Three riders approached the cabin, their horses riding through the tracks left by the men hours before when they left.  After dismounting, one man, seeming the leader, pushed Doc Jones towards the cabin.  “Take care of the horses, Benny,” he gritted, the cold making his face stiff.  Then he shoved Doc again, “Inside!”

       Upon entering the cabin, they were greeted by a blast of warmth coming from the fireplace to the back of the room.  To the right was a cot with a man lying on it.  Another man was sitting in a chair in front of the fire, his face haggard from pain.  The two men took off their coats, with a nod from one, Doc Jones moved to the man on the cot.  “Remember, Doc, he dies so do you.”

       Doc arrived at the side of the little bed.  Looking down, his eyes widened.  He then glanced over at the man near the fire.  Turning he started to say something, but the man at the fire quipped, “Too late, he’s already dead.”

       The eyes of the man, widened in anger toward the voice.  “You were to keep him alive!”  He drew his gun pointing it at the man in the chair.

       “Don’t Goss!  There was nothin’ I could do, not with my arm the way it is.”

       Doc Jones was bending down beside the man on the cot, examining him.  “There was nothing he could have done for this man.  His insides were all torn up by the bullet.”  The man leveled his gun then at Doc, anger filled his face when the door burst open.  The man called Benny entered.  Goss turned quickly taking a step toward the man, his gun now on him.  “Goss!” hollered the man from the fire.

       Something clicked in the man as he lowered his gun, then started walking to the cot, holstering it on the way.  “Get out of the way!” he snapped, pushing Doc Jones from the man.  Doc went to stand beside the man at the fire.  Goss knelt down at the bedside, grasping the hand of the dead man.  “Bill, you stupid fool,” he muttered in anguish.

       He sat there for several moments in silence, then stood drawing his gun again.  “I guess I don’t need you anymore.”

       “You’ve a wounded man here.  I need to check his arm or he could get gangrene or lockjaw,” shouted Doc.  “So don’t get hasty with that gun or another one of your men will die.”

       “Goss, for goodness sake, let him look at my arm.  It’s painin’ me something fierce.”

       Benny started moving toward the fire wanting to get warm.  “Dave, he’s right.  At least let the doctor look at Mason’s arm.”

       “Let’s go over by the lamp on the table.”

       Dave Goss grabbed the nearly full whiskey bottle that was on the table, then took the chair where Mason had been sitting.  He didn’t watch the two, only stared into the fire.  Benny leaned forward, “I’m sorry about Bill, I truly am.”  Goss turned his gaze momentarily to his comrade, then took a drink straight from the bottle.

       Doc Jones had cut both the shirt sleeve and undershirt off the man.  “Mister, this arm’s in bad shape.”  He looked over at Goss, “What happened for two of you to get shot up?” he asked, then hesitated before adding, “you must be Dave Goss.  Didn’t know you were in the region.”

       “Well, you know it now,” Goss snarled.  “Take care of him while you can still do something useful.”

       Doc looked at the man as he began to clean the blood from around the wound.  “Want to tell me what happened?”

       The man, Mason, looked over at Goss who simply shrugged his shoulders, taking another drink.  “Got shot in Cortez,” he stopped, looking at Goss again before continuing.  “Robbery went sour.”

       The man groaned as Doc Jones began his examination.  In a few minutes, he looked at the man shaking his head.  “Mister, that bullet shattered your bone, and that isn’t all it’s still in your arm.  Any movement could cause the bullet or one of the bone shards to cut an artery.  Son…” he was interrupted by someone pounding on the door.

       There was silence, but tension filled the room.  “Benny, see who it is.”

       Opening the door, a man stood there, “I saw the smoke and hoped I might come in to get warm, and maybe spend the night.  I was going to try to make it to Mancos, but my horse is plum wore out.”

       He didn’t wait to be invited in, but stepped inside the cabin.  “I hope I’m not a bother,” he said, nodding at the men, his eyes stopping momentarily on those of Doc Jones.

       “You best just go on your way, Mister,” came the voice of Benny at the door.

       “Can’t, my horse would never make it.  Let me warm up and I’ll go out to care for him.  If’n yuh have some coffee I sure could use a cup.  Don’t mind me, I’ll stay out of your way, I just want to get warm.”

       The stranger walked with assurance over to the fire standing to the right of Goss stretching out his hands toward the fire.  “Looks like you’ve had some trouble here.”

