Two Wanted Men [Badlands 2] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) (8 page)

Reese followed her to the top of the stairs and stopped. She turned toward him uncertainty slowing her actions He pulled her into his arms and kissed her once before allowing her to leave.

* * * *

Slumped against the doorframe directly outside the house, as she’d suspected, was her drunken father. Miranda stepped quickly out of his way as he barreled past her headed straight to the sofa in the parlor.

“What took you so long to answer?” he slurred.

“What do you
think
took me so long? It’s several hours after
midnight
. Most people sleep at this time of night.”

Her father stumbled inside the door and headed straight for the settee. “Should’ve left it unlocked anyway,” he murmured.

“Why don’t you go up to bed?” Miranda didn’t relish the idea of her father snoring on the sofa as she attempted to sneak Reese and Luke past him later on. It would be better if he were tucked into his bed.

“No. Don’t want to climb the stairs. Too treacherous. I’ll just rest here on the settee.” He parked himself in the center and fell sideways headed toward the pillow where she’d hid her bloody apron earlier. He was snoring before his head graced the fabric.

Reese walked slowly from upstairs and stood quietly at the landing just out of the parlor. “Want me to help you take him up to bed?” Reese whispered loud enough for her to hear.

“No. He’s down for the night. Unfortunately, this isn’t his first time coming home drunk to recover in the parlor.”

“All right.” He grabbed her hand and led her back upstairs to her room.

As they reached the top step, another loud knock sounded at the front door. She was tempted to ignore it, but likely
that
wouldn’t work. The town’s folk were used to banging on the door at all hours of the day or night to receive medical help from her father. It hadn’t bothered her until just now.

Reese grabbed her hand when she moved to go back downstairs. “Your father’s already home. Why do you need to answer the door?”

“It’s probably someone looking for treatment.”

“At this hour?”

She pushed out a breath. “You came at a late hour. Why wouldn’t anyone else? It’s expected that the town’s doctor will be available day or night.” Miranda shrugged. “That’s what happens.”

“Let me guess. You also help out with the doctoring when your father is shit-faced and snoring.”

Miranda privately cursed like a miner regarding her father’s drinking, but having someone else do it bothered her. “That’s none of your business.”

He sighed and nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No. Please just stay out of sight. Check on Luke. Make sure he isn’t bleeding worse. I’ll be up in a few minutes. My father’s in no condition to treat anyone.”

He nodded, but she could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn’t like it. He climbed the stairs quietly two at a time until hidden out of sight.

Miranda paused for a moment as an alien feeling slid into her chest. No one had ever worried about her. No one. Not her feelings. Not how she felt about her life. And especially not if she were inconvenienced by rude people pounding on the door at all hours of the night. It was nice to have someone concerned about her for a change. Miranda glanced over her shoulder to ensure Reese wasn’t visible and edged her way slowly to the door.

Another loud knock sounded accompanied by a shout. It was the sheriff again. She took a deep breath and walked swiftly to the front door and pulled it open a few inches.

Through the narrow slit, Ben’s stern face greeted her. “Get the doc. The mayor’s grandson is hurt.”

From behind him on the porch, Miranda heard a voice cry out in pain. Before she could step back, Ben pushed the door open nearly knocking her to the ground and entered the parlor. She was about to raise her voice in anger at his high handed entrance into her home, but didn’t want Reese to come barreling downstairs in rescue.

Ben crossed to the sofa where her father still snored and tried in vain to wake him.

“It won’t work.” Miranda was about to the close the door, but when she looked back, Mayor Harris stood on the threshold and asked urgently, “Where’s the doctor?” He looked past her and into the parlor where Ben stood over the settee watching her father sleep.

She responded quietly, “He’s indisposed.” Dead drunk and passed out snoring on the settee seemed too vulgar of a truth to say out loud, but the mayor wasn’t paying attention to her, anyway. His focus shifted and went over one shoulder behind him.

Miranda sent her gaze in the same direction in time to see two men half carrying the mayor’s nephew Justin between them. The anguish on the boy’s face turned her heart over. She hated to see anyone, especially children, suffering. Although, Justin wasn’t really a child being twelve years old, since he was small for his age, it made him seem childlike tonight. She closed the door behind the two men carrying the boy gingerly through the entrance and followed them into the parlor, too.

“What happened?” she asked.

“He fell,” Mayor Harris answered absently.

Justin moaned again, but she could see he was trying to be brave.

A protracted snore came from the parlor settee in response.

“My father just arrived home moments ago. I’m not sure he’s in any condition to treat—”

“Just wake him up!” Ben motioned her toward the settee having failed to wake her father.

“I’ll try.” Miranda turned toward the settee and got closer to Ben than she’d normally allow to try and rouse her father.

“I’ll have my men put Justin in the back room. Hurry and get him awake.”

Miranda bent over the sofa and shook her father’s shoulders. “Father! Wake up. The mayor needs a doctor for Justin. He’s hurt.”

