Last Breath (A Gideon Johann Western Book 5)
Page 5
As they headed out the door, Finnie said, “Now remember, Kate, if you get tired of John, there’s always a place for a lovely thing as yourself here in Last Stand.”
Shaking her head and grinning, Kate said, “I’m surprised Mary isn’t having that baby in a jail cell. I believe I’d have already shot a flirt like you before now if you were my husband.” She whisked out the door before Finnie had time to respond.
Chapter 7
Eating breakfast at a leisurely pace for a change, Gideon listened as Winnie rambled on about her plans for the day. His stepdaughter explained in great detail her intentions for rearranging her room. If Winnie ever finished talking, Gideon planned to saddle the horses so that he and Abby could ride to look at their herd before he headed to the jail. Abby finally sent Winnie off to begin working on her project to end the conversation.
After Abby dressed Chance, she carried him outside and handed him up to Gideon sitting in the saddle. He plopped the child between him and the saddle horn. Chance was already an old hand at riding and contentedly looked around at his surroundings. Abby mounted her horse and they rode out.
“We wouldn’t have gotten out of the cabin before noon if I hadn’t ended the conversation,” Abby said after they rode awhile.
“Winnie certainly was excited about her plans,” Gideon said.
“Don’t you wish we had another one?” Abby said.
“A baby?” Gideon asked.
“Yes, a baby. Chance could have a playmate,” she said.
“I don’t think about it. If we have one, I’ll be fine, and if we don’t, I’m grateful for Chance. And besides, Chance will soon have his own nephew or niece to play with. They’ll be like siblings,” he said.
“I know, but it makes me feel old to know there might not be another one and that we are going to be grandparents. We’re too young,” Abby said.
“Apparently not,” Gideon said and smiled at her.
“Smile like a fool at me, but we’re getting old,” she said.
Turning serious, Gideon said, “As long as I get old with you, I’ll take it.”
“Getting all sentimental on me doesn’t make me feel any younger, but it sounds sweet. We still might have one yet. I’m not that old,” Abby said.
“I promise I’ll do my part as often as you want,” Gideon said and grinned.
“Of that I can be assured,” she said as they reached the herd.
“I don’t know why we keep the herd. I don’t have the time to take care of them the way I should. If Ethan and Zack didn’t come over here and help me, we’d really be in a bind. The hiring of the bottom of the barrel help when we need it doesn’t work very well,” Gideon mused.
“I love having the herd and riding out here with Chance to check on them. I still think we need a couple hundred more head and then hire a fulltime ranch hand. I could play foreman. Bossing someone around suits my style,” Abby said, grinning.
“I won’t argue with that last part. Maybe you’re right. We wouldn’t get rich on it,” he said.
“As long as we make a little is all that matters. I know that you’re not ready to give up being sheriff yet, but I don’t want you doing it when you get older. We could build the herd up for when you’re ready to take over things,” she said.
“You’ve got it all figured out, don’t you?” Gideon asked.
Abby smiled. “I do. I’m what they call the brains of the operation,” she said.
Gideon chuckled. “Alright, I’ll keep my ear out for any cattle for sale. We’ll probably have to buy heifers in the fall,” he said.
“Good. Finding the right ranch hand will probably be harder than finding the cows. The herd does look good. I think this year’s calves are the best we’ve produced,” Abby said.
“If you say so. You’re the foreman. I need to get to town,” Gideon said as he swung his horse around.
“Cows,” Chance said as he tried to look back at the herd as they rode away.
After taking time to help Winnie move her bed and dresser, Gideon headed for town. Buck had traveled the road so often that Gideon could have slept in the saddle and still ended up at the jail. Finnie sat in front of the jailhouse whittling on a stick as Gideon rode up.
“Top of the morning to you. At least what’s left of it,” Finnie said.
“I can see that you’re keeping the town well protected in my absence. I guess you could poke somebody’s eye out with your stick if trouble arose,” Gideon said and nodded at the whittling.
