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HEARING A KNOCK ON the door, Anna waited until Emma and Clara had the table set before giving the OK to come in. Seeing John wipe his feet before entering, Anna couldn't remember the last time she'd see a man act like that before entering their home. Standing in the open doorway, she watched him stand awkwardly and nod his head.
"Good afternoon ladies."
Seeing him needing help, and names being exchanged, Anna quickly went to his rescue and ushered her sisters toward the door. "Emma, Clara, go and see if Jesse needs any help."
"But you'll need a hand with-" Clara started before being pushed out.
"I think we'll be fine. Me and Mr. Williamson here have some things to discuss-"
"And what about the attack last night?"
"That's another thing we'll be discussing," Anna said, looking at John. "I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about on that matter." Finally pushing them out the door, Anna closed it and lay up against it in relief. Leaving and pointing to the table, she directed him to a chair. "Please sit down-"
"Aren't they joining us?" John asked, pointing toward the door.
"I think getting their supper a little late won't make a big difference to them," Anna said and again pointed to the chair. "Please sit. I'll be in in a moment, make yourself comfortable." Going into the kitchen, and retrieving the cooked chicken and bowl of vegetables Emma had cooked, she came out and found him looking around him.
"It's nice home you have here, Miss Henley."
"Thank you, and its Anna," Anna said, finding an empty place on the table to put the two dishes down on it. Seeing John stand up and offer his help, she gestured for him to sit back down. "Thanks, but I'm fine. I've been doing this long enough now, Mr. Williamson-"
"Mr. Williamson, makes it sound like you're talking to my father. Please, call me, John," he said. "And thanks for inviting me in like this, Anna."
Hearing him call her by her first name, Anna was surprised to feel herself smile. "I suppose it's the least I could do for making you dig up a hole for no good reason."
"I think I get the idea of why you did it. I know I couldn't blame you after all we did. —Again, I'd like to apologize for what happened to you. There was no good cause for doing what they did. That's not what my father's company stands for and neither do I."
Anna nodded her head toward the dishes. "Please, help yourself."
Picking up a piece of chicken and putting it on his plate, he smiled at her. "The last thing I want is for either of us to get off on the wrong foot."
Taking her place opposite him, Anna sat down and placed a napkin on her lap. Picking up a piece of chicken she placed it on her plate. “It's been a long time since I've sat down with another man at this table, other than Charles.”
"Charles?"
"He used to do Jesse's job before he was beaten up in Small Flats."
"I heard about that off Jesse-"
"You know anything about that, John?" Anna asked, lifting a jug of water and pouring out two glasses. Handing one over, she found him nod his head in thanks as he took it. Putting it on the table, he played with it as if thinking over his words.
"If I did, I promise I'd be the first to admit it. But it seems that there's been a lot of things going on that I knew nothing about."
"Me too," Anna said. "Until our little visit last night. —But we can talk about that after supper."
"I'd like that," John said. "It's nice to sit down opposite someone that hasn't got a grizzled face or missing teeth. Something I've been looking at this past six months."
“Is that the normal company you keep?”
“Has been for too long.—That, and sleeping in an uncomfortable bed,” John said, cutting up his piece of chicken.
“So, why do it then? I'm sure a man like yourself could probably afford to get someone else to do your job?”
“I could, but this is one job I want to see to the end. It was my father's dream to build a route through here. He never got to see it come to pass, so I'm doing it for him.” Anna smiled, hearing his explanation. “Something I said?”
“No. Seems like the two of us are living out our dead parent's wishes. You with the railroad, and me with this farm.”
“I know,” John smiled. “Jesse told me a little about you.”
About to put a forkful of food in her mouth, Anna paused. “Did he now? Like what?”
“Nothing much, just said that you'd been going through a bad patch. Seemed a little proud of you the way he spoke of you."
Hearing Jesse speak of her in such a way, Anna wondered if she was wrong about the man. Smiling at him out the window, she watched Jesse take her sister Emma in his arms and hold his hands to her face. Climbing from her seat, Anna stared, not believing her eyes.
"Everything OK, Anna?" John asked, looking behind him. "Something wrong?"
Seeing Jesse plant a kiss on Emma's lips, Anna threw down her napkin. "If you'd excuse me for a moment." Not waiting for a reply, she told him to stay put and headed out the door.
*****
WALKING SWIFTLY TO the pair, Anna put her hands on Jesse's chest and pushed him backwards. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Anna, please..." Emma interrupted.
Silencing her with a glare, Anna pointed back toward the house. "Get back to the house and stay there until I have a word with you." Turning to Jesse, she pushed him in the chest again. "And you, I told you to stay away from Emma and Clara."
"Anna, we love each other," Emma said.
"We do, Anna," Jesse said.
Standing between the pair, Anna looked at her sister and shook her head. "Love, after what, two days? How could you be so stupid getting mixed up with someone like him, Emma? How do you know he hasn't been plying his trade to every woman he's ever come in contact with—you think you're the first woman he's ever said I love you to? I seriously doubt it." Anna turned to Jesse. "It's true, isn't it?"
"Honestly, Anna, I've never met a woman like your sister before?" Jesse said.
"Well, whatever you think is going on here, Jesse, it's stopping right now. —Emma's promised to another man."
"I am?" Emma asked.
"Yes, you're going to be a mail-order bride, the three of us are. You, me and Clara are going to San Francis-"
"No, way Anna. I'm not going," Emma replied, her arms across her chest. "There's no way I'm going out there and marrying a man I don't even know-"
Feeling her temper get the better of her, Anna pointed at Jesse as she spoke to her sister. "And what future is he going to give you, Emma? A ranch hand. What kind of life do you think that would be like?"
"It worked for mother," Emma snapped back. "You think she ever considered what father was? No. She was in love with him and she married him for love."
Hearing the words, Anna grit her teeth knowing she was right. Looking past her sister, she watched Clara come over and Emma turn to her.
"Did you know this?" Emma asked, "did you know our sister was selling us off like cattle."
"But you said that we mightn't have to-"
"It's not like that, Clara," Anna said, "I was trying to give us all the best chance of a future."
"They're adults, Anna," Jesse said. "They can make up their own minds."
Hearing his voice, Anna turned and pointed to the barn. "Get your things, Jesse, and get out of here."
"If he goes, I'm going with him," Emma added.
"Emma please," Anna said.
Feeling like she was the sole occupant on an island of sanity, Anna looked at the surrounding faces. Seeing John standing at the door of the house, she knew he must have heard it all. Embarrassed by what he'd heard, Anna looked at the group. "Do what you want. I'm tired of all of this." Throwing her arms up in the air, Anna ignored anything more they said and ran off crying.
Chapter 11
Walking up behind Anna, John watched the woman's shoulders shake as she cried herself out. Seeing her fall apart in front of her family, he couldn't help but feel that he'd been a part of it. Seeing the strong woman broken down by what his men had done, he knew he had to make things better in whatever way he could. Clearing his throat, he watched her spin around.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing, Anna. I just came to see if you were alright. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Nothing. Just go."
Nodding his head, John was surprised at how much her sadness got to him. Reaching into his pocket and pulling out a handkerchief, he handed it over. Seeing her take it and wipe her eyes, he held up his hand as she handed it back. "You take it."
"Thank you."
"Is what I heard true? About you becoming a mail order bride."
"Looks like I'm the only one that can see that it makes sense," Anna said.
"Things that bad?"
"Worse," Anna smiled, weakly. "I thought I could make this place work, but as you can see that hasn't been going very well-"
"And we didn't help," John said, looking at his feet.
"No. I think you were just the last straw," Anna said. "We've been losing money for a while now and the livestock's getting too old. I thought maybe if we sold it off now we'd have enough money to pay off our debts and a little money to take with us. —But as you can see, my sisters are committed to staying put." Wiping her eyes, she smiled a weak smile. "I better be heading back."
Seeing her walk past him, John knew he wanted to spend more time with her. Looking for an excuse to talk, he called after her. "Are you hungry, Anna?"
Turning around, she smiled. "Was our cooking that bad too?"
"No. No," John said and felt his face blush. "No, it was really fine. —I was just wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner with me? Kinda as an apology. I wanted to reimburse you and your family for the loss of your cattle."
"I don't know, I-"
"I thought maybe you and I could ride into Small Flats and grab something to eat," John said and saw her weigh up her opinions. Thinking she was going to refuse him, he added. "Plus I'd like to apologize to your ranch hand for what happened to him. I thought maybe you could introduce us-"
"I don't know..."
