The rain is coming down in soft sprinkles.
It's cool and the wind brings the welcoming scent of pine and wet bark.
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Clemons Point
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Molly turns over onto her back and lets out a soft breath of warm air. She turns her head in Dutch's direction to see him asleep in the faint moonlight.
Dutch Van Der Linde. What a name for such a man.
Molly blinks her eyes and does something she never thought she does, at least not for a while. She wiggles herself close to Dutch's warm body underneath the shared blanket and lies still, turning into him.
His warmth and his scent bring Molly a wonderful familiarity that she missed. The man stirs a little bit. It's in the early am.
He groans and blinks open his eyes. There isn't much moonlight but he can see Molly beside him. Dutch scratches his left upper thigh and removes his arm from underneath the blanket to wind it up and over Molly, bringing her closer. He's missed being close to Molly. Closing his eyes and praying for the Sandman, Dutch brings up his other arm from the blanket and lets it rest against his lower abdomen.
"Dutch,"
He hears Molly whine his name.
Her strong accent draws him in the second he hears it.
Molly puts one hand over Dutch's rested over his stomach and she leans up on her elbow, looking down at him. He swallows and looks back up at her. Neither one shares a smile. There is a familiar glimmer in their eyes and they know exactly where it's going to take them.
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Saint-Denis
.
Bonnie is up early.
She let her father and Belle know where she had been all day yesterday and Belle was more than pleased to hear how close Bonnie is becoming with Algernon. Drew on the other hand, not so much. He is getting better as the days go on but when he heard about how Bonnie left for a whole day and stayed out with a strange man, it just irked him.
Bonnie is Drew's only daughter and it's his job to make sure she is safe, even though he knows she is very capable to taking care of herself.
Bonnie grips the windowsill and peers outside into the cool world. Her hair is unraveled from its blue ribbon and lies flat against her shoulders, moving carefully whenever the wind picks up. She allows her normally busy mind to stop for a while to relive the moments with Algernon.
Algernon is simply a mystery and is very intriguing to the young woman. She never really had filthy thoughts, maybe thoughts and feelings similar to these once before but nothing compared to what she finds herself lost in lately.
Bonnie closes her eyes and leans closer to the windowsill on her knees. The thoughts get her blood boiling and her pulse thumping unnecessarily wild.
She swallows a build-up of feelings and emotions and opens her eyes. Her cheeks are flushed and hot. She can't believe the things she had let her mind wander into. Bonnie looks out into the early morning sky. The sunrise is beautiful and bright and she looks down at her knees, letting her hands fall into a bundle across her lap.
They are clammy and she stands up carefully. These feelings that she has been noticing are irritating and very bothersome. She knows what she can do to relieve the tension and calm her raging hormones but doing such dirty things to herself to ease the stress is absolutely disgusting to her. Bonnie has more worrisome things to put her time into.
The young woman gets herself ready for the day and cooks up a lovely breakfast for Belle and her father.
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Algernon's garden house
.
Algernon awakens with the sun.
He gets out of the warm confines of his velvet blanket in a burgundy pajama set, hand-sewn and made entirely out of satin with two lovely golden embroidered roses and trim on the lapels. The hem of his top is lined golden as well as the bottoms of his pants.
Algernon makes plenty of money to feed his expensive tastes but a lot of it he also has saved. He isn't too fond of money, no not really. Sure he owns the most handsome and exotic wardrobe out of any man he may know but it doesn't mean that he 'likes' money. He just has a very interesting taste in everything.
His dark hair is loose and falls over his ears. Some locks fall in his face and he corrects the part in his hair before making his way into his washroom.
The moment he sees his reflection in the oval Victorian mirror, Algernon brings forward a hand to trace over his cheekbones. They are slightly sunken but nothing worrisome.
He hasn't felt this happy and healthy in years!
He had a wife in his younger years but an awful affair tore them apart. Algernon used to blame himself for his wife's constant sneaking around. Those were the days when his bulimia was getting bad. Algernon was beyond stressed because of work and never seeing his young wife. After hearing the rumors and actually seeing her with another man, he jumped off the deep end and fast.
Algernon Wasp was never a hated figure to the public. He was never feared or gossiped about until his physical appearance begun to change over a small period of time.
The women continue to gawk at Algernon but not as many as there used to be before his disorder. He is skinnier than he used to be but definitely not underweight.
Algernon examines himself closely in the mirror before turning to face the porcelain clawfoot tub in the corner of the small well-decorated room, below the window. The air in the washroom is warm and blowing softly in the array of dark chest hairs visible, never hidden behind the gold buttons on his half-buttoned up pajama top.
Algernon sighs, bats his emerald eyes, and smiles to himself. His heart warms up every time the thought of Bonnie comes to mind. She's lovely and unlike any woman, he's ever met. Algernon has had his fair share of intimate moments with women, he has experience pleasing a woman the right way but whenever he finds his mind running off into the filthy depths of his brain, he finds Bonnie.
He's a gentleman so inappropriate thoughts of Bonnie are only pushed away, not marveled in.
Algernon Wasp never experienced the pleasure and stress of taking away a woman's innocence and he can tell that Bonnie Macfarlane is as innocent as they come in terms of getting 'close'.
