The horses frantically flew down the narrow trail. Allie led with Kid behind her yelling encouragement to Patches to keep moving. The big bay bounced and leapt over rocks and branches struggling to keep his feet under him. Allie urged him on but at the same time hung onto the saddle horn with one hand; terrified. After nearly a mile, she heard Jed call out for her to pull up. Gratefully, she yanked hard on the bay's reins; too frightened to be gentle. The big horse slid to a stop with Patches running up his hind end. Kid stopped, too, and turned to watch the back trail. Allie tried desperately to catch her breath.
"C'mon, Heyes, c'mon, we ain't got all day," he said as he willed his cousin to appear. They both heard the sound of Heyes's horse flying down the trail, and he burst out of the trees a moment later, reining up.
"Was that really necessary?!" said Allie to Heyes, angrily. "Why did we have to risk our necks racing down that trail? Those riders were too far away to even see us."
"Allie!" snapped Kid. "Heyes knows what he's doing. He's the best there is at losing a posse."
Allie was shocked that Jed had spoken to her that way and it hurt. Still, she pressed on, "Posse? How do you even know it's a posse? It could be a group heading to Aspen for all you know."
"Do you really want to stick around and find out?" said Kid, sarcastically, "Look, we've stayed alive all these years by being careful and we ain't about to stop now."
Allie felt a pang of hurt as Jed stressed 'we'. We, as in, partners. We, as in, not you.
Heyes was ignoring the whole conversation. From where he sat his horse, he could just see a small portion of the meadow below and behind them. He could make out the riders entering the woods at the end of the meadow; they were no more than a few hours behind; they must've started out before dawn. Swinging around to his partner and Allie, he spoke, "Let's hope those boys don't know about the cutoff. We better get moving in case they do." Without waiting for Kid or Allie, Heyes picked up a steady lope leading the way.
Kid took Patches' reins from Allie and followed Heyes without hesitation. Allie held her horse back for a second, wanting so much to turn around and head back just to spite Heyes. She hated his unquestioned assumption of leadership and she was angry that Jed went along with it. Finally, she allowed the bay to follow the two outlaws.
OOOOOOOOOO
Lars rode up next to Amos. "Amos, there's a side trail up ahead that cuts off the main trail and heads back towards Leadville. It isn't used much except by hunters. We'll be coming up on it in a few minutes. I think I should ride down it a ways and make sure those outlaws didn't know about it."
Amos thought this over. It wasn't very likely, but it did pay to be careful. He wanted that $10,000 for Kid Curry and he figured that Carlson ought to be worth something, too. He'd be damned if he let a gold mine like this slip through his fingers. "Okay, ride on ahead and let us know. We'll wait here on the main trail."
Lars spurred his horse ahead of the group and jogged on ahead.
OOOOOOOOO
"Wheat?" said Kyle.
"Yeah?" said Wheat.
"Now that everyone thinks Heyes is dead, do you think he'll quit outlawing?" said Kyle. He had been thinking on this the last mile or so and he was worried. He couldn't say it to Wheat, because he knew his partner wanted to lead the gang, but Heyes was far and away the best leader the Devil's Hole gang; heck, any gang, had ever had. He hated to think that Heyes might quit.
"Naw, he won't quit. You're forgetting that people still know Kid's alive. Every bounty hunter and gunhawk in the west will think he'll be easier pickings without Heyes backing him up. They'll be coming out of the woodwork looking for him. Heyes'll think of that. Those two are too close for Heyes to just ride off and leave Kid in a fix like that," said Wheat. He couldn't ever say it to his partner, because he'd mouthed off every chance he got about how he'd be a better leader than Heyes; but he'd been worrying for the last mile or so about the same thing. Heyes had made them all infamous and Wheat didn't really want to see him go.
OOOOOOOOOO
Lars came galloping back to the other four men. "They took the cut off!" he yelled. Pulling up his horse, he gasped out, "They swept the trail clean when they turned off, but, sure enough, there's fresh tracks a hundred feet or so down the trail. I rode on another half mile to be sure it wasn't a trick." He felt a mixture of elation and fear that they were on the outlaws' trail. Lars knew if Curry and Carlson had taken the side trail, they likely knew the posse was on their tails.
Amos grinned, "Great work, Lars. Boys, let's go get 'em. Lars, lead the way." The five riders picked up a jog and started down the side trail.
