Chapter 17

Evangeline sat up in bed when she heard the door to her room slam.  Expecting to see Joshua standing by her bedside, she was shocked to find instead a pretty blonde woman in her late twenties standing there awkwardly holding a bundle of linens in her arms.  She wasn't sure who this woman was until she saw the beginnings of a purplish shiner under her left eye.  It was Sally the saloon girl staring at her.  Only today she wasn't wearing the gaudy low cut dress, and her hair wasn't piled on top of her head with tacky  feather plumes sticking out of it.  She wore a simple navy blue skirt and a white blouse.  Her blonde hair hung loose about her shoulders in soft waves.  Her face was devoid of the garish rouge and lip stain.  Evangeline couldn't help but think that she was so much prettier without all the tawdry trimmings and trappings.  But what was she doing here?

There was a moment of awkward silence as the two women stared at each other, not knowing what to say.  It was Sally who finally broke the ice,  "Hello, I'm Sally. Thaddeus asked me to bring you these."  She laid the bundle on the bed at Evie's feet.

"Thank you."  More awkward silence.  "What is it?"  she asked as she sat up.

"Oh, it's some of my hand-me-downs.  But they've been washed.  A pair of bloomers, a corset,  a shift and some petticoats.  He said you didn't have any.  And there's some monthly necessities too.  I cut up an old quilt the moths got a hold of just the other day, so they've never been used."

Oh, wonderful. Now the whole town probably new she had recieved her monthly friend.  "That's very kind of you."   Still more awkward silence.   " And how do you know Thaddeus?"

"Oh I made his acquaintance last night.  He felt so bad after you hit me that he said he just wouldn't be able to sleep if he didn't make me feel better.  And boy did he make me feel better."  She fanned her suddenly flushed face with her hand.  Evie's face became flushed too, but from embarrassment.

She quickly changed the subject.  "I'm terribly sorry about that.  I don't usually drink alcohol.  I'm afraid I wasn't quite myself last night."

"Oh, honey, think nothing of it.  Thaddeus told me all about what happened to your folks and your brother.  And about that terrible man who tried to kidnap you and sell you across the border.  You must have been terrified.  Believe me, if anybody deserved to tie one on and get drunk....sweetie it's you."

Was there anything he hadn't told her she wondered.  "Just how much time did you spend with Thaddeus?"

A coy, dreamy look came over her face and she laughed provocatively, "Not nearly enough time if you ask me?  If your Joshua is half as virile and talented then I can't blame you for wanting to defend your territory last night."

"My territory?"  Evie asked, blushing slightly at Sally's reverence to her night with Thaddeus.

"Your man, sweetie.  Believe me, if I had a man like that in love with me, I'd take any woman's head off who looked at him too."

"He's....he's not my...uh....he's not in love with me, I mean."

Sally threw her head back and laughed.  "Honey, let me ask you something.  Did he risk his neck numerous times to save you?  And has he done things that were uncomfortable for him just to make you feel better?  And did he turn down an evening with the most beautiful, available, and willing woman in the entire town of Alpine, namely myself, just so he could sit by your bedside and watch you sleep.   And did he or did he not clean you up and put you to bed after you yacked up all over the place.   Well,  I know for a fact he has done all of those things, because Thaddeus told me all about it.  So unless you are blind or just a fool, that man is one hundred percent head over heals in love with you."

She didn't know what to say.  She hoped it was true.  Oh, how she wanted it to be true.

"And from the look of things when we walked in he's been showing you just how he feels too.  I must say the good Lord was generous."

Evie's mouth hung open a moment before she covered her mouth with her hand.  She'd never heard such brazen talk before.  Especially not from a woman.  And how did she know what had been going on before she walked in.  Joshua had left her room before the came in she was sure.  She couldn't be sure but she thought that last remark was referring to Joshua's.....her face went crimson.

"Well, honey it's nothing to get embarrassed about.  Men and women doing what comes natural is part of my business you know."   She walked to the dresser and studied her reflection in the mirror.  She continued as she fussed with her blonde hair,  "And who could blame a girl in your situation for giving in to such a handsome, hot-blooded manly man like your Joshua.  Especially when he's crazy for you."

