Chapter 3 (revised)

Life-In-Love

Not in thy body is thy life at all

But in this lady’s lips and hands and eyes;

Through these she yields the life that vivifies

What else were sorrow’s servant and death’s thrall.

Look on thyself without her, and recall

The waste remembrance and forlorn surmise

That lived but in a dead-drawn breath of sighs

O’er vanished hours and hours eventual.

Even so much life hath the poor tress of hair

Which, stored apart, is all love hath to show

For heart-beats and for fire-heats long ago;

Even so much life endures unknown, even where,

‘Mid change the changeless night environeth,

Lies all that golden hair undimmed in death.

                             ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The streets of Cheyenne, Wyoming had changed a lot since the last time Heyes and Curry had ridden in them.    Cheyenne had been one of their favorite towns to frequent when they had first started out in the business.  Heyes remembered having a grand old time at the Big Horn saloon after robbing the bank near Fort Collins in Colorado.   He and Kid and the rest of the Devil's Hole gang had ridden in to Cheyenne like they had owned the place.   And with the young  cocky attitude they displayed, no one had reason to doubt that they did.   But that had been before they had solidified their reputations and had earned the ten thousand dollar price tags on their heads.   After they had been arrested and lodged in the Cheyenne jail a few times,  they started to avoid the city.   And when their wanted status was upgraded to dead or alive,  they had tried to avoid crossing through the territory of Wyoming altogether whenever possible.  But now they didn't have to worry about being recognized or arrested.  They could ride into town, walk into the saloon and order a beer like any other man.   Like a pair of Texas rangers.

 The boys had stayed on the ridge overlooking Cheyenne until dusk.   They wanted to wait until the streets were fairly empty before riding in,  just in case their reception was chilly, as it had been in Laramie.   Heyes had wanted to wait until the sun was completely gone, but Kid had grown sick of eating the apples they had taken from the apple grove yesterday.   He had complained and belly ached about needing some real food until Heyes couldn't stand it any longer and they started their descent down the hillside towards town.   Their first stop was the stately Dyer Hotel.    They figured they may as well start with the fanciest place in town.   If they didn't get turned away,  then they would spend the night in luxury.   To their surprise they were welcomed with open arms.    A bellman even carried their saddlebags upstairs for them.  The hotel dining room was just as hospitable.   After indulging on steak and potatoes and plum tarts for dessert,  Heyes and the Kid didn't know it they had the strength to climb the stairs to their room.    And since Heyes was anxious to find a copy of today's paper, the boys decided to take a stroll through town to see how it had changed and hopefully find a discarded newspaper lying on a bench.   They walked along the boardwalk, recalling places that had been there before and discovering places that were new.  They soon found themselves standing outside the swinging doors of a familiar place.   

The Long Horn Saloon still stood where it always had.  Several newer, fancier saloons has sprung up around town, but the boys doubted if they had the same atmosphere that their old haunt had.    The same sign still hung across the top of the building's front, only the paint was faded and weathered.    

"Wonder if old Gus is still keeping the bar?"  Kid asked as they stood on the street in front of the saloon looking up at the weather beaten sign.      

"Only one way to find out,"   Heyes said as he went in with confidence.   They stood and took in the sights and sounds of the old familiar place.   Heyes closed his eyes for a moment enjoying the sound of glassing tinkling, cards shuffling,   poker chips chinking and a player piano twanging softly in the background.     He inhaled the scent of beer and whiskey,  cigars and sweat.   Yep,  nothing here had changed.   

 The familiar, yet older face of Gus Nelson frowned in confusion at the two smiling men who approached his bar with such confidence,  not because he didn't recognize the two men, but because he hadn't seen their faces in years and they were supposed to be in prison.  The confused look on Gus's face slowly transformed into a  smile as the two former outlaws sauntered casually up to his bar.

"I ain't read about no prison breaks in the papers.   So either you gents is lost or things in your lives have changed drastically."

 "Hello, Gus.   We're not lost and we didn't bust out.   If you can believe this, we got pardoned,"  Heyes said with a broad smile.   "We just got released yesterday."

The older man's face lit up at the news.  He reached across the bar to slap both boys on the shoulder.   "That calls for a celebration.  Anything you want, on the house."    

He poured Kid a beer and Heyes a shot of whiskey.   "Pardoned.  Well, I'll be hanged.  How long has it been anyway?  Six years?   Kid you were still just a snot nosed,"  he struggled to find a better word, but failed, "......kid, the last time I saw you two.   And you,"  he looked into Heyes brown eyes,  "you were just starting to lead the gang.   I must say, you boys did me proud.   I kept up with you boys and everytime you pulled a job it would be in the papers and each job got a little bigger.   When I read about you blowing that safe in Denver,  the one that everybody said couldn't be blown,  I was so proud I framed the newspaper and hung it on the wall.  It's still there."   He pointed to the wall behind the far left end of the bar.  "We still talk about it to this day.  You boys know that I didn't take no offense when you stopped coming through here once you made the title of most wanted men in the west." 

"Wasn't no offfense meant, Gus,"  Kid said as he swigged his beer.   "We had to steer clear of these parts once Sheriff Lawler had it in for us.  Is he still sheriff by the way?" 

