A/N: Up next is Decision at Los Robles. I messed with this one, too, but not a whole lot. It's a great, tension-filled story as it was originally, so I didn't want to lose that edge it had to it. The only real difference is Annie and Candy have to deal with the ego-maniacal Jed Walker instead of Little Joe. Plus, a certain padre manages to see a lot more than Annie would prefer. An updated episode list can be found on my profile. Any thoughts, suggestions, or comments on this or any upcoming episodes? As always, I own nothing but my OC.
Annie trailed her father and Candy into the main square of Los Robles, a tiny town on the trail to San Francisco. They'd never stopped here before, and it was easy to see why. But that lost shoe just outside Junction City had slowed them down, ensuring they wouldn't reach San Francisco until long after dark.
They halted at the water trough and Ben dismounted slowly. "Well, shall we press on after we water the horses, or take it easy and spend the night?" Candy got down and stretched his back until it popped. Annie rubbed hers and shifted her weight.
"I can sleep just as well on the ground as in a hotel." She patted her gelding's neck. "But Reno might prefer a stable at his age."
"Oh, he might, huh?" Ben chuckled and stretched. "Well, he's not the only one."
"Buenos dias, amigos. Senorita." A young man approached them. "May I take your horses?" They both looked at her father and he chuckled again.
"Yeah." He handed over Buck's reins. "Double the grain and bed 'em down for the night."
"Be happy to, amigo."
"Hey," Candy handed the man his reins and looked around. "Where's the coldest beer in town?"
"Right over there," the man pointed. "It's not too cold," he said with a shrug, "but it's the only beer in town."
"Oh." Candy shrugged. "I guess warm beer it is." Annie rolled her eyes as they made their way to the little cantina. "There we go." He picked out an empty table (not that it was that hard to do) and they sat down.
A dark haired girl approached them with a smile and Ben touched his hat. "Three cold beers please." Her smile froze.
"Senor, the beer is not too cold."
"Oh, warm beer will be fine." Candy grinned and her cheeks flushed. Ben sighed as she left and shook his head. Annie leaned her chin on her hand and smothered a snort.
The cantina door flew open, admitting a shorter, fat man and a giant. Annie's senses went on alert when, instead of selecting an empty table, they approached a dozing man and the giant leaned down. "Mr. Walker wants to sit down," he rumbled. The man snapped out of his doze and scurried away without a word. She glanced at Candy, finding him just as interested as she was. The men sat down and the fat one growled whiskey at the returning girl.
"Un momento, por favor." And that was the wrong thing to say, Annie knew it the second the words left the girl's mouth. The man glowered and snatched her arm, spilling beer over her skirt.
"Don't you 'just a minute' me. Whiskey, now."
"Let the girl go." Her father's voice was hard as steel, that warning tone ringing loud and clear to anyone who cared to listen closely. The stranger's head tilted.
"What did you say?" He didn't let go of the girl's arm.
"I said let the girl go. It's my beer you spilled." Ben brushed at his pants. "You want a drink, you wait your turn." The giant leaned forward.
"I don't think you know who you're talking to, mister." Candy's boot landed on her toe under the table and squeezed. She nudged back and he relaxed a fraction, but not by much. They couldn't afford to with that giant lurking in the same room. Her father didn't seem the slightest bit bothered.
"I know I'm not talking to you," he replied calmly, still not even looking at them.
"My name's John Walker," the fat man snarled.
"Fine. Now let the girl go." The fat man looked at the giant. "And don't even think of siccing Goliath on me. That'd be a big mistake." Annie held her breath, her hand reaching for her pistol under the table. He released the girl, she set the beers on their table and fled.
"Didn't mean to get pushy, mister." Annie couldn't relax, there was a note to his voice that sounded dangerous. Her father raised his beer.
"Everybody has a bad day." The fat man whirled in his seat and jerked his chin at the giant.
"Let's go, Garth." He dug in his vest and dropped a coin on their table. "Least I can do is buy you a drink. No hard feelings?"
"No feelings at all," Ben said without a trace of emotion. The fat man looked at the three of them, then stormed outside. Candy sagged in his chair and she finally took her hand off her pistol.
"Did you see the size of that other fella?" Candy asked with a gesture at the door. Her father nodded absently.
"Mm-hm." She and Candy traded looks.
"And you were gonna take him on, Pa?" He drank from his beer and nodded.
"If I'd had to."
"And you think Joe is crazy?" She grabbed her own mug and downed a large swallow. "Just what do you think would have happened?" Her father shrugged.
"Well, the two of you are about equal to a squad of cavalry," he mused, working his hands while he stared at his beer. "Factor in Goliath … I think it would have come to shooting, and I'm very glad it didn't."
"Who does he think he is, anyway? I've never heard of any John Walker." Annie took another drink. "I don't like the look in his eyes, maybe we should ride on after all." It reminded her of Jeremy Romans and Endicott, maybe even McKnight. A shudder ran down her spine and Candy nudged her foot.
