In early January of 1870 Bill Langley, a Texas cowboy, rode into Cheyenne, sitting erect and tall in the saddle. He rode with one hand on his rein and his free hand well within easy reach of his holstered gun. He was handsome, full of bravado, and had an air of confidence about him. Although other young men shared those attributes, something was different about this cowboy.

The lone man was a stranger to Cheyenne. Perhaps he was a cowboy in town from the herd just outside. That was the obvious assumption anyway. It was, after all, a cattle town.

 But they were wrong. The young man was running from a troubled past in Texas. He had been accused of stealing horses, robbing settlers, and killing a freed slave. The Union Army was offering a $1000 reward for his capture. The handsome stranger had taken up with the outlaws Dick and Jim Sanders. Langley was in Cheyenne as a scout.

Lizzy Smith saw him ride into town. It was in front of the Cheyenne Bank that their eyes first met. Time seemed to stand still at that moment. Lizzy wanted to look away as he rode by. She considered herself a respectable young lady and respectable young ladies weren’t supposed to be looking at strangers.

Lizzy had no fear as their eyes met. She saw a softness, a kindness in the young man’s eyes. She had an uncontrollable need to want to know about him.

He must have felt something too. The angry mean demeanor disappeared when his eyes connected with hers. It was only an instant. But it was most definitely there.

The young man paused only for an instant when he saw her staring up at him.  He tipped his hat, gave her a smile, and rode on.

The stranger rode past her to the livery stable where he dismounted, tied his horse, and headed for the saloon. Lizzy Smith had to know more about the man behind those telling eyes.

At eighteen, sometimes impulses have to be acted upon. It was not in Lizzy’s nature to be so forward, but the urge was strong. Her father, she knew, would not approve of what she was about to do. Lizzy Smith had to introduce herself to the cowboy. There may never be another chance, she reasoned and then turned and walked toward the young cowboy.

She arrived at the saloon doors in time to greet him. Once again, their eyes met. She felt a stirring. From the look she was receiving, both felt it.

“My name is Elizabeth Mary Smith. But call me Lizzy. Everyone else does.”

“Miss Smith, my name is Bill, Bill Langley. When I saw you back there, you looked like someone willing to help a stranger. I was hoping you would come see me.”

“You have to be cold and hungry! Why don’t you follow me to Smithy’s. It’s my father’s restaurant. That’s where I work. I’ll talk him into giving you breakfast and some coffee. We can talk there.”

The winter morning was frigid. Langley welcomed what he hoped would be a long conversation with the pretty young lady.

“That’s awful kind of you, Miss. It’s cold out here. Think I’ll take ya’ up on your offer.”

The conversation was refreshingly fun. Bill felt comfortable with Lizzy and began to hint at his troubled past. In Cheyenne troubled pasts are not uncommon. It is the affairs of the heart that matter. Langley was not experienced with affairs of the heart. Yet his heart felt something for this girl.     

Bill Langley was a bad man. He knew it and had been able to live with it. He came to this town with the intent to relieve it of some of its money. But he can’t explain what happened to him when his eyes momentarily met Lizzy’s eyes staring back up at him as he rode by the bank. The bank he intended to rob.

He walked out of the restaurant with her on his mind. Would she think him to be too brazen if he asked to see her again? The fact that he even considered feelings, other than his own, was unusual.

She made him feel good. And that was something he had never experienced before.

He had to see her again.

“I enjoyed your company, Miss Smith. I’ve got some business to do at the bank and the general store. I know I’ll be hungry when I finish my business. Could I meet you for lunch, if your free?”

          “Mr. Langley, when you’re done, come to Smithy’s and I’ll take my lunch break.”

The bank, he and his associates intended to loot, was next door to where Lizzy worked. If she were working when they robbed it, there was a good chance she would get hurt. He couldn’t let that happen. His plans now had to account for Lizzy’s safety.

In the early afternoon, Lizzy saw Bill enter the diner. She finished serving her customer then walked to Bill’s table and sat down.

“Lizzy, you don't know who I am or what I've done.”

          “I know enough.” 

“I have a past. Most would say I’m no good. I can’t really explain this. But I want you to know, Elizabeth Mary Smith, as of the moment I saw you in the street, my past began with you.”

“Just what does that mean, Bill?”

“It means, Lizzy, I am here to stay! With you?  I knew it as soon as I left you this morning.”

Bill could tell the young woman sitting next to him was surprised by his statement. But he sensed she was pleased with his words.

It was circumstance that brought Bill Langley to Cheyenne. Till this morning, the outlaw, running from past circumstance, was here to rob Cheyenne of the money in its bank. Instead, Cheyenne robbed the outlaw of his criminal needs and introduced him to the woman he needed.

 He continued. “I want to stay here and make a life with you, Lizzy. That is, if you feel about me the same, I feel about you?”

She kissed him on the cheek. “Well then, let’s get started!”