"Come on, after the day you've been having, I think you could do with some cheering up."
"You good at that? Cheering up people."
Walking closer, John smiled. "I've been known to put a smile on the odd woman's face. —I'd like to see if I could do the same for you." Seeing her smile, John realized he hadn't seen her do it before. Finding it light up her face, he found his attraction to her grow even stronger.
"That part of your job, building railroads and mending hearts?" Anna asked.
"When the need arises. Although I don't know which I'm better at. You want to come with me and find out?"
"I don't know..."
"What else are you going to do this evening? Hide in your bedroom and avoid the rest of your family?"
"I never hide," Anna smiled. "Actually, I was thinking of packing my bags."
"You can do that anytime," John said. "A quick meal, an apology to your ranch hand and I'll bring you back. Plus, you'll be doing me a favor. As I said, it'll be nice to sit across from someone who doesn't smell like a pig and knows how to use their cutlery."
"Oh, all right," Anna said. "It's not like I'll have to worry about this place for much longer anyway."
*****
SMALL FLATS - LOUIS Cummins Saloon...
Watching Anna make the introduction and tell of the reason for them dropping by, John stepped forward and held out his hand. "John Williamson, sir. —I'm very sorry for what's happened to you. I'd no knowledge about it until Anna here made we aware of it. I swear if I'd known I would have made sure that they got prosecuted for what they did to you."
"And the poisoned cattle?" Charles said, pulling himself up in the bed. "Are you going to make sure-"
"I'll make sure that Anna is well compensated for them. We're actually going to talk terms right now," John said.
"I see. So, you're the young fella in charge of the railroad around here."
"I'd like to say that, sir, but there's a board of directors in San Francisco that would argue about that," John said. "I'm just one of many cogs in the machine that makes up my father's railroad company."
"I’d heard he’d passed on."
"Yes, sir. Passed away last year. We think it was blood poisoning," John said. "Died before he had a chance to see his last wish fulfilled."
"Which was?"
"He wanted to run a line through this part of the country, leading all the way west to San Francisco."
"That's a long way." Charles let out a soft whistle.
"It seems far, but it's not as bad as you might think. Right now, there's a line making its way toward us. We just have to meet them halfway."
"I see," Charles said.
"There's also another reason I dropped by," John said and reached into his coat. Taking out his wallet, he thumbed through the notes inside it. Taking out a handful, he put them on the bed. "I know it can never repay you for what you went through, but I'd like to pay for your loss of earnings." Seeing the man's eyes light up at the sight of the money, John thought he looked satisfied.
"Two hundred dollars?" Anna asked.
"Two months' wage. I thought that's around the salary you'd been paying, but if it's not enough I can..."
"Well I..." Charles said.
"I see," John said and took his wallet out once more. About to open it, Anna stopped him and looked at Charles. "No. That's more than enough, isn't it, Charles?" Seeing the pair exchange a look, Anna motioned for him to put his wallet away.
John nodded his head at the man in the bed. "Glad that’s that sorted. —As I said, I'm sorry for what you went through."
"Apology accepted." Charles grinned and held up the bundle of notes. "It's been nice meeting you, John."
"And you," John said and shook the man's hand. Looking at Anna, he asked, "Ready to go?"
"I think we've done enough here." Anna gave Charles a look. "Will you be OK with all that money, Charles? You don't want me to mind some of it?"
"No. We'll be fine here." Charles smirked.
Being led to the door, John found Anna reply. "And don't be handing it all to Robert downstairs." Seeing him shake his head in the negative, Anna smiled at him as he held the cash to his chest.
"I promise I won't, I won't..."
“Liar,” Anna smirked and closed the door after her.
*****
SITTING ACROSS FROM Anna, John looked at her over his dinner and found her smiling back. "What?"
"You know I don't pay him even close to that a month. —Two hundred dollars. What was going through your head, John?"
Lifting his glass of water, John saluted her with a grin and took a drink from it. Putting his glass back on the table, he nodded his head. "I know. But after what he went through, I'd rather pay too much and have the man with a good word to say about me, then scrimp and have him bad mouth me to everyone."
"So, it was a way to make him keep his mouth shut?"
"I wouldn't say it like that-"
"I would," Anna said. "So, is this why you took me out or a meal? Get another of the locals on side?"
"It's not like that. I knew I was to blame for what happened to you today. I felt sorry for you-" John instantly regretted his choice of words. Watching her toss her fork onto the table, he got the response he expected from her.
"I don't need your pity-"
"I didn't mean it like that, Anna. Honestly I didn't." John shook his head and leaned forward. Reaching across, he picked up her fork and held it out for her to take. "I just saw someone that needed cheering up and I thought that-"
"So, when you're not building railroads and mending broken hearts, you're taking on charity cases," Anna said.
"Now you're turning my words against me," John said, reaching out further with her fork. "I'll be honest with you. You're not the only one who's been having a rough time of it lately. I just wanted to talk to someone as me. Not as the heir of the Williamson rail road company."
Taking the fork from his hand, Anna asked. "So, what was so rough about the last few days?"
"We had an accident yesterday. You probably heard it, the large explosion," John said and got a nod from Anna. "We lost a man in it-"
"Oh my God-"
"He stupidly put some damp cases of TNT back with the rest. Poor fool didn't know he was making a mistake. Still didn't, until he blew up with the whole stockpile the following day," John said and played with his glass. Moving it over and back and watching the water move around inside it, he added, "I can still picture him, the excitement on his face when I hired him. —It was my fault he died..."
"How?"
"Those two that trespassed on your land, he'd been doing their work for them. I should have known what was going on and I didn't. So you see, it's not all a world of glamour on the railroad."
"That's terrible," Anna said. "I didn't know."
Taking a drink from his glass, John set it down and looked up at her. "If you don't mind I'd like to put all of that behind me for a while. I just want the two of us to sit down like two normal people and just have a meal together," John said.
"Sounds good to me," Anna said, "and I'm sorry for flying off the handle a moment ago. I'm still on edge about what happened earlier."
"I understand," John said. "So, what would you like to talk about, that isn't farming or railroads?" Finding her struggle to come up with a topic, he thought of home. "So, you ever been to San Francisco before?" Seeing her grin, he knew what was coming.
"Yeah, all the time. Why only last week, Charles and I came back from shopping there-"
John chuckled at her sarcasm. "Alright, alright. That wasn't a good place to start."
"You can say that again. Are you sure you're such a big deal with the ladies, because where I'm sitting you need to work on your small talk."
"Alright then, clever clogs. You pick a topic then—and your answers have to be honest." John grinned.
"Alright. —Who was the last woman to break your heart?" Anna smiled and toasted him with her glass. Watching her drink, John smiled.
"Alice Jenkins."
"And she was?"
John wagged his finger. "That's another question. —You'll have to wait your turn. —Now me. —Alright back at ya, who was the last one to break your heart." Seeing her smile fade, John grinned as she visibly squirmed in front of him.
"—John Kearney."
"From the farm next door?"
"That's two questions."
"I know, but from the farm next door, couldn't you have gone a little further afield?" John said and watched her remain silent. "Alright, your turn."
"Who was Alice Jenkins?"
"She's my best friend's wife," John said and saw the shocked look on her face. "And no, she wasn't married at the time. I just lost the battle for her heart. —So, my turn. What happened between you and John Williams? How come you two didn't make it as a couple."
"He got killed in the war in the south."
John apologized. "Maybe we should quit this. It's not as much fun as I thought it would be." Getting a nod that she agreed also, he turned his attention to the meal on his plate. "Nice meal."
"It is," Anna said and pushed her food around on her plate. "Although I'm not very hungry."
"Me neither," John said, "you want me to take you home?"
"Please," Anna said and got from her seat. "I better get back and see what's been happening since I've been away."
"Me too," John said and smiled. "We must do this again sometime."
"Like never," Anna said.
Hearing her words, John knew her eyes told a different story. But he could also sense the pain in her after talking about John Kearney. Feeling like she'd loved and lost, he now had a better idea of why a woman like Anna was still single. Putting her heart elsewhere, he could see why the farm had meant so much to her. Not only because of her father, but also as a distraction from her pain. Guiding her out the door of the saloon and watching her get back on her buckboard cart, he couldn't help but feel that he wanted to be the man to fix that broken heart.
*****
RIDING ALONG IN ANNA's cart, John watched her drive past the turnoff for her farm and pointed it out to her. "What are you doing?"
"I made them take your horse, the least I could do is take you back."
"That's kind of you, but it's getting dark. I'll not have you traveling out her on your own in the dark."
