by Duane Boehm
“Not as hard as getting killed when you are a little boy running through the brush playing,” Gideon said.
“Please don’t go there, Gideon. Abby says you’ve come too far to ever go back now,” she said.
“She did, did she? I know that she is right, but it still doesn’t change what happened. What else do you want to know?” he said.
“Tell me about your life here?” Joann said.
“It was about the same as everybody else around these parts. We had chickens, a milk cow, a couple of pigs, and enough cattle to sell for the necessities of life and maybe get ahead a little. Pa was good with the cattle and taught me all that I know about them. Oh, something else, he played fiddle and we used to have barn dances in what’s left of that old thing over there. Sometimes there would be maybe forty people in there and we used to go to other homesteads and have them there. Those were some real good times,” Gideon said.
“Is that where you first met Abs and Ethan?” she asked.
“There and church. Ethan and I didn’t become friends until we started school and Abby was a little younger so she didn’t catch my eye for a few years,” Gideon said, smiling at the memory.
“Life is funny, isn’t it?” Joann said.
“Yes, it is. Just when you think you about have it all figured out, it will take a turn that you never saw coming just to prove you wrong. Let’s mount up and I’ll show you the rest of the place,” he said.
They rode over much of the original homestead. Gideon showed her various landmarks and related the memories associated with them. The ride took most of the day and turned into a pleasure excursion.
“So what do you think about this Zack Barlow character?” Joann said out of the blue.
Gideon looked over at Joann, suppressing his smile. “Why would you care what I think about him?” he said, feigning ignorance.
“Oh, I don’t know. Just making conversation I guess,” she said.
Gideon pulled Buck to a halt. “Listen, me and you have a lot of time to make up for and I’m not going to start it out by being dishonest on anything. It will be the truth or I will tell you that it is none of your business. I want you to do the same with me. So which is it, the truth or none of my business?” he said.
Joann smiled at him. “Gideon Johann, I like your style. I kind of like Zack and wondered what you thought about him,” she said.
“That’s more like it. I think he is a fine young man from what I have seen. I don’t know Zack that well, but I’d be surprised if there is anything to worry about with him. He’s brave and has character. That I know for sure and that goes a long ways,” Gideon said.
“So you won’t kill him or anything if he starts coming to see me?” Joann asked.
“Probably not. Are you sure he likes you? You were a little hard on him the other night,” Gideon said.
“I don’t know yet, but I plan to drop a few hints and find out. Besides, if I wouldn’t have had a good comeback, he would have thought that I was a pushover. He might as well know from the start what he is dealing with,” she said.
“You women are all alike,” Gideon said and nudged Buck into a walk.
Gideon saved the aspen grove on the hill in the corner of the homestead until last. “Climb down. I want to show you something,” he said.
They walked up the hill into the grove and Gideon pointed out a tree with the initials G.J. and A.S. carved into it. “This here is where Abby and I used to go for picnics. It was our spot,” Gideon said.
“Gideon Johann and Abigail Schone. This place must bring back a lot of memories,” Joann said.
“Oh, it does. That stream that we just crossed is the one that I threw her in. Abby always was a fiery thing and not afraid to speak her mind. I guess some things never change,” he said with a chuckle.
“I’m glad we had this day together. I feel like I know you a lot better now,” Joann said.
“Me too. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” he said.
“You better marry her and buy this place,” she said.
Gideon smiled and rubbed his scar. “I’m must be drawn to opinionated women or I’m so hopeless that they all feel the need to offer me guidance. We need to be getting back to town,” he said.
Chapter 12
Mary was doing her best to adjust to life as a business owner. Being a whore in an establishment and running it were two different things entirely. The other employees of Last Chance had been taken aback not only by the loss of Mr. Vander but by Mary now being their boss. She had done her best to smooth the ruffled feathers and it seemed to be working. Finding a new saloon girl to take her place and sprucing the place up a little were going to be her first orders of business. The saloon wasn’t a dump by any means, but a little scrubbing and some new paint would go a long ways in removing the traces of dirty cowboys and tobacco stains.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Mary could hardly believe that the girl that had grown up in an orphanage, endured the murder of her husband, and sunken into the life of prostitution, was now the owner of her own saloon. She marveled at the turns life could take and how the generosity of one man had given her a new beginning.
The first thing that she did after the shock had worn off from being the new owner of Last Chance was to pack her saloon clothes away. She only had three other decent looking outfits, prompting her to head to the dry goods store to buy material for some new clothes. On the way back, she passed the dress shop and could not help herself but to go in and buy a new dress. The dress was only the second one that she had ever bought in her life. The lady that owned the shop must have already heard about her inheriting the saloon because while she was not overly friendly, she certainly did not treat her like a whore. Seeing all the pretty dresses made her feel like a kid in a candy store. She would touch each one, trying to imagine what she would look like in it. After much consternation, she made her pick and wore the new dress out of the shop, determined to present herself in a new way with her new life.
Mary tried to emulate all the things that Mr. Vander had done in running the saloon and every night after closing, she would count the day’s receipts. She was busy counting the money when the door from the alley opened and the gambler Hiatt sauntered into the room.
