A/N: First, another apology for the lack of line breaks in previous chapters, I didn't realize that the site lost all of my formatting when I uploaded the documents. I went back and fixed all the other chapters. A huge thank you for not abandoning reading this fic over that issue.

Next up is The Running Man. I did make a few changes to this one. There was no reference in canon as to how long had passed between the events of Emily and this one, so I decided there wouldn't be much of a gap, taking Joe out of this episode.

Also, we're not that far off from the beginning of season eleven. There will be a lot of changes coming up that I hope you enjoy. And then we have Candy's mysterious disappearance for two years. Any thoughts on how I plan to explain that?

As always, entertainment only, I own nothing but my OC.

Ben adjusted the logs in the fireplace with the poker, then straightened, hands on hips, and studied their foreman. "What kind of trouble?" Candy shrugged and looked down at the floor.

"I don't know. Her letter just said that she and her husband were in some kind of trouble and needed help."

Loyal to a fault. Annie bit her lip and shifted in her chair. For someone who didn't like gun trouble, he sure found an awful lot of it.

And it had to be gun trouble; she wouldn't have written otherwise, that much was discernible from what little Candy had said.

"She's … uh … well, I haven't seen her in about three years, but she was …" It didn't take too much figuring to realize she must have left him about a year before he came slinking out of the night asking for peaches. This woman couldn't have hurt him too badly, or else he wouldn't be running to her aid now.

She cast a quick glance at Joe settled comfortably on their mother's settee with a book, his feet propped on the table. She gave that until the end of this conversation before their pa said something about it.

"Oh, you can have the time off, no question about that. As a matter of fact, if you need any help, Calvin Butler's an old friend of mine." Ben looked around. "You three remember Cal?" They nodded; his lips twitched. "Annie, Stead was quite taken with you as I recall." She waved it away with a snort.

"We were kids."

"You was fifteen the second time, little sister," Hoss spoke up.

"He built the town of Butlerville, founded the whole community," Ben explained after seeing Candy's confused face. I thought Annie might end up with his son, Stead, but," he shrugged. "She wouldn't have it. Anyway, he's a good man to know if there's any trouble up there."

"Sounds like it."

"I'll go, too." Annie stood. "Butler doesn't know Candy, he might not give him any help, you know how he is about outsiders."

"True. With Joe laid up, he can't go with you. Hoss? Ride along with them to Butlerville. Three of you ought to be enough to handle whatever trouble this young lady and her husband have found."

"Sure, Pa."

"Just let me know what's happening."

"We will." She turned to Candy. "When do you want to leave?"

"As soon as possible."

"First light?"

"Good. Night, Mr. Cartwright." Candy smiled and headed upstairs. Ben picked up a book off the table and inspected the spine. "Joseph, you know the difference between a table and an ottoman?"

"Sure I do," her brother replied without looking up.

"Take your feet off the table." Joe started and glanced over the top of his book, then jerked his boots to the floor with an apologetic smile.

"Oh."

Annie snickered and Hoss allowed himself a tiny grin. Ben shook his head and went back to his book.

The three of them rode out early the next morning, setting a good pace that should bring them into Butlerville sometime tomorrow afternoon. Provided nothing happened, which Annie wasn't counting on. They might not have Joe with them, but that didn't mean much. They rode along in a comfortable silence for several hours until Candy spoke up not long after noon.

"You're awful quiet over there."

"Thinking," she said, only half concentrating on the road.

"About why I'm running to help a woman who left me for another man?" His face split with that familiar, cocky, grin. "It was for the best, so don't lay your ears back too much."

"Mule," she retorted, and he laughed.

"I'm serious, sweetheart, she did us both a favor. Yeah, it hurt at the time, but she's no Anne Harris." He almost stumbled over the woman's last name, but didn't. Too much.

"I was more concerned with … well … um …" How did she say it without making him mad? "Candy, she's …" Just spit it out. "Even if you help her, she can't …" Her face flamed. "Am I making sense?" His grin widened.

"About as much as fish swimming through the air, but I get what you're saying." His smile slipped. "I know she's not gonna suddenly change her mind and want me instead of him. I guess I'm just not the kind of man women want to marry."

"You –"

"Hold up." Hoss drew rein and slowed as they came upon a wagon with its wheel off. "Looks like you need some help," he said to the couple struggling to raise the back of the wagon enough to get the wheel back on.

"Sure appreciate it," the man called.

"Guess we're not heavy enough," the woman said in a rush as she fought to shove down on the pole they were using. Hoss took stock of the situation and rubbed his hands together.

"Annie, get the wheel upright and old Candy and I'll help push." Candy ambled over and glanced at the setup.

"Your pole's too short." With the two of them helping, they were able to lift the wagon enough she could shove the wheel back on its axle.

"Got it."

"Sure glad you folks come along," the man said as he wiped his forehead. "Don't know what I would have done." He picked up the wheel cap and a wrench. "If I'm not out of this valley come dark, I might not get out at all." She and Candy traded looks. Hoss frowned.

"What's stopping you?" He glanced up at Candy.

"A bullet."

"What do you mean?" Annie stepped forward and he looked her up and down.

"Man homesteaded next to me, Billy Harris, he got burned out. It was after dark. His wife and young'un were in the place. They died there." He went back to tightening the wheel and she swallowed hard.

