Winter's Refuge
Chapter Eighty-Six
HEYES
The Kid downplayed it when he told us about the writing on the blackboard. But I watched his eyes. He can't hide emotions from me when those blue eyes are looking at me. They've lost most of their innocence, still, I see a sincerity to believe the best about people and that they believe the worst about him. But I can see he was pleased today. The pride didn't last long. A week later when I asked him about it, he said the City Council was just happy for the free supplies and labor and the nails Jeff had donated. Phoenix had bought all the lumber and everything else.
"Anytime the City Council doesn't have to spend money, they call someone a hero. Nice for Michael and Martha to hear it, though. Sooner or later, they're gonna find out the truth about us."
I didn't answer him. He turned and went back into the forge and I concentrated on the books.
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When we were trying for amnesty, running, hiding, fighting just to survive, I never pictured our free life would be like this. I'm happy without poker or salon girls or getting drunk. We still get together some nights and play poker here at Phoenix. We've gone to a friendly game at Jeff Birde's home, but I'm not very good at it anymore. I can't concentrate on the cards and I can't read people's faces. Poker was my special skill, our fallback to make money, but I don't enjoy it anymore unless it's just the Kid and I playing for matchsticks. Fears and doubts haunt me when I play. Fear that I should know other's cards but I don't. Doubts that I bet too much or too little or I should have folded. I'm afraid people will get angry with me if I win or laugh at me if I don't. And I have flashbacks to games long past in saloons that ended with an opponent drawing his gun. Knowing that all this shows on my face, I don't find poker fun or relaxing anymore. Except I enjoy teaching it to the twins, telling them my old ways with the cards. It was one of the simple joys that made me happy here until one day when I went with the Kid to pick the twins up after school.
I'm getting better, but I don't like to interact with people I don't know. I force myself to help the Kid at the blacksmith shop take in the work each morning. But I don't look at them. On this day, I wanted to order new accounting books from the catalog in the mercantile so I went with the Kid. I know Jeff Birde and he always makes sure to wait on me himself.
"You can stay here, Heyes; I'll go find them. They know to come to the wagon when I get here," he said.
He was protecting me again so I forced myself to smile and answer, "I'll help you find them." I fell into step with him, but half a step behind.
The children playing in the yard gathered around us, greeting the Kid.
"Hi, Mr. Curry!"
"Roof still holding, Mr. Curry. You did a first-rate job!"
"Who's that following you? I haven't seen him before? Is he your friend?"
"Michael and Martha are inside."
"They are in big trouble."
The Kid stopped and grinned at the group. He has an easy way with children. Except for his kids, I don't really know how to interact with children. I used to. I used to enjoy them. But now they move too fast and talk so quickly, it makes me want to run.
"This here is the twin's Uncle Heyes," he says as he looks over the group. Finally, finding the one he was looking for, a new friend of Michael's, he asks, "Willie, how did they get into trouble?"
"Ah…ah… You better ask Miss Duhamel."
JED 'KID' CURRY
I headed for the classroom but noticed Heyes hadn't moved. I understood. He was trapped between the group of kids and a teacher, a person of authority, he had never met.
"Heyes, think I'm goin' to need you with me." I give him a direction to move.
He took a look at the safety of the wagon on the other side of the kids and the playground and hurried after me. When we entered the classroom, the first thing we saw was the twins writin' on the blackboard. Both were printin' the same thing, 'I will not play poker,' over and over. Martha was still a good inch taller than her brother, but Chrissy and Auntie assured me that would change.
"Mr. Curry," Miss Duhamel greeted me.
"They been playin' poker for money?" I asked.
Martha turned around. "No, Pa, just pebbles."
"Martha, continue writing and do not stop again."
"Yes, ma'am." She did as she was asked but looked like she was goin' to cry.
Miss Duhamel waved me to the back of the classroom where the twins couldn't hear. "They have taught the other children how to play that gambling card game. It is not appropriate for school."
Knowin' Heyes had taught them, I took a quick look and saw the guilt in his eyes. I was determined to let him feel he hadn't done anything wrong.