Evie's curiosity was piqued now.  Just how much had Thaddeus told her?  "So what else did Thaddeus tell you?"


Sally flopped herself down on the foot of Evie's bed,  "Where do I begin?  He told me all about conversations he and Dimples had while you were asleep.   That's how I know he's in love with you.  Thaddeus said so himself.  He said your Joshua was like a different person when you were missing.  Why, he was a complete mess.  So worried that they wouldn't find you before that dirty old man had a chance to violate you.  He wouldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, barely said three words for a whole day.  Thaddeus said he had to talk him out of murdering the man."  Sally laid back on the foot of Evie's bed and stared at the ceiling.  "That's so romantic.  You are one lucky girl.  To have a handsome prince charming type come to your rescue and sweep you into his arms and carry you off to safety."  She propped herself up on her elbows.  "Is that how it happened?  Did he sweep you into his strong arms and kiss you breathless after he rescued you?"


Now it was  Evie's face that took on a  dreamy look.    "Yeah, he did.  But not until he beat Harlan's face bloody.  I thought he was going to kill him with his bare hands.  But it really wasn't so romantic.  Mostly it was scarey.  But I've never been so glad to see anybody in my life as when I saw him riding out of those trees.  I knew I was going to be alright when I saw him.  I knew he'd save me.  I don't think there's anything he can't do."

"I got that feeling about both of those boys.  They seem very strong and capable as well as good looking.  They are quite a pair,  Mr. Dimples and Mr. Blue eyes."

"Yes, Thaddeus  does have pretty blue eyes.  Dimp....uh, I mean  Joshua's  eyes are brown.  They remind me of warm molassess.   I don't think I've ever seen eyes so expressive before.  He can speak without saying a word, using only his eyes.  Every emotion he's feeling comes through them.   And when he smiles and those dimples pop I just get all quivery in my stomach."

"Well, now, it seems you've got it just as bad for Dimples as he has it for you.  Why, you should see the way your face lights up when you talk about him."

Evie smiled shyly, suddenly glad to have another woman to talk to.  How many times had she wished  her mama was here so she could ask her about so many things.   Or just so she could share the joy she felt at having all  these newly discovered feelings.   "Is it that obvious?"

"Afraid so, honey."

"I just wish I had the nerve to tell him how I feel."

"You mean the two of you ain't told each other at all how you feel?"

She shook her head.

"Well you two wouldn't be the first couple to do the deed before you said the words."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, honey, you two were right in the middle of....haven't  the two of you....."  The perplexed look on Evie's face was still there.  "Has he dipped his pen in the ink well yet?"

What was she talking about?   A vision of Joshua sitting at a desk dipping a pen in ink to write on paper came into her mind.  "Do you mean has he written me a love letter?"

"Honey, are you that stupid?"   Unable to find a suitable euphamism she just blurted it out, "Are you still a virgin?"

Evie's eyes flashed angrily at the other woman, "Well, of course I am."

Sally fell back on the bed with a heavy delirious sigh while she mellowdramatically clutched her hands to her breast.   "That is soo romantic.   That he was able to be alone with you out in the wilderness all that time and not lay a hand on you, just to protect your virtue.   He must really love you."   She sighed another dreamy sigh, then raised herself on her elbows again.  "But from what I saw when I walked through that door, it's just a matter of time before he's not gonna be able to keep his hands off you."

Again Evie blushed.

"Didn't your mama ever explain to you what happens between a man and a woman.  What happens to a man's body when he's...you know....?"

She nervously shook her head.  This day was just getting better and better.  She had gone from discussing her monthly curse with, of all the people in the world, Hannibal Heyes.  She rolled her eyes at that thought.  And now she was discussing what came natural between a man and  woman with a woman of ill repute.  All she needed to make her day complete was Kid Curry explaining to her where babies came from.

