New Frontier

by Pepper Espinoza

  Steel blue clashed with determined green. The tide had receded, the masks had emerged, and the fates be damned.

  “I will find you,” she promised.

  “I know.”

  And for the moment, he knew they both believed it.

  Ida was the first to try to stand up. “I’m…I’m going to make some food.”

  “Yeah. Okay,” Kelly sighed.

  *

  Ida didn’t feel very hungry, and she imagined Kelly had no appetite at all. But they needed to eat. He needed to keep up his strength. And she needed to do something with her hands. She was afraid that if she stayed in bed with him, neither would find the courage or energy necessary to do what they had to do.

  Ida wordlessly went out to the smoke house and cut two healthy slabs of pork. When she returned to the house, she slapped them in a sizzling pan full of onions and started on the potatoes. Dull, thoughtless tasks that she devoted her full concentration to. Kelly snuck up behind her while she sliced the potatoes and wrapped his arms around her.

  “Kelly…I’m trying to cook…”

  “I know, pet.”

  He buried his face in her neck and didn’t try to distract her from the stove. She stood still for several seconds, but when he didn’t make any effort to do anything other than hold her, she returned her attention to the food. He didn’t let go of her when she put the meat and potatoes on the plates, and when she finally convinced him to sit down and eat, he pulled her onto his lap.

  They didn’t break contact for the rest of the evening.

  * * * *

  The full moon glinted off the snow and cast the early morning in a fine, silver sheen. Ida couldn’t keep from shivering. She looked up and studied the moon carefully, looking for the tell-tale ring, but the sky was brutally clear and sharp in the thin air.

  “Maybe the good weather will hold up,” she said softly.

  Kelly looked at the sky and nodded. “Maybe.”

  Kelly lifted one of the sets of bags over Flash’s shoulders. The horse whinnied and shifted his weight, but otherwise, didn’t move. Ida stood at his head, holding the reins and petting his nose. Kelly secured the bags, then lifted another set over the horse’s haunches.

  “Don’t forget the gun,” Ida said, just to have something to say.

  “I won’t.”

  They had argued over that, too. Ida finally won by pulling out her other gun, and assuring him that she had more than enough protection. She couldn’t tell if he was wary of taking her offered supplies because he really didn’t want her to go without, or because he wasn’t comfortable accepting charity. But as the sun set and the time grew near, he stopped being so stubborn and just quietly accepted what she wanted to give him.

  “There should be enough food to last for a week, and you can always kill something if you run out…”

  “Right.”

  He checked each of the ties, the saddle, the buckles, and made sure everything was tight and secure. He opened each of the bags one last time to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything. He checked his pockets, bent to pat Ranger’s head, and then straightened and looked at Ida in the silver light.

  “Everything’s ready,” he said softly.

  She nodded. “Leaving now will give you a good head start. As long as you keep moving.”

  “I’ll…I’ll leave messages for you along the way, so you’ll know if you’re on the right track,” Kelly promised.

  “Don’t do anything that will put you in danger.”

  Kelly shook his head, “No, it’ll be fine.”

  He moved towards her and took her free hand in his. He brought it up to his lips and kissed each knuckle gently. She pulled her hand from his, and then cupped his face.

  “Kelly?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I…Kelly…” She stepped forward and touched his lips with hers, but the contact was barely a whisper. “I love you.”

  Kelly responded by kissing her back, slowly. She pulled back quickly as desire curled in her stomach. If he didn’t leave now, he would never have the strength to go. They both knew it. He stepped back slowly, and eventually they completely broke physical contact.

  He grabbed the horn and lifted himself onto the saddle. She silently handed the reins to him, and tried to think of something new to say. One more problem, one more excuse for him to stay for an extra minute or two.

  “If anybody asks, and they will, I stole your horse and your gun while you were asleep,” Kelly instructed.

  Ida nodded.

  “You don’t know where I’m going, but I mentioned Colorado. You hate me for repaying you by stealing your horse, and you hope that they track me down and make me sorry. I’ll go east for awhile, then swing south and west.”

  She nodded again.

  “Be careful, love.”

  “You be careful,” Ida responded, her words soaked in tears.

  Flash shook his head and stomped his foot, eager to start the journey. Ida took a step back, out of the way. Their breath rose like ghosts around them.

  “Ida…”

  “What?”

  “I love you, too.”

  Before she could say anything else, he kicked Flash and the horse jumped and started forward at a prance. Ida stood immobile, intent on watching him until she couldn’t see him anymore. He surprised her by pulling the horse up and wheeling around. She thought he would come back, but instead he just raised his hand. She could see his silhouette, but not his face. She raised her own hand and waved sadly.

  Kelly turned Flash around, and within seconds, was lost in the night’s shadows. She didn’t move for a long time. Once she thought she heard muffled hoof beats in the snow, coming in her direction, and she strained her ears. But he didn’t come back. Eventually, she turned and went into her cabin, and her empty, cold bed.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ida waited, on edge, for Tom to return. In an effort to pretend everything was normal and fine, she scrubbed the house from corner to corner, top to bottom, until it was spotless. Then she went out and worked on the barn, or tried to at least. But Flash’s empty stall broke her heart, so she decided to leave the barn alone.

