Beyond the New Horizon (Book 3): Living on the Edge

by Conaway, Christine

Gina plopped her arm across Olivia’s shoulders and pulled her close, “Well, how about being a kid for just a while longer and let me enjoy it please.”

  “You never had kids?”

  “I had a little girl, a long time ago. Someday, when we get settled, I’ll tell you about her. I like to imagine that she would have been just as courageous and beautiful as you.”

  Olivia blushed and for once didn’t have a quick retort. She took Gina by her hand and walked in silence to the house.

  At Olivia’s backyard, they found the horses had eaten most of the long grass. They could just see the new green sprigs sticking up between the old dried stems the horses had grazed short.

  With halters and leads on, Gina led Joe and Sham, while Olvia led Sailor back to the museum taking the back alley to come out by the garage.

  Sam and Willy had pushed the wagon out, using the center pole to turn the wheels and align it with the driveway. One at a time, Gina led her horses through. Willy had laid the harnesses out, but other than putting the equipment on one at a time, no one knew the proper procedure for harnessing them.

  “Why can’t we just do it like we put the harness on Sailor? Then I think you just back them up beside the pole and attach the straps. That other little pole clips to the front of their breast collar. So when one turns, they both have to turn. Hell, I don’t know. I’ve never done this before.” Gina was getting frustrated and their day was quickly going by. If they didn’t figure it out soon, they would have to start over again in the morning.

  Sam and Willy worked together for another hour, each of them growing angry and then laughing at their mistakes. They had used Joe as the guinea pig because of his easy-going temperament. Even he was starting to fidget and fuss at having to stand while they tried out different combinations. Finally, they backed Sham up beside Joe. They had put the harness on him the same as it was on Joe and thought it looked right. The girth was not too loose or too tight, and the crupper was fitting where it was supposed to be. Sham kept flipping his tail in displeasure. He didn’t like the leather strap going under his tail.

  Sam threaded the long reins up through the appropriate rings and led them back to the wagon. As soon as he climbed up on the seat, he saw his next problem. He needed both of the right reins from each of the horses in the same hand and likewise for the left reins. He sorted them out, let off the brake and jiggled the reins like he remembered Hoss doing. Neither horse moved. He flapped them a little harder.

  Gina and Willy both laughed when they saw the horses weren’t going anywhere. She had also figured out where the reins were supposed to go to keep them up off the ground. Gina took the reins, rethreaded them up through a ring of the harness saddle and handed them in turn to Sam who was still glowering at Gina.

  “Do you want me to try?” She asked in her sweetest voice.

  Sam wrapped the lines around the brake handle as he’d seen Hoss do and bailed off, “Go ahead!”

  Laughing softly, Gina climbed up and got comfortable on the seat. She untangled the mess that Sam had left the reins in and using her tongue and cheek, she made a clucking noise. At first, nothing happened. She slapped the reins lightly on their backs and made the noise again. Both horses moved slowly forward. When she pulled back, they slowed and stopped. Sham, was a little nervous because of the wagon so close behind him, but Sam went to his head and scratched him calming him down.

  “Now what?” Sam asked. His voice was a little petulant, and he flushed. “Why did they move for you and not for me?”

  “Easy, riding horses move off leg commands, and Joe learned voice commands when he was pulling the travois. Sham just needed Joe to show him what to do. Trust me, the trip back will be a learning experience for all of us. Now how about we take them around to the front and load this wagon up?”

  Sam turned to walk off back into the yard when Gina hollered, “Sam, can you stay by Sham’s head until we get there? I don’t want him to spook at something and take off.” He nodded at her and went to stand beside his horse. This time when Gina made the noise, Sham was ready and when Joe moved so did he. She had a little trouble with their first turn. Sham wasn’t used to something touching him down his side and when Joe turned left the pole forced Sham sideways. Sam calmed him again, and Gina repeated the commands. The big horse danced a bit until the turn was made, but other than that he went perfectly. The next turn onto the main street went a little smoother than the first and Gina felt with every mile the pair of horses would improve.

