Thief of My Heart (Watty Awards Finalist 2012)

Chapter 46

He lowered his gun, then let it drop back into his holster.  “Get out of here,”  he ground out between his clenched teeth.  Evie could see the heat of anger emanating from his rigid body.   He was furious.  Not only had he been thwarted again, but this time by a woman.

Heyes took Kid by the arm and helped him walk towards Evie and Rusty who stood on a small ledge of the canyon wall on the north rim.  Kid’s head hung low with fatigue and his feet were unsteady.   Heyes kept his eyes on McMaster.  He didn’t trust him.  Heyes couldn’t believe it.  They were actually going to get out of this alive.   They headed up the slope towards Evie.   Once again his angel of mercy had saved their necks.   As he reached her he took his eyes off McMaster and turned to see her beautiful face staring down at him with relief.  She smiled slightly, her eyes bright with love for him.  Then her smile faded.  Her brows came together in a frown.  Heyes whirled around just as a shot was fired.  He closed his eyes and prepared himself for the impact of the bullet.  But it never came.   He opened his eyes to see Sherman McMaster, gun in hand crumple to the ground in pain as a slug from Evie’s derringer hit him in the leg. 

Evie sat there frozen, not knowing what to do.  Her hand began to shake.   Heyes came to her and reached his arms up to  her waiting for her to climb down.  She couldn't move.  She had just shot  man.  "Come down,  sweetheart.  Give me the gun."  The tiny weapon suddenly felt like it weighed a hundred pounds.  She let it dangle from her hand and fall into Heyes' palm.  He put it into he coat pocket then caught her as she slid from Rusty's back and into his arms.  She held on tight not fully believing what had just happened. 

"That was some bluff.  Preacher's not really up there is he?"  She shook her head.  "That was some shot, too,"  he said into her ear still holding onto her close.

She pulled away to look into his face.  "I was aiming for his arm."  He laughed and pulled her close once more,  awed by her bravery and her love for him.   "You two had better hide somewhere,"  she said.  "Hershel and Joe will be here any minute.  And the rest of the posse too after that shot."   Before Heyes could respond to her they both saw Kid collapse out of the corner of their eyes.

Heyes rushed to his partner's side and knelt beside him and lifted his head into his lap.  "Don't worry, Kid,  everything's going to be fine, now.  You just need a little water and some rest and you'll be back on your feet in no time."


Kid looked at Heyes with weary eyes,  "Heyes, you need to make a run for it.  You can still hide before they get here.  Don't sacrifice yourself for me."

"I'm not going anywhere.  I can't let you go off to prison alone.  Who would keep you out of trouble?"

The sound of riders coming fast echoed loudly in the canyon.  The posse was coming.   "Here they are, Hershel."   Joe's voice also echoed.  He and Hershel were descending into the canyon.  It was over.  They would be going to the Wyoming Territorial Prison.  But at least they would be alive.

Heyes looked down at his partner, his best friend,  and offered him a smile.  "It's been one heck of a ride, ain't it, Heyes?" 

"It sure has, Kid."

"Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes,  you're both under arrest,"  the young deputy Jesse Horton announced as the posse arrived on the scene. 

"Hold on just a minute, boys,"   Joe yelled from behind the row of mounted posse members.  "Burt's been murdered.   And McMaster's the one who murdered him."  All eyes turned to the wounded lawman who lay writhing in pain on the canyon floor.  "We found his body buried about five miles north of here.    Sherman McMaster, you are under arrest."

"What about Curry and Heyes?"  Jesse asked.

Joe and Hershel looked at each other,  then at the young woman who stood beside the outlaws.  "It appears we may have been mistaken.  We're not so sure these fellas are Curry and Heyes."

"They aren't!"   a familiar female voice sounded from the south ridge of the canyon.  All eyes turned to see a petite blonde woman with a posse of her own,  navigating the tricky slope leading into the canyon.  When she and her team of Bannerman detectives pulled rein in front of the posse, the pretty woman made herself known.