“How did you get the door unlocked?” Mary asked sternly.
“I guess you forgot to lock it,” Hiatt said.
“Can I help you?” Mary said.
Uninvited, Hiatt sat down at the table with her. “Oh, I think that you can,” he said with his smug demeanor.
“What do you want?” Mary said, sensing trouble.
“I want to buy this saloon from you,” he said.
“I don’t want to sell it. Mr. Vander left this for me and I plan to carry on running it,” she said.
“I didn’t ask you if you wanted to sell it. I said that I want to buy it and I will,” Hiatt said as he pulled out a penknife and started cleaning his nails in an offhanded manner.
“Who do you think you are, coming in here and telling me that I will sell the saloon to you?” Mary asked.
“I am a man used to getting my way and I will this time if you want that boyfriend sheriff of yours to live,” he said.
“Gideon is not my boyfriend. He has a childhood sweetheart that he is seeing. And what makes you think that you would be any match for him?” she said, her voice rising with each word.
“You might not call him your boyfriend, but I haven’t seen you give anybody else a kiss that didn’t have to pay for it. Do you know what makes a good gambler? A good gambler needs to know how to play the hand that he is dealt and he needs to be a good study of human nature. Most of the men that I play cards with I can tell within three hands whether they are bluffing, holding a pair of aces, or going to go all in. I just study them and read the signs. I’ve watched you when that sheriff is around and you can barely take your eyes off him. You can say what you like, but you are in love with him. Now take your sheriff for instance – he is one mean
son of a bitch when he is backed into a corner, but it’s not his true nature. He prefers to be a peaceful man. The other night when he broke up that fight in here, he should have killed that cowboy that reached for his gun. Your sheriff gave him a chance to live and he could have gotten himself killed if that cowboy was fast with a gun,” Hiatt said.
“What makes you think that he wouldn’t turn into a mean son of a bitch if I told him that you were trying to force me into selling this place?” Mary said.
“That is a good point, but he is still the sheriff and he can’t just shoot me without trying to arrest me first. And if he tries to arrest me I will kill him before he knows what happened,” he said.
“He could take you by surprise,” she said.
“We can play what–ifs all night long. In the profession that I am in, I wouldn’t have lived very long if I wasn’t prepared for the unexpected. He wouldn’t be the first man that I killed trying to ambush me. You have forty–eight hours to decide. Understand?” Hiatt said.
“You are awfully confident that I will keep my mouth shut and do what you like or that you can kill Gideon – one of the two,” Mary said.
“Both actually. Old Vander already died for having defended you. That must be a hard thing to bear. I’m sure you feel quite guilty about it. I don’t think that you want your old boyfriend ending up the same way, but if you are foolish enough to make that choice, I assure you that I will kill him. And if I have time before I make my retreat, I will kill you too for ruining my plans. I really like this town and would like to settle here, but I’ve disappeared many times before. I can do it again,” Hiatt said as he arose from his chair.
At the door, he stopped and turned back towards her, tipping his hat. “Have a good evening,” he said.
After Hiatt left, Mary threw the receipts into the moneybox, her hands shaking so badly that some of them ended up on the floor. She ran up the backstairs, locking herself in her room and peering out her window down at the street. Mary had an innate ability to read men and she had known from the first that Hiatt was evil, but she had never expected his maliciousness to be directed towards her. In the back of her mind, she had always known that her change in luck was too good to be true and that something bad was about to happen. In her wildest imagination, she had never anticipated anything this bad though. Without consciously making a decision, she already knew that she was selling the Last Stand Last Chance Saloon.
Hiatt practically skipped back to the hotel. Even though he had been dead serious about his threats, he had feared that Mary would think that her boyfriend sheriff was some Greek hero capable of rescuing her and himself from all means of peril. Reading people was how he made his living and he knew that he had shaken her badly. The saloon would soon be his. It was obvious to him that there was no way that the little whore would take a chance on somebody else that she loved being murdered.
Chapter 13
Gideon, Abby, and the girls attended Ethan’s church for Sunday service. Zack had also eagerly accepted Gideon’s invitation to accompany them. Afterwards, the men rode their horses and the girls took a buggy, following the Oakes family back to their cabin for dinner. Once there, Winnie and Benjamin played ball with his dog Chase after being forced to change clothes while the men sat on the porch smoking pipes as the women prepared the food.
“I think I should have taken up ranching. It has to be easier than being the sheriff and getting shot at,” Gideon said.
“I told you that you should go into ranching,” Ethan reminded him.
“Well, if I had your money to buy up all the land around here, I would have,” Gideon said.
“Yes, you are right. That is why I live in a little cabin instead of a nice house,” Ethan said.
“Is ranching hard to learn?” Zack asked.
“It’s like most things, Zack. It’s not that hard to be okay at it, but there’s a lot to it to be good. You need to be able to pick out the best cows and bulls just like picking out a good horse. Tell me about yourself,” Ethan said.