"You know who did it?" Candy asked softly. The man looked up at each of them in turn. His throat worked.

"Ain't got the slightest idea. But you can bet I ain't gonna live in a place where people get burned out in the middle of the night." He gave the wrench one last tug and straightened. "Martha, we'd best be on our way."

"You need a hand with the team?"

"Thanks, but you folks done enough." He tossed his tools back in the wagon. His wife came over and touched her arm.

"Thank you."

"It was nothing," Annie replied. "Where … where are you from?"

"Butlerville." Her face froze and she darted a look at Candy, who swallowed hard. He moved past her to untie Scout from the wagon. Hoss' forehead creased in thought.

They didn't say anything for a few miles. It was Annie who broke the silence this time. "I think we just found out your friend's trouble."

"Maybe." He frowned. "I didn't think Jess was a homesteader, he worked for … for … blast, what did he do again?"

"Is it too much to ask for one trip where the worst problem we have to deal with is … is … oh, I don't know, scheming children?"

"Sis, you know we end up with some very boring days."

"Remember last week?" Candy broke in. "The biggest thing that happened was that yellow dog that got into Mrs. Smith's garden and tore up her flowers. What did she call those things again?" He hid a smirk.

"All I can tell is if eating it will kill you or not. Flowers are flowers."

"The steam pouring out of her ears sure was funny. I thought she was gonna turn that mutt into a hat."

"Or fall down in a fit." They shared a laugh, but it died quickly. What were they going to find in Butlerville?

"Town looks pretty deserted," she remarked as they rode down Butlerville's main street at an easy walk.

"It is suppertime."

"Well past it according to my stomach," Hoss grumbled.

"Yeah." But was that it? Even around suppertime, there'd be some people out, even if they were just walking down to the restaurant. But maybe Butlerville didn't have one. "Where are we supposed to meet Barbara?"

"She said go to the Butler Hotel, she'd find me there." They stopped at the first empty hitch rail they found. "Only one in town, must be the Butler." Candy nodded at the building. Annie held back a snort.

"Pa had a lot to do with building Virginia City, but you don't see the hotel named after us." She jumped down and untied her saddle bags. "Let's go." She led the way inside the hotel and the desk clerk looked up, eyes going wide.

"How are you doing?"

"We need a couple of rooms." He suddenly looked uncomfortable as she spun the ledger around and took up the pen.

"I'm sorry, we've only got one left." The pen stilled and she looked up.

"That's fine." His face reddened.

"Um … but miss … um … I – I can't … well …" Behind her, Candy shook with silent laughter. Annie lowered the pen and tapped one finger on the counter. Hoss grinned, his eyes twinkling.

"They're family."

"Oh! Oh, well, that's … that's perfectly all right." She raised an eyebrow and signed the ledger, noting a certain name.

"Calvin Butler is staying here?"

"That's why there isn't much room. He takes up most of it." Of course he did.

"It is his hotel," she said offhandedly. The clerk perked up like a bird dog on point.

"You know him?"

"He's a friend of our father's."

"Wonderful man." The clerk handed her a key. "Up the stairs, third door on your left."

Candy had the decency to wait until they were inside the room before he busted out laughing. "I thought he was fixing to explode worse than Mrs. Smith over those flowers."

"Give the man a break," Hoss grumbled as he deposited his saddlebags on the closest bed. "I don't know about you, but I intend to rustle up some grub."

"I'd rather find some information." Her brother's brow furrowed.

"Some folks just might tell a woman something they'd never say otherwise. You did get the missing piece out of the Fuller girl back in Olympus." He nodded slowly. "See what you can find out, but be careful."

"Guess that leaves me to wait for Barbara." Candy settled himself on the other bed and leaned back against the pillow. "I'd sure like to know what's going on in this town."

Annie sauntered down the boardwalk, the streets mostly deserted. Where was everyone? It wasn't that long past suppertime … it wasn't even dark yet. She stopped and eyed the nearby stores. Which one?

She picked the dress shop on a whim and hurried inside, the woman behind the counter looking up with a welcoming smile.

"Good evening. Is there anything in particular that you're looking for?" Annie looked past her to a green calico hanging on a dressmaker's dummy.

"Do you think that would fit me?" Not that she needed (or wanted) the dress, but it would be a good place to start. The woman frowned and studied her.

"I think so. It might need a couple alterations, but that's easily dealt with." She motioned Annie over to the dress and began to undo the buttons lining the bodice. "It would like lovely on you, I'm sure. Green always pairs well with darker hair colors." She paused, then glanced past Annie out the front window, her eyes scanning the street. Her voice lowered. "You rode into town with Candy." Annie froze. If this woman knew him by name …

"Barbara Parker?" The woman slumped against the dummy and released a sigh.

"I was so afraid he wouldn't come, and then I saw him ride into town with you and that other man and …" She stopped working at the buttons and swiped at her face. "I need his help, badly. My husband was shot." Stunned, Annie said nothing for a moment.

"And you tell a stranger all of this the second you meet them?" Barbara gave her a watery smile.

"If you're with Candy, I know I can trust you."

"How do you know we weren't hired by whoever shot your husband to make Candy bring us to you and solve their problem?" The woman's face twisted, almost like she hadn't thought of that. She gnawed on her lower lip.

