Hello, friends.  Long time no see.  Not seeing is a reality for me right now.  I'm having major eyesight problems right now which are preventing me from doing extended amounts of time typing on the computer.  I do apologize for taking so long to get the next chapter of Love's Last Gift done.  But don't worry.  I haven't stopped and I do plan to finish it.  I've had so much going on in my life lately that has prevented me from concentrating on writing, so I hope you understand.  Until I can get chapter 13 finished here is a video that I and some of my fellow Peter enthusiasts (the Pete Posse we call ourselves) came up with.  Enjoy.  

Feels Like Home

Yes I'm still alive.  Life is really hectic right now and it's hard to find time to do everything I want to do, like write.  I did find a little while late last night to throw this video together.  I made it just for Mr. Deuel. Sort of a "thinking of you" card.  Hope y'all enjoy it.

Thank you, Petey.  Love you always.  

Love's Last Gift Chapter 11

"When two soul mates are apart, they don't feel quite right;  it's as if something is missing.  When they are together, they feel at peace."  ~Shelly Wu



"Did you find her at the hotel?"

"No, Governor.  There was no Mrs.Vanderbilt at the hotel.  The desk clerk said she checked out yesterday morning."

"Did he know where she was heading?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Well, did you ask him?

"No, sir."

Clayton Ramsey turned slowly to glare at the young man who worked for him.  "Then go and ask him now, you idiot!"

The young man ran to the door and down the stairs.   "Why must everyone around me be such a disappointment and an obstacle to my goals.  All I've ever asked is that everyone around me simply be as diligent and as focused on what I want as I am."  He pinched the bridge of his nose in dismay.  "Is that asking too much, Milton?"

"Certainly not, Clayton,"

"You would think all these ruffians who work for me would be more grateful.  After all if it weren't for me granting them all amnesty and then giving them jobs they would all be in jail or living in squalor."

Dr. Graves handed the governor a glass of brandy.  "Here drink this and then I will give you some of my special tonic to sooth your nerves."

"Thank you, Milton.  You're the only one who understands me.  You and Bartholomew."  He turned the snifter of brandy up and drained half of its contents in one long swallow, then winced at the burning sensation in his throat.   Dr. Graves gave him a small shot glass with a clear liquid inside.   He swallowed it then chased it with the rest of the brandy.  "Why can't people just do as I ask them to do?  When they don't cooperate then they force me to do things that I don't want to do.  I'm not a bad person, Milton, really I'm not."

"Of course not, Clayton,"   the doctor said as he led the man he had known for twenty years to the bed in the apartment over his office.  "Now lie down and get some rest.  Things will look better in the morning."

"All I wanted was to create an heir.  Is that so wrong?  Obviously my son wasn't going to get the job done.  If she had only cooperated, then she would have been the mother of the heir of the president of the United States and she would never have wanted for anything.  Now she is forcing me to once again do something that I do not want to do.  When her outlaw lover ends up dead she will only have herself to blame, not me."

"Yes, Clayton.  You are right as always."

"Has anyone heard from my son?"

"The servants said he was not home when the fire started.  But no one knows where he is."

"Pity really.  If he had been lost in the fire it might have worked to my advantage.  I could have had those two on murder charges instead of attempted murder and I definitely would have gained many sympathy votes from the public."   His eye lids were growing heavy.   "Then his existence wouldn't have been a total waste.  Milton, I still want to go ahead with my plans to create that heir.  So don't leave town until I have Evangeline back."

"I won't Clayton.  I'll be here to look after things."

"But what about my daughter?"

"Megan is being taken care of properly.  And Bartholomew is on the trail of your daughter-in-law.  Don't worry about a thing."   Dr. Graves took the empty glass from his sleeping benefactor's slack hand.   "There, there, Clayton.  All your secrets are safe with me.  Of course it will continue to cost you to keep them that way."  He poured himself a glass of the expensive brandy and lit one of Clayton's choice cigars.   He settled onto the velvet covered sofa and propped his feet upon the arm.  A broad smile covered his face.  "And after learning that your beautiful young conquest is heiress to a fortune herself,  I think my price just went up."

~*~

The tantalizing smell of roasting meat penetrated the fog of her sleep dulled senses.  Her eyes slowly opened to behold for the second time in as many days the most beautiful sight she could have hoped to see.  Hannibal Heyes sat next to the fire at the mouth of the cave, his perfect profile illuminated by the orange glow of the flames.  Beyond  his profile of perfection outside the cave was the pink and yellow painted canvas of daybreak peeking over the mountain top in the eastern sky.  She raised herself up on her elbows and simply enjoyed the view for a moment.  Her love for this man was overwhelming.  He overwhelmed her emotions, her senses, her mind and her body.  There was nothing she wouldn't do for him and she knew there was nothing he wouldn't do for her.  Not only was there complete and total love between them, there was complete and total trust.  That trust had been tested over the past few months, but they had made it through that test to become closer and more deeply in love and more secure in their relationship than they had ever been.

They had stayed awake late into the night, sharing their hopes and fears for the future, and one thing that they were both adamant about - their days of being apart were over.  He had promised her that no matter what happened,  no matter what trials may come in the future, they would ride the storm out together.  And she had assured him that no matter where the future led them, whether riding hard to make it to Mexico, or hiding in the mountains until they could take a ship to Europe, she was strong enough to endure.  She would always be strong as long as he was with her.  He was her strength, and she was his.  This must be what people meant when they said soul mate.  The person you find in your life whose soul grows into the perfect fit for your soul.  Like liquid forms to the shape of a glass, he had poured his soul into hers, filling the empty spaces, fitting perfectly.

But there had been a slight change in him since last night after she had remembered what Clayton had been trying to do to her when the fire had started.  There was a brooding darkness that seemed to be looming behind his eyes.  He was trying hard to mask it but she could see it.  She knew he was holding in the anger he felt.

"Whatcha cookin'?"  she asked in a low voice, raspy with sleep.

"Rabbit,"  he said around a smile as he turned to look at the woman he loved with everything he had.  One week ago he was in the darkest place he had ever been in his life,  all because he thought he would live the rest of his life without her in it.  Now here he sat, looking into her sleepy eyed, beautiful face while he cooked a rabbit for their breakfast.   The sun was rising outside and his spirits were rising with every hour that he spent with her.  Last night they had spent hours just talking and growing closer than he had ever dreamed possible.  They had made a pact of sorts last night as they lay in the fire light side by side facing each other.   Neither of them really came right out and said the words but it was understood between them as they talked about worst case scenarios in the days to come.  He would not go back to prison.  He would die first.   And he would not die dangling at the end of a rope.  If he went out, it would be in a blaze of glory, riding hard with the wind on his face and the promise of freedom before him.  Even if that promise was never to be fulfilled.   She had understood what he meant and he knew that should that happen she would do whatever she had to to make sure that she wasn't far behind him.  He didn't bother telling her to go on with her life and live and be happy, because he knew that like him,  she would never be happy without him.  A vital part of his being would be missing should anything happen to her.   A part so vital that he would not want to trudge through life merely existing without her.  And he knew that she felt the same way.

