That's My Daughter!

 by Lizzy D. 

Andi Prescott looked over the crowd at the fourth of July fair. She had lost her husband and two sons. She, Jenny Elizabeth and Lilly were at the wagon waiting for Riley, Jared and Eli.

“Mama. I’m hungry.” Lilly said.

Andi looked over at her daughter. “Look and see if there are any leftovers from lunch.” Andi said.

Lilly rooted around in the picnic basket.  “I only found this apple.” Lilly held up the bruised apple.

“Share it with Jenny Elizabeth.” Andi said looking out over the crowd.

“I think I see him.” Jenny Elizabeth pointed

. Suddenly a man came over to their wagon. “Come on down from there, Ana!” The man wrenched Jenny Elizabeth from the wagon. “I told you not to run off.”

Andi jumped off the wagon. “Let my daughter go!” She ordered.

 The man sneered at her and gripped Jenny Elizabeth’s arm tighter. “This is my daughter and when we get home, she’ll get what’s coming to her.”

Andi could see Riley coming out of the corner of her eye.

“Excuse me sir, I wish you let go of our daughter.” Riley said. Jared and Eli climbed onto the wagon with Lilly.

“As I told your pretty wife, this is my daughter.” The commotion had drawn a crowd around them, including the sheriff and the rest of Andi’s family. Mother came up to Andi and put her arms around her.

 “Sir you must be mistaken. This is Jenny Elizabeth Prescott. Not your daughter.” Sheriff Tate said.

 The man tightened his grip on Jenny Elizabeth and spit at the sheriff. “This is my daughter!” He hollered.

 “Can you prove it?”

 The man’s evil grin faded away as the words came out of Sheriff Tate’s mouth. “Uh,” The man stammered. He let his grip on Jenny Elizabeth go and stepped back a piece.

Andi hugged Jenny Elizabeth near her and glared at the man.

“No. I can’t say I can.” The man stood tall. “I was just a little careless when I was planning. Because I am the son of Procopio the Red Handed!” With that the man ran into the crowd.

“Jenny Elizabeth, are you alright?” Andi hugged her daughter.

 Riley put his hand on Jenny Elizabeth’s shoulder and looked over at Sheriff Tate. “Thank you.” He said.

 He nodded and walked away.

Jenny Elizabeth hopped in the wagon and Riley and Andi climbed up to the seat. Then they headed home.

****

Andi woke up with a start. She wondered what woke her up.

Suddenly a clatter of footsteps rushed in the room. “Mama! Hurry!”

Andi jumped from the bed and hurriedly got dressed. She rushed in the kitchen to find only Eli and Riley. “Where are the girls              and where is Jared?” Andi glanced at each of their faces.

“Andi, Lilly is still sleeping and Jenny Elizabeth is ... well she’s not here. Jared went over to the Circle C to get help.”

Jared had successfully kept Eli and Lilly occupied the whole time.

Andi had sat down for only a minute to drink her coffee but she just couldn’t keep still.

“Dear Lord, where is my daughter?”

****

    Jenny Elizabeth was tired after riding for hours. When she had gone into the kitchen for water, she had looked out the window into the face of the man who had nearly cut off her arm.

    Juan Rodendo.  Her captor had spoken only enough to tell her to be quiet and his name.

     Suddenly they stopped. Jenny Elizabeth looked around, but couldn’t see anything in the dark.

    “Vamonos Senorita.” Juan said.

    Jenny Elizabeth dismounted and hurried over to Juan. She could barely see the outline of a shack.

    “Dentro.”

    Jenny Elizabeth went inside the small shack and felt around and found a chair just as Juan lit a lamp.

     “Well Senorita, looks like it’s you and me till your parents bring the ransom.” Juan laughed an evil laugh and inside Jenny Elizabeth groaned.

