Cat Curry lay in bed, looking at her sleeping husband. The sheriff lay on his side facing her. She thought he looked very young and innocent in the soft, grey early morning light that hid the few grey hairs in his wavy, tousled locks. In sleep, the worry lines that had appeared in the last few years were relaxed away. His breath blew softly in her face.

Cat, easing her back, shifted gently. The Kid's blue eyes opened. He smiled and reached over to touch her bare shoulder. They kissed tenderly.

"Ah, honey." Cat touched his cheek, which was prickly. "So. Today we hear from the bank about the loan. Did he say what time of day?"

Jed stretched and yawned. "Nah. Just today. Maybe. You know bankers. But they know we're in a hurry to buy the hotel before Mr. Ross wants to leave town."

"How does your leg feel?" Cat inquired.

"Fine. Well, itchy. But the doc said not to scratch it. That cast won't thump you any more, anyhow." The pair embraced, enjoying not having the hard plaster cast get in the way. Cat's belly was starting to be more the problem to be got around, now.

They didn't linger in bed. They had too much on their minds. The restless Curry got to his office at the jail earlier than usual, ahead of his deputies. Finding little paperwork waiting for him, he paced up and down. He was thinking out events to come as he took advantage of the privacy to practice walking with the scarred wooden cane the doctor was lending him.

Half an hour later, both of Curry's deputies, the dark haired and the blond, arrived at the jail together. The young men both had embarrassed grins in their faces. The lighter of the pair, Al Kelly, was hiding something behind his back.

The sheriff sat on the front of his desk and said, "Morning, boys. What are you doing in here this morning, Al? You're supposed to be watching Cody Laurence over at the doc's office."

Al looked a little guilty. "I got Hank Appleton watching him for just a minute longer, till I get in to take over."

"Oh? And what you got there?" Asked the sheriff skeptically.

"Um, it's something for you, Boss," said the smart-alecky deputy. Looking unaccustomedly shy, he held out a carved wooden cane.

"Yeah, congratulations on getting the cast off," said Billy Healy. "We thought you might like something nicer than the old stick the doc had for you."

Curry grinned and took the cane. He stood leaning on the front of his desk while he studied the sturdy wooden stick. It was carved all over with symbols – stars, pistols, crossed sticks of dynamite, a pair of handcuffs, and a recreation of the Christy's Place sign. A horse head at the top formed the handle.

The work was more vigorous than polished, but Curry loved it. "Wow, guys, thanks! This is great! I'll feel really proud going down the street with this cane."

"Sorry we didn't put on a pretty, naked girl, but we thought Cat might get upset," said Al, his blue eyes sparkling.

"And I don't think we could have made her real pretty, anyhow," added Billy, with a gleam in his brown eyes. "Girls are hard to get right when you're whittling."

All three men laughed. Curry took up the cane and tried leaning on it to take a few steps.

"It fits me just right!" Exclaimed the sheriff. "How did you know how tall to make it?"

"We asked the doc," said Billy Healy. "You always tell us to go to the horse's mouth to find out stuff."

The Kid was still grinning. "Thanks, guys. This is great. Well, I guess I'd better go walk a patrol to break it in and show it off. I got to show it to Cat and the guys at Christy's Place. The Doc wants me to take it slow, so I'll just do a turn around main street and the back alley. You can find me easy if you need me. You get on to work at the Doc's office, Al. You take the desk 'til I get back, Billy."

"Yeah. I'm on my way. We'll find you if the guy from the bank comes," smirked Al.

Curry said, "Yeah, thanks. You watch Laurence good, Al."

Curry laughed happily as he strode out with his new stick in one hand and the old one in the other. Suddenly, the day seemed full of promise. The sheriff headed toward the doctor's office so he could return the cane he had on loan. He knew that someone else could have need of it at any time in this rough town of miners and cowboys.

Al Kelly gave his boss a grin and a jaunty salute, then hurried down the street to the doctor's office. Al was moving with much longer and faster strides than the heavily limping Curry and therefore got to the doctor well before his boss.

Jed Curry took his time. He enjoyed sauntering down the main street of Louisville on his own two feet rather than crutches. He couldn't go very fast, but that was fine. He needed to look carefully and it was important for him to be seen asserting the authority of the law. He took his time on this fine day, taking in the movements of the various suspect characters in town. Curry checked on the bank, taking a brief look in the door. All was serene. A clerk gave the sheriff a friendly wave but no news.

A little farther along, Curry tipped his hat to a passing stout matron who had pointedly ignored him before he had been granted his badge. He tipped his hat and said, "Good morning, Mrs. Bailey."

The lady smiled and said, "Good morning, Sheriff. I'm glad to see you recovering the use of your leg after you injured it so heroically."

"Thank you, Ma'am. I'm mighty glad, myself." Curry smiled and went on his way. He hoped the people at the bank above the rank of clerk had similarly changed their opinion of him.

The sheriff stepped carefully up onto the boardwalk in front of the doctor's office, using the technique Doc Grauer had taught him for going up stairs – putting the good leg up first, then the bad leg and the cane. The smile was gone from the sheriff's lips as he went in the door. "Good morning, Doc," he said uneasily.

The elderly doctor stood to greet his friend. "Good morning, Jed. I see you have a new cane. That's a lot flashier than my old stick."

"Yeah, my deputies made it for me. Hope I won't need it long. Here's the stick you loaned me. Thanks." Curry grunted as he sat down on an armchair in the waiting room.

The doctor put the old cane in his rattan umbrella holder to await the next patient who needed it. "Thanks, Jed. I hope the leg's stretching out alright."

The sheriff nodded. "Yeah, it's better today. How's the Green River Kid, Doc? You think he'll be up to shipping out to Wyoming soon?"

