Chapter Two
The lush green meadow grasses of the summer were now dry and brown, their seeds having dropped to the fertile ground to lie dormant until the warm sun of spring woke them. The valley was sheltered from the full force of the wind, but there was enough to rattle through the dried stalks that bowed their heads away from the three riders with their small herd who rode the hard-packed dirt track.
At last they reined in in front of the house and outbuildings that had gradually grown larger the closer they had ridden and, although they had both seen the plans, its solid reality had both Heyes and Curry staring in awe.
"Is that ours, Heyes?" Curry gasped.
"Uh-huh," was all the glib outlaw leader could find to say.
"It's a mansion!"
"Sure puts the leader's cabin in Devil's Hold t'shame, don't it?"
"You can sure say that again!"
The ranch house was built with squared off logs, the un-weathered wood still a natural pale cream color. A covered porch ran its entire length, sheltering the entryway. Above its one story roof, and back some, rose a second story roof with two leaded glass windows looking out onto the road and the pass. Two chimneys of Rocky Mountain granite and river stones rose above the peaked roofs, welcoming smoke rising from them both, then feathering away in the wind.
To the right of the house, almost an extension, though separate, was a smaller, one story building - - the bunkhouse they guessed. At right angles to the house, and to their direct right was the barn and a small pole and rail corral.
Their study of the ranch layout was abruptly broken by the enthusiastic crash of the front door as it hit the wall at its furthest limit and a voice yelling, "Joshua!" followed by "Mary, they're here!"
Heyes leaped from his horse as the owner of the voice fairly flew off the porch, across the empty space between them, and into his open arms. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as he swung her off her feet and around in a circle. Her warm presence in his arms after so many months took his breath away. "Brigitte, Brigitte, Brigitte," he murmured in her ear as he breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. Her face was buried against his neck and he felt a suspicious trickle of liquid down into his collar. He set her back down on her feet and loosened her arms enough so that he could gently push her away enough to see her face. Tears trickled from the emerald eyes more precious to him that the gems, across the beloved freckles, and down her sun-kissed cheeks to pass by the corner of lips that quivered in a trembling smile. He rubbed a tear away with a gloved thumb. "Is this anyway to greet me?" he teased gently.
"I know, it's such a stupid, girlie thing to do!" she sniffed, removed one hand so she could dash them away. "I'm just so happy to see you!"
"No more than I am to see you," he replied and then cut off anything else she would have said by tilting up her chin and claiming with his own the lips that had haunted his dreams for so many months. A fire ignited in his veins, banishing the wind's chill, and his arms tightened around her so that he could feel her body down the full length of his own, melting against him, her heart beating rapidly in time with his.
Curry cleared his throat and said, "Uh, Heyes, maybe we oughta get the horses settled."
Startled, Brigitte broke away, her cheeks flaming. Heyes flashed a dimpled grin, unrepentant. "Forgive my bad manners," she said, brushing several escaped strands of red hair away from her face. "Welcome home, Thaddeus. Mary's tending supper - - she'll be out momentarily." She looked over at the third rider, extending her hand up, "And you must be Sam! Welcome, I'm Brigitte O'Reilly!"
Sam took the proffered hand and leaned over to kiss it gallantly, his moustache tickling her skin, and seemingly oblivious to Heyes' glower. "It's a genuine pleasure, ma'am - - I've heard a great deal about you!"
"Well, 'tis sure I am that you'll be finding every word of it to be true!" the girl replied tartly. "And my name is Brigitte, not ma'am!"
"Yes, ma'am - - I mean, Brigitte!" Sam hastened to correct his slip.
"Shall I show you where to put the horses, Joshua/"
"Lead the way, Brigitte!"
Light footsteps on the porch drew Curry's attention and his heart leapt to see dark haired Mary standing demurely on the step, a sweet smile on her lips. "Uh, Heyes," he began before stumbling to silence.
Heyes followed his line of sight and quirked an eyebrow. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
"But the horses . . ." the gunslinger said, obviously torn.
Brigitte took pity on him and said, "Go on, Thaddeus, I'll take care of your horses!"
"Thanks, Brigitte!" Curry exclaimed and handed her the lead rope as he jumped to the ground. His long strides covered the ground in record time and he soon had her in a tender embrace.
See that Heyes seemed inclined to stand and watch his partner, Brigitte tugged on his arm saying, "Come on, Joshua, let's give them some privacy."
"Privacy? Thaddeus ain't bashful!" Heyes snorted.
"No, but Mary is a proper lady, unlike me!"
"Oh, right, sorry, I wasn't thinkin' for a minute there!"
"That's not like you, Joshua," the redhead teased.
"Put it down t'seein' you again, Brigitte!" he growled, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close again.
"Still with the blarney, me bucko!" She laughed, but didn't pull away. "You're forgettin' we have our own audience!"
"Yes, but we're not bashful!"
"True, but what must poor Sam be feelin' way up there on his horse without a lassie to welcome him home?"
"Don't worry about me, Brigitte," the wrangler replied. "After what they've gone through, it's good to see Joshua and Thaddeus happy!"
"What they've gone through? And just what have they gone through?" Brigitte demanded, pulling away to bend a serious look on the man holding her.
