Ben And Meg In The Wild West
by Jenny
Chapter 17
Ben walked through the corridor to Meg´s bedroom. He paused for a second at the door. They had parted unwell. May be she would not appreciate his company. But he needed see her. To tell her about the attack and to make sure that she was taken to a secure location during it. Slowly he opened the door only to find it empty. He was a bit confused about the discovery, Bette had told him she would bee there. “Well maybe she wanted a bit of fresh air” he said to him self and walked out of the room in search of Meg.
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“ So tell me, how is everyone at home?” Meg asked and sat down on her own chair. Brad smiled and leaned back in his chair.
“ Oh, dear sister do I have news for you!” he smiled.
Meg leaned closer. “ What? Don´t keep me in suspense!”
Brad smiled at her excitement, he had manage to take away the pain for at least a while.
“ Well, it began as rumor. But at Winchester ball last week both me and Sara could tell it was true” he said and pulled out a cigar from his inner pocket in the jacket.
“ Brad, you are teasing me. Please tell me!” Meg exclaimed, it was the same thing every time her brother would tell her anything.
“ You know Charlotte Anne Westhall? ” Brad asked as he lighted his cigar.
Meg thought for a while, before she shook her head.
“ You know, the small chubby girl with the enormous dresses. It made her look like a cake! We use to tease her!” Brad said.
Meg cleared her trough in a lady like way and smiled sweetly.
“ All right, I use to tease her!” Brad corrected himself.
“ Brad, you didn’t tease her. You painted her dog!!” Meg said.
“ Well, it was best looking green puddle in all of Boston. And may I tell you that I never heard him complain!” Brad said and blew out some smoke.
Meg just shook her head.
“ Any way. She’s getting married!” he said.
“ Really? But isn’t she…” Meg began.
“ …eighteen years old? Oh, yes, but it gets better! Can you guess who the lucky groom is?” Brad said and looked amused.
“ By the look on your face, I don´t think I will ever be able to guess!”
Brad stretched out his legs before answering. “ Nicholas Truman! Tim´s older brother.”
Meg put her hand on her heart as if she wanted to check if it was still beating.
“ But he’s thirty! The parents will never agree with that!” Meg was shocked.
“ No, but I don´t think they can say anything.” Brad looked angry when he said it.
“ Oh, no! Don´t tell me that she is in a delicate condition!” Meg asked.
Brad didn’t answer, the look in his eyes said more.
“Oh, dear god!” Meg exclaimed.
“ I don´t think he could do anything” he said and blew out some smoke.
“ This is an scandal. Poor Mrs Westhall” Meg exclaimed and got up from her seat.
“Poor Mrs Westhall?! That witch? Oh, no it´s poor Ms Westhall if you ask me!” Brad said and walked over to the liquor cabinet. He to of the top on a crystal bottle and smelled it.
“ Well at least she will be married to him! Her father wouldn’t send his daughter to the end of the world. Or hid her away until the baby was born” Meg said as she walked over to the window. She parted to curtains to look out side, she was hoping to catch a glimpse of Ben. She hadn’t seen him sense yesterday.
Brad looked at his young sister. There where something wrong! He could feel it in the air. He had found out by Tim´s sister Fiona that Tim had went to Springfield to talk to Meg. That was the news that got Brad to follow his mother and elder sister to the west. He would deal with that cheating bastard as soon as had figured out what was wrong with Meg.
“ Meg you know that father would never send you away” he walked up to her.
“ Brad, I got deported here after embarrassing him in public. I would find my self on a bout to Prince Edward Island and Aunt Frida if I would to be unmarried and with child” Meg said.
Brad didn’t answer. He just did what a big brother was suppose to do- protect his sister.
He pulled her into his embrace, holding her close to him.
That is how Ben saw them.
Like a pair of lovers. Safe from the world in each others arms.
