Winter's Refuge

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Seven

HEYES

Chrissy was more relaxed going into the governor's mansion than the courthouse…and so was I. We had stayed here before. But for Dr. Oliver this was all new and he considered it an honor.

Ignoring Colin's hand to help her out of the buggy, Chrissy waited until I got out the other side and came around to help her down. She stood for a moment before saying, "Good. Miss Tina house," and walked up the two steps. At that moment the butler opened the door. Without hesitation, Chrissy walked right in and headed for the day sitting room we had spent so much time in.

"Miss Tina! Miss Tina!" she called as she scooted around the room. Finding it empty, she looked at the stairs but chose to investigate the kitchen first. "Miss Tina," she called.

I hurried after her, ignoring Colin's efforts to stop me. Like Chrissy, I rushed by him. I felt Dr. Oliver right by my side. As I pushed open the kitchen door, I saw Chrissy looking around almost frantically. "Miss Tina?" I touched the back of her shoulder. That seemed to calm her. She froze and 'thought' for a moment before heading out of the kitchen and into the sitting room. "Upstairs," she announced. Quickly, she started up the stairs, focused on Miss Tina who had appeared at the top.

"Easy, Miss Chrissy, slowly," Dr. Oliver warned her.

"No. Need Miss Tina." She hurried up the stairs as Miss Tina walked down.

"Heyes, do something!" the doctor told me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "When a woman is with child, I've learned not to argue with her." I slapped my hand over my mouth, feeling guilty I had told Chrissy's secret.

"With child?" Miss Tina's face lit up then grew serious. "Already?" she asked. She stopped Chrissy's ascent, and they hugged on the landing.

"Chrissy like being with child. Good now. Need water closet."

JED 'KID' CURRY

True to his word, Lom drained the whiskey bottle he had in his coat onto the sand just before the train left. Sittin' side by side in the one passenger car, we were lost in our own thoughts. I couldn't shake the specter of the prison and the prisoners' eyes followin' me as we left. No matter what Preacher says, I might have amnesty, but I doubt my gramma's Lord has forgiven me for killin'. I need to think about the pact I made with Preacher and Lom. I'll make sure Lom leaves the alcohol behind…but it's not somethin' you can just stop. It lingers in your mind and calls you when your resistance is down. Already know I'm takin' Lom to a line cabin in Colorado. Good fishin', good huntin', two beds, and I saw to it that the cabin it well stocked with everythin' we'll need for the next week…and no alcohol within fifty miles.

So, I'm not goin' to make it to Sunday services with Chrissy this week. I'm already stretchin' my promise to my friends. Only go to services when I'm in Three Birds.

I did tell Preacher I planned to tell Heyes and Chrissy where I had gone and why. "Doesn't feel right to keep secrets from them," I had told him.

He hesitated and locked his eyes to the cross over the pulpit before he looked at me and nodded. "Secrets lead to little lies, then big lies. Secrets and lies destroy trust. You're right, Kid, and a good man. I shouldn't have asked Lom to promise not to tell anyone where I am. It's a burden I will relieve him of right now."

At that time, Lom still had his head down thinkin'. "Lom, not a secret where I am anymore. You can tell anyone who asks."

Now on the train I thought about Preacher's words today and years ago Lom's words that night in Porterville. He told us about the governor's plan for our amnesty. "Just you, me and the governor will know. It'll be our secret."

But the secret was really that his promise of amnesty if we stayed out of trouble was a lie. It was a good way to keep me and Heyes from robbin' trains and banks for a few years. It looked good for the governor that our robberies stopped. We still ended up in prison.

My thoughts were interrupted by Lom abruptly standin' up and startin' to pace up and back down the train aisle. I recognized the look in his eyes…he wanted a drink and his need for the whiskey was growin' stronger.

"Lom, I got a deck of cards; want to play some poker?"

He stopped pacin'. "Guess you know what I really want, but poker will be a good diversion."

HEYES

Dr Oliver climbed the stairs to where Chrissy and Miss Tina were hugging on the small landing. He held out a hand to each. "Ladies, may I help you downstairs," he said with a bow.

Chrissy giggled. Miss Tina smiled. They each accepted a hand.