“The legend of Gideon Johann does all the work. I can just sit here and amuse myself,” Finnie said.
“Amusing you are,” Gideon said as he climbed off the horse and walked into the jail with Finnie following at his heels.
Finnie dropped into a chair. “On a serious note, I have kept a close watch on things and nobody new has showed up in town,” he said.
“Good. I don’t think we have anything to worry about. Those train robbers could be anywhere, but I doubt they’ll be heading into any towns for a while,” Gideon said.
Three days prior, Gideon had received a telegram concerning a robbery of a Denver and Rio Grande train at a water stop between Alamosa and Pueblo. A passenger had been murdered and the robbers made off with a large haul of money. The men had worn masks and did not seem to fit the description of any known outlaws. By the time a posse arrived, the trail had gone cold to the point that they could not determine which direction the robbers had headed.
“I’ll be glad when Mary has the baby. This waiting is about killing me,” Finnie said.
“Do you have names picked out yet?” Gideon asked.
“Depends on when you ask. Mary changes her mind every other day and I don’t appear to have much say in the matter,” Finnie said and sighed.
Gideon grinned at the Irishman. “That’s hard to imagine. Who would have thought back in the days when we were two kids fighting in that godawful war that we’d be sitting here today talking about babies and wives?” he asked.
“I didn’t think we’d even be alive, let alone have families,” Finnie remarked just before Blackie and Zack burst into the jail.
Surprised and a little alarmed at seeing his son–in–law, Gideon asked, “Zack what are you doing in town?”
“Blackie was shoeing my horse. We just saw five riders come into town. Two went into the bank and the other three are standing around outside of it. They look pretty fidgety,” Zack said.
“Oh, hell,” Gideon said before taking a big breath and puffing up his cheeks as he exhaled. He rubbed his scar and looked around at the other men. “Can you two help?”
Zack nodded his head.
Blackie said, “You better give me a shotgun. My eyesight ain’t what it used to be.”
Finnie had already jumped up and started retrieving guns and ammo from the rack. He grabbed a flour sack that they kept around for carrying hardtack and dumped shotgun shells into it before handing it and a shotgun to Blackie. The other three men grabbed a Winchester 73.
The bank set on a corner two blocks down from the jail.
Gideon shoved his hat on and worked his pistol up and down in its holster. “Zack and I will go back a block behind the jail and then walk down the street until we come to the side street the bank sits on. Blackie and Finnie, I want you two to cross the street and head towards the bank. Give us a couple minutes so we converge at the same time. Make sure that you pick a spot where you can take cover,” he warned.
Leaving Blackie and Finnie waiting in the office, Gideon and Zack walked to the street behind the jail and then in the direction of the bank until they came to the side street that the building faced. Peeking around the corner, Gideon could see the three men lurking in front of the bank door.
“You stay here and I’m going to cross the street and take cover behind the dry goods store. Be careful. You have a baby on the way and I want it to have a daddy,” Gideon instructed.
Putting his badge in his pocket, Gideon carried the Winchester agains
t the length of his leg as he crossed the street as nonchalantly as possible. He could feel the outlaws watching him, but made it to the other side without arousing suspicion.
From behind the corner, Gideon glanced down the street. The outlaws no longer watched in his direction, but instead focused their attention on the main street. They had spotted Finnie and Blackie and raised their guns. Gideon took aim on the nearest outlaw.
“Throw down your guns and surrender. You’re surrounded,” Gideon yelled.
The three men jerked their heads around in Gideon’s direction. One of the outlaws swung his rifle towards the sheriff and as he aimed, Gideon fired. The shot hit the man squarely in the chest and he took two steps backwards before collapsing. Darting around the corner, the other two outlaws disappeared from Gideon and Zack’s sight.
