The van der Linde gang has taken shelter deep in the snowy mountains in an old mining camp known as Colter, following their botched robbery in the town of Blackwater. They are cold, hungry and unsure of what their futures hold. As Arthur Morgan is o...
K woke about three hours later from the bright sun shining through the windows of their room, along with the muggy heat that was rising for the day already. She feels for Arthur in the bed next to her but the space was empty. She gets up and gets dressed before heading for the stairs where she almost runs into Dutch as he's exiting his room.
"Oh, hey. Sorry Dutch."
"No harm done my dear. I'm glad you're up. I told Arthur and Lee that they'd have to wait for you to join us before I would explain why I sent Charles to track down you three the way I did. Please, join me?" He asks, offering his elbow as he gestures towards the stairs.
"Sure. Okay." She smiles as she loops her arm around his elbow before they proceed to head down the stairs.
"So everything went smoothly then? In regards to returning the children to their families?" He questions her.
"Yes. Talk about an amazing feeling when you get to witness a reunion like that that you had a part in making possible. The love and relief and appreciation that radiated from them after being reunited with the children they'd thought they'd lost for good. There's nothing like it."
"Hm. I can imagine. You and Arthur have become their guardian angels it would seem."
K just smiled at that thought as they exited the old house to step out on the front porch.
"Arthur! Lee!" Dutch calls out. Arthur sets the ax down and Lee tops off the water barrel before setting down the bucket to join Arthur as he heads over to Dutch.
"Now that everyone is here I can share what Hosea and I discussed and found ourselves in agreement on while you were gone. First off, Lee. We've talked it over and decided we would like it if you would stay here with us. For as long as you'd like, as a member of our family."
Lee swallows hard. He looks from Dutch to Arthur then to K. "Really? You'd let me stay here? Be a-a, a van der Linde?"
The three smile at him as Dutch nods. "If you'll have us." He adds.
"Yes! Thank you sir! I promise to work real hard and do everything I can to help out around here!"
"You will also join young Jack in routine lessons with Hosea or myself, in order to further your basic knowledge of reading and writing and arithmetic. Agreed?"
"Sure!"
"Excellent. In that case if you're one of us now you'll need a horse of your own. We just so happen to have a very good horse that recently lost his owner and we would like you to fill that role for him. Could you do that?"
"Really? My own horse?! Yes! I will gladly be his new owner and take care of him!"
Dutch guides him over to the hitching posts. "Well then Lee, I'd like to introduce you to Baylock. He belonged to a close friend of mine that recently passed and he needs a good man to look after him now. You think you could handle that?"
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