[Gideon Johann 01.0] Last Stand

by Duane Boehm

  Gideon and Ethan found Benjamin out in the yard playing fetch with Chase when they rode into the yard. He looked like a different boy than the one they had brought home the night before, freshly scrubbed and in clean clothes.

  “He doesn’t look none the worse for wear,” Gideon said to Ethan.

  “How are you feeling today, son?” Ethan asked.

  “I feel good as new,” Benjamin said as he ran to them. “Except Momma about scrubbed the hide off me. She wouldn’t let me bathe myself. She said I smelled like a turd.”

  The men burst out laughing. “Well, we couldn’t have that now, could we?” Ethan said.

  “She keeps coming outside and checking on me and every time she has to hug and kiss on me. It’s kind of embarrassing,” Benjamin said.

  “I bet a warm hug beats sleeping in a cold cave any day of the week though,” Gideon said.

  “Yes sir, Mr. Gideon, it does do that,” Benjamin said.

  Sarah walked out onto the porch. A good night of rest had done much to restore her. The darkness under her eyes was gone and her step had regained its perkiness. A slight paleness was the only remaining sign of the stress that she had lived with for the last week. She was wearing her favorite blue dress and her hair was down on her shoulders, giving her the appearance of a girl much younger than her age.

  “Well, look at you,” Ethan said. “You look as pretty as the day I met you. I might have to send Gideon and Benjamin off on a horse ride for a while.”

  “Ethan Oakes, you are incorrigible, talking like that in front of friends and children,” Sarah said.

  Chapter 31

  Sunday afternoon found Gideon and Ethan sitting out on the porch, lazily puffing pipes, blowing great plumes of smoke like Indians sending smoke signals. They had both stuffed themselves on Sarah’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Earlier that day, Gideon had for the first time, gone with the family to hear Ethan preach. He hadn’t set foot in a church since the Sunday before he left for the war. He had noticed that Abby seemed uncomfortable with him there, and he could feel Marcus staring at him, catching his glares every time he looked towards him.

  Ethan took a draw on his pipe, lifted his head, and blew the smoke up into the air. “Do you think you might be interested in taking the sheriff’s job?” he asked.

  “Ethan, I don’t know. I feel good right now, but I still don’t know how I’m going to feel now that things are starting to calm down. I don’t know that I’m even capable of changing,” Gideon said.

  “You’ve already changed. I can see it. That darkness that you carried when you first got here is gone now. Let it go. It’s not a sin to be happy.”

  Gideon did not respond, leaving the comment hanging before deciding to change the subject. “Are you still going to buy Mr. Holden’s place?”

  “I’m going to go see him in the morning, and if he still wants to sell it, I’m going back to the bank and see if the loan is still good,” Ethan answered.

  “I expect all of DeVille’s property will go up for sale when the estate gets settled. You could become a land baron,” Gideon chided.

  “I could also have a wife divorce me if I’m not careful. What about you? You could buy the family homestead back and ranch on the side.”

  “I don’t think that a horse and two guns would be enough collateral to use to buy land.”

  “I think they would loan you the money if you were the sheriff,” Ethan said.

  Gideon knocked the ash out of the pipe against the heel of his boot. “Somebody is coming,” he said and nodded in the direction of the rider. “Looks like Abby.”

  “That woman is going to ruin my preaching career with all her clandestine meetings with you under my nose,” Ethan said half in jest.

  “I don’t know. She did not act too thrilled to see me at church this morning and I thought Marcus was going to stare a hole through my head,” Gideon said as he and Ethan got to their feet to watch her ride in.

  Abby had put her horse into a fast lope just before coming into view of the cabin. She knew that she was showing off, but she didn’t care. The day was beautiful and she wanted to feel free of the burdens of life and like a girl again. She was wearing the same riding britches that she had worn to find Gideon and a fitted white blouse. Marcus’s opinion on such matters did not concern her anymore.

  “Good to see you again, Abby,” Ethan said as she pulled the horse up in front of the porch. “I hope you didn’t lead any Indians to us.”

  Abby grinned at him. “No. No. Just felt like running a little,” she said.

  “What do we owe this pleasure?” Ethan asked.

  “I’d like to borrow Mr. Johann for a ride. I need to talk to him and then decide if I want to shoot him for all the grief that he has caused me or what,” Abby said.

  “I expect that you will choose the ‘or what’ part of it,” Ethan said.

  Gideon watched the proceedings in amusement. The two were carrying on as if he were not present. He guessed they really didn’t care what he thought. Abby was obviously much more relaxed now than she had been at church with Marcus by her side. “Do I get a say in this?” he asked.

  Ethan said, “I think your best bet would be to go ride with her and not dally.”

  Gideon tipped his hat at Ethan. “Yes, sir,” he said as he stepped off the porch and headed towards the barn. “You know that all three of us are probably going to hell for this.”

  When he came out of the barn, it appeared that Ethan, Abby, and now Sarah were still having an animated conversation. He found it odd that Ethan and Sarah were active participants almost to the point of encouragement of something that they would condemn if it were anybody but him and Abby. He rode up to them and said, “Where are we headed?”

