by Alice Cooper
“I’m so sorry James.” She threw her arms around him, hugging him close. “I just thought if I went back that I could protect you. I had no idea.” She sobbed.
From behind Annie, James saw Big Ray stop dead in his tracks. “I almost forgot something.” Big Ray came running toward them with his gun raised up in the air. He was running straight at James.
“NO!” Annie screamed and jumped in-between Big Ray and James. Big Ray clubbed her with the back end of his pistol sending her sprawling onto the ground. He cocked his fist back and punched James square in the face knocking him back a few steps. James put up his fists ready to defend himself but was distracted by Annie lying motionless on the ground.
Big Ray continued to punch James until he crumpled into a pile on the ground beside Annie. James counted one, two, three, four kicks to his ribcage before finally blacking out.
“James. James! Oh Lord, please James open your eyes!”
James could hear Annie’s voice ringing in his ears. When he came to, he could see a huge gash along Annie’s forehead. He tried to sit up. “Annie, you’re hurt.” Ignoring his own wounds.
She gently placed her palm over her wound, it was still bleeding quite heavily. “I’m quite alright. I think it looks much worse than it feels.” She smiled weakly.
James tried to sit up again. The pain sharpened through his abdomen with each struggled attempt. Besides bruises James was sure he had several broken ribs. “I think I need a hand to get up.” He reached up and Annie helped pull him to his feet. His eye was swollen shut and he looked down to see blood smeared across his hands. This wasn’t good.
“They took everything.” Annie spoke in a shaken voice. “The blankets, the water, all of our food and firewood. There is nothing left.”
James searched their surroundings, they were alone without supplies in the middle of the desert. Judging by the sun, it couldn’t be any later than eight o’clock in the morning. “If we hurry back toward Wiltshire, we might make it before sundown.”
“James, we have no horse! We will never make it.”
“Not if we stand around and talk.” He reached out for Annie’s hand and began to pull her along. Each step was laboured. He had a massive limp. Wincing with each small movement Annie pleaded for them to stop.
“I will go find help. You have to stay here.” Annie cried.
“We have to stay together.” James trudged on.
The day was hotter than any day before it. Becoming more and more dehydrated slowed their pace. With only an hour until sundown Annie begged James to stop and rest. “You’ve pained yourself enough. We should stop here for the night and carry on in the morning.”
“We will freeze to death out here once the sun goes down Annie. We have to keep moving.” He urged.
“You have to trust me.” Annie placed her hands on James’ shoulders and placed a gently kiss on his cheek. “I will be right back.”
Knowing better than to argue, James sunk himself into the sand to rest his aching feet. Exhausted, he laid his head down and closed his eyes. The sun fell and night arose while James drifted away. A few hours later he awoke with a start. Where was Annie? Panicked he got to his feet as quickly as he could in search for her.
“How was your sleep?” Annie’s voice chimed. A fire was thriving in front of them.
James looked puzzled. “Did you do this?” He pointed down toward the flames.
Annie beamed up at him. “You have been asleep for three hours. It gave me plenty of time to search for some wood. I messed up a few times but it turned out alright. What can I say? I had a good instructor!”
In this moment more than ever James felt a deep desire for this woman. Sure, she may not understand that silence is golden but at least she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. She was honest and passionate. James loved how outgoing she was, making friends everywhere she went. In this moment he couldn’t find the words to describe how amazing this woman was. Without a filter, James blurted “I’m in love with you.”
Annie beamed but held back.
“We have to get back to Wiltshire tonight.” James grabbed for her hand. “The Fader Hallows are going to destroy it and the families living there if we don’t do something about it.”
This time, Annie know it wasn’t her place to argue. Instead, she scattered the fire to snuff out the flame and followed in stride with James.
Wiltshire was nearing, the lights were flickering in the distance. The town was quiet, most of the townsfolk were in their beds asleep.
“What are we going to do when we get there?” Annie whispered.