"There'll be time to tell you all about our travels, Brigitte, but we'd better get these poor beasts fed and watered!"
"Ah, so now you're worried about the poor beasties! Well, don't think for one minute that I'm goin' t'forget there's a story to be told!" she scolded.
"Thanks, Sam!" Heyes said wryly.
The wrangler shrugged an abashed apology.
Brigitte led them around the back of the barn where a good-sized portion of the meadow had been fenced as a paddock. She released the gate latch and led her string of horses inside; Heyes and Sam followed with theirs. "I reckon you'll want to keep your personal horses in the barn, but this will be good for the rest of the stock. There's plenty of grazing along with a water trough and salt lick at both ends," she explained.
"This will be wonderful for them, Brigitte!" Sam exclaimed. "It's big enough for the mustangs to run without feeling too fenced in. I think we ought to put Red in the barn, too, don't you, Joshua?"
"Good idea, Sam, he's much too valuable to leave loose in the elements," Heyes agreed.
"Let me see if I can guess which one is Red," Brigitte said. The horses were all dusty from the trail and shaggy with their winter coats, but the girl examined each horse in all three strings, giving each one an affectionate pat even if it was obviously not a red horse. After looking at them all she came back to Sam's string and went unerringly up to the quarter horse stallion. "This is Red!" she stated firmly.
"You're right, Brigitte!"
She continued to examine the blood bay colt from head to tail. "Pure blooded quarter horse, I'd say, maybe three years old," she determined.
"You've got an excellent eye for horses, Brigitte," Sam said admiringly.
"Well, they're one of my passions. He looks like a fine animal - - I'll look forward to seeing him without his winter coat. He must have cost a pretty penny."
"Nothin' we couldn't afford, Brigitte," Heyes put in. "Although buying him was gamble since he's unproven at stud. Sam is confident, though, that he's sire great foals."
"Oh, he is, is he? And what makes you so confident, Sam?" Brigitte asked pertly.
"Maybe that's another story we can save until later, Brigitte, because I, personally, would like to get out of this cold wind and so should you since you're not wearing a jacket at all. What were you thinking comin' out into the cold like that?" Heyes scolded.
"Well, I guess I wasn't thinking for a minute there, either!" she retorted teasingly.
They made short work of releasing the mustangs into the paddock, all of which took advantage, once they realized they were free, and galloped joyously away.
"Wild mustangs?" Brigitte queried.
"Yeah, well, they used to be, but they've gotten more manageable since we've been on the trail."
"Wait 'til you see our wild herd!"
"I can't wait - - Joshua and Thaddeus used them as a lure to get me here!"
"Well, I hope you don't regret it!"
"I'm pretty sure I won't," Sam replied with a grin. "It's got to be better than prison, or getting shot!"
"All right, now I'm seriously intrigued!" Brigitte exclaimed. "Let's get these horses bedded down so I can hear all these stories you two keep hinting at! Besides, supper's almost done and Mary'll have our hides if we're late and it gets cold!" She latched the gate behind the mustangs and the three of them led the four remaining horses into the barn.
The barn consisted of a tack room, eight stalls, and a loft to store hay. Each of the stalls was strewn with fresh straw in readiness for a four-legged occupant.
Saddles were quickly stripped off the riding horses and placed neatly in the tack room. Each horse was given a quick, but efficient brushing and then led into a stall. Sam scrambled up the ladder and forked down hay for their dinners, while Heyes and Bridget took buckets to the well to get them water.
"I notice, besides a jacket, you're not wearin' your sixgun, Bridget," Heyes commented as they placed a bucket in each stall.
"No, I was working in the house and Mary kept complaining that it was banging up the furniture, so I took it off. Why?"
"I think, if you and Mary are here when we aren't, you should wear it when you're outside the house. You should keep a loaded shotgun by the front door, too." Heyes said seriously.
"Are you expecting trouble, Joshua/"
"Kid an' me always expect trouble, Bridget - - that's how we've stayed alive so long! We don't want any of that trouble spillin' over on to you two, though! I'm tellin' you this out here so's not to upset Mary - - be sure you know who's at the door before welcomin' strangers, okay? Will you do that?" Heyes had gripped her arms tightly and his eyes, which had become almost black, bore into her green ones.
She returned his look fearlessly, not knowing how many men stronger than she had backed away from Heyes when he'd worn a similar look. "Sure, Joshua, whatever you say!"
He expelled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and pulled her into his embrace. "Good!" he murmured. "That's good, because I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you - - or Mary!"
"Heyes . . ." she blurted and then covered her mouth with her hand while looking around for Sam.
"It's okay, Bridget, Sam knows who we really are."
"Really? And he still came to work for you? I can see there's stories to fill every night of the winter!"
"You can say that again, Bridget!" said that self-same wrangler popping into sight inside Red's stall. "Two weeks on the trail with them and I feel like I've only scratched the surface of the stories they can tell!"
"You always eavesdrop on folks like that, Sam?" Bridget asked tartly.
"Begging your pardon, Bridget, but I wasn't eavesdropping! I was checking Red's hoof for a stone since he seemed to be favoring it. You both knew I was here somewhere!" Sam said in his defense.
"Relax, Bridget!" Heyes soothed, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "You can trust Sam."
