Second Chances
Part Two – Redemption
The two former outlaws had the gear and supplies packed in less than an hour and were already deep into the mountains by noon. Kid Curry was beginning to realize just how valuable their young guide was. The trail was a maze of crevices and rocky ledges. Some of the narrow passages looked like certain dead ends—only to open up unexpectedly into wider trails that they could navigate easily. He was soon convinced that Carmen's father had been right. There was no way that riders who were unfamiliar with the terrain would attempt to go through the mountains. The outlaw gang and their captives would have taken the longer way around, and hopefully, seeing no posse on their tail, let their guard down. He didn't know exactly how many men were in the group, but he figured there would be at least five or six, since that was the number of strangers that the Mexican townsfolk had said were asking around about blonde girls.
"Mr. Curry?" the girl asked finally breaking the man's train of thought. "Are you really Catherine's father?"
Curry looked back in surprise. He hadn't expected such a straightforward question from the girl. Most folks he'd met liked to waltz around a subject like that. He thought about giving her an evasive answer, or telling her that it was a subject for grown-ups, but here she was, leading two former outlaws through a treacherous mountain trail and chasing after a group of bandits who were abducting young girls. He figured that was grown up enough for a straight answer.
"Catherine is my daughter," he said simply. Whether or not he was a father remained to be seen, s far as he was concerned.
"Well then..." the girl gave him a puzzled look. "Why haven't you come to see her before now?" A look of embarrassment crossed her face and she turned away. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"
"No. It's o.k.," he said trying to reassure her that he wasn't angry because of her question. "I didn't know Catherine was my daughter until two days ago."
The girl seemed surprised. "Really? Oh, I just thought…"
Curry glanced at his partner, who had been conspicuously quiet during most of the ride.
"Look, Carmen, I didn't know, but I'm not sure that I would have been able to do anything different even if I had."
"You mean because you were—" She broke off abruptly as though she were afraid to say the word and then looked away, her face unreadable for a moment.
"It's alright Carmen. You don't have to be afraid to say it. I was an outlaw—I was a wanted man. I couldn't have been much of a father to her then."
"You don't seem like an outlaw, Mr. Curry," she answered quietly.
"Oh, and what do you know about outlaws?" he asked with a laugh.
"I know they are dangerous. They rob and hurt people."
Curry's face hardened. "I suppose that's true enough. Why'd you offer to be our guide?"
"To help Catherine, it was the only chance to save her," the girl said, almost defiantly.
"You'd put yourself at risk to save your friend?" Curry asked.
"Of course, and she'd do the same for me."
Curry's face softened and he managed a small smile. "Sounds like Catherine is very lucky to have you for a friend."
"We're going to get her back," he said after a moment, as much to himself as to the girl.
They rode on again in silence, each concentrating on navigating the trail and moving as quickly as they could. The sense of urgency was uppermost in each riders mind.
00000
As darkness approached, the two former outlaws began anxiously studying the terrain ahead of them.
"When do we reach the end of the mountains?" Heyes asked their young guide, who had been leading silently for the last hour or so.
"Not long now, maybe another mile," she answered wearily.
"Alright," Heyes said with an air of authority. "We'll make camp at the entrance and you'll head back at sun up. We can track them the rest of the way from here."
Carmen nodded wordlessly and rode on.
Heyes and Curry formed various rescue scenarios in their heads. How they would do it depended on the number of men in the gang, whether or not the terrain would allow for an ambush, whether they caught up with them during the night or day...the variables were endless.
The sudden shrill cry of the horse as it stumbled and fell took all three riders by surprise.
"Heyes!" Curry exclaimed as he and Carmen looked on in horror while Heyes' horse toppled down on top of him. The Kid and the girl dismounted in an instant, with Carmen taking the reins of both animals to keep them calm while Curry scrambled to his partner's side and the fallen horse.
"I'm ok," Heyes announced in a shaky voice, "I got my leg out before he landed."
Carefully he stood and began to brush himself off. "Nothing broken, just a few bruises."
Curry breathed a sigh of relief. He could tell by the way his partner moved that he was probably hurt worse than he let on, but at least he could stand and it didn't look like anything was broken.
The horse on the ground whinnied again and thrashed its legs in an attempt to stand.
Carmen, who still held the other two horses, gave the men a frightened look.
"I'm afraid I can't say the same for him," Curry observed grimly after a brief exam of the animal.
