Shoshanna Evers - The Pulse

The man grunted. Mason took that as a yes.

“As you know, I have to be leaving soon. Tomorrow, actually. I want you to meet Emily, see if you like her. And then I have a proposition for you.”

Brad raised his eyebrow. “What?”

“I want you to take care of her after I leave. Let her live with you. Make sure she eats and doesn’t get overworked, that sort of thing.”

Mason looked at Brad, wondering what he’d say to his unusual proposition. Mason needed to know she’d be looked after and protected by a guy who wasn’t a complete douche bag.

“I can’t do that, man,” Brad said, shaking his head.

Mason cursed under his breath. “You already got a woman?”

“No.”

“You, um…” Mason stopped himself. Asking Brad if he was a homosexual was probably not the best way to win points with the guy. But his hesitation gave his question away anyway.

Brad laughed. “Nope, not gay. But that sounds like some sort of arranged marriage, man. It’s still America.”

“I’m not asking you to force her into anything. Just be persistent. I’ll let her know I think she should be with you too.”

“Well, I admit it would be nice to live with a woman. Gets lonely sometimes, especially with so few women left.” Brad looked at Mason. “So I’ll meet her, I guess. But no promises.”

“I don’t have time to fuck around,” Mason growled. “I have to leave tomorrow. So if you can take care of her for me, I’d be able to leave feeling okay about it. And you’d make out well, you know you would. Emily’s a good girl, and she’s beautiful, you know she is.”

Brad nodded. “She is.”

Mason gestured inside the church. “She’s sitting in there.”

“No, I’m not.” Emily’s voice behind him startled him.

“Emily, I thought you were in church,” Mason said, surprised.

“I was. I had to use the outhouse. I was going to go back in but someone twisted his ankle on the way back so I—” She sighed. “You know the drill.” She turned and looked up at Brad. “Hi, I’m Emily.”

Brad shook her hand and smiled at her. “Brad Crimshaw. You fixed up my cousin’s leg. Much obliged.”

“Oh, it’s my pleasure. How’s he doing?” she asked.

“Fine.”

“No redness, no oozing, no signs of infection?” she asked, going into nurse mode. “No fever?”

“No,” Brad said, the smile widening. “He’s good. Gosh, you’re a sweet girl, aren’t you?”

Emily blushed and Mason felt his stomach roll. When he left, she was going to fall in love with Brad. And they were going to sleep together. The thought of Brad with his hands all over Emily made him feel sick to his stomach, even if Brad seemed like a nice enough man.

Emily is mine, damn it.

He wanted to take her with him, and forget the whole plan to leave her in another man’s capable hands. But he couldn’t do that. He had to be selfless this time, for Emily’s sake.

“Brad’s got a house on the edge of town,” Mason said. “Lots of firewood.”

“That’s… nice,” Emily said, looking at Mason with a strange expression on her face. “Were you going into the church?” she asked both the men.

“I was going to,” Brad said. “But Mason here had some questions for me.”

“I see.” The confused expression on her face indicated she had no idea what was going on. “Well, I’m going back in. You coming?”

Mason nodded. “In a minute.”

Brad hung back too as Emily walked into the church, taking a seat near the back so as not to disturb the service.

“Well?” Mason asked, looking at Brad, who still watched her from the doorway.

Masonlooked at Brad expectantly, wondering if this was the man who would look after Emily for him when he had to leave her behind tomorrow.

“She’s beautiful,” Brad admitted again. “Why don’t you bring Emily by my place after church so we can get to know each other a bit better before I make any promises. You could help chop more wood.”

Mason nodded. He should feel happy, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before Emily won over Brad and ensured her own future in the town. Instead he felt like he’d been sucker punched in the gut.

After church, Emily, Mason and Brad walked over to Brad’s house. Mason stayed back a few steps, letting Emily get to know Brad a bit. She didn’t even notice that Mason lagged behind, since she had so many questions about all her patients that Brad knew.

“Have you run into that short woman with the pinkeye? How’s her eye look now? She hasn’t come back to see me and tomorrow it will be too late,” Emily said.

She thought she was going with Mason. But he couldn’t let her do that. He couldn’t be that selfish.

Brad seemed to slow his long stride to match Emily’s shorter steps, something that had taken Mason a while to figure out how to do since he was so used to walking alone. Brad took to it easily, as if he’d been born to walk beside Emily. Emily, however, didn’t appear to notice the way Brad smiled at her.

“You want to come in for some tea?” Brad asked. “I make it with mint leaves.”

“That sounds perfect,” Emily said, looking back over her shoulder to grin at Mason.

“I’m going to get started on chopping wood. Maybe you can get a mug ready for me,” Mason said, averting his eyes. He couldn’t look at her, knowing that she wanted him to take her with him and that he couldn’t let that happen—not if Brad agreed to take her in. Mason had to protect Emily, even if that meant letting her go.

Brad crossed the garden with Mason and showed him the downed tree that needed chopping. “Thanks for your help, man,” Brad said. “Come inside for tea when you need a break.”

“I will.” Mason hefted the axe and brought it down hard, glad to have something to accomplish to keep his mind off the fact that tomorrow, he’d be gone. And he’d never see Emily again.

Emily entered BradCrimshaw’s modest home and smiled when he pulled a chair out for her.

“I’ll get some water boiling,” Brad said. With Mason outside, Brad seemed nervous around her.

“His bark is worse than his bite,” she said, nodding out the window to Mason chopping wood with a look of fierce determination. “You don’t have to be so nervous.”

“I’m not nervous,” Brad said, tossing mint leaves into the pot to let them steep. “I heard you guys aren’t really together.”

Emily flushed. “We’re not married, no.”

“But you like him.”

She glanced out the window at Mason again, and this time she caught his eye. She couldn’t keep the flirtatious smile off her face. “Yeah,” she said, turning back to Brad as he handed her a mug of mint tea. “I like him.”

Mason stopped andwiped his brow with his forearm and chanced yet another glance in Brad’s kitchen window. He could see Emily inside, grinning happily as she chatted with Brad.

Seeing her with Brad tore Mason up inside. This is for real , he thought. She’ll fall in love with Brad when I’m gone, and she’ll be safe and happy here.

He brought the axe down on the tree trunk with a thud. Why was this so hard for him? Mason swung the axe again, determined to block out his overwhelming conflicting emotions through sheer force.

Brad came out with a mug of tea and handed it to Mason. He was worked up from the exercise and would’ve preferred cold water instead, but he sipped from the mug anyway and waited for Brad to speak first.

“I’ll do it,” Brad said. He seemed surprised by his own words as he looked back into his kitchen window at Emily. “She’s great. I’ll take her in, if she’ll have me. I’ll take care of her.”