you’re going to need it.”

At the same time, Jenna woke resting against Balto. He had dozed off the night before, and now lay slumped against the boulder. She woke him with a kiss on the cheek. His eyes blinked open and his smiled at her.

“Good morning,” he said, tossing off the blanket, “Did you sleep alright?”

“Never better,” she replied, standing up behind him, “Do we ride on?”

“We’re about a morning’s trip from the valley, so we should be there by noon,” Balto said. He folded up the blanket and tucked it in his saddle bag along with their tin plates.

Jenna saddled up and waited until Balto did the same. Then the two headed out across the desert once again.

The sun was nearly halfway through its descent toward the horizon as the two approached a small canyon.

“Welcome to Sierra Valley,” Balto said, sweeping his arm in an arch before him.

“Is that it?” Jenna asked, her voice rising in relief, “Finally.”

“I’m sorry it took longer than I thought,” he said, “I haven’t been out this way for years.”

“At least we’re here,” Jenna sighed happily.

Many miles behind, Steele dismounted his horse and bent down to inspect something he had spotted in the dirt. As the deputies stopped and dismounted beside him, he stood up again, this time holding a tin can.

“They’ve been here,” Steele said calmly.

“Who?” asked Eli, furrowing his brow in honest confusion.

Steele turned and looked at him as though he had three eyes.

“Eli, you are about the dumbest man I’ve ever met,” he said, “Who do you think we’ve been after since we left Applegate?”

“Well, you did say something about that Balto character,” Jacob said defensively.

“Thank you for finally catching up,” Steele said, turning to the others, “This means we’re on the right track. If we hurry, we can reach the valley by nightfall. Move out!”

Yet even as the sun dipped below the horizon, Balto and Jenna stood side by side on the small porch of the cabin Balto had led them to. With their horses tied to the posts, the two held each other close and kissed gently. Jenna put her arms around Balto’s neck as he moved against her. They embraced warmly and Jenna rested her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat.

“I love you so much,” she whispered, tilting her head back to meet his eyes, “Please don’t ever leave me again.”

“I’ll spend the rest of my life by your side,” Balto replied, touching his nose to hers.

Jenna had never felt so happy in her entire life. Here in Balto’s arms she felt loved and protected. She knew he would never let anything happen to her, nor would he ever stop loving her. Everything about him made her feel pure bliss. Even the way he looked at her sent shivers up her spine. ‘How could he be so perfect?’ she asked herself, ‘I’m lucky to have a guy like him.’

At the same time, Balto felt a new level of love coursing thru his body –no, his very soul. He had always wondered what it would feel like to love and to be loved, but never in his most wonderful dreams had he felt anything like this. Jenna was a godsend, an angel in disguise, and he loved her more than anything in the world.

The two spent a long time on the porch, forgetting their flight from Applegate, the desert, even where they were. The entire world simply ceased to exist. Only they remained.

Jenna brushed against him as she turned for the door, but he caught her by the hand and spun her into a kiss. She returned it and tried to go inside again, but found that even if Balto’s hand failed to seize her, she always wound up in his arms again. Yet they did make it inside, spinning in a blissful dance of warm embraces. When they made it to the bedroom, Jenna took a moment to look around as Balto took her in his arms.

The room was small, yet well lit by the two windows and the oil lamp on a small table nearby. There was one bed big enough for two against the far wall, and Jenna felt something more than love rising in her chest.

“We really should try to get some sleep,” Balto said softly.

Jenna looked at him and they both smiled.

Neither of them got much sleep that night.

Morning found the two lovers in much the same way the cool night had: wrapped in each others warm embrace. Jenna was the first to awaken, and she leaned over to wake Balto with a kiss.

“Thank you, Balto, for last night,” she whispered, “I’ve never been so happy in all my life.”

Balto smiled and kissed her back.

“Neither have I, Jenna.”

The two enjoyed solace in each others arms as the sun rose.

Then, Balto’s ears perked up at a distant rumble. Even so, he was not yet certain what the noise was, and was thus extremely reluctant to tear his eyes from the Jenna’s. But then, his ears swiveled and he instantly recognized the sound of approaching horses. That meant riders, and they were much too far off any sort of path to be there by accident. Up until that moment, he head wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with the girl he loved more than life itself, but once he heard the pounding chorus of hoof beats, he knew that he had been wrong to so quickly assume they were safe.

