{"id":7445,"date":"2011-10-13T12:20:31","date_gmt":"2011-10-13T16:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7445"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:25:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:25:10","slug":"honor-among-thieves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7445","title":{"rendered":"Honor Among Thieves (by slaine89)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>A stranger finds Joe near death and decides to help him but things are complicated by Joe’s inability to remember who he is and by the man’s own dark past.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 T (18,985 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Honor Among Thieves<\/strong><\/p>\n

The young man was small, built lightly but powerfully for all that, like a sleek cat. Not one ounce of his body was wasted on excess fat; instead every inch of him was toned. He was a man used to hard work. He wasn\u2019t that bad looking either with still wet brown curls plastered to his face. His clothes were well made, or at least they had been before he\u2019d fallen into the river, tan pants, finely stitched boots and a soft green jacket. At his side there was an empty holster, twisted sideways slightly from the force of the water and with its string still tied his thigh: the mark of a man who knew one end of a gun from the other. And he couldn\u2019t have been older than eighteen.<\/p>\n

It was that that had stopped me from riding past and just treating the young man lying on the bank like an old log pushed up on shore after the river had finished battering it. After all, it wasn\u2019t like I didn\u2019t have my own problems, and they were probably hot on my trail. I certainly didn\u2019t have time to take care of stray wanderers too stupid to stay away from a river whose waters were swollen past its banks and ready to flood from too much rain. It had been a miracle he\u2019d been washed up at all instead of simply being sucked to the bottom. He was probably dead anyway. In which case there would be no harm in me riding right past him.<\/p>\n

Then again, if he was dead it wouldn\u2019t take too much time for me to pull him farther away from the water. Just in case it rained more. Someone might be looking for him, I reasoned. At least this way there would be a body for them to find. So I dismounted, crouched down in the mud, and reached under his sopping green jacket to drag him backward. As I did his head lolled back, and his eyes fluttered. I paused, thinking that I\u2019d imagined it. But then his lips parted, and something between a mumble and a moan slipped out.<\/p>\n

Damn.<\/p>\n

Again I thought about leaving. I didn\u2019t know him; he didn\u2019t know me. He wasn\u2019t my problem. But his eyes fluttered again, and the bumps on his face made him look even younger than he probably was, which was still undoubtedly young.<\/p>\n

A kid.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t to the point where I would leave a kid to die alone by the riverside while a coyote waited nearby. Not yet anyway. I lifted him and swung him over my saddle. My horse turned to glance at me, and I couldn\u2019t blame her. We\u2019d been riding long and hard, and I was sure the added weight wasn\u2019t welcome. I swung aboard behind the kid and nudged the horse forward. I would take him to the next house I found and dump him on the doorstep. Then both my horse and I could happily forget we\u2019d ever seen him.<\/p>\n

We rode until nightfall and didn\u2019t see a soul. Normally I preferred places where you could ride and not see anyone for days. At the moment though, I wished I was in a more populated area. Riding with another person draped over the saddle in front of you isn\u2019t exactly the most comfortable thing in the world. As the day dragged on and the land grew more desolate I found myself envying his unconsciousness. At least he didn\u2019t know how uncomfortable he was.<\/p>\n

Or maybe he did. He was mumbling and groaning to himself, and every little jolt made him give a weak mutter. The jolts were growing more and more frequent now. Tip was as surefooted a horse as they came, but even she couldn\u2019t ride smoothly over the broken ground that we were covering.<\/p>\n

Then there were the times when he would go absolutely quiet, and automatically I would reach down with my right hand to feel for a pulse. Once or twice I halted just to be sure. Each time he was alive though \u2013 barely. I didn\u2019t know whether to be relieved or not. But as the sun finally set I gave up. We weren\u2019t going to reach a house and it was no good blundering about in the dark waiting for Tip to stumble and break her leg. I dumped the kid on the ground and set to work untacking and making a fire. My horse came first, then me, then the useless piece of luggage I\u2019d picked up.<\/p>\n

When I finally got around to him it was nearly dark, but his face was so pale it seemed to almost glow in the firelight. His forehead was creased, and he was muttering again. Delirious. I managed to get some water down him and used his neckerchief as a wet rag on his forehead. He was lucky there was a creek nearby or I wouldn\u2019t have gone to the trouble.<\/p>\n

There wasn\u2019t a lot I could do for him. His shoulder had been dislocated, but I fixed that easily enough, and otherwise he only had bumps and bruises. I didn\u2019t know how it was possible that he\u2019d come out of that river with so little harm.<\/p>\n

\u201cMust have a good guardian angel.\u201d I muttered. Hopefully for his sake it was still around. Either he would come out of this fever or he wouldn\u2019t. In the meantime all I could do was huddle by the fire and wish that I hadn\u2019t given him my blanket and my coat. Chances were he wouldn\u2019t make it. I had no way of knowing how long he\u2019d been laying by the river in the mid autumn chill, but judging by his fever it had probably been hours, maybe even overnight. And if he did die, it meant that I would have spent a night shivering for nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cZeke.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked around. It was the first intelligible word he\u2019d muttered so far. Which meant he was getting stronger. I still wasn\u2019t sure if that was a good thing or not.<\/p>\n

But I was curious.<\/p>\n

\u201cZeke who?\u201d I asked. I didn\u2019t move from my spot. If he couldn\u2019t hear me across the campfire that was his problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cSullivan.\u201d He jerked a little and nearly rolled into the fire. I sighed and got up to push him back over. Then I flipped him around so that the other side of his body could be close to the warmth too.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas it this Zeke Sullivan that pushed you into the river?\u201d I asked. But whatever coherence he had had was gone, and he went on muttering to himself in words that I couldn\u2019t understand. I sat back down and crossed my arms.
\n<\/p>\n

When the sun rose there was no question that he\u2019d be able to travel. He was thrashing back and forth, and now I could make out a few more words like \u2018brother\u2019 and \u2018thief\u2019. That made me perk up and listen, but then he would go back into incoherence. A couple of times he nearly sat straight up and shouted \u201cRun!\u201d Whether he was talking to this Zeke person or himself or someone else I didn\u2019t know. But I did know that there was no way he could move now. Chances were he\u2019d jerk himself right off the horse. So I left him to his ramblings and went to shoot a rabbit for breakfast.<\/p>\n

The fact that he was able to move around and talk meant that he was getting stronger, which if he continued to do so meant that he might snap out of his fever. Which in turn meant that I\u2019d be here for a while. With that in mind I set a few snares, cursing all the while. I should have been well on my way to San Francisco by now, not stranded in the middle of the God forsaken wilderness nursing some half drowned kid. What I was carrying nagged at me like an itch I couldn\u2019t scratch, and each day of delay made it worse. I thought about just leaving. It wasn\u2019t like there was a whole lot I could do here anyway. Not while he was still unconscious.<\/p>\n

He picked just then to shout his warning again, and I wondered who it was he was telling to run. Was there someone chasing him? The last thing I needed was more trouble. I picked up my saddle and swung it onto Tip\u2019s back. She glanced at me, her large brown eyes seeing deeper than I ever let any human do. Was I imagining the reproach there?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done all I can do.\u201d I told her. Or myself. It didn\u2019t matter which, because neither of us believed me. I swung the saddle down. He would either die or be up in the next day or so, and then I could be on my way. One day wasn\u2019t going to kill me.<\/p>\n

Well, it might. But my hand strayed to my hip, and I felt the reassuring smoothness of my gun beneath my fingers. There might be trouble following behind, but I could wreak my own fair share of trouble as well. Besides, disappearing into the wilderness for a while might not be such a bad idea.<\/p>\n

We couldn\u2019t stay here though. It was too much in the open and too close to the road I\u2019d left a few miles back. I glanced at the kid. He was lying still, still mumbling, but not thrashing around. This time I swung the saddle up onto Tip with a purpose, and I barely noticed when she glanced back except to cock my elbow slightly. She\u2019d never bitten me before, but it was a habit learned from other horses that had.<\/p>\n

I scouted around for nearly three hours before I found a place to my liking. It was a little far from the snares I had set, but I could always move them, and most importantly, it was settled on top of a hill amidst a pile of large boulders. I could look down to the east toward the road and see the land spread out before me, but I had the rocks at my back, easy to get lost among if I had to slip away. There was plenty of dry brush around, wood that wouldn\u2019t make a lot of smoke. With the new campsite settled upon, I went back for the kid. He muttered something when I lifted him up onto Tip, but then when I set him down again, his eyelids flickered a little. I pushed my face closer to his, and the eyes opened a crack.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d The word was barely audible.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot quite.\u201d I said drily. He didn\u2019t answer, and I straightened and took another look at him. Just how old was this kid? Sleeping now with his eyes closed, he looked around eighteen, but his soft pleading voice had made him seem so much younger. I frowned and roughly brushed the dirt off the knees of my pants.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour pa had better be grateful for all the trouble I\u2019m going through for you, kid.\u201d I muttered.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~*~<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He woke up again that night, but not long enough for me to get any information out of him, just long enough for him to drink the rest of the water I\u2019d brought along and go back to sleep. His fever was gone, and without its burning strength coursing through his body, the boy seemed limp and weak. He\u2019d need something besides water to help him get back on his feet.<\/p>\n

I went back to get more water and checked the snares on the way. The first three were empty, but the last one had a small bird struggling inside it. Not much, but better than nothing. I snapped its neck and brought it along. As I crossed the empty land below the campsite, I glanced sideways and back several times to make sure no one was following me. I doubted there would be anyone; whoever Clancy had sent to tail me would probably just ride to the next town without bothering to think that I might change course. But I couldn\u2019t know if anyone had been following the kid.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure would be nice to know.\u201d I muttered to myself as I boiled some of the water. I let the bird simmer in the water to make a kind of broth since I doubted the kid would be able to eat anything whole. As the broth simmered, my nose twitched, and my stomach began to make its presence known. I stirred slowly. That kid had better wake up soon or I\u2019d eat his dinner myself.<\/p>\n

As if on cue, he started to shift, but it was a different kind of movement than his fevered thrashing. He wriggled slightly on the uncomfortable ground the way someone does when they\u2019re slowly waking up to their surroundings but not quite alert yet. After a moment his eyes opened and focused on me, and I waited for him to say something. He seemed to want to, but there were too many questions in his eyes, and he didn\u2019t know which one to start with. I didn\u2019t feel obligated to help him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you?\u201d he finally asked. His voice was raspy and hoarse, and I placed the canteen closer to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one special.\u201d I said. \u201cJust a traveler.\u201d Just because I\u2019d saved his life didn\u2019t mean he needed to know anything about me. \u201cAnd who are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The mouth opened then closed, and there was a flicker of panic in his eyes as they swept back and forth frantically, looking for some sort of foothold in his mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d He finally said. His voice rasped again, but not from thirst this time.<\/p>\n

I sat back on my heels. Well this was a twist. I guess I\u2019d been too hasty when I\u2019d thought he\u2019d escaped from the river unscathed. I could still see him mentally fumbling, as if for a match in the darkness. I decided to help him out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pulled you out of the river.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat river?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpruce River.\u201d I eyed him. \u201cDo you know where you are?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head, and I inwardly sighed. Of course it couldn\u2019t be a simple matter of keeping an eye on him until he woke up and then going on my way. Why should it be?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re about thirty miles southwest of Sacramento. Like I said, I fished you out of the Spruce River the day before last. You had a pretty high fever from lying on the riverbank, and you probably hit your head, which explains why you don\u2019t have the foggiest notion as to how you got in the river in the first place.\u201d I didn\u2019t bother trying to keep my frustration at the whole situation out of my tone. He was silent for several moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, thanks for that.\u201d He finally said.<\/p>\n

