Next morning Heyes woke, not knowing if Millie still was around or back with her husband in her own house. What he did know, was the fact that Kid had gone to the merchantile. They had flipped coin over it last night, and Kid had lost. He scratched his fingers in his tousled hair as he carefully looked around, his eyes drowsy from sleep.
As he saw Chyenne, a smile showed in his face. He sat up and started getting dressed, and when he was half way through buttoning his shirt, a soft voice declared :
"That's a nice color on you "
Surprised he stopped and looked up from buttoning his shirt. Their eyes met and he gave her a warm smile.
"Huh ? " he said and motioned at his shirt, "This ? "
Chyenne nodded slowly.
"Matches your eyes "she declared softly and started to move with difficulty as she wanted to sit up.
Buttoning the last buttons hastily, he got on his feet and walked over to her.
Without asking he leaned down and wrapped his arms around her, carefully lifting her up in a sitting position.
Chyenne held her breath, this was utter torture to her, his face just inches away. She closed her eyes as he gently let go of the hold he had on her. She was sure he could hear her heartbeats, God how he made her feel. She slowly opened her eyes again.
"How do you feel ?" he asked, his voice still a little hoarse from waking up.
Besides from feeling warm all over by looking in his eyes, she realized that her body was still aching a lot. Warm yet aching, she pondered, not logical at all. So she decided not to tell him.
"Better," she lied.
He gave her a doubtful glance as he sat down on the other bed, putting his boots on.
"Better ?" he echoed and stood up again after the finished task.
Chyenne swallowed and avoided his doubting stare.
"Yeah, better, " she looked around, searching," Where's Kid ?" She tried to change the subject.
Heyes raised his eyebrow at the question. At the same time he felt a thight knot in his throat.
"Ah ! Well the Kid's...he's off to the merchantile to get some nails, got some fencing to do today." he mumbled and rubbed his bristled chin."Millie's gonna come by and keep you company "
Chyenne sighed silently.
"I'd rather you did " she whispered to herself, looking the other way, out the window.
Heyes had turned around to get out in the kitchen, but stopped as he thought he heard her say something.
"What ?" he said.
She still gazed out the window. She couldn't stop these feelings that seemed to have taken a hold on her, that had been with her for soo long, that insolently handsome outlaw made it difficult for her to breathe.
"Nothing, "she sighed dejected.
Sensing the discussion was over, he went out to the kitchen and started to make some coffee.
Could six months really make that much of a difference ? He felt vexatiously unsure of it somehow. Had he just imagined it before ? Maybe he wanted her so much, he saw things that wasn't there ?
A moment later Curry stepped through the door.
He slumped down on a chair, and displayed the box of nails on the table.
"I swear to it, one day, I'm gonna..." he hissed as he almost knocked a chair over by gesturing with his arms.
Heyes grinned a little as he stood with his back against his partner. This was why they almost every time flipped a coin, his coin, his lucky coin.
Mrs Tibbs, the owner of the towns merchantile and, a widow since her beloved husband died a year ago and left her the business, was at the age of sixty, more or less smittened by the two newcomers. An infatuation that had gone totally out of hand. The more it progressed, the more they believed something was wrong with the woman. Kid was taking the worst blow as she seemed to favour him.
"You're gonna what ?" Heyes smirked as he turned around."Shoot her ?"
Curry looked up from under the brim of his hat and smirked back.
" It might be the most humane thing to do. Would save us a lot of pain," he grumbled, putting his hat on the table, "Ahh, she is literally driving me crazy, Heyes. Next time you go. No tossing coins!"
Heyes chuckled as he put a cup of coffee in front of Curry, then he sat down himself with cup in hand. Then he put his finger to his mouth.
"Not so loud. She's awake," he said whispering, "The pain in her head and body right now, must be ten times the hangover, or maybe more, remember ?"
Curry winced, and looked somewhat guilty. Nodding .
"Sorry..." he whispered back,"but the woman gets on my nerves. Can't help it."
After drinking their coffee and making breakfast to Chyenne, they both went outside to do their chores and to mend the fences. Millie came by later that afternoon to check on Chyenne, making sure she didn't have a fever and that she healed the way she should.
