by Duane Boehm
“Why do you say that?” Ethan asked.
“Well, she can’t go work in a store now. No woman in these parts would set foot in it and they sure as hell wouldn’t let their husband go in,” Gideon said.
“But I got to do something for her,” Ethan said.
“Ethan, it’s too late. You are right that you and everybody else should have done something a long time ago, but that time has passed. Mary is to blame too. She made her choice. Did you know that she is so good with math that she helps that old German that runs the place do his books? I don’t know why she didn’t try to get a job as a clerk with somebody,” Gideon said.
They rode on in silence for a minute while Ethan mulled over things. “I take it that you know Mary pretty well then?” he asked.
Gideon made a sad smile. “Yes, Ethan, I know her pretty well. She’s a good girl, profession aside and a smart one too. She’ll find her a man that takes her out of that job one of these days. I just don’t think it’s me,” he said as he put Buck into a trot. “Let’s get back, I’m hungry.”
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 am 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,” Ethan said.
Gideon did not respond, leaving the comment hanging before deciding to change the subject. “Are you still going to buy Mr. Holden’s place?” he asked.
“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 said.
“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,” Ethan said.
“I don’t think that a horse and two guns would be enough collateral to use to buy land,” Gideon said.
“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, pointin
g 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 and we thought we had it all figured out back then,” he said.
“Just think, Gideon, we made a baby on this very spot,” Abby said.
Gideon took her by the arm and turned her towards him. “What are we doing here, Abby? What is this all about?” he asked.
“Come sit with me on our rock. We need to talk,” she said.
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. Marcus knows about everything but what happened on our night on the trail together,” she said.
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,” she said.
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,” he said.
“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 said.
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 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,” he said.
Abby patted his 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 next ask. 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,” he said.
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,” she said.
“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 and 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 it. 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 it 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.
Last Chance
A Gideon Johann Western Book 2
By
Duane Boehm
Dedicated to my siblings, Cindy Allen and Eric Boehm.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
About the Author
Chapter 1
Sheriff Gideon Johann was more nervous than a bridegroom on his wedding night as he waited on the board sidewalk with Abigail Hanson and her young daughter Winnie for the stagecoach to arrive. The stage carried seventeen–year–old Joann Minder, Gideon’s and Abigail’s daughter, born out of wedlock and raised by Abby’s aunt and uncle as their own in secret. Until two months ago, Gideon had never known that he had a child and he now stood anxiously wondering what to do and say to Joann at their first meeting. He continuously altered between grinding his boot toe into the boardwalk as if putting out a smoke and working his pistol up and down in its holster.
“Calm down, Gideon. I don’t think that you are going to have to shoot anybody. Just be yourself and quit worrying. Your first meeting does not have to be perfect,” Abigail said.
Gideon glanced at Abby, knowing that it was easy for her to be calm since she already knew Joann. He wondered how many men had ever met their daughter for the first time when the girl was
seventeen. “I guess, but it sure is something that I’ve never done,” he said.
Abby grabbed Gideon’s arm, pulling him against her and resting her head on his shoulder. “It’s going to be fine, really. I’m pretty sure that on the day that we created her that you had never done that before either and look how that turned out,” she said.
Gideon grinned at the memory and started thinking about his life. He had left Abby and Last Stand, Colorado when he was eighteen to fight for the Union in the war, not knowing that he had conceived a child with her on the day before his departure. During the war he had accidently killed a small boy when he believed Confederates were ambushing his party. That single event had ruined his life. Once the war had ended, he had drifted from one place to the next whenever the nightmares became intolerable and had avoided contact with anyone back home. Eighteen years had gone by since he had left Last Stand. Last spring he had been chasing a couple of cattle rustlers near the town when he was ambushed and left seriously wounded. He had made his peace with dying and had closed his eyes for what he had thought was the last time when Benjamin Oakes, the son of his best friend Ethan from all those year ago, found him. Ethan, his wife Sarah, and Benjamin had nursed him back to health. At the time, Gideon had thought that it was a wild coincidence that had taken place, but afterwards he had come to believe that God had decided to bestow him with redemption. In the aftermath, he had saved Benjamin from kidnappers, became involved with Abby again, and recently accepted the position of sheriff. He had also learned that he had a daughter, which had led to this planned meeting with her. Gideon was snapped out of his reminiscing when the stagecoach came rushing into town way too fast for a normal arrival.
He immediately noticed that the shotgun rider was missing as the driver pulled the team of horses up hard if front of him, sending a cloud of dust through the air. “What’s happened?” Gideon asked.
