Meant to live

Chapter 2

Hickory wood filled the midnight air as Amelia stirred awake. She rubbed her head where she fell and looked around in the soft candlelight of the jailhouse. The curls fell down her shoulders, rubbing up against the bars. She wiped the dirt from her face and stopped feeling a hand run through her hair.

"I'm gonna make you pay for my wrist, Whore."

She reached behind her head and ran her nails into Noah's arm, drawing his blood in the process. He banged his head on the bars as he screamed in pain.

"Stupid whore!"

She quickly twined her fingers into his thick, jagged hair and pulled him close to the bars. She pulled out a hair pin and placed it at his throat.

"I'm not a whore, I'm just her sister. You make another move like that again and I will kill you," she hissed.

"Haven't you caused enough trouble for one night?"

Amelia's eyes shot to the Deputy that sat at the sidetable. He turned the lanturn up lighting up the jail. He chewed on the end of his pipe as he stared at the two prisoners.

"You need to mind your own business, stranger."

"I'm the Deputy, and you're lucky you weren't shot for that stunt you pulled. Now let him go."

It only made Amelia tighten her grip more.

"Why don't you make me?"

The jailhouse was old and the floors creaked everywhere you stepped. She had paid no attention to the deputy as he stormed the cell and twisted her free arm around her back. His body weight pushed her harshly against the wall.

"Let. Go. Now."

His words burned closely to her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. She wasn't used to people being this close to her. Her fingers slowly let Noah's hair go. She waited for the deputy to let go.

He backed away, letting Amelia compose herself. She gripped the hair pin tightly as she tried to fix her hair that had fallen loose. Her fingers ran through her hair as she looked around to the floor in a panic.

"What are you looking for?"

"My mother's hair pin. There were two."

"You only had one when I came in here."

"Which means its somewhere outside and someone probably stole it. Thank you for that, Deputy."

"My name is Thomas Hiddleston. You can call me Tom if you want."

"Just save it."

"Amelia Peigo."

The sheriff stood at the enterance of the cell, shaking his head.

"Evening, Sheriff."

"How you except to find a husband with an attitude like that?"

"Please, where would I find a bidder?"

Tom chuckled as he continued smoking his pile. The smokes of the pipe alarmed her. She could smell smoke elsewhere but she knew it was all in her mind.

"You're free to go if you behave, it ain't proper for a woman to start fights."

"Are you mad 'cause I was winning, Sheriff?"

"Go home and get some rest. You've had too much excitement for one day."

"And at least clean yourself up here before you leave," said Tom with a smirk.

"I don't take orders from you."

"You treat that Deputy with respect, little lady, or I'm putting you back in that cell."