It's a Choice Pt. 7- Blog Book

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Chapter 7

   The next day

  

   “Lizzie, I thought of one more thing for you to pick up from town for me?” Mrs. Tyson called out as she busily cleaned up the breakfast dishes. “I need some white thread. Betsy tore her Sunday white shirt and I need to get it fixed before Sunday.

 “Okay, Ma.” Lizzie called out from her bedroom where she was retrieving her gun and hostler.

 She was soon in the kitchen. “Anything else before I go?”

 “No, dear. You be careful.” Ma paused from her work and cocked her head at her daughter. “Honey, are you sure you’re okay? You look tired too.”

 Lizzie forced a smile, despite the anxiety she felt. She felt so embarrassed to have to send Sam away last night…But she knew she had done the right thing.

 “Yeah, Ma. I did cry last night though.”

 “Aww, honey, why?”

 Lizzie shrugged, her emotions high. “I don’t know.” Her voice was shaky. “It’s kinda embarrassing. And it was really hard to do. I feel like I did a terrible job. And I’m still upset about that dream.” Lizzie had told her whole family about her dream early the day before.

 Mrs. Tyson closed the distance between them and took Lizzie into her arms.

 Lizzie sighed as her mother hugged her.

 When they pulled away, compassion shown in her ma’s eyes. “Lizzie.” She took her hands. “I just know God is going to bring a man that you’ll fall so in love with that you’ll laugh when you think of Sam.”

 Lizzie laughed through tears that were forming in her eyes. “Thanks, Momma. You’re right.”

 They both laughed and hugged again; tears in their eyes.

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   Lexie felt complete anger as her pa laid bleeding away from a stomach shot. The straw under him was stained from blood.

 Lexie never cared about her pa much…but as he lay dying she found that she didn’t want him to go.

 He had brought her out of boredom and trained her to shoot.

 He didn’t deserve to be dying.

 “Ya boys get on out. I want to talk to Lexie before-before I go.”

 The boys just stood there. Tim had a slight frown on his face. Lexie knew he cared some.

 Clyde stood looking completely unmoved.

 Lexie felt like she could just lash out and smack him right in the face. And that surprised her.

 Her pa cursed. “Get on out, ‘fore I shoot you all.”

 Tim turned and started walking out, his hands on his waist. Clyde spit before looking smart alecky at them and then he left, his rifle slung over his shoulder.

 Lexie, who was already kneeling beside her pa, looked at him more earnestly. Why would he want to talk to her alone?

 “Lexie, I’m proud of ya. Ya turned out real fine. You’d make any pa proud. Now yer brothers, they ain’t no good. Clyde’ll think he’s boss now, but Lexie, ya show ‘em…” His breathing thinned and Lexie knew his last breath was near. “Ya…show ‘em.”

 Then he was gone.

 Lexie looked up, anger building up inside her. All she wanted to do was go and kill that marshal that had taken her father’s life. And that surprised her more than wanting to smack Clyde.

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 The barn door creaked behind Lexie as she slowly walked out of the barn.

 She felt half numb and still angry.

 Spit from Clyde landed in front of her feet.

 She looked up, anger flashing in her eyes.

 Tim lowered his head.

 “Pa’s dead, I suppose.” Clyde blurted out.

 Lexie didn’t bother answering but instead said, “That marshal has to die.”

 “I know, I know.” Clyde nodded. “We take avenge on our own. Tim and me gonna be pulling out of here anyway, too many robberies around here lately. We need to go somewhere we can spend some of this money.”

 Lexie folded her arms. “I suppose you think you’re the boss now?”

 Clyde smirked and tilted his head slightly backwards. “I’m the oldest. Tim don’t object. What’s it mean to you anyway?”

 “What do you mean?”

 “It’s not like you’re going with us.”

 “And why not, pa made me apart of this group?”

 Clyde was silent a moment before he slowly begin to laugh. “Well, I happen to think you ain’t worth much of anything and I don’t want your stinkin’ hide around.”

 Lexie glared. “I can prove myself.”

 They glared into each other’s eyes a long, hard moment.

 “But let’s not worry about that now, let’s just figure out how to kill the marshal and then we’ll settle my rights. Agreed?” Lexie’s eyes held an angry spark to them.

 Clyde removed his rifle from his shoulder and checked the chamber. He snapped it closed and cocked it. He looked at her with hatred in his eyes. “Agreed.”