“We are going to find the sheriff. He will know what to do.”
When they reached the sheriff’s doorstep, it had to be at least three o’clock in the morning. James reached up and knocked on the solid oak door. He could hear it echo inside of the sleeping house. Less than a minute later the door creaked open. A man in his pajamas and slippers stood in the doorway with a candle flickering in front of his face. He had long grey hair and a long beard. His expression was gentle and kind.
“James?” the man asked, exasperated.
“Sheriff, I am so sorry to wake you at such an unholy hour but I need your help.” James pleaded.
“James Wiltshire, I thought you were dead!” The sheriff sounded surprised. “Get inside right now before anyone else sees you.” He ushered James and Annie into the house.
It was warm indoors. Annie peered around, she had never been in such an extravagant house. The sheriff led them to the kitchen and placed a glass of warm milk in front of each of them.
“James I am so relieved to see you are alive.” The sheriff gleamed. “The Fader Hallow Gang showed up today and announced they had left you for dead in the middle of the desert. But here you are!”
“It’s true!” Annie squealed. “They beat us up and stole our supplies. We were as good as dead.” Annie slurped back her milk. It warmed her from the inside out.
“Now we need your help.” James began.
“James, there isn’t anything I can do. They have already started to obtain the town. They have killed mothers and children! They swear that this town will go up in flames if everyone doesn’t abide to their rules. Several folks have already decided to flee before things get worse. They have threatened to shoot anyone on site who looks to cross them.”
“Where are the Fader Hallows now?” James demanded to know.
“They overtook your bar, James! All of the outlaws are staking out at the inn and stealing all of the alcohol. They have claimed Wilty’s as their own. None of us knew what to do and we were extremely outnumbered so we couldn’t fight back.” The sheriff shook his head in disappointment. “In all of my years, we have never backed down from a fight. We have never given up, especially in the presence of any gang. There were just too many this time…” He trailed off.
James bit his lip and scratched that back of his head. He was thinking of something; Annie knew that look. “Sheriff, I think I have an idea.”
The sheriff helped James gather a few of the townsfolk and they tip-toed their way down to James’ stable behind Wilty’s Tavern. Annie was told it would be best to stay behind at the sheriff’s place. He had found her fresh linens and sent her to bed.
“Now listen closely,” James whispered quieter than ever before “behind the stable is a pile of wooden planks. I need each of you to grab your fill and carry it back toward the tavern. We will each be assigned a window or a door. All at the same time we will begin to board them up. It will be loud and it will be sure to wake them up so we must act quickly. When you are finished, run. Go as fast as you can and get home to your children and wives. I will then take care of the rest.”
As instructed, like worker-bees, each of the townsmen gathered an armful of planks and sauntered off to their assigned destinations. On their cue of an owl’s call they all began to hammer the planks to the side of the building covering all of the windows and doors. Unaware of what James would be taking care off, they c
ompleted their task.
Just as they had expected, people inside began to stir. This was James’ cue. He lit a match and held it in the air. “This is for you Mom and Dad.” He flicked it inside of the bar. Immediately, the floorboards caught fire which spread quickly toward the bar. He could see a silhouette walking down the stairs from the inn, Big Ray. James smiled and took off out of sight. He could hear the screams and gunshots from the Fader Hallows as they tried to escape their certain peril.
Without a word James took off running toward the rest of the townsmen and told them to go home. He knew with the amount of alcohol stored in the building, the small fire would spread very quickly and he didn’t want there to be anyone else caught it its path.
James arrived back at the sheriff’s house and walked down the hallway to where Annie was sleeping. Silently he lay down beside her. Tomorrow morning was going to come soon. It would reveal if his plan had worked or not. If not, this could be the first and last chance he would ever have to hold Annie.
Morning arrived just as it had every day prior to today. James squeezed Annie’s hand and they stepped out into the sun. “Well James, I think you saved Wiltshire.” The sheriff placed a firm hand on James’ shoulder. “As of today there is no trace of any Fader Hallow Gang members. I am sorry about your bar though.” He stepped back inside of the house closing the door behind him.
