Ch 13
Jimmy, Buck, Kyra, and Kaydence ride through the heart of the Appalachian mountains entering Virginia. The sun warms the trail. It brings Buck and Jimmy one day closer to finding Kid.
Jimmy and Buck are riding just ahead of the girls.
"What we going to do with these girls?" Asked Jimmy
"Well, I reckon we going to get them to the coast and send their asses on their way."
"Let's make our way to Franklin. Maybe we can get them to a stagecoach. After that, we will finish what we set out to do." Jimmy says.
As the day went on, they came to a small town called Jeffersonville. It was set back in the hills.
"I don't expect to receive a warm welcome here Jimmy." Buck says as they slowly ride into the main street of the old town. "Let's make our way through an maybe no one will bother us."
"We need to water an feed the horses before we make our way out. I'm going to have a drink in the mean time." Jimmy says.
Buck and Jimmy handed the girls ten dollars and told them to get a map and whatever they would need to make it a few days on the walk in the door of the saloon side by side. The place was full of smoke and smelled stale. They looked around and surveyed the tables.
"We don't need your kind around here!" A voice shouts out from the corner.
"We don't give a fuck!" Jimmy yells back as he walks to the bar. "Whiskey." He yells at bar keep.
A small skinny man with glasses walked over and sat the bottle down in front of Jimmy. He places two glasses on the bar and walks off.
"Come on. Let's have a drink."
Jimmy grabs their glasses and walks over to the table beside the man that yelled when they came into the saloon.
"We are sitting here! I hope that bothers you."
Jimmy looks the man right in the eyes as he pours Buck a shot of whiskey. The man did not say a word. Jimmy reaches in his pocket and pulls out the papers and tobacco.
"Buck, let's have a smoke with our whiskey."
Jimmy rolls up one for Buck and one for himself. He looks over and sees a box of matches on the table where the man is sitting
"Give me that box." Jimmy says.
The man throws over the matches.
"What the hell y'all doing around here boy? I ain't seen Indians around here in ten years." the man exclaims.
"We are looking for an old friend." Bucks tells the man.
"Can't say I know of anyone that would be friends with the likes of your kind boy."
"Mister, you're going to be a dead man if youndon't shut your face."
Jimmy throws the matches at the man. He takes a shot and sits back. Jimmy's pearl-handled revolvers come in to the man's sight. He stands up and walks out of the saloon.
"Who does he think he is? Dumb sumbitch." Buck said.
A young man walks over and stands at the table.
"Can I sit with yall?"
Jimmy looks up to see a dark haired boy standing there with a nice pair of silver colts on his hips. The guns had black handles on them with large crosses made of silver. His holsters were black with silver buttons running down the sides.
"The names Logan. I been here two days and I'm ready to leave."
"Go ahead. Have a seat." Buck tells the young fellow.
"Can I have me a shot of that whiskey?"
Jimmy takes a shot and fills the glass to the top.
"You old enough to drink Logan?" Jimmy asks as he slides the glass across the table.
"Damn right I am Mister."
Logan takes the glass and throws it back. Before he knew what happened, he spit it all over the table. Jimmy and Buck start laughing.
"What the hell Logan?"
"Damn. It went down the wrong hole. You poured half the bottle in there. I just wanted a taste." He coughed and wiped his mouth. "Pour me another one Mister."
"See here, I ain't no Mister boy. I'm Jimmy. This is Buck. Here take a swig from the bottle like a man."
Jimmy hands Logan the bottle. Logan takes a big shot of whiskey and manages to hold this one down. He hands Buck the bottle.
"Where y'all going?" Logan asked Buck.
"We are looking for someone." Buck answers.
"Where you from Logan?" Jimmy asked taking his shot glass back.
"I'm from North Carolina. I'm looking to go out west to work cattle." He tells them. He looks at Jimmy sitting there with his guns on display.
"Where you from Jimmy?" Logan asked. "Are you a gunfighter?"
Taking a long drag of his cigarette Jimmy says, "Well I'm from Kansas. Me and my partner here live in Nebraska. We traveled here to find and kill a man that tried to kill us. When we get done with the business at hand, we are going to ride back to Montana."
"I want to ride with y'all. I'm ready to go. I ain't got nobody holding me down here. My parents got killed so it's just me now . I want to go out west to make a new life. Try to make something of myself."
Jimmy puts his boots up in the chair beside him and rolls a few more smokes.
"Let's see here. How old are you Logan?"
"I'll be sixteen in January. What's it to ya?"
"Damn man easy. I just asked is all." Jimmy says laughing.
Buck grabs the matches off the table and lights himself a smoke.
"Jimmy, does he remind you of anyone?"
Logan grabs one and lights it up.
"Say where you get them shiny colts from?" asked Jimmy
"I got them off of a dead man." Logan spits out. "He ran his mouth an hit me in my face so I blew his ass away. I figured he sure the hell didn't need them anymore so they belong to me now." Logan places one of his guns on the table for Jimmy to look at.
"What happened to your mom an dad?" Buck asked. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Well, we went to the Smokies. My daddy got himself shot over the paper in his pocket at a card table in Gatlinburg Tennessee. Momma fell over Daddy crying. The robber throws her away an started going through his pockets. I pulled my gun an put six shots in his back. One of them bullets must have come out of that man and hit my Momma. She died right there that day. I took the money that my Daddy had and went all the way down to Georgia. I had to do me a robbery to keep food in my belly. One night in a town called Atlanta, I was in the saloon minding my own business. I got up and walked out. This man followed me. Started harassing me for no reason. I turned the corner to walk down the alley an he followed me. He hit me in the face. He said I was going with him. I said like hell I am. I killed that man. That's how I got these two guns. I can take care of myself. I just thought you two look like the kind of people I would want to ride with."
Buck looks at Jimmy.
"Logan here's what we are going to do." Buck says. "We will treat you fair like a man. Don't stab us in the back or betray our trust. You can ride along with us. We'll see how this goes. Let's have three shots an we will head out."
The saloon doors busted open. The man came back with two friends. They all had guns in their hands. Jimmy slides Logan his pistol back across the table as he draws at the same time as Buck. All three men turn and fire killing the three men walking through the saloon.
"Sumbitch!" Logan yells.
"Yep that's how we roll." Jimmy says.
Jimmy never took his boots out of the chair.
"Well you ready?" Buck asked. "We better get going."
"You sure you want to ride with us?"
"Damn right." Logan says jumping out of his chair.
They make their way to the door as the girls walk out of the general store. They meet up at the livery. Kyra, Kay. This is Logan. He will be riding with us."
"Nice to meet y'all." Logan says as he mounts up. "Guess I'm an outlaw now." smiling looking at Jimmy.
"Yep. Sounds about right."
"Let's keep going east for now." Buck says as they head out of town. "We will look at the map once we set up camp."