This is a long one, y'all. Not many pictures in this one. Sorry. I may add more later. Peace and love.
The town of Alpine, Texas was behind them now as they headed northwest towards Buckton. Two days on horse back then a day on the stage and they would arrive in Red Rock where Mr. McCreedy would be waiting for them. There really wasn't any need to go to Big Mac's now, since he had already paid both the boys what they had earned, but Big Mac had insisted that they come to his ranch for some well deserved home cooked meals. But Heyes had a feeling there was more to it than that.
After a tearful goodbye to Sally and Jenny, who was traded in for a gentle black mare for Evie to ride, the threesome were on their way. It was the perfect time for Evangeline to be schooled by Hannibal Heyes in the art of dodging the law.
"Now remember, what do you not want to do when we ride into a new town?"
"Draw unnecessary attention to myself?"
"What else?"
"Get involved with other people's problems."
"And?"
"Act guilty or suspicious, especially if there's a lawman around."
"Good. Now what do you want to do when we get into a new town?"
"First, check out the sheriff's office, or find out who he is. Then if that's all clear, you check the streets to see what are the quickest routes out of town, just in case. Make sure to note where the livery is and where the train and stage depots are. Then you check into the hotel and ask for a room with a view of the street. Tip the clerk to ensure that he doesn't tell anybody your staying there, and so he'll tell you if anybody asks for you. Make sure to note all the exits out to the hotel and always keep the door locked."
"And one other thing. Stay out of saloons."
"Since when do you two follow that rule? You were both in the saloon at Alpine just this morning before we left."
"Oh,no. That rule applies only to you."
"What if it's an emergency?"
"You don't go into a saloon. Got it?"
'Fine," she grumbled.
"Now I'm gonna teach you what to do if we do have to high tail it out of town. First...."
And so the lessons continued throughout the first day.
The second day Evangeline listened intently as the boys shared stories of their adventures from their early outlawing days, to the days in the Hole, to the many people they'd met since they'd been trying to get their amnesty.
"You mean he fell for that?" Evie asked incredulously as they rode along at a good steady walk.
"Like a rock." Kid said.
"It was a thing of beauty. The look on his face when Kid turned over that king of clubs," Heyes added, a big smile on his face.
"Daddy taught me to play Montana Red Dog when I was a little girl. And he also taught me to only play it with people I could trust. So what did you two do with all that money?"
"Uh, we didn't get to do anything with it. Good ole Doc Beauregard stole it back from us," Heyes said.
"What?" Not again she thought.
"Yeah, he stole it from us. Well, actually he stole it from Jason who had stolen it from us. And then got himself killed," Kid added.
"Killed? Jedediah Curry you didn't..."
"No. He got himself killed trying to pull his own con with Montana red dog. But not before he left all of the money to the building of the Chauncey Beauregard wing of a hospital."
"How many stories is this now that you've told me about your getting rich then getting busted?"
"We don't like to keep count. It's too depressing," Heyes said. "At least we've got plenty of cash right now, and it's a good thing too, 'cause the first thing we're gonna do after we get to Red Rock is buy you some new clothes. As much as I enjoy seeing you in that tight fitting dress, I don't really like other people seeing you in it."
"I guess I'll just have to keep wearing your jacket to cover me and only take it off when we're alone," she said suggestively.
"Now, that's an idea I can live with. Especially the alone part," Heyes returned with a devilish grin.
The affectionate, joyous smiles the couple shared turned quickly into frowns of disbelief, as the unmistakable sound of a pistol being cocked echoed loudly in the air.
That unmistakable sound was followed by an unfamiliar male voice, "I wouldn't make too many plans on spending that money, mister."
Kid reached for his Colt just as a young man stepped suddenly from the roadside brush and pointed the cocked pistol straight at his two companions. "Don't reach, mister, or I'll shoot your friends." Kid's hand stilled then went into the air along with Heyes' and Evie's hands.
The boy was young, probably fifteen or sixteen, with blond curls that hung almost to his shoulders and brilliant blue eyes. The rest of his face was covered with a dusty bandanna. Then a second male voice came from behind them. "We'll just be taking all of that money now," The second bandit came around from behind them to stand beside his partner, a shotgun in his hands. He was slightly taller than the other with straight stringy black hair and dark eyes. He also wore a dusty bandanna over his nose and mouth.
"Everybody off them horses," the dark haired one ordered.
As they dismounted Heyes
"You boys hungry?" Heyes
"Shut up!" the dark one yelled. Clearly the one in charge of this gang of two he ordered his partner, "Get their guns Georgie."
The blond one relieved Kid and Heyes of their pistols and took the rifle from Evie's saddle.
"Now empty your pockets." the dark one demanded.
Again the ex-outlaws conversed in silence.
Kid tried to reason with the young robbers first, "Look fellas, we'd be more than happy to help you out. Give you a little stake for some food and a bath. But if we give you all our money you're gonna leave us stranded. We got the lady here to look after and we still got quite a few mile's ride to get to Buckton. It'll be dark and she'll be wanting to stay in a soft bed. You understand don't you?"
