NOTE: When playing the game, I wondered why John Marston was on that ferry in the opening cinematic when the government office was in Blackwater and only a block from the train station. One day, I was playing and rode to the docks and looked. Across the water was a lot of land. Obviously, there are other towns, cities, states, and counties beyond the ones you see on the game. Therefore, I figured those were islands that were part of the state (similar to NYC). I figured that's where they had held Jack and Abigail until John did as he was instructed. The people at the docks likely had information to make sure John would not be able to board a boat or ferry, knowing that he might try to rescue his family himself. When John and Jack are together, Jack says that he stayed brave, just like John had asked. That makes me believe John was present when his family were snatched from him and that he was taken near (not to) the location himself for a brief period of time. Abigail tells John that she and Jack were blindfolded to and back. This was likely to be sure they could not attempt an escape.
The morning sun shone through the window of the master bedroom of the ranch-house. Jack and Irene were sound asleep in the large bed and covered with the red comforter. Lying on the left side of the bed, Irene's head was on Jack's bare chest with her arm across him. His muscular left arm was around her. Jack opened his eyes. He looked down and smiled. He pulled his right arm from the covers and ran his fingers through her long hair. He then gently moved Irene off of himself and laid her down on the bed. He kissed her head.
Jack sat up and looked at Irene. He sighed heavily, stood up, and got dressed. He looked at Irene one more time, then left the room. In the barn, Jack tended to the horses.
Inside, Irene woke up. She got out of bed, dressed, and pulled her hair back into a single braid. She walked out to the barn and found her man.
"Good morning, Irene," Jack smiled as he hugged her tightly. He kissed her head as she hugged him back. "You were so tired last night, I decided to let you sleep in. Are you OK?"
"I'm fine," Irene said. "What were your plans for the day?"
"Actually, since it's Saturday, I thought we'd ride to MacFarlane's Ranch and pay Bonnie a visit," Jack replied. "I haven't seen them in a few weeks. And you only met them when you were hurt."
"That's true," Irene agreed. "You sure talk about them a lot."
"They gave me second chance with my father," Jack said. "I never would have seen him again if it weren't for them. You need to see them again. They need to know you're OK."
"Then, let's go," Irene agreed.
Later that morning, Jack and Irene rode from Beecher's Hope and began their trip to MacFarlane's Ranch. They were cautious as they rode through Thieves' Landing. Once they passed that town, they sped up again and continued on to MacFarlane's Ranch. As the two horses walked across the bridge into MacFarlane's Ranch, Drew was leaving the house. He smiled when he saw Jack.
"Jack Marston!," Drew beamed. "Long time no see, son! How have you been?"
"I'm doing just fine, Mr. MacFarlane," Jack said as he stopped Samson. Irene stopped Daylight alongside. "Mr. MacFarlane, I'd like you to meet my wife, Irene."
Drew smiled at Irene. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Marston," he said politely. "Consider yourself a member of the family."
"Thank you, Mr. MacFarlane," Irene smiled.
"Jack, if you wanna see Bonnie and Amos, they're in the horse corral right now," Drew said.
"Thank you," Jack said. He pulled the reins and set Samson to a walk, followed by Irene.
In the horse corral, Bonnie and Amos were attempting to break in a new horse. The animal was feisty and seemed to refuse to be broken. He bucked Amos off as the couple were getting close to the gate. Jack dismounted and leaned on the gate. Irene remained on her horse and watched from there.
Bonnie then realized that there was an audience. She smiled when she saw who was at the gate and walked towards him. "Jack, great to see you," Bonnie smiled. She climbed over the gate and gave Jack a friendly hug. "And who is this?"
"This is my wife, Irene," Jack introduced. He then climbed the gate and greeted Amos, who was still holding the bridle of the horse. He and Jack started to talk.
Irene dismounted and said "hello" to Bonnie.
"It's really nice to meet you, Mrs. Marston," Bonnie said.
"Irene, please," Irene said. "And it's nice to meet you, too."
Bonnie looked at Jack. "I must say that he looks happier than I have ever seen him before," she said.
"He has indeed changed since he and I met," Irene said. "He's not as angry as before."
