by Duane Boehm
Mary stood behind the bar when he entered the saloon. Sitting down at his usual table, she brought him a beer without his asking and sat down with him.
“You’re looking pretty today. I believe that carrying that baby agrees with you,” Doc said.
“Thank you, Doc. I do feel good,” Mary said.
“I heard about Gideon sticking you with that girl. How’s that working?” the doctor asked.
“Pretty good, actually. She’s a good worker. Gideon warned me about her, but I think he must have laid the law down because she hasn’t given me any trouble. She sure is curious about the whore trade though,” she said and laughed.
The doctor chuckled. “I would imagine after a life lived at Paradise that her image of this place must have been like Sodom and Gomorrah. The saloon probably hasn’t lived up to her imagination,” Doc said and took a sip of beer.
“Let’s hope not. How is John?” Mary asked.
“He’s getting stronger every day, but still sleeps a lot. I think the whole thing is awkward for both of us. We’ve been thrown together a little too much by circumstance while he recovers. I don’t know quite how to act and I don’t think that he does either,” Doc said.
“That’s to be expected. I think you should treat him like a new friend and not think about him being your son. Who would have ever thought that you and Finnie would hit it off? Approach him like that. At his age, it’s not as if he’s a child needing a father. You may find you have a lot in common or you may not, but I’m sure that you’ll get along. And deep down, no matter what, you’ll both know that you have a bond. Just let it take a natural course,” Mary said.
“That’s a good idea. I knew I came over here to see you for a reason. Working in a saloon must give you insight into every sort of human nature,” Doc said.
Mary laughed. “Some that I’d just as soon not know.”
“I’ll give it a try,” Doc said.
“Take him in your buggy to see the mountains and stop in to visit Ethan and Sarah and run by Abby’s place. You’ll get yourself into trouble with those two ladies if you don’t introduce him anyway,” Mary suggested.
“You’re full of good ideas. Oh, by the way, I hear that congratulations are in order. Finnie came over to the office and told me. His chest was sticking out so far that I thought that he was going to bust his buttons,” the doctor said.
Mary held out her hand to show off her gold band. “See my ring. I do love that little Irishman. He about drives me crazy, but I love him. I know that we make an odd pair, but it works at least most of the time,” she said with a smile.
“Look at the bright side. There’ll never be a dull moment with Finnegan Ford as your husband. You’ll either be laughing or cussing at him all the time,” Doc said.
“That you can count on,” Mary chimed in.
“And I think that he’ll make a fine father for that baby too,” he said.
“I know he will. God knows what that poor little baby is going to look like,” Mary said as the two of them laughed.
Chapter 17
Walking out of the jail, Gideon spied Ethan on his wagon headed his way. The wagon pulled to a stop in front of the building.
“You look hard at it,” Gideon said.
“Nah, I had to come to town for some feed for the horses,” Ethan said as he climbed off the wagon.
“I haven’t had a chance to tell you, but the reward money came in and I had it put into your account,” Gideon said.
“I had to stop in the bank and Mr. Fredrick told me. Much obliged,” Ethan said.
“What are you going to do with all your new found wealth?” Gideon asked.
“Sarah decided that the cabin is big enough. It won’t be that many years until Benjamin moves on and the two of us don’t need the extra space. I’m a bit relieved to tell you the truth. I stopped by the general store and had Hiram order a set of china and a pearl ring for Sarah. I’m going to surprise her with them. She’s done without long enough. It’s the least I can do,” Ethan said.
“Well, aren’t you the romantic? I ordered Abby a gold picture locket. It’s going to have her initials engraved on the front and Hiram took a picture of all three of the kids to put in it. I can’t wait to get it, the engraving seems to be slowing down its arrival,” Gideon said.
“Well, we should make both of our wives happy,” Ethan remarked as he followed Gideon into the jail.
“Tell Zack about the money. I probably won’t see them until Sunday,” Gideon said as he took his seat.
“I will. That boy has begun digging his well. He’s about tuckered out,” Ethan said and sat down in a chair.
“I didn’t know that he was going to start without me or you helping him. I hope he knows what he’s doing. I don’t need Joann becoming a widow,” Gideon said.
“He says he’s helped dig a couple of them in Wyoming. I went to check it and the soil looks firm. I think he’ll be fine and I figured that maybe this Sunday the two of us could go help him,” Ethan said.
“I should’ve never brought that boy to Last Stand. I didn’t realize all the trouble he’d cause me,” Gideon joked.
“You don’t mean that. He makes a pretty good son–in–law,” Ethan said.
“You’re right, but it gives me something to complain about. I’m practicing to be like Doc when I get old. Sometimes it does feel as if I gained another person to have to watch over,” Gideon said.
“I suppose that’s true, but he has come in handy a time or two. We wouldn’t know what to do without him now,” Ethan said.
“Since you’re a preacher, what do you know about Paradise?” Gideon inquired.
“Not much. They’re not exactly friendly towards the other churches. In fact, they’ve always been downright hostile,” Ethan said.
“I kind of figured that. The old man died and now his son is running things. I got a girl that ran away from there because they were going to force her to marry,” Gideon said.
