Slugger Sam

Katherine's POV

"Give me one good reason why I should do what you ask" I said, hating the vile man more than death itself.

"Cause you kissed the Onion picker" he sneered. "Tell me, Kath-er-ine…" he said, running his grubby paws in my hair. I shuddered. Sam would have a cow.

"Are his lips as tasty as Trout's? Tell ya what… you don't have to answer that question. Lord knows Trout is a slimeball anyway." He was coming closer.

I gulped, stepping toward the back wall toward his desk. The sheriff grinned evilly at me.

"Give me a kiss" He made a grab for me. "You're drunk!" I said, pushing his face away.

"I always get drunk before a hangin'" Realization that the sheriff was planning to hang my husband made me sick.

"Well you're gonna have to hang me first, cause I kissed him first!" The sheriff laughed as if I was saying a stupid joke.

"It aint against the law for you to kiss him" he said, coming closer to me. I gulped again.

"It's for him to kiss you" I was against the wall now, Sheriff Travers attempting to bite me like Dracula.

"You make one more move on my wife, and I swear I will skin you bare like the pig you are!" came a lethal growl from behind Travers' back.

I opened my eyes and peeked. Sam was standing there glaring at the sheriff with the sheriff's loaded pistol in his hands!

Sam's POV

I had been looking for Katherine everywhere, but I couldn't find her! Where was she? Seeing that the schoolhouse was being burned, I wanted to yell and tell them to stop, put the fire out, but my first concern was my wife.

I had to find her. I had made a vow that I would protect her and that was what I was going to do! Where would Katherine have gone… the sheriff!

I rushed over there until I heard voices by the open door. One of the inmates saw me, and put a finger to his lips. I nodded and listened.

"Tell me, Kath-er-ine…" Travers' said, I growled as I saw him running his grubby paws in my wife's hair. "Are his lips as tasty as Trout's? Tell ya what… you don't have to answer that question. Lord knows Trout is a slimeball anyway."

He was going closer to Katherine. I saw her as she gulped, stepping toward the back wall toward his desk. The sheriff grinned evilly at her.

"Give me a kiss" He made a grab for her. I about went out of my mind, but the inmate pointed to the bottle on the desk. I turned and noticed it was a bottle of scotch. Beside it was a loaded revolver…

"You're drunk!" Katherine said, pushing his face away. "I always get drunk before a hangin'" Realization that the sheriff was planning to hang me, made me sick. What was he going to do with Katherine?

"Well you're gonna have to hang me first, cause I kissed him first!" The sheriff laughed.

"It aint against the law for you to kiss him" he said, going closer to her. Katherine gulped again.

I picked up the gun, spun the barrel, clicked it into place, and went silently over to them. My father taught me how to be a man… how to use a gun if and when necessary. I was prepared if need be to blow the sheriff's brains out...

"It's for him to kiss you" Katherine was against the wall now, Sheriff Travers attempting to bite her like Dracula. Oh HECK no!

"You make one more move on my wife, and I swear I will skin you bare like the pig you are!" I said with a lethal growl from behind Travers' back.

Katherine opened her eyes and peeked. She was surprised and ecstatic that I was standing there glaring at the sheriff with the sheriff's loaded pistol in my hands…

Normal POV

"You really gonna shoot me boy?" the sheriff sneered. Sam growled, raising the gun to Travers' head.

"I will if it gets you away from my wife" he hissed. The sheriff turned back to Katie with a smirk.

"Oooh… a black man with a gun… I'm scared" Sam glared, keeping the gun steady.

"You'd better be" the sheriff turned around, grabbing Katherine, holding a gun to her temple.

"Are you sure about that?" Katherine whimpered, trying to keep away from the gun. It was no use… the sheriff had her in a choke hold so she couldn't move. Sam gulped.

"And did I hear that you two are… hitched?" the sheriff asked, cocking the pistol against Katherine. He chuckled at Katherine who was trying not to cry.

"Wassa matter sweetheart, the rest of us too pale for you?" he sneered.

"Nah…you just wanted to getchoo some color!" Sam studied Travers' hard… he growled at the insult, and raised the gun upwards…

"I guess it's time I gave you two a wedding present…" Travers' was laughing and had his finger on the trigger, dangerously close to Katherine's pulse. Travers' looked at Sam and glared hatefully, turning the gun on Sam, ready to pull the trigger.

"Welcome home, nig-" BAM! The sheriff hit the back wall and slumped to the floor. With a sob, Katherine ran into Sam's arms. Sam held his wife close, thankful that she was unharmed.

"We need to leave" he said shakily. Katherine nodded, checking to make sure he was dead. Sam grabbed the keys off of the desk, letting the two shocked inmates out of the jail.

"Muchos Gracias, Senior" Sam looked at the Mexican inmate strangely.

"He said thank you" Katherine said, getting up. Sam nodded. Grabbing Katherine's hand, and hiding the gun in his coat, they hurried out of the sheriff's office.

"We need to head down to the lake" Sam whispered. "Henry has gone back to the onion grove, to prepare" Despite the situation, Sam and Katherine smiled at each other. They shared their first kiss as a married couple. Sam ran his fingers in Katherine's hair.

"I thought I'd lost you" he whispered. "You saved my life" she whispered back.

"Hey! Over here!" their Mexican amigo whispered. The two grinned at each other and left. Katherine grinned to herself as she and Sam made their way back to the lake where Henry, Laurence, and Mary McAdams were waiting. Before she had stood up with Sam and left, she had put on some lipstick that thankfully, Sam had not noticed.

Flashback
Katherine kissed the dead sheriff's temple. Sam had shot him right between the eyes… an excellent shot.

"Here's that kiss you wanted sheriff" she muttered. "Bye now!" Collecting the shell by the body, she hid it in her apron and got up to join her husband.

End Flashback
Sam looked at Katherine as they got ready to get into the boat. In the light of the torch Henry had in his hand, Sam noticed that his wife's lips were pink.

"Um, darlin' did you put on any lipstick?" he asked skeptically. Katherine smiled. "My lips were chapped" Sam nodded, satisfied with that answer…

And thus begins the saga of Kissin Kate Barlow….

(A/N: hahaha not really… there's actually some chapters left To Be Loved and Be Loved By Me- Sam's Story. I thought this would be a good stopping spot. Read and Review!)