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They were at home late that night, having finished cleaning up from dinner, when a car came down the road, swerving into Ava's front yard and squealing to a halt. Boyd peeked through the curtains.

"Government car. Raylan?"

"Probably."

"Stay here, I'll go talk to him."

Ava wasn't sure if Boyd was the best person to face Raylan down on the day that the woman who had been a second mother to him had been killed, but then, she wasn't sure she was, either.

She listened as Raylan opened the car door, calling Boyd's name as he approached the house.

Boyd went out onto the porch, watching Raylan warily.

"What was that bullshit you once said about your outlaw days being behind you?" Raylan demanded.

"I think you need to calm down, Raylan."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't come up there and kick the living shit out of you."

Boyd pulled the gun from his waistband and pointed it at Raylan. "I'll give you fifteen reasons in the mag and one in the chamber."

"You sure you can hit me from there?"

Ava had had enough of their schoolboy posturing. One or the other of them was going to get hurt this way, and she wasn't having it. Not today. Grabbing her shotgun, she went out onto the porch.

Boyd was saying, "Well, seems to me there's four people in this house with their guns already pointed at you."

"There a problem?" Ava demanded, moving to stand at Boyd's side. She felt for Raylan, she did, but not enough to let him come to her house and be belligerent.

"Ava, get inside the house."

The nerve of him! "No, I don't think I will. This is my home!"

The three of them stood there staring at each other, none of them sure where to take this stand-off. Boyd still had his gun pointed at Raylan, but Ava kept hers at rest. She knew what could happen if Raylan decided to draw, and she knew how quick a situation like this could turn deadly. She didn't have any wish to see either of these men hurt or killed—especially not at her house, and especially not today.

Helen would have spanked them, Ava thought. Probably had once or twice, while they were growing up.

At last, Raylan said, looking at the two guns, "Well, you both make very good points."

Boyd shoved his gun back into his waistband at this proof that Raylan was willing to be reasonable. "Raylan, I know you're angry. I know you're frustrated." He moved down the steps toward Raylan. "And if I am in any way responsible for what has transpired, what has happened to Helen, I am truly sorry. But I'm not the man who pulled that trigger, Raylan."

"I can't find him," Raylan said, in a tone that said he'd reached a point where any scapegoat would do, so long as he could work his anger out on someone.

Remaining calm, Boyd suggested, "Well, we could draw him out."

"How would we do that? Take you to the middle of town, tie you to a tree, and wait?"

"Well, I'm glad to see you found your sense of humor."

"I ain't jokin', Boyd."

"I'm talkin' about goin' to Mags, Raylan. Getting her to give him up."

"I tried that. She won't."

"I s'pose you didn't play your ace in the hole, my friend."

Ava could see Boyd's charm and calm and already concocted plan were beginning to work on Raylan, who was not at the top of his game.

"Which is?" he asked, interested despite himself.

"Black Pike."

"What about it?"

"Hands have been shaken, but the deal hasn't closed."

"You sure about that?" Raylan demanded.

Boyd nodded, and, after a moment, so did Raylan.

Stepping just a bit closer to Raylan, Boyd added, "Now, when you find Dickie, if you want, you can give me a call."

The edge of Raylan's hat brim tipped down as he studied Boyd. "So you can take care of him for me."

"What are friends for?"

"Whatever needs to happen to Dickie Bennett, I prefer to take care of that myself." Raylan turned to walk back to his car.

Boyd let him get a few steps, then called his name. Raylan paused, looking back.

"I know you and Ava have history," Boyd said carefully, "and you might assume that that familiarity gives you a certain license, but it don't."

Ava was torn between resenting that Boyd thought she needed him to fight her battles for her and a certain amount of understanding that of all the people Boyd didn't want coming around here casually, Raylan Givens would have to top the list, for reasons both to do and not to do with her.

Boyd went on, "That's twice you've disrespected her in my presence. Don't let it happen a third."

Raylan looked from Boyd to Ava and back with an expression of disgust and annoyance on his face, shook his head as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing, and got into his car and drove away.

Returning to the porch, Boyd put an arm around Ava's shoulders, watching the darkness and listening to the sound of Raylan's engine recede. "That is a hurting man, and at the edge of his control. I would not want to be Dickie Bennett when Raylan catches up to him."

"I wouldn't want you to be Dickie Bennett any day," Ava said tartly.

Boyd chuckled. "Nor would I, to tell the truth."

Together, they went back into the house.