A Gideon Johann Boxed Set Book 1 - 4 (A Gideon Johann Western 0)

by Duane Boehm

Joann was awakened by the sound of their voices and came into the kitchen to investigate. Still in her nightgown and rubbing sleep from her eyes, she asked, “What’s going on?”

  Gideon and Abby exchanged glances as each waited out the other to speak. Finally, Abby spoke, “Gideon believes that a man has come to town with the intention of doing him or us harm. We three girls are going to stay at the cabin with Zack. Gideon is going to stay here at the house until this gets settled.”

  “Why would somebody want to do that?” Joann asked.

  “It has something to do with settling a score with me from the past. That’s all I know,” Gideon said.

  “When are we moving?” Joann said.

  “This evening,” Gideon said. “Pack your trunk. Abby can get her and Winnie’s stuff ready and we will load a wagon and get you out there. Don’t tell anyone that you are leaving or where you are going.”

  “It’s been a wild time around here. I never knew how dull my life back home was before now,” Joann said.

  “I would take some dull life about right now,” Gideon said.

  “Are you scared?” Joann asked.

  “I’m just worried about the safety of you three. I can take care of myself. I’ll arrange for the wagon and come back after supper,” he said.

  “I’m going to tell Winnie that there is a bad man in town and that we have to move so that you can stay here and live in our house to keep an eye on him until he is gone. She doesn’t know that you sleep in the jail half the time now,” Abby said.

  “That’s a good idea. No need in scaring her,” Gideon said.

  Abby gave him a hug. “Be careful and I’ll see you later,” she said.

  Joann walked over and hugged him. “Be safe. I haven’t had the chance to make you regret having a daughter yet,” she said.

  “I wouldn’t want to miss out on that, now would I?” he said as he left.

  Gideon headed to the hotel for some breakfast. A half block from the building, he saw a stranger leaving there. He knew immediately that he was the person that Mary had encountered. The man not only fit her description, but he carried himself in the swaggering way that many gunfighters he had known did. They walked around as if they were in on life’s big joke. Gideon tried to place his face, but came up with no recollection of the man. John Roe turned and started walking in Gideon’s direction.

  “Hello, I’m Sheriff Gideon Johann. I always make a point of introducing myself to new people in town,” Gideon said when they met.

  “Hello, Sheriff. I’m John Roe. I read about your exploits in rescuing the kidnapped boy,” John said, offering his hand.

  “I wouldn’t call it exploits. I was just doing my job. What brings you to town?” Gideon said as he shook the man’s hand.

  “Nothing in particular. I’m just passing through and thought I might stay for a while and rest,” John said.

  “Where are you from, John?” Gideon inquired.

  “You ask a lot of questions, Sheriff. I assure you that there are no wanted posters for me. I’m from nowhere really. I like to move around a lot,” John said.

  “Comes with my job, I guess. We don’t have many people besides gamblers ever just show up and stick around and you don’t look like a gambler to me,” Gideon said.

  “I guess I’m one of life’s gamblers,” John said with a chuckle.

  “Well, as long as you mind your business you won’t have any troubles around here,” Gideon said.

  “Oh, don’t worry. I plan to attend to my own business. See you around, Sheriff,” John said before walking down the sidewalk.

  Gideon watched him walk away, convinced that one of them was going to kill the other. It was just a matter of when and where. He wondered if his past was always going to follow him around, first by his own choosing and now by someone else’s. Dropping into a seat in the hotel, he felt weary as he ordered his breakfast, wishing that Zack were joining him. He had gotten used to his company and missed not having him around ever since the young man had moved to the cabin and began working for Ethan.

  He spent the rest of the day keeping an eye on things around town. John Roe returned to his room before noon and never came out again as far as Gideon had seen. Gideon waited until nearly five o’clock to walk to the stable and rent a buckboard wagon and horse, leaving it on the street until dusk when he took it to Abby’s house.

