Small Falls Reboot 2014
Part 1
By: Storm Richards
It was late afternoon in
early spring, the sky was blue, the sun was high and there was a light
breeze. Hannibal Heyes and Kid
Curry were at the end of a long journey to the town of Small Falls, a quiet
little town where they were to await a telegram from Colonel Marker. He had given the boys work before, and
more importantly, he was a very good friend of the Governor; the same
Governor who had promised the partners amnesty if they could stay out of
trouble.
“How long before the
Colonel contacts us?" Kid asked Heyes.
"Don't know,”
his partner replied, "we got here quicker than we're supposed to, so it
might be a day or two."
Approaching the town they
heard the muffled sound of a woman's scream. Turning the far corner into Small
Falls they almost ran into a man grabbing and dragging a woman.
"Hey," Heyes
yelled, "let go of her."
"She's none of your
business," the man yelled back.
"Maybe not, but you
don't treat any woman that way," Heyes stated as he dismounted.
Kid sat still, watching
with his hand and gun at the ready.
"Are you okay,
ma'am?" the ex-outlaw leader inquired.
With her head bowed and her
eyes looking down, the young woman responded, "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."
"I think it's time for
you to let go of her arm," the brown haired partner demanded of the man.
"It's none of your
business," the man barked.
"It is now," said
Curry, pointing his gun at the man.
"Miss, is this man your father, husband, brother?"
"No sir," the
woman responded, still looking at the ground.
"Then, I think it's
time you let her go," Heyes told the man.
Looking at the gun pointing
at him and the glare from the man standing only a few feet away, the man
huffed, released the woman's arm and stomped off.
"Are you okay,
Miss?" brown eyes looked on with concern. “I'm Joshua Smith and
this is my partner Thaddeus Jones."
"Thank you very much,
Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones. My name is Laurie. I'm okay," the young woman
responded.
"What’d he
want?" the blond man asked.
"Nothing," she
stuttered, "that was Mr. Carlson. He owns the General Store and he was
just mad at me. It was really
nothing, thank you." Laurie turned and quickly ran down the street to
the back alley.
"I don't think it was
nothing," Kid said to Heyes.
"I know," his
partner responded, mounting his horse, "but what can we do? She said it
was nothing and ran away."
"Yeah, but did you see
how she was dressed? And her dress was ripped…" Kid started to
say.
"I know, but she
doesn't want our help. Anyway we're not here to draw attention to
ourselves. We have to wait for
the Colonel to contact us. We
need the money, the job and his good word to the Governor. Let's go find the hotel and
check in."
***
"We would like a room
and a bath," Kid said to the hotel clerk.
"Yes, sir. Will you be
staying with us long?" asked the desk clerk.
"A few days,"
responded Heyes.
"Pleasure or
business?" asked the clerk.
"A little of
both," responded Heyes.
"Please sign in here.
I'll give you the front corner room. My name is Walter Jansen; my wife Doris
and I own the hotel. If you need
anything," he said, looking at the registry, "Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones,
just let us know."
***
After getting cleaned up,
Kid turned to Heyes, who was looking out the front window of the room,
"See anyone familiar out there?"
"No, it looks like a
nice quiet town. Haven't seen a
familiar face at all."
"Great, I'm
starvin’. Let's go
eat."
"When aren't you
starving?" replied Heyes with a smirk.
***
Leaving the hotel, Heyes
scanned the street. He noticed Mr. Carlson talking to the Sheriff. As they started to cross the street to
the café, the lawman turned and started walking towards the hotel,
altering his course when his saw the partners in the street.
"Heyes," Kid
said, with uncertainty in his voice.
"I see, just keep
walking. I don't recognize him, do you?"
"No. So why does he
look like he's headed directly for us?"
"Don't know, just keep
walking, and don't pay attention to him. Maybe he just decided to get
something to eat," Heyes said, figuring the Sheriff was on a direct
course to them.
Just as they reached the
boardwalk, the Sheriff called out, "Excuse me boys."
"Us?" asked
Heyes, sounding surprised.
"Yes," replied
the lawman, "I would like a word with you two."
"What can we do for
you?" inquired the brown haired partner, plastering a smile on his face
as he turned to look at the man.
“I'm Sheriff Tom
Hardy. To start, you can tell me
who you are and what you're doing in town," he replied in a very serious
and all business like tone.
"My name is Joshua
Smith; this is my partner, Thaddeus Jones. We're just passing through. Waiting for a telegram about a
job."
"Passing through?"
the Sheriff asked, looking curiously at the boys, "Who's the telegram
from?"
"Colonel Marker,"
replied the blond man. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I have been
told that you're up to no good, are lookin’ for trouble and probably
have wanted posters. It’s
my job to check these things out."
Heyes responded with a
smile on his face, "We're law abiding citizens, Sheriff. My partner and
I are here waiting for a telegram.
We don't want any trouble. Can you tell us who told you we’re
outlaws?"
Before Hardy had a chance
to respond, Laurie stepped out of the shadows of the café, where she
had been sweeping. She was still
wearing the dress she had on earlier.
Heyes noticed that the rip he had seen earlier had been repaired.
"Joshua is that you?
Is that really you?" she called out as she ran over and gave him a hug.
Heyes was stunned but
returned the hug and said, "Yes it's me." He paused and said
cautiously, "Laurie?"
"Excuse me," the
lawman interrupted, "Laurie, you know these men?"
"Yes," she
replied, enthusiastically, "This is Joshua Smith, my ex-fiancé
and his cousin Thaddeus Jones."
"Your
ex-fiancé?" inquired the Sheriff.
"Yes. We were supposed
to be married three years ago, but my mother didn't approve so she had Joshua
run out of town." Looking at Heyes, Laurie continued, "Don't worry
Joshua, I know mother threatened you and your parents if you didn't leave
town. When I found out, I left
too. Don't worry. I don't blame
you at all." Turning back to the Sheriff, "Now Sheriff, Joshua and
Thaddeus are certainly not outlaws.
Mr. Carlson only told you that because they stopped him from yelling
at me earlier. You know how he
gets if he doesn't get his way."
Sheriff Hardy looked at Laurie and opened his mouth to speak, but she
continued talking a mile a minute, "Sheriff, my real name is Laura Cain,
of the East Coast Cain's. When I went after Joshua, my mother disowned me.
That's how I ended up here by myself.
If you don't believe me, just send a telegram to her. She can tell you
Joshua and Thaddeus are not outlaws.
She didn't want me to marry him because she didn't think he and his
family had enough money, not because he is an outlaw." A rumble of thunder could be heard in
the distance. "Well,
Sheriff," Laurie said nervously, "If you could excuse me, I have to
get Sam and get home. Joshua,
Thaddeus, it was good to see you again. Good night." Laurie quickly turned, picked up her
skirt and ran down the street calling for Sam.
"Sorry boys," the
Sheriff said, "I guess I'll have to take your word and Laurie's that
you're on the up and up. I really have nothing to prove you are anything but
who you say. Just stay out of
trouble while you're here."
"Yes sir," Heyes
replied.
With more thunder in the
distance, Hardy said, "We're gonna have a storm. Better check that everything is tied
down. Have a good night." He tipped his hat and turned toward the jail.
The partners resumed their
original path to the café. Kid asked, "What just happened?"
