A Gideon Johann Boxed Set Book 1 - 4 (A Gideon Johann Western 0)

by Duane Boehm

  Gideon set his jaw, pursed his lips, and looked up into the sky while absentmindedly rubbing his scar. He tried to gain control of his emotion, but his voice broke when he spoke. “I think that would be nice,” he said and gave Joann a hug, trying to wipe the moisture from his eyes without her seeing him do it.

  “You two come sit here. We can be the little family that none of us ever thought we would be,” Abby said.

  “Where’s Winnie?” Gideon asked as he sat down and Joann squished in between the two of them.

  “Sarah came and picked her up to play with Benjamin. I think she wanted to give the three of us a chance to be together,” Abby said.

  “I never got the chance to thank you for talking to Winnie. Now that she will look me in the face, I think that I might have half a chance to win her over one of these days,” Gideon said to Joann.

  “You’re welcome. It was kind of out of desperation. Abs was about ready to get her and I had to do something,” Joann said.

  Abby laughed. “That I was. She had pushed it as far as it was going to go that day. She was ill as a hornet and still stewing over Gideon yanking her off the wagon to help her run away. That was a nice piece of parenting there,” she said.

  “Speaking of parents, how do you think Momma and Poppa would feel if I stayed down here after you two get married?” Joann asked.

  A pause in conversation followed, lasting so long that it seemed as if no one was going to answer. Breaking the silence, Abby said, “I would imagine that they would be pretty hurt if that were to happen. In their eyes, I think it would seem as if they spent their life raising you and now you want to be with us.”

  “That’s kind of what I thought,” Joann said.

  “Is it getting that serious with Zack?” Abby asked.

  “I don’t know. Not yet I guess, but I think it could,” Joann answered.

  Gideon cleared his throat and fidgeted with his hat. “You don’t have to fall in love and marry the first boy that comes a courting,” he said.

  Abby let out a chortle. “That’s the pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think?” she said.

  Gideon smiled at her. “Yeah, I guess it sort of is except that it took another eighteen years to get there,” he said.

  “Don’t you like Zack?” Joann asked Gideon.

  “Sure, I like him. He’s a fine young man and I think that he would make a fine husband. It just seems like you are getting the cart before the horse a little. I’d marry for money if I were you,” Gideon said with a smile

  “Gideon, this is serious. Quit joking,” Abby said.

  “How would you two feel about me living with you?” Joann asked.

  “If that is what you want, you are more than welcome to live with us. You still have some time to figure things out before you have to decide anything,” Gideon said.

  “I know. I just wanted to see what both of you thought about it. I probably should just go back home,” Joann said.

  “Give it some time,” Abby said.

  “Speaking of time, are you ever going to set a wedding date? You’re both are a little long in the tooth to waste a lot of time with an engagement,” Joann chided.

  “This side of thirty doesn’t feel nearly as bad as you youngsters think that it does, I thank you. I might help Gideon lock you up next time,” Abby said.

  Joann grabbed Gideon’s arm and laid her head on his shoulder. “Daddy wouldn’t lock me up anymore,” she said in a fit of giggles.

  “Mercy, girl, you are full of mischief today,” Abby said.

  “So when is the date?” Joann asked.

  “What do you think, Gideon?” Abby said.

  “We need to wait to set a date until this thing in town gets settled. I won’t start our married life with you hid out here. That would be no way to begin our new life,” Gideon said.

  “Gideon, are you even sure this man is the one that sent the letters? He sure hasn’t made much of an effort to be threatening. And how long might this go on?” Abby asked.

  “It is a puzzlement, that’s for sure. I know that I’ll be glad when it’s over with,” Gideon said.

  “So no date yet then?” Joann asked.

  “Not yet,” Gideon said. “I did talk to the Yates brothers about helping us build the cabin and barn. That should speed things up considerably. I don’t want us to have to live in your house any longer than necessary. I’m cooped up in that town enough as it is.”

