DAMAGED HEART
CLEAN ROMANCE
Night had fallen and darkness filled the small house. The only light illuminated off of the small candle Annie carried around the room. She grabbed for only what she considered to be the necessities and stuffed them into a bag. A small photograph of her late father, spare undergarments, hair rollers, some bread, and a notebook. Annie scanned the room trying to take it all in. This may be the last time she stood in this house let alone her bedroom. She had spent the last twenty years wallowing away in this room. Her small bed with a hand sewn quilt draped over it looked extremely inviting right about now. The past week she spent laying on her bed crying into that quilt in mourning over her father’s sudden death.
This place was no longer a home for her without him. Her mother would always scoff at her and her brother’s rendered her useless. Only her father truly cherished her and adored her. He would come home from the farm and sneak her bottles of sweet milk from the cow. He would wink at her and make her swear not to tell her brothers. Of course she wouldn’t tell them, that would only mean she had to share!
Her father was a hardworking man. All of his life he spent working in the fields. He earned an honest living for his wife and three children. Annie couldn’t say they really ever had much rather just enough. There was always enough food at the table that her mother would cook. When Annie or her brother’s needed new shoes, there was always just enough money saved up to buy some. When the mule had broken his leg they had just enough put away for the vet to come and mend it. However, when father unexpectedly fell ill, they no longer had enough. Money fell short for the doctor and with every passing day their love fell even shorter than their money. Annie’s love for her father grew stronger but her mother and brothers became estranged. This is why she could no longer stay at home. She had to go.
Annie hiked her leg up over the window sill and bustled her skirt up around her waist before swinging her second leg over as well. She sat on the edge of the sill with her feet dangling over the edge for a moment. Looking back over her shoulder she searched the room, waiting for her mother to come rushing through the door begging her not to go. Annie knew that would never happen. With that, she dropped herself out of the window and slid the glass pane closed behind her. She had about five hours before anyone would realize she had gone.
Even though the sun was nowhere in sight, the air was still warm on Annie’s face. She trudged her way through the darkness with no plan of what she would do next. After an hour of walking Annie’s feet became swollen and sore. She was going to have a long journey ahead of her if she didn’t figure out some sort of transportation soon.
As if to answer her prayers, Annie could see a horse and cart appearing in the distance. She was walking alone in the desert in the middle of the night with no civilization around her. What was this horse doing in the middle of the dessert with no one around to attend to it?
“Hello? Is there anyone there?” Annie called out in her rich Southern drawl. “Hello, my name is Annie Buckner. Does anyone out there own this horse? Hello?” Her calls rang empty and there was no one in sight. It appeared as though the horse had been abandoned.
“Well hello there, angel.” Annie stroked the horse’s face and kissed him on the top of the head. “Did my Daddy send for you?” She giggled to herself, happy to have the company. “He’s always looking out for his baby girl, even from heaven.” Annie tilted her head back and looked up into the sky. The stars appeared to shine brighter than any night before this one. “Do you have a name?” Annie waited and nodded toward the horse. “I will call you Puppet.” She continued to stroke the horse’s nose. “Now, Puppet. Do you have a family? I don’t see anyone else around. You poor soul, out here all by your lonesome. I don’t have a family either. Well, I suppose I do but they won’t exactly miss me.” Annie looked around again in search of this horse’s owner. There was nothing but desert for miles. “Say, why don’t you come with me? I don’t exactly know where I am headed to yet but I sure am excited to find out. I certainly could use your company.”
The horse whinnied as though to answer Annie’s question. She squealed and threw herself onto his back. A few hours later as the sun began to reveal its face, a small town appeared in the distance.
“Oh, Puppet! This might be our new home.” They approached the town just as the townsfolk began stirring in the streets. It was still quite early but people were making their way out to work and the children poured into the streets on their way to school. Annie always loved children. Her mama always said it was because she was still a child herself. Annie didn’t like it when she said that.
“Well hello. Good morning. Pleasure to see you. Hello. Good day!” Annie greeted everyone she passed in the street. Most politely smiled back at her. The rest looked at her with puzzled expressions. Who was this chatty stranger?
