The Sheriff Wears Pants (9 page)

He had absolutely no conscience whatsoever.

* * * * *

“Mayor, come inside,” Darcy graciously invited him inside.  “Gram and I were just getting ready to have a light supper.  Would you care to join us?”

“No, Miss Darcy.  My wife will be waiting supper for me.  I am here to let you know that you have been elected Sheriff.”

“There must be some mistake, James,” Eleanor said firmly.  “Darcy removed her name from consideration.”

“I know, Miss Eleanor, but folks still voted for her and she won fair and square.  I sure would hate to see the folks disappointed by a refusal to do the job she was elected to do.  Miss Darcy will do a good job, I’m certain.” His personal feelings were different from his political ones.

“It’s too dangerous.  Besides, we already have a marvelous Sheriff in Will Davies,” Eleanor argued.

“The voters want Miss Darcy.  The vote wasn’t even close, ma’am.”

“I absolutely forbid Darshana to take this job.”  The elderly woman was incensed, and the Mayor hated upsetting her.  “No. No. No.  I won’t have it!  You figure out something else, James.  I will not permit my grandchild to do something so dangerous!”

“Miss Eleanor, I’m sorry I need to be firm, but I need to remind you that Miss Darcy is of legal age, and this is her decision.  I’ll try to handle it if you say no, Miss Darcy, but I truly wish you would at least give it a try for a while.  You could hire Will as your deputy, and he could do the hard stuff?” the Mayor suggested. 

He was worried about Darcy, too.  He’d known her since she was born, and she was the same age as his daughter Caroline.  He’d paddle Caroline if she even suggested running for Sheriff, but then, her husband would probably beat him to it.  Anyway, he couldn’t picture his Caroline doing something of this nature. 

“What do you say, Miss Darcy?  Are you going to let me swear you in?”

“I want to hear the numbers, Mayor.  How close was the election?”

“Will only received forty-nine votes.  You received close to two hundred.  If the score were only one or two off, it wouldn’t be unbelievable to give Will the job if you didn’t want it.  But this is so definitely yours that I have to urge you to accept the vote.”

“Very well,” Darcy decided.  “I’ll do my very best.” She walked the Mayor to the door and then returned to the parlor where her Gram sat waiting for her.

“You can’t mean this, Darshana.  You need to think this through!  Why, child, I couldn’t bear it if you were harmed.  Why are you even considering taking this upon yourself?” Eleanor asked when she saw the tears in the eyes so like her own.  “Please, dear, tell me what you are thinking.”

“Oh, Gram, I don’t want to do this, but if that many people actually voted for me it must mean they really want me as Sheriff.  It could be they just want a change, or it could be that they want to see me fall flat on my face!  I have no clue, but I cannot just say ‘too bad’ to all those people without making an attempt to do the job.  I promise I am going to take the Mayor’s suggestion and try to talk Will into helping me.  If he will have my back, then I will manage to do this for a short time, at least until people see he is doing the work I cannot possibly do.”

“My dear, this election is all Waldo Phares’ doing.  And with the married women pushing their husbands to vote for you, you were elected.  I am sure that most of the men who voted for you didn’t think their vote would make a difference in the outcome, but they would be able to tell their wives that they voted for you!  This whole thing is a travesty. I am positive that the men of this town are going to be shocked to hear you won.”

“Then they will go to the Mayor and tell him so, and I will be relieved of the job.  My biggest concern, Gram, is Will.  He must be so devastated to hear that I was elected over him.  I want to go to him and hug him, but I am afraid that he is going to blame me and hate me.”

“I doubt that, honey.  That boy loves you so much.  What he isn’t going to like is that you accepted the job.  I believe he is going to feel your loyalty should be to him, and not to the town.

* * * * *

Louisa felt uneasy.  It was the same feeling she used to get when she knew it was time for Malachi to come home at the end of each day; the waiting to learn whether he was in a good mood, or in a bad mood and ready to take it out on her.  She used to feel so helpless, and she knew there was no point in going to her Pa to ask for help.  If her Pa decided to speak to Malachi, she was sure that Malachi would agree to everything her Pa said, and once he was gone, he would turn on her and beat her senseless for daring to complain to her Pa about him.