"I'm sorry, you just got me all wound up with your warning, I suppose!" the redhead apologized.
"Are we through here?" At the others' nods, Heyes continued, "Well let's go get warmed up and have some supper! Besides, we've left Kid and Mary alone much too long for their own good!"
Heyes held out his arm and Bridget linked her arm through it, then she grabbed the sleeve of Sam's coat and pulled him close enough that she could put her other arm through his and in this way they crossed from the barn to the porch of the house.
Bridget released the two men and went to open the door for them, but before she did she warned, "It's not fully furnished yet - - we have some things still on order."
"Don't worry, Bridget, I'm in such awe at what I've seen from the outside that I'm sure nothing on the inside can disappoint me!" Heyes assured her.
She opened the door and stepped aside so that Heyes could enter first. He took three steps inside and stopped stick still, his mouth open.
Directly in front of the door, but across the room, was a magnificent stairway of hand-rubbed dark-stained oak leading to the second story rooms. It was wide enough for two people to climb at the same time and a matching handrail went up both sides, curving to the right and left when it reached the second floor landing.
To the left of the main door was the living room - - its focal point the granite fireplace that boasted a merrily blazing fire, a sturdy mantel above it held only a handsome clock. A leather sofa was centered in front of it, two matching leather easy chairs with footstools to either side. A bear rug covered the wood floor. A window to the side was currently shuttered tight to keep the drafts out. Hung above, but not lit, was a chandelier made of a wagon wheel, a lamp at each spoke.
To the right of the door was what would probably be the dining room, but which boasted no furniture, only a braided rug, and its window was also shuttered.
"Well, what do you think?" Bridget asked almost hesitantly. "The dining table and chairs havent' arrived yet, but there is a table in the kitchen so you won't have to eat standing up!
"This is incredible, Bridget!" Heyes exclaimed. "You've done all this on what money we sent you?"
"Uh-huh, and there's a lot more, but we can save the grand tour until after supper!" She tugged his arm and led him and the wrangler through the dining room and then through a swinging door that led into the warm, bright kitchen, which is where they found the Kid and Mary.
The wooden walls of this room had been painted white which gave it a feeling of lightness. The drop-leaf table, at which Curry was sitting, was made of light pine and above it hung a shiny brass chandelier. Mary was putting the finishing touches on supper at a very modern-looking square wood-burning stove. It stood on a brick hearth to keep it level, but the rest of the stove enclosure, including the chimney, was again the granite and river rock. A metal frame with hooks had been constructed above the stove from which depended various pots and pans and tools. On the opposite side of the room from the stove was a built-in pantry, the doors of which were of glass framed by wood. There was a door in every wall of the kitchen, which gave Heyes pause, the only two he knew the destinations to was the one he had entered and the one in the same wall as the stove because it was a Dutch door, the upper half of which was divided into quarters and each of these quarters were filled with a pane of glass. Lacy curtains were drawn back at the moment to let in what light there still was outside.
Heyes whistled in amazement. "I haven't seen a kitchen like this since I was a kid in my Mother's kitchen and she sure didn't have a stove as nice as that one!"
"Can I take that to mean that you approve?" Bridget asked with an arched brow.
"I'll say!"
"Well, if you're done 'oooohin' an' ahhhhin', maybe we could eat!" Curry growled playfully.
"No need t'get proddy, Kid! I reckon you'd best feed him, Mary, before he bites all our heads off!" Heyes teased back while holding Bridget's chair as she sat.
"Has he had too much of your cooking, Joshua?" Bridget inquired.
"Up until about two weeks ago when Sam here took over the chore! Sam's a fair hand with campfire cookin'," the dark outlaw said, clapping the wrangler on the shoulder.
"Really?"
"Well, no one's died of my cooking yet, Bridget," Sam replied modestly. "I've been assured, though, that it doesn't hold a candle to Mary's! I must admit I'm ready to eat someone's cooking besides mine!"
"I'm not sure my cooking can live up to your expectations, Sam, but it will be hot and filling," Mary put in with equal modesty. "I've prepared chicken with mashed potatoes and giblet gravy, buttermilk biscuits, and the last of the corn from my garden."
"Sweet lady, if it tastes a fraction as good as it smells, I'll think I've died and gone to Heaven!" the wrangler exclaimed extravagantly causing the young cook to blush.
"Don't listen t'him!" Curry growled. "He's as wordy as Heyes!"
"With an appetite to rival Kid's!" Heyes put in. "I hope the larder is well-stocked or we'll starve if we get snowed in this winter!"
"I've put in enough supplies to feed four Kid-sized appetites," Bridget said. "So I doubt you'll need to worry about starving!"
"I'd say you're wrong there, Bridget, cuz I'm starvin' now! Can someone please pass the chicken?" Curry pleaded piteously.
The five companions laughed and dug into the delicious meal.
"So, Sam, how did you meet Joshua and Thaddeus?" Bridget asked after the edge had been taken off their appetites.
"Well, I was in a bit of trouble in Coleville and they were supposed to arrest me!" Sam replied. "Instead they just gave me a warning, which I completely ignored, of course! Later, after Mr. Cole had his boys beat me up and turn me in, they took care of me, offered me a job, and convinced Mr. Cole to drop the charges if I took it."
