The Sheriff (Historical Romance) by Nan Ryan Page B
Authors: Nan Ryan
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical, Adult, Western, California, Native American, Law Enforcement, 19th century, Bachelor, sheriff, Protection, stranger, Forever Love, Single Woman, Hearts Desire, American West, Love Possibility, Frontier & Pioneer, Victorian Mansion, Gold Mine, Miners, Lawman, Gentleman, Suspicious Interest
Ads: Link
the mail carrier delivered the post.
After sending a letter to Alexandra Wharton, her dear friend back in Boston, Kate made an inquiry at Wells Fargo. No takers. Discouraged, she left and was heading down the sidewalk when she heard loud thudding sounds and muffled groans.
She stopped, turned her head and listened.
She heard the unmistakable moaning of an animal in pain. Kate hurried and peered down the shadowy alley between two buildings.
She gasped in horror.
Two big, rough looking men, the taller one with a black patch over one eye, the other sporting a bushy red beard, were mercilessly beating a helpless little Chinaman. The one-eyed man had his knife out, trying to cut off the Chinaman’s queue.
Kate didn’t hesitate.
She reached into her reticule, drew her uncle’s Navy Colt revolver, hurried into the alley, raised her arm above her head and fired into the air.
“Hit him one more time and I’ll blow your heads off!” she warned, lowering the gun and at the same time taking close notice of their faces and clothes so that she could describe them to the sheriff and help identify them.
The startled ruffians instantly released their victim and fled out the back of the alley. Kate put the weapon away and hurried to the suffering Chinaman, who lay crumpled on the ground.
“You speak English?” she asked, taking a hand-kerchieffrom her reticule to dab some of the blood from his pummeled face.
He grimaced, but nodded.
“Good. We’ll get you across the street to Dr. Ledet’s and he’ll—”
“No…no,” said the man through clenched teeth. “No doctor. Not need one.”
“Yes, you do! You’re badly hurt and—”
“Do not need doctor,” the Chinaman said again.
“You are going to the doctor!” Kate stated firmly. “Now, we’ll carefully sit you up and let you lean back against the building. Once we’ve accomplished that,” she told him, “I’m going to drape your arm around my shoulder and put my arm around your waist. You understand?”
He grimaced, his eyes glazed with pain. Kate slipped her arm around him and very carefully, very gently positioned him beside her.
“That’s good. You ready to give walking a try?”
“Ready,” he muttered, then groaned in agony when she moved him.
“I’m so sorry,” Kate murmured, supporting the little man’s weight as she half dragged, half carried him across the street.
“Can I help?” asked a toothless old sourdough with a miner’s pallor who looked as if a puff of wind would blow him away. “Want me to carry him?”
“We can manage,” Kate said with a smile of gratitude, “but thank you, Mr….”
“H. Q. Blankenship,” the man said, and backed away.
Dr. Ledet, seated at the desk in his front office, looked out the window, saw the pair and came running out to meet them.
“Chang Li, who did this to you?” asked the white-haired physician. The battered Chinaman gave no reply. Dr. Ledet instructed Kate, “Let’s get him into the back room, Miss VanNam.”
Once there, they carefully lifted the suffering man up onto the examining table. While the doctor turned away to wash his hands, Kate stood gently patting Chang Li’s shoulder while she stated, “Two bullies, Doctor. Both very large, very dirty men. One had a black eye patch, the other a full red beard.”
Over his shoulder as he soaped his hands, Ledet said, “Titus Kelton is the one-eyed man. The red-bearded fellow is Jim Spears. Miscreants both. Always trouble, they are. Mean as snakes and—”
“I must go, Dr. Ledet,” Kate interrupted, then smiled down at Chang Li. “The doctor will care for you.”
“Yes, yes, you go on, child. I’ll take over,” Dr. Ledet said as he dried his hands on a clean white cloth.
Once outside she took a deep breath but quickly lifted her skirts and hurried across the dusty street. The few men who were loitering about noted the set of her jaw and the flash of her eyes. Everyone wisely stayed out of her way.
She marched two
After sending a letter to Alexandra Wharton, her dear friend back in Boston, Kate made an inquiry at Wells Fargo. No takers. Discouraged, she left and was heading down the sidewalk when she heard loud thudding sounds and muffled groans.
She stopped, turned her head and listened.
She heard the unmistakable moaning of an animal in pain. Kate hurried and peered down the shadowy alley between two buildings.
She gasped in horror.
Two big, rough looking men, the taller one with a black patch over one eye, the other sporting a bushy red beard, were mercilessly beating a helpless little Chinaman. The one-eyed man had his knife out, trying to cut off the Chinaman’s queue.
Kate didn’t hesitate.
She reached into her reticule, drew her uncle’s Navy Colt revolver, hurried into the alley, raised her arm above her head and fired into the air.
“Hit him one more time and I’ll blow your heads off!” she warned, lowering the gun and at the same time taking close notice of their faces and clothes so that she could describe them to the sheriff and help identify them.
The startled ruffians instantly released their victim and fled out the back of the alley. Kate put the weapon away and hurried to the suffering Chinaman, who lay crumpled on the ground.
“You speak English?” she asked, taking a hand-kerchieffrom her reticule to dab some of the blood from his pummeled face.
He grimaced, but nodded.
“Good. We’ll get you across the street to Dr. Ledet’s and he’ll—”
“No…no,” said the man through clenched teeth. “No doctor. Not need one.”
“Yes, you do! You’re badly hurt and—”
“Do not need doctor,” the Chinaman said again.
“You are going to the doctor!” Kate stated firmly. “Now, we’ll carefully sit you up and let you lean back against the building. Once we’ve accomplished that,” she told him, “I’m going to drape your arm around my shoulder and put my arm around your waist. You understand?”
He grimaced, his eyes glazed with pain. Kate slipped her arm around him and very carefully, very gently positioned him beside her.
“That’s good. You ready to give walking a try?”
“Ready,” he muttered, then groaned in agony when she moved him.
“I’m so sorry,” Kate murmured, supporting the little man’s weight as she half dragged, half carried him across the street.
“Can I help?” asked a toothless old sourdough with a miner’s pallor who looked as if a puff of wind would blow him away. “Want me to carry him?”
“We can manage,” Kate said with a smile of gratitude, “but thank you, Mr….”
“H. Q. Blankenship,” the man said, and backed away.
Dr. Ledet, seated at the desk in his front office, looked out the window, saw the pair and came running out to meet them.
“Chang Li, who did this to you?” asked the white-haired physician. The battered Chinaman gave no reply. Dr. Ledet instructed Kate, “Let’s get him into the back room, Miss VanNam.”
Once there, they carefully lifted the suffering man up onto the examining table. While the doctor turned away to wash his hands, Kate stood gently patting Chang Li’s shoulder while she stated, “Two bullies, Doctor. Both very large, very dirty men. One had a black eye patch, the other a full red beard.”
Over his shoulder as he soaped his hands, Ledet said, “Titus Kelton is the one-eyed man. The red-bearded fellow is Jim Spears. Miscreants both. Always trouble, they are. Mean as snakes and—”
“I must go, Dr. Ledet,” Kate interrupted, then smiled down at Chang Li. “The doctor will care for you.”
“Yes, yes, you go on, child. I’ll take over,” Dr. Ledet said as he dried his hands on a clean white cloth.
Once outside she took a deep breath but quickly lifted her skirts and hurried across the dusty street. The few men who were loitering about noted the set of her jaw and the flash of her eyes. Everyone wisely stayed out of her way.
She marched two
Similar Books
