LOVE
IS BLINDLOVE
IS BLIND
"Mr. Holloway! I need a mount, Mr. Holloway! Mr. Holloway? Where are you? Mr. Holloway?" A brown-haired young man dressed in buckskin walked warily down the hallway of a ranch house. He pulled his gun from the holster around his hip and cocked it. He peered into room after room. Where was Mr. Holloway? It was too quiet. He didn't like it.
"Kid. Psst, Kid! Over here."
Kid followed the sound of the voice down the hall and into the kitchen. Peering down behind the stove he saw a strange sight. Mr. Holloway was crouched behind the stove supporting a young woman's head in his hands. The girl had thin, spidery lines that looked like scars running around both eyes, she also had a line of blood running down the side of her face. Her eyes were closed and she was very still. Holloway's long gray coat was draped across her.
"Is she, is she dead?" Kid asked stuttering.
"I don't think so. But she will be if they find her. I've got to get her somewhere other than here. Can you take her to the Station with you?" Mr. Holloway asked him hopefully.
"I'm real sorry, Mr. Holloway, but I can't. I've got to get to Sunset Creek. Teaspoon will have my head if I'm not out there and back in time for the next packet." Kid told him.
"There isn't a Sunset Creek for you to go to, Kid. All that's left now is a lot of ashes and dead people." Mr. Holloway said in a very solemn voice.
Kid stared at him in horror. "I'll explain it all to you later. Take her with you, Kid. Tell Teaspoon that her name is Colleen Callahan. He knows who she is. Now go!"
Kid took the young woman in his arms and laid her across his saddle. He sprang up, wrapped his arm around her waist, and spurred his horse in the direction of the Pony Express Station House.
The sound of hooves pounding quickly down the road drew the attention of several young men as they sat out on the front porch of a two-story clapboard house.
It was a strange assortment of young men. An Indian, and African-American, one with no hair, one blond and dressed all in buckskin, one that looked too small to be any good, and another that looked like he'd shoot you if you looked his way. Their eyes scanned the area.
"Kid's not due back until tonight, right, Lou?" The tough looking one asked the small one.
"No, Jimmy. He's not." Lou replied.
The one without any hair tapped the Indian on the shoulder and signed something. "Ike said, that the rider's coming in a hurry. There's also more than one rider." The Indian said.
"How can you tell?" Lou asked him.
"The horse doesn't sound right." He replied.
Just then the Kid and his horse rounded the bend in the road. Kid was riding hard. He pulled Katy to a stop just in front of the house. The others stared at him in shock, and at the young woman in front of him on the saddle. She looked like a china doll, a rather strange china doll. Pale skin, dark hair, thin and dressed like a man. "Ike, help me. Take her inside." Kid said lifting the girl up and passing her to Ike. Ike carried her inside. Teaspoon and Rachel jumped up when he walked into the main room where they were.
"What happened, Ike? Who's that?" Teaspoon asked.
Ike jerked his head in the direction of the group of riders around Kid. Teaspoon walked out the door and across the yard to the others, leaving Ike and Rachel to care for the girl.
"Bring her in here, Ike." Rachel said, walking over to the room that she normally slept in. "Just lay her down there on the bed." She instructed. Ike did as he was told.
When Rachel came over and began to unbutton the shirt the girl was wearing Ike turned to go.
"Don't go anywhere, Ike. I'm going to need your help."
Blushing hard Ike stood looking at the ceiling while Rachel gave him the girls clothes, guns, knives, and hat to hold.
"Just put those clothes in the chest and come with me to see what Teaspoon found out from the others." She told him.
As they walked out into the main room all of the other riders looked worried.
(Who is she?) Ike signed to Buck.
(Ask Teaspoon), Buck signed back.
Ike turned to Teaspoon and signed the question to him.
"All I'm going to tell any of you is that her name is Colleen Callahan. That's all you need to know for now."
(How'd she get here?) Ike signed.
Buck asked the Kid. Kid told them the whole story about what Holloway had said. He even included the gruesome news about Sunset Creek. They all sat in silence for quite some time. The quiet was interrupted when Deputy John Samara walked in the door.