"Rather an unusual method of enforcing the law, wasn't it, Joshua? But then, what else would one expect having outlaws as lawmen!" Bridget said with a smile.
"Hey, we were good sheriffs, weren't we, Thaddeus?" Heyes retorted indignantly.
"We sure were! It wasn't our fault everything that could go wrong happened while we were there!" Curry replied in their defense.
"What happened?" Mary asked curiously. "The telegraph Bridget showed me said it was going to be an easy job."
"Because that's what Lom told us!" Heyes explained. "But it didn't work out quite like that."
"So what happened?" Bridget demanded.
"You really don't wanna hear all the boring details, do you?" the former outlaw leader hedged.
"Somehow I doubt there are any boring details considering who it involves! So out with it boyos!"
The two outlaws exchanged chagrined looks. "You tell it, Heyes, you've got the silver tongue! May I have more chicken and mashed potatoes before he starts, though?" Curry said.
"Of course, Thaddeus," Mary replied, passing him the plate of chicken, followed by the bowl of mashed potatoes.
Heyes shook his head and sighed. "Well, it started out easy enough, the only thing that seemed wrong in Coleville was this little orphan boy, Jimmy, livin' in the stable an' not goin' t'school," he began.
"Heyes practically adopted 'im!" Curry said around a mouthful of food.
"Am I tellin' this story, Kid?" Curry gestured that he should continue and Heyes went on, "It took a little sweet talkin' . . . "
"Bullyin'," Curry corrected.
"But I convinced the schoolmarm t'take 'im into her class. Then Mr. Cole came in all up in arms over Sam here, so we rode out to have a chat with 'im. Then we had to arrest the pastor's wife for bustin' up the saloon . . ."
"She nearly gutted Heyes with her hatchet!"
"Kid," Heyes growled as the girls gasped.
"But you're missin' all the good parts!" Curry protested.
"I was thinkin' the girls might not consider them the good parts!"
"Don't you go soft-pedalin' the story, Joshua!" Bridget scolded.
Heyes sighed again. "She missed me, didn't she?"
"Why ever would she want to destroy the saloon?" Mary wanted to know.
"She was the leader of the Ladies Temperance Society of Colevill, although it turned out she was mostly angry and upset because her father and brother died from drinkin'."
"We can understand that, can't we, Mary, what with Da and all?"
"Yes, but fortunately Father's given up the drink," Mary replied. "So what happened to her?"
"The saloon keeper agreed t'not press charges if she paid for the repairs."
"That was kind of him," the dark girl commented.
"Not really," Heyes disagreed. "Turns out he was afraid of getting' involved with the law since he'd killed a man back in his country as a young man!"
"My goodness!" Mary exclaimed.
"We assured him Sweden was out of our jurisdiction and he felt much better."
Bridget laughed. "It sounds like some kind of town! I wish I could've been there!"
"You ain't heard the half of it yet, Bridget," Curry assured her.
Heyes rolled his eyes at his partner's unhelpful enthusiasm. "Not much else happened except for the livery stable burnin' down - - luckily it didn't spread to any other buildings in the town."
"Don't forget how you were a hero, Heyes, rescuin' Jimmy like you did!"
"How 'bout for pullin' your fat outta the fire, too, Kid!" Heyes snapped in aggravation.
"Who you callin' fat?" Curry retorted.
"It's just an expression, Kid."
"Wait a minute, wait just a minute!" Mary exclaimed. "Just why did Joshua have to pull you out of the fire, Thaddeus?"
"Well, um, see, uh . . ." Curry shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"Kid went in to free the horses an' one kicked 'im in the head by way of thanks!" Heyes smiled maliciously at his partner's discomfort.
"So Heyes gets himself all wet and runs in after Kid even though the roof is about to fall in!" Sam inserted. "Got him almost out before the smoke got to him. The townsfolk pulled them out the rest of the way just in the nick of time!"
Now both ex-outlaws looked uncomfortable while the girls paled in horror. Bridget recovered first. "Well," she said briskly. "You both survived obviously since you're here!"
"Kid had a pretty nasty concussion, but you know he's got a real hard head - - in more ways that one!
"Yeah, I was seein' two Heyeses! Can you imagine how awful that was?"
"You poor thing," Mary laughed, patting his hand. "But are you sure you're all right?"
"I'm fine, Mary - - not even any headaches anymore," he assured her with a tender smile.
"Surely nothing more could have happened after that?" Mary asked.
"Oh, no, the best is yet to come!" the gunslinger exclaimed, picking up the story. "While I was laid up this really bad man rode into town - - a cold-blooded killer, who could recognize us! Heyes tried to convince 'im t'leave town, but he had a bone t'pick with me an' knew I had t'be around somewhere so he decides t'wait. Heyes knew I wasn't up to a showdown, an' wouldn't be for some time, so he calls the fella out! Jimmy comes runnin' t'tell me cuz he'd heard me say Heyes wasn't no good with a gun, but I was too weak an' dizzy t'get out there in time! They were dead even on the draw, but Heyes shot true and his sideways twist kept 'im from bein' killed himself, although he did get ventilated! Seems he forgot that I'm the gunslinger in this partnership!"
