Logan's Promise

by Nancy Howard

  “He's right you know.” John says, looking at her.

  Logan shakes her head again, this time in agreement.

  After that John suggested that they go back inside, and he says to Logan, “I would offer you a cigar, Logan, but....” He doesn't finish the sentence, and smiles at her making the conversation lighter.

  “Don't smoke,” she says. Cocking her head to her right, and answering him with a smile on her face. Then she giggles.

  John and Chatfield look at each other as she reveals to them that she is just what Sanderson already knows about her. That she is more than just a bounty hunter. And after hearing her comments as he and Chatfield discussed the rustling problem, it confirms John's feelings about her. He seems to know already that she very smart and could be a great asset to the ranch.

  They go inside to join their two wives, who are in the parlor. Logan starts to go up the stairs to her room.

  “Where you goin',” John asks?

  “Up to my room—I just thought that you didn't want me to go in there.”

  “I do. We do.” he said. Then he guides her ahead of him after she comes back down, and they go into the parlor where the ladies are setting on the sofa chatting.

  Logan walks over and sets in a chair near the sofa at the far end of the room. John and Chatfield set in the two big leather chairs that flank each end of the hearth, of the huge fireplace.

  The evening was spent with the men and women talking, and Logan doing a lot of listening. She's never had the opportunity to be in a setting like this, with normal people. Just talking about normal stuff. She is alone most of the time, with the exception of when she's with Gavin. Her time is spent roaming from place to place, alone, or with him. As they look for that next bounty to bring in. Now, here tonight she is setting in a room with people that she's only known for a few hours. Listening to them talk about the town, it's people, and of course the church and the renovation that it needs.

  She learns, as she listens, that the town of Folsom and its inhabitants are very important to the Sandersons and the Chatfields. She is also aware of the fact that she has been made very welcome this evening, by John and Catherine. But she also felt it when she walked through the door that afternoon. She was welcomed by them immediately, it is almost as though they already want her here. And Logan is thankful that they do, she's tired of roaming. She wants to stay put and grow some roots.

  After some time, Catherine looks at Logan, and asks her, “are we old folks boring you, dear?”

  “No mam, not really. It's nice to set and listen to people talk about normal stuff for a change. I ain't never had much chance to do that. Sorry, I don't have much to add to the conversation.”

  “Don't you apologize for that,” John says. “Beside, you just got here, and you're hearing all of this for the first time.”

  Then Chatfield, asks, “did you get a chance at all, to spend much time going to school, when you were growing up, Logan? That is if you don't mind me asking you?”

  “No, I don't mind. And to answer your question, yeah I did. Somehow I managed to go to school and get myself through the twelfth grade. After that I ran away from home.” She didn't elaborate further, telling them why she left home.

  “So, then, what your saying, Logan, is that you have a high school education,” Chatfield says.”

  “Yep I do. I have a diploma that says I graduated. It's in my stuff upstairs.”

  “Impressive,” Bill responds. “Are you aware Logan, of how few people here in the western part of the country have a high school education?”

  She shakes her head that she does.

  “Why did you run away?” Jane Chatfield asks her.

  Logan says, “Like I said a while ago mam, when you ask me why I became a bounty hunter. Well, that's a long story, too.”

  The lady shakes her head, and looks at Logan not questioning her further about her upbringing. Jane can see that she has no intention of opening up to them about her childhood—not tonight anyway.

  Logan listened for a while longer, she's very tired, and says, “folks it's getting late. And Mr. Sanderson, if you want me to ride out with you tomorrow, I better get some rest. So if you folks don't don't mind, I'm off to bed.” Then she stood up to leave the room, and then adds, “I want you all to know it's been a pleasure this evening, I want you to know that. And it was equally nice to meet the both of you,” she addresses the Chatfields. “So goodnight all,” she says, then leaves the room.

  They all say goodnight back to her, in unison.

  As Logan leaves the room and starts to go up the stairs, she stops about halfway up. She's curious, wondering if the Sandersons and the Chafields continue their conversation about her. So she does a bit of eavesdropping. She overhears Chatfield say about her, “she is one amazing young woman, John. One of a kind, and a very beautiful one I might add. And she has a high school education—that's very impressive.”

