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Notes Chapter 6; a ride into a perilous snowstorm for two of our heroes?
Thank you very much for all reviews, please continue! They're a great help with writing, and I really appreciate knowing what you think of this story. This is the second chapter from Mac's point of view, but all the characters will get their turn :D Thanks for alerts and favourites; to iluvCSI4ever for discussion; marialisa for advice; and chrysalis escapist and afrozenheart412 for further thoughts.
Once Upon A Time In the Old West
Chapter 6: The Big Country
Mac:
Can't hardly believe what I'm hearin'… No, on consideration, I can believe it. Should've known to expect somethin' like this from Stella. But maybe if I repeat what she's just said, she'll hear it as the bad idea it is…
"You're comin' with me?"
"Got somethin' blockin' your ears, Mac? Maybe you didn't hear me right. If you're set on goin' out there to the gunpowder works, then yes, I'm comin' with you!"
Dang it. Now she's repeatin' it and the more she says it, the more she's gonna convince herself it's a good idea. Which it ain't. There ain't no way I'm gonna have Stella riskin' her life ridin' out in a blizzard like this. I don't set much store by my own life, but I do by hers. She's got that look of absolute conviction in her eyes though, the one she gets when she knows she's doin' the right thing, and she knows she's gonna win whatever argument she's involved in…
Wait, what am I sayin' here? Argument? We ain't arguin'; I'm makin' a statement. And I'm gonna make it again.
"You ain't comin' with me, Stella, and that's final!"
She almost explodes. I swear sparks start shootin' out of her eyes, emerald green sparks. Looks like I've gone and done it again; made Stella real angry with me. Heck, if this weren't such a serious situation, I'd be admirin' the beauty of it…
"Mac Taylor, this is so far from final, it ain't even funny! If you're set on ridin' out tonight, even though it's against other folks' better judgements, then the only way I'm lettin' you do that is if I accompany you. And that's final!"
'Lettin' me do that'? I got a feelin' that at some point I was unaware of, Miss Stella Bonasera has taken charge of my life and made it the concern of her own. Thing is, and what she maybe don't know is, that I've made it the concern and purpose of my life to protect hers, not least because I can't imagine mine without hers. So this puts us in a position of conflict with each other, and at present, I can't see no clear way out of this…
"If you two could stop yellin' for a minute..." Don interrupts my thoughts.
Truth be told, I'd almost forgotten we weren't alone in this room; I turn around and realise everyone is kinda' lookin' back and forth between Stella and myself, and they ain't lookin' too pleased. Especially not my deputy; who holds his hands up and continues, "Both of you need to listen up. Before either of you go makin' decisions as big as this, I reckon you need to hear some opinions from the rest of us - we all got important things to say on the matter, ain't that right?"
He looks round at everyone and they all nod their heads vigorously. Reckon I don't see a mite of happiness on any one of their faces. Don ain't finished all he's got to say either, "I gotta tell you. I don't care one bit for this plan. It's near certain death to be ridin' out in weather like this.
"I'm doin' this for the town, Don." I growl, even though there's a part of me that knows he's speakin' a deal of sense and I'm actin' real hasty over this. But what other choice do I got?
"Mr Flack is quite right, Taylor." Hammerback peers over his spectacles at me, "To even contemplate going out on a night like this speaks of nothing but recklessness. Any number of misfortunes could befall you out there. There is no pity in Mother Nature on a night like this."
"Mother Nature ain't gonna stop me savin' this town from a railroad company who've got even less pity in 'em, and who are doing their best to destroy us!" I can't help myself snappin' at him, even though there's a look of hurt in the man's eyes. Hammerback's a good man, even if I get more than a little impatient with him at times; I appreciate he's got my welfare at heart.
Seems the town undertaker and historian ain't the only one with somethin' to say though, as Hawkes raises his voice, "Taylor, I understand that you feel you're the one with sole responsibility for the town, however, you've got to remember that a package of deeds that may or may not be at the gunpowder works, is not worth more than your life."
"This town's worth more than just my one life, Hawkes. It contains over two hundred lives, all of which are gonna be homeless and struggling to survive if the railroad company succeeds in what they're plannin' on doin'. So if there's a chance of findin' them deeds, then I'm seizin' it! Regardless of any danger there might be to myself."
Can't stop myself glarin' at Stella, who glares right back. This is my decision; whatever she might think, she ain't comin' with me. I'm no fool, I know ridin' out into a blizzard's gonna be risky, which is why I don't want anyone else doin' it.
Hawkes shakes his head, then Miss Higgins, stands up, "Hope y'all can pardon a girl for speakin' out of turn here, but maybe an outsider such as myself can provide a different view. Seems to me, meanin' no disrespect, Sheriff, that this has to be one of the most gosh darn foolish ideas I ever heard! And I've heard a hundred and more foolish ideas in my young life, yes sir. Travelled through many states from Texas to New York, and met plenty of foolish folk and their ideas. But I gotta tell you, Sheriff sir, that this idea o' yours beats a good many of 'em!"