I snorted, feeling as if I\u2019d kicked a puppy. \u201cNever mind.\u201d I said. \u201cSo you can\u2019t remember anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head again. \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe too. Can you sit up?\u201d<\/p>\n

He pushed himself up and settled against one of the boulders, and I ladled some broth into my tin plate and passed it to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d He said.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t answer. My mind was racing, trying to think of a plan that would let me get rid of this kid and be on my way. I frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t even know your name.\u201d<\/p>\n

He paused in blowing on the broth to cool it down, and I saw another flicker in his eyes. Sadness.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

So I\u2019d just have to keep calling him \u2018the kid\u2019. Well, I for one had been called a lot worse things, and if he hadn\u2019t then he was lucky. I lifted a bit of the bird into my mouth, mindless of how it burnt my fingers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis certainly is a mess.\u201d I said more to myself than him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to stick around if you\u2019ve got somewhere to be.\u201d He said stiffly. He must have sensed my thoughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant.\u201d I said, although it had been. \u201cIf I had anywhere to be, I would already be gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t seem convinced, but he didn\u2019t argue. Instead he finished the rest of his food in silence and fell back asleep. I pulled some jerky out of my saddle bags since the bird hadn\u2019t done much to fill my stomach. As my teeth worked to chew through the leather-like meat, my mind worked to chew through this mess and formulate a solution. Sadly my teeth had more success, and I finally gave up and went to sleep.<\/p>\n


\nHe was still asleep when I woke up, but I wasn\u2019t surprised. He\u2019d had a pretty close shave, and it would be a while before he was back to himself \u2013 whoever that was. In the meantime, I had finally stumbled upon a plan, and it made me feel a lot better as I went to get more water. Even the empty snares didn\u2019t stop me from whistling as I made the last bit of my coffee.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou seem in a good mood.\u201d The kid rolled over slightly and sat up.<\/p>\n

I shrugged. \u201cCheck your pockets.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour pockets. See if there\u2019s anything there that can jog your memory.\u201d<\/p>\n

His fingers slid first into his jacket pockets, then his pants and finally his shirt, and he pulled out a few crumpled pieces of paper. He carefully peeled them open and then frowned and tossed them to the side.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo water stained to read.\u201d He said.<\/p>\n

I nodded. I had figured as much. \u201cNothing written on your shirt?\u201d Maybe I\u2019d get lucky and he\u2019d be an escaped convict with a prison number written on the back of his shirt. But after taking his shirt off, he shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cLack of foresight on your part.\u201d I muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs if you have your name branded on the backside of your pants.\u201d He shot back as he pulled his shirt back over his head. \u201cWhat is your name anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCall me Wade.\u201d I wasn\u2019t telling him my last name. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t suppose you care what I call you?\u201d<\/p>\n

His shrug was about the most bewildered and dispirited that I\u2019d ever seen as he gestured with both hands out. Lucky for him I had a backup plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you ever been to Coledale?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

The air of helplessness turned to anger.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow should I know?\u201d he snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, does the name sound familiar?\u201d My voice matched his sharp tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe. I don\u2019t know.\u201d His forehead wrinkled. \u201cCould be. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Spruce River runs by it about seven miles upstream of where I found you. Maybe someone there knows you. Maybe you\u2019ll even find that Zeke Sullivan you were rambling about when you were unconscious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instantly I had his attention. \u201cI was? What else did I say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot much.\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned disappointedly. \u201cWell I guess that\u2019s something.\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded. \u201cMore than something.\u201d And it was the best he could hope for from me. It would mean a day\u2019s riding back the way I\u2019d come, but if it meant I could get rid of this young problem without my horse staring at me reproachfully, then it was worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks. If I find out who I am and it turns out I have money I\u2019ll repay you.\u201d His smile was weak; he was trying to put a brave on an impossible situation. For a moment the corners of my mouth twitched as if to return the smile; then I stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too late to start today, and you might as well get another day of rest anyway.\u201d I said gruffly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~*~<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t strong enough to go the next day either, so we waited another day. I didn\u2019t think he would make it the day after that, but he stubbornly insisted, and I wasn\u2019t going to argue. I hadn\u2019t forgotten the fact that there were two of us and only one horse, but I\u2019d preferred to ignore it. But the next morning as I saddled the said one horse, there was no way to push that fact to the back of my mind anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll ride, I\u2019ll walk.\u201d I finally said when we were ready to go. I couldn\u2019t ask Tip to carry two people for that long.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll take turns.\u201d He said stubbornly, and I nearly laughed out loud.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can barely stand up. At least this way there\u2019ll be someone to catch you if you collapse and fall off.\u201d<\/p>\n

He opened his mouth to argue, and I effectively ended the conversation by walking away. A moment later I heard him mount and there was the sound of hoof beats following me, muffled slightly in the hard packed dirt.<\/p>\n

We stopped at the creek near where we had first camped to refill my canteens. I shook one thoughtfully. It was heavy now, but it wouldn\u2019t last that way for very long. Not with two people drinking out of it, one of whom would be down on foot.<\/p>\n

As the day wore on, I became resigned to the fact that it was going to take more than one day to get to Coledale. Even if we\u2019d both been on horses, there was no way the kid would have been able to manage more than a walk. Despite the fact that I\u2019d been joking when I\u2019d said I\u2019d catch him if he fell, there were several times when I\u2019d almost thought I would have to. Each time he\u2019d shake himself a little and say he was fine, his firm eyes daring me to disagree.<\/p>\n

Too bad he can\u2019t lie down up there. I thought after a few more minutes of watching him sway unsteadily, both hands clutching the saddle horn after nearing tumbling forward to the ground. Then I slapped my forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on.\u201d I pulled Tip to a halt and dug my hatchet out of my saddle bags.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d he asked. He leaned forward slightly, and I saw perspiration on his forehead despite the crisp breeze.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t working.\u201d Fortunately we had reached the river, and there were small limbs and branches strewn about. If I\u2019d tried this earlier I wouldn\u2019t have been able to find anything large enough. It made me feel better about thinking of making a litter only just now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd in another hour or so you\u2019ll be shivering and that fever you worked so hard to get rid of will be knocking on your door again.\u201d My hands worked as I talked, and soon I had a large enough surface of branches to tie behind Tip. By then the kid had dismounted and was sitting in the edge of the road despite the fact that he claimed to be fine. I shook my head. You had to give him credit for pure orneriness. He glanced doubtfully at my creation, probably wondering whether it would hold. I didn\u2019t give him the option.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook,\u201d I said, \u201cyou\u2019re tired of riding, and I\u2019m tired of walking. If you think you can manage more than five steps in a row right now, feel free to try. Or you can get on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fight went out of him as he exhaled and pushed himself to his feet. I put the hatchet back in my saddlebags and then tossed him my blanket.<\/p>\n

\u201cCover up.\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m not having my hard work go to waste if you get sick again. And if you even think of getting up to walk, I\u2019ll tie you down.\u201d Then I mounted. My tired feet slipped gratefully into the stirrups and I nudged Tip into a walk. I didn\u2019t want to risk going any faster, but at least the walk was brisker. And I felt much better about going back the way I\u2019d come now that I could make a quick getaway if I had to.<\/p>\n

We stopped for the night and reached Coledale a little after noon the next day. I halted Tip on the outskirts so I could get rid of the litter. That kind of thing would attract more attention than I cared to. The kid had been whiter than a sheet last night, but today he seemed more alive than I\u2019d seen him yet, and his grip was almost firm as he shook my hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks again.\u201d He said. \u201cYou saved my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t forget it.\u201d I swung back onto Tip. I wasn\u2019t much of one for sentimental goodbyes, and I didn\u2019t like the fact that while I\u2019d only known him for a few days, I already felt worried about him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you planning on doing?\u201d the question was out before I could stop it.<\/p>\n

He shrugged, that bleak shrug that made it seem as if his shoulders were pushing against an entire world resting on them. \u201cI\u2019ll figure something out.\u201d He forced a grin, but he couldn\u2019t keep back a slight tremor in his voice or a darting look around the strange town.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026 good luck.\u201d I touched my hat and turned Tip into the town. I wanted to get a few more supplies \u2013 namely coffee \u2013 but I didn\u2019t want to hang around that kid any longer than I needed to. I\u2019d done my friendly deed, been a good Samaritan, and now it was time to worry about my own problems again.<\/p>\n

I tied my horse outside the first general store I came across and went up the painted wooden steps, glancing up and down the street quickly first. I very well might have been risking my neck for fresh coffee, but I wasn\u2019t going to be stupid about it. The streets were about as busy as one could expect on a Tuesday afternoon, but no one seemed to be paying any special attention to me, and so I went in. There were a few women milling about, but no men besides the one behind the counter. I relaxed slightly and my hand dropped from where it had been hovering by my gun.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I help you, sir?\u201d the man behind the counter asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cA pound of coffee.\u201d I said. Mentally I ran through my supplies and added jerky, bread, and a few cans of tinned peaches to the list.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd salt.\u201d I said lastly. I always added it liberally to whatever I managed to catch, otherwise the meat tasted bland. As the man scuttled around the store filling up my box, I idly flipped through a newspaper at the counter, not so much because I cared about local news as because people were less likely to talk to a man reading a newspaper, and I had never been one for small talk.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew in town?\u201d a woman close to my side asked.<\/p>\n

I inwardly sighed. Clearly this woman was unfamiliar with the unspoken rules dictating paper reading and conversations.<\/p>\n

\u201cPassing through.\u201d I said without lifting my eyes from the print. So John Blake \u2013 whoever he was \u2013 was going to run for sheriff since the old one was retiring. Good for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell that\u2019s too bad; I was going to tell you about the church picnic we\u2019re having this Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n

I flipped the page and discovered that I could read all about it. But I nodded and kept flipping as she chatted away, batting her eyelashes occasionally. I could feel a flush of irritation creeping up my neck. Women.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if you\u2019re leaving, I suppose you won\u2019t be able to come. How long did you say you were staying in town?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d I flipped to the back page; the obituaries and wedding announcements. I never read this part, too depressing. But I still had hope that if I kept reading she would get the hint.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, well I\u2019m sure you could find a room at a reasonable price if you decided to stick around. Mike Milligan runs the hotel down the street\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he\u2019s getting married too.\u201d I mumbled and instantly regretted it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is!\u201d she put a gloved hand on my arm, and I couldn\u2019t help but notice that it tightened a little. \u201cYou should see his bride to be, such a pretty little thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll bet.\u201d I mumbled, scanning down to the obituaries. Iram Stoner. Too bad, but then he was sixty three years old. And Mrs. Jerome, well at least she was joining her husband, according to the paper anyway. God might have other plans.<\/p>\n

Suddenly my eyes froze as they fell on a name. Ezekiel Sullivan. Zeke Sullivan. I barely heard the woman\u2019s babbling voice as I paid and left, almost forgetting to put the paper down, I was so distracted.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s it. I thought as I loaded my saddle bags. That was the end of the plan. Then again, maybe someone else knew who the kid was. It was possible, more than likely too. He probably had friends all over that could tell him his life story. Wasn\u2019t my problem anymore. I took a deep breath. If I hadn\u2019t planned on getting involved again, why had I left the store in such a hurry?<\/p>\n

To get rid of that chattering ninny. Of course. I checked my cinch and swung up into the saddle.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot my problem.\u201d I muttered.<\/p>\n

