Diamond in the Rough (The Red Petticoat Saloon) Read online

  "She's here," Tripp said. "Delaney, look at me!" When she didn't, continuing to sob, he raised his voice. "Young lady, look at me right now!"

  He hated to yell at her but seeing her face lift from her knees, he forgave himself. "Honey, I need you to be strong… for your sissy."

  "Sissy?" Delaney swiped her hair from her face. "Damaris… oh… oh my God!" She launched herself off the bed, barreling into Tripp and almost knocking him off his feet. "Damaris! Oh… what's wrong… is she…"

  "She's hurt, I need your help," Tripp said. "We need to get her warm. John's gone for Doc Norwood but it will be hours…"

  "Get her to the fire," Delaney said, her tears gone as she sprang into action. Returning to the bed, she stripped off the blankets and grabbed the pillow. Tripp saw the rope and his lips thinned as he speared Carlos with his gaze.

  "Hey, she wouldn't stay put," Carlos said, both hands raised palms outward. "I couldn't let her run off and keep an eye on that shit over there." He nodded towards the chair where the outlaw was still restrained.

  Knowing Carlos had only done what was necessary and wanting to pull his gun and shoot the outlaw, he forced himself to take a deep breath and nod. Delaney spread the blankets onto the table and when Tripp laid Damaris onto the makeshift bed, she quickly began barking orders.

  "Get more blankets. I need hot water and soap." She moved towards the sink and then shrieked as Hank rocked his chair forward as if coming for her.

  Tripp grabbed her, placing her behind him as he stomped towards the outlaw. Pulling his arm back, he let it fly, the blow sounding like a gunshot and causing the chair to tip backwards, slamming Hank's head against the floor. Not even feeling the pain radiating through his hand, Tripp yanked the chair up and between he and Carolos, they carried the now unconscious prisoner into the bedroom.

  Delaney just watched in shock and then shook her head. Reaching beneath her skirts, she removed her petticoat. "I'll need more bandages. Oh, and help me get this gown off of her."

  Carlos went to search for more blankets while Tripp removed his knife from his scabbard.

  "What are you doing?" Delaney asked as he slipped the tip of the knife into the neckline of Damaris' gown.

  "It would be better to move her as little as possible," Tripp explained as he cut the gown down the middle and at the shoulders. Between the two of them, they removed it, flinging the ruined garment to the floor. Within a half hour, Delaney had not only cleaned the wound as best she could, whispering soothing words to her sister the entire time, she and Tripp had applied more compresses against the hole in her side and wrapped it with clean, dry strips cut from Delaney's petticoat. They'd wrapped her in two additional blankets and she was finally no longer shivering, color slowing blooming on her face.

  "Laney…"

  "I'm here, Sissy, I'm here," Delaney said, fresh tears coursing down her cheeks as she held her sister's hand in hers. "Shhh, just rest. I'm not going anywhere. I love you, Sissy… I love you so much."

  Damaris didn't speak but her lips did turn up for a moment before she sank into unconsciousness once again, causing Delaney to give a soft cry.

  "Shhh, it's all right. She's just resting," Tripp said, slipping his arms around Delaney's waist. Delaney bent to kiss her sister's cheek and then turned and fell into his arms, her sobs deepening.

  "I was so scared… I saw her in the water… I called to her but she… she…"

  "She heard you and hung on," Tripp interrupted. "She never let go. She wanted to come back to you, sweetheart. Stay here." Returning to the bedroom, he pulled the mattress from the bed. As he did, Hank moaned. Tripp turned to Carlos. "If he moves so much as a single muscle, shoot the bastard."

  "Gladly," Carlos said as Tripp yanked the mattress off the frame and returned to the other room. He laid the mattress beside the table and after kicking off his boots, he pulled Delaney down onto it, cradling her in his arms as he sat with his back against the wall. Bending, he pressed his lips to her forehead as she snuggled into him.

  "Am I in trouble?" she asked softly.

  "Honestly, I'm not sure," Tripp said. "Part of me wants nothing more than to turn you over my knee and blister your ass but… well, another part of me wants nothing more than to simply hold you and never let you go."

