"Hey, Kid," Hannibal Heyes said fondly to his friend as he came through the bunkhouse door. "How was the trip into Red Rock?"
Kid Curry entered the bunkhouse to find his partner sliding his legs into his leather chaps. "Fine, just fine. I think Livvy's got everything she needs for the big day. I swear you would think the two of you were getting hitched the way she's carrying on."
"So....did you get it?" Heyes asked anxiously.
"Relax, I got it. I hid it in the stables." His blue eyes twinkled as he laughed out, "And boy is she gonna be surprised."
"I know," Heyes said with a boyish grin. "I don't think I can wait until Sunday. I don't think I can keep it a secret for three days anyway. I'm gonna go ahead and give it to her today." Heyes stood there looking expectantly at his partner.
"What?" Kid asked, wondering what his partner was waiting on.
"Well, don't just stand there. Get your chaps on we've got horses to break. You know Mr. Peterson from the bank wants that pinto ready for his son's birthday on Monday."
"He's ready. All we need to do is get him shod and we can deliver him personally."
"Let's run him through the basics one more time. We can take him into town tomorrow morning and get him shod, that way he'll be ready come Monday morning."
"Oh, by the way, there's this barn dance over at the Weaver ranch tomorrow night. Livvy insisted that we go. I didn't really have a good excuse not to go, so I said I'd take her. Why don't you and Evie come along? They said everyone was invited."
Heyes shrugged, "Why not. I'm sure she'll enjoy getting to wear one of those new gowns Livvy bought for her."
"Give me a minute and I'll meet you in the corral."
"Take your time. I'm going to the stables to check on Evie's gift."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Livvy Vanderbilt breezed elegantly through the door to her niece's bedroom, arms loaded with hat boxes and garment bags. "I got it. The seamstress said all the alterations should be perfect. But you really should try it on to make sure."
"I will later, after I'm finished. Did you get that telegraph from back home you were expecting?"
"Yes. All the family businesses are in good hands and everything is going well. Libby is fine, too. I can't wait for you to meet her." As she spoke she hung the newly altered gown that Evie was going to wear this Sunday when she and Joshua bound themselves to each other. She was so excited for them. And she was enjoying making all the arrangements.
"Oh, by the way, I learned while I was in town that there's going to be a barn dance Friday night at one of the neighboring ranches. Mr. and Mrs. Weaver invited all of us. I thought you and Joshua might like to go. Thaddeus is going to escort me. It will be good for the two of you to go out as a couple before your hand fasting ceremony on Sunday."
"I'll ask him. I'm sure he won't have any objections."
Livvy studied her niece who was bent over some sewing by the window and found that she had dark circles under her usually bright eyes. "You look tired, dear. Aren't you sleeping well?"
"No, not really," she admitted. "It's nerves I guess," she lied. She wasn't nervous about Sunday. She could hardly wait to have a hand fasting with her beloved. But she wasn't about to tell her aunt that she had been haunted every night for the past week with dreams of her mother. In the dreams her mother stood shivering as if she were very cold. She would shake her head and say "smith," just before Joshua was dragged away in shackles. Evie didn't know what it meant or why she kept having the dream. It wasn't like before when her mother had clearly said "don't let her get off the train." It was as if she wanted to say more, but the only word Evie could hear was "smith." And why was her mother always shivering in the cold? It didn't make sense but it was making for some pretty sleepless nights. She had kept the dreams to herself. She hadn't even told Hannibal. "Aunt Livvy?"
"Yes, dear."
"That woman we saw in Cold Springs, the one with all the children....did she ever tell you what her name was?"
Livvy pondered the question for a moment. "I'm not sure I remember. Her given name was Laura but I can't recall what she said her last name was. I know she said it when she introduced herself and her husband, but I'm just not sure. Why do you want to know?"
"Just curious. Joshua and I ran into her in the mercantile." She stopped her sewing. "Her last name wasn't Smith was it?"
"Smith? Oh, no. I would remember if it were something as common as that. Especially when my only niece is going to be a Smith in the not so distant future. No, it was something not so common, Sherman or Sheldon or something like that."
