Where the Green Briers Twine--Part 1

by Pat Storm

Andy's growing pains, gypsies and sheep are only the beginning of Slim's, Jess' and Jonesy's problems.

Where the Greenbriers Twine

Prologue

The morning on the Sherman ranch broke like most, the sun coming up to wake the sleepy occupants. The days were growing shorter as summer was waning and fall was creeping up to assault them. The mornings were crisp and cool, sometimes even cold, but the days were sunny and still warm to hot as long as the wind wasn't blowing cold air into Wyoming from Canada.

Even though it was only early August, Canada geese could already be seen cutting the sky in huge v-shaped flocks winging south to their wintering grounds. They make enough noise to wake the ranch house inhabitants hadn't the crack of dawn, and the crowing roosters, not already done so. They were an ominous warning of what was to come to the territory in another month or two.

First to rise was Jonesy, stretching his back to force away the stiffness that always came upon him each morning. In his advanced years he found that the cooler mornings tended to create more and more aches and pains upon waking. His back had been a problem for many years due to an old injury from when he was younger, but it was the new twinges and discomforts that concerned him the most. He dreaded getting older and imagining how much more these nuisances could become more painful to the point that he might not be able to get out of bed to tend to his many chores.

His body resembling a walking question mark, the older man shuffled first to the living area putting some applewood and hickory logs into the almost extinguished fireplace. Stirring the coals, he woke a spark. Tossing some kindling into the red glow, a small flame resulted and started to lick at the larger logs releasing the fragrant scent of the burning hardwoods. He recognized that taking the chill off the house would bring some relief to the aching in his bones and joints. At least when the morning fire died down, the heat from the sun baking the roof of the small ranch house would warm it until dusk in the lingering summer days. Once Jonesy was sure the fire was well on its way to warming the little house, he ambled toward the kitchen rubbing his painful knuckles, to start breakfast for the three young men for whom he cared for at the ranch.

In one bedroom, Andy was awake and staring out the window from his bunk, looking out at the day as it was brightening. He knew he had to get up and get his morning chores done before going off to school. Hating the goose bumps from the chill of the morning, he got up, pulling his blanket around him as he shuddered against the cold. Going to his bedroom door, he opened it a crack to see if Jonesy was awake yet. If he was, the young teen knew that he wouldn't have time to crawl back into his bed to grab a few more winks of sleep. Sure enough, Jonesy toddled by his door headed for the kitchen. Even if Andy hadn't seen the older man, the flush of heat from the outer room hitting his face would have revealed to him that someone was already awake in the house and had revived the fire.

Noticing the door ajar, Jonesy stopped in mid stride, "Morning, Andy."

Opening the door a little farther, Andy's face appeared, "Mornin', Jonesy. I reckon it's time to get up, huh?"

"I reckon," Jonesy said, again reaching for the small of his back as he continued on to the kitchen. "If you want to eat, better get out to the coop and bring in some eggs."

"I know, Jonesy. Gettin' dressed right away." The boy responded, closing the door to go find his clothes.

In another bedroom, Slim and Jess were awake. They were already discussing the chores they had ahead of them for the day while shaving at the dresser in their room. Half dressed, they were eager to get started while they had daylight on these shortening days. Chasing cattle or horses after dark wasn't high on their list of things to do. With winter coming closer by the day, getting all the fences in good repair was a must. The weather was never kind during the winter months. Repairs were always necessary, even when the fence was in good shape before the heavy snows and ice storms came.

Once the two men were dressed, they carried their boots to the living area. Sitting down before the hearth, they were grateful for its warmth to loosen their own morning stiffness resulting from the previous day's strenuous work. Slim smiled with the memories of home and hearth, grateful for what life had dealt him. The fire brought different memories of a terrible time in Jess' life when he'd lost his family. Trying hard to push those thoughts aside, they didn't pass by Slim's scrutiny. Almost like reading Jess' mind, Slim put his arm across his friend's shoulders, pulling him a little closer, letting him know that he no longer needed to worry about those long ago days. Jess now had a family and was safe in the arms of his newfound kin. Jess looked at his boss, a smile spreading across his sullen face, fully accepting the message his best friend was sending him in that brief interaction. In silence, but enjoying the private moment fully, they pulled on their boots before heading for the kitchen.

"Morning, Jonesy," the tall blonde man said as he entered the room. "Coffee ready yet?"

"Keep your shirt on, I'm moving as fast as I can," the older man responded, conveying his agitation while using his gathered apron to pull a tray of biscuits from the stove. "I got two hands and both of them are busy right now."

"Back bothering you again?" Slim asked as he noticed how difficult it appeared for the older man to straighten up after stooping over to retrieve the tray from the stove. Slim reached in the cupboard to pull out some cups for the anticipated coffee, trying to be helpful, leaving one less thing for the older man to have to do.

"Yeah, I reckon it's going be a long winter, and it's going to be here too soon for my liking," Jonesy said, reaching for the coffee pot lid to check the progress of the brew. "Coffee won't be long, Slim."

"Is Andy up yet?" the blonde man asked, never to let anyone get away with not doing their share around the ranch, much less his little brother.

"Yeah, he's out getting the eggs for breakfast. He should be back in a minute," the older man said, pulling a fry pan out from the cupboard, unable to hide the wince on his face as another of his pains sneaked up on him. After throwing some of the bacon he'd previously sliced into the pan, he slowly hobbled to the door to see what was keeping Andy with the eggs.

The youngster came around the corner of the house, basket in hand, looking over his shoulder as if he'd seen or heard something unusual.

"Don't dawdle, boy," the impatient older man said, not taking notice of the young teen's quizzical expression.

"Here ya go, Jonesy," the boy said, handing the impatient man the basket. Looking to his brother, he said, "Mornin', Slim. Hey, there's somethin' goin' on out past the corral. I heard somethin', not sure what it was, though."

Overhearing the conversation, Jess came into the kitchen, "Yeah? What did it sound like?" he asked with suspicious interest.

"Mornin', Jess," Andy said, shaking his head. "Not sure. Almost like a calf, but not quite, and we don't have any that young here now anyway."

"Calf? This time of year? I doubt it." Slim said, reaching for the coffee pot, checking the brew inside. Deciding it had steeped long enough, he poured some into the three cups, offering one to his friend and picking one up for himself. The last was for Jonesy once he was done cracking eggs into the frying pan.

Leaning against the cupboard, Slim inquired, "You say it was out the other side of the corral?"

"Yeah, I think so," the boy reconfirmed his impression.

"Well, you get ready for school. Jess and I'll ride out that way to check on it after breakfast." the older brother said, taking a sip of his coffee as he followed Jess to the table.

Chapter 1

Finished with breakfast, the two ranchers were ready to set out when a knock came to the door. Slim opened it to find a young, dark-haired girl about Andy's age on the porch, her horse tied to the post near the house.

"Good morning, sir," she said, her dark eyes dancing as she looked up at the tall rancher. "My father sent me to ask for your help. Our vardo, I mean, our wagon, broke down just over the ridge," she said, pointing west of the corral. "The axle and wheel are broken. He was wondering if he could use some of your tools to try and repair it."

"Of course," Slim said, smiling at her.

Andy and Jess joined Slim as he went out on the porch with the girl. "I'll ride out with you to see what you need. If you need a place to stay for a few days, you're welcome to stay here at the ranch," Slim added.

"Why thank you. I know my father will be very grateful to hear that," the brightly dressed girl replied with a brilliant smile.

"I'm Slim Sherman, and this is my brother, Andy," the rancher said, putting his arm across the shoulders of his sibling. "We own this ranch. Jess, here," he added, nodding in the direction of his friend, "he's our ranch-hand. We'll all be glad to help you."

"My name is Crina," the young teenaged girl said, smiling shyly at Andy from under dark, long, full eyelashes.

"That's a pretty name," Andy replied, already taking a liking to the pretty girl with the sparkling eyes.

"You better get your books, the stage will be here soon," Slim reminded the boy.

"Aw, Slim," Andy said, reluctantly turning to go back to the house.

"Goodbye, Andy. Nice to have met you," the young girl said, causing Andy to turn back around to wave to her before departing. A broad smile spread across his face. He was obviously already smitten.

"We have to ready the horses for the morning stage," Slim explained. "We can ride out to check on your wagon once we get the stage on its way," he quickly added.

"I can help you with your horses, if you wish" the girl said.

"You?" Jess asked, surprised that such a little thing would volunteer.

"Yes, I am quite good with horses. They like me and I like them, and they know it. You are so kind. Please, let me help," she said putting her hands on her hips.

The two ranchers exchanged glances. "I think we'd better handle this one, ourselves, Miss, but thanks for the offer," Slim said, amused by her spunk. "Why don't you ride back and tell your father that we'll be there shortly. We do this everyday and know what we're doing, it really only takes the two of us. Besides, your father's probably waiting and worried about what happened to you."

"He won't be worried, but I guess he'd like to know that help is on the way. I will go ride to tell him you will be coming. Thank you." Crina said, turning to go to where her horse was waiting. Climbing up on the aged gray horse, she turned him to where the two men were still standing and watching her. "Thank you, again," she said before booting her horse into a lope out of the yard, heading through an open field to the west part of the ranch.

In the distance, the two young men heard the sound that Andy had previously described. Listening closely, Jess commented, "Ummmm, Slim, I don't know about you but I don't like the sound of that. Sounds like sheep to me."

"Yeah, it does. Maybe they're driving some sheep to market."

Jess shook his head as he ambled toward the barn to get the stage equipment, muttering, "Why did they have to break down here. They'll ruin that pasture for sure."

Following close behind his friend, Slim overheard Jess' grumbling, "Don't worry, they won't be here that long. We'll fix their wagon and send them on their way, Pard."

Reaching for the leather harnesses hanging on the wall, Jess said, "I hope so. We sure don't need any sheepherders around these parts. Every time I've run into sheep it seems like a range war breaks out."

"So I've heard. They're probably just passing through." Slim replied. Worry lines creased his forehead as he looked off in the direction of where the distinct sound of sheep was carried on the morning breeze.

"Sure hope you're right." Jess said, carrying the equipment out of the barn toward the corral to harness the horses to await the morning relief run.

After the stage left, taking Andy off to school, the two ranchers saddled their horses to ride to the near west pasture to check on the broken down wagon. Upon their arrival they found a full gypsy camp of several wagons set up, along with a hundred or more sheep grazing on the lush grass of the field. Three men on horseback, along with four sheep-herding dogs, were tending to the flock.

Glancing at his companion, Jess could tell that Slim wasn't happy to see so many sheep taking advantage of the grass that was to be used in the spring for the heifers giving birth where they'd be closer to the house and away from predator sheltering buttes. The sheep would eat the grass down to nubs, if not pulling it out by the root. Both men had heard of, but not experienced, fields destroyed by excessive sheep herding.

Riding into the camp, Crina ran out to meet them, calling to her father. Slim dismounted, handing the reins to Jess, who remained in the saddle.

The older gypsy came forward, presenting his hand in friendship, "My name is Dragos, welcome to our camp," he said, as Slim shook his hand, trying to hide his displeasure of the situation.

'His camp?' Jess snorted to himself as he surveyed Slim's land being used by the traveling troupe.

"I'm Slim Sherman, I own this ranch. I understand you're in need of tools to repair your wagon," Slim said, looking to see which of the wagons was in distress.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Sherman, that vardo over there," Dragos said, pointing to one of the larger, gaudily painted wooden covered wagons.

"How did you get here? This is private property, there's a fence…" Slim started to say, again looking at the herd of sheep, his irritation beginning to show.

"We took the fence down. We would have had to go around the canyon otherwise. We replaced the fence and would not have stopped if the vardo had not broken down. I am so very sorry. I know how ranchers frown upon our sheep. I am truly sorry, Mr. Sherman. If I could pay you, I would, but we have no money. I could give you some sheep in payment, if you wish…" the strangely dressed man apologized.

"No, no, we don't want any sheep. We'll help you fix your wagon so you can be on your way. What seems to be broken?" Slim asked, as they strode toward the damaged wagon.

"It is the axle and the wheel that is broken. It may take us some time to get it fixed, I'm afraid. The back axle took a lot of weight, as well, when the front axle broke. I am afraid that when we jack up the vardo, it may break that one as well," the sheepherder said as two other men from the band joined them beside the broken wagon.

"This is Mihail and Grigore, my brothers." Dragos introduced the pair. The two men were dressed in the same baggy britches as Dragos wearing brightly colored sashes tied around their waists. All were donning headbands, much in the tradition of the Apache Indians, keeping their long hair from blowing into their eyes. One man was sporting a rather large hooped earring, Slim noted.

Remembering Jess waiting on the horse behind them, Slim turned and waved him to where the men stood, introducing him to the Romanian men.

From the wagons, several people were looking out, while others were milling around the camp doing various chores, but all eyes gaped in the direction where the men were talking. The camp was full of all ages from the very young to the very old, all curious about the two men who had come to help them; each keeping their distance, but straining their ears to listen to the conversation. Not often were they welcome anywhere and finding anyone to help them was never an easy find.

From his horse, unconsciously chewing at his bottom lip, Jess tried to count the number of sheep, guessing that there was more than a hundred hungry mouths ripping at the grass. Already he could see near bare spots surrounding the herd where the animals had already grazed.

Slim examined the damaged wagon finding that, sure enough, the wheel was irreparable and that the axle, as well would need to be replaced. Sadly, as reported, the back axle looked seriously worn and wouldn't last much longer even if the stress of jacking up the wagon didn't break it. Checking the other wooden wheels, the men found another that was missing two spokes and would need repair as well. All in all, it would take days to get the materials together to make the wagon travel worthy once again, much to Slim's dismay.

Deciding on which tools would be necessary, Slim promised the men he'd be back shortly with them so they could get started at trying to do what repairs they could manage before deciding on what other materials they'd need to complete the job.

Chapter 2

Heading back to the ranch, Jess started to "baaaaaa," unable to disguise his impish grin.

"Funny, Harper, real funny," Slim commented with no humor visible in his tone, his own thoughts wrapped up in the damage he perceived that the sheep were doing to his pasture.

"Bet ya never thought ya'd be haborin' any sheep here on the ranch," Jess laughed, finding the situation amusing.

"They had to pick that pasture to come through," the tall rancher said soberly, "It was coming back just the way I wanted and now this. We'll have to use the east pasture for the calving now I reckon. I don't like the wire there for the calves. We could lose a few out there."

"Yeah, I know whatcha mean, Pard. We'll manage. That grass is just as good."

"But it's too close to the butte. We'll have to worry about the big cats, too."

"Not much we can do about it. A few days fixin' that wagon 'n those sheep'll have the grass ruined out there. Maybe we'll have time to do something with that east fencin' before we need to move the cattle there," Jess tried to assure his friend.

"You still don't know this part of the country, Jess. They'll be calving while there's still snow on the ground. We have them all in the pasture next to the west pasture, easy to move them, now we have to drive them to the east side," Slim remonstrated sourly.

"So, we move 'em now to the pasture south of the east side. We move 'em there now, then come spring, they'll be set to move in closer for calvin'," Jess suggested.

"I reckon. They'll owe us. I'll ask for a few of their men to help us herd them there. I reckon that's all we can do," the tall rancher agreed.

"That looked like a pretty heavy axle," the dark haired man commented.

"Yeah, I think they'll have to get one from town. I doubt we have anything straight or heavy enough here on the ranch to work. They'll have to go to town to find one, and I think we'll have to haul it back for them. It doesn't look like they're equipped to be able to do it," the blonde man said.

"That could take days," Jess said, concern notable in his voice. "There won't be much of anything left out there. They'll be movin' those sheep along to graze the whole time."

"I know. That's what has me worried. We have to get them moving as soon as we can."

At the barn, the two men gathered the tools they thought would be necessary to get started at working on the damaged wagon. Before leaving, Slim went to the house to fill Jonesy in on the situation, raising the older man's concern over the damage that sheep were known to cause to grasslands. "If sheep aren't bad enough, but a thieving gypsy camp, to boot," Jonesy muttered as he followed Slim to the door. "What if the neighbors find out?" were the final words Slim heard as he closed the door behind him.

Slim was glad to close the door on the older man's ravings. He was already stressed over the circumstances. He really didn't need Jonesy adding to his concerns.

Jess had the wagon team hitched and ready to carry the tools to the Romani camp when Slim reached at the barn. Climbing into the wagon, Slim remarked, "Jonesy isn't too happy about those folks out there. He says that gypsies are known thieves. I sure hope he's wrong."

"Never met any. I've heard tales, too, but ya hear tales about all sorts of folk, Indians, Mexicans. I know good 'n bad in all 'em. I reckon we gotta give 'em the benefit of the doubt, not much more we can do right now. They're not gonna move on with that broken wagon, that's for sure," the younger man said.

Slim nodded in agreement, "I reckon we'll have to keep it in mind and make sure nothing turns up missing. I'd like to think those folks are honest herders and just passing through. Jonesy said to count the chickens," he smiled, shaking his head. "Funny how some people are labeled due to a few bad apples. Look what they say about Texans."

"Huh? What do they say about Texans?" Jess asked incredulously, his thoughts of the gypsy band now forgotten.

"Nothing, Pard. Just funnin' ya," Slim said, grinning as he slapped the reins to get the horses moving.

The light-heartedness of the moment was short -lived when they arrived at the mended fencing where the sheep were pushed through into the pasture. They could see where the grass had been ripped from the ground. The reputation of sheep was being revealed to the two ranchers as a sad truth. Neither man had ever witnessed sheep damage personally but they'd heard tell from others and now understood the reason for the wars that tended to arise between the cattlemen and sheepherders. They'd be very happy to see these people and their sheep move on from the Sherman ranch as quickly as possible.

When the two men reached the gathering of wagons, they saw that the camp had already been set up as if it had been there for days. There were several cook fires burning with large iron pots puffing aromatic steam into the cool late morning air. Some men were setting up awnings attached to the sides of the wagons while a few women were cooking food in kitchen sized pans and pots over smaller fires closer to their wagons. Several children were playing games of tag and chasing each other, squealing in delight. Others, of all ages, were in the field tending to the sheep. They worked along with a few dogs keeping the flock together. One herder whistled cues to the dogs to move the herd, keeping them close together and not allowing any of the animals to stray from the direction they were driving them. Seeing that the sheep were being kept in a small area eased Slim's mind some, but he knew that they would keep slowly moving as they grazed. Scattered or all in a smaller moving mass, the grass was being used up just the same.

Seeing the buckboard approaching, Dragos, and his brother Mihail, left the broken vardo where they were unloading some of their possessions to lighten it. Dragos smiled to see that the ranchers were well prepared with tools and a hoist to help them jack up the wheeled dwelling. "That was fast, Mr. Sherman. I am much obliged. We are unloading much of the wagon to take weight off the other axle so it too does not break, but there it looks like it was badly damaged, as well. I am afraid we will need to replace them both. That one will not last long and we have a long way to travel for the winter."

"We don't have lumber to make an axle for that heavy of a wagon, Mr., ummm. I'm afraid I didn't get your last name," Slim apologized, climbing down from the wagon.

"Oh, no, Mr. Sherman, Dragos is just fine. I am afraid most people have difficulty with my last name. I seldom use it. I will call more to help us get things unloaded from your wagon," the darkly tanned man said, calling out to some of the other men. "I am sure you want to return to your own chores as soon as possible. I do not want to inconvenience you too much," he smiled, as he grabbed a handful of tools and put them on the ground near the broken wagon.

It took no time for the seven men to unload the buckboard, hook up the pulley operation, and chain the damaged vardo in preparation for lifting. Once the broken wagon was stabilized, some of the camp's men returned to unloading the defective wagon of furniture and goods to other vardos or under the outstretched awnings. When nothing more was to be removed, Jess took charge of the team of horses and pulled the broken wagon into position so the men could put empty water barrels under it to hold it in place for fixing any other damage to the undercarriage they might find.

"Mr. Sherman…" Dragos began.

"Slim, please call me Slim. We needn't be so formal. I feel funny calling you by your first name and you calling me Mr. Sherman. Slim is fine," the tall blonde said, wiping his sleeve across the bead of sweat that had formed on his forehead while helping to roll and then stand up the large, heavy barrels into their shoring places.

"Very well, thank you, Mr., I mean, Slim," Dragos said, the smile spreading to his dark, sparkling eyes. Slim could see that Crina certainly had her father's eyes. "My family and I have been talking about how to repay you for your help, and I know our sheep are not welcome on most ranches. We would like it very much if you joined us for supper tonight. You and your family? Crina said you have a brother, too?"

"Yes, she met Andy this morning. We also have a friend that helps at the ranch."

Dragos interrupted him, "Of course, everyone at the ranch is welcome. May I ask how many to expect? We love to entertain guests. It will be a festival, my friend."

"Oh, well, that would be four of us, but, I hate to impose," Slim said, trying to dodge the invitation, already dreading what Jonesy might think and say.

"No imposing. You are doing so much for us. Many ranchers would have run us off, making us leave our vardo. We are a poor people, but we have food we can share. Let us at least do that for you and your family. You have already refused us giving you any of our sheep. Please. Please let us at least feed you and entertain you. We will have music and dance after we eat. Every night is as festive as we can make it. We wish to share it with you and your family," Dragos said, pointing to the large cook pots steaming with tempting aromas. "The food and wine shall flow freely," he winked at the two ranchers. "Watching the dancing may entice you to join us," he smiled slyly then winked again.

Slim looked at his friend. Jess shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what to say. He knew Slim was trying to back out of the commitment, but he had no idea how to say no any more diplomatically than his boss. Besides, it had never been his strong suit to say no to food or wine.

"I reckon we could use a break from the ranch, and Jonesy might enjoy not having to cook tonight. We do have work that we must get finished today, though. I reckon we could come tonight and join you," Slim conceded, looking at the camp, worrying a bit that it was looking more and more like a settlement than a temporary bivouac.

"Okay, then done. We will see you then. When is best for you?" Dragos pressed.

"The last stage today goes through around four. We should be able to head out sometime after that," Slim replied.

"Ah, well before dark. We will look forward to spending time with your family, Mr. ah, Slim. Bring your appetites. There will be plenty for everyone and, please, plan to stay for the festivities afterwards. Like I said, we will have music and dance. We live a simple life, but we make the most of it. The weather will be good, look to the west. Clear. No clouds. It will be good. Bring blankets, though, it may be a bit cool after the sun sets. The fires will be warm, but a good blanket will keep out any chill. Ah, but if you dance…" the gypsy went on, his eyes giving away his pleasure at being able to entertain his hosts, and very grateful to having not been run off the property.

"I'm afraid we don't dance,' Slim smiled, "but it will be fun to watch."

"Ah, we shall see," Dragos, said with a wink. "Until tonight, then. And thank you, ah, Slim, for the tools and help getting the vardo up on the barrels. We can now work and see what we need and I will send someone to town to find what we require to fix it. I fear we will have to hire someone to bring us the axles, though."

"No need to hire anyone. Once you have them ordered, Jess and I can take the buckboard to town and bring them out to you. Go to the livery, I think Wes can help you. He'll make you a new wheel, fix the spokes in the other, and get you the axles. He might have to order them, though. We don't have much need for heavy rigging like that around here much. Tell him that I'll be picking them up for you," Slim offered.

"That we will do. I hope he will take sheep as payment," Dragos said.

Obvious worry spread over Slim's face, "I don't think so. You mean you have no way to pay for the axles and wheel?"

"No, we are a poor people. We work off what we need to buy or trade in sheep. Perhaps he will let some of my brothers work for him to pay for the axle?"

"Dragos. I don't know what to tell you. I don't know what Wes will say or how he can help you. You'll have to talk with him, but you have to do something. I can't keep your sheep here on my ranch, you have to understand."

"I do, Mr. Sherman, I sincerely do. I am sorry this had to happen. You must understand, too, we do what we have to do," Dragos said, the sadness of the situation showed in his eyes.

"Yes, well see what you can do. We'll talk again tonight. Jess and I have work we have to get done today. Winter is getting too close and there's still too much we need to get done before the snow starts to fall. Good luck in town. The offer is still good for us to pick up your axles," Slim said, as he climbed into the wagon, where Jess had been patiently waiting, but in deep thought as he eyed the grazing sheep. Taking the reins in hand, Slim directed the horses to return to the house.

Once out of earshot of the camp, Jess finally spoke up, "Looks to me like they're settlin' in for a while."

"They can't stay for a while. You saw how patchy the grass is getting already and they haven't even been here much more than a day," Slim commented dourly.

"If they can't pay for the axles, then what? Are ya gonna make 'em move on without the wagon?" Jess asked.

"No, I can't do that," Slim responded.

"Then, what?"

"I don't know. Maybe Wes will take some sheep," the blonde man said, the doubt evident in his words.

"Oh yeah, Wes is gonna become a sheepherder. That oughta make him a real hit in town. It's gonna be bad enough when they find out you're keepin' sheep here at the ranch," Jess chuckled.

"Hadn't thought of that. But folks'll know we're not keeping them here, it's just a temporary thing."

Laughing, Jess said, "I sure wanna be with ya when ya go to town 'n explain this to 'em."

"I don't need to explain anything to anyone," Slim declared, his voice rising, as the gravity of the situation was wearing his patience thin. "And if they can't see it's something that was unplanned, an accident of sorts, well then… How do these things just always seem to happen at the wrong times?"

Smiling, Jess quipped, "Is there a right time?"

"Here," Slim said, handing the reins to Jess, "You drive" He was unable to hide his frustration with the whole turn of events and was losing his patience to even deal with the chore of driving the buckboard home.

Chapter 3

After putting the larger buckboard in its place next to the smaller wagon in the barn and the horses in the corral, the two ranchers headed for the house.

"Hey, Jonesy, is the coffee hot?" Jess called out as they walked through the door.

Suddenly a crash in the kitchen was heard, along with some loud uttering of mild oaths. Both men ran to see what had happened, catching Jonesy picking up a large cook pot from the floor. Spilt stew was spattered all over the floor. "Dadgum pot handle gave way and look what happened to our supper!" the older man shouted.

"Are you all right?" Slim asked. "You didn't get burned, did you?"

"No, no. I felt it letting go and jumped back in time," the older man reported. "Too late to get another pot going, I'll have to figure out something else for supper, I'm afraid." Stooping down, Jonesy started to mop up the mess with a towel, dropping the hot slop back into the handless pot.

Bending to help the older man, Jess said, "Well, Pard, this might help to break the news."

"News? News about what?" the older man asked, looking up from picking up some sloppy chunks of meat and vegetables.

"We've been invited for supper," Slim responded, a dubious look spreading over his face.

"Supper?" Jonsey asked, suspicion rapidly raising his eyebrows. He stood up, fists clenched as if he were ready for a fight, and looked Slim square in the eye. Meanwhile, Jess continued to sop up the spoiled stew, trying to keep from burning his hands on the hot mess by using a piece of rough flour sacking, normally used as a dish rag.

"Yeah, out at the camp," the blonde rancher said with a guilty smile. "They want to repay us for our help. It was that or them giving us some sheep. I know for sure I don't want or need any sheep here on the ranch. I've already seen the damage they leave in their wake."

"Oh, Slim, you're sure right, there. I've heard about those sheep wars south of here. And sheep are known carriers of disease, too. I don't cotton to those folks having sheep here on the ranch," worry lines appeared on Jonesy's face as he spoke.

"I know, Jonesy. I've heard it all, too, but these folks are stuck. We're going to try and send them on their way as soon as we can. They're still north of our herd and we're going to have to move the cattle before they travel on in that direction. I'm going to ask them tonight to help us move our herd to the southeast pasture for the winter," Slim said.

"But you never use that pasture for the winter. Do you think that's wise?" Jonesy asked, crouching down to help finish cleaning up the thickening stew broth.

"No reason not to," Slim responded. "It's just been the usual rotation here, that's all. I reckon we have to make a change due to the circumstances."

Standing up, tossing the cloth he'd been using into the pot, Jess said, "It should be fine. The grass is thick enough. Besides, once it snows, they'll be digging through the snow no matter where we put 'em. I agree with Slim. I know the east pasture 'n the butte isn't ideal for calvin' but we can make it work. Might just need to keep watch over the herd a little closer for the big cats that live up that way, that's all. Maybe spend a little more time up that way huntin' 'em, too."

"Oh yeah, forgot about them cats," Jonesy said, looking up from his chore. "What about them, Slim?"

"I reckon we'll deal with that when and if we have to. We don't have much choice, Jonesy. Those sheep are eating the grass down to the nub, and it won't have time to recover before the calves start coming, if it ever does. Right now it looks like it's true what we've heard, they pull up the roots and all. It might take a couple of years before we can use that pasture again," Slim sighed, shaking his head, looking toward the stove. "Is that coffee hot?"

"It's on the stove, ain't it? Of course it's hot," Jonesy retorted, a bit perturbed by what he perceived as a stupid question.

Reaching into the cupboard, Slim took down some cups while Jess went to the sink and pumped some water to wash the congealed stew from his hands. Once he dried his hands, Jess accepted the cup of hot coffee from his friend. Jonesy stood up and after wiping his sticky hands on his apron he reached for the cup waiting for him on the cutting table.

"Now, no one step there till I get me a bucket of hot water to wash it up," the older man cautioned before taking a gulp of coffee. "So, what's this all about with supper? I'm not sure we should get involved with those folks. Are you sure you want to?" disapproval was apparent in his question.

"They seem nice enough, and your worry about them being honest, well, so far they want to pay for what they're needing, maybe not with money, but seem to not want to be beholding to anyone," Slim assured the older man.

"Just count the chickens, Slim, count the chickens. What's on the menu?" Jonesy asked, taking another swig from his cup and making a bitter face, whether from the coffee or from his question was arguable.

"Didn't ask, but from the pots cookin' on the fires, I'd guess stew," Jess said, then cracking a smile, he added, "I sure hope they have a different recipe than yours, Jonesy. After seein' Mulligan all over the floor, I don't think I wanna see it in my bowl tonight."

"Funny, Mr. Harper. Next time I make my stew, your portion can go out to the hogs," the older man retorted sourly.

"I'm betting on lamb or rabbit stew," Slim said, trying to alleviate the bickering between the other two men.

"Ain't had a good lamb stew since I left Colorado. Might be nice to have somethin' a little different for a change," Jess said, finishing his coffee and reaching for the pot to pour himself another cup.

"Hold it, Pard." Slim said, as he reached out to stop his friend from picking up the coffee pot. "We have to get out to the barn. The stage will be coming through soon and Andy'll be back. We haven't gotten anything much done around here yet today. Let's get the horses ready and then we can work on the bad spot in the loft's floor while we wait for the stage. Once Andy gets home, we can get him to help us with mucking out some of the stalls. Come on, Pard," he said, lightly punching his friend in the chest with the back of his open hand as he headed toward the door.

Jess followed his boss through the door and out on the porch. Both men stopped, glancing in the direction of where the sheepherders where squatting. The light breeze carried the scent of sheep, a totally new smell to both ranchers, one that they inherently knew they didn't like. The sooner their visitors moved on, the happier they'd be.

Working in unison, the two men readied the fresh team to await the arrival of the stage, due within the next half hour or so. Climbing into the barn mow, both men examined the area where some boards felt a little weak. The squeak when they walked on the suspicious boards gave the spot away quickly.

"Looks like a few boards over these should do it," Jess suggested, looking for a quick and easy fix.

"And then you trip over them in the dark every time you have to come up here? Nope, we'll pull these up and replace them the right way. Look, see these knotholes? " Slim pointed at the place in the floor they'd felt the most springiness when they walked over them. "That's where they're weak. I'm surprised my father didn't notice it when he built the barn. But then, with the barn raising, maybe he didn't inspect all the work being done, I reckon. These two seem to be the only weak ones. I'll get the crowbar. This shouldn't take long. You get the saw and saw horses. I think the measuring tape is in the toolbox with the crowbar. I'll get that and a couple of hammers."

By the time they'd gathered the tools, wooden planks and set things up, they heard the clatter of the stagecoach coming over the hill, leading to the ranch. Leaving their repairs for the moment, they went out to meet it.

The breakneck speed at which the stage approached indicated that it was probably empty, except for Andy returning from school. Racing into the yard, the driver pulled up the team just short of where the two men stood, causing Slim to take a cautionary step backwards.

Grinning down from his seat on the stage, Mose observed, "Nope, still not on the mark, yet."

"Close enough, Mose, close enough," Jess said, always looking to push the margins and proud that he didn't give into flinching to satisfy the driver.

Andy jumped down from inside the coach, "Great ride, Mose!" he commented, smiling up at the driver, thrilled with the adventure of his day. "Next time, kin I ride shotgun?"

"With Mose driving' you'll never ride shotgun as long as your brother has anything to say about it," Jess said, giving the boy's hair a tousle.

"Aw, Jess," the boy said, as he tried to smooth down his hair, almost losing hold of his schoolbooks and book bag.

"That's right. The way Mose drives, you'd end up bouncing off up on the hill, I'm afraid," Slim added, smiling at the boy as the driver climbed down from the box.

"Come on, Andy, help me get the horses," Jess said, leading the way to where the fresh team was tied. Slim and Mose began unhitching the spent animals as the dark-haired pair brought the fresh horses toward the stage. Once the tired team was released, Slim and Mose hitched the new horses to the stage while Andy and Jess took the spent team away to unharness them, give them a quick onceover and release them into the corral for some fresh water and hay.

"On your way, Mose. See you on your next run," Slim said, as he watched to elderly driver climb back into the seat.

"You betcha," Mose called, as he turned the coach in the yard then gave the team a slap of the reins to head them out at a fast pace. Slim watched, shaking his head, admiring Mose for his spirit and love of adventure with every trip, and hoping that when he reached Mose's age, he, too, would be so spry.

Andy asked about the girl that he'd met that morning and Slim told him about the wagons and sheep out in the west meadow. "Sheep?" Andy questioned with excitement, never having seen any in his short lifetime. Eagerly he glanced in direction of where the camp was, only seeing a hint of smoke wafting in the nearly still air and a hint of bleating in the distance.

"You'll be meeting some of them tonight. The folks at the camp have invited us to supper," the older brother said, with a guarded smile.

"Yeah, and probably taste one, too," Jess teased, then smiling added, "unless they're servin' chicken that they found around here. Did ya count the chickens like Jonesy said, Pard?"

"Jess," Slim admonished with a stern look. Jess instantly understood and resorted to biting his bottom lip before uttering anything else that might raise his friend's ire.

Slim took his little brother aside to explain to him about the lifestyle of the people he would be meeting that evening. Andy was totally fascinated that anyone actually lived a nomadic life, taking their herds to different territories with the changes of season and living in wagons all of their lives. He couldn't wait to meet these people and to see the girl he'd met that morning once again.

Chapter 4

"Come on, Jonesy, ya gotta go with us," Andy chided the reluctant older man.

"I don't think I want to. You boys go if you want. Besides, it's gonna get cold tonight and my aches and pains will be back. I'll keep a log on the fire so the house is warm for you when you get back." Jonesy responded, disapprovingly.

"But ya gotta eat. Ya said that supper was ruined," the boy continued trying to persuade him.

Jess came out of the bedroom where both men had been washing up and changing into clean clothes for their outing. Overhearing the conversation, he wandered into the kitchen where Andy was pressuring Jonesy. Taking a cup down from the cupboard, the cowboy poured himself some coffee then leaned against the chopping block, sipping at the hot liquid.

"Jess, tell Jonesy he's gotta go. It would be downright unneighborly if he doesn't go," the boy said, trying to gain some support in nagging the older man into joining them.

"I think Andy's right, it wouldn't be neighborly," Jess agreed, winking at the boy to assure him that he'd support him in his goading Jonesy into joining them.

"Like I told Andy, it's gonna get cold and I don't want to be sitting out in it. It's bad enough getting up on these colder mornings and trying to get my ol' bones moving." Jonesy countered, reaching for the small of his back to accentuate his point. "And they ain't neighbors."

"They've got a bunch of fires goin' out there, ya can plant yourself real close to one, Jonesy. I don't think ya have a good enough argument for bein' unneighborly," Jess pressed, enjoying putting the older man on the spot.

"Out numbered by a couple of whippersnappers," Jonesy barked. "You two go if you're so all fired up to it. Go! Go have fun. Eat till ya burst," the older man said as he turned and walked out of the kitchen and met Slim coming out from his bedroom.

"Are we all ready?" the tall blonde asked, reaching for his jacket, hanging on a hook near the door.

"Jess 'n me are, but Jonesy's not goin'," Andy dismally reported to his big brother. "I told him it wasn't neighborly," the boy repeated, turning to look at Jonesy accusingly.

"Jonsey, Andy's right. We were all invited. I told them there'd be four of us," Slim said, unable to hide his disappointment.

"Just tell them I wasn't feeling well, or something," the stubborn man insisted. "Besides, if I did go, I wouldn't be able to get out of bed to make you breakfast in the morning. You know how my rhumatis is in the morning when it's cold."

"It's a losin' battle, Slim. We've both been tryin' to convince him. You know how Jonesy and mules have a lot in common. I'm thinkin' that's why he wears that hat all the time. To hide them long ears under it." Jess said, as he walked to the hook near the door where he took down his jacket and slipped it on.

"I know what I'm doing. It's you boys who need time to learn as much as this old man knows," Jonesy said, "And I wear my hat all the time so's I know where it's at, Mr. Smart-mouth!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Slim asked, puzzlement apparent on his face, though he could guess what the older man was hinting at. He surmised that they must have been discussing Jonesy's opinion of gypsies while the rancher was still in his bedroom.

"Just go to your party and be careful. And don't play no cards with them, understand?" Jonesy cautioned.

Deciding to not expose Andy to any more misconceptions, Slim quickly said, "Come on, let's go. We don't want to keep our hosts waiting." He said while handing Andy his jacket and helping the boy to slip it on.

Putting his hand on Andy's shoulder, Slim guided him out the door. Jess was behind them and before he closed the door he said, "I wish ya'd change your mind, Jonesy. I think it would mean a lot to Andy and Slim."

Jonesy just shook his head and turned away, heading for the kitchen to rustle up something for himself to eat.

Jess followed the others to the barn to saddle their horses. Andy was so excited that he no longer had thoughts of Jonesy's stubbornness, nor questions concerning the older man's not wanting to go along to visit with their ranch-guest hosts.

Long before they reached the camp, the delicious scent of cooking food was wafting on the slight breeze coming at them from the west. The sky was clouding, but there wasn't a sign of storm clouds, only light fluffy clouds that promised to keep some of the day's heat from drifting off into space. It would be a cool evening but there was no danger of frost, at least not for another month or so.

As the three young ranchers rode into the camp they were greeted by several colorfully dressed men and women, including Dragos who showed them where to tie their horses. Jess stayed behind to loosen the cinches on the saddles while Dragos lead Slim and Andy around to meet the gathering group.

Jess joined the others once they were seated near a large bonfire. Barrels and logs were placed around the fire as temporary seating. Slim and Andy chose a large log, saving a place for Jess.

Music was gaily played by some of the men, two with concertinas, two on violins, one strumming a mandolin and one playing a balalaika. In an open area, dancers were frantically trying to keep up with the vigor of the music. Laughter was nearly enough to drown out the music as the dancers were so enjoying their workout.

Spotting Andy, Crina casually sauntered to where the ranchers were seated. "Hello, Andy. Remember me?" she asked coyly. She'd been watching and waiting for the visitors and bided her time before approaching them, not wanting to appear too bold.

"Oh yeah, a, sure," Andy responded, nervously.

"Good," she said, a broad smile with gleaming white teeth spread across her sensuous mouth. Taking Andy by the hand she said, "Come. Come dance with me."

In a bit of a panic, Andy looked at his older brother for help, "A, I don't know how to dance, I, a..."

"Come, I will teach you," the teenaged girl insisted, pulling him up by his hand. He was unable to remain seated as she pulled him.

She stood close to him, close enough that Andy could feel the heat of her body, making the whole situation even more uncomfortable for him. Looking to his brother again, he got nothing more than Slim smiling and encouraging him with a flip of his hand to go dance with the girl, "Have fun, little brother. You know how to dance, I've seen you at the town dances."

"But, but, they dance so different. Look," Andy said, pointing at the dancers with his free hand.

"I will teach you. We will start slow. It's easy. Really," she said, demurely smiling at the timid boy. "And it is so much fun once you learn," Crina prodded as she pulled him in the direction of the dancers.