“I don’t know what to tell you besides they have a low opinion of all the rest of us,” Ethan said.
“You’re not telling me anything that I don’t know,” Gideon said.
“Well, I have to get home. Just wanted to stop by and say hi,” Ethan said as he arose from his seat.
“I’ll walk you out. I need to find Finnie anyway,” Gideon said.
Gideon walked down the street until he found Finnie talking to Mayor Hiram Howard in front of his general store.
“Is he trying to get my job?” Gideon asked the mayor.
“No, he’s just telling stories on you,” Hiram said.
“I don’t doubt it. Talking is his strong suit,” Gideon said.
“I’ve got customers to tend to. Did you need me?” Hiram asked.
“No, I was tracking down my deputy. Good to see you, Hiram,” Gideon said.
After the mayor returned inside his store, Finnie said, “What’s up?”
“We’re going to take a little ride to Paradise,” Gideon said.
“You’re not going to let go of what he said about Abby and Mary, are you?” Finnie asked.
“Probably not,” Gideon replied.
The wind had shifted to out of the west and cooled things back down to a normal temperature. Gideon wore Jack’s coat to ward off the chill even though the sky was clear and sunny. The land southwest of Last Stand flattened out into a hint of the plains farther to the east and made for easy travel. Finnie, in a fine mood from his impending marriage, sang Irish tunes as they rode until Gideon started a meaningless conversation just to shut him up.
For the most part, the inhabitants of Paradise lived on their homesteads, but a mini–village had sprung up around the church that included a hall, blacksmith shop, furniture maker, and four houses. All looked in good condition with fresh coats of paint that made for a tranquil appearance. The number of people walking around the village surprised Gideon as he rode up. The crowd quickly scurried to the church upon seeing the riders. Pastor Gordon appeared o
n the steps of the church by the time Gideon and Finnie pulled their horses to a stop.
“Sheriff, this is private property. You need a warrant to be here,” Pastor Gordon said before they had time to dismount.
“I’m not searching for anything. I’m just paying a friendly visit,” Gideon said as the church members gathered around their pastor.
With contempt dripping in his voice, Gordon said, “I’m not surprised that you wear a jacket made by those pagan Indians. It would go in keeping with your heathen ways.”
“I see that you are not much for Mark 12:31. Love thy neighbor doesn’t seem to be high on your list,” Gideon said with a snicker.
“Where is Charlotte?” the pastor demanded.
“Oh, she’s in good hands. Mary is taking care of her at the saloon,” Gideon answered.
“Damn your soul to hell. How dare you take one of God’s children and cast her lot with prostitutes. ‘Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.’ Sheriff Johann, you are that wickedness. You are an evil man and will know the bowels of hell,” Gordon shouted in his sermon voice.
Looking at the crowd standing around the pastor, Gideon said, “Any of you that don’t want to be forced into a marriage, come see me in town. We’ll provide for you. Spread the word.”
“Get off this land. If you think that you are going to persecute this church, you have another thing coming. As the Lord’s shepherd, I will see you smitten down like a wolf trying to attack the flock,” Gordon screamed.
Looking at Finnie, Gideon said, “Did that sound like a threat to you, Finnie?”
“I believe it did,” Finnie answered.
“Pastor, since I’m in a fine mood, I’m going to let your threat slide this time, but I’ll be waiting for you if you ever want to make good on it, but you better bring something more powerful than your hateful hot air. Have a blessed day,” Gideon said and spun Buck around, riding away at a leisurely pace.
“What did all that accomplish?” Finnie asked as he caught up with the sheriff.
“I came to let those people know that they didn’t have to have an arranged marriage if they didn’t want one. The rest of it was just icing on the cake,” Gideon said.
“He really got on your bad side, didn’t he?” Finnie remarked.
“He should’ve never brought Abby and Mary into this. He can say what he wants about me, but I will make him regret talking about them,” Gideon said, contempt rising in his voice with each word.
“What do you think he will do?” Finnie asked.
“I don’t have a clue. Probably nothing,” Gideon said and kneed Buck into a lope.
Chapter 18
Lunchtime filled the Last Chance with customers ranging from cowboys to store owners. Ever since Mary began offering the free meal with a drink purchase, business had exploded much to the chagrin of the hotel’s restaurant. One drink usually led to two and profit for the saloon owner. Gideon and Finnie sat at their usual table watching Mary and Charlotte darting around to keep up with demand.
As Charlotte brought the two lawmen their food, Gideon said, “I heard back from the sheriff in Toledo and he hasn’t located your family yet, but he’s still checking into it.”
“Thank you, Sheriff. God hasn’t smitten me down yet for working in a saloon and I’m pretty good at it or at least Mary tells me that I am,” Charlotte said.
“I think you are. Maybe God isn’t as harsh as some would lead us to believe,” Gideon said.
“No, sir, maybe not. I have to get back to work,” she said before scurrying away.
Finnie took a drink of his beer. “She’s sure a lot friendlier than our first meeting,” he said as he set down his beer.
“That she is. Changing the subject, Mary’s not going to be able to run around like that much longer. It’ll be too hard on her,” Gideon said.