"Nope.   He retired and his son took over.   But don't worry.  I don't think he'll recognize the two of you." 

"Well, even if he does,"   Heyes patted his breast pocket, "I've got official papers signed by the governor himself declaring us free men." 

"That's wonderful, boys,  just wonderful.  Wonder why it wasn't in the papers about you two being pardoned?" 

The boys swapped glances.  "We're not too sure about that ourselves.  But the warden assured us that it's all on the up and up.   And speaking of newspapers,  is there a copy of today's issue lying around anywhere?" 

Gus handed Heyes  the latest issue of The Cheyenne Daily Sun from behind the bar.  "Hey, Gus,"  Kid said with a laugh, "remember that time Heyes pulled the old five pat hands trick on that city slicker from New York."    

Gus let out a hearty laugh.  "Yep, some of the old timers still talk about it to this day, too.  That slicker never did figure out that he'd been had.   But he sure did know that he was a hundred dollars poorer."   

"I tell ya, Gus, it sure is nice to see some friendly faces.   We didn't get a very warm reception from the folks in Laramie.   Seems they don't take too kindly to newly released prisoners hanging around their town for long.   We were hoping that the folks in Cheyenne would be a little friendlier to a man trying to get started again,"   Kid said over his mug of beer. 

"How are folks going to know you just got out of prison?" 

The boys exchanged wary looks before they both removed their hats and revealed their shaved heads.   

"Oh, I see.  Boys, I don't think you have anything to worry about.   Folks around here still talk about the old days when you two would ride through here after a big job.   The women wanted you and the men wanted to be you.   You've both gained legendary almost mythical status around here.  Once word gets out that you two are back in town and you're free men, your money won't be any good around here." 

The boys grins turned into full blow smiles.    

Before long the whole saloon knew that Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry were in town,  and that they were free men.   After reminiscing for another hour, the boys found themselves winning big at poker for the next three.  They weren't sure if they had really won because of their skill or if the other players had let them win when they found out they were Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes.  The boys didn't care either way.  It just felt good to be alive and free.   It was two a.m. when they finally crawled into their hotel room beds.   Only Heyes didn't sleep.  Instead he spent an hour sitting in bed combing through every word of the newspaper by the dim  lamplight.  But nothing seemed to be of any significance  where he and Kid were concerned.   He didn't even know what he was supposed to be looking for.   But he had a feeling he was going to know it when he saw it.  And he wasn't going to like it.    

He threw the paper on the floor, feeling a little disgusted.   He was happy to be free and he was so grateful that Livvy had them financially secure for the moment.  But this was certainly not the way he had thought he would be spending his nights when he was released.   When he was standing outside the gates of the Wyoming Territorial Prison waiting for Kid to be released, he had daydreamed of what his first day of freedom would be like.    He thought he would find Evie waiting for him outside the gates,  but when she wasn't there he thought for sure he would find her in Laramie.   He thought she would be waiting with a hotel room and a big celebration supper.   He even foolishly thought he would get to hold her in his arms and kiss her and perhaps even make love to her.   But instead he a had spent his first night as a free man sleeping on the hard ground outside of Cheyenne.   And now he was spending a restless second night alone,  listening to Kid snore.   He thought he had missed her in prison.   But being on the outside and not knowing where she was made him miss her even more.  His heart ached with the need to see her and touch her.   He wanted to inhale her scent and taste her honeyed kisses.  He just wanted her.   And he wanted answers.   What had she done to gain his freedom?   What price had she paid?  Starting tomorrow, he was going to do some digging.   He was going to ask around and see if anyone had seen anyone matching Evie and Livvy's descriptions.  They were here in Cheyenne somewhere.  He could just feel it.     

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

She awoke to a beautiful sunshine filled room.  The French doors leading to the balcony were open letting in the sunlight and the fresh spring air.  She raised her groggy head to look out upon the clear blue skies and heard the singing of birds nesting in the trees.   What a beautiful day to start her miserable existence she would now call her life.   

Waking up the morning  after her wedding night  should have found her feeling elated and bubbly. Instead she felt deflated and flat.   Martha had roused her far too early.  She had not fallen asleep until late and now she just wanted to keep sleeping.    

Evie groaned and threw her arm across her eyes to shield them from the brutal light.   "Remind me again, Martha, why I should even get out of this bed today." 

"Because you've signed your soul away to that sorry excuse for a man who will be expecting you to be at the festivities tonight playing the part of the blissful newlywed.   And you know what will happen if you welch on your end of that bargain." 

Evie sighed a heavy sigh, threw back the cover and sat on the edge of the huge four poster bed.  She didn't need anyone to actually remind her of why.   The reality of her life and her situation was with her constantly.   She woke with it, ate every meal with it, laid down with it at night and slept with it.   

"Which one do you choose, my lovely,"    Martha asked, holding up two gowns for her to choose from.   She didn't answer.   Martha laid the two gowns on the bed beside her.   "Perhaps you would like your aunt's opinion.   But if you want it you must be gettin' it soon, for she will be leaving for home shortly." 

Evie's head snapped up.  "What?   Why is she leaving?   She can't leave me here!  Not now!"  

