Episode 1: Untitled Pilot aka And Then There Were Three

It was warm on the prairie. It was the kind of day where the heat rising from the plains could play tricks on the eyes, but Calian knew the difference between worlds, or so he thought. When his little sister appeared to him, leading him when needed, he knew it wasn’t her. It had been many years since she had gone missing, and the figure that showed itself to him was her young self, not the woman she would have become in the years since, and yet he followed her, every time.

This time, she ran amidst the swirls of light spiraling off the land, leading him further than she had before until she finally stood still and pointed to a blue-green blur a short distance away –

– a woman.

A white woman…teetering on the edge of death.

She had been shot. Left for dead. From the look of her, she had walked a good distance before collapsing under the desert sun. Her alabaster skin was made even more fair by the compliment of copper colored waves surrounding her. Her features were so unlike his own, and yet there was something about her Calian couldn’t name, a deep seeded desire to help her, and not only because his sister had brought him to find her. Calian contemplated the consequences of being discovered with her. The townspeople were quick with their vile thoughts, believing his people capable of every type of ill intent.

But he couldn’t leave her.

There was still life in her. Her golden green eyes fluttered just once, but that was all the encouragement Calian needed. 

She was small in his hands, and a fierce emotion of protection flooded his entire being. It was a feeling unlike anything he had felt before. He didn’t know what it meant, and he could never guess at what it would mean for him in the future, but at that moment, he knew he needed to safeguard her.

He took her home.

To his people.

Days later, when her golden green eyes fluttered open again, Calian was sure to be the first face she saw. His friend, Augustus had told him once that he had a kind face, and he knew for a woman, such as her, the emotion he could evoke would most likely be of comfort to her when she discovered where she was. 

He was still concerned for her overall well being, but he was also curious about her. How had she come to such state? Who wished to inflict such pain upon her? The placement of the shot in her shoulder had meant to wound her, not kill her, at least not right away, so was she still in danger? He held her gaze, and found her eyes entrancing, and noticed, she, too, found it difficult to look away.

Despite her circumstances, and her initial fear, being near him had brought her a sense of calm. He could feel it. “How are you feeling?” He tried to keep his voice steady.

“How…how long have I been here?” She looked around nervously. Realizing she was in her smallclothes, she made a little effort to bring the blanket closer upwards in a discreet move of modesty.

“Four days.” Her face registered her disbelief, but Calian continued. “We found you in the plains. The Elders healed you.”

Her first thought was of thanks, something he appreciated more than he should have, but he quickly realized it was in part, because of the way she looked, and what treatment he had become accustomed to from those that looked like her. She was surrounded by strangers, those reviled by the settlers, but she didn’t have the same look in her eye that he was used to seeing. She didn’t shrink away from him. Maybe they thought differently in Boston.

She tried to rise, but she was still in pain.

“Where are you from?” He tried to distract her.

“Boston. It’s east, in…”

“Massachusetts.” He found it delightful that she was surprised by his knowledge. “I’ve read of Boston.”

“Where did you learn to speak..?”

“I used to scout for the US Cavalry.” 

His people whispered behind them. They did not like how comfortable he and the woman seemed to be, but it amused Calian all the same.

Her ears perked up when she heard the same phrase uttered a few times. 

Djon-deh-zee.

“What…what does that mean? Djon-deh-zee?” Tears continued to pool, but he could see the strength behind the sadness too.

“Walks in Tall Grass. What they call you.” He couldn’t keep the smile from his lips.

“My-my name is Abigail. Abigail Collins.”

“I’m Calian.”

And then her sorrow had reason. A husband. Past tense. “..supposed to be sheriff…” She asked if Calian knew where the town of Independence was, which, of course, he did.

She was hopeful, and he couldn’t deny her.

After she rested, now that she had finally awakened, Calian took Abigail to the hilltop that overlooked the valley where the new town was expanding. Calian stood a respectful distance from her.

“I need to tell them what happened.” Her voice held a certain resolve.

“Find Deputy Augustus. He’s a good man.” Calian turned back toward his horse, a strange knot in his chest. “He’ll help you.”

“You aren’t coming with me?” He saw the disappointment on her face, heard it in her voice.

“Some might not want to see an Apache with a white woman.” Saying what so many believed aloud was almost as painful as leaving her.

“Well, that should change.” 

He knew she meant it, and that was a salve to his soul. “Maybe one day.” He smiled again as he mounted his horse.

“Thank you. I hope to see you again.”

He responded in Apache, hoping to leave an impression on her. And then they each turned, not willing to watch the other leave.

When evening fell, Calian felt compelled to return to the ridge that overlooked the town – to where he had said his farewell to the intriguing woman who had so quickly turned his head. He sat quietly alone, wrestling with the warring emotions within him. He wanted to go to town, he wanted to find Abigail, to see her again, but given who he was, he knew the town would be suspicious of him, even in spite of everything he had done for them.

And as if on cue, Gus rode up to greet him. “Little bank robbery earlier.”

“Been a while.” 

“Yeah. Took a hostage. A woman. Folks at the bank said her name was Abby. Abby Walker.” Calian knew Gus was fishing, he just wasn’t sure why. He had told Abigail she could trust Augustus, and she would have mentioned Calian’s name, but Gus was looking for something more. He could still hear Gus talking, but the words stopped holding meaning as his mind wandered. Something struck him.

Walker. She had taken her Apache name.

Such knowledge brought him a great deal of joy.

Gus rounded his horse around Calian, and Calian took the moment to calm himself. “I’ll track her first daylight.” He knew, at least in some part, that was what Gus wanted from him, so he obliged.

It was also an opportunity to see her again.

“Yeah. Or…you can ride down with me.” They looked at one another, an unspoken conversation between old friends happened in a matter of moments until Calian acquiesced and obliged Gus again. Together they rode into town.

Calian was unaware of the celebration happening to honor the new sheriff when he arrived, so he kept to the shadows, to the outskirts of the townsfolk so he could observe the happenings without being noticed. There was singing and gun fire and dancing girls and then there was Abby…with a man. 

They looked like they knew one another. They were speaking in hushed tones, their faces were twisted as if tight with anger or stress. She had made a fast friend, so it seemed, and a pang of jealousy struck Calian’s heart. Would he ever be as fortunate to find himself in her confidence? To stand close to her, in the view of any and everyone.

He turned away, frustrated.

What he had not seen, and what he would not know for some time was that Abby had tried to kill the new sheriff. She believed him responsible for her husband’s murder, and Hoyt had intervened and saved her. He would be grateful to the man later, but just then, he did not like how close the stranger was able to stand beside Abby.

The next morning, Calian tracked Abby to the site of her attack. He could hear her cry out as she found her husband’s body. He also heard the click of her “friend’s” gun.

He called out her Apache name first, so she would know it was him. He tried to keep the disdain out of his voice as he followed up with, “Tell your friend not to shoot.”

He heard her reassure her friend that she knew him, and while he approached her cautiously, he could see she was relieved to see him again. It caused yet another pang to his heart that he could not control.

“And then there were three.” Her friend, Hoyt said. Calian didn’t quite understand the reference yet, but he would.

Abby picked up a tossed aside rifle, as if it might bring her strength, and then she asked, “Will you help me bury him?”

They did.

He spoke reassuring words in Apache, “There is no death. Only a change in worlds.” He knew she couldn’t understand him, but he hoped his presence would bring her some comfort. “His soul goes to the air now.” It was what his people believed, and he tossed some of the dirt at the grave to the air symbolically. Abby, too, offered her own rite of passage, the placing of her ring upon the stones that marked the burial. Hoyt then spoke words of solace, something more appropriate for their people, and it all seemed to bring her closure.

As they left, Abby spoke of a conversation Calian had not been privy to, about revenge. But she had learned something about herself in a short time. She wanted justice for what had happened to her and her husband. 

She had found a sense of belonging in Calian’s absence or maybe because of his presence. He found himself truly hoping it was, in part, the latter. In spite of everything he knew of this land, he had discovered a sliver of hope he never thought possible. He knew it was too soon to think such thoughts – they were from different worlds – they might never be accepted – but he had been destined to find her, and he could not deny their connection. He had no idea what might be in store for them, but he was willing to risk a great deal to find out.

He couldn’t stay away from her. He didn’t want to. And he was willing to bear Hoyt’s presence to be by her side. “And then there were three.” Hoyt had said. Calian now understood.

~ * ~

Chapter Two: Home to a Stranger

The following morning, after a restless night’s sleep, Calian met with Abby and Hoyt at the site of her tragedy. She looked a little fragile in this environment, observing the remains of her previous life. He treaded carefully. “Are you looking for something?”

“I’m not sure. But I need to know why my husband was killed.” She then reiterated the sheriff’s guilt for his part.

Hoyt was being dramatic, pouring sand out of a pitcher. “Why, exactly did we come back to this place?”

Calian was thinking the same thing, although he’d never admit it aloud.

“To see if anything was taken.”

“Scavengers could’ve been out here already. Taken anything valuable.” It had been nearly a week. There wouldn’t be anything to find and Hoyt knew it.

“He knows from experience.” Calian couldn’t help but take a dig at the white man. He didn’t like him.

“Hey. Who are you? Who is this guy?” Hoyt made a motion towards Calian, but Abby stepped between them. “Why are we trusting him?”

Abby’s hand barely touched Hoyt’s chest and then remained held up in a symbolic gesture to hold him back. “Calian found me out here.” Calian immediately went on the defense and moved in. He knew by the tone of Abby’s voice that she was strong enough to take care of herself, but all the same, he prepared himself to protect them both. She continued, “I’d be dead without him. I trust him with my life.” Calian couldn’t see Abby’s face, but her words were laced with strong belief. Her whole body stood defiant against Hoyt who still looked as if he were ready to strike. “More than I can say for a man who held me at gunpoint in a bank yesterday.” Her voice then turned haughty with implication.

“And why would you tell him that?” Hoyt sounded petulant. Looked guilty.

“I already figured it out.” Calian was nonchalant in his reply, and to prove the point, walked passed Hoyt, albeit, a bit closer than reasonable as if hoping to provoke the cowboy further.

“Yeah I bet you did.” Hoyt’s voice now held his own sarcasm. He turned back to Abby and whispered, as if Calian wouldn’t hear him, “So I’m supposed to trust a stranger? Who helps us how?”

Calian knew that Hoyt spent time in town occasionally, so Calian knew that his reputation as a scout and tracker preceded him, and that Hoyt was just being an ass, so it was serendipitous that he should find a clue the moment such words left Hoyt’s lips. “I found another set of tracks.” Calian couldn’t see him, but he was sure Hoyt rolled his eyes in response.

Abby sidled up to him. “So someone was with Davidson? Maybe a witness?”

“Or an accomplice.” Hoyt popped up. And then he continued with a dig of his own. “Probably that deputy of his.”

Calian took offense. “We can trust Augustus. I’ve known him for years. He’s loyal to this town.” Calian noticed how Abby’s eyes never left his face. It brought him a measure of comfort to have her support. She trusted him. Believed him. He liked it.

Hoyt chuckled. “There’s a lot of trust going around. Your friend there, almost arrested me at the show last night.”

“Well, you did rob a bank.” Abby snapped back.

“Look, I-I just work better alone.” Hoyt didn’t like the position he had found himself in and deflected.

Abby followed after him. “Didn’t you suspect the Davidsons of stealing the cattle from Lucia’s ranch?” Calian had heard that the Reyes family had fallen victim to theft, but he was just learning that the Davidsons may be at the center of a much greater scheme with a much longer reach. “Do you really think it’s going to stop there?” She watched as Hoyt toed open one of her suitcases. “If we are going to figure out what he’s really up to, you two have to work together.”

Something was left behind. Something she recognized. Calian noticed how everything about her shifted. “That’s Liam’s cigar case.”

Hoyt flipped the case about. “It’s empty. Too bad.” He handed Abby the box. “I could use a smoke.”

“He used to keep his father’s pocket watch, his-his journal in here.” She moved around Hoyt to look in the chest. She found a small framed painted picture of a log cabin. Calian recognized it. It was a good likeness. “Liam made it. He said this is where we were going to live together.”

“I know that place.” Calian liked that he could be of use to her. It kept him by her side. “It’s over the next hill. I can take you.” He didn’t know why that annoyed the bank robber.