Still, it couldn\u2019t hurt to swing by and tell the kid myself. He might as well hear it from someone he knew, no matter how barely. And I was the only person in the world he knew right now, himself included.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cWell you sure forgot to mention this to me, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked up at the sound of my voice from where he was huddled in the corner of the jail cell. I\u2019d only gotten about halfway to the house that the storekeeper had said was Zeke Sullivan\u2019s when I\u2019d heard that Zeke\u2019s killer had been found and arrested. It didn\u2019t take much for me to put two and two together, and I\u2019d headed for the jail. I\u2019d been planning a really cutting comment, but when I\u2019d seen him curled up in the corner of the cot with his arms around his knees, I\u2019d changed my mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean murder.\u201d I whistled. \u201cThat\u2019s some pretty heavy stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing back here?\u201d He asked. I avoided his eyes, dark and questioning, as well as the bleak tone in his voice. What was I doing there? I\u2019d gone and helped a kid near death and then I\u2019d found out he was a killer. So? He was behind bars now, where he belonged.<\/p>\n

Only he didn\u2019t. I was a hard man myself, and I knew a criminal when I saw one. And this kid, with his eyes that seemed to cut through me and hold a million and one questions, wasn\u2019t a man who polished another man off and then forgot about it. But I still had to ask him. I leaned close to the bars.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell?\u201d I asked. \u201cDid you do it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI must have. They said\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo hell with what they said! What do you say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t\u2026\u201d he started and then paused. \u201cI don\u2019t know who Zeke was.\u201d He finally said. \u201cBut I don\u2019t\u2026 I can\u2019t see myself killing him, or anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded. It was as much as I\u2019d thought. I don\u2019t care how hard you hit your head, you don\u2019t just forget killing someone unless you\u2019ve done it a hundred times before. And I knew he hadn\u2019t. But he didn\u2019t stand a very good chance of clearing himself, not in his condition. It looked like it was up to me to be the hero. Again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be back.\u201d I said. I had some things to take care of if I was going to do this.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust\u2026\u201d I stopped. I didn\u2019t want him to know what I was doing; he might turn soft and spill his guts to the sheriff. Once again I reminded myself how little I knew this kid. But I hadn\u2019t saved his life and then dragged his sorry carcass this far just to let it decorate a hangman\u2019s tree. I turned without saying another word and walked out.<\/p>\n

The sheriff was sitting at his desk polishing a tin badge with a white cloth, pausing every now and then to take a sip of coffee from a steaming mug. I hesitated as a plan formulated in my mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiving the old badge a cleaning?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

He grunted from under his grey moustache. \u201cThe new one more like. I\u2019ve been wearing this one for more than fifteen years.\u201d He touched the worn tin badge pinned to his chest. \u201cNew sheriff, new badge.\u201d<\/p>\n

I reached out my hand and inspected it. It was the same as any I\u2019d seen, lightweight and a dull grey color that flashed slightly in the light. I made a show of putting it back on the desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo there\u2019s a new man coming in then?\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheriff grunted again. \u201cIt\u2019s about time I got some peace and quiet.\u201d He muttered. Despite his words, I could tell he wasn\u2019t too happy about the arrangement, and so I left quickly. Once outside I paused to collect my thoughts. I\u2019d done a lot of things in my past, but surprisingly jail breaking wasn\u2019t one of them. Still, how hard could it be? The only thing I would really need was another horse. I went to the livery stable, putting on the tin badge I\u2019d stolen from the sheriff\u2019s office before entering.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello?\u201d I called.<\/p>\n

A man appeared out of a stall carrying a pitchfork. He glanced at the badge pinned on my chest. \u201cCan I help you, sheriff?\u201d<\/p>\n

Inwardly I smirked at being called sheriff, but outwardly I kept a straight face. \u201cI need a horse for a prisoner transport.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u201d The man disappeared farther into the barn and then reappeared with a small grey. I glanced at his front hooves. They were both turned in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a way to go, and I\u2019d rather have a horse that won\u2019t go lame after the first five miles.\u201d I said drily.<\/p>\n

The man frowned. \u201cMost sheriffs escorting prisoners prefer a horse that can\u2019t go very fast. Just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well I wanted the opposite, but I couldn\u2019t very well tell him that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can\u2019t keep track of my own prisoner, how is the horse supposed to help?\u201d I snapped. I noticed a chestnut nearby, a little darker than my sorrel Tip, and taller. \u201cI\u2019ll take him.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

The man shrugged and pulled out the horse. \u201cYou\u2019ll pay when you return the animal?\u201d he said while brushing the horse with swift, practiced strokes. I fought back a grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ten minutes later I was riding toward the sheriff\u2019s office with Tip and my new, free horse. I should keep the badge, I decided. Why hadn\u2019t I thought of this years ago? I tied the horses loosely outside, just in case things when wrong and we had to leave quickly, and went back inside. The sheriff was still there, looking around his desk, presumably for the badge that I\u2019d stuffed back in my pocket before entering. He glanced up at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cForget something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cActually\u2026\u201d in one motion I brought the butt end of my gun down over his head. He slumped to the ground, and I fished the keys out of his desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d I said to the kid.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere?\u201d he stood as I tried one key after another. Finally I found the right one and pushed the cell door open.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnywhere but here. Help me out.\u201d He didn\u2019t move, and I had to drag the sheriff into the cell myself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs he\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo worse than if he\u2019d spent the night drinking. See, I\u2019m not a murderer either.\u201d I grabbed his arm to go, but he pulled away.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what if I am? And even if I\u2019m not a criminal now, I will be if I leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSee that? That attitude is what has me convinced that you didn\u2019t kill anyone. You have too many sticky convictions for it. But if you want to stay and try to convince a jury that even though you don\u2019t remember killing anyone, you don\u2019t think you did, then fine.\u201d I turned to go. Surprise, surprise, I hadn\u2019t gone two steps before he was right behind me. I grabbed a pair of handcuffs and put them around his wrists, but I didn\u2019t tighten them.<\/p>\n

\u201cTry to look dejected.\u201d I pointed toward the door with my gun.<\/p>\n

Amazingly no one tried to stop us as we left town, and I was thinking of going into jail breaking as a profession. Of course Coledale had been sleepy under the thumb of the same sheriff for the past fifteen plus years. It might be a little different in a town where crime actually happened.<\/p>\n

We left town on the north side, partially because that was the closest and partially to thrown anyone who might see us leave off our trail. Once we were clear of the town, Joe took off the handcuffs and we cantered back around southeast. After we\u2019d circled the town, we followed the river and even passed the spot where I\u2019d found the kid. I glared at it as we rode by.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t want to stay on the road, but it was getting dark, and I didn\u2019t want to stop either. Tip could find her way at night on the road, and I had to trust that anyone pursuing would follow our trail north.<\/p>\n

As it got blacker, we slowed our pace to a walk, and I let Tip have her head. Even if I hadn\u2019t had complete faith in her ability to pick out a trail in the darkness I still would have led. The kid was riding a gelding, and geldings tended to plough through or stumble over rough spots rather than carefully pick their way through them like a mare would. Tip didn\u2019t need any guidance as we traveled; her eyes were better than mine, but I still peered into the darkness in case of any obstacles.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did you get the horse?\u201d the question broke both the silence and my concentration.<\/p>\n

\u201cI borrowed him for the trip.\u201d If we were caught, I\u2019d be strung up for jail breaking, so I didn\u2019t see any harm in throwing horse thievery on top of things.<\/p>\n

I heard a snort. \u201cSo now I stole a horse too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToo? What else did you do, take a whizz in the sheriff\u2019s coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t laugh.\u201cEven if I didn\u2019t kill Zeke, somehow I\u2019m involved in his death. Otherwise why would I have said his name?\u201d<\/p>\n

I was glad I couldn\u2019t see his face behind me, and I kept my eyes on the dark outline of Tip\u2019s ears in front of me. I\u2019ve never been much of one for talking about feelings. For me it was all about cold, hard facts. And these were the facts as far as I was concerned: we were both wanted men now, and while we might not have a posse on our tail, it was also possible that we did. We didn\u2019t have time for second guessing now.<\/p>\n

But even as I thought it, a flicker of doubt passed over my mind, like a vulture\u2019s shadow. He was right, even if he hadn\u2019t killed this Zeke Sullivan, he was involved somehow, and he was going to be treated like a killer if we were found. It had been stupid of me to get involved; we were both in trouble, more trouble than any one man needed. It would be better for both of us to part ways. I surprised myself by feeling sorry about that. Somehow I\u2019d gotten used to having the kid around, and I had to admire his gumption. He was a stubborn little cuss, all spit and vinegar. But I didn\u2019t want to get him entangled in my problems the way I\u2019d become stuck in his. Better to end it now and go our separate ways.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When daylight fist started to shift the blackness of the night into grey, we picked up our pace again. By sundown Coledale was far behind, and I was confident enough that we could leave the road and set up camp for the night. The horses were just as glad of the rest as we were, and I rubbed my stiff legs before I sat beside our small fire. After all that riding, I wouldn\u2019t be getting up any time soon if I could help it. Instead I leaned back against my saddle and listened to the crackling of the fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks. Again.\u201d The kid said quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re racking up quite the score.\u201d I said without opening my eyes. I really was getting too old for this. The thought made me smile slightly. I\u2019d always felt older than I actually was, but at the moment I could have fooled myself into thinking I was twice my age. Maybe that came from being around the kid. Then again, it hadn\u2019t been too long ago that I was his age. It seemed like a lifetime.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if you ever need anything\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah sure.\u201d I doubted that after I left we\u2019d ever see each other again. After all I didn\u2019t even know his name.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t say anything else, and silence settled warmly between us. Then Tip nickered, and it was broken. I sat up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

I shook my head. Either his followers, mine, or someone else entirely. But whoever it was, it would be better if the kid weren\u2019t around when they showed up. Only a handful of people in Coledale had seen me, but I couldn\u2019t know how many had gotten a look at the kid. I knew from personal experience that arrests attracted a lot of attention. I stood up and threw his saddle on his horse without the blanket, which I tossed over the seat. He didn\u2019t need to run, just hide. I tightened the cinch enough for it to stay on and handed him the reins.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet behind those rocks.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStop arguing.\u201d I met his mutinous look with a glare. \u201cChances are I can talk my way out of this, but if I need rescuing and you really feel like trying to pay me back, you can come out with guns blazing.\u201d I gave him a shove and sat back down. Just as he disappeared into the darkness, another shadow formed on the other side of our camp. I narrowed my eyes, and my hand crept toward my gun.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you can see me, Lawson.\u201d A voice called from the scrub brush. \u201cI can see you too, and I\u2019ve got a gun on you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLikewise.\u201d I answered, but inwardly I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew the voice, and I could talk my way past him. \u201cI take it Clancy sent you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I don\u2019t have his money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure. Which explains why you\u2019re going to San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you think I\u2019m headed there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anywhere else worth going on the other side of this barren stretch?\u201d<\/p>\n

I shrugged to acknowledge the point.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still don\u2019t have the money. And you know that if you shoot me before I pay up, Clancy will have your hide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I still don\u2019t believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t thought he would. \u201cSearch me then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight. And find a bullet once I step out from my cover.\u201d His answer was accompanied by a scornful laugh, and I frowned. Sandy was both an idiot and paranoid. Terrible combination of attributes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright.\u201d I tossed my gun to the other side of the fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might have another one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClancy picked a gem when he hired you, Sandy.\u201d I muttered. \u201cJust get out here for heaven\u2019s sake.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a rustling of brush, and a young man in his mid twenties stepped out. I held my hands out in front of me. \u201cStill alive I see.\u201d He shot me a look that would have been very potent as a bullet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose yours?\u201d he gestured to the saddlebags.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you see anyone else camped here?\u201d I mentally kicked myself as he glanced around, but then he shook his head and began to rummage through them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d he pulled out my sheriff\u2019s badge.<\/p>\n