"Well, I kind of doubt you'd tell me straight out like that. You'd be more likely to play along until you found out where Jess is." Annie cracked a smile.

"You do have a point." She took over with the buttons and slipped the last one through the hole, then pulled the dress off the dummy.

"Though I wouldn't put it past Cal Butler to do such a thing," Barbara continued, not noticing that Annie had gone still again. Do what now?

"Cal Butler? That doesn't sound like him."

"I beg your pardon, uh … you didn't tell me your name, but you don't know Cal Butler. It's exactly like him."

"It's Anne Cartwright. And I do know Butler, he's a friend of my father's."

"You might have known him before, but he changed after he realized he could lose a good portion of his ranch to homesteaders. Jess is land manager for this territory and –"

"He's been doing the surveying." Barbara nodded and took the dress from her, clutching the fabric to her chest. Annie bit her lip and looked out the window. "I don't know, Barbara. Pa always told us the Butlers were good people. Why –"

"Good people," she spit. "Do you call pulling down fences, burning homes, burning a woman and child, you call that good people?"

She hated it when pieces didn't fit, and this one was like trying to jam a square peg into a round hole. This didn't sound a thing like the man who'd let her have a puppy out of his dog's recent litter when she was … had they been six or seven at the time?

The only dog they'd ever really had on the Ponderosa, that little pup had followed them everywhere until he got too old to do more than lay beside the fireplace. She'd named him Timber, after the warning call, though why her younger self had done it, she couldn't figure out. Such was the mind of a child, she supposed.

"Ms. Cartwright?"

"I was thinking." She fiddled with the end of her braid. "Are you sure it's Butler?"

"Jess is." Barbara looked out the window again. "I was going to slip into the hotel later, after it got full dark, but I'm afraid they'll follow me. He has people watching me, hoping I'll lead him to Jess."

"Why are they after Jess? Besides the fact he's land manager." Barbara's eyes misted with tears.

"He was there the night Cal, his son Stead, and their foreman Torrance set fire to the Harris place." Annie jolted. Stead, too? The memory of a laughing, brown-haired boy racing his horse against theirs shot across her mind's eye.

"He saw them do it?" She asked in a monotone. Barbara nodded so hard her hair bounced.

"That's why he was shot. They know he's a witness, maybe the only witness."

"Did he got to the sheriff?" The woman drew herself up, hands working wrinkles into the skirt.

"Yes." She stalked past Annie and practically threw the dress onto the counter. "He reported it to Sheriff Daniels." She turned around, her back to the counter. "The next morning riding home he was shot."

"The sheriff did nothing?"

"He works for Butler." She worked her hands. "You'd probably better at least act like you're going to try that dress on. They'll notice if all we do is stand here and talk."

"Alright." Annie followed her into a connecting room. "Where is Jess now?" She leaned back against the wall and folded her arms. Barbara wrung her hands, knotting the skirt.

"Old man Parsons found him and took him to his place, then he told me. But I can't even take a doctor out there with the sheriff watching. All we have to do is last until Monday, a US Marshal and the circuit judge are coming and Butler will have to answer for burning the Harris place."

But could they last? Depending on how bad Jess was shot, he may not have two days. "Is he hit bad, do you know?"

"Mr. Parsons didn't say it was bad." They could last then, they'd done it before, not quite as long, but they had bested Angel Montana, and others like him.

"All right." She tapped her nails on her arm. "Meet us at the back steps of the hotel about ten o clock. Bring your horse. They'll find him sooner or later so we'd better beat them to it."

"But, they'll come after us."

"I don't see another choice, do you?" The woman hung her head.

"No."

"And wrap up the dress. They'll wonder if I leave empty-handed. Do you have a message for Candy?"

"Tell him thank you for coming, I wouldn't have blamed him if he chose not to get involved. I don't know why you are, Ms. Cartwright."

"Candy's not only our foreman, he's like family. Any friend of his, is a friend of ours."

"Thank you all." The women shared a smile, then returned to the main room. Annie dug into her pocket for her money while Barbara put the dress in a box and tied it with twine. "Ten o clock."

"Ten o clock." Annie took the box and left the shop, making a beeline for the hotel. They'd talked for long enough it was getting dark. Hoss might be getting worried. She walked inside the hotel and smiled at the desk clerk as she went upstairs. She knocked on their door and it swung open seconds later.

"Bout time you got back, Candy's friend still ain't showed up." Hoss stepped back and let her inside. "You find out anything?" His gaze dropped to the box in her hands. "What's that?"

"A dress." She tossed it on the closest bed and turned the chair around to straddle it backwards. "She'll be here about ten o clock, we need to have the horses ready, and she'll take us to Jess." Candy shot off the other bed.

"What? How do you know all that?"

"She told me. Her husband was shot, presumably by the same men that burned down the Harris place. You remember, the ones that couple wouldn't name?"

"Nobody will say anything," Hoss put in. "Whole town acts like nothing's wrong, but they're all shaking in their boots."

"Do they know who did it?"

"Oh, there's a reason no one will say anything, big brother." Annie studied her nails. "She said it was Cal Butler." Silence followed that announcement as they all traded looks.

"Oh, Annie is she sure?"