****

    Andi glanced at the Bible on the night stand. She picked it up and opened it to the bookmark. Last night she was reading in Psalms. She started to read Psalm 4. “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.” She whispered that verse over and over until she heard the sound of boots stomping on the floor. She stood up and went out to the kitchen. There stood her brothers, Chad, Mitch and Justin.

    Justin came over to her and hugged her. “It’s okay.”

    “Thank you, Justin.” She said. She sat down on a kitchen chair and watched her brothers and husband plan out the operation. “Dear Lord, help them find my daughter.”

****

    Jenny Elizabeth woke up and looked around. She was sleeping on an old cot at the back of the shack.

    Juan was sleeping on another cot at the side of the shack.

     She threw the old saddle blanket she had used off, and stood up. She walked over to the poor excuse for a stove and found a frying pan and a couple eggs. She started frying them up when Juan woke up.

    “Well, Senorita, you are early this morning.”

     Jenny Elizabeth poured the eggs onto the two plates she had found and pulled out two forks. “Breakfast is ready.” She sat down across from Juan and ate her eggs. After she finished, she stood up and did the dishes. “Juan. I have a question.”

    Juan nodded.

    “What’s the ransom and when did you give them the ransom note?”

    Juan paled. “I forgot to make one.”

    Jenny Elizabeth froze. “Does that mean you are holding me here for nothing!”

    Juan nodded.

    “What are you to do?” Jenny Elizabeth asked.

    “Nada”

    Now it was Jenny Elizabeth’s turn to pale. “Nothing? What do you mean nothing?”

    Juan went to the door. “I will keep you. What for? For a housekeeper. And when you are older, my wife.”

****

    Andi paced the floor. Riley and her brothers had split up yesterday. She hadn’t seen a trace of any of them.

      Jared had successfully kept Eli occupied the whole time.

      Andi had sat down for only a minute to drink her coffee but she just couldn’t keep still. “Dear Lord, where is my daughter?”

****

Jenny Elizabeth had never been this restless in her life. “He wants me to be his wife?” She had been whispering that to herself all day.

Juan had left a minute ago and Jenny Elizabeth was thinking of a way to escape. Jenny Elizabeth looked out the dirty window to see nothing but dirt. She opened the door and saw that the sky was dark enough to escape.

She grabbed a biscuit out of the batch she made for lunch and wrapped it in her handkerchief. She pushed it back in her pocket and took a deep breath. She whispered a quick prayer and opened the door.

She looked out the door for any signs of Juan and for a sign of trees. She was satisfied with the patch of pines about a few yards away and bolted out the door. She reached the pines and hid behind one.

She couldn’t see Juan so she went to another tree about another yard away. She repeated doing so until she couldn’t see the shack anymore. She broke away from the pines and looked up to the sky.

She scanned the sky until she found the North Star. She followed the North Star for a long time. She heard the distant sound of horse hooves and hid behind the nearest tree.

“Jenny Elizabeth!”

She heard her name being called.

“Papa?” She whispered to herself. She peeked from behind the tree and recognized Papa. She broke away from the shadow from the tree and ran forward. “Papa!”

Riley looked over to her and hopped off his horse.

“Jenny Elizabeth!”

Jenny Elizabeth reached Riley and threw herself at him. “Papa.” She hugged him tight. “

Oh Jenny Elizabeth.” Jenny Elizabeth let go and looked into Riley’s face.  “Can we go home now Papa?” 

 “Yes, Yes we can.”

Jenny Elizabeth could sense, as they got on the horse, that he was so happy he was crying.

Not that Jenny Elizabeth wasn’t.

She probably couldn’t match what Papa was feeling, but she was very close.

****

Later that week at Sunday dinner, Justin shared the news that Juan was arrested. Everyone was happy as the news was spilled.

But the news that everyone loved was that Ellie was expecting again.

As Andi looked around at their happy family, she knew that she should never worry.

Because God was always in control and that Jenny Elizabeth was not only her and Riley’s daughter, but God’s.