tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16280933776112903942024-03-12T10:55:24.682-07:00Evangeline ~ A Hannibal Heyes Love StoryA fan fiction story born from the Hannibal Heyes obsessed imagination of a zealous Alias Smith and Jones fan. An epic tale of love and adventure inspired by and dedicated to the late, great Peter Ellstrom Deuel.Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.comBlogger200125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-80733330501623137022014-01-27T17:17:00.000-08:002014-01-27T17:17:29.973-08:00Love's Last Gift ~ Chapter 12<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i><span class="bqQuoteLink" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 26px;"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/michaeljf189302.html" style="color: #222222; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="view quote">Family is not an important thing. It's everything.</a></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span class="bodybold" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/michael_j_fox.html" style="color: #0000aa; text-decoration: none;" title="view author">Michael J. Fox</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></i>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Love’s Last Gift <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Chapter 12<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The trip
down the mountain was both terrifying and amazing at the same time. Evie was fine as long as she kept her eyes on
the expanse of countryside she could see from their lofty position on the side
of the mountain. But if she looked down,
she couldn't help but almost panic. The
ledge they traveled on was so narrow that one wrong step would send horse and
rider tumbling over the edge. She rode
bareback on the mare with Heyes riding Odin in the lead and Kid was astride
Rusty at the rear. They had all worried
that she might refuse to walk the narrow rocky pathway, but it was becoming
quickly apparent that Delilah, as Evie now called her, would follow Odin
anywhere he wanted to lead her. Evie could not help but think how like herself
Delilah was. For she too would follow
the man riding the magnificent beast in front of her anywhere he wanted to take
her. Just like Heyes and the Kid had
always been, she and Hannibal were a package deal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“You alright
back there, Evie?” Heyes said in a
steady calm voice without turning to look.
There could be no sudden moves or loud noises that might cause the
horses the make a misstep. He had
instructed Evie to remain silent, except to answer his periodic questions, and
then she should answer in a level tone of voice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Good so
far,” she replied in almost whisper, not wanting to risk anything louder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“How about
you, Kid?” When there was no reply he
asked again, slightly louder, “Kid?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kid had
heard his partner’s voice but it had not really penetrated the troubled
thoughts in his head so that his brain could tell him to answer. When Heyes had said his name the second time,
it took a moment but his brain finally acknowledged that he was being spoken to
and that he should answer. “Sorry. What
did you say?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Are you
alright back there?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Yeah, I’m
fine.” But he wasn’t fine. He was feeling things he rarely, if ever,
felt. They were feelings he wasn’t sure
how to deal with because he had never had to deal with them before. And the biggest and strongest was fear. The only thing he had ever really feared
since he was eighteen years old was losing his best friend and partner. The fear he felt now had nothing to do with
the treacherous walk down this narrow passage – he had done this many times
before. It had nothing to do with the
risky trip they were making over the next few days it would take to get to
Riverton. He wasn’t really afraid of
being captured and going to prison or even of being hanged. His biggest fear was never being able to see
his daughter or her mother again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He missed
Livvy and their baby so much it made his insides ache. How Heyes had endured being separated from
Evie while they were in prison he did not know.
He had thought of Livvy everyday while he was in prison himself, but he had
not thought he was in love with her. He
hadn’t really known what real love was he supposed. But the first time he watched Livvy with his
child at her breast, he knew that he had never known real love until that
moment. He knew that he would take a
bullet for either of them. He knew that
he would risk any danger to protect them. And being apart from them and not knowing what
was happening to them made him feel frightened, angry and helpless. He
couldn't sleep at night. He never
thought he'd see the day when he would lose sleep over anything, especially a
woman. His whole life had changed the
day he found out that he and Livvy had created a child together. And it was a change he had been looking
forward to getting used to. Now it
seemed like his whole world was falling apart right in front of his face and
there was nothing he could do about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Most of his
life, Kid Curry had been in control of every situation. The day he and Hannibal had decided to leave
the orphanage when he was not quite fifteen years old, was the day he had also
decided that he would not let anyone or anything else be in control of what
mattered most to him. He had become the
best he could be with his gun. If everyone
else was afraid of him then he had nothing to be afraid of. If he had his partner and his gun beside him
then there was nothing he couldn't handle.
Even with both of those things right here with him, he still felt
helpless, like he had no control over his own life. And he didn't like that feeling. And he knew it wouldn't go away until he
found Livvy and Gabbie. And he couldn't
find them until they took care of Clayton Ramsey once and for all. And doing that meant making this trip to
Riverton.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">They rounded
a bend and they were on the south facing side of the mountain and they could
see the flat land that stretched out for miles at the foot. Once at the bottom they would travel west to
the edge of the mountains and then head northeast toward Riverton. All three riders could tell the horses were
as relieved as they were when they finally set foot on grassy land. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Thank
goodness. I don't see how in the world
you made it up this ledge with me unconscious."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"It
wasn't easy. But luckily, Odin here is
no stranger to terrain like this. And
I'm pretty handy when it comes to handling a horse. Even with an unconscious woman in my
lap. How's Delilah doing?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"As
long as Odin's in front of her, I think she'd walk into a volcano. I’m not sure she was even aware that she was only
inches away from sending us both over the edge to die a brutal, painful
death." Evie shuddered at the
picture her own dramatic words had painted in her head. "As beautiful as the scenery up there
was, I’m glad to be at the bottom.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The three
riders stood abreast looking toward the west.
It was going to be a long, hard ride to Riverton. Three days with only brief resting stops. But they were each ready and anxious to get
there, each for different reasons. Evie was anxious to try and help Megan and
in turn help the two most important men in her life. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heyes was just anxious to get the whole thing
over with so he and Evie could either start their new life together or continue
with living on the lamb, depending on the outcome. And Kid...he just wanted to
get the proof needed to put an end to Clayton Ramsey so he could find his woman
and his baby. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Well, let’s
not just stand here. We need to get
moving. Time’s a wasting,” Kid said as
he nudged Rusty forward with a tap of his boot heels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heyes turned
and looked at the woman beside him. He
was leaving behind the safety and sanctuary of Cave of the Crying Wind. He didn’t like the feeling of dread he felt
swirling inside his chest. But when she
smiled at him and extended her hand toward him, he masked his uneasy feeling
with a smile of his own and grasped her hand.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Everything’s
going to work out fine. I’m sure of it,”
she said, sensing his unease.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He didn’t
reply. He merely nodded, squeezed her
hand and continued to smile as she urged Delilah forward. His smile faded and he watched her ride ahead
and Kid became smaller in the distance.
He had to force himself to snap the reins and set his horse in
motion. An image popped into his head,
one of a beautiful butterfly flying free and unfettered, floating softly on a
breeze…straight toward a spider’s web.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">~*~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Did you
find them?” Governor Ramsey whispered to his trusted right hand man who had
just returned from a three day hunt for the outlaws and his daughter-in-law.
His reply was a slow, steady negative shake of the dark head. “Damn. What about my son? Any word from my son?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Another
negative response followed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Just as
well. It’s too bad really that he didn’t
parish in the fire. That would have
really drummed up the sympathy and gotten the public behind me. Strange how these people will rally behind an
underdog or someone who has suffered a tragedy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Clayton,
are you coming?” Lieutenant governor
Fritz Guthrie asked impatiently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Yes, Fritz,
I’m coming,” Clayton sniped back angrily.
He didn’t like being treated in such a scolding manner, as if he were a
child. He could hardly wait to become
president and hand over this bothersome business of governing a territory full
of remote wilderness to Fritz. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But first he
must drum up a few tears and continue to win over the clueless peons who waited
below his hotel room balcony. He really
must thank the outlaw and his untrustworthy daughter-in-law. He couldn’t have planned a better scenario
than the one that had occurred almost a week ago. It was amazing what a fire and a kidnapping
could accomplish. The presidency was as
good as his. The only loose end to tie
up was the girl. With his son
missing, Clayton was suspicious that
Clay had been divulging information to his bride and was now in hiding, fearing
his father’s wrath. Just how much he had
divulged is what he wanted to find out, so that he could get Bartholomew busy
with damage control. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What a waste
it would be if the girl knew too much and had to be eliminated. He still desperately wanted to create an heir
with her. Not such much for the heir as
for the creating part. She was like an
aggravating itch that he could not reach and therefore could not get rid
of. And he would not be satisfied until
that itch was scratched. The more he
thought about it the more lecherous his thoughts became. He turned again to his silent minion and
whispered, “Go and prepare for the hunt once again. As soon as I am finished here I will meet you
and we will head out. I have a feeling I
know where to find my son. And,
Bartholomew, should we happen across the outlaws and Evangeline along the way,
remember, kill the outlaws but make sure the girl stays alive. I have unfinished business with her. And make sure that Mrs. Vanderbilt’s
whereabouts are still being sought.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With a curt
nod, Bartholomew exited the room.
Clayton Ramsey stood for a moment with his eyes closed and like a
magician pulling a rabbit from a top hat, he produced pools of moisture in the
bottom of his eyes. He stepped through
the drapes adorning the balcony doors and out into the sunlight to share the
sad and distressing news with the waiting crowd that there was still no word of
his beloved son and his missing bride. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 327.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
~*~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 327.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 327.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Heyes, do you really expect that to
work?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 327.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 327.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“You got a better idea?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Yeah, I do. I’ll
shoot my way into that house and just tell whoever is there that I’m taking
that girl with me whether they like it or not.
How’s that for a plan?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heyes and Evie exchanged frowns. Evie just shrugged, letting Heyes know he was
the one who was going to have to deal with the grumpy Kid Curry. She walked away leading Delilah from the
stream and back to the small secluded campsite they had just set up as the sun
got low in the west. She left the two
partners to talk and joined the other two horses who were enjoying a rest at
their camp. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“We can’t do that, Kid and you know it. We’ll be in even hotter water than we already
are. It’s gonna take a little more
finesse than that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I’m fresh out of finesse, Heyes. I just want to get that girl and get out of
there so I can get on with finding Livvy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I know. Just trust
me, alright? My track record has been
pretty good for the past sixteen years so I don’t know why you’re so doubtful
about me now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kid breathed a heavy sigh and hung his head for a
moment. “I’m sorry, Heyes. I guess I just ain’t as good as you are at
masking my hurt and my anger. When I’m
mad I let it show and I can’t help it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Yeah, I know. You’ve
always worn your heart on your sleeve.
And I understand how you feel, wanting to get to Livvy as quick as
possible. Have you forgotten that I’ve
been in your shoes on more than one occasion?
And belief me, going in there and shooting up the place is not gonna make
you any less anxious or desperate to find her.
We have to do this right, Kid if we hope to ever get back what we’ve
worked so hard to have. Otherwise,
finding her is sort of a moot point.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“That’s easy for you to say, Heyes. You’ve got Evie here with you. You can take off to parts unknown at any
time. If I don’t catch up to Livvy, I
may never see her or my daughter again.
If she’s scared she will run with that baby. I just know it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heyes placed an understanding hand on his partners shoulder
and looked him in his piercing blue eyes.
“Kid, you have my word that I’ll do everything in my power to make sure
that we find the proof we need to put the governor away and clear our
names. And after we do that, if Livvy
has disappeared Evie and I will help you in any way we can to find her. I promise.
Just stick with me and trust me, alright? We can’t do this without you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Alright, Heyes I trust you, you know that. I’m just nervous about the whole thing and being
nervous is not something I like feeling.
And this plan of yours is not making me feel any better.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Kid I’m beginning to think you’re losing confidence in me
again.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Heyes, I’m beginning to think you’re on to something there.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heyes shot his partner a scathing look but before he could
retort with an equally scathing remark, Evie’s scream split the air. Heyes ran, his partner’s attitude temporarily
forgotten. His only thought was getting
to the woman he loved, who was in obvious distress. He rounded the edge of the tree thicket they had
taken refuge behind expecting to find her being mauled by a wild animal or
being manhandled by one of the governor’s henchmen. He stopped short when he saw what was causing
her screams. Kid, gun in hand, nearly
ran into the back of him when he stopped so abruptly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“What the hell…” was all he could think to say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Don’t just stand there gawking! Get over here and help me before they kill
each other!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The two former outlaws quickly moved to help her separate the
two feuding stallions that were on the verge of all-out war. Heyes
wrangled Odin while Kid managed to reel in the fiery Rusty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“What happened? What
did you do to them?” Heyes asked rubbing
the quivering withers of the black.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Evie’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “What did I…<i>I</i> didn’t do anything. They
were perfectly fine when I came back from the stream with Delilah. Then all of a sudden they were both raring
back and snorting and screaming at each other and I tried to get in between
them but the knocked me down so I thought I should yell for help.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heyes came to her; sorry he had accused her and took her in
his arms. “I’m sorry. Are you
alright? You’re not hurt are you? It’s just that these two have been together
for months and they’ve gotten along just fine.
