Part 2 of this story just keeps getting longer and longer haha! Annabelle wanting to work jobs and Dutch being against it was a conflict that got added at the last minute, and I'm just watching my outline get longer and longer lol... Good for you guys, bad for my other WIPs!

Chapter 17: Bounty Poster

When Arthur returned to camp, he put money into their camp box and dropped off some meat for Mr. Pearson. But instead of heading to the fire to relax with the other gang members, he went to Annabelle, whispering in her ear, "Let's take a walk."

Annabelle smiled as she put down the laundry and followed Arthur into the trees. "I take it you found a lead?"

"I did," Arthur said. "Mr. Ainsworth is heading to Chicago in two days, taking a private stagecoach. Now, from what I've heard about Mr. Ainsworth, I figure he should be traveling with quite a bit of cash on him. There will be guards and guns, too, but if they get surrounded on all sides, hopefully they will stand down."

"Hopefully," she repeated.

"You can't predict everything in a robbery," Arthur said. "Most folk aren't willing to die for someone else, but then again, it depends on how much they are paid, and how desperate they are for that money."

"But you believe Mr. Ainsworth doesn't pay them that well."

"We know he doesn't pay the factory workers much. But personal security? I'm not sure," Arthur admitted.

"People like Mr. Ainsworth tend to hold onto every dollar."

"True," Arthur said. "We will need to pick a good location, too. Somewhere they won't see us coming until it's too late."

"Us? Are you robbing again?" Annabelle teased.

"You and whoever you choose to go with you, I mean," Arthur said. "Who are you going with?"

"I was thinking Mac," Annabelle said. "He's a good shot. Plus, I don't believe he'd rat me out to Dutch before the job. Though I do want to go into town tomorrow to see if I can get more information about the number of guards. It might be good to bring Davey or Karen, too."

"Karen said she likes acting, if you want to try for a distraction."

"Maybe. I'll have to think about it." Annabelle glanced back at camp, then said, "Thank you, Arthur."

"Don't mention it."

"Especially in front of Dutch," she joked.

"I ain't sure I want to be there when Dutch finds out about this," Arthur said. "I'm going to get the lecture of a lifetime."

"Oh, I'm sure," said Annabelle. "But I need to do this. I need to prove I can do this."

"Maybe I'll take Isaac on a trip for a few days," Arthur said with a sly grin.

"Don't you dare!"

"How about we ride out to the road tomorrow, look for a good ambush spot?"

"Alright. Leo could use a good stretch of his legs," she said, and they walked back to camp.

The next morning, Arthur and Annabelle saddled their horses and rode to the wooded area just north of town. There were a few bends that would lower the driver's visibility and provided good cover should things go bad. Arthur offered to set up higher up on the hill with a scoped rifle, just in case. He shifted nervously as he gave his reasons, worried that she would see his offer as a lack of trust in her. It certainly wasn't that. But he was the one giving Annabelle the lead, and he knew he would never forgive himself if he made a mistake. Fortunately, Annabelle understood. And there was nothing wrong with a little extra protection.

They then went into town, getting a look at some of the Ainsworth Mansion guards and following a few to lunch at the saloon. They did mention the upcoming trip in passing, mostly to complain about how they'd be missing six of their usual guards.

Arthur gulped. Six guards. More than either he or she expected.

"Guess I should bring someone else," Annabelle said. "I was thinking Karen. If she can get them to pull over, then Mac and I can come out on either side."

"Kind of reminds me of John's first stagecoach," Arthur said.

"Yeah, except that didn't go so well."

"Oh, the robbery went fine. Everything after, well, that wasn't a problem with the stagecoach."

"I have to admit, I'm a little nervous."

"You'll be fine," Arthur said. "You think we should let Hosea know what we're doing though? In case we need to get bailed out of jail?"

Annabelle laughed. "No. The less people who know at this point, the better."

