A/N: Up next is The Deserter. I hadn't seen this one before that I can remember. I didn't do too much adjusting since it was a pretty good episode as is. A couple scenes came out of nowhere, completely unplanned, but you know how it is when characters get started and won't shut up. Of course, I don't own Bonanza, only my OC. Enjoy!

"You can't ride out, what would Pa say?" Joe threw his hands in the air. "Candy just hauled you out of that wreckage less than two weeks ago! You had broken ribs and a concussion!"

"And it's gone now," she shot back. "I don't see you laid up in the house all day and you were the one trapped in the basement for how long again? Hmm?"

"I didn't get hit on the head and buried in debris."

"I said I'm fine."

"You're not riding out while there's an Army deserter on the loose. You remember what happened to Adam?"

"He probably had his head in the clouds at the time, or he would have heard them."

"That's beside the point."

"How's that any different than dizzy spells and ringing ears?"

"That's been gone for days."

"Annie, you are not riding out. Pa would have my hide if something happened to you again." Annie's blood boiled. She snatched up a vase off the table and flung it.

"It's my hide, not yours!" Joe ducked and Hop Sing hollered in rapid-fire Chinese from the safety of his kitchen. "He'll clean it up, Hop Sing!" She snatched her hat and gun belt, then bolted out the door. "You follow me and Beaudry's watch trick will be peanuts compared to what I'll do!" She slammed the door and ran for the barn, saddling Reno in record time.

She was sick of everyone telling her what to do. They didn't do that to Joe after one of his escapades. Unless he'd really gotten himself hurt, but that was beside the point. She aimed Reno into the high country. Candy would welcome the company; hunting strays was boring work.

"Well, get tired of being waited on hand and foot?" he asked with a grin as she rode up next to Scout and the bawling cow he had on a rope. If he only knew.

"Something like that." She took a deep breath of the crisp air and sighed. So much better. The cow balked and she shook her head. "Dang fool critters don't have the sense God gave a goose." Why did they have to go wandering off when they had plenty of food and company with the rest of the herd? It was something she'd never understood. Candy laughed.

"You didn't have to come out here, you know."

"I couldn't stand doing nothing."

A gunshot rang out and they traded looks. Candy dropped the rope and they galloped towards the sound of the shot. They rounded a dry wash and Candy slid Scout to a halt. "Hey!"

An Indian woman crouched near a dead steer. She eyed them warily and scooted around the animal, then ran down the wash.

"Come back here! We're not gonna hurt you!" But she didn't stop. Candy shook his head, then froze, head tilted. He jumped down and picked up a rifle, turned it over in his hands.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure." He sounded confused. "Let's find her." He climbed back into the saddle and they rode on, side by side, down the wash. Annie looked around.

"The line shack's a few hundred feet past that rise. I bet she's holed up in there." Candy nodded and they climbed out of the wash and trotted towards the shack. In the lead, Candy reined his horse up and stared down at something on a barrel out front. She pushed Reno up to Scout's shoulder and peered past the chestnut. Her breath caught in her throat.

McClellan saddle.

Cavalry.

Candy studied the rifle in his hand again, a frown covering his face. Annie looked around, but nothing seemed out of place except for the saddle. But still … "Candy."

"What?"

"We need to –" A gun cocked, sending a chill up her spine.

"Drop that ordnance, boy." She looked over and found the Indian woman they'd followed standing to the right of a man with one arm in a sling, a rifle in his good hand. Candy swallowed hard and dropped the rifle. "Nanata." The woman crept forward and retrieved the weapon in silence. "Put both hands on top of your head, both of you." Candy slowly complied.

"You're making a mistake, mister."

"Don't cost near as much as you making one." He looked past Candy. "Or her." Annie raised her hands slowly. The woman worked her way around their horses and snatched their pistols. "Now get down and move inside, real gentle-like." Their gazes locked and Candy shook his head, just the barest fraction of movement she was liable to catch. He swung down, keeping his hands high, and she followed. The stranger eased around to put himself at their backs. "I'll decide who's making the mistakes here." He motioned with the rifle and they walked inside the line shack.

Her first day out of the house after the cave in and she runs into an Army deserter. The joys of being a Cartwright.

"Both of you, sit, but be real careful about it." He motioned to the chairs near the table. They sat down and he looked past them. "Nanata." The woman quickly tied their hands and Annie could have sworn she wet the rawhide strips. After tying their feet, she left the shack. The man said nothing, just kept staring at them over the barrel of that rifle in a stony silence that would have done her pa proud.

The woman returned later, long enough the rawhide had begun to dry and shrink, threatening to cut off the circulation in her hands. She was carrying a large hunk of bloody meat that Annie was sure used to wear a Ponderosa brand.

She quickly cut it into chunks and tossed it into a pan on the stove. Before too long, the delicious smell of cooking beef filled the shack. Annie took the time to study the pair in front of her. Nanata didn't seem at all afraid of that deserter, so she obviously knew him – or thought she did. As for the man … he was sure of himself, confident he had the upper hand. Even if she hadn't known he was, she'd have pegged him for at least a non-com, maybe even a commissioned officer.

Nanata took the pan off the stove and spooned up a plate, then carried it to the stranger. He inhaled deeply and smiled up at her. "Ah, just what the doctor ordered."

"You need more than food, Samuel." She crossed behind him and laid her hand on his forehead, her other hand touching his back. "You have the look of fever." Annie narrowed her eyes. She knew him all right.

"I'm all right. Don't you worry." He picked up his fork and dug in. Nanata sat down in front of them and picked up the rifle he'd laid down. "Hey, boy, you two hungry?"

"No, thank you."

"No. No. Thanks."

"You don't know what you're missing. Nanata's one fine cook." Candy swallowed hard, a wince crossing his face.

"If she's half as good as she is with this rawhide, I believe you." The deserter – Samuel – swallowed his food and looked at them in amusement.

"I suppose I could have told her not to wet that rawhide. That's a Shoshone for you. A thing worth doing is worth doing right." He took another bite. "Look, you've got to be hungry. Give me your word you won't try anything while we're eating and I'll have her free your hands so you can try some of this stew."

