by Barbara Goss
“Don’t cry! I didn’t say I wouldn’t talk to Madison Greenlee. Let me pray about it.”
“But Logan, sometimes you say you’ll pray about something, and then I never get the answer to my question.”
“Like when?”
“Like when I asked you if we could get a cow or goat so we could have fresh milk?”
“You know, love, money is tight just now. I did pray about it, and if we sell some land, we can get one. Which would you like?”
“Whichever is the easiest to care for.”
“I’ll get you a cow as soon as Pedro agrees to buy some of our land.”
“And some furniture?”
Logan held up his right hand. “I promise.”
“And what about talking to the mayor?”
Logan looked into her pleading, tear-filled eyes, and sighed. “All right. I’ll do it.”
“More tea, Annie?” Paulina offered. “Felicia?”
“Yes, please. It’s delicious. Don’t you think so, Felicia?”
“Yes.” Felicia held out her empty cup.
“So, are you two with me?” Paulina asked as she set down the teapot.
“I love the idea,” Felicia said. “I bet more than half the women working in saloons are doing it because they have no choice.”
“We could tell them about God and how he’ll forgive them if they turn their lives around,” Felicia said. “How soon can we begin?”
“I only see one problem with the plan,” Annie said. “If the women quit their jobs at the saloon, where will they work?”
Felicia and Paulina nearly choked on their tea. Paulina said, “I never thought of that.”
“That does present a problem,” Felicia said. “We have husbands to turn to.”
“Wait!” Paulina said excitedly. “Men outnumber women ten to one in this town. We’d also have to play matchmaker.”
“Why, I bet there are a lot of men who’d love to marry a pretty woman and settle down,” Annie said. “Felicia, you could give them all fabulous hairdos, and I can run the match-making service with Paulina.”
“Now, I’m really excited,” Paulina said. “We could put an ad in the local paper after we get several women to turn their lives over to God and quit the saloon.”
Felicia laughed. “And I bet many will be thrilled about quitting the job and getting themselves a husband and home, too.”
Paulina poured them all another cup of tea. “This will take some time and planning, but I know we can do it.”
Since Paulina orchestrated get-togethers between the three couples, Logan began to warm to Annie. He could see how much she cared for Woody, and how much she’d changed him. People really could change. And his lovable wife played a big part in it. He was proud of her. All three women had grown up in less than desirable families or circumstances, and they had all taken a wrong turn when they'd escaped their homes, but they'd finally found their ways. Logan was also proud that they wanted to save as many saloon women as they could, and he had to admit: they had a good plan.
Pedro bought ten acres on the left of his and Paulina’s home, along the road, and Woody was promised the ten acres on the right. He’d have to hold it until Woody could come up with the money. Woody finally found a job working at the local livery. Soon, they’d all be living as neighbors. It made him feel better about having to leave Paulina when he had to drive cattle to market in San Antonio, because she’d never be alone.
Now all he had to do was talk to the mayor about Annie. The trial was in one week, so he made a special point to see him as soon as possible.
Logan and Paulina went to the new Laredo emporium to pick out some new furniture, only to discover the furniture had to be ordered from a catalog.
They paged through the book, shocked at the prices. Since the furniture had to be shipped via railroad, the shipping was automatically added to the price of the item.
Paulina slammed the catalog shut. “We can keep what we have for a while longer.”
“But I know you have your heart set on new furniture, especially a settee.” Logan tried to reopen the book, but Paulina put her hand on it.
“Someday, we’ll be able to order whatever we want, but like most young couples, we have to live within our means until we’re more successful. You’ll be selling cattle, and Annie, Felicia, and I will charge the men for being matched with women. We’ll have to be patient, is all.”
“Let me at least order a new settee,” Logan said.
“No, I refuse to pay these outrageous prices. Let’s go home.”
“Excuse me,” the store proprietor, Harvey Goodman, said, “I couldn’t help but hear part of your conversation. Old Mrs. Montgomery died last month, and her daughters are selling some of her furniture. You might want to take a ride out to see what’s left.”
