by Barbara Goss
“Maybe I can stay with Paulina and Logan.”
“Not a good idea, sweetheart. We need to leave them to get reacquainted.”
“What should we do then?”
“Get married.” Woody scooped her up again and walked across the street to a little white church.
After a few days together, Logan had finally loosened up, and he stopped clutching Paulina like she might disappear at any second. They picnicked in the meadow, walked along the river, and started painting the house together.
At dinner one evening, Paulina decided it was time to bring up a sore subject. “Logan, I’d like to visit with my friend, Annie. Would you mind if I did?”
A frown creased Logan’s forehead. “You want to visit a woman who agreed to kill you for money?”
“She couldn’t do it. She’d never killed anyone before, but she’s a different person, now. I told her about God and the Bible, and now she’s a praying person. It was our friendship that helped to change her. She’d gotten in with a bad bunch of people, is all.”
“Humph,” was all Logan said.
“I thought, perhaps, I could invite her here, for tea.”
“I suppose. If that would make you happy, it’s all right, but tell her to leave Woody at home.”
“Woody has changed, too, Logan. We all prayed together for you.”
Logan didn’t reply. He simply got up from the table and left the room.
The following day, Logan took his wife into town and stopped the wagon he’d purchased in front of the barbershop.
“Do you need a haircut?” Paulina asked.
“No, but I have a surprise for you. Come on.” He helped her from the wagon. When Logan opened the barbershop door, an elderly barber greeted them.
“Hello, Joe,” Logan greeted. “My wife would like her hair done.”
Paulina turned her head in Logan’s direction and simply stared at him. Why would he take her to a barber to get her hair done?
A curtain opened at the rear of the room, and out walked Felicia. Paulina gasped and ran over to hug her. As the women exchanged greetings, hugs, and tears, Logan shrugged at Joe and sat down to wait.
Chapter Fifteen
Paulina and Logan went to church on Sunday and were surprised to see Annie and Woody in the front row.
“What’s he doing here?” Logan grumbled.
“He belongs here like everyone else, Logan. He and Annie have changed their lives.”
He reached up and touched her face. “You did that?”
“I taught them everything you taught me. These are hard times and everyone needs God. They just needed to learn about Him like I did. Neither Woody nor Annie came from families that taught them a thing about God.”
When Logan didn’t answer she continued, “I’d love to reach more people who don’t know about God. It’s a thrilling feeling to help someone turn his life around.”
“We’ll have children. You can teach them.”
“No, Logan, I want to reach even more people than that.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure God will show me in due time.”
The service began, and Paulina prayed the message would speak to Logan about forgiveness. The sermon wasn’t about forgiveness; it was about praying to idols.
After the service, Paulina greeted Felicia who was accompanied by Pedro. On their way home, Logan explained that during their trip home from El Paso, the two had fallen in love.
Pedro brought Felicia back to the house with him, and the four of them enjoyed tamales.
During lunch, Logan told Paulina, “I hope you like pork, because Pedro thinks we should buy a few pigs.”
“Pigs?” Paulina asked.
“Yes. We’ve been growing our herd of cattle, but it’s far too soon to slaughter any for ourselves. We could raise some pigs for pork and buy a few chickens, too.”
“As long as I don’t have to interact with the pigs. I know I’ll want to name them, and then I just couldn’t eat them.” Paulina pouted. “I’m not sure if I’ll get attached to the chickens…they’re sort of cranky, I hear.”
“Only when you try to steal their eggs, but I’ll do that.”
“Logan! We’d have fresh eggs?”
“Every morning. Pedro has already started building the coop.”
That evening, after Pedro had taken Felicia back to town, Logan took out his Bible. “It’s time for our Bible study.”
Paulina sat beside him on the overstuffed settee. She found herself sinking quite low in it. “Do you suppose we could purchase a new settee soon?”
“As soon as our first batch of cattle are sold at the market, we shall buy new furniture,” he said.