"She believes it. She said a marshal and a judge are coming Monday. I told her we'd better get to Jess before Butler does."

"But do you believe it?" She rubbed her forehead, then rested her chin on her hands.

"I don't know. It doesn't fit with the man I remember, but that was at least twelve years ago. He could have changed, especially with Jess Parker in charge of surveying land parcels. Barbara said Butler could possibly lose a good chunk of his ranch." Candy whistled softly.

"I reckon that would do it."

"It might," Hoss agreed with a frown. "So, she takes us to her husband, then what?"

"We keep him alive until Monday."

Annie slipped out the back door of the hotel and crept down the stairs, easing around the corner to check the street.

Barbara walked her horse over to theirs tied at the hitch rail and Annie waved her hand. Candy was the first to slip up behind her, then Hoss. It had often amazed her how such a big man could be so silent when the need arose.

She checked the street again and they left the shadows of the stairs and rushed for the horses. They mounted up and rode off down the street, following Barbara's lead.

It wasn't easy in the dark, riding across unfamiliar territory, but at least they weren't being chased by Paiutes. She kept checking over her shoulder, certain they were being followed. Just because they couldn't see anyone, didn't mean they weren't there.

It wasn't that long before Barbara pulled up in front of what looked like an abandoned homestead and jumped from the saddle. She ran inside and Hoss motioned for them to follow her. Annie figured he was going to watch for their tail.

"Barbara?" A weak voice called out from the bed.

"Oh, Jess." The woman sat on the edge of the bed and took her husband's hand.

"Where have you been?"

"I couldn't come until I got help." She looked back over her shoulder, drawing his attention to them. "This is Anne Cartwright, she and her brother are friends of Candy's. Sheriff Daniels has been watching me." She peered around the house. "Where's Mr. Parsons?" Jess scoffed under his breath.

"Took his wife and ran off. He was afraid Butler would kill him." Jess took several deep breaths. "Candy."

"Jess."

"I should have known you'd be the first one she'd turn to." Annie worked her jaw. Fat lot of grateful he was. Especially since he didn't look so good, even without the hint of jealousy she could smell as easily as the blood staining his bandages.

"Who else did she have?" Candy said easily, not seeming to care. Barbara frowned and touched her husband's face.

"Oh, you're hot."

"It's all right." He didn't sound all right, any more than he looked it. She and Candy traded glances, then he went to feel the man's forehead.

"Just a little warm is all." The cabin door opened and their hands dropped to their guns, until she saw it was Hoss.

"We was followed all right. Three of them. One's out there standing lookout and the other two rode off." Candy scratched his head and wandered over to lean against the foot of the bed next to her.

"Well, they found out where he is." He looked between her and Hoss. "We've got to take him to town."

"Candy –"

"Barbara, out here we won't stand a chance if we really got up against it."

"What's in town?" Hoss shifted his weight.

"A solid jail." Annie whipped around.

"And a sheriff who'd just as soon kill him."

"Not with us watching. But we still have to get him past those three men that followed us out here."

"If we leave now, it's just one."

"Don't I have anything to say about it?" Jess called from the bed. Annie turned on him with narrowed eyes.

"Not a thing. Candy might come up with some hare-brained ideas, but this time he's dead on. In town, we can lock you in that jail, and lock them out. All we have to do is hold them off till the marshal and that judge arrive." Jess sank back against the pillows with a heavy sigh.

"Like the lady said, I ain't got no say."

Slipping past the lone sentry proved to be fairly simple, but then they had to haul an injured man back into town without attracting attention. Given the sheriff knew they'd ridden out, and might know where they'd gone by now, Annie didn't expect it to be easy. She led them down the silent street up to the sheriff's office, Jess riding double behind Candy. They dismounted, Hoss helping get Jess off the horse, while Annie drew her pistol.

As soon as they went through that door, there was no going back. She didn't envy the marshal the headache this was going to create. Annie reached for the doorknob and drew in a deep breath.

Even being a woman might not get her out of this if they couldn't hold on.

She burst through the door and pointed her gun at the sheriff while quickly scanning the rest of the room to make sure he was alone.

"What are you –"

"Easy," she hissed. "Unbuckle that gun belt and drop it on the floor." Hoss and Candy hauled Jess inside behind her and she motioned to Barbara to lock the door. Daniels stared at her with eyes full of of hate.

"You can't do this, I'm the law around here." Annie offered him a smirk and collected the cell keys and a couple badges off his desk.

"Not anymore, you're not. Come on, in the cell." The man edged out from behind his desk, hands held out from his sides.

"You're asking for a lot of trouble."

"Oh, Sheriff, I don't have to ask for it, it finds me. Comes with the territory. Get moving." She tailed him to the cell and he took in Parker lying on the cot in the other cell.

"Just what do you people think you're doing?"

"That man needs protection and this jail is going to give it to him," she said as though explaining something to a child.

"I'm the sheriff, I'll look after him."

"Last time he did that, you shot him." She went to close the cell, but Candy stopped her.

"Wait a minute. Better cuff him and gag him so he can't holler out the window."

"Good idea. Make yourself a deputy." She tossed him a badge and he pinned it on his vest, then snatched a set of cuffs off a nearby hook.

"Turn around."