"We can't go after them riding double," Heyes said quietly.
"She can't make it back on foot," Curry added with a quick glance back at Carmen.
With a final nod from Heyes the decision was made.
"Heyes will have to ride with you," he told the girl, "and you'll have to come along with us. Do exactly what we tell you and you'll be safe. He gave her a reassuring look that he didn't feel.
"Don't worry about me, just find those banditos and rescue Catherine," she answered back bravely.
Curry nodded and then regretfully returned his attention to the injured horse. "Must have lost his footing, or maybe stepped in a snake hole," he said shaking his head. "You two ride on a ways, I'll catch up."
Heyes and Carmen rode out, not looking back when they heard the expected single gunshot. In a few minutes they heard Curry's horse trot up behind them.
"Just around the next bend, that is where the trail opens out onto the desert," Carmen announced after another few minutes had gone by.
"Ok , we make camp here out of sight from the desert. I'll scout out the area up ahead and see if I can find any sign of them," Curry said, untying his pack and the one he'd removed from Heyes' horse and tossing them down. He gave his mount a quick kick and rode out.
Left behind, Heyes and Carmen unloaded the supplies and set up a camp for the night. They both knew the rest would be a short one.
00000
The trio rode out at sunrise, Curry riding Carmen's father's buckskin and Heyes riding double with Carmen on her bay. Curry's expedition the night before had been successful and he had spotted the gang of kidnappers camped across the desert at the base of another small mountain range. From a distance, he could not tell exactly what condition the girls were in, but he counted eight men and two girls, but only six horses—which meant they wouldn't be traveling fast. If the gang traveled due south—the most direct route to the border—they would have to cross the desert and come in contact with the mountains that Heyes and Curry were riding along.
"We'll head east and then wait for them to pass by. If they're riding double with the girls, we can't let them turn and run—and we can't miss." Curry made the statement with a hard and questioning look at his partner. Heyes knew what he meant without Curry having to spell it out. If it came to shooting, they would have to shoot to kill or the wounded men would flee, taking the girls with them. There was no margin for error or hesitation.
Heyes shook his head and frowned. "I dunno Kid, there's gotta be another way. The girls could get hit by stray bullets."
"Not if your aim is true. Those bandits are going to be aiming up into the rocks where the shots are coming from. The only bullets coming their way will be ours. If you're not up to it—give me your gun." The usually warm blue eyes had taken on a darker, colder hue.
"Kid, you know I'll back you up—whatever you decide—it's your call. I just want to make sure we get those girls out alive. Any way we have to," he added, looking his partner straight in the eye.
Curry nodded curtly and rode on.
Heyes followed, thinking of the many times he'd been pursued by posses intent on hunting him down and killing him. This time he was the hunter. He swallowed hard and continued to ride on along the edge of the mountains.
00000
Curry, who'd been riding in front, suddenly reined his horse to a stop.
"Heyes, what are they doing?" he asked sharply, gesturing toward the group they had been watching.
"Dunno, they seem to be splitting up, looks like about five heading north and the others staying put," Heyes responded, studying the landscape.
"Can you tell which group has the girls?" Curry asked anxiously.
"I don't think they are in the group riding north."
"I think you're right," Curry agreed. "We may have caught a lucky break here."
"Maybe," Heyes replied cautiously.
"Maybe? There can't be more'n two or three of them bandits left behind. Now's the time to make our move. There's no tellin' what those others are up to, or where they're going. We need to move now." Curry picked up his pace and started riding in a surreptitious way across the canyon, keeping close to rocks and cover so as not to be seen by the kidnappers.
Heyes and Carmen followed silently, neither one sure what they would find when they finally reached the other group.
As the trio came closer to the camp site, they could see that indeed there were only two bandits guarding the captives. They two girls sat close together next to a large rock. Their hands and possibly their feet tied, but otherwise appeared in good shape. Two horses stood grazing near by.
"Heyes," Curry said in a low voice, as they neared, "I'll draw their fire out here and you come in from behind and get the girls out and up into the cover of those rocks.
The former outlaw leader nodded silently. He'd never questioned the Kid's strategies when armed confrontations were required. "Don't take any more risks than you have to, I'll get the girls out as quick as I can."
Curry looked briefly at Carmen. "You stay back here with the horses," he told her sternly. "Be ready to ride out fast."
The girl's eyes were wide with fear. More for her friend than herself, Curry surmised.
