Sorry it's taken me F O R E V E R!! to get this installment out. Forgive me ladies. Here goes... Hope you enjoy...





"Sheriff, will you let us know something as soon as you get to the bottom of this?" Ned said after Charlie was mounted on a horse.

"I will Ned" the sheriff assured him.

Ned, Isaac, James and Thomas watched as the sheriff rode off with the gunman then mounted their horses and headed back to Sean and Marita's home.

When Clay returned to Vivian, Marita was there with her as she promised she would be. Marita looked up when Clay entered the room. She could not tell from the expression on his face what had happened. All she could see was a deep sadness.

"Clay..." Marita was about to ask about Sean but then decided not to. Clay was hurting and he needed some encouraging words. "Everything thing will work out OK" she gave him a weak smile.

Clay did not seem to hear her as he kept his eyes on Vivian as he walked to the bed. Marita moved from her spot and let Clay take his place next to Vivian. As he took her hand in his, Marita patted him on the shoulder trying to reassure him then left them alone. Clay sat solemnly watching over Vivian, praying that she would open her beautiful eyes.

Marita went back downstairs, expecting to see Sean.

"Did Sean come back with Clay" Marita asked Lexy, who was in the great room with Sean-Michael.

"No" Lexy answered.

"I wonder where he is" Marita said as she walked over to the window to look out. The worry in her voice was apparent. She stood at the window until she saw riders coming. She hurried out to the porch but her hopes were dashed when she only saw Isaac and Ned.

"Where's Sean?" she asked them when they pulled there horses to a stop.

"We thought he came home" Isaac said.

"He didn't come home?" Ned said and his worry showed. "Where is that son of mine?" he asked himself. "Did Clay come back?" he asked Marita.

"He's with Vivian" Marita shook her head.

Ned was relieved about that. At least one of his sons was where he was supposed to be.

"Where could he have gone?" Marita asked nervously.

"He may have headed into town" Ned said, thinking Sean may be somewhere along the rode into town waiting to ambush the sheriff and Charlie. "I'd better see if I can find him" he said as he looked at Isaac then remounted and rode off.

Isaac walked inside with Marita to wait. Marita paced the floor as she wondered where Sean was and why he did not come home. She began to pray fervently that Sean would not try to take matters in his own hands.

As Marita wondered where Sean was, he was riding hard toward town. How he regretted meeting that woman in Louisville. All of this was happening because he had followed his libido into her hotel room.

The longer Sean rode, the most consumed he became. What if that bullet had hit Marita? Sean could not even bare the thought. All he wanted to see was his hands around Bonnie's throat choking the life from her.

The closer Sean got to town, the hotter his blood ran. He kept seeing Marita with a blood soaked bandage wrapped around her head. He kept seeing Marita lying in bed, in a coma. He kept seeing Marita barely holding on to life. As the town came into his sight, Sean began tasting revenge. And it was sweet.

"Vengeance is mine" SM

By the time Sean got to the hotel, he had calmed enough to realize he could not go storming in and demanding Bonnie's room number. He had to appear calm in order to get what he wanted. He approached the desk and asked if Bonnie was registered.

"Good afternoon Mr. Logan" the clerk said.

"Afternoon. I'm here to see..."

"Ah yes" the clerk smiled a bit mischievously. "Miss Moore left this for you" he said. He handed Sean a sealed envelope. "She said you'd be stopping by to see her."

Sean frowned as he took the envelope.

"She left that for you about a week ago" the clerk said, still grinning.

"Thank you" Sean automatically said as he opened the envelope.

Inside was a key and note.

"Eagerly awaiting the return of my lover. Room 236." It read.

Sean gritted his teeth and headed for room 236.

**********************

The sheriff had finished questioning Charlie and had just locked him up and sat back down at his desk when the office door opened.

"Sheriff" he heard a woman's voice and looked up. "I've been attacked."

Bonnie stood in the doorway. She stepped inside, closed the door and removed the hood of her cape. Her hair was disheveled and there were bruises on her face that seemed to grow darker as the seconds passed. She took off the cape and her blouse was ripped.

"Miss Moore..."the sheriff stood up.

"LOOK at what he did to me!"

"Who did this?" the sheriff came around his desk and walked over to her.

"Sean Logan! Sean Logan attacked me!" she cried.

"We need to get the doctor in here to look at you" the sheriff said as he guided Bonnie to the chair in front of his desk.

"I don't want a doctor! I want Sean Logan arrested!"

"Tell me what happened" the sheriff said.

"Sean Logan attached me! He violated me! That's what happened!" Bonnie said angrily.

"Miss Moore..."

"Sheriff! I want him arrested!"

"I'm going to have to question him" the sheriff said.

"WHY?! He's needs to be behind bars! He's an animal!"

"Tell me exactly what happened Miss Moore."

"He came to my hotel room and attacked me!"

"What reason would he have to do that?"

"How am I suppose to know!?! He wasn't very happy that I refused his advances!"

"His advances?" the sheriff said.

"Yes! He... he wanted me! And I told him I would not be party to such scandalous behavior! Then he..." Bonnie began to cry. "Then he attacked me!"

"Miss Moore..."

"I DEMAND you do your job! And put him behind bars!" Bonnie said vehemently.

"I will speak to him Miss Moore" the sheriff said.

"SPEAK to him! I want him arrested! He attacked me! The hotel clerk was there. He saw what that monster did to me!"

"I will have to speak with him also" the sheriff said. "Are you sure you don't want me to get the doctor?"

"Yes! I'm sure."

"I need to ask you a few questions then. There was a shooting at the Logan farm today. Would you happen to know anything about it?" the sheriff said, wanting to see her reaction.

"Why would I know anything about it?!" she said.

"Do you know Charlie Adams?"

"No!" she denied.

The sheriff's instincts told him she was lying.

"Well he knows you and said you talked him into to shooting Marita Logan" the sheriff used the term 'shooting Marita' to see if that would elicit reaction from Bonnie.

"He is a liar!! I don't even know this man! ARE you going waste time asking me preposterous questions" she said as she stood up. "OR are you going to arrest Sean Logan!" she said as she put her cape on.

The sheriff could not arrest her on his suspicions and he had to look into her allegations.

"I'll speak to Mr. Logan" the sheriff stood up.

"GOOD!" Bonnie said before she turned on her heal and stomped toward the door.

"Miss Moore, I'm going to have to ask that you remain in town until this is straighten out."

"Don't worry!" she turned back to him. "I will be right here to see you lock that animal up!"

With that Bonnie stormed out of the office.

**********************

Marita had been watching for him and when she saw him coming she went out to the porch to meet him.

"Sean?" Marita said as he walked up the steps to the porch. She prayed he had not done anything foolish. "Sean is everything OK?"

"No" he said and walked over and sat down on the porch swing.

Marita's heart pounded in her ears. What had Sean done? She walked over and sat down next to him. She took a deep breath.

"What happened? Where did you go?" she said, her voice shaking.

"I wish I'd never laid eyes on that woman!"

"What happened Sean?" Marita said desperately.

"I KNOW she's behind this Marita" he said, then his attention was turned to Ned who was riding up to the house.

Marita hesitated. She could not believe that Sean would...

"Son!" Ned said as he bounded up the steps. "Where have you been? We were worried."

"I rode into town."

"Son, you've got to let the sheriff handle this!" Ned frowned.

Sean grunted, gritted his teeth and stared up at his father. After several moments, Ned turned and went inside to check on Clay and Vivian.

"Sean" Marita said when Ned had closed the door behind him. "What did you do?"

To Be Continued...............