Jesse lay awake the next morning, staring at the ceiling pensively. The
weak sunbeams on the window told him it was about time to wake the others
and set out but... they had been shown so much hospitality here at the
Capulet Inn. The outlaws' morals were sky high after their festive evening
of merrymaking downstairs, and to leave it all behind without any knowledge
of where they were to sleep next seemed rather foolish. Jesse would miss
Brooke, this he knew. But with a sigh, he rose from his comfortable bunk
and shuffled over to Jim's bed to start waking the James-Younger Gang. Jim
let out a groan as Jesse tried to get him up and as punishment, he threw
his pillow at his cousin before pulling the covers over his head. Two hours
of sleep... But Blythe had been worth it all.
"Brooke, can you get Crikket's saddle from the tack room?" Blythe called to her sister from within a stable.
Brooke ran a hand through her hair with a tired yawn before nodding to her sister and going towards the tack room. As she opened the door, her eyes searched for the mare's proper saddle. "Ah, here it is!" The brunette said to herself as she picked up the saddle.
"Thank you kindly, sis." Blythe paused momentarily as she waited for the saddle to reach her, then accepted it with a nod. "So, you really think they'll mind us joining them?" She asked, tightening the saddle onto her palomino mare.
"I'm not exactly sure about that..." Brooke replied with a shrug.
"What's this?" A familiar voice called from the other side of the stables.
Jesse, followed by Jim, Cole and the others, approached Brooke and Blythe with smiles, assuming the girls were only preparing their horses for them. The outlaws had no idea. Turning her head to the direction the voice came from, Brooke grinned, "Just loading up these 'ere horses."
Blythe led Crikket halfway out of her stall, now that she was saddled up and ready. "Good morning, boys!" She smiled sweetly and curtsied at the gang, "I trust you slept well."
"As luck would have it, we did..." Jim said with his own smile.
"And as more luck would have it, Brooke and I did as well. So we're all ready to head out, right sis?" She asked with a turn to face the one that she addressed.
"Hold on a minute!" Cole took a step forward, looking at both Blythe and Brooke. "What do you mean by 'heading out'?"
"Did we talk about this, you two?" Jesse raised a confused eyebrow.
With a short moment of hesitation, Brooke sighed a bit before explaining. "Not exactly... You made the life of an outlaw sound so wonderful that Blythe and I... We decided to..."
"That is... we..." Blythe tried to finish for her sister.
Cole scowled, "You think you're coming with us?"
"Why Cole, that's the best idea I've heard in ages!" Her grin reached from ear to ear as she did an excited hop-skip towards the boys.
"I didn't say that!" Cole protested with a growl, "There's NO way I'm letting to women come with us!"
Brooke chuckled to herself while stroking Crikket's neck, deciding to stay out of it for the moment. She glanced at Jesse and Jim, wondering what was going through their minds. Although he was a bit surprised, Jim couldn't exactly say he didn't want Blythe coming with them. In fact, nothing would make him happier. Blythe wasn't worried about what Jim and Jesse would think, though they were being suspiciously quiet, so she moved slowly to Cole's side and clung to his arm. She gazed with those puppy-dog eyes up at Cole. "Oh Cole... you couldn't refuse the Capulet sisters their fondest wish, could you?"
"I can and I will!" Cole yanked his arm away, turning to the rest of the gang; "They'll slow us down. They have no idea what it's like livin' the way we do!"
Tom appealed to Brooke. "Miss, it really is harder living our life than Jesse made it seem, I'm sure. Young ladies like yourselves ain't cut out to live as an outlaw."
Jesse interrupted Tom. "Come now, it's just a little sleeping on the ground, some long trail rides, and a bit o' tricky bank robberies. But ain't none of it dangerous! Don't we owe these fine ladies for their hospitality?"
The Indian lifted his hand to his chin in contemplation but decided to say nothing.
"I think Jesse has a point..." Jim began.
Blythe nodded at Jim. "And Cole, you'd have to be a fool to think me an' Brooke ain't tough."
Cole gave in, looking at the ground for a moment before turning his attention to Brooke and Blythe. "Fine... But if anything that goes wrong is related to you two, you're out."
Jesse anxiously tried to remove Cole's doubts. "Jim 'n I'll watch over 'em, won't we Jim?"
The sixteen-year-old nodded in agreement and Cole spoke in a low tone at this, "Then I'll leave the blame for you, cousin."
"Great! Thank you kindly, sir Cole!" Blythe gave him a big hug before he could object, and ran towards Crikket's stall. She nearly tripped on her parted riding skirts, but the teenager made it to her mare in one piece despite all her excitement. "Brooke and I have saddled up all your horses, packs and all, and even refreshed them stores of food and water you had. So we're all set, boys!"
