Chapter 12

There'll Be No End

Mort's command led Slim and Jess back to the Sherman ranch as quick as their fast moving horses could carry them. They're swollen and battered faces couldn't be hidden, so they were only home minutes when Jonesy caught their sight and came rushing to their sides.

"Please tell me those bruises on your faces doesn't mean you two ended up in a fist fight fit for only prizefighters," Jonesy said with hands on his hips with a look of exasperation on his face.

"Can't say that we weren't," Slim said with a mischievous smile.

"'Cause I reckon that's what we were," Jess finished for Slim.

"Oh, you two know better than that," Jonesy fretted as he began to pace. "What's Andy going to think when he finds out? Of all the jug headed things to go and do. And here I was only joking about selling tickets for your fight and then off you go and perform one. I ought to, well, I don't know for sure what I ought, but I just ought to."

"Are you finished, Jonesy?" Slim put his hand on Jonesy's back to settle him down. "You've got it all wrong. Jess and I weren't fighting each other, we were fighting alongside each other."

"You were?" Jonesy looked up at Slim's face to make sure he didn't catch the look of a lie anywhere. "Who with then?"

"The whole town of Laramie," Jess said with a grin, "at least the men population, anyway."

"Oh, wouldn't you know," Jonesy dropped his head in disappointment, "the fight of the ages goes off in Laramie and I miss it."

"We could tell you all about it," Jess offered.

"No," Jonesy shook his head. "That's not necessary, it's probably best I don't know the details, well maybe just one part though. Did you win?"

"We were the only ones left standing," Slim put his arm over Jess' shoulders. "I guess that makes us winners, don't you think so Jess?"

"I feel like a winner," Jess said, a feeling of emotion washing over him as he looked at Slim intently. At the moment, the elation of winning a street brawl wasn't on top of Jess' accomplishment list. It was finally discovering he didn't just have a friend in Slim, but he had the makings of a true partner in the man. "For certain, in more ways than one."

"I suppose I shouldn't ask this next question, but I'm going to anyway," Jonesy tapped Slim on the chest then quickly did so to Jess. "If you did what you said, why aren't you both in jail right now? I sure hope you didn't run from the law and I'm going to have to hand your sorry hides over to Mort Cory when he comes looking for you."

"Mort let us go free and clear," Slim answered with an honest voice.

"How?" Jonesy asked, feeling skeptical. "A fight like that could cause a lot of damages to pay for. I don't have to remind you about our empty pockets."

"Let's just say Kyle Templeton is footing the bill for the damages we made," Jess said as he waited for the light to dawn on Jonesy's face.

"Oh," Jonesy's eyes suddenly went bright with understanding. "I'm sure he was happy to contribute."

"Only if no one tells him," Jess' chuckle started the three of them into a minute of laughter together.

"It's good to feel lighthearted again," Jonesy raised an eyebrow, "but there's still a lot of work to be done, so we best get at it. First things first, get out of those grubby brawl clothes of yours so I can start scrubbing. Stage will be here in less than an hour and you two better not be standing around in your long johns for all eyes to see when it does."

With clean clothes on their backs and the stage tended to and gone, Slim and Jess paused a moment before starting on the tasks in front of them to relax as they leaned against the corral fence together.

"You know Jess, I never asked you where you were headed when I caught up with you on the road after we stopped Carlin and his gang. You just said you wanted to hit the next town before dark. Did you have someplace in mind?"

"Just west," Jess replied. "Always west."

"To do what?"

"Drifting, what else?"

"Drifting essentially means you're searching for someplace permanent, don't you think?" Slim asked, looking into Jess' eyes but couldn't yet define what he saw in them.

"I reckon," Jess said thoughtfully, "it's true I've been searching for most of my life. I always figured if I landed in the spot I was looking for I'd know it as soon as I saw it, either that or it'd grab a hold of me and not let go."

"And what do your instincts say about my ranch?" Slim's soft eyes held their position on Jess' face, hoping he'd see the answer to his question before the words came.

