Last Breath (A Gideon Johann Western Book 5)

by Duane Boehm

  Gideon awoke in the morning at the first sign of light. He waited for the restaurant to open and downed a breakfast of ham, eggs, and biscuits. Afterwards, he made another trip to the railyard. No cattle were in sight. Spending the day loitering proved to be about as exciting as watching grass grow as well as a challenge not to appear obvious in his mission. A herd came in from the north after lunch. The direction of their arrival was wrong and the cattle looked to be old stock that hadn’t calved in the spring. Waiting until after five o’clock, Gideon traipsed back to the hotel for dinner.

  While looking over the menu, Gideon could feel eyes watching him. Before looking up, he reached under the table to make sure he could draw his gun if necessary. He glanced up and saw the railroad detective and the livestock clerk standing near the doorway staring at him. When he made eye contact with them, they marched to his table.

  “I thought I saw you hanging around today. What do you think you’re doing?” the detective demanded.

  “I didn’t know it was a crime to be in Alamosa,” Gideon said.

  “You better not set foot in the railyard. That’s private property and your badge don’t carry no weight around here. I’ll take a club to you if you do,” the detective warned.

  “And I’ll blow a hole in that pinhead of yours if you try it,” Gideon threatened.

  “I’m going to let the sheriff know that you’re here. I don’t imagine he’d take kindly to you prying about in his town,” the detective warned.

  “You’d be wasting your time. He already knows I’m here. I’m about to have me some dinner. If you two don’t get away from my table, I’m going to waylay both of you,” Gideon said and stared at the detective.

  The clerk took a step backwards, but the detective held his ground and continued the stare down. Gideon stood quickly, sending his chair shooting back into the customer at the next table. With his hand resting on his Colt, he waited for the detective’s next move.

  “You damn Yankees think you rule the world. This isn’t over with by a long shot,” the detective said before awkwardly spinning around and limping out the door with the clerk close on his heels.

  Gideon wanted to punch something. He had hoped that the detective would go for his gun or nightstick. Nothing would have given him more pleasure than to lay his gun upside the old Confederate’s head. He apologized to the man behind him as the waitress walked over to the table. He ordered a steak. When the meal came, he gobbled the food down without bothering to notice the taste in his agitated state. After paying for his meal, he checked out of the hotel and walked to the livery stable. Staying in Alamosa any longer would be futile. He would ride home that night stewing on the fact that the crooked railroad detective had bested him.

  Chapter 18

  Surprised at seeing Buck tied outside the jail, Finnie walked in to find Gideon asleep on the cot. The sheriff stirred at the sound of the bell above the door and sat up on the bed.

  “Top of the morning to you. I didn’t expect to see you here,” Finnie said as he walked to the stove to start making coffee.

  “That damn railroad detective spotted me. That’s a hard place to be inconspicuous in,” Gideon said.

  “You must have stood out like a whorehouse between two churches with the barely clad girls waving at the men from the balcony on Sunday morning,” Finnie said as he struck a match.

  “Something like that. I knew there’d be no rustling with the detective and that clerk knowing that I was hanging around so I just rode back last night. By the time I got here I felt tired and I feared that if I showed up at my door that Abby might shoot first and ask questions later,” Gideon said.

  “Yeah, it would make a bad ending to the exploits of the legendary Gideon Johann if he was accidentally killed by his wife,” Finnie teased.

  “The ending is going to be bad enough if we don’t catch these rustlers,” Gideon remarked.

  “So what now?” Finnie asked.

  “They have to know that they have a couple of days to get rid of the cattle. I still think they’re getting their information at the saloon. Try to see what goes on when you’re in there. Mary will be doing the same,” Gideon answered.

  “I’m good at hanging out in saloons,” Finnie said.