"You forget, my love, that she was expected back home today.   She must return home at least for a while and take care of much needed business and I'm sure Libby is growing anxious for her sister.   And I think she said something about getting her lawyers to look at that odious contract you signed."   

Evie hung her head.   She didn't want Livvy to leave.   But if she had to go, she wanted  to go as well.  No,  what she really wanted was to find her beloved ex-outlaw and take him back home with her.  But she knew what would happen if she did.  He would be hunted again.  And this time for a crime he didn't commit.  The governor had made it clear that if she didn't live up to her end of the deal, then the boys would be wanted for crimes far worse that robbery.   "Be safe, my love.   And know that everything I've done,  I've done for you,"  she said aloud before placing another kiss on the silver ring she wore around her neck.   It would never come off.  Until her dying day she would wear it.  If she could not place it on her finger then she would wear it around her neck.   Only when she was cold and dead would it be removed.   

"I'm partial to the blue one, you know."   Livvy's voice brought a brief smile to her face.   She turned to find her petite blonde aunt admiring the deep blue silk gown that lay across Evie's bed. 

"I'll wear the blue one then.  Not that it matters.   I don't care how I look or what I wear or what I say or how I act.   I don't want to even go downstairs.   He's expecting dozens of people for a garden party.  He expects me to dance and play the piano and play yard games.  And all while I'm smiling and acting so very in love with his son.   Thank goodness they are all strangers who don't know me well.  I'm afraid anyone who knows me well would see right through me." 

"I'm afraid he will expect you to be on your most convincing behavior.   A woman who was truly in love with her husband would want to look her best for company.   How unfortunate that there is no capital building in Cheyenne.  All of the governor's offices are here in the mansion and all of his soiree's are here as well.   I'm afraid there's no avoiding it, dear.  You have to play the part.  Otherwise I fear for two former outlaws." 

"I know.   I'll be the devoted little wife when I'm in public, but can't I be discontented and grumpy in the privacy of my own room?" 

Livvy held her arms open and Evie stepped into the embrace of her most trusted friend and ally.    "Of course you can be grumpy all you want with Martha and me, but try to behave yourself around others.   You know we can't afford to mess this up.   If things go wrong,  we could loose everything." 

"I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders." 

"In a way it is.  Our world, anyway.   But you are a Sanders woman.   You have been through tougher times than this and done far braver things.   I have no doubt that you can do this as well.  We Sanders women are tough as nails." 

Evie smiled, feeling a little more light hearted.   "When do you leave?" 

"On the noon train.   I've already packed and one of the governor's carriages will take me to the depot.   Martha and James will stay here with you.   I would never leave you here alone.    And I want you to know that I will come back as soon as I can.  And if something horrible should happen I want you to send me a telegraph immediately and I can be here in two days." 

"Can't you stay just a little longer?   How am I going to do this by myself?  How will I survive without you?" 

Livvy touched a tender hand to her niece's beautiful face.  She had to remind herself sometimes that Evie was only twenty years old.  And although she was a woman who had been through more than most people endured in a lifetime,  there was still a young girl somewhere inside of her that needed to draw strength from someone else.  "You will survive because you have to.   Look at all you've been through in the past year and a half.   You survived when your mother, your father and your brother were all killed at the hands of a ruthless murderer.   You survived when he kidnapped you and tried to take you to Mexico and sell you into prostitution.  You traveled for hundreds of miles to save  the man you love from that evil Sherman McMaster.  You survived when he left you heartbroken for what he thought was your best interest.  And just when you get him back,  he gets arrested and sent to prison for twenty years.  And there have been times, when I've relied on you to get me through when I didn't have the strength of my own.    Compared to all of that, this should be a walk through the park.   Most women would have crumbled into a sobbing heap of hysteria.  But not you.   You have a strength that most women will never possess.  A strength that can even make those people tonight believe that you spent a glorious night in the arms of your new husband." 

Evie groaned in disgust.  "Please don't say things like that.  It puts images in my head that I do not want there." 

"Sorry, dear, but you have to make the public believe that you are in love with that young man.  No matter how you really feel.  That is part of the bargain.  Don't ever forget why you are doing this." 

"I won't forget,"  she said soberly, looking again to the west.    

"I certainly wouldn't leave at all if I didn't have to get back to Nashville.    This whole thing just fell into our laps all of a sudden and I hadn't made arrangements to be away for this long.   I should have been home yesterday." 

"I know.   I'm sorry.  But I couldn't pass up this opportunity to get them out of that wretched place.   No matter what the cost." 

"Don't be sorry.   You were right.  I would have done the same thing had I been in your shoes." 

"I know you would have.   We Sanders women will do just about anything for the men we love.  And you do love him, don't you?" 

Livvy's face became soft and delicate as she thought about the blond haired, blue eyed ex-outlaw she missed so much.   She had slept the most peaceful and sound sleep she had slept in over a year last night, knowing that he was no longer behind those prison walls.  "So what if I do?     He's too young for me.  And besides,  I'm sure he doesn't feel the same way about me.    I'm too stubborn and bossy and opinionated for any man to love me." 

"So you've given it some thought have you?   Another sign that you are definitely in love." 

"I think about many things, Evangeline, and some of them have nothing to do with Jedediah Curry." 