Puzzled Annie drug James down off the porch. Down the street Annie noticed the charred remains of Wilty’s Tavern. “Oh, James. What happened to your tavern?” She cried.
This only put a smile on James’ face. “I had no other choice.” He pulled her closer to him.
“But you loved that place. You didn’t set it on fire did you?”
“Like I said, I had no other choice.”
Annie remained quiet. For the first time, contemplating the proper response. “Where did you get that idea?”
“From them. Now I guess you can say that we are even.” He smirked, holding Annie for another day.
THE END
SEDUCING COWBOY
Chapter 1
“I will not have any daughter of mine acting like this. You have embarrassed me for the last time and if you’re not careful, I might even consider sending you to live with your uncle in the backwaters of Alabama. Don’t think for a second that I’m kidding. As long as you live underneath my roof there will be rules that have to be followed. You may not be mine by blood, but you were given to me despite my misgivings. Your mother entrusted me to look after you, but it’s starting to feel like a burden.” A year had gone by since Lynn’s mother died mysteriously during a boating accident. From that moment on, Lynn had the penchant for getting into trouble with just about anybody that was willing to play on the other side of the legal fence.
“Just say what’s on your mind, Helen. You never wanted me in the first place and I do not see any reason why we have to continue playing this game. I’m 19 and I’m going to college in the fall. You may think that you have all the power, but all I need to do is get a job and then I can leave you in my rearview mirror. I hate you and you treat me like I’m a child who can’t live without you being under foot. I am my mother’s daughter and we both have the same temperament and stubborn streak.” I know that we’re going to say something that we’re going to regret. I’ve never wanted to be here. I can’t even dare to call her mother and I fight every instinct that I have to get close to her. One year and it has already felt like an eternity. I know that she’s trying, but the only thing that she’s doing is making it very clear that I can’t be here for very much longer.
“I don’t know how you can talk to me like this after everything that I’ve done for you. I wake up in the middle of the night to find you missing more often than not. I have no idea if you’re dying in a ditch or shacking up with some of your so-called friends. You may not be innocent, but at least you have kept your purity intact.” They both looked at each other in shock. It became readily known that Helen had been snooping into her diary. This was the last straw and the silence that followed that declaration was not for the faint of heart. The tension in the air was thick and you could see that they both had reached their breaking point.
“I can’t believe that you invaded my personal space by reading my private thoughts. I thought that I could at least trust you to stay out of my business. I don’t know how many times I’ve told you and made it abundantly clear that I don’t need you interfering. I can live my life with or without you.” They were in the car on the way to church and had just arrived when this big major blow out had occurred. Casting daggers at one another walking across the parking lot in their Sunday best did not go unnoticed by those that knew them very well.
There were mumbles of dissent amongst the congregation. Nobody dared stand up and say something, but everybody had their own opinion that they were keeping to themselves.
Deacon James took center stage and felt that there was something in the air. Everybody looked nervous and shifted in their seats like they didn’t want to be there. He looked around for the source and the animosity that was coming off of both Helen and Lynn wasn’t exactly hard to see. They were not hiding their emotions and being a man of the cloth, he decided that he would shine a light down upon them from where he stood at the front of the church.
“I see that we have something to deal with before I begin my sermon. I told all of you that I would not condone bringing your private life in beyond those doors. If you do, then you can expect me to involve the entire congregation. Lynn and Helen have some issues to deal with and we are going to help them find their way back into the light. Show them some encouragement. I’m sure that it’s not insurmountable like the boulder that was pushed up the hill.” Deacon James was bald and the light from above was shining on his head like his own personal halo. Being a good Texan, he understood that there were always squabbles, but all could be forgiven.
A couple of people started to clap and then the rest followed like the sheep that they were. Before long there was a chorus that had both Lynn and Helen looking around to find that they were now the center of attention.