"Why not, may I ask? They're not playin' for money and poker teaches many important skills, both in arithmetic and in understandin' people," I said.
Miss Duhamel looked shocked. "It's the game of the devil! Gambling is his work." I saw her anger.
I shook my head. "No, ma'am, it's just a card game, just like whist or solitaire. We taught them all of the games to help them with their numbers." I saw her expression waiver away from anger. "Do you play either of those games?" I gave her my best smile. I wasn't just defendin' my kids. I was defendin' my partner.
"Well, yes, on occasion."
"How are their arithmetic grades?"
"Top of the class for their age, but still..."
I smiled again as I watched the two kids were startin' to struggle to hold up their hands to write on the board. "How about you tell them it's not wrong to play poker. And I'll tell them it's not a game to play at school?"
She wasn't sure when she lost control of the conversation as she looked me in the eyes.
"That settled?" I asked, smilin'.
"Well, when you put it that way."
I didn't wait. "Kids, stop writin'. Uncle Heyes will help you erase the board."
Miss Duhamel was flustered. "Yes, yes, that's fine. They've learned their lesson. Is that the Hannibal Heyes? I heard he lived nearby."
"My cousin. He lives at Phoenix with us."
"He robbed a train I was on with my father when I was young. He was quite the gentleman and so handsome," she said, lookin' at his back. Then a thought struck her. "Mr. Curry…are you Kid Curry, the fastest gun in the west?" She looked at me closer.
I looked around to see that the twins hadn't heard before answerin', "Yes, ma'am. We haven't robbed any trains or banks in a long time. We have amnesty."
She didn't hear me. She was still watchin' Heyes. "I had a schoolgirl crush on Hannibal Heyes after he helped me up when I fell down on the train steps," she sighed and I knew she still held that crush. He was headin' towards us, trailin' the twins.
"We're sorry we played poker at lunch break, Miss Duhamel," said Martha as Michael nodded vigorously next to her.
She'd been lookin' at my partner, but shifted her attention to the two wide-eyed children apologizin' in front of her. "That's all right. Just don't do it at school, again."
"Yes, ma'am."
"We won't."
"We promise."
"Miss Duhamel, this is Uncle Heyes. He told us we should apologize."
"Nice to meet you," Heyes managed. He didn't look directly at her. I could see he was nervous and wanted to run.
"My pleasure, sir," Miss Duhamel said with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"Let's go! Everyone on the wagon. We're runnin' late. Goodbye, ma'am." Clappin' my hands, I hurried them all out and to the wagon. And Heyes away from the young teacher.
He looked relieved.
"She's a good-lookin' woman, partner," I teased him.
Lookin' down at his feet as we rode, he answered," Heard what she said. She's little more than a teenager. Don't want to be nobody's outlaw crush." Then he grinned. "But it was nice to hear I was handsome."
HEYES
Seems every time the Kid picks the twins up from school, City Councilman Brandon Wyatt asks him for another favor. Besides the roof, when Wyatt asked the Kid volunteered to fix the sidewalk outside the modest city hall building and add a hand railing, the door on the telegraph office had broken hinges, and more. If Wyatt asked, the Kid felt obligated to Three Birds to fix it. And for Phoenix to pay for it. When I brought it to his attention, he just said, "Heyes, just doin' my civic duty. Want the town to think of me as someone who helps, not an ex-outlaw and ex-convict."
"Kid, no one thinks of you like that. But Wyatt's taking advantage of you and we can't afford much more charity."
"We'll manage," the Kid said and turned back to the forge.
We had a problem and I puzzled it out.
"Heyes, you sure you want to come into Three Birds with me to pick up the twins? I need to talk to Frank afterwards."
I was going to have to concentrate and put my fears aside to do this. The Kid might be mad but it had to be done. So, I answered, "Haven't seen Sheriff Birde for awhile."
"Sure it's not Miss Duhamel you want to see?" he teased.
Panic hit me. I did not want to see that teacher. She seemed nice enough, but I think she may have designs on me. I'm trying to heal and, for the moment, I don't need a woman to do that. "Why don't you drop me off at the sheriff's office first? I'll visit while you get the kids."
