy. Instead she caught Josie as she shot another stupefied look at her and made her way to their table.

Josie bent down and whispered, “Are you crazy?” She cast a fearful look in the sheriff’s direction.

Aurora smiled. If there was one place she could handle herself, it was in a saloon. That insolent man was not going to run her from town. “I suppose I am.”

As Josie hastened away from their table, Aurora stopped Luke from opening his questioning mouth. “Never mind what that was about.” She flashed him a smile. “Thank you for your friendship, Luke.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

An outburst out of nowhere caused a brief silence. Josie dropped a glass and it’d shattered all over the floor. The sheriff flashed Aurora a look with an unsuspecting prize in his grip… Josie. He challenged her –
Who had the upper hand now?

Swallowing hard, she searched Josie’s face. Aurora was sick. Josie was going to be punished for her frivolousness. So intent on not being undermined by Corbin, she hadn’t thought. Luke had a charming, befuddled look about him, as though wondering what the sheriff and Josie had to do with Aurora. The three of them were at a silent standstill, oblivious to anyone else in the saloon.

“Josie.” Aurora’s voice was unearthly apologetic.

Sheriff Bradbury snatched her away before Aurora could say anything else. This was her fault. She’d been proud and arrogant. She knew she’d displeased God. If Leona were around…. She shuddered at the thought.

“Please take me home now,” she said to Luke.

“Sure. You gonna tell me first what that was all about?”

Aurora gathered her riding gloves from the table. “I wish I could, Luke.”

Nausea gripped her at the thought of Josie with that man. She needed to do something, but it would have to be done privately, not on the sheriff’s turf. “Just take me home.”