Unfortunately, I didn't forget Micah. Or the O'Driscolls. Sorry everyone!

Chapter 38: Heartlands

Two weeks after Arthur returned to the gang, an angry Micah Bell stormed into camp. Arthur was at the scout fire, having a quiet conversation with Charles at the time. They kept their budding relationship rather private, mostly talking and getting to know one another. Annabelle and Hosea would sometimes ask Arthur if they'd kissed yet, and while they hadn't, Arthur was certainly thinking about it.

Charles seemed fine with the slow pace, though Arthur seriously hoped he wasn't misreading the situation. And maybe he was thinking about asking. If everything was good. And for a kiss.

But then Micah showed up.

"So, you've had a good time, haven't you?" Micah spat, stumbling into camp looking worse for wear. He had bruises on his arms and his shirt had a tear.

"Well, you took your time getting back," Arthur said. "What happened to you?"

"I got arrested in Strawberry!" Micah shouted.

Thankfully, Arthur was saved from having to deal with Micah when Dutch appeared. "Mr. Bell, what's this about an arrest?"

Micah breathed in deep and straightened his spine. "Got into a dispute with some locals in Strawberry. Idiot sheriff arrested me, but I escaped. Wouldn't have been a problem if I hadn't been left behind by Morgan and his friends."

"I'm pretty sure Lenny told you we were leaving," Arthur said.

"Did anyone talk to you about the gang?" Dutch asked.

"No, it was just a local problem, with local law," Micah assured him, awkwardly clearing his throat.

"Good. I'm afraid we didn't receive any news about your arrest in Strawberry, or we would have sent someone immediately. How did you escape?"

"They had an O'Driscoll in the other cell," Micah said. "When their gang came, I was able to slip away."

"Should've gone with them," Arthur grumbled.

"What was that, Morgan?"

"Nothing," Arthur said.

"At least the O'Driscolls don't leave a man behind," Micah said.

"So go join them!"

"Enough!" Dutch said. "Mr. Bell, we were unaware of your arrest and are glad you are back now."

Arthur scoffed. "Next time you don't want to be left behind, don't stay behind to conduct personal business."

"Enough, Arthur," Dutch said, walking off. Micah rolled his eyes and disappeared into camp.

Arthur sighed and said, "You know, I almost forgot about him. I guess I was hoping he'd run off."

"Too bad," Charles said. "Want to head out for a bit?"

"Sure," Arthur said. "Maybe we could check out one of those legendary animals on Hosea's map."

"I was thinking we could just find a private spot," Charles said.

They tacked up Boadicea and Taima and took off into the Heartlands. Bo had a particular bounce in her step, glad to be back on the trail with Arthur. "Don't run off on me, girl," Arthur laughed, trying to bring her down to a steady trot next to Taima. "I know, I know, you missed this."

"She missed you, too," Charles said. "Isaac took care of her in Colter, but I think she is as restless as you."

"Me? Restless? What are you talking about?" Arthur laughed.

"Come on, up here," Charles said, leading the way onto one of over the rocky outcrops. They left the horses a little down the slope, climbing up to look over the Heartlands.

"Damn, what a view," Arthur said, staring out towards Emerald Ranch. "You know, as annoyed as I am to be on this side of the Grizzlies, this place ain't so bad."

"I agree," Charles said, sitting down and patting the spot next to him. Arthur joined him. "You've never been over this way?"

"No, actually. For a long time, Dutch and Hosea kept us north near Chicago. We came down through New Austin once, but never the New Hanover. You?"

"I usually stayed in the mountains. Traveling around, doing odd jobs. Or the odd robbery when work was slow."

"Where are you from exactly?"

"I'm not sure," Charles said. "We lived with my mother's tribe when I was born, but my parents had to run soon after. I don't remember any of it."

"I'm sorry."

"I remember some of the stories my mother use to tell, though not too many details. Mostly, I remember how much she loved their traditions."

Arthur nodded, looking down at the dirt. "I don't remember much of my mother, either. But she always liked this one flower. It only grows in Oregon, so one of the times we were out that way, I found one and took it with me."

"Is that the flower you have on your table? In the jar?"

"Yeah," Arthur said. "I wish I could have grown up with her. I wonder if it would have made things better, or if it would have been worse."

"Worse?"

