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Worth the Risk by Storm
Richards "For
the two most successful outlaws of the west..." the words hung in the
air as Laurie rolled her eyes. "What?" Hannibal Heyes, ex-outlaw spit out. "Let's
just enjoy the scenery," Kid Curry urged as he once again maneuvered his
horse between the two. They had
been bickering with each other for the past day and a half. All three were hot, tired, hungry and
covered head to toe in trail dust having left Devil's Hole over a week
ago. "I'd
like to hear the rest of the sentence," Heyes snapped. Laurie gave him a sideways glance as
she urged her horse to go a little faster; frustration and undeserved anger
built up inside her. He
caught up to her and grabbed the reins of her horse, pulling both horses to a
stop. The
blond partner pulled his horse to a halt figuring it was best to give them a
little space. Brown
eyes stared at her waiting for an answer. She
diverted her eyes from his piercing glare. She blinked as unwanted tears welled
in her eyes, as the situation was getting the best of her. "Aaarrrrggghhhh!" she
screamed, and quickly jumped off the opposite side of her horse, darting into
the trees. "Laurie!" Heyes yelled as he dismounted,
storming after her. She
took two steps into the woods and stopped dead in her tracks. "Laurie!"
Heyes yelled again as he caught up to her; stopping a step behind her when he
saw what was in their path. "Don't
move," Kid called from behind as he slowly moved sideways to get a clear
shot - BANG. With
the noise, Laurie tensed, turning; she buried her face into Heyes chest as he
grabbed her, pulling her closed to him.
Rubbing her back he tried to reassure himself, just as much as her
that everything was okay. "I
got you, you're okay. Shhh it's
okay." Kid
stepped around them, leaning over; he picked up a stick, scooping the
headless snake up. "One more
step..." he shook his head and looked at the rattler. "This must be at least four feet
long." "Thanks,
Kid," Heyes stated as he held onto Laurie. Holding her so close, he couldn't tell
whose heart was beating faster or harder. "I'm
sorry," she squeaked out. "Shhh,"
he continued to rub her back.
"You're okay, everything is okay." She
pushed off him a little, "No, it's not. I've been mean and rotten to you and I
am sorry. I could have gotten you
killed again." "The
snake was a foot away from you," Heyes stated sounding somewhat
confused. "I
know but what if it was closer to you, I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry." He
pulled her close to him again and kissed her head. "It's okay. Kid saved both of us; we're all
alright." Turning
and looking at the snake dangling from the stick she said, "Thanks,
Kid." "Anytime,"
he smiled at her and tossed the snake off to the side. "What'd you say we..." Heyes
put his hand up.
"Listen," he whispered. Kid
moved his hand to the butt of his gun as he and Laurie strained to hear
whatever Heyes was hearing. A
smile slowly spread across his face.
Arching his eyebrows he said, "Follow me," as he continued
in the same direction they had been going. Walking about twenty feet more, he
burst out into a clearing with a small creek and a trickling waterfall. The
three stood staring and smiling at the creek, which was only about six feet
wide and a few inches deep, but still, it was clean, cool water. "I'll
get the horses," Kid stated, stepping back into the trees. He figured he would take his time,
giving Heyes and Laurie a few minutes to themselves in the hopes the
refreshing water would ease the tension between them. As
though he knew his partner’s intentions Heyes pulled Laurie to
him. Gazing into her eyes he
quietly said, "I know it's not a bath, but you can at least you can wash
your face. Maybe it will make you
feel better." Reaching
up, she swept an errant hair off of his face with her hand. "I'm sorry." "I
know." He leaned in, kissing
the tip of her nose. Tears
once again welled in her eyes. "I
know how stressful this has been."
Pursing
her lips, she nodded as a stray tear ran down her cheek. "Come,"
Heyes led her to the creek.
Squatting down he dipped their hands in the water. Reaching up, he lightly brushed the
tear away with his cool wet fingertips.
"Does that feel better?" Laurie
nodded, too tired and emotional to attempt to speak for fear she would fall
to pieces. Lifting
her chin with his finger, Heyes leaned in, gently kissing her on the
lips. "I'm sorry too." She
leaned her forehead against his, still too afraid to speak. She was trying to be strong, like she
had promised them she would be.
She never imagined an innocent trip would turn into such terror; being
chased by Jack Packer's posse, Heyes being shot, finding Devil's Hole by
herself, digging the bullet out of him and then the thought that haunted her
most, Heyes shooting Ribs to save her.