  “After I have a cup of your coffee, I’m going home for the day. I think I’ll have Doc bring his family out this afternoon so that John and Henry can shoot a gun before they leave. I’m sure Abby will appreciate me inviting company over on such short notice,” Gideon said with a grin as he walked over to the gun cabinet to retrieve some cartridges.

  Once finished with his coffee, Gideon headed home to find Abby so happy at his early return that she welcomed the idea of company. He killed a couple of their chickens and helped Abby scald and pluck the birds. By the time that Doc and his family arrived, Abby and Winnie had all the food prepared for cooking.

  John Hamilton proved useless with a gun. After the Winchester rifle kicked him on his first shot, he would flinch his shoulder back each time as he squeezed the trigger and his shot would miss the mark by a wide margin. Henry had natural ability with a rifle and once he got the hang of shooting, he could put his shot within six inches of the bull’s eye and hit dead center twice. Neither the father nor son had much success with the Colt revolver. Gideon explained that shooting a pistol took years of practice. He finished off the shooting by drawing his revolver from its holster and rapidly hitting five of the six cans sitting on the corral fence. Duly impressed with Gideon’s shooting, Doc led the procession back to the cabin for supper.

  John kept rubbing his shoulder during the meal and complaining about the bruise he knew he had, but Henry wouldn’t stop talking excitedly about the guns.

  “Maybe I should become a policeman in Boston,” Henry said.

  “Whoa, there,” Gideon said. “A smart boy like you needs to go to school to become a banker or a doctor. Those bullets hurt when they hit you. Ask your dad. You can shoot guns as a hobby.”

  “Are you going to miss Last Stand?” Abby asked Kate.

  “You know, I am. I miss many things about Boston, but there is a lot to love here too. It’s a wild and wooly place, but I can see how it gets in your blood. I now know why John insisted that the family come here for a visit. And then there’s Doc. Meeting him has been so good for the children and me too. I’d say I have the perfect father–in–law,” Kate gushed.

  “You need to leave soon then, because Doc is kind of like drinking fine whiskey. It’s good until you have too much and then it makes you sick,” Gideon said as he smirked at the doctor.

  Doc shook his head and looked at Abby as if she should have better control of her husband.

  ∞

  Zack came home late from working for Ethan. They had spent the day culling and separating the herds. Ethan was particular when it came to selecting heifers to keep back for breeding and Zack had worked with the rancher long enough to know what he looked for in an animal. Occasionally they had a lively debate over a heifer, but Zack could see that Ethan was proud of the eye his hired hand had developed for cattle.

  Joann met him at the door and handed him Tess.

  “Hold her while I start supper. She’s fussy today. How was your day?” Joann said.

  “It was long, but good, and I’m tired. We got the cattle sorted to Ethan’s satisfaction,” Zack answered.

  “What do you think of Kurt?” Joann asked as she walked to the stove.

  “I don’t know. Sarah sure has taken a shine to him. I think she sees him as her project to polish. Most times he seems like a decent enough fellow that didn’t have much upbringing and then every once in a while he’ll say something that makes me think that he’s way more calculating than he lets on,” he said.

  “I think Daddy has misgivings about him too. He and Sarah usually agree on everything. Probably even more than he and Abs do,” Joann said.

  “That’s because he’s not married to Sarah. Everybody has to disagree with their spouse to keep things inte
resting,” Zack said.

  “So is that why you’re so disagreeable – to keep things interesting?” she teased.

  “If that’s not the pot calling the kettle black I don’t know what is,” he said.

  “Be careful or I’ll be serving you shoe leather for supper,” Joann warned.

  “Tess feels warm to me and her nose is running,” Zack said.

  Joann walked over and laid her hand on the baby’s forehead. “Maybe a little. She’s probably getting a summer cold. I’ll keep an eye on her,” she said.

  Chapter 19

  Rising at first light, Zack followed his new routine of taking a lamp over to Tess to check on his daughter. Looking down into the bassinet, Tess’s face appeared flushed bright red. Zack reached down and put his palm to her forehead. Her skin felt as if she had been left out under the sun on a hot day. He didn’t know much about babies, but he knew his daughter had a high fever.