He laughed a deep laugh that I didn't hear often.
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"Be back as soon as I've got the twins," the Kid told me as I climbed out of the wagon in front of the Sheriff's Office. He waited a minute as if to assure himself I was really going in. But this fit perfectly into my plan. I wanted to talk to the sheriff, and also a city council member, alone.
"Sheriff Birde?" I said as I opened the door.
He looked surprised, then smiled. "Heyes, good to see you. I was expecting Jed."
"He'll be along. I wanted to talk to you." I almost lost my courage and turned and left. But I knew the sheriff was a friend of the Kid's and I pushed my dread of people to a small corner of my thoughts.
"Sit down. Coffee?"
"No…n. .no tha…thank you." I thought I had conquered my fear but it took my command of my words. Frank didn't seem to notice as he moved to sit behind his desk, coffee cup in hand.
"We...ll, I… I know…" I stopped talking and closed my eyes concentrating on the words I had rehearsed.
"Just take your time, Heyes."
I turned and stared at the old safe behind his desk and spoke quickly so my mind didn't have time to stop my words. "Well, truth is, Phoenix can't afford to keep financing all these civic improvements so Mr. Wyatt's got to stop asking the Kid for help. You know he's not very good at saying no."
I got the response I had figured from the sheriff as he leaned forward. "What civic improvements has Phoenix paid for?" he inquired.
"The schoolhouse roof, although Jeff paid for the nails, the sidewalk outside the city hall building, and the iron hand railing the Kid made. He also made new hinges for the door on the telegraph office and paid for new glass for the window and…"
"Stop!" he said firmly. He was mad, very mad. I could see it in his eyes and the wrinkles in his forehead.
"Did Jed get paid for the blacksmith work he's done for the city? And you're sure Phoenix paid for all the other supplies? I suppose that includes the two new horse troughs, there's the wood and the iron supports Jed made."
"Jed didn't get paid nothing and Phoenix paid for all the supplies, including the iron he used for the trough supports and the wood."
"You're sure?" he questioned. He was angry with me. I knew this might happen and if he's angry at me, the Kid will be angry at me. I panic when he's mad at me. I need him, not just for his strength but for his friendship.
"I'm sure. I keep all the books for the blacksmith shop and I pay the bills. I'm sure." I tried to say it with authority but my voice broke as I spoke. Maybe I was wrong and the rest of the city council did know that we were paying for everything…but from the sheriff's reaction, I think I was right.
The Kid chose that inopportune time to open the door and stride into the office. The sheriff turned his anger on him. "Jed, why didn't you tell me the city council wasn't paying you for the blacksmith work you did for us and that you were paying for all the supplies?" he yelled.
The Kid looked from me to the sheriff and back to me again. From the hurt look in his eyes, I know he felt I betrayed him.
"Needed to be done and Wyatt said that there wasn't any money in the city coffers," the Kid answered calmly into the sheriff's anger.
"Sit down. Where's your kids?"
"At the mercantile pickin' out a candy stick each. They'll be there awhile. I need to talk to you."
The Kid didn't look at me again and I tried to make myself invisible. I'd said what needed to be said and now it was out of my mind. The thought of leaving and walking back to the ranch crossed my mind.
JED 'KID' CURRY
Frank was mad when I walked into his office and I wondered what Heyes had said to get him stirred up. Heyes don't talk much to anyone but those on the ranch, even Frank. But Frank was angry at me.
"Jed, why didn't you tell me the city council wasn't paying you for the blacksmith work you did for us and that you were paying for all the supplies?"
I answered him truthfully, but that seemed to make him madder. "Just tryin' to get people to see I'm a good citizen," I added. And now I saw the anger in his eyes grow.
"Jed, I am a member of the city council. I saw bills I thought you submitted for the materials you used to make the new hinges and the iron supports for the trough and more. I voted to approve them, but wanted to talk to you about adding a bill for your time. I also saw requisitions and bills for all the supplies used. I voted to approve them all."
