by Duane Boehm
Ethan leaned over and whispered in Gideon’s ear. “I don’t know if I’m helping you get to Heaven or you are dragging me straight down to Hell.”
Gideon grinned at Ethan. “Either way, it sure is a lot more fun with me around, isn’t it?” he said.
Ethan patted the much smaller Gideon on the back. “Let’s just say things are a lot livelier,” he said.
Gideon was surprised by the size of the crowd inside the saloon. Many of the area ranchers and their cowboys, as well as many of the town’s shop owners, attended. The six of them walked up to the casket and viewed the body before taking their seats. Mr. Vander’s normally ruddy complexion was now ghost pale and a white scarf had been tied around his neck in an attempt to conceal the wound. Gideon found himself trying to believe that the man lying there was not really Mr. Vander before Abby gently nudged him to move.
Mary was sitting beside Delta with the rest of the front row empty. Gideon sat down beside her with Abby on his other side. Even in the sadness of the situation, Gideon’s humor got the best of him and he had to suppress a grin. He imagined all the old church ladies seeing the town’s sheriff sitting with a whore on one side of him and the married woman that he was involved with on the other. Abby must have sensed what he was thinking because she elbowed him in the ribs.
Several people stepped to the front of the saloon, reminiscing about Mr. Vander before Mary took her turn. “Most of you know that I work here at the Last Chance and what I do. Regardless, Mr. Vander was always good to me,” she said and began sobbing. “He took me in when I had nowhere to go after my husband was murdered. Many of you may not approve of the job that he gave me, but nonetheless, he was like the father I never had. He was always very protective of me and for that he paid with his life.”
Overcome with grief, Mary returned to her seat. Ethan led the group in a prayer before the cabinetmaker nailed the lid on the pine box and the men carried it out to the wagon. Most of those in attendance walked with the wagon to the graveyard where Ethan said another prayer before the crowd scattered.
Mary stood at the grave looking down at the box in the ground. Her shoulders were trembling and she could no longer suppress her emotions, crying so hard that she had trouble catching her breath. Sarah and Abby each took her by an elbow and slowly eased her away. They had sent Gideon and Ethan on so that they could tend to Mary away from the men. Both felt tremendous sympathy for her and an indelible gratitude for her pivotal role in saving Benjamin’s life. Sarah even included her in her prayers every night after tucking her son into bed.
“We need to get you back to the saloon so that you can get some rest,” Sarah said.
“I have to go by that lawyer’s office. Todd is his name. I don’t know what it is about. I suppose he is going to tell me when I have to move. I know he was Mr. Vander’s lawyer,” Mary said between sobs.
Sarah and Abby exchanged glances, neither sure what they could do for Mary if it were true. “We will walk you to his door and then you go get some rest, okay?” Abby said.
Mary nodded her head, unable to speak. The women walked her to the office and then not knowing what else to do, they left. Steeling her resolve, Mary took a breath and straightened her posture before walking into the office, ready to accept her fate.
Gideon looked up when the door opened and then did a double take at seeing Mary. She was as surprised to see him, figuring that the sheriff was necessary to make the eviction official.
Billy stood to meet Mary, offering her a seat. “I’m terribly sorry for your loss. I know that you and Mr. Vander were very close,” he said.
“Thank you,” Mary said.
“We are here to read Mr. Vander’s last will and testament. I asked Sheriff Johann here to be a witness,” Billy said.
Mary looked at Gideon, still trying to comprehend what she was doing there. “Okay,” she said.
Billy cleared his throat before beginning the reading. ‘I, Claus Vander, being of sound mind and body, set forth this document as my last will and testament. Having no children or immediate family, I leave all my possession and monies to Mary Sawyer with one stipulation. Mary Sawyer must swear an oath that she will immediately cease from practicing prostitution for now and evermore. She is free to do with these assets as she deems in her best interest. Claus Vander, March 20th, 1879.’
Mary looked at Gideon. “Does that mean I get to stay at the Last Chance?” she asked him.
“Sounds to me like you own it if you want to retire from the profession,” Gideon said.
“That’s like asking if you want to get rid of a toothache,” she said and laughed for the first time that day.
Billy pulled a bible from his desk drawer. “Mary, if you accept this stipulation you need to put your hand on the bible and repeat after me – as God as my witness, I promise to cease the practice of prostitution for now and evermore,” Billy said.
Mary placed her hand on the bible and took the oath without missing a word. She started crying again, burying her face in her hands. “This day has been such a whirlwind. I feel exhausted. I can’t believe Mr. Vander did this for me. He set me free,” she said.
“Yes, he did. He came in here this spring and told me what he wanted. He thought the world of you,” Billy said.
“I can’t believe this is happening. Nothing good ever happens to me. Why would Mr. Vander do something so nice for me?” Mary rambled.
“You were the most important person in his life and this is the one way that he knew would get you out of your line of work. You were like family,” Billy said.
“He never treated me like a whore. Never once tried to have me,” Mary said.
“We will have to file the will with the courts before we can get his bank accounts turned over to you, but I see no reason that you can’t go ahead and take over the saloon,” Billy said.