Seeing Evie's embarrassment and uncertainty, the older, more experienced woman, felt moved by her innocence.  Sally's  innocence had vanished long ago.  Taken from her would be a better way to put it.  She had not known what to expect that very first time a man had lain with her.  She had been scared and unsure.  And when it was over she had felt dirty and used.  This pretty young woman sitting here now was on the verge of having her first experience with a man.  Emotionally and physically.  And she was completely ignorant about anything that went on between a man and a woman.  And now she had lost her mama.  Sally felt suddenly quite maternal towards the younger woman and she felt obligated to not let her first experience be a regrettable one like hers had been.  "Well, it sounds like I got here just in time."  She rose from the bed and poured them each a cup of coffee.  "Now, we're gonna have ourselves a little talk.  First I want to hear all about everything that happened up 'til now.  I want all the details.  How he saved your life and tracked you down and rescued you from that beastly man.   I guess we really should decide first though how you're gonna tell him that you love him.    Maybe you should just walk up to him, grab that cute little behind of his and say,   'Honey, you're my knight in shining armor.  I don't know how I would ever survive a day without you.  I love you.'   Oh, that's good.  And so romantic.  You can use that if you want.  And then I'm gonna teach you a few things.   If there's anything I'm an authority on it's men.  And I think maybe you need all the help you can get."

                                                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He paced.  He sat.  He paced.  He sat.

"What do you think they're doing in there?"  He paced some more.

"I don't know, Heyes.  If it'll make you feel better knock on the door and find out.  Anything to make you stop with the pacing.   And the sitting."

"They've been in there a good long while."

He crept to the door.  He nervously turned the knob.  He opened it a crack.  And was surprised to hear the lilt of female laughter floating in the air.  He turned puzzled brown eyes to the blue ones across the room as he quietly closed the door again.

"See, I told you she was probably ready to get rid of us for a while."

"Yeah, I guess so."  He tried not to sound dejected but his disappointment shown through.

"Come on, Heyes, let's get out of here.  Sounds like the girls are doing fine.  We've got a telegraph to send."

                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hannibal Heyes stood at the counter of the telegrapher's office, pencil in hand.  But the paper was blank.

"Well, this is a first,"  Kid said, seeing the empty sheet of paper.

"What?"

"You - at a loss for words."

"How do you tell somebody that their kin folks are dead?  And not just dead...murdered.  Brutally.  I don't think I can do it, Kid."   He laid the pencil down but continued to stare at the blank page.

"No, Heyes what you can't do is figure out how you're gonna be able to hand Evangeline over to anybody else.  And not sending that telegraph is your way of not having to do it.  You've got way too invested, just like I warned you not to.  Now you've gone and got her falling for you just as bad as you have for her.  It's no good Heyes and you know it.  That girl is headed for a world of heart ache and disappointment  if she stays with us.  And I told her so this morning."

"You did what?"  he asked, more than a little annoyed.

"I told her the truth about how we have to live.  Always dodging the law and doing without.  She needed  to know the truth before we set out for Red Rock tomorrow.  It ain't fair Heyes to let her think she's gonna have some kind of fairy tale life with you.  Because we both know that it ain't gonna happen."

"Well, you know what else is not fair?   Us always having to give up what little happiness we find.  I'm sick of it, Kid.   Maybe I don't want to do that this time.  Maybe it's time we started thinking about settling  down somewhere and trying to have a normal life."

"Do you hear yourself?  You know we can't count on being able to settle down anywhere.  The minute we do, somebody always spots us.  Without our amnesty you know that a normal life just ain't in the cards for us.  And I'm beginning to think we're never gonna get it.  Do you really think you can settle down with her and have a home and a family and make an honest living, and nobody will ever come along that will recognize you?  And the two of you will live happily ever after?    You can't tell me that you honestly believe that could happen."

"She makes me believe it can happen, Kid."    His face had a melancholy veil and his words were laced with bittersweetness.   He dropped the pencil on the counter and headed for the door.  He dreaded  having  to tell her that word was being sent to her family.  He wasn't going to tell her that he had been the one to send it.  "You send the telegragh if you want.  Her family is in Nashville.  Her oldest aunt is named Elizabeth Kensington.  Mrs. Stuart Kensington.   I'm going to get me a drink, then  I'm going to spend some time with Evie."  As he stepped through the doorway into the dusty street he added, " What little I have left."