Colin led us into that sitting room again. "I've sent for the governor; please wait in here."

Chrissy looked around. "Water closet first."

Dr. Oliver excused himself. "I must return home and check that everything is running smoothly. But of course it is My housekeeper, Miss Nancy does an excellent job managing the house," he sighed. It just seems so quiet after being at Phoenix with no children around."

Miss Tina bustled around the room and lit the lights. She stuck her head into the kitchen. "Coffee and lemonade service quickly," she ordered. Sitting down in a chair next to Chrissy, she smiled and said, "I knew Jed was coming. So happy you came with him."

"Jed unreachable. Chrissy and Heyes come instead."

She asked Colin, "Does Charles know?"

"I've sent him a message to that effect and asked him to join us here."

I was enjoying coffee and scones when the governor entered the room followed by his personal guards. He waved them outside.

I stood up, but he went to Chrissy first. "Miss Chrissy, always a pleasure to see you. Heyes, welcome again. I was expecting your partner."

"Jed unavailable. Chrissy and Heyes come instead," Chrissy repeated.

I know he needed a better explanation. "The Kid and a friend took a trip west. Not sure just where they went." But I had a theory.

Governor Charles Sanderson gave me a hard look and a shudder ran through me. He signed my pardon and amnesty. Could he put me back in there if I don't give him the answer he wants to hear? My whole body shuddered. And I stood up straight to hide it. Chrissy saw it though. She knows me well. She spoke up to give me time to think.

"Jed help friend stop drinking."

It was the perfect opening for me. "I think the Kid took this friend to a remote cabin someplace to get the alcohol out of his system." It was what I had done for the Kid. Withdrawal was rough, the urge for whiskey gets overwhelming. But I had left the horses at a livery and had a roaming trader drop us off at the line cabin. He hadn't told me he was going to do this with Lom, but it was my best guess.

"Sounds like something Jed would do," inserted Colin.

'Heyes, are you authorized to speak for Jed? This is quite a serious matter."

I know this man is the Kid's friend, but he represents power and authority to me. Me and the Kid are partners, but maybe I don't know everything he does. Maybe he doesn't think I've healed enough to confide everything in me. The governor's question made me hesitate. The serious matter comment scared me. Looking at Chrissy, she nodded her confidence in me. "May I hear what the matter is before I decide if I can speak for the Kid?"

"I think that may be appropriate, Governor," Colin spoke up.

"Yes, Colin, you're right. Heyes, Colin, let's sit at the round table outside my office and I'll explain the whole thing."

"Chrissy come, too," she insisted.

"Miss Chrissy, I don't think this is a discussion for a woman. You can visit with my wife in here."

Chrissy looked at me and I could see determination in her eyes. She wasn't going to take no for an answer. "I think Chrissy should be included. She's an equal partner in Phoenix and no one knows how the Kid feels better than Chrissy."

"Except Heyes," she added.

"I know when I'm outvoted," Sanderson said gallantly, as he offered his hand to help Chrissy up from the chair.

ASJ*****ASJ

"So, what do you think, Heyes? Can you commit to this in Jed's absence?" Governor Sanderson leaned back in his chair and raised his hands over his head to stretch his back.

I didn't tell him, but my first answer was no, no, NO. He wants the Kid to take one of the prisoners coming up for parole as an apprentice in his blacksmith shop. Sanderson had tried this once before, sending two paroles without asking first. Declan Vance and Lionel "Arizona" Isaac, proved to be a disaster. At least he was asking this time and he kept talking; it sounded to me like he was pleading.

Convict Stanley Oliver Rocke just turned seventeen and was finishing the first year of a four-year term. The parole and prison boards had agreed to parole him if they could find someone to accept him as an indentured apprentice for the rest of his three-year sentence. Sanderson and Colin had thought of the Kid because Rocke's pa had worked for a blacksmith before he deserted his wife and kids.

"He seems to be a good kid that fell in with the wrong crowd without a father around," Colin had explained.

"What happened to his pa?" asked Chrissy. I'm glad she was in this meeting. I was fighting against my instincts to yell 'no' and stalk out. But these men have power and authority, they are in charge, so all I said was "Yes, sir" each time I was asked if I understood.

