Kendrick’s Pride

By A. H. Holt

Kendrick’s Pride
Second Book in The Kendrick Family Story

Kendrick is shocked when Hal Stinson’s brother demands custody of the twin boys, he and Meg adopted almost eleven years ago. Meg is hysterical. Taken to court, Kendrick retains custody of the boys. Stinson makes threats and Meg is viciously murdered. Kendrick’s pride demands he join with Meg’s brother Jim to catch and punish the killers. On the way, they are joined by Davis, their friend.

In a mix up created by the killers, Jim is captured and charged with his sister’s murder. The marshal is taking him back to Belden for trial. Kendrick is wounded in a gun battle and he and Davis find shelter with Reverend Armstrong and his daughter Elizabeth in an Indian settlement.

The town marshal leads a posse to capture Kendrick and Davis. Meg’s murderers join the posse. While fighting them off Armstrong reveals that the chief of the Indians in his congregation wants Elizabeth to be his wife. They decide to return to Belden for safety.

Back in Belden, Stinson tries to gain custody of the twins through the courts. He fails again.

The twins are then kidnapped.

Anne Haw Holt Ph.D., writing as A. H. Holt.
Ahholt.com

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jamie Holt Sherfy
• Release date: Mar 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9780463587010

A. H. Holt

Anne Haw Holt Ph.D. writing as A. H. HoltAnne is a tireless and opinionated juggernaut who literally never stops. She is a writer of both fiction and nonfiction and is also an accomplished poet and photographer.Born in Virginia on September 20, 1934, Anne has lived an incredible life. She started her adult life with an eighth-grade education and quickly acquired some business training. She always worked full-time, often running her own businesses and always supporting her family. Having an innate love for books and being a prolific reader and writer, getting her degree was a natural step when she had the time. She attended Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) in Charlottesville, Virginia, and received her BA from Mary Baldwin in Staunton, Virginia in 1989. She holds a MA and Ph.D. in History from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. She completed her education over many years maintaining a respectable grade average, graduating magna cum laude while working full time while raising and supporting a large family.Dr. Holt is a professional grant writer and teaches grant writing, writing, and leadership. Her book, ‘Grant Writing Step by Step’, is one of the best on the subject. Her book, ‘From Writer to Author: Prepare your Manuscript for Publication’, is a must-have for any serious writer.Anne brings her deep knowledge of history and the American West into her western novels with incredible characters and storylines making them an absolute joy to read. She also has a fantastic anthology of four short stories in the suspense/horror genre, ‘The Four Faces of Death’.‘The Malefactors’, is a beautiful and complicated story of the life of the thieves who died with Christ on the cross. This book is based on a story her father wrote and never published decades ago.All in all, Anne is a talented and amazing writer creating great stories between being active in her community, working full time while beautifully maintaining her role as the matriarch of a huge family.

Book preview

KENDRICK’S PRIDE

By

A. H. Holt

Second Book

In

The Kendrick Family Story

Other Books

By A. H. Holt

Anne Haw Holt Ph.D.

Western / Frontier

Blanco Sol

Blood Redemption

Ten In Texas

Kendrick

High Plains Fort

Riding Fence

Silver Creek

Non Western / Frontier

The Malefactors

Four Faces of Death

Nonfiction

The XIT Ranch - How Texas Traded Land for a State House

Grant Writing Step By Step

From Writer To Author

Beautiful Places - Monticello & Jefferson County Florida

Ahholt.com

Originally published in

© Copyright 2020 by

Anne Haw Holt aka. A. H. Holt

All rights reserved.

All the characters in this book are fictitious,

and any resemblance to actual persons,

living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Published by Jamie Holt Sherfy

Cover Design

by Jamie Holt Sherfy

Edited by

Mark Sherfy & Jamie Holt Sherfy

Epub - 9780463587010

Paperback - 978-1-6671-8818-8

Hardback - 978-1-4357-7202-1

Hardback with Dust Cover - 978-1-387-98779-5

Dedicated to Dale and Courtney

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Character List

Author’s Profile

CHAPTER ONE

I filled the stove with kindling and added a couple of chunks of sap-filled pine to heat the place up fast. In minutes the sides of the heater glowed red from the roaring fire. By the time it calmed down I was warm and nearly finished making entries in the ranch books.

