A Randall Hero

by Judy Christenberry

  “Put her down.”

  “I’ve got a gun, and I’ll shoot her before you can get over here, so just keep your distance.” Cecil slung Lucy around in front of him and pressed his gun to her head again.

  “Cecil, you’re breaking the law. You need to drop the gun and put Lucy down on the ground.”

  Instead, Cecil started toward the driveway.

  “Cecil, I’m warning you. You need to stop.”

  Cecil just walked faster, going backward and dragging Lucy.

  “John.” Mike’s voice was almost hushed, but Cecil heard it. Just before the rifle shot.

  LUCY CAME AWAKE with a sudden jolt of her body hitting the ground as Cecil fell.

  She sat up, rubbing her head. Mike was there before she had a chance to realize what had happened. “Come on, Lucy, let’s get you back where it’s warm.”

  She stared up at him, confusion reigning on her face. Then she realized she was only wearing her nightgown. “Where are my clothes? What am I doing out here?”

  “Cecil came to get you. He thought he’d outsmarted us by sneaking in just before dawn. He didn’t drive down the driveway like we thought he would.”

  “Where is he?” she asked. Then she saw his legs underneath her and automatically tried to turn to look at him, but Mike held her head to keep her from looking. “Come on, Lucy. We’ve got to get you in the house.”

  He scooped her up and handed her to John. “Take her inside.”

  Lucy tried to squirm around in a position to see Cecil, but John shielded her from seeing the man until he stopped to open the back door. Then Lucy got a clear view of the mass in the driveway that had once been Cecil.

  A small moan slipped through her lips.

  John didn’t stop. Once he got her through the door, he continued on into the kitchen. He set her down at the breakfast table. “I’ll go get your robe.”

  She sat there with her eyes closed, seeing again that view of Cecil, her stomach roiling. Just as John got back to her, she rushed to the sink and lost what was in her stomach.

  John helped her into her robe and led her back to the table. “Sit down, Lucy. I’ll get you some water.”

  As he moved, his father came running into the room. “Lucy, are you all right?”

  “She’s fine, Dad,” John answered.

  “Did Cecil come? What happened to your plan?”

  “He didn’t pull in the driveway. He slipped into the house and used chloroform to knock Lucy out. Then he tried to drag her out of the house. She started coming to, so he pulled a gun and held it to her head.”

  “So you—” Griff stopped himself in time, but he looked at John.

  John nodded his head and tried to get Lucy to drink some water. “I’m sure it’s the gas he used that made you sick,” he told her.

  “No. No, I saw him,” she muttered.

  Then, like an approaching rainstorm rolling in, Lucy’s composure shattered. She began sobbing.

  “Should I wake up Camille?”

  “No, Dad, I’ll take care of her.”

  John took her on his lap and put her head on his shoulder and let her cry. He held her tightly, soothing her as she cried. When the tears lessened, he said, “You’re safe, Lucy. Cecil can never hurt you again. We gave him several chances, but he was so arrogant he thought he could get away with it. He didn’t believe Mike’s warning.”

  “B-but wasn’t there any other way?”

  “Yes. He could’ve given up. But he wouldn’t do that…”

  “Thank you for saving me.”

  “I told you I’d keep you safe. You mean too much to me.”

  She sat there on his lap, unaware of anything else for several minutes.

  Griff heard a vehicle in the driveway and went to the back window. “It’s one of Mike’s deputies. Oh, there are two of them. They brought out—Never mind. They’re cleaning things up.”

  John stood. “I’ll go out and talk to Mike.”

  “JOHN SHOT HIM IN THE HEAD?” one of the deputies said as he stared at the body on the driveway.

  “He didn’t have a lot of choice. The man was holding Lucy in front of him with a gun to her head, dragging her backward down the driveway.”

  “That took a lot of nerve,” the other deputy said.

  “Yeah, it did,” John agreed.

  “That’s why you’re the best shot I know, John,” Mike said. “Did you get Lucy inside okay?”