"I'm a big girl, John, I'll be fine," Anna said.
"I know, but I wouldn't sleep tonight not knowing if you got home OK."
"You'd worry about me?" Anna teased. "Little old me?"
"Why wouldn't I? What kind of man do you take me for?" Seeing her look at him in silence, he added, "You can jump in here at any moment if you'd like..."
"Hmmm," Anna said and slowed the horse and cart to a stop. "Now what kind of man would I take you for?" Looking off into the distance as if thinking of a reply, she turned to him. "Nah, can't think of anything. —So, what woman do you take me for?"
"Me? —I'd say a woman who is far more beautiful than she knows, especially when smiles."
"Oh, you're good, you." Anna smiled. "So, how many women have you told that one to?"
"Only the ones that deserved it," John said. "Didn't I tell you that I can't lie? It's a problem in my family. Started way back when my grandfather was cursed by an Irish gypsy." Seeing her smile, John added, “How some man hasn't snapped you up a long time ago is beyond me.”
"Does that usually work too?"
"Sometimes," John wiggled his hand. "But the next thing has never failed me."
"And what's that?"
"Close your eyes."
"In your dreams." Anna chuckled. "Close my eyes, what kind of fool do you take me for?"
"Do it. —You know you want to," John said and watched her blush. "Take a chance and close your eyes."
"Alright, but if you-"
John put his finger to her lips and silenced her. "Just close your eyes." Closing her eyes tight, John watched her giggle and then open one eye to watch him. "That's cheating. Now close your eyes."
"I can't, I can't." Anna laughed and opened her eyes. "I swear I can't."
"OK then, let's make this interesting. If you open your eyes I only pay you the going rate for each cow you've lost, but if you can keep them closed, I'll pay double." John grinned. "Think you're up to the challenge?"
"Alright then, eyes closed and you double the money." Anna smirked and clapped her hands together. Shaking off her nervous excitement, she cleared her throat and sat up straight. "OK, I'm ready."
Sliding over in his seat, John looked at her mouth and wondered when was the last time they'd been kissed. Seeing a tremble in her bottom lip as he moved closer, he watched her keep her promise and keep her eyes close tight. Moving in closer now and drinking in her scent, he brushed his lips against hers and felt a spark of electricity pass between them. Opening his mouth as he pressed harder against hers, he found her mouth mirror his. Moving gently and slowly at first, he found her match his intensity as their lips moved together. Peeling himself slowly away, John looked into her eyes and smiled as he found them still closed. "You can open them now."
"Sorry. Was I supposed to feel something there?" Anna asked.
"You can't say you didn't enjoy that," John said.
Anna raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "You'll never know. Maybe I just did it for the extra money-"
"Liar," John said and smiled as she smirked back at him. Watching her release the hand brake, she turned the cart around and turned it back the way they'd come. "I'm glad you've seen sense, Anna. The last thing I want to see is you out here on your own. I'm sure I-"
"I'm not doing it for you," Anna said and grinned, "I just want to make sure you pay me for my cattle before you go back. It was double you said, wasn't it?"
"I'm never going to win with you, am I?" John asked.
"Only if I let you," Anna said and patted him on the back on his hand. "Only if I let you."
Chapter 12
Small Flats - Railway Line...
Opening his eyes, John looked up at the tent above him and groaned. Putting his hand to his head, he tried to piece together the last few hours of the night before and found his memory come up blank. Knowing that he'd need to focus on work as soon as their fresh supply of explosives turned up, he dreaded to think of the day's blasting he'd have to suffer through. Giving a thought to grabbing another hour of welcomed sleep, he heard a voice outside his tent.
“John!”
"Yes!"
"It's the train, John. She's almost here."
"Already? —Give me five minutes."
Rolling out of his cot-bed, John searched for his trousers and put them on, pulling his braces up and throwing on a jacket, he walked outside and watched the black plume of smoke grow larger at it came toward them.
"Here."
John looked down and found a cup of coffee held out to him by his foreman. "Thanks." Taking a drink, he watched the men walk toward the oncoming train in anticipation. "Never thought I'd see a bunch of men look so excited to see a bunch of explosives."
"I know. Go figure," Peter shook his head. "I guess we better go down and see what they've sent us."
Falling into step with the man, John continued drinking his coffee. Feeling it start to hit his bloodstream, he could feel a gentle buzz start to grow and was glad of it.
"You were in late last night."
John turned to the man, "What are you, my mother?"
"It was hard to miss the noise you made coming into camp last night."
"That bad?" John asked, now remembering a bottle that Jesse had taken out, and they'd both finished off before he'd helped him back to camp. What it had been he wasn't sure, but he knew he'd never touch it again. Rubbing his hand across his head, a lump at the back of it triggered another memory. One in which he found himself lying on the ground and the ranch hand standing over him laughing.
"That bad," the man repeated and grinned as John covered his ears against the train’s whistle. Slapping him on the back, he added, "John, you picked a great day to have a hangover."
Knowing he was right, John groaned. Now over two days behind schedule and eager to get going, they'd been working twice as hard to catch up. Draining the remainder of his coffee from his cup, he hoped the blasting in his own head would be over before that.
Standing back and allowing his men to handle the wooden cases off the train, John watched a man come up to him with a clip board.
"One hundred cases, Mr. Williamson," he said and handed over a piece of paper to be signed off.
Scribbling his signature down and handing the clipboard back, John watched the man pat himself down.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Looking happy that he'd found what he was looking for, the man handed over an envelope. "I was told to make sure you got it as soon as possible. —Here."
John took the letter given to him and looked it over. Feeling the quality paper between his fingers and seeing the company logo stamped on it, he knew he wasn't going to like what he found inside.
"What's up?"
"You don't want to know," John said, tearing open the envelope. Reaching in and taking out the letter, he skimmed through it and stopped. "He's coming here tomorrow."
"William Slattery? You're joking?"
John nodded and got back to the letter once more. Knowing very little about the man apart from the large investment he'd made in his father's company, John had heard enough stories to picture the man who'd written the letter. Reading the last sentence and sensing its tone, John knew he'd find out if some of them were true. "Seems he's not happy with the way I've been handling things," John said and put the letter away.
*****
WATCHING THE TRAIN and solitary carriage come toward him, John waited for William Slattery's train to come to a stop. Fixing his hair and preparing himself for the grilling he expected, John dismissed that thought. What was he thinking? Afraid of an investor and his reputation. He was the owner's son after all and more entitled to be in the company that this man had. Not waiting for the train to stop, John grabbed hold of a passing hand rail and climbed aboard the train. Making his way to the private office on the carriage, he stood outside the door and tapped on it. Given the order to come in, he pushed it open and entered.
Closing the door behind him, John found the middle aged man standing at a window and staring out at the landscape. Seeing him ignore him for a moment, John knew that it was a ploy he was using to assert his dominance over him. Clearing his throat, John spoke up. "I wasn't expecting to see you until we were near completion, William. — Although I'm grateful that you got the dynamite out to us so quickly, quicker than I thought possible. Anything the matter?"
"You got my letter, didn't you?" William replied, still not breaking his gaze out the window.
John nodded his head. "I did, although it didn't say much other than you'd be coming out here."
Finally turning from the window, John found the man point to a pair of chairs. Walking to them, John knew that the niceties were over and the gloves were now coming off.
"Frankly, I'm not happy with the way things have been going,” William said, again looking at the landscape outside. Pausing for a moment as if searching for the right words, John opened his mouth and found the man hold up his hand for silence. "I've had reports that you're losing control out here."
Surprised by the comment, John raised an eyebrow. "Really? I know we've fallen a little behind on our schedule—and you know yourself how it's been going so far. We've hit every target we've set. It's nothing, but a hiccup. Once we get up and running again we'll-"
"I've heard from a reliable source that you've been making bad decisions on acquiring land, John. That last purchase you made was another waste of cash for us."
Hearing the word 'us' John knew he wasn't included in that term. “I know that was a mistake-"
"A costly one, John. You know we have to bring this job in on time no matter what. —And the Henley farm, what was wrong with that one?"
Unsure of how William could have been so well informed, John replied, "It's wasn't for sale at the time and I had to change path through the Kearney property-"
"You shouldn't have taken no for an answer, John.”
“I'd planned on making another offer, but there were some things that-"
Looking out the window once more, William asked John's reflection, "The two men that poisoned their cattle?"
"How did you know about that?" John asked and watched William look toward him and smile. "You honestly thought those men did that off their own backs? I mean two of your workers take it on themselves to go and frighten a few women and an old farm hand..."