Paulina’s eyes lit up, and she smiled at Logan. “The Lord will provide.”
By the end of the day, their farm wagon was full of old but beautiful furniture from the Montgomery estate.
Chapter Seventeen
The day of the Washburn brothers' trial, Woody parked his buggy in front of the courthouse. Annie gasped as he helped her from the buggy.
Woody quickly glanced from right to left. “What? What is it?”
“Oh, no!” Annie covered her mouth with her gloved hand.
Woody sighed. “What’s wrong, now?”
“I messed up, yet again.”
“Will you please explain yourself?”
“See that man leaning against the wall of the courthouse?”
Woody turned, saw the man, and then nodded at Annie.
“That’s the third Washburn brother, Wilbur. I’d forgotten all about him. He’s the oldest. He’s nastier than a wounded billy goat.”
“I don’t see why that’s such a calamity,” Woody said, taking her arm. “C’mon, or we’ll be late.”
“Don’t you see? He’s here for a reason. He’s planning something.”
“What could he possibly do, shoot up the courthouse and ride off with his two brothers who’ll be guarded?”
“I don’t know, but I have a sick feeling about this. Why would he come here? He lives all the way in Fort Worth.”
Woody quickly kissed her on the lips. “You worry too much. He’s here to see the trial like everyone else. Once he’s inside, there are guards and the sheriff’s men all around. He can’t do a thing to stop the proceedings.”
“You’re right, of course.” Annie put her hand through Woody’s arm, and they began to walk toward the courthouse.
“Paulina!” Annie called, waving when she saw her and Logan walking up to the courthouse from the other direction. She realized that, once again, she’d messed up. As soon as she said Paulina’s name, she noticed Wilbur Washburn stand up straight and reach for his gun. She stiffened in horror as he pulled his gun out and aimed it at Paulina and Logan. Annie felt her arm drop from Woody’s as he began to sprint toward Logan and Paulina. He threw himself at the couple, knocking them both to the ground. The bullet from Wilbur’s gun went over their heads.
Annie crouched near their buggy’s wheel and watched in horror.
Logan rolled on top of Paulina who was lying face down on the courthouse lawn, and he fired back at Wilbur. Wilbur fled to a nearby tree and kept firing at them from behind it, making him a hard target to hit. Woody sat up in front of Logan to get better aim at Wilbur, but one of Wilbur’s bullets hit Woody in the chest and he fell to the ground.
Hearing the commotion, the sheriff ran out of the courthouse and had his men surround the area. One of the men got behind Wilbur and shot him in the back.
All this time, Annie stood frozen by the buggy, praying. When it was over, she ran to Woody’s side.
“He saved our lives,” Logan said as he tried to open Woody’s shirt. “Someone get Doc Franklin!”
One of the sheriff’s deputies ran for the doctor. Logan looked up at Annie and asked, “Who in tarnation was that guy, and why was he trying to kill us?”
Annie cringed. “I forgot all about the third brother, Wilbur. He was waiting outside the courthouse.”
The sheriff and a few of his men carried Woody to the doctor’s home where he had a small clinic set up. Annie, Logan, and Paulina waited in another room while the doctor finished working on Woody. When the doctor finally came out of the clinic, he simply shook his head.
“How bad is it?” Annie asked tearfully.
“Any gunshot wound to the chest is serious,” Doc Franklin said. “I did all I could. The rest is up to Woody. I’ve seen men die of lesser injuries and seen men survive worse ones.”
“What can we do?” Logan asked.
“Pray. Sit by his bed and give him water. The most important thing to do is to watch for a fever.”
“Can we take him home?” Annie asked.
“I think he needs to stay here for a while,” Franklin said. “I gave him a strong dose of chloroform, so he’ll be sleeping for hours.”