  “Is everybody ready?” Gideon asked when Joann greeted him at the door.

  “Things are packed. I would not call Winnie ready though,” Joann answered.

  “I figured that,” he said as he walked into the house.

  Each of them had a trunk of clothes and a fourth had been packed with food supplies and cooking utensils. Winnie was standing by the trunks with her arms folded, looking madder than a riled up nest of hornets.

  “We’re ready,” Abby said.

  “This is all because of you, isn’t it? If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have to be moving. I wish you would have never stayed after you saved Benjamin,” Winnie blurted.

  Abby started to speak but Gideon held up his hand. “Yes, it is because of me. I need a place to stay while this man is in town and I asked your momma to trade homes with me. There is not much else that I can do about it right now. I have to protect the town,” he said.

  “I wish my momma had never met you. She would be better off without you,” Winnie hollered.

  Trying to stay calm, Gideon continued in a measured tone. “That may be, but she is with me anyway and will marry me. You are the only one that is going to be miserable if you keep fighting it. Now let’s go,” he said and lifted the first trunk.

  After the trunks were loaded, they took an indirect route through the town, avoiding the main streets. Gideon and Abby were sitting in the wagon seat and Winnie and Joann were each perched on a trunk. The sky was nearly dark as they left town in route to the cabin. Conversation lagged as they traveled.

  “I just might run away. Nobody cares how I feel about anything anyway,” Winnie suddenly uttered.

  Gideon pulled the horse to a stop so abruptly that the girls nearly slid off the trunks. Jumping down from the wagon, he swooped Winnie off the trunk and deposited her on the ground before anyone had time to react. “If you want to run away, I’ll go ahead and help you get a good start. If I were you, I would find me a big club to fend off the mountain lions. They can get thick around here at night,” he said and climbed back onto the wagon.

  Winnie started sobbing and called, “Momma.”

  “Either run away or climb back up here and keep your mouth shut,” Abby said in a no–nonsense voice.

  The girl scrambled back into the wagon and the journey continued in silence except for Winnie’s soft whimpering. As they approached the cabin, the dog that Benjamin had rescued from the well barked. Gideon hollered, “Zack, it’s Gideon.”

  Zack emerged from the cabin with a lantern in hand. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “I’ll explain the details to you later. The girls are going to be staying here with you for a while. You could use some company other than me, don’t you think?” Gideon said.

  “You’re the boss,” Zack said, afraid to answer in the affirmative considering that Joann was part of the party.

  “Help me get these trunks, if you please,” Gideon said as he pulled the first one out of the wagon.

  After the trunks were brought in and everybody was settled, Gideon pulled Zack outside and explained the situation to him.

  “I’ll keep an eye on them, sir,” Zack said.

  “I know that you will. And one more thing – don’t forget that the last man that tried to get grabby with Joann got his balls blown off,” Gideon said.

  “Gideon, I can’t believe that you would say that to me after all that we have been through together. You could have asked me nicely to mind my manners,” Zack said.

  “You’re right, I could have. Trouble is that all you kids think us old farts have forgotten what is feels like to be young and I g
ot news for you – we haven’t,” Gideon said.

  “In other words you’re telling me not to do what you did,” Zack said.

  Gideon put his arm around the taller man. “That’s exactly what I am telling you,” he said.

  Chapter 24

  Zack was up early and out of the cabin before even Abby had arisen. Seeing all of the females running around in nightgowns the night before had made him about as uneasy as a preacher in a whorehouse. He had offered to go sleep out in the barn, but Abby would not allow it. She had been adamant that they were the ones infringing on him and that everyone would have to make the best of the situation. He had done his best to avert his eyes from looking at them, but Joann had found his discomfort amusing and had paraded around the cabin like a soldier in a march until Abby had corralled her.

  Zack arrived at Ethan’s cabin, finding his boss sitting on the porch and smoking a pipe. “You’re here bright and early,” Ethan noted.