Evie breathed an inward sigh of relief. At least she didn't have to worry about that worn out bag of bones being the smith her mother was warning her about. But just who or what was it? Maybe it all meant nothing. Maybe it really was nerves, manifesting themselves as bizarre dreams while she slept. She was going to try not to worry about it. She wouldn't let it ruin her enjoyment of the best week of her life.
"What are you doing anyway?" Livvy asked Evangeline who sat in the sunlight, needle and thread in hand.
"I'm sewing my binding cord. We're each supposed to bring one right." She held up the lavender printed sash. "I made it from Mama's dress. I don't need it anymore and it will almost be like she's there with us, giving us her blessing."
Livvy's eyes watered. "That's so beautiful. I know she and your father and brother will be there in spirit. Joshua is a good man. Thaddeus was worried that I didn't approve of him because he wasn't wealthy. Who cares if the man you love has money or not when you're the heiress to a fortune yourself. All that matters is that he loves you and you love him. A lesson I'm afraid my mother and father learned too late."
"What did you say?"
"I said all that matters is that you love him and he loves you......"
"No, before that."
"Who cares about money when your an heiress to a fortune."
"Who are you talking about?"
"You, of course." She laughed at the shocked look on her niece's face. "Who do you think is going to inherit everything when I'm gone? It's all going to be yours, dear. And I don't think I've mentioned it to you yet, but you have a very substantial trust fund that your grandfather set up for you when you were just a tiny baby. It's been drawing interest all these years. But you can't touch it until you turn twenty-one."
"What exactly do you call substantial?"
"Hum, I haven't checked on it in quite a while, but the last time I checked it was close to seventy-five thousand."
"Ouch!" The needle in Evie's hand slipped when she heard the figure and she stabbed herself in the thumb.
"Did you say seventy-five thousand?"
"Um hum."
"Dollars?"
"Yes."
"And it belongs to me?"
"Yes, but you can't spend any of it until you turn twenty-one. That's why I wasn't worried about Joshua's social status or income. I knew your money would be more than enough to take care of both of you until you're old and gray. Especially since it is added to monthly until you inherit the rest of it. I just wanted to be sure that he really loved you and you really loved him. And now that I'm sure of that fact, money is not going to be a concern for either of you."
A stout breeze would have knocked her over at that moment. She couldn't believe it. She was rich. Or at least she would be. She felt suddenly giddy and lightheaded. She had to share this news with Hannibal. She tossed her needle work aside and headed for the door, but stopped before she was completely out in the hallway and circled around to ask, "May I tell him the news?"
"Of course, you may share it with him, but wait....." Evie had bolted down the stairs and out the front door before she had a chance to even finish. She hoped she wasn't going to ruin the surprise Joshua had asked Thaddeus to pick up for him in Red Rock.
She found him as always in the corral. He was training the big black to stop on cue and respond to leg pressure. He was becoming attached to the giant stud, and had decided to keep him for his own. He had named him Odin. Under Hannibal Heyes' skillful hands, the once untameable beast had become a gentle giant. But there were moments when the wild mustang would emerge and only a skilled horseman like him could handle the stallion. She treated herself to a few moments of spellbound pleasure as she watched the man of her dreams teach the big animal to do what he asked of him. She shivered slightly as she took in the sight of him in those leather chaps, taming and teaching the wild beast between his thighs. Did he even realize the power he had over her? He could turn her insides into a quivering ball of mush just by sitting a horse. Everything he did, the way he walked, the way he talked, the way he smelled, the way he smiled made her long for something that she couldn't quite name. All she had to do was watch him and he made her think such impure thoughts. Watching him now made her want to finish what they had started in her bedroom that night. And thinking about that night always caused a tightening of her womb and and aching in her most secret of places. She closed her eyes and squeezed her thighs tightly together against the uncontrollable longing he had caused to bloom inside of her.
When he realized she was there, he dismounted and gave Odin a good rub and words of praise, to let him know he had done a good job. He let the reins trail on the ground and the stallion stood still just as he'd been trained. He crossed the corral and sat on the top of the fence beside her. As he approached her in those chaps the tightening feeling grew more intense.
"Thought you were busy with some sewing?" he asked, loosening the stampede string from under his chin.
"I was. I'm nearly finished. How's Odin's training coming along?"