                                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kid found Heyes at the bar,  a half empty mug in front of him.    He knew what his friend was feeling.  He'd been there himself.  He hadn't wanted to put Michelle on that stagecoach that took her to meet a train.  The train  that would carry her a thousand miles away to New Orleans.   But he had done it.  Not because he had wanted her to go.  Just the opposite. He had wanted her to stay and see what kind of relationship he could build with her.  But it was something that had to be done.  And it wasn't fair to Michelle to subject her to the kind of life they were forced to lead.  He had known that and Heyes had known that.   So what then was so different this time?  Were his feelings for Evie so much deeper than his had been for Michelle?  He was beginning to think maybe they were.  Heyes had never answered the question with any certainty when he'd asked him if Evie was that girl for him.  But Kid was starting to see that she was.  And when Hannibal Heyes had a plan in mind and his heart set on something there wasn't much that could keep him from having it.  And if he didn't have it he was almost impossible to live with.

"Heyes,  I'm sorry I told Evie all those things, but you should have told her yourself by now.  I know you want to protect her but not telling her is the same as lying to her and I don't think that's fair to her.  If she's going  to be traveling with us then she needs to know what to expect.   And it appears she's going to be traveling with us for a while."    He gave his partner's shoulder a slight nudge so he would turn and face him.  "You never did really answer my question, Heyes.  Is Evangeline that girl for you?  The one you ain't gonna be able to give up.  The one you'll never get over is she leaves or if you have to leave her?"

He looked into the clear blue eyes of the only other person he loved in the world besides the young woman across the street.  "Yes, she is.  But it don't change how things are between you and me.  I want you to know that."

"I do know that.   And just so you know, I'm sick and tired of it too.  Never getting to stop for a while and just...be.  But it's part of the penance we have to pay Heyes.  And it's all the more reason why you should want to see her go with her family so she don't have to worry about that.   We're wanted men, Heyes.  And unless our amnesty deal pans out,  we've got to go it alone.  But for now, we're not alone.  We're responsible for her and she's depending on us.  And who am I to keep you from enjoying some happiness.  Lord knows we don't get too much of it.  So, if she's what makes you happy, then I won't stand in the way.  I'll help you take care of her and we'll just deal with her family if and when they come along."

Heyes was surprised.  He had expected Kid to fight him all the way about this.   He placed an affectionate hand on his friends shoulder.  "Thanks, Kid.  I know it's not fair to her,  and I know I should have told her the truth about how we have to live sometimes before you had to.  But I just can't bring myself to do or say anything that makes her sad or uncomfortable.  She's cried half the  time I've known her.  I don't want to see her cry anymore.  I want to see her laugh and smile.  And I want to be the one that makes her laugh and smile.   And besides that I just don't think I can give her up just yet.  I just can't do it, Kid.  I can't explain it but I just need to be where she is.  I need to see her and touch her.   You understand?"

"Yeah, Heyes, I understand.  You're in love with her.  Why don't you just admit it?  Why can't you say it?"

"Alright, fine.  I....I love her."   The weight of the emotional avalanche he'd been buried under was finally lifted.  He emotionally exhaled.  "Whew.  Boy it's weird saying that."

"Not half as weird as hearing you say it."

"I knew I'd been keeping you around all these years for some reason."

"Oh, yeah and what's that,  besides keeping you alive?"

"Telling me the truth.  Even when I don't want to hear it."

"That's what being friends and partners is all about ain't it.   I just hope you're sure about this Heyes.  That what you're feeling is really love and not just feeling obligated or feeling sorry for her."

"No, I felt those things in the beginning but it changed somewhere along the way.  I changed, and she changed too.   At first  I had it all figured out.  I planned to hand her over to you and let you pamper her like you're so good at doing.  While I sent word to he family. And then we would just hand her over the them.  I thought it was going to be a quick and easy thing to do.   But now.... And you know after she's had to live like we do for awhile she might be begging us to send her back east to her family."