I don’t understand why all of a sudden…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Aw, no,” Kid groaned in dismay, “she’s in heat.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Oooh,” Heyes groaned with equal dismay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“What is it? What’s so
bad about her being in heat? Horses do
that all the time don’t they?” Evie asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Yeah, but you don’t ever want two studs together in close
quarters around a mare in heat. It’s
asking for disaster,” Heyes explained.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Oh. I guess neither
one is willing to share, huh?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“That’s an understatement.
What you just saw them doing to each other was just the beginning. If we hadn’t separated them they might have
killed each other for real,” Kid added. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“And it won’t get any better for the next few days. That’s going to make traveling the rest of
the way to Riverton fun. We still have a
day and a half ride before we get there,” Heyes complained.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I’m no horse expert, so how long does this last?” Evie asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I’ve seen it last for three days and then I’ve seen it last
for ten. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Most times it lasts about five
days to a week.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Poor thing. Here she
is, burned out of her home, stuck carting me around, which she isn’t used to,
and now she’s the prize for two feuding males who are determined to kill each
other to proof themselves worthy of her attention. She must feel dreadful.” Evie approached the mare with the intent of
consoling her with what she assumed was some much needed affection. She was greeted with a squeal and a nip of
the teeth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Ouch! She bit me!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Oh, yeah, did we mention that a mare in heat can sometimes
be mean and grouchy? You might want to rethink that feeling sorry thing,” Heyes
said on a chuckle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“What are we going to do about Rusty and Odin? Shouldn’t they be kept as far apart as
possible? I don’t want them to hurt each
other.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heyes looked at his partner who silently nodded in
understanding. But when he attempted to
take the mare out of the campsite so the two stallions would not fight, she protested violently. It was apparent that she was not going to be
separated from Odin. And so Kid decided
that he and Rusty, both being odd men out would sleep down by the stream and
away from the other two couples. After a
hasty meal of fresh caught fish, Kid
said goodnight to Heyes and Evie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I feel bad. I hate
for Kid to sleep by himself. And poor
Rusty must be heartbroken,” Evie mused as she lay on her back beside her
beloved and looked up at the stars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Sweetheart, horses don’t get heartbroken. It’s Kid who’s heartbroken. I wish I could do something or say something
to ease his mind, but he thinks Livvy is going to run away with the baby. And I gotta say, I’m not so sure his fears
are unfounded.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Livvy loves Jed. I
know she does. When Gabbie was born she
was so desperate, just like I was to get you two out of prison. She was afraid of telling him about the baby,
but I think it was fear of rejection.
But that didn’t happen, just like I told her it wouldn’t. So I don’t know what she’s afraid of
now. But if she does take off with that
baby, I will find her. And then I will
throttle her behind </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">for it. I don’t know
what that woman is thinking?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“She’s probably thinking that she can’t live a life with a
man she’s not sure is going to live long enough to see their daughter grow
up. And that’s the way you should be
thinking too.” He rolled to his side
and looked down into her beautiful moon washed face. “I still have trouble believing that a woman
like you could ever love a troublesome, old outlaw like me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She touched his face and stared deeply into his soulful brown
eyes. “You’re a part of me, Hannibal
Heyes. It doesn’t matter where I go or
who I’m with, a part of you will always
be inside of me. You’ve been there from
the moment you first kissed me in that cave with the lightning flashing all around. I swear I thought I had been struck by
lightning after that kiss.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Yeah, I remember it that way too. I think I’ve loved you since that moment or
maybe from the moment I first laid eyes on you.
You know I had so many dreams about the life we were going to have
together. I pictured us living on a
little ranch with some cattle, a few horses and chickens. We’d have a garden out back of our cozy
little house where you could grow vegetables and flowers. And we would have two kids…one boy and one
girl.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She turned to lay face to face with him and smiled gently as he
revealed his dreams to her. “Who do they look like? You or me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“The little girl will look like you of course and the boy
like me.” His eyes took on a faraway
look as he stared into the night beyond her shoulder. “It was a nice dream. I wish it could have come true.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Who says it still can’t?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“With a murder charge on my head? I gotta tell you, sweetheart, this whole plan
to get the governor’s daughter out of the house where she’s basically a prison </span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">and get her sobered to the point that she can recall an event that happened
years ago so that she can clear us….well, it’s a long shot.</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">I don’t like to bet on long shots.</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m afraid my dream is going to remain just
that…a dream.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“We are going to see those dreams come true. They are not just your dreams but mine as
well. We are going to have the life
we’ve dreamed of even if we have to take on new identities and move to
Europe. We can go to Spain or France. Oh, or Italy!
We can raise goats and have a vineyard and make our own wine. And still have all the little Hannibal’s and
Evie’s we want. And I want at least
five, remember.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“That’s what I love about you. You’re eternally optimistic. Your faith never waivers, does it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I don’t want you to lose your faith either, after I worked
so hard to help you find it again. I
love you. And with God as my witness we
will never be parted again.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“You amaze me, you know that?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“You’re pretty amazing yourself, Mr. Heyes. And I think you should show me just how
amazing you are right now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He didn’t mistake the seductive gleam in her eyes. His lips sought hers and found them. She returned his deep kiss with the passion
that only a woman in complete and total love could have. The
sound of nearby grunts and squeals had both their heads rising to find their
equine friends engaging in some romantic moments of their own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Oh, my goodness! Love
is definitely in the air tonight isn’t it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heyes chuckled deeply in his throat. “Yeah, for everybody except two lonely guys
down by the creek.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Oh, yes, poor Kid and Rusty.
I feel so bad for them both. You
should go talk to him and make sure he’s alright.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I have a better idea.
Why don’t you go talk to him? I
think I need to get those two separated over there or we’ll have a baby Odin on
the way.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Would that be so bad?”
Evie rose and started to leave the secluded little campsite in search of
her adopted big brother. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Ouch!” she yelled out in pain as her bare foot
connected with a sharp stone hidden in the grass. She dropped to the ground and cradled her
throbbing foot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heyes was at her side immediately taking her wounded foot in
his hand, rubbing the hurt away. “I’m
sorry we couldn’t get you a pair of shoes or a change of clothes,
sweetheart. When we saw that newspaper
with our names and descriptions plastered all over them in that first town we
came to I decided it just wasn’t worth the risk.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“That’s alright. Sore
and dirty feet are a small price to pay if we can pull this whole deal
off. It would be considerably easier to
pull off if my feet weren’t covered with stone bruises and honey bee stings and
I had a proper dress and shoes, but we’ll just have to improvise.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He planted a kiss solidly on the bottom of her injured foot,
not caring that it was dirty. “The offer
still stands for you to wear my boots.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“No thank you. I tried
that remember. I tripped and almost
broke my neck because they were too big.
I’ll take my chances with the rocks and the honey bees. Are you sure you don’t want me to help you
with the horses? Or maybe you want me to
send Jed back….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">His upheld palm quickly silenced her, then he stuck his thumb
into his chest as he said smugly, “Horse whisperer, remember?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Evie raised her eyebrows and tried to suppress a grin as she spun
on her bare feet and headed around the tree thicket in search of Kid
Curry. She found him sitting by a meager
fire staring into the small flames. She
was beginning to think she was going to be able to sneak up on him
undetected. She was almost upon him and
he hadn’t even acknowledged her presence.
She was either extremely stealthy in her bare feet or he was extremely
preoccupied. Evie figured it was a
combination of both. She was just about
to accomplish the unbelievable and take Kid Curry completely by surprise when all
of a sudden…”Ouch!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kid was on his feet, gun in hand in less than a second. He rolled his eyes and slid his gun back in
its holster. “Another honey bee?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“No, I hung my toe in a darned root.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kid helped her hobble over to the small fire he had made
beneath the big tree he had been leaning against. “What are you doing walking around out here
in the dark? I thought you and Heyes
would be cozied up under a blanket by now, seeing as how this is the only night
we’re going to be stopping for a decent sleep.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“We’re worried about you.
If I hadn’t stumped my toe on that root you never would have known I was
there. That’s not like you. And you barely touched your supper. That’s really not like you. And I bet you won’t sleep two winks tonight
either. Even though we haven’t seen a
human being since we left that town where we were going to buy me some
shoes. We’re not likely to meet anybody
until we reach Riverton and it would probably be perfectly safe for you to
catch a few hours of sleep. I’m sure
you’ll feel more yourself if you do.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I’m not likely to be myself for a while, Evie. Not until I find Liv and the baby.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Jed, Livvy is in love with you. I don’t think she would just
up and disappear on you. She might lay
low while all of this is going on but once the dust settles, she won’t be able
to stay away from you. She was just as
anxious as I was to get you out of prison and the only reason she waited so long
to tell you about Gabbie was her own
stupid, unfounded fears.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“You weren’t there, Evie.
You didn’t see her face or hear her voice when she told me she couldn’t
marry me. I think she’s still
afraid. You see what she did when she
was afraid before…she kept my daughter from me for the first seven months of
her life. Who knows what she’ll do this
time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Listen to me, we are family.
You, me, Hannibal and Livvy are all family. And I know Livvy better than just about
anybody and family is the most important thing in this world to her. She went without any family except Libby for
so long that I know she would endure whatever hardships came her way to keep
this family together. And if she wants
me in her family she has to take you.
You’re part of the package deal and she knows that. But you’re right, she is afraid of
something. But once this is all over and
the governor is exposed and you two are cleared, she’ll come around, I just know it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“What if we don’t expose the governor and the charges against
me and Heyes stick? Then what?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Don’t even think like that.
I think the whole reason that you two went to prison in the first place
is so that I would meet Clayton Ramsey and set everything in motion for us to
bring him down. The man is evil, evil.
And with God as my witness, we’re going to save his daughter and expose
him for the lying, murdering good for nothing he is. Then we can all get on with the lives we were
meant to have – happy lives.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I sure hope you’re right.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I know I am.
Everything happens for a reason.
I truly believe that. And on the
other side of this trial is the reward we all want and deserve. Don’t give up hope, Jed. And you know what Hannibal always says;”
Don’t go borrowing trouble.” You don’t
even know that Livvy isn’t waiting for you in Porterville.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Yeah, I guess you’re right.
It’s just that I have this nagging feeling that she’s already lit out to
someplace where I can’t find her. I just
wish I’d had time to talk to her and convince her that her she didn’t have to
be afraid of me putting her or Gabbie in harm’s way or that our age difference
would change how I feel.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“That’s not what she’s really afraid of.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“What do you think she’s afraid of then?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“What anyone who invests their heart into a relationship is
afraid of. When you put your heart in
someone else’s hands you risk losing it to them and getting it broken. I
think Livvy’s has been broken so many times she’s afraid to give you her heart
completely and so she guards it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“But how do I convince her that you have to take that chance
if you want to experience the good part of being in love with someone.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“You just show her that’s all. Show her every day with everything you do and
say that she is worth all the risk that you’re taking with your heart, and then
she will give you hers completely.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The corners of Jed’s mouth lifted slightly in a tiny
smile. “You know my pa told me sort of
the same thing when I was just a boy. Thanks
for reminding me. I love you, Evangeline
Webb,” he said as he stretched out one
arm to invite her into a warm embrace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She moved into his arms and hugged him tightly; cherishing
the protective love of the man she had come to love as a brother. “I
love you too, Jed Curry. No more
fretting about Livvy. That’s going to be
kid stuff, no pun intended, compared to what we’re going to have to do tomorrow
when we reach Riverton.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Has Heyes got all the details of that plan worked out yet?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I’m not sure. I left
the self-proclaimed horse whisperer to defuse the sticky situation with the….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“OUCH!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The very distinct voice of Hannibal Heyes, yelping in pain
carried through the trees and down to the creek side where they sat. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Well, well.
Do my ears deceive me or has the horse whisperer been bitten?” Evie asked with an amused gleam in her eye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I do believe the mighty have fallen. You’d best get on over there and check on
him,” Kid said around a huge grin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Are you sure you’re going to be alright out here by
yourself?’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I’m sure. I really
need some time alone anyway, to get my head…and my heart straight. Thanks for what you said, Evie. It helps.
Really it does.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“That’s what family does, Jed. They take care of each other.” She leaned over and placed an affectionate
kiss to his whisker roughened jaw before she got to her feet. “Get used to it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He watched her disappear around the bend of trees. He settled down on his bed roll, his head
pillowed against his saddle and thought about what she had said. She was right. Maybe Livvy was waiting in Porterville. And if she wasn’t, he would find her. Nothing would keep him from finding the woman
he loved and their daughter. After all
just as Evie had said…that’s what family did.