Annie lead Puppet to the nearest tavern. A large wooden sign hung over the door that read Wilty’s Tavern and Inn. “Well doesn’t this look like the perfect place to rest?” She stroked the length of Puppet’s neck. When she dismounted Puppet, she tied his lead tightly around the fence next door. She ensured her belongings were safe in the cart and pulled a blanket over them to hide them from wandering eyes. Not that she had brought much with her but it was everything she had left.
The tavern door creaked open and Annie skipped her way inside. Other than a few drunken locals who had clearly been there since last night, the tavern was entirely vacant. Annie marched her way up to the bar and threw herself onto a stool beside a burly looking man. He was hunkered over the counter with a half empty pint in his hand. His eyes were narrow likely due to the alcohol. He couldn’t keep them open. His face was scruffy and hair a mess. His clothes appeared as though they hadn’t been washed in months.
“Well hello there!” Annie piped. “My name is Annie.” She enthusiastically jolted her arm in his direction with her hand outstretched. He didn’t budge. “You know, Annie as in Oakley!”
“You’re Annie Oakley?” He grunted in a harsh raspy voice.
Annie Oakley had to be at least fifty at this point. Annie felt quite offended. “Well no sir. Of course I am not. I am just telling you that my name is Annie, just like Annie Oakley.” She jabbered on. The man didn’t appear to be too impressed. “What is your name?”
“Rick.” He belched. “You must be lost.”
“No sir. I am exactly where I had planned to be. Right here in—” she paused, searching the room for a clue as to where she was. “I’m sorry Rick, where exactly am I?”
Finally, his expression changed. He began to laugh deeply from his gut. “You’re in Wiltshire, ma’am. Specifically, you’re at Wilty’s Tavern.”
“Then Wiltshire is exactly where I planned to be! Rick are you married?” She quizzed.
“Yes ma’am. Why do you think I am here?” He laughed. As did the rest of the men who lay half conscious on the counter. “Got myself a dozen offspring too. Are you married Miss Annie?”
“Well not yet. But I reckon I should probably get married soon seeing as I left my family and all. What are you drinking?” She peered over the counter at his pint.
Rick chuckled again. “Hey, Jimmy. Get the lady a pint of house brew!” He called out.
Annie scanned the room but there was no bartender in sight. From the back, a tall man appeared. He had his dark hair brushed the the side off his face. He was clean shaven and had rich emerald eyes. His stature was quite thin however muscular. Annie’s jaw dropped.
“Rick, I think it’s time you head home.” The man placed a mug full of black coffee in front of Rick.
“I will do so when I please. Now, get this lady a drink!” Rick cheered.
The bartender laughed and did as he was told. A moment later he slapped down a pint in front of Annie and then disappeared into the back again.
In amazement, Annie turned to her new friend Rick. “Is HE married?” She jabbed her finger in the direction the man had been standing in.
“You don’t want to catch that fish. No, no, no.” Rick sucked back his coffee.
“And why not?” Annie shouted. “He is so handsome! I could certainly stand a husband like that. Easy to look at. Imagine what our children would look like!”
Rick cocked his head to the side, taking a good look at Annie. “Do you ever stop talking?”
Annie blushed at such a harsh question but then thought to herself. “Well,” she placed her palms down on the counter “I suppose not.”
Rick began to laugh uncontrollably. “Miss Annie, you are a fine woman. A catch even. Find yourself a half deaf husband and I swear you will live happily every after.” Rick finished his coffee and slammed it down on the counter. “It has been a pleasure my dear, until next time.” Rick kissed the top of Annie’s hand and put his hat on his head. Annie watched as he stumbled out the door.
The tavern was dimly lit. Most of the chairs were turned upside down on top of the tables that were scattered across the room. For the first time since she left her home Annie felt truly alone. She reached forward and cupped her pint in both of her hands, put it to her lips and tilted her head back. In one go, she emptied the glass. When she placed the pint on the counter and looked forward, the bartender was standing right in front of her with a smirk wiped across his face.