Colin answered her. He'd been the one with all the details once the governor had made the broad request. "His pa worked for the town blacksmith to support his wife and three kids. Convict Rocke is the oldest. When he was eleven, his pa stole money from the saddlebags of a horse he was shoeing, emptied the blacksmith's cash drawer, and left. Boy never saw him again. We know he rode with the Red Sash Gang when they robbed that train in Colorado three years later."

"The one where passengers were murdered in their seats?" My thoughts returned to the conversation.

"That's the one. Stan Rocke was identified as one of the outlaws killed by the conductor before he died. Brave man, that conductor."

Chrissy was shaking her head and looked like she might cry. We were all silent for a moment. Colin, so far, was painting a sympathetic picture of this kid. Chrissy looked at me. "Very good my Jed and Heyes never kill anyone when they robbed trains or banks…very good."

"One of the major reasons they were considered for amnesty," the governor answered, and it was my turn for the hard look. That amnesty promise was to make the governors look like they stopped us from robbing, and he knew it. They never meant to honor it but Lom was so insistent that… I thought of Lom and the Kid now. I don't know where they are, but I know the Kid is doing his best to help our friend. Would he want to help this convict?

Colin cleared his throat. "Anyway, Convict Rocke worked in the blacksmith shop for over a year, helping out, learning some things but the blacksmith always reminded him of what his pa had done, and accused him of stealing from the customers even when he never did. The boy left when the blacksmith hit him across the back with a flaming hot piece of metal for talking out of turn. Boy was only warning him that the forge was getting out of control.

"Convict Rocke's mother needed money. She was losing the farm. A man that tried to buy the farm for half what it was worth, tried to court her to get it. When she turned down his advances, he drowned her in her creek. The court said it was an accident, she fell in, and let the man off not guilty before they even found her body. When they did weeks later, it was bound hand and feet. The boy and his younger siblings were sent to an orphanage, but the boy jumped out of the wagon. He was caught breaking into the denied suitor's house with kerosene and matches. Charges were brought. He was found guilty and here we are a year later."

"Stanley still very angry at the man?" Chrissy asked. I respected how she was getting to the things we needed to know. If anger was eating him up, he wouldn't be a fit for us.

"Man's dead. Tried to jump his horse over a fence too tall, trying to show off. Fell off, broke his neck." Colin's words held no sympathy for the man.

Colin looked at the governor who nodded at him to continue. "Parole board has set some harsh conditions for this boy's parole."

"Harsh? Why?"

"Because of his age and his crime, they consider him a flight risk. Until he's eighteen, he must be shackled to an iron bed at night and guarded. If you can't guard him at night, I can assign a deputy US Marshal," Colin said, unable to look me in the eyes.

I could see Chrissy was thinking. She finds solutions when she does that. I smiled when she used the governor's first name as if this were a light conversation over dinner. Chrissy can be a charmer when she wants to be. "Charles, shackled to iron bed, in room in house with no windows and door locked from the outside, good enough? Jed and Heyes both sleep nearby rooms."

I knew the room she was thinking about. When we remodeled out from my old bedroom, it had lost its windows and turned into a very small room to allow for a hallway.

"I think we can negotiate that," Sanderson answered, seeming pleased. "Of course, Convict Rocke would not earn wages for his work. Do we have a deal?"

Chrissy answered quickly while I was still thinking. "No. Heyes needs to question Rocke. I need to question Rocke. Then we decide if we can speak for my Jed."

JED 'KID' CURRY

The days got easier each day, but they were still rough. I've been where Lom is and it's hard, real hard. At one point when Heyes had me in this same cabin, I pulled my Colt on him and said I'd shoot him if we didn't leave and get whiskey. Heyes walked towards me, hands out to the side, and stood with his body touchin' my gun. I needed that whiskey, my whole bein' told me that, but I couldn't ever shoot Heyes.

"Easy, Kid," Heyes had said as he took my gun, barrel first, in his hand. I resisted but let go. I didn't see my gun again, unless we were huntin', until we left that cabin.

