Wounded Sheep

When all of the thrusting was done. They sagged together. His kisses drew her back from the edge of sleep.

Sergeant Tolliver Jackson couldn't have been more upset. They had pushed hard through the night and the morning. They'd rested the horses twice. Once for a bad two hour sleep. And the second for a horrible four hour sleep. When they recognized the territory. He and Cummings had decided to swing by the Walker place. It was burned. All of it. He and his friend sat on their old hill. Looking down upon the very picture of despair.

"Come on." Cummings said. "Let's go see what we can find of Silak."

Tolliver fell in behind him as they rode down to the ruins of the shack.

"Sioux don't waste no more'n the Cheyenne." Cummings commented.

Tolliver rode up next to him before stopping to look at the carcass of a horse. "Yeah. Skinned, gutted, even some of the sturdy bones are gone." He looked around the area. "I don't see Silak."

"Where was he last?"

"This was his horse." Tolliver rode a little ways up the trail and found a large blood stain in the dirt and sand. "He was right here. I think."

"You don't...?" Tolliver looked at him. Unsure what he was about to say. "You don't think they ate him?"

Tolliver laughed. Loud.

"Well, First Sergeant Coleman said Apache'd eat fat white children. If they could get em."

Tolliver laughed some more. "That's some dumb shit they say to scare folks." He kept laughing. "Not like the Apache need it. You ever fight em?"

"Naw." He shook his head. "I met a few. But the fightin had stopped by the time I joined you boys." Tolliver nodded. "They always looked at me like they felt sorry for me."

"With your looks, I ain't surprised." Tolliver smiled.

Cummings gave him an unappreciative nod before pointing at the blood stain. "Drag marks."

Tolliver looked down. "Yeah. Coyote maybe. Got hungry. He woulda been an easy meal."

"God damn it."

"Yeah." Tolliver stated and followed the trail around the back of the ruins of the barn.

Cumings knew he'd found something when he heard Tolliver release a heavy sad sigh.

He brought his horse up next to his Sergeant and looked down at the naked and mangled corpse of his friend. "Coyotes?"

Tolliver nodded. "We ain't in any condition to dig a grave. Let's get these horses watered an I'll build a drag for Silak."

They rode to the stream. Where Tolliver helped Cummings dismount. They found a spot for Cummings to rest his leg. While Tolliver took one of their tomahawks to trim some branches for the drag.

An hour later they walked their horses back to the remains of the barn. Cummings struggled but took off his shirt. They had at least that much to wrap around Silak's crotch. Making his remains somewhat decent. They Loaded Silak onto the drag. Then rode toward town.

The Preacher rubbed his head. Leaning back while squatting against a wagon. The funerals had been one of the longest, most painful of his life. He'd known every single one of them. He'd spent months with them.

Just a bad day.

Started out nice though. Waking up with Cateh snuggled up to him. Kissing her forehead while she slept. Seeing Tennessee Mike sitting a couple of feet away. With a look of concern etched over his face. A face that had been crying not too long ago.

"You gonna be alright?" Elijah asked.

Mike sighed. "Eventually... What about you?" He motioned at Cateh with his head.

"Yeeeeah." He sighed back. "How much is her contract?"

Mike's eyes got big. "You sure about this?"

The Preacher nodded. "Don't drink the milk if you ain't gonna buy the cow."

Mike smiled. "That ain't how that sayin goes." The Preacher smiled and nodded back at him. "...She only cost me... Well, I prolly just give her to ya."

The Preacher nodded again. "I got six horses I can trade you for her." Mikes brows shot up. "I'd give you ten but..." He looked to the three wagons to his right. Where the children slept. "I seem to be Father to a horde of kids now."

"Six is still a lot."

"Not to me." The Preacher commented.

Mike laughed. He asked how the fight went and sat quietly while the Preacher retold the story. "You OK?" He asked again when the Preacher had finished.

Elijah shrugged. "Good as can be expected."

The Preacher put his pants back together under the blankets. Then got up and finished getting dressed. He and Mike got a cup of coffee. Then walked through the Sioux horses. Until Mike had the six he wanted. The Preacher now had four wagons to deal with. He assigned the four men with him to a wagon apiece.

"Why aren't you driving anymore?" Arnulfo asked. He had been assigned the Preacher's wagon.

"If there's anymore Sioux trouble. I want me and Cateh already on horseback. We'll be riding "scout" on your sides until we get to Deadwood."

Arnulfo nodded.