OOOOOOOOOO
Heyes had kept the pace to a steady jog all day and now, as evening was coming on, he slowed his mare to a walk. Turning slightly in the saddle, he said, "Kid, keep an eye out for a good, defensible camp for the night. I'm going to climb up a few hundred feet and see if I can spot anything."
Kid nodded and led Allie on as Heyes spurred his mare up the steep hillside. Fannie swished her tail in annoyance, but obediently left her friends behind and struggled up the climb. Reaching a good vantage point, Heyes pulled her up, and jumped off her to let her rest for a while. Finding a large boulder surrounded by aspen trees. He tied her off and settled down to wait.
"Why do you let him order you around like that?" said Allie crossly as she followed Jed. She was still upset that Jed had sided with Heyes over her going back to Denver. She really was behaving like a spoiled child and she knew it; but she couldn't seem to help herself. Hannibal Heyes brought out the very worst in her and she resented him for it.
Jed turned back in his saddle to look at Allie. "He's not ordering me."
"Yes, he is. Why do you defend him? He's rude and insufferable," said Allie.
Jed sighed. He was falling in love with Allie, but he wasn't going to choose between his partner and a mate. Heyes was always going to be a part of his life and she would just have to learn to get along with him. Jed caught himself. Geez, he was talking like Allie was his already. He knew that was far from true and he had to be careful. "Allie, I told you what it was like for me and Heyes. We were just babies, but somehow we survived. We have always survived because we depend on each other without question. It might seem to you that he's ordering me, but he's not. He's saying what needs to happen and he's just not wasting any time doing it. For us, a second can make all the difference between living and dying. I do the same with him. You need to ease up on him a little. He's just taking care of all of us, you included. Let him do his job."
Allie blushed. She hadn't thought of it like that. "I'm sorry. Of course, you're right. It's just..I don't know, I guess…oh, never mind. Forget I said anything," she finished lamely. She hated to think Jed was annoyed with her and she was ashamed of herself for only seeing the worst in Heyes. It was hard for her to remember that Jed and Heyes were wanted men.
"C'mon. I see a good spot," said Jed, turning his horse into the woods. Allie followed silently behind.
OOOOOOOOOO
Wheat poured Kyle another mug of the whiskey he'd packed in his saddlebag. They'd stopped a couple of hours ago, and were now settled for the night. There was no reason to hurry; it wasn't as though they were really running Heyes and Kid down; they might as well be comfortable. Kyle had built a large, roaring fire and they'd had a fine meal of roasted potatoes and some corned beef they'd brought with them. The horses were grazing peacefully in a meadow nearby. Wheat was feeling pretty smug. Thanks to him and Kyle, that sleazy detective didn't really have anyone hunting down the boys. Heyes was going to owe him big time and Wheat loved that idea.
OOOOOOOOOO
Amos kept pressing on despite the growing darkness. Lars and Gunther had seen the folly of riding such a treacherous trail at dusk and were now trailing Dr. Munsen and Mr. Jenkins. If Amos didn't stop soon, the brothers would camp by themselves.
Dr. Munsen, who was by no means a fool, had finally had enough. Halting, he turned back to Jenkins and the brothers and yelled, "Hold up. We'll camp here for the night." Relieved, Lars and Gunther rode up and dismounted.
Amos had heard the command from down the trail and had turned back. "What the hell are you doing? We've got to stay on those boys," he said stridently.
"We've had enough. It's too dark and it's not safe to go on. We're stopping here," said Munsen.
Amos glared at him. "No, we ain't. I'm leading this posse and I say we ride on."
Munsen stared at him coldly, "You go ahead and lead on, but we won't be following. Will we, boys?"
Amos looked back at the others. No one would meet his eyes. Amos was defeated and, just like that, the posse had a new leader; a smarter, more dangerous leader.
OOOOOOOOOO
Kid and Allie had set up camp and were now sitting in the dark waiting for Heyes. There would be no fire; no hot meal tonight. Kid was listening for sounds of his partner. Allie was brooding. Kid missed the easy companionship he and Allie had shared. He knew she was upset, but there really wasn't anything he could do about it.
"They figured out the cutoff," said Heyes as he emerged from the forest. Allie jumped in surprise at the sound of his voice. She hadn't heard him coming and she had been listening for him.
