Winter's Refuge

Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Five

HEYES

It was good to have Auntie and Stephanie back at Phoenix. Great Uncle came into my office later that afternoon with two questions.

"Heyes, whose aunt is Mrs. Clark? Not yours or Jedediah's?" he asked.

I smiled at him and told him how she had come with Lom's sister, Lily, when Michael and Martha were five. The twins called them both Auntie and we continued it. When Miss Lily passed, we couldn't have managed without her. The Kid asked her to stay, even built her that house out in back. Her sons came and wanted her to go back with them, but she refused. She told them she wants to be buried up on the hill with Trinity Rose.

"Trinity Rose?" Great Uncle asked quietly.

"Josiah and Diane Francis were part of triplets. Trinity Rose was stillborn." I had to look away. The sadness of that time is still overwhelming. "Have you seen the picture in the Kid and Chrissy's room? It was painted by a famous artist."

"I'm sorry. There's so much about this family I don't know. I'll have to look at that picture sometime when the room is not occupied," he said. He quickly changed the subject. "I have a question about the breeding letters. The calendar is filling up nicely. A Phoenix foal must be something special."

"What's the question?" I asked. I'm starting to like this old man. He can still be crabby and demanding at times, but I like him.

He handed me a letter. "You received this letter from a William Knight and it seems to be different from the others."

"I'm sure it is. William Knight was one of the first people to bring their mares here and he thought that meant he got to live here and watch while they were breeding," I explained.

"Oh my! I believe he still expects to stay in the main house from his letter," Great Uncle said. "How would like me to respond?"

"He's welcome here. Actually, he's a famous east coast chef and he…" I started.

"He's THAT William Knight? When he is at residence at his restaurant in New Jersey, reservations book up a month in advance," he said. "I've never been able to eat there."

"Yes, he's that William Knight and he's welcome to stay in that first guest room, the one next to yours," I told him. "I'll ask the ladies to get it ready for him."

"Do you think that one night he could be prevailed upon to cook dinner for us? Maybe for a reduction of your stud fee?" Great Uncle asked tentatively.

"He'll probably cook most meals while he's here. He and Auntie have a good time sharing recipes and spice mixtures. Usually, a big box of spices and fancy cooking supplies arrives a week before he does. How many mares is he bringing?" I smiled at the surprise on his face as it turned to excited anticipation.

"It says three mares. One of them, Elf, has been here before. He wants to be here a month rather than the usual three weeks. I didn't understand this line." He pointed at a line near the end. It read, "I promise not to bring the flu with me this time."

"Book the three mares for three weeks and we will board them for the extra week free of charge. Tell Auntie when he is arriving so she can be prepared," I told him. "And I'll tell you about how the grippe came to Phoenix another time."

JED 'KID' CURRY

It felt good to eat dinner at the kitchen table with everyone. And Auntie made dinner. Even Heyes' young son, Alexander, joined us. I sat at the head of the table with Chrissy to my left and my right leg was supported by a chair to my right. Aiden removed the wooden splint with a strict warnin' not to use my leg too much. Our new son is wrapped up tight in the well-used bassinet in the livin' room. Uncle Charles stood lookin' at the baby for a long time. Even though he can be prickly, I want him to feel that this is his home and we are his family.

After Auntie led us in a grace that included her happiness that everyone, includin' her, was gathered for dinner.

"Jedediah, I believe your new son has your wife's eyes," Great Uncle said.

Chrissy smiled. "McWinters' eyes," she announced.

"MCWINTERS?" asked Great Uncle loudly. "Mark McWinters kin?"

Chrissy froze and stared at me, but didn't see me. The meals around this table are not contentious. (Heyes will like that I know how to use that word.) Everyone looked at Great Uncle.

"What? The Mark McWinters' Devil's Hole Gang robbed my railroad of a lot of money…and killed an engineer, two security guards, and some passengers," he said in explanation.

