Shotgun Bride (Book Six of the Brides of the West) Read online

  Shotgun Bride

  By Rita Hestand

  Shotgun Bride

  By Rita Hestand

  copyright© 2015 by Rita Hestand

  All Rights Reserved

  ISBN# 978-1310059865

  Cover by Sheri McGathy

  Smashwords Edition

  Licensed Note

  This book (Shotgun Bride) is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. Please purchase an additional copy for each person you share with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it. For it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  Books in this Series

  Heart of a Family

  Delivering the Bride

  Heart of a Woman

  Wanted Bride

  This Side of Forever

  Shotgun Bride

  A Love As Big As Texas

  Be Free My Heart

  Wherever My Heart Roams

  In the Arms of an Angel

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  About The Author

  Rita's Other Books

  Willamette Valley, Oregon

  1881

  Chapter One

  "Where's the doc?" The man asked as he barreled through the door as though the place was on fire. There was an unease about him that made the air stand still.

  "I'm the doc?" A soft, sweet voice answered, as Shannon Greer stared at her intruder with a calm that unsettled the young man.

  She was just finishing up with a patient. Shannon deliberately ignored the man, waiting to hear what he might have to say before she jumped to any wrong conclusions. She gave her patient some medicine, told her when and how to take it and then turned toward her intruder.

  He was a long-legged young man, and very slim, with an uneasy clumsiness about him. Yet when she peered into his eyes, she felt as though she had quickly reached his soul.

  "A lady doc?" He squinted to look her in the eye. "You sure don't look like any doctor I've ever seen. You don't dress like a doctor either."

  "Oh well…" She started to explain, but he was busy looking the place over, and wasn't interested in anything she might have to say.

  The young man looked as though he hadn't had a bath in several months or a decent meal in almost as long. His hair was oily and about his face, his clothes tattered and torn in places.

  "That's right." She glared at his boldness.

  The man glanced around the room, at the fancy diplomas on the wall, and then back at her. "What are those, wanted posters or something?"

  Realizing the man obviously could not read, she shrugged, "My degrees."

  "What's a degree?" He snorted his thin brows knitting into an unfamiliar frown.

  "Nevermind, can I help you?" Shannon shook her head and tried to ignore the man once more.

  "You'll have to come with me. I already been to Doc Wells on the other side of town, he was drunk, and unable to help me." The man frowned at her.

  "A perfect example of why I'm here in the first place. Now, what can I do for you, sir?" She walked straight up to him and stared into his blue eyes, with her hands on her hips.

  She tried to ignore his disheveled clothes, and the stench of them. As a doctor, she quickly masked her distaste of the unkempt.

  "We got a fella that needs fixing." The young man said.

  Shannon raised her glance at the man once more, slowly assessing him. He couldn't have been twenty yet, and he barely had enough stubble to shave.

  "Well? Where is he?" Shannon asked, impatient with him for not bringing the man inside so she could help him.

  "He's up the road a piece, he's hurt bad." The man said. "So let's go."

  Shannon glanced down at her clothes; she had riding attire on this morning, as she planned to visit the mine. Her riding skirt, vest, and hat seemed appropriate for any outdoor excursions. She had put her hair back with a tie. It looked almost as if she expected this young man.

  "Did he have an accident?" She asked gathering her bag and preparing to follow this gruff man. Part of the problem with her job was that she had to often go to different sites to find her patient, a hazard she wished she could correct, especially now. Never knowing what to expect next, her life wasn't dull here in the Willamette Valley.

  She'd come here six months ago to start a practice, as there were few doctors in this area. She'd spent months on a wagon train getting here, enduring all the usual hardships of such a trip. She treated several gunshot wounds since she'd been here. People were often careless, creating tragedies along the way.

  "Yeah…an accidental bullet." The young man smirked.

  "He's been shot?" Shannon stared into the man's face for clarity.

  She noted the yellow teeth, the light stubble on his cheek and the way he fidgeted. He looked very out of place in her office. Most of her patients had been farmers that had hurt themselves, on a horse, or with a plow, or women who were expecting a child soon, not bullet wounds.

  It had taken her all of these six months to earn the trust of a handful of families along the Willamette Valley. It hadn't been the reception she'd expected. Unfortunately, the people here were just as slow to accept female doctors as in Boston. "Of course he's been shot. Now let's move…" he insisted.

  Shannon didn't like the way the young man glared at her.

  "Get a move on Doc…" The man pulled his gun out and shoved it in her ribs none to gently.

  Despite his action, the young man didn't look dangerous, but Shannon had learned looks could be deceiving.

  Angry at his approach, she turned on him with her acid tongue.

  "I don't appreciate your tactics. If you want a doctor, I'll go, but if you want to bully me into coming with you, I won't. Now put that gun away. What do you think you're doing?" She shrieked. "I'm a doctor for God's sake, and if there is an injured person in all of this, then I am perfectly willing to go with you. You won't need a gun."