  “I’m not going to ask them to back this thing up today, so we’ll have to carry everything out here.” She had pulled the wagon up under the boughs of a huge pine tree growing in the small patch of grass in the yard. She tightened the reins just enough that the horses wouldn’t walk off and wrapped them around the brake lever much as Sam had done. On the ground, she went to the front of the horses and gave them both pats and scratches. Gina made an adjustment on Sham’s headstall because she didn’t like the fit of it. The bit had pulled his mouth into a wider smile than she liked. She had watched Sam, and he rode with looser rein than most, and she knew that Sham would respond better to a lighter touch.

  It took them over an hour just to get the wagon loaded, and they still had to get the buggy down off of the porch. While three adults worked on that, Olivia began sorting out the harness for the buggy and putting it on Sailor. She realized it was no different than the one they’d used for the cart and happily began doing up the many snaps and buckles adjusting the fit to the bigger horse than it had been set up for initially.

  Sam and Willy had to resort to jockeying the buggy around while Gina held up the shafts and they bumped it down the three steps to the ground. Olivia led Sailor over, and he backed him in between the shafts as if he’d been doing it his whole life. She had already figured out how the shafts were attached and so while the adults talked about how they were going to hook them up, Olivia set about doing it. Finally, Olivia climbed into the seat and jiggled the lines. Sailor stepped forward, and she stopped him.

  Sam looked at Gina, “Not a word,” he growled from between his teeth.

  Behind the then collapsed carriage top, was a small trunk of sorts. It was big enough to put their sleeping bags and all of the sewing notions, plus the bolts of material. Sam didn’t see why they wanted to take the sewing machine but had helped load it anyway. The wagon bed was still more than half empty. The wagon wasn’t as big as Sam had thought it should be or remembered from the television show. Willy explained how it was the same wagon and that maybe the angle the photographer used had only made it look bigger. The half-empty bed was going to carry the stuff from the feed store as well as their saddles and any other personal possessions that Willy wanted to take.

  With Sailor and Olivia leading the way, Sam drove the team, this time using Gina’s suggestions. Sham balked at the weight behind him until Joe moved off threatening to drag it by himself, and with his ears pinned to his head, he let Sham know who the boss is. Sam started and stopped the two horses several times on the way back to the restaurant.

  Gina and Willy walked along behind the wagon. When they got there, Olivia was on her knees beside her Grandfather, with her head resting on his chest. She was talking to him, softly. With a kiss to his forehead, she stood and ran to put her arms around Gina. Gina understood the old man had finally given up. Now they just had to figure out what to do with Jeffery.

  “Willy, where’s Jeffery? I think we don’t have a choice but to take him with us.”

  “No, ma’am. Glen already dealt with that. What we do need to do is to dig another grave.” He went and got the shovel he had set aside earlier and began to dig a short distance away from the first two.

  Sam grabbed his shovel and stepped into the hole that Willy was making quick progress on. Gina walked over to them, “But where is Jeffery? Do I need to get him ready or what? Is he even dead?”

  Willy nodded, and Gina took it to mean that he was all ready to be buried. She went inside the restaurant an
d found him. Someone had already bathed him and dressed him in clean clothing. His hair had been combed, and he had a blanket wrapped around him with only his face exposed. Laying on Jeffery’s chest was a white legal-sized envelope with writing on it. When she picked it up, she realized there were two envelopes. The small one addressed to Olivia and the other to her, Sam and Willy.

  Gina thought that Glen had used the last of his strength to clean Jeffery up and get him ready to be buried. Gina covered his face, released the brake on the bed and began to roll it toward the door. Several papers fell on the floor, and she stopped to pick them up. As soon as they were in her hand, Gina knew what they were. There were four opened foil pouches, and she thought that if she looked at Jeffery’s body, she would find four Fentanyl patches. Enough to put him to sleep and end his life painlessly. She knew the packaging could be as harmful as the patch itself and folding them without touching the inside; Gina disposed of them in the trash. She wasn’t going to judge what Glen had done. Jeffery was dying a slow death with his body rotting from the inside out. All Glen had done was to hasten him along and give him a pain-free death. She thought it was more than most people would get in their new world.

