Jason was finally settling down.  Yep, he finally decided he’d had enough traveling and was really making a good life for himself.  Currently, he was hanging up a sign.  The sign read:  “McCord and McCord, Survey engineers.”

 

His grandfather, of course, watched from below, complaining that Jason wasn’t hanging the sign up right.  Jason informed his grandfather that he was heading over to the depot for a shipment of supplies.  The General decided he had things to do around there, so he wouldn’t be helping Jason. 

 

Suddenly, a big explosion came from the bank.  Jason immediately jumped down and ran to see what the heck was going on.  Three outlaws ran from the bank as Jason ordered his grandfather to stay behind the wagon.  The outlaws jumped on their horses to escape.  But there were more of them for sure.  A shootout erupted out on the street.  Jason killed one of the outlaws.

 

After the rest rode out of town, Jason hurried to the man’s side.  “Pa!  Pa!”  A little girl hurried up to her father laying in the street.  “Pa, get up!  Please get up!” the little girl begged.  “Pa, don’t die!  Please don’t die!”  But there was no hope for him.  He was struggling from internal injuries and weakly laid a hand on his daughter’s teeth.  He’d have to leave her now.

 

Then he died.  Jason and Ann watched as Ann held onto Jason, mourning for the little girl’s loss.  They bent down beside the girl.  Jason placed a hand on her shoulder.

 

Suddenly, the girl drew out a knife.  Jason caught her wrist before she was able to stab him with it.  “You killed my Pa!  I’ll pay you back no matter how long it takes, I’ll pay you back!” The little girl screamed at Jason.  Jason squeezed the girl’s hand so tight that she was forced to release the knife.  Jason said nothing.  There was nothing he could say.

 

Ann tried to find out who the girl was and if she had anymore family as The General looked on.  No matter what Ann asked, though, the girl wouldn’t say a single word. 

 

Jason returned with the sheriff.  They had no luck catching the outlaws.  The General assured Jason, though, that the money was locked up all snug and tight in their safe.  “Were they after the payroll for that gang of construction workers you’re in charge of?” the sheriff asked.  Jason affirmed that.  He also informed the Sheriff he wanted to keep that payroll money locked up in their office. 

 

The sheriff questioned Ann about the girl.  The General stated the girl wouldn’t even give her name.  Ann moved silently into the room.  “Her Pa called her Kellie.  Could be her first or last name,” the General stated.

 

“What do you intend to do with her?” Ann asked the sheriff.

 

“Not much to do except take her to the county seat.  They’ve got an orphanage there,” the Sheriff stated.  He told Ann it would be a day or two before he was able to get things squared away.  She’d go then.  In the meantime, Ann wondered, where would she stay?  “You can’t expect anybody to take her into their home.  She’s like a wild, little animal,” the Sheriff declared.  “The best place for her is in jail.”

 

“Sh…sh…she can stay with me,” Ann quickly stated.  “I’ll be glad to have her.”

 

“Don’t do me no favors!” Kellie suddenly yelled at Ann.  “I don’t want no favors…from none of ya!”

 

“Well, glad to see you found your tongue,” The General declared.

 

The Sheriff grabbed Kellie by the hand.  “Come on girl, let’s go!”  He started leading her for the door.

 

She jerked her hand free of him and backed away to stand by Ann.  “I change my mind!”

 

“Alright.  But don’t you give Miss Williams no trouble, and don’t try to run off!” the sheriff ordered her. 

 

“I got no place to run to.”

 

The outlaws were camped out.  They were mad because they didn’t get the money.  One of the outlaws decided the sheriff was sleeping on the money.  Another outlaw figured Kellie had told everybody all about them.  But no, another outlaw stated.  She wouldn’t snitch, not after she saw what they did to her old man.

 

“Maybe not now…But what about next week?” Another outlaws questioned.  “Yeah…I can see those wanted posters now.”

 

But the other outlaw shook his head.  “She won’t talk.  I bet my life on it.”

 

“You bet your life not mine!  Yeah…I think we’ll go back and get that kid…and the money if it’s still handy.”  But the other outlaw didn’t want any part of ‘taking care of the kid.’  The one who wanted to go back threw coffee in his face.  Suddenly, he agreed they’d go back.

 

Jason came to Ann’s office the next day to greet his fiancé.  She asked him if he’d had coffee, and he said he had a cup of The General’s.  “Have you ever tried to drink out of an alkaline well?”

 

Ann laughed.  They kissed.  Then she handed Jason a cup of her coffee.  “Smells good,” Jason said as he sniffed it.  Then he drank it as she watched.  “Oh, lady editor, you sure do make a beautiful pot of coffee!”

 

“There are some who think I’m kinda bright and even kinda pretty,” Ann fished.