"My father… wasn't a good man," Arthur said. "Law hanged him when I was eleven. Guess he finally robbed something worth caring about. I was on my own after that. Until Dutch found me."

"And Isaac lost his mother young, too?"

"Yeah."

"Were you close with his mother?"

"Not when she got pregnant," Arthur joked. "We became friends after. I brought her money and helped out with Isaac, especially when he was a newborn, but I wish I'd been there more. You ever think about being a father, Charles?"

"Not much, but I can see why people enjoy parenthood. Isaac is a good kid."

"He looks up to you," Arthur said.

They sat in silence, watching the pronghorn and a herd of wild horses grazing in the fields below them. Then, Charles turned to him, staring into Arthur's eyes. He asked, "Do you… would it be okay if I kissed you right now?"

Arthur's eyes flicked down to Charles' lips, then back up to his eyes when he said, "Yes."

It had been a long time since Arthur had kissed anybody. He could count the number of people on one hand. But the knowledge came rushing back as Charles leaned in. The kiss was soft, gentle, patient. Arthur shifted closer, wrapping an arm around Charles' back.

Charles deepened the kiss and brought his hand up to Arthur's shoulder, brushing past his cheek into his hair. Arthur broke off the kiss.

"Sorry," he said, pulling away. "I just… not the hair."

"I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay, you didn't know," Arthur said, leaning on Charles' shoulder. "And I haven't done this in a while."

"Me neither," Charles said.

"I'd like to do it again, if you would too," Arthur said.

"So would I," Charles said, pulling Arthur down for another kiss.

"You seem chipper," Hosea said when Arthur got back to camp. "Good day?"

"Yes, it was," Arthur replied, avoiding eye contact.

"Did you and Charles have a good time?"

"Don't know what you're talking about," Arthur said, dumping his satchel on his cot.

"I'm sure," Hosea said.

"You come over here for a reason or are you just here to ask about my love life?"

"Oh, so you do have a love life!" Hosea said, gasping so loud that Javier looked up from his tent. "No, I was just checking in to see how you were settling into camp."

"I like it here," Arthur said. "The town is a muddy shithole, but that's what makes it perfect for us. And everyone seems pretty happy here."

"They are."

"Now if only Annabelle and Dutch could be a little… quieter about it."

Yes, Annabelle and Dutch were having frequent and rather vocal sex. John and Abigail moved their tent farther away so spare little Jack the trauma.

"I think Sean and Karen have started something, too," Hosea said.

"Yeah, that's been going on since we came back from West Elizabeth," Arthur said. "I'm not surprised. Alcohol does strange things."

Hosea laughed. "Want to take a ride out to Emerald Ranch tomorrow? I've heard some interesting stories about the place. I might take John, too, in case there's something to rob."

"Sure, we can check it out. What sort of stories have you heard?"

"It's a big ranch, and has put a lot of competition out of business. The owner is pretty harsh and mysterious, and there may have been a gunfight there at some point, who knows."

"Interesting."

"It will be nice to ride out together, just like old times," Hosea said.

"You ain't gonna feed me to a bear, are you?" Arthur grinned.

"Maybe. If we find a hungry one," Hosea said. "How's Isaac doing?"

"He's almost done with his new coat. Actually, there's some material left if you want anything. New gloves maybe, or boots. You're the one who found that monster, after all."

"I'll think about it," Hosea said. "See if anything I own is getting worn out."

After Hosea left, Arthur leaned back on his cot and started sketching. He started with one of camp from his perspective, his right foot ending up in the drawing, too. Then he moved on to a memory of Isaac stitching the sleeves on his bear coat. And finally, he found himself sketching Charles.

"You're good at that."

Arthur jumped, snapping the book shut. Mrs. Adler was standing in front of him, arms crossed. "Ah, you must be Mrs. Adler," Arthur said, sliding his journal back into his satchel.

"And you're Morgan. You're the one who got his leg chopped off by an O'Driscoll."

Damn, she was forward. "Well, a doctor did the chopping, but the O'Driscolls helped it along."

She nodded. "What did you do after that?"

"I spent a while laying in bed feeling sorry for myself," Arthur said. "Hosea and Dutch helped me feel better, eventually."

"They killed my husband."

"I heard. I'm sorry," Arthur said, awkwardly. "You want to sit?"

She did, though she kept staring straight ahead and not at him. "Have you ever thought about going after Colm? Getting revenge?"