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 The butterflies of embarrassment still stuck with Lizzie as she pulled the wagon to a stop in front of Jensontown’s only General Store.

 She tied the reigns around the brake and hopped off the wagon. She then paused, the numbness of the whole ‘turning Sam down’ incident made her slow of moving. Crawling under a warm blanket and sleeping sounded really good right now.

 The whole way to town thoughts of last night plagued her mind. She was sick over it.

 She felt so bad to have to turn Sam down…Maybe she had done wrong… But, then, she reminded herself that she had done right. She was waiting to let a man call that she was interested in pursuing a deeper relationship with, not just letting a man call so she wouldn’t end up unmarried at a certain age.

 “Oh, God, please help me!” She whispered and then quoted John 14:27. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

 Peace flooded through her being and she prayed some more in the Spirit.

 Then, with God’s peace in her heart, she took a deep breath and walked into the store, a smile on her face.

 But her smile faded when she saw Kora and her friends, Tammy and Susan, in the store.

 Kora cast a quick glance her way then whispered something to Tammy. Susan huddled in to listen.

 Lizzie could only guess what they were talking about.

 She felt ready to set down and bawl but instead walked forward to Mr. Sims to make her order.

 Mr. Sims looked at her like she had two heads as he said, “Mornin’, Miss Lizzie. How can I help you?”

 Lizzie frowned but handed him the supply list. “I’ll need this filled.” She stated.

 He examined the list. “Uh, huh.” He cast another funny look at her then turned to fill the order.

 Lizzie felt sick again as she turned from the counter. She mumbled John 14:17 to herself again.

 Kora continued to whisper and cast questioning looks her way.

 I guess Sam blabs his business to everyone.

 Deciding she couldn’t say in the store with all this, she began to walk for the door. She’d just go see her Pa at the office.

 The girls walked forward and blocked her way.

 She stopped in her tracks.

 Kora cleared her throat and the other girls lowered their heads. “Um, Lizzie dear, is it true?”

 Lizzie felt desperate to get away. “Is what true?”

 “That you kicked Sam Bailey out of your house last night?” Kora asked with a soft, medaling voice.

 Lizzie felt stunned and angry. “No, that’s not the way it happened.”

 “Ha!” Tammy blurted out, her and Susan now looking up. “So you don’t deny it?”

 “No, I didn’t say that-I just said that-”

 “Lizzie, dear, it seems to me if you had a good chance to get married you would! Sam’s a nice man.” Susan added to the conversation.

 Before Lizzie could answer Kora spoke. “And your pa sending him on his way with a gun, how terribly rude.”

 Lizzie’s eyes widened, more anger mounting. “That. Is. Not. The. Way. It. Happened.” Her breathing was short with anger. “And my pa never made him leave with a gun.”

 “Oh, then suppose you tell us what did happen?” Kora said in an offended tone.

 “Sam came to call and my parents left it strictly up to me and I said no. I-I-told him I was waiting for who God had for me. And then-then, well, he just stood there staring and pa just asked him if there was anything else he wanted. Pa didn’t shove him out the door-with-with a gun!” Lizzie dropped her hands to her side.

 They all just stared at her. She could feel the eyes of Mr. Sims on her too.

 It was terribly awkward.

 “I believe Sam. He’s a good man and didn’t deserve what you did to him.” Kora announced her opinion.

 “But I didn’t do what he said. I just told him how I felt and even apologized for it. He’s lying!”

 “That’s not what Sam said.” Susan folded her arms. “He said you were very rude, said you were too good for him, and said you were waiting for God to deliver a man right to your doorstep.”

 “Oh, Lizzie, how foolish.” Tammy scolded.

 “Any woman who would let Sam court her and marry her is quite fortunate; your ideas are quite silly.” Kora said.

 Lizzie looked at them all with wide eyes.

 “Everything okay here, girls?”

 Lizzie looked past the girls. They all turned toward the voice.

 Pa stood there, questioning in his eyes. Lizzie hadn’t even noticed him coming up.

 “Why sure, Sherriff.” Kora replied nervously. “We were just having a lovely chat with your daughter.”

 Pa slowly nodded. “Nice.” He looked past them to Lizzie. “Liz, you wanna come over to the office for awhile?”

 Lizzie swallowed and looked at all the girls before walking past them and out the store, heading straight for the sheriff’s office.

 Pa followed.

 Lizzie walked into the office and slammed the door behind her. Pa reopened it and stepped in, closing it gently.

 She folded her arms, breathing heavily with all the anger.