The stagecoach was supposed to leave early the next day, so Arthur, Annabelle, Mac, and Karen got up earlier, sneaking out of the camp before Dutch or Hosea had a chance to stir. They did leave a note, claiming to be looking into a lead that required a lot of travel time. Though as they waved to John on their way out of camp, John narrowed his eyes, giving them a suspicious look.

After all, they didn't need four people to look into a lead.

"Here's the spot," Annabelle said to Mac and Karen. "Karen, you need them to pull over and get their eyes on you."

"I can put on a show. Maybe a drunken harlot? Should distract the guards," Karen said, unbuttoning the top two buttons of her dress.

"Where is this drunken harlot coming from? The woods?" Arthur laughed.

"Makes the performance more intriguing," Karen said, messing up her hair.

"I think Karen knows what she's doing," Annabelle said.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Mac said, giving Karen a once-over. She slapped him over the back of his head.

"You seem to got it together," said Arthur. "I'll be on top of that hill."

"There aren't that many places with good visibility," Mac said.

"I'll adjust position once they've stopped. Should be enough time."

With that, Arthur rode Boadicea up the hill, finding a spot between the trees where he could see Karen. Mac and Annabelle took either side of the road, bandannas on and ready. They didn't have to wait long. Right on schedule, the coach rolled through the woods with the six promised guards, two flanking each side, one in front, and one bringing up the rear.

"Excuse me," Karen said, stumbling out onto the road and slurring her words. "I seem to have… lost my way. Can you direct me to the saloon?"

"Ma'am, I'm going to need you to move out of the way," the driver said, pulling up the wagon. The front guards moved up with interest.

"You got to know," she continued, pointing at him. Arthur shifted his position slightly to get a better view.

"I think she's had more than enough," one of the guards laughed.

"Go move her out of the way, Tommy," another said.

Tommy jumped off his horse, continuing to laugh and jeer at Karen's drunken antics, until he got too close. She drew her revolver in a second, smacking him over the head and sending him to the ground, unconscious. "Nobody move!" she cried, bringing her own bandanna up in the hope that, between her loose hair and downward glance, no one would remember her face.

The guards moved for their own guns, and that's when Mac and Annabelle appeared. "I wouldn't try that," she said. "Richard Ainsworth! Come on out. I've heard you have quite the rich man. Share some of that wealth, and you can be on your way!"

"You're making a big mistake!" a guard said.

"I doubt that. Don't make a mistake yourself," Mac said.

"Shit," Arthur muttered to himself. The guards weren't backing down.

"Walk away, now!" the guard said.

"Ainsworth!" Annabelle called to the coach instead.

Arthur saw it at the same time as Karen. The guard closest to Annabelle was drawing his weapon, but Karen was faster. The guard died from a bullet to the chest, and the others quickly followed as Annabelle and Mac fired, too. Arthur watched from above, ready to provide cover fire, but then, it stopped. The driver had his shaking hands up, saying to them, "Mr. Ainsworth isn't in the coach! I'm telling the truth! He was supposed to be, and then there was an emergency."

"Then who is? Open up!" Annabelle said.

The door didn't open.

"Now!"

Still, it didn't open. Annabelle signaled to Mac, who wrenched the doors open.

And out came two young children, a boy and a girl, holding hands.

"Shit!" Arthur said from his perch, quickly shouldering his rifle and heading down the hill. He wasn't entirely sure what he intended to do. Perhaps it was just a paternal instinct.

"I was to take them to their grandmother's estate outside Chicago," the driver continued.

Annabelle sighed and said, "I would take them back to town, for their safety. And quickly."

The driver didn't need to be told twice. He shuffled the children back into the coach, turned it around, and took off.

Arthur walked out of the trees, Boadicea trailing behind. "I'm sorry, Annabelle, I didn't know!"

"You couldn't have known. It seems as if it were a last minute change," Annabelle said.

"I'm sorry," Arthur said again.

"We should get out of here," Mac said.

"Right. Split up?" Annabelle said, directing the question to Arthur.

"Yeah. I might follow a bit behind the coach, make sure it gets back to town."

"You don't think they'll suspect you?" Annabelle asked.