"I've seen the way she looks at you, Heyes.  I don't think that's too likely."

"Yeah, you think?"   He couldn't keep the goofy smile off his face.  Thinking that she felt the same way about him as he did about her made him feel like a kid again.  He hadn't felt like a kid since he was...well, a kid.  When his parents had been alive.  He'd felt like an adult from the moment he'd realized his and Jed's parents were dead.  He knew he'd have to be the one to take care of them both.    His childhood had ended that day.  And it made him fee angry and bitter.  But when he was with Evie all that seemed to disappear.  He loved that about her.

"Now, I ask you, would a woman who wasn't in love with you not come up swinging if she found out you had undressed her and saw everything.  And please don't tell me you didn't see anything or that you tried not to look.  I know better.  And when she found out who we really were, she didn't bat an eyelash.  She almost seemed proud of the fact that we're wanted outlaws.  That's got to be love.  And how many women would let a man in the same room with her when she's doing that woman thing she's doing right now?  Let alone touch her?  And it was pretty obvious you touched her.  Face it, Heyes, it don't take a genius to figure out the girl's head over heels in love with you."

"Think I should tell her how I feel?"

Kid pondered a moment.  "Yeah,  you should tell her."

Heyes pondered a moment.  "How?"

They both pondered a moment.

The barkeep, a middle aged man with a huge mustache  that connected to his sideburns, had heard bits and pieces of their conversation.  Seeing their dilemma, he offered some advice.  "You know boys, when I fell in love with my sweetheart, Ester, I hugged her up one day and said, 'You're the prettiest thing I've ever seen.  You're the best thing that's ever happened in my whole sorry life.  I'd be lost without ya.'  Then I kissed her and said, 'Sweetheart I love ya.'"

The boys looked at each other and shrugged.  Kid slapped his partner on the back as he headed for the door.  "Come on, Heyes, let's go find your girl."

                                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And find her he did.  When they walked into the hotel room,  Evangeline and Sally stood by the open French doors leading to the balcony outside.  Sally had brushed Evie's silky hair and pulled it away from her face with her grandma's hair combs.  She had changed into the one dress she had left that was wearable, the tight fitting lavender print dress of her mothers.  With the corset and petticoats on underneath the dress, her hourglass figure was even more pronounced.  Her waist was tiny, her hips and breasts full and rounded.  She was the most stunning sight Hannibal Heyes had ever seen.  As she stood there in the door way with the slight breeze blowing her hair and her skirts, she took his breath away.  He knew for sure then that he loved her.   There was no feeling of obligation or pity.  Only love.

"My goodness you ladies look absolutely beautiful,"  Kid finally said after both men stood transfixed for a moment by the two lovely women.

"Why, thank you, Thaddeus,  you're not looking so bad yourself,"  Sally flirted.

Evangeline couldn't move or speak.  Every time she saw Joshua and he looked at her the way he was looking at her now, she couldn't breathe right.  But then again it may be the corset she was wearing.  No, it was him.  Because she hadn't worn a corset since she'd left her family's ranch.  And she'd felt the same breathless feeling on more than one occasion when he'd looked at her that way.  For a moment she forget that there were two other people in the room.  She heard voices but nothing they said registered in her brain.  She was completely lost in his eyes.  He hadn't said a word since he came in but he'd told her how beautiful she was just the same.

"What do you say?"  Thaddeus asked.

 Evie and Heyes, both startled from their love struck stupors, said together, "What?"

"I said how about we all sit and play a game of cards.  Just to pass the time."

Sally clapped in approval.  "Oh, let's play whist.  That's my favorite."  She crossed the room and took Thaddeus' hand.  "You'll be my partner of course."

"Of course,"  he said as he lead her to the round table in the corner.

Heyes approached Evie, and took her hand.  Their eyes never losing contact.  "Shall we?"

"By all means, lets do."

As he led her to  the table, Heyes whispered to her, "You don't know how to cheat a whist too, do you?"