"Where is she?" Were the first words out of his mouth. Everyone stared at him in shock. "I know she's here, Holloway told me. Just let me talk to her." He said. Everyone relaxed.
"No one's going to be talking to her for a while yet, John. She's still out cold." Rachel told him, walking to him to give him a hug and take his coat, hat, and gun belt. "Why won't anyone tell us what happened?" Kid asked.
John and Teaspoon looked at each other.
"Can I tell them, Marshal Hunter?" John asked.
Teaspoon nodded to him.
John opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a strong female voice from the back.
"Excuse me, but I would dearly love to know where I am. Would someone mind coming back here and telling me?" Rachel stood. "I'll go. You tell them, John." John cleared his throat and began.
"Colleen Callahan, Callie as she's better known, is one of the best female gunfighters ever. Her parents were killed in the range wars about twelve years ago. She and her sister were sent to an orphanage in Sante Fe. A nun who worked there adopted them and changed their last names from Callahan to Gallagher. Colleen never was able to forget about what had happened to her parents, she was determined for revenge. When she was about 15 she ran away from the orphanage with three of her friends: James Crags, Michael Runes, and Luke Morgan. There was trouble wherever they went. Gunfights, saloon brawls, things like that. Well, about a year and a half ago, Callie and her boys went to Sunset Creek looking for an old enemy that had shown up again. The man that had killed her parents. Some fellow named Van Dahl. They were set up. Her boys were all said to be killed and for a while everyone thought that she was dead. Truth was though, that she had just been hurt real bad. Three gunshot wounds, and being bashed across the eyes with a whiskey bottle will make anyone want to lay low for a while. But there's something else about her that I'm fairly sure only a few people know. Callie's, well, see that whiskey bottle hit her across the eyes and she's, well, she's..." John trailed off, looking at the back of the room. "For one thing, she's up." He said abruptly.
Everyone turned in the direction he was facing. A young woman stood there looking
in John's direction with a defiant and cocky expression. "What were you
going to say, John? That I'm blind? It's no great secret." She said. The
face that they'd all seen now had a strong mesmerizing voice and crystal blue
eyes to go with it. She had a very beautiful face, despite the scars that ran
around her eyes. The way she was standing there you never would have been able
to tell she was blind. Ike watched her every move. Her cocky attitude was very
evident. She was looking in John's direction like she could see him. It was
eerie. Her clothes were men's clothes. They fit her loosely, but you could still
see that her shape was very feminine. She had a pair of ivory handled Navy Colts,
much like Jimmy's only hers were engraved with something and the one on her
right side had a small silver cross hanging from it, slung low on her waist.
A knife was strapped to her left leg. She had another knife at her belt. Her
shirt was white and she had on a tan vest over it. Her pants were dark brown
and they were pulled down over her boots. She held her hat in her hands. It
was black with a feather attached to the hatband. The feather was small and
red. She put the hat on her head; frowning when she felt the bandage that was
wrapped around her temples. Ike thought she looked amazing.
"I've got to be going, Deputy. Real nice of you to invite me to stay, Rachel, but I've been here too long." She said.
"Please stay, Callie. It's dangerous for you to be out. I'm sure one of the boys won't mind giving up a bed for one night." Rachel said.
"Boys?" Callie asked.
"Yes. The Pony Express riders for Sweetwater. There's Buck; he's the one closest to you. He's an Indian half-breed. Then there's Kid and Lou. Kid's the one who brought you here. Then there's Cody and Jimmy. Then over here there's Ike. He can hear but he can't speak." Rachel told her.
Callie shook hands with each of them and then turned to Rachel. "I really have to be going. Good night." Then, with one hand out she walked across the room, feeling her way to the door. When she stepped outside she whistled loudly. A few moments later a horse trotted into view. "As you can see, I brought your horse." John said. "You're wrong, Deputy." She said bitterly. John looked at her in shock. She turned her head in his direction so that the scars were plainly visible. "I can't see." She told him then, turning, mounted her horse and spurred it into a gallop. In moments the sound of hooves disappeared. The group stood there inside the door in a kind of shocked silence. Ike tapped Teaspoon on the shoulder and signed him a question. (Should she be riding when she's hurt?) Ike asked. "No, she shouldn't be riding! Come on all of you! We've got to find her before she gets sick or hurt or something such as that!" Teaspoon said. No one moved.
