Emiliano and the gang were downstairs eating breakfast. Annmarie and some of the women cooked for them and stood watch. "So Annmarie, did ya and the new guy do it?"

"No, he's very dignified."

"Darn, I would have crawled all over him! Men like him are rare; so mighty lookin'. Franky almost had me all night!" The women giggled amongst themselves while the men finished eating.

Madame Belle arrived downstairs. "I hope y'all had a good night."

"We did. It's thanks to you, Madame," answered Richard. "Thanks for the breakfast; we best be going to John."

"Ya know, I heard that Dolan and Murphey are tryin' to get Luke Bixby on their side."

Everyone stilled. "Luke Bixby? I heard that he's one of the richest ranch owners in Lincoln County. I remember that John once asked him to join his side; he refused," stated Jose. "Word spread that he doesn't want to be part of any side."

The Madame crossed her arms. "That's why Dolan and Murphey are tryin' to get on his good graces, to get his support. However, I heard his son goes behind his back to meet with the two. I'm telling ya'll this as my final act of kindness. After this, y'all won't get any more information from me. I don't want to be part of yer messy war. Now go along!"

"Thanks for your hospitality and information, Madame Belle. Come on, men, we need to start heading out."

Emiliano stood and eyed Annmarie; he smiled and waved. Madame Belle noticed and waved at him. "Yer welcome any time. I hope you will wanna try one of my flowers; ya can even ask for my services."

A nervous laugh escaped his lips as he left the bedhouse and got on his horse, as did his comrades. "Geez, Emiliano. Yer the charmer! Ya even got the Madame wantin' ya. It pays off to be good-lookin'," laughed Franky.

The group rode away from the county until they got to grassy plains filled with cattle, sheep, and other animals. Cowboys were seen keeping watch of the livestock. Moments later, a large house was seen; they were closing in toward their destination. However, a long wooden fence covered certain parts of the plains to prevent the cattle from running away. Once in front of the fence entrance, two men stood watch with their rifles in hand. They opened it, letting the men enter.

When getting closer to the large house, a man was seen walking out. The horses were commanded to stop. The man smiled at the group and extended his arms. "Y'all came back! I wonderin' when y'all were comin'!"

Richard immediately got off his horse. "John, we were gone for a few days, but it sure felt like forever!" The men shook hands and hugged one another. "Sorry we took so long; we had things come up. We also have a recruit." He looked at Emiliano as he got off his horse. "This here is Emiliano Quinteras. Emiliano, this is John Tunstall."

The men were face to face. Tunstall walked around him, eyeing him carefully. Emiliano also looked at him and was surprised at how young Tunstall was. His employees stopped before him. "What made him wanna join our group?"

"He's pretty smart, charming, and a smooth talker," Richard answered.

"Only when necessary, Mr. Tunstall."

"Really now?" Tunstall became curious.

Franky whistled. "He sure is! He saved a bedwarmer and convinced Madame Belle to let us sleep in the bedhouse for free!"

Tunstall raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Gazoos. It ain't easy convincin' Madame Belle to get anythin' free. Where ya from?"

"From the Mescalero Tribe, sir."

Tunstall nodded while clapping his hands. "I like ya already! You don't beat around the bush! When ya joined the Regulators, ya were told of the situation."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I need more men to guard and help me with my business." A sigh escaped his lips as he massaged his forehead. "It's a good thing y'all came back. My cowboys told me that unknown chuckleheads were seen close to my land."

Franky and the others got off their horses. "They're probably Dolan and Murphey's men. Good thing we came in the nick of time. We can be on guard with the others."

Tunstall nodded. "Thanks, ya'll. Maybe y'all can introduce our new comrade to the others. I'm sure they would like to know our extra hand." He then extended his hand toward Emiliano. The men shook hands. "Welcome to the family; ya protect us, and we protect ya'."

"Thank you, Mr. Tunstall."

"Don't call me Mr; I ain't that old. Ya can call me either Tunstall or John. The cowboys are mighty good men if ya treat them with respect. As long as ya do so, then they'll respect ya."

Emiliano chuckled. "Of course, I look forward to it."

Richard and Tunstall entered the house while the others led Emiliano to the horse stables. As they kept on walking, Franky went to Emiliano. "I wanted to let ya know that there's a fella with a temper. He's also very close to John and will do anythin' to protect him. He may be young, but don't let his looks deceive ya."

The young man was curious but agreed nonetheless. They arrived at the horse stables to put the horses in their place. The men gathered water and hay for their horses to eat.

"Ya'll came back! It took y'all a while."

Everyone stopped what they were doing. "What did ya expect? It was a long road. Besides, we have a new member in our group," said George while wiping dirt off his hands.

Emiliano saw that the cowboy had a child-like appearance, a crooked smile, and teeth. His face had slight acne with a hint of sunburn; his curly blonde hair was in disarray with a touch of dirt. He had dark brown eyes that held intimidation. The cowboy was short, but his presence held a command of respect. "So yer the newbie? What's yer name?"

"Emiliano Quinteras and your name is...?"

The child-like man gave a crooked smirk. "The actual name is Henry McCarty, but people call me Billy the Kid."

"Billy. Nice to meet ya." Emiliano extended his hand, but he was ignored. 

"I don't shake hands with newbies who haven't proven themselves first."

That's when Emiliano knew that Billy would be difficult to work with. "I see; you want to see if I am loyal to Tunstall, right?"

"Yer pretty smart. Too smart for yer own good." There was a sense of venom in his voice.

"I don't try to be; it's just how I am, Billy. I joined the Regulators, knowing the situation at hand. I also have personal reasons."

Billy walked closer; Franky extended his hand to stop Billy, but he pushed his arm away. "Ya have yer own reasons, eh? What reasons are they?"

"Billy, that's enough; Richard asked him to join us because he trusts him."

Emiliano patted Franky's shoulders as his eyes never left Billy. "I am also looking for someone I have a little grudge against. That's all."

The young cowboy snickered. "Hn, ya still gotta prove herself. I'll be keepin' an eye on ya." He walked out of the horse stables; Emiliano knew that he would face more battles than he was meant to believe.