"Don't worry, we're all going to ride out of here," he said more gently, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Alright, you ready?" he asked his partner, as he slid the Colt out of his holster and checked the load.
Heyes nodded once and set off climbing up the steep hillside.
Curry moved closer and watched his partner get into position. So far, luck had been with them. The two bandits hadn't seen or heard them yet, and the girls hadn't noticed them either. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his partner emerge just above the girls.
With a steady hand he slid the Colt once again out of his holster and aimed it at one of the bandits. A clean shot pierced the man's right arm and a second narrowly missed the other outlaw as the man dove behind a rock and fired back toward the source of the shots. Curry fired several more shots toward both men, while crouching low behind a large rock. He continued firing, holding both men's attention, as he watched Heyes drop down next to the girls and begin to untie them.
"Damn!" he swore out loud when he saw a third bandit on the hillside above Heyes and the girls. Where the hell did he come from?
There was no time to warn Heyes without drawing more attention from the other bandits and he couldn't get a clear shot at the man on the hill without coming out from behind the rocks. His decision was made in a split second when he saw the bandit stretch out his arm with a gun aimed at Heyes and the girls. Jumping up, Kid fired directly at the bandit, hitting him before he had a chance to get a shot off, and sent him tumbling down the hillside into the bushes. He knew the move had cost him, when he felt hot lead rip into right leg. As he fell to the ground he managed one more shot that sent the third bandit to the ground as well.
Heyes quickly disarmed the only bandit who was still moving, grabbing the man's gun on his way to check on his fallen partner.
Heyes looked at Curry's leg and frowned. "How bad is it Kid?"
"Bad enough," Curry said tightly. "Any idea where those other guys went?" he asked the two frightened girls who were staring, in shock, at their two rescuers.
"They said they were going to go get more horses. They said there was a town east of hear and they'd be back before dark," Catherine answered in a shaky voice.
Both men looked east. "No sign of them yet, but it's late afternoon, they could show up any time now," Heyes said, thinking aloud. He quickly surveyed the camp. "Tie that one up and gag him," he directed, gesturing toward the first bandit that Kid had shot in the arm.
Wide eyed, the two girls obeyed.
"Heyes, you've gotta take these girls and get outta here." Curry gave his partner a pleading look.
Heyes took a deep breath. "No, we could take 'em here—try and surprise them when they come back into camp." Heyes looked around the campsite and then scanned the surrounding desert.
Catherine spoke up suddenly. "Are you crazy? I'm not waiting for them to come back! I'm getting out of here now." She looked desperately from one man to the other.
"She's right. Heyes, go, and take the girls," Curry said forcefully. Then he continued more softly, "I'll try and take out as many as I can when they come back to the campsite so they won't come after you."
Catherine blanched as she realized what Curry was saying. "You can't stay here, they'll kill you!" Heyes ignored the girl's outburst and looked at his cousin. "No. We can't outrun them anyway. We'd have to ride through that desert to get to the nearest town. They'd spot us on their way back and we'd be sitting ducks. We've got to try and ambush them here. It's our only chance."
Curry let out a resigned sigh and closed his eyes. Heyes wasn't sure if he had convinced the other man, or if he simply didn't have the strength to argue. He waited as Curry seemed to rally his strength and then opened his eyes to study the landscape.
Carmen entered the camp leading the two horses and was now standing with the other two girls.
"If they don't see their men standing guard, they'll probably split up and surround the camp, come in from both sides. One of us should ride out a ways into the canyon and try to cut them off. Guess that'll have to be you," Curry said grimacing as he tried to shift his position on the ground. "I'll stay here and take the ones that circle 'round and come into camp from the north."
Heyes nodded again and then looked at his partner with concern. "Can you handle it here?"
"Heyes, I'm hit in the leg, not the arm. I can shoot just fine,"
"Alright, I'm going to ride out a ways and see if I can spot anything." Heyes looked silently at his friend for a minute and then took off at a quick gallop.
As Heyes rode away, Catherine stared curiously at Curry. "Why are you doing this? Why did you come after me?"
"Catherine, no matter what you think of me, I'm your father, I couldn't just let them take you."
"But why now? You left my mother when you found out she was having your child. You didn't care about me then. Why do you all of a sudden care now?"
"What? Did she tell you that?"
"Well, no, I just assumed that was why you left?"
Curry sighed and closed his eyes.