  “Let’s ride to our old picnic spot. I haven’t been there since our last picnic,” Abby said.

  The place Abby was referring to was an aspen grove on a hill tucked away in the corner of Gideon’s family homestead. The ride would take a good half hour to reach the spot and they put the horses into a trot, following the creek where Benjamin had found Gideon. They passed the spot where a few weeks earlier Gideon had laid waiting for death and then cut northwest through a valley of wildflowers colored in purple, yellow, and white. Neither of them spoke as they rode, content to be in each other’s company one more time. They then crossed the stream where Ethan and Gideon, as teenagers, had spent many an hour fishing and discussing the mysteries of women. Turning due north, they crossed into the old homestead and soon reached the picnic spot.

  Abby jumped from her horse, not bothering to tie it, and ran for an old aspen tree. “Do you think our initials are still there?” she hollered over her shoulder.

  Gideon got off his horse and picked up the reins of her mount, tying them both to saplings. “I don’t know. I doubt it,” he said.

  “They’re still here,” she said, pointing to a weathered spot on the tree where he had planed the bark off with his knife and carved their initials. “It seems like a million years ago when my name was Schone.”

  “It definitely was a lifetime ago. We thought we had it all figured out back then,” he said.

  “Just think, Gideon, we made a baby on this very spot.”

  Gideon took Abby by the arm and turned her towards him. “What are we doing here, Abby? What is this all about?”

  “Come sit with me on our rock. We need to talk.”

  He followed her as she climbed an outcrop of rocks and sat down on its smooth top. She sat there silently staring at the mountain range miles away, building up her nerve to talk. “The night that you rescued Benjamin, when they came back without you, I panicked and showed a little too much emotion when I asked about you. When we got back home that night, Marcus confronted me about our marriage and you. I couldn’t pretend anymore, so I told him how I really felt. I also found out that last summer he had figured out that Joann was ours. I didn’t deny that either. He might not have a personality, but the man is intelligent. Mar
cus knows about everything except what happened on our night on the trail together.”

  Gideon did not know what to say. A part of him was overjoyed that Marcus knew how she felt, and a part of him felt guilty and ashamed to have feelings for another man’s wife. He rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about it. “How did he take it?” he finally asked.

  “He got sick to his stomach. I feel badly for him. I truly do, but I just couldn’t pretend anymore.”

  Gideon took off his hat and started playing with it. “I told Ethan about Joann. That news was too big to keep bottled up and I had to share it with someone. I’ve spent a lifetime holding things in and I just don’t have it in me to do that anymore.”

  “I’m glad that you told him. He’s good for you. While we were waiting for you to saddle up, he told me that the sheriff offered you his job. Do you think that you will take it?” Abby asked.

  He let out a sigh, tired of the question. Everybody seemed so certain that he was ready to move on with his life, and he wasn’t so sure. He had a hard time getting his head around the idea that the past had set him free and was willing to let him settle down. Even though he was ready for a new life and to let the past go, he still feared that it all would come running back with a vengeance. “I don’t know. A few good days does not mean that things have changed. I need some time to figure out things,” he said.

  “If you still want to meet Joann and think that you will be staying around for a while, I will write her and let her know that you are here and see if she wants to come. I think that she will come as much as she has asked about you. I’m sure it will catch her by surprise,” she said.

  Gideon shifted his weight on the rock. All of the questioning was making him uncomfortable. He knew for sure that he wanted to see Joann, but the committing to actually putting it in motion was almost paralyzing. His heart was racing just thinking about it. “I think I can do it, but make sure she only does it because that’s what she wants. I don’t want to force anything until she is ready. I still haven’t quite gotten used to the idea of a daughter and it may take her a while to get used to the idea of meeting me.”

  Abby patted Gideon’s leg and smiled at him. “You have my word that I will not push things. It’s not what I want to do either and it has to be her choice,” she said.

  She studied his face. His forehead and eyes betrayed tension and he seemed to be leery of what she might ask next. She patted his leg again. “Gideon, relax. I’m not going to ask you any more questions or expect anything from you. I meant for today to be fun and I can see that you feel like I have put you on the spot. That wasn’t my intention. Let’s walk a little,” she said.

  Climbing off the rocks, she took his hand as they walked down the hill to where the land flattened and a small stream cut across the property. Gideon started laughing as they stood watching the water. “Remember that time that you got jealous over that girl that you thought I had eyes for? Sally Jenkins, I think it was, and I talked until I was blue in the face trying to convince you that it was your imagination. I finally got fed up and threw you in the stream and told you that maybe the cold water would bring you to your senses.”

  Abby laughed at the memory. “I sure do. If you had been wearing a gun that day I would have taken it and shot you for sure.”

  “Abby, I’m sorry for all the mistakes I made,” Gideon said.