“I need to see it.” Calian noticed how Abby’s hands flexed upon the frame.

As they made their way to the hilltop, Abby reassured Calian that seeing the house was something she wanted to do herself. She needed to, out of some need for closure. Calian told her that he and Hoyt would follow the tracks to see where they might lead and hopefully have new information when they met up later.

Calian didn’t want to leave her alone. The homestead was only a short walk from town, but he had taken into his head that he was her protector, at least until her attacker was caught. After that? Well, he didn’t want to think too far into the future. That kind of thinking led to wild imaginings, and that wasn’t something he was familiar with. It wasn’t something his people encouraged. And he didn’t like the idea that being by her side had an expiration date.

Once he and Hoyt were on their own, he was able to turn his attention back to the task at hand. And that’s when he saw them. “Tracks. Try to keep up.” Calian was a better rider with a better horse. He was a great tracker, and he took a small measure of joy in watching the other man struggle.

“Oh, hell no.” He heard Hoyt a good distance behind me, and from the tone of his voice, he didn’t like being outpaced. “Come on, Cordell.” He, or rather, Cordell, was able to close the gap. Calian let him. Hoyt whooped in celebration. “Right behind you.” And then the vagabond passed him, and he laughed and whooped again, as if he had won the race. Been victorious. What he hadn’t noticed was that Calian had seen something and was already off his own horse. “It’s the same tracks, Calian. They head back to town.”

“These are in mud.” Calian observed the prints.

“They make as strong an impression as me?” The man thought everything was a joke.

Calian gave him a steady look. “Horseshoes. Stars.”

“All right. Let’s go see a man about a horse.” Calian was confused by the phrase and looked to Hoyt for clarification. “The blacksmith.” The thought of going to town made Calian uncomfortable, and his discomfort was easily detected by Hoyt. “Ah. I get it. Not everyone in town likes you.” Calian stood up, his face tight with the words he knew to be true. “I’ll ride ahead. Do the talking. You watch from wherever you,” Hoyt gave him a look meant to insult him. ”…do your watching from.”

Hoyt rode ahead, leaving Calian to catch up.

Calian did what he did best. Maybe second best. He stayed hidden. He entered town by a side route, stuck to the shadows and alleys, and finally made his way to watch Hoyt make no inroads with the blacksmith.

The blacksmith was different from most of the other town’s settlers, and didn’t like questions or people in his business. Calian could respect that. Hoyt made eye contact with Calian, gave a head shake in the negative to reinforce what Calian already knew, the blacksmith had told him nothing. 

Calian hadn’t seen Augustus approaching, which he found a little unsettling in itself, so with his sudden appearance and continued accusations of Hoyt’s part in the bank robbery the day before, Calian found himself at odds as to whether to intervene or not. It was true, but no one besides Abby and Calian, himself knew the truth. 

Hoyt was good with his words, and seemed to be able to deflect the interrogation until Gus decided to show him his gun which held a different meaning all its own. Hoyt gave in and let Gus lead him away, only to look actually guilty when he saw a pretty, dark-haired woman approach him from further down the street. Calian didn’t know her, but he could guess she was Senor Reyes’s daughter.

Calian decided to remain hidden. He didn’t want to leave town yet, and figured he should wait for either Hoyt’s release from the sheriff’s office or Abby’s return. Primarily the latter.

He saw the sheriff, Abby’s husband’s murderer ride up to his office and talk with Hoyt, but he didn’t linger to listen because something else drew his attention – Abby walking proudly up the street. He gave a short whistle to get her notice, and he was pleased to see her quickly understand the sound, who had made it, and turn toward it.

She was, however, surprised to find him alone. “Calian? Where’s Hoyt?” She approached him with purpose, and he almost felt as if he needed an escape route. He looked around, unconscious to the self preservation tactics he so often relied on.

“Being questioned at the sheriff’s office.” He tried to leave the accusatory tone aside.

Abby drew closer than she needed to. “Well, that can’t be good.” 

One of the skills that made Calian such a good tracker was his attention to detail, his notice of things nearly hidden, and what he saw now drew his focus – Abby’s skin around the gunshot was pink, irritated. Whatever else she said went unheard. “Your wound. It looks infected.”

“I’ve – I’ve been trying to keep it clean.” She was embarrassed to admit that she had no other clothes. Nowhere to stay. No way to truly clean it. She was aware that she was caked with a layer of dirt, and that she hadn’t even been able to brush her hair. He read the emotions as they crossed her face.

He found her utterly charming. “Can I look at it?” His voice was thick, even to his own ears.

Everything about her softened. Maybe it was his presence. Maybe it was the concern he showed for her, and her well-being. Maybe it was the tone of his voice that seemed to change when he spoke to her. She nodded her agreement and and winced as she pulled her dress aside to reveal the angry skin. 

He didn’t have to look at her to know, she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He didn’t think himself capable of blushing while being observed. He had flushed with anger many times, or had grown warm from the exertion of scouting, but he felt the heat rise up into his cheeks under her gaze, and he didn’t know what to make of it.

His chest contracted and he swallowed hard.

His touch upon her flesh was achingly gentle. It’s not that he thought her fragile, but until that moment, he hadn’t realized, himself, how he had yearned to touch her. It was like a strange dream. His senses were heightened and everything around him blurred except her. He could feel the heat emanating off of her, and his eyes sought hers as he applied the salve. “Is that okay?” The words were practically caught in his throat. She, too, could barely utter a response.

While the touch was meant to offer relief, healing, it became intimate. Sensual. And he noticed her breath catch.

He was surprised by the pang of a physical response to her low in his stomach.

And then…interruption, by Kate, Hagan’s right hand. Hagan owned the hotel/bar/dance hall at the end of the street, and a man like that needed a woman like Kate to keep him in line. She was outspoken, strong willed, and generous. Abby introduced them, and being seen, being known, made Calian uncomfortable, just as the thought of coming to town with Hoyt had done earlier. But Kate was different. She was warm and welcoming. She had offered Abby a place to stay, and even though Abby was indecisive, as if she had another option, Kate still offered her another dress to wear. Anyone could see that Abby was in need of a little help.

When Kate turned to leave them, she ran right into Hoyt. No apologies. No stepping aside. Their exchange was actually a bit humorous. Calian liked that Abby took the opportunity to glance at him again. He had to admit, he liked being seen by her.

“Well, what do you have to say for yourself?” Abby’s tone was one of a mother speaking with her troublesome child.

“Easy. Talked my way out of far worse.” He drew closer to them, and then pointed at Calian. “So, spoke to Calian’s pal, Gus.” Abby turned again to watch Calian’s reaction, or maybe just to look at him again. He didn’t mind. “Told him about our cattle rustlers. Figure if he looks into it, ties the theft back to the Davidson family, he’ll start suspecting that…” Distant sound drew Abby’s attention and she left the shadow of the building and them behind. ”- slick sheriff he’s holstered up with.”

“Mm. You say anything else?” Calian still did not trust him.

“I didn’t want to overstay my welcome. But there, uh, was a little, slight problem.”

“Wouldn’t by chance have anything to do with that?” Abby looked disappointed, but neither of them knew why until they rounded the corner. 

Gus was taking Cordell, Hoyt’s horse. Cordell’s markings had been easily identifiable by the witnesses at the bank robbery. What had saddened Abby was that she had left her few personal belongings in Cordell’s saddle bags – Liam’s rifle and her law book.

Calian also found himself incensed, for both he and Abby. He walked away, thinking he should leave. “Last night Augustus wanted me to track you. The bank robber.” 

Hoyt followed him, always ready for a fight. “What’re you gonna do about that, huh? Lock me up?”

Abby intervened, again. “You really don’t trust anyone, do you?” She gave him a small shove aside. “Look, right now, you are wanted, whether you like it or not. And we are your best chance at not being caught.” 

They were bound together, whether they liked it or not.

Not long after, the sheriff caused a stir by bringing a body he found into town.

Abby’s husband.

Abby, Calian, and Hoyt had gone their separate ways, each to a different part of town when the sheriff rolled in, and they caught each other’s eyes as Sheriff Davidson made the announcement that he was going to find Liam’s killer, and hang him.

Calian wasn’t close enough to see her eyes, but he could see that Abby was rattled by this revelation. Somehow, the enemy, the man they were dedicated to taking down for Liam’s murder and Abby’s attempted murder had found Liam’s grave. 

There was only one conclusion.

Calian found Hoyt, and an anger he hadn’t really thought himself capable of boiled over and he slammed Hoyt against a wall. “What did you do?” His voice was low and menacing.

“Ah, lookit. Got some fire under all that noble buckskin.”

“Well, for someone we didn’t turn in, you have a funny way of thanking us. Tell us what happened. The truth.” Abby wanted answers, and Calian would be happy to oblige her by physically getting them from Hoyt.

“Fine. I did it, but it’s your fault. You said trust people.”

“You are unbelievable.” Abby turned away, she sounded like she was at her wit’s end.

“And you said trust Gus. So I left a note where the body was. If he found it, he’d wonder who’d get served by killing the man, right?” Calian hadn’t been able to let his hold on Hoyt loose, but now he shoved away from him, angry with himself, and the entire situation. “Think it’s the new sheriff who just rolled into town. That was the best hand to play. I guess Davidson found the note first. Or Gus told him about it.” His last words were almost meant as a dig at Calian for trusting Augustus. 

Calian felt Abby’s eyes on him as he tried to come to terms with the possibility of Augustus’s betrayal.

“From now on, we all decide the best hand to play.” Calian listened to Abby and her voice of reason and it soothed him. “Hoyt, I need you to do things I can’t. Things he…” She tilted her head in Calian’s direction, and he understood her words, it wasn’t an accusation or a slight, they needed Hoyt. The two of them alone were at a disadvantage. Neither were a white man. ”…can’t.” Calian and Hoyt made uneasy eye contact and mutual understanding dawned. “And I know you want to get to the bottom of this as much as we do.”

Calian had had enough. He tried to walk away, but Hoyt grabbed his arm. “Hey, where the hell you going?” Calian didn’t appreciate being handled by the outlaw, and the accusation against one of the only people Calian trusted, and he pushed Hoyt harder than he intended. It startled them all, himself included.

Calian let out a deep sigh, trying to regain his composure. “I need to talk to Augustus.”

“The hell?” Hoyt was still dumbfounded. “We’re not even sure he didn’t help Davidson.”

Calian couldn’t look anywhere but to Abby. She brought him back to calm. “I need to find out what he knows. If he can be trusted.” Abby wasn’t familiar with their friendship or what Augustus meant to him, not yet, and she nodded silently.

Calian found Augustus tending to his horse and whistled at him to draw his attention too. He just preferred to be as invisible as possible. It seemed the path of least resistance.

“I was hoping I’d run into you after Hagan’s show.”

Calian hadn’t been able to get out of there quick enough after seeing Abby with Hoyt. “A lot of guns, a lot of alcohol. Sometimes that means trouble.”

“Well, still could’ve used your help to catch that bank robber.”

“And murderer, if you believe the sheriff.” It hadn’t been a stretch to put together. Liam’s gun was found on the bank robber’s horse. It was a simple solution and an easy way to pin the crimes on someone else. The sheriff was a clever one.

“Mm. You heard what happened?”

“You trust him?” Now Calian drew a little closer to Augustus.

“The sheriff? He seems like a good man. But even then, sometime it takes time before you know the whole truth about somebody.” There was implication in his words, and Calian looked uneasy as he reflected upon how they had met. “You know, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that, uh, Abby Walker.” Calian knew this was a conversation that they had to have, but he couldn’t control how his demeanor shifted or how his face changed to unreadable as the reaction to protect her surfaced. “Same day you brought her to town is the same day there’s a bank robbery. Now I find that as bad luck or one hell of a coincidence.”

A horse neighed and the familiar “Hyah” echoed through the partially built structures as both Calian and Gus turned to see Sheriff Davidson racing off, alone.

“The sheriff pick up a new trail?” Calian could see the purposeful way the sheriff was riding.

“Guess so. Why? That bother you?

“He’s been here two days. You’ve been here two years. Does that bother you? If he’s really on the trail of a bank robber, a killer, don’t you think he’d need someone to watch his back? Especially after what happened to the last sheriff.” It’s meant as a dig, to cast doubt on the new sheriff’s intentions, and Gus turns suspicious eyes toward the shrinking figure on the horizon.