  Zack explained the situation and then added, “Is there any chance that you might have a biscuit or something left over?”

  Ethan smiled with amusement. “You sure can tell that you weren’t raised around a bunch of women. I had sisters running all over the place and you get used to that stuff. Let’s go inside and see what Sarah has to eat,” he said.

  Sarah fixed some gravy to go with the leftover biscuits as Ethan explained the reasons behind the new living arrangements. She gave Ethan a look and said, “You mean you knew about the letters and didn’t tell me?”

  “I didn’t see any point in worrying you until there was something to worry about,” Ethan answered.

  “I suppose. I bet Abby is worried sick about Gideon. They don’t need this and trying to start a new life to boot,” Sarah said.

  “No, they don’t, but Gideon certainly knows how to take care of himself. I’ve been praying for him,” Ethan said.

  “And you,” Sarah said, looking at Zack. “You need to quit being intimidated by three females running around your cabin. You’re a man so act like it. No woman wants some washy boyfriend. Joann is a fine girl, but she is a feisty thing and if you don’t hold your own with her, she is either going to be leading you around by the halter or get bored.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Zack said quietly while looking at his food.

  “Look me in the eye and say it like you mean it, Zack Barlow,” Sarah barked.

  Zack looked up at her, smiling. “Yes, ma’am,” he barked back.

  After Zack had finished eating, Ethan walked with him out to the corral to practice roping a post. He had improved to the point that he could now twirl the rope above his head, but when he released the lasso, its destination was anybody’s guess.

  “I’m never going to get this am I? You need you a real ranch hand and not waste your time with me,” Zack said.

  “Look how far you have come. When you first started twirling it, I thought there was a chance that you might end up hanging yourself. As you release it, drop your hand to shoulder level and extend your arm so that your hand is pointing at the target. You’re trying too hard. Think about what I just told you as you do it. Now try it again and think” Ethan commanded.

  Zack gathered his rope and sent the lasso sailing again. It landed to the right of the post, touching it as it descended. He tried again and the lasso dropped onto the post in near perfect form.

  “See. You just need to keep practicing and remember to concentrate on what I told you. I’m going to go saddle Pie and you keep at it. We need to go drive the cattle over here that Gideon and I bought on auction,” Ethan said.

  They rode over to the DeVille ranch where the cattle had been rounded up and started driving the animals back. They planned to help Gideon herd his over to his place when time allowed. Ethan watched Zack guide the herd. The boy was good on a horse, and with a little work, his mount would make a fine cow pony.

  After they had all the cattle moving in the right direction, Zack rode over to Ethan and asked, “What do you think of your purchase?”

  “They’re fine. Not as good as my best, but as good as my average. With a little culling next year, they will be a fine addition to my herd,” Ethan said.

  “Sarah sure gives her advice freely,” Zack said, smiling.

  Ethan chuckled. “That she does. She is usually right too. And pity the poor fool that doesn’t take it. She will never let you live it down,” he said.

  “So does she think that I am a washy man?” Zack asked.

  “No, she has heard how brave you are. She just knows that you have never before been ganged up on by the female persuasion and she is trying to keep your head above water so that they don’t take you under. Women like Sarah and Abby and I guess Joann too, you can’t control them, but you’d better be able to hold your own. They keep things interesting, that’s for sure,” Ethan said.

  “Everything in life is complicated after you grow up, isn’t it?” Zack said.

  “Pretty much,” Ethan replied.

  “Do you think we need to do anything to help Gideon?” Zack asked.

  “Not yet. He’ll let us know if he needs us, but if he does, we’ll be there. It’s good of you to think of him,” Ethan said.

  ∞

  Abby had let Winnie stay home from school that morning, hoping to give her daughter time to adjust to her new surroundings, and the day had not gone well. Winnie had done everything in her power to see how far she could push her mother. Joann had already intervened once to diffuse the situation, but she could see that Abby had had enough and that Winnie’s next outburst was going to cause the child to be one sorry little girl.

