Josiah sat solemnly at his table in the corner of the bar. He raised his morning coffee cup to his lips sipping at the hot liquid absently as he stared into space. His mind was a million miles away. He thought of Cheyenne and worried for her. He hadn’t herd from her since she had left with Gabe several weeks ago after seeing the wanted poster on her that had found it’s way to Four Corners. She had feared being wanted for the crime she had committed would bring trouble to Josiah and to the town. Trouble she herself was not ready to face.

So lost in his thoughts Josiah did not see Chris and Vin walk in and make their way to his table until Chris spoke.

“Mornin Josiah.”

Josiah gave him a short nod as he recognized the voice barely looking up from his cup.

“Mind some company?” Vin asked

Josiah set his cup down and nodded to the chair next to him in a silent acceptance that his two friends join him.

“Kinda quiet aren’t ya?” Vin asked. “ Got somethin' botherin' ya?”

“Just thinkin'.” Josiah answered as he leaned back in his chair and once again took hold of his coffee cup and took another drink from it.

Lily made her way from the bar over to the table.

“Good morning gentlemen.” She smiled and her eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked at Chris.

“What can I get for you this morning? Got some fine steak and eggs, nice and hot ready for the plate?”

“Just coffee ma’am.” Vin said tipping his hat to her.

Chris nodded “Coffee’d be fine” he agreed.

Lily gave them a friendly nod and walked off to retrieve the coffee. Within a few minutes she returned and set a cup in front of both Vin and Chris then poured their coffee from the pot she held in her other hand. Chris gave her a wink as she glanced at him while she filled his cup.

“If I can get you gentlemen anything else just ask,” she told them giving Chris a flirtatious smile before returning to the bar.

Vin hid a grin as he noticed Lily’s smile and Chris’s eyes light up as he watched her walk back to the bar.

Both Vin and Chris drank their coffee in silence for a few moments glancing at each other off and on in a seemingly unvoiced concern over Josiah’s unusual stillness.

Finally Chris broke the uneasy quiet.

“Heard anything from Cheyenne?” He asked as he took a sip from his coffee cup looking up at Vin from over the top of his cup as if to say, let's see if this gets a reaction from him. He knew that Cheyenne was a touchy subject for Josiah and also suspected it was the reason for his friend's quietness.

“Nope,” was the only answer he got from the preacher who still seemed to be in his own world as he sat there sipping on his morning brew.

Vin shrugged at Chris noting Josiah was not about to reveal to them his thoughts or concerns.

The three men sat quietly as they enjoyed their hot drinks and soon Vin and Chris felt the pangs of hunger beckoning to them and ordered the steak and eggs Lily had offered them when they had first arrived. Before their food arrived Nathan sauntered into the saloon.

“Mornin',” he greeted them as he pulled a chair from a nearby table and sat down between Josiah and Vin. When Lily instinctively brought him a cup of coffee he ordered breakfast for himself.

Vin and Chris both nodded their greeting.

“Nathan.” Josiah said solemnly, greeting his friend absently.

Nathan looked at Vin and motioned toward Josiah with his head. “What’s with him?” he asked in an almost whisper. Vin shrugged.

While the three men were finishing their breakfast a bit later, Josiah set his empty cup on the table and stood.

“Leavin' so soon?” Nathan asked.

“Got work to do.” Josiah answered bluntly.

Just then the saloon doors swung open and a very disturbed JD rushed through them. He stood a moment as his eyes became accustom to the dim lighting and he scanned the room until he saw who he had been looking for. He practically ran, over to Josiah.

“This just came in on the telegraph from Coyote Springs. Mrs. Travis asked me to find you and give it to ya.” He said anxiously handing Josiah the paper he held in his hand. “She said it was urgent,” he finished as Josiah opened the letter and began to read.

His face went a ghostly white and his fear and worry became even more evident. “Cheyenne’s in trouble,” he said to no one unparticular as he tossed the paper aside and rushed out of the saloon.

Chris picked up the discarded message; his concern masked his features as he watched Josiah hurry from the saloon. His eyes then fell on the paper Josiah had thrown aside. He read it out loud.

"Cheyenne to hang in three days. Need help. . . Gabe"

“Damn” Chris cursed as he looked up at Nathan and Vin then motioned with is head as he started for the saloon doors in a silent request for them to follow him. JD wasted no time and was on their heals as the three older men left quickly.

Chris, Nathan and Vin broke into a run as soon as they exited the saloon with JD close behind. Chris turned back to the younger man and shouted to him.

“Find Buck and Ezra. Catch up with us soon as you can.”

JD stopped in his tracks. “Where ya gonna be?” He shouted for them to hear as they ran farther ahead.

“Coyote Springs,” Chris called back. "And ya better have Mary wire the Judge!”

JD immediately did as Chris had ordered turning on his heals he hurried off.

When Chris and the other two men caught up with Josiah he was at the livery and saddling his horse.

“Want to tell us what this is all about?” Chris asked as he grabbed his saddle from the railing and opened the doors to the stall his horse was in.

“Ain’t got time.” Josiah answered him as he tightened the synch on his saddle. When he had finished he stopped and looked at his friends. “This ain’t your problem.” He told them before he led his horse out of its stall.

“Just hold on now Josiah.” Nathan spoke up and stopped what he was doing looking at his friend. “You’re our friend and so’s Cheyenne. You and she’s been there to back the rest of us up more times than I can count. If there’s trouble, we’ll be there whether ya want us to be or not. No need to ask. And no need to try and tell us not to come.”