Doctor Grauer looked uneasy. "Uh-huh. That young criminal ought to be up to traveling tomorrow or the next day. The infection in the finger has nearly cleared and the wound is healing well. He'll need a sharp-eyed guard. He's getting restless. One deputy and a pair of handcuffs might not be enough. Escape is on Cody's mind."

Kid Curry nodded. "I bet it is. I'd feel the same. I'll send Billy over to help Al get him under lock and key at our place."

The doctor sighed, reluctant to give up a patient to the law. "Fine. But Doctor Steadman or I will be over now and then to check to be sure he stays healthy until you get him on his way. And we'll make sure he gets good medical care on the train."

"Sure. We'll do things right." The sheriff's dull voice carried a heavy freight of mixed emotions. Kid Curry's eyes were cast down, hiding his thoughts from his long-time friend. "We'll look after him. I hope Wyoming can send somebody down to get the Kid. I don't want to be short a man here 'till I'm up to riding so I can do my part. When do you think that'll be?"

The doctor said, "Give it a day or two. That leg must be pretty stiff and tired."

"Yeah, it is. I'm glad to rest it a mite. But I got to be on my way. See you, Doc." The sheriff tipped his hat and limped out the door. He made his way to his own hotel, just next door. He went around back to the employee entrance off the alley. He swished his hat at a stray chicken that clucked frantically as it scrambled out of his way.

Curry found his wife in the Christy's Place office, talking to Joe the bartender and his new business partner and old friend, Ted, the piano player. Cat was telling her long-time employees, "I'm sorry, we just don't know about the loan yet. So I don't know if we can buy that hotel and sell you Christy's Place quite yet. I hope we'll find out later today. I'll let you know as soon as we know. We'll all have a bunch to do in a hurry."

"Yeah, we will," said Joe. Ted shifted his feet uneasily and tugged at his vest. Being a boss was going to be new for him.

Cat looked toward her husband as he came in the office door. "Hello, honey, boys. Any news from the bank?"

Curry shook his head. "Hi, Sweetie. No, not yet. I just came by on patrol. So you got no news, either."

"No, Jed," said Cat, echoed by Ted and Joe.

Cat leaned over to kiss her husband on the cheek. "I just hope Mr. Long treats you better than Mr. Cobb does.

"And Cobb don't get back in town early," Jed added.

"Yeah, he don't ever warm to you, boss, no matter how many bank robberies you stop," remarked Ted. "Well, I'll get back out front. You coming, Joe?"

"Yeah. Can't trust Bruce to serve drinks for long," said the rotund bartender, adjusting his suspenders as the pair went back to the saloon. As if in answer to his words, they heard breaking glass in the barroom. Joe winced and rushed back to his bar. As he vanished out the door the Currys both laughed affably.

"So the boys gave you that fancy cane they'd been carving, I see," said Mrs. Curry

"Yeah. Is there anything that goes on around here you don't know about?" asked the sheriff with a mixture of admiration and irritation.

"Come on, Jed," said his wife, "it took a lot of hours and made a bunch of chips. It was hard enough for them to hide it from you."

Curry laughed. "I guess. Didn't they do a swell job of it? Well, I gotta get along on patrol."

Curry went out through the bar. There weren't many drinkers so early, but a pair of old retired miners were playing dominoes at a table against the wall. "Hey, there, Kid," said a former miner and soldier with a piece of wood standing in for his right leg, "are you really gonna' sell out this place?"

"We're trying to, Mr. Kowalski. We got a baby on the way – a saloon's not the right place for that baby and his Ma to be," explained the sheriff.

"I suppose that's right, but we'll miss you, Jed," said the other old miner, who had only eight fingers.

"I'll miss you, too, Mr. Wolanin," said Curry. "But I can come down the street to visit, easy enough."

"You be sure to do that," said the first of the players as he placed another domino on the table.

The sheriff tipped his hat and chuckled fondly as he stepped out the front door of the saloon. He would miss this place and its people, without a doubt.

In fact, just as Curry was on his way out the front bat wing doors, the tall, bearded Mr. Long approached him. "Shall we go to your hotel office, Mr. Sheriff?" he asked genially, "your current one?"

Curry smiled as he led the banker around to the back door. The news had to be good. "Sure, Mr. Long. Right this way. It's just as well you came here, not the jail. You can talk to Mrs. Curry – she does most of the managing."

"I know that, Sheriff," said Mr. Long. "Mr. Cobb might not give a woman much credit, but I have ample respect for your wife. And you."

"Thank you, Mr. Long," said Jed Curry as he opened the back door for the banker. He was glad to see that the chicken was gone.

The sheriff found his wife still working on the ledger book in the hotel office. Cat smoothed out her dress and stood with a smile when she saw the distinguished banker with a briefcase in his hand. She knew what was in it.

"Good morning, Mrs. Curry," said Mr. Long. "And congratulations. When you and Mr. Curry finish signing these papers, your bank account will $5,000.00 added to it."

Cat reached gladly for her husband's hand and they shared a smile. This was good news of the most important and profound kind.

"Thank you, Mr. Long," said Mrs. Curry. She moved a pile of receipts. "You can put the loan papers on the desk, here."

"We're much obliged to you, Mr. Long," said Jed Curry as he leaned over to examine the papers, still holding his wife's hand. "Sorry to make you wait, but I really am gonna read what it says here. You can have a seat there in the corner while we look it all over."

"Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Curry," said the smiling banker. "Take your time. I hope you know better than to sign anything you haven't read."

Thinking of the times he and Heyes had conned people by getting them to smilingly agree to things that weren't what they seemed, Jed Curry read through all the legalese with care. "What does that mean, honey?" he whispered to Cat, pointing at a long paragraph laden with legal Latin.

"I'm not sure. Let's ask Mr. Long," said Cat.