"COME ON ALL OF YOU!" He yelled. With a start all of the boys ran to the barn and saddled their horses. As soon as they were all saddled they set out in search of someone that none of them knew and they were all fairly certain they would never find.
"Where could she be, Teaspoon?" Cody asked, pushing his long blond hair out of his eyes and straightening the fringe on his buckskin jacket. Noah, the African American, looked around at their surroundings. They had ridden all night and had camped out in a ravine. They had started out again that morning. It was now late afternoon. The sun was as low as the boys' spirits. They hadn't found a thing. Not a hoof print, not a horse, not a thing. It was like she had just up and disappeared. Teaspoon shook his head. "I don't know boys, I just don't know." He sighed. John cleared his throat; "We'd best just give up. I'll send men out later on to continue the search. She clearly doesn't want to be found so we'd be better off just letting her go. She gets dangerous when she's crossed." "I suppose you're right. If she needs us she'll know where to find us. Let's go." Teaspoon said with worry tainting his every word. The boys all looked at each other and nodded. As they turned to go no one saw Ike drop his hat on the ground. He wasn't going to leave her out here all alone.
That night Ike suddenly realized he had lost his hat. Teaspoon and the others
looked a little suspicious when he told them, but they didn't confront him with
anything. He rode hard for a good half-hour before he came to the place where
he had dropped his hat. Jackpot. He saw fire flickering against the walls of
the small ravine down off to his left. Staying close to the ground he peered
over the edge. Callie was seated in front of a campfire talking to someone.
The other person was in the shadows, but he could hear every word that they
were saying.
"They're looking for you, Callie. You need to move on." The person told her. It was a man.
"I know. I'm leaving here in the morning. Just show me where you want me to go and I'm gone. The shorter the time that I'm here, the less of a chance anyone has of finding out my little secret. No one else knows do they? If anyone finds out I'm as good as in my grave. But before I go I have a question to ask you. What was I doing at the Express Station house?" She asked him.
"No, Callie. No one else knows about it. And as to your other question, Holloway thought to dump you off on them when Van Dahl showed up looking for you. Real friend huh, Callie? You have hard times and he leaves you high and dry."
Ike heard the bitter laugh that she gave at that statement. He also heard a
pebble go rattling past him. Apparently Callie and her friend hadn't because
they gave no sign of it. Staying low to the ground Ike swung around and aimed
his gun in the direction of the noise. He was staring face to face with Cody.
Looking over Cody's shoulder Ike saw all of the other riders looking at him.
He lowered his gun and scowled.
(You scared me! I could have shot you!) He signed to Buck.
Buck just smiled and motioned back towards where Ike had tied his horse. He saw that all of the others had tied their horses there too.
(I'm not leaving her out here all alone. She could get hurt. There's someone down there with her. A man.) Ike told him.
Buck frowned. He walked over to where Teaspoon had mounted and was waiting on them. Buck whispered what Ike had just told him into his ear. Teaspoon frowned. He motioned Ike over to where he was.
"Did you recognize the voice?" Teaspoon asked him in a whisper. Ike shook his head no.
Teaspoon signed for Ike to follow him back to the ledge. When they looked over the edge Callie was gone. Her friend still sat looking into the campfire's dying embers. Ike looked over at Teaspoon in confusion.
(Where is she?) Ike signed.
Teaspoon shrugged his shoulders.
As Ike was getting up he felt the cold iron muzzle of a gun placed right between his shoulder blades. He had the feeling that they had just found Callie.
