A Gideon Johann Boxed Set Book 1 - 4 (A Gideon Johann Western 0)
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“Am I dying?” the boy asked.
“I’m afraid that you are. Is there anything that I can do for you?” Gideon said.
“We weren’t outlaws until my brother shot that man for the horse. I don’t know what possessed him. I’ve never stole anything except for a little candy when I was a kid. We were looking for work up until then,” the boy whispered between gasps for breath.
“What’s your name, son?” Finnie asked.
“It don’t matter. I don’t want Momma to know how it ended anyway,” he said and closed his eyes.
The boy’s breathing continued for another five minutes, growing shallower until it stopped all together.
“Do you think that we did wrong?” Finnie asked.
“No, they could have stopped riding with whichever one shot Ethan. If you ride with a horse thief, well then you are a horse thief. They chose to ride on and this is how it ended. I do feel badly for the boy. He never lived to be old enough to let life wise him up,” Gideon said.
“It’s a shame,” Finnie said.
“Yes, it is. It would’ve been a shame if Ethan died or does die too. It’s best to be a whole lot better with guns than these fellows were if you’re going to shoot people and steal horses,” Gideon said.
“What do we do now?” Finnie asked.
“I guess we’d better ride all night and haul them out of here as soon as we can. I don’t want to be explaining why a sheriff from Colorado is in New Mexico with four dead men,” Gideon said.
They saddled the horses and strung them together with a lariat before laying the bodies across the saddles and tying the dead men’s hands and feet to the stirrups. The proceedings took a good hour and the moon had risen high by the time they mounted.
“This is going to make for a long night and those bodies will be stinking by the time that we get back,” Finnie said.
“You’ve got to admit that it beats being one of the dead ones though,” Gideon reminded him.
“Just give me the bottle. I need a good swig to get through this night,” Finnie said.
Gideon pulled the bottle out of his saddlebag and took a deep pull. “Me too,” he said before handing the bottle to Finnie.
The travel was slow as they were forced to go at a walk through the night. Sometime before dawn, they came to the tepee of Farting Jack. The old man sat by the campfire cooking and on hearing the hoof beats, he let out a howl and began dancing around the fire. Gideon howled back and the old mountain man beckoned them in for some fried catfish.
“I always make out like I’m crazy if somebody approaches in the night. The meanest man in the world won’t mess with a crazy person. They’ll give you a wide berth,” Jack said as the men dismounted.
“I expect you’re right about that,” Finnie said, still feeling the hairs on his neck standing up from the old man’s startling howl. “I’ll take the horses down to the lake to get a drink.”
“I see that you got you quarry,” Jack said.
“That we did. They were amateurs and had no business stealing a horse and shooting Ethan,” Gideon said.
“I guess that we all make bad choices that if we’re lucky enough we get to live to regret,” Jack said.
“Amen to that,” Gideon said.
The three men dined on the catfish and Finnie raved about it being the best that he had ever eaten. Jack offered them his tepee for a nap before they headed on their way, but Gideon was anxious to get out of New Mexico and check on Ethan.
“If you ever get up near Last Stand, make sure that you come and look me up,” Gideon said as they climbed into the saddles.
“I expect you haven’t seen the last of me, you German devil,” Jack said.
“So long, Jack,” Finnie said.
“You’re alright for a potato lover,” Jack said.
Gideon and Finnie rode on through the morning. They occasionally met another rider, but did not speak. Each time the passerby rode away and just stared at the bodies. In the afternoon, Gideon felt sure that they were back in Colorado and stopped at a stream. They tended to the horses before crawling under a tree and sleeping for a couple of hours. By the time that they arrived in Last Stand, they were asleep in the saddle.
Chapter 12
Zack decided to ride over to check on Abby. He wanted to please Gideon and offer her his assistance in any chore that she might need done. Abby stood out in the yard feeding chickens as he arrived.
“Hey Zack, what brings you over here?” Abby called out as she shaded her eyes with her hand to see him.
