(Well ladies and gentlemen, as promised I indeed made a longer chapter! and To add on, I plan to get this story wrapped up and finished soon! Within the next two chapters let's say, I SHOULD have this story completed! Let's hope! lol anyway I don't expect the next chapter to be too terribly long,
Anyway ENJOY! :D)
Chapter 10
Doggie - An orphaned calf/small calf. But here its used a term of endearment.
Fight like Kilkenny Cats - Fight like h***
...
We made it to Topeka a few hours ago and now we were standin at the train station waiting for Howard to show up, 'I DID tell I was coming right?' I thought to myself, I'd been so busy lately and caught up in so much hustle n bustle that I wasn't sure of things I did or rather hadn't done! "Well I guess we might as well go sit down kiddo, c'mon." I said as I walked over to a near by bench; she still wasn't having it though as she so stubbornly stood near the tracks, of course she wasn't going to make gaining her trust back easy ... It never is, so I guess I either wait her out or find a way to make her believe me, and the only way to do that ... Is for Howard to hopefully show up soon! I HOPE I told him I was coming... Uugg! This is gonna be a loong afternoon! I decided now was as good a time as any to take a nap, I laid my head back n tipped my hat over my face and dozed off.
~Gracie's P.O.V~
I stood there still steamin mad! ... My heart was still achin and all I wanted to do was cry! I know the lady on the train said to give him another chance, but how could I?! I didn't want him taking my only other chance at a happy home away from me! If he wasn't gonna take care of me ... Then I'd at least hope my Auntie would come to her senses and take me in! My uncle was a mean man, he'd hurt us kids all the time and drag us to this back room at night sometimes... I can't remember what all happened in that back room, Jack did though... I always hated that for him... said uncle touched him places Jack didn't want messed with... Uncle would force him to do other things to but I don't remember them, I guess cause as Jack was tellin me ... I'd always feel myself losin my hearing to the point I couldn't hear a thing cept really LOUD ringing... I guess cause I didn't want to hear it... Cause I knew that our uncle was doin to me what he was doin to my lil brother, I wanted to tell Pa.. I mean Mr. Tennessee, what was really going on and why I didn't want to go back but, I remember my uncle's words clearly...
...
"YOU LIL BRAT HUSH UP AND TAKE IT LIKE THE LINE GIRL YOU'RE GONNA BE SOME DAY!" he said to me as he hovered over me with his humungous body over me the whole time he was grippin my mouth tightly so much it hurt! I wish he'd let me go! I he kept hurting me someplace else too! Someplace I don't like! I dunno what he's doing but it hurts and I just want it to stop! I feel like he's got a giant pole stuck someplace it shouldn't and I can't do anything about it 'cause he's too big n stronge to just shove off'a me! I just want to get outta here 'n go home! I JUST WANT MY MAMA!
"MAA!" I began to shout and cry out for my mother to come save only for my uncle to slap so hard up side the it nearly knocked me out, as I began to start falling asleep and the world began to get cold n black, I could barely make out what my uncle said to me... "You EVAH tell anybody what's going on in this here back room, or how you been gettin beat up at this ol sugah mill! I promise you this, I WILL kill ya! Make no mistake about that!" he told me and I fell asleep...
...
I shuttered at that memory, I HATED that man with all my heart! I know I shouldn't think such things... But you would too if something like that happened to you... Maybe I should tell him, hopefully then he won't take me back... I turned to face Mr. Tennessee, I felt bad about the way I was actin towards him, but I was also still scared to say anything to him... I just didn't know what to do, and when I started walkin up towards him I could'a swore I heard those same familiar thuddin n claddin foot steps against the hard wood of the station floor, I turned to face who was makin all that ruckus and found my worst nightmare had come true... It was him! My Uncle Daniel, I felt like my heart fell into my belly. I got scared just like I used to, I tucked my tail and hugged myself and hunched my back like I was tryin to get into a lil ball! I just wanted to go home n get as far away as I could from that rotten yella belly low life! I took a step backwards and ran towards papa ... I mean Mr. Tennessee, oh I don't care what I called him at this point! Shoot I could call him mama and it wouldn't make no difference! I just began to run towards him and hung onto his side and wrapped his big fluffy fuzzy tail around me! I just wanna go home I just wanna go home! I want my mama, my auntie, my new daddy, my ol daddy n my lil brother and I wish I could take them all home! I buried my face in his side and held his shirt tight hoping the next time I would open my eyes again that mean ol' monster would be gone! But as I did, I looked up only to find that he wasn't gone! He was STILL there!