“I grew up on the outskirts of Laramie. My ma and sister died during birth when I was two. Pa’s sister moved in with us to help raise me and he never remarried. Of course, I don’t remember Ma. Pa taught me how to shoot and ride, but we never had any cattle. He was a driver for the stagecoach until Big Nose George Parrott killed him. Pa was a good man and he always did right by me. I was looking for Big Nose when Gideon found me,” Zack said.
“I’m sorry for your losses, Zack. That’s a tough row to hoe. I’ve been looking for me a ranch hand. I was wanting an experienced one, but I could teach somebody that was willing to learn. If you decide that you might want to stick around here, we could talk about it. Just don’t let Gideon give you any roping lessons in the meantime,” Ethan said while grinning at Gideon.
“Well, don’t take any pistol lessons from Ethan either. You’re liable to shoot your toes off if you do,” Gideon said.
“Thank you, sir, for considering me for a job. I appreciate it. Did you really shoot off your toes?” Zack asked.
“For heaven’s sake, no. Gideon just won’t let me forget that he is a better with a revolver than I am in the same way that I won’t let him forget that I’m a better roper,” Ethan said.
“Oh, it gets a little competitive between the two of you then,” Zack said.
Gideon said, “Nah, not really. It just gives us something in which to needle each other. I’d been gone so long that Ethan started thinking that he was king of the cowboys in these here parts.”
“Because when you find a dying ambushed cowboy on your property, the first thing that you think of is a king of cowboys,” Ethan shot back.
Gideon burst into laughter. “Dang, Sarah has sharpened up your comeback skills. You used to be easy pickings. It’s not very Christian of a preacher to be so snappy,” Gideon said.
Sarah walked out onto the porch. “Benjamin and Winnie, come wash up,” she called out.
“Is it about ready?” Ethan asked.
“Yes, it is. I hope that you slackers have enough gumption to make it to the table,” Sarah said before darting back inside the cabin.
“I didn’t see no snappy comeback there,” Gideon said.
“Oh, shut up,” Ethan said as he arose from the swing.
Ethan said the blessing and then the group dove into the fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and the other assortment of foods. The conversation lagged at first as everybody was hungry and preoccupied with eating.
Sarah asked ,”Joann, I haven’t gotten to talk to you since you’ve been back. How long are you planning on staying?”
“I don’t know yet. Probably a good while if Poppa and Momma don’t need me,” Joann said. The question embarrassed her a little though she was not sure why.
“That would be good. It will give you more of a chance to get to know Gideon that way. He kind of grows on you after a time,” Sarah said.
“I could see that happening,” Joann said and smiled at Gideon.
“Pa, did you and Mr. Gideon ever get into a fight?” Benjamin asked.
The two men looked at each other, grinning impishly, and began talking at the same time before Ethan drowned out Gideon. “This is my table and I am going to tell the story the way that it happened. Gideon will still give his misguided version. We raced horses one day and I had this great little cattle horse named Red that would take off like the wind when you put your heals to her. Well, on the count of three I did that and she was gone and Gideon’s horse got a slow start. I won and he was so mad that he had lost that he accused me of jumping the start. He kept ranting and raving until he took a swing at me. I moved out of the way and he missed and then I pinned him to the ground until he cooled down. Gideon always was a sore loser,” Ethan said.
“It’s true that I don’t like to lose, but I wasn’t a sore loser. I still think Ethan jumped the count,” Gideon said a little defensively.
“Two versions of the same story. The important thing to remember, Benjamin,
is that good friends can have disagreements and still go on being friends,” Ethan said.
“Mr. Gideon, Winnie says that you stole Miss Abby away from Mr. Marcus, is that true?” Benjamin asked.
“Benjamin, that’s enough. You know better than to ask a question like that,” Sarah said.
Abby jumped up from her seat. “No, Benjamin, that is not the truth. I made up my mind to divorce Marcus before I knew whether Gideon was staying or leaving. I didn’t just up and decide to change men just because an old beau showed up,” Abby said in agitation.
“Abby, you do not need to explain yourself to Benjamin. It is your life after all,” Sarah said.
“He needs to know the truth. Now Winnie and I need to go have a talk,” Abby said as she yanked Winnie out of her chair, marching her out onto the porch.
Abby took Winnie by each shoulder and squatted so that they were face to face. “Winnie, I don’t expect you to like it that your daddy and I are getting a divorce. I don’t expect you to understand it, and I don’t expect you to be happy that I am seeing Gideon, but I will not have you making up stories about what happened that are not true. If it happens again I will tan your butt. Do you understand me?” Abby said.
“Yes,” Winnie said.
“Yes, what?” Abby snapped.
“Yes, ma’am,” Winnie replied.
“Now I want you to march back in there and apologize,” Abby said.
Abby and Winnie walked back inside and the child made her apology before they took their seats. Breaking the awkward silence that followed, Sarah said, “When I first moved here, Abby and I didn’t care much for each other. I’m not sure why, but we kept our distance. Over time, we started talking a little and before you know it, we were good friends. I guess it just goes to show not to make too much of first impressions.”
Ethan and Gideon grinned at each other, before Ethan said, “You two might not know why you didn’t like each other, but Gideon and I do. The two prettiest women in town never like each other. There can only be one queen. I’m surprised you got past it.”
