A/N: Up next is The Stalker, pushed way back in the season lineup for a reason. Candy realizes a few things in this episode and if I left it where it originally was, he'd make those discoveries too soon for what I have in mind. Unfortunately, we don't get to see them firsthand, so I hope I worked in enough little hints you can figure out what they are. If not, drop me a PM and we can talk more in depth.

This one also took longer since I had so many emotionally charged scenes in this episode and I wanted to get the tones just right. Not completely sure I did, but that's the perfectionist talking.

As always, entertainment only, I own nothing but my OC. Reminder: I have a poll up on my profile about a possible return by Adam, please give me your thoughts on that.

Hard pounding on the front door woke her from a sound sleep. Annie bolted upright and grabbed for her Derringer resting on the night stand, her heart racing. Nothing good ever arrived in the middle of the night. She threw on a robe and followed her father and brothers downstairs.

Ben opened the door, revealing a haunted-looking Candy, and she gasped. "What's going on, son?" Her father hauled him into the house and pushed him into a chair. Their foreman buried his face in his hands and his shoulders drooped in a ragged breath. He looked up, and those blue eyes chilled her soul.

"I killed a man." The words slipped out in a monotone. They all looked at each other in stunned silence. Her father recovered himself first and put a hand on Candy's shoulder.

"I think you'd better explain." His throat worked and he took several shaky breaths.

"I was leaving the Silver Dollar and I saw two men in an alley across the street. One hit the other over the head and ran. I yelled at him to stop and he shot at me. I returned fire and … and he's dead."

"That's self-defense." Ben's voice was soft. Candy shook his head.

"I know. But, I know him. Well, a little. It was Jim Campbell." He scraped his hands over his face. "He's got a wife and son and he threw it all away for three dollars." Joe swallowed hard and Annie met her twin's gaze over Candy's bowed head.

You've got make him see it's not his fault. She bit her lip and touched Candy's shoulder.

I'll try.

"Mr. Canaday, how well did you know James Campbell?" The prosecutor leaned on the desk beside Candy's chair at the inquest. Their foreman swallowed hard.

"We talked a couple times, had a drink together once."

"Did you know who it was when you saw the man take something from Mr. Travis' coat?" The man gestured at the owner of the hardware store, sitting there with his head bandaged.

"No, it was too dark."

"But you're certain he was holding a gun?"

"Yes, I did see that."

"Did you know that a robbery had been committed?" Candy shook his head.

"There was one man lying on the ground and another running away with a gun in his hand. I yelled at him to stop and he started firing at me." Sam offered him a small smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Canaday, that will be all." Candy sighed and left the stand, returning to his seat between her and Joe. She squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. "I call Lisa Campbell, please." A murmur swept through the room as the man's widow approached the stand. "Ma'am, I promise I will keep this brief."

"Thank you." Her voice was soft and choked.

"You and your husband bought a farm on Red Spring Road about two years ago. What is the condition of that farm now?"

"Well … we were making a go of it. Barely. Whatever we made had to be put back into it." Her gaze landed in her lap. "We were hoping next year would be better."

"On the 11th, your husband came into town. Can you tell us why?"

"Our mortgage payment was due," she mumbled to her hands. "Jim wanted to try and get a loan from Mr. Walsh at the bank, against a crop of oats we were putting in."

"Would he have gotten the loan?"

"Mr. Walsh had turned him down twice, but he was going to try." The crowd whispered among themselves and Annie shifted in her chair. Why hadn't the man just asked for help? They could have lent him the money, after that drive to Ogden, the Ponderosa was flush with cash.

A few more questions followed, then the jury was dismissed. They returned in less than ten minutes and handed a sheet of paper to Sam. He rapped the gavel on the table and cleared his throat. "It is the finding of the coroner's jury that Mr. Canaday killed James Campbell in self-defense." Sam's face softened when his gaze landed on Mrs. Campbell. "While we sympathize with the widow, it is clear that her husband died while committing a crime. No charge will be made against Mr. Canaday." Candy released a breath and she nudged his boot. "This inquest is adjourned." He rapped the gavel again and the crowd left their seats, whispering furiously.

Her father guided Candy in front of him towards the doors, her brothers already outside. Candy paused, hat in hand, beside Lisa Campbell. Ben gave him a look, but kept walking. Annie wasn't about to; there was a cold stillness to the woman's face she didn't trust.

"Mrs. Campbell." She turned, eyes like ice, and looked him up and down like he was some kind of bug to be squashed. "There's not much I can say." Her gaze flicked past his shoulder and Annie drew herself up straight, her own eyes flashing a warning.

"Then say what you can and be done with it," she snapped. Candy swallowed hard and Annie touched his back.

"I'm sorry."

"No, that isn't much." She turned on her heel and started to walk away. Candy bent and scooped up a letter that fell from her bag.

"Mrs. Campbell." The woman turned around, glaring at him over her shoulder. "You dropped this. I'll be glad to mail it if you'd like." She looked him up and down, a flicker of something darting across those stormy gray eyes.

"You do that, Mr. Canaday. It might ease your guilt." She swept away in a flash of calico skirts and stormed from the courthouse. He drew in a ragged breath and Annie shifted her hand to his shoulder.

"It was self-defense. No one made him shoot at you, he'd still be alive if he'd just given up. She knows it's true, she just doesn't want to admit it to herself. It's easier to blame you."

"I know." He looked down at the letter in his hand. "Guess I'll go mail this." He pushed through the lingering crowd and vanished outside. Annie bit her lip. If it hadn't been Candy, it would have been someone else. Maybe not that night, but some night. She sighed and headed for the buggy.

He'd better not ignore the jury's verdict and convict himself. Wallowing in needless guilt wouldn't do a thing. Nor would what she was sure he had in mind. If the look in Lisa Campbell's eyes was anything to go by, he'd be wasting his time.