Logan stood. “I’m going back to the courthouse to see what’s to be done about the trial. I’ll be back with refreshments from the café, and we can all spend the night with Woody.” He kissed Paulina, who he thought still looked dazed, and patted Annie’s shoulder. “He’ll pull through, you’ll see. He’s too stubborn to let a Washburn get the best of him.”
At some point during the night as the three watched over him, Logan said, “The day I apologized to him, he told me he’d make it up to me. I reckon he just did.”
Logan discovered the trial had been postponed, since the surviving Washburns were grieving their brother’s death. The judge allowed them a week and then the trial would begin.
During the long week before the trial, Woody continued to recover, much to everyone’s delight. He went home, where Annie nursed him. Due to his condition, he wouldn't be able to attend the trial. Pedro and Felicia offered to sit with Woody while Annie went to watch the trial and testify against Otto.
The first day of the trial was a hot Texas day, and the courthouse windows were all open wide. The judge sat at the front of the courtroom behind a wooden desk, while the sheriff and his deputies stood at attention around the room. The women fanned themselves, and the men loosened their collars. It was evident they all wished the trial would be over quickly.
The lawyer defending the Washburn brothers was Aaron Scraggly, a well-known, low-priced, lawyer who did mostly civil cases, known by the nickname, "the Scrag." He had a dicey reputation, and Logan didn’t trust the man at all. He was a corpulent man who walked with a cane, though he was only in his forties.
Logan was the first witness called. He told his story and pointed to the two Washburns when asked to identify the men. Aaron Scraggly had no questions for Logan, much to Logan’s relief.
Next to testify was Paulina. Logan felt more nervous for her than he had during his own turn at testifying. Still, she seemed confident. She explained how she'd heard voices from beneath the pile of passengers and how she'd recognized the same voices when she'd heard them on the trail and in El Paso.
Roy Walker commenced to blindfolding Paulina, telling her to identify Homer Walker’s voice. The judge ordered everyone to silence; Logan thought he must have had previous knowledge of what was to happen next. Logan, however, tensed, because he had no idea what was going to happen. The attorney hadn’t mentioned he'd planned to blindfold his wife.
Walker gave a man in the spectators' area a piece of paper. The man stood and read the words, “We’ll meet in El Paso.” Walker had two other men in the spectators' area read the same sentence, and then he gave the note to Homer.
Aaron Scraggly stood and raised his hand to object, but the Judge stood and pointed to him with his finger on his lips. Scraggly sat down. The judge pointed to Homer and nodded for him to read the note. Homer did, and Paulina cried out, “That’s Homer!”
“No further questions, your honor,” Walker said.
Scraggly stood to object, but the judge overruled his objection. He then gave Scraggly a chance to question Paulina.
Scraggly stood, walked over to the witness, got really close to her, and asked, “Isn’t it true that you met Homer at a saloon, and so you knew his voice from that meeting?”
“No, sir,” Paulina answered. “I told Logan the minute I heard his voice at the saloon that he was Homer, before I knew his name.”
“So you say,” the lawyer said. He turned and walked back to his seat. “No more questions for this witness.”
The next witness called to the stand was Arnold Jenkins. After he’d told his story and pointed out Homer as one of the three men, Scraggly stood up and objected. “The man’s old, and his eyesight is most likely poor. How could he recognize anyone from the woods?”
The prosecutor took out an eye chart, stood at the rear of the courtroom, and had Jenkins read all the letters. When he was done, Walker had Jenkins tell exactly who he'd seen shooting the driver, assistant, and passengers.
“No further questions,” Walker said.
Scraggly was perspiring profusely by then. He wiped his face with his handkerchief. “No questions, your honor.”
Homer seemed to be arguing with his attorney when the judge called for an adjournment until the following day.
The courtroom was packed, but it was a bit cooler, as the trial had started earlier in the morning. The first witness called was Annie Shaw. Paulina grabbed Logan’s hand and squeezed. He knew she was worried about her friend. Would her real identity come out? Otto knew who she was, and he could easily reveal her real name.