  “Let’s all go over there. It’s a great day for a ride and I get excited just looking at the place and thinking about what’s coming,” Abby said.

  “I’ll saddle up your horses while you two change clothes then,” Gideon said.

  The leaves on the trees were turning and in full color and the air was brisk, making the horses frisky and ready to race one another. A cloudless deep blue sky made a perfect backdrop for new snow covering the highest elevations of the mountains. The day was a gorgeous one for riding. As they rode across a meadow, they kicked up a herd of elk grazing there.

  “I should shoot me one of those. Ethan and I need to go hunting. That would bring back some old memories,” Gideon said.

  “You should. It would be good for both of you to go spend some time together doing something you enjoy,” Abby said.

  They continued on mostly in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts about the improbability of this day together ever happening. Nothing made Gideon more content than riding open ground with mountains in full view with the smell of horse sweat and the sound of creaking leather adding their notes to his senses. Abby and Joann would occasionally exchange glances, smiling at each other in the knowledge of a mother and daughter bond.

  “Wow, our enormous cattle herd has really grazed the yard down,” Abby said as they rode up to the cabin.

  “Even a hundred of them can do a lot of eating,” Gideon said as he tied up the horses.

  “It makes me sad every time we ride over here and see this. I can still almost smell your mother’s cooking. This used to be such a happy place,” Abby said.

  “Daddy, does it make you sad?” Joann asked, trying out her new moniker for her father to see how it felt to say.

  Gideon paused a moment. Even though he had felt like her father from the moment he met Joann, the title of daddy could not seem more foreign to his ears. “Sometimes, but nothing like the first time that I came over here and saw what a ruin it was. I mostly think about what it is going to be again now,” Gideon said.

  “When do you think that we will get started?” Abby asked as they walked up to the remains of the cabin.

  “Very soon. If we don’t, we might have to wait until spring if the snows are bad this year. I brought some kerosene out here the other day and then it got too windy to burn things. We can burn the cabin today,” Gideon said.

  “Can we save the fireplace and reuse it?” Abby asked.

  “It’s still in pretty good shape. We’ll have to see whether the heat cracks the mortar. We can use the stone one way or the other,” Gideon said.

  “I hope we can use it just like it is,” Abby remarked.

  “Talking about the fireplace reminded me that Pa had a stone that pulled out where he kept his money. I wonder if he left anything?” Gideon said and began maneuvering across the remains of the precarious floor.

  He remembered exactly which stone it was, pulling it out without difficulty. A small oiled leather pouch was sitting in the hole. “I found something,” he called out to them.

  “What is it?” the girls asked in unison.

  Gideon walked back holding the pouch up for them to see. He carefully loosened the drawstring and dumped the contents into his palm. A flood of feelings washed over him as he viewed his parents’ only remaining keepsakes.

  “I remember that brooch. Your mother wore it whenever she dressed up,” Abby said.

  “I never knew what happened to this stuff. It’s their wedding rings, Pa’s pocket watch, and Momma’s brooch. I sure never thought I would lay eye
s on any of this again. I guess Pa put it all there before we joined the war,” Gideon said as he shook the things in his hand as if he needed to feel their weight to believe that they were real.

  “It’s a wonderful surprise. Can I hold them?” Joann said.

  Gideon moved his hand towards Joann. “You can have the brooch for a keepsake. I’m sure that your grandmother would have wanted you to have it. Abby can have Momma’s ring,” he said.

  “Really? You want me to have it? Abby should get it,” Joann said.

  “No, you should have something from your grandmother. It goes with your blue eyes, like hers did,” Abby said and took the ring, placing it on her right hand. “It fits. I guess this makes us official or something.”

  “Yeah, we’re something alright,” Gideon said as he placed his father’s ring on his right hand. He took the key attached on the end of the gold chain and wound the watch. “Look there. It still runs. I’ll have to have it cleaned.”

  “This is quite a day,” Abby said.

  Gideon retrieved the jug of kerosene he had left there and started dousing the remains of the cabin. He pulled out a match, pausing to look at the place one final time before he struck it. As the flames engulfed the cabin and grew hotter, they stood back and watched it burn.

