by Duane Boehm
“I can do that. Gideon, for whatever it’s worth, you know that I’ll put Abby in my prayers,” Finnie said.
“Thank you, Fin. There’s one condition on being the deputy. You have to promise me that you won’t touch a drop of whiskey from now until I don’t need you,” Gideon said.
“Not a drop?” Finnie asked.
“None,” Gideon said.
“Could I have a beer if I got parched?” Finnie inquired.
Gideon let out a chuckle. “Yes, I wouldn’t want you parched, but you have to stop at one.”
“It’s a deal. I always stop at one beer,” Finnie said.
“Watch out for bees on your picnic. They love nectar from sweet things like you,” Gideon teased.
“I’ll say it again. Gideon Johann you are a haughty man,” Finnie said as Gideon walked out the door.
Returning to the jail, Gideon tried to get a handle on feeling overwhelmed. In the eighteen years that he had been away from Last Stand, he had gotten very good at going through life without feeling anything and living one day at a time. In the last year, he had gained a wife, daughter, stepdaughter, and now had a baby on the way and at times the responsibility overpowered him. The changes in his life had happened so fast that at times he wondered if he were capable of keeping up with them. He despised feeling weak and that is what he felt now. His mind wandered to all the scrapes that he had been in during the war and the years that followed. The realization slowly sank in that somehow, someway, he always got through them and he would do that now. He would not worry until he needed to and he would meet head–on the things that needed his attention.
Gideon had never had much of an opportunity to think over his conversation with Henry Starks concerning the rancher’s offer to help him secure a U.S. Marshal position. The additional salary and prestige that came with the job was enticing. He would also undoubtedly be able to offer Finnie a job as a deputy marshal. Additional travel was the only downside that he could see. He decided that the next time that he saw Starks, he would tell him that he was interested.
Doc stopped into the jail at ten o’clock to let Gideon know that he was leaving to go check on Abby and Gideon told him of her improved condition. He also asked Doc to pass word to Mr. Fredrick that it would be necessary to wait another week before searching the bank. Before leaving, the doctor walked over to the sitting Gideon. Placing his hand on the sheriff’s shoulder, he reassured him that everything would be just fine.
Gideon planned to stay in town until evening in hopes of receiving a telegram back from Joann. He decided to go see if Sarah could spend time with Abby in the afternoon. On the ride, the sky clouded over and the wind kicked up, but the rain never appeared. He found Sarah sitting in the yard scrubbing clothes.
Sarah looked up at him and said, “I didn’t think I’d see you for a while after you snuck off after riding with Ethan.”
Gideon grinned at her. “Now Sis, I couldn’t stay away from you for long.”
“You’re lucky I’m speaking to either of you. I planned to give Ethan the what for when he got back yesterday, but as he walked back from the barn, his walk had some spring to it. The ride did him good. So I guess I’ll let you live another day,” she said.
“That’s good to know. I would imagine death at your hands would be a tortuous affair,” Gideon said.
“Ethan is out with Zack now. I did let him know that if I saw that horse in a lather again that he would never hear the end of it,” Sarah said.
“You don’t miss anything, do you?” Gideon said.
“Not much,” Sarah replied.
“Abby was cramping and spotting blood yesterday. Doc has told her to stay off her feet until the baby is born and I want to stay in town to see if I get word back on whether Joann can come help. I wondered if you could go check on her this afternoon?” he said.
Standing up, Sarah walked towards Gideon, still sitting in the saddle. “Oh, Gideon, you must be worried to death. Of course, I’ll head over and I’ll make supper for you tonight. I had the same thing happen with Benjamin and after three miscarriages, I just knew that I would lose him too, but I didn’t, so don’t give up hope,” she said.
“I’m not. Doc thinks everything is okay and that she just needs to take it easy. You know how Abby is. She doesn’t want to admit that she is older this time and has been doing too much. I hope Joann can come and help. It sure would make things considerably easier,” Gideon said.