For the first time in his life Ben felt raw jealousy. It bubbled up from deep inside him and it washed over him like a tidal wave. His breath cough in his thought. It was like time stopped. He wanted to run but his legs wouldn’t move. He wanted to shut the site out but his eyes where glued to them. He wanted to shout but his voice where gone.
Meg lifted her head from Brads shoulder and he but a hand on her cheek.
“ Thank you” Meg said in a voice that threatened to break.
“ My sweet little sister” Brad whispered and kissed her forehead lightly.
The second Brad´s lips left Meg´s forehead he was shoved away from her and a fist made contact with his jaw. He scrambled and crashed into the wall, pulling the tablecloth from a small table with him down. They didn’t know who was most supriced. Brad from the impact, Ben because suddenly he could move his feet or Meg to see her brother getting hit by the love of her life?
It was a death silence for a minute before Ben pointed his finger at Brad.
“ You stay the hell away from her!!! If I catch you near her one more time, I´ll break every bone in your body!!!”
Brad moved his fingers up to his lower lip and looked at the fingers. They where covered in blood. He spited out some of the blood from his mouth and began to climb up. Meg woke up from her trance and ran to assist her brother. Brad leaned against the wall for support.
Meg turned to look at Ben. “ What is wrong with you???” she choked out.
“ With me??? You’re just as bad! Here I thought that you where this wonderful, carrying woman, but you just turned out to bee every other woman!!!” Ben raised his voice.
Meg´s felt how her breath got cough in her thought. She tried to take deep breaths but it didn’t seam to work. Her knees felt week. And her world started to spin. Ben´s words hit her like a thousand knifes in her heart, tearing, ripping and chattering. She tried to suppress a sob. Her vision got blurry from tears that threatened to fall.
A blond woman, a couple of years older then Meg, rushed into the dining room. She was dressed in a silk creation in purple, her blond curls swept up high on her head. She was wearing diamond earrings and a silver cross between her full breast cough the sun’s refection. She stared at the people in the room.
“ What in god’s name is going on in here?” Sara asked in a concerned voice.
Brad stood up fully touching his acing jaw. She looked at him. “ Brad!? What happened to your face?”
“ He did” Brad answered pointing at Ben.
Ben walked over to one of the windows. He put one of his hands in his pants pocket pulling the other one through his thick hair. He was fighting for control over his anger. From the corner of his eye he saw Meg. She was just staring right a head of her self. Like she was lost in her own world.
Sara looked at her sister. “ Meg?” she moved to stay in front of her. She got shocked over the look on her face. “ Oh, my god Meg?” She took her little sisters hand. “ Come here, let’s get you to sit down” Sara led Meg to a nearby chair.
“ Someone better start talking and fast!!” Sara said . She looked back and forth between the two men and placed her hands on her round hips.
Brad picked up a tissue from his pocket and wiped away the blood running down his chin. He glared angrily at Ben, witch was still standing by the window.
“ Mr Right Hook here got the wrong idea about me and Meg” Brad said and sat down on a chair next to Meg, placing a hand on her slim shoulder.
Ben turned around and looked at Brad with an ice-cold look. “ Wrong idea? I found you two embracing and you kissed her!! What was I suppose to think?”
Sara´s mouth dropped open and she stared at Brad. “ He doesn’t know who you are?” she addressed her brother.
“ I didn’t get the time to formally introduce myself before I got meet his fist” Brad answered never breaking his glare with Ben.
“ I don´t care who you are! You have no right to touch her!!” Ben said.
“ And you have no right to accuse me of something like….” Brad started.
“ STOOP IT!!!!!” Meg´s broken voice echoed though the house.
“ Sara, Brad. Meet Ben Evans, owner of Sunset Hotel and Bar” She looked at her brother.
She turned slowly towards Ben and let her tears fall freely.
“ Ben, meet Sara and Brad. My older brother and sister” she said and sat heavily down.
Ben´s face was drained from blood. “ Oh, my god” he whispered...