“I am not going up there with you and there’s nothing and no one that is going to make me. You do whatever the hell you want, Helen but don’t expect me to play along with this charade. We will never be a happy household and I feel that you have violated my trust. I don’t know if that can ever be fixed. This has gone too far. It might be time that we cut ties and walk away. I don’t want to hate you and I try to get along for the sake of my mother. I really don’t know what she was thinking when she thought that you and I could work. I would be better off going my own way.” “I see the way that everybody is looking at me, but not even their influence is going to force me to stand up and be noticed. I don’t want this attention. If they don’t want me to scream, then they better stop looking at me like that. I can see in Helen’s eyes that she’s thinking about airing our dirty laundry for all the neighbors to hear. I’m sure that most of it has been spoken in hushed tones. Nothing goes on around here that the others don’t find out about eventually. I think it has a lot to do with Deacon James’s need to make everybody happy.
“They only want to help, Lynn. I don’t see any reason why we can’t let them in. In times of great trials we must always stand together. Life is about changes and nothing stays the same. I’ve done my best to guide you with a helping hand, but you have been resistant every step of the way. I can’t deal with this on my own anymore.” Helen had seen a premature graying of her hair in the last year and the stress of dealing with a woman that was still grieving after all this time was weighing heavily on her shoulders. “I need to do this for my own sanity and you can stay there and sit and listen, but you will not leave here for any reason whatsoever.” Helen could see that her arms were across defiantly and she was basically stewing in her own juices.
Smoothing down her black skirt, she got up and faced the judgment of those that thought that they could be of any help. She felt scrutiniz
ed and for a girl that stayed to herself she had learned an inexplicable lesson that teenagers were hard to live with at the best of times. Helen’s cheeks were a rosy hue from the embarrassment of being called out like this. Taking a deep breath, she realized that the only way to get through this was with one breath.
“I see that somebody is being stubborn. No matter, I’m sure that once Helen speaks that Lynn will feel compelled to make some kind statement. Let’s give Helen a warm welcome and hope that the words within the pages of the bible will help her to lay rest to whatever this issue might be.” Deacon James considered himself to be a confidant to many. He had heard his fair share of sin and confessions. Some of them were not suitable for those of an impressionable age. “The only way to get through this is to give it a voice. Forgiveness is an amazing tool and one that is vastly underutilized in my opinion. Helen, tell us what has caused this rift between you and Lynn. We all know the back story. I’m sure that Lynn is still feeling the loss of her mother. That woman was considered a saint amongst all of us.” There was a silent bow from those sitting on the benches and from Deacon James himself.
Lynn’s mother Kate had dedicated her time to those that needed her the most. She volunteered her services, even though she had a fulltime job running a small deli shop. That shop was destined to go to Lynn, but she found herself rebelling against it and in turn the shop was turned over to those with deep pockets. Kate was the exact opposite of her daughter. Kate was dark haired with a generous height of over 5’10 and 150 pounds. Lynn had taken the traits of her blonde blue eyed father Henry who died just after she was born. This was the type of loss that was crushing her very soul and keeping her from moving forward.
Helen wasn’t sure that this was the right decision, but she didn’t see any way other than to let others speak for her. “I don’t know where to begin. I guess it all started when I was surprised to learn that Kate had found me a suitable role model. I really don’t know what she was thinking. I work long hours as a lawyer. I hardly have any time for myself let alone a teenage daughter that is dealing with too many issues to count. I want to be there for her for that stability in her life, but she won’t listen. She thinks that she knows everything. All of you at one time thought the same thing growing up. We all did, but if we could go back to our young self, I’m sure that we would tell them to act their age and don’t do something stupid. I only wonder what either one of us would say in response if we had a chance to go back and do it all over again.” Helen could not have children and she was destined to live with that knowledge. It had ruined a few relationships and sent the guy packing after he learned the terrible truth.