 

“Hm?”  Jason looked at her.  “Oh, not me.  I just love your coffee.”  Then he took her in his arms and kissed her soundly. 

 

Ann finally pulled away from him.  “Hey, we have to be careful.  I have an impressionable young girl,” she reminded him. 

 

“I don’t think you could make an impression on her with a sledge hammer,” Jason grumbled as he picked up his cup of coffee. 

 

“I feel sorry for her, Jason,” Ann stated firmly.

 

“Look Ann honey, I know she’s had a rough life with a father like that.” Jason took a few steps away from Ann.

 

“But?” Ann stepped toward him.

 

“But…” Jason mumbled as he took another sip of coffee.

 

“But what?”  Ann folded her arms and looked at him sternly.

 

“But she’s hard as a rock right to the core, and to tell you the truth I’m worried about you taking her in.”  Jason pointed at her.  “Look Ann, some night, she’s likely to turn around and use that knife on you.”  Ann shook her head.  “That’s right!  Don’t let her fool you!  She’s…”

 

“Don’t you know why she is the way she is?  She’s grown up around men with attitudes like yours!” Ann argued.  “How do you know what she’s like at the core?  Does a woman understand another woman…”

 

“Alllll right!” Jason stopped her, his eyes growing wide.  “Your just as bad as she is,” Jason said with a grin.  Jason said he had to get out of there.  He thanked her for the coffee than went through the swinging gate. 

 

“You forgot this,” Ann stated as she held up a paper bag.

 

“Oh…it’s a dress…” Ann studied him suspiciously.  “For the girl!”

 

“Oh…” Ann gave him a pleased look.

 

Jason got defensive.  “Look, I figured that if we couldn’t change her on the inside, at least we can improve the outside a little.”  Ann smiled at him.  She approved.  Jason scurried out the door.

 

Ann went and opened the door to her living quarters.  Kellie had heard it all.  “I don’t want no dress from him!  I’ve got enough clothes!”

 

“You seem to be wearing them all at the moment,” Ann stated.  She got angry and stated she’d never had a fancy dress or fancy shoes.  “So who cares?  These suit me just fine.  You can tell him to take his old dress and keep it!”  Kellie shoved the bag out of her hand in anger.

 

“Well, it’s your dress.  You may do what you like with it,” Ann said softly. 

 

Later, Kellie and a boy were throwing a knife at a sign on the swinging door of a saloon.  She wasn’t too impressed with the way the boy was throwing.  Suddenly, the boy’s Pa hurried out of the saloon with the knife he had thrown.  He got onto his son and gave him a hard swat on the backside, telling him to get home.  The father grabbed Kellie’s knife.  “I heard what you tried to do with this, but not with me!”  He put the knife down and stomped on it.

 

“You broke my knife!” Kellie kicked him angrily.  That made the man angry.  He grabbed her and started shaking her.

 

Jason had seen the whole thing and hurried up to them. 

 

The man called Kellie dirt.  She called him a fat pig.  That made the man even more mad and he slapped her.  “I said let her go,” Jason suddenly said.  Kellie ran away from them.  The man pointed a finger at Jason.  “And don’t say anything,” Jason advised sternly. “Don’t DO anything, just walk away!  Now.”

 

The man started to walk away.  Jason turned to look at Kellie and the man turned back and punched Jason.  Jason threw him to the ground.  “That don’t mean a thing, McCord,” he grumbled.  “You still don’t belong in this town anymore than that kid does.”

 

In their office, The General had a hearty lunch ready for Jason: sandwiches and a whole pot of coffee.  “A man can’t stand an all night ritual on short rations,” The General stated.  “Sure you won’t need me?”

 

Jason told The General he’d be fine – it was only for one night.  They’ll pick up the money in the morning.  The General had to give Jason some orders.  Be sure he knew who was on the other side of the door before he opened it and stay alert!

 

Little did they know that the outlaws were back in town.

 

A knock sounded on the door.  Jason heard a soft knock on the door.  He held his gun out and approached the door with caution.  “Yes?”

 

“It’s me,” Kellie said softly.  Jason opened the door.  “I…I couldn’t sleep,” Kellie stated.  Jason invited him in.  He’s made some coffee.  She came right to the reason she came.  “Why’d you stick up for me today?”

 

“Well…I guess because he’s bigger than you,” Jason answered with a laugh.

 

“I know.  You want something from me, don’t ya?  You want the names of the other men.  You want me to tell you who they are!”

 

Jason cocked his head to one side and studied  her.  “No…Not unless you want to,” he said softly.  “But you remember, they killed a man at the bank yesterday.  And they’ll probably kill more before they’re through.”

 

“And you killed one yesterday too…MY PA!”  Jason asked her if she’d seen that happen.  Kellie nodded slightly.