"I never submitted no bills. Mr. Wyatt kept sayin' there weren't no money. And after that poor patch job on the school house I saw, I believed him. No one would have paid much money to have that done. I think it caused more leaks than it patched."
Frank had to look away. He was mad but I don't know what I've done. "Jed, you donated your time and leadership to all those projects; you shouldn't have paid for them, too. Wyatt brought your bills to us and probably kept the money himself. And in a way, you let him."
"I let him?"
"Jed, we've had this conversation before. You believe you aren't as good as the rest of us. Don't argue. You know it's true."
I nodded.
"I think Wyatt figured that out, too, and used it to get you to do all these projects. Speaking for the town of Three Birds, we are proud to have Jed Curry as a valued citizen and not just because he pays for all our civic projects."
Confused, I looked at Heyes, but he was starin' at the safe in the corner. "Frank, you don't understand because you ain't never been anything but a valued citizen. I got to work twice as hard just to accept me as a neighbor."
"Heyes, you figured this out? That Wyatt is stealing the money?" Frank asked loudly.
Lookin' at the sheriff, Heyes cowered and I thought he might run out of here or run into his safe place in his mind. Instead, he simply said, "Something just didn't add up."
"I'll say it doesn't. I'm going to call a special meeting of the council this afternoon. I can assure you neither of my brothers knew about this. We approved the bills and gave Wyatt the money to pay you. He never did. And because you meekly accepted his word that the city had no money, you never said anything. Jed, when are you going to understand that you are accepted, valued, and liked and as much a part of the fabric of this town as I am?"
I didn't answer. He was always sayin' things like that, but this time he was angry. But I smiled at my partner. "Heyes, you figured all this out?" I was proud of him.
"No one was ever around when Wyatt talked to you. I know how much Phoenix paid out and our reserves are getting low. Breeding season is still months away." He gave me a sheepish, dimpled grin. "I tried to tell you."
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Frank left to gather the city council and I moved to his chair and thought about what he said. I saw his point about bein' takin' advantage of. I should have let Frank or one of his brothers know what I was doin'. I'm tryin' hard to make a place my family belongs.
"Papa, Mr. Birde sent some peppermints for you and Uncle Heyesl, '' Martha announced as she led her brother into sheriff's office. Each had a candy stick. I took the now sticky bag of candy as well as the equally sticky envelope she held out to me. I glanced at the return address, Arnie Weber, Brown River.
"Don't touch anything else with those sticky hands," I warned them.
"Yes, Papa," they said together as the last of their candy sticks disappeared into their mouths.
Michael looked at me and asked, "Papa, what's a gunfighter do?"
Feelin' my heart in my mouth, I managed to answer, "Why do you want to know, son?"
With sticky fingers, he took a ragged dime novel out of his back pocket. "Kid Curry and the Trains of Tombstone" by Hauser Sletten. He handed it to me. It was written at least five years ago and I wondered how many others he's written, all without knowing us. He can't write any more because Colin had him sign a paper not to use our names in his books.
"Curtis Birde says it says you're a gunfighter, Papa," Martha said, as she studied her fingers then licked the sweet residue.
Heyes grabbed the book. "Rubbish and lies," he fumed. "I know your pa ain't never robbed a train in Tombstone."
The twins backed up from his anger. He turned to me. "Read your letter. We'll go wash some sticky hands in the fine horse trough your pa built."
I put the book in Frank's top drawer and turned my attention to the letter. Turned out it was from Arnie Weber and Glen Chinelli.
"Dear Jed,
Hope you are well.
Things in Brown River weren't what I expected. My brother was very welcoming, but he's married to the lady that nursed him and I'm kind of in the way. Everyone in town is still talking about how you brought down the McWinters Gang here practically by yourself. You're a hero here. But they stare at me a lot and, if they are brave enough, ask me and Glen what it was like in Devil's Hole, like it was a vacation or something. Don't think I want to live here anymore.