  She looked up at him and saw that the tension had been replaced by sad regret. He looked like a child on the verge of tears. “We both made a couple of huge mistakes and we both suffered enough for them that apologizing is not necessary. We can’t change any of it now anyway. Today and tomorrow is all that matter. I’ve reached some decisions about my life that I want to share with you and I’m not looking for any answers from you about them. I’ve decided to divorce Marcus. The one thing that I’ve realized from your return is that there is a lot more to life than settling for living life being numb. Life should have passion in it and I want that. I feel sorry for Marcus. He deserves better, but I can’t live that way any longer. Winnie will have her world turned upside down, but she is strong and will get through it. So, if there ever comes a time in your life where you are ready to settle down, I will be here waiting for you, and if you decide that that will never be possible, you can let me know and I will get on with my life. I will support you in whatever you want to do. If you want to be sheriff, or if you want to ranch, I will use my settlement to help you buy some land. I would love to live here on this place and rebuild the Johann homestead. I have so many wonderful memories of this place. We’re still young enough that we could make another baby if we wanted,” she said and laughed at the idea.

  Gideon took her by both hands and looked her in the eyes. “I hope we get there, Abby. God knows, I hope we get there,” he said and kissed her on the lips.

  Purchase Last Chance, the next book in the Gideon Johann Western Series: Last Chance

  Thank you very much for reading Last Stand!

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  Other Books By Duane Boehm

  The first four #1 Bestselling Gideon Johann Western Series novels together in one boxed set. This boxed set contain Last Stand, Last Chance, Last Hope, and Last Ride.

  Gideon Johann had been gone from Last Stand, Colorado for eighteen years, seeming to have vanished after the Civil War. He is a man running from his conscience and keeping on the move seems to be the only thing preventing it from destroying him. Rumors of his whereabouts occasionally reach Last Stand, but no one from there had seen or heard from him since the war, leaving both the girl he left behind and his best friend with a chapter of their lives unresolved. Things change in Last Stand when a stranger is found shot and near death. The realization that the man is Gideon sets in motion old grudges, love, and a chance for redemption.

  Follow the lives of Gideon Johann and the people of Last Stand in a small town of the old west. Purchase on Amazon: The Gideon Johann Boxed Set Book 1-4

  Now together for the first time, books four through seven of the #1 Bestselling Gideon Johann Western Series novels together in one boxed set. This boxed set contain Last Breath, Last Journey, and Last Atonement.

  Gideon Johann had been gone from Last Stand, Colorado for eighteen years, seeming to have vanished after the Civil War. He is a man running from his conscience and keeping on the move seems to be the only thing preventing it from destroying him. Rumors of his whereabouts occasionally reach Last Stand, but no one from there had seen or heard from him since the war, leaving both the girl he left behind and his best friend with a chapter of their lives unresolved. Things change in Last Stand when a stranger is found shot and near death. The realization that the man is Gideon sets in motion old grudges, love, and a chance for redemption.

  Follow the lives of Gideon Johann and the people of Last Stand in a small town of the old west. Purchase on Amazon: The Gideon Johann Boxed Set Book 5-7

  Gideon Johann is the new sheriff of Last Stand, Colorado, hoping to put roots down in the place where he grew up. Set free from the years of running from his conscience, he still has trouble accepting that the past has forever unchained him as he navigates his romance with Abby and fatherhood with Joann while coping with a mysterious man intent on exacting revenge for Gideon’s past deeds.

  Mary, the hard-luck whore, finds her status in life changed, but not the misfortune that seems to follow her like a shadow.

  Gideon and Mary both try to escape their pasts and start new lives, but find it easier said than done as forces work to derail their paths to happiness. Purchase on Amazon: Last Chance

  Love, second chances, new beginnings, a
nd dispensing justice – all set in the town of Last Stand, Colorado in 1880.

  Sheriff Gideon Johann has left the past behind and is enjoying his new life with his childhood sweetheart Abby. He crosses paths with a down on his luck buddy from the war and takes on the challenge of aiding Finnie in the same way that his friends did for him. In the midst of helping Finnie, a whore is murdered in Last Stand and the sheriff realizes that he has a conspiracy to solve. Gideon has his hands full as he tries to keep Finnie on the straight and narrow, solve a crime that has implications for the whole town, and help his lifelong friend, Ethan, get back on his feet.

  Mary, the former whore, is now the successful proprietor of the Last Stand Last Chance Saloon. She finds her life turned upside down when Gideon recruits her in his quest to get the charming little Irishman Finnie back on his feet.

  Gideon’s daughter, Joann, comes for a visit from the Wyoming Territory. Her brief romance with Gideon’s friend, Zack, has ended and the two young adults find their new relationship angst-filled and a comical calamity.

  If you love classic westerns spiced up with some romance and believe in second chances, you will enjoy Last Hope. Purchase on Amazon: Last Hope

  Somebody is hanging innocent people in Last Stand, Colorado. Sheriff Gideon Johann has his hands full trying to solve the murders as well as all the other shenanigans that go on in a town of the Old West. He also is learning that fatherhood and a toddler are about as much work as catching outlaws.

  Gideon’s daughter Joann is now married to Zack Barlow and the couple is finding out that marriage is a lot of give and take while still enjoying the joys of being newlyweds.