He had not slept very well last night.  Although she was full of faith that everything was going to work out for the best he just couldn't shake this nagging feeling that the end of this was not going to be pretty.   That feeling came mostly from the darkness inside of him.  It had awakened last night when he'd found out that Clayton Ramsey had tried to rape Evie.  Thoughts he didn't even want to speak had come into his head after that.  Visions of doing harm to another human that he had never entertained before would not leave his brain. He had thought about telling her just how dark and angry his heart had become since he had been released from prison.  They had promised each other last night that there would never be any secrets between them.  But he didn't want to ruin their time her together in this peaceful paradise with any morbid or angry thoughts.  And so he kept it to himself.

"It smells heavenly.  I don't think I've smelled anything that good since I was snuggled up to you at that barn dance back in Red Rock."

"If my memory serves me correctly, and I have no doubt that it does,  you were the one who smelled heavenly that night.  How do you feel?  Any more memories?"

"Nope.  No more memories.  Sometimes I think I'm going to have one and then it goes away.  Poof, like a dream that you are just about to remember but then it goes away.  I feel normal.  I think all the traces of that drug are gone.  Of course I've had the best nurse in the world taking care of me so I was bound to get better.  The only thing wrong with me is that I'm hungry and my feet are cold."

He looked thoughtfully down at her bare feet and made his way toward her.  "Yeah.  We'll have to take care of that as soon as we can."   He sat next to her feet and took one of them in his warm hands and gently massaged the warmth back into them.  "When Kid gets here we'll have to come up with a plan to go into town and get you a pair of shoes."

"I know you don't want to entertain this thought but....what if he doesn't come?"

He smirked a little and shook his head.  "No, I don't think you have to worry about that.  He'll be here."

She loved his unwavering faith in his best friend.  It was part of what made him who he was and only a small part of what made her love him so much.  And she knew he was right.  Kid would be here.  "My feet are starting to warm up, but my stomach is still very empty.  How long before the rabbit is done?"

"Not long.  Another fifteen minutes and you'll be tasting it instead of smelling it."

"Can I smell you in the meantime?"   She reached for him and he came willingly into her waiting arms.   He rested his head on her breast as she caressed his hair and his shoulders.   She put her nose to the top of his head and inhaled his scent, finding comfort in its pleasant familiarity.  "Do you really remember how I smelled at that barn dance?"  she asked.

"Um hmm.  Remembering things like how you smelled, what your skin felt like,  the sound of your voice, the color of your eyes,  the way your hair felt when it ran through my fingers...all those things were what kept me from going insane when I was in prison.  Living to experience all of those sensations again are what kept me going."

"You look so much better now than when I saw you that day in that place,  I wept like a baby when I got into the coach.  Not just because I thought I might never see you again, but because my heart was bruised from seeing you so thin and scared and all of your pretty golden brown hair was gone."

"Being shaved clean every week and having to work hard out in the fields was bad, but I could have lived with that.  It was the God awful silence that I couldn't stand.  It was like hell on earth.  And that's why I mean it when I say that I won't go back there.  I'd rather be dead."

"I'm glad I haven't forgotten all of those things like I have the last night I spent in that mansion,

A tremendous guilt washed over her.   She had all but squashed that dream for him when she had married another man and didn't explain to him why.  She lifted his head from her breast to look deeply into his brown eyes.  "I'm so sorry.  I can't even imagine what you must have felt when you found out I had married Clay.  I know you've forgiven me, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself."

"It's over now and I don't want to talk about it anymore.  Not about prison, or your fake marriage.  I only want to talk about what we're going to do once we get out of this latest mess.  I only want to talk about happy things.  If we talk about bad things I'm afraid a side of me that you wouldn't like might make itself known."

"What are you talking about?   Do you think I can't handle you when you're angry.  I've seen you angry and at your worst.  I'm not afraid."

"That night on your balcony when I was cruel and hateful to you,  the one person I love most of all in this world, well, that was just a small bit of what I've felt raging inside of me.   I've considered outright murder in the past month.  You know that's not like me.  When I thought that another man had touched you, something...I don't know how to describe it...came alive inside of me.  And last night when you told me what Clayton had tried....It's like a dark side of myself that I never let out before,  took over.  A side of me that could be very hurtful and cruel and dangerous.  You are the only thing that keeps that side of me from taking over.  And being here where I know we're both safe helps too.  If anything ever happened to you,  I don't think I could stop it from consuming me."

She hugged him tighter to her breast.  She didn't like what he was telling her.  It scared her a little.  "That's why you're going to make sure that nothing happens to me.  And when Kid gets here he will make sure nothing happens to any of us."

He held on to her as if his very life depended on it...and perhaps it did.   He reluctantly removed himself from her embrace and stood.  "The rabbit should be ready soon.  You want to go wash up while I take it off the spit?"

The faint sound of a horse's hooves on rock echoed in from outside.  "Some one's coming up the pass. I bet that's him.  But just in case,  get as far back into the dark end of this crevice.  Don't come out until I tell you it's clear."  He picked up the hunting knife he had used to skin the rabbit and handed it to her.  "Use it if you have to." She shook her head and disappeared into the dark recesses of the mountainside.

Once she was out of sight,  he slid the Smith and Wesson revolver from his holster and cocked it.  He could hear the horse getting closer, its hooves now plodding on the grassy earth.  He waited until he knew the rider had stopped before he stepped out into the light of day and aimed his gun.  He quickly uncocked it when he saw the familiar and welcome face of Kid Curry.

"I figured you would get here this morning.  I guess Martha got my message to you."

"Yeah,  she got me the message."  Kid dismounted.

"Evie, you can come out now,"  Heyes called out, but felt stupid when he turned to find her already standing  there.   "Didn't I tell you to stay put until I said it was all clear?"

"Haven't we had this conversation before?"  she asked sweetly as she emerged completely from the dim cavern.  Her face lit up with excitement when she saw Kid standing near Rusty.   "I knew it was Jed.  I'm so happy to see you!"  she squealed as she ran.

A warm smile crossed Kid's face as he held out his arms waiting to embrace the young woman he thought of as his little sister. His smile faded as she flew past him and threw her arms around the neck of the chestnut stallion behind him.  He looked to his partner who could only shrug and raise his eyebrows.

"Oh, Rusty, I've missed you so!   It killed me to send you away."   She kissed the powerful furry jaw of the massive beast she loves so dearly.  "But I wasn't worried about you.  I knew I was putting you in good hands."   She turned her attention to the sullen Kid Curry behind her.  "Don't think I've forgotten about you,"   she said as she leaped towards him and he caught her up in a big bear hug.   "I'm happy to see you too,  Jed."

He exhaled a long sigh.  "And I'm glad to see the both of you in one piece.   I didn't know quite what to expect.  Martha didn't really know what was going on.  She just said that she saw you ride off with Evie while the governor's goons were shooting at you."

"Yeah, they shot at us but they were too busy trying to put out that fire to give chase.  You didn't have any trouble finding my trail I see."

"No, you left me good enough signs, but not so good that the untrained eye would see them.   I covered our tracks the best I could and I left some false trails.  I hope that throws them off our scent long enough for us to come up with a plan."

"We can't come up with a plan until I know exactly what we're facing.  Do you have any idea what's going on in Cheyenne?   Am I a wanted man once again?"

Kid looked soberly at his partner.  "We both are."  He went to his saddlebag and withdrew the folded paper. He handed it to his partner who only had to read a few sentences to know they were in deep trouble.  He was wanted for arson, kidnapping and attempting to murder the governor.  Hanging offences. And Kid was wanted as an accomplice to all three crimes.   As they had always done, the boys held a mute conversation with their eyes, both conveying to the other that they each understood the gravity of the situation.