“If we sell them, then we won’t have many left.”
“That’s why we don’t sell them until some of them have babies.”
“Oh, I see.” She looked down at his open Bible. “What will our lesson be tonight?”
“I thought we’d study Jesus’ capture by the Romans and his crucifixion.”
“It sounds like a sad story.”
“It is, but it isn’t. You’ll see. We’ll read it from the Book of Matthew.”
Paulina had an idea as Logan read. She prayed silently about it, before deciding to act on it.
When Logan had finished the story, he asked, “Any questions?”
“Yes,” Paulina said quickly. “Why did God let such a horrible death happen to his beloved son?”
“He did it so we could be forgiven for our sins. He shed his blood for us. He loves us as much as he loved his son.”
“How wonderful that during his long suffering, Jesus forgave the thief on the cross. Does God also want us to forgive our fellow man? You said once that the Bible teaches us how to live by example.”
“Of course—” Logan stopped abruptly and rubbed his forehead. “Are you referring to Woody?”
“I am.”
“Have you any idea what his plan put me through? I nearly lost my sanity. It was cruel, inhuman and—”
“Woody took Annie and me to Socorro, and then he went back to tell you, but you were gone. He was afraid for my life. He wanted to get me out of town before Otto came for me.”
“But he was guarding you.”
“Yes, but Woody could easily have been shot by Otto or Homer to get to me. He shot all of those innocent people in the stagecoach. Those men are ruthless. Woody acted in my best interest and so did Annie.”
“And so, you want me to forgive them?”
“Yes. They're our friends. If it hadn’t been for them, I might have been captured, tortured, and killed by the Washburns.”
“Why would Annie agree to kill you for money? What kind of woman would do that?”
“She came from a very rough background. She met Otto and just got in with a rough crowd. When she realized she wanted to get away from them, she couldn’t, because she had no means. The thousand dollars tempted her. She thought she might be able to shoot someone, but she found out she didn’t have it in her to harm anyone, and she saved my life instead.”
Logan bowed his head and didn’t speak for several moments. Then, he put his arm around her and pulled her close. “I never thought of it that way. I’m so glad to have you back. I suppose I could forgive Woody and Annie. Woody was never my best friend. He was my deputy, and I trusted him. I didn’t approve of his lifestyle, but he was a crackpot deputy and always had my back. Now that his life has changed, I suppose I might be able to be friends with him. I’ll pray about it.”
“I’ve decided what I want to do to save other people,” Paulina said.
Logan sighed. “What?”
“I want to go into the saloons—in the daytime, mind you—and tell the women about God.”
Logan laughed. “The saloon owner will probably throw you out.”
“I’ll find a way…with God’s help. Annie and Felicia will help me, I know they will.”
Logan kissed her forehead. “Whatever makes you happy,
but I’m going to buy you a gun to put into your reticule, just in case.”
As Paulina sat on the porch snapping beans, she saw a buggy pull up. She dropped her bowl of beans and jumped to her feet. It was Woody and Annie. She’d meant to invite Annie for tea but hadn’t yet gotten around to it. She wondered if this was a social call or if something had happened, and she ran down the porch steps to greet them.
She hugged Annie, and turned to Woody to welcome him. She worried maybe Logan wouldn’t be happy to see him.
Woody pushed Annie gently up the porch steps. “Annie can help you with those beans. I need to speak to Logan. Is he around?”
Paulina grimaced.
“I know he might not want to see me, but I have news for him. I need to tell him first, and then I’ll share it with you ladies.” Woody waited for her to speak. “Well, is he around?”
“Oh, yes…sorry, Woody. He’s in the barn. Shall I announce you’re here?”
Woody turned to the barn. “No, I can handle Logan. I know him well, remember?”
Logan aimed at a nail in the ladder he was building for the loft, but the hammer caught his finger instead. “Dagnabbit!”