“Thirsty?” He asked and poured her another.
“Not exactly. But from what I have heard the more of these I drink the duller my sorrows will become. Is that right?” Annie brought the second pint to her lips and began tucking it back.
“Something like that.” He laughed. “Maybe you should slow down though.” He rested his hand on hers coaxing her to bring the glass away from her mouth.
Annie burped and licked her lips. The glass was foamy and half consumed. “I’m Annie.” She stuck her hand out toward the man.
He gently shook it and smiled at her. “Annie as in Oakley. I know, I could hear from the back room.”
Annie blushed, recalling her conversation with Rick. Had he really heard everything?
“I’m James. These guys call me Jimmy.” He nodded in the direction of the drunk men on the other side of the bar.
“James. I rather admire that name.” Annie took another swig and wiped the foam off of her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Tell me your story.” She pressed on.
“I’m afraid you would find it quite boring.” James began drying out the pint glasses behind the bar, looking down and away from Annie.
“I can’t say that I bore easily, James. I certainly would like to hear it!” Annie gushed.
“You first.” He played back.
“Well as you know, my name is Annie. Annie Buckner. I am twenty-one-years old and I am from Borden. I grew up on a farm with two brothers, my mother and father. Father died only a week ago suddenly from a disease. He was quite rather my favourite person in the entire world. I feel quite lost without him. I am not overly fond of my mother or my brothers so I decided to leave. Last night I packed a few items into a bag and climbed out of the window. Now I am here!” She raised her glass in the air and downed the remainder of its contents.
James waited for a moment to see if she was about to add anything further. When he was sure she was finished, he responded “How did you get here from Borden? That has to be at least a day away by foot.”
“Oh, I actually found a horse in the middle of the desert. Can you believe that? It was almost as though it was there waiting for me. His name is Puppet. He is just outside there now.”
James walked over to the window on the far side of the room. “He was alone in the middle of the desert? You rode a wild horse to Wiltshire? You can’t just leave him unattended like that. There are outlaws and thieves in this town that would take him away on a whim.”
“Hmm.” Annie thought to herself. “I hadn’t quite thought of that.” She scratched her head trying to come up with something. “I haven’t any place to put him though.”
“You can use my stable. It is just around back. I will meet you there.”
“Great idea!” Annie leapt off of the stool and almost fell to the floor as the pints finally hit her. She toppled herself to the door and stepped out into the bright sun. Puppet was exactly where she had left him. “Hello my friend.” Annie began to fumble with the knot around the fence. She leaned against him to steady herself as she led him toward the stable. James was there with the door open.
“Where did you get that cart?” James questioned.
“Oh, it came with the horse.” Annie whispered and started to giggle.
“Annie you cannot be serious. That horse obviously belongs to someone!” James scolded taking over the lead.
“No, I made sure of it. There was no one in sight, just desert. I even called out for someone to come back for him. No one answered. I think he was forgotten.” She twisted his mane in her fingers. “My poor Puppet.” She mumbled.
“The less I know the better.” James shook his head. “Let’s just get him inside.” He led Puppet into the back of the stable. “I assume you have no place to stay?” He quizzed.
“No, I suppose not. I hadn’t quite thought that far ahead.” Annie pondered.
“Well let’s go inside and get you a bed.” James motioned toward the door at the rear of the tavern. Annie hesitated momentarily. “Is there something the matter Annie?” James looked confused.
“Sir, we hardly know each other. I hardly think it would be appropriate to share a bed with you this early on. I am a modest woman.” She stomped her foot down as though to stand her ground.
James laughed to himself. “I was hardly insisting that. I own the inn above the tavern and I thought that you would like to have a room to stay in while you are in Wiltshire.”
“I am so embarrassed.” Annie took her hands to her cheeks and tucked her chin down. “Silly me.” For once Annie didn’t know what to say.