She did.  Heyes and Evie won all eight matches.

When they tired of cards, Sally talked Evie into reading the poem Thaddeus had told her about.

Vainly he strove to rise; and Evangeline, kneeling beside him, 
Kissed his dying lips, and laid his head on her bosom 
Sweet was the light of his eyes; but it suddenly sank into darkness, 
As when a lamp is blown out by a gust of wind at a casement. 



All was ended now, the hope, and the fear, and the sorrow, 
All the aching of heart, the restless, unsatisfied longing, 
All the dull, deep pain, and constant anguish of patience! 
And, as she pressed once more the lifeless head to her bosom, 
Meekly she bowed her own, and murmured, "Father, I thank thee!" 
Still stands the forest primeval; but far away from its shadow, 
Side by side, in their nameless graves, the lovers are sleeping. 
Under the humble walls of the little Catholic churchyard, 
In the heart of the city, they lie, unknown and unnoticed; 
Daily the tides of life go ebbing and flowing beside them, 
Thousands of throbbing hearts, where theirs are at rest and forever, 
Thousands of aching brains, where theirs no longer are busy, 
Thousands of toiling hands, where theirs have ceased from their labors, 
Thousands of weary feet, where theirs have completed their journey! 
Still stands the forest primeval; but under the shade of its branches 



Dwells another race, with other customs and language. 
Only along the shore of the mournful and misty Atlantic 
Linger a few Acadian peasants, whose fathers from exile 
Wandered back to their native land to die in its bosom; 
In the fisherman's cot the wheel and the loom are still busy; 
Maidens still wear their Norman caps and their kirtles of homespun, 
And by the evening fire repeat Evangeline's story, 
While from its rocky caverns the deep-voiced, neighboring ocean 
Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.

Sally was weeping.  Heyes was pensive.  Kid was mad.

"You mean all those years of searching for him and she finds him just as he's about to die."

"I'm afraid so,"  Evie offered apologetically.

"I think it's the most romantic thing I've ever heard,"  Sally hiccuped out between sobs.

"They only got to see each other for a minute after they finally get back together, before he up and dies."   Kid shook his head in disbelief.  "She should have just married that other fella."

"Oh, don't ruin it by saying something like that,"  Sally griped.

"Don't get all upset, Sally.  Would you care to accompany me to the dining room to find out what's on the menu for supper tonight?  I think, Joshua here had something he wanted to discuss with Evangeline."

"Oh, that's right.  She had something she wanted to discuss with him as well, right sweetie."

The two headed out the door leaving Heyes and Evie alone.

"I guess I'm the only one who sees the beauty of the ending and not just the sadness,"  she said as she lay the book aside and crossed to the open French doors.

The sun was getting low in the sky.  It must be near four o'clock, she thought.  A crisp breeze still billowed in making the curtains dance.   He followed her to the doors.  "No you're not the only one.  She finally found what she was looking for.  Nothing else would have satisfied her.  If she hadn't found him before he had died, she would have died looking.  She loved him that much."

"I know how she feels."   She walked onto the balcony and braced her hands on the railing.  She felt like she was going to faint.

"You do?"

This was her opportunity.  Just tell him you love him.  God, she needed air.  I can't say it yet.  Not until I'm calmer.  Change the subject.   "Thaddeus said you had something you wanted to discuss with me.   What is it?"

What should he do first - tell her about the telegraph or that he loved her?  He wasn't sure.  Would she notice if he flipped a coin?  Her back was to him but, yeah, she probably would.  Most people want the bad news first so...."Thaddeus sent a telegraph to your kin folks back in Nashville.  I hope your not too upset.  But it really is for the best."

She thought about that for a moment.  She didn't really know how she felt about it.  Right now she was too preoccupied with what she needed to tell him and how it was making her so nervous she couldn't breathe.

"Is that all?   Don't worry about it.  I'm not upset."

"Then why are you breathing so heavy?"   He came up behind her and twirled her around to face him.
"Because I...I....I have something I need to tell you," she said lowly and breathlessly.