“I’ll head over as soon as I feed the men lunch,” Sarah said.
“I’m going to head back to town. I appreciate your help, Sis. One of these days I hope that life will ease up a little,” he said.
“Don’t count on that. This sure isn’t a place for sissies. I’ll see you later,” she said as Gideon turned his horse around.
As Gideon rode into town, he met Finnie coming down the street in a buggy. On first impulse, he wanted to give him a hard time, but thought better of it and nodded a greeting.
Finnie had talked Blackie into letting him use a buggy for the picnic in exchange for helping the blacksmith mend some tack. Mary couldn’t help but be impressed when he pulled up in front of the Last Chance. He took the basket and blanket from her before helping her into the buggy. Finnie wore a string tie that he had bought that morning and Mary was wearing the only store bought dress that she owned.
“Where shall we go?” Mary asked as Finnie joined her on the seat.
“I don’t have a clue. I really don’t know my way around here yet. I’ve only been out to Gideon’s place and to see Ethan. I’m open to any suggestions,” Finnie said.
“I have an idea. If it doesn’t bother you, we could go to where Eugene and I had our homestead. I haven’t been there since I moved to town,” she said.
“Point me in the right direction. I would love to see it,” he said.
“Just head straight out of town,” Mary said and pointed forward.
“Does anyone own it now?” Finnie asked.
“I don’t think so. It went back to being open range after I lost it and I think folks were too scared to buy it for fear that they would get murdered over it like Eugene did,” Mary said.
An uncomfortable silence fell upon them until Finnie said, “You look beautiful in that dress. You are the prettiest thing that I’ve ever seen.”
“You’re going to make an old whore blush and that isn’t easy to do. You look pretty handsome in that tie yourself,” she said.
“Thank you, but you shouldn’t call yourself that. That’s in the past and it should be left there. You are now what they call a proprietor,” he said.
Mary let out a laugh. “Gideon tells me the same thing and it does sound a whole lot better I must admit.”
Finnie began singing “Whiskey in the Jar” and other Irish songs and Mary joined in once she learned the words and melody. The Irishman had a strong clear voice and Mary’s alto blended very well with his.
“We don’t sound half bad,” Mary said between songs.
“You have a lovely voice. I think you must have some Irish in you somewhere,” Finnie said.
“That’s one thing that I will never know. I think I was literally left at the doorstep of the orphanage. It makes me wonder,” she said while pointing for Finnie to turn down a side road.
“It must have been hard,” Finnie remarked.
“There weren’t a lot of hugs, that’s for sure, but they did make sure that I got an education. I could do numbers better than all the boys could. That sure didn’t go over well,” Mary said.
“I bet not. Us men folk don’t take a shine to being out shone by a woman,” he said, laughing.
They started singing again until Mary motioned to Finnie as they reached the remnants of a path heading off to the right of the road. The trail was overgrown in tall grass and small brush.
“This leads to the homestead,” she said.
“From the looks of this path, it doesn’t appear as if anybody has been back here in a long time,” he sai
d as he began maneuvering down the trail.
“Probably not. I think everybody has forgotten that I had a husband and started out as a homesteader,” Mary said.
The path wound around for a good quarter of a mile before the cabin came into view. Except for the overgrown yard, the structure looked as if it could still be occupied.
“I haven’t laid eyes on this place in about four and a half years. The cabin looks like it has held up pretty well. We were only out here about a year and a half. We were going to build a barn the next year,” she said as she studied the cabin.
“It’s a fine place that you had here. I hope it doesn’t bring back too many bad memories,” Finnie said, noticing that Mary had become quiet and lost in herself.
“Memories are for when you get old. I’m fine. Under that tree over there would be a good place to spread the blanket,” she said, pointing to a cottonwood away from the cabin.
Finnie drove the buggy up to the tree and climbed off before helping Mary down. She grabbed the blanket and spread it on the ground with childlike enthusiasm while Finnie retrieved the basket.