“Need some help?” Woody asked from the doorway of the barn.
Logan didn’t look up, but he murmured, “No, I’m fine.”
“I came to tell you that two United States Marshalls brought Otto, Homer, and Sy to the jailhouse in town this morning. Homer, Sy, and Hoddy will stand trial for the stagecoach shootings and robbery as soon as the circuit judge arrives. Otto will be tried for bank robbery, the murder of Sheriff Branson, and for hiring someone to kill Paulina.”
Logan swung around to face Woody. “I’d almost forgotten about the trial.”
“The town has hired Roy Walker to prosecute. He’ll need to talk to you and Paulina. You may both have to testify.”
“I see,” Logan said. “What about the man who saw the attack happen?”
“Arnold Jenkins has agreed to testify.” Woody played with the hat in his hand. “Well, that’s all I wanted to tell you.” He turned to leave.
“Wait!” Logan caught himself saying, without a thought of what he meant to say next.
Woody turned to Logan.
“I…I’m sorry about that day at the cemetery.”
Woody shrugged. “Don’t be. I would have done the same as you.”
“The pain was like nothing I’ve ever experienced and—” While Logan tried to think of his next words, Woody walked over and clapped him on the back.
“I can only imagine. All I can say is that I’m sorry.”
Logan put his hand out and Woody shook it. “I forgive you, Woody.”
“It will take some time, but I hope to make it up to you somehow,” Woody said.
“No need,” Logan said. “You saved my wife's life in the long run, and I guess I need to thank you for that.”
“I wish you were still the sheriff,” Woody said.
“I’m well rid of that job. Why would you wish that on me?”
“Because you could do me a favor and remove the wanted poster of Annie. All she did was act as lookout for that bank robbery. She got mixed up with the wrong people. She’s a God-fearing woman now, and she’s my wife.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“But I couldn’t remove her wanted poster. She’d have to be excused of her crime by the judge.”
“Is that how it works?”
“Yes. Removing her poster doesn’t take her off the wanted list. And if I’m not mistaken, there’s a five-hundred-dollar bounty on her head.”
Woody nodded and left the barn.
Logan sat in a room with the prosecutor, Roy Walker, along with Paulina, and Arnold Jenkins.
“Mrs. McGuire, would you recognize the voices of the men who shot those people in the stagecoach?”
“Yes. I've already recognized their voices for Logan.”
“I’m sure the criminals' attorney will argue your ability to do that, but we’ll give it a try, anyway,” Walker said.
Walker was a cut and dry man, but people often said he was a good lawyer. He turned to Arnold Jenkins. “Can you identify the men you saw shoot those poor people on the stagecoach?”
“Yes, sir. That is, I can identify all but Homer’s brother, Otto. He wasn’t there. I got a good look at all three of them,” Jenkins said.
“Where were you at the time of the shootings?”
“I was riding east, returning from Red Rock where I visited my daughter. I was just coming out of the woods—I always take a short cut through the woods, sir—when I saw them, I froze.”
“The man on top of the stage had a gun aimed at them, but Homer Washburn shot him dead before he could pull the trigger. Then, Sy shot the driver, causing the coach to swerve and tip on its side. The passengers all fell to the floor, but while the men went through the luggage and Hoddy took the strong box of money, the passengers righted themselves. I never thought they’d shoot them. The crooks had what they wanted. There was no need to kill them.
"Washburn opened the coach door and just began shooting. I sat on my horse in shock. I was afraid to move in case I’d be next. After they rode away, I ran for help. I knew I wasn’t strong enough to do much more than that.”
“That’s a perfect testimony. I can’t think of what argument their attorney would have to dispute those facts,” Walker said. “Except, maybe…hmm, I see you wear spectacles. How is your eyesight?”
“I’m wearing them now because I signed some papers for you. I only wear them for reading. My far vision is perfect,” Jenkins said.
“Can you see the sign on that door?” Walker asked. “Read the bottom line, please.”