It wasn't the fact that he had to shoot him, because looking in Ribs'
eyes she knew he was evil. It's
the fact that her actions could have gotten him killed. She hadn't listened to him, figuring
she had taken care of herself for so long; she could do it Devil's Hole. Heyes' was still recovering, and Ribs
was drawing his gun at him because she hadn't listened. Now
she was hot, tired, overly emotional and just wanted to get home. Because of Packer, they left Devil's
Hole, traveling the long back way to avoid the possibility of running into
him again. It had taken an extra
week and a half to get where they were now and they were still a good day's
ride to a town. Not that that
mattered; they didn't have much money.
The job that started this trek over a month ago was done more for the potential
good will then cash. Then both
Heyes and Kid gave most of their money to the Devil's Hole Gang, thanking
them for accepting them and more importantly Laurie into the Hole. Neither
one knew the other was doing the same thing, so each thought they still had
plenty of money to get them home. They
didn't know what the other had done until they reached the first town and
stopped to send a telegram.
Realizing their mistake, they left town with only the supplies they
needed to get home; not a hot meal at the café, a drink from the
saloon, a warm cozy soft bed in the hotel or more importantly to Laurie - no
long hot soaking bath. She
continued to lean her forehead on Heyes', who was content in the contact, the
closeness. He realized how tough
this had been on her and didn't think there was another woman out there that
could have gone through what she just did and not have been curled up in a
heap of tears. On top of
all that, the weather was unusually hot, so the trail was extremely dusty and
she hadn't really slept since running from the posse, so he knew she was
exhausted. A
cool breeze washed over the two of them and he felt her relax a little. "Why don't you wash up a
little? Let the water run over
your hands, wash your face and neck.
Take off your boots and put your feet in the water," Heyes
whispered. "It might make
you feel a little better." Laurie
nodded lightly. "I'll
tell Kid we're going to stay here tonight." He kissed her forehead, stood up and
headed over to the area where they originally came through the trees. "Come
on," Kid called out loudly. Heyes
smiled as he greeted his partner at the tree line. "Thanks," he looked at his
cousin and smiled. Kid
cocked his head. "Sure
took long time to walk twenty five feet." Blue
eyes smiled. "Oh,
and I think the horses in the next territory want to know why they need to
come too." Kid
arched his eyebrows and they both chuckled lightly. "Everythin’ okay," he
nodded his head in the direction of Laurie. "Better,"
Heyes sighed. "Think this is
as good a place as any to stay for the night." They
led the horses to the creek and let them drink. Kid
looked around, "Good as any I can see; feels like a breeze is
comin’ in too." He
looked at Laurie as she sat on the side with her feet in the water. "Think there's any chance
there're any fish in there?" Heyes
chuckled, "Maybe some minnows." He patted Kid's back and then
began to take the gear off his and Laurie's horses. He looked over at her a couple of
times but thought giving her some time and space was probably the best thing
to do right now. **
Once
the fire was started and the coffee was done, Heyes carried a cup over to
Laurie. "Coffee," he
asked as he held the cup out for her. "Thank
you," she replied as she stood up, taking the cup. He
reached up, brushing stray strands of hair off her face. She
closed her eyes, leaning into his hands.
Opening her eyes she gazed into the dark brown pools that gazed back
at her. Any anger or frustration
she was holding onto slipped from her body as she smiled at him. "Feeling
better?" he asked, seeing a light in her eyes he hadn't seen since the
incident with Ribs. "Yes,
thank you," she replied as she began to get lost in his eyes. Composing herself, she took a big
breath in and blew it out.
"The cool water really helped." She paused and he could see sadness
return to her eyes. "I'm
sorry I've been so difficult. I
know it's not what I promised." "It's..."
he began before she interrupted. "I
know you didn't sign up for this."
Heyes opened his mouth to speak; Laurie gently placed her hand on his
lips so she could finish. "I
know I have complicated matters.
I know I promised and I am trying, it's just not always easy." He
waited a beat, "Are you finished?" Laurie gave him a tight smile and a
slight nod. "No
I didn't sign up for this..." Her
face tightened as he spoke the words, feeling the blow of what he said. Reaching
out, Heyes took hold of her hand, "I didn't sign up for anything. I had no intentions of falling for you
or anyone else for that matter."
A
lone tear slipped from her eye and rolled down her face. He
reached up and with a gentle caress, wiped it away. "The fact is I did and as much as
you don't think you're living up to your promises, I think you are. I don't know of anyone else that would
have gone through what you just did and be all happy and cheery. Kid can get grouchier than you and
probably would be if you weren't here." Looking for a smile or some response,
he paused for a moment. Laurie
just stood there so he continued, "All this is new to you; I don't
expect everything to be perfect all the time." He snorted, "What we have isn't
exactly typical." Laurie
blinked, trying to regain her emotions; emotions she had closed off for so
long that now seemed to be uncontrollable at the worst times. "Even
you reminded me that if you weren't with us when I was shot, I'd probably be
dead; so I think I'm pretty lucky.