What could he say to her? He had elaborate excuses, no extenuating circumstances, nothing except the truth. Something he'd barely admitted to himself.
"Catherine, you ran out that night before we could explain, before I could tell you why I didn't go back. I loved your mother very much." I still do. "I told myself that Heyes needed me, but, to be honest, the thought of getting married and settling down scared me. I'd lost a family once and I didn't think I could handle it happening again. We'd already gotten into a fair amount of trouble, Heyes and me, and I figured I'd just bring her a lot of heartache. I honestly thought she'd find someone who could give her a better life than I could."
He closed his eyes for a moment and Catherine thought he looked like he was hurting. She wondered whether it was a memory from the past or his broken leg that was causing the pain she saw in his face.
"I never knew she was going to have a child, Catherine—I swear to you, if I'd known about you, I'd have gone back. I never would have left you alone, even if it meant serving prison time for the train robbery." His face had such a look of raw honesty and vulnerability that she didn't quite know how to respond.
This certainly wasn't what she expected to hear from Kid Curry, outlaw and gunman. Wasn't he supposed to be a cold-hearted killer? A ruthless gunfighter? She was still trying to sort out what she had just heard, when a shout suddenly claimed her attention.
"Riders! We'd better get into position," Heyes shouted as he ran toward the
Curry nodded, he couldn't do much besides stay right were he was. "Be careful," he warned.
"You too," Heyes replied, swallowing hard. They both knew their chances were not good. He nodded once and then turned and rode out.
"How do you know he won't just ride off and leave us all here?" Catherine asked with a nervous glance back at the other two girls.
"He's my cousin. You don't leave family," he said firmly, and then glanced over at the rifle that had belonged to one of the bandits. "Have any of you ever fired a rifle?" He asked, looking at the three girls.
Catherine and Carmen both nodded. "I'll take it," Catherine said quickly and walked over to pick up the rifle.
"Bring it here," Kid directed.
She brought him the rifle and then watched as he checked to make sure it was ready to fire. "If any of them get past Heyes and me shoot to kill," he said as he handed the rifle to his daughter.
She nodded solemnly as his meaning sunk in—if he and Heyes were dead. Quickly the three girls crouched down behind an outcropping of rocks to wait. Three men returned to the camp and looked cautiously around to see what had happened to their sentries.
Good, that leaves only two for Heyes. Curry meticulously checked the load in his Colt and waited for the men to come into range. Patiently he waited for the right moment and then pulled the trigger. His first shot caught one of the bandits in the shoulder and sent the other two diving for cover. Three more quick shots pinned them behind a large rock.
He rolled, planning to fire two more shots from the other side to get them moving and then take them down when they ran for cover. The pain that shot through his body as he rolled over his injured leg took him by surprise. He gasped and closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them again his vision was blurred and the world was spinning. He could reload his gun blindfolded, but he couldn't hit his mark if he couldn't focus his target. Shaking his head slightly to try and clear his head, he turned back to the two bandits and fired two shots. There was no response.
They were on him before he had the chance to turn and take another shot. Rough hands grabbed him from behind and dragged him out into the open. Curry's legs buckled as the men pulled him into a standing position. The bandits sneered and laughed as he struggled in their grasp. The pain shooting through his leg seemed to radiate through his entire body.
"¿Dónde están las muchachas?" One of the men growled as he gave the injured man a rough shake.
"What?" Curry asked, with a blank expression.
The answer was a vicious blow to his face that left his head spinning and his mouth tasting of warm blood.
"The girls," the man repeated slowly and drew back his hand to strike again.
"Rot in hell," Curry replied hoarsely.
This time the blow landed in his ribs and he would have doubled over if he hadn't been held securely by the strong man. Curry gasped and tried to fight back, but was struck again across the face, nearly causing him to black out. The bandit, who'd been holding him upright while the other gave the beating, shook him roughly to regain his attention.
The man put his gun to Curry's head and looked at his partner, who merely shrugged in agreement. He cocked the pistol.
At that sound Curry gave up any hope he would survive, and instead prayed that Heyes would kill the other two kidnappers and get back before these guys found the girls. The pain in his leg was excruciating and he was losing the thin grip that he held on consciousness when a rifle shot jolted him back to awareness.
The bandit who'd been holding Curry upright slumped to the ground taking the injured man with him. Acting on reflex, Curry grabbed the fallen man's gun, rolled onto his back and fired at the remaining man. The other outlaw, who had turned his attention toward the source of the shot, looked down in shock and disbelief as he stumbled and fell.
