Ransom of Love (39 page)

“Yeah, me too!” said Wyatt. “Imagine that! White cowboys on the Circle J takin’ orders from a blackie!”

Benjamin felt Dorena’s fingernails digging into the sleeve of his light jacket.

Focusing on the older man, Benjamin said softly, “Mr. Crain, I have never done anything to you and your son. Why do you dislike me so?”

“Because you’re a blackie, that’s why. And it’s more like hatred than mere dislike, boy.”

“Yeah,” said Wyatt. “ ‘Hatred’ is the best word. And that goes for your girlfriend too.”

An intense fear spread up Dorena’s back and down her arms and tears filmed her eyes.

“I don’t hate you,” Benjamin said. “I love you in spite of how you feel about us.”

Jules laughed. “You what? You
love
us? How could you love somebody who can’t stand the sight of you?”

“You are my enemies, right?” Benjamin said.

“We sure are!” said Wyatt.

“Then I love you, because my Lord Jesus Christ tells me in His Word that I am to love my enemies. He loved me when I was His enemy. So by His grace, I can love my enemies. I love both of you.”

Father and son were stunned to hear Benjamin’s words. As long as he had their attention, he took advantage of it to tell them the story of Calvary, giving them the gospel and quoting 1 Timothy 2:5 and 6 to show them the ransom of love Jesus paid on the cross to deliver them from the bondage of sin and an eternity in hell.

The crowd gathered around the foursome stood spellbound at Benjamin’s tenderness toward men who had shown him nothing but hatred.

Wyatt said, “I don’t care about this ransom of love, blackie! That’s ancient history, and I ain’t religious anyway!”

“Me, neither!” said Jules. “Don’t give me no ‘ransom of love’ stuff!”

“But without that ransom, you will face God in your sins when you die,” said Benjamin. “You
will
die, you know.”

“Shut up!” Jules said. “I don’t want to hear about it!”

“The thing for you and your girlfriend to do, boy,” Wyatt said, “is to climb in your buggy and get clear out of Bexar County!”

“We have as much right here as you do,” Benjamin said softly. “We are free people, just like you are.”

Wyatt took a step closer, his face beet red. “But you ain’t white like we are, black boy! And let me tell you somethin’. If you don’t leave this county, I’ll find a way to drive you out!”

“We both will!” warned Jules. “Come on, son. We’ve got things to do.”

Benjamin felt a powerful grip on his arm as the Crains stomped down the street.

As he helped Dorena into the buggy, she said, “What could they do to run us out of the county, Benjamin?”

“Nothing, honey. Don’t worry about it. They can’t do a thing to run us out.”

There was a chill in the late fall air as the beautiful wedding took place on November 14 as planned.

The people of the church had become as attached to Dorena as they were to Benjamin, and almost all the members were in attendance to witness the ceremony.

Benjamin’s dark, handsome face was wreathed in smiles as Dorena met him at the altar, with Dan and Tracie flanking them. When Dorena smiled at him, he thought it seemed bright enough to light up the whole building.

They took their vows with hearts full of love and a deep gratitude to the God who had removed all obstacles preventing them from being together. When the ceremony was over, the happy couple stood at the door holding hands as the people passed by, wishing them every happiness.

In the days that followed, both Johnson couples were extremely happy. The only dark cloud on the horizon was the vicious treatment both partners and their wives received from the Jules Crain family and their friends.

In the second week of December, Dorena had prepared breakfast one morning, and the two couples enjoyed the time together in the log cabin.

When the meal was almost over, Dan looked at his partner across the table and said, “Benjamin, I have an appointment in town at nine o’clock this morning. I need you to ride over to the Box D
ranch and take a message to Duane Davis for me.”

“Sure,” said Benjamin.

Dan took a small envelope from his shirt pocket and handed it to his partner. “Just give him this. He’s expecting it.”

“Will do.”