  Delaney lifted her head to give him a wavering smile. "I… I understand but… for now, I vote for simply holding me. You can spank me later… all right? I'm not going anywhere."

  Tripp chuckled and bent to kiss her softly. "Good because honestly, I'm too tired to chase you. Just get some rest, honey. I've got you now."

  Chapter Eleven

  Her eyelids felt like weights but after several tries, they fluttered open. It took a moment for her eyes to focus and when they did, her brow furrowed. Nothing within her range of vision looked familiar. Opening her lips, she ran the tip of her tongue along them before she whispered, "Laney?"

  "I'm here!"

  Her sister's face came into view and for a moment, the world seemed right. Then the last moments she remembered slammed into her and she moaned.

  "It's all right, Damaris. You're safe now. I promise… you are safe here."

  "Where?" Damaris rasped, then cleared her throat.

  "Here, let me help you sit." This voice was one she didn't know and the face of another person swam into view. The woman was quite possibly the most beautiful one Damaris had ever seen. Her smile was soft and her blue eyes concerned. Between Delaney and the stranger, they helped her to sit.

  "Ohhh," Damaris whimpered.

  "Just take it slowly," Delaney said, "you're still healing."

  A cup was placed to her lips and after taking several small sips, the dryness in her throat was eased. "Thank you," she whispered, settling back on the pile of pillows that the blonde woman had fluffed behind her back. "Where am I?"

  "You're in the Red Petticoat and my name is Jewel. I can't tell you how grateful we are than you are awake. I'll leave Delaney to fill you in and have Nettie bring you a cup of tea." Jewel patted her arm and then moved to the door.

  Delaney moved to sit on the edge of the bed, taking her sister's hands in hers. "You've been out for three days. How are you feeling now?"

  Damaris took a moment to consider how she felt, finding that despite the ache in her side and the slight throbbing of her ankle, she didn't feel all that horrible. "Better… I think." She paused and then squeezed her sister's hands. "I… dreamed that I heard you calling me. I was…

  "In the river," Delaney completed the sentence. "I know. I did call and was so scared you didn't hear me… I thought I'd lost you."

  "How did I get here?"

  Delaney told her how Tripp had found her and how he and John had rescued her from the water. "Doctor Norwood came the next morning and stitched your wound. We thought you'd got caught on another branch… like your foot but the doctor said it was… a stab wound."

  "It was," Damaris concurred. "I hid a knife so I could cut the rope that Slick used to tie me to the bed every night. I thought he was asleep…" Her eyes closed and she paused. "I… I killed him and… oh, God, the others…"

  "You don't have to tell me," Delaney said, reaching up with one hand to tuck a strand of hair behind Damaris' ear. "You don't have to ever talk about it again. It doesn't matter… just rest."

  Damaris gave a small shake of her head, opening her eyes to see Jewel and another woman entering the room along with two men. When she pulled back, Delaney looked towards the door to see Gabe, then Tripp behind Jewel and Nettie. "Tell her, Tripp. Tell her nothing matters…"

  "She's right," Tripp said, moving to stand beside the bed. "It was self-defense and you were very brave. No charges will be brought against you, Damaris."

  The woman's eyes opened, filled with unshed tears. "How can you be sure?"

  "Because he is a marshal," Delaney said, smiling up at the man she loved. "He is the law and you can trust him to tell you the truth."

  Tripp chuckled and reached down to place his hand
against Delaney's cheek. "Says the little one who is constantly testing that law." Delaney smiled and felt her cheeks heat but had to nod.

  "All right, you men get out. This poor child needs to rest, go now, scat!" Damaris turned her attention to the plump black woman who was gesturing with one hand towards the door while holding a steaming cup with the other.

  "We're going, Nettie," Gabe said with his own chuckle. "Good to see you awake, chiquita. We'll talk later but until then, I promise you couldn't be in better hands."

  Tripp bent to kiss Delaney's cheek and then the room emptied of all but the women. Nettie clucking over who she considered her patient, carefully handing her the cup of tea. "Sip this, child. I put plenty of honey in it to help soothe your poor throat. If you can keep it down, I've got a nice bowl of soup you may try in a bit."

  Damaris did manage to drink the entire cup of tea before her eyes began to drift closed again. "I'm really safe?" she whispered.