Panic stricken, the boy looked back over his shoulder at the smiling older men; looking a bit like a calf being lead to the slaughter. Slim waved, amused at the sight of the boy's discomfort, yet glad to see that he was probably going to have a good time once he was dancing and shook his shyness.

Off to the side of the field where the others were dancing, Crina stopped him. "Here, put your hand here on my hip," she instructed the doe-eyed boy by placing his hand on the broad, colorful scarf adorning her hip, "and the other here on my shoulder." She guided his other hand to her shoulder. Slowly she showed him the fundamental steps to the dance. Andy was a bit clumsy but he caught on slowly and was able to pick up a little speed while trying to control his movements. Trying to match Crina's fluidity was impossible for the young man. Even if he couldn't match her, he was finding himself absorbed in watching her as he tried to keep up with her. He'd never met anyone quite like her. None of the girls in town could dance, move or smile quite like this gypsy girl. Andy couldn't take his eyes off her and had forgotten about all the other dancers in the field. He was charmed and felt that it was only he and Crina alone dancing, all the others in the field were no longer a part of his world.

The shadows were deepening and the firelight added a bit of a romantic aura to the dancing figures. Slim's blue eyes sparkled in the light from the flames as he watched his brother awkwardly trying to catch the rhythm of the music and dance with the wispy, graceful girl.

The whirling and twirling of the dancers had Jess almost mesmerized. One gal had captured his eye and he couldn't take his eyes off her. As she danced, her voluminous skirts spun, lifting higher and higher, showing her ankle, then her knee as she wildly gyrated, tapping a tambourine in time with the music. When the music stopped, she was breathless and bending over as she laughed, thoroughly having enjoyed the gambol. As the music struck up again, she seemed to have regained her breath and pranced off to dance with several others in some ritualistic dance that involved them all dancing in unison in a circular motion.

Between musical numbers, Dragos strolled out to the dancers, bringing a few back with him to introduce them to their guests. Unfortunately for Jess, Dragos did not bring the girl who'd caught his eye. The leader of the gypsy caravan introduced his visitors to more family members then sent them off for more fun and dancing while he sat down to talk with the ranchers.

"I have been to town to find some heavy axles for the wagon. I am afraid," Dragos said, apologetically, "that they do not have any in that size here in Laramie. They must send for some special from Fort Collins. It will be more than a week before they can have them delivered. I have no way to go fetch them, and paying for them is also a problem-sheep are not acceptable."

Deep creases weathered Slim's brow as he heard the news. This meant that the sheep would continue to destroy the grass in this field and maybe continue to eat their way through the grass on his ranch. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said, not knowing what else to say. He couldn't send these people off to some other rancher's land and there wasn't any open, unclaimed land in the immediate area. He knew how ranchers felt about sheep and some wouldn't think twice about killing them, leaving these poor people without their flock and livelihood. He turned to Jess to see if he had any ideas, but Jess was so absorbed in watching the dark-haired woman that he hadn't heard any of the conversation.

"Jess?" Slim said, breaking the spell his friend was in.

"Huh?" Jess said, still not taking his eyes off the fascinating young woman, a dreamy look in his dark blue eyes as he watched her whirl.

"Any ideas how we can help these folks?" Slim asked.

"Help?" Jess repeated, turning to finally look at his boss. "Sorry, I wasn't listenin', um, I was watchin' Andy," he lied.

"Dragos says they can't get the axles for a week or more. They have to come from Fort Collins in the next load coming this way. "

Unable to contain himself, Jess jumped to his feet, "Week or more? Why those sheep," he caught himself before completing his comment.

Dragos knew exactly what Jess was thinking and apologized for putting them in the situation and for what his sheep were doing to their pasture. "I wish I could do something, but I have no way to go get the axles myself. None of my vardos are equipped to haul anything like that. We must wait, and my people will need to find work to make money to pay for them. No one will take any of the sheep to pay for the axles. I asked the man in town but he only laughed at me and told me that this was cattle country and no one wanted any sheep here. He wasn't very friendly, but he was willing to order me some axles. He said he would wire Fort Collins to have them sent as soon as they could mill them. They told him it would take days to make them and then to send them in the next delivery to Laramie and Cheyenne."

After calming down and dismissing his embarrassment, Jess sat back down. All thoughts of the beautiful gypsy woman were all but forgotten with the new dilemma before them.

"Let us forget our troubles for a few hours and enjoy a wonderful meal. Ah, but you said there would be four of you. Is there another coming to join us?" Dragos asked.

"No. Jonesy, our friend, had things he needed to attend to back at the ranch. He asked us to extend his apologies," Slim said, uncomfortable with the falsehood.

"Ah, I see, "the gypsy man said absently, turning to look toward one of the cooking fires. "I see that some pots are being removed from the fire. The lamb on the spit is done, as well. We shall feast and forget our troubles, worry about them once we are sated. Come," he motioned the men to where long planks were set up on barrels, forming a table where eating utensils, plates, bowls and cups were waiting.

Chapter 5

The music stopped, signaling the dancers that dinner was about to be served and they started to wander toward the eating area from the trampled field.

Crina grabbed Andy's hand, leading him toward where the clan was gathering. The honored guests were seated and tended to by several of the women, filling their plates with fresh lamb, bowls of lamb stew, all seasoned with herbs they'd found around the campground or had stored in their vardos. The aroma was divine.

Crina secured a seat across the makeshift table from Andy. As youthful as she was, she'd already learned a seductive way, smiling with her eyes as well as with her enticing lips. Andy was falling deeply under her spell, smitten, yet too shy for it to be apparent to those around him; but Crina knew. She liked the boy immensely and was conscious of the power she already held over him. 'If only he was a little older,' she thought, wishing she could wrangle his heart and entice him into marrying her. To leave the band and become a rancher's wife would be wonderful, something she'd dreamed of, real roots, no more wandering from here to there and back again. No more drawing strange or poisonous stares from the people of the various towns they frequented in their travels. Oh, how she wished to belong someplace-not to always be on the roam.

Jess' eyes searched up and down the table for the beautiful young woman that had captivated him. When he found her, she was seated next to a man, about Jess' age. It was very apparent that they were a couple by the way he had his hands all over her and she wasn't discouraging his advances, dashing Jess' thoughts of meeting her and maybe taking her for a walk and talking to her.

Turning his attention to Andy and Crina, Jess tried to take his mind off the alluring gypsy woman. The teenaged pair was absorbed in telling each other stories, Andy about his menagerie and Crina about her exciting life, all the sights she'd seen and the country she'd traveled. Her stories seized the imagination of both of the young men, while Slim was absorbed in conversation with Dragos and his brothers.

The gypsy leader continued to sidetrack any conversation that pertained to their present predicament, insisting that they enjoy the meal in tranquility, leaving the serious talk for after they were finished eating. Slim finally relented, thoroughly enjoying the meal, having not had lamb often over the years.

The ladies brought second helpings around the table. Andy had been so drawn into his discussion with Crina that he'd almost forgotten to eat. "You do not like the food?" the older woman asked, as she stood over him with a platter full of sliced lamb.

"Oh, no, no," Andy said, "it's great, I've just been so busy talkin' I forgot to eat."

"Would you like a little more?" she asked, already pulling off some meat from the tray.

"Well, I reckon," Andy said, not having much choice in the matter as she placed it on his plate.

"More stew?" she asked, signaling one of the other ladies to bring the pot around to Andy.

"Um, yes, please, I guess," Andy replied, remembering his manners as more vegetable laden stew was ladled into his bowl.

"Goat's milk?" the first lady asked, motioning to an adolescent girl with a pitcher.

"Goat's milk?" Andy asked, not knowing that that was what was in his cup. He hadn't tasted it yet, thinking it was cows milk. "Um, no thanks. Maybe later. I haven't finished this," he pointed at his cup, "yet."

Crina giggled, so happy to see that Andy was enjoying himself and hoping that she'd see much more of him over the next week or more. "I think we'd better eat something," she whispered loudly, "before they take away our plates and we get nothing to eat."

"Would they do that?" Andy questioned, looking around to make sure no one was collecting any of the dishes yet. He was hungry, but just too busy and excited to think about eating.

"If they see us eating, they will leave us finish," Andy's new friend responded with a giggle, dipping her spoon into the thick stew. Andy followed suit, smiling as he tasted the delicious blend of spices, herbs, and fresh lamb's meat. He followed it by taking a sip of the foreign goat's milk, grinned that it tasted okay and moved on to taking a taste of the lamb's meat and herbed potatoes on his plate. He realized that he was even hungrier than he'd thought. He was hungry when they'd left home, but all the dancing and talking with Crina had taken his mind off his stomach. Now satisfying that hunger took over his immediate attention, but his eyes seldom left the vision of the teenaged gypsy girl nor did her eyes often leave his.

The older women started clearing the table as the men and youngsters showed they'd had their fill. Crina and Andy continued to eat and were passed over by those emptying the table.

Dragos, his brothers, Slim, and Jess ambled back to the larger blazing fire. The sun was at the horizon; brilliant blues and pinks encompassed the clouds to the west while to the east a large moon was already rising and peeking out from the darkening clouds.

"Now we talk. The others may dance again, if they wish," Dragos said as he motioned the ranchers to sit down with him. "I see my daughter and your brother have become fast friends. It is good for Crina to have a friend her own age. It's been a long time. Her cousin was killed up north when she fell from a cliff when chasing after some stray sheep. The overhang gave way and she fell to her death. She was only a little over a year older than Crina and was my daughter's best friend," the gypsy leader told his new benefactors.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Slim said, looking Dragos in the eye, seeing the sadness there from the gypsy man's loss.

"She was my sister's daughter. I was raising her as my own since she'd lost her parents in a wildfire down in the Arizona territory three years ago," Dragos continued.

"We have seen much tragedy in our family, but we make the best of what we have. We see and live much, even in our losses," Mihail added. "I must tend to the herd and let the others come to eat. Nice to see you again, Mr. Sherman, and you too, Mr. Harper," he said as he stood to leave, extending his hand.

Both Slim and Jess stood up to shake hands with the man before he left. As they sat back down, Dragos began again, "We must discuss arrangements for my people and herd. I know we are causing you great hardship. We do not want to be a burden. My people will go to town to find work so we can pay for the axles. The man in town was generous enough to order them for us without payment, but will not give them to us, of course, until we pay. I am glad he did that for us. Now to honor him with payment is our next challenge."

"I don't know how much work you'll find in town, but some of the ranchers might need help. If your men can herd cattle, do some branding, you might find some work," Slim suggested. Turning to Jess, he said, "You know, Pard, I was just thinking. Why can't we make the trip to pick up those axles, they'd get here faster. I could extend a loan for them, and some of Dragos' men could help with the ranch until we get back. We could leave a list of repairs for them to do while we're gone. And I'm sure they could handle the relay teams."

Uncomfortable with Slim's suggestion, Jess didn't know how to respond. He shrugged, but the tall blonde could tell by the look on Jess' face that he didn't like the idea.

Turning back to Dragos, Slim amended, "I reckon that Jess and I will have to discuss this further and I'll let you know if we can get away to pick up your axles."

"I understand," Dragos responded with a knowing smile. He figured that Jess was worried about his integrity in repaying his generous friend. "You sleep on it, we will talk again tomorrow?" Looking across the fire at the shadows of people gathering in the dancing area once again, the gypsy man stood up clapping his hands together and calling to the minstrels to once again bring them music. Within moments the air was full of lively, dance music.

When Andy and Crina had finished their meal, Crina took Andy by the hand and rather than leading him off to the dancing area, she took him for a walk away from the camp. They came to a large brambled thicket. Ducking down under some of the twisted branches, the girl lead the young man into a perfectly hidden clearing encircled by the tangled greenbrier bushes. Amazed that he'd never known it was there, Andy said, "Wow, how'd ya find this place?"

"I was searching for herbs and saw a small opening. I made it bigger so I could see what I might find. I thought it looked like an animal may have found refuge in the brambles and found this. Maybe coyotes or rabbits, I'm not sure. Come, let us sit and talk some more," she said, taking off the long, colorful scarf she had around her waist and laying it on the ground for them to sit upon.

The brambled cover was not quite six foot high, but it felt like they were inside a dwelling or cave that had an open top. Some branches overhanging the perimeter gave it a feeling of being enclosed. They were able to see stars starting to show themselves between the thick clouds when they parted. The moon lit things enough that Andy was able to mentally measure the clearing, marveling at how he'd never known that it was here and Crina, only being on the ranch for a day or two, having found it. It would be place where he could go if he wanted to be alone, not far from the house, yet secluded and unknown to the adults. Right now, though, it seemed like the perfect place to share with his newfound friend.

"Andy, what is it like to live in one place, not having to roam looking for fresh pasture or trying to beat the cold or the heat and always on the move?" Crina questioned, a haunted sadness resonating in her voice. If the moon had been brighter, Andy would have seen the same sorrow in her dark eyes.

"We don't move around, an' we don't beat the cold or heat. We get both 'n haveta live with it," Andy replied, picking up a small stone and tossing it at the wall of brambles. "Other than the weather, almost every day's the same. Not like you, your life sure sounds excitin'."

"It must be wonderful to call someplace home, not a wagon that might not be there the next time you turn around," she said longingly.

"I reckon," the boy said, turning to look at her, but all he could see in the darkness that was overtaking them was her silhouette. She was facing him, but he couldn't see her enticing face. Her hand was near his, and she took his into her own and pulled it close to her breast. He felt something moist hit his hand. Looking up, thinking it could be rain, Andy suddenly realizied that it was a tear. Uncomfortable and not knowing what to do or say, his reaction was to pull his hand away. Immediately he realized that he'd done the wrong thing and reached his hand back out to her. "Are you okay?" he asked nervously, as she once again grabbed hold of his hand with her own and pulled it close to her.

"Oh, I am sorry, I guess I'm just being a silly girl. Just thinking about what it must be like to have a real home. You are a lucky boy to have your ranch," she confessed.

"Lucky, heck Crina, I can't wait to leave here. I hate it here, the same thing every day. Nothin' ever new to see or do. You're the lucky one. What I'd give to trade places with ya. Seein' the country, just like Jess did. He's from Texas, ya know. He's been everywhere. I wanted to be just like Jess an' if he moved on I wanted to go with 'im."

Crina giggled, "It seems like we are never happy with what we have. I never looked at my life as an adventure."

"Why sure it is," Andy said, unable to contain the excitement in his voice. "Why, you've seen things I've only read about. You're right, Crina, every day is an adventure for you. Aw gee, I can only wish I could live your life."

"How old are you, Andy?"

"I'm almost fourteen, couple more months," he replied, "why?"

"With our people, you are almost a man. You should be able to do whatever you wish. Why not think about coming with us when we leave?" she tempted.

"Oh, well, why, I couldn't do that. Slim would, well, I can't," he countered, stumbling over his words as guilt clouded the thoughts that were so appealing to him.

"Don't decide now," the young woman said as she put her index finger of her free hand to Andy's lips. "We will be here for a few days. Think about it. When we are ready to go, you can decide then."

"Oh, that would make Slim real mad," Andy said, pulling his hand away, uneasiness overtaking his dreams of travel. "Why, he'd come lookin' for me an' your folks would be in real trouble." The boy stood up, almost feeling that he should flee the situation as if that would force the temptation of adventure from his thoughts.

"But if you are a man, what can your brother say if you decide to leave?" she persisted.

"He doesn't think of me as a man, I'm his little brother an' he'd hunt us down, I know it. We've talked about me goin' back east to school. He's okay with that, but runnin' off, I know he'd come after me. And what would your folks say? They don't even know me."

"We bring new people into the family whenever we marry. We could be promised and then you would be welcome," she said, standing up and moving uncomfortably close to the young man. His blood turned hot and he was feeling unknown stirrings in his body. This girl was doing strange things to him, not only to his mind, but he was also feeling his body reacting to her. Pressing her body into his, she kissed him lightly on his cheek, then drew away and sat back down on the scarf again.

Andy remained standing, staring off into the darkness, his emotions tumultuous and confused. Swallowing hard, he turned to look at her shadow for a moment before he sat down next to her again. Searching for the right words, his lips trembled, but nothing seemed to be the right thing to say, so he said nothing. She reached her body across the distance between them, this time finding his lips, and kissed them lightly before drawing back.

The boy could feel the heat in his face was radiating. Finally he found some words, but they weren't the ones he really wanted, "I, I think we'd better get back to the camp. They'll probably miss us an' be worried," he said, standing up and moving toward the now almost invisible opening in the tangled briers.

"Andy, are you okay? Did I frighten you?" she asked. "I like you very much. I have never met anyone like you. I want us to be friends. I only offered for you to go with us because you seemed so unhappy."

"I, I know that, Crina, but I really think we need to get back to the camp."

She stood up, picked up her scarf, and went to stand by the youth, "Are you all right, Andy?"

"Yeah," he responded, turning in her direction.

"Can this be our secret place? A place where we can meet while my family is here?" the girl asked, a glint of moonlight reflecting from her large, dark eyes.

"I suppose. You mean, ya wanna meet with me again?" the boy asked, afraid he'd alienated her with his reactions.

"Yes, I would love to see more of you. We could meet here everyday after you get back from school. I could help you do your homework and we could share more stories. Maybe you might want to change your mind. Maybe not. But it would be your choice. I think I was sent here to give you that choice. I believe in fate. We were meant to meet to give you this choice," she tempted him again with another light kiss to his cheek.

Putting his hand to the place she'd kissed him, Andy turned away to the opening again and started to crawl through it. Crina followed closely behind him. Once clear of the briers, Andy helped her to her feet and they headed back to the encampment where the music was still playing and almost everyone was dancing.

To the north of the camp, Andy could see what looked like a fog in the pasture, the white fleeces of the large herd of sheep. Some dark figures were around the perimeter keeping them together, as were the black and white working dogs, only their white patches showing up in the moonlight.

Strolling to where Jess and Slim were sitting, enjoying the dancers, Andy sat down next to his brother. "Where have you been?" Slim asked, with a smile. Andy could smell alcohol on his brother's breath and noticed the jug the men sitting encircling the fire were passing around. Jess took a swing, handing it back to his best friend, who held on to it awaiting a reply from his brother.

"Oh, me 'n Crina went for a walk to talk about the ranch 'n her travelin' an' all. We were just over there," he pointed to a wagon at the far end of the field. "We hadda get away from the loud music so we could talk without shoutin'," Andy fibbed, the blush that reddened his face not apparent in the light from the bonfire.

"That's nice," Slim said, throwing back the jug to take another swallow, then handing it to the man on the other side of Andy. "It's getting late and you have school tomorrow. I reckon it's time to get back to the house. What do you think, Jess?" he said turning to his friend.

Grinning, Jess said, with a slight slur to his words, "I don't have school tomorrow."

"No, but we have a stage line to run, that means you can't have a hangover in the morning. Time to say goodnight, Pard."

"Okay, goodnight, Pard," Jess said, grinning even more broadly.

"Come on, you may be hung over by morning, anyway. Time to go," Slim said, standing up and yanking Jess up by the elbow, himself not quite steady on his own feet.

"Dragos, thank you for the pleasant evening and wonderful meal and entertainment. I think all three of us really enjoyed ourselves," the tall blonde said, extending his hand to the gypsy leader. "Thank your whole family for making us feel so welcome."

"It is you who needs the thanks for allowing us to stay here on your land until we are able to move on. We are most grateful," Dragos replied, half bowing to his landlord.

"Think about what we talked about, Dragos. If we go pick up the axles we can get you on your way much sooner. You don't want to stay too long and run into bad weather heading south. You have a long way to go," Slim said, as the two men walked, slightly staggering, toward where the horses were tied, followed by Jess being supported occasionally by Andy as he weaved in a not too straight path.

Near a wagon, Andy could see Crina watching them. There was enough light from the bonfire that he could easily recognize her. He smiled and waved to her and she waved in return before blowing him a kiss.

Watching the innocent exchange, Jess couldn't repress a grin and gave Andy a little punch to the boy's arm. Andy grabbed his arm where he'd been punched and shyly looked up at Jess, unable to stifle his own grin. "Ya got yourself a real purdy gal," Jess teased, missing Andy's blush as he stumbled over a rock.

Once mounted, the three ranchers said their goodbyes to those who'd followed them. Turning their horses, they headed for home. Andy, bringing up the rear, turned a few times to see if he could still see Crina, but she was no longer in his sight. Whether she was no longer watching them or that it was just to dark to see her, he'd never really know.

Chapter 6

Pacing the floor, Jonesy was relieved to hear the three horses jogging into the yard and on to the barn. Not wanting to be too obvious that he'd been waiting for the boys to come home, he went to the old rocking chair, sat down and pretended to be asleep, a book lying open on his chest.

Opening the door, Andy came into the room, followed by his older brother. Seeing the sleeping Jonesy, the boy tiptoed to him and blew into his ear then smiled impishly at his brother. Feigning being startled and waking up, Jonesy grumbled some before asking about what had happened at the camp. Noticing the smell of alcohol on Slim's breath, he asked, "Had some doctorin' to do while you were out there, I take it?" To which the tall blonde only nodded his response with a smile. It was obvious to the older man that the rancher was feeling some effects of the spirits he'd imbibed, much to the older man's disdain. "You, with your younger brother with you, you ought to be ashamed of yourself."

"Nope, I'm fine. Just a friendly little drink with our visitors," Slim insisted as his body wavered slightly.

Jess had stayed in the barn to finish caring for the horses. They'd all been rubbed down by their riders, but he wanted to make sure they all had fresh hay and water and that their stalls were secure for the night before blowing out the oil lamp and going to the house. When he went in, Jonesy was already hearing the stories about the evening at the camp, his arms folded across his chest. Seeing Jess, Jonesy moseyed over to take a smell of his breath. "You had doctorin' done, too?" he asked sourly.

Looking helplessly at Slim, Jess didn't know how to answer. "Never mind," the older man said, returning to where the Sherman boys were still sitting at the table.

Jess followed Jonsey to the table, and behind his back he gave Slim a look of incomprehension as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Sit down," Jonesy ordered, and Jess obeyed.

Walking around the table, Jonesy began firing questions at all three as if it were the inquisition. It didn't take long before Slim couldn't contain his amusement of the situation and let go a blast of air from trying to control his laughter. Not holding back any longer, he started the other two young men laughing as well.

Disgusted with the whole lot of them, Jonesy stomped off to his room, not even saying goodnight and giving his bedroom door a slam to let the boys know he was not pleased with any of them.

"Ya think this means we gotta fix our own breakfast in the mornin'?" Jess quipped, still chuckling over Jonesy's behavior.

"I think he's really mad at us," Andy said, sounding concerned.

"Not you, Andy, me and Jess, I reckon. You know he doesn't think whiskey is anything to use unless it's for medicinal purposes. He knows Jess and I were being, well, a bit social, and he doesn't like it." Looking at Jess, "I wonder how the evening would have gone if he'd been with us."

"It woulda been interestin'," Jess said, getting up from the table. "I wonder if there's still some hot coffee on the stove. Want some if there is?"

"Sure, thanks, Pard." Slim responded, then looked at his younger brother, "and you, off to bed. You have school in the morning, remember?"

"Yeah, I am tired. All that dancin' an' all. I had fun. Thanks for takin' me with ya. Night, Slim," Andy said giving his brother a hug then calling out to Jess who was coming around the kitchen corner with two steaming cups of coffee, "Night, Jess."

"Goodnight, Tiger. Glad ya had fun tonight. Sleep well, see ya in the mornin'. If you're up earlier than us, maybe ya better scare us up some breakfast," Jess teased with a smile. Then loud enough for Jonesy to hear in his room, "As hard as Jonesy slammed the door, it might take a few days to get it open again."

The Sherman boys both laughed, and Andy headed for his room, wishing them both another goodnight.

Sitting down at the table, Jess handed one cup to his boss. "Do ya think it's wise to go to Fort Collins for those axles? That's a long drive. And do ya think Jonesy will be happy with some of Dragos' men here to help with the teams? I mean, I don't mind, they seem like good folks, but look at the fuss he's already been makin'"

"He'll be fine. He's just stubborn and he hasn't met any of them yet. Once he does, he'll see they're just plain folks like us and he'll be fine," Slim assured his friend. "He'll have to rely on them while we're gone. It's that or he has to change out the teams and we know how he feels about that."

"Whoa! Back up, Pard. I didn't think I was goin' with ya. I thought ya'd take Dragos or one of his brothers or someone from the camp. I really should stay here to make sure that things run smooth. Ya know, Jonesy 'n all." Jess countered, obviously not wanting to make the trip.

"No, I'm not taking anyone from the camp, they need to stay here and work to pay for those axles. It's a long ride, like you said, and I sure could use the company. And I bet you could use a change from the routine around here," Slim said, with an encouraging smile, truly wanting to have his good friend for company on the long drive to the far off town. Again Jess objected. "Okay, then, since I'm the boss here, I'm telling you I need the help and I want you to come along with me. How's that?"

Shaking his head, Jess gave a pained look, but finally conceded to his boss' wishes.

Chapter 7

Jess and Slim started out early the next morning for Fort Collins, bidding the grumbling Jonesy and disappointed Andy goodbye as they pulled the buckboard out of the ranch yard.

Shortly after they left, two gypsy men arrived at the house. Andy answered the door, recognizing the two men from the night before. He called to Jonesy, who was washing the breakfast dishes. Coming to the door, Jonesy wiped his wet hands on his apron.

"I reckon these are your helpers for the day, Jonesy," Andy proudly announced. "I forgot your names, I met so many people last night," the boy said apologetically.

"Ah, we understand, young one. Most of our names are unusual and remembering them can be quite difficult. I'm Markos," the older of the two men reached out to shake hands with Jonesy, who reluctantly offered his hand. "And this is my cousin Ion. We are here to help with the stages for the day. You will not have to feed us. We will return to camp for our meals, but we will be here to change the teams. We will need someone to show us where the equipment is kept."

"Oh, that will be me," Andy volunteered eagerly. "Come on, I'll show ya where everything is, and those horses in the corral are the stage-line horses. You can use any of them. The one's with the ear ticket are the lead animals."

Jonesy stood in the door, watching as the trio headed toward the barn, Andy chattering away merrily.

The men took no time at all to ready the animals and had the early team harnessed and awaiting the stage before it appeared.

Mose arrived, pulling up the stage horses in his usual manner, startling the new teamsters. While the two men changed out the team, Mose went into the house to find out what was going on. Where Slim and Jess were, and who were the peculiarly dressed strangers changing out his horses?

While chatting over a cup of coffee, Jonesy filled Mose in on the goings on over the last twenty-four hours at the ranch. Mose was amused that the Sherman ranch was harboring a large flock of sheep. Jonesy cautioned Mose to keep it under his hat and was assured that Mose wouldn't spread the embarrassing news.

Andy picked up his book bag and followed Mose out to the stage, hitching a ride to town. Before getting into the coach, Ion passed Andy a note, whispering to read it in the coach. He told Andy he was given the note in confidence and no one was to know what it said. Ion claimed that even he didn't know what it said. Andy was about to ask who it was from when Ion held his finger to his lips and shushed him before closing the coach door behind the boy.

Once the stagecoach started to move, Andy unfolded the note. Delicately written it said "Meet me where the greenbriers twine when you get back to the ranch. Don't forget. I will be waiting." It was signed with the single letter "C." Refolding the note, Andy smiled as he tucked it into his jacket pocket. The grin never faded for the twelve-mile trip to town. His thoughts were on the night before and the strange and confusing stirrings that he'd experienced with the alluring gypsy girl.

All day in school, he couldn't keep his mind on his studies. His thoughts were of the dark-haired girl with the dancing dark-eyes and a smile that made him want to melt. He caught himself daydreaming and embarrassed when called upon to answer a question by the teacher that he'd never heard. He begged off telling the teacher he wasn't feeling well. She believed him since Andy had always been a good student. She offered for him to leave or go lie down on the cot in the cloakroom but he declined saying he'd rather try and stay in class. If he could've gone home, he would have, but he had to wait for the afternoon stage, so why not spend his time in the classroom. Maybe he could get distracted and get his mind off Crina, but he doubted it.

During recess, he took out the note to read it over and over again. Holding the paper made him feel like Crina was close by and somehow he found that comforting. Still the day dragged on. He couldn't wait for it to be over so he could head for home and then off to where the greenbriers twined, their secret place.

Suffering through the early afternoon, Andy finally made it to the end of the school day, writing out his homework assignment and counting the minutes before his release. Realizing just being liberated from the schoolhouse didn't get him any closer to home, he had to find something to do for the near hour until the stage arrived and would take him home.

As usual, he walked to the mercantile and bought some penny candy then sat out front on a bench to eat it as he waited and watched, hoping that the stage might be early. Finally, right about on time, he heard the rumble of the stage arriving in town. Jumping up, he hurried to the stage depot, greeting Mose as he clambered down from his seat carrying a bag of mail, which he toted into the office.

Two passengers had been waiting inside and followed Mose out to the coach. Two men from inside the building brought out the passenger's baggage and loaded them up on top of the stage, securing them for the bumpy ride. Mose helped the ladies into the coach and was about to hand Andy up inside as well.

"Kin I ride up on top with you, Mose? Slim won't know, he's on his way to Colorado," the boy asked.

"Aw, wish I could, Andy, but if yer brother ever found out, he'd string me up fer sure," the elderly man told him, sincerely sorry that he couldn't grant the boy his wish. Mose would have enjoyed having Andy's company and told him so.

"But Mose, if ya drive us out of town, stop the coach, let me ride up there with you, then stop the coach before we get to the ranch an' I get back inside, no one will know," Andy continued to try and wiggle his way on top, not really wanting to ride with the two elderly ladies inside. He hated the small talk that always happened when there were passengers with him.

"I'll know 'n you'll know 'n somehow Slim'll find out. Nope. Not 'til yer brother says it's okay." Mose replied with authority, no longer wanting to discuss it with the boy. Andy was disrupting his schedule.

"Aw, Mose. In some places I'd be considered a man an' I could make my own decisions."

"Well, ya don't live in any of them places now, do ya? Here in Laramie yer still a boy 'n yer brother still has say. Now git in the coach er plan on walkin' home," Mose said, about to close the door on the coach and make good on his threat. Giving up, Andy climbed into the coach, tipping his hat to the ladies, who smiled at his manners, even though they'd overheard the conversation. They liked his gumption, if not his try at deceit.

The ride home was torture for the boy, trying to keep up his part of the conversation with the ladies. Andy's mind kept drifting off to where the greenbriers grew and meeting with Crina. A few times the ladies had to repeat themselves. Opening one of his schoolbooks, Andy tried to read, but the bumpy ride made it almost impossible, yet he pretended to continue reading because it kept the women from talking to him and allowed him to get lost in his dreams. The women chatted together, no longer trying to include the boy, and that was fine with him.

After what seemed like weeks to Andy, they arrived at the ranch. He was almost out the door before it stopped. He said hello to Marko and Ion as he rushed to the house. The two men started to change over the team while Mose accompanied the two ladies to the house. As he got to the porch, Andy was rushing out the door and past him, heading for the barn.

"Hi, Jonsey. I'd like ya ta meet the Lindsay sisters, Elizabeth and Victoria," Mose said, as he entered the house, running into Jonesy who was just about to dash out the door and stopping him in his tracks. Seeing the ladies, Jonesy turned his frown into a smile and welcomed them in to have some coffee. They asked if he had any tea. Apologizing that he didn't have any in the house, he offered them milk or water. They accepted the water and their host was forced to pump them some cold water, serve Mose some coffee and temporarily forget about Andy.

By the time the stagecoach left, Andy was nowhere to be found. All he'd told Jonesy, when the teen flew out the door, was that he had a couple of things that he had to take care of and he'd be back in time for supper. Looking in the barn and calling out his name, the older man came up empty. Even the gypsy men were gone now. They'd be back for the last stage, he was sure. So far they were doing exactly what they'd been asked, and from what Jonesy could see, they were doing a good job of it, including sweeping the yard of any horses droppings.

But where was Andy? Calling out his name, Jonesy checked the caged area where Andy kept his crippled or orphaned critters, then the chicken coop. Other than all the animals, it appeared that Jonesy was the last living soul around the ranch house and barn. Going behind the house, he checked the smoke house, the butter house and looked out across the field, he didn't see hide nor hair of the boy. "Just wait 'til he gets back, I'll give him what for for disappearing like that. First gypsies showing up, then the boys going off to Colorado and now Andy running off! What's this world coming to?" he grumbled to himself as he gave up and stalked into the house to start preparations for supper.

Chapter 8

Running as fast as he could, Andy made it to the brier patch without being seen, cautiously hiding behind rocks when he thought he might be in sight of anyone. One time he saw the grass moving and he hit the ground, hiding on his belly in case someone was out in the field gathering roots or some such thing, but it was only a pair of jackrabbits playing and jumping at each other. Once the rabbits realized that they weren't alone they dashed off, leaving the boy feeling foolish for hiding from a pair of bunnies.

When he reached the bramble stand, Andy looked around to make sure no one saw him before bending down to crawl through the small opening. As promised, Crina was waiting for him. Dressed all in red, a wild red rose in her hair, Andy found his breath taken away. As he entered, she stood up and put her arms around his neck, giving him a peck on the cheek. "I didn't think you were coming," she said, a small pout finding its way to her bottom lip.

"I got here as soon as I could. I thought about you all day while I was in school. I didn't think the day would ever end. And then Jonesy, he's takin' care of me while Slim is gone, well I didn't think he was gonna let me outta the house. All he worries about is my schoolwork. I told him I had somethin' I had to do first an' got away before he could stop me."

Sitting down side by side on the blanket she'd brought, he told her about the long, boring coach ride on his way home and about trying to keep his mind on being polite to the ladies, but finally was rude enough to pretend to read his book. Crina found this humorous, laughing while visualizing Andy trying to read during the bumpy ride, knowing all to well how hard the vardos rode. He told her though, that he was almost grateful that the ladies were there. Jonesy had to take care of their stop-over needs and wasn't able to try and stop him from coming to meet with her. Again, she found him amusing, holding her hand daintily to her lips as she giggled.

"Do you think he would have tried to stop you?" she asked, gazing at the boy coyly from under her long, dark lashes.

"Oh, you bet. Jonesy is real strict. He won't let me do much of anything. If he knew I was out here with you, he'd have my hide. He'll probably have it anyway once he can't find me. I know I'm in trouble already, so I reckon it don't matter much how long I stay," the youth told her.

"I do not want to see you punished. What if he does not let you out ever again? I do not think I could bear knowing I was at fault for making you a prisoner," she said as she sidled up closer to him. Again her closeness caused his blood to rush. It was a pleasant yet scary feeling for the young teenager. He swallowed hard, trying to control his careening emotions.

Taking his hand in hers, Crina asked, "Andy, do you like me?"

"Now that's a silly question," he chided. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be here."

"I suppose," she said shyly. "Did you think about coming away with us?"

"Sure, I can't think about anything else, but I told ya, I can't. It would cause you, your folks, Slim and me too much trouble. And after he found me…"

"But what if he didn't find you?"

"Oh, he would. He's got Jess. Jess is the best tracker around these parts. He's taught me so much an' I don't know yet half of what he knows. He did it for the army, ya know. He's been trackin' since he was a little kid. He's probably better than most Indians," Andy told her proudly, rambling to cover his growing discomfort.

"Let's say he did not find you. Do you think you could learn to love me?" she asked, her doe eyes pleading with him.

Looking away, Andy was speechless. He had feelings for the girl but never thought anything about love. "I, I, don't know. I haven't thought of that, I'm still a kid," he stammered.

"Here, you are a man. In our camp you are a man and a man can make those decisions. He can love a woman. I'm nearly a woman just as you are nearly a man. We can talk of this, we can plan, Andy. I do think I am in love with you," she confessed, lowering her eyes, hoping to not find rejection.

"Crina, I don't know. I just met ya. I like ya a lot, but I'm so confused. This is all happenin' too fast. More time, we need more time," he cried, standing up, scared, confused and very unsure of himself. He bent over to make his escape through the small opening in the briers.

"Andy, please stop. Do not go. I will not be so forward, I promise. I was only hoping you felt the same way I do," she pleaded, causing him to pause and turn around. He sat down on the ground in front of the little doorway, drawing up his knees and hugging them, putting his head down on them.

As she came closer he asked her not to. He needed time to think. Acknowledging his request, Crina sat back down on the blanket she'd spread out on the ground for them. Picking up a fringed edge, she fingered it as they both sat silently in each other's company.

Thinking seriously about how he felt about the gypsy girl, Andy had trouble sorting out what he should do or say. He was glad that Crina was leaving him alone in his thoughts, but it was still hard to have her so near him. Hearing her shifting her anxiously on the blanket made him almost hurt not to go to her and hug her, yet he didn't feel that it was proper or that he was really ready to make that kind of move. Inside he still felt like a boy but, in some strange ways, he did feel as if he were becoming a man. A young man, but a man just the same.

After what seemed like an eternity to both teens, Andy unfolded himself. Sitting with his legs straight out in front of him and his hands out behind him to hold himself up, he looked at Crina and sadly smiled.

Acknowledging that she'd been too forward and scared the boy, Crina sat quietly, looking deep into Andy's eyes and smiled wanly back at him. Not saying a word, she patted the blanket beside her, but Andy shook his head no, his smile disappearing as sadness clouded his eyes.

Crina started to get up and Andy stopped her, "No, please. I really need to think this out. I've never had a girlfriend. I think that's what we are, right? Girlfriend and boyfriend?"

The girl smiled shyly, lowering her eyes as she nodded her head affirmatively.

"It's gonna take Slim 'n Jess at least five or six days to get to Fort Collins an' back, that's if they have the axles ready when they get there. Can't we just meet here an 'see if we really do like each other enough to be boyfriend an' girlfriend? I think I feel that way, but I'm not sure. And, and as far as runnin' away with ya, I" he paused and sucked in a deep breath, "I gotta think real hard about that. I gotta know what I'm gonna say when Slim catches up with us. I gotta figure out how to make 'im understand, do ya see, Crina?" Andy asked, his eyes pleaded with her to allow him the time to sort things out..

Getting up, Crina came to sit beside Andy in the grass. He immediately folded back up, his arms around his knees again, bowing his head. "Please, can we just sit here quietly for a few minutes?" he asked. She put her arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to her in a hug, then got up and went back to her blanket, picking it up and shaking it out before she folded it.

"Yes, I understand. I am sorry if I may have frightened you. I am a girl who goes after what she wants and I have been lucky enough to almost always get it. My father has spoiled me, too. I guess being his only child he has wanted me to have everything he could provide for me. I am not sure I really know how to treat people, especially those I care about. I want to be with you, Andy, if you were to allow me to stay with you or if I were to have you come with me. I know now that it would be wrong for me to force my will on you. I see your brother already does that to you and it is wrong. I will be here in these lovely greenbriers when you come home from school. If you wish to see me, I will be here. I hope you still want to see me. I really do care about you, Andy. You are the nicest young man I have ever met and you treat me like a lady. I like that, and I like you very much."

Andy looked up at her as she stood over him, the blanket folded over her arm.

"I think we should both go now. I will be here everyday at the same time. I will understand if you don't come back. I will also understand if you can't come back for any reason. If that is true, please send me a note with Ion. He is an honorable friend and will not tell anyone about our messages. May I kiss you goodbye?" she asked, kneeling down next to the confused boy.

Nodding his head, Andy accepted her gentle kiss on his cheek. She then turned his face toward her with her hand and she lightly kissed him on the lips. Standing up, she asked him to move away from the opening so she could pass through the hole in the brambles. Remaining seated, he shuffled away from the opening, allowing her to leave. Neither said another word.

Andy sat alone in the little clearing long after Crina was gone, needing the time to think alone. Was this his chance to finally get away from his boring life at the ranch? Was Crina right that it was fate that brought the gypsy caravan to their pasture to give him the choice to let his heart lead the way to his future? Andy didn't want to hurt his brother, taking to heart what Crina said about his brother controlling him and not allowing him to make his own decisions. He loved Slim and knew that his big brother would never want to see him hurt and wanted what was best for him, but Andy felt that Slim wasn't always right. How could Slim know what was right for him?

Crawling out from the brambles, Andy slowly headed back toward the ranch house, knowing that he was fully going to get what for from Jonesy. What was he going to tell Jonesy about where he was and what he was doing? He hadn't given that any thought yet. A plausible story was what he needed, now if he could only think of one.