I suddenly heard running footsteps on the path from the house.

What the devil….

The office door flew open to crash back against the wall and Meg fairly jumped through the opening. Her face glowed a pasty white and her hair tumbled down on her shoulders. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Sobbing between every word, she shrieked, "Oh Ken—Ken—you—you have to come up to the house--now—please hurry.

You have to hurry. It’s Sheriff Collier--the town sheriff from Belden—the sheriff and two other men are in our parlor. They say we have to give them the boys—right now--today.

Startled by her tears and mystified by her crazy sounding words, I stood up and leaned over the desk ---, What in the name of Heaven do you mean—what are you talking about. Meg?

Meg didn’t say another word. She just looked at me through her fingers, tears streaming.

I pushed my chair back and hurried around the desk to grab my wife’s shoulders with both hands. Stop that crying Meg, for Pete’s sake—calm yourself—I can’t even understand what you’re trying to say to me. Take your hands down from your face and tell me what in the world you’re babbling about.

Dropping her hands so her whole body took on a defeated look, Meg looked up at me, tears streaming and wailed, "It’s true, Ken—it’s true. It’s what that Sheriff Collier told me—just now.

One of the men with him claims he’s Trent and Tyler’s real blood uncle and the sheriff says we have to give him the boys.

Well, you just stop your crying. It won’t do any good and you know it. Come on. We’ll go back up to the house and see what they have to say—somebody’s out of their mind—I just need to go find out who.

Taking my hands away and stepping around Meg, I rushed out of the office and stretched my legs as I strode toward the house.

Meg ran to keep close behind me, still crying aloud. You can’t let them take the boys Ken—you can’t.

Don’t be silly Meg, I said over my shoulder.

Of course they can’t take the boys—don’t be ridiculous. You just calm down—I’ll talk to the marshal.

Crossing the back porch, I threw open the kitchen door letting it slam back against the wall, crossed to almost run down the hallway and rush through the parlor door.

I stopped in the middle of the room and stared first at Collins then at the two men sitting nearest the fireplace. A slender young man in a boiled collar and a slick looking head of black hair perched on the edge of the seat of Mother’s rocking chair. He frowned up at me.

The fattest man I ever laid eyes on overflowed my dad’s easy chair. My easy chair.

Collins tried to stand a little taller as he stepped closer to me, his hands out as if to stop me. You just take it easy now Wayne Kendrick--don’t you go getting yourself all upset and excited. These here men are out here on legal business. I come with them because I figured you was likely to get yourself all riled up and try to cause them some trouble.

Collier turned to wave his hand at the fat man. "Mr. William H. E. Stinson, Jr. here showed me clear proof in writing he’s brother to them there poor little boys own real father, Mr. Hal Stinson. He come here all the way from back east in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to get them boys and fetch them home with him.

"Mr. Stinson’s ready to give them boys a fine home and a future you can’t never hope to match, Kendrick. You got to turn them boys over to him today.

It’s only right. The man’s their only blood kin.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. Collier, take these two men and get out of my house.

I was afraid of this, Kendrick—I been warned about you and your ways by a lot of folks around Belden. You needn’t come on all proud and stuck up with me. You can’t be talking to me like that anyway. You know I represent the law.

"You don’t represent any law around here, Collier. You’re nothing but the Belden town marshal, not the county sheriff. Nobody but the county sheriff or a sworn federal marshal can represent the law out here and you know that without me telling you.

You take your friends here and get the devil out of my house.

The fat man leaned forward in my chair.

"Mr. Kendrick, please--please calm down and listen to what my lawyer has to say about this.

