The Redemption of Micah

by Beth Williamson

  Suddenly Eloise screamed and a blur of movement came from the right. She reared back and that’s when Micah realized the struggle between the two of them had added a third person.

  Eppie.

  Memories flooded through him and panic sank its claws into him.

  As he sprinted through the kitchen, he heard Eppie’s voice. She was being her usual sassy self, a bad sign. He heard a man’s voice responding in kind. Then he heard something that made his stomach drop to his feet.

  The sound of a struggle.

  He ran as fast as he could down the hallway toward the front door. The sun streaming in blinded him a bit, but he could see two people locked in combat in the threshold.

  A split second before he reached them, the bigger one drew his arm back and hit the smaller one as hard as he could. Eppie fell to the floor, hissing and screeching.

  A growl of rage burst from his throat as he jumped on the man that dared hit Eppie. Sheriff Webster looked more than surprised to have Micah at his throat. Although pretty evenly matched physically, Micah had fury on his side.

  “Get out of this house!” he shouted.

  “What the hell are you doing here? This isn’t your house,” Webster grunted through his teeth.

  “Madeline is my friend, and I am watching her property for her while she’s gone, you son of a bitch. Now get out!”

  “I will not! I have a warrant—”

  Micah snorted and pushed the sheriff back toward the door. The lawman’s boots slid across the shiny wood floor. Bless Eppie for keeping it that way.

  “A fake warrant from a crooked judge is not recognized in this house!”

  The sheriff tried to push back, but it was no use—he was nearly out the door. Micah tasted the need for revenge in the back of his mouth for the bastard that would hit Eppie. He brought his arm back to punch the son of a bitch.

  That’s when Webster pulled his gun.

  That’s when Eppie screamed “No!” and threw herself into the fray. He felt her small body try to get between them.

  That’s when the gun went off and Eppie fell to the floor in a pool of her own blood.

  Micah tried to shake off the memory of when Eppie had been shot by Jackson Webster, but it was as if he couldn’t see anything but the past.

  He felt Eppie’s body press against his as Eloise turned her attention to the small woman who had no regard for her own life. He couldn’t, wouldn’t lose her again. Not again. His heart beat so fast, he felt dizzy with the blood rushing through him.

  “Eppie, get out of here.”

  “No,” she grunted as she tried to knee Eloise in the back. “I won’t let her take you from me.”

  He wanted to cry out in rage at the unfairness of finally having all he wanted, only to have it ripped away.

  “You bitch, you whore. God wouldn’t give you such a miracle to keep. She’s too perfect for you.” Eloise elbowed Eppie in the face with a resounding crack.

  The sound echoed through Micah’s head and heart. She was getting hurt again because of him and he just couldn’t allow that to happen. Perhaps deep down he’d been keeping himself from using deadly force against Eloise. No more.

  His training as a soldier flashed through him and a burst of energy so strong followed. He whipped his arm up and in one quick move, pushed Eppie out of the way, and pulled the gun from Eloise’s hand, tossing it in the corner.

  She grunted as he twisted her arm around her back and forced her to the dusty ground. Dirt stuck to the blood and sweat on her face. She tried to buck him off while screaming obscenities.

  Homer rocked back and forth hugging himself and mumbling, “Dear God in heaven.”

  “No God is looking out for her anymore. By my guess she killed two men already. You want me to kill her or would you like to stop her?” Micah was tired of the man’s calm demeanor. It was time he showed some courage and backbone.

  “She don’t know what she’s doing. They killed our children, you see, a boy and a girl who were just getting started. The men came and killed them while we was out in the fields. Eloise found them.” Homer shook his head. “She ain’t been right since then.”

  Micah felt a twinge of remorse for their dead children, Homer, and maybe even a little for Eloise, but it passed quickly. She had lost whatever respect or rights she had as a human being as far as he was concerned.

  “Get over here. Now!” Micah shouted at Homer. “Before I have to kill her.”

  “Oh, Eloise, what have you done?” Homer appeared to be lost in some kind of haze. Perhaps the war and its aftermath had been too much for both of them. Eloise transformed into a righteous killer while Homer became a shell of a man.