"You?" John asked.
"Listen, John. I've got a lot of money riding on this, and people who want to see this rail road finished as quickly as possible. Do you honestly think I'm going to let those women stand in our way?"
"I can't believe it," John said. "Those two were working for you?" John watched William nod his head.
"You're also going to give them their jobs back-"
"I'm sorry, William, but you're out of your mind. After what they did, letting that kid blow himself to smithereens?"
"Listen, John. There's always going to be causalities in this line of work. A landslide here, a damp stick of TNT there. There's always a chance of something going wrong. I'll make sure that his family gets well compensated for their loss." Getting to his feet, he added, "I knew you'd see sense. Now how about you show me around this place and show me what's been holding you back."
Seeing the conversation going a lot differently in his head, John found himself dumbfounded as he watched William get up and leave him to sit on his own. Still trying to get over everything that had been said, he found the man call him from outside.
"Come on John, I haven't got all day!"
*****
STANDING ON A HILL the overlooked their excavation site, John stood beside William with his fingers in his ears. Although far enough away to avoid the noise, he wasn't putting his hearing to any further harm. Watching the land come alive and spew forth rock and a cloud of dirt, he pulled his fingers free just in time to hear the man talk.
“Listen, William, that thing you said to me back there I-"John said and found the man ignore him.
"And what route had you planned to use," William asked, tracking the rail road in the distance to where they now stood.
"Well, once we cut through this hill side," John said, standing beside him and pointing a path through the valley. "I'd planned on taking it a little east of here and making our way back onto our original route. That thing you said-"
"And what, put more weeks of work onto our already late job?" William asked. Pointing a way straight across Anna's farm he shook his head. "That's not going to happen. If we're doing this, we're going as the crow flies. Straight through that farm-"
"In a perfect world yes, but as I said, I've met the family and I-"
"I heard about your dinner date the other day. Heard she's a good-looking girl."
John cocked an eyebrow. "How did you-”
"Listen John, whatever you're up to is your business. But when it comes to taking money from my pocket, that's a different story. They're going to sell that farm to us one way or another," Charles said. "There's no way a bunch of hillbillies from the back of the beyond is going to put this job in jeopardy."
"You ran the Kearney family off their land, didn't you?" John asked and got the answer from William's face. "I don't believe this."
"Grow up, John. Don't act so naïve. You know how much is riding on this rail road getting in on time. And if you're blind to that fact, let me tell you, I'm not. If we don't bring this line in before the Gladstone rail company does, we'll lose everything-"
"We? As in my father's company, or you?"
"You might have the pleasure of playing with daddy's money, but I don't. I've got partners that are expecting to see a profit from this job. There's no way I'm letting the Gladstone rail company overtake us to the finish line." William wagged his finger. "You hear me, John? Nothing is going to stop this line from going through on time and on budget."
"I'm sorry William, but I'll not stand by and see my father's company dragged into the sewer by you, or your cronies."
"I thought you were the kind of man I could work with," William said. "I guess I was wrong." Walking down the hillside, William spoke over his shoulder. "Be a shame to see anything happen to any of them. I hear her sisters are attractive too."
Hearing the words and running toward the man, John skidded to a halt on seeing a small pistol in Williams hand. "Don't even think about it, John. But a word of warning, if you don't get that family to move—well..." William pointed to the busy site below them. "Someone down there might get the idea to do something. —You know, of their own accord. Which would be an awful thing if it happened, wouldn't it?"
John looked once more at the pistol and wondered if he'd cover the distance before William had a chance to pull the trigger.
"Don't, John. If you don't want to see her die, maybe you should go down there and convince her that it's in her best interest to pack up." Walking backwards and keeping a little distance between them, William nodded once more to the men at work. "And don't think of trying anything on me. There's two men that you know of, there are many more that you don't." Giving him a nod, William smiled and put away his pistol. "I'll be back in two days, John. One way or another I'm going to have the deeds of that farm." Walking away with a large grin on his face, John watched him go back toward his train. Giving the driver of the locomotive a thumbs up, he stood on the rear of the last carriage as it pulled away.
Seeing him leave, John knew the real reason for him going. He was putting distance between himself and any crime that was about to be committed. Now with the perfect alibi, John knew who it would be blamed on. Him. Frustrated with a land deal, and desperate to finish off his father's dying wish, he could see easily the picture that William would paint of him. Once done, he'd have everything he wanted. The land and the company. Stuck in the middle of nowhere and looking at the men below him, John wondered which of them would be the one that was given the order to finish him off.
"Fire in the hole!"
Covering his ears and waiting for the dynamite to explode, John held his place as the debris fell from the sky. Looking around as the men returned to their work, John had an uneasy feeling being there. Only an hour ago it had been an environment he enjoyed working in. Now every whisper and nod of a head left him feeling that they were talking about him. Knowing that he needed help, John knew there was only one person he could talk to. Walking up to and tapping his foreman on the shoulder, John pointed to his tent and said nothing.
*****
GOING INSIDE AND WALKING to his small wooden desk, John watched the man come in behind him "What's up, John?”
"How long have we know each other, Peter?"
"I dunno, two and half years? —Why? What's going on?" Peter asked. "Has this got something to do with that chat you had with William? —Because you didn't explain to me what we were doing hiring those two again-"
"It was his idea, poisoning the cattle," John said and tried to read the man's expression. Not sure that his shock looked genuine, John knew he had no one else on site that he could trust and continued. "So, you didn't know?”
"Hell, no. You know I was as surprised as you were by what happened. Why, John? What's going on here? Is it something I need to know, because if it's something illegal you're going to ask me to do, I'm sorry, but you can forget it."
John smiled, feeling relieved that he had at least one person on his side. "No. I'm not, but I'd like you to keep this on you." Walking to a strong box, John took a key out of his waist coat pocket and opened the lock. Reaching inside he took out a pair of guns. Handing over one, he kept the other for himself.
"What's going on, John? Are we expecting trouble?"
"Let's just say, that William is intent on getting his hands on the Henley farm and he's not going to let anything get in his way. Not even me."
Putting the gun in his jacket pocket, Peter asked. "Are you serious?"
"Serious as standing in front of a herd of stampeding buffalo," John said and went back to sit on his desk. "As you'd expect I'm not on side with this. That's why I've called you in here. I don't know how many people he has working for him. We know two, but after that, I don't have a clue."
"Are you sure about this? You're sure he's not just pulling your leg, or something?" Richard asked. "I mean, he's the largest shareholder in your father's company do you think he'd do something like this?"
"With me out of the way he gets his hands on it all, Peter," John said. "If anything does happen out here I'm the one that's supposed to be in charge. —How's it going to look if something happens, or someone gets hurt? It's all going to point back on me. I think that's what Williams betting on happening."
"So, what happens now?"
"He said he's going to be back here in two days' time, but I don't trust him. I think he's gone off to make sure he's far from here when it all kicks off. That way he can distance himself from anything that happens."
"I see," Peter said. "So, what do you want me to do?"
"Keep your eyes and ears open and tell me if you hear anything. If there's something going to happen I want to know about it straight away."
"But there's only two of us," Peter said. "You're talking a hundred men out there. You think we could stop them even if we wanted to."
"We've got to," John said. "It's either that or we run off and turn our back on this. —And that's something I'm not going to do-"
"You like her, I get it," Peter said. "But is she worth it, John?"
John nodded his head. "Right now, she's the only thing of value to me."
Chapter 13
Small Flats - Henley Farm...
Packing her bag, Anna took the small bible off her bedside table and placed in on the pile of clothes inside it. Pulling over the leather strap that closing it, she looked up and watched Emma and Jesse come into the room.
"Anna, please. You don't have to do this," Emma said. "Don't go, you mustn't.”
"I do,” Anna said, "it's something I should have done a long time ago."
"But Jesse and I are getting married," Emma smiled. "He asked me and I said yes. You can't go and not be here for my wedding."
Anna looked at her sister. "I don't want to fall out with you before I go, Emma, but you know my thoughts on the two of you."
"Anna, please," Jesse said. "Don't do this, you're breaking her heart."
"I know I am, but I'll not stay here and watch you break hers, Jesse." Anna lifted her bag off her bed. "If you want to get married I know I can't stop you. You both made that clear to me." Making her way toward her bedroom door, she found her sister throw her arms around her neck and hold on.