His eyes were growing heavy. He
pulled his hat down over his eyes and for the first night since he had left
Cheyenne, he slept a peaceful sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Evie peered cautiously around the edge of the trees and into
the clearing where Hannibal was. She
laughed silently to herself as she watched him talking to Delilah. “Now I understand that a girl’s got urges
just like a man, and when it gets real bad you gotta do something about
it. And who could blame you for wanting
a fine stud like Odin? But when you go
to biting me that’s where I draw the line, you understand? I won’t be having any of that. Now I need you to just calm down and start
acting like a decent young lady.
There’ll be time for romance when we get you two to a nice, clean stall
somewhere. And one more thing…don’t go
telling anybody that I let you get the better of me a minute ago. I have a reputation to uphold after all.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Do my ears deceive me or has the mighty horse whisperer just
admitted defeat? Oh,dear how the mighty
have fallen indeed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heyes turned slowly around, a wary smile on his face. “Ahem.
Uh, you heard that did you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Uh huh.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Don’t tell the Kid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Too late. We heard
you yelp in pain when she bit you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He looked at the ground with a look of disgust on his
face. “Great. Now I’ll have to hear it from him all day
tomorrow.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I hope you do. That
way I’ll know he’s in a better mood and not fretting so over Livvy. And besides, it might be good for you to be
reminded every once in a while that you’re not perfect at everything.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“There is one thing I’m perfect at,” he said in his deep, silky voice. He strolled towards her with deliberately
slow steps and bent close to her ear and whispered the most illicit things that
Evie had ever heard. Her mouth was agape
and her cheeks were flushed when he looked at her. For a moment he thought perhaps he had gone
too far and he had offended her. But her
embarrassment quickly turned into a bewitching come-hither look that had Heyes
once again amazed. She took his hand and
led him to their fireside bedroll. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Perfection can’t just be declared, Mr. Heyes. It has to be proven.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She sank to the ground and pulled him down with her, where he
proceeded to provide her with all the proof she needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 327.75pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 327.75pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">~*~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The trio rode silently along a dirt road on the outskirts of
the town of Riverton. This road would
lead them to the childhood home of Clayton Ramsey, and to his daughter, whom
they believed would be their salvation.
Thick, dense shrubs and saplings grew among the many trees that grew to
the west of the roadside. To the east
there were fields and ponds and the occasional farmhouse. But there had not been any sign of a human
being since they had left the mountains.
For that they were grateful. Kid
and Heyes knew better than to tempt fate by saying anything about their good fortune. But Evie, not being seasoned yet in the
lifestyle of a fugitive broke the silence that they had been riding in for the
past three hours. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“You know we haven’t seen a soul since we left that
mountain. Don’t you find that kind of
strange that we would make it almost the whole way and not see any body. What luck, huh?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">“Aw, no,” Kid groaned.</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">“Why’d she have to go and say that?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The words had barely left his mouth when the sound of voices
came rising up the hill they had just ascended and were now on the other side
of. The three quickly dismounted and
scurried into the thick brush along the roadside. In their haste to hide they forgot about the
feuding horses and Rusty began to snort loudly. Kid led the fiery stud several yards away
and tethered him to a tree then rejoined his companions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The stood silently and waited. The voices became louder. And they were not the voices that they had
expected to hear. There were only two
and one was distinctly female. All three
poked their head up timidly over the top of the thick bush in front of them to
get a peek at the source of the voices.
It was a young couple strolling leisurely along, cuddled close
together. They stopped just in front of
the hiding trio.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Oh, Albert, I love you so.
How I wish Papa would stop being so stubborn and give us his blessing so
that we could be married.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“And I love you, my darling, Sylvia. But what can we do except try harder to gain his approval?” the young man said as he stroked the flaming
red hair of the young woman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I don’t care about approval anymore. I just want to be with you always. Sometimes I’m tempted to tell Papa that
you’ve already soiled me. That way he
would have to let us marry.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“No, Syliva, I won’t let you jeopardize your reputation and
destroy your father’s already meager opinion of me. We will simply have to leave it up to fate.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Oh, very well,”
Sylvia pouted. “But don’t expect
me to like it, having to sneak around just to see you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heyes rolled his eyes and Kid stifled a groan as the couple
spent the next five minutes locked in a passionate embrace, their lips never
parting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“There’s a swimming hole not far from here. It’s on my papa’s land. Are you in the mood for some skinny dipping?” Sylvia said playfully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“You are truly incorrigible, Sylvia, which is one of the many
things I love about you. Lead the way,
my love.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heyes peeked up and over the bush then stood upright and announced,
“They’re gone.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Whew, that was a close one.
I thought we were caught for sure.
But it was only two young lovers going for a skinny dip,” Evie said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Yeah, I thought we….wait a minute,” Heyes said as a huge grin split his handsome
face. “I’ve got an idea. Evie,
stay here with the horses. Kid, follow me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The boys were gone for what seemed like an hour when in fact
it was only fifteen minutes. She was
standing in the middle of the dirt road with her hand shielding her eyes from
the afternoon sun looking for any sign of them, when they appeared over the
hill running like two kids who had just been caught stealing a pie from the
window sill, or should she say like two ex-thieves who had just stolen a young
couples clothes. They breezed past her
and headed for the trees where the horses were hidden. “Come on, Evie, hurry up!” Heyes yelled over his shoulder. She trotted off after them as fast as she
could in her bare feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“What did you do, steal their clothes?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Yep,” Heyes replied with a huge grin and raised eyebrows as
he stuffed the articles of clothes into his saddlebags. “Here,” he said as she tossed her a pair of
black satin oxfords with a two inch heel.
She rolled her eyes thinking how silly she was going to look with a pair
of dainty black heels on while wearing grimy men’s trousers and shirt. But beggars certainly couldn’t be choosers so
she slipped them on and found that they fit her perfectly. She pulled herself atop Delilah’s back and
sped off behind the two thieves. They raced
away from the scene of the crime until Heyes felt they had traveled far enough
away to be safe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I can’t believe you did that?” Evie admonished as she slid
from Delilah’s back. “You left those two poor people without any clothes. Now what are they going to do? You heard her say how her father disapproved
of him. Now they will have some heavy
explaining to do won’t they?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Aw relax, I did them a favor. They were leaving it up to fate and fate just
stepped in. When she comes home with no
clothes on and explains that her clothes got stolen while she was skinny
dipping I guess her pa will have to let them get married won’t he.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Evie stood there thinking about it for a moment. Then she looked down at her feet in snuggly
encased in black leather and satin. They
were really nice shoes and they were quite
comfy. Evie shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Good luck, Sylvia and Albert,” she shouted in the direction from which they
had just come. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I knew you would appreciate my efforts eventually. And you’re going to be even more pleased with
this.” He pulled a gorgeous white silk
gown embellished with a purple floral print from is saddle bag. Evie’s breath caught in her throat. She had not gotten a good look at what the
girl had been wearing from their hiding spot.
It was one of the most stunning gowns she had ever seen. She took the gown and held it to her breast,
gauging the size and length. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I think it’s going to fit.
When can I try it on?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“The sooner the better.”
Heyes took a deep breath and pointed towards the northwest. There on a distant hill, with the orange glow
of the afternoon sun emblazoned upon its faded whitewashed walls, stood the
home of Clayton Ramsey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“That dress is going to make all the difference in our plan. And there’s one more thing that I think
you’re going to need,” Heyes said
sheepishly as he slowly withdrew and held aloft the contraption of agony that
Evie despised so much. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Oh, no. Do I have
to?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but every woman, especially the woman
you’re going to be pretending to be, doesn’t get dressed without a
corset.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Her face dropped and her shoulders drooped. “Very well.
Give me the blasted thing. But I’ll
need help with the laces.” She snatched
it angrily from his grip and marched off behind some bushes to change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“What about you and me?” Kid asked as he watched Heyes pull
the clean and proper men’s suit from the saddlebag. “Which one of us gets to be the fancy
gentleman and which one gets to be the man servant?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heyes dug deep in his pants pocket and pulled out a
coin. “Call it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 327.75pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">~*~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Amelia Dunlop scurried towards the front door of the house
she had been governess to for the past fifteen years. Who in the world could be knocking on this
door at this hour of the day? The sun
was sinking and supper was just about to be put on the table. Not that supper amounted to much, these days
with only herself, Robert and Megan here to be feed. But the cook always made enough food to feed
a small army. She supposed the cook, like herself, tried to keep things as proper as if Master
Ramsey and Dr. Graves were home. She
prided herself in making sure that she followed through with all of the
instructions left to her by the good doctor and the man who paid her salary,
Governor Ramsey. And one of those
instructions was to maintain the status quo and not to vary the routine from which
she was accustomed to following when Dr.
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master. Dr. Graves had told her he
would be gone for at least three weeks, perhaps more, depending on how serious
the illness he had been called to Cheyenne to treat turned out to be. And visitors did not come here…had not come
here since Clayton had moved his insane daughter here. Amelia turned and looked up the staircase
towards the second floor where Megan was kept.