All the time they've spent together, him accidentally getting close or brushing up against her by mistake or him just sharing a friendly smile with her had the young woman's cheeks turning bright red.
It's actually quite a magical sight seeing her light up so brightly during their encounters. He's just a man, maybe not the kind of man you see too many of, but a man who is in dire need of love just like the rest of them.
Algernon removes his pajamas, folds them up nicely, and sets them on the upholstered chair nearby. The tub is full of hot water and he watches the steam rise beautifully up over the porcelain side. The man whistles as he steps into the tub, fully sheathing himself into the water, humming peacefully when he does so. Algernon closes his eyes and relaxes his neck and head into the slope of the tub. Bathing as regularly as he does keeps the weight off, which gives him another reason to skip a meal.
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Lemoyne Territory
.
Bonnie removes her striped handkerchief from her satchel at her hip and slides it across her warm forehead, meanwhile keeping a secure hold on the leather reins of her horse.
Most folk she rides by on a daily basis staring for far too long. She doesn't wear jeans, she wears beautiful, hand-stitched skirts that any city woman wouldn't dare be caught in while in the saddle. The fear of getting mud or god forbid, horse manure on the lovely fabric will surely strike up a mini heart attack.
Bonnie is not afraid of a little dirt or horse manure. The blond bangs freely waving in her face are twisted back behind her ears and the sun above is suddenly hidden once more by a cluster of clouds.
The sloshing and sucking of the horse's hooves in the mud fill Bonnie's ears, where a swarm of gnats constantly attack. With one hand holding her handkerchief and the other holding onto a pair of faded reins, Bonnie returns the striped cloth to her satchel that bounces at her hip.
The array of rattles and jingles of metal against metal on her saddle now flood her ears and in the far distance, further up the dirt road, a train goes by. She can see it through the many trees around her.
Wildlife of all kind passes her by and the closer she gets to the train, the tighter she holds the reins. Her horse spews out a few nervous snorts but with a couple of strokes along its neck, the animal relaxes once again. There are a few men up ahead on horseback and a stagecoach full of law-defying men. A pristine white horse stands out more than anything else.
Bonnie furrows her wet brow and debates on whether she should wait with the men until the train passes or just go the long way around.
She gets closer and slows her horse. She can hear their voices but doesn't understand a word they are saying.
A bunch of men is suddenly seen spilling out from the back of the jail cart and now Bonnie is close enough to hear.
"The Anderson boys!"
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Arthur shakes his head at the new mess that has arisen and kicks his horse into a gallop. The deputy jumps into the saddle with Arthur and they are after the roaring train, falling a bit behind.
.
Arthur arrives in Rhodes with the Deputy leading the way and one of the Anderson brothers hanging on the ass of his horse.
The sun exposes itself once again.
Bonnie enters Rhodes and hitches her horse at the general store. The young woman dismounts her horse and gets slightly stuck in the mud after dropping down.
She pats down the front of her skirt and looks down at the mud-speckled laces of her boots before returning her attention to the general store, surrounded by smoking loiters. On her way up the wooden steps, a man to her left comes out of his not-so-hidden hiding spot and stops Bonnie from entering the store.
Bonnie bites the inside of her cheek and scrunches her face into the ugliest expression possible. The older man isn't fazed and smirks with an exhale of smoke.
"Such a young girl all on her own," the man teases, his voice low and intimidating.
Bonnie doesn't really know what to do. She is only 17 and very much on the small side. She swallows some nerves and attempts to move forward but the man doesn't budge. In fact, another man from the right comes up too. His intentions glistening in his blood-shot eyes.
"I-I have to get some supplies for my pa', he's very sick," she is careful not to stammer or slip up on her words but she fails and it earns herself a harmful snicker from both men.
The smell of alcohol floods Bonnie's nose and it makes her stomach gurgle. She doesn't dare turn to look away, no matter how badly she wants to. The taller and skinnier of the two men steps closer and opens up his hand to latch onto Bonnie's satchel strap at her shoulder. He succeeds and forces her close to him with one hard pull backward. He smells of rotting meat up close and Bonnie shudders, wanting to hurl so bad.
The two men continue to tease her. Nothing too hostile, at least not hostile enough to have anyone worried.
"You're a cute young thing, how's 'bout a kiss for ol' Bruce?" the skinnier man snickers again, this time brushing his nose into Bonnie's bangs, taking in a big inhale
He can surely feel her trembling against him.
The summer bugs are no enemy at this time and neither is the sudden heat. She doesn't acknowledge the man or even looks up to see the other standing by with a smile.
She's stuck.
"Please," the young Macfarlane girl whispers, hoping to God it doesn't entice them even more. The man yanks on her satchel and she is now pressed against the man who reeks of death and feels damp through mangy clothes.
"Bobby an' I would love to take you home,"
The awful man comments and his voice is quiet and now firmly against her temple. She can feel his voice vibrate against her skull and she shuts her eyes, gripping tightly to her satchel until her fingers ache. She wants to throw up.
The other man's footsteps are heard against the loose floorboards and a firm grip is clamped down hard onto Bonnie's right shoulder.
