Death for Love

Ryan stared straight ahead as the desert sand whipped around him, his horse galloping at raging speed. “He ain’t gotta chance,” he muttered under his breath. The bandit tumbled to the ground as the lasso tightened around his chest. Struggling for just a moment, the outlaw surrendered as soon as Ryan took him at gunpoint. “Yer a goner the second we step into town,” chuckled Ryan.

            “Sheriff! Sheriff! Ryan be back into town! He’s got ‘em!” Sheriff Gordon rushed out towards the commotion. “Well I’ll be dang, Ryan. I don’t know how ya do it,” declared the sheriff over the roar of the crowd. Finally, the wanted criminal was handcuffed and put behind bars for good. Now Ryan had to journey to another town. The people cheered out of gratitude as Ryan rode off into the desert.

            Ryan was the hero in the little town of Wellspring. From capturing wanted outlaws to freeing hostages, the townspeople could always count on him. He was well known for his fearlessness and determination. Not only was he adventurous, Ryan was handsome. He stood over six feet tall with a scruffy trimmed face and short brown hair topped off with a wide-brimmed hat. Every girl had her eye on this young cowboy, but Ryan had his on only one. When his big blue eyes scanned the crowd they would meet the most beautiful brown eyes.

            “Why does he keep lookin’ at me like that?” Lauren thought to herself. Embarrassed, she would quickly turn away as soon as he gave her that look. When Ryan came into town and the streets flooded with grateful citizens, Lauren remained on her front porch and admired from a distance. She thought the same of Ryan as all the other girls did but chose to keep her thoughts to herself.

            Ryan wasn’t hallucinating. Lauren was one of the most gorgeous girls in Wellspring. Although she kept to herself, almost everybody took notice of her. She had a complexion that caused her face to glow. Her curly brown hair reached just below her shoulders and was complemented by a small pink bow. Along with her physical attributes she was considerate and understanding. Lauren had a way with people despite her apprehensiveness.

                                                                        ~~~~~

            “I’m gonna go run some errands Mama. I’ll be back in a short while,” explained Lauren. “Could you pick up some flour, Hun? I’m runnin’ a little low,” her mother replied. Neither she nor her mother had any idea that she would not return.

The summer sun of that June 22^nd beamed down as she strolled through the busy streets of Wellspring. Horses and wagons bummed about while children played. Everything was in the ordinary for Wellspring that day.

“Ma’am,” greeted the shopkeeper with a tip of the hat. Lauren perused the shelves lining the store. “Do ya’ll have flour?” inquired Lauren. “Why, yes m...” The shopkeeper stopped dead in his tracks. Lauren turned around to see a man approaching in rage. Then everything went black.

                                                            ~~~~~

A couple miles from Wellspring, Ryan continued to travel towards his hometown. The desert breeze over the sand blew tumbleweed across his path. The howl of the wind was the only thing to be heard. “Ryan, is that you?” called a faint voice. As the man came closer it became clear who was running towards him. It was Sheriff Gordon! “Sheriff, what can I do for ya?” Ryan inquired cheerfully.

Gasping for breath the sheriff managed to spit out a few words. “It’s…it’s Lauren. Ya know, that gal that…that...”

“What about her?” Ryan inquired, concerned this time.

Sheriff Gordon paused then replied, “She’s been…been kidnapped earlier this afternoon.”

~~~~~

Lauren moaned with pain as she slowly woke. The wagon she was bound up in bounced on the dirt road increasing the pain in her head. She felt the throbbing bump and noticed her pink bow was missing. Suddenly Lauren panicked, but not because of her missing bow. “Where am I? How could this have happened? Who are those men? Will I ever get back to Wellspring?” These questions swarmed through her mind. The reality of confusion and cluelessness hit her. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she sat hoping for someone – anyone – to come and save her.

                                                            ~~~~~

“Ya love her, don’t ya?” asked Sheriff Gordon.

Ryan quickly replied, “It’s my duty to save people in this situation.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” the sheriff came back.

“If I don’t get this gal back, I’ll ruin the only chance I’ll ever have with her,” Ryan replied. Sheriff Gordon grinned as he continued to assist Ryan with his horse. When the horse was ready to ride, Ryan mounted and set off into the unknown.

A few hours into the search and nearing sundown, Ryan dismounted to think. “Where could she be?” he sighed. He paced pack and forth anxiously looking around for any sign of life. And there it was. Alongside the road nearby lay the pretty pink bow that Lauren always wore in her beautiful curly hair. Ryan snatched it up, jumped on his horse, and headed for Wellspring with an echoing, “Yee-haw!”

                                                            ~~~~~

The unpleasant laughter of the drunken men filled the air. They mingled around the campfire disregarding their stolen treasure. Lauren remained in the wagon a few yards away trying to block out every word they spoke. In the loneliness of the night, she began to worry and become discouraged.

Lauren sat there for hours and hours thinking about what to do. “I’ve got to get away somehow,” she thought to herself, “but how?” Silence slowly entered the air. The evil, drunken men were now lying down passed out or asleep. “Well then, here’s my chance,” she whispered.

She slowly crept out of the wagon, causing faint creaking. She held her breath as she moved towards the opening. Then, she jumped. She jumped out of the wagon knocking over the table along with the glass beer bottles that rested on top of it.

Shattered glass remained after the crashing, earsplitting sound that echoed in the night.

The men were awakened instantly and seized their guns. “Get the girl!” they hollered. Lauren took off faster than her feet could carry her. Only yards away from where the men were frantically yelling, she collapsed and was unable to get back up. “I got this one, boys,” sneered one of the men as he approached Lauren.

“I don’t think so,” Ryan declared before the man could speak another word. Lauren gazed towards the voice and saw the cowboy she admired and loved along with Sheriff Gordon and a few other brave men she recognized from town.

The foul man pointed the gun at Lauren, still hoping to get what he wanted. “Don’t you dare touch this here girl!” demanded Ryan. At that he immediately grasped Lauren’s hand and pulled her up, forcing her out of the way. The silence of the night was broken by the sound of a resounding gunshot as Ryan collided with the cool, desert ground.

Lauren’s shriek was followed by Sheriff Gordon and his gang immediately shooting the evil kidnappers, giving them no chance of survival.

Ryan gasped for air as he lay still. Lauren rushed towards him and rested his head in her arms. Ryan’s big blue eyes met those beautiful brown ones the same way they always had. He reached down to his pocket, grimacing in pain. Lauren painfully watched him as he gripped a small object. He slowly lifted his arm high enough to reach the top of her curly brown hair. Ryan placed the pink bow perfectly on Lauren’s head and wiped away tears that never seemed to stop.

Ryan gazed at Lauren’s disheartened face then spoke in a hoarse whisper. “Yer the only girl that I…” His last words were shortened by the agonizing pain of death, death in the arms of the girl he died saving.