"I just want you to go straight there," Robert admonished before he handed his younger brother a letter. "And, I expect a wire from the nearest town to let me know you got there safe, understand!"
"Yes, sir," Jonathan said giving his older brother a roll of his eyes. "Your worse than Pa!"
"I hardly think so," Robert retorted. "Just do like I said, okay?"
"Don't worry," Jonathan said as he galloped away from the hospital.
Robert could only watch him go and worry that he didn't run into any trouble along the way.
"Worried?" Vera asked when Robert returned to Doc's side.
Ringing out a damp cloth, he placed it on the older man's head before he responded. "About him?" he asked shaking his head no. "Doc'll be alright. It's just a slight concussion, the hang over will probably be worse."
"My god," Julie said stepping into the office with Kitty just behind her. "What happened?"
Robert stood up from Doc's side as Julie took his place. "It seems that Louie's death hit him a little harder than I thought."
"He looks terrible," Julie said looking up at the young physician. "Is he going to be alright?"
"He'll be okay once he sobers up," Robert replied with a sigh as Julie looked relieved.
"You can go if you have something to do, Doctor," she said taking Doc's hand in hers. "I'll stay with him."
"Alright," Robert said looking from Julie to Kitty. "You just let me know when he starts to come around."
"I will," she said with a nod. "It's alright if you want to go to Kitty. I'll be here."
"I'll bring something back for you to eat later," Kitty said as Julie smiled.
"That'd be awfully nice of you, Kitty," she replied looking down at Doc. "I wish he would have confided in me before he pulled something like this!"
"So do I," Kitty said quietly.
The next morning, Marianne awoke alone in the shack. Glancing around, she threw back the blanket of the bed. Grimacing in pain as she stood up, she turned around and look down upon the sheet and the scarlet stain.
She closed her eyes as she remembered the previous night. She had tried to fight him off but he was to strong for her and before she knew it, he had penetrated her, breaking the barrier that held her innocence.
She turned away quickly from the bed when a wave of nausea assailed her. Glancing out the only window, she didn't see Cory any where but neither did she see the horse that they had rode in on.
She found a basin of water and cleaned up before considering an escape plan. Since she had really no idea where she was or when Cory might be back, she figured that if she was going to try and make a run for it, now would be the best time.
Hesitantly, she opened the front door and stepped outside into the sun light to looked around. The only thing she saw was acres of barren fields. No barns or sheds of any sort, just the shack in the middle of an open field and a gravel road that looked as though, it was hardly traveled.
Upon hearing a rider in the distance, she put a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun light.
Realizing it was Cory on horse back and some one else in a buggy, she quickly slipped back into the shack and waited.
A few moments passed before Cory bounded though the door with a nicely dressed man carrying a bible.
"Preacher," Cory said taking Marianne's arm. "This is my girl, Marianne."
"Nice to meet you," he said tipping his hat before he looked around the room. "Shall we have the ceremony in here or outside?"
"Ceremony?" Marianne said pulling away from Cory. "I'm not marrying him!"
"I understand your hesitation young lady," the Preacher said with a nod toward Cory. "Mr. Willard explained it all to me! Now, isn't it far better to go though with the wedding now rather than have to be forced to do one later when your in the family way?"
"What's he talking about?" Marianne said looking at Cory. "What did you tell him!"
"Nothing but the truth," Cory said taking her hand. "We spent last night together! Now c'mon, lets get this over with!"
"It's really for your own good," the Preacher said with a slight smile.
"We spent the night together because he forced me to come with him, not because I wanted to," Marianne implored. "Don't you see! I'm being held against my will!"
The Preacher opened his bible and took out a sheet of paper, handing it to Cory, he said. "All I need is for you to recite the vows and sign the necessary document and it'll be done, young man."
Newly slid down off his horse and slowly walked the path he and Matt had taken since leaving Dodge. Following the tracks of a horse was always difficult but they had sheer luck on their side. Cory Willard's horse had double riders which made the tracks sink into the dirt deeper than they should be. Newly's trained eyes were able to pick up the tracks quickly and luckily they'll keep the trail if the weather holds out and nothing washes them away.
"I sure wish Festus was here," Newly said kneeling. "He's so much better at looking for these tracks than I am."
"You're doing fine," Matt said with a nod in the direction they'd been going since morning. "It looks like they're headed toward Spearville."
"That'd be my guess to," Newly said climbing back up onto his horse.
"Alright," Matt said spurring his horse forward. "Lets see what we can find out when we get into the town."
Jonathan stopped long enough over night to get a few hours of sleep before continuing on into the hill country. Festus often talked of his boyhood home, his twin brother and where they grew up at. Finding his parents wouldn't be easy but he felt pretty confident about where he was going that if he ran into anyone, they'd be able to tell him where the Haggen's lived. Stopping by a stream, he slid off his horse to refill his canteen before continuing on.
"I wouldn't do that Mister!" a voice from behind him said as Jonathan whirled around. "Us Dooley's don't like strangers helping themselves to our water. Unlessen yer gonna pay for it!"
Jonathan had to smile at the way the man spoke. "You sound just like my Pa!" he said. "Name's Jonathan Haggen and I'm looking for my Pa, Festus Haggen. You wouldn't happen to know where I'd find him, do you?"
"Haggen!" the man said raising his shot gun. "You mean to tell me a Haggen is trying ta steal our water!"
"Oh, I wasn't trying to steal it Mister," Jonathan said putting the canteen away. "I just didn't know it was a private stream."
"You sure, you're a Haggen?" the man asked as Jonathan nodded.
"As sure as I am bout anything, why?"
"You come with me then," he said disarming Jonathan of his pistol. "My brother's are gonna want to meet you!"
"Hey," Jonathan said angrily when the man nudged him with his rifle. "What's the big deal!"