"And when we're finished?" Candy sounded unnaturally calm, but then, she knew he was at his best when he sounded like that. He'd figured something out, and he couldn't wait to use it.

"I'll be finished first." Samuel smirked. "You get any ideas about dessert … that's up to you."

"You're sure, Samuel."

"It's all right, Nanata."

"There are two of them."

"I did learn to count," he said with a grin. "It's fine." He took the rifle from her and she circled behind them. The rawhide fell away and blood rushed back into her hands. Annie sighed and pulled her hands around to rub at them. Nanata returned to the stove and dished up two more plates of stew, then carried them over.

Candy fell on his, making Annie wonder how many supplies he'd brought with him. Her pa had given him free rein in the pantry, so why would he be so hungry after only two days out? He sighed with enjoyment. "It is good. After two days of chasing strays, I can appreciate it." Annie tasted hers. While she'd never tell Hop Sing, it was just as good as his.

"Then you work here, this place?" Nanata sat off to the side, watching them. Candy nodded. "You're not the one who hunts for the bounty?" Samuel's head jerked up.

"Nanata!" She looked over at him, without a trace of fear in those dark eyes. He smiled. "We'll need more wood." She looked at them, then left the shack.

"She speaks good English," Annie said between bites.

"Sometimes just a little too much." Samuel scraped up another bite. Candy smirked into his plate.

"Nothing I couldn't already read." The deserter looked up, one eyebrow raised. The smirk widened. "First, you're hiding in a Cartwright line shack. Second, that's a McClellan saddle sitting on that barrel out there." The man looked down at his stew and Candy took another bite. "Generally, only one kind steals cavalry horseflesh … and then rides it so hard it folds under him." Samuel laid down his fork and picked up the rifle.

"If that's true, boy, you know what comes next."

"Yeah, maybe." He sounded pleased with himself, like he was holding all aces. And he was, this time at least. She wasn't about to say one word on the matter, lest this fellow think she'd told him everything beforehand. "You're running all right. And that may be an Army bullet in your shoulder. Non-coms don't usually go over the hill." Samuel blinked.

"What did you say, boy?"

"Your boots." Annie hid a smirk behind her plate. That she hadn't picked up on, but then she hadn't grown up in a string of forts, either. Her smirk fell. He'd better know what he was doing, or this day could go south in a hurry. "They're not standard issue, and yet they're not expensive enough to be an officer's. I'd say sergeant, not less than twelve years in grade," he said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "Maybe sergeant-major." The deserter looked nonplussed. "The only thing I can't figure out is … is what outfit you're with. Henry repeaters haven't been issued west of Fort Kearny."

"And we're a long way from Nebraska," Annie said quietly. The door opened and Nanata returned with an armload of wood. Samuel shook his head.

"Just how far from the flagpole was you born, boy?" Candy grinned.

"I'd say just a little bit farther than your desk, Sarge. But not too far to know if you're running, you're gonna need help." Annie froze with her fork halfway to her mouth. Help? "No supplies and no horses." He shrugged. "I can get 'em for you." The two of them stared at him in silence until Samuel leaned forward.

"Let me get this straight. You're volunteering to help me? What about her?" Candy chuckled under his breath.

"She tells anybody about you, it'll lead them right to me, and she loses a foreman. Now, I'm not saying I'm irreplaceable, but it would take time for them to get somebody new squared away. You've got to trust somebody. And that wound is not gonna give you too much time to pick and choose." Candy threw a sideways glance at the woman. "Tell him, Nanata."

"He speaks the truth. The look of fever is strong. By tonight …"

"By tonight, I'll be back with medicine and all the help you need."

"No. I got all the help I need right here." Nanata's face twisted, and she hurried over, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Please, Samuel, if they bring no one."

"No. I'm not giving up, Not yet. And didn't you hear him? He said he'd be back, but what about her?"

"I'm not about to lose my foreman to a firing squad," Annie said tartly. "He comes up with some dang-fool ideas once in a while, but he generally knows what he's doing."

"Thanks. I think."

"At least I didn't compare you to a horse," she said with a shrug. He laughed and set the plate on the table, then bent to untie his feet. Samuel stood, rifle at the ready.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Let's say I'm trying to give you a chance to prove one of us is right." He leaned over, but she beat him to it and and untied her own feet.

"You're playing a fool's game, boy." Candy picked up his hat and gun, then handed hers over. She snatched them up and stalked over to the door.

"I'll be back by nightfall." Her grip on the knob tightened. "I give you my word I'll be alone." She whipped around, eyes wide. What? He couldn't be serious. His hand touched her back and she stalked out of the shack and grabbed Reno's reins off the fence rail. She swung into the saddle and reined the grulla around to wait while he mounted up.

Samuel and Nanata stood just outside the door, staring at them in silence. At least he didn't look like he planned on using that rifle. It didn't escape her that all he had to do was shoot them and he'd have two horses, pistols, rifles, and saddlebags full of supplies at his disposal.

So why didn't he? Why hadn't he shot them out of hand?

Then Scout was at Reno's shoulder and Candy's eyes were on her face, plainly asking her to get moving so he could bring up the rear.

It obviously hadn't escaped him either.

She nudged Reno into a lope and they rode off, Candy hanging back just a bit until they were out of rifle range. "Keep riding," he hissed.

"What the devil do you think I'm doing?" she shot back.

"You know what I mean." He glanced back, but the shack was out of sight. "Sound carries, and I know you."

They didn't stop for another couple miles. Annie leaned on the saddle horn with a glare. "Do you realize what you're doing? This isn't a friend falsely accused of murder, we're talking about an Army court martial. They'll throw you up in front of that firing squad right beside him!"

"You knew he was there before he racked the rifle." Candy pointed a finger at her face. "You started to say something right after you saw the saddle. How did you know?"

"Clem rode out this morning and said the Army had sent wires out all over the state. A deserter escaped from Baker's Station. Cowardice and murder," she said flatly. "Still want to carry through with this?"