“I’ll walk you back to the Last Chance and then you better get some rest,” Gideon said, helping her from her chair.
“I’m sure going to miss him,” Mary said as they walked down the street.
“I know. Just make him proud,” Gideon said.
“I will. Thank you for being there for me,” she said.
“Just returning the favor if memory serves me well,” Gideon said as she left him to go into the saloon.
Chapter 11
Gideon rode to the cabin for the first time in what seemed like a month of Sundays. He had left Zack in charge of the jail, confident that he could keep the prisoners fed and look after things. After being cooped up at the office, getting back out to the homestead that Ethan let him stay at was relaxing. Closing his eyes that night, he drifted immediately off to sleep. After so many years of fearing sleep and the visions of the dead boy, he was still adjusting to the change and marveled that the whisky bottle that was always present in his saddlebag had not been touched in over a month except for doctoring Zack.
The next morning he rode over to Ethan’s place to borrow Patches, a little pinto gelding that Benjamin usually rode. The calm and sure–footed horse was a mount that would serve Joann well in case her bravado did not match her riding skills. Abby kept her riding horse in town, but he feared that the frisky animal would be too much for the girl.
Sarah greeted him at the door. “You just missed Ethan. He rode out to check on the cattle,” she said.
“I wanted to see if I could borrow Patches. I’m taking Joann to the old homestead today,” Gideon said with a smile that betrayed his excitement for the trip.
“Sure, take him. Would you like some breakfast? I still have some biscuits and gravy and I could throw a couple of eggs on for you,” Sarah said.
“I’m not about to turn down your cooking. It about got me in trouble the other night when Abby asked me whether I liked hers or yours better,” Gideon said, grinning at the memory.
“You foolish, honest man. A man should always tell his lady that they make the best food that he has ever tasted – lie or not. But you didn’t hear that from a preacher’s
wife,” she said.
“You’re probably right. She took it all in stride anyway,” Gideon said as he sat down at the table.
Sarah cracked a couple of eggs and dropped them into the skillet. “How are things going with Joann?” she asked.
“Pretty good, I think. Catching the last of the stagecoach robbers has eased her mind and she seems to like me. The only sore spot is that she is not happy that Abby is divorcing Marcus. I think that she believes Abby is being impulsive. She also is afraid that I will move on and leave her all alone. I hope she is wrong about that,” Gideon said.
“Gideon Johann, are you going to make this a come to Jesus meeting? Just admit it that you are happy and that you have gotten past your demons. Sheriff, it is not a crime to move on with your life,” Sarah said as she placed the plate of food in front of him.
Gideon grinned up at her, amused at the way she treated him. “Well, Sis, I think you are right, but you cannot understand how strange it feels not to have those demons any longer. They’ve been there so long that it’s hard to imagine that they really would stay gone,” Gideon said.
“Corral dust if I ever heard it. That’s just an excuse to dally. If you don’t buy your old homestead back, I can assure you that the next time that you see me and my frying pan, it will not be to cook you breakfast,” Sarah said with her hands on her hips.
Chuckling, Gideon slapped the table. “God, I love you. Ethan knows how to pick a woman,” he said.
Still standing in the same pose, Sarah said, “I’ll make you think love me. And for your information, I picked him. We’d still be dating if I had waited for him to get things moving. And changing the subject before you make me mad, it sure was a lovely thing that Mr. Vander did for Mary. I was worried about her. I owe that girl everything.”
“Yes, it was. I hope she makes the most of it. And it’s reassuring to know that you aren’t mad,” Gideon said with a wink.
“I know that you are busy with all that has changed in your life lately, but if you get a chance, there is a young boy that is missing you terribly these days,” she said.
“I know it. I’ve been missing him too. It’s just that so much is going on right now that I can’t seem to find the time. I promise you that I will spend some time with him real soon,” Gideon said.
“I know that you will,” Sarah said.
Gideon finished breakfast, receiving a kiss on the cheek from Sarah as he left. Heading into town with Patches in tow, he stopped in to check on Zack and the prisoners. He found Zack shaving at the washstand when he entered the jail.
“How are things going?” Gideon asked Zack.
“I haven’t had any problems, sir. That Tyler never shuts up, but besides that, everything is fine. You have a letter on your desk,” Zack said.
Gideon looked down to see a letter addressed to Sheriff Gideon Johann once again from Pueblo, Colorado. He swiped it up, tore the envelope open, and yanked out the letter.
Gideon,
I didn’t want you to think that I had forgotten about you. I hear that you are sheriff now. All the better for you to be the hero I guess. I’ll be headed your way soon. Count on it.
“Is everything okay?” Zack asked at seeing the furrows in Gideon’s brow.
“Yeah, sure. Everything is fine, Zack. I’m going to go talk to Doc and then go riding with Joann. Keep an eye on things if you will,” Gideon said before throwing the letter in the drawer with the previous one and walking across the street.
“He died,” Doc Abram said as a way of a greeting when Gideon entered the office and looked around for the patient.
