The Buck Brothers // Chapter 14

 GAH! The last chpater!!! Wow! I can't believe I've made it to the end!!
Ready? GO!

Chapter 14

Tex sat against the wall starring blankly into space, twisting his hands together. Luke watched him from his blankets. "He's worried, isn't he?" Pauline asked leaning close to Luke's ear.

Luke nodded. "Hey, Tex?" He asked quietly.

Tex looked up. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just trying to find away to get out of here," Tex said, running a hand over his hair and down his neck.

"Come up with any plans?" Pauline asked.

"Nope." He leaned his head back with another sigh of frustration.

"What about your brothers and Ben? I'll bet they'll try and find us." Pauline suggested.

Tex nodded. With a smirk he commented to Luke, "Remember the trouble maker during the war? I told you about him. We met him again, when we came after you. He came along with us to help."

Tex suddenly stiffened and sat quietly a moment. "Did you hear something?" he asked. 

They listened. "It sounded like something moving through dry grass," Tex said.

Tom lean close to the small window. "Tex? Are you in there?" 

Tex grinned and went to the window. "Yeah. We're in here."

Tom nodded for Ben to open the door. Tex heard a shout and Tom quickly turned to the ranch not far below. Billy Mowatt was running across the yard. He was bringing up his gun as Tom fired his rifle. Tex saw Billy twitch. The gun dropped from Billy's hand and he fell forward on his face. 

"Great! Just what we needed to do. Go kill another of Pete Mowatt's boys." Tom groaned.

Men poured out of the ranch house and the barn. Yells of confusion filled the air.

Tex ran to Luke side. "Can you stand?" Luke shook his head. "We've go to go now! Pauline, help me get him up." Tex grabbed Luke around the shoulder and with a grunt got him to his feet. Pauline helped steady him to the door.

"Tom! Give me a hand, will ya?" Tex shouted to his brother.

Tom turned and grabbed the unstable Luke around the shoulders. "Go, Tom! Hurry!" Tex urged.

Tex turned and grabbed the hesitant Pauline's hand. "We've got to run for it! It's now or never!"

They ran for the brush as bullets spattered the dust around them. Ben shot back at the men filling the yard, sending some of them dodging for cover. Tex felt the sting of a bullet on his cheek as he and Pauline dove behind a cluster of rocks and brush.

Tex reached over and took the pistol from Tom's gun belt. "Stay down." He instructed Pauline and Luke, as he did a quick snap shot over the rocks.

A bullet sent chips of rock flying in all directions. "Tex! We've got to get to a better position." Tom flinched as another bullet hit the rock in front of him.

"Yeah. But where?" Tex shouted back before shooting three more shots into the barn yard.

Tom turned and glance around them. "Your right. There's no where to go."

Pauline asked, "Tex? If this is the only cover, where's your friend, Ben?"

Tex fired one more shot at an exposed boot. "Don't know, Pauline. What ever you do, Stay Down." Tex discharged the shells from the pistol.

God, we're in a bad spot. We're goin' to need your help mighty bad, real quick here. Help us to get Pauline and Luke out of here. Take care of Ben, where ever he is. Tex prayed. The pistol loaded he snapped it closed.

"Tex! To your right!" Tom shouted a warning.

Tex spun. Hank wasn't twenty feet away. He held a pistol in his left hand. His right hand was wrapped in a white bandage. Pauline screamed. Tex fired.

Hank's clothes twitched but he still stood. As Hank fired, Tex dove on top Tom. He quickly rolled to his knees and fired two shots into Hanks belly. Hank stiffened and the pistol slide to the ground. His mouth tried to form words. He fell forward on his face and half rolled over.

Tex looked at the man laying there in front of him. Memories for the war came before his eyes. He dropped to his belly and crawled back to the rocks.  "I had hoped we wouldn't have to do that." He muttered.

Tom shot a water barrel, creating a hole from which water flowed to the ground. "Yeah. Me too."

As Tex rose up to fire another shot, a bundle caught his eye. It was Ben. He lay all stretched out on the ground, hands clenching his chest. "Tom! Cover me!" Tex passed the pistol to Pauline. "Pauline? I need your help. Keep low but shoot into the yard to keep them under cover."

"What are you going to do?" Pauline gripped his arm. 

"I'm getting Ben out of there."

