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They rode until the sunset had been and gone, and night covered their tracks in its velvet blackness. Finally they slowed at the sight of an old abandoned adobe house a short distance ahead. When they reached it Billy reined the horse to a stop. Bess slid down and placed her feet on solid ground, her bones and muscles protested with little clicks and aches as she stretched.
Billy swung himself down as if he hadn't missed a day's riding the whole time he had been imprisoned. He tethered the animal and began to take off all their belongings, heaping them into a large pile at his feet. Once the horse was unburdened he once again took up the reins and led it a few feet away. Billy stroked the animal's muzzle absently and then without a word he let go of the reins and began to walk back to the adobe, as he passed the horse's flank he gave it a sharp slap, sending the animal into a fast gallop, back into the darkness in the direction they had just travelled from.
Billy turned back to Bess and smiled at what he could see of her puzzled look through the dim light the moon shone down upon them.
"Said I'd only borrow it, an' I keep my promises." He stooped and picked up a few bits of kindle.
Bess smiled weakly, wondering to herself just how sending the horse back would help them, but not wishing to voice her displeasure now, the moment was reserved for being with him and enjoying their newly regained freedom. She began to gather the items Billy had piled onto the floor and waited patiently until he had lit a larger branch, he walked into the adobe and searched the floor space for any creatures that they would not wish to spend the night with, but the adobe was thankfully clear and Bess took her arm full of provisions inside where she quickly sorted them, laying out blankets and finding food and the cooking pan.
Billy built a small but effective fire and they soon sat snug and warm around it. They cooked a meal of bacon and fresh bread, after they had finished eating they sat together; Bess leant against Billy's chest under one of the new red blankets, warding off the slight chill that clung to the night air about them.
Bess could think of no words to say to him that would fully express how she felt now he was free, that they were free, her thoughts seemed too muddled and she feared if she spoke she would make no sense, so she decided to ponder upon the future.
"Where will we go?" she whispered, her fingertips gently caressing the soft, fine hair upon his arm. Billy nuzzled her shoulder and kissed the nape of her neck.
"I know a ranch about five miles from here, I figure they'll be looking for us on horseback, we'll elude them an' hide at the ranch a day before movin' on." He paused, "We'll walk once it's sun-up and at the ranch we'll get a horse or two, dependin' how generous Abe is feelin'." His voice drifted slightly as if he were becoming tired.
"An' then what?" Bess prompted.
She heard him sigh sleepily, "We'll head for Old Mexico."
Bess bit her lip at his words, she'd heard them once before and the same dread clouded her thoughts.
"You don't believe me?" he questioned, sensing her unease.
"I want to" Bess said quietly.
"Bess," he shifted slightly so she could see his face clearly, "this has been too close, I can't risk stayin' as much as I don't want t' leave what I know… I know Garrett will be chasin' me." He paused, his eyes glazing over for a moment. "Maybe we can come back one day, but right now I have to disappear."
Bess saw the honesty burning within his gaze and nodded slowly.
"Old Mexico" she said, as if re-affirming the destination to herself.
---
They awoke the next morning just as dawn was breaking and ate a small breakfast of bread and water as they watched the sun rise over the horizon, turning the sky a startling shade of dusky pink. Billy began to gather what they could carry and then bent and kissed her temple, telling her without words that it was time to leave.
As they began to trudge across the arid ground Bess couldn't help her thoughts drifting back to Pat. He would be returning to Lincoln today to find both his prizes gone and death left in their wake. She smirked at the thought of what his expression would be, but she could not deny to herself how much he had scared her that night in the hotel. Her smirk fell and a sickness welled inside her at the mere thought of becoming his wife, of sharing his bed. Her skin crawled and she shuddered despite the growing heat of the day.
She had always looked upon Pat as a father figure and now to know while she had been innocently play fighting or laughing freely with him, his thoughts had been so different, all her memories of Pat had become tainted, nothing good remained in him for her. She bit her lip and tried to think of more pleasant things, knowing if she dwelled upon Pat too long her thoughts would drift to Bell and her heart ached too much for her to think upon that poor man.
Billy turned, sweat dotted his brow and his breathing was a little laboured, Bess felt herself jolted out of her unpleasant thoughts by the sight of his blazing blue eyes and she came to realise she too was breathing hard from their walk. Billy smiled, pulling her shawl further over her head to protect her from the glaring sun. He then took his hat off and ran his fingers through his damp hair before replacing it.
"Not far now, then we can rest a night before setting off again, by horse I hope" he reassured.
Bess nodded and they carried on their way.
---
They rested briefly at Billy's friend's ranch but Bess had the distinct feeling that Billy was not as welcome as he had expected. The man, Abe, gave them a horse and some food and let them use the barn to sleep in for one night. Billy awoke her well before dawn had risen, stating that he felt uneasy about Abe's manner and feared he'd call upon a local lawman, and so they set out once more. Bess lost track of how many days they spent travelling and how many nights they spent sleeping rough. The days grew longer and hotter and Bess knew summer was fast approaching.
