[2016] Finding My Cowboy

by Christian Michael

  Greg gathered Becca in his arms and rocked her against his chest. Esther and Jeb came rushing in to see what the commotion was about. The police took them outside, leading a cuffed Henry, and explained what had happened as he placed Henry in the cruiser.

  Esther came back in and clucked over Becca like a mother hen. She quickly made some tea and pushed it into the girl’s hands. Greg looked around the room and his eyes fell on the pool of blood that was still staining the hardwood floors, He got up and made room for Esther to comfort Becca while he found the officer and was granted permission to clean up the blood spill.

  He explained to Esther that he was going to clean the floor and asked her to look after Becca. The elderly lady called her husband and together they walked Becca over to their house. Greg went to the Joe’s and bought some cleaning supplies; he didn’t want to use Becca’s because he didn’t want anything in her house to remind her of the trauma of the morning. He planned to throw away whatever supplies he used that day.

  When he got back to Becca’s house, he scrubbed the floors till they were clean and polished them. Then he set the furniture aright and washed the dishes. By the time he finished, Becca had returned.

  He greeted her with a warm and concerned smile. “Are you alright?”

  She nodded but remained stiff when he tried to hug her.

  “What wrong, Becca?”

  “You told me that you would never tell anyone where I was but you got so high last night that Henry knew you had found me and was able to locate me himself through you. I am sorry Greg, but I can’t do this.”

  “Becca,” Greg whispered. “Becca don’t do this. I am falling in love with you and I think I have always been in love with you.”

  “Don’t Greg. I can’t fall in love with you, not when you willingly allow yourself to be ruled by drugs and alcohol. If you want me as someone more than a friend, then you have got to give it up somehow. Please leave now. I would like to be alone.”

  She didn’t give him an opportunity to respond, Becca just went to her room and shut the door.

  Greg stared at that door for a long time before he walked out of the house. Becca was right. He knew what he had to do.

  ***

  A Little over One Year Later

  The stadium roared to life as the football sailed into the air. Both sides cheered their team on in the rush to capture the ball. The Chief’s fans groaned when the Bronco’s wide receiver caught the pass. Becca Fields was on her feet jumping up and down, screaming her head off as she cheered Billy Gail, the rookie, towards the goal. The crowd went wild when he scored the touchdown and the final whistle was blown. The game had been tough. Neither side had scored against the other all through the match until Billy ran the pass. He would be the man of the hour tonight.

  Becca clambered down the bleachers as fast as her rounded stomach could take her and waddled over to the sidelines to await her husband. Greg came over to her and picked her up and swung her around before kissing her soundly in front of his team, the coaches and the fans watching on site and from their couches. She smiled contently when Greg set her back down on the ground and whispered her congratulations to him.

  Greg was a changed man. After the incident with Henry, Greg had checked himself into a Christian rehab facility. Their program was a six months long. The first two months were intensive therapy and counseling. In the last four months the people were released into the “real world” with their mentors so they could face their challenges head on. Greg had placed his trust and faith in Jesus Christ in those first months. When he got out, he contacted Becca and explained that he was on “parole” so to speak for the next four months but he would love to see her as he adjusted to a new life as a Christian man and made every effort to leave his past behind.

  Becca was ecstatic that Greg had accepted the Lord and she flew out to see him every weekend in Denver where he trained, and later to his games. They had grown irrepressibly closer as the time passed and their faiths had deepened as they trusted in the Lord and their love for each other had grown and matured. The love was now founded deep in Jesus Christ on both sides and as they grew closer to the Lord in their personal walks, they grew closer to each other. On the last day of his therapy, Greg proposed to Becca, she accepted and they were married within the month. Three months later, they discovered that they were going to be parents. Now, four months in, both were excited to finally find out the gender of their firstborn.

  Henry Miller, in the meantime, had been tried and found guilty of harassment, assault and attempted murder and was now serving his very long sentence in jail without hope of parole. Greg’s family had attempted to contest the living will without success for several months but were now quiet. Becca had re-united with her family but she and Greg decided to settle in Bend.

  That night, as Becca reflected on all that had happened in their lives in the past year, all she could say was, “Thank you, Lord. You have been so good. So faithful. Thank you, Lord, I can’t ask for more.” Greg came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissed her neck and gazed up at the night sky. They both chuckled in amusement when they felt their little boy kick their joined hands from within his mother’s womb. “I think we have another football player in the family, Honey.” Greg whispered as he kissed his wife again.

  *****

  THE END.

  The Wondering Bride

  Mail Order Bride

  CHRISTIAN MICHAEL

  Chapter 1 – Broken Dreams

  “I said it before, and I am going to say it again, but this is the last time! A woman’s place is at home and in the kitchen, and that is where you are going to be!”

  “I get my work done, and I make sure everything is ready on time, I just want to go to the library for a few things, then I will be home!”

  “Amelia! I will not have this, you are going to stay here, and that is the end of it!”

