Snow fell gently on the southern Wyoming countryside. It hung heavily from the boughs of the towering pine and spruce trees that grew in abundance on both sides of the train tracks. Evangeline watched as the wintry scenery passed by her window. She had not expected them to travel into Wyoming as she and her Aunt Olivia traveled west from Nashville to San Francisco, but when Livvy had informed her that the only train that was destined for California would have to first travel to Rawlins, Wyoming, her heart had leaped in her chest. She knew that Devil's Hole was in Wyoming. And although she knew that it was somewhere miles from here in the remote Grand Tetons, she still held onto the faint hope that perhaps should would see him. She could picture him in her mind, sitting astride his proud black stallion, galloping through the snow towards the train, where he would jump aboard and find her. Then he would sweep her off her feet and carry her off on Odin's back. They would ride into the setting sun leaving the train and the past behind them.
The past. Damn the past. Especially
his past. Why couldn't he ever forgive himself for it. Would he forever think himself unworthy of her because it? How many times had she asked her self these questions in the month since she'd last seen his face? Had it really been one month? One month since she'd seen his face, kissed his mouth, touched his skin? Yes, it had been one month. It seemed like a lifetime. Christmas had been celebrated around her at the lavish estate at Heavenly Hills and she had hardly been aware of it. She should have been ecstatic to be spending the most sacred of holidays in the home her mother had grown up in, surrounded by family and doted on like she were a princess. She should have been anxious to learn her family history. She vaguely recalled Livvy telling the story of how the mansion had escaped the raiding Union troops during the war with only minor damage, and how they had repaired and restored it to it's former glory. But her heart had not been into listening. Her heart had not been in anything. It was shattered and useless. And that had left her emotionless. She simply could not feel anything. No excitement, no joy, but also no sorrow and no pain. She had been numb the first few weeks after he had left her standing in that meadow. So numb that she barely recalled the trip across the mighty Mississippi River into Tennessee. She had stood on the deck of the ferry and looked out on the water's surface, but she had not really seen it. The only bright spot in her life during those first weeks had been her getting to know her aunt Libby. Her child-like mind had been soothing to Evie's aching heart, but it had not healed it. It may not have been in a million little pieces any longer, but it was still bore huge cracks and holes that she didn't think would ever heal. Unless a certain brown eyed, dimpled faced former outlaw made a sudden reappearance in her life.
When the new year had begun and still she remained lethargic, Livvy became concerned and made some decisions. She had announced her plan to take Evangeline on a trip to the warm west coast. She felt it would do much to change her niece's mood to be in a sunny climate near the ocean. There were so many fine hotels and restaurants, as well as endless places to shop and enjoy art and theater, that Livvy was sure Evangeline would feel herself again in no time. She knew her aunt was only trying to help in her own way. But all Evie really wanted to do was be alone. Alone with her sorrow and her misery. They had pulled out of the Rawlins station mid afternoon and were now a couple of hours from Rock Springs. They would spend the night there and board another train tomorrow that would carry them to the warm sunny coast.
Evie kept her eyes glued to the scenery outside her window. And as lovely as that scenery was, there was really only one sight she hoped to see, that of her beloved riding in to take her away. She inhaled deeply and exhaled the air on a shaky breath. She knew it was only a fantasy. He would not be riding to her rescue this time. Because he thought he had set her free from the bondage of a life with a wanted man. But all he had really done was sentenced her to a life of loneliness, shackled to memories and dreams of what could have been. For there would never be another for her. No one would ever take the place of the dimple faced outlaw who had ridden into her life as quickly and unexpectedly as he had ridden out. No one would ever be to her what Hannibal Heyes had been and would always be.....the thief who had stolen her heart.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
There she stood. She was a beauty. The snowy ground and trees surrounding her made the bright red paint of her cars stand out in vivid contrast. Smoke billowed from her tall black stack. Steam wafted from under her heavy iron wheels. Her brakes gave a squealing protest as they strained to bring the twelve car passenger train to a halt. Atlantis was her name and she was due in Rock Springs, Wyoming this evening after leaving Rawlins this afternoon. But she was going to be late.
From a nearby hilltop he watched her as she ground to a halt in front of the debris from a rock slide. The same rock slide that he and his gang had created with a well placed stick of dynamite. He raised his right hand, giving the men on horseback behind him the signal to start descending the hillside towards her. He sat still astride his magnificent black stallion as the others rode around him and made their way down to the bottom of the hill. He stayed back watching as the others took up their assigned positions. There was a time when he would have been the first one down the hill. A time when his brown eyes would have been alight with excitement and a self satisfied grin would have crossed his lips at the prospect of another robbery successfully planned and carried out. But not this time. His reasons for robbery in the past had been greed, the thrill and just plain survival. But this time none of those factors figured into the equation. To be honest he wasn't sure why he was doing this. Another thing that didn't figure into the equation.....his partner. Without Kid Curry's presence he felt oddly ill at ease. He shouldn't have. He'd pulled off this kind of job dozens of times in far more dangerous situations and circumstances. And he didn't know why he cared. He didn't have anything left to look forward to in this life. So what difference did it make if this job went wrong and his partner wasn't here to watch his back? But there was little chance of anything going wrong. It was a simple plan. Stop the train, board the train and blow the safe. In and out quick. There was supposed to be a cache of gold bullion in that safe. Out here in the remote southern Wyoming countryside, in the middle of winter their plan should go off without a hitch. So why then did he feel so uptight about it? He sure wished the Kid wasn't angry with him and hadn't refused to take part. Because he could use some reassurance right now. Or maybe he needed somebody to talk him out of doing what he was about to do. Without Kid here, there was no one left to talk to, no one left to understand. The only other person who understood him and cared about him as much as Jed Curry did was fifteen hundred miles away in a mansion in Nashville. Sweet, Evie. My, God he missed her. He didn't know it was possible to miss someone this much. Not a day had gone by since he'd abandoned her in that field that he hadn't second guessed his decision to leave her. Not an hour of each day went by that he didn't feel immense guilt for what he had done to her. Not a moment of every day went by that he didn't think of her and long to see her face and touch her hair and hold her tight. And the nights. He didn't even want to think about the nights. Every night he would lie in bed and toss and turn. When sleep did come it was usually alcohol induced and haunted with dreams of holding her close and making love to her. He would awake in a cold sweat, his clothes and sheets soaked with his won perspiration and his head would pound with an incessant drum of a dull headache. He supposed that was one reason he had decided to go along on this job. Planning it and preparing for it had helped to at least dull some of the tremendous ache her absence had left in his chest, and it had forced him to leave the booze alone. He never drank when he was planning a job. But still she was always there in the back of his mind, even when he was planning and working out the details.