"Line shacks ready for winter?" Annie tipped her hat back and picked up her canteen for a quick drink. They might have another couple of months, but it never hurt to be prepared. Joe reined Cochise up beside her and stared off into the distance.

"Yeah. Everything's ready. I'm just glad we don't have to sit there and watch all those cattle die."

"Yep." Hoss joined them and they sat on the ridge, watching the wind play with the trees. "Whitney ain't the first and he darn sure won't be the last. But as long as we stick together, we'll always come out on top." She and Joe hummed agreement. "Speaking of which, any of you seen Candy since lunch? That jury found him innocent, but I don't think he agrees. He seemed kinda down last night."

"He was. Lisa Campbell threw his apology in his face at the courthouse." The words left a bitter taste in her mouth. "I bet you next week's pay he's over at the Campbell farm attempting to make it up to her."

"That gal don't want his help, and if she's anything like her husband, she don't want anyone's help. Pa offered loans more times than I can count, but Jim wouldn't take it." Joe snorted.

"He'd rather owe Lloyd Walsh?"

"There ain't no figuring folks sometimes, I guess," Hoss finally said with a frown. "If Candy wants to do a few chores for the woman, that's his business. He wouldn't be leaving early if Pa hadn't said he could, so the decision's done been made. Come on, you two, let's get back to work." He urged Chub into a lope and Joe shrugged, then gave Cochise his head. Annie glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the Campbell farm and her eyes narrowed.

If that woman was foolish enough to treat Candy like dirt when he was only trying to help, she'd be answering to a Cartwright.

They were so busy, it was almost a week before Annie had time to slip away from her chores and watch the Campbell farm from a concealed spot in the treeline. He wouldn't appreciate being spied on, but he'd have to get over it. He was her best friend and every day he looked more haggard and worn down. How much of it was work, and how much resulted from Lisa Campbell's unmitigated hatred?

Annie had only met the woman a handful of times, mostly in passing at the general store, but she seemed a difficult person to get to know under the best of circumstances. She dug out a pair of field glasses and trained them on the yard, then the fields beyond.

As she'd expected, Mrs. Campbell was nowhere in sight, probably sulking in the house because her attitude hadn't driven Candy away yet.

What she hadn't expected was the sight of Candy, shirtless, guiding a plow behind a team of bays. She yanked her gaze away from his muscled chest and shook her head, then looked again and let out a soft whistle. "She ignores that, she's beyond help." Reno snorted and Annie glared down at the horse. "Shut up. You're getting as bad as Cochise." She patted his neck and raised the glasses to her eyes.

Granted, most times – if not all – that she'd seen Candy without a shirt he'd been injured and there were more important matters to deal with, but how had she managed to go three years and not realize he looked like that?

He stopped the horses and stretched, forcing Annie to yank her gaze away again before she did something stupid. Not that she could come up with a suitably stupid idea at that exact moment. She dropped the glasses back in her saddlebags and scooped up her canteen, popped the lid, and splashed water over her face.

Down below, Candy scooped his shirt off the plow, unhitched the team, and left the plow in the field. He led the animals to the barn and vanished inside for an easy half an hour judging by the sun. He came out, closed the door behind him, and trudged up on the porch and knocked on the door, leaving Annie scrambling for the field glasses. She had to see the woman's eyes.

Lisa Campbell swept it open, a dark scowl covering her face, eyes snapping fire. Her mouth moved, but Annie had never been good at reading lips. Candy's back was to her, so she couldn't see his face, but the tension in his back told her enough.

Ungrateful woman. Had it been her, she'd have said good riddance that day at the courthouse. The door slammed in his face and he stalked off the porch and grabbed his horse's reins, then mounted up and drove the animal out of the yard at a fast lope. Annie lowered the glasses and considered her options.

She could ride down there and inform Mrs. Campbell just how fortunate she was that someone had decided to help her. Or she could put the fear of God in the woman.

Or leave her to her own devices.

Annie huffed under her breath and turned Reno. Lisa Campbell wasn't worth the breath she'd waste attempting to talk sense into the woman. If she refused to accept her husband's own actions had led to his death, so be it.

Right now, she had a best friend to cheer up.

"She still hates you," Annie said carefully when she finally caught up to Candy on the road back to the house. He turned his head and shrugged casually, but his eyes betrayed him.

"I know." He swiped a hand over his forehead. "But someone's got to do it, she can't keep that up by herself." He gestured behind them.

"It wasn't your fault."

"I know, all right? I know. But that doesn't help when I'm staring at a kid and his mother who are alone now because of me."

"They're alone because Jim Campbell made a stupid decision."

"Look, I know you're trying to make me feel better, but you don't have to. In my head, I know I wasn't to blame, but my heart's another matter. She's hurting, Annie, and it's all locked up inside because she doesn't have anyone except that kid."

For some reason, his words sent a chill down her spine. She turned and caught his eye. "Candy … don't." He looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Don't what?"

"Don't fall for her because she needs you," Annie pleaded. "It won't end well, it never does."

"I hadn't planned on it, sweetheart." Candy smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm not the man women marry, remember?" He forced a laugh. "And like you said, she hates me. I don't see that changing any time soon." He glanced sideways and tilted his head with a frown. "Joe toss you in a creek?" Annie blinked.

"No, why?"

"You're wet." She touched her hair and glanced down at her shirt front, fumbling for something to say.

"I was hot."

"Oh." His eyes twinkled. "I thought you might be losing your touch and got caught."

"I never get caught," she protested, supremely glad he'd latched onto completely the wrong explanation. "And I'll prove it. Race you home!" She drove Reno into a gallop before he could respond.

That was entirely too close. He'd think she was crazy if he knew.

"Candy doesn't want to come with us?" As busy as they were, time off to go into town was as scarce as hen's teeth this time of year. He was usually right beside them. Hoss shook his head and thumbed back his hat.

