The calamity Janes by Sherryl Woods Read Free Book Online

sheriff. “It’s hot out here.”
    “Maybe so, but I’ll bet it’s not half as hot as wherever your head was. Thinking about our Emma, were you?”
    “Don’t be ridiculous. I hardly know the woman. And what I do know doesn’t recommend her. She’s an annoying, stuffy know-it-all.”
    Ryan’s grin spread. “Some men would find that challenging.”
    “Not me.”
    “Too bad. She could use a man who’s not afraid of her intellect, maybe even one who’s perceptive enough to see through to her vulnerability.”
    “Emma, vulnerable? I don’t think so.”
    “Like I said, it takes a certain amount of perception to see past that tough facade. I guess I misjudged you. I thought you might be used to digging below the surface to see what a person is really like.”
    The comment hit its mark. “Well, it hardly matters whether I am or I’m not. She’s definitely not inclined to let me get close enough to find out. Besides, she’s heading back to Denver any day now. In fact, based on what she said at the dance last night, I thought she’d be on the road first thing this morning.”
    “Were you disappointed to find her still here today?”
    Ford scowled. “It didn’t matter to me one way or the other.”
    Ryan chuckled. “Yeah, I can see that.” His expression suddenly sobered. He paused, as if he were choosing his words with care. “By the way,” he began finally, “Teddy says he got a picture of that little scene with Sue Ellen and Donny last night. You don’t intend to use it, do you?”
    “No,” Ford said without hesitation. “Domestic disputes don’t warrant coverage.”
    “Glad to hear it,” Ryan said, looking relieved. “Sue Ellen doesn’t need to have her troubles plastered all over the newspaper. She has a tough enough life as it is.”
    “If that’s the case, why haven’t you arrested Donny?”
    “She won’t press charges,” Ryan said with evident frustration. “My hands are tied, unless I catch him in the act of hurting her. Believe me, I’m just itching to slap the man with assault charges. He needs help, and he sure as hell won’t get it as long as she keeps making excuses for him. It makes me sick to see how he humiliates her over and over again. Sue Ellen was one of the most outgoing kids in our class. She participated in every activity. She always had a smile on her face. Now she barely sets foot out of the house, and I can’t tell you the last time I saw her smile.”
    “I noticed they didn’t come today,” Ford said.
    Ryan’s expression turned grim. “Probably because she has bruises she’s trying to hide and he’s out on the sofa with a hangover.”
    Ford shuddered at the sheriff’s matter-of-fact description. “Even around here, there must be places she could go for help.”
    “She won’t leave. I’ve tried. Hell, half the town has tried at one time or another, but Sue Ellen believes with everything in her that Donny loves her and that he’ll change. Personally, I don’t see it happening. Their marriage is a tragedy waiting to happen. The one blessing in all of this is that they’ve never had kids, so there are no innocent victims suffering because she refuses to get out.”
    A shadow fell over them. Ford looked up, surprised to see Emma standing there.
    “Are you talking about Sue Ellen?” she asked Ryan, carefully avoiding Ford’s gaze.
    Ryan nodded. “Any ideas on how to get her out of there?”
    “None,” she said.
    Ford was startled by her helpless, frustrated expression. For the first time, he saw a hint of that vulnerability Ryan had been talking about.
    “Maybe you could talk to her,” Ryan suggested. “She always admired you, Emma, and you are an attorney. You could give her some hard truths about the odds of Donny ever changing.”
    Emma shook her head. “I’m sure she’s been told the statistics a hundred times, and just doesn’t want to believe them. She wants to believe that he’s the exception, that if she’s loyal enough and