Things started out well; for ten minutes, Bart and Anna rode towards town with no problems, but naturally, it didn't last.
Suddenly, Blazing Jim's men rode out from the bushes, with Jim appearing in front of them.
"I knew this would happen," said Jim. He took out his gun and pointed it at Bart.
"Jim!" Anna exclaimed.
Jim looked at her angrily. "You'd rather have him than me?"
"I want my daughter to be safe!" Anna said.
Taking that as a 'yes', Jim pulled the hammer back on the gun. "You're dyin', boy!"
"Now wait a minute!" Bart exclaimed. "I'm just helping a lady in distress, here! I'm not taking your wife and child as my own!"
"No?" said Jim. "It kinda looks like you are!" He suddenly smiled. "Get off that horse."
Bart didn't move.
"Now," said Jim, pointing the gun at Anna instead.
Bart quickly obeyed, nearly tripping when he moved too fast for his injured head to handle.
Blazing Jim got down from his own horse and walked over to Bart, gun still raised. "It looks like there's only one solution to all this," he said. He took Bart's gun out of his waistband and held it out. "I'm gonna have to give this back to you."
Bart said nothing as he took it.
"We can't both have her," said Jim. "And if you get her, then I better not be alive or you're all dead."
"What do you have in mind, then?" Bart asked, having the niggling feeling that he should've already figured it out, but his headache was crowding out his ability to think.
"What else but a duel?" said Jim.
Bart's heart did a flip in his chest. That was the last thing he was currently interested in doing. "A duel?"
Jim nodded. "May the best man win. Turn around, or die right now!"
Anna watched in shock.
Bart suddenly heard Pappy's voice inside his head say, "Never get involved, or you might get dead."
Jim stood with his back to Bart's, and he started walking slowly and counting the paces aloud. "One. Two. Three."
Bart had no choice but to do the same. "But Pappy," he argued back inside his head. "It was a helpless baby, I HAD to do something!"
Blazing Jim had no intention on losing this duel, and after he said 'five', he turned around.
Anna wasn't surprised at all that Jim hadn't counted to ten, and shouted, "BART!"
Bart turned and threw himself to the side at the same time, landing on the ground as Jim's bullet harmlessly passed him. He fired his own gun, and the bullet struck Jim in the stomach.
Bart never saw Jim fall; he never even saw the bullet hit the man. Throwing himself to the ground had not agreed with his head injury, and he lay there in a half-conscious daze as Anna got down from the horse, laid the baby beside him, and rushed over to her husband. He barely registered when the sheriff suddenly arrived with his posse, and only came back to himself when someone shook him. He opened eyes that he didn't remember closing, to see the sheriff's concerned face above him.
"You all right?" the sheriff asked.
Bart was hardly able to form any words as his head pounded with pain. All he could manage was a groan. A minute later, he was picked up and put onto his horse—thankfully upright, this time—and the next time he opened his eyes, he was lying in bed in his hotel room.
Bart was momentarily confused, not remembering anything after the duel. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember much of that, either.
"How do you feel?" he suddenly heard.
Opening his eyes, he found Anna sitting beside his bed. He dragged up a hand and placed it over his eyes. "I feel fine," he weakly mumbled. "It's my head that's upset."
She smiled slightly.
Bart took a deep breath and lowered his hand. "What happened?" he asked.
"Jim is dead," she answered.
Bart wasn't sure how to answer that. "I'm sorry," he said.
Anna sighed, before saying, "Don't be. He was a monster."
Bart looked at her. "And now you're free."
She nodded.
Free, but alone to raise a child without a husband, Bart thought. "What will you do?" he asked.
"I sent a telegram to my parents," Anna told him. "I'm sure that I can go home to them."
Bart was glad to hear that. "Good," he said relieved. He closed his eyes, suddenly feeling himself drifting off.
A hand touched his arm. "Thank you, Bart," Anna said. "You saved my life, and Rosie's, too."