Calian left Gus with his thoughts, and sought out Abby once more. If he was in town, there was only one place he wanted to be. 

It wasn’t long after that the sheriff returned with his newly captured quarry, a scapegoat named Griffin, in tow.

“Those tracks we found earlier, horseshoe stars, lead to where he and the others were hiding out.”

Hoyt had joined them. “Looks like the sheriff found his fall guy. Better him than me.”

Calian didn’t appreciate Hoyt’s nonchalance toward an innocent man being used to ease his own conscience. And he warmed further towards Abby when she agreed.

“Whoever he is, he’s innocent. That’s not the man who shot my husband.”

“You saw everyone in town. They want revenge for your husband. Sheriff there’s making himself look like a hero.”

Calian hated to admit that Hoyt was right. He knew how easily the townsfolk would be swayed for resolution so they could return to their “normal”, self-involved lives. Guilty or not, they just wanted a way to feel safe again. Calian had remained next to Abby while they all spoke, not willing to leave her side when given the opportunity to be there. His voice dropped to the timbre he had found himself now using whenever he spoke with her. “What do you want to do?”

It took her just a moment to decide. “Let’s…let’s get that prisoner to talk.” Calian nodded in agreement. It was an option.

Hoyt chuckled and drew both of their annoyed attentions when he said, “You think Tom Davidson’s gonna let him have his day in court?”

They all knew the sheriff would silence his fall guy, as Hoyt had called him, before he could reveal the truth. “No. But that won’t stop him from speaking out against the man trying to hang him.”

“Not from behind bars.” Hoyt continued to be logical.

Abby was growing desperate. “Well, then let’s break him out.”

“Huh. Yeah, stage a lot of prison breaks in Boston, did you? Hoyt retorted. And now they stood face to face.

“No, but we are no longer in Boston.” Calian moved to back her up. “And I have a feeling you’ve committed your fair share.”

“Lady…we’re not exactly a well-oiled machine.”

She sighed feeling herself at a dead end. She gave Calian a lingering look. He was beginning to relish the moments when she looked to him for support. “Well, if we have any chance of pulling this off, you two are going to have to figure out a way to work together and not get along.” Calian could tell by her tone of voice that she had an idea. He was impressed with the quick workings of her mind.

The men looked at each other weighing their options as to whether or not they could work together.

Later that night, while Abby was distracting the sheriff by joining him for dinner at his home, the same one she was supposed to have shared with her husband, Hoyt awaited Calian at Hagan’s bar for their part in the subterfuge. It was already dark, and the townsfolk were still on edge. They uttered, loudly, their discomfort at seeing Calian ride into town. It continued even as he entered the hotel and strode up to the bar.

He was, of course, used to the treatment after all this time, but it still stung that he, after all he had done, could still be looked upon with scorn and contempt. Even at the bar, the simple request of a beer was ignored. Kate checked the bartender, and yet he still looked to Hagan for approval. Calian swallowed his pride, and his anger, for he knew he was there with a purpose, to help Abby, and he would not fail her.

He just had to get Hoyt a visit to the jail, but when Hoyt intercepted his beer and started making pointed comments and vice versa, their dislike for one another rose to the occasion and they didn’t pull their punches. It was an actual fight, a bar fight, no less. Augustus broke it up with a gun shot that resounded throughout the town.

And that no-good bartender immediately blamed Calian, the Apache. Thankfully, others rallied around him. Racism didn’t run in all their veins. Kate made the best argument, which he appreciated, and Hagan supported Kate. It was a little satisfying to see Augustus finally arrest Hoyt. The plan had worked, even if it was a little messy. Calian had taken a glass mug to the side of the head during the fight.

Once Hoyt, who, Calian had to admit, was playing a convincing drunk, was thrown into a cell, next to the scapegoat, Calian needed to draw Augustus out of the office. 

Because of what had happened over the last few days, it wasn’t a stretch to wonder if they were still good with one another. Gus knew Calian was keeping something from him, and given everything they had been through together, Calian needed to believe they were still friends. He wanted to tell Augustus everything, and Gus made it clear, he, too, wondered what had come between them.

Their conversation was brief, and Hoyt had been able to quickly secure Griffin’s release in those short minutes. As Calian was about to tell the truth, a sound drew Gus’s attention. Without another word, he left Calian to investigate. 

There was no preamble. No words to stop the fleeing man. Just a single gun shot. And not one meant to graze. It was a kill shot, straight through the heart. Calian couldn’t help but be impressed considering it was dark and the man had been on a galloping horse, but he didn’t care for the ramifications the man’s death would have.

Calian and Augustus made eye contact as Gus returned to the sheriff’s office, and the look in Gus’s eyes was unreadable. And then Calian saw Abby’s face. It was a mixture of pain and disbelief. Gus had used Abby’s husband’s rifle. Gus probably didn’t even recognize the symbolic gesture in the action, even if it was on the wrong man. He just grabbed the nearest weapon to the door.

After the dust had settled, everyone met up at Kai’s. Kai ran a laundry and restaurant, and not only had he offered Abby a meal when she needed one, he supported Calian as he, too, was an outsider. Apparently, he knew Hoyt as well. “Best customer”, Kai called him. His place felt safe, comfortable, a hidden space where they could meet without the condescending glare of the townspeople. Hoyt called it their “escondite”. Hideout.

Kai commented that it was good to see “them” getting along. Perhaps the fight had actually helped to work out the mistrust and aggression they had for one another, at least a little. 

Abby was racked with guilt at the loss of life and the risk they had taken to help her only for them to fail. But they were still willing to support her, because they believed that she and her late husband deserved justice and to learn why her husband had deserved such a fate. 

A man like Tom Davidson should not be walking around free.

When Abby got up from the table, Calian watched with a cautious eye how Hoyt approached her. “Hey. You got somewhere to stay?” He didn’t care for how comfortable Hoyt was with Abby. It was just in Hoyt’s nature, Calian understood that. He had seen how Hoyt had interacted with Kate. He was not an upstanding man and took liberties wherever he could.

“I believe I do. Thank you.” Abby gave Calian a final look, a farewell, and left them.

What Calian didn’t like was the look of disappointment he recognized on Hoyt’s face. Where was he going to put her up? From what Calian had seen, Hoyt didn’t have a place of his own. With their business concluded for the evening, Calian stepped out and watched over Abby as she walked towards Hagan. She was taking Kate up on her offer of a place to stay. 

He was glad for it.

~ * ~

Chapter Three: Blood & Whiskey

Calian awoke well before dawn and laid quietly still listening to the world around him. His heart was beating more quickly than usual, it must have been what awakened him with such a start, but what was the source to create such a reaction? It was quiet. There were no stirrings from either his people or the animals that called this place home, and yet…he knew something was wrong.

He would ride into town. Check on things there. Check on his friends. Check on Abby.

He made as little noise as possible as he left the tribe behind. He didn’t want them to question him about his whereabouts, or what had been drawing his attention elsewhere. Not a what but a who. He had barely been able to admit it to himself.

He did admit that he had never felt this way with anyone but Abby, but he still couldn’t bring himself to think too far in the future. She was in mourning, but beyond that, they were very different people, and he was a little afraid to hear her agree with that. Right now, she needed him, his help, and maybe that would be enough.

Now he knew he was lying to himself. 

Touching her, being so close to feel her warmth…his heart reacted…and so did that spot further south.

Calian was on the outskirts of town by the time the sun appeared. He found a spot where he could watch for Abby, and he was surprised to find he didn’t have to wait long. She was an early riser, or perhaps she had felt a similar, well, panic wasn’t the right word, but something had alarmed him to wake in such a state. Maybe Abby had felt it too.

And then his whole body reacted to seeing her in dawn’s golden glow, and thinking that only being her friend would be enough slipped away. He was a fool to think otherwise.

She was the opposite of everything he was supposed to want. Maybe that’s what had grabbed his attention. 

Maybe? 

He shook his head in exasperation. He watched as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear, and he found himself drawn to the simple gesture. It was endearing, and he wished to be able to touch her similarly, intimately.

He followed her quietly from the shadows, watching her take in her surroundings. There were only a couple of other townsfolk moving about at this hour, so Calian was able to see Abby be herself for a moment. No civilities, no pretenses, no false smiles, just Abby.

His heart swelled.

He noticed a change in her. She looked around, at first discreetly, but then with intention. She knew he was there, and she drew near. He felt something akin to pride, and a small smile dawned on his lips as he left his hiding place. 

They greeted one another warmly, but Abby was troubled, and there was something she needed to tell them, so together they sought out Hoyt. 

The trio met in the back of a building tucked away from the prying eyes and eavesdropping ears of the town under the presumption that the only witness to Abby’s husband’s murder was now dead. 

Gus had killed Griffin, and they were still reeling from that.

Hoyt made his, all too accurate, statement that Griffin wasn’t the only witness, but that Abby, too, had been there, and Calian backed him. “We need to keep you safe, until we can prove what the sheriff has done.”

Calian couldn’t help but notice how Abby’s eyes barely left his face. She spoke to him. Looked to him.

Abby then revealed that Tom Davidson had actually offered her a job the night before, and that this could be her in to potentially finding proof and a reason for his wanting Liam out of the picture, but Calian was immediately concerned.

“But you told him no,” Calian approached her in his subtle, confident way. “Didn’t you?” 

She hated the idea, but it was a golden opportunity, so to speak. Calian and Hoyt were both suspicious that Tom might know who she is, and they wholeheartedly agreed that she didn’t need to work for her husband’s killer. There were other ways to discover the truth. Hoyt offered to speak with the Reyes family, while Calian would speak with his elders. 

He closed the distance between them, never breaking eye contact, and dropped his voice. “You don’t need to take that job.”

Abby couldn’t tear her gaze from Calian. It was unflinching, and she only offered Hoyt a cursory glance when he said something about staying out of the lion’s den. 

He was so close to her. If only he had the nerve to reach out. His jaw tightened with his frustration.

They decided to split up.

Abby went to reject the sheriff’s job offer, while Calian and Hoyt went their separate ways to learn what they could.

Calian returned home to speak with his Chief, Taza who reiterated that outsiders, whom the Davidsons were, usually meant trouble for them and their land. The chief said that one of the only people he’d ever trusted was Francis Reyes, a man he thought honorable.

“Then we should reach out to him.” Calian knew that if Hoyt spoke with the Reyes family and they, too, were suspicious, that it would be best for the tribe and one of the town’s founding families to unite.

“The Elders already worry…you spend too much time with people…who aren’t your own.” Taza’s words struck a nerve.

“My heart is here, Taza.” He looked around to reinforce his words. “But if the Davidsons are as dangerous as I believe, you and the council should have a sit-down with Reyes.”

“We have never asked for help from others. If you believe we must now, you should lead the meeting.” Taza left Calian with the haunting message. 

Calian knew that Taza wanted him to be the next chief, but now that he knew there might be more out in the world for him, away from everything he was supposed to want, everything he was supposed to uphold, he found himself torn. He knew there would come a time, now that he had met Abby, that he would have to choose between them. 

He didn’t like the idea.

Calian rode in a troubled frame of mind to the Reyes’ ranch.

Francis greeted him kindly, introducing his son, Luis and daughter, Lucia. Calian was quick to see how Lucia looked at him. Her features softened, her eyes held meaning. With Hoyt by her side, Calian took the opportunity to be friendlier than usual, hoping it would ruffle the outlaw’s feathers. 

When Francis invited him to stay for lunch, the look on Hoyt’s face had been worth his unhappy ride.

He offered Lucia his arm and escorted her back to the house.

Calian knew a little Spanish, and as a sign of respect, he said a few words to compliment Senora Reyes’s cooking. Calian continued to be delighted by how this bothered Hoyt. It seemed such a trivial thing, and yet even the family took their jabs at Hoyt, highlighting his relationship with them. They loved him like family, and they were disappointed in him just as a family would be. 

It was over lunch that Hoyt was finally able to bring up the trouble the family had been having with the recent thefts. Calian suggested that those who were taking from them, wouldn’t stop at their cattle.

Senor Reyes asked to speak with Calian alone. 

It didn’t take much persuasion, as Francis was a smart and cautious man, to come to an understanding. He would happily meet with the tribe and discuss the best way to proceed.

