Rennie's Outlaw, Part Ii

II. “Do you mean to say Arthur Hauser’s your dad?” he asked he with a steely countenance. She somehow managed to bluster a “Yes, and you’ll run from here if you have any sense!” The man just smirked, and said, “Why should I run? This land is my very own ranch, after all. At least before your dad murdered my woman, and set me up so I would take the fall.” Amidst all her fear the words struck a chord, since father had a very rotten soul, he’d been run out of towns more times than once, and was ruthless about achieving goals. The man continued, “Do you really think that I wanted to live the outlaw life? A year ago I was just a rancher and had asked a sweet girl to be my wife. “But Arthur wanted to build a new spur, and bring all the trains right up to the mine. I refused to sell, so he decided to steal my watch, as evidence to find. “They discovered it besides Ella’s body, and all concluded I had done the deed. I had been out with the cows all that night, so no alibi could come vouch for me. “And given Arthur is ‘friends’ with the judge, and ‘wins’ his cases more often than not, I fled town before they gave me the noose, went to the mountains to struggle and rot. “I do not rob coaches out of desire, I need to survive, not inspire fear.” He turned to his men and scowled at them, “I though I made this abundantly clear.” The men huddled back, meekly gathered the coin, said Rennie, "What makes you think I’d believe you?” The man said, "Ask your dad about Joe Fields, his face alone will tell you the real truth.” And with that he took half of her money, no passenger did he leave high and dry, then he and his men jumped up on their mounts, and away into the trees they did fly. The stage got in late, with a body in tow, though the sheriff would give them no reward. Rennie’s father was nowhere to be seen, dragging her luggage to his house was a chore. At least he had built a respectable place, two stories tall with real windows and glass, he had done very well running his mines, could afford all the illusions of class. When he finally showed up after midnight, he gave a gruff, “So I see you got here.” She said, “We were held up by a Joe Fields.” On his face Rennie saw very real fear. It only lasted a second or two, then he said, “Excuse me, I have to step out. There’s a room upstairs I guess you can use.” Then he left, and she was shrouded in doubts… CONTINUES IN PART III.