Chapter 8
Strawberry, California
1866

Heath stopped walking as he headed towards the hotel. Red had Johnna. According to Hank, Fred Garland was going to teach the girl a lesson. That meant two things, Johnna was going to be beat and forced into being with the older man.

Hank and Ward watched as Heath turned and ran towards the back of the saloon. He may have not been there to protect his Mama and Hannah but he'd be damned before he'd let another female be hurt in the same way.

Heath made into the back door of the saloon. It was easy to locate Johnna as she was screaming and begging for her mother to quit hitting her. When Heath arrived, Fred was standing over the girl looking down at her beaten and bruised body. The man started to unbuckle his pants when Heath's words stopped him in his tracks.

"Lay another hand on her and you're dead, old man." Heath had his pistol aimed at Fred Garland.

The fifteen year old was deadly serious. Fred could see the cold stare Heath aimed at him. It was more frightening than the pistol aimed in the same direction. However, that didn't stop Red from coming up behind Heath and smashing a nearby oil lamp over his head. Heath slumped in the floor as a gash on his head began to pour blood. His gun slid out from his hand and across the floor.

"Look there, girl." Red cackled as she slapped her daughter's face. "Seems the bastard does care. A lot of good that is going to do you by time you learn your lesson."

Johnna curled up into a fetal position and peered at her mother. "Please, Ma Red. I've got a job now. I can give you money. Ya don't have to do this. Don't let him touch me."

Red spit in her daughter's face at those words before she looked up at Fred. "She thinks she's too good for the likes of you now, Fred. Show the girl she ain't nothing but a nasty black child. Show her she's a nothing."

Fred pulled Johnna up by the hair of her head. He forced his lips on her lips. Johnna bit his lower lip causing Fred to yelp out. He jerked her head harshly as his dirty fingers gripped in her hair. The strangled cry from Johnna caused Heath to waken from his daze. He spotted his pistol lying just inches from Johnna. He tried to crawl to the pistol but his head was swimming from the hard blow.

A sudden sound of a shot echoed in the room. Fred's body jerked back as he stared down at the gaping hole in his chest. Fred then slid to floor. He cursed before taking his last breath.

Red screamed as she ran to the older man. The harlot felt for a pulse in the man's neck. She looked at the doorway where Cotton Caulfield stood wielding Heath's rifle. He was shaking from head to toe. The boy fell to his knees and let out a wail of agony.

Rachel had barely made it to the room to see her son shoot Fred Garland. She watched as Heath forced his body up towards Cotton, who was gripping the rifle in shaky hands.

"Give me the rifle, Cotton." Heath said in a soothing voice. "Come on now. Give it to me."

Cotton allowed Heath to take the rifle from his hands. Heath placed the rifle aside as he tried to steady himself. Cotton fell to his knees to the floor. He cried out like a wounded animal as he rocked himself back and forth. Rachel immediately fell beside her son and wrapped him in her arms.

"They'll hang my boy, Heath." Rachel cried as she clung to her son.

"Cotton, listen to me." Heath placed his hands on each side of Cotton's face. He forced the boy to look at him. "Remember the time you fell into that mine shaft when we was real little?"

Cotton wiped his hand across his face as he shook his head yes.

"I saved you then. Remember?"

Again, Cotton acknowledged Heath's words to him.

"What did I tell you then, Cotton?" Heath continued to hold the boy's face so that his eyes focused on Heath's eyes.

"You said we were best friends." Cotton hiccuped out.

"That's right. And what does that mean?" Heath ran his thumbs up and down the tear trails on Cottons' cheeks.

"Best friends have to trust each other." Cotton whispered as a small smile appeared on his face.

"That's right. You didn't do anything wrong here, Cotton. You saved Johnna's life. You have to trust me, okay?" Again Cotton nodded at Heath's words. "I want you to keep what you did a secret. Best friends keep secrets if need be. Right?"

"Yes." Cotton shook his head up and down quickly.

"That's right." Heath pulled Cotton into hug.

Red stood up and came towards them. "Secret! Do you think I'm going to let that half wit by with killing a man. Fred paid good for Johnna's time. Ain't against no law paying for her time. You bet I'm gonna tell everyone about that boy killing Fred. I'm going to make sure that addled brain dimwit hangs!"

Cotton covered his ears as Red screamed out her threats. He began to rock as he let out a sound similar to a wounded puppy. Rachel wanted to smack the irate prostitute but knew it would only further upset her son. Heath started to offer money for silence but his words halted when a gunshot went off and Red's body fell on top of him.

