July 28, 1869

Amiville. 

Walking into the saloon a couple of days later I smiled seeing TJ sitting at the bar. “I was hoping I’d find you here, darlin’!” I exclaimed. 

“Well hello,” he greeted me. 

“Hey there!” I walked closer and gave him a wink. 

“How ya been?” 

“Mind if I join you?” 

“Not at all. You behaving?” 

“Always, darlin’,” I giggled. “Question is, are you behaving?” 

“Well damn. That ain’t no fun. I never behave.” 

“You gonna make me behave less, ain’t ya?” I chuckled. 

“I have that effect on people, yes.” 

“I’ve missed you,” I smiled. 

“Yea. Been dancing still?” he smiled back. 

“Well actually I have some news!” I beamed widely. 

“Folks over there still talkin’ about me? Oh...” 

“I took over the Amiville Observer last night,” I smiled. 

“Oh damn.” 

“Looking forward to hittin’ the pavement and gettin’ those stories out.” 

“Ya want an interview?” he chuckled and raised a brow. 

“Hm... What you wanna interview for? You got a story for me already?” I asked with a wink. 

He told me how he was going to shoot Lali because he didn’t like playing by her rules. I warned that he was going to get arrested. He said it wouldn’t be the first time and then I asked him to dance, wanting to dig deeper into who this man really was. I’d heard about him before from others, that he was from the wrong side of the tracks, but my interest had been peaked and I knew that if I could connect with someone like him I’d have a whole new avenue of sources for the newspaper.

Mexico.

We took a ride out to Mexico where we could be alone without being watched by everyone in town. When he took me to a small jail I grew cautious but curious, and we began to kiss while sitting on the desk in the front office. No one was around, it was just me and him and this moment that we were sharing.

Amiville.

That afternoon I walked into town and saw a crowd in front of the sheriff’s office. Growing curious, I went over and listened as the outlaws there argued with the marshals about getting one of their men out of jail. The law were trying to clear the streets but people continued to stand around, wanting to know what would happen next. I went up to Tristan and poked his shoulder, asking him to explain what was going on. 

“Not now, Ms. Trin,” he shook his head. 

“But Tristan...” I protested. 

“Ehem, I’s tell ya ma’am,” the man called Buckshot Bill looked over at me. 

“Ya will?” I asked him hopefully. I didn’t care which one of them gave me the story, just as long as someone did. I noticed a man keeping his gaze on Bill and wondered what his interest in the whole thing was. 

“Shore,” Bill started. “He been bullying us when he has three to four on his side here and everywhere, and now it’s times ta pays back... He done turn yella.” He turned to the man staring at him and said, “I shore hopes ya ain’t fallin’ in loves with me mister.” 

“You a gun hand are ya?” the man staring at him called back. 

“So this was all about revenge, Bill?” I asked him. 

“Yes ma’am, ya can say that... and a fellow red rebel turnin’ on us... So ya ma’am, ya can says that.” 

I looked between Bill and the lawmen, knowing that wasn’t the full story. I went over to the man who had asked Bill about being a gun hand and asked him, “Sir, were you here when this all started?” 

“I was just riding into town when the shooting started,” he nodded to me. 

“Then what happened, Sir?” 

“Ma’am, this might not be the best place for you right now... If I live I’ll let you know.” 

I sighed and moved to the grass to watch more. 

“I am a gun hand and also the captain in the tripple R’s gang, thar fella,” Bill told the man I was just talking with. “And... I am gettin’ hungry here.” 

Harley Buu came over and asked Bill, “We have a problem here, Buck?” 

“Sir, can I get yer name?” I asked the one I was questioning. 

“Kale... Kale Mirajkar,” he introduced himself, looking over at the bandit. 

“Thank you, Kale,” I smiled. 

I continued to ask questions around the group about what they saw and Kale looked at Bill, “You fast?” he asked in a calm tone. 

“Naw, speed makes ya miss. I am accurate more like it. Are ya callin’ me out thar fella?” 

“Seems to be a lot of non law folks buzzing about,” Buu observed. 

“Yeah Buu, tryin’ ta be heroes me thinks,” Bill agreed.

“Being a hero ain’t all it’s cracked up to be, folks,” Buu told the crowd. “All you’ll get is a nice warm bed in the clinic.” 

“Heroes are men that die for glory,” Kale shook his head. “I don’t plan on dyin’ for a long time.” 

“Something wrong with that guy, boss?” Roby asked then. 

“Then tells ya what,” Bill told Kale. “Turn around and heads outta towns and your lil dream thar mights come true.” 

Kale stepped back and rolled up his sleeve and Bill shouted, “All right ya lawmen, ya hear this fella! Seems he wants to try me out. So why don’t ya dos yer jobs and clear the streets so no one else gits shot by this here fella?” 

