A few days later
Finally, able to walk comfortably, Harriet had spent the last few days making a bow and as much arrows as she could. Even if she would have liked to get hers back at her ranch, she knew she couldn't travel all alone with an injured leg. Becoming good friend with Tilly Jackson, she enjoyed more and more their conversations, whereas Arthur had disappeared on a hunting trip. Most of the other people in the camp were kind as well, and Harriet began to get comfortable around them.
"Tilly, I meant to ask you…" she started slowly "What were Charles and Arthur doing so close to my ranch?"
The young woman looked down at her feet for a few seconds before letting a chuckle escape her lips.
"Well… They were planning on stealing your cattle. To sell it." Tilly answered without any ounce of hesitation.
It was Harriet's turn to laugh. Wow. The nerve it would take to save the person you intended to steal from… Getting up, the woman took a deep breath and couldn't restrain the small smile on her face when she noticed Arthur Morgan coming into the camp, with what seemed like a mouflon on his horse's back. He wasn't going to escape the confrontation about the cattle. No sir.
"Miss Wiley, I'd like a word." A harsh voice announced.
Harriet slowly turned around to none other than Susan Grimshaw facing her. Even is the lady wasn't the sweetest person you'd ever meet, Harriet liked her. She knew how to get things done and despite the appearances, she wasn't scared to get her hands dirty.
"Mr Morgan! You too."
The green-eyed man took a few steps towards the ladies and waited for the eldest to say what she had to say.
"There's probably gonna be rain tonight so miss Wiley here can't sleep outside anymore. So, since you brought her here, you find an arrangement to get her somewhere dry and sheltered."
Harriet didn't really think about it. She did spend the previous nights outside and didn't think on the long-term. But before she could venture anything to Miss Grimshaw, the lady had disappeared again, probably to reprimand Karen on her excessive drinking.
"Well, you can't take my bed for now, I'll take the bedroll." Arthur muttered while looking at his feet.
"No. I'm not taking your bed." Harriet decided. "Even… Even if it would only be justice…" She added with a smirk.
"And why is that? He asked with a deep frown on his face."
"Come on, I know you planned on stealing my cattle with your friend." She said in a heavy tone.
But she immediately regretted the way she accused him. It was true yes, but he seemed… Ashamed.
"Well, you won't have to, now." She added a bit too quickly.
He looked up at her, trying and miserably failing to hide his surprise.
"I won't need my cows anymore. We can go sell them and share the money with the group…" she offered.
She hoped she said the right thing. That's how they did things right? They get to keep a part of the loot and give the rest to the group? Seeing Arthur hesitate, she really started to doubt.
"You'd really do that?" he asked a bit harshly. "You hardly know us."
Simply nodding, she carefully watched the man standing before her simply shrug his shoulders.
"Well what are we waiting for? Come on."
It was only a matter of seconds for him to get his grey horse ready and hoist Harriet up behind him. Galloping to her ranch, she just appreciated the fact that she wasn't the one in charge. It was nice to just sit on a horse and have nothing else to do than watching the landscape go by. Suddenly dragged out of her trance by the mare's sudden stop, she had to clench Arthur shirt to stay in place.
Not saying a word, she hopped down and carefully avoided the barn to get to the corral. Methodically leading the beasts out, she gladly accepted Arthur hands to get her back on the horse.
"To Valentine." She announced. "Do you know how to lead cattle?"
Muttering something Harriet couldn't quite make out, Arthur just put his mare in a slow trot, probably waiting for instructions.
"Just pick up the pace a bit and lead them to the road. They're used to follow it." She indicated.
Whereas it would have taken a few minutes to reach Valentine if Harriet had been alone, it took them at least half an hour to finally reach the town. Leading the cows to the auction yard, Harriet knew she would receive insistent glances but she didn't expect that much. Probably the fact that a half-Indian girl was riding behind a not so stand up looking man drew the shrews and drunken idiots' attention.
She tried to reduce the talking at a minimum with the buyer, like she always did. Give the cattle, take the money and leave. That was the best way to avoid troubles. And she had to apply this pattern now. Especially while having Arthur with her. But it seemed that it wouldn't be possible.
"Seventy-five dollars? There's exactly twenty-six heads here!" she almost shouted. "That's not even three dollars per each!" She exclaimed again, trying to contain herself.
The short, young man just turned on his heels. Was he going to ignore her?
"Hey! You're not getting away with this. I want my money. It's usually ten dollars for one cow!"
"Listen, savage," he started with that annoyed look young people usually wear. "I don't know who you were dealing with until now, but I won't pay someone like you more than they deserve. You should consider yourself lucky that I even paid you at all!" The boy said with a smirk.