He broke the embrace and climbed out of bed, much to Jenna’s dismay, and began donning his clothes. When he slipped on his gun belt, she knew something was wrong.

“What is it?” she asked, “What’s going on?”

“Get dressed, Jenna, quickly,” he insisted, lacing his boots.

Jenna silently obeyed. At the same time, Balto had finished dressing and was loading his shotgun and belt with shells. Jenna quickened her pace, and finally slipped on her black vest and hat as Balto walked briskly into the tiny living room and looked out the front window. He saw nothing, but the steady hoof beats were drawing closer, echoing off the small canyon walls.

“They’ve found us,” he said, snapping his loaded shotgun closed.

“Who?”

Jenna knew the answer almost before he said it.

“Steele,” Balto replied, “He must have followed us!”

“Can’t we just leave?”

“We can’t run now; they’re too close.”

“What?”

“The only way out would be out the other end of the canyon” he pointed toward the back of the cabin “and up out of the valley. The problem is there’re over a hundred yards of open ground between here and where the canyon gets small again. We’d never make it in time; they’d see us, give chase, and catch us.” He leaned against the wall and rubbed his forehead. “Our only chance would be to loose them, and we couldn’t. By the sounds of things, they’ve got us out numbered at least two to one. We’re done.” Suddenly, his face lit up and he cried out, “No, not us. Me! They don’t know you’re here! There’s still a chance.” He paced for a moment, talking quietly to himself. “Alright, I’ve got it. What I’m going to do is go out there and get our friends’ attention. You know, exchange a few shots. And while they’re concentrating on me, you slip out the back and ride off out of the canyon and get as far away from here as you possibly can.”

Jenna nodded, and waited for him to continue, but he simply stood there.

“What about you? Won’t you be coming?”

Balto looked away.

“Against four riders, or even three, I don’t…” He sighed sadly. “No, Jen, I’m not going to make it back.”

For a moment, she thought she’d heard wrong, but when Jenna saw the grim determination in Balto’s eyes, she knew he wasn’t lying.

“You’re… You’re not?” she whispered.

Balto slowly shook his head.

“I’m sorry Jenna, but I have to get you out of here, and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes.”

“Even…”

“Yes, Jen.”

Jenna cast her eyes to the ground, and tried to make sense of what she’d just been told. Balto stepped up to her.

“Jenna…”

“No, Balto, no I can’t! I can’t just leave you! There must be another way; tell me there’s another way!”

“I’m sorry, Jenna, but there’s no way out for me.”

Jenna buried her face in Balto’s chest and began to cry. Balto put a firm hand on her shoulder and lifted her chin with the other.

“I know it hurts, Jenna, but please do this…for me.”

Jenna sobbed as she met his pleading gaze.

“Please, Jenna…”

She felt as though her heart would break, but she nodded.

“Thank you, Jenna,” he whispered, “I love you, please never forget that.”

He put his arms around her and ran his fingers thru her hair as he shushed her sobs.

“Jenna, you must do one last thing for me…”

Jenna looked up at him, eyes still brimming with tears.

“You must promise me that when you leave, you must never look back.”

Jenna drew a sharp breath, but again she nodded.

He looked down into her brown eyes, and said, “Say a prayer for me.”

She threw her arms around him, whispered, “God will keep us free.”

Balto kissed her one last time on the cheek and hugged her tight. Then, he slowly broke his embrace and, picking up his shotgun, moved to the front door. Their eyes met, and Jenna swallowed her tears and mouthed ‘I love you.’ Balto gave a weak smile and mouthed “Go, now.” Jenna let a sob escape as she turned and made her way to the back door. As he heard the door swing shut, Balto whispered,

“I love you Jenna.”

The pounding of the horses’ hooves echoes off the canyon walls, and both Jenna and Balto perked up at the sound.

They could hear the riders coming; he said, “This is my last fight.

If they take me back to Texas, they won’t take me back alive.”

Jenna mounted her horse and with one last glance back rode off toward the canyon opening behind the cabin.

Balto burst out the front door, running for the only protection in the small clearing: A large boulder halfway between the cabin and canyon entrance.

Balto made it to the boulder just moments before Steele and his deputies entered the small clearing. He fired his shotgun into the air, and the resulting double-blast echoed thru the canyon, startling the four riders. Flint was the