Bridget's eyes had narrowed as Curry told the story and darkened to a deep forest green. Watching her reaction, Heyes was sure she was going to berate him and she didn't disappoint. "So that's the thanks I get, is it, for diggin' two bullets out of your sorry hide? Well, let me tell you, boyo, I didn't save your life so you could go and throw it away again! Sometimes I wonder why the good Lord wasted perfectly good clay on the likes of men, who seem to have nothin' better to do than go about shootin' at each other!" she scolded tartly.
Heyes had the good sense to look slightly sheepish, while Curry tried to hide a grin, and Sam looked ready to run. Mary stepped in when no one else seemed inclined to speak. "Honestly, Bridget, you tongue could scrape the flesh off the poor man's bones! I'm sure he didn't go out intending to get shot just to spite you! You heard Thaddeus say Joshua tried every peaceful way first."
"So I did, but that doesn't change the fact that he could've been killed an' me not there to dig out the bullet!"
"No bullet t'dig out, Bridget - - it went straight through - - a flesh wound," Heyes assured her.
"Still y'could've bled t'death! Don't try to appease me, boyo! I'll be wantin' t'check later that it's healed proper," she finished, still glowering.
"It's perfectly healed, Bridget," Heyes protested.
"I'll be the just of that, thank you very much! Probably treated by some quack!" the redhead snorted with a toss of her heavy braid.
"Dr. Milburn was a good doctor, wasn't he, Thaddeus? Sam?" Heyes looked for support from his companions.
"Very competent, Bridget, or we three wouldn't be here now," Sam asserted.
"Well, I'll be the judge of that and I'll hear no more arguments from you, Joshua!" She glowered fiercely at the dark outlaw.
"If you insist, Bridget," Heyes sighed dramatically. "Be sure I'll save any future bullet diggin' to your tender mercies!"
"See that you do," she huffed. "Better yet, how about avoiding the need in the future?"
"Oh, we always try, Bridget," Curry put in in their defense.
"Try harder from now on!"
"Would you like to check it now?" Heyes asked with a twinkle in his eye and began to unbutton his shirt right there at the table.
"Is anyone ready for dessert?" Mary asked in an abrupt attempt to turn the conversation to more appropriate channels. "I have apple pie fresh from the oven."
"I've always got room for apple pie," Curry announced.
"Me, too," Sam agreed.
"I'll take a piece, too," Heyes said, rebuttoning his shirt button. "Do you have anymore coffee?'
"Of course. Bridget, can you help me clear the dishes?"
In mere moments, the table was cleared off and the pie was served along with refills on coffee.
"Mmmmm, this pie is heavenly, Mary!" Sam sighed in pleasure and was echoed by the other two.
"Thank you, gentlemen."
"So, Bridget, what's been happenin' here while we've been gone?" Heyes queried, happy to turn the conversation in another direction.
"Nothing's new in Coldwater except Da found a young doctor interested in being groomed to take over when Da retires. Right now he does any necessary surgeries and assists in other procedures. He's quite a good surgeon."
"Not as pretty as my surgeon, though," Heyes leered playfully.
"There y'go with the blarney again!" Bridet returned equally playfully, but the blush that suffused her cheeks showed her pleasure in the compliment.
"He's actually quite attractive," Mary put in. "And quite cultured, too. All the single ladies of Coldwater are aflutter as he walks by."
"All single ladies?" Curry growled.
"Bridget and I are promised to you and Joshua, Thaddeus, therefore we are technically no longer single ladies," the dark girl replied archly.
"Seems your new doctor has been save by a technicality," Heyes said with a grin, earning himself a dark look from the gunslinger. "But if you two are up here, who's down there takin' care of Sean an' your father?"
"The Widow McDaniel has graciously agreed to come in and keep house while we've been busy getting the ranch ready. The dour Scot and the Devil-may-care Irishman have already locked horns a couple of times - - I sense romance in the air!" Bridget said in a laughingly secretive whisper.
"Mrs. McDaniel has barely been widowed a year, Bridget, I seriously doubt she's interested in forming another attachment," Mary chided.
"Formal mourning is over, she's free to start looking around if she pleases," the other girl retorted. "I think she'll have Da roped and hog-tied in no time!" To the others she said, "Da's never once looked at another woman since Mother died; I think a little romance would be good for him. You have to admit, Mary, the man needs someone to look after him."
"Yes, it seems so," Mary agreed.
"If you're finished, how about the grand tour of the rest of the house?" Bridget suggested.
"That'd be great, though you can hardly impress me more than I already am!" Heyes said.
"You just wait and see. You coming, Mary?"
"No, I'll do the washing up and meet you in the living room after you've finished the tour." Curry, who had gotten up eagerly, now looked torn between conflicting desires. Mary laughed. "Go on with you, Thaddeus! I'll get the work done much faster without your distractions!"
Bridget took Heyes' elbow and tugged, but he held back. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"First satisfy my curiosity about all these doors - - two are obvious, but where do the other two lead?" Heyes responded.
"One, the one across from the outside door, goes out into the hallway that leads to the storage rooms, and the other down into the cellar, which also has a disguised exit at the back of the house - - for emergencies," the redhead explained with a knowing lift to her eyebrows.