"What'll we do, Heyes?"   Kid asked in a low voice as they walked casually, putting some distance between themselves and Evie. She was content at the moment to fawn over the horse she loved.  Heyes would let her have a few moments of happiness before he had to give her more bad news about the trouble they were in.

Heyes didn't answer.  Because he didn't really have an answer.  He looked past his partner's shoulder at his sweet Evie.   Why did they have to do anything?   Now that Kid was here he had everything he wanted and needed right here on this mountain.  He saw no reason to leave it.  He turned away from Kid and walked slowly eastward to stand and look out over the sea of green formed by the forest below. This place was surreal.  As his eyes swept over the purple hued slopes of Eagle's Peak in the distance and white cottony clouds that swam in an endless blue sky he could almost hear the strains of Evie's favorite Beethoven songs wafting on the breeze.   He felt a peace here that he never felt anywhere else and now that Evie and Kid were both here with him,  he felt like he had come to the end of a long and tiring journey and he was ready to rest.  And the dark thing inside of him, though still alive seemed to have gone to sleep for now.  He was afraid if he left this mountain, the first thing it would do was come fully awake and head out to find Clayton Ramsey.  If that happened the word "attempted" would be removed from the word murder.  

"I think I'd like to just stay put a while, Kid, if you don't mind,"  Heyes said without taking his eyes of the beauty of the surrounding countryside.

"What do you consider 'a while,' Heyes?   A few days?   A couple of weeks?"

Heyes drew a deep breath.  He knew Kid wasn't going to like his answer.   "I was thinking more like a few months.  Six or seven maybe."

"Six or seven months?   Heyes, have you lost your mind?"   Kid came to stand closer to his partner, not wanting to raise his voice too loudly for Evie to hear.  "You know good and well that we can't stay up here that long."

"Why not?  We got everything we need.  There's plenty of fresh, clean water,  plenty of wood for fires, sturdy shelter, lots of game for hunting and fish in the lake. I don't see the problem."

"Heyes, we're in the mountains, remember.  You know what the winters in the mountains are like.  Three feet of snow will be on the ground by the end of September.   That's three months away.  We can't survive in an  open cleft in the mountainside a whole winter and you know it.   We'd have to have tons of supplies and a permanent shelter.  And carrying all those supplies up that narrow ledge is near impossible.  You should know because we've tried it before and it didn't work.  That's why we only came here to stay for a day or two before we headed back to the hole."

"We've got a couple of months to make trips into town and get a little at a time.  And I don't see why we couldn't build something to cover that opening and seal ourselves inside.  We could make a door to get in and out.  It will be better than a house.  I got everything I want and need right here and I just don't see the sense in leaving.  If we stay up here for the winter everybody will think we've gone to Mexico or that we're dead.  They'll stop looking for us and we can go wherever we want."

"If we start making trips into town and buying up household goods, people are gonna start asking questions.  Then people will get suspicious and that could be the end for us.  We can't take that kind of risk and you know it.  And you may have everything you want and need up here but I don't.  We've got to come up with a plan to get out of here and get to Porterville."

"Porterville?   Why Porterville?   You think Lom can help us now?"

"It's worth a try ain't it?    I sent Livvy there to tell him what's going on.  Maybe he can help us."   Kid's face went from angry to sorrowful in a split second.

Heyes looked at his partner's crestfallen face and he felt like the biggest fool this side of the Mississippi.  "Hey, Kid, I'm sorry.  I wasn't thinking about Livvy and the baby.  I don't guess you would want to stay up here for very long would you?"

Kid dropped to the grassy earth beneath him and rested his forearms on his raised knees.  His head hung low and he stared at the ground as he spoke, "No, Heyes, I can't stay here."

"Something else is bothering you.  What is it?"   Heyes asked as he sat down beside his partner.

"She said she couldn't marry me."    His voice was almost inaudible but Heyes heard what his friend had said.

"When did she say that?"

"Yesterday morning before Martha came in and told us what was happening.   She said it was because of the gun fight but I don't believe her."

"What gunfight?"

Both men's heads turned around to find a barefoot Evie standing directly behind them.

"What gunfight?"  she asked again.

"Some stupid kid challenged me to a gunfight in the middle of Cheyenne yesterday morning and Livvy saw the whole thing from her hotel window.  When I came into her room afterwards she said she couldn't marry me because she didn't want Gabby to grow up with all that violence around. I don't know why, but I don't believe her.  I think it's something else."

"What has gotten into that ninny headed aunt of mine?   I know for a fact that she's loopy headed in love with you.  Are you sure you understood her correctly?"

"She asked me to lay my gun down.  I don't think I misunderstood."

"She asked you to what?  You just wait 'til I get a hold of her.  Why, I've never heard such nonsense in my life.   She knows that you can't live without your gun.  She was bluffing.  I hope you called her on it."

"Well, actually,  I gave up my gun."

Heyes and Evie looked at each other in disbelief, their mouths slightly agape.

"Oh, she gave it back to me when I had to leave.  But...."

There was a long pause before Heyes finally asked, "But what?"

"I'm afraid she really meant it.  I don't think she intends to marry me at all."

A look of sympathy and understanding passed between Evie and Heyes.  Evie jerked her head in the direction of the cave indicating she wanted to talk to Jed alone.  "Uh, oh, uh I guess I best be checking on that rabbit.  You two just wait here and we'll have breakfast shortly."

Evie plopped down on the grass beside Jed.  "You realize I know exactly how you feel.  It wasn't that long ago that a certain outlaw that we both know and love left me alone and heartbroken."

He gave her an affectionate smile that was trimmed with sadness.  "Yeah, I remember."

"And you know it didn't take him very long before he realized that we were meant to be together and that leaving me was the stupidest decision he had ever made. And I have no doubt that Livvy will soon come to here senses about you and her as well."

"One big difference though.  Heyes had somebody telling him what a fool he was being."  He jabbed his thumb into his own chest.  "Me to be exact.  Who knows how long it will be before you or I ever see here again."

"It shouldn't be that long.   A few more days and we'll be leaving I'm sure."

"You sure about that?  Heyes told me he plans to stay up here on the mountain for the winter."

"The whole winter?"

"He didn't let you in on that part of his plan I gather."

"No, he did not.  Oh, well, no matter.  I'll just have to change his mind."

She started to rise when Jed placed a gentle hand on her arm.  "Evie, I'm scared.  I'm afraid she's going to take Gabbie and disappear and I'll never see either of them again."

Evie reached for him and pulled him into her arms.  Her heart was breaking for this man she loved like a brother.  And she was furious with Livvy for putting him through this.  She knew that Livvy loved Jed.  They had a child together.  What was she thinking?  Evie had to talk to her and make things right.  "Don't worry about a thing.  She's the one who's scared I believe.  And all it will take is me and Martha to make her see what a fool she's being.  And the sooner I get to have that talk with her the better."   Evie didn't want to admit it but she too was now afraid that Livvy night disappear with Gabbie.  They had to find her aunt as soon as possible.

Evie left Jed and joined Heyes who was squatting next to the fire, sliding the steaming hot meat from the spit and onto a plate.  "This should cheer Kid up.  He never met a meal he didn't love,"   Heyes said with a smile on his face.  His smile slowly faded as his gaze  traveled up the length of Evie's body and he saw the tapping bare foot, the fisted hands set firmly on curvaceous hips and the stern set of her full lips.  "The whole winter? When were you going to ask my opinion on the subject?  I thought we were in this together?"