She smoothed the crisp white apron over her grey skirt and patted the
sides and top of her head to assure that the tightly coiled braid was still
securely wound on the top of her corn silk colored head. Satisfied that she looked the part of the
professional keeper of the house, she
opened the front door, not knowing what or whom to expect. Her curiosity was piqued when the door swung
open to reveal three strangers standing on the front veranda. ..three beautiful
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-81501764642683753982013-09-20T07:21:00.001-07:002013-09-20T07:21:19.331-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello, friends. Long time no see. Not seeing is a reality for me right now. I'm having major eyesight problems right now which are preventing me from doing extended amounts of time typing on the computer. I do apologize for taking so long to get the next chapter of Love's Last Gift done. But don't worry. I haven't stopped and I do plan to finish it. I've had so much going on in my life lately that has prevented me from concentrating on writing, so I hope you understand. Until I can get chapter 13 finished here is a video that I and some of my fellow Peter enthusiasts (the Pete Posse we call ourselves) came up with. Enjoy. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzhrmDxobCbrI-jLB4pVyTX_aLy41rQ2zS9kj_rnTNPJQt7GmfNW6__-26K5sN6rdZ2TWKkdmkTA9bYYGj3Zg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-56130038800264654822013-06-03T00:05:00.003-07:002013-06-03T00:05:59.563-07:00Feels Like Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yes I'm still alive. Life is really hectic right now and it's hard to find time to do everything I want to do, like write. I did find a little while late last night to throw this video together. I made it just for Mr. Deuel. Sort of a "thinking of you" card. Hope y'all enjoy it. <br />
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Thank you, Petey. Love you always. </div>
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-36400613071805293352013-04-06T21:09:00.000-07:002013-04-06T21:09:05.293-07:00Love's Last Gift Chapter 11<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>"When two soul mates are apart, they don't feel quite right; it's as if something is missing. When they are together, they feel at peace." ~Shelly Wu</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
"Did you find her at the hotel?"<br />
<br />
"No, Governor. There was no Mrs.Vanderbilt at the hotel. The desk clerk said she checked out yesterday morning."<br />
<br />
"Did he know where she was heading?"<br />
<br />
"I don't know, sir."<br />
<br />
"Well, did you ask him?<br />
<br />
"No, sir."<br />
<br />
Clayton Ramsey turned slowly to glare at the young man who worked for him. "Then go and ask him now, you idiot!"<br />
<br />
The young man ran to the door and down the stairs. "Why must everyone around me be such a disappointment and an obstacle to my goals. All I've ever asked is that everyone around me simply be as diligent and as focused on what I want as I am." He pinched the bridge of his nose in dismay. "Is that asking too much, Milton?"<br />
<br />
"Certainly not, Clayton," <br />
<br />
"You would think all these ruffians who work for me would be more grateful. After all if it weren't for me granting them all amnesty and then giving them jobs they would all be in jail or living in squalor."<br />
<br />
Dr. Graves handed the governor a glass of brandy. "Here drink this and then I will give you some of my special tonic to sooth your nerves."<br />
<br />
"Thank you, Milton. You're the only one who understands me. You and Bartholomew." He turned the snifter of brandy up and drained half of its contents in one long swallow, then winced at the burning sensation in his throat. Dr. Graves gave him a small shot glass with a clear liquid inside. He swallowed it then chased it with the rest of the brandy. "Why can't people just do as I ask them to do? When they don't cooperate then they force me to do things that I don't want to do. I'm not a bad person, Milton, really I'm not."<br />
<br />
"Of course not, Clayton," the doctor said as he led the man he had known for twenty years to the bed in the apartment over his office. "Now lie down and get some rest. Things will look better in the morning."<br />
<br />
"All I wanted was to create an heir. Is that so wrong? Obviously my son wasn't going to get the job done. If she had only cooperated, then she would have been the mother of the heir of the president of the United States and she would never have wanted for anything. Now she is forcing me to once again do something that I do not want to do. When her outlaw lover ends up dead she will only have herself to blame, not me."<br />
<br />
"Yes, Clayton. You are right as always."<br />
<br />
"Has anyone heard from my son?"<br />
<br />
"The servants said he was not home when the fire started. But no one knows where he is."<br />
<br />
"Pity really. If he had been lost in the fire it might have worked to my advantage. I could have had those two on murder charges instead of attempted murder and I definitely would have gained many sympathy votes from the public." His eye lids were growing heavy. "Then his existence wouldn't have been a total waste. Milton, I still want to go ahead with my plans to create that heir. So don't leave town until I have Evangeline back."<br />
<br />
"I won't Clayton. I'll be here to look after things."<br />
<br />
"But what about my daughter?"<br />
<br />
"Megan is being taken care of properly. And Bartholomew is on the trail of your daughter-in-law. Don't worry about a thing." Dr. Graves took the empty glass from his sleeping benefactor's slack hand. "There, there, Clayton. All your secrets are safe with me. Of course it will continue to cost you to keep them that way." He poured himself a glass of the expensive brandy and lit one of Clayton's choice cigars. He settled onto the velvet covered sofa and propped his feet upon the arm. A broad smile covered his face. "And after learning that your beautiful young conquest is heiress to a fortune herself, I think my price just went up."<br />
<br />
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~*~</div>
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The tantalizing smell of roasting meat penetrated the fog of her sleep dulled senses. Her eyes slowly opened to behold for the second time in as many days the most beautiful sight she could have hoped to see. Hannibal Heyes sat next to the fire at the mouth of the cave, his perfect profile illuminated by the orange glow of the flames. Beyond his profile of perfection outside the cave was the pink and yellow painted canvas of daybreak peeking over the mountain top in the eastern sky. She raised herself up on her elbows and simply enjoyed the view for a moment. Her love for this man was overwhelming. He overwhelmed her emotions, her senses, her mind and her body. There was nothing she wouldn't do for him and she knew there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. Not only was there complete and total love between them, there was complete and total trust. That trust had been tested over the past few months, but they had made it through that test to become closer and more deeply in love and more secure in their relationship than they had ever been.</div>
<br />
<br />
They had stayed awake late into the night, sharing their hopes and fears for the future, and one thing that they were both adamant about - their days of being apart were over. He had promised her that no matter what happened, no matter what trials may come in the future, they would ride the storm out together. And she had assured him that no matter where the future led them, whether riding hard to make it to Mexico, or hiding in the mountains until they could take a ship to Europe, she was strong enough to endure. She would always be strong as long as he was with her. He was her strength, and she was his. This must be what people meant when they said soul mate. The person you find in your life whose soul grows into the perfect fit for your soul. Like liquid forms to the shape of a glass, he had poured his soul into hers, filling the empty spaces, fitting perfectly. <br />
<br />
But there had been a slight change in him since last night after she had remembered what Clayton had been trying to do to her when the fire had started. There was a brooding darkness that seemed to be looming behind his eyes. He was trying hard to mask it but she could see it. She knew he was holding in the anger he felt. <br />
<br />
"Whatcha cookin'?" she asked in a low voice, raspy with sleep. <br />
<br />
"Rabbit," he said around a smile as he turned to look at the woman he loved with everything he had. One week ago he was in the darkest place he had ever been in his life, all because he thought he would live the rest of his life without her in it. Now here he sat, looking into her sleepy eyed, beautiful face while he cooked a rabbit for their breakfast. The sun was rising outside and his spirits were rising with every hour that he spent with her. Last night they had spent hours just talking and growing closer than he had ever dreamed possible. They had made a pact of sorts last night as they lay in the fire light side by side facing each other. Neither of them really came right out and said the words but it was understood between them as they talked about worst case scenarios in the days to come. He would not go back to prison. He would die first. And he would not die dangling at the end of a rope. If he went out, it would be in a blaze of glory, riding hard with the wind on his face and the promise of freedom before him. Even if that promise was never to be fulfilled. She had understood what he meant and he knew that should that happen she would do whatever she had to to make sure that she wasn't far behind him. He didn't bother telling her to go on with her life and live and be happy, because he knew that like him, she would never be happy without him. A vital part of his being would be missing should anything happen to her. A part so vital that he would not want to trudge through life merely existing without her. And he knew that she felt the same way. <br />
<br />
He had not slept very well last night. Although she was full of faith that everything was going to work out for the best he just couldn't shake this nagging feeling that the end of this was not going to be pretty. That feeling came mostly from the darkness inside of him. It had awakened last night when he'd found out that Clayton Ramsey had tried to rape Evie. Thoughts he didn't even want to speak had come into his head after that. Visions of doing harm to another human that he had never entertained before would not leave his brain. He had thought about telling her just how dark and angry his heart had become since he had been released from prison. They had promised each other last night that there would never be any secrets between them. But he didn't want to ruin their time her together in this peaceful paradise with any morbid or angry thoughts. And so he kept it to himself. <br />
<br />
"It smells heavenly. I don't think I've smelled anything that good since I was snuggled up to you at that barn dance back in Red Rock."<br />
<br />
"If my memory serves me correctly, and I have no doubt that it does, you were the one who smelled heavenly that night. How do you feel? Any more memories?"<br />
<br />
"Nope. No more memories. Sometimes I think I'm going to have one and then it goes away. Poof, like a dream that you are just about to remember but then it goes away. I feel normal. I think all the traces of that drug are gone. Of course I've had the best nurse in the world taking care of me so I was bound to get better. The only thing wrong with me is that I'm hungry and my feet are cold."<br />
<br />
He looked thoughtfully down at her bare feet and made his way toward her. "Yeah. We'll have to take care of that as soon as we can." He sat next to her feet and took one of them in his warm hands and gently massaged the warmth back into them. "When Kid gets here we'll have to come up with a plan to go into town and get you a pair of shoes."<br />
<br />
"I know you don't want to entertain this thought but....what if he doesn't come?"<br />
<br />
He smirked a little and shook his head. "No, I don't think you have to worry about that. He'll be here."<br />
<br />
She loved his unwavering faith in his best friend. It was part of what made him who he was and only a small part of what made her love him so much. And she knew he was right. Kid would be here. "My feet are starting to warm up, but my stomach is still very empty. How long before the rabbit is done?"<br />
<br />
"Not long. Another fifteen minutes and you'll be tasting it instead of smelling it."<br />
<br />
"Can I smell you in the meantime?" She reached for him and he came willingly into her waiting arms. He rested his head on her breast as she caressed his hair and his shoulders. She put her nose to the top of his head and inhaled his scent, finding comfort in its pleasant familiarity. "Do you really remember how I smelled at that barn dance?" she asked.<br />
<br />
"Um hmm. Remembering things like how you smelled, what your skin felt like, the sound of your voice, the color of your eyes, the way your hair felt when it ran through my fingers...all those things were what kept me from going insane when I was in prison. Living to experience all of those sensations again are what kept me going."<br />
<br />
"You look so much better now than when I saw you that day in that place, I wept like a baby when I got into the coach. Not just because I thought I might never see you again, but because my heart was bruised from seeing you so thin and scared and all of your pretty golden brown hair was gone."<br />
<br />
"Being shaved clean every week and having to work hard out in the fields was bad, but I could have lived with that. It was the God awful silence that I couldn't stand. It was like hell on earth. And that's why I mean it when I say that I won't go back there. I'd rather be dead."<br />
<br />
"I'm glad I haven't forgotten all of those things like I have the last night I spent in that mansion, <br />
<br />
A tremendous guilt washed over her. She had all but squashed that dream for him when she had married another man and didn't explain to him why. She lifted his head from her breast to look deeply into his brown eyes. "I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine what you must have felt when you found out I had married Clay. I know you've forgiven me, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself."<br />
<br />
"It's over now and I don't want to talk about it anymore. Not about prison, or your fake marriage. I only want to talk about what we're going to do once we get out of this latest mess. I only want to talk about happy things. If we talk about bad things I'm afraid a side of me that you wouldn't like might make itself known."<br />
<br />
"What are you talking about? Do you think I can't handle you when you're angry. I've seen you angry and at your worst. I'm not afraid."<br />
<br />
"That night on your balcony when I was cruel and hateful to you, the one person I love most of all in this world, well, that was just a small bit of what I've felt raging inside of me. I've considered outright murder in the past month. You know that's not like me. When I thought that another man had touched you, something...I don't know how to describe it...came alive inside of me. And last night when you told me what Clayton had tried....It's like a dark side of myself that I never let out before, took over. A side of me that could be very hurtful and cruel and dangerous. You are the only thing that keeps that side of me from taking over. And being here where I know we're both safe helps too. If anything ever happened to you, I don't think I could stop it from consuming me."<br />
<br />
She hugged him tighter to her breast. She didn't like what he was telling her. It scared her a little. "That's why you're going to make sure that nothing happens to me. And when Kid gets here he will make sure nothing happens to any of us."<br />
<br />
He held on to her as if his very life depended on it...and perhaps it did. He reluctantly removed himself from her embrace and stood. "The rabbit should be ready soon. You want to go wash up while I take it off the spit?"<br />
<br />