"He's gone to the widow Campbell's, something about a hen house needed fixed." Annie's mood took a nosedive into the manure pile. Why would he prefer slaving away doing chores for a woman who only tolerated his presence because she needed his labor? As soon as the work was caught up, she'd toss Candy out on his ear. How could he prefer her company to that of his friends?

"Yesterday it was plowing," she snapped bitterly. "Today, the hen house, what about tomorrow? Or the day after? Or two months from now? That woman can't stand him and he still goes back when he should wash his hands of her and let her fall on her proud face."

"Candy's a grown man, Annie." Joe shifted in his saddle. "And he feels he has a debt to pay."

"I'd consider it paid. If it hadn't been him who pulled the trigger, it would have been someone else and I doubt they'd feel as sorry for her, so she should count herself lucky."

"Annie …" Hoss reined Chub closer until their horses bumped shoulders. "Just why are you so all-fired upset anyhow?"

"Because," she snapped. "He's my best friend and I can't stand aside and watch him get hurt again."

"Come on, Annie."

"Shut up, Joe."

"Annie, I reckon that's old Candy's business, not ours." Hoss shot Joe a warning look. "And we're all gonna stay out of it unless he asks for our help. Come on, let's get to town and get us a beer, cool you two off."

"Why me? I haven't done a thing."

"Not yet, you haven't little brother, but the day ain't over with." Hoss reined Chub around and asked the horse for a lope. Joe huffed and took off after him. Annie growled under her breath and glanced back over her shoulder, warring with the urge to ride out to the Campbell farm and give the woman a piece of her mind. Why couldn't he just walk away?

Her chest tightened. She knew why, and she wished she didn't. Why couldn't he see that being needed wasn't the same thing as being loved for who he was? She had no way of knowing what his relationship with Ann Harris (before she was Mrs. Harris) had been like, but going by what she'd seen, only Laura had truly loved him, the rest had toyed with him because they needed him to save them.

He had the respect of all the Cartwrights, and their unconditional trust. Why did he have to set himself up for more heartbreak?

"Annie, come on!"

She swallowed hard and turned around. She knew the answer to that one, too, but she didn't plan to dwell on it any time soon.

"Candy should have been back by now." Annie hovered in the front room a week later, listening to the storm raging outside. "All he did was collect the mail."

But she knew where he was, didn't she? Despite his words to the contrary, she was dead certain he was falling for Lisa Campbell, and she could easily see him stopping to wait out the rain at her place – if she didn't send him on his way to drown or take ill.

"Candy's a grown man, sis," Hoss rumbled from his chair as he turned a page in his book. "He'll turn up in time for dinner."

But he didn't. Annie fought the urge to tap her foot under the table as the minutes passed with no sound of a horse arriving in the yard. Maybe he wasn't with the widow Campbell, maybe his horse had spooked and thrown him. For some reason, she almost wished it was that instead of what she knew to be true.

Why was he still wasting his time? Lisa Campbell was never going to stop blaming him for her husband's death.

At least that's what she thought until he walked in an hour after dinner, dry as tinder, saddlebags slung over his shoulder, and a smile on his face. He gave her father the mail and plopped down on the settee beside her. "Guess what, sweetheart?" She was afraid to ask.

"What?"

"She let me wait out the storm and stay for dinner." Her throat closed. Not again, please not again.

"Candy –"

"Oh, I know, Annie. But at least she's starting to accept me. If she can do that, eventually she'll accept Jim made his own decision." His eyes met hers and he squeezed her arm, then headed upstairs. Annie swallowed hard and turned around to catch her father's eye. Ben tossed the mail on his desk and ran a hand through his hair.

"Just … pray he doesn't get himself in too deep."

"I think it's too late for that," she said softly, choking a little on the admission. Candy, why? Her eyes stung. "I'm going to bed, night, Pa." She hurried upstairs and closed her door, leaning back against the worn wood.

Why couldn't he see that being needed wasn't the same thing as being loved?

"Hey, Hoss said the boys saw a big buck up on the ridge, you want to go see if we can bag him? Hop Sing's already promised he'll make some of his famous venison stew." Reno sidestepped and she reached down a hand to soothe him. Candy shook his head and her stomach twisted.

"I promised Kenny I'd build him a horse today."

"You've been over there every afternoon for almost three weeks, can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"I promised, Annie." He swung into the saddle and reined the Honeycomb gelding around. "It shouldn't take that long, I'll meet you up on the ridge as soon as I finish, okay?" He smiled and took off at a lope. She pressed her lips together and swallowed hard, watching until he was out of sight.

"You promised me first." The words hung in the air. She drew in a shaky breath and wheeled Reno, booting him into a gallop up towards the ridge. She crashed through the trees in a fury, not caring that she'd just scared away any game within a couple miles.

She pushed Reno for miles until the gelding was lathered, sides heaving. Hurt and anger drained away, leaving her empty. She gave the horse his head and let him pick his way along, wandering aimlessly, crossing and recrossing the ridge line for hours until Reno was cool, but her temper reaching the boiling point. I'll meet you as soon as I finish, he'd said. Annie glared up at the sun. It didn't take all afternoon to build a wooden horse.

Disgusted, she halted Reno and jumped down. Leaving him ground-tied, she grabbed her rifle from the scabbard and stalked into the trees. Better she stay here and cross paths with a buck instead of Lisa Campbell.

That conniving woman knew exactly what she was doing. Throw him a bone every now and then to keep him coming around to do her work for her, no matter how much she despised him in her heart, knowing full well she'd throw him away as soon as the promise of a new husband appeared.

Annie sat on the ridge until the sun began to sink below the horizon. Rifle across her legs, she ripped at the long grass and flung it away. "Stay for dinner, get attached to my kid, fall in love with me, so I can break your heart and crush you to smithereens like you did to me." She flung another handful of grass, tossed the rifle aside, and drew her knees up to her chest. "He can see anything else just fine, why not this?" She exhaled in a shaky sigh. "Why won't he see?"