"Now don't get testy.  I'm just being practical."   He stood and carried the plate, mounded with steaming meat to the blanket that was spread on the mossy ground inside the cave.

"Practical.  Practical?   How practical is freezing our behinds off in snow up to our eyeballs?"  she asked as she followed him.

"I don't know?  How dangerous is it to leave this mountain right now?"   He handed her the newspaper.

She didn't have to read far to understand.  "Oh my God.  Is he serious? Is he seriously telling everyone that you kidnapped me and that you set fire to that house?"

"Yep, that's what he's saying alright.  And who do you think is going to believe me and Kid over him.  I'll tell you who...nobody.  It's bad enough that we're former train and bank robbers.  Add kidnappers, arsonists and attempted murderers to the list and there won't be a man out there who won't shoot us down or string us up if we're spotted.  This is the only place we've got left that nobody knows about where we can disappear and feel safe.   The only thing waiting for me if I leave this mountain is that hell hole of a prison or a noose.  So you'll have to forgive me if Kid and Livvy's love life isn't high on my list of priorities right now."

"Then I guess it's time we talked about something that we've haven't talked about in a long time.  Maybe it's time we go our separate ways, Heyes."

Evie spun around to find Kid standing just outside the entrance.  Evie watched in stunned silence as the two men she loved most in the world, who she knew loved each other, silently stared at each other for what seemed like forever.  Hannibal Heyes had the uncanny ability to communicate with his eyes.  And he did it best with his lifelong friend and partner.  And she could see a wealth of words coming from the expressions on both men's faces.

Heyes finally broke the silent exchange.  "I'm sorry, Kid, but you know if we leave this mountain right now it wold be the most foolish mistake we could make.  We are in deep trouble and it's too risky."

"If Evie were still out there would you be on this mountain right now?"

Heyes looked away from his partner for a moment.  He was being selfish and he knew it.  But he couldn't help himself.  At the same time, he knew that if the situation were reversed, KId would not only expect Heyes to leave and find Evie,  he would go with him to help and watch his back.  "No.  No I wouldn't."

"Then how can you expect me to stay here when not only Livvy but my daughter are out there alone.  We don't have any idea what Ramsey is capable of.  He could use them as bait to draw us out or anything.  I need to get to them, Heyes.  I need to find Livvy so we can all disappear until things calm down.  And I need to find her before she disappears with my baby to some place where I can't find her at all."

Heyes turned his eyes to his sweet Evie.  She had to be his priority now.  She was what mattered most. They had endured so much to be together.  He was not going to risk it now because of Kids fears that Livvy might run from him.  He and Kid had discussed splitting up briefly when they had first went straight in hopes of getting an amnesty.  Kid was afraid his reputation with a gun would hinder Heyes in getting it.  But Heyes had shot the idea down quickly.   At the time they were all each other had.  There was no question they would stick together no matter what.  But now...

"Kid I don't expect you to stay.  But you can't expect me leave either.  I know there was a time when we would have had each others backs no matter what.  But if Livvy and Gabbie were here and safe and Evie was the one still out there,  I wouldn't expect you to leave them and risk your own safety to go with me either.    If you decide to leave Kid,"   Heyes paused and looked deeply into his partner's eyes, "I'm sorry but I can't go with you."

Evie could see the momentary hurt in Kid's face and then the resignation.  He simply nodded his head in understanding.  "I guess I'll head out in the morning then.   The longer I stay here the greater my chances of losing Livvy and Gabbie.

Evangeline couldn't believe this was happening.  The two people she thought of as a pair of gloves, two things that simply did not work without the two of them being together,  were going to go their separate ways.  She could not let it happen.

"Now wait a minute.  Nobody's going anywhere until I have a say.  You two just do not work without each other.  And are you forgetting the fact that we are family.  And family just doesn't leave family."

"I cannot stay here, Evie.  You heard Heyes.  If you were out there he'd be gone already.  And I don't blame him for not coming with me.  It puts you and him in danger.  To be honest I'll probably have a better chance of not being recognized if I'm alone."

"Are you crazy?  The two of you have been the most celebrated citizens of Cheyenne for weeks now.  Everybody know what you look like.  Do you really think that Clayton has not offered a reward for the two of you?  Every man in the territory will be after you."

"Maybe so.  But that's a risk I've got to take."

"You're not much good to either Livvy or Gabbie if you're dead, Kid.  I think you should stay here at least a couple of weeks.  Let things settle down a little before you head out,"  Heyes reasoned.

Kid looked at the ground a moment, contemplating his choices.   "No.  You know you'd already be gone Heyes if the situation was reversed."

Heyes couldn't really say anything because he knew Kid was right.  Evie however had plenty to say.
"This makes me so angry!  The two of you have done absolutely nothing wrong.  You haven't committed any crimes and here we are on the run once again, hiding in caves not knowing what the future is going to hold.  And now the two of you are considering splitting up!  Well,  one things for sure.  When Clayton Ramsey, Jr. says he'll do something he certainly does it.  He said he'd make sure you were blamed for crimes you didn't even commit.   And now here you stand, accused of something as bad as attempted murder, when he's the one who's a......"

The boys looked at her in confusion, waiting for her to finish her rant.  But she stood there silently with her brows drawn together in concentration.  Her sudden, sharp intake of breath told them she had found what she was searching for in her brain.  She looked at the two men in front of her with her mouth agape.

"What is it?  What's the matter?"  Heyes asked.

"I remember.   I remember everything."

Heyes came to her and grasped her shoulders.  "What do you remember?  Tell me everything."

"The night before the fire,  Clayton was gone so I went downstairs to the kitchen thinking that everyone was gone.  But Clay was there.  He was sitting in the dark all alone.  He was as sober as a judge too when he told me everything."

"What did he tell you?"

"He's a murderer."

"Clay is a murderer?"  Heyes asked skeptically.

"No, his father is.  He murdered Clay's friend Nicholas and he murdered Clay's mother.  And his sister Megan was witness to it."

"Is that why she went mad?"

"She isn't mad.  She's kept sedated with some sort of drug so that she appears to be mad.  Clayton pays the doctor that I met to keep her in a perpetual state of delirium."

"Dr. Milton Graves?"

"That's him."

"I'm sure that whatever you ingested is the same thing he uses to keep Ramsey's daughter from
spilling the beans.  This changes everything."

"What's our next move, Heyes,"  Kid asked.

"Did I hear you say 'our' move?"   Heyes asked his partner.

"Yeah.  If that girl's a witness to her father murdering her mother, then it seems to me all we need to do is get her away from that doctor and let her tell the truth.  This might be our only chance to clear our names and put Ramsey where he belongs...in jail.   I figure that's more important than following after Livvy right now."

"Where does he keep his daughter?"

"She's in Riverton at Clayton's estate."

"I guess that answers your question, Kid.  Our next move is to go to Riverton and do some real kidnapping.  We have to get that girl away from that doctor and get her sobered up so she can tell what she saw."

"We can head to Porterville after we have her and she can tell Lom.  And I can find Livvy while we're there."

"Sounds like a perfect plan, gentleman.  So I guess our next stop is Riverton?"

