Chapter Fifteen

The next day was Sunday and the first day of service in the new church that Susie had helped build. The family rode into town that morning and Susie scanned the streets for Ryder. She hadn't seen him the day before and she missed him more than words could say. She had a nagging doubt and fear in the back of her mind that he had finally realized just how crazy he was for wanting to be with her and he had moved on to a a more deserving woman.

Susie couldn't help but wonder if she had been a fool for even thinking that he really loved her. Moreover she was wondering if she had been a fool to fall in love with him. She hadn't told him yet that she loved him but she did. With all of her heart she loved that man. He was the strangest man she had ever known but he was also the most loving and caring soul she had ever met. He seemed to genuinely like and care about almost everyone and he had given her the most incredible day she had ever experienced as they had walked, picnicked and talked in their own private paradise.

"I believe I see who you're looking for," Ellie said with a knowing smile as she tilted her head toward the hotel.

Susie followed her gaze and there was Ryder, practically running across the street to where Liza had pulled the wagon to a stop. He had a huge smile on his face and Susie instantly regretted that she had doubted him for a moment.

"God, I missed you," he admitted as she stood to get down from the wagon.

Susie let a squeal of shock and surprise when he grabbed her around the waist, lifted her from the wagon, pulled her against him and spun her around and around, "It's only been a day!" she gasped breathlessly as he sat her back down on her feet.

Ryder ran his finger down her jaw, "One day too long."

"Where were you yesterday?" Susie asked.

Ryder smiled proudly, "I got me a job at the sawmill. I bought some land that I'm gonna have to pay on every month for a while to get it paid off. And Neil, over at the sawmill even said that he'll give me a discount on the lumber to build a house since I'm gonna help cut it and get it ready."

"You got a job, land and ordered lumber for a house all in one day?" Susie demanded with surprise.

Ryder nodded as he pulled a coin from his pocket and tossed it up and down in the air, "Sure did. I told ya once I set my mind to doing something it becomes a bit of an obsession and I won't stop 'til I got it done," he warned, "And right now I got my mind set on convincing you I'm worthy."

Susie flushed bright red and her heart raced in her chest. She had no idea how to respond to his last statement and so she simply waved it off, "You don't waste any time do you?" Susie questioned, shaking her head. "You haven't been in Bakerstown for long. Isn't it a little soon to know you want to settle down here?"

Ryder stopped tossing the coin and clutched it tightly in his hand. What he wanted to do was yell at her for being so darn stubborn headed and untrusting of him. It surprised him since he had never had much of a temper to speak of.

He pocketed the coin, took a deep breath and smiled at her, "What y'all in town for?"

"Church," Susie replied as she smoothed out her high necked, long sleeved, thin cotton dress. Her hair was pulled up tight on her head and she wore a bonnet with white lace that framed her face.

"You look downright beautiful," Ryder breathed and Susie found herself staring at those darn dimples of his. She had a feeling that she would never be able to get truly mad at him for anything as long as they lived because all he'd have to do is show those things to her and she'd be putty in his hands.

"No wonder you fell for him," Elizabeth winked as she walked over with a child attached to each leg, "He's looking at you the way a child looks at all their presents on Christmas morning."

Susie blushed and turned her gaze to the crowd already gathering at the church, "Looks like we'll have a good service this morning," she glanced at Ryder, "Are you coming?"

Ryder frowned and rubbed his palms on his thighs, "Uh... No, I'll uh..."

"He can wait outside the church with me and Thomas," Brody offered.

"You're not coming in?" Sally demanded of her husband.

Thomas shook his head and his gray eyes sparked with amusement, "I only take my gun off for one thing."

Sally rolled her eyes, "He doesn't even take it for that if he doesn't have to," she muttered, earning her a glare from Thomas.

"We better get over there," Jacob urged as he took Ellie by the elbow and began to lead her down the road.

