When Thomas was a young boy his big brother John had saved him from drowning in the local swim hole. His friends had dared him and he was still young, foolish and felt a little invincible at the ripe age of 8. He struggled to keep his head above the water after jumping in, not knowing how deep that area was. Fear had overcome him and he felt that this would be the day his foolish mistakes would end his life, but he felt a life saving grip that pulled him from going under as it drug him out onto safe land.
Ever since that day, John was his hero and he admired him for all his strengths. He vowed that when he grew up he was going to be like John, even when he passed the age that John was at when he saved him. John would always be older so Tom would always have some catching up to do. If he felt that John needed anything then he would be there to do his best to provide. They shared a deep connection that was unbreakable.
When John joined the army Tom's mother caught him trying to sneak off to join as well so she put the switch to him and let him know "You're too young to be joining" and "I will not be losing both my boys", so he found himself for a time without John and having to live out his older teenage years without him around, but his influence still remained. John taught him how to shoot, fish, and defend himself in a fist fight if he ever needed to. So he busied himself helping on the farm and going over his daily lessons that his mother insisted they both have. "You will learn to because being dumb is no way to make a living". She was right and they both knew it.
When John was finished in the army he had made his way to a small town to work for someone who worked in the army who ran a business that needed some protection during their deliveries. John was an excellent shot and before too long he had established himself as a decent man and a protector. This had led the local community to elect him as sheriff, which seemed a logical choice as he had cleaned up so much of the crime they had been dealing with. Once he wrote home to let them know where he was and what he was doing it didn't take long for Tom to follow him.
John would not allow his brother to work with him for fear that one day he would be on the receiving end of a bullet, so Tom built his own reputation as a handy man, a good farm hand, an honest man, and the brother of Sheriff John. It was through all these busy times that Tom had met a young girl named Mary in the local church and their relationship started quickly. Her father liked Tom and hired him to be a farm hand and to help build a new house on their property that he and Mary could live in once they were married.
Life was now more than Tom could dream of and he felt so grateful having so many blessings before him. A beautiful wife, a baby soon, a new house, his brother close by to share these memories with, he even formed a local volunteer fire department to help if the community ever needed it. They cut a tree line to prevent forest fires from reaching the town, prepared water reserves, and made sure every volunteer knew the plan if the bell was ever rung to call them to help and that bell sat quiet for many years except for the few times John would ring it to see how loyal the volunteers were, plus it would give him a chance to have some fun at his brothers expense....or announce the birth of Tom's son.
The brothers were loved by all in the community and while many women tried to catch John's eye he ignored them all. His job as sheriff came first and it always had the chance to create a widow, something he would not do. So he stayed committed to that, besides he had enough family through his brother Tom and his wife's amazing home cooking. He counted these as his blessings and he thanked the good Lord every day for them.
Then came the day when the bell did ring as Tom had used to to call everyone to help ensure that the incoming blaze would not reach their town. He felt confident enough in the earlier work they had done, but there was now some brush that had not been cleared up and a few odd trees that would need to go. Most of the town volunteered and carried water, axes and the supplies needed to cut things off by the town. They had torn out most of the brush and piled it on a few of the smaller trees they cut down. Then all this was doused in water over and over until a small man made river ran along the tree line.
With the fire raging ever closer it was Tom who noticed the one tall tree start to burn from the top and he realized that if it fell there was the possibility of it jumping over all the work they had done. As he grabbed and axe and ran towards the blaze everyone shouted after him to stop and come back, but this was Tom and he was feeling a little bit invincible today. He had loved ones to protect, he had a brother that he looked up to and he wanted him to know that he too could save people. He knew how to cut a tree so that it would fall the proper way, but he was not ready for the kick back from the bottom of the tree that hit him hard, knocking him backward into the blazing heat. There unconscious with his lungs filling with smoke and his body slowly burning his mind reminded him of his brother's arms wrapped around him pulling him to safety. He muttered the words "I love you, John" and then he left this world without feeling any pain.
Upon receiving the news of his brother's death, John tried to race into the blazing inferno to find his body and it took 8 men to hold him back. They held him until the grief broke out from inside him then they helped him back to his office. "We will find him and give him the best funeral this town has ever seen" they told him and while they were consoling them and deciding who would tell Tom's wife there was a knock at the door. It was old crazy Walter who lived in the woods and he had the stable boy with him.
"I have something to tell you sheriff, we know who started this blaze" Walter told him.
John looked up from his grief and gave Walter the blackest look he had ever seen from the man. "Who was it?"
Walter did not know that Tom had just died so he informed John of everything that had been happening with Bill.The break in at Grace's business, the trapping at his property and how he was seen going into the woods early before the fire started with supplies and his motive for revenge setting Walter's property on fire.
