“I suspect he can too, but”—she leaned closer to him and whispered—“the woman hoped to sell a saddle and I cannot oblige her, but I can afford to buy that little table.”
Robbie nodded. “You sure?” Emily nodded and he lifted the table. “Got good weight. We’ll take this, Mabel. Emily, do you want me to put it in the buggy?”
Emily went back to the counter with Mabel and paid the bill. She discovered that Robbie had already paid for the things Mrs. O’Neal wanted plus the candy. When she stepped outside and adjusted the bonnet she had just bought several men stepped out of the tavern. From beneath the rim of her bonnet Emily looked at one of them and nearly stumbled. Then he spoke and laughed with the other men and her blood froze. She tried to hide her upset and went to the buggy. A glance back showed the man staring at her and she grew afraid.
“Robbie, we must go. Now.”
Hearing the fear in her voice Robbie looked around and then started the buggy on its way. “Those men?”
“The one who was looking our way is one of the men who attacked our cabin. I recognized his voice and his laugh. Then he looked at me and I truly fear he recognized me as one of the ones in the cabin.”
Robbie cursed softly and urged the horse to a faster speed. It was just a plow horse and although it tried, the men were gaining. Emily was terrified that Robbie would be hurt when she noticed several horsemen headed their way. It took them drawing closer for her to realize it was Matthew, Iain, and Geordie.
“Why are ye pushing this poor old horse to a speed it probably never ran before?” Iain asked as he rode up on Robbie’s side of the buggy.
“Those men behind us? They are the ones that attacked the cabin where Emily was. They are the ones that made poor Neddy an orphan.”
All three men turned to look behind them and the men after them slowed down and drew their guns. Robbie pushed Emily down and tried to prod the plow horse back into a harder trot. He was pulling away from the confrontation when the shooting began. Emily struggled against a rising hysteria. The sound of guns, the looming threat to her and these men who had taken in her and Neddy was almost more than she could bear.
Emily listened to the guns for a moment and then tried to look over the seat, needing to see how everyone was faring. Robbie used his foot to push her back down again and she cursed. “I just want to be sure no one gets hurt,” she said, hanging on to the seat to steady herself.
“Ye’ll just get yourself shot.”
“We are too far away.”
At that moment a bullet ripped into the top of the buggy seat. Emily screeched and ducked down all the while keeping her eyes on Robbie, who appeared to be unhurt. Then a horse without a rider galloped past them and she took a chance at a fast look back, raising herself up just enough to see a body in the road. Iain, Matthew, and Geordie were chasing the other men into the hills.
“Can I get up now?”
Robbie looked around and nodded as he eased up on the reins so the plow horse could return to its long steady stride. “Just keep a close eye out for them trying to circle back this way.”
“But one of them is dead.”
“That willnae make any difference to men like that. If they think about it at all, it’ll be to consider how they will split his share of whatever they are getting for this crime.”
Holding on to the side of the buggy, Emily kept a close watch out for the men. They were almost to the house when she saw three riders coming back down the hill. Everyone looked hale and she breathed a sigh of relief. She came to a decision. She and Neddy had to leave before they got one of the MacEnroys killed. It was wrong to bring this trouble to their door.
When Robbie pulled to halt in front of the house, Emily got down and pulled out her purchases. Just as she was about to get her table, the brothers rode up. Matthew looked at the small table Robbie pulled out of the buggy for her and frowned.
“Ye bought furniture?”
“She felt bad for Mabel, who had hoped to sell her a saddle so she bought this instead.” Robbie frowned when Matthew dismounted and took the table. He stood there testing every joint and studying the legs. “Not bad. Women like these little things?”
Emily nodded. “I will see if Mrs. O’Neal wants it for Neddy and I cannot carry that about when we leave.”
“Leave? Where do you think you are going?” asked Iain, surprised at how shocked he was by the idea of her leaving. Shocked and, he realized with dismay, hurt.
“I have no idea but it is clear we need to leave here. Those men will tell someone where I am and there will be more.” She needed to get to her room for she feared she was going to break down and cry if she stayed there talking on the need to leave.
“Actually dinnae believe those men will be saying much to anyone.”
She stared up at him. “Of course they will.”
Iain shook his head. “Hard to tell anyone a thing when ye are dead.”
A part of Emily was relieved by the news and she felt ashamed of it. “I cannot have killing following me wherever I go. There has to be some way to stop this. But even if there is not, I can stop it touching you and your family by leaving. It will follow me and Neddy.”
“Is there anyone you can trust to speak to about it? Anyone here that you trust aside from us?”