  “Joann, get over here. Tess is burning up,” Zack called out, concern coloring his voice.

  The new mother awoke with a start, climbing out of bed she rushed over, tripping on Zack’s boots and nearly falling before reaching her daughter. She picked up the baby and held the infant’s face against her cheek.

  “Get me a bowl of water and a rag. I’m going to try to cool her down,” she said as she began removing the baby’s nightgown.

  The cold water woke up the baby, but even with the shock of the wet rag, she didn’t cry and acted lethargic.

  “I better go get Doc,” Zack said.

  “Yes, I think we need him,” Joann said as she offered Tess a breast that the baby refused to suckle.

  Zack saddled his horse and made the journey to town as quickly as possible. The doctor’s office sat empty and he walked across the street to the jail where he found Doc sitting with Gideon sipping coffee. The two men sat slumped in their seats obviously relaxed in the presence of each other’s company.

  “Tess has a fever and won’t eat. I think you need to come check her,” Zack blurted out.

  “Okay, calm down. I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Doc said as he stood.

  “When did it start?” Gideon asked.

  “Joann said that she was fussy yesterday and she felt a little warm last night, but this morning she felt downright hot. She doesn’t look good,” Zack said.

  “I’ll get my buggy and be right out,” Doc said as he departed.

  Zack stood looking at Gideon. The young man’s posture wasn’t its normal ramrod straight bearing and he had his hands shoved into his pockets. He had the appearance of carrying all the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  Gideon felt the need to reassure his son–in–law. “Abby and I will ride over this evening and check on things. I doubt it’s as bad as it seems,” he said.

  “I’m going to go on and head back. I know Joann is scared,” Zack said.

  “Try not to worry and I’ll see you later,” Gideon said.

  Returning home ahead of the doctor, Zack found Joann still wiping the baby down to try to reduce her temperature. His wife’s forehead was furrowed with concern and her mouth drawn tightly shut in a grimace that he had never seen from her before now.

  “Is she any better?” Zack asked.

  “No, she won’t nurse and she has a cough. I’m worried, Zack,” Joann said.

  “Both Doc and Gideon said that we’re probably getting worked up over nothing,” he said.

  “I don’t know. She’s pretty sick and babies are so helpless. I can’t bear to think of something happening to her,” Joann said.

  Zack sat down beside Joann and put his arm around her shoulders. He felt at a loss for words to reassure his wife and could only say, “Doc, will be here soon.”

  The doctor arrived a short time later and ambled up to the door. He let himself in and walked over to the couple. “Is her fever still up?” he asked as he set his bag down and rummaged through its contents until he found his stethoscope.

  “I fear so. I keep wiping her down with a wet rag,” Joann answered.

  Doc patiently moved his stethoscope over Tess’s chest as he listened to her heart and lungs. Retrieving his thermometer, the five minutes that elapsed to record her temperature seemed like forever.

  “Her heart sounds good, but her lungs are congested. She has a temperature of one hundred and three,” Doc announced. “You have a sick little girl on your hands.”

  “Is she going to be alright?” Zack asked.

  “I think so. I have some medicine that we’ll give her,” Doc said.

  “I can’t get her to eat,” Joann said and started to sniffle.

  Doc rested his hand on Joann’s shoulder. “You’re getting yourself all worked up before you have a reason to be. All babies get sick,” he said.

  The doctor pulled out bottles from his bag of a tincture made from willow bark and another of onion syrup. He asked for a spoon and then deftly administered a teaspoon of each into Tess’s mouth. The baby puckered up, but swallowed the medicines.

  “Fix me some coffee. Zack interrupted my cup this morning. I’ll stick around for a while and see if the fever goes down. You’ll need to give Tess a teaspoon from each bottle once every four hours,” Doc said.