The sun disappeared behind the mountains, cloaking the world in darkness, and she sighed again. Obviously they wouldn't be having venison tomorrow. Hop Sing was going to give her that look he'd perfected and mumble in Chinese until she came back and got the creature.

She didn't even like venison, she'd just wanted to spend an afternoon with her best friend.

Annie rode into the yard and dismounted, then led Reno to the barn. The Honeycomb gelding was already in his stall and her irritation flared. She put the grulla up and stormed to the house, burst through the door, and dumped her rifle and saddlebags on the old sideboard, her hat and gun belt quickly following.

Joe and Candy turned around from their places on the settee and she scowled. "What happened to you or do I want to know?" Candy had dirt on his clothes and leaves in his hair. "You didn't miss anything, by the way, I didn't even see that buck." Hoss' face collapsed and Candy's head fell back against the settee.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, Lisa asked me to stay to dinner and I just forgot."

"And then someone knocked him off his horse," Joe said as he studied his hands. "With that." He nodded at something in their father's hands and she approached close enough to see the coil of rope. "It wasn't there when I rode home earlier." Her heart skipped a beat.

"My money would be on the charming widow hiding her true feelings," Annie spit. He forgot? Just like that? Her chest tightened. Didn't their friendship mean anything?

"She couldn't have done it, sweetheart. She didn't leave the house once all day, much less take off for long enough to string that up."

"Anne." Ben gave her a warning look, tossed the rope on the center table, and rubbed the back of his neck. "As I said before, this wasn't a joke, Candy. I think you'd better be very careful."

"But what have I done?" He straightened and looked around at all of them. "I don't have any enemies that I know of. At the moment," he clarified, and rubbed the back of his neck, dislodging a leaf.

Oh, she could think of one, but he clearly didn't want to hear it.

Her chest tightened when his gaze landed on Lisa Campbell after church let out the next morning. The woman descended the steps and made her way around the building to the cemetery beyond. Annie's eyes flew to Candy and she shook her head slightly. Don't.

Either he didn't notice, or he ignored her, and followed the woman through the gate. Stung, Annie spun on her heel and stalked back to the buggy, scrambling up fast enough she set it rocking. Joe raised his eyebrows and Hoss nudged him before he could say a word. The two of them ambled over and collected their horses. "She's using him," Annie said before they could bring it up.

"Maybe," Hoss agreed. "But he'll have to see that for himself." Ben walked up just after he finished speaking and clapped his hands on his sons' shoulders.

"Everyone ready?" He frowned. "Where's Candy?"

"With Mrs. Campbell," Joe said slowly, and their father frowned. Before he could say anything, Mrs. Smith rushed up, leading Kenny Campbell by the hand, her face a very unflattering shade of red. She thrust the boy at them and straightened, putting Annie in mind of a wet hen fluffing itself up.

"I don't know whether to blame you or praise you."

"Excuse me?" Ben's frown deepened.

"That foreman of yours," she spit. "He's back there embracing that woman not five feet from her husband's grave. Shocking behavior, I tell you, shocking, Mr. Cartwright. Had you forced him to marry Anne when he should have, this couldn't have happened." Her nose shot into the air. "Or is he that contemptible he would have stepped out on his own wife? I won't keep this quiet, Ben, you can be sure of that." She bustled away in a rustle of skirts leaving them all staring at each other, then down at Kenny.

Ben recovered first and picked the little boy up, setting him on the buggy seat, and plopped his own hat on the child's head. He met their eyes one by one, warning them not to say a word while the little boy was around. Annie bit her tongue and clenched her hands around the edge of the seat.

Candy and Mrs. Campbell strolled over a couple minutes later, her face creasing in a frown when she noticed Kenny was with them. "Where's Mrs. Smith?"

"Oh, she left Kenny with us," Ben said easily.

"But why?"

"I don't think she wanted to interrupt," Annie said sharply. "She went looking for you in the cemetery." Candy swallowed hard, Mrs. Campbell's face fell, and they traded looks. Annie glared at the woman. You hurt him and you'll answer to me. Mrs. Campbell looked away first and hurriedly collected her son without another word. Candy stared after her, his throat working. Then, he glanced at them and mounted up, swinging the Honeycomb gelding around beside the buggy.

"I'm ready if you all are."

"You kidding?" Hoss adjusted his hat. "Old Hop Sing is bound to have dinner on the table and I'm about half-starved." Joe cackled; Annie's lips twitched. Her amusement died as soon as she looked back to Candy.

He was going to get himself hurt again when that woman finally threw him aside. The stubborn man was being willfully blind if he didn't see that.

Dinner passed in a tense fog, at least for Annie. No one seemed to want to mention the wolf in the room, her father and brothers going out of their way to find other topics to discuss. Candy didn't have much to say, either, his gaze trained on his plate unless he was answering a question. Annie pushed her chicken around on the plate, appetite nonexistent.

"Those colts coming along well, boys?" Joe snapped to attention and nodded.

"Yeah, Pa. They'll be ready to sell soon. Candy thinks the bay with the hind socks is the best in the bunch."

"I'll have to look them over then before we set prices." Ben drank the last of his coffee, then wiped his mouth and laid his napkin down. "I have some paperwork to finish." He pushed back his chair and headed for his desk. Hoss and Joe traded looks and hurriedly left for the barn, leaving her and Candy alone. He glanced up at her face and swallowed hard.

"You still want to bring in that buck?"

"Maybe tomorrow. I – I have a headache." She dropped her napkin on the plate and pushed back her chair. It didn't feel right, but he'd brought it on himself. How did he expect people to act with Jim Campbell not even dead a month and him practically playing house with the man's widow? Her chest tightened and she took the stairs two at a time in a vain attempt to outrun the thoughts flooding her mind.