So, me and Glen went to Alfred's Dream, Wyoming. A man named Harry Church was running the telegraph office, freight office, and diner that Glen inherited. He's a good, honest man and he's doing a good job. Glen had thought to go back there and try to take on his pa's dream of building Alfred's Dream into a thriving town. But his heart wasn't in it. Everything there reminded him of the pa he lost. So, we ran the telegraph office for awhile and Glen almost married Mr. Church's daughter, but we figured she didn't love him. Only wanted to marry the richest man in town, who happens to be Glen now. So, Glen broke their engagement and she started some rumors about him. Glen, a very god-fearing man, was upset that people would think he had taken advantage of a lady. Mr. Church was horrified, too. He offered Glen twice what the papers say his holdings were worth. Glen took it and we left.
We're not sure what we're going to do now. I remembered you said maybe I could come work for you. If that invite includes Glen, I'd like to take you up on that offer. Mr. Heyes told me once your ranch was a good place to heal. I think maybe that's what we need.
We started to head there but all we could remember was you said you stop in Bridgeport on the way to Cheyenne. We're there now. Glen's helping in the telegraph office and I'm working in the livery. Would you telegraph us here and let me know if you have work for us?
Yours truly
Arnie Weber
I folded the letter and put it in the envelope. Arnie and Glen comin' to work here would solve a lot of problems what with Rudy leavin' for college. I smiled to myself. I'd ask Heyes and Chrissy tonight and, if they agreed, I'd send that telegram.
HEYES
The Kid left that old dime novel in Frank's desk and I hope that's the last of it. Jeff Birde refuses to sell our dime novels in his store.
Everything was kept pretty secret. Mr. Brandon Wyatt resigned from the city council saying publicly he was too busy to attend the meetings. Just the council and me and the Kid know the real reason. He paid all the money back and it went to the Kid. That's where the council thought it was going anyway. And Frank Birde saw to it that the Kid was paid extra for the time and talent it took to make some things and Phoenix had plenty of money to weather the winter. They asked the Kid to run for the open seat in the city council but he declined. Told me he didn't want to embarrass a good town by having Kid Curry on their city council. I'm trying but I'm afraid something big's got to happen to prove his worth to himself.
BUT now the Kid had made an enemy. And we learned Brandon Wyatt is a cunning man of great ambition.
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The Kid cleared his backlog of work. Incoming work was slower in the winter and this gave him time to work on the more delicate projects he loved. And I had an idea.
"Kid, can you make this?"
Looking closely at the detailed drawing I gave him, he turned it round and round. "This all your design? Looks like a lock on a safe not even Hannibal Heyes could open."
"That's the idea. Can you do it?"
"This connects to where?" he asked, pointing at a small line with his pencil.
I don't like being near the forge but I leaned on the Kid's stool. It took almost two hours and quite a few improvements from the Kid before he finally looked up at me.
"Heyes, you are a genius!" He gave me a broad smile and almost a slap on the back. He stopped before he touched me. "If I make this, what are you gonna do with it?"
"Want you to convince the bank in Three Birds to let us install it on their safe."
He looked again at the paper spread out on the table. "Think I can do that."
JED 'KID' CURRY
Time had passed quickly as Chrissy reminded me last night. The room was dark and our bodies were warm from makin' sweet love. This time when we lay quietly in each other's arms has become our time for talkin'. Tonight was no different.
"Jed, we need to talk. I think you forgot."
"Forgot what, darlin'?"
"Chrissy darlin'."
"What did I forget, Chrissy darlin'?"
"Matt. Time to visit." She rubbed my cheek with her hand and I kissed her fingers gently.
"Is it this Sunday? Are you able to go? You can't leave Joy yet, can you?"
She was silent and I knew I had hit upon her problem. So, I kept talkin'. "You stay here. Take care of our daughter. I'll visit him. Maybe take a book and some sweets."
Her voice was so quiet I could just hear it. "I told him I visit."
"He'll understand. You can go next time."
I felt her nod then bury her face in my chest. She was cryin' and I didn't know what else to say to calm her.
"Next time," she said through her tears. "Take Heyes?"
"No, I'll go alone this time. Maybe I can stay with Aiden."
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