Rayne's New Beginnings

by Dannie Marsden

  “Oh, dear. I’ll let Doc know.” Bessie wrung her hands in her apron, a sure sign she was nervous.

  Tom briskly walked back to the office.

  “Why in hell is Mathews out of his cell and ridin’ with Sam outta town? Why in tarnation would he do something so stupid?”

  “Mathews wanted to say goodbye to his grandson so Sam handcuffed him and they left,” Mark said.

  “Shit. Didn’t you try to stop them?”

  “Saw no reason to, Sheriff. Sam had good control of the man.”

  “I’m headed for Rayne’s place. You stay here in case Sam comes back with Mathews. Then I want the man in his cell, he is not to leave for any reason. Got that?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Tom rushed out of the office and jumped on his horse, spurring it into a full out run.

  †

  “What’s the matter,” Sam asked as he rode back to where Mathews had stopped.

  “Horse started acting funny and I thought maybe he picked up a stone or something but I don’t see anything. You mind taking a look, deputy? Maybe you can see something.”

  “Course not, though I’m not sure how he would have picked anything up unless he threw a shoe.” Sam said as he jumped off his horse. He walked toward Mathews and took ahold of the foot Mathews held, and then bent over to examine it.

  He never saw the rock coming down.

  †

  After spending most of the day before at their picnic together and playing with Ben, Rayne and Lisbet both realized it was time to get back to work. Rayne declared that she had to go to the barn and catch up on some work out there. She grabbed her hat, and without thinking about it, her gun belt, which she strapped on as she walked out the door.

  Lisbet had been too busy watching Ben and enjoying their life together to notice Rayne’s actions. She was at the kitchen counter peeling potatoes for the evening meal, when Mathews walked in. With Sam’s gun in his hand, he quietly picked the boy up, and was backing up when Ben’s crying caused Lisbet to turn around.

  “What are you doing? Oh, God, no, please don’t.” She took a step forward.

  “Don’t get any closer now. You just stay where you are. The boy is going with me, while I’d rather not hurt you, keep in mind that if need be, I will. Where’s Rayne?” Mathews pointed the gun toward Lisbet.

  “I don’t know. She said she had some work that needed done.” Lisbet was hoping and praying that Rayne would come to the rescue.

  “Well then, I suppose it’s good for her that looking for her would take time I ain’t got. You know, now that I take a good look at you, I can see why that fella Dobson took a shine to you. If I weren’t in a hurry, I just might have the same ideas he did. Of course, I know lying with a woman other than my wife is a sin in God’s eyes, I wonder if he’d fault me, considering what you are, and all.”

  Oh God, how had he known about Dobson? No, don’t panic, you have to keep Ben here.

  Lisbet fought the nausea that threatened her. “Dobson was an evil man and he got what he deserved.” She tried to keep her voice calm.

  “Who are you to say what he deserved? You’re living here with Rayne and doing things that ain’t natural, you ain’t got no right to determine what’s deserved or not.” Mathews spat at Lisbet. “You think you and that whore deserve to raise my grandson? No, you don’t. I have no idea what Jason was thinking when he decided to come here. He knew nothing good could come from this Godforsaken place. But no, his precious Rayne was here and he was bound and determined to be here. Look where he’s at now…both him and that precious wife of his dead…and this poor boy with no proper mother or father to look after him.” Mathews continued.

  “Jason wanted to get away from you and whatever you did to him. He refused to allow his son to be around you and died because of that. You tell me his death was deserved?” Lisbet took another step toward the man.

  “Don’t you dare speak my boy’s name. You didn’t know him. He was stubborn, wouldn’t listen to reason. I didn’t do nothing…he always blamed me for Rayne running when all I ever wanted was to do right for him.”

  Lisbet had no idea what the man was talking about, but realized that she needed to keep him talking if she had any chance at getting Ben. Taking another step, she spoke softly, “Of course you did. That’s all any parent wants. Mr. Mathews, why did Jason leave home?”