With Lom, we went for walks and the fishin' was good. Cabin was well stocked and I saw there was fresh meat, but his appetite disappeared. By the first night, he had a constant bangin' headache and tried to talk me into leavin'. He knew of a moonshiner close by. I just smiled and suggested we patch some holes in the roof with boards we found in the shed. Lom tried to read his book, but never turned the page. Finally, he slammed it shut. 'Can't think straight. Tired." He went to bed, but his sleep was restless.

He woke up angry with me, yellin' and cursin' that I wasn't his friend. By the next evenin', he was cold and kept a thick blanket over his shoulders. He would shake uncontrollably, and he couldn't concentrate when we tried to play poker. Early the next mornin', he came to my bedside and pleaded with me for whiskey.

"Why are you tormenting me like this, Kid? I've always been your friend."

"You have and I'm returnin' your friendship. And I'm doin' this for little Wayne."

"Wayne?"

"Your son deserves a sober pa."

He looked at me through bloodshot eyes and laid a clammy, shakin' hand on my shoulder. "Ain't going to live another day without whiskey, Kid."

I sat up and put my feet on the floor.

Lom sat down hard on the bed next to me. "Get me whiskey, Kid. This was a mistake. Take me home now. That's an order."

Puttin' my arm around his shoulders, I answered, "No, Lom. You're stayin' right here until the whiskey urges die down. They'll never go away but you'll be able to resist them."

Tears filled his eyes. "Think Preacher's going through this same thing in prison?"

"Know he is. Probably locked in a solitary cell. Heard men screamin' when the whiskey is withheld." Shudderin' as I remembered the frantic screams in a cell next to me, I hoped it would be easier for Preacher…but I know it is always hard.

"Got a headache. Going to get some more sleep." Lom went back to his own bed, but I was wide awake now and I watched him toss and turn…and call out for Susan.

HEYES

Colin handed us the prison file for Stanley Oliver Rocke. "Please wait here. Miss Tina can come in here and visit while we arrange Convict Rocke's temporary transport here to meet you."

"Good. Chrissy and Heyes no go to prison." She visibly relaxed and we were both entertained by Miss Tina updating us on all the things that had happened in Cheyenne since we'd last stayed here. She had little use for politics, although she was well schooled in it. Her interests lay in the establishing of schools, museums, and parks and all the pitfalls she kept running into trying to get things done in a man's world. She had us laughing until we almost forgot why we were here.

While we were talking, I glanced at the prison's file on this boy. And saw something that influenced my decision. "Chrissy, look." I interrupted her discussion with Miss Tina and slid a page from the file across the table to her.

"What?"

"Look who suggested the Kid and Phoenix for his parole."

I saw her eyes scan the paper and stop when she saw what I had seen. "Convict Matthew McWinters? Matt referred him?"

"Looks like it," I answered, thinking about what this means.

"Who is Matt McWinters to you?" asked Miss Tina.

"Brother. I was Chrissy McWinters."

Miss Tina blushed a little and brought her hands to her face. "Of course, I knew that. I just think of you as Chrissy Curry."

We heard boots outside the door. Colin entered first. And I heard the sound of shackles hitting the floor in the hall. I remember that sound and the feeling of temporary freedom when mine were taken off before visiting with the Kid and Lom in Dr. Arden's office. The teen entered, flanked by two armed guards. I saw Chrissy's eyes grow big as she sat up very straight and tried to push herself as far back into the chair as she could. Miss Tina saw it, too, and reached over to put her hand over Chrissy's.

"Colin, are those men necessary?" she asked as harshly as I have ever heard her speak. Chrissy was now staring at the wall over the small fireplace. I know what she was feeling; my heart was beating fast, and I had the urge to stand up and look down.

Quick to respond to the governor's wife and, though few knew it, his aunt, Colin told the guards to wait in the hall.

"Can't guard the prisoner from the hall, sir. He's unshackled. Orders are to stay with him," the senior guard returned firmly.

"Well, I'm overriding those orders." Governor Charles Sanderson strode into the room through the other door. When the guards didn't move, he added, "You do know who I am."

"Yes, sir. We'll wait in the hall."

Miss Tina excused herself and left out the back door.

As they left, Sanderson sat at the table with us and grinned. "Sometimes it's fun to be governor."