"Real good. He's stopping on cue now. Standing still when the leads are trailing. Tomorrow I'm going to take him into town and see how he handles the distractions."
"Good. That's wonderful. I've got a surprise for you."
"What a coincidence, I've got one for you too."
"A surprise? For me?"
He jumped to the ground, "Wait here. I'll go get it. Close your eyes."
She closed her eyes and put her hands over them. "What about my surprise for you?" she called out to him.
"It can wait," he said loudly over his shoulder as he walked to toward the stable.
Kid came out of the bunkhouse and started towards the corral just as Heyes emerged from the stable with Evie's gift. He lingered back, not wanting to spoil their moment together, but happy to be witnessing the surprise. The look on Heyes' face reminded Kid so of the boy he had followed around and idolized as a child. He'd hung on Hannibal's every word. Had emulated his every move. And now he had witnessed him falling in love and on the verge of making a life long commitment to the girl he had fallen for. When they had gone out into the hills for those few days after the Laura Thompson scare, Heyes had been depressed. He'd been withdrawn and at first he wouldn't talk about it. But eventually, like always, Kid got him to open up. He'd decided he was no good for Evie, and that she deserved better than him. He'd had to remind Heyes that although they may have done a lot of wrong, they'd also done a lot of good. They'd helped a lot of people out along the way. And they'd never harmed anyone in all their robberies. He also reminded him that many of the young men he felt guilty about introducing to the business, would probably have turned out to be murderers if not for his influence on them. 'Just like Charlie Utley told us, Heyes, we're both better fellas than we think we are. Don't give up this chance you've been given to be happy. We probably won't get many others.' Kid had told Heyes.
He wasn't sure his talk had worked when they had come back home. He was sure Heyes was going to tell Evie to go back to Nashville with Livvy when he'd danced her outside the other night. But gosh darn it if he hadn't come back into the house ready to get himself tied and bound to her. He could have sworn he saw traces of tears on both their faces when they came in and told everyone their decision. Hannibal Heyes had not cried in fifteen years or more. He knew for sure then that this young woman had a power over Heyes that no other human being, including himself had ever had. Heyes had been floating on a cloud ever since. It had been a long time, probably since they were boys, that either of them could say they were this happy. In this moment as he watched his cousin walk across that corral, the man transformed into the little boy who had seemed so big to him as a child. He was all smiles. Those big brown eyes shining, those goofy dimples popping. He was happy. And that made the Kid happy. In his mind's eye he pictured a grown Jed Curry taking the little boy Hannibal and sitting him on his knee and hugging him close. "Be happy, Hannibal. You deserve it." he said out loud in a low voice that was laced with emotion.
"Alright, open your eyes."
She lowered her hands and opened her eyes. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth gaped open. She couldn't believe it. There in front of her, regal head held high as if waiting for her to acknowledge his beauty, was Rusty.
"Rusty!" She leaped from the fence and threw her arms around Heyes' neck and smothered his face with kisses. Rusty began to paw the ground and toss his large head.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm getting to you." She hugged the huge beast around the neck and rubbed her cheek along the glossy hair of his mane. "Where in the world did you find him?"
"When we were waiting for the farrier to trim the hooves of those two ponies we took into town earlier this week, we went to the livery stables to compare our horses to the ones they had for sale, and there he was. He saw me before I saw him. I think he heard my voice, and he started cutting all kinds of shines in his stall. As soon as I was sure it was him, I made the stable owner an offer and he took it. Kid went and picked him up for me this morning. He's all yours."
"When can we take him out?"
"Today if you want."
She clapped her hands and jumped up and down like a little girl who had just gotten a new doll. "Let me finish my sewing, it's very important. Then I'll change into riding clothes and I'll be back. Can we ride together. Just you and me and Rusty. It'll be just like it was when we first met."
"We'll be ready. I'll ask Georgia to pack us a picnic basket."
"Thank you. It's the best surprise you could have ever given me. Well, except for good news from the governor of Wyoming, of course." She looked up into his chocolate eyes and fell deeper in love with him. "God, I love you," she said before kissing him solidly on the lips, then spun around and bounding back to the house, her own surprise for him suddenly forgotten.