  Gina went outside and took the shovel from Willy, “Go get your things together. As soon as we get them buried, we’ll be ready to leave.”

  “No we won’t, we still have to load the stuff from the feed store.”

  Gina groaned, and looked up at the sun, “I guess we’ll still have a couple of hours of daylight, and we can at least get out of here. I have this creepy feeling that the sooner we leave, the better off we’ll be.”

  “Well, I’ve learned to listen to your feelings, creepy or not, but we’re hurrying as much as we can.”

  Gina jumped into the hole with Sam, it was already waist deep, and she wondered how deep they were going to make it. She dug in silence until Sam quit throwing dirt. She saw Willy coming down the steps of his restaurant and saw him turn and look at the building. He stood for several seconds, thrust his duffle bag strap up onto his shoulder, picked up what looked like a guitar case in one hand and an old acoustic guitar in the other. With one final shake of his head, he walked to the wagon and put his things in the back. The acoustic guitar he put up behind the wagon seat.

  “Where’s Olivia?” Gina looked around expecting to see her leaning up against a tree asleep, but she was nowhere in sight. She pulled herself out of the hole and dusted her pants off, “Willy, was Olivia in with you?”

  “Nope. At least I didn’t see her. I’ll go and look inside.” He came back out in seconds, “She’s not in there. Would she go back to the museum for anything?”

  Gina started to run down the block when Sam stopped her, “Better go to the feed store. She asked me earlier about bringing the stuff down from the overhead. I didn’t answer her right then, and I forgot about it.”

  They all three jumped when something exploded, “Aw geez!” Sam exclaimed as he climbed out of the hole. Gina may have been better at a lot of things than he was, but she couldn’t outrun him. Sam caught and passed her before they got to the highway. He took a short cut through an open field, leaped over the three strand fence and into the lot. He waved Gina to stop when she followed him over the fence. They ducked down the side of the building when they heard voices from inside.

  “You better put that thing down before you hurt someone,” A gravelly voice said.

  “The only thing I’m going to hurt is you if you don’t back down that ladder. Now get!”

  “Why don’t you just shoot the little bitch. As feisty as she is, you ain’t going to get a good sale price. Silas ain’t even gonna want to mess with the likes of her.”

  “Just shut up a minute and let me think.” He was slowly moving his free foot up to the next ladder rung, apparently trying to keep Olivia’s attention off of his actions.

  Sam had already pulled his 45 from his belt holster and stepped into the open doorway. “You better just do as the lady says, because I can assure you that she does know how to use it.”

  “Just hold up a minute partner, there’s something you don’t understand. It’s you people who are trespassing. Ole’ Silas claimed this land all the way from CouerD’Alene to Missoula as his property. He ain’t gonna like hearing about you people stealing from him.”

  “Silas? Now, where do I know that name from? It does have a familiar ring to it?”

  Gina stepped out into the open to stand beside Sam. Once her eyes had adjusted to the dim interior, she sucked in her breath loudly. “Aw Geez Sam. We do know him,” she whispered.

  Sam leaned his head toward Gina while keeping his eyes on the two men. “From where?”

  “His name is Steve. You might not remember him with his clothes on.”

  “It can’t be. I killed him, I killed the both of them.”

  “You better take another look because I’m positive that’s him.”

  Sam nodded his head slowly and walked forward. “Well, if it isn’t Steve. I thought I recognized the stench. Get off the ladder and down on your knees. Now!”

  They had been backlit by the open door, but as Sam walked closer, and the man could see him more clearly, Sam saw his eyes pop open wide. Sam saw that Gina was right but didn’t understand how he could be standing in front of him.

  “I never really expected to see you again. How did this come to be?” He asked and waved the gun to include Steve’s standing in front of him. “How did you come back from the dead? If you don’t get down on your knees right now, we’ll see how well you pull a Lazarus again.”

