Kid swallowed hard, and his own words seemed to echo in his mind as he spoke. “I...I can’t I mean, you haven’t told me anything, not even your name.” Seth’s kindness to him when they were children was something that he had never forgotten. Deep down he always knew that he owed the man something, but at the same time, they had not been close. It surprised him greatly that Seth would have spoken of him so frequently. Was there an attachment between them that he had not been aware of? Guilt seemed to pulse through his body, and he wished that he had made some sort of contact before it was too late. But truthfully, he never thought that there wouldn’t be a chance not to.

Pushing herself up in her chair, she folded her hands in her lap. The rag that Mark had given her left a water mark on her dress, but she didn’t care. It was becoming more obvious to her that Kid was rapidly becoming her’s. “Oh, I’m sorry. I just got so distracted when I saw you, and after all that my husband said about you...well, I’m sorry, I just assumed that you knew.”

She extended her hand and smiled faintly. It was an expression that showed sadness, although it was welcoming at the same time. “My name is Marisa.”

Kid nodded absentmindedly before he heard someone casually clear their throat. Who it came from, he couldn’t be sure, although it was exactly what he needed to help bring him back to reality. “Oh, I should have introduced you. These are my friends,” he pointed to each one of them around the room, “Jimmy, Buck, Mark, and Lou,” all of which seemed just as confused as he was.

“Nice to meet you all,” Marisa wanted to slap herself after she said it. The tone of her voice and enthusiasm made it sound as if she were at a tea party. Good job, you idiot, she thought inwardly, give yourself away before you’ve even made your move.

She held her breath and was relieved when apparently none of them had picked up on her inconsistency to be mournful. From now on, she realized that she had to be more careful, or that was the end of it.

Kid eased himself down on the bunk beside the chair in which she was seated. He tried to think of something smart or condoling to say, but the words just refused to come out right at all. “I’m very sorry to hear about Seth’s death.”

That’s a pick-up line, girl, take it, take it! She forced her eyes to fall downcast once again. “Thank you, but please, don’t feel bad. He had a good life. It’s just that his death...I mean murder, came so suddenly.”

Jimmy sat down opposite Kid, “Who do you think killed your husband, ma’am?” If there had been a gang involved, he wanted to see to it that some action was taken. He had been experiencing the worst side of men these past few months, between bounty hunters and just plain stupid people...he had resolved himself to help put a stop to it whenever he could. Seeing this lovely woman in such pain and torment pierced his heart, and he had a powerful desire to see her grieving subsided.

Marisa sat gazing aimlessly at the wall upon which hung a lovely painting of delicate flowers. It reminded her of a similar picture which Claire had fallen in love with at an auction. They had both been broke, and had not even had a penny to bid with. It tore at her very being, and she failed to hear the voices speaking to her.

“Marisa...Marisa,” Kid repeated before touching her shoulder.

“Huh? Oh, forgive me. It’s just that when I get to thinking about what those men did to Seth...it just puts me into a trance!” She felt tears rising in her eyes, only this time, they were not fake as they had been before. Marisa would have given anything for her sister to be found. Her life had never been as awful as it was this past year.

“Tell us what happened,” Buck leaned against the bedpost as Mark sat down next to Lou, who posed defensively with her arms crossed. Sure that woman was beautiful...but she could read through the lines. There was something that this girl wasn’t revealing about Seth’s death. She just knew it! Regretfully though, all that she could do would be to listen, and hope that Mark was picking up on the same thing.

“Well, it’s not much of a story. I was in town doing some shopping, and after I finished I headed back home. It was such a lovely day, so I walked. But then, before I was halfway home, I heard gunshots in the distance and dropped my basket. I took off running towards the house. When I got there, nothing of value was left...they’d taken everything. I screamed Seth’s name, but he didn’t respond. I raced through the house, and once I reached the parlor, there he was, sprawled on the floor. The bullet had passed through his heart. There was nothing I could do.”

The room’s occupants sat in silence. All of them felt sorrowful that anyone would have to experience such a tragic event. Especially to come home and find your husband dead...and then, not to have even caught a glimpse of who did it.

Marisa had dried her tears, and between her steadfast glare and monotone voice, one might have thought she was in a trance. “That’s why I need someone to help me,” she began, her voice low and soft...sending a chill down Lou’s spine, “I need you,” she looked at Kid. “I need you to help me bring these men to justice.”

Kid looked at her, and then averted his eyes quickly. He didn’t like the expression that he saw...it was a mysterious, almost threatening glare. “Marisa, I can’t just leave my job. I’ll talk to Teaspoon Hunter, he’s a good man. I’m sure that he can get someone to help you...”

She cut him off as she defiantly rose to her feet. The calm demeanor that she had once carried was hastily replaced by fiery eyes, clenched fists, and a forceful voice. “After all he’s done for you! Don’t you care that he saved your life, that he loved you like a brother!? You don’t care...you really don’t care!! I’ve traveled all this way, only to be met up with you...you...horrid man! I thought that you cared about each other. He worshipped you, and this is how you treat his memory? I hate you already, Kid, I really do!” She threw the handkerchief and washcloth at him as she stormed out the door, crying as if there weren’t going to be any tomorrow.