The faint sound of a horse's hooves on rock echoed in from outside. "Some one's coming up the pass. I bet that's him. But just in case, get as far back into the dark end of this crevice. Don't come out until I tell you it's clear." He picked up the hunting knife he had used to skin the rabbit and handed it to her. "Use it if you have to." She shook her head and disappeared into the dark recesses of the mountainside. <br />
<br />
Once she was out of sight, he slid the Smith and Wesson revolver from his holster and cocked it. He could hear the horse getting closer, its hooves now plodding on the grassy earth. He waited until he knew the rider had stopped before he stepped out into the light of day and aimed his gun. He quickly uncocked it when he saw the familiar and welcome face of Kid Curry.<br />
<br />
"I figured you would get here this morning. I guess Martha got my message to you."<br />
<br />
"Yeah, she got me the message." Kid dismounted. <br />
<br />
"Evie, you can come out now," Heyes called out, but felt stupid when he turned to find her already standing there. "Didn't I tell you to stay put until I said it was all clear?"<br />
<br />
"Haven't we had this conversation before?" she asked sweetly as she emerged completely from the dim cavern. Her face lit up with excitement when she saw Kid standing near Rusty. "I knew it was Jed. I'm so happy to see you!" she squealed as she ran.<br />
<br />
A warm smile crossed Kid's face as he held out his arms waiting to embrace the young woman he thought of as his little sister. His smile faded as she flew past him and threw her arms around the neck of the chestnut stallion behind him. He looked to his partner who could only shrug and raise his eyebrows. <br />
<br />
"Oh, Rusty, I've missed you so! It killed me to send you away." She kissed the powerful furry jaw of the massive beast she loves so dearly. "But I wasn't worried about you. I knew I was putting you in good hands." She turned her attention to the sullen Kid Curry behind her. "Don't think I've forgotten about you," she said as she leaped towards him and he caught her up in a big bear hug. "I'm happy to see you too, Jed."<br />
<br />
He exhaled a long sigh. "And I'm glad to see the both of you in one piece. I didn't know quite what to expect. Martha didn't really know what was going on. She just said that she saw you ride off with Evie while the governor's goons were shooting at you."<br />
<br />
"Yeah, they shot at us but they were too busy trying to put out that fire to give chase. You didn't have any trouble finding my trail I see."<br />
<br />
"No, you left me good enough signs, but not so good that the untrained eye would see them. I covered our tracks the best I could and I left some false trails. I hope that throws them off our scent long enough for us to come up with a plan."<br />
<br />
"We can't come up with a plan until I know exactly what we're facing. Do you have any idea what's going on in Cheyenne? Am I a wanted man once again?"<br />
<br />
Kid looked soberly at his partner. "We both are." He went to his saddlebag and withdrew the folded paper. He handed it to his partner who only had to read a few sentences to know they were in deep trouble. He was wanted for arson, kidnapping and attempting to murder the governor. Hanging offences. And Kid was wanted as an accomplice to all three crimes. As they had always done, the boys held a mute conversation with their eyes, both conveying to the other that they each understood the gravity of the situation. <br />
<br />
"What'll we do, Heyes?" Kid asked in a low voice as they walked casually, putting some distance between themselves and Evie. She was content at the moment to fawn over the horse she loved. Heyes would let her have a few moments of happiness before he had to give her more bad news about the trouble they were in. <br />
<br />
Heyes didn't answer. Because he didn't really have an answer. He looked past his partner's shoulder at his sweet Evie. Why did they have to do anything? Now that Kid was here he had everything he wanted and needed right here on this mountain. He saw no reason to leave it. He turned away from Kid and walked slowly eastward to stand and look out over the sea of green formed by the forest below. This place was surreal. As his eyes swept over the purple hued slopes of Eagle's Peak in the distance and white cottony clouds that swam in an endless blue sky he could almost hear the strains of Evie's favorite Beethoven songs wafting on the breeze. He felt a peace here that he never felt anywhere else and now that Evie and Kid were both here with him, he felt like he had come to the end of a long and tiring journey and he was ready to rest. And the dark thing inside of him, though still alive seemed to have gone to sleep for now. He was afraid if he left this mountain, the first thing it would do was come fully awake and head out to find Clayton Ramsey. If that happened the word "attempted" would be removed from the word murder. <br />
<br />
"I think I'd like to just stay put a while, Kid, if you don't mind," Heyes said without taking his eyes of the beauty of the surrounding countryside. <br />
<br />
"What do you consider 'a while,' Heyes? A few days? A couple of weeks?"<br />
<br />
Heyes drew a deep breath. He knew Kid wasn't going to like his answer. "I was thinking more like a few months. Six or seven maybe."<br />
<br />
"Six or seven months? Heyes, have you lost your mind?" Kid came to stand closer to his partner, not wanting to raise his voice too loudly for Evie to hear. "You know good and well that we can't stay up here that long."<br />
<br />
"Why not? We got everything we need. There's plenty of fresh, clean water, plenty of wood for fires, sturdy shelter, lots of game for hunting and fish in the lake. I don't see the problem."<br />
<br />
"Heyes, we're in the mountains, remember. You know what the winters in the mountains are like. Three feet of snow will be on the ground by the end of September. That's three months away. We can't survive in an open cleft in the mountainside a whole winter and you know it. We'd have to have tons of supplies and a permanent shelter. And carrying all those supplies up that narrow ledge is near impossible. You should know because we've tried it before and it didn't work. That's why we only came here to stay for a day or two before we headed back to the hole."<br />
<br />
"We've got a couple of months to make trips into town and get a little at a time. And I don't see why we couldn't build something to cover that opening and seal ourselves inside. We could make a door to get in and out. It will be better than a house. I got everything I want and need right here and I just don't see the sense in leaving. If we stay up here for the winter everybody will think we've gone to Mexico or that we're dead. They'll stop looking for us and we can go wherever we want."<br />
<br />
"If we start making trips into town and buying up household goods, people are gonna start asking questions. Then people will get suspicious and that could be the end for us. We can't take that kind of risk and you know it. And you may have everything you want and need up here but I don't. We've got to come up with a plan to get out of here and get to Porterville."<br />
<br />
"Porterville? Why Porterville? You think Lom can help us now?"<br />
<br />
"It's worth a try ain't it? I sent Livvy there to tell him what's going on. Maybe he can help us." Kid's face went from angry to sorrowful in a split second.<br />
<br />
Heyes looked at his partner's crestfallen face and he felt like the biggest fool this side of the Mississippi. "Hey, Kid, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about Livvy and the baby. I don't guess you <i>would</i> want to stay up here for very long would you?"<br />
<br />
Kid dropped to the grassy earth beneath him and rested his forearms on his raised knees. His head hung low and he stared at the ground as he spoke, "No, Heyes, I can't stay here."<br />
<br />
"Something else is bothering you. What is it?" Heyes asked as he sat down beside his partner.<br />
<br />
"She said she couldn't marry me." His voice was almost inaudible but Heyes heard what his friend had said. <br />
<br />
"When did she say that?"<br />
<br />
"Yesterday morning before Martha came in and told us what was happening. She said it was because of the gun fight but I don't believe her."<br />
<br />
"What gunfight?"<br />
<br />
Both men's heads turned around to find a barefoot Evie standing directly behind them.<br />
<br />
"What gunfight?" she asked again.<br />
<br />
"Some stupid kid challenged me to a gunfight in the middle of Cheyenne yesterday morning and Livvy saw the whole thing from her hotel window. When I came into her room afterwards she said she couldn't marry me because she didn't want Gabby to grow up with all that violence around. I don't know why, but I don't believe her. I think it's something else."<br />
<br />
"What has gotten into that ninny headed aunt of mine? I know for a fact that she's loopy headed in love with you. Are you sure you understood her correctly?"<br />
<br />
"She asked me to lay my gun down. I don't think I misunderstood."<br />
<br />
"She asked you to what? You just wait 'til I get a hold of her. Why, I've never heard such nonsense in my life. She knows that you can't live without your gun. She was bluffing. I hope you called her on it."<br />
<br />
"Well, actually, I gave up my gun."<br />
<br />
Heyes and Evie looked at each other in disbelief, their mouths slightly agape.<br />
<br />
"Oh, she gave it back to me when I had to leave. But...."<br />
<br />
There was a long pause before Heyes finally asked, "But what?"<br />
<br />
"I'm afraid she really meant it. I don't think she intends to marry me at all."<br />
<br />
A look of sympathy and understanding passed between Evie and Heyes. Evie jerked her head in the direction of the cave indicating she wanted to talk to Jed alone. "Uh, oh, uh I guess I best be checking on that rabbit. You two just wait here and we'll have breakfast shortly."<br />
<br />
Evie plopped down on the grass beside Jed. "You realize I know exactly how you feel. It wasn't that long ago that a certain outlaw that we both know and love left me alone and heartbroken."<br />
<br />
He gave her an affectionate smile that was trimmed with sadness. "Yeah, I remember."<br />
<br />
"And you know it didn't take him very long before he realized that we were meant to be together and that leaving me was the stupidest decision he had ever made. And I have no doubt that Livvy will soon come to here senses about you and her as well."<br />
<br />
"One big difference though. Heyes had somebody telling him what a fool he was being." He jabbed his thumb into his own chest. "Me to be exact. Who knows how long it will be before you or I ever see here again."<br />
<br />
"It shouldn't be that long. A few more days and we'll be leaving I'm sure."<br />
<br />
"You sure about that? Heyes told me he plans to stay up here on the mountain for the winter."<br />
<br />
"The whole winter?"<br />
<br />
"He didn't let you in on that part of his plan I gather."<br />
<br />
"No, he did not. Oh, well, no matter. I'll just have to change his mind."<br />
<br />
She started to rise when Jed placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Evie, I'm scared. I'm afraid she's going to take Gabbie and disappear and I'll never see either of them again."<br />
<br />
Evie reached for him and pulled him into her arms. Her heart was breaking for this man she loved like a brother. And she was furious with Livvy for putting him through this. She knew that Livvy loved Jed. They had a child together. What was she thinking? Evie had to talk to her and make things right. "Don't worry about a thing. She's the one who's scared I believe. And all it will take is me and Martha to make her see what a fool she's being. And the sooner I get to have that talk with her the better." Evie didn't want to admit it but she too was now afraid that Livvy night disappear with Gabbie. They had to find her aunt as soon as possible.<br />
<br />
Evie left Jed and joined Heyes who was squatting next to the fire, sliding the steaming hot meat from the spit and onto a plate. "This should cheer Kid up. He never met a meal he didn't love," Heyes said with a smile on his face. His smile slowly faded as his gaze traveled up the length of Evie's body and he saw the tapping bare foot, the fisted hands set firmly on curvaceous hips and the stern set of her full lips. "The whole winter? When were you going to ask my opinion on the subject? I thought we were in this together?"<br />
<br />
"Now don't get testy. I'm just being practical." He stood and carried the plate, mounded with steaming meat to the blanket that was spread on the mossy ground inside the cave.<br />
<br />
"Practical. Practical? How practical is freezing our behinds off in snow up to our eyeballs?" she asked as she followed him.<br />
<br />
"I don't know? How dangerous is it to leave this mountain right now?" He handed her the newspaper. <br />
<br />
She didn't have to read far to understand. "Oh my God. Is he serious? Is he seriously telling everyone that you kidnapped me and that you set fire to that house?"<br />
<br />
"Yep, that's what he's saying alright. And who do you think is going to believe me and Kid over him. I'll tell you who...nobody. It's bad enough that we're former train and bank robbers. Add kidnappers, arsonists and attempted murderers to the list and there won't be a man out there who won't shoot us down or string us up if we're spotted. This is the only place we've got left that nobody knows about where we can disappear and feel safe. The only thing waiting for me if I leave this mountain is that hell hole of a prison or a noose. So you'll have to forgive me if Kid and Livvy's love life isn't high on my list of priorities right now."<br />
<br />
"Then I guess it's time we talked about something that we've haven't talked about in a long time. Maybe it's time we go our separate ways, Heyes."<br />
<br />
Evie spun around to find Kid standing just outside the entrance. Evie watched in stunned silence as the two men she loved most in the world, who she knew loved each other, silently stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Hannibal Heyes had the uncanny ability to communicate with his eyes. And he did it best with his lifelong friend and partner. And she could see a wealth of words coming from the expressions on both men's faces. <br />
<br />
Heyes finally broke the silent exchange. "I'm sorry, Kid, but you know if we leave this mountain right now it wold be the most foolish mistake we could make. We are in deep trouble and it's too risky."<br />
<br />
"If Evie were still out there would you be on this mountain right now?"<br />
<br />
Heyes looked away from his partner for a moment. He was being selfish and he knew it. But he couldn't help himself. At the same time, he knew that if the situation were reversed, KId would not only expect Heyes to leave and find Evie, he would go with him to help and watch his back. "No. No I wouldn't."<br />
<br />
"Then how can you expect me to stay here when not only Livvy but my daughter are out there alone. We don't have any idea what Ramsey is capable of. He could use them as bait to draw us out or anything. I need to get to them, Heyes. I need to find Livvy so we can all disappear until things calm down. And I need to find her before she disappears with my baby to some place where I can't find her at all."<br />
<br />
Heyes turned his eyes to his sweet Evie. She had to be his priority now. She was what mattered most. They had endured so much to be together. He was not going to risk it now because of Kids fears that Livvy might run from him. He and Kid had discussed splitting up briefly when they had first went straight in hopes of getting an amnesty. Kid was afraid his reputation with a gun would hinder Heyes in getting it. But Heyes had shot the idea down quickly. At the time they were all each other had. There was no question they would stick together no matter what. But now...<br />
<br />
"Kid I don't expect you to stay. But you can't expect me leave either. I know there was a time when we would have had each others backs no matter what. But if Livvy and Gabbie were here and safe and Evie was the one still out there, I wouldn't expect you to leave them and risk your own safety to go with me either. If you decide to leave Kid," Heyes paused and looked deeply into his partner's eyes, "I'm sorry but I can't go with you."<br />
<br />
Evie could see the momentary hurt in Kid's face and then the resignation. He simply nodded his head in understanding. "I guess I'll head out in the morning then. The longer I stay here the greater my chances of losing Livvy and Gabbie.<br />