"You'll pay for this," Daniels snarled as Candy cuffed his hands behind his back. He used the man's bandanna for a gag, then locked the cell door.

"Maybe you'll be the one to pay." Daniels glared daggers at them as they moved away. Hoss straightened.

"Barbara, if you'll tell me where that doctor lives, I'll go fetch him."

"He has an office over the saloon."

"I'll be back soon." Her brother gave her a searching look. "I do believe you might be enjoying this a hair too much little sister."

"Well, he's not the first sheriff she's threatened after all," Candy reminded him with a smirk.

"Oh, stop it the both of you. I'm doing what we have to do, that's all." Hoss shook his head and hurried off. Candy touched her shoulder, then looked past her at Jess.

"How you feeling?"

"All right," the man said weakly, his breathing labored. Barbara bit her lip and hopped off the edge of the cot. She approached Candy, her face twisted in a frown.

"Are you sure we did the right thing?"

"We did the only thing."

Annie settled herself behind the sheriff's desk while the doctor took care of Jess. She propped her boots up on the desktop and stared down at her hands, memories flooding back like it was yesterday.

"I bet I can beat that little mustang," Stead's easy drawl rang in her ears as the three of them sat their horses in the north pasture of the Butler ranch. "He's half the size of mine." He leaned down and patted his big bay on the shoulder.

"You wish," Annie shot back, sticking her tongue out and running her fingers through Reno's glossy mane. The grulla snorted and bounced on his hooves. She turned him in a circle with a laugh, the breeze tugging at her loosened braid. "I'll win."

"No, Annie, I think I will."

"You're both wrong." Joe pushed Cochise into the middle. "I'll win." Stead grinned.

"Last one to that big tree up there on the ridge has to kiss the winner, unless they're related of course." Annie and Joe traded a glance, a plan shaping itself in seconds. "On three. One … two …" Annie shifted her weight in the saddle, feeling Reno coil himself up like a spring. "Three!" She kicked him hard, yipping like a coyote to urge him even more, and the little mustang shot away from the line, gaining ground with every stride, Stead's big bay lumbering in his wake.

Annie glanced back to find Joe keeping Cochise reined down hard to stay behind Stead, who clearly wasn't expecting to be in the middle. He kept looking back, then seemed to realize what they were up to and pulled his bay to a skidding halt.

"That's not fair, Joe!" Her brother also halted, his familiar cackle ringing out loud and clear.

"Sure it is, Stead. You think I'm gonna let you kiss my sister that easy?"

"A fella can dream, can't he?"

She jolted out of the past when Hoss came out of the other room, escorting the doctor out. "Thanks, Doc."

"Anytime, Mr. Cartwright." Her brother closed the door behind him and she sighed.

"What do you want to bet he goes straight to Butler?" Hoss settled himself on the edge of the desk and scratched his head.

"I don't know. I always thought Butler was a good man, seemed like it when we visited anyway."

"We've met him twice, Hoss." She dropped her feet to the floor and leaned forward, head in her hands. "You can't really know someone from just that." Her brother shifted and cleared his throat.

"Are we talking about Cal … or Stead?" She slowly raised her head.

"Cal." She leaned back in the chair and stared up at the stained ceiling. They needed to fix the roof, next big rain storm might leave their sheriff soaked. "As long as Parker doesn't die from infection, we should be able to hold until the marshal gets here." She laced her fingers together. "Then it's up to him and the judge."

"Maybe he's bought 'em off." She thought about that a moment, then shook her head.

"If he had, he wouldn't be trying so hard to get his hands on Parker and keep him quiet. No, Hoss, Butler's afraid, and he's gonna get desperate."

"You think one of us ought to go talk to him?"

"I don't know." She propped her boot back up on the desk and rested her chin in her hand. "Maybe we should, if for no other reason than to find out exactly what he knows." Annie sighed. "But that can wait till morning. You get the horses settled?"

"Yep. I reckon we'd best settle in, too. I'll take first watch."

Annie stepped outside the next morning and leaned back against the brick building, her gaze locked on the hotel.

Should they or shouldn't they?

She started forward, but only got as far as the hotel steps before she stopped in her tracks. Did she really want to go up there and open that box again? She turned to go back, when the choice was taken out of her hands.

"Anne?" That lazy drawl sent a chill down her spine. She slowly turned around and came face to face with Stead Butler. He laughed and rushed the steps to join her in the street. "I knew that was you from the window!" He looked her up and down. "You grew up right pretty."

"And you haven't changed a bit." Not on the outside anyway. They looked at each other for a moment. Stead leaned against the hotel's hitch rail and cleared his throat.

"You still got that grulla mustang?"

"Yeah. He's getting up there, but yeah, I still ride him."

"I lost that bay, several years back. He broke his leg."

"I'm sorry."

"It happens." He worked his fingers against the weathered wood. "So, are you … uh … you married?"

"No." He straightened in a rush.

"Are all the men around Virginia City blind or something?" Her chest tightened.

"Or something." She glanced over his shoulder. "Your pa have those grandchildren he said he wanted?"

"No," Stead said slowly, his eyes roaming her face. "I haven't found a woman that could hold a candle to you." She jerked her gaze back.

"We were kids."

