“I swear it hurt me more than it hurted her.” New Pony by The Dead WeatherThe green strands of grass danced in tight groups across the lowlands from the sweet caress of the westward wind. The breeze swooped through the lines of crops causing the corn to squeak as the stalks rubbed against each other. Small dust clouds, no bigger than a pony, swirled up the bare patches of ground around the homestead until losing their momentum against the cabin.
Red reached up with his right hand to remove his hat and wipe the sweat from his brow with his shirt sleeve. He stared at the sky for a moment. Not a single cloud came into sight across the horizon. The sun continued to beat down upon him, burning the last bits of moisture from his crops. The breeze offered marginal relief as he could feel the heat upon his harden face that it carried through the land. There had been no rain for a week. Red could already hear the other farmers that would venture into town with their sad stories of burned out crops and dying cattle.
These were the times Red swelled with pride at his fortune to stake out a piece of land with a stream. It ran out of the mountain range down across his homestead and several others before meeting up with the large river that cut through the rest of the valley. It had been the reason for his success in growing his crops over the last few years; although it brought plenty of ire upon him from other homesteads in the area, especially from Taw Hilbrand just down the stream. Hilbrand’s plot kept expanding across the land fueled by his growing influence in the region substantiated by his general store in town and the ruthless band of farm hands he employed. Red had a few run-ins with Taw while he was in town, but so far had kept magnate off his land.
There was another secret that the stream recently brought down from the mountains, one that would surely bring more attention upon Red than he wished. He had been fetching a pale of water for the garden one day during planting season when a glitter in the bottom caught his eye. Red had figured it to be pure coincidence, a nugget someone had lost in a trek through the mountain side; but when he went back the next day and found several more golden rocks while wading through the stream, Red knew what it meant. He started a collection in a bag he kept in his tool shed next to the house. He didn’t want anyone to find out, so much so that he hadn’t even told Delilah. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his wife and sole companion of several years; Red felt that it would only endanger her to know such a coveted piece of information. If word got out, Red knew Hilbrand, if not many others, would be after his quiet piece of land.
“Red,” Delilah called out from the porch of the cabin waving her arm in the air, “dinner’s ready!”
Red flipped his hat back onto his head. His worries quickly melted away at the sound of her voice. He smiled and waved back at her. Red moseyed back up to the cabin with the thoughts of Delilah’s delicious cooking running through his head. She had gone back inside after he had returned her wave. Red made it to door to see Delilah feverously setting the table. The aroma of chicken and potatoes hit Red’s nose as he stepped into the cabin. He swiftly moved up behind his wife and with one powerful twist of her hips swung her around into his embrace. Her arms instantly wrapped around his neck as he stared into his eyes. He leaned in for a passionate kiss. Her lips were warm and soft. Her hand felt smooth as it swept across the growing bristles of his cheek.
After a moment that felt like ages, she gently pushed him back. “Why Red Travers, I didn’t know my cooking put you in such fervor.”
It still sounded funny to hear his name as such. Red knew his father’s name, but vowed long ago to forget it. The dirty bastard didn’t deserve such credit. He always told Delilah he didn’t know his real name. So when it came time to marry, they decided he should take her surname. Part of him wished he would have thought up a good sounding Christian name, too. He could have left his past behind altogether. If only that old preacher, Van Mussen, had found his inspiration to give Red one before it was too late.
“You know I love everything you do, Delilah Travers. I could never give you enough to repay all that you have given me.” Tears began to well in Red’s eyes, not for the joy of this love, but from the memories of his past life, the good and the bad he had left behind.
“You’re always too sweet.” She reached up and caressed his cheek again. “Let’s eat ‘fore it gets cold.”
The happy couple had just finished dinner when Red heard the noise coming up in the distance. His past was not long gone enough to recognize the sound of a group of riders coming up hard to their cabin.
“What’s that?” Delilah’s innocence had always been the endearing factor in his love for her.