Logan saw Annie take a deep breath before answering Walker’s first question. Though she looked confident, Logan knew better.
Annie told her story, leaving nothing out. She admitted offering to kill Paulina for a thousand dollars, and she relayed how Otto had said that if she hadn't done it, he would have. He’d also make Paulina suffer. When she came to the part about being unable to accomplish the job, Logan saw Otto snarl at her. Annie remained unshaken—at least, she seemed so on the outside.
When she’d completed her testimony, Otto whispered something to Scraggly who stood to question the witness. “I have it on good authority that at the time, your maiden name was Annie—”
“Objection, your honor,” Walker shouted, standing. “Mrs. Shaw is not on trial, and her maiden name has no bearing on the trial of Otto Washburn's having hired someone to kill Mrs. McGuire.”
Scraggly argued, “But she’s wanted for—”
“Objection!” Walker yelled.
“Sustained!” the judge said. “Sit down, Mr. Scraggly, unless you have further questions, but Mrs. Shaw’s past has no bearing on your client’s case.”
Logan noticed the mayor sitting across the aisle smile at the judge and nod.
Epilogue
It took the jury just thirty minutes to announce Otto and Homer Washburn were guilty of murder and robbery; they were sentenced to hang.
Logan had mixed feelings. Yes, he wanted the men punished—Homer for killing his beloved sister, and Otto for wanting his wife dead—but it bothered him that the men would die rather than live their lives in a prison somewhere. He knew the Bible said an eye for an eye, but it also commanded, thou shalt not kill. Still, he knew he had to respect the laws of Texas and they were harsh there. He wouldn’t stand in line to watch the hangings, though.
Walker reminded him on his way out of the courtroom that they still had Hoddy and Sylvester to try. Those trials would be held back-to-back the following week. He’d have to testify again, as would Paulina. Walker also informed Logan that the mayor had spoken to the judge on Annie’s behalf, and there would be no penalties for her.
Hoddy and Sylvester were both found guilty and also sentenced to hang. All of those involved were relieved to finally have the trials and hangings over with.
The headstones for Katherine and Beatrice were finished and placed on their graves. Paulina and Logan visited them often, bringing flowers.
The couples moved on with their lives
. Pedro and Felicia were married and hired a construction crew to build their starter home. Woody and Annie were able to buy the land, and Woody was building the home himself. The couples got together often, and their friendships grew. Felicia, Annie, and Paulina continued to make plans for their ministry to convert saloon women into God-fearing, church-going women, and helping them to find husbands.
THE END
Preview – Next Book In Series
Lawfully Betrothed, by Ginny Sterling.
Ginny Sterling’s Lawfully Betrothed
Chapter One of Lawfully Betrothed
March 1841 Bright Star, Texas
Six-year-old Faye Miller took off through the cool shadows of the early morning mists. She knew that if her mother caught her running around again, she’d be in trouble. She loved the discussions that were held privately for some of the parishioners and wished that the younger children got to hear the fanciful tales as well.
Today was no different. She’d overheard her mother discussing the story of Noah with her father. It was to be the focus of their meeting after service today. His tale seemed larger than life, majestic, humbling. To believe that you were selected for something more, something monumental, seemed amazing. It was through such dedication and drive, belief that it would all pay off in the end that astounded her. Noah had blindly toiled away even while mocked in order to find his place and to serve.
She wanted to be selected, to be chosen.
Carefully, Faye laid down on her stomach on the mossy bank of the creek underneath the branches of the bushes. The sticks poked her and the tips of her shoes were in the mud, but she didn’t care. This was the best spot, the closest spot, she could access without being seen. Last time they’d been discussing the angel Gabriel. Their version of the angel was terrifying to her young mind. Wrathful, domineering, punishing as people failed to do God’s bidding. That wasn’t what she’d wanted to believe of him from their stories. She learned that perception was key to how things were received by others.
