Yellowstone

Chapter 26 - Hallelujah

18k!! You guys are amazing!!

"Teeter!" Colby howled, stumbling through the water. After being knocked out, he'd lost sight of her.

The cold air and now dark landscape didn't help him either.

Teeter peaked up from the bushes, shivering and teeth chattering. There was a bleeding gash on her temple, dangerously close to her eye.

Colby retrieved a blanket from the vehicle near the river and quickly wrapped it around the woman to protect her privacy.

He carried her bridal style and set her down on the grass, being quick to take the medical bad down to the ground with her.

He sat on his knees in front of her, cleaning her wound the best he could despite his panic and shivering.

She bit into the blanket while he stapled her wound shut.

"We need to get back, ok?" He told her, helping her stand. Only then did she notice the cuts scattered across his chest. "The doctor'll fix you up right."

In a rare moment of seriousness, Teeter leaned in and the two wranglers kissed, emotions rushing through both of them like landslides.

"Thank you." Teeter struggled.

"You're... You're welcome."

*~*~*~*~*

"Can I get some water please?" Walker asked, slinking up to the bar with his guitar case in one hand.

"That song you just sang... what's it about?" A lone woman seated at the bar asked him. She was the last remaining person in the bar aside from the employees.

"Well... reckon it's about death." He told her, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder.

"You know death?" She asked, looking him up and down.

"Kind of an expert on it." He answered, taking a sip from the glass of water he was brought. "You look like you're kind of an expert on it too."

"Pretty much." The woman smiled.

As Walker began to leave, the woman spoke again. "Where are you headed?"

"Home."

"Where's home?"

He shrugged a little. "Out northeast."

The woman got up from her seat and sauntered over to him. "Need a place to stay for the night?"

"I think up on that stage is about as good as I get. I ain't got much left to give." He told her.

"I'll do the giving." She tried again.

He looked her up and down. "You're sweet, but I'm gonna say no. I've got my sights set on Paradise Valley."

The woman flinched a little. "Why all the way out there?"

"Because that's where my home is. I can only pray that she's still there, though."

Walker turned and left, leaving the woman with a confused look on her face.

He walked out through the back alley, sighing through his nose. He could see his breath vaporizing in the air.

Unfortunately, his solitude was quickly interrupted as Rip landed a strong punch to his cheek.

Before Walker could regain his composure, Lloyd had taped his mouth and his hands and tossed both him and his things into the backseat of Rip's truck.

*~*~*~*~*

"Got a minute?" Lloyd asked Kayce.

Kayce furrowed his brow with confusion. "For what?"