Kid stood just inside the screen door of the cabin he and Heyes shared and watched his partner standing near the steps, leaning against the post, hands in his pockets, looking out at the stars. Kid slowly pushed the screen door open and walked out to the edge of the porch. He stood parallel to his partner and pulled two cigars from his pocket. Without a word, he extended his arm, offering a cigar to his partner.
Heyes looked at the cigar and then shot Kid a quick smile and shake of his head. "No thanks," he said and resumed his contemplative stance.
Kid slipped the cigar back into his pocket, bit the tip from his own cigar and spit it into the grass. He struck a match, raised it to the end of the cigar, and drew several quick puffs. He shook the match out and tossed it into the yard.
"Something troubling you?" Kid asked as he drew on the cigar and studied the dark silhouette of the mountains.
"Yea," Heyes said with a slow, soft sigh.
"Gonna tell me?"
"Yea, once I figure out what it is."
Kid nodded and let the conversation die.
Three years prior, Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry received the long anticipated amnesty. Committed to staying together and free to go where ever they chose, the two men had contemplated many options. Kid wanted to settle in what he called, "the serenity of the Colorado mountains." Heyes preferred the more untamed nature of Montana. So they had flipped a coin...and settled in northwest Wyoming, where government lands were deeded to those able to build a livable structure and successfully develop the land over a five year period.
They had chosen ranching over farming as the terrain was simply not conducive to cultivation. Now, three years in to their quest, they had built up a heard of nearly three hundred longhorn steers and both were beginning to understand the satisfactions of honest work and hard labor.
Kid dropped his spent cigar on the step and extinguished it with the toe of his boot. He leaned over and picked it up, then turned and went back inside the house. Heyes turned his head slightly at the sound of Kid retreating. When he heard Kid's bedroom door close, Heyes frowned, shook his head slightly, then looked back up at the stars.
For the past two weeks, Heyes had been feeling what he could only describe as a a gnawing restlessness, the cause of which continued to evade him. He knew his life was good now. He knew his partnership with Kid was, and always would be on solid ground. He knew he had a good relationship with Jasmine Hewes, the local school teacher he had been in a serious relationship with for the past three months. He knew when the cattle were sold, he'd be financially comfortable once again. So this constant, nagging restlessness had him puzzled, frustrated, even a little angry.
Heyes knew Kid had noticed the recent change in his partner and he knew Kid was worried about him. He wanted to appease that concern, but not knowing the cause himself, he didn't know how to ebb his partner's concerns.
Uttering a long, mournful sigh, Heyes surrendered to defeat and went to bed.
Morning was half spent when Heyes woke. He climbed out of bed, dressed, and went looking for his partner. The cabin was empty but a pot of hot coffee sat on the top of the wood-burning stove. Heyes poured two cups of coffee and carried them out to the barn.
Morning air was cold any time of year at that elevation so the steaming cup of coffee offered to Kid was more than welcome. Kid took a sip and set his cup on the seat of the buckboard while he finished harnessing the horses.
"Going to town?" Heyes asked.
"Think we're in need of a few supplies," Kid answered. "Want to come?"
Heyes smiled. "Yea, I'll come."
Kid picked up his coffee and leaned against the buckboard. "You sleep alright?" Kid asked, taking another sip of the coffee.
Heyes locked eyes with his partner. "Kid, I'm not keeping anything from you. I just don't know why..."
"You'll figure it out, Heyes. I can wait."
Heyes smiled again. "Thanks, Kid."
Kid handed his coffee cup to Heyes. "Best go get your coat. It's a long ride."
Heyes nodded and returned to the cabin. Kid climbed into the seat of the buckboard and drove the wagon up to the house to wait for his partner.
"It'll be about lunchtime when we get to town. Want me to drop you off at the school?" Kid asked as he drove the buckboard toward town."
"That'd be good. I'll meet you at the saloon in an hour or so."
"Sounds good. I was planning on staying a while."
"Sewing some oats, are you?"
Kid smiled. "Meybe," the word rolling off his tongue in a carefree fashion.
"You know there are other women besides whores, Kid," Heyes teased
"Yep, but they take work," Kid explained.
Two hours later, the wagon loaded, the Kid satiated, Heyes walked in to the saloon and spied Kid nursing a beer at the bar. Heyes joined him and ordered a beer.
"Get what you needed?" Heyes asked.
"Yep. You?" Kid asked with a grin.
"I was referring to the supplies," Heyes said.
"Hey Curry!" someone called from the other side of the room.
Kid turned and saw Dave Bonnic sitting at a poker table with four other men.