She was sure he was close by.  Why else would her skin be crawling and her stomach feel like it was being turned inside out?  Perhaps she should pack her belongings and leave town?  But, the only people who knew she was here were Doctor and Mrs. English, and they would die before they would send her crazed, abusive ex-husband after her.  No, she could trust those dear people.  Then why did she feel so frightened?

“She said
what
?” Will exploded. “Is she out of her everlasting mind?” He looked at the Mayor in disbelief.  What on earth was Darcy thinking?  She did not owe those foolish voters her very life, and that is what she would be giving up if she went through with this foolishness of wearing a badge!

“Son, you are a good lawman, and I won’t lie, I voted for you because I don’t think that little girl can keep this town and its people safe.  I would feel better if you would act as her deputy.”

“Oh, hell no!”  Will adamantly refused.  “I won’t stay where I’m not wanted, and this town has made it perfectly clear that they prefer a woman over me!” His pride was severely bruised and if not for the fact he loved Darcy, Will would already be on his way out of Cactus Hill!

“Will, I am begging you, not as the Mayor, but as your friend, James Mason.  I don’t want to see that little girl hurt.  You know very well what is going to happen to Darcy!  Outlaws will ride in here and think it great sport to rape her over and over just because she is wearing that badge.  Please, I will even pay you out of my own pocket to stay and help her.  I know you’re mad as hell right now, and with good reason.  But, I also know you love Darcy.  She won’t wear that badge long before the town recants their vote.  They’ll be begging you to put the badge back on.  Give it a month, son.  Please?  For Darcy’s sake.  If anything happens to that girl, Miss Eleanor’s heart will give out, and this town will be responsible.” James was upset and it showed on his face.

“I’ll stick around for one month, James, but if Darcy doesn’t come to her senses by then, she’ll wish she had.” He would simply kidnap her, take her away from Cactus Hill, and let the people worry about finding another woman foolish enough to think they can enforce the law!

“You know darn well I think a spanking would solve a lot of problems in this town.  The men who voted for Darcy are all married, and I would bet on that!” James sputtered.  “I hope that if we give them a sample of what having a female Sheriff is like, they will come to their senses.”

“We’ll try it your way, James, but I can tell you right now that I plan to make Darcy wish she’d said no to this.” Will was going to spank her cute little butt, and this time he would toss up her skirts.  He was going to make a firm point and make Darcy regret she hadn’t done as she was told.

“As Mayor I had to urge her to accept the badge.  As James Mason, I would paddle her silly for doing so.  I know that’s a contradiction, but there are times when the best thing for the town isn’t what I would like.”

“I understand, James.”  The older man’s words made Will feel somewhat better.  Still, his Darcy could be in serious danger due to the stupidity of some men who didn’t want their Saturday night nookie taken away because the little woman was mad over the election! He’d love to tell this town to go to hell, but he couldn’t do that, not with his Darcy here. Somehow, he had to stay next to her and keep her safe.

* * * * *

“I cannot believe this!” Eleanor expressed her disapproval as Darcy came downstairs dressed in pants, and a gun belt strapped around her tiny waist. To Eleanor’s aging green eyes there was nothing feminine or ladylike about the snug pants, and in her opinion, wearing a gun belt tied down in that manner claimed that Darcy knew how to use a gun when she did not!  Oh, she could point and shoot and hit her target, but draw a gun?  No!  “You are dressed inappropriately, Darshana Elizabeth!”

“I can’t wear a dress and work as the Sheriff, Gram.” Darcy attempted to explain.  “The fabric in my skirts makes it harder to chase someone down, and I can’t strap my gun on over them.  Also, the skirts tell everyone I am a woman.  This way, if I tuck my hair up under my hat, I look like a boy.”

“Your fiancé is going to be livid with you.”  Eleanor hoped that mention of Will’s probable reaction would bring Darshana to her senses.