  The door slammed, and Amelia flung herself onto the chair by the table. It wasn’t unusual for her to fight with her step father, for they had never gotten along. Amelia’s mother had married the man when Amelie was eleven years old, and since that time, she had clashed with him and his wishes.

  Her mother had passes away when Amelia was fifteen, and it had been just her and her step father ever since. She hoped after her mother had passed that things would be better for her and her dad, but they only seemed to get worse. The older Amelia got, the more he wanted her to be home and working in the kitchen.

  When Amelia turned nineteen, she hoped her step father would allow her to attend the academy in town. It was one of the only academies in all of Georgia that allowed women, and Amelia felt it was an opportunity for her to better herself, and maybe get to travel.

  But Toby, her step father, was clear on his point of view. He wanted her home, at all times. She could go down to the general store and fetch the things they needed for dinner, or she might walk up in the back pasture when her things were done, but she wasn’t going to any academies, she wasn’t going to the library, and she certainly wasn’t going to be out meeting young men in the town.

  And so the fights ensued. When she was younger, Amelia’s mother was the one who kept Toby busy. She would often cook and clean, and mind the house while he was down at the saloon passing the day away. She taught Amelia to cook and clean, and how to mind the house, but she never told Amelia when she should find her own house.

  At the time, Amelia never gave it a lot of thought. She was happy there with her mother most of the time, as long as she stayed out of Toby’s way. The few times their paths did cross in a day, it was usually short and sweet, and Amelia would get back to her schooling and her chores.

  Then Amelia finished her school, but instead of moving on to apprentice with one of the other women in town, she took care of her mother, who had fallen sick with Scarlet Fever. In spite of all the care and tears Amelia cast for her mother, the sickness won out and she was left alone with Toby.

  Toby hadn’t been aro
und for her mother when she was ill, and Amelia partially blamed him for her passing. If he had spent more of his money on medicine and more of his time with her mother, she may have been able to recover, but as it happened, her mother had to suffer with the little things Amelia was able to make for her, but never with any real medication.

  Amelia had begged Toby to allow her to send for the doctor, but he had refused. Time and time again he told her the doctor wasn’t any good, and he was only going to take the little money they had. There would be no sense in hiring a doctor to do what Amelia was able to do without one, so they never sent for one.

  The years after her mother passes were rough for Amelia. She was in the home whenever Toby was home, doing the things that he required of her to do. She would cook and clean, and mend the clothing. If there were errands to run, she would do them, and if a guest were to be coming for dinner, it was Amelia’s job to purchase and make the food.

  She had little time to herself, but even the time that she did have Toby controlled. He didn’t allow her to go anywhere. If there was a chance she may meet someone and fall in love, he didn’t allow her to attend, even if he would also be present. She wasn’t allowed to go to any of the parties, and going about town except for errands was strictly forbidden.

  Now, as Amelia sat on the chair in the kitchen, she felt as though she had reached her breaking point. Enough was enough, and this was getting to be unbearable. There were times when she considered going to the sheriff, but she knew she couldn’t prove anything, and she felt she would likely get in more trouble with Toby if she did.

  She begged him to go to church with her, but as the weeks passed, he not only refused, but he tried to keep her from going as well. Amelia knew it couldn’t go on like this forever. She had to do something.

  She had already given up on her dreams, her hopes, and any of the plans she ever had for the future. She forgot what it was like to be happy, and whenever she thought of the things she wanted, an overwhelming sadness fell over her that took hours or even days to shake.

  As she sat there with her head in her hands, she let the tears fall. She prayed to God that something would change for her, and soon. She couldn’t stay a prisoner in this house forever, she just couldn’t.

  Something had to change, and soon.

  Chapter 2 – The Lost Biscuits

  “Where are the biscuits? Amelia!”

  Amelia jumped at the sudden shout in the kitchen. She had been spending the past few days trying to get on Toby’s good side, but to little avail. She had spent all of the money she saved on his favorite foods… jerky, nuts, and those little dried fruits the general store had every now and then… and she had been certain to get all of the chores done before he got home.

  Toby liked it best when the work was done when he wasn’t around. He wanted to wake up to breakfast on the table, and leave the work at home as he went about town. When he returned, he expected dinner to be waiting for him, with all of the other chores in the house done.

  Amelia remembered how her mother had always worked so hard to make it happen, and how many nights she had failed. There was simply too much to do in their large house. There were the chickens in the back of the house to tend to, the milk cow and the horse in the stable, and there was the cooking and the cleaning to do inside.

  Back in the olden days, there had been a handful of servants that did all the work for the master of the house, or at least that is what Toby had told them. Amelia often wondered how old Toby had managed to get such a fine house when he didn’t work much.

  As a child she had foolishly asked him how it had happened, and he had become very angry with her. He told her that it was his house and she ought to be grateful she got to live in it, and never mind asking the questions of where it came from. Amelia never asked another question after that.