Jed sighed. He hated to reveal his ignorance to anyone in authority, but he did as his wife asked. Soon, the dense banking language was all digested. In short order, the signatures and sets of initials were in place.

Long put out his hand. "Congratulations. I hope your new business venue works out well. You have certainly done admirably with Christy's Place. We have every confidence that you both will do well with the new hotel."

"I think we will," said Jed. "Now let me walk you back to the bank, Mr. Long. Then I'll head over to see Mr. Ross."

When he had dropped Mr. Long off at the bank, Jed Curry started walking faster than he had since he had broken his leg. He was hurrying down to Ross's Hotel with the news. As he arrived at the hotel's front porch, he slowed down and brushed dust off his vest. He carefully kept his face impassive – looking too happy wouldn't be dignified. But the former outlaw's heart was pounding gladly. The way to the future he wanted was clear at last.

Curry found Mr. Ross behind the desk of the hotel working on receipts with the clerk. "Mr. Ross, can we speak in your office?" the sheriff asked.

"Certainly, Mr. Curry," said the hotel owner with the hint of a smile. "Right this way."

When they were alone in Ross's office, Curry said, "We got a loan from the bank, Mr. Ross. I brought the down payment. Do you have the paperwork ready for the sale?"

"Yes, I do." Ross reached into his polished desk. He seemed relieved, though he said nothing that was not business-like. "Here is the sale paperwork. I appreciate your getting this arranged so quickly."

Curry had a feeling that Mrs. Ross's health must be getting worse and her husband was anxious to take her to a doctor in the East. The manners of the times would not permit such a personal inquiry of a relative stranger, but Jed Curry felt for Ross. He reached out a hand. "Thank you, Mr. Ross. I hope things go well with you and Mrs. Ross. We'll take good care of the hotel and try to hire on as many of your people as we can."

Ross gladly shook the sheriff's hand. "Thank you, Mr. Curry. I hope so, too. I think you'll be pleased with your purchase and with the people who work for me. Do you have time to come and meet some of them?"

As soon as both men had signed their names where they needed to on two copies of the sale paperwork, they went to look around the hotel and meet the employees. Curry hid his smile. It was an exciting moment as he went to meet the men and women who might soon be his employees. He had looked around the hotel in detail in the last few days and met most of these people, but not as he was meeting them now.

The first person to whom Ross introduced Curry worked behind a door with "Manager" lettered neatly on the door. "Good morning, Mr. Chase. I believe you know Sheriff Curry. He has just completed the paperwork to buy the hotel. Chase is our manger, and a fine one, Mr. Curry."

"Good morning, Mr. Ross, Mr. Curry," said the slender man in spectacles who sat behind a desk piled with red ledgers. "Congratulations on your purchase. This is a fine hotel, as I'm sure you agree, Mr. Curry. I hope you can keep on some of our people. There are many superb employees on our books, and our customers know it."

Curry shook Mr. Chase's slender hand. "Yes, I'm sure of that. Otherwise I wouldn't have bought the place. I'm sorry I doubt we can keep you on for long, yourself, Mr. Chase. I know you can teach us a lot, but I have my own manager coming out on the train right now."

"Oh?" Chase hid his disappointment well, but not perfectly. "A manager who has worked with an eastern hotel?"

Curry shook his head. "No. But a man who's worked with me a long time. He'll be managing and keeping the books." Jed carefully did not reveal his new manager's name. He didn't want word of Heyes' presence to get out before it had to, just in case.

Chase wasn't giving up easily. "I hope he will allow me to acquaint him with the ledgers and to tell him how things have been done here. Of course, he will make changes. But he should know what works and what does not."

Curry realized that the manager was looking unemployment in the face, so he tried to be understanding. But he didn't want to string the man along, either. "Sure, he'll want to talk to you. And we'll pay you for your time. But how long it'll last – that's up to my manager. He's got his own ideas. Specially about money."

"Um, I suppose so," said Chase.

"Mr. Chase is an excellent, and very efficient, manager," added Ross. "Your manager will do well to listen to him."

"Sure," said Curry. Then he and Ross went to meet with the bell captain, the clerks, the cook, the head housekeeper, the head groom, other key people. The sheriff was working hard to remember all the names and faces and titles. He watched them all carefully – who could he afford to keep? Who was worth his or her pay and who wasn't? The sharp ex-outlaw eyes took in every detail of how the rooms had been kept, how the desk was run, the looks on the faces of his prospective employees. He had a lot to decide in a short time. He looked forward to sharing it all with Cat and with Heyes. If only Heyes would stay dry and concentrate on his important new job.

From Ross's Hotel, Jed went back to his office to tell his deputies what was going on. "That's great, boss!" said Billy Healy. "I know you'll run a great hotel there, you and Mrs. Curry. You got a new name for it?"

"Yeah, I got an idea. I'll see what Cat and Heyes think of it, though, before we paint it over the door. I'll go back to Christy's for a minute to give them the word. Then I'll be back here. We're gonna move Cody Laurence over here from Doc's place this afternoon, so be sure you got the cell ready. We'll need to have two guys on duty as much as we can until he goes off to Wyoming tomorrow or the next day."

"Sure, boss. We'll do it. Don't you worry. You're gonna be a busy man!" Billy grinned at Curry.

"Yeah, tell me about it. See you soon."

Curry took up his new cane and headed back to Christy's Place. He found it a bee-hive of activity, with employees hurrying around. Cat was calling out the front door to a man driving a wagon. Curry arrived just in time to give his own final instructions to the movers getting ready to take a bed and other furniture out to the new house for the use of the Heyes.

Between working out details of payment with Joe and Ted, and telling all the Christy's Place employees about the changes, it was a busy afternoon for Jed and Cat. But Curry couldn't afford to forget his duties for the law. He limped back to his office, his healing leg feeling more tired and sore by the minute.

