Jess Harper couldn't say whether he was the first to wake up the next day, since he wasn't entirely convinced he'd actually fallen asleep. All he was really sure of was that his hands were hurting, his body ached, and they were in big trouble. And he wasn't crippled...not yet, anyway. That was something.

He flexed his hands, relieved at the pain. Skeenan had cut him loose of the twine last night, leaving only the original ropes, now knitted perfectly. They were tight, but not cut-off-circulation tight, and Jess could live with that. It was fair trade for the continued use of his hands.

He glanced over at Slim. His partner was slumped in the chair as much as the ropes would allow, breathing softly with his chin resting on his chest, eyes still wrapped in Skeenan's bandana. Jess's glance darted over to the door to Andy's room, where the boy was tied to his bed, presumably asleep.

For whatever reason, Skeenan seemed to want to keep Andy alive and well, and that was just about the only good part of this disaster. Well, that and the fact that Jess could still use his hands. Not for the first time – and probably not for the last – he wished he had gunned the sidewinder down as he rode into the yard. Or better yet, when they'd first met, standing outside the stage. He should have left him lying in the dust of a fleabitten, nowhere little town and let the vultures have their way with his body.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Skeenan came strolling out of the bedroom Slim and Jess usually shared, yawning and stretching. When he saw that Jess was awake, he grinned.

"Not enjoying your bed?" Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Slim's hair and slapped him across the face.

If the slap didn't wake him, Jess's shouting certainly did, and Slim jerked up and shook his head, clearly disoriented behind the blindfold.

"Welcome back, Boss Man."

It took a few moments for Slim to register where he was and what was going on, but once he did, Jess could see his jaw tighten. "You're not going to get away with this, Skeenan," said Slim, as firmly as possible for a man who has spent the night tied to a chair and been woken up by slaps and shouting. "Whatever you're hoping to accomplish, the law will stop you."

"Oh, yes, the law," said Skeenan, and Jess scowled at the scorn in his voice. "You mean dear old Sheriff Mort Corey, don't you? The man I had a cup of coffee with just the other day? He agreed with me about you two lookin' worn out, you know. Huntin' trip was his idea." As he was talking, he strolled into Andy's room, coming out a moment or two later with a yawning, bleary-eyed teenager in tow.

He proceeded to restrain Andy without explanation, which worried Jess, and to untie Slim, which worried Jess more. He led the tall rancher outside without a word, and Jess waited on tenderhooks for the gunshot he was half-sure of hearing, despite Skeenan's insistence that this particular game was far from over.

So Jess was relieved to the point of exhaustion when, a few minutes later, Skeenan and Slim both returned, alive and well (or as well as could be expected, considering the circumstances), Slim with a new sheen of water glistening on his arms and the side of his face.

So. Not an execution, then. Skeenan, despite all evidence to the contrary, was letting them freshen up.

The man tied up Slim, untied Jess, and led him outside, pushing him toward the outhouse without a word. Jess, not one to be told twice, did his business and used the washing station. He briefly considered taking advantage of his temporary freedom and going after the gun, but there was too much of a chance he'd fail. And he wasn't going to risk Slim and Andy on a whim.

Jess allowed himself to be led back into the house and tied up, again on the ground against the wall, while Andy took his turn outside.

"How are you holding up, Jess?" Slim whispered, so quietly Jess almost couldn't hear him.

"I'm all right," grumbled Jess, even though he had a list of complaints longer than his arm. What he wouldn't give to have a clean shot at Skeenan right now. "You?"

"I'll live." Slim glanced toward the door. "But if we figure a way of getting Andy out of this, we've got to do it."

"We can try," said Jess doubtfully. "But Skeenan's been keepin' pretty close watch on us. Andy especially. It ain't gonna be easy."

Footsteps approached from outside, and Slim and Jess fell silent as Skeenan guided Andy back into the house and pushed him toward the kitchen. "You're in charge of breakfast, kid. Make it good."

Andy paused in the doorframe and turned, studying the scene before him. Unfortunately for all concerned – except Skeenan – it didn't look that different from last night. Jess was sure the boy was going to turn right around and head into the kitchen, but instead, Andy surprised them all by speaking up.

