1Chapter 6

Madie swept down the street anger radiating off her as heat off of a sun. Her destination was the sheriff's office and God forbid if anyone stood in her way. She pushed open the office and there lay Ezra on one of the dirty cots that lined the wall of his cell.

"What is going on here?" Madie asked. Upon hearing her voice Ezra leapt from the cot and onto his feet.

"Madeline, what on earth are you doing here?"

"I could say the same for you Ezra, why are you behind bars?" Madie stepped closer to him, completely oblivious to anyone else in the room.

"Uh, ma'am you can't…" J.D. attempted to stop her.

"And you…you are supposed to be his friend." Madie pointed her finger into J.D.'s chest. "You're supposed to be there for him and look where I find him, in a jail cell put there by none other than you." J.D. had nothing to say to that so resigned himself back to his desk. In her anger a few red curls escaped her bun and in a huff she put them haphazardly behind her ears.

"Oh Ezra," Madie sighed, embarrassed with the spectacle she had made of herself. "I know that I don't have any right to come barreling in here and make a scene but…"

"No darlin' you have every right. You shouldn't have to find out that your fiancé is a criminal."

"You are not a criminal Ezra," Madie hurried to stand in front of him and placed a hand upon his that rested on the rusted bars.

"I deserve to be here Madeline," Ezra whispered, not wanting J.D. to hear, in case he had a change of heart and wanted to let him go. "I've done some bad things in my day."

"That doesn't matter now. You are a good man who I am going to marry. That is unless you still want me." Madie lowered her head in a pure act of submission.

"Hell, if he don't want you I'll sure as hell take you." The lecherous outlaw spoke from the cell next to Ezra.

"You shut your mouth before I rip out your throat." Ezra threatened and sent him a scathing look.

"Madeline, this is no place for you. I want you to go back to Mrs. Travis' and stay there with her. I don't know how long I will be staying here. I might be sent into the city for a trial. I'm sorry that I couldn't take care of you." Ezra ran a finger down the woman's alabaster skin, and brushed a tear that had escaped her beautiful green eyes. "I'm sorry Madeline. I'll leave everything to you. I want you to be safe. Stick close to Mr. Larabee and Mr. Tanner, they will see that you don't come to harm."

"But Ezra, please, I know we can do something. I'll talk to Mrs. Travis and maybe she could talk to the judge and…"

"No," Ezra spoke harshly and regretted it the moment it escaped his lips because of the pain that crossed Madie's face was too much to bare. "No," he replied gentler, "there's no use. J.D." he called to the man behind her. "Escort Madeline outside please. This is no place for a woman." Ezra bit the inside of his cheeks to keep from yelling and throwing a fit. He wanted to hold the woman before him in his arms and kill any person that got in his way. But he didn't want her to see him like this.

"Ms. Bernard, come right this way," J.D. placed a gentle hand on her forearm but she jerked it away, placing a hand over the brand that she knew lay underneath the material.

"I can find my own way out, thank you very much." Without a look back, Madie marched out of the office and slammed the door on her way out. Ezra flinched and with a sigh leaned his head against the bars dejectedly.

"I'm sorry Ezra," J.D. offered sadly and sat back at his desk with his feet propped.

"Me too kid," Ezra whispered to himself.

The next day Ezra stared at the 'food' that lay on the plate in his cell. He gingerly picked it up and sniffed it, good thing he smelled it first because he felt that he was going to vomit. He would hate to have tasted the food. He noticed that the man next to him had not touched the food either.

"I see you are likewise disenchanted by this establishment's fine cuisine."

The outlaw shrugged and replied secretively. "I'll eat lunch when I get out."

The comment stopped Ezra in his track. "Leaving so soon?"

"Soon as my boys get here."

"I see. Can I interest you in a game of chance?"

The outlaw sized up the man next to him in the cell. "What are your stakes?"

"Well, let's just say that if I win and your associates succeed in releasing you, you might just forget to lock the door behind you." Ezra twirled a few cards in his skilled hands as he laid down the stakes.

The man chuckled, "and if I win?"

Ezra smiled, knowing that there was no chance of him winning. "You can kill me."

Madie exited the Clarion News, filling her days with getting the books ready to be moved to a new place. She spotted Chris Larbee and Vin Tanner by their horses and she saw a perfect time to bring up Ezra's imprisonment.

"Mr. Larabee," Madie spoke to the man in black. He turned away from his horse and tilted his hat in respect.

"Ms. Bernard, how can I help you."

"I'm here about Ezra. Isn't there any way that you can let him out. He's a good man and…"

"Ma'am, I have no say in letting anyone out. Judge Travis put him in jail for a prior crime. There is nothing that I can do about it."

Madie was so frustrated with the men of this town cutting her off while she was speaking. "No listen here," Madie stomped her foot and placed a hand on her hip. "I don't care who you have to speak to or what you have to do, but I want my fiancé out of that…" this time it wasn't a man that stopped her in mid-sentence but a gun shot.

"Ms. Bernard, get back to Mary's now!" Gently, Chris pushed her back to the newspaper building and ran towards the saloon, where the shots had originated. Angry that she had yet to find a way to get Ezra out, she went back to Mrs. Travis'.

As Madie ran into the building, she relayed the information that she had just received to Mrs. Travis, but didn't have to when sounds of a gun fight echoed through town. The two women crowded around the window to see what was happening and neither uttered a sound, both concerned for the well being of the men who fought for the safety of the town and it's people.

Once the gun fire stopped, the women waited a minute or two before tentatively walking outside. Holding onto each other, they strode towards the saloon and watched as a few men raced off into the dust.

As they pushed open the swinging doors of the saloon, Mrs. Travis nearly wept at the sight of Judge Travis on the floor with a gun shot wound. Fearing the worst she ran to his side. Chris was crouched next to him and looked up at her and Madie as they entered.

"It's ok Mary, he's alive."

Ok...so I finally updated. My writing muse decided to come out and play today so I was inspired. Please review and let me know how you think the story is progressing so far. How do you like the characters?