"I'm sorry about the gun, Ike, but you can't be sneaking around like that. If I didn't know Teaspoon's voice you'd probably be dead right about now." Callie said, walking around behind Ike. He turned, craning his neck to keep his eyes on her. He could see that she had obviously been practicing hard at living life normally even though she was blind. She moved with an ease that no other blind person that he'd ever seen had had. The man that she had been speaking with was seated on the other side of the fire from Ike. He hadn't introduced himself and Callie hadn't bothered to either, so he obviously wasn't someone she wanted them to know. The other riders were standing or sitting around the ravine. Callie would take a walk around the rim of the ravine and out to where the horses were every few minutes. Her jaw was twitching and her sightless eyes were scanning the area. Ike noticed that Teaspoon had his eyes on her as well. Callie was pacing back and forth nervously fingering her gun. She suddenly came to a complete and total stop. Pulling her gun out of her holster she motioned to the man seated by the fire. He motioned for them all to be quiet and kicked dirt over the last of the fire, plunging them all into complete darkness. When his eyes adjusted to the moonlight Ike could see Callie standing tensely against the ravine wall. Her gun was raised and pointed at the rim. Ike didn't understand why she had put out the fire and pulled her gun. Then he heard the hoof beats. Men's voices were shouting out unintelligible words. Then he heard one phrase that sent chills down his spine. "FIND HER AND KILL HER!"
Suddenly shots rang out; he looked around to see Callie and her friend firing on the intruders. But there were more men falling than could have been taken down by just Callie, her friend and the riders. Where were the other bullets coming from? Sliding across the ground he moved until he was next to Callie. She was reloading her guns. He touched her lightly on the shoulder.
"Who's there?" She whispered tensely. He took her hand and wrote his name on her palm with his finger.
"Ike?" She asked. He put her hand up to his face so that she could feel him nodding yes. She smiled at him.
He stood up and began firing while she reloaded. When he ran out and needed to reload she took his place. Callie, the riders, and the mysterious gunfighters finally beat the intruders into retreat. Then the hidden gunmen began to show themselves. Men and boys from 13 or so to what looked like almost 70 emerged from the shadows and walked to Callie. Some were bleeding. She told her mysterious friend, who she called James, to get the wounded to a doctor and then she told all of the others to go home. When all of them were gone the toll that the fight had taken on her was more visible. Ike was standing next to her when she collapsed. At Teaspoon's order Ike picked her up and put her on his horse. "You take her back to Rachel and keep a lookout at the house. We'll finish up here. This time she won't be leaving." Teaspoon said.
Rachel was waiting in the front room when Ike walked in. "Well, here we go again. Bring her back here." She said to him. He took her to Rachel's bedroom and laid her gently on the bed. As he did, he saw a smear of blood on his arm. He knew that he hadn't been shot, he looked down at Callie and saw that the left side of her shirt was soaked in blood. He tapped Rachel on the shoulder and pointed at Callie's side. "My Lord!" Rachel exclaimed. Rachel lifted Callie's shirt to reveal a nasty and deep gunshot wound. Ike gasped at the amount of blood that she was losing. "Ike, ride to town and fetch the doctor. Go now!" Rachel told him in a worried tone of voice. Ike ran out of the house and mounted his horse. He rode like the devil was after him until he reached Dr. Whitmore's house. He banged on the door until he heard the door bolts sliding open. "Ike, what are you doing here?" The doctor asked him sleepily. Ike made the motion of writing and Doc motioned for him to follow. When Ike had been supplied with paper and pen he wrote out what had happened. "Oh, my. I'll be right back." Doc said. Ike paced worriedly while he waited. Doc ran into the room carrying his supply bag. "Let's go Ike. If it's as bad as you say, she might not have much time." Ike turned and ran out to his mount. Doc Whitmore followed him. Ike helped the older man onto the saddle behind him and spurred the horse towards the station house. He could only pray that they weren't too late.
As Ike ushered Doc Whitmore into the house he heard the sound of hooves pounding across the yard towards him. He turned to see Teaspoon and the others reigning to a stop in front of the barn.
"Ike! Why did the Doc just go in the house?" Teaspoon yelled to him from the barn.
(Callie was hurt. It looked bad, so Rachel told me to fetch the doctor.) Ike replied.
Teaspoon looked at him in confusion. "She didn't look like she was hurt when she left. In fact, she looked like she was doing just fine."