The Preacher watched from a distance as Cateh stretched. Fixed her clothes and then got up. She gave a shy wave of the hand to him as she walked to Mike's wagon. The Preacher followed.

"Bought me?!" He heard her say as he walked up.

"Yeah. He gave me six horses. I told em two was too many but he wouldn't listen."

She made a face at Mike as his smile kept getting bigger. Then she turned to face the Preacher. With a shake of the head she asked, "What do you want for your money?" He couldn't help but notice her nervous swallow that followed that question.

He took the wedding band off of his left pinkie finger.

"Oh - shit." She whispered.

He took her left hand and put the band on her ring finger. She stared at it. Then him. Then it again.

While her mouth was hanging open. He said, "There are a few things that have to wait." She nodded at him. "I can't get you your own ring yet." She nodded with her mouth agape. "We'll have to jump the broom until another Preacher comes along."

"Sure. Yeah." She nodded.

"Annnd..." He shook his head in thought. "I love you."

"Huh?"

He pulled her close and kissed her. For a while. She could hear Mike and the girls gasping and whispering excitedly. But she didn't care.

They let each other go when they heard Darren announce, "Preacher? It's time."

She could almost see Elijah hang his head as he nodded. "Yup. thank you, Brother."

He needed to sit down once the funerals were over. Now he squatted looking at a long line of graves. Knowing Darren was right and two more would be joining them in a few days.

"Whiskey?"

Elijah looked up to find Theo holding a small bottle out to him. "Absolutely. Thank you, Brother."

The Preacher stood and took two swigs from the bottle. Before handing it back. "Thank you."

Theo took a drink. "You looked like you could use it."

The Preacher nodded. "You doing alright?"

"Yeah." Theo shrugged.

"Did you know all these folks?"

"Not as many as I would've liked. My job's to stand back and look intimidating. So I don't mingle as much as everybody else. But Girtie?" He nodded. "I really liked her. She was a nice lady."

"Yes, she was."

Tolliver saw the Sheriff walking towards them once they entered the town proper. He pulled up on his reins and tipped his hat. "Afternoon, Sheriff."

The man nodded. "You boys look like hell. Sioux trouble?"

"Yes sir. We got caught by a few a em. Preacherman gunman broke us out."

The Sheriff nodded again. "You friends of Grover?"

The Sergeants' smile and raised brows told the man the answer to that. "Did they make it?"

The Sheriff nodded again and smiled. "Yeah. He got Mrs. Walker and her boys here. He got hurt. But Doc says he's gonna be fine." He could see the relief wash over them. "So you'd be Sergeant Jackson and Silak?

"He is but I'm Cummings." He looked to the drag behind Jackson's horse. "Silak didn't make it."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. But they thought you were dead when you fell off the wagon."

"Apparently I'm harder to kill than that." He smiled while the Sheriff laughed. "Where're they at?" Cummings asked.

"In the barn. But let me get you a shirt. You can't go seein a white woman like that."

They shrugged and nodded as the Sheriff went back to his office. When he returned he helped Cummings get dressed. With Cummings wounded leg, the Sheriff had him stay on the horse to put his new shirt on. The Sheriff helped with Tolliver to make up for the wounded arm Cummings had to use to get dressed. "I sure am grateful for you boys saving those folks like that. I'm just sorry you got so beat up doin it."

"Thank you, Sheriff. But we were just doin what they pay us to do." Tolliver answered.

Once Cummings looked presentable, the Sheriff commented. "Now, I don't want to cause you any problems but..." Tolliver raised his left eyebrow and waited. "I've heard a few folks talkin bout how it ain't proper for a white woman to be stayin in a barn with a colored." He shrugged almost ashamedly.

Tolliver shrugged back. "Well, we won't be stayin long. We need some time to rest our horses and get our friend buried. Once that's done we can get Mrs. Walker back with the rest of her family."

"Oh! Good! Good." He nodded. "You boys head on over and I'll go talk to Mr. Grueger. He handles the burials." He was about to walk away but stopped. "You know about Mr. Walker?"

Tolliver shook his head. "He was in a bad way when we found him. I'm assuming he didn't make it?"

The Sheriff nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry. Just didn't know if you knew." With that the Sheriff nodded one more time and turned to go see the Mortician.

They rode to the town barn. It was a sizable construction with a livestock yard in the back. They could see Mrs. Walker's wagon parked to the side of the building. Tolliver helped Cummings down once they got there.

"Leg still botherin you?"

"Yeah it's throbbin. Arm an head ain't actin too sweet, neither. You?"

"Pretty much all a me's tired." The Sergeant laughed.