It was during their conversation that Francis let it be known that they were struggling to break a new horse. With their talk at an end, Calian offered to help. This was another thing to add to Hoyt’s long list of insecurities because once Calian succeeded, Hoyt decided to steal Calian’s horse and ride off in a huff.

Calian knew he had probably pushed Hoyt too far, but he couldn’t help how the man handled his inadequacies. As he rinsed his hands, Lucia approached him. He could tell by her demeanor that she meant to flirt with him, but he also realized she was a bit lonely, and it was easier to be honest with a stranger than those she knew.

Hoyt came and went as he pleased, and he left Lucia always wondering what she meant to him. The white man was insufferable, taking whatever he wanted, when he wanted without consideration of the consequences. Lucia was proof of that.

He intended to say something, anything to ease her concerns, but he was surprised by the return of his horse – without its previous rider.

He set off immediately to find out what happened.

It didn’t take long to track Hoyt to a small town called Angel Springs. He watched from a high vantage point as the town gathered in their half-built church to confront Hoyt, who had clearly been knocked unconscious in order to deliver him. 

“What are you doing?” The little girl’s voice was clear as day behind him. He turned, not at all surprised to see her with her two little braids, in her yellow top, playing with her doll – seeing her again…it brought him little comfort.

But he didn’t ignore her. “Following someone.” He turned back towards the town.

“You shoot your food with that?”

She meant his bow and arrows, which he was currently holding at the ready. “I can.”

“You gonna shoot that man you’re following, too?”

Calian felt as if he were in a dream, trapped between worlds. He looked back and forth, hoping one would prove to be real. “I don’t know yet.”

Calian waited patiently for Hoyt to take notice of him. Hoyt had gone into one of the buildings, and took his time inside before looking out one of the windows to finally see him.

Calian snuck his way down as to not been seen by the townsfolk. Hoyt greeted him by grabbing him and throwing him against a wall. “Why are you following me? Humiliating me in front of Lucia wasn’t enough?” 

Calian couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, you did that just fine by yourself. But when the horse you stole came back without you on it, Lucia, she grew worried. And I figured you needed some help.”

“Listen to me, we ain’t friends. And I sure as hell don’t need your help.” Hoyt’s face was red with anger.

“Oh, so coming here was your idea? Sure didn’t sound like that back there at the church.”

“That is my business.” Hoyt gave Calian a final shove and let him go. “I better not catch you following me again.” Hoyt stormed off, and Calian stayed put, until Hoyt was out of view.

Something was going on. He hadn’t heard what was said while Hoyt was inside, so Calian figured he’d keep his distance, help out, should the need arise. What Calian saw was that Hoyt was traveling with one of the men from the town, on a wagon used to transport goods, and from what he had seen through the windows, these folks made whiskey. They must’ve encountered trouble before, so they needed a man of Hoyt’s “talents” to keep the cargo secure from theft. 

Calian would help the man, because he knew he would need it.

They had barely made it out of town when they were ambushed. The man from town jumped off the wagon to avoid being shot, while the bandits jumped aboard and struck Hoyt in the face, causing him, too, to go overboard. Calian found Hoyt wandering the empty land alone. In dramatic fashion, Calian shot a few arrows along Hoyt’s path to get his attention.

It did.

Hoyt stumbled along, trying to avoid getting shot. A precisely placed arrow caused Hoyt to trip, and he almost seemed surprised to discover it was Calian who was doing the shooting.

“Oh, boy, you are really getting on my nerves.”

“The feeling’s mutual. I see the way you treat people. Now you’re betraying a town that offers you a chance at redemption.” Calian hadn’t lowered his weapon.

“Hey, I tried. It didn’t work. I’ll see you back in town. Or maybe not.” There was an insinuation there.

Calian didn’t like how easy it was for Hoyt to walk away from…everything. Lucia. The townspeople in need of help. How soon would he leave Abby for an easier path?

As Hoyt moved to get up, Calian loosed another arrow, right by his hand to keep him down.

“Really? You think missing me with a bunch of arrows is gonna scare me?” Hoyt was talking a big game, so Calian let another arrow fly – right between Hoyt’s legs. “Whoa! Do you know how close that was?”

Calian responded nonchalantly. “Mm-hmm. ‘Cause I missed. It was on purpose.” He prepped another arrow.

Flustered, Hoyt grabbed the arrow between his legs and threw it in Calian’s general direction. “Why do you give a crap what I do?” He finally stood up and came face to face with Calian. “Is it ‘cause you’re a tracker? Like a dog with a bone? You just don’t give up til the job’s done, is that it?”

“I’m here because you’re more than you want people to believe.” Hoyt scoffed at Calian’s perceptive take. “You’ve probably been in jail dozens of times.”

Hoyt turned away, not wanting to let Calian see his reaction. “I think that’s a bit high.”

“But you got yourself arrested. You knew that we were all Abby has, so you sacrificed.” Calian watched as Hoyt walked away, picked up his hat, and continued to not make eye contact. He had hit a nerve. “You have it in you to be good.”

Calian knew the man was wrestling within himself. Hoyt was used to being seen a certain way. Was expected to act a certain way. He had probably been on his own for a long time, wasn’t used to being able to rely on people, or feel of use.

Helping Abby had changed all that.

Hoyt acquiesced. “No more running.” His words.

Calian looked to the sky. It was growing late, and he had made promises. They would have to solve Hoyt’s current problem quickly. He gathered his arrows and suggested he find the trail of the bandits, but Hoyt knew who they were. He knew where to find them. Said he had taught them everything they knew.

Of course he did. And still, knowing all that, he had still planned to walk away. Calian tried to give the man the benefit of the doubt in that he had found himself alone, without a horse or a weapon, and so he was at a disadvantage, but Calian wasn’t sure he believed that.

They both mounted Calian’s horse, and Hoyt asked Calian to move up, as his arrows were in his face, but after everything that had happened that day, Hoyt deserved to be uncomfortable for a while. He purposefully rode his horse at a pace that would bounce Hoyt’s teeth against one another, and he took a little joy in listening to the man complain until they found his former associates’ hideout.

The plan was simple. Hoyt would handle the men while Calian retrieved the stage coach. 

What could go wrong? 

Well, without a proper plan, Calian was discovered before even making it to the wagon. Gun shots too close for comfort set off the horses and a couple of the bandits were able to jump on as the horses fled. Hoyt wounded a couple of his old friends, while Calian called for his horse. They would have to pursue the coach.

Hoyt made some accurate shots, but return fire startled Calian’s horse and both men were thrown. The stage coach turned around, while one of the thieves shouted, “Let’s finish them off!” 

Calian saw the fear on Hoyt’s face, especially after discovering he was out of ammo. Hoyt made to run for it, but Calian did not. He was a patient man. He was a tracker and a hunter. He knew how to wait for the perfect moment. He would take a shot, and it would count. 

He could hear Hoyt yelling for him to move, but he let all the noise fade away and focused on his task. He lined up his shot, let the coach get closer, and then he saw it – the brake lever. He hit his mark perfectly, and the coach came to a dead stop just a few paces from where Calian was lying on the ground. Calian had to admit, it was an impressive shot.

The two men were thrown, and Hoyt made a ruckus to encourage their departure, then he hooted and hollered as if he had done anything worthy of celebration. He said the moment called for a drink. Calian could only shake his head. 

“You’re a damn killjoy, you know that?” Hoyt was in a good mood, despite his participation. Perhaps it had something to do with being part of a team, success by association.

Calian smiled.

They headed back to Independence to complete the transaction for Angel Springs. While Hoyt went inside, Calian stayed with the coach. He kept an eye out, not just for signs of trouble, but for the glint of copper waves under the high sun.

Once again, he didn’t have to wait long. 

Abby took in the state of the bullet riddled coach and Hoyt’s black eye and her concern rose quickly. “What happened?”

While Hoyt tried to explain, Calian did his best to look…casual, even though his insides were twisting at the sight of her. They talked about the connections between the Davidsons’ arrival and their offers of buying land legally and the subsequent illegal actions at being denied.

And then Abby said the one thing they had all agreed earlier she wouldn’t do – accept the new sheriff’s job offer. 

Calian and Hoyt made eye contact, their frustration evident.

When Abby left, saying she would find them later, Calian was reminded of his commitment to the meeting between his tribe and Francis Reyes. He felt helpless with the knowledge that Abby would be working alongside that despicable man, and he wouldn’t be able to do much from the outside in the way of protecting her. It angered him, and he stalked his way to his horse.

And that’s when Hoyt did something unexpected. He thanked Calian. He knew Hoyt and he had finally rounded a corner in their awkward relationship. Calian had helped him, without being asked. He found a sliver of redemption with the people of Angel Springs, and they were unified in their desire to help Abby. They might not be friends, but at least they weren’t contentious any more.

Calian offered Hoyt a few words of reassurance, and then rode out of town on a mission. He needed to get home.

Calian arrived at his camp just as Francis was leaving. He tried to apologize to his chief and father figure, Taza, explaining that someone close to him needed his help, but Taza shot back at him with the retort of who was “closer than his own people?” Taza could see that Calian’s heart was turning elsewhere, and he confronted him with the ultimatum – he needed to explain to their people where his heart truly was.

Taza saw a great deal, and with those poignant words, he left Calian to think on them. Calian felt shame, but he also did not regret helping Hoyt. It had been the right thing to do, but now he was beginning to understand the consequences of trying to live in two worlds.

~ * ~

Chapter Four: Pax Romana

Calian spent a restless night isolated from his people. Taza’s words still haunted him and he couldn’t face any of the familiar, judging faces of his tribe. That wasn’t exactly fair. He knew Taza would disapprove, but Calian couldn’t stay in camp. He wasn’t ready to make a decision. He wasn’t ready to admit where his heart truly was. He wasn’t ready to sever a part of himself.

And so he rode out in the middle of the night, again.

Maybe that in and of itself was a decision.

Calian was a part of a whole. He knew that by continuing to leave his people he was avoiding his responsibilities, but for the first time, he was making choices for himself. His actions in town had nothing to do with his people, and while he knew those actions were selfish, he couldn’t resist the urge to be by Abby’s side.

That was definitely a decision.

Maybe Hoyt was right. Maybe he was like a dog with a bone. He needed to see Abby’s attempted murderer brought to justice, but that wasn’t the reason he continued to spend time in town. He was overtly focused on one person.

He didn’t like the feeling of shame and selfishness.

He sat on the ridge that overlooked Independence weighing his options as the sun made its appearance. He didn’t have to go into town everyday. He could let Abby work for the sheriff for a few days to see if there was any information she could discover about Tom’s motives, but the thought of leaving her on her own with that man sent a chill down Calian’s spine and a wave of anxiety flooded his senses.

He couldn’t leave Abby alone.

Not until that man was behind bars…and not after.

He sighed deeply, his decision made.

He wasn’t going to tell anyone yet, but maybe he could stop lying, to himself most of all.

Calian waited for sunrise and watched for Abby to make an appearance. He rode down right through the center of town, it was early yet, so there were few people to see him, and tied his horse a short distance from Hagan’s. He leaned against the building across from the saloon and waited.

Abby appeared like a vision not long after. She opened the door and stepped out into the morning light. She enjoyed the rush of cool air against her face and then directed her gaze toward Calian. 

Knowing she sensed him, it caused his chest to tighten. She looked relieved to find him, and he did his best to approach her as if he hadn’t made the biggest decision of his life. Her face softened, her eyes warmed when they finally stood face to face. 

She had good news.

Hoyt stumbled up to them a moment later, and together, they entered Hagan’s. Abby told them about Kate, she was actually a Pinkerton agent, an investigator, and could help them bring down Tom. The news was indeed positive, so Calian and Hoyt waited for Abby to bring Kate down so they could plan their next step.

“Of course it’s you two. You’re seeming awfully chummy for two guys who were brawling in here the other night. Part of the ruse?” Kate was observant.

“Are you actually making coffee or is that part of your Pinkerton cover?” Hoyt fired back.

“Do you need them? More specifically him?” Kate gave a head tilt in Hoyt’s direction. It was meant in jest, but Calian had to cover his smile at how offended Hoyt looked.

“I wouldn’t be alive if Calian hadn’t rescued me,” those words she said assuredly, “and Hoyt…has put himself on the line for me.” Those were a little less assured. “If you join us, we can arrest Tom Davidson.”

