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Married life seemed to agree with the young couple. Johnny’s first gift to Kathryne was a handsome young white colt she named Outlaw. Though she would never give up Cheyenne, The young colt would follow her everywhere like a puppy dog. He always knew when she came there was always a carrot or two in her back pocket, and he always managed to grab it from her.
Johnny told her he would have one of the hands break the horse when he was ready, but Kathryne refused for anyone but her to get him ready for the saddle. Kathryne was no stranger around a horse, since she was had been raised on a horse farm, and as both she and Johnny were having breakfast Kathryne told him that she was going to give Outlaw his first taste of the saddle. She was planning to give him to the baby when he was old enough to ride. After all, she was on a horse when she was five she only had to wait three and half years.
“Are you sure you want to do this alone?” Johnny asked, and
She could see the look of concern on his face.
“Johnny, I’ll be fine,” she assured him.. “Don’t worry. Outlaw wouldn’t hurt me.”
Johnny gets up and heads for the back door., Kathryne follows him, She slips her arm around his waist as she walks with him out to the corral.
“I’ll be going into town later today,” he said. “Would you like to come along?”
She smiled backs at him. , it was like he could almost read her mind, as she had wanted to pick up a few items at the mercantile.
“If it’s not too late. There are a few things I’d like to get, and I have a letter I want to send out.”
He gives her a kiss on the cheek, then gets got on his horse, warning, “Be careful on with the horse.”
“I will.”
He rides off, and she waves at him as he looks back at her. She turns and makes her way back to the house. As she’s walking, she suddenly feels dizzy. It was only a brief moment, and then it had passed. She ignored it and continued to head back to the house. Passing the dining room she sees Carlita clearing off the table of the breakfast dishes.
“Señora Kathryne, is there anything else you need?” she asked. “I am going to do the wash today.”
“No, I’m fine Carlita,” Kathryne said. “I’ll be at the corral. I’m going to try to put the saddle on Outlaw today.”
She heads for the stairs to change her clothes. She starts to climb the stairs and when the dizziness hits her again. Holding on to the railing until its passes, she then starts up again. She has no idea what is causing this, but she feels as though it would pass on its own.
Making her way to the corral, Kathryne has the usual two carrots in her back pocket for Outlaw. Pedro walks out of the stable, and when he sees her, he greets her.
“Good morning Señora.”
“Good morning, Pedro. Today is the day Outlaw gets to feel the saddle on his back.”
“Señora, are you sure you want to do this?” Pedro asked.
“Of course, Pedro,” she assured him.. “You are starting to sound like Johnny. I’ll be fine.”
She opens the gate and makes her way inside the corral. The horse slowly walks up to her, circling and around to her back pocket.
“Oh no you don’t,” she says. “No carrot until you’ve earned it. “ She backed away and to gets the bridle that was on the post, and slowly putting it on him.
“See,” she said to the horse. “Now that wasn’t so bad. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Suddenly the dizziness comes washed over her again, This time it was so bad that it frightened her. She tried to get to the gate to get out of the corral but found that she couldn’t walk. , everything was spinning, and then everything went black.
It was Carlita who saw her on the ground in the corral and started to yell for Pedro.
“Pedro?, Pedro!?, Quick! La Señora she is hurt!.”
Pedro comes running out of the stable and he sees Kathryne on the ground, and the horse blocking anyone from getting to her. He didn’t know how to get the horse away from her, and Outlaw was not going to leave her side.
“Madre Dios, Carlita, the horse. I have to move the horse to get to the Señora.”
Johnny was on his way back to the ranch. He wanted to surprise Kathryne and see watch her break Outlaw. Also, he wanted to be there just in case she ran into trouble. As he got closer to the house he noticed Pedro and Carlita by the corral, but no Kathryne. Then it hit him that something was wrong. Where was Kathryne?
He started to gallop to the house. So many things were going through his mind, and what was worrying him over and over again was that he did not see Kathryne.
Carlita turned to and sees him coming and running up to him as he gets off his horse.
“Señor Johnny! ”she said. “The Señora, she’s in the corral and we can’t get to her. The horse will let no one near her.”
Johnny looked and sees Kathryne laying face down on the ground and lifeless.
“Kathryne!” he cried. “Kathryne!? Pedro get me a rope.”
Pedro runs to the stable, coming back with a rope.
“Pedro, I’m going to lasso the horse and get him away from la Señora,” he explained. “When I do, I want you and Carlita to open the gate and get her out of there.”
“Si Señor.”
As Johnny lassoed the horse, and pulling him away from Kathryne, Pedro and Carlita got the gate open, quickly getting Kathryne out of the corral before closing the gate after them. Johnny ties the horse to the side post before he rushes to his wife. He kneels beside her.
“Kathryne?! Kathryne!.”
She begins to come to, looking up to see and looks at the concerned face of her worried husband.
“Johnny?” she asks. “What are you doing here?. What happened?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “I came riding up and found Pedro and Carlita by the corral and you on the ground inside it.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong...” she said. “I have been feeling dizzy all morning.”
“Well, we’re going to take you to town and have Doc Staempler take a look at you.”
“Oh don’t be silly Johnny. I’m‒...”
“You’re going to town, and I mean now,” he interrupted. “Pedro, get me the buckboard. I’m taking Señora Kathryne into town.”
“Si Señor.”
He helps her up and moves her slowly to one of the chairs on the back porch.
“Really, Johnny,” she tried again, “I’m fine. I don’t need a doctor.”
“Don’t argue with me Kathryne,” he said. “You are going to the doctor, and that’s that.”
Kathryne gets into the wagon, and Johnny heads for the town and Kathryne was stating through the whole ride insisted that she was fine.
Johnny finally looks back at her.
“Alright, you’re fine,” he humored her, “but for my own peace of mind I would like that doctor to tell me what it is with your dizziness.”
It seemed like ages that Kathryne had been in the inner office at Doc.Dapson’ and for ages when Pedro and Carlita came into town to find out about the Señora.
“Any news yet Señor?”Pedro asked.
Johnny just shook his head. Suddenly the door opened, and the doctor came out and looked at Johnny.
“Johnny, she’s going to be alright,” he assured him, “but nothing strenuous for the next few months.”
Johnny looked back at him questioningly. “But Doctor, you said she was alright?”
“As alright as any woman who is going to have a baby,” he said. .”I figure she’s about two months pregnant right now.”
Johnny just stood there with his mouth open when Pedro went over to him and congratulated him.
“Congratulations Señor! You are going to be a father.”
Johnny looks at the doctor.
“Can I go and see her?” he asks.
“Yes, of course,” he replied. “ You look like you’re going to faint.”
Doctor Sampler looks at Carlita.
Meanwhile, Johnny smiles at the doctor before he goes into the other room. He sees Kathryne sitting on the table getting dressed again. She looks up when he enters the room.
“I’m sorry Johnny,” she said. “. I didn’t know I‒...”
He puts his arms around her.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for. You have to take care of yourself now and not take any chances.”
“I .....”
“Kathryne, I didn’t know what to think when I saw you laying on the ground,” he admitted. “. I thought I had lost you, and to lose you I would lose my own life. And now you’re going to have a baby, our baby. You are my dream catcher. All the bad dreams are gone now, and you bring only the good ones to me. I will love you all my days, Kathryne Wilson, and we will have many years together.”
When they finally came out of the room again, Pedro and Carlita are smiling at them.
“Señor Johnny, we are going to have a baby also.”
Kathryne runs to Carlita, and both women hug each other. Johnny just shakes his head. It seems that the ranch was going to be filled with the pitter-patter of little feet very soon.