"If he was a murderer, why aren't we dead?"

"I don't know." Reno sidestepped and she looked back the way they'd come. "Maybe … I don't know. What happened to not wanting to get involved in gun trouble that isn't ours?"

"He's kind of already here."

"Didn't stop you when it was Charles Ball."

"The men after him didn't care who got in their way, or what they had to do, so long as they got him."

"How's the Army any different?"

"They don't kill civilians at the drop of a hat."

"They will if they catch you helping a deserter. Think, Candy!" She laid a hand on his arm. "You'd end up in front of a firing squad before you had time to explain anything."

"They'd have to catch me first." He backed Scout a few steps. "You can do whatever you want, even tell Mr. Cartwright if you think you have to, but don't follow me." Annie stilled. What?

"Are you telling me what to do?"

"You were knocked out –"

"And I'm fine now," she seethed. "I already have three brothers, I don't need a fourth."

"If you got hurt –"

"You stubborn mule!" She snatched her hat off and slung it at him. "Stop smothering me!" His face changed.

"What's gotten into you?"

"I've bossed trail drives and outsmarted more traps than the rest of them combined since I was fifteen and just because I get knocked out they act like I can't take care of myself! Everyone stop trying to protect me!" Her voice rose into a shrill screech. She hauled Reno around and booted the gelding into a dead run, ignoring Candy's shouts to come back.

She didn't know where she was going, but it certainly wasn't home. Not yet.

Annie ended up trotting along the shores of Lake Tahoe, watching the Dixie churn her way across the lake. For a moment, she wondered what it would be like to hop a stagecoach for anywhere and just go. Adam had done it, almost five years ago now.

But had it been worth it?

She looked back over her shoulder at the distant mountains and the Ponderosa pines. But how could she leave this? She belonged here, not in some fancy city, or on a schooner bound for far-flung ports.

Why did they have to hover worse than a maiden aunt? Joe didn't have to stay home for weeks after one of his stupid escapades.

Reno's ears flicked and his head came up. He neighed a greeting and she turned. A familiar buckskin loped up and slowed to a walk, matching pace with Reno.

"I thought I might find you out here." Her pa raised his head and watched the Dixie for a few minutes while they walked on in silence. "You have any idea as to why Hop Sing is cowering in his kitchen?"

"I said I was going riding and Joe didn't like it."

"I see."

"He got trapped in the cave-in and he doesn't have to stay home."

"He also didn't have two broken ribs and a concussion."

"I could have ridden out in less than a week, my head was fine. Besides, I've worked with broken ribs before. Remember that wild-eyed bull?"

"Too well."

"How was this any different?" He was silent for so long she thought he wasn't going to answer. Then he sighed and turned away from the water.

"How many bulls have we had on the ranch over the years?"

"Too many to count."

"How many times have they injured a hand, or one of us?"

"Dozens."

"How many times has the courthouse collapsed?"

"Once. What's the point, Pa?"

"We get to expect certain kinds of trouble, can react better to it when it does happen because we know it could. But the cave-in … there was no warning, not really. You couldn't plan for that, couldn't prepare to be confronted with the news that your two youngest children were down in that basement when the tunnels below collapsed. It doesn't matter that you have four, your world would still be upended, shattered, if you lost even one."

"We're both fine."

"My request had sent you both down there … all I could do was plead with everything I had that you weren't still waiting.

"But I couldn't find you on the street, or at the saloon. Then Candy said Mrs. Conner told him you were both down there and it was like Marie all over again: there one second, gone the next." He swallowed hard. "When Candy dug you out of that wreckage I could have cried right then and there. Didn't you wonder why I stayed while he took you down to Doc Martin? I knew you were safe, but there was no sign of Joe."

"I get it, Pa. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Fathers are always protective of their daughters. It's why I taught you everything I taught your brothers."

"I don't need protected."

"You'll always be my little girl, even when you're old and gray. It's second nature to want to protect you from everything I can control to make up for what I can't."

"Joe gets into more trouble in a week than I do in a year."

"That he does. It may not seem like it, but stop and think, Anne. Who do I usually leave in charge when I have to take a business trip? Who runs the trail drives when I don't go?" He glanced at her sideways. "Who does Candy take orders from?"

"We all do those things, and he listens to all of us," she protested. Ben raised one eyebrow.

"Yes, that is true. But while you are my youngest, you're also the wisest." His lips twitched. "Most of the time. How many times do I question your brothers' judgment before I question yours?"

"Depends on who it is."

"Sometimes. Anne, if you feel I'm overprotective, you'll understand one day, when you have a child of your own." Her chest tightened and she stared out over the water.

"If you're wanting grandchildren, Pa, Hoss is your best bet. Joe will never settle down and as for me …" she sighed. "I just don't think that'll ever happen."

"Somewhere out there is a man who will see you, not the Ponderosa." She turned sharply. "Yes, I know about that. If that's all they cared about, it's their loss. I wondered for a while, you're a lot like Adam, keeping things close to your vest. But then McKnight came along and Joe told me a few things. And it made sense then, once I had all the pieces, why you pulled away from your friends about the time you turned seventeen." He watched her with knowing eyes. "They were getting married. And you –"

"I was alone," she finished for him. "They were jealous of me because I was a Cartwright, but in the end, they had more." They always did; there were some things money and influence couldn't buy.

"You'll find him, one day." Ben leaned over and touched her shoulder, bringing her gaze around. "Who knows? Maybe you've already met him but don't realize it yet." He let go and reined Buck around. "Come on, let's go see if we can coax Hop Sing to fix us lunch." He rode off at a lope, leaving Annie with her mouth hanging open.

Maybe you've already met him?

He couldn't mean what she thought he meant … could he? What … what had gotten into them?What in the name of heaven had Joe told him? What had her brother made up from his own imagination that he was convinced was true?

How many times did she have to say it – they were just friends. Candy didn't see her like that, and he never would.

Candy.

She closed her eyes and muttered a cuss word. How could she have forgotten what he was up to?

