Jenna led a young stallion out, fully saddled. At that moment, Balto rode up beside her and climbed out of his saddle.

“Nice horse,” he commented, glancing into the stable, “Probably the best out of the lot; good choice.”

“Thanks, but I just like the look of this one,” Jenna replied, patting the colt on the head, “Now, you said you had a friend here?”

“Follow me.”

Balto led Jenna to the general store, where the two tied their horses to the small post and went inside.

“Boris?” Balto called as he made his way to the counter.

From a room barely visible through the open door behind the counter, the two hear sounds of boxes being pushed aside and some muttering in what sounded like Russian. Someone carrying a larger pile of boxes emerged from the back room, but Jenna couldn’t tell who was behind the pile until it was set down. Even then, she saw nothing. Only then did she realize that there was a small staircase leading up to the counter from behind. Just then, an aged Russian goose stepped up onto the counter. She barely had time to look surprised as the goose turned to Balto squinted at him.

“Kido?” he said in disbelief.

“Hey, Boris,” Balto replied, “Do you still wish you were half-eagle?”

The goose’s eyes lit up.

“Balto, it is you!” he cried, flinging his winged arms around Balto’s neck, “What on Earth are you doing back here?”

Balto’s smile faded, and he looked at Jenna.

“Boris,” he said quietly, “I’m in a little trouble.”

Boris followed Balto’s gaze and then looked back at him.

“Is she pregnant?”

Jenna’s mouth fell open in shock.

“No,” Balto replied firmly, “Jesus, Boris.”

“What? You say you in trouble, so I make assumption…”

“Boris, I’m wanted,” Balto interrupted, “and I need some supplies.”

“Wanted? My God, Balto, what’s going on? The last time I see you, you were young, short, respectful boy, and now you’re running from the law?”

“He’s nearly been hung,” Jenna said, finally recovering, “Our town sheriff’s crooked, and he’s set Balto up for murder.”

“Murder? Why in the name of God?”

“Boris, we need help,” Balto pleaded.

“Okay, I see. Fine. You’ll need exactly three days worth of food and water.” He noticed their questioning expressions and added, “It’s the most you can carry on the horses you’ve got; and you don’t want to be walking them along, I’m assuming.”

Balto and Jenna looked at each other and nodded. Boris smiled.

Fifteen minutes later, they walked out, loaded up their horses, and rode away.

Boris watched them go through the back window of his store and said a silent prayer for the two. With that, he sighed and went back to restocking the shelves. This is one of those times I am wishing I was in Russia, he thought, There we shoot crooked officials, not just dismiss them from office.

Unbeknownst to him, Balto, or Jenna, someone else had been watching with great interest as the two ‘outlaws’ left. Across the street from Boris’ store, the telegraph operator looked again at the description he’d received from Applegate over the wire. He started tapping out a reply:

Criminal sighted leaving town. Stop. One other male with him. Stop. Awaiting your word. Stop. El Paso. Stop.

Balto and Jenna rode all day, crossing into the south east corner of New Mexico early that evening. At that point, the two dismounted their steeds and sat in the small shade of a boulder to eat a late lunch of pork and canned vegetables. They ate in silence until Balto set his tin plate aside and met her eyes.

“Why did you rescue me?”

Jenna gasped.

“Balto, I love you,” she said, “You must know that.”

“I do now,” he replied with a smile.

Jenna smiled and pulled him closer to kiss his cheek. He did the same. As they moved closer, their arms wrapped around each other and their lips met. For a long moment, they held each other close and enjoyed bliss unlike anything either of them had ever felt. As they slowly separated, both were smiling. Jenna set her tin pan aside and they lay down side by side on their backs.

“So where are we heading?”

“There’s a small canyon not too far from here where I used to stay,” Balto replied, “We don’t have enough daylight to make it today though. Here is the safest place to stay tonight.”

Jenna glanced at the sky. The sun was just dipping below the horizon, and already the temperature was dropping dramatically. She shivered despite her black attire. Balto got up and plucked a blanket out of his saddle bag. He wrapped it around her and suggested that she try to sleep.

“What are you going to do?” she replied.

Balto picked up his shotgun from where it leaned against the boulder.

“I’m keeping watch,” he replied, “But with any luck, they’ll think we’ve gone to Mexico.”