As Curry walked in the door of the jail, the telephone was ringing shrilly. Billy leapt to answer it. Curry could see him looking suddenly serious. He handed the round ear piece to the sheriff. "Boss, it's the sheriff from Porterville. He's got news for you."

Curry knew the news wasn't good. "Hello, Ron?"

"Yeah, Jed. I got word on the Teasdales. They want your partner's blood."

Jed Curry's blood ran cold. As he listened to the details laid out by the sheriff of what the fleeing Teasdale brothers had said, suddenly, the promising day had turned on its head. Curry sat dismally behind his desk, leaning his head in his hands. "Aw, Heyes," he moaned. Then the sheriff set to writing a telegram in code addressed to H. J. Heyes, to be found riding a train headed west to Louisville.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

In the anxious afternoon hours after Curry's coded message arrived, Professor Charlie Homer had finally convinced the watchful Hannibal Heyes to relax enough to play chess with him. The two mathematicians spoke in low voices as they bent over the tiny travel chess board. Beth Heyes looked meditatively out the window at the level, golden plains of Kansas as the sun passed its blazing zenith and started down toward the horizon again. The train rattled and squeaked westward, its motion almost unnoticeable to people who had been riding for more than three days.

"Heyes, what do the Teasdale brothers look like? Jasper and Hamilton?" asked Charlie as he scooted a rook sideways and then put its pin into the right hole.

"I don't know. I've never seen them and there aren't any pictures on their wanted posters." Heyes glanced around the train car watchfully. He paused and considered his next move.

"But you've seen their older brothers, Aloysius and Grover, often enough. The young ones must look a lot like the older ones, don't you think?" Charlie watched as Heyes touched a castle, then decided to move a bishop instead.

The ex-outlaw muttered, "Yeah. But the guys who are still alive are so much younger than the dead ones – more than twenty years. I figure they must have a different mother. The older guys were about 6 feet or more, with long, black beards. The younger ones are lighter and shorter, Lom says, but he didn't give me a lot of specifics. He never saw them real close up." Heyes raked his eyes over the train car again, before looking back at the chess board with its minute ivory and ebony pieces.

"Oh. That makes it hard. You don't know who you're watching for." Charlie moved a pawn and watched his opponent's reaction.

"Not who, but what. I know what a criminal on the make looks like. How he moves. How he looks around. That's damn hard to hide." Heyes moved a pawn of his own.

"From you, I guess it is," said Charlie admiringly. "Good thing, since your face has been in the papers. They won't find you hard to spot."

Heyes just growled low in his throat.

Heyes, Charlie, and Beth all looked up as the conductor who was most friendly to Heyes walked down the aisle with the characteristic easy balance of the profession. They all looked down again, until the man in the blue uniform paused, seemingly casually to check his watch, right next to the former outlaw's seat. The conductor spoke very softly without shifting his eyes from the bold watch face. "I thought your name was Smith. Are you really Heyes?"

"Yeah." The answer was a quick whisper. "You got news for me?"

"No, except this. If we hear anything that might, um, be of interest, you'll know."

"Thanks. We owe you." Heyes kept his eyes on the chess board and his voice very low.

"No problem." The conductor put his watch back in his pocket and moved on.

When he was gone, Charlie murmured. "So you've got railroad men on your side."

"Seems I do. I hope it helps." Heyes looked over at Beth, who looked a silent question back to him.

A few moments later, the former outlaw stood up and stretched. He sat down next to his wife. "Can I get you some water or anything?"

"Yes, thanks, Love. I'd like some water. And some information. The conductor?" Beth spoke softly, absent-mindedly putting a hand to her belly.

Heyes nuzzled his wife fondly and gave his best imitation of whispering sweet nothings to her. "Just letting us know that he knows who we are and why we're worried. Sounds like every man on the line is keeping an eye out for you know who."

"That's nice of them. Do you know why they're being so good to you?" Beth whispered back, leaning her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Oh, the Kid and I have done a thing or two for them over the years. Having Jed on the side of the law doesn't hurt. I'll go get that water. Charlie will keep watch. And the conductors will help." Heyes gave Beth a little kiss, then got up and made his way down the aisle. He motioned for Charlie to stay where he was.

Charlie, thinking only of the Teasdales, did as Heyes wanted. Then, as the former outlaw vanished into the next car, his mentor began to wonder. Under the current pressure, might Heyes actually be going to get more than one kind of drink? Did Charlie dare to get up and follow his fellow student at a distance?

The man with the whiskey under a blanket saw Heyes come by, alone this time. He uncovered a bottle again and offered it. The dark eyed man with the scarred face hesitated. He looked around him uneasily. He swallowed. Then he shook his head and moved on.

"Damn!" said the whiskey seller to nobody in particular, "Almost had him that time!"

After eating a late dinner in the dining car, when they would not have too many fellow riders around them, Beth, Heyes, and Charlie went back to their seats. Then they went to the bunks Charlie had paid for. They were all too tired to sleep in seats any longer and the train was empty enough for there to be beds available. But even with increased comfort, it was a tense time in the quiet, but never silent, dark. The train swayed and rattled along. Beth felt her husband shifting uneasily under the sheets. She took his hand.

"Thirsty?" she asked. She felt him nod. She held his hand more tightly.

The next day was long. The trio squirmed in their seats, thoroughly sick of riding the train, even while knowing that they could be in deadly danger. Heyes worked on a letter to Marvin Mosely, but he had a hard time at it. There were still so many things he wasn't sure about – not least whether the state of Wyoming would see fit to send Marvin to be fostered by Hannibal and Elizabeth Heyes in their current situation.

That afternoon, Heyes' friend the conductor again paused by the seat where Heyes sat next to Beth. Again, the conductor checked his watch to cover the pause. He murmured, "Newspaper says the law's on their trail, but haven't caught 'em. Somewhere around the Kansas-Missouri border."