"I was seventeen and you were fifteen." His fingers tightened on the hitch rail. "I wanted to marry you, Anne. Together, we could build the biggest ranch the state has ever seen, just the two of us." He swallowed hard. "But Pa said I was too young to even think about it."

"Stead –"

"I know you didn't feel that way and that's all right. A man can dream, can't he?" He laughed nervously. "I was hoping I'd get to see you again someday." A slow shake of his head sent his hair falling into his eyes. "If only to finally convince myself you weren't interested and I could lay that dream to rest, find a woman who was." Annie drew in a sharp breath.

"Stead, you know why I'm here." His face froze. "We were followed last night, and I know they told your pa, so don't play games."

"All right." He looked around. "Can we at least get off the street while we have this discussion? People around here are …"

"Afraid," she finished for him. "Of Calvin Butler. And you."

"Can we please get off the street?"

"I suppose you want me to go up to your room so your pa can talk to me, tell me how it really is in Butlerville, how I'm making a mistake defending the Parkers, how he has no other choice."

"To hear him tell it, he doesn't," Stead hissed with a quick look around. "And I agreed with him, at first. To hear you could lose over half a ranch isn't easy to take! But now, after the Harris place … I'm in too deep. He handed me a bear by the tail and I took it. And there just ain't no letting go. There just ain't no letting go," he repeated softly, a distant look filling his eyes. "You need to leave, all of you. You're mixed up in a game that's none of your business. I don't want you to get hurt, Anne."

"Pa would tell me, don't come home a loser." His face tightened and he looked back over his shoulder at the hotel.

"If you lose, you could end up dead." He scraped his hands through his hair. "Look, maybe we can work something out, huh?" Annie leaned back against the hitch rail and crossed her arms, one eyebrow raised.

"Like what?"

"Saw you talking to Stead," Hoss said as he let her back in the sheriff's office. "What did he have to say?"

"About what you'd expect," she said evenly. "We need to talk to Jess." Her brother trailed her into the other room. Candy met them at the door and studied her face. She nodded once and pushed past him, stopping just inside the cell, leaning against the door frame. "So, Butler knows everything thanks to the good doctor. He insists we're making a mistake, that other ranchers stand to lose just as much as he does, that someone else burned the Harris place."

"I know what I saw," Jess said heatedly from the cot without taking his gaze off the ceiling.

"Did anyone else see it? Right now, it's your word against theirs."

"My word will stick."

"I hope so, and considering how scared they are, it might." Candy's hand touched her back and the lingering tightness in her chest eased. "Now, Stead told me Harris' wife and child were supposed to be in Twin Forks till the end of next week."

"That's where I thought they were, too." Jess finally looked at her, his face set in tight lines. "But their bodies were in the rubble, you can't excuse them away."

"No, you can't." She took a deep breath. "But, according to Stead, there is something you can do, his father calls it buying peace for the valley." Disgust dripped from every word. "You testify that it was dark that night and it was hard to see faces. You can't really identify anyone. If you do that, you're gonna have yourself a nice ranch and a nice bank account."

Silence met her announcement. Jess looked to his wife and Annie knew hers would be the deciding vote, perhaps no matter what he thought personally. "I knew Ella Harris," he said hoarsely. "And little Jennifer." He shook his head slowly. "They were good people." Annie bit her lip and glanced at Candy. His throat worked, and she wondered if he was thinking the same thing.

Was it all for nothing?

"Barbara? There's our ranch, there's money." Jess heaved a sigh. "How do you want it?" His wife drew back like she'd been slapped.

"You know how I want it, Jess." He nodded once, then turned, his gaze finding Annie's face.

"You tell Butler," he said, his voice quivering from emotion, "that Mr. and Mrs. Parker told him to go to Hell." Annie smiled.

"I'll be delighted."

"Sheriff Daniels!" A boy's voice rang out in the front room. They turned just as the kid slid to a stop next to the door. "Hey, where's Sheriff Daniels?" Hoss, being closest to the door, reached him first.

"Well, he's a might tied up at the moment, can we help?"

"Are you deputies?"

"We're wearing badges," Candy said evenly. The boy shrugged.

"You know that little barn back of the hotel where people keep their horses?"

"Yeah." Candy shot her a look and she shrugged as she made her way back to the sheriff's desk and sat down.

"There's a squirrel lives back there, I been trying to catch him all week. Just a little while ago, I seen him running for the barn and I chased him." Hoss raised his eyebrows and Annie buried her head in her hands. "He went under a bunch of straw. I dug in the straw and there he was."

"Kid," she said slowly. "We're really glad you found the squirrel, but we're kind of busy right now." Hoss chuckled under his breath and Candy grinned. She threw him an irritated look.

"No, it wasn't the squirrel, it was Billy Harris." Her head came up. What? "And he looked at me like he was dead." The three of them traded stunned looks.

"Boy, maybe you'd better show me." Hoss grabbed his hat and guided the kid out the door. Candy closed it behind them, then turned around.

"Three guesses, sweetheart." She heaved a sigh.

"Cal, Stead, or Torrance."

Hoss returned within a few minutes, looking grim. "Billy Harris is dead all right, someone strangled him."

"Now, they've done it," Candy mused. "His wife and daughter might have been an accident, but not this. They're scared all right." He glanced between them. "So what do we do now?" Annie stood.