Cole exchanged glances with the rest of the men before moving over to where his chestnut stallion was and mounting him. It was plain in his eyes that he didn't want to have the Capulet sisters tagging along. Quickly jogging over to Jim's own horse, he climbed onto it's back as he looked watched Blythe. Was this actually happening or was it a dream? Yet, throughout all this, Brooke had said nothing. She simply moved over to her stallion, Dakota, and mounted. Each person exchanged glances with each other before Cole shouted out, "Let's ride!"
And there went the ten outlaws, back into a world of running from the law.
"Brooke, can you get Crikket's saddle from the tack room?" Blythe called to her sister from within a stable.
Brooke ran a hand through her hair with a tired yawn before nodding to her sister and going towards the tack room. As she opened the door, her eyes searched for the mare's proper saddle. "Ah, here it is!" The brunette said to herself as she picked up the saddle.
"Thank you kindly, sis." Blythe paused momentarily as she waited for the saddle to reach her, then accepted it with a nod. "So, you really think they'll mind us joining them?" She asked, tightening the saddle onto her palomino mare.
"I'm not exactly sure about that..." Brooke replied with a shrug.
"What's this?" A familiar voice called from the other side of the stables.
Jesse, followed by Jim, Cole and the others, approached Brooke and Blythe with smiles, assuming the girls were only preparing their horses for them. The outlaws had no idea. Turning her head to the direction the voice came from, Brooke grinned, "Just loading up these 'ere horses."
Blythe led Crikket halfway out of her stall, now that she was saddled up and ready. "Good morning, boys!" She smiled sweetly and curtsied at the gang, "I trust you slept well."
"As luck would have it, we did..." Jim said with his own smile.
"And as more luck would have it, Brooke and I did as well. So we're all ready to head out, right sis?" She asked with a turn to face the one that she addressed.
"Hold on a minute!" Cole took a step forward, looking at both Blythe and Brooke. "What do you mean by 'heading out'?"
"Did we talk about this, you two?" Jesse raised a confused eyebrow.
With a short moment of hesitation, Brooke sighed a bit before explaining. "Not exactly... You made the life of an outlaw sound so wonderful that Blythe and I... We decided to..."
"That is... we..." Blythe tried to finish for her sister.
Cole scowled, "You think you're coming with us?"
"Why Cole, that's the best idea I've heard in ages!" Her grin reached from ear to ear as she did an excited hop-skip towards the boys.
"I didn't say that!" Cole protested with a growl, "There's NO way I'm letting to women come with us!"
Brooke chuckled to herself while stroking Crikket's neck, deciding to stay out of it for the moment. She glanced at Jesse and Jim, wondering what was going through their minds. Although he was a bit surprised, Jim couldn't exactly say he didn't want Blythe coming with them. In fact, nothing would make him happier. Blythe wasn't worried about what Jim and Jesse would think, though they were being suspiciously quiet, so she moved slowly to Cole's side and clung to his arm. She gazed with those puppy-dog eyes up at Cole. "Oh Cole... you couldn't refuse the Capulet sisters their fondest wish, could you?"
"I can and I will!" Cole yanked his arm away, turning to the rest of the gang; "They'll slow us down. They have no idea what it's like livin' the way we do!"
Tom appealed to Brooke. "Miss, it really is harder living our life than Jesse made it seem, I'm sure. Young ladies like yourselves ain't cut out to live as an outlaw."
Jesse interrupted Tom. "Come now, it's just a little sleeping on the ground, some long trail rides, and a bit o' tricky bank robberies. But ain't none of it dangerous! Don't we owe these fine ladies for their hospitality?"
The Indian lifted his hand to his chin in contemplation but decided to say nothing.
"I think Jesse has a point..." Jim began.
Blythe nodded at Jim. "And Cole, you'd have to be a fool to think me an' Brooke ain't tough."
Cole gave in, looking at the ground for a moment before turning his attention to Brooke and Blythe. "Fine... But if anything that goes wrong is related to you two, you're out."
Jesse anxiously tried to remove Cole's doubts. "Jim 'n I'll watch over 'em, won't we Jim?"
The sixteen-year-old nodded in agreement and Cole spoke in a low tone at this, "Then I'll leave the blame for you, cousin."
"Great! Thank you kindly, sir Cole!" Blythe gave him a big hug before he could object, and ran towards Crikket's stall. She nearly tripped on her parted riding skirts, but the teenager made it to her mare in one piece despite all her excitement. "Brooke and I have saddled up all your horses, packs and all, and even refreshed them stores of food and water you had. So we're all set, boys!"
Cole exchanged glances with the rest of the men before moving over to where his chestnut stallion was and mounting him. It was plain in his eyes that he didn't want to have the Capulet sisters tagging along. Quickly jogging over to Jim's own horse, he climbed onto it's back as he looked watched Blythe. Was this actually happening or was it a dream? Yet, throughout all this, Brooke had said nothing. She simply moved over to her stallion, Dakota, and mounted. Each person exchanged glances with each other before Cole shouted out, "Let's ride!"
And there went the ten outlaws, back into a world of running from the law.