Jess was silent for a moment as he turned to gaze from the house to the barn, and finally the road that didn't just lead to Laramie, but out to the unknown as well. It was in those few seconds with Jess' eyes on the road that Slim saw the subtle nod and a small smile crinkle the corner of his mouth that gave him his answer.

"It's grabbed me," Jess turned his eyes on Slim, glad to see him smiling in approval.

"Just as long as it doesn't let go," Slim patted Jess on the shoulder.

"I don't think it could," Jess said as he watched Andy run excitedly from the house, come over to where they stood and swung both arms around them causing both men to pull the boy into a tight embrace.

"I'm glad you're both here," Andy said with a smile after he wriggled loose from the hugging arms. "Somehow this ranch doesn't seem complete without the two of you together."

"We were just coming to that conclusion ourselves, Andy," Slim rumpled his brother's hair. "I saw that you came from the house, does that mean you did all of those chores I asked you to do earlier?"

"Just a few more left," Andy said then started walking towards the barn. "I'm on my way to finish them now!"

"We still have some things to do ourselves," Jess reminded Slim.

"I know," Slim looked at all of the harnesses draped over the corral fence to be sorted and put away and he knew that was only the beginning of the necessary duties to fulfill. "The work sure seemed to pile up while we were in town."

"It won't take long while we're working together," Jess said as he started to work with Slim right beside him.

"Now there's something I haven't heard in a long time," Slim stopped his movement to create a silent backdrop to better hear what his ears were listening to.

"You mean Jonesy's singing?" Jess wondered aloud as he also stopped working.

"Yeah," Slim nodded. "Listen."

Jonesy stood at the clothesline that was strung from the back of the house to the barn and worked on hanging the clothes he'd cleaned that both Slim and Jess had dirtied in their rumble in town. While he had been watching Slim and Jess a tune began to play in his mind and soon he was singing the words out loud. He paused only briefly to peek through the dripping shirts to make sure he'd caught their attentions then started the song over, this time projecting his voice just a little louder as to be clearly heard.

They call you a cowboy
A wild, roaming cowboy
They say you're a ne'er-do-well
But I keep on hopin'
You'll leave the big open
And come on back home to dwell

I know you're a cowboy
A wild, roaming cowboy
Looking for a place to belong
But I can see yearning
Your blue eyes are burning
You know coming home wouldn't be wrong

You'll still be a cowboy
A wild, roaming cowboy
Just freed from your drifting phase
But if you feel the sway
To wander and stray
You'll know this is your home always

Jonesy 's lyrics changed into a whistle as he picked up the laundry basket and headed for the house. He took a quick look behind him at Jess and Slim near the corral and what he saw there was a scene of picture quality. The two men were side by side as natural as two brothers could ever be with a look of contentment on each face. He continued his whistled melody with a keen sense of accomplishment as he entered the house, grateful that the task behind him seemed to be done.

"Is Jonesy singing about me?" Jess looked in awe at Jonesy's retreating back, wondering how he could have figured him out in song so easily.

"Maybe the words came back to him because of you, but believe it or not," Slim gave Jess as sly grin, "Jonesy wrote that song about me a long time ago."

"You?" Jess tried to stifle his laugh. "You were that wild, roaming cowboy?"

"I was," Slim joined in with his own laughter, giving Jess the freedom to vocalize his amusement. "There was a time in my life where I played the role of a runaround rebel. You're not the only one around here that has a colorful back story."

"That makes me feel like I fit in here a whole lot better," Jess clapped Slim on the shoulder.

"I'm glad," Slim smiled. "Anything to make you feel more welcome here."

"There is one more thing I need to say," Jess shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"What is it, Jess?"

"I've been in a lot of scrapes, have run around with some unsavory characters, done things that I shouldn't have," Jess paused and ran his fingers through his hair. "I reckon what I'm trying to say, is that because of my past, even making the decision to stay here and start a new life, I can't make any guarantees that some of those things won't come back to haunt me."