Cutting through the corral, Andy saw Jonesy sweeping off the porch. Moving to the far side of the corral, hiding behind some horses and trying not to be seen, the boy was able to make it to the barn and slip in through the side door. Once he thought he had his story ready, he exited out the large open front doors.

Jonesy caught the movement immediately and moved quickly off the porch to meet Andy with the broom still in his hand. "Where were you, boy? I've been looking all over for you?"

"I went to the gypsy camp. I promised Crina I'd show her where the lake was on the other side of the butte. She wanted to surprise the camp with some fish for supper. We kinda forgot about the time while she was fishin' an' talkin'. Did ya know she was born in one of those wagons somewhere in Oklahoma?" the boy asked, hoping that the older man was buying his wares.

"If she can't find something as big as the lake, then she needs eyeglasses. Why are you hanging around with those people? Don't you know anything, boy?" Jonesy said, punctuating his tirade by shaking his broom at Andy.

"About what?" Andy asked, knowing full well what Jonesy was getting at, but daring him to come out and say it.

Grasping for words, Jonesy finally blurted, "Well, they're not like ordinary people."

"An' what are ordinary people, Jonesy? They're just like us only they like to move around a lot. They have sheep an' we have cattle. Just because they'd rather move around that doesn't make 'em bad. I think it would be fun to keep on the move, see the country, an' go places where I've never been before. I've heard stories about gypsies, too, Jonesy, an' meetin' this band, none of those stories are true," Andy said, holding his ground, his stance making him appear that he was ready for a physical fight as well.

"You listen to me, boy, that's no way to talk to your elders. If your brother heard you talking to me that way, why, why I don't know what he'd do," the older man replied as his ears started to turn red under his derby.

"Jonesy, ya just don't understand. If ya woulda gone with us to meet those folks the other night, you'd see they really are good people. I like 'em an' you can't make me stop likin' 'em," Andy said defiantly as he walked away toward the house.

Jonesy was flabbergasted. He'd never seen the Andy act this way. 'It has to be them gypsies. Put a spell on him or something,' he thought as he followed the teenager to the house.

Opening the front door, Jonsey was in time to see Andy closing his bedroom door. Not sure if he should confront the boy again or not, the caretaker decided to only remind him to do his homework and let it go at that until it was time for them to eat.

Lying on his stomach on his bed, Andy opened one of his schoolbooks to start his homework. It was hard to keep his mind on his work. His thoughts of what was said between him and Crina kept creeping through his mind, interrupting his ability to do his lessons. Giving up for now, he figured he'd get back to his homework after supper. Right now he had too much to sort out about his future. Turning over on his back, resting his head on his hands behind his head, he drifted off to sleep, dreaming about Crina.

Chapter 9

Slim and Jess arrived in Fort Collins early in the afternoon of their third day on the road. It had been a pleasant drive with good nights under the stars and a few stops to look up people Slim hadn't seen in a long time.

Their first stop was at the café for a good hearty meal. The town was bustling with people moving from store to store and the café had a fairly large crowd of customers. Finding a table near the middle of the room, the two dusty cowboys sat down to await the waitress. While waiting for their meal to arrive, they sat drinking coffee and discussed their trip, planning how they would strap down the axles in the buckboard, along with what supplies they'd need for their trip back to Laramie. They were grateful for the invitations along the way to stop for meals or overnight lodging at some of the homes they'd visited along their way. If the timing were right, they would take some advantage of one or more of those invitations.

Leaving the diner, the ranchers drove the buckboard to the livery to let the proprietor know that they'd arrived and would be picking up the axles in the morning and to arrange for the horses to be stabled for the rest of the day and overnight. The stableman showed them the two axles leaning against the barn wall that had been delivered by the mill that morning. Once things were settled, the blacksmith assured Slim that he would have the axles strapped appropriately in the wagon by the time they were ready to leave in the morning.

"Let's head for the store and give them our supply list for the trip home," Slim said, pulling a piece of paper from his jacket pocket. "Maybe they can have it ready for us to pick up when we get the wagon and are ready to leave in the morning."

"Sounds good to me. It'll be good to get back to the ranch. I'm tired of eatin' trail dust," Jess agreed with a smile, slapping his friend on the back.

"Seems to me I remember someone coming to my ranch thinking that trail dust was his favorite meal," Slim retorted, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder, giving it a squeeze as they walked along the boardwalk.

Behind them they heard a foreboding voice, "Harper."

Jess continued to walk like he didn't hear the man call out his name, while Slim paused for a second to look over his shoulder. Jess quietly said, "Just keep walkin', Slim."

"I said, Harper," the man behind them yelled loud enough that he could be heard for a block away. Jess stopped in his tracks, Slim stopping with him. Slim turned to look at the young man standing in the street glaring at them. Jess turned slowly, "You talkin' to us?" he asked, his hand hovering over the butt of his handgun.

"No, just you. Ain't you Harper?" a boy of about seventeen loudly queried, his hand positioned over his revolver in a stance clearly ready to draw.

"Depends on who's askin'," Jess responded in the same ominous tone while gently pushing his friend aside and now fully facing the youthful man, trying to show that he was no threat, yet ready to draw if forced to it.

"I hear you're supposed to be fast, real fast. I reckon I wanna find that out. So are ya? Are ya Harper?" the boy continued to prod.

"Why don'tcha go home before ya get hurt," Jess wearily encouraged, not wanting to face off against the kid. "I got no argument with ya. Let it be."

"Oh, no. I gotta know, so draw, Harper," the boy snarled as he crouched and reached for his gun.

Like lightning Jess pulled his .45 and shot the boy in the arm between his elbow and shoulder, breaking his arm immediately and causing the gun to fly from the boy's hand. Grasping his bloodied arm, the boy stood staring in shock before he staggered off, leaving his gun where it lay.

"What was that all about?" Slim asked as a crowd gathered from their cover after witnessing both the call out and the resulting gunfight.

"Let's get inside somewhere, I'll tell ya all about it," Jess said, as he grabbed Slim's shirtsleeve and started to pull him toward the hotel. "I kinda expected some trouble. That's why I didn't wanna come with ya. That wasn't quite what I expected, but it wasn't the first time I've run into some hot-headed kid wantin' to make a name for himself."

Ducking into the rooming house, Slim walked to the check-in counter where an attractive young woman was seated behind the counter at a desk doing some bookwork. She looked up, a smile blooming on her lips as her eyes met those of the tall handsome man. "Can I help you?" she asked, now flashing her most flirtatious smile, looking up at him.

"Howdy, Miss," Slim said, removing his hat while giving her a charming grin in return. "Yes, we need a room for the night."

Handing the tall cowboy a pen she asked him to sign in, accepted payment for their lodging and gave him a key and directing him down the hall to where the room was located, smiling with feigned shyness.

Jess followed the taller man down the hall to their overnight accommodations. Unlocking the door and unable to wait any longer Slim asked, "Who was that kid?"

"I don't know. Just some kid wantin' to make a name for himself, I suspect, unless Murphy put him up to it," Jess responded.

"Murphy? Okay, then who's Murphy and why would he send someone to try and kill you with so many witnesses?"

"Like I said, this ain't the first time somethin' like this happened. Ya get a name for a fast gun and there's always someone out there that wants to test ya. Wantin' to be known as the man who killed ya. Most times I can talk my way out, sometimes I can't. A year ago I was passin' through here 'n met a kid called Tom Murphy. Somehow he found out who I was. Just like that kid, he called me out and he drew on me. I tried to shoot him in the arm, like I did this kid, but he was a lefty. When I fired, he moved just enough that rather than hit him in the arm I hit him just below his heart. He died shortly after the fight," Jess said, the quiver in his jaw revealed his regret.

"Luckily, there were a lot of witnesses and there was no trial. It was considered a fair fight and that the kid had provoked it. I was asked to leave town by the sheriff, but before I had my gear together and able to leave, Matt Murphy caught up with me. He was Tom's father. He swore he'd avenge his son, called me a murderer, even though the town folk knew better," Jess said, lying down on one of the beds. "I left town like the sheriff ordered. Now ya know why I wasn't too anxious to come with ya. It was Murphy I didn't want to confront. I knew he had a vendetta 'n I didn't want ya to get involved if we ran into 'im. It wouldn't surprise me if he sent that kid. Maybe he thought the kid was fast enough to take me or hoped I'd kill 'im in what might not be found a fair fight this time and they'd have an excuse to hang me. I don't know."

"Is there any town where you haven't found trouble?" Slim asked, sitting down on the bed where his friend was lying.

"Sorta comes with the territory, I reckon," Jess said with a sad smile, rolling over on his side, resting his head on his hand held up by his elbow planted in the mattress. "Sure amazes me how things like that travels. Seems like so many times people know who I am long before I ever show up somewhere, and there always seems to be someone wantin' to find out how fast they are with their guns. One day, I'm sure I'll face somebody who is faster than me. I'm just not lookin' forward to it happening."

"So that's what your life's been like up until now?" Slim said incredulously.

"A little too often for my liking, but, yeah," Jess responded as he rolled back over onto his back.

"Not a good way to live, Pard,"

"Nope. I was hopin' things would change, but comin' here, I had a feelin' somethin' like this would happen, knowin' how Murphy's out for revenge."

Standing up, Slim said, "Well, I'll go to the mercantile and give them our order and arrange to pick it up in the morning. I reckon you better stay here and out of sight. Don't open the door, I'll take the key and let myself in. If anyone knocks, don't answer. Enough people saw us come in here together. This Murphy will know where to find you if he doesn't see you out in town."

"I ain't goin' no where," Jess promised. "I had enough excitement for one day."

"I'll leave word at the desk that we don't want anyone to know what room we're in, for what that's worth. Just lay low, Pard," the blonde cowboy said, turning to the door to leave.

Sitting up, Jess stopped him, "You're gonna lock me in here with no way out?"

Stopping and turning, Slim said, "Good point." Walking back to the bed, he handed the dark-haired man the key. "Lock the door and don't open it for anyone. I'll knock and let you know it's me. If I don't want you to open the door I'll mention Andy. If I say Andy, don't open the door."

"So, you're expectin' trouble, too? Ya think maybe Murphy might try to make ya lead 'im to me?" Jess worried.

"Better to plan for anything," Slim smiled, turning toward the door. "Now lock it!" he ordered.

"Sure hope we don't need any plans, just get the axles 'n get out of town. If Murphy didn't know I was here before, I'm sure he does now. Be careful, Pard. I don't know much about him 'n if he'd try to use ya to get to me or not. With luck, maybe he's come to his senses by now 'n that kid had nothin' to do with 'im," the young Texan said hopefully. "Get back as soon as ya can."

"You bet," Slim said, as he once again reminded his friend to lock the door.

Stopping at the front desk, Slim requested again that their room number not be given out to anyone. The clerk assured him that she understood, due to the shooting earlier in the day, and that she would not share the information with anyone, unless it was the sheriff. Slim agreed that it would be fine if the sheriff were looking for them and that he could be advised of which room they were staying.

Chapter 10

Cautiously making his way to the local general store, Slim ran into no one who seemed remotely interested in him. Looking around the store, he was approached by a young, pretty, petite blonde girl who asked if she could help him. "Oh, hi. Yes, I need some supplies and want to see if you could get them together so I can pick them up in the morning when we're ready to leave town? I'll pay you in advance," he said, opening his folded list.

"I'm sure that would be fine with my father. It's his store, he's down the street picking up some nails," she said, accepting the list. Looking it over, she smiled telling Slim that they had everything he needed and she would personally box it all up for him to pick up in the morning. Totaling his bill, Slim paid and told her they'd be there around eight in the morning, right after they'd had breakfast.

Back on the street, Slim looked up and down the boardwalks on both sides but saw no one lurking around or paying any attention to him. As he strolled back to the hotel, he tipped his hat to two ladies that passed on the walkway. One turned to take another look at the handsome stranger, putting her gloved hand to her mouth when she whispered and giggled with her friend who then also turned to take a second glance.

At the hotel, the clerk greeted Slim when he reentered. "Was anyone been here looking for me or my friend?" he asked, leaning on the counter.

"No, no one has come in since you left. In fact, you and your friend are the only people who have been in here all day. It was kind of nice to have someone to talk to," she said, batting her eyelashes at the handsome stranger while smiling kittenish. "Are you only staying the one night?" she purred.

"Yes, we have to head for home as soon as they load up our wagon. Nice town, except for what happened earlier. I wish we had time to look around a little more. I was here several years ago, the place has really grown," the tall blonde remarked.

The front door opened and an older gentleman stepped in. Walking to the front desk he asked about a room. Slim took his leave, saying goodbye to the girl, heading for his room. Knocking at the door, he told Jess that it was him and to let him in.

Feeling a little impish, Jess said, "How do I know it's you?"

In no mood to play games, Slim growled, "Damn it, Jess, let me in,"

"Unlocking the door, Jess peeked out, while Slim gave the door a shove open, knocking Jess backwards into the room. Closing the door behind him, Slim turned the key that was still in the door before turning around to face his friend.

"So?" Jess asked, as a guilty look spread across his face.

"So why are you playing silly games. This could be serious."

"Why? Did someone follow you?" Jess asked, worry creases appearing on his brow.

"No, but if someone is looking for you, it worries me that I didn't see anyone looking suspicious," Slim replied.

"Now who's paranoid?" Jess remarked. "Maybe Murphy's over it or not in town. That kid might not've had anything to do with Murphy. We'll be outta here tomorrow," Jess said, sitting down on the bed.

"I sure hope so, not that they wait until we're well out of town hauling those heavy axles and have no way to out run them."

"Maybe we should talk to the sheriff. You know, feel him out about Murphy. He should know what kind of man he is, whether he could still be holdin' a grudge," Jess suggested.

"I agree. We both might be making more out of this than there really is. You want to come with me to talk to him?" Slim asked.

"Sure, why not," the dark haired man said, standing up and heading for the door.

Taking the key from where he'd laid it on the dresser, Slim unlocked the door and looked both ways up and down the passageway before they stepped out into the empty hall. After locking the door, Slim lead the way down the hall with Jess following closely behind him, looking cautiously behind them.

"You gentlemen going out to explore the town?" the pretty clerk asked.

"Yeah, I think we'll take a little walk. We'll be back shortly," Slim replied, tipping his hat.

On the boardwalk, Jess nudged his friend with his elbow, "I think she likes ya," he teased with another nudge and an impish grin.

"That's cause I'm a likeable fella," Slim teased back, a broad, easy smile on his face.

"Yeah, I know, you get the girls, I get the gunfights. It just ain't fair," Jess countered.

The street was full of riders and wagons going in each direction. People crowded the boardwalk going in and out of the various shops. Both ranchers met and greeted several ladies, tipping their hats and getting sweet smiles from them. "Sure seems like a friendly town," Slim commented, "too bad you made such a bad impression."

"Follows me wherever I go," Jess sighed, wondering what it might be like if he could go somewhere, sometime and not run into trouble of some kind, wishing that he was back in Laramie where he was known and didn't feel he needed to be on his toes and on guard every minute.

Arriving at the sheriff's office, Slim turned the knob and entered the small room, followed by Jess. A deputy was sitting behind a desk cleaning a revolver. Putting it down he stood up to greet the two strangers.

Slim introduced himself and Jess to the deputy, asking where the sheriff might be. He was told that Sheriff Malone was down at the livery fetching his horse after getting a lost shoe replaced and he'd be back in a few minutes. The deputy invited the two ranchers to sit down while they waited. Jess eyed the coffee pot sitting on the stove, but the deputy never offered the men a cup and Jess was too polite to ask.

It wasn't long before the sheriff came through the front door. The two men stood up, being recognized by the sheriff from their earlier meeting.

"What kin I do for you young fellas? I told ya you were in the clear but to leave town before there was any more trouble," the older man said, sounding a little perturbed with having to deal with the man who had already made his day more difficult than usual.

"Yes, sir. And we're leaving in the morning, but we have a few questions that could be connected to what happened this morning," Slim said, trying to smooth a few feathers.

"Okay, shoot," the sheriff, said as he sat down, forcing the deputy to find a new chair to bring into the office from the adjoining storage room.

Knowing that the man wasn't too thrilled with him, and that Slim was doing fine on his own, Jess decided to keep quiet, unless he was needed to clarify something.

"That young man this morning, do you know if he had any connection with Matt or Tom Murphy?" Slim asked, watching closely for the sheriff's reaction to his question.

"None that I know of. He just came to town about a month or so ago. He works down at the livery or did until your friend here busted his arm," Malone said, nodding his head in Jess' direction with obvious distaste.

"I was there, sheriff. We were just walking down the street and that kid came up behind us trying to start a fight. Everyone who saw it already confirmed that the kid provoked it and drew first. Jess had no alternative but to draw to protect himself," Slim reminded the sheriff.

"Yeah, an' I heard that same story a little over a year ago, but that time the boy was killed by a man by the same name, Harper. Jess Harper," Malone said, looking straight at Jess. "I ran ya outta town then an' I want ya outta my town before noon tomorrow."

No longer able to remain quiet, Jess stood up to defend himself. Walking to where the sheriff sat, Jess put his hands on the desk and leaning over it said, "And that was another wet behind the ears kid that called me out. I wasn't aimin' to kill him, either. He was a kid. If he hadn't moved when I fired, he'd still be alive today. Everyone here saw that, too. Both those kids were only tryin' to get themselves a name as a fast gun. Too bad they lost…."

"Enough, Jess," Slim interrupted, taking an angry Jess by the elbow and pushing him aside and back toward where he'd been previously seated.

"I can see you're as hot-headed as those kids you shot," the sheriff said, standing up to defy the dark-haired man's temper. "Are ya proud of yer reputation, Harper?" the man jeered.

Jess moved forward again, his fists tightly clenched. "No, I'm not. I earned it by just tryin' to stay alive, Sheriff. If I wasn't fast, I'da been dead a long time ago. I don't go lookin' for trouble, it comes lookin' for me. Another thing, Sheriff, I ain't never hired out…"

Slim stepped between the two men, "Don't push it, Sheriff," he said, his own temper rising. "The way I see it, Jess was pushed into both gun fights. Would you expect him to stand still and be a target? Would you? Or would you defend yourself, too?"

"You're right, there young man," Malone had to agree, "but I still want him out of town. He's trouble an' I don't want any more dead bodies left behind by him," the sheriff said, a hard look in his eyes as he glared at Jess.

"Could you please stop the pot shots, sheriff? We came here hoping to stop any more trouble," Slim said, feeling frustrated with the exchange.

"Trouble? So ya are expectin' more trouble?" Malone asked, a little more in control as he sat back down behind his desk. "So talk. I'm listenin'."

"The shooting a year ago, Matt Murphy's son. We need to know if Murphy might still be gunning for Jess," Slim inquired.

Leaning back in his chair, the sheriff looked long at Slim, squinting his eyes as he thought. "Ya know, I really can't say. I'm sure someone told him about the shootin' an' that Harper's in town. He was pretty angry about his son's death, still in mournin' it seems. We don't see 'im here in town much anymore. He usually sends his foreman in for supplies. He don't even come to town for a haircut anymore, kinda like a hermit out there on that big spread of his. If Murphy's out to get Harper, he won't do it himself, he'd send out one of his men."

"Then what you're telling me is that it's possible that Jess could still have a target on his back as far as Murphy's concerned," Slim said. "Are you going to do anything about it?"

"Nothin' I kin do, not unless something happens," the sheriff replied matter-of-factly.

"So, if Jess is forced to defend himself, again, you won't do anything to stop it?" the tall man asked, already knowing the answer he'd get from the lawman.

"Come on Slim, we won't get any help from him. He's just a tin star with no backbone," Jess said, causing the sheriff to rise to his feet again. Slim was sorry now that he'd brought Jess with him. The friction between the two men was impossible to overcome.

"Thanks for all your help, sheriff," Jess said, the words dripping with sarcasm as he walked out the door, followed by his boss.

"That was productive," Slim commented dryly.

"Yeah," Jess returned, "I reckon if he had his way, he'd lock me up 'n throw away the key; right into the lap of the leader of the lynch mob."

"Come on, Pard. Let's get you back up into the room. At least we have a little control there. I'm not looking forward to leaving town with those axles, but I reckon the farther away we get away from here, the better chance that Murphy won't send someone after you."

"If he's gonna send someone after me. Maybe the old man won't." As they walked toward the hotel, Jess' face lit up as an idea came to him. "I got it, Slim. Why don't I get a horse n' ride out tonight or sometime after you. You take the wagon. If they're after me, they'll leave you alone. I can move a lot faster on my own. We can meet at the Phillips place n' if nothin' happens by then, I'll ride back with ya, then."

"That could work. I don't like the idea of you riding out at night though. Stay in town tonight. We'll have breakfast and split up then. You ride out first and I'll follow after I get the supplies. Let's go buy you a horse," Slim said, slapping his friend's back, relieved that they now had a plan that sounded like it could work.

At the livery the two ranchers found a likely looking black gelding. He appeared speedy and they could see more than just a spark of fire in his eyes. From his build, he looked like he could travel long distances over long periods of time. Jess tried him out and was satisfied that the horse had a lot of heart. Settling up with the owner, they also purchased a used saddle, telling the proprietor they'd be there in the morning for both the horse and the buckboard. The man assured the two ranchers that all would be ready for them before eight in the morning.

Satisfied with the horse and that everything was set for them to leave in the morning the two men strolled back to the hotel. Upon entering, a male clerk was at the desk. He stood up to greet the two cowboys. Slim mentioned that they were already checked in, so the man nodded allowing them to head on down the hall to their room. Taking the key from his jacket pocket, Slim unlocked the door, looking into the room before entering to be sure no one was waiting there.

"So what are we gonna do about supper," Jess asked, before flopping down on the bed.

"No matter what, you never forget about your stomach, do you?" Slim teased.

"Nope, us bad hombres gotta keep up our strength, ya know. I never know when it might be my last meal before some ornery sheriff runs me outta town," Jess said, as he rolled over on his side to face his friend, sitting in the rocking chair near the window. "Sorry ya ordered me to come along with ya?"

Slim looked at his dark-haired friend and smiled, "I'm always glad to have your company, but the surprises that come along with you being around, I'm still not sure if I'll ever get used to them."

"Me neither, Pard, me neither."

"Ever think about changing your name?" Slim asked.

"Did a few times, it didn't help. I've met and know too many people who always end up knowin' who I am. And after a while, I forgot who I was supposed to be for the week anyway," Jess said, a frown forming as he remembered a few bad experiences from his past when he tried using an alias.

Chapter 11

It was Friday and raining all day while Andy was in school. Daydreaming out the window he wondered what he would do when he got back to the ranch. He didn't think Crina would be waiting for him in the clearing while it poured. Rain had never come into their plans. Andy found that Jonesy was getting impossible to dodge and make his getaway meetings with the gypsy girl as well. At least tomorrow was Saturday and he had no school to get into his way. He hoped that the rain would be stopped long before morning so it wasn't sopping wet at their secret meeting place, the greenbrier thicket.

Excused for the weekend, Andy made his way down to the stage depot, not wanting to go first to the mercantile and walk back again in the rain. He figured he'd wait inside at the depot, hoping he didn't have to entertain any passengers. Remembering that being engrossed in his books worked with the ladies on the coach ride, he reckoned he could do his studies at the depot and then feign to be reading on the stage, if necessary.

Luckily, when Andy arrived at the stage office, there was no one inside but the clerk, who was busy doing some bookwork of his own, only acknowledging the boy's presence. Andy sat down beside the window, looking out as the rain continued to come down in a steady, heavy drizzle. Wagons driving by on the road splashed water in their wake. There wasn't a soul walking on the boardwalks and hardly a horse was tied to any of the hitching posts along the street, only a small group tied in front of the saloon.

His thoughts eventually returned to Crina and what she might be doing on a day like today. He felt bad that the torrents would make things difficult for the caravan, causing problems with keeping their cook fires going and how the dampness must be creeping into the wagons. There were no fireplaces in the vardos Andy came to the realization, wondering how those folks warmed themselves in this kind of weather. If he was to run off with them, he really wanted to know more about how they lived and how they grappled with the elements. Maybe living in a house wasn't so bad after all. The sudden thought came to him about the tornadoes he'd witnessed and worried about how this clan of people could deal with that kind of cataclysm, having no storm cellars in which to hide.

Something as simple as a cold rain made the boy rethink his future and running off with Crina.

As questions to ask the gypsy girl raced through his mind, Andy was brought back to reality as he heard the clatter of the stagecoach as it splashed down the muddy street and pulled up in front of the depot. Mose, dripping wet, walked into the office carrying the mailbag slung over his shoulder.

"Andy, boy," the elderly driver said, shaking some of the water off his oilskin overcoat. "Ya still wanna ride up top with me?" Mose teased with a big grin.

"Thanks Mose, but I think Jonesy wouldn't take to me drippin' all over the floor. I reckon I better ride inside, you'll have to handle the shotgun and the reins all by yourself I'm afraid," Andy countered with a smile as he collected his book bag and made his way out the door to climb into the coach.

The stage pulled into the ranch yard and Ion came out from the barn immediately leading two harnessed horses while Grigore met the tired, steaming animals and started to unhitch them. Both men were very adept at the job and had the animals switched out long before Mose was finished kibitzing with Jonesy over a hot cup of coffee.

Andy said very little to Jonesy when he entered the house, instead going straight to his room. Since the rain was letting up when Mose was about to leave the house, Andy accompanied him out the door as he headed to check on his menagerie and bed down the chickens who hadn't left the coop all day. They preferred to stau in and away from the drenching rain. While in the coop, Ion approached Andy, startling him. He hadn't heard the man approaching due to the steady pitter-patter of rain on the roof of the coop.

"Oh, Ion, I didn't hear you," the boy said as he turned around, his surprise evident in the size of his eyes.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you, little brother," the youthful gypsy man said. "I have another message for you from your inamorata," he added, handing the boy a folded piece of paper, surprisingly dry considering the circumstances of the day. "I will be here for a little while if you wish to respond. Once the horses are settled, Grigore and I will be leaving for the day. Mr. Mose said that the last stage for today has been canceled."

Smiling as he opened the note, Andy read over it quickly and then told Ion that he would have a message waiting to send back to Crina and to please wait. He ran to the house and straight to his room, begging off any conversation with Jonesy by telling him he had something to add to his homework before he forgot it.

Jonesy was pleased to see Andy showing interest in his studies again after the past couple of mysterious days when the boy disappeared without having valid excuses.

While Jonesy was out in the butter house, Andy left through the front door and ran his note out to give it to Ion. The older man smiled as he took the folded paper from the boy and tucked it in a pocket inside of his slicker "I shall deliver it. She will be very happy to hear from you, I know. She's been like a little sister to me and has told me much about you. I agree with her, if you are not happy here, you should come with us."

A shocked look came across Andy's face. He had no idea that Crina had told anyone about what was going on between them, but he did know that she trusted Ion exclusively.

"Fear not, Andy. No one knows anything. If you decide to travel with us, I will share my vardo with you. My brother joined another band when he married and the vardo is my own. No one needs to know that you are with us until you are comfortable," Ion informed him.

So, Crina had already been making plans for him to run away with her and had a cohort in the escape plan who would hide him from the others and Slim, as well, he assumed.

"I will see you tomorrow, little brother. I understand there are four stages on Saturdays. If I have a message for you, you will be here?" the man asked.

"Yes, I'll be here. I sure hope it stops raining by then," Andy said, his mind churning with all this new information.

"Tomorrow," Ion said as he turned and left Andy standing alone in the barn.

The next morning Jonesy rose and went about his usual habits. His aches and pains were emphasized due to the dampness of the day before. After putting the logs in the fireplace he went back to the stove and stood warming his arthritic hands over the cast iron heat. 'At least it stopped raining,' he thought, as he looked out the kitchen window. Water was still dripping from the roof, but the sun could be seen on the horizon and the clouds were burning off, promising at least a partially sunny day.

A rooster crowing outside Andy's window woke him. His head was still in the fog of the dream he'd had and it took him a moment to regain his faculties. Hearing the cock crow again, he realized that it must have stopped raining or that bird would still have been holing up in the dry coop. He got up and went to the window, looking out to see that he was right, the rain appeared to be past them and a dry day was ahead. 'Yippee,' he thought, already thinking of meeting his, what did Ion call her, his girlfriend out where the greenbrier twines. He was beginning to like the sound of that, 'If only I could write poetry,' the boy mused. 'That would be a wonderful name for a poem. I'll have to give more thought to that. I think Crina would like a poem.'

Dressing quickly, Andy was thinking of rhyming words, but had trouble finding words that rhymed with brier or twines or green for that matter.

Putting the idea of a poem aside, the boy left his room and greeted Jonesy who was slicing bacon while the frying pan was heating on the stove.

"What are you going to do today," the older man asked, as Andy started to pull out plates to set on the table.

"Not sure yet, Jonesy. Looks like a nice day. Maybe the fish will be bitin' an' we can have fish for supper."

"Maybe, but you be sure you finish all your chores here first. Do you have homework to do? I don't want your lessons slipping."

I did my homework last night. Not much more you can do when it's rainin' that hard." Suddenly the thought of his poem came to him. "I still have to write a poem though. Do ya have any ideas of words that will rhyme with green or twined maybe?"

Slicing bacon with his aching hands, Jonesy wasn't in the mood for trying to rhyme words. "I reckon I'll give some thought to it," he finally said as he took a towel to wipe the greasy knife.

"You're not planning on going to that gypsy camp are you? I hope not. You should stay away from those people," Jonsey said, putting the just sliced bacon into the heated frying pan where it started to sizzle and spit.

"Jonesy, I wish you'd come with me. You've met some of them an' ya can see that they're not like all those old stories say.

"Nope. I ain't going out there. It's bad enough they're hanging around here. I just wish your brother would get back here and real soon to send them on their way. It's not only them that's a problem, it's those sheep of theirs. I don't know why your brother let them stay here with those animals. He won't have any grazing land left by the time he gets back home," Jonesy continued to rant.

"You know they can't go until the wagon is fixed," Andy reminded him.

"That's not the way I see it. They could've left the wagon and moved on and came back for it later. Anything to get those sheep out of here. Sometimes I don't think that brother of yours was born with the sense of a goose. Going out of his way and paying for those axles and then going to get them no less! Why does he feel he owes those people anything? All they've done is cause him trouble, just like they're known for."

"You said the same thing about Jess once, that he was nothing but trouble. You don't think that anymore, do ya, Jonesy?"

Muttering to himself, Jonesy then said, "Jess is different. I guess I was sorta wrong about him, but he brings his share of trouble down around our ears, too. But he didn't bring sheep!" the older man blustered while turning the bacon. "Go bring in the eggs if you plan on eating, boy. This bacon's about done."

Andy finished putting on his boots, grabbed the egg basket and fled out the kitchen door. As he hastened into the chicken coop, he heard a horse coming into the yard. Looking out from the coop, Andy saw Ion and Markos arriving to ready the horses for the morning stage. Before going to the house, Andy ran out to greet them and Ion passed the boy another folded piece of paper.

Beaming, he took the message and tucked it into his pants back pocket before running back to the house.

"What took you so long," Jonsey asked, taking the basket from the boy. He chose four eggs and cracked them into the pan.

"Ion and Markos just got here, I just went to say hi. Ya know, Jonesy, it would be a mite neighborly of ya to go say hi to 'em, too."

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Depends on how busy I am. I have a lot to do around here to keep this house running properly for you boys," Jonsey said, but it was obvious that he had no intention of rubbing elbows with any of the gypsies, including those who came to help at the ranch.

Chapter 12

After breakfast, Andy went to his room and wrote a note to Crina telling her to meet him at their secret place and to bring a fishing pole. He reckoned he'd better have some fish to bring back to Jonesy to explain his absence since he'd already told him he was thinking about going fishing.

Jonesy was on the porch, not doing anything in particular, just watching to see where Andy was when Andy came out from the barn with his pole. Because the lake was behind the butte and in the opposite direction of the briers, Andy set off to the east rather than to the west. Once he was out of site of the house, he rerouted to the west, keeping behind any cover he could find, trying not to give away his destination.

Coming in from a different direction, he crested a hill that overlooked the twisted thicket. Even from that vantage point, it was impossible to see that there was a clearing in its midst. He wondered if Crina was already there and waiting for him. It seemed like ages since he'd been with her and wondered if she'd missed him as well.

Ducking down to enter their lair, he snagged the back of his jacket on one of the thorns. Before he untangled himself, another pair of hands was there busy helping to get him free. "I thought I had them all pulled off from our doorway," her voice sounded like music to his heart and ears.

"Th- thanks," Andy said as he was unencumbered. He crawled forward into the irregular circle while Crina worked at the branch, removing the thorns that had grabbed his jacket. After she examined Andy's jacket for more snags, she then wove the branch in amongst the others that were entwined to form their passageway. After checking a few of the other branches that had come loose with Andy's struggle, she made sure they were all weaved neatly so they wouldn't come loose when either of them used the opening. Once she was sure they met her satisfaction, she turned to give Andy a huge smile.

"I was so sad we did not see each other yesterday. It was like the sky was crying my tears," she said, throwing her arms around his neck to give him a big hug and then a kiss on the cheek as she released him. "Your message said to bring my fishing pole, there it is. We're going fishing, then?"

"Yeah, that's where I told Jonesy I was goin' so he wouldn't give me a bad time about gettin' away for a while. It's real nice out at the lake, well, we call it a lake, it's really just a big ole fishin' hole out the other side of the butte," he said as he pointed to the northeast. "We can walk there and spend the day fishin' while we talk, I thought. We can surprise our folks with fish for supper, if we're real lucky. I only haveta catch enough for Jonesy an' me, any others I can give to you to take back to your folks."

"That sounds like a really good idea, Querido. I brought us something to eat, so we can have a picnic while we are fishing," the girl said, pointing at a handmade basket sitting with blankets folded on it so they wouldn't soak through from the damp grass.

"You brought all this stuff out here by yourself?" Andy asked, missing the endearing name she'd called him when he saw the blankets, basket, canteens and fishing pole. There was even a small can of freshly dug worms to use for bait.

"Took me two trips, but I got them here all by myself. I am not about to give away our little nest. I looked for the worms right after I got your message. It was easy. They were almost anywhere something was lying. I only had to lift things up and there they were, ready for the plucking," she smiled proudly.

"Looks like you thought of everything. I'm sure glad you thought of the worms. I was too anxious to get away from the house before Jonesy changed his mind about lettin' me go fishin'. But after the rain, I figured we'd find a lot of 'em under the rocks by the lake."

"Oh, of course. I'm sure there will be plenty of worms there, too. That will be fine for that means we can fish all day and even throw back any of the little ones."

"Oh, we always throw back the little ones," Andy said, surprised that it didn't sound like it was common practice with Crina.

"But of course we throw back the little ones, we'll just throw back some of the bigger little ones," she said with a grin as she reached to pick up the basket and hand it to her beau.

Andy grasped the basket and watched Crina as she gracefully draped the brightly colored blankets over her arm. Picking up the can of worms, she handed them to Andy then reached down to pick up her fishing pole. At the opening she stopped, "Why don't you go through first and I'll hand everything out to you?" she suggested, as she set down her pole and the blankets next to the passage.

"Oh. Yeah. Sure," Andy said, setting down the items he was holding next to where she had put the blankets. He crawled through the opening and turned to wait for Crina to pass everything through to him. Once it was all on the outside of the greenbrier hideaway and Crina emerged, the two redistributed their load and headed toward the butte, taking the long way around to avoid being seen by anyone, especially Jonesy.

Settled in a shady spot, the two teens spread out the blankets, keeping them doubled up so they wouldn't soak through. They planted themselves on a mound that had drained well since the rain, where the ground wasn't soft or spongy under them. There was some moisture still resting on the grass, but the thick wool blankets didn't allow the dampness to soak through.

Taking their poles to the edge of the pond, both threaded worms on their hooks, the girl giggling at the gooey, wiggly creature as it tried to escape her manipulations. Andy offered to bait her hook, but she shunned his offer, telling him that she knew how to do it. She just found that the worms felt funny in her fingers and they made her laugh.

Tossing his line into the water, Andy sat down on a log that edged the lake. Slim had dragged it there long ago. It was their favorite place to sit and ponder whatever was on their minds while they fished on those lazy summer evenings when work was done and there was still enough daylight to come out and relax while catching some fish for breakfast the next morning.

Her worm finally secured to the hook, Crina cast her line into the pond and sat down next to Andy, her hip and leg tight against his. Andy felt a little uncomfortable and stood up, pretending he didn't like where his hook had landed and tossed his line once again a little farther out into the water. When he sat down again there were a few inches between them, but the distance wasn't there long before Crina leaned in his direction to kiss him on his ear.

It tickled and Andy jumped up and put his hand to his ear, "What didya go an' do that for?" he asked.

"Because I wanted to and I thought you might like it," she said with raised eyebrows, a bit shocked at his reaction.

Wide-eyed, Andy sat back down next to her, " I, ah, I mean, I thought we were here to go fishin' is all I meant."

"I'm fishing, but I can still pay attention to you, Andy. You don't like it when I give you a kiss?" she asked, pretending to be hurt and allowing her sensuous mouth to form a pout.

"No, I like it fine, I guess, but it just kinda surprised me. I, I didn't think, I mean, well, we're here fishin' an' all an' I thought…"

"And you thought it was not appropriate for us to act like girlfriend and boyfriend when we are fishing? Is that what you thought?" Crina asked, still amused and puzzled at his reaction.

"I just didn't think, aw heck, I don't know what I think," in frustration, the adolescent boy gave up trying to make excuses for his unexpected behavior.

"Okay, so we fish. Sit down, Andy. I will behave myself, no matter how hard that might be," she said, suddenly pretending to be totally absorbed in looking into the lake in the direction of where her line disappeared into the water. A sly smile crept across her face. She then turned to look at him, surprising him at her sudden movement. "Andy, do you remember when I asked how old you were?"

"Sure, that was a few days ago. You told me that with your people I was almost a man. I remember that fine."

"I didn't tell you then, but I just turned fifteen, and I am a woman. I have had a boyfriend before. My father promised me to him."

Andy looked at her, shocked, as she continued. "He was killed by a rancher last spring, cheating at cards, I was told. We were promised that as soon as I was fifteen we would be married. I didn't love him. It was all arranged by my father. Pesha was much older than me and, well, he thought that since we were promised, he would, well, he…" a tear rolled down her cheek. "I was not pleased and I hated him for what he did to me. It happened more than once and he told me I'd grow to love him, but I only grew to hate him more every time. He said I was already a woman and I was his to do with as he pleased. I was glad that he died," Crina said with bitterness, biting down on her bottom lip. Just then there was a tug on her line. Standing up, she brushed the tears from her cheeks and pulled the struggling fish toward shore.

Andy was stunned and in awe of what the girl had told him and yet she was composed enough to bring in a good sized fish. Landing the bass, she removed the hook and tossed the fish into the dammed holding area. Without saying another word, she threaded another worm on to her hook, this time without giggling or making a sound before tossing her line back into the water. The whole time Andy continued to stare at her silently.

Sitting back down beside Andy, Crina turned to him and sadly said, "Does my story surprise you? Do you hate me now? Andy, I couldn't bare to have you hate me, but I thought you should know. In many ways, I am a woman. I like you very much, Andy, and I hope you like me, too, and will decide to run away with me. I know I would be very happy and I would do my best to make you very happy, too. You are not happy here. You have already told me that." Putting down her pole, she took Andy by his hand. "I do not want my father to arrange another marriage for me. I am getting old, as far as my people believe, and I will be an old maid if not married soon. My father will give me away to anyone who will have me. Andy, I want to be with you."

Doe-eyed, the boy was speechless. His lips moved but not a sound tumbled from them.

Dropping Andy's hand, Crina stood up and walked away to where the blankets and basket sat. She stood looking down at them, her back to the boy. Putting down his pole, Andy got up from the tumbled tree and walked up behind her. She didn't turn around, but sensed his closeness. "I am sorry, Andy. Maybe I should not have told you. I guess I wanted you to know why I have been so forward. I was only doing what I thought men liked, what you would like. I wanted you to want me. I guess I was wrong, maybe even frightened you. If I did, I'm truly sorry. I have disgraced myself," she said, finally turning to face him, tears visibly rolling down her cheeks.