James showed Annie to the door at the back of the building. As they turned the corner James could hear unfamiliar voices coming from the behind the bar. They weren’t exactly welcoming voices. At the sound of glasses being shattered, James whispered to Annie, “Stay right there and be quiet.” Dramatically Annie threw her hands up to cover her mouth. Her eyes wide as a deer’s.
Slowly, James made his way around the corner with his ear pressed up against the wall trying to place the voices. They were male voices and they sounded very stern.
“Tell me where he is.” The first voice threatened. James could hear one of the drunken men stammering but couldn’t form any words.
“You know the problem with rats is that they have a very distinct scent. So distinct that regardless if you tell me where he is or not, I will be able to sniff him out. Now, listen carefully. The only difference between you telling me where he is or me sniffing him out to find him is that one less person will get hurt. Do you hear me?” The second voice was deeper and shallow. Whoever this was, wasn’t someone you wanted to mess with.
“Do what he says.” The first piped up.
“Is there something I can help you fine gentleman with?” James entered the room to see two giant men standing along the bar. He could tell from the stallion sewn into their gun holsters that they belonged to the biggest outlaw gang in the state, the Fader Hallow Gang. These were not people you wanted to have on your bad side.
“Well, there he is.” The second man spoke in his booming voice. “The rat has surfaced.” He took a step toward James. “If it isn’t James Wiltshire in the flesh. I would recognize you anywhere. You look exactly like your wormy father.” He spat on the floor. “Boy I thought you already had it all? The money. The women. Hell, this town is named after you.” At this point he was so close that James could almost see what he had eaten for breakfast that morning still stuck in his yellowed teeth.
“May I ask to what pleasure I owe this visit?” James suggested.
“Smart guy.” The first man slipped in.
“You know exactly why we are here and the sooner you hand him back to us, the sooner we will leave.” He nodded and took another step into James.
“I can’t say that I do. Please, enlighten me.” James played back.
“My name is Big Ray.” The second man said. “This here,” he motioned toward the first man “is Baby Nicky. You may have heard of us before or maybe you haven’t. If you haven’t heard of us I suggest you pay attention, this could very well save your life.” He crouched down so that he was standing eye to eye with James placing his hand over his gun holster. “Give me my fucking horse back and I will give you your fucking life. The word on the street has it that they saw my horse tied up just outside of your tavern this morning. You better think twice before you answer me boy.”
“I think you are mistaken. I don’t have your horse.” James calmly noted but on the inside he began to panic. Shit, Annie had stolen a horse from the worst gang in the entire state. Thanks to that, he was a dead man walking. James knew that even if he admitted the horse was hiding in the back of his stable, this man was going to kill him. He had to think up a plan, fast! The only chance he stood at keeping his life was to get the horse back to the Fader Hallows without them knowing it was him. “Would you gentleman care for a brew? We always love new guests at our tavern!” James made his way around the counter to pour them a drink. The entire time his head felt as though it was spinning so quickly it may unhinge from his body at any given moment.
Big Ray grunted. “We don’t want your swill.” He nodded toward Baby Nicky. “Let’s get out of here Nicky. Don’t think this is the last time you’ll hear from us. We want that horse back.” He spat on the floor at James’ feet. “This is only the beginning.”
Just like that, they were gone. James collapsed on the floor in a pile. His heart was racing and he couldn’t seem to bring air to his lungs quickly enough. What had this girl done?
“You are James Wiltshire?” He heard Annie’s voice ring out. “As in the James Wiltshire? How ‘come you never told me that you were famous?”
James sighed and scrambled to his feet. Trying to keep calm he responded, “You heard that entire conversation but the only thing you really heard was that I’m James Wiltshire? Nothing about the biggest outlaw gang in the state, if not the entire country, planning to bury me? You didn’t catch any of that?”
“Well sure, but why didn’t you tell me who you were?” Annie stood in front of him clucking her tongue, arms akimbo.
Ignoring her inquisition, James paced behind the bar. “Annie we need to get out of here with that horse, immediately. I don’t know what they want with it but they cannot know that we ever had it.”
“Taking the horse again doesn’t seem like a very good plan.” Annie scoffed.