John, realizing his brother's death could have been prevented, felt a rage quickly burn through his soul as he grabbed Walter and pulled him close to his face, "Why did you now tell me about what that bastard was up to?"
Walter, once recovering from the shock, told John, "Would anything have been done? We had no proof of the break in, those rich people always seem to get away with everything. We did the best we could, we had a stable hand watch for him. What could you have done?"
"I'll tell you what I can do" he dropped Walter hard on the floor and stormed out of the sheriff's office riding off quickly in the direction of Bill's house. Walter was dazed as someone helped him get to his feet.
The man put his hand on Walter's shoulder and told him, "Tom is dead, he died fighting the fire."
"Oh my God, I didn't know," Walter replied as the stable hand began to cry.
"It looks like you may have started a fire too that can not be quenched. God help John and what he does next."
John had rode out with the intention to shoot Bill on the spot, but he began to remember his brother and all the things he would tell him about being an honest man that he could look up to. He began to cry and had to stop his horse taking time to compose himself before riding off to arrest the man who killed his brother. He would let the town decide what happens to Bill.
As he arrived at the estate he noticed how quiet it was with no one in sight. He passed a farm hand on his way up to the house who informed him they were given the day off and that they master of the house was not at home and his son would be leaving soon to join him. John thanked him and rode up to the front of the mansion, the front doors were wide open so he made his way inside. He followed the noise and commotion up the grand staircase to find Bill in a room frantically packing things into a luggage case and murmuring to himself.
"Going somewhere, Bill?" John startled him.
Bill jumped back, "Sheriff, uh no. I just need to send something to my father".
"Tom is dead, Bill. He died fighting your fire." John had his gun out and it was pointing right at Bill's cold heart.
"Yes, I heard. I am sorry for your loss. My fire? I don't know what you mean."
"Oh, you know. Someone saw you Bill, going out there will all your supplies to try to burn Walter alive and those animals you wanted to steal. Only Walter didn't die, Tom did. I'm here to bring you in for a trial." He threw his iron cuffs at Bill, "Now put those on like a good boy."
"And if I refuse." Bill snapped back.
John pointed his gun at Bill's head, "There are other choices you can make, and one of them would make me very happy at this moment."
Bill considered what he could do. It was obvious he couldn't get away and this small town sheriff was going to put him on trial. He knew he could beat this, his family could beat anything in civilian court so he reached down and fastened the iron cuffs to his wrists.
"Shame" John said as he grabbed Bill from behind and forced him out of the house. He tied his cuffs to a rope and made Bill follow behind the horse slowly bringing him back to place him in the jail and locking him behind bars.
People began asking John what he was going to do and he informed them, "Well he was trying to get away so we will hold him here for a trial. We will let the town decide." As he turned to one of them and asked "can you watch the jail while I go out for a bit, I have to tell Mary that she is a widow." The man wiped a tear and nodded. John rode out to see his sister and to tell her that her husband was dead.
He was tired and it was dark when he returned to the jail house. He wanted to stay with Mary and the kids, but he needed to check on his prisoner and Mary had her parents there to help console her. Though it was dark and late there was a large crowd of men waiting around the jail house. As he got off his horse he greeted them, "Evening, gentlemen. What brings you here?"
"You know why we're here," one shouted.
"Don't let them hurt me, John!" the voice screamed from inside the jail. "It was an accident, Tom was an accident!"
"Tom was my brother and you don't get to speak his name. Why did you try to kill Walter?"
"Not kill him, just scare him a bit. He hurt me first."
John knew now that this man was guilty and that he was too simple in the head to reason with. He stepped up on the steps and addressed the men gathered there. "I believe we should give this man a trial and let the town decide his fate."
"We have decided, we have had our trial. You heard him confess it." one shouted back at him.
John hung his head. He was tired, Tom was gone and he just wanted to be away from all this. He remembered Walter's words and how these rich families never see due punishment. He took his key ring and hung it by the door. "I have to go check on my sister and her family, I would like you men to look after this place until I come back in the morning. What you do is on your conscience." he said as he climbed on his horse and rode away to the screams of Bill begging for mercy.
After a night's stay with Mary's family her mother cooked an amazing breakfast which John thanked her for as he headed out back to town. There at the entrance to town Bill's body was swaying in the wind. There may be hell to pay for this, but the town had decided and he left it at that. He made it back to the jail to see his keys hanging outside, the building empty and quiet. Tom was not going to visit today and John went inside to place his badge and gun on the desk. He no longer wanted to be the protector anymore. He just wanted the hurting to stop. He sat down and wept bitterly.