Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death;
The Deadly Sinsthe sins of pride,greed, lust, (wrath), gluttony, envy, and sloth
Chapter Two
Strawberry, California
June 1866
Johnna glanced up at the cabin off in the distance. The graves could be seen from the back of the saloon. Rachel kept them as tidy as possible. Yet, some wayward teen or vagrant always managed to mess up the lonesome graves. Rachel worked every morning to clean the graves, talk to her friends, and place a rose from the small bush on each grave.
As far as the little green cabin, it was in shambles. Rachel didn't dare go in due to the scenery was still in display inside the cabin. The haunting images taunted with the deadly incident to anyone who dared to venture inside. Rachel's son wouldn't even go near the cabin at all not even to help his mother with the graves. Therefore, they both lived in a room over the saloon. The barkeep allowed Cotton to clean out the spittoons for the room. Rachel could wash all the liquor mugs that Johnna couldn't keep up with.
Rachel's son was named Cotton due to his snow white hair. Her husband had named him even if it was a strange name. Rachel cherished her husband. Afterall, he had taken her from the life of a prostitute and made an honest woman out of her. Both parents adored Cotton.
Cotton's father and him had taken to the fever when Cotton was only six years old. His father died but Cotton survived. However, the fever had done something to the boy's mind. It had caused him to be childlike in nature. Cotton never seemed to grow up past those six years of age in mind but grew in body. Leah took Rachel in after the death of Rachel's husband. Along with Hannah, The three women were the best of friends.
Rachel loved her white haired boy as much as any good mother loved her child. Town people didn't understand a woman keeping a boy, who never grew up in his mind. Leah had understood as she was chastised for keeping her own son, who was born out of wedlock. Most folks thought both women would be better off without the boys ruining their lives. Leah and Rachel looked at it differently. Heath and Cotton were their lives.
"Ya think that bastard is gonna come back for ya, John!" Red's voice caused Johnna to jump slightly. "Cause he's dead. If he ain't, even you're not good enough for him."
"Never thought anything like that, Ma Red." Johnna answered as she finished dumping the dish water out the back door. "I was just wondering if Rachel needs help tending to their graves."
"Never you mind. You got too much work to do around here, girl. Now git up stairs and make up the beds. Heard tell some men folk are headin' this way from a cattle drive. NOW SCAT before I pull that pretty hair from your head." Red hated that her daughter turned out so beautiful.
Those that knew Johnna was her daughter would comment about how beautiful she was compared to her plain looking mother. Red also hated of all the men she had laid with it was a man of color to plant his seed. Blast him to Hades as far as she was concerned. At least the girl was good at cooking, cleaning, and pleasing a man. Not that many men would lay with Johnna because the girl wouldn't seek out the men like the others. Although it was obvious most men wanted the young girl, the girl hated being touched by them. Her mother usually shoved a man towards her daughter. Some didn't want to lay with a dark skin. That were their words. Even though those men would never admit it, they all found Johnna strikingly beautiful.
Johnna finished making up all the beds with clean linen. A lot of men liked clean sheets after a long cattle drive. Most of the miners in town could care less. They were too drunk to care when they came into the rooms in the back of the saloon.
After making all the beds in the back of the saloon, Johnna sat on her own bed. She prayed her sheets would stay clean for the night. Most of the cowboys would use the beds long enough to get pleasure then head back to the hotel. Johnna prayed she was the only one to use her bed tonight.
As Johnna opened her eyes from the silent prayer, she felt a tear trickle down her cheek. She hoped that God still listened to girls like her. She had always prayed she could be more like Miss Leah than like Ma Red. Guess God might not listen to girls like her after all.
That evening, the piano keys jangled away a familiar tune. Johnna's prayer had been answered somewhat as the man lying beside her had passed out before her sheets got dirty besides the fact he was sweating like a stuffed hog.
Johnna curled up in a tight ball far away from the snoring drunk. She decided to sleep and not wake him up. At least this way, her mama would think she was earning her keep. Maybe she could even convince the man that she had earned her coin before he passed out. Sleep came fitfully for the girl but she finally lulled off to sleep.
The low howling of the wind echoed an eerie wail of sorrow as the shutters to the green cabin smacked against the clapboards of the house. Libby pulled her cover over her head to drown out the haunted sound. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to steady her breathing. When a loud banging caused her to sit up startled in her bed, Libby scurried to close her window. She knew the heat was stifling tonight and the wind was a welcome intruder into her room. Libby didn't think the cool night air was worth the nightmares that would invade her sleep due to the sounds coming from the green cabin.
When Libby reached to close her window, she couldn't help but look towards the cabin. She clutched her throat when she saw the glow of candlelight coming from the cabin window. She then saw a figure cross in front of a window in the cabin. Libby pushed herself away from the window and fell back onto her bed. She bit her bottom lip as she steadied her nerves.
"Don't be a coward, Liberty Keene. Ghosts ain't real. If they were, Miss Leah and Hannah aren't the type to haunt a place." The redhead told herself as she tried to calm her racing heart.
Making up her mind, Libby pulled on some of her chore clothes. She pushed her window open more to make room to climb out. Her papa would never let her go out this late especially after what took place a couple months ago. However, Libby needed to know who was in the cabin.
Libby remembered where Ward had said Johnna's room was at the back of the saloon. She had ran as fast as she could pass the green cabin before sneaking to the back of the saloon. Libby knocked lightly on Johnna's window hoping the saloon girl wasn't entertaining a man tonight.
Libby's efforts were rewarded when Johnna peered out her window. She glanced back at the sleeping figure in her bed then whispered.
"What are you doing out so late, Libby? Your papa will be mad."
"You have a man in there?" Libby tiptoed to look into the window. She cringed when she saw a tall lanky man sprawled out on Johnna's bed.
"He's out drunk. Answer me." Johnna pulled herself to allow her legs to dangle out the window while she sat on the windowsill.
Her saloon dress hadn't been removed and she dared not change into a cooler night gown in fear the man would wake up and want her to earn her coin.
"There is someone in Miss Leah's cabin." Libby rubbed up and down her arms briskly. The air was stifling hot but her nerves caused her to chill. "What if…"
Johnna pushed herself from the window to the ground. She tiptoed to look at the sleeping man once more. "Let's go. He's out cold for awhile."
"Could be the men came back?" Libby walked with Johnna towards the cabin. "Or some thieves?"
Johnna took Libby's hand to steady her own fears as much as Libby's. "Not likely. Most folks know how dirt poor Miss Leah was. She was poorer than us saloon girls. As far as the men, they done what they did and won't be looking back on it. They're long gone from this town."
Both girls decided their best chance of not being harmed was to try to go around the back of the cabin and look through the kitchen window. If it was a vagrant, they could leave him be. If it was a thief, they'd not bother him ether. It was highly unlikely on both parts.
Both girls tiptoed on the old rickety porch that led to the empty vegetable garden. A board creaked causing both girls to stop moving long enough for silence to happen again. Then they proceeded towards the window clasping one another's hand.
Both girls screamed out when the back door came crashing open. Libby fell to her knees pulling Johnna along with her. Both girls' bare knees hit the old wood on the porch causing slight pain to them both. Their eyes were wide as the figure stepped out onto the porch. The girls stopped screaming when they saw what seemed to look like an angel staring down at them. Only this angel was dressed like a teen cowboy.
"Is that you, Johnna and Libby?" The figure stooped down beside the girls.
"Heath?" Johnna was the first to speak. She then let go of Libby's hand and threw herself into Heath's arms. "Oh Heath! You're alive!"
"And beautiful." Libby whispered as she sat staring dumbfounded at the teen boy who had left town as a child.