Chapter 2

Texas 1865

Jamie POV

Waking up this morning, I had no idea my situation would become more difficult than it was. Living every day with the man who ruined my life while biding my time has not been easy. Every day I had to pretend that I liked him and that I trusted him above all others. I have taken his laziness, his snide comments, and his arrogance, and what has it gotten me? Not far, that’s for sure. I’m not really any closer to my goal today than I was seven years ago. Over the last seven years, I have often wondered why I subjected myself to this pain and suffering. I often debated with myself about quitting and walking away, but I would remember what happened and my resolve to stay would strengthen.

Flashback to twelve years ago

I was in the barn mucking the stalls, just about to finish chores for the day, when I heard my father yell for me. “Jamie, come quick!” I ran out of the barn to find my father running to a horse with a body slumped over it. As he reached the horse and pulled the injured person down, he cried out in agony, “Helen! Oh my god, Helen! What happened to you? Who did this to you?”

I skidded to a stop next to him, shocked to find my mother’s battered and bruised body crumpled in his arms. I fell to my knees and began to cry as I took in my mother’s current condition. “Momma, what happened?” I begged her to tell us. She had gone to the neighbor’s ranch to aid in the delivery of the latest edition to the family. She traveled alone often between the two ranches, having acted as midwife for quite some time. She glanced my way, smiled and whispered, the pain evident in her voice, “Jamie, you are growing to be everything I wanted you to be. You are handsome, strong, brave and have a kind heart. Remember the lessons I taught you; they are important. Always put your woman ahead of everything, treat her with love and respect and she will be your world and make you happy.”

Then she looked at my father, with tears in her eyes, her voice racked with pain as she whispered, “I love you. It has always been you. You are the love of my life and I’m so glad that you chose me at the box social all those years ago. I just wish we had more time. Don’t seek vengeance, my love. Protect our son. You have to survive for him.”

“Helen, tell me who did this to you?” he pleaded with her. He was shaking so badly from his fear of losing her and as he crushed her to his chest I heard her whisper, “Beecham” and she took her last breath. My father looked at me and I will never forget the dead look in his eyes. He carried her into the house and then into their bedroom and I followed the tears falling down my face but I refused to make a sound. I was numb with shock. How could she be gone? Momma was everything to me, everything to my father. How would we survive?

My father gently laid her on their bed and stroked the hair from her face. “Helen, I promise you I will make him pay. I know what he said all those years ago, but I thought he had given up. Oh, sweetheart, what are we to do without you? Even if I succeed, this place, this family is nothing without you,” my father sobbed into her chest as I stood quietly at the door.

As I took in my mother’s bruised and battered body, I noticed blood on her legs, just above the top of her boots. “Pa, what is that?” I pointed to the blood. He looked at where I was pointing and in the scariest voice I had ever heard from him, he said, “Jamie, go back out to the front room”. When I hesitated, he growled out, “Now!” I turned and walked back out of the room. Just as I reached the front room, I heard him roar in anger and then heard his footsteps as he moved through the house towards me. “Pa, what happened to momma?” I asked as he approached the hearth and retrieved his gun.

“Your momma was raped, son. And I am going to kill the man who did it.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Back when I was courting your momma, Beecham was new in town. He didn’t care that Helen had been mine since primary school. He flirted with her, tried to force her to go on outings with her, tried to steal her away. But my sweet Helen, only had eyes for me. Beecham was so angry when we got married, he threatened to burn down the barn, but he got cocky and was caught setting the blaze. The sheriff found out and arrested him. Sent him to Austin to prison for a while. When he came back to town, he never openly threatened me or your momma again, but he would make snide comments now and then. I just never thought he would go this far. But it ends today! He took her from me and I will make him pay. Eye for an eye!”

“Pa, let me come with you!” I begged him. I too wanted vengeance for Momma. This man was sick. Even at fourteen, I knew that you shouldn’t covet what belonged to another. And Momma belonged to us!

“No, son. Your mother didn’t want this for you. Stay here and if I don’t come back by night fall, go to your Uncle Samuel in Big Spring. Tell him what happened and he’ll take you in. You’re his sister’s son, he’ll protect you.” He headed for the door on his way to the barn but stopped, turned, walked back to me and pulled me into his arms, “I love you Jamie, you have made your mother and I so proud. When you find your woman, she will be your world and you will do anything to protect her. Then you will understand why I have to do this.” With that, he walked out of the house. I quickly followed him to the barn as he continued speaking to me.

