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

by Duane Boehm

  “His fever is worse. I might as well head back to town. There’s nothing that I can do here,” Doc said as he arose from the chair and walked past Gideon into the front room.

  Gideon followed at the doctor’s heels. “Doc, he’s going to pull through this isn’t he?” he asked.

  The doctor pulled off his glasses and looked Gideon in the eyes. “It’s bad, Gideon. That fever is high and his lungs are full of infected phlegm. I tell you that I just don’t know,” he said and rubbed his chin.

  “Isn’t there something that you can do?” Gideon asked.

  “I wish there was, but I’m afraid Ethan is pretty much on his own. A cool rag on his head is about it. We’ve come a long way in medicine during my years of practicing and I suspect we have a long way to go,” Doc said.

  Gideon took off his hat and ran his hand through his mop of hair before puffing up his cheeks and exhaling slowing while rubbing his scar. “Life’s not fair. I should’ve died a dozen times with all the scrapes I’ve been in and poor Ethan has lived a good clean life and now might die because some cowboy felt mean when Ethan was out doing nothing more than checking his herd.”

  “Gideon, life has never been fair and never will be. That’s just the way it is and we all have to just keep moving forward one step at a time. I’m going back to town,” Doc said.

  The doctor returned to the bedroom to say his goodbyes and then walked outside to find Benjamin and Zack sitting on the swing with the boy’s dog, Chance, lying squeezed in between them. They had just returned from checking the herd.

  “Benjamin, say an extra good prayer for your pa. He needs it. He’s mighty sick,” Doc said.

  “Oh, I will. Don’t worry about that or Pa. He’s going to get better. I know it. When I prayed last night for him, I felt as if God told me that everything was going to be fine,” Benjamin said.

  “That’s good. I admire your faith and I guess it wouldn’t hurt me to have a little more of it myself. I’ll see you two tomorrow,” Doc said before climbing into his buggy and popping the reins to get his horse moving.

  Benjamin looked at Zack and in a voice as earnest as a preacher, said, “I’m going to marry Winnie when I grow up.”

  “That’s good to know. I like a man that knows what he wants in life. Winnie is a lot like her sister. They are both not meek creatures,” Zack said.

  “I asked Momma and she said that me and you would be brother–in–laws if I married Winnie and you married Joann. We would be related then,” Benjamin said proudly.

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’m pretty sure that Joann has her a new man up in the Wyoming Territory, but you are sort of like my little brother anyway so that sort of makes us related,” Zack said.

  “I could pray for you and Joann to get back together like I pray for Pa to get well,” Benjamin said.

  “I think God probably has bigger things to take care of than me and Joann getting together, but thanks. You’d best use all of your sway with God to pray for your pa,” Zack said.

  Gideon walked out onto the porch. “Benjamin, Sarah asked me to remind you to get the chickens fed,” he said.

  “Those darn chickens. I’m not going to have any on my ranch when I grow up,” Benjamin said as he slid off the swing.

  Gideon didn’t say anything else. He turned, walked back into the house and into the bedroom.

  Ethan opened his eyes and studied Gideon. “Gideon, you’re back. I always knew you’d return. What’s it been – close to twenty years? They must think I’m going to die if they sent for you,” he said.

  Gideon could hear Sarah begin to sob as he cleared his throat. Deciding not to confuse the situation by telling Ethan that he had been back a year, he said, “I didn’t come back to watch you die. I came back so that we can go hunting and fishing like we did in the old days. You need to get well.”

  Ethan nodded his head before drifting back off to sleep. Sarah bolted from the room, her sobs echoing down the hall as Gideon pursued her into the kitchen. He took Sarah in his arms and patted her back.

  “Don’t give up – never give up it. It’s not the way that you and me are made, Sis. We fight until the end,” he said.

  “I’m so tired of the struggles. Life shouldn’t be this hard and I’m not sure I’ve got much fight left in me. I don’t know what I will do if I lose him,” she said.

