The Course of True Love - Book l

Horseshoe Overlook - The First Shall Be the Last

Arthur returned to camp late that evening, more around eleven o'clock. The storm had passed and he had never been so happy to see those flickering lanterns that made up camp. Most members were sleeping, except for a select few men who had been taking turns on guard duty shifts. "Good to see ya back, Arthur!" Lenny chuckled as he greeted him.

"Never been so glad to be off this damn horse!" Arthur chuckled, dismounting Dahlia and rolling his shoulders.

"I'd say so. You get Micah out?"

"Unfortunately," Arthur grumbled. "Where's Miss Barlow?"

"You mean Minnie?"

"Yeah, she won't let me use her first name to address her." Arthur replied sarcastically, although he was embarrassed.

Lenny chuckled, "She went to bed about an hour ago I guess. Said she wasn't feelin' too good. She looked a little rough when she got back."

"Whatchu mean?" Arthur asked, his voice coated with worry, even though he was desperately trying not to make it obvious that he had been worrying about her.

"I don't know for sure. She was limping and I was teasin' her asking if her horse threw her or somethin', but she shook her head and said she had a little 'run in' with someone on her way back. I don't know, she don't really say much about what happens when she leaves camp..." Lenny explained. "You worried or somethin'?" He teased.

Arthur paused, "N...No, just wonderin' is all,"

"Alright then," Lenny shook his head as he watched Arthur untack Dahlia before lugging the saddle to his tent with him, sending his mare off to pick grass with the other horses. He heaved a sigh as he immediately went to the chest at the foot of his cot, picking out a clean wardrobe as he felt sticky and hot. After changing clothes, he sipped on a cup of coffee as he calmed his nerves, walking by Minnie's tent and checking on her, relieved to see that she was sleeping soundly with no new wounds. Comforted by seeing that she was okay and breathing, he felt that he could rest soundly after writing a brief passage in his journal:

Ended up saving Micah from jail in Strawberry. What a fool I was by even thinking about breaking him out. Speaking of saving, I don't know what my place in this gang is anymore. I reckon I'm just the rescuer now. Saved Reverend Swanson from being hit by a train because he was a fool and baptized himself with liquor and saved Micah because he couldn't keep his dick sucker shut and got himself into a fight. In the meantime, I guess I'm out robbin' cousins with Hosea stealing their stagecoaches for money. What a crazy position I'm in now. To make it all in the mix, my feelings for Miss Barlow are growing more and more each day all while I'm haunted by the constant ping of wonder from Mary... Wondering if she'll ever write to me again, even though it's probably her needing a favor... How I need to talk to Hosea more. Maybe I'll be wiser instead of dumber.

With a deep breath, he closed his journal, looking over at the scenery swept by darkness, the crickets and river indulging the dead silence as he took a few deep breaths to settle his nerves before relaxing for the night. "Before you go to bed," He heard Dutch whisper as his presence was about a few feet away from him. "Javier, Charles, and Trelawny are scoping out Blackwater for Sean. Meet them up there when you can."

"Sure," Arthur grumbled. "I'll go in the morning."

"Good. Take Miss Barlow with you. I have a feeling there's going to be some gunfire."

'Great,' Arthur thought to himself. He didn't mind having Minnie join him in a mission, but she was just another thing he was going to have to worry about, which made each mission twice as hard. Almost like he had to babysit Jack during a gunfight, ensuring that he was out of the way the whole time, even though Jack couldn't shoot back. Arthur nodded in response to Dutch before he crossed his ankles and folded one of his arms behind his head waiting for sleep to take him over.