LeighAnn had watched the ranch for several moments but so far hadn't seen a sign of anyone. It was midmorning so so the owner of this place should be up and around. As she watched, LeighAnn caught sight of an Appaloosa horse in the pasture, just beyond the barn. She recognized it. It was the horse that Baines had stolen when he escaped from her ranch.

LeighAnn now knew she had found the man she'd been looking for. Now she just needed to figure out how to confront him. Logically, she knew it would be easier to just shoot him as soon as she saw him. But she had no intentions of doing him that sort of favor. No, she was going to make sure he knew who was killing him and why.

Going back to the horse, she had 'borrowed' from Dodge, LeighAnn mounted up and rode on into the ranch. She was counting on surprise to get her in close and her own strength for the rest of what she had to do.

As soon as she neared the house, she saw Baines or Wails as he now called himself. He was just coming out of the barn bucket in hand. Quickly pulling the gun from her pocket, she spurred the horse into a run, reining him in just as she got to him.

"Stop where you are." She ordered as she pointed her gun at him while sliding off the horse.

"Who are you?" Baines stood stock still staring at the vaguely familiar woman who was confronting him with a gun. "What do you want?"

"I want to kill you." LeighAnn answered evenly. "I've wanted to kill you ever since you and your friend came to our ranch three years ago. Now I get my wish."

"What friend?" He now knew who she was but the gun she was pointing at him compelled him to pretend otherwise. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, you know alright." Now that LeighAnn had finally found the man she had sought for so long, she was shaking. Taking a deep breath, LeighAnn carefully leveled her gun at his heart. "You remember the night you raped me and killed my family. You remember!"

"Now wait just a damn minute!" Baines slammed the bucket he'd been carrying to the ground. "I didn't kill nobody. Harris killed your brother and your pa. And as I remember, you killed Harris. You got your revenge. I want nothing more to do with you."

LeighAnn snorted. "You took what you wanted when you raped me. Now I will make damn sure you pay for it." She raised the gun just slightly but was distracted by sound of a rider coming in, yelling her name.

"LeighAnn, don't!" Matt yelled as he raced down the trail to the house. "Hold it!"

Matt's sudden appearance startled both LeighAnn and Baines but unfortunately for LeighAnn, Baines recovered first. Throwing himself forward, he tackled LeighAnn trying for the gun. LeighAnn wasn't so willing to give it up. Pushing at Baines with all her strength, LeighAnn was trying to get the gun between the two of them, intent on pulling the trigger as soon as she did.

But Baines was stronger and he managed to finally wrest it from her grip and turned it on her as he moved back. "You shouldn't have found me." He snarled as he pointed the gun at her. "You shouldn't have." Aiming the gun at her was the last thing he did before Matt rode close and pulled his own gun, ending the threat to Kitty's new employee with one shot.

"You okay?" Matt asked LeighAnn as he got down from his horse and headed over to Baines.

LeighAnn didn't answer as she turned towards the sound of a buggy racing towards her.

"LeighAnn?" Kitty pulled the buggy to a stop and hopped out, running over to her. "Are you alright?"

LeighAnn didn't answer as she looked back over at Matt and Baines who was still lying on the ground. "Is he dead?"

Matt nodded. "He is."

LeighAnn trembled slightly and leaned hard against Kitty. "Then I'm okay." She let the air out of her lungs. "I'm just fine. Now."

"Then lets go." Kitty wrapped her arm around her and walked her towards the buggy. "You can ride back to town with me." Just as Kitty said that, a thought hit her. "By the way, just how did you get out here?"

LeighAnn ducked her head. "I… uh… borrowed a horse from someone. That one." She nodded over to the black gelding she'd ridden in on. "I'm not sure exactly who it was I borrowed it from though."

"I see." Kitty shook her head. "Go on and get in the buggy. I'll tie your 'borrowed' horse to the back and we'll return him when we get back to town."

"I'd prefer to ride." LeighAnn said as she pulled back and pointed to the appaloosa in the corral. "That horse was my brother's horse. Baines stole it when he ran from our place that night. I'd like to have it back."

"Alright. But I still want you to ride back with me. Now, go on and get in the buggy and I'll get both of the horses." Going over towards the gelding, Kitty met up with Matt who'd collected the gun out of Baines's dead hand and was walking back to his own horse. "Matt, LeighAnn said that appaloosa in the corral is hers. She said Wails or Baines or whatever his name was stole it from her. You think she can have it back?"

Matt shrugged. "I don't see why not. He's not going to have anything to say about it."

Kitty nodded but a thought struck her. "You aren't going to do anything to her, are you? I mean like arrest her or anything?"

Matt shook his head as he looked at the shaken young woman in the buggy and then back at the dead man. "No, Kitty. I'm not. I have a feeling she's already had enough done to her." Taking a deep breath he grabbed the reins of his horse. "Let me get her horse and we'll get her back to town. I'll send someone back here for him later."

"Thanks, Matt." Kitty smiled up at him as she grabbed the reins of the black and headed back to the buggy.

TBC