"Something on your mind, Dave?' Kid asked.
"Just wondered when you two were planning on driving your herd to market?"
"I'm figuring another month,"
"Why you waiting so long?"
"Same reason you are, Dave. Watching prices."
Kid and Heyes walked over and joined the others at the table.
"How many head you planning on moving?"
Kid looked at Heyes. "Two hundred, maybe two fifty."
"That's how many I'm planning on taking. You two want to pair up for the drive? Means we'd only have to hire a couple of temporaries."
"Sure, Dave. Cuts down on costs. Why don't you stop by this weekend and we'll figure out dates and a plan," Heyes said.
Dave nodded and shuffled the cards for the next round of poker.
They played poker until late in the afternoon, then headed to the cafe for an early supper before starting back to what they jokingly referred to as their ranch, knowing the size of their property disqualified it from being a full fledged ranch.
Kid pulled the wagon into the barn and he and Heyes jumped down to unharness the horses. Once the horses were brushed, stalled, fed,and watered, they headed for the cabin, Kid having decided to unload the wagon the following morning.
"That was a day well spent," Heyes said, removing his holster and hanging it on a peg near the door.
"I was surprised you didn't suggest staying the night so you could spend more time with Jasmine," Kid said, removing his gun from the holster and placing it on the table before going to the cupboard for his gun oil and cloths.
"Kid, you haven't fired that gun in at least three years, except for practice. Why do you still clean it so often?"
"Never know when I might need it. Just want it ready and in pristine condition."
"Jasmine says she's going to St. Louis when school ends next month," Heyes told Kid.
"Permanent?"
"No, just to visit relatives. She'll be gone the better part of a month."
"Timing's good. That's when we'll be on the cattle drive."
Heyes didn't say anything, but he watched Kid cleaning his gun. After a couple of minutes, Kid became aware of the silence and looked up to see Heyes watching Kid's face. Kid set the gun down on the table.
"Unless you ain't going on the cattle drive," Kid said.
Heyes' mouth pinched up a bit. "Jasmine wants me to go with her to meet her family."
"You two getting that serious?" Kid asked.
"I think maybe we are, Kid."
Heyes was relieved by the smile that spread across Kid's face. "Well, I guess we'll be doing a little more hiring than Dave expects," Kid replied. "You ask her yet?"
Heyes smiled and nodded his head. "About a week ago," he replied.
"She must have said yes," Kid said.
"She did."
"Set a date yet?"
Heyes shook his head. "Not yet. We're not in a big rush."
"Is that what's been gnawing at you, I mean, worrying about telling me?"
Heyes sighed heavily. "You know my getting married won't change things between us."
Kid laughed. "Probably change a few things, Heyes. We'll adjust."
"Kid. Did I ever tell you how glad I am that we're partners?"
Kid smiled. "More than once, Heyes. You two planning on living here?" Kid asked.
"Well, it would be a little hard to run a ranch from town."
'So, when you get back from St. Louis and I get back from the cattle drive, we'll set to work building me a smaller place elsewhere on the property."
"Kid, you don't have to move out."
Kid smiled. "Heyes, I'll always be your partner. I'll always be your friend. But I ain't a part of your marriage. This place is big enough that you got room for a couple of youngins if you've a mind to have em. I don't need a house this big. Might have to share the barn for a while, but not the house."
Heyes smiled. "As soon as we both get back we'll get started on it."
Over the course of the next month, Heyes and Kid planned the cattle drive with Dave Bonnic. Kid used his spare time riding the edges of the property in search of a good location to build his cabin. He finally settled on a spot about a mile from the cabin he and Heyes shared. The location offered Kid a chance to stake his own property claim. The plan was to convert the current claim to Heyes' name only, Kid's new claim in his name only, and when Kid's five years was completed, transfer both properties back into both their names, thus doubling the size of their ranch free of cost.
Once a location was decided upon, Kid began ordering the supplies necessary for the construction of the cabin such as nails, levels, two handle a saw for felling trees, rope for hauling logs, and any other incidentals he could think of.
The day before they were leaving, Kid drove Heyes and Jasmine to Cody where they would catch the train for St Louis the following morning. He dropped them at the hotel and returned to the ranch, for he was heading out on the cattle drive the day after.
The cattle drive from northwest Wyoming to Cheyenne took seventeen days. When Kid returned home he had a week before Heyes and Jasmine would be returning, so he spent the time clearing the area where his cabin would soon be built. He picked up the supplies he had ordered and brought them to the building site. He began the arduous work of digging a well. He thought about how far he and Heyes had come in the last three years and prided them both for their accomplishments.