Finally a large ranch came into sight and Billy grinned.
"We can stay here a good few days" he said, his voice light and cheerful. "They're good friends."
Bess nodded tiredly and her muscles cried out for real rest on a soft pallet or bed, anything but another night upon the hard ground.
Once they were in striding distance of the fence a child's cry of "Pa, people comin'" rang out and before they had reached the ranch house itself a middle aged man and woman stood a little away from the porch, shotguns in hand and well aimed their way.
"Edward, it's me, Billy" Billy called out, shading his eyes from the sun.
The shotguns were lowered in favour of warm smiles.
"Well I'll be, Billy!" the man said.
Billy and Bess both dismounted and led their horse the rest of the way towards the couple.
"We heard you'd escaped, didn't know if it were true" Edward said, clasping Billy's hand in his.
"Yep, it's true" Billy grinned.
"This is Bess, my wife" Billy stated plainly, gesturing to Bess.
Bess stared at him a moment in shock, it was the first time he had introduced her thus to anyone.
"Wife!" Edward said, stepping forward and shaking Bess' hand warmly, he smiled welcomingly.
Bess smiled in return, the man's friendliness seeming to bring her out of any remaining gloom. He looked to be in his late forties, had little hair left on top of his head and had a wide, kindly face with a neatly trimmed beard. The woman stepped forward and embraced Billy, she seemed young for her years, her face round and cheerful with laughter lines gracing the corners of her eyes and mouth, her auburn hair was tied into a tight bun, her features were soft with eyes a merry blue in colour, startlingly like Billy's and she had a mild Irish accent.
"How have you been Aunt?" Billy exclaimed, a little too eagerly.
"Henry, it's been an age" the woman said, releasing him from her tight embrace.
"Aw now, you know I dislike that name, I only use it when I want to go unseen, call me Billy."
The woman eyed him with mock annoyance, "Alright then... Billy."
Billy smiled, "Thanks Aunt Frances."
"Ain't you going to introduce me t' your wife?" Frances said, looking over at Bess.
"Bess," Billy said, beckoning her to his side, "this is my Aunt Frances and Uncle Ed."
Bess stared at them a little stunned; she had thought Billy without any family, he had certainly never talked of them in detail, only fleeting cold remarks about his stepfather and wistful mentions of his mother, a subject he never liked to linger upon.
"Oh now," Frances said, embracing Bess, "she's such a pretty little thing; your mother would have been proud boy."
Billy grinned, "I bet she would" he said proudly.
"Well, come on in then, you both look half starved and I just made fresh Irish stew." She gestured for them to go on into the house. Bess glanced about taking in the surrounding outbuildings, she could feel several eyes upon her and knew that children watched them secretly from the side of the house; she smiled and walked through the doorway.
Once they had eaten their fill and sat drinking, coffee for the men and warmed milk for the ladies, they began to talk in length. Billy told them the full story of his escape and Frances and Edward confirmed that they would be safe here.
"Not even Pat knows I have any more family, other than Joe."
Bess furrowed her brow, "Joe?"
"My brother Joseph." He smiled sheepishly and then turned to his Aunt. "Have you seen him about?" Billy said, directing the question at Frances.
Frances shook her head, "Not in over a year, he was here two springs ago, just passin' on through, seemed well."
Billy nodded as if this were all he needed to hear. "And how is your family?" His face lit up in a grin.
Edward and Frances passed a loving look between themselves. "Just fine," Frances said, "the children are just shy of strangers, their curiosity will get the best of them sooner or later and then you'll wish they'd stayed in hiding."
Good humoured laughter filled the room.
---
They were given water to bathe and soft warm beds to sleep in. Such luxuries were well received and Bess and Billy both settled into a comfortable life upon the ranch; without quite realising it they soon came to find that over a month had passed and June had started. It did not take long for the children to form fast friendships with them.
Frances and Edward had four children in total: three boys, Ned (short for Edward) was the youngest having only just passed his fourth birthday, Morris was ten years old and had a great love for farming and riding, Jacob was the eldest boy at fourteen and had a fascination for trains. Their only daughter was seven and was named Leah; she wanted to be like the beautiful ladies in the city although her view began to change the more time she spent with Bess.
---
Billy sat outside cleaning his gun and Bess sat beside him, enjoying the moment of peace that the late evening air seemed to bring. Jacob came hurrying over eager as normal for Billy to entertain him. They both sat huddled together whispering and Bess watched them, her unease growing, the sight all too familiar from her memories.
Billy seemed to spend more and more time with the young boy as the days passed and each day Bess felt herself biting her lip to still her from speaking her thoughts, she chided herself that her thoughts and her fears were untrue but now looking at both of them it was unmistakable. The way Billy laughed, the expression on his face, his tone… it was as if Billy was invoking Tommy back into their lives and Jacob did not seem to object to being groomed to become Billy's next closest Pal.