"I have no idea Kid,
no idea!" Heyes mumbled, "I do know two things. Laurie got us out
of trouble for tonight, and we may find it tomorrow if the Sheriff sends that
telegram to her mother." He
turned toward his partner, "Forget, food, I need a drink!"
"Fine. We'll get a
drink, then food," blue eyes implored. "Tomorrow you're gonna have
to straighten her out. I mean you aren't her ex-fiancé are you?"
Heyes shot a look at Kid
that could have killed.
Kid shrugged. He had a very
small, almost undetectable, smile on his face; he loved getting under his
partner's skin.
***
After a very stormy night,
the sun came up and the clouds began to disappear. Heyes was already awake, dressed and
looking out the window when Kid rolled over. "See anythin’?"
he asked.
"No," replied
Heyes.
"How long have you
been up?"
"Awhile."
"Real talkative today,
huh? Well, you better get that
silvery tongue workin’ when you see Laurie. You have to find out why she thinks
you're her ex-fiancé and if she has it out for you. We still have a day, maybe two, before
we get the telegram. We can't have her runnin’ around after you."
"I don't even know
where to find her to talk to her."
"Well, you're not
gonna find her sittin’ here. Let's go get breakfast!"
Heyes looked at his partner
and wondered if he ever thought of anything but food. Kid liked to eat. If it
were up to him, Kid would choose eating over almost anything else.
Walking down the steps of
the hotel, they were greeted by a very lovely, soft-spoken middle age woman,
"Good Morning, Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones. I'm Doris Jansen. Can I interest
you in some breakfast this morning?"
"Yes ma'am," Kid
said with a huge smile on his face.
"Good, we have fresh
muffins and biscuits this morning, as well as, bacon, eggs, pancakes and
coffee," Mrs. Jansen informed them. "What would you like?"
"Everythin’
ma'am, I mean, it all sounds so good, it would be really hard to
decide," Kid answered.
"Very well, a
little," she paused and looked at him as she detected a pout begin to
form, "a lot of everything for you." Turning to Heyes she asked,
"What may I get for you, Mr. ......"
"Smith," Heyes
replied. "I'm Joshua Smith; my hungry friend is Thaddeus Jones. One of
the muffins and some coffee will be fine. Thank you."
"That's all?"
inquired Mrs. Jansen.
"Yes ma'am," the
brown haired partner answered.
With a smile on his face he added, "My partner eats enough for
both of us."
Blue eyes glared at brown.
Heyes looked down with a huge grin on his face.
"I hope you're
thinkin’ about what you're gonna say to Laurie when you see her,"
Kid shot back.
"Working on it,"
grumbled Heyes.
***
Mrs. Jansen brought out
breakfast. The two of them sat
and ate in silence. Kid
knew by the look on Heyes' face, he was trying to figure out how to handle
Laurie. First though, they had to
find her.
After breakfast, they
wandered over to the telegraph office to see if their telegram had
arrived. It hadn't, but the
operator said there had been some trouble with transmissions due to the big
storm the previous night. He told
them that telegrams were re-sent late in the afternoon just to make sure
they've reached their destination.
Heyes informed the man they
were staying at the hotel and if the telegram arrived before they checked
back, could he please leave word for them there.
"Now what?" Kid
questioned as they walked out of the office. "We've checked out the
town, everythin’ seems safe. Oh, there is that little problem we may
have with Laurie."
"I know," Heyes
sighed, "I've been keeping my eye out for her and haven't seen her. I'm going to have to find out where
she lives and go talk to her."
As they rounded the corner
of the telegraph office they came face to face with Sheriff Hardy,
"Morning Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones."
"Morning,
Sheriff," they responded in unison.
"Just checkin’
for our telegram," Kid added as they kept walking.
Heyes turned around and
asked, "Sheriff, I've been looking for Laurie all morning but haven't
seen her. Do you know where she might be?"
"After last night's
storm, I think you'll find her at her house," the Sheriff answered.
"Since I just ran into
her yesterday, I don't know where she lives, could you tell me?" Heyes
asked.
"Well, normally I
wouldn't tell a stranger, but since Laurie said she knows you, I guess
it’s okay. Go out past the
General Store, go about two miles; as you round a big bend in the road,
Laurie's house will be on the right."
"Thank you
Sheriff," he tipped his hat.
"Mr. Smith," the
Sheriff hesitated, "Be kind to her." He hesitated again and looked
into Heyes' eyes, "Please, be kind to her, she is a really good
person."
Confused, the ex-outlaw
leader answered, "I plan on it Sheriff."
The lawman turned and the
partners walked away. "This is gettin’ a little strange. Do you
think we should both go and see her?" Kid asked.
"No," Heyes
replied, shaking his head, "I can handle it. You stay here and check on the
telegram. I'm going to ride out
to see Laurie and find out what’s going on. I'll meet you at the room for
dinner. Then, I think I want to
try some poker. Did you notice
they were holding on a pair yesterday?
If we get an early start, we might have a big night!" A smile that could light up the town
spread across Heyes' face and his eyes sparkled even brighter at the thought
of playing poker and winning!
* * *
Heyes rode past the General
Store and down the road. About
two miles from town he started around what he assumed was the big bend in the
road. On the right side was a
very small, dilapidated shack or a very old playhouse built for little kids
that had gone unused since the kids grew up. He was looking for Laurie's house when
a golden retriever came flying out from behind the shack, barking all the way
to him.
"Sam!" Laurie
yelled as she came running out from behind the structure; stopping dead in
her tracks when she saw who Sam was barking at. "Sam," she repeated,
"Stop that. It's Mr. Smith. Sam, stop barking, it’s
okay." Sam stopped barking
and went over to where Laurie was standing. "Can I help you Mr. Smith? Are you lost?"
"No, I'm not...Why
would you ask if I was lost?" questioned Heyes.
"Oh, it's just that
there is nothing out this way, so I thought you might be lost," Laurie
stuttered.
Heyes dismounted and walked
over to her. She wore a very old
and worn dress that didn't fit; actually, it didn't look like it ever had fit
her. It was too short and way too
wide to have ever fit the petite woman standing in front of him. He hadn't noticed much about Laurie
yesterday, maybe because she didn't look at him, or because all the events
were so confusing, but as he got closer, he realized how attractive she
actually was. She was probably twenty-four or twenty-five years old, petite
with a very smooth face and her big hazel eyes made her look so
innocent. Her hair was long and
brown tied back with a piece of old material. He stood mesmerized by her for a
minute and then with a smile said to her very quietly, "No, I'm not
lost, I was looking for you."
"Me?" she said,
with a look and sound of puzzlement.
"Yes, you," Heyes
said, looking into her eyes.
"We have to talk."
"Oh," Laurie
said, looking at the ground, "If you mean about yesterday, don't worry,
I know you're not my ex-fiancé."
"Then why?"
"Because you helped me
out earlier. You made Mr. Carlson
stop and because of that, he told Sheriff Hardy you were outlaws. I didn't think it was fair for you to
suffer because you helped me."
"But, you told the
Sheriff he could send a telegram to your mother," Heyes continued.
"Oh, don't worry. I talked to the Sheriff early this
morning. I told him that my
mother may not respond and if she did, she probably wouldn't acknowledge you,
or me, for that matter," Laurie said, biting her lip and turning to walk
away.
"How do you
know?" Heyes asked as he followed Laurie.
With her back still towards
Heyes and her head looking down at the ground, Laurie continued, "I know
because my mother disowned me after my father died. I was eight years old and she sent me
away to boarding school. I was never allowed to go home, not even for
holidays. I lived there and spent holidays and summers with whoever was
unlucky enough to have to work.