Marisa was not saddened by her own words, instead, she concealed the great fear inside of her which suggested that perhaps this plan wasn’t going to be such a success after all. She could only hope that something she said struck Kid deeply, and that he would change his mind and come running to her side, offering his services...not to mention his life and money.

The fierce winds picked up, blowing him from the front, causing him to grip tighter on the reins. Cody barely had enough time to duck as one of the fair-sized trees fell in front of him. His horse spooked, bucked up, and threw him off backwards. He groaned as he hit the ground, not feeling anything, but the brief numbness prior to unconsciousness. That’s twice today that I’ve been thrown from my horse, Cody thought in frustration, before his mind went blank.

His horse, never having witnessed such powerful gusts of wind (or falling trees for that matter) took off running in the only direction that he knew...home, leaving his still and lifeless rider alone in the wilderness with no way to get back, except by his own two feet. Every natural instinct inside of him said to run...and although being an animal and not understanding his terror, it wouldn’t have taken much to realize that such an action was not a bad idea at all...

Kid looked around the room, hoping for some supportive sign from his friends as to what he should do. They, much to his despair, seemed just as baffled as he was at this very moment. Jimmy shrugged his shoulders, Buck likewise, and Lou just sat staring, not able to look into his eyes at all. Mark mustered a nervous smile, and Kid gave up on them...deciding that he should make sure that she was alright. After all, it was the least he could do.

Without waiting for any gesture of approval, Kid took two steps to the door, opened it, and then grabbed it quickly as the wind pushed him backwards briefly. He did not think much of it, after all, storms were always passing through the area, many of them staying only a short while before moving to their next destination.

Marisa was not hard to find...her green dress and dark hair provided a stunning contrast as she stood next to Jimmy’s golden palomino. When he approached her, traces of tears lingered on her cheeks, and the rosy color that was once there had faded into a shade of pale white. She barely acknowledged him as he cleared his throat, making his presence known.

“If you’ve got something to say, get it over with,” she snapped, “I plan on catching the next stage back.”

Kid took off his hat, and fiddled with the brim of it before he continued. She had made him feel like a heel, and he knew that if there had been any one thing he could have done to make things right, he would do it in an instant. Marisa was, after all, the widow of his childhood friend...close or not. He began his speech...his voice filling with nervous anticipation, “Marisa, you’ve got to understand that I have a job here. I’ve got family, and...well, someone kinda special to me. I can’t just walk away into something that I’m not sure about. You have to understand that.”

She looked at him, her eyes so sweet and tender...it would have been impossible for anyone to see the deceit that lingered behind the masquerade. “Kid, I shouldn’t have said those things. I apologize for the way I acted, it was wrong. It’s no excuse, but I just haven’t been myself since this happened 10 days ago. Asking you to help me was wrong, and I shouldn’t have done it. This is something that I can do on my own.”

Ever so gently, she reached for his hand and held it in her’s, “Whatever happens, I just want you to know that Seth cared about you.” Using her free hand, she reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a fading piece of paper, “Here, this is the rest of what I wanted to give you.”

Kid took it, questioningly. “What is it?”

She smiled, trying her best not to laugh or play off of his stupidity. “It’s the deed to our farm,” Marisa said tenderly, “Seth left it for you in his will...pending that you let nothing bad happen to it, and promise to look after things.” Seeing his worried and ashamed look, she gave him another reassuring grin. “Take it, he wanted you to have it, and since he wanted you to have it, that’s what I want too.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, he searched for the right words, but they refused to surface. Seth had married such a gentle and thoughtful woman, so how could he dare take away the only precious thing that remained of their life together? “I can’t,” he said forcefully, placing the deed back in her hand, “It wouldn’t be right.”

She shoved it back into his palm, “Kid, take it. I don’t want to live there with the memories anyway. Marry your girl, settle down, and then raise a family. That’s what we always wanted to do...and I guess some things just aren’t meant to be. Go ahead, create some memories for yourself. If you don’t take it, I’ll just burn it down anyway.”

He still refused to take such a large gift, but it was obvious that Marisa wasn’t going to give in on this one. Kid realized that if Seth cared that much for him, he at least owed his life the benefit of having those who so unrighteously took it away, locked up for good. Once he found the killers, he could figure out a way to give back what belonged to Marisa.

Kid stared down at the ground, his heart filled with anguish at what he was about to do. It was the terrible feeling of being caught between a solid brick wall, and being tied to the track of a railroad. Either way he looked, there was no way out. “I’m going to help you find the men that did this. I figure Teaspoon will give me a week off...and that’s it. If we don’t find them by then, I’ll have to come back. I’m sorry, but that’s really the best I can do. Teaspoon will take it from there I’m sure.”

Look happy! She reminded herself before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. “Kid, thank you!!”

Uncomfortable with such an action, he gently removed her hands from his person and tried to steady her. “You don’t have to thank me...just promise me that once we catch these men, you’ll take the farm back, because it belongs to you.”

Marisa tried to conceal her excitement...after all, she was still supposed to be a mourning woman. But if this continued as steadily and smoothly as it had been, not only was she going to be a rich woman, she was going to have another man tied to strings, while dancing and catering to her every move like a foolish puppet. “We’ll discuss it.”

On to Chapter Six

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