Andy stiffly took her in his arms and she put her head on his shoulder as she started to sob inconsolably. Taking his hand, Andy ran it down her long ebony-colored hair and back trying to soothe her, "Shhhhh," he said, holding her close, his muscles finding themselves relaxing some, but still tense from this so new situation. They stood holding each other for a long time until her sobs subsided. She finally lifted her head and looked at him, a small smile trying to find itself to her lips. "Are, are you gonna be okay?" Andy asked, still holding her close, his muscles tensing again.

The girl pulled away and sat down on the blanket, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around her legs. Andy sat down next to her. Leaning toward her, he put his arm protectively around her shoulders. "I'm so sorry to hear what you've been through. I had no idea. It musta been terrible." the boy said solemnly. Timidly, Crina put her head on his shoulder.

Sitting up and looking him straight in the eye, Crina said, "I suppose now that you know about me you will no longer want to see me." A tear started to roll from her eye. Andy reached up and wiped the droplet from her cheek with his thumb.

"I never said that," he replied. "I'm glad you told me, and I reckon it was good for you to be able to tell someone. Does your father know?"

"I don't know. I don't think so, but I'm sure some people knew and people talk," she responded. "If he does, he never did anything about it. He gave me to Pesha. He probably did not really care."

Andy looked up when he heard a rustling in the grass near the pond and saw his pole being pulled into the lake. He started to get up to go chase after it, but realized he'd never get to it in time to stop it, so he watched it disappear into the lake, thinking, 'Oh great, what will I tell Jonesy now?'

"What you must think of me now," Crina said, regaining the confused teen's attention as he turned back to look at her, forgetting immediately about the lost fishing pole.

"None of that makes any difference in how I feel about ya, Crina. How could it? It wasn't your fault. Do you really think your father will just give you away to anyone?"

"It is the way of our people. If my father finds a new wife, she will not want me around. My mother has been dead for five years now. I am surprised he has not taken a new woman yet. I know when we meet with other wagons that he is looking and if he finds a wife, I will be pushed out. Right now I am safe. He needs me to help him with his needs, but if he finds a wife, he will not want or need me around to do his laundry or darning or cooking. We will be meeting other families in Kansas or Missouri, I am sure. If not, when we get to the south grazing lands there will be many other bands in the area. He speaks often about getting married again and has been looking to promise me. I have been lucky since Pesha died that we have not found another band with someone to promise me to."

"I wondered about your mother. I'm sorry to hear she died. What happened?" Andy asked, once again putting his arm over the girls shoulder.

"A bad birth. She had six children I was the only one to survive. She died having my little brother. He died the day after he was born. My brothers and sisters are buried in many places. We have many deaths. Many in childbirth, many in accidents in the fields, some of sickness as we travel. It is not an easy life. That is why I wanted to know what it was like to live in one place. Andy, I wish I could stay here with you, if you will not come with us."

"Oh, I don't think Jonesy would like that, and I can't say what Slim would think about that, you staying here, that is," Andy said, as he laid back on the blanket to give the whole ideas some thought.

Crina lay back on the blanket and snuggled into the crook of Andy's arm. He wrapped his arm around her and drew her close to him. They laid quietly in each other's arms and it wasn't long before Andy heard the even breathing of the sleeping girl. Putting his face closer to the top of her head, he smelled the sweet perfume of her hair and gently kissed her on top of her head. Rolling slightly into her, he put his other arm around her and it wasn't long before he, too, fell asleep, protectively enfolding her; entwining much like the tangle of the greenbriers that they called their own.

Chapter 13

Jess slept fitfully that night. He was awake long before the sun reached the horizon. Anxiously he waited for daylight to show through the window before stirring and getting up to pull on his pants. His boss seemed to be sleeping well and he didn't want to wake him. Going to the window he looked out at the quiet street below. Only the lamplighter could be seen going down the street extinguishing the street lamps for the coming day. Yawning, he stretched and turned to look at his sleeping friend, unsure if he should wake him. They weren't supposed to pick up the wagon and supplies after they'd had breakfast, and he wasn't sure that the café would be open yet. 'Sure could go for a cup of coffee right now,' he thought.

Sitting down on the bed then lying back, his legs hanging off the side, he put his forearm across his eyes. Shortly he heard Slim stirring. Sitting up, Jess saw that the tall man had just rolled over in his sleep and was lightly snoring.

Jess ran his fingers through his hair, knowing he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, but figured it was far too early to wake his friend. It was going to be a long morning. Lying back again, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep only to be shaken awake by the tall blonde rancher, "You didn't sleep hanging off the bed like that all night, did you?"

Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, Jess said, "No, I was up before the sun. I didn't think I'd get any more shuteye. Reckon I drifted off, though. What time is it?"

"Almost seven. I reckon we better get ready or we'll be behind schedule. I told them at the store I'd be by around eight."

"Yeah, I know," the dark-haired man said, getting up and walking to the wash stand where twin pitchers of water stood in two washbowls.

There were few people on the street when Slim and Jess started toward the café. They were the first two customers, so they were waited on immediately. Hot coffee was placed in front of them in a matter of minutes while they waited for their order of bacon and eggs to be prepared.

An elderly couple came through the door. They must have been regulars, and were greeted by the waitress who showed them to a table near the back of the room. Taking their order, the young woman disappeared into the diner's kitchen.

Slim and Jess were discussing the route they'd planned to take when a man of about thirty, dressed like a wrangler, walked through the door. He looked around the room and then approached their table.

"Are you Jess Harper?" the man asked, looking from one man to the other, not sure which man might be Harper.

"Who's askin'?" Jess queried, already showing some tenseness as he looked up at the cowboy.

"Mr. Murphy sent me," the man said, getting an immediate reaction from Jess.

"Sent you instead of comin' himself," Jess said, about to stand up when Slim grabbed him by his right wrist, making him sit back down. The man stepped back, he appeared a bit terrified, holding both hands in front of him, shaking them with palms forward to the two men sitting at the table.

"What do you want?" Slim asked.

"No, no, I, I'm sorry, I guess I shoulda introduced m'self er somethin'. I'm not here ta fight with ya. Mr. Murphy sent me ta talk with ya. Umm, please, kin I sit down? I'll tell ya why I'm here," the nervous cowboy said.

"Gun on the table 'n sit down," Jess said, "Take it out slow 'n with your left hand."

The man did as he was ordered, pushing his six-gun toward Jess before he sat down.

"Coffee?" Slim asked as he sat back in his chair to get a better look at the man who was now seated at their table.

"Ah, yeah. That would be good," the cowboy said nervously, working at a wavering smile.

Slim called to the waitress, who had come out of the kitchen to see the tense moment and was too petrified to move. She cautiously came to the table. "Miss, could you bring Mister….ah?"

"Crawford, m' name's Crawford."

"Mr. Crawford some coffee. Anything else you want, Mr. Crawford," Slim asked, not taking his eyes off the man.

"Nope, coffee will do just fine," the man said, his voice almost cracking, he was so anxious.

The waitress left and Jess said, "Okay, Crawford, what are ya here for?" his blue eyes turning darker by the moment.

"Let me start from the beginin'," the man said, and then cleared his throat.

"Good start," Slim agreed, amiably.

"The sheriff came out ta the ranch last night ta tell Mr. Murphy that ya was in town an' that he didn't want no trouble. Mr. Murphy, well he's been real sick. He had a stroke a couple months back. He's had lotsa time ta think about what happened between ya an' his son. I'm Mr. Murphy's foreman. He wanted me ta come ta town an' tell ya he doesn't hold no hard feelin's fer ya. He knows that he was wrong about ya. Lotsa folks saw what happened an' they told 'im. It took 'im a while, but now he knows that ya had no choice, that his boy was gunnin' fer trouble. He wanted ya ta know that no one was comin' after ya, like the sheriff was worried about. I reckon that's about all," the man said, thanking the waitress for the cup of coffee she set down in front of him.

Jess leaned back in his chair, squinting as he studied the man, not sure if he believed Crawford or not. As edgy as the fella appeared, Jess could tell that he was no gunman. He sure wanted to believe what he' heard. Looking to his boss, Slim gave him a nod of reassurance and that he was confident that the man was telling the truth, putting Jess a little more at ease.

"So, you're tellin' us that Murphy has no intentions of sendin' anybody after me?" Jess wanted to reconfirm that he'd heard the man right, still skeptical, feeling that it was too good to be true.

"Yep," the man said, setting down his cup after taking a few gulps. "He said he was sorry that any of it happened an' that he has no ill will against ya."

"An' who was that kid who came after me yesterday?" Jess asked, suspicion rising in him again.

"Just some kid that works in town. Mr. Murphy doesn't know 'im. The kid came ta town after Mr. Murphy had his stroke. They never met. I only seen him at the livery a time er two, never spoke ta him m'self," Crawford replied, becoming skittish again at the question.

Prudently, the waitress brought the two ranchers their plates with their breakfast. "More coffee?" she asked, anxiously wishing she was anywhere else than there, in the room with these strangers. She had witnessed the gunfight the day before and was afraid that anything could happen in the café after hearing only part of the tense conversation and noticing the gun on the table.

All three men shook their heads in affirmation. The woman went back to the kitchen and returned quickly with the coffee pot as Slim and Jess dove into their breakfast.

"You tell Mr. Murphy that I'm real sorry about what happened to his son. I had no intentions of killin' his boy. Like the folks here said, he pushed it, I had no choice," Jess said, apologetically between bites of his meal.

Picking up his cup and finishing off his coffee, Crawford stood up, motioning toward his gun. Jess pushed it across the table to him. The cowboy picked it up and holstered it. He tipped his hat to the waitress and the elderly folks in the back before he left, bidding Slim and Jess a safe journey.

"So, what do ya think?" Jess asked his boss as he sopped up some egg yolk with a piece of buttered sourdough bread.

"What do you mean?" Slim asked, sipping some coffee.

"What he said," Jess replied, picking up a piece of bacon.

"Why? Didn't you believe him?" Slim asked, surprised that Jess needed to ask. He studied his friend as he awaited his response.

"I don't know. I reckon I'm a bit shaky about this whole thing. First what happened a year ago 'n the old man swearin' he'd get his revenge. Then comin' here 'n that kid comin' outta nowhere to call me out," Jess said as he reached for his cup. After taking a swallow he said, "I'm not sure about much of anything, I reckon."

"You don't think the old man sent that fella here to take you off your guard, do you?"

"Could be. Nothin' surprises me anymore. I'm thinkin' we should still split up like we planned, at least for today. If no one follows you or me by the time we reach the Phillips' place, I reckon we'll be okay,"

"I'm game," Slim said, settling back in his chair, looking down at his empty plate, wishing there had been one more egg and about three more slices of bacon.

Jess pushed his empty plate away, took up his cup and gulped down the last of his coffee.

Noticing that Jess was done, Slim stood up and took money from his pocket and left it on the table. Putting on their hats, the two ranchers left the café and headed for the livery stable.

As promised, the buckboard was loaded with the two heavy axles, both secured with heavy ropes. The horse they'd bought the night before was saddled and ready for Jess to leave town as well.

"Wish I had my rifle with me," Jess said as he mounted the big black gelding.

"I hope you won't need it. I'll see you later, Pard. Don't eat the Phillips' out of house and home before I get there, you hear?"

Smiling down at his friend, Jess said, "I'll be sure to leave ya some bones 'n grease on my plate."

"Get out of here!" Slim said smiling, "Be careful. I'll see you sometime tonight. Anything else you can think of that we might need from the store?"

"Nope, I'm good. See ya later, Pard," the dark-haired Texan said as he put his spurs to the gelding and jogged out of town.

Slim watched his friend ride off, hoping all their concern was over nothing. When he could no longer see the dark horse and rider, he climbed into the wagon and headed toward the general store.

Chapter 14

"So this is what you young folks call fishing these days?" Andy awoke startled to hear a male voice. Not recalling where he was, he tried to sit up, at first unaware of what the burden was that held him down by his arm.

Awakened by both the male voice and the sudden jerk under her, Crina sat up. Once relieved of Crina's weight on his arm, Andy was able to sit up, as well. The young people bumped heads in their startled awakening, both rubbing their heads, looking up at the dark silhouette that stood before them, hands on hips.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Jonsey demanded, the anger evident in his voice.

Andy quickly got to his feet, reaching down to help Crina to stand next to him to face the cross man. The girl drew closer to the teen boy, cringing at her first meeting of Jonsey, her face turned downward.

"We, we, were fishin'," Andy stammered in his guilt as Crina grasped for his hand.

"And where are the fishing poles? I don't see any. And isn't it a little difficult to fish while you're all tangled up with each other lying on a blanket?" Jonesy continued.

Remembering his fishing pole being dragged into the pond, Andy realized how things looked, assuming the same thing had happened to Crina's pole while they slept. "It was over there, really, Jonesy," Andy pleaded. "They musta been pulled into the water when we fell asleep."

"Uh, huh. I suppose you don't get enough sleep at home? You lie to me about going fishing to come out here to meet with her?" Jonesy accused.

Frightened, Crina let go of Andy's hand and ran off into the field in the direction of where the wagons were camped. Andy started to follow, "Andy, stop! Come back here," Jonesy commanded, stopping the boy in his tracks for a moment.

Turning toward Jonsey, Andy defied him, "No, Jonesy. I have to go after Crina. You've really scared her. I have to find her. I'll be home later," he said, then turned to run after the girl.

"Andy! Andy! You come back here!" the older man bellowed taking steps in the direction where the two had run off. He knew he couldn't keep up with them, so he stood watching as they ran away. Shaking his head, he stomped back to where he'd parked the farm wagon. He could see the trail in the grass that the two had left but was unable to take the wagon through such rocky country. Resolved that he'd have to go back home and wait for Andy to return, Jonsey turned the wagon around and drove it back to the ranch, hoping that he wouldn't have to ride out later to the gypsy camp to look for Andy should he not come home.

Calling to Crina, Andy finally caught up with her. Looking back, they saw they weren't being followed by Jonesy. Andy took Crina in his arms, both breathing heavily from their escape; they tried to catch their breath. As her breathing quieted, she began to cry. "I'm afraid I have caused you much trouble now, Andy. I am so very sorry."

Soothing her, Andy said, "Don't worry, I'll tell Jonesy that he was wrong. I'll tell him what happened and why our poles were gone and, and that we just happened to fall asleep. I'll take care of it."

"Look at it, Andy. Look at what he found. He'll never believe you," she sobbed.

"Come on, let's go to where the greenbrier twines. No one will find us there. We can talk. I'll figure out what to tell Jonesy and I'll make him understand," Andy encouraged, taking her by the hand leading her toward their secret place.

Drying her tears on the hem of her full skirt, Crina followed his lead and they continued on slowly in the direction of the greenbriers in silence. Both were engrossed in thinking about what they would say to the other once they were secluded in their safe abode.

Reaching the brambles, Andy bent down and crawled through the opening. Crina followed after him. The grass was still damp within the confines of the greenbrier's barren circle. The sun hadn't had enough time to dry it. Sinking down into grass, Crina took Andy's hand and pulled him down next to her.

Reluctantly, Andy sat down, not liking that they were going to get wet and the coolness of the day would make them cold in wet clothes. He wished they had Crina's blankets to set upon, but that was something beyond his control.

"Boy, Jonesy is sure mad," he finally said. "He probably won't let me out of his sight until you're gone or at least until Slim gets back."

"Oh, Andy, I never meant to cause you all this trouble. Maybe we should run away now? Just the two of us," Crina said as she took his hand.

"Crina, we can't. Where would we go? We'll work this out. It might take some time. I need time to think about it. You have to go back to your camp and I'll go back to the ranch an' talk to Jonsey. I'll get away as soon as I can. I know I can get away, somehow," he said as he stood up and pulled her up from the damp ground. "Let's go. I don't want Jonesy goin' to your camp an' causin' any trouble for your folks. I'll try an' meet ya here, tomorrow. I'll go to the lake to get your things before I come to meet ya here."

"No, I will send Ion for my things sometime today. Just come here tomorrow if you can. I will be waiting for you. Come as soon as you can. Ion will be at the ranch to help with the stagecoaches and you can send a message with him," the girl said, a tear escaping and rolling down her cheek.

Pulling her toward the passage, Andy hugged her before ducking down to crawl through the opening. Crina followed and the two hugged again before heading in opposite directions to return to their respective homes. Turning around after a few steps, Andy looked back toward Crina. He watched her disappear through the field before finally dashing off toward the ranch house. He was not looking forward to the confrontation with Jonesy.

Pacing the floor in the ranch house, Jonesy was muttering to himself when Andy came through the front door, walked quickly past Jonesy and into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. The older man was astonished that the boy didn't acknowledge him. It was almost as if he wasn't there or that Andy hadn't seen him.

Jonesy wasted no time in following after the youth. Opening the door without knocking he went into the room and sat down on the bed next to the slumping teen. The tension was thick between them as they both sat waiting for the other to speak. Finally Jonesy broke the silence, "Andy, I'm real disappointed in you. I wish your brother was here to handle this. I don't know what to say," Jonesy began.

"You don't haveta say nothin'," Andy said, standing up to confront the older man. "You don't even know those people an' ya act like ya hate 'em," he yelled.

"You're right, boy, I haven't met them, but I've heard enough about their kind. It's best that we stay away from them."

"Why? What have they done to you?" Andy asked, the pain of the situation plain on his face as he lowered his voice, realizing his disrespect.

"Well, they haven't been here long and they already have you lying and running off," the older man countered, then stood up, putting his hand on the young man's shoulder. Andy shrugged it off and walked to the window to look out at nothing.

"Okay, I'm listening. I know what I saw, now I want you to tell me what I saw," Jonesy said calmly.

"I told ya, I went fishin'. Yeah, I asked Crina to go with me. We had a long talk. She told me some terrible things about what happened to her. While we were talkin' I saw my pole slip into the lake. I reckon that's what happened to her pole when we were sleepin'. She was cryin' when she told me about the things, an' I only put my arms around her to make her feel better. I reckon we fell asleep while I was holdin' her. That's all that happened, Jonesy, ya gotta believe me!" the boy said, turning to face the older man, his eyes pleading to be believed.

Jonesy stood silently looking at the boy, wanting to believe him, and after giving it some thought, he did believe him. After all, what Andy said did explain what he'd found. Sitting back down on the bed Jonesy asked, "What terrible things happened to her?"

"I don't think she wants me to talk about it, but she was…" Andy was at a loss for the right words. Sitting down next to Jonesy, he continued, "She, she was hurt by a man. I think ya know what I mean. She was upset an' scared. She needed someone to talk to."

Concern showing on Jonsey's face as he thought a for few moments then asked, "Did she tell you when this happened? Is it still happening now?" sympathy and concern for the girl's safety had come to his mind.

"No, not now, the man is dead. He's not hurtin' her anymore, but she's still upset that it happened. I don't think she's told anyone else. She trusted me an' needed to tell someone," Andy replied, looking down at his hands. "We're only friends, Jonesy, we talk, that's all," he said barely louder than a whisper.

"I still think you should stay away from any of those people until your brother gets back. It'll be up to Slim who he wants you to see. I'm supposed to be taking care of you. And in my care I want you to stay away from them. I don't know if Slim would want you hanging around them either," Jonesy said, standing up, looking down at the young teen before him, the sternness no longer predominant in his words. "Do you understand me, Andy? It's not my thoughts about those folks, it's what I think is right for you until your brother can make a decision. He'll be back in a day or two. You can wait that long, can't you?"

"She needs me, Jonesy. She has no one else to talk to. I'm not meeting her at the camp. I'm not seeing any of the others, well, except the ones comin' here to help at the ranch. I only see them in the barn. Please, Jonesy, she needs me to talk to, that's all," Andy stood up to again plead with the older man.

"I'll think on it," Jonesy said in a kindly way, placing both hands on the boy's shoulders. "Andy, I'm not being mean. I'm looking after your best interest while your brother's away. Whatever Slim decides when he gets back will be fine with me, okay? He left me in charge and I'm looking after you as best as I can."

Nodding that he understood, then hanging his head, Andy deferred to Jonesy's wishes, at least until he could give it more thought. Andy truly cared about Crina and hated to see her with no one to talk to until Slim could get back to the ranch. Once Slim returned, it wouldn't be long before Crina would be gone. The thought of her going away was suddenly realized causing the young man's heart to skip a beat as he felt panic creep into his stomach and making it ache.

Chapter 15

When Crina reached the camp, she saw there was several strangers with some of the men from her family out in the field where the sheep were grazing, talking in an animated manner.

Going to one of the wagons where several women were gathered, she eavesdropped to find out what was going on. She overheard that the strangers were ranchers from the area concerned about the diseases that sheep could bring to their cattle and were insisting that the caravan travel on and get out of the area.

As she watched, she saw some pushing and shoving turn into a brawl as the men started to fight physically with each other. One man, still on horseback, drew out his rifle. The men continued to fight on the ground until a man on horseback shot five of the sheep. The gunfire caused the fighting to stop as everyone looked in the direction of the rider and then at the fallen sheep. At the sight of the dead sheep, the gypsy men lit back into the ranchers. This time the man on the horse fired into the air, stopping the fighting, then he spoke to the men staring in his direction.

Crina couldn't hear the conversation from the vardos, but whatever was said, it was over and the strangers mounted up on their horses and traveled off. The shepherds quickly ran to the dead sheep and gathered up their bodies to bring them into the camp.

Dragos walked to where the majority of the camp was gathered to watch what had been going on. Crina was now within their midst, absorbed in the present situation.

"They want us to move on. I told them about our wagon and that we are waiting for the axles. I told them that they will be here in a day or two and we would need another day to install them and then we would all be leaving. They will not wait. If we are not gone before tomorrow, they will be back to kill the rest of our sheep." Dragos said angrily. "I believe they will do it. They killed five of our good ewes already.

"I think we must consider moving on. I will stay behind with the broken vardo and catch up with the rest of you later. I know the route. I ask that you make longer stops to give me time to catch up with you. I will be able to travel quickly without having to herd any sheep. These sheep need to be cleaned," he pointed at the dead ewes. " I suggest that we work quickly. You can leave the meat with me and I will smoke it and bring it with me. I don't want to see this meat wasted. Does anyone else have any other ideas?" Dragos turned to look at the men in the gathering.

There was chatter amongst the people, both men and women discussing what else they might be able to do. Crina was in a panic, maybe she would never see Andy again and how would she get word to him that she was being forced to move on immediately. She stepped forward to her father, "What about the Sherman's? They have been so kind to us, we can't leave them without helping them while they are away."

"You are right, Crina," he quietly replied to the girl, then raising his voice to the crowd again he said, "Crina brought up the Sherman's. I suggest that Mihail, you stay with your vardo and Grigore you stay here, too. Your families can travel together in Grigore's vardo. We can live in Mihail's wagon until Mr. Sherman comes back with the axles. We can then travel with the two vardos to meet the rest of you and the flock. I will stay with the vardos and cure the meat, while Grigore and Mihail continues to help at the ranch. It is only fair."

More chatter went around in the group of people with many heads nodding with approval. They'd been in similar positions in the past, having to deal with angry ranchers that hated sheepherders. "Are we in agreement then? If not, someone speak up." Giving the group a few more moments to talk amongst themselves and no one stepping forward, Dragos said, "Then it is done. It will take us the rest of today to clean up the camp and pack up. We will finish in the morning and move the herd south as planned. Let us get started. We have no time to waste."

The crowd disbursed, everyone heading in a different direction with determination, each knowing their specific jobs from years of practice. Rather than helping, Crina ran off to where the greenbrier twined. She needed time to think. She was about to lose Andy forever, if she didn't act fast.

Before she reached the brambles, a plan came to her mind. Ion would be going back to the ranch for the last stage of the day. Quickly she turned around and headed back to the vardos. Climbing into her father's wagon, she found some paper and wrote Andy a note to send back with Ion.

"Andy, we are being forced to travel on. I will be leaving in the morning. This is your chance to go with us. Meet me where the greenbrier twines as early as you can. We plan to leave right after sunup. I've spoken to Ion and he is willing to hide you away in his wagon if you come along. Please give it thought. If you want to come with us, meet me at our special place. If you do not come, I will understand. Andy, I do love you. I want you with me forever. I leave it to you and I only want your happiness. You are welcome to come, but it is your decision."

Rouging her lips, Crina placed a kiss on the folded paper, placing a C in the stain.

Winding her way through the busy people, Crina found Ion dismantling the awning that hung from his vardo. She slipped him the note, "For Andy," she said and Ion nodded, while both looked around to make sure that they weren't noticed. Everyone was so wrapped up in the jobs that they were pursuing no one even noticed the two together. To further hide their meeting for passing the note, Crina proceeded to help Ion with his awning. She whispered before leaving to help others, "You will still take him with you if he decides to go?" Ion nodded with a conspiratorial smile.

Ion climbed the steps to the porch, after not seeing any sign of Andy outside or in the barn. He knocked at the door, humbly holding his hat. Jonesy answered, looking the man up and down. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Excuse me sir," Ion said politely, "I need to see Andy."

"About what? He has no business with you," the older man curtly said.

"I was instructed if we couldn't find something that we needed in the barn to ask Andy. We were asked to do some repairs by Mr. Sherman while we were here. I can't find some of the tools we need," the younger man replied.

"All the tools are in the toolbox. Did you look there?" Jonesy said, suspicious that these men were scouring the barn and would steal lord knows what.

"Yes, and most of them are there. I was hoping young Andy might be able to help us find the rest that are not in the box."

"Oh, all right, I'll get him. He's in his room doing his homework for a change," Jonesy said crossly as he closed the door on the young gypsy, mumbling to himself as he shuffled toward Andy's room.

Opening Andy's bedroom door, the older man stuck his head into the room to see the boy lying on the bed on his stomach, his nose in a book.

"One of them gypsy fellas needs your help in the barn, can't find some tools or something. You go out there and help him then get back in here to your studies," Jonesy said with agitation.

Jumping up from the bed, Andy walked past Jonsey and out the door without a word. Once outside, the boy ran to the barn to see what the men needed. Ion met him inside the barn door. "We don't need your help, we have the tools, but I have this message for you from Crina. I wanted to get you alone to give it to you. No one knows any of this," the gypsy man said, handing Andy the note with a conspiratorial smile.

"Thanks," Andy said, tucking the note in his back pocket. "Is Crina okay?" Concern was written all over his face.

"We are being forced to move on. I'm sure her message will tell you about it. I did not read it, as usual," the man replied.

Panic appeared in the boy's eyes as he looked into the dark eyes of the young gypsy. "Move on? Why? When?" Andy queried.

"Some of your neighbors came today and shot some of our sheep. If we don't move on they said they would be back tomorrow to kill them all. We must move them. Dragos, Mihail, and Grigore will stay behind to repair the vardo and join us later. We will take the sheep far away so the ranchers will leave us alone. We hope to be packed and ready to leave in the morning."

Andy's heart began to pound uncontrollably. Suddenly speechless, he nodded to the man and turned back toward the house, first walking slowly then running into the house and slamming the door behind him.

"What bit you," Jonesy asked, looking around the corner from the kitchen at the sound of the slamming door.

"Some of our fine neighbors are makin' them move on without their wagon," Andy replied angrily. "How can people be so mean?"

"It's that way, Andy. I'm surprised it took them this long to come out here. Cattlemen and sheepherders have always been in conflict in these parts. It's been going on for years," Jonsey said.

"Well, that don't make it right," Andy cried indignantly.

Before he could open the door to his room, Andy and Jonesy heard some horses coming into the yard. It wasn't the sound of the stage arriving, besides it was much too early. The riders rode right up to the house.

Jonesy went to the door, opening it to see Mort climbing down from his horse while the other six riders remained in their saddles.

"Hiya, Mort," Jonesy greeted him, "What brings you out here?"

"I hear there's been a little trouble brewing around here. I need to talk to Slim," Mort replied.

Glancing out at the other stern men, Jonesy decided to only invite Mort in for coffee. Mort smiled in appreciation of the invitation as he stepped up on the porch to enter the house. "I'll be back out in a minute," Mort told his riding companions.

Once inside, Jonesy explained the situation with Slim and Jess being away and the gypsy camp being there because of their broken axle.

"When do you expect Slim to be back?" Mort asked, as he sipped at the coffee that Jonesy brought to the table while he told Mort the story.

"Probably day after tomorrow," the ranch caretaker said.

Andy was in his room listening, at the door. He'd already opened and read Crina's note. His heart hurt and his head swam with thoughts of having to make the decision to run off with Crina or not. He tried to weigh the pros and cons, but the more he thought about it the more confused he became. Now that the law was involved, Andy was worried even more that things would really get rough for Crina and her family.

"There won't be a range war over this, will there, Mort?" Jonsey was becoming extremely concerned. "I sure don't want Slim to come back and find out all the ranchers are against him because of this. It wasn't something planned, it happened and you know how kind-hearted Slim is. He didn't tell them to move along, instead he's trying to help them."

"Yeah, I can see how this all happened and nobody would've probably been the wiser if those folks hadn't come into town. They were the ones that let everyone know that they had sheep out here. They were trying to trade some off for goods and services. It got folks talking and, well you know folks. It just grew and now the ranchers are worried about their cattle. I reckon I'd be on the rancher's side if I had cattle, myself," Mort confessed.

"I was hoping Slim would be here to ride out there to talk to those folks with me," Mort continued. "Sam told me that he was with a group that went out there earlier. He said that it got out of hand. Luckily nobody got shot except some sheep. I want to ride out there and put a stop to things before they begin," the sheriff said.

"Sorry I can't help you, Mort. I know that Andy said those folks are in a bad way and they're grateful for Slim's help. They're even helping out here at the ranch. Two of them are in the barn right now waiting for the next stage to change the team. They're doing some repairs in the barn," Jonesy told Mort.

"You don't say! You mean some of them are here right now?" Mort asked.

"Yep, one of them came to the house to ask about some tools to fix something in the barn that Slim asked them to do while he was gone. I reckon they're out there working on it right now. They're here to change out the relief teams and I reckon they're killing some time until the stage gets here. They've been real reliable, been here for every stage. I don't know their names, but Andy does. He's gotten to know some of them," Jonesy volunteered.

"Maybe he'd introduce us? I think they'd be more at ease if we have one of you with us when we meet with them. Sam was with that group that started the trouble. He wasn't looking for trouble. He was only there to support the other ranchers. Once all hell broke lose, he came to tell me about what happened, hoping to set things right. But he's worried about his own animals, just the same," Mort said.

Getting up from the table, Jonesy went to Andy's door.

Overhearing everything and recognizing the sound of the chair being pushed away from the table, Andy quickly jumped onto his bed, picked up a book, and pretended to be reading when Jonesy opened the door.

Looking up from his book, Andy glanced at Jonesy. "Could you come out here, Mort wants you to introduce him to those men in the barn?" the older man asked him.

Getting up from his bed, Andy followed Jonesy out to the table where Mort was finishing the coffee that remained in his cup. Jonesy offered him more, but Mort refused it, anxious to get to the matter at hand.

"Andy, could you introduce me to the men from the sheep camp? I need to talk to them. There was some trouble out there and I want to make sure that everything is okay and things are settled," Mort explained.

Andy nodded and headed toward the door with Mort following after him. Stepping off the porch, Mort walked to where the mounted men waited and softly gave them his instructions. The sheriff then followed Andy to the barn, leaving the horsemen behind him at the house.

Grigore and Ion looked up from the repairs they were doing to one of the box stalls as they entered the barn. "Grigore, Ion, this is Sheriff Corey. He needs to talk to you about what happened at your camp today," Andy told the two men.

Mort and the men shook hands then Ion returned to work on the board they were replacing while Grigore talked with the sheriff. The two men discussed what had happened earlier and Grigore told Mort about their plans for the group to travel on with the sheep in the morning while three of them would remain behind to repair their wagon once Slim and Jess returned with the axles.

Mort apologized for the trouble and assured the men that he would take care of matters with the ranchers who had made the threats. "I already told them you might need more time than a day. If you can move out on Monday morning, I think they'll be satisfied with that. It's not going to be easy for me to keep a hold on them much longer than that. They're pretty concerned over their own livestock. I hope you understand," Mort said, sympathetically

"We must stay here to finish this job and help with the stagecoach. Could you ride out to the camp to tell my people? I know they are frantically packing up to move on. Another day will give them time to clean up the camp so that Mr. Sherman doesn't have as much to do after we leave," Grigore suggested.

"I reckon I could do that," Mort assured the gypsy man, with a smile. "Andy, do you think you could come out there with us to talk to them?"

Smiling, Andy nodded in agreement, thrilled with the prospect of making the trip to the camp and knowing that Jonesy wouldn't try to stop him.

"You can ride out double with me, if you like," Mort volunteered.

"Sure," Andy replied, unable to believe the good fortune of having an excuse to go out to the camp and be able to see Crina again.

Andy followed Mort to where his horse was tied next to the house. The sheriff mounted up then gave Andy a hand to climb up to ride behind him. Jonsey was standing on the porch and Mort told him that Andy was going with him out to the camp so he could find the right person to talk to about the people moving on. Jonesy nodded his approval and the seven men turned their horses, heading in the direction of the gypsy camp. Jonesy watched as they rode off, not happy with everything that had transpired since Slim had left, leaving him with so many things to contend with and unsure of what would meet with Slim's approval. Now this added wrinkle of the infuriated neighboring ranchers had him more than a bit worried that they might blame all their woes upon Slim should any of their cattle take sick.

Chapter 16

Mort and his small posse arrived outside the perimeter of the gypsy camp and were met by several men, some carrying rifles. Mort instructed the men with him to wait on the outskirts of the camp, not wanting the band to feel threatened by their presence. He and Andy then proceeded to ride to the gathered wagons. When they reached the campsite Andy jumped down from Mort's horse and ran to where Dragos stood in the midst of a number of men. Mort followed Andy slowly on horseback and then dismounted when he'd reached the group.

Introducing Mort to Dragos, Andy stood back to allow them to talk about the visit that the caravan had had earlier in the day and their plans to leave the area. Mort offered the band to have all day Sunday to finish packing up, assuring them he could control the ranchers from taking out their threat for at least a day or two. He didn't see any problem with two of the wagons and the three men staying behind to wait for Slim to return with the axles, as long as the sheep were on the move and away from the irate ranchers.

Dragos thanked the sheriff for his kindness, promising him that the extra day would be more than enough time. "I will get some of my people moving tomorrow, just the same. They will start to drive the sheep and get them moving while the rest finish packing and cleaning up the camp. It should make the ranchers happy that the sheep are going on as soon as we can spare the herders," Dragos said to the sheriff. "We meant to be no trouble. Mr. Sherman was kind enough to not force us to continue on. It is a hardship for the same people to stay with the flock constantly with no rest, but if they head out on Sunday morning, and the rest leave on Monday, they will be together by Monday night and the herders can be relieved. It shall work out fine. I thank you Sheriff for the kind consideration," the gypsy leader said, reaching out to shake hands with Mort.

"Come. Call your men and join us for coffee? We also have some stew if they have a mind to a bowl or two. Plenty to go around," Dragos offered, sincerely hoping that they would join the family in their meal.

"I'll go ask them. You're very kind to offer," Mort said, turning to mount his horse to ride out to ask the men if they wanted coffee or some of the stew that was offered.

Andy took advantage of the conversation between the two men to seek out Crina. It didn't take him long to find her. She'd noticed the group riding to their camp and being curious if there would be more trouble, she was hiding to the side of one of the vardos. When she saw Andy coming in her direction, she stayed hidden until he almost passed her by. Reaching out, she grabbed him by his shirtsleeve and pulled him in between the wagons. "Did you get my message?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yeah. I'm so sorry that this is all happening. I wish…"

"Shhhhh," she said, taking Andy by the hand and leading him off away from where anyone could hear them.

"It is all set with Ion, he has room for you in his vardo and is willing to hide you when we leave," the girl said.

"I don't know, Crina. Like I told you, Slim won't be happy and he'll come lookin' for me. I don't want to see you or your people in trouble because of me," the boy reminded her.

"Think about it, Andy. This is your last chance. We will be leaving tomorrow."

"No, the sheriff is gonna make sure you have until Monday before you have to leave," Andy corrected her.

"Good, then you have one more day to think about it," she said, looking at him pleadingly. "We can meet again tomorrow where the greenbrier twines. You can give me your answer then. I will be waiting for you, Andy. You can come tell me your answer, or if you don't want to see me, I will know your answer is that you will not be coming with us. Remember, it was fate that brought us here and it is fate giving you this chance to make a decision in your life. You are not happy here at your ranch and want to roam. I am not happy to roam any longer, but if you are with me, I will be able to bear it."

"Okay, I'll think about it some more. I've been thinkin' about it almost every minute already. I know I have to make up my mind right now, tonight. I'll let you know tomorrow. Right now I have to get back to the ranch," he said, pulling away from the dark-eyed girl. She pulled him back toward her, throwing her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the mouth.

At first Andy was tense but quickly relaxed, returning her kiss. They parted and he smiled as he reluctantly left her behind the wagon to return to where Mort and the other men were standing around near a cook fire drinking coffee.

"Where'd you go?" Mort asked, as Andy came to stand beside him.

"I went to say goodbye to someone who'd become a friend," the boy told him, glancing in the direction where he'd left Crina.

"Well, it looks like you'll be able to see him one more day," Mort said, assuming that Andy's friend was one of the juvenile boys he'd seen milling around the camp. Andy didn't bother to correct him.

When the men finished their coffee and thanked their hosts, they mounted up to head out. Mort told them to go on back home, that he'd drop Andy off at the ranch and then return to town by himself.

Hearing the horse ride into the yard, Jonsey came out onto the porch. "How'd it go, Mort?" he asked, drying his hands on a sackcloth towel.

"Fine, Jonesy. Thanks for the loan of Andy. I was glad to have him with me to find the right man to talk to," the sheriff said, lowering Andy to the ground from the back of his horse.

"How about some coffee, Mort?" Jonesy offered, hoping for more adult conversation.

"Just had some at the camp, but I reckon another cup before heading for town wouldn't hurt," Mort said as he climbed down from his mount.

"Then come on in, I made some apple fritters while you were gone," Jonesy said, turning to go into the house, followed by Andy and Mort. "Have a seat. I'll get the coffee and fritters. Andy, could you get the cups and some plates for us?"

Andy followed Jonesy into the kitchen to do as he was asked, taking the dishes to the table, followed closely by Jonesy with the coffee pot and a plate full freshly made apple fritters.

"Thanks, Jonesy," the sheriff said, reaching out to grab one of the still warm fritters. "I haven't had one of these in ages. Glad I decided to join you for coffee and not miss out on these." Taking a bite of the tasty treat brought a smile of pure pleasure to the lawman's face. "Mmmmm, mmmmm, best I've ever had, Jonesy."

"Thanks, Mort. I don't make them often, but had a hankering for some," the older man said, reaching for his own fritter. Andy was already enjoying his own treat but was lost in thought about the decision he was being forced to make. Luckily he wasn't part of the discussion between the two older men and was left alone in his pondering. Once he finished his fritter, Andy excused himself, saying that he still had homework he wanted to finish before dark. Going to his room, the teenaged boy needed to give his dilemma more serious reflection.

After Mort had devoured his second apple fritter, he thanked Jonesy for the hospitality and assured the ranch foreman that things were under control, as far as the sheep were concerned, at least for now.

Riding out of the yard, Mort met the stage as it was coming over the embankment to the ranch. He smiled and waved to Mose who called out to him as he slowed the team, "Trouble, Sheriff?"

Mort stopped and turned his horse to follow the stage back into the yard to tell Mose about what had developed and encourage the stage driver to stop for coffee and some of the apple fritters that Jonesy had made. Mose almost couldn't contain himself with the promise of apple fritters waiting for him inside the ranch house. He hoped there was enough to share with his two passengers, knowing that if there weren't Jonesy wouldn't offer them to anyone for fear there wasn't enough to go around.

As Mort rode off, Mose climbed down from the stage and moseyed to the house to be greeted by Jonesy at the door. "Ya got coffee for m' passengers an' me?" Mose asked, hoping the offer of fritters would be mentioned.

"Sure, bring them in. The coffee's always hot at stage time, you know that Mose. I might even have a treat for you all. How many?" Jonesy asked.

"Two passengers," Mose said.

