Shanghai Series

Chapter 1

The ride home had been long and lonely. That may have accounted for Roy dozing off in the saddle. Yet even if Roy had been fully awake, who knows if he could have foreseen the events ahead.

Roy's horse plodded faithfully onward while its rider slept. Without warning, a rattlesnake laying in wait, slithered across the sun-baked dirt road. Seeing the horse approach, the scared snake lashed out. Barely avoiding the venomous bite, the horse bolts upright, dancing about. Startled, the rider is pitched out of peaceful sleep and into a nightmare of confusion.

Barely managing to keep from being thrown from the saddle, Roy grabs the reins as the horse begins to run. He is thrown about in the saddle, trying his best to settle the raging beast. The horse lurches forward with increasing force, and Roy is thrown from his perch. Feeling himself falling, Roy braces for the worst. Hitting the ground shoulder first, a burning jolt tear through his upper body. He is hurled with great force across the ground, his body tumbling out of control. With arms and legs flailing, Roy's body turns once more before coming in contact with a large boulder. Seeing it ahead, Roy shuts his eyes, bracing for the impact. He hears the sickening thud as his head makes contact and everything goes dark.

Mary Kate Beachum waved the squirrel grass about like a magic wand. It danced on the wind, turning the wildflowers into fairies; at least in her fantasy. For a child living far from others her age, Mary Kate relied on her pretend friends to keep her company. On this particular day, she was a magical fairy princess, and the fields of wildflowers her magical fairy kingdom.

She was dancing about on the hillside when a noise caught her attention. Turning around, she saw a lone horse, standing at the foot of the hill. The horse was saddled, but had no rider. Ignoring all the warnings she had received from her mother about approaching strangers, Mary Kate made her way to the animal. Coming closer, the horse looked her way, whinnying and bobbing it's head. To the young girl, the horse was trying to tell her something. Of that she was sure.

At the edge of the field, Mary Kate began to notice something near the horse's feet. Straining her eyes, the object became clearer. Her heart leaped. It was a man, unmoving on the ground. Without hesitation, the little girl turned and ran as fast as she could, leaving the man and the horse far behind.

Rebekah Beachum stood in the side yard, hanging wet clothes on the line. The day was already hot, even though it was barely mid morning. She pushed the hair away from her eyes with the back of her hand as she stood up, wet dress in hand. Her back ached, as usual.

She had barely got the dress on the line when she heard a voice calling, "Mama. Mama". Squinting against the sun, Rebekah glimpsed her daughter, running pell mell towards the house. Dropping the dress back into the basket, Rebekah started towards her daughter. There was no doubt that something was wrong.

Coming through the front gate, Mary Kate threw herself into her mother's arm. Rebekah felt the hair standing on the back of her neck.

"Good Lord, child", she declared, "what happened?"

Mary Kate stood panting, barely able to speak. Rebekah had to listen hard to follow her speech.

"I saw a horse, Mama", she told her. "And it was alone. And I went to see it. And there was a man on the ground. And I think he was dead".

Rebekah eyed the girl, trying to take in what she had just heard. "Did you go near the man", she asked.

The girl shook her head. "No, ma'am. I didn't. I just looked".

As much as she hated the thought, Rebekah knew she had to find out for herself whether the man was dead or alive. She couldn't live with herself if it turned out he was in need of her help. Patting the girl on the arm, Rebekah calmly spoke. "

Go in the house and get the rifle. I'm gonna get the wagon".

"Are you gonna help him, Momma?" the girl asked. "If I can", she told her.

"If I can".

A few minutes later, the two women were riding off, unsure of what they would find.

Rebekah pulled the wagon beside Roy's horse. Her eyes remained fixed on the man lying on the ground. He never moved and she couldn't tell if he was even breathing. Motioning for Mary Kate to stay seated, Rebekah climbed down and walked closer.

Roy's horse turned to her, resting his muzzle against her arm. She reached up, stroking him lightly.

"It's all right, fella", she soothed. "It's all right". Quietly, she moved closer to Roy.

His hat lay on the ground beside him. Kneeling down, Rebekah picked up the black hat and set it aside. Her hand reached out, lightly brushing the blonde locks from the man's face. His eyes remained shut. Putting a hand against his back, she felt for any sign of life. A wave of relief came over her when she felt a shallow breath.