Neither of the bandits spoke. The blond named Georgie began the pat downs. He started with Kid. When he got to the roll of bills in Kid's vest pocket his eyes practically bugged out of his head.
"Looky here, Jake. Must be three or four hundred." He shoved the loot into his pants pocket.
Then he began his pat down of Heyes who stood in front of Evie shielding her. When he found nothing he put the end of the pistol's barrel against his chest. "Where is it?"
Heyes flashed one of his most innocent charming smiles. "Where's what?"
"Your money. And don't try to tell me you don't have any. We've robbed plenty of people and there's no way you three are traveling together and you're letting one man hold all the cash. So where is it?"
When he didn't immediately reply, the young thief aimed his pistol at the ground between Heyes brown suede boots and fired. Evie screamed and jumped back. Heyes wanted desperately to call the boys' bluff. He didn't think they would shoot anybody. But then again it depended on how desperate they were. And he couldn't take any chances on Evie getting hurt. With a sigh of resignation and a firm set to his jaw, never losing eye contact with his would be assailant, he said, "My left boot."
"Wooo hooo! Gotta be another four or five hundred. Jake this is the biggest score we ever made!" Georgie ran back to his partner, who showed no emotion as he stood there pointing the shotgun at his three marks. "That's good, Georgie." He motioned towards Evie with his weapon. "What about her?"
Heyes took a step backwards as she took a step forward closer to him. "She doesn't have any money or anything worth stealing," Heyes said with conviction.
"We'll be the judge of that mister," Jake said.
Georgie stood only inches in front of Heyes and laid the barrel of the pistol on his left shoulder so it pointed directly at Evie's head. "Now, pretty lady, give me all your money."
"Like he's already told you, I don't have any money," she said angrily, her chin lifting slightly in defiance.
"How old are you two anyway? You should be ashamed of yourselves. Do your mothers know where you are and what you're doing?"
The gun was removed. The boy looked like he'd just been slapped. The young thief started to back away. "We ain't got no mothers," he said bitterly.
The two older more experienced ex-thieves exchanged another look.
"Now get face down on the ground over there, all of ya," Jake ordered.
The three trudged off the road and lay face down on the grass. Then they heard the thud of something hitting the ground then the sound of running horses, and then silence. Heyes looked up and searched the area. "They're gone."
They stood there for countless moments, staring at each other, looking exactly how they felt - broke, busted and disgusted.
With a dejected sigh, Kid said solemnly, "At least they left us our bags." He walked over to where their belongings lay in a heap in the middle of the dirt road.
Evangeline looked at Heyes. He gave her a half-hearted smile, then held his arms wide. She stepped into them without hesitation. "Why did they take all the horses with them? Why couldn't they have left Rusty? He took care of me when I was with Harlan you know?"
"I'm not sure why they took all of them. It slows you down leading a horse by rein. I'm sure they wanted to get out of here quick."
"We wouldn't have dared steal any body's horse when we were first starting out," Kid said as he walked off the road to rejoin his companions. "Just shows you how much times have changed since we started out in the business."
"Why wouldn't you have stolen a horse? Can't you sell them for a lot of money?" Evie asked Heyes.
"Oh,yeah, especially a horse like Rusty. But for stealing money you only go to jail. For stealing a horse they hang you."
"Your so wise in the ways of the world. I love that about you. But what are we going to do now?"
"I don't rightly know. We'll have to walk on into town and figure something out there." He looked down into her lovely face, so full of trust. "I don't want you worrying about it though, alright?"
"I'm not worried. Like Jed has said before, 'You always think of something.' There's nothing you can't do."
He hoped his complete lack of faith in himself right now didn't reveal itself in his face. Because he honestly didn't know what they were going to do.
"Well at least they didn't search our bags. We still got a little food left. And they didn't find your mother's locket. We may as well rest here a spell, have some lunch," Kid said.
Evie studied her two companions as they ate cheese and apples under the shade of a mighty oak. "I've been thinking. And I believe the two of you could have kept them from robbing us so easily if you had tried harder. I just don't think you wanted to."
The partners looked at each other, then at her. "What's that supposed to mean, are you losing faith in us, Evie," Heyes asked around a mouthful of food.
"No. I have complete faith in both of you. I just think that you let those two get away with what they did because you looked at the two of them, all dirty and hungry and desperate, and you saw yourselves. You saw young Hannibal and young Jed. And you let them get away because you've been in their shoes and you felt sorry for them."
Neither man spoke. They knew she was right. When the two young bandits had appeared in front of them side by side, it was like they were seeing themselves fifteen years ago. And while they would have gladly helped the boys out if they had asked, they also understood why they hadn't asked, but demanded instead. They had probably been rejected so many times when they had asked for a helping hand that they had finally decided not to ask anymore, but just to take.
"Disappointed in us?" Heyes asked.
"Nope. I think I love you both ever more."
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They had never been to this town of Buckton before. They weren't sure what to expect. The sun was low in the sky when they walked into town, trail dusty and tired. They only had about an hour of daylight left. They needed to think of something quick.