"I am Mrs. Olivia Vanderbilt of the Nashville Vanderbilts.  This young lady,"  Livvy turned her gaze to her niece and was horrified at her appearance, but regained her composure and continued,  "this young lady is my niece.  And that gentleman is her fiance.  And the other gentleman is his cousin.  They are both in my employee and I can vouche for their credentials.  I can even produce documents to prove who they are if necessary.    I have recently purchased this canyon and the land surrounding it in all directions for five square miles.  These men were here at my request to survey the land.  So you are all trespassing. And furthermore, it is apparent that they have been harassed and falsely accused.  So I suggest that you take your rubbish,"   she looked back over her shoulder at McMaster, "and get off of my property before I instruct these detectives who are also in my employ to find out exactly who is responsible for this harassment.  And you had better hope that Mr. Jones' injuries aren't serious, or there will be hell to pay!"

The entire group of twenty men  looked like little boys who had been caught by the school mistress looking up the little girls' dresses.    They hung their heads and mumbled under their breath, clearly humbled and shamed.   A couple of the men came and gathered McMaster who was whining and crying like a little girl, and aided him onto a horse and the entire posse rode towards the other end of the canyon.  It would be the last they would see of them.

Livvy dismounted her horse with the elegant grace of the lady that she was, and came to her niece and hugged her.  Evie hugged her back, genuinely glad to see her and so thankful that she had arrived just in time.  "Oh, thank the good Lord you are alright.  I've been out of my mind with worry."    Livvy turned concerned eyes to the two men nearby.  "Is he badly hurt?"  she asked Heyes.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Livvy  hesitated, but only for a moment.  Heyes stood and made room for her as she closed the distance between them in two strides.  She knelt and took Heyes' place as a pillow for Kid's head. 

"It appears you've found what you were looking for, Mrs. Vanderbilt.  If you won't be needing anything else, we'll be on our way back to White Oaks,"   spoke the  distinguished older gentleman, dressed in a suit and tie, who was the obvious man in authority of the four detectives. 

"Yes, Mr. Phleps,  I have found what I was looking for.  I couldn't have done it without your assistance.  Thank you.  And would you be so kind as to send a telegraph to Mr. McCreedy and tell him that all is well."

"With pleasure, madam,"  he said as he tipped his felt derby.   With a courteous nod to the other lady and the two gentleman,  Mr. Phelps and his three fellow detectives ascended up the canyon wall and out of sight.

At Livvy's request, the bedroll  and canteen from her saddle was brought to her.  She placed the bedroll under Kid's head and held the canteen to his lips as he drank thirstily.   No one except Kid saw the look of relief on her face when she looked him over and realized he was not badly hurt, but more exhausted than anything.   

Satisfied that everyone was going to live,  Livvy rose to her full five feet two inches.  She stood there, looking elegant in her clean riding habit,  her feathered hat neatly atop her honey blonde curls, with her hands on her hips, lips pursed and her booted foot tapping a brisk staccato.  "Well, is anyone going to thank me for perjuring myself to save your ungrateful hides?"

She was rewarded with a barrage of  various forms of  "thank you's."   

"You can all thank me as well for the caravan that I have coming this way."

"Caravan?"  all three asked in unison.

"I have several wagons loaded with supplies headed this way.   I had no idea how long I might have to stay out here searching for you.  So I hired a staff of servants and purchased everything I thought I might need.  I hired a doctor who will be arriving with them as well.   I  want you all to get examined.  There will be large heated tents, a dining tent and private quarters for each of us.  There will also be a bathing tent set up.  And I want all three of you to visit it as soon as possible."   She held a dainty gloved hand to her nose.  "You all look and smell horrible."  She spun around taking in the view of the multicolored canyon walls.  "Now what in the world am I going to do with this place?"

"You mean you really did buy this place?"   Heyes asked incredulously.

"Of course I did.  As soon as Georgia told me where you were headed,  I sent a few telegraphs back home and had my best people get to work on it immediately.  I  met a gentleman in White Oaks last night who gave me the deed of ownership."

Heyes and Evie stared after her in disbelief as she went back to nursing the ailing Kid Curry.  The caravan of wagons made their noisy appearance on the canyon's ledge.  They shielded their squinting eyes to get a better look at the wagon train.  It wasn't until that moment that  they realized the rain had stopped, the clouds had moved off to the east, and a bright, warm early December sun was beaming down upon them.