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Christmas
By Lana CoombeAt first, they thought it was an animal they could hear but, as they drew nearer, Heyesand Kid realised what they had heard was someone calling. Guiding their horses throughthe trees, ducking to avoid low hanging branches, they eventually found the source of thenoise.On the ground lay a stricken man, while a mule stood nearby, staring at him woefully. Asthey approached, they realised that there was a large tree branch pinning down the man.He looked up at them with undisguised relief, muttering, “Thank God!”It didn’t take the partners long to assess the situation and lift the branch off the man’s leg.Thankfully, no bones seemed to be broken, just a nasty cut and some vivid bruising. Withsome urgency, the man asked them to help him onto the mule, as he needed to get homeas quickly as possible. The Kid tried to persuade the man to let him tend to the injury onhis leg first but was unsuccessful. However, as the man tried to stand he found he wasunable to put any pressure on his leg and began to tumble, only to be caught by two pairsof strong arms.“Easy now!” Heyes soothed.The man became agitated.“Please, you’ve got to help me. I have to get back. My wife …” His eyes darted from thedark haired to the fair-haired man, anxiously, uncertain whether he had made a mistakementioning his wife. They were strangers after all who had just happened by. How couldhe know if he could trust them?“We’ll get you back to your wife, Mister. Just take it easy!” Kid reassured him with oneof his affable smiles and a supportive grip on his arm. The man looked from the Kid toHeyes and realised he had little choice but to trust these two strangers.Following the man’s directions, they made their way back through the trees. As they rode,he told them his name was Jonas Carpenter. He had come to this part of the world to raisesheep but had not been welcomed, especially by one rancher in particular, Rex Herod,who had spent the last few months trying to drive him off the land he had acquired. Therewas a dispute as to the legality of the transaction of the sale of the land, which was takinga little while to sort out. Jonas had been out cutting wood, to make repairs to his cabinthat Herod had his men set on fire, when the branch had snapped unexpectedly and fallenon him.After short time they came to more open country, where the ground was in dispersed with1
 
rock outcrops. Jonas explained that the land was more suited to sheep rearing than cattle but Herod just wouldn’t see it. He was determined to drive Jonas and his sheep from theland.On reaching their destination Heyes and Kid saw the burnt out shell of a cabin and a littleways off a small barn that had some burn damage still visible. They headed towards the building. All was quiet, save for the soft bleating a few penned sheep.“My wife and I are living in the barn at the moment. It’s not the most luxurious of accommodation but at least we’re warm and dry,” he smiled sadly at them.Just as they were dismounting, they heard a cry from within the barn - a woman’s cry.Kid’s gun was instantly in his hand. Heyes reached out to grab Jonas who had limpedhastily forwards.“Hold on a minute, Jonas. Best we find out what’s going on in there before we go rushingin,” Heyes told him firmly but kindly.“But my wife ….” the man started to say,“I know but it won’t help going into an unknown situation and …”“My wife’s in there - she’s having a baby!” Jonas cried as he struggled free of Heyes’grasp, leaving the ex-outlaw unusually speechless. He looked over at his partner inamazement who merely smirked back his response.“Better go and see if the man needs some help I guess!” Kid said a little cautiously.“We can’t go in there!” Heyes replied incredulously. “A woman’s having a baby!”“Sounds like she’s in trouble, Heyes!” came the earnest reply.“Kid, I appreciate your knight in shining armour actions but, this is one time I’m not surethey’re needed!”The dispute was interrupted by the barn door being flung open and Jonas’ appearance.“It’s a boy!” he cried triumphantly.Relieved to know that the messy part was over, without their having to intervene, eachsmiled happily at the excited man and stepped forward to shake his hand. Eagerly he beckoned them forward and led them into the barn.In one of the stalls, bathed in the soft glow from a lantern, were the new mother and her child. The site of the small form of precious new life, being held so attentively, renderedthe ex-outlaws speechless for a moment. The woman looked up at them a sweet, soft2
 
smile of joy on her lips.“This is my wife, Marie and our new son!” Jonas told them proudly.(Can you see where I’m going with this yet?!)While Jonas attended to his wife and new child, Heyes and Kid made themselves useful,tending to the animals - two dairy cows and several orphan lambs and their surrogatemothers. They both felt an over whelming sense of peace in this place and were gratefulfor the security it offered.Having spent the night warm and comfortable on a soft bed of clean straw, with therhythmic sound of animals chewing about them and the occasional soft lowing and bleating, both Heyes and Kid awoke fully rested. When they suggested to Jonas that theyshould probably move on he simply said he thought it would be good if they stayed awhile. There was something compelling in his suggestion and they agreed to stop for aday or so more, to help with the sheep, while Marie recuperated.Later in the afternoon they had visitors - Herod’s men. They had ridden belligerently intothe Carpenter’s enclosure, scattering sheep before them. Jonas had been collecting water when they rode in. He immediately froze when he saw them and fear gripped him as theycircled their horses about him. Just as he was expecting the worst to happen a voicecalled out, “What can we do for you, gentlemen?”At the sound of the voice, the men turned their horses and saw Heyes standingnonchalantly outside of the barn.“Don’t know who you are, fella but if you’re with these sheep lovers there I doubt there’snothing you can do for us!” came the retort from a man in his late thirties, sporting aridiculous moustache.Heyes gave an easy smile before replying, “And I don’t think there’s much you can do for these folks either!”“I don’t know about that!” the man replied slyly, un-hitching his lasso from his saddleand starting to twirl it.“Suggest you put that thing away,” Heyes told him, “or you’re gonna upset my friend!”flicking his eyes behind the man. Twisting his head around he saw the Kid standingcalmly, arms crossed about his chest. Arrogantly, the man started to dismiss him with asneer but his expression soon turned to one of disbelief, as the gun strapped to the fair-haired man’s leg instantaneously seemed to appear in his hand.The man checked himself and recoiled his rope wordlessly then, with a nod of his head,indicated to the other men that they were leaving.3
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