Heath pushed the dead woman's body from his own body before trying to figure out what happened. He saw Johnna clutching his pistol in her hand. The battered and bruised girl was trembling uncontrollably. Her fingers let go of the pistol, which made an ominous sound as it hit the wood floor.

"Take Cotton back to the hotel. Get him settled then make up Johnna a bath. I'll be there shortly." Heath ordered as he stood up from his stooping position.

Rachel nodded as she looked at Heath up and down. The boy was covered in Red's blood and chunks of her inners. His own head had a bloody gash causing a path of blood to ooze down his face. "I'll make you up a bath too, Heath."

Heath was surprised to see Rachel handling it all without drifting off somewhere. He supposed that mothers, who loved their children, would do anything to protect them. Rachel would face her demons for Cotton. If only for a short time, Rachel would be there for her son. Heath nodded as he watched Rachel pull Cotton out of the room. She clutched to her son as they walked away to let Heath handle Johnna.

Heath made his way towards Johnna after stepping over Red's dead body. With the tip of his boot, he pushed Fred's body away from Johnna as well.

"I killed Ma Red." Johnna's cheeks streaked with tears. The girl's body was bruised and battered as her skin began to turn purple and yellow in places. Her beautiful caramel skin was mottled with various colors.

"Shh." Heath wrapped one arm around Johnna. With the other, he placed the pistol back into the waistband of his pants. "I'd have killed them both if I had to. They'd be dead no matter what today. I'm going to take you home, Johnna."

"She would've never let me go, Heath. I can't go back to working this place. I want to be a cook and waitress at the hotel. I want a different life. You're the only man I ever want to touch me. There can't be wrong in that. She wasn't never going to let me go. She would have got Cotton hung. She wasn't never going to let me out of working here. I only want you now, Heath. " The girl repeated the same words over and over. "She was never going to let me go."

Johnna soon found herself being scooped up into Heath's arms. Her head laid on his shoulder as he once again stepped over dead bodies to carry her from the room.

The girl sobbed on Heath's shoulder. "I don't want to live like this anymore. God can't see wrong in that. Can He?"

"No, Johnna. Nothing wrong with that." Heath passed by Ward on his way through the back door. In a commanding voice, he ordered."Get my rifle."

Ward nodded as he ran to retrieve Heath's rifle. Some saloon girls and their customers came out of hiding long enough to check out the scene. Heath could hear the murmurs of how Heath Thomson had killed Red and Fred blonde cowboy shook his head at the words. He couldn't help to think of the situation. He hadn't even started on his quest for revenge and was already credited with four deaths. At least Cotton or Johnna wouldn't have to deal with the consequences of it all. As far as Martha's and Matt's killings, he didn't feel a bit guilty for killing those trying to kill him. It may have been the code of a cowboy to never kill a woman but Martha Simmons wasn't a woman. She was an evil vile creature just as Ma Red was. If any two females on this earth deserved to die, those two did. Same for Matt and Fred.

Hank Garland came rushing up towards Ward. Ward followed behind carrying Heath's rifle. Ward warned Hank not to go into the back of the saloon. Hank didn't listen. He had found his pa dead beside of the body of Johnna's mother.

He stared down at the bloody scene. Hank wasn't sure what to think. Here was his pa dead. Yet, Hank found it hard to care. He turned and ran up to Heath.

"You killed my pa." Hank didn't touch Heath as he had earlier.

Although Heath had his arms full due to carrying Johnna, Hank figured the boy was still deadly to be around.

"Not right now, Hank." Heath kept walking towards the hotel.

Hank stopped as he watched Heath continue to walk away from him. He looked at Ward. "He killed my pa."

"I reckon so." Ward didn't know how Hank was going to react. He wondered if Hank would try to seek revenge on Heath. Seemed to him that there was enough wrath going on inside of Heath. Hank didn't need to add more wrath to this desolate town. "Ya ain't gonna try to make Heath pay are you?"

"Naw. I was wondering if he'd care to let my ma and my sister, Nora, move into His mama's old cabin." Hank answered as he looked at Ward. "Probably should throw Heath a thank you party. Pa was a mean spirited critter. You know Ma and Nora haven't been to town for years because Pa liked hitting them? Ma didn't want to give him no excuse to get mad."

Ward figured some of the bruises and split lips that Hank had wore at times were due to Hank's Pa too. Hank was a big boy but Fred was huge. Maybe Heath did all the Garlands a favor by killing Fred. However, Ward knew once the sheriff arrived in Strawberry, Heath hadn't done himself any favors adding more killings under his belt.