"There's three of us, sweetheart."
"I'm not worried, men like that are cowards at heart." Ben finished his beer and shoved the mug away. Candy set his half-full one down and her father shook his head. "No, you two finish your drinks, I'll head over to the hotel and get us a couple rooms and get the bath water ready."
"You sure, Pa?" Her nerves were itching. "I could –"
"No, I'm fine." He patted her shoulder and left the cantina. Annie gnawed on her bottom lip.
"You think we should follow him?" Candy drained his beer and stood when she nodded slowly. "Then, let's go."
They were three steps from the door when the shot rang out. No. Her heart skipped a beat and she ran, Candy hard on her heels, pistol in his hand. They tore onto the street and found Ben sprawled over the fountain in the town square. "Pa!" She slid to a halt beside him, panic sending blood roaring through her ears.
Candy tried to pull her away, but she wasn't going to let him, not this time. She found a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief. "Someone get a doctor!" A priest in a brown robe scurried away as tears began to trickle down her nose.
"You, carry him to the hotel." Candy gestured with his gun, eyes scanning the street. Two men shuffled over and bent to scoop her father up. She sat back on her heels, staring at the blood staining the fountain's rim. Candy touched her shoulder. "Come on, we need to get inside." She looked around through a veil of tears and noticed the fat man sprawled motionless in a jumbled stack of broken crates next to the cantina. Annie nodded and pushed to her feet.
He had to make it, he just had to. How would she explain it to her brothers if he didn't?
The priest stood at the foot of the bed, praying in Latin, his fingers moving swiftly across the beads of a Rosary. The doctor tucked the covers under her father's chin and left the bed. He stopped at the washstand and sponged his face. Annie pulled out of Candy's arms and stopped just behind him.
"How bad is it?"
"It's bad," he said without turning around. "The bullet needs to come out, but he's lost so much blood I'm afraid to try right now. I got the bleeding stopped, all you can do now is try and keep his fever down."
"What if it gets worse?" she whispered through numb lips. The doctor stiffened.
"Then, I'll have to take a chance and dig for the bullet." The priest finished his prayer and tucked his Rosary in his pocket. The man crossed the room, his hands folded.
"He must be moved. You know that." The doctor sighed.
"I know."
"What do you mean? Moved where?" Candy hurried to her side and squeezed her shoulder.
"Yeah, what she said."
"Out of Los Robles," the priest answered, as though it was so very obvious. Annie shook her head.
"What do you mean? You just said he's in bad shape and now you say we have to get him out of town? What's –"
"Going on," Candy finished with a level stare at the doctor. "What is this?" The doctor slung his towel back onto the washstand and glared at the priest.
"They move him, he'll die."
"If they don't, he will be killed," the man said softly.
"What's this all about?" Annie hissed through her teeth. The priest's face softened and he took her hand.
"The man your father killed was John Walker." She snatched her hand away.
"He fired in self-defense, you told us you saw it!"
"This is true. But John Walker is an important man. He and his son Jed run this town. Jed will never let your father leave Los Robles alive."
"What about the sheriff?" Candy asked. The doctor straightened with a disgusted air.
"The sheriff of Los Robles is self-appointed." Candy grabbed his arm.
"Look, mister, we don't care. Now, where is he?" The man studied them a moment, then turned away.
"Dead." He grabbed his bag and left the hotel room. Annie spun on the priest, who nodded slowly.
"John Walker ran this town with an iron fist."
"How can a town be afraid of one man?" But hadn't other towns been the same? The priest took a seat and studied his hands.
"You do not know the man. Or this town."
"I know enough." She stepped away from Candy and refilled the bowl from the pitcher, carried it to the bed and began to bathe her father's face. "He could only walk all over them if they let him."
"It is easy to get used to slavery. If it goes on long enough, it seems natural." The man sighed. "We buy all of our supplies from him. The water. Even the Bibles we use in the church. At whatever price he asks. The money we pay is for protection." She glanced over her shoulder.
"From what – him?" The man nodded.
"And now his son. There will be no difference."
"You sure about that?" Candy propped his boot on the rung of an empty chair and leaned on the back. "How long they run this place?"
"They ran it when I arrived fifteen years ago. They will always run it. They feel they have the right."
"The right to shoot people in the back?" she spit through her teeth and Candy shook his head. The priest looked between them with a nervous face.
"Jed Walker has a lot of power. He can easily convince himself he is never wrong." His dark gaze fixed on her face. "No one dares to question him." Candy gave a humorless chuckle and ran his finger around the crown of his hat.
"Now, you see, Padre, that's where you're wrong. Cartwrights will question anyone." He dropped his foot off the chair and stalked towards the bed, his right hand slipping down to his pistol. "And I stand with Annie, so this Jed Walker has got trouble coming his way if he pushes us."
