She was done with travel. The excitement, the adventure of heading west to undiscovered lands was not nearly what she had expected. Discovery and exploration – that was what her big brother had promised. What she had discovered so far was that there was more dust inside a stagecoach than she'd ever seen before. Oh, and she had discovered that these were absolutely the most uncomfortable seats she had ever encountered. Anywhere.

After all, she was no longer child. She was a young woman now. Why she had just turned 17. Some of her friends of same age where already married, or at least betrothed, and one even had a child. She intended to have a good deal more fun with her life before settling down. Unless of course Mr. Right came along. That was another matter entirely.

She sighed, looking out the window. Like there was any chance of finding Mr. Right in this part of the world. If she squinted enough to look through the dust, which was difficult to do, she was very certain she can see a town coming up. She offered up a quick prayer that they would be stopping. Not that she expected to find anything there, but at least it would give her a chance to stretch her legs and possibly, if fortune was on her side, find a cool drink.

"What's wrong Suzie Q?"

She glared in frustration at her older brother. "Please don't call me that. I am a woman now."

Kenneth thought for a moment on what his father had told him was required for a boy to become a man and looked at his little sister in horror. "You better not be a woman yet. And if you are, I'm gonna kill the man that did that to you."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, don't be foolish Kenneth. I simply meant I am not a child. Goodness. I should think you know I have more sense to me than that."

"How much sense a girl has is of no matter if a man gets notions into his head. We are in the wilds of the country now Suzie, and you need to take precautions at all times."

Josiah leaned back quietly in his seat, desperate to keep the smile from his face, and to stay out of the conversation. This bickering had been going on since he'd gotten on the stage a few hours earlier, and he had no doubt it would continue long after he was back home in Four Corners. The only reason he'd been on board at all was because Chris was sure the coach was going to be robbed. A gang had targeted a number of stages recently, and Chris figured this one was due. Josiah doubted it. The other targets had something worth taking; this one wasn't even carrying much mail. Of course, there was no way any bandits would know that, and with these youngsters on board, Josiah hoped he, and not Chris, was right about this.

He closed his eyes to distance himself from the latest squabble. These two had clearly been spending far too much time in each others company. Such were the disadvantages of long-distance travel. Still, they were lucky to be able to spend the time together – an opportunity he was never able to enjoy. He wished he could find a way to share that with them that wouldn't sound like the trite ramblings of an older busybody.

Kenneth was relieved to see the stranger sharing their ride didn't seem to be paying much attention to them. The whole situation was embarrassing enough without having to deal with the judgment of an outsider. This being the man of the family was far more trouble than he had anticipated. He didn't recall Suzie questioning every declaration their father had made.

This trip to San Francisco was going to be the death of him, he was sure. Were it not for the promise of a desperately needed job, courtesy of their uncle, he never would have considered it. Certainly not with her tagging along. She was in many ways far more grown up that her years suggested. He supposed the fact she had been taking care of him and their father for the past 4 years accounted for that. But she was still a child, at least as far as he was concerned. And her stubborn streak and flights of fancy were enough to make him wish he had left her with family friends in St. Louis. But that would have been unfair to them.

Father's failed business had left them in debt, and there were few funds left once everything they had left was sold off to cover that. It was enough, barely, to get them to their final destination, even if it meant the trip was far from first class. The sign said Four Corners. That seemed to sum it up. It didn't look like there was much more to it than that, and Suzie sighed once again.

Josiah gave into his desire to offer some comfort.

"It's not much, but it has a decent hotel restaurant for a meal at a fair price. Stage will be here for a bit to change over the horses and give the driver a chance to eat, so you might as well take the same opportunity."

Her fatigue and overall frustration got the better of her. "I will thank you to keep your advice to yourself. Your idea of what is decent is hardly a standard I would base my decisions on."

"Suzie!" Kenneth was shocked at his sister's reaction, and turned to offer his apologies, hoping the large and somewhat intimidating gentleman wasn't going to respond in kind. He was not expecting the chuckle he heard.

"No, I imagine we might have different opinions on that meaning. For example, I would think decent includes having the manners to express gratitude for kind words from a stranger, but I guess that isn't part of your interpretation."

The coach had stopped now, and Josiah opened the door on his side, stepping down, causing the weight in the unit to shift.

"You're lucky he didn't tear a piece outta your hide, and you would have deserved it."