She doesn't dare look up into their eyes. She's shaken now and can't move a muscle.
"HEY!"
A loud voice is heard over the terrible thundering of Bonnie's heart but she doesn't think a thing of it. For all she knows, it could be another man like the two before her and she doesn't want to look.
Muddy footsteps in the mud and the jingling of spurs get closer and before long, there is another man beside her. Not too close but close enough.
The two men snicker between each other but nobody moves. The man holding onto Bonnie's satchel secures her tighter against himself. Bonnie accidentally lets out a whimper and the man brings his other hand up and brushes back her golden bangs. She responds by shaking even more than before.
"What do you want mister?" the man holding onto Bonnie groans, clearly bothered by the third man's presence. A rough, dirty thumb lightly pinches Bonnie's soft chin and the man smirks.
The man beside Bruce spits a nasty wad of tobacco and crosses his arms.
The strange man sniffs and steps closer to the two men who stand shorter than him. The gruff, large cowboy dances a couple of large gloved fingers against the holster at his hip, making sure the two men are quick to catch on. Bruce, the second tallest of the three men shares a big chuckle and without warning, shoves Bonnie to the ground, watching her fall in the mud.
"Don't worry darlin', I'll be back,"
The blond, long-haired man says out loud, softening his voice for Bonnie's sake. His tone doesn't help dissolve the young woman's fear of him. It makes it worse. It's a warning.
The two men leave and don't look back.
Bonnie can feel the heaviness of the mud and her own tears covering her face, and she pulls herself up out of the mud with the shaken strength in her arms.
The man kneels over and his fingers are careful when they grab her arms. He helps her to her feet and looks her over. She's drenched in mud and even so, she's just as beautiful as he remembered her. Arthur lets go of her arms and watches her reaction. She's still, she is as stiff as a board and it worries Arthur.
She hasn't fully become aware of the new situation and he bends slightly at the knees, trying to get himself in her line of vision, which is pointed at the messy body print fading in the mud.
She sees boots, muddy and scuffed but familiar.
"Th-thank you," Bonnie finally speaks up and she's quiet but Arthur hears it.
Arthur bends fully at the knees, crouching before Bonnie. She blinks her blue eyes, whimpering at the unwanted weight of the dried mud on her lashes, and sees Arthur's matching blue eyes. He is that much taller than Bonnie that he has to crouch; how embarrassing.
"There you are," Dutch's voice chimes in behind Arthur and he is quick to stand tall. He swallows and fixes the hat on his head, aware of the growing heat at the top of his head.
Arthur sniffs again and turns around, hoping to some kind of God that Dutch doesn't look behind Arthur, or better yet, shuts his eyes.
That obviously doesn't happen and Dutch with Hosea close behind notices Bonnie. The look on Dutch's face is confusion, wavering between the young girl and Arthur but then stopping on the mud-covered girl. He steps over to Bonnie and sees how distraught she is. Arthur didn't do this to her. He saved her.
"You alright my dear?" Dutch asks softly, resting both of his hands on his hips, looking Bonnie up and down. Through the coating of mud, Dutch sees the beauty.
Bonnie doesn't respond and Dutch leaves her alone. Hosea looks at Bonnie and feels her pain. He can see the sadness on her dirty face and it's upsetting. He doesn't want to get involved and neither should Arthur but too late on Arthur's part.
"What the hell happened Arthur?" Dutch's demeanor has changed drastically within seconds and Arthur sighs.
He's already making enemies when just moments ago Dutch specifically told Arthur no mischief in Rhodes. Arthur looks over at Bonnie then back at Dutch. Hosea steps in before Dutch can say anything to demean Arthur and rests one hand over his shoulder, giving him a half-smile.
"Get her taken care of Arthur, Dutch and I will be at the sheriff's office," Hosea is calm and his fingers tighten at Arthur's shoulder. Dutch gives Hosea a question look behind his back but shrugs it off.
"Just get her a room Arthur," Dutch calmly snaps and leaves with Hosea.
Bonnie doesn't move.
"Come on," Arthur says softly to Bonnie who doesn't acknowledge Arthur and he is careful when he puts his hand on her shoulder.
Bonnie raises her head and cries. Arthur sees her pain and fear. The mud is so thick and caked on her face that her tears barely make their way through. Damn, this is hard. Arthur swallows and she steps toward him. The tall man leads her to the Parlour house and is very well aware that the owner will be giving Arthur a questioning look the second he steps inside with Bonnie but what the hell. He doesn't give a damn about the man's thoughts.
.
Bonnie can't help but cry like a child. Sitting in the metal tub, her muscles soaking in the warm, soapy water, she holds her face in her palms and lets the tears come as much as they need.
What if that man wasn't there to help her? Dangerous what-ifs overpower Bonnie's mind and she struggles to bathe herself.
Arthur is waiting outside the room. He's leaned into the door, looking down at his muddy boots. How the hell does he keep bumping into that woman at such inappropriate times? Footsteps distract his thoughts and he sees Dutch coming his way. He doesn't look too happy but he doesn't look that pissed either.
"Who is she?"