As he turned, he found Josie standing in front of him, blocking his way. She asked eagerly, “You stayin’ awhile?”

“It all depends.”

“You can stay for a hundred years as far as I’m concerned. I was afraid you’d forget about us.”

“You know I could never forget the Monahans.”

“Does that include me?”

“You’re a Monahan.”

“But I’m Josie Monahan. I’m not Geneva.”

He thought he knew where the conversation was going, and he tried to head it off. “I hear Geneva’s husband got in the way of a bullet again.”

“He’s laid up over in the old house.”

“How bad is he hurt?”

“He’s in considerable pain, but he’ll heal.”

“And Geneva?”

“She’s in pain too, for him.”

“A bad piece of luck for both of them.”

“But they’ve got the baby. That makes up for a lot. Geneva had a boy, you know.”

“Nobody told me.”

Rusty was not sure what he ought to feel. Geneva was a mother now. That put her even further beyond his reach. He had known of her pregnancy since last spring, yet he had never accommodated to the hurt, the feeling of loss. He had tried to put it aside and not deal with it. Now, one way or another, he had to deal with it.

Josie said, “You’ll want to see the baby. It’s beautiful.”

“That’s no big surprise. It has a beautiful mother.”

“And a good-lookin’ daddy. It takes two, you know.”

“They get along well together, Geneva and Evan?”

“He worships the ground she walks on. And he should. After all, she’s my sister. I’ll want my husband to worship the ground I walk on, someday.”

Unexpectedly he felt like smiling. “Then you’d better be careful where you step. There’s been horses by here.”

Sergeant Bailey asked Rusty, “You know a safe place where we can hold these prisoners for the night? I expect the lieutenant will want to travel on come mornin’.”

Rusty pointed toward a shed. “Ought to be a couple of good stout posts you can tie them to. It may not be comfortable.”

“They ain’t got no comfort comin’ to them.” Bailey prodded Pete with the rifle.

Pete complained, “You wouldn’t tie me to a post, would you? I wouldn’t be able to sleep at-all.”

Bailey was not impressed. “You’ll soon be gettin’ all the sleep you ever need. Come on, Private Cotter. I’ll let you do the tyin’.”