Kid met Heyes and Jasmine at the train station in Cody. They were both tired, but Heyes was wound up with the excitement of seeing Kid and telling him all about St. Louis. Jasmine fell asleep with her head on Heyes' shoulder.
"Oh, you'll love St. Louis, Kid. It's right on the Mississippi River. Mark Twain grew up there, course he was Samuel Clemens then, but lots of folks there know him, and he comes back for a visit now and again."
Kid smiled. He knew how much Heyes admired Mark Twain and Kid himself was familiar with some of Twain's work as Heyes use to read some of Twain's books aloud to him while they were on the trail or settled in some hotel room during their days waiting for amnesty.
"We've decided on a date in September for the wedding. All of Jasmine's family is in St. Louis so it makes sense to have the wedding there. Jasmine and I are going to take a river boat to New Orleans for a honeymoon. Of course you'll be my best man, right, Kid?"
Kid smiled. "Of course I will, Heyes."
Heyes rambled on for the better part of an hour. Kid listened intently, occasionally smiling, occasionally laughing, always enjoying Heyes exuberance.
"So, how did the cattle drive go?" Heyes asked, finally stepping out of the clouds and back to the reality of the ranch.
"6.47 per hundredweight," Kid announced proudly."
"That's barely shy of $60.00 a head," Heyes exclaimed. Did they all make it?"
Kid nodded. "Brought home just over $15,000. We might want to look at buying a little bit of land outright. Between both our properties and an additional thousand acres, we could end up with a pretty sizable ranch."
They drove to town first and dropped jasmine off at her house. Heyes carried her bags into the house and Kid waited in the buggy while Heyes and jasmine said their goodbyes. Then he and heyes headed back to their cabin.
They next morning, Heyes and Kid rode out in the buckboard to the site of Kid's soon to be new home. This became their daily ritual and in a month's time, Kid had a fine, one bedroom cabin overlooking rolling hills, deep valleys, and majestic mountains.
They purchased a thousand acres of land adjacent to their homestead claims.
"Heyes, we're going to be able to triple our livestock with all this grazing land, triple our return," Kid said proudly.
"You know, Kid, in all the years we were outlawing and then trying for amnesty, I always figured some day we'd start making something of ourselves. I never dreamed we'd be doing this well,"
"I guess hard work pays off, Heyes."
In September Heyes, Jasmine, and Kid rode the train to St Louis where Heyes and Jasmine were married. Heyes and Jasmine spent the next two weeks on a riverboat to new Orleans. Kid remained in St. Louis for a week, taking in the sights, visiting the saloons and the occasional brothel, and sleeping in fine hotels. At the end of the week, Kid took the train back to Cody.
Heyes and Jasmine followed a week later. Kid picked them up at the train station and drove them to their cabin. He offered to bring in the luggage and stood by the buggy and smiled as he watched Heyes carry his wife over the threshold.
The winter was the usual harsh Wyoming winter and Heyes and Jasmine stayed hunkered down in their cabin while Kid did the same in his own. Once or twice a month, Kid would venture out hunting and usually brought a deer to Heyes. On those days, Kid often stayed for supper and slept in what was now a guest room.
One evening, late the following spring, Kid had taken supper with Jasmine and Heyes and after helping Jasmine clear the table, Kid noticed Heyes had disappeared. Kid walked to the door and, through the screen door, saw Heyes standing near the steps, leaning against the post, looking up at the stars. Kid slowly pushed the screen door open and walked out to the edge of the porch. He stood parallel to his partner and pulled two cigars from his pocket. Without a word, he extended his arm, offering a cigar to his partner.
Heyes took the cigar and bit the end off, spitting it into the yard. Kid did the same, then struck a match and lit both cigars. He shook the match and tossed it into the yard.
"Something troubling you?" Kid asked as he drew on the cigar and studied the dark silhouette of the mountains.
"I wouldn't call it troubling," Heyes replied.
"Gonna tell me?" Kid asked.
Heyes turned and looked at Kid. "Just trying to decide which sounds better, Uncle Jed, or Uncle Kid.?
Kid's entire face lit up with pleasure and he walked over and wrapped his arms around his partner, slapping him on his back. "I can't tell you how happy I am for the two of you... and for me. I ain't never been an uncle before. I think he or she should call me Uncle Jed."
"Why's that?"
"Just don't sound right having a little youngin calling me a kid."
Heyes laughed. "You're right. We'll save Kid for me, partner."
"Always, Heyes."