Lydia watched as Galen unwrapped his hands over the counter and dipped them in the heated water. His declaration, when he returned from town, had sparked an argument that neither wanted nor won. Now, in the ensuing silence, both parties silently rehearsed new objections.

"They still look swollen, Galen. This is too soon." Her observation was made in a strict schoolmarm voice.

"They aren't as bad as they look. Don't hurt much any more."

"This is plumb foolishness, Galen. You could wire the Marshal and tell him what's happening. Why do you have to go?"

He turned and leaned on the counter, drying his hands. "The marshal would never get there in time. Besides, I told you, Lydia - and don't you dare snap at me - it's the right thing to do."

She huffed and slapped her hands on sides of her thighs. "The famous Helliwell ethic for all occasions."

"I said, don't snap at me."

"Don't you tell me whether I can snap or not! I'll snap if I please . . ."

They stood, trading hard looks until he dropped his eyes, sighing, and Lydia landed against him with a thud, arms about his back and head buried in his chest.

"Galen, promise me . . ."

He hugged her back and spoke softly into her hair. "I promise, Lydia. I promise."

******

Stanley felt the old familiar weight the way it settled on his back, and his head jerked up with anticipation when Galen gave him the tongue cluck and nudge.

"You feel it don't you boy. A long fast trip comin' up."

"You say somethin', Mr. Helliwell?"

"Talkin' to Stanley, here, Arch."

"Stanley? Your horse?"

"Yep. Rely on him a lot for information. Never steered me wrong yet." Galen glanced across at the man who had agreed to help with seeing that Duggan and his daughter were safe. "Your friend reliable enough not to go spoutin' off to Huber?"

"Lou's long gone. Headed out of town the minute I agreed to come with you. He's a good man, just not one to take up a cause."

The statement made Galen chuckle, and he signalled Stanley to begin the ride.

******

Huber wrenched the cinch tight on his horse, fuming over the reported news from his man.

"Helliwell. The one who beat up on Reed. I knew he had something to do with this. And Gainer went with him, you say?"

"Both of them left first light this mornin'."

He swung up into the saddle and pivoted his horse around as he delivered instructions to the four men with him. "We won't beat them to Arrow Bend, but we'll sure as hellfire come back ahead of them. Let's ride."

Silas and Carl Ghent sat on their respective wagons, grinning ear to ear as Huber and his men raced out of town. Their hauling business just grew very busy. Up the street, Abner considered his cigar, eyes squinting at the diminishing dust cloud raised by the riders.

"Lord be with you, Galen . . . Lord be with you."

******

"What's your plan when we find them?" Arch poked at the small fire between them, with a short branch. A full moon filtered through the trees over their campsite, and with the firelight, they could see all around quite clearly. They had ridden all day and stopped for the night, planning on arriving in Arrow Bend early morning.

"I'm curious about your reason for comin' along."

"Make sure they're safe and they know what's happened - and what might happen." Arch poured some more coffee from the small pot into his tin, and stared at it as he swirled it slowly. "Finally saw Huber and some of his men for what they really were. I hired on 'cause the pay was good, and the work was pretty easy, but the man was a cheat and a bully."

"Don't answer why you came with me." Galen laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back against his saddle.

"I told you what Huber had in mind. Why I left him. I don't feel right just walkin' away from that man and his daughter. They didn't do anythin'." Arch swallowed some coffee. "What about you? Why are you so all fired to help them?"

Galen sat up. He calculated telling Arch what started all the trouble, what even cost him his job. He studied him for a moment, then spelled it all out.

"Now that was darn right devious." Arch wasn't sure whether to smile or be mad after listening for half an hour, how the whole town duped Huber. "You folks planned the whole thing?"

"What you said about him bein' a cheat was very true. He wanted Harley out and he didn't want to have to pay him anything. Scarin' his daughter and leavin' all that mess about to hinder his business. It was a way to avoid serious trouble, particularly when he had all you boys to back him up. We just led him to be his own loser."

Arch shook his head, a big smile growing across his stubbled face. "I never heard of nothin' so crazy in all my life. Sure wish Lou could have known afore he left, he woulda loved that." The smile faded, "But it got violent anyways. You near as killed Reed, and now Huber and his boys are out for blood."

"Not everything is Ace high. Some hands have to win on a bluff. As for Reed, that was also personal." Galen's tone hardened. "Time to grab some shut-eye, we'll leave before it's light."

******

Arrow Bend was a mess. The main, and only street, suggesting there was once a town, was mostly flanked by destruction. Buildings broken and sagging, their boards weathered and coated in dust. Debris lay about in careless abandon, some already salvaged for firewood or new temporary construction.

Huge cracks ran across the street, remnants of the earthquake that had turned the town to rubble and sent the citizens on their quest for new homesteads. Mother Nature had had her tantrum and dusted her hands - satisfied.

The few residents that remained behind believed in the chance that the local mines might have revealed new veins, and an opportunity for the wealth they worked so eagerly to acquire. One such miner was a relative of Harley Duggan's deceased wife, and it was a relative Harley felt he needed to see.

Walter Hennessey stood leaning on a long handled shovel outside his crude cabin, watching the carriage approach across the rugged ground. He never had many visitors, and certainly none that arrived in a carriage. He stood still as the man stepped down, helping a young girl out and to his side.

"Walter Hennessey?"

"And you might be?"

"Harley Duggan, your sister's husband, and this is your niece, Audrey."

"My land . . ." Faded grey eyes drifted over the young girl and back to Harley. "You're Melinda's husband? I wouldn't have knowed you. How long has it been?"

Harley wrapped an arm over his daughter's shoulder. "Eleven years about. Right before the quake."

"Right . . . right . . . Can't believe it's that long ago." His voice drifted off, and he swayed a bit on the shovel.

"Walter? Is there some place we can sit and talk?"

"Huh? Oh- ain't any space in the cabin. We can go into town, there's a couple of spots that have been left standin'"