"Not if I start shouting about bodies the second I see a lawman. They might question me, but all I have to say is I came across some dead along the road. They shouldn't suspect a one-legged man. But here." He handed his scoped rifle and his bandanna, which he still wore out of habit, to Mac in order to eliminate suspicion around him. "I guess we'll have to push off your discussion with Dutch."

She nodded. "I don't want to tell him with nothing to show for it. So you're sworn to secrecy, you two."

Mac and Karen nodded, then disappeared in opposite directions. Annabelle watched Arthur go before doing to same.

After all four gang members successfully returned to camp, Arthur and Annabelle silently agreed to take some time before they tried finding another job for her. They didn't want to raise suspicion with Dutch, or too many of the gang members, for that matter. If the wrong person should say something around Dutch, it would spark an argument that could last for days.

Annabelle also avoided going into town, just in case she was recognized. But Arthur went with Uncle, as usual, which caused an awkward situation when Uncle pointed at the bounty poster board on their way in and said, "That one looks like Annabelle!"

"Oh, no," Arthur muttered, jumping down and ripping the poster off the board. Her nose and mouth were drawn wrong, but her eyes, forehead, and hair were close. Uncanny. Next to her were images of Mac and Karen.

"Wait, it is her!"

"Don't say a word around camp, old man," Arthur said.

"Why not?" Uncle asked, grabbing the poster. "Stagecoach robbery, it must have been a good take."

"It wasn't. We thought that Mr. Ainsworth would be in the back, but it was his children instead."

"Bad luck."

"It's more than that if there's posters around. Help me keep an eye out for more, will you?"

Uncle found a second one on a pole at the other end of town. Arthur could hear him brushing off comments from the locals about how he was the oldest bounty hunter they'd ever seen, but Uncle successfully returned with the poster. Arthur hid both in his satchel, and looked for Annabelle as soon as they got back to camp.

"Hey, Anna, there's something you should see," Arthur began, trying to pull her aside. And then…

"Annabelle!" Dutch shouted, raging into camp after he got off Nero and throwing the reins to a confused John. He held up a third poster. "Is this you?"

Arthur cringed. They hadn't found all the posters.

Annabelle ducked her head for just a second, then brought her eyes back up and squared her shoulders. Prepared. Confident, Arthur would say.

"Yes, it's me."

"You robbed a stagecoach? Behind my back?" Dutch said, his composure slipping to make way for anger.

"I tried to do this with you! I've been asking to be brought in on jobs," Annabelle said. "You don't even want me going anywhere alone!"

"It's for your protection!"

"It's controlling! There's not a single adult here that isn't free to come and go as they please. But how dare I want the same for myself!"

Arthur glanced around the camp. Everyone was watching, awkward and unsure about what to do. But Arthur was looking for Isaac, figuring he could take the boy out of camp while Dutch and Annabelle had it out.

"So because I've been denying you your freedom, as you believe, you go behind my back with Mac and Karen to rob a stagecoach?"

"How else was I supposed to do it?"

"But why this? Are you trying to make up what happened in Oregon?"

"Excuse me? I should think it's the other way around!"

Arthur saw Isaac peering at them from inside his tent. "Hey, Isaac, let's go for a ride."

"And how much did you get from this stagecoach? What was so worth taking that risk?"

"We didn't get anything. It seemed like a good lead, but things changed at the last second. Arthur-"

"Arthur?" Dutch asked, low and dangerous. "What does Arthur have to do with any of this?"

Hosea, who was also watching, raised an eyebrow and said, "Maybe you guys should take this out of camp."

After whispering in Isaac's ear to go hang out with Bessie for a while, Arthur stepped forward. "I brought Annabelle the lead. She wanted to work a job, so I helped her."

"And you didn't tell me? You-"

"Anna wanted to do it. She knows the risks!"

"And if she'd gotten hurt, what then?" Dutch asked, advancing on Arthur. "What if you'd gotten the woman I love killed?"

He flinched back, just a little, in the face of Dutch's ferocity. He hoped his voice didn't betray him with a small shake when he repeated, "She wanted to do it."

