Pedestals of Ash (14 page)

Terri shook her head and interrupted the question. “Oh, that. My husband has quite the reputation around here. Most of the people in town know he is a little protect
ive of the baby and me
.” Terri patted her tummy
and smiled at the stranger. “You still look a little shake
n, and I don’t blame you. Let’s get you
that cup of coffee
.
”

Terri’s
suggestion of her husband’s notoriety, coupled with the mention of her pregnancy, prompt
ed Deacon Brown to put two and two together. She asked, “Would your husband happen to be named Bishop by any chance?”

Terri’s smile disappeared immediately. She looked Diana up and down with a sneer on
her lips and her right hand darted b
ehind her back where the pistol was stashed. Her voice snarled, “And how would you know Bishop?”

For the second time in the last few minutes, Diana was taken aback by the action of someone in this town.
Was everyone here crazy?
The small woman in front of her looked ready to launch a full frontal assault
,
and there was zero fear in her eyes. Deacon Brown did her best to remain calm and responded, “I met him a few days ago in Alpha. He and a young man named David stay
ed at our church. He was on a mission to procure some
medical equipment
,
and
when we met, he
mentioned that his wife was pregnant
. A
s I recall,
he
also mentioned you were a very good shot. I thought he might have been exaggerating until just a minute ago.”

Terri relaxed and a look of calm returned to her face. “I’m sorry. These are such troubling times
,
and I never know what’s going to happen next. Bishop has made more than his share of enemies
,
and a girl can’t be too careful these days. I’m always
concerned one of his old adversaries
might come l
ooking for me. I haven’t heard from Bishop in days, and would love to hear all about Alpha. Then maybe you can tell me what brings you to Meraton
.”

The two women made their way to Pete’s without further incident and pushed open the thick wooden door. Pete, as usual, was behind the bar
,
talking to a customer
,
and looked up to greet his newest guest
s
. “Terri! Well hey there
,
pretty lady.” When Diana walked in behind her, Pete’s expression showed clear curiosity. “Well
,
hello to you as well
,
ma’am. Welcome to Pete’s Place.”

Terri pointed to an isolated table toward the back of the saloon
, telling
Pete he would have her eternal gratitude if he could serve up two cups of his famous coffee. Pete nodded, “Coming right up. I’
ve got a fresh pot brewing
.”

Over the next twenty minutes, the two girls exchanged stories and drank coffee. Diana immediately took a likin
g to Terri and vice versa. Diana choked back
hot
tears as she con
fided in Terri
how Atlas
sacrificed himself and that she had come to ask Bishop’s h
elp in countering
another attack
.
The poignant moment was interrupted when
the barroom’s door fl
ew
open
,
a
nd the sound of laughter filled
the room. Loud, proud
,
and bold, Nick and Kevin strode into Pete’s
,
obviously in good spirits and enjoying the day. Nick let his eyes adjust to the darker room for a moment and spied Terri
,
si
t
ting in the corner. As
he strode
toward her table, Diana came into view
,
and he paused for a moment before approaching. Terri thought it was funny how such big, strong capable men could be so influenced by
a pretty woman. She had seen the same kind of response
time after time in the business world but still found the r
eaction interesting. Nick strode
over and gave Terri a kiss on the cheek, and then looked longingly at Deacon Brown. Terri intentionally waited, knowing Nick was eager for an introduction. After she had played with the big man for a moment, she finally
crooned
, “Oh now, where are my manne
rs,” and
proceeded with the social amenities
.

Kevin soon joined the group,
carrying two glasses of t
ea. When Nick introduced the teenager as his son
, Diana’s reaction was surprising
as she was polite
, but instantly
distant
,
and somewhat melancholy
. Her demeanor changed so markedly
, Nick tried to quietly lean across to Kevin and see if the boy had a foul odor about him or something.
Kevin
, preoccupied with the activity in the market beyond the picture window, seemed not to notice
the
invasion of his personal space.
Terri, as perceptive as ever
, saw the move and had to smile
. After rega
ining a serious face, she moved toward
her friend a
nd said in a quiet voice, “Nick, Diana just lost her son yesterday.”

Nick
immediately felt a sense of gratitude
that Kevin didn’t somehow offend the strik
ing lady sitting across the table.
But he struggled with the best way t
o respond to the information Terri shared,
wanting to express his regrets
and not really knowing what to say, having just met Diana.
A parent himself, he could not imagine the heartbreak that accompanies surviving your own child.
After a brief pause, during which he considered his options,
proper
condolences won out.
“I’m sorry to hear about your son,
Miss Brown. Th
ese
are such difficult times. Please accept my best wishes and prayers.”
As Nick spoke, Terri reached out to Diana, patting her arm gently, as if to coax her out of her trancelike state.