"You're mad at me." Candy glanced sideways and adjusted his grip on his rifle. Annie said nothing and kept staring across the clearing, hoping the buck would appear and render conversation moot. Not that he'd had much to say when he finally showed up after taking that woman to town for supplies. "Sweetheart, if you were a mare, your ears would be pinned flat against your head, ready to kick."

"Whatever gave you that idea," she said tartly, and shifted her weight. Why didn't that blasted deer show up?

"I know you."

"You're making a mistake. Mrs. Smith meant what she said, she'll tell everyone in town what you and the Campbell woman were doing back there, if she hasn't already."

"She misunderstood, Annie. Lisa was only asking if it got easier with time."

"If what got easier?"

"Missing the one you lost." He drew in a deep breath. "I told her it did, but it took a long time. And there are still times I miss Ann." Annie whipped around so fast she almost lost her balance and landed in his lap.

"You told her about Ann?"

"Yeah." He plucked up a handful of grass by the roots and she noticed the bruises on his knuckles that hadn't been there this morning. "She's upset because she can't hear his voice anymore."

"What does that have to do with you being married before?"

"Nothing." He tossed the grass aside and leaned back on his elbows, gaze trained on the clouds overhead. "That came up at dinner the other night. I mentioned how much I liked rhubarb pie and hadn't found anyone who could make it as well as Ann." Her stomach squeezed.

"I didn't know you like rhubarb pie."

"I am partial to it," he said carefully, studying her face. "I get the feeling I just said something wrong, but I'm not quite sure what."

"Candy … she hates you." He shook his head slowly and her chest tightened.

"She called me a friend."

"How long will that last – until she finds a new husband and doesn't need you anymore?" Like all the others? Pain sharpened her voice and he frowned.

"Hey … what's got into you lately?"

"I'm watching my best friend rush headlong into a broken heart and I can't stop him," she spit through her teeth. "You shot her husband, she's not going to forget that. And what about Kenny? What happens when he's old enough to ask about his father? Any debt you may have owed her is paid, why are you still doing this?" His eyes hardened and he stiffened.

"She's a friend, Annie, can't you understand that? I already told her I can't come out as often now that the planting's finished and the repairs are caught up, but –"

"Have you forgotten the rest of us who actually care about you?" Candy straightened, his eyes shifting dangerously, but she ignored it.

"Lisa cares."

"Only until she's done with you." Annie slung her rifle aside and shot to her feet. "Lila, Ann, Barbara! They all threw you away like garbage when they found someone better and she's no different! Once she knows you love her, she'll crush you like you did to her when you shot her husband!" A muscle in his jaw ticked and his hands fisted.

"At least I knew they weren't after me for my money." Her blood turned to ice and a gasp slipped free. How could he even mention … pain sharpened her answer until she wondered how she'd ever let it slip free.

"At least I had something to offer." Candy drew back like he'd been slapped. Her hand flew to her mouth and the blood drained from her face. "I didn't mean that. Candy – Candy I'm sorry." She reached for him, but he stepped back, leaving her hand hanging in midair. Without a word, eyes dark, he turned and stomped for his horse. "Candy!" She scrambled after him, heart pounding. How could she have been so stupid? She grabbed the chestnut's reins. "Candy, stop!" He jumped into the saddle and wheeled the gelding, almost knocking her over. She leaped back, the reins sliding through her fingers, and he booted the animal into a dead run. "Candy!"

No.

Annie bolted for Reno and vaulted into the saddle as handily as Joe. She wheeled the grulla without bothering to pick up her stirrups and gave him his head. The chestnut streaked across the range a good quarter mile away, but there was only one horse in the state that stood a chance of outrunning her and Cochise wasn't involved in this race.

They were catching up. She urged Reno for more speed. "Candy!" The wind ripped the words from her mouth, not that he was listening anyway. "I didn't mean it!"

She was a horse length away when the gunshot rang out. Candy reeled back in the saddle, clutching his shoulder, and Annie's heart stopped. "Candy!" She reached down and grabbed his reins, hauling the chestnut around in an arc for home. Her head turned wildly, but there was no sign of anyone out there. "Candy, say something, please."

"Go away."

"I'll take it for now," she said grimly, still scanning for the shooter. "We've got to get you home." Her gaze snagged on the blood sliding down his arm and she swallowed hard. "You could have been killed."

"I said go away."

"And I said I was sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I don't even know where it came from! I was just mad and … you're my best friend … I can't stand it when they throw you away like you're not good enough or something." Her eyes stung and the rest of it lodged in her throat. "Just hang on and we'll get Doc Martin out to look at you." He didn't say a word and she looked back, finding him clinging to the saddle horn, face pale and lined with pain.

They ran across Dude a mile out from the house and she drew rein. "Ride for Doc Martin and get him out here, now. Hurry!" Dude took one look at Candy's shoulder and turned his horse.

"I'm gone, Annie." He spurred his horse and the animal bolted away. She urged Reno back up to full speed.

Her brothers were in the yard when they galloped in, dancing down to a skidding halt in a cloud of dust. "Help me get him upstairs, I sent Dude for Doc Martin," she spit out in a rush as she dismounted. "Someone took a shot at him, but we didn't see who." But she knew, didn't she, who it had to be? There was only one person he'd angered lately. She could see in her brothers' eyes that the thought had occurred to them as well, but none of them said a word.

"I got him. Joe, see to the horses." Hoss stepped forward and hauled Candy out of the saddle. Their foreman hissed and clutched at his shoulder. "Annie, get in there and turn the sheets down." She ran into the house, yelling for Hop Sing. Their cook poked his head out of the kitchen.

"What for Missy Annie holler like Indian?"