"I am afraid –" A knock interrupted whatever the priest had been going to say, not that she couldn't guess. He touched her shoulder. "I will go." He padded across the room and she reached for her gun, Candy drawing his and moving to her side. The priest cracked the door and his shoulders relaxed. "It's all right, it is Ricardo." He let the man inside and Annie recognized the bartender from the cantina, only now he was terrified, fear pouring off of him like the musk from a skunk.
"It's Jed Walker, he is in the cantina. He wants your father." The man trembled. "If I do not bring him in ten minutes, I think he will kill me." Annie looked at Candy and stood, already buckling her gun belt around her waist. He shook his head.
"Oh, sweetheart, if I have to tell them I let you get yourself shot –"
"Don't start, Canaday." She glanced at Ricardo. "Is he alone?" The man shrugged. He was probably too afraid to check.
"I think so, but I am not sure. He's crazy, senorita, por favor, do not let him kill me." It was on the tip of her tongue to tell the coward to stand up for himself, but alienating people wouldn't help matters right now.
"He's expecting a man, Annie. I'll go." Candy started for the door and she laid her hand on his arm. He could have easily shrugged her off, but he stopped without hesitation.
"You're the only man in this town I trust to watch over Pa. No offense, Padre."
"None taken, my child."
"Please, Candy. He can't be any worse than Jeremy Romans or the half grown men jumped up on their egos we've run across before. He sees you, he's going to shoot no matter what you say, just because you bring out that reaction in strangers, but I might be able to talk him down." Candy's mouth thinned and he studied her face.
"What if he won't listen?"
"Then this town will be short another Walker." She stepped back and he released her. "Let's go, Ricardo." The priest caught her arm.
"No more killings, my child. Please."
"That'll be up to Jed Walker, Padre." She stalked out of the hotel room and headed downstairs, forcing her breathing to slow. This required a cool head like she'd never brought to bear before.
Annie followed Ricardo into the cantina and the man scurried behind the bar, the coward. A stranger waited at the bar, one boot propped on the rail, a glass of whiskey in hand. He took one look at her and his foot hit the floor.
"That ain't Ben Cartwright! I ain't talking to no girl, you go bring that killer over here right now!" She ground her teeth and counted to five.
"My father is unconscious. You want to talk, you talk to me."
"I said I ain't talking to no girl," he sneered.
"Talk to yourself, then." She turned to leave, hyper-aware of his pistol laying on the bar.
"Don't you turn your back on me, girl, I'm Jed Walker!" He slammed his whiskey on the bar and stabbed a finger in her direction. "Your old man murdered my father and I want him!"
"And I'm Anne Cartwright. Your father ambushed mine in front of witnesses and shot him in the back."
"That's a lie!"
"Ask the padre." Jed Walker scraped a hand over his face and ground his teeth.
"I said I didn't come here to talk. Now, go get your old man!" Annie calmly stared at him, not moving a muscle that wasn't in her gun hand, keeping one eye trained on that pistol resting beside his shot glass. He was about to lose it, everyone in this town jumped the second he cleared his throat and he couldn't handle it when intimidation failed. There wouldn't be any talking this jumped up ass down, not this time. Walker's gaze latched on the whiskey bottle and he snatched it up and held it at arm's length. "When this is empty, I'm gonna kill you."
She offered him a half shrug and adjusted her hat. If he wouldn't listen to reason, he wouldn't listen.
The bottle tipped and amber liquid splashed on the floor. Why did the idiot have to be so stubborn? He was fixing to lose so much face no one would recognize him. The whiskey was down in the neck when she made her move, hands a blur as she fanned the hammer three times in rapid succession, the first shot shattering the bottle, the second knocking Walker's pistol off the bar, and the third smashing the second bottle at his elbow.
Walker froze, his hand hovering in mid-air, and swallowed hard, a muscle ticking in his jaw. He eyed her carefully, no different from a predator that just realized it wasn't the only dangerous creature around. She hadn't wanted to do it this way, nine times out of ten, it would only make him mad and send him running back to his ranch and round up everyone there to come destroy everything in sight, but he'd picked his poison.
Maybe her being a woman would stop him going full-blown crazy, but she kind of doubted it. He looked like he was fitting her for a pine box at the same time he was calculating a degree of respect she'd managed to earn. He knew she could have killed him with any of those shots, knew the only reason he wasn't as dead as his father was because she'd chosen restraint.
Annie holstered her pistol. "I'm sorry about your father." Then, she turned and walked out, letting him be the one to remain, hoping it would be enough to temper the blow to his pride.
She didn't stop until she was back inside the hotel room and the priest had bolted the door behind her. She looked to the bed and Candy stood, the wet rag in his hand. "We heard shots." He looked her over and sat back down, apparently satisfied. The padre hovered behind her, rubbing his hands together nervously. "What happened, my child?"
"Don't worry, I didn't kill him. I could have, though, and he knows it." She fiddled with her braid. "I hope he'll just go home, but I wouldn't count on it, even after I left first so he could save a little face."
"Did you tell him your father fired in self-defense?"