I do have proof I am Hal Stinson’s older brother and blood uncle to those two poor little boys. I want to take them to my home back east and provide for them. I lost my only brother. I want to give his sons a fine education and the life they deserve.

Mad enough to fight, I turned to face Stinson, trying to keep my voice down and sound a lot calmer than I felt.

To start with Mister, my boys are living the life they deserve. They’re well provided for and loved as much as any children can be loved. I don’t know what notion you might hold about the kind of life my boys live here with me, but they are fine and happy and have everything they need.

But they’re not your boys, Mr. Kendrick. The fat man grabbed both arms of the chair and straining, sort of oozed forward to sit on the edge of the seat.

"You must admit that, Sir. You simply took those poor little babies over without leave from anyone but that so-called marshal over at the Springs.

"You brought them back here where nobody knew where they came from and convinced a poor ignorant country judge you and your wife would provide a fine home for them.

Marshal Collier here suggests to me that people in Belden tell him you only wanted the boys as extra hands to help you run this ranch.

I had to take me a deep breath. I felt about ready to explode. In fact, I was so mad my whole chest sort of jerked when I heard the fat skunk say that.

I took one long step forward and leaned forward to be closer to the fat man before I managed to say, Mister, you get up out of my chair and say that again and I’ll break your head for you.

Collier rushed over to push himself between me and Stinson.

Look here Kendrick, you calm yourself down now. If you hit Mr. Stinson I’ll have to arrest you.

I’ll say this again Collier—you do not represent the law here. Now I’m going to leave this room to get my shotgun. I’ve asked you to leave. That’s all I intend to say. Now you get out of my house before I get back and take these two with you.

Without giving Collier time to answer, I turned and legged it out of the room, grabbing Meg by the hand as I went by to pull her along behind me. Without speaking I stomped down the hall to the kitchen.

When we stepped through the kitchen door and stopped Meg turned to look back down the hall, her eyes wild. When she stopped sobbing and opened her mouth to say something, I slid my right hand over her mouth and shook my head to keep her quiet.

Leaning forward close to the kitchen door, I listened carefully, but could only hear a dull murmur of whispered conversation from the front room—no words I could understand.

After about one long minute, the three men moved into the hallway and left by the front door, closing it softly behind them.

As soon as I dropped my hand Meg looked up at me with an expression of pure terror on her white face.

She finally managed to choke out, What are we going to do, Ken? Tell me what we’re going to do?

"I don’t know, Meg. Please try to calm down.

"I’m certain this isn’t the last we’ll hear of those three. I just don’t know. If that little one with Stinson is really a lawyer, I expect he’ll swear out a warrant trying to make a legal claim to the boys as soon as he gets back to Belden.

I’ll go to town first thing in the morning and talk this mess over with Adam Fletcher. He’ll know how to deal with Stinson if he does take us to court.

Oh no—oh no. Meg began sobbing aloud again.

You don’t think a judge would—surely no one would give that horrible man our boys?

"Of course not—there is no possible way Judge Montague would give our sons over to that man. The whole thing is downright foolish. We adopted Trent and Tyler like we were supposed to, with the judge’s say so. Don’t be silly about it, Meg—use some sense and stop taking on so.

Look, go wash your face and put your hair back up. The boys and Katie will be home from school in a little while. I’ll catch them at the barn and explain what happened here, but I don’t want them to see you like this.

I can’t help crying Ken, I’m so scared. You always think I can stop crying just because you say I should, but I can’t—I can’t help it.

You’ll have to help it this time Meg—that’s all there is to it. I can reassure the boys and Katie, but if those children see you crying and carrying on like this, it’ll scare them half to death.

I’m so frightened, Ken. Trent and Tyler are almost twelve years old. How could that horrible man come here trying to take them away from us now—after almost twelve years?

I can’t explain it Meg, it does look strange for him to wait so long, but you just stop your crying and worrying over it. I’ll see Adam Fletcher tomorrow like I said I would and do whatever needs doing if that Stinson fella pulls the law into this. The boys will be fine.