You saved my life." "You
saved mine twice," she squeaked out. Gulping hard she continued,
"First, in Small Falls and then with Ribs..." She closed her eyes
as tears streaked her face.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed as Heyes pulled her into a hug. "You're
my family," he said soothingly as he held her close. "You
have Kid; you didn't need to be burdened by me." "Yeah
I had Kid and now we have you."
Leaning his head back slightly, Heyes looked down at her. "Don't you know how much you've
changed our lives; both Kid's and mine?" "I
know; I'm sorry," Laurie said sounding dejected as she took a step away
from him. Then in rapid fire she
blurted out, "You never intended to be tied down and then you felt sorry
for me. I'll understand if you
keep going after you get me back to Small Falls. If you find someone else or just
decide not to come back. Please
just send me a telegram saying you're okay so I don't wonder if you're dead
or not. I wouldn't like not
knowing. I know I have changed
your lives. I know you like the
west; you like traveling the west.
I'm sorry, I really am."
The few moments she stood there seemed like days. In such a short time, she had
convinced herself everything she had was gone. Heyes
watched the confident woman dissolve in front of him. "Sweetheart," he quietly
said, reaching out and lifting her chin with his fingers, Laurie diverted her
eyes. "I know things aren't
perfect. I know Kid and I have to
leave sometimes, but I'm home more than I thought I could ever be." Laurie
blinked and looked at Heyes when he said home. "Yes,
home. Sweetheart, you are my
home. I never thought we would
have another place to call home.
Maybe I liked traveling the west so much because we had no home."
She
smiled at him, "Still got your silver tongue." Pulling
her into a hug, Heyes kissed the top of her head. "You
don't mind not traveling the west?" Heyes
chuckled, "We still get to do that when we have to leave, or have a job
for someone." "Kid
okay with it?" "He's
fine with it," he gave her a squeeze. "He likes your cooking." Laurie giggled; things were going to be
okay. After a few moments holding
onto him, she loosened her grip.
"I should go see what I can cook for us. Kid will be complaining
soon." He
gazed into her eyes for a few minutes, conveying feelings he rarely
spoke. Kissing her nose he
chuckled. "I'll help." She
smiled and Heyes leaned in softly kissing her lips. The
rest of the evening was pleasant, as the creek did seem to bring relief from
the heat and the tension that had filled the air. **
The
next morning, the bedrolls were rolled up; the saddles were on the horses as
the three sat having their last cup of coffee. "It feels a little cooler this
morning. If we push the horses a
little today, we might be able to hit Two Rivers late this..." Heyes
abruptly stopped speaking. He and
Kid looked at each other, with a slight nod; his partner quietly got up and
disappeared into the trees. "Mornin'
folks," tipping his hat, the scruffy rider said as he cleared the trees
across the creek. The
slightly younger rider tipped his hat as well as he emerged from the trees
stopping his horse to the right of the scruffy man. "Morning,"
Heyes said with a tight smile on his face. Laurie
could feel and sense the tension, but with Heyes' disarming smile, didn't
think the riders could tell. Heyes
noted the tied down guns as the two riders sat on their horses, not moving. "Coffee
smells good," the rider on the left stated. Heyes
stood up, "Wish I could offer you a cup but, we just finished the pot
and are about to move on. I'll
leave the fire so you can make some if you like." The
scruffy rider shook his head, "Nah." Turning his head he spit a wad of
tobacco. "What brings ya out
here?" "Just
passing through," Heyes pleasantly stated. "Where
ya headin'?" he inquired. "Farmington
to see my wife's family. What
brings you all the way out here?"
Heyes asked, smiling at the man though he was not liking the questions
or the non-movement of the riders. "Heard
Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry were spotted out this way," the younger
rider stated. "We're gonna catch'em and git the reeeward!" "Shut
up!" the scruffy rider barked.
The
once cool calming wind from the creek seemed to become stifling; restricting
the air Laurie could breathe as she felt the tension increase. Turning
back to Heyes, his beady eyes looked him up and down. "Ya look familiar?" "Me?" Heyes chuckled. "Not from around here so I
wouldn't know." The
scruffy man's eyes darted around the area. "Why ya got three horses?" Heyes'
eyes narrowed as he was just about done with the man's questions. "You
know dear," Laurie stepped from behind her husband, "you do look a
little like Preacher John. Maybe
Preacher John has been this way."