Ten minutes later, Benjamin kissed Dorena good-bye, telling her he would be back in a couple of hours.

After delivering the written message to Duane Davis, Benjamin rode away from the ranch house. He had enjoyed the half hour he spent with the Davises, who had treated him kindly ever since he had come to the Circle J.

Eager to get back to the ranch, Benjamin put the horse to a gallop. Moments later, he was drawing near the Crain ranch. The road led him around a large stand of cottonwoods. As he skirted the trees, he heard gunshots crack the air and echo across the prairie.

Was someone hunting game? On the other side of the trees he saw a man lying in the road. Two riders were racing away as fast as they could go. A riderless horse stood by the fence.

Benjamin pulled rein and skidded to a stop. He slid from the saddle and knelt down to turn the man over.

It was Wyatt Crain!

There were two bloody holes where the bullets had plowed through his coat and hit him in the chest.

Wyatt opened his eyes, gritting his teeth in pain. When he focused on Benjamin, he swallowed hard and said in a strained voice, “I’m … hit bad, Benjamin.”

“I can see that. I will put you on my horse and take you to the doctor in town.”

“Y-you will?”

“Yes. Neither slug looks to be near your heart. Who were those men who shot you?”

Wyatt closed his eyes and licked his lips. “Enemies.”

“What kind of enemies?”

“Just … enemies.”

“Black enemies? Somebody else you have told to get out of the county?”

Wyatt’s silence was enough. Benjamin had thought the riders were possibly black when he saw them riding away. Running his hands under the wounded man’s body, he said, “All right, Wyatt, let’s get you to the doctor.”

I
T WAS AN HOUR PAST NOON
—more than time enough for Benjamin to return from his errand at Duane Davis’s ranch.

While Dorena sat at the kitchen table, wringing her hands, Tracie squeezed her shoulder and said, “Honey, Benjamin probably just got to talking to Duane and lost track of the time. Duane is a very friendly person, and I know he likes Benjamin.”

“But Benjamin would know being this late would worry me,” said Dorena. “He told me be would be back in a couple of hours. It has been almost five hours. I’m afraid something is wrong. You know what those Crain men said they would do. Maybe they decided to kill my husband to get him out of the county for good.”

“Now, sweetie, you mustn’t think the worst.”

“How can I help it? I live in constant dread whenever Benjamin leaves the ranch. Back on the plantation there was protection for Negroes. But here in the West, there is no one to protect us. I thought everyone was free no matter what color of skin they had. I just wasn’t prepared for the prejudice we’ve been shown by white people. On the plantation I felt secure, knowing that Master Charles would keep us safe. Out here, there is no master to protect us.”

“Sweetie,” said Tracie, “let me help you with that. You say you have no master here to protect you. Listen to me. You are God’s child, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then you have the Master of the universe to protect you. And so does Benjamin, who is also His child. No man on earth can give you the protection and care that your own Lord and Master can. No
harm can ever come to a Christian without first getting past the Master. If it gets past Him, then it is His will, and it is right.”

Dorena’s eyes grew large as the wisdom of Tracie’s words penetrated her heart and mind. “Oh, Tracie,” she said in a tear-clogged voice, “how could I have such little faith? I’ve let the fear of the Crains and their friends cloud my mind, when all the time my Master was wanting me to trust His care and protection.”

“That’s right,” said Tracie. “Years ago I memorized Psalm 118:6, and it has been so precious to me. ‘The L
ORD
is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?’ The Crains and their friends are only men, honey. You need not fear them.”

“Oh, thank you, Tracie, for giving me that verse. I must ask my only Lord and Master to increase my faith and help me to trust both Benjamin and myself to His care.”

The sound of a horse trotting into the yard met their ears. The women hurried through the house and moved out onto the front porch.

Dan saw them and guided his horse toward them. He brought the horse to a stop and swung from the saddle. “Sorry I didn’t make it back for lunch, honey.”