"Anna, please don't go. I need you-"
Anna pulled her head back and looked at her sister. Shaking her head, she said, "You don't need me anymore, Emma. You've already proved that point to me. Jesse's was right, you're all grownup. Big enough to make your own decisions. I hope you'll both be happy here." Forcing a smile on her face, she added, "Plus there isn't enough room in this house and I can't see Jesse continuing to live in the barn after you get married, can you?" Looking over her sister's shoulder, Anna looked at Jesse. "Can we have a moment to ourselves?"
"Sure, no problem," Jesse said and left the room.
Watching the door close after him, Anna looked at her sister. "I've got to do this. You're making a life for yourself with Jesse, I think it's about time I did the same too. I've grieved over John Williams long enough now. It's time I made a clean break from here and made a new life for myself in San Francisco."
"Oh, Anna, I'm going to miss you." Emma hugged her tightly again.
"I'll be fine. I'll write to you as soon as I get there. Plus, Clara asked me to check up on the man she's thinking of marrying. She's in no hurry to leave, so you'll have one sister at the wedding. —Plus, I can imagine Charles will turn up and show his face." Anna smiled and broke her sisters hold on her. "I really hope things work out for you."
"I love him, Anna, and I know he loves me too," Emma said and wiped a tear away.
"I'm glad you're happy, Emma," Anna said and hugged her once more. Moving apart, Anna wiped away the tears that were starting to come. Still forcing a smile, she put her hand to her sister's face. "Don't forget to send me a picture of you in your wedding dress."
"I will," Emma said and rubbed her eyes clear of her tears.
"Well, I guess this is it then, I better get going. The stagecoach leaves at noon-"
"I'll get Jesse to take you into town," Emma said.
"Thanks." Anna stood back. "So how do I look? Look good enough to be mail order bride?"
"You look lovely, Anna. He's a lucky man," Emma said.
Picking her bag up off the floor, Anna nodded to the door. "Right, it's time I got going."
*****
SMALL FLATS - LOUIS Cummins Saloon...
Standing outside Louis and Mary's saloon, Anna hugged her friend. "I'm going to miss you, Mary."
"You too, Anna," Mary smiled and wiped away a tear. "I hope you find what you're looking for in San Francisco-"
"If he's half as good as Louis, I'll be more than happy," Anna said and looked down to where her dress was being tugged. Picking up Mary's stepdaughter, she looked her in the eye and tickled her under the chin. Hearing her giggle, she pinched the child's nose. "And if I ever have a daughter, I hope she's as cute as you, Miss Sally."
"And me?"
Looking down, Anna found Mary's stepson with a frown on his face.
"And if it's a boy I hope he's as strong as you, James," Anna said and smiled as his face broke out in a grin. "And as handsome."
"See, Sally, I'm handsome and strong. You're only cute," James teased his sister.
"Oh, God, what have I started," Anna said, handing over the girl to Mary.
"Don't mind them," Mary said, putting Sally down. Nodding to Anna she asked, "Can you smell biscuits, Anna?"
Seeing the woman wink, Anna sniffed the air. "I'm sure I can, is Margaret baking again?"
"You hear that?" James said, grabbing his sisters hand. "We better get in there before Robert gets his filthy paws on them."
"James!" Mary said, "where did you hear that?"
"Margaret," James called back over his shoulder, running off and dragging his sister behind him.
"Never a dull moment," Mary smiled. "I swear that boy hears every word in the saloon. Especially the ones he's not supposed to."
Hearing a thunder of hooves coming, Anna turned and found her stagecoach coming into town. Slowing down as it came alongside the saloon, she turned to Mary. "I guess this is it then."
"Guess it is," Mary said. "Be sure to write to me. I want to know everything about San Francisco. Once you're settled maybe I can convince Louis to take me there."
"I'd love that," Anna said, picking up her bag. "Say a prayer for me."
"Already done," Mary said. "Take care, Ana."
"You want a hand with that bag, ma'am?"
Anna turned and found a middle-aged man with his hand held out, handing her bag over, she watched him toss it to the man on the roof of the stagecoach who tied it down. Now with nothing left, Anna smiled at Mary. "I guess this is goodbye then-"
"What do you mean, goodbye," Mary said. "I told you Louis and I will drop by for a visit."
Given a hand to help her aboard the coach, Anna turned before entering it. "You do that; I'll keep you to that promise." Watching Mary wipe away a tear, Anna nodded and took her seat.
Watching the door close and the driver leave, she listened as he took his place on the stagecoach and then cracked the reins. Once moving, Anna fought the urge to lean out and wave. Now on her own, she sobbed as she watched the remainder of Small Flats go by her window.
*****
HEARING A GUNSHOT, Anna's first instinct was to crouch on the floor. Curling up in a ball and hoping she wasn't hit by a stray bullet, she yelped as the stagecoach beneath her sped up and hit a bump. Thrown up off the floor, she collided with the seat behind her and bumped her head off the door. Glad that no one had witnessed her antics, Anna fought against the coach's motion and found her seat once more. Trying her best to keep out of sight of the windows, she heard the man above her return fire and the stagecoach speed up again. Feeling like they were trying to out run their attacker, Anna heard another gunshot and her name being called out. Thinking she'd been mistaken, she shook her head.
"ANNA! —ANNA!"
Hearing her name, Anna went to the window and saw a lone rider riding off to the right of her. Waving his arms and firing off a shot in the air, she watched him duck as the driver above returned fire. Watching him drop back and vanish from sight, Anna ran to the opposite window and saw John riding his horse hard to keep up. Waving his arms at her, she looked at him as he pointed to the roof.
"TELL THEM TO STOP!"
"WHAT?"
Seeing him point to the driver once more and duck as a shot was fired at him, Anna leaned out the window. "PULL OVER! —CAN YOU HEAR ME! —PULL OVER!" Seeing a face look down on her from above, Anna pointed to John. "I KNOW HIM!"
"WHAT!"
"PULL OVER! —I KNOW HIM!" Giving her a shake of his head, Anna was relieved when the coach started to slow. Looking out the window, she watched as John slowed his horse and kept his distance. Holding up his hands to show he was unarmed, he put his hands to his mouth and called her name once more. Waving back, and seeing a grin on his face, Anna watched his expression change as the driver and his mate jumped down with their rifles. Worried that they were going to shot him, she tore open the stagecoach door and leapt out. "Don't! Don't shoot!"
"You know him, ma'am?"
"I do," Anna said and let out a sigh of relief as they lowered their weapons.
"You're lucky we didn't kill him, stupid fool shooting his gun off like that-"
"Believe me, I'm in agreement with you," Anna said. "Frightened the life out of me." Patting the two man on the back as she walked between them, she headed toward John.
"Whatever the matter is ma'am, we can't hang around here all day. I can only give you ten minutes and then I better be back on the trail."
Looking back and nodding that she understood, Anna hitched up her dress. Marching the rest of the way over, she put her hands on her hips. "What were you thinking? —Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
John held up his hands. “I can explain. We've got to get back to Small Flats right away. It's the rail-road, they're planning something, I think they're going to attack the farm-"
Anna shook her head. "What do you mean the rail-road? You're the rail-road-"
"I used to think that too, Anna. But things have changed, things I didn't even know about-"
"But I'm going to San Francisco to get married,” Anna said and wondered why she'd said something so stupid. Of course her family came before a wedding. Shaking her head at what she'd said, she wasn't prepared her for what she heard next.
"That can wait. If you're that keen on getting married, I'll marry ya..."
"What?"
"What, what?"
Walking over to his horse, Anna looked up at him. "What you said there, you said you'd marry me."
"Did I?" John shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't remember saying it. Climbing off his horse, Anna found him wave past her. "GIVE US A MINUTE!"
"That's not funny, John. You don't joke about things like that to people," Anna said. "You don't go around-" Taking hold of her face, he rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs and looked into her eyes. "I don't even know if this is the right thing I'm doing. Part of me thinks I should let you ride out of here and get away to safety-"
"And the other part?" Anna asked, holding one of the hands to her face.
"The other part of me doesn't want you to leave my sight. I want you by my side where I can keep you safe. But I can't guarantee that. I hope I don't regret what I'm about to do-"
"And that is?" Anna asked.
"I'll know better after this," John said and put his lips to hers.
Feeling a different emotion than she'd felt the last time they'd kissed. Anna found a strong arm around her waist as he pulled her to him. Kissing her harder than before, she felt like he was giving her the last kiss he ever would. Feeling their lips apart, Anna held his face before he could pull back from her. Looking into his eyes, she could see how torn he was on the decision he was making. "How about I make it easier for you?"