He lifted his gloved hand and flipped open the expensive gold watch he held in his palm. Timing was important in this job. He only had a few minutes before Wheat and the boys would be expecting him down there to give the go ahead to blow the safe. He had an uneasy feeling in the back of his brain that this robbery was going to be different from the dozens of similar ones in the past. And the uneasy feeling he had was beginning to make him worry. It was too late now to back out. Or was it? He just didn't know what to do. He had been so sure this was what he wanted to do yesterday, but today.....today he wasn't so sure. He reached underneath the blue bandana that hung loosely around his neck and felt inside the collar of his shirt. He rubbed the small silver circle between his thumb and index finger. What should he do? He wondered what Evie would think of him if he went through with this. He let the silver ring drop back down inside his collar to dangle from the silver chain around his neck. What did it matter what Evie would think? She was far away and safe from any harm. That's all that really mattered.
But time was ticking away. He had to make up his mind. It was impossible to talk to Evie and Kid wasn't around. There was no one to talk to. He was all alone. Or was he? He turned his face skyward. Flakes of snow floated from the heavens to land silently on his face. He had been born with a gift. The gift of a silver tongue. He could talk his way out of almost anything. He could spin a yarn like nobody else. In fact he could talk to anybody about anything. Except for the one who had given him that gift. Every time he tried to talk to the man upstairs his silver tongue got tied up in knots. At this point, however, he didn't really think he had much choice, or much to lose. He took a deep breath and spoke aloud:
"I know you and me ain't exactly been on speaking terms for the last fifteen years or so, but it seems I have a gift for talking to everybody except you. I guess maybe I've been blaming you all these years for the way my life turned out. I've been thinking all these years that if you hadn't let my folks die then maybe I would have turned out to be a train engineer instead of a train robber. And I know I'm not worthy to even ask you for anything, but I could really use some answers right now and seeing as how you're the only one around to ask, well....I guess what I'm asking is this....if I'm always going to be hunted like an outlaw, even though I've been trying not to be one, then why shouldn't I just go on being one? After all, I'm still having to deal with the drawbacks so why shouldn't I get to enjoy the benefits too. But if I'm wrong about that then you need to let me know. Give me a sign, something I can trust in. Believe in. If you show me that, then I'll ride out of here and I won't be a part of this crime. I'll never commit another crime again as long as I live. And while I'm asking, could you make sure that wherever Evie is that she's happy. She deserves that."
He pulled his black hat low over his eyes to shield his face from the snow that was beginning to fall now is large fluffy flakes. He rubbed the glossy black neck of the powerful beast beneath him. Who was he to ask God for a sign? Who was he to ask God for anything? Who did he think he was? He urged his stallion forward. Hannibal Heyes, that's who he was. An outlaw. An unworthy outlaw.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kid Curry watched from the cover of the thick pine trees at the top of the hill. He had watched silently from afar as Heyes and Wheat had briefly went over the plan one more time with the rest of the gang. He had refused the be a part of the robbery, but he also refused to let his partner and best friend in the world go through with this without being here to watch his back. He could see his partner now as he spoke aloud to no one. Kid didn't know what to make of that? Hannibal Heyes didn't pray. He hadn't prayed since he was a kid. His lifelong friend was obviously struggling with the decision he had made to take part in this job, and with no one else to talk to he had turned to the Almighty. He sure hoped the good Lord could talk some sense to him, because he certainly had failed. How had it come to this? How did he find himself watching from the shadows as the smartest man he had ever known was on the verge of followed through with one of the stupidest decisions he'd ever made? He thought back to one month earlier.....
A fine dusting of snow covered the ground outside the window of the bedroom Kid was sharing with Heyes. The same window Heyes had been staring out of for the past two weeks. Ever since the day they had ridden across dead line point and into Devil's Hole. "This is your last chance to change your mind, Heyes," Kid had told his partner as they stared at the invisible barrier know to every outlaw who had ever ridden into Devil's Hole as deadline point. Heyes' response had been to raise his revolver and fire the three shots required to alert the men on guard that riders were coming in.
Preacher had ridden in a day before and explained the boys' situation to Wheat Carlson, the new leader of the gang. There wasn't a man among the gang who hadn't had to sacrifice a relationship because of the life they led. So Wheat understood Heyes' need to take refuge here and had agreed to let them stay here for the winter. Kid and Heyes had expected to be bunking down with the rest of the boys in the bunk house. But to their surprise, Wheat had insisted they stay in the leader's shack. He and Kyle would bunk together in Wheat's room and Heyes and the Kid could stay in Kyle's room. Kid knew that inspite of his lighthearted rivalry with Heyes, Wheat really had a genuine like and a great respect for both he and Heyes.
Kid had entered the room and found Heyes in front of that window again. He set the tray of food he had brought with him on the table beside Heyes' bed. "You can take that away. I'm not hungry," Heyes had said without even turning to see who had entered the room.
"Heyes you ain't eat more than two bites since we got here two weeks ago. Now, you're gonna eat something while I watch you eat it or I'm gonna sit on you and shove it down your throat."
With an exasperated huff Heyes had marched across the room, shoveled a bite of the hot, meaty stew into his mouth. Then he had bitten off a chunk of the thick slice of bread and chewed without tasting. "There. I ate something. You can take it back now."
Kid had crossed his arms across his chest and watched as Heyes returned to his vigil at the window. Kid knew he was waiting for him to leave so he could commence to drinking himself into a stupor. That's what he had done every night for two weeks. It had gone on too long. "Alright, Heyes, have it your way. But I'm telling you right now, you've got one week to start acting normal or you're going to force me take matters into my own hands."
Kid had given Heyes one week to stop this senseless brooding. In one week it would be Christmas day. Yes, Christmas even came to Devil's Hole. Surely celebrating around a tree with old friends would help bring him out of this deep, dark mood he had been in since he had ridden out of Evie's life. He had found Heyes, weeping in the woods after he had broken the heart of the only woman he had ever loved. The only woman he would
ever love. But once the weeping had stopped, a dark brooding silence had ensued. And it had lasted for two solid weeks. Kid had hoped to see a change in his partner's behavior by Christmas, and he did. But it wasn't the kind of change he had been hoping for. Kid had awakened the day after Christmas to the sound of laughter. And not just any laughter. It was the laughter he recognized instantly. The laughter of Hannibal Heyes. It had been weeks since he'd seen the man smile, let alone laugh. Kid had gone into the living room of the shack to find Heyes sitting with Wheat and Kyle around the roll top desk. They were going over the plans for a new job. A job that Heyes was going to help plan and lead with Wheat. That's when Kid had decided to take the drastic steps he had warned Heyes about. He had hoped to avoid it, but this was too important. And so he had ridden into Johnstown and spent a few days there while he waited for a reply to the telegraph he had sent the first day he'd ridden into town. He had made some plans of his own.
