The Adventures of Arkansas Dave

by Hank's Lady

One of my older stories! Arkansas Dave Rudabaugh describes his adventures in comic fashion, including fights and chases with both the law and his pals, gambling, thieving and rolling in the hay, bereavements and injuries, finishing with a very unlikely romance with one of his new gang. Dave & Chavez

19. Chapter 19

EPILOGUE

Now, don't go thinking this ends up like some mushy love story, because it's not like that. Me and Chavez are both guys and we're always going to love women. We continued to spend our time chasing them - although we were a lot more careful about the ones we picked, especially me - when we weren't stealing cattle or horses to pay our way, hiding out or fleeing from angry Mexicans wanting to shoot us. We were marginally safer than we had been in the north, but only because we were both a better shot and smarter than most of the men after us. The law couldn't follow us over the border and the Mexican law - I guess they just didn't care enough. So much for them beheading outlaws. Still, we didn't actually kill anyone in Mexico so that was perhaps our saving grace.

What we had between us; well, more than anything we were pals. I had to laugh at the irony of it. Billy had said he and Doc and Chavez made a pact - pals forever. I'd laughed and scoffed and here I was now with Chavez in exactly the same situation; pals forever. But unlike Billy, I knew I would never leave him unless I was in a pine box.

There was more to it than that, of course there was. When we were on the run or traveling between towns, we were always going to have each other when we felt lonely or simply wanted to relieve the tension. I loved him and I knew he loved me. We developed this incredible empathy for each other and when we were alone together, the physical side of things was like nothing else, although we did our best not to do it too often where we could be overheard. Out in the wilds, where we so often were, there were only animals around to hear us and we could be as loud as we liked.

One way or another we were always going to be there for each other and the situation seemed to suit both of us down to the ground. I realised I was happy for the first time in my life and each time I looked at Jose, it was obvious to me that he was too. We were the most unlikely match, but somehow it worked out and I couldn't imagine that changing any time soon.