"How's that?"
"It's my decision too. —I'm staying. —And not because of the farm or anything else. It's because I want to be with you."
"You're sure about this, because-"
Turning to the stagecoach, Anna pointed to the ground and called to the men who stood beside it having a smoke. "I'M STAYING!"
"YOU'RE SURE!" the driver called back shaking his head.
Ignoring the pair grumble between them, Anna turned and took hold of John's face. "You owe me a wedding, John Williamson."
"I do, but that's going to have to wait," John said, as he scooped her off the ground and put her on the saddle of his horse. "Let's hope we both make to the altar at the end of all of this."
Chapter 14
Small Flats - Henley farm...
Putting every gun she could lay her hands on on the kitchen table, Anna stood back. "That's everything we have here." Picking up a gun, she held it up and blew the dust off it. "Although I can't guarantee that all of it's going to be useful to us.”
"You can say that again," John said, picking up a gun and looking it over. Throwing it back with the collection, he shook his head. "Half of them should have been melted down years ago."
"Are you OK about this, John?" Anna said. "These are going to be your men that you'll be facing."
"I know — and you don't have to be here," John said. "Jesse said that he'll run you all into town and come back to help me. —You should give him a break. Any other man would have ridden out of here. But he hasn't. Whatever you might think of him, I think he and Emma are more of a couple than you gave them credit for."
Anna nodded and looked to the door on it opening. Reaching for the nearest gun, she let out a sigh of relief as Jesse stood in the doorway holding his hands high.
"I suppose I should have knocked-"
"What is it," John asked.
Coming over to the table, Jesse looked at the small group of guns. "Is this all you have?"
"That's it," John said and watched Jesse take his gun from his holster. Putting his gun on the table he looked at Anna. "It's a good job you've got mine to add this."
Anna nodded. "I appreciate you doing this Jesse. —I'm sorry I was wrong about you."
"I love your sister, Anna," Jesse said. "I know you might find that hard to believe, but I've never met a woman like her before. —She's one of a kind."
"She is," Anna said. "And thank you."
Picking up his gun, Jesse whirled it around on his index finger and slid it back in his holster. "My late father always told me that nothing was more important than family. If you don't have that, you've got nothing."
Nodding her head in agreement, Anna realized she knew very little about her ranch hand and his life before they'd met. "He was right. —I can see that now."
"So?" John asked, "any sign of help?"
Jesse shook his head. "Looks like we're on our own. No one seems to know where the peacekeeper is. —Bit of a coincidence if you ask me." Turning to Anna he added, "So, are you ready to go, Anna?"
"I'm not going. I'm staying with John," Anna said. "Just take the two girls to Mary's."
“You're sure about this?”
“I am,” Anna said and looked at John. “There's nowhere else I'd rather be.”
"Alright then, I'll be back as quick as I can," Jesse nodded to them both and left.
Anna waited for the door to close after him. "The way I've been treating him this past few days and he turns around and does this for me. —I'm embarrassed at how I've behaved."
"I think he knows you were only looking out for your sisters. As he said, family's important," John said and rubbed her back.
"Yeah I know, but I turned my back on them when they needed me most. —What kind of person does that make me?"
John turned her to face him. "We all make mistakes. It's learning from them that's the important bit. —I know that from experience." Pulling her head to him, he kissed her on the forehead. "Now let's put all of this behind you. We've got bigger things to worry about." Picking up a gun, John opened a box of bullets and began to fill its empty chambers. "Let's just hope we're not putting ourselves in more danger using these old relics?"
*****
FINDING HER HEAD NOD toward her chest, Anna slapped herself on the cheek and sat upright. Shaking her head to clear it, she picked up her cup and drank the remains of the cold coffee it contained. Deciding that it was better to stand rather than sit, she paced over and back on the porch and kept her eyes fixed on the darkness that surrounded her home. Hearing a coyote howl, she wondered if the animal was alerting her of an unwelcome intruder.
"Anna."
Hearing her name, Anna spun around and saw Jesse walking toward her. Feeling her heart beat wildly in her chest, she put her hand to it and lowered her rifle. "You scared the life out of me."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to.”
Anna walked out to meet him. She looked at the sky and the cloud that blocked out the light of the moon. "I'd rather it was a clearer night so we could see better."
"Me too. —Here."
Straining to see in the dark, Anna found a hand held out and a metal flask in it. "This might help keep the chill off you until then."
Taking the hip flask, Anna took a deep drink and instantly regretted her decision. "Oh my God. —Are you trying to kill me?"
"No. But I bet you're warmer now."
"Whenever I get the feeling back in my throat," Anna spluttered. "Are you sure you're not working for the other side?"
"It'll also take the edge off your nerves," Jesse said. Taking the flask off her, he added, "Why don't you go back inside and warm yourself. Don't worry. If I hear anything you'll be first to know about it."
"I'd rather be out here," Anna replied. "Any sign of John?"
"Nothing yet," Jesse said. "He said he'd be back as soon as he knows more."
"I hope he knows what he's doing," Anna said.
*****
STUMBLING THROUGH THE dark, John looked back behind him and waited to see if anyone was coming after him. Happy that he wasn't being followed, he kept a tight hold of the gun in his hand and the case of dynamite he held on his shoulder. Looking forward to where he pictured Anna's farm being, John found the horizon dark. Happy to see she'd extinguished all the lights in her home, he now found he had another problem on his hands. Where was it? Fearing that he'd be walking for miles in the wrong direction, John paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "Come on John, which way is the farm? Come on, come on, think, think." Hearing the river Anna had pulled her cattle from, he quickly remembered that it ran close to her farm. Looking to the sky and saying a quick thank you, John set off, wondering how the others were going to find it. Then seeing what looked like Anna's barn erupt in flames he got his answer.
*****
HEARING JESSE SCREAM out her name, Anna looked on in horror as the barn was swallowed in flames. Running from her porch, she held her hand against her forehead to protect her eyes from the glare. Looking at the barn and wondering what had happened to it, she found a movement to the right of it catch her eye. Looking like two men grappling with each other, she heard a gunshot and watch one fall. Shock by what she'd witnessed, Anna let out a sigh of relief as Jesse called out to her. Seeing him walk a crooked path toward her, Anna ran to his side and scooped one of his arms over her head. Helping him walk, she watched him shake his head in disgust.
"I'm sorry, Anna, I couldn't save it," he said, wiping a smear of blood off his face with the back of his hand.
"Never mind the barn," Anna said and guided him to her chair on the porch. Sitting him down, she checked his head. "This looks bad, Jesse.”
Jesse waved the comment away. "I'll be fine. We don't have to time to worry about my head."
Getting back on his feet, Anna watched him wobble and forced him to sit down again. "You're concussed, Jesse, sit down." Hearing timber creak loudly behind her, she turned to the barn and watched part of the roof fall in. Seeing the fire get a second breath, she knew there was going to be little left of it in the morning. "What happened, Jesse?"
"I heard something in the barn and went to check it out. When I opened the door, all I could smell was paraffin. —The place stunk of it," Jesse said. "I thought maybe a lamp had fallen over or something. —It's only when I saw the first flames that I caught sight of someone making a break for it. It all caught fire so fast. I knew there wasn't much I could do, so I chased him. He got me as I ran out, must have been the butt of his gun or something. We fought over his gun and I won.'"
"Well, thank God you did," Anna said. "I don't think Emma would have forgiven me if anything had happened to you. —I guess John was right, they are coming tonight."
Looking out into the darkness beyond the flames, she spoke to it. "I hope to God he's OK."
******
NOW WITH A TARGET TO aim for, John picked up his pace and headed in the direction of the barn. Looking back to see if anyone else had noticed the fire, he watched six horses come into view. Crouching behind a bush in time to see them ride by, John watched them break into two groups and come to a halt. Seeing them pull rifles from their saddles, he knew they weren't paying a friendly visit. Wondering how he was going pass them to get to Anna's house, John looked at the river once more for help. Jumping in, and using the high river bank to cover his path to the farm house, he set off running as fast as he could. What he was going to do when he got there he wasn't quite sure.
*****
"YOU'RE SURROUNDED, MISS HENLEY, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND GIVE IT UP!"
Hearing the voice in the dark, Anna helped Jesse to his feet and dragged him inside. Once inside, she screamed as the window beside her exploded into smithereens.
"DON'T MAKE IT HARDER FOR YOURSELF!"
