Chapter Two
Emma James wasn't your typical sixteen-year-old girl, especially for the small western town of Loke, Texas. At a time when most sixteen-year-olds were learning how to be 'the perfect wife,' serving tea, learning musical instruments, and other useless information.
Emma had her ideas of what it took to survive in Loke; it had nothing to do with sitting around an upper-class drawing-room to impress the wealthy. Maybe she would think differently if her dad was a banker or shopkeeper, whose biggest worries were rat infestations and bored old ladies talking too much. Instead, Emma's dad was a Texas Ranger whose job was to catch bank robbers, murderers, and runaway trains all before lunch.
Emma loved to spend time with her dad and cherished her time with him because he wasn't home much. Emma would trade dresses and pointless chatter with useless people, for a day of wearing pants and riding horseback while shooting at targets with her dad.
On Emma's ninth birthday, her dad surprised her with unique gifts. Two sets of boys' clothes, custom made six-shooter for her small hands, and a gun belt made of soft rawhide it was designed to be worn either under a dress or strapped to pants. At sixteen, Emma had more button-down shirts, pants, and boots than most girls have dresses.
This morning Emma put on her new blue button-down shirt and pants, gun belt, and black boots she got for her last birthday. Emma walked into the kitchen as she pulled her waist-length, light blonde hair into a ponytail. Emma grabbed a plate from the cupboard before she filled it with bacon. Emma mumbled a "Good morning, aunt Meg," as she tried to take all the bacon.
"Good morning, sweetheart, please put the rest of the bacon back." Aunt Meg said without looking as she filled her coffee cup.
"How do you do that? Every time." Emma asked while putting all but three slices of bacon back.
"Because you do it every time I make bacon," Meg said as she kissed Emma on the forehead,
"I've already packed the picnic lunch for you and your father. He should be here in a couple of hours; after breakfast, I need you to go to the post office." Meg held up her hand and effectively stopped the argument before Emma could open her mouth. "As I said, you have a couple of hours before he gets here, and I made a care package for uncle Jay."
"Yes, ma'am," Emma mumbled through the food in her mouth. "What's in the care package for uncle Jay this time?... Oatmeal raisin cookies again?" Emma asked, even though she already knew the answer. Uncle Jay always got oatmeal raisin cookies in the warm months and chocolate chip cookies in the winter. "Aunt Meg, how much longer until uncle Jay graduates from college?" Emma asked.
"He has another six months." Meg answered, then looked at Emma questioningly, "Why...?"
"Oh, no reason." Emma shrugged her shoulders, laughed, and said, "I'm trying to see how many more times I can have cookies before he comes home."
Meg laughed as she took her empty coffee cup to the sink, looked back at Emm. Shee said: "Once you finish your chores, we can have lemonade in the shade."
"I already finished them. I wanted to be able to go as soon as Dad came home," Emma beamed with pride.
"Hmm..." Meg said, "Okay, then if you don't have anything else, you can drop off the packages."
Emma raced out of the kitchen and into the living room; she grabbed the package from the sofa and was on her way to the post office. Meg chuckled as she made fresh lemonade.
Hurrying down the street, Emma made it to the post office just as they opened, greeting Ms. Robins, the postmaster, with a smile and polite "Good morning."
YOU ARE READING
Weston Hayes
RomanceWeston Hayes came back to Loke to face his old demons. While there Weston runs into old friends, loves and old scores to settle. Weston wants to get in and out before he has to see Emma James. Emma James had the biggest crush on Weston Hayes years...