  "Yes, Sissy, you are safe. Now, sleep."

  Jewel smiled and helped Damaris to slip down to lay flat, not the least bit surprised to find Delaney slipping into the bed to spoon against her sister. By the time she and Nettie left, both women were deeply asleep, both healing in different ways but doing it together.

  ***

  Gabe, Tripp, John, Ben and Jeb sat around the kitchen table, all accepting cups of coffee from Nettie. "So, what's happening with Steward and Jacobs?" Ben asked.

  "They've been sentenced to hang," Jeb said, "Judge Johnson charged them both with murder, horse theft, robbery, and rape. They'll be executed tomorrow."

  "Why doesn't that seem like it's enough to pay for their sins?" Jewel asked softly, slipping onto Gabe's lap.

  "Because it isn't," Gabe said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "The men would need to die a thousand deaths to pay for all the pain they've caused."

  "I agree, but suppose spending an eternity in hell will help settle the bill," Tripp said. He had seen the damage the men had done during their crime spree. They'd wiped out an entire family and had come very close to killing Damaris. He'd seen the evidence on her body as he and Delaney had undressed her that first night. She'd been beaten repeatedly, her back a mass of welts and bruises, new ones layered on top of old. It had taken everything he had not to kill Hank Steward himself. He'd understood the outlaw knew what he was thinking because he'd not made a single move in his presence… not making a sound as he was finally untied and hauled up by the sheriff when the men had returned from the burned cabin. Once he and Rufus Jacobs were behind bars, any sign of bravado disappeared upon learning that they'd hang for their crimes.

  "She will heal," Nettie said, "we will make sure that girl knows that she is loved and has a family. Never again will she feel scared."

  "I hope so," Jeb said, finishing his coffee and moving to stand. "Henry said he could postpone the hangings if we felt it would be beneficial for Damaris to witness the execution…"

  "Oh, no…" Jewel said, her eyes wide as she shook her head.

  "We need to ask," Jeb said. "It's her right and it might help her heal."

  "I don't see how! It would be… just awful!"

  "Jeb's right. And you are right. It will be awful but sometimes it is needed. Damaris has been traumatized for a very long time… it won't do for her to try to hide from the truth no matter how awful," Tripp said.

  "Poor child," Nettie said, shaking her head.

  "Yes, but at least she has all of us," Gabe said. "She's welcome here as long as she desires to stay."

  "I'll ask her," Tripp said. "Delaney needs to know that it is her sister's choice." He stood and left the room. Entering Delaney's room, he found the two women sleeping. Sitting in a chair, he just watched, knowing that they both needed the rest.

  Though Delaney came awfully close to earning herself a spanking when she woke before her sister and Tripp took her out of the room to explain what he needed to do, she finally admitted that it was a question that needed to be asked. Damaris chose not to witness the hangings but the executions were witnessed by Tripp, Gabe, Jeb, Ben, John, and the judge. Once the bodies had been taken away, Tripp knew that he would be turning in his badge soon. The Shotgun Slick gang was no more and it was time to put down his roots with the woman he loved. Now all he had to do was convince a stubborn little Diamond that she was the shining jewel of his life.

  Three weeks later, Delaney was again pushing for a bottom warming. "Delaney, I'm not going to tell you again. I've explained this time and time again."

  "That doesn't make it right!" Delaney shouted, stomping her foot. "I keep telling Damaris that she should forget it and you keep telling her she shouldn't! You're just being mean!"

  "Young lady, I suggest you lower your voice, change your tone and do not stomp that foot again. You are this close to getting your ass blistered." He rubbed his finger and thumb together to emphasis his point.

  Delaney just tossed her hair and shouted, "You can't scare me like you do my sister!"

  "I'm not attempting to scare you, Delaney. I'm simply informing you that your period of leniency is over. You've said you trusted me and yet…"

  "You want to make Damaris live through that hell again. You saw what they did to her and… and…"

  "And, sweetheart, that is why she needs this. It's been almost a month since she escaped and yet if you would open your eyes and really see her, you'd know that she is hurting inside. Yes, her wounds are healing and except for a few scars, she'll recover physically. But, Delaney, she won't recover where it counts… not if she attempts to block out all that happened."