As grateful as Chyenne was over Millies consern for her, she was dead tired over all the fuss and pampering. She was definately not used to it. No one had ever fussed or pampered over her before in her entire life.
The days to come, pretty much looked the same to Chyenne. Though she healed up quite nicely, Millie still came by at least twice a day to check on her. Making sure she was fussed over in a proper way.
And with each day, Chyennes ever present feelings towards the notorious outlaw Hannibal Heyes, grew stronger.
* * *
After approximately 24 hours, walking back and forth, and constantly checking out the shack window, Rex Lewis and his gunslinger partners of the Whitey Bunch, Sly Noone, Hank Frost and Joe Simms, knew something was wrong.
And after about two days, they got it confirmed.
Sly Noone came hightailing back to the Gangs hideout after being in the nearby town of Evanston, sliding of his horse and skittering into the shack, all red faced.
Hank, Rex and Joe looked up from a small stakes pokergame, facing their panting partner.
"He's dead ! James' dead !" Sly exclaimed between breaths."The rumour is all around Evanston "
Rex tossed his cards all over the table and stood up so fast the chair fell backwards, crashing on the floor.
"DAMN IT ! " he bellowed, "Rumour says who did it ?"
Catching his breath, Sly stood with his hands on his knees, facing the floor as he shook his head.
"No! Just that he was killed. Stabbed to death. Found outside a place called Rocky Creek "
Hank and Joe was still sitting at the table, Joe showing a sign of disappointment over the sudden end of their poker game. He had a pretty good hand, the pot would have been his.
"I knew it" he squeeked out, "I told him women means bad luck. He shouldn't have fancied that lady on the stage "
The others regarded him like he was out of his mind.
"You cannot be serious ?" Rex hissed as his arms flew out in a gesture of disapproval.
Joe grunted as he stood up to face his partner.
"I sure am. You wasn't there, Rex. You didn't see the eyes on James as he looked that lady over...not healthy ! Not at all "
There was a silence spreading in the shack and Rex looked at the other guys.
"Is this true, Hank ? Sly ?"
Both men stared persistent down into the wooden floor.
"Yeah..." one grunted.
"Sort off..." the other mumbled.
Rex rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.
"Oh for heavens sake "he muttered under his breath, wondering how in the world he had gotten involved with such unbelievable stupid men, even their former leader, the now DEAD James Canton seemed to have suffered from a severe case of stupidity, "He sees a pretty lady and his brain goes on vacation. Just great. Great ! And he ends up dead...even greater!"
The irony of his sermon didn't go by unnoticed by anyone. He kicked the chair, that had crashed to the floor, hard as he cursed loudly for everybody to hear.
Hank and Sly sidled across to their bunks as Joe still stood facing Rex at an arms lenght.
"She wasn't just a pretty lady, Rex. She was georgeous...stunning!" Joe thought back on the day they had stopped the stage coach. He had been spellbound by her, and he had been shaking with envy as James had taken her, claiming her as his. "No wonder James lost his head, he was thinking with the smaller one "
That particular statement erupted a few and small laughs from the others. Rex shot them a mean look as he listened to what Joe had to say. This made him feel down right grumpy.
He put his hands on his hips, his legs spread wide apart, his mouth a thin line.
Then he asked the question no one wanted to answer.
"Well...do you guys think she did it ?"
Hank squirmed, Sly looked anywhere but at Rex, and Joe stood there looking sheepish as the question dawned on him.
"Rex, she's a woman. James is...was a big guy ! How could she possibly have done it ?"
Again, Rex rolled his eyes and prayed to a higher power.
"You said it yourself, he was thinking with his dick. Not much senses left then, if that head is allowed to rule. Pretty easy to finish him off then " he growled and imagined the image of James with his dick standing attention while getting sent off to his maker.
Rex shook his head.
"Anyway, she's the last one to have seen him...right ?" it was more a statement than a question.
The others nodded.
"Probably " one of them said.
"Well " Rex said, turning on his heels, "Then we go to this Rocky Creek or whatever it's called...and see if we can locate that woman. We have to, for James."