I had a fun time trying to come up with a different horse for Dutch, since I've decided that he doesn't have The Count yet. I originally picked Nero because he was an ancient Roman emperor who, from my brief research, tried to eliminate taxes once and then became a mad, tyrannical ruler. Perfect for Dutch! But then I looked more and I found out many historical documents about Nero were written by Tacitus and he was emperor during the uprising of Boudica, also known as Boadicea.

Chapter 2: Colorado

"Arthur better be in town today," Dutch said as he tacked up Nero.

Hosea turned to his own horse to hide the eye roll. Dutch's constant fretting was going to turn the rest of his hair gray. "You know he went to the other side of Nebraska, right?"

"So?"

"So, it's going to take some time for him to get over here. Relax! If he's not at the hotel, we can check out that bank again."

"Fine!" Dutch mounted his black Andalusian while Hosea finished tacking up Silver Dollar. "How's that new horse treating you?"

On their way to Colorado, the gang passed a horse farm specializing in Turkomans. Hosea had been looking for a new mount as his Tennessee Walker was getting rather old. "He's good. Pretty strong, too."

Once he mounted up, they started down the trail out of camp and towards town. Hosea breathed in deep, enjoying the forest air and the view of the mountains. How he missed the mountains! The last few years, the gang had stuck to the farmlands of the Midwest, which had been fine, but it hadn't reminded him of home like the snow-capped peaks in the distance. Once Arthur was back, he would have to drag him up there to go hunting. John, too, if he could get the teenager to listen to him long enough to actually teach him valuable hunting skills.

Dutch must have caught him staring, because he said, "Just think about it, Hosea. If we make enough money here, we can afford the supplies to get over the Grizzlies. Then, the whole west is open to us! We could go all the way to the Pacific!"

"We do need to replace a few wheels on the wagons first, maybe buy another one," Hosea pointed out. "And we should think about getting John a proper horse. That boy is shooting up like a bean sprout! He's way too tall for a pony now. Speaking of which, he could use a new winter coat, too."

"Didn't you just buy him one last year?"

"Yes, and I swear he grew three more inches. At this rate, he might end up being taller than Arthur."

Dutch laughed, "Oh, I can't wait to hear what Arthur will say about that!"

"I want to see if he notices."

"Oh, he will. Once it happens, John will be bragging about it. What else do you think we'll need?" Dutch asked as they reached the town. "We should start making a list."

"Food, for sure. Horse meal. John's probably not the only one who needs a new coat. And we will need to start before the fall snows begin. Ideally the end of August."

"That soon?" It was already late June.

"Early September at the latest. Otherwise, we might have to go south for the winter, see if we can't get to the Pacific through New Austin and Arizona."

"Well, let's see if we can make some money first," Dutch sighed as they approached the hotel. But his face immediately brightened when he recognized the Thoroughbred hitched outside. "Look who it is!"

"See! I told you not to worry."

After hitching Nero and Silver Dollar next to Boadicea, Dutch and Hosea went into the hotel. "Good morning, sir," Dutch said to the clerk. "We're looking to meet up with our friend. He owns that bay filly out there. Which room is his?"

"Room one," the clerk grunted.

"Thank you," said Dutch, heading down the hall and knocking on the appropriate door.

Hosea heard some shuffling, and then the door swung open. And he was immediately taken aback.

Arthur looked exhausted! Bags had formed under his eyes, his hair hadn't been combed that morning. But that wasn't what caught Hosea's eye the most. That was the young boy peaking out from behind Arthur.

He glanced at Dutch, who was staring at the boy wide-eyed. Dutch didn't even look up when Arthur said, "Hey, Dutch, Hosea. You remember Isaac, right?"

Hosea managed to recover first. "Well of course! Hi, Isaac. I haven't seen you since you were a baby."

"This is Hosea," Arthur said to Isaac, gesturing to him. "And Dutch. They helped raise me."

"Hi," Isaac whispered shyly.

"Nice to meet you, Isaac," Dutch finally managed to say. "Arthur, how come-"

"Why don't we get back to camp?" Hosea jumped in. He had noticed the tear tracks on Isaac's cheeks and immediately suspected what had happened. "I'm sure Arthur would like to see everyone."