"Headed west?"

The conductor nodded.

"Damn! Coming our way. Not far enough off. Thanks, man," whispered Heyes.

The conductor nodded discretely and put his watch away. Heyes pulled out his own watch – the one the Kid had given him for a wedding present. Seeing the initials SCL on it hurt him afresh. They stood for the Latin distinction he had earned, with such labor, Suma Cum Laude. Heyes wondered if he would ever fulfill the promise of his degrees. But right now, the time was the important thing. They were only a couple of hours from Colorado. Only a couple of hours from their new home. Only a couple of hours from having the Kid's help in defending the Heyes family.

As the afternoon advanced, Heyes jerked awake from a nap he had not intended to take. He heard the jingle of spurs and looked up to see a pair of young cowboys walking down the train aisle, lugging their saddles. Heyes could smell the men's sweat and the scent of old, damp leather. The situation looked terribly familiar – how many times had he and the Kid jumped off their horses and switched to trains as they fled the law? The young men paused opposite the Heyes, wiping their brows with their bright bandanas.

"What are you lookin' at?" asked one of the drovers in annoyance.

"Nothing at all," said Heyes casually. "Just thinking how many times I've dragged my saddle onto a train like that. Hope you have good luck where you're going."

"Oh, well thanks, Mr." The cowboy tipped his hat and continued down the aisle after his friend.

As the young men left, Heyes noticed that they were both wearing their guns tied down. His heart began to beat a bit faster. Who were they? But the drovers went along and found themselves seats farther down the car without giving Heyes further cause for worry. They were in cowboy country – there were plenty of such men about. This pair had just happened to get onto this car. Nothing to worry about. Nothing, Heyes told himself.

Soon, the train was climbing. Heyes could feel the strain of the engine. They were moving westward across eastern Colorado. Heyes touched Charlie's shoulder. "Almost home, Prof. We'd better work on getting the luggage together. I hope Jed sends somebody to help us get it off the train and over to Christy's Place. There's a lot of stuff and it's a short stop at that little station."

Charlie sat up. "Oh, are we that close? Can't wait to see it. I've heard so much about . . ." His voice trailed off as Heyes goosed him. He didn't want that stop named too soon – just in case someone was listening who shouldn't be.

It was still some time before the Louisville stop – there would be another stop first. But Beth gathered up her little pillows and other things that had gotten scattered around between the three of them. She glanced cautiously at her husband and he nodded back. They couldn't hide that they would be getting off fairly soon, but they could keep people in the dark until the last minute about exactly which stop was theirs.

Finally, they heard the conductors calling, "Louisville! Louisville, next stop! Louisville, Colorado!" Heyes' friend conductor made sure to be in the car with the trio as they approached their stop and gathered their trunks and suit cases and Heyes' guitar in its feed sack.

"Thanks for the help," the former outlaw said under his breath to the railroad man, who only nodded.

Heyes stood and steadied himself as the train's breaks squealed and it pulled into the Louisville station. He looked out the opening door nearest him and was glad to see the Christy's porter and man Friday, Bruce, at the reins of a wagon. Heyes jumped down, carpet bag in hand and saddle bags over his shoulder, before the train was quite stopped. He tossed the carpet bag to the porter. "Good to see you, Bruce! We've got a bunch of bags to get off the train and over to Christy's Place."

Bruce put the carpet bag in the wagon bed and jumped down from the seat. "Sure, Mr. Heyes. But it won't be Christy's Place – the boss sold out to Ted and Joe two days ago. They're all busy moving to Ross's hotel. You folks will be staying out at the new house on the edge of town. Alright?"

"Oh, well, sure," said Heyes, adjusting to the news. He reached up and helped Beth down to the ground. Then Heyes, Charlie, and Bruce labored to get the suitcases, the trunks, and Heyes' guitar, off the train.

"Welcome, Mrs. Heyes!" said Bruce happily as he helped Beth up to the wagon seat. "It's sure good to have you here."

Beth gave him a big smile. "I'm glad to see you again, Bruce."

Meanwhile, Charlie and Heyes finished loading the wagon.

"Bruce, this is my friend Charlie Homer. Professor Homer, as a matter of fact," said Heyes as moved the luggage into the wagon. "Charlie, this is Bruce. He does all kinds of stuff for Jed around Christy's Place."

"Good to meet you, Professor," said Bruce, pushing his grimy wire-rimmed glasses back up his nose and then putting out a hand. "Welcome to Louisville!"

"Glad to meet you, Bruce," said the professor. "I've heard about this place for years. I look forward to seeing more of it. But right now, I guess we just need to get our luggage where it needs to go."

"I have an errand before we head out to the house," said Heyes. "Where should I meet back up with you folks?" He asked Bruce.

"Christy's Place, I guess," said Bruce uncertainly. "Cat was there, last I saw. The sheriff's at his office."

"Good. That's where I'm headed," said Heyes. "See you all in a few minutes."

Heyes walked down the street uncertainly, unwilling to let his wife out of his sight for even a minute, but knowing this wasn't reasonable. Bruce and Charlie would keep her safe for the few minutes Mrs. Heyes and Mr. Heyes were apart. He had to take a deep breath before he stepped into the sheriff's office. The former outlaw, despite his years of schooling and his new amnesty, still sweated at even the thought of a law office.

"Good afternoon, Billy," said Heyes as he saw the dark-haired deputy at the front of the office. "We just got into town, so I guess I got to check in with you. What's the news?"

"Welcome, Mr. Heyes," said Billy. "I've got your form ready. You just need to sign it."