After checking out the sheriff's office and deciding all was clear, they stood in the alley way between the saloon and the barber shop discussing their options.
"You got any ideas," Kid asked.
"Nope."
"We got anything in any of our bags worth selling?"
"Just Evie's locket and ring that belonged to her mother. I'm not even going to suggest it."
"Maybe you could try that egg trick again."
"Maybe. If I could just get enough to get into a poker game."
Evangeline stood behind the boys listening as they talked over their options. She took a moment to look around. It was a nice little town. Prosperous and lively. It had three saloons. The saloon they stood next to was abuzz with activity inside. She ventured up to the swinging bat wing doors and peeked inside. Her face lit up. Did she see what she thought she saw? She watched for a moment. Yes, she did. The boys were still discussing their options. She searched the saddle bags and pulled out her hairbrush. She removed Joshua's tan jacket she had been wearing to hide her tight fitting dress and threw it down next to their other things. Then she checked her reflection in the window of the closed barber shop. She brushed her hair until it shone and pulled it back with her grandmother's hair combs just like Sally had done. Then she adjusted her bosoms to give just the right effect. She smoothed the wrinkles and dust from her skirts. Then she pinched her cheeks and bit her lips so that both were rosy and red. When she was satisfied with her reflection, she took a quick glance at the boys. They weren't paying her any mind. Joshua was going to be mad. She was breaking one of the rules. But wasn't this an emergency. He never really said she couldn't do it in an emergency. And if she pulled it off, maybe she could prove to them that she wasn't going to be a liability but that she could actually be an asset. She took a deep breath, plastered a beguiling smile on her lovely face and entered the saloon.
"What about the five pat hands trick? You never lose at that one."
"It's worth a try I guess. I wonder if Evie's father ever taught her that one?" He turned to ask her and found her gone.
"Where'd she go?"
They looked up and down the street. No sign of her. Then they heard an explosion of raucous laughter from inside the saloon. Blue eyes met brown.
"Aw, no," Kid said.
"If she did, I'll........"
They entered the smoke filled saloon. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the dim light. When they could see clearly they scanned the room. Their attention was immediately drawn once again by an outbreak of robust male laughter. To their left, at a table in the front corner of the room, six men sat, completely enchanted and mesmerized by a beautiful young woman who sat with them dealing a deck of cards.
Kid's protective instinct kicked in and he started towards the table, intending to escort Evie outside. But Heyes' hand on his arm stopped him. "Just wait, Kid."
They walked to the bar and leaned casually against it so they could see and hear everything that was going on at the table.
"Why, Mary Lou and Sue Ellen are never gonna believe it when I tell them that I actually learned to play... poker." She whispered the last word as if it were scandalous to even say out loud. "They will be so jealous." Evie was excitedly jabbering, in a flawless southern accent.
"If I hadn't snuck out of the hotel while Aunt Lucretia was napping I would never have found myself here with you boys. So remember, mums the word or Aunt Lucretia will be so angry with me. But I just couldn't go back to Savannah and not be able to tell the girls in my quilting bee that I had gone inside a real authentic western saloon and learned to play poker with real authentic western cowboys."
"It's our pleasure ma'am," said one cowboy with a goofy grin on his face.
"You can play with us anytime you want, Miss Savannah from Savannah," gushed another, who was practically drooling.
"Why you boys are just the sweetest things," she smiled sweetly as she batted her lashes and leaned slightly forward, exposing her creamy cleavage to their view. Heyes groaned deep in his throat. What did she think she was doing?
"Now I've given everyone five cards, so now what?" she asked.
"Now you make a bet if you think you've got a hand that can win," explained another smitten cow poke.
"Oh shoot. I plumb forgot to bring my reticule with me when I was sneaking out. I don't have a penny of money on me." She stuck her lip out and pouted. Immediately coins were being placed in front of her.
"You can borrow some of mine, Miss Savannah."
"I've got some extra you can have."
"Me, too. You can borrow some of mine."
"Thanks, just all to pieces. Why, I've never met such generous gentlemen in my entire life. I'm just ever so grateful. Now how much should I bet?"
Heyes and Kid watched in awe as she ran the perfect con. The men at the table were so smitten by her charm and beauty, they didn't even notice when she stacked the deck to give herself an unbeatable hand.
"I got a full house Miss Savannah, I probably have you beat," said a young cow hand apologetically.
"Oh, poo. I did get beat. You said a full house beats two pair?" she gave her best pouty frown.
Heyes was horrified. Surely she had not just ran a perfect con only to lose the money with a lousy two pair.
"I'm afraid I've only got a pair of fives and another pair of fives."
The table again erupted with boisterous male laughter. "No, Miss Savannah, you win. That's called four of a kind." The pile of money was shoved in front of her. She repayed all of the borrowed money and still had plenty left over.
"Oh, this is so much fun. I think I'd like to play again. I think I like being the one who doles out the cards best."
"That's called dealing, Miss Savannah."
"Oh, yes, right, quite right. Shall we play again gentlemen."