Meanwhile in El Paso, Boris watched with some discontent as a small group of riders dismounted outside his store. All four of them had saddle holsters carrying rifles, but not one of them carried his rifle into the store. These were not robbers. Boris went back to arranging the cans behind the counter as the four huskies walked in. He let them walk all the way to the counter before he turned around.

“Good day, and how may I be helping you?” he said.

“We’re looking for an escaped murderer,” Steele said, “Maybe you’ve seen him?”

“What does he look like?”

“He’s a wolf-dog. Brown and tan fur, kind of strong.”

Boris raised his eyebrow.

“Your description is too vague. There are not so few wolf-dogs as you think.”

Steele rolled his eyes and produced one of the photographs from his pocket.

“Maybe this will help?” he said slowly, trying to restrain his frustration.

Boris squinted at the image and shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but I have no seen this hybrid,” he said, “Is there anything else I can be helping with?”

“Perhaps,” Flint replied, “There’s someone else who was supposed to arrive her this morning; my sister Jenna. She’s red and white; should be hard to miss.”

“Her I saw,” Boris said, “She came in here this morning for a few odds and ends. Said she was going back to close her store at home, I believe.”

Flint sighed in relief. At least Jenna was safe at home. Originally, he might have sided with Balto, but after the escape… Why would an innocent man run?

“Is there anything else?” Boris interjected.

“No, that’s all, thank you,” Flint replied, tipping his hat, “But if you do see him, let us know.”

“Of course,” Boris said with a nod, “Good day, then.”
He watched as the four huskies left again, and shook his head.

Outside, Steele withdrew a map from his inner vest pocket and laid it out on his horse’s saddle. He then turned to his deputies.

“If you were an escaped criminal, where would you go from here?”

“Well, we’re only a day’s ride from the Mexican border,” Amos said, “So if I was him that’s where I’d go.”

“I see, then that’s one direction we’ll not be going,” Steele said.

“What?” Flint said in confusion, “but you said…”

“Forget what I said! He won’t go there.”

“But why?” Flint demanded, “It’s the closest escape for him.”

“Yes, but it was the first one we thought off, and he probably knows that if we wanted to, we could likely overtake him before he reached the border. So he won’t be going that way.”

“But where else would he go?” asked another deputy, “There’s nothing but open desert in all directions except back the way we came.”

“Don’t you see, Eli?” Steele said with a grin, “His love, Miss Jenna Daniels, is still around here somewhere, and he won’t leave her; all he wants is to disappear, and unless he wants to fry doing it, there’s only one place to go.” He rested his white-furred finger on a point just west of El Paso on the map, and all the deputies moved closer to see.

“Sierra Valley,” Flint said quietly.

“Not even really a valley, but more of a small canyon…” said Eli.

“…with a dried up river,” Amos finished.

“That’s it,” Steele replied, glancing at the sky, “It’s too dark to travel safely now, so we’ll rest up here tonight, but come dawn tomorrow, we ride for Sierra Valley!”

Even as Steele and his deputies bedded down in El Paso, some miles to the west Jenna lay wide awake, staring blankly up at the star-filled sky. The wool blanket helped fend of the cold night air, but kept glancing over at Balto. The wolf-dog was slouching against the boulder a short distance away, staring off to the horizon, watching for anything larger than a prairie dog. Yet despite his best efforts, his head was beginning to sag, his eyelids heavy. It was only the cold that kept him awake, she saw, because he was shivering more than subtly.

She looked down at the wool blanket that covered her from her neck to her feet and felt a flash of guilt. She got to her feet and, with the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, walked over and sat down beside him. He turned in surprise.

“I thought you were asleep.”

Jenna shook her head.

“You look cold; I couldn’t just leave you freezing here,” she replied.

She took the blanket off her shoulders and draped it over both their bodies. She moved closer to him and he took a hand of his shotgun to hold her close.

“Thanks,” he whispered, kissing her gently on the cheek.

Jenna blushed and smiled. She then snuggled up close to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Before long, she was fast asleep. Balto glanced over at her as he felt her chest slowly rise and fall against his side. He smiled warmly, knowing that there beside him was the woman he’d spend the rest of his life with.

The next day as the sun peeked over the horizon, Steele rose and woke his deputies. The four-husky posse gathered around their horses as Steele briefed them.

“The valley is just over a day’s ride from here,” he said, “So we’ll have to ride through the night to make it their by tomorrow. I hope you’ve all gotten enough sleep, because you’re going to