"Anne? Come on." Her eyes snapped open and she heeled Reno into a fast lope. He'd just have to hope his lucky bath held out a while longer. There was no way she could skip out until after Hop Sing had been praised for his lunch and his nervous feathers thoroughly smoothed.

When they rode into the yard, her blood ran cold. It was filled with a cavalry patrol. Joe stood near the lead officer, hands on hips. He turned when he heard the horses.

"Something I can do for you?" her pa called out as he slid down and headed over. The officer – a captain by the looks of it – studied him warily.

"Ben Cartwright?"

"Yes." The man held out his hand stiffly.

"Captain Arnholt from Baker's Station. I'm afraid I'll be putting you to a bit of trouble the next few days."

"After that deserter, sir?" The captain nodded over his shoulder at the patrol.

"I never like to bivouac my men in town, Sheriff suggested your place." Arnholt looked around the yard with a calculating eye. "Of course we'll pay for any food or staples that we require. All we need is some food, grain, base of operations."

"Well, you're welcome to whatever you need, Captain. I presume you've already met my son, Joe. This is my daughter, Anne." She swung down and sauntered forward. The captain took her hand and shook it briefly.

"I wouldn't let her ride out until we catch Bellis. He's a very dangerous man, shot my lieutenant in the back."

"I am more than capable of taking care of myself, Captain Arnholt." She tilted her head. "I've dealt with my share of murderers." She stalked past him into the house, started to slam the door, then thought better of it. "Hop Sing?" Their cook hovered at the kitchen door, wary eyes fixed on her face. "I'm sorry for this morning."

"You save Hop Sing dignity, so I forgive." He pointed at her with his cleaver. "You stay out of Hop Sing kitchen and keep Mistah Joe away, we call even." He turned and disappeared back into his domain. The door opened behind her.

"Annie?" Ben laid his hat and gun belt on the old sideboard. "Is there something I need to know?" He jerked his chin in the direction of the yard.

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him everything and save her best friend, but something held her silent. If Bellis was guilty of murder – and shooting a man in the back at that – why hadn't he killed them? Why announce himself at all?

It didn't make sense. And that meant someone, somewhere, was lying. But who? And why?

"I don't like him," was all she finally said. "He's not snake-oil salesman like Endicott, or slippery smooth like Fillmore, it's more … bitter." Ben squeezed her shoulder and nodded once.

"I'll keep an eye on him. Now, about lunch?"

Lunch was rather tense, for Annie at least. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice the faint marks on her wrists from the rawhide or it would have been worse. Joe sitting there casting nervous looks her way every few minutes didn't help either. Did he think she'd throw something across the table? She hadn't even resorted to that as a kid.

"Hop Sing, did Captain Arnholt find his lunch satisfactory?" Their cook frowned at the question, prompting a return frown from Ben. "Is something wrong?"

"Captain say food not good enough for likes of house."

"I told you he was bitter."

"Apparently so." Ben sipped at his coffee. "Thank you, Hop Sing, I'm sorry he was rude to you." Hop Sing sniffed and stormed back into his kitchen.

"Something wrong with sandwiches and coffee?" Joe's eyebrows rose into his hair.

"The Captain thinks it's beneath him," Annie replied with acid in her tone. "Even though he barges in with no warning minutes before lunch. What does he expect?"

"Well, the man does have a lot on his mind right now. I expect they'll head out after lunch and scout around. Joe, I want you to go with him if he asks for a guide. Not," he hastened to explain, "because I don't think you can do it, Anne. I simply would prefer the man come back in one piece. Even your patience has its limits." Joe cackled and she threw him a glare that he ignored.

"I have more sense than to draw on an Army captain."

"The real question is, does his horse have enough sense not to throw him in rough country he doesn't know?" Ben chuckled and she glared. "I'm kidding." He pushed back his chair. "Let's go see if our guests are ready." They headed outside and found the patrol mounting up. "Captain, would you like one of us to ride along?" The man eyed them like bugs to be squashed.

"No thank you, Mr. Cartwright."

"Are you sure? It can be rough country if you're not familiar with it."

"My men will manage all right. It's what they're trained for." He turned away to adjust his horse's bridle. She and Joe glanced at their pa with raised eyebrows.

"Just thought it might save you some time." The captain whipped back around.

"Sergeant Bellis' crime is against the Army. It's our responsibility to apprehend him." He mounted up and stared down at them. "Good day." He swung his horse. "Forward." The patrol rode out of the yard and Joe crossed his arms.

"Fella like that really makes you want to run out and join the Army, doesn't he?" Annie rested an arm on his shoulder.

"I'm surprised he hasn't fallen victim to an accident."

"Well, we still have a ranch to run." Ben slipped in between them and clapped a hand on their shoulders. "I suggest you run it." She and Joe traded lightning fast looks, then saluted in unison.

"Yes, sir!" He laughed and shook his head before heading for the house. Joe went to the barn and Annie lingered in the yard.

If Arnholt caught Bellis, Candy was in serious trouble. She headed for the storehouse to gather supplies. If they could slip Wabuska through the middle of Indian country, they should be able to evade one cavalry patrol.

It was full dark by the time she rode silently up to the line shack. Her note would be enough to keep her pa at bay until they were finished with this mess. She ground-tied Reno and slipped her rifle from the scabbard, then slipped closer. The front door creaked open, sounding overly loud in the night, and Candy stood back lit in the doorway, a tin cup in hand.

Idiot.

She shook her head and ducked low, silent as a cat on the hunt. Her lips twitched. After this morning, perhaps it would be a good idea to introduce Sergeant Bellis – and remind Candy – as to just how good she was.

Suddenly, he looked back over his shoulder, backed away from the door, and shut it behind him. Annie crept closer. They kept the hinges oiled, so nothing would give her away. She laid her hand on the knob and slowly turned.

"You owe it to her to tell me what's going on."

"He owes it to all of us, don't you think?" She swung the door open, leading with her rifle, and stepped into the room. Her reward was Candy's jump, his hand diving for his pistol. Bellis lurched, spilling his coffee. She laughed and nudged the door closed with her foot, leaning back against it, rifle draped over her arm. "I'd say he does, considering what showed up at the Ponderosa this afternoon."

