For one moment, our eyes met, and, instinctively, we both looked away. My glass lay shattered on the floor and drew the attention of the bar dog still inside. He shouted, but his words didn't materialize in my head.

What was she doing here so soon? Who was this kid?

My hand scratched the back of my head, and I forced a smile. "You're back. Caught me by surprise."

"Yes," she replied, smiling in return, "This is —" she cleared her throat. Her head faced down. "This boy will stay with us for a while — he's my family's child."

Her face looked exhausted, and her ginger hair was wildly flying about, blocking her eye, although she had tried to pin most of it behind her back. She was wearing the same clothes. The only difference was the amount of dirt caked on it now.

The boy looked at her for a moment and said nothing. He had sunken eyes, as if he had been crying the entire time. It was pronounced even in the dark. The clothes he had on were mismatched and cut up.

Family? The word lingered in my mind. We barely even have actual for prog for ourselves. This was a first for me. Wasn't she chasing the Bull Prosecutors? That's what I had heard. She never mentioned to me any family in the area. From the boy's face, there was no resemblance between the two. This wasn't what I expected. I have to leave tomorrow. Did she really have to be back today? A day or two would have been better.

I bit my lip as she pushed the boy beside her, barring him from my view. She stepped up the stairs and passed me, blocking his sight. She was keeping something from me.

"I am tired," Karen said. "It was a long ride here. I am going to sleep. We can talk in the morning."

Before she opened the door, the bar dog was already there. He looked from the glass to me, to Karen.

"You know you're going to have to pay for that, right?" the bar dog's eyes meet mine.

"It was an accident, and it's no problem. I will pay tomorrow evening along with the rent. I should have some actual soon."

"You're only booked for two —" he paused as he looked at Karen's badge and the child. He didn't finish his sentence as he went back inside. Karen followed behind him.

What exactly happened there? The closer I get to you, Karen, the more I don't seem to know. There were tears in her eyes when she had brought me here, from home and now a child. Why do I feel so lost in everything that's happening to you? Right now, I could do with that spilled drink on the ground.

Despite the icy breeze, sweat ran down my face. As the last of the customers left, I made my way to our room. Karen lay in bed, and the boy was beside her, clutched in her arms.

There was barely any space there for me. This wasn't what I had expected when we met again. I looked at the floor and sighed. I guess that's where I would be for the night.

#

A gentle hand caressed my face as the sunburned my back.

"Karen?" the words fell from my lips. My body turned towards the soft hand that ran up my arm.

My eyes opened as the blur-shaped room came into focus. Karen sat on the floor beside me.

"I am sorry, I left you here alone and halfheartedly... I just had things I had to do," Karen said, her hand rubbing against my side as she looked away towards the only window in our room.

People's conversations banged against the walls as we tried our best to ignore them. My back ached, and I adjusted myself.

"It's alright," I said, receiving her hand. "You had to go after those Bull Prosecutors. You had to do your job. I was more worried about —"

"About if I would end up getting myself hurt?"

"Yes."

Karen chuckled briefly. "No, I am fine. It wasn't a smooth trip, though. One deputy ended up dying and," she gripped her hand into a fist. "Some people also died along the way." She took a deep breath.

Were they really that serious about shooting at a band of deputies? I could have lost her. This task had been more serious than I had believed. Back in the city, this would have never happened.

Our eyes met for a moment. I turned my body towards Karen, noticing the boy still sleeping on the bed.

"I —"

"I came back though, I came back to you." Karen placed a kiss on my forehead, my eyes, my cheek, and then finally on my lip. The kiss was wet and salty. She turned, her ginger hair covering her face. "Everything will be fine now that it's finally over."

"Karen, listen," I said, putting my hand into my satchel bag. "Here is some actual that I have for some work I did recently. It's not much. Use it to get yourself and the boy something to eat."

"You found work?" Karen asked.

"Yes... sort of. It's not consistent work, just a few odd jobs now and then. I have to leave soon to get started," I said as I got up.

"Wait," she said, holding my pants. "At least let's have breakfast together. It's been so long," Karen replied.

Breakfast? I contemplated, but my stomach growled, causing us both to laugh.

"Yes, I think that would be fine," I said, looking at the boy, who was now awake. "What's your name?"

There was no response from him, just those same sunken eyes I had seen from last night looking back into mine. There was clearly no resemblance between the two of them.

The boy stretched.

"His name is Ames," Karen said.

"Ames."

Ames nodded.

"Okay, let's have breakfast then. What time is it?" Instinctively feeling for my pocket watch that I knew wasn't there.

Karen pulled out my pocket watch in her hand. "It is seven o'clock."

"I was wondering where that went."

"I borrowed it for good luck."

"Okay, I thought I had lost it. At least next time let me know," I said, opening the door.

"Can I at least bathe first? I have a couple of cents."

"Fine, it's no problem."

Karen got up from the ground and stood beside me, dusting herself off. She drew closer to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek and then a hug as I leaned back on the door from her weight. I kissed her forehead. My hands fell around her waist, gripping her tightly. Looking outside the door, a lady walked by.

