Chapter Six

Twenty-four year old, Michael Billings pulled the door of the old deserted cabin shut, even if the wind was trying to rip the rotting wood of its hinges. The black haired gentleman would have preferred a nice hotel bed instead of the wooden one he'd have to make the most of, but with his illegal activities he knew that would be nigh to impossible until he and his men made it to Mexico. His men might have voiced the same desire, but they knew their black haired, brown eyed leader was in no mood to talk. No, their talk turned to their plans to rob the Stockton bank if they could.

"I didn't say I was against the idea!" Michael turned on the youngest in the group, a blonde haired, hot tempered lad by the name of Roy; the boy was a mere seventeen years. The lad had been on his own for three years and been in and out of trouble with the law from day one. "I only said I want to make sure that blasted Marshal isn't around!"

Thirty year old Kyle Waters, a man who had seen the inside of a jail more than once, spoke up. "You know, the first thing we have to do is change your looks somehow. I mean, you're face is sure to be on a wanted poster in the sheriff's office. He'll recognize you the moment you set foot into town." He knew he was stating the obvious, thanks to 'that' marshal. If only he could find the man before he found them. Kyle would love to get his hands on the man and turn him over to Henry, a half breed who had joined them last year. Kyle was sure Henry could find a "nice" way to deal with the marshal they had all grown to despise.

It was all Michael could do not to swear. That stupid, annoying Marshal! How he hated him. The reward on his head hadn't been so high as to warrant a US Marshall getting into his mind to keep tracking him until he got him. Since Michael knew nothing about Rebecca and the fact that Mr. Weaver's desire to capture him was more out of pride and a strong desire to prove the woman a liar, he was left to wonder what had motivated the lawman before the price on his head had climbed even higher than it had been.

"No, the first thing we do is send you and a couple of boys into town to do get a few things done. Just keep your eyes and ears wide open." He looked at the six men who traveled with him. "Take Paul and Henry with you. None of you have your faces on wanted posters; no one will pay attention to you. Well, they might look at Henry a bit funny, but as long as you all behave, there shouldn't be any problems."

The three men didn't know if Michael was right or wrong, though they knew that once the man got an idea in his head, it was nigh impossible to get him to change his mind. That being the case, the three men made sure their pistols were loaded before leaving the cabin.

~oOo~

Rebecca once again sat in front of Joey playing with him; though this time she had him on the front lawn. It was a nice change of pace, playing with the young child and getting her mind off the business of clearing her husband's name. She felt eternally grateful for all that Heath and his family were doing for her. Maybe, that was another reason she had told Audra it would be no big deal for her to watch Joey. It was a way to show her appreciation for all the family was doing for her.

When she heard footsteps behind her, Rebecca whirled around as she felt her heart start to beat faster than water going over a waterfall. Immediately, she relaxed and started working on getting her heart back into place. "I'm sorry," she said as she looked up at Heath and Jarrod, "I didn't hear the two of you come out of the house.

"We didn't mean to startle you." Jarrod apologized as he turned to Heath. "I'm going into town and checking the telegram office. Maybe there will be some news today." He bade Rebecca and his brother goodbye and then walked away.

"Do you really think there will be any news this fast? I mean, about where the other fellow is?" Rebecca asked. Since it had only been three days since Nick had sent off the telegrams Jarrod asked him too, she had a hard time imagining that news of any kind would be waiting for Jarrod in town.

"Probably not," Heath answered as he sat done next to his son, who was more than happy to climb up on his father's lap. "Reckon Jarrod figures it won't hurt to check though. I mean, he has business in town anyway. He might as well look into it."

Rebecca laughed when Joey grabbed his father's ear and pulled it in a downwards direction, causing Heath to tilt his head slightly. It reminded her of the many times her oldest sister's boy would do the same thing to one of his parents. That memory, and many others, all of a sudden hit her hard. She had to turn her head away for a few seconds.

Seeing Rebecca's action, Heath naturally thought the ordeal they were currently going through was the cause. "Hey," He held out his hand and laid it on her shoulder. "It will be fine. We'll get this mess cleared up before long; you just wait and see."

Rebecca gave him a small smile and explained it wasn't the current problem causing her a bit of heartache at the moment. "When I wrote to my parents and told them what had happened, they wanted me to go home to Kentucky. They said if he was innocent it would 'all come out in the end'. They practically called me a fool if I continued 'the way I was'. Truth was, they were worried for me, wanted to protect me if they can. I miss them, but I couldn't go back." She shrugged her shoulders and added, "They didn't understand, doubt they ever will."

Heath felt bad for her, understood her parents need to protect her, heaven knew he would do anything to protect Joey, but he also understood her desire to clear her husband's name. After all, without a good name, a name one that could be honored, a man really had nothing. "Let's not worry about it for now. Supper's about ready and Silas doesn't appreciate it when the food he's prepared gets cold." He stood up and held onto Joey's one hand, as the child was walking with help.

Rebecca smiled, stood up and headed for the house also.