  Zack went to make the coffee while Joann cradled the baby.

  “When is your family headed back east?” Joann asked.

  “In three days. I’m dreading it. I’ve gotten used to having them around all the time. Those grandkids are something else. I sure never thought they’d wrap me around their little fingers like they have. Rose is just so full of life that she draws you into her world and Tad is so darn cute that I can’t help but to want to spoil him. Henry is smart. That boy is going places. John and Kate have done a fine job of raising them. I’ve grown quite fond of Kate also. She keeps John on his toes,” Doc gushed.

  “They’re a fine family and I can see why you’re so proud. I wish I could have spent more time with them, but I’ll never forget the four kids traipsing up to the cabin all soaking wet. They played that one well,” she said and smiled as the memory allowed her to forget her worries for a moment.

  “They certainly did,” Doc said with a chuckle as the baby coughed.

  “Doc, are you sure Tess is going to be okay?” Joann asked.

  “You can never be for sure in medicine, but I feel confident that she will be. I wouldn’t leave if I felt otherwise,” he said.

  Zack returned with the coffee and they all sat around the table drinking a cup. Doc passed the time telling stories on Gideon, Abby, and Ethan in their youth. He had the worried couple giggling by the time that the cups were empty.

  After an hour had passed, Doc took the baby’s temperature again. Her fever had dropped to one hundred and one.

  “I’m going to return to town. I’ll be back in the morning and if you need me before then, come and get me. That’s why I’m here,” Doc said as he stuffed his instruments back into the bag.

  After the doctor departed, the couple sat across from each other at the table unable to think of anything to say.

  Finally, Joann said, “Go on and get some work done. I’ll be fine by myself. Doc made me feel better about Tess. Maybe I’ll get her to eat when she wakes.”

  “I forgot to tell you that Gideon said that they’d come over this evening to check on us,” Zack said.

  “Good. Fevers tend to rise at night,” she said.

  Zack left to work on clearing some acreage while Joann kept watch over the baby. Tess slept most of the day and Joann had to wake her to give her the medicine. Just before starting dinner, Joann coxed Tess to nurse briefly. By the time Zack returned home, supper was nearly cooked and the baby slept.

  “How is she doing?” Zack asked as he hung his hat on its peg.

  “I don’t think her fever has gone back up and I got her to nurse a little. My breasts feel like they’re going to erupt,” Joann said as she put her hand to her chest.

  “We wouldn’t want that,” Zack said with a smile.


  “You might as well get your mind off that for all the good in this world it will do you. You haven’t even mentioned how much weight I’ve lost,” she said.

  “Don’t think I haven’t noticed. I was just waiting to mention it when it would do me some good in this world,” he said and grinned.

  “Men. Thank goodness Sarah told me what you were all like,” Joann said as she turned back to the stove.

  Relieved to see the tension gone from his wife’s face, Zack checked on Tess before sitting down at the table to wait for supper. Zack rattled on about how much land he cleared that day as they ate and by the time they had finished the meal, Gideon, Abby, and the kids had arrived.

  “How is that grandbaby of mine?” Abby asked as she barged towards the baby’s bassinet.

  “She’s better than she was, but I’ve still barely got her to eat,” Joann answered.

  Abby picked up Tess and cuddled the child’s head against her cheek. “She feels pretty warm to me,” she said.

  Joann walked over and laid the back of her hand against the baby’s cheek. “Her temperature is rising again. She’s due for medicine in ten minutes. I’ll go ahead and give her some,” she said.

  After administering the medicine, Joann took the baby to the bedroom to nurse. She returned ten minutes later. “She won’t eat,” she said dejectedly.

  An hour passed and the medicine failed to bring Tess’s fever down and her breathing made a rattling sound. Abby felt the baby’s forehead and thought her temperature may have even risen higher.

  “I’ll wipe her down with a wet rag again,” Joann said as she poured water from a pitcher into a bowl.