Here's more to what will be my Sheriff Jones and Deputy Smith story. Hope you enjoy.
October 2020 – Trick or Treat
Sheriff Jones sighed as he put the stack of papers together and tapped them on the desk to straighten the pile. “Done!”
Deputy Smith looked up from the book he was reading. “So soon?”
“That’s not funny, Heyes.” He got up and poured himself a cup of coffee. “You want some?”
“Sure.” Heyes began reading again.
Curry went over to the cot with the two full cups. “Think you can put that book down for a few minutes and talk?”
Heyes looked up. “Oh, sure.” He glanced back down at the book.
“Heyes!”
“I’m finishing a paragraph. Sheesh!” He marked his page, sat up and took the proffered coffee. “What’d you wanna talk about?”
“I think we should talk about what’s next. We’ve been here about a month.”
“Did you talk to the mayor about when the replacement is coming?”
“Yeah. I think we’re doin’ such a good job that they’re not in no hurry for anyone else to come.”
Heyes smiled. “I had a feeling you’d be a good sheriff.”
Curry made a face. “You sure complained about me bein’ sheriff at the beginnin’.”
“I was just teasing you, Kid.”
Curry shook his head. “I don’t think so. The fact is, though, that we’ve been dang lucky no one knows who we are yet. How long will it hold out?”
“Lucky? I don’t think you having to kill Homer Carson was lucky. And we came close with the Carter boys seeing us.”
“Don’t forget Marshal Dillon.”
Heyes raked his fingers through his hair. “I see what you mean. It’s time to move on.”
The Kid nodded. “But we can’t just leave. Have to make sure there’s a replacement for us. Feel like we kinda owe it to the town.”
“Yeah, I’ve gotten kinda attached to it myself.”
“Almost feels like home, don’t it?”
“We can’t be thinking like this; we’ll get careless and caught. You’re right; we have to come up with a plan.” Heyes took a sip of coffee. “What about Lobo?”
“I think Lobo would be good as sheriff, but would the town think so? Some still see him as the drunk he was.”
“What if Lobo got married? That’d make him look more respectful. And a good woman can make sure he doesn’t go back to his old ways.”
Curry smiled. “How about widow Baker? They’re about the same age.”
“True. And those kids need a father.”
“They sure do! It was good of the widow to take them in.”
“Now, how to get them together…” Heyes began to pace as his brain formulated a plan. All of a sudden, he stopped and snapped his fingers. “I've got it! How about you sending Lobo over to get me this afternoon. I’ll take my time going downstairs, giving them an opportunity to talk.”
“And you can see if there’s any attraction between ‘em.”
Heyes nodded. “That's the plan, partner.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Later in the afternoon, Deputy Lobo came into the office. “Did my rounds and all’s pretty quiet.”
Sheriff Curry stood up and stretched. “That’s how I like it. Hey, Lobo, would you mind goin’ over to the boardin’ house and gettin’ Joshua?”
“Sure thing.”
Lobo walked over to the Baker Boarding House and knocked on the screen.
The widow came to the door. “Why Deputy Lobo, how can I help you?”
He removed his hat. “Ma’am, the sheriff would like Deputy Smith to come to the office.”
“Come in, Deputy, and I’ll get him.” She opened the screen and stepped to the side.
Lobo stepped in and waited in the hall while she went upstairs.
A few minutes later, she appeared. “He’ll be a few minutes. Can I get you something to drink? Oh, I just took cookies out of the oven. How about one of those?”
“Yes, ma’am. They sure do smell good.”
“I’ll get a plate of them for you to take back to the office.” A moment later she returned. “Try one.”
He bit into the proffered cookie. “Ma’am these are delicious! I can’t remember the last time I had one this good.”
“Come in and sit for a few minutes while we wait for Mr. Smith.” Mrs. Baker led the way into the parlor and sat down.
Lobo followed and took a seat near the door. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Where are you from, Deputy?” she asked.
“From Frankford, a small town south of Hannibal, Missouri.”
“I’ve heard of Hannibal. I’m from Springfield, Illinois.”
“That’s where Abraham Lincoln was from.”
“Yes, such a shame he was killed. As a child, I went to the funeral.”
“How did you come to Russell Gulch, if you don’t mind me asking.” Lobo took another cookie.
“Not at all. My husband was sure we’d find our future in the West, so we came this way as newlyweds all full of hopes and dreams. Mr. Baker died when an unseasonable blizzard left him unprepared.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, ma’am.”
“Thank you. Fortunately, he found enough gold for me to build this boarding house, which has kept me busy and well enough off that I can live comfortably, even if it is a bit lonely at times.” Mrs. Baker rocked in her chair. “How about you? How did you end up here?”
“Gold, like most folks, I suspect. Actually, I found a good amount in those hills.”
“And you’ve never found the right woman to settle down with?”
“No… Yes, I did. I left her alone in Frankford and took off to find our fortune. While I was busy finding gold, she found another man.”
“Oh, dear.”
“About broke my heart, Miss Lillian did.”
Heyes slowly walked down the stairs. “Sorry about the wait, Lobo. What’s Thaddeus want?”