Heyes looked down at the form, filled out as it had been on his last visit, other than the date, and then back up at Billy. There was something in the deputy's brown eyes that made him uneasy. Billy was watching Heyes in a new and disconcertingly intent way - almost like a lawman keeping an eye on a criminal who hadn't gone straight. Not quite like that – but almost.

Jed Curry came out of the back room, hearing the familiar voice up front. "Welcome to town, Heyes! It's mighty good to have you."

The partners shook handy heartily. "It's good to be here. I'm glad you got the bank loan so you could buy Ross's Hotel. I'll do my best with my part of it."

"You'll do great, Heyes," said the Kid encouragingly, thinking his partner sounded unsure of himself.

Heyes nodded his thanks. "Thanks for sending Bruce with the wagon," said the new hotel manager. But his voice sounded a bit doubtful. Curry immediately knew at least part of what was wrong.

Curry told his deputy, "Billy, go out and take a good walk around the neighborhood. Make sure there are no shady characters around. With the Green River Kid in the cage in back, you can't be too careful. Al and I will be alright here without you for a little while."

When the young man was gone, Heyes and his partner could speak more openly.

"Any news about the T-Ds?" asked Heyes, keeping his voice low to make sure the man in the lockup and the deputy watching him couldn't hear him. "The railroad guys have been keeping me up to date – last I heard they were in coming west into Kansas with the law on their tails."

"Yeah, they shot a sheriff and a deputy out in the middle of Kansas yesterday when they found 'em on a local train line. Sheriff died this morning, deputy's in bad shape. But the brothers got away again. The Kansas law is hot after those boys," said Curry.

"Man, what a change!" exclaimed the sheriff's partner. "To hope the law catches somebody! I hope they can catch 'em."

"They better catch em'!" said the Kid with feeling. "Safety means a lot to me, now. Wait till you see Cat. That baby is growing like a weed. And Cat gets prettier every day."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I swear, Beth looks younger than she did when I met her, six years ago," said the darker ex-outlaw with a proud flash of a grin that quickly vanished as he remembered his fears.

The Kid looked proud of his lady. "Yeah, having babies seems to suit them. Or it does when they get past throwing up."

Heyes looked grim as he perched on the front of his partner's desk. "Well, Beth never did feel sick. But you didn't send your deputy on patrol so we could talk babies. We got to talk protecting our ladies, and us. How we gonna do that, with the T-Ds still on the loose?"

The Kid sat back in his chair and considered the question that had been on his mind for days. "Well, it's easier being on the side of the law. Don't have to get our own news or go after them ourselves."

"If they killed a lawman, I trust the law to chase the T-Ds. But do you really trust the law to give you good information?" asked Heyes cynically.

The Kid nodded. "Yeah, so far as I know they tell me all they can. I'm getting to know the lawmen here abouts, Heyes. They're careful about me, but the ones I've met, I think they're honest with me. They wouldn't want our wives in danger, or this town. Or us, I hope."

"I hope you're right, Kid," said Heyes. "And I'm glad we brought Charlie along. He has good sense – hasn't forgotten growing up in Wyoming. He's one more guy I know is on our side."

Jed said, "Good. I hope having you folks stay out at the new house will help – if you see a stranger coming there, you know it's likely trouble. Here in town, there's so many folks all the time in and out, it's hard to tell. I'll make sure there's a man out there by the house when you and Charlie ain't there. You are still gonna try to do some work for the University for free, right?"

Heyes nodded. "Yeah. And some advising on the engineering for Cable's mine. But not if it looks dangerous for me to be away from Beth. There's nothing more important than keeping Beth safe – and Cat."

"And you," Curry ventured.

Heyes paused. He was thinking how good it was to be back making plans with his partner, no matter what danger they had to face. The look in his eyes said what he, as a man, didn't dare to say.

Jed's blue eyes gave back that trust. "Well, you better go get over to Christy's Place and then out to the house. It's getting toward dark. Cat'll have dinner set for you at Christy's Place so Beth don't have to figure out that stove at the house and cook when she's tired from the train. Cat says it ain't easy, for a woman to figure out how a new stove works."

"I guess," said Heyes, his mind on anything but stoves. "I'll look over the ledgers for the new hotel so I can be tracking payments and stuff. Is the old manager of Ross's place around to show me what he's been doing?"

Curry was pleased at the question. "Yeah, the old manager is hopping up and down to work with you – if we pay him for it. Not that I told him who you are."

Heyes gave a wry smile, seeing both sides of what his identity might mean in this connect. "Good. Are you up to riding yet?"

"Well, I can if I got to," said Curry. "Doc would rather I wait, but I'll do what I got to do."

Heyes clapped his partner on the back. He had no doubt of that.

"I better get over to Christy's Place," said the newly arrived former outlaw. But he didn't move. "Kid – you told your deputies – didn't you?"

"Told 'em what?" asked the Kid.

Heyes shifted his booted feet uneasily. "About me. You know." He made a gesture like a man lifting a bottle.

"Aw, Heyes." Curry hated to talk about the subject of his partner's drinking trouble.

"You did, didn't you? I saw how Billy looked at me." The older partner's gaze dropped to the floor.

The Kid sighed. "Yeah, I did."

"Whew! Thanks, Jed," said Joshua, looking up again.

The Kid didn't have to say anything for his partner to know that he was surprised – even shocked, at this reaction. Normally, it was the last thing Heyes wanted anyone to know.

"Well, if you told 'em, then I don't have to. I'm better than I used to be, before. But, still . . ."

Now Curry understood. He nodded.

Heyes walked over to Christy's Place, taking his time. He prepared himself, knowing that there would be alcohol everywhere. He had casually walked into so many bars over the years. It would be a while before he could be that easy there again.

Heyes walked in the bat-winged front doors, feeling strange to know that his partner and his wife no longer owned Christy's Place. So Heyes wasn't sure if he would be welcome in the back rooms. There was a good crowd in the saloon. Heyes strode straight over to the bar, finding a rare open spot to lean on. "Hello, Joe," he said to the man behind the bar. "Congratulations on buying the place!"