Jenkins removed his spectacles. “It says, ‘Attorney at Law, 4 Elm Street, Laredo, Texas.’”
“Perfect. I may bring an eye chart with me if their attorney challenges your sight.”
“Now, Mr. McGuire,” Walker turned to Logan, “I don’t need you for identity purposes, but when I put you on the stand, I’ll ask about your arrest of these men and how Otto Washburn broke them out of jail in El Paso and shot the sheriff.” Walker studied all three for them for a moment before asking, “Who is the witness to the fact that Otto Washburn hired someone to kill Mrs. McGuire?”
Logan and Paulina exchanged looks.
“Well, who was it? I’ll need to talk to them.”
Paulina reluctantly said, “It was Mrs. Woodrow Shaw.”
“Why isn’t she here?” Walker demanded.
“I could get her for you,” Paulina said.
“How long will that take?” the lawyer asked.
“Not long. She lives just down the street.”
“Then get her, please.”
Annie sat before the lawyer and told her story without mentioning her maiden name. The lawyer’s eyes widened when she told him she’d been hired to kill Mrs. McGuire.
“You offered to kill Mrs. McGuire?” He pointed at Paulina.
“I’m not proud of it. I needed the money, and I thought I could do it, but…I couldn’t. Even if I hadn’t made friends with her, I could never take a life. I didn’t realize that fact until it was too late.”
“Mrs. Shaw, do you have any objections to telling your story on the stand?” Shaw asked.
Annie looked at Paulina and then at Logan and said quietly, “No, sir.”
Chapter Sixteen
Logan, Paulina, and Annie departed the lawyer’s office and walked toward Annie’s horse.
“Annie, what if someone mentions your maiden name? You’re wanted as an accomplice to a bank robbery,” Paulina said.
“It’s a chance I have to take. I want to see those horrible men punished.”
“You can always refuse to testify,” Logan suggested. He hadn’t talked to Annie much as he still had reservations about her.
“No,” Annie told Logan, “I’ll take the chance. If someone finds me out, I’ll serve my time.”
Logan helped Anni
e mount her horse. “It’s the other attorney that might bring it out. I’m sure he’s looking at everything.”
“Then I’ll go to the sheriff and just turn myself in. I did wrong, and I need to pay for it. I wish I could tell every young person in the world to be careful of the company they keep.”
Paulina gasped. “No, don’t turn yourself in. It may not come out. You’re Mrs. Shaw, and God has forgiven you.”
“But that’s the Bible’s law, not the law in Texas.” Annie gave her horse a slight kick, and she rode off.
“Oh, Logan! I’ll hate it if Annie is caught.”
At home that evening, Logan noticed Paulina seemed sad and withdrawn. He sat beside her on the settee. “We could get that furniture sooner if we sold some of our land.”
She turned to him. “Really?”
“Pedro is going to propose to Felicia, and I really need him close by. He mentioned he is looking for land to build them a starter home. We could sell them a couple of acres and keep them close.”
Paulina gave him a smile. It wasn't the biggest smile, but it was a smile, nevertheless. He pulled her closer and kissed her cheek. “Felicia will be close to you, and Pedro will be close to me. He’s a good man.”
“I’d like that, but Annie’s my friend, too. Could we sell her and Woody some land, too?”
“Sweetheart, of course we could, but we’ll have to see what happens with the trial first. She might have to serve some time in jail.”
“Oh, Logan! That would be horrible. Is there nothing you can do? She saved my life.”
“I suppose I could talk to the mayor.”
“You know the mayor?”
“Yes. Remember I told you I worked on his ranch, and he appointed me sheriff.”
“Would you do that, please?”
“How do I know this Annie is on the level? I’d hate to plead her case, get her exonerated, and then she commits another crime.”
“I know she would never do that. She’s committed her life to God.” Paulina sniffed into her handkerchief. “Besides, I trust her.”