"Tex, don't."  Tex ignored Pauline's plea and dived over the rocks. Tom and Pauline fired at anything that could hide a man in the barn yard. Tex scrambled through the dust. A bullet hit the ground in front of his face, sending dust into his eyes. He didn't stop. If he had learned one thing in the war, it was that was you never stopped moving when you were dead in the open.

He pulled himself to Ben side.  Tex grunted with the weight of Ben on his shoulders as he jumped to his feet and ran across the open to cover. He reached the rocks with bullets nipping at hid heels. Tom reached out and grabbed Ben and together they eased him to the ground.

"Look!" Pauline pointed in excitement. Tex and Tom turned quickly at the sound of loud whoops and yells. Eight rider came pounding into the yard below. "Chucks made it with the Bakers!" Tom rejoiced.

Tom and Pauline watched the fight going on below but Tex turned to Ben. Tex knew when he saw the two bullet wounds it wasn't likely Ben would make it. Ben's breaths were uneven and ragged. 

"Ben? Can you hear me?" Tex asked. 

Was there a slight nod? Or was that Tex's imagination? Now Tom and Pauline were also there beside him. Luke was leaned on his elbow, watching. "We've got to stop the bleedin'," Tex said.

"Here. Use this." Tom untied the big bandanna from around his neck. 

"Is there anything I can do?" Pauline asked. 

"Just make sure no one sneaks up on us." Tex like her willingness to help, and she hadn't lost her head during the fight.

He carefully unbuttoned Ben shirt. Ben groaned and his eyes opened.  "Don't bother. You and I both know I wont make it." Ben's voice was raspy and low.

"Maybe not. We'll still do what we can." Tex answered.

"Tom?" Ben asked.

"I'm here, Ben." Tom lied a hand on Ben's arm.

"That... that stuff." Ben took a breath. "You were talk'n about." Ben worked hard to get the words out. "A-about God."

"Yes." Tom answered patiently.

"You said that Jesus died, to wash away sins? That God would forgive sins? Would God forgive me too?" Ben asked.

"Every one of then, Ben."

"Even... even... if I've murdered someone?" Ben asked.

It was getting harder for him to speak. He was slipping away. Everyone could tell.

"Yes, Ben. God will forgive each and every sin no mater what it is. God loves you and wants you to be sorry for your sins. So you can live with him forever in eternity." Tom answered.

"I want to be forgiven." A tear trickled down Ben's cheek.

"Your forgiven in Jesus' name and precious shed blood." The three brothers assured him in unison.

"Thank... you. Thank God, I'm going home." Those were his last words. Ben's eyes closed and he took his last breath.

Tears flowed down Pauline's cheeks. Tom cleared his throat and look down at the ground. 

"God bless you, Ben." Tex placed his right hand on Ben's chest. 

Pauline covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Tex reached out put his hand on her shoulder. The sadness of loosing a friend and the joy of Ben's turn to God mingled in Tex heart.

"Tom? Tex? Are you all right?" A voice called out. Tex realized then that the sounds of fighting had stopped. 

"Over here, Chuck." Tom called out. He stood up and waved a hand over his head.

Chuck, followed by Francis Baker and a man with a silver star pinned on his vest rode up. "We called and called! You had us worried. Why didn't you answer?" Chuck insisted as the group dismounted. His eyes fell on Ben. "Oh. Ben."

Tex nodded. "Yeah. He's gone." He sighed. "Everyone else all right?"

"York caught one in the arm but he'll be fine. Pete Mowatt lost two men and one's badly wounded." Chuck answered.

"Three men." Tex corrected. He jerked his thumb in Hank's direction.

Tex helped Pauline to her feet and she rush into Francis arms. "Oh, Pa." She sobbed against his shoulder. 

"Hush now, Polly girl. It's all over. It's done." Francis comforted her, running a hand over Pauline's hair which had fallen out of her braids and hung loosely around her shoulders. "God's taken care of it all again, as he always has."

>>>><<<<

The five Baker brothers stood watching their five prisoners. York's arm was in a temporary sling. Mark and Robert stood holding a paper between then.

Pete Mowatt glared at Tex and his brothers as they walk nearer. His fists were clenched and his eye burning with hatred.

He swore at them and called them names that Tex would have never called anyone. "Whoa, there, Pete." Tex held up his hands. "Better watch that mouth of yours. We've a lady in our mist."

"I don't care what you say! Your Pa killed my son!" Pete shouted and lunged at Tex.

Flint reached out and hauled him back. "Simmer down."