In an hour she had won over two hundred dollars. As she leaned forward over the table, displaying yet again an abundance of her milky white bosoms, she raked in her winnings. The men at the table were so spellbound by the charmingly lovely and witty Miss Savannah that they never knew what had hit them. And they didn't appear to care even if they were aware they had just been had.
"What can I say boys? I guess I'm just having what they call beginner's luck," she drawled as she scooped in her winnings. "Oh, my look at the time. I must be getting back to the hotel room before Aunt Lucretia wakes from her nap." All the men rose from their chairs when she stood. "Thank you, gentleman for making my trip to the west one I shall never forget. When I get back to Savannah, I'm going to tell all my friends about you." She blew a kiss in their direction before cramming both hands full of bills and coins. She walked slowly to the door with a deliberate sway to her curvaceous hips, leaving behind six dumbstruck, google eyed cowboys, and two awed and impressed ex-outlaws.
Not wanting to be obvious that they were following her out, Kid and Heyes just stood there and watched as she sashayed out the door. As they watched the heavy doors swing back and forth, they both sighed heavily in unison.
"You know what, Heyes?"
"What?"
"I'm gonna give up the search for the perfect woman."
"Why?"
"Cause she just walked out the door. And you saw her first."
Heyes couldn't keep the proud smile from splitting his face. This young woman was one surprise after another. He loved that about her. She had single handedly won enough money to get them a hotel room and food for the night, buy their stage tickets in the morning and still have enough left to last a few days after they got to Red Rock. She simply amazed him.
"It appears her father wasn't the only one to teach her a few things, though. I think her mother may have taught her a few things too," Kid said.
"Yeah I noticed. I just wish she hadn't shown so much of what her mother taught her," he said with annoyance, as he recalled the abundance of cleavage she'd exposed to the men at the poker table. "Come on, Kid. She'll be waiting at the hotel."
As they left the saloon and headed down the street to the hotel Kid said, "You're not gonna be too hard on for doing that are you? I know you're upset with her for going in the saloon, but weren't you just a little impressed."
Yes, he was impressed. But, he was still going to remind her rather firmly that she was never to go into a saloon. This was twice now. And he was going to let her know just how risky it was to go into a place like that and pull a con without consulting him first. And he was going to make her put that jacket back on and it wasn't coming off until he'd bought her a decent dress. Only then would he let her know just how brilliant he thought she was. "Truthfully, Kid....it was absolutely genius."
Kid chuckled. "Yeah it was. Ya know, Heyes, I was thinking. She just made a lot of money in less than an hour. If our amnesty doesn't come through maybe...."
Another of Heyes' "don't even say it, Kid" looks stopped him in mid sentence. "No? Oh, well it was just a thought."
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It was Evangeline's first time on a stagecoach. She kept her head out the window almost the entire ride. The scenery they passed as they made their was northwest was the most beautiful and breathtaking she'd ever seen. They passed by majestic mountains, sweeping valleys and multicolored canyons. But the most spectacular sight of all was one that also had the boys enthralled. It was a herd after herd of wild mustangs running free through the canyons and up into the hills. One herd in particular was led by the most magnificent black stallion they'd ever seen. Heyes was enraptured watching her enthusiasm and her joy at each new discovery she made on their journey. He loved seeing her so happy.
They arrived at the Red Rock stage depot around five that evening. A driver was waiting for them with a surrey to bring them to Mr. McCreedy's ranch. When they arrived the robust older gentleman was genuinely glad to see them.
"Welcome, Miss Webb, welcome. Come in boys and make yourselves at home. Georgia will have supper on the table shortly. In the mean time, let's all go into the parlor. I just had some cigars delivered all the way from Virginia. "
Mac led them into the parlor where he offered the boys a cigar. Evangeline let her gaze travel leisurely around the spacious room. Mr. McCreedy's home was very warm and inviting. Rich dark wood floors, huge fireplaces with stone hearths, lots of windows with heavy brocade drapes. The furnishings were beautiful and expensive looking. As the boys lit their cigars and discussed the many wild horses they'd seen on the ride up to Red Rock, Evangeline admired the handsome collection of artwork on display in the large parlor. That's when she saw it. It stood in the corner at the far end of the room. It was polished to a mirror like finish. The deck leaning back casually in invitation. She walked to it almost entranced. She had seen drawings and had heard stories but she'd never seen one in real life. She ran her fingers along the shiny slick curvature of its side. She caressed the glossy wood. It's lid was propped open exposing the hammers and strings, the plates and dampers. As she stood in front of it, she felt as if an old friend, long forgotten was standing in front of her. Seating herself on the cushioned bench she let her fingers span the keys, reacquainting herself with ebony and ivory that she hadn't realized she'd missed so much. She sat in front of the grand piano, hypnotised by it's beauty. The only piano she'd ever played was the old upright one that had been her mother's and the ancient relic they had used at her church. She had always dreamed of playing a grand piano. The sight of her hands on the white keys was so familiar except for the silver ring that now surrounded her left ring finger. How she wished her mother were here to share her first experience with a grand piano. This is for you, Mama. As soon as she struck the first note, it was as if everything else in the world disappeared. It was just her and her music. Her beloved music.
