Western Trails (closed)

They sped out of town, unknown to them the men have first stopped to check on Seth. They reached a small rise and John looked back as he drew the horses in, he may not have known the area, but he knew what lay ahead of them. Indian country.

"Seth? Next time he draws a gun on me I will not shoot to disarm. Anyway with his arms both sporting bullet wounds he will not be able to do much shooting or hitting women very soon."

Satisfied that they were not being followed he turned his attention to the wound on her shoulder, the round had gone right through, a bit higher and it would have cut a groove through her skin.

"Your shoulder will be fine as soon as it gets some medicine on it. You have a choice now, go back."

He hefted the reigns of her horse,

"Or come with me."

He gave her a lopsided grin,

"I am sure your husband will be thrilled to have you back."

“He’s going to kill us both!” Penny said in a breathless voice, turning to look at John as he pulled the horse to a stop. Her brow was furrowed with worry and her skin was pale with pain. Her shoulder needed attention, but it didn’t seem to be a horribly devastating injury.

“Oh, Lord, I knew I shouldn’t have married him.” She said, still fretting as she watched John hefted the reigns of her horse and smiled at her. He didn’t see anything wrong with the situation that had just happened.

If she went back, Seth would beat her until she was black and blue. If not dead. She had heard the rumors that his first wife had died in child birth, but she had the feeling that it hadn’t been a baby that killed the poor woman, but Seth herself. She sighed deeply and bowed her head for a moment before she looked up at John and shrugged her shoulder.

“I suppose I don’t have too many options, do I?” She asked in a soft voice. “So, John, where are we going?”

John Denver

"South. Swing East after a few days and head for greener pastures."

He nudged Sudden with his knees and the big horse started forward,

"The wound has stopped bleeding, it should hold until we get to a water source."

He nodded at the arid terrain into which they were heading.

"It doesn't look it, but there is water out there and luckily I know how to find it."

He kept his eyes moving, knowing that no matter what things looked like, you could never trust any peace and quiet.

"Why did you marry that ape anyway? And why did he bring you out here? So close to Indian country?"

“Into Indian Territory?” Penny asked as he nudged the hoses forward, checking her wound with gentle touches of his fingers. “Are you sure that’s safe?” She turned her head and looked at him with a frown.

HE didn’t seem the least bit worried about where they were headed and what was ahead of them. The thought of the unknown was both frightening and exhilarating. She decided that it would probably be best to keep those thoughts to herself.

“Marry him?” She asked, looking at him as she was startled by the question. “With Seth I didn’t have much of a choice.” She said softly.

“Seth’s first wife had died and he was out looking for another woman to warm his bed. I was living with my brother and his wife in Wichita when I first met him. He wasn’t the kindest man and there had been lots of rumors about him, but I don’t know, I guess I felt something.”

“I was tired of living with my brother, as much as I loved him. I didn’t know what else to do but to marry and move out of the house. There were two men that were asking for my hand, but Seth…” She paused, thinking of the night that Seth had come her house and forced himself upon her. After the brutal rape, she’d had no choice but to marry him. “Seth had his ways to persuade me.”

"Yes it is always dangerous. Two riders, one of us a woman. Easy target if spotted by a raiding party. But this is the dry season, they will be further South close to the river where the herds are most likely to be."

He listened to her and at her hesitation he knew that there was something she wasn't telling him, but it was not something he was going to force as he did not really need to know. As they rode he fashioned a headdress for her from a piece of cloth and string he had in his saddlebags, of course it seemed like he would never have any need for such things, but he had learned a long time ago that he did.

It was late afternoon when he looked behind them and found that over the horizon there was a small cloud of dust. That would be Seth's men and perhaps some town folk cobbled together for a posse. He knew that they had a good head start and with the rested horse he was sure that they could stay in the lead. He found a little water hole, just big enough to ensure they had water for the night and morning. He helped Penelope down and told her to stay put as he drew his knife and went off into the bushes. An hour later he returned with an armful of kindling and a handful of leaves, bark and berries. He set about getting a fire started, getting a pot of water onto the fire and making a paste out of the berries and leaves, the bark ending up in the pot. The odor was highly unpleasant, but he knew that it worked for sure, he had used it on himself a lot. While the bark boiled he gathered more wood and went about setting up a small, yet efficient camp. When he was ready he turned to Penelope and smiled apologetically,

"I don't say this to ladies usually, but you will have to bare your shoulder so that I can get to the wound."

Penny dutifully stayed in the same position that John left her next to the horses. She waited for him as he walked into the underbrush and came back a short time later with his arms loaded. He placed his items next to the spot where she was sitting next to the horses, getting to work on a noxious mixture that had her wrinkling her nose.