<br />
Evangeline couldn't believe this was happening. The two people she thought of as a pair of gloves, two things that simply did not work without the two of them being together, were going to go their separate ways. She could not let it happen. <br />
<br />
"Now wait a minute. Nobody's going anywhere until I have a say. You two just do not work without each other. And are you forgetting the fact that we are family. And family just doesn't leave family."<br />
<br />
"I cannot stay here, Evie. You heard Heyes. If you were out there he'd be gone already. And I don't blame him for not coming with me. It puts you and him in danger. To be honest I'll probably have a better chance of not being recognized if I'm alone."<br />
<br />
"Are you crazy? The two of you have been the most celebrated citizens of Cheyenne for weeks now. Everybody know what you look like. Do you really think that Clayton has not offered a reward for the two of you? Every man in the territory will be after you."<br />
<br />
"Maybe so. But that's a risk I've got to take."<br />
<br />
"You're not much good to either Livvy or Gabbie if you're dead, Kid. I think you should stay here at least a couple of weeks. Let things settle down a little before you head out," Heyes reasoned.<br />
<br />
Kid looked at the ground a moment, contemplating his choices. "No. You know you'd already be gone Heyes if the situation was reversed."<br />
<br />
Heyes couldn't really say anything because he knew Kid was right. Evie however had plenty to say.<br />
"This makes me so angry! The two of you have done absolutely nothing wrong. You haven't committed any crimes and here we are on the run once again, hiding in caves not knowing what the future is going to hold. And now the two of you are considering splitting up! Well, one things for sure. When Clayton Ramsey, Jr. says he'll do something he certainly does it. He said he'd make sure you were blamed for crimes you didn't even commit. And now here you stand, accused of something as bad as attempted murder, when he's the one who's a......" <br />
<br />
The boys looked at her in confusion, waiting for her to finish her rant. But she stood there silently with her brows drawn together in concentration. Her sudden, sharp intake of breath told them she had found what she was searching for in her brain. She looked at the two men in front of her with her mouth agape.<br />
<br />
"What is it? What's the matter?" Heyes asked.<br />
<br />
"I remember. I remember everything." <br />
<br />
Heyes came to her and grasped her shoulders. "What do you remember? Tell me everything."<br />
<br />
"The night before the fire, Clayton was gone so I went downstairs to the kitchen thinking that everyone was gone. But Clay was there. He was sitting in the dark all alone. He was as sober as a judge too when he told me everything."<br />
<br />
"What did he tell you?"<br />
<br />
"He's a murderer."<br />
<br />
"Clay is a murderer?" Heyes asked skeptically.<br />
<br />
"No, his father is. He murdered Clay's friend Nicholas and he murdered Clay's mother. And his sister Megan was witness to it."<br />
<br />
"Is that why she went mad?"<br />
<br />
"She isn't mad. She's kept sedated with some sort of drug so that she appears to be mad. Clayton pays the doctor that I met to keep her in a perpetual state of delirium."<br />
<br />
"Dr. Milton Graves?"<br />
<br />
"That's him."<br />
<br />
"I'm sure that whatever you ingested is the same thing he uses to keep Ramsey's daughter from<br />
spilling the beans. This changes everything."<br />
<br />
"What's our next move, Heyes," Kid asked.<br />
<br />
"Did I hear you say 'our' move?" Heyes asked his partner.<br />
<br />
"Yeah. If that girl's a witness to her father murdering her mother, then it seems to me all we need to do is get her away from that doctor and let her tell the truth. This might be our only chance to clear our names and put Ramsey where he belongs...in jail. I figure that's more important than following after Livvy right now."<br />
<br />
"Where does he keep his daughter?"<br />
<br />
"She's in Riverton at Clayton's estate."<br />
<br />
"I guess that answers your question, Kid. Our next move is to go to Riverton and do some real kidnapping. We have to get that girl away from that doctor and get her sobered up so she can tell what she saw."<br />
<br />
"We can head to Porterville after we have her and she can tell Lom. And I can find Livvy while we're there."<br />
<br />
"Sounds like a perfect plan, gentleman. So I guess our next stop is Riverton?"<br />
<br />
"No, our first stop will be to find you some shoes," Heyes said. "Then we head to Riverton."<br />
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-69547149754957282602013-04-06T20:32:00.001-07:002013-04-06T20:32:43.857-07:00Chapter 11 Soundtrack Selection<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-67268008503684780352013-04-03T08:09:00.001-07:002013-04-03T08:09:28.233-07:00Editing LLG<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I finally have my new laptop and I am currently in the middle of editing chapters 1-10. Once I have them where I want them I will give you chapter 11. Once I get all the changes made I will let you know in case you want to go back a re read to get yourself reacquainted with the story. Sorry it's taking me so long. I hope you all have a happy hump day and survive the rest of the week without complication so we can jump into a great weekend. Here's a little Heyes and Kid to keep you company in the meantime...<br />
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-28181304374704885572013-03-11T12:43:00.000-07:002013-03-11T12:43:22.652-07:00It's been a long week....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi, everybody. It's been a while and i apologize. As you all know from my last post my son's friend and band mate, Brandon passed away over a week ago. His funeral was Saturday. That was hard. But harder still, my uncle was officially diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer last Wednesday night and he passed away eight hours later. His funeral was Sunday. It has been an exhausting couple of weeks. Im taking the next couple of days off. My laptop is out of commission and it is impossible to get a new chapter done without it. I am on my son's ipad now. As soon as things get back to semi normal I plan to start shopping for a new one. So I thank you for your patience. But i will be writing with pen and paper in the meantime. I hope it wont be long because i really miss having a computer. Everyone have a safe and blessed week. Hug the ones you love and tell them you love them. Life is just too short not to. <br />
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Peace and love,<br />
~Karen<br />
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Love you, Peter<br />
<br />
This song was played at my uncle's funeral. <br />
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-89869393594061207122013-03-02T21:13:00.001-08:002013-03-02T21:13:35.890-08:00Broken Hearted tonight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello, dear friends. I am posting tonight with a heavy heart. A very tragic event has touched someone I care about. My son is in a Christian rock band called Cord of 3. Tuesday afternoon, his dear friend and band mate, Brandon was shot in the head by man after being involved with him in a fender bender car accident. He fought hard to live for the past four days, but his injuries were unrecoverable. Brandon passed away at 10 am this morning. Brandon was a devoted husband to his wife Heidi and loving father of three little boys, Nolan, Evan, and Conner, ages 6, 3 and 2 weeks. My family is shaken and my son is devastated. It is still surreal to me. This kind of thing isn't supposed to happen to someone I know and care for. This sort of thing happens to strangers from far away. At least that's what we always think isn't it? But trust me when I say that your life can be impacted in a most traumatic way in the blink of an eye. One moment can change your entire life forever. So hug the ones you love tonight and tell them that you love them, because when they next walk out your door it may very well be that they will never come back home. My heart is broken for my son and for Brandon's family, especially his three sons, two of which will probably never remember him. I have not written anything on the next chapter for a while, and I'm not sure if I'm going to feel very creative for the next few days. So I'm not making any promises on the next chapter being done soon. I hope you all understand. It's getting late and I feel like I've been hit by a train, so I'm going to bed now. I will leave you with one of Cord of 3's songs and a request that if you pray, please pray for Brandon's family as they deal with unimaginable grief and sorrow.<br />
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-86266346868250572662013-02-25T10:52:00.002-08:002013-02-25T10:52:27.918-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-42852028323809629552013-02-25T10:33:00.000-08:002013-02-25T10:33:04.769-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-61780847020787671592013-02-24T21:37:00.002-08:002013-02-24T21:37:39.806-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-24703973895616741742013-02-24T21:29:00.000-08:002013-02-24T21:29:15.424-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-81521183511948425842013-02-24T21:05:00.000-08:002013-02-24T21:05:24.625-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-48024328938203353282013-02-23T20:57:00.003-08:002013-02-23T20:57:36.391-08:00Happy Birthday, Peter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
February 24 is Peter's birthday. I made a video card for him. I hope he likes it and I hope you all do as well. I've included lots of beautiful images of spectacular nature, which I know he would love to see. And there are some pretty spectacular images of him in there too. Enjoy....<br />
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Happy Birthday, Peter. Love you, as always. <br />
<br />
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-54628445399869065692013-02-14T07:46:00.001-08:002013-02-14T07:46:22.074-08:00Happy Valentine's Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Wishing all of my readers and friends a very happy Valentine's Day.<br />
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-31015158567356192902013-02-13T18:44:00.000-08:002013-04-03T21:02:11.022-07:00Chapter 10<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
She had tried to stay awake, but whatever they had drugged her with would not allow her eyes to stay open for than a couple of hours. He watched her struggle to stay awake until he finally told her to get the sleep her body so desperately needed. She made him promise that he would be here when she woke up. She slept beside him now just inside the entrance of the cave. Although it wasn't really a cave. It was a deep crevice in the side of the mountain. It was perfect for shelter with soft mossy earth beneath them and solid rock walls around and above them. <br />
<br />
She was in a deep sleep and she was snoring ever so lightly. She would be so embarrassed if she knew she was snoring while he listening and it brought a smile to his face. He loved that she snored. It somehow made her all the more charming and sweet. She wasn't perfect, but she was perfect for him. He had never felt so connected to another soul.<br />
<br />
She was in such a deep sleep that she hadn't even awakened when he had attempted to wash some of soot from her face, hands and arms with his dampened bandanna. It was while he bathed her arms that he noticed how much thinner she was since he had seen her that day she had come to the prison to tell him he was being released. And when he had washed her face the dark circles under her eyes were evident. He had no idea the toll this ordeal had obviously taken on her or what hell she had endured while she was practically a prisoner in that mansion. And she had endured it all so that he would be free. <br />
<br />
They say God works in mysterious ways. He certainly believed that was true now. If things had not happened as they had and things had not fallen into perfect place, then he had no doubt he would still be in that prison. He had been planning in his head how he and Kid could escape that place, but it probably would have taken him ten years to pull it off, if he ever pulled it off. But as he thought about the long, lonely silence of that place, he doubted if he would have remained sane long enough to see any plan through. Getting out of that place was yet another miracle he had witnessed since he had known this amazing woman. God must surely be working in mysterious ways to make sure they would be together. But not because he deserved it. It was because she deserved it. She deserved all the happiness and joy that a person could stand. Why God had chosen to give him the gift of this precious woman's love he did not know. But he lifted his face towards the heavens and said a silent "thank you." It was a gift he would cherish and never take for granted.<br />
<br />
He threw another log on the fire and lay down beside her. He spooned up next to her under the one blanket they had. The strong smell of smoke that clung to her beautiful hair filled his nostrils. He ran his hand through her glorious hair and felt the litter and debris that had fell from the burning house and onto her scalp. It was a miracle that not one of her glorious hairs had been burned. Except for a little smoke inhalation and the ill effects of the drug she'd been given, she was unscathed. He said another silent "thank you" before he followed her into a peaceful sleep.<br />
<br />
He awoke with the dawn and cautiously stepped outside to make sure that they were still alone in their little paradise. There was no sign that anyone or anything had been near except for the evidence of rabbits who had left their foot prints in the sandy dirt at the foot of the mountain Evie now slept under. She was still snoring lightly when he stepped back inside and crouched by the fire to stir the embers back to life. Her snoring stopped and she stirred next to him. Her eyes opened and she smiled as she stretched her arm out in search of his hand. She scooted closer and took her hand then he lifted her head and laid it on his lap.<br />
<br />
"You're here. I thought maybe I had dreamed you, but you're still here."<br />
<br />
"Yes, I'm here. And I promise you that everyday for the rest of your life when you wake up I'll be here."<br />
<br />
"That's all I've ever wanted."<br />
<br />
"Even if it means leaving the states?"<br />
<br />
"I don't care where we go. As long as your with me, I can deal with anything. I believe we are meant to be, Mr. Heyes."<br />
<br />
"I've been thinking about that. And I believe it too. And I know God works in mysterious ways, but do you think maybe He'll give us a break now and let us enjoy being meant for each other."<br />
<br />
"I'm so sorry I put you through all of this. But when the opportunity to get you out of prison was right there in front of me, I had to take it, no matter what the consequences. I hope you'll forgive me for not telling you what was going on from the beginning. I was just so afraid of you being sent back to that place, or worse."<br />
<br />
"I forgive you. But only if you forgive me. I was pretty nasty to you that night I came to your room."<br />
<br />
"You're forgiven. But you really weren't that nasty."<br />
<br />
"Evie, I practically raped you."<br />
<br />
"No you didn't. You can't rape someone who's willing. And believe me I was willing. And if you want to know the truth about it...I kinda liked it."<br />
<br />
She surprised him yet again. "Did you now? Just when I think there's nothing new I can learn about you, you show me a whole new side of yourself."<br />
<br />
"As soon as I'm feeling up to it, Mr. Heyes, I plan on showing you many sides of myself," she said flirtatiously. <br />
<br />
"I'm going to hold you to that, Miss Webb." He kissed her forehead and inhaled the strong smell of smoke that still clung to her hair and clothes. "Are you feeling up to a bath? I got most of it off your skin but you've got soot and ashes in your hair and you need to get into some clean clothes."<br />
<br />
She looked down to see that she was wearing only her stockings and underclothes. "You just couldn't wait to get me out of my clothes afterall, huh?" she asked playfully.<br />
<br />