"Blast it, Annie. How long were you out there?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Long enough to know you make a perfect target back lit in that doorway." Candy's face darkened. "But that's beside the point. One Captain Arnholt has settled himself in at the Ponderosa."

"All the more reason you should have stayed away."

"Samuel, you must tell them." Nanata rose from the bench she'd been sleeping on. "They have put themselves in danger to help us. You owe them the truth." Bellis shook his head. "If you do not speak," she said quietly, "I will. There's no shame in speaking the truth." Bellis glanced up at Annie.

"Unless I missed my guess, you didn't want nothing to do with this earlier. What changed?"

"I don't like it when pieces don't fit. Arnholt says you killed his lieutenant, shot him in the back. So why didn't you just shoot us? Granted, we weren't standing between you and escape, but we did have horses, weapons, and supplies that you still need. You could have killed us and been long gone before anyone was the wiser."

"You've got a good head on your shoulders. All right. But if you two sign on, it's for the duration. This outfit can't afford no short timers."

"Cowardice in the face of the enemy." She raised an eyebrow. "Not a pretty charge." Bellis pushed himself off the bunk, hobbled to the table, and sat down.

"I couldn't lead that patrol against that horde of Indians with repeaters. They'd have all been slaughtered. We lost seven men at Claymore Wells. Someone had to pay. And I had refused to obey an order."

"But you were right," Candy said. "A small patrol of men with single-shot weapons don't stand a chance against these." He picked up one of the repeaters and turned it over in his hands.

"Only four of us made it back to the fort. Under the circumstances, Lieutenant Jamison was willing to reconsider the insubordination, but the captain wasn't. Only an insane man would believe the Indians was equipped with Henrys," Bellis said in a tone he was obviously quoting. And she could guess who it belonged to. "So, the captain decided it wasn't superior firepower that affected my judgment … but cowardice."

"The Lieutenant, he tried to help Samuel," Nanata said softly. "It was he who opened the stockade that night."

"Jamison helped you escape?" Bellis nodded slowly.

"And don't ask me to explain it. He had this notion that together, we could prove what had happened."

"And he got killed for his trouble." Annie adjusted her rifle.

"The same rifle that hit me, hit him two or three times when we was running from the stockade." Bellis stared down into his cup. "I earned these stripes, and he said we could save 'em. It was the only chance I had." Candy looked down at the rifle he was still holding.

"Where did you get these?"

"Lieutenant Jamison left them with Nanata. Check it. No markings. No trademark. But it's a Henry inside and out." Candy turned the weapon over, examining it carefully.

"Did he tell her where he got them?" He went over and traded the rifle for its twin, turning that one over as well.

"No. But he did leave me a name. Leatham. And Virginia City."

"We had a gunsmith by that name." Annie straightened and pushed off the door. "He left some time ago."

"That can't be."

"Afraid it is."

"But he's got it marked right here on the map." He pulled a paper out of his shirt and pointed at a spot. Candy leaned over his shoulder and shook his head with an amused chuckle.

"Sarge, you don't know this area very well, do you?" He waved her closer and she leaned in, shaking her own head when she saw the map. "That circle includes ten sections of the roughest country in Nevada. There's absolutely nothing there except some old worked out silver claims."

"There has to be something there. Machine shop or a place where they make these things. I've got to find it."

"What if you don't?" Annie set her rifle on the table. "Have you thought about that?"

"The Army is my life. I have to find proof to get my stripes back."

"But you've got the rifles. Isn't that enough?" Candy held one of the repeaters out.

"The lieutenant didn't think so," Nanata said. "We have to find proof." Annie shook her head and straightened, meeting Candy's eyes. He shrugged.

This was stupid, chasing a ghost factory that probably wasn't there. If they got caught, they'd all go down, and she didn't think even her pa's friendship with the governor would be enough to save them. Arnholt was too bitter and resentful for that; he'd probably enjoy shooting them that much more.

But it didn't fit.

"Well, I'm going, too." Candy swallowed a mouthful of coffee and looked at her. Annie sighed and picked up her rifle, slung it over her shoulder.

"If you think I'm letting you go by yourself, you're crazy. Count me in, too." Madness. Utter madness. Bellis stared at both of them in turn.

"Just like that, you cut yourself in?"

"I'd rather not lose my foreman." Candy smirked.

"Well, I have to, you're my prisoner." Bellis drew back.

"I'm your prisoner?" He raised his rifle. "Ain't you forgetting who's holding this gun?" Candy looked at him, drained his coffee, and hooked the cup over the end of the barrel. Annie smothered a snort at the look on Bellis' face.

"You've got more brass than a colonel's cuspidor," he finally said, and Candy grinned. Well, it looked like they were about to find out how well they could outfox an Army patrol.

"Never seen you lose your cool like that," Candy said quietly as they saddled the horses the next morning. "Your hat is inside by the way."

"I noticed." She tightened her cinch and dropped the stirrup, then rounded the grulla's hip. "Not many people have." Candy swallowed and studied her a moment.

"What .. uh … was it something I said?"

"More like you were the only one in range." She slipped the bridle over Reno's ears and shook her head. "I can't believe we're doing this."

"You don't have to come."

"If I don't, who'll watch out for your hide? Bellis sure won't." Candy chuckled and pulled her away from the horse. "What?"

"Remember you said at least I didn't get compared to a horse?"

"So?"

"You called me a mule."

"And? A mule isn't a horse." She collected the grulla's reins and led him out of the corral. "Let's get this show on the road before Arnholt comes riding down on us." Laughter rang out behind her and she rolled her eyes.

Bellis waited for them in front of the shack, Nanata standing beside him. "Something funny, recruit?"

"He thinks so," Annie replied and swung into the saddle. Candy led Scout and the other horse around the shack.

"Recruit?" He blinked. "How come she ranks higher than me?" Bellis stared at him.

"She asks the right questions. Mount up, boy, and let's get moving." Candy shook his head and swung on, then they headed out cross-country.