Two years later, the headmaster called me in and gave me a letter from
a lawyer. It said that I was no
longer a Cain, my name had been removed from the will and papers had been
signed to end all financial obligations to me. I would be sent to an orphanage and I
should not try to contact my mother or any other relative."
Heyes listened in horror,
"But," was all he could get out.
He reached out to touch her
arm and felt her trembling. He
held it there as she continued, "You see, I was adopted. My father
wanted a child; my mother didn't want the hassle of having one. I was his little princess. My father and I did everything
together, and then he got sick.
My mother couldn't take it. When he died she just looked at me with
such hate. I thought if I went
away to school she would love me and things would be fine. I lived in the
orphanage ‘til I was seventeen and then they told me I had to
leave. I tried to contact my
mother. I sent her a letter asking if I could come see her. I received a telegram back from the
lawyer saying that I was no longer recognized as a Cain and I should not use
the name again or try to contact anyone in the family. If I did, legal action would be taken
against me." Composing herself as best as she could, Laurie turned and
faced Heyes, "I showed that telegram to the Sheriff this morning. The date's worn so you can't tell that
it's from eight years ago, not three.
I also showed him the locket my father gave me. It has my full name and date on the
back. I told the Sheriff I was
too embarrassed to say anything in front of you yesterday, but wanted to let
him know what type of response he will probably get."
Heyes stood there, stunned
by the story. He and Kid had lost
their family but they were killed.
They hadn't been discarded and at least they still had each other. He didn't know what to say.
"So," Laurie
said, turning away from Heyes and trying to hide the hurt in her voice,
"you and Mr. Jones won't be bothered by the Sheriff. Even if he gets a telegram, it won't
be from my mother; it will be from the lawyer. You really have nothing to worry
about." Laurie paused and
then added, "Mr. Smith, I would appreciate you not telling anyone what I
just told you. You're the only
person besides the orphanage that knows what really happened and I'd like it
to stay that way. The Sheriff
just thinks my mother disowned me because of you, so I figured I was safe
telling you because if you say anything, he’ll probably give you a hard
time."
"I won't," Heyes
said sheepishly, "I won't tell anyone."
Laurie continued, "If
you need to tell Mr. Jones, I understand, just please ask him not to say
anything." As she wiped off
the tear that was falling down her face, she turned and abruptly changed her
tone, "I'm sorry. Where are my manners? Mr. Smith, would you like a
glass of water?"
Realizing the subject had
been closed; Heyes replied quietly, "Yes, that would be nice."
He watched Laurie turn and
walk to the side of the shack and open the door. He was about to ask her where her
house was when it hit him. The falling down shack was in fact her home.
She returned with a tall
glass of water. "It's still
cool, I just got it a little while ago," Laurie said, as she handed
Heyes the glass.
"Thank you, Laurie,
and if I'm calling you Laurie, you could at least call me Joshua. You were my fiancé,
remember?" Heyes said with a smile, as he tried to take in the
surroundings without being too obvious.
"Joshua it is."
Laurie blushed, "It's okay to look around. This is my house, I wish you hadn't
seen it, but you have, so there's no sense me denying it. Sam and I live here. It's not much,
but it's what I got." Her
voice trailed off as she glanced at the shack that looked like it would fall
down if you breathed on it.
"Sam?" Heyes
questioned.
"He's the ferocious
dog that came running and barking at you when you arrived but has been
licking your hand and trying to play with you ever since. He's my family; he protects me and is
a good judge of character. I
guess if he likes you so much, you can't be too bad," Laurie said with a
small bashful smile.
"Oh," Heyes
laughed. Picking up a stick, he
threw it for the dog, which happily chased it down and brought it back. As he was playing with Sam, Heyes
checked out the area.
To the right of the shack was a small but very well tended vegetable
garden. There was a pile of wood
pieces stacked on the side of the shack with some nails and a very old
hammer. A big tree behind the
house would provide some protection from the elements, and a fire pit,
surrounded by a couple of rocks big enough to sit on, but nothing else. Across the dirt path that led by
the structure was a small stream, lined with rocks and trees. Heyes now understood why the Sheriff
had asked him to be kind.
Laurie walked away and
although she was terribly embarrassed about Joshua seeing her this way, she
tried desperately not to show it and was thrilled to have company even if it
was only for a few minutes. "It's okay, Mr. Smith," Laurie started
as Heyes gave her a look, "I mean Joshua. You don't have to stay here with me; I
mean to play with Sam. I..."
"It looks like you
have some wood that could fix some of the holes in your roof," Heyes
commented as he walked towards the shack, changing the subject. "How
‘bout if I see if I can put them to good use. I am very good with my hands," he
said, remembering how bad he really was with a hammer! Moving over to the pile, he began to
look through the wood; most appeared to be new and in good shape, cut to
sizes that would be easy to handle.
He saw a pile of new nails next to the wood. "This is good wood, and its cut
and ready to be nailed to the roof," Heyes said with surprise in his
voice.
"Yes, I know,"
replied Laurie. "Some of the people in town have a tendency to lose
pieces of wood during storms.
They also get rid of good nails.
I know that they are really putting the wood out for me to find,"
she explained. "I go to town
early after storms and clean up.
Some of the people leave me things that I might need and some just
leave good wood and new nails that I can use. I gather it up and bring it out
here. The house, well, it's
barely a shack. It used to be Mr.
Carlson's son's clubhouse. It's
my home now and it does need a lot of work, but as I said, it's what I
got."
The ex-outlaw leader worked
side by side with Laurie all afternoon fixing the roof. He had not worked this hard in a long
time but he wasn't going to slow down or take a break as Laurie worked just
as hard, never stopping and never complaining. They talked of all different
things. Laurie mostly wanted to
know the different places Joshua had been. She asked every detail about towns,
mountains, lakes, streams; she was interested in anything and everything he
had to say. They talked and
laughed all afternoon. Laurie was
so happy just to have company and to talk to someone besides Sam. As the sun started to set, the last of
the big holes in the roof had been patched and all of the wood had been
used.
"You really are good
with your hands, Mr., I mean Joshua," Laurie said with a smile.
Heyes looked at her and for
the first time her smile lit up her face. She had a twinkle in her eyes and she
was truly beautiful. He couldn't
believe that he hadn't noticed it before. He thought, she worked as hard as I
did, maybe harder, and she can still smile. That's just amazing.
"Thank you so much for
your help, it means more than I could ever express, thank you," Laurie
continued with tears beginning to form in her eyes, "I just wish I could
repay you for your hard work. I
can make you something to eat, but I only have a few vegetables from the
garden. I do have a few muffins
you could have, I'm so sorry, I never offered you anything but water, I'm
sorry, I don't…"
Heyes put his hands on her
arms and looked into her eyes, "Shhh, relax its okay. I didn't need anything but water, and
you don't have to do anything.
You've already helped out, with the Sheriff, I mean. And besides, it's Thaddeus who is
always hungry," Heyes said with a smile that got bigger and brighter as
he stared into Laurie's eyes.
"I have to go to town to meet Thaddeus for dinner, would you
please join us?" he asked quietly.
"No, thank you, you
don't have to," Laurie stopped and looked at the ground, "Thank you
for everything Joshua. I'll never forget you and how kind you were to
me. Tell Thaddeus I said thank
you for lending you to me today.