She smiled as he asked her to bare her shoulder and she started unbuttoning the top of her dress. Pushing the blue fabric down her shoulders, she exposed the bloody wound to his gaze. She looked down at it, frowning at the thought of the scar that it would cause.

“You sure you don’t say this to ladies, usually?” She asked with a wry smile as she waited patiently for him to start to work on her wound.

He stepped close, then hunkered down, spreading out the items he would be using, he glanced at her and smiled.

"Oh I am very sure. It is usually after a few shots of whiskey that my tongue becomes loose enough. Then I usually indicate for complete lack of clothing to happen."

He dipped a piece of cloth into the yellow fluid in the pot,

"This will burn, but I need to clean the wounds."

He set to his task cleaning the wound, he spotted some tinges of red in the skin surrounding the wound and knew he had caught it just in time. He had seen worse wounds surviving with this treatment. When he was satisfied that the wound was clean as it was weeping a thin trail of blood, he applied the paste to the wound, it would stink for an hour or so, then as it sets, the smell disappears. Using another piece of cloth he bound the poultice to the wound, making sure it's secure.

"Right, I'll check on it again tomorrow afternoon."

He sat back on his heels and frowned,

"Let's hope the evenings doesn't get too cold. I only have two blankets."

Penny smiled at laughed at his words as he dipped a piece of cloth into the fluid that he’d just made. She nodded her understanding that it would hurt and she still tensed and sucked in a breath between her teeth as he cleaned her would and bandaged it with a poultice.

He was kind and gentle, she saw that in his actions, and her stomach did a strange little flip at the thought of this man treating her like she was something special. Never did Seth treat her like she was anything but his property. She had thought that a part of her had been long killed, but John was proving her wrong.

“You know, you could make a run for it while you still can. If I waited here for the posse, I’m sure that Seth would be interested to have me back.” She said in a soft voice, almost praying that he said no and that she was going to stay with him.

He stood up and started to clean up,

"Not happening. There is still a chance that they might catch up with me. Oh sure I can kill them all, but to kill people just because that dog doesn't know how to treat a woman?"

He shook his head,

"That would be a waste of lives."

He readied the pots and pans, getting the foodstuffs ready,

"You can cover up again, I know it smells, but it will not stain your dress."

He gathered more wood and prepared some coffee, the sun was setting fast now and he knew that they were safe for now.

“That dog is a very powerful man who will probably want to see you strung up as soon as he finds you.” She said as she shrugged back into her dress and buttoned it close. She sighed softly as he started to get the pots and pans ready for cooking and she suddenly felt useless.

“Is there anything I can do to help? I’m not one to readily sit by idly while someone else is working.” Penny stood and started to gather some more kindling for him, watching as he prepared some coffee.

He sat down and looked up at her,

"Well since everything is basically ready you can take over the cooking."

He made certain that the rifle was close at hand, but he knew that at night the Indians would not fight. It was against the Comanche's believes. In any case if any of them did decide to approach during dark, his pistols and knife would come in more handy. But it never hurt to have a rifle ready as well. He suddenly chuckled,

"It just occured to me, I will be a wanted man in your town. I am a wanted in Missouri. I am sure that if word came out that I kidnapped you, the law would be searching for me in this county as well."

He shifted into a better position and rested against the saddle

“You’re not one to delegate responsibility, are you?” She asked with a smile as she squatted beside the fire and helped him to finish making the meal. She noticed the way that he had his rifle close at hand, his eyes constantly looking into the darkness for something that seemed just around the corner.

She flicked her eyes towards his as he mentioned that he was a wanted man in Missouri. She frowned slightly as she slid the lid over the pot and settled in to sit beside him, brushing her hair from her face as she took a deep breath and centered herself.

“What are you wanted for?” She asked, her voice strong but a bit hesitant.

He shook his head,

"No I am not one to tell people what to do since I am usually alone. Being bossy just doesn't suit me."

He watched her as she moved and was struck again with the grace of her movements and realized that it had been some time since he had been so close to any female. She took a seat next to him and her question made him wonder if she really wanted to know the answer.

"I shot and killed four men and stabbed another."

He looked at the flames,

"Seems like once your name makes it into a newspaper and one of those dime novels you become fair game for any idiot with a gun. They will try to kill you just to have the right to say they did it and get their name in either of those."

He looked at her,

"The last man was laid out in his own blood, wheezing and coughing up more blood, he looked up at me and asked: Why do they call you Muerte? The poor bastard did not even know what it meant."