  “She caught a glimpse of the body as we went in. She threw up, but I didn’t know if it was from seeing what was left of him, or the chloroform.”

  “I’m sure she’ll recover when she has time to think about what happened. She wouldn’t have come back alive if he’d gotten her this time.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “You remember that I warned him. He didn’t think I meant it. He thought he had the power because he had a gun. He’s the one who forced the issue.”

  “I know.”

  “I’ll make sure Lucy knows, too.”

  “You ought to give her a little nap first. She doesn’t get up this early. She feeds Emma at four and then sleeps until her next feeding at eight.”

  “Ah, I didn’t realize she didn’t usually get up early.”

  “No, she’s not an early person right now.”

  “She sure is a lot prettier than when she first came to town,” one of the deputies said with a grin.

  John turned to glare at the man.

  He shrugged. “I didn’t mean anything by that. I just thought—Never mind.”

  “She’s a new mother. And now a widow, thanks to me. You need to keep those things in mind.”

  “Yeah, especially the widow part,” the other deputy said, snickering.

  “I’m going to knock your head off if you keep making stupid remarks like that,” John growled.

  “And if you need any references, ask the mess you’re scraping off the driveway,” Mike drawled.

  The two deputies ducked their heads and got on with what they were there for. It wasn’t long before they loaded the body bag into the SUV and headed back to town.

  “Okay, let’s go see if Lucy is still up,” Mike suggested.

  When they got to the kitchen, they found Griff there with his hands wrapped around a steaming mug. He got up and poured them coffee as soon as he saw them coming in the door.

  “Drink your coffee,” he told them. “I’ll cook breakfast for you.”

  “Did Mom take Lucy back to her bedroom?” John asked.

  “Yeah. She thought she’d feel better if she got a little more sleep.”

  In a couple of minutes, all three were eating Griff’s bacon and eggs.

  “Don’t tell Camille, but you cook almost as good as her,” Mike said as he ate his last bite.

  “I heard that,” Camille said as she joined them.

  “You didn’t go back to bed?” Griff asked.

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “How is Lucy?” John asked.

  “Resting. Hopefully, when she gets up later, all the chloroform will be out of her system.”

  “We hope so, Camille,” Mike said. “He fooled us, sneaking in without driving his vehicle up the driveway. We were quite surprised when he came out of the house with Lucy in his arms.”

  “You knew she hadn’t gone willingly. He held that rag over her nose until she passed out. He left the rag in her bed.”

  “Did you get it out of there?” John asked.

  “Yes, of course. I didn’t want it around Lucy when she woke up.”

  “Or Emma, either,” Griff mentioned. “Luckily, Cecil never knew he had a baby. He might’ve killed Emma while he stole Lucy away.”

  “I know it’s not nice to say, but I’m glad he’s dead,” Camille said. “Anyone who would try to hurt Lucy and her baby doesn’t deserve to live.”

  All three men agreed.

  “Will Lucy think that way, though?” John asked.

  “Yeah, she will.” Mike stood up. “I’m going to go home no
w, but I’ll be back out about nine o’clock and talk to her. It will be all right, John.”

  John was grateful for his friend’s reassurance, though he wasn’t sure he fully agreed.

  He and Griff stood to shake his hand.

  “We can’t thank you enough, Mike,” Griff said.

  “I think John had as much to do with it as me. I’ll see you around nine.”

  “Thanks, Mike,” John added as he walked to the door.

  Once the man had left, the three Randalls sat down around the kitchen table.

  “Do you think Lucy will be okay?” Camille asked, looking for more assurance.

  Griff reached over and patted his wife’s hand. “She’ll be fine. Lucy is no dummy. I suspect she’ll realize John saved her life.”

  “Maybe,” John muttered. “I should probably go saddle up.”

  “I think you can afford to skip today, son,” Griff said. “Maybe stay here and feed Emma a bottle.”

  “I could give her her eight o’clock and let Lucy sleep a little longer,” John suggested, his voice perking up.