“You didn’t miss a thing,” Tracie said. “We haven’t had lunch. We’ve been preoccupied with the fact that Benjamin hasn’t returned from the Box D yet.”

Lines creased Dan’s brow. “That’s strange. He should’ve been back a couple of hours ago.”

“So we’ve been discussing. Dorena’s been worried that the Crains might have done something to him.”

Dan’s features lost color. “I’m going over to the Davis place right now and see if Benjamin got there this morning.”

Just as Dan put his foot in the stirrup, Dorena’s attention was drawn to two riders who had emerged from the forest of cottonwoods. “Look!” she said. “One of them is Benjamin!”

Dan and Tracie swung their eyes that way, and as Dorena lifted her skirt ankle-high and bounded off the porch, Dan said, “The other one is Jules Crain!”

Dan and Tracie joined hands and ran after her.

Benjamin urged the horse forward, then slipped from the saddle and wrapped Dorena in his arms. Crain drew rein and stopped beside Benjamin’s horse.

“Oh, darling,” Dorena babbled through tears of relief, “I’ve been so worried!”

“It’s all right, sweetheart. I’m home safe and sound. Everything is all right.”

With an arm around Dorena’s shoulders, Benjamin said, “Could we sit down and talk? I want to explain what happened.”

With a sheepish look on his face, Jules said to Benjamin, “Would it be all right if I tell the story?”

Benjamin nodded, and Dan said, “Let’s go inside.”

When they were seated in the parlor, Jules told them about Benjamin riding toward home from the Box D ranch and finding Wyatt lying on the ground with two bullets in his chest. He choked up and blinked at the tears filling his eyes as he told how Benjamin had picked Wyatt up and taken him into town to Dr. James Madson.

“Doc says Wyatt will live. Neither bullet was near his heart. One lung was punctured, and the other slug was high enough to miss the lung, though it did damage the clavicle on his right side. Wyatt will be several months recovering, but he will live!”

“We’re glad for that,” Dan said.

Jules sleeved tears from his cheeks. “I couldn’t have blamed Benjamin at all if he had just ridden away and let Wyatt bleed to death. Not after the way we’ve treated him and his dear wife here.”

Benjamin squeezed Dorena’s hand and sent a glance to Dan and Tracie.

“Benjamin,” Jules said, “if it hadn’t been for you, my son would be dead now. You have shown me what you’re really made of.”

Benjamin nodded and smiled.

“Do you know who shot him?” Dan asked.

“Yes,” Jules said. “Two black men from the Bar-X ranch. Wyatt
told me who they were before he went into surgery. But I’m not gonna press charges. Wyatt and I had threatened to run them out of the county, just like we did Benjamin and Dorena. We were the ones who were wrong, Dan, but it took Benjamin’s kindness and compassion to show us that.”

He looked at the black couple and said, “Benjamin, Dorena, I am asking you to forgive me for the way I’ve treated you and for the threats I made.”

“You are forgiven, Mr. Crain,” said Benjamin.

“Yes,” said Dorena.

Jules’s lips quivered as he nodded his head to them. Then he set his tear-filled gaze on Dan and Tracie. “I am asking you to forgive me, too, for making it so hard on you for hiring Benjamin and then making him your partner.”

When they both told him he was forgiven, Jules said, “I’m gonna go to all of my friends whom I’ve influenced against you and tell them how wrong my family and I have been. They won’t be lookin’ at you with scorn anymore.”

The next words that came from Jules Crain’s mouth made them even happier.

“Benjamin, that day on the street when Wyatt and I were givin’ you and Dorena such a hard time, you warned us about dyin’ and facin’ God in our sins.”

Benjamin nodded.

“Well, I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind. You told us about the ransom of love that Jesus Christ paid on the cross to deliver us from the bondage of sin and an eternity in hell.”

Benjamin’s heart was swelling up inside him as he nodded again.

“I would like to know more about this ransom of love.”