Rosalyn was on her third drink with Dutch, an ashtray with discarded cigars smoking on the table as the two played dominos. Rosalyn flushed in the face but politely smiling as Dutch told stories. "Izzy was a cute kid, A spitfire who liked guns. I remember when she was around twelve, she shot her first deer. A clean bullet through the neck and Izzy dragged that beauty back to camp by herself. To prove that she could hunt better than the boys. Mind you they weren't doing much hunting anyways. Arthur prefers fistfights." Dutch had inched his chair closer to Rosalyn, looking at the dominoes from her angle. "My dear, I think I have you beat again." He gestured to her remaining blocks. "I know, I'm just thinking," Rosalyn said, staring at the blocks intensely. "What about?" Dutch asked finally noticing he had been talking for a while. "What is it like Growing up like that." Rosalyn held her chin and leaned back to look Dutch in the eye finally. "What it's like growing up with you. You love your boys, don't you." Rosalyn asked.
"They are my family, I chose them to be my family," Dutch said proudly taking a drag on his cigar. "Then why did you steal from Izzy? Wasn't she part of your family?" Rosalyn asked directly. Dutch slammed his hand on the table angrily, but Rosalyn didn't flinch. "First of all, she betrayed the family. She stole from us..." Dutch noticed Roslayn hot glare her stiff body posture and crossed arms. "What did she steal?" Rosalyn asked calmly catching Dutch off guard. "She... stole from the lockbox," Dutch said, and Rosalyn rested her hand on her pistol in response. "Funny, she said she stole your pocket watch," Rosalyn said with an alarmed tone. "Miss Bush. I kept my pocket watch in the Lockbox" Dutch said keeping his hands on the table but started to lean back.
"Don't move, This pocket watch she stole from you saddlebags. One of many, you kept tucked away out of sight. Since you skimmed the top of the donations at camp to spoil yourself. Izzy told me more than you think. She warned me about you." Rosalyn abruptly said as she drew her pistol but rested in on he knee not pointed at him. "You are going to walk out that door. Then you are going to ride out of town. I don't need your gang causing trouble around these parts. I have no qualms with you, so don't create one." Rosalyn warned him. "You have me all wrong, my lady." Dutch tried to persuade her. "I believe you are a selfish thieving bandit who is looking for infamy. I have no time for that when I have a family to protect of my own. I've already lost my sister, and I wish to be alone to deal with the culprits. If I find out you had something to do with this, I will hunt you myself and put a bullet where your heart still beats. Now get out of my sight." Rosalyn threatened only to make Dutch sit there somewhat dumbfounded. Rosalyn shot the floor at his feet, the entire bar standing up in alarm as Dutch leapt out of his seat staring at her in disbelief.
"You're crazy!" Dutch cursed her directly, and Rosalyn stood up and shot the floor again. This time dangerously close to his left foot. "AM I! I'M DISTRAUGHT WOMAN IN MOURNING," Rosalyn screamed. "Maybe I am on my period!" She shot his feet a third time just as the people in the bar panicked and hit the wall backing up. Though a few patrons sat there unaffected still sipping their drinks. They are not bothered in the slightest at this display of aggression. "You have me wrong!" Dutch yelled back and started to escape the Saloon quickly. "I don't care! GET OUT!" Rosalyn shouted again and raised her gun at him, making Dutch run out of the bar at full speed. His heart racing as he fled into the streets watching the Deputy and the Sherrif running full speed into the Saloon.
"That crazy bitch." Dutch snarled as he turned around to see a well dressed black man approach the Saloon but stopped to look at him. The long pause of silence between them as the stranger just stared at him. "What are you looking at partner?" Dutch asked wondering why he was so curious. "Nothing sir." Dr Derulo said and walked into the Saloon, eyeing him before he disappeared behind the door.
Arthur had his face in his hands, Hosea patting his back gently as Arthur tried not to cry. "That's a lot to deal with I never knew how much Izzy meant to you," Hosea said, and Arthur flung his hand off him. "It's not Izzy I care about." Arthur angrily barked and paused, realizing for himself his feelings. "Then, who?" Hosea asked. Arthur had tried his best to tell the story, but Hosea had a hard time keeping up with the details. "Son you're not making a whole lot of sense." Hosea crossed his arm over his knees and tried to look Arthur in the face. Arthur kept his head hung low as he stared at the ground. "I have to go," Arthur said abruptly and stood up. "Son you just got back, there is too much danger out there for you now best lay low till things die down," Hosea said and stood up trying to stop Arthur who pulled on his red leather coat and brown checked shirt. In his trunk was an old warn out pistol holder he had not worn in a long time.