“I don’t have time to explain. Just get the horse ready and I will meet you outside in ten minutes. Do not leave the stable, stay out of sight.” James darted up the stairs and Annie pouted her way to the back door.
“Can you believe this man?” She suggested to the drunken man at the bar. He didn’t flinch.
Annie stomped her way across the yard toward the stable all the while grumbling and mumbling under her breath. “What an arrogant and ignorant man. At least I can count on you Puppet.” She fussed with Puppet’s mane. “At least you listen to me and understand me. You never snap at me.” Annie kissed him on the neck. A few moments went by and Annie fidgeted impatiently waiting for James to return. “I reckon he isn’t coming back. This is all a ruse.”
“Does your mouth ever stop moving?” James appeared with a large bag that he threw over his shoulder into the cart.
Annie puffed, “I’m sorry sir but what have I ever done to you to deserve such attitude?”
“Maybe when you put my life in danger by taking a horse out of the desert that wasn’t even yours? Just maybe.”
“If you hate me so much why didn’t you just tell them where the horse was? Why didn’t you snitch on me?” Annie folded her arms across her chest. “Tell me sir James Wiltshire.” She rolled her eyes.
“To protect you.” He stated so obviously. He walked over to Annie and reached behind her to grab a saddle. Slinging it over Puppet’s back and buckling it on.
“Why would you care to do that?” Annie pried.
James remained quiet. He mounted the horse and reached out his hand for Annie to grab. He slung her up onto Puppet’s back and didn’t say a word until they had reached the edge of town. “Because up until that moment, I could have sworn I was falling in love with you.”
Annie kept quiet. She felt disappointed in herself. How could she have been so foolish? All of her life her Daddy handed her everything on a silver platter. Hell, she didn’t even know how to boil potatoes. Every poor decision she had ever made, Daddy was sure to bail her out. More than ever, her heart ached for just one more conversation with him.
The desert was humid and the sun angrily beat down on them. Annie scanned her surroundings only to see more barren desert and the odd cactus here or there. Neither of them had dared to breath a word since they left Wiltshire. Puppet trudged forward with the rickety cart bouncing around behind them. Finally, Annie couldn’t stand the silence any longer.
“I’m sorry.” She blurted.
“Go on.” James pleaded.
“I’m sorry for making such a mess for you. I never meant it. You have been nothing but kind to me since I showed up at your tavern this morning. You have only been a little bit rude but I am eager to look past that. We all have our moments of doubt.” Annie paused, bobbing side to side with each step Puppet took. “I don’t understand why those angry men needed Puppet back so badly. I imagine they have many other horses they could use.”
James thought on that for a while and then it hit him. There was something special about this horse. Annie was right. There was no way they would go through all of the trouble to threaten his life if there wasn’t something more to it. James pulled back on the reins forcing Puppet to stop in his tracks. “My Lord, Annie you’re right.” He dismounted Puppet and began to pace back and forth.
“Why thank you!” Annie beamed but immediately became puzzled as to what he could be talking about. “Tell me again what exactly I am right about?”
“There has to be something more to it! It’s not just the horse. The horse must mean something to them.” He continued to pace until Annie was sure he would burn a hole in the soles of his shoes.
“Maybe he’s their pet! We used to have a pet mule back at home, we would have done anything to get him back if someone took him. They probably miss Puppet!” Annie was so proud of herself. She felt as though she had just solved the mystery. It all made so much sense.
“Annie you are a genius!” James bolted toward the cart and began rummaging through its contents.
“My Daddy always told me that.” She smiled. “So why don’t we just take him back? I’m sure they will be thrilled! They will be so happy that they may not want to kill you anymore James.”
James continued to rifle through the cart. “There is no way we can just return him now Annie. They can never know that you took that horse. We need to think of a way to get Puppet back to them without them knowing.” He reached down and flipped the cart over onto its side spilling all of the contents into the sand.
“James! What do you think you’re doing?” Annie jumped down off Puppet’s back and scrambled to pick up her belongings.