  “From the ashes the phoenix will rise,” Gideon remarked.

  ∞

  Zack had spent hours riding with Mr. Riley trying to find the cattle. The old man was much better company than he had expected, passing the time with stories of the wild old days and even some tales about Gideon in his youth. The boy had assumed that Mr. Riley was senile, but it was now apparent that his mind was sharp and that he was just a worrier.

  Mr. Riley had a lot of acres to cover and they finally picked up the trail of the cattle in the early afternoon. Zack was not a tracker, but he grew suspicious immediately. The cattle were moving through uneaten grass without stopping instead of grazing it down as they moved. The signs were hard to see for sure in the heavy grass, but he thought he saw some horse tracks also.

  “Does this look right to you, Mr. Riley?” Zack asked as they followed the trampled grass.

  “I think my cattle seem to be in a bit of a hurry. I told Gideon that I thought it was rustlers,” Mr. Riley said.

  “Are you up to riding fast enough to find them?” Zack said.

  “As long as we stay in a trot I will be fine. I can’t do a gallop anymore. My balance ain’t what it used to be,” Mr. Riley said.

  The two men took off in a trot, following the easy track for an hour before slowing to a walk to give the horses a blow and allow themselves to relax in the saddle. Zack’s legs were tired from posting with the trot and he knew that Mr. Riley had to be feeling the same.

  “Do you think we are getting close?” Zack asked.

  “We have to be close. Look there. That cow shit is still soupy,” Mr. Riley said.

  “Where do you think that they are headed?” Zack inquired.

  “I don’t rightly know. I guess to some ranch to rebrand them,” Mr. Riley said.

  After walking the horses for ten minutes, they took off again. They were riding away from the mountain ranges and the terrain was easy travel with rolling hills and lush grass. Topping a large hill, they spotted the cattle towards the bottom a hundred yards away with two men driving them. Unfortunately, the rustlers were keeping an eye over their shoulder and saw Zack and Mr. Riley as they crested the rise.

  Zack watched as the men reached for their rifles. He pulled his horse up hard, dismounting quickly and grabbing his rifle as he did. Mr. Riley was slow coming to a stop and even slower trying to get off his horse. The first shot rang out as the old man was still sitting tall in the saddle. Zack dropped the reins of his horse and set his rifle on the ground as he ran to help. He yanked Mr. Riley off the horse as a second shot thudded into the ground at their feet.

  “Are you okay, sir?” Zack asked as they retreated from direct sight.

  “I’m fine. Just too damn old to jump out of a saddle these days. I didn’t get my rifle and our horses have scattered,” Mr. Riley said.

  “We’re okay. I got enough ammo to hold them off,” Zack said as he peaked over the crest of the hill.

  The two rustlers were also in a bind. The cattle prevented them from riding straight away and either side of the hill was clear of protection for a considerable distance before there was any ground cover. One of them was riding to the left and the other to the right.

  Zack drew a bead on the rider to his right. The rustler was riding slightly back up the hill trying to make it to a ditch for cover. His destination had put him within seventy yards of the two men. Zack exhaled slowly and gently squeezed the trigger. Arms flew up in the air as the rider flopped off the left side of his horse and bounced on the ground before rolling another ten feet.

  “Damn, boy. Where did you learn to shoot like that?” Mr. Riley asked.

  “Lots of practice and a little luck,” Zack said as he tried to take aim on the other man, but watched as the rustler made it to safety and dismounted.

  Shots started slamming into the hill. The two men stayed out of sight as the rustler wasted his ammo.

  “What do you think he is trying to do? He can’t even see us. I would ride away if I were him,” Zack said.

  “Maybe he still has plans to take the cattle,” Mr. Riley said as another shot rang out.

  “That’s not going to happen,” Zack said as he peeked over the hilltop. “He’s got good cover. What do you think that I should do?”