"Well, bring them in, I made apple fritters and there's plenty for everyone," Jonsey said, pleased that he could offer the delicacy to the passengers.

Mose hurried to the coach, inviting the passengers to come along and stretch their legs and have some coffee at the house. A well dressed, but dust covered, man climbed down stiffly from the coach and helped the middle-aged lady to step down. The gentleman then took the lady's arm as they followed Mose to the house while Grigore and Ion changed out the worn team.

Chapter 17

As Jess rode along the road from Fort Collins, he was cautious every time he came to what looked to be a likely spot for an ambush. Not only for the suspicion that he had about Murphy not being totally on the up and up, but also a lone rider was always easy pray for a highwayman.

At times he detoured around rocky passages, preferring to take the long way around through an open field before rejoining the hard packed road. Even so, he'd scour the rocks to be sure that no one was stationed there with a rifle to fire upon him in the open. He felt damned no matter what course he chose to take.

The only sign of human life he'd encountered was a stagecoach using the road on its way to Fort Collins. Waving to the passing driver and raising the suspicion and weapon of the shotgun rider was his only interaction with anyone along the way.

Ahead there were some rocky areas he wanted to avoid, so he opted to take a ride through the wooded land that ran adjacent to the highly piled huge rocky precipice. It appeared that others had the same uneasy feelings about that section of the road and took to the woods. There was a clear path cut through the trees that followed parallel to the road. Other than having to duck a few low hanging branches, the path was a pleasant change from the hard packed, dusty road.

Emerging from the woods, back onto the road, the way looked clear for miles. He didn't feel a detour or fear of ambush would be of any importance for some time. Spurring his horse to a slow lope, Jess enjoyed riding in the unobstructed area, not fearing that anyone could be hiding or able to take a clear shot at him.

With plenty of places along the way for someone to waylay him, Jess was beginning to gain confidence that Murphy's foreman was telling the truth, that Murphy was no longer seeking revenge on him. Still, he felt that once he'd reached Slim's friend's farm then he could finally relax. No one would follow them that far. If they were going to ambush him, it would have been long before this, far and away from any witnesses.

Even though he was feeling more and certain that he wasn't being followed or that anyone was waiting for him in ambush, Jess still continued to avoid those places where danger could be lurking. One such place that he was detouring he observed a man high up on the rocks. He could also make out that it appeared that the man was carrying a long gun. Looking for cover, barely taking his eyes off the man in the rocks, Jess headed for a stand of trees, for what they were, three skinny trunks that didn't offer much cover.

Watching the man for about ten minutes, Jess couldn't make out what he was doing up on the rocks. He was moving erratically in clear view. It didn't make much sense for a man lying in ambush to be acting in such a manner. Jess' curiosity outweighing his concern for his safety, the dark-haired Texan decided to find out what was happening up in the rocks.

The whole time that Jess moved toward the rocks, the man had his back to him and never stopped his strange gesticulations. As Jess rode closer, it looked as if there were ropes holding the man in a standing position, and what Jess thought might be a rifle or shotgun appeared to be a long branch that held the man in place with his arms outstretched, extending out from his shoulders.

Ground tying his horse, Jess cautiously climbed the jagged rocks, looking around him to be sure no one else was around. When he reached the top of the summit where the man was strung up, Jess crept along some tall inside rocks near the east ledge, trying hard to not be seen if there was anyone else in the area. His handgun was drawn in case he needed it.

When he got within hearing range of the tethered man, he whispered loudly to him, "Hey, Mister, what're ya doin' up here?"

Muffled sounds came from the man as he tried to twist his body in the direction of the voice. He was gagged and unable to answer.

"Calm down, I'm here to help ya, but I gotta to ask ya some questions first. Nod your head. Do ya understand me?" Jess whispered.

The man nodded his head that he understood.

"Are we alone up here?" Jess asked. The man nodded yes.

"Are ya sure?" he asked, wanting to be positive before stepping away from his protection.

The man nodded again, no longer struggling, relaxing within his rope restraints, either exhausted or glad that someone had finally found him.

Jess stepped out and toward the raggedly dressed man, scrutinizing the area around them, his .45 cocked and ready to fire should he need it. Once he looked around and over the nearby rocks and was reasonably sure they were alone, Jess approached the suspended stranger. Taking the gag from the man's mouth first, he asked, "What happened? Why are ya out here?"

"Water," was the only raspy sound that came from the scarecrow of a man's mouth.

"Sure. Let me cut ya down first. I'll climb down 'n get my canteen once I've got ya cut down." Jess carved away at the ropes then gently helped the man to the ground. He was an older man; gray-streaked, long hair and beard, dressed in tattered buckskins. He appeared to be one of the mountain men that lived in so many of the mountainous areas. "Okay, easy old-timer," Jess said, propping the aged man up against a rock then checked his wrist abrasions. "I'll get my canteen 'n be right back. You okay?"

The old man nodded as he slumped, with a groan, against the rock he was resting against.

Jess climbed down to where his horse was waiting. He collected his canteen and climbed back up onto the mound. "Here, sip it slowly," he said as he held the canteen to the elderly man's parched lips. Jess took the canteen away and the old man quickly reached out to grab hold of it, "Take it easy. You can't gulp it. It'll only come back up on ya. Just a little at a time."

Over the next few minutes Jess offered a little water at a time, when finally the old man said, "Thank ya, son. I thought I was a goner fer sure," his voice still raspy and barely more than a whisper.

"How long have ya been out here?" Jess asked, handing him the canteen, fairly confident that the old-timer was able to gauge his own ability to drink the water with prudence.

"Not rightly sure. I come to a little while ago all trussed up like ya found me. I bin tryin' ta git loose since I come to." He took another sip from the canteen and with each swallow his voice became stronger. "Injuns. They said I was huntin' on their land n' didn't take a likin' to it."

"That don't make no sense, never heard of such a thing," Jess said, suspicious that the man wasn't telling him the complete truth, but he was sure that the way the man had been tied up and where he was found that it was Indians that put him there for punishment of some offense he'd committed.

Taking another swallow from the canteen, the mountain man handed it back to Jess, "Thanks, young fella. I reckon I owe ya. M' name's Thomas Ryan, I live up in the mountains over yonder. I was headin' fer town fer supplies an' I stopped ta shoot me a rabbit fer supper when they pounced on me. Looks like they took m' mules, too," the old man said as he glanced around at the base of the rocky summit.

After taking the canteen back from the old man, Jess stood up looking down at him, "Sounds like a pretty harsh punishment for just shootin' a rabbit."

Sitting up straighter, the bedraggled man said, "Well it's the truth, son. I got a feelin' ya don't believe me," he said, sounding a bit indignant.

"I didn't say that. It just doesn't add up that they'd tie ya up for huntin' a rabbit. Maybe take your mules in payment for their rabbit, is all," Jess said, trying to read the man.

"I'm not askin' ya ta believe me, I reckon. Ya kin believe what ya want. I'm grateful ta be turned loose an' ya givin' me that water. "

"You're a long way out here, far away from almost anywhere. I can't take ya with me. I only have one horse and I don't think he can handle the two of us for any distance and it's a long way to where I'm headed. I'll tell ya what. My friend will be comin' along this road with a wagon sometime today. I'm sure he'll give ya a ride, but it won't be to Fort Collins. He can get ya to a ranch where they might lend ya a horse to get to town. I can't say for sure, but we can't leave ya out here."

"A wagon, ya say? Where ya headed?" the old-timer asked.

"We're headed for Laramie, but we have a stop or two along the way at some farms. I wish we could take ya to town, but we're kinda in a hurry to get back to Laramie," Jess apologized.

"A ride ta that farm sounds all right ta me, iffin yer friend won't mind."

"I'll get ya down to the road. You can wait there until ya see him. Ya can't miss him. It'll be a buckboard hauling two heavy axles. Flag him down. I know he'll stop. Mention my name, Harper. Jess Harper. Tell 'im what happened. I'm sure he'll give ya a ride. He won't leave ya out here," Jess assured the man.

"Okay, young fella. I reckon I kin wait fer yer friend. Ain't got much choice, I reckon," he smiled, almost toothlessly.

Jess helped the old-timer up and carefully navigated his way down the rocky ledge, wondering how the Indians had gotten him up there to begin with, shuddering at the thought that they probably hauled him up with a rope.

Once at the bottom of the rocks, Jess searched for a comfortable place for the raggedy man to wait, where he'd be out of the sun and out of sight of anyone who might be passing by that the old man might not want to see him.

Leading the old-timer to a sheltered area, Jess settled the mountaineer in, leaving his canteen with him after taking a long drink himself before turning it over to the older man. "You wait for Slim, unless you should find someone coming through that can take you on to Fort Collins, okay?"

"Yep, ya got it, son. Much obliged fer what ya done fer me. I sure owe ya. I wish I knew how ta repay ya."

"Glad to help. Just keep safe 'n that'll be enough repayment for me. Maybe I'll see ya later if ya hitch a ride with Slim. If not, I wish ya a lot of luck. An' no more huntin' on Indian land, hear me?" Jess teased, with a smile and a glint in his blue eyes, still not believing that hunting a rabbit was the old man's only sin.

"You betcha. Iffin I'd knowed I was on their land, I wounldn'ta fired m' gun. Oh, m' gun. They took that, too," the old man said, just realizing he no longer had a gun in his shamble of a holster.

"Good idea. I reckon ya don't need to worry about that right now. I wish I had somethin' to offer ya to eat, but didn't bring anything along with me."

"Don't worry, son. I'll be fine. Iffin yer friend is a comin' along this trail, I'll be fine, I reckon."

"Remember, if ya see someone that's headin' for town, see if ya can get a ride. If I run into anyone headed that way, I'll let 'em know where ya are. So if someone comes around callin' out your name, it'll be someone I've sent. With any luck, maybe someone with a wagon will be headin' toward town. Ya take care now, I have to get goin'."

"Thanks, Jess," the old man said, as he settled into his rocky shelter, watching as the younger man effortlessly hopped up on the black gelding and galloped off and around the rocky mound.

Chapter 18

The rest of the ride to the Phillip's farm was uneventful. Jess observed a small herd of antelope and had he any way to properly slaughter and bring one with him, he would have enjoyed surprising the Phillips family with meat for a feast as well as helping to stock their smokehouse.

The young cowboy was thoroughly enjoying his ride. The weather was perfect. The sun shining warmly, but a cool breeze kept his horse from working up a sweat even when breaking into spurts of loping where the road was free and clear.

Once again he saw a stage headed toward him, probably going to Fort Collins. Waving it down, again scrutinized by the shotgun guard, Jess explained the plight of the old man he'd left at the mound, but he was told that it would be impossible for the stage to stop and pick him up. They already had a full carriage of passengers and the top of the coach was heaped with several trunks and other smaller luggage. The driver explained that he could send someone back from town to help the old man and thanked Jess for making them aware to watch out for the old-timer.

Satisfied that the old man might be safe and sound soon, Jess continued on his way toward the Phillip's place, again enjoying his alone time, but having to admit to himself that he really missed Slim's company.

After the buckboard was packed with the travel supplies and he rechecked the rigging on the axles, Slim climbed up onto the seat and headed out of town, hoping that all was going well for Jess. He was anxious to meet up with the Texan who'd become such an important part of his life as well as looking forward to a good dinner with the Phillip's family. But most of all, he looked forward to the long ride back to Laramie, with his best friend, to be over and to getting back to the routine of the ranch. There truly was no place like home, in his opinion.

As he drove along the well-packed dirt road, he realized all the places where caution might be necessary along the way, areas where Jess probably navigated away from the road to avoid any possibility of ambush. He started to watch for tracks, indicating any of those detours that Jess may have taken. It made him a bit uneasy along those stretches, until he'd find where the tracks came back out on to the main road, knowing that his friend wasn't waylaid somewhere behind him. 'Maybe this separation wasn't such a good idea after all,' he thought to himself. He wouldn't really know if Jess were all right until he met up with him, most likely, at the Phillip's farm.

It was a long, slow drive for the tall rancher, but the day was pleasant. The sky was clear and it was just warm enough for a comfortable ride. The last warm days like this so near the end of the summer season were always welcome and something to be enjoyed while they lasted. The depressing heat of the summer was gone, and now the warmth of the sun was appreciated.

He waved to a passing stage, heading toward Fort Collins, as it sped by leaving him in a cloud of dust. After coughing some of it out from his lungs, Slim took off his hat and dusted off his clothes as best as he could. 'I hope our drivers have more manners than that one and slow down when they pass someone when it's this dry on the road,' he thought to himself.

After a couple of hours driving, Slim came upon a rocky precipice to the side of the road. Out of nowhere, a scarecrow of a man stepped out from the rocks waving him down. Pulling back on the reins, Slim stopped the wagon a short distance from the buckskinned, bedraggled, bearded man.

"Ya be Slim Sherman?" the old-timer called out.

Standing up in the buckboard, Slim quickly surveyed the man and the surrounding area for trouble as the old man stepped forward toward the wagon. "Hold it right there," Slim said, his eyes narrowing as his hand hovered over his .45. "How do you know my name?"

"Take it easy, son. Iffin yer Mr. Sherman, yer friend, Jess, told me ta flag ya down fer a ride," the ragged man replied. "Ran inta 'im out here. He saved m' life. Injuns had me strung up fer buzzard bait. Jess said ya might give me a ride ta the farm where he was headed. M'be find me a horse ta git me ta town." Holding up Jess' canteen, he continued, "See, he left this with me. He said ya'd prob'ly help me."

Figuring if this man had hurt Jess, he'd have taken the black gelding and been long gone, not on the road begging for a ride. "Why didn't you flag down that stage?"

"What stage?" the mountaineer asked. "Didn't see no stage go by since Jess left me here. Ain't seen nobody but you, so far."

Once again Slim studied the surrounding area then sizing up the old man up and down he decided that the fellow wasn't a threat and invited him to join him on the wagon. Grinning from ear to ear, the mountain man rushed to climb up into the buckboard, not about to give the blonde man a chance to change his mind.

On their drive to the Phillip's farm, Ryan told Slim of his ordeal and of his meeting Jess. "Real nice fella, yer friend," the old man said.

"Yeah, I kinda took a liking to him," Slim said, smiling to himself, thinking about how Andy and Jess were so good at picking up strays, never thinking of himself as having the same habit. If he hadn't, Jess wouldn't be his best friend, today.

"So what do you plan on doing when I get you out to my friend's farm?" Slim asked of the old man.

"I was kinda hopin' there might be somewhere along the way where I could find me a horse er mule," Ryan replied, "ta git me ta town."

"I don't recollect any farms or ranches near this road and I can't really take any side trips," Slim informed him, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the pair of heavy axles.

"Don't let it worry ya none, young fella. I'll go anywhere ya kin take me. I'll make do. M'be yer friends'll be able ta stake me a horse ta git me ta town. I promise I'll git it back ta 'em. I got me some gold, kin pay fer a horse er mule, if they wanna sell one ta me. Bin minin' up thar. Ain't much ta be found thar, though. Bin prospectin' too long up thar fer almost nothin'. Might be time ta move on an' find me a new mountain," Ryan said, his eyes searching off into the distance.

"But if you found gold up there?"

"Naw, the gold I got ain't from 'round here. Found me some stuff up thar, not much good fer much, but its bin payin' m' way fer a while. Gold I got is from south o' here. Had me a pardner down thar, till he got his self kilt. Almost got m'self kilt, too. Dirty claim jumpers had us outnumbered 'n thar ain't no law out thar. Moved on while I was still alive."

"Sorry to hear that, Thomas," Slim said, taking a long look at the old man beside him. Slim reckoned that the man had to be younger than he looked. The sun and weather hadn't been kind to him. His skin was like leather and his windblown, tangled hair and beard were streaked with gray. "Ever think about retiring from prospecting?"

"Naw, don't know nothin' else. Reckon when m' time comes, I'll make a good grubstake fer some wild critters," Ryan said with a thoughtful smile. "Can't think of retirin', not enough gold ta keep me goin'. M'be I'll git me a strike someday," he said as a winsome smile lit up his face.

"I reckon we all hope we'll find our strike someday," Slim agreed, wishing he could pick up the pace of the horses now that they were on open road, but couldn't ask the animals to pulling the heavy load any harder than they were doing already.

When Jess arrived at the Phillips farm. Jim Phillips was out in a field, working up the ground for its winter rest. The dark-haired cowboy rode out to see if there was anything he could do to help. "Hey, Jess! Where's Slim?"

Jess told Jim enough about what had happened to explain why they were coming from town separately and then asked Phillips if there was anything he could do to help him out in the field.

"Nope, nothing out here," Jim Phillips replied. "I bet Sara can find ya somethin', though. She never seems to run out of chores for me to do," the man, a few years older than Jess, said with a warm smile.

Nodding, Jess turned his horse toward the farmhouse. Riding into the yard, Sara met him with a broom in her hand. She'd been sweeping the dust off the small front porch. "Hi, Jess. Where's Slim?" she asked, shading her eyes from the sun with her hand as she looked up at the blue-eyed ranch hand.

Lighting down from the black gelding, Jess told Sara about their need to separate in case there was any kind of trouble along the way. He could tell that the petite woman was intelligent and not totally accepting of the short version of his story, but she had enough manners to not question him more. "Do ya have a place I can put up my horse?" Jess asked, wanting to change the subject in case she became more curious.

"Oh, sure. Find a place in the barn or put him out in the corral. It's up to you. There's hay in the mow. The fork is up there. Toss down what you need," Sara said, pointing toward the barn. The corral was attached to a wall of the barn and there was a door was situated above for throwing hay down to the animals kept below.

Looking at the sky in all directions, Jess said, "Looks like it'll be a good night. He can stay out in the corral, I reckon. Thank ya, ma'am."

"Sara. My name's Sara and that's what my friends call me, okay?"

"Sure, ma'…I mean, Sara. Thanks. Jim said ya might find somethin' for me to help ya out with back here at the house? Some repairs? I'm pretty handy with a hammer,"

"Ummm, let me think while you put your horse up. I'm sure I'll think of something. There's always work to be found around here."

"Yep, I know how that is," Jess agreed. "We never run outta things to do back at the ranch. Seems like every time we think we're caught up, somethin' breaks down 'n needs fixin'. I'll be back in a few minutes," the young man said, as he turned to lead his horse away. Sara watched him as he walked toward the barn; a bit of an admiring smile spread across her lips. She loved her husband, but still appreciated seeing a strong, muscular specimen, especially one as handsome as this cowboy. When her thoughts cleared, she embarrassedly looked away, but the smile returned as she headed toward the house.

Chapter 19

The clatter of pots and pans woke Andy from his restless slumber. He had difficulty getting to sleep, waking up several times with bad dreams and so many thoughts running through his mind making the night seem endless. Getting dressed quickly, Andy joined Jonesy in the kitchen. "Morning," Jonesy said, handing the boy the basket used to gather eggs.

"Mornin', Jonesy," Andy replied, taking the wicker and as his usual habit, headed out the door to get their morning needs. On the way back from the hen house, he stopped at the butter house, bringing in a pitcher of milk along with the eggs.

"Thanks, Andy," Jonesy said, his mood far better than Andy's. The gypsy camp leaving was depressing the boy, but it seemed to have an uplifting affect on the older man. "Get the table set, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."

Mechanically, Andy did as he was told. It was so automatic that it took no thought at all to do his chore, so his mind was elsewhere, thinking about what he was going to do over the next day and how to do it. He'd made up his mind, he wanted to travel with the gypsy caravan and see the world, well, at least far more of it than he was seeing staying at the ranch. 'Wish I could say goodbye to everyone here,' he thought, knowing that it would be impossible; they'd be sure to stop him. 'I'll write them all a letter,' he thought, 'and hide it where they can find it in a day or two after I'm gone.' He wouldn't tell them where he'd gone, but they'd probably guess. 'Maybe I could give them some false leads,' he thought. The more he considered, the more complicated the whole ordeal was becoming, but he was now determined. 'Fate,' he thought as a remorseful smile appeared on his lips.

"Huh?" Andy said, as he realized that Jonesy was talking to him.

"I said, where are you? I asked you three times if you wanted butter or gravy for your biscuits."

"Oh, sorry, Jonesy. I reckon I was just thinkin' about that book I was readin'. Wonderin' what might happen next," he lied.

"So, what do you want on your biscuits?"

"Oh, gravy, I guess," Andy said, taking the plate of bacon from the older man's hand and placing it on the table.

Jonesy brought the rest of the food to the table and both became lost in their own musings as they ate their hearty breakfast. Once finished, Andy systematically started to clear the table while Jonesy heated water on the cast-iron woodstove to wash the dishes.

"Where are you going?" Jonesy asked as he saw Andy head for the door, putting on his jacket.

"Out to take care of my critters. You know I do that every mornin', Andy said with some irritation, as he turned to look at Jonesy, upset with the man's obvious suspicions.

"Yeah, okay. Go ahead. I reckon I'm a bit jumpy for some reason," the older man said, flagging the boy, with a motion of his hand to continue on his way.

Andy hurried to the caged area where he kept his orphaned and injured menagerie of animals. Quickly he did his chores, then peeked around the corner of the chicken coop toward the house to make sure that Jonesy wasn't watching.

Keeping close to the buildings then going through the barn to the side door that couldn't be seen from the house, the young teen left, bounding through the field in the direction of the greenbriers.

When he arrived, he crawled through the small opening to find that he was alone. Almost in a panic, he turned and stooped down to duck back through the passage and bumped heads with Crina as she was entering. Both burst out laughing as they rubbed their heads where they'd thumped. After Crina got her giggles under control and was inside the circle of brambles, she suddenly became somber, pulling the boys head down to look at the bump on his head. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Andy. I…."

"Aw, it's nothin', Crina," Andy said, pulling away to rub the small lump that was rising on his head.

"It was funny," she admitted, "as long as you're not hurt."

"Nope, I'm fine. How about you? You bumped your head as hard as I did," Andy said, looking at the red spot showing on her forehead.

"My father says I have a hard head. Harder than ironwood, he says."

"I reckon we both do," Andy said, bringing giggles back to the girl.

Crina went back to the opening and reached through it, pulling in the blanket and basket that she'd brought with her into their lair. She spread out the blanket, set down the basket at one end. She then sat herself down in the middle, patting on the blanket next to her, indicating that she wanted Andy to join her.

Seriousness clouded her face as she gazed directly into the eyes of the young man now sitting next to her, "Do you have an answer?"

Andy looked away for a moment, thinking a few seconds before turning back to face the teenaged girl, "Yeah. I want to go with you, Crina, but I've been tryin' to think of how I can get away without anyone knowing about it."

"I have been thinking about it, too. I think I know how and I am sure Ion will help us."

"You have a plan?" the boy asked, eagerly searching the adolescent gypsy's dark eyes waiting to hear what Crina had to say.

"Yes, I think it should work. You know we must leave tomorrow and you must go to school in the morning," she said, as she cupped her hand over Andy's. "If you go to school as you usually do, they won't miss you until you don't come home at night, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose, but…"

"We will have our vardos ready to go soon after sunrise. It will take time to round up the flock and get them moving. Some of the wagons will leave early, then the sheep and then more of the wagons will follow. Ion's vardo will be the last to leave. He will be sure that he finds a reason to be last.

"Either he or I will be at the school house with a horse waiting for you in the morning. Instead of going inside, you will meet one of us behind the schoolhouse and come back to the camp. Ion will sneak you into his vardo. No one will know.

"I have talked my father into letting me go meet with Ion's family on the way to Texas. The sheep will cover any trail of where the wagons go or branch off. We often visit with other caravans when we move from one seasonal place to another. It is not unusual. Only Ion's wagon and his sister's family's wagon will detour east. I will be traveling with them, going to the east before turning south to go to Texas. Even if your brother follows the trail of the sheep, he will lose us," she said with a smile. "He will never see where or when we leave the other vardos. Once well on the move we will all meet together. All the vardos will travel together for a while, followed by the sheep who will cover any wheel tracks when we split up."

"Oh, you don't know Jess. I bet he could find the trail," Andy said, worry evident in his eyes and creasing his brow.

"Then you do not want to try?" she asked. "We may be gone long before your brother get's back with the axles. Do you not think that it is worth a try, Andy?" Crina said, her eyes pleading with the boy to not deny her request.

Andy stood up then paced, his hands in his pockets, as he thought over the plan. "You really think that the sheep will cover all the tracks?"

"Yes, I do. And if we are very lucky and some wind or rain comes to help cover them more, they will never find us," the little vixen said smugly, looking up at Andy.

"They know we'll be goin' south," Andy finally said.

"But, will they know that you went with us? How can they be sure?"

"I'm sure Jonesy will know. After catchin' us at the waterhole, he'd guess right away," Andy said, no doubt in his mind.

"Andy, you said you hate it here. You want to see more of the world. This is your chance. It is fate. I told you, fate happens. I believe in it and I believe that it was fated that we should meet and give you this chance to make your dreams come true. Not only yours, but mine as well. I love you, Andy," Crina coaxed as she stood up and took his hands in hers, looking deep into his eyes.

"Think about it Andy. Tomorrow is the day you can take that big step," she said, leading him back to the blanket and pulling him down to sit beside her. "Andy, I don't want you to ever hate me or believe that I have forced you to do anything. I am just giving you an opportunity. I am going to tell you goodbye. I want you to go back to your house and think about it. If you are not with us today, maybe they will not be suspicious that you left with us. If you want, you can tell them that you came here to say goodbye. Act like nothing is going to happen, but pack your important things, things that you cannot live without. We live a simple life, Andy, with very few material things. I'm sure you have some things that are sentimental to you that you will want to bring. Maybe someday they will no longer be of importance, but they mean something to you now and they will help you adjust to your new life with us. Bring them here sometime today and I will take them to Ion's vardo, or you can take them with you to the schoolhouse." Crina leaned closer to her young man and kissed him on the ear, causing him to flinch. "Still shy, I see," she teased.

Andy smiled at the flirtatious girl timidly, "I just haven't been around many girls and none of them are like you."

"I hope that is a compliment," Crina said slyly. "I am going to leave now. I will check back here before dark. If you leave anything, I will take it to Ion's vardo. If not, I hope to see you tomorrow." The dark-haired girl stood up, pulling at Andy's hand to get him to stand. She leaned into him giving him a seductively long kiss on the mouth. Again, the boy felt himself relaxing and returning her kiss as his body reacted, betraying him. The young woman released him and turned to fold her blanket, leaving Andy to deal with the flush that made him feel weak in the knees, as well as stirring some other unknown urges. How could he deny going with this girl who was becoming important to him in so many ways.

Reaching into her basket, Crina pulled out a sweet cake and handed it to her young man.. Andy smiled as he accepted the offering. "I made this for you, myself," Crina told him before turning to kneel down and crawl through the brier's opening. Once on the outside, she reached back inside to pull the blanket and basket out after her.

Andy waited a few minutes, pacing and thinking more about the plan as his blood cooled. He was excited and really wanted to leave, but he was also terrified at the prospect as well. What if he ended up hating it? How would he get back home? So many thoughts and emotions crowded his mind once again, many of them new, things he hadn't considered before. Now he almost wished that Crina had never come into his life to cause him so much indecision. But like she'd told him, this might be what she called fate. A test for him, but how was he supposed to react to this test? Where should his loyalties lie? Of course he recognized that they should lie with his family, but then, shouldn't they lie within his own heart and soul? Was that what growing up meant, to have to make such monumental decisions?

Still torn by the resolution, Andy crawled out from the bramble patch and headed for home to be caught coming into the yard by Jonesy. The teen had been walking and thinking so hard about his dilemma that he forgot to try and hide where he'd been.

"Andy! Where were you, boy?" Jonesy asked, already knowing the answer.

"I went to say goodbye to Crina and her family. They're leaving in the morning and I have to go to school. I wanted her to know that I was sorry about what those men said and did and that I didn't feel the way they do. Jonesy, she's a friend. I had to say goodbye," the boy said, shuffling his feet in the dust, unable to look the older man straight in the eye.

"Well, I'm glad that's all over with. Let's get back to the house. I need some help to move some things," the older man said, putting his hand on the youth's shoulder, directing him toward the house.

"Good morning," came a shout, as Mahail came across the yard from the direction of the corral. "I'll be working alone today, my brother must help pack up some of the vardos for us to leave tomorrow, but no fear, there will be two of us later to help out until Slim returns."

"Yeah, well okay," Jonesy said, not wanting to stop and chat. He continued to hurry Andy toward the house. The less time Andy spent with 'those' people, the better Jonesy liked it.

"Ya know, Jonesy, I counted the chickens every mornin' an' ya know somethin', none of 'em are missin'," Andy said with a smirk as he wandered into his bedroom and closed the door behind him.

"Andy, I said I needed help out here. I need to roll that new barrel of flour in here," Jonesy said to the closed door.

Andy opened his door immediately, facing the older man. Jonesy turned to the kitchen and went to the pantry where the pair wrestled with an empty flour barrel. After getting it outside the kitchen door, they went to the storage shed and rolled a full barrel of flour into the pantry. "I need some wood put next to the fireplace and some by the stove," Jonesy ordered. When Andy finished stacking the woodpiles, he asked if there was anything else the older man needed help with. "That should do it for now. How is your school work?" the older man asked.

"I reckon I still have a little to work on. I'll go do that now," Andy replied, glad to have a reason to go to his room to look for what he planned to pack for his getaway. Closing his door, he looked around the room at his meager possessions. He chose a few items-the gold pocket watch that was left to him by his father, a hunting knife he received from Jess for Christmas, a few items of clothing that he liked, the sock where he hid some his spending money. It would be a small bundle, something he could hide in his school bag easily, especially since he didn't have to take his books with him in the morning. He'd have no need for them any longer.

Taking out some paper and a pencil, he decided that he'd write each of the men he loved a letter to tell them he was leaving because he had to see the world, not because he was angry with any of them. Tears rolled down his cheeks as his emotions poured through his writing instrument. Twice he wasn't happy with what he'd written and crumpled up the paper, to start writing over again. Regardless of what he wrote, he felt wrong about the whole escapade that he was about to embark upon, but he was determined that he was going to leave with Crina.

Chapter 20

Jess was on the roof of the Phillips' house putting some new shingles over a leaky spot near the chimney when he saw the buckboard with Slim and Thomas coming up the road at a slow but steady pace. Jim was right when he said that Sara could find plenty of work for him to do. He'd fixed many small things all over the house and the barn since he'd arrived, thinking Jim had it easy out in the field only having to contend with the horse and plow digging up the old, dried up plants left after the harvest.

Climbing down, Jess walked toward the road to meet the buckboard. Slim was happy to see that his friend had arrived safe and sound. Jim had missed the wagon's appearance, having been plowing around on the far side of the barn away from the road.

"I see you found Mr. Ryan," Jess shouted, before the wagon reached where he was waiting.

"And I see you have no new holes in your hide," Slim joked as he pulled up on the reins and stopped the horses.

"Depends on what ya mean by that. No bullet holes, but ran a nail in my foot while patchin' a hole in the barn."

"How'd you do that, Pard?" Slim asked, pulling the younger man into the buckboard to give him a ride to the house.

"Not lookin' where I was steppin'. The nail head came off with the board, but the rest of it was stickin' up from the hole. Found out the hard way," Jess said with a smile. "Nothin' much, a long way from my heart."

"Thomas here had quite an adventure," Slim said, as he drove the wagon in close to the barn. Jim had just cleared the building and seeing Slim, he waved, but continued to finish working at his field. Jess was surprised that Sara hadn't come out to greet them since she'd seemed worried when he'd arrived without Slim.

"Yeah, we bin talking," Ryan said, as he managed to climb down from the wagon. "I got no reason ta go back ta m' mountain. I'm goin' back ta Laramie with ya an' git me a stake 'n head fer them Black Hills. I hear there's lotsa gold up there."

"And lotsa Indians, too. Haven't you had enough of goin' up against 'em yet?" Jess asked, as he jumped off the wagon to stand next to the old man.

"I ain't findin' no gold around here 'n still gittin' m'self in trouble with them Redskins. Might as well take m' chances with 'em where thar is gold," Thomas said, with a grin, slapping Jess on the back. "'Sides, different tribe, might not be so touchy 'bout killin' rabbits."

Sara came around from the back of the house carrying a basket of laundry. Putting it down, she ran to greet and hug Slim. "So happy you came back," she said with a bright smile, unable to hide her admiration for the handsome rancher friend of her husband.

"I see you've been putting Jess to good use," Slim said, giving her a good squeeze, lifting her off the ground, causing the woman to giggle and then feel foolish for sounding like a silly schoolgirl.

"Almost wish I could hire him. I think I've gotten more things fixed around here just today than Jim's done in a month," Sara said, trying not to show her interest in the old man whom she hadn't been introduced to yet.

Noticing her perusal of the mountain man, Slim apologized, "Oh, I'm sorry, Sara. This is Thomas Ryan. Jess must have told you about him?"

"No, he never mentioned, Mr. Ryan," the woman said, nodding in his direction.

"I really didn't think he'd be comin' here with Slim. Mr. Ryan was on his way to Fort Collins when he ran into some trouble. I kinda helped him outta his mess. I hoped he'd find a ride to town, but it looks like no one came along the road going to Fort Collins?" Jess replied, rubbing his forehead, sorry he hadn't prepared Sara for the possibility of another visitor.

"I reckon I'll be goin' back ta Laramie with Jess n' Slim, here," Thomas said, extending his hand to Mrs. Phillips after wiping the palm on his buckskin britches. She gingerly shook his hand, before turning toward the house. "I have to get the wash put away then get to making us all some supper. Luckily we have plenty for everyone. I'll leave you men to take care of the horses. Jess knows where everything is. Jim can show you all where to wash up when he gets back."

"Thanks, Sara," Slim said, turning toward his team and starting to work at the leather harnesses. Jess joined him, working off the other side of the wagon. Thomas leaned against the corral fence watching the two men work, taking out a pipe and stuffing it with tobacco before striking a wooden match to light it.

"I reckon we can leave them out here in the corral with the gelding. It looks like a good night. If ya wanna finish up here, I'll go up 'n throw more hay down," Jess volunteered.

"You got it, Pard," Slim ageed, taking hold of the now unattached horses and leading them toward the gate. Thomas followed after him, closing the gate once Slim had taken the animals into the corral to release them from the rest of their trappings.

Climbing over the corral fence, Slim spotted Jim coming around the barn, driving the horse and plow in their direction. He rushed out to meet his friend and help him bring the burdensome plow to the barn, unhitch the horse, and turn him loose in the corral with the others. Jess joined the men while they were talking, Slim having already introduced Jim to Thomas.

At dawn, all the Phillips farm was awake. Sara prepared a robust breakfast for everyone. Jim helped Slim prepare the team of horses for their day's journey. With luck, Slim surmised, they'd reach the ranch in time for the evening stage on Monday.

Thanking the Phillips' for their hospitality, Slim, Jess and Thomas bid them farewell and started their journey toward Laramie. They had enough supplies with them for a lunch and super along the way, also to allow giving the horses rest periods along the way and treat themselves to a quick cup of coffee. If they made good time, they'd have one other ranch house where they could bed down. If not, they had sleeping supplies for two, but would share what they had with Thomas.

The weather was holding, but the nights were getting cold, dropping to freezing in the higher elevation. They hoped they'd find shelter rather than having to sleeping out under the stars. Everything would depend on how well the horses held up pulling their heavy load.

Chapter 21

Sunday night Andy filled his book bag with the few items he was planning on taking with him on the stage into Laramie. Lastly, he carefully wrapped the gold watch, left to him by his father, in some of his socks before he tucked it into the bag. He hid his books under his cot, placing the folded letters to Slim, Jess, and Jonesy, sticking out from one of them. Each message had a name inscribed upon it. He figured it wouldn't take them long to search his room and find the books and the notes he'd left each of them.

Slipping out from his room, Andy looked around to see if Jonesy might still be about. All was quiet and the only light in the sitting room was from the dying fire in the fireplace. He tiptoed and listened at Jonesy's bedroom door. Hearing him lightly snoring, Andy became bold enough to toss his crumpled, failed letters into the fireplace embers, and watched them curl and scorch before they finally caught fire and burned. He then went to the table where he picked up a lantern and a wooden match. Taking the unlit lantern with him, he went to Slim and Jess' sleeping quarters. Closing the door behind him, he lit the lantern.

Checking in a few drawers, he finally collected the two items he wanted to take with him on his journey, one a red, the other a blue bandana. Folding them gently with care, he tucked them into his pocket. Picking up the lamp, he blew out the flame before opening the door. Placing the lamp back on the table where he'd found it, he tiptoed back to his room, tossing the spent match into the fireplace as he passed it by.

In his room Andy sat down on his bed taking out the two neckerchiefs, running his hand over each of them, a tear rolling down his cheek. Wiping away the tear on his sleeve, he then got up and tucked the two bandanas inside his book bag.

Earlier, while Jonesy was busy preparing super, the boy found an old sock that needed mending in the sewing basket. He recognized it as one of Jonesy's. It, too, was amongst the treasures he'd packed for his odyssey. He hoped that none of the owners would miss any of the insignificant items. Andy desperately had to have something, a personal part, from each of them to take with him. They were his family, his old family. He knew he'd miss them terribly and only wished he could be leaving on a different note, but he also recognized that it would be impossible. They would never approve of him leaving with Crina and her family, his new family.

Crawling into his bunk, Andy pulled the covers up close under his chin, realizing that this would be the last time he slept in this bed, under this roof, the only home he'd ever known. Another tear escaped and rolled off the side of his face and onto his pillow. Why did growing up have to be so difficult and confusing? He was doing what he wanted and what was right for him, but how could something so right make him feel so terrible?

Clutching the blanket to him, he rolled over to his side to stare at the moon visible through his window. 'No matter where I am, Slim, Jess and Jonesy will be seeing the same moon as me,' he thought, bringing a bitter-sweet smile to his face and tears to his eyes. Staring at the moon, eventually his eyes closed and the boy fell asleep dreaming of the adventures to come with his new life in the big open.

"Andy? You plan on sleeping the day away?" Jonesy called from the outside of Andy's bedroom door.

"Huh?" Andy said with a start waking from a sound sleep. "Oh, I'm awake, Jonesy. I'll be up to get the eggs in minute. Gotta get dressed."

"Better hurry. The ham's almost done cooking," the older man muttered as he walked back into the kitchen to tend to the frying pan.

Andy came out from his bedroom and dashed into the kitchen collecting the basket as he ran out the kitchen door. Returning to the house, he stopped at the butter house for his morning milk.

"Table needs setting," Jonesy said as he took the basket from the boy. Andy immediately picked up some plates, cups and utensils and took them to the table, then sat down to await the arrival of his breakfast.

Afterwards, Andy proceeded to care for his various animals, wondering what would happen to them when he was gone. He figured that Jess would probably take care of them, but once they were well or grown, there would be no more strays, orphans or injured animals residing in the cages. He took out Sam, his pet raccoon, giving him a hug and telling him that he wouldn't be seeing him any more. And that Jess would probably take him out and let him go out in the woods and that he'd better be good and stay there and not bother any humans.

Andy then checked the bandaged leg of an injured rabbit, knowing that Jonesy kept saying that that rabbit was meant to be in the stew pot, but he didn't really mean it. Once the leg was healed, Slim would turn him loose. 'If only I could take some of you with me, but I know I can't,' he thought, knowing he'd still be picking up orphans and injured animals in his travels, but wondering how Crina and her family would react to his compassion. He only hoped they'd allow him to minister his healing to the little animals they met in need, but knowing how poor the band was, they weren't liable to pass up an animal that could be butchered and eaten. It would be something he'd have to learn to live with, he reckoned.

Once he was sure the animals were secured, fed, and watered, Andy walked slowly back toward the house to gather his things and wait for the stage. Across the corral he heard a shout. Looking in the direction of the greeting, Andy waved to the two gypsy men approaching the barn to tend to the daily ranch chores.

Entering the house, Andy went straight to his room and gathered his school bag. With a sigh and brushing aside a tear, he glanced one last time around his room. Once he felt his composure return, he left, closing the door behind him. He'd already hidden his books under his bed and tucked the folded letters to his family under his pillow, each inscribed with their names on the outside fold.

Jonesy was in the kitchen, pumping water into a large, iron pot to heat for washing the morning dishes. Andy found it hard to not run to the man he loved and respected and give him a hug knowing that it would be unwarranted and suspect, he withheld the emotion and just stood watching the older man go about his morning routine.