"What do you think he's going to do when he finds out?" 

"Who?   Hannibal or Jed?" 

"Both.   I know they are going to be hurt and then mad.  But how do you think they will handle it?" 

"All I can say is it's a good thing you left their guns back in Nashville.    And I hope that neither of them has one in his possession when they find out." 

"That's what I'm afraid of too.   When he finds out, and you know he will eventually,  I'm afraid he will come to Cheyenne looking for me.   And if I see him,  Livvy,  I don't know if I can keep my mouth shut.   I know I'm going to want to run into his arms and tell him everything and then we will all be in hot water once again." 

"Listen to me.    They are both miles from here.   They have plenty of money to see them through until they start earning money of their own.   And I can always have more money wired to them at the Gibbons' ranch.   They are not stupid.   We've told them that their freedom depends on having no contact with us,  so I don't think they will come here.  Besides,  how would they get in here with all the security measures.    And that man who always watches and never says anything,"    Livvy shivered as she thought about the watchman,  "he's not about to let anyone who looks suspicious get near you.   But just in case the worst case scenario plays out and Hannibal did show up here,   you have to be strong and resist the temptation to tell him anything.    Please,  I'm begging you don't tell him."   

"Do you promise me that we will find a way out of this mess and we can tell them both the truth?" 

 Livvy was silent for a few moments.  "Yes, I promise that if we aren't out of this mess in a few months,  we will just tell them the truth and let the chips fall where they may.    Why, didn't we all just stay together that day?   Instead of insisting that the two of you wait to be married I should have insisted that Hannibal and Jed come to Nashville with us.  They could easily  have sent that sheriff in Porterville a telegraph.   But like always,  I had to have my way and I just had to get back home."    Evie could see the regret in her aunt's eyes.  "But there's no sense dwelling on what cannot be changed."   She opened her mouth as though she wanted to say more, but quickly closed it again.  "I'll go see about breakfast,"  she said in an almost inaudible voice.     

Livvy left her alone on the balcony and went in search of the servants to tell them to bring breakfast.   Evie knew it made Livvy uncomfortable to talk about the day they had left Rock Springs.  When Livvy and Kid had arrived on the train that cold winter day in January of 1881, Evie and Heyes had been waiting for them at the hotel.  They had inquired about a minister and found that the only minister in town also pastored two other churches in neighboring communities and he wouldn't be back for two weeks.  And there was no justice of the peace at the moment, because the man who had held that position had died of pneumonia just days before.   That's when Livvy had insisted that they wait long enough for her to plan a big wedding with music, a cake and a fancy gown for Evie.   They reluctantly said yes to waiting.  It was the biggest regret of her life.    And she knew that Livvy carried a tremendous amount of guilt about the whole thing.  She felt it was her fault for insisting that they wait.  That's why she rarely brought up the subject.  It was as painful for her to think about as it was for Evie.  

 But Evie did not blame her aunt for what had happened.  Fate has stepped in once again and completely altered her world.  And Livvy had meant well.  Since the boys' incarceration, she had come to rely heavily on her aunt and she had grown closer to her than she had ever imagined.  She felt closer to her than she had to her own mother.   Perhaps because Livvy had been with her through the most trying and difficult times in her life.   She didn't want Livvy to leave.  Even though Martha would still be here, she still felt like Daniel being left in the lion's den.    

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Heyes, I mean it.   You ask me if I'm awake one more time,  I'm gonna brain ya!"   Kid yelled before closing his eyes once again, trying to regain sleep. 

"But, Kid, I don't want you to miss breakfast.  It's getting late.   And you know how cranky you get when you miss breakfast.  There's a new place I think you'll like.   I can see it from the window.  It's just down the street." 

One blue eye popped open.  "What kind of place?" 

"It's a restaurant.  It's called Mary Lou's Place and there were lots of people there so it must be good.   Mary Lou must be one heck of a cook." 

The blue eye closed.   Heyes knew Kid was putting sleep on one scale and food on the other.  

"And the sign on the window said it was home of the best pie in the west." 

Two blue eyes popped open.  "Did you say pie?" 

"Yep, pie." 

"What kind of pie?" 

"I don't know.  We'll have to go over and find out." 

Kid threw the covers off and sat on the edge of the bed.   "I'm only getting up because of the pie.  I hope you know that." 

Heyes just smiled as he watched his partner wash and dress.  He knew the pie would tip the scales in his favor.   He hated to wake Kid up when it wasn't really necessary.  He could have easily gone out to the street by himself to see if today's paper was off the press yet.  And he could easily have skipped breakfast himself and waited to have lunch with Kid.   But he had this ominous feeling that he couldn't shake.  Truth be told,  he simply didn't want to be alone when he read the paper.   He had a feeling it was going to tell him something he wasn't going to like.   

Mary Lou herself met them at as they entered the front door of the place with her name on it.  They both took a deep breath as they removed their hats as they stood in the doorway, while they watched the robust fifty year old woman walk determinedly toward them.  They braced themselves for an invitation to leave.     

"Aw, no,"   Kid mumbled under his breath, as the older lady stood scowling at them with her hands on her hips,  "here we go again." 