The third bandit, who had been watching the scene while nursing his injured arm, started to scramble for his fallen gun. "Leave it. Unless you want another bullet," Curry ordered, and the man held up his uninjured arm in surrender, the other one hanging at his side dripping blood.
"Over there." Curry motioned for the man to join his two associates who were lying on the ground. When the three men were all in his sights, he managed a quick look over his shoulder where the rifle shot had come from. He expected to see Heyes, but was surprised by the sight of the three girls emerging from behind the rocks where they had been hiding. Catherine stepped out in front, holding the rifle Kid had given her.
Catherine looked worriedly at the man she had shot.
"He'll survive, but he's not going to hurt you," Curry assured her, seeing her guilt. "None of them will, not any more," he added bitterly.
The last bandit shot lay deadly still on the ground. He knew he was on borrowed time, but he had to keep those other two covered until Heyes got back.
"Gather up their guns and bring them here," he told the two girls, then he drew on all of the reserve he could muster, and waited.
It wasn't long before he heard a horse approaching. Anxiously, he struggled to make out the rider. It was his partner, and he was alone.
Kid closed his eyes as he lay on the ground trying to catch his breath. The pain in his leg had not subsided and he felt the sticky wetness of new blood. His jaw ached and he still had a metallic taste in his mouth from where the bandit had struck him.
It didn't make much difference any more. He didn't think he could make the ride into town, and even if he could, he was sure the bullet had shattered the bone in his leg. The likelihood of gangrene and amputation was high. He's seen plenty of men left like that after the war and he almost wished that the bandit had put a bullet in his head. As long as the girls were safe, it didn't matter what happened to him anymore. Heyes was there and he'd take care of everything.
Feeling a cold chill, he began to shiver uncontrollably. He shut his eyes against the throbbing in his leg. The pain began to radiate upwards and outwards. It reached his stomach and he became nauseous. He concentrated on maintaining control of his body so as not to worry the girls.
The others were coming closer, and he heard the sound of crying. "Please don't die! Please!" Catherine was shouting at the limp form of the man who had rescued her, the man who had offered his life up for hers.
"You can't die now. Not now—please don't die." She was sobbing and rocking back and forth as she held on to his shoulders. Carmen was sitting on the other side of Curry, pressing a wad of torn fabric against his wound, she looked down at the blood soaked fabric and then desperately up at Catherine. Catherine looked down at the leg wound and realized that he would bleed to death if they didn't get it stopped soon. Quickly she ripped more fabric off the bottom of her petticoat and handed it to Carmen, who used it to tie more bandages around Curry's leg.
"Kid! Kid wake up! You did it partner, the girls are safe."
"Heyes, shut up. There's no need to yell." Curry's head felt as if a sledgehammer had hit it, and the noise made it worse. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked up at Catherine and Heyes who were leaning over him.
"You're going to be ok partner, the girls are safe and we got the whole gang," Heyes said whispering anxiously and indicated a group of men clustered a few yards away. Three were tied and gagged, while the others were lying unmoving on the ground. "I'm hoping one of them can tell the authorities who they planned to meet with these girls."
"Heyes…I can't ride all the way to…"
"You don't have to do anything but rest." Heyes looked over at their prisoners. "There's a town about two hours east of here, it's where they went to rustle those fresh horses they brought back with 'em. I'll take the girls and those bandits in with me and then come back with a wagon. The bullet went through, and it bled real good, so the wound is pretty clean—bone's busted though. We'll find a doctor in town to get that fixed up for you." Heyes hoped that his partner couldn't tell how serious it looked or how much blood he'd really lost.
"I'll stay with him," Catherine said firmly, looking at Curry.
"I will stay too," Carmen added quickly.
Heyes gave the two young girls an appraising look. "Alright, keep that fire going and the gun handy. I'll be back as soon as I can." He was already moving toward the horses.
Curry blinked as he tried to take in what Heyes was saying. His gaze wandered back to Catherine. He tried to protest, but she was already arranging things to get him settled, lifting his head to place a blanket roll underneath. He relaxed and laid his head down on the blanket and closed his eyes.
00000
When he awoke a campfire was burning brightly and the sun had gone down. Slowly he became aware of his surroundings. He was wrapped snugly in a blanket with another blanket roll under his head. Carmen was sitting next to the fire and Catherine was kneeling close by holding a canteen. He tried to organize his thoughts and clear his head, but the pain was too intense. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but his leg just hurt too damn much to think.