"You ready for school, boy?" Jonesy asked as he turned away from the stove and put some of the waiting plates and eating utensils into the dishpan. Andy nodded his head in affirmation. "I reckon Slim might be back sometime today. I bet you'll be glad to see your brother," Jonesy said with a smile as he glanced at the teenaged boy, realizing how much it seemed that he'd grown into a young man before his eyes over the past year or so. It was hard for Jonesy to believe that Andy was no longer the little boy he'd cared for during the past few years. Soon he would be a man and no longer need him.

"Ya think they'll be home today?" Andy asked, not sure if that was a good thing or not. If Slim and Jess got home today, he wouldn't have much time in making his getaway. They'd probably guess immediately were he'd gone and catch up with him quickly and there'd be hell to pay as they dragged him back to the ranch. He'd never see Crina again as well as his dream of seeing so much more than his present little corner of the world.

"Well, they figured they'd be back today or tomorrow at the latest if all went well, the weather holding up and all. And with those gypsies moving on today, if the boys can help get that axle on the broken wagon, the rest of them can catch up and travel on together like they usually do."

"I reckon," Andy responded, only half hearing what the older man had said. Unable to control his emotions, Andy decided it was best to leave the room before he gave anything away. "I'm gonna wait on the porch for the stage, unless ya have somethin' ya need me to do before I leave."

"Nope, I think I've got the day all planned. If your brother gets back early enough I'll make us all a special supper. I'll bake some pies today while you're gone, but they're for the homecoming, so don't expect any tonight if the boys aren't back yet," Jonesy teased. A sad smile came to Andy's face as he nodded his understanding.

Andy walked to the door, reaching up to take down his jacket from the hook and slipped it on. He then placed his hat on his head and pulled it down low over his brow to hide the sorrow of leaving that was in his eyes. Picking up his book bag, he opened the door and glanced around the greater room for the last time as he stood in the open doorway. After closing the door, the teen walked to where two rocking chairs were placed on the covered porch. He ran his hands over the arm pieces of each of them, then sat down on one to await the arrival of the coach to town.

As they journeyed the road heading north, Slim figured they'd reach the ranch well before suppertime. They'd offered Thomas the black gelding to get him back to Fort Collins before they left the little farm, but he declined the offer, deciding that maybe it was time for him to head on "to greener pastures," as he put it. He'd made up his mind that he'd look for work in Laramie to get enough money to get some mules and supplies to make his way to the Black Hills, even against the warnings from both Slim and Jess about the dangers in the area. The Sioux did not welcome anyone on their lands, much less a prospector digging around in their sacred mountains.

As they swapped stories, Thomas finally admitted that there was more to his trouble with the local tribe than killing of a rabbit. One of the braves had caught the old man fondling his wife and he was lucky to get away with his life. He'd left his cabin and was heading toward Fort Collins for supplies to leave the area when he'd made his presence known by killing the rabbit for his supper. He didn't know that the brave and some of his brothers were out looking for him. He'd thought that if they'd found he'd left his cabin, they would give up on him, but he was wrong. The old-timer continued to deny that there was any more to the story and that he'd only had too much to drink and was only trying to steal a kiss from the pretty young woman. Jess still found the punishment a little harsh for the crime, but it was more believable than the story of being caught just killing a jackrabbit for supper.

"So ya see, killing that rabbit fer m' supper's what done me in. Don'tcha see, ya young fellas came 'long at the right time. I wasn't sure where I was gonna go. Looks like the good Lord sent ya ta guide me ta goin' north," the old man said, slapping Jess on the back, as he laughed.

"You weren't goin' much of anywhere when I found ya," Jess reminded the mountaineer.

"Well, I reckon we could use your help at the ranch for a few days, but I'm afraid we don't have enough for you to do to hire you on," Slim apologized.

"Oh, no. I reckon I owes ya a few days work just fer givin' me the ride ta Laramie. An' ol' Jess here, I owes him m' life. No ways ta repay that. But if I strike it rich up in them mountains, both ya boys will be seein' somethin' from me, fer sure."

"We wish ya luck, Thomas, I hope ya make a big strike, but ya don't owe me nothin', Jess said, turning to smile at the old man riding behind him in the wagon.

"Naw! Naw, I mean it. Without ya fellas, I don't know if I'd be alive, 'n still I wouldn't have no idea where I was goin'. Iffin I shows up on yer doorstep with a sack of gold fer ya, yer gonna take it! Git it?" the old man exclaimed, fully serious.

Staring straight ahead, Slim could do no more than crack a broad smile for the old-timer's dream as Jess grinned, shaking his head. The thought of gold would be nice, but the idea of getting closer to home was first and foremost on both of the younger men's minds.

Chapter 22

The stagecoach arrived at its usual time. Ion was not amongst the men changing out the team, it was Dragos' two brothers this morning. While the men changed the team, the gypsies told Mose about their plans for the caravan to move out today. One wagon, along with the broken one, would remain behind until the repairs were completed then the remaining three men, in the two wagons, would catch up with the troupe. They assured the old driver that they would be there to help with the relays until Slim returned and afterwards, if necessary.

Andy walked slowly toward the waiting coach, looking around at the ranch, taking mental snapshots of as many memories as he could hold. Climbing up into the coach compartment, the boy placed his chin on his arm that he'd rested on the window ledge, as he took a long, sad look back at the ranch house. Suddenly the door opened as Jonesy stepped out, broom in hand, to sweep the dust from the porch. It was a precious memory now for Andy, even though it was a daily task he'd observed hundreds of times.

With the team readied, Mose climbed up onto the box and raised his hand to wave to Jonesy. The man on the porch waved to the coach and Andy waved back, regret in his heart that things had to be the way they were. He was sad that there had to be so many secrets and that there would be hurt and pain for those he was leaving behind. Andy's own heart felt hollow while he watched the yard move before his eyes as Mose turned the coach to head for Laramie. Leaning out the window, the young teen looked back at the house until the coach went over the rise, causing the vision of what had been his home to disappear behind the small hill. The only remaining evidence that there was a home beyond his sight, were the tendrils of smoke from the fireplace and cook stove drifting upward toward the brilliant, cloudless, blue Wyoming sky.

The stagecoach arrived at the depot in Laramie and Mose climbed down from atop and opened the door to let Andy climb out from inside the coach. Andy had to restrain the impulse to hug the old driver. Mose had been a big part of most of his life, one of the first drivers he'd gotten to know when his brother signed the contract with the stage line to become a relay station. Mose had been the driver on almost every run taking the boy to and from school. He considered the kindly older man to almost be an uncle, knowing that Mose watched over him as if he were his own son. Andy was realizing how many people were important in his life, people who cared about him and he cared about in return. It was such a hard decision, but his mind was made up.

Before running off in the direction of the schoolhouse, the boy took a long look at his friend as he said his last goodbye, successfully hiding his emotions. Heading toward the school, he turned a few times to observe Mose as he loaded some baggage onto the top of the coach to take on his next run before returning to Laramie for the afternoon run that would normally take Andy back home.

When Andy reached the schoolhouse, rather than going inside, he went around the yard to find Ion mounted and waiting nearby, holding the reins to a second horse. Andy was a bit disappointed that Crina wasn't with him and asked after her. "Crina is taking some of her things to my sister's vardo this morning since she will be traveling with us on our side trip. My wagon is prepared for your use. It will be good to have you with me. It is often lonely traveling alone. You do understand, though, you must remain hidden until we leave the main wagons. The less people who know about you, the better the chance you will not be found by your brother, if that is what you wish," the young gypsy man said, handing Andy the reins to a hefty sorrel horse.

"No. No I don't want Slim to find us. I want to become part of your family and stay with Crina," Andy said, as he put his foot in the stirrup and climbed up on the broad back of the wagon horse.

"We will do our best. Crina said that this is your decision. I must ask before we leave here. Are you sure this is what you want to do? I do not want you to feel that anyone is forcing you to go with us."

"No! No, Ion, this is what I want. I do understand I'll have to stay in your wagon till you an' Crina think it's safe for me to be seen by the band. I don't want to see any of ya in trouble an' from what Crina said about not rejoining the band until you all meet up in Texas. I hope that by then Slim will be done lookin' for me. I left them all letters so they know that it was all my idea to leave the ranch, an' I didn't say anything bout leaving with any of you."

Ion shook his head as he started to lead the way. Andy caught up to ride along side him. They rode outside the main street of town so they wouldn't be readily seen. "Our leaving, your friendship with Crina and your leaving, even with your letters, I think your brother will know. If he sees you as a boy, he will follow. If he sees you as a grown man, he may or may not follow. Maybe follow to be sure you know what you are doing and that it is truly your decision. You know your brother far better than I."

Andy absorbed what the wise, youthful gypsy had said but didn't reply. He was sure that his brother would follow and demand that he come back home with him. Now he had to turn his thoughts to how to convince Slim that he was a man and that he'd made up his mind as to how he wanted to live his life. He hoped he'd have enough time to give it a lot of thought and discuss it with Ion and Crina to help him formulate his speech to persuade his brother.

The pair kept off the main roads and paths trying to remain unseen by anyone traveling to town. They reached the far side of the gypsy camp and Andy noticed that many of the vardos had already left. Ion had Andy dismount to wait where the greenbrier twined while he went to hitch their horses to his wagon. He told Andy that he would stop by the thicket to pick him up as he left to follow the other wagons.

Andy entered the clearing within the greenbrier circle hoping to find Crina waiting for him, but was disappointed to find that he was alone. Sitting down to wait, the teen hoped with every twig that snapped that Crina was finding her way to be with him before they left, but she never appeared. It wasn't long before he heard the clatter of Ion's vardo as it bumped along through the field. Stopping the wagon near the catbriers, Ion called out to the teenager.

As he started to move toward the opening in the thicket, Andy stopped short to take one last glance around at their secret place. 'Where the greenbriers twine,' in his mind he heard Crina's voice as she said those precious words. He knew he'd never forget this place, not only for the memories it gave him of Crina, but for its unusual presence so close to home and no one knowing it existed. Ducking down, Andy reemerged into the open field.

The gypsy man motioned for Andy to climb aboard the wagon from the rear entrance. Slowly, Andy walked toward the vardo and reached for the strap designed as a helper to boost one up the step and into the wagon. Hesitating, the boy took one quick glance back at the thicket. Without further delay and with a deep inhalation, the young man pulled on the strap as he climbed the two steps into the back of the wagon. "Okay, Ion. I'm in an' ready to go," he called out to the gypsy driver.

The vardo lurched forward and started to roll, bumpily rumbling through the field. Andy peered out the back of the wagon and could see the roofs of the ranch house and barn over the low rolling hill. Wiping away a tear with his fingers and barely stifling a sob, he turned to join Ion at the front of the vardo. So many memories of his childhood flashed through his mind that he was almost overcome with the urge to turn and jump from the wagon and run back home. Shaking off the emotions with his determination, Andy started to climb into the seat next to the gypsy man, with a resigned sigh. "No, you must not be seen!" Ion exclaimed. "Not until we are far away from the caravan. You must stay hidden. If the rest know you are with us, they will tell your brother where we have gone. If the band believes that you have not followed, they will probably not mention our departure when we leave the caravan."

Silently, Andy melted back into the wagon's interior, grasping for hold as the conveyance wiggled from side to side over the rough ground. He finally found a soft place to settle down, guessing it was one of the swags for sleeping. Lying back on the blankets, the youngster covered his eyes with his forearm, but couldn't control the welling up of tears that came to his eyes. 'I still have time,' he told himself. 'I could tell Ion to let me out here and I could run back home.'

Rolling over to his side, Andy wiped his eyes and looked toward the back doorway of the vardo. The image of Crina's smiling face and dancing dark eyes appeared before him in his imagination, bringing a wan smile to his lips. He then rolled over on his back again, determined that he was making the right decision, no matter how confused he felt.

It wasn't long before the motion of the moving wagon rocked Andy into a dreamless sleep, never noticing when the vardo stopped for Ion to put the fencing back up along the road before traveling on following the wide trail created by the traveling flock of sheep.

Chapter 23

"We're making good time," Slim commented to his two traveling companions. "We might be back early enough to move the cattle before the afternoon stage arrives."

"It'll be good to be home," Jess agreed. "How are ya at herdin' cattle, Thomas?"

"Ain't no cowboy," the old man said, "but willin' ta give anythin' a try. I owe ya, so give me a horse an' point me in the right direction 'n I'll do m' best."

"We schure could use your help. I'm sure the gypsies will help, too. Herding beeves can't be much different than sheep," Slim commented. "Once we get the cattle moved we can work on their wagon. Might only take us a day or so to get them on their way."

"I'm not lookin' forward to seein' what them sheep did while we were gone," Jess said, shaking his head. "I hope your neighbors ain't waitin' for ya when we get back an' wantin' to lynch ya over those sheep."

"I know. I'm sure they've found out by now and aren't happy. With Dragos trying to trade sheep in town, well, I'm sure the word spread real fast. I'm hoping that the ranchers can reason that the group can't travel on until their wagon is repaired. The sheep aren't at the ranch to stay."

"I heard about them range wars. Glad I wasn't never in any of 'em," Ryan said.

"I seen some between the ranchers and farmers over fences. Not pretty. None of the range wars, sheep or no sheep," Jess added. "A whole different circumstance, though. I hope your neighbors keep their wits about 'em."

"Me, too, Pard. Me, too,' Slim agreed.

It was late morning when Jonesy heard the sound of horses approaching the ranch from the road. He was peeling apples in the yard, tossing the peels to the chickens gathering around him.

Picking up the buckets of apples, each half full, one with peeled and sliced apples, the others awaiting his attention, he started for the house. The chickens scattered as he walked, looking back over his shoulder to see who the visitors might be. Putting the buckets inside the door, Jonesy ventured out into the yard just as the small posse of men rode up.

"Hi, Mort. What brings you out here?" Jonsey asked, tipping his hat to the other riders, most of whom he recognized as neighboring ranchers.

"These fine gentlemen wanted me to come out here to make sure that your guests moved on as promised," the sheriff said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"Aha," Jonsey said, glancing at the individuals in the group. "I can't say for sure, but they said they'd be gone this morning. Go ahead and ride out there. I'd be interested to know that myself."

"Thanks, Jonsey. I'm sure these gentlemen will sleep much better to know that those sheep are leaving the territory. I'll stop by on our way back," Mort said, turning his horse to head out across the field in the direction where the gypsy camp had been.

Jonesy watched as the men disappeared beyond the corral. Retrieving his apple buckets, he resumed his chore of peeling the apples for the forthcoming celebration of Slim's return home. Glancing toward the barn, he saw the two gypsy men busy at the morning chores. Jonesy had to admit that they were punctual and not a bit lazy, doing everything they'd been told to do and more. They'd even kept the corral scrupulously swept clean and all the manure removed to the far side outside of the barn. He thought back to what Andy had said about the chickens, reluctantly rethinking all the things he'd heard about gypsies. But then, he reckoned, it was like all folks, good and bad, no matter what their ethnic background. Yep, he'd seen good and bad in the Irish, Chinese, and the Indians he'd encountered over his many years. How foolish he felt now at judging the gypsy band. They were there and did as they promised and had caused no trouble, except with the other ranchers over their sheep. 'Heck, the Pope bringing sheep through this part of the country would've caused a stir,' he thought.

Finished with the apples, Jonesy took them into the kitchen. Before he finished sorting out what he'd need to put together his pies, he heard a horse ride up to the front of the house. Wiping his hands on his apron, the ranch foreman and caretaker went to the door and opened it just as Mort was about to knock. "Mort! Come on in. The coffee's hot, I sure could use a cup myself, and your company is always welcome."

Taking off his hat, Mort entered the house. "I figured you'd have some waiting," Mort said with a grin and a wink.

"So, are they gone?"

"Yep, a lot of happy ranchers just left here. Just two wagons left out there and not a sheep in sight. Lots of bare ground though, sad to say. Mr. Dragos said that his brothers are here to help with the ranch until Slim gets back. He said the sheep left with the first wagons at dawn and the last wagon left about an hour ago. As soon as the broken wagon is fixed, they'll follow on after their families. They reckon they'll make good time and catch up in a couple of days, depending on how long the repairs take. Mr. Dragos has been going over the wagon and has removed the other axle already. He's sure that they shouldn't run into any problems in the replacements. There's things scattered all over the field since he emptied the wagon to lighten it. I don't know how they get all that stuff into one of those wagons, but good thing it's all out or I don't think those water barrels could hold up the weight for long. I take it that his brothers are still helping out here?"

"Yeah, and I have to admit, Mort, they're doing a real fine job of it. I never would have believed it, knowing what they say about gypsies," Jonesy muttered. "Have a seat, Sheriff. I'll get the coffee."

"I reckon a lot of folks find themselves blamed for the wrong doings of others no matter where they come from. There's good and bad in all types of folks, I reckon," the sheriff said thoughtfully as he took a seat at the table.

"Yeah, I reckon I've learned a lesson from all of this" Jonesy said as he turned the corner from the kitchen, a pot of coffee in one hand, two cups in the other. "Just the same, I just as soon stay clear of them. I'll let Slim deal with them. He seems to put a lot more store into most folks than I do," the ranch caretaker said, as he poured two cups of piping hot coffee and sat down at the table with Mort. "I reckon us Jones' have a few black sheep in our family somewhere along the way," Jonesy said with a laugh.

"Yeah, the Corey's, too," Mort agreed as he picked up his cup and blew across the top to cool the hot beverage. "So when is Slim due back?"

"I reckon today or tomorrow, depending on if the axles were ready when they got there and how the weather is holding out between here and there. It can't be too soon for me, but then, with those gypsies moving on, maybe Andy will settle down some."

Looking up from his cup, Mort asked, "Problems with Andy?"

"Yeah, caught him down by the fishing hole with one of the young gals from the camp. He said nothing was going on, they just fell asleep, he said. Maybe I'm being too suspicious, but he's had me worried about him since those folks came along, and not having Slim here, well…."

"No more worries, Jonesy, they've moved on. Andy should come around real soon. He's a good boy. He just found something new and exciting. He'll be over it in no time," the sheriff reassured the other man.

"I'll still feel better when Slim gets back just the same. I didn't know how much I'd miss him and that hired hand of his."

"Jess? He kinda does grow on you, doesn't he? I wasn't sure when I first met him, but he seems to be someone Slim can really depend on out here at the ranch."

"Yeah, he's been a big help around here. Andy's pretty taken with him. I reckon once he's back that Andy will forget all about those other folks. It was just a bad time for them to be away, but it couldn't be avoided under the circumstances. More coffee?" Jonesy asked, picking up the pot to pour more into Mort's cup before he could answer.

No. No thanks, Jonesy. I reckon I better get back to town now that I've smoothed the feathers on those roosters. Somehow I think they were fixing for a fight and were a bit disappointed that one didn't break out. I better get back to town in case they celebrate too much at the saloon and there's any trouble," Mort said, standing up from the table, extending his hand to Jonesy.

Shaking the sheriff's hand, Jonesy said, "Thanks for stopping by to let me know that the gypsies moved on. You're probably right about Andy. He'll probably pout for a day or two or until Slim gets back,"

The two men walked out onto the porch. Mort descended the steps and climbed up on his horse and waved to Jonesy as he left the yard.

"Reckon I better get to making those pies," Jonsey said to himself as he turned to go back into the house.

The first afternoon stage had just departed. Jonesy was busy clearing the table of the empty coffee cups left by the passengers and driver when he heard the clatter of what sounded like a wagon or carriage coming into the yard. Going to the door, he glanced out. A heavy sigh of relief and a broad smile came to his lips as he stepped out onto the porch to greet the returning rancher. He was surprised to see that there was a third party in the buckboard, only expecting to see Jess accompanying Slim. The black gelding tied to and following the wagon hadn't missed his scrutiny, either.

"Hey, Slim boy! I'm so glad to see you!" Jonesy called out as he stepped down into the yard to meet the wagon.

"Jonesy, so happy to see you, too. It seems like we've been gone forever," Slim said, pulling the team to a halt in front of the house.

Hearing the arrival of the buckboard, the two gypsy men quit their barn chores to come into the yard and walk toward the buckboard.

"You have no idea how long it seems like that you've been gone. I see you have the axles. I bet those folks'll be glad that they can finally set out of here. Oh, Slim, you don't know what trouble almost happened," Jonesy said, eying up the stranger still sitting in the buckboard behind Jess and in between the secured axles.

"Trouble?" Jess asked, before Slim could, as he stood up and hopped down from the buckboard.

"What kind of trouble," Slim asked, escorting Jonesy toward the house. "You can tell us about it over coffee. There is coffee, isn't there?"

"Yeah, coffee," Jess said with a grin, following the others up the steps and motioning to Thomas to follow.

"Of course there's coffee," Jonesy said gruffly. "There's always coffee."

Thomas climbed down from the buckboard to follow the others after taking a good gander at the strangely dressed men who were heading toward the wagon.

"Ah, Jess, who're them folks?" the old-timer asked.

"Inside," Jess replied, not wanting to waste time explaining anything to the old man when he could tell him about them while he enjoyed the long awaited hot cup of coffee.

Entering the house, the aroma of apple pie baking was almost overpowering. Thomas sniffed the air much the way a hound might when on the trail of a rabbit. "Mmmm, somethin' sure smells good," he said as entered the house.

"Let me take out the pies so they don't burn," Jonesy said. "You fellas sit down, I'll bring out the coffee in a minute."

"Sit? We've been sitting on that wagon so long, I think I prefer to stand," Slim replied with a smile. "Besides, we're going to have to saddle up and round up that herd of breeders and move them to the other pasture. I'm going to ask some of the gypsy men to give us a hand before we work on the axles."

Coming out of the kitchen, juggling the coffee pot and some cups, Jonesy said, "Well, that's part of the trouble. Most of them are gone, the gypsies, that is."

"Gone? And what trouble?" the tall rancher asked as his eyes narrowed and his brow creased.

"Some of the ranchers around here caught wind about the sheep staying here and were stirring up trouble. They killed some sheep and were going to kill more if the band didn't get them out of here. Mort smoothed all the feathers and told the gypsies to move the sheep on. They left last night or this morning, I guess. Only one wagon stayed, along with the broken one. I think there are only three of the men left. Two working here and the other staying at the camp and doing some repairs and watching their belongings while waiting for you."

"Mighta known it would happen," Jess said from the bedroom doorway.

"Why? Okay, I know that the sheep weren't welcome, but couldn't they see that those folks had no choice? They were broken down and waiting for their axles. They weren't planning on settling down out here," Slim said, shaking his head.

"Um, I hate to be rude, but you haven't introduced your friend," Jonesy said as he poured out four cups, picking one up and taking it to Slim who was standing and leaning against the fireplace mantel.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Jonesy, this is Thomas Ryan. Jess met him on the trail. Thomas had some trouble of his own and decided he wanted to come back this way with us. He wants to do some prospecting in the Black Hills," Slim said before taking a sip from his cup.

"Nice ta meetcha," the grizzled mountain man said, tipping his hat at Jonesy. Jonesy nodded, a quizzical look remaining on his face.

"Jess, why don't you get the men out there to help you get some horses ready and let them know we need their help to move the cattle," Slim directed.

"I kin help," Ryan volunteered, setting down his drained cup.

"Come on Thomas. I'll introduce ya to the men in the barn, if I can remember their names, we met so many of them at the camp," Jess said, moving toward the door.

"Saddle up Alamo. I'll meet you at the camp. I might as well drive the axles straight out there. We can unload them once we have the cattle moved and come back for the block and tackle. Maybe we can even get started on them before dark."

"See ya at the camp," Jess said, as he disappeared out the door followed by the mountain man.

Slim walked to the table and poured himself another cup of coffee, sitting down across from Jonsey as the older man filled him in with the details of what had gone on at the ranch while he was gone.

Chapter 24

Jess and Thomas went to the barn to saddle up some horses after explaining to Grigore and his brother about the need to move the cattle to the other pasture. Both gypsies were eager to help, helping to saddle a pair of horses for themselves and Dragos who was back at their campsite.

Riding out to the campgrounds, Dragos met the men with a broad smile. He recognized Jess immediately, and concluded that his return meant that the axles had arrived. He was curious, though, that he didn't see the buckboard accompanying the men.

"Mr. Harper," the gaily-dressed man greeted the dark-haired rider.

"Dragos," Jess returned the greeting.

"Coffee, my friend?" Dragos asked, already turning toward the campfire where a coffee pot rested on a rock almost in the fire.

"Thanks, but I don't think there's time. Slim will be here in a few minutes with the buckboard and your axles, but like I explained to your brothers, we need your help to move the cattle south of here to the east side of the ranch. No offense, Dragos, but your sheep ruined this pasture for the cattle that we planned to pasture here come spring for calvin'. We haveta move 'em to better feedin' grounds. Once they're moved, we'll help ya drop the axles, then go back for the block and tackle. Hopefully we can have ya on your way tomorrow," Jess reported.

"You have it, Mr. Harper."

"Jess. Please call me Jess, Dragos."

"Ah, yes, I remember. Friends call each other by their first names, is that not what your friend told us?" Dragos said with a smile as Jess smiled in agreement. I see you have brought some spare horses. I assume one is for me?"

"Yeah, take the bay. The big red one belongs to Slim. The bay is a good cow pony 'n he shouldn't give ya much trouble. Just point him in the right direction, he'll do all the work for ya," Jess said with pride. "We train 'em that way 'n if they catch on they're here to stay at the ranch. Good cow ponies are hard to come by."

"Much obliged, mister, er I mean, Jess. Herding sheep is usually our dog's job. I reckon you really need animals as large as the animals you are herding to do a proper job. I will be glad to guide the pony into doing his job. I hope my brothers are as blessed?"

"Yep, all good horses. None of us will have to work very hard." Looking over his shoulder and not seeing the wagon and axles coming yet, Jess said. "Maybe we do have some time for that coffee. I bet your brothers would appreciate some anyways. I had some back at the ranch, but there's always room and time for more, I reckon," Jess said as he stepped down from his horse, leading him toward the campfire.

Slim drove the buckboard toward the field to where the cattle were to be moved. Taking down a section of fencing, he decided that he'd lead the herd to the opening, causing as little confusion as he could to the herd and herders.

Once the fencing was stretched out of the way, Slim climbed back into the wagon and headed toward the gypsy camp.

The sound of the bouncing buckboard coming through the rough field drew the attention of the men waiting around the campfire, each with a tin cup held in his hands. All introductions had been handled by Jess, and the men were comfortable chatting with each other until Slim had arrived.

Dragos walked to the buckboard to greet his friend, "Slim! I am so happy to see you. I did not expect to see you for another day or so."

"We made good time thanks to the good weather and roads," the tall rancher said, as he stepped down from the wagon. "I take it that Jess has filled you in about moving the cattle?"

"Yes, and we are ready to help, as promised. We owe you for your kindness."

"That reminds me, I'm sorry to hear about the unfriendliness of some of the neighboring ranchers," Slim apologized.

"Not anything we have not run into before. As sheepherders we find that kind of welcome in most cattle ranges. We try to keep moving so we don't have much conflict. There are always a few bad ones and we have sadly lost family members in those disputes. But it is our way of life," Dragos said, showing pride in his people.

"Just the same, I wish people could look more into circumstances and not at the face value. They had to see that you were broke down and couldn't travel on," Slim said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We came to an agreement and your sheriff saw to it that there was time given to allow for us to move the sheep. It worked out fine. Once the vardo is repaired, it will only be a few days for us to join our family and continue on with them to Texas. If cattlemen have not moved into our usual winter grounds, all will be well. If we must, we will move on. Texas is a large territory and we will find some place to graze our flock," Dragos responded as the two men strolled to the campfire and the gypsy man poured the tall rancher a mug of coffee. Slim accepted the strong brew, thanking Dragos with a nod of his head.

Turning to Jess, the tall blonde said, "I've opened up the fencing at the lower pasture. I'll leave it up to you to keep the men in position to move the cattle. I'll ride point and try to direct them toward the opening."

"You got it. Six of us should be able to handle 'em just fine. I'm glad ya took down the fence. That'll make it easy, no stoppin' 'em until they're in the pasture. Good thinkin', Slim," the dark-haired cowhand said with a smile, bringing the same to his friend's face.

"That's why I'm the boss," Slim teased, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. Gulping the last of his coffee, the rancher said, "I was thinking. Maybe we should unload the axles before we move the cattle. We won't have to come back this way afterwards. I don't know about you, but I'm really beat."

"Good idea," Jess agreed, as did the others. In no time the axles we resting on the ground next to the broken vardo.

"I'm glad that's done," Slim groaned as he put his hands to the small of his back. "Pretty heavy load. Well, gentlemen, are we ready to ride?" he then asked.

The sound of agreement rustled through the group as each man climbed up on their mounts and followed after Slim and Jess as they led them to the southwest pasture where the animals were peacefully grazing.

Jess climbed down from Traveler and made an opening for the wranglers to pass through. Once the men were out amongst and behind the herd, he opened up more of the fencing to allow the animals plenty of room to exit.

After Jess gave the all clear, Slim started to move the animals toward the opening, orchestrating the novice wranglers in their guidance of the herd. Once the cattle cleared the breach, Jess restrung the wire then caught up with the herd as it moved to the east.

Keeping his eye on the lead that Slim was giving them, Jess called to the other drovers to direct them in keeping the moving herd from scattering. A stray here and there tried to break the ranks, but Jess quickly retrieved them and made them retake their place in the moving mass.

The herd picked up some speed, but continued on in an orderly manner until nearby a shotgun blast was heard. One of the beeves dropped and the herd started to stampede.

Jess wheeled his horse around in the direction from where he'd heard the shot to see the silhouette of a rider on a nearby ridge. More concerned about the stampeding animals, he had to return to his job of trying to handle the now raging animals.

Up ahead to his horror, Jess saw Slim disappear before the herd. First the blonde man was there, tall in the saddle, the next second he could no longer be seen. 'Alamo must have stumbled or stepped in a chuckhole,' raced through Jess' panicking mind.

"Turn the herd hard to the south," Jess commanded over the menacing roar as he raced toward the front of the terrified cattle, trying to turn them away from the direction they were charging. He continued to shout to the other men, hoping they understood his directions, not caring whether the herd ever reached the designated pasture. His only concern right now was for Slim. This couldn't be happening!

Ahead he saw Alamo standing near a tree with no rider. As the cattle cleared, Jess saw Slim's collapsed body lying on the ground. Jumping from his horse the frantic cowboy ran to the young rancher he'd learned to love as a brother

"Slim! Slim," he shouted as he dropped to his knees next to the man who meant so much to him.

All Jess received in answer was a groan. "Don't move!" Jess commanded as he tried to examine his friend for injuries. Once he reached the tall man's leg, he felt the wet stickiness of blood through the dust that accumulated and settled as the cattle were diverted away from the rancher.

"Lay still, Pard," Jess said, looking around him in a frenzy, trying to think of what to do next. Slim's eyes opened and he started to stir, reaching to get up. "I said, stay still! Ya broke your leg, 'n I hope that's all."

Thomas Ryan rode up to see what was going on and why they hadn't driven the cattle through the fence. Looking up, Jess told Ryan what had happened and that they'd needed the buckboard to get Slim back to the ranch.

"What about them cows?" Thomas asked, pointing toward where they were now stopped and grazing outside of the fencing.

"They'll keep. Take those men back to get the buckboard. We gotta get Slim back to the ranch. I don't know how bad he's hurt, but his leg is broke. He needs a doctor and fast. Now get goin," the dark-haired man barked with an edge of anger in his voice, not wanting anyone questioning his orders.

Ryan quickly climbed back onto his horse and rode off to tell the waiting gypsy men what happened and what they needed to do, leaving the herd where they were stopped per Jess' orders.

"What happened," Slim asked, reaching for Jess' arm to help him sit up, groaning at the movement.

"Someone up in those rocks shot one of the heifers. She's back there. It started the herd to stampede 'n ya got caught up in it."

"Is Alamo alright?" Slim asked, axiously looking around for his horse.

"Settle down. He's over there 'n looks fine from here. I haven't had a chance to look him over. My main concern was you. I'm thinkin' he made it through better than you did. I need to look at your leg, Slim. There's some blood," Jess said, helping his friend down to the prone position again.

"The way it feels, I reckon it's broke," Slim volunteered, as Jess pulled out his knife to cut away the rancher's pant leg.

Slashing the material to the knee, Jess was able to see that just as Slim predicted, the leg was broken and there was a jagged bone protruding through the skin. "I reckon your right, Pard. It's broke for sure 'n I think its more'n Jonesy can handle. Ya really need a doctor. Once we get ya back to the ranch, I'll ride to town for the doc. Some home comin'," Jess groused, trying to take some of the tension off the situation.

"Yeah, some homecoming," Slim agreed. "And I was looking forward to dancing to some of that gypsy music in celebration of fixing their wagon," he said with a wan smile. "Did you bring a canteen, I'm a bit dry, Pard."

"Sure, I'll go get it. Do ya need a blanket? Shock 'n all?"

"Water will do for now," Slim said as Jess rose to go to his horse for the canteen. "Do you have something to shade my eyes or think you can turn me away from the sun?"

Looking up at the sun, Jess decided to see what he could do to make his friend more comfortable, but without much in supplies, he asked as he held up his partner for him to drink, "Do ya think you're up to me movin' ya a little? I can splint ya."

"Let's give it a try," the blonde man replied. "Thanks Jess, thanks for everything. If you hadn't turned the herd, they probably would have trampled me to death."

"Ya woulda done the same for me," the younger man said with a pained smile. He knew in his heart that it was true.

Picking up a sturdy branch and tearing the sleeves off his shirt, Jess fashioned a splint to keep the injured man's leg from moving as he shifted him so his back was to the sun, wincing at the pain he knew he was causing the bigger man with his struggle to get him comfortable. "How's that?"

"Good. Do you think you could go check on Alamo?" the worried rancher asked.

"Sure. I'll bring him here after I check him over," Jess said, getting up and moving toward where the big chestnut horse stood, grazing near a short but widespread tree.

"Easy, boy," the Texan murmured as he approached the horse. Taking hold of the reins, Jess then examined his legs but found no heat or indications of injuries. He then performed a onceover on the rest of Alamo's body, only finding a few minor scrapes and scratches in the animal's hide.

Leading the horse to where his friend lay, Jess shouted, "He's fine. I reckon he's in a lot better shape than you are," he added as he brought him close to where the wounded man struggled to roll on his side to see his horse.

"Do you think you could give me the saddle to rest back on?" the injured man requested.

"Sure. You take it easy. I bet Alamo'll be real glad to shed it," Jess said, already loosening the breast collar strap before uncinching the big horse.

With great care, he settled the tall rancher to rest against the saddle, receiving a sigh and smile of gratitude from his friend.

"Better?" Jess asked.

"For now, I reckon," Slim replied. "I'm not looking forward to that wagon ride."

"I'll drive 'n take it real slow. Just holler if we need to stop. I wonder what's takin' 'em so long," the younger man said, looking impatiently toward the gypsy camp.

"Take it easy, Jess. There's a lot of rough country between here and there. If they hurry too much they could break a wheel or an axle. They know what they're doing."

"Yeah, I know," Jess said as he sat down on the ground next to his friend. Glancing at Slim's injured leg, Jess saw some flies accumulating, drawn by the blood. He swished them away then got up to search his saddlebags for something to cover the open wound. Finding a spare bandana he unfolded it and placed it over the wound then took off his neckerchief and tied it in place.

"At least it's not bleeding anymore," he commented.

"Yeah, must have missed the artery. I reckon I could have bled to death."

"Don't talk like that, Slim!'

"You brought it up," Slim reminded him with a smile, clutching his pardner's arm. "Did I thank you for diverting the herd?"

"Yeah, ya did."

Getting up again, Jess stood on his toes to gain some height, hoping to glimpse the buckboard coming their way, but it still eluded his vision. He started to pace, glancing grimly to the west every time he walked in that direction.

"Will you sit down, you're making me nervous. Hand me that canteen, I'm thirsty again," the injured rancher said trying to distract his partner's frantic worry.

Reluctantly sitting back down next to Slim, the younger man faced the west to be sure he'd see the first signs of the wagon arriving to take Slim to the ranch.

Chapter 25

Jonesy heard the sound of the arriving buckboard, glad to know that it sounded like the axles were delivered, the cattle moved and that the gypsies would be moving on soon and the ranch would be getting back to normal.

Wiping his hands on his apron, the older man went to the door and stepped out on the porch, surprised to see Jess driving the buckboard followed by Traveler and Alamo tied to the back and the three gypsies and Thomas following behind.

"Jess, where's Slim?" a touch of worry obviously present in the older man's question.

"He's hurt, Jonesy. We gotta get him inside 'n I'll ride for the doc," Jess said jumping off the wagon with a grimace as his right foot hit the ground. Ignoring the flash of pain that his foot gave him, he turned to glance over the side wagon panel at his injured friend.

Jonesy rushed to the buckboard and looked in at the prone rancher, "What happened?" he demanded, his eyes following the contour of the wounded man's body.

"I'll tell ya inside, but first we gotta get him inside 'n settled. Busted his leg as far as I can tell. Dragos, Grigore, can ya give me a hand?" Jess called to the men still waiting on horseback.

The two men came forward and with Jonesy's supervision, Jess and the gypsy men gently helped get Slim off the bed of the buckboard and into the house.

Thomas turned his horse toward the barn, followed by the remaining gypsy man as they proceeded to put the horses away, leaving Traveler tied to the wagon waiting outside of the house in case he might be needed.

"How's he look, Jonesy?" Jess asked, hovering over the shoulder of the older man as he examined Slim's bloodied leg. Slim was comatose since shortly after being loaded into the wagon.

"Not good. That's a bad break. Not something I can fix. He needs a doctor real bad. What happened?"

"I think Alamo stumbled in front of the cattle we were movin'. One minute I saw 'im 'n the next he was gone. I'm not sure if any of the cattle ran over him or not. I had the men shift their direction as soon as it happened," Jess reported. "We'll need to go back 'n round 'em up later. We got the buckboard and Slim back here as soon as we could."

"Could be internal injuries then, too. I don't like his color," Jonesy said, feeling the blonde's forehead. "Feels feverish, too."

"I'll ride for the doc, right now," Jess said and not waiting for a response he turned to leave. Stopping in the doorway he said, "If you need anything, Thomas n' Dragos n' his brothers are here. I'll be missin' the stage. They can handle the change. I'll be back as soon as I can. Tell Slim to hang on if he wakes up."

Closing the door, Jess took the steps down from the porch missing two of them in his hurry, barely noticing the twinge of pain developing in his injured foot. Traveler was already on the move as the dark-haired cowboy pulled himself into the saddle and galloped off in the direction of Laramie.

About four miles away from the ranch, Jess saw a dust cloud in the distance as the afternoon stage rushed toward him. He rode to the side of the road to let it pass. Mose shouted something to the distraught cowboy as he pulled up to slow the speeding team, but Jess spurred his horse past the coach shouting that he had to get to town because Slim was hurt.

Due to the clatter of the wood, metal and leather that comprised the coach, as well as the pounding of the horse's shoes on the hard packed road, neither man heard the message the other called out. Jess never heard Mose shouting that Andy wasn't on the stage.

Jess' only mission and thought was to get to town, find the doctor and be sure that he followed him back to the ranch to tend to Slim's injuries. There wasn't anything else in the world that mattered to him at this moment in his life.

At the ranch, Jonesy was ministering to his patient. Slim was now awake and in extreme pain. Jonesy brought out the small bottle medicinal whiskey that he kept in the kitchen cupboard, knowing full well that this occasion warranted it. He was willing to do almost anything to make his boss more comfortable.

Slim slightly shifted to sit up when they heard the stagecoach arriving. "Settle down, boy, them gypsies are here and going to handle the teams. They've been doing a right good job of it since you were gone, so don't worry," Jonesy admonished as he plumped the pillow behind Slim's head.

"Where's Jess," the injured man asked as he looked around the room.

"Went for the doc. Your leg needs more than what I can do for it. What do you remember? Anything?"

"Nope, just waking up here. We were moving the herd and that's all I recollect. The rest is real cloudy, maybe a dream. I must've passed out."