Turning to look at the scruffy man she smiled. "Sir, do you know Preacher
John?" "Who?"
he responded, sounding annoyed at the question. "Preacher
John," the younger, innocent rider replied. "No, don't think we know a
Preacher John." "Will
you shut up," the scruffy man barked. "I
was jes..." the young rider tried to explain before being interrupted. "I
don't care what you was jes, nothin'," exclaimed the older man. "I wanna know what theys doin'
out here and why they has three horses!" He turned his glare on Heyes. "As
I explained, we are going to visit my wife's family," Heyes reiterated. "The
three horses?" the man barked. "My
partner went to take care of… um…business." Looking
at the older rider the young man asked, "Jasper, you don't think he's
Hannibal Heyes do ya?"
If
looks could kill, the younger rider would have dropped from his horse with
the glare that came his way. Laurie
giggled. The
scruffy man turned his glare on her, "What's so funny?" Laurie
giggled again. "I'm
sorry," she looked at Heyes and continued to giggle. "Just the thought that you could
think my Joshua was Hannibal Heyes; that I was here with Hannibal Heyes. Oh my," Laurie broke out
into a full laugh. "I
mean, do I really look like a woman that would be with the notorious Hannibal
Heyes?" Laurie fanned
herself as she pretended to be trying to control her laughter. The
scruffy rider relaxed his glare.
"Well ma'am, now that you mention it," he blushed. "Guess Heyes and Curry wouldn't
be travelin' with a lady." Laurie's
eyes grew wide, "Curry," she blurted out before once again bursting
into laughter.
"Thaddeus...Kid Curry!" She gasped for air, as she laughed
so hard. Heyes
smiled at her and began to laugh.
She
looked up at the riders; "You just have no idea how funny that is." Feeling
rather foolish the scruffy man tipped his hat, "Sorry to have bothered
you, we'll be on our way." "No
bother at all," Laurie giggled.
"Thank you for the laugh." She waved as the riders turned their
horses and headed off down the creek. As
they disappeared from view Kid stepped out from the trees, right behind where
the riders had been. Laurie
could see Heyes' body relax as he turned towards her and smiled, "That's
my girl," he stated as he leaned in, kissing her lightly. Kid
crossed the creek. Deciding to
get under his partner’s' skin a little, he sarcastically stated,
"Thought I was gonna have to help ya out Joshua until Laurie stepped
in." Heyes
shot a sideways glare at him.
"Time to get moving," he stated, not allowing Kid the
satisfaction of a response. Laurie
walked over to Heyes, taking the reins of her horse from him; she kissed him
on the cheek. "I love
you." Smiling she mounted
her horse and waited for the partners to do the same. "Still
think it's a good idea to head to Two Rivers?" Kid asked as they headed out. Heyes
shrugged, he had been wondering the same thing. How many people thought Hannibal Heyes
and Kid Curry were in the area?
Would they be safe in town?
With Laurie along with them he had to trust they would. "I hope so," was all
he said. **
The
three rode hard in anticipation of reaching Two Rivers. If nothing else, they reasoned they
had enough money for a hotel room for the three of them and with any luck;
poker would bring enough for a good meal and maybe even the bath Laurie so
desperately wanted.
Unfortunately, there were too many obstacles in their way for them to
make it in a day. They spent
another hot sticky night sleeping on the ground. As
they woke the next morning, the tension that had eased by the creek had begun
to build again. With barely a
word, they had a quick cup of coffee and were off on their horses once
again. With the unforgiving sun
high in the sky, the light breezes were hot and filled with dust from the
rock hard ground. Finally,
late in the afternoon, they arrived in Two Rivers. Entering from the far side of town,
they could see a large gathering and a lot of noise at the other end of
town. Glancing at each other they
shrugged as they stopped in front of the hotel. Dismounting, they paused to look at
the crowd again before going inside.
Stepping
up to the front desk Heyes asked, "We'd like a room." The
desk clerk looked at the three of them. "Two
beds," he added. Shaking
his head slightly the desk clerk turned to get a key. Heyes saw Laurie drop her head as she
looked at the floor. "One
room," the disapproving voice of the desk clerk spat out. The
ex-outlaw leader clenched his jaw as he took a breath in. "I
can find another place to stay tonight," Kid jumped in. "No,
Thaddeus," Laurie spoke softly as she placed her hand on his arm. "We're all staying in the room or
we're all sleeping on the ground."
Kid
opened his mouth to say something but was cut off. "I
for one am not going to sleep on the ground tonight, so neither are
you." The
desk manager looked curiously between Heyes, Kid and Laurie. "It's
not your fault we don't have the money for two rooms." Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw
Heyes give her a cross look.