"Oh yeah, she was fine. She just collapsed because she wanted to come back here. Either that, or she wanted to be alone with Ike." Jimmy said sarcastically. Ike glared at him and Jimmy flashed him an arrogant grin.
(Funny, Jimmy. Very funny. She's hurt pretty badly; she lost a lot of blood.) Ike told Jimmy in angry, jerky movements.
"Oh, I didn't know it was that bad. How much blood has she lost?" Jimmy asked, chastised.
(Gee, I forgot to count!) Ike signed with a disgusted look on his face.
"All right now, boys. Just settle down. Let's all go inside and check up on her." Teaspoon said, laying his hand on Ike's shoulder. "Ike, what's going on with you? You're acting, well, not like yourself." Teaspoon whispered in his ear. (Later, Teaspoon.) Ike signed. "Well, okay. But I'm expecting you to tell me." Teaspoon told him. Ike smiled and they followed the others inside.
When Ike and the other riders walked into the house they were met with chaos. Rachel was running back and forth between the back bedroom and the kitchen carrying cloths that had just come out of a pot that was boiling on the stove. The cloths that she brought out of the back room were blood soaked. Teaspoon and the riders watched the commotion with worried frowns. Rachel didn't seem to notice that they were there and the doctor was still in back with Callie. Over the next hour the riders went to their respective bunks and sat down, Teaspoon sat down on a chair from the dining room and tipped it back against the wall. So far, there had been no sounds at all except for the swish of Rachel's skirts, the bubbling of the boiling water, and the riders shifting from one foot to another. It had grown so silent that that everyone was quite frightened to hear a scream come from the bedroom. Rachel dropped the linens she was carrying, Teaspoon fell out of his chair, Jimmy drew his gun, and Cody jumped up so fast he hit his head on the bunk above him. A blue streak of cussing issued from the back. Callie was NOT in a happy mood. She was awake and she was in pain. The boys, Teaspoon, and Rachel ran to the bedroom. When they walked in they saw a sight that would not soon be forgotten. Callie had the doctor by the front of the shirt and was shaking him and yelling. "WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING? WERE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME OR SOMETHING? HUH? SAY SOMETHING!" "I, um, well, I...." The doctor sputtered. He was definitely not used to being abused so by anyone. Certainly not a blind woman. Callie was in a fine state now. She was pacing back and forth across the room like a lioness. Her eyes glued to the spot where the doctor was standing. Once again, the eerie sensation that she was able to see struck everyone. Suddenly, she came to a complete halt. She glared at the floor and then laughed. "Sit down, Doc. I've got something to tell you. You too, boys. Just come and sit down." She said. Everyone looked at each other. They hadn't said anything to let her know that they were there. How had she known? When everyone had taken a seat, Callie turned in a slow circle. It was almost like she was looking to see where everyone was. When she had completed her rotation, she stopped and stared towards the wall. "Now boys," she said, "don't kill me for this." She paused rather dramatically. Everyone wondered what she could possibly be going to say. She took a deep breath and blurted it out in a rush; "I'm not blind." Dead silence hung in the room. All eyes were fixed on her. Cody stammered out, "What do you mean?". Callie hung her head. "I'm not blind." She whispered. "I lied to you all. I'm really sorry. I don't expect you to believe me, but I'm real sorry." She turned on her heel and headed for the door. Suddenly, a bullet slammed through the window and into the door just beside her. "CALLAHAN! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! COME ON OUT!" A man's voice bellowed. Callie's eyes went wide with shock, and then they narrowed with rage. Her voice was dripping pure and deadly venom when she spoke. "Van Dahl." One word. That was all. But everyone in the room knew that Colleen Callahan had just hit her boiling point and all hell was about to break loose. Cody grinned. "Hold on fellows, the world's about to explode!"
Bullets slammed into the walls and floor around the riders. Doc Whitmore was cowering in a corner and Rachel was still in the kitchen. Ike glanced out the window and saw about ten wagons that had been turned on their sides. He could see rifles and pistols poking out from all around the wagons. "Oh, away down yonder in the land of cotton, old times there are not forgotten. Look away, look away, look away Dixie land." Ike glanced around to see who was singing. Callie was leaning against the far wall loading her gun. She was smiling and singing to herself. Ike was puzzled. Mere moments before, she had been spitting acid and venom. Now, she was singing to herself and smiling. Strange woman. Very strange.