“Jamie, I am going to do my best to come home to you so that we can lay your momma to rest, but you better pack up and get ready to head for your uncle’s place. Take only what you have to. Take your horse, the rifle, whatever you need. Just be ready to leave if I don’t return by nightfall. On your way out of town, stop by the sheriff’s house and tell him what happened. Beecham is sly enough that he’ll deny it when the sheriff comes, but at least someone will know. I don’t want Beecham coming after you as well. Promise me that you will do as I say,” he continued talking as he made his way into the barn and saddled his horse.

“I promise, Pa. Just come back, okay,” I promised, knowing that I had to be strong. I watched my father ride away until I couldn’t see him any longer. If Beecham was as ruthless as my father said, and my father was not a man who lied or exaggerated, I knew that I wouldn’t see him again. Beecham wouldn’t let him live. I turned and walked back into the house.

I was alone with my mother’s body and my grief. I went into her room and fell to the side of the bed as my grief consumed me. When my tears had temporarily run out, I realized that it was getting later in the day. I decided that instead of waiting for sunset, maybe I could get to the sheriff before anything bad happened and he could help my father. If the sheriff could stop my father, then he would catch up with me as I made the nine-day journey to my Uncle Samuel’s place. I made quick work of packing, taking only one extra set of clothes, my rifle and ammunition, packed up some food that would travel well and pulled my father’s money stash from under the armoire in his bedroom. I bent down and kissed my mother’s cheek one last time and strode out of the house to the barn.

After saddling and mounting my horse, Smoke, I rode for town as fast as I could. Thankfully, Smoke was a young chestnut and we had trained him to have great endurance. We raced the five miles into town in no time and I jumped off his back outside of the sheriff’s office. The sheriff lived in a house next door to his office, which was also the county jail. “Sheriff! Sheriff! You gotta stop him!” I yelled as I ran into the office.

“Slow down, son. Tell me what’s going on,” Sheriff Edwards answered. The sheriff was a tall man with broad shoulders. Had a square jaw and eyes that naturally squinted even under his cowboy hat. Most men were afraid of him at first glance, but not me. I was used to big men. After all, my father was built just like him.

I took a breath and began, “Sheriff Edward’s you gotta stop my Pa! He’s gone after Mr. Beecham.”

“Why would he do that”, the sheriff asked with a frown. “Start from the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”

After sharing everything that happened since my mother had ridden back onto the ranch, I cried out, “You have to stop him. If Pa kills him, they will hang him and I really will be all alone. I know Pa is angry, hell, I’m angry but you gotta stop him!”

“Alright, you stay here and I will ride out to Beecham’s and try to fix this mess,” he replied with an exasperated look on his face. With that, he mounted up and headed out.

Sorry Sheriff, but I know how ruthless Beecham is and if my Pa dies, Beecham will come after me. And if I’m dead, no one will be able to get justice for my parents. I thought to myself. With that determination, I made sure that Smoke had a drink from the horse trough and then I mounted up and turned to the west. As I rode out that day, I promised that I would make Beecham pay if it was the last thing I did.

End of flashback

Beecham called to me, pulling me out of my memories. “Jamie, I’m still in a meeting and don’t have time to meet the stagecoach from St. Louis. Can you go meet the stage and pick up Miss Wills?” I looked up at Beecham who was standing in the doorway of the house, shirtless and bootless, as if I wouldn’t know what he was doing. Yeah, he didn’t have time because he wasn’t done with the whore that came out to the ranch several times a week. It pissed me off to know that he had a wife coming in on the stage and he didn’t care one bit about her. She was property to him, just like everything.

“Sure thing, boss”, I hollered back from the door of the barn, knowing this gave me the perfect opportunity to send the wire that I had been waiting seven years to send. “I’ll leave right away, as soon as I hitch the team to the wagon” No way was I going to make a lady ride on the back of a horse. She might not be my woman, but she deserves to be treated well. My father taught me that and my Uncle Samuel reinforced those lessons. I would make them all proud.

I walked across the barnyard to go inside the bunkhouse to tell the boys that I was going to town to meet the stage. With a determination to not only find the proof we needed to end this, but to now protect this woman who was walking into a marriage she wouldn’t want, I walked out of the bunkhouse and strode into the barn to hitch the team, so I could head to town and meet the stage. But more importantly than meeting the stage, I had to send that wire.