  John says, “I nor Catherine could not agree more on anything you just said about her.”

  “Yes, she's been here just a few hours, and already we're thrilled to have her here with us,” Catherine says.

  “In spite of her reputation,” Chatfield questions?

  “Yes, in spite of that for some reason it doesn't really matter to either of us,” John says, taking a puff from his cigar. “And have you noticed how she just brightens up everything.”

  “That she does,” Bill concurs.

  “Yes she seems like such a sweet girl. And I notice that she seems to be already filling a void for the both of you,” Jane says.

  Catherine shakes her head, and says quietly, “yes, she is. And you’re right she’s a very sweet girl. Like John said, we could care less about her past and her reputation.”

  Logan is standing on the stairs and smiles hearing what is being said about her. She had wondered earlier, before she came down to dinner how she would be received by those present. Now she knows. She has never heard anyone call her amazing before, for anything. Except for how fast she is with a gun. And they called her sweet, which she smiles about.

  She also heard Jane Chatfield say to Catherine that she’s filling a void in their lives already. Catherine said yes. Logan wonders what that void could be? What void do the Sanderson's need to have filled in their lives? They seem to have everything, she thinks. She figures that in due time, she will find out the answer to that question. Right now she has a rendezvous with the big soft bed in the guest room.

  Logan doesn't dwell on the conversation she heard and goes upstairs to her room, feeling good about herself. She opens the door and enters, and on the bed is nightgown with a note laying on top of it. Logan picks up the note, and it reads.

  Logan,

  I thought you'd like to sleep in something more comfortable tonight. It's yours to keep.

  Enjoy, Catherine

  Logan smiles to herself. Never, has anyone thought about something like this for her. But then again Catherine is not like any woman that Logan has ever met, or has known before.

  Logan decides that it's about time she enjoyed something like the nightgown. She takes off her new dress and hangs it in the closet. She puts the nightgown on, letting it shimmer down her body. It feels so good. Soft and loose. She loves it. Then she did something she's wanted to do all evening, return to the big soft bed. And while it is not hers, Logan thinks she will take it and enjoy it while she can.

  She blows out the lamp and crawls in, pulling the covers up over her and turning onto her right side. With the window open, and the door slightly ajar, she lays there. She listens to coyotes howling at the moon in the distance, and a calf bawling and looking for its mama. Logan is totally relaxed tonight as her final thought is, how nice this all is.

  AFTER SEEING THE CHATFIELDS off, John and Catherine go upstairs to turn in for the night. It is late and has been a long day for the both of them, too. After ascending the stairs, they decide to walk across the hall to the guest room, to look in on their new guest. They could see
that it's dark in the room, indicating to them Logan is in bed. Its been a while since they've had a guest in that room, let alone a young woman in their home. It seems to excite them both to have Logan sleeping in the guestroom. They can't help themselves from doing this, and who could truly blame them. They have to look in on her.

  Catherine pushes the door slightly open, just enough so they could see inside. They see Logan, sleeping peacefully, but they don't close the door immediately. They take a few seconds to stand and look at her, watching her sleeping so quietly, so beautifully. Both admiring this lovely young woman, who has suddenly come into their home, and lives. Who they've only known for just a few hours. Both of them forgetting that she's a bounty hunter. A fact about her, that, as John said earlier that evening, doesn't matter to either of them. What they see is a beautiful young girl, like the one they lost four years ago.

  Catherine quickly wipes a tear away, that sneaks down her cheek. John puts his arm around her as both are caught up thinking about their dead daughter, Jennifer. And both of them looking at the young woman sleeping in their home. Something that for whatever reason they've longed for. Logan is that young woman.

  After a few seconds Catherine pulls the door shut, and puts her fingers to her lips for them to be as quiet as they can, so as not to wake her. Then they go back across the hall to their room, and they're quiet at first. Catherine breaks the silence, by asking John about his conversation with Bill Chatfield, on the porch that evening after dinner. He told her what was said. She then asked him if Logan had added anything. Because while they don't say so, it is Logan they both want to talk about.