Nick
had no more uttered his
last sentence when t
he reason for Kevin’s distraction became perfectly clear
.
An
other
teenager was outside the bar, browsing the market.
Kevin
, who had been straining to get a better view through the front window at Pete’
s Place, leaned toward Nick and winked before saying,
“Hey, Dad. I think I need to go check on those new socks at the marketplace. Whattaya think?”

Nick grinned and waved the youth away. After Kevin
left, Nick smiled at his two tablemates and
conferred
, “He saw a pretty girl about his age walking around a bit ago. I think he wants to see if she’s still around. God, it’s good to see him acting like a 16-year old boy, rather than a solider.”

Nick’s comment brought Deacon Brown back to reality and the purpose of her visit. She sipped from her mug, preparing her thoughts. “I was just explaining to Terri how I came to Meraton to talk to Bishop and ask for his help. After the attack yesterday, we are in desperate straits, and I’m not sure what to do.”

For the nex
t hour, Terri and Nick listened to and absorbed
Diana’s story. With the majority of the townspeople shopping at the market, bar business was a little slow, so Pete pulled up a chair and joined in the conversation. Nick listened intently without comment until Diana got to the part about Bishop’s raid for the medical equipment. He grunted as Diana described the ambush Bishop had busted up
and the role David had played.

When
Diana finished recounting the story
, Nick shook his head and chimed in. “I can’t believe Bishop would do something like that – he’s such a shy, reserved man.” Nick’s sarcastic remark made everyone grin.

Pete, with the learned ear of a barten
der, picked up on Nick’s humorous comment and followed his lead
. “Now, now…it’s not fair to pick on Bishop when he’s not here to defend himself. We all know the young man means well. It’s not
as if
he goes
looking
for trouble or anything. ”

The humor was contagious
,
and Terri couldn’t help herself. “Diana, I told you m
y husband had a reputation for
bringing out the worst in people. I guess I was preaching to the choir
,
huh?” It took everyone a second to catch Terri’s double entendre
, before invoking
another round of chuckles.

The door opened about then
,
and Betty stuck her head inside. Saying, “Oh good, there you are,” she con
tinued inside and ambled toward
the table. “I have two sobered up young Beltron boys outside. They realized they behaved badly and wanted to express their regrets. They are, however, a little concerned that Terri is
going to shoot them on sight
. I was asked to come in first and
make sure you had ‘settled down.’
”

Nick imme
diately looked at Terri and smirked
, “Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.” Terri, feigning insult at Nick’s remark immediately reached back, as if going for her pistol. In her best western draw
l, she retorted
, “Why you old polecat…take it back right now
,
or I’ll fill
my hand with iron!” Everyone except Betty started
laughing out loud.

Terri recovered first and smiled at her. “Betty, I’m not going to shoot anybody. Tell them it’s safe to come in.”

The two young men from the Beltron ranch approached the table shyly. Diana accepted their apology and to everyone’s surprise, asked them if they wanted to have a seat and another cup of coffee. After a quick glance at each other, they each pulled up a chair.

Diana continued, “We are down to less than 30 men and our ammunition is almost gone. I know we hurt them badly, but we won’t withstand another attack. Before Bishop left our church, he told me I should reach out to the people of Meraton…and…well….here I am.”

The two B
eltron hands had to be “read in” on the events at Alpha, answering their many
questions about the situation
in the neighboring community
. When they were finally up to speed, the older one commented, “I bet those a
re the same people who
raided our ranch. They have rustled cattle, shot some of our men
,
and taken
weapons. Old man Beltron sure would like to get his hands on those vermin.”

Pete shook his head and stared
out t
he window. “A lot of people think of
me as the mayo
r around here, and I just don’t believe
we can raise a lot of support from the townsfolk. We are barely holding on as it is
,
keeping order in our own town. I wish it wasn’t that way, but that’s the truth of the matter.”

Terri looked at Pete and nodded understandingly. “I hear what you’re saying
,
Pete. We both know that
view is short sight
ed, but you
’re right. If Diana’s people lo
se, it won’t be long before those crooks will be looking for new territory
to plunder,
and Meraton is the closest town. Still, most of the folks around here probably won’t see it that way.”

Diana was disappointed, but understood. She stared out the window for a bit and then said, “I had better be getting back. It will be dark soon
,
and they will probably hit us again in the morning.”

Nick cut her off
.
“Now hold on just a minute. I have some knowledge in these matters
,
and I don’t think you should give up just yet.” The older Beltron hand agreed, adding, “Ma’am, I think you can count on Mr. Beltron lending you some help. I can’t speak for him, but I bet if I were to re
lay your situation
, he would do what he could
.”

Pete rubbed his chin, “
While the whole town wouldn’t support such an effort,
I can think of five or six men who had relatives in Alpha or who have lost family members when those crooks raided us.”

Nick thought for a moment and seemed to make up his mind. “Kevin and I are in. I think you two
gents
should head back to the ranch and see how much help Mr. Beltron is willing to offer.”