"You're exactly what he needs," Bonnie said.
"I know what you did for his father," Irene said. "And I thank you for that, though I never had the chance to meet John. But I have heard a lot of people talk about him."
"He was a good man," Bonnie said. "I really miss him."
"Jack is, too," Irene replied.
"Where are your parents?," Bonnie asked. "If I may be so bold?"
"My father was Landon Ricketts," Irene replied. "He died in nineteen-fourteen and my mother died in eighteen-ninety-nine."
"Landon Ricketts?," Bonnie asked.
"That's right," Irene replied with a smile. "The one and only Landon Ricketts. That's how I met Jack. Daddy had something he wanted me to give to him. It was originally for John, but we learned that he died. So, he asked me to give it to Jack the next time I could."
"Well, I'm glad that your father brought you two together," Bonnie said.
"I am, too," Irene said. "Jack is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I couldn't live without him."
"I'll bet he feels the same," Bonnie said. She looked over towards the corral, where Jack was talking to Amos out of earshot.
"Maybe too much," Irene said. "He has changed a lot since we met and even more since we married. Beforehand, he was so angry and didn't care if he lived or not. I was told that they've diagnosed a new condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and that Jack fits the description. He's been through a traumatic ordeal, more than one really, and he's having trouble dealing with it all. I gave him a reason to live and helped him see that he won't betray his father's memory by being happy again. In fact, it's an honor to John's memory. John gave his life to save Jack's life. He would want Jack to be happy. His smiles used to be fake, but now they're real."
"How can you tell that?," Bonnie asked.
"When a smile is real, there are lines at the eyes," Irene said as she indicated the skin on the outside of her eyes. "If the smile is fake, there are no lines here."
"Wow, I didn't know that," Bonnie said.
"Now you do," Irene said. She looked at Jack. "There are days I just want to hide all the guns and knives and then chain him up someplace so he won't try anything."
"Keep showing him how to live, Irene," Bonnie said. "Love him more and more every day. That's what he needs. He lost his entire family in a short amount of time: his sister, Charlotte; his father; his mother. His father died a horrific death and Jack saw it happen. That alone pushed him over the edge. He needs you. I think you're better for him than any doctor or any medicine."
Irene nodded. "He's doing better since we met," she said. "I can see that. He's laughing now, something I didn't hear from him for the first several months we knew one another. We may have Charlotte re-buried at the farm so she can be with her parents."
Bonnie nodded, then said. "Daddy always said that love can cure anything at all."
Irene smiled and nodded. "I hope that's true," she said. "I really hope that's true. I love him more than anything."
"What do you two plan?," Bonnie asked.
"Bounty-hunting," Irene replied. "I don't know what else. We just take it one day at a time. That's all any of us can do. Nobody is promised tomorrow. Jack and I know that too well."
"So do I," Bonnie said. "I had six brothers. Five have died."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Irene replied.
"My father, husband, and daughter are all I have now," Bonnie told her. "I don't know how much longer we'll have this ranch either."
"Don't give up, Bonnie," Irene said. "Jack's home is very close to the city of Blackwater. He's afraid they'll expand the city and force him to move out. His parents are buried on that property. Jack and I won't let it go that easily."
A few hours later, Jack and Irene said "goodbye" to the family and rode out of the ranch.
As the sun was setting, they arrived at Beecher's Hope. As they rode into the property at a walk, Jack noticed something that made him jerk the reins. Samson jerked his head up as he stopped short. Irene stopped alongside.
"What's the matter, Jack?," Irene asked.
"Look," Jack replied.
Near the house were two motorcars, a wagon, and several men in suits. Jack panicked. He remembered what he had seen when he was sixteen years old, the day that federal agents had taken him and his mother from his father. Jack had spent the next six weeks not knowing if he would ever see his father again.
"Jack, who are they?," Irene asked, also concerned.
"I don't know, babe," Jack replied. "Stay close to me. Promise me. Stay right by me. I don't trust these people at all."
"I will," Irene promised.