Zack climbed down from his horse. “Gideon asked me to check on you to see if you needed help with anything, so here I am.”
“The cattle are fine. They are grazing where they’re supposed to and everything else is new enough that it hasn’t broken yet,” she said.
Zack stood there looking uncomfortable. “So you don’t need me to do anything?” he asked as if disappointed.
Abby studied him trying to figure out what was going on until it dawned on her that he wanted to talk about Joann.
“Why don’t you come in and have some apple pie with me? I’ve been craving it something fierce since I’ve been carrying this baby. Sarah gave me some apples from her cellar and the pie should be cool enough by now and I could use some company,” Abby said.
Zack followed her into the cabin where she directed him to sit at the table while she got them each a glass of milk and a slice of pie. He politely waited for Abby to take the first bite before he tasted the pie.
Abby closed her eyes and looked as if she was having a spiritual moment. “Oh my goodness, that hits the spot. You can’t imagine what it’s like to have cravings when you are with child.”
“No, I can’t,” Zack said and chuckled.
“I wrote Joann and told her that she is going to be a sister again, but I haven’t heard back from her yet,” Abby said.
“This pie is really good,” Zack said and then cleared his throat. “I hoped to talk to you about Joann.”
“What do you want to know?” Abby asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. I missed her bad enough before she sent me the letter and now I can’t stop thinking about her. I thought about maybe heading up to Wyoming when Ethan gets better. What should I do?” Zack said.
Abby had to have another bite of pie before she answered. She needed to think of a good answer anyway. “To be honest with you, Zack, I don’t know what you should do. Joann is so spirited that it makes her hard to predict. Maybe you can go up there and sweep her off her feet, but I’m afraid it’s more likely to get her dander up and she won’t have a thing to do with you. I expect that she will come for a visit when the baby is born and that might be your best chance to win her back if it’s not already too late. Love is a tricky thing.” The more that she talked, the more the hope seemed to be seeping from the young man.
“I’m sorry I bothered you. It’s not your problem and I just need to move on,” Zack said dejectedly.
“Zack, I care deeply for both you and Joann, and I want to see you both happy. I have to believe that it will work out for the best no matter how it turns out. If it’s not Joann, you will find the right one someday,” Abby said.
“What about you and Gideon?” Zack said. “Oh, I’m so sorry. That sounded like an accusation and it wasn’t. I just meant that you two should have been together.” He blushed by the time that he stopped talking.
Abby didn’t know what to say. She didn’t find Zack’s words insulting, but he certainly had put her on the spot. “You got me there and I don’t have a good answer. I guess if you are as sure that Joann is the one as I was about Gideon, you should at least go down with a fight. I wish that I had.”
Gideon walked in just as the silence grew awkward. “I’m back,” he announced.
Abby arose from the table and walked over to greet her husband. “I missed you,” she said before kissing him.
“I missed you too. How is Ethan doing?” Gideon said.
“That’s good to hear,” Gideon said.
“Did you find them and get Ethan’s horse back?” Abby asked.
“Yes, we found them and I have Pie tied up outside and will run him over to Ethan after I rest. We did a lot of riding,” Gideon said.
“Did you capture them or kill them?” Zack asked.
“They’re all dead. They put up a fight and they certainly weren’t experienced outlaws. If you are going to shoot people and steal their horse, well then you had better be a whole lot better at your trade than those fellows were,” Gideon said.
“Do you want me to take Pie back? I was just getting ready to leave,” Zack said.
“I’ll bring him over. I wanted to see Ethan anyway,” Gideon said.
“Good, I’ll be able to check the herd that way and not have to stop at the cabin. I’ll see you later,” Zack said.
“Were you over here trying to win my woman away?” Gideon teased.
“I was trying to get advice on how to win your daughter back,” Zack said.
“Don’t give up yet. Joann’s fair game until she says ‘I do’. And thanks for checking in on Abby,” Gideon said.