"Yeah," Arthur said. "We can, uh, talk then."

"You should help Arthur with his bags," Hosea said to Dutch, hiding his smile at the other man's grumbling. "You'll like our spot, Arthur. Pretty close to a creek. Copper loves it, though that means we have a wet dog more than half the time."

The mention of Arthur's coonhound puppy brought a smile to his face. "I can't wait for you to meet Copper," Arthur said to Isaac. Isaac followed his father's lead out of the hotel, clutching his hand tight.

"Have you ever been camping?" Hosea asked. Isaac shook his head. "It's fun! You get to sleep outdoors and see the stars every night. There's nothing else like it."

Arthur pointed out a Suffolk Punch next to Boadicea and said, "You can put the suitcase on Rory."

"He looks like a decent wagon horse," said Dutch.

"He is." Arthur placed Isaac on Bo and swung up behind him. "I see you got yourself a new horse, Hosea. He a Turkoman?"

"Good eye. He might even be able to outrun Bo!"

Hosea was about to turn and lead the way out when he heard someone shout, "Oy! Mr. Macintosh!"

Two men, probably in their mid-twenties if Hosea had to guess, walked straight up to Dutch. Hosea tensed, his hand instinctively sliding back towards his holster, but the taller one laughed and gave Dutch a light jab to the shoulder. "You think you can just clean up our money and sneak out while we was sleeping?"

Dutch put his hands up in mock surrender. "Now gentlemen, I seem to recall you two pushing to win back your money. I can't help it you drank so much you fell asleep on the cards."

"And who kept passing around the bottle?" the shorter but clearly more muscular man said. Hosea studied their faces and wondered if they were brothers. "I think it's only fair to give us another go at it."

"Certainly! I quite enjoyed talking with you boys," Dutch said, completely relaxed and carefree. He turned to Hosea and said, "I'll be back in a few hours."

"Why Mr. Macintosh," Hosea said with a forced smile, "surely you aren't about to go play poker right now."

"We need supply money, don't we?" Dutch said with a smirk, and strode off to the saloon.

Hosea sighed. Apparently Dutch hadn't spent all his time in town worrying about Arthur. "Shall we?" he said, not even bothering to hide the disappointment in his voice. They rode out of town and up to the foothills of the Grizzlies, crossing the little creek and coming out of the trees into a small clearing. "Home, sweet home," Hosea announced.

"Arthur, you're back!" John said, running up to them. Copper was close on his heels and barking, causing Rory to toss his head and sidestep out of the way.

"Hey, John," Arthur said back, stifling a yawn. He got off Bo and knelt down to greet Copper. The dog immediately flipped over for a belly rub as Annabelle, Bessie, and Susan all emerged from the camp.

"It's about time, Mr. Morgan," said Susan Grimshaw. "These camp chores don't do themselves, and neither does- oh!"

All the attention in the camp quickly moved to Isaac, still sitting in Bo's saddle with his fingers tight around the pommel. As Arthur stood up to bring Isaac back to the ground, Hosea moved forward to hold back Copper. The excited puppy practically quivered, his tail wagging so hard it was painful as it hit Hosea in the ribs. "Now sit, Copper. SIT! No, stay sitting. Arthur, you need to train this dog better!"

Isaac clung to Arthur, nervously eying Copper. "He's fine, he's just really happy to meet you," Arthur said, and slowly Isaac moved forward, giving Copper a few pats on the head before Copper lurched out of Hosea's grip and began licking Isaac's face. Hosea let a relieved smile slide onto his face when Isaac giggled, wrapping his arms around the dog.

"Everyone, this is Isaac. My son," Arthur said.

"Why, look at you!" Bessie said, moving towards Isaac. "You look so much like your father. I bet you're hungry after all that traveling." Isaac nodded. "It's a little early for lunch, but let's get you a snack." Bessie offered her hand and led him to the table near the fire, Arthur following behind.

"Where's Dutch?" Annabelle asked.

"Poker game," said Hosea. "With some boys he met the other day."

"He got nearly fifteen dollars off of them," she laughed. "Still, he should have come back here. I have a feeling there's a lot to talk about."