The main doors were open so they walked in. They could hear their friends chatting at the rear of the building. Grover looked up when he heard them approaching.

"Tolliver!? Barnabus!?!" He yelled and ran to his friends.

They whenced from the impact of his hug. Almost as much as the three that followed from Caroline, David and Benjamin. Eventually their friends calmed down enough for them to tell what happened to them.

"We buried Pa yesterday." David commented.

"I'm sorry, son. He was a good man. I wish he'd a made it." Tolliver commented.

"How're things here?" Cummings asked once he found a spot to sit and rest his leg.

"Not bad at first." Caroline answered. "Been getting a few odd looks today though."

Tolliver asked the boys to go bring in the horses and Silak. Once they were out of ear shot, "You two been doin anythin? Makin any loud noises?"

Caroline swatted him. "Of course not... Not since we got to town anyway."

The men laughed.

"Stop it." She hissed.

"Sheriff said folks were talkin how it's improper for you to be in here with a Black man. Could be they just ain't got nothin important to think about." He got nods from all of them. The children had returned. "Boys, go on and take em on out back. Grover? Can you get Silak's drag off that horse?" Grover nodded. "Once he's got that off, Benjamin? If you and your brother could get the saddles and tack off those horses? Feed an water em for me, please? I'd appreciate it."

"Yes sir, Sarge." Benjamin replied.

He looked at Caroline. "Alright. So, what's your plan?"

She sighed. "I hoped to wait untill the Indian trouble died down. Then go and see what shape the homestead's in." She saw Tolliver and Cummings shaking their heads. "Not good?"

"No ma'am. They burned everythin they couldn't carry. An took everythin they could." Tolliver answered.

"What about my Grandmamma's chest?"

"Which chest was..?" He asked.

"The one at the foot of the bed."

He shook his head again. "That whole part of the house was ash."

"Shit."

"...You got any family you can go to?"

She shook her head. "St. Louis?.. But I don't have the money to get back there."

"Did you an the boys wanna come with us?" Cummings asked.

She shook her head again as her eyes got big. "It wasn't my plan to live at an Army fort. But what choice do I have?"

"Oh, we ain't goin back to the Army." Cummings stated.

"We're not?" Grover asked when he sat back down.

"Well, [we're] not." Tolliver said as he pointed back and forth between him and Cummings. "Cummings wants to go to Paris."

"France!?" Caroline blurted.

"Yes ma'am. Here tell folks over there don't care what color you are. Had enough of this, "It ain't proper" shit." Cummings answered.

Caroline chewed her lip for a moment. Glancing at her two boys working out back. "I have heard that." She said.

"Do you wanna go?" Cummings asked.

"What about my boys?"

He shrugged. "Seems like France'd be a damn site safer for em than Sioux country."

She shook her head. "I can't even afford to get home to Missouri. How am I going to pay for passage to Europe?"

"Well, we'll wor..."

Tolliver cut him off. "There's folks owe me money tween here and Galveston."

"Why Galveston? Galveston Texas. Right?" She asked.

"Yeah. We can get a boat to France from there. Or a boat to Cuba. And then a boat to France or Spain. If it's Spain we can ride to France."

She chewed her lip some more while staring at Tolliver.

"You in?" He asked Grover while she thought.

"You ain't leavin me in this mess. I'm goin where you're goin." He smiled.

Tolliver laughed and nodded. "Caroline?"

"I... I..." She shook her head some more. "I need time to think."

"Sure. We ain't goin right now. Take your time." He said.

"I just..."

Tolliver took her hands in his. "It's alright. You can stay or go. Or just go far enough to get away from here. You just let us know when you're ready."

She nodded. "Well, I ain't stayin here. I can tell you that."

The boys finished their work and settled in to talk about everything that had happened the last few days. Soon Mr. Grueger came by. He and his men took Silak's body saying the burial would be tomorrow. Grover and Tolliver went to get dinner for everyone from the small tavern in town. The Sergeant noticed several stares from people. But hoped it wouldn't lead to anything.

Tolliver and Grover sat outside the barn. Drinking coffee. Talking. People watching. It almost seemed as if the night might pass peacefully. But as evening came. Outside the saloon. There was one man. Not screaming as of yet. But certainly warming to it. Talking about how it ain't decent. And what would people think. And he was gathering quite a crowd. And just when Tolliver was about to loosen the flaps on his army holsters.

The Sheriff stepped out of his office with a look of disappointment for the crowd. He kind of gave a slight deflating shrug. Before walking over to the crowd.

