Annie’s Hope – Short Story

Annie waited in her log cabin. Her husband Sean said to wait and he would be back for her as soon as possible.

She looked down and put her hand on her swollen tummy – she could feel the baby kicking. She wondered if the baby would have her red hair and green eyes. Of course, the baby could be dark like Sean.

As Annie put the kettle on the fire to make some tea, she thought she heard footsteps alongside the cabin. Her body relaxed as she looked out the window and realized the heavy winds were making the tree limbs scrape against each other.

Annie had reason to be anxious. In three months there were three murders in town. Sean was the sheriff, and although he hated to leave her, he had to take his men to investigate old man Smith’s death, the third murder.

“Annie, keep the door bolted. If they try to break in, shoot to kill. I promise I’ll be back by midnight.”

“Sean, how can you leave me in this condition?”

“Annie, you know I love you but it’s my job.”

Annie’s heart sunk as Sean turned to walk out the door. After all, she was due in a week or so.

Annie walked to the kettle, her stomach getting there way before she did, as she tried not to trip over her long skirt. God, she would be glad when she could move freely again.

A few hours had passed and as Annie sat in the rocker, her eyelids began to close. Out of the corner of her eye she sensed a shadow by the window. Her heart started racing, and she felt breathless by the time she picked up the rifle Sean had left her. The rifle felt like 100 lbs as she lifted it while trying to aim for the door.

As the knocking started, Annie screamed, “who’s there?”
No answer.

“Who’s there I said!”

Still no answer.

As the door was being pushed open, Annie’s remembered what Sean had told her and she fired right through the door. She heard a loud thump.

Annie ran out, rifle cocked, ready to finish the job. Blood was spattered on the wood and the source was a young Navajo. He lay moaning on the ground as he tried to reach out to her. She got him in the arm.

As she looked closer, it was Little Eagle, the pastor’s helper.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to help you.”

“I don’t understand.”

As he tried to explain, Annie helped him inside. She cleaned out the wound and tied a makeshift bandage around it. By the grimace on his face, she knew he was in a lot of pain.

“Little Eagle, why didn’t you answer me?”

“I didn’t want him to hear me.”

“Who?”

“Pastor Jones.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Pastor Jones is not his real name. His real name is Paul Jamison. Remember his brother? Tom Jamison.”

Annie shrieked. Sean had killed Tom Jamison in a gunfight and put his cronies in jail. They vowed revenge. Annie didn’t know Tom had a brother.

“Pastor started acting suspicious so I went through his papers. He murdered the real Pastor Jones – I saw his picture. He murdered Myra Green, Tom Jamison’s woman, because she let Sean know where Tom was hiding. Next was Dan Butler – Dan tricked Tom into opening the door when Sean jumped in with his posse. Old man Smith was just a ploy to throw Sean off.”

“Very good Little Eagle. You figured everything out. Too bad you and Annie won’t live to tell anyone.”

Both Annie and Little Eagle swung around. They didn’t hear Pastor Jones, no, Paul Jamison come in.

“This is even better than killing Sean. I’ll kill you and he’ll know sorrow for the rest of his life.”

“Please don’t. There’s an innocent child inside me that doesn’t deserve to die.”

Paul laughed, his face twisted with revenge, as he came to Annie with his bowie knife tracing the outline of the baby.

“Well maybe I’ll kill you and take the baby.”

“You’ll have to kill me first,” hissed Sean.

Paul lunged at Sean ready to finish the job with his knife – to gut him like a pig – but Sean was able to get one shot off as Paul landed on him. Paul died immediately, one bullet to the heart.

Annie crumpled to the floor sobbing as Sean put his arms around her to comfort her.

“I’m sorry Annie. I knew something was not right with Pastor Jones and I had to meet with some agents to get information on him. I put two and two together and realized who he was. What threw me was his killing old man Smith. I realized he was trying to throw me off track. It was me he wanted and I never thought he would harm you.”

As the deputies arrived to take the body away, Annie was still trembling. Annie’s hope was that Sean would quit this job and accept a partnership in her father’s ranch. She was an only child and her father would have gladly accepted Sean.

Annie watched as Sean stood there giving orders. She knew he would never give up this life, it was his destiny. What was her destiny she wondered?