"Mighty fine, aye, boys?" Mac asked the boys as they enjoyed the expensive cigars.
"Yep, mighty fine, Mac. Now about those mustangs....."
All conversation stopped and all eyes turned to the far end of the room at the first melodic sounds of the piano music. All three men traded surprised looks before gathering around the piano to listen. All stood spellbound as they watched and listened to Evangeline play.
Hannibal Heyes had never seen a more delightful sight than the sight of her at that keyboard. Her eyes were closed and she was bent low over the keyboard. She seemed to feel each note. Her facial expression changed with the tone and inflection of the music. Her fingers worked magic on the keyboard. The music she drew from that piano was unlike anything he'd ever heard. He didn't think she even realized they were standing there listening. She was simply magnificent. Another surprise. Something else to love about her.
When she finished, she opened her eyes to find all three men standing there staring at her speechless. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. McCreedy, I hope you don't mind. I should have asked you first. It's just been so long since I've played and I've missed it so."
"It's perfectly fine my dear. You may play as much and as often as you like. I only bought this piano to fill this empty corner. I never did learn to play. And I don't think I could play like that even if I had learned. "
"Thank you. I do enjoy playing."
"How come you never told me you could play like that?" Heyes asked.
"I believe I did tell you I played. I told you my mother said I was a prodigy."
"Yeah, you said you could play, but I didn't think you meant, play. I thought you meant like, "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair." She played the the first few bars of the song.
"Or 'The Camptown Races,' Kid interjected. She played a few bars of that one as well.
"How many songs do you know in your head?"
"A lot. I remember most of the songs that I used to play back home. I can read music and I can play by ear. And once I learn a piece I usually don't forget it. Mama and Daddy said it was a very rare ability."
"Play something else. Something like that first song you played."
"That was Bach. It was Mama's favorite." A melancholy smile creased her lovely face for a moment. "How about some Mozart? 'Sonata in C." She began the lively masterpiece and played it without missing a note.
When she was playing it was like she was in a trance. The song ended with an eruption of applause from the three gentlemen. She captivated them yet again when she played her favorite piece by her favorite composer, Beethoven's "Fur Elise." She thought she could have played all night, and might have had it not been for the announcement that supper was on the table.
"Supper's on the table. Y'all come on and don't let it get cold." The announcement was made by Mac's cook and housekeeper, Miss Georgia Moon. Georgia was an emancipated slave who had come west after the civil war. She had showed up on Pat McCreedy's ranch and asked for work. One taste of her southern cooking and Mac had hired her. She'd been running his household now for fifteen years. She had her own room just off the kitchen at the back of the house. She was a petite woman in her late fifties with dark brown skin and eyes. "Well, Mr. Jones, it's good to have you back wit' us. Sho' hope you'll be stayin' longer this time."
"It's good to be back Miss Georgia. I've missed all that good home cooking." Kid patted his stomach for emphasis.
"Don't look like you missed too many meals to me," Miss Georgia said skeptically as she looked Kid Curry's fit muscular frame over. That comment put a smug grin on Heyes' face. But it quickly disappeared when Miss Georgia eyed him closely and said, "But this one here....you need some of Miss Georgia's good home cookin' for sho. Now sit on down there all of you. Especially you young lady. You can't be 'spectin' to find you no husband being all skinny like that. Men folks likes a woman they can hold on to, not one that's gonna be pokin' him with bones when he go to huggin' her up. Well, don't just stand there lookin' stupid. All of ya sit."
"Yes, ma'am," all three said as they hurriedly took their places at the large oak dining table with Big Mac at the head. They ravenously dug into plates piled high with fried chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, turnip greens, creamed onions and cornbread. The meal ended with hot apple dumplings.
During the meal Mac asked about their trip up from Alpine and was troubled to hear of the highway robbery that had left them penniless. But he had to laugh out loud when the boys recounted Evie's successful swindle of the unsuspecting cowboys. When Evangeline treated him to an energetic description of all the wondrous sights she's seen on the stagecoach ride, the subject of the wild horses came up again. He too had seen them and was very interested in the possibilities they presented. With that in mind he made the boys a proposition. If the boys could wrangle some of those mustangs, he would supply the corral and stables, feed and equipment for them to break the horses. They could have the empty bunkhouse all to themselves. Apparently there was a huge market for western colts and there were plenty of them free for the taking out in the hills and canyons. After the horses were broken then sold, the boys would split the profit with Mac fifty fifty, in exchange for using his corral, stables and bunkhouse. It would be a perfect arrangement. And an opportunity for the boys to earn an honest living while doing something they loved. As many wild horses as there were out there, and considering the amount of time it would take to train them to harness and saddle it could turn into a long stint of employment. Staying here on Mac's ranch instead of in town, meant there was little chance of running into anyone who might recognize them. As Evie listened to the men make plans for wrangling and training horses and lining up potential buyers, she couldn't help but wonder what all this meant for her. Where would she stay? Did she figure into the plan at all?