  “Go check on Daniel and Mathias.” Micah glanced at Eppie. A stream of blood led from the corner of her mouth. The sight of it made his throat tighten. He sucked in a deep breath and counted to three before speaking again. “If Daniel needs a doctor, we need to get Carmichael down here.”

  Good soldier that she was, Eppie obeyed this time and walked toward the cell. He wanted to protect her from what she’d see. Gunshot wounds, especially at close range, were messy. However, she couldn’t keep Eloise contained by herself. She simply didn’t weigh enough, and the other woman’s strength was too great.

  “Miracle, you all right?”

  “I’m okay, Daddy.” Her voice sounded so small.

  “Good. Stay where you are until Mama or Daddy get you.” He looked around for rope, but didn’t see an inch of it anywhere. No doubt the meticulous Daniel kept everything in its place.

  Eppie came back around the corner, her face a mask of disgust and fear. “She shot Mathias in the face. There’s not much left of him to identify. Daniel was shot, too, but the bullet put a furrow in his scalp. He’s bleeding but alive.”

  “Can you run to the house and see if you can find Doctor Carmichael?” He was concerned about her health, but she had to be the one. “Take Miracle with you. She doesn’t need to see or hear any more of this.”

  Eppie nodded, then leaned down and kissed him so hard, he felt it all the way to his toes.

  “Stay alive, you hear me?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He was never more proud of her than he was at that moment. She was so full of courage, it put his cowardice to shame. Eppie was a warrior, while he had been a sneaking killer. “I love you, Elizabeth.”

  She tried to grin, then winced. “That’s Eppie, and I love you, too.”

  Eloise struggled beneath him, but he waited until Eppie and Miracle were safely out of harm’s way before he released her. He heard Eppie coax Miracle out from under the desk, then with one last glance his way, they were gone.

  For the first time since they’d walked into the jail, Micah was able to take a deep breath. Although Eloise was still dangerous, he could focus on keeping her contained rather than protecting his family.

  “Let’s get to the cell, Eloise.” As he pulled her to her feet, she kicked him in the balls so hard, he almost blacked out.

  Before he could recover his wits, and convince his balls to come back down from where they were hiding, she’d run out into the street. Micah knew she would go after Miracle and he had to stop her. Ignoring the excruciating pain between his legs, he limped toward the door. When he noticed the gun was missing from the floor, fear coated his tongue. She would kill Eppie, he was certain of it. Micah couldn’t let that happen.

  “I’m going to kill her this time,” he said to Homer as he passed the nearly silent man.

  “God forgives you,” Homer whispered. “I hope He can forgive her.”

  Micah hated to leave Daniel lying on the floor, but he couldn’t let Eloise get to his family. He headed out the door, running so fast his feet barely touched the ground.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Eppie walked hand in hand with Miracle down the street as quickly as they could. She was surprised how many people said hello or told her they were glad Miracle had been found. Others simply ignored her, but even they didn’t cross the ro
ad as she expected.

  Miracle was as quiet as she had been all day, very unusual for the precocious three-year-old she’d come to know. She was a chatterbox, with a never-ending stream of questions about anything and everything. Eppie wanted to rail at the people who had taken away that spark of life from her daughter.

  However, the sight of Mathias with his entire face a bloody mass of flesh, blood, and bone had cured her vengeful urges. It was apparent now the stoic demeanor Eloise showed the world was a façade. She must’ve struggled to keep the rage hidden, like a cork in a bottle.

  That cork popped in the jail, and it was as powerful as a tornado ripping through a house. Eloise would never be the same person, and neither would Eppie. It was horrific and frightening to see a person fall into a dark pit in their mind. She hadn’t expected it and certainly wasn’t ready for it.

  When she realized Eloise had killed Mathias and shot Daniel, Eppie had to stop herself from vomiting at the sight. She hoped Daniel would recover. His heartbeat was steady, but she hated leaving him like that. Micah had been right—she needed to get Miracle to a safe place and get the doctor to help the sheriff.