"I think she lost too much blood." Teaspoon whispered loudly. Callie glanced up and frowned. She glared at Teaspoon and then went back to singing and loading her gun. When she had loaded her gun she got down on her knees and crawled to the window. Humming softly to herself she peeked out the window. A bullet ripped through the window frame just beside her head. She hit the floor hard. "Whew! That was close!" She scrambled back up and glanced out the window.
"Hey, Van Dahl!", She yelled, " I see that you have Jimmy Pickett out there with you!"
"Yeah. So what?" Van Dahl replied.
Callie thrust her gun out the window and fired. A young man hit the ground with a bullet in his brain. "Well, he ain't with you no more!" Callie yelled. Ike saw a large amount of men drop their weapons and take off running when they saw what had happened.
"Well I'll be. I've never seen so many men run after one shot." Teaspoon muttered.
Callie just laughed. "If I'm lucky, and Van Dahl is smart, that'll be the only shot anyone will have to fire."
"I hope you're right girl, I hope you're right." Teaspoon told her.
She nodded and peeked out the window again. She saw nothing. No movement. It looked as if everyone had left. There was dead silence all around. Callie frowned to herself. That had been too easy. If she knew Van Dahl as well as she thought she did, and she did know him that well, then he wouldn't have given up like this.
"Everyone stay down. I'm going to go and check it out." She whispered. Staying below the level of the windows, she crept into the kitchen. There, she saw Rachel sitting next to a window with a rifle in her hands. "Rachel, see if you can get in back with the others. If you hear shooting, don't get up. Don't try to fire, just stay down." Rachel nodded and started to move slowly and carefully towards the back. Callie watched her until she was sure she had made it back there with the others. She started to stand up, then got very dizzy and had to sit down on the floor. She knew she had lost a lot of blood. The gunshot wound was not as bad as it had first appeared, but it was still very painful. Wincing, she stood up and leaned against the wall to steady herself. She walked slowly to the door and opened it carefully.
She closed her eyes expecting a barrage of gunfire, but nothing happened. With both of her guns drawn and her eyes scanning everywhere she crept out the door. She was about to shut the door behind her when she heard a gun cock. She dove back through the door and onto the floor just as several rounds of gunfire ripped through the house. She felt glass raining down on her from broken windows and she heard yelling from outside. "I knew it!" She muttered. "I'm an idiot. I knew I shouldn't have done that. I'm an idiot." She was muttering that over and over again as she scuttled quickly back to the others. She poked her head around the door and grinned. "Well, they're still out there." She announced in a stage whisper. Everyone shot her dirty looks. "I think we knew that." Jimmy said dryly. Callie made a face and crawled over to the window. Hiding behind the curtains so that she couldn't be seen, she surveyed the scene. The house was surrounded and she and the others were running out of ammunition. It looked hopeless. Then, she spotted the end of a barrel poking out from one of the wagons. She looked at Teaspoon and grinned.
"What do you see?" He asked her.
"A way out." She told him.
She reloaded her guns and looked over her shoulder at everyone. "Hold on tight, 'cause if that barrel is full of what I think it's full of then things are going to get a little bit bumpy." Everyone got down on the ground. They could hear Rachel praying. Callie took aim and closed her eyes. "Here we go." She whispered. Then, she pulled the triggers. She was forced backwards away from the window as a huge rolling wave of heat hit her. The whole house shook. Then, all was silent. She looked out the window to see men picking themselves up off the ground and running. She smiled triumphantly at Teaspoon. He patted her on the back and laughed. "I'm sure glad you were right about that barrel. It saved our lives." Callie grinned sheepishly. "I actually didn't really know what it was, I was just hoping." She said. "Well, whether you were certain or not doesn't matter. You saved our lives." Rachel told her. Callie grinned and then went very pale. Then she hit the ground. She had passed out. Again. Cody looked at her and shook his head. "She likes doin' that don't she?"
