Thank you to everyone who left such a nice comment on the previous chapter! It really makes me so happy to know people are reading and enjoying. As always, thanks to MusesOwnMyMind for letting me use her OC Sam and for alllllll the help in plotting out this and every other story. :)

I took some liberties with the laws of Wyoming to make this story work in the new, longer direction it's heading, so thanks for going along with me and the creative liberties. :)

Chapter 6

Josiah stood in front of Chris and Buck. They looked terrible, unshaven and bleary eyed. They had changed out of their uniforms and their street clothes were wrinkled. He could only imagine what the men were going through, their sisters missing for the night, patrols looking for them and no word. Until now.

"Got word from a county deputy up in Wyoming," Josiah said.

Chris waited, a muscle in his jaw clenching. Buck wasn't so patient. He lunged forward a step.

"You want to tell us any more than that, Sanchez?" he asked. "Did he have word on the girls? Or just calling to say howdy?"

"The car they were driving was burned," Josiah said, not sure how to soften the blow. "But witnesses say no one was in it."

Buck wheeled away, running a hand through his already tousled hair. Chris didn't move.

"Where's the car?" Chris asked without flinching.

"Just across the border. Little tourist town in the mountains called Pine Cliff."

Chris nodded once. "Let's go," he said to Buck.

Josiah wanted to offer to drive them, knowing they had been up all night, but also knowing Chris wouldn't give up even that little bit of control. Not in this situation.

So Josiah did what he could. He closed his eyes and whispered a prayer for Buck and Chris. But also for the two young women who were no doubt about to face a couple of overtired and overwrought brothers.

#

Morgan barely listened to what Sam was saying. All she could see was a way forward. A way to put some distance between herself and what had happened to her.

She read the sign again. And again. It made sense. It was the only thing that had made sense in three months.

She looked over at Vin. At the guy she barely knew, but had never once pushed her or pressured her. At the guy who seemed willing enough to stay by her side as everything in her started to shatter over the past twelve hours.

He followed her eyes to the sign and his lips moved as he read it. She could see him say it to himself.

Wedding chapel.

He looked over at her, but not with judgment, just with a question.

"Why not?" she asked him. She knew she sounded flippant. It was her go to attitude to annoy Buck, but more than that, it kept her from feeling anything that might push her over the edge. "We go in, get hitched, and I don't have to go…back." She felt her chest tighten as memories threatened to surface, but pushed back harder against them to keep things under control. Or at least have the illusion of under control.

"Ok," Vin said.

"OK?" Sam nearly shrieked. "Morgan, are you even hearing yourself? Do you know what you're doing?"

Morgan whirled around and gave Sam a hard stare. "I'm doing this," she said. It was the first time since…it had happened that she felt like there was an option. A choice she could make.

"Well you can't," Sam said definitively, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're seventeen. Not an adult."

"Seventeen is the legal age for a marriage license in Wyoming," Ezra said mildly.

Sam whirled to face him.

"I make it a habit to keep apprised of the laws in our area. It has saved me numerous days of jail time," Ezra said.

"She's not doing this," Sam informed Ezra.

Morgan had met Vin's eyes, saw his agreement to continue with the new plan and started walking toward the little tourist chapel.

"I think she already is," she heard Ezra tell Sam.

Morgan steeled herself against anything Sam was saying until they reached the chapel. It was open and Morgan went in with Vin, ignoring the way the woman at the desk in the office looked her over in alarm.

"We're getting married," Morgan said to her.

The woman quickly overcame her shock when Morgan pulled some cash out of her pocket and invited her and Vin to have a seat. Sam started to protest again, but Ezra tugged her outside with him.

Morgan signed where she was told to, provided her driver's license when instructed and turned off any thoughts. She wasn't going to remember. She wasn't going to think ahead. She was going to focus on just the right here and right now.

And maybe that way she wouldn't fall apart.

#

"Let go of me," Sam said through gritted teeth, but Ezra didn't until they were outside. She finally jerked her arm from his admittedly gentle grip when he released her.

"Why do you care so much if your friend makes a spur of the moment decision?" Ezra asked her.

"Why wouldn't I care?" Sam snapped. She stared at him. "Morgan's like a sister to me. I'm not going to let her ruin her life."

One side of Ezra's mouth lifted in a small smile. "You won't get any argument from me that marriage is the quickest way to ruin one's life. I have a trail of ex-step father's to convince me of that."

"She can't do this. She's not thinking—" Sam clamped her lips together before she betrayed Morgan's secret. Why Morgan was making crazy decisions.

"It seems she is indeed doing this," Ezra said. "And it seems you can choose to destroy your friendship over one decision or be with her."

Sam didn't want his words to stab her, but they did. He said it so casually, as if choosing to throw away a friendship was of no consequence, but his words cut deep into Sam's conscience. She had to be there for Morgan. She was the only one who knew what had happened and she wasn't going to abandon Morgan.

"We better get in there for the…" Ugh. She couldn't say it. Morgan's wedding. Sam closed her eyes and took a deep breath, tried to think of how Chris would face something like this. Without losing it.

She opened her eyes and steeled herself, going into the chapel. With Ezra at her side, it wasn't like she was doing it alone. She glanced over at him. She didn't want to like his presence as much as she did. But she wouldn't worry about that now. Right now, she had her hands full with Morgan.

Inside the chapel, Morgan was still barefoot, but she looked like she had cleaned up somewhat. The guy she had chosen to drag into this harebrained idea was standing next to her, looking like it was any other day. Sam narrowed her eyes at him, wondering what he was getting out of this.

She shook off Ezra's restraining hand on her arm and strode quickly over to him. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and dragged him away from Morgan.

"Listen to me," she hissed, tightening her hold on his shirt. He glanced down at her hand and Sam pressed her face closer to his, making sure she had his full attention. "If you do anything—anything—to hurt Morgan, I will kill you. I will kill you in a way your body will be unidentifiable and no one will know what happened to you. Don't you dare do anything to hurt her. Ever."

Vin's face grew sober, but he didn't look scared by her threat. "Ain't gonna do nothin' to hurt Morgan," he said quietly.

Sam held his gaze another beat, making sure she could believe him.

"She's lucky to have a friend like you," he said.

Sam snorted and let go of his shirt. If she was a good friend, she'd be able to stop Morgan before she went through with this.

She went back over to Morgan. She could see how fragile Morgan really was underneath her attitude of not caring.

"You don't have to—"

"Yes, I do," Morgan cut her off. "You know I do…" her voice trailed off and she swallowed hard.

Sam's sigh came from the depths of her. She took both of Morgan's hands and gave them a tight squeeze. "Ok then. I'm here with you for this."

Morgan gave her a shaky smile, but she managed to shift it into her old devil may care grin and it was that look that made Sam hold her breath and hope that Morgan would make it through this.

#