I have to get some rest now; I have to be in town first thing in the
morning. I clean the boardwalks
and the windows of the General Store, but it has to be done when no one is on
the streets or Mr. Carlson won't pay me."
"Speaking of Mr.
Carlson," Heyes inquired.
"Good night, Joshua
and thank you," Laurie interrupted. She lifted herself up on her toes,
gave Heyes a quick kiss on the cheek and turned and ran into the shack.
***
Heyes arrived back in town
and wandered into the hotel room.
He really didn't remember the ride or going into the room; he had been
playing the day’s events over and over in his head.
"Heyes," Kid
asked, "Everythin’ okay?"
"Sure," Heyes
absently replied, "Why?"
"I called you three
times before you answered," Kid explained, "and what's with the big
grin?"
"Oh," glassy
brown eyes replied unconsciously.
"Heyes!"
"What?"
"What's goin’
on?" Kid demanded, "You stumble into the room, don't respond when
I'm talkin’ to you, you have this look, I don't know what kind of look,
but a look on your face and you're half an hour late for dinner - I'm
starvin’!"
"Sorry," his
partner apologized. "Let me get cleaned up, we'll go to dinner and I'll
explain everything. By the way,
did we get the telegram?"
"No. Ready for dinner?"
***
The partners went down to
the dining room in the hotel. They sat at the corner table where they could
see the whole room, including the door. As they ate dinner, Heyes told Kid
what had happened that day with Laurie.
He didn't tell him about her beautiful eyes or her smile, although he
thought about them.
"There's that look
again," Kid said curiously.
"What?" Heyes
asked trying to suppress his smile.
"She got to you! In one afternoon, she got to
you!"
Heyes didn't respond but he
knew Kid was right and the look on his face told Kid he was right.
***
When they were done with
dinner, the two headed to the saloon.
It was a fairly quiet night, no fights, and no calls of cheating, just
poker.
"How'd you do?"
Kid asked as they were leaving.
"About thirty,"
Heyes said as he tucked the money into his pocket. "Slow night, no one taking
chances, no big pots to win."
Stepping through the
batwing doors of the saloon and out onto the boardwalk, they heard the sound
of thunder rumble through the air as a flash of lightning lit up the sky. In
the flash, Heyes caught a glimpse of a dog rounding the corner of the livery
and out of sight.
"Hey, that looked like
Sam!" he exclaimed.
"Who?" Kid asked.
"Sam, Laurie's
dog," the dimpled partner continued. Just as he was about to shout, someone
walked up behind him.
"It was Sam, don't
call out," advised the Sheriff.
The two turned to see Sheriff Hardy a step behind them. "It's going to be another stormy
night. Laurie doesn't stay at her house when it's like this," he
explained. "She sleeps in the back of the livery. She doesn't think we know, but Mr.
Grimes has loosened a board so that she and Sam can get in the back. She's deathly afraid of
lightning. She leaves early in
the morning before anyone in town is awake. That's why all the storm debris is
picked up before anyone gets to the street. She doesn't think we know and we're
not going to let her know we know.
I don't want her to stop coming to town when the weather's like
this. She's all by herself out
there and that shack really isn't sturdy; any of these winds could knock it
down. When the weather's really
bad or cold, I get her to come clean the jail and she stays there for the
night. If you care about her at
all, you won't let her know you saw her."
"We won't," Heyes
said solemnly and turned to go to the hotel. Turning back to the Sheriff, he said,
"It would be nice if she found some bigger pieces of wood and a few more
nails in the debris tomorrow."
The lawman nodded and
turned to walk to the other side of town. The partners walked to the hotel in
silence. Kid was trying to take
in everything that Heyes had told him earlier, as well as this exchange with
the Sheriff. He looked at the
pained expression on Heyes' face.
"Is it really that bad?"
Brown eyes continued
looking straight ahead and replied, "Yeah Kid, it is."
***
Hannibal Heyes was always
up before his partner, but this morning he made sure he was up before the sun
came up. Sitting in the chair by
the window, he watched the street looking for any signs of movement. As he watched, he surveyed the area
and the damage that last night's storm had done to the town. Besides downed leaves and branches,
pieces of lumber were scattered around town. He saw a couple of larger pieces along
with a few small pieces, but there was enough lumber to fix at least one side
of the shack. At that moment
Heyes decided he liked Sheriff Hardy.
He continued to watch until he saw movement from behind the
livery. He watched as the debris
was cleared and branches and leaves were neatly piled in the side alley. All wood that could be used was piled
on what appeared to be an old piece of material. He saw Laurie picking up small things
and gathering them in her shirt.
He couldn't see what she was picking up, but he assumed she had found
some more nails. The sun started
to come up and the sky began to brighten, Heyes could see Laurie was wearing
a pair of pants and a shirt that from that distance still looked as though
they were way too big for her. A
smile spread across his face; watching this woman brought peacefulness to
him. He couldn’t remember
when he had felt this calm and relaxed or even happy about something. Laurie had nothing and yet she was
able to go about her life with such grace instead of being bitter; it amazed
him.
After Laurie finished
cleaning the debris, she swept the boardwalk, gathered the little tokens
(food, grain, cloth and some money) that the shop owners had left for her
hard work, and went to the pile of wood.
She grabbed one end of the material and, with Sam grabbing the other side;
she began to drag the pile of wood towards the shack.
Heyes quickly wrote Kid a
note, "Going out. Eat breakfast without me. I'll be back in time to
check on the telegram." As
he took the hotel stairs by two, he ran into Mrs. Jansen, "Good morning,
ma'am."
"Good morning, Mr. Smith,
you're up awfully early," she said.
"Can I get you some breakfast?"
"Thank you ma'am, but
I have to run out," Heyes said then added, "You wouldn't by any
chance have any more of those muffins would you?"
"Actually, I do,"
Mrs. Jansen replied.
"Great, can I get two;
make that three in a bag so I can take them with me?" Heyes asked.
"Coming right
up," she said with a smile.
The ex-outlaw took the
muffins from the inn keeper and went to the Livery to get his horse. He knew Laurie didn't have much
of a head start, and with dragging the wood, he should be able to catch up to
her quickly. Even the thought of
seeing her face to face brought a smile to his. She had gotten to him in one
afternoon, and he knew it. Heyes soon spotted Laurie and Sam pulling the wood
along the road and asked, "Can I give you a hand?"
She had been working so
hard pulling the wood and talking to Sam that she hadn't heard Heyes' horse
until it was right on top of them.
Startled and embarrassed by how she looked, she turned around and
tried to smooth her hair and fix her clothes. "Joshua, you're up early,"
she said as she continued trying to make herself more presentable. "What brings you out this
way?"
"I thought you could
use some help with the wood," he said with a smile as he
dismounted. He took hold of the
material the wood was on, lightly touching her hand, and thought for a moment
of holding it. "Here, let me
tie this to the horse and let him pull it. It will be a lot easier and
quicker. And, it will free our
hands so we can enjoy the muffins I brought for breakfast." Heyes smiled and looked deeply into
Laurie's eyes. He had an
irresistible urge to reach out and pull her close to him, but he thought it
would be best not to.
Laurie looked into this
man's beautiful brown eyes, a man that she had only met two days ago and
realized she was falling for him.