"You are right about that," said Hosea. "But you can tell him that later."

"Trust me, he will hear about it," she said before turning and joining the group forming at the table.

Hosea remembered a time when he worried about Annabelle joining their gang. He had just returned from a year of trying to leave the criminal life with Bessie and Dutch had just ended his relationship with Susan. Once he was single, it wasn't uncommon for Dutch to charm a girl over a few drinks and into a bed, but from the moment they met, Annabelle was clearly different.

She grew up in a wealthy household in Chicago where her mother worked as a maid. Annabelle's mother never confirmed who her father was, likely out of fear of being fired. But that didn't stop the rumors from reaching her ears about the white businessman's activities with his black maids, especially given that all the household staff all lived on the property. The others often looked at her with pity and kept Annabelle away from the boss's family as much as possible. Despite this, Annabelle was able to sneak the same books and learning material from her half-siblings' tutoring sessions, and grew into an intelligent and well-read woman. She left as soon as she could, determined to find her own place in life.

Hosea learned all this from Dutch after his first night with Annabelle, and he was surprised that Dutch had spent the entire night talking with Annabelle instead of just fucking her. They met in a hotel lobby in Milwaukee when Dutch commented on the book she was reading, which led to a debate, which led to a discussion, and before either of them knew it the sun was rising once again. Dutch returned to that hotel several times before inviting Annabelle back to the house they were squatting in at the time. To everyone's relief, Annabelle slid into the group like she had always belonged, got along well with Arthur and John. Hosea had worried about what Susan would think, even if she had stayed in the gang after her relationship with Dutch ended, but Annabelle and Susan became fast friends.

Hosea pulled himself from his musings and approached the table. The three women surrounded Isaac, who was starting to brighten up a little at the attention and the chocolate bar Bessie gave him. "You're going to ruin his appetite," Hosea laughed, before turning to Arthur and gesturing to his own tent, "Shall we?"

"Sure. Isaac, I'm going to talk to Hosea just over there. You good staying here?"

"Okay, Pa."

"We've got him, Arthur," Bessie said, though Annabelle joined them. As they walked across camp, Hosea noticed John sticking to the edges, watching Isaac out of the corner of his eye.

"Now son, what happened?" Hosea asked.

"I was out with Isaac, just riding around, you know? Couldn't have been gone for more than a few hours. But some robbers came to the house and they- they-"

Hosea sat down next to Arthur, rubbing his back in slow, smooth motions. He knew Arthur had never been one to seek out physical comfort, not even a hug or a pat on the shoulder, when he clearly needed it. A second passed before Arthur leaned into Hosea and gathered his breath.

"She was dead when I got back. The law caught the two men that did it. I figure they hanged for it, but I didn't stick around. We left right after the funeral."

"How have you and Isaac been doing?" Annabelle asked.

"He's been real quiet. Has nightmares, too. He sort of understands what happened, the robbery part of it."

"Give him some time," said Hosea. "His life has been turned upside down. You remember what that's like."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Oh, all the things Dutch and I went through with you and John!"

Arthur mouth twitched towards a smile. "John was a little shit. You know he bit me when I was holding him down so Susan could cut his hair?"

Annabelle sat down on Arthur's other side and said, "We're going to help you, Arthur. All of us. Though if Isaac turns out to be a biter too…"

"He's not, I promise," Arthur said with a chuckle.

Susan called out to them for lunch. Giving Arthur one last pat on the back, Hosea stood up and said, "Let's get some food in you, and then maybe you can take a nap."

"I'll be fine," Arthur said, rubbing his eyes. "Besides, there's chores to do."

"Sure, but it's nothing the rest of us can't handle. You need some sleep."

Hosea didn't immediately walk to the table. Despite the call for food, John was still sticking to the edges of the camp, this time checking out the new horse Arthur had brought back. "Not hungry, John?" he asked.

He only got a grunt in return. John could really take sullen teenager to the next level. "You want to have a chat?" Hosea tried again.

"No."

Hosea tried not to let out an exasperated sigh. "You know you can always come to me if you do." He waited an extra second to see if John would change him mind, then went to join the others.

