When the gun went off and Tommy crumpled to the ground beside her, Emma still couldn’t move. She watched as Stella turned the gun on herself as several men rushed her. There was a scuffle, and the gun went off a second time before someone managed to get the piece away from her.
A woman screamed, and Emma turned to see that it was Rosie Benton. Tommy’s younger sister. Poor girl. Emma’s own family was pointing and starting to cry.
Several people rushed forward to where Tommy had fallen at Emma’s feet. For the first time she looked down and could see for herself that Stella’s aim had been true. The bullet had pierced Tommy’s left temple. Blood pooled around his head. His eyes were still open.
It was only as she studied her husband’s lifeless body that she saw the spread of red across the waist of her white wedding gown. For a moment it seemed unreal. Where had the blood come from?
Emma touched her stomach and realized a hot pain spread across her abdomen. The second bullet had struck her. She looked up to see her father rushing forward. Tommy’s brother Colton was right behind him. The men took hold of each of her arms as her knees gave out and the room went black.
It would seem Stella had claimed more than one victim.
“Emma, can you hear me? Emma, please wake up, darlin’.”
It was her father’s voice. Emma knew it well, and for just a moment she was back home on the ranch outside of Cheyenne. It was early morning, and Papa was urging her to get up.
He was always so cheerful as he called her and Clara.“Rise and shine, my darlins.”
Mama would be downstairs fixing breakfast and would send Papa up to wake Emma and her brother and sister. Of course, Papa had been up since before dawn, getting a start on the ranch chores. In the early years, he didn’t keep a staff, and Mama didn’t have any help with the house or meals. It was just the family, and they all pitched in to help.
“Emma, please wake up.”
Fighting against the blackness, Emma struggled to open her eyes. Instead of finding her childhood bedroom, she found herself stretched out on a desk in a small office. Papa held her hand. His expression was grave. Another man seemed quite intent on cutting away her wedding gown.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Papa smiled down at her. “I feared I’d lost you.”
“What ... happened?”
She saw her sister crying into a handkerchief while their stepmother embraced her.
“You were shot, Em. The doctor isn’t sure how bad it is, but you’re losing blood.”
Her father’s words made no sense. Shot? Then the memory of the wedding flooded back in such a rush that Emma tried to sit up.
“Tommy!”
“Stay still, Mrs. Benton.” This from the man who had destroyed her wedding gown. Well, she supposed the bullet had actually done that deed.
“I want to see Emma!” a woman all but screamed from somewhere outside the small room. “Emma!”
“Rosie.” Emma had grown quite close to the younger woman. “Let her come to me.”
Her father shook his head. “The doctor needs to stop you from bleeding to death. It would just upset her all the more to see you like this. I’ll go speak to her.”
Emma nodded at her father. “Please tell her I’m all right. Tell her I’ll see her very soon.”
“I will, Em. I will. You just stay still and let the doctor do what he needs to do.”
“I’d like to get her over to the hospital and into surgery. Better lighting and equipment.”
Lucille, Emma’s stepmother, spoke up. “You think this will require surgery?”
The doctor straightened. “I can’t tell just yet. I’ve got the wound covered, and I’ve slowed the bleeding.”
“The pastor sent for an ambulance.” This came from Clara, who moved to Emma’s side. “Oh, Emma, I’m so sorry this happened.”
Emma closed her eyes as the pain became more evident. She supposed the shock of everything had kept her from feeling it too much, and she couldn’t help but moan.
“As soon as we get to the hospital, I’ll give you something for the pain.” The doctor pressed the bandages tight to her body.