"Ah," the former outlaw said. "Good planning."
"You ain't seen nothin' yet," the girl grinned, tugging again at his elbow and this time he followed willingly, Curry and Sam close behind.
As they passed through the dining room again, she said, "The table and chairs are supposed to be delivered by the end of next week - - barring heavy snowfall."
She led them up the stairs and paused on the wide landing. They face a wall from which hung a colorful Indian blanket and on either side a hallway led to the back of the house. "There is a wing of the house for each of you. Each wing has three rooms, one, obviously a bedroom, and the other two can be furnished however you like. While we've been here, Mary and I have been staying in the right wing so how about we take the left one - - they're both exactly the same any way."
"Lead the way, Bridget."
The first room she showed them was sparsely furnished, holding only a desk and chair and a narrow bed. Built in shelves lined one wall and a fireplace took much of another. The next room was larger and contained a large brass bed made up with a colorful patchwork quilt. There was a handsome wardrobe against one wall, a vanity with mirror held a ewer and basin for shaving, and, of course, the ubiquitous fireplace. The third room was furnished with another narrow bed and a mirrored stand with ewer and basin. "The bed in the first room and this one are only temporary so all three of you will have a place to sleep while Mary and I are here. Mary thought a separate wing for the men and women would at least give the appearance of propriety should anyone find out we were up here alone with single men!"
"Very nice, Bridget," Heyes commented approvingly. "You and Mary have done a wonderful job."
"Thank you, Joshua, I'm glad you like it. We've left the finishing touches for you and Thaddeus so you can make them truly your own. There are some special touches I put in with just you two in mind," Bridget said secretively. "Shall I show you, or would you like to discover them yourselves?"
"By all means, show us."
She opened the roomy wardrobe and stepped inside. "Come closer," she told the perplexed trio of men. When they were close enough she fiddled with the back wall of the piece of furniture and a door opened into the third empty room.
Heyes whistled his surprise and stepped in and through the wardrobe. He shut the door and examined the wall closely. He ran his hand lightly up the wooden panels and then back down again. As his hand began its journey up again, a slow smile lit the outlaw's face and with firm pressure on a certain spot, sprang the hidden door open again and stepped back through the wardrobe. "Nicely done!" he approved admiringly. "It's completely invisible on the other side!"
"That's not all," she said, and reached up and tugged a short cord that hung above their heads, bringing down a trap door to which was attached a ladder. "This leads up into a crawl space between this ceiling and the attic, which leads to another hidden passageway from which you can reach the other wing, the back door, or you could come out on the stairway landing. Under the bed in the other wing is a trap door down into the cellar and the exits from there. A section of the bookshelves in the first room also opens to let a person into this room, so no one can trap you in this house unless you choose to stay."
"Simply incredible, Bridget!" Heyes exclaimed. "These weren't on the original plans you showed me."
"No, but as the construction moved along I tried to think what additions two reformed outlaws, who haven't yet received their amnesties, might find convenient. The actual execution of the ideas was a bit difficult, but not by much."
"If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say there's a hidden door behind the Indian blanket on the landing, correct?'
"That's right. Of course, once you've gotten your amnesties, these will all be unnecessary, but until then I hope you never have to use them."
"So do we. Bridget, but thank you just the same!" Heyes tilted her chin up and gazed deeply into her eyes before giving her a gentle kiss. "You may have just saved my - - our lives again."
"I'm saving mine along with yours," she whispered huskily.
Curry cleared his throat. "May I add my own thanks?" he said when the other two broke apart. He drew the slim girl into an enthusiastic hug. "I'm thinkin' Heyes here has some competition in the genius line, Bridget."
"It's nothing he wouldn't have thought up himself had he been here," she replied modestly.
"Maybe, but I'm not so sure he wouldn't be more likely t'just climb out a window if there was need," the gunslinger joked.
"If that's all there was, sure," Heyes agreed. "But now there are other options. Do you have any other surprises for us?"
"Well, if you come down to the living room, I've got cigars and a bottle of Da's favorite whiskey."
"Bridget, you know the way to a man's heart!" Curry exclaimed.
"You keep your heart out of it, Kid, this one's mine!" Heyes growled and pulled the girl against him possessively.
"Just a figure of speech, Heyes," the Kid retorted and led the way back down the stairs.
Heyes, of course, had to stop briefly and check out the hidden door behind the Indian blanket before descending the stairs. "Well, Sam, haven't heard much out of you - - what do you think?" he asked as he lit a cigar and accepted a glass of whiskey, taking a seat in one of the chairs flanking the fire.
"That would be because I'm speechless with wonder, Joshua," the wrangler replied. "I don't know what I expected, but it certainly wasn't this mountain palace!"
"Now you're just exaggerating, Sam," Bridget responded.
"No, he's not, Bridget," Heyes replied. "I saw your plans and even I'm astounded. I find it hard to believe this was all built on what the Kid and I sent you."
"Well, it's not only the Scots who can be stingy with a dollar! Many of the craftsmen gave us a good discount, or didn't charge at all, in return for the times Da treated them or their kind for free during hard times," she explained.
"They might have done it out of gratitude that someone came along to take Bridget off their hands," Mary put in as she joined them in the living room. "The sound of her practicing shooting was throwing their chickens off laying!"