I walked into the clinic then, thinking it would be safer to watch from inside than on the street. I opened the window so I could hear Kale asking Bill if they could make a deal. Kale said, “Just you and me in the duel. Your boys stand down and the law stands down... The victor gets to walk. Deal?” 

“Deal,” Bill nodded. 

Kale motioned to the end of the street and Bill walked up to shake his hand but faked him out and attempted to punch him in the jaw. Kale tried to avoid it but got clipped in the chin. Bill laughed and said, “After you, boy.” 

Kale reached up, feeling his chin with a laugh before removing his duster, looping it over his arm. “Let’s dance,” he said with a smile and started to walk for the edge of town. 

It wasn’t long before I heard gunshots and I turned to Lali, asking her, “Lali, could I just ask ya a couple of questions for the paper?”

“Sure Miss Trin, what may I help you with?” 

“I was just wonderin’ what started this all.” 

“I’m afraid I don’t know.” 

“When I got here they were countin’ law versus outlaw.” 

“A citizen told me there was trouble on the street, and being as I am officer of the court, called in all available law to help. You may want to ask one of the law. They may be able to give you more information.” 

I sighed, knowing I wasn’t going to get very far with at least one of them, namely Tristan. Before long, Bill was dragging Kale into the clinic and I shook my head, watching the scene. Then Bill opened the door and yelled, “Alright I’m coming out. Any man I see out there I’m gonna kill ‘em, any sumabitch takes a shot at me. Not only am I gonna kill him, I’m gonna kill his wife, all his friends... burn his damn house down.” 

I waited until everyone had left the clinic and I went over to check on Kale, putting a hand on his arm. “Kale? Kale?” 

He opened his eye, looking up at me. “Hello there,” he said with a bloody smile. 

“Are you alright? Well, of course you ain’t alright...” 

The doctor came and I told her what had happened so that she could attend to Kale’s wound. Meanwhile I heard from outside Bill calling, “That thar fella in the clinic is a true hero to you alls.” 

Kale reached down to lift up his vest, showing a growing puddle of blood on his lower left abdomen. I swallowed and backed up, saying, “Sir, you’re awfully brave...” 

He nodded before looking down to his vest. “He ruined my father’s vest. I sure don’t want to wind up in the papers as the man that got shot dead for being brave,” he said with a smile. 

“Absolutely,” I smiled and gave him a bottle of whiskey, “Drink this, darlin’,” I helped him sit up a bit. “I’m sure your father will forgive you.” He reached up to take the cup and I added, “And ya ain’t gonna get dead, I promise ya that. Yer gonna be a hero.” 

“Thank you, miss. Keep him awake, ok? He is kinda wasted now and we need him awake,” the nurse told me. 

“I can do that,” I nodded. “Kale, tell me more. When ya got there, there was this big ruckus in town... but what was it all about?” 

He smiled as he drank more whiskey, “Mmmm bartender, can you bring me some less watered-down stuff?” he said with a chuckle before wincing as the nurse cleaned his wounds. 

“Kale... ya were darn near suicidal for this town. Why’d you do it?” 

“You his wife, miss?” The nurse asked me then. 

“No ma’am...” I shook my head. “I just took over the Amiville Observer last night... Was tryin’ to find out what was goin’ on. After I saw Kale get dragged in here... I couldn’t leave him alone.” 

“Because I wasn’t going to let some school yard bully push around nice folk because he was scary,” Kale smiled at me. 

“Ok,” the nurse said. “I need you to hold his hand while I try to remove the slug, ok?” 

“Yes ma’am,” I reached out and held Kale’s hand tightly. “Squeeze it if ya need to, darlin’.” As the nurse worked on getting the bullet out of him I said, “You can do it, Kale. You’ve survived so much already. Kale keep talking to me... How long have you been in Amiville?” 

“There we go, I have the slug out now,” the nurse announced after removing it slowly. 

Kale opened his eyes, still wincing before looking to me. “Wilson’s creek,” he said before crying out. 

“Ok, you will be ok, but Miss keep talking to him. Don’t let him go into shock,” the nurse said then. 

“Kale... I have to say I’m might impressed with how you handled yourself out there. Not many men would do what you did. Where’d you get that bravery from?”

“I learned it,” he said with a smile. I got him once,” he looked at me, pointing to his gun belt with his Lemat with one chamber empty. 

“Did you,” I smiled. “Well good, he deserved that.” 

When the nurse had finished, I asked Kyle if he wanted to go with me to the town meeting since he was a hero, but he still wouldn’t admit that he was a hero. We went to the courthouse for the town meeting and I held him by the arm as we walked.