And now here he sat watching and waiting. Hoping that his plan worked. If not, amnesty was just another word at the front of the dictionary.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Oh, for Pete's sake. Why are we stopping?" Olivia Vanderbilt was annoyed. "The whole idea of this trip is to make it to the sunny shores of California, not spend hours in the middle of cold, snowy nowhere, Wyoming. Don't worry, dear, I'll get to the bottom of it," she told Evie. With a disgusted humph she rose to her full five feet two inches and marched briskly to find the conductor. Evie didn't mind the delay. The longer they were in Wyoming the longer she could feel close to her beloved. She wondered what he was doing at this very moment. Was it snowing in the mountains where he was? Was he thinking of her? Was he as lonely for her as she was for him? Why couldn't he have understood that she would have braved any danger or any possible pitfalls if it meant having a life with him? They should have been together at Christmas. They should have rung in the new year together. He should be here with her right now. But he wasn't. He was hundreds of miles away and here she sat, alone on a train. Feeling absolutely miserable. She squirmed in her seat trying to get into a more comfortable position. The bussel of her dress was so large and protruded so far from her backside that she couldn't lean her back against the seat. Her corset was pulled so tight she felt like she was going to suffocate as always. How she hated corsets. She sat there ramrod stiff like a fireplace poker, feeling uncomfortable and ridiculous. The hat that adorned her head was a dainty confection of delicate flowers and feathers and satin bows. It sat atop her massive hairdo at an odd angle making it feel as if it were about to slide into her face at any moment. Had it not been for the hat pins securing it in place, that is exactly what it would have done. Add to that the discomfort of the gouging hair pins that tightly secured the up swept hairdo and you had one miserable young woman. She stared at the empty seat across from her, wishing she were some other place. And she knew where that place was...the wilderness of the warm and sunny Trans Pecos, riding a horse with the arms of an outlaw safely and securely around her. But instead she was here in the cold Wyoming countryside, traveling with her aunt. It was times like these when the one emotion she allowed herself to feel would bubble to the surface...anger. It should have been him she stood beside when she had ferried across the Mississippi for the first time. It was his hand she should have been holding as she took her first steps inside the mansion of her mother's childhood. It should have been his face she was looking at across from her on her first trip to the ocean. But she knew that only an act of God himself would find her looking into the face of Hannibal Heyes today.
The longer she sat here with no passing scenery for a distraction the more uncomfortable she became. Evangeline now hoped it wasn't going to be a long delay. They were to disembark at Rock Springs and spend the night in a hotel instead of on the train, and continue on to San Francisco in the morning. She couldn't wait to get there and be rid of this corset and all these poking and pinching pins. And it would be nice to lie in a bed instead of the small berth of the private cabin she and Livvy had shared for the past three days. Perhaps if she insisted, Livvy wouldn't put up too much of a fight, and she could wear a simple skirt and blouse tomorrow.
Livvy had been treating her like a dress up doll for weeks. She had insisted that she be in the latest fashions and her hair coiffed in the latest style. And Evie had not protested. She had been the dutiful niece during these past weeks. Never protesting, never complaining. She silently endured. And suffered. In fact she had suffered ever since the day they had left Rising Gulch.
Rising Gulch. Her mind wandered back over the past month since she'd last seen him. As she continued to stare at the empty seat her aunt had vacated, she pictured him sitting there. Her mind's eye could conjure his image so clearly. He was dressed in his brown pants and a white shirt with his bow tie and brown corduroy jacket. His black hat was pushed back on his head letting his golden brown locks of hair fall across his forehead. He seemed so real she was tempted to reach out and touch him. But she knew he was not really there. She looked out on the snow covered hillside. He was hundreds of miles away in a warm cabin in Devil's Hole.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Heyes approached the bottom of the hill slowly. This all seemed so familiar to him and yet so foreign. He had participated in so many robberies in the past without any qualms or reservations. All that had mattered then was satisfying his greed. And not just the greed for money, but also the greed to be thought of as brilliant, to be appreciated for his genius. But as he sat at the foot of this hill staring at the halted train it seemed somehow...wrong. It didn't
seem wrong, it
was wrong. He knew that. He had always known it. He just hadn't cared. Living on the straight and narrow for a year must have finally given him a conscience. Or maybe knowing a nineteen year old poetry reading, piano playing, young woman had uncovered a part of him that had been hidden for years. The ungreedy, self sacrificing part. She would be upset with him if she were here right now. But she wasn't here. She was fifteen hundred miles away. He felt inside his collar one more time. It was still there. Compared to the booty that was inside the safe they were about to clean out, this simple silver ring was practically worthless. But to him it was priceless. There had been a time in his life when he would have tossed aside something so small and inexpensive when the possiblity of gold and cash was in front of him. But now.....he guessed there also came a time in a man's life when the chink of coins and the glitter of gold lost their appeal and all that was left was a man's love for his woman. His woman. His Evie. No matter where she went or who she met she would always be his. And he was sure she would go many places and see many things and meet many people. And it was only a matter of time before some young man would court her and she would marry. His gloved hand mad a fist around the small ring. The thought of another man even holding her hand was torture for him. He let the ring fall back to rest against his throat. He sighed a deep heavy sigh.
"Having second thoughts?"
The familiar voice of Kid Curry sounded behind him. He couldn't really say that he was surprised. Heyes didn't bother to turn and look at him as he asked, "What are you doing here, Kid?"
"What I've always done, Heyes....watch your back. I figured you'd be anxious to get down there and get on with it. You were so fired up about it when you left Devil's Hole yesterday that I'm surprised to see you hesitating. And that's what you're doing, ain't ya? You're lagging behind because you're finally starting to realize how stupid this is."
"Kid, do you ever talk to God?"
A puzzled look marred Kid's handsome face as he stared at his partner's back. "Yeah. Sometimes. Why?"
"Do you ever blame Him? For the way our lives turned out, I mean?"
Kid hung his head in disbelief. "Heyes, for a genius, you sure do have some stupid notions."
Heyes turned then to glare at his partner. "Will you just answer the question. Do you ever blame Him?"
"Why would I blame God for the decisions I've made. We are all born with our own free will. It's not God's fault we chose to work on the wrong side of the law. And besides, our lives haven't turned out all that bad, have they? We're both still breathing. We're not in prison. And right now you've got the chance to walk away from this job and never look back. We could ride out of here and head to San Francisco. I'm sure ol' Silky would let us stay at his place for a spell, until we could get ourselves some honest jobs. What do you say?"
"Do you ever ask Him for things? I always felt like I didn't have the right to ask for anything, seeing as how I've spent most of my life taking things from other people."