"I've just got one question.   What took you boys so long?"   the robust, mature blonde greeted them.   "I was hoping you two would be coming to see me." 

The boys looked at each other, confused, yet pleasantly surprised.   "Begging your pardon, ma'am, but do we know you?"   Heyes asked.    

"No, but I sure do know who you are.   Why everybody in town is just hoping to get a look at the notorious Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry,  now pardoned, free men." 

"Boy, word sure travels fast. So you don't mind if we sit here in your establishment and eat?"   Kid asked, surprised.   

"Mind?   Why, my business will probably triple once everybody hears you've been in here.  And if you like the food,  I sure would appreciate it if you recommended the place to others,"  she shamelessly solicited.    She showed them to a nearby table and told them what she had to offer and the boys ordered their food.   

"Say, ma'am,"  asked Kid, "why didn't you throw us out like the folks in Laramie did?" 

"I used to live in Laramie.  Tried to have a business there too.  Folks in Laramie don't take kindly to newly released prisoners.  They figure they're all no good and going to reek havoc in their town.  So folks there don't encourage former inmates to linger very long.   But you won't find that here in this town, boys,"  she said with a wink.  "Folks here are hoping you'll put Cheyenne on the map.  The home of  former outlaws Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes.  And don't even think about paying today.   Your first meal here at Lou's is on the house." 

"Well, Heyes, I think we found ourselves a home."  Kid said with blue eyes sparkling as he dug into his third piece of blackberry pie an hour later. 

"Don't get too comfortable just yet, Kid.   Not until we find what we're supposed to be looking for in the papers." 

"Yeah, you're right.   I need to buy myself a gun too, before I can get comfortable.   That's the first thing I'm going to do when we leave here.  And you need one too, Heyes.  

"The first thing we're going to do is get a paper.   I just hope we can find something in there today that will give us some clues.  I hope Martha wasn't sending us on a wild goose chase.  I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to be looking for news about Evie or about the governor?" 

"You two must  be talking about the wedding,"   Lou said as she approached the table to clear the dishes. 

"Wedding?  What wedding?"  Kid asked.  

"Didn't I hear you mention the governor?"  she asked. 

 "Did the governor get married?"  Heyes wondered out loud,  his curiosity piqued at the mention of the governor. 

"No.   His son.   Before you two showed up here yesterday,  it was the talk of the town.  His son was thought to be the unmarriable type, if you know what I mean.  But then that pretty little widow came into town to play the piano over in the ballroom of the Dyer hotel.   I reckon he must have fell head over heels.  They was married a week later.” 

The boys exchanged worried glances.  “When exactly did this wedding take place?”   Heyes asked. 

“Just yesterday.    There should be a big write up in today’s paper.” 

Heyes grew silent.  He had a far off look in his eyes that Kid did not like.   When Heyes began to rise from the table,  Kid stood quickly and pushed his partner back down into his chair.  “You’re staying right here.   I’ll get the paper.”   Kid wanted to see the newspaper before he let Heyes see it.  If it said what he thought it was going to say,  he might not let him see it at all.   

“You alright, sweetie.   You look pale.  Did you eat too much?”    Lou asked Heyes, who sat staring at the now empty table top. 

“No.  I’m fine,”  he answered without looking up.  But he wasn’t fine.   That ominous feeling had just turned into downright fear.   

Kid stood in stunned silence as he read the headline of today’s newspaper:   “GOVERNOR’S SON WEDS WIDOWED PIANIST.”   At first he thought perhaps it was  a coincidence.   But as he read the first few paragraphs of the story, he knew there was only one explanation.   It told how Clayton Ramsey III had met the recently widowed Mrs. Joshua Smith, whom hailed from Nashville and was studying music at the Boston conservatory.  He dreaded walking back in there and telling Heyes.    He didn’t want his friend to have to read about the woman he loved marrying another man. 

Kid decided to tell him himself rather than let him read it.   He left the newspaper on sidewalk.   He went back in empty handed and sat down across from his somber partner. 

"Where is it?"  Heyes asked as he raised his brown eyes to connect with the blue ones across from him,   the eyes of the person who knew him better than anyone.  The look on Kid's face told him that his ominous feeling had been right.  There had been something bad in the paper that Kid didn't want him to see.   "What did it say?" 

"I want you to keep in mind that it may not be true.  It could all be just a coincidence." 

"What might not be true?" 

Kid drew in a deep breath, then exhaled it slowly, preparing himself to tell his best friend and life long partner the news he did not want to tell and that he knew Heyes did not want to hear.  "The paper said the governor's son married a widowed piano player from Nashville,"   Kid paused before he continued.   "Her name was Mrs. Joshua Smith." 

Heyes was up and out of his chair so fast the chair turned over and he almost ran out the door of Mary Lou's.   He scanned the street until he saw the paper that Kid had thrown onto the wooden boardwalk.  

He scooped it up and read the headlines.   That could be a coincidence.   He read about the bride being from Nashville and studying music in Boston.    That too could be a coincidence.  He read that the recently widowed Mrs. Joshua Smith had given a concert recently in Cheyenne where the two had met.  Again, that could be a coincidence.  But then he read the last paragraph, the one that Kid had not read.   Mrs.  Ramsey had been traveling with her aunt, a wealthy bank and newspaper owner of the renowned Nashville Vanderbilts.  That was no coincidence. 