  As they turned the corner on the road to home, Miracle’s hand tightened on hers. Eppie stopped and squatted down to meet her daughter’s gaze.

  “What’s wrong, honey?”

  Miracle’s dark eyes were wide as saucers. “She’s coming.”

  “Who’s coming?” Eppie looked around but saw nothing but two inquisitive squirrels and a crow.

  “New mama’s coming.” Miracle shuddered.

  Eppie’s heartbeat, which had finally slowed to a gallop, kicked up again into a frantic rhythm. She looked down the road, peering to see if she could see something. There was nothing. During the last month, Eppie had realized her instincts were always to be trusted. This was no exception.

  She picked Miracle up in her arms and ran for the house. That’s when she heard the scream.

  It sounded a bit like a coyote who’d been caught in a trap and was busy gnawing its leg off. The scream echoed through Eppie’s body, giving her an extra boost of energy to run even faster. The hundred yards seemed more like a thousand.

  Her breath came in short bursts as Miracle’s tears began to soak her dress. Eppie had never felt so scared, even when threatened by Eloise in the sheriff’s office. Then she had Miracle safely tucked under the desk. Now they were out in the open and vulnerable to Eloise’s attack.

  Her shoes slapped against the hard-packed dirt. That’s when she heard the footsteps behind her, coming faster than humanly possible. Panic and fear blended within her. Sweat ran down her face and spine, blending with the tears which had started falling from her eyes.

  “Please God, help me,” she whispered against Miracle’s neck.

  The footsteps grew closer even as Eppie reached down deep inside her for a well of strength to make it to the house safely. When she heard the sound of a gun hammer cocking, a sob burst from her throat. She didn’t want to die in the street like a dog cut down for running wild.

  Eloise had no right to Miracle and she surely had no right to kill Eppie for being her mother. The other woman obviously needed more than any doctor could give her. Perhaps whatever happened to them, her children being murdered, had taken away whatever kept the woman sane. Now she was focused on Miracle and obsessed with making her into the dead children she’d lost.

  The first shot went past her and embedded into a pine tree to her left. Eppie ducked to the right and tried to make herself as difficult a target as possible. The second shot grazed her shoulder, burning through her shirt and skin. She cried out in pain but didn’t lose a step.

  Hot blood trickled down her arm and Miracle cried even harder. Eppie thought for a moment she would not survive this time. After all she’d been through, how long she struggled to stay alive and find her place in the world, it seemed tremendously ironic to die by gunshot.

  “Eppie!” Micah’s voice came from behind them. She had never heard a sweeter sound.

  “Help me, Micah!”

  The next gunshot went in the other direction and Eppie realized Eloise was shooting at Micah. If she killed him, Eppie would have no qualms about returning the favor. She couldn’t worry about him, though, Miracle was the most important thing right then. She kept running, the front gate almost within reach.

  She found the strength and grace to jump over the two-foot-high gate and land on the walk with a painful crack in her ankle. The pain moved through her leg and up to her hip. She knew she was going to fall and twisted around to land on her back.

  The ground seemed to be as hard as steel when she thumped onto it. Her back took the brunt of the fall, stealing her breath.

  “Mama?” Miracle disentangled herself from Eppie’s prone body.

  “Run.” Eppie managed to wheeze. “Inside.”

  The girl seemed to understand the danger, because she got up and ran into the house. A second later, Eloise was there, climbing over the fence. Eppie found the strength to get to her knees and grab the other woman around the legs before she could follow Miracle.

  The gun was pressed into Eppie’s temple. “Let go of me or I will kill you.”

  A ball of yellow fury appeared from the left, barking and snarling.

  Daisy.

  The pup latched onto Eloise’s leg and gnawed at her, yanking and tugging with all her canine strength. Eloise raised the gun to bash the dog in the head. Eppie couldn’t let that happen, not to the brave little puppy who would help save her pint-sized master.

  She pulled as hard as she could on Eloise’s legs, making her lose her balance. When she hit the ground, Eppie jumped on her, straddling her waist while the other woman tried to point the gun at her head.