  Her mother never mentioned whether or not she knew, nor would she answer if Amelia asked her why she married such a hard man. All in all, Amelia had to live her life as it was, and never wonder if there was something better out there.

  Now, her heart pounded in her chest as she hurried down the hall to the kitchen. She had been certain she had made the biscuits. That was the first thing she had done the afternoon before. Where could they have gone?

  “I made a whole mess of them and left them in the basket on the window.”

  Amelia was already explaining herself before she got to the kitchen. She knew if she didn’t start early, he would do all of the yelling, and she wouldn’t be able to get a word in edgewise. Toby’s face was red, and he had bulges in his forehead and neck from where his veins were.

  Amelia looked around the kitchen, trying to remember what she had done with the biscuits.

  “You left them on the window did you? On the window?! How many times must I tell you never to leave the things on the window!? There are way too many quick fingers in this neighborhood for that, you stupid girl! Look there!”

  Toby pointed out the window, and Amelia leaned over the sill to look out into the yard. There, on the ground, was the basket. There were a couple of biscuits on the grass where the thief had dropped them in his haste, but the rest of them were gone.

  “I’m sorry, I thought that since I was home I would hear someone coming over the fence.”

  Amelia’s voice was small. It was true, he had told her not to leave the food there on more than once occasion, but Amelia never thought that this would really happen. She was now backing to the door, hoping to avoid the lecture she knew was about to come down on her.

  “You get out of this house right now, and you go straight down to the bakers! I want you to get one… no… two dozen biscuits! You go down there and you purchase those biscuits with your own money, and you get back here by four o’clock, do you understand me?!”

  Toby was still yelling, and the louder he got, the redder his face got. Amelia nodded, her own face pale, and she hurried out into the street. She was in such a hurry she didn’t even put on her bonnet, and the sun beat down on her head. The dust was blowing the dry ground, and it settled in her eyes.

  Amelia was always a young woman of pride, she never wanted to be seen by anyone in anything less than her best, and she now felt more embarrassed than she could describe. Her face was red with shame, feeling the stares of the other people on the street.

  They all knew her step father, and many of them respected the man. They were ashamed of her for his sake, and this sight only solidified in their minds how she was. Amelia wanted to hide in the trees she passed, but she was on a mission. The time she had to be home was fast approaching, and she didn’t want to endure the wrath of Toby for being late on top of losing the biscuits.

  Amelia hurried at the baker’s, and tapped her foot impatiently as the baker went to the back to fill a basket with biscuits for her.

  There’s got to be more to life than all of this. This can’t be it. I’m too young for this sort of thing. I just know it.

  A flood of emotions swept over her, and she felt tight in her chest. For the first time in a long time, Amelia felt something different than resignation. As she stood there, watching the doors gently swing back and forth from the baker passing through them, she realized if something was going to happen, she had to do it herself.

  Life wasn’t a pile of flowers blown by the wind, and she didn’t want to end up the same way her mother had. She wasn’t going to stand for this any longer. She was going to make a change.

  Amelia decided she was going to run away.

  Chapter 3 – The Paper on the Wall

  The baker seemed to take an eternity to get the biscuits in the basket and bring them out to her. It was getting to the point Amelia was about ready to leave without them. The only thing that kept her there was the fact she would have to deal with Toby when she got home.

  He is going to be mad enough I was gone so long, I hardly dare show up again without his biscuits, or I will really be in for it.

  Finally, the baker reappeared, with the basket he
aping over with hot biscuits.

  “I thought I would wait a few minutes to pull the fresh ones out of the fire. What do you think?”

  Amelia wanted to just leave, but she couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the biscuits were on basket, and they did indeed smell quite fresh.

  “Thanks so much, Mr. Cartwheel. My father is going to appreciate it more than you know.”

  She always felt odd calling Toby her father. He was only that relation because he married her mother. Her real father had been gone a long time. She paid the baker and left, walking as quickly as she could with the basket full of biscuits. Although the streets were crowded, Amelia was able to walk quickly through the skirts and boots on her way back home.

  Suddenly, something caught the corner of her eye. There was something on the bulletin board outside the sheriff’s office. Something that hadn’t been there before. Amelia never paid much mind to the “wanted” posters that were hung by the door, the bounty hunters were the ones who dealt with that, but she still too, note when something changed.

  Every now and then she would see one of the posters come down, and she would wonder if that man was caught by one of the Georgia sheriffs, or if that outlaw had been caught in another part of the country. Time after time Amelia wondered what it would be like to be an outlaw, and longed for the freedom they had.

  Of course I wouldn’t want to break the law, but it would sure be nice to be just me and the wide open stars. Miles after miles of prairie land, with nothing and nobody to nag at me.

  Amelia found herself walking over to the sheriff’s, trying to get a closer look at the new paper that was posted. She laughed at herself for her fancies. Of course she didn’t want to be all alone out there on the prairie, she just wanted to be away from Toby.