“I got to go. Thanks for the talk, Abby. See you later,” Zack said and headed out the door.
Abby cut herself another piece of pie. “You can’t believe how I’m craving pie. I think this is the best one that I’ve ever baked. Do you want a piece?” she said.
Gideon looked at her in amusement. Failing to hide his smile, he wasn’t about to ask for a piece of pie with the way that she brandished the knife that she had used to cut it. The pie appeared to be a little too precious to Abby to risk depriving her of the rest of it. “I’ll sit here and talk with you while you eat it and then I’m going to rest,” he said, relieved that she was too preoccupied to notice the smirk on his face.
∞
After taking a nap in the jail, Finnie walked to the Last Chance to let Mary know that he had returned and could resume helping her in the morning. Word of the return of Gideon, Finnie, and the four bodies had raged through the town like a wildfire so that his appearance in the saloon came as no surprise. Mary was bartending as he walked up to the bar and sat on a stool.
“You look none the worse for wear. I’m glad to see that you two scallywags made it back safe and sound,” Mary said.
“That we did. We lived to tell the tale one more time. I had a bullet come close enough that it burned me,” Finnie said.
“You need to be more careful. I’ll probably live the rest of my life and never get to hear another Irish accent like yours,” she said as she dried a beer mug.
“I don’t think that would be much of a loss. I haven’t exactly made my mark on this world,” he said.
“You’re looking a whole lot better than when you first got here. Your eyes are clearer and you carry yourself like you matter now. Do you need a drink?’ Mary said.
Finnie thought for a moment, trying to decide what to do, before saying, “I think I’ll have a beer. I’m doing pretty good today and I might as well be good when I can. Who knows what I’ll be like tomorrow.” He chuckled nervously after his confession and looked down at the bar to avoid looking at Mary.
“I got a deal for you,” Mary said, placing her hand on his arm. “Homer is coming to tend bar at five o’clock and I don’t think we’ll be that busy tonight. You go get yourself cleaned up and I will buy you dinner at the hotel. You can charm me with that accent all you want.”
Finnie looked up into Mary’s dark eyes and they were staring back at him. Her gaze unnerved him a little and he was dumbfounded at the invitation. He stammered badly while trying to figure out what to make of the request. The idea that an attractive woman wanted to have dinner with him was almost beyond his comprehension. Finally marshaling the easy charm that he normally used to disarm women, he said, “Eating a fine steak in the company of a wonderful lass such as yourself will make for a most pleasant culinary experience.”
∞
Gideon awoke from his nap in the afternoon, surprised to find Abby curled up beside him asleep. Watching her for a moment, he decided that she was even more beautiful now that she was pregnant. She had a glow about her. As he rolled his feet to the floor to sit on the edge of the bed to put his boots on, she awoke.
“I could get used to this. This baby is wearing me out more than Winnie or Joann did,” Abby said.
“I’m sure it has nothing to do with your age. This baby is probably just being difficult since it’s mine,” Gideon teased.
“That’s just what I thought. There’s no other good explanation,” she said as she sat up.
“I’m going to take Pie back to Ethan and see how he’s doing. I shouldn’t be that long,” Gideon said before leaning over and giving her a kiss.
“I’ll be here,” Abby said.
As Gideon walked out of the room, Abby still sat on the bed looking as if she was contemplating whether she would get up or go back to bed. Once outside, he noticed how exhausted and thin the horses looked from all the travel. They would need a couple of days rest and extra feeding to bounce back. He rode to Ethan’s cabin at a leisurely pace so not to strain them any further.
He rode up to the cabin and saw Doc’s buggy parked in the yard. Benjamin sat on the swing, gliding back and forth.
“How is your pa feeling today?” Gideon asked.
“He’s feeling poorly. He was real good yesterday. I’ve been helping Zack run the ranch,” Benjamin said proudly.
“Well good for you. I knew that you would be a big help to him. You probably have to tell Zack what to do,” Gideon said.