Kid didn't know what to say to that. He had always felt sort of unworthy of God's favor himself. "What are you getting at, Heyes? Have you asked God for something lately?"
"Yeah, I did. I asked for a sign. We've been living straight for over a year now. But what has really changed for us? We still don't have our amnesty. We don't have a place to call home. We work hard and still go for days without eating or sleeping in a real bed. The time we spent on Big Mac's ranch was the only time you can really say we got to have real lives. If I knew that amnesty was coming through, if I had a sign that this was the wrong thing to do, I wouldn't go through with it. But the way I see it, Kid, we've got all the drawbacks of being an outlaw....wanted, hunted, dodging the law, getting arrested. But we got none of the benefits like a place to stay, food to eat, a bed to sleep in, money to spend....."
"A woman you love by your side."
Heyes sat silent for a long moment. "You know that's never been in the cards or us. Still ain't."
"There you go again. Talking stupid. You had it, right in the palm of your hand and you gave it away. Who do you think put Evie in your life? Do you think it was a coincidence that you happened to be on that trail the day you found her. Do you recall why you ended up on that trail? You lost a coin toss, that's how.
You, Hannibal Heyes. How many other coin tosses have you lost in the last twenty years? You think that was a coincidence?" Kid could see that Heyes was pondering what he was saying. "God put you there, Heyes, because he wanted you to save her life. And he wanted you to save her life because he knew she was going to save ours. Does that sound like God has it in for us? Sounds to me like He was doing what He's always done and that's watch both our backs. We should have been dead a long time ago, Heyes. Or at least in prison. If you ask me God was trying to give you a gift when he put you on that trail in the Trans Pecos. A gift you left behind."
"Hey, you were the one jumping down my throat because I didn't send her away in the first place. What happened to all that sanctimonious talk, huh?"
"While you were busy burying your sorrows in a bottle back at Devil's Hole , I was doing some thinking and some talking to God myself. And he made me realize a few things. How many women would have done for us what Evie did? Not many. And how many women would be willing to overlook a past like yours and agree to be your wife, knowing that there would be risks involved with being the wife of a wanted man? I'd say none. And if anybody has proved that they can take a punch and get right back up swinging, it's Evangeline Webb. Think about everything she's been through, and still she wanted to build a life with you. Don't you think maybe God was trying to bless you when he put that sweet girl in your life? He wasn't trying to punish you by making you give her up. That was all your doing. And besides that, when did you ever listen to anything I say anyway?"
Heyes was silent. He dismounted and stood there staring at the snow covered ground. Kid was right. He had done some stupid things in his life, but leaving Evie and breaking her heart was probably the stupidest. He had thought he was doing what was best for her. God had put her in his life not just so he could save her but so that she could save him. And that's just what she had done. Not only had she literally saved his life, she had saved him from a lonely existence that he thought he was doomed to dwell in until he died, at least for a while. He never dreamed he would find a woman he would love the way he loved her. A woman he would want to share everything with. A woman who wouldn't run scared or to the nearest sheriff when she found out who he really was. She was brave and smart and willing to do just about anything to stay by his side. She loved him for who he was. Who he
really was. And he had left her. Abandoned her. He had even told her to go and find somebody else. Oh, God what a fool he'd been. But it was too late now to change anything. Evie was gone and he didn't figure Livvy would ever let him get within ten feet of her again. So what did it really matter if he went through with this job? His life wasn't worth much without her in it anyway. Why hadn't he just told her to go live with Livvy until the two years passed and she came into her trust fund. Or until the amnesty came through, which ever came first. A small seed was planted inside of him in that moment. And it was starting to grow. It was the seed of something he hadn't had in a very long time. The seed of hope. He turned again to his partner, "Do you think we've ruined our chances for amnesty by going back to Devil's Hole?"
"No. Nobody knows we were there except Wheat and the boys and they're not going to say anything. But if you go through with this robbery, word is bound to get out that you're back in the business. Lom and the governor will get wind of it and I'd say that's when you can kiss any chance of amnesty goodbye. And so can I . Even if I don't take part in it, everybody will assume I was in on it. We're kind of a package deal, Heyes."
Heyes just stood there, his feet growing cold in the snow. He looked again at the time. Wheat would be wondering where he was. He had to make a decision. "How do you think the boys will react when they find out I pulled out at the last minute?"
"Who cares? If you're having doubts, Heyes, then you need to bail out now before anybody sees you and can place you at the scene of the crime."
Heyes thought about it for a moment. "You're right, about everything. I can't go through with this. But I don't think I should just up and leave. I think I should find Wheat and tell him I'm leaving. I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us."
"Alright. You want me to go with you?"
"Nah. I'll go find him and break the news to him. Then I'll be back and we can head out to Rock Springs."
"That's the first sensible thing I've heard out of your mouth in weeks, Heyes."
Heyes left Odin with Kid then climbed across the hitch that connected the last two cars of the train. He found himself standing on the south facing side of the train. He knew Wheat would be near the front of the train where the mail car was located. He started his walk to the front of the train. The large fluffy snowflakes still fell at a steady rate. He raised his face to allow the cold snow to fall on his face. He was starting to feel better about himself already, knowing he wasn't going to be backsliding into a life of crime. The seedling of hope grew a little bigger. As he looked up he noticed through the windows of the train car, all the passengers inside. Who were they? Where were they going? Did they have any idea yet that the train they were on was about to be held up? How many people had been on board the many trains he had robbed in the past? And had he ever looked at any of them? No, he had not. And so he looked. He took in the faces, some old, some young, both men and women, girls and boys. Some he could see their full face. Some only their profile and others only the backs of their heads. Normal people, minding their own business. Some were probably on their way to conduct business. Others were probably on their way to meet family. Still others were.....he stopped dead in his tracks.