"You can’t know that Wayne Allen Kendrick—you always think you know everything. You always say everything will be fine—but it is not fine always—it’s just not—no matter what you say. You know it’s possible the law might give those boys to that man.

I’m taking Katie and Trent and Tyler and going home right now. My father will protect us.

Meg, you are not to go to your father about this. I’ll take care of it. If I’ve told you once I’ve told you over and over—our business is our business. I don’t need Major Cason sticking his nose in.

Darn you and your stuck up Kendrick independence. You should be glad my father’s willing to help us instead of acting so prideful.

"Well maybe I should, but I don’t want your father’s help. I’ve told you that hundreds of times and I mean it. I want you to stop running to Major Cason with every little thing.

Try to have a little confidence in me, Meg.

This is no little thing Wayne Kendrick—it would kill me if I lost my children. I mean it—it would kill me.

Meg stared up at me through her tears for a long moment and then turned to run into the hall, sobbing wildly. I could hear her feet pounding the steps as she ran up to our room.

I stood where I was and stared after her, my thoughts buzzing around in my head. I finally shrugged and left the house and hurried toward the barn.

My head filled with pictures of Meg today and Meg ten years ago—the Meg I married. I can’t help but think she will surely drive me crazy one of these days.

After almost twelve years of marriage she still thinks of her father before me—every time we have a problem.

Sometimes I wish she’d go on back home to the Major permanently and leave me in peace.

I guess I don’t really mean that, but Major Cason has the idea he ought to rule just about everything—including my life.

He and I just strike sparks—it was like that even before I married Meg. I try to hold back, but the old scudder’s stuck his nose in my business more than once since Meg and I got married.

I don’t know what in the world he’ll say about this. He never wanted us to adopt Tyler and Trent in the first place even though it was Meg’s idea—well, I guess it was Meg and Aunt Letty’s together to begin with—but Meg sure went along with it—she even pushed it.

Katie met me at the barn door.

Daddy—Daddy, Trent pulled my hair and I told him I would tell you and you would punish him good for being so mean to me.

Lifting my daughter in my arms, I tousled her mop of yellow curls and laughed as I snuggled her close.

What did you do to make Trent pull your hair, Miss?

"Daddy—I didn’t do nothing to Trent. I’m a good girl.

I didn’t do nothing to that big boy—he’s just mean to me—he’s always mean to me.

Tall for his age, his head almost up to my shoulder, Tyler stepped into the bright sunshine, settling his hat atop his overlong blond hair.

"Little Sister, I saw you poke at Trent with your pencil over and over before he turned around and yanked on your hair to make you stop.

We rode at least half a mile while he let your devilment pass without doing a thing. Shame on you for telling Dad and trying to get your brother in trouble.

Aw, Tyler, don’t tell on Katie. Dad knows how she is.

Trent followed his brother out of the barn.

Once they stand side by side, it’s almost impossible to tell the twins apart.

I gave Katie a gentle shake and stood her on her feet. "You stop telling things on your brothers’ young lady, or I’ll have to send one of the hands to take you to school and bring you home every day.

If you can’t tell the truth you won’t be allowed to ride with the boys.

"I’m sorry Daddy. Please don’t do that.

I won’t do it again—I promise. I like to ride to school with Trent and Tyler.

Go on up to the house and help your mama, Honey. She’s not feeling too good today. She’ll be glad to see you.

I watched a moment as she ran toward the house, bright curls flying. Turning to the twins, I hesitated a moment, trying to get my thoughts together.

What’s up Dad? What’s wrong? You look kinda upset.

I knew I couldn’t hide anything from you, Tyler. You’re right. I am upset, seriously upset. You boys come on up to the office and I’ll tell you about it.

I returned to my chair, stretched my legs under the desk and rested my arms on the open ledger. Trent perched on one end of the desk and Tyler