Looking to the wagon, Rebekah motioned for the girl. "It's ok. He's alive".

The girl climbed down, congratulating herself for a job well done. Thanks to her, this man was still alive. She stood smiling behind her mother.

Rebekah took the still man by his shoulders, trying to turn him over. A moan escaped his lips, startling her. For a moment she froze. Pulling herself together, she grabbed him by the arms again. But this time, she had him under the arms, ready to pull him towards the waiting wagon.

"Come on, girl", she ordered. "Grab his feet. You're gonna have to help me".

Using every once of strength she could muster, Rebekah somehow managed to get Roy onto the wagon. Tying his horse to the back, the women and their guest, headed home.

Roy's eyes never opened during all the time he was being moved from place to place. After the women dragged him into Rebekah's bed, she sent the girl off to play while she undressed him and began to tend to his wounds. She tenderly washed the blood from his hair and put salve on the nasty gash. His shoulder was bruised and swollen. Using an old worn skirt, Rebekah made a sling for his arm. Unable to do anything else for the injured man, Rebekah collapsed into her rocker and drifted off to sleep.

Sometime later, Roy awoke. A soft light filled his eyes. His head hurt, pounding like a drum. To his right, he could barely make out a figure. With his vision blurry, he couldn't tell whether it was male or female, and at this point, it didn't make a difference. Any slight move he made, brought about pain. Without further fuss, Roy drifted back into dreamland, where everything was soft and comfortable.

Chapter 2

The next morning, Rebekah left her sleeping patient to do morning chores. After a hot breakfast, she and Mary Kate headed outside to milk the cow and feed the chickens. After the animals were fed, Rebekah went to work repairing parts of the broken fence. It was approaching noon by the time she made it back to the house.

Inside, she quickly stuck her head through the bedroom door. To her surprise, a pair of blue eyes greeted her.

"Oh", she exclaimed. "You're awake.

Roy looked at the woman with puzzled amusement. She was young and pretty. Although her hair was tucked up under a hat, wisps of auburn hair fell about her face. Her face was fair and freckled. As she came forward, he tried to raise himself up in the bed. The movement sent a wave of intense pain through him like a lightening bolt. He winced, sucking his breath through his teeth. Rebekah tossed her hat aside and rushed to him.

"There now", she warned. "You're pretty banged up. You shouldn't be movin' around too much just yet". She leaned over, straightening the pillow behind his head.

"Do I know you?" Roy asked, his brow wrinkled.

"No. We've never met, till now", she told him. "I'm the one who found you. Or at least my little girl did".

Roy thought a minute. What did she mean by found, he wondered?.

"What happened?" he asked.

She straightened up, hands on hips. "Well, I don't rightly know. But there you were, just lying on the ground with your horse nearby".

"Where am I? I mean, what is this place?"

Rebekah couldn't help but smile. "It's my home. Nothin' fancy, but we do ok".

Rebekah could tell that her patient was wearing out fast. After all, it had been a while since he had any food or drink. That alone made a man weaker.

"Do you think you could eat?" she asked. She was sure a good hot meal would work wonders.

"I don't know", he replied. "I don't really feel hungry".

"I'll tell you what. I'll bring you some hot soup and you try to eat as much as you can".

Roy offered a weak smile. "Ok. I guess it couldn't hurt".

Pleased, Rebekah turned to go. Just as she reached the door, the man spoke out.

"Hey", he called. "You didn't tell me your name".

She looked at him, hair tousled, eyes tired. Her stomach fluttered. "Rebekah", she told him. "And what's your name?"

He had to think for a moment. "Roy", he finally said. "Roy O'Bannon".

"Well, Roy", she told him. "I'll be back with your soup".

After a few spoonfuls of soup, an exhausted Roy drifted off to sleep. The morning sunlight beaming through the bedroom window awoke him. He looked around for signs of Rebekah, but she was gone. Once again, Roy decided to try to get up. The sling on his arm helped to keep his shoulder from moving about, which was a good thing, but the rest of his body was still very sore. He managed to swing his feet off the side of the bed and raise himself up with his good arm. Roy thought he was doing fine until the moment he sat fully erect. Suddenly his vision blurred, his head felt like a heavy balloon, crashing to the ground. Roy barely managed to keep from falling from the bed before collapsing onto the pillow.