       “Mister, you don’t know the half of it…”

Edith was quite distraught.  Molly encouraged her to sit down and that she would make her a cup of tea.  Neither of us had seen her act like this before; it was an uncommon characteristic.  She was usually calm, stayed busy, and didn’t seem to have a worry-bone in her body.

     “Something has happened Miles, I can just feel it,” she agonized.  When Molly brought her tea she just held it between her hands and Molly had to coax her to drink it.  Finally, she sipped it, then took a larger swallow.  

     “We’re ready to close up here.  Let Miles walk you home while I finish up,” said Molly trying to encourage her.  

     She took another swallow, then nodded.  I put on my heavy sheepskin coat and led her to the door.  “There’s no use goin’ out tonight.  I’ll start out first thing in the mornin’.  If Doc should come home you be sure to tell me.”

     I waited until dawn before going down to the livery to get Star.  Hawk would have been my normal first choice for a trip like this, but he seemed to suffer some when I went looking for Johnson.  He was a much better bad weather and mountain horse than Star, but it would do the thoroughbred good to get out and exercise.  It was still below freezing, but it had warmed up some and it appeared that the sun would be shining today.  Maybe by the time I was on the road it would be melting some of the snow.

     Molly was waiting for me at the diner with some sausage and eggs sandwiches.  I wasn’t surprised to see Edith standing there with her.  Tipping my hat, I nodded, “I expect to be meetin’ Doc somewhere on the road.”  Then nudged Star and we started off at a walk since the snow was still fairly deep with a crust on the top.

     It was normally about an hour’s trip to McClure’s but halfway there I had to stop to rest Star.  The snow was deep and it was hard traveling.  I had really hoped that I would come across Doc along the road.  A couple of hours later I saw McClure’s cabin.  Smoke was rising from the chimney so I knew they were home.  There were no horses in the corral, but then again, I didn’t expect to see any.  

     Reining in at the front porch, I noticed several footprints around along with the tracks of three horses.  I dismounted telling Star that I wouldn’t be long; I disliked that I had to leave him out in the cold.  There was no answer when I knocked on the door.  I knocked again, “Frank!  Frank, it’s Miles Forrest!”

     The door opened slowly and I could barely make out an image in the crack.  Then Frank McClure opened it wide, “Come on in Marshal.  Go warm yourself by the fire.”

     I glanced at him and he looked a mess.  His face was bruised, he had a cut lip and a black eye that was swollen and partially shut.  Around his head was a bloody bandage.  “Frank, what happened?  Where’s Doc?”  Then I thought of my manners, “How’s Linda?”

     He pushed me toward the fire where he took a seat in a rocker there while I stood looking down at him.  “Linda’s in the bedroom,” he said, then smiled.  “A baby boy,” then he face grew serious.  “Two rough-looking characters busted in through the door and took Doc.  I, I tried to stop them, but they buffaloed me.”

     “Where’d they take him?” I questioned in a gruff manner.  I was upset, but there was no need of me taking it out on Frank.  “Sorry, Frank, I’m just upset.  Do you have any idea where they went?”

     He shook his head.  “I didn’t hear anything.  They hit me over the head and I went down.  Linda told me later,” he lifted his hand to his eye, “that one kicked me in the face.  That’s all I know.”

     I pulled on my moustache, then placed a hand on his shoulder.  “They shouldn’t be too hard to follow.”

     “They’re headed toward Mancos,” came a voice from the doorway.  Linda McClure was standing there, wrapped up in a quilt holding a bundle that I assumed was her baby.  Frank jumped from the rocker to rush to her.  Helping her to the rocker, he was chastising her quietly.  “You should be in bed.”

     “I heard voices, then recognized the voice of Marshal Forrest,” she replied then sat down in the rocker in front of the fire.  She looked tired, but she uttered, “ah, that feels good.”

     Turning her head up towards me.  “Marshal, they’re headed for somewhere outside of Mancos.  From what I gathered lying in the other room, they have a comrade that’s badly hurt.  How they knew Doc Jones was here I don’t know,” she paused, turning her face back towards the fire.  “Thank the good Lord, Doc had already delivered the baby.” 

     “You take care Linda, and take care of that little one.  Frank, you best take care of that head.  When I find Doc we’ll stop back by on the way to Durango.”