  “That’s a good idea, John,” Camille said. “But you’ll need to get her before she stirs, or she’ll wake up Lucy.”

  “Yeah. I’ll go in and get her up a few minutes before eight. I’ll change her diaper and bring her in here before she can cry for her mama.”

  “She doesn’t much cry for anyone when you have her, son,” Griff reminded him. “It’s like she knows who you are.”

  “I think she just likes the sound of my voice.”

  Camille stood up. “I think I’ll fix me some breakfast. Would either of you like anything else?”

  “You going to make pancakes?” Griff asked.

  “I suppose I could. It wouldn’t take long to mix up some batter.”

  “I’d like some, too,” John said.

  “You two are bottomless pits,” Camille said with a smile.

  LUCY STRETCHED, wondering why Emma hadn’t woken her up. She checked her watch and discovered it was eight-thirty.

  With a frown, she sat up. And then she remembered.

  Cecil had come to get her. He’d knocked her out and dragged her out of the house. And then a bullet had pierced his head.

  She closed her eyes, reliving that moment. She hadn’t realized what had happened until she got a look at Cecil’s body in the driveway.

  He was definitely dead.

  But what had happened to Emma? Lucy slipped out of her bed and wrapped her robe around her to hurry next door to Emma’s room.

  No Emma.

  Then she heard voices in the den. She hurried there to discover her baby in John’s arms, cooing to him as he talked to her.

  The tender sight was enough to make her feel dizzy. She turned around and returned to bed.

  Chapter Ten

  She was a widow.

  The fact hit Lucy as she put Emma to bed later that morning.

  Cecil was dead—and she was free. Free to live her life without fear. Free to raise Emma without worry that someday the maniac would return.

  But did Cecil have to die to accomplish that? Seeing his lifeless body had affected her more than she’d thought. There was a pain in the pit of her stomach that she doubted would go away anytime soon.

  Assured that Emma was asleep, she went to the den where she heard Camille talking to Mike Davis.

  “How are you, Lucy?” Mike asked after greeting her.

  “I’m fine,” she lied. “I don’t think there’s any chloroform left in me.” That at least was true.

  “Have you eaten?”

  “No, I—”

  “Let me fix you some pancakes,” Camille protested, getting up to go to the kitchen.

  “No, Camille, I’m not sure I can eat anything.”

  Camille ignored her protest. “It’ll just take a minute. I’ll fix you some, too, Mike.”

  “Thanks, but I’ll just take a cup of coffee.”

  After he watched Camille leave, Mike turned back to Lucy. “You realize you weren’t going to make it back alive if we hadn’t saved you, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I realize that.”

  “So you know John saved your life?”

  “Yes.”

  “So you’re all right with what happened?”

  Lucy looked down at her hands, clenched in her lap. “Yes. There should’ve been a better way, but—”

  “But Cecil didn’t give us a choice.”

  “You tried to get him to let me go?”

  “Three times I told him he was breaking the law and he needed to let you go. He ignored me and tried to drag you after him, using your body as a shield.”

  “That’s why John shot him in the head?”

  “He didn’t have a choice. He wasn’t going to take a chance of hurting you.”

  Lucy kept her gaze on her hands. “I know.”

  “Breakfast is ready, Lucy,” Camille announced. “And your coffee is hot, too, Mike.”

  “Okay. Where are Griff and John?”

  “They went to the barn to check on a calf there.” Camille put Mike’s coffee in front of him.

  Lucy sat down at the table, unsure if she would be able to eat. Her stomach still wasn’t settled.

  “Just try, Lucy,” Camille whispered as she put the plate of pancakes in front of her.

  Slowly, Lucy picked up her fork and cut into the pancakes, after she’d added a little syrup. Managing to swallow the first bite, she was surprised when hunger attacked her. She reached for a second bite, loving the way it filled the hollow in her stomach.

  “Good job, Lucy,” Mike said softly, giving her a smile. “You need to eat so you can be strong for Emma.”