I don't rightly know what to say to the young woman who's standin' in front of me meetin' my gaze head on and not flinchin', but there's somethin' about her plain speakin' that I gotta admire, even if it's at my expense. There aren't many who argue with me, and that ain't a thing of arrogance. Fact is, the badge of Sheriff, justified or not, instils a certain caution in folks. Works well against lawbreakers, but I want ordinary folks to feel they can speak honestly and frankly to their Sheriff.
Sayin' that, my badge certainly ain't never stopped Stella from speakin' her mind to me. She ain't a woman to hold back on expressin' her opinions, and that's somethin' I admire and respect, even if it means I get the sharp edge of her tongue on many an occasion. Maybe it's even somethin' I could say I love about her…
"You listenin' to all this, Mac?" She says to me then, and it brings me back to the unpleasant situation I'm facin'; a room full of people, all of whom are disapprovin' and even outright hostile to what I'm proposin'.
"I'm listenin', Stella, but that don't mean I'm gonna do as you all want me to do. I put the safety of Hattanville and its citizens above my own which is why whatever you say to me, and believe me, your opinions are ones to be respected, I got no other choice but to go searchin' for those deeds tonight."
"Then you're a stubborn man, Mac." Don says and shakes his head, "Stubborn and reckless. Much as I admire your bravery, I gotta tell you, I can't approve of this plan…" He heaves a sigh, and glances at Miss Angell, who looks as serious as he does, but gives him a small nod, "However, as your Deputy, I'm sworn to support you, and if you're hell-bent on goin', then all I can do is try and convince you not to go alone."
"See, Mac? Don's speakin' sense here…"
But he interrupts her, "No, Stell, I'm sorry, but I ain't suggestin' you go with him. I'm sayin' I'll go with him."
I ain't havin' that either. Don may be the finest Deputy a Sheriff could wish for, but it's that very fact that means I don't want him accompanyin' me. I gotta think about all the possibilities here, and if I don't make it back to town, then Hattanville's gonna need a good man to take over, and Don's the only man for the job.
"Neither of you are comin'." I say, before Stella's got a chance to argue with Don.
I risk a glance at her and seems as if she's fair smothered with too many things to say to be able to open her mouth. But when she does, I know all hell's gonna break loose; she's got her fists clenched and dynamite about to detonate behind her eyes. Don's also got a less than happy face; Miss Angell's wearin' a frown; Mrs Hammerback's gripped her husband's hand; and Hawkes and Miss Higgins, who has sat back down next to him, are exchanging a worried look.
It's Miss Angell who speaks first, "Sheriff, I gotta repeat what Don's said. Fact is, I may not have lived here as long as most of you, Miss Higgins excepted." Here she gives a smile to the young Texan lady, "But I know Hattanville's the place I wanna make my home, and make it my home amongst all of you folks. Now, I know too the respect that everyone in town has for you, Sheriff, and I know they'll all be agreed on this point; if you not ridin' out there tonight means the loss of those deeds, but the continuation of your life, then there won't be a single person complainin' 'bout that. Pieces of paper, which is all those deeds are, ain't worth the cost of a life!"
"Miss Angell couldn't have put it any better than I could, Taylor." Hammerback adds, still with his wife's hand in his, "Listen to the people in this room, people who concern themselves with your welfare almost as much as you do with theirs. Do not go out into that blizzard!"
It's not often I'm moved by speeches, but I gotta confess, this is one of those times. This ain't somethin' I'm used to hearin'; I ain't a man for showin' emotions, and find it kinda hard to express myself at times, but all I know is that my heart feels like it's sorta swellin' up inside me, and it's with a feelin' that I don't know whether to describe as happiness or sadness. Reckon it's a mixture of both; happiness at the fact I got all these good people showin' so much concern for me, and sadness that much as I got respect for each and every one of 'em, I can't do what they want. No matter how many words they use, it ain't gonna stop me, 'cause I gotta go out there.
I gotta do what's right for the town.
I take my hat off, and hold it in front of me. Got a crazy sorta' thought that it might stop folks seein' and hearin' the way my heart's beatin' so fast, "Don, Hammerback, Stella…" I pause and risk a look at her, and wish I hadn't because it seems that although the anger behind her eyes is about to blow, there's sadness there too, and it fair breaks my heart to feel that's my doin'; but I gotta do this, "All of you; I appreciate all you've said, but this is my final word. When I took up my Sheriff's badge, I did it with the understandin' that I took on the responsibility of Hattanville with it, and the possibility I'd be called to undertake some mighty difficult tasks. Although I got me the finest Deputy a man could wish for, and the finest lady at my side that I could ever have dreamed of, there are some things I can't ask any one of you to do…"
Stella grabs hold of my hand, and pulls me round to look at her, "Mac, please, I ain't offerin' to help you 'cause I think I ought to, it's 'cause I want to! Same as why Don's made the offer. You're right, I'm at your side whatever happens, which means if we can't persuade you not to be settin' out, and I've a strong feelin' we ain't gonna be able to, then I'm at your side for that too, whatever the danger."