“I can’t remember my last picnic,” Mary said as she plopped down on the blanket.
“Me either, unless you count every meal during the war. Do you plan to go inside the cabin?” he said.
“No, not today. Maybe some other time, but today is about us having fun and not the past,” she said as she began pulling food from the basket.
They began eating the chicken, beans, and bread that Mary had prepared. Except for Finnie’s bragging on her cooking, they talked very little as they ate. Finnie devoured three pieces of chicken, eating them as if he were starved.
“That food was fit for one’s last meal,” he said as he tossed a chicken bone into the grass. He stretched his legs out and leaned back, resting on his arms.
“So what do you want out of life before that last meal?” Mary asked.
“Oh, Mary, you are putting me on the spot. Until Gideon showed up, I was quite content to be a drunk. I don’t know now. That whiskey is a powerful thing. I’m trying to keep it at arm’s length, but I must admit that it still has hold of my sleeve. Besides beating the bottle, I don’t know what I want,” he said.
Mary raised herself off the ground and sat back down in Finnie’s lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she asked, “Do you want me, Finnie?” Kissing his mouth before he could answer, his body felt so tense against her that she wondered if he might snap in two. She kept kissing until she could feel him relax.
“Mary, are you sure that you want to go down this road with a bloke like me?” he asked when the kiss ended.
“Finnie, after the life I’ve led the last few years, I would never ever do this again unless I wanted to,” she said and kissed him again.
Her answer provided all the encouragement that Finnie needed. He returned her kisses with a desire that matched her own. Clothes started coming off at a frenzied pace and they made love, both tender and desperate. Finnie rolled over onto his back and Mary snuggled against him, throwing a leg over his.
“Best picnic ever,” Finnie said and let out a laugh.
“And you thought the chicken would be the best part,” Mary teased.
They drifted off into a nap, still naked. Finnie woke later to find Mary still asleep with her head resting on his shoulder. He began kissing her forehead until she woke up and looked up smiling at him. They made love again – this time long and slow.
While they were dressing, an awkward silence fell upon them. Neither of them dared say a word about how they felt about the other one. In fact, they both were confused and hesitant to admit to themselves how they really felt and were scared to death to know how the other felt.
As Mary returned the plates to the basket, she nodded towards the spot where they made love and said, “Now that you are a deputy for the week, this here should make the points of your badge stand up and shine.”
Finnie cackled and had to use his shirtsleeve to wipe his eyes. “Oh, Mary, you are a naughty girl. I’m not sure if they’ll stand up or fall off,” he said as they both burst into laughter.
∞
Doc walked over to the jail late in the day. He had been too busy with patients all afternoon to come see Gideon since his return from checking on Abby. He sat down in a chair across from Gideon.
“Abby is doing fine. In fact, she probably could start doing a few things around the house in a couple of days, but I’m not going to tell her that and neither are you. It’s best to play it safe and not take a chance on her over doing things. Before it is over, you might have to tie her to a chair. That girl is the restless kind. You need a good excuse for your daughter to visit anyway and she can keep Abby company,” Doc said.
“You’re the doctor and you know I always do what you say,” Gideon said lightheartedly.
Doc grunted and asked, “Have you got word back from Joann yet?”
“Not yet. I’m getting anxious. It sure would make life easier if she came and it would be great to spend time with her again,” Gideon said as he rubbed his hands together.
“By the way, I told Mr. Fredrick that you would be delayed in coming to the bank. He said to just send him word when you are ready,” Doc said.
The door to the jail swung open and the telegraph operator walked in carrying a telegram that he handed to Gideon. “It just came, Sheriff,” he said.
“Thank you, I appreciate you promptness,” Gideon said and then waited until the operator left before reading the telegraph.
“Well, hurry. What does it say?” Doc asked impatiently.
“She’s leaving tomorrow and should be here next Thursday. Hot damn. That’s a relief,” Gideon said.