Leaning against the wall, Anna took a quick peek through the broken window and watched three men emerge from the darkness. Pulling her head away, she held up three fingers for Jesse to see. "There's three of them, Jesse." Watching him leave to go take a look at what was coming at the rear of the house, Anna called out. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
"YOU KNOW WHAT WE WANT?"
Knowing right well their reason, Anna hoped she could hold them up until John came. "JOHN'S NOT HERE!"
"WE KNOW THAT. HE WAS SEEN RUNNING FOR THE HILLS!"
"Well?" Anna asked, as Jesse came back to her. "What's out there?"
"As far as I can see there's three coming from the back too. —Seem a little cautious. Maybe they don't know if John's here or not? —Will you be alright to handle them?"
"I don't know, Jesse. I've never shot much," Anna said, holding her rifle.
"Nothing to it," Jesse said, looking down the sight of his own gun. Pointing at the door, he nodded. "You just aim at the largest body part you can find and pull the trigger."
"I don't know, what if they shoot back?”
“They always do," Jesse grinned. "You just have to make sure you fire more times than they do. —It's just a numbers game." Giving her a grin, Jesse ran off to the rear of the house.
"Thanks, you've been a great help," Anna muttered after him. Standing with her back against the wall, she held her breath and counted to five. Reaching one, she stood in front of the broken window and fired. Seeing the three men outside dive for cover, she threw herself back against the wall once more and let out a nervous laugh. "Jesse I did it."
"Did you hit one?" Jesse called out.
"No, but I was close," Anna called back.
"Keep going," Jesse said, firing his gun and letting out a whoop of joy. "—Make that five now."
"That's great," Anna said and yelped as a vase on the table close by her exploded. Biting her lip and fighting to keep her heart in her chest, Anna reloaded her rifle and counted over in her head. Waiting for the count of five, she again appeared at the window only long enough to find a target. Firing off at a shadow, Anna heard a scream and watched the man fall. Going back to her hiding place, she bit her lip as the wall she lay against was hit by bullet after bullet. "—Four now!"
"Really? That's fantastic," Jesse said, firing off his own gun.
Hearing him curse to himself, Anna knew he hadn't been as lucky as she had.
"THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING! —GIVE IT UP NOW OR WE'LL BURN THE HOUSE TO THE GROUND!"
"You think they will?" Anna called out.
"Probably, but only because they're desperate," Jesse said. "They're losing and they know it."
"So, what do we do?" Anna said.
"Let's play it by ear. Who knows, maybe John will finally show his face," Jesse said. "—You know, for a guy that works on the railroad he's not very punctual."
Hearing Jesse fire his gun once more, Anna knew he had a point. "John, where are you?" Shaking her head, she reloaded her rifle and gave a nod to the ceiling. "Make sure it's a good shot." Counting to five once more, Anna only got as far as four before the house shook with an explosion outside.
"Was that you?" Jesse asked.
"No, I thought it was you?" Anna said, risking a peek outside her window. Looking out, she found a crater in the ground and what was left of a man lying beside it. Coming to terms with what she'd witnessed, Anna found the house rocked once more. Sounding like it had come from the rear this time, she heard Jesse squeal with laughter. "It's John. He must have taken some dynamite with him. —I've another dead one out here."
"Thank you, John," Anna muttered to the ceiling.
"ANNA! JESSE! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!"
"WE'RE FINE NOW," Jesse called back. "BUT WATCH OUT, THERE'S TWO MORE OUT THERE."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Anna went to the door. Opening it a crack to see outside, she found the barrel of a gun put to her forehead. Pushed deeper into her head, Anna walked backwards to keep away from it. Seeing a man, she'd never met before come into her home, Anna watched him close the door and not take his eyes off of her.
"Tell the one in the back to put down his gun," he whispered. "If you try anything I'll pull the trigger. —Nod, if you understand."
Anna nodded. "Jesse put down you gun."
"What?" Jesse asked. "What's wrong?"
Anna watched Jesse come from where he was and look at her. "I'm sorry, Jesse."
"You heard what she said. Put your gun down—Jesse," the man smirked. "If you don't, you can tell John it was your fault she got killed."
Watching Jesse lower his gun and kick it across the floor, Anna found herself pushed to him.
"Now go and call John in here."
Looking at Jesse for what to do next, Anna found him shrug his shoulders. Wondering what to do next and hoping she could delay the inevitable, Anna turned to the man. "Why are you doing this?"
"Why do you think? Money. —There's a lot coming my way and you're in the way. —Now be a good girl and go and call John, I won't say it again," the man smiled and waggled the end of his pistol. "And hurry up, my trigger finger’s getting tired."
"JOHN!"
"ANNA, ARE YOU OK?"
"NOT REALLY, JOHN. I'M SORRY!"
"COME ON IN, JOHN, WE'RE ALL WAITING FOR YOU," the man added.
Waiting for what seemed the longest time, Anna listened to a knock on the door and watched the door open slowly.
"Good to see you again, John. I thought you'd headed for the hills," the man said. "I see you're still wasting my money on dynamite."
"Sometimes it takes a lot to kill a bad thing, William," John said. "Pity I didn't get to do it."
"Pity indeed," William said. "Although you've given me an idea." Keeping his eyes on them all, he called to the broken window beside him. "PETER!"
Anna watched John's expression change as he heard the name.
"Oh, you didn't know, John?" William said. "Seems you were wrong about him too. —And that was a master plan, giving him your gun like that."
"I don't understand?"
"You will in a moment," William said as the door opened. "Peter, I was just saying how good it was of John to give you his gun."
John looked at the man. "Peter, how could you?"
"It's nothing personnel, John," Peter said, closing the door behind him. "I just got a better offer."
"I'd love for you both to work out the ins and outs of this, but thanks to John and his dynamite, I think we better get a move on. It won't be long before we have some of the locals sniffing around here. —Give John the gun, Peter," William said and smiled at John's expression. "Now, why would I give you a gun?" Putting his finger to his head as if thinking, he laughed out loud. "I better let you in on the plan. Because you're about to take your own life."
"What?" John asked.
"Yes, you're about to take your own life. You came to this farm to scare off this lovely lady and her ranch hand. But things got out of hand and you and they both got killed," Richard said and nodded to Anna. "That's right dear, you and the young gentleman here are going to die as well." Looking to John once more, he added, "Then you were so overcome with guilt that you took your own life. —Peter here will testify to that."
"And you?" John asked.
"Me?" William pointed at himself. "I'm not even here. I'm sleeping on my train a few miles from here. I'm going to be so shocked with what you've done, John." Smiling to himself he continued, "But I imagine I'll get over it when the rest of the company is signed over to me."
"You're a monster," Anna said.
"I am," William smiled. "I also hear you were about to be a mail order bride before John took you back here." Shaking his head, William looked at John. "You should have let her go, John. Now her death is going to be on your hands. —Now, Peter, give John the gun."
Seeing Peter handing over the gun to John, Anna found William grab hold of her and pull him in front of him.
"You've going to be my shield Anna in case he gets any clever ideas," William said.
Watching John pick up the gun, Anna shook her head. "Don't do it, John. —Please don't." Seeing him give a weak smile, she watched in horror as he put the barrel of the gun under his chin. "No, John, don't, please."
"We're waiting, John," William said. "Hurry up or I kill the little lady first."
Watching John close his eyes and pull back on the hammer of the gun, Anna couldn't bear to see what happened next. Closing her eyes and gritting her teeth, she heard a gunshot and screamed.
Chapter 15
Afraid to open her eyes, the first thing Anna knew something was wrong was when she felt William press up against her. Feeling his body weight grow heavier against her shoulder and back, she took a step forward and heard a loud thud. Opening her eyes and turning around, Anna looked on in horror as William’s body lay dead on the floor. Looking around and not understanding, Anna looked at John and found him with his gun pointed at Peter. Shaking her head and looking at Jesse for an explanation, Anna found him nod his head to the broken window.
"Hey stranger."
"Oh my God, Charles, how did you...?" Anna asked and found him disappear from the window. Seeing him come in the door with a gun in his hand, she ran to him and threw her arms around him. Watching him winch in pain, she quickly let go of him. "Sorry."
"It's fine, dear," Charles said and touched his side. "Arm's not so bad, but the ribs still aren't up to much-"
"But, how did you know?"
"You've got your sisters to thank for that," Charles said. Turning to Jesse, he grinned. "You've made quite an impression on Emma young man."
"I don't understand, how did you get out here," Anna asked, finding a chair and pulling it out for him to sit on. Watching John march Peter outside, Anna smiled to him as she watched him walk out the door.