Suzie sighed yet again. She knew she had spoken rashly, but was too tired to care. Perhaps after a break, she would feel up to finding the man and offering and apology. For now, she turned away.

"Well, are we going to at least do what he suggested and get something to eat other than dried meat and stale bread?"

"I'm not certain what they'd have here would be any better, but I suppose we can try."

Relieved at not having to have another argument, Kenneth stepped out and reached up to offer her a hand. He was distracted by some shouting and the sound of horses coming closer. When he looked up again, he saw Suzie had decided to continue to be contrary, and stepped on the opposite side of the coach.

She took a step or two away before pausing to stare down the street. Well, that might have been a generous term to describe the path that went through town. She couldn't even see a gas street light anywhere. She desperately hoped their final destination would have more to offer, but doubted it.

Too wrapped up in her study of the town, she failed to register the sounds coming closer to her. It was only at hearing Kenneth scream at her that her attention was captured. She turned to look at him and was frozen in place by the sight of two horses charging towards her. She was transfixed as they grew nearer, oblivious to the warnings for her to run. Both riders had guns drawn, and were clearly headed straight for the coach.

Josiah pushed Kenneth to the ground as he scrambled to get around the back of the coach, knowing he couldn't get to the young woman in time, but making the effort just the same. The notion of shooting the riders crossed his mind, but that wouldn't stop the horses. And shooting the animals, something he was loathe to do, would still leave the armed bandits able to kill her just as easily. All this ran through his mind in less time than it took him to step off the sidewalk.

He had just cleared the back of the coach when he saw the third horse barreling down on the scene. Before anyone could register what was going on, the rider was between the girl and the would-be thieves, reaching down and scooping her up with one arm. Her feet left the ground as she was lifted even with the rider, who she gazed at in wonder. He glanced only long enough to ensure she was safe as he spurred his horse forward and out of the danger zone. Josiah didn't hesitate to fire a shot that brought down the nearest rider. Almost simultaneously a second shot range out, dropping the second man. Momentum carried the horses forward enough to sideswipe the coach, which by now the driver was trying to move away from the fray. The hit, combined with the forward motion and uneven street was enough to put it off balance and it tipped precariously toward the sidewalk. The loud crack of splintering wood was heard an instant later as the rear axle cracked in two.

Josiah watched, praying quickly that the vehicle wouldn't tip, and was relieved to see the prayer answered in the affirmative. He looked around quickly to check for injuries, and was pleased to see that other than the two men who had been shot, no one seemed to be hurt. That brought his thoughts back to Suzie, and he scanned the area for the girl and her rescuer.

Chris had slowed Pony when he heard the shots. He knew instinctively that any threat from that source was over. Now the concern was to make sure his passenger didn't set things off balance. Reining his horse to a stop he bent forward, loosening his grip when he could see the girl was on solid ground. He didn't let go entirely, shifting his hand to her shoulder as he doubted very much she would be able to stand on her own. He was relieved that she seemed fairly steady, and even more relieved when Mary came running up, taking over responsibility and letting him turn his attention to more pressing matters.

"Josiah? Buck?"

"Everybody's fine Chris." Josiah's booming voice was reassuring, but Buck's chortle and subsequent comment was the confirmation he needed.

"Well, everybody who needs to be is."

"The driver? Passengers?"

"Which part of everybody are you having problems with cowboy?"

Shooting a glare at Buck, Chris brought his attention back to the subject of his distraction.

"What the hell were you thinking girl?"

Mary gave him a look that would turn water to ice in a second. "Don't you think she has been frightened sufficiently without you bellowing at her?" She put her arm around Suzie's shoulders and guided her toward the sidewalk. It was hard to turn her away. Mary assumed she was frozen with fear, not thinking for a moment she was too enraptured to consider taking her eyes off the mysterious man in black. Kenneth, on his way to check his sister, met them halfway and helped her to a seat. Suzie kept her attention solely on Chris's retreating figure, gazing in wonder.

She knew she would never forget the feel of his arm wrapped around her. The worry in those entrancing green eyes. The stern but concerned look on his face as he literally swept her off her feet. Everything about him was etched into her mind forever, even though her heart told her that wasn't a concern. She would never forget her heroic dark knight, because he was going to be her husband, to be together forever.

M7-M7-M7-M7-M7-M7-M7

tbc