His eyes were so kind; looking into them, she just wanted to
melt. She knew she had never felt
this way before, and she knew she had no right to feel this way now. She just couldn't help it. She tried
telling herself that this wasn't real and no man, especially one as kind and
caring as this one was, would ever feel that way about her. She tried as she stood there for what
seemed like hours telling herself not to feel this way, but giving into every
emotion her heart was sending.
"Laurie," Heyes
asked, "Are you okay? Is something wrong? Did I do something wrong? I mean we can walk or ride on the
horse, it's up to you."
Laurie blushed and said,
"I'm sorry, no, you didn't do anything wrong, everything's fine, I
just... I just, well…I've never had anyone be so kind to me, I guess I
just didn't know what to say or how to react. Most of the people in town won't even
make eye contact with me and here you are, someone I just met, talking to me
and helping me out. I just don't
know what to say." Quietly
she said, "Thank you."
Heyes looked at Laurie and
said with a smile, "I don't mind, I am your ex-fiancé,
remember?" Changing the
subject in hopes of regaining the composure he was losing, he asked,
"You walk back and forth to town all the time?"
"Yes," Laurie
said as she walked side by side with him, "It's not a bad walk, well, as
long as the weather's not bad."
"Muffin?" he
asked as he produced a muffin for himself, Laurie and Sam.
The three of them walked
and talked all the way back to the shack. When they got there, Heyes carefully
took inventory of the wood and the damage to the far side of the shack. This time he asked Laurie if he could
see the inside to see if any of the beams needed to be shored up. As he walked in, Heyes saw a very
small room with an old cot along one side of the wall with a pile of old books
on a stool next to it. A few
nails in the side of the wall with clothes hanging on them, a small dresser
with drawers was on the far wall and a table with a lantern, a pitcher of
water and two chairs sat in the middle of the room. In the corner, a few old pots and pans
were neatly stacked.
***
Kid rolled over with the
sun shining in the window. He
looked around to find his partner and instead spotted the note Heyes had left
for him. Reading the note, he shook
his head and thought, this isn't the time; it isn't the time.
He went down to breakfast
and once again ordered everything, and then went out on the porch to wait for
Heyes. When the telegraph office
opened, he walked over to check to see if theirs had arrived yet. Kid walked slowly back to the porch
and sat once again waiting for his partner. At some point in time, he must have
dozed off because when he woke up, the sun was high in the sky. Still no Heyes and he was growing very
impatient.
Kid knew where his partner
was, even if he didn't tell him.
He had seen the look in his eyes the night before as he talked about
Laurie. Heyes doesn't do this;
he's always the one falling for someone, not Heyes. Kid began to worry about how his
partner was going to figure things out if his head was cloudy with thoughts
of a woman. After checking the
telegraph office one more time, he decided to ride out towards Laurie's
house; it couldn't be as bad as Heyes said it was. As he rounded the bend, the first
thing he saw was Heyes working on the side of a shack with Laurie in the
garden. The next thing he knew,
Sam was at his feet barking.
Laurie turned and yelled,
"Sam, stop that. It's Mr. Jones. Sam please!"
Heyes stopped hammering and
yelled, "Sam, come here boy," Sam turned and ran to him. "Thaddeus, what brings you out
here?"
"You," replied
Kid in a very short and stern voice as he dismounted.
"Oh," replied his
brown haired partner, walking over to meet him. "Did we get the
telegram?"
"No," the blond
man replied, continuing in a rather surly manner. "Your note said you would be back
after breakfast. I wanted to make sure everythin’ was okay."
Laurie had walked close
enough to hear the two men. She
could see Mr. Jones was not happy his partner was out here with her. She
assumed it was because of who she was. There were some nice people in town,
the Sheriff, the Jansens, Mr. and Mrs. Quimby, Mr. Grimes, but most of them
pretended she didn't exist or were mean and hurt her like Mr. Carlson. She assumed Mr. Jones was just like
them. "I'm sorry, Mr.
Jones," Laurie said in a very quiet voice as she looked at the
ground. "I didn't mean to
keep Josh, I mean, Mr. Smith, out here.
It's my fault and I'm really sorry. I can clean and groom your horse later
in town to make up for it. Please
don't be mad at Mr. Smith, he was just trying to help, I shouldn't have asked
him, I'm sorry."
Laurie stood looking down
at the ground with her arms folded together in front of her. She looked so frightened and
frail. Heyes couldn't believe
this was the same person he had been with yesterday and this morning. All the life and happiness just disappeared
before his eyes. They were
laughing and playing with Sam ten minutes before. Now she was back to calling
him Mr. Smith.
"Laurie," Heyes said with concern as he walked towards her,
"It's okay, my partner gets a little cranky when he misses a meal."
Heyes shot darts at Kid with his eyes.
"You didn't ask me to help. I offered and actually, I insisted on
helping you." He reached out
and put one hand on Laurie's arm. He could feel her trembling. He put his
other hand to her chin and lifted it so he could look into her eyes.
"It's okay, his bark is worse than his bite," then, yelling over
his shoulder, "Isn't that right Thaddeus?"
"Yeah, that's
right," Kid shamefully responded, taking a step closer to the two of
them, "I'm sorry Miss, I didn't mean anythin’ by it."
Heyes, still holding
Laurie's face with his hand said, "Remember, I'm Joshua, not Mr.
Smith."
He could feel and see some
of the tension disappearing from Laurie. She was looking more like the woman
he was falling for, a small smile appeared on her face and she said,
"Okay, Joshua." She
reached up and touched the hand that was holding her face and closed her
eyes. He thought he may have heard
the slightest sigh or maybe he just wanted to hear it. Heyes wanted so desperately to reach
down and pull her close to him and kiss her, really kiss her, but he didn't
think the timing was right.
She lowered his hands from
her face and took a step to the side of him, "Mr. Jones, I have some
cool water and biscuits if you would like. Joshua likes the biscuits but then
again he might just have been so hungry he didn't care. Or he was just being
nice. Anyway, he was just
finishing and about to head back to town. The biscuits should be enough to hold
off the hunger pangs until you can get something to eat."
Feeling guilty for the way
he rode in Kid said, "That's okay ma'am. I'm fine. I'm sorry I was so abrupt when I
arrived. Guess I'm gettin’
tired of waitin’ on the telegram.
And please call me Thaddeus."
"Only if you stop
calling me ma'am," she smiled.
"Now let me get you some biscuits, and I'm not going to take no
for an answer."
Heyes looked down with a
huge grin on his face; he knew Laurie was about to win Kid over. He walked back to the side of the
shack to put the last couple of nails into it. Once again they were out of nails and
wood. Unfortunately, the shack still had plenty of holes left. Kid stood there, quietly taking in the
scene. His partner hadn't
exaggerated about the conditions out here. How could anyone, let alone a woman,
live like this and why wasn't anyone in town helping her? A very solemn look came across his
face as he looked around.
"It isn't that
bad," Laurie said as she reappeared from the shack with a bag full of
biscuits. Handing them to him she
said, "Here have these, they'll put you in a better mood." Then, as if she read his mind, she
looked at him, "It's much nicer out here when the trees have all their
leaves and the summer wind is blowing." She added, "I know it's not
much, but it's what I got."
She turned to Heyes, who was walking their way, "Here is a bag
for you, too." With a smile on her face and in her eyes, she said,
"I didn't want you two to fight over them. Now fill your canteens with the
pitcher; you should get back to town to see if your telegram has
arrived."