  They struggled for life and death as Daisy continued her own assault. The gun barrel came perilously close to Eppie’s face. The heat from the barrel singed her ear. Her energy began to fade from the run, the injury to her arm, and the fear.

  Eppie didn’t know if Micah was alive or not, but her heart told her he was. Miracle was also safe inside the house. That left her to stop the threat against her family.

  “You bitch, you won’t take my child again.” Eloise punched Eppie in the arm where she’d been shot.

  Eppie gasped at the pain, but didn’t loosen her grip. “She’s not your child,” she growled.

  Eloise must’ve found another well of strength because she gained the advantage again, and the gun inched toward Eppie’s face. When it seemed her life would end in seconds, she heard Micah’s voice again.

  “Let her go.” He landed on his knees beside them. His strength combined with Eppie’s were too much for Eloise. Micah pulled the gun from her hand with a grunt.

  Eloise, however, wasn’t going to give up fighting. Her hands closed around Eppie’s throat and squeezed. Eppie tried to pull her hands away, but the other woman’s grip was stronger. Micah shouted and tried to peel Eloise’s hands away.

  “Dammit, let her go or so help me God, I’ll shoot you.” Micah beat at Eloise’s arms, but it seemed nothing would stop her from killing Eppie.

  Eloise would win, after all.

  Everything started to turn black and Eppie gazed into her beloved’s beautiful steel-gray eyes. She mouthed “I love you” to him, saying good-bye.

  “No!” Micah’s shout was full of pain and fry. He pressed the gun to Eloise’s forehead and cocked the trigger. “Let her go.”

  Eloise was already lost to the world and appeared not to hear him. She hardly resembled the conservative woman they’d met only a few hours before.

  A roaring sound filled Eppie’s ears as the sound of a gunshot echoed through the summer afternoon.

  Micah pulled Eppie off Eloise’s prone body and laid her on the flower bed. He’d seen the light fading from Eloise’s eyes and knew he had no choice. He had to kill her or she would have killed Eppie. He couldn’t have allowed that to happen.

  He pressed his ear to Eppie’s chest and felt a steady he
artbeat. Tears ran down his cheeks as relief flooded through him.

  “Oh, darlin’, I knew you were a fighter.”

  Daisy appeared beside him, her muzzle spattered with blood, tongue hanging out. He gave the mutt a scratch behind the ears.

  “You, puppy, have earned yourself a permanent spot in this house. Good girl.”

  She woofed softly and nudged Eppie with a whine.

  “She should be okay. Let’s go inside and get both of you cleaned up.” He picked Eppie up and carried her in the house, Daisy at his heels.

  He kicked at the door with his foot. “Madeline? Teague?”

  The door opened and instead of one of his friends, Miracle poked her head out.

  “Daddy?”

  Micah smiled at her. “Let us in, honey. I’ve got to put Mama in her bed and find the doctor.”

  She nodded and opened the door wide, peering around him to see in front of the house.

  “Don’t look, baby. Just shut the door.” Although he could tell she wanted to argue, she did as she was bid. Although she was young, Miracle had an old soul and the gravity of the situation didn’t escape her. He was incredibly proud of her.

  He carried Eppie up the stairs two at a time and put her in her bed. Soon it would be a guest room when she moved into his room, but for now, she needed a place to recuperate.

  “Miracle, do you know where Doctor Carmichael is?”

  She stood in the door, her hands behind her back. “Don’t know.”

  “I need to go look for him.” He brought the basin over to the table beside the bed, then poured water into it. “Can you stay here with Mama and put cold water on her neck and face?”

  “’Kay.” She came over to the bed and patted Eppie’s face with her little hand. “Mama wake up soon?”

  “I hope so. I’ll be right back.” When he left, Miracle was wringing a rag out and patting Eppie’s face with it. With the threat of Eloise gone by his hand, there was no need to fear for them being alone. Eppie might have a headache, but God willing, she would suffer no permanent effect from the near strangling.