Mary Kate stood at the door, watching the man. Glancing over, Roy looked at her, confused.

"Momma said you need to stay in bed", she told the stranger.

Trying to make himself comfortable on the bed once more, Roy was in no mood to be told what to do by a child. Not that he didn't like children, but that he was angry with the situation he was in. He had a reply ready for the young girl, but decided it best to keep it to himself.

The little girl stepped a little closer to the bed. "Does your head hurt?" she asked.

"What do you think?" Roy countered, voice dripping in sarcasm.

His new friend wasn't fazed by his black mood. "I saved your life, you know", she told him. "I found you".

Roy looked at her, brow wrinkled. He thought about it a while. Could it be he owed his life to this little munchkin, he wondered.

"So what's your name, anyway?" he asked.

"Mary Katherine Beachum", she answered. "But everyone calls me Mary Kate".

Roy lay back, head on pillow, staring at the ceiling. His head still throbbed, but the spinning had finally subsided. A voice called from somewhere outside the house. "Mary Kate. Mary Kate." The little girl's eyes widened.

"I better go before she gets mad. I'll come see ya later".

Roy dramatically rolled his eyes. "Oh, great". Before he knew it, the little girl was gone, nothing but the sound of the door closing to indicate she had been there. With eyes closed, Roy thought of home and Goldie's and was soon sound asleep.

The sound of loud voices woke Roy from his dream. He recognized Rebekah's voice but the other was deep; a man's voice he figured. From the sounds of it, Rebekah wasn't very happy. Mary Kate cracked open the door and slipped into the room, quickly closing the door behind her. She seemed scared.

"What's going on?" Roy asked her.

The girl glanced nervously at the door. "It's nothin", she told him. "Momma'll take care of it".

Roy was still trying to make out some of the conversation when the front door slammed and the sound of horse's hooves could be heard heading away. Rebekah burst into the room, obviously shaken. She carried a stack of folded up clothes in her arms.

"Go on and finish your chores before dinner", she told the girl, who obediently rushes out. Sitting the clothes on the bed, Rebekah begins pouring fresh water in the washbowl.

"I thought you could join us at the table for dinner tonight. Your clothes are clean. I'll help you wash up".

Roy watched her take a cloth in her hand. Putting soap on the cloth, she begins washing Roy tenderly, starting with his upper body. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Roy enjoys the feeling of the warm water on his body and the tender touch of the pretty young woman. She is working from top to bottom with great concentration and is slightly startled when she begins to pull the sheet back and Roy stops her. Her eyes meet his, questioning. He looks away, embarrassed.

"Uh, I think I can do the rest".

She quietly hands him the cloth. "I'm sorry", she whispers, turning away. Roy, keeping himself covered, washes his lower body while Rebekah lays out his clothes. Her eyes occasional glance towards him, eager to help if needed.

Finishing his bath, Roy lays the cloth aside. Rebekah, ready to assist him, comes to his side.

"We should set you up first", she tells him. "Slowly. You don't wanna rush it".

Taking him by his good arm, she helps him raise up. Roy swings his feet slowly to the floor. With his head spinning, he feels safe with the woman's arm around him. She looks into his eyes.

"Are you all right? How's your head feel?"

"Not too bad", he lies.

Reaching over for his shirt, Rebekah looks at him. His injured arm is tucked into her homemade sling. "We'll have to take that off", she tells him. Gently, she slips the sling from him and slips his arm into his shirt. On her hands and knees in front of him, she buttons up the shirt. Roy is covered only by a sheet across his lap. Having the woman before him this way feels awkward to him. He looks away each time their eyes meet.

She slips on his socks before reaching for his pants. Roy sits, hands in lap, as she slips the pants on. Pushing them to his exposed knees, Rebekah stops and rises.

"Put your arm around me and I'll help you stand up".

"Hold on", he tells her. Reaching down, Roy grabs the waistband of his pants. He hoists them as far as he can, raising himself off the bed enough to allow the pants to slip up to his hips. "Ok", he tells her, ready to stand.