A couple hours later, Candy pushed his horse up beside Bellis and called over, "Think we ought to rest these horses?" Bellis gave him a sideways look.

"I know horseflesh. If it's this shoulder of mine you're worried about, you can forget it." But he halted his horse anyway and glanced at Nanata over his shoulder. "You wanna get down, sweetheart?" She handed him her rifle and dismounted. Annie swung down and stretched. Candy hopped off and they all stood around, watching the countryside for signs of pursuit.

"Sarge, this outfit turning out the Henrys, how big a place do they need?" Candy asked, hands on hips. Bellis grabbed the canteen hanging from his saddle and drank before answering.

"One large building, or two or three small ones. They'll need a forge, lathes …."

"You still got the map?" Bellis handed it over, but Nanata interrupted.

"Samuel!" They rushed over and joined her under the trees. She pointed up at the distant ridge line and Annie's heart skipped a beat.

That hadn't taken long.

Up ahead, the cavalry patrol rode down the hill, aiming for a point off to the northwest. "Good outfit. Makes a man proud to watch 'em," Bellis commented. "It'll be a little tougher from here on, though. They're bound to know we need food and water. It's the first thing they'll cut off. And sooner or later, they'll move in and find our tracks."

"Tell that to someone who didn't get Wabuska through the rampaging Paiute nation to Fort Churchill," Annie said tartly. Bellis threw her a sharp look.

"You had a hand in that?"

"Both of us." Candy studied the map and shook his head. "We better get moving. And we're not looking for mine shacks either. Whatever they're using, it's got to have a floor strong enough to support that machinery."

"Any ideas?"

"No." But there was something on his face that said otherwise. What had he remembered? She searched her own mind, but couldn't catch it. "Wait a minute. Wait a minute!" He snapped his fingers. "That place, you remember. They sold machinery to the mines –"

"South of Garner Falls." Bellis smiled and looked between them.

"Recruits, you just might do."

"Thanks." Candy threw him a look and folded the map. "I think. We've got a hard ride ahead, let's get to it."

They'd better find those Henrys that weren't Henrys, or they were all going to be in a world of trouble.

It was late afternoon by the time they inched their way through the brush on the hill overlooking the abandoned factory. If you could call it that.

"Doesn't look abandoned to me," Bellis said. "Let's go back and get Nanata, work our way down there." The three of them scurried back to the horses, only to stop suddenly. "Nanata?" Annie looked around, but she didn't see the woman either. "Nanata?"

"She's right here. Drop the hardware," a smug voice called out from behind them. Annie spun, her hand dropping, but she didn't dare try. Not with two of them. Candy dropped his rifle and she pulled her hand away from her gun. Nanata tugged the man's hand off her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Samuel."

"You don't need to be, Nanata. You just saved your Sam a lot of trouble." She and Candy traded looks. "I was just coming to look for you fellas."

And this was why she hated it when pieces didn't fit. The picture you ended up with wasn't always the one you thought you'd get.

The smug one ambled over and looked them up and down. "Well, you found us." Bellis stared back without flinching.

"You got any openings for an unemployed ordnance man?"

That's why he hadn't killed them: he needed someone who knew the area and could lead him to these crooks. Lovely picture this was turning out to be.

"What are you talking about, mister?"

"Just as I said. I ain't here to cause no trouble."

"Leatham can be the judge of that. Tie 'em up." She would have protested, but it wasn't worth it. At least until they knew what Bellis had in mind. She threw Candy a glare as they were marched down the hill to the old factory.

Stubborn mule.

Head-strong mare. His lips twitched and her eyes narrowed.

What now?

According to him, you're the brains, not me.

Annie smothered a growl and fought the urge to trip him. That he was right changed nothing. They were herded inside the building and met by a nervous, little, man with big round spectacles.

"What are these people doing here?" The smug one nodded at Bellis.

"He says he's looking for a job."

"I found that rifle," he nodded at the repeater in the other one's hand. "And I knew I had to track down who made it. An excellent copy. I'd bet a man could make himself a lot of money turning these out. But, I expect you want some proof I'm useful." A sly smile touched his mouth. "Hand me one of them rifles and see what I can do." Leatham nodded at the smug one.

"Go ahead. But do unload it first."

"I don't intend to shoot it. This time." Bellis took the rifle, laid it on the table, and proceeded to strip it in less than five minutes. He looked up at Leatham with a smirk. "With two good hands, I can strip, clean, and reassemble a Henry in three minutes, blindfolded."

"Most impressive."

"Ordnance is all I know. It ain't often a job presents itself to an unemployed sergeant."

"Deserter, you mean," Leatham said with a sniff.

"I don't like it," the smug one cut in. "They smell like trouble."

"Would I bring her if I was looking for trouble?" Bellis nodded at his wife.

"Yes, that makes some sense." That nervous gaze turned on them. "What about these two?" Annie tensed, feeling Candy do the same.

"Stockade cells empty quick when the doors open." Leatham threw Bellis a sharp look and Annie knew they were in for trouble.

"Just what did the Army have against Ben Cartwright's daughter?"

"Far as I know, nothing. She was there visiting him when the doors opened. Didn't seem necessary to ask her name. I figured she wouldn't give it, nor did I care. As for him, he's a good man, you can trust him." Annie held her breath while Leatham considered that. He sniffed and turned away, hands laced behind his back.

"You're right about one thing. We do need good ordnance men, but we insist on the strictest security. Do that and do your job … and you'll leave here almost as rich as her father."

"Is that a fact?" Bellis seemed to study her. "Maybe I should have been asking you some questions, girl." Leatham chuckled.

"As I said, almost as rich. However, mine is not the last say in the matter. Until you're cleared by my partner … we can't let you do anything too important," he said with a smirk. "Denton." The smug one shook his head and strode forward.

"I'll take your matches, flints, tobacco, anything that burns." Denton collected what little Candy and Bellis had, then turned to Leatham. "What about them?" He nodded at her and Nanata.

"She goes with me," Bellis said before Leatham could reply. "For now, she's my hands."