"I won't lose Annabelle," Dutch said, moving even closer to Arthur's face. Arthur held his breath, staying firm.

"You're losing me right now," Annabelle whispered.

Arthur wasn't sure if she meant for Dutch to hear it, but he did. He turned, his eyes wide. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You insist on treating me differently than everyone else in this gang. They are all family to you, and they're all family to me! Does it not bother you that they are risking themselves doing jobs?"

"That's different! They have more experience-"

"And where did Arthur get that experience, huh?" Annabelle asked. "What about John? You taught them everything! How am I different?"

"Because you are!" Dutch said, reaching for her. "You are my-"

But she backed away. "No. I'm not your possession. You don't get to decide what I do. I won't have our boys going out there without me any longer. Either accept that, or…"

"Or, what?"

Annabelle waited for a moment, to see if Dutch would say anything else, then turned towards their shared tent. "Susan, do you mind sharing your tent for a bit?"

Susan blinked, then managed to say, "No problem."

A few people took their leave. Karen pulled Tilly aside and began gossiping, filling Tilly in on everything she knew about Annabelle and Dutch's relationship. Uncle just patted a motionless Dutch on the shoulder as he walked by. Hosea and Bessie slipped away, figuring they could use a little space. Arthur grabbed John and Isaac for a ride, but as they mounted up and headed down the trail, he couldn't help but look back at Dutch. He was still standing in the middle of camp, watching Annabelle move her belongings into Susan's tent.

"What's going to happen to Anna and Dutch?" Isaac asked once they were out of the camp.

"I don't know," Arthur said honestly. "Are you worried?"

"A little."

John was distressed as well. "They've never fought like that before!"

"They used to fight all the time."

"Not like that," John insisted. Arthur had to admit that he was right.

"Is Anna going to leave?" Isaac asked.

"I doubt it. She and Dutch will avoid each other for a while. They've always worked it out in the past."

"I hope so," John said.

They continued on in silence for a bit, all wondering what to say. Instead, Arthur suggested that they try picking up the pace, smiling when Isaac kicked Daisy into an easy trot.

"That's good, keep your hands steady," Arthur said. "Feeling good?"

"Yeah."

"You're pretty good at that," John said.

"Thanks, John!"

"You been taking good care of Daisy for me?" John asked.

"Yeah, thank you for letting me have her," said Isaac. "She's really nice."

"Isaac will be ready for a race soon. I bet he could beat you and Moose, though how much of a competition that would be…"

"Shut up, Arthur," John said. "Maybe we should try again!"

"Fine! We'll need to find a good spot, and Isaac can tell us who wins."

They found a large, open area and set Isaac up at the finish line. John and Moose did better than their first time against Arthur and Boadicea, but they still lost. "We'll get them one day, boy," John said, patting Moose's neck.

"Can we race, Pa?" Isaac asked.

"Let's work on that canter, first. Then we'll have a race," Arthur said.

While their distraction was good for a few hours, it was hard to escape the agitation once they returned to camp, especially in the days after. Annabelle spent most of her time with Bessie, Susan, and Tilly, pointedly ignoring Dutch. Dutch, on the other hand, ranted and raved to anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby. Especially at Arthur for going behind his back.

"You think this is it for them?" Arthur asked Hosea when they were out hunting.

"I hope not. But I won't pretend like this will just go away. Even if they do get back together, I don't think things will ever truly be as they were."

"I guess."

"A change in their relationship might not be a bad thing, Arthur."

"Yeah, I know. I just worry that Annabelle is going to leave one day."

Annabelle didn't leave, nor did she and Dutch get back together. Their argument became static. Neither would yield. Arthur hoped that things would eventually cool off, and in a way, it did. Annabelle ignored Dutch and began to actively participate in planning and working jobs. Dutch ignored Annabelle, spending more time talking with Hosea and Arthur about the gang's future than complaining about her. Life in camp simply began to move on.

But it all came to a stop one morning when Bessie collapsed.