He rubbed his hands over his eyes. Snow must have collected on his lashes, causing his vision to be impaired. He looked again. His vision wasn't impaired. He wasn't seeing things. His mouth fell slightly open. He couldn't believe his eyes. God had listened. He had asked for a sign that he could believe in and trust in. And there it was right in front of eyes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sitting still and waiting for her aunt to return with all the poking and squeezing of her head and her ribcage was proving to be more that Evie could stand. She couldn't get rid of her corset, but this silly hat had to go. She lifted her hands, gloved in white satin, and slowly pulled the hat pins from her ornately decorated hat. She removed the hat and tossed it onto the empty seat across from her and tossed the pins inside it. She eyed the thing. It had cost the price of a small house and she didn't even find it particularly pretty. Livvy would scold her for tossing the expensive hat so negligently aside. But she didn't care. She would also scold her about how indecent it looked if she were to let her hair down right now here in front of everyone. But she didn't care about that either. She had been doing what everyone else wanted her to do for long enough. She began to pull the painful pins from her hair and toss them into the hat. One by one the curls loosened and fell. Soon the heavy mass of hair hung freely to her waist and she shook her head feeling the relief of freedom. She threaded her fingers into her hair and massaged her sore scalp. It felt wonderful to be unfettered from those pins. She closed her eyes and let her fingers work the soreness and the tension from her scalp. An avalanche of memories began to fall into her mind. The night he had brushed her hair in the cave and had kissed her for the first time. The day he had told her he loved her and then he had rescued her from the killer corset that Sally had trussed her in. The look in his eyes before she held him as he cried. And the feel of his hands on her body the day she had given him the gift of her innocence. Oh, how she missed him and oh, how she loved him. She would give everything she owned just to see his face once more. His real face and not just some image she had conjured in her head. She opened her eyes and scooped up her reticule that lay in the seat beside her. She pulled out the one thing that still meant something to her, the one thing she would never part with. It meant more to her than the most expensive hats or gowns, more than her inheritance, more than silver or gold. The lavender binding cord made from her mother's dress never left her side. She carried it with her wherever she went. She pulled the cord under her hair and brought both ends to the top of her head to secure them in a bow. As she lifted her arms to secure her hair with the cord, something outside her window caught her eye. Something dark moved against the white, snow covered backdrop of the ground outside. Or should she say someone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He knew it was her without even seeing her face. He was rooted to that spot as he watched her free her hair and let it fall around her and then she massaged he head with delicate hands. She was tying something around her head now. He recognized the printed material. And he would know that hair anywhere. There was no doubt in his mind it was hers. He had committed it and the rest of her to memory. Time seemed to stand still as he came around to stand so that he could see her face. He sucked in a sharp breath of the cold air. He had known it was her, but when he actually saw her face, it knocked the breath from his lungs. He began to approach the window slowly. Then she turned to meet his gaze.
As he walked closer towards her window her heart began to hammer in her chest, butterflies formed in her stomach and tears started to well in her eyes. Could it be? Was it possible? Could that actually be her beloved Hannibal? When at last he reached the window and he pressed the palm of his leather gloved hand against the glass, he clearly mouthed the word, "Evie?" She pressed her satin gloved hand against the glass where his hand rested on the other side. Only then did he smile. And she knew. He was there. He was real. She was on her feet in a second. She was walking down the aisle towards the rear of the train, faster, faster, never taking her eyes off of him through the row of windows. She was running, running to the back of the train car. With skirts lifted and hair flowing out behind her she was running. Running to the door way that led to the platform that would lead her to him. She couldn't believe it. He was here. He had come. The last time she had seen him, she had been running after him, now she was running to him.
Heyes watched as she rose quickly from her seat and headed towards the back of the train car. He could see her through the other windows. She was running. He began to run too. He couldn't believe she was here. Here on this train. What were the odds? They were astronomical, he knew that. But somehow she was here. Hope sprang to life inside him. This was the sign he'd been seeking. There was on way it was a coincidence that she was here on this train. He was being given the chance he thought he didn't even deserve. The chance to take back the most precious gift he had ever been given She was the light of his life. There would never be another for him. As soon as he saw her face, all the talk about not having food or shelter seemed so trivial and insignificant. When he was hungry she would be his bread. When he was cold she would be his shelter. When he was sinking it would be her hands that would lift him above the waters. He knew now that he had been the biggest fool this side of the Mississippi. What kind of idiot finds a woman like this one and then lets her go? All of his deeds he had thought to be self sacrificing and noble were really just stupidity. How long was this train car any way? How much longer before he was holding her in his arms again? He could see it, the platform at the back of the car. He got there just as she burst through the doorway and leaped from the platform and into his waiting arms.
He caught her in his strong arms as she jumped from the train. She wrapped herself around him, arms and legs and hung on for dear life. And he held on to her like a drowning man to a life preserver. She pulled her head back and looked into his deep brown eyes. "Are you real?" she whispered breathlessly as she lovingly caressed his face. Her fingers traced the shape of his lips, the tip of his nose, the sweep of his brows and the fringe of his eyelashes. "Please, tell me you're real."
"I'm real, sweetheart," was all he managed to say before mouths too long separated became reacquainted. And faces too long unseen were bathed with kisses and caresses. Absence couldn't have made their hearts any fonder, but the weeks of separation had certainly made their kisses sweeter and their need for each other stronger. His hands found their way into that hair that he loved so much. He held her head captive while his mouth staked its claim to hers in a kiss that threatened to set them both on fire. They clung to each other, afraid to let go. For if they let go, each was afraid that the other would disappear.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her at last, unable to keep the smile off his beautiful face.
"Why are
you here? I thought you were going to Devil's Hole?" she asked, unable to keep her eyes off that beautiful face.
"I asked you first," he said, not wanting to tell her why he was here. He didn't want her to be disappointed in him.
"Livvy and I are on our way to San Francisco . We could only get there by going through Rawlins and then Rock Springs. I've been dreaming that you would be here. When Livvy said we would be traveling through Wyoming, I hoped but never really believed you'd be here. How did you know I was going to be on this train?"
"I didn't. And I shouldn't even be here right now. I guess miracles do keep happening. I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I'm the stupidest ass that's ever lived. I don't know what I was thinking when I left you like I did. I thought I was being noble and self sacrificing by giving you up, so you could have the kind of life you deserve. The kind of life Livvy can give you. You've been dealt enough bad hands, I thought I'd only be handing you another one if I didn't let you go. Trouble seems to follow me wherever I go and you've been through so much already."
"When are you going to realize that there is a higher power at work here? We were both in that valley that day for a reason. How else do you think we've managed to survive all that we've been through? Harlan Mathis, Laura Shepher, Sherman McMaster, and now you're crazy notions. Some things are meant to be, Hannibal Heyes, and you and I are one of them. And do you really think I'm afraid to face whatever life throws at us? Having troubles isn't exclusive to former outlaws you know. Everybody has troubles. It's called life. It doesn't matter if you're an outlaw or a minister of the gospel, life is going to deal you some lousy hands. And like my daddy always used to say, 'It's not the hand you're dealt, it's how you play the cards.' You keep telling me you want a normal life, well that's what a normal life is, ups and downs, good times and bad. I would much rather be standing with someone I love when the bad times come, than to be standing alone."
Hope was crowding out all of the doubt and hopelessness he had been feeling before. "I love you, more than anything or anybody in this world. I don't want to stand alone anymore. Can you ever forgive me for leaving you like I did and breaking you heart?"
Tears stung the back of her eyelids and formed pools on her lower eyelids. "Of course I forgive you. I love you. With every little piece of my broken heart, I love you.