  “I weren’t dead, you only thought I was. You should have checked. It took me a week to crawl home. Didn’t think I was going to make it, but I’m tougher than most people realize. Silas says people underestimate me.”

  Steve seemed to be gloating, and Gina stepped forward. She wished Sam had killed him the first time and she didn’t see how he hadn’t. She felt when Willy stepped up beside her.

  “It’s only these two. I found where they set up their camp behind the old schoolhouse. What do you want to do with them?”

  “I’m fixing to shoot one of them right directly,” Sam said mimicking Steve’s dialect. “I’ll let them wonder which one will be first unless the both of them don’t get down now.”

  Steve dropped to his knees and groaned when he hit the concrete harder than he’d meant. The other man took his time but was soon kneeling beside Steve.

  “Olivia, throw down some of that twine. Willy, you want to do the honors?”

  Willy handed Gina the most deadly looking gun she had ever seen. It weighed more than any rifle they had at the ranch. It was painted camouflage green and had had a weird looking scope on it.

  As Willy walked by them to pick up the lengths of twine that Oliva had dropped over the edge, the man who they didn’t know, spoke, “Hey boy! I know you. You’re that uppity nig…” Before he could finish his sentence, Willy’s boot caught his under the chin. The man fell over and didn’t move. Steve shrank back as if he thought he was next.

  Willy leaned toward the unconscious man, “Yep! That would be me alright. It’s good to see you again.”

  Oliva giggled from behind her hand, and Gina heard Sam snicker as well. “Well, isn’t this like old reunion week? It's a shame that Lucy and your other friend couldn’t be here to join us.”

  “He’s dead. His uncle wasn’t happy about it either. He’s had a hard on to find you guys ever since. Says he wants his pound of flesh, eye for an eye.”

  “Well, we’ve been here all along. I sure didn’t see you anywhere around here?”

  “That ain’t none of your business where we were or weren’t,” Willy knelt behind Steve to tie his wrists. “You stupid nig…idiot, not so tight!”

  Sam could see the look on Willy’s face and knew he’d taken an extra pull on the twine when Steve let out a whimper of pain. Sam wondered at the mentality of someone who had just seen a friend drop kicked for something and turn around and almost make th
e same mistake.

  Sam walked over and nudged the tied up man’s belly with his food and frowned, “How come with the food shortage and everyone else being so skinny and all, you seem to have put on a few extra pounds since I saw you last?”

  The sour odor that rose up from the man, made Sam back up a step, “And still smoking I see. Don’t you know those things will kill you? Well, never mind, guess that’s not your biggest worry with Silas to look out for you now. He must be providing real good for you to be as fat as you are.”

  “He takes good care of us. Lots to eat in camp.” He turned his head and looked at his friend when the man moaned. “Butch is going to be real mad when he wakes up.”

  Sam tapped the side of his chin with his forefinger and tipped his head to the side. He smiled showing off his dimples. Gina had only to see the cold blue eyes to know that Sam remembered who Butch was.

  “This is like old home week, first you and now Butch. It seems like I remember him being some relative of good old Uncle Silas’.”

  “I’m giving you fair warning, you better just untie us and get out of the area. When Butch wakes up, he won’t be as charitable as I am. He’s done hard time and is as mean as a snake.”

  Gina laughed, “He doesn’t look so mean now. In fact, it looks like maybe he wet himself.”

  Olivia was sitting at the top of the ladder with her legs hanging down. She had the shotgun resting across her lap as if handling it came naturally to her. “He killed some girls.”

  Sam jerked his head up and looked at Olivia, “He what? Who did?”

  “He did,” Olivia said and pointed at the one called Butch. “I saw him… well, I didn’t really see him. In Haugan. He took two young girls from the women’s room to…you know. They never came back that night, and the next morning they were in the dumpster, dead.”

  Willy went to the man who was now fully awake and pushed him onto his back using his foot. Butch lay glaring up at him. Willy, who up until then had shown nothing but humor and kindness to Sam, Gina, and Olivia. The way he had cared for the seniors and Glen defined who he was until right then, none of them could have seen what was coming.