“I know it. We’ve been talking about things and trying to figure out everything,” Finnie said.
Grinning at his friend, Gideon said, “Your life is about to get a lot more complicated.”
Ignoring the observation, Finnie asked, “What are we going to do about the hangings?”
“Unless something new comes up, there’s not much that we can do. You can’t arrest somebody if you don’t have a suspect,” Gideon said.
“You really don’t think his neighbor did it?” Finnie asked between bites of food.
“Not really and we couldn’t prove it if he did. We’re pretty sure that there was more than one. Maybe somebody will get loose–lipped,” Gideon said.
Finnie nodded his head before asking, “You’ve taken a shine to that jacket, haven’t you?”
“I guess it’s my way of keeping Jack’s memory alive. I do feel responsible for his death. I should’ve known he was too old to ask him to ride with me. We weren’t going on a picnic, but chasing a murderer,” Gideon said.
“He seemed fit enough when I met him last year,” Finnie remarked.
“Oh, he was fit enough, but he got careless. We’ve all done it, but I think he’d beat death so many times that he thought that he could charm bullets to miss him,” Gideon said.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Nothing good will come from it. If there ever was a more independent cuss that did as he pleased, I’ve never come across him,” Finnie said.
By the time they finished their meals, the lunch crowd had thinned out, and Mary joined them at the table. “Has Finnie told you about our plans?” she asked.
“Not exactly,” Gideon answered.
Mary gave her husband–to–be a look of dismay before speaking. “We’re going to try to find a house in town. I’m going to keep the baby here with me during the days until it’s old enough to be watched at home and Delta will quit the trade to run things in the evening. I didn’t want the whoring going on any longer anyway. We’ll be home every night with the baby.”
“You’re going to need more help. You aren’t going to be able to run around at lunch like you did today much longer and I’m not sure you can work with a baby here either. At least if that baby is anything like Chance,” Gideon said.
“You’re no fun. We’ll hire somebody to watch the baby here, but I’ll have to take breaks to feed it,” Mary chided.
“You’re going to spend all of poor Finnie’s reward money,” Gideon teased.
“Poor Finnie is the reason I’m this way,” Mary said with a giggle. “We’ll be fine, especially if nobody ever reopens the Lucky Horse.”
“Maybe you should buy the Lucky Horse just to make sure it stays closed and you could always open it back up if you want to be a saloon tycoon,” Gideon said.
Finnie cleared his throat. “You two are rattling like a church bell. It’s a sad day when an Irishman can’t get a word in edgewise. I feel like the roasted pig on the table with an apple shoved in my mouth.”
“You’re right about your life being cooked for sure. You’ll be washing out diapers and singing Irish lullabies here shortly,” Gideon teased.
Charlotte walked up to the table and stood beside Mary.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to go to the store and buy a bow with the money you gave me,” Charlotte said.
“I didn’t give it to you. You earned it. I’ll see you later,” Mary said.
“That seems to be working out well,” Gideon said as Charlotte walked out of the saloon.
“Yes, it is. I’d love to hire her if she ends up staying in Last Stand,” Mary said.
“Finnie, we better get out of here. The townsfolk will be thinking that they’re not getting their money’s worth out of us,” Gideon said.
Gideon left for a meeting with the mayor and the city council. Even though he had now been elected to the position of sheriff, they still liked to meet with him regularly as if he remained their appointee. For the most part, Gideon played along to keep from ruffling feathers and only pushed back when necessary.
Some of the counci
l members were not thrilled with Charlotte working in the Last Chance for fear of upsetting the Paradise congregation and causing its members to back their own candidate. Gideon defended his decision to protect the girl and then asked the council if any of them would like to volunteer to keep her. The council quickly moved on to another topic at that point.
With the meeting finally adjourned, Gideon walked back to the jail to find Finnie and Mary waiting for him there.
Looking at the expressions on their faces, Gideon said, “This can’t be good. What is it?”
“Charlotte never came back to the saloon. Finnie and I went all around town and nobody saw her after she bought her bow,” Mary said.
“Damn it. How in the hell did they take her in broad daylight and nobody see a thing. They’re more brazen than I thought. Well, there’s nothing left to do, but go out there and get her,” Gideon said.
After Mary headed back to the saloon, Finnie said, “You know that they’re not going to give her up without a fight.”
“I know, but they don’t have the guts to shoot us. I bet that if I’d knock the shit out of Gordon, the rest would hightail it like scalded dogs. Let’s quit talking and start riding,” Gideon said as he checked his rifle.
About halfway to Paradise, Finnie spotted a hair bow lying off to the side of the road. Stopping, he climbed down and picked it up. “I guess this ends any doubt,” he said before stuffing the item into his saddlebag.
Nobody lingered outside in the little village as they rode into the churchyard, but Gideon spied five men in open windows in the various buildings. No rifles were in view, but he realized that the men were surely armed. “I may have misjudged their will to fight,” he said to Finnie.
Pastor Gordon and Charlotte walked out of the church and into the yard. The girl had tears running down her cheeks and stared down at her feet, refusing to make eye contact with Gideon. Her pitiful state made her appear younger than her sixteen years.
