Back Story 4

Rachel and Abigail were doing the clothes washing together that afternoon, oblivious to the fact that Rachel's husband had just arrived in town.

"This is fun!" Rachel exclaimed as she scrubbed a dress against the washing board.

"Fun?" Abigail asked as she wrung out another item of clothing. "You want to work in a laundry?"

Rachel began to laugh, then a cheeky idea came into her mind, and she splashed Abigail with the washing water.

"Oh, Rachel!" Abigail shrieked, then she got a handful and flung water back at her.

"Your on!" Rachel exclaimed as she picked up a sopping wet shirt to fling water at her aunt.

Abigail quickly realized that she would be beaten in this little game if she didn't do something, then she saw the basin she used to rinse the clothes and picked it up, splashing water at Rachel as they both laughed and chased each other around the garden.

Then, as Rachel turned her back, Abigail flung the entire basin of water on her, completely soaking her with it. Then, as she saw blood start to seep through the back of Rachels blouse, she stopped laughing.

"What?" Rachel asked, still laughing.

Abigail didn't reply, instead she dropped the empty basin on the ground and walked over to Rachel. She tried to turn her, so she could look, but Rachel moved away.

"Don't."

"Rachel?" Abigail said sympathetically. "let me look."

Rachel sighed and turned around, pulling her hair over her shoulder so Abigail could look, starting to cry as she felt Abigail's hands on her back.

Abigail gasped at the amount of blood that had come through the wet shirt, and as she unbuttoned and pulled the blouse apart, her mouth fell open at what she saw. "Oh, Rachel."

Abigail was pacing around the café's living room a little while later, with David in her arms, trying to understand why her niece would have been whipped like that. As she sat down on the couch, she heard Rachel coming downstairs. "You alright?"

"No one must know. Promise me. Not Bill, not Josie, not anyone." She sat down beside Abigail, her eyes pleading. "What you saw," she paused. "its just between you and me."

"I can't." Abigail replied as her protective side kicked into action. "I can't just pretend I didn't see anything."

"Promise me." Rachel begged. "You must. Right now."

Abigail bit her lip, deciding what to do. She didn't speak for what seamed like an eternity, but then she raised her head. "I promise."

"What a dreary little back water." McCallister said as he and Mr. Linsk walked around the town. "Still, we'll be out of here shortly."

"Yeh, well, what if your wife doesn't want to go with you?"

"That's not an option."

Mr. Linsk started to realize what McCallister was putting across. "In little towns like these, people tend to stick together."

"You're a worrier, Mr. Linsk." McCallister said as he patted the man on the shoulder. "It's my experience that loyalty is only a commodity."

Mr. Jenkins was on his way back to the bank after his lunch break, when Mike Granger stepped out from behind a building. He saw Jenkins walking to the bank, then he started towards him, his gun in plain view.

Bill and Jay were standing on the veranda of the sheriff's office when he saw Granger striding across the road, then he saw Jenkins and quickly realized what was about to take place.

"Granger!"

Jenkins heard Bill, and he turned. When he saw Mike coming towards him, he quickly opened the door, then when he was in the bank, locked it again.

Bill stopped Mike in the middle of the street, with Jay still standing on the veranda, ready to jump in if the need arose. "Mike, you go home."

"Its time Herbert Jenkins and I talked." He said, gazing at the man in the bank.

"Well, not today, and not with that." Bill replied as he noticed the pistol in Mike's belt.

"I want to scare him. You ever been scared, Bill?"

"Yeh, I know how it feels."

"Well, I'm scared every minute of every day. Thinking about Ellie and the kids on the road with nothing. No hopes, no prospects." He glared at Jenkins, who was watching from the windows. "You ever been scared, Jenkins?" He yelled as he went for his gun. "You hear me?"

Bill grabbed the gun and yanked Mikes arm up, the gun firing off into the air. The street became a mayhem of chaos as the horses that were tethered broke free and began to bolt towards the men.

"Look out!" Mr. Yost shouted to McCallister and Mr. Linsk, who were still walking down the road.

Mr. Linsk saw the horses coming and quickly moved out of the way, but McCallister seemed to be stuck to the ground. Then, just as Montana's horse was about to run him over, Mike Granger pushed him out of the way.

As the horses began to gallop out off town, Bill grabbed Eagles reins as he passed, stopping his mad run. Jay saw his chance and did a running vault onto Montana's palomino mare, quickly catching up to the other three horses that were running blindly towards the lively.

"Woah, steady, steady." Jay said as he caught the other horse's reins, "Easy" as he brought them to a stop, sitting the bucks from Montana's horse as he did so.

"Steady boy, steady." Bill said as he stroked Eagle's mane. "Looks like Josie still has a few things to teach you yet mister."

Mike helped McCallister to his feet and brushed himself off, putting his gun away as he did so.

"I owe you my life. I'd like to reward you for your bravery. You might have been killed, saving a complete stranger."

"Just forget it alright." Mike said as he quickly exited the conversation.

"Mr. Linsk walked over to McCallister. "He's the one I was telling you about."

"Payback like that could be useful." He replied as he weighed up his options.

Bill lead Eagle over to Josie, who had seen the entire scene from the safety of the General Store's balcony, but she walked down to meet him as he approached.

"Here you go." Bill said as he handed the stallion's reins to her.

"Thanks, Bill." Josie said as she took them. "I'll go calm him down away from here. Looks like he needs some lessons around gunfire, so he won't do that again in a hurry." She led the nervous horse away to her paddock.

Bill walked over to McCallister and Mr. Linsk. "Well, you okay?"

"Couldn't be better." McCallister replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"That was close, you were lucky." He extended his hand forward for a shake. "I'm Sheriff Bill Avery."

"Thomas McCallister. I take it you must have met my wife."