  “There’s our horses,” Mr. Riley said as he pointed down the backside of the hill to where the horses were meandering back towards their owners. “Get my rifle for me and I will keep him occupied while you work your way around the hill to get a shot.”

  Zack caught the horses and retrieved the rifle. “Don’t get yourself shot. Gideon would not be pleased if that happened,” he said.

  “Well, I wouldn’t be too damned pleased about it either,” Mr. Riley said before taking his first shot.

  “I suppose not,” Zack replied.

  “You be careful yourself. It’s bad luck to get killed on the first day of a new job,” Mr. Riley said with a chuckle.

  Zack worked his way across the backside of the hill until he came to where he thought he would be straight on with the rustler based on the sound of the shots. Walking up the hill, he peeked out to where the man hid. He was tucked down in a ravine, surrounded by brush, giving Zack no better view than from the other location.

  Zack began firing upon him and Mr. Riley picked up his pace of shooting. The rustler was keeping his head down and not returning fire any longer. After a few more shots, the thief apparently decided he had enough and started walking his horse down the ravine towards the bottom of the hill. The gully was deep enough and cut so that Zack could only occasionally catch a glimpse of the outlaw, but never get a shot. Studying the terrain, he decided his only shot would be where the ravine ended at the bottom of the hill. The shot would be a good one–hundred and fifty yards and there was probably only forty feet of clear ground before the rustler would be in the woods. He sat on the ground, bracing his elbows against his raised knees and waited. The rustler came out of the gully mounted on his horse in a dead run. Zack barely aimed before firing and watched as the outlaw slumped over in the saddle.

  “You don’t piss around,” Mr. Riley hollered out from his spot.

  “Are you okay?” Zack called back.

  “Nothing like some lead flying at you to feel alive,” Mr. Riley replied.

  The second thief was dead in his saddle when Zack walked up to him. With considerable effort, they loaded the other man across his saddle. “We better get back to town. Will your cattle be okay here overnight?” Zack asked.

  “Sure. I can get some help to drive them back. We better go tell Gideon what happened,” Mr. Riley said.

  Gideon was back in town from his day with Abby and Joann, sitting in front of the jail watching the sunset when
Zack and Mr. Riley rode into town with the two bodies in tow. “Oh hell, this can’t be good,” he said aloud to no one.

  “That deputy of yours is one sure–shot. He don’t mess around,” Mr. Riley said.

  “What happened?” Gideon asked as he stood and walked towards them.

  “These two had rustled Mr. Riley’s herd and we caught up with them,” Zack said.

  “Did you have to kill them?” Gideon asked.

  Slightly annoyed at the question, Zack said, “Well, I guess we could have stood around and let them shoot us instead.”

  “I didn’t mean that. I just thought that maybe you could have taken them prisoner,” Gideon said.

  Mr. Riley spoke before Zack had a chance to respond. “Gideon, this boy did a mighty fine job today. He kept us both alive when the bullets were flying. He’s a good one,” he said.

  Gideon smiled. “They might take this job away from me and give it to you if this keeps up. I’m sorry I got you into something like this on your first time. I didn’t expect trouble,” he said.

  “I just hope that I never have to shoot anybody again. People should behave themselves,” Zack said.

  “That they should, but they seldom do,” Gideon said.

  Chapter 27

  All morning long, Gideon had an uneasy feeling that something bad was about to happen. He had never been one to have premonitions, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that John Roe was going to make his move or something else was about to happen. Walking the main street of Last Stand, everything looked the same as usual, but he was still not convinced that all was fine.

  He wished that he could ride out to talk with Abby, but he didn’t feel comfortable leaving the town untended and he wasn’t sure what he wanted to talk about anyway. Not having an appetite, he decided to skip lunch and walk over to the Last Chance. Mary had begun serving free lunches with the purchase of one drink and it was starting to bring in customers much to the chagrin of the hotel. Several men were inside eating and drinking beer. Mary was busy supervising the operation, still trying to work out the kinks. Gideon sat down at his usual table, catching Mary’s eye as he did.