“You said you had a pet mule?” James tried to distract her. The cart was completely upside down at this point.
“His name was Sisco. I miss him dearly.” Annie reminisced.
“Well you had a pet mule and so do they. Puppet is their mule.”
“Puppet is not a mule! He’s a beautiful mustang.” She ran her hand along Puppet’s back.
“I don’t mean he is physically a mule Annie. I mean he is hiding something for them.” At that, James pried up the boards under the cart. Annie’s jaw hit the sand and she jaunted forward to get a better look at what was inside.
“There must be millions of gold pieces in there!” Her eyes shone with desire.
“And weapons too.” James reached into the loot and pulled out a loaded pistol. “No wonder they wanted Puppet back so badly.”
“James I have never seen such riches in all of my life. We always had just what we needed, never more. What should we do with it?”
“We should return it.” He slammed the board shut and reached over to flip the cart back on its wheels.
“But I thought you said they could never know we had Puppet.” Annie didn’t understand.
“They can’t. We need to get this back to them in secret. We need a plan.” James scratched the back of his head trying to muster up any ideas.
Overhead the moon was showing his face. The sun had dipped below the horizon until morning. Soon it would be completely dark.
“We will think of something in the morning. I am going to start a fire. There are blankets in the cart, we can sleep on those. Go tie up Puppet and remove his saddle.” Annie rocked on her feet, staring at James. “What’s the matter?”
“I don’t exactly know how to take a saddle off… I have never done it before. My Daddy always took care of that sort of thing.” She nibbled on her lip nervously.
“Fine, you go start the fire, I will tend to Puppet.” James started to walk toward the horse. Annie continued to stare at him blankly. “Let me guess,” he stopped in his tracks with his back to Annie, “you don’t know how to start a fire either?”
Annie shook her head.
Without complaint, James grabbed her hand and walked her toward Puppet. “I am going to show you how to do this so watch me carefully.” James carried on every task that needed to be completed. When he finished Annie clapped her hands with excitement. “That was fantastic.” She beamed. “Where did you learn all of that?”
With the fire crackling, Annie and James huddled close to keep warm. James looked over at Annie, the light from the flame casting shadows across her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled in the night and he truly could see her beauty. When she wasn’t mumbling about, he could see an intelligent, stunning woman. Someone who he could imagine watching grow old and gray. He stared as she tucked her long wavy hair loosely behind her ear. Completely mesmerised yet confused about how this woman made him feel.
Annie looked up and caught his gaze. She either didn’t notice or didn’t bring it up because she remained silent.
“My name is James Wiltshire and I grew up in Wiltshire my entire life.” He began, tracing patterns in the sand around him.
Annie looked up at him, puzzled.
“Back at the tavern, you asked me to tell you my story.” He stood up and walked around the fire to sit at Annie’s side. He opened his blanket to her and she tucked herself under his arm.
The night was quiet with nothing but the moon and the stars looking down at them.
“When I was just a boy, both of my parents were taken away from me. We never had any money and I suppose my father struck a bad deal with an outlaw gang. They certainly made him pay. As you can probably guess, it was the Fader Hallows. They came into my house while we slept and set it to flames. I barely made it out. The last I saw of my parents was two men with their hands cupped over their mouths dragging them through the fire.” James stopped to catch his breath.
“My Lord, I am so sorry.” Annie sympathised.
“It was a long time ago Annie, it’s alright.” He pulled her closer and she rested her head on his shoulder. “After that I was placed in an orphanage until I turned sixteen. The entire time I was there, I traded and worked to save up as much money as I possibly could. I bought Wilty’s Tavern when I was just sixteen. Of course it wasn’t called Wilty’s back then, I think they called it the Honey Mill. But anyway, long and short of it is that that was how I started to build my name. Since then I have purchased the majority of property and businesses in Wiltshire. The townsfolk eventually petitioned to have the town’s name changed. I can’t say that I was completely in agreement. I consider myself a fairly modest man.” James scratched the back of his head. “I have never told anyone this story before.”