She seemed to float as she made her way back to the ranch house. Heyes was very proud of himself for giving her such a wonderful surprise. And overjoyed at her excitement. Just then two large wet lips nibbled at this ear. "Hey, cut it out will ya? " he griped as he shoved the big chestnuts nose away. "She's the only one who gets to kiss me, understand?"
Rusty gave him a series of grunts and snorts. If he didn't know better he'd have sworn that horse was laughing at him.
Kid watched Evie skip joyfully to the house and disappear inside. "I take it she liked her gift," he inquired of his friend who was leading the big chestnut back into the stables to get saddled.
"Yeah, she was thrilled. We're going out riding later."
"Oh, yeah? You ain't planning on taking the black out are you?"
"No, I don't think that would be wise. He might get a taste of that desert air and take off. Thought I might ride him into town tomorrow when we take the pinto to get shod."
"So which mount do you want to take out? I'll get it saddled up for you."
"I think ol' Rusty's missed us so much, we'll just take him and ride double."
"Heyes, your a stronger man than I am. If I was riding double with a girl that looked like Evie...well, I wouldn't be looking forward to a hand fasting, I'd be looking down the barrel of a shotgun....at my wedding."
Heyes grinned smugly. "Kid, that's why I'm the brains in this outfit and you're the brawn. Like I told you before, I know how to handle myself in the clinches."
"Even a man with a brain as big as yours Heyes is still just a man. And eventually a man reaches the limit of what he can take. And I can tell you've just about reached your limit. I know you lay awake at night fighting the urge to climb through her window. Lord only knows I'd have done climbed that ladder a dozen times if I was in your boots. And we both know that she's on the verge of giving in too. Why don't you do her and yourself a favor and go into town and see one of the girls at the saloon before you take Evie out. You know, take some of the edge off. That way you won't be so tempted should the two of you find yourselves uh....."
"Needing some fresh air?" Heyes interjected with a sly grin.
"Huh?" Kid asked with a confused look on his face.
"Aw, nothing. I've thought about that, Kid and I just can't do it. I feel like I'm being unfaithful to her for even thinking about it."
"Your not married to her yet, Heyes."
"Maybe not on paper, but in my mind and my heart, Kid, I feel like I am."
"Well, like our wise old grandma used to say, "Whatever a man thinks he is in his heart is what he'll be."
"I think she stole that from Solomon."
"There ya are. He was even wiser than our dear old grandma." He paused for a moment and became quite serious as he took his partner by the shoulders and looked him deeply in the eyes and said, "I guess what I'm trying to say, Heyes, is....if she's ready to take that step and you do give in, be good to her. Be gentle with her and make sure she knows how much you love her."
Kid walked away leaving Hannibal Heyes feeling a little bit like a teenage boy who'd just gotten the "birds and bees" talk from his father.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Evie came running back into her room prepared to finish her sewing when she found Livvy finishing it for her.
"You don't mind do you?" she asked.
"No, not at all. It will give me more time to get ready for my outing with Joshua."
"What outing?"
"He gave me my surprise. It was Rusty! We're taking him out for a ride and a picnic later, just the two of us."
"Yes, Rusty and I have met. He's a splendid animal. How did Joshua like your surprise?"
"Oh, shoot! I was so excited about Rusty I forgot to tell him. I'll tell him later when we're out riding." She began searching through the wardrobe for just the right thing to wear.
"Do you really think it's wise to go out unchaperoned, Evangeline?"
"Aunt Livvy, we were out in the wilderness alone for a week without another human being around for a hundred miles. We slept inches apart from each other. I hardly think it would make any difference at this point. Besides, we're going to be binding ourselves to each other in three days. And hopefully man and wife within a year or two. If we can't be trusted to be alone together by now, when can we?"
Livvy rose from her seat by the window and sat on the edge of Evangeline's bed. "Evangeline, come sit with me for a moment. I want to talk to you."
Evie discontinued her search and sat beside her aunt.
"Evangeline, when a man feels about a woman the way Joshua feels about you, it's only natural for him to feel certain urges. And sometimes he can't control those urges and he...."
"Wait," Evie interrupted. "Is this going to be a 'what comes natural between a man and a woman' talk. Because if it is, you're too late. I already know."
Livvy's mouth fell open, "You mean you two have already...."
