Retribution

Bang! The screen door slammed behind Lilly as she stepped out onto the porch. She raised her hands to shade her eyes from the sun as she looked to see who was coming down from the ridge. It was a half mile away but with the low lying shrub it wasn't hard to see approaching riders. She counted three. Turning back around, she reentered the house, screen door slamming shut again.

"How many are out there girl?" asked a wizened old woman from the corner of the poor but well kept kitchen.

"Three."

"I'll cover 'em from the kitchen winda." said the old woman as she began to struggle out of the old rocking chair that seemed to moan at her departure.

"Ma, you just sit back down. You know the recoil would bowl you over an probably break somethin' so just sit ok?" said Lilly with vexation as she took the double barreled shotgun down from the gun rack. It had held company there with an old walking stick and a well used fishing pole.
The small house where Lilly and her mother lived was a single story building of fairly solid construction made from good wood bought at the lumber yard up in Harperstown. The kitchen and living room shared the front half of the interior with a wood burning stove for cooking and a nice brick laid hearth in the living room. Lilly opened up a drawer on the dresser that dominated one of the four walls of the living room and pulled out a box of shells. She cracked open the gun and looped it over her left elbow as she pulled some shells out of the box and loaded two in the chambers. The other five she'd pulled out, she shoved in the right hand pocket of her loose fitting breaches as she made for the door.
By this time the riders had gotten close enough for her to identify. Jeb Franks the Banker was on the left. Harvey Tubbs the sheriff was in the middle and James Reddick "Red" was on the right. Lilly was not surprised to see any of them and knew they were back once again to try to push her off her land. She did not lower the shotgun as they made their approach.

"Mrs. Jameson there's no cause for alarm here, so why don't you lower that iron and let's talk civil." said the sheriff as they came into talking distance.

"Harvey, I know why y'all are here and it ain't gonna work." Lilly said with defiance.

"Mrs. Jameson, it is un-seemingly for a woman in the prime of her live to be wasting her good years out here in this hot sun. Your poor mother must be thought of as well you know" declared James Reddick with the same air of condescending superiority he'd used during his last visit.

James Reddick was a landowner with a vast acreage adjacent to Lilly's property. He had been trying to get Lilly to sell her land to him ever since Lilly's husband Ben and their son Rick had died in the rafting accident three years ago.

Ben and Rick had entered into the annual rafting race Harperstown held down in Harper river canyon. It was a rough race that had been a tradition ever since the first pioneers had settled this area of the region.

Ben being the good loving father that he was, had promised Rick that when he turned twelve Ben would take him down the rapids in the annual race. It had been a freak accident, somehow the anchor of Ben's raft had come loose from its ties and as they made the last and most difficult turn in the race the anchor had snagged between two submerged rocks. The raft flipped and the large rudder used to steer had caught Ben square on the temple. Both he and Rick drowned leaving Lilly and her aging mother Iris to fend for themselves.

Lacking any good taste, James Reddick had been at her door step just one week after the tragedy to ask for the property. Lilly just slammed the door in his face. Being raised from that hardy pioneer stock had helped Lilly and her mother through the grief that fell like an avalanche on her heart. She had been so in love with Ben that she would sit up nights just to watch him breathe in his sleep. Of course Rick was her angel sent down to bless their marriage. So quick to follow in Ben's footsteps around the house and across the property where Ben would cut lumber to sell to the yard in town.