The Ghost's Redemption

Chapter 21

"What did you mean when your mother left that scar?"

Automatically tears fell, "I'm sorry dad, I'm so sorry." I say putting my head into my hands. I felt horrible about how he has to find out how my mother actually died, how long he didn't know the truth. I am a terrible daughter!

After I collect myself I wipe away my tears to look my father in the eye, "Mom didn't die of an infection.." His head falls, instantly knowing what happened her. I put my arm along his shoulders, leaning my head against his. "Dad, do you want to know what happened?" I ask him when I hear his cries begin to settle. 

He picks up his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to make up his mind. He sighs then looks at me through his peripheral, "Just enough." 

"On our way to auntie's, we got ourselves into trouble when we ran into one Ringo's raids. They wouldn't let us go without any repercussions, they were going to make sure we weren't going to tell anyone.. Anyways, when mom was trying to defend me against Ringo, he took out his pistol and shot her in her chest. I started to scream for help and that's when the first Lakota arrow killed a man. Dale smacked me so hard I fell unconscious so I don't know what exactly happened after that, but when I woke up I was in Leah's teepee. Leah had explained to me that mom was actually a friend to their tribe, so they buried her with high respects. I'm sorry I didn't tell you dad, I knew you would never stop looking for him and I didn't want it to drive you crazy. I'm so sorry, it wasn't fair to you as her husband."

My dad looks off in the distance before speaking, "Well I guess it was easier to think of her death as an accident all these years, but how could you put that all on yourself? Why are you The Ghost?"

"I promised mom I would get the man who shot her, I never gave up on that promise. I hated Ringo with every ounce of my body, dad. I hated what he did to mom. The man could never get out of my head. I made it my life goal to make his life as difficult as possible by raiding his stealing shipments. I wanted him to a glimpse of hope and then have it crushed.. and I did."

"How did you know where'd he be all those times?"

"I figured out his pattern."

"Why not tell authorities? Wouldn't that have made it easier?"

This is difficult to tell to a sheriff, "No offence, papa, but every time I've seen a deputy chase, they've always screwed it up.. I trained myself and the horses specifically for this. There was a reason they called me The Ghost." 

"I don't know whether to be proud my daughter is a secret criminal or mad that you went behind my back on multiple occasions."

I look down at my lap, disappointed with the ways I went about lying to my father, "The latter." 

"I'm just glad to see that you're alive right now. You could have died, Maggie! What if you did? You would have left me with nothing." 

I awkwardly look away from him, "You have Butch and Earl... and your new son-in-law." 

"Christ!" My dad breaths out, "It doesn't even feel like you just got married this afternoon. Holy, you're married? What a wonderful wedding gift for you and Ethan." He says while he looks around the town, seeing people dragging dead bodies and cleaning up the messes from the gunfire. 

"I'm probably going down under for saying this, but seeing Ringo dead is the best gift of my life."

"Well now, Maggie... You can't give yourself a gift." He jokes with me. "Your gift is not going to jail." He says, flicking the deputy badge pinned to my shirt. I made sure to take it from his office earlier, so when I did kill Ringo, it was legal. 

I lay my head on his shoulder, "All apart of being a sheriff's daughter." His head turns to kiss the side of my head. Is this what peace feels like? 

"If you'll excuse me," Ethan's voice comes from behind us. I pop up to turn around, "I'd like to take my bride home now."

I look at my dad with hopeful eyes and he nods me off, still sitting on the step. He's going to need a lot of time to comprehend what all happened and after what I just told him. 

"Bye dad." I say, kissing him on the cheek, then standing up to meet Ethan. He snugly wraps his arm around my waist as we walk away from my father. "I want to see Wyatt and Allison before we go." I say to Ethan, not paying attention to where we were walking. 

My foot kicks something, I look down to see my wide brimmed hat inches away from a pool of blood. I sigh as I lean down to pick it up, placing it snug on my head. "Are you sad?" Ethan asks me as we continue to walk. 

"About what particular?"

"It's the end of The Ghost." I take a while to think about my honest answer, "Oh c'mon, I know you lived for the adrenaline of it all. It's okay, you can tell me you liked it."

I look up at him with a little smirk, "Okay, I did have a lot of fun ruining their plans." I say bumping my body into his. "How can you make me smile after I just killed a man?" I sadly speak to him as we now stand outside the saloon doors. 

Ethan grabs my shoulders to make me look at him, "Because I know you are not an evil person like him Maggie. You're my beautiful, kind hearted, genuine spirited, and loyal wife. Not a cold blooded killer. Like you told me, you had to do it, I finally understand it now. My respect for you has greatly increased over the time I've known you."

"I love you, Ethan Hill." I say sincerely as my heart flutters for him. I crash my body into his, needing to feel his warm embrace that I fell in love with. 

Before he can respond, I suddenly feel his body being aggressively pushed back. When I open my eyes I see a glimpse of Wyatt before he violently pulls me into a hug, "Do you know how much you scared me?" He says out of breath against the side of my head. 

I smile appreciatively to myself, thankful to be hugging my best friend right now. "Thank you." I say to him, I know he knows what all I am thankful for. When I pull away from our hug, I am surprised to see his eyes go glossy. "Are you getting soft on me, Wyatt?" 

He instantly straightens up, his head held high. "I am nothing but an oak." He says in his smooth southern drawl, puffing out his chest.

Ethan pulls me to his side, making me look to the doors of the saloon to see Butch and Earl standing there. When Butch and I make eye contact he looks at me with distrust, while Earl walks to me, "Here is your knife." He says, returning my pocket knife to me. 

"I am sorry about that, Earl." Recalling what I did to him earlier, "I'm also sorry for tying you to a tree." This gets him to laugh, along with Allison, Wyatt, and Ethan. But Butch remains to glare at me. "Butch, I apologize for misusing your trust in me."

"You misused a lot of folk's trust." He says angrily. 

"She's apologizing to you, asshole." Ethan says protectively, stepping towards him, but I pull him back. 

Butch looks between me and Ethan, mostly at me. By his expression, I can tell he still holds feelings for me and I can tell he is hurting right now. I almost had to feel bad for him, "I wish you a happy life." He says monotonously, walking back into the saloon. 

"Don't pay attention to him." Earl says, "I'm glad you are okay." He says sweetly, before he turns back into the saloon. 

We all fall silent at the awkward encounter. Wyatt wraps his arm around Allison, looking at me again, "Now what are you doing to do since your days of reckonin' are over?" 

I sigh, wrapping my other arm around Ethan's lower stomach, looking up at him. "Start my wonderful family." Ethan leans down to place a chaste kiss on my lips. 

"You're a daisy if ya do." Allison and Wyatt both say at the same time, earning sad laughs out of all of us; sad laughs that will hopefully go away in time.