  “Well, she's thinking along the same lines as me about Henry being in cahoots with the rustlers. Though, neither of us is sure about that. Nor, can we prove our theory.”

  “You know John it's so nice having her in there sleeping tonight. It's like....,” her voice tailed off. She's setting on the edge of the bed, with an empty stare on her face.

  “I know, I know, it is for me, too. I'm not sure we should be attaching ourselves to her so soon though. She's a bounty hunter you know, with a mind of her own. And I've hired her to catch rustlers.”

  “I know all of that John, but she's already filling a void in both of our lives. Jane saw it, and so did Bill. Even though she just got here. It's like our long lost daughter has finally come home to us. It's almost like, she's our prodigal daughter, John. We instantly connected to her, as she did to us today in town. It happened the minute we saw her this morning.

  “And she handled herself so beautifully tonight, just as Jennifer would have. She has so much confidence in herself. So much grace, and poise—more than she knows. It's sad, that no one has ever told her those things about herself.”

  “I hear you, she certainly brightens up everything, even though she's just been here a few hours, She brightens up this house as well. She did the minute that she walked through the front door this afternoon. I have felt that same connection with her, even after my remark about bounty hunters in town today. But that aside my dear, I've noticed a sudden change in you, since we brought her home with us today.”

  She watches him walk around to his side of the bed. He gets in, and Catherine is thinking about what he just said.

  He quietly hugs her after he gets in, both of them now lost in thought about their deceased daughter.

  Then Catherine's thoughts return to Logan, and she asks, “I wonder what she wants John? If she works out. I wonder if we could get her to stay for awhile. I know what you're gonna say. That she just got here, and she's a bounty hunter, and we don't know what she's really like, but...,” Her voice trails off.

  “You got me, as to what she might want, I hope she works out, too. Maybe I can find out what some of her thoughts and plans are tomorrow when we ride out to the mesa together.”

  9

  Bailey Hogg and his gang stopped earlier, that day, and decided to camp about twenty-five miles west of Folsom on the high plains. Hogg, Demp, the Deckers, and the half-breed Billy Brokenfeather, have decided to stay several miles outside of the Folsom. They've known for sometime that they are being tracked by someone, they've seen him at a distance.

  Hogg and his gang are no strangers to being tracked by the law or bounty hunters, who have tried to catch them. They're just plain mean and violent men. Ruffians by all accounts. They're unkempt and unrefined. They all sport beards of several days growth. And bathing and personal hygiene are not part of their regimen, let alone their vocabulary.

  Hogg himself is the most violent of the five. He's mean to the core. He has no regard at all for any living human. He just kills and kills, without regard to a persons age or sex.

  “How long, ya wanna stay in these parts, Bailey,” Charlie Demp asks?”

  “Long as we need'ta. I reckon. I want a stop that bastard, whoever he is, that's been follerin' us fer months.”

  “He's just one man, Bailey, we could kill him in an instant,” Doak Decker says.

  “Yeah, I know that, but I want a set a trap for im, and nen we gonna kill im. I thinks we need to hangs around here in these parts fer a while longer, maybe we'll run into im. You know, we need to lay low fer awhile. It may make us rich, ya never know. We need to think on it fer a spell, anyways. So while we’s figurin' on that, let's just get dead fuckin' drunk on our asses. We got dim ten bottles a that rotgut whiskey we stole in Lass Cruces the other day, let's drink those.”

  They all shook their heads, and laughed in agreement, that, that would be a good idea.

  Eli Decker has been holding the bottles in a bag tied to his saddle horn.

  “Go get em, and take them off your saddle.” Doak orders Eli.

  Eli does as he’s told and gets up off the ground from where he's setting, and goes over and unties the bag of bottles and returns to camp with them. He sets down, and Hogg yanks the bag out of his hands and opens it. They all joined in and grab a bottle, and open it.

  Eli takes the cork out of the top of the bottle that he has, and looks inside. He swirls the bottle around and sees a small animal floating around in it, at the top.