"Hoss and I are going to pay Butler a visit." She snatched her hat off the desk and marched out the door. Not that it would accomplish much of anything, except maybe show Butler how determined they were to see him pay for his crimes, unless they got lucky.

"Annie, are you sure about this?"

"You want us to just sit in there until tomorrow and hope for the best? If we push him, we might be able to scare him into making a mistake." She stormed into the hotel and made a beeline for the desk clerk. "Which room is Butler's?" He took one look at her face and pointed up the stairs.

"Last door on the right." She didn't bother to thank him. They hurried down the hallway and she pounded on the door until an old man with white hair yanked it open.

"What do you want?" Annie pushed her way inside and crossed her arms, her back to the wall, Hoss at her right. Stead lowered his drink and swallowed hard.

"That's Anne and Hoss Cartwright, Pa." Cal Butler eyed them with distaste.

"How do you think your pa would like it if he knew you were siding with homesteaders? It could happen up Virginia City, too."

"Pa didn't adjust boundary lines when he filed his paperwork."

"Are you saying I did, girl?"

"Why fear a survey if you didn't?" Butler reared back.

"Stead, you'd better thank your lucky stars I stopped you from talking marriage to this little harridan, else she'd have ripped the ranch right out from under you and handed it to a bunch of invaders." Beside her, Hoss stiffened, and she knew she'd have to explain that later.

"Billy Harris is dead," she said as calmly as she could manage. Stead drew back, eyes wide, but Cal didn't even blink.

"I don't know a thing about that."

"Yes, you do." He eyed her with contempt.

"You'd better get out of town, girl, and take your brother and that other fella with you. You'll be almighty sorry if you don't." She stared him straight in the eye long enough he'd realize she wasn't afraid of him, then whirled for the door and yanked it open, pausing halfway out.

"No, you will. And the Parkers say go to Hell."

Her hand was on the door to the sheriff's office when voices registered. She froze in her tracks, glad Hoss had gone off to rustle up some food. She strained to hear through the wood.

"I'm sorry for what I've done."

"For asking me to come here?" There was a pause, then a barely audible no.

"For what happened after you came." What happened?

"That didn't mean anything." What were they talking about in there?

"Candy, you know I admire you," Barbara's voice was soft. "I think you're the kindest, the most gentle, the most capable man that I've ever known." A snort told her what Candy thought of that. "But …"

"Not a man to marry," he finished for her. Barbara said nothing and Annie's blood began to boil. Why did they all throw him over for someone else? "I'm sorry." He had nothing to be sorry about.

"I'm sorry, too." Annie threw open the door and they jumped apart. Barbara swallowed hard, probably wondering if she'd heard anything.

"Hoss went to get us some lunch." She tossed her hat on the sheriff's desk and leaned against it, gaze fixed on the wall. "Butler denied having anything to do with Billy Harris getting murdered and strongly suggested we get out of town." She turned, meeting their eyes. "We're staying."

A scraping noise came from the cells and Candy turned. "I'll check on him." He hurried into the other room and the low hum of voices drifted through the half open door. Annie looked at Barbara.

"Why'd you pick Jess," she asked softly. Barbara jumped.

"What?"

"You heard me." She perched on the edge of the desk. "Just like I heard you a couple minutes ago. You'd better be sorry for hurting him, he's a better man than most people give him credit for."

"I –" A rifle barked and Annie shot off the desk, racing into the other room, gun drawn, heart pounding.

"Candy!" She dropped to her knees and tried to roll him over. He groaned and pushed himself upright, his hand resting on her arm.

"I'm all right, I'm all right." He glanced down at his left arm. "It just grazed me is all. They were aiming for Jess and I guess I got in the way."

"You seem to have a habit of doing that, Canaday. Looks like your lucky bath is still holding out." Annie turned to Parker. "Stay put, and keep your head down. Come on, Candy, let's get that cleaned up." They slipped back into the main office and she quickly checked his arm, then set to work wrapping it with bandages she'd found in the sheriff's desk. "Yeah, it's a graze, but you should get it looked at." He snorted.

"By who? The doctor would go straight over to that hotel and tell them he shot me instead of Jess. They'd all be down here before you could snap your fingers. I can wait, it's only until noon."

"That's a long time to go without a doctor." He reached out and touched her face.

"At least I'm not bleeding all over you this time. I think I ruined that shirt you had on." Her eyes closed against the memory.

"It wasn't all yours," she whispered.

"It still got ruined."

"It was a shirt, it doesn't matter." She tightened the bandage and touched his shoulder. "Friends are a lot harder to come by."

The front door flew open and Hoss rushed inside, gun drawn, and a basket swinging from his arm. "What happened?"

"They're shooting at anything that moves now, apparently." Annie took the basket from him and set it on the desk. "Can you move Parker into the other cell? They were after him."

"Sure thing, sis." She turned back to the basket.

"What did he bring us?"

"Oh, you know Hoss," she said as she dug around. "Two of everything on the menu plus a handful of sandwiches for the rest of us." He laughed, easing the ache in her chest that had settled in the second she'd seen him on the floor.

"Hey, Candy." Hoss stuck his head through the door. "Parker wants to talk to you a minute." Their foreman shrugged and traded places with her brother, who ambled over to the desk. "I wasn't sure what everyone would want, so I just got a little bit of everything."