Rachel walked out into the deserted front room and flopped down in a chair. The boys and Teaspoon had long ago left to escort a very shaken Doc Whitmore to his house. Callie was still sleeping away the fatigue of her blood loss. Rachel sighed and looked around at the mess that had been left behind from the short but violent gunfight. Shattered glass was lying on the floor and bullet holes riddled the walls. Rain was pouring in from the holes in the wall and through what was left of the window glass. She sighed as she placed some pots and pans under the leaks to hold the water until the holes could be stopped up. Then, she grabbed a broom and started to sweep up the glass. She had barely started when she noticed that there was someone else working along side her. Callie was sweeping up glass and wood chips right there with her.
"Callie, you really should be resting." Rachel told her.
"Well, I figured I'd better do what I could to help you. Maybe try and make up for lying to you and getting you all mixed up in this. Also, to make myself feel better for skipping out on you." Callie ended under her breath.
"Skipping out? What do you mean?" Rachel asked.
"I..... well..... Listen, Rachel, I really do appreciate all that you and the others have done for me. Honestly, I do. But, you took me in because you thought that I was blind, and now, there's no reason for me to need your help. Also, I've gotten you all in enough trouble as it is and I don't want to cause you any more worry than I already have."
Rachel raised an eyebrow and stared long and hard at Callie. "If you think you can just walk out like that, then you are sadly mistake Ms. Callahan."
Callie leaned against the broom that she was holding and stared at Rachel like she'd just grown two heads. Callie was not used to being told that she could not do what she wanted. Even though she had been a gunslinger for the past few years, she had been raised by parents who had been socialites and she had been taught that she could do as she wished no matter what it was she was going to do. Now, to be told that she couldn't leave when she wished, that was too much. Callie's eyes flashed cold, blue fire and Rachel knew that she was straddling the thin line that separated Callie's friends from her enemies. When Callie spoke, her voice was as cold and as unforgiving as the storm that had begun to rage outside.
"Rachel, I will do as I please and I will do it when I please. I will finish helping you sweep, and then I will get my things and I will leave. If you have a problem with that then I'm very sorry, but I will not stay here against my wishes or my better judgment. I know full well that if I stay, I will only bring trouble to you all. I do not want to do that. You are all good people and I have no wish to hurt you. That is why I'm leaving. Now, the sooner I get through sweeping, the sooner I can leave."
With that said, Callie once again started sweeping up the mess in the floor. When she was finished, she walked into the back room and picked up her coat and her guns. She buckled her gun belt low across her hips and put on her coat. As she was walking out the door to the barn she turned to Rachel and held out her hand. "If you ever need anything, just call on me." Rachel took her hand and smiled. "Same to you. You take care of yourself." Callie smiled and ran to the barn. She led her horse out of one of the stalls and mounted. She squinted back towards the house. She could barely see Rachel for all the rain. She cantered as close as she could to the house as she could without climbing up on the porch. She tipped her hat at Rachel and then turned to go. "Wait! Where're you going?" Rachel asked. Callie shrugged. "I think I'll go to Sante Fe." Then, she turned and disappeared into the pouring rain.
Rachel turned to go back into the house when she heard hoof beats pounding towards the house. She turned, looking to see if it was Callie returning. It wasn't. It was Teaspoon and the other riders returning. They were riding hell bent for leather, it was almost as if their horses had wings. Rachel shrugged and went back into the house. About ten minutes later, Teaspoon and all of the boys rushed into the house like a whirlwind. They were dripping wet, but that didn't do any damage because the floor was already under a half an inch of water from the rain that was leaking in from all of the holes.
"If you boys will wash up I'll have supper on the table soon." Rachel said.
Cody glanced around and grimaced, "I think I'll eat in the barn tonight, Rachel. I don't really like the idea of getting any wetter and the barn is the driest place around here."
Rachel looked at Cody out of the corner of her eye and shook her head. "William F. Cody, you are turning into a wimp. I would think that if Colleen can ride from here to Sante Fe in this driving rain, you can certainly sit here under a few tiny drips!"