"All right. Later, we can find something in the kitchen for her. As for Ms. Cartwright –"

"I don't cook. Unless you want someone poisoned, that is. But, I can turn out a rifle just as fast as he can. Maybe faster."

"Well, you'll get a chance to prove that." Leatham nodded at Denton and the man scowled.

"Come on, this way." He guided them through a door into another room with barred doors leading away from it. He slid back the bolt on the closest one and swung it open. "Inside." Annie stepped in and found two work tables loaded down with parts and tools. "Someone will be along in a minute to show you what to do." Denton closed the door behind them and bolted it. She turned and caught Bellis with a glare.

"You know those pieces I said didn't fit? They're starting to, and I don't think I like the picture they make." Bellis sat down on a nearby stool and tilted his head.

"If they made the picture you're thinking of, recruit, I'd have said something quite different back there. And the both of you would be dead."

"Possibly. But then, you haven't seen us work, either."

"You lead with your rifle when you slipped into that line shack. Only someone confident in the reaction of the man they're sneaking up on is gonna do that." She tilted her head, the only admission she'd make on that subject.

The door opened and another man walked in. "There's wood over there," he pointed at a stack on the far table. "Start carving up stocks and we'll go from there." He walked back out and left them alone. Candy shook his head and ambled over to pick up a piece of wood.

"Might as well start earning our keep." He set the wood in a vise and started scraping it with a small plane, chewing ragged chunks off the block, leaving rough edges and splinters behind. Nanata took up her own stock and began to smooth it as easily as scaling a trout. Annie had it just as easy as the other woman, leaving Bellis to shake his head at Candy's attempts. The blade slipped and Candy sighed.

"Careful, recruit, you'll cut your belly."

"Don't suppose there's any danger you'd do the same, is there?"

"I suppose I could do as good as that." Candy held out the blade; Bellis shook his head.

"You've got to treat wood tender, like a woman." Annie snorted and the sergeant grinned. "I see now." He glanced over at his wife. "Nanata can probably turn out enough for both of us. Add in her, and that's a guarantee. Yours is as crooked as a dog's leg."

"I didn't intend to make this my life's work, you know."

"Sometimes, Samuel is more loud than helpful." Nanata stood and rounded the table. "I'll show you." She took the plane from his hand and demonstrated while Bellis chuckled. "There, you see?"

"Yeah." Candy took the plane back and tossed it in the air, then caught it. "I have a feeling I'm gonna have plenty of time to learn." He shaved a few strokes, then glanced at Bellis. "You got any ideas how we're gonna get out of here now that we're in?"

"Take it easy. As long as they believe I'm who I say, we'll be all right. First, we'll meet their partner, then we'll turn in our resignations."

"The last one you turned in was mighty close," Annie said, and blew shavings off her stock. Candy nodded.

"Nanata, they need convincing." She turned around without a word, ducked down, then turned back with a small, black Derringer in her hand. She ducked again and handed over two bullets. Annie shook her head.

"Swell."

"It's tactics that's important." With that remark, he turned his attention to a stock. Annie rolled her eyes and went back to smoothing the one she was working on.

It was several hours later that the door opened and Denton stepped in. "You the one called Candy?" Bellis pointed over his shoulder.

"That's him."

"A friend of your showed up outside looking for you. Bring him in." Two men dragged a third into the room. A man wearing a familiar green jacket …

They dumped her twin on the floor and she darted over before she could stop herself, Candy seconds behind her. Bellis crouched on Joe's other side.

"Who is he? I ain't never seen the likes of him before." She and Candy looked up at the same moment, but he wasn't looking at them. Not anymore. "If you think we lead him here, you're dead wrong." It might have worked, had the Derringer not slid out of his sling and clattered to the floor.

Three guns cocked at once. Denton inched forward and motioned them to back away. He scooped up the little gun and smirked at Bellis. "Somehow I just knew I was gonna get a chance at you." He waved the others out of the room and slammed the door. The bolt slid home and Annie's heart sank.

Now what did they do?

Joe moaned and tried to sit up. Annie dropped to her knees beside him. "I should have known." His eyes flew open.

"Annie? What the – what are you doing here?" He looked around, taking in the unfamiliar faces. "Who are they?" Candy shrugged.

"Meet Sergeant Bellis."

"What?" Joe blinked. "What are you saying, this is the man the Army's looking for?" Nanata tore a strip off her hem and dipped it in the bucket in the corner of the room, then came back and washed his face. Candy shrugged.

"I know it's hard to believe, but we're … we're working together."

"Hard to believe is putting it mildly. According to those charges, he's done everything but burn down the White House, including murder." Candy was shaking his head before Joe had finished.

"Those charges are false," Bellis said, voice heated. Joe shrugged and took the cloth from Nanata, then stood up, shaking his head.

"All right. All right. I'll take your word for it." He gestured around the room. "After stumbling into this place, I believe almost anything. Anybody have any bright ideas on how we're gonna get out of here?"

"We did," Bellis said slowly. "Captain Arnholt must be moving his troops this way if our trail was clear enough for you to find us."

"No, from what I can see of his tracks, he's way, way east of here." Candy closed his eyes and Bellis heaved a sigh.

"I'd give a furlough in New Orleans to have that little gun back."

"You still have the two bullets, don't you?"

"Yeah." Bellis frowned and handed them over. Candy closed his hand over them and looked around, stopping at the table with the rifle stocks.

"Sergeant, what does the manual say when your first plan of strategy fails?"

"What are you driving at," Annie asked slowly. He spun around, face lit up.

"Improvise, Sergeant. Improvise."

"Improvise?" Candy grinned.

"We've got bullets, Sarge." He waved a hand at the tables behind them. "What are we building?"

"Those are too small for a Henry, recruit. Even this one would know that." He pointed at Joe.

"Listen, we've got everything we need, all we have to do is drill a hole in two stocks, put the bullets in the holes, and cover them –"

"I get it, recruit. It might work." Bellis grinned. "Let's try it."

Annie found herself drilling holes next to Joe. Her brother glanced at her and shook his head. "How did you get mixed up in this?"