Jack and Irene approached their home and dismounted. As promised, Irene stayed within arm's length of Jack. She could see how nervous and anxious he was. The last time official-looking people had come to his home, they had taken Jack and his mother away from his father. They had blindfolded Jack and Abigail and drove them in a motorcar to a location that Jack still had not yet figured out. The team, led by Edgar Ross, had sent John Marston to track down three outlaws and either capture or kill them. He had ended up killing all three of them. It was then that Abigail and Jack were returned to the farm, again with their eyes covered, and John returned home. Almost three weeks later, Ross had arrived with an army. After sending Jack and Abigail from the farm, John had stepped out to face the men alone and provoked them into shooting him. John had given his life to save Jack's life. He realized that these people would never let go of the past or leave him alone. In the process, they would continue to endanger Jack and Abigail.
Although the agents did leave the mother and son alone after that, it was not a happy ending. Jack was very angry. He did not trust the government or law enforcement. Three years later, Abigail died. Jack was sure that she had died of a broken heart. She had not left the farm since the day John died. She was so deep in her own grief that she had not been much help to Jack. Jack's first real help was Irene. He could not bear the thought of losing her. He would do anything to keep anyone from taking her away.
"John David Marston, Jr.?," one man asked as he approached Jack and read from a document he held. He wore a US Federal badge on his coat.
"Yes," Jack replied. He stepped in front of Irene, wanting to be between her and the men. "What do you need?"
"We need to speak with you alone," the man said.
"No," Jack insisted. "My wife is staying with me. She will not leave my sight at all." He clutched Irene's hand tightly, as if he were afraid that they would grab her any moment. "I'll be honest with you," Jack went on. "I don't trust the government and I don't trust lawmen. You've already victimized my family before."
"When did we do that?," the man asked.
"When I was sixteen," Jack replied. "Your agents took me from home and kept me someplace for six weeks while you sent my father on a suicide mission. Then, Edgar Ross took all the credit. He got medals for it and for killing my father. I don't trust you people at all."
"Edgar Ross was a hero," another agent said.
"Edgar Ross was a greedy bastard who cared only about himself, the medals, and the fame" Jack snapped. "He ruined my life."
Irene gripped Jack's hand in both of hers. She wished she could mend Jack's broken heart. Right now, it seemed that even God himself could not do that.
"Mr. Marston, we'd like to restore your trust in this country's government," the first agent said. He took a step closer. Jack stepped back, his outstretched arm keeping Irene back. "You help us, we will help you," the agent said.
"We don't know what happened years ago, Mr. Marston," the third agent said as he walked towards the group. "We only know that we believe you can help us."
"Absolutely not!," Jack barked. "I am not helping you people."
"Mr. Marston, don't make us do this the hard way," the second agent warned.
"What is it you want me to do?," Jack asked, cautiously.
"We want you to track down Perrin Lomax," the first agent said. "We know that he rode with your father's gang for a short while until he was kicked out. Now, he's pissed and he's dangerous."
"What makes you think that I can do anything about him?," Jack asked.
"He was kicked out of the gang when you were ten," the second agent said.
"I barely remember him," Jack said. "I was thirteen when my father got me away from that life and bought this place."
"Don't make us do this the hard way," the second agent said. "We will, if we have to."
Jack clung to Irene's hand. "Don't do this," he asked.
The agents approached the couple. Jack threw both arms around Irene and held her tightly against his chest. She clung to him. Jack maintained his grip on Irene.
"The lady comes with us," the first agent said. He looked at Jack and smiled. "I knew Edgar Ross," he said. "And I know what happened here in nineteen-eleven. And we will do that again, if we must."
"How am I supposed to find Lomax?," Jack asked. "Last time I saw him, I was ten years old. I don't even know what he looks like now or where he could be."
"Figure it out, bounty-hunter," the second agent said.
"Look, Irene bounty hunts with me," Jack said, anxiously. Irene could hear panic and distress in his voice as he went on, "I go, she goes. You take her, you get nothing."
The agents seemed to take that in. "Do you really think you're in a position to make demands, Marston?," the lead agent asked.
Jack knew it: they were not going to leave Irene. Jack whispered into Irene's ear, "I want you to run, baby. Get on that horse and get as far as you can someplace safe." He kissed her a few times and looked into her big brown eyes.