Rocke stood hands in front of him, looking down like a cowed prisoner and I wondered what had happened to break his youthful spirit in prison. I've been there. My spirit and hope were stolen from me there…and the Kid worked hard to save me. I thought, do I want to take a chance on this boy? Is there some spark of hope, of life in there that could be reached? If anyone could do it, the Kid could.

"Look these people in the eyes, convict," Colin told him. "They might be your way out of prison."

From the surprise that hit Rocke's face, and was quickly controlled, I realized he did not know why he was here.

Colin continued, "Tell them what you know about blacksmithing."

After a quick glance at us, he looked down. "Know the basics but haven't done it in a long time."

Chrissy was leaning forward in her chair. "You like it?"

"I liked the horses. I was learning how to shoe them." He spoke to the floor in a soft voice.

"Good," answered Chrissy. Looking at Colin and the governor, she told them rather than asked, "You leave. Me and Heyes talk to him alone."

A look passed between the two men. I could tell Chrissy wasn't going to take no for an answer but didn't know who was going to win this showdown. "Heyes will protect Chrissy. But not needed."

I could see Colin thinking and Sanderson looking to him for a decision. I could tell this was important to Chrissy and she was getting upset at the delay. And Colin knew she was with child, and I hoped he would say yes to keep her calm.

Colin studied me for a minute, and I could tell this boy's fate was important to him. "Okay, we'll give you ten minutes. Convict, be on your best behavior."

"Yes, sir."

"Stanley, sit," she ordered when the men had left.

Unsure about this whole meeting, he hesitated before doing as she asked.

"You good man?" Chrissy asked.

"Always thought of myself that way but guess I got turned around when my pa left."

I found my outlaw leader's voice and asked, "Why do you want to apprentice with us?"

'"Is that what this is all about?" he asked, surprised. "I'd apprentice as a blacksmith? I think I'd like that."

"You like kids?" Chrissy asked.

"Never been around many, but my younger brother and sister…I miss them. They are going to be allowed to come visit in two weeks if I stay out of trouble." It was the first time I got a glimpse of his personality.

"Do you know who I am?" I asked. There might be some problems of a parolee with two ex-outlaws.

"No, sir," he answered.

Had it been that long since the Kid and I ruled the outlaws of the west? Not sure how I felt about it. "I'm Hannibal Heyes and this beautiful lady is Mrs. Jedediah Curry, Kid Curry's wife."

I saw recognition in his face and something else…respect. That couldn't be right. "The famous good guy leaders of the Devil's Hole Gang. Everyone has heard of you. You have a blacksmith on your ranch?"

"The Kid's the blacksmith."

"I'd be apprenticed to Kid Curry? You know he's a hero inside prison? Legend says he spent a day and a night in here while the warden and guards tried to kill him…and he walked out of here on his own two feet."

I nodded. "He did that to save me," I said. And I realized I had shared something personal with him that few others knew.

Chrissy looked concerned. "You read conditions?" she interrupted.

"Conditions? I didn't even know what this meeting was about until you told me." He had relaxed some since we started talking. "Don't read too well. Not much time for school."

"You'd be indentured to us for the next three years. If you break any of the rules, you go right back to prison."

He nodded. Though he was more relaxed, he stayed respectful. I don't think prison has captured his soul yet. Think that's what Matt, Colin, and Sanderson want us to stop from happening.

"And until you turn eighteen, you sleep shackled to iron bed, guarded." Chrissy watched him closely. "And can't touch a gun."

He took a breath in, and I could see him thinking. "Turned seventeen last week so that's a year. But it's better than being in here."

Abruptly, the door opened and Colin entered with the two guards. Rocke jumped to his feet and looked down. But before he was led away, he gave us each a quick look. "Thank you for considering me for this opportunity," he said politely.

I liked him and I could tell Chrissy did too.

Sanderson came in when he was gone. "So, you can take him with you today, if you agree."

I panicked. I liked him but how would the Kid feel about another parole after the last two? Chrissy solved my dilemma. "Not today. His brother and sister come visit soon. He stay for that. It's important. Jed and Heyes come back then, too. If Jed approves, then Rocky come home to Phoenix."