"He didn't feel like believing it." The padre sighed heavily and stared at his dusty sandals.
"I knew he wouldn't." Annie sat down hard and buried her face in her hands. Boots scraped on the floor and Candy touched her shoulder.
"How many men has he got, Padre? We all know he'll be coming back and I want to know what we're up against."
"I do not know for sure," he said slowly. "Perhaps fifteen to twenty." Candy's breath gusted out in a sharp exhale and she wished again they'd just watered the horses and kept riding.
"Well, that's eight to ten each." Her head came up and Candy shrugged. "We've done it before."
"Not when it was only the two of us," she said hoarsely.
"If you can possibly leave before he returns, it would be your best option, I think."
"We can't move Pa." The priest squeezed her hand.
"He will kill you, my child, both of you. And then he will kill your father." She nodded slowly, then stood, checking her pistol, mentally tallying the number of cartridges in her bandolier.
"Better men than him have tried. Let him come." The priest's face fell and he turned away, slowly letting himself out of the hotel room. He paused in the doorway.
"I will pray for your father. And for you and your friend." The door closed behind him and Candy went over, slid the bolt home. He looked at her and she nodded once. Without a word, they set to work checking the loads in every weapon they had.
"How's Pa?"
"No change." Candy spun the cylinder on his Colt. "Surprised it took you this long."
"You would have said something if he was worse. Or better." Annie sighed and sat down at the rickety table. "How are we going to get out of this?"
"I don't know. No telegraph, days from home …" He turned the other chair around and straddled it backwards. "Looks like it's up to us, sweetheart." He holstered his pistol and gestured at the window. "I'm sure not counting on anyone out there."
"Me neither." She worked her hands and glanced at the bed. "He's never this still. I can't … it doesn't seem real." Her eyes burned. "All because John Walker couldn't wait for his damn whiskey." She slammed her fist on the table and Candy covered her hand with his.
"Hey. It'll be all right, you'll see."
"You don't know that." She yanked her hand away and stood so fast she shoved the chair over backwards. "What if he dies–" her voice broke and Candy jumped up and pulled her against his chest, the beat of his heart soothing under her ear.
"Shh." He rubbed her back. "You don't always have to hold it together. Let it out." Her lips trembled and a choked sob slipped through her teeth. "There's no one here but me and I've seen you cry before."
"Candy, I can't lose him."
"I know." His hand stroked her hair while the tears trickled down her nose. She pressed her face into his shirt and cried harder. "I know."
The thunder of hooves dragged them off the floor. Annie scrubbed at the tear stains on her face and scrambled to the window, Candy hovering at her shoulder. He drew in a sharp breath and she muttered an oath.
Men swarmed into the main square from all directions, Jed Walker front and center, looking decidedly smug as he stared up at the hotel. "Cartwright! You hear me, Cartwright?"
"I count fifteen," Candy hissed in a low aside.
"Same here. I hear you," she hollered through the window.
"I want your father. Now!"
"Now, I can't hear you."
"I got fifteen guns out here." Candy smothered a snort.
"He think we can't count?"
"Make it easy on yourself. Send him out, and I'll let you live, I've got no quarrel with you." Maybe not right this minute, but he'd find one later. She glanced sideways at Candy and he gave her a determined nod. She turned back to the window and licked her lips.
"You want him, you come and get him. There's only two ways into this room and we've got guns on both." Walker leaned over, conferring with the giant, and she drew in a sharp breath.
"Cartwright, I don't want any innocent people to get hurt, so I'm going to give you some time to think about it. You got until tomorrow morning to make up your mind."
"My mind's made up." A sneer crossed his face.
"Oh, I'm not finished. If your father isn't out here in the square when I ride in, I'm gonna start killin' the citizens of Los Robles." Her blood ran cold. "One an hour … until your father comes out. You think about that." He chuckled. "The town will be surrounded, so don't think about tryin' to leave. Until tomorrow, Ms. Cartwright." He led his riders out of the square. She turned horrified eyes on Candy and he leaped for the saddlebags, digging out her father's watch and flipping it open. They stared at the face, then at each other.
A knock came at the door and Candy slipped across the room, gun drawn. "Who is it?"
"Padre Javier." He opened the door and let the priest inside. The man swallowed hard, looking between the two of them. "I'm sorry. You have a difficult decision to make, my child." Annie drew herself up and pushed off the wall.
"My decision hasn't changed, Padre."
"But many innocent people will die if you do not do what Walker says! He is not bluffing, he will kill."
"I'm not bluffing either." She stalked across the room, fiddling with her braid, then whipped around and stabbed a finger at his face. "I'm not sacrificing my father for a bunch of cowards. Los Robles got itself into this mess, Los Robles can get itself out." The man seemed to cave in on himself.
"They have no guns, but even if they did, they would not fight."
"Can you at least find two men with guts in this town? We've got an extra pistol and rifle. With two more men, I think we can stop Jed Wheeler," Candy said, sounding far calmer than she felt.
