JENNY

Drena Hills

'The only thing that money can't buy is love, everything else you can steal.'

-

Stolen by

Hannibal Heyes

Louise Carlson sat as she had for the last four days in the front row of the courthouse willing herself to ignore the stares and the remarks that were directed at her.

She had been unsure how she could survive it, the entire story coming out, her part in Billy and Caleb’s deaths, but somehow she had gained the strength from the woman who sat in front of her and from her pain.

In the short time she had come to know Jenny since the murder she had come to rely on the woman like a second mother. It was Jenny who had consoled her and encouraged her and urged her to flee if it all got too much. For Jenny the consequences of her actions meant nothing, for Jenny it had ended on the confirmation of her son Billy’s death.

The lawyer had turned up a day after her arrest, paid in full by one J. Smith. R.H. MacMallan was the finest defense attorney in the west and quickly went to work weaving a case of a mother’s grief and her fear of her son’s death never being avenged.

He was a bold, older man whose very presence brought confidence and soon the community was divided on what the outcome would be and Louise did not miss the way the men squirmed during closing arguments as their mother's love for them was raised and their wives love for their children.

Court was adjourned while the jury deliberated and she slipped out the side door and followed the blond woman back to the jail. The sheriff had been kind allowing them to sit together after the sessions and he had promised she could wait for the Jury's verdict.

"Sheriff," she smiled and he nodded back respectful, concern for her in his eyes and it touched her that he was one of the few who had not shunned her.

"You again! Honey you have to stop hanging round this place, jail ain't good for pretty girl," Jenny said wearily when the cell door was opened and Louise stepped in.

"Are you all right?"

She always asked and Jenny always answered that she was fine and then for the most part they sat. Words they had come to realize did little when dealing with broken hearts.

"How did you meet them?" Louise asked suddenly and Jenny looked up surprised. "Mr….Smith and Mr. Jones, I mean" she said softly afraid to say their real names inside the jail for fear it would hurt them somehow.

Jenny smiled and for the first time since it all began a light came up in her eyes.

"I've known those boys since they were no more than 15, had just broke out of the waywards school and were on their own ready to take on the world."

"They were orphans?" Louise asked.

"Border war took their folks. Cousins, they got sent away, no one left to take them. They lasted until Heyes turned 15; Kid's a couple years younger. Heyes knew they would be kicking him out soon and he had to make his place in the world. Kid refused to stay if he didn't, so they ran off one night."

"So where did you meet them?"

"Dodge, after their first cattle drive. I was working the tables. I was a lot younger and a lot prettier then, but still had 15 years on them, but Heyes he flirted shamelessly just the same. That one was magic from the moment I set eyes on him and could he work the cards! And luck! It danced off him like moon dust. Unfortunately that wasn't a good thing when you were just 15, the house doesn't like boys making them look bad."

"What happened?"

"They caught him alone without Kid and beat him senseless. Kid found him in the alley just as I was leaving and he begged me to help him. Never seen a boy care so much for a friend, realized later they were all each other had. Well he wasn't as fancy with words as Heyes, but he had this way of pleading that near broke my heart so despite my misgivings I helped him carry his cousin back to my little place at the edge of town. It was there they met Billy."

********************************

"Ma! Is he hurt Ma? Is he hurt bad? What happened?" 7 year old Billy asked dancing around as Kid carried his cousin into the small one room cabin and laid him on the only bed.

"Hush Billy and get me some water."

"He your friend?" Billy asked looking with large blue eyes at Kid, who nodded. "Don't worry my Ma can fix anyone. I had measles and she fixed me!"

His enthusiasm washed over Kid and he suddenly felt a glimmer of hope, despite the beaten body of his friend beside him.

"Heyes, can you hear me?" he said softly.

He was answered with a groan and Kid thanked God relieved he was still alive.

They were almost the same in height now, but Kid had filled out, while Heyes had stayed slender and the bruises forming on his pale skin made him look younger and more vulnerable than Kid had ever seen him.

Heyes was the strong one, Heyes was always okay, he was in charge, nothing could happen to him, he'd promised it couldn't.

"Get his clothes off lets see what's broken, gentle like don't want to make it worse," Jenny said smiling at Kid and he gratefully obeyed her. "Look why don't you go get me some firewood and start us up some hot water for bandages. I got a feeling we got a couple of broken ribs here."

