"Do you really think Audra might be in trouble or were you just humoring me," Nick asked Heath as they rode along in the dark.
"Well," Heath sighed. "I don't know about trouble necessarily. I suppose I do think that something might have happened, but it's not like I think that it would be anything terrible or anything like that. I'm really just worried that it is so much later than she said she would be home."
Nick snorted. "Well, whatever the reason, thanks for backing me up with Jarrod and mother. They always think I am overreacting."
"Well," Heath's voice was calm but he was fighting back a laugh. "You do have that tendency."
"Right," Nick's response was dripping with sarcasm.
"Help, somebody, He- -," they heard someone scream from the woods.
"What was that," Heath looked at Nick as they pulled their horses to a stop.
"Sounded like a woman," Nick was already off his horse and was drawing his gun. "Come on, let's find out."
Heath dismounted and tied Coco and Charger to a nearby bush on the side of the trail. When he caught up to Nick, they were at the edge of a grove of trees.
"I told you to hush," a male voice said. "You can't just up and change your mind. That just ain't right."
"Did you hear that," Nick whispered.
"Sounds close," Heath answered quietly. "I'll take the left, you take the right."
"Right," Nick nodded and crept off to the right of where the voices had come from.
"Ah," the male voice came again. "You bit me! You spoiled brat."
"Oh," the woman screamed. "Somebody," she screeched again.
Heath and Nick came upon the scene moments apart. It was Thad Morton. He was kneeling over some girl and had his fist raised to hit her.
"Hold it Thad," Nick said first.
Thad turned and saw Nick standing in the moonlight. "Nick," he drew his gun.
"You better put that away," Heath warned from behind him.
Thad spun around as Heath and Nick both crept closer to him. "Heath, it's not what it looks like."
"Then put down the gun Thad," Heath cautioned.
"I can't do that Heath," Thad raised his gun and both he and Heath fired.
"Are you crazy," Nick asked as Thad fell.
The girl laying on the ground beneath Thad screamed. Nick scrambled to pull Thad's lifeless body off of her.
"Audra," Nick seemed surprised.
"Audra," Heath asked, not having moved from where he fired.
"Oh, Nick," Audra sobbed as he pulled her up. "Nick, how did you know?"
"It's alright honey," he hugged her and patted her back. "You're ok now."
"I'll ride for the sheriff," Heath said as he put away his gun and walked closer.
"Good idea," Nick answered. "What about Doc Merar? Are you hurt sis?"
"I don't know," Audra sobbed. "I just don't know."
"I'll bring the doc back anyway," Heath was kneeling next to them now. "It can't hurt to have him look you over," he put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry sis. He didn't give me any choice."
"I know," she pulled away from Nick and hugged Heath tightly. "Heath, I was so scared."
"I know," he pet her hair gently. "I know honey. It's ok now though. Nick is going to stay with you until I get back. I won't be long, I promise."
Heath walked to where they had left the horses and mounted Charger. It had been dark and hard to see exactly what happened with Audra and Thad. He couldn't be sure of anything other than that Thad had stood up in the moonlight and raised his gun at him. He almost hadn't had the nerve to fire with Audra on the ground below him and Nick in the clearing behind him. Anything could have gone wrong and he didn't even know when he fired that it was Audra on the ground. What was Thad Morton thinking? Audra didn't even like him so why was she in that grove with him? Heath could hardly think; he rode as fast as he could and pulled Charger to a halt outside Fred Madden's office.
"Heath," Fred asked. "What in blazes are you doing here this time of night?"
"I need you and Doc to come with me," Heath told him. "I just shot Thad Morton in a grove about two miles out of town."
"What," Fred was flabbergasted. "What happened?"
"Nick and I were riding into town to make sure Audra was ok at the dance," Heath answered. "We just wanted to check on her because it was so late and she had planned to be home a couple hours ago. We weren't even going to let her know we were here."
"Ok," Fred urged him to continue.
"Anyway, we were almost here and we heard a scream for help. We stopped to check it out and all we could make out in the moonlight was Thad Morton over top of a girl in the middle of this grove. He was going to hit her. Nick told him to stop and Thad drew on him. I told him not to fire and he turned to me. I asked him to put it down but he wouldn't. He raised his gun and I shot him. When Nick pulled his body off the girl, we found out it was Audra. It had been too dark to tell before."
"My word," Fred shook his head. "Alright, you go get Doc and I'll meet you at the stable."
"Right," Heath nodded and walked out. He went and found the doctor and they met Fred at the stable and headed out of town.