"Thanks, Heyes," said Joe, going to draw a beer for his long-time friend.

Hearing the name, several faces turned to look curiously at the infamous outlaw whose partner was the local sheriff. No one was bold enough to actually speak to him.

Joe said, "I hope we can make a go of it." He looked back at the man he had long known as Joshua, who hesitated for a noticeable instant before nodding. He hadn't had a beer since his night on the town in New York City.

"Where's Cat?" asked Heyes as he took an experimental sip of beer. So far, so good.

"Back in the dining room – I mean, the family one. They got dinner all laid out for you, one more time. Go on through." The bartender gestured back through the door into the private spaces of Christy's Place.

Heyes nodded and took his beer back to the dining room with him. He found Cat presiding over the feast laid out on a red and white plaid table cloth. The pregnant lady was just putting out pieces of fried chicken and fresh biscuits with butter while Beth spooned hot applesauce and green beans onto their plates. Charlie was tying a napkin around his neck and preparing to dig in. It all smelled delicious in a way that New York restaurant food never did.

"Hello, sweetie," said Heyes, putting down his beer and giving his cousin-in-law a kiss on the cheek. He smiled to see how round she was getting. "Thanks for the food. And the room at the new house. Can't wait to see it."

"It's our pleasure, Joshua," said Cat. She sat down and gestured for Heyes to do the same. "You'll be working hard enough while we get the new hotel going and the house settled. You all make yourselves at home and eat, please. Don't wait for Jed. I never know when he'll get back from work. Often as not, we just start without him and he catches up as he can."

"That has to be hard on him," said the darker former outlaw as he buttered a roll.

"Well, if he wants hot food, and plenty of it, he needs to get home sooner," laughed Cat before she took a big bite of a drum stick.

"It's awfully nice of you folks to put me up," said Charlie as he finished a bite of steaming apple sauce. "Golly, you're a fine cook, Mrs. Curry. Heyes always told me you were."

"Thank you kindly, Professor," said Cat with a satisfied smile. "I hope the customers at the new hotel agree with you."

"If they have any sense, they'll be scrambling for places at your tables," said Heyes. "You can run the restaurant as much for in town folks as for visitors, if there's enough seating. Without the girls in the bar to keep the more proper folks away, I hope you'll get plenty of new customers."

"Yes, Jed and I were hoping for that," said Cat. "I think there's enough seating, at least to get started with. No use in having empty places we can't fill. It discourages folks from coming."

The new manager smiled. His cook, and boss, had excellent business sense.

"I'll send the new ledger book for the Ross hotel out to the house with you, if you don't mind, Heyes, so you can go over it," said Mrs. Curry. "Their manager can go over the old ledgers with you when you can get to him here in town. He's sure he'll have a lot to teach you about what works and what doesn't. We're paying him to stay on for a while to make the transition, if it's alright with you."

"Fine with me. I'll need the help getting started. How far away is the house, anyhow?" asked Heyes.

"Only about a mile," said Cat, realizing what was occurring to her cousin-in-law. She tried to cover. "Heyes, we just thought you might like to avoid a bunch of going back and forth while you and Beth are settling in. Jed and I have so much to manage here."

Heyes saw through the pretense instantly. "Cat Curry, you have it backwards. You should be in charge of setting up your own house. Beth and I are just guests, and I'm an employee. I should be here managing, like you'll be paying me to do."

"Well, we thought . . ." Cat started.

"I know what you thought. Well, let me tell you, I can look after the move from this place to the new hotel without drinking the barrels dry. We don't have to waste folks watching me when they ought to be watching to keep you and Beth safe."

The table fell silent.

"Heyes, are you sure?" asked Cat. "Be honest with us."

There was a pause. "Yeah. Of course I am. And I'll mostly be over at the new place. It's dry, isn't it?"

"No, Heyes, it isn't. We want to serve wine in the dining room," said Mrs. Curry. "And maybe some of the better whiskey. We thought it would help some of our wealthier existing customers to want to come over to the new place. We've got a liquor license and we don't want to waste it. And classy places serve wine and whiskey – I saw that in New York."

"Oh." They could see the problem drinker who was their manager considering the problem. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, I'll just be careful."

"Heyes?" asked Charlie cautiously.

The former outlaw rolled his eyes. "I'll be real careful . . . and stay at the house for a while. I guess I can find things to do, between setting up the ledgers and helping get stuff moved into the house. And when I'm at Ross's place meeting with the old hotel manager, he can keep an eye on me while Beth helps Cat at the new hotel and Charlie can help watch when Beth's at the house. Alright?"

"Sounds good to me," said Cat.

"What sounds good?" asked Jed Curry as he came through the door with his new cane and sat down to eat his slightly belated dinner.

Heyes repeated his recital of who would do what. The sheriff nodded. "Sounds alright to me – for a day or two. I know Charlie can't stay long. We'll figure out a new plan when things change."

"Yeah," said Heyes.

"Don't you worry about the house," said Cat. "We've got curtains up, the beds ready in the guest room and there's a bed for Charlie in what will be the nursery. The kitchen is pretty well ready. The pump works and we've got a stack of wood ready for the stove. There's plenty of space for your things, Beth and Joshua. I hope you'll be comfortable."

"I know we will," said Beth. But she looked apprehensively at her husband. Would he be comfortable?

They finished dinner quickly, being anxious to get out to the house so Beth, Heyes, and Charlie could rest. Charlie was yawning already. But Heyes found a moment to pull his cousin aside away from the women. "Jed, we've got to go after the Teasdales ourselves. They could get here any time. The law doesn't know them like we do."