Lobo stood and went to the door. “He didn’t say. Just asked me to get you.” He turned to the widow and tipped his hat to her. “Thank you, ma’am, for the plate of cookies. Appreciate it!”
Mrs. Baker stood. “Any time. Mr. Smith, will you or Mr. Jones be here for dinner tonight?”
“You can count on one of us. We'll probably have to take a plate of food to the office for the other.”
“That won’t be a problem; I can fix you up a plate. We’re having pork chops and applesauce.”
Lobo’s face lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July. “Pork chops and applesauce. I haven’t had that since I was home in Missouri.”
“Would you like to come to dinner, Deputy Lobo? I usually have extras.”
“Oh, I couldn’t…”
Heyes smiled. “Sure, you could! Mrs. Baker is an excellent cook.”
“Well, if the sheriff don’t need me...”
“I’m sure we can manage without you during dinner.” Heyes put on his hat.
“Well, that settles it.” Mrs. Baker nodded. “Dinner will be at 5:00, Deputy.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Heyes opened the door. “Let’s go see what Thaddeus wants.”
When they arrived at the jail, Sheriff Jones looked up and raised a brow. “Took you longer than I thought.”
“That was my fault.” Heyes smiled. “Oh, the boarding house is having pork chops and applesauce for dinner tonight. Lobo got himself an invitation.”
“Unless you need me,” Lobo said as he sat down in one of two chairs placed in front of the desk.
“No, you deserve a good cooked meal once in a while.” The Kid’s smile turned serious. “Have a seat, Joshua. There’s been a complaint…”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After dinner, the Kid brought over dinner to Heyes at the office.
“How’d it go?” Heyes uncovered the plate and began eating.
“Couldn’t have gone better.” Curry sat down. “Lobo was talkin’ to the kids a lot and I saw Mrs. Baker watchin’ him. I think we have them noticin’ each other.”
“Good. Good.” Heyes took a drink of water. “Don’t have time for a long romance. Have to come up with something.”
“I think somethin’ with the kids should do the TRICK.”
“OR, TREAT them to some alone time to get to know each other better.”
“You think about it more while I go back and get some sleep.” The Kid stood. “You about done?”
Heyes took the last bite of food. “Yep. You can take this plate back and the one that had the cookies.”
“Have a nice night, Heyes.”
“You, too.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The next day, Deputy Lobo was doing his rounds through town. Across the street he noticed Mrs. Baker and the two children coming out of a store, her hands loaded high with packages. He waved.
“There’s Deputy Lobo!” Tommy pointed and began running towards him.
“Tommy!”
A wagon came accelerating quickly down the road.
“Tommy!” Lobo ran in front of the wagon and lifted the boy up in his arms, mere feet from the horses and wagon wheel.
The driver slowed and looked apologetic. “Sorry, Deputy!”
“You should be! Take it slower when going through town.”
Lobo carried the shaken boy back to his mother and set him down. “Gotta watch where you're going, Tommy. Wagons don’t think about looking out for children in a mining town.”
“Yes, sir.” Tommy hung his head.
“I don’t know how to thank you.” Mrs. Baker shifted the packages in her arms.
The deputy pulled out two pieces of hard candy from his pocket and looked at Mrs. Baker. “May I?”
She smiled. “Yes, Deputy, you may.”
“Tommy, if you give me a smile, I’ll give you a peppermint. You too, Tillie.”
Both children smiled and held out their hands for the candy.”
“What do you say?” prompted Mrs. Baker.
“Thank you,” the siblings said in unison before popping the peppermint into their mouths.
“Mrs. Baker, may I assist you in taking those packages back to the boarding house?” Lobo reached out and took most of the supplies in his arms.
“Why, thank you, Deputy.”
Kid Curry grinned and stepped back into his office.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Heyes yawned as he came down the boarding house stairs. When he was about halfway down, he heard voices and children's laughter outside and then the front door opened.
“Deputy Smith, guess what? Deputy Lobo saved my life!” Tommy exclaimed as they walked into the house. “You should’ve seen him.”
Heyes sat on the second stair so he was at the child’s level. “He did? What happened?”
“He ran out in front of a wagon and got me before the horses did!”
“Oh, really?”
Tommy nodded his head. “He was so brave!”
“It sounds like it.” Heyes looked up and caught the deputy's eye. “What exactly happened?”
“Oh, Tommy saw me across the street and ran over to me without seeing a wagon.” Lobo shrugged and made light of the incident. “I just got him and took him back to Mrs. Baker.”
“Yes, but not before running in front of the wagon and grabbing Tommy before the horses ran him over.” Mrs. Baker beamed at the deputy. “You can put those things down on the table.”
Lobo put all the packages down and removed his hat. “Well, if that’ll be all, I s'pose I'd better be getting back to the sheriff's office.”
“Please do say you’ll come for dinner again, Deputy. It’s the least I can do after you saved Tommy and carried all my things.”
“I’d be honored to do so, ma’am.”
“And please call me Hattie.”
“Only if you call me Lobo.”
“Lobo?”
“Yes, Hattie. My Christian name is Horatio,” Lobo said quietly. “I was named after a grandfather.”
