Mrs. Little Joe (Romancing the Ponderosa Book 1)

Chapter 10

I quickly regain my balance, pulling Hannah out of the range of fire. The window in Pa's office shatters and he begins to shoot, just as I hear the same come from Adam. Hoss and Danny start shooting from the barn, and their shots are quickly followed by Bill's coming from the bunkhouse and Todd's somewhere near. The posse is firing back but in their drunken state, their shots aren't doing much. They start to fall one by one, hitting the ground like limp rag dolls.

But even though Old Man Lloyd is lying dead at his feet, Lunberg continues to shoot in our direction from where he stands behind one of the porch posts. His wide girth sticks out past the post, but he's so drunk he doesn't realize it. I would shoot him myself, but my rifle's lying on the ground just out of reach and Hannah has my pistol.

"Hannah, give me my gun."

"But, Little Joe, you've been shot!" She lays it in my right hand anyways.

I don't answer her, I get Lunberg in my sights but my shot is off. I try again, yet fail. My aim with my right hand isn't any good and I know it, yet I'm desperate. Hannah moves beside me, I don't pay her any mind. But all of a sudden she takes off running into the middle of it all.

"Hannah! What the heck are you doing?" I scream at her as I continue to send bullets in Lunberg's direction. We both watch Hannah as she makes it to my rifle. I realize what she's trying to do and Lunberg apparently figures it out, too. Just as he shoots at her, I send a bullet at him but it misses. Cursing my useless left arm, I watch his bullet hit her in the leg. It takes her down but she uses the fall to her advantage, rolling over and grabbing my rifle where it lays beside her. She quickly pulls the hammer back and fires hitting Lunberg in the lower gut. But she's not done yet, she fires off two more quick shots hitting him directly in the chest. He falls dead to the ground. The thud of his body hitting the ground is loud in the silence.

And just like that it's all over. The remaining posse men quickly mount their horses and ride out when they see that their leading man is dead. I quickly jump to my feet as the door slams open behind me. I get to Hannah first. She looks up at me from where she lays on the ground. I bend down next to her as Pa, Adam, and Roy check to see if Lunberg's really dead or not.

"Hannah." It's all I can get out of my tight throat as tears well up in my eyes. I gently lay my right hand on her cheek.

"I'll be ok, Little Joe." She gives me a small smile. "I had to do it. When you took that bullet for me, my whole life sorta flashed before my eyes. I realized my life would always be the same as long as Cyl was alive, so when I saw all your shots missing, I knew what I had to do. Anyways now we're even, we've both got a bullet hole."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I smile at her attempt of making light of the situation. "Hannah, you're the bravest girl I've ever met."

"Well don't you think we oughta get you two into the house now?" Adam interrupts. I look up and see Pa, Adam, and Hoss standing over us. Adam bends down and gently picks Hannah up, while Pa helps me to my feet, telling Hoss to go get the doctor.

As Hoss rides away, the rest of us go into the house. Adam carries Hannah up to her room upon her request while I slowly sit down on the sofa. Pa comes over to me and tells me to start unbuttoning my shirt. After I get it off, he inspects my bullet wound and then slaps me on the back, which causes pain to shoot up my arm. "You'll be alright, it's not that bad. The bullet just needs removed is all. You've been hurt worse before."

Both of us turn at the sound of Adam walking down the stairs. He shows us the blood on his hands as he walks past us towards the kitchen. Pa and I follow him, both of us wondering where the blood came from.

He must know what we're thinking because while he washes his hands, he turns to look at us. "Hannah's leg was bleeding pretty bad, but she's got it stopped now. The bullet's in quite deep, I'd say about an inch or so in right above her knee."

"She let you look at it?"

"Yes, but only because she couldn't get the bleeding stopped by herself. She needed a little bit more pressure than she could apply herself, so I helped her." I must have an odd look on my face because he continues. "Joe don't worry, I didn't look at anything but the wound. I know how you feel about her and I'm sorry for the things I said to you earlier about her. I was wrong and I realize that now. Will you forgive me, Joe?"

"Of course, Adam." I rest my hand on his shoulder. "I knew you never really meant those things in the first place, you were just blowing off steam."

We walk back into the big room and Pa goes over to his desk. He leans against it, his expression thought. After a few moments he starts to talk. "Hannah's a very brave young lady. I never thought she would have the gumption to shoot her own stepfather."

"Well she did, and not only did she do it, she made a fair job of it, too. Shooting him again like she did so he wouldn't die a slow death thanks to that gut shot was probably the nicest thing she could of done for him." I lean back in a chair, my arm beginning to throb something fierce.

"Either that or she just got trigger happy and wanted him dead fast." Adam watches me as I slowly bend and pull my arm across my bare chest. "Hurt bad?"

"Oh, no, it's just fine!" I make a face of pain, purposely exaggerating it knowing it will make them laugh. "Just fine I tell you, just fine! It only feels like someone stuck a nice hot Ponderosa brand on me instead of one of those cows!"

Pa and Adam both begin to laugh. I slide further down into the chair, a look of pain and suffering on my face. Which, of course, just makes them laugh even harder.

"Ah, come on Joe, you're going to be alright!" Adam laughs and then sobers. "Hannah's in worse shape than you are, do you hear her complaining?"

"No, but then she's not in the room, plus I don't think she'd complain. She's a tough gal. Anyways I'm worried about her, not my own hide."

"Hoss should be back with the doctor soon and then he'll have both of you fixed up in no time." Pa pours himself a brandy. "Would either of you care for a drink?"

"I'll take one. Maybe it'll help with the pain."

"Sure, Pa."

"Where'd Roy disappear to?" I take the little glass Pa hands me.

"He's outside checking on the men that didn't run away, well at least the ones who are still alive."

The front door opens and Roy walks in. He lays his hat on the table by the door and comes to stand next to Pa. Pa offers him a drink, which he takes and sits down with after Pa tells him to relax. After drinking half of his brandy, he looks over at me where I sit still slouched down in my chair, empty brandy glass in my hand.

"Your arm hurt bad, Little Joe?"

"Nah, I'll be ok once the slug's out."

"How about the girl? Is she alright?"

"Well, despite taking a bullet to the thigh, she's alright." Pa says.

"Do you know how bad it is? Did she let any of you three look at it by any chance?"

"She asked me to help her stop the bleeding and it appears to be about an inch in." Adam tells Roy as we all hear a horse and buggy pull up outside.

"That must be Hoss with the doctor." Pa walks over to the door and opens it to look out.