  Just then they heard the two men come in the back door. When they got to the kitchen, they both smiled at Lucy, who was swallowing the last bite of breakfast.

  “Good job, Lucy,” Griff said. “We were worried about you getting some food down you.”

  “These pancakes awakened my hunger,” Lucy assured him. She noticed John look at Mike, a question in his gaze.

  Mike nodded, to let John know everything was all right.

  “Well, now that I’ve finished my coffee, I guess I’d better get back to town.”

  Both Randall men shook his hand again, offering their thanks. Lucy swallowed a bite of pancakes and stood, also, extending her hand. “Thank you, Mike, for finding a way out for me. I appreciate it.”

  “I hope you’ve thanked John. He’s the only man here who could’ve made that shot.”

  She turned to John and swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yes, thank you, John. I know—it was a difficult thing to do. But I’m grateful you saved me.”

  She hadn’t loved Cecil much when she’d married him, and she had hated him by the time she’d left him. Still, she would’ve preferred a way out without killing him.

  But it had come down to him or her, and she was glad she was the winner.

  THAT AFTERNOON, when the phone rang, Camille answered it.

  “Wonderful. Tomorrow at twelve-forty? Probably Griff will come. I don’t know about anyone else. But you can come here for supper. We’ll want to hear all about your trip and you’ll need to meet Lucy and Emma.”

  After a moment, she said goodbye.

  “Lucy, that was Melissa. She and Harry are coming in tomorrow afternoon. Isn’t that great?”

  “Yes, of course. I’d better pack our things.”

  “What? Why would you do that?”

  “Aren’t you sending me home with them?”

  “No, Lucy. I think you should stay here with us. Melissa and Harry are a great couple, but they don’t notice anyone else. I think you’ll be better off here with us.”

  “I don’t want to add to your burdens, Camille.”

  “You’re not a burden, and Emma is a continual delight. I swear, I’ve gotten younger just holding her!”

  “Oh, Camille, you are so kind. But I’m not sure—”

  “At least wait until we talk to Melissa and Harr
y.”

  “Okay, I’ll wait. But I’m not sure—”

  “I am. Isn’t it almost time for Emma’s bottle again? I’ll be glad to feed her if you have something else to do.”

  “I do need to fold clothes,” Lucy said, knowing that was what Camille wanted to hear. But in her head, Lucy was trying to think what she should do. She could understand why Harry and Melissa might not want her in their house. But she wasn’t sure where she could go. She’d have to have a babysitter taking care of her baby while she held down a job.

  She didn’t look forward to leaving her child.

  Could she trust someone to take care of Emma? Could she find a job in Rawhide or go back to Kansas City? With Cecil’s death, she could do that. Suddenly her life was in a tailspin. She felt as if she’d lost her sense of direction.

  She wasn’t sure Harry’s arrival would make a difference in her life. She wanted to get to know her brother again. But if he wasn’t interested, she could go away. Make her own life, for her and Emma.

  Except that she didn’t have much money. Just the seven hundred dollars she’d had with her when she got to town. And she hadn’t paid any bills…because none had been presented. What could she do about that? Did she go to the hospital and ask for a bill that she knew she couldn’t pay?

  Confusion reigned. That night, Lucy didn’t sleep well. Even as she fed Emma, she couldn’t sleep afterward. She’d finally dozed after an hour or so, only to wake up two hours later. By the time Emma woke her for her eight o’clock bottle the next morning, Lucy was exhausted.

  When she reached Emma’s bed, she found John changing Emma’s diaper.

  “What are you doing?”

  John didn’t turn around. “What does it look like?”

  “Why aren’t you riding out today?”

  “I’m going with Dad to meet Melissa and Harry’s plane.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know.”

  He picked up Emma and turned to face her. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked, staring at her.

  “I didn’t sleep very well.”

  “Go back to bed. I’ll take care of Emma.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Emma and I are pals. Of course I’m sure.”

  “All right.” She leaned toward John and kissed her baby before she went back to her bedroom, to crawl into bed and close her eyes.