Karen whispered in my ear before nibbling it, "I won't be long, and don't worry. I know coming here cost us a lot, but I should get some actual soon for a southerner we found on the way up in Yukrit Mountains."

"A southerner?"

Karen placed a hand on my lips. "Shhhhh, I will be back soon."

She grabbed her clothes from the drawer and walked down the hall without giving me any time to respond. She kept me looking all the while.

"Damn, I am a lucky man."

My eyes fell back on the sorry room we were staying in. The boy sat on the bed, staring right out the window. The light revealed the faded brown paint on the wall and the few hanging portraits of ships.

On the counter was my gold pocket watch. I smiled. It was my father's only memory, and I thought it was lost, but Karen had taken it with her. For good luck?

Noise rumbled from outside. I closed the door and stepped toward Ames. I might as well acquaint myself with the boy while I wait. He certainly needs some new clothes.

"So Ames, is Karen your aunt or cousin?"

The boy looked at me for a moment but didn't respond. His gaze fell back to the window. In front of him was a parched piece of paper and an inked pen. When did he get that? Did Karen give him one of mine?

I laughed to myself, slumping back down on the ground. I had hoped we would have been able to talk a little. This is as much as I will get for now. The boy wrote a letter, which seemed to dominate his interest. When he was finished and was folding it up, Karen returned to the room.

She looked like a totally different woman. Karen was wearing a dress, and her hair was folded behind her. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen her like that.

"Well, are you ready for breakfast?" Karen asked.

I nodded.

We all left the room and headed upstairs to the terrace. Many wooden tables and chairs were up here, dressed with a standard knife and fork. The sun's light had difficulty piercing the veil of many plants that blocked its path.

We were now all seated around the table. I couldn't help but keep my eyes on Karen. She was stunning with a fresh glow, and the other people at different tables took notice. I don't think they realized this was the same deputy hunting down those Bull Prosecutors. She was the same deputy that they feared.

A waitress came to our table.

"Good morning. What will you fine folk be having today?"

"Coffee for us to start and for the child."

"Blue John," Karen said.

The boy nodded in agreement.

"Can we get some pancakes?" I asked.

"Overland trout and cackleberries as well," Karen said.

The waitress nodded. "Hen-fruit stir, cackleberries, blue John, overland trout, and brown gargle?"

We nodded, and she moved away to the other tables, leaving us alone.

"So," I said, looking around at the hanging plant above us. "Ames doesn't talk much."

Karen chuckled. "No, he doesn't say much, but he's been through a lot. We both have."

"Okay," I said, drifting my view from him to the women walking towards their table.

"What do you have to do today?"

The question made me pause as I adjusted myself in the chair and wiped my hand on my pants.

"It's just some odd jobs helping someone move some stuff and whatever else they might need. I will know the full details when I get there. I can't really say no when actual is tight."

"And what time will you be back?" her eyes shifting towards Ames.

"Not fully sure about evening time, maybe, but before the end of the day."

"Okay, I have something to do as well, and when you get back, I might need you to keep Ames for me for a bit. It's one of the last things I have to do here. Then once we get enough actual we will head back, together."

Head back already? I was now getting adjusted to the place. Wasn't she stationed to work here?

Before I could ask a single question to Karen about why we would move so fast, two women having a conversation seated at another table spilled across to ours.

"Did you read the news about Pastor Matters this morning?" the woman asked.

Karen's body tensed at the mention of that name; her hand rested on the table and gripped the knife tightly. Karen adjusted herself, backing away from the people talking, and her smile was gone.

Was Karen alright?

"No, I didn't hear," the other woman replied.

"Apparently, he was shot and killed by those Bull Prosecutors in a shootout, it seems along with the village. They didn't identify who the assailants of the shootout were, but from witnesses, they say they shot him right in the head."

"He was such a good man. I went there before for a sermon. At least his death was avenged."

There it was again. The Bull Prosecutors? These bastards were something else to begin with: how many more innocent people would die at their hands?

The waitress brought the prog to our table, and we ate silently.

#

"You took your time getting here," Bill said as I got off my horse.

Bill was standing right next to the post office with his medicine wagon, a gleeful smile on his face. He always smiled, knowing what he did wasn't right.

I had to do this. For now, I kept telling myself. It was for the actual I still had a few debts to pay.

"Karen came back last night, so we had breakfast this morning."

He laughed, stepping towards me. "Don't mind, you're late. The southerner hasn't gotten here as yet."

"The southerner?"

Bill came forward to me and whispered as people passed. "Where do you think I get my stuff from? He is supposed to negotiate our deal with those Indians so I can get certain medication and herbs. Still coming down from Yukrit Mountain, I would think he would be here by now. We had planned this day a month ago."

Yukrit Mountain? The word bounced around in my head. Karen had arrested a man from Yukrit Mountain.

I took a deep breath. "The southerner is in jail."