"I cannot ask my people to kill."
"Oh, come off it, Padre! If they don't fight back, they'll die sooner or later." Annie stormed over to the door and yanked the bolt back. "Go tell them that." The priest looked at her, his eyes red, and nodded once, then slipped out the door. She blew out a breath and bolted the door, then made her way to the bed and began to bathe her father's face again.
"It's getting worse, isn't it?" Candy asked softly. She nodded, her throat too tight to answer. Candy sighed and walked over, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. "If they won't help, we can do it without them. It'll be tougher, but I've faced worse odds." She nodded again and bit her lip, a single tear sliding down her cheek. Her father's ragged breaths tore at her heart.
They sat in silence for several minutes, listening to his struggle. Annie bit her lip until she tasted blood. He had to live, he just had to. He couldn't die like this, days from home, without her brothers around him.
Rapid pounding jerked her attention to the door. Candy went to open it and stepped back, letting Padre Javier into the room, along with the girl from the cantina. "I thought I could help."
"Can you shoot?"
"No. I am sorry." Annie looked past her to the priest, who shook his head slowly, his eyes red and misty.
"They will do nothing."
"Well, Padre, you sure know your town," Candy said in disgust. The man lowered his gaze.
"Not as well as I thought. They will not fight, because they know there is no need." He looked at them with sorrow filling his eyes and Annie's heart slammed against her ribs.
"What do you mean?"
"The doctor. He left the bullet in your father because he wants him to die." The man's voice shook and his eyes glistened as he bowed his head. Blood roared in her ears and her head spun.
"Where is he?"
"The saloon."
"Get him." Her blood boiled and a red mist clouded her vision. Candy shrugged and rolled up his sleeves, his eyes diamond hard.
"I'll need that robe, Padre," he said in a tone that indicated he was going to leave the room with the robe whether the man gave it to him or not. Meekly, the priest tugged it over his head and passed it to their foreman, who yanked it on and settled it around his legs. "How far do I go?" The priest tilted his head in confusion, but Candy wasn't talking to him.
"Whatever you have to do," she spit in a deadly hiss, well aware she could be loosing a wolf from a chain. He nodded once, then slipped out the door. The padre whispered something in Spanish and sat down hard in a chair, his fingers reaching for his Rosary.
"That man will do anything you ask of him. My child …"
"Don't preach at me right now." She fiddled with her braid and stared out the window, the girl from the saloon feigning deafness as she bathed Ben's face. Annie could feel the weight of eyes on her back, but she didn't care. "My father is fighting for his life, what am I supposed to do?" A heavy sigh reached her ears and the chair creaked. Hands touched her back and she stiffened.
"Many men would consider themselves blessed should they have a child with half of your courage."
"Maybe," she said absently, her mind winging back to a dark night almost ten years ago now. She didn't know what opened her mouth, but the words spilled free before she could think. "There was a time I didn't have it," she said almost to herself. "I was barely eighteen, and a man killed a storekeeper in Virginia City. The widow wouldn't testify for fear of the killer's friends, and it fell to us to see the man convicted. My oldest brother was made acting sheriff and it was his job to hang the man." She drew in a deep breath and turned around to face the priest. "The killer's friends held Pa hostage, demanding we turn the killer loose or else they'd hang Pa. Adam was so sure they wouldn't do it, but the rest of us were terrified, practically begging him to give up."
"But that is no different from this, you were trying to save your father's life."
"If we'd talked Adam into letting Perkins go, all we'd have done is gotten Pa killed. I learned that night that all bullies are cowards. If you stand up, they have to back down."
"Your brother sounds like an intelligent man." She jerked free and stormed across the room, slouching against the far wall.
"We haven't seen him in five years, haven't even gotten a letter in at least three. He walked away from an empire because he felt trapped. Tell me, how intelligent is that?"
"I cannot judge a man I have never met." Annie scoffed and the priest shook his head. "You resent him for leaving."
"Wouldn't you? He argued with Pa and the next morning he's gone without a goodbye. We don't even know where he is."
"You could always look for him." Annie spit out a humorless laugh.
"I have no intentions of ever leaving the Ponderosa, much less going to look for my wayward brother."
"Never say never, my child."
"Well, I'm saying it. I don't need anything I haven't already got." His head tilted.
"But what do you want?" Her mouth went dry and she forced herself to hold his gaze without blinking.
"Nothing."
"Ah," he said slowly, eyes lighting up. "Maria, run down and bring up some more water, por favor." He waited until the girl left before he crossed the room. "I have sat in the confessional for over forty years, and I, too, have learned a few things." His hand caught hers and squeezed gently, his eyes soft with understanding. "Somewhere out there waits a man who will see your strength for the blessing it is, not as something to fear."
Air fled her lungs in a rush. "What do you –" He smiled sadly and patted her hand.
"Forty years, my child." He left her by the far wall and returned to the bed, bending down to sponge her father's face.