"No, our first stop will be to find you some shoes,"  Heyes said. "Then we head to Riverton."



 











  

Chapter 11 Soundtrack Selection

Editing LLG

I finally have my new laptop and I am currently in the middle of editing chapters 1-10.  Once I have them where I want them I will give you chapter 11.  Once I get all the changes made I will let you know in case you want to go back a re read to get yourself reacquainted with the story.  Sorry it's taking me so long.  I hope you all have a happy hump day and survive the rest of the week without complication so we can jump into a great weekend.  Here's a little Heyes and Kid to keep you company in the meantime...

It's been a long week....

Hi, everybody.   It's been a while and i apologize.  As you all know from my last post my son's friend and band mate, Brandon passed away over a week ago.  His funeral was Saturday.  That was hard.  But harder still, my uncle was officially diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer last Wednesday night and he passed away eight hours later.  His funeral was Sunday.  It has been an exhausting couple of weeks.   Im taking the next couple of days off.   My laptop is out of commission and it is impossible to get a new chapter done without it.  I am on my son's ipad now.  As soon as things get back to semi normal I plan to start shopping for a new one. So I thank you for your patience.  But i will be writing with pen and paper in the meantime. I hope it wont be long because i really miss having a computer.   Everyone have a safe and blessed week.  Hug the ones you love and tell them you love them.   Life is just too short not to.

Peace and love,
~Karen

Love you,  Peter

This song was played at my uncle's funeral.

Broken Hearted tonight

Hello, dear friends.   I am posting tonight with a heavy heart.  A very tragic event has touched someone I care about.   My son is in a Christian rock band called Cord of 3.  Tuesday afternoon,  his dear friend and band mate, Brandon was shot in the head by man after being involved with him in a fender bender car accident.  He fought hard to live for the past four days, but his injuries were unrecoverable.  Brandon passed away at 10 am this morning.  Brandon was a devoted husband to his wife Heidi and loving father of three little boys, Nolan, Evan, and Conner,  ages 6, 3 and 2 weeks.   My family is shaken and my son is devastated.  It is still surreal to me.  This kind of thing isn't supposed to happen to someone I know and care for.  This sort of thing happens to strangers from far away.   At least that's what we always think isn't it?   But trust me when I say that your life can be impacted in a most traumatic way in the blink of an eye.  One moment can change your entire life forever.   So hug the ones you love tonight and tell them that you love them, because when they next walk out your door it may very well be that they will never come back home.  My heart is broken for my son and for Brandon's family, especially his three sons, two of which will probably never remember him.  I have not written anything on the next chapter for a while,  and I'm not sure if I'm going to feel very creative for  the next few days.  So I'm not making any promises on the next chapter being done soon.   I hope you all understand.   It's getting late and I feel like I've been hit by a train, so I'm going to bed now.  I will leave you with one of Cord of 3's songs and a request that if you pray, please pray for Brandon's family as they deal with unimaginable grief and sorrow.

 

Happy Birthday, Peter

February 24 is Peter's birthday.  I made a video card for him.  I hope he likes it and I hope you all do as well.  I've included lots of beautiful images of spectacular nature, which I know he would love to see.  And there are some pretty spectacular images of him in there too.   Enjoy....

Happy Birthday, Peter.  Love you, as always.

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing all of my readers and friends a very happy Valentine's Day.

Chapter 10

She had tried to stay awake, but whatever they had drugged her with would not allow her eyes to stay open for than a couple of hours.  He watched her struggle to stay awake until he finally told her to get the sleep her body so desperately needed.  She made him promise that he would be here when she woke up.  She slept beside him now just inside the entrance of the cave.  Although it wasn't really a cave.  It was a deep crevice in the side of the mountain.  It was perfect for shelter with soft mossy earth beneath them and solid rock walls around and above them.

She was in a deep sleep and she was snoring ever so lightly.  She would be so embarrassed if she knew she was snoring while he listening and it brought a smile to his face.  He loved that she snored.  It somehow made her all the more charming and sweet.  She wasn't perfect, but she was perfect for him.   He had never felt so connected to another soul.

She was in such a deep sleep that she hadn't even awakened when he had attempted to wash some of soot from her face, hands and arms with his dampened bandanna.  It was while he bathed her arms that he noticed how much thinner she was since he had seen her that day she had come to the prison to tell him he was being released.   And when he had washed her face the dark circles under her eyes were evident.  He had no idea the toll this ordeal had obviously taken on her or what hell she had endured while she was practically a prisoner in that mansion.  And she had endured it all so that he would be free.

They say God works in mysterious ways.  He certainly believed that was true now.  If things had not happened as they had and things had not fallen into perfect place, then he had no doubt he would still be in that prison.  He had been planning in his head how he and Kid could escape that place, but it probably would have taken him ten years to pull it off, if he ever pulled it off.  But as he thought about the long, lonely silence of that place, he doubted if he would have remained sane long enough to see any plan through.  Getting out of that place was yet another miracle he had witnessed since he had known this amazing woman.  God must surely be working in mysterious ways to make sure they would be together.  But not because he deserved it.  It was because she deserved it.  She deserved all the happiness and joy that a person could stand.  Why God had chosen to give him the gift of this precious woman's love he did not know.  But he lifted his face towards the heavens and said a silent "thank you."  It was a gift he would cherish and never take for granted.

He threw another log on the fire and lay down beside her.  He spooned up next to her under the one blanket they had.  The strong smell of smoke that clung to her beautiful hair filled his nostrils.  He ran his hand through her glorious hair and felt the litter and debris that had fell from the burning house and onto her scalp.  It was a miracle that not one of her glorious hairs had been burned.  Except for a little smoke inhalation and the ill effects of the drug she'd been given, she was unscathed.  He said another silent "thank you"  before he followed her into a peaceful sleep.

He awoke with the dawn and cautiously stepped outside to make sure that they were still alone in their little paradise.  There was no sign that anyone or anything had been near except for the evidence of rabbits who had left their foot prints in the sandy dirt at the foot of the mountain Evie now slept under.  She was still snoring lightly when he stepped back inside and crouched by the fire to stir the embers back to life.  Her snoring stopped and she stirred next to him.  Her eyes opened and she smiled as she stretched her arm out in search of his hand.   She scooted closer and took her hand then he lifted her head and laid it on his lap.

"You're here.  I thought maybe I had dreamed you, but you're still here."

"Yes, I'm here.  And I promise you that everyday for the rest of your life when you wake up I'll be here."

"That's all I've ever wanted."

"Even if it means leaving the states?"

"I don't care where we go.  As long as your with me, I can deal with anything.  I believe we are meant to be, Mr. Heyes."

"I've been thinking about that.  And I believe it too.  And I know God works in mysterious ways, but do you think maybe He'll give us a break now and let us enjoy being meant for each other."

"I'm so sorry I put you through all of this.  But when the opportunity to get you out of prison was right there in front of me, I had to take it, no matter what the consequences.   I hope you'll forgive me for not telling you what was going on from the beginning.  I was just so afraid of you being sent back to that place, or worse."

"I forgive you.  But only if you forgive me.   I was pretty nasty to you that night I came to your room."

"You're forgiven.  But you really weren't that nasty."

"Evie,  I practically raped you."

"No you didn't.  You can't rape someone who's willing.  And believe me I was willing.  And if you want to know the truth about it...I kinda liked it."