He frowned at her. "I didn't take your clothes off. You were dressed like that when I scooped you up and rode off with you." He saw the confused look on her face. "You don't remember why your clothes were taken off do you?"<br />
<br />
"No, I don't. I still can't remember anything except blurred faces and mumbling voices. I can barely remember crawling out of the house to see you riding towards me."<br />
<br />
"You remembered the doctor last night after something jarred your memory. Maybe that will happen again and you'll remember some more. Right now let's see if we can get you on your feet long enough to get down to the water."<br />
<br />
The mid morning sun was a stark contrast to the cool temperatures inside the cave. Evie was glad to feel the warmth of it on her skin when she stepped from the cave entrance. Her feet were still not as steady as she would have liked and her head still ached a little but not nearly as much as last night. She leaned heavily on the strong, solid frame of the man beside her as she walked gingerly out of the cave in her stocking covered feet. For one more time in her life, she would be dead if not for Hannibal Heyes.<br />
<br />
Once outside of the deep cleft in the mountain she looked around and was astounded by what she saw. The mountains she had seen when she and Hannibal had been traveling through he Trans Pecos of Texas were nothing like these mountains. The mountain on the eastern horizon was so high that the peak was covered by billowing clouds. It rose out of a carpet of evergreen trees that stretched westward towards them and the mountain range that rose behind them. They stood on a grass covered plateau that extended down a cascade of rolling hills until it reached the evergreen forest. The hills were dotted with multi colored wild flowers. And just below them off to her right there was a crystal blue lake that glistened like diamonds in the sunlight. It was like some kind of paradise. <br />
<br />
"No wonder you boys chose this place to hide. I've never seen any place so beautiful. This is much nicer than that dungeon in Rising Gulch. What's this place called?"<br />
<br />
"According to the old Indian who told us about this place it's called Cave of the Crying Winds. We only came here when we needed to rest on our way back to Devil's Hole. We pulled jobs as far east as St. Louis before. You had to make sure you had places like this to get lost in so you could rest yourself and your horse when traveled that far."<br />
<br />
"How did you ever find this place?" she asked him as they walked down the hillside towards the water.<br />
<br />
"When I was about seventeen, before I started riding with the Plummer gang, me and Kid met this old Indian fella that every body called Snake Skin. His real name was Crying Eagle but everybody called him Snake Skin because he wore this old black hat with a snake skin band around it. He was from the Shoshone tribe. The Shoshone lived in the western half of the territory and the Cheyenne tribe lived in the east. They were bitter enemies. When he was a young warrior he went into Cheyenne territory with a raiding party. They were going to steal horses from their enemy, the Cheyenne. But when they got to the Cheyenne camp he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He fell instantly in love with her and decided to take her away with him. So he grabbed her, put her on his pony and rode away with her. But he rode in the wrong direction and he got separated from the other Shoshone warriors. The young maiden's father and brothers were soon riding after him to save her. He was forced up into the mountains along dangerous trails to keep them from finding him and taking away his beloved. That's when he found this place. He told me and Kid about it and we just had to find out for ourselves if this place was really as beautiful as he claimed it was."<br />
<br />
"What was her name? The Cheyenne maiden?"<br />
<br />
"Her name was Laughing Wind."<br />
<br />
"What a beautiful name. How ironic that her name was 'Laughing' and his was 'Crying.'"<br />
<br />
"When he learned that her name was Laughing Wind, he knew then that the Great Spirit had led him to her that day and that she was his destiny. Because they were two halves of a whole and together they would be a complete spirit. This is why he fell instantly in love with her."<br />
<br />
"So what happened to them? Did she fall in love with him and did they get to be together?"<br />
<br />
"Yes, she fell in love with him."<br />
<br />
"Because she felt the same spiritual connection that he did?"<br />
<br />
"No. Because he refused to take her down from the mountain until she fell in love with him. That was about four months."<br />
<br />
"What a wonderful story. I suppose he called it the Cave of the Crying Winds because it was a combination of their names. How romantic. Did they get to live happily ever after?"<br />
<br />
"They lived in his village with his people for many years. They had five sons. But they were all killed fighting white soldiers. Laughing Wind died from grief after all of her sons were killed and Crying Eagle took up many of the white man's ways, including drowning his sorrows in the white man's fire water."<br />
<br />
Evie stopped and looked up at him with sad eyes. "That is not the happy ending I wanted to hear."<br />
<br />
"Sorry. What did you want me to do, make something up that wasn't the truth?"<br />
<br />
"Yes."<br />
<br />
He laughed out loud at her as he continued to lead her slowly toward the lake. "You're a hopeless romantic and I love that about you. But the truth is that life can be cruel sometimes. And the only thing that makes it worth the fight is having somebody you love beside you."<br />
<br />
She wrapped her arms tighter around him as he held onto her still unsteady frame. The last two years of her life had been cruel. But she had fought to have him here beside her. And, yes, it had all been worth it.<br />
<br />
"Are you sure you're alright to go in the water?" he asked her as she held her firmly around the waist to support her weak legs.<br />
<br />
"I think so. I can feel the strength coming back into my legs. Which way is the town?" she asked as she swept her gaze over the gorgeous scenery.<br />
<br />
"Culver City is that way," he pointed southward. "That's Eagle's Peak," he said pointing east. "And the mountain behind us in the west is called Table Mountain."<br />
<br />
They reached the lake and Evie was delighted to find Odin there with a new friend of his own. "Where did she come from?" Evie asked scratching the velvet nose of the black mare.<br />
<br />
"She followed us all the way from Cheyenne. I think she's one of the carriage horses. Somebody sure must be looking out for us, because we're probably going to need her."<br />
<br />
"Hello, beautiful. Do you have a name?" Evie spoke to the gentle horse. "Aren't you afraid to leave them out in the open like this? What if someone spots us?"<br />
<br />
"Sweetheart we're way up in the mountains. If you had been awake when we rode in here you'd have seen just how high. The only trail up here is a narrow ledge along the outside of a steep cliff. Nobody in their right mind would ever come up here. Unless of course you're a curious teenager with nerves of steel who's out to prove that an old Indian in town is making up stories. It really is a perfect place to get lost from everything. There's plenty of fresh water, game for hunting, wood for fire and a cave for shelter. I figure we're safe enough up here. And I'm sure Kid will figure out where I've gone. He will have to cover our tracks so it may take him a while to get here. He could be here by tonight, but by tomorrow for sure."<br />
<br />
"I'll be glad to see him so we can find out what's going on back in Cheyenne."<br />
<br />
"Me too. In the mean time let's get you out of those smelly clothes and wash the soot off of you."<br />
<br />
He took his arm from around her waist and she began to lean a little, unsteady without his support. Her head still wanted to swim a little. He immediately grabbed her to keep her from faltering. <br />
<br />
"I think you're going to have to go in the water with me. I don't know if I can stand by myself."<br />
<br />
She didn't have to ask him twice. In a few minutes he was stripped down to his long john underwear. He, like her was now half naked. She stood like an obedient child as he began to remove her clothing. Her raised her arms above her head and pulled the chemise, stained with black, over her head. Her pantalettes were shimmied over her hips and down her thighs. She had to hold onto his shoulder to keep from falling over when he lifted each foot from the ground to remove her stockings. She stood before him, unashamed in her nakedness, trusting and loving the man who was helping her. <br />
<br />
He was leading her into the water when she stopped him suddenly. "I hardly think this is fair. I'm completely naked and you're still wearing your long johns."<br />
<br />
He looked sideways at her with glint of mischief in his eyes. "We wouldn't want things to be unfair now would we?" He quickly shed his white knickers and stood before in all his bare glory. "There is that better?"<br />
<br />
"Much." She beamed into the face of the man she loved as he stood there like a Greek god holding a bar of soap.<br />
<br />
She gasped at the cool temperature of the water. Her unsteady legs became even more unsteady on the lake's rocky bottom. She clutched at his arms as she became dizzy and started to fall. <br />
<br />
"Whoa. Steady," he said as he came behind her and encircled her waist. She let herself lean back against his warm, supporting body. He walked his way with her deeper into the water until it was chest deep. "Now just let yourself float, rest your head on my shoulder and I'll do the rest," he instructed. <br />
<br />
She was more than happy to oblige his request. Her body was growing accustomed to the cool water and she closed her eyes as he lathered his hands with a hunk of soap he had taken out of his saddle bag. He began to massage the smokey stench from her beautiful hair. She could feel his fingers massage particles of burned debris from her scalp. She was beginning to recall now more clearly how he had scooped her up and onto Odin's back just before the veranda's roof had collapsed. She had felt her way down the grand staircase to the front door. And she seemed to remember Clayton's face as it loomed over her. But she just couldn't put her finger on the memory.<br />
<br />
His strong yet gentle hands, lathered again, began to massage away the traces of black soot from her face that he had not seen in the dimly lit cave. She loved the feel of his fingertips on her cheeks, her eyelids, her chin and nose. The pungent stench of the smoke that had clung to her skin was beginning to disappear. He lathered her arms and her back, washing away the remains of the black smudges. This must be what Heaven felt like. <br />
<br />
"It's a miracle you didn't get burned," he said softly against her ear before planting a gentle kiss against her bare shoulder.<br />
<br />
"It's a miracle you were able to get to me before that roof collapsed."<br />
<br />
"It seems that miracles follow you wherever you go. Because I've seen one miracle after another since I've known you." Her body was floating just enough so that her breasts bobbed slightly above the waters surface. Her head rested against his shoulder, giving his a perfect view of the ivory skinned, dusky tipped globes. In spite of the tepid water, he could feel his manhood twitching to life. <i>Calm it down, Heyes. She's been through a trauma and her body needs rest. She doesn't need you groping and pawing at her. Get yourself under control. </i>He felt his body slowly calm and old Glory went back to half mast. Now if he could just get her out of the water and into some dry clothes without old Glory flying high again. He grasped her waist and pulled her along as he started a slow walk back towards the shore.<br />
<br />
"You're not done, are you?" she asked as her eyes opened and peered up at him.<br />
<br />
"What do you mean?" he asked, dreading the answer, but knowing what it was going to be.<br />
<br />
"You haven't washed all of me yet." <br />
<br />
And just like that old Glory was at full mast again. He swallowed hard. The odd shaped hunk of soap that Kid had stuffed in his saddle bag floated nearby. <i>Don't do it, Heyes. Don't do it. </i>He reached for the soap and began to lather it between his hands. He let the soap drop to float once again into the waist high water. His empty and lathered hands made a slow yet deliberate trek over her shoulders then down her chest to their final destination, her buoyant, buxom breasts. <br />
<br />
"Ummmm." She couldn't control her vocal affirmation of just how good it felt to have his hands on her body. She was being bombarded with so many different sensations. Her skin below the surface of the water was cool, but her skin above the water was warmed by the sun. The slippery, smooth wetness of his lathered hands against her breasts felt distinctly different from his whisker roughened jaw that rested against the side of her face. And the lightness of her head was vastly different from the heavy, fullness she was beginning to feel in her lower regions. She wondered if she was making him feel the same way he was making her feel. There was only one way to find out.<br />
<br />
Her lips sought his and found them. She pulled his head down closer to deepen the kiss. He knew he shouldn't have picked up that soap. He knew this was where it would lead. Before he knew it she had flipped over in the water and was facing him, wrapping her legs around him, kissing him with feverish intensity.<br />
<br />
She brought her hands down between their bodies and found what she sought, the evidence that his desire for her was as great as hers was for him. She looked into his soulful dark eyes and saw her passion mirrored there. But he did not move to bring their bodies together. Having her body so close to his, having that part of him so near the threshold of all her desire was making her desperate with need. She moved her hand over his hard flesh, teasing and coaxing him. Surely he would end her misery soon. But when he made no move to do so, with a boldness that she didn't know she had, she guided that engorged part of him into herself, filling the empty ache that only he could fill.<br />
<br />
He could only stand there, bewitched by the brazen and bold beauty as she took what she wanted and needed from him. An old saying came to his mind about the perfect woman being a lady in the parlor and a whore in the bedroom. The fact that she was a lady went without saying, but he never dreamed that she would be so blatant about her need and her desire for him. He had never been in a real relationship before. He had been with plenty of women, but never for long and never for any real reason except sexual release and the occasional need for female companionship. All the stories he had heard from married men had led him to belief that most women outside of a brothel had to be coerced into even the most mundane sexual acts. And here this woman, this gorgeous, spellbinding woman, whom he loved with all of his heart, was being more brazen than any soiled dove he'd ever handed a silver dollar to. Again he wondered why God would bestow such a gift upon him. She amazed him in some new and different way everyday.<br />
<br />
He stood as still as he could manage and let her have her way with him. He wanted her to be in control so that she could end it anytime she wanted. But it became very difficult when she squeezed her legs more tightly around him, drawing him deeper inside the hot, wet center of her body. He stood there, his feet planted firmly on the bottom of the lake and watched her face contort in expressions that resembled both pleasure and pain as she worked her self up and down upon his rigid body. She was greedy in her quest for release. And he was enraptured by the unbelievable sight of her relentless pursuit, with her head thrown back, her dark,wet hair spilling down her back to hover on the water's surface. Her movements created small ripples on the water that lapped at their skin. He struggled to keep his breathing steady as he began to feel his self control slipping away. <br />
<br />
