“If you just follow this old logging road, it’ll take you down to the valley. You’re right about the beauty of this place. From up here, it’s so beautiful. But you can’t see all the misery I went through down there. That’s what I was trying to get away from, not the farm, but instead of leaving it behind, I took it right along with me.”
It took the rest of the day to get down to the river.
“There’s a low water bridge where we can cross, but we’d better stay on this side until daybreak. We don’t want to try crossing the river in the dark.”
Jeremiah looked around. “Do you think they know we’re here?”
“Of course, they do. They’ve known we were here since we left the top of the mountain.”Jeremiah pulled one of his pistols and laid it in his lap.
“Don’t worry about them coming after you tonight. They’re more afraid of you than you are of them. Besides, they know I’m with you. They wouldn’t risk killing me to get the jump on you.”
“We can stay over here tonight and go in at daybreak.”
“Just keep an eye on the barn, Jeremiah. Charlie will try to ambush you.”
In the morning, they made their way across the river and drove up to the side of the barn. Still, there was no one in sight. Jeremiah stepped down off the wagon.
“Be careful.” Lilly jumped down and ran toward the house. When she got to the porch, the door flew open and Dick walked out. He was unarmed.
“You can kill me if you want to, but I had nothing to do with hurting your wife.” He held his hands up as he walked toward Jeremiah.
“Where’s your brother?” said Jeremiah just as he heard the blast of a shotgun. He drew his pistols and swung around to the barn. Lilly stood there for a second, then ran to the barn. Jeremiah stood there looking at Dick and then back to the barn, not knowing what to do.
“It’s okay, Jeremiah, we’re coming out.” Lilly walked out of the barn holding her crying mother.
“I didn’t raise my boys to be back shooters,” said Lilly’s mother.
“Charlie’s dead. Ma shot him to save your life.”
Jeremiah walked out to the barn and found Charlie’s dead body. His rifle and his mother’s shotgun were laying on the ground. He took out his knife, but then put it away and walked back out to the others.
“My job’s done here. I’ll help you bury your son and then I’ll leave.”
Lilly walked with her mother up to the porch and sat her in her rocker. Jeremiah turned and walked to the wagon. As he turned it around and started to drive away, Lilly started to cry. ‘What’s the matter, child?” said her mother. She reached out and held Lilly’s hand.
“I don’t know, momma. I never felt like this before. I feel like my whole life is driving away in that wagon.”
They watched from the porch as Jeremiah drove down to the river and then he stopped, turned around and drove back to the house. He sat there looking at Lilly wiping the tears from her eyes and then he climbed down and walked up on the porch.
“I forgot something,” he said as he reached down and picked Lilly up in his arms. He carried her to his wagon and sat her on the seat, then climbed up beside her. “I can’t wait to try some of your tomatoes and bread.” Lilly stopped crying long enough for him to kiss her and then they drove away.
EBooks by James Butler available through Amazon:
A Change Of Heart
A Rose For Amy
Along Came A Gunfighter
Amy’s Revenge
El Diablo
Gimme Back My Kidney
Gunfight On Two Moons
Jeremiah Tucker The Gunfighter
Jeremiah Tucker The Gunfighter Book 2
Jeremiah Tucker and The Angel of Death
Just Call Me Harry
Mandy
Molly
Remote Possibilities
Short Stories by James Butler: The Bamboo Viper; Remote Possibilities; The Carousel
Stagecoach To Hell
The Bamboo Viper
The Bamboo Viper Series: The Bamboo Viper; The Chameleon; Mandy
The Battle of the Bloodsuckers
The Canister
The Carousel
The Chameleon
The Gunfighter Series: Along Came A Gunfighter; Jeremiah Tucker The Gunfighter; Jeremiah
Tucker The Gunfighter Book 2
The End Of The Line
The End Of The Line Series
The Exit Of Xuan
The Hank McCoy Series: Molly; Let Death Pass
The Harry McShane Series: Just Call Me Harry; The Hunter
The Hunter
The Land of Shadow Hollow
The Last Sunset
The Legend of Concho Canyon
The Methuselah Society
The Sam Tanner Series: The Canister; The Battle of the Bloodsuckers
The Scar
The Scorpion
The Scorpion and Ghost Badger
The Scorpion Series: The Scorpion; The Scorpion and Ghost Badger