Into the quiet in the room, Chrissy sat up straighter and turned to him. "My full name is Christina McWinters Curry."

Great Uncle took a deep breath before answering. "You're related to the McWinters brothers?" he asked quietly.

Chrissy didn't answer; she was starin' at the wall behind me.

"They are my wife's younger brothers," I answered for her.

Unnerved, Great Uncle stopped eatin'. Puttin' his knife and fork down, he pushed his chair back, preparin' to stand and leave the kitchen.

"Great Uncle, stay," Heyes told him. "Another day I'll tell you how the Kid…er…stopped The McWinters Gang at Brown River." He looked at the little ears listenin' around the table. They're too young to know the details of that day that branded me a so-called hero.

"Brothers bad…not all bad…Luke priest. My Jed stopped them," Chrissy said, lookin' at Great Uncle.

Great Uncle looked confused but interested, like he was puttin' things together in his mind. "The breeding letters, some of them mention Winter Refuge. Jedediah, you said your first studs came from there," he said slowly.

"Winter's Refuge my pa's ranch," Chrissy said. Her voice was monotone and her vision back on the ceilin'. "Best breeding ranch in Wyoming."

Great Uncle left his chair pushed from the table but didn't get up. Everyone except the little twins, Catherine, and Alexander had stopped eatin'. I didn't know what to say.

"I understand," Great Uncle Charles said. "This is a conversation for adults and for after we finish this fine meal." He pulled his chair back into place and looked around the table. There was an awkward silence.

Chrissy broke that silence. "We have named our baby boy," she said.

Immediately, everyone was engaged in an exciting conversation. I smiled. Chrissy knew just how to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Well, what did you name the dear little one?" Auntie asked. She winked at me and I knew she appreciated that the topic of discussion had been changed.

"We wanted a strong name," Chrissy said.

"And we wanted a family name," I added.

"Don't tell me his name is Hannibal. If it is, you better rethink it," Heyes said, leanin' forward. I realized everyone except the youngest were leanin' toward me and Chrissy.

Chrissy laughed. Her true laugh makes my heart so happy. "Not Hannibal…and Jed say no Jedediah," she explained.

"Well, Jedediah is a family name. My father was named Jedediah McNamara," Great Uncle informed us.

"He was? I never knew that," I said. Learnin' I was named after my grandfather suddenly gave me a sense of my history, a lost connection to my past was found. And a profound sadness that my ma hadn't lived long enough to tell me about him.

"He was," Great Uncle said. "Now I think that everyone would like to know the name of our newest addition."

I heard it. He said 'our' not 'your'. He considered himself part of this family. I caught Heyes' eyes. He nodded slightly. He had heard it, too.

"Our son will be baptized Charles Jedediah Curry!" Christina announced.

Everyone at the table cheered and Catherine and Alexander joined in bouncin' up and down in their booster seats, although I'm sure they didn't know what was goin' on. Well, everyone cheered except Great Uncle. Ruth Ann started signin' at him. Joy and Nettie ran around the table to him, each tryin' to climb into his lap from the side. Carefully, he pushed his chair back and hugged them as they each wrapped their arms around his neck.

"Great Uncle, Ruth Ann wants to know why tears are comin' from your eyes," translated Nettie. "And I want to know why you don't like the baby's name."

Joy reached over and handed him his napkin from the table to wipe his eyes.

"Thank you, dear." He looked at me, then Chrissy. He waited until they locked eyes for a moment. "I'm honored, Miss Chrissy. Thank you. I'm sorry if I upset you earlier." His tone was formal, almost tentative, not sure if his apology was goin' to be accepted.

I could see the tears in my wife's eyes and reached over and squeezed her hand under the table. When she looked toward me, I could tell they were happy tears. "We give baby a strong, family name, your name. Our hope is that he grows up to be strong like you," Chrissy said through her tears.