She didn't know what had come over her. It was as though her body's needs had overruled all rational thought and she was acting on the most basic human level. When he hadn't immediately given her what she had needed, she simply took it. He was more capable of overpowering her senses than any drug could ever be. He made her want and need like no other person or thing on this earth. When she heard his breathing begin to quicken she knew that he too was on the verge of losing the stoic control he had been displaying up until now. When he grasped her hips and took control of the deep penetrating thrusts she knew he too was on the verge of release. When hers came it was intense and she cried out as the pent up energy inside her unleashed itself in wave upon wave of satiating spasms. Her release triggered his and he wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding on as the force of it made him tremble. <br />
<br />
He carried her from the water and collapsed on the grass with her still atop him. She rolled off him and lay beside him. They lay without speaking, looking up at the cloudless sky, both breathing heavily, their energy spent. When their breathing slowed and their bodies had calmed, he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips and kissed it. "Where did that come from?" he asked still looking skyward.<br />
<br />
"I have no idea. Are you very disappointed in me?"<br />
<br />
His head turned to stare at her with a look of complete disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"<br />
<br />
She turned to see the look on his face. "You mean you're not upset that I just acted like a shameless hussy?"<br />
<br />
He gave a deep chuckle as he rolled to his side and gathered her close to him. "Sweetheart, as long as I'm the only man you ever act that way with, I consider myself the luckiest man on earth." <br />
<br />
They lay, naked and unashamed, like Adam and Eve in their own private Eden, letting their wet skin dry in the sun. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
~*~</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Yes, my dear friends, it's true. The outlaw, Hannibal Heyes, has kidnapped my daughter-in-law after he maliciously set fire to the governor's mansion." Clayton Ramsey stood upon a soapbox in the center of downtown Cheyenne to address the crowd that had gathered there. "Apparently, unknown to me and my son, she was once involved with this outlaw. Had I known of her ties to the criminal, I never would have allowed my son to marry her. And I certainly wouldn't have pardoned him of his crimes. It was under the ruse of being a tender hearted humanitarian that she admonished me to set those two thieves free. And of course being the fair man that I am, I agreed. But I can't hold her responsible for this latest atrocity. Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry alone are responsible. My daughter-in-law is very much committed to my son and must be found. He is absolutely heartbroken at the disappearance of his dear wife. I am offering a $10,000 dollar reward for her safe return and the capture of both outlaws."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Which way was they headed?" one member of the crowd shouted. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Some of my men saw them ride north. But they escaped one a single horse. They can't be making very good time. A good tracker should be able to pick up their trail with ease and find them without much effort." </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"We'll catch them two heathens for you, Governor," was heard from the crowd. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"And we'll bring that gal back unharmed," came another reply.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Thank you. Thank you, all my good friends and fellow citizens for your loyalty and your support. I only hope this tragedy won't destroy my hopes of one day being your president."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
The crowd began to disperse. The governor stepped down from the soapbox and leaned in close to his body guard, Bartholomew. "Find them before any of these stupid hayseeds. I don't plan to pay out a dime. I want them dead and I want the girl returned to me. And make sure she knows how to keep her mouth shut." <br />
<br />
Bartholomew simply nodded his understanding and went in search of a horse. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
~*~</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Kid was growing weary. But he had made it to the foot of the mountain by nightfall. He would have to wait until morning to travel up the tricky, narrow ledge to the sanctuary above. He had been following Heyes's trail since yesterday. He knew exactly where his partner was headed once he had started tracking him. He stopped every few miles to cover their tracks or double back and zig zag back across his own tracks to lead anyone who might be following him away from the north bound trail that he and Heyes had taken. If he hadn't been stopping to cover their tracks he would have already made it to the Cave of the Crying Winds.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The morning should shed some light not only on the day but on the situation he and his partner now found themselves in. He didn't know how they managed it, but they always seemed to get into trouble that wasn't even of their own making. He prayed this would be the last time. He had too much to live for and too much life to look forward to now to think about living life as a fugitive. He hated to think about it, but there was a real possibility that he and Heyes would have to part ways this time. He had never been without Heyes in his life, except for the two years his partner had ridden with the Plummer gang at the beginning of his career. And he couldn't really conceive of life without him, but if he had to give up his partner to keep his daughter in his life, then just like his gun, he would give him up. He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep. His last thought before he drifted off was that life was so unfair. He didn't ask a lot from life, just a chance to be a good husband and father, but at the same time keep his best friend. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
~*~</div>
</div>
<br />
She awoke to a sight more beautiful than anything she could have dreamed. Her beloved Hannibal sitting by fire with his back against the wall of the cave. His perfect profile was bathed in the amber glow of the fire light. He was gazing up at the starlit sky. "A penny for your thoughts," she said quietly. <br />
<br />
He turned his shining eyes and smiling lips towards her. "I was just thinking about how simple life seemed when we were out in the wilderness of Texas."<br />
<br />
"I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to wake up and see your face. I'm so glad you're here." <br />
<br />
"I'll always be here. I told you, everyday for the rest of your life, when you wake up, I'll be here."<br />
<br />
"What if I get up on the wrong side of the bed?"<br />
<br />
"I'll be here."<br />
<br />
"What if I'm cranky and moody and I bite your head off at every little thing?"<br />
<br />
"I'll still be here."<br />
<br />
"What about when I'm old and gray and my shoulders are slumped and I can't get around very well?"<br />
<br />
"I'll just have to carry you around, I guess. No matter what I'll always be here." He stretched out beside her on the blanket. "I love you with everything I've got. I hope you know that."<br />
<br />
"I wouldn't have made it through the past two years if I didn't believe that."<br />
<br />
"Sure you would have. You're the strongest woman I know."<br />
<br />
"I'm strong because of you and your love. How is it possible that you can be the source of all my strength and at the same time be my greatest weakness. I love you more than my next breath."<br />
<br />
He was overwhelmed by her. By her beauty, her strength, her spirit, her love. He would never let anything or anyone separate them again. <br />
<br />
"Tomorrow when Kid gets here, I want you to know that nothing he tells us will make me leave you or send you away. Whatever happens, we're in it together."<br />
<br />
"I wouldn't have it any other way. But just to make sure, I want you to hold up your right hand and swear on the life of our unborn children that you will never ever leave me again for any reason."<br />
<br />
"I swear on our unborn children," he said as he lifted his right hand and put his left hand over his heart. His gaze narrowed and he looked st her thoughtfully. "Just how many children were you figuring on anyway?"<br />
<br />
"Oh, five or six at least."<br />
<br />
"Wow. I guess we should plan on getting started then as soon as possible." He grasped her hips, tightly clothed in an extra pair of his pants. "You shouldn't have any trouble bringing plenty of healthy babies into the world." <br />
<br />
The smile on her face faded and she sat up quickly. "Oh, God, I remember."<br />
<br />
"You remember what?"<br />
<br />
"Why I didn't have any clothes on."<br />
<br />
"Why?"<br />
<br />
"He was going to..." she didn't want to say it out loud. <br />
<br />
"To what?" <br />
<br />
"The doctor said I was healthy and should be able to bring a fine child into the world. I think Clayton was going to...." she just couldn't finish it, but he knew what she meant. She began to tremble at the thought of the man who was supposed to be her father-in-law, doing something so lascivious and wrong. "That's how the house caught fire. I tried to hit him over the head with a candlestick and the candle fell to the floor and caught the drapes on fire. He left me there to go save his roses."<br />
<br />
He gathered her close to him and held her shaking body. "It's alright. You never have to see him again. He will never touch you again, I promise." <br />
<br />
It was in that moment that he truly understand the saying, "God works .in mysterious ways." If that house had not caught fire, Clayton Ramsey would have forced himself on Evie. If Clayton Ramsey had not been more worried about his roses than he was a living human being, he probably would have carried her out of the burning mansion and Heyes would never have been able to save her from that bastards clutches. The thought of that lecherous old man trying to molest her and then leaving her in a burning house made him more angry than he had ever been. But right now he needed to be strong for her and he needed to be level headed and calm. So he swallowed that anger and let it settle deep down inside. That is where the dark being inside of him found it and held on to it.<br />
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-77970690946743261012013-02-13T17:57:00.001-08:002013-02-13T17:57:09.000-08:00Soundtrack for Chapter 10<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Chapter 10 is almost ready. Enjoy this beautiful song, "I Will Be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman. </div>
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-51351431111407557052013-02-12T07:11:00.000-08:002013-02-12T07:11:03.836-08:00More Beautiful Vidcaps<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dang it, Peter. You're just so gosh darn beautiful.....*sigh*<br />
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Ben's not too bad either. <br />
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-65153954827996623242013-02-09T08:12:00.000-08:002013-02-09T08:13:05.632-08:00Some video captures I made of our cowboys<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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From"The Reformation of Harry Briscoe." One of my top ten favorite episodes for obvious reasons....THE CHAPS!!! I wonder if they knew how devastating they looked in those things. I have never seen any one fill out a pair of chaps as well as these two cowboys do. <br />
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-43170706556628366102013-02-08T19:17:00.000-08:002013-02-08T19:17:07.273-08:00Karen's Favorites ~ Scenes for the Series<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of the finest moments in television history....Heyes and Curry in their chaps, lying on their bellies. I never get tired of watching this one.<br />
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-54502844343456945942013-02-07T06:46:00.001-08:002013-02-07T06:47:21.217-08:00Karen's Favorite's ~ Scenes from the Show<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One of my favorites, and I'm sure a favorite of all us Petey/Heyes girls....by the way, if the music annoys you, just click the pause button at the bottom of the page and it will stop. :')</div>
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-71175531561298100612013-02-06T06:08:00.000-08:002013-02-06T06:08:05.364-08:00What the heck is wrong with people?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In case nobody has caught on yet, I'll say it one more time loud and clear....I'm obsessed with Peter Deuel. And naturally like anybody who has an overwhelming affection for someone, I want to talk about that someone, share thoughts about that someone and have conversations with other people who also share that same affection and obsession. I had no idea there were so many out there just like me who still loved and appreciated this beautiful man until I started this blog and made some like minded friends. This introduced me to the world of Pete Duel fandom. While on the whole it has been great fun and it has been a tremendous outlet for expressing things I can't express to others who just wouldn't understand my preoccupation with a man who's been dead more than 40 years, I can also sadly say that it has afforded me the unpleasant opportunity to see grown women, much older than my 46 years in most cases, act like jealous school girls vying for the attention of the cutest boy in school. And quite frankly, I'm tired of it. I am embarrassed and ashamed at some of the behavior I have witnessed of late. Especially in light of the fact that someone who knew Peter in life, someone who graciously agreed to share memories of Pete with us had to witness it as well. Sometimes I regret ever venturing past this blog and getting involved with any of it. But I wouldn't have met some of the wonderful people who aren't acting like jealous, petty children either. So the good out weighs the bad. I don't understand why some people feel that they have to be the first one or the only one who shares a picture or contacts a friend of Peter's and if they aren't the first one then they have to be jealous and do what ever they can to upstage the other person. It's ridiculous and it's destructive. With that said I will now say this...I am going to take a break from facebook groups for a while. I will still continue to post occasionally on my Evangeline page, but I need to stay away from the other two pages I am a member of for right now. When these kind of episodes occur it disturbs me and it somehow damages the special bond I feel with this lovely, special man's spirit. And that is something I simply cannot allow. He is my inspiration and my muse. So if you don't see me around facebook groups for a while, you know the reason. But don't worry, I'll be lurking.<br />
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Now on to something fun and happy.....<br />
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As you can see, Peter insisted on taking me for a drive to calm my nerves. He's so thoughtful and sweet like that. Don't we look cute together. I hope everybody gets over the hump today and slides easily into the end of the week and right on into a great weekend. <br />
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Peace, love and dimpled smiles to you all,<br />
Karen :')<br />
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as always, love you Peter</div>
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-2478655423271909122013-02-03T18:22:00.001-08:002013-02-03T18:22:57.602-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-48034379904472087762013-02-02T17:17:00.000-08:002013-02-02T17:17:01.274-08:00More great tunes from "71<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628093377611290394.post-18383887355322519972013-01-30T18:32:00.000-08:002013-01-30T18:32:00.057-08:00Happy Birthday to my Daddy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I lost my daddy on June 16, 2004. I still miss him every single day. He would have walked through fire for me and my brother and sister. I made this video to honor Peter, but it applies to my Daddy as well. January 31 is his birthday. Happy birthday, Daddy. I love you and I will see you again<br />
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05262268185748453728noreply@blogger.com0