-1 Over the next few days, Natalie returned to good health. She returned to her work, and the male Regulators told her many times how glad they were to see her again. That is, of course, except Ted.
"Why's he always smirking at you like that?" asked Charlie as he and Lee fed the chickens.
Lee tried to sound calm. "Probably because he's a slow-minded moron who thinks he's God's gift to women," she said.
"What a jerk," said Charlie. "I'd like to teach that guy a lesson some time. I'm a pugilist, you know."
Lee smiled. "Yeah, I know."
She continued to feed the chickens, then fetched her basket to collect eggs. She walked down to the henhouse, humming slightly as she went.
From the stables, Ted watched his target. Over the few weeks of being near Lee again, his mind had craved her, driving him to obsession. She constantly burned him with her ignoring ways, her haughty looks. Who did she think she was! Hadn't she only half a year ago proclaim him as her savior, her love of her life? Ted's eyes flickered anxiously. He no longer cared what the other Regulators would do to him in response to his actions. He stepped out from his hiding place and strode down to the henhouse.
Placing a brown egg in the basket, Lee's eyes looked up at the shadow on the wall. The masculine silhouette tread slowly towards her, and she spun around.
"What do you want?" she snapped nervously at Ted.
His red-tinted eyes bore holes into her head. He reached out harshly and grabbed her arm. "Natalie…you know that you're mine…," he muttered sadistically. His other arm lunged out for her shirt collar. Lee screamed and swung out with the egg basket. It crashed into Ted's head, but it didn't phase him. He pushed her against the wall, but she pushed back, escaping from being backed up to the wall. She tried to fight his grasp, but his arms pulled her to him, frightening her.
A pent-up rage inside of Lee tore itself from deep inside of her, and exploded in a blood-curdling yell and a kick to Ted's stomach. He gasped and released her involuntarily, and she ran out of the henhouse, in the direction of the house. He recovered and chased after her, screaming her name.
"Doc!" Billy yelled to his companion. "Lee's in trouble!" Billy kicked his pony's sides, and he tore off across the pasture. Doc followed.
Arriving upon the scene, Billy found Lee pummeling her fists against Ted, who held her to his side. Billy leapt from his horse on top of Ted, sending him sprawling to the ground. Lee scrambled from him and lay gasping on the ground. Billy quickly drew his gun, cocked it, and aimed for Ted.
The gun fired straight into the air as Doc pulled back Billy's wrist.
"Why'd you do that?" he screamed hysterically.
"Don't do anything you'll regret," yelled Doc. He ran at and tackled Ted and sat on him, tying his hands behind back. Doc hauled the man upright and pushed him into the house. Billy was left alone with the sobbing Lee.
He sat down by his friend and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Lee…"
"Don't touch me!" she screamed, slapping his hand away. She drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Don't touch me."
She rocked back and forth on her heels, sobs wrenching from her body. Billy sat near her; he tried to think of something comforting to say. "Lee, don't think it was your fault."
"Yeah, it was!" She lifted her tear-streaked face. "It's my fault! I shouldn't of come here; I was just asking for trouble." She turned from him, but then slowly turned her head back to face him. "You don't know what it's like to have my life. You don't know what it's like to be abused and left to die, and then saved by a false hope. You don't know what's it like to be then thrown into a situation where you're the only girl and no one understands you." Natalie pulled back her long hair, which had been messed up in the brawl. "Sometimes I just want to be a guy."
Billy suddenly felt quite different; the slightly insane, immature Billy The Kid left him for a minute, and suddenly he was William H. Bonney, gentleman.
"No you don't, Lee," he whispered sincerely. "Us guys may not know what you're all about, but we don't hate you or anything for it. We're glad you're a little different; it makes us wish we could be a little like you. At least you have some class, some prospects, whereas we're just dirty ranch hands." He reached out and lightly patted her hand. "You've got people admiring you, and you just don't know it."
Natalie looked up and a small smile brightened her face. "Really?"
"You bet." Just then, the rest of the Regulators reined their horses in the yard.
"What happened?" asked Dick, dismounting. "Billy, what happened?"
Billy looked to Lee, and helped her to her feet. "Ted attacked Lee, but Doc managed to subdue him; he's in the house now."
"That son of a…," muttered Dick, trailing off. He looked at Natalie. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I guess." She realized she was shaking all over. "Billy, can you help me into the house?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah." He put his arm over her shoulders and walked her up to the house. The other Regulators walked their horses to the barn, unsaddled them, then walked to the house.
That day, Tunstall and the Regulators doled out ranch justice; Ted was officially removed from the Tunstall ranch, and was then restrained in the buckboard with ropes. John took the reins and drove to town, followed by Dick and Charley, their pistols fully loaded.
Natalie sat in her room, wrapped in an old quilt. She hoped that from now on, Ted would be safely locked away in a jail cell, or better yet, hanged. Yes, hanged would be good. As she sat in her room, Tunstall filed the complaint with the sheriff, who then locked Ted up in a cell. Satisfied, John, Charley, and Dick left town and returned to the ranch.
A small knock on Lee's door caused her to start a bit. She calmed, however, and stood to open the door.
"Hi." Billy stood in front of her, slightly smiling. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay for tonight before I go to bed."
"Yeah, I'm fine," Lee replied softly.
"Ted's locked up in town, so you don't need to worry about him."
"I won't."
"Okay." Billy looked ready to go, and was starting to turn when Lee took his hand. She smiled up at him and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
"Thanks for all you did today, Billy." She turned back to her room and closed the door, leaving Billy with stars shooting in his head. He eventually wandered down to the bunkhouse, where the Regulators were already abed.
"What's with the silly grin?" asked Dick.
"Nothin'," said Billy, crawling under the covers.
In Lincoln, the sheriff unlocked the door on Ted's cell. He stepped into the enclosure and surveyed the man before him. He eventually spoke, slowly at first.
"Murphy's men are always on the look-out for people helping out John Tunstall, and they aren't looking for people to reward. They know all about that girl he has employed up at his place, and they've been wanting to see her hurt somehow. Now, I ain't for that kind of behavior at all, but word'll get around to Murphy eventually. I want the story to be I imprisoned you just for a little while, that I didn't really mean to punish you. So I'm going to let you go." He stood, and let Ted pass by him. "I gotta look out for myself and my family, you know."
"I know what you mean, sir," said Ted wickedly. He pressed a coin into the sheriff's hand. "Much obliged."
The sheriff watched Ted walk out into the dark night, praying that this crazy guy would stay away from Natalie Greenwater.