  “He said I was pushing him too hard to be something he didn’t wanna be. But I wasn’t, Sinclair was more than generous with his offer and he never expected nothing of Jason that I didn’t. He paid good money. All the boy had to do was turn his eye now and again.”

  “What was he supposed to turn an eye to, Mr. Mathews?”

  “A person has to pay for what he has. He borrows money, he has a responsibility to pay it back. With a man like Sinclair, if he loaned you money, well, of course he wanted it paid back with interest and when that didn’t happen, well, certain things just might happen to you, you understand. Jason didn’t understand that, he just couldn’t make it right in his head when he was asked to look away if a building was set on fire, or a man was beaten…it…it’s a fact of life—sometimes accidents happen. As a law man, Jason wouldn’t just look away….” Mathews stared off at nothing.

  The whole time he was holding Ben while he talked and the boy was crying so hard and so loud that Lisbet prayed Rayne was close enough to hear him

  †

  Tucker’s ears popped up as did his head, yet he didn’t move. His eyes were staring at the double doors of the barn. When Rayne noticed that his attention was riveted on the barn, she dropped the shovel she had been holding and walked to the barn. When she reached the entrance, she spotted the horse that didn’t belong there and while her first instinct was to run to the house, something inside her told her to go slow.

  “Tucker, stay,” she commanded the dog and with her hand on the butt of her gun, she carefully and as quietly as she could, made her way to the house. As she stepped on to the porch, a board creaked and she cringed. She closed her eyes and prayed that no one heard. She didn’t know what was going on in the house but the hair on the back of her neck stood up and she had learned to pay attention that a long time ago.

  Ben was still crying in what she recognized as fear. She cinched her way toward the window and slowly peeked into the house. When she saw her father standing there with a gun pointed at Lisbet in one hand and Ben over his arm, her heart dropped. Her entire world was in that room with the man who would rather see her dead than to speak to her. She looked in again and saw Lisbet taking a step toward the man. Her brain shouted no. There was no way for her to communicate with the woman she loved and terror was working its way into her heart. If she stormed through the door, he could shoot either her or Lisbet. If she did nothing, Lisbet was going to try to do something on her own.

  What the hell am I gonna do?

  The only thing she could think of to do was get his attention focused outside. Reaching for the bucket that sat off to one side, she grabbed it as quietly as she could and tossed it toward the door. Sure enough, the gun fired at the door and the wood splintered on the exterior a minute before it flung open and Mathews rushed out. Turning his head to his left, he spotted Rayne and leveled the gun at her.

  Oh, God, this is it, I’m gonna die. Rayne ducked just seconds before the bullet whizzed by her head. And within the next seconds, Mathews was flying off the porch as Lisbet pushed her full weight into him and reached for Ben. Before he could recover, Rayne stood over Mathews with her gun pointed at him, and Lisbet was grabbing at the crying baby and scrambling away from him on her knees.

  “Come on, you coward, now you gotta shoot me and not just knock me out and run. What are you gonna do?” Mathews slowly moved to his feet with the gun still in his hand.

  “Just leave and never come back.”

  “Come on you bitch,” Mathews shouted. “What’s the matter? Ain’t as easy when someone is ready for you?”

  “Father, please just go. I don�
��t want to shoot you, but I will if I have to. The choice is yours.”

  “No, this ends with either you or me dead, now you decide which it’s gonna be.”

  “Father…just go.”

  “No. Now draw, you bitch.” Mathews lifted his arm and pulled the hammer of the gun back.

  Rayne fired her gun from her hip. The shot went straight through the man’s heart before his arm completely extended.

  Lisbet screamed as the gunshot rang through the air.

  The gun dropped from Rayne’s hand as her father fell dead. Tears streamed down her face as she fell to her knees. This was not the way she had wanted things to end.

  Why couldn’t he have just left them alone?

  The hands that reached for her shoulders pulled her up gently. “I saw it, Rayne, you did what you had to do.”