  Delaney's stiff posture sagged as tears slid down her cheeks. "I just don't want her to hurt any more… she's been through so much pain."

  "I know, but I promise, this will help with her recovery… trust me, please."

  She didn't speak, her eyes reflecting her pain and glittering with tears but she managed to give him the smallest nod. Tripp drew her to him and laying his cheek against the top of her head prayed that he was right.

  "Come, walk with me," Tripp said.

  Damaris looked up from her seat in the kitchen where she spent most of her time when not in bed. "I don't feel up to a walk."

  "Sure you do. Child, you need to get some fresh air. You've been inside for weeks now," Nettie said, plucking the cup of cold tea right from under Damaris. Before Damaris could protest further, Nettie had pulled her up and had given her a hug. "You take a nice walk and I'll have a fresh cup of tea ready when you return."

  Tripp had a cloak ready but she ducked out of his reach. "I think I'd rather go lie down… I'm tired."

  "Exercise will do you some good," Tripp said and when her mouth opened, he shook his head. "I'm asking you to trust me, Damaris." He saw the internal struggle and the way she looked towards the door as if hoping for some sort of divine interference. "I promise, if it becomes too difficult, I'll bring you back."

  With her reluctant nod, he draped the cloak about her shoulders but when he offered his arm and she refused, he understood. He gestured for her to go before him and the two left the saloon that had become both her sanctuary and her prison for the first time to step out into the afternoon sunlight.

  "This way," Tripp said, stepping to walk beside her, their footsteps against the wooden planks the only sound for several minutes until they reached the mercantile and a little boy came dashing out the door.

  "Whoa, slow down there, son," Tripp said when the boy ran into his legs and bounced off to fall onto his rear. Grinning, Tripp squatted down, offering his hand. "You all right?" His dark head nodded until he realized that the candy he'd been enjoying had flown out of his fingers to land in the dirt. Tripp chuckled and helped him to his feet. Digging in his pocket, he fished out a coin. "Sorry for making you lose your treat. I'm sure Mr. Singleton will be glad to sell you another."

  "What do you say, son?" The question came from Anson who had stepped out of the store.

  "Thanks!" Stone said, turning to dash back into the interior,
causing his ma to gently remind him not to run inside.

  Della joined her husband only long enough to hand him their newest family member before going to join her son. Anson cradled his infant son in one arm while extending his hand to Tripp. After the two men shook hands, the man became the doctor, turning to Damaris.

  "It's good to see you out, Miss Donahue. How are you feeling today?"

  "Tired," Damaris said.

  "Ah, perfectly understandable. Trust me, as you move about more, your body will remember how good it feels."

  "Do all of you men preface your sentences with ‘trust me?' "

  Laughter answered her question as Della reappeared, Stone's hand held firmly in hers. "You know, I never really thought about it but now that you asked… well, it seems they do. How are you, Damaris?"

  "I'm fine, Mrs. Norwood…"

  "Call me Della, oh, and this is our son, Stone, and you've met his little brother, Anson?"

  Stone pulled his hand free of his mother's and offered it to Damaris. Tripp was pleased to see a soft smile flit across her face as she gave it a shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Stone. What candy did you get?"

  "Peppermint, want one?" Stone reached into his pocket and extracted a round red and white striped ball.

  "Perhaps another time," Damaris said, smiling again when the little boy shrugged and popped it into his mouth.

  "I'll come by tomorrow and check up on you," Anson said, as his wife tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. "I'm real glad to see you up and about but don't overdo it."

  "We won't," Tripp assured him and they continued walking towards the end of the street.

  "Where are we going?" Damaris asked as they turned the corner. "I thought you said we weren't going far."

  "We're not," Tripp assured her. "Just a couple more blocks." Ignoring the long, drawn out sigh she uttered, he continued. "Damaris, I'm trying to help you."

  "I don't need any help," she said. "I just want to be left alone."

  He couldn't contain the chuckle at her words. "How's that working out for you? I mean, I haven't seen you alone since I brought you into town." They stepped down onto the street to cross it and then climbed the steps to the sidewalk again. "Seems to me, the only time you're really alone is in your sleep… even then Delaney is right there beside you."