Return to the Saddle
by
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"You! What are you doing in here?" It was a middle aged woman dressed like it was Sunday-go-to-meeting time, all neat and proper. Her hair was done up on top of her head complete with hat. "What are you doing in the church house?"
I was so startled I didn''t know what to say.
"You of all people, a killer, in the house of God. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, and with a gun no less."
I looked down at my pistol and back up at her and said, "But Lady--"
"What have you come here to do, mess up the church?"
"Please Lady," I made a step for the door but she blocked it.
"A gun in the church house, what did you do, shoot the pastor?" she asked, her eyes glaring.
I was trying to be polite, but now I''d lost my patience, "woman do you have any money?"
Her mouth flew open and she half slapped the side of her face, "What?" she asked, her breath almost gone, "are you going to rob me right here in the church house?"
By this time I was aware that Pastor Jerry was standing near the pulpit listening to us, but he didn''t say a word.
"Do you have any money?" I asked again, with a slightly higher more demanding tone.
Her face turned red and she began to dig in her purse.
"I don''t want your money, I just wanted to know if you had any. Your money is just like this gun," I patted my Colt as I spoke, "this gun or your money is not good or bad, it''s what you do with it that makes it good or bad. You can put your money in this church and it is good, you put it into whiskey, gambling or other corrupt practices, and it is bad."
"I can put this gun in the offering, the pastor can take it and sell it and feed some poor hungry fellow. I use this gun to defend my freedom, and the freedom of others. Either way it''s good. I do not rob banks or little old ladies."
"You take the guns away from the good people of the world and the bad folks will take over, sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. So, if you don''t mind, I think I''ll keep it."
Now it was she that didn''t know what to say. She turned and stormed out of the church.
"Well, I never," she said as she hit the bottom step."
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About the Book
Return to the saddle is a story about a family man, John Colter, living and working a wagon freight business in
Because of his experience with Indians, outlaws, wagon trains, and other frontier encounters, the Church Pastor thinks John Colter is the man for the job of finding the missing child.
The chase takes Colter and friends out of their quiet little spot and puts them back in the saddle to ride across the mountains and back into the
The trail turns hard with many twists. Men are killed as well as new friends made. Huge questions arise about morality, justice, and simply “the right thin.” John and his friends forge ahead for the greater good—to find the missing child.
About the Author
The author, James W. Cole, comes from
James has always been intrigued with American history, especially the Old West history. Some of his childhood heroes were Wild Bill Hicock and General Custer. Heroes also appeared on TV, such as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry
His imagination has always been very active, and stories can be written at the drop of a hat. Mr. Cole has strived to keep his stories written for a general audience so anyone can read them.
At age 25 James began to run cross country in an eighteen wheeler and the sights of the Old West just fueled his imagination and made him want to write even more scenes from the
Mr. Cole is a family man and thus wants to pass on family values. The stories he writes reflect just that. He and his wife, Teresa, have two children and three grandchildren. Many of his stories reflect his love for them.