Taking the bag of biscuits
while staring into Laurie's eyes, Heyes said, "Thank you, I'm sure once
he tried them, he would have shot me if I asked for one. Come back to town with us and have
dinner," he said softly, never taking his eyes off hers.
Staring into his eyes and
wanting so badly for him to reach out and hold her, Laurie softly said,
"No, I can't. I have to go to work, but thank you for the offer."
"Work, where ya workin’
tonight?" Kid asked sounding
surprised.
Breaking her gaze from
Heyes, she looked at Kid and replied, "It's my night to clean. I clean the front of most of the
stores. I do the windows, and a few I clean the insides, then I go to the
jail. As long as there are no
prisoners, well, dangerous prisoners, I clean the inside. The shopkeepers prefer I do it at
night, so I don't interrupt anyone wanting to buy something."
"We'll wait for you
and you can ride in with us," Heyes responded.
"No horse," she
said as she turned to him, "And I have to get cleaned up before I go to
town, I certainly can't go looking like this!"
"I meant you could
ride with me. We'll wait,” he reiterated.
"No, you won't
wait," Laurie stated flatly. "I need to get cleaned up, you know
clean. I am not going to have the two of you sitting around here while I'm
getting clean and dressed. I walk
in and out of town all of the time.
I will be fine. I am fine.
Now both of you get on your horses and get out of here!" She made a motion with her hands
shooing them away.
"Oh," Heyes said
sheepishly, "I didn't mean..."
"I know," Laurie
said with a smile and a blush.
Brown eyes looked at the
blond partner and then at the empty bag of biscuits with exasperation.
"What?" Kid said,
with his mouth still full of biscuit, "I was hungry and they're really
good."
Turning back to Laurie,
Heyes said with a laugh, "See, I would have been shot!" He leaned over and gave Laurie a kiss
on the cheek. The softest most
perfect kiss she had ever felt.
Well, besides her father, only one other boy had ever kissed her cheek
so there wasn't a lot to compare it to.
"I'll see you later," he said softly with the most
unbelievable smile that just about melted Laurie on the spot. Turning back to Kid and mounting his
horse, Heyes laughed, "Let's get you back to town before you start
gnawing on your own leg!"
They said good-bye and
Heyes and Kid turned toward town.
The ride was quiet until Kid finally broke the silence, "It was
as bad as you said. How does she
live like that?"
The smile Heyes had on his
face disappeared; he continued looking forward as he answered his cousin,
"You should have seen it yesterday.
There wasn't really a roof on it.
I don't know how she gets by, but she does and with grace."
"What?" Kid
asked.
"Grace," replied
Heyes, "She lives in that shack and I don't think most of the town treat
her very nice, yet she’s not hardened. You can see it in her eyes. She says
it's what she's got and she has accepted it. Not in defeat or anything, she's not
bitter."
"Well you certainly
looked long enough into her eyes to see what's in them," Kid jabbed,
"But..."
"I know," Heyes
replied quietly, "I know...." He knew Kid was worried about what
was happening between Laurie and him. It was his partner that always fell for
all the damsels in distress; he was always in control of his emotions. This wasn't supposed to happen, not to
him. He was the cautious one; he
was the one who would warn Kid about getting in over his head with a
woman. It wasn't supposed to be
the other way around. He knew he
couldn't take it far and certainly didn't want to lead Laurie on or hurt
her. Heyes couldn't understand
the draw Laurie had on him, but he also couldn't deny it.
***
They rode the rest of the
way to town in silence and went straight to the telegraph office, still
nothing. The partners decided it
was time for a drink and maybe some afternoon poker. Getting bored and a little
antsy, Heyes decided he had enough poker for the afternoon and was going to
check on the telegram again.
"Be back later boys," he stated as he stood up and collected
his money. Kid did the same and they
walked out the saloon doors into the bright afternoon sun and into the view
of the man from the telegraph office.
"Thought I'd find you
here," he said. "Your
telegram finally got here," he stated as he handed it to Heyes.
"Thanks," said
Heyes, and he opened it to read it.
"Well?"
"Let's have a seat and
talk."
"That's not
good," Kid said shaking his head.
"I didn't say that. We
just have some things to talk over and figure out before we answer the
Colonel," Heyes explained.
"We can sit on the front porch of the hotel, no one's
there," he said as he pointed and started walking.
Kid fell in step with him,
looking extremely puzzled by his partner's reaction. What kind of job was it
and what do we have to talk over he thought.
"Heyes," Kid
said. Heyes handed him the telegram before he finished the sentence. He knew his partner wanted to read it
and read it now to see what they would be discussing. They walked up the porch steps in
unison, found two chairs all the way to the right side, farthest away from
the front steps and doors so no one would overhear the conversation and sat
down.
Heyes stood back up,
"I'm going to get a couple of cigars so we can enjoy them as we sit and
relax on this beautiful day."
He came back out of the hotel with the cigars, gave one to Kid and
promptly lit his. He sat down and
put his feet up on the railing.
"Well," inquired
Kid, "I'm waiting." He
knew the walk to the porch, and getting cigars was just a delay tactic his
partner was using to give himself time to think about the message.
Heyes took the telegram
from Kid and read it out loud,
“To Joshua Smith and
Thaddeus Jones,
Need you to pick some
things up for me. There are four
pieces. Can't tell anyone. Very
important to Governor. More
instructions will follow. Job
pays five hundred plus expenses in town of Small Falls. Should be done in two to three
weeks. Reply today.
Colonel Marker”
“He's a good friend
of the Governor; says it's important to the Governor,” Heyes stated as
he mulled over the message.
“It's not a lot of money, but he says he'll pay for our expenses
in town.” He paused. “I don’t like that he
can’t tell us more before we answer him…”
“We can see how the
first pick-up goes,” Kid suggested. “If there are any problems,
we'll think it over and see if we want to do the rest. Guess we'll find out
more instructions when we respond.” Blue eyes glanced at the message as he
waited for a response.
“Still don’t
like the fact that we don’t know more.”
“I know but
he’s a friend of the Governor and he says it’s important to the
Governor.”
Heyes sighed and then
nodded.
"Okay," replied
Kid.
Heyes stood up, walked over
to the telegraph office, sent a reply saying they would take the job, send
more info. As he walked out of
the telegraph office Heyes spotted Laurie and Sam walking into town. She wore the same dress she had on the
first day he met her and her hair was down, blowing in the breeze. He stood there watching as she walked
into town.
Kid, on the other side of
the street, saw his partner come out of the office and wondered what had
caught his attention. He looked
in the direction Heyes was looking, but from where he was sitting, he
couldn't see anything. A few
seconds later he saw a golden retriever run down the street and then Laurie
came into view. His eyes went
from Heyes to Laurie back to Heyes and thought his partner was in it deep
even if he wouldn’t admit it. This was new territory for both
of them as Heyes had always kept his women at arm’s length, never
getting too serious with anyone.
Kid wasn’t sure this was the best time for this to change but
didn’t know exactly how to handle things.
Sam came running down the
street heading directly towards the partner in the black hat. Heyes smiled; he was as happy to see
the dog as the dog was to see him.
He bent down, petting the dog, "Hey boy, How ya doing?" As
he bent down to pet Sam, he was no longer visible to those on the street but
he could still see the street.
Laurie continued her walk
into town following Sam.
Two women stepped out of the store adjacent to the telegraph office.
"Oh, look, there's
that street girl," said the first woman.
