“Salida.”
“Will your family come for you?”
“Oh yes, they’ll come for me, all right. I’m going to have a hard time with them.”
“What do you mean?” Conn said and felt his hackles rise. He’d only known Mary for a short time, but she’d been his brother’s wife, and if her family was mean to her, he’d stick around long enough to set things straight.
“They’ll try to talk me into going back with them,” she said.
Now, Conn was really confused. “Well yeah, that’s the idea.”
Mary stopped walking and met his eyes. “I won’t go.”
“You have to.”
Mary crossed her arms. “I won’t. My life is here.”
“Mary, those men burned your home.”
“I will rebuild it.”
“Tell you what,” Conn said. “You go to your family and give me the address, and when I finish taking care of business, I’ll ride down to Cañon City and bring you back, and we’ll rebuild the house together. All right?”
“That’s very kind of you, Conn,” Mary said, “but I have a shipment of building materials arriving in a couple of days. Cole and I were going to build a barn, but I suppose we can use the materials to build a house instead.”
“But I won’t be here,” Conn reminded her. “I have to get after those men before they disappear and cover their tracks.”
“I know,” Mary said. “When I said we, I wasn’t referring to you. I meant my brothers. They will try to get me to go back with them, but I can be very persuasive when I must. I will have them help me build the house.”
Conn grinned. It surprised him. He’d been feeling like he’d moved past smiling, like he might never smile again.
“What?” she said, one corner of her own mouth curling slightly.
“Nothing,” he said. “I just think your brothers are going to have a hard time with you.”
“You are correct, sir.”
They went inside, where the man at the counter said how sorry he was about what had happened. They thanked him and both sent telegrams, Mary to her family and Conn to his parents.
Conn wrote:
Reverend Sullivan,Peabody, Kansas – Cole murdered by gang of eleven men (stop) House burned (stop) Mary okay (stop) I will avenge (stop) Have already settled the worldly accounts of four (stop)
He thoughtof his father when he added the word “worldly,” knowing the reverend would look toward eternal judgment. Still thinking of his parents, Conn added one more line, though he was uncertain if he added it for them or himself.
Prayfor me (stop) Conn
There wasthat lump in his throat again.
He choked it down and waited for Mary to finish her message and paid and led her back out onto the street.
“Where to next?” she said.
He glanced at the sky, where the sun was creeping toward its apex. “We got another forty-five minutes before noon, I’d guess. We gotta swing by the mercantile. Need to stock up before hitting the trail, and I want to get you whatever you need. Clothes, food, whatever. Oh, and we’ll need to board the pony, too.”
“Thank you, Conn. That’s very kind. But you’ve already given me money, and I have the money Marshal Andrews returned to me. I’ll take care of those things after you’ve gone. It’ll give me something to do while I wait for my brothers to arrive.”
“All right. But there’s something else we need to get before I leave.”