  “Ethan is strong and he has a lot to live for. Don’t give up on him. It doesn’t do either of you any good,” Gideon said.

  “It’s so hard seeing him that way. He’s always been my rock. And I’m so tired. I can’t sleep and there are moments where I feel I can’t go on,” Sarah said.

  “You have to keep your faith in Ethan. You just have to do it,” he said.

  “I’ll try. You had better get home. Abby never came over as she promised. I expect she is not feeling well,” she said.

  Up until that point, it had not occurred to Gideon that Abby would have been there if she could have. “I expect you’re right. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said and kissed her on the forehead.

  Concerned over Abby, Gideon rode home as quickly as possible. He found Winnie in the kitchen buttering a biscuit.

  “What’s going on?” Gideon asked.

  “Momma don’t feel good. I’m fixing her a biscuit and a glass of milk,” Winnie said.

  Gideon jogged to the bedroom to find Abby curled up in the fetal position. “What’s wrong,” he asked.

  “I had morning sickness that decided to last all day. I’m all right. I’m just sick to my stomach is all, but don’t worry. I think it must be a boy. The girls never felt like this. He’ll probably be as ornery as you,” Abby said.

  “Do you want me to go get Doc?” he asked, ignoring her attempt at humor.

  “No, just come sit by me and pet me a little. I just need some attention. Everything is fine. Really,” Abby said.

  Gideon sat down beside her and rubbed her shoulder. “I’m going to need a drink tonight with the way this day has gone,” he said.

  Chapter 14

  Abby felt like her normal self a couple days after her sickness. She got up in the morning with Gideon to make their breakfast while he did the chores. The bacon, eggs, and biscuits were waiting on him when he returned.

  “Breakfast smells as good as you look,” Gideon said.

  “Thank you, I guess. That’s not the most flattering compliment you’ve ever made, but I’ll take it anyway after the way I felt the last couple of days,” Abby said as Winnie joined them at the table.

  “I hope I don’t catch what you had,” Winnie said.

  Gideon and Abby burst into laughter.

  “I certainly hope you don’t either,” Abby said.

  “Why is that funny?” Winnie asked.

  Abby mouthed to Gideon, “Let’s tell her.”

  “Go ahead. I think it’s time,” Gideon said.

  “Winnie, I’m going to have a baby. You’re going to be a big sister,” Abby said.

  Winnie sat in silence. Gideon and Abby could both see her trying to sort out the news as if her senses were overwhelmed.

  Finally, Winnie asked, “Will you love it more than you love me since Gideon will be the daddy?”

  “No, Winnie. I could never love anyone more than I love you. Just like I don’t love Joann any more or less than I love you. It will be the same with the baby. It will take a lot of my time and you might feel neglected, but you can help me. You will be just like a little momma,” Abby said.

  “Ok,” Winnie said, seemingly convinced. “Do I get to name it?”

  Gideon chuckled. “How about we all name it together? We can make it a family decision.”

  “We could do that,” Winnie said approvingly.

  “Get to eating or you will be late for school,” Abby said to end the conversation.

  After Winnie had headed out the door for school, Gideon took his last sip of coffee and said, “Well, that went better than I feared it might.”

  “Me too. I th
ink as long as we keep Winnie involved, she will be fine,” Abby said as she began to clear the table.

  “I’m going to run by and see Ethan before I head to town. Doc didn’t say it, but I could see that he’s about given up hope. If Ethan’s not better today, I don’t think he’s going to have enough strength to get better,” Gideon said.

  “Don’t say that. There’s always hope. I can’t bear to think otherwise,” she said.

  “You haven’t seen him since you’ve been sick. He’s mighty weak,” Gideon said as he placed his hat on his head.

  Abby walked to Gideon and gave him a kiss. “I’m going to try to get over there and see if I can be of any help to Sarah. Things around here can wait another day. Maybe I’ll see you over there this afternoon if you get a chance to get away from town,” she said.

  “We’ll see. I’ll see you sometime,” Gideon said before walking out the door.

