An Outlaw's Redemption

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Present Day - March 1867

Practice. Practice is what perfected a good gun hand, but Jimmy knew Barlow had been the only man alive he'd ever known that never needed a day of practice. It came as natural to him as breathing did. Shame I did not get half that kind of luck, Jimmy thought to himself as he gazed out the window of his boxcar on the train. He was one of the best, but he had to train hard to get here, and keep training not to lose his edge. Weston could easily outdraw him if he wanted; thankful neither of them had ever had a reason to draw against one another.

But he hadn't seen Barlow in nearly a year.

I wonder where he's at these days...

The train jostled down the track as it wound around the mountain ever further to its impending destination. Jimmy looked over the telegram again and tapped it against the boot propped up on his knee. What exactly did this woman need him for?

The galley boy neared him with a tray, "Sandwich, coffee?" Pulling out a five-dollar bill, he handed it over, "Both please, and keep the change." The boy's eyes lit up as he handed over the items as his tip was a sizeable one in comparison to his usual tips. "Thank you, sir! If there's anything else, just let me know."

Carefully, Jimmy unwrapped the small ham & cheese on rye and took a hearty bite. It wasn't a T-boned steak, but it would fill his hunger for now. But even a T-boned steak would not have satisfied the ever-growing curiosity to reach Hope Springs and find out exactly what this mysterious woman had in mind.

* * * *

 Harvey shook his head, "I don't know what you expect me to do about it, Rachel. You saw him; I can't outdraw him, so how am I supposed to protect him?"

Rachel placed her hands firmly on her hips, "You're wearing a badge! At least try to be confident in its authority of justice! The law is behind you, isn't it?"

"Don't confuse the law with justice; they are rarely the same. The law represents the authority of a system. Justice is always about truth and integrity. I wear a badge to balance the scales."

"Then stand up and prove it, Harvey! There is a man out there, outnumbered, and he needs your help now! You know he'd do the same for you!"

Harvey swung one foot down from the desk and then the other as he stood and faced her, "No, I don't know that; but just the same, I swore an oath so I'll ride out and see what I can do."

Jaw locked, eye's narrowed, she said, "Don't let him die because of your own jealousy." He shot her a disapproving glare, "That's one thing I wouldn't do, Rachel. If you knew anything about me, you'd know that."

"Even if it means facing the Colonel to defend him?"

Harvey paused, "What does the Colonel have to do with anything?"

"He's the reason for this mess. He sent menout to kill Jack because he refused to sell, and then tried to hire Jesse to dothe killing...he'll stop at nothing until he gets that ranch, and you know it."

* * * *

Clay twisted his gloves tightly in his hands as if he were trying to strangle the neck of his enemy. How could Barlow betray his own gang like that? How could he betray me like that? After all the years I've stuck by him after the war...after all the times I never questioned him and did just as he said. How could he leave everything for nothing?

He wondered if he should just forget it and move on...but then Andy pressed, "Barlow knows the code. He chose to break it; he knows the consequences for that."
"So, we're just supposed to forget all the times he's let us off the hook?" Clay questioned, trying his best to let Barlow slide out of this punishment if for nothing else than the memories he owed him and the times he'd saved his life. Andy huffed, "Clay, if you want to lead this group, you'd best start acting like it."

Clay grit his teeth and locked his jaw, "Andy don't press your luck. You are extremely fortunate Barlow did not put an end to you back there; he had every right to as many times as you've tried him. Besides, as best I can recall, he can outdraw and outshoot anyone of us blindfolded. Now, do you really want to go against him? Because as far as I can see it, we don't stand much of a chance at coming out of it alive."

Andy shook his head, "He can't shoot all of us at the same time...or we shoot him in the back."

Each of the members shot Andy a disapproving glare. "That's cowardly," they all agreed. Clay added, "Besides, if you shoot Barlow in the back, I'll hang you myself, and that's a promise."

Andy spit a wad of tobacco at Clay's boot and smirked. Clearly telling them he wasn't impressed by their threats and was unmoved by them. Clay arched his shoulders back like a proud peacock establishing dominance as the new alpha of their group. It was apparent Barlow's absence wasn't the only obstacle he would have to face; sooner or later he and Andy would come head-to-head to settle their disagreements once and for all.

The other members decided they had no right to kill Barlow for had it not been for him, they would have all starved by now. They chose to let him go after the life they all wished they could have. But Andy disagreed, "If you all are a bunch of sissies, I'll take care of Barlow myself!"

* * * *

   "He was just standing there grinnin' like a weasel in a hen house," Everett huffed as his daughter crossed the floor toward the door, "how could he be so smug? A good for nothin' outlaw like him."

She pulled one dainty glove on at a time and sighed, "Papa, you've got to leave him alone."

"He's the reason we had to leave Tennessee in the first-place girl, all those lies he told."

"All those lies you told," she corrected, finally having found her own voice; finally having the courage to stand up to the man she'd feared for years. He looked just as surprised as she was, "What did you say?"

"You heard me," she grabbed her purse, "you had his Ma killed. You started the rumors about her...you are the reason our lives changed, and you are the reason he became an outlaw in the first place; don't go blaming him for trouble you started. He had every right to say what he did, and you haven't changed; asking him to kill Jack, really Papa?"

He stood, eyes flaming, nostrils flaring, "You'd best sit down, girl. I have a thing or two to teach you it seems." He tried backing her into a corner, but she stood her ground. Tears swelled in her eyes as he delivered a swift slap across her face for her defiance, "I will not have my own daughter say such things of me as long as she lives in my house!"

She held her head high, "It's goodbye then, Papa; because I will not live in a house where I am not respected either."

Opening the door, she stepped out and he called to her, "Once you're gone, don't bother coming back!" Lip's quivering, she sucked in a deep breath and pulled her shoulders back.

Do not worry, Papa...I won't be coming back.

* * * *

 Harvey and Sam rode out to the ranch and found Weston with the others practicing. Harvey dismounted his horse and neared Barlow, "Rachel said there was some trouble." Weston nodded, "Sheriff..." He sighed and then began, "I'm not who you think I am. My name is Weston Barlow...Babyface Barlow."

Harvey arched a brow, "You're wanted Dead or Alive, Barlow." He nodded, "I know...and if you help me stop Clayton from robbing Jack of everything then I will go with you to whatever prison or punishment the law deems fitting. I won't run, I won't even try to fight it, because it will be right for me to go..." Harvey glanced back at Sam, "I guess you knew about this?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders, "Not at first."

Harvey smirked, "What's the plan, Barlow?"

Sam questioned, "You mean you're not going to take him in?" The Sheriff shook his head, "No. He has proven himself to be a man of his word; besides, you think I can take him if he doesn't want to go?"