|
James Butler Hickok stood outside the Sweetwater jail and waited for the U.S. Marshal to escort Sarah Downs outside. He wasn’t alone. His two closest friends and fellow Pony Express riders, the Kid and Louise McCloud, had accompanied him into town. The trio didn’t have long to wait until the jail door opened and two men appeared. One was tall with sandy brown hair and lithe figure, the other was short and stocky with dark hair and squinty eyes. There was a woman between them. She had brown curly hair, brown eyes, and a slender form. Small cuts and abrasions still marred her beautiful features from when her horse had dragged her a few days earlier. Her hands were shackled in irons in front of her. “Sam?” Sweetwater Marshal, Sam Cain, the taller of the two men escorting Sarah down the steps, stopped walking and glanced over to where the trio of riders stood. His two companions halted their forward motions as well. “Can I talk to her for a minute?” Jimmy walked over to where Sam, Sarah, and the marshal stood. “Alone?” “Sure, Jimmy,” Sam said and motioned to the marshal with his head. The two men stepped away so that Jimmy could speak to Sarah privately. “I have nothing to say to you.” Sarah told Jimmy, keeping her head averted. “Why?” Jimmy asked. “What do you mean?” Sarah turned her head to look at him. “It was just business. Don’t think it was anything more.” “You’re lying,” Jimmy said, touching her arm. “And you think too much of yourself.” Jimmy felt her cold words like acid burning its way through his body. Even though he knew he had only been a part of her scheme, it did not change the fact that he had loved her. Still loved her despite what she had put him through. He had almost hung because of her, yet he couldn’t bring himself to hate her. “But I loved you. “ he told her, gazing into her face, searching for any sign of the love he felt inside himself reflecting back at him, but found only anger shining back at him. “Then you are a bigger fool than I thought.” Silence fell between them. There wasn’t anything more to say and both of them knew it. “Marshal, let’s go.” Sarah said and walked away from Jimmy. The U.S. Marshal escorted Sarah over to the stagecoach and helped her inside, before climbing in behind her. Jimmy watched until the stagecoach disappeared out of sight. Lou and Kid approached Jimmy, wanting to offer him their support as he grieved for the lost love he and Sarah had shared. “Are you all right?” Kid asked softly. Jimmy shook his head. “No, but I’ll be okay.” Even as he said the words to Kid, Hickok hoped they were true. He certainly didn’t feel as if he was going to be okay with his heart shattered into a million fragments around his feet. He didn’t know if he would ever love again now that Sarah had given love a bad name.
|
Drop me a note and let me know what you thought!