     It was over twenty miles to Mancos and I knew I couldn’t make it before dark.  There was a little community eight miles this side of Mancos, hopefully I could make it there before dark or closely after.  It was hard enough traveling in the light; I didn’t want to push Star in the snow during dark hours.

     Before mounting I broke the ice on the water trough and let Star slowly drink.  I didn’t want him guzzling ice cold water.  Then we headed out following the tracks making sure they were indeed heading towards Mancos.  “Lord,” I breathed, “be smilin’ down on my journey and be a-protectin’ Doc…”

After dropping around thirty inches the snow had stopped falling.  However, the temperatures remained down around zero, so it was still standing and not melted.  Hopefully warmer temperatures would soon come, at least before the next storm.

       The town was trying to unthaw and move around.  Businesses had cleaned off the boardwalk, but there was very little traffic on the streets, a few horse tracks and most of them around the saloons.  People could get around though.  Crandall’s Grocery and Johansen’s Butcher Shop were busy.  People had to eat.  The saloons were open and Solly had his tobacco store open.  People had to have their booze and smokes.

       I walked down with Molly to open the diner.  She had sent a message by me to Marta to stay home with the baby, that she and I would open the diner.  Emelda had got the message, but Adela had struggled through the snow to come to work.  Mateo’s oldest son, Alejo, had taken over Lucas’ job of cutting wood for the various merchants in town.  He was doing a good job, and his brother Enrique helped him stack it, but was not strong enough yet to be doing much chopping. They were up early and both Molly and I waved at them as we trudged through the snow.

       The boys had already been to the diner and had filled up the wood bin.  After Molly unlocked the door, I went in first to get the fire started in the big stove in the kitchen, and then to the stove in the main eating room.  Later, I would take some of the wood that had been chopped and make it into kindling for the stoves.  Molly started making some custard pies and Adela went to cutting up onions while I put the coffeepot on the big stove and another on the stove in the dining room.  Molly had decided that they would only make chili for the day.  If someone wanted eggs they could easily be fried up and covered with chili.

       I helped the ladies out by sweeping the dining room and straightening it up.  I had just sat down after pouring a cup of coffee when to my surprise Doc Jones walked in the door.  “What are you doin’ out in in this cold?” I questioned him, and his sanity.

       “Saw the diner was open and thought I’d come in for some coffee.  I have a message to go see Mrs. McClure.  Frank came in frantically earlier and said she was having pains and expecting.  I told him to get back to his wife, and I’d be out shortly.”

       Molly came into the room, “Sit down Doc, I’ll bring you a piece of fresh pie.”

       “Well, I reckon the body could use that extra fuel.”

       We chatted for a short while but Doc said he should get his horse out and on his way.  Snow was too deep for a buggy, but he would follow Frank McClure’s tracks to the farm; it was only a few miles out of town.

       The rest of the day went by slowly.  I, along with Molly, drank the pot of coffee on the stove next to me.  There were a few customers for lunch, but after lunch, Molly sent Adela home.  I stayed around to help if anyone came in during the afternoon or for supper.  

       A few ventured out for supper and Molly fed a half dozen of the down and out miners.  They looked to be more frozen than not.  I asked where they stayed during this cold weather and was told that the Parson Chapman let them stay in the church.  There were a dozen more still there that had not ventured out.  Molly gave them the rest of the pot of chili to take back up to the church and to tell the preacher that she’d pick it up later in the week.

       It was almost dark when Molly said it was time to close up.  I started going around putting out the lamps, when Edith came through the door.  It was easy to see that she was concerned.  “Miles, Henry hasn’t come back yet,” she said with alarm.

       “I wouldn’t be frettin’,” came my reply.  “The kid probably hasn’t come out the chute yet.  As soon as Mrs. McClure has that baby he’ll start home.  If he’s not on his way now, he’ll probably wait until mornin’.”

       Molly had heard her come in and brought a cup of coffee from the kitchen to her.  “Here you go,” she said, handing her the cup.  “Miles is right.  Doc knows the weather and how to take care of himself.”

       “No,” she declared.  “This is something different.  I can’t explain it, I can just feel it.  Something…”

       Molly was at home making dough for a pie.  I was coaxing her into making an apple pie from the dried apples we had.  After all she would have been making one if she was down at the diner.  For someone who only now owned twenty percent and had removed herself from the everyday working at the diner, she put in plenty of time.  I had told her that I was going to check on the horses and may take them down to Moses’ livery.  I knew he had a small stove and his livery was sealed up better than my little shed.