Ryder wrapped his arm tight around Susie as they too made their way toward the church. Susie knew it wasn't proper to be walking down the street with his arm so tight around her, after all they weren't married, but for some reason she just didn't care enough to pull away. She felt eyes on her and a shiver ran down her spine when she turned and saw Justin standing in the bank doorway watching her walk down the road.

Ryder noticed her tension and followed her gaze with his eyes. He saw Justin standing there and he smiled and waved at the angry looking man. Ryder chuckled when Justin made a face and stomped back into the bank.

Ty jogged over to them from the hotel, "Hey Liza, can I sit with you?" he asked as he removed his hat.

Liza smiled happily and nodded, "Of course!"

Susie saw the gun on Ty's hip and frowned but said nothing. It wasn't her place to tell the man he couldn't have it. She didn't want to cause a fight or any hard feelings before the service.

"Ty?" Ryder called to his older brother just before he walked through the door.

"What?" Ty demanded as he turned around.

"No guns in the church," Ryder replied as he held out his hand, "I'll hold it for ya if you're going in. I'm waiting out here."

"You're not coming in?" Ty asked as he looked from Ryder to Susie. Ryder shook his head, "I don't really do church."

Ty shrugged and pulled of his gun belt. He handed it to Ryder and then followed Liza into the church.

Ryder put a gentle hand on Susie's cheek, "I'll wait out here for you, beautiful." A blush colored her cheeks at his words, "I love you," he added. He was going to keep saying those words until the stubborn headed woman started to believe him.

Susie didn't reply, she just smiled, lowered her gaze and walked away from him and into the church. Brody and Thomas leaned against the wall of the church, while Ryder grabbed one of the wooden pillars on the porch and began to swing himself slowly around it, again and again.

"She doesn't seem to feel the same. Better luck next time, Ryder," Thomas said with a grin. Brody chuckled as he lit a cigarette.

"She loves me," Ryder assured the other two men. "She just ain't quite ready to admit it yet."

***

Susie took her seat in the front pew beside her family. She was pleased to see that the pews were nearly full to the brim. It was a good showing for their first service.

She felt excitement fill her when LeRoy walked up to the pulpit and smiled at everyone, "How y'all doin?" he asked in that lazy way he had of speaking. The crowd sent up a chorus of 'fines', 'goods', and 'all rights'.

"I think we all need to offer a big ol' thank you to the Lord for making this church possible," LeRoy admitted

"Amen!" The congregation agreed.

He smiled and waved his hand toward Susie who blushed and sank down a little deeper in the pew, "And another thank you to Miss Susie Atkinson for giving us all the swift kick we needed to get it built."

"Amen!" everyone agreed. LeRoy smiled, his scarred face making him a scary sight and he stood there looking out over the crowd for a moment.

"Shouldn't you get to preaching, deputy?" a man toward the back hollered out.

LeRoy shook his head, "I ain't gonna be preaching here today. I don't do very well in front of crowds. I'm better at one on ones with the wayward souls," he replied and chuckles filled the church. Everyone knew about the way LeRoy tortured the jail inmates.

"Who is preachin' then?" the man in the back spoke up again.

Susie felt a moment of anticipation as she wondered how the townsfolk would react to the sight of George Bass as he walked from the back room and stood next to LeRoy at the pulpit. His dark skin contrasted sharply with his crisp white shirt which was tucked into a pair of brand new black trousers. His wiry gray hair had been cut just yesterday and he had a warm smile on his wrinkled face.

That happiness Susie had been feeling vanished and her heart fell into the pit of her stomach when mumbles of anger and disbelief filled the tiny church. Susie had been raised to see all people as equals regardless of color, size, religion or nationality and she knew that everyone in her family and some of the townsfolk felt the same as she, but that didn't mean that everyone in the town shared their beliefs.

She noticed that George didn't seem to be deterred by the murmurs. Instead he stood up straight and laid his bible on the altar, "Ladies and gentleman, how are you today?" he asked, his soulful, warm voice filling the tiny building. Several people responded to his question, though the enthusiasm that the congregation had shown for LeRoy was gone.