"No," Arthur said. "I've mostly avoided him whenever possible. If something happened to me or Isaac… why, are you thinking about getting revenge?"

"I don't know."

"Well, whether you want to or not, you have a place here, Mrs. Adler."

"Call me Sadie."

"Well, in that case, Sadie, I'm Arthur."

They shook hands, and Arthur gave Sadie a smile for encouragement. "I guess I'll leave you alone, so you can draw more pictures of men."

"That's not what- never mind," Arthur said when he saw the ghost of a smile on Sadie's face. She returned to Abigail, helping her with the laundry, and Arthur hoped she would be alright.

He pulled his journal back out and finished his drawing of Charles, then did a quick sketch of Sadie.

The next morning, Arthur woke up early and saddled Boadicea next to Hosea and Silver Dollar. John was brushing a giant Hungarian Half-bred with a shaggy mane. "New horse?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah. Moose didn't make it off the mountain," John said. "The wolves got him."

"Sorry. He was a good horse," Arthur said.

"He was. This one is pretty good. Calm, and strong. I named him Old Boy."

"Really? Old Boy?"

"Shut up, Arthur."

"You two done bickering?" Hosea said, mounting Silver.

"Come on, let's go," John said, giving Old Boy a few oatcakes before following him behind.

Again, Arthur found himself riding across the Heartlands. And again, he found himself loving the area. He considered whether or not they could live in this area forever, though he wasn't sure if he wanted to live next to Emerald Ranch. As soon as they arrived, they were stared at by the workers.

"Alright, time to start talking to folk," Hosea said. "Come find me in an hour."

"Okay," John said, looking around the ranch. "Where should we start, you think?"

"Uh, it's been a while since I've been on a ranch," Arthur said. "Let's just get a lay of the land for a bit. How have you been, John?"

"Better, I guess."

"Abigail and Jack?"

"They're okay. Jack asks about our old camp sometimes. He doesn't really understand why we had to move."

"Yeah, I can see how this is rough on him."

"I wish we didn't have to move, too. I liked Montana. I felt like we could have stayed there forever, and I…" John sighed, kicking a rock. "I was going to ask her to marry me."

"What?" Arthur said, stopping in the middle of the road. "You can still ask her, you know."

"I just… I was going to buy a ring and do it proper, you know? But after the fire, I spent most of my money replacing our things and then I figured after the job in Blackwater I'd be able to afford something nice. And now? We're back to nothing."

Arthur's thoughts drifted to the ring he'd gotten Mary all those years ago. He saved for months to afford it, even though it was tiny and cheap compared to the others in the shop. After the last time he saw Mary, she sent the ring to him in the mail. It was still in the envelope in his trunk.

"So, the horses?" John said, changing the subject and pointing at the man struggling with the young colt.

"Sure," Arthur said. He walked up to the man and said, "Need a hand?"

"No, I got it," the rancher shouted back.

"You sure?"

The colt reared up suddenly, yanking the rancher to the ground. Arthur called to the horse, speaking in a gentle, soothing voice while John helped the rancher up. Eventually, Arthur was able to grab the lead and pat the horse on the neck.

"You're good at that," the hand said. "You ain't looking for work, are you?"

"No, just passing through," Arthur said. "This is a pretty big operation."

"Yes, it is."

"How long have you been working here?"

"About a year now," the hand said. "Though if I'm being honest, I've been thinking about moving on."

"How come?" John asked.

"The place is odd," the hand whispered, leaning in towards Arthur and John. "The owner is harsh to us and his own family. He has a daughter who never leaves the house. The whole place is creepy."

"I see," John said, exchanging a look with Arthur.

The hand's eyes widened. "Oh, I shouldn't be complaining."

"We won't tell," John said.

"Thank you."

After the hand led the horse away, Arthur turned to John and said, "Interesting. I bet Hosea will find something here."

They wandered a little longer before they started looking for Hosea. They found him outside the large barn, talking to an older man in a stained apron.

"Oh no doubt, I do interesting very well. It's trusting I don't do so well," the man said.

"Please," Hosea said, before he looked up and saw Arthur and John. "Boys, this is Seamus. "He's our new partner."

"I ain't no such thing," Seamus said, waving Hosea off.

"Prospective new partner," Hosea continued. "If he likes us."

"Liking ain't the problem, trusting is, as I said. Keep your voices down. I don't want my boss hearing. This is a sideline."