Why wouldn't he just go away?! Oh no! He looked over here. I felt my ears fall and my eyes must'a got big, cause he started getting closer n closer, he grinned a nasty ugly yella grin with his sharp monster teeth! I whimpered and tugged at papa Tenny's shirt and started cryin! "MAMA!" I screamed, I knew mama wasn't gonna come runnin for me, but ... I knew that would wake up papa. And boy did that sure work cause he jumped up like somebody done tried to shoot'em! He looked around trying to figure out what was happenin, "Huh?! What?! What's goin on here?!" he asked lookin round, then my uncle backed off and stood at a okay distance, though I really didn't want him there at ALL! I still wish he'd go away!
He shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head towards me, "Awful cute daughter you got there mister, she your kid?" he asked, I kept trying to hide myself in papa's side; even though it didn't much work, I kept watchin him with one eye, and held onto daddy pullin his shirt closer to me. I don't think daddy was too happy with him being there either cause I felt him wrap one of his arms around me, I looked up and saw daddy watchin him lookin a lil uneasy. "...I wish you could be here mama..." I muttered, and hide my face I couldn't watch, and I feel my hearin going away... I just shut my eyes tight and looked away, getting ready for somethin bad to happen!
~Tennessee's P.O.V~
I jumped up hearing my daughter screamin her heart out! I looked around tryin to find what all the fuss was about and before I could figure out what was happenin, Lil Bit had clung to my side using my tail as a way to hide herself from...something. I looked over and saw a big hulkin man built like a lumberjack, with a brown over shirt and cowboy hat, fella looked like he was chewin tabaco; but the second he saw me wide awake, he stopped in his tracks and looked at me a lil stunned. "Awful cute daughter you got there daughter, she your kid?" he asked, I sat there glaring at him. Didn't even know this man and I just had a bad feeling bout'em! Something about him made me feel uneasy! "Yeah, she's mine... Why ya ask?" I said holding on to my little girl close 'n tight to me, something about this cowboy wasn't settin right with me! But I just could NOT for the life of me figure out just what it was! Well, anyway, it was past time for me n Gracie to be gettin along and now was a good time for us to get since Howie never seemed to have showed up and I needed to get away from this stranger.
He peered in closer at Bit and flashed a toothy grin, "Ya sure bout that now... Cause I do believe I know this lil girl..." he said, "Son I think you're mistaken now if you'll excuse me.." I said picking her up and walking away, I didn't know who this guy was but.. I wasn't about to let him get close to Bit or even take the chance of him taking her... Something wasn't right about him anyway... I glared back at him with a evil dirty look, making damn sure he'd know to keep his distance or he'd have to take up any problems he had with my shootin iron!
...
We'd made it to the nearest motel by sundown, I knew it would be best to go ahead 'n stop now so's to avoid another mishap with any other outlaws. It was probably a few hours later and my lil chickadee woke up and darted into the closet, I shook my head. I knew there was something more going on here I just couldn't figure it out what.
It was late in the evenin, I had cleaned myself off in the shower and plopped onto the bed and threw my hat n mask on the night stand near by, my shirt n vest left in the bathroom, I'd have them washed later, and left my boots by the door; I had gone through the closet and grabbed one of the oversized night shirts and slipped it on. I stretched out on the bed archin my back like a cat, stretched out my arms, cracked my shoulders, back n ankles. "Ouch! Geez! Never knew how much it smarts to crack your ankles!" I hollered as I chuckled at how silly that sounded, suddenly I heard giggles comin from the closet; I grinned happy to hear my baby girl laughing happy. "So are you good now?" I said rollin over to face the closet, I knew she was smiling by the sparkle in her eyes and watched as the eyes nodded 'yes' which made ever happier to hear. "Glad to hear ya baby girl." I mumbled.
"So... You not gonna take me back to my uncle?" She asked me, I sighed more tired then upset, so I just smiled; I actually wanted to surprise her. "C'mere darlin." I said openin up my arms, she darted out towards me and cuddled into my chest. My baby girl, my little girl... Its funny to think nearly six months ago, I found this sick scraggly scrawny lil girl and now... She a beautiful lil princess, my lil outlaw princess. I sat up and walked over to a chair sittin under the window, and cuddled her as she began to doze off and as I began to wonder how in the heck I got into this mess! I never intended to keep this doggie, in fact I was gonna take her to the local orphanage honestly! But... Something about this lil ducky, something about this lil girl.. Just said 'Keep her! She needs you like you need her!' I'm not sure what it was but, I could tell she just needed to stay around... Even when I had been thinkin of takin her back to her family in Oklahoma, I still couldn't find the heart to take her back and I just couldn't understand why?! Why couldn't I take this lil young'in back to her family?!