  “Let’s go outside, Winnie,” Joann said.

  “What for? There’s nothing to do here,” Winnie whined.

  “You don’t know that. We can go explore and see what we can find or we can play with Gideon’s dog,” Joann coaxed.

  “Winnie, get outside with your sister. I’ve had all of you that I can handle for a while. It’s in your best interest to give me a break,” Abby warned.

  Joann watched Winnie’s expression and could see that her sister was debating whether to argue or head outside. The child turned and headed out the door in a huff.

  “I’m going to try and talk to her,” Joann said to Abby.

  “Good luck with that. My hand is about ready to do some talking,” Abby said.

  Joann caught up with Winnie out in the yard and steered her towards some trees where there was an old rickety bench. She sat down and patted the wood for Winnie to sit beside her. “You better straighten up. Abs has about had enough,” Joann warned.

  The young dog followed them, rearing its front legs up onto Winnie’s lap. As she petted it, she said, “I don’t care. Everything is ruined now. I wish Gideon had never come back. Momma divorced Daddy and now we have to move out here. He was going to leave me out there to get eaten last night. He ruined it all.”

  “Benjamin probably would have died if Gideon had not come back,” Joann reminded her.

  “Well, I wish he had left after that then,” Winnie said.

  “Winnie, staying mad about it is not going to change anything. It just makes it hard on you and everybody else,” Joann said.

  “I don’t care. They made it hard on me and I’m going to make it hard on them,” Winnie said.

  “Me and you were always like sisters even before you knew that you were my sister, right?” Joann asked.

  “Sure,” Winnie said.

  “You know that Gideon is my daddy like Marcus is your daddy. I will never think of Marcus as my real daddy, just like you will never think of Gideon as your real daddy, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t love Marcus. I’m not asking you to love Gideon, but I’m asking you to get along with him. And I’m not asking you to do it for Abs, Gideon, or anybody else. I’m asking you as my sister, for me, to please get along with him and be nice. It would mean the world to me if my sister would be nice to my daddy just for me,” Joann said.

  Winnie sat quietly, swinging her legs un
der the bench and petting the dog. She abruptly spun her head towards Joann. “Okay, I’ll do it for you, but it will be pretending. I ain’t ever going to like him,” she said.

  “That’s fair enough,” Joann said and put her arm around her sister.

  Zack rode up as they were sitting there. He was tired and hungry. The day had been a long one working with Ethan. After they had driven the cattle back to the ranch, they had spent the rest of the day herding thirty animals or so at a time into the corral. They would then, one by one, run a cow into the chute and rebrand it.

  “You look worn out,” Joann said to him.

  “I earned my keep today, that’s for sure,” Zack said.

  “You sure hightailed it out of here early this morning,” Joann said.

  “I needed to get over there. We drove the cattle back that Ethan bought on auction,” he said, stating the obvious to avoid a lie.

  “I thought maybe you were afraid all of us girls might bite you at breakfast,” Joann said.

  “Joann Minder, if there is any biting around here, I’m going to be doing it,” Zack said as he climbed down from his horse and marched toward her, giving her a kiss. His heart was pounding so hard that he wondered if she could hear it and know how scared he felt.

  Joann and Winnie were both taken aback, sitting in silence until Winnie said incredulously, “He kissed you.”

  “That he did,” Joann remarked.

  “I’m going to put up my horse. I’ll see you two inside,” Zack said before walking away from them.

  “Zack kissed Joann,” Winnie announced as the two entered the cabin.

  Abby gave Joann a questioning look. “It was just a peck,” Joann said.

  “Learning to be a cowboy must have emboldened him considerably,” Abby said.

  “Well, he could use a little,” Joann said.

  “Are you girls ready to help me with dinner?” Abby asked.

  “What do you want me to do?” Winnie asked.

  Abby looked quizzically at Joann as if her youngest daughter had just spoken in tongues. Joann mouthed, “I’ll tell you later.”