"I have something else I need to tell you too."   He took a deep breath.  You've got a silver tongue, Heyes.  Just use it.  It's just three little words.  He took a step closer.  Smiled down at her and said, "Evangeline Ruth Webb,  I love you."

She stared at him, stunned.  Had he really just told her he loved her.   In that moment it was as if every prayer she had ever prayed had been answered.  Every wish she'd ever made had come true.  The fear that he didn't return her love was gone.  Her nervousness at telling him she loved him was gone.  So why then was she still finding it so difficult to breath?

"Hannibal Heyes....I love you, too."   She swooned.   He caught her before she hit the floor, then gently laid her back onto it.

"Gee, if I'd known I was gonna have this kind of affect on you I would have waited a little longer before I told you."   He thought she was faint from the excitement and nervousness.

"Don't get the big head just yet, Mr. Heyes,"  she gasped out.  "If you don't get this corset off me, I'm going to pass out.  It's cutting off my air."

He helped her sit and he began the tedious task of unbuttoning her dress down the back.

"Hurry, please,"  she rasped.

He frantically pulled at the tight laces, wanting to rid her of it before she suffocated.

Kid and Sally chose that exact moment to reenter the room.   To see Hannibal Heyes on his knees astride Evie's legs, leaning over her back, eagerly tugging at the laces of her corset.

"Boy, those two didn't waste any time did they?  Remember what I taught you, honey."

"Sheesh, Joshua couldn't you have at least put her on the bed first,"   Kid quipped.

"Oh, come on!   We're not....I was just.....oh, forget it."   A frustrated Heyes finally loosened the corset enough that Evangeline was able to draw some deep breaths.  "Better now?"

"Better."  She removed the loathsome garment and tossed it in Sally's direction.  "You may have that back.  Thanks anyway."

Heyes helped her to her feet then helped her to button her dress back.   "Please excuse us,"  he said as he closed the doors,  leaving them alone on the balcony.  "Now where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?"  he asked in his deep silky voice, as he gathered her close in his arms.

"I think you were about to tell me that you'd die without me and you'd crawl across the desert for me and....."

"Oh wait,  a wise man told me to say this.....he cleared his throat.  "You're the prettiest thing I've ever seen.  You're the best thing that's ever happened in my whole sorry life.  I'd be lost without ya.  Sweetheart, I love ya."

 She threw her head back in a hearty laugh.  "That's funny, because I was given some sage advice as well."  She reached around and behind him, and boldly grabbed his cute little behind in both her hands.  His eyebrows rose in surprise.  Then she cleared her throat.  "Honey, you're my knight in shining armor.  I don't think I could ever survive a day without you.  I love you."

"Seriously, though,"  he said as he gazed into her silvery blue eyes.  "I am so in love with you."

"And I am so in love with you.  But I am sorry you won't be getting your amnesty though."

"I won't.  And why is that?"

"Because you've committed a terrible crime, cowboy.  You've stolen my heart."

"Well, that's one crime I'm more than willing to do the time for."

With new found joy they stood on the balcony and hugged each other.  Then kissed each other.  Then hugged some more.  And kissed each other some more.  What magical words 'I love you' were.  They gave one license to kiss and touch and hug and hold as freely and as often as you liked.   For the two of them the whole world became a four foot by eight foot rectangle of wood, suspended ten feet over the dusty streets of Alpine, Texas.

Until a loud and not too subtle voice from the other side of the French doors yelled,  "Geez, will you two hurry up.  What's taking so long?   A man's gotta eat don't he."

                                                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Dear Reader,
Think that's the end?  Think it's all love and happiness from here on out?   HA!  Think again.  Did you ever know these boys to have it that easy?  Every time they get rich they very soon after get busted.   That seems to be the case in matters of the heart as well.    Sorry but there's more to come.  We've still got a way to go until I get to the end of this tale.   Plus our couple still have some heavy duty romance to get down to.   I hope you'll come along for the ride.  I'll try to make it good for you.
Thanks to everyone who is reading.

Peace.  Out.

Karen

Love ya, Peter.