  Gideon saddled up Buck. He pulled off his jacket before mounting. The temperature was already warming up and the day would be a hot one for May. As he rode, he wondered how many times he had made the trip to Ethan’s place since he had started at about ten years old. He and Ethan had practically been inseparable until the allure of Abby had begun occupying his time before he joined the army. Riding into Ethan’s yard, he continued reminiscing about the old days to keep his mind off what he might find.

  He saw no one outside and let himself into the house. “Is anyone home?” he hollered.

  “I’m back in the bedroom,” Sarah answered.

  Walking to the bedroom, Gideon found Ethan sitting up and Sarah spoon–feeding him broth. Ethan smiled at him and said, “Hello, Buddy.”

  Gideon sat down in a chair. His legs felt limp and he was so overcome with a sense of relief that he had to check himself from getting emotional. “Well, hello to you too.”

  “I hear that I gave everybody a scare,” Ethan said just before Sarah shoved the spoon into his mouth.

  “That you did, my friend. That you did. I wasn’t scared of losing you, just how much work I would have to do around here helping Sarah,” Gideon joked.

  “That’s about the way I figured it,” Ethan said.

  Sarah fed the last spoonful of broth before standing. “I’ll leave you two be. I got things to do around here since I haven’t been able to get much done. Ethan has been as much trouble to nursemaid as you were last year. You men are a bothersome lot of trouble,” she said as she left the room still smiling.

  “I guess she told us,” Ethan said.

  “I always thought that you had married yourself a mean one,” Gideon said.

  “It changes you, doesn’t it?” Ethan said.

  “What’s that?” Gideon asked in confusion.

  “Almost dying,” Ethan said.

  “Yes, it does. It makes life sweeter and the mountains a little prettier. It’s sad that it works that way, but it beats the hell out of dying,” Gideon said.

  “Amen to that,” Ethan said.

  “I need to get to town. The city council is going to fire me if I’m not around there more. I’ll try to stop by tonight if I can. You scared the hell out of me. You get well,” Gideon said as he stood and shook Ethan’s hand.

  “Thanks for getting Pie back for me and being here,” Ethan said.

  “I’ll see you later,” Gideon said as he walked out of the room.

  Sarah stood washing dishes as he entered the kitchen. “Looks like you won’t have to be searching for a new man after all,” Gideon said.

  “No, but Abby might if I lay this fry pan upside your head. You shouldn’t say things like that,” Sarah said.

  “I’ll be able to concentrate now and not worry all day. He scared me, Sarah,” he said.

  “You and me both. Thank you for all you’ve done,” she said.

  Gideon smiled at her. “I think I still owe you. I’ll see you later.”

  After riding to town, Gideon started catching up on paperwork. His concentration had been so bad since returning with Ethan’s horse that he had not bothered to attempt it and needed to catch up. He never needed much of an excuse to neglect the deskwork anyway. The only break he took was to walk over and tell Doc that Ethan was much improved.

  Finnie walked in just before noon. Gideon had not yet seen him that day as the Irishman had already left for the Last Chance by the time he got to town.

  “Top of the morning to you. How is Ethan?” Finnie said.

  “He’s much better. I think he’s turned a corner,” Gideon answered.

  “Good to hear. I need to ride out to see him and keep my word to Zack on teaching him how to fight,” Finnie said.

  “You seem awfully cheery,” Gideon remarked.

  “That I am. I was torturing myself about what do over Mary. I thought what the hell, her turning me down couldn’t be any worse than what I was putting myself through and she said yes. We’re having dinner tonight,” Finnie said.

  “Good for you,” Gideon said.

  Finnie tossed Gideon a twenty–dollar gold piece. “Don’t say that Finnegan Ford doesn’t pay his debts.”

  “I didn’t say it. I never was worried about it,” Gideon said.

  “I know. Do you think that I’m foolish to pursue Mary?” Finnie asked.