As if reading her thoughts, Big Mac announced, "As for you young lady, I've got a surprise for you."
He motioned for them all to follow him. He led them up the stairs and down the hallway to a corner room at the back of the ranch house. He opened the door and allowed Evie to step inside first. Her breath caught in her throat. She stood inside the most gorgeous room she'd ever seen. The large bed in the center of the far wall was covered with a pink lacy spread and piled high with pillows. The tall bed posts supported a canopy and shear pink drapes that hung to the floor. A chaise lounge sat by the fireplace to the left of the bed, a large cherry wood wardrobe stood in the far right corner and to her immediate right a vanity table with attached wash basin. Next to the bed was a night table and a standing mirror. A large window to the left of the bed and another to the right of the wardrobe were dressed with frilly pink curtains. There was a Persian rug on the floor. She felt like she had stepped into a fairy tale. She sun around with a questioning yet hopeful look.
"It's yours if you want it. I'm extending an invitation for you to stay here at the ranch as long as you need to. I don't figure it will look too proper for you to be staying in hotel rooms or bunkhouses with two young men. This house has four bedrooms and servants quarters, but there's only me and Georgia here. The whole place was going to waste. I have a library full of books, you can study any subject you like. You can help Georgia out around the house if you want. And you can play that piano all day if you like. And the boys can come and visit any time they want. In fact, I insist that they be here for breakfast, lunch and supper. When they're not out wrangling them wild mustangs that is."
"This is so generous of you, Mr. McCreedy. I don't know what to say."
"How about 'Yes, thank you'," Heyes said when she looked at him as if asking permission.
She couldn't control the laughter that bubbled up inside her. "Alright, yes, thank you." She laughed out as she threw her arms around Big Mac's neck and kissed his cheek.
Pat McCreedy blushed slightly at the young woman's display of gratitude. "Well, that settles it then. You'll all stay here starting tonight. And tomorrow we're going into town and see about getting you all the things a young lady needs. Dresses and stockings and hats and all those things like that. My gift to you."
Again Evie didn't know what to say.
"I knew you had another reason for bringing us out here. And I always knew you were just a big old softy, Mac," Heyes said to the older gentleman as he shook his hand in appreciation for what he was doing for Evie. "We had to go into town tomorrow anyway and report everything that happened. We were kinda hoping you'd go along with us to the sheriff's office."
"Oh, sure. And don't forget, Thaddeus, you're my nephew."
Evie looked at the three men, puzzled. "It's a long story," the Kid said.
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It was getting late. She had expected them back by now. They had been gone three days this time. Usually they would only be gone two days and would come back with at least two mustangs. But a few times they had come back with as many as five. She was always happy to see three or more. That meant they were closer to their goal of fifteen mustangs and the end of the times she and Hannibal had to be apart. She had begun more and more over the last month since they'd been at Big Mac's ranch to think of him as Hannibal. That's who he really was after all. But she only called him that in private moments when they were alone. Which wasn't often.
When the boys were out wrangling mustangs, she spent most of her days helping Georgia with the household chores and most of her evenings reading from the enormous collection of books in the library. But she ended every day with at least an hour at the piano. If she couldn't have her Hannibal here at least she had her music. The nights when he was gone were the longest nights for her. She had never been apart from him for this long before and she missed him so. The sun would be gone soon. She knew if they weren't here by sunset, they probably wouldn't be back until tomorrow. That thought made her breathe a little funny. It was as if the thought of being apart from him knocked the breath from her. She could feel the twinge of sadness starting to take root inside of her as she faced the probability of another night without seeing his face and hearing his voice. Another night without one of his goodnight kisses that he always gave her on the front porch before he followed Kid to the bunkhouse for the night. Kisses that were lasting longer and growing deeper each time they shared one. Thinking of his kisses made her miss him to the point of physical aching. God, please let them come home tonight. Her small prayer was answered immediately as she saw the two familiar riders coming down the hill towards the front gate of the ranch.
She ran to meet them. Heyes leaped from this horse's back to sweep her up and into his arms, where he kissed the breath out of her. "I've missed you so much. What took you so long this time?" she asked when he finally let her come up for air.
"Take a look." She followed his gaze to where Kid still sat in the saddle holding onto the reins of two horses. One was an average sized red and white pinto mare, a beauty who would probably be used for breeding. But the other one made her gasp. "You got him!" she exclaimed with excitement. It was the black stallion.
He pranced and jerked his head defiantly against his leads. He was not a happy animal right now. It was all Kid could do to keep him under control. "We better get him in a stall before he gets too out of hand," Heyes said as he remounted and took the stallions leads from Kid. Evie gave them a wide berth as she knew the mustangs were unpredictable when they first brought them in. And this horse was large, powerful and mad.