“N-n-no no no. That’s not how this works.” Kate looked a little confused.

Calian took a step forward. “Abby said you could help us.” Abby had been so hopeful, he didn’t like the idea of the opportunity slipping through her fingers.

“I said I could help her. I didn’t agree to be part of some family of misfits.”

Calian scoffed and uttered an Apache swear under his breath, just barely. It caused Abby to turn worried eyes toward him. 

Then Hoyt jumped in. “Well, that’s fine then. The three of us, we can handle things on our own.”

“That’s really comforting coming from the man who’s more arrestable than Davidson is right now.” It was Kate’s turn to take a shot.

“How’s that now?” Hoyt was confused. Calian was too.

“Well, Abigail may have mentioned something about a bank robbery, subsequent kidnapping, et cetera.”

Abby looked guilty and apologetic.

“Hell, Abby. Ain’t nothin’ sacred?” Hoyt rose up from his seat, indignant. “I don’t even know why I’m here.” He was frustrated. Hoyt didn’t really have anything at stake if Tom succeeded in whatever it was he and his family were planning. He cared about the Reyes’s, but he wasn’t linked to them directly.

“This isn’t about any one of us. It’s about stopping Tom. For good.” Abby looked between both men, but when she ended on the word, “Please” she only looked at Calian.

Calian was going to help her, no matter what, but he knew they still needed Hoyt for his “advantages”. One look between the men was all Hoyt needed to return to the fold.

Kate continued on with how the case against Tom needed to be “beyond the shadow of a doubt” in regards to Liam’s murder. They needed to be patient to figure out the breadth of Tom’s plans for Independence, and they needed to stay out of trouble. “Try not to get arrested before Davidson does. Hm?” With those last words, everyone looked to Hoyt.

“What?” Trying to play innocent. “Why is everyone lookin’ at me?”

As if he didn’t know.

With their business concluded, and the 35^th Annual Founder’s Day celebrations underway, Calian decided it best to head out of town. There were already too many people for his liking. As he turned his horse onto the main road, he heard Francis Reyes call his name. He was dragging his daughter behind him.

Calian’s first thoughts were to apologize for being late to the meeting he had arranged.

Senor Reyes said he could “make it up” to him by taking Lucia home.

He helped Lucia up onto the back of his horse, and together they rode out of town. The Reyes Ranch wasn’t far from town, and their short ride was mainly quiet until she saw something that drew her attention – vandalism along their property line. “These people think they can just take what is not theirs.”

“And there are some who will take all they can, still never have enough.” The plight of his people was not a subject he wanted to discuss with anyone. It angered him when he thought about it.

“I’m sorry.” Lucia meant her words.

It wasn’t her fault, and he did not wish to burden her with worry or guilt. “It’s okay.” He offered her a small, dismissive smile while they tried to mend the fence.

Lucia confessed about the path her family had for her, and knowing what he did now, the decision he had made only a few hours earlier, Calian encouraged her to think about what she wanted for herself. He mentioned how the women of his tribe didn’t ask for permission for how they should live their lives, and Lucia shot back, “Do you ask their permission when you go to town?”

She saw more than she let on, and he tried not to let too much show. “They don’t understand what I see there. They’re scared of change.”

“In you or the town?” He had an answer, just not one he wished to share. He remained quiet, looked a bit lost, and Lucia turned concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m afraid I’ve lost the trust of my Elders.”

She chuckled, a shared moment. “That makes two of us.”

Calian wouldn’t learn about all that happened during the Founder’s Day events until later. He didn’t know that Hagan had been poisoned as part of the plot to buy his place. He didn’t know how Abby, Kate, and Hoyt had tried to ruffle Tom’s feathers by putting on a show meant to antagonize him. Apparently, the tune had been catchy. He didn’t know that Francis had reservations about allowing Tom on the council. He had, instead, decided to stay with Lucia until her family returned. The ranch was at risk, and he couldn’t bear it if something happened to Lucia because he left her alone.

She reminded him of who his own sister might have grown into.

She performed for him, the song and dance she had intended to honor Hagan with, for having allowed her the opportunity to sing for the town. She was giddy. She enjoyed it. And the lighthearted moment gave Calian some peace.

When he knew she was safe, he rode back to town.

He entered Hagan’s and gave a little whistle to let those he knew that he had returned. A huffy Hoyt greeted him. “Did you have fun with my girlfriend?” He drew a little too close.

“We talked about you too much. I think you got some decisions to make.” Calian looked around the bar for Abby. “I wouldn’t wait too long,” He saw the object of his desire and made his way to her, “or she might make them without you.” He meant it as a dig, and even though he didn’t wait to see Hoyt’s reaction, he knew he left Hoyt dumbfounded. It was satisfying.

Kate hadn’t been willing to join their group against Tom initially, but when so much happened in such a short amount of time with the appearance of Tom’s aunt, Kate knew she couldn’t remain on the sidelines. They had to work as a team.

Even as Kate talked about the whys as to why she now had to do something, Calian and Abby were drawn to one another and looked only at each other. He had known it from the beginning, from the moment their eyes met. She would change his life. Even if her intentions had been for ill, he was pretty sure he’d still follow her. He couldn’t help himself, not when she was around. This feeling was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. He didn’t even have a word for it, yet.

“And then there were four.” Hoyt has suspected it would happen, and now there they were.

There was nothing else to be said, and in the dimly lit, could be romantic if there weren’t other people around kind of way, Calian and Abby let themselves share another moment.

~ * ~

Chapter Five: Friend of the Devil

Calian couldn’t sleep, again. When he returned home the night before, after having chosen Abby over everything else he knew, a heavy, soul-bearing weight settled upon him. He looked around his camp, his home, and the work his people had done while he had been in town, and the guilt nearly crushed him. He knew he was being selfish. He knew he had been dividing his attention unequally. He also knew no one would support his actions or his decision, which is why he had been struggling, even with himself, to be honest.

He would go into town one more time, check on Abby, reaffirm his relationship with Augustus, and then direct his attention back to where it was most needed – his people. Abby had Hoyt and, now, Kate and her Pinkerton friends to look out for her. While they gathered the evidence they needed against Tom, Calian could regain the trust of his people, and then be there for Abby when she needed him most.

It seemed a good plan…so then why did it cause him heartache?

He rode back to town with a hole in his chest, but it eased the moment he saw and heard the warmth of Abby’s greeting. It was a minor shift in her demeanor, he’s not even sure anyone else would notice it, but she softened when she saw him. Only him. And it did things to him. It caused a reaction.

He swallowed hard, and tried to find his backbone. He tried to reassure himself that she would be safe in his absence, that she didn’t really need him. Not all the time. But then he was so close to her, his whole body flushed.

“What brings you in to town?” Her voice held a pleasant surprised tone.

“I came here…” He struggled to find his own voice now that he was in her presence. “To check on your wound.” Good an excuse as any. His eyes dropped, as did his voice. He looked to where he had once been fortunate enough to touch her, his hands twitching to be able to do so again.

“Thank you, for everything. You take better care of me than I do myself.” Her smile was affectionate, a little flirty even, and exposing that extra bit of skin was a tease she offered only to him.

The tips of his fingers grazed her nearly flawless skin for just a moment, long enough to leave him wanting more. “Well, you’re healing well. It’ll leave a scar, though.”

Her eyes held mischief, and her smile continued to come easy. “That’s alright. I sort of take pride in them now.”

He was proud of her, for her resilience. “It’s good to see you find your strength.” Seeing how good she was doing would make the leaving a little easier, and as strong as he wanted to be for her, he couldn’t help but become forlorn at the thought that he had to leave her, if even for a little while. Especially now in light of her playful attitude. 

He couldn’t hide his feelings from her. She saw his internal struggle. “Calian, is something wrong?”

He half shook his head as if to dismiss the painful words that were to follow. “I might not always be around here for you, that’s all.” He wasn’t sure he had ever uttered such cruel words before.

This took her by surprise. He felt the wound his words inflicted immediately, but he couldn’t apologize, in fact, he couldn’t say anything at all. He could barely look at her. Her eyes, on the other hand, searched his in hopes of finding an answer for the change she saw in him, but before she could say anything more, Gus’s voice outside drew their attention. In a gesture meant to be reassuring, instead of the spark of desire it caused, Abby touched his arm gently, before going to the window to see about the commotion.

It gave him pause.

Gus was riding out of town as if his tail were on fire.

Abby questioned Calian as if he knew what was going on. He had barely spoken to Augustus, so he could only reply with the truth. “No. I’ve been so busy with you, and Hoyt, Lucia…I’ve failed to be there for Augustus and my people.” It wasn’t meant to be a slight, but even to his own ears it sounded hurtful.

“Calian, that’s my fault…” Abby turned guilty then, and Calian noticed how her eyes continued to seek out his. She was looking to connect, to empathize, something, anything.

“No, it’s mine.” He struggled to look at her, knowing the longer he stayed by her side, the less inclined he would be to leave it. 

He continued with his concern of the easy trust that had happened between Augustus and the sheriff, another reason he needed to make amends. Abby finished with the uncomfortable thought of “if we can no longer trust our friends…who can we trust?”

Their interaction was strained. He had said things he now regretted, and Abby, doing her best to smooth things over between them, asked him to stay a little while, maybe join she and Kate for tea. He knew Hoyt would be joining them soon, and so he countered that he would stay until the outlaw made his appearance. In Calian’s mind, he knew no matter the tenuous relationship he and Hoyt shared, Hoyt would watch over Abby in his absence. It was a small consolation.

When Hoyt arrived, there was a bit of a comfortable silence among the trio. Abby was still trying to be upbeat, while Kate poured more tea, and Calian relaxed to rest his forearms on one of the chairs around the table. It offered him a better vantage to look more directly into Abby’s eyes. The women joked about where Hoyt slept, and Kate using her detective skills surmised it was most likely the undertaker’s.

“I appreciate the quiet.” A typical Hoyt reply.

Calian found himself continually surprised by how often Abby looked to him, no matter what was happening around them. He didn’t want to be presumptuous that it was only due to their connection, so perhaps it was something more. He wondered if it had something to do with her upbringing, and ensuring those around her were always comfortable. What he did know was that it was something she only did for him. Calian hadn’t once seen her look at Hoyt or Kate in a similar fashion.

The joking with Hoyt gave the whole group a moment’s reprieve from everything else going on. There was an easy camaraderie forming among them, and Abby took the moment to offer Calian another one of her particular smiles. He was struck right through his chest with the way she glowed when they shared a moment.

It was easy to understand how the world outside could stop being of importance and how he could fail at his observation skill – he did not hear Augustus return – Calian realized he had tunnel vision when in Abby’s company.

Augustus was there with an offer to help the sheriff track down a criminal. When Calian asked for details, Gus grew quiet seeing the group of eavesdroppers or “friends” with whom Calian had been spending his time. He told Calian he’d meet him on the ridge “when he was ready” and left him. The tension returned to the group with the mention of the sheriff, and instead of saying farewell to everyone, he uttered a few words in Apache to Abby.

It was a moment just for them. Words meant only for her.

When Calian met up with Gus, Gus was acting a bit strange…jealous maybe. Calian apologized for having been distracted as of late, and Gus was quick to question “by what?”

Gus basically questioned who Calian was, to which Calian replied, “I’m the same person, Augustus. I haven’t changed.”

“Same person. Well, maybe you haven’t been paying attention. But two weeks ago, you wouldn’t step foot in town. And now you’re sitting around in Hagan’s with Abby Walker, a stranger, and Hoyt Rawlins, a low-life. Why?”

Augustus wouldn’t look at Calian, but Calian looked his way, hoping that their friendship, and everything they had been through together, could be conveyed in that look. “I was trying to protect a friend.”

“And here I was thinking we were friends. We used to have each other’s backs. But now I see I got to watch my own.”

Augustus’s words stung. 

Neither had long to think of more to say because Tom rode up. It was the first time Calian had been that close to the man. Face to face. Calian loathed him.

He loathed him for everything he had done to Abby and everything he and his family represented.

Tom wanted to be the first one to approach the criminal. They were not to make a move without his go ahead. Calian didn’t like it, and he looked to Gus to see if he agreed. He did, but he kept quiet.