"You didn't read the last part, did you?" 

"No.  Why?" 

Heyes silently handed the paper to Kid.   Kid read the last paragraph which solidified the reality of the situation.   Evie had married the governor's son yesterday.     

"I'm sorry, Heyes.   I don't know what else to say." 

Every emotion that a human being could possibly feel  seemed to boil to the surface inside of Heyes in that moment.   He was confused.  He was hurt.  He was sad.  And he was angry.  He didn't know which one to feel the most or which one to feel first.    He wanted to cry.   Right here on the street in downtown Cheyenne, he wanted to cry.   He also wanted to slam his fist into something.   Preferably Clayton Ramsey the third.  He also wanted to ask, "why?"     But he knew why.   She had done it to gain his freedom.   She would never have married another man after knowing him only one week, unless she was being forced or there was an ulterior motive. 

The longer he stood there thinking about it,   the more a single emotion began to take over.   And it didn't matter if she had been forced or if she had done it willingly to set him free,  that emotion still was becoming the only one he was feeling.   It bubbled higher than the other emotions util it became a boiling mass inside of his chest.    He wasn't just angry.   He was infuriated.    

With his jaw firmly set, his nostrils flared and his dark eyes shooting daggers  he started marching down the street. 

Kid followed after his brisk walking friend.  "Heyes, where you going?" 

"You wanted to buy a gun, didn't you?    Well, I want to buy me a gun too." 

Kid ran to get in front of Heyes and stopped him in his tracks.   “You’re not buying a gun, Heyes,”  Kid said firmly as he shook his head.   

“You said so yourself, Kid,  we both need guns.   It ain’t safe for men like us to be walking around unprotected. "   

“No, it ain’t safe for the governor’s son to be walking around if you have a gun right now.” Kid could see the fury behind his partner’s brown eyes.   If he didn’t gain control of the situation right now,  Heyes would wind up at the end of a hangman’s noose for murdering Clayton Ramsey III.    “I know you’re hurting and you’re so mad right now you can’t see straight.   But I’m not letting you buy a gun so you can go and kill the man who married Evie.   I’ll buy a gun and you will let me worry about protecting us.   Then you are going to calm down and do what you do best.   You’re gonna think it out and come up with a plan and we’re going to go to that mansion and find out just what the heck is going on.” 

Heyes knew the Kid was right.  Killing the man would only get him hanged.   She had given him the gift of freedom at the expense of her own.   He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize such a costly gift.  And how did he know that she wasn’t being coerced or forced.  If that was the case she needed help.   He felt the boiling rage back down into a slow simmering anger.   He  took a deep breath and  exhaled it in a huff.   “Alright, Kid.   Have it your way.   But I am going to that mansion and I am going to see her, if it’s the last thing I ever do.   I’m not letting this go without finding out what she’s done or if she's in trouble." 

“Come on, Heyes, let’s go get a drink.  You need one.”    Kid put his arm around Heyes’ shoulder and turned to lead him towards the Long Horn.   Gus didn't even have to ask, he just poured two whiskeys the moment he saw the expressions on the faces of the two former outlaws.   

"Bad morning, gents?"   Gus asked as Kid sipped his whiskey, while Heyes downed his in one swallow,  and set the glass on the counter a little more firmly than was necessary.   Gus filled the glass again.   

"He just got some bad news, Gus." 

"Oh.  Sorry to hear that.  Anything I can do to help?" 

"Not unless you've got a key to the front door of the governor's mansion,"   Heyes said sarcastically.    Gus just shrugged and went back stacking the shelf beneath the bar with glasses.   

"What are you thinking, Heyes?"   Kid asked. 

"I'm thinking I want to go to the governor's mansion,  walk in there with a gun,  find Evie,  carry her out over my shoulder and dare anybody to do anything about it.   That's what I'm thinking." 

"You know we can't do that.   We would end up right back behind bars." 

"We've got to find a way in that mansion.   There's got to be some way to get in that place without breaking the law." 

Gus straightened up from his work beneath the counter.  "Am I hearing you boys right?  You got woman troubles and  that woman is staying with the governor?"    

The boys nodded. 

"That is too bad.  That place is surrounded by high brick walls and an iron gate with guards.   Too bad you don't have invites to that big party he's throwing this evening.  He's invited some of the territory's most influential people, so I hear.  I reckon he wants to make sure he gets all their votes this next election."  

Kid could see the dejected look on Heyes' face.   "Don't worry, Heyes, you'll think of something." 

They finished their drinks and headed back to the hotel.   As they walked along the boardwalk , two women approached.  The young women passed by, their arms loaded with packages and parcels.  Their faces were completely hidden behind the mountain of boxes.  Before the boys could offer their assistance, one of the stacks toppled onto the ground.   Ever the gentlemen, the boys rushed to the aid of the young women.    

"Let me help you, ma'am,"  Kid said as he stooped down to help the woman who was bent over the packages, attempting to gather them back into her arms.