"I'm standin' by you too, Mac, as Deputy and as your friend. We ain't gonna let you go alone." Don's taken his hat off as well and is gripping the brim with hands that have gone white at the knuckles.
All eyes are on me now. Can clearly see in both Don and Stella's eyes that they ain't messin' about, and Stella's still got a grip on my hand that I can't remove. Truth be told, I don't want to remove it either. The feel of her warm hand on mine's somethin' I could live happily with the rest of my life. It's somethin' I want to live with the rest of my life.
I open my mouth to speak, but Stella's got there first; she looks round at everyone and the set of her jaw as she makes her announcement, makes me realise I've already lost the argument, and never had any real chance o' winnin' it in the first place, "Mac, I know you're strugglin' to know what to say, so I'll speak for you. Here's the solution, and this is gonna be my final word on it, so both you and Don are gonna have to accept it…"
"You're not goin'…"
Don's figured things out already as well, but Stella cuts him off, "Yes I am. Here's the deal. Mac's set on goin' out there tonight, and we ain't gonna change that, 'cause when he knows a thing's got to be done', there ain't no way to stop him. So if we can't stop him goin', then we stop him goin' by himself. Meanin' I go with him… no Don." She holds up her hand as he starts protestin', "You're gonna be needed here in town, ain't that right, Mac?" She don't pause long enough to let me answer, "If the Sheriff's outta town, you gotta have the Deputy in town in case of any trouble. The rest of you are gonna be important here too; keepin' eyes open for trouble, and for any sign of those deeds or anythin' else helpful. Mac and I both know what we're doin' and we ain't goin' out there unprepared; we got plenty o' weapons between us, and we'll take all we need in the way of lanterns and such."
Stella ain't left me much else to argue with, and seems like everyone else has been left the same way. She looks round with determination in her face, "Guess that's all settled then. Now, first thing we need to do is get ourselves with plenty of warm things on, and get our horses saddled up. Come on, Mac, you can't stand there with your mouth kinda' hangin' open, nor can you, Don. Get yourselves movin' gentlemen!"
Almost without me realisin' it, Stella's taken charge and has got what she wanted. I'm left standin' in the middle of Hammerback's front room whilst everyone else starts busyin' around me under Stella's orders, and I'm still strugglin' to find the words I feel I should be sayin'.
Seems like only minutes pass before I'm standin' outside with a little group standin' around Stella and myself and our two horses. They're saddled and loaded up with lanterns, blankets and a goodly amount of provisions courtesy of Mrs Hammerback. The snow ain't let up one bit, and I'm mighty glad of the heavy coats both Stella and me have got on. No one's said much, and there's an awkward moment of silence as we both mount our horses. Can see there's gonna be much said, especially from Don, when we return. He ain't a happy man, but I can't fault him, he's respected my decision, and Stella's decision.
I ain't happy at all about her comin' with me 'cause of the risk she's takin', but I can't help but be glad of her company. Just wish we were headin' out for a more pleasant excursion and in weather better than this. Cold don't begin to describe the wind that feels like a knife against your skin, and snow that makes it near impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. I'm beginnin' to realise the danger we're puttin' ourselves in. But there ain't no goin' back now, and if this is a chance for us to find a way of savin' the town, I'm seizin' it with both hands.
"You ready?" I ask Stella, more abruptly than I intended, but she don't seem to notice.
"I'm ready. Let's go. We got no time to be wastin'." She gives a tug on the reins and calls out to the others as we set off, "Keep a fire burnin' for us, reckon we'll be in need of warmin' up when we return!"
"We'll do that. Just make sure both of you return before too long!" Don hollers back and the others add their agreement.
Then we're canterin' off into the snow, with the voices of our friends ringin' in our ears. We can hear them callin' even as they disappear from sight; callin' out for us to take care and get back safely. I can only hope with all my heart that we can do just that, and return home with the deeds to Hattanville safe in our possession.
We ride for some time in silence; seein' our way through the blizzard takes most of our concentration, and there ain't no other sound but the wind. Until both our horses startle suddenly, and we hear somethin' that sends the chill of the snow into my heart; a howl that keens and echoes across the white wastes, way too close for my likin'.
Soothing her horse as best she can, Stella turns to me with a grim look in her face, "Hear that, Mac?"
"I hear it." I answer, "The wolves are running."
Wolves driven down from the high plains by the snow; driven down by the cold; driven down by hunger and desperation. In that moment I'm aware that we're surrounded by the forces of nature at their cruellest and fiercest, and we're just two people out in a vast and dangerous wilderness.
Hope you liked that! Lots more action comin' up :D Please review; poor Sid didn't seem to be so popular last chapter : ( Reviews still accepted for that chapter as well as this one of course! And I have a job at last! So reviews will make me even happier :D Thanks, Lily x