       I made sure that I kept them well-fed with hay and grain during this storm, but Moses would have a better store of feed.  The horses were glad to see me, but when I tried to get them out of the stalls, Two-Bits put up a fuss.  The mare had been left out in the freezing cold when I was chasing down Johnson and the memory must still be in her head.  But after we started down the hill towards town she willingly followed the tracks of Hawk and Star.

       The town was completely deserted.  No tracks, the walks had not been cleared; it wouldn’t have done any good the way the snow kept falling, plus no one was going to venture out.  This was the first time I could remember where the town shut-down.  Molly always kept the diner open for those poor souls who were not working during the winter season.  I wondered what they would do during this storm.

       I saw a light over Foster’s Mercantile.  Darnelle had sold the house after her father died and her mother moved to Denver to live with her sister.  Darnelle then had moved to an upstairs apartment.  I often wondered why she didn’t marry.  She had the looks and the personality…hmm, could be there wasn’t the proper sort around for her.  She was still relatively young so it could still happen.

       Walking by the jail, it was dark.  There was no one locked up and I overstepped my authority by telling Lucas to stay home.  I needed to apologize to Charlie for stepping into his jurisdiction but I’m sure he was happy to have Lucas with him and Marta and the new baby.  The Sheriff had planned on going up to Silverton to check on the situation there right after Christmas when this storm hit.  Now it would be at least a month before he could travel there.

       Looking up I could see the sign, Vexler’s Livery and Stable.  The door was closed but I could see where there had been footprints leading up to it and then away.  I banged on the door, waiting a few seconds then started banging again.  I could hear someone inside, but couldn’t make out what he was saying.  

       The door opened slightly and I could see Moses peeking out.  “Well, for sure yuh ain’t one of the wise men, otherwise yuh wouldn’t be out in this weather.  What in tarnation do yuh want Miles?” demanded Moses,opening the door a little wider seeing the horses.  “Get those poor animals in here so’s I can shut this door.”

       “Got room for these three?” I asked.

       He gave me a dumb stare.  “Now what would yuh do if I said ‘no’?”  He paused and before I could answer, he took hold of the lead rein and led them to stalls in the middle of the room.  

       It was definitely warmer in here than back in my stalls.  I looked over at a little room away from the stalls.  In front of it was a stove sitting on a stone slab.  Moses made sure that it was well away from any hay or straw.  He kept the area near the stove clear of any item.  The only thing I saw was a couple of chairs near the stove and a coffeepot on top.

       “If you want them grained well, it’ll cost yuh fifty cents per horse per day,” he informed me.  “Winter prices and the cost of grain has gone up.”  Seeing me look toward the stove he added, “I’ll throw in a cup of coffee for free.  Warm yurself up before yuh head back out in the weather.”

       I went to the stove, picked up a cup that was on the slab in front of the stove then reached for the pot.  After filling the cup I sat in one of the chairs by the stove.  The heat felt good, and the coffee was hot and warmed up my innards as well.  Moses came over to join me and I told him to watch over Two-Bits and then told him the story of her ordeal up in the canyon.  He told me that after I leave he’d feed and water them, then rub them down.

       “I saw some footprints out by the door,” I ventured.

       He smiled, “Yep, yur not the only fool out.  The marshal was making his rounds.”

       Nodding, I thanked him for the coffee, then bundled up and started back outside.  I thought about going down toward the diner and then over to Doc Jones’ office.  I hadn’t seen him since the Christmas party at the church.  He was sort of depressed, Lark Collins, one of the outlaws I brought back from Silverton had died.  He worked hard on saving the man’s life, had to amputate a foot, but in the end it was lockjaw that killed him.  I knew that Parson Chapman had spent a lot of time with Collins, so I hoped that somewhere he gave his heart over to the Lord.  He went through a terrible ordeal with frostbite, gangrene, amputation, and then dying of lockjaw.

       No, I decided to trudge back up to the cabin.  I’d check on the wood supply, then bring some into the house.  Then I’d see how Molly was coming along with that apple pie.  It would be nice to cuddle up in front of the blazing fire on New Year’s night together.  With my travels, and her work, it didn’t happen all that often.  It would be a wonderful way to bring in the New Year.