 "Why, thank you, sir,"   she said as she raised her head to take in the sight of the handsome man in the cowboy hat who had offered his assistance.    She stared in awe at this beautiful blue eyes and his trim physique. 

Kid also stared in awe.   The young woman he was looking at,  who was staring back at him like a starving man looks at a buffet,  was not exactly what he would have called pretty.   In fact she was down right ugly.  Her eyes disappeared and became tiny slits in her chubby face when she smiled, and she had more hair on her face than Kid did after not shaving for two days.  The fine dark hair grew in abundance giving her the appearance of having a goatee.   Her coal black hair hung from under her bonnet in natural, tight, kinky coils.  Kid realized he was staring so he quickly smiled down into the short round lady's pudgy face before he turned to see the look on Heyes' face.  His partner too was rudely staring.   "Don't just stand there.   Help the lady,  Joshua,"   Kid said with a forced smile. 

 Heyes, not wanting to be rude,   had to force himself not to stare at the unfortunate looking girl.   He turned his attention to the second of the two ladies.   "May I help you with your burden, ma'am?"  he asked in his deep, melodic voice.   As he lifted the top half of the stack of packages his only thought was,  "She can't look as bad as the other one."     He was wrong.   

She was the exact opposite of her companion.   She was tall and extremely thin.   Heyes had to look up to meet her eyes which were the color of green pond water.  Her dull colored hair hung in thin wisps to her shoulders.  When she smiled down at the adorable dimpled face of the man in front of her,  she revealed crooked, bucked teeth.   Her smile forced her large, hooked nose to crinckle.   Again, not wanting to be rude,  he had to force himself to stop staring.   "Where are you ladies headed?"   he asked.  

"To our suite at the Dyer Hotel,"   the tall one said.   

"We  had to do a little shopping to get ready for tonight,"   the short one said as they headed towards the hotel.     

"Yes, we had to have new gowns and new shoes.   And while we were at it we had to have new hats  as well.  Papa said we could spend as much as we wanted." 

"We're from Riverton.   Papa is one of he wealthiest land owners in the territory." 

"But Papa doesn't want us to be spoiled old maids.   He said we should try our best to find suitable husbands before he dies.   That's why he sent us to Cheyenne.   He's hoping we'll find suitors tonight." 

"We only just arrived this morning.    We're strangers here, so we are so thankful you gentlemen came along to help us." 

The boys just followed along behind the two ladies as they chattered on about the things they had purchased, their stage ride down from Riverton and their father's money.    When they arrived in the lobby of the hotel, they placed all the packages in the floor near the clerk's desk.    Several bell boys appeared to start carrying the packages up to the ladies' room.    

"Gertrude and I are ever so grateful for your help,  aren't we, sister,"   the short one said.   

"Yes, Myrtle,  we certainly are indebted to you,"  the tall one replied. 

"It was our pleasure,"   Heyes said with a tip of his hat. 

"Good day, ladies,"  Kid said with a smile.   

The ladies stood staring at the retreating backs of the two handsome cowboys.  They couldn't hide the disappointment on their faces  as they watched them open the door to leave..  "Come on, Gertie.   Let's go to our room and get ready for the party.  I do hope we're not the only ones there without escorts." 

"Alright, Myrtie.   I hope there are some eligible bachelors at the governor's party tonight." 

The boys stopped in their tracks and pivoted on their heels.   "Excuse us, ladies,  but it was awfully rude of us not to introduce ourselves.    I'm Joshua Smith and this is Thaddeus Jones." 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Evie stood with Martha on the top step of the columned front porch of the governor's mansion and waved goodbye to her aunt.     She hated to see her go.   She wanted to run after the carriage and beg her not to go.   She wanted to beg her aunt to purchase a home somewhere in Cheyenne and move Libby here so both her aunts would be close to her.     She took a deep breath and looked heavenward.   Dear, Lord, what have I gotten myself into?    Just help me remember why I'm doing this.

"Don't fret, lovey.   We'll see her again soon.  And in the meantime I'll be here and I won't let anything happen to you.    And James is here as well.   He's been a faithful employee to the Sanders family almost as long as I." 

"How can I do this, Martha?   How can I stand in front of all those people tonight and pretend to be in love with a man I hardly know?   And what I do know of him, I don't even like." 

"Remember that tale you told me about going into that saloon and winning all that money at the poker table pretending to be Miss Savannah from Savannah?   Well, this is the same thing.  You just pretend to be someone else for a while.  Only this time you're not playing for money.  You're playing to keep the man you love out from behind those prison walls and to protect your family's future.  And I have a feeling that if you bide your time all things will fall into place and you won't have to keep up this grand charade for long." 

"What sort of feeling?  Do you know something you're not telling me?" 

"No.  I just have an intuition that's all.   When people are driven by either  great love or by great hate, then they can make it through most anything and nothing seems to last as long as it really does."    

"I suppose,"    Evie said as she watched Livvy's carriage exit through the tall iron gates at the front of the property.   Great love for Hannibal Heyes is what had driven her to  enter into a loveless marriage with a man she hardly knew.     She turned to head back inside when she caught sight of the silent watchman,  leaning against the front of the brick house.   She just hoped it wasn't great hate that would drive her to leave this place, rendering the agreement null and void, regardless of the consequences.   