She had guessed he did not do well with nothing to do and kept him busy until at last bandaged and wrapped they left Heyes to sleep and moved over to the small little table to sit.

"Ma'am I can't thank you enough for this," Kid said digging in his pocket and pulling out his sole fortune of four dollars. He had given the rest of his money to Heyes to win with at cards. He was in sorry straights and he knew it.

"Just sit yourself down, we'll worry about that later and my name is Jenny, you've all ready met Billy. I'm guessing your hungry am I right?"

"Oh yes ma'am!" Kid said and suddenly felt bad for being so when his cousin lay unconscious across the room.

"Won’t do him no good you starving yourself and just worrying," she said reading his mind and placing a plate of ham and bread in front of him. "Gonna need you strength to look after him."

"Yes ma'am, thank you ma'am."

"I said it was Jenny, handsome man calling me ma'am makes me feel old," she winked.

Kid found himself smiling her confidence renewing his natural optimism.

"I guess they wanted his winnings," Kid said later as Heyes tossed and turned in his sleep.

"No they wanted to teach him a lesson for winning too much," Jenny explained sadly. "I should have tipped him off he was doing too good. Hank usually ain't that mean with just a boy."

"You mean you know who did this?" Kid said rising and she realized her mistake.

"Sit down boy, I don't care if your guns tied down, Hank is a vengeful man and he's got 20 boys a lot bigger than you to back him up. Let's just concentrate on getting your friend well so you two can be on your way gone."

************************************

"Well I realized later the last thing you told Kid Curry was to sit back while the men who nearly killed his cousin went scott free, wasn't his way, not mine either. Trouble was Hank got wind of my helping them and I not only lost my job, I got a black eye to learn me. The other thing you never do around Kid Curry is hurt a woman."

***********************************

"Hey Jenny," Kid smiled looking up. "You're home early. Heyes is asleep, but he ate all that soup…Jenny what's wrong…what happened to your eye?" Kid rose from the table where he was helping Billy fix his wagon.

"Nothing Jed, never you mind," she said hurrying past him.

"That man hit you again Mama?" Billy asked lip quivering.

"Who hit you?" Kid said suddenly not as much a boy as she had thought.

"Just got upset you both staying here. Guess we'll be moving on with you, work isn't gonna be easy to find in this town once Hank puts the word out."

Kid walked over to the door and pulled off his gunbelt.

"Just where do you think your going?"

"I was gonna wait till Heyes can ride to teach that man a lesson, but not now."

"Jed he will just kill you and then what about your partner? Now stop it! A whole lot of evil in this world you can't do no good thing about, you saw that with your parents and your seeing it now here with Heyes. Best you can do is stay alive and count it up to experience."

Then to her surprise she saw tears well up in his eyes and putting down the belt he walked over and hugged her.

His arms were strangely strong as a mans and she found herself leaning against him, the pain and fear of the day being taken from her as she cried and he just held her. If she had seen his eyes she would have known it wasn't over and she would have never felt so safe.

************************************

"Things might have gotten hard what with no money and Heyes still bed ridden, but Kid just sort of grew up that night. Went out the next morning and came back that night with a wagonload of supplies and money in his pocket. This went on for a week, always rising early and coming home that night with a present for me and Billy and something special to tempt his cousin's appetite. I didn't feel I had the place to ask where it was all coming from and to be honest I was too grateful cause the money he gave me would see me and Billy through the winter. But Heyes, Heyes started to get better and suspicious."

"Jed, where you getting all this?" he said eyeing the new clothes Kid had lain on the bed for his first day rising.

"Working," Kid said. "Now come on get your pants on you've been in bed two weeks, probably forgot how to walk."

"Where?"

"Not your concern."

Frustrated Heyes stared at his little cousin who seemed to have lost any claim to the little part while he was healing and it confused him. He didn't know the resolved young man beside him.

"Jed I gotta know."

"Let's just say Mr. Hank is paying for Jenny's relocating and your healing up as he rightfully should."

"You stole this from him?" Heyes said wide-eyed.

"Nope, took what was rightfully ours and a bit for pain and suffering," Kid said. "Now you gonna get dressed or you want her to walk in here and see you naked?"