As they continued their ride to track the outlaw, McDowd, the men traded conversation about the wanted man. Both Calian and Gus could sense something in Tom at the mention of the man’s name, and the further Gus pressed about taking the fugitive in as “dead” in the part of the “dead or alive” bounty, Tom’s anger grew.

Calian shared something with Gus in Apache, and Gus agreed. They needed to be careful.

As Calian found more tracks, he was able to ascertain that the tracks not only seemed to be directionless, but that they also seemed to be spaced without the presence of haste. For a man on the run, the tracks spoke the opposite, and then they found a horse, weighted as to mislead the tracker.

Clever.

Tom chose to ride off alone, leaving Calian and Gus wondering at what Tom was hiding. There was something going on, so as the sun set, and they rode together, they speculated at the connection between Tom and the wanted man. Gus hinted that Tom wasn’t the only one hiding things.

“If you’ve lost your trust in me Augustus, I’m sorry. I’d like the chance to earn it back.”

Gus let out the pent up sigh he had been holding for far too long. Calian now understood that Gus had been feeling alone. With Calian acting distant and secretive, a new sheriff come to town, and the random crime spree, Gus had been overwhelmed with no one to share the burden. “I think you’re right about Tom. My gut says that him and McDowd have history.”

“Watch the way he rode off? Headed back to town. I think we should head that way ourselves.”

A peace settled among them. “Well, let’s ride.”

They rode hard for Independence.

When they arrived back at Hagan’s, there was already a standoff of sorts underway. It was clear that the bounty hunter had found his target and there were a lot of innocent people in the way, Abby included. Gus and Calian made their way to the sheriff’s side with Hoyt not too far off.

McDowd wasn’t going to go down, not without a fight, and so after being asked to drop his weapons, he instead chose to shoot. Hoyt was fast enough to get one of the show girls to safety, but while everyone ducked and covered, McDowd made a smart play. He grabbed Abby and used her as his shield. 

The firing instantly ceased.

Tom seemed the most distressed by the turn of events. His voice was uneven as he ordered everyone to lower their weapons, and McDowd took the opportunity to lead his hostage forcefully up the stairs. Abby struggled, but to no avail.

Gus asked Tom, “What do you want to do?”

Calian was on edge, and when Tom told everyone that he would go up, and Hoyt refuted, Calian’s tone turned lethal. “No. You’re gonna want to let him go talk to his friend…alone.”

Both Augustus and Tom gave Calian a look at that.

Tom countered. “You want to save Abby? I’m your best bet.” Tom removed his gun belt and handed it to Gus. “Okay? If these so-called bounty hunters do anything stupid, shoot ‘em.” He removed coat as well and then headed upstairs.

“I do hate bounty hunters.” Hoyt moved to face off with one of the men.

“One thing we can agree on.” Gus surprised himself with the admission.

Calian’s senses were heightened in this state. He could hear the muffled voices, the rise and fall as the conversation got heated. He could hear the sound of their feet shuffling across the carpeted floor in struggle. Then there was a gunshot that caused the whole room to go still, and the sickening thud of a body hitting the floor.

Calian wanted to run up the stairs. He wanted to grab Abby into his protective embrace, but it was as if he was bolted to the floor. Not knowing if she was okay was paralyzing. He couldn’t move.

And then he heard the sobbing. It was Tom. That caught Calian off guard. Confused by the reaction, Calian had to guess that Tom had killed McDowd, because he didn’t know Abby well enough for such emotion. He and Gus had speculated at Tom’s friendship with the outlaw, and the sound from above was the cry at the loss of a dear one.

It was morning again when the dust of the ordeal settled. Tom followed along with the undertaker’s wagon down main street ignoring the curious glances of the townspeople, and when the bounty hunters asked for the body to collect the bounty, he gave them a cold, hard stare down.

Abby went back upstairs to clean up. She had been close enough to the struggle for the gun to have gotten blood on her, and she needed a moment alone to process all that had happened. Kate went to help her.

Gus returned to the sheriff’s office to remove the wanted poster, and Calian decided it was best time to talk.

“I can’t talk right now. Tom will be back soon.” Gus sounded annoyed again.

“I’m not sure this can wait any longer.” They both looked around to make sure they weren’t being followed or about to be caught by surprise. “The way I see it, everybody who knows something about Tom Davidson winds up dead.”

Calian and Gus went back and forth until Calian finally confessed that he believed Tom killed Abby’s husband, Liam.

Augustus’s face wavered between surprise and disappointment. The disappointment continued as he said how he wished Calian had trusted him and told him sooner, but what surprised Calian more was that Gus had his own revelation to share. He believed he knew who had killed Liam, and he didn’t think it was Tom.

Calian was a little suspicious of the confidence behind Gus’s announcement, but maybe, finally, together, they would discover the truth.

~ * ~

Chapter Six: Random Acts

Augustus’s insinuation that there was a lack of trust between them, deeply affected Calian. Tears pricked his eyes and he could feel himself turning sullen. His honor being questioned, the selfish actions he’d been willing to take, it was all becoming too much to bear. 

When he asked Gus who he believed was responsible for Liam’s death, Gus had determined it was most likely the former sheriff, and his mentor, Otis Clay. Calian was unconvinced as to why a “retired sheriff would want to kill the man sent to replace him?” to which Gus replied, “Well, what if retirement wasn’t his idea?”

Such a thought made for a strong argument. Definitely made for a strong motive. Otis was prideful, “to a fault” according to Gus, and Calian had to agree. They knew the man, had worked with him, and knew what he was capable of. Gus’s other defining reason was that according to a woman close to the man Gus had killed, Griffin, he wasn’t capable of such action. It made Gus reconsider what he knew.

Gus’s words were laced with regret and guilt for having been so quick to decide the other man’s fate.

Calian could only apologize once again. Their relationship was still strained. They hadn’t returned to their easy, comfortable way, another sore spot for Calian. 

Gus felt it too, but then he pivoted back to the task at hand. “But I still have too many unanswered questions with Otis, starting with where he was the night Liam was killed. And even more damning,” the assured tone of Gus’s voice made Calian turn. “The undertaker was able to recover a .36.”

Huh. Had Abby been wrong? Had they all been pursuing the wrong man? The Davidsons were still trying to wheedle their way into the town. They had undermined and poisoned and stolen and paid off people, so they weren’t exactly innocent, but maybe they weren’t guilty of this one thing. The weight of the possibility of their error, the time potentially wasted in the wrong direction…it made Calian’s stomach drop. “Otis carries a .36 caliber.”

“And you know who doesn’t? Tom.” Gus shot a glass of water as if it were a shot of whiskey. It was as if he were reveling in his skills of deduction.

“I wonder what Otis would have to say for himself.” Calian could barely wrap his head around the idea that someone else may have hurt Abby. Someone he didn’t suspect. After all that time focused elsewhere. Abby had been so sure. Calian admonished himself for not having explored any other possibility. His attention had definitely been split.

“And that’s why I think we,” Gus put a great deal of emphasis on the one word, “should pay him a visit.”

Calian was pinned to the floor. He had too many thoughts. He couldn’t move.

Gus grabbed his gun and sauntered out of the office. “You comin’?”

When Calian and Augustus were saddled up and ready to ride out together, they first did in silence. Calian was still too absorbed in his own thoughts. When he was finally ready, he did what he should have done with Abby. He tried to poke holes in the theory. He asked questions that might make the one who brought forth the evidence reevaluate their suspicions. 

What else did Gus have on Otis?

The gun was common, but Gus found it curious that the former sheriff, who had lived in town for ten years, hadn’t been seen since the murder. Gus also knew that Otis liked to talk, quite a bit, in fact, so he probably had a few things to share with them.

Calian hoped, not only for the town’s sake, that Gus was wrong, but there was only one way to find out.

As they drew closer to Otis’s house, they were welcomed by a gun shot. Both Calian and Gus were quick on the draw and had their weapons aimed and ready. And then they heard and saw Otis from his porch. “Howdy, boys. Next time you might want to announce yourselves.”

He laughed to himself until they were following him inside.

He seemed genuinely pleased to see them. And when Gus questioned why he hadn’t been in town, his answer was plain and simple, “I wouldn’t want to step on the new sheriff’s boots. He doesn’t need the old guard looking over his shoulder.”

Calian and Gus looked at one another at that. It conveyed that neither was sure they believed him. He offered them a drink, but Calian declined. When Otis wondered about them being on duty, Gus put on his deputy hat and told them they were there to ask him some questions.

Otis looked between the men he considered friends, confused at the turn of events.

While Calian and Gus may not have wanted a drink, it didn’t dissuade the retired sheriff in joining them. He sat down and poured himself a full shot and downed it while musing that they must be there because they wanted his help in figuring out who killed Liam.

He acted jovial, but he was shrewd. When Calian shared the type of weapon involved, Otis was quick to grab his gun and come to the conclusion that they believed him responsible. He headed outside and set up targets while asking follow up questions about the murder.

Calian and Gus couldn’t help but look guilty at their part in questioning a man they had long known. They both had a hard time looking at him while they went back and forth asking and answering questions, especially when he brought up how thankful he was to have had them both at his side. He even half apologized for not ensuring Gus took his place as sheriff, because ”…it wasn’t all up to me.”

That got the two men’s attention.

Even more so, when he continued with, “I wish to hell it wasn’t that Tom Davidson or that son of a bitch Liam Collins.”

Calian could see out of the corner of his eye that Gus was moving his hand up to settle on his gun. He was ready to take the man down, if necessary.

“Half of me thinks it’s not so bad he’s dead. Put him out of his misery.” Then with a quickness neither of the men thought him capable of, Otis grabbed the gun from his holster and shot the targets with precision.

In the stretch of strange silence that followed the blasts, they all heard the sound of hoofbeats. They turned simultaneously to find Abby riding up.

“Well, who the hell’s this now?” Otis was surprised to have another visitor.

Calian couldn’t help but notice that Abby looked uncomfortable. Her small smile was strained as her horse came to a stop before them. Her face continued to be contorted even after she dismounted and tethered her horse to a nearby post.

As Gus introduced her to Otis, as the new law clerk Tom had brought in, she turned a more calm face towards them. Otis became a gentleman in her presence, and kissed her hand. Abby couldn’t pull her hand away fast enough. Calian wasn’t sure why she was so put off by Otis, perhaps it was his slightly leering manner.

Gus encouraged them all to return to the house to continue their conversation. He and Otis took the lead, leaving Calian to intercept Abby. Calian couldn’t keep the concern for her safety from his face. As she motioned to follow them, Calian swooped around her, letting his fingers dance across her back. He was becoming more brave in her presence. He was willing to give himself small moments of pleasure, letting her know how he felt, as best he could. They drew close to one another, as they always did. “What are you doing?”

She was there to see what Otis and Liam may have talked about, since Otis was most likely the last person in Independence to have seen Liam alive, to which Calian responded that they believed Otis may have been an accomplice in Liam’s murder.

They stopped to look at one another. The sun was at a perfect angle to light her eyes on fire. He couldn’t look away from them. They pierced his soul when she focused her attention on him.

His voice was caught again in his throat. “Abby, you should go.” 

She was a bit defiant, she had her own agenda, after all, and there was almost a bounce in her step as he watched her walk into the house. A trickle of dread settled upon him at the thought of her in a potentially dangerous situation.

Once inside, Otis sat in front of the three of them as if he were on trial. Abby stood in the middle, backed by both Calian and Gus on either side. 

Otis knew what they were getting at. They thought him guilty of Liam’s murder. Abby questioned him and whether he had ever met with Liam. He had. He also mentioned that Liam had wanted to get out of Boston in a hurry. Otis felt as if someone were pulling the strings, most likely the Davidsons. They knew how to throw money around.

With the mention of the Davidsons, Calian and Augustus made eye contact. That name kept getting attached to anything and everything surrounding the town, including forcing Otis to retire. He had been paid off with money and land. He had loved his job, but he took the buyout, but that didn’t make him a killer. 

The accusations mixed with the alcohol he continued to consume raised his temper, and it was about to come to a head. 

When Tom became sheriff, he hadn’t bothered to even pay a visit to the former one. A slight Otis did not appreciate.

Calian could feel the emotions of everyone in the room. Abby wanted, nay, needed answers from a man who seemed to know more than any of them expected. Gus was stressed at realizing the predicament he had now found himself in. Otis was half drunk and exasperated at being discovered for taking a bribe and being accused of a crime he didn’t commit. And Calian, well, he was torn from wanting to learn the truth and getting Abby out of there.