LOM

My newspapers from all over the western states never stopped coming while we were away. Someone, probably Heyes, stacked them up neatly in a corner of the library and kept them in date order. I walked Wayne over to the main house at Phoenix and I went down and sat at one of the two little desks in the library. I started with the newspaper that came yesterday, then worked toward the oldest dates. I kept the doors to the library open for anyone that wanted to borrow or return books. It's usually only open on weekends.

I have folders for notes. One is to record the newspaper and dates that reported on the capture of the Black Brook Gang. Most seemed pretty accurate, except there was an article from a lady, probably a teenager, who claimed Brooke Evans was her cousin and was so nice and polite he could never have done all the bad things he was accused of doing. She always mentioned that her cousin always brought them money and supplies when they needed help. He was so nice and considerate, she had added. I wondered what would happen to her and her family now that her benefactor, although a thief and a killer, was dead. I wrote a note to Deputy Director Brothers to, perhaps, send a marshal to check on them.

My other folders have notes on all the bank, train, and stage robberies I read about. I noted the places, the details of the robberies that were reported, what was taken, who was injured, were any of the outlaws identified, the lawman that investigated the incident, and anything else that seemed important to me. And I have a large map on the wall at home that I use to see if there are any patterns.

I'm amazed that people still claim that Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry are robbing them. At first, I laughed at that, but now I've started a folder for those articles. The more I read, I think someone is impersonating them. There's definitely a trend with these robberies moving north across New Mexico Territory. I moved that folder to the top of my stack.

I have a couple of other trends I'm following and now I have two weeks of papers and hours of reading to see if I can add information to any page in my pending folders.

"Uncle Lom?" I looked up to see Nettie, trailed by Diane Frances and Josiah in the open doorway to the library. Mr. McNamara stood behind them.

"May we come in? I was hoping there might be a book on horse breeding that I might check out," he said.

"And we want to get a story book," Nettie told me with certainty. When she smiled, I noticed that she was developing Heyes' dimples.

"Help yourself. There is a card for every book but I don't know how they are organized," I told the man as the youngsters ran to the children's section.

I went back to my newspapers and the man looked through the cards and decided on two books, one on horses and the newest dime novel 'Kid Curry and the Victory at Black Tree'.

"You know these books are mostly made up," I told him. I had read one of the books and it's pretty close to what happened at Brown River, close but not exact. All the names except the Kid's have been changed.

"It says here that the author, Hauser Sletten, is a personal friend of Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes," he said, pointing to the words on the back cover.

"They rescued him once and saved his life," I told him. "But I don't think either one of them would call him a friend."

"I'll keep that in mind when I read it. Thank you," he said, as he gathered the kids and left.

But this conversation had given me another approach to the new articles about Curry and Heyes. I need to go back and read them carefully to see if the details ring true or are from Sletten's dime novels.

JED 'KID' CURRY

Stephanie has continued to live in the little back house with Auntie. They both seem happy with the arrangement. Last night Auntie cornered me and Heyes when we were rockin' on the front porch havin' a drink after dinner.

"Good, I'd like to talk to both of you," Auntie started.

My heart did a fast beat. Was she going to tell me she was sicker than I thought?

Heyes stood up and offered her his rockin' chair as he sat on the porch rail.

"Want to just make sure you know something about our Stephanie," she said.

"Stephanie?" I asked. She's been no trouble since she came here as my ward. She studies hard, does her chores and more, and always seems to be happy.

"Oh, it's nothing bad. I just want to make sure you know that she writes long letters almost every night to your Sam, Heyes. And she gets letters back every few days from him. She keeps them in her top drawer and has a pink ribbon tied around them."

"Young love," said Heyes, with a grin.

"I think it's more than that. She talks with me about him sometimes. They are making long term plans," Auntie said.

"What kind of plans?" demanded Heyes.