"Mr. Skeenan," he said timidly, and Jess wanted to break every bone in the man's face for bringing that tone to Andy's voice. "Could you take Slim's blindfold off?"

All the air in the room caught, and Jess knew Slim was just as worried as he was for Andy. But after a moment, Skeenan laughed.

"You grew some guts since last night, didn'tcha, kid?" He rose. "Sure, Andy. Let's start the day fresh." He strode over to Slim, pulling his knife out, and Jess was barely able to twist an inch in Slim's direction even though he knew it would do no good when the blade snicked up and the blindfold fell away.

Jess slumped back and saw Andy lean against the doorway with the same relief. Both of them, it seemed, had thought Skeenan was going to do more bad than good with that knife. As it was, Slim was blinking in the light, with only a small line of blood where the knife had parted some skin. Nearly wobbly with relief, Andy turned back to the kitchen.

"Oh, and Andy?" said Skeenan, and the boy turned back. "In case you've got some bright ideas about being a hero, you should know that I've got a hankering to wear your brother's ear as a necklace." Skeenan fingered one of Slim's ears, and Slim jerked away.

But the damage was done. Jess knew from the look of fear in Andy's eyes that the boy wasn't going to push any farther, and Jess didn't blame him. He'd like Slim to keep both ears, too.

Silence settled, and the three men listened as pots clunked and cloth rustled in the kitchen. Thanks to Jonesy, Andy was fairly capable when it came to cooking, and he did it better than Slim or Jess could, though usually with a lot more complaining involved. Jess hoped he might find some peace in there, doing familiar work; it might at least take the kid's mind off the trouble they were in.

Soon enough, the smell of sizzling meat and coffee filtered from the kitchen, followed by Andy and a plate of eggs and bacon, which he set gingerly before Skeenan. As the man dug in, the boy disappeared into the kitchen and reemerged with two more plates, piping hot and just begging to be eaten. Jess's mouth started watering just at the sight of the food, and by the look on Slim's face, he wasn't alone. But instead of bringing the plates over, as Jess had expected, Andy stopped in front of Skeenan, waiting even as the man seemed to take no notice.

"What about Slim and Jess?" Andy ventured. "Can I give them breakfast now?"

Skeenan looked up from his plate of eggs. "Sure, kid," he said amiably, which took Jess completely by surprise. He'd expected that the man would be tormenting them every way he knew how. "Which one?"

Andy looked confused. "What do you mean, which one?"

Jess couldn't see Skeenan's face, but he was sure he was grinning. "Aw, come on, Andy. You know the drill. You finally get to make the decisions around here, remember?"

Andy stared at him, and the dawning horror in his eyes made Jess a little sick. "You mean I have to choose which one of 'em gets breakfast?"

"That's what I mean, kid," said Skeenan. He reached out to pluck one of the plates from Andy's hands and started in on seconds.

Andy looked up from the lone plate in his hands and glanced between Jess and Slim. Jess tried not to look like his stomach was gnawing its way through his bones. No reason to make Andy feel any worse about his decision than he was already going to. And besides, Slim needed it more; Jess was used to going a few days without food. It wasn't his favorite thing, but he'd survive.

Unfortunately, Andy already knew about Jess's voracious appetite. And even if he didn't, Jess's unconcerned look was betrayed by a poorly timed growling stomach. Andy glanced at Slim, who smiled a little and tilted his head in Jess's direction, and Jess didn't know whether to feel disappointed or grateful when Andy brought the plate over to him.

"That's all right, Andy," said Jess, hoping his stomach wasn't going to start growling again. "I'm not that hungry, honest. Give it to Slim."

"Don't worry about me, Jess," said Slim from across the room. "I'm not hungry either."

"Lucky thing, 'cause it wouldn't matter," growled Skeenan, looking up from Slim's breakfast. "Andy picked Jess, so Jess gets the food. Even if trying to shove it down makes him sick."

Jess wanted to glare at Skeenan, but Andy was crouched next to him looking pretty miserable, so instead, Jess forced a smile. "Thanks, Andy," he murmured, quietly enough that their captor couldn't hear, and the boy smiled back.