I didn't have an answer, but somehow... I just think it was all meant to be, ya know? I just sat with her in the big comfy rockin chair, something about holding her tight in my arms snuggling her just all felt right. As I sat stroking her hair, and the more my thoughts began to collect themselves I found myself deciding I was making the right decision.
"Well I guess I'm gonna have to keep you now Lil Bit... Such'a sweet lil kid, ya know that? I got so used to havin ya around and just being in my life, that... now when I think about it, about you being gone... that's...I can't see it without ya kiddo, I love you so much Gracie May, daddy loves you so much and I'd give the world to keep you with me... I won't let anything or anyone get you and I'll lay down my own life just make sure your safe... I'm sorry I betrayed you like I did... And I never wanted to get ride of ya chickabiddy it's just... bein an outlaw like me, ya can't have much of a family, no wife, no kids... Ya get as far from family as ya can so that way... they don't get hurt 'cause of something stupid ya did, or the law don't go messin with'em or... Somebody that don't like you only goes after you n not your family... And I would be crushed if something happen to you baby girl. Sweet dreams baby girl, it's all gonna be alright. You'll see, daddy loves you very much baby girl, now get some rest... Sweet dreams Gracie girl." I said as I kissed her on the head, I
couldn't tell if she was starting to be okay with me again or if she just needed somebody to cuddle her and make her feel safe, I couldn't tell, I just knew... It felt great to hold my baby girl, my daughter, in my arms and snuggle her again... Even if she wasn't really mine, she just meant the world to me... But I could tell there was a bond there, now the trick was to get her to trust me again. I couldn't... I wasn't just going to abandon her, I just couldn't she meant everything to me! I just held her closer to me, she needed me... But I needed her, I could tell... 'Cause after we get back from seeing Howard... I'm gonna go ahead and pack it in, I've collected enough of a fortune to be able to live comfortably so I think we'll be okay... Besides, I'm startin to think the law's catchin up to me, and I can't keep going like this forever... I've already gotten close to havin my head taken off, not only with bein hung but have part of my ear shot off too! She needs a safe warm place to live and somebody to take care of her and keep her safe, somebody to fill her lil head n heart with hopes n dreams and to make what hopes n dreams she has now to come true. But I needed somebody to wake me up! Make me realize what I was doing was dangerous, well... I knew what I was doing was dangerous but the thing was I needed something... Or in this case someBODY to make care about gettin out! I needed somebody and no woman, no lawman or other outlaw was gonna make me see that... Was make me care! No it took the love and company of a small lil girl to make me understand that. To get me going, a good kick in the seat of my pants is what I needed! Haha!
But in all seriousness, I'm glad God sent me this lil Angel... I needed her, just like she needed me... Now, got to figure out what was with that shady character at the station today! I mean really?! Who WAS this cowboy?! What did he want with Gracie? And why was he so interested in her... Thinking about it all over again my stomach churn, like when Sally used to sit on the porch n churn butter, I just couldn't take it! I wanted to SMACK that yella belly character... He seemed sick! Even more when eyed Gracie! I just couldn't take it! He was disgusting not only with his sick breath that had me thinkin he had might'a had scurvy but I think his soul was sick! He wanted more with Grace, his morals didn't seem all together and well in lined... But what was it?! I couldn't figure it out! What was with this guy and his sick seemin obsession with Gracie!?
At the thought of it all, I held Gracie tight n close to my body and wrapped my tail around her. I wanted to get up and get my pistol but the second I stood up Grace moaned n squirmed in my arms, and just as fast as I stood up and went and sat back down... I decided it would just be best to go on n get to bed, so I just went n laid in the bed my head propped against the bed frame as I stroked her back, I guess for now, it was best to call it a night. I slipped under the covers with Bit still layin on my chest, took a bit of maneuverin but I managed. There was one thought that came into my head 'fore I called it a night, 'Is what I'm doing right... Or should I just keep her... I know I've got to do what's right but ... Now I'm just not sure of what that is anymore... But the thought of saying goodbye to her... Killed me inside...But for now she's with me.. and that's all that matters right now.' I didn't know how or what I would do, but I did know this... No lawman or yella belly uncle of her's was gonna take her from me... And if they did or thought about trying then I all I have to say is this!
Be careful cowboys, cause I'll fight ya like kilkenny cats!
'God help the sheriff or crazy uncle that tries to take Gracie from me... 'Cause I WILL kill them!' I thought to myself as I dozed off to sleep. I had a feeling it was gonna be a long couple of days in the next few days... But for now I'm just gonna work on makin things right with Grace and enjoy seein my kin.