"Sam has accelerated his studies so he will graduate early and start his law studies in Denver. Stephanie is hoping to go to secondary school in Denver for Mathematics and then go to the University in Denver," she explained. "I don't know if they have any set dates for anything, but she sure seems to love the boy." Auntie explained.

I looked at Heyes. "Well, we knew they were attracted to each other," I started.

"But we didn't know how attracted. At least they are both planning on finishing their studies," Heyes answered. He looked over the ranch for a moment. "Kid, Auntie, is this a good thing or something we need to worry about?"

Auntie smiled. "I think it will turn out to be a good thing, especially since they both plan to finish their studies. But I don't like how secretive they are about it. Has Sam mentioned anything to you or Angie about this?"

"Well, at Catherine's first birthday party he told us he liked her. But he hasn't mentioned any of his future plans," Heyes said.

"Stephanie is more likely to talk to you or Chrissy than me," the Kid said. "What do you think we should do?"

"Let me handle it. When is the next time Sam will be home from school?" Auntie asked. "I think once they feel comfortable talking about it with all of us, it will be a good match for both of them."

ASJ*ASJ

Heyes looked like he had swallowed a frog, he was so excited this mornin'. He said he has a surprise for me. At breakfast, he kept lookin' at me and smilin'. "You're goin' to love this," he told me. I think Rocky and Vince must know what he means because they keep smilin' at each other.

The splint has been off for over two weeks and I'm tryin' to walk without limpin'. I've been back workin' in the blacksmith shop in the afternoon for a week, but Rocky watches me carefully makin' sure I don't lift anything too heavy. He heard Aiden tell me that. Rocky's idea of too heavy and mine are different, but I'm goin' along with him for a few more days.

Today, the wagon is ready out in front and I saw Chrissy put a picnic basket in the back. I used one crutch to help get up onto the front bench and threw it into the back. I don't intend to use it to get down.

When we were travelin' I let Heyes direct the conversation. He talked about how helpful Great Uncle was with the breeding calendar and the response letters. Then we talked about Stephanie and Sam for a while. We're not against the relationship, but she's too young to make any commitment.

I took a deep breath and looked around. We were surrounded by the black walnut trees and on the path to my hidden glen. Heyes knows the peace I find here…but peace wasn't on his mind today.

Pullin' the wagon off to the side, he came around to help me down. "I got it," I told him as I got down myself.

He looked around. "Kid, I want you to stand right here" he said, walkin' to a spot in the middle of the glen.

"Heyes?" I questioned.

"You'll see. Your gun loaded and ready for some practice?" he asked.

"When has it not been ready?" I asked. Still, I drew it out, checked that it was loaded, and spun it back into my holster.

"I thought you needed to practice on some different targets so…" Heyes pulled a nearby rope and a target dropped, suspended from a nearby tree. I drew and hit the center. He pulled another rope and the target disappeared into the trees. I noticed a lot of ropes on the ground and smiled.

"How many targets you hide?" I asked.

"That's for you to figure out. I'll pull them fast and slow. Sometimes you'll have time to holster that gun. Sometimes you won't. They are in front of us and on both sides and one has a rough drawing of a little girl on it. You don't shoot that one," Heyes finished so proud of himself.

Excited, I replaced the bullet I had used. Takin' my gunfighter's stance, I told him, "Let's go."

He was right. I need this kind of practice. The first six he showed me were all kinda in front of me and I had a chance to holster my gun after each one. The second group was a little faster and the targets were in front, to the left, and right. I still had time to holster my gun each time.

Then in the third round the targets came quickly, one after another from both sides and in front. I swung my body around with my gun still out. The fifth target that appeared from behind a tree on my right was the picture of the little girl. I caught my trigger finger just before I shot. "I almost shot her," I said, shakin' my head.

"But you didn't," Heyes answered, resetting all the targets. He walked into the trees. I know he is movin' the little girl target. '

"Who drew the girl?" I asked, smilin'.

"Joy, with a little help from Steven," Heyes answered. "Ready to go again?"