"I understand what you're saying, Jess," Slim said encouragingly, "and if that does happen, you won't be facing them alone."

"Thanks, Slim," Jess moved his eyes towards the road. "But there could be a time, soon maybe, or far into the future, I don't know, when something that I've done, or something that I have to do, will pull me away from here. Because of that, I can't make any promises that I'll stay here forever."

"I guess I can't make any promises either then," Slim's words made Jess turn quickly to face him.

"About what?"

"That if that happens, I can't promise that I won't go after you to bring you right back home."

"You'd do that?" Jess asked in wonder at the incredible nature of Slim as discovering the true man continued to make an impact on his mind.

"I sure would," Slim vowed. "We've already proven that we work better together, side by side, through thick and thin, good times and bad alike. Something like that isn't let go of easily."

"I appreciate everything you just said, Slim, more than you could know," Jess hesitated, knowing there was still a small part of uncertainty clutching a hold of him. "You know how Jonesy sang about the sway to stray? It's a powerful force, Slim, I don't have to tell you that, and it could very well take me to a place where you can't follow someday."

"Then it'll also be just like in Jonesy's song. You'll know this is your home," Slim paused to add extra emphasis, "always. If you go, it'll be here for you to return to. Even in the short time you've been here Jess, you've left your mark, not just in this family's lives, but here on the land as well. That's not something that can be easily forgotten, ever. If you should find, sometime, that you're ready to leave here for whatever reasons, you'll do so leaving a legacy that will go on long after you've gone. Right here, you'll always have a beginning, but for sure, there'll be no end."

"Your words do something to me right here," Jess tapped his chest near his heart, "so I hope I'll be hanging my hat and gun belt on the hook just inside the door there for a long time to come."

"I hope so too," Slim nodded. "It's where they belong."

"So," Jess peered at Slim's face, putting the more serious discussion behind them, "are you gonna tell me about that wild cowboy story of yours?"

"Sometime," Slim agreed, but it didn't need to be just then, there was no hurry if they were going to be sticking together. "As long as you're going to stay around here, there'll be plenty of time ahead to swap the tales of our youth and on up until now."

"Yeah," Jess agreed, "there's still a lot you don't know about me that needs to be told. It'll come in time, too." Jess now knew that he could share the long buried burden of the loss of his family to Slim, among the multitude of others that he kept hidden away from a lifetime of travel, trouble, and trauma. The amount of time might not have been much greater than the first day they'd met, but the growth of friendship had jumped time ahead, placing the necessary bonds in place to where anything, great and small alike, could be shared between them.

"The future here is bright, Jess," Slim said with great emotion backing his words, "we can all look towards it with great expectation for what's to come."

"You're probably right that it'll get exciting," Jess said with a grin. "If it's any indication, as quick as we've made these new tales in the short time I've been here, I reckon we'll be adding numerous stories into our lives as we go along together."

"We're bound to," Slim chuckled. "The more trouble we get in, the more stories we'll have."

"For sure the story about our fight in town will get around," Jess surmised, "probably will be talked about territory wide for years to come. But I wonder, what about all the rest of our stories, how will they ever be known?"

"As long as there's someone to listen, I'm sure someone will tell." Slim lifted his eyes to look up towards the hills, a look of confidence on his face. "I think the stories of Slim Sherman and Jess Harper have only just begun."

(Author's Note: I always thought there should have been an episode between "Stage Stop" and "Glory Road" showing more of the early process that Slim and Jess would have made in their beginning friendship. To me, there was always something missing and so I wanted to give my take on how I thought it could have been. The song that I wrote for Jonesy to sing, "Wild, Roaming Cowboy" I dedicate to John Smith, Robert Fuller and Hoagy Carmichael, whose characters inspired each word that I wrote. The very end of my story I wrote with each Laramie fan fiction author and reader in mind. With all of us here together, the stories of Slim Sherman and Jess Harper will never have an end. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, I hope you enjoyed it. Calico West)