"Too bad," said Kid calmly. Rising, he walked over to his partner and took the reins to his mare. "Well, better eat and get some sleep, Heyes. It'll be an early morning," said Kid as he un-tacked his tired partner's horse and tied her to the high line with the others.
Allie said nothing, she simply got up, crawled into her bedroll, and rolled over; her back to the two men. She didn't want to face Heyes tonight. Heyes grabbed a couple of biscuits and some jerky from his saddlebag and went over and sat down on the rock Allie had just vacated. Heyes grinned at Kid as he returned to his rock and sat next to him, and said, "Trouble in paradise?"
"She'll be okay. The last couple of days have been rough on her, Heyes," said Kid.
"You mean, my turning up alive has been hard on her, don't you?" said Heyes, lowering his voice. He was tired, but he and Kid needed to talk this out. There was a lot they needed to talk out, but Heyes would start here. He studied his cousin's face in the moonlight. It would be a full moon in the next couple of days; the harvest moon which promised to be very bright. That could both hurt and help them.
"I guess so," said Kid miserably.
"Was it that hard on you, too?" Heyes hated to ask, but he needed to know. He knew Kid loved him, but things had ended badly between them back at the Rocking M and he needed to know where things stood now. It was obvious to him that there was something between Allie and the Kid, but he didn't know what exactly it was or whether it was going to break up the partnership.
Kid looked at him and said, "No, not you turning up alive. Heyes, when I heard the news, that you'd been killed, I was sure it was all a mistake like we've had in the past; some poor soul being mistaken for you."
"It was, Kid; that's exactly what it was," said Heyes softly. He knew how bad this must have been for Kid.
"This was different. I didn't really believe it until I saw Annie. She was crying and, then there were your boots. I recognized your boots, Heyes. I knew it was true. You were dead. When the deputy brought out your hat, it just sealed it. You were dead and I'd never see you again," gulped Kid. He couldn't look at Heyes. He stared off into the distance.
Heyes laid a hand on his arm. "Kid, I'm sorry. I knew you'd be there. I got to the Pioneer as fast as I could but I missed you. I'm sorry. You know I got to you as fast as I could, don't you?"
Nodding, Kid patted his hand and said, "I know, Heyes. It was just….hard. Allie was wonderful. I was so upset; I told her who we were; that you were kin. I'm so sorry, Heyes, I know how you feel about that."
"It's okay, Kid. I'd probably have done the same in your shoes. Are you sure we can trust her?" said Heyes.
Allie could hear their conversation. She waited in the darkness for Jed's answer. She wasn't too sure what he would say anymore. Since Heyes came back, she felt as though they were growing further and further apart. Jed didn't really need her anymore; he had his partner now. With that thought, she realized that she was jealous. She was jealous of Heyes and his relationship with Jed. She was being a green-eyed shrew.
"Yes, Heyes, I trust her. I trust her with your life," said Kid.
"Well, then there's nothing to worry about, is there?" said Heyes with a grin. "Kid, do you understand why we need to go back to Denver? I'm not doing it to spite Allie. We can't have a detective hunting us down; it wouldn't take long for him to figure out who we really are; and we can't just leave Allie on her own either..."
"I know, Heyes. We already went over all this. What are you getting at?" said Kid. Allie was listening hard now. She wanted to hear this.
"Kid, you and I having been running, from one thing or another, our whole lives, right? Allie just got a small taste today of what it's like to be hunted. If we went onto San Francisco with her, we'd be looking over our shoulders the whole way. Now, we're used to living like that, but she's not. She's not used to never knowing whether she'll live to see another day. What do you think that would do to her? How do you think that would change her?" said Heyes. He knew it had changed him, he knew he was tired of running, and he knew that sometimes he just wanted it to end.
Kid looked at him, wide-eyed, "I hadn't thought of that, Heyes. I figured I could keep her safe, but I never thought of what it might do to her."
Heyes laughed, "That's what you need me for. I do the thinking, remember?"
Allie thought over what she had heard. Heyes hadn't been trying to dominate her; he'd been protecting her in his own way. She felt a small irritation knowing that he was right; this kind of life would change her. She had felt like an animal. Afraid. Hunted. She now understood what it meant to be an outlaw and it broke her heart to think how Jed and Heyes lived. She could never live that way.
"We need to get her back to Denver. Hopefully, she can make peace with her mother, but that doesn't matter. She can get her mother off her back and live a normal life," said Heyes. A normal life, like we've never had.