  When Tom returned two days after Kelly left, with Sheriff Gunn in tow, Ida was ready for him. She met them in the yard, screaming nearly hysterically and frightening their horses. “Where have you been?”

  Tom immediately jumped off his horse and went to her. “Ida, Ida what’s wrong? What happened? Are you okay?”

  “No, I’m not okay! He stole my horse!”

  Gunn dismounted. “When did he leave?”

  Ida sniffed. “Last night, while I was asleep. He took some food and clothes, too.”

  “Did he hurt you?”

  Ida was wearing a shirt with a high, tight collar so they couldn’t see the marks left on her skin. She shook her head. “No, no, just robbed me.”

  Tom placed a friendly hand on her arm. “I know you probably don’t want to talk about him…but we need some more information.”

  She took a shaky breath. “I’ll tell you what I know.”

  “Did he ever mention where he was from? Do you have any idea where he’d go?”

  Ida frowned. “I…I’m not sure. I…well…one time he mentioned Colorado.”

  “What about Colorado?”

  “That he knows some people there. Some people who can take him in. He mentioned that a few times, when I first took him in…Yeah…he said that he would leave as soon as he was strong enough…”

  “Ida, why did you take him in?” Tom asked gently.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I thought I could trust him. He was injured and he never mentioned any problem with the law.”

  “Yeah,” the sheriff muttered, “he wouldn’t want you to know.”

  “And then,” she continued, “the snow started and he wasn’t healthy enough to survive in the cold…”

  “Ida, why don’t you go in and fix us some coffee? Your lips are almost blue,” Tom suggested. “W
e’ll be right in.”

  Ida nodded and returned to the house. She didn’t shut the door, so she could still hear them while they spoke. She could tell from their faces that they believed her. It would never occur to them to doubt her word.

  “What do you think?” Tom asked, “Should we get some guys?”

  “A posse?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t know, Harris…”

  “If he just left last night, we might be able to catch him if we ride hard.”

  “We don’t know where he’s going,” Gunn pointed out reasonably.

  “She said Colorado.”

  “He could have been lying.”

  “Why would he lie about something like that?”

  “For this very situation.”

  Tom shook his head, “This is our best chance. She’s out here, living by herself. What if we never came back? She wouldn’t even be able to make it into town if she had an emergency.”

  “But…”

  “And besides, he killed a sheriff. We can’t let him get away with that. Who knows how many others he’ll kill?”

  Ida listened with a smile. Even if they figured out after a day that they were going the wrong direction, it would still buy Kelly that much more time. Besides, it had snowed the night before, so all the tracks would be covered. They might push on as far as the border before giving up and turning around.

  “Okay,” Gunn said softly. “I’ll get my deputies and we’ll…”

  “I want to go, too,” Tom insisted.

  “Why?”

  “Because she’s my friend.”

  “Fine, I’ll deputize you. You’re sure your wife won’t mind?”

  “Hey,” Tom protested, “I don’t have to ask her permission.”

  “Right, right. Let’s go in and have that cup of coffee, then we’ll get everything together.”

  “Are we leaving tonight?”

  “No, no. It’s too late in the afternoon. We’ll have to leave early tomorrow morning.”

  “That’s too late!” Tom argued.

  “Look, the snow is going to slow him down, no doubt about that. If there wasn’t two feet of snow on the ground with more on the way, I’d leave right now. But we have to be smart about this.”

  Ida’s smile widened. She liked the way Sheriff Gunn’s mind worked.

  “We’ll get him,” Gunn continued. “But not if we’re dead.”

  “Yeah, okay. We can use the store for supplies. Kate will understand.”

  She heard them approaching and quickly turned her back to the door and fumbled with the coffeepot.

  “Ida, we’re going to have to pass on the coffee,” Tom said apologetically. “We’ve got to get back to town.”

  She turned around and asked innocently, “What are you going to do?”

  “We’re forming a posse, we’re leaving early tomorrow morning,” Tom explained.

  “Do you need anything else from me?”

  Gunn shook his head. “No, no. You’ve been a big help, ma’am. Thank you.”

  “I’m glad to do what I can to get that…that…jerk.”

  Tom nodded, “I understand. Do you need anything right now?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. He didn’t leave me completely destitute.”

  “You’re sure?” Gunn asked.

  Ida nodded. “I’m sure. Thank you again for your help. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

  Tom blushed. “It was no problem. I’ll have the livery send a horse out here…”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “No, I insist. It’s my fault you lost yours. If I would have just taken him in when I saw him, none of this would have ever happened.”

  “You shouldn’t beat yourself up,” Ida said sweetly. “But I do appreciate the offer.”

  And then they were gone. She breathed deeply with relief. That had all been so easy, and everything went according to plan. She wished there was a way she could contact Kelly and let him know about the latest development. She comforted herself with the thought of meeting again, soon, in a place where it never snowed.