Martha watched the young woman she loved like her own retreat back inside the house.   She would keep to herself the fact that she had practically told Mr. Heyes were he could find her and to be looking in the papers so he could read the news of her marriage.  If he had done as she expected him to,   tonight was going to be quite an evening.   

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  

Governor Clayton Ramsey stood on the veranda that led to the gardens on the west side of the property.   He smiled with pride at the cobblestone pathways lined with exotic plants and flowering shrubs.  Many had been shipped here from overseas.  There were roses of every known color in bloom.   There were lilac, mimosa, and magnolia trees filling the air with their sweet perfume.  Arched trellises along the stone pathway were laden with hanging vines of wisteria and clematis blooms.   He had spent untold amounts of his own money to make this garden what it was in the past four years of his term as governor.   It was his pride and joy.   He breathed deeply and savored the scents of the many different flowers.   The servants were busy decorating tables that had been brought out onto the veranda.   Tonight they would be covered with the finest cakes, pastries, cheeses and wines that money could buy.   He sighed heavily.   How boring it had become,  being wealthy.   He had thought it was all he wanted when he was a young man.   He had dreamed of becoming the most successful lawyer in Riverton where he had grown up.   And he had accomplished that.  Then he had dreamed of being not only the most successful, but also the wealthiest.   That's when fortune had smiled on him and he had met Clarissa May Barnes.    

Clarissa had been a sweet, bright and pretty young woman.  She was the daughter of a wealthy cattle rancher in Casper.   When Abraham Barnes had run into some legal problems concerning land rights and property boundaries, he had sent for the best lawyer in the territory.    Clayton had been in awe of the magnificent estate with it's enormous mansion, and sprawling acres.   He had been particularly enthralled by the gardens that Mr.  Barnes had spent years nurturing.   And he envied him his power.  He had vowed in that moment that he would have those gardens and that power.  And when he spied the young woman sitting all alone in that garden,  he knew just how to make the entire estate his.    That too he had accomplished.     It had been  easy getting Clarissa to fall in love with him.   Even easier to get her to dispise him over the years.   Having a wife who couldn't stand to look at you or be in the same room with you made it far easier to deal with the slight twinges of guilt he felt when he was lying in the arms of one of the dozens of women he had had affairs with throughout their marriage.  His biggest regret however was that they had had children.  His daughter, like her mother had been easy enough to deal with.   It was his son that was going to cost him everything.   His indescretions had become less and less discreet.  And it seemed those indiscretions were always with the offspring of a well known constituent.   And they seemed to get younger every time.   The last had been fourteen.  He could not have the public discovering what kind of person his son had turned out to be.   There were already rumors and some of those rumors included his being impeached from office.  That he simply could not have.  The wealth, the women, the luxury all bored him.   It was the power he craved now.   If all went as he planned,  he would be elected to a second term as governor and then he would announce his plan to run for president of the United States.   

His plan to be president, though,  was completely dependent now on how well the public believed and received his son's marriage.  So far the public had been eating it up.  He smiled smuggly to himself as he thought of how brilliant he was.  Soon everyone would be entranced by the romantic notion that the beautiful young widow had come into town to be swept off of her feet by the dashing young heir.  He couldn't believe the good fortune he had had once again.   It was the perfect set up.   He knew their secret,  they knew his,   he had something they wanted,  they had something he wanted.   It was a simple trade agreement really.   And it would remain simple as long as his new daughter-in-law kept her end of the deal and kept her mouth shut.  He walked down the steps of the veranda and into the garden.   He turned to look up at the open French doors of her bedroom.   As if she had been summoned she stepped out of those doors and onto the balcony above the veranda.   She was unaware that he watched her from below.   My God, she was gorgeous.   She had the most beautiful hair he had ever seen on a woman.  It begged for a man's hands to run through it.  Had his need to use her as a means to an end not been so great,  he would have thoroughly enjoyed pursuing her himself.   She would have been a challenge no doubt, but he also had no doubt that she would have been worth the effort.    His body reacted  swiftly at the thought of having her round curves beneath him in his bed.   He hadn't felt such lust for a woman in a long time.   Still unaware of his eyes upon her,  she leaned against the balcony railing and stared towards the west.   There was a deep sadness in her enchanting blue eyes.   She was thinking about the outlaw for whom she had sacrificed herself.   

 He had not heard the last from the outlaw.   He wasn't stupid.  He knew the outlaw would not stay away.  He knew he would be coming for her.  But that really was part of the plan.   As soon as he made an attempt to see her,   all he had to do was claim that the scorned criminal had tried to kidnap his daughter-in-law out of jealousy and anger and he would be right back in the territorial prison.   And his partner would soon follow he was sure. 

She caught sight of him standing there staring up at her.   He smiled his most charming and seductive smile at her.     She gave him a look of shocked embarrassment and turned to disappear once more behind the French doors.    He would give her time.   It had after all only been one night since she had married his son.   But time was all it would take, to make her warm to his charms.   His son, Clay,  might be too foolish to take advantage of such a bounty of beauty under his own roof,  but Clayton was not.   Just as when he had seen the gardens at his late wife's family estate,   he decided right then and there,  he would become president and he would have his son's wife.