  He says, “I ain't gonna drink none a that fuckin’ shit, cuz', they's somethin' floatin' around in that bottle.”

  “Gime, that fuckin’ bottle, you idiot,” Bailey growls. Reaching over and yanking the bottle away from Eli. He swirls the whiskey around, and looks inside of it and sees the same small animal floating around in the top of the liquid. Then he takes a closer look and says to the others, “it looks like it's just a baby mouse.” Then he tips it up to his lips, and takes a long swig of the nasty brew.

  “You fuckin' baby,” Hogg says. Looking at Eli, and getting in his face, laughing loudly.

  Then Eli decides he wants the bottle back and grabs for it, and Hogg pulls it away.

  “No, no, you didn't want it a second ago, so I ain't gonna fuckin' give it back to ya.” Hogg says, mocking him.

  Eli doesn't like this, as he hears the others laughing at him along with Hogg who is now rolling on the ground with laughter. But Eli still wants the bottle of rotgut whiskey back, so he gets up and goes over and stands over Hogg. Then he reaches down and grabs Bailey, and pulls him up by his coat collar, yelling at him.

  “Gime that bottle back, you rotten sonofabitch.”

  Hogg is surprised at Eli being so aggressive with him, and says, “fuck you Eli! You little asshole. If you want it, then you take it from me.”

  Then he grabs Eli back, pulling him to the ground. As they wrestle for the bottle, which Hogg drops in the process. Spilling the whiskey all over the ground. Eli sees this and he becomes even more furious with Hogg. The two men are now rolling on the ground fighting over a bottle of rotgut whiskey, that has spilled out its content. The other three are rolling on the ground and crying with laughter, watching Hogg and Eli go at it over the spilled bottle of rotgut whiskey.

  “Hogg, I told ya, to gime that bottle back. Look at what you done. Ya fucker. You spilt it all over the place, now.” Eli says,
through clenched teeth, and holding Hogg by his coat collar.

  “Git off a me, you fool! I didn't spill nothin'. You said you didn't want it. Now, again git the fuck off a me, or I swear, I'll kill ya Eli,” Hogg says. His teeth clenched in anger, as he gets up. “One a these days Eli, I'm gonna kill you, cause a what you did here today. I'll remember it.”

  They're both standing up now, looking at each other squarely in the eyes.

  “Yeah, Bailey. Well let me clue ya in on somethin’. Don't ya ever try it, cuz' I'll fuckin' kill ya, back,” Eli says, pointing his finger at him.

  The other three men have stopped laughing at these two idiots, as Doak hands them both another bottle of rot gut.

  “You fuckin' baby!” Hogg comments gruffly and then sarcastically laughs, and spits on the ground. Getting in Eli's face to say it. Then he takes a long drink of the bottle Doak just gave him. The two are still squared off. Eli makes a move at Bailey but has no intention of hitting him.

  “Come on, you two, cut it the hell out,” Charlie says.

  “You, shut the fuck up,” Hogg says.” Getting down and into Charlie's face.

  And that is how it went as they forgot about the argument and drank all eight remaining bottles of the whiskey. All falling asleep on the ground, on their backs, in front of their campfire. Dead drunk.

  10

  The next morning Logan awakens to the enticing, aromas of breakfast being cooked in the kitchen, by the Sanderson's cooks, Jose' and Lena.

  The sun has already begun it's journey peeking up over the horizon, as Logan begins to wake up. She lays there opening and closing her eyes, watching the first rays of light streak across the wall next to the door. She’s slept very well—it's very quiet and peaceful here on the ranch. She rolls over on her right side facing the window, and then pulls the pillow around her head. She opens and closes her eyes not ready to get up yet, and not completely awake either. Then slowly but surely she realizes that John is not paying her to lay here in bed all day. She sets up slowly on the edge of the bed, with her feet dangling over the edge. And after a few seconds her grogginess starts to wear off. She rubs her eyes and stretches before she begins the process of getting dressed. With the window open the cool morning air causes a chill in Logan, that makes her move just a bit quicker than usual. She did sleep deeply and very well, she thinks to herself. Something she's not been able to do lately.