"Pete, our Pa had no choice but to kill him. Your son threatened a unarmed mans life. It was our Pa's duty to stop it. What was he supposed to do when your son swung his gun and fired at him?" Tom asked.

"You would have done the same if it had been one of us brothers." Chuck add.

Pete's clenched fists shook. "Now you've killed my last son." He sneered.

"In self defense. Same as our Pa." Tex replied. 

"You were holding two men and a woman prisoner against their will. We were trying to release them without a fight. Your son drew a gun and fired in our direction. You had us pinned down and killed Ben," Tom said.

"That's enough to take you in." Luke informed Pete.

Pete seemed to stop and think a minuet. Everyone stood waiting for his answer. Flint cleared his throat. "I've got the supposed deed here." He held it out. "It looks pretty legal to me."

The sheriff took the deed and studied it. "Well... I ain't very good with this paper stuff but it does look legal." He said. "But even if it is legal, we still got enough to take them in. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" The sheriff asked Pete.

Pete glanced around at Mac, Foss and the other men in his group. Then he looked at the ground and shook his head. "What?" Foss yelled. "I ain't goin' to be no prisoner!"

Foss made a dash for the nearest horse. Tex gave chase. Just as Foss reached the horse, Tex threw him to the ground and pinned his arms behind him. At Foss's blot some of the other tried to make a run for it. They didn't get far. 

"All right. Lets get these men to town," The sheriff said. 

"What about the dead ones?" Francis asked.

"We'll come back for them after we get these men under lock and key. I just hope we can fit them all in the cell." The Sheriff scratched his chin.

>>>><<<<

"I'm glad that's over." Tom sighed leaning back in his chair, as everyone sat talking at the Baker house a few days later.

"I can't wait to get back to the ranch." Luke leaned his head back against the chair.

"And find out if there's anything left." Chuck added.

"Yeah." Luke grinned. "I'll bet we'll find something though. Just maybe not the cows."

Tom shook his head. "We'll have a lot of work to do when we get home. I'll tell you that."

Mark and Flint came in from doing the chores and sniffed the air. "Mmm!When's supper?" Mark asked. "Doing your extra chores made me extra hungry, York." He teased.

"Hey! At least your arm ain't throbbing with pain." York snapped.

"At least your not dead." Robert added. 

"Okay, okay. I get it." Mark threw his hat on one of the hooks.

"I still can't believe all that has happened. There are still some unanswered questions and maybe we'll never know the answers." Tom mused. 

"Yep. Life's that way." Francis nodded knowingly. "Things happen that we don't understand. Then things don't happen and we don't know why they didn't. If we don't find out, I'm sure, God has a reason for us not knowing. Maybe knowing would hurt. Maybe we don't need to know just yet. But one thing is for sure. God will never keep his love a secret."

"Amen." Tom agreed. There were many nods around the room. 

"You've been awful quiet, Tex." Chuck commented. 

"Hm?" Tex was jerked out of his thoughts. 

"I said, You've been awful quiet. Got something on your mind?" Chuck asked.

Tex nodded. "Yeah." He turned his eyes cautiously to Francis Baker. "Mr. Baker, May I court your daughter?"

Tex question was so sudden and casual that everyone sat in stunned silence a moment. Then there was a few smiles and some of them started chuckling. "Well, now. That question sure came out of the blue." Francis ran a hand over his mouth thoughtfully. 

Francis turned to his boys and winked. "What do you think, boys?" he asked.

They all got vary serious. Flint shook his head. "I don't know, Pa. I like him just fine and all, but he seams a bit wild." 

"Yeah." the four other brothers said nodding.

"A few more manners wouldn't hurt." York thoughtfully added.

Tex raised his eyebrows and Tom grinned. Francis turn back to Tex. "You go right ahead, Texas. Go right ahead. It'd be honor for such a upstanding man to court my daughter."

Tex's sigh of relief made the Bakers laugh. "Thank you." Tex shifted in his chair. 

Francis smiled but his eyes were on someone else. Tex turned to see that a blushing Pauline stood in the kitchen door. "Dinner is ready." She informed them.

Her eyes met Tex's and she blushed and smiled before she turned back into the kitchen.

THE END

Wow! I did it! I've put every Chapter on here! Now it's time for you to tell me your thoughts! Who's the best? What was your favorite part?? What do you want next?

~Kylie Nancy

P.S. I'm going to post the "Epilogue" tomorrow. So you can know what happens to the Brothers later on.