"Boil some water, Candy's been shot." His eyes widened, he muttered viciously in Chinese, and darted back into his domain, pans clattering on the stove within seconds. She took the stairs two at a time and bolted into Candy's room, fixing the bed and snatching a clean nightshirt out of the drawer.

By then, Hoss was at the doorway, Candy leaning heavily against him with his eyes closed. Her brother eased him onto the bed and Candy sighed. "I'll get his boots, sis, see if you can get that shirt and vest off without getting clobbered." She bit her lip and eyed Candy warily.

Hoss had no way of knowing that just might be a possibility this time.

Carefully, she eased onto the bed and reached for his vest. "Let go of your arm for a minute." Candy looked up at her, eyes dark, and she knew he hadn't forgotten; he probably never would. But he let go and she worked the vest slowly over his good arm, leaving the injured one for last. Her fingers shook as she undid the buttons on his shirt, then slipped both garments carefully down his injured arm, exposing the wound. Her stomach turned.

Whoever it was, they were a good shot. But only good, thank God. Any better and they might have killed him outright. Just a few inches to the left …

"Easy, Candy, easy now." Hoss helped him lay down. "Don't you move a muscle till Doc gets here, you understand? Annie, see if you can stop the bleeding, I'm gonna go wait for Doc." He hurried out of the room and the door closed, leaving them in an uncomfortable silence. She snatched the towel off the washstand and pressed it against the wound hard enough Candy drew in a sharp breath and tried to pull away.

"Don't move! I know it hurts, but you'll only make it worse." Her eyes stung. "For once in your life, do what you're told. Please." His eyes flared and he turned his head away, but he did stop moving.

She didn't know how long they stayed like that before the front door slammed and footsteps rushed up the stairs. Doc Martin burst into the room, followed closely by Hoss carrying a steaming basin of water and a stack of clean towels. "What have we got?" he barked and dumped his bag on the side table. She explained as quickly as she could and he nodded as he came over to the bed and eased the edge of the blood-stained towel up to peer at the wound underneath. Candy hissed and his hands twitched, but he didn't attempt to fight. Doc mumbled to himself and began to clean the wound. "Hoss, the ether, please, I'll have to dig for the bullet."

"I don't want them in here," Candy mumbled, making Doc freeze in place, eyebrows raised.

"What?"

"I said I want them to leave," he spit. "I can't stand the hovering right now, I need to think." Candy drove his head back against the pillow with a low moan. "Hoss, please take her out of here."

"I'm sorry, Candy." She choked on a sob and backed for the door, her hand pressed against her mouth. "I didn't mean it." She whirled and ran downstairs where she faced an empty room and fought the urge to cry. Had she just ruined three years of friendship with one careless sentence? She sank into their father's favorite chair with a muffled cry. The stairs creaked and she flinched.

Hoss came to stand beside the chair and she buried her face in her hands. His hand landed on her shoulder and her lungs constricted. "Doc's putting him under now, said it shouldn't take that long." He shifted uncomfortably. "Annie … I'm asking myself why he'd push away his closest friend when he's hurting like that … care to enlighten old Hoss?"

"I was trying to help, but all I did was hurt him," she choked out in a hoarse whisper. "We both said some things that shouldn't have been said … and now he'll run right back to her." Hoss crouched beside her.

"You had to know he'd find someone eventually. He –"

"It's not that." She wiped her face with her sleeve, freezing when she noticed the blood spotted on the cloth. A shaky breath tore through her lungs. "You didn't see that woman's eyes that day in the courthouse. And now she calls him a friend and lets him stay for dinner? She's using him and I don't want him to get hurt." A sob slipped through her teeth. "He's been hurt too many times already." Her brother squeezed her shoulder, but said nothing. The door opened, Joe came in, and stopped dead.

"What's wrong? Is Candy –"

"Candy's fine, Joe. He and Annie seem to have had a bit of an argument before he got shot and they both need to cool down a mite."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Pa back yet?" Joe shook his head and Hoss scratched his chin. "Well, he's not gonna like this. You two was still on Ponderosa land when that shot was fired, right?"

"Yes."

"There's a sight of difference between knocking a man off his horse and shooting him." Hoss began to pace. "Annie, I understand the only one who has a reason to hate him is Mrs. Campbell, but I just can't see her hiding somewhere and shooting him. She don't have a saddle horse anyhow, does she?"

"Who else could it be?" Annie spit.

"I don't know, but we're gonna find out."

"Candy, you've got a visitor." Hoss stuck his head in the door, looking confused. "Mrs. Campbell insisted I bring her over after she found out you'd been shot." Annie lowered the book she was reading aloud to her lap and bit her lip. For two days, he'd given her the cold shoulder, only this morning agreeing to let her read to him … why did the woman have to show up now?

Candy's face brightened and her heart skipped a beat. He was in love with her, the proof danced in his eyes. She clutched the book to her chest and lowered her head.

There was no way she was going down there and listen to that woman fawn over Candy and fuss over his injury, an injury she had most likely caused in the first place. Annie knew she'd never be able to hold her tongue if she saw the woman, and then Candy would only push her away even more than he already had.

The low murmur of voices drifted through the floor, but she couldn't make out much, not that she wanted to. Then, Candy's voice sharpened and Annie tilted her head. What was going on?

"So I can go hide in the bunkhouse until you can call him off, if you can find him? No, thanks!" The angry shout rose through the floor and she dropped the book.

"Candy, he's gonna kill you!"

"Isn't that what you wanted?" His voice shook. "Isn't it?!" Annie shot out of her chair and raced down the hall, red clouding her vision. She'd been right all along. She skidded around the corner, drawing two sets of eyes her way, Candy's red and misty, the Campbell woman's distraught.

"I knew it," she hissed through her teeth as she sauntered down the staircase like a cat on the prowl. If she'd been wearing her gun, she'd have shot the woman right through her black little heart. "I catch your hired killer on the Ponderosa and he's a dead man." The woman shook her head, mouth hanging open, her hand rising to her face.