Holding him tightly, Rebekah looks away while Roy, leaning against her, pulls his pants the rest of the way up. Fully dressed, he sits back down on the bed, exhausted from the effort. Rebekah, washbowl in hand, turns to him.

"I'll be back in a minute to help you walk".

Roy looks around the room. It is sparsely decorated, only the bed, a rocker and dresser present. A small framed picture sits on the dresser of a man and woman. He recognizes the woman as Rebekah. He assumes the man must be her husband. Roy feels a slight blush when she reenters the room. Far be it from him to understand why he feels so shy around the woman who put him in bed, undressed him, washed him and cared for him, the last few days. Guess I still have a little modesty, he told himself, after all.

"You ready?" she asked, standing before him.

"Sure. Let's go for it".

With Rebekah to lean on, Roy walks to the table and sits down. The three of them; Roy, Rebekah and Mary Kate, enjoy a quiet, delicious meal. Looking from her mother to the new man at the table, Mary Kate is all smiles, which doesn't go unnoticed by her mother. For the first time in a long time, Rebekah feels happy and the tiny house, once again, feels like a home.

After dinner, Rebekah helped Roy back to bed. Too tired to do it himself, Roy quietly watches as Rebekah removes his shirt and pants. Tucking the sheet around him, she turns to leave.

"Where are you sleeping?" he asks her.

"With Mary Kate. It's just like when she was little". Rebekah thinks back to when her daughter was little and would climb into bed with her parents. A smile crosses her face.

"I feel kind of bad, taking your bed", Roy admits.

Rebekah continues to smile. "It's all right. I don't mind". She looks at him tenderly. "Goodnight Roy".

"Goodnight Rebekah". In Roy's dreams that night, Rebekah wasn't sleeping with Mary Kate.

Chapter 3

Rebekah lugged the heavy hay bail down from the loft. She was still doling out the daily rations when Roy appeared in the doorway. She stopped, brushing the hair from her face.

"Well, you must be feelin' better", she told him.

Roy flashed a bright smile and a tiny blush on his cheeks. "Yeah, not too bad".

Without ceremony, Rebekah went back to work. Roy didn't watch for long before stepping in.

"Here, let me help", he said.

Rebecca felt guilty, looking at one arm still in a sling. "I can do it. Really".

Instead, Roy carried as much hay as he could manage with one hand and dumped it into the horse's stall. Grateful for the help, Rebekah worked alongside him. They were nearly finished when they heard the sound of a rider approaching. Roy watched Rebekah peek out the door.

"Stay here. I'll be right back", she told him.

Outside, Rebekah approaches Justice Beachum warily. He was a big, mean man and she hated having to look at him, much less speak to him. He was off his horse and waiting for her by the time she came near. Hat in hand, he turned it over nervously as he spoke.

"What are you doin' here, Justice?" she asked. The tone of her voice grated on Justice's nerves.

"Where's Mary Katherine?" he asks, scanning the property.

"She's off playin' somewhere", she answers. "You shouldn't be here".

Justice shifts his weight from foot to foot. "I want you to..." he begins, but a figure coming out of the barn stops him midsentence.

Rebekah sees Roy too, coming out of the barn. He comes over slowly, eyeing the man with interest. Justice looks angry enough to spit nails. He turns to Rebekah.

"Who the hell is that?"

Roy stands beside Rebekah, picking up on the tension immediately.

"This is Roy. He's been stayin' here".

Justice looks the new man up and down. Roy sees the anger raging in his eyes.

"Why?" Justice asks her.

Standing tall, she holds her ground against him. "Cause he's hurt, can't you see that?".

Roy senses the man would like to inflict more injury, but instead mounts his horse. "I don't like this, Rebekah", he warns. "I don't like it one bit". With a yank on the reins he rides off leaving Roy and Rebekah in the dust. Before Roy can open his mouth, Rebekah flees to the house, leaving Roy alone wondering what it was he had missed.

That night, while Rebekah busied herself in the kitchen, Roy tried to broach the subject of the visiting man.

"So, who is that guy?" he innocently asks.

Rebekah, trying her best to ignore him, puts down the vegetables she has been cutting, and walks to the fireplace. She takes hold of the cast iron pot, ready to pull it out of the fire. Grabbing a towel, Roy rushes to her, placing his hand over hers.