She surprised him yet again.  "Did you now?   Just when I think there's nothing new I can learn about you, you show me a whole new side of yourself."

"As soon as I'm feeling up to it, Mr. Heyes, I plan on showing you many sides of myself,"   she said  flirtatiously.

"I'm going to hold you to that, Miss Webb."   He kissed her forehead and inhaled the strong smell of smoke that still clung to her hair and clothes.   "Are you feeling up to a bath?  I got most of it off your skin but you've got soot and ashes in your hair and you need to get into some clean clothes."

She looked down to see that she was wearing only her stockings and underclothes.  "You just couldn't wait to get me out of my clothes afterall, huh?"  she asked playfully.

He frowned at her.  "I didn't take your clothes off.  You were dressed like that when I scooped you up and rode off with you."  He saw the confused look on her face.  "You don't remember why your clothes were taken off do you?"

"No, I don't.  I still can't remember anything except blurred faces and mumbling voices.  I can barely remember crawling out of the house to see you riding towards me."

"You remembered the doctor last night after something jarred your memory.  Maybe that will happen again and you'll remember some more.  Right now let's see if we can get you on your feet long enough to get down to the water."

The mid morning sun was a stark contrast to the cool temperatures inside the cave.  Evie was glad to feel the warmth of it on her skin when she stepped from the cave entrance.  Her feet were still not as steady as she would have liked and her head still ached a little but not nearly as much as last night.  She leaned heavily on the strong, solid frame of the man beside her as she walked gingerly out of the cave in her stocking covered feet.  For one more time in her life, she would be dead if not for Hannibal Heyes.

Once outside of the deep cleft in the mountain she looked around and was astounded by what she saw.  The mountains she had seen when she and Hannibal had been traveling through he Trans Pecos of Texas  were nothing like these mountains.  The mountain on the eastern horizon was so high that the peak was covered by billowing clouds.  It rose out of a carpet of evergreen trees that stretched westward towards them and the mountain range that rose behind them.  They stood on a grass  covered plateau that extended down a cascade of rolling hills until it reached the evergreen forest.  The hills were dotted with multi colored wild flowers. And just below them off to her right there was a crystal blue lake that glistened like diamonds in the sunlight.  It was like some kind of paradise.

"No wonder you boys chose this place to hide.  I've never seen any place so beautiful.  This is much nicer than that dungeon in Rising Gulch.  What's this place called?"

"According to the old Indian who told us about this place it's called Cave of the Crying Winds.  We only came here when we needed to rest on our way back to Devil's Hole.  We pulled jobs as far east as St. Louis before.  You had to make sure you had places like this to get lost in so you could rest yourself and your horse when traveled that far."

"How did you ever find this place?"  she asked him as they walked down the hillside towards the water.

"When I was about seventeen,  before I started riding with the Plummer gang,  me and Kid met this old Indian fella that every body called Snake Skin.  His real name was Crying Eagle but everybody called him Snake Skin because he wore this old black hat with a snake skin band around it.  He was from the Shoshone tribe.  The Shoshone lived in the western half of the territory and the Cheyenne tribe lived in the east.  They were bitter enemies.  When he was a young warrior he went into Cheyenne territory with a raiding party.  They were going to steal horses from their enemy, the Cheyenne.  But when they got to the Cheyenne camp he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.  He fell instantly in love with her and decided to take her away with him.  So he grabbed her, put her on his pony and rode away with her.  But he rode in the wrong direction and he got separated from the other Shoshone warriors.   The young maiden's father and brothers were soon riding after him to save her.  He was forced up into the mountains along dangerous trails to keep them from finding him and taking away his beloved.   That's when he found this place.  He told me and Kid about it and we just had to find out for ourselves if this place was really as beautiful as he claimed it was."

"What was her name?  The Cheyenne maiden?"

"Her name was Laughing Wind."

"What a beautiful name.  How ironic that her name was 'Laughing' and his was 'Crying.'"

"When he learned that her name was Laughing Wind,  he knew then that the Great Spirit had led him to her that day and that she was his destiny.  Because they were two halves of a whole and together they would be a complete spirit.  This is why he fell instantly in love with her."

"So what happened to them?  Did she fall in love with him and did they get to be together?"

"Yes, she fell in love with him."

"Because she felt the same spiritual connection that he did?"

"No.  Because he refused to take her down from the mountain until she fell in love with him.  That was about four months."

"What a wonderful story.   I suppose he called it the Cave of the Crying Winds because it was a combination of their names.  How romantic.   Did they get to live happily ever after?"

"They lived in his village with his people for many years.  They had five sons.  But they were all killed fighting white soldiers.  Laughing Wind died from grief after all of her sons were killed and Crying Eagle took up many of the white man's ways, including drowning his sorrows in the white man's fire water."

Evie stopped and looked up at him with sad eyes.  "That is not the happy ending I wanted to hear."

"Sorry.  What did you want me to do, make something up that wasn't the truth?"

"Yes."

He laughed out loud at her as he continued to lead her slowly toward the lake.  "You're a hopeless romantic and I love that about you.  But the truth is that life can be cruel sometimes.  And the only thing that makes it worth the fight is having somebody you love beside you."

She wrapped her arms tighter around him as he held onto her still unsteady frame.  The last two years of her life had been cruel.   But she had fought to have him here beside her.  And, yes, it had all been worth it.

"Are you sure you're alright to go in the water?"   he asked her as she held her firmly around the waist to support her weak legs.

"I think so.  I can feel the strength coming back into my legs.  Which way is the town?"  she asked as she swept her gaze over the gorgeous scenery.

"Culver City is that way,"  he pointed southward.  "That's Eagle's Peak,"  he said pointing east.  "And the mountain behind us in the west is called Table Mountain."

They reached the lake and Evie was delighted to find Odin there with a new friend of his own.  "Where did she come from?"  Evie asked scratching the velvet nose of the black mare.

"She followed us all the way from Cheyenne.  I think she's one of the carriage horses.  Somebody sure must be looking out for us, because we're probably going to need her."

"Hello,  beautiful.   Do you have a name?"  Evie spoke to the gentle horse.    "Aren't you afraid to leave them out in the open like this?  What if someone spots us?"

"Sweetheart we're way up in the mountains.  If you had been awake when we rode in here you'd have seen just how high.  The only trail up here is a narrow ledge along the outside of a steep cliff. Nobody in their right mind would ever come up here.  Unless of course you're a curious teenager with nerves of steel who's out to prove that an old Indian in town is making up stories.  It really is a perfect place to get lost from everything.  There's plenty of fresh water,  game for hunting, wood for fire and a cave for shelter.   I figure we're safe enough up here.  And I'm sure Kid will figure out where I've gone.   He will have to cover our tracks so it may take him a while to get here.  He could be here by tonight, but by tomorrow for sure."

"I'll be glad to see him so we can find out what's going on back in Cheyenne."

"Me too.   In the mean time let's get you out of those smelly clothes and wash the soot off of you."

He took his arm from around her waist and she began to lean a little,  unsteady without his support.   Her head still wanted to swim a little.  He immediately grabbed her to keep her from faltering.

"I think you're going to have to go in the water with me.   I don't know if I can stand by myself."