 

Her father had told her to stay in camp until he got back but she grew tired of being alone.  She came to town and saw the shooting.  “Well then you know I had no choice.  They were coming at me…shooting.  It was them…or me.”

 

She thought on that for a moment.  “Is the General your Pa?”

 

She said it so quickly that it startled Jason.  “Oh no!  He’s my grandfather,” Jason said after he figured out what she was asking.

 

“Oh.  It’s almost the same thing, isn’t it?”

 

“Almost.”

 

“So if he did something wrong, you’d be mad at him.  But you wouldn’t give up on him, would ya?”

 

“No…no!” Jason answered.  “I wouldn’t give up on him.”

 

“My Ma died when I was six.  It hurt Pa something awful.  He lost his job and they took our house away after…He rode out with some men, and he changed.  I know he did a lot of wrong things, but he was my Pa!  You know, don’t you?  He was my Pa!” Kellie started crying.  Jason took her onto his lap and cradled her as she cried.  He gave her his bandana, which she accepted gratefully.  She wiped her tears as she sat up on his lap.  “I think I’m…leaving now,” she said.  “I guess it ain’t too bad at the orphanage.  When I get out maybe…maybe people won’t remember…I can start fresh like…like nothing ever happened.”

 

Jason wiped the tears from her cheek with his bandana, staying quiet and letting her talk.  “You..think I can do that McCord?”

 

“Sure I do.”  Kellie said goodnight.  But Jason stopped her.  He the bag with her dress in it and held it out to her.  “Well I can’t wear it!”  She accepted it then walked out the door.

 

As Kellie walked down the sidewalk, someone grabbed her from behind and put his hand over her mouth.  The outlaw told her they’d come to fetch her.  The least they could do was see that no harm came to her.  “You tell them about us?”

 

“No, and I won’t!” Kellie answered.  “So there’s no cause to trouble about me!”

 

The outlaw informed Kellie that the man she was talking to was the one that killed her Pa.  “If it wasn’t for him, we’d be cleared out of here with all that money.  I’ve got to get even with him.”

 

Kellie stopped him.  “You can still get that money.  I know where it is,” she said. 

 

“Where?”

 

A knock sounded on Jason’s door.  Jaosn cautiously approach the door and asked who it was.  “It’s me again.”  Jason relaxed, thinking everything was safe.  He opened the door as he holstered his gun.  A punch in the face greeted him, sending him flying across the desk and onto the floor.

 

The outlaw kneeled in front of Jason.  “We forgot something,” He explained.  “We came back after it.  Open that safe, McCord.”  Jason looked at Kellie.  “You killed her Pa.  What did you expect?”  The outlaw cocked his gun.  “You open that save, McCord, and maybe you’ll live.”

 

Jason went to the safe and started turning the dial.  He stalled.  Another outlaw, Mouse, ran inside and told the outlaws they had to get out of there.  The outlaw in charge shoved him out the door and told him to stay out.  Jason continued turning the dial on the safe.

 

Suddenly, Kellie flung the lantern off the table.  The room went dark. The head outlaw was in darkness.  He called out to his partner, Grant, but there was no answer.  “McCord, come on out of there!”  Jason didn’t move.  “Alright, I’ll drive you out!”  He cocked his pistol and fired.

 

Kellie grabbed the gun from the desk and threw it toward Jason.  Jason fired.  The outlaw fell to the ground…dead.

 

The General came in then.  The outlaws outside were taken care of.  The outlaws inside were taken care of.  Jason and Kellie were okay.  “We did fine, General,” Jason said as he smiled at Kellie.  “Just fine.”  Kellie ran into Jason’s arms and hugged him.  Then he kissed her cheek.  They pressed their cheeks up against each other’s and smiled. 

 

The next day Kellie hurried into Jason’s office.  A big smile was on her face.  She announced that the sheriff said Kellie could stay with her until he finds out if she has any relatives.  “Well, that could take a long time,” Jason stated happily.  He hurried to the closed door.  “Kellie!  Kellie, good news!”

 

Kellie stepped out wearing a beautiful dress.  “I know, I heard.”

 

“Well, who are you?” Jason questioned.

 

“Ah, you know who I am!”

 

Kellie started to walk toward Ann.  Jason grabbed her arm.  “Wait a minute, I want to talk to you.”

 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t talk to you,” Kellie stated.  “The General asked me first.  I’m ready if you are, General.”

 

The General stood and put his hat on.  “I’m ready, willing, and moth anxious, young lady.”  The General tucked her arm in his and excused them.  They had an important engagement! 

 

Jason felt a little put out, but Ann managed to take care of that.  She tucked her arm through his and smiled.  “Come on in.  You can talk to me.”  Jason smiled knowingly at her as he closed the door to her living quarters.  Yep, he’d talk to her alright!