"I figured." She handed him a towel-covered plate and a fork. Hoss had emptied half his plate by the time Candy returned.

"How are they holding up?" Annie asked between bites, then handed him a plate of his own.

"His leg's hurting and she's worried. But they'll make it. They got something extra going for 'em."

"And what's that?"

"Each other." She looked up sharply. Didn't he care that they – especially Barbara – had hurt him? She rather doubted Jess had any good feelings towards his wife's old beau either, so why was he smiling like that? "I'll keep watch, they're bound to confront us sooner or later." He took his plate over to the window and ate bent over, peering under the edge of the shade.

"Annie …" Hoss set down his plate. "What else did Stead say to you earlier? Cal said something about marriage." She sensed Candy turn and look over his shoulder, but she ignored it, ignored everything but the tightening in her chest. She set her fork on her plate and paced across the room, leaning up against the door to the cells, arms crossed over her chest. "Annie?"

"He did want to marry me, but not now." And that's all she was going to say about that, now or ever.

"His loss," Candy spit out and turned back to the window. He stiffened. "They're coming." She pushed off the door, snatched the padlock and rammed the bolt through the latch, then locked the padlock and turned back around and crossed the room, stopping halfway between the door and the desk, hand on her gun. Candy left the window and positioned himself beside the door to the cells, his hand on his gun. Hoss settled into the sheriff's chair, his gun out of sight under the desk.

"Everybody, real easy now. Let them make the first move."

The door flew open and Butler stormed inside, Stead and their foreman at his back. The old man looked around, his gaze lighting on Candy's bandaged arm, but it was Stead who asked the question. "What happened to you?"

"I was in a cell back there and a bushwhacker shot me through the window." Both Butlers turned to glare at Torrance, then Cal looked back to Annie.

"I told you all to leave town. Now you see what can happen when you stick your nose where it doesn't belong." The old man's beady eyes focused on Hoss. "I've known your father for over twenty years and he'd be ashamed of you. You should know better than to let your sister get mixed up in this. What if it had been her back there? "

"On the contrary, he'd be proud of us," Annie retorted. Stead advanced, his face hard, stopping inches away from her.

"You don't understand, Annie, this is Butler country. We're the law around here." His eyes glittered and she drew in a breath.

"Not anymore."

"Tomorrow," Hoss added. "The US marshal and the judge'll be here. And you'll all stand trial for the death of that woman and that child and the murder of Billy Harris." She kept her eyes on Torrance, with every word out of her brother's mouth, he was getting shakier, those eyes projecting how nervous he was. He was the weak link, and it was about to snap. She let her hand fall to her pistol, even as Stead's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Oh, no. I ain't gonna stand trial." Torrance drew, but she was faster, by a lot, and so was Hoss. The man reeled back and crashed to the floor, his gun going off, the shot flying wild. Cal Butler staggered, then fell on his face, his head slamming into the edge of the sheriff's desk on his way down.

Stead ran. "Pa!" He knelt in the floor and touched the old man's back. "Pa?" His shoulders hunched and he hung his head, reaching out to cradle his father's lifeless body. "Oh, Pa …"

"Appreciate it, Marshal." Hoss shook the man's hand. "We'd best be on our way home." He turned to go and caught her eye. Annie swallowed hard and headed for the door, silently begging Stead not to do it.

"Anne?" She froze in her tracks, her wordless plea falling on deaf ears. She turned slowly and found Stead standing at the cell door, hands wrapped around the bars, a haunted look in his eyes. Hoss cleared his throat.

"I'll meet you outside, sis." He left the room with the marshal, an uncomfortable silence falling in his wake.

"I know there's nothing you can do, nothing anybody can do. I made my choice and I've got to live with it." He swallowed hard. "For however long I've got left. All I'm asking is, can you forgive me for not having the guts to make a stand when it might have made a difference?"

"I forgive you, Stead," she said softly, her throat closing. Why did he have to do this? Why couldn't they just have said good-bye and left it at that?

"You're the only one then." The ghost of a smile touched his mouth. "This whole town will probably cheer when I hit the end of that rope." He hung his head. "Everything we set our hand to was cursed. If we had stopped after the fire …"

"Yeah."

"For so long, you were a dream, so close I could almost touch." He stretched his hand through the bars, coming up inches shy of her arm, and let it fall. "Whoever it is that wins your heart … he's a lucky man."

"Stead –"

"Maybe in another life, that dream could have been real." He held out his hand and this time she took it. He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her fingers. "Good bye, Anne Cartwright."

"Good bye, Stead." She turned and fled the office, darting out onto the street, her eyes burning. Candy raised an eyebrow and she shook her head.

"Everything all right?" She nodded, her throat tight, and drew in a breath. Hoss didn't look like he really believed it, but he didn't push.

"Thanks," Jess said from his place beside Barbara. "None of you had to come, but I'm glad you did. If any of you ever need any help, we'll be here."

"Likewise." Hoss tipped his hat to Barbara and mounted up. Annie followed a beat slower, her gaze lingering on the sheriff's office, the memory of three kids racing their horses across the wide open range flooding her mind's eye.

"A man can dream, can't he?"

That's all it would ever be.