Otis had had it. He threw the liquor bottle against the wall behind him in his anger. Calian realized he didn’t mean them harm, such an action proved it, but in the moment, he still moved to shield Abby from the flying debris. It was instinct. Abby reached out and rested her hand upon his arm. Again, it was meant to be reassuring, she was safe, but it made his heart thud painfully against his chest. Every time. A reaction. He wondered if it would always be like that.

Otis’s alibi was that he had been with Francis Reyes, helping him on a cattle drive. Gus wanted to hear that from Francis’s lips, and so they were going to take a ride to the Reyes ranch for confirmation. 

As they left the house, Abby left a heat trail from her hand as it traced a line down Calian’s arm, it took all his self control to let her go.

Outside, he watched as she went to her horse. She had been unsettled by what she had learned and experienced in Otis’s home. Her movements were tight, as were her facial expressions. Calian quickly mounted his horse and came to her side. They were as close as their horses would allow, but she could barely look at him. He was afraid what he had said to her earlier was still an open wound. He hadn’t been able to apologize, and now it seemed the time had passed.

“I have to head back into town. I have some things to attend to.” Her eyes drifted in every direction but his.

He leaned slightly in her direction. “Do you want me to come with you?” His voice was calm, laced with a strength he did not feel. It wasn’t a question to ride with her, it was a plea to spend more time together, alone.

She paused, just for a moment, and Calian could sense that she was considering saying yes, but regret crossed her features. She didn’t want to pull him away from his current task. He knew she felt guilty for her part, unbeknownst, for his failure of responsibility. “No, thank you. Just let me know what happens at the Reyes ranch.” 

They gave one another a final look – filled with so many things unsaid – he watched her ride away, disappointment written on his face – another missed opportunity. He should have said more, but he couldn’t.

Gus saw everything. 

Calian saw how Gus looked at Abby while she questioned Otis, and he could now see how Calian looked at her. He knew. “Why didn’t you tell me about her? Is that why you’ve been keeping secrets?” 

Thankfully, Calian didn’t have a chance to answer. Otis rode up beside them. All Calian could do was drop his head, a little embarrassed and a little guilty, but silent. He hadn’t been a good friend. His desire to be near her, to help her, had taken precedence above all else.

Without another word, the three men rode off to see Francis.

They hadn’t spent time together for a little while, and it was easy to reminisce about previous cases they had worked on together and the friendship they once shared. It was true, Otis liked to talk. 

And then Calian saw Nascha. 

She was some distance from him, running along the plain, and he watched her for a long moment, looking across the deserted expanse to see what she wanted him to see. 

Gus noticed. “Hey, you all right?”

Calian could barely utter a word. “Yeah.” He turned inward, wondering at why he was seeing her again. He grew distant, quickly.

Gus gave him a long, concerned look, and then Otis cut in. 

He mentioned that he could feel the tension between them. “Hope it doesn’t last. Loyalty is hard to come by out here.” Neither Calian or Gus said anything in response, but gave each other a side eye. “Y’all have clearly lost some trust in me, so you may not want to hear it, but one of my regrets as sheriff was not solving the mystery of her going missing.” Calian gave him a pointed look. “Hope y’all come to forgive me. I did everything I could.” 

Calian didn’t believe him, in fact, the look he gave Otis was one full of disbelief and anger. The disappearance, and lack of support in finding Calian’s sister, Nascha had long been a source of contention between them. “Everything you could, Sheriff?” Gus gave Calian a warning glance. “Is that what you tell yourself?” Calian couldn’t keep the sneer out of his tone, and not wanting to hear another word, rode out ahead of them.

Once they arrived at the Reyes ranch, Nascha appeared again. The world around him disappeared and it was as if he had tunnel vision. He saw only her. He ran after her to learn why she was there.

He searched for her until it grew dark, but he didn’t see her again. This left him unsettled as she almost always appeared to him with a purpose. 

Then there was a gunshot. 

Pain at the back of his head. 

Then the world went black. 

He wasn’t out long, but he awoke confused, and heard the panic in Gus’s voice. “Calian, what happened?”

“I don’t know.” Calian rubbed the back of his head.

And then they saw Francis dead on the ground, an arrow sticking out of his chest. Francis’s son, Luis accused Calian of killing Francis, but there was no reason for it. Calian not only respected Senor Reyes, he also liked him, and his family.

Hoyt suddenly appeared, riding quickly to the devastating scene before them. Gus tried to hold him back.

The arrow was damning evidence, and Hoyt was quick to judge Calian. “What did you do?”

Calian took a step backward, shaking his head.

Gus grabbed him by his shirt and shook him. Calian knew Gus had seen him grow distant, he knew that when that happened, Calian sometimes saw things, so maybe Francis had been an accident, a bystander. Gus said Calian’s name twice. He thought Calian may still be in a trance-like state. Gus was desperate for an explanation, but Calian didn’t have one.

He honestly had no idea why Francis Reyes was dead, and why it could possibly have been by his hand.

At dawn, Hoyt led the procession back to town – driving the wagon with Francis upon it, Luis mourning his father, and the arrow that killed him – Gus brought up the rear with a handcuffed Calian in tow.

~ * ~

Chapter Seven: The Owl and The Arrow

When Calian awoke the next morning, he was disoriented. His sister, Nascha was with him and he was in the town’s jail cell. He was pleased to see her, but then it struck him why he was there, and then Augustus appeared.

Calian tried to reassure Augustus that while he didn’t remember what happened, he would never hurt Francis, but that was not good enough for Gus. When he finally said, “I saw her” that was enough to give Gus pause.

Gus left Calian alone, but not for long. An angry crowd gathered seeking vengeance for their fallen founder. He could hear the sheriff offering his own resolution for his part in metting out justice – Calian deserved a fair shake, but the sheriff would personally hang the accused should he be found guilty. 

That was one way to get rid of the competition. 

Calian hadn’t seen too many interactions between Abby and the sheriff, except for a couple of days ago when the sheriff’s friend had taken Abby hostage. Calian had witnessed, first hand, the reaction the sheriff had expressed when he sought to free Abby from that criminal’s grasp. Calian had been tense, having felt he was at a disadvantage at that moment, but it had given Calian an opportunity to observe the sheriff, and he, too, was interested in the town’s newest resident.

Thankfully, Tom was still the prime suspect in Liam’s murder, so the man wouldn’t make any inroads towards catching Abby’s eye.

If Tom was interested in Abby, Calian had to wonder how closely he had observed their interactions. Calian and Abby were not just comfortable with one another – they relied on one another, they purposefully sought the other out – they were connected in a way most people would never be lucky enough to find themselves. Had Tom noticed?

Given the circumstances, Calian wasn’t sure he was ever going to get an answer to that.

Abby entered the sheriff’s office like a ray of golden light. She lit up the room just by being in it, but everything else about her spoke of her concern for him, the stress of the situation, and the task she had put upon herself.

Calian was relieved to see her nonetheless.

Tom released him from his cell, but refused to remove the handcuffs. Calian almost scoffed, as if he were a threat. Tom left, while Abby grabbed her notebook, and then together, she and Calian sat at Augustus’s desk. Neither said a word.

Abby struggled with how to begin. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t like the predicament they had found themselves in and she didn’t want to think about the outcome should she fail. Calian watched her. It was almost as if he was watching them from outside his body. He was grateful for her, to be so near her, and yet he was miles away. “You can ask it.” His voice was low. It sounded defeated even to his own ears. He could appreciate that she didn’t want to ask the question. She didn’t think him capable of the action, and that lifted his spirits, ever so slightly.

He confessed that he didn’t remember shooting the arrow and that he had no reason to want to harm Francis, and that seemed to boost Abby’s resolve. She said it was the beginning of a “reasonable doubt defense”. It pained him to see her trying to be optimistic. 

He watched as she scribbled something in her notebook, but he could also feel that she was lost. They both knew that this was a losing battle. He struggled to look at her, there was shame hovering over him. “Abby, you don’t have to…”

“Yes, I do.” Steel laced her words. “You saved my life. You’ve been here for me at every turn. And, if you haven’t noticed, we’ve become friends, so…” His face lit up at this admission, as if he hadn’t already been aware, but it was still nice to hear. “Can you tell me what you do remember?”

Calian held a strip of yellow fabric in his bound hands. He rubbed it between his fingers, a reminder of his sister, a tiny piece of her he could still hold. It was his turn to struggle with where to begin, what to say, and what she might not judge him for. “I remember Nascha.” 

She doesn’t recognize the word. “Nascha? What does that mean?” 

It pained him to speak of her. The tears came quickly. The wound was still raw all these years later. Only so many people knew of the tragedy that had befallen his people that fateful night, and this was the first time he willingly wanted to share the story with someone new. “My little sister’s name.” 

He could see Abby’s heart drop. 

“It means owl. We called her that because she was so curious.” 

“You speak about her as if she..” 

“She disappeared…15 years ago.” 

Maybe it had to do with their bond, or Abby’s empathetic nature, but Calian could barely take the response she had to his story – she was wrenched with the knowledge of his heart break. “I’m so sorry, Calian.” 

“She is the reason I became a tracker.” He suddenly realized he had dedicated his life to the cause, losing himself in the process. “I thought if I looked long enough, I’d find her.” 

Abby misunderstood his meaning. “And you..you saw her last night.” 

“Sometimes she appears, like an echo of the last time we were together. I know…I know she’s just a memory, but I can still feel her in my heart.” When he thought on his sister, it stirred something deep within him, something he often felt was lost the night she went missing. “At times, she guides me to places I need to be.” He needed her to understand what seeing his sister meant, the depth of it, the weight of it. He says with emotion, “Abby, Nascha led me to you.” 

Calian watched Abby’s entire being as she processed this revelation. He had wanted to tell her how and why they met, but until then, he wasn’t sure she would have believed him. Such an admission took Abby by surprise. He could see in her eyes how she was coming to understand him a little better. Her concern for him and her own feelings deepened. He was caught off guard by the look she gave him. She looked at him like he was unique, special. His breath hitched. 

She was speechless, for once. 

“And last night, when I arrived at the Reyes’ ranch, she appeared to me again, Nascha, and she led me away.” Before he could say any more, a brick crashed thru the window, and as he was always prone to do, Calian jumped in front of Abby, hoping to shield her from harm. 

He had pulled her closer than he intended, but there was little space between the wall and Gus’s desk. She was practically in his arms, and he wasn’t surprised by how good it was to have her there. She fit perfectly. He could surround her, embrace her, protect her. He looked her over, “Are you okay?” 

Calian couldn’t help but notice that her emotions were heightened. He could sense her raised heart beat, feel her breaths coming faster. There was a blush upon her cheek. 

Her voice shuddered, but not just from fear. She could only nod before finding her voice again, “Yes.” 

His hands were upon her waist, and he took a moment’s pleasure at how her hands were draped on his forearms, holding him to her. “My tribe. They don’t know what happened last night. If some in town blame me – they will blame them too…” 

“I will warn them.” She gave him a reassuring, steady look.

He was thankful for her, for her bravery and perseverence..they were so close. He looked at her mouth, the soft fullness of her lips, and he brazenly thought, if the situation weren’t so dire, she would let him kiss her. He could feel it. He was desperate for it too. If only he was brave enough to lean down a fraction and taste her, finally.

No. It wasn’t the time.

Each encounter with Abby only made their partings more difficult. Having had her in his arms, feeling her passion aroused, it was a heady combination, and he thought fondly on her as he sat and awaited her return with word of his people.

What he did not expect was that his chief, Taza would return with her. 

Calian’s shame was multiplied. Taza, who was like a father to him, only had to give Calian a look to impart his feelings, but what Calian saw in Taza’s eyes on that day was not something he recognized. Their people had endured a great deal, and the charges against Calian, the assured “justice” the townspeople would bring down, was just another moment they would have to endure.

Taza’s eyes held depths of sorrow, regret, anger, and perseverance. He told Calian that the tribe would stand with him, he had their support. 

Calian knew he wouldn’t be abandoned, but it brought him a small sliver of consolation to hear it said. Calian knowing what the townspeople were capable of, was eager to see Taza return home, for his safety, and his tone rang with urgency of the danger in being there.

