“Sheriff! Come a running. The mill done been robbed.”

The repeated banging on the door and the noise of his less than literate Deputy woke William Allison. He had been Sheriff of this little town less than three months. His cantankerous excuse for a wife had convinced him that taking the job would be a stepping stone in the local political scene. So far it had only netted him few hours of sleep and less cash in his pocket than his failed density endeavor. Just last night he was riding through the hills searching for rustlers. The weekend spent breaking up a bar fights and the Thursday before, sitting in Judge Fishers court testifying. Now someone goes and robs the mill.

He reached for his pants at the end of the bed and hitched them up over his long handles. A chill shot through him and he glanced at his wife. She had rolled up in the quilt, still snoring. He reminded himself to be thankful for the little things. Like the fact that he hadn’t had children with her. As he strapped on his rig and tucked in his shirt, he daydreamed.

He is on a ship, leaving his betrothed. She is cussing and hurling things about as he waves to her through the porthole.

“Sheeeirf! Their gitting away.” His deputy yelled, interrupting his blissful thoughts.

This stirred the beast. “Gorramit William if you don’t get out there and shut that man up I’m going to kill the both of you.” She bellowed. “I don’t need his caterwauling waking me up.”

Allison banged on the door “Be right there Ollie.”

“Put me on some coffee. I think I overdid it with that mulberry wine last night”

She over did it most nights Allison thought. “You’ll have to make it yourself Cora. There’s been a robbery.”

He stepped out and the chill he had attributed to being next to less than loving wife, turned out to be snow. It was coming down, flakes as big as tufts on a cottonwood tree. He shivered and started back inside for something warmer than his denim jacket, but stopped short. Stay warm or face Cora…The hell with it a little cold might do him good. He set out for the mill.

---------------------------------

“What do you mean we can’t fly?”

“Not a problem Captain.” Kaylee said as she opened the floor deck, torch and tool box in tow.

“Not a problem? We just robbed the Gorram town and you’re telling me we can’t fly. That’s a big problem.”

“Does hurt the getaway part of the plan” Wash remarked. The stern look from Mal changed his tone. “Ice in the fuel lines. We weren’t expecting to be parked in the canyon this long”

“Ice in the fuel lines?" It’s a site colder in space and it didn’t freeze up.” Mal said fuming.

“True but you remember that rough landing we had?”

“You mean the one you caused.”

“Yeah that one. We when we rehung the deck plating, we… we kind of forgot to reinsulate.”

“So we’re stuck here till we get pinched?” Jayne chimed in from across the hold, while he stowed the goods from the heist.

“How long Wash?” Mal asked impatiently.

“Couple hours to thaw the lines, but it took us a day to fix the plating the first time.”

“No, you didn’t fix it the first time and we ain’t got a day” Mal added. “Jayne, pull that stuff out, bury it in the snow.”

“Aw hell Mal, ain’t nobody gonna find it here.”

“Just do it. Zoe lend a hand. Then I want ever able body helping get us back in the air.”

Zoe stepped forward as Mal was unhitching the trailer from the mule. “You have plan sir?”

“Jayne clocked them guards good before we went in. Good chance they didn’t get a look at me.” He fired up the mule. “I’ll head into town. If they start sniffin this direction I’ll let you know.”

“Hell of risk sir” Zoe handed him a com. “And if you’re wrong?”

“Come get me of course, preferably before they hang me.”

“Yes sir” Zoe smiled.

--------------------

Allison learned nothing at the mill. Any tracks left in the snow were long since covered by the fresh fall. The guards Ellis and Randy had been about as helpful as two guys with a combined IQ or 100 could be. The goods were gone, they saw nothing. Outside of a couple of lumps on their heads no one was hurt. It was a bad situation about to be made worse as Allison saw the Mayor enter the mill.

“Sheriff, why are you still here. You should be out chasing those men that robbed us”

“I’m trying to suss out what’s happened here.”

“Hell Will we were robbed. Any fool can tell that.” The mayor continued to point out the obvious as three city councilmen gathered around him.

The ensuing argument about what was to be done was giving Allison a headache. He longed for the days when he just pulled teeth and filled cavities. Who would think such a backwater town would have such good dental hygiene. Hell if the business hadn’t gone under he would have never married Cora. Her family was eager to marry her off, probably due to her being around them daily. The dowry they offered had paid off his debt and their house in town, far from her family ranch.

Allison was brought back to reality by the Mayor. “I tell you Will we need to get that stuff back. The Alliance pays handsomely to store and protect those goods. Now how do you think they are going to react when they learn they have been lifted right out from under your nose?”

“Might be they ask why your nephews were the only guards on duty at the time.” Allison responded firmly.

The Mayor backed up a step to regroup but before he could rip into Allison gunshots rang out. Ollie came through the door. “Now their robbing the bank.”

Allison and the others ran from the mill to see a hover and some horsemen shooting their way out of town. As Allison started down the sidewalk, Mal had just stepped out of the alleyway to see what the commotion was. The two men crashed into each other and fell into the snow.

Allison came up gun drawn. He spun to Mal. “You! Raise your right hand.”

Mal raised both.

“You’re hereby sworn and deputized. Follow me.”