  "Fine Doc," The young man holstered his gun, and grinned. "Let's move we don't have much time. He's already lost a lot of blood." He gestured nervously toward the foothills.

  Hearing the desperate plea in his voice, Shannon began to move about collecting her supplies.

  "Is he dying?" Shannon asked taking care to include all her instruments.

  "I don't know I just know he's been shot, and he's bleeding badly."

  "Alright, let me get a couple of instruments." She insisted and she packed her medical bag and got her shawl.

  She found her shawl to be handy in the unpredictable weather. Rain was a constant to the weather here. A shawl would shield her from the elements somewhat. If they were headed into the hills, she'd need it for the chill of late evening in mountains.

  "Exactly where was he shot?" She asked putting together a quick set of instruments she might need, throwing a bit of bandages and disinfectants into her bag.

  He put the gun in his
holster and picked up the bag for her. "Let's ride. You ask too many questions."

  "Yes, of course…" Shannon followed with trepidation. She knew it was dangerous going off to a place unknown to her, with a complete stranger who definitely had no patience with her. She also wondered if the young man was on the other side of the law. Not that it mattered, she'd treat him nonetheless. Shannon decided to try to remember little things that she could tell the local Sheriff about when she returned.

  When they went outside, she realized he already had a horse for her. "That's not my horse." She fretted.

  "I didn't have the time to get your horse. It's good enough. We ain't got time to go to no stables or livery to get your horse, now, climb on and let's go."

  "I'm not really a horseman, you understand." She gulped as she put her foot in the stirrup. "I need a gentle horse."

  "This is as gentle as you'll get, now quit stalling and let's go." He ordered her.

  Shannon huffed, blowing a tendril of hair away from her face.

  "Don't matter, once we get to the hills, we can slow down and all you gotta do is stay on him." The young man said.

  He took her reins and led her away from her safe and comfortable haven to the thick wooded area toward the hills. Since he had the reins, she held on to the saddle horn.

  Shannon didn't care for the way he burst in on her, but considering his sense of desperation, she figured it had to be life threatening. She learned from her short stay in Oregon that although they didn't trust a female doctor, they took what they could from her. An unsettled country, the people had little choice when it came to doctors.

  However, as they rode into hill country, she couldn't stop the shiver that ran up her spine. There were times she wished she were a man, and this was one of those times.

  She'd been through these hills only once, and only to the foothills at that. She faced tall timbers and a thick forest of vegetation. There was a fog about the air.

  Being a doctor, she had come to realize that her clientele often resided in remote areas. However, the fact that this was a remote area, and the patient was gunshot, she began to piece together things that bothered her. Yet the man who shoved his way into her office was not threatening, even though he'd stuck a gun in her ribs. He had also responded to her quick demand to put the gun away too. Shannon hoped she could reason with this man.

  She studied the area. Riding away from civilization with a complete stranger did nothing to calm her nerves this morning.

  "How did this happen?" She asked when the man said nothing for so long.

  The young man paused and stared past her, as though recollecting the incident. "It'd be best if you didn't ask so many questions."

  "It's important to know how the accident happened." Shannon argued.

  "Just like a woman, gotta know everything, don't you?"

  "Was the wound self-inflicted?"

  He stared at her, twisting his head, "He's got better sense than that, and he didn't shoot himself. He got shot, is all and that's all you need to know." The man sounded irritated.

  Even though he couldn't be over twenty at most, he had a rather hard look for one so young. Shannon figured she could not best him in any kind of fight. Although he was lean, he looked to be all gristle.

  Shannon shrugged, realizing that this man wasn't going to tell her anything; she became quiet, and watched for signs to tell her exactly where she was. The trees stood like a group of pencils, creating some puzzle. The grasses stood high, as it had rained considerably.

  She was ever thankful that she had dressed reasonable.

  The sun played peek-a-boo through the treetops, as a gentle warm wind stirred, whispering a soft song. Whiffs of pine stirred the air. The dead leaves of a winter past, crunched beneath the horse hooves.

  She didn't know her way around these mountains and she usually only came here when she knew where she was going. It was too easy to get lost in the densely crowded forest.

  Shannon turned her thoughts inward for a moment. Worrying about this man and their destination would do her no good.

  Naturally, she was a stranger to the mountains that lay clustered around the valley. Like so many that came to the Willamette Valley, she sought a new life, which she filled with hope. She'd heard of the great need of doctors in the rural areas of Oregon and she'd been eager to make herself a home here.

  However, the Valley promised no welcoming committee for Shannon, and she knew early on that she would have to earn the people's trust. Slowly she had managed to some degree, but she had a long way to go to call herself a success.

  At times like these, she had second thoughts of coming to such a place.