Skeenan didn't untie him and Andy clearly wasn't going to push things, so Andy had to feed Jess the eggs, which was an uncomfortable and unnecessarily messy business. But he and Andy managed, and Jess was pleased to note that the food tasted as good as it smelled. He hated to admit it, but he was a bit relieved that Andy picked him to eat breakfast. He was already feeling more awake and ready to take on this sidewinder.

Jess had only just finished the last of his eggs when Skeenan stood and stretched. "Well, that was a mighty fine breakfast, Andy, mighty fine. As I'm sure you'll agree, Jess." He grinned, but as Jess ignored him, he returned his attention to Andy. "All right, come on over here."

Andy, still crouched on the ground, leaned in against his friend, enough that Jess could feel his slight trembling, and Jess could feel himself coiling up for the attack. Tied up or not, he wasn't letting this man do anything to Andy.

"What are you planning?" This from Slim, still tied up across the room.

The man sighed and addressed Andy. "Now, you know I ain't gonna hurt you, boy. I'm just gonna tie you up for a bit. Stage's due pretty soon, and I can't risk your warning anybody about what's goin' on here."

Andy glanced helplessly from Slim to Jess, but in the end there was nothing else for it but to settle on one of the chairs and submit to the ropes. The man used the same bandanna that had served as a blindfold to gag Andy, gagged Slim and Jess with their own, then stepped back to the doorway and surveyed his handiwork.

"Well," he said, "I guess I'd better get started on those chores. That's what I'm getting paid for, ain't that right, boss?" With a final grin and a tip of his hat to Slim, he headed outside.

And then there was nothing left to do but listen. Listen to the sound of boots clipping away across the porch, to chickens clucking and horses rustling as they were fed and tended to. To the light drip of water from the pump, and their own fiercely beating hearts, and eventually to the familiar rumbling of the stage as it trundled up.

Jess met Slim's eyes as their captor called out a greeting and Mose's voice replied in kind. His partner and friend looked just as frustrated as he felt. This would be the perfect time to get loose, get away, somehow get help, but there was nothing they could do against their ropes. The man was good with knots, Jess had to give him that. Thorough and efficient. And with the gags securely in place, they couldn't even make a sound.

His mind buzzed frantically as they listened to Skeenan explain to Mose that the three ranchers had gone hunting for a few days, and had left him to tend things. Listened as the men outside traded jokes about slacking off and Slim and Jess's laziness.

Jess glanced at Slim again and knew he was working overtime racking his brain for an idea, but nothing was coming. And that was a bad sign. Slim was the brains of the outfit, not that Jess would ever admit it out loud; if Slim couldn't come up with something, they were in trouble.

Then again, Slim was tied to a chair. Pretty much stuck in one position. Same with Andy. Jess was on the floor, and while that meant he was less comfortable, it also meant that he could move. Which gave him an idea.

Well, half an idea. He'd bet the farm on less.

He pushed himself across the floor, only pausing when he heard Skeenan explain politely to the passengers that, unfortunately, they couldn't come inside at the moment because of the rodent problem. The look of indignation on Slim's face was almost worth the hassle of being tied up. He doubted the Sherman Ranch had ever had a rodent problem.

But time was getting away from him. He pushed himself farther across the floor, and then, before he had a chance to think about the possible repercussions or what Slim might do to him, he braced his feet against the heavy wood and heaved over Slim's desk.

The crash it made was tremendous, the mess even more so. Ink splattered across the room, papers flew through the air, odds and ends clattered and scurried every which way as the wood of the desk cracked against the floor. A man with both his ears cut off and his head wrapped in a blanket would have heard it.

The silence that followed the crash was deafening. Both Shermans were staring at him in shock and either hope (from Slim) or fear (from Andy). All Jess felt was a sort of grim satisfaction. The noise of the desk falling was even louder than he'd hoped. With any luck at all, help was bound to arrive. Jess could almost see Mose barging in, just to relieve his curiosity.

Three sets of ears strained into the silence, tugging against the air in the desperate hope of hearing something.

The jangling of the stagecoach stopped, and voices mumbled to each other, too far away to hear what was said or even who said it. There was some back and forth, some light laughter, then the sounds of the stage faded into the distance, dragging their hopes along behind.