"It didn't fit," she replied.

"Of course it didn't. You really think this will work?" Annie shrugged.

"If it doesn't, I'll give you your money back," Candy said.

"Thanks a lot. Things would be better if it weren't for those Henrys out there."

"Those rifles are Nanata's responsibility." Bellis leaned past them and scooped up a chunk of the primer. Annie glanced over her shoulder. She hoped this work. If it didn't they were all dead.

They were almost ready when faint, rapid-fire hoof beats rang out, rushing closer. Bellis pressed his ear to the door. "Somebody sure is carrying the mail." A moment later, he backed away from the door. "Someone's coming this way." Joe and Candy took up position with the makeshift "guns" and the rest of them waited. The door opened and Annie's mouth fell open.

"Captain." Bellis followed him as he made his way into the room. "Sir, you can't imagine how glad I am to see you." Joe smiled.

"Going by your tracks, I never …" he trailed off as Leatham and his men entered the room. Bellis deflated.

"Sorry, sir. They got you, too?" Arnholt looked around at all of them, that arrogant tilt to his head rearranging the pieces. He drew his gun.

"Take these people outside and shoot them."

"I knew I didn't like you," Annie said tartly. "You're the missing partner."

"The man they've been waiting on," Candy added.

"Take them outside, get it over with." Leatham twitched.

"You're going to kill all of them?"

"Yes." Arnholt's smug gaze landed on her. "All but Bellis will be the innocent victims of a deserter. A deserter that I was forced to kill when he would not surrender."

Joe and Candy slammed the rifle stocks against the edge of the table and the rounds went off, shocking everyone in the room. Annie kicked the man closest to her and grabbed his rifle. She darted outside, snatched up a second rifle she tossed to Candy while Nanata went to work sabotaging the rest of the weapons. Joe and Bellis darted outside and Candy slammed the door and rammed the bolt into the lock.

"Now!" Nanata ran and they followed on her heels. Joe ran outside first, then Annie, Bellis and Nanata, then Candy bringing up the rear.

"Hey!" A guard opened fire and Joe fired back. They took cover behind an outbuilding and returned fire as the guards closed in. The factory door opened and Arnholt ran out with his friends. They took cover behind a bunch of barrels and a water trough.

The first one to fire tumbled backwards, the rifle destroyed by Nanata's sabotage. The others looked at their weapons and threw them down, then ran for the hills. Arnholt kept firing, looking disgusted at the situation.

Annie fired until her rifle emptied, then she ducked behind the building and waited out the return fire. Candy hovered next to her, his own rifle almost empty. Then it was, and all they could do was wait, shots ricocheting off the logs.

Arnholt's face twisted and Annie spun around. The patrol. Candy grinned at as they rode closer. Arnholt rose from behind the barrels, rifle clutched in his hands, hair askew. Bellis smiled and raised a hand in the air. "Detail, halt!" The patrol skidded to a stop and Bellis stepped out of cover. "Henderson, take Captain Arnholt into custody."

"What?"

"Bellis! You're a deserter and a traitor. Do you think these men'll listen to you? Corporal, arrest that man." Her heart skipped a beat when the officer moved to dismount.

"Wait a minute, Henderson. I want to show you something." The leader dismounted and headed over to Bellis, who led him straight to her, Candy, and Joe. "Give me the gun." candy handed it over without a word. "Here. The same gun that cut down our men at Claymore Wells." Arnholt looked dumbstruck, stumbling a few steps closer in a daze. "You can find some more of them just like it in that building."

"Henderson, I gave you an order!"

"And I'm giving you one, Captain. Lay down your gun and come peaceably back to the post. Let them decide who's guilty." Yeah. Not going to happen.

"Henderson, carry out your orders!" The corporal looked down at the rifle in his hands, then back up.

"Bellis, can you prove what you just said?" The sergeant looked back at them with a smirk and they all nodded.

"I've got enough witnesses to hang him." The officer nodded slowly.

"All right, Captain, lay down your gun like the sergeant said." Arnholt looked stunned.

"This is mutiny! You'll either hang or spend the rest of your life at hard labor!"

"I'll take that chance, Captain." He looked back at the patrol. "Troopers, disarm the captain." Weapons drawn, they rode forward and surrounded the captain. Bellis leaned over.

"We found some more of them around here helping him. Better get them, too."

"You betcha, Sarge." Henderson slapped him on the back with a grin. Annie snickered at the look on Arnholt's face. Candy wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Joe raised his eyebrows and giggled. She pushed him into the building wall and he blinked at her with innocent eyes.

"Hey, you two." Bellis ambled over. "Can you write something up for the Judge Advocate, telling our side of this mess?"

"No problem." Joe stepped forward, but Bellis held up a hand.

"Nothing against you, boy, but these two done all the hard work. They know it all, they need to write that letter." Annie burst out laughing.

"We'll do that, Sarge." Candy headed inside and scrounged up some paper and a pencil. He scribbled a few minutes, then signed it and passed it to her. She added her signature and handed it back. "Have the Judge Advocate contact us here at the Ponderosa. And we'll be there to testify whenever you need us."

"That I will do. Thank you, Trooper."

"Oh, it's Trooper, now, huh?" Bellis grinned. "Two of the best I've ever had beside me, though, your brother could use a little training."

"Thanks a lot," Joe mumbled. "You're getting a medal, the least you could do is give us a raise in rank." Bellis chuckled.

"You don't know my colonel. For every regulation I've broke, I'll bend and pick, walk and tote, run and sweat."

"I thought you loved the Army," Candy said.

"Well, I do, but …" he smiled down at Nanata. "It's kinda like a good woman. You can love them an awful lot, but it ain't all honeymoon." They laughed as he collected his hat and the couple left.

"Well, I think we better report, too." Joe clapped them both on the back. Candy looked up.

"Report? To who?"

"To General Cartwright," Annie said before her brother could. "He'll probably have a little running and sweating for us to do, too."

Not probably, he would. Joe settled his hat and headed outside. Candy chuckled and shook his head.

"I bet he will."