"I took Robert's horse when Mary was taking care of the girls," Charles smirked. “Damn near killed me hanging on with one arm, but I'm glad I made it.”
"And Louis?"
"He was off looking for the peace keeper. I knew he'd never get him here in time," Charles said and then looked at the dead body on the ground. "Looks like I right about that. —Although when I heard those explosions I thought it was all over for you-"
"That was John," Anna said. "He took some dynamite from the site with him."
"I see," Charles said. Looking around him, he asked, "You still got my bottle of whiskey? —Medicinal reasons, you know."
"Of course," Anna said and left to find the bottle. Opening it up and filling three glasses, she quickly drank one down and refilled it. Carrying the glasses over and the holding the bottle under her armpit, she handed one to Jesse and another to Charles. Putting the bottle on the table, she looked at the pair and toasted them both. "Here's to family."
"To family," they both repeated.
Drinking her second glass in a quick gulp, Anna grit her teeth as the alcohol burned a path to her stomach. Filling her glass again, she found Charles look at her. "No, it's not for me. I'm sure John could do with something to calm his nerves." Patting Jesse on the shoulder as she walked past him, Anna thanked him.
"You're welcome."
Nodding her head, she walked to the door and opened it. Finding John sitting on the porch with Peter tied to the hitching post, she handed the glass over for him to drink. Allowing him to finish it off, she threw her arms around him. "God, I thought I'd lost you." Pulling him as tightly as she could to her, she heard him chuckle.
"Keep it up and you will," John said and let out a whistle as she let him go. "Boy, you're a lot stronger than you look."
Ignoring the comment, Anna pulled his head to hers, gripping him tightly she kissed him long and hard until she needed to catch her breath. Breaking away, she looked him in the eye. "I thought you were going to do it."
"I know," John said and kissed her forehead. "Let's put all of that behind us. —You've got something else to put your mind to."
"What's that?" Anna asked.
"Our wedding of course," John said and kissed her again. “You'll also have to contact that man in San Francisco and tell him you're not coming.”
“Who says I'm not still going through with it,” Anna smiled. “I bet he wouldn't have put me through the things that you did.”
“So, you're turning down the opportunity to marry me?” John asked, pretending to look shocked.
“I'm still officially a mail order bride you know,” Anna said. “Mary paid my fee for me.”
“Never considered marrying one before,” John said. “You still want to see San Francisco?”
“Really?” Anna asked.
“Well, Miss Mail Order Bride,” John said, looking around him and pointing out the damage to the house and barn. "I think it'll take more than a lick of paint to make this place look like it used to.”
"I think you're right," Anna said and put the side of her face to his chest. Feeling his strong arm around her, she listened to his heart and closed her eyes, feeling safe at last.
“We can honeymoon there and I can have someone fix up this place up when we're away.”
"You mind if it's a double wedding?" Anna asked, playing with the buttons on his shirt. "I was thinking that maybe Emma and Jesse could get married with you and I-"
“Sounds like a plan,” John said. "—I don't know if you know this, Anna, but you reek of whiskey."
"Do I?" Anna purred. "After the day I've had, I really don't care."
"That's my girl," John said and held her tight to him. "That's my girl.”
Chapter 16
San Francisco. Three weeks later...
Standing beside Charles, Anna looked over to her sister on his other arm and smiled. "Are you ready for this?"
"I am," Emma said and grinned at Jesse standing at the altar.
"Well I'm not," Charles sniffed and wiped away a tear with the help of his shoulder. "You two looking so beautiful and all—I wish your father could've been here to see this."
"Me too," Anna said. "But you're the second most important man in our lives." Seeing him nod, Anna watched another tear break away from his eye and fall down his face. "Will you be OK?"
Charles cleared his throat and nodded his head. "I'll be fine. —I'll be fine." Shaking his head and trying to compose himself, Anna looked over at her younger sister and grinned. "You'd think he was getting married."
"I know," Emma said. "Maybe that's the next thing we could do after we're married?"
"Find him a wife?" Anna said and grinned at the shocked look on his face. Winking at him, she smiled. "You know sister, that sounds like a great idea."
Charles looked at them both. "Don't you dare-"
"Look around you Charles, we're in San Francisco. There's tons on mail order brides in this town," Emma said.
"A little old lady to snuggle up with," Anna added and found her arm pulled forward. Not allowed to say anything more, she grinned as Charles took them both up the aisle of the church in record time. Holding out both their hands for Jesse and John to take, Anna could sense the relief he had on handing them over. Watching him leave them and take a seat, Anna found John lean over to her ear.
"Is he OK? The way he took you both up here-"
"He's fine," Anna said and smiled. "We threatened to find him a wife."
"What is it with you Henley women and weddings," John asked. "You'd think the two today would be enough for you."
"There's also Clara's to come too," Anna said and watched him look to the heavens. "Her and her new beau seem to have hit it off. Who knew that being a mail order bride was right for her."
"Let's just get today's done and dusted first," John said. "Mrs Williamson."
Smiling at hearing her new name, Anna watched the pastor nod his head to them.
"Is everyone ready?" he whispered. Getting a nod from them all, he lifted his hands and cleared his throat. "Dearly beloved, we're gathered here today to...."
*****
"CLOSE YOUR EYES," JOHN said and watched Anna smile. "And no, it's nothing like that. I know you'll like this surprise."
"You said that the last time," Anna said, trying to see what he held behind his back.
"And you did, didn't you?" John said, trying to keep the large paper scroll out of sight. "I know you're going to love this one too. Now close your eyes. —Just give me a moment to get sorted." Looking over at Anna, he smiled, seeing her squirm with excitement.
"What's going on, John."
"Shush, almost finished," John said, opening the large roll of paper on the table beside him. Taking a paper weight and a nearby glass to stop the paper from scrolling up again, he stood back and admired the drawing. "OK, come over here."
"What's this, John?" Anna asked.
"Henley farm, or should I say Williamson farm," John said, "I got some plans drawn up for you to look at. —What do you think?" Seeing her run a hand over the plans of the revamped farm, he found her look at him with a smile. "Now, it's all up to you. If you don't like it, we can-"
"It looks amazing, John," Anna said, "but I couldn't afford to do something like this-"
"You don't have to, Anna. —It's all being paid by me. Now with William and the others out of the way, I've got full control of the company now. I've been thinking of selling it off to the Gladstone company," John said and watched a confused look come on Anna's face. "What is it?"
"You can't John. You can't sell your fathers company for-"
"I can, Anna. After what I've gone through I've realized that it wasn't for me. It's time to try something new," John said and took hold of her hand. "Something we both can work on."
"I don't know what to say, John."
John nodded his head to the paper on the table. "Just approve the plans and we can get started."
"Really?"
"Just give the word and I can have men working on it this week," John said and held her in a tight embrace. Kissing her, he smiled. "I thought we could enjoy an extended honeymoon until it's ready to move into."
"How long do you think it'll take?" Anna asked.
"Maybe two or three months," John replied.
"That's a long time."
"I'm sure we could find something to do in that time," John smiled. "It'll be a big farm. We'll need a few young Williamson's around to help out."
"You've thought of everything, haven't you?" Anna smiled.
"So, you've agreed to it all," John asked.
"All of it," Anna said and took his hand. Leading him out of the room, she added. "I suppose we should get a head-start on our side of things."
"Right now?"
"Right, now, Mr Williamson," Anna grinned.
Chapter 17
Small Flats - Henley Farm. Two months later...
Lighting the fuse, John watched it snake its way along the ground, going over the river bank and disappearing, he crouched low to the ground and covered his ears. Hearing the explosion and waiting until all the dirt had fallen from the sky, he stood up and grinned at Charles. "Sure beats digging."
"Can't argue with that," Charles said and rubbed dirt off his shoulder. "Bit on the messy side though."
"Once the men are completed the work on the farm, I'll get them to work on digging out a lake here. —It'll come in handy if the rainfall's poor this year," John said, walking over to inspect the hole they'd blown in the river bed. "We'll need it for the new cattle that are coming in.—Heck, maybe we'll even make this place a water station for passing trains." Standing on the river bank, he watched the hole he'd made start to fill up with water. Happy to see that his work had been successful, John turned and found Charles pick up a piece of dirt and bite down on it. "Are you alright? Because if you're hungry we can always go back-"
"Do you know what this is?" Charles said and held out his hand.
Looking at the small rock, John watched him spit on it and wipe it clean. Seeing the rock brighten, he watched the man grin the largest smile he'd ever seen.
"We've done it, John! We've struck gold!"