“I expect he will be,” Darcy answered, knowing full well that her grandmother was speaking the truth.  “Gram, my plan is to make the town wish they’d elected Will.  How am I going to handle drunks who are three times my size?  I mean, yes, I know Karate, but it’s like Will says, size and strength wins out every time.  And, a bullet could care less that I know Karate.  My goal is to diffuse situations before they get violent. I cannot do that wearing skirts.  I need to be able to back up what I say with what I do know how to do, and that is Karate.”

“I am opposed to this, Darshana.”  Eleanor was furious, and if she was capable, she would shake the girl and lock her in her room and then she would take a stick to the Mayor! She started having chest pains, but did her best to hide that fact from Darshana.

“I know you are opposed, Gram.  So am I.  It won’t take me long to make the town wish they had Will back.”

“If you don’t get yourself killed in the meantime, child!”  Eleanor was truly frightened.

“Gram, please calm down.  I’m upset and nervous, and I don’t want to feel guilty, too.  I also don’t want you to worry yourself into a heart attack.  Please.  I give you my word that I will be very careful.”

“I love you so much, Darshana.”

“I love you so much, too, Gram.  You are so special to me.”  She went to give her a big hug and noticed how frail she was.  She’d lost weight again!  And there were lines of pain around her mouth!

“I’ve said my piece, and now I will hold my peace,” Gram said.  “You keep your promise to me, child.”

“I will, Gram.  Why don’t you go and rest until it’s time for dinner?”  Darcy suggested, trying not to give in to the panic she was feeling.

“I think I will.”  Eleanor didn’t feel well at all, and she needed to rest.  It wasn’t time for her to leave Darshana just yet.

Louisa came into the front parlor and said, “Did I hear you say you wanted to rest, Miss Eleanor?”  Louisa didn’t sleep well last night, and she could do with a nap herself.

“Yes, dear.  I’m very tired.”

Louisa nodded, and then pushed her employer’s chair toward the back of the house.  Louisa was feeling queasy, and she worried that her peace was about to be shattered.  The warning feeling was letting her know that Malachi was near.  But, how could she leave these wonderful people and run away… again?  Miss Eleanor didn’t have long, and Louisa didn’t want to abandon her… or Darcy.  Darcy was going to take Miss Eleanor’s death very hard.  Besides, sooner or later Louisa was going to need to stand up to Malachi.  She couldn’t keep running and
changing her name.  He would do whatever it took to keep finding her, and she knew that for a fact.

* * * * *

Will was not a happy man as he walked over to the Hamilton house.  Temper was not the best way to deal with Darcy, especially if she felt she was doing the right thing.  Still, he was going to make a few things very clear.  He stomped up the front porch steps and knocked on the door, determined that he was going to make his strong-willed redhead see sweet reason.

“I’ve been expecting you, Will,” Darcy said when she answered the door.  “I have decided to do as the voters asked… at least for a while.”  She stood there nervously as his dark eyes raked over her, taking in her attire.

“Not dressed like that, you won’t!” he growled angrily.

“Be reasonable, Will!  Would
you
wear a dress if you were wearing a badge?” she asked in a sarcastic tone of voice.

“No, but then, I am a man.  You are a woman and women wear dresses,
not
pants!”  Will reminded himself to stay calm and not lose his temper.  He needed to talk to Darcy, give her enough facts that she could make the right decision.  Damn those voters for doing this to her!

“Oh, I know quite a few women who wear pants.  Cassie Martin wears pants all the time.”  Darcy couldn’t have picked a name that would spark Will’s temper more than Cassie Martin’s did!  He reached for Darcy and she quickly stepped out of reach.

“Cassie Martin needs a good spanking, and so do you.  Go and change right now.”  He was losing the battle with his temper.  “Cassie Martin is unreasonable, and so are you!  Go and put a dress on!” he growled.

“I will not!  I need to be prepared if there is trouble of any kind.”  Darcy thought she was being perfectly reasonable and Will couldn’t see the forest for the trees!  He was just set in his ways!  And, he was upset that she beat him in the polls!