"Hey, pass me over that drink will ya Tommy?" Billy asked lightly.
Bess felt her breath still in her breast and she clutched at her skirt.
"Tommy?" Jacob asked confused, his grey/blue eyes narrowing in curiosity.
Billy glanced up at him, his face seeming to lose all colour and become pallid. "Did I say Tommy?" he asked in a whisper, Jacob nodded.
"Hell, I'm sorry Jacob, my mind must have been wanderin'." He smiled and ruffled the young boy's hair.
Jacob passed Billy the drink and then Frances' voice called out to her son, stating she needed him in the kitchen.
Billy returned to cleaning his Colt .44, his posture and manner told Bess that he was avoiding looking at her.
Bess slid along the wide wooden step so that she was closer to him. Tentatively she reached out and touched his shoulder; he flinched and slowly forced himself to meet her gaze.
Bess looked at him, understanding and sorrow lurking within the green depths of her eyes.
"You gotta stop" she said softly, tenderly.
Billy wrenched his gaze from hers, the flash of his eyes telling her he didn't want to talk about this.
"I miss Tommy too" she persisted, "but you can't bring him back." She paused and felt him shiver slightly under her fingertips despite the mild air. "I won't let you bring him back Billy" she said, her voice still soft and comforting but holding a firmness in it that said he should heed her words.
Slowly Billy nodded and sighed, placing his gun down he studied his fingers as if seeing something upon his hands that no one else could.
Bess wrapped her arms about his shoulders and pressed her body against his back, giving him comfort with her touch and closeness. He sighed again and grasped one of her hands in his and brought it to his lips. He closed his eyes and gave another nod, this one more for himself.
"It won't happen again" he whispered.
---
Bess sat outside beside Frances, with little Leah at her side, while the two women darned clothing. The early June air smelt of fresh bread, honey and wildflowers. She sighed in contentment as the sun warmed her back, so far no danger had even come close to them, it seemed this place was hidden from all prying eyes and Edward and Frances already had a well thought out plan should a posse come riding by: the barn had a small space under the floor where Bess and Billy could both hide if the need came.
Bess glanced over at Billy who was playing at gun practice with Jacob once again. Her heart felt light and unconcerned as she watched them, Billy had been good to his word.
"Now Jacob, ya gotta keep ya hand steady and aim with what's in here and here." Billy lightly tapped his chest and then his temple. "Go on, give it a try; you'll do better this time."
Jacob pulled the trigger and a piece of firewood flew into the air.
Billy whooped excitedly and Jacob grinned.
"Ma! Did ya see?!" he called.
"I saw, Jacob," Frances said, giving Billy a teasing look of disapproval, "now both of you, go wash up for supper."
Billy and Jacob exchanged sulky looks at their play being cut short, but finally they obeyed Frances' wishes.
Bess and Frances glanced at each other before bursting into laughter.
"If I didn't know better I'd think your husband still a child Elizabeth" Frances chuckled, she always insisted on calling Bess by her full name.
Bess smiled warmly, "Well, he acts like a child a lot of the time."
Frances smiled, seeing the look of love glint in Bess' eyes. "Aye, but he's a good man and married to a good woman, that can't go wrong now can it?" Frances winked and Bess smiled.
They began to gather the clothing into a large basket. Bess stopped for a moment as her head swam into a dizzy spell. Frances studied her as Bess regained herself.
"My, girl!" she stated in a startled voice, "you've gone as white as a sheet."
Bess touched her cheeks, checking that she had come around fully, "I've been feelin' a little ill, I'm sure it's just a little cold." She smiled weakly, "I'm just tired, it'll pass."
Francis gave her a suspicious look before picking up the basket.
"Well, time for supper." She ushered Leah and Bess inside to the waiting food.
----
It was mid-June and still they stayed on. Bess found she was becoming too comfortable in the way of life here, the daily chores and certainty that each day brought. Billy had plenty to amuse himself with and the young boys constantly begged him to teach them to shoot, take them hunting, show them tricks or tell them stories.
But Billy and Bess knew they could not stay here forever, even though they had remained undiscovered, it was not safe for them in New Mexico and each day that passed placed the family they stayed with in more danger.
"We have to leave, t'morrow" Billy stated suddenly as they made ready for bed.
Bess turned and looked at him, knowing that he was right, but feeling her whole dream shatter before her eyes. Billy saw the pained look within her gaze and pulled her into his arms.
"We'll be this happy in Old Mexico; we'll have our own life."
Bess nodded against his shirt.
They did not say goodbye to Frances, Edward or the children, it would have been too hard, and even harder if they had been asked to stay. They left a note thanking them for their kindness and that they would repay them one day. They departed the ranch that had become their home upon their horses before dawn had risen, and rode away under the fading stars in the sky.