Her father’s eyelids didn’t budge. He snorted once, a space of quiet ensued for a few moments and then he resumed his snoring.

“Let me try again.” Ben waved her out of the way and tried lifting her father up to a sitting position. It didn’t last. Her father soon slumped back to his original position.

“Damn it.” Ben twisted to stare at her. “Why do you let him get like this?”

Miranda’s eyes opened wide. “Let him?” Anger guided her feet as she took a step closer. “I don’t ‘let’ him get intoxicated. He does it all on his own.”

“What are we going to do now? Justin’s shoulder is hurt.”

“What happened to his shoulder?”

“How the hell should I know? He fell off his horse and he’s been screaming ever since.”

Miranda stilled the expression on her face to one of serenity, even though she felt anything but calm. “It’s likely that he’d dislocated it. Maybe I can help since my father is sleeping.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Women aren’t meant to be doctors. When are you ever going to learn that?”

A low miserable sounding moan came from the back room.

“Is he awake, yet?” Mayor Harris entered the parlor, an anxious expression on his strained face.

“No. I’m sorry. He’s down for the night. He likely won’t wake until
noon
tomorrow.”

The mayor’s eyes closed and his shoulders slumped in utter despair.

Miranda took a step toward Mayor Harris, bolstered her courage and said carefully, “If Justin’s shoulder is dislocated, I can help put it back with your help.”

Ben huffed. “I told you already women aren’t meant to be doctors.”

“Can you really help Justin, Miss Miranda?” The mayor’s strained tone of voice was unexpected. Without looking directly, she walked around Ben, who still wore a disapproving expression that she could see out of the corner of her eye.

“Yes. If it’s dislocated, I can definitely help.”

“Then let’s do it. I can’t stand to hear the boy suffer any longer. Ben come and help us.”

“Mayor Harris. I don’t think this is a good idea at all.” He sent her a scorching glare of disapproval over her suggestion.

“What else is there to be done? The doctor is useless. If she can help Justin, then I want her to. Unless you can do something to help him.”

“I’m not a doctor, either.” Ben rolled his eyes to the ceiling once more before he followed them all into the back room. Miranda was glad she’d taken the extra time to clean up down here after taking care of Luke’s wound.

“Well, she’s been around him for all this time. Surely, she’s learned something.” The mayor turned to her. “Haven’t you?”

“Yes.” She nodded to add validity to her claim. “I can help him. I promise.”

The mayor motioned the both of them to the back room. Ben went first, followed by Mayor Harris. Miranda turned to look over one shoulder at the stairs in time to see Reese duck his head back into the darkness of the stairwell. She didn’t miss the grin on his face, either.

At least two of the men in the house tonight thought she could be a doctor. Now if she could just prove it to the other two in the back room.

Chapter Six

Reese kept himself hidden as the parade of townspeople came into Miranda’s home to find aid from the worthless doctor. They were lucky Miranda could help. Having dislocated his left shoulder a few years back, he commiserated with the injured boy, and hoped they’d let Miranda fix him up.

The sheriff was bucking for a fist to his mouth if he insulted her again. It had been agony staying in the shadows on the stairwell as he’d condemned a woman’s right to be a doctor to her face. Reese had slipped down the first flight of stairs silently to peek into the room from the landing to listen. He’d seen the back of the sheriff’s head and Miranda’s downcast expression when he told her women weren’t supposed to be doctors.
Bastard
.

“Hold him tight.” Miranda’s voice drifted to the staircase from the back room. “This will hurt at first, Justin, but once it’s back in place, you’ll feel much better.”

Reese flinched inwardly remembering his own injury when he heard the sound of the boy’s shoulder going back into the socket. To his credit, the boy had been fairly quiet during the process until she fixed it. The final snap back into place to fix a shoulder injury hurt like a son of a bitch and the boy screamed. He’d seen more than one full grown man faint dead away before the procedure was completed.

Miranda’s seductive voice asked, “Is that better?” Reese pictured her lovely face.

“Yes. Much better.” The boy’s adolescent voice cracked twice saying those three words. “Thanks, Miss Miranda.”

Reese abandoned his perch on the landing midway between the two sets of stairs when Luke opened the door to Miranda’s bedroom and padded over close to the railing.

“What in the hell is going on down there?” he whispered.

“Some kid dislocated his shoulder. Miranda just snapped it back into place,” Reese murmured. The pride in his tone surprised him. He certainly understood prejudice having been a lawman for the better length of his adult life. He’d certainly seen it on more than one occasion.

“Ouch.”

“Yeah.”

Below, they heard further murmured voices growing louder as Miranda, the obnoxious sheriff and the mayor walked into the parlor. Over the sounds of her snoring father, the mayor quietly thanked Miranda.

“I truly appreciate your help with Justin’s shoulder.”

“I’m happy I could help, Mayor Harris,” Miranda graciously answered.