 Pa walked up behind her.

 “Liz, don’t pay ‘em no mind, honey. They’re just busybodies with nothing to do but make up stories and gossip about other people.”

 Lizzie bit her bottom lip, anger mixing with hurt. How could Sam lie like that? How could they spread that rumor around about her?

 Pa placed his hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay. It’s okay to cry.”

 Tears filled Lizzie’s eyes; she couldn’t hold it back as she burst into tears.

 Pa turned her around and pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair.

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 “Pa’s dead. You boys could turn yourself in. Probably even manage not to hang. Spend some years in prison and get out. Please.” Jake pleaded, standing in the kitchen of their cabin.

 What remained of the rest of the Jackson gang was sitting, all with their arms fold.

 Lexie sat in the corner. Confused and hurt. She knew the way she felt was wrong. But it seemed like she didn’t care so much about what was right and wrong anymore.

 “Jake, yer a real fool fer sure. We’d hang th’ first chance a fool marshal got.” Clyde shook his head and spit.

 “Maybe not. Ya’ve only robbed, haven’t ya? Then they may not hang ya? Please, boys, don’t keep throwing yer life away like this. Do the right thing, turn yerself in.”

 Clyde rubbed his hand over the butt of his rifle, which sat across his lap. “What then? Spend years on a rock pile, then go dig in the dirt fer a livin’? No thanks. I like robbin’. I like it, Jake.”

 Jake shook his head, his eyes holding the look of tiredness. “Please, Clyde.” He looked to Tim. “Tim.”

 Clyde spit and Tim looked away.

 Jake looked a Lexie. “Lex, ya ain’t goin’ with ‘em, are ya?”

 Lexie stared a long moment. She didn’t know what to do. She was so sure before that she would go, but now she knew it may not be the right thing to do. Fact was, she knew it wasn’t the right thing.

 But what was right was buried under a whole lot of hurt, anger, and frustration.

 “Leave boys, I want to talk to Lex; alone.”

 Clyde cocked his head, chewing on the side of his right cheek. “Ya givin’ me orders, Jake?”

 “GET OUT!” Jake yelled, his face turning red from anger.

 Clyde stared for a few moments; Jake stared as well.

 Clyde laughed, once again shaking his head. He got up and Tim followed him out.

 Jake rushed over to Lexie. He pulled a chair over to her.

 “What’d you do last night? Did you do more than hold the horses?”

 Lexie kept her eyes downward, shame deep inside her.

 “Lex, talk to me! I need to know what happened? Why are ya goin’ with ‘em?”

 “IT’S BETTER THAN ROTTING AWAY!” Her eyes faced his, tears filling them.

 “All I’ve done with my life, Jake, is nothing! Tend to Ma while she was dyin’! Sit around all day with her and then-then when she died all I did was sit around! This is at least something.” Her tears made their way down her cheeks.

 Jake swallowed hard. He took her hand. “Honey, listen, I asked Mikalya to-to marry me. You can come live with us. We’re-we’re gonna get married this Sunday. Please Lexie, don’t-don’t go with ‘em.”

 Lexie shook her head. “No. Ya see, I thought about it, Jake. I’d end up doin’ nothin’ but gardenin’, and maybe sitting on yer front porch lookin’ at those fool trees!”

 “It wouldn’t be like that, you’ve got it all wrong. You’ve been listenin’ to too much of pa and the others. Living on a ranch isn’t borin’ or uneventful. It’s livin’, too.”

 Lexie shook her head. “No, Jake. I’m waitin’ with th’ boys for th’ heat to die off and them I’m goin’ with ‘em to kill th’ marshal.”

 “Lex, do you really think Clyde is gonna just let ya go along? Ya really think that? He doesn’t care, Lex. He’d kill ya ‘fore he puts up with ya. Please, Lex, come with me. There’s a better life for ya. One that Jesus offers. You remember Ma talking about Jesus, teachin’ us ‘bout Him?”

 Lexie pulled her hands away. “Jake, I’ve made up my mind. You go your way, marry Mikalya, and I’ll go my way.”

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 Lizzie cried more tears of hurt on her bed as her mother held her in her arms.

 “I wish I could say somethin’ to make it better, honey. But this is a hurt that only Jesus can heal.”

 “How, how could Sam lie like that-how could Kora…” Her reasoning was lost in more sobs.

 “I know, honey, I know. But God’s The Comforter. And He’ll heal that deep hurt, if you let Him. I promise.”