She didn't have to ask him twice.  In a few minutes he was stripped down to his long john underwear.   He, like her was  now half naked.  She stood like an obedient child as he began to remove her clothing.  Her raised her arms above her head and pulled the chemise,  stained with black, over her head.  Her pantalettes were shimmied over her hips and down her thighs.  She had to hold onto his shoulder to keep from falling over when he lifted each foot from the ground to remove her stockings. She stood before him, unashamed in her nakedness, trusting and loving the man who was helping her.

He was leading her into the water when she stopped him suddenly.  "I hardly think this is fair.  I'm completely naked and you're still wearing your long johns."

He looked sideways at her with glint of mischief in his eyes.  "We wouldn't want things to be unfair now would we?"    He quickly shed his white knickers and stood before in all his bare glory.  "There is that better?"

"Much."  She beamed into the face of the man she loved as he stood there like a Greek god holding a bar of soap.

She gasped at the cool temperature of the water.  Her unsteady legs became even more unsteady on the lake's rocky bottom.   She clutched at his arms as she became dizzy and started to fall.

"Whoa.  Steady,"  he said as he came behind her and encircled her waist.  She let herself lean back against his warm, supporting body.  He walked his way with her deeper into the water until  it was chest deep.  "Now just let yourself float, rest your head on my shoulder and I'll do the rest,"  he instructed.

She was more than happy to oblige his request.  Her body was growing accustomed to the cool water and she closed her eyes as he lathered his hands with a hunk of soap he had taken out of his saddle bag.  He began to massage the smokey stench from her beautiful hair.   She could feel his fingers massage particles of burned debris from her scalp.   She was beginning to recall  now more clearly how he had scooped her up and onto Odin's back just before the veranda's roof had collapsed.  She had felt her way down the grand staircase to the front door.  And she seemed to remember Clayton's face as it loomed over her.  But she just couldn't put her finger on the memory.

His strong yet gentle hands, lathered again, began to massage away the traces of black soot from her face that he had not seen in the dimly lit cave.  She loved the feel of his fingertips on her cheeks, her eyelids, her chin and nose.   The pungent stench of the smoke that had clung to her skin was beginning to disappear.  He lathered her arms and her back, washing away the remains of the black smudges.  This must be what Heaven felt like.

"It's a miracle you didn't get burned,"  he said softly against her ear before planting a gentle kiss against her bare shoulder.

"It's a miracle you were able to get to me before that roof collapsed."

"It seems that miracles follow you wherever you go.   Because I've seen one miracle after another since I've known you."   Her body was floating just enough so that her breasts bobbed slightly above the waters surface.  Her head rested against his shoulder, giving his a perfect view of the ivory skinned, dusky tipped globes.  In spite of the tepid water, he could feel his manhood twitching to life.  Calm it down, Heyes.  She's been through a trauma and her body needs rest.  She doesn't need you groping and pawing at her.  Get yourself under control.   He felt his body slowly calm and old Glory went back to half mast.  Now if he could just get her out of the water and into some dry clothes without old Glory flying high again.  He grasped her waist and pulled her along as he started a slow walk back towards the shore.

"You're not done, are you?"  she asked as her eyes opened and peered up at him.

"What do you mean?"  he asked,  dreading the answer, but knowing what it was going to be.

"You haven't washed all of me yet."

And just like that old Glory was at full mast again.  He swallowed hard.  The odd shaped hunk of soap that Kid had stuffed in his saddle bag floated nearby.  Don't do it, Heyes.  Don't do it.  He reached for the soap and began to lather it between his hands.  He let the soap drop to float once again into the waist high water.   His empty and lathered hands made a slow yet deliberate trek over her shoulders then down her chest to their final destination,  her buoyant, buxom breasts.

"Ummmm."   She couldn't control her vocal affirmation of just how good it felt to have his hands on her body.   She was being bombarded with so many different sensations.  Her skin below the surface of the water was cool, but her skin above the water was warmed by the sun.  The slippery, smooth wetness of his lathered hands against her breasts felt distinctly different from his whisker roughened jaw that rested against the side of her face.  And the lightness of her head was vastly different from the heavy, fullness she was beginning to feel in her lower regions.  She wondered if she was making him feel the same way he was making her feel.  There was only one way to find out.

Her lips sought his and found them.  She pulled his head down closer to deepen the kiss.  He knew he shouldn't have picked up that soap.  He knew this was where it would lead.  Before he knew it she had flipped over in the water and was facing him,  wrapping her legs around him, kissing him with feverish intensity.

She brought her hands down between their bodies and found what she sought,  the evidence that his desire for her was as great as hers was for him.  She looked into his soulful dark eyes and saw her passion mirrored there.  But he did not move to bring their bodies together.  Having her body so close to his,  having that part of him so near the threshold of all her desire was making her desperate with need.  She moved her hand over his hard flesh,  teasing and coaxing him.  Surely he would end her misery soon.  But when he made no move to do so, with a boldness that she didn't know she had,  she guided that engorged part of him into herself,  filling the empty ache that only he could fill.

He could only stand there,  bewitched by the brazen and bold beauty as she took what she wanted and needed from him.  An old saying came to his mind about the perfect woman being a lady in the parlor and a whore in the bedroom.   The fact that she was a lady went without saying, but he never dreamed that she would be so blatant about her need and her desire for him.  He had never been in a real relationship before.  He had been with plenty of women, but never for long and never for any real reason except sexual release and the occasional need for female companionship.  All the stories he had heard from married men had led him to belief that most women outside of a brothel had to be coerced into even the most mundane sexual acts.  And here this woman,  this gorgeous, spellbinding woman, whom he loved with all of his heart, was being more brazen than any soiled dove he'd ever handed a silver dollar to.  Again he wondered why God would bestow such a gift upon him.   She amazed him in some new and different way everyday.

He stood as still as he could manage and let her have her way with him.  He wanted her to be in control so that she could end it anytime she wanted.  But it became very difficult when she squeezed her legs more tightly around him, drawing him deeper inside the hot, wet center of her body.  He stood there, his feet planted firmly on the bottom of the lake and watched her face contort in expressions that resembled both pleasure and pain as she worked her self up and down upon his rigid body.  She was greedy in her quest for release.  And he was enraptured by the unbelievable sight of her relentless pursuit, with her head thrown back, her dark,wet hair spilling down her back to hover on the water's surface.  Her movements created small ripples on the water that lapped at their skin.  He struggled to keep his breathing steady as he began to feel his self control slipping away.

She didn't know what had come over her.  It was as though her body's needs had overruled all rational thought and she was acting on the most basic human level.  When he hadn't immediately given her what she had needed, she simply took it.  He was more capable of overpowering her senses than any drug could ever be.  He made her want and need like no other person or thing on this earth.  When she heard his breathing begin to quicken she knew that he too was on the verge of losing the stoic control he had been displaying up until now.  When he grasped  her hips and took control of the deep penetrating thrusts she knew he too was on the verge of release.  When hers came it was intense and she cried out as the pent up energy inside her unleashed itself in wave upon wave of satiating spasms.  Her release triggered his and he wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding on as the force of it made him tremble.

He carried her from the water and collapsed on the grass with her still atop him.  She rolled off him and lay beside him.  They lay without speaking, looking up at the cloudless sky, both breathing heavily,  their energy spent.   When their breathing slowed and their bodies had calmed,  he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips and kissed it.  "Where did that come from?"  he asked still looking skyward.

"I have no idea.  Are you very disappointed in me?"