What – how – where did that come from?
Hard pounding on the door yanked her around, hand at her gun. "It's me." She breathed a sigh of relief and unbolted the door. Candy shoved the doctor into the room, Maria trailing wide-eyed behind them with a fresh pitcher of water. The doctor swallowed hard and Annie pinned him with a hard glare. Candy tugged off the robe and passed it back to Padre Javier.
"You like to play games, Doc?" Annie crossed her arms. "You get that bullet out, or else. If my father dies, so do you." Their eyes met, and the doctor looked away first, moving to wash his hands. The priest reached her side and touched her arm.
"You are a good woman, Anne, do not let hatred destroy your soul."
"Who said anything about hatred?" She moved her arm, leaving his hand hanging in mid-air. "All choices have consequences and he made his." The man looked to Candy, who shook his head, one quick, sideways jerk, and his shoulders sagged.
"Then I will pray he survives."
"I tried not to damage too much tissue probing for the bullet." The doctor wiped his face and sat down. Annie glanced at her father's pocket watch and swallowed hard.
After one in the morning. She sighed and leaned back against Candy. "What are his chances?" The words caught in her throat. The doctor turned his head and studied her face.
"Good. I'm not much of a human being, but I'm a good doctor." She snapped the case closed and straightened, her eyes finding the padre.
"They wouldn't fight because there was no need … what about now?"
"I do not know."
"Do us a favor and find out. Please." Candy propped his boot on the chair and looked at her. "We're running out of time, if we're to have any chance at all, we have to strike while it's still dark."
"I will try." The priest headed for the door.
"If anyone comes, bring them in the back way, one at a time. We can't let Walker's men find out we're up to something."
"I know." He glanced back at the bed. "If something happens … the doctor …?" Annie looked at him and his throat worked.
"I won't hurt him, Padre." His face relaxed and he door closed behind him, and they settled in to wait.
"No one's coming," Annie said softly after an hour had passed. She closed the watch and stared out the window at the darkened square.
"What will you do now?" Maria hovered at the foot of the bed. "You will not let them take your father."
"No." Annie fiddled with her braid. "We'll fight." The girl's eyes darkened.
"They are cowards. Even my father," she said sadly. "I hate him for it." Annie raised her head, but Candy beat her to it.
"Don't." He worked his hands and prowled the room like a caged wolf. "The only difference between a brave man and a coward, is a brave man has something to fight for."
"None of your people will die today," Annie said softly. "Go home, your father will be worried about you and there's nothing else you can do here." Maria looked up, her dark eyes filling with tears.
"Buena suerta." She left the room and Candy turned.
"What do we do now?"
"Head on, how many you think we could get before they got us?" His throat worked.
"Not enough."
"Can we outflank them?"
"Maybe. It would be easier with more people, but we can do it alone."
"You're crazy, the both of you." The doctor closed his bag and wiped his face with a towel. "Walker always wins."
"It's easy to win when no one fights back," Candy said evenly. "And we've got a stronger reason to fight then he does."
"You're outnumbered and outgunned."
"You haven't seen us fight." Candy picked up a rifle and turned it over in his hands. A tiny smirk played at his mouth. "We might surprise you."A hesitant knock sounded at the door, and he hastened to check it. "Who is it?"
"Sanchez," came the reply and he turned to the doctor with a frown.
"Looks like you've got one fighter." Candy opened the door and the man hurried inside.
"Wait," a low voice hissed before the bartender slipped through the half open door. "I am coming, too." Annie released a breath. Two men. Well, they'd gotten what they asked for, but would it be enough?
"Where's the padre?" Candy peered into the hall with a frown.
"He was right behind me," Ricardo said. It was a tense couple minutes before the priest appeared in the hallway. He slipped into the room and breathed a sigh of relief.
"What happened?"
"Two of Walker's men stopped me. I told a very small lie and they let me pass." He smiled and Annie smiled with him, then turned to the two men.
"Thank you for coming."
"Thank my daughter," Ricardo said. "She is as persuasive as her mother." Annie hummed agreement and fiddled with her braid.
"How many men do you think he left in town?" It was Sanchez who answered.
"Twelve or so, I think. And they are all good with guns."
"Of course they are," she muttered. "Three to one, not very good odds."
"No," the doctor corrected as he stood. "Closer to two to one." Their gazes locked and he nodded slowly.
"Thanks." She bit her lip and set to calculating. Of them, only the doctor might be any real use with a gun in a fight, but … "Pa needs you more right now." She turned, pacing back across the room. "Are his men moving around or in set positions?"
"In positions, I think. They are watching the exits to the village."
"The two I met downstairs appeared to be on patrol, they mentioned getting a drink." Annie nodded slowly.
"Doc, you got pencil and paper?"
"Of course." He dug the items out of his bag and handed them over. "How else could I leave you a bill?" She ignored the comment and laid the paper on the table.