Bart smiled as he fell asleep.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Bart spent the next two days in bed. He should've stayed there longer, but Anna and Rosie were leaving on the morning stage, and he wanted to take her to dinner. His head still ached, but the relentless pounding had abated, making the pain easier to bear.
As he looked at himself in the mirror, Bart was disappointed to see that he was still pale. He'd removed the bandage on his head—prematurely—just for dinner, and it improved his appearance, at least. There was a knock on his door, and he said, "Come in."
Anna walked in, looking beautiful in a new pink dress. She carried Rosie, who was gurgling. "You look better," she said, thinking how handsome he was in his formal suit. "But are you sure you should be up yet?"
Bart smiled at her as he walked over. "I wouldn't miss this for the world," he said. He smiled down at Rosie and stuck his finger in her fist.
Anna chuckled. She watched Bart as he smiled at her baby, and she secretly wished that the three of them could stay together; but they'd talked a lot over the past couple of days, and Bart didn't seem the type to settle down…not yet.
She would miss him, and she wished that Rosie was old enough to remember him.
A few minutes later, they were sitting at a table in the dining room, and they had a lovely dinner. Anna kept wishing that Bart would ask for her hand in marriage, but he never did. She didn't sleep well that night, and the next day, when Bart came to escort her outside, she had to pretend to be happy.
"Soon, this whole thing will be behind you," he said to her.
She nodded with a fake smile. "Yes, finally."
They were quiet as they made their way downstairs and outside the hotel. They sat on the bench, and Anna saw Bart wince. "How's your head?"
Bart had wisely put the bandage back on after dinner the night before, and he sighed. "Still attached," he said.
Rosie suddenly gurgled and they both looked at her.
"Is it all right if I hold her one last time?" Bart asked.
One last time… Anna wished that it wouldn't be the last time. "Of course," she said. She took Rosie out of the bassinet and handed her over.
Bart smiled at the baby. "Well, little Rosie," Bart said. "You be a good girl for your mama, all right?"
Rosie giggled.
Bart smiled wider. "Good girl."
The stage suddenly came around the corner and headed for the hotel. Bart waited for it to arrive before he stood and placed Rosie back in her bassinet.
Anna reluctantly stood, and watched as the stagecoach driver climbed down and took her bags, throwing them on top of the coach. "Bart," she said.
Bart looked at her.
Anna knew that this was her last chance. "I…I don't have to go."
Bart instantly knew what she was saying. He smiled and took her hand. "Yes you do," he said. "I'm not ready to settle down."
Anna looked down at the ground.
Bart tipped her chin up. "You need to go…and take this, too." With that, he put an envelope in her hand.
Anna raised the envelope and opened it. Her eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped when she saw what was inside. "What's this?!"
"There was a reward on Big Jim," Bart said.
Anna looked at him in shock. "There's five thousand dollars here!"
Bart nodded. He picked up the bassinet and took Anna's arm, walking her to the stage. "I want you to have it, for Rosie."
Anna was speechless as Bart helped her get into the carriage. Looking down in the bassinet, Bart said, "Remember what I told you, Rosie."
The baby smiled and squealed.
Bart smiled and kissed her on the forehead before passing the bassinet to Anna in the carriage.
The driver closed the door and climbed back up.
Anna stuck her hand out the window. "Bart…thank you. I'll never forget you."
Bart took her hand. "Make sure you tell Rosie about me."
Anna smiled. "I will; she'll always know who her hero is. Goodbye."
"Goodbye," Bart said. He kissed her hand and let go.
The driver flicked the reins, and the horses started walking. Anna watched Bart out the window until she couldn't see him anymore.
Bart again remembered Pappy's advice to never get involved. "Sometimes you're right, Pappy," he said to himself. "But sometimes, you're wrong." He waved as the carriage drove off, before mounting his horse and riding out of town.
THE END