They shared a moment, an unspoken one that spoke volumes.

And then he watched as Taza took Abby’s hands in a comforting, thankful way before heading out.

Tom tried to give Abby insight into the mentality of the people in the West – she wouldn’t find a way to clear Calian in her “fancy” book, but she was determined, obstinate, to sway the people to reasonable doubt. Gus entered then and informed them the judge was ready. 

Calian watched Abby’s reaction. She wasn’t ready. She hadn’t had time to build her case. Things happened too fast out there. She thought she’d have more time.

She didn’t. 

Her resolution was to go ahead to the makeshift courthouse and see if she could delay the trial, speak to the judge, anything. She gave Calian a look that he was sure was meant to be comforting, but it only brought him more sadness. 

Their time was over. 

Augustus lead Calian through town. It was deserted. Calian mentioned that he “thought there’d be more people”. They did love a spectacle. 

“After years of trying to hide, now you want a parade?” It was a somber moment, but the joke gave them pause. A tentative smile found its way onto both of their lips. Gus continued, “I should’ve cut you loose at the ranch. Let you ride away.” 

“Put both our lives on the line? No.” Calian could never do that to one of the people he trusted most. The offer was a kind reminder to Calian that they were friends, despite the recent tension and the distance between them.

Together, they continued on to face Calian’s fate. 

“Still always thinking of others.” Gus knew him well, and by the way he said that, Calian knew that Augustus was angry for how resigned he was to face whatever was to come because that was who he was.

Abby was pressed up against the window of the door to Hagan’s to see him walking towards her. She quietly opened the door to greet Calian, and while her face was sad, she was trying to be positive for him, and a little for herself. His footsteps were heavy as he took the stairs up to meet her. He knew it was a futile task she had set before herself, but he loved her all the more for it. 

“Are you ready?” The fire sparked behind her eyes for a moment. 

“Mmhmm.” 

She swallowed hard, nodded, and turned to head inside. 

He didn’t know if he could say anything to her that wouldn’t make the reality of their situation worse. What could he say in a moment such as this? And then he knew. One word that would stop her in her tracks. One word that would cause her heartbeat to falter. He said her Apache name, Djon-deh-zee and watched as it cut through her like a knife. It was a sobering thought to think he might never say it again. “I’m glad Nascha led me to you.”

It took her a moment to turn back to face him. She’d been hovering on a dangerous precipice with his impending trial – the hate, the wildness of this land, and the knowledge that she was fighting a losing battle, but one that must be fought all the same – and with his words, the tears came, she too was thankful that Nascha had led him to her. Not only would she not have survived, she would not have met him. She could only shake her head in agreement, her smile was strained. It faltered.

The trial began.

Augustus was first on the stand. He did his best to paint Calian in a positive light, reiterating to the town that Francis had trusted Calian, and that he had lobbied for Calian to be the liaison for the tribe. He left out the encounter he had had with Calian when he got the scar on his arm. 

Luis was next.

He was overly dramatic, again, and while it was understandable, something felt off and he continued to throw accusations about.

Finally it was time for Calian to speak for himself. Abby called him to the stand amidst the grumbling of the townspeople. “What are you so afraid of? You’ve already condemned him in your mind. What is the harm in letting him speak?” She was angry. She approached the judge acknowledging that Calian had no memory of the events surrounding the murder, so she asked to let him speak on the things he did remember. 

She blindsided Calian by asking him to retell the story of the night his sister was kidnapped. 

The judge didn’t find that relevant, but Abby pressed on. Calian was uncomfortable. This was a part of his past he had shared with her, in the hopes she would understand him better. He fidgeted with his hands and gave her a hard, sad glance. 

She tried to reassure him, “I know what happened that night makes you feel alone, but you’re not.” Her voice was soft, reassuring, and her eyes plead with his.

And then Nascha was there.

Her voice was small, and had that familiar twinkle that had endeared her to so many. “It’s time.” 

It took a moment for Calian to regain his composure – there were too many emotions, his life was on the line, the woman he cared for was fighting for him, the burden he’d carried for so many years had been exposed, and the quickness of the townspeople to turn on him – it was too much. Abby tried to open the town’s mind to the fact that even as his sister was taken, he did not kill anyone, he had only been a boy, but that event had not tainted the man he had become. 

He was not a violent man, he never had been. 

The judge dismissed Calian and Abby tried to counter, to no avail. He wouldn’t let her establish everything Calian had done for the town, which highlighted his character. 

As Calian stepped down, he spoke to the crowd. “Outside you’ve built gallows to hang me for a crime…but none of you have asked me if I’m guilty or innocent. So I ask for you,” he looked to the Reyes family as he finished, “Did I kill Francis Reyes? My answer is no. ‘Cause he was my friend.” Tears welled in his distress. “I could never have hurt him.” And then his anger surfaced. “After Nascha was taken, my tribe was too injured to search. I knew she was still alive, so I came here for help. I came to you, but none of you believed me. And now, years later, when your children go missing, you come to me…” The disbelief of the situation had come full circle, and his long repressed emotions finally came to the surface. “‘Cause you know I won’t give up until I find them. And yet today, before I could even ask that you believe in my innocence, you already tied a noose.” He was tired. “Will none of you stand for me?” He looked around the room, downtrodden, still surprised at the lack of respect after all these years of service.

Gus stood up. He had always had his back. 

The room was shockingly silent. 

Hoyt looked torn. 

Luis stormed out, and as the “man” of the house, the women followed. Eventually, still torn, Hoyt followed as well. He gave Calian a last look. 

Abby was heartbroken at the lack of support, especially given Calian’s speech. 

The judge realized the goodness of Calian, and spoke well of him, and for a moment, Calian saw that Abby had hope, but almost in the same breath, they realized that didn’t change things according to “their law”. He handed down his sentence, but he and Abby already knew the verdict. 

They’d lost. 

Calian listened to the judge, distancing himself mentally from the whole ordeal. Calian’s tears flowed freely, as did Abby’s, and all she could say was, “I’m so sorry.”

He could only nod in response. 

She had tried, at least.

He wasn’t going to see her again, not in this world…that thought was almost too much to bear.

The townspeople dispersed and congregated around the newly built spectacle. A hanging didn’t happen often, especially in a town like Independence.

Tom escorted Calian to the gallows, through the gathered crowd. Calian made eye contact with Taza, who had come to stand beside him. His eyes continued to look over those willing to watch him hang. He couldn’t help but wonder if they would be happy at the thought that now there would be one less native.

Calian and Abby finally came face to face, but he saw that Tom was hoping to grab her attention. 

She did not give it to him. She couldn’t tear her eyes from Calian. 

“You did the best that you could.” Her eyes never drifted, and it was not what Tom was hoping for. 

Kate came to Abby’s side, offering her support.

Calian walked up the steps of the gallows, and took a look at the surrounding land, land that once belonged to his tribe. He was still in a bit of disbelief that this was the end of his story. He saw Nascha in the crowd; a reassuring fugue at such a time. 

Calian felt Tom’s hesitation in tying the noose. They didn’t really know one another, so there was no guessing at what the sheriff might be thinking, except that looking at Abby, seeing her so devastated, maybe Tom wasn’t willing to do something that would bring her such pain.

Tom asked Calian if he had any last words. “There is no death. Only a change in worlds.” The same words he had said when they buried Liam. Tom looked long into Calian’s eyes, finally seeing what few others had been privy to, and then Taza bellowed out a war cry. 

Tom came to a decision in that moment. 

And just before Gus and Hoyt came to Calian’s defense, Tom cut the noose. 

Abby took her first real breath all day. 

Both Gus and Hoyt had their own evidence, and they each brought it forward. Tom had already made the decision to free Calian, but the new evidence warranted a closer look. He declared that there wouldn’t be a hanging that day, and one could feel both relief and disappointment from the crowd.

Hoyt and Calian made eye contact, and a lot was said nonverbally in that glance. 

And then he saw Abby, and watched as her tears of heartbreak turned to overwhelming joy. It was a beautiful thing to have witnessed. It was a salve to his spirit that she cared for him so.

Calian was free to go, and while he was eager to leave the place that had so quickly turned on him, for the few people that he could now call his friends, he was reluctant to say goodbye.

Calian learned in the aftermath of his near death experience that Augustus had overheard a heated argument between Hoyt and Luis after the trial. It was discovered that Luis had accidentally shot his father during their fight that consequential night, and framed, who he considered an easy target. Gus then searched Francis’s body and discovered the bullet still lodged in Francis’s chest. Sticking the arrow in the wound was a simple solution for the guilt ridden, fearful of his consequences, Luis.

Calian felt a great deal of sympathy for the Reyes family. It had been a sad turn of events.

While he was prepping his horse, Hoyt came to him. Hoyt was mired in guilt, it was palpable, and Calian knew it was a feeling he was unaccustomed to. “I, uh..I shouldn’t have stayed away when you needed me. I owe you an..” 

Calian busied himself with his horse, unwilling to look at him, but he cut him off. “You helped save my life, Hoyt. I’m sorry about Francis.” He looked him then. He owed him that. Francis had been important to both of them. “I know he cared for you.” 

“Yeah, well…after I turned Luis in, I don’t know how Lucia and her mom are gonna feel.” 

“You have to be there for them.” There was a quiet understanding between them. 

“Yeah.” Hoyt moved to get on his horse. “Hey, that whole saving your life bit, does that mean you owe me now?” Hoyt had a way about him, and their easy rapport returned.

Calian finally smiled. “I said you helped.” 

Hoyt gave him a wink, tapped his hat to Gus and rode off. 

Augustus returned Calian’s arrows, but Calian didn’t feel grateful. Gus had lied on the stand, and Calian wasn’t sure if that would also come between them, as a source of resentment.

“I was just doing what you would’ve did for me.” It was true, but something was weighing on Augustus, and Calian gave him a questioning look. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m protecting the same people that would hang me at the first accusation.” This was a point of contention for both men, being outsiders, being “different”, despite what they did everyday for the town. “Part of me feels like I should leave with you.” 

Calian understood being torn by duty and the need to be true to oneself. “And part of you knows you should stay.” Abby finally came outside, and the air changed with her appearance. “This town needs you, Augustus.” They hugged. There was so much between them, so much understanding, trust, and friendship, in spite of everything else. They narrowly escaped a tragic end to their relationship, and they knew it would be a while before they saw each other again. Calian would have to escape to the safety of his tribe, away from town, and away from the people so willing to think badly of him. 

And then there was just them. “Thank you.” It was all he could think to say. 

“Well, considering the verdict, I don’t think the judge found me particularly convincing.” She felt a failure. 

“But he wasn’t the one you needed to convince.” He surprised himself that he could still see the positive, the silver lining. “You helped others think differently, Abby.” 

“All the same..after everything…” He watched as she struggled to utter her next words. She had a question, and he could sense her hesitation was in part because of the fear she held in his answer. It was the glaring truth of their situation. She placed a hand on her heart, compressed by the contraption she wore under her dress, along with her emotions and the fear of his admission. ”…will I ever see you again?” 

Calian understood her concern, and while he didn’t wish to dismiss her fears, she needed to understand that he had his own. “Maybe we’ll find each other in the tall grass.” It was meant to inspire hope, of a future that may come, but thinking on some hypothetical moment in time gave him little comfort.

She stroked his arm, hoping to impart some of her feeling for him, and he then he took her hand in his. To feel the warmth of it, the softness of it, of her…he had to believe that this wasn’t goodbye. He had to believe that this wouldn’t be the last time his eyes took in her face, felt her piercing glance, or felt her glow upon his skin. 

Neither could say the words. It was too painful. 

Calian watched as her breathing changed. Her breaths came in shallow waves and she clutched her hands to her stomach. He hated to see her like this, and it took great effort to gather his strength to turn from her.

His focus was diverted by the awaiting Taza, and Calian was genuinely pleased to see him. “It’s time I return home.” And then, as if to bring him a small measure of peace, Nascha appeared in the distance. Taza questioned him as to whether he still saw her. 

Nascha used her sing song voice to bring him some reassurance, “It’s time. We’re both free now.” She waved and danced as she always had. 

He felt calm with a sense of closure. “Her soul goes to the air now.”

Thankfully, Calian didn’t see the look of doubt his chief had upon his face as they left town.

~ * ~