Gideon dropped into a chair, taking his hat off and running his fingers through his hair. “The cabinetmaker is making more coffins than cabinets these days,” he said.
“Let’s hope that’s the end of it until you have to hang those two over in the jail,” Doc said.
“I’ll be glad when the judge shows up and we can have the trials. I don’t know if Judge Laurel will hang them or not. I thought he would give Walter a lot more than five years for his part in kidnapping Benjamin, “Gideon said.
“I think he would have if Walter had not been good to the boy for the most part during the ordeal. He was just a dumb cowboy that got talked into something that he had no business being in,” Doc said.
“I don’t know about that. You wouldn’t have said that if you saw Walter holding a gun to Benjamin’s head like I did. If I had known that I wouldn’t need Walter to testify, he would have been a dead man,” Gideon said.
“The main thing is that Benjamin is doing fine and Walter is in prison,” Doc said.
“I suppose. This town needs a deputy so that I don’t have to babysit all the time. Zack would make a good one,” Gideon said.
“It has needed one for a long time, but good luck with that,” Doc said.
“Are me and you going to be okay?” Gideon asked.
“As long as you remember what you promised me, we will be,” Doc said.
“I’m taking Joann to see the old homestead today. I hope that it’ll be a quiet day,” Gideon said.
“Most days are. Go enjoy yourself,” Doc said.
Joann had been pestering Abby for over an hour about Gideon’s tardiness when he arrived. She met him at the door decked out in riding britches, a jacket, hat, and boots. “I was afraid something had come up and you weren’t going to be able to make it,” she said as a way of a greeting.
“No, just had to do some things first. I have prisoners to check on and such,” Gideon said with a touch of sarcasm.
“Thank God that you are here,” Abby said. “She was about to wear me out about it. I think she has cabin fever and if it went on much longer I was going to make it a fatal case.”
Joann grinned at Abby. “You know that I can hear you, right?” she said.
“Just like I have been hearing you,” Abby said.
Gideon cleared his throat. “Sounds like we best ride and spare you the wrath of Abby,” he said before giving Abby a goodbye kiss.
They took the road north out of town, riding until they came to a lesser used path headed northeast. The conversation was lagging as Joann enjoyed the ride and views while Gideon was lost in thought about the significance of this day in his life and how improbable it was.
“So is the house getting too small for you and Abby together?” Gideon said.
“Oh no, I was just being a little impetuous this morning. I was anxious to see your place and be with you,” Joann said.
“Impetuous? I’ll have to start keeping a dictionary in my saddlebag if you are going to spring words like that on me,” Gideon said.
“I doubt that. Abs told me about a certain boy that used to get teased for reading Shakespeare,” she said.
“That was a long time ago. Me and old William haven’t had a get together for a number of years and all that trail dust has dulled my mind considerably,” he said.
Riding another quarter mile, they found the remains of a road leading to the old house. “We’re about there,” Gideon said as he turned Buck onto the path.
They came upon a clearing and the old home place came into view. “That’s all that’s left of a lifetime of work,” Gideon said.
The cabin was about ready to collapse. Its roof had caved in and the porch had fallen away from the structure. Recently the back wall had toppled. The barn was a rotting skeleton with its wood siding long ago stripped away for some other purpose. Only the little cemetery where his mother lay buried and its wrought iron fence appeared in good condition. Gideon had found it covered in saplings and brush on his first trip back and had tended to it until it was now covered in grass.
“So this is where you grew up. It’s a beautiful place for a home and at least the trees in the yard are still good. It just needs some love,” Joann said.
“A lot of love and work,” Gideon said. “I guess nothing last forever.”
They climbed down from their horses and Gideon took Joann by the hand and led her to th
e cemetery. “That is your grandmother’s grave,” he said as he opened the gate.
Joann squatted at the grave and traced her finger over each letter of the name on the limestone headstone. “I wish that I could have met her. What was she like?” she asked.
“I guess I got my sense of humor from her. She was the funny one. Pa was more serious. She was a little thing, always in motion unless she was reading. Momma used to read to me all the time. That’s where I got my love of Shakespeare. She was an educated woman for her time, most of it self–taught. Our blue eyes came from her. And she died way too young,” he said.
“That must have been very hard to lose your mother when you were so young,” Joann said.
“Yes, it was and she would have never stood for me going off to war. It would have never happened in a million years,” Gideon said.
“You never had any brothers or sisters either?” she asked.
“No, and I don’t know the story behind that. I’m guessing that she couldn’t have any more,” he said.
“Maybe they didn’t want any more after you,” Joann teased.
“I never thought of that. You might be right,” Gideon said with a smile.
“Tell me about your pa?” she said.
“Pa was born in Germany and his family moved here when he was a small boy. German was his first language. He spoke English well if maybe a little stilted. He was a hard worker and good to Momma. They had a good marriage. He died at the Battle of Little Blue River in Missouri. I was lucky enough to get to tell him goodbye before he passed. He is buried there,” he said.
“You were on your own at a very young age. It must have been hard,” Joann said.