"Pitiful looking isn't
she. That's her town dress; it's
the best thing she has," the second woman said with a laugh.
"Ugh, she is just so
horrible. Did you hear her
ex-fiancé is in town? Can
you believe that, that thing has an ex- fiancé! He must look as bad as she does!"
the first one continued.
"No," the second
one said, "He looks like a catch.
I just need to find a few minutes to spend with him to get my claws
into him. And his partner, you'll like him!"
Laurie's path took her
right in front of the two women; with her eyes looking at the ground, she
acknowledged the two, "Afternoon Charlotte, Gwendolyn."
"Don't speak to
us," the first woman spit out.
"Oh, just ignore
her," the second woman said, "She's nothing."
Laurie kept her head down
and kept walking. She knew she
shouldn't have said anything to those two. Besides Mr. Carlson, they were the
meanest to her. She was in such a
good mood; she had forgotten what she was to a good portion of the town and
held her breath as she walked by the two women, trying desperately not to let
them see how they upset her.
Heyes stood up directly in
front of Laurie, "There you are sweetheart," he said as he leaned
over and kissed her lips gently. "I knew you would be here soon when I
saw Sam running down the street.
Now where were we going?"
Tipping his hat towards the two women he growled,
“Ladies,” with a glare that would bring even hardened outlaws to
their knees. Putting his arm
around Laurie's waist he escorted her down the boardwalk.
Laurie walked in a
daze. He had kissed her. The rest
of the world had stopped and she moved only because he was there, guiding
her. He kissed her; it was a
small soft kiss, perfectly soft, she thought, it could have been a brotherly
kiss but he did kiss her.
Heyes led Laurie around the
corner and stopped. He looked at
her and smiled; she had her fingers touching her lips. "Laurie, are you alright?"
he asked with concern.
"Hmmm, what?" she
said sounding dazed momentarily.
Regaining her composure she blurted out, "Oh, yes, I'm fine. Where did you come from? I mean, back there, you weren't there
and then you were and then you kissed me." She covered her mouth with her hand.
"Yes," dimples
appeared as he gazed into Laurie’s eyes. "I kissed you. I hope
that's okay. I wanted them to
know you meant a lot to me."
"But, where?" she
started.
"Behind the door. Sam
came running and I bent down to pet him. I guess from where they were
standing, they couldn't see me, but I could see them and heard everything
they said."
"Oh," Laurie
said, looking down at the street.
"No, you don't,"
he took his hand and placing it on her face, gently lifting it, "You are
not going to let those two get to you." He kept looking into her eyes and
softly said, "It doesn't matter to me where you live or what you
wear."
Mr. Carlson rounded the
corner and shouted, "There you are Laurie. You are late! If you do not start working right now,
I will not pay you! Then where would you be? On the streets begging for food, now
get to work, my store needs cleaning now!"
Before Heyes had a chance
to turn and say something, Laurie grabbed his shirt and pleaded, "Don't,
please it's not worth it. I'm
okay, I promise, please!"
Heyes looked at the fear in
her eyes and nodded his head. She
let go of him and ran down the alley to the store. The ex-outlaw gave Carlson the stare,
the stare that let you know he was the leader of the Devil's Hole Gang. The store owner turned abruptly and
walked away. Heyes took a couple
of deep breaths and followed him out of the alley. He knew there was something more than
Carlson yelling at Laurie the other day.
It was more, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He could tell by the look in her eyes
when she pleaded with him not to do anything and he could tell by the look in
Carlson's eyes when he stared him down.
He had to figure it out and find out why Laurie wouldn't go to the
Sheriff. He looked across the street and saw Kid standing at the edge of the
porch watching intently; he smiled knowing that Kid always had his back. He crossed the street to his partner
and went back to sitting on the porch.
"Do I always have to
ask?" inquired Kid with an exasperated look.
"You always do,"
laughed Heyes. "Those two
women were harassing Laurie, so I took care of that.
"Oh, that's what the
kiss was," the smile reached his blue eyes. He was surprised when it happened.
Heyes was nothing if not discreet and kissing Laurie on the street just
wasn't like him. However, if it
was for her honor, he understood.
"You saw that,"
dimples appeared as he couldn’t contain his grin. "Yes, that's
what the kiss was for and then I wanted to make sure Laurie was okay so I
took her to the alley. Carlson
came running in after her.
Kid," he said as he turned to look at his partner, "she
begged me not to do or say anything.
You should have seen the look in her eyes. Then when she left the alley, you
should have seen the look in his eyes.
Something's up, I don't trust him. He wasn't just yelling at her the
other day, I think there's more."
"Good," Kid
sighed, "I was thinkin’ the same thing but didn't know how you
would take it. I was
watchin’ what was goin’ on, but Heyes, so was he. Even more interested than I was. When you went to the alley, he went
straight for the two of you. I
was comin’ but I didn't think he was armed and it was over before I got
very far. You gonna ask
her?"
"Have to," Heyes
replied. "Don't know if she'll answer me, but I've got to try.
"You'll figure it out
Heyes, you always do. We won't leave her like this. I know you'll come up with
somethin’," Kid assured.
Brown eyes stared at the
General Store. He was glad Kid
had confidence in him, but he wasn't sure. It wasn't a plan to rob a bank or
train, or to get them out of trouble.
It was all about someone else and he didn't know if he could figure
things out. They would do their
best while they were in town, to make things better for Laurie, but when the
job was done for the Colonel, they were going to leave, without her.
"Kid," Heyes
said, standing up, "I think its time for a drink."
As the boys reached the
bottom of the stairs, the Sheriff called out, "Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones,
wait!"
The partners glanced at
each other and then turned towards the Sheriff. "Yes, Sheriff," Heyes
replied, sticking his thumbs in his belt, "What can we do for
you?"
"Well boys," the
Sheriff started, "I just wanted to let you know I got a telegram back
from Laurie's mother, and you're in the clear." Noticing the look on
Heyes' face Sheriff Hardy asked, "You know, don't you?"
He nodded, "She told
me the day I went to find her house.
When I saw where and how she lived, I asked her why. She first told me that she refused
help from her mother because of what she did and then she told me what
happened."
"I know you boys have
been out helping her fix up the shack," the lawman said, "I
‘preciate it. I've always
worried about her but she does have a stubborn streak ‘bout help and
charity," he added with a small laugh. "I can't believe she's
letting you help. Never thought
I'd see the day. Anyway boys,
just wanted to let you know you're square with me. Have a good night."
As they walked toward the
saloon, Kid asked, "Why'd ya let him see it in your face? You never do
that."
"Simple, Kid,"
Heyes said, "From the first day, I thought he cared about Laurie. Then,
after the storm, the supplies I said she needed were there. I wanted to let him know that we're on
her side too. Maybe he can help figure
out how to make things better for her."
Kid chuckled, "You
actually think the law might help Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry with
anythin’?"
Heyes shrugged, put his
hand on Kid's shoulder and walked into the saloon.
***
The night wore on and after
playing for awhile, Heyes stood up, motioning for Kid to stay, "I'm
gonna stretch my legs and get some air.
I'll be back." He
turned and walked out of the saloon.
Kid stayed at the
table. He was doing better than
Heyes that night anyway. He could
tell his partner's mind wasn't on poker.
He knew Heyes was worried about Laurie and had probably gone to see if
he could find her.