"Here, let me get that", he tells her, moving her aside.

Her eyes meet his. She lets her hand linger for a minute longer before withdrawing. Roy brings the pot to the table and sets it down. He quietly watches her put the vegetables in the pot, waiting for her to answer his earlier question. When none comes, he obediently places the pot back into the fire for her and sits down at the table. Rebekah wipes her hand on her apron and joins him.

"How would you like to go on a picnic tomorrow?" she asks.

"Picnic?" Roy looks around. He and Rebekah are alone. Mary Kate is in her room, playing with her dolls.

"I've been promising Mary Kate I'd take her on a picnic. I thought maybe you'd like to come with us".

"Yeah. That sounds good", he tells her.

The corners of her mouth turn up. Mary Kate, doll in hand comes skipping from her room. She wraps her arms around her mother's neck.

"Guess what, sugar? Roy is coming on the picnic with us tomorrow".

Roy smiles at the girl. "Really?" she asks.

"Really", Rebekah confirms.

Mary Kate beams. "Just wait", she tells him, "this is gonna be the best picnic ever". Giving her mother a kiss on the cheek, the little girl runs back to her room, dolly waving high above her head.

Rebecca is all smiles. Roy finds himself staring at her.

"She's quite a kid", he tells her.

"You have no idea", she says, laughing. For a while, they stare at each other in silence. Finally, Rebekah breaks the silence. "I better get dinner finished", she says.

Roy watches her, thinking about her refusal to discuss the other man, and how easily she changed the subject. He of course wanted to know more, but he figured it best not to push her. He was sure she would come around in time. And Roy seemed to have plenty of time.

Chapter 4

Roy and Rebekah sit on a blanket beside a clear blue stream. Mary Kate, shoes and socks thrown aside, walks through the water, skirt held above her knees. She laughs as tiny minnows swimming past, tickle her feet. Seeing her so relaxed, Roy thinks Rebekah has never been more beautiful.

After a lunch of fried chicken, potatoes and homemade biscuits, Mary Kate runs off with her dolls. Rebekah calls out to her, telling her not to stray too far. Alone at last, Rebekah lies down of the blanket, looking up at the trees. Roy stretches out beside her, propping himself up on his good arm.

"You never answered my question last night", he reminds her.

Rebekah turns her head towards him, a slight smile on her face. "I'd hoped you'd forget about that".

Embarrassed, Roy looks down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't pry".

Sitting up, Rebekah realizes she's been unfair. "I'm sorry. You have every right to know. I just don't like talking about it, is all".

Sitting up now, Roy crosses his legs Indian style and faces her. She mimics the pose.

"His name is Justice Beachum and he was my husband".

Roy's mouth drops open. "Husband?", he asks. "But he doesn't live with you?"

"I said 'was' my husband. We're divorced, 'cept he keeps forgetting that part". She drops her hands into her lap and stares at them.

"What happened?" Roy asks her, before thinking maybe he shouldn't. But she seems ready to spill all.

"Justice was a good man, when I first met him. Good to me, at least. But that wasn't the real Justice. I didn't meet the real man until we had married".

"What do you mean?" Roy watched her intently.

"It wasn't long until I found myself with child. That changed everything", she explained. "I thought having a family would make Justice happy, but he wanted nothing to do with a child. Before I knew it, he turned violent".

Roy's hand reaches out, touching her knee. "Did he hurt you?"

"At first it was just a slap in the face, once in a while. But after Mary Kate was born, he would beat me till I was black and blue".

"Why?" Roy asked. Men beating women was something he could never understand.

"Any reason he could think of. Dinner was late or cold. I looked at another man while we were in town. I didn't want him to touch me. It didn't really matter. He could always think of a reason".

"So you took the girl and left?"

"Yeah. Believe me, it took every bit of courage I could muster, but I wasn't about to let him touch my baby". She sat shaking her head softly.

"Why does he still come around?" Roy asked.

"He wants me back", she explained. "He's says he's never gonna give up until me and Mary Kate are back home where we belong. And I'm beginning to believe him".

"I guess having me around didn't help much, did it?" Rebekah lay a hand on Roy's leg. "I'm glad you were there. Who knows, maybe he'll get the hint and move on".