"We'd be a heck of a lot better if we didn't have some nigger preaching to us!" Susie gasped in shock and turned to see Garth Nemoy standing up, red faced and angry as he pointed at George.

"Don't use that language in church, son," LeRoy scolded.

Garth snorted with derision, "That cotton picking coon shouldn't even be in this church."

"I've picked my fair share of cotton, boy, but I believe I have just as much right to be here as you do," George replied, his voice remaining friendly despite the hate in Garth's voice.

"God hates niggers!" Garth exclaimed and Susie heard several voices 'amen' in agreement.

Shame and desperation filled her. Shame that someone of her race was treating a man as warm, caring and decent as George this way and desperation that the church wasn't going to work out because of their blind and baseless hatred.

"That's enough!" Ty warned as he stood up and turned to face Garth. Yelling ensued. Garth yelling about his feelings toward the black preacher. Ty yelling that Garth needed to calm down. Sally yelling, that they were in church 'dammit' and needed to get along. Lexi and Bryant were upset and confused as to why anyone would hate Uncle George.

Susie couldn't take anymore. This was quickly becoming a circus and she had to get out. Tears were flowing down her freckle covered cheeks as she pushed past her family and ran from the building.

***

When the yelling began Brody let out a long sigh and put out his cigarette on the bottom of his boot, "I had a feeling this would happen," he mumbled, "Damn small minded sons of bitches." The yelling grew louder. "Guess I should get in there. I am the sheriff after all."

Brody pushed himself off the wall and started toward the porch steps when Susie came bursting from the church. She was sobbing and tears were pouring from her eyes. Before Brody had time to react Ryder had jumped away from the porch post and pulled Susie tight into his arms.

"Shh... Honey, why are you crying?" he whispered as he kissed her hair.

"I knew it would be hard for some of them to hear George preaching at them but if not for Garth it could have worked. Garth has ruined everything," Susie gasped between sobs. "George is such a good man, he doesn't deserve this. We've all worked so hard on this church.." Her words were broken and garbled between her sniffs and snobs but once she got it all out Ryder felt anger--true, pure anger-- fill him.

He had never had a temper to speak up. He'd never seen the point in wasting the energy it took to be angry but the sight of his angel crying this way was more than he could take. He kissed her hair again and then pulled her away from him and pushed her into Brody's arms.

"Don't worry, sheriff, I'll take care of this," he vowed and Susie's eyes widened at the cold quality of his voice.

Ryder strode into the church and immediately knew who Garth was. It was the same overweight, red faced, pale skinned, whimpering man he had fought with at the saloon the night he had ended up in jail.

Garth was yelling about how all blacks would one day burn in hell. Several church goers seemed to be in agreement, some were arguing that he was wrong, but most were sitting in their pews with their heads buried in the sand, so to speak.

Ryder walked up to Garth and tapped him on the shoulder. Garth turned to face him, his eyes widening with recognition, "What do you want?" he demanded.

Ryder smiled, but it was forced and it was cold, "You made my woman cry."

Garth's eyes were drawn to the church doors to see Susie Atkinson standing there with tears on her face. Her brother Brody and her brother-in-law Thomas, were both standing behind her looking fit to kill. Good sense would have kept Garth's mouth shut but it was a trait he'd been born without. He was still angry at this Ryder fella for what had happened at the saloon and his hatred for the Atkinson's ran deep. Not because they had done anything to him personally but because they acted like the kings of this town.

Garth wasn't about to back down from any of them, "That nigger lover doesn't need to be in this church either. I wouldn't be surprised if that whore's been spreading her legs for you outside of wedlock!"

Ryder heard the eruption from the front pew and the doorway. He knew that there were quite a few people who were now coming for Garth but he'd be damned if they got a piece of the bastard before he did. Especially when what the man was saying was a bold faced lie.

Ryder gripped Garth by the collar of his shirt and drew back a fist, prepared to knock the jackasses teeth down his throat when Susie yelled from the doorway, "Stop acting this way in God's house! All of you should be ashamed of yourselves! The yelling, name calling and manhandling has to stop!" she exclaimed.