He ran fingers over his jaw,

"Of course the law had a different view on me killing their citizens even if it was more out of self-preservation than cold blooded killing..."

He suddenly grinned,

"I think if I had a pretty woman to threaten each time I might still be a free man kind of. Think kidnapping and released without harm is perhaps seen in a better light than having to shoot a man."

Penny listened to his words and she should have been horrified, but simply smiled instead. She reached out and placed her hand on his arm, giving it a squeeze as he explained why he had gotten his nickname and why he was a wanted man in so many different places.

“To have killed so many there must have been some reason they deserved it. I don’t see a monster when I look at you. You’ve treated me well so far.” She said with a shrug as he mentioned about having a pretty woman to threaten each time.

“Yeah, well, don’t get use to it.” She said with a mock scowl on her face. “I don’t take kindly to having a gun held at my head. You scared me half to death!”

She laughed at the look on his face, her cheeks rosy with the merriment that belied their dire situation. She felt comfortable with John. He was so much more different from Seth and her spirit instantly felt lifted simply being around him.

Her touch was gentle, warm and reassuring, he chuckled at her words,

"Yes sorry about that, I didn't have much of a choice right then."

He sighed as he looked at her, how the light danced across her face as the fire danced across the kindling.

"I've been on the trails almost all my life, it was my dad that taught me how to handle a gun. Of course to the mortal horror of ma, but dad always just said: Oh hush Martha, in this world he will learn to use it, better now than too late."

A small smile touched his lips,

"First I killed cans and wood, then da took me hunting. I learned a lot from him and the Comanche who travelled with us. I learned the Indian ways much quicker than our own and in the end that was what saved me when they attacked our train. My knowlege allowed me to escape and survive the desert. It was the first men I killed, it took me a few months to find the tribe. I guess you know what happened there. The trackers with me was Mexican Indians, when it was done they looked at me in terror and named me Muerte. From then on any time they crossed paths with me I was called such and the name started to stick. The local newspapers started to write about me, then that darned newshound wrote about me and I landed up on the same dime novel pages that Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickock and Doc Mordock graced."

He smiled,

"I am not so much a good man Penelope, but I do have some honor left in me."

He was handsome when he smiled, Penny thought to herself as the small smile touched his lips and he talked about his life on the range. She kept her hand on his arm, squeezing it every so often t let him know that he had an ally in this life.

“It seems that you don’t like the nickname much.” She said softly, her eyes finding his and holding them for a long moment. “I promise to never call you that. I think John is a very noble name. One of my favorites in fact.”

She felt her heart stutter as he smiled again and proclaimed himself to be a honorable man. “I have no doubt of that, John. No other man in town would have stood up to Seth like you did.”

She sighed deeply as she turned her gaze to the food that was now bubbling merrily in the pot that was hung above the fire. She wondered what she should tell him about her relationship with Seth and how he would think about her once she had told him.

“He raped me.” She said, the words bubbling from her lips before she’d realized what she’d said. Her eyes turned back to his, slightly widened as she told him the entire story. “Snuck into my room one night and raped me like a coward. I…I didn’t think that I had any options at the time, so I accepted his proposal of marriage. His first wife died, probably at his hand, and she was pregnant. He always said that the baby wasn’t his, but I honestly believe that the woman would have been too terrified to cheat on him.”

“So, I found myself living with a possible murderer, a drunk, a mean man. When he wasn’t carousing with women from town or beating his men for not working hard enough, he’d beat me.” She went quiet for a long moment and shook her head. “I really wish you hadn’t just shot him in the shoulders.”

"No sane man would want to be called Death."

He felt her hand squeeze his arm and he felt a slight bit of kinship with her, then her tale spilled from her lips and he sat in shocked silence, his jaw tightening as he thought about how the first words he had spoken to Seth was the truth. The man was nothing more than a bully and a coward. He placed his own hand on her's as it still rested on his arm, when he spoke, his voice was low and cold, the voice that many a man had heard before their own stubbornness led to their deaths.

"He will not be that lucky next time."

He meant it. Seth had painted a big bull's eye on himself by allowing the truth to reach ears that were much more sympathetic to the plight of his victims, ears that was not deadened by greed or fear. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze,

"I will make sure that you reach your family and be safe from Seth and any kind of wrath he may bring upon you or your loved ones."

It was a vow, one he did not need to make towards a stranger, but deep inside him, he knew that she deserved better than what she had gotten in life. He finally came in motion, sliding from his seat to check on the food, getting out two tin cups and pouring them coffee, he settled down and handed her a cup, giving her an apologetic smile,

"Sorry, old habits die hard."

