by Mercy Levy
“No, you didn't,” Rhonda scolded Roger. Standing up she stretched her back and approached the front door. “I think--”
Roger threw up a quick hand. “Wait a minute,” he said and turned back toward the window with concerned eyes and studied the darkening day. A minute later three men, on horseback appeared. “It's Mintfield,” Roger told Rhonda in a calm but worried voice. Turning away from the window, he snatched a gun belt off a wooden coat rack sitting next to the front door.
“What's wrong?” Rhonda asked, alarmed. Watching Roger put on the gun belt caused her chest to tighten with fear. “Mr. Steward--”
“It's okay,” Roger assured Rhonda and opened the front door. “Stay behind me.”
Rhonda tucked her body behind Roger and peered over his shoulder as a large man dismounted a dark brown horse, looked toward Roger, and said a few words to the two men with him. The two said a few words back and remained seated in their saddles. Then the large man walked toward the shack. “Roger,” Steve Mintfield said in a peaceful voice.
“Mr. Mintfield,” Roger replied in a polite but cautious tone. “What you brings you out my way?”
Steve Mintfield hugged the thick brown coat covering his large chest as the icy winds tried to steal the brown hat he was wearing. “Mighty cold, can I come in?”
Rhonda narrowed her eyes and studied Steve's face. The man was built like a bear and had a face that matched. She saw cruelty, hate, and anger in the man's face. “I was just getting ready to go into town,” Roger told Steve. “What can I do for you?”
Steve glared past Roger at Rhonda. “I don't believe I know you, ma’am?”
“No, you don't,” Rhonda replied in a voice that told Steve to stand down.
“Roger,” Steve said allowing his voice to change from peaceful to gruff, “I've come to get my answer. Now, I've been a very patient man. Either you sell to me or lose out. It's that simple. I hope you're smart enough to take the easy road, boy.”
“Why do you want this land so bad?” Roger asked Steve. “We both know this land ain't no good for cattle. You have the best grazing land around. What's so important about the few measly acres I own?”
“My water rights runs through this piece of land,” Steve told Roger and glanced at Rhonda.
“Mr. Mintfield, I've never bothered with your water rights. I've had this land for a bit of time now, and we've never quarreled over any water,” Roger said looking past Steve toward his two hired gunmen. “What do you really want?”
“I told you,” Steve said in a voice that went from gruff to dangerous. “I want your answer, and I want it now. Are you going to sell out to me, boy?”
“We will let you know in one week,” Rhonda said and stepped up beside Roger. “Mr. Steward and I are making certain plans, Mr. Mintfield. Surely you can wait seven days. If you can't, I know of a man who will surely buy Mr. Steward's property tomorrow.”
Steve glared at Rhonda with red cheeks. He didn't like being pushed into a corner. Looking up at the sky, he knew a snow storm was approaching. The snow was starting to fall harder, and the winds were growing in power. The land would be covered with snow and frozen by morning. “One week,” he warned and held up a gloved hand. “One week, and then you sell to me, boy. I'm offering a fair price.”
“And when you leave my place, you're going over to the Johnsons’?” Roger asked. “Are you making your rounds, Mr. Mintfield, to remind people who is really in charge?”
“Don't mouth me, boy,” Steve snapped at Roger. “I'm being very kind to you for your mother's sake. What she ever saw in that Pa of yours I'll never know.”
“Get off my land,” Roger exploded.
Steve nodded his head toward his two hired guns. “You want to sleep six feet under tonight, boy?”
Roger slid his hand down to his gun. “You'll go first,” he warned Steve.
Rhonda braced herself for a gun fight. But to her relief, Steve nodded his head and backed away from the front door. “I promised your mother that no harm would come to you, boy. I'll be back in one week. If you refuse to sell to me, then you will force me to break that promise. And as far as the Johnsons go, I'm leaving them be. I only want your land.”
Roger watched Steve walk back to his horse, mount up, and ride off into the dark snow. “I guess that's that,” he said and closed the front door.
Rhonda stared at Roger with admiration in her eyes. “You were willing to draw guns with three men.”
