Kassidy sat in front of the television and watched Elvis Presley. The new music known as "rock-and-roll" was now popular and kids all over were going crazy over it. Elvis was the big deal now.
Jack and Irene preferred country music and loved the music of the great Johnny Cash. The nobody from Arkansas had become a widely popular country music artist.
Angela walked into the house. "Hey, it's Elvis!," she squealed like a teenager. She stood near her sister and danced with the music on the television.
"What about me?," Kevin asked. "Ain't I cuter than that weird guy?"
Angela hugged Kevin. "You are the most handsome man on the face of this planet," she said. She kissed him.
"No, Jack is the most handsome man on God's green earth," Irene smiled.
Once the television event was over, the family gathered for supper.
"Mom, Dad," Angela spoke up. "Kevin and I bought a house this afternoon. We wanted to surprise you. You saw those new houses they have been building by the Tall Trees River. We bought one of them. We'll be right closeby to this house."
North of Beecher's Hope and across the newly-paved road was a long rushing river called the Tall Trees River. It poured into Flat Iron Lake, which was to the east of Blackwater. Jack remembered that well. When he was sixteen, two federal agents had kidnapped him and his mother and held them on a government island while they sent his father on a dangerous mission. Jack seldom went into Blackwater. It had too many bad memories for him, especially when he was near the dock. He could see the island easily.
The island, called Horizon Hills, was still a private government island and there were many stories about what went on there now. People still spoke about "that Marston boy who was held there" many years ago and told their children and grandchildren about it. Jack wished this would stop, but he knew that was unlikely. His father had become a legend of the Wild West.
That night, Jack and Irene snuggled together in bed and relaxed.
"So, does the fact that our first baby is getting married make you feel old?," Jack asked Irene.
"No," Irene replied. "My father always said that age is what you make it. You can feel twenty-five at the age of fifty."
"Yeah, I guess so," Jack said. "But I am so tired."
"You and I have had a busy life," Irene said. "We've been very restless all our lives. And that's not likely to change, even though we're not bounty-hunting anymore."
"I don't wanna slow down," Jack replied. "I like being active."
"So do I," Irene agreed. "Do you think the gun-smithing is a good choice?"
"Who else is better qualified than you and me?," Jack asked.
"You have an excellent point," Irene agreed.
Irene was looking forward to the near future. She hoped that she and her family would be happy in their new ventures.
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