  “No. She showed interest in you and you’re both adults that can say no whenever you want. You both deserve to enjoy some companionship,” Gideon said.

  “You still can’t really imagine us together though, can you?” Finnie said.

  “I never said that either,” Gideon said.

  “I didn’t say that you said it. I said that you couldn’t imagine it,” Finnie responded.

  “It surprised me, I must say, but it’s not like I go around trying to match couples up in my head. That’s something women do,” Gideon said defensively.

  Finnie let out a belly laugh. “I love riling you. It’s just like the old days. I must admit that I can’t imagine us together either, but there’s a lot worse things than having a pleasant dinner with a fine looking woman.”

  Putting on his hat, Gideon stood and said, “I haven’t done my morning walk of the town. Townsfolk like to see their sheriff out and about. They don’t pay me to talk about your love life.” He walked out the door to the sound of Finnie’s roaring laughter.

  Gideon had not walked twenty feet down the sidewalk when he felt a bullet tear into the inside of his upper left arm before the sound of the shot had even reached him. He dove behind a water trough and checked his arm. The bullet had torn through muscle, missing the bone. His arm still worked, but it hurt like hell to move it. Trying to peek above the trough to find the shooter, another shot slammed into the water.

  Finnie heard the commotion and ran to the door. He saw Gideon pinned down and as the third shot rang out, he located the shooter in the second story window of the hotel.

  “Stay down until I get a gun,” Finnie hollered to Gideon.

  Running to the gun rack, he pulled two Winchester 73s out and ran back to the door. Leaning one gun against the wall, he braced himself in the doorframe and started shooting at the window as rapidly as he could cock the lever–action rifle, making it impossible for the shooter to return fire. “He’s in the hotel,” he yelled.

  Gideon drew his revolver and sprinted across the street and down the sidewalk towards the hotel. Bursting into the hotel, he kept his eyes on the stairs. A bloody man staggered down them. The shooter tried to cock his rifle using one hand and the butt of the gun shoved against his pelvis. Gideon crouched for a better angle and fired three shots in rapid succession into the man’s chest, sending the shooter falling down the staircase in a slow macabre tumble and leaving a trail of blood on the carpeted steps.

  Slamming his Colt into the holster, Gideon wanted to smash something and he knew what it was. He marched two doors down the street and into the Lucky Horse. Several patrons were still standing at the window peering out. Cal had remained behind the bar during the gunfire. As Gideon hopped over the bar, he could see t
he fear in the bar owners face. Cal backed himself into the corner as Gideon preyed upon him. A fit of rage banished the pain from Gideon’s mind as he willed his wounded limb to grab Cal’s arm and then grasped the back of the man’s head with his other hand. He slammed Cal’s face onto the top of the bar causing the bar owner to scream. Grabbing Cal’s shirt collar, he slung him into the bottles of alcohol behind the bar, sending glass crashing and breaking to the floor. An overpowering smell of whiskey wafted through the air. Gideon drew his revolver and stuck it against the bleeding, broken nose of the bar owner.

  “You ran your mouth to whomever had Druthers killed that I’m still snooping around,” Gideon said as he cocked the Colt. “You tell them that I coming after them and the next time they better send a better shot. Do you understand?” Gideon yelled.

  Cal nodded his head before Gideon holstered his gun and walked out from behind the bar. The saloon was deathly quiet. The patrons were still standing by the windows, their backs now pressed against the glass as they watched Gideon.

  Finnie stood in the doorway. “Let’s get you to the doctor,” he said and took Gideon by his good arm.

  “You saved me this time,” Gideon said as they walked down the street and were joined by Mary.

  “How bad are you hurt?” she asked.

  “I think I’m okay. The bullet missed the bone, but it aches like all get out,” Gideon said. His anger had subsided and he became very aware of the pain shooting through his arm clear to his fingers.

  Doc stood outside his office as the three of them walked towards him. Holding the door open as the others entered, he didn’t say anything, deciding that any attempt to run off Finnie and Mary would be useless.