“Oh.” Hattie thought a moment. “And your middle name?”
“My middle name? Well, that would be Edward.”
Hattie cocked her head to the side. “Have you ever considered going by your middle name of Edward or Ed instead of your first name?”
Lobo grinned. “No, but I think that’s an excellent idea! Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Ed. Dinner will be at 5:00 again.”
Heyes and Lobo left the boarding house.
“Joshua, do you think the sheriff would mind if I left work a little earlier and got myself cleaned up for dinner?”
“I’m sure Thaddeus wouldn’t mind.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Heyes walked into the office and threw his hat on the desk before sitting down. “Did you hear what happened?”
“I saw what happened! Tommy about got ran over but Lobo saved him. Saw him carrying Mrs. Baker’s packages, too.”
“That’s not all. They’re using first names now.”
“You’re kiddin’! He wants to be known as Horatio?”
“Actually, Mrs. Baker, Hattie, heard his Christian name and asked what his middle name was.”
Kid Curry made a face. “Not worse than Horatio, is it?”
“Nope. It’s Edward so she is calling him Ed.”
The Kid smiled. “That’s great! What Tommy did is really bringin’ them together.”
“It sure is.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Kid Curry came back to the boarding house late. On the porch swing sat Hattie and Ed drinking tea and talking.
“Mr. Jones, you’re finally home. Let me get your dinner.” She started to get to her feet.
The Kid waved her back. “You stay and enjoy the nice evenin’. I can go into the kitchen and get dinner for me and Joshua.” He walked into the house, glanced back out on the porch, and grinned.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Sheriff Jones walked into the mortician’s office, a bell ringing when he opened the door.
“I’ll be right there,” came a voice from the back.
“No hurry.”
The mortician wiped unknown fluids from his hands onto an apron. “Sheriff Jones, I’d shake hands, but…”
“No need to explain, Mayor Grove, and I appreciate it that you don’t.”
“What can I help you with? Did you bring me another new client?”
“No. I was just wonderin’ about a replacement for sheriff.”
“Replacement? The town merchants are quite happy with you and Deputy Smith.”
“What about Deputy Lobo?” the Kid asked.
“We’re quite pleased how Lobo appears to have turned his life around.”
“Enough to consider him a sheriff?”
“Well, I’m not so sure about that. I mean… What if he falls off and starts drinking again?”
“What if he was to settle down and have a family? That’d keep him from drinkin’ again.”
“True. True.” Milton Grove leaned back against the wall. “I suppose we’d have to reconsider if he was to settle down. Are you and Deputy Smith planning on leaving?”
“Well, we were on our way to Denver to visit some friends when we came through here. We kinda like travelin’ around and seein’ the West.”
“Oh,” Grove said deflated. “What if we offered you a raise? You and Smith?”
Curry sighed. “We’ll have to talk about it.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A young teen hurried into the jail. “A telegram for you, Sheriff.” He handed a piece of paper to the Kid.
Heyes looked up from his book. “What’s it about?”
“Marshal Dillon is visitin’ in three weeks,” the teen said.
The sheriff scowled. “You shouldn’t be tellin’ others what’s in a telegram. What if it was confidential?”
The teen hung his head. “Sorry, Sheriff.”
The Kid handed him a nickel and said in a friendlier tone, “Now get outta here.”
“Thanks, Sheriff!” The teen pocketed the coin and left.
Heyes stood. “Does it say why he’s coming?”
“Nope.”
“It doesn't really matter. We have to be gone by then.”
“Yep.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
It was a little over a week later that Lobo sat on a blanket by a creek with what was a picnic lunch spread before him. Hattie sat near him, putting the dishes away.
Ed took a deep breath. “Hattie?”
“Yes, Ed.”
“I know we haven’t known each other long, but it seems like we’ve known each other a lifetime.”
“I know what you mean.”
“I’m just a deputy, but I do have quite a bit put away. I guess what I’m asking is… Hattie, would you consider marrying me?”
Hattie blushed. “Oh Ed, I would love to, but…”
Lobo’s face fell.
“…there are the children. It’s not just me. You’d be getting a family.”
Lobo grinned. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Hattie Baker, and I would love to be a father to Tommy and Tillie.”
“You would?”
“I would!”
“Oh, Ed, I love you, too!”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Ed and Hattie walked into the office, hand in hand. Lobo cleared his throat when the sheriff didn’t look up from his paperwork and the deputy continued reading. “Sheriff Jones and Deputy Smith?”
They both looked up and grinned.
“We just wanted you to be the first to hear that Hattie and I are getting married.”
The two lawmen stood up.
“That’s great, Lobo! Congratulations!” Sheriff Jones came from around his desk and shook his deputy’s hand.
“That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time! Congratulations!” Deputy Smith shook Lobo’s hand. “When is the big day?”
“In about two weeks.”
_________________
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"Do you ever get the feeling that nothing right is ever going to happen to us again?" - Kid Curry
Thu Oct 01, 2020 10:03 am
at the moment, but, we still have ex-outlaws ... and we have our Ladies Appreciation Society ...