I just hope you realize how stupid it was to leave me, no matter how noble and self sacrificing you intended to be."
"I do realize it now. Thanks to you and Kid. And something else I've realized.....I'm not noble or self sacrificing. In fact I'm downright greedy and selfish, at least when it comes to you," he said in an apologetic tone.
Did he expect her to be disappointed that he wasn't selfless and magnanimous? She looked into those beautiful brown eyes, full of regret and she took in his brow creased with remorse and she lifted shaking fingers to sooth that brow and she lifted her lips to kiss those eyes. "Thank God for every greedy, selfish bone in your body."
He chuckled deeply in his throat before lowering his mouth for another taste of her sweet lips. He was euphoric. He was elated. He had never been this happy in his life. He couldn't believe she was here, in his arms. "Speaking of thanking God, I guess I owe Him a big one."
"I guess we both do. I've been so miserable without you."
He scooped her in his arms and kissed her breath away. He couldn't even describe to her what life had been like for him without her. He was so happy he began to spin around in circles as they held tight to each other. When he stopped they were dizzy and giddy and not just from the spinning. They laughed as they stood there locked in a fierce embrace. But Evie's laughter died away when over his right shoulder she saw two men on horseback, staring at them. They didn't look very friendly. Heyes felt her tense in his arms and he pulled back to look at her face, then he turned to see what she was staring at so intently. It was Griffin and Lobo. Both sat on their horses, both with a chaw of tobacco in their jaw and both watching Heyes as he hugged Evie, both with confused looks on their faces. "It's alright, I know them. Get back on the train," he told her as he lowered her to the ground and prepared to help her back up on the platform.
"Who are they? What do they want?"
"Nothing. It doesn't matter now. Just get back on the....."
"Heyes, Wheat says if you're not at the mail car in five minutes he's gonna blow the safe hisself and he ain't gonna be obliged to give you no share of the money inside," Lobo called out.
Evie stopped and looked down into Heyes' face. He looked as guilty as sin itself. Never taking her eyes off him she walked several feet away from the train. She could clearly see both ends of the train from here. The train had stopped in the middle of a curve making it impossible to see from one end to the other without standing from a distance. She could see at the rear end, the two men who had spoken to Hannibal and further back two others. They were obviously watching the back. At the front near the engine was a group of six or seven armed men, all standing with their guns on the engineer and several other men who worked for the railroad. Evie had seen all she needed to see. She walked back to where he stood. "Are they robbing this train?" she asked in disbelief. He didn't respond, just stood there looking guilty. "And you were helping them?"
"Shhhh. You want everybody to hear you? I
was gonna rob it, but now....well, you see, that's what I was doing, I was going to find Wheat to tell him I'd changed my mind. Me and Kid were about to ride on to Rock Springs ourselves. I was hoping to tell him before they actually got started with the job, but it appears I'm too late."
"If you're caught taking part in this, you'll lose your amnesty for sure. What are we going to do?"
He caught himself smiling when she asked what
we were going to do. Even though he had no intention of letting her get involved he still knew that if he needed her she would stop at nothing to help him. Just like he and Kid, he and Evie were a package deal. "You're going to get back on the train. Find Livvy and both of you sit in your seats and wait. I'm going to tell Lobo there that I've changed my mind and I'm not going to take part in the job. He can explain it to Wheat. I'll be back to get you, I promise. And whatever you do, don't act like you know what's going on."
She gave him a perplexed look. "Are they just going to let you back out that easily? Where is Kid anyway? And I don't want to get back on the train. I want to stay right here with you."
He gave her one last lingering kiss to her sweet lips. "Trust me. Now get back on the train." Before she could protest further, he grasped her small waist and lifted her onto the platform. She turned and held her hand out to him. He took her hand and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it. "We've got the rest of our lives to catch up on whatever we've missed over the last month. Every thing's going to be fine, I promise." He knew she didn't like being kept in the dark, but he hadn't completely worked out the details yet. "Just trust me and remember that I love you and everything will be alright." With a reluctant sigh she let go of his hand and entered the train and returned to her seat.
Heyes watched through the windows to make sure she returned to her seat. As he watched her he caught the eye of several of the other passengers. They smiled at him, obviously having witnessed his reunion with Evie. Oh, no. He could easily be placed at the scene of the crime now. Even if he did leave now and didn't take part in the robbery, there were now eye witnesses who could describe him and place him here at the time of the robbery. The hope inside started to wilt.
Think, Heyes. You've been called stupid a lot lately. And with good reason. It's time to start acting like the genius you are again. Or else you and Kid have no chance at that amnesty. And we need that amnesty real bad. So think. A smug smile crept slowly upon his face. "Hey, fellas," Heyes addressed the mounted outlaws, "me and Wheat was just talking and we've decided to change the plans." The snow crunched under his boots as he walked towards the two men who knew him well and respected him as their leader. Here was his chance. Life had just dealt him another bad hand. Now let's see how good he could play it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Evie got back to her seat before Livvy even knew she was gone. She was able to regain her composure and calm her now jittery nerves moments before Livvy returned. "It looks like we are going to be stuck here for quite a while. There are some very large boulders blocking the tracks and they have to be removed." She almost sat on the hat full of pins. "Oh, my goodness! What do you think you're doing, Evangeline. This hat cost a small fortune. And you really shouldn't go around with your hair all hanging loose like that. Evangeline are you listening to me?"
"Oh, what? Sorry. What did you say?" Evie had not been paying attention to her aunt. She had been too busy keeping her eye on the two mounted outlaws who still sat mounted outside the window a few seats behind her aunt. They didn't appear to be going anywhere.
"What are you looking at?" Livvy turned in her seat just as the two men turned their mounts and headed towards the rear of the train. "They must be here to help clear the rocks."
Evie laughed nervously. "Ha ha. Yeah I'm sure that's what they're here for."
Oh dear, Lord, I hope she didn't see Hannibal. And ,Hannibal Heyes, I hope you know what you're doing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thanks once again to his silver tongue Griffin and Lobo were now headed around to the north side of the train and up the hillside they had first come down and the two men at the back of the train had followed. They would be out of the way until this whole thing was over. Hand well played so far. Now to find the Kid and deal with Wheat and the rest of the gang. Heyes found him shielded in some trees not far from where he had left him. Kid emerged from the trees leading Odin when he saw Heyes returning.
"You ready to head to Rock Springs?"
"Nope. We're not heading to Rock Springs just yet."
"Why not?"
"We've got a robbery to stop, that's why," Heyes said with a worried frown.
"What? Heyes we need to get out of here. Wheat and the boys are on their own. Let's go before we're spotted."
"We kinda don't have a choice now, Kid. Not if we want to save our amnesty."
"What did you do, Heyes?"