"Now, Lester? I can't have ya stirrin up trouble like this."

"You defendin them!?" Lester yelled at the Sheriff.

"Lester? That woman's been through enough. She don't need you..."

"I don't care what she's been through!"

In one motion the Sheriff drew his pistol. Clocked Lester in the temple. And poor ole Lester fell to the ground unconscious.

"What d'ya think..!?" Another man started.

But he shut up when the Sheriff's cocked pistol was in his face.

"Huh." Grover commented as he watched.

"...Everyone understand." The Sheriff said in a very kind voice. "That woman's lost her husband. Almost lost her life and the lives of her boys. And it was only through some hard fightin on the part a them Neegra soldiers that she's alive. Now she's had a bad week. An {all} of you..." He looked at the man whose face he was pointing his gun at. "are gonna leave her be!"

The crowd nodded silently. Including the man with the big scared eyes.

"Very good." He smiled as he pulled his gun out of the man's face and decocked it. "Be on your way now."

They dispersed but the man who had had the Sheriff's gun in his face started to bend down to collect poor Lester.

"Leave him be." The Sheriff stated. The man looked at him confused. "Like all fools. He deserves to wake up in the dirt."

The man nodded. "Yes Sheriff." Then walked away.

When all was peaceful again. The Sheriff gave a sigh of contentment. Holstered his pistol and walked over to Tolliver and Grover.

"Thank you Sheriff. That was very kind of you." Tolliver commented.

"Oh, I was hopin I wouldn't have to do anything. But..." He looked back to the saloon to confirm the mob was broken up. "Is Mrs. Walker doin alright?"

"Yes sir. She was concerned bout what folks might do. But this came up an ya dealt with it so fast. I'd be surprised she even knew it happened." Tolliver answered.

"Good. Good." He nodded. "I meant what I told em. That poor woman and those kids..." He shook his head. "They've had enough headache for a lifetime already." When Tolliver and Grover nodded he drug a chair from the front of the house next to the barn. After sitting down he asked, "Any more a that coffee?"

Grover got him a cup. Once he took a sip he said, "Not to belittle what you boys been through. I know I sound like I only care about Mrs. Walker. I don't mean for it to sound that way."

Tolliver smiled. "It's alright, Sheriff. We didn't take no offense."

They made small talk until the Sheriff finished his coffee. "Well, you boys seem to have everythin in hand. I'm goin on home. I do hope you all have a peaceful night."

"Yes sir. You too."

"You have a good night, Sheriff." Grover said.

Tolliver set up a guard shift through the night. With him, Grover and Cummings. "He didn't wanna depend on these fools keepin themselves civil." He said. The night passed peacefully. In the morning they mounted six poles on the corners of the wagon. And tied a couple of old blankets to the top of them. That way they had shade for the passengers and the driver.

They purchased some cheap mattresses to lie in the back of the wagon. So they had something to sit on. And folded some old blankets they bought at the General store for cushioning the Driver's seat. They loaded up what little they had. Purchased some extra clothes for the men, Caroline and her two boys. Tied the two mustangs to the back. And attended Silak's funeral. It was a sad affair but soon they were on the road to Camp Robinson Nebraska.

Cateh walked up next to the PreachHUSBAND. Her husband. She had to keep reminding herself. He took her hand as he looked down on the town of Deadwood Gulch. Though calling it a "town" was a bit of a stretch. A collection of shacks, tents and hovels really didn't seem too much like a town.

She drew in a deep cleansing breath and said, "Ahhhh, what a shithole."

He nodded. "A fertile field for a man in the business of spiritual growth."

"That's really what you're thinkin right now."

He shook his head and laughed. "No... What I'm thinking isn't fit for a lady."

She smirked as he kissed her.

She held him close as she watched Brekenried and his men, along with many others, travel down the hill to the town.

"So, what do we do now?" She asked.

He looked back at the four wagons filled with his people. Then back at the town. "We need a spot for a house big enough for all of us. And room for a church. Somewhere near the graveyard if they have one. Or with a spot that would be good for a graveyard. You see anything?"

"Ha!" She blurted as she looked at the cesspit.

"We also need room for crops."

"You got seeds?"

"I do."

"So, we're not mining?"

"You have any idea how many people I'd have to kill if we ACTUALLY found gold?"

She looked at the town again and shook her head once more. "I don't think anyone'd miss em."

Mrs. Dollerman's laugh gave her away. They turned to find her, Mike, the children and the rest of his friends standing there. Eavesdropping on the conversation.

"How far's the whorehouse gotta be from the church?" Mike asked.