His head turned to stare at her with a look of complete disbelief.  "Are you kidding me?"

She turned to see the look on his face.  "You mean you're not upset that I just acted like a shameless hussy?"

He gave a deep chuckle as he rolled to his side and gathered her close to him.  "Sweetheart,  as long as I'm the only man you ever act that way with,  I consider myself the luckiest man on earth."

They lay, naked and unashamed, like Adam and Eve in their own private Eden,  letting their wet skin dry in the sun.  

~*~

"Yes, my dear friends, it's true.  The outlaw, Hannibal Heyes,  has kidnapped my daughter-in-law after he maliciously set fire to the governor's mansion."   Clayton Ramsey stood upon a soapbox in the center of downtown Cheyenne to address the crowd that had gathered there.   "Apparently, unknown  to me and my son,  she was once involved with this outlaw.  Had I known of her ties to the criminal, I never would have allowed my son to marry her.  And I certainly wouldn't have pardoned him of his crimes.  It was under the ruse of being a tender hearted humanitarian that she admonished me to set those two thieves free.  And of course being the fair man that I am,  I agreed.  But I can't hold her responsible for this latest atrocity.  Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry alone are responsible.   My daughter-in-law is very much committed to my son and must be found.  He is absolutely heartbroken at the disappearance of his dear wife.   I am offering a $10,000 dollar reward for her safe return and the capture of both outlaws."

"Which way was they headed?"   one member of the crowd shouted.  

"Some of my men saw them ride north.  But they escaped one a single horse.  They can't be making very good time.  A good tracker should be able to pick up their trail with ease and find them without much effort."  

"We'll catch them two heathens for you, Governor,"  was heard from the crowd.  

"And we'll bring that gal back unharmed,"  came another reply.

"Thank you.  Thank you, all my good friends and fellow citizens for your loyalty and your support.  I only hope this tragedy won't destroy my hopes of one day being your president."

The crowd began to disperse.   The governor stepped down from the soapbox and leaned in close to his body guard, Bartholomew.   "Find them before any of these stupid hayseeds.  I don't plan to pay out a dime.  I want them dead and I want the girl returned to me.  And make sure she knows how to keep her mouth shut."

Bartholomew simply nodded his understanding and went in search of a horse.

~*~

Kid was growing weary.  But he had made it to the foot of the mountain by nightfall.  He would have to wait until morning to travel up the tricky, narrow ledge to the sanctuary above.  He had been following Heyes's trail since yesterday.  He knew exactly where his partner was headed once he had started tracking him.  He stopped every few miles to cover their tracks or double back and zig zag back across his own tracks to lead anyone who might be following him away from the north bound trail that he and Heyes had taken.  If he hadn't been stopping to cover their tracks he would have already made it to the Cave of the Crying Winds.

The morning should shed some light not only on the day but on the situation he and his partner now found themselves in.  He didn't know how they managed it, but they always seemed to get into trouble that wasn't even of their own making.  He prayed this would be the last time.  He had too much to live for and too much life to look forward to now to think about living life as a fugitive. He hated to think about it, but there was a real possibility that he and Heyes would have to part ways this time.  He had never been without Heyes in his life, except for the two years his partner had ridden with the Plummer gang at the beginning of his career.  And he couldn't really conceive of life without him,  but if he had to give up his partner to keep his daughter in his life, then just like his gun, he would give him up.   He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.  His last thought before he drifted off was that life was so unfair.   He didn't ask a lot from life,  just a chance to be a good husband and father, but at the same time keep his best friend. 

~*~

She awoke to a sight more beautiful than anything she could have dreamed.  Her beloved Hannibal sitting by fire with his back against the wall of the cave.  His perfect profile was bathed in the amber glow of the fire light.  He was gazing up at the starlit sky.   "A penny for your thoughts,"  she said quietly.

He turned his shining eyes and smiling lips towards her.  "I was just thinking about how simple life seemed when we were out in the wilderness of Texas."

"I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to wake up and see your face.  I'm so glad you're here."

"I'll always be here.  I told you, everyday for the rest of your life, when you wake up,  I'll be here."

"What if I get up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"I'll be here."

"What if I'm cranky and moody and I bite your head off at every little thing?"

"I'll still be here."

"What about when I'm old and gray and my shoulders are slumped and I can't get around very well?"

"I'll just have to carry you around, I guess.  No matter what I'll always be here."  He stretched out beside her on the blanket.  "I love you with everything I've got.  I hope you know that."

"I wouldn't have made it through the past two years if I didn't believe that."

"Sure you would have.  You're the strongest woman I know."

"I'm strong because of you and your love.  How is it possible that you can be the source of all my strength and at the same time be my greatest weakness.  I love you more than my next breath."

He was overwhelmed by her.  By her beauty, her strength, her spirit, her love.  He would never let anything or anyone separate them again.

"Tomorrow when Kid gets here,  I want you to know that nothing he tells us will make me leave you or send you away.  Whatever happens,  we're in it together."

"I wouldn't have it any other way.  But just to make sure,  I want you to hold up your right hand and swear on the life of our unborn children that you will never ever leave me again for any reason."

"I swear on our unborn children," he said as he lifted his right hand and put his left hand over his heart.  His gaze narrowed and he looked st her thoughtfully.  "Just how many children were you figuring on anyway?"

"Oh, five or six at least."

"Wow.  I guess we should plan on getting started then as soon as possible."   He grasped her hips,  tightly clothed in an extra pair of his pants.  "You shouldn't have any trouble bringing plenty of healthy babies into the world."  

The smile on her face faded and she sat up quickly.  "Oh, God, I remember."

"You remember what?"

"Why I didn't have any clothes on."

"Why?"

"He was going to..."  she didn't want to say it out loud.

"To what?"

"The doctor said I was healthy and should be able to bring a fine child into the world.   I think Clayton was going to...."   she just couldn't finish it, but he knew what she meant.  She began to tremble at the thought of the man who was supposed to be her father-in-law, doing something so lascivious and wrong.  "That's how the house caught fire.   I tried to hit him over the head with a candlestick and the candle fell to the floor and caught the drapes on fire.  He left me there to go save his roses."

He gathered her close to him and held her shaking body.  "It's alright.  You never have to see him again.  He will never touch you again,  I promise."

It was in that moment that he truly understand the saying, "God works .in mysterious ways."   If that house had not caught fire,  Clayton Ramsey would have forced himself on Evie.  If  Clayton Ramsey had not been more worried about his roses than he was a living human being,  he probably would have carried her out of the burning mansion and Heyes would never have been able to save her from that bastards clutches.  The thought of that lecherous old man trying to molest her and then leaving her in a burning house made him more angry than he had ever been.  But right now he needed to be strong for her and he needed to be level headed and calm.  So he swallowed that anger and let it settle deep down inside.  That is where the dark being inside of him found it and held on to it.

    

Soundtrack for Chapter 10

Chapter 10 is almost ready.   Enjoy this beautiful song, "I Will Be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman.  

More Beautiful Vidcaps

Dang it, Peter.  You're just so gosh darn beautiful.....*sigh*

Ben's not too bad either.

Some video captures I made of our cowboys

 From"The Reformation of Harry Briscoe."   One of my top ten favorite episodes for obvious reasons....THE CHAPS!!!   I wonder if they knew how devastating they looked in those things.  I have never seen any one fill out a pair of chaps as well as these two cowboys do.