"Where are they?" She handed Sanchez the pencil and he quickly drew. They studied the finished sketch of the town and Annie glanced over the marked positions. It would require stealth, and there was only one man good enough for the job. She glanced over at Candy, he nodded confirmation, and that easily, the plan was set. "Get them."
He straightened and jerked his chin at their help. "Let's go." His eyes were hard, a dangerous gleam in the familiar blue depths. If she had to guess, Annie would say hers weren't that much softer.
The door closed behind the four men, and the doctor sighed heavily and wiped his face again. "I hope you know what you're doing. Jed Walker isn't a man to cross lightly."
"Cowards are only brave when they have an army at their back." She took a seat beside the bed and clutched her father's hand while they waited. At one point, the bell in the church steeple clanged once, and the doctor looked to her. She shrugged. "Guess he was too close."
Candy was probably disgusted they'd made any noise at all; he prided himself on being silent as the grave. No shout of discovery followed, and she relaxed a little more. Maybe they could pull this crazy scheme off after all.
It was almost dawn when a faint scratch at the door was followed by Candy's hissed, "It's me." She let them in and knew immediately they'd succeeded from the triumphant smiles. "We're ready. Sanchez and Ricardo are in position."
"Good." She bit her lip and glanced out the window. "It won't be long now." Padre Javier crossed the room and touched her father's face.
"He is a lucky man to have a daughter such as you, and the loyalty of your foreman." Candy shrugged it off and sat down, quickly checking the cylinder on his Colt. Annie swallowed hard past the lump in her throat.
"I'm the lucky one," she said softly. "Most fathers would prefer their daughter sitting in a parlor sewing."
"Only if he wanted his shirt seams crooked," Candy remarked with a sly grin. She choked on a laugh and his face brightened.
A groan rose form the bed and she whirled around, everything else forgotten in an instant. "Pa?" She ran to the bed and crouched beside his stirring form. "Pa?"
"A-Annie? Annie?"
"I'm right … right here, Pa." The words caught in her throat and her eyes stung as relief threatened to drown her. "Just take it easy, you'll be all right." His eyelids fluttered and he peered around the room.
"Guess … we should have … passed up this place."
"Yeah. I guess so."
"How bad?" She swallowed tears.
"It was pretty bad for a while, but you'll be fine. You had a good doctor." She glanced out the window, the position of the sun almost mocking. "I'll be right back, you just take it easy, you hear?"
"Where –"
"I'll be back, I promise. Candy will stay with you." She squeezed his arm and rose, hurrying across the room to collect a rifle. Candy followed her and she turned, their eyes locking. "Don't let them in." He touched her shoulder.
"I won't." She bit her lip, then threw her arms around his neck.
"Thank you." Annie let go and stepped back. "Let's go, Doc." Her heart skipped a beat. They had to make this work, and they'd likely only get one chance.
"My child." The padre hurried after them and hovered at the door when she finally stopped. "You … Walker …" She sighed and flipped her braid over her shoulder.
"It's not what you do, Padre, but what they think you'll do." She offered him a tiny smile and headed downstairs. She walked outside, motioned the doctor to his position, then settled herself on the hotel's porch, leaning against the railing.
Her fingers tightened on the white painted rail. She took a deep breath, then another. Hooves clattered on the ground and she turned, bringing the rifle up to rest on the railing as six horses cantered into the square.
Walker halted his men and jumped down, the giant on his right. Hands went to hips and the arrogant man cocked his head with a sneer. "Time's up, Cartwright. Where's your father?"
"He slept late," she said evenly, and Walker chuckled.
"Your mouth's gonna get a lot of people killed." A tiny smile tugged at her mouth, even as her heart pounded in her chest.
"You're not in charge anymore, Walker."
"This is my town, girl! I got guns all around it, now you bring your father out here or I'll kill you right now!"
"Do you?" She nodded over his shoulder. "You look around." The sneer on his face slipped, and he turned. Ricardo stepped out of cover, rifle raised to his shoulder. Then, Sanchez, after that the doctor. "There's a man behind every door and window," she said as Walker turned around again, shock coloring his face. "It's not your town anymore." He snorted in disgust and raised his head.
"Listen to me! Throw down your guns and come on out. I'll let you live." No one moved and his eyes betrayed the sudden spark of fear flaring to life. "You hear me? This is Jed Walker talkin' to you." He looked around wildly. "I own you!"
"Drop your guns." She locked eyes with each of the other five men and they tossed down their guns, even the giant.
"You coward," Walker spit, glaring at the man. He twisted around, staring at all of them. "You're all cowards!"
"You're alone now, put it down." She kept her gaze locked on him, bouncing between his face and his gun hand. "Go on, drop it." Footsteps rang out behind her, and she turned just as her father stumbled onto the porch, Candy directly behind him.
"Annie!"
"Cartwright!" He fired, shattering the lamp hanging on the wall and Annie spun, rifle swinging up, and returned fire. Walker staggered back and fell in the street, a bullet in his shoulder. Candy had his pistol out, trained on the giant and Walker's other men, so Annie scrambled for her father.