"I guess you could say I saw that sign I was waiting for. You're not gonna believe this, Kid, but Evie and Livvy are here. On this train."
"Evie and Livvy? On
this train?"
"Yeah, can you believe it. But to make a long story short, some of the passengers
may have seen my face when Evie and me got reacquainted."
"Aw, no. In other words you couldn't keep your hands off of her while you were in front of an audience. And now you can easily be placed at the scene of the crime."
"Something like that. So I don't figure those folks are going to forget my face. That's why we need to stop this robbery. If there is no crime to connect me to, end of problem. So here's my plan...."
"Oh, you've got a plan? That fast?"
"What do you mean, 'that fast?' This is me you're talking to Kid. Thinking and planning is what I'm best at."
"You ain't exactly been yourself lately though, Heyes. You've been acting downright stupid."
"I wish everybody would stop calling me that. I know I haven't been exactly myself lately, Kid, but don't worry, every thing's about to get back to normal real soon."
"Alright, Heyes, what's the plan?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Evie was as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. But she was also so incredibly happy that she couldn't keep the smile from creeping onto her face. He was here. Her beloved Hannibal was here. And he had told her they had the rest of their lives to make up for lost time. She had to stifle the laugh that was threatening to bubble up out of her throat. "What are you grinning about over there?" Livvy asked.
"Oh, nothing. I was just remembering something funny that Libby said last week."
"Well, I wish you would let me in on it. I could use some amusement about now. If this train doesn't get going soon, I'm....."
"Hey, look at those men out there. They've got guns."
The young boy sitting on the north facing side of the train pointed out his window. Everyone on the train car except Evie flocked to that window to get a look at what was going on outside.
Please, don't let it be Jed and Hannibal, she begged silently.
"Oh, my goodness. I think the train is being robbed!" one lady exclaimed.
"They're heading towards the engine. They're probably going to shoot the engineer!" one gentleman surmised.
Panic started to erupt among the passengers. Livvy rushed back to her seat and grabbed Evie's hands. "Now don't you worry about a thing. Nothing is going to happen to us."
"I'm not worried. I know everything will be alright." She offered her aunt a smile. "Who do you suppose those men are? Did you get a look at them?"
"No, I couldn't see over all the others in the way. But I know every thing's going to be fine. We just need to sit here and wait."
"You seem awfully calm, Aunt Livvy. I thought you would be up in arms and ready to let those criminals have a piece of your mind."
"Sometimes it's best just to stay put and let the men handle things."
That was strange coming from Olivia Vanderbilt. Evie just shrugged and watched as the men in the car discussed their options should the thieves board their car and demand money. Should she bother to tell them that she knew this was the Devil's Hole gang and they never robbed the passengers themselves, only the safes? And should she remind them that the Devil's Hole gang wasn't in the habit of shooting anyone?
"Do you think it's the Devil's Hole gang?" the same young boy asked loudly of the group of gentlemen who were gathered by the doorway at the front of the car.
"Most likely, son. We are in their territory afterall. But don't worry. If they board this car we'll be ready for them." The men had guns of their own and they seemed prepared to use them.
Oh, great, Evie thought.
Hannibal Heyes, I hope your bout of stupidity had ended, because your going to have to put your genius to use here if you want to keep yourself from getting shot. Half of the men, six in all, were gathered near the rear entrance to the car, while the other six remained at the front. "Any outlaw trying to enter this train was going to get a slug to the chest. Shoot first and ask questions later," that's what one of the men said. Evie couldn't just sit here any longer. She stood in the aisle and tried to alleviate the tension.
"Gentlemen, you are aware of the fact that the Devil's Hole gang has never killed anyone in any of their robberies. They work very quickly to grab what's in the safe and they leave. So if it is the Devil's Hole gang, I don't think there's any need for all these fire arms."
"Now don't let all these guns make you nervous, little lady. You just sit there and relax. Let the men folk handle this. And don't you worry about those mean old outlaws. We're not about to let a single one of them harm anybody on this car," a kind grandfatherly type of gentleman said as he patted her arm.
Oh, God, she prayed, please let Hannibal be right about miracles, because we need another one. Or else he's going to get blasted when he tries to come back onto this car to get me.
The minutes ticked by, but they seemed like hours. Evie tried to mask her fear and nervousness, but she kept wringing her hands and looking out the window towards the front of the train.
"Evangeline would you calm down. You look like you're about to jump out of your own skin. Now I'm telling you everything is going to be fine. Those men aren't going to come on this car."
"Hey, look!" the young boy yelled. "There they go. They're riding off up that hillside."
Everyone gathered once more around the window to watch as the outlaws rode north up the snow covered hills. Evie exhaled a long slow breath that she hadn't even realized she was holding.
"I didn't hear any safe blow. Why didn't they blow the safe?" one of the men asked.
"Howdy, folks," a very familiar deep male voice sounded from the front of the train car. Evie stood quickly and spun around to see Hannibal Heyes standing there with a big dimpled smile on his adorable face. Behind him stood his handsome blue eyed, blond haired partner.
Gasps of shock and shrieks of horror echoed off the train walls. Women shielded their young behind their skirts. Men stepped in front of their women and pointed their guns in the direction of the two strangers who had just boarded the train.
"Relax, folks. We're not here for your money." His eyes locked onto the beautiful stormy blue ones of his sweetheart. "I'm just here to see a lady."
The conductor came on board behind Kid. "You can rest easy, folks. These two gents just saved this train from a band of thieves. They walked right up to 'em and pulled out their guns and had a little talk with them. I don't know what they said to those crooks but, don't you know those outlaws high tailed it right on out of here. It was the bravest thing I've ever seen."
The passengers swarmed around Heyes and the Kid slapping their backs and praising their bravery and thanking them for what they had done. Evie and Heyes continued to stare into each other's eyes, oblivious to the crowd around them. He truly was a genius. Not only had he found a way out to the robbery, he had managed to make himself and the Kid look like heroes. "How did you know those criminals were robbing the train, young man?" the grandfatherly gentleman asked.
"We were passing though when we noticed what was going on. I was just here to collect something that belongs to me. Or should I say someone."
All eyes came to rest on the young woman he was staring at. The crowd parted and let Heyes pass through so he could reach her. They stood smiling at each other for a brief moment before he pulled her into his arms and lifted her to meet his kiss. They were so wrapped up in each other they didn't even notice at first he applause that went up around them.
"Talk about playing your cards right. I'd say you managed an ace high straight out of that one, cowboy."
"I saved our amnesty, kept the gang out of trouble, made me and the Kid into heroes and I get the girl. I'd say that's a royal flush."
"Alright, folks. Everyone take your seats and be patient. We'll be pulling out just as soon as the tracks are clear and the engines are stoked," the conductor announced.