\u201cSouvenir from my last kill.\u201d I said. \u201cAre you done yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot quite.\u201d He reached for my saddle blanket and shook it out. Then he made me take off my boots and stand so he could pat me down. Throughout the entire process I kept a look of amused condescension on my face. It drove him mad.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is it?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told you, I don\u2019t have it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Clancy\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClancy either lied or was wrong, both of which are entirely plausible. Now why don\u2019t you head back to San Francisco and tell him I\u2019m behind you with a lead on a way to pay up.\u201d I propelled him out of the campsite, talking in an almost fatherly way. The poor man was still confused as I put him on his horse. It wasn\u2019t until several minutes after he had left that I breathed a sigh of relief and turned around.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s gone.\u201d I called.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho was he?\u201d the kid pulled his saddle off and sat back down by the fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one.\u201d I didn\u2019t want to talk about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was the name of the man who sent him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClancy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClancy.\u201d He turned the name over in his mouth carefully. \u201cI recognize the name.\u201d<\/p>\n

I sat up. \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s good or bad.\u201d I reflected.<\/p>\n

He shrugged. \u201cEither way, at least now I have a lead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Clancy fellow. I\u2019ll go find him in San Francisco and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will not!\u201d Clancy wasn\u2019t someone you just went to find. Lawmen had been trying to do that for a while now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d When I didn\u2019t answer, he continued. \u201cLook, I can either go with you, or I can follow behind you. Your choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs if you could follow me if I didn\u2019t want you to.\u201d I muttered. But I knew it was pointless. Like I said, spit and vinegar. He wasn\u2019t backing down. I\u2019d tried to fool myself into thinking that once we got clear of the area we would go our separate ways, but that didn\u2019t seem any closer to happening than it had when I\u2019d first found him. Somehow I knew that we were stuck together until this whole business got cleared up or one of us got shot, the latter being the most likely. But for some reason I couldn\u2019t be gloomy, and I decided to level with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsaac Clancy and I were partners a while ago, back when we were both young and trying to make our way in the world. Or rather make the world the way we wanted it to be.\u201d I paused and wondered what he would think of me after this story, what with all his morals. Then I inwardly shrugged. He\u2019d find out sooner or later.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sowed our wild oats, stole some horses, bullied some farmers, small things like that. Then we parted ways. I\u2019d never quite gotten the hang of respectable work, so I hired myself out to do bigger men\u2019s dirty work. Still small stuff. Clancy had a little more ambition. Then a couple of months back, we bumped into each other. We were both hard on cash, so we decided to try our luck at the Sacramento bank. Only our luck didn\u2019t seem to want to comply. Things went south, and we bailed. Or at least we tried to. I managed to get away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did what anyone who wasn\u2019t an idiot would do. I chucked the money in the first stream I came to and then turned around and made like I was going to town. When I met up with the posse they searched me for the money and then let me go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Clancy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe got caught and had to wait for his brother to bust him out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s what he\u2019s mad about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot exactly. You know the saying honor among thieves?\u201d I waited for him to nod. \u201cIt\u2019s a big load of horse crap. It\u2019s every man for himself out there. Clancy knew it, so did I. He\u2019s not so much mad about me ditching him as he is about me ditching the money. Hence why he thinks I owe him two thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded slowly in understanding and I wondered what was going through his head. Out of the two names he\u2019d remembered, one had been murdered and one was a criminal. He probably wasn\u2019t feeling too reassured about his own character at the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes any of this ring a bell to you?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, no.\u201d He said. His frustration was like a brand plastered on his face, and I could sympathize with it. In the silence that followed, I tried to think of something to say that could cheer him up, but nothing came to mind. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, once we find this bank robber you know, I\u2019m sure things will clear up.\u201d Not the most encouraging thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo why are you going to San Francisco to see him then if you don\u2019t have the money?\u201d He asked the question suddenly, and I knew it was to distract himself from his own thoughts. That more than anything stopped me from brushing the question off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI trust Sandy about as far as I could kick him, which I\u2019ve often been tempted to see. He\u2019s not too bright, but he\u2019d a greedy little bugger. I wouldn\u2019t put it past him to take the money and pay me back with a bullet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you have the money.\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded, and as I did so, I wondered at the fact that I trusted him so much to tell him the truth. I hoisted my saddle around and showed him where there was a slit in the gullet. I\u2019d hollowed out part of the pommel and then carefully stitched it back together after putting the money inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cGenius.\u201d He said.<\/p>\n

I nodded proudly. \u201cThat it is.\u201d I shifted the saddle back behind me and leaned against it once more.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo who was Sandy?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone Clancy keeps around in case he needs a scapegoat. Sandy was all about being just like the Clancy brothers someday.\u201d I snorted. \u201cQuite a thing to aspire to.\u201d I\u2019d been the same way when I was young. You didn\u2019t realize how stupid you were until you were too far gone to change it. But I didn\u2019t say that out loud. Just because I\u2019d shown him a few pages of my past didn\u2019t mean I wanted him to see the whole book. Instead I let the conversation sink into silence. The moon was just rising, and we still had several hours until daybreak. I banked the fire and settled back to watch my breath rise like smoke toward the sky.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter End Notes:
\nFor those of you who don’t know, the gullet is tha arched part of the saddle in the front under the horn (the part that sticks up).<\/p>\n


\nWe left before the sun had even done stretching as it rose from the horizon, as soon as it was light enough to saddle the horses. I was amazed at how well the kid seemed to be taking the roughness of the trip especially when you considered that he\u2019d been nearly dead not more than a week ago. Whoever he was, he had some resilience to him.<\/p>\n

And some nosiness. As we rode he kept peppering me with questions, questions that I didn\u2019t want to answer. At first I brushed him off, hoping he\u2019d get the point. He didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you always this damn curious?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

He shrugged, but there was a hint of humor to it instead of bitterness this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u201d I rolled my eyes. \u201cNo, I never found a woman that could put up with me.\u201d I answered his last question.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe it. Especially if you always go around with that look on your face. Like sour milk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which of course, only made my scowl deepen.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo are you from around the area?\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d asked the same question earlier, and I\u2019d ignored it. But I was starting to wear down, though I didn\u2019t want to admit it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born south of here near the Mexican border. I spent my childhood traveling with my Pa, farther and farther north. Finally we settled down in Montana.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOdds and ends. When we reached Montana he tried to start a timber company. It went belly up.\u201d He\u2019d never given up, even when it was clearly the thing to do. There are times, like then, when tenacity is a curse. Maybe that\u2019s why I\u2019d never managed to settle down.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo how did you get here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI rode.\u201d I finally snapped, my patience worn thin. \u201cAnd I\u2019d rather not talk about me if it\u2019s all the same to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell it\u2019s not like we can talk about me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had a point, and I kicked myself for bringing it up. Then I changed my mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure we can. I mean, you\u2019ve had almost a week, you must have figured out something about yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stared at me incredulously for a few moments, and I met the look with one of my own, one that people quickly learned meant I wasn\u2019t budging. After a few moments he figured it out too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m comfortable on horseback.\u201d He finally said. \u201cMore than comfortable, at home. It\u2019s\u2026 reassuring.\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded. I\u2019d figured as much when I\u2019d seen him swing up without a moment\u2019s hesitation despite the fact that I\u2019d had him handcuffed. And then the next time we\u2019d mounted he\u2019d performed a swing mount as easy as breathing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a fan of cold weather.\u201d<\/p>\n

I snorted. \u201cI\u2019m with you there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNor am I a fan of the way you make your coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot many people are.\u201d I liked it strong enough to remove whitewash.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, all of your cooking is pretty pathetic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell you can cook tonight then.\u201d I growled.<\/p>\n

He grinned then the smile wobbled a little before it disappeared. \u201cThere\u2019s not much else.\u201d He said. \u201cIt\u2019s like there\u2019s a gaping black hole inside my head. Every once in a while I catch a hint of a memory, but it\u2019s like trying to remember a dream; the harder you try the faster it vanishes. I feel like if I had something, even if it was just my name, if would make it easier to remember the rest. But there\u2019s nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t say answer, and we rode in a silence as bleak and empty as the kid\u2019s black hole. I was thinking about my past and everything I\u2019d ridden away from. It seemed that every time I stopped I found something else to make me ride harder. I wouldn\u2019t mind forgetting who I was. But it didn\u2019t seem particularly tactful to say so, so I didn\u2019t. Instead I started murmuring words to a song, the rhythm of which went along with Tip\u2019s trotting hooves. After a moment I heard another voice joining in, and I smiled slightly. There was another thing he remembered, even if he didn\u2019t realize it.<\/p>\n

We skirted around San Francisco and entered on the north side near the ocean. I didn\u2019t want to have to ride through the city and risk one of us being recognized. It was a long shot, but it was better to be safe than sorry. I didn\u2019t truly relax until we were surrounded by a group of equally doubtful characters as we checked into the cheapest hotel we could find.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll come with bugs and a sore back, but it\u2019s home.\u201d I swung my saddle bags onto one of the hard beds.<\/p>\n

The kid was looking around. \u201cI wish I could say I\u2019ve seen worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if you remembered every place you\u2019ve ever been, I doubt you could say that.\u201d The same wasn\u2019t true for me, and I settled happily onto the mattress, using my feet to pull my boots off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI say we rest for a few hours and then start our search.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged. \u201cJust how are we going to find this Isaac Clancy anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou always look for scum at the bottom of the barrel, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

We spent three nights drinking our way through the bottom of the barrel. I knew that San Francisco had its share of questionable saloons and cheap whiskey, but even I was starting to have my doubts about my ability to swallow another mug of dishwater trying to pass for beer. Then on the fourth night our persistence paid off.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, he comes in three or four times a week.\u201d The bartender said when I asked him about Clancy. He studied me for a minute. \u201cA lot of the local boys trail after him. I would watch my step if I were you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I gave him a wolfish smile. \u201cI think it\u2019s the other way around.\u201d Then I turned and pulled the kid aside.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sit in the corner over there so you can get a look at him without him noticing you.\u201d I said. \u201cThe bartender wasn\u2019t kidding. Clancy\u2019s one you need to watch your step around, and I\u2019d just as soon know the whole story before you two go trying to knock the daylights out of each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you think that\u2019s going to happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned and his hand strayed down toward his gun. He shifted it slightly to loosen it, and a grim look fell over his face. I studied him for a minute. He was another one to watch your step around if only he knew it. But if he could remember without drawing Clancy\u2019s attention, it would be a lot easier. As he went to the corner table I turned around and had the bartender refill my mug of dishwater.<\/p>\n

I heard the swinging doors creak as someone pushed through them, and I set my mug down. My hand casually fell to my right hip.<\/p>\n

\u201cThought I recognized your nag outside.\u201d Clancy sat beside me.<\/p>\n

I nodded. We\u2019d been dragging our horses behind us every night. At first the kid had asked why we didn\u2019t leave them in the stable, but I wanted to make sure I had a way to get out quick. Plus I didn\u2019t want Clancy to know I was staying in town.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuy you a beer?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have money for beer? Seems to me you should be scrounging for every penny you can find. But I forgot, money doesn\u2019t mean anything to you, does it, Lawson? No, you just throw it away like it\u2019s old butcher paper. Do you use it to start your campfires too?\u201d<\/p>\n