"Now that's a terrible exaggeration, Mary! I'm sure everyone's quite used to it by now," Bridget protested, but looked a bit abashed.
"So, you've been practicin' then, Bridget," Curry remarked.
"Yes, and I'm much better even if I do say so myself! I may never be as fast as you, Thaddeus, but I'm hittin' everything I aim at."
"That's really more important than speed," the gunslinger assured her. "Less'n you've a mind t'go into the gunslingin' business."
"You know I haven't, but I like the challenge."
"Speakin' of gunslingers - - you haven't seen anything of Mick Calahan yet, have you?" Heyes interjected.
"No, nothing at all," Bridget replied. "You never said anything about him being a gunslinger, though."
"There's only so much a body can put in a telegraph, Bridget, an' he is a she."
"What?" Both girls gasped in disbelief.
"Yup. You heard of the Silver Kid?"
"Of course, it was big news even here in Colorado."
"Well, that's Mick Calahan, an' she's a girl!"
"You mean 'woman', don't ya, Heyes?" Curry questioned. "She near bit your head off last time you call her a girl!"
"Oh, right, woman!"
"But the Silver Kid killed three men in shootouts!"
"Uh, four really, though nobody but me an' the Kid an' the rest of Potter's gang, know about the fourth one," Heyes corrected.
"I think you'd better tell us the whole story, Mr. Heyes," Bridget said sternly.
"Including why you'd think to send such a person here," Mary added.
"It's kind of a long story," the former outlaw leader hedged.
"Do you know any other kind, Joshua? Besides, it's still early, we've got time!"
"Fine," he sighed and began, holding up his empty glass for a refill.
Sam had already heard the story on the trail and leaned back to watch the girls' reactions as the tale unfolded. They sat enthralled, gasping at critical points, but letting Heyes speak uninterrupted. Even Curry let the tale unfold without any interjections.
"The only thing that ever broke through her single-minded obsession with killin' Potter an' her careless disregard of her own life was when she spoke about her horse an' so I thought offerin' her a partnership in our ranch here might just give her back her will to live," he said as the story ended. "I hoped, after she didn't end her own life, that the idea might sink an an' she'd come around. I guess I was wrong." Sorrow tinged his voice as he sighed and fell silent.
"How awful for her!" Mary exclaimed in pity.
"I hope she does show up so I can congratulate her!" Bridget exclaimed. "Although she shoulda gut shot the scum so they'd've suffered more before they died!"
"Bridget!" her sister exclaimed in horror.
"Well, after what they did to her and her family, a quick death was too good for 'em!" the redhead defended herself.
"If she hasn't shown up by now, I don't know if she ever will," Heyes sighed again. "She might not even be alive still."
"Heyes feels like he failed her," Curry explained.
"What more could you have done, Joshua?" Mary asked.
"I don't know - - nothin', I guess, but that don't make me feel any better about her leavin' like that."
"She could still show up," Bridget said hopefully. "She'd sure liven the place up!"
"As if it isn't lively enough with you around, sister dear," the darker girl said with a smile to take any sting out of the words.
Curry yawned all of a sudden and said, "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm beat! Heyes had us up an' ridin' at the crack of dawn an' a soft bed sounds mighty nice right now."
"For once, I agree with you, Kid," his partner said. "I think I can sleep easy tonight."
"You'll do no sleepin', boyo, until I've checked that so-called flesh wound of yours," Brigitte insisted.
"Ah, Brigitte," Heyes protested. "That was two weeks, or more, ago, it's all healed now!"
"I'll be havin' a look for myself," she repeated adamantly.
"Just let her look at it, Heyes," Curry sighed. "And don't be such a baby!"
"Fine!" he growled grudgingly. "You can take a look at it - - and I'm not a baby! Why don't you look at Kid's head?"
"I can see Kid's head just fine, but I can't see under your shirt. Besides, Mary is capable enough to check Kid's head. Now come on!" She stood and tugged on his hand until he stood.
"Where we goin'?"
"I wouldn't ask you to undress in front of everyone! We'll go upstairs."
"Do you think that's appropriate, Brigitte?" Mary asked skeptically.
"I'm only going to be checking his wound, Mary!"
"Fine, I've got a couple of things to finish in the kitchen and then I'll be up."
"I'm hurt that you don't trust me with your sister, Mary!" Heyes said seriously.
"Maybe it's her I don't trust, Joshua!" the girl replied pertly. "Would you mind helping me for a moment, Thaddeus?"
"You don't need to ask twice, Mary," Curry replied enthusiastically.
"Well, if you two don't mind, I'll just follow you up," Sam said hesitantly to Heyes and Brigitte.
"Sure, grab your saddlebags and come on and get settled in!" Suiting action to words, Heyes picked up his and the Kid's saddlebags and allowed Brigitte to lead him once again up the staircase.
As the trio reached the landing, Sam paused hesitantly and asked, "Which room should I use?"
"Joshua's room is the main bedroom," Brigitte said. "So either of the other two would be fine."
"I'll take the furthest one down the hall then, thank you. Good night."
"Good night, Sam."
As Sam's door closed behind him, Brigitte led Heyes into the more sumptuous bedroom. "All right, Joshua, let me see."