“Ain't nothing,” Roger said in a humble voice. “Mintfield is slow on the draw. Those two fellas with him, Greg Falcon and Eric Howard, they're pretty fast, but they sure ain't interested in tangling with me after they saw me take down Nate Sellers.”
“Nate Sellers?” Rhonda asked.
“A well-known gunfighter that Mintfield hired,” Roger explained and took off his gun belt. “Nate was in town one day, sober as a hot day is long, and saw me coming out of the general store. I'm not sure why, but he called me out into the street for a gun fight. Greg and Eric were with him... Mintfield was there, too. To Mintfield's credit, he did try to talk Nate down. You see, Mintfield was in love with my mother, she couldn't stand the man.” Roger hung up his gun belt. “Anyway, Nate wouldn't back down and... Well, he insulted my folks. So we tangled...and here I stand while he's buried six feet under.”
Rhonda was amazed. She would have never imagined in a million years that the humble man standing before her could transform into a deadly gunfighter when pressed into a corner. “Well,” she said and smiled, “I'm sure glad you're standing here and not this Nate Sellers person.”
Roger looked into Rhonda's beautiful face and felt a smile touch his lips. “Yeah, I guess that's kinda good. Now, let's get you back into town.”
“Now wait just a minute,” Rhonda told Roger in a stubborn voice. “There could be a story here.”
“What do you mean?”
Rhonda began to pace around the room. “You asked this Mintfield person what he really wanted with your land. What did you mean?”
Roger shrugged his shoulders. “It just fits my thinking that Mintfield wants my land for something, that's all. It sure ain't for water rights, either, that's for sure. The truth of the matter is, Steve Mintfield ain't doing so good himself in the cattle business. The land has been in a drought, and now it's colder than it ought to be outside, and winter ain't even arrived yet.”
Rhonda rubbed her chin. “He said he only wanted your land...why?” she asked Roger. “Why does this man only want your land?”
“Maybe because of my mother?” Roger suggested.
Rhonda stared across the room at Roger. “Or maybe,” she said, “he wants gold?”
“Gold?” Roger asked confused.
“The gold your Pa was after.”
“Aw, my Pa didn't strike it rich. I already told you that,” Roger told Rhonda. “My Pa left just enough for me and my brother to be able to buy this land and start the ranch.”
“Mr. Steward,” Rhonda said in a curious voice, “where is your Pa's gold claim located at?”
“Pa didn't have a gold claim,” Roger admitted. “He just started digging right here on this land. That's how come me and Matthew bought this land. We know it wasn't fit for ranching, but our folks are buried here and, well, it just kinda meant a lot to me and Matthew. I guess Pa would have tanned our hides for being so foolish.”
“Not foolish,” Rhonda told Roger in a caring voice, “but loving. There is nothing wrong with two sons loving their parents.”
Roger scratched the back of his head. “Tell that to Mintfield. I guess it's going to come down to me selling out. Ain't no sense in going gun to gun with him. I hate to admit it, but Mintfield has more guns than I can deal with.”
Rhonda slowly crossed the room and stood before Roger. Very gently, she touched the man's face. “Don't give up,” she told him in a soft voice.
Shocked that Rhonda was touching his rough face, Roger found that all he could do was look down into the most beautiful ey
es he had ever seen in his life. “I can't go up against an army of guns.”
“Maybe not,” Rhonda smiled, “but we have one week to find the gold that man wants.”
“But my Pa--”
Rhonda touched Roger's lip with her finger. “I'm a reporter. I have a nose of a bloodhound...or so my brother would tell you. I smell a skunk, Mr. Steward.”
Roger stared into Rhonda's eyes. “My Pa never struck much gold. What would Mintfield want with an old mine that is filled with memories of broken dreams?”
“Maybe,” Rhonda suggested, “the mine isn't dry? Mr. Steward, when did your Pa die?”
“Shortly after my mother...about five to seven years back, give or take,” Roger explained. “My Pa died when a part of the mine he was working in gave way on him. My brother and me...we pulled dug Pa out, but...Pa was already with the Lord.”
“I'm sorry,” Rhonda told Roger. Reaching down, she took his hands. “Could it be your Pa was close to striking gold?”