"No, I don't want him dead. Not anymore."

"Your actions say otherwise, now get out. And you can tell that hired gun the Cartwrights are coming for him. Get out!" Her hands flew out and she shoved Lisa Campbell backwards. The woman stumbled, caught herself on the settee, and ran for the door. "And don't ever come back!" Annie gasped for air like a blown horse.

"You come down to gloat?" He asked with an edge to his voice and she turned slowly, shaking her head.

"No." For one moment, he clung to his pride, then his face fell and he shook his head.

"It's her brother-in-law," Candy said sadly. "That letter I mailed?" He drew in a shaky breath. "It was her asking him to come kill me." He blinked rapidly. "She called me a friend and wanted me dead." He sounded dazed and her heart broke for him.

"Candy … I'm so sorry. I didn't want to be right because if I was, you'd be the one to get hurt. And then I hurt you just as much as she did. Can you ever forgive me?" Please, her heart cried. She couldn't lose her best friend. He drew in a shaky breath and scraped a hand over his face.

"Only if you'll forgive me for what I said."

"I already did," she whispered, and his face relaxed. He held out his good hand and she slipped under his arm, relief weakening her knees. The front door opened and Hoss walked in, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw them.

"Oh." He gave the word four syllables instead of one. He scratched his head and gestured back over his shoulder. "I'm guessing there's a good reason that little gal is tearing out of here like a house afire?"

"It was her," Annie spit, venom dripping from every word. "She wanted revenge."

"Well, that explains it." Her brother tossed his hat on the old sideboard and ambled over, taking a seat in their father's favorite chair. "I wouldn't have figured it, but I guess I was wrong." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Candy."

"So am I," he whispered and pulled out of her hold. "I need some time to think." He trudged up the stairs and his door closed a moment later.

"How could she do that to him?" Annie's voice shook.

"She must have been hurting powerful bad, little sister."

"That's no excuse." Annie threw her hands in the air. "I ought to ride over there and –"

"And tell her what you think of her?"

"Yes!"

"Haven't you already done that?" He stood up and caught her by the shoulders. "Let's you and me mosey outside and muck the barn and let Pa talk to Candy when he comes in. And no, we ain't eavesdropping."

"You all right?" She set the dinner tray on the nightstand and took a seat in the chair pulled up next to Candy's bed.

"Not really." He sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "But I'll get over it."

"You're going to let it go?" Her heart sank. "Why, Candy? She's out to kill you."

"She was, in a moment of anger, but not now," he said slowly.

"Oh, Candy, you can't seriously believe her." He sighed again and reached for her hand.

"Strange, but I do, Annie."

"Why?"

"After I talked to your pa, I just asked myself what you would do if someone you loved was killed. How is what Lisa did any different than us going after Walker?"

"I didn't play games in Los Robles," she spit through her teeth.

"No, that's not your style. Annie, I have to go talk to her."

Why? The plea hovered on the tip of her tongue, but she locked it away, unspoken. She knew why. "What about her brother-in-law?"

"Maybe she'll give me his description. And if she won't," he added before she could ask. "Then, I'll know she hasn't changed."

"Be careful," she said at last, and he squeezed her hand with a shadow of his usual grin.

"I always am, sweetheart."

She watched him ride out after lunch with a heavy heart. She dropped the curtain over her window and stalked across the room.

It was time to ride.

She hurried downstairs and buckled her gun belt around her waist, then rushed outside and into the barn where Joe and Hoss waited with the horses. Her twin handed over Reno's reins and she climbed aboard. "Let's go." Jake Campbell was about to find out just who he'd crossed. She snugged her hat down and spurred Reno into a lope, her brothers flanking her on either side as they tore out of the yard.

Tailing Candy proved easier than she'd expected; he didn't seem to be watching his back trail today, and that was worrisome. If he didn't notice them, how was he going to spot Jake Campbell?

Annie drew rein in the trees and the three of them sat their horses and watched Candy leave his horse at the hitch rail in front of the Campbell house and rush inside. Joe giggled. "He sure moves fast, little sister."

"Spread out, that gun fighter has to be around here somewhere." It came out harsher than she'd intended, but neither of them seemed to notice. If they had, they wisely didn't comment.

"We'll get him." Hoss squinted down at the farm. "He better not make me miss supper or I'm gonna be real mad." Joe cackled softly and they turned to fan out.

A rifle roared in the trees and the house's front window shattered. "Where is he?" Annie slid her rifle from the scabbard and worked the lever. Her brothers scanned the surrounding area and shook their heads.

"Not sure, but he's got good cover," Joe said with a frown. "We need to get some of our own."

"Find him and pin him down," Hoss rumbled under his breath as he racked the lever on his own rifle. "Just don't go shooting each other." The siblings melted into the trees. More shots rang out; Annie counted at least eight before a man's voice filled the sudden silence.

"Canaday! Come outta there!" She peered through the trees, her gaze shifting between the treeline and the house. Where was he? "You hear me, Canaday? If you don't want them to get hurt, you better come out of there!" Annie crept closer to where she thought he was.

"Jake?" Lisa's voice rang out. "I know you don't care about me, but Kenny's in here! He's Jim's son!" A rifle shot was the only answer he gave her.

The wrong answer.

Annie bit back a dark smile as the foliage beside a pine tree quivered, a small puff of smoke giving away his position. She slipped closer, bringing her rifle up to bear. Two more shots rang out, then a third one from inside the house. A shape detached from the tree, becoming a strange man with dark hair.

"Good one, Canaday! But not good enough! You'd better come out of there." Annie rested her rifle against a fallen tree to steady it, then pulled the trigger, blowing a branch in half a few feet above Campbell's head. The man spun, firing wildly, only to come under fire from the other side. Annie put a slug into his shoulder and he went down, cursing. Hoss whistled and they eased out of cover.