Annie reached for his hands and smiled up at him encouragingly.
“It has taken a lot of sweat over the past ten years to get where I am now.” He paused and looked down at her. He was becoming truly in awe of her. “I am especially happy with where it has led me.” He gently placed a kiss on top of Annie’s head. She looked up at him with her big doe eyes and smiled.
“I hope I didn’t mess it all up for you.” Annie whispered.
“It’s alright, we will figure something out. I don’t exactly know what we will figure out yet but I will come up with a plan.” He assured her. “But it is getting very late, we should get some rest so that we can decide what to do with Puppet on fresh rested minds tomorrow. The next town is only a few hours by horseback. We will go there and come up with a plan. Night Annie.”
Annie’s mind soared, there was no way she could possibly rest. James lay beside her, quiet. He was certainly asleep by now. Slowly Annie slipped out from under the blankets and tip toed her way toward Puppet. Going over James’ instructions from earlier, Annie lifted the saddle up to Puppet’s back and began to buckle him in. She was so proud of herself when she finally finished and climbed up onto his back. James still hadn’t budged. “I’m going to fix this.” She whispered and then rode off into the night.
James blinked away the bright morning sun. The desert was already scorching. Beads of sweat were forming along his brow. James wondered how he had slept so long and rolled to his side to wake Annie. She wasn’t there. Instead he turned to see a double barrel shotgun pointed directly between his eyes. On the other end of it, Baby Nicky stood with a cunning grin slapped on his face. James slowly got to his feet with his hands raised slightly.
“Where’s Annie?” He asked in the steadiest voice he could manage.
Baby Nicky nodded to his left. James turned to see Annie bound in ropes with Big Ray behind her. A pistol rested on her temple. “I warned you.” Big Ray bellowed. “You spoon fed me lies and for that you will have to pay.”
“I’m sorry. We should have just given you Puppet. We didn’t mean any harm.”
“What the hell is Puppet?” Baby Nicky gaffed.
Ignoring him, Big Ray brought Annie closer. James could see tears welling in her eyes. Without words, he could tell she was trying to apologize.
“You both seem like reasonable men.” James tried to negotiate. “This has all been a misunderstanding. Please, just take the horse and we will pretend none of this ever happened.”
The laugh that bubbled out of Big Ray shook the desert floor. “No, you see James, it isn’t that simple. Now that you have seen what belongs to me, you may feel obliged to squeal such information to the authorities. I’m not a gambling man.” Ray pressed the pistol to James’ cheek. “This isn’t a risk I am willing to take. If you’re wiped off the map then no one would know what is hiding under those boards.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” James tried to cover himself. Maybe if they thought he hadn’t seen the weapons and gold they might turn the other way. Sparing his and Annie’s lives.
“Don’t play stupid, boy!” Big Ray spat. “The girl told me everything.” He grabbed Annie by the neck and pushed her into the ground. James remained quiet, surprised. “She rode into town on that horse and marched right up to me. Figured that would be the end of it.” Big Ray circled Annie who was now lying in the dirt. “Now I may not be a gambling man, boy but I am a business man.” He lowered his pistol and holstered it, sure to flash the stallion embroidery.
“I can’t say I would be willing to do any business with you.” James snapped.
“Don’t be stupid like your father now. I’m offering you a chance at having your life back and you won’t even hear me out.”
James could feel the anger burning in his cheeks. Big Ricky remembered his father. He clenched his fists by his side and bit back the words he so badly wanted to say. “I’d rather die than make a business deal with an outlaw.”
Big Ray leaned in closer so that James could hear him at a dull whisper. “Your town will be up in flames by morning.” He straightened himself and tugged at the waist of his chaps. “The Fader Hallows always take what they want. Let’s go Baby Nicky.” The two outlaws made their way back to Puppet. Just maybe, James and Annie were about to survive this.
James sprinted toward Annie. She was still lying on the ground. “Are you hurt?” Annie shook her head as he struggled with the ropes to untie her. He pulled the gag out of her mouth and kiss her hard.
“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 completed 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