Roger looked down at Rhonda's soft hands. “Pa was just striking a few pebbles here and there, but the rest was all dirt.”
“Tell that to Mr. Mintfield,” Rhonda smiled up into Roger's eyes. “Tell me, did that man know your Pa was digging for gold?”
“Oh, sure, everyone did. But everyone knew Pa was striking dirt, even Mintfield. That's why he sold this land to me and my brother. Mintfield knows this land ain't worth much. He even called me and Matthew fools for wanting to buy it.”
“And now he wants it back,” Rhonda told Roger, “and not to graze cattle on, either.”
Roger considered Rhonda's words very carefully. Maybe he couldn't read or write, but he was very smart and had a load of common sense. “Well,” he said feeling remorse and sadness touch his chest at the same time, “you could be right. Pa wasn't a foolish man, and if he kept after the gold...maybe there was gold to be kept after? I...never believed my Pa would find any gold. I even told him so one day when I got awful mad at him.”
Rhonda reached up and touched Roger's face again. “Don't be upset with yourself.”
“Can't help but to hate myself on account of that day,” Roger told Rhonda. Hearing the winds scream outside, he glanced toward the front door. “I really should be getting you back into town. Paul will worry.”
“Yes, of course,” Rhonda told Roger and gathered up her coat. “But tomorrow, come and get me. I want you to take me to your Pa's mine.”
Roger made a worried face. “It's been a while. Pa kept the location of his mine secret from everyone. I followed Pa one day, and that's how I found the location. I never told Pa that I followed him, though.”
“Good,” Rhonda said, “then we won't be bothered. Now, take me back to the hotel, Mr. Steward, because I'm going to need a good night's rest.”
Roger looked back into Rhonda's eyes. “Why are you doing this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you helping me learn to read and write, and now...you want to go take a look at my Pa's old mine. Why?” Roger asked confused.
Rhonda felt her cheeks flush. “I see goodness in you, Mr. Steward. I also see a very lonely man. I always told my brother that all I ever want is to love and to be loved.” And with that, Rhonda walked to the front door, opened it, and looked outside. “You better hurry and get the buggy hitched up,” she said as the icy winds screamed into her beautiful face. “Tomorrow will be a very interesting day.”
Chapter 3: Golden Love
Roger walked Rhonda down a snowy trail, stopped, studied the snow covered trees and brush, and then looked north. “This way,” he said holding a rifle in his gloved hands.
Cold but excited, Rhonda hugged her coat and followed Roger. “How much farther?” she asked holding her chin down to block the winds from touching her frozen face.
“I think….yeah, this way,” he said breathing white trails of smoke from his mouth.
Rhonda smiled. A few minutes later, she walked into a small clearing. And there, tucked under a large boulder, was a very small opening of earth covered with snow. “Very clever,” she said. “Your Pa definitely didn't make his claim easy for anyone to spot.”
Roger walked to the opening, knelt down, pushed away a pile of snow, and looked in. “Ain't nothing down there but dirt,” he said and glanced up at Rhonda's rosy red cheeks.
“Have faith,” Rhonda said.
“I have faith in Jesus, not gold,” Roger answered. Standing up, he walked to Rhonda and looked her deep in the eyes. “If we go into that mine, we could die. I ain't much afraid to die, Ms. Dandleton. What about you?”
Rogers’s words threw Rhonda off guard. She had never thought about dying before. “I...well, I mean, I guess we go to a better place.”
Roger shook his head. “I ain't going into that mine unless you tell me that you love Jesus and stop being so stubborn.”
“Mr. Steward, I...” Rhonda tried to speak. Feeling her cheeks flush with anger, she turned away from Roger and folded her arms together. “My mother died of cancer, okay,” she said in a hurt voice. “After that, my faith in a loving Savior diminished. How could Jesus take away my mother? So please don't ask me to run to Him with open arms.”
Roger gently approached Rhonda and put his left hand on her tender shoulder. Heavy snow was falling, covering the land with a white beauty that seemed soft and welcoming rather than deadly and cold. “I sure wasn't there when Jesus died on the cross for my sins, that's for sure.”
“What?” Rhonda asked spinning around and looking Roger in his face.