Teaspoon jumped up out of his chair. "Sante Fe!" He yelled. "Yes, Sante Fe." Rachel told him. "Oh no!" He groaned. "What?" Rachel asked. "The road to Sante Fe is washed out. She'll never make it. Somebody's got to catch her and warn her. Somebody's got to go now!"
"Let's see, Lou, you and Kid can't go, you've both got runs tomorrow. Buck, you've got a run in a few hours. Cody and Jimmy, you're needed to replace some injured riders at Blue Creek. Noah, you're needed to help at Sunset Creek. That just leaves you, Ike. What do you say? Will you go?"
Ike nodded and stood up to get his coat. "Be careful, Ike." Buck said. Ike grinned and walked out the door. Moments later, they all heard his horse gallop out of the yard. "Please, God. Don't let him be too late." Teaspoon said.
Meanwhile, several miles away Callie was carefully picking her way through brush and briars. The road was flooded for as far as she could see and the rain was coming down harder. "Awww, devil take it all!" she muttered under her breath as her horse slid down yet another muddy embankment. Much more of this and she knew her horse would probably injure itself enough to have to be put down. She glanced around and sighed. She knew that if she kept on going, she would wind up lost or drowned in the downpour. Grumbling and cursing the rain she led her horse to an indention in the hillside. It was just high enough that it should be above the rising water, and it curved over enough to offer plenty of protection for herself and her horse. Once she was under shelter she pulled her saddle bags off of Cantina and began searching through them. Finally, she pulled a small wooden box out. Sitting down on the ground, she spilled the contents of the box out on the ground. Letters and pictures lay scattered on the ground. Humming to herself, she searched through the letters until she found what she was looking for. The letter was well worn, as if it had been read many times. She unfolded it and a picture fell out into her lap. She picked the picture up and smiled sadly. Trust Scarlet to have her picture taken with her horse. God, she loved that horse. Scarlet had named him Stormy, and the name fit perfectly. The horse ran the a whirlwind, leaving destruction in its path. Gathering up all the other pictures, she laid them carefully in the box. With one last glance, she laid the picture of Scarlet and Stormy on top. When she had done that, she began reading the letter that she held in her hand.
Dear Colleen,
Marvelous news! I have found a beautiful house in Savannah, Georgia that should suit our needs just perfectly. No one knows us down that way and we will be able to start anew. We can tell people that we are sisters, we look enough alike to play the roles. And, in all reality, we are close enough to be so. I don't have much time, and this is a short note that I am dashing off to you in much haste. Please, send me word. Take care.
Yours ever,Scarlet McMahan
PS- No where in the word outlaw do you see the word TRUST.
Tears flowed freely down Colleen's face. Scarlet had indeed been like a sister to her. God only knew where she was now. Colleen hadn't heard from her since this note, and that had been over two years ago. Carefully, she laid the letter back in the box and placed the box back in the saddle bags. Just as she was laying down on the ground to go to sleep she heard the sound of a horse galloping above her. Sitting up, she pressed in closer to the wall of earth. That was how she finally noticed the cracks in the dirt bank. The heavy rains had weakened the earth and now, with someone galloping around on top of the bank it would soon give way. "Oh crap!" She thought. As quickly as she could, she saddled Cantina and mounted to ride to a safer spot. She didn't make it. With a mighty rumbling groan, the bank gave way and came down in one giant heap. The last thing Callie saw was a huge mound of dirt, rocks and plants cascading down on top of her. She screamed and then everything went black.
Ike was riding slowly across the slick ground of the plain. He had been forced to leave the road when he had come to a wide track of deep water. He figured Callie must have left the road too, because there was no way she could have made it across. After a few moments, he reached sturdier ground and urged his horse into a gallop. At this rate, he should catch up to Callie some time tonight. He smiled and urged the horse to go faster. That was when he felt the ground give way beneath him. He heard a scream and then he and his horse pitched over the edge of an embankment right into the middle of a large mudslide. "This is bad." was his last though before the mud closed in over his head.
TO BE CONTINUED...