"Oh dear," she cooed as she turned towards him. "It wasn't your fault
either." Seeing she had the
full attention of the desk clerk she added, "What both of you did was
very admirable it's just a shame it was done at the same time." "Is
there a problem here?" the desk clerk skeptically looked at her. "You got the three dollars for
the room?" "Oh
yes sir, we have three dollars for the room, we just don't have six dollars
for two rooms. Well we do
have six dollars but if we get two room, we can’t eat. " The
desk clerk's brain was starting to spin as Laurie continued. "You
see my husband and his cousin were both so concerned with a needy family we
came across, they gave them money.
Problem was they didn't realize the other one was doing the same
thing, so," she sighed, "we're caught in kind of a bind...no money
to make it home. We've been
traveling for almost two weeks now and my back just can't take lying on the
hard ground. I need a bed for a
night. So here we are. Three people looking for one room, two
beds. Do you have one?" The
desk clerk blinked and shook his head trying to make sense of the avalanche
of words that was just spewed in his direction. "One room, two beds," the
desk clerk held the key out.
Reaching out, Heyes went to take the key when the clerk added,
"Three dollars." Heyes
smiled, handed the man the three dollars and took the key. As they turned towards the stairs
Heyes asked, "What's all the commotion down the street?" "Carnival;
tenth anniversary of the town," the desk clerk replied. "I hear there is lots of fun free
entertainment." The
three nodded and headed up to the room. "Needy
family," Heyes chuckled as they walked into the room. "Of
course they're family, the Devil's Hole Gang looks out for each other -
that's a family," she smiled. ** After
getting cleaned up in the room, or more accurately to Laurie, partially human
using the water basin, they headed out.
Heyes and Kid were going to take the money they had left and hope
there was a poker game they could get into. Laurie was going to check out the
carnival. As the three walked
down the street they heard, laughter and excitement from the crowd and then
gun fire - five rapid shots. With
no one running away or screaming they looked at each other, shrugged and then
headed over to find out what was going on. Leaning against a porch pole, Heyes
smiled and pointed. Blue
eyes lit up. Heyes
shook his head lightly, "I know what you're thinking Kid, but it's too
risky." "I
think I've heard you say that before," Kid scowled. "You
know Jasper and his pal heard we were in the area," he reasoned,
"We can't take the chance." "I
know," Kid grumbled, "But I don't have to like it!" "Step
right up, five dollars to win fifty dollars," the carnival barker called
out. "Fifty dollars to the first
person that hits all five plates, step right up." Laurie
looked between the partners.
"You're not going to enter?" Kid
shook his head once. "You're
not going to let him?" she pleaded with Heyes. "Too
risky." "We
could get a second room, food, a bath!" Heyes
just watched the contest. "This
is a sure thing, poker isn't."
He
creased his brow at the suggestion he might not win at poker, but didn't
respond. "Ugh!"
she huffed and stormed off. Heyes
took a breath in and blew it out.
Kid
patted him on the shoulder.
"She could be right."
Brown
eyes glared at blue. The
blond put his hands up in defense.
"We don't even know if they play poker here." "I
know, but it's still too risky." "I
know that, and you know that, but this is all new to Laurie. Don't be so hard on her." "Hard,
I wasn't hard on her, I didn't yell at her." "Ignoring
her is just as bad." "When
did you become an expert in relationships?" Heyes snidely asked. "I'm
just sayin’," Kid started before being interrupted. "I
know, I know." He shook his
head. "I'll talk to
her." Turning Heyes looked around to see if he could see where she ran
off too. Blue
eyes began to scan the crowd as well.
Pointing, he stated, "She's behind the guy
shootin’." "What's
she doing over there?" They
watched her watch the next three contestants. "She sure looks interested in the
shooter," Kid stated. Heyes
rolled his eyes and took a step, heading in her direction, before his partner
stopped him with a hand to his arm.
Heyes
turned questioning him until he followed Kid's extended arm. "What?" He blurted out. His eyes widened and bulged as he
watched Laurie step up to the carnival barker and produced the last five
dollars the three of them had. "I'd
like to enter?" she said quietly to the man. "You?"
he questioned, "A pretty little lady like you?" "Yes,
me," she firmly stated. "Do
you even have a gun?" he sarcastically asked. Heyes
stood frozen, not sure of what to do as the rest of the crowd had now quieted
and was intently listening to the conversation. Laurie
blinked, determined not to back down.
"Well," she thought, "Since you don't seem to have one,
I can borrow my husband's." "Your
husband's," the response came out as a cackle. Kid
looked at Heyes. He
chuckled nervously as the crowd looked around. "Yes,
I'm sure he would lend it to me." Heyes
walked over to Laurie as Kid stepped into the background. "Sweetheart," he said
smiling as he reached her, placing his hand on her arm. "What's going on?" She
exhaled, "I'm trying to enter the contest and this man isn't letting
me." "I
didn't say you couldn't," he replied, plucking the money from her hand. "Good,"
Laurie smiled. Turning to Heyes
she sweetly asked, "May I borrow your gun dear?" The
smile fell off his face. Turning
to the man he said, "Excuse us for a minute," as he led her to the
side. "Hey,
he still has our five dollars!"