"No, Aunt Livvy. You're too late to give me the talk. Somebody already informed me about what goes on between a man and a woman."
Livvy placed a hand over her heart and breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness. So your mother had already explained to you what to expect on your wedding night."
"No, not Mama. Sally. I met her back in Alpine. She worked at the Bull's Eye Saloon."
"A saloon girl? Evangeline Ruth Webb how on earth did you....never mind I don't want to know. What's important is that you know the consequences of letting a man have the milk before he's bought the cow. Having a good reputation and good solid virtues is far more important than satisfying a man's urges for him. I know that women sometimes have urges too, and sometimes you may feel the need to...uh...."
"Get some fresh air?" Evie giggled.
"What?" Livvy asked, perplexed.
"Nothing. Aunt Livvy, you don't have to worry. Joshua would never do anything that would hurt me. In my heart and in my soul I feel like he's bought this cow ten times over. I couldn't feel more committed to him if our names were carved on stone tablets together. And I know he feels the same about me."
Livvy placed her hand Evie's cheek. "I know I'm not your mother, and I know you're a grown woman and I can't tell you what to do. But I will say this. When a woman gives a man the most precious gift she's got to give...her innocence...make sure you give it freely, not out of pressure or desperation but out of love. And make sure he's worthy of such a gift and that he will treat it and you with the reverence you both deserve."
Livvy rose silently from the bed and resumed her sewing by the window. If she only knew how many times Evie had come close to giving the milk away for free. She would probably be horrified is she knew that she'd rode the whole way to Alpine practically in Joshua's lap. And that she was planning to do the same this afternoon. The small book that bore her name on its gold embossed cover caught her eye as it lay there on the bedside table. She picked it up and thumbed through the pages. The book fell open to the same place it always fell open. The same page it had fallen open to the day she had left her family's farm behind. She read silently to herself now, just as she had that day,
"Something there was in her life incomplete, imperfect, unfinished"
And she knew what that something was. She belonged to Hannibal Heyes in every way that a person could belong to another, except one. That was the only thing "incomplete, imperfect, and unfinished." A smile touched her lips. She knew now exactly what to wear for their outing. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The boys walked from the stables leading the newly saddled Rusty just as Evie emerged from the house wearing the form fitting britches that had once belonged to her brother, and a simple white blouse tucked into the waistband. Both men stood speechless for a moment at the sight of her crossing the yard and heading for the corral, a picnic basket swinging from her hand, a slight breeze making her glorious hair dance in midair, and those tight pants highly emphasizing her every voluptuous curve.
Kid slapped his partner on the shoulder. "The clinches seem to be getting tighter and tighter, Heyes. But you're the brains in this outfit. I'm sure you can handle it."
Heyes gave his partner a scathing look. Then turned a dimpled smile to his sweetheart as she climbed over the corral fence. "Sewing finished already?"
"Livvy finished it for me." She hooked the picnic basket onto the saddle horn before she put her foot in the stirrup and mounted the waiting stallion, giving both ex-outlaws a perfect view of her well defined derriere as she lifted her self up and into the saddle. The boys looked at each other, Kid's eyebrows raised in amusement, Heyes eyebrows drawn together in a worried frown. Kid knew his partner better than he knew himself. He was strong, but he wasn't that strong. "There may be a shotgun in your future after all, Heyes."
"Well, are you coming?" Evie asked.
"Yeah, Heyes, are ya?" Kid said quietly on a barely contained laugh, not wanting Evie to hear.
Heyes just shot him a scathing "I'll get you back later" look, annoyed that his partner would make such a crude remark with a lady so close by. Although he had to admit, the first thing that popped into his mind when she asked that was, "Yeah, I think I am." He just shook his head in dismay at his and the Kid's off color thoughts, before swinging himself up and into the saddle behind Evie. Having her sit in front of him in the saddle brought back a wealth of memories and emotions. Heyes felt a stirring in his loins. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
"What are you waiting for? Daylights wasting and I'm looking forward to a good long ride on this big stud."
Heyes rolled his eyes at the images that statement conjured. He turned the stallion and headed out the gate which Kid had just swung open for them. Heyes didn't even have to turn around and look to know that Kid Curry was doubled over, laughing.
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