After lunch, Arthur took Isaac over to his tent so they both could get a little rest, though that almost ended before it began when Isaac didn't have his stuffed bear. Fortunately, the bear was just in Arthur's saddle bag. Once everything was quiet, Hosea told Bessie and Susan what happened to Eliza.

"Oh, those poor boys," Bessie exclaimed.

"How are we going to do this?" Susan asked. "Between jobs, supply runs, and who knows what else, someone always has to be watching him."

"We'll figure it out," Hosea said. "It will be an adjustment, but usually at least one of us is always in camp."

Bessie nodded. "And you know I'll be around camp until the fall." While Bessie supported Hosea's lifestyle, she much preferred wintering at her sister's ranch in Indiana. Usually Hosea joined her for a few weeks before finding the gang again, but he wondered if that would be possible this year with Dutch's plan to cross the Grizzlies. Speaking of which, could they even safely cross the Grizzlies with such a young boy?

He was not looking forward to bringing that up to Dutch. That would have to be a conversation for another day. For now, he just did chores and checked in on Arthur and Isaac occasionally. Isaac was in Arthur's bedroll, and Arthur was awkwardly curled around him along the edges of the cot with only a thin blanket to cover himself. It looked like they needed to add an extra cot to their shopping list.

Dutch didn't stroll back into camp until nearly dinner, flaunting the extra twelve dollars he made at the poker table. "They were interesting fellers, Hosea," he said. "Brothers, and terrible at cards! But oh, how they carried on. We had some good conversations. I must say, I get a good feeling about them. And I know what you're thinking, I didn't just spend all day playing cards and drinking. I got some information on a stagecoach robbery that should make us some decent money. What have you been doing all afternoon?"

"Oh, not much. Just comforting our boy after the mother of his son was murdered. And a bit of laundry."

Dutch had the decency to at least pause and ask, "Murdered? How?"

"A robbery. Over ten damn dollars. While Arthur out with Isaac."

"Shit."

"Yeah, shit is right."

"And there was no one else who could take the boy?"

Of course that would be Dutch's first thought. When Dutch brought a girl or a half-feral twelve-year old back to camp, or suggested partnering up with other outlaws like those awful O'Driscoll brothers, he would hear no complaints. But if anyone else tried that…

Dutch had originally offered to let Eliza and Isaac join the gang when Eliza told Arthur of her pregnancy, though he presented the option to Arthur as his only chance to be part of Isaac's life. He wouldn't hear any word of Arthur leaving the gang, which Hosea secretly supported. Yes, Hosea himself left his wife for a good portion of the year to run with the gang, but he and Bessie were both adults who could discuss their wants and needs. Isaac was a child.

So he simply said, "Arthur is Isaac's father. He should be the one to take care of him."

"And how is Arthur?"

"He's taking it rather hard, I think."

Dutch's hand fell on his shoulder. "We'll get through this, Hosea. We always do."

Hosea nodded along to Dutch's confidence, almost subconsciously. Dutch grinned wide and walked over to John, probably boasting about his poker winnings.

Arthur emerged from his tent just before dinner, looking a little more relaxed. He helped Susan set the table with Isaac trailing behind. Hosea popped open a beer and watched with a slight frown.

"You look deep in thought," Bessie said.

"I am."

"Yeah, me too."

"What are you thinking about, my dear?" Hosea asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"That I might have a few additions for my letter to my sister. You know, she did mention they were thinking of expanding the horse stable."

Hosea nodded. "More horses means they need more hands."

"Exactly."

When they all sat down for dinner, Copper clung to Isaac, nosing his way towards the plate and trying to steal some scraps. They tried to avoid feeding Copper at the table, well everyone except Arthur agreed to that, but no one stopped Isaac from dropping morsels into Copper's waiting mouth. By the end of the meal, drool was dripping onto Isaac's lap, much to Susan's disgust. But Isaac was having a good time, and as Arthur confessed to Hosea later in the evening, it was the happiest the kid had been since they lost Eliza.

But Dutch was clearly avoiding them. He sat in his tent, pouring over his maps. Hosea tried to catch his eye, but the man refused to look up. Hosea just rolled his eyes. Dutch would come around eventually.

At least, he better.