"Jed they arrest people for that!" Heyes said yelling now.

"Only if they catch them and they aren't going to catch me."

"You sound like your still doing it!" Heyes said in shock.

"Found a few more people he took from, figured I'd help them out while I was at," Kid said simply.

"What! I get knocked on my head and you turn into Robin Hood! Your Ma would whoop you alive if she caught you stealing!" Heyes said indignant.

"Well she ain't here is she?" Kid said quietly. "And you needed food and Jenny and Billy needed help. I tell ya Heyes nobody takes from us anymore without us taking back twice as hard. I'm tired of bad things just being the way it is. If I got the power to fight them I will. From now on I protect my own."

Heyes had swallowed and finally nodded understanding, "Jed…"

"Yea?" his partner said waiting for a lecture.

"Thank you. Guess I just ain't used to you looking after me. Kinda nice having someone do that, thanks."

Kid had half smiled and then yelled at him to put his trousers on; things had finally begun to equal out.

*******************************

"Well a week later we all moved on. Hank never did find out who held up his deposits, couldn't bring himself to suspect a kid of being that clever and a lot of good people got helped. I don't think either of them boys was naturally a thief, but they had just been pushed so far that they couldn't see the lines clear no more."

"When did you see them again?"

"Oh had to be ten years later. Heyes and Kid were leading the Devil's Hole Gang by that time, famous as it gets. I was working my table, as always, in a little town west of Cheyenne when they rode in.

The Silver Slipper was the finest gambling emporium in the county. With glass chandeliers and brass spittoons and fine cut mirrors over the bar.

Saturday night it always filled to capacity and as the men got drunker, they got meaner about losing. I hadn't heard the Devil's Hole Gang was in town, doubted they would have remembered me if I'd seen them, so I just played my cards and smiled and tried to do my best to survive. Some nights were harder than others."

********************************************

"You're lying bitch, you switched that card from the bottom of the deck," the cowboy said grabbing Jenny's wrist and yanking hard so she cried out in a small gasp.

"No, honest, cowboy, you can check," she said trying to smile.

"Let her go."

The voice was not especially loud or harsh, but it caught both their attentions.

Turning the man stared into the eyes of Hannibal Heyes.

She knew him instantly. Oh he was older and strikingly handsome in the way he had never been as a boy. He was also the leader of the most famous outlaw gang in the west and it showed in his stance and his eyes.

"Hello Jenny," he smiled at her, but his eyes never left the man. "Let her go."

Slowly the man released her, swallowing hard as he did. He had a clue who this dark eyed stranger was, there were rumors. Quickly he glanced around looking for his friends. Three nodded and moved over to him and he relaxed.

"Ain't your concern mister," the cowboy said cockily now.

"Is when you're hurting a friend of mine," Heyes said quietly.

"Yea well my three friends and I say it ain't."

"Yea well his friend say it is," Kid said quietly moving beside Heyes.

Jenny stared a little taken back. This tall, handsome man was the little boy who had begged him to help his friend? There was not a trace of vulnerable left in him and every inch of him radiated his ability to back up his partner.

"Still four to two," the man said and they went for their guns.

The entire room gasped as his holster sailed off him and the other three men froze hands just above theirs, as far as they had got.

"You wanna discuss this further?" Kid asked.

"No sir," the cowboy mumbled and not even bothering to collect his gun fled with his friends.

"Jenny!" Heyes said turning with a grin, the moment forgotten and swinging her around. "I thought I knew that smile from across the room!"

"Heyes! Jed! Is it really you two?" she laughed accepting a hug from Kid and remembering the safety of it.

"Yup just rode in to do a little hoorahing," Kid explained. "Then were heading off to San Francisco for a little vacation. So how's Billy?"

"He's good, got him a job breaking horses down in New Mexico, hear from him every week. He's gonna be so happy to know I met up with you two. You are both such a sight for sore eyes."

She looked up seeing the manager's eyes on her. "Uh oh, I better get back to work they aren't gonna be pleased about all this…" she said wearily.

"You leave him to me," Kid said simply pulling her back down into her chair.

"Ya know Kid I've been thinking we never did thank Jenny for saving me that time," Heyes said with a wink to his partner.

