Free Emmy (Gold Rush Brides Book 2) by Cassie Hayes Page A

killer, Sheriff, instead of eating this kind woman’s food?”
    Fire blazed in the sheriff’s eyes and she knew she’d touched a nerve. Good!
    The woman whose house they were in rushed over to her. “Oh, lordy! That’s one mighty bad rash you got, darlin’. You must be itchin’ something awful. C’mon with me and I’ll fix you right up, then you can have some grub, too.”
    She grabbed a pot from a shelf and led Emmy out back to a well, where she pulled up a bucket of cool water. Emmy gratefully accepted the rag she’d dipped in the bucket and pressed it to her burning, itching skin. She actually sighed in relief, making the woman chuckle.
    “Here, now slather this all over your skin.” She held out a pot of cold oatmeal and Emmy looked at her blankly.  
    “Why?” The very thought of rubbing that on herself was disgusting.
    “Oh, darlin’, it’ll help with the itch. Trust me.”
    Emmy didn’t need to be told twice and immediately grabbed a glob of the stuff. It was lumpy and wasn’t easy to apply but it soothed the burn tremendously.
    “Ooooh, thank you so much, ma’am! You have no idea how horrible this has been.”
    The woman chuckled. “Course I do. Why do you think I know how to ease the itch? And just call me Lill.”  
    She took a step back and gave Emmy a long, hard once-over. “What are you doin’ with a posse, anyhow? Don’t seem like a place for a lady such as yerself. Is that a…wedding dress?”
    Emmy couldn’t help but smile. “It’s a long story, but yes, it’s a wedding dress.”
    Lill was smart enough to not ask any more prying questions, as much as she might want to. “So how’d you get the rash?”
    When Emmy explained, Lill tsk’d and shook her head. “I’m sorry, darlin’, but you gotta burn that dress and blanket. The oils from the oak will keep getting atchya till it drives ya mad. Or worse, scars that purty skin of yours.”
    Emmy paled at the suggestion. Burn her mother’s wedding dress? “But…”
    “Nope, there’s no other way, I’m afraid. ‘Sides, it’s all stained and tore up. Ain’t no good as a wedding dress no more. And I’m guessin’ it didn’t turn out too good. Best to say goodbye to that chapter, dontchya think?”
    She was right. Everything about this dress represented pain and humiliation. And if Emmy kept wearing it, it would only continue to bring her the same. As much as she hated to do it, she needed to leave it behind.  
    She started to nod but froze. “I don’t have any other clothes.”
    Lill gave her another once-over, thinking hard. “I’m a sight bigger’n you, that’s for certain. But maybe…wait here.”
    While she was gone, Emmy continued slathering the oatmeal on her face and hands. She was grateful the dress had a high neck and long sleeves, otherwise her rash would be far worse.  
    As it was, she knew she looked a fright. The men in the posse — aside from the sheriff — kept giving her pitying looks, which was not something she was used to. Normally men looked at her with appreciation, not revulsion.  
    All morning she’d cried over her ruined looks. She’d kept her head down so no one would see, especially Sheriff Wilder, but she was mortified that she was so disfigured. And it would only be worse if she scratched herself, because that would leave scars she didn’t want. She was utterly miserable, on top of being hideous.
    The sheriff kept prodding her to turn around, but as much as she hated being in his presence, she was determined to fulfill her mission. Besides, if she was going to have to hide away until the rash disappeared, she might as well do it out in the wilderness, with the men who’d already seen her at her worst.
    As it turned out, Sheriff Wilder’s deputies were all very kind, even the one who’d manhandled her. Each had tried to pass her food or water but she refused. She would do this on her own, just as the sheriff had told her to. Not because he told her to, of course, but because she