The church fell silent. Ryder thought about what she had said. No punching the bastard in the church. Okay, Ryder could just as easily punch him outside.

"Come on, Garth, let's walk outside," Ryder dragged Garth, who kept trying to dig in his heels, toward the door. Brody and Thomas moved out of his way, pulling Susie with them, and Ryder dragged Garth down the porch steps.

"What are you doing?!" Garth demanded as he struggled, "I've whooped your ass once and I'll do it again."

"You did not whoop my ass!" Ryder argued, "Besides I was drunk and I wasn't angry. I'm damn pissed off now," Ryder's fist connected squarely with Garth's jaw and the man stumbled backward. He came back at Ryder who easily dodged his punches and landed several more of his own.

Ryder realized that most of the congregation had pushed their way outside to watch what was going on and that included George Bass. Ryder grabbed Garth, pinned his arms down and held his back tight against him so he couldn't move, "Would you like to take a swing, George?" Ryder asked with a grin.

George surprised everyone when he nodded and stepped forward. Garth practically snarled at the man through his bloody lips and black eye. George stared hard at him for several long moments and then instead of throwing a punch he threw his bible into Garth's chest. Ryder released his hold on Garth so he could grab the bible.

"I think you need to read that a bit more closely," George stated calmly and then he walked away through the crowd and stepped back into the church.

Garth glared around at everyone. Those that had agreed with him about George were now against him because of his comments about Susie and because they didn't want to incur the wrath of the Atkinsons.

Garth glared at Brody, "He attacked me, sheriff!"

Brody nodded, "I saw."

"Aren't you going to arrest him?" Garth demanded.

"Nope. With what you said about my sister you better be glad I don't kill you myself." Garth grumbled under his breath. He hated these people. Garth turned on Ryder, "You better watch your back, Ryder Hampton." Ryder grinned, clearly not scared at all, "Maybe you should watch yours," he warned, "Nobody makes my woman cry and you can be damned sure that no one is going to call her a whore."

"As I recall you like whores," Garth spat.

Ryder drew his fist back, fully prepared to punch Garth again, but then he felt soft hand grab his arm and saw Susie out of the corner of his eyes, "Stop it," she said sternly.

Ryder didn't want to stop it. His mind was racing in a hundred different directions.. He was practically shaking with energy and he needed to let it out. Susie saw the look in his eyes and she ran her hand down his arm, "Ryder, I want to talk to you. I need you to come with me."

Ryder nodded. He voice was like an anchor and he relaxed his arm and tipped his head at Garth, "Have a good day." Ryder let Susie lead him away. They walked down the road and around a corner so they were out of sight of the crowd.

"Why did you do that?!" Susie demanded once they were alone. Ryder shrugged and picked at some rough wood on the outer wall of the livery, "Because no man is gonna make you cry."

Susie didn't know whether to be honored, horrified or angry. She hated violence and fighting but yet he had done it to defend her, "Ryder...."

"Are you angry with me?" Ryder demanded, "Cuz I'm not sorry I did what I did. If I hadn't done it Brody would have. Or Jacob. Or Sally.... They were all coming Garth's way."

Susie shook her head, "Still, you shouldn't have done that."

Ryder reached out and wiped away a bit of dampness that was still clinging to her cheek, "He deserved it."

Susie saw her family walking toward the parked wagon. She let out a sad sigh, "I guess church is over. Everyone is going back home."

"Want me to come with you?" Ryder asked.

Susie shook her head. She was upset with him and needed some distance. She wasn't at all sure she could be with a man who used his fists to settle differences. She loved Ryder and the caring, warm person that he usually was. Today had shown her a different side and she needed some time to think on that.

"I have a lot of work to do today," she replied.

Ryder's shoulders slumped and he looked like a puppy who had just been kicked in the face, "Alright then... I'll see ya tomorrow," he mumbled. He kicked at the dirt as he turned and moped away back toward the hotel.

Susie felt an instant of guilt for hurting him but there was no time to apologize now. Her family was waiting for her.