"Jess said he saw you up front when you went down." Jonesy said as he spread some salve over one of the abrasions on Slims face. "Your horse probably hit a chuckhole and stumbled. Do you think any of the cattle ran over you?" the older man asked as he pulled up a kitchen chair to sit next to his boss.

"Ribs hurt some, but I don't think anything's broke, just bruised," Slim responded as he felt around his body for any other injuries or pain. Looking down at his wounded leg, he groaned. "Bad break, you're right. Is Alamo all right?

"Yeah, he's fine. Here, take another sip of this," Jonesy said as he pushed the whiskey bottle back toward the younger man's lips and applied more ointment on other scrapes he'd discovered on Slim's arm and elbow.

Slim took a long swallow, making a face as the fiery liquid made its way down his throat to his belly. "Got more? I reckon this break is probably more than what's left in this bottle will soothe." Slim said, putting the bottle back up to his lips to take another swig.

"More in the barn, if them gypsies haven't found it," Jonesy said, standing up to go fetch more of the pain relieving liquid. "Be right back. Anything else you might want or need while I'm out there?"

"I'll be fine, Jonesy, but more of this stuff sure might help. Thanks," Slim replied with a wan smile.

As Jonesy walked out the door, he met Mose and some passengers on their way to the house. "Howdy, Jonesy. I reckon there's coffee on fer the passengers?"

"Ah, Mose, no, I'm sorry. Things are kind of in a muddle right now. Slim broke his leg and I've been tending to him. Forgot all about the stage coming in. If you want to wait, I can brew some up in a few minutes."

Mose turned to the passengers and as a group they decided to not wait, opting to travel on instead.

Going toward the barn where the stage was parked, Mose caught up with the ranch caretaker. "Saw Jess hightailin' it ta town, but didn't catch what he said. I reckon he was on his way ta town fer the doc?"

"Yeah, the break is pretty bad," Jonesy said as he continued on to the barn, Mose stopped at the stage to assist the passengers back up into the coach.

"Oh," Mose said, shouting to the disappearing man going into the barn, "I take it Andy went to a friend's house after school? He wasn't waitin' at the depot."

Stopping in his tracks, Jonesy turned around in the doorway and retraced his steps to rejoin the stage driver as Mose closed the coach door on the seated passengers.

"Andy?' Jonesy asked, quickly going over his thoughts as to if there were plans for Andy to go anywhere after school. "No. No he didn't have plans to stay in town or go home with anyone else. Now what got into that boy?"

"I know I didn't miss 'im. I was a few minutes late, so he shoulda been waitin'. Didn't see hide nor hair of 'im," the stage driver said.

"Thanks, Mose. You go on. I'll get to the bottom of it. Thanks for mentioning it, I almost didn't think about him coming home right now with Slim being hurt and all. Maybe Jess will see him in town when he goes to get the doc. If Andy missed the stage I'm sure he'd go to the sheriff's office and Mort would find a way to get him home. And I'm sure Jess will stop in to tell Mort about what happened to Slim. We'll scare him up," Jonsey said, watching Mose climb up onto the driver's seat. "Drive careful, Mose. I'll see you on your next trip through. I promise there'll be coffee waiting for you."

Chuckling, Mose said, "I'd hate to be in that boy's britches right about now. I'm sure he's okay. Don't be too hard on him fer bein' a boy. See ya later, Jonesy." The driver slapped the reins to the team and turned it around. The old caretaker watched the stage as it pulled out of the yard. He then returned to the barn to fetch a bottle of whiskey from the trunk that held his special doctoring tools and potions, witches brews as Slim often called them. The thought brought a sad smile to the older man's lips as he thought about the slow and painful recovery that the future held for the injured man.

And now this! What was he going to tell Slim? How was he going to tell him that Andy wasn't on the stage and that he had no idea where the boy was? After everything that had been going on since the rancher was gone, Jonesy was feeling very inadequate. Looking upwards, he asked wearily, "Lord, when it rains, why is it you have to make it pour so darned hard sometimes?"

Taking a full bottle of dark amber liquid from the trunk he uncorked the flask, taking a gulp from it himself before putting the cork back into the bottle's neck. With a grimace he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand then stood up and started back toward the house wondering how he was going to handle this new crisis. 'Maybe he just missed the stage,' Jonesy reasoned with himself, but he had a deep down gut feeling that it was far more serious than just Andy missing the stage. Ducking next to the chicken coop, the old man stopped to uncork the bottle again and took another two gulps before replacing the cork.

As he started back toward the house, a bout of hiccups hit Jonesy. Reaching the front porch, he sat down on one of the rockers until the hiccups subsided. At least he hoped they were gone.

Chapter 26

Andy woke with a start unaware of where he was and why his bed was rocking. As his head cleared, he realized where he was and that the ranch was probably miles behind him. Getting up from the swag, he moved forward in the vardo and opened the curtain that hung behind the driver's seat. "Ion?" he asked.

"Yes, Andy? You have been very quiet back there. What did you find so interesting to do?" the gypsy youth asked.

"On, nothin'. I kinda fell asleep."

"I thought maybe that was what happened. I am so glad to know that you do not snore," Ion said with a broad grin. "As far as I know, neither do I, so I believe we should both sleep well at night when we're not out tending the sheep."

"Tending the sheep?"

With a chuckle, Ion said, "Yes, we all take turns at night tending the flock. But, I guess since you are in hiding, you will not have to help out with them for a while. When we join my family, maybe then you will be put to work."

"Oh, I expect to earn my keep, Ion," Andy said earnestly. "I want to become part of the band an' be counted as one of ya. Of course, I'll help wherever I'm needed."

"Ah, a true gypsy at heart you are, Andy. We work for the good of our band, our family. Some of our people have made things bad for all of us. Many bands steal and cheat others. We are an honest family. Dragos will have it no other way. I am still worried about what he will say when he finds out you have come away with us. If all goes as planned, we will be meeting together in Texas before he learns that you have joined us. He will be upset, most likely, but it will be far too late to do anything about it until we travel north again. By then, if you prove yourself, I doubt he will force you to go back home. Maybe by then, you will marry Crina?" Ion said, turning to smile at Andy. "If you are married, then your brother cannot force you to return home."

"Do you think Crina will want to marry me?" Andy questioned, turning his eyes downward to nervously examine his hands and hide his distress.

"Ah, that one has had her cap set for you when you first visited the camp. I have no doubt that she wants more than anything to marry you. But you know you will have to wait until we join the families in Texas. You must properly ask her father for her hand and he must approve the marriage, if Crina will wait as she is supposed to."

"You don't think he'd say no, do ya?" Andy asked, unable to hide his anguish.

"I don't know. Crina is getting older and he may have trouble finding her a match. She was promised before, but the man died."

"Yeah, she told me. She said that she didn't love him. She even said that she was glad he died."

"Pesha was a mean, bad man," Ion agreed. "I don't think many of us were happy with that match and having him become one of us, but there was a debt owed by Dragos, I understand. Crina was to be used to settle that debt. I think had the marriage happened, Crina and her husband might have been driven from the band. I don't think Dragos would have allowed Pesha to continue with some of his bad habits and bad dealings. I often wonder how it all really happened. That man was not the kind of person Dragos would normally accept as a friend or allow traveling with the family. We are all better off without him."

Andy watched the vardo ahead, wondering if it was one that held Crina, though he doubted it. He would have expected to see her peeking out from the back from time to time if it were.

Ahead he could hear the blatting of sheep once in a while, so the last wagons must have finally caught up with the flock as they followed those that had left earlier in the day. He could see the wide path of grazed and trampled grass left in the wake of the sheep and wagons. It would be impossible for Slim to miss the direction the caravan was traveling. Andy couldn't wait until the two wagons would turn eastward and away from the obvious trail being left by the sheep.

"Do you think I could ride up there with you?" Andy pleaded, bored with being confined within the small, crowded vardo.

"No, it is better that no one sees you. I have told you that and the reason why. No one will need to lie to your brother about seeing you. If he does show up, I will have to avoid him so I do not need to lie to him. Crina knows you are here, but if he asks if she has seen you, she can honestly say she hasn't seen you since you said goodbye yesterday. It is best we keep it that way. We avoid telling lies, when we can.

"In two days we will be leaving the caravan. Once we are well on our way east, you may come out and be seen by my sister and her family and also ride with Crina," Ion said with a sideway glance and smile. "My sister is a romantic. I know that she will be pleased to be involved in helping make both of you young people happy and to be with each other. But right now she would be in danger if questioned about you. We must keep you very secret for a while yet, my young brother."

Quietly, Andy continued to stand behind the swaying curtain, peering over Ion's shoulder as they traveled onward to the south. A mountain range was coming into view far ahead of them. A pass to the east would allow them to get through the range to continue south. The wagons ahead were pointed in the direction of the pass as they continued slowly winding along through the rough fields.

The wagons came to a stop as a man on horseback came riding up alongside the head vardos.

"Who's that?" Andy asked, unable to hide his concern.

"That is Travis. He acts as our scout, finding water and good range for the sheep. If I remember correctly, there is a waterhole not far from here. He's probably reporting whether we should pull up there to camp for the night or not. It's early, but if there is no water or good grazing for many miles, it is best we stop where the animals can eat and drink their fill," the gypsy explained.

"We're not very far from Laramie," Andy said softly, biting his bottom lip. "What if they miss me? I'll be so easy to find here."

"I agree, young Andy. We will take advantage of the sheep's tracks. See that mound ahead? We will be passing by that. I will get ahead of the sheep right now and we can go behind that hill for the night. The sheep will cover our tracks on their way to the waterhole. No one will miss me. I often go off to hunt while the camp is being set up. If anyone comes looking for you, you will not be found at the camp."

As Ion promised, he maneuvered his wagon through the sheep herd and toward the brush covered rocky mound. It was a perfect hiding place for them, and well within distance to know when the caravan was about to move out in the morning and them to catch up.

"We will be eating cold meat tonight, my friend. We cannot risk a fire," Ion said as he stepped down from the wagon seat and walked to the water barrel to dip himself a tepid drink. After taking a long swallow, he offered the ladle to Andy. The teen smiled as he grasped the dipper and helped himself to a welcome drink, not realizing how thirsty he'd become.

Examining the sky, Ion said, "Not much cloud cover. It will be chilly tonight. We will have to sleep in the vardo."

"Yeah, I know, no fire to give us away," Andy said, a gleam coming to his eye, truly feeling now like he was learning the way of the gypsy. "Anything you want me to do?"

"No, it will be an easy and lazy camp for us. We will miss the music and dance over there," Ion said, glancing in the direction of where the wagons were gathering in a circle as the sheep spread out around the camp being guided by the trained dogs. The whistles giving directions to the dogs could be heard from the distance and Andy stood in awe watching from his vantage behind a large boulder that had tumbled down from the rocky mound.

"Those are some dogs," Andy commented as he turned to face Ion who was walking his way with a plate of cold meat and bread.

"Yes, we train them as pups. Three dogs are worth nine men when it comes to keeping the flock together, and they keep the wolves away as well. The wolves will come and be bold around people to steal the sheep but they fear the dogs. If there is a bold wolf out there, the dogs let us know."

Andy took some bread and meat and turned with great interest to watch the dogs doing their herding. "I count five dogs, Ion. You said three."

"No, our saying is that three dogs are worth nine men, and usually three dogs are all we need for a flock our size. Two of those dogs are in training. Well-trained dogs are like gold. One of our older dogs will be traded for some pups for us to train when we get to Texas. Dragos is known for his herding dogs. Many people want them and if we had a dozen of them trained, they would be all gone by the time all the people meet in the south. Those two in training are doing well, so Dragos will sell one of the older dogs to get more pups, or will trade for some pups for training. By next winter, he will have more trained and ready to sell or trade." Pointing at one mostly white dog, Ion said, "Watch that one. See how he reads the sheep's mind? Look, see him lie down and then stand up just before the sheep moves? He is one of the youngsters and he is already good enough to be a herding dog, but he still gets distracted, so he is not ready for Dragos to let him go. One more year, he will be one of our best dogs."

Pointing to another dog, the young gypsy said, "Now that black and white has been with Dragos since a pup. Maybe even born to one of Dragos' dogs. He had him when my sister married into the family. I have watched that dog and tried to coax him from his job but that dog will not give up his flock for anything. That is the kind of dog Dragos hopes that all his dogs become. But he is an exception. Most dogs can be distracted by something. Dragos prides his dogs in being exceptional sheepherders. When he gets one like that one, he won't sell him or her for anything, those he keeps for breeding. That dog must have fathered forty pups by now. Everyone wants him to breed their bitches. That dog," Ion pointed to another black and white dog, "is the son of Ricco. And he is taking after his father to be another great dog. Too bad his mother was killed by a wolf as she protected her sheep. Dragos tried to nurse her back to health when he found her. He cried when she died and he lovingly buried her on the prairie. She too was a great herding dog. All their pups have proven themselves."

Leaving Andy to watch the shepherds and their dogs settle the sheep for the night, Ion went to work in the vardo to make sure there was enough room in the cramped wagon for both of them to bunk comfortably for the night.

Andy not only watched the herding going on, but also studied the bustling going on in the camp, hoping to catch a glimpse of Crina. At the distance, it was difficult to sometimes tell the men from the women, much less be able to pick out one single person.

Hearing the grass rustling behind him again, Andy turned expecting to see Ion. Instead he met the smile and dancing brown eyes of Crina. "What are you doing here?" he asked, nervously looking to see if they were alone.

"You didn't want to see me?" she teased. "I guess I might as well go back to camp then," she said as she turned away in a swirl of her skirt, a pretty pout coming to her lips.

"No, no, I mean…" Andy followed after her and grabbed her elbow and turned her around. "Ion said we wouldn't be able to see each other until the vardos split up. He was worried if anyone asked about me you'd have to lie."

"Don't worry, I can hide to avoid lying, or, if I have to, I can lie for you, Andy."

"Where, where is Ion?" the young man stammered, looking toward the vardo.

"He is inside. I asked him to leave us alone for a while so we could talk. See those trees over there?" she asked, pointing to a copse of spruce trees.

Andy nodded then followed after her as she led him to where the trees shaded them from the late afternoon sun.

"Are you sorry you came?" Crina asked as she sat down on a fallen log, taking Andy's hand and pulling him down next to her.

"No. No, not really. Just a little scared that we stopped this close to Laramie. I'm sure they're missing me by now and if Jess and Slim are back, it won't be hard for them to follow the trail we've left."

"That's why Ion has you here. No one else knows that you are here. Even I had to guess, but took my herb basket to gather some herbs in this direction, hoping that Ion hid you here. He could have taken you over there," Crina pointed to a wooded area at the far side of the camp. "If he had, I wouldn't have found you. It would have been too late by the time I got back. I'm so glad I guessed right."

"Me, too," Andy had to agree as he gazed across the wide field to where the band had set up their camp.

Crina moved her warm body closer to Andy then leaned toward him to kiss him lightly on the ear causing him to flinch. "Will you ever not jump when I steal a kiss?" she giggled, then placed her tender lips against his.

Andy held his breath for as long as he could then finally pulled back from her. Crina opened her eyes, looking surprised at his stiff reaction.

Uncomfortable, Andy stood up with his back to the girl. "I'm sorry, Crina, but I'm real nervous about all this, especially with bein' so close to home and probably a posse out lookin' for me. If they find us together, I know they'll try to blame you. I think Ion is right, maybe we shouldn't see each other again until the wagons split up."

The young woman stood up and wrapped her arms around the teen boy's waist and kissed him lightly on the back of his neck, this time he didn't flinch but turned around to face her and tenderly kissed her on her lips, no longer caring about anything more than being there and alone with the exotic, exciting girl.

"I do love you, Andy," she said breathlessly as their lips parted.

"I reckon I love ya, too, Crina. I ain't never been in love before, so don't know for sure, but I sure know I feel real different about ya. If love means that I want to be with ya forever, then I reckon it is love. I've left behind everything I've ever known to be with ya. I know I'm probably in big trouble, but I don't care," the young teen confessed. "I only hope that ya feel the same way I do, Crina."

"Andy, I came tonight because I had one more confession to make to you, and I had to do it while we were still close enough for you to go back home. I lied about my age. I told you I was only fifteen. I lied. I am sixteen and will be an old maid of seventeen this winter. My father will marry me off to anyone now. I want that someone to be you, Andy. I felt bad that I lied to you and you might not want to go with me now that you know. If Pesha had lived, I would be married already. My father will marry me off in Texas when we meet up with the other families. Maybe to an old man with many children who has lost his old wife. I don't think I could bear that. Now that you know, I want you to think about it tonight. We are still close enough to take you back home if you want to go. I have no other secrets, now. I have told you everything."

"But, but won't your father think I'm too young for you? Will he let us get married? Crina, if we can't be, well, if we can't be together, maybe I should go back to the ranch. I know I want to go places and see things I've never seen before, but it wouldn't be the same without ya. And if I have to see ya marry someone else, why I…" Andy turned away and started to walk toward the lone vardo.

Crina caught up with him. "My father will marry me to anyone who will have me. You will speak up for me as soon as we rejoin them in Texas. He will allow it. I know he will. If he would give me to that swine Pesha, he will gladly give me to you, Andy."

Andy stopped and turned to face the pleading eyes of the gypsy girl who meant so much to him. "You're sure?"

"I am sure," the dark-eyed girl assured him. "I better get back to the camp. I told Ion that I was going to talk with you and if you decide to go back to the ranch he is to take you back home. Please give it a lot of thought tonight. I will live with whatever you decide. I am sorry I tried to deceive you. I promise, you know everything, everything from my lie about my age and my motive for wanting you to come with me. Andy, I do love you. I have grown to love you very much. I only hope you have grown to love me as well. Kiss me before I go, please, Andy?"

The young teenager took her in his arms, still a bit clumsily, but purposefully placed his lips on her waiting mouth. Her lips slightly parted as Andy pulled away.

"Goodnight, mi amour," Crina said as she turned to where she'd left her herb basket near the evergreen trees. Wanly she waved to Andy as he headed toward Ion's wagon, glancing in her direction as she wandered back in the direction of the camp.

Ion was leaning against the side of his vardo when Andy arrived. "So?"

"Huh?" Andy responded.

"Crina said she was telling you all her secrets and wanted you to be sure that you still wanted to come with us. So, are you going with us or am I taking you back home tomorrow?"

"I, I guess I'm going with you. She wants me to think on it tonight, an' I will. But I'm pretty sure, I want to be with her the rest of my life," Andy said, gazing again in the direction to which she'd wandered off.

"Ah, love. I'm still hoping to find mine someday," Ion teased. "Maybe I will find her this time in my family's camp or when we all gather in Texas. A few have caught my eye, but none have stolen my heart. I surely hope that you and Crina have found that kind of lasting love we all wish for."

Chapter 27

Jess rode the lathered horse directly to the doctor's house. Traveler hadn't come to a complete stop before the young cowboy's boots touched the ground, his knees almost buckling as his sore, inflamed right foot hit the hard packed soil. Leaving the animal ground tied, Jess took the porch stairs two at a time, by toeing them, and reached the door in only a few steps. Knocking at the door, he impatiently paced a few steps, ignoring the twinge of pain in his foot before the door opened.

"Yes, young man?" the elderly lady who answered the door asked.

"Ah, sorry ma'am, I'm Jess Harper from out at the Sherman Ranch," Jess said as he nervously removed his hat. "Slim had a bad accident and broke his leg real bad n' needs the doc right away."

"Come on in, I'll get George," she said, opening the door wide and leading the attractive cowboy into the parlor. His dark good looks and brilliant blue eyes did not escape her subtle scrutiny.

Anxiously fingering his hat, Jess said, "Thank ya, ma'am. Is the doctor here?"

"Yes, sit down. I'll get him," she replied, turning to leave the room.

Unable to sit down, Jess paced the floor, barely aware of pain at the bottom of his festering foot, until the elderly doctor entering the room caused his pacing to come to a sudden stop.

Jess explained the situation to the doctor who agreed to follow him out to the ranch immediately.

"I'll get my buggy ready and be with you in a few minutes," the elderly man told him, then turned to call to his wife, "Molly, get Lew to ready my buggy. I have an emergency out at the Sherman place. I'll get my bag ready myself."

"I'm headin' down to the sheriff's office to tell Mort that we're back and what happened to Slim. Go ahead 'n start out to the ranch, I'll catch up with ya," Jess said as he headed for the door somewhat haltingly as he was starting to really notice the pain that was growing in the infected puncture from the nail he'd stepped on earlier.

Once Jess apprised the sheriff about the recent happening at the ranch, he went back past the doctor's house to be sure that the doc had left and was on the Laramie Road heading for the ranch. Seeing the fresh buggy tracks coming out from alongside of the house, he assumed that Doc Riley had kept his promise to leave right away. He looked down the street and there was no sign of the buggy, indicating that the elderly man was well on his way to the ranch.

Ashamed of how he'd lathered his horse on the ride into town, Jess took it easy on the animal while catching up with the slow moving horse and buggy. He promised himself to give some extra attention to Traveler once he got him back to the ranch, after the doctor had Slim set and comfortable. Perhaps some bran mash and a good long rubdown would help soothe them both, man and horse.

"So what happened to Slim?" Doc Riley asked when Jess caught up with him and was riding beside the carriage.

Jess explained about how they'd been herding cattle when Slim's horse apparently stumbled and the rancher disappeared beneath the herd of stampeding livestock.

"You say it's his leg that's broken? Any internal injuries?" Doc Riley asked.

"I don't know for sure. We got him up into the buckboard 'n he passed out. He was still out when I left to come get you. His leg was pretty bloody, but I didn't see any real blood anywhere else except for some scratches and scrapes here n' there. There wasn't any blood from his nose or mouth. Could be some broken ribs, I reckon, but while he was conscious, he didn't complain about any. It's hard to tell," the worried Texan responded as he pulled back on the reins of his impatient horse to keep a steady pace with the doctor's carriage.

"I'm glad to hear that he wasn't coughing up any blood. Good sign. Let's hope the cattle missed trampling him, jumped over him," the older man said as he tapped the whip on the rump of his horse to hasten his pace.

"I had the men turn the herd as soon as I saw Slim go down. He was in the lead 'n I think we turned the cattle quick enough that he was pretty well clear of 'em before many of 'em reached 'im."

"I do hope so. Life's going to be tough enough with a broken leg for someone as active as your boss. He's not going to be real happy about not taking charge of the ranch, I'm sure."

'You know Slim pretty good there, Doc. It's gonna kill him to have to sit back 'n just give orders from the porch. I'll bet he'll be up n' hobblin' around long before ya let 'im," Jess said with a sad smile, as he pictured the tall blonde brandishing a crutch as he was giving orders to anyone who came his way.

"Here ya go, Slim, hic" Jonesy said as he handed the injured man the fresh bottle of whiskey he'd fetched from the barn, as he tried to hide another bout of hiccups that suddenly attacked him. "Anything else I can, hic, do for you or get you? Hic. More pillows, another blanket?"

"No, Jonesy, this should help just fine," Slim replied taking the bottle from the older man and uncorking it with his teeth. "Want a sip? You seem more rattled about this than I am, Jonesy," the younger man said as he tilted the bottle toward his caretaker.

Shaking his head and holding up his hand to refuse the offer of more medicinal whiskey, Jonesy said, "If you're okay for now, I'll go in the, hic, kitchen and make you up a poultice. It'll help with the, hic, pain, and help take down, hic, some of the swelling."

"I reckon this here," the blonde rancher said, holding up the bottle of umber liquid, "will help just fine with the pain, but the swellin', I reckon you prob'ly have somethin' up your sleeve that could help with that. I'm sure the doc will be grateful for anythin' you can do to make his job easier," Slim said, slurring some of his words with a jovial grin that came from feeling the buzz from the fair amount of whiskey he'd already consumed. "Schure you don't want a schwaller or two? Plenty ta share."

Once again refusing, Jonesy was glad to have an excuse to escape the room before his boss commented on his case of hiccups, and especially glad that Slim hadn't realized that the stage that just left should have deposited his little brother on their doorstep. How long he was going to be able to keep Slim from realizing that Andy was possibly amongst the missing was vexing the older man. If he could only hold out until Jess got back and discuss it with him first. Maybe Jess found Andy in town, and if not, maybe he'd have some news about him or have some ideas about how to break the news to Slim. No need to mention Andy was missing until Jess got back and only if he came back without the boy or knowing where he might be.

From the cupboard, the older man took down several herbs and spices to help him in preparation of the poultice. 'Need to get some liniment from the barn,' he remembered and left by the kitchen door to avoid passing by and disturbing the injured rancher.

As he entered the barn, he ran into Thomas. "How's Slim doin'?" the old-timer asked.

"He's awake and talking. Doesn't sound like he busted any ribs or anything, just his leg. I'm making a poultice for it, so I need to get some supplies. Can't talk right now, sorry," Jonesy said, barely missing a step as he headed toward the back of the barn, where he kept his medicinal supply coffer. He hated that the old man was watching him as he shuffled through his various bottles and pouches, hoping that Ryan's curiosity wouldn't be aroused.

Finding the bottle he was searching for, Jonesy closed the trunk lid and stood up, eyeing Thomas as Thomas continued to watch. "That's my chest of medicinal supplies. I'd appreciate it if you kept watch over it so that those gypsy fellas don't go digging through it," Jonsey said, hoping that assigning Ryan the task of overseeing the security of the box might keep him from perusing the contents, himself.

"Sure will," the older man said, not quite convincing Jonesy that his ploy was really going to work.

"I'll be making some coffee up at the house if you want some. Come on up in about twenty minutes, okay?"

"I'll tell the boys," Thomas said much to the chagrin of Jonesy. He hadn't meant to extend the invitation to the gypsies. Though taken aback, he decided to not make anything more of it. Slim was home now, and he'd probably want Jonesy to offer them the same accommodations as those he'd offered Thomas. Jonesy decided that he'd better live with it since he was no longer in charge of the ranch since Slim was back home.

Hurrying into the house through the kitchen door, Jonesy started to boil water to make the poultice, then prepared the pot for the coffee he'd promised to brew.

Measuring out several of his ingredients, Jonesy dropped some of them into the boiling water then stirred the pot before adding some various liquids, then some liniment to the amalgam. The aroma of the bubbling mixture was beginning to fill the room with a powerfully pungent odor that smelled as if it would remove paint.

Removing the boiling liquid from the stove, Jonesy set it outside the door to finish its steeping and to allow it to cool while he went to hunt for some towels and batting to use for the soothing cataplasm.

Slim appeared to be sleeping and Jonesy tip-toed past trying hard not to wake him, but a knock came to the door causing the injured man to turn his head in that direction and to see Jonesy turning away from the cupboard carrying the towels and batting.

"I'll get it," Jonesy said, as he put down the materials on a chair to answer the door.

Thomas and the gypsy men were standing on the porch as Jonesy opened the door and he could do little more than ask them to come in. "They're here for some coffee," Jonesy explained to the slightly dazed rancher. "I'll get your coffee. Have a seat at the table," he said to the men as they entered the house. "You can keep Slim company while I finish his doctoring," Jonesy said as he headed toward the kitchen.

The four men took seats at the table after asking Slim how he was feeling and getting a giddy response from the now drunken man.

Jonesy quickly brought out four cups and set the coffee pot on the table. "Serve yourself. I have to get that poultice done and on Slim's leg. If you want more when that's gone, let me know. Slim? Are you up for some coffee?" Jonesy asked, already guessing the answer.

"Nope," Slim said, his blue eyes twinkling as he held up the now half emptied bottle. This is doin' me, doin' me jussh fine, Jonesy. Might even take a li'l nap for a sschhhpell," the blonde man said with a dimpled smile, almost spilling the bottle as he tried to set it on the floor next to the couch where he was sprawled out, his injured leg propped up on a kitchen chair.

"When I get that poultice ready, could you men help me get Slim into the bedroom and into his bed?" Jonesy asked the men at the table. "I reckon he'll be more comfortable in there."

They all agreed that they'd be happy to help as they sipped at their coffee, savoring the freshness of the hot liquid in their cups.

Chapter 28

Jess and Jonsey came out from the bedroom where they'd left Slim alone with the doctor to finish dressing the rancher's now splinted, broken leg.

"How about makin' us some coffee, Jonesy," Jess requested as he glanced at Thomas, who was asleep in front of the fireplace, sitting in Jess' favorite rocker. Jess would have loved to sit on that rocker, but the old man looked so peaceful, he didn't have the heart to disturb him.

"Sure, I'll go put some on the stove right away," Jonesy replied as he followed behind Jess. "Why Jess-boy, you're limping, boy. What happened to you?"

"Nothin'," was the quick response Jonesy received as Jess avoided looking at the older man as he shot around in front of the younger to look him full in the face.

"Who do you think you're talking to, boy!" Jonsey demanded as he stopped Jess by putting his hand on younger man's forearm. Jess continued to avoid looking at Jonesy, while the older man studied the cowhand's eyes.

"If I keep movin' I don't haveta worry about gettin' goin' again," Jess finally said, about to pull away from Jonesy's grasp.

Taking firmer hold of Jess' arm, Jonesy pressed him for more information.

"Aw Jonesy, I just stepped down on a nail at the Phillip's farm when I was there helpin' with some chores. Didn't notice it hurtin' much till now."

"Might as well have the doc look at it while he's here," the older man suggested as he traipsed toward the kitchen to put on the promised coffee to brew.

Jess sat down on one of the wooden kitchen chairs near the table and pulled off his boot and sock to examine his sore foot. The wound was small but the angry, inflamed area around it had spread to cover well over an inch around the puncture and there was some puss oozing from the open lesion almost in the center of the arch of his foot.

As Jonesy rounded the corner of the kitchen, he caught a glimpse of Jess's foot before the younger man could hide it from him. "Good thing the doc's still here to take a gander at that, too."

"Yeah, I reckon," Jess agreed, as he took another look at how bad his own injury appeared. The release of pressure from the boot made his foot pulsate and throb, sending fiery hot pain to his knee when he prodded the redness around the wound with his finger. Distaste appeared on his face as he wiped some of the discharge away with his sock and pressing closer to the wound caused it to exude more of the viscous fluid. Again, he used his sock to wipe away the seepage.

"Ah, Jess, I didn't mention it before, didn't want to worry Slim. Had to ask you first. Did you hear anything about Andy while you were in town?" Jonsey asked as he sat down opposite the pained, squinting cowboy.

"Andy? What do ya mean? And, yeah, where is Andy?" Jess asked looking up from examining his foot, first noticing the boy's absence. A frown quickly replaced the previous look of distaste and discomfort of probing at his wound.

"That's it. He didn't come home from school on the stage this afternoon. I'd hoped you might've stopped by Mort's office and found out that Andy missed the stage and went home with one of his school friends."

"Mort didn't mention anything about Andy. I'm sure he woulda told me if he stopped by. Did he have plans to go to any of his friends houses that you might've forgot about, maybe?" Jess asked, his concern growing as he tried to put his sticky sock back on his foot. Reaching out to grab Jess' hand, Jonesy stopped him, shaking his head with a sour face.

"No, I didn't forget anything. I know, with everything going on here today it was easy to forget about him not coming home when he was supposed to, but I would have remembered if he'd mentioned anything about going anywhere after school. Jess, I'm worried," the consternation was written all over the older man's face.

Just then Doc Riley stepped out of Slim's bedroom. Jonesy got up from where he'd been sitting next to Jess and went to the kitchen to check on the fresh pot of coffee he'd set to brewing.

"Well, I think Slim is going to have a pretty bad headache in the morning," Riley said as Jonesy returned carrying some cups and the coffee pot and set them down on the table. "All that medicinal whiskey," he chuckled, "probably eased his pain temporarily, and he's exhausted from all he's been through. For now he's sleeping like a baby, but I suggest you give him this," the doctor said, setting a bottle of laudanum on the table, "instead over the next few days."

"I figured you'd leave him some," Jonesy said as he picked up the coffee pot to pour the doctor a cup of the fresh, hot brew. "Now, could you look at your other patient, please?"

"Other patient?" Doc Riley asked with a raise of his eyebrows.

"Yeah, me." Jess said meekly. "I stepped on a nail 'n it's sure startin' to hurt."

Jess lifted his foot for the doctor to examine and after a scrupulous look Riley said, "Looks like you've started a real bad infection there." Reaching into his bag, the doctor brought out a pouch of salts and a jar of ointment. "I want you to keep your foot clean and soak it three times a day in hot water, as hot as you can stand it, with some of these salts in the water. Then I want you to put a lot of this salve on it and cover it with some of these pads. Wear a clean sock over it to keep the pad in place," he continued as he handed Jess some gauze pads. "You should stay off it as much as you can for the next few days. Keeping it clean and not irritating it will help it heal. Keep your boot off as much as you can, and rest with it up on another chair when you're sitting. I'll be out checking on Slim the next few days and we can keep an eye on that infection, as well. I do think you'll be up and around long before Slim is," the doctor chuckled as he sat down to take a sip of his coffee.

"I can't sit around like that, Doc." Jess started to protest, "We've got a ranch n' stage line to run."

"Looks like you'll have to get some help then, unless you want to lose that foot," Riley said seriously, peering at Jess over the cup he held near his lips.

"I kin help," was heard from the old man sitting in the rocking chair. How long and how much Thomas had heard was unknown to the others. All three men had all but forgotten that Ryan was even in the room.

"See, there you have some help, already," Doc Riley said with a smile as he nodded his head and glanced at the bearded man.

"Oh, sorry, Doc. That's Thomas Ryan," Jonesy said, forgetting about the old-timer until that moment, as well as his manners.

"Mr. Ryan," the doctor acknowledged the elderly man as he tipped his cup in his direction.

Jonsey poured coffee into another cup and took it to where Thomas was seated. The mountain man acknowledged his thanks with a nod of his head as he received the welcome, rejuvenating liquid.

"I reckon I've done all I can do here for today. Give Slim the laudanum, as he needs it. The dosage is written on the bottle, but with these boys, I'm sure you already know the dosage, Jonesy. And you, young man," Riley turned to face Jess, "You do as I say about that foot. That viscous pus shows us how bad the infection has already gotten. You best take good care of it, do you hear me?" Doc Riley admonished sternly.

"Yes, sir," Jess said as he lowered his eyes to look at his still naked foot.

"Jonesy, get this boy some hot water. I want him to start soaking that foot right now and put some salve on it. No boot on it tonight. I want you to rest it and see how it feels in the morning. Don't forget to soak it again in the morning and put more salve on it before anything else. If it's no longer red and puffy or oozing any more pus, then you can do some light walking on it. I said and mean light walking. Otherwise, stay off it until there's no more oozing from it. Do you understand me?" Doctor Riley said as he frowned at the fidgeting cowboy.

"Yes, sir," Jess had to agree once again, if only to make the doctor leave, regardless if he intended to follow the doctor's instructions or not.

"Alright, then I guess I'm done here for now. I'll stop by tomorrow to see how my patients are doing," Riley said as he stood up, picked up his bag and headed toward the door with Jonesy close on his heels.

Chapter 29

"What are you doing?" Jonesy asked as he walked back from the door after seeing the doctor off.

"Puttin' on my sock. What does it look like?" Jess said irritably, not wanting any arguments. "I have to go out lookin' for Andy."

Taking hold of the boot, Jonesy held it out of Jess' reach and asked, "But where are you going to look and what about what the doc told you?"

"My foot'll keep. I'll take care of it when I get back. I'm gonna ride over to the Bradley's place. Maybe he told Ned at school where he was goin'. Besides, we're gonna need some help around here. I'll see if the older boys can give us a hand with the stages for a few days." Jess said as he grabbed for the boot that Jonesy had lowered to within his reach.

"What about those gypsies?"

"They'll be busy tryin' to get their wagon together so they can catch up with the rest of their band. I can't ask them to lose a day or two. The Bradley's can use the extra money 'n Slim knows that they know what they're doin'. He trained them himself. I'm sure he'll agree that it's the best thing to do. With luck, maybe Andy missed the stage and went home with Ned. Who knows, maybe I might meet them on the road on their way here," Jess said as he got up and limped toward the door. Putting on his jacket and hat he walked out and headed for the barn.

Inside the house, Thomas got up from the rocker and helped himself to another cup of coffee. "Ya think that boy should be goin' out thar after what the doc tole 'im?"

"When Jess is in the mood he's in, there's no arguing with him," Jonesy responded, as he started to pick up the cups from the table and carried them to the kitchen. Reentering the larger room, he heard the sound of Jess' horse galloping off in the direction of the main road. Shaking his head, he decided to go see how the injured rancher was doing.

The blonde man was lightly snoring, thankfully, peacefully asleep. The older man sat down in the chair next to the bed that had been left there by the doctor. "Ah, Slim, if you only knew. I reckon it's better that you don't though, boy. I sure hope Jess finds Andy at the Bradley's and you never need to know about any of this. I hope my suspicions aren't warranted," Jonesy said with a sigh, then sat silently watching Slim's chest slowly rise and fall under the blankets.

There came a light knock at the open bedroom door and Thomas poked his head around the corner and whispered, "Anythin' I kin do?"

"Not that I can think of, thanks, Thomas."

"I'll go busy m'self in the barn, if ya need me."

"Thanks, Thomas. I'll call you when supper's on the table. I should have it done around the time Jess gets back."

"Okay," the mountain man said as he turned and left the ranch house to go to the barn and muck out some horse stalls.

Setting the table, Jonesy heard the sound of a horse coming into the yard and trotting to the barn. He quickly ran to the door to see Jess arriving alone. Ryan met him at the barn door and took charge of Traveler, sending Jess to the house after scolding him about not listening to the doctor.

Trying hard to not limp, Jess haltingly headed for the house after thanking Thomas for taking his horse and assured the concerned mountaineer that he was going to soak his foot as soon as Jonesy heated the water. "Give him some hay for now and a good drink. I'll be out later to give him a rub down," he called over his shoulder as he haltingly walked away.

"Well?" Jonesy asked as he met Jess on the porch. "What did you find out?"

"Ned said Andy wasn't in school today. Ya did see him off on the stage this mornin', didn't ya?" Jess asked as he looked at the old caretaker, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes, I saw him get on the stage this morning. I'm not losing my mind here, Jess. I know I might be getting old, but I'm still in charge of my senses," Jonesy retorted indignantly, unnerved at the question.

"I'm sorry, Jonesy. I didn't mean it to sound like that," Jess apologized with a sigh as he wandered to a chair and sat down to pull off his boot. Taking off his sock, he grimaced as it stuck to the wound on his foot. "If he didn't go to school, then where do you reckon he went?"

"Let me go heat you some water for your foot and I'll tell you what I suspect," Jonesy said as he hurried to the kitchen. Once he had water on the stove to heat and found a suitable pan for Jess' foot to fit in, he joined the younger man and sat down across from him at the table.

"Sure could use some coffee," Jess said as he watched Jonesy sit down.

"Okay, I'll go make you some when I get the water for your foot, but first I want to talk to you about Andy."

"I'm listenin'," Jess wearily said, leaning his elbow on the table and resting his chin in his palm as he centered his attention on the older man.

"I'm thinking it has something to do with those gypsies," Jonesy said with a bit of a smug look on his face. "I told Slim all about the goings on around here with Andy and that girl from the camp."

"Okay, now tell me," Jess said, showing a growing interest as he lifted his head away from his hand, putting his thumb and forefinger to his lips, picking at them unconsciously as he intensely looked deeply into Jonesy's eyes.

"I'll get the hot water and put the coffee on and tell you all about it," Jonesy said as he got up from the table and rushed back into the kitchen.

While Jess soaked his foot, Jonesy recounted the past few days along with his suspicions.

Lifting his foot from the cooling soak, Jess dried it off with the towel that Jonesy had provided him with when he brought the pan.

"Here, put this ointment on it," the older man said, pushing the jar of salve across the table.

"Later. It'll keep. I'm gonna ride out to see Dragos 'n see what he might know. Maybe Andy's out there, but I doubt it," Jess said, reaching for his sock.

Jonesy stood up and walked to the other side of the table to try and stop Jess from pulling on the sock. "No, Jess. You heard what the doctor said. I'll ride out there myself."

"No, Jonesy. I'll ride out there. When I get back, you can doctor me. I don't think I can get my boot on with that salve and pad inside my sock. Besides, Dragos knows me 'n from what ya tell me, it doesn't sound like you've had much to do with any of 'em. I think Dragos would be more comfortable talkin' to me."