With their guns blazing, the outlaws ran towards Finnie and Blackie. Finnie dived behind a water trough, but Blackie stood firm and took aim. The roar of the shotgun reverberated off the buildings as the nearest outlaw flew off his feet like a frog hopping through the air and landed on his back. Blackie spun around from taking a bullet, and losing his balance, he fell to the ground. Seeing the blacksmith lying vulnerable on the ground, Finnie took a breath, drew his Colt, and jumped up firing his gun. He and the outlaw stood no more than twenty–five feet apart shooting at each other. Finnie swore he could feel the heat of the bullets flying by his head and expected to die at any moment. Even as he fired his gun, he thought about Mary and the baby. The outlaw suddenly stopped shooting and dropped his gun. He stared Finnie in the eyes before his knees buckled and he toppled over onto his face.
Finnie looked down at himself expecting to see blood. He found none and ran to Blackie. The blacksmith wobbled to his feet and Finnie tugged him behind the water trough.
“My arm don’t work so good,” Blackie said.
Untying his bandana, Finnie tied the kerchief around the wound. “Just sit still until this is over with and Doc can fix you up. We still got two more to worry about,” he said.
“Do you think I’m going to die, Finnie?” Blackie asked. His words sounded strangely unemotional for such a serious question and he looked up at the sky as if watching ducks migrate.
“No, you’ll be fine. I promise. Just stay down,” Finnie said. He could see that Blackie’s eyes looked glassy and he appeared to be in shock.
The town had grown eerily silent and the streets were so empty of people that it could have passed for a ghost town. Shattering the silence, a single shot sounded from inside the bank. The door to the bank flung open and a young woman was forced into the entrance with a man’s arm wrapped around her throat.
“Sheriff, I just killed your banker so that you know that I’m serious. If you want this pretty little thing to live to see another day, you and your men are going to throw down your guns and let us ride away,” the outlaw yelled.
The news of Mr. Fredrick’s death hit Gideon like a punch in the gut. The banker was a well–liked pillar of the community. He had become bank president after a scandal and had turned the bank into a much friendlier place to do business than his predecessor had been willing to do.
Trying to identify the girl proved difficult from the distance of a city block with the additional hindrance of the outlaw’s arm partially obscuring the girl’s face, but Gideon thought that she was Betsy Gray. The girl was the same age as Joann and the two women were friendly through attending Ethan’s church.
“If you kill her, you’ll be a dead man for sure,” Gideon yelled back.
“I’ll be a dead man for sure if I try to ride out of here without her. I’m dead either way unless you throw down your guns and let us leave. I’ve got nothing to lose,” the outlaw hollered.
“I’ll walk to you and you can take me instead of the girl,” Gideon called out.
“No, sir. I’ve heard about you. I already made a mistake in robbing your bank and I ain’t about to make a second. We’re doing this my way or not at all. I’m taking the girl,” the outlaw yelled.
“Promise me that you’ll drop her off at the edge of town,” Gideon answered back.
“I’ll promise you that I’ll release her when I get a couple hours away from here as long as you don’t follow until then. If I see you coming, she’ll be dead,” the outlaw yelled.
Gideon’s mind raced for an answer on what to do. He could think of no solution that wouldn’t get the woman killed. Trying to shoot the outlaw from such a distance with the girl held so closely was too big of a risk. Taking the word of a murdering robber was never a good thing to do either, but he could think of no alternative.
“We’ll do it, but you better not harm her or I swear I’ll hunt you into the bowels of hell if necessary and kill you,” Gideon yelled.
“She’ll be fine. Now tell your men,” the outlaw yelled.
“Finnie, can you hear me?” Gideon bellowed.
“Aye,” Finnie answered.
“You and Blackie throw your guns into the street. We’re letting them go. I don’t want anybody else killed,” Gideon hollered.
Finnie threw his revolver and rifle into the street and retrieved Blackie’s shotgun before doing the same with it. “It’s done,” he yelled.
The outlaw had emerged far enough onto the sidewalk to see what was happening. He had the young woman’s head pulled up to his own so that it forced her to stand on her tiptoes to keep from choking.
“Throw down your guns, Zack,” Gideon called out as he threw his own guns out into the street.