The blond partner was
right; as soon as he left the saloon brown eyes started to search up and down
the street for Laurie. He could
follow her trail by the clean storefront windows. He finally found her in the dress
shop. He knocked softly on the
window.
Laurie looked up from
sweeping and saw the man of her dreams standing there, looking in the
window. She looked at him and
thought he had the most handsome face she had ever seen. She bit her bottom lip a little and
walked to the door. As she
unlocked and opened it, she whispered, "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see
you," Heyes said, staring into her eyes.
"I'm working,"
she sighed.
"Just for a minute or
two,” he gave her a million-dollar smile and eyes that would melt you
if you dared look too long.
"Okay," Laurie
giggled. "Let me lock up
here and finish the outside window.
Then you can walk me to the jail.
That's my last stop tonight." She paused, "What do you
want?"
"You," Heyes
said, and quickly added, "I just wanted to see you."
"Why?"
"I wanted to make sure
you were alright," he touched her face, and she closed her eyes. "I wanted to see your beautiful
face and make sure you're okay. Is that a crime?"
"No crime," she
blushed as her eyes and head started to turn towards the ground.
"No," he said
sternly, "You aren’t doing that." She tried to turn away and opened her
mouth to say something, but he continued, "You really are beautiful. I
wouldn't say that if I didn't mean it.
I'm sorry the people here have treated you so bad you can't see
it." Heyes paused, "Speaking of treating you bad, what's going on
with Mr. Carlson."
Laurie’s eyes widened
with a look of horror and she shook her head, "Nothing," she said,
"He just doesn't like me."
"There's more to it
than that. I think he was hurting you, not just yelling at you when Thaddeus
and I came to town." Laurie
stood there quietly, so he continued, "Why don't you go to the
Sheriff?"
"Why?" she asked
in despair, "He's rich and important. Who do you think the Sheriff is
going to believe? Mr. All
Powerful or little street girl?" As she finished Heyes could see tears
starting to form in her eyes and he felt helpless.
"I believe you,"
he said softly.
"That's because you're
smarter than Sheriff Hardy," Laurie said with a smile and then bit her
bottom lip.
Heyes smiled his
million-dollar smile and gave a quiet, devilish laugh, the most incredible
laugh Laurie had ever heard. Then
those eyes looked into hers again, boy, did she know how to change the
subject?
"Oh," blushed
Laurie, "Oh," she exclaimed, "I'm supposed to be cleaning,
Charlie is going to wonder where I am, I have to go."
"Who's Charlie?"
Heyes asked sounding rather displeased.
"He's the Deputy
Sheriff; I go to clean the jail next.
That's where Sam is, but Charlie will worry if I'm a few minutes late
and will look for me. I have to
leave," Laurie stammered and turned to gather her stuff.
"Can I walk you home
when you're done?”
"No! I mean I don't
need," she said flustered, "I don't go home on the nights I clean
the jail. The Sheriff lets Sam and me sleep there if there are no
prisoners. Since I heard he
cleared you and Thaddeus today, there are no prisoners. So, I don't need to be walked home,
but thank you anyway," she said and bit her bottom lip. It was something she seemed to be
doing an awful lot of lately even if she didn't realize it.
Heyes stepped closer to
her, put his hand on her chin and gave her a soft kiss. "Then good night Laurie, sleep
well," he said. He turned and walked away just as the door to the jail
opened and Charlie stepped out to look for Laurie. He headed back to the saloon where he
walked in with a smile that said it all. Kid looked up and thought it's going
to be a good night. He's
back. Heyes sat down across from
his partner and nodded at him.
They played till closing that night. Hannibal Heyes left the saloon with a
hundred dollars more than when he walked in.
***
"That you,
Laurie?" Charlie called out, "I was getting worried about
you."
"Just took a little
longer in the dress shop tonight," Laurie responded and walked into the
jail. "You heading to the
saloon or upstairs if anyone is looking for you," she asked the Deputy
Sheriff.
"Think maybe I'll hang
out at the saloon for a while," Charlie replied and left the office.
Laurie got down to work,
cleaning the whole jail. This job
took her the longest, but the Sheriff was always so kind to her she wanted to
make sure she did a good job, and since she could just lie down on one of the
cots in the jail when she was finished, it didn’t matter how late it
got. Laurie finished her work in
record time that night. Not
thinking, just doing. As she lay
down on the cot, she wasn't the least bit tired.
She lay there staring at
the walls of the jail. She had
looked at these walls on so many other nights, not because of the excitement
that she felt tonight, but because of the fear that she felt during a
storm. When the storms were
really bad, Sheriff Hardy insisted that she stay at the jail for safety
reasons. She couldn’t sleep
on those nights and therefore, knew every crack, bend, and blemish on the
walls and every word on the wanted posters. She had memorized the entire inside of
the jail.
Tonight was different. She lay there staring at the walls but
not really seeing them. She was
reliving the earlier kiss, kisses with Joshua. The way he made her feel. She hadn't felt this safe since her
father had held her. But this
feeling was different. She sighed, thinking about the way it made her feel,
the way it still made her feel.
The whole day was unbelievable.
Joshua was unbelievable.
Laurie knew that she had fallen completely head over heels for
him. He had been so kind, so
gentle, but she knew he would be leaving soon, leaving her soon. She didn't want to dwell on that. She
knew it was going to happen, but in the meantime she was going to live and
love like she never had before and figured she never would again.
She lay quietly with Sam on the cot next to her, just dreaming, until she heard
noises from the street. She got
up and walked over to the window; the saloon was closing. She saw all of the men leaving, and
then she saw Joshua and Thaddeus.
She bit her lip and watched as they left the saloon and walked into
the hotel. She was completely
unaware Charlie was walking back to the jail and was startled when he opened
the door. She said good night to him and went back to the cot. Slowly she drifted off to sleep.
***
Laurie woke up as the sun
was just beginning to rise. She
quietly got up, motioned to Sam and they both quietly went to the door. Charlie was asleep in the chair with
his feet propped up on the desk.
Laurie closed the Sheriff's door softly behind her. Turning around,
she surveyed the sleeping town; no storm last night, nothing to clean
up. As she started walking
towards home, Laurie looked over at the hotel and up at the windows. She was thinking of Joshua. She wondered what room he was in and
how he was sleeping. She stopped
for a second and let herself think about how long he was going to be here and
what it would be like once he had left.
She shook her head and told herself that she had made a promise to
herself not to think about it, not until she had no choice. She WAS going to be happy for as long
as she possibly could and those thoughts had to be shut out. She turned and started walking again.
Unbeknownst to Laurie, she
was staring directly into the window of Heyes and Kid's room. She couldn't see him looking back at
her on that cool spring morning because he was behind the window sheer. He thought she looked
particularly happy this morning and then she stopped. Could she see him? Her face became sad and he wondered
what she was thinking about. Then
he saw her shake her head, smile and turn to go home. He wanted to call out, actually he
wanted to run after her, but he knew he couldn't. Things had gone too far; he couldn't
lead her on any longer. She
wasn't used to this attention and she wasn't a mark, he didn't want to hurt
her. He just couldn't get her out
of his head. She had gotten to
him and he knew he was falling hard for her. A stranger only a few days ago, but
still he couldn’t get her out of his mind. He was there for a job, and thinking
of her would just cloud the situation.
He knew that and he knew Kid counted on him being sharp minded, to be
able to figure things out. That
was their arrangement, he did the thinking, and Kid did the protecting. It was time to block her out.
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