Penny smiled at him as he promised that she would reach her family and be safe from her husband. It would be nice to be with her brother and his dear wife, living safely. Still, she felt a little heartache when she thought about leaving John alone. He was a man that had seen and done so much in his life and he seemed like he just needed someone at his side.

When a cup of coffee was thrust into her hands, she looked down startled and then looked up at him with a small grin on her face. No one had made her coffee in months. It touched her heart that he was taking care of her.

“It’s alright. I don’t mind being waited on.” She said with a grin and a twinkle in her eyes. She sipped on the bitter brew, thinking about the man that was bustling around the campfire as he checked on dinner and got things ready to serve it.

“So…is there a Mrs. Denver?” She asked in a soft voice, shyly asking if there was a woman in his life somewhere.

It was a good thing to see life twinkle in her eyes and a grin caressed her lips, it transformed her into an even prettier woman than he had thought her to be previously. Her cautious question stilled his hands for a few moments, then he continued with the work of setting up the meal.

"No there isn't, there was a time that a young lady was interested. But that was before I earned my nickname and before my name became ways to sell newspapers and novels."

He removed the pan from the fire, the bean and ham stew looked and smelled all-right, he just hoped it tasted the same as well. He spooned the food into a plate and an old tin container he usually used to prepare small meals in. He handed her the plate and sat down next to her, spoon in hand with his fork in her plate. He sipped his cooling coffee and removed his hat,

"Pardon me."

He bowed his head in saying a brief prayer and slipped his hat back on,

"Wahl I hope it tastes as good as it smells."

The food was warm and delicious. Penny had to give it to John, he was good cook with very little. She ate until her belly was full, settling back against his pack as he finished his own meal. She watched him closely, observing the way that his features seemed to change in the firelight.

Unsure why, Penny reached out and touched his hand as he went to stand to collect his things together for the evening. She gave him a soft smile when he turned to look at her with a questioning look upon his face.

“That young lady was a fool for not seeing you as a good man, John. I see that in you and I’ve only known you for a day.” She said softly before she leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for saving me.”

To say that he was taken aback slightly would have been a lie, she had touched him in a way which very few women had ever ventured to do and then it was years past. He gave her good shoulder a reassuring pat,

"You can't really blame her, gunmen like me hardly survive very long. She married a banker."

He smiled at her and then finished up cleaning the camping area, before setting up their beds for the evening. For her he had a blanket, with a canvas to act as a make-shift matress and a bundled up jacket for a cushion, for himself a blanket and saddle. It was something he was used to, he just hoped that it wouldn't inconvenience her too much. He sat down on his bedding, looking at her.

"So far I am truly glad that I could get you out of the clutches of your husband, even if that was not my first intention."

Penny laughed softly as he talked about being glad that he had saved her from her husband. She didn’t want to think about Seth, not when she was with John. In fact, she reached down and pulled off the simple gold wedding band she was wearing, slipping it into her pocket before she stood and made her way to the makeshift bed that John had made for her.

“You sure you don’t want this one? I don’t mind sleeping on the ground.” She said, looking at him even as she settled down on the canvas, pulling the blanket over her body and snuggling down against the bundled up jacket.

"I'm very certain, you just try and get as much shut eye as you can."

He watched her snuggle in, he allowed the fire to slowly burn out, leaving only the hot coals behind. He stared at her form not too far away, yet closer than he had allowed anybody to come to him. It was late when the chill started to settle in, he took his blanket on which he been sitting the whole time, he covered Penelope up and withdrew a heavy coat from the saddle bag, slipping into it, he sat down again, as alert as he was when he had sat down.

Penny sighed as she fell to sleep with John watching over her. She felt safe for the first time in months and it all had to do with the man that was working his way into her heart with each little action that he did. As the night grew chilly and she was shivering slightly when she felt him place another blanket around her shoulders.

She opened her eyes, watching as John pulled on a heavy coat and sat down against his saddle. She felt bad that he had just given her his only other blanket. “John, we can share the blankets.” She said softly as she watched his face in the dark of the night. “It’s too cold to be stubborn about it.”

Her words came softly in the evening's silence and he turned his eyes to find her watching him.

"Not being stubborn about it if I have not closed an eye."

He got up and settled down next to Penny,

"But out here any bit of heat helps when it gets cold."

He moved in behind her and settled his arms around her, he placed his head behind her own.

"Now you can try to sleep, I'll be here."

He could already feel her own body's heat seeping through to him. A smile came to his lips, it was actually something he had never felt before.