I turned to face him. There was a bitterness in his voice that was uncharacteristic for him. Sure, he was hard, meaner than a snake too, but he wasn\u2019t malicious. Even though my face didn\u2019t change, he saw the frown in my eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost a lot more than money then.\u201d He said. His voice had lowered, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the kid lean forward slightly. Clancy didn\u2019t notice. \u201cYou left me to rot in jail.\u201d He hissed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs if you wouldn\u2019t have done the same.\u201d I took another sip, more in order to look nonchalant than because I wanted to put more bad ale in my system. Something was definitely wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, when you didn\u2019t come back for me someone else did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSandy? Well he is your dog, I suppose he had to be loyal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJim.\u201d<\/p>\n

My stomach dropped to my toes. Jim Clancy, Isaac Clancy\u2019s brother. And for Isaac to be this deathly mad, it had to mean that\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was arrested and hung for jail breaking and killing two men on the way out.\u201d Clancy said. My hand tightened on my gun, but Clancy leaned forward, and suddenly his fingers were on my wrist.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what do you think of the debt you owe me now, Lawson? More than two thousand dollars. I\u2019d say you owe me a life.\u201d<\/p>\n

His fingers were like a vice, and even if I\u2019d been able to pull away he would have shot long before I could draw. I clenched my left hand in a fist to strike as Clancy\u2019s hand found his weapon. If I was going to die it would be with my fist aimed at his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold it.\u201d Quicker than sight, there was someone by my side, gun drawn. I whistled noiselessly at the show of skill. Just who was this kid?<\/p>\n

But Clancy seemed to have some idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou!\u201d his grip on his gun tightened, as if he wished it were someone\u2019s neck instead. \u201cYou\u2019re supposed to be dead, Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was impressed; he had to have been startled by both Clancy\u2019s recognition and what I assumed was his name, but he\u2019d quickly grasped that this was no time for storytelling. It was life or death. For the moment Clancy was distracted, and I took advantage of it. I reached across and threw the rest of my drink into Clancy\u2019s face. Instinctively he jerked back, and both the kid and I ducked as he gathered himself and drew his gun. Shots rang in the air, and we pushed through the sudden mayhem created by the noise. I only paused long enough to flip over a few tables on my way toward the door. The more commotion the better.<\/p>\n

The kid was sending off his own shots now, not at anyone but at the ceiling and the rows of glass jugs behind the bar, just enough to keep the atmosphere in a frenzy. Good riddance. I thought, but I moved forward to stop him. I didn\u2019t know how many people would get involved either in hopes of getting paid or because they\u2019d been spoiling for a fight, but I didn\u2019t wait to find out. I grabbed the kid by the shoulder with one hand while I kicked my foot through the front window. We jumped out and onto our horses in nearly one motion. Pursuing bullets bit into the wood of the hitching post, and I felt a sudden burning in my shoulder, as if I\u2019d bumped up against a hot anvil. No time to look down though; I kicked Tip faster, and the sound of bullets and the mob we\u2019d left behind faded beneath the rattle of our horses hooves.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s why we tie the horses outside even if our hotel is just down the street.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood thinking. You\u2019re bleeding by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

I touched my shoulder and winced. The slug wasn\u2019t in there, and I could still use my arm well enough, so I figured it was just a crease. But it hurt like hell.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn idiots.\u201d I muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho, the people in the bar or us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth!\u201d I snapped. By now we were out of the city and the light from it was giving way to the shadows that hovered on the edges of the countryside.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow what?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all his craftiness, Clancy\u2019s no good in the wilderness. That\u2019s why he sent Sandy to find me instead of coming himself. We should be alright for the moment now that we\u2019re clear of the city.\u201d I let Tip fall into a jog as thoughts raced through my head, faster than we\u2019d been riding a moment ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cCartwright.\u201d He murmured the word like someone eating pig\u2019s feet for the first time, unsure and cautiously, letting it roll around in his mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell at least we got something worthwhile out of that.\u201d I said. More than something since I still had my money, but there was a thought hovering at the back of my mind that I couldn\u2019t quite put my finger on. Of one thing I was sure.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard that name before.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

His head whipped around so fast I was surprised it didn\u2019t go flying. \u201cYou know me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if I\u2019d known you before I wouldn\u2019t have forgotten it. But I know the name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom where?\u201d<\/p>\n

I frowned. That was the question, wasn\u2019t it? Now at least I knew how he felt with a name floating around inside my mind that should mean something but didn\u2019t. It was like a fly buzzing around my head that wouldn\u2019t land or an itch I couldn\u2019t scratch. I could feel his eyes on me, intent and hopeful, and I turned to face them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure. It\u2019ll come to me.\u201d Things always did. Whether they came in time or too late was another matter. I sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe might as well make camp for the night.\u201d I said. I was a man of action, both of us were, but it was no good riding around in circles. We could be headed in the right direction or we could be going to complete opposite way. Besides that the sun wouldn\u2019t be up for a few more hours. Hopefully by then the meaning of the name Cartwright would occur to me. Sometimes you had to just sit and wait.<\/p>\n

We dismounted and led the horses a couple of miles away from the road. I didn\u2019t want to light a fire and attract any potential enemies, so we sat in the dark and listened to the sound of our horses snuffling around through the brush in search of grass.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo have you figured out how you know Clancy?\u201d I asked to distract myself. My mind was going crazy trying to remember where I\u2019d heard the name Cartwright before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat he told you, about his brother\u2026 my mind was filling it in as he was talking. I knew what he was going to say before he said it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re a mind reader? That\u2019s who you are?\u201d<\/p>\n

His impatient snort made me laugh and then wince as the movement shook my shoulder. I\u2019d cleaned it as well as I could, but it was still sore. I owed Clancy one for that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew that story.\u201d He said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how, but I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright, let\u2019s think about the pieces. Clancy\u2019s brother was hung for busting him out of jail, which you knew. That means you were somehow involved. Clancy wants you dead, which means you probably had a hand in the hanging rather than the busting. It also probably is why you ended up in the river I fished you out of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t fish me; you dragged me off the bank.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that version is more flattering to your ego, then fine. But my guess is that this Zeke Sullivan fellow was involved somehow too.\u201d I thought back to the obituary I\u2019d read. Zeke had been a lawyer. The prosecutor?<\/p>\n

\u201cWell all this is doing is making me feel more and more like a steer at a barbeque.\u201d He rubbed his forehead wearily, and I nodded. If he\u2019d been thinking nearly as hard as I had his brain probably felt like it was already on the spit, rotating as it was slowly roasted with a stick through it and its juices slowly leaking out to sizzle as they fell onto the fire. My stomach growled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did you have to bring up steers?\u201d I grumbled. \u201cI could eat ten steaks on end right now. Big, fat, prime steers.\u201d<\/p>\n

I closed my eyes and thought about those steaks. At some point I stopped thinking and started dreaming.<\/p>\n

I was sitting at a table surrounded by cows, and there were piles of steaks in front of me, all charred on the outside and a tender red on the inside. Only they kept disappearing as I tried to grab them. The cows mooed at me as if they were laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust you wait until I wake up.\u201d I warned them. \u201cThen we\u2019ll see who\u2019s laughing. I\u2019ll slit your throat and eat you raw; I don\u2019t care if you are Ben Cartwright\u2019s cows.\u201d<\/p>\n

I jolted in my sleep. My shoulder struck a rock and the snap of pain woke me up, but I barely noticed. I jerked upright.<\/p>\n

\u201cCattle!\u201d I practically shouted. \u201cHey, kid!\u201d I kicked his knee. \u201cIt\u2019s cattle!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s so exciting about cows?\u201d he muttered sleepily.<\/p>\n

\u201cCartwright. I knew I\u2019d remember it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood for you.\u201d He rolled over.<\/p>\n

I kicked him again, harder this time, and he jerked away.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d he demanded, now fully awake.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember now. The Cartwrights are ranchers; they own a spread just outside Virginia City: the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brow furrowed. \u201cHow do you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n

I rubbed the back of my neck. \u201cI may have crossed over your land and stolen a couple of cows.\u201d I mumbled.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou stole some of my cows?\u201d he asked incredulously.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou knew I was a thief when you threw in with me, and it didn\u2019t bother you. Especially when I was saving your hide.\u201d I snapped. \u201cBesides, that ranch is huge. A man has to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head. \u201cI can\u2019t believe you stole some of my cows. Probably cows that I branded myself. Do you know how long a job it is to brand calves?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but clearly you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

A grin broke over his face in spite of his harping. \u201cYou know what this means?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou decided to perform a citizen\u2019s arrest?\u201d I said drily. I was still slightly irritated by his reaction. I hadn\u2019t known they were his cows.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know how to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

My anger melted away. It was impossible to stay mad under his radiant grin. I stood. It was barely light enough to see, and we had a trip ahead of us. Back in the direction I\u2019d already come. Again. Why did this kid constantly have me running around in circles?<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright fine, back to the Ponderosa we go. Probably a good thing anyway.\u201d I conceded. \u201cYou\u2019ll need an army to keep you safe now that Clancy knows you\u2019re alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think\u2026\u201d he stopped, and I could see the wheels of his mind begin to turn as a thought flashed through him. \u201cClancy wouldn\u2019t go there, would he? To find me?\u201d<\/p>\n

My stomach sickened. That was exactly what Clancy would do. I swung my saddle up onto Tip. \u201cNot if we get there first.\u201d<\/p>\n

We had no way of knowing if we were ahead of Clancy or behind him. He may have waited until morning to leave, in which case we would have a small lead on him. Or he may have pursued us through the night, which would have put us several hours behind him. So we pressed on as fast as the horses would let us, barely stopping for any rest. We didn\u2019t talk much. A grim mood had taken over, and neither of us tried to lift it through chatter. Instead we rode in silence, listening to the rhythm of hoofbeats and wishing it was faster.<\/p>\n

Then the silence was broken as we swept past an outcropping of rocks. We\u2019d left the flat terrain behind us and had begun to climb up into the Nevada mountains, passing over onto Ponderosa land.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recognize that.\u201d He said.<\/p>\n

I glanced at the rocks. They stuck out into the narrow trail like an arrow, and we\u2019d had to press close to the trees on the opposite side to pass.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou must have ridden this trail before.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes that mean we\u2019re close?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really.\u201d We still had a ways to go. But we were plenty nearer than when we started days ago, and the closeness of the trees was welcome after days of riding through open country. I closed my eyes for a moment in the coolness. When I opened them, I pointed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee that ridge?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we top that we\u2019ll be able to start heading downhill. It\u2019s still a bit of a ride until we reach the main house though, maybe twenty miles. Like I said, it\u2019s a big ranch.\u201d Then I grinned in spite of myself. \u201cBut at least there\u2019s plenty of cattle in case we get hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shot me a glare, which I ignored with a laugh. We hadn\u2019t seen any sign of Clancy, and I was certain we would arrive with time to spare. Maybe after I got the kid home I\u2019d take care of Clancy myself. Not shoot him, though I was tempted, but the image of leaving him hog tied in front of the local sheriff\u2019s office was extremely appealing.<\/p>\n

I led the way up to the ridge, but I every once in a while the kid pointed out familiar places. We were both feeling a lot more comfortable about our situation until we topped the ridge, and our hearts dropped past our boots.<\/p>\n