Laurie complained as he was leading her away. Turning
to the man Heyes politely asked, "May my wife have her five dollars
back?" "Oh
no," he smiled broadly, enjoying the tension between the two. "She's entered the contest. I'll give you a minute or two but then
she'll forfeit the money if she doesn't shoot." Heyes
glared at the man and then pulled Laurie to the side. "What are you doing?" "Entering
the contest." "I
told you it was too risky." "No
you told Kid it was too risky.
I'm a woman; nobody can confuse me for you. Can I have your gun?" "No,
you can't have my gun," Heyes indignantly replied. "I'd
ask Thaddeus but I think it might be too heavy. I've picked yours up before so I think
I know the weight." Looking
around she sighed, "I'll guess I'll have to borrow someone else's but
who knows if they take care of it.
I could miss just ‘cause the site is off." Turning
to the man Heyes called out, "Can I take her place?" "No,"
the man happily replied.
"She entered, she has to shoot." Creasing
his brow he turned back to Laurie.
She
stared deep into his eyes.
"I can do this," she stated with resolve. He
stood there, looking at her, at her posture, seeing her determination. "I
want a bath," Laurie decisively stated. Heyes gave her a slight nod and began
undoing his gun belt. "Time
is running out," the man called out. "One
more minute, she's getting the gun on now," Heyes replied. He helped Laurie with the gun
belt, holding up the thong he shrugged and dropped it, not knowing how to tie
it around her leg while she was wearing a dress. Stepping back, he chuckled lightly to
himself, it certainly wasn't a site seen very often if ever at all. Stepping
to the side, Laurie stepped forward, in her dress, with Heyes' gun belt
on. Walking
towards the man, she turned and placed her hand on Heyes, "Stay over
here, I don't want you to be a distraction." She smiled, he nodded and she said,
"Thank you." Reaching
the line Laurie asked the man, "May I just have a minute or two to hold
the gun?" "Sure,"
he chuckled as he looked at the larger crowd that had now formed around his
contest, dollar bills danced through his head. Laurie
took Heyes' gun from the belt and held it in her hand for a minute, trying to
feel the balance. She raised it
and looked at the chute the plates came down. Satisfied she turned to the man. "I'm ready," as she placed
the gun back in the holster. The
man nodded, "Okay we have our next contestant," he called out. "Miss," he looked at Laurie
in search of her name. "Laurie,"
she smiled. "Our
next contestant, Miss Laurie," he announced as the crowd clapped and
then quieted down. "Ready?"
he inquired. She
nodded; a few seconds later the first plate dropped down the chute and into
the air as she drew the gun and fired taking a hunk off the top of the
plate. Laurie made a quick mental
note to lower the gun a tad. The
second plate dropped and flew out of the chute as she drew and fired again,
hitting the plate dead center. Heyes
watched, dumbfounded as his wife proceeded to hit plates three, four and
five. As
she finished, Kid walked up and patted his partner’s back. As
the pieces to last plate hit the ground, Laurie returned the gun to the
holster for good. The
carnival barker stood frozen, mouth agape as he looked at the five plates
that had been shot. Beaming,
Laurie turned and put her hand out, "Five plates, that's fifty
dollars!" Stunned
the man slowly turned to look at her; the words she was saying were not
making any sense. "Fifty
dollars," she reiterated. "Wha..."
the man mumbled. "I
believe that will be fifty dollars," Heyes proudly stepped up next to
his wife. Laurie
smiled ear to ear as her eyes danced.
The
man looked between the two, "Somethin's not right." "What
do you mean not right?" Laurie angrily asked. "I was the first one to hit five
plates, I get the fifty dollars." "It
was too easy," the man started before she jumped down his throat. "Too
easy," she angrily yelled.
"Let's see you do it!
Why not ask the men that tried before me? Too easy!! You just don't want to pay the
money!" Laurie looked at the crowd, "This man thinks that
something's wrong that I didn't shoot those plates myself. Did any of you see me
cheat?" The
crowd shook their heads and started to get a little noisy. "Give the little lady her
money," "Pay
her," "She won fair and
square." Satisfied
Laurie put her hand out again, "Fifty dollars please." The
man looked around the crowd.
"I'll tell you what," he nervously said. "Double or nothing; you do that
again and your five dollars will turn into one hundred dollars." "No
thank you," Laurie said.
"I have plans for my fifty dollars." "Plans?"
he asked sounding confused. "Yes,
plans," Laurie, stated.