"You're awake," Catherine said with a sigh of relief. "Are you thirsty?" She held out the canteen and let him take a drink. "I—I don't know what to call you," she said awkwardly.
"Well…" He struggled with the question for a moment and took a ragged breath. "We could try Jed…for a while."
Catherine smiled and nodded. "We could try that…for a while"
Curry smiled as he slipped back into the haze that he had been resting in, but now he heard only comforting words. The crying had stopped.
00000
It was nearly sunrise when Heyes arrived with the wagon. He was relieved to find his partner alive and amazed to hear that he had been conscious part of the night. The wagon ride into town seemed to take an eternity, and Heyes worried every bump and jolt the wagon took caused his friend more harm. The girls tried to make Curry as comfortable as possible and did what they could to protect his leg from further damage, but there was nothing they could do to ease the pain he was experiencing. Throughout the ride, Catherine sat next to her father, trying to be brave and not let him see how worried she was.
The group finally made it into town, and they rode directly to the office of Dr. Hall, whose office they were directed to. Curry was taken immediately into the adjoining room where his leg was examined and splinted. The doctor's expression had been grim throughout.
Heyes stared wordlessly at the still form of his partner lying on the bed in the back of the doctor's office. Curry's face was nearly as white as the sheets pulled up around him, and Heyes could hear the doctor's words echoing in his mind. "With the amount of blood that this man has lost, and the damage that the bullet has done, his chance of his keeping his leg—if he survives—is slim."
Heyes sat alone for what seemed like ages, watching his friend breathe. He felt a sense of futility. His presence could not keep his friend alive, and the best he could hope for was to be by his side if he died.
The voice was soft at first. He barely heard the girl that had crept in the room, and stood quietly behind him.
"Hey," he said gently, "I thought Mrs. Hall was going to get you and Carmen a hot meal and a bath?"
"She did, we're finished and…I brought you a plate."
She extended her arms and offered him the plate that she was carrying.
"Oh," he said with a slightly embarrassed smile. "I guess I sort of lost track of time. Thanks for this," he took the plate eagerly and began to shovel a few forkfuls into his mouth. "Not too bad," he observed as he ate.
"I wasn't very hungry," Catherine commented listlessly.
"Catherine," Heyes said in a harder reprimanding tone "You've barely had anything to eat in the last few days, you were awake all last night and after all that you've—" He stopped abruptly when he saw her eyes beginning to fill with tears.
"Oh, honey, I'm sorry." He reached out and wrapped her in his arms. "I only wanted to make sure that you were taking care of yourself. Hey now, you're alright now, you're going to be fine," he said soothingly as she began to sob.
The girl took a deep breath and pulled away. "No, it's my fault if he dies." She shot a worried glance at the sleeping form next to them.
"No," Heyes said firmly. "This was not your fault. The blame goes to those three down at the jail, and the others back in the desert."
"But if I hadn't run off?" She looked up at him with a tortured look in her eyes.
"You can't think like that. Those men decided to kidnap two innocent girls. You can't blame yourself for being outside."
"I still can't believe he came after me," she said lowering her eyes.
"If you knew him, you'd know that he'd risk everything to save you or any other young girl from the likes of dirty rotten—" he stopped abruptly when Catherine burst into tears.
"But you don't understand. The things I said…I said terrible things to him."
Heyes put his hand on her shoulder and waited until she was ready to continue. He could tell that what she needed now was someone to listen.
"I told him he'd never be my father…and…and that I wished he was dead."
She looked up slowly expecting to see disappointment or even anger in his face. Instead she saw only a wry smile. "Oh, he's taken a whole lot worse than that, sometimes from me."
Seeing her confused look, he continued. "People say things when they're upset, he's not going to hold it against you. Besides, you obviously don't feel that way now."
"No," she confirmed quickly. "I…I'm not sure how I feel, but I want to get to know him. I want to tell him that…I'm sorry, and that I didn't mean it, and…" Suddenly a stricken look came over her face. "But if he doesn't wake up, then…he'll never know…"
"Catherine," Heyes interrupted. "He's pretty tough, and he's a fighter. I've known him all my life and I've never known him to give up." He said the words, hoping he was right. He'd begun to notice changes in his cousin during the last few years. The man had become disillusioned after the amnesty hadn't brought the real freedom that he'd longed for. It seemed that for too many people, Kid Curry would always be a gunfighter. In fact, over the last few months he'd begun to worry about the Kid. He seemed to have lost some of the zeal for life that he'd had even when their futures were uncertain.