  * * * *

  Ida shivered in her sleep and curled into a ball, trying to stay as warm as possible. She reached out, and touched nothing but a cold, unused pillow. Sighing, she turned around. The veil between the world and her dreams thinned for a moment, and she thought she heard his voice in the distance. A cold tear glided down her cheek and hung like a diamond from her lips, before splashing to the bed.

  Ranger stood, stretched, and plodded over to her bed. He spun around once before collapsing on the floor, within reach if she needed him. The fire burned low to embers, glowing red and orange in the dark. She tossed and turned, pushed the blankets away from her, exposed her skin to the brisk air. She slept naked now. Clothes were too restrictive and rough on her skin. She rolled over to her stomach, her long hair a fine curtain down her back, glowing in the firelight…

  She was a silver and gold picture seen in silhouette. Kelly walked over to her, mindful of the dog guarding her bed, and placed one warm hand in the small of her back. He rested it there, letting it rise and fall with her deep breaths. She naturally turned her body towards his warmth, and he sat on the bed so she could move against him, curl around him.

  He leaned forward and gently kissed her shoulders and neck while he ran his hand down her spine and cupped her cheeks. Unconsciously, she spread her legs open for him, and burrowed her head into the pillow. He stretched out on the bed, fitting the length of his body against hers. He rested his cheek on her head and closed his eyes. He counted each breath, and when she stirred, he smoothed his hand down her back to quiet her.

  “Love you,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly and sharing the warmth from his body…

  Ida woke up and muttered without opening her eyes, “Love you, too.”

  She stretched contentedly and her eyes fluttered open. She blinked several times. Put her hand out on the bed, felt for him, for his warmth and skin, but she found nothing but air. Ida sat up, flustered, confused. She noticed Ranger sleeping near the fire, the flames were still dancing merrily. The icy air against her exposed skin cleared her head completely. Disappointment choked her as tears pooled in her eyes. A dream.

  Another dream.

  No longer tired, she rolled out of bed and padded over to the bucket of water. She heated it on the stove for coffee and buttered some bread, left over from her nearly untouched dinner. Her appetite had diminished rapidly after Kelly left, and some days it was all she could do to choke down a slice of bread. She knew she needed to eat, needed to keep up her strength and be prepared to leave as early as possible, but a sick worry kept her hunger at bay.

  Two weeks after Kelly had left, they had been hit with a horrible storm that lasted over three days. Reports of deaths and people who went missing filtered into town from as far away as St. George. He could have made it far enough south to miss the storm, or only be caught on the edge, but that was only if he had ridden hard with no delays. Of course, he might have been caught…

  Each day passed in a slow blur. She couldn’t remember the specific details of any given day—what she had done to kill the time, what she had thought, what she had cooked for dinner—all she could remember, all she could feel, was the terrible impatience. She wanted to leave right that minute. She didn’t want to wait another several months.

  I should have gone with him, Ida thought. I should have insisted. I wouldn’t have slowed him down. We would have been fine, we would have escaped together…

  But it was too late to think about that now.

  She had gone into town while Sheriff Gunn’s posse was combing the eastern edge of the territory and bought several maps. There weren’t many known trails or roads that took her on the route she wanted to use, and she poured over them until she had the best route memorized. That was the last thing she had done to prepare for the trip before getting completely discouraged
.

  She tore at the bread with her teeth listlessly. She knew she wouldn’t be getting back to sleep and it was just past four. In a few hours, the sun would rise on another endless day. Another endless day in a string of endless days, that made each endless week and each endless month.

  Ida swallowed the dry bread hard and chased it with a mouthful of the hot coffee. She knew that once the sun did rise on a new, endless day, her optimism would return. It always did. She’d do her sewing and mending, cleaning, cooking, and every action, every moment would be to prepare for the first day of the first thaw, when she would leave.

  The coffee warmed her and she was just beginning to doze lightly at the table when she heard it. She perked up instantly, alert and ready. She held her breath and waited to hear it again. There it was, a muffled step in the snow. Somebody was outside her cabin.

  Her eyes widened, but her heart and breathing remained steady. The gun was within reach, and she could get to it before the intruder reached the door. The steps grew louder as he moved closer, and Ida could hear them easily in the silent, still night. It was the only sound, save for the occasional pop from the fire.

  The door rattled, and she heard the thump of a body falling against it. Ranger perked up, a growl coming from deep in his throat. Ida rolled her eyes. A guard dog was pretty useless if he didn’t even react until after the intruder nearly broke in. Ranger jumped to his feet and trotted to the door, the low growl turning into a menacing bark.

  The doorknob turned slightly, and Ranger went crazy. Ida couldn’t hear anything over the dog’s barks and growls, and he ignored her when she tried to shut him up. The doorknob moved again, and over the din, she could hear the stranger slam his body into wood, trying to force the door open. Ida leveled the gun, her finger hovering over the trigger.

  The wood moaned under the weight of a third body slam, and Ida winced. It would be a bitch to fix the door this time of year; she’d have to go to town and buy wood and that was really more hassle than it was worth. She moved toward the door with the gun cocked and unlocked the latch, then grasped the handle.