"Annie …" he breathed weakly.
"I'm fine, Pa, everything's fine." Padre Javier shifted to help bear his weight and he gave her a sad smile.
"I'm sorry, he heard and we couldn't stop him."
"Garth! This is my town, tell them it's still my town!" Walker writhed in the street, clutching his shoulder. "It's my town! Do you hear me? This is a Walker town! I own you!" People left their houses and stood in the street, staring down at him in silence. Annie closed her eyes, relief threatening to drop her to her knees.
Not anymore it wasn't.
"My child." Padre Javier drew her into the back of the livery stable, away from the team she was trying to harness. "When I said your foreman would do anything you asked of him, I was not wrong. You do not know how deep his respect for your family runs, or how strong his loyalty. I have seen men like him before, and it is this that makes me speak a warning." Annie stiffened.
"Of what?" she hissed. The priest lowered his head and rubbed his fingers over the beads of his Rosary.
"Very rarely do men like your Canaday have an … anchor … if you will. His kind are hard, dangerous men and once you have destroyed what little trust has not been molded out of them by circumstance …"
"Candy would never turn on us." Her voice rose. "He's my best friend!" The padre raised his hands in a gesture of calm.
"Sh, this is not what I mean to say, my child. A blind man could see how much he cares for you, no, do not deny it. Last night," he said slowly, "there was a moment I feared he would kill Walker's man where he stood. They were discussing …" he faltered, his face flushing under his beard. "Let us say that one had certain hopes he wanted Walker to allow him the time to fulfill before he killed you." He squeezed her hand gently and she swallowed hard. "Candy respects your father, but it is you who truly commands his loyalty. You must be careful to never abuse that trust, such a thing is not lightly given by a man like him."
"We went through hell together, padre, and clawed our way out the other side by sheer luck. He's the only man outside my family I trust completely." He touched her hair and she drew in a shaky breath.
"No, it was not luck, my child. Our Father is not finished with either one of you." His warm eyes studied her a moment longer. "Perhaps you will see one day soon." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and left the stable, leaving her standing there, staring after him with her mouth hanging open.
"Be careful, Mr. Cartwright." The doctor and Candy steadied him as they helped him down the hotel steps and over to the waiting wagon. "Don't rush things. You've got a lot of stitches in you."
"I'll be fine." He settled himself carefully in the wagon. "And I'm sure these two will baby me until I'm sick of it." He grimaced and coughed out a laugh. "It'll only get worse after we get home." Annie smiled to herself and started to head around the back of the wagon, giving Reno a pat on the nose as she passed. Doc caught her arm and she paused.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For everything."
"Take care." She shook his hand, then kept walking, offering warm smiles and sincere goodbyes to those who'd helped them, saving the padre for last. He clasped her hand and smiled gently, his eyes shining.
"You are a good woman, my child, and you have saved our town."
"You saved yourselves," she said softly, and he shook his head.
"They needed a reason, and you gave them one." He glanced over her shoulder and squeezed her fingers. "Remember what I told you," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Should any of you ever need anything, anything at all, you will find help in Los Robles." He squeezed her hand again and stepped back. "Vaya con Dios."
"Thank you." She climbed onto the wagon seat and took up the reins. Her father shifted position and rubbed at his back.
"Let's go home." She nodded and slapped the lines over the horse's backs, putting them to an easy trot. Candy matched their pace on the Honeycomb gelding.
They were several miles away from Los Robles before Ben cleared his throat. "Candy." Their foreman rode up even with the seat.
"Mr. Cartwright?"
"Thank you." His brow furrowed.
"For what?"
"For staying. A lot of men would have cut and run," her father said between harsh breaths. "Might have even killed me themselves to save trouble."
"I made the only choice I could live with," he said without hesitation.
"Walker had no quarrel with you."
"All due respect, Mr. Cartwright, but he made it my quarrel when they shot you, and then threatened to kill Annie." Her father nodded slowly, his eyes bright.
"I'm proud of you, Candy." Their foreman jerked in the saddle, his eyes almost confused. Had no one ever said that to him before? His throat worked and he blinked a few times.
"Thanks." His voice was hoarse. "I think I'll scout ahead a little ways." He urged his horse faster and rode off, disappearing over a rise up ahead. Ben chuckled softly, his breath hitching in pain.
"Pa?" He waved her off.
"I'm fine, Annie." He smiled proudly. "Almost two and a half years, but he's come a long way since that night we ran into each other. I think he finally trusts us."
"Of course he does," she protested. "He has for a long time."
"Would he have followed your plan without question two years ago?"
"It wasn't mine. Yes, I knew what we had to do, but he's the slippery one, he knew how we could make it work. And he did." Her father hummed in agreement and silence fell. Then, he turned, and his eyes twinkled.
"You know, I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when Padre Javier clubbed Walker's man over the head with that coffee pot."