Roger took off his hat with his left hand. “Jesus died so we could have eternal life. I'm sure sorry your mother died, but thank goodness Jesus died for us because if he didn't your mother wouldn't be alive as we stand here and talk. Because Jesus died for us, you're gonna be with your mother someday again. Don't make no sense to be mad at Him for giving us that grand gift, does it?”
Rhonda stared into Roger's honest face. As she did, all of the anger and hurt she had tied up in her heart over the years concerning her mother’s death began to melt away. Slowly, tears began to stream from her eyes. “I...never thought of it like that before,” she said.
Roger put his hat back on, reached out his left hand, and wiped Rhonda's tears away. “That's why we're just human,” he said in a gentle voice. “Jesus, He's the Son of God.”
Rhonda placed her head down on Roger's shoulder and began to cry. Why was she crying? Why was she opening her heart to a man she barely knew? Why was she hurting for Jesus when she wanted to be angry at Him for taking away her mother? She didn't know. All she knew was suddenly her heart was breaking. “Goodness,” she cried, “I'm a mess.”
Roger wrapped his arm around Rhonda and smiled. “Seems to me that your heart is just fussing with itself and--” Roger stopped talking. He jerked up his head and studied the snow-covered land. “Inside,” he told Rhonda. Before Rhonda could reply, Roger had grabbed her arm and pulled the down into the mind through the small opening of earth. The opening was tight, but she managed to fit through.
“What is it?” Rhonda finally managed to ask, standing on cold dirt. Behind her a mouth of darkness opened up, leading down into the earth and stopping where Roger's Pa had died in a deadly cave-in.
Roger peered out of the opening. “It's Mintfield,” he said in a serious voice.
“Hey boy,” Steve called out from behind a boulder, “I know you're in there with that woman. If you want to live, come on out.”
Rhonda looked behind her. All she saw was icy darkness. Yet, through the darkness, she saw Jesus dying in order to give her life. “Oh Jesus,” she whispered, “I'm so sorry...please forgive me for being angry. I love you...and I need you. Please...be our victory. But even if I die, my heart is yours now and forever. I promise.”
“They ain't nothing in this mine but dirt,” Roger yelled at Steve. “My Pa found nothing but a few scraps.”
“So it seemed,” Steve yelled back and nodded at a group of men to get into good fir
ing positions, “but if that's so, why is the Andrews and Callahan Mining Company been sniffing around this part of the land?”
“Ain't no one been on my land,” Roger told Steve.
Steve aimed the rifle in his hand at the small opening. “Listen, boy, I don't want to kill you. If you come out peacefully, I'll let you and that woman live. All I want is the mine and the gold that could be in there. I'm not lying to you when I saw a man from the Andrews and Callahan Mining Company has been sniffing around.”
Roger studied the snow-covered land. He knew which boulder Steve was hiding behind. He also knew Steve had at least ten men with him, all secured behind solid firing positions that he couldn't reach. “So you want to sell this mine to them, is that it?” Roger asked and looked over his shoulder at Rhonda with worried eyes. “We're going to have to fight our way out of here.”
Rhonda touched Roger's shoulder with a loving hand. “Jesus will get us out of here, wait and see. And when he does, we're going to get married.”
“Married?” Roger asked shocked. For a moment he forgot all about the danger perched outside. “Why would you want to marry a poor fella like me who can't even read or write?”
“You have more riches in your heart that any man I have ever known,” Rhonda promised Roger with all of her heart. “I can teach anyone to read or write, and someday you will learn to read and write…but you can't teach someone to have an honest heart. All I ever wanted was to love and be loved... And now, that moment has arrived for me. I can see now that Jesus brought me to you. Can you trust in faith, too?”
Drawing in a deep breath, Roger leaned forward in the darkness, gently kissed Rhonda, and smiled. “I sure can,” he said. Turning back to the opening he focused back on Steve. “We're not coming out without a fight, Mintfield.”
Steve groaned to himself. “We have you out manned and out gunned out here, boy. We can't wait you out while your freeze to death. Or maybe I might have one of my men toss a few sticks of dynamite at you, huh? Sure, that will be just fine. We can always dig out your bodies.”
