A nightmare from the past (Editing)

Chapter 17

Next morning Lorne Nolan sat at his kitchen table, bewildered over his own incapability to sort of, put his foot down or draw the line or whatever. Last night when Joshua and Thaddeus had told them their real names were Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, he had almost fallen backwards in his chair. Just the thought that they, his wife and him, had hosted two of the most notorious outlaws in the west for weeks, and not knowing were mindblowing.

He rubbed his hands together, looking absentmindedly out the window. He couldn't help but to let out a little silent chuckle. He knew his wife had a real sore spot for both of the men, and he doubted that this knowing about their real identity would do much difference. They were in fact really good men, he had to admit, well liked all over their small town. He had on several occasions seen the towns younger women cast wistful glances in their directions, well...even the middle-aged women too, married or not married didn't seem to matter.

He looked up as his wife Millie entered, a cautious smile upon her plump lips as she went over to the stove and started to cook coffee right away.

Lorne could see that she struggled with the same thoughts as he did, so he rose and went over to her, putting his arms around her delicate shoulders. She shook her head slowly, closing her eyes.

"How could we know, huh..?" Lorne started, trying to find the right words to justify the simple truth that had been displayed before them last night, "how could we know?"

Millie turned around and frowned sternly at her husband, taking his face in her hands.

"Lorne, both of them seemes to be such nice young men..and to us they will always be Joshua and Thaddeus " she sighed a little buying herself time to find the right words, "what they have done in the past..well " she shook her head and laughed a little, " I just can't picture them robbing banks and trains.. I just can't !"

Lorne brushed his hand over her hair as she turned to watch the coffee pot.

"Neither can I love " he took her hand and held it on front of him, "don't you worry, Darling...we are not helping any outlaws..we are helping Joshua and Thaddeus, right ? ..and Chyenne !"

He said those words mostly to calm himself down. He knew that helping outlaws was nearly as bad a crime as being an actual outlaw. They hugged dearly in a faint try to convince themselfs they were doing the right thing.

"Chyenne.." Mille softly said, " she's soo ..soo lovely. And she obviously has known for some time." Millie smiled a prude smile, "It just takes one look in her eyes to see how she feels about Joshua "

Lorne chuckled deep down in his throat." That's an understatement." he let her go to be able to pick his medical bag up from the floor next to the table, " Joshua has it as bad as she does!"

Both of them laughed softly, looking at each other, nodding. They would do whatever they could to help.

Lorne started to rummage through his bag, one tool after another laid out on the table. "The one thing I really need is my syringe " he glanced at Millie as she poured herself a cup, " Have you gotten all the other things?"

Millie nodded, looking like she was counting it all in her head.

"I got the make up..I borrowed reading glasses and a fake beard from miss Mona...she won't tell or ask questions " Millie gave her husband a completive nod, then she took a sip from her cup, "Was there anything else?"

Lorne shook his head as his face grimaced with uncertainty, "I don't think so."

Then Millie remembered."Oh yeah...Mona also told me two new scruffy looking dudes came back in later last night, having been there earlier, and sat in the saloon almost the whole night...playing poker!"