Livvy stood then, having been quiet and strangely uninvolved during the entire event. "You two really put a stop to a robbery? Why on earth would you do something so dangerous?"
The boys exchanged a look before Heyes said flatly, "Because we're honest and forthright citizens."
"Not only that, but you're also heroes in my book," the conductor said as he gave both boys a congratulatory slap on the back.
"Well, now I wouldn't go that far," Kid said.
"Neither would I," Evie sarcastically quipped. She was rewarded with a scathing look from a two sets of gorgeous eyes, one brown and one blue.
"We were just doing what any concerned citizen would have done," Heyes added.
"How can we repay you, son?" the conductor asked. "Of course you know we can load your horses in with the baggage and you can have a free passage to Rock Springs if you want. It's the least we can do."
Heyes locked eyes with Evie. "There's only one thing I want. And she's right here."
"It's a miracle the two of you didn't get shot," Livvy scolded.
There was no miracle about that. Heyes would let Kid tell Livvy that they had worked out a deal with Wheat. If they would ride on out and pretend that the boys had scared them off, they would see to it that the Devil's Hole gang would have enough cash to get them through the long cold winter and they wouldn't have to lift a finger to earn or steal it. That cash would be courtesy of Mrs. Olivia Vanderbilt, little did she know. "No, the real miracle is that you were here on this train. And I can see you and touch you. And now that I've got you back, I'm never letting you go," Heyes told Evie as he held her face in his hands and caressed her cheeks with his thumbs.
"Is Odin nearby?" Evie asked with a mischievous gleam in her eye.
"He's right outside."
"Is there room for two in your saddle?"
He looked around behind her at the huge bussel. "With that thing on your backside, I'm not sure. But I'm sure we'll manage somehow." He helped Evie on with her coat and they practically ran for the doorway that led them outside. They were both mounted on Odin's back when Kid and Livvy came outside to join them.
"Surely you aren't planning on going anywhere on horseback in this weather," Livvy said.
"Didn't you say you had reservations at the hotel in Rock Springs?" Evie asked.
"Yes, at the Rock Springs Inn."
"We'll meet you there," Heyes said as he gave Odin's hind quarter a snap with the reins.
"But you'll freeze to death before you get there!" Livvy yelled after them. But they either didn't hear her or they didn't care. Because they just snuggled closer to each other and kept riding.
"Mission accomplished, Mrs. Vanderbilt," Kid said as he stood beside Livvy watching Heyes and Evie ride away.
"Indeed, Mr. Curry."
"Do you think we should tell them that their miracle had a little inside help?"
"You mean tell them that we never intended to make it to San Francisco? And the only reason Evangeline and I were out west was so he would see her on this train and come to his senses? And then they could reunite and end their misery, thereby ending ours as well, since we were the ones having to deal with their dark and brooding moods?"
"Precisely."
"Oh, no. Not yet anyway. After all, ignorance is bliss you know. And right now I think they deserve some uninterrupted bliss."
"And speaking of bliss, I'm sure you have a private cabin somewhere on this train, don't you."
"As a matter of fact I do. But I fail to see what's blissful about that," she said coyly.
"Then perhaps I should show you just how blissful it can be. It's going to be several hours before we get to Rock Springs," Kid said to her with a playful glint in his blue eyes.
“I’ve missed you, Mr. Curry,” Livvy said in earnest as she looked up into his beautiful blue eyes.
Kid smiled at the petite beauty, took her hand in his and started back to the train. As he climbed up behind her on the platform, Livvy stopped to stare westward at the couple on horseback as they grew smaller and smaller against the horizon. “I still think they’re going to get cold.”
Kid just chuckled and shook his head. “Trust me, Livvy, they know what to do to stay warm.”
Livvy giggled like a school girl before she grabbed his hand and scurried off in search of that private cabin.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Evie rode in front of Heyes, but this time she rode across the saddle instead of astride, to accommodate the huge bussel of her dress. A contented sigh escaped her lips as she settled in the cradle of his arms and rested her head against his chest. She could feel his warmth and hear his heartbeat. "Do you think those two had anything to do with this?" Evie asked as she looked back over his shoulder at her aunt and Kid Curry standing in the distance.
"Nah. I'm the brains and Kid's the brawn, remember. There's no way he could have pulled something like that off by himself. And you know Livvy would never go along with a plan that would have you riding off alone with me. No, me finding you on that train was a miracle, plain and simple."
"Speaking of miracles," she looked up into his warm molasses eyes, "if you ever even think about leaving me again, you're going to need one. Because I will skin you alive before I'll ever let you put me through anything like what I've been through in this past month again. I've never been so miserable in my entire life. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. My entire Christmas was ruined because you weren't there. And not knowing if you were safe, if you had a place to stay, if you had food to eat, if you needed my help...."
He dropped his mouth down on hers, silencing her rant. Liquid fire coursed through her blood as his full lips parted hers allowing him to deepen the kiss. "Will you shut up? You talk too much," he said playfully when he lifted his mouth from hers.
"Me? You're the one who doesn't allow anyone to get a word in edge wise."
"Silver tongue, remember. Talking is one of the things I'm best at."
She pinned him with a devilish look. "Talking is not the only thing your silver tongue is good at, Mr. Heyes."
"There you go with that mouth of yours again. Why anybody would think you had been in the company of outlaws."
"As a matter of fact I have. And I'm afraid I am a soiled woman. Do you know any one who might be willing to make an honest woman of me?"
"I'd be willing, ma'am, if you would have a safe cracking, poker playing, gun toting ex outlaw for a husband."
She didn't speak. Instead he untied the cord from around her head and lacing her fingers in his she bound them, hands and wrists, together. "With this cord, I thee wed," she vowed as she smiled at her beloved outlaw.
He pulled the reins, halting the black stallion. "Close your eyes," he gently demanded.
She did as he asked though not knowing what to expect.
"Open them."
When she opened her eyes there was a shiny silver ring resting in the palm of his hand. "I've been carrying this around since the day I went to Cold Springs. I was kind of hoping you would be willing to take it off my hands for a while. I was thinking maybe until death do us part."
She was trying her best not to cry, but she was not succeeding. Tears spilled out over her cheeks. "Do you think they have a minister in Rock Springs?" she sniffled out.
"If not, I'm sure we can find a judge or a justice of the peace," he told her as he wiped her tears away.
"How fast did you say this horse could run?"
His chocolaty eyes twinkled and his dimpled smile beamed as he looked down into the face of this amazing, beautiful woman that he loved more than his own life.
"Hold on tight," he said softly.
"I plan to, Mr. Heyes," she said as she wrapped her arms around him. "For as long as we both shall live."
THE END :')