Five riders were below us. They were close enough to recognize, but even if they\u2019d been farther away we both would have known who they were.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe must have started the minute we left the bar.\u201d I cursed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s with him?\u201d he leaned forward in his saddle and shaded his eyes with his hand in an attempt to see better.<\/p>\n

\u201cSandy. Not sure about the other three; probably some of the local kids the bartender was talking about.\u201d I cursed again. It didn\u2019t help, but it made me feel slightly better. The feeling lasted for a fleeting second, and then my heart sank again. We couldn\u2019t pass them without being seen and becoming targets, and if we went around them we wouldn\u2019t beat them to the Ponderosa. We could kick our horses into a gallop and run down the hill shooting, but there were five of them, and Clancy was a dead shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe won\u2019t make it.\u201d I realized out loud.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to.\u201d He looked around wildly as if the rocks might somehow have a solution. Then his eyes stopped. \u201cDo you think they\u2019d see me if I rode along the ridgeline?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSee you and shoot you.\u201d I said. Then I looked at him as I realized what he had in mind. \u201cYou can\u2019t be serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would stop them long enough for you to slip through and get help; you said it was just\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the most hair brained\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWade! Listen to me! I\u2019m not letting those men hurt my family for my sake.\u201d His eyes flashed dangerously, and I refrained from pointing out that he didn\u2019t even know his family. There was no arguing with him even if there had been time for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright. But you\u2019re not going. I will.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t; I don\u2019t know the way from here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll remember it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head. \u201cI can\u2019t risk that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He took a page from my book and wheeled his horse around, cutting me off and ending all discussion. For a moment I considered going after him and knocking some sense into him. But I turned Tip the other way and hoped that none of Clancy\u2019s bullets found him.<\/p>\n

I raced down through the valley, sending rocks skittering behind me. I heard a gunshot, but I forced myself not to turn around. I couldn\u2019t handle the five of them by myself, especially since they now had the high ground. My only chance was that I could get help from the Ponderosa before Clancy caught up to Joe.<\/p>\n

Even to my own ears it sounded slim. But I still raced forward. I\u2019ve always said that if you were going to do something, do it, don\u2019t wobble back and forth. Even if the plan was as crazy as this one.<\/p>\n

Tip seemed to sense my sudden urgency and flew over the ground despite the fact that she was worn down from the days before. Even so it wasn\u2019t enough, and I resisted the urge to push her faster. I couldn\u2019t afford to run her into the ground.<\/p>\n

Trees whipped by, and I had to duck from the occasional branch. One knocked against my injured shoulder, but I barely noticed. I kept hearing the gunshots in my head, one with each pounding hoof beat. In my mind\u2019s eye I could see the grim look on his face, hard, like a sheet of rock. So unlike how pale and small it had been the day I\u2019d found him. I realized that I had never intended to leave him until I brought him home. And I still didn\u2019t. My knees clamped tighter and I leaned forward against Tip\u2019s neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cFaster!\u201d I hollered.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There was no one in sight when I tore into the yard, right up to the porch. I dropped my reins knowing Tip would stay and pounded on the door.<\/p>\n

Please, let someone be home. I pounded again, this time out of frustration. I hadn\u2019t ridden all this way for it to end like this. Another pound, this one so hard that I winced.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister?\u201d<\/p>\n

A voice. I would have been relieved, only there was no time. I spun around to see a large man with a curious look on his round face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking for Ben Cartwright.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s in town this morning. Should be back any minute though. I\u2019m his son; is there something I can help you with?\u201d<\/p>\n

His slow, relaxed way of talking got under my skin, but despite my rush I had to pause for a moment. The kid\u2019s brother? They couldn\u2019t have looked more different. Then urgency caught up with me.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo time. I\u2026\u201d But the sound of hoof beats interrupted me, and two other men rode up. I could tell just by looking at the one that he was the owner of the place. He carried himself with an air of well earned authority, and he summed me up in once glance as he dismounted. The other one, only slightly less formidable looking, did the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, this man\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo time.\u201d I repeated. \u201cGet back on your horses and follow me. I\u2019ll explain on the way.\u201d I whistled and Tip came trotting, albeit reluctantly. She was tired. I changed my mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn second thought, let me saddle a fresh horse, and if yours aren\u2019t rested you should too.\u201d I was walking toward the barn while talking.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow wait just a minute\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about your son.\u201d I cut Cartwright off. Instantly his demeanor changed from confused sternness to concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, saddle a fresh horse while this man explains to me what this is about.\u201d His eyes never left me, and I knew the sentence carried two orders, not one.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few weeks ago I found your son by the Spruce River. He was pretty banged up and didn\u2019t remember a thing. I mean nothing. Place, names, nothing. So I brought him to Coledale to see if he knew someone there only they thought he killed that someone and we hightailed it to San Francisco so I could pay off a debt, only the man who\u2019d originally dumped him in the river was the man I was paying off, and he tried to kill us, but we got away and then we figured he\u2019d come here, so we came too, but we ran into them, and now your son is trying to hold them off while I get help.\u201d I realized that most of what I\u2019d said had been one sentence. I should have planned out a speech while I was riding; I was sure my story made little sense.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho tried to kill Joe?\u201d the other man asked. He had pushed forward closer, and his eyes were almost as intense as Cartwright\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis name is Isaac Clancy.\u201d I saw a significant look pass between the two. \u201cYou know him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe was the one that apprehended Jim Clancy after he broke his brother, Isaac, out of jail.\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded. I\u2019d known it had to be something like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou say Clancy is here now?\u201d Ben Cartwright asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust up the mountain. With four other men.\u201d Hoss brought out two horses and I mounted one.<\/p>\n

Cartwright followed suit and swung back up. \u201cLead on.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was glad I\u2019d gotten a fresh horse as we raced back up the mountain. We were making good time, much better than I\u2019d made coming down. At times the trail was too narrow, and we rode single file, but when it was wide enough, Cartwright urged his horse beside mine.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did you leave him?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn top of that ridge.\u201d I pointed up to where we were headed. \u201cHe may have gone down to the other side.\u201d I reflected that he could be anywhere by now. And in any shape.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said there were five men?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClancy, Sandy, and three I don\u2019t know. Sandy\u2019s average, and easy to scare, but Clancy could shoot the wings off a fly. I don\u2019t know about the other three. He picked them up in San Francisco.\u201d I could sense hundreds of questions flashing through his mind like sparks, but he was focused now and only asked the relevant ones. The rest could wait.<\/p>\n

We reached the valley I\u2019d come down, and our horses charged up it. The back of my neck kept twitching as if it was expecting a bullet. This was, after all, an ideal place for an ambush. But there was nothing for it; we had to go up this way or go around, which would take too long. And if I had to risk my life, at least I could do it with three grim men behind my back.<\/p>\n

We topped the ridge and paused. I wasn\u2019t sure where to go next. Then a gunshot echoed through the wilderness, followed by two more in quick succession.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis way.\u201d Now Cartwright took the lead, and I was glad to let him do so. We thundered down and reined in our horses behind a pile of boulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere.\u201d Hoss pointed. I could just make out a dark hat sticking out from behind a rock. So that was where Clancy was, or at least one of his gang. Where was Joe?<\/p>\n

Almost instantly I heard more shots as if in answer. They came from a pile of boulders several hundred yards down. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a man dive for cover.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re trying to get down to him, but he\u2019s holding them off.\u201d The other Cartwright son, Adam, said. \u201cHe can\u2019t have much more ammunition, can he?\u201d<\/p>\n

I shook my head. And we didn\u2019t have a very good vantage point either.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, Adam, go up to those rocks and\u2026\u201d then Cartwright sopped. The man who had been trying to creep up on Joe was moving again, but there was no retaliatory fire. That could only mean one thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s out of ammunition.\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew plan.\u201d I drew my gun and started to move as quickly as I could down the slope without drawing fire. I heard Cartwright tell his sons to cover us and he fell in behind me.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you get a shot?\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d Clancy\u2019s man kept slipping in and out of the rocks like a fish through weeds.<\/p>\n

The top of the rock beside me exploded, and I ducked. We\u2019d been spotted. Immediately there was the echo of returning shots.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss and Adam will keep them honest.\u201d Cartwright said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019d better.\u201d My common sense told me to wait and stay behind the rock until I knew that Clancy was done shooting. He had a bone to pick with me too, after all. But the other man was only a few yards away from where Joe was hiding. I took a deep breath and lunged forward, throwing caution to the wind.<\/p>\n

The sound of a sudden volley of gunshots and me crashing through the rocks made the man turn his head and raise his gun. I pulled my trigger and he was down. Then I threw myself behind another rock just as a bullet whizzed past my head. Behind me, Cartwright was shooting back.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright?\u201d he called.<\/p>\n

I nodded breathlessly. I\u2019d felt the wind of the bullet as it had gone by. You didn\u2019t get much closer to biting it than that.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d I called and then remembered that he didn\u2019t know his name. \u201cHey, kid!\u201d no answer. I raised my head an inch above the rock, and then slammed it back down to avoid a bullet.<\/p>\n

Adam called something down to us, but I couldn\u2019t hear. I turned to Cartwright, but he shook his head. After a minute, Adam yelled again.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe says someone else is creeping down. Through there.\u201d He pointed as he yelled, but I didn\u2019t move to look. No way was I lifting my head and having it taken off.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t sure how close I was to the rocks that Joe was behind. Less than a hundred feet, but that was a good ways to go when someone was shooting at you. I\u2019d have to run again. Lovely.<\/p>\n

\u201cCover me!\u201d I hollered at Ben. At his nod, I leaped up toward to rocks. Time seemed to freeze as I cleared half the distance in one stride. I tensed, waiting for the sensation of a metal slug slamming into my body. But there was nothing. Just the sound of Cartwright\u2019s shooting as I dove behind Joe\u2019s rocks. For a moment all I was aware of was my heart beating against my skull then I lifted my head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI nearly knocked you out.\u201d Joe dropped his hand. In it he held a large rock. \u201cA little warning next time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hollered.\u201d But I was distracted by the way he was holding his other arm right over his side. He followed my gaze.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was heading down the ridge when one of the bullets caught my horse. The next one caught me, and I managed to duck behind here. Did you bring help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour family. Your name is Joe by the way. I raised my gun and peered around the rocks. Now I wished that I had risked my life for a glimpse of where the other man had been creeping. I had no idea where he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell at least I got one of them.\u201d I muttered before cupping my hand over my mouth. \u201cCartwright!\u201d there was no answer. If Joe hadn\u2019t heard me from my position, then Ben Cartwright probably couldn\u2019t hear me from here. I slid open my gun and pulled out two bullets.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere.\u201d I gave them to Joe. \u201cNow we each have two.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd there are four men left. Genius.\u201d<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t answer. My throat was as dry as his tone. \u201cWe could\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

A yell interrupted whatever great plan I had been going to reveal. It was Ben Cartwright. But I couldn\u2019t make out what he was saying. Then with a sudden eruption of gunfire, he burst forward out of the rocks, and I realized that he hadn\u2019t been yelling at me but at his sons on the hill. They were covering him as he ran. But they didn\u2019t see what I saw: a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye. It was Sandy, a little farther down than they must have realized. My body moved of its own violation, and I stood and shot as he lifted his gun to shoot Ben Cartwright. Then I felt a shove and Joe tumbled on top of me as there was another shot. He clutched his shoulder and then his head jerked forward as it struck against the rock. I spun just in time to see Clancy fall to the ground not fifty feet away. I went and bent over him. Dead.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe.\u201d Ben Cartwright was suddenly behind the rock, kneeling beside his son. I holstered my gun and went back over, suddenly full of dread.<\/p>\n