"Or all the time while you got better teaching you every way to spot a cheat at cards," Kid grinned seeing where this was leading.

"You boys did more for me and Billy than I ever did for you," she blushed suddenly looking younger and too sad for either of them.

"Jenny come with us to San Francisco!" Kid said suddenly.

"What! Are you boys mad? I haven't got the…"

"Our treat, you can meet our friend Silky, you'll like him, he knows a few card tricks himself," Heyes laughed.

"Boys this is very sweet, but I can't take advantage of you like…"

"Like we took advantage of you?" Kid said softly. "Jenny you saved Heyes' life and probably mine as well, please, besides your prettier company than Heyes and I sure could use that!"

In the end they had convinced her and they had made her laugh all the way to the coastal city and the fancy house overlooking the bay.

"I don't know what your friend is gonna say you bringing a complete stranger…" Jenny said suddenly worried as they rang the doorbell.

"Not a complete stranger, family," Kid said firmly as the door opened.

The butler quickly showed them into the den where a large fire warmed the well furnished room and two men rose at her entrance.

"Heyes, Kid," Silky said greeting them with a hug and then smiling at her appreciatively. "So is this the family you telegraphed me about?"

"Mr. O'Sullivan," she smiled and he nodded charmed.

"You boys know Diamond Jim McGuffy," Silky said indicating the thin older man who was just staring at Jenny transfixed. "Though I am loathe to introduce the rascal to the lady, want first chance to win her myself!"

"Milady this is indeed a pleasure," Jim said stepping up and taking her and kissing. "I am your servant."

*******************************

"Well those two boys thought it was funny both those devils vying for my attention, but in the end Jim won my heart. I spent the next three years with that wonderful man and he showed me the world."

"What happened?" Louise asked softly.

"What always does my dear, life got in the way."

She stopped as the cell door opened.

"Jury coming back," the sheriff said quietly.

******************************

"I'm not sure this isn't a mistake," Jenny said softly as the train pulled into Yuma station two days later.

"Jenny we have been all over this. My sister will love you and I need you and this will be a wonderful place for both of us to start over," Louise said firmly.

"Actually I rather liked the part where the sheriff mentioned he came down to Yuma all the time on business," Jenny smiled slyly. "Nice of him to insist on looking you up and seeing how you are doing," she added and was pleased when Louise blushed.

"He was just being kind."

"He was just being interested, good man there and fair."

"I am through with men, I don't think I will ever trust…oh my goodness!"

She stopped and stared at the three men grinning at her from the end of the platform.

"Joshua? Thaddeus?" she said surprised as they hurried up and took turns hugging her and Jenny.

"We've been sweating out the news here Jen," Kid said hugging the woman and checking her out concerned.

"I think the telegraph operator thinks of us as family now," Heyes laughed taking his turn and then looking at Louise. "You all right?"

"Yes thank you, Jenny was acquitted."

"Yea we heard," Kid smiled.

"Didn't have a chance with that fancy lawyer you sent Heyes," Jenny said laughing. "Where did you get the money for him!"

"Hello Jenny," came the third man's voice.

"Jim…" she said startled.

"I came as soon as I heard about Billy and well everything, I'm so sorry," he said hugging her.

She held on as if she never wanted him to let go and he seemed highly content with that arrangement.

"Figured you ladies might need a ride from the station," Kid smiled.

"That was very kind of you," Louise said as Jim walked Jenny to the carriage and they collected their bags.

"Jenny has been telling me all about you two," she said mischievously.

Both men managed to look worried simultaneously.

"Uh I wouldn't believe everything you hear," Kid told her nervously.

She smiled and leaned up and kissed him on the cheek and then Heyes.

"I don't as a rule, but with you two I think I'll make an exception." And with that she walked away.

"Ya know that lady was way too good for that banker," Kid said wistfully.

"Yea she deserves a step up from a banker, say ex-bankrobber," Heyes agreed.

"Heyes?"

"Hmmmm?" Heyes said lost in thought.

"You can't steal that remember?"

His partner looked up sharply and then grinned back at his friend's smile.

"Ah true Kid true," he said eyes twinkling as he watch Jenny and Diamond Jim, "Some are more successful at their attempts than the rest of us!"