“Trouble.” Red ran back to the bedroom. He adeptly slipped on his gun belt that he always left hanging on a nail beside the bed, instantly checking the chamber of his colt. He holstered the pistol with his right hand as his left picked up the Henry rifle leaning up against the wall. Red moved over to the drawer in the dresser that he kept the cartridges in. He swiftly slid them into the rifle counting in his head so he didn’t try to overload his weapon.
“What’s going on Red?” Delilah rushed to the bedroom doorway.
“’Member how I taught ya to shoot that scatter gun?” Delilah nodded her head with a look of growing concern as the gravity of the question hit her. “Go get it, make sure it’s loaded and stay outta sight!”
Red could hear the group slow as the crossed the field up to the homestead. He heard Delilah find the scattergun and snap the break back together after check the twin barrels.
“Travers! We know you’re in there. Come on out and talk to us!” Red recognized Jack Reed’s voice. He was Hilbrand’s lead hand, although enforcer was probably a more suitable title.
“Travers! We bought Sheriff Robinson along. We’ve got some business to talk about.” Red ventured a peak through the window. Reed was leaning forward both hands on the horn of his saddle. There was Sheriff Robinson on the horse to Reed’s right. Red had heard he was the new Sheriff in the area about two years ago. He had tried hard to avoid any interaction with the man of his past. He had faith the Sheriff wouldn’t know his name, but he was sure that same as that face brought back rebellious glimpses of his past, the Sheriff would remember his. Red was almost ten years removed from that life. He was happy and married now. This trouble, or any for that matter, was the last thing he wanted.
“I ain’t got no business with you Reed!” Red yelled out the window making sure he didn’t show through it giving away his exact position.
“Oh I beg to differ, Travers.” Reed held up a hand to anxious group of four men behind him. “My employer has a generous offer that he wanted me to present to you.”
“That so. Well, where is he so I can hear it?” Red glanced back for a second as Delilah caught his eye as she moved over to the kitchen area near another window.
“Now Travers, you know Mr. Hilbrand is a busy man. That’s why I’m here. Mr. Hilbrand is offering to buy your land for two cents an acre.” Red could hear the chuckles of the other four ‘hands’ in the background.
“And that’s what Taw considers generous?” The itchy, sinking feeling began to fill Red’s chest just as it used to right before a fight. He knew where this was heading.
“Well Travers, it is compared to option number two. That’s the one where we kill both of ya right now and claim it on behalf of Mr. Hilbrand.” Red could hear the horses start to stir as the men that rode atop them got antsy with their trigger fingers.
“And Sheriff Robinson is okay with option number two?” Red wondered for a moment how Sheriff Robinson kept such a good reputation with the general public when it was common knowledge amongst other circles that he was as crooked as any outlaw west of the Mississippi. All the men outside began to openly laugh at his question.
“He’s here to observe and certify either the sale or the claim. The choice is your Travers. Either way, Mr. Hilbrand knows what you got running through that stream of yours and he plans to have it.” Reed motioned with his hand and the other four men began to fan out from behind him. Red could easily see the head of one off to the side of the group.
“Ya’ll want my answer?” Red lifted the rifle up to his shoulder. As soon as the sites came up to his eye the shot was off. He caught the man right at the top ridge of his nose, square between his eyes.
The men weren’t ready for such a response. There was a moment of confusion as their horses jostled at the sudden noise their riders had not prepared them for. That moment was all Red needed to cock the rifle and get another shot off at one of the other hands, hitting him in the shoulder and knocking him off his horse.
Bullets began to rip apart the side of the cabin. Red could see the Sheriff had circled behind the men and even Reed had jumped off his horse to cover behind the water trough in front of the house.
“Option number two then Travers?” Reed fired through the window breaking the mirror that hung on the far wall. Red empty the rifle into the water trough hoping one would find a weak spot in the wood and make it to Reed’s head.
Two bullets whizzed by Red’s ear forcing his body to instantly spurt back down against the wall. He tossed the rifle away and pulled out his revolver. He quickly shot down one of the men that was trying to move to a better position.