His body was limp, as it had been when I\u2019d first seen him. I felt my throat clench, and his head lolled backwards as Cartwright lifted it. His face was grave as he bent down over his son, and all of us held our breath while Ben listened for any sound from the motionless young man that he held. Dimly I was aware of Adam and Hoss coming down the hillside. They must have finished off the other two, I thought vaguely. But all my attention was on the young man that I had protected for more than a fortnight now, lying on the ground because of a bullet meant for me. My fists clenched and I willed him to say something. Anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

I nearly fainted with relief, or maybe it was from holding my breath for so long. That was probably it. But I couldn\u2019t keep my face from splitting into a grin, especially as I realized the significance of the one word he\u2019d said. I don\u2019t think Cartwright did though.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here, son.\u201d He said.<\/p>\n

For a moment Joe\u2019s eyes closed, whether from relief or pain I didn\u2019t know. Then he opened them and looked around. \u201cAre you alright, Wade?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d I answered, a little more gruffly than was necessary to cover my own relief. \u201cYou think Clancy is man enough to do me in? And just how many times am I going to have to save your sorry hide anyway?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I saved you this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was right, but I wasn\u2019t going to admit it. Instead I helped his Pa lift him to his feet where he wobbled a little and then nearly collapsed. In one motion Ben Cartwright caught him and lifted him up, a movement that I guessed he\u2019d done hundreds of times over the years with each of his sons when they were younger. My heart gave one painful beat and then was still, and I followed Ben Cartwright up the hill.<\/p>\n

When we got back to the ranch I found Tip in the barn right where I\u2019d left her with her saddle still on, though she\u2019d managed to eat every bit of hay that she could reach without moving. She gave me a reproachful look when I entered, so while Hoss went to get the doctor, I unsaddled her and began to rub her down with a murmured apology. After giving her what I thought was sufficient attention since I\u2019d left her standing saddled after such a hard ride, I fed her and put her in a small paddock with some hay. If I were forced to admit it, I was feeling a little reluctant to go inside. This was clearly a family affair now, as was evident from the way Adam and Hoss had hovered protectively around Joe the entire way back. I wasn\u2019t sure where I fit. But I couldn\u2019t stay by the barn all night long, so I went inside.<\/p>\n

The downstairs was deserted, and I paused awkwardly in the middle of the room. I thought of looking for something to eat, but my legs felt limp, and it seemed like someone had thrown a pound of sand behind my eyes. I blinked several times and I settled onto the settee. Just for a few moments. My eyes closed of their own accord, and I leaned against the back. It was nice to be in a house and not a camp by the road where the next person that passed me by might want to kill me. I would open my eyes and get up in a bit; I just wanted to let them be closed for a minute. Before I knew it I had slipped sideways and tumbled headfirst into oblivion.<\/p>\n


\nI must have slept like a rock right through the Cartwrights eating dinner that night and breakfast the next morning because when I woke up the clock was pointing at the number ten and the house was empty.<\/p>\n

I stretched and winced as I rolled my neck. Sleeping propped up against the arm of the settee hadn\u2019t been the best idea. I massaged my neck as I roamed around the house. It was large and airy but cozy too. Behind the dining room there was a kitchen, but before I entered I turned and went out the front door despite my growling stomach. I wanted to check on Tip first.<\/p>\n

\u201cSleep well?\u201d A voice stopped me before I got off the porch, and I turned to see Joe sitting on a chair. He wore boots and pants, but nothing on his upper body except the bandages around his side and shoulder and a sling. His face had lines of fatigue on it, though I guessed he\u2019d probably slept as long as I had.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you supposed to be up and about?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really. But I got used to breaking the rules while riding around with a criminal like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

His tone was light, but it made me frown. It had been nice to be around someone who wasn\u2019t in the same dirty class but who still didn\u2019t look down on me, but it looked like that was over. I glanced across the yard at Tip in her pasture where she was contentedly munching on hay and wondered how angry she would be with me if we left today for no other reason than because I felt uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

Neither of us spoke, but the silence lacked the easy camaraderie that we\u2019d had before. I sighed inwardly. It always happened this way. Then he spoke again.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2026 are you leaving soon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably.\u201d I didn\u2019t elaborate. He wanted me gone; that was clear enough. His next words caught me off guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could stick around a little; let your horse rest. You put a lot of hard riding on her.\u201d<\/p>\n

I eyed him. I\u2019d always prided myself at being able to read people, and I didn\u2019t see the false sincerity in him that people usually adopted when making a request they hoped the other person would refuse. But I still didn\u2019t feel comfortable hanging around.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be in the way. You\u2019ve got your family now and your ranch. You don\u2019t need me here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family. My ranch. Right.\u201d The words were muttered, but in them I caught a hint of dryness. And then I realized why he seemed so ill at ease.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you remembered.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

He shifted slightly, and I knew I\u2019d hit it on the head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was remembering as we rode, like when I saw the familiar places, when you said my name, and when I heard my Pa\u2019s voice. And that knock on the head seemed to jolt some things into place. I remember a lot more.\u201d He frowned, and he seemed to be seeing something far away. \u201cI remember what happened. I\u2019d gone to see Zeke to warn him that Isaac Clancy might try to get revenge, and he wanted to show me some of the views along the river. When Clancy attacked we both went galloping back toward town, but my horse slipped on the rocks, and I ended up in the river. You know the rest.\u201d He looked at me, and his eyes refocused. \u201cBut this place\u2026 it\u2019s like it\u2019s familiar, but also like I\u2019m seeing it for the first time. I don\u2019t know how to explain it. I just\u2026 I need some time to adjust.\u201d<\/p>\n

He let the last sentence hang in the air as a question, and I found myself nodding. I understood. I\u2019d been to so many different, unfamiliar places, and each time a part of me that was gradually being buried deeper and deeper wished that there was someone I knew with me until I got acquainted with the place. Of course nowadays I rarely stayed long enough for that, but the niggling desire for familiarity was still there. Yes, I understood him; probably better than he did. Maybe I wouldn\u2019t leave today. After all the morning was almost gone, and I preferred to travel when the morning was grey and still softly wet with dew.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know if you stick around a couple of days I can show you the rest of the ranch.\u201d He seemed to read my mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou forget, I\u2019ve already been here and seen a lot of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a trespasser. This time you\u2019d be seeing it as a guest. And my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

My quick tongue didn\u2019t know how to respond to that. So I didn\u2019t, and silence swept over us again, this time like a crisp fall breeze with the last hints of summer\u2019s warmth wrapped inside it. I sat and felt my body relaxing against the back of the chair. He had a way of putting people at ease, this Joe Cartwright. I had no doubts about his ability to settle back into his home, but if he needed me around to help him out\u2026 well, it wasn\u2019t like I had anywhere to go in a hurry. My money could wait to be spent.<\/p>\n

I frowned at the thought of the money. Sure I\u2019d spent plenty of time envisioning what I\u2019d do with it if by some chance I got to keep it, but now for some reason I wasn\u2019t enjoying the thought as much as I\u2019d planned.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long until you\u2019re able to ride?\u201d I asked to distract myself.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccording to the doctor or according to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

I grinned. I had seen him try to sit a horse after nearly dying, first from drowning and then from a fever, and I knew exactly what he meant. Chances were his pa would want to kill me for what I was about to suggest, but then again, he owed me quite a bit. It was worth the risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo go put a shirt on, and I\u2019ll saddle a horse for you.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

I saddled two horses, but when I brought them out, he frowned. I stopped and waited for him to say what was on his mind. I was waiting a while. Then he went into the barn.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there a problem?\u201d I asked drily.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026\u201d he was staring at a paint horse. \u201cIt\u2019s just that this is my horse.\u201d He said. As he spoke, the paint\u2019s nostrils were quivering in a soundless nicker while his hands rubbed up and down his face, clearly moving by habit. I couldn\u2019t be mad, after all, I was more attached than was probably healthy to my horse, but I could pretend to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cFine. I\u2019ll just take the saddle off the perfectly good horse it\u2019s already on and put it on him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked up. \u201cI can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd rip your side open some more?\u201d I snorted and pulled out the paint.
\nI could tell the paint wanted to run the moment he landed in the saddle, but Joe held him back. We both knew he wasn\u2019t ready for an outright gallop, or even a trot. Which was too bad because I would have liked to see how the paint would have run against Tip. Maybe later when both she and Joe were recovered we could try it. For now I gave my unfamiliar horse a nudge with my heels, and we set out at a walk with Joe leading the way. I wasn\u2019t sure where we were going, and I don\u2019t think he was either, but it didn\u2019t really matter.<\/p>\n

The trail cut down through the woods and then looped around what looked like the near side of a pasture. As we rode Joe let his eyes wander, drinking in the ranch that was his home. I didn\u2019t know if he wanted to talk or not, so I remained silent and contented myself with enjoying the view of the trees. I wondered how much they would get for a lumber contract here. Hundreds easily, maybe even thousands. I remembered the kid\u2019s comment about being rich and chuckled to myself. Funny the way things turned out sometimes. And here I was riding along beside him like a respectable citizen. The thought made my stomach stir uncomfortably.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you thinking?\u201d I asked so I could ignore myself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not really. Just looking.\u201d The tone of his voice said everything he didn\u2019t, and I sighed to myself. It would take a while before he felt at home here, which meant more time for me to feel like a soiled handkerchief in a drawer full of white, linen napkins.<\/p>\n

Somehow we managed to get back before anyone else did, and I hurriedly untacked the horses. When I got inside, Joe had practically collapsed on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table. He gave me a rueful grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I might have overdone it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I snorted. \u201cWhy am I not surprised? Do you need help getting upstairs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can manage.\u201d<\/p>\n

I waited and caught him when he almost fell halfway to the staircase. \u201cSure you can.\u201d I muttered.<\/p>\n

He slept the rest of the day, which made for a more than slightly uncomfortable supper. I\u2019ve never been the chatty type, and I think these Cartwright\u2019s were still trying to figure out what to make of me. Inwardly I was cursing up a blue streak at Joe for abandoning me to face his family alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least Joe is managing to get some rest.\u201d Hoss commented in an attempt to start a conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure he wore himself out today.\u201d Ben Cartwright\u2019s dark eyes flickered to me, and I was sure he somehow knew about our little excursion. I took an overly large bite of chicken to avoid having to answer his unspoken question.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell hopefully you won\u2019t have to threaten to tie him to the bed like you\u2019ve done before.\u201d Hoss said to his pa.<\/p>\n