"First a really nice steak dinner, another room in the hotel and
a very long luxurious bubble bath; fifty dollars will cover that." The
man twisted his face, "Triple or nothing." Laurie
looked deep into Heyes' eyes as she thought about the offer. "Triple
your money," the man repeated. With
her eyes still locked on Heyes' she replied, "Triple or four
fifths." "You
sure?" Heyes whispered. Laurie
nodded. "Four
whats?" the man asked. "Four
- fifths," she smugly stated as she held Heyes' gaze. "I get one hundred and fifty
dollars if I hit all five plates again.
If I don't I walk away with ten dollars." Heyes
held her gaze. Quietly
so only Heyes could hear she said, "We'll still eat good and get another
room. I'll give up my
bath." Heyes
gave her one of the biggest dimpled smiles ever, knowing she was confident in
winning. He knew giving up
the bath would be the last thing on her list. "No,
it has to be all or nothing," the man argued. "Then
no thank you," she replied again, taking the gamble that the growing
crowd had made the man extra greedy.
Seeing
her resolve and his money walking away from him he acquiesced.
"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "You lose, you get ten
dollars." "I
WIN, I get one hundred and fifty dollars," Laurie stated loudly. "Yeah,
yeah," the man mumbled.
"I need to go set up the machine." Turning
quickly to Kid, she said, "Go watch him, make sure he does nothing but
load the machine with the plates." "You
don't trust me?" he barked. "I
just want to make sure it's all fair," she smiled. "Is it a deal?" "It's
a deal," he grumbled. The
man walked over to the machine and loaded it. "Ready?" he called out. Laurie
nodded as the plates began to drop and fly through the chute. Just like the first time, she hit all
five plates. The crowd
cheered wildly. Heyes
practically ran over to her, lifting her into the air and twirling her
around. "You did it,"
he exclaimed, as he planted a kiss on her lips. Releasing her, he stated, "I believe
you owe my wife, one hundred and fifty dollars." The
man tried to take a step back but was blocked by Kid. "What don't you trust me?" "No
I don't," Laurie stated.
"Not with the way you're treating me or the fact that I still
don't have the money I won."
She saw the tin star out of the corner of her eye and gulped. Heyes
turned his head towards the crowd. "Is
there trouble here?" the town's Sheriff asked. "No,
sir," Laurie said meekly. "I was just trying to collect my winnings
from the contest." The
Sheriff looked around the crowd. "That's
right," the desk clerk from the hotel, piped up. "She hit all five plates and now
this carnival thief isn't giving her, her winnings and after her husband and
cousin gave all their money away to a needy family. That's right, they just checked into
my hotel. Heard the whole story
about how they only had enough money for one room. She just wants a nice meal and a bath
and this scoundrel is trying to cheat her!" "No,
no I'm not trying to cheat her," the man stuttered, "just trying to
put on a show." "Then
give her the money she won!" the desk clerk replied. The
man swallowed hard and pulled out a large wad of cash. The crowd counted with him as he
handed the money to Laurie. She
took a few bills and handed the rest to Heyes. "This is for new CLEAN
clothes. Why don't you and
Thaddeus get a drink at the saloon, I'll get the clothes and I'll meet you
back at our rooms in the hotel before dinner." She turned to the desk clerk,
"Can we please have the room next to ours and a bath set up in the first
room?" "It
will be my pleasure," the desk clerk replied as he headed back to the
hotel. "Well
I'll meet you back at the hotel," Laurie started off. "Um,"
Heyes said as he held up his finger indicating he had something to say. She
looked at him. "My
gun?" Laurie
covered her mouth and laughed, "With all the excitement I forgot." Raising his eyebrows Heyes smiled at
her as he helped undo the belt. Tying
the thong around his leg he said, "We'll walk you to the General
Store. Holding out his arm Laurie
grabbed it and Kid's as they began to walk towards the Store. As
they got out of earshot from the crowd Heyes asked, "How'd you do
it?" Laurie
smiled at both of them. "It
was easy." They
listened on intently. "It's
all in the timing." "Yeah,
we know that," Kid stated. Laurie
stopped and looked around; they were all by themselves. "It's in the timing," she
stated again. "When the
carnie trips the switch for the plate to fall, it makes a click." Heyes
and Kid nodded. "My
father taught me a trick to beat it." They
listened with interest. "The
plates are timed to fall at the same rate accept one, usually it's the last
one. That's why I was standing
behind the shooters; I was seeing which plate took longer to fall." "How,"
Heyes started and stopped, "When?" Laurie
smiled at Heyes' confusion.