Irene tightened her hug on Jack for a few seconds. She looked into his eyes. He nodded and released her. Irene ran towards Daylight. She quickly mounted up, spurring the animal before she even had her feet in the stirrups.
"Go, Irene!," Jack shouted. "Get someplace safe! Go!"
"Get after her!," the first agent ordered as he and the second agent immediately subdued Jack. They forced him to his knees and then face-down onto the ground. "You better hope they catch her, Marston," the second agent said.
"I'd rather her be free and safe than with you people," Jack told the men he loathed. "Even if I never see her again, I know she's free."
The first agent stomped his boot onto Jack's back.
Irene rode towards Thieves' Landing, which she knew was full of people who hated lawmen. That could be her ticket out. She spurred her horse on faster. She crossed Dixon Crossing, which had been replaced by a better bridge last year, and entered the lawless town.
The two pursuing agents followed, not paying attention to where they were going. Irene jumped from the saddle before Daylight was even at a trot. Irene ran into the loft that John Marston had bought several years ago and Jack still had the deed to. She locked herself inside and let out a big sigh of relief.
"Jack," Irene whispered as she stared at the sky. She closed her eyes and said, "Please, God, keep him safe." Though she never attended church or read a Bible, Irene did believe that God existed. But was he really there for her?
Irene thought hard. As she did, a knock came at the door. Irene looked out the window. A man she did not recognize was standing there and waiting. Gun cocked, Irene opened the door a crack.
"You're Jack Marston's lady, right?," the man asked.
"His wife," Irene said.
"We want to help him," the man said. "We knew his father and we know what happened in nineteen-eleven, nineteen-fourteen, and we see what's happening now. Let us all help you."
Irene sighed. "Who are you?," she asked.
"Name's Blake Grady," the man replied. "I don't know if Jack has heard of me, but we all know who he is. We've got those two agents that were chasing you. Come on."
Irene was unsure.
"It's OK," Blake said. "I swear. They're captives and they're unarmed."
Irene cautiously followed Blake. She saw that he was telling the truth as she found that several people, both men and women, were holding the two tied agents captive. Irene smiled and put away the gun.
"Where is my husband?," Irene asked the third agent.
"I don't know," the man said. "But they won't release him as long as you all keep us like this."
Irene spit into the faces of both men. She grabbed the third agent by his hair and screamed to know where Jack would be held.
"Wouldn't you like to know?," the agent chuckled.
"We'll make him talk," one man said. "Watch this."
The men forced the agent to a table. They placed his hand, fingers spread, onto the table. One man took a knife from his boot.
"Every time you refuse to answer this lady, you lose another finger," the knife man warned. "Then, the other hand. If we run out of fingers, we start taking toes. Then, we start taking other things."
"Where will they take Jack?," Irene asked.
"Get lost," the agent said. "You'll all be jailed if you do anything."
The knife came down. The agent shrieked as his small finger flew from his hand and fell to the muddy ground. He stared at his hand in disbelief.
"Look at me," Irene said as she grabbed his hair and forced his face towards herself. "Where is Jack?" As the agent remained silent and stared at the knife, Irene again got into his face. "Where is Jack?," she asked, separating each word.
"They planned to take him to the same place," the agent said very fast. "The place Edgar Ross kept him when Jack was a teenager."
"Where?," Irene asked.
"It's near Blackwater," the agent said. "Get on a boat and cross to that large island. It's a government island, called Horizon Hills. Jack is being held there right now."
"They better not be hurting him," Irene warned. "You'll pay for that personally."
"You'll never get in," the agent laughed. "The island is under heavy guard." He laughed again.
"We'll all help," Blake promised. "We all hate this government."
"Yeah, they don't help us," another man said. "We'll get more people together and we'll all ride with you. We'll free Jack."
"I appreciate that," Irene said. "I want to talk to somebody else about this, too."
Irene rode to MacFarlane's Ranch. When Bonnie answered the door, she could see that this was serious. "Come in, Irene," Bonnie said. "Are you OK? Where's Jack?"
Irene entered the house and looked seriously at Bonnie as she said, "We need to talk."
7