Benjamin smiled at Gideon. “I see that you got Pie back. Pa has been worried about you and that horse.”
“I had to get him back or your pa would’ve never let me live it down. I would’ve had to resign as sheriff. I’m going to put him in the barn and feed him and I’ll be right back,” Gideon said as he led the horse away.
After returning from the barn, Gideon went into the cabin and saw no one. He walked back to the bedroom. Sarah and Doc were sitting in the room watching Ethan sleep. Lines of worry etched the doctor’s face and Sarah had dark circles under her eyes and looked pale. Her appearance made Gideon worry. Sarah had been through so much in the last year and he wondered how much more that she could take.
“How is he?” Gideon asked.
“He’s running a fever today. No bad, but it still has me worried. It’s a sure sign of infection and there’s nothing that I can do for him either. He’s going to have to fight it off himself,” Doc said.
“I’m not going to stay. When he wakes, you can tell him that Pie is back in the barn,” Gideon said.
“Did you catch them?” Sarah asked.
“They’re all dead. We charged them and they tried to put up a fight,” Gideon said.
“Thank you. It should do Ethan some good to know that you and Pie are back. He has been more worried about that than himself,” Sarah said.
“Is Zack taking care of things? If anything needs doing, just let me know,” Gideon said.
“No, he’s been doing a fine job. He’s come a long ways in a short time and I think staying busy keeps his mind off his woman troubles,” Sarah said.
Ethan opened his eyes and saw Gideon.
“You made it back, I see,” Ethan said.
“I did and you have a horse out in the barn that needs your attention. He’s a little run down from all his travels. We all know how picky you are with him,” Gideon said.
“That’s right. I can always find new friends or a new wife, but a horse like that is hard to find,” Ethan said with a smile before drifting back off to sleep.
Chapter 13
After a good night of sleep, Gideon arose anxious to get back to trying to solve Mr. Druthers’ murder. He had risen a half–hour earlier than normal, fixed b
reakfast, and had it eaten while Abby slept. Walking into the bedroom, he smiled at seeing her snoring softly and wondered how his usually active wife would handle all the additional rest that the baby would require. Kissing her on the forehead, he told her goodbye and received a mumbled answer that he knew that she wouldn’t remember.
He rode Snuggles to town to give Buck some time to recuperate from their travels. Walking into the jail, Gideon found Finnie freshly shaved and sitting at the desk. The smell of coffee filled the air, a chore that Finnie had shown no inclination to attempt.
“I didn’t know that you knew how to make coffee,” Gideon chided.
“I got up early and wanted some. If you remember, I made some on the trail,” Finnie reminded him.
“You look as perky as a colt on a spring morning,” Gideon said.
“Well, you aren’t going to believe what happened to me after you went home. I went to see Mary to let her know that I had returned and she invited me to dinner at the hotel. We had a grand time talking and joking. She told me all about growing up in the orphanage and about the murder of her husband after they homesteaded here and she wanted to know everything about Ireland. I can’t remember the last time that I had a nice meal with a lady. It made for quite an evening. I don’t know what to make of it though. Why would Mary do that? Do you really think that she’d be interested in somebody like me?” Finnie said.
Gideon was pouring a cup of coffee and almost overfilled it while listening to the surprising revelation. Finnie’s news couldn’t have been any more shocking than if the murderer of Minnie Ware walked in and confessed. His mind raced on what to say if Finnie started asking questions. He had never discussed Mary’s past with Finnie and he had no idea if his friend knew that she had been a whore or that he’d been one of her customers when he first came back to town. Thinking of himself as one of her customers made him feel sordid. Mary and he had had feelings for each other and he wondered how Finnie would feel about that. Gideon had not had one moment of regret for choosing Abby over Mary, but as he sat down in his chair, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealously at the thought of Mary interested in another man. “I don’t know what to make of it. I’ve never known Mary to take someone to dinner. At the very least, I would say that she’s very fond of you,” he said.