"He's going to be alright," Heyes said to reassure himself and the girl.
"Do you think I could sit with him for a while?" Catherine asked hesitantly.
Heyes smiled. "You know, I think that would be a fine idea." He picked up the plate of food and walked into the other room to eat a little before finally getting some much needed sleep.
Eliza and Joseph had arrived the next day. The mother and daughter spent some time together and both cried a little as the ordeal had been retold. Catherine and her mother agreed to a fresh start when Catherine returned home, but the girl insisted on staying with her father until she was sure he would pull through. Eliza had objected at first, but in the end agreed, and she and Joseph returned home.
The couple escorted Carmen and Rachel back with them, and returned them to their very worried families.
Catherine spent every moment she could by her father's side, talking, listening, and sometimes just sitting with him. He told her about his family and growing up on a farm in Kansas. She told him about her horse and her life in New Mexico. He avoided the darker parts of his life and she didn't ask. Someday those questions might come—he expected they would.
Heyes was surprised at first by the girl's dedication, but later, he realized he should have figured—she was, after all, Curry's daughter.
In two weeks the Kid improved dramatically, much to the doctor's surprise, and he reluctantly gave Heyes permission to take Curry back to Wyoming. It had been rough going for a few days, but the Kid's leg had not become infected and he had recovered from the loss of blood and beating that the bandits had given him. Eventually, he had regained enough strength to hobble across the room on crutches, which led the doctor to pronounce him fit to travel.
00000
Sixteen days after the rescue, Kid Curry stood in the doorway of a small boarding house and watched as the stage coach from Silver Springs pulled into town. Leaning against the doorframe and supported by one of the crutches that he had been using, he watched as Eliza and Joseph stepped out and were greeted by a smiling Catherine. They make a nice family, he thought wistfully. He gave the three a quick smile when they looked over and saw him waiting for them.
"Jed," Eliza said hesitantly as she approached. "How can I ever thank you for bringing Catherine back safely?"
Curry looked back indignantly. "She's my daughter Eliza. You should have known I'd never rest until I found her."
"I do know that, Jed, I never should have…I should have told you sooner. I know that now." She dropped her eyes and looked down at the ground.
"I don't know if I was ready before," he admitted slowly.
Eliza continued to look down, for a few minutes. They had both been surprised by the other's honesty. Perhaps forgiveness could triumph over bitterness after all.
"How is your leg?" she asked after an awkward silence.
"It's there," Curry replied with a slight smile.
Eliza looked back nervously. "Will it…will it heal?" She instantly regretted the question.
"I'll get by. I always do," he said lightly, then continued more seriously, "the doc says with some time and some hard work I should be able to walk without this." He tilted his head toward the crutch. "And I can ride," he added with a smile.
Eliza's face showed her relief and Curry's smile widened.
Catherine joined them with Joseph and Heyes in tow. "Mama?" she said with a slight hesitation, there's something I want to ask you."
"What is it?" Eliza asked, glancing from her daughter's face to Curry's, which had suddenly taken on a concerned look.
"This summer, when I'm out of school, can I go and visit Jed and Heyes? They have horses and they said I could ride them and even help with the new foals, and—please?"
"Now, I know Wyoming is a long way from here," Curry began nervously, "but we'd come and get her, and if you're worried that we wouldn't look after her well enough—well we would and—"
"Jed," Eliza interrupted, "the last place in the world that I would ever worry about her would be with you."
Curry blinked and stared at her as though he was sure he hadn't heard her correctly. "Of course she may visit you."
"Really?" he asked as a broad smile spread across his face.
Eliza thought he looked a lot like the curly haired boy she remembered from one summer so many years before.
"Really," she assured him as she smiled back. "Thank you!" Catherine exclaimed as she looked at the group of adults around her and began to think that maybe things were going to get better after all. Maybe these people really did care about her and were being honest with her. Well, she thought, only one more thing to ask now, maybe I'll wait a little longer to ask that one. She smiled to herself as she reached down to pick up her mother's bag and carry it into the house.
Catherine Curry…it has a nice sound to it.
-This story arc continues in Wilde Hearts-