After making gluttons of themselves on the sumptuous meal that it had become customary for Evie and Miss Georgia to fix when they came back in from the canyons, the boys sat on the porch smoking one of Mac's finest cigars. Evangeline joined them after helping Miss Georgia with the cleaning up. She sat on the porch floor at Hannibal's feet and laid her head against his thigh, while he absent mindedly ran his fingers through her glorious hair. She listened as they made plans for breaking the stallion. It was going to take a while. They had fifteen mustangs now to train. They wouldn't be going out again until they had at least four of them trained and ready for sale. They figured it would take at least a month. A smile spread across her face and a warm glow spread through her chest. A month without having to wave goodbye to him. A month of good night kisses. She was so happy. She was so in love. Life was good.
In fact, life was almost perfect. For Kid Curry there was good honest work he enjoyed doing, a soft readily available bed, three meals a day and a town full of bad poker players and pretty girls just a thirty minute horseback ride away.
For Hannibal Heyes, working with horses and making a living at it was not even like work. He loved it. Kid was content and he wasn't crabbing about not having a bed to sleep in or food to eat. Here on the ranch the constant worry of being spotted was gone. It felt good to be able to breathe easy for a change. But most of all, there was Evie. His sweet, beautiful, amazing Evie. She was the reason he woke up every morning and rushed to the house for breakfast. Kid rushed for the bacon and eggs. Heyes for the glorious hair, womanly curves and sweet smile. He loved seeing her so happy. The only time she wasn't smiling was when a rider came out to the ranch with a telegraph. It had been six weeks since the telegraph to her family in Nashville had been sent. Although she never said so, Heyes knew that she was glad that no reply had been sent. Every time someone rode in from town with a telegraph he watched her hold her breath and witnessed the anxiety that pinched her face. Until it was revealed the telegraph was not a reply for Thaddeus Jones. Only then would she relax and exhale in relief. He and Kid had talked about it and had decided that her family must not care and that if they hadn't heard from them by now they probably weren't going to. He would have to share that with Evie. It would put her mind at ease.
But he didn't get the chance. Everything changed on that Friday afternoon in early November. A rider came in from town with a telegraph for Mr. McCreedy. Evangeline sat on the corral fence watching Hannibal and Jed work magic on one of the wild horses. She was so captivated by the sight of Hannibal Heyes riding the rowdy bucking bronco, wearing only his Henley undershirt that stretched tautly over his lean muscular torso, that at first she didn't even notice the rider when he approached the ranch house. But when she saw Big Mac approaching the corral out of the corner of her eye, she became concerned. When he waved the piece of paper in the air to signal Kid to come over to the fence, she became scared.
Heyes jumped from the mustang's back to join the two men at the fence. His eyes locked with Evie's as Mr. McCreedy announced that the message was for Thaddeus Jones.
Kid took the paper and read it to himself. He looked at Heyes, then at Evie, then back to Heyes.
"Well, what's it say?" Heyes asked impatiently.
"It's from a Mrs. Olivia Vanderbilt. Says she's your aunt and she's coming to Red Rock to meet you." He looked at Evangeline as he spoke. "Says she'll be arriving in Cold Springs on the 11:00 a.m. train this Tuesday." He held the piece of paper out to her, thinking she would like to read it. She drew back from it slightly as if it were a coiled rattlesnake ready to strike. Heyes took it instead and read it. Evie spun her rump around on the fence rail and jumped to the ground and made her way silently to the house.
Heyes climbed over the fence and ran after her. He entered the house and was met with the haunting melancholy notes of a Beethoven piece she loved so much. This piece she only played when she was feeling blue or upset. "The Moonlit Sonata" he thought she had called it. He let her finish the piece before he came and sat on the corner of the bench beside her. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
"She's going to ruin everything. I just know it. Everything is perfect. You're perfect. Our life here is perfect. And I know she'll come in here and start trying to make all these plans for my life and she'll ruin everything. And I know she's going to treat you like a bug on her shoe. Just like they treated my daddy. She'll find some way to take you away from me and then I'll hate her for it."
"Hey, no body's gonna take me away from you. The only thing that could make me leave here without you would be a posse. So there's no reason for you not to give her the benefit of the doubt and at least meet her. Who knows, you might love her to pieces."
The look she shot him said, "I doubt it."
"Tell you what. The train doesn't come to Red Rock. She'll be arriving in Cold Springs. That's about a half days ride from Red Rock. We'll send the Kid to fetch her and it will be Tuesday night before she gets here. Then when she gets here I'll turn on the old Hannibal Heyes charm." He beamed his most unnerving smile. "She'll love me to death. I mean, really, who could resist dimples like these?"
She smiled in spite of her mood. "She had better be able to resist them. Because if she loves you and your dimples too much, I'll have to kill her."
He had lightened her mood and put her mind at ease and he was glad. But he could tell something still bothered her.
She stood and crossed the glossy wood floor to stare out the glass pane of the French patio doors that lead to the veranda at the back of the McCreedy ranch house. Miles and miles of alternating hills and woodlands and desert stretched as far as the eye could see. How easy it would be to get lost out there. Well, maybe not lost, just not found by anyone you didn't want to find you. She heard his approach and felt his presence directly behind her. She spun around and threw her arms around his neck and standing on her tiptoes crushed his lips with an open mouthed kiss.