Chapter 19
One day before Joann’s scheduled arrival to Last Stand, Gideon saddled Buck and began the ride to Ethan’s place. He really needed to get out of the cabin for a while. Most of the last week had been spent at home doing the cooking, cleaning, and whatever else needed doing. Thankfully, Sarah had brought them meals when her time allowed her because Gideon’s cooking left a lot to be desired. He tended to overcook everything, often to the point of burning the meat, and had to endure watching Abby and Winnie suffer through chewing food as tough as jerky while not complaining. Abby’s restlessness since being put on bedrest proved as contagious as the plague. Winnie and he would both get as fidgety as a preacher in a whorehouse around her and her moods were all over the place. She would be euphoric over the baby one minute, the next moment crying that nature was telling her that she was too old for more children, and later on ask Gideon if he regretted marrying her. He had taken to praying each night that Joann would be the companion that Abby needed to make all their lives easier.
Gideon wanted to ask Zack to pick up Joann when she arrived on the stagecoach. He knew that he could do it himself, but he didn’t want to stay in town any longer than necessary in case the stagecoach arrived late. The devilishness in him wanted to throw the two former sweethearts together right from the start. Figuring that Joann would probably do her best to avoid her former beau and that Zack would lose his nerve and go down without a fight, he would force them to meet right out of the gate and see how the winds blew. He had no intention of playing matchmaker, but wished to give Zack a fighting chance to win Joann back, whether he liked it or not.
Gideon found Zack and Finnie sparring in the yard with Ethan and Benjamin watching intently. Sarah and Mary were sitting in the swing on the porch busily talking. Everything stopped when Buck nickered and everybody saw Gideon.
“I guess I didn’t get my invitation,” Gideon said as he climbed down from his horse.
“How’s Abby feeling?” Ethan asked.
“She must be feeling fine because she’s about to wear me out,” Gideon said.
“Serves you right,” Sarah yelled from the porch.
Ignoring Sarah’s taunt and looking at Finnie, Gideon said, “I thought that you were supposed to be in town being my deputy. That’s why the to
wn is paying you.”
“That’s special coming from you. I’ve spent considerably more time this week being a lawman that you ever do,” Finnie said.
“I’m surprised that you and Mary could come out here all by yourself without asking my opinion about it first,” Gideon said to rile the Irishman further.
“You’re in rare form today. Why don’t you come down here and take Zack’s place and I’ll let you taste my haymaker,” Finnie said.
“No thank you. If I were to hurt my hand I wouldn’t be able to do the dishes or cook and such,” Gideon said.
Mary shouted, “All that domestic work must be making you mouthy.”
Deciding to aggravate some more, Gideon said, “Yes, I believe it is making me act like a woman.”
Pointing her finger at him, Sarah said, “Gideon Johann, you should be ashamed of yourself. Benjamin is going to think you are mean.”
“Benjamin and Ethan are the only two smiling. Everybody else seems to be taking things a little too seriously today. I thought Colorado winters made people a little more thick–skinned than this. I came here to talk to Zack anyway,” Gideon said and smiled devilishly at Sarah.
Stepping a couple of steps closer, Zack asked, “What do you need, Gideon?”
“The stagecoach is supposed to come in at two o’clock tomorrow and I don’t want to wait around down all day if it’s late. I hope that you can take Ethan’s buckboard and bring Joann to the cabin for me,” Gideon said.
“Why me? Ethan is feeling well enough to get her,” Zack stammered.
“I just thought that you would be the logical choice. Won’t you do it for me?” Gideon asked, sounding innocuous.
“You know I will, but I don’t think I’m the best choice. What am I supposed to say to her – glad you found somebody else?” Zack said.
“I don’t know about that. You’ll just have to figure that out for yourself. I just need somebody to pick her up and you came to mind. I want to see some of this boxing that Finnie has been bragging about you,” Gideon said. Everybody except for Zack was glancing at each other and smiling at Gideon’s scheming.