I grinned. \u201cI used that same threat on him myself.\u201d I told them the story and then backed up and gave them the whole thing, from start to finish, leaving out the particulars of why Clancy and I had our falling out. It was one thing to admit to robbing a bank to a man who had no idea who he was and who owed you his life; it was another thing to admit it to his steely-eyed father who looked like he\u2019d put his fair share of criminals behind bars. What he guessed for himself, I couldn\u2019t tell.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I\u2019m glad you\u2019re the one that found him.\u201d Ben Cartwright said when I\u2019d finished. He seemed to mean it, but I shrugged. Like I said, I hadn\u2019t told him the whole story, and I didn\u2019t plan on it. The thought of the money was burning in the back of my mind like a red hot coal. While I\u2019d actually gotten it honestly, it was supposed to replace money that hadn\u2019t been gotten so cleanly. Somehow being here made me think about the people whose money had been in that bank, and I couldn\u2019t stop myself from wondering how they\u2019d managed to replace it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo are you from around here then?\u201d Adam pulled me out of my thoughts, and while I was grateful, I wasn\u2019t too keen on the question he\u2019d asked. It didn\u2019t have the ring of innocence that it had had when his younger brother had asked it to me; instead it was laced with careful intonations. He knew that no honest man just roamed around the countryside without work, and no one tangled with Clancy without getting some dirt on them. He was curious to know just what kind of man was sitting at his table eating supper with his family, and I couldn\u2019t blame him. But I wasn\u2019t about to answer him either. Thankfully I didn\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure Wade\u2019s story is very interesting, but I for one think it can wait for a better time.\u201d Ben Cartwright said. He caught his son\u2019s eye and held it for a moment, and Adam deferred. I was pretty sure the head of the Cartwright clan had been putting two and two together in his own head as well and that he was willing to look over it for the moment because of what I\u2019d done for his son. Hoss picked up the conversation again and moved it to other things, but I didn\u2019t say much. I was used to not being trusted, but that didn\u2019t mean it didn\u2019t make the back of my neck crinkle slightly.<\/p>\n

After supper I drifted outside for a breath of fresh air and a glimpse of the stars. When you spend your life on the road with the sky for a ceiling houses, even houses as nice as the Cartwrights\u2019, make you feel a little boxed in. I hadn\u2019t been on the porch for very long when Ben Cartwright came out. He settled himself against the railing and followed my gaze upward toward the light speckled heavens.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re something, aren\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n

I had expected him to ask when I\u2019d be moving along, so for a moment my tongue twisted around itself before I could answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always preferred starlight to daylight.\u201d I finally said. And it wasn\u2019t just because night was more conducive to my particular line of work. Night always seemed more elusive, like a dark-haired beauty dancing always out of your reach while day was a blonde constantly trailing after you and never leaving your side for a moment. A lot of people liked that, but I preferred to chase something distant than cling to something else simply because it was there.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid Joe mention anything to you about what he remembered?\u201d he broke into my thoughts with a question I realized he\u2019d been itching to ask all night. But he\u2019d waited until his other sons were out of hearing first, and a faint smile twisted the corners of my lips. The oldest might be close to his thirties, but Ben Cartwright was still their father and tried to shield them. If I\u2019d ever wondered where Joe had gotten the innate instinct to protect his family that had nearly gotten him killed, I wondered no more. But then my smile faded as I considered the question.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe remembers a lot, but he said he doesn\u2019t quite feel at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded. \u201cI was afraid of that. I\u2019m grateful you\u2019re here to help him.\u201d His tone was a little bitter, and I was pretty sure he wished that he could be the one helping his son instead of a vagabond he didn\u2019t even know. Uncharacteristically, I said what was on my mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t want me here, I\u2019ll go. I know I don\u2019t belong in a place like this any more than a mule belongs in a horse race.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned to face me. \u201cI don\u2019t speak falsely, Wade. I said I was grateful, and I am. I\u2019ll even go a step further; I\u2019m glad that you\u2019re here to help him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you wouldn\u2019t rather it be you helping him?\u201d What was with me and letting words just tumble out of my mouth tonight? Maybe I\u2019d been around Joe too long.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would.\u201d He said. \u201cBut only because a father always wants to be able to help his children.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shrugged. How was I supposed to know what a father did or didn\u2019t do?<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd don\u2019t worry about Adam.\u201d He added. \u201cHe\u2019s simply protective, and besides that he likes to know things. His mind is like a ferret, always digging holes purely for the sake of doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got quite a family here.\u201d I said, warming up to him for the first time by his openness.<\/p>\n

He nodded. \u201cA man has few treasures that he can\u2019t replace. My sons are mine.\u201d He looked up toward the stars again, and I felt his unspoken thanks for all I\u2019d done. Then he turned back to face me and broke the silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you go out riding again tomorrow there\u2019s somewhere I want you to take him.\u201d<\/p>\n

~*~<\/p>\n

Even Joe realized that he was too worn out to ride the next day though. Instead we spent the morning trying to beat each other at checkers until Adam showed up and whipped us both. Thankfully he didn\u2019t try to pry anything else out of me, and I actually found myself starting to like him.<\/p>\n

The next day it rained, but the sun rose clear on the third day, and once again I tacked up the horses. Joe was confused by my wanting to lead, but I brushed him off, saying that he\u2019d last time.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t even know where you\u2019re going.\u201d He said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither do you.\u201d I retorted. I steered Tip toward a trail through the woods that turned slightly downhill, grateful to be back on my own horse. She seemed happy as well; she hadn\u2019t liked watching me ride off on the bay interloper the other day. I reached down and patted her neck fondly.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo where are we going?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just said I didn\u2019t know.\u201d I didn\u2019t fool him though; I was riding with a purpose, and he could sense it. But he didn\u2019t ask again and contented himself with waiting until we got there.<\/p>\n

We topped a slight rise, and I unconsciously reined Tip in as the beauty of the scene settled around me. Ahead there was the lake, blue and distant like the mountains surrounding it and framed by the earthy green of the trees. I took a deep breath, drinking it in, but it was what was directly in front of us that caught Joe\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

He dismounted and walked stiffly over to the gravestone on the side of the hill. I stayed back, not wanting to intrude as he settled himself painfully on the ground in front of it. Instead I turned Tip and let him have his privacy while my eyes followed the line of mountains and the shoreline. The path I was on ran along the bank, and I let Tip follow it. The waves lapping gently against the land were as rhythmic as breathing, and I let the sound settle into my consciousness and fill it, washing out the cobwebs that had gathered since I\u2019d come to the Ponderosa. If Joe couldn\u2019t find peace here, it was his own fault, I decided. I certainly had.<\/p>\n

After a while I turned back. He was still there, standing instead of sitting, and he looked up when I approached.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you know to come here?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour pa told me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knows me. Probably better than I know myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shifted in my saddle. Words had a power to them, which was why I rarely spoke unguardedly, and I wanted to make sure I used the right ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one ever really knows themselves.\u201d I finally said. \u201cBecause no one\u2019s the same person day in and day out. You change and you become reacquainted with yourself. You\u2019re struggling now because you don\u2019t have a reference point. Maybe you changed more than you realized and you just need to adjust to yourself, not to the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took a deep breath and exhaled long and slowly, as if he was letting go of weeks of pent up emotions. \u201cMaybe you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am.\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m always right.\u201d<\/p>\n

He remounted and we rode back to the ranch in silence. My heart was lighter, and not just because we both knew he no longer needed me. Maybe it was because I no longer needed him. Either way, the next morning I beat the sun in rising and greeted her on my way out of the barn with Tip, tacked up and ready to go. She glanced down at me ruefully and then began to sweep away the morning\u2019s grey dew. I mounted.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you were going to leave without a goodbye?\u201d Joe crossed the yard with his arms folded over his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not much of one for goodbyes.\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I am.\u201d He hesitated. \u201cI owe you a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really. Anyone else would have done the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shifted. \u201cWell you saved my life too. And quite frankly being killed by that arrogant cur would have been worse than a hundred deaths, so actually I owe you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen do me a favor.\u201d<\/p>\n

I glanced at him. He hadn\u2019t caught me as the grasping type.<\/p>\n

\u201cNext time you need something come here instead of robbing a bank.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d rather I steal your cows instead of money then? Fair enough.\u201d I wasn\u2019t one to call in a favor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m serious. You could just stay here you know. We always need hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shook my head. Sure it would be nice to settle down somewhere someday, but it would on my terms and in a place where I was the one who called the shots, even if it was only a shack and a patch of dirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be a stranger.\u201d He finally said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d I went to turn Tip, but then I paused. \u201cLook, could you do me a favor? I\u2019m sure you ride out to Sacramento every once in a while, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded, clearly confused.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a package for the bank, but I\u2019d rather not go back there considering the way I left. Think you could drop it off for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

He gave me an incredulous look. \u201cA package?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSmall. I left it on the table.\u201d Without waiting for his answer I gave Tip a nudge with my heels and she picked up a trot, leaving Joe Cartwright and the Ponderosa behind me.<\/p>\n

\u201cDesperado, Why don’t you come to your senses
\nYou’ve been out riding fences for so long now
\nOh you’re a hard one
\nBut I know you got your reasons
\nThese things that are pleasin\u2019 you, have hurt you somehow”<\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0A stranger finds Joe near death and decides to help him but things are complicated by Joe’s inability to remember who he is and by the man’s own dark past. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 T (18,985 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":13934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23],"tags":[16],"class_list":["post-7445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","tag-joe","wpcat-23-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":5246,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Emily.png?fit=631%2C434&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":45566,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=45566","url_meta":{"origin":7445,"position":0},"title":"Branded and Shod (by Heidi)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"April 12, 2000","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: A confrontation with horse thieves turns deadly. Rating:\u00a0 T+\u00a0 Words:\u00a0 2,505","rel":"","context":"In "Brothers"","block_context":{"text":"Brothers","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1009"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15243,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15243","url_meta":{"origin":7445,"position":1},"title":"Men of Steel (by Inca \/ aka Tye)","author":"Inca \/ Tye","date":"September 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Joe and Hoss answer an advertisement in the Territorial Enterprise that leads to the job of their dreams - or so they hope! MA rated for sexual content 2780 words","rel":"","context":"In "Humor"","block_context":{"text":"Humor","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/MOS-Challenge.png?fit=476%2C476&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":863,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=863","url_meta":{"origin":7445,"position":2},"title":"Honor Series # 4 – Broken Promise (by the Tahoe Ladies)","author":"Tahoe Ladies","date":"September 19, 2001","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 We arrive at\u00a0the fourth story from Season 15 as envisaged by the Tahoe Ladies \u00a0 Rated: T\u00a0 Word Count:\u00a0 53000 Honor Series, links to all stories of this series included.","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_2234.jpg?fit=840%2C639&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_2234.jpg?fit=840%2C639&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_2234.jpg?fit=840%2C639&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_2234.jpg?fit=840%2C639&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":872,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=872","url_meta":{"origin":7445,"position":3},"title":"Honor Series # 5 – Reclaimed Love (by the Tahoe Ladies)","author":"Tahoe Ladies","date":"June 19, 2002","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Season 15 continues - episode 5\u00a0 A continuation of the Honor Series Rated: T\u00a0 Word Count:\u00a0 45300 Honor series, links to all stories within the series are included.","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Bonanza-slide.jpg?fit=1086%2C815&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Bonanza-slide.jpg?fit=1086%2C815&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Bonanza-slide.jpg?fit=1086%2C815&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Bonanza-slide.jpg?fit=1086%2C815&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Bonanza-slide.jpg?fit=1086%2C815&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6450,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6450","url_meta":{"origin":7445,"position":4},"title":"Dead of Winter (by Monette)","author":"Monette","date":"May 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 A rare story of how the Cartwrights survived one particularly bad winter. Rated:\u00a0MA\u00a0 (5,510 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Ben \/ Adam"","block_context":{"text":"Ben \/ Adam","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1016"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Lake-Tahoe-Winter-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Lake-Tahoe-Winter-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Lake-Tahoe-Winter-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Lake-Tahoe-Winter-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Lake-Tahoe-Winter-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5940,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5940","url_meta":{"origin":7445,"position":5},"title":"Hoedown Showdown (by Patina)","author":"patina","date":"August 3, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Rating: K Word Count=1893 Summary: The best laid plan often doesn't play out as we'd imagined. WHN for Any Friend of Walter's.","rel":"","context":"In "Humor"","block_context":{"text":"Humor","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Hoss.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Hoss.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Hoss.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/216"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7445\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}