Vin and Chris nodded their agreement as they continued to ready their horses.

Josiah sighed deeply then looked at each of his companions in a silent thank you. He mounted his horse, gave him a kick with his heel, and shouted “Yah!,” as he raced out of the livery ducking under the doorframe as he exited. The other three men were not far behind him.

***Coyote Springs***

Cheyenne sat on the bunk in the corner of her cell, her feet on the bed her knees drawn up close to her. Her eyes were hard and angry as she fiddled at the strings of her moccasin boots.

To the eye that knew no better she was not paying attention to any of the goings on outside her cell. But she was cautiously listening and watching everything around her. Watching and waiting for one slip that would give her that slight edge she would need to make an escape.

The sheriff and deputy were inspecting the food Gabe had brought for Cheyenne. When they had deemed it satisfactory and were content that there were no hidden weapons, the deputy took the tray from Gabe who was hesitant to hand it over.

“Any reason why I can’t give it to ‘er?” he asked.

The deputy looked at the sheriff for an answer.

“Plenty,” the man replied. “Don’t trust you any more than we do her.” His tone was laced with resentment.

Gabe cast glaring eyes at the burly sheriff as he let the deputy take the tray.

“I’ll be back.” He spoke to Cheyenne from where he stood, in their French/Indian dialect.

Cheyenne said nothing nor did she move to take the tray of food as the deputy slide it under the cell door.

“Get out-a here,” the Sheriff barked at Gabe, disgusted he could not understand what the half-breed man had said. Gabe shot another hard, cold glare at the man before he exited the jail.

“Damn breeds,” the sheriff grumbled to his deputy. The younger man only nodded his agreement with his superior.

“Keep an eye on him!” The sheriff ordered as he returned to reading his paper at his desk. The younger deputy nodded again and left to follow Gabe.

***On the trail to Coyote Springs***

Buck, Ezra and JD had caught up to the rest of the men not long after they had left Four Corners. JD had filled them in on what was going on and they had immediately followed suit.

“Any idea what this is all about?” Buck asked Chris as his horse galloped up beside Chris’s.

“Not yet.” Chris answered as they rode. “But I am gonna find out.” His gaze flashed to Josiah who rode ahead of the others.

The seven men had ridden hard most of the day. Stopping only when necessary to water and rest their mounts. Finally as dusk began to settle they stopped for the night. While the others settled their horses Chris walked over to Josiah.

“I think it’s time you let us in on what we are getting into Josiah. I think we got a right to know.” He told the preacher bluntly.

Josiah let out a heavy sigh and nodded then walked over to the fire Nathan had started. He began his story as the others joined them and Nathan started coffee on to brew.

“I met Cheyenne and her father almost ten years ago. They had a little cabin not far from the Indian reservation where Cheyenne’s grandfather was Chief. Ani was. . .,” he hesitated and a small smile crossed his lips as he remembered Cheyenne, as she had been when he first met her. Shy, happy and content, her eyes sparkling as she smiled.

“She, was a lot different than she is now.” He continued not elaborating on his comment. “One day men came to their cabin. Guess they was gonna steal the furs Cheyenne’s father had ready for trade. They ended up killing him.” The pain Josiah felt was mirrored in his expression.

“They,” he paused as he fought hard to tell the rest of his story. The pain of that fateful day still stung like a hot poker at his heart and it was written all over him. “Beat Cheyenne,” he bit out the next words with as much rage and hatred flickering in his eyes.

“They raped her, left her for dead. Wasn’t till sometime later that I found her.” He didn’t bother to fill them in on the rest of the details. “A year or so later three of the men that had attacked her were killed.”

The others watched Josiah as he told his story. Though they didn’t ask, they seemed to suspect it had been Josiah that had killed the men. The satisfaction was written in his eyes. And some how they each thought they would have done the same thing.

“The last man was never found.” Josiah continued, “a couple years ago the demon reared his ugly head again.” Josiah’s hatred and contempt laced his tone.

“We was in a little town south of here. Cheyenne was alone seein' to Black Wind when the bastard found her in the livery. He overpowered her before she could do anything about it. He took her to his ranch and was bent on, hurtin' her again. This time Ani surprised him, she knew how to defend herself, she ended up killing him. It was self-defense. Well, seems Lancers widow didn’t see it that way. The woman told the sheriff and Cheyenne’s been wanted ever since.”

“The woman saw everything and she said nothing?” Ezra asked.

Josiah shook his head. “Thing is, she didn’t see it, but her boy did.”

“And he didn’t come forward?” Buck asked

Again Josiah shook his head.

“What about you?” Nathan asked.

“I got there too late, I got Cheyenne out before the sheriff got there.” Josiah answered him.

“Then all we gotta do is find this boy and he can clear Cheyenne.” JD spoke up innocently.

“Ain’t that simple.” Josiah told him.

“Lancer married well. His widow’s got money and lots of it. Seems she’d been married before. When her husband died she inherited his cattle business and has done well at it. The boy ain’t talkin'. I’m bettin' its got somethin' to do with his inheriting the family business.”

“Then we make him talk.” Chris put in with a small sly grin. The others smiled and nodded their agreement as Nathan retrieved the coffeepot and began pouring the hot liquid into cups.