"This really isn't necessary," he protested again, but began unbuttoning his shirt. He hung the garment on a bedpost and pulled the top of his white long johns off his shoulders so they hung, empty arms dangling, towards the floor.
The bullet had dug an eight-inch furrow from just below the former outlaw's sternum across his ribcage, which had now healed leaving behind a livid scarlet scar on his pale skin. Brigitte masked the lurch of her heart with the clinical frown of a medical practitioner. "That cut to the bone," she commented and stepped closer, running her hand gently across the scar. "Hmm, it was neatly stitched and has healed well, though. Do you have any residual pain?"
"Hmmm, what?" Heyes blurted, having not been paying attention to her words, but was instead savoring the delicious sensation her hand made as it crossed his ribcage.
"Any pain?" she repeated.
"No, just feels a little tight when I stretch my arm any which way."
"Well, that should get better with time." Her fingers came back to the beginning of the scar and lingered. "Had the bullet hit her here straight on you'd be dead."
"But it didn't, and I'm not," he assured her needlessly.
Her left hand lifted and her index finger lightly circled the older scar from the bullet she had removed not so many months before. Her green eyes lifted to his and he saw a tear slowly wending its way down her cheek. "That's twice I've nearly lost you, Joshua!"
"But you didn't and I'm home now!" His strong hands caught hers and held them tightly against his heart.
More tears ran unashamed from her eyes as she whispered, "I was used to the idea of spending my life alone until you came along and now the mere thought of the empty years of my life without you in them is more than I can bear!"
"Then banish that thought from you mind, my beautiful Brigitte, because I'll do my best to never let that happen!" he whispered in return, his voice hoarse with emotion. "You know, though, I can't make guarantees."
"I know - - I've known from the beginning and I accepted whatever you could give, but I didn't know just how lonely I would be when you were gone!"
"I missed you, too, Brigitte, more than I thought I ever could!" His head dipped slightly and his lips captured hers in a tender kiss. Her hands slipped from his and twined around his neck, her slender body pressed tightly against his as his arms crushed her to him and the kiss deepened. He groaned as passion threatened to burn away all rational thought and he loosened her arms and gently pushed her away, though their lips still clung together.
"No, Joshua!" she protested against his lips.
"We've got to stop, Brigitte - - I'm not made of stone! We've your reputation to consider."
"I don't care about that!"
"But I do! I don't want people sayin' I just married you cuz I had to!"
"You want to marry me?" she asked turning shining eyes up to his.
"Didn't I say that before I left?" he demanded.
"Your exact words were, 'would I wait for you and be only yours when you came back'!"
"What did you think I meant?"
"I didn't care - - only that you wanted me to be yours!"
"Of course I want to marry you and I can wait until then!"
"Well, boyo, you'd better not be plannin' on a long engagement, or I can't promise that I can wait until then!" she said stepping back far enough that their bodies no longer touched.
"Can you wait until Spring?" he asked teasingly.
"I suppose so since you insist!"
He laughed light-heartedly. "I though the woman was supposed to be the one to insist on waiting!"
"Well, Joshua, you should know that supposed to be's and Brigitte O'Reilly are two very different things!" She tossed her head and smoothed a wild red tendril back from her face.
"Indeed I do, so I suggest we say good night now before I change my mind."
"Good night, Joshua," she whispered and kissed him once again, but lightly. "It's so very good to have you home!" Before he could reply she quickly left the room closing the door firmly behind her.
There was very little to do in the kitchen, which was apparent even to Curry's unschooled eyes. When he said as much to the girl, she said, "I thought we could give Brigitte and Joshua a few minutes of privacy."
"Are you sure you didn't just wanna get me alone?" he leered playfully.
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about!" she replied archly.
"No?" he asked softly, stepping closer. "You, me, the kitchen - - I can't think of a more romantic combination."
"Really? I've heard the moonlight mentioned occasionally."
"Well, there's plenty of that comin' in the window - - so sounds like we got it all."
"Do we?"
Curry gazed seriously into the blue eyes that twinkled up into his and said, "As long as we have each other." His hand gently smoothed a stray wisp of hair off her cheek and bent to claim her lips in a tender kiss. After a moment he released her mouth and pulled her into a strong embrace, whispering into her ear, "Oh, Mary, I can't tell you how much I've missed you! There were times these past months when I figured I'd never see you again an' the thought was like t've killed me!"
"I think the horse kick in the head would have done it faster, Thaddeus," she teased, but pulled back far enough that she could see the crescent scar that peeked out of his hair above his temple. She traced it lightly with a finger, frowning when he winced slightly. "There's still pain," she stated.
"It's just a little sensitive is all."
"You're hiding something from me, Thaddeus, I can feel you holding something back. You can tell me anything, you know, and I'll help you if I can," she told him earnestly.
"I'm fine, Mary, really - - it's just been a difficult few months is all an' nothin' that a little peace and quiet up here won't put straight right away. Nothin' that happened matters any now that you're in my arms again!"
His passionate kiss smothered anything else she would have said and she allowed his warm strength to reassure her, sweeping her vague feelings away so that her overwhelming love could take precedence. With a sigh she relaxed against him.
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