[Gideon Johann 01.0] Last Stand by Duane Boehm

Author:Duane Boehm [Boehm, Duane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical, Western Classic, old west, Cowboys, Men's Adventure, Western, Western Romance, Frontier & Pioneer
ISBN: 9781500672560
Amazon: B00K60LAH6
Barnesnoble: B00K60LAH6
Goodreads: 22706628
Publisher: CreateSpace Publishing
Published: 2014-01-01T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Gideon rode for three days and was close to Silverton with plans to reach there at dusk. It had been an uneventful ride, only crossing paths with a couple of travelers. The terrain had been varied, crossing land so barren and bleak that he felt as singular as an old memory, and then navigating mountain ranges so glorious that he had called out just to hear the echo of his own voice, believing that maybe he did have a place in the world.

The trip provided opportunity for reflection, something that since his stay in Last Stand, he found himself doing for the first time in years. He did not intend to do it, even had hoped his life would return to normal, but found he could not avoid the contemplation. The farther he rode, the worse it got. Too many events had taken place in the last few weeks that needed sorting out, and trying to make sense of what it all meant eluded him.

To his annoyance, the time with Ethan and his family had changed him. Life was much simpler before he was shot, back in a time when he never thought about anything, just lived out each day. He now realized that emotions he thought long dead were very much alive. Ethan was his brother, Sarah his sister, and Benjamin a nephew. He could even admit that he loved them no matter how foreign the emotion had become. And he loved Abby, too. He knew it from the moment he heard her voice before he even recognized her face. Thoughts of her made him angry for the choices that he had made, and ache with sorrow for what never could be. His feelings towards Mary confused him the most. He cared about her, but was not sure how much of it was pity. She was a good woman that had been dealt a bad hand and it collided with his natural inclination to fix wrongs.

Sarah’s words about settling down, having a nice life, and coming to terms with his guilt kept running through his mind. He wondered if she was right, and if she was, how one went about forgiving oneself. The thought of forgiveness was new to him, something that he never would have even previously considered. Tired of all the contemplation, and wishing that he could quit torturing himself with all the thinking about his life, he tried to focus on the job at hand in finding Bug Eye and Pasty.

The sun was setting as Gideon neared Silverton, causing him to decide to stop for some food and take a nap until nightfall. He worried whether Bug Eye and Pasty had enough money left that they were still coming to town to blow it. Otherwise, tracking the two men down might prove hard to do. His meal was the same as every other meal on the trip, jerky and hardtack. He gulped it down before falling into a deep sleep. All the pondering on his life had left him exhausted.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.