  She hadn't been disappointed when she first arrived; the valley was beautiful, almost primitive and untouched. It hadn't taken her long to realize that the people were diverse and as unfamiliar with the Oregon Territory as she was.

  A fertile land stretched as far as the eye could see.

  "How far is it?" She finally asked him when she began to tire of the ride.

  "On up a ways, we'll be there by daylight." He informed her.

  "Daylight?" Alarms went off in Shannon's head.

  "Wasn't there anyone closer that could help?" She sighed with resignation.

  "Bull Creek was the closest town. Jimmy John told me to fetch a doctor from Bull Creek, that's what I done." He muttered. "Like I told you Doc Wells wasn't in any condition to bring out here. Or I would have taken him instead. Never heard of a woman doctor before, you better be a good one."

  "Jimmy John, who is this man you keep mentioning?"

  "My…boss, I guess that's what you'd call him."

  "Oh…so what is your name?" she asked innocently.

  "Darrel…" He muttered thickly.

  "Pleased to meet you, Darrel, I'm Shannon." She put her hand out to shake hands with him. He hesitated, staring at her hand but he didn't shake it.

  "Are we going to camp soon?" She asked wearily when she realized he wasn't going to shake her hand.

  "Ain't got time for that, we'll move along so we can get there by morning." He told her.

  "Could we stop long enough to make some coffee?" She looked at him, with a plea in her eyes.

  "You'll get some coffee when we get there. Now I'd be obliged if you would hush up for a while…" He shot her a frown. "These woods are dense and I gotta concentrate on where I'm going."

  "Why are you lost too?" She almost chuckled.

  He didn't answer.

  Shannon sighed and tried to stay awake. She'd been up last evening delivering a baby and had little sleep. Now on an unknown journey, she began to realize the hazards of her work. She realized there would be challenges to meet, but something felt wrong about all of this.

  She napped some in the saddle and was almost to the point of falling off her horse when they finally arrived at the shack. It was nearly dawn.

  He helped her off her horse.

  She opened her eyes slowly.

  The shack looked inviting with smoke billowing out of the smokestack and a dim light coming from the window. The night air had cooled considerably.

  They walked up the porch steps and he swung open the door.

  Inside were four other men sitting around sipping coffee.

  The men were dirty, they reeked of sweat and they all needed baths, Shannon assessed them quickly.

  "Darrel we told you to get a doc, not a woman." One of the biggest men spoke up, twitching his mustache at her. "Although I can't say as I blame you…"

  "She's a doc…" Darrel mumbled.

  "No kidding?" The big man stood up and sized her up.

  "A female doc, well, never met one before. I'm Jimmy John, ma'am, and the man you want, he's over there." The man said pointing to the bunk against the wall.

  Shannon noted his dirty blonde hair, and his brawny build.

  Darrel walked out, the door slamming it behind him.

  Shannon glanced around the room, smelling the coffee she glanced at the man dire
cting her to the patient.

  "Could you pour me a cup of coffee, I've been up all night delivering a baby…I'm very tired…"

  "Get her some coffee, Elmer." The big man directed.

  "Sure…" Elmer was an older man and obviously used to taking orders from the big man. The big man had to be Jimmy John.

  She saw the young man lying on the bed, his face contorted with pain.

  Obeying the rituals of her profession, she moved with confidence toward the young man, her face placid.

  She set her bag on the floor and began unbuttoning his shirt so she could inspect his wound.

  Blood had dried on his shirt and stuck to his skin, but she gently pulled it away. The young man moaned when she inspected the wound.

  His eyes were closed.

  He was pale from loss of blood. He'd been shot in the left shoulder. His wound was just inches from the heart.

  "I'll need some hot water, and bandages." She glanced over her shoulder at the others.

  The big man nodded. "Elmer, get her some hot water."

  "Why do I have to get it?" Elmer fussed slamming his cards down on the table once more.

  "Because I said so…" The big man told him, a frown ruffling his obvious good nature.

  Elmer put some water on the stove and glanced at the doc. "Ain't got no bandages."

  "Fine, I'll manage." She shot him a frown when he came over and stared at her.

  "You sure are a pretty one." Elmer smiled displaying his missing teeth. He had a gentle face, and Shannon felt no fear looking at him.

  "Thank you. Now if you will pour some water in that bowl, I can clean the wound." She told him.

  Fascinated Elmer stared at her while she worked.

  "How did this happen?" She asked.

  "He got shot…" Elmer shook his head.

  "Yes but…who shot him?" She asked.

  "Doc, unless you want to go back feet first in a gunny sack, I think you should stick to doctoring and not be asking so many questions." The big man at the table said. He didn't bother looking at her.

  Shannon shrugged, then cleaned the wound and ripped the sleeve of her blouse to make a bandage. She laid the bandage down and took out her instruments.