Rage started to boil up in her spine and she saw herself to jump at him and claw at his face. She'd show him what savage really meant. No. She had to take this calmly. But before she could answer anything, she was shoved to the side and the boy was yelping. It took her a few moments to realize that Morgan had almost jumped at him, gripping the sides of his shirt and lifting him up against the fence.
"Listen boy, I'm pretty sure you enjoy playing the almighty with a woman, but it won't take today. So you pay the lady and we'll be on our way. And, you'll get to live." He said calmly, even if anyone could discern the threat in his tone.
Harriet wasn't sure what to do. Should she get the horse ready to clear off or...? When she saw the weak boy hand over another batch of bills to Arthur before he turned around without a word, she kept her eyes on the buyer. Panic rose in her chest when she saw him run towards the sheriff's office. Instinctively jumping on the grey mare's back, she waited for Arthur to do the same.
"Help! I need the authorities!" They heard in the distance.
"Well that's not good." Arthur muttered before hopping behind Harriet. "You drive, there might be some shootin'."
The woman shook her head as she made the horse turn around and speed up on the road. They could hear the hooves coming their way, and fortunately, they couldn't be more than four. Four. Harriet couldn't let Arthur shoot them. She didn't exactly know why, but they had to find another way. These bastards were quick when it came to a savage stealing money. That was probably what the boy accused her of anyway.
Thankful to the mare's speed, she urged her out of the town as she lowered herself on her neck to avoid the bullets that would be coming their way.
"Hang on!" She shouted when the deputies started shooting.
Pulling at the right rein, she directed the mare under the tracks, holding onto the saddle-horn as Artur wrapped an arm around her waist to steady himself. Making the horse gallop between the trees, Harriet hoped the forest would be enough to lose the lawmen. Carefully dodging the trees, she kept the mare at a steady rhythm and kept her galloping downwards, to the gorge.
Bullets whistled in her ears and she had to control her breath to keep the horse galloping the right way and focus on not getting shot. When she felt Arthur shift his weight behind her, she knew exactly what he was doing.
"Don't shoot them!" She shouted again.
"Why the hell not?! They're right behind us in case you haven't noticed!" he snapped back.
Taking her chance at looking back, she finally took a good look at their assailants, indeed right behind them. They wouldn't get away. They would only lead them to the camp.
"Fine! Jump!"
Not waiting for him to answer, Harriet let herself fall from the mare and crawled behind a fallen tree. Her leg was still sore and the fall would not help, but she couldn't just stay on the ground and get slaughtered like a common sheep. When she saw Arthur join her behind the trunk, she took a deep breath and didn't waste a second to react.
"Give me one of those!" she said as she gestured at one of his revolvers.
She took the gun between her hands and shot one bullet, showing them, they were armed as well whereas Arthur took a precise shot, putting down on the deputies. Sitting up, she rested her arm on the tree and held her breath. They had to. She had to. It's them or her and Arthur. Pulling the trigger, she felt a certain satisfaction at the loud thud that echoed in the valley. The two others got down from their horses and became easy targets. Squinting her eyes, she tried to aim for the throat but the kick made her hit the shoulder instead, paralysing the man for few moments. She was good with a bow but she lacked practice with a gun, that was sure. Taking another shot, she hit the cheek this time, making the deputy fall backwards and hit the dusty ground. It took her a few seconds to realise that Arthur had already ended the other moments ago. Sighing, she leaned back against the tree and finally took a deep breath, handing the gun back to Arthur without looking at him. He took it without a word and leaned against the trunk as well.
"You okay?" he asked. "I mean with your leg and…"
"I'm fine" she answered softly.
She was. Physically, her leg was stirring a bit, but nothing she couldn't handle. And mentally? She was just tired. She hadn't expected things to turn out this way. She had been in trouble before, but not to the point where she had to shoot lawmen. But she was fine. And the fact that she felt fine disturbed her. Wasn't she supposed to feel bad, or sorry for killing two men that were simply doing their jobs? Maybe spending all this time alone had made her cold and indifferent.
"You huh… You ever killed before?" Arthur muttered beside her. "Men I mean."
"I did." She answered.
Was she tired to the point that she couldn't lie anymore? She even answered the question he didn't ask.
"My husband."
Hi everyone! I feel like these chapters are getting longer and longer, so I hope you don't mind! Also, a guest suggested that I used th "" instead of the - , so I did and I actually think it's better. But tell me what you think!
I'd like to thank everyone who followed and favorited this story since last time, and I'll see you next chapter!