Her hand sent a warm feeling up Roy's leg. Without thinking, he covers her hand with his own. Sensing things getting too serious, Rebekah jumps up and begins stripping off her shoes.

"Let's go wading", she cries.

"What?"

"You heard me. It's hot and I need cooling off". With bare feet, she heads off to the stream. With one good arm, Roy manages to get his boots and socks off, laughing all the while.

Rebekah is already wading when Roy steps into the cool water. His face scrunches up at the sensation of the water on his bare feet. He can't remember how long it's been since he did this.

"How's it feel?" Rebekah asks.

"Wet", he replies.

She playfully kicks, sending water spraying at him. He turns his back, letting the majority of the spray hit him from behind.

"Hey", he cries mockingly. "Watch it".

Again, a spray of water, courtesy of her feet, showers him. He returns the favor, but she ends up far wetter than he. Laughing, he is caught off guard when she reaches over and swoops up the water with her hand. A refreshing wave hits him in the face. He sputters, momentarily blinded by the water in his face. Rebekah is laughing.

Knowing she is about to get a soaking, Rebekah tries running, to avoid Roy's wave. With the slippery ground below her feet, she slips. With Roy watching, her feet fly out from under her and she lands, bottom down in the stream. Roy watches her surprised face, suppressing a laugh.

"Are you ok?" he asks.

When she doesn't answer, he worries she might be hurt. Rushing to her, Roy reaches out his good arm, ready to help her up. With an innocent smile on her face, Rebekah pulls Roy down. He lands squarely on his knees, face down in the water. Lifting his head up, he shakes the water like a dog after a bath, hitting Rebekah in the face. She giggles hysterically, trying to shield herself. Roy finds himself planted squarely between her legs.

"How could you?" he starts mockingly. "I'm a one-armed man".

Rebekah splashes a little water at him. "You look like you're doin' all right to me".

Grabbing her around the waist with his good arm, Roy stands up, pulling them both out of the water. Rebekah clings to him, dripping wet from head to toe. Her face is inches from his. She feels his breath on her face. The day's breeze hits her wet skin, making gooseflesh rise. Roy feels her shiver.

"You better get dried off before you catch cold", he tells her.

Pulling away, she climbs out of the water. "We'll dry off in the sun in no time". While Roy watches, Rebekah reaches under her skirt and pulls her slip off, letting it drop to the ground. He sees the lean lines of her legs as she does. She spreads the slip on the ground, directly in the sunlight. Standing along the bank, Roy squeezes his shirt with one hand.

"Let me help you". Walking to him, she begins to unbutton his shirt. With her help, he is soon without a shirt. Rebekah's hands linger slightly on the soft skin of his back as she slips the shirt free. It falls to the ground. Roy's hand brushes wet hair off her shoulder. They feel the electric building between them. Leaning forward on her toes, Rebekah watches Roy as they draw nearer to each other. With lips inches apart, the longing becomes too much. She wants his touch more than anything. With Roy's lips on hers, she feels the aching in her body pulsing.

His kiss is tender and sweet. With the longing building inside, Roy takes her waist in his arms and pulls her against him. She feels the need in him her belly. It sends a shiver down her spine. His tongue lightly touches hers.

"Momma?" a voice calls.

Pulling away abruptly, Roy looks to see Mary Kate standing behind them, a puzzled look on her face.

"What happened to you?" she asks. Roy is unsure if the question is directed at her or both of them.

Rebekah, flustered from the encounter, is quick to go to her daughter's side. "We were wading and I fell in. Roy tried to help me, but he fell in too".

Mary Kate looks at Roy. He is sure she doesn't look too happy with him at the moment. "Doesn't sound like he's much help at all", she exclaims.

"What do ya say we sit down and play a game, while me and Roy dry off?". She is eager to take the girl's mind off the kiss she had just witnessed.

"Ok. But we have to play what I want to".

"Fine", Rebekah tells her. "Whatever you want".

The three of them enjoy the rest of the afternoon together, but Roy can't get his mind off one thing; the kiss. He is sure that things might have gone much further if the girl had not come along, and it worries him a little. After all, this woman had an ex-husband who was a little too close for comfort. Yet, Roy had always been a risk taker. One thing was for sure; he had feelings for her, and he had to find out how deep they ran.

 

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