Busted Gulch vol 9

New Year, New Chance(baileygaines)

New Year, New Chance

"You planning to run?"

"No." And with that one word it begun.

"I don't do long term

It's just not me.

You're probably right

To just call it a night."

And what a night.

But he had left before the morning light.

Lou had given him hope when he needed it badly

He had comforted her when she'd been weeping sadly.

He wanted to show her that he

could be everything she thought he could be.

He'd bring back the girls, if only to prove,

that he was worthy of her; worthy of love.

Bruce sighed,

blinking to keep his eyes open wide.

Hunting down the hidden girls was proving to be

a task that grew in difficulty continually.

He'd followed the wagon tracks left by Wade,

trying to find the hideouts Domain had made.

"Funny how a man who upholds the law

has more hideouts than me, a con."

Suddenly the wagon tracks disappeared

and there was not a trace of Pearce.

Bruce pulled up short, his musings stopped.

Off the face of the earth Pearce had dropped.

He hunted around and finally found

where Pearce and his wagon had gone to ground.

A tiny, well-hidden shack

with the wagon tracks out back.

Bruce readied his gun and peeked around the house,

being quiet and stealthy as a mouse.

There stood Wade,

in his hand a spade.

His face long and sad as he stood by the grave

of the beloved sister he could not save.

Bruce stepped out and put his gun away,

he came up to Wade as he started to pray.

They stood in silence

for a few minutes

then Wade looked up.

"What can I do for you...Buck?"

"Not Buck. I'm the scarred one, see?"

Wade frowned. "Bruce, what do you want with me?"

"I need to know where the other girls are."

"I s'pose I should tell you since you've come this far."

They went in to exchange information,

and soon Bruce had the girls' locations.

He hightailed it out, asking Wade to go

find Lou and let her know.

He had no way to know she'd been sitting in jail,

or that Lou was now trying to find his trail.