She took him by surprise. At first he grasped her waist to set her away, knowing she was desperately grasping for him in this moment of fear and uncertainty. But the fevered urgency of her kiss had him encircling her waist and lifting her tight against him. He returned her fevered kiss with all the hot urgency she was displaying. Need built up inside of him. It had been building up for weeks now. Every night when he said goodbye to her in the dark corners of the front porch the kisses they shared had grown longer, deeper and more passionate. Her hands had grown increasingly more bold, exploring his chest, his back and even his back side. He in return had done his own exploring. Learning the feel and shape of her through the layers of clothes and under garments. But the way she was kissing him now was different. She was kissing him as though she would never be able to kiss him again.
She broke the kiss and pulled away from him. She took both his hands in hers and walked backward, her eyes never leaving his, and using her bottom pushed open the double French doors. She felt the heat of the afternoon sun on her back. She saw the heat of his need for her in his chocolate eyes. She took a semicircular path around the open door and backed herself against the outside wall of the house, next to the doorway. He braced his hands on the wall on either side of her head, his lips hovered a whisper above hers. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" He growled the words huskily into her open mouth that stood poised waiting for his to plunder.
"Yes," she whispered, "Sally enlightened me." She felt more than saw the slight smile that parted his sensuous lips, before he closed the scant distance between their mouths. He pinned her to the wall with his hard lean frame. He trailed kisses along her jawline down to nibble her delicate earlobe. She clung to his broad shoulders as his mouth found and did delicious things to a sensitive spot on her neck while his skillful hands came to cup the underside of each of her breasts. She pulled the hem of his white undershirt, damp with perspiration from working in the afternoon sun, and let her hands find their way underneath to the smooth heated skin of his belly beneath. She could feel the muscles contract at the first touch of skin on skin.
The contact of her hands on his bare flesh was like fuel to a flame. It ignited something inside of him. He was overwhelmed by the emotions and the need this woman stirred up inside of him. She had never been this bold before, especially in broad daylight. Only moments ago she had been distraught, now she was like a lusty little vixen, out to stake her claim. He didn't know what had brought on such wild and reckless abandon from her. He was so enticed by her right now, he didn't really care.
She wanted him so much. She really did. She wanted to know what the end result of all the delirious sensations he produced in her would be. She wanted to belong to Hannibal Heyes in every way possible. Then nobody would dare try to take her from him. But she was also afraid. And she wasn't absolutely sure she could take it as far as it could go. And she knew he would never let it go that far unless she was absolutely sure. And she knew she could never fool him. He would know if she was ready for that step or not. But she was also afraid that if she didn't allow herself to become a complete part of him in every way, she might be forced to leave him. Which scared her more? Losing her innocence or losing him.
"Let's leave here," she rasped breathlessly as his mouth continued a heated exploration of her collar bone and the rounded tops of her breast which peeked from the top of the scooped neckline of her dress. His head came up and he stared at her with an unspoken question in his eyes.
"Go get one of the horses and I'll go pack some things and we'll just ride out of here. It'll be just you and me on the back of a horse, out in the wilderness. Just like before. We'll go where nobody can find us."
Now he knew what had brought on this wild and reckless bout of foreplay. She was trying to seduce him, so he would ride off with her and she wouldn't have to face her aunt. "Nobody, huh? Don't you mean so she won't find us?"
She looked away, not wanting him to see in her eyes how right he was. She began anew her wanton exploration of his chest and belly, hoping to drive him to distraction. She did not want to talk anymore about her. But it didn't work. He took her wrists in gentle hands and ceased her explorations. She knew she couldn't fool him. She let her hands drop to her sides.
As he pulled his bunched up shirt back down over his naked torso, he studied her face. It was flushed with the heat of desire, her lips red from the force of his kisses. "You know you really are quite the little con artist. Was all that just to get me so worked up I'd leave here with you, have my way with you and then be obligated to make an honest woman of you?"
She hung her head shamefully. He was too smart to fool. "Was it working?" she gave him a coy impish look from under the veil of her lashes.
"You know it was. But , sweetheart, running away is not the answer. Neither is sacrificing your virtue just because your afraid of what might happen. Why are so afraid?"
She started to cry, "Something's going to happen. I can feel it. I just know it. Something's going to take you away from me."
"I'm all for believing in instincts, but what makes you think that one woman can cause anything that would take me away from you. She doesn't know who I really am. She can't say you aren't being provided for. And unless she's a heartless old prune, she's going to see how much we love each other. She's the only blood family you've got, and you shouldn't deprive her of the opportunity to get to know how wonderful and amazing you are. Will you give her a chance, for me?"
She smiled ruefully as he gathered her in his strong arms. She could never say no to anything he asked of her. "Only for you," she managed to whisper into his shoulder. She held onto him tightly as he rocked her in his comforting embrace. She would try to ignore the prickling feeling at the back of her mind for his sake. But it was there never the less. Had been there since she'd seen that piece of paper in Mr. McCreedy's hand. Trouble was coming. And it was arriving this Tuesday in Cold Springs, Texas on the 11:00 a.m. train.