"Course. Look at us, honest as the day is long."

Seamus' eyes drifted between Hosea's wrinkled face, Arthur's false leg, and John's red, angry scars. "Exactly," Seamus said, unconvinced.

"I'll tell you what, let us prove ourselves."

"You kidding me, Hosea?" John said.

"Good day, Hosea, good luck with your business dealings," Seamus said, turning away.

"Listen," Hosea said, chasing after him. "He's rough around the edges and can't hold his tongue, but I swear, you can trust him and trust me."

"I'm an old man," Seamus said.

"You're not old, Seamus."

"I'm old enough, and you know why I ain't dead?"

"You don't trust idiots."

"Exactly."

"We're not idiots," Hosea insisted. "Let us prove it to you."

"Okay, I'll tell you what. Old Bob Crawford and his boys just bought a beautiful stolen stagecoach from upstate. It's in their barn. Now, you go get that, and then we can work together."

"Who's old Bob Crawford," Hosea asked.

"An acquaintance of mine."

"So, you want us to take out your competition?"

And then Arthur, John, and Hosea learned a little too much about Seamus' cousin by marriage, who he couldn't stand and certainly was fine with having robbed.

"You boys need me for anything else?" Arthur asked as they rode towards Carmody Dell.

"No, I suppose you can head back," Hosea said.

"Okay. Come find me once you get done. If I don't see you by tomorrow, I'll check the jails," Arthur said.

Arthur took his time going home, deciding to visit Valentine for some ammunition. Just as he was coming through the pass near Citadel Rock when three men appeared on the ledge above him.

"Well, look what we have here. That's a mighty fine horse. We might need to take that off you."

Arthur shifted in the saddle, his hand drifting towards his holster. "No, I don't think so," he said, addressing the one he assumed to be the leader, and then his heart jolted. Green neckerchiefs. Green. Irish accents.

"Oh, this one's got money. Look at that fancy wooden leg," another said, and Arthur's chest tightened. "Wait a second, didn't that one feller say-"

Arthur drew his revolver, shooting the leader in the chest. The other O'Driscolls panicked, bringing up their guns, but their shots all missed him. Once Arthur managed to kill all three O'Driscolls, he leaned forward over Bo's neck and said, "Let's go, girl!"

Boadicea galloped towards Horseshoe Overlook, glad to be running away from the gunfire. But the memories followed Arthur all the way to camp.

"I think you need to be punished, have some alone time to think on your actions."

Spots appeared in Arthur's vision as Bo burst into the trees. He couldn't get a breath into his lungs.

"Arthur, are you alright?" Abigail asked. Boadicea had stopped next to the hitching post, her sides heaving, and Arthur hadn't made a move to get down.

"I'm fine," he said, his voice shaking just a little. "I need to speak to Dutch. Or Anna."

"Arthur?" Annabelle said. "Are you alright?"

"Sorry it's a bit cramped in there, Arthur. We had it sized for the lady, after all."

"Can we talk in private?" Arthur gasped.

"Yes, of course," Annabelle said, guiding Arthur towards her and Dutch's tent. Dutch was sitting on the cot, a book in his hand, but he closed it as soon as he set his eyes on Arthur.

"Son? Everything alright?" Dutch asked, getting up to let Arthur take his place.

"I'm fine," Arthur said, but Dutch pushed him onto the cot anyway. Arthur furrowed his brow as Dutch cupped his hands around Arthur's cheeks. "I'll be fine, I just… I got attacked by O'Driscolls."

"What!" Dutch said. He looked up and down Arthur's arms and torso for any injuries, all while keeping his hold on Arthur.

"I'm fine," Arthur said again. "But they were close to camp, and I thought you should know."

"Did they recognize you?" Dutch asked.

"I don't know. They're dead anyway, so it's not like they can tell Colm if they did."

Dutch stood up straight, pacing back and forth in the tent. "Good. They don't deserve to live, running with that man, threatening my son."

"I'm not counting on him noticing the scratches in that coffin."

Dutch didn't notice Arthur's shudder, but Annabelle did. "Are you okay, Arthur?"

"I'm fine, Anna, I'm fine," Arthur said, but when she wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him into a hug, he didn't mind. Dutch even stopped his pacing to get on Arthur's other side.

"Just breathe, son. You're safe," Dutch said.

Arthur tried to believe him.