The boom of the scattergun unleashed a fierce ringing in his ears. He saw another man fall backwards in an explosion of blood and buck shot. Red felt a sense of pride that was quickly sunk with regret in putting his lovely wife into the horrible position of having to take a man’s life. The thought finally occurred to Red that no matter how this turned out, their peaceful life was over, even if they managed to repel Hilbrand’s, he would come back with more next time. Red was ripped out of his thoughts as through the buzzing and bangs Delilah’s scream cut straight into his ears. He looked in time to see her slump to the floor as a red stain grew out of her stomach across her bleached white apron. Red lost his mind and stood up as he moved towards here. He never heard the shot, but immediately felt the sting in his left shoulder that instantly brought him to his knees.
“Enough, let’s light ‘em up.” Sheriff Robinson’s voice instantly took Red back to that night he and Snake broke Chief out of the jail. For a moment, he was lost even further back in his memory. That voice had haunted him for years before then. He could smell the smoke and taste the tears. Red snapped out of his stupid at the sound made by the bottles of booze busting against the side of the cabin followed by that distinct whoosh of flames engulfing the walls.
The horses whinnied as dead weight was slung over there backs. Their hooves began to thunder off into the distance as the men rode off. Red made it back to his feet using his right arm for balance as the left one hung lifeless. He reached Delilah as the smoke began to fill the cabin. Summing all the courage and power he had left in his body, he picked her up carrying her across the kitchen area. He managed to kick the front door open gasping for breath has he reached the clean air outside. Carefully, he set his wife of three years down on the hard, brown dirt. She began to cough as her hands instinctively covered the wound in her stomach. Red gently moved them, confirming with his eyes what his brain already knew. He’d shot enough men, seen enough people get gut shot, to know the grim truth. Cradling Delilah in his arms, he lifted her head up to his shoulder and held her there. His tears ran down his cheek soaking into her long curly brown hair. He rocked gently as if a mother trying to soothe a crying baby.
Delilah’s head moved as her eyes opened to look at him. They looked so calm and peaceful. “Don’t worry Red, it doesn’t even hurt.”
He began to brush her wet hair away from her face with his hand. “That’s good Delilah. I’m here for you.”
“I know Red.” Her voice still sounded sweet. There was no pain in it, no agony, nothing close to what Red felt staring into her fading brown eyes.
“Delilah, I love you.” He choked it out. He wasn’t sure if she would understand him.
“I know Red.” Her words were followed with a sigh. She blinked slow causing Red’s heart to jump for fear they would not reopen.
“I’m so sorry for..”
She cut him off lifting a finger to his lips. “I know Red. I knew what kind of man I feel in love with.” Her eyes seemed darker, her finger felt cold. “I knew some day this might happen. It’s ok, Red. It doesn’t even h…” Her eyes closed again as she slumped against Red. He clutched her to his body with every last bit of strength in his bruised body.
For the second time in his life, he sat on the ground with his tears in his eyes watching his home burn to the ground, both the doing of one man. It was all gone now. His wife, the home they built together, and the new life he had made for himself. ‘I knew some day this might happen.’ Delilah’s words reverberated in his head because they echoed the dread he had long forced out of his mind. He had tricked himself in to believing that is was possible to run away from a past life. Red ventured another glance at her now lifeless body. The blood had soaked down into his shirt. Red laid the body gently onto the ground. He unbuttoned his shirt and laid it across her chest as if it would keep her warm. He walked over to tool shed and fetched his shovel. Red wiped the tears from his eyes one last time before slamming the shovel into the hard ground. His left arm and shoulder screamed at him, but he didn’t care. Something inside of him drove his desire to bury Delilah right here, where their home and life once was. She belonged here, forever a remembrance of their love.
With each thrust of the shovel into the ground, his sadness dissipated and angry replaced it. Thoughts, ideas, plots and plans raced across his mind. The hatred swelled up in his chest as his teeth gritted fiercely with each stab into the hard ground. He wasn’t just burying his love, but this whole alter ego he had created. Red Travers died with his wife. Big Red had to get to the bottom of this treachery that has continued to ruin his life.
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