"Annie, that you?" Candy shouted from the house.

"It's us," Joe hollered back. "Go kiss your girlfriend and leave the hard work to those of us that aren't packing a bad arm." The three of them surrounded Jake Campbell and the man glared up at them. Annie slung her rifle up on her shoulder and tipped her hat back.

"That good enough for you?" She nodded at his shoulder. "Call it less than an inch from where you hit him." He spit on the ground and she laughed darkly. "One thing your sister-in-law should have mentioned: you cross a Cartwright, and you'd be safer taking on Hell itself."

"That killer down there ain't no Cartwright." Campbell stabbed a finger at the house. "He killed my brother and stole his wife!"

"Your brother chose to commit a crime," Hoss said. "A man does that, he'd better be prepared to accept the consequences."

"No, Candy's not a Cartwright," Joe said with a scowl. "But he is our friend, and that's all that matters." He jerked his rifle at the man. "Let's go." Her brothers hauled Campbell off the ground and he clutched his shoulder, giving her an appraising look as he was hauled to his horse.

"You've got sand, girl, but if a man's shooting at you, you damn well better shoot to kill. Otherwise, you're gonna end up on the wrong side of the ground."

"Better men than you have tried and I'm still standing."

"Let's keep it that way, hm, little sis?" Joe shoved Campbell onto his horse. "We'll take him to town and explain everything to Roy. You might want to go let Pa know we're all still in one piece, I saw him pacing at the window when we left." She nodded and returned to her waiting horse, swung into the saddle, and rode away without a backward glance at the Campbell house.

"Oh, I'm glad it worked out, but I'm also glad I wasn't there. You three take too many chances sometimes." Ben ran a hand through his hair. "Candy all right?"

"As far as I know," she said carefully. "He was still inside with Mrs. Campbell when I left." And she hadn't wanted to witness that conversation. Best friend or no, there were some things she couldn't take. There must have been something in her voice that alerted him; her father's head tilted and he frowned.

"Anne … Candy is a grown man, capable of making his own decisions. If he chooses to marry –"

"I'm not jealous, Pa! Why do you all insist I am? I just don't want him to make a mistake and be stuck with her for the rest of his life and end up miserable." The door opened and she turned around, coming face to face with Candy. He tossed his hat on the sideboard and closed the door, ran his good hand through his hair.

"Lisa said she needed some time to think," he said by way of explanation, and rubbed his shoulder. "I'm gonna go upstairs and rest." His eyes met hers for a split second and she saw the uncertainty he was trying to hide. Candy swallowed, and slowly climbed the stairs. She turned back to her father and he sighed.

"I was afraid of this. Too much, too fast." He stacked his papers on the desk and leaned back in his chair. "How many more disappointments must he take?" Another sigh. "Wash up for supper."

"Yes, Pa." Annie rose from her chair and hurried upstairs, pausing in front of Candy's door. She raised her hand, but left it hanging in midair, unable to bring herself to knock. What could she say? A lump clogged her throat. She let her hand fall and continued to her room.

She was perched behind a boulder up in the high country, three days after Lisa had asked for time, when Candy came riding up, his mood downcast, face dark. He ground-tied the Honeycomb gelding and practically threw himself to the ground beside her. Annie glanced sideways and raised an eyebrow. "You ever going to give that animal a name?"

"What? Oh. Maybe. Yeah. When I get around to it."

"It's been almost a year."

"I know." He sighed. "I don't know why I ever bet against you."

"You're scaring off the game." He blinked, glanced over the rocks, and snorted.

"There's nothing out there."

"Because you scared it off," she said carefully. "And if I don't bring that buck in this time, Hop Sing will not only ban me from his kitchen for life, I will also have to snap every single bean and peel every potato that crosses his doorstep for at least the next year." She smiled, so he would know she was joking, and added, "I would much rather Joe do that."

"I'm sure you would." He smiled briefly, but it fell like a stone in Lake Tahoe. "She said no, Annie."

"Why?" She turned, and braced her back against the rocks. "I thought –"

"Me too," he said sadly, and yanked up a handful of grass. "But she said the same thing you did, about Kenny," he clarified when she frowned. "He asks every day when his real father is coming back. She said what was she supposed to tell him when he was twelve and asked what happened to him."

"I'm sorry, Candy."

"So am I." He blinked a few times and scrubbed at his face with his sleeve. "I don't know why I even bother anymore. I know you didn't mean it, sweetheart, but it's true: I've got nothing to offer a woman."

"You do so." She pushed off the rock and straightened. "You're the best man I know." Her voice shook and his head tilted. There was something in his eyes she couldn't decipher and it bothered her for some reason. "Candy … did she say something else?" His eyes flickered and she pounced on it. "If she told you that you weren't good enough, she was wrong."

"No, she didn't." He forced a smile, and she knew it was forced. The woman had said something, she just knew it. But why wouldn't he tell her? "It was nothing, sweetheart, don't worry about it. She's leaving tomorrow for Morgan County and that'll be the end of it."

"But –" He put a finger to her lips and she stilled, their eyes locking. He dropped his hand like he'd been burned, looking almost ashamed of himself, but why? She pushed off the rock and leaned forward. "Candy …" For one moment, he was right there, close enough to touch, then Reno snorted, and they turned to see what had caught his attention, just catching sight of a flash of brown hide as the buck leaped back into the trees.

Candy drew back and leaned against the rocks, head resting in shaking hands. He coughed out a laugh. "Hope you packed a bedroll, sweetheart, cause I ain't going home without that animal. There's nothing in this world more terrifying than an angry Hop Sing."

A/N: Bad me. That buck has worse timing than Joe. All you Hoss fans, Erin is up next and it was moved for a very good reason that I think you'll enjoy. Any thoughts or suggestions?