"Ah yes. She's staying with the Circuit reverend and his wife."

"Then I'll meet them soon enough. I've come to persuade Rachel to return home."

"Ah." Bill said, not showing his suspicions about this man, but deciding to carry on pleasant conversation. "Well, I hope it works out for both of you."

McCallister nodded. "That man who saved me. I'm in his debt."

"Yes, Mike Granger. He's a good man."

"And he's having trouble with the bank?"

"Yes." Bill replied cautiously, wondering about his sudden interest in Mike's affairs. "You might say that."

"I know a thing or two about banks."

"I beg your pardon?" Jenkins said, not believing what he'd just heard.

"I'm here to pay off Mr. Mike Granger's debts. How much?"

"Well, I can't possibly disclose." Jenkins tried to explain.

"Don't play games with me. How much?"

"Well, I can make no exceptions, bank polices say." He was cut off by a rather annoyed McCallister, who was not used to being told "No."

"Is it your business to make a profit or loss? What's your policy on that?" He saw Jenkins give in. "How much?"

"Three hundred dollars." Herbert finally said, a bit deflated.

"Get me the deed." McCallister said as he wrote out a check.

"I'll need to get the check cleared first."

McCallister motioned for him to lean down, and he showed him his check book. "United Chicago. See there's an engraving of company name of the president on it."

"That's you?" Herbert asked, quite surprised that the President of the biggest bank in the United States was in their town

"That's me. Get me the deed."

"Certainly."

"My wife and I'd like to thank you for your generosity." Mr. Granger told McCallister a little while later in his room at the boarding house. "You saved our lives."

"Then my debt to you is repaid." McCallister replied as he stood up. "Nothing more to be said."

Ellie walked over to McCallister and gave him a kiss on the check, much to his pleasure. "Bless you sir."

"You've a breve man here, Mrs. Granger. One of the finest."

"Well," Mike looked at his wife as she walked back over to him. "If there's ever anything we can do for you, all you have to do is ask."

McCallister looked at Mr. Linsk, pleased that his little plan had worked. He now had Mr. Granger right where he wanted him, feeling indebted to him. He had the man hook, line and sinker. "Perhaps you could tell me about Mrs. Stanton and the McGreogrs."

A little while later, Abigail and Rachel were going back outside to put the clothes onto the line. Josie had already told them about the scene on the street, and how Bill had caught Abigail's horse, which left her quite impressed.

"You coming?" Abigail asked Josie as she picked up the basket of clothes to go on the line.

"No, I'll stay here and eat these delicious cookies." Josie said as she picked another up. "They are really good."

"Just make sure that you don't eat all of them, missy. They're for the kids snack at school later." She replied as she closed the door.

Abigail and Rachel had almost put all the clothes on the line. They hadn't spoken to each other much, each of the absorbed in their own thoughts, then Abigail broke the silence.

"Would it almost be David's feeding time, Rachel?"

Rachel was about to reply, then she felt her husband's eyes bearing down on her. She turned and froze as she saw him standing at the gate into Abigail's back yard.

Abigail turned to see why Rachel hadn't replied, then she saw the man staring at Rachel. Rachel looked at Abigail, fear in her eyes. "Yes?"

McCallister ignored Abigail. "You shouldn't have left me, Rachel. I've been worried."

Abigail realized who this was, and she walked over to Rachel's side. "Mr. McCallister?"

He again ignored her. "I still love you Rachel, and I miss David. Is he here?"

"I'm Mayor Stanton." Abigail tried again, hoping that this wasn't real, but it was.

"Yes, I know who you are, madam. If you'll excuse me, this is between my wife and I." McCallister walked closer, towering over the two women.

"I think that Rachel would prefer me to stay. Perhaps." She rolled her eyes as she was cut off again by McCallister.

"I appreciate you looking after her these past few days, its been nice for her to see some family, but the time has come for Rachel and my son to return home."

Finally, Rachel found the courage to stand up to him. "We're staying here."

McCallister lost his pretend concern. "I have all a man can do to provide for his wife and family."

"This is not about the money." Rachel exclaimed, herself getting angry that he'd found her.

"Rachel, I know we've had our differences."

"Differences?"

"I have come to apologize. I swear that all those things that have troubled you in the past will never happen again."

"I've heard those promises before, Thomas. They have painfully short lives.

"Rachel." McCallister said as he grabbed her arm and tried to drag her away.

Rachel pulled out of his grasp. "Once I'd have trebled at your voice, bot not now, not ever again."

McCallister grabbed her roughly and pulled her towards him. "Love can so easily turn to hate."

Abigail gasped, then she turned and ran back into the café, leaving Rachel on her own.

"The choice is your Rachel. I want my son. I want to see David." He pushed her in front of him towards the stairs to the back door of the café.

The door opened again, and Abigail re-appeared, this time, with a rifle in her hand. "Take your hands off her."

"Don't be a fool." McCallister sneered at her.

"Oh, she won't be." Josie said as she came up behind him, her own pistol in hand. "And neither am I." She held her aim steady at McCallister.

"A preacher's girlfriend." McCallister laughed. "And a child." He turned back to Abigail. "You don't have what it takes to kill a man."

"Oh, we'll see about that. But I do have what it takes to pull this trigger." Abigail replied as she levered a bullet into place. "And I can take your shoulder off in one shot. I'll let my daughter take care of the rest."

"The choice is yours." Josie replied, as she took the hammer back on her own gun. "Walk away now, and no one gets hurt."

McCallister realized he was beat, and he let Rachel go. "I'll be back."

Abigail motioned for Rachel to come up beside her, still holding the gun towards McCallister. "It would be better for you if you don't. Josie, take him out."

Josie nodded, then walked over to McCallister. "Alright, let's go."