After seeing Zack throw down his guns, the two outlaws quickly moved to the horses. The outlaw that did all the talking mounted his horse and yanked Betsy up behind him while the second man retrieved the mounts of his dead partners. Galloping away in a cloud of dust, the two outlaws along with Betsy and the three riderless horses disappeared down the street.
Gideon and Zack recovered their weapons and ran down the street towards the bank.
“Gideon, Blackie got shot,” Finnie called out.
“Zack, you check on Mr. Fredrick while I tend to Blackie,” Gideon ordered.
“How bad is it?” Gideon asked as he jogged up to Finnie and Blackie.
“I don’t know. It’s his arm and he’s in shock,” Finnie answered.
Mary barged out of the saloon and waddled towards the men. Tears streamed down her cheeks by the time that she reached the men. “Are you okay?” she asked Finnie.
Nodding his head, Finnie said, “I’m fine.”
Throwing her arms around her husband, Mary buried her head against his neck. “I saw what happened. You scared the hell out of me. I thought sure that you were a dead man,” she said between sobs.
“We can talk later. Blackie needs to get to Doc,” Finnie said as he patted her back. “But calm down. Everything is fine and I don’t want you losing the baby.”
Zack joined them. “Mr. Fredrick is dead and so are all three of the outlaws,” he said.
Gideon and Finnie helped Blackie to his feet and began walking him down the street with Zack and Mary following them.
“Just another quiet day in Last Stand,” Gideon said shaking his head.
Chapter 8
The group of five barged into the doctor’s office and led Blackie to the exam table. Doc had already begun preparations for treating the wounded after hearing all of the shooting and had laid out his medical instruments.
“Anybody that isn’t shot nor has some other malady needs to get out of here. This isn’t a saloon,” Doc barked.
Finnie and Zack helped Blackie up onto the table. The blacksmith’s eyes still looked glassy and when he spoke, his voice had a dreamy sound to it.
“Doc, Blackie is in shock. I’ve seen it in the war,” Finnie said.
Doc looked at Finnie and contemplated asking the Irishman if he wanted to treat the patient, but decided to be nice instead and hold his tongue.
“Would someone find John and his family and ask Henry if he would like to assist me? The boy seems to have s
ome interest in medicine and there’s nothing like blood and bullet holes to help decide if doctoring is your calling or not,” Doc said.
Gideon began ushering the crowd from the room. “Finnie, go spend some time with Mary before we have to leave. I’m going to keep my word and give them two hours. They can see for miles from some of these ridgetops and I don’t want to get Betsy killed by leaving early and getting spotted. Zack and I will take care of the bodies and find Henry,” he said.
John and his family were found huddled in their hotel room. They had viewed the carnage in the street from their window. Kate and Rose still trembled from all the gunfire. Henry became excited at the invitation from his grandfather and had to plead his case against his mother’s objections for leaving the safety of their room. She finally relented on the condition that John would accompany his son to the doctor’s office.
Doc Abram gave Blackie a couple of spoonfuls of laudanum and cut the sleeve of his shirt away. Blackie had managed to recount the details of the robbery with Doc’s questioning. As Doc waited for the drug to take effect on his patient, John and Henry walked into the office.
“I had to come with Henry to get Kate to allow him out of the hotel. She’s ready to catch the first stagecoach out of here after what we saw,” John said as way of explanation for his presence.
“I’d imagine so. Before now, we’ve never had a bank robbery,” Doc noted.
“I’m beginning to think I’m bad luck for your town,” John said.
“Henry, I want you to go to the washstand and scrub your hands the cleanest they’ve ever been,” Doc ordered.
After Henry finished washing his hands, Doc poured carbolic acid over them.
“What is that?” Henry asked.
“Carbolic acid helps prevent infections. Normally, I would give my patient chloroform to put them under, but Blackie is in too much shock so I gave him laudanum. It will relax him and he won’t remember the pain,” Doc said.
Blackie had fallen asleep. Doc poured carbolic acid into the wound entrance before inserting his finger into the hole to probe the wound. The blacksmith moaned, but offered no resistance as the doctor worked.