"Don't be a damn fool, Heyes. We ain't heroes no more. I got to enforce the law here and Dr. Leutze would throw a fit if you rode off by yourself hunting outlaws. And they law they got after those young brothers knows them better than we do. You let the Kansas law, and the guys down from Wyoming, do their jobs."

Heyes paced up and down the dark hall, breathing hard. "Oh, alright. But if we hear the law has lost their trail, I'm saddling up Clay and getting out of here. I don't give a damn what you say, boss man, I'm a husband. I'm going."

"No, you ain't!" hissed Jed. "And that's an order!"

Heyes opened his mouth angrily, waving his finger at this partner. But then he shut his mouth.

The two partners glared at each, but stopped their argument as Cat came to find them. She gave them a hard look, seeming to guess what the fight was about.

Within minutes, everyone was going out into the darkening alley to get ready for the short trip to the new Curry home on the edge of town.

Charlie got up on the wagon seat to drive the luggage-laden wagon to the new house. Cat sat on one side of him while Beth sat on the other. Bruce had saddled Clay so Heyes could ride his own horse out to the new stable, which he was assured would comfortably house his old horses and the horses hitched to the wagon.

"You sure you don't want me to come along and make sure you're all safe?" asked the Kid, leaning on his cane and walking alongside Heyes' nervously prancing horse

"For the last time, Jed," said Cat, "we've got Heyes and Charlie, both of them with loaded pistols. I know the way to the house perfectly well. It's hardly a mile. You got to stay here and help your deputies with that prisoner. The doc doesn't want you riding yet. Don't you come out to the house until the guys from Wyoming have Laurence away safe. Alright, husband?"

"Well, alright," said Jed. "But I surely am going to miss you tonight, Mrs. Curry."

The wagon lurched along in the gathering darkness. Beth smiled to look up and see her husband riding beside them in his full western gear. But a thought struck her. "You said you'd wear chaps in the real West, husband. Isn't this the real West?"

"Wife, I don't need to dig chaps out of my trunk for one mile on a good road. Easterners!" steamed Heyes in mock annoyance. He knew well that Beth was only teasing him.

Lights shown from the windows of the new Curry house. Bruce had ridden out before them to make sure that the stove was warm, the lamps were lit, and stalls were ready for the horses. "Welcome home!" he called warmly from the front porch.

Beth pretended not to notice Cat wiping tears from her eyes. She had wanted her own house all the days of her life. The time was finally here. Mrs. Curry only wished she had Mr. Curry with her to carry her over the threshold.

Bruce rode back to town while Cat and Beth looked around. "What a lovely place it is!" exclaimed Beth as she explored the rooms with a kerosene lamp in her hand. "It all smells so clean and fresh! The rooms are so well planned!"

"Thank you," replied Cat. "Jed and I tried to plan it well – for the future."

Meanwhile, Charles and Heyes unhitched and untacked the horses, making them comfortable in the new stable. "It's a nice place, isn't it Heyes?" asked Charlie as he curried dust off of one of the wagon horses in a standing stall.

"It is. I hope Cat and Jed and their babies will be happy here," replied Heyes as he scratched Clay behind the ears in a box stall next door. The aging red dun rubbed his head against his master in delight.

"And what about you and Beth?" asked Charlie, brushing a piece of straw out of his furry, grey eyebrows.

"I guess we'll have to see," said his former student. "I've got a lot of plans that might work. I hope at least one of them pans out."

"You've got too many gifts for things not to work out," said Charlie. "You're going to be a good father." Heyes had to smile at that.

When the horses were settled for the night, Heyes and Charlie headed back to the house. Heyes carried a lantern while Charlie walked behind him in the rapidly falling darkness. "Just look at those stars! There's too much in the way in New York to see them properly. It seems a long time since I saw the milky way stretching across the sky."

Heyes looked up for a moment, but then he turned suddenly toward the road. "Who's out there?" he demanded. The lantern was in his left hand – and now his pistol was drawn in his right. Charlie drew his gun as well.

Soon, even the professor, whose hearing wasn't perfect, could hear a rider approaching along the gravel road. "Who's out there?" Heyes cried again.

"It's me! Don't shoot!" came a familiar voice from the distance.

Heyes and Charlie both reholstered their guns. "Kid! What are you doing here, and on a horse?"

"I got news!" called the sheriff. "I'll tell you, when I get close enough that I don't have to shout."

The professor and his former student looked at each other quizzically and waited while Kid Curry rode up on his old bay horse, Blackie.

The Kid dismounted, putting his injured leg on the ground with a grunt of pain.

"Are you alright?" asked Heyes, taking the horse's reins.

"Fine. Leg's just stiff. Ouch. And sore."

Charlie led Blackie into the stable, lantern in hand, and untacked him, thinking the partners might want to share the news in private. He was right.

"Well?" asked the elder partner when his teacher was far enough away not to hear the conversation. It was hard for him to read the Kid's expression in the darkness. The only light was the distant beam of a lamp through a front window of the house.

"The law got the Teasdales," said the sheriff.

"Really? For sure?" Heyes asked in amazement. "Got them secure?"

"Yeah, for sure. And for good. They didn't arrest them – they shot them. Dead. One in the head and one in the heart." The Kid tried not to sound satisfied about the violent deaths of two young men, but he didn't hide his relief.

"My God!" exclaimed Heyes. "What about that uncle of theirs? If the brothers are dead, he's probably the only one who could know, or guess . . ."

"Dead. When he heard his nephews were shot down, he killed himself. Dove in front of a speeding train."

"Ugh," grunted Heyes. It wasn't a pretty picture to contemplate.

"But still, I got to admit I'm glad. Nobody's hunting us," said Jed Curry.

"No, not anymore. Never again, I hope. Well, let's go tell our wives. But maybe not all the details," said H. Joshua Heyes.