"I reckon your right," Jonesy reluctantly agreed. "Let me get you a clean sock," Jonesy said, grabbing hold of the dirty one as he hurried off to his own bedroom and reappeared carrying a single, clean sock. After handing it to Jess and watching him struggle into it, Jonesy added, "I don't think this is a good idea." Jess ignored the concerned man and picked up his boot and swore a mild oath as he had difficulty pulling it on over his sore foot. "You know, if your foot swells up in that boot, we might have to cut it off."

"My foot?" Jess asked with a sly smile as the boot finally slipped into place.

"You know what I mean," the older man replied, not seeing the humor in Jess' question.

Getting up from his chair, Jess limped toward the door and took down his jacket from the hook. "Don't look so worried. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Yeah, I know, but now I have two of you to worry about, three counting Slim. "

Jess slipped into his jacket, put on his hat, and was out the door without another word.

Thomas was working in the barn and was surprised to see Jess coming through the door so soon, not really expecting to see him out at all for the rest of the day. "I already rubbed down yer horse," the older man said with pride.

"Thanks, Thomas, but I have to saddle him up, again. Gotta ride out 'n talk to Dragos."

"You sit, Jess. I'll git 'im ready fer ya," Thomas said as he turned to walk away, stopped and turned back to Jess, "I kin ride out thar if ya want."

"Nah, this is somethin' I have to do. Thanks anyway," Jess replied, truly appreciating the gesture and taking advantage of the man readying his horse for him. Once saddled, Thomas escorted Jess out from the barn and offered to give him a leg up. "Thanks, Thomas, I'm fine," Jess said as he hopped up and into the saddle.

Dragos was surprised to see Jess arriving at the campsite. The three men had been working on the broken vardo, but little progress had been achieved.

"How is Slim?" Dragos asked as he greeted his visitor.

"The doc set his leg. Looks like he's gonna be laid up for a long time," Jess replied.

"That's too bad. I am truly sorry that it had to happen." Dragos said, as Jess nodded his agreement. After a few seconds of silence, the gypsy finally said, "We will need that block and tackle you offered before we can continue with our repairs."

"Ah, yeah. Ya can get it in the mornin' I reckon, unless ya wanna follow me back right now. Thomas can help ya get it on the buckboard."

"Whatever is best for you," Dragos said with a smile, still wondering why Jess rode out to the camp.

Getting down from his horse, Jess said seriously, "Dragos, we haveta talk."

"This does not sound good, my friend," the gypsy man said, a worried look spreading across his face as he read the gravity in Jess' voice and body language.

"It's about Andy. He didn't come home from school today. Would you know anything about that?"

"Young Andy? No. Why would I know anything about that?" Dragos asked, curious why Jess would be asking him about the boy.

"Jonesy said that Andy's been spendin' a lot of time out here with you 'n your daughter."

"Crina?" Dragos asked, unable to hide his surprise and not sure what Jess was getting at. "I did not see much of the boy. Now that you mention it, Crina was away from camp, often out looking for herbs or fishing. At least that is what she told me. You think she may have been meeting with Andy somewhere?"

After glancing around the camp, Jess refocused on Dragos before responding. "So he wasn't here in camp?"

"No, just a few times. With you and when he came out here with the sheriff and those men."

"Yeah, I heard about that. Sorry that that had to happen." Jess said, feeling a bit uneasy about how the gypsies had been treated.

"We are used to that kind of thing. I am only surprised it did not happen sooner."

"Do you mind if I look in your wagons?" Jess boldly asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"You think the boy is here?" Dragos asked, incredulously.

"Maybe. Maybe he's hidin' here. Jonesy seems to think that maybe he wants to follow after Crina."

"Go ahead and look, my friend," the gypsy said, sweeping his hand in the direction of the wagons. "You will not find him here, I assure you."

Limping toward the first vardo, Jess looked inside at the overcrowded interior. It would have been impossible to hide anyone inside.

"You are injured, Jess?" Dragos asked as he noticed the uneven way Jess was walking.

"Yeah, hurt my foot the other day. It's kinda infected the doc said. He gave me some salve 'n stuff to soak it in. It'll be okay in a day or two," Jess replied matter-of-factly as he hobbled to the other, nearly empty, broke-down wagon. There was no one inside and obviously no place for anyone to hide. "I'm sorry, Dragos, but I had to look."

"No, I understand your concern about the boy. I did not see him at all today, nor yesterday, for that matter. The other wagons pulled out this morning. I am sure if he were here I would have seen him. Crina will not be traveling with us to Texas. She is going with Katia and Testa to meet with Katia's family. They will join us later in Texas. They hope to find Crina a match at their eastern camp.

"You see," Dragos continued, "my daughter had been promised but her fiancé was killed before they were married. I am looking to find her a husband, maybe in Katia's family. I had hoped to make her a match with Ion, but he refused. He wants to marry a girl he met at the last Texas camp. He and Crina are more like brother and sister anyway. Katia's family has many sheep and if Crina marries someone in their family they may join our band. Ion may or may not stay with us, but Katia is connected to us due to her marriage to my cousin Testa. We hope to have our little band grow both in family and in our sheep.

"You do not think young Andy would be foolish enough to try and follow the vardos, do you?" Dragos queried.

"None of the horses are gone 'n I doubt he'd follow on foot 'n not be seen by anyone. If he did follow, Dragos, would your people take him in 'n bring him back home?" Jess asked, searching the gypsy leader's eyes, looking for any sign of deception.

"Yes, they would take him in and someone would bring him back. I am sure of that, Jess."

"Even if he tried to convince them that he wanted to follow them?"

"He is a boy that belongs here. I am sure my people know that and would bring him back. If it were found that his brother gave his blessing for Andy to come with us, he would be welcome, but we do not run off with other people's children, no matter what stories are told about us." Jess nodded that he understood and that the conversation was over. He believed the gypsy leader, feeling slightly ashamed for his unintentional accusations.

Limping back to his horse, Jess mounted and thanked Dragos for his cooperation, "When will you be by for the equipment?"

"If you don't mind, we would like to get it tonight so we can start working early with it in the morning. We would like to catch up with the rest of the caravan as soon as possible."

"I'll ride back and help Thomas to get things ready for you. Come for the wagon in about an hour," Jess replied as he turned Traveler's head back toward the ranch house and tipped his hat to Dragos as he rode off.

Chapter 30

At the barn, Jess enlisted the help of Jonesy and Ryan to get the block and tackle ready to load into the buckboard. Once Jess and Jonesy retired to the house, Thomas hitched the horses to the buckboard to await the arrival of the men to help load it.

Inside the house, Jonesy insisted that Jess soak his foot once again before applying the salve and bandage, "I think the heat opens up the wound so the salve sinks in. I'll go heat the water. Want some coffee, too?" Jonesy asked, more solicitous than Jess expected.

"Yeah, thanks, Jonesy. Coffee would be great," the cowboy replied as he sat down to pull off his boot. This time his foot was swollen and he couldn't manage to get the boot of by himself. Swallowing his pride, Jess asked Jonesy to help him remove it.

Straddling Jess' leg, Jonesy was able to ease the boot off the swollen, angry looking foot. "See, I told you. You shouldn't have put it on again. The doctor told you…"

"I know what the doctor told me, Jonesy," Jess interrupted, not wanting another lecture. "We both know I had to go out to find Andy."

"And you didn't," Jonesy reminded him.

"At least we know now where he isn't," Jess snapped, anger rising in his voice, mostly due to his pain and frustration at not being able to do more.

"So what are we going to do now?" the older man asked as he poured hot water into the pan then stirred in some of the salts.

"Ouch, that's hot," Jess yelped, as he tried to place his foot in the pan.

"Here, let me cool it some, but you have to try and soak it as hot as you can stand, remember?" Jonsey said as he added some cold water and tested it with his finger. "How's that?"

Easing his foot into the steaming water, Jess grimaced but no longer protested. After a few seconds of his foot adjusting to the heat, the salts started to draw on the infection and he had to admit to himself that it felt good and made his foot feel less painful. Jonesy could see the younger man starting to relax and smiled to himself, knowing that he'd won the battle of getting Jess to cooperate with the doctoring. Maybe making the foot feel better would encourage Jess to do as he was told. While Jess soaked his foot, he filled Jonesy in about what he'd learned at the gypsy camp.

"You don't think Andy followed after them, do you?" Jonesy asked.

"No, not really. He woulda had to take a horse. Andy wouldn't be dumb enough to try 'n follow on foot. 'N like Dragos said, he'd be seen if he were followin' them 'n those folks would bring him back. I'm tapped out, Jonesy. I really don't know what to think about now."

"Maybe he hid out in one of those wagons," Jonsey offered. "And how can you believe that they would bring him back?"

"Those wagons are so packed with things, there's no way he could hide in one. They'd find him. I really do believe Dragos that if they found Andy, Dragos' people would bring him back."

"I don't know Jess. I can't think of anywhere else he could be. He was getting real sweet on that gypsy girl. Maybe she's hiding him out."

Giving it some thought, Jess finally said, "Maybe you're right, Jonesy. It won't hurt to follow after them. I should be able to catch up with 'em in a day, maybe two, dependin' on how fast they're travelin'. Those sheep haveta be slowin' 'em down some," Jess remarked, grabbing the towel as he took his foot out from the pan of cooling water.

"Here, let me put the salve on for you," Jonesy offered, and Jess was all too willing to allow the older man to fuss over him, more exhausted from the day than he'd realized. 'Now if I can convince him to settle down for a couple of days and get better before he takes off looking for Andy,' Jonesy thought. He was worried about Andy, but the immediate problem needed proper attention. It was a hard decision to make.

"I'll tell you what, Jess. You stay here and take care of Slim. You can do that, just stay in the house and take care of him and your foot. Thomas can stay here to change the relay teams and I can go out and follow after the gypsies. Following those sheep should be real easy."

Jess couldn't stifle a chuckle, thinking about Jonesy out trying to trail after the gypsies, especially knowing the way the older man felt about the band. "No Jonesy, you stay here and take care of Slim. I'll be fine on the trail for a day or two. I promise I'll soak my foot along the way," he pledged with a smile at the kindly old caretaker.

"And who will help you take off your boot on the trail and heat your water?" Jonesy argued.

"I'll take Thomas. I already asked the Bradley's if they might be able to help out here for a few days. The older boys could come take care of the stage and if for some reason they can't, I reckon we could ask Dragos to have someone here to help. They already know the schedule. All I have to do is stop at the Bradley place on my way out."

"I don't think so, Jess. You'll only make that foot worse if you don't stay off it for a few days like the doc told you."

"It's settled, Jonesy. I'll be leavin' in the mornin'," Jess responded, the tone in his voice indicated that the subject was closed and not up for argument. "I'll tell Thomas about it at supper."

"Ah, supper. Almost forgot about it. The stew is done. I'll call Thomas in and we can eat," Jonesy said as he turned to go to the door.

Over supper, Jess told Thomas of the plans for the next morning. Thomas was eager to go with Jess to find Andy, much to Jonesy's distress. Jonesy suggested to Thomas that Jess should stay home and take care of his foot and Slim and that he should accompany Thomas in the hunt for Andy. Being left out of that conversation only enraged Jess who stood up and slammed his fist on the table to put an end to Jonesy's interference with his plans. "Jonesy, I said I was goin' 'n that's it. Slim needs you here!" Jess turned from the table and limped away to sit in the rocker in front of the fireplace while Jonesy sat with his jaw hanging ajar, staring after him disbelieving how Jess had addressed him. Thomas sat silently unaware that this was the first time that Jess stood up so strongly to the ranch foreman.

The dark-haired cowboy sat rocking, silently contemplating. Frown furrows creased his brow while he stared at the small flames licking at the dying fire in the fireplace.

Rather than stir the fire brewing in the young Texan, Jonesy finished drinking from his cup then got up and started to clear the table, mopping up the spilt coffee from when Jess slammed down his fist. Thomas helped himself to a little more stew, enjoying every bite, not noticing the tension that remained suspended in the air. No matter which man left in the morning, the mountain man was resigned to the fact that he was about to be out on the trail come sunup.

When Thomas finished eating, he picked up his bowl and eating utensils and carried them to the kitchen handing them to Jonesy who was busy washing the dishes before cleaning up the kitchen. Jonesy nodded his thanks as he accepted the dirty dishes from the mountain man. "More coffee?" Jonesy asked.

"Naw, I'm good," Thomas said, leaving the kitchen and joining Jess in the living room, plopping himself down on the couch. Before long he was snoring, but Jess was so deep in thought, he didn't notice anything going on around him until Jonesy came out with a fresh cup of coffee and handed it to him.

Accepting the peace offering with a sad smile Jess said, "I'm sorry, Jonesy. I reckon I'm just tired. You know, Slim needs you here. I'm gonna be fine. My foot feels a lot better already. Might go out dancin' Saturday night if I get Andy back home real quick," he added, the light from the dying fire glinted in his dark blue eyes.

"Yeah, I reckon we're all on edge and tired. And worried," Jonesy sighed. "I just wish you could give it a day or two. I know we want Andy back here as soon as possible, but somehow I feel that he's all right. He's a smart boy and might do something foolish from time to time, but I think he can take pretty good care of himself. And if he did follow after those gypsies, maybe you're right. They might be bringing him back home right now. I think you should just wait a day or…"

"We haveta find Andy," Jess cut the other man off impatiently as his temper began to rise again, "You're only guessin' that he's okay and out there with that band. What if I get out there 'n he's not with them? Then what? The sooner we know, the sooner we can start lookin' somewhere else."

"I know your right, Jess. But I still think…"

Jess cut him off again, "Stop thinkin', Jonesy," Jess glared at the older man, "I'm goin' in the mornin' 'n that's it."

"All right, Jess, calm down. Maybe we should all do like Thomas there and turn in for the night. Maybe we'll all be thinking clearer in the morning. I'll put more wood on the fire. You go to bed. I'll check on Slim in a few minutes. Try to get some sleep. I'll be real quiet and try not to wake you. I don't think Slim'll be awake any tonight or need anything. If he wakes up during the night and needs anything, you come and get me, okay?"

"Sure, Jonesy. I'm really beat," Jess said calmly. "It's been a long day," he continued as he stood up from the old rocker and headed for the bedroom that he shared with Slim. Clumsily he walked by using his injured foot's heel, sparing the wound from coming into contact with the floor, nearly losing his balance along the way. By waving his arms and the one boot he was carrying, he was able to maintain his equilibrium until he reached the bedroom door where he took hold of the jam with his free hand, to steady himself, before entering the room.

Thomas never lost stride with his snoring, totally passed out on the couch. After putting wood on the fire, Jonesy took out some blankets and threw one over the old mountaineer, not disturbing him, and leaving the other near by in case their guest needed it. "Really puts meaning to sleeping like a log," Jonesy said to himself, wishing he could sleep as soundly and as well.

After looking in on Slim, Jonesy went through the house to blow out the lamps, checked on the fires in the fireplace and stove then went to bed.

As early morning came, so did the wind and rain.

Chapter 31

Jess woke with a start as a crash of thunder shook the little ranch house. As fitfully as he'd slept, he couldn't believe that it had sneaked up on him so easily, not hearing the low rumbling of thunder in the distance, as it grew louder and rolled its way toward the ranch.

The pitter-patter of rain on the roof was almost hypnotizing as he closed his eyes and laid his head back down on the pillow. The fog from sleep was now clearing and he remembered what the day ahead held for him.

Testing his bad foot with the other, he groaned to find that it wasn't a bad dream. His foot hurt from the pressure he exerted upon it by probing it with his left big toe.

Throwing back the covers, Jess sat up, putting his feet on the chilly floor. Leaning his elbows against his knees, he put his head in his hands, running his fingers through his dark , curly hair. Again, he tested the sore appendage by putting some pressure on it against the floor. As pain shot up his leg, he raised his head in time to see lightning light up the room, followed almost immediately by another roaring crash of thunder.

It was still dark in the tiny bedroom and he couldn't see his sleeping pardner. The rain was coming harder now and it was discomforting to the cowboy to not be able to hear the even breathing of his friend only a few short feet away from him.

Looking toward the window, Jess was able to see the first signs of dawn, wishing it had been the sun that had awakened him rather than what sounded like a cannon ball being fired above his head.

'I might as well get up,' he thought, reaching for the pants that he'd left crumpled on the floor beside the bed.

Wincing in pain as he stood to leave the room, another flash of light allowed him a glimpse of the sleeping man in the cot closest to the bedroom door. Reaching down, he picked up his boots. Silently he cursed the pain as he hobbled through the room, testing walking on his heel, then toes for relief and trying to avoid waking his sleeping friend. Not stepping lightly enough, Jess stumbled against the chest of drawers nearly knocking the water pitcher to the floor, his hand came in contact with the jug in time to keep it from crashing to the floor. A curse formed on his lips but he remembered his sleeping companion and not wanting to disturb him.

Once again lightning brightened the room enough for him to see he'd reached the door.

As he stepped out into the greater room the sound of the wind whipping against the front of the house was extreme. It shook the door and rattled the windows like an angry wild animal trying to get in. Another bolt of lightning lit the room with thunder immediately following causing Jess' heart to skip a beat. The storm was now right overhead and the strike had been very close. To his amazement, Thomas continued to snore loudly from the couch not hearing anything.

Another burst of light lit the room again allowing Jess to zero in exactly where the oil lamp was sitting on the table. He reached for it and the matches next to it. Lighting the lamp, he turned the wick down to keep the glow low, using it to find his way in the darkness to the kitchen to make some coffee.

A large gust of wind blasted the house followed by a pelting clatter on the roof and against the windows as hail started to bombard the house followed by more thunder and lightning.

"What else are ya gonna hit us with?" Jess asked of no one as he picked up the coffee pot to pump water into it.

"What are you doing up this early?" Jonesy asked from behind the younger man, causing Jess to jump, nearly dropping the pot he was holding.

"Jonesy! Don't sneak up on a man like that!" Jess said in a loud whisper as he turned to face the other man, spilling a small amount of the water on himself from the coffee pot.

"I didn't sneak up on you. You just didn't hear me. Listen to that racket! Sounds like someone's throwing rocks at the house," Jonesy said, opening the kitchen door to look out at the accumulating ice balls the size of large marbles that were piling up in the yard. "Could be worse, I reckon."

"How could it? I can't leave in this stuff. What if Andy is out there alone in this with no shelter? We don't know anything," Jess said, unable to hide his frustration as more thunder and lightning rained around the little ranch house before rolling off into the distance.

"Here, give me that pot. Go sit down. I'll heat water for you to soak that foot. You can soak while you have your coffee. I'll make breakfast in a bit. Hail doesn't usually last long. As soon as it stops I'll go out and get us some eggs. Now go, go sit down and let a man do his job." Jonesy said as he shooed Jess out of the kitchen.

"Did Slim stir during the night?" the older man asked as he peeked around the kitchen door, looking surreal as lightning backlit him through the kitchen window followed by another loud thunderclap.

"Not that I know of. I reckon I slept better than I thought. Didn't even hear the thunder comin' up on us."

"Neither did I," Jonesy replied. "It was right over top of us before I heard anything."

Sitting down at the table Jess was mildly amused to observe Thomas sprawled out and half hanging off the couch, yet sound asleep and not realizing how uncomfortable he looked, how loud the thunder was or any of the conversation taking place between the two men just a few feet away from him.

Jess turned up the lamp wick brightening the room enough that he could get a good look at his foot. Removing the sock and pad from the wound, he noticed that some of the redness around the puncture looked a little less angry and appeared that it was not as far spread as it had been the day before. He poked at it lightly with his finger and it didn't seem to hurt too much so he poked at it a little harder sending an angry, fiery surge of pain up his leg bringing a grimace to his face.

Jonesy came to the table carrying the soaking pan along with a kettle of hot water and placed the pan on the floor in front of Jess then poured the hot water into the pan "Now wait this time before putting your foot in it. I have to get some cold water," he instructed as he poured a measure of salts into the pan. Returning with a pitcher of cold water, Jonesy knelt down to test the water with his finger and added cold water until he was satisfied that it was cool enough for Jess to try it with his foot.

Gingerly, Jess eased his foot into the pan while Jonesy went back into the kitchen to get the now ready coffee and some cups. As he'd predicted, the hail had stopped but the downpour of rain continued along with the raging high winds. The thunder and lightning continued, as well, but the gaps between the lightning and the thunderclaps were wider apart, indicating that the storm was moving away from them.

"Ill get on my slicker and go get the eggs in a few minutes," Jonesy said as he filled two of the three cups he'd brought to the table. "Might as well have a cup of coffee before I go out and fight with the wind and rain," he continued, picking up his cup and taking a sip while sneaking a look at Jess. "So, do you think you'll be leaving in this weather?" he ventured.

"Do I have much of a choice?"

"I'd say you do. Look Jess, I'm as worried about Andy as you are. But if you put yourself out there in this lightning… Well, what if it hits you? We need you here alive and well."

"If I'd agreed to you and Thomas goin', you wouldn't be headin' out right now?" Jess countered, looking the older man straight in the eye before Jonesy looked away. "You woulda been gone by now," he stated, then calmly continued, "I'll give it another hour or so. By then it'll be as light as it's gonna get. Yeah, we're gonna go. Would ya put up some food in a sack for us? About four days worth should be more than enough. 'N, yeah, I'll stop and soak my foot durin' the day, just like the doctor ordered. I'll do it mornin' 'n night, too. Thomas will make sure that I do. I'm sure he can nag me just as good as you can," Jess said with a smile, putting the palm of his hand over top of Jonesy's hand as it rested on the table.

Jonesy took a hard, long look at the Texan, admiring him for his strength of character as well as his determination to disregard his own health and safety to go search for the missing boy. Smiling he said, "I know you will, Jess. I know you will. And I know you'll find Andy and bring him home to us. Now, are you going to soak that foot until it falls off or are we going to put some salve on it?"

Grinning, Jess reached for the towel to dry his foot while Jonesy brought the ointment into the room from the shelf over the stove where he kept it to keep it semi-warmed and soft. Sitting down opposite Jess, Jonesy slathered the salve on the wound after he examined it, shaking his head, but not saying a word. Placing a pad over the balm, he reached for the clean sock he'd brought in from the other room and put it over the bandaged foot. "No boot until you're ready to leave, you hear? Let Thomas get everything ready, okay?"

"Okay," Jess agreed, nodding as a small smile spread across his lips as he looked at the caring man from under his lowered, long dark eyelashes.

"I'll get the eggs now. Be right back and start breakfast," Jonesy said, going to his room and coming out with a slicker thrown over his head. As he walked toward the back door they heard a crash coming from the bedroom where Slim had been left alone and asleep.

Chapter 32

Andy woke during the wee hours of the morning to the sound of distant thunder rolling across the open range and the wind rocking the vardo. His thoughts immediately turned to the ranch, wondering if that was the direction from which the thunder was rumbling. Slowly and quietly the teen pulled himself out of the bedroll he was wrapped in. Working his way to the back of the vardo to look out the half door, he opened its glazed shutters. In the distance he could see the lightning flashes and was sure that the storm was probably very near the ranch.

'Jonesy must know I'm gone by now,' he thought, reflecting on what might be going on and wondered if Slim and Jess might be back from Fort Collins and out in the bad weather looking for him. He hoped that his brother wasn't home yet, but was also worried that he could have been out on the road and caught in the storm. The frequent bursts of light and low rolling thunder indicated that it was a bad storm for anyone to be caught out in.

Silently, to not waken Ion, Andy crawled back into his bedroll, but he was now wide-awake and lying awake staring into the darkness of the wagon. The thunder was getting louder as the storm was drifting in the direction of where the gypsy vardos were gathered for the night and the wind was getting gustier, causing the wagon to sway with each blast.

Ion started to stir, the distant thunder arousing him. A louder clap had the gypsy man suddenly sitting up. With the next booming rumble, Ion quickly jumped up and reached for his boots to pull them on. "Andy. Andy, are you awake?"

"Yeah," Andy responded. "I've been awake listening to the storm."

"We have to hitch up the horses before the rain comes. Come help me," Ion said as he slipped out the doorway at the back of the vardo, tucking his shirt into his trousers as he climbed down the steps.

Andy pushed back the blankets and reached for his boots. Having not put on a nightshirt, he was already dressed and able to dash out from the wagon to help Ion with catching the horses and hooking them up to the vardo. The thunder grew louder and the flashes of lightning were no longer just bright bursts but were now visibly dangerous bolts from the heavens charging down to punish the earth.

There was just enough light to see into the distance, where the other wagons were parked, the rushing around of several people as they, too, were gathering the horses and hitching them to their vardos in anticipation of the coming storm.

The horses harnessed, Ion took a final walk around testing the trappings as some large raindrops started to pummel them. "Get in the wagon, Andy. We are going to meet up with the others. You must not be seen. We travel today for many hours and soon we will reach the fork in the river where Testa will turn off and we will follow him east toward my father's camp. Once we are away from the others, you may ride up front with me and maybe tomorrow you will be able to ride with Crina," the young gypsy man said with delighted grin.

Lightning lit the way as Andy climbed back into the vardo and went back to the rumpled swag. He knew he'd never get back to sleep, but with nothing else to do in the dark wagon, he lay back down on top of his bedroll, his hands clasped beneath his head. With a jerk, the vardo started moving toward the rest of the wagons as the wind began to pick up even more, and the lightning continued to streak across the sky. The thunder became deafening.

It had been raining for hours as the vardo caravan continued on its way. They came to a riverbank and followed it for some distance until they came to a fork in the river. It was the place, predetermined, where Testa would head his wagon east to be followed by Ion. The rest of the caravan would turn to the west knowing that the river twisted back to the east farther to the south and they could continue on without having to cross the river as they headed for their Texas wintering grounds. The steady rain had the banks of the river already swelling, but it had not washed over onto the open, sodden land.

Because no one wanted to stop or go out into the deluge, the band waved goodbye from their wagons as the two wagons with Andy headed east. The herders on horseback gathered the sheep together to allow them to drink from the rising river before the rest of the caravan continued westward.

Ion was relieved to see the sheep meandering around on the range behind him, sure that his trail would be completely covered by their trampling the area and that the heavy rain would wash any evidence of their wagon ruts going in the opposite direction of the flock and rest of the convoy.

Opening the curtain behind his seat, Ion called to the back of the vardo, "Andy?" Not getting an immediate response he called to the boy again, this time getting a sleepy response. "We are now leaving the band. If you wish, you may ride up front here with me. My brother's slicker is hanging beside the back door, you may use that to keep dry."

Andy felt around in the dimly lit wagon, finally locating the oilcloth garment and put it on. Going to the front of the vardo, he climbed onto the damp seat next to Ion, surprised to see the riverbank that they were following alongside the wagon. Since the wind was coming from the west, they were fairly sheltered from the wind and rain as they headed east, but the rain was still raging. At least the thunder and lightning had moved on.

Looking at Andy with a sly smile, Ion said, "Tonight you should be with Crina. When we make camp we will all be together and you can spend time with her."

"What about your sister an' her husband. What do ya think they'll say?" Andy asked nervously. "You don't think they'll make me go back, do ya?"

"They know that Dragos sent her with them to find her a husband. How can they turn you away when the two of you want to be married and you want to join the band?"

Andy turned his head away as he felt the blood drain from his face, not sure if he was ready for or even wanted to talk about marriage. So far this was suppose to be an adventure for him and Crina was just his good friend. She told him she loved him, he couldn't recall if he'd told her he loved her, as well. It all was happening too fast. Marriage? Of course, they must mean sometime in the future not right away, he thought. Crina never said that it would happen before he could give it a lot more thought. She said that they would only be promised, when they reached Texas.

"If you marry Crina at my family's camp, then Dragos cannot send you back. Andy, you are a man in our eyes. I know your brother does not feel that way, but what can he do if you and Crina are one?"

Near panic, Andy began to feel light-headed. What had he gotten himself into? He had the urge to jump from the wagon and run as fast as he could through the rain and mud to the west, hoping to run into Slim coming to rescue him. After reconsidering the mud that the vardo was splattering to the side of the wagon he reconsidered jumping. Maybe he could convince these people that he wasn't ready for marriage yet. He needed to get to know Crina better. Turning to Ion, Andy said, "Ion, I know Crina talked about gettin' married, but she didn't tell me it was gonna be right away. I…I don't think I'm ready for that…

"You mean you have changed your mind, Andy?" Ion asked, cutting the boy off, a frown suddenly furrowing his forehead.

"I…I thought we were goin' to Texas an' then we'd talk about it. I wanted to join the band an' travel with ya while I got to know Crina. I was gonna talk to her father about us gettin' married later, not now, but later. No one said we were gonna get married at your family's camp."

"Crina must find a husband. Dragos sent her with us to come back with a husband. Crina wants you to be her husband, Andy. You can't back out now. How will you get back home? I cannot take you. I must get to the winter grazing grounds. I have a girl there I want to ask her father for her hand. I thought Crina told you all this."

"She…she told me that her father wanted her to find a husband an' that she wanted her father to promise her to me. She never said we were gonna get married before we got to Texas. I…I, oh Ion, I don't know what to say or what to do. This is all wrong," Andy said, sadly shaking his head as he looked down at his boots.

"I am disappointed in you, Andy. You play with Crina's heart. I thought you were a man of honor, now you wish to break her heart?"

"No, no, I don't wanna do that, but I'm not ready to get married. She never told me…"

"Crina told me you wanted to marry her and if I brought you with me, you would be married so her father could not promise her to some brute like she was promised to before. She loves you, Andy. She wanted to stay with you at the ranch if you did not want to come with us. She said it was your choice to come with us and marry her. You told me you wanted to spend the rest of your life with her just last night"

Shaking his head again, Andy almost shouted, "This is all wrong. It's all wrong, Ion. This isn't what was supposed to happen. I was gonna ask Dragos to promise her to me in Texas, if we decided that we wanted to get married. Ion, I can't do this. I wanna go home."

"Too late for that, Andy. I cannot turn back, I told you that. I gave you that chance when we were still near Laramie."

"But no one told me that Crina an' I were gonna get married right away! Ion, please let me off here. I can walk home from here," Andy pleaded, taking hold of the gypsy's sleeve.

"Now you are talking crazy. You would die out here. With all this rain, you could drown. We will talk about this tonight when Crina is with us. I believe her that she told you everything and you are just getting cold feet." Ion said with an edge of anger to his voice as he slapped the reins to his horse since the wagon was slowing in the deepening muddy ruts left by the wagon in the lead.

Under his breath Andy said, "No, she didn't tell me everything," as he wiped away an escaping tear. Standing up to jump from the wagon, Ion grabbed him by his sleeve.

"Don't do anything foolish, Andy," the gypsy man said angrily as he pulled the boy back down on the seat. "You were given the choice yesterday to go back. You chose to come with us. You are now one of us. We have traveled too far to turn back now."

Chapter 33

No sooner than the two men heard the crash in the back bedroom, Jonesy grabbed the oil lamp from the table and rushed toward that bedroom door, followed by Jess hobbling close behind him. Throwing the door open they found Slim sprawled out on the floor and floundering, trying to get to his feet.

"Lay still, boy," Jonesy shouted over the booming thunder as he sat the lamp down on the dresser then stooped down next to his boss.

"Oh, Jonesy, Jonesy, my head, my leg," Slim moaned, not knowing where he wanted to place his hands, but settling on pressing his palms on both sides of his head.

"Take it easy, be still. Jess, help me get him back into his bed," Jonesy ordered as Jess immediately took Slim by his other arm to help Jonesy get the big man back into his cot.

"What on earth do you think you were doing?" Jonesy admonished as he tried to adjust the tall rancher comfortably in his bed. "Jess, get me another lamp. We need more light to see what damage he may have done to his leg."

Following instructions, Jess limped back out to the kitchen and brought another lamp into the bedroom to see Slim's leg splint bloodied under the brighter light.

"What, what happened?" Slim asked as Jonesy hovered over him trying to prop him up in the bed with another pillow as another flash of lightning lit the room followed by a loud crash of thunder.

"You don't remember?" Jonesy asked as he turned to check the leg splint, looking up quickly with concern at Jess over the fresh blood staining the bandage. "You were hurt rounding up some cattle. Broke your leg…"

"My head, my head hurts awful," Slim groaned reaching up to put his palms on each side of his head again and appeared to be trying to crush his head between them.

"Too much of Jonesy's medicine," Jess mumbled loud enough to be heard, receiving an instantaneous frown from Jonesy.

After they had Slim settled, the old caretaker said, "We'll be right back, Slim. I'll get you some coffee. Keep still now. Don't move, hear me?" Getting an affirmative nod from the blonde cowboy, Jonesy grabbed Jess by the shirtsleeve and pulled him from the room, closing the door behind them.

"He needs the doc, again. Looks like he did something to his leg again when he fell. It probably needs to be reset."

"I'll saddle up 'n go get him. Can I use your slicker to get me to the barn? Mine is out on my saddle. I'll bring yours back once I get mine 'n have Traveler ready to ride."

From behind them, the mountain man said, "What happened? Is Slim okay?" his huge frame looming large over them, backlit by another flash of lightning.

"No, Thomas, he fell off the bed and reinjured his leg. He needs the doctor," Jonesy said, handing Jess his slicker, as the younger man limped back to sit down at the table, reaching for his boots.

"I kin go git 'im," Thomas volunteered as Jess was pulling on his left boot. "You stay here, Jess, 'n take care of that sore foot. I kin find the doc 'n git him out here."

"That's a good idea, Jess." Jonesy said as he stepped closer to the seated young cowboy. "You shouldn't go out in this rain with that infection. You could get real sick, you know. Let Thomas go," the older man pressed, reaching for the slicker to hand it to the mountaineer.

"I reckon ya could do that, Thomas, much obliged," Jess said, giving in much faster than Jonesy ever expected, as the Texan stopped struggling with the boot that he was trying to put on over his injured foot.

Throwing the slicker over his head, Thomas went to the door and quickly disappeared through it as he rushed to the barn to saddle up a horse.

Pouring coffee into the empty cup on the table that had been placed there for Thomas, Jonesy picked it up along with the bottle of laudanum and a spoon as he headed for the back bedroom.

"How are you feeling, boy?" Jonesy asked Slim as he entered.

"Like I had a bad night wrestling with a herd of real mean buffalo," the blonde rancher said as he tried to push himself more into a semi-sitting position.

"No, no, Slim, let me help you. You hurt your leg again. Thomas is going to town to bring back the doctor. Now settle back there. I want to look at your leg and see what you did and stop any bleeding. What on earth did you think you were doing?"

"I was thirsty. I was going to get up to get a drink when I fell. Jonesy, I don't remember anything. What happened?" the tall man asked as he settled into the pillows that Jonesy had fluffed for him.

"Jess said your horse stumbled in front of the herd and you went down. You broke your leg. Jess and the other men brought you back here. You don't remember Doc Riley being out here to set your leg yesterday?" the older man asked, as he handed Slim the cup of coffee, hovering over him to make sure that he could handle it on his own.

"Thanks, Jonesy," Slim said as he sipped at the tepid coffee. "Did I fall on my head? It hurts more than my leg."

"They call it medicinal whiskey, I think," Jess said with a grin, leaning against the door jam, sipping at his own cup of coffee and wearing only one boot.

"Enough, Jess," Jonesy said gruffly, as he reached for the bottle of laudanum and spoon. "Yeah, you had your share, Slim, until the doc got here. Now take some of this. It'll help the pain and relax you. Thomas is going to town to bring Doc Riley back as soon as he can," the older man said as he'd measured out a dose of the narcotic and offered it to the blonde rancher. Slim took the dose and made a sour face at the taste of the medicine, then quickly followed it with a swallow of coffee.

"Now you rest," Jonesy said as he took the coffee away from the injured man, tucking the covers up around his neck. "And no more trying to get out of bed. If you need anything, me and Jess will be in the next room. Just give us a holler, okay?"

Slim nodded that he understood with a wan smile. Jonesy turned away from him and turned down the wick on one of the lamps, leaving it on the dresser. Picking up the other and pushing Jess away from the door as he left the room, Jonesy closed the door quietly behind him.

Jess followed the older man as far as the table and sat back down while Jonesy went to the kitchen to rattle some pots and pans.

A crash of thunder covered the sound of the front door opening and the mountain man entering to return Jonesy's slicker and also carrying some eggs in his large hands. The sudden movement behind him had Jess on his feet with his hand in a fist, ready for a fight at being surprised by the big man.

The shock of the young rooster springing up in his face caused Thomas to drop two of the eggs he was carrying. "I'm, I'm sorry," the bearded man stammered, astonished by the quickness of the younger man and how ready he was to fight. He had no idea how lucky he was that Jess hadn't been wearing his gun belt or he would have been staring down the barrel of a fully cocked and loaded .45 instead of a clenched fist.

"Sorry, Thomas. I didn't hear you come in," the cowboy said as he lowered his hand. "I reckon I'm a mite on edge."

"What's going on in here," Jonesy asked, as he stepped into the room to see Jess lowering his raised fist just inches away from the big mountaineer's face.

"I, I'm sorry, Jonesy," Ryan said, as he looked down at his feet at the broken eggs splattered on the floor around them. "I dropped some of th' eggs I brought in fer breakfast."

"And you were ready to punch him for that, Jess?" Jonesy asked sarcastically, eyeing Jess' stance having not seen the cause for the commotion.

"Naw, it was the thunder," Thomas said as he handed Jonesy the remaining eggs that he held in his hands. "He didn't hear me come in an' I reckon I startled 'im," the mountain man defended Jess, putting his hand on the younger man's shoulder, causing Jess to grin ruefully. "I'll go git us summore eggs," he said as he turned to head for the door. "I'll git the horse ready ta go as soon as I'm done eatin'," he threw over his shoulder as he went back out into the pounding rain.

Sitting back down, Jess picked up his other boot and started to struggle with putting it on. "What do you think you're doing?" Jonesy asked irritably, as he reached to grab the boot away from the younger man. Anticipating what Jonesy was about to do, Jess pulled the boot away from his reach and proceeded to try to pull the boot on his foot. This time Jonesy stepped right up to him and pulled the boot out of his hand. Thunder boomed just as Jess was about to shout his disapproval.

"Now let me see what it looks like this morning." Jess was about to put up an argument, but Jonesy cut him off, "Uh, uh. I'm not going to argue with you, Jess. I'll get Thomas to help me tie you down if I have to."

Knowing that it wasn't worth the battle, Jess gave in and held up his injured foot for the older man to examine. "It still doesn't look good, Jess. Better than it was, but not good. I bet Doc Riley will want you to stay off it for a while longer," Jonesy predicted as he allowed Jess to lower his foot.

"Jonesy, we're right back where we were. You know I have to go out lookin' for Andy. It can't wait. Look at this weather," and as if right on cue, lightning brilliantly lit the room, shortly followed by another rolling boom of thunder. "What if he's not in shelter?"

"He's found shelter. I feel it in my bones. He's a smart boy," the older man said as he stepped into the kitchen to check on the coffee brewing.

Jess nodded, resigned to the fact that he was at Jonesy's mercy for the moment. The threat of having Thomas help the old caretaker in subduing him, if necessary, Jess was sure that Jonesy meant it. He'd just have to wait to make his move after the mountaineer left for town.

This time, Thomas came in through the kitchen door, hoping to not face the wrath of the young cowboy again. "Here ya go, Jonesy. I reckon that should be 'nuff eggs fer all of us," the bearded man said as he set the eggs in the basket near the door.

"Thanks, Thomas. I'll get breakfast going so you can ride for the doctor. Thanks for volunteering to go. I sure don't want Jess going out in this storm. Well, I don't want you going out in it, either, but at least you're healthy. I wouldn't send a dog out in this stuff, if it weren't necessary," Jonesy said, as he picked some bacon he'd sliced and put it in the frying pan.

Thomas left the kitchen and went into the room where Jess was sitting at the table waiting for his breakfast. "Sorry I scared ya, Thomas. I reckon with everything goin' on around here, I just forgot you might be comin' in through the door."

"Don't worry 'bout it, Jess. Just broke some eggs is all. Reckon I kin clean up that thar mess," the mountaineer said, nodding toward the broken eggs still splattered on the floor before heading to the kitchen for some cleaning rags.

Jonesy handed Thomas some rags, grateful for the help to tidy up the small accident in the greater room. By the time Thomas was done cleaning up the mess, Jonesy was bringing breakfast to the table.