"When I was little, actually not that long before daddy got
sick. You see, they're really a
con game, you look at someone hitting four plates and you figure you can get
all five. Thing is, the slot for
the last plate is slightly different than the others; the plate is ever so
slightly bigger so it has to drop first before it can go into the chute. Then it flies out; it takes an extra
beat. It's also a little heavier
than the other plates so it's a little lower than the rest of the
plates. If you don't adjust, you
will shoot over it." "Beat?" Kid questioned. "Yep,
beat," Laurie replied.
"Daddy taught me how to count it out." She giggled,
"Actually how to sing it out."
Heyes
raised his eyebrow at her. Laurie
stood as she had at the contest, pretending she had the gun belt on.
"Baa Baa Black Sheep," she took her finger gun up and pointed,
"have", pulled the trigger, "you," she put the gun away, "any wool, yes sir yes sir,"
pointed the gun again, "three," pulled the trigger, "bags," she put the gun away
and continued the rhyme and demonstration finishing with pulling the last
trigger on master.
"It's all in the timing," Laurie shrugged. "I could probably do it with my
eyes closed. My father
could." "Your
father taught you this when you were...?" Kid asked. "Seven,"
she stated. "He was a lawyer
and always trying to protect people from scams. He actually confiscated a machine just
like the one here and when mother wasn't around, we would play. I got really good." Kid
shook his head, "I didn't even know you could shoot." Turning to look at Heyes he repeated,
"I didn't even know she could shoot." "Neither
did I," Heyes stated. "Didn't
you ever ask?" "No,"
he replied as though he thought his partner was crazy. "Sweetheart, I love you, can you
shoot a gun? How about win the
shooting contest the carnivals bring around?" "She
never said anything?" "Kid,
stop talking like I'm not standing in front of you. No, Heyes didn't ask and to be
perfectly honest I didn't tell him.
It's not that I didn't tell him, it's that it didn't come up in
conversation." Laurie rolled
her eyes. "Yes I love you,
oh and by the way, I can win the shooting contest if one ever comes
around." Kid
shrugged, "I would've asked," he said quietly. Heyes
shook his head at his partner then ask Laurie, "You said it's usually
the last plate that takes the longest." "Yes,
that's why I had Kid watch that all he was doing was loading the plates and
not switching the timing. He
would've had to move the belt around to change the timing. If he just put the plates in; the
timing would be the same.
Sometimes they change it so it's another plate, but then it looks too
hard to the people watching and they don't give it a try. If it's not the last plate, the
shooter will miss the plate and then try to compensate and miss the next
plate too. You either have to
know the timing trick or be really good like Kid to win." "Brilliant,"
Heyes chuckled; leaning in, he kissed her cheek. "I
want my bath, and clean clothes!"
Laurie announced as she kissed Heyes' cheek and went into the General
Store. As
the three were looking at the clothing Kid looked up and saw the Sheriff,
Jasper and the young rider stopped in front of the Store. Nudging Heyes, they
quickly turned their backs to them as they stepped behind some racks. "No
kidding?" the Sheriff laughed. "Really,"
the young rider replied.
"Jasper thought he was Hannibal Heyes until the wife spoke
up." "Oh?"
the Sheriff inquired. "Yep,
she laughed. She said him
Hannibal Heyes. I thought she was
gonna burst she was laughin' so hard," the rider explained. "What
can I say," Jasper chuckled.
"Guess a lot of guys have brown hair and brown eyes." "That
they do," the Sheriff agreed.
Thinking a minute he added, "Think you used good judgment not
bringin' ‘em in Jasper; I just can't see Hannibal Heyes lettin' a woman
show him up, enterin' a shootin' contest and usin' his gun." "No
wonder she laughed so hard," the young rider chortled as the three broke
into laughter as they continued down the boardwalk. "Guess
they're not married," Heyes stated. "Why
would you say that?" Kid
asked. "They
just don't understand, you don't stand in the way of a woman when she wants a
bath," he chuckled. "I'm
sorry if I embarrassed you," Laurie said quietly. "You
didn't," Heyes grinned at her.
"You gave us a good cover." "And
a hundred and fifty dollars," she reminded him. His
eyes lit up as he dipped his head, capturing her lips. **
After
purchasing new clothes they walked out onto the boardwalk. "Well, I believe the two of you
have a date with the poker table.
And I," Laurie sighed, "finally, have a date with a nice big
warm bath full of bubbles."
Walking off the boardwalk and towards the hotel she called over her
shoulder, "Take your time boys, ‘cause I'm taking mine!" Kid
placed his hand on Heyes' shoulder as they walked to the saloon. "Yeah, Heyes, I think the reward
would be twenty thousand on EACH of us if we met Laurie before." The two chuckled as they walked to the
saloon. |
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