  Before complete understanding reached her brain, Lisbet was at her side with Ben safely in her arms.

  Tom raced up with Sam and the doc not too far behind him. While Doc tended to Sam’s head wound, Sam recounted the events that he had experienced. For Rayne, things had come full circle—an event, which had haunted her for the past six years was now a reality. She was indeed responsible for her father’s death. Only this time she had done all that she could to avoid the bloodshed.

  As she sat staring at her hands, she heard the soft voice whisper in her ear.

  It’s over now, sweetheart. Never again will you have to worry about your future or that of Ben. Your father can’t bother you now.

  I didn’t want it to end this way, Em…I begged him to go.”

  I know you did, but he couldn’t, he had too much hate in his heart to leave you alone.

  What now, what do I tell my mother, my sister…Ben? How do I tell him I killed his grandfather?

  You believe in the power of love and trust that his feelings were never those of your ma’s and Maggie. As for Ben, he’ll know whatever you did was to protect him.

  It can’t be that easy.

  Nothing in life is easy, Rayne, but a heart always knows when there is love, and Ben will always know love.

  With the pain in her heart lifted, Rayne looked over toward Ben and caught his big blue eyes watching her, and the smile on his face spoke of a trust in her that would never waver. With a smile forming on her own lips, she sighed, and thought, Maybe Emma’s right. A faint breeze blew across her face as she heard;

  Of course I am.

  Epilogue

  The laughter of the young child drifted to her ears and Rayne, who sat against a tree, smiled as she recalled the many times Lisbet and she had brought Ben there. He would run through the meadow or dip his feet in the creek and he would giggle with happiness.

  “What are you thinking, ma?” Ben asked his voice deep and rich.

  “I was just remembering bringing you here as a little one and how much fun you had.”

  “We had lots of good times out here.” He nodded and smiled.

  “In case I never told you, you’re real good with Elizabeth, and she adores her pa.” Sadness drifted over her as she watched her granddaughter play.

  “I know she does. What’s wrong, Ma?” Ben asked.

  “I was just…I’m sorry you never had your father or knew how much he loved you. I wonder if you ever felt a lack of your family’s love.”

  “Never, you and Mama always made sure I had plenty of love. Uncle Tom and Aunt Sally, Bessie, Doc, you all loved me and showed me that every chance you got.”

  “Wasn’t the same, boy. You didn’t have your own father, your grandfather, grandmother…”

  “I had you, and Mama, and Aunt Maggie visits when she can.”

  “But you should have had your grandmother, should have been able to know her, talk with her…your grandfather…they all should have been a part of your life too.”

  “Grandfather made his choice. Don’t feel badly about what you have done,” Ben stared at the creek.

  “What do you know about what I have done?” A feeling of dread was building in the pit of her stomach.

  “I heard the stories from the time I was old enough to ask about him and about my pa.”

  “Who told you?”

  Ben chuckled. “Uncle Tom, Mama, Bessie, but Sam was the most vocal, always making sure I understood exactly what happened.”

  Ben looked at the woman who had raised him, the one who had always been there for him and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “And I do understand and am forever grateful for the life you and Mama provided for me. Don’t fret over the past, Ma, enjoy the here and now, that’s what you taught me, remember? It’s what I’m teaching Elizabeth.”

  With tears brimming in her eyes and pride swelling in her heart, she looked at the strong young man Ben had grown to be and smiled, knowing that he was right. His love and understanding was a product of her and Lisbet, a legacy of their love that would continue throughout his bloodline.

  About the Author

  Dannie Marsden

  Let me introduce myself, I am Dannie, a butch-identified writer. I am committed to a beautiful woman who is going to become my wife this fall, and we have three wonderful children and one adorable granddaughter.

  I started writing about ten years ago and of course, my stories are centered on…what else...beautiful lesbian women. I try to write about strong women with vulnerabilities and soft, caring women who complement, understand and support them. I hope I convey the many levels women possess and the beauty of each level.

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