"Okay listen here, I got a good lead I want to look in too. You take me to town, I will watch your back, and you watch mine okay? Whatever this thing is you have to do. I will support you, but I don't want to see you get into any more trouble, alright?" Hosea helped Arthur get his things together including handing him a new box of pistol bullets from his stash. "Okay... what should we do," Arthur asked. "Well first, let's get the cart, we can go into town shopping for supplies, and we will say you're my cousin. We're looking to buy some supplies, and we sneak in and sneak out. I'll talk to my contact, and you finish your last errands before we lay low for a while at camp. Just don't do anything stupid." Hosea warned at they climbed up onto the cart. Susan was running up to them as they began to pull off. "Hosea! Arthur! Where on earth are you going?" "I'm grabbing those supplies I talked about, and I'll make sure to bring Dutch home," Hosea shouted as he and Arthur rode out of camp. Arthur was driving the cart as they ventured back to Blackwater as Mrs Grimshaw hollered in the distance that they were a bunch of fools.
They arrived just before sundown, the town had returned to normal now that the investigation completed. The townsfolk were walking openly on the streets once again not shy to the occasional shoot out and paying no mind to Arthur and Hosea as they rolled on. "Alright this should do it, I'll meet you here in an hour. No longer alright. We need to be in and out quick." Hosea warned and walked up to Arthur. This time was whispering to him. "Listen, if someone saw you, they will remember you. Keep your head down and this hat on. Stay out of public spaces and stick to the shadows. If you get in heat, shoot your pistol three times in a row, and I will come to find you." Hosea patted him on the back and picked up a rucksack from the carriage and headed to the carpenters' place. Arthur nodded silently and look to the Saloon at the other end of the street. Only one thing on his mind as he marched off to find it.
The Saloon was busy as usual, and Arthur avoided going inside through the front door. Instead, he ventured to the back patio where some people were chatting and smoking in the lantern light — sneaking past them quietly as they talked loudly about the days' excitement. Inside Arthur stood in the shadows of the back and glanced around, looking for her. Rosalyn, who was still sat at the table in the back drinking from a bottle of whiskey to herself. Rosalyn looked like she was on guard, her feet up on the table with a hat at over her face. Arthur snuck up on her rather quickly, which he discovered was so easy because Rosalyn had fallen asleep — drunk in the tavern with a pistol in hand and scattered chocolate wrappers and cigarettes on the table.
Arthur looked around again, noticing no one in Rosalyn's caravan was there with her. "Rosalyn." He whispered and shook her gently. "You need to go to bed," Arthur whispered as Rosalyn shook awake. She panicked and went to raised her pistol, but Arthur stopped her with a firm hand. "Easy it's just me." Arthur said hopefully, did she already know? "Arthur?" Rosalyn asked as his face came into view. The blur of alcohol fogging up her mind. "She's really really dead this *hic* time," Rosalyn said intoxicated making Arthur sigh. "Come on, let me take you to your room." Arthur helped Rosalyn stand up and holstered her pistol. They got a few steps before a bar patron stopped them. "Hey mister, the lady said she wanted to be alone." The stranger warned. Arthur tried not too look at them and kept his had down over his face. "That's why I am putting her to bed. I won't be staying. Back off, I lost my friend today too." He said, the honesty of his feelings expressed in his voice. "Thank you *hic* sir. He's my friend. Right, Arthur? you're my friend?" Rosalyn asked in a way that made Arthur's heartache.
"Yes... I am your friend." Arthur gently said as Rosalyn rested her head on his shoulder, walking with him up the stairs to her room. "I met Dutch... talked to him for a long time," Rosalyn said as she fumbled with the keys to the door. Arthur took them from her as she dropped them. Arthur unlocked the door and guided her inside. "He's a bad man," Rosalyn said and let go of Arthur and stumbled inside over to the bed sitting on the edge of it with a sway as Arthur closed the door. "Dutch the best man I know," Arthur said and looked to Rosalyn. "Sadly, if he's the best, you know. You've been robbed of good role models." Rosalyn said and stared at Arthur. "What do you want? The money?" She asked with a look.
Had she figured it out? "I don't want your money," Arthur said and stood by the door sheepishly. "What do you want?" Rosalyn asked. "I... I want to tell you what happened." Arthur struggled to say as he took off his hat, not wanting to hide under it when speaking to her. Rosalyn went quiet, her eyes sad as she looked at him, afraid of what he was going to say. "What happened?"Rosalyn asked as her chest felt heavy. Arthur was quite like the words had gotten stuck in his throat. "What happened!?" Rosalyn asked again this time standing up and marching up to his face. "What happened to Isabella Morningstar Arthur!" Rosalyn shouted. "Dutch was in trouble. I had to do something..." Arthur's stumbled on his words nervously shifting in his boots. "It was Colm O'Driscoll," Arthur said finally. "He got away." Arthur lied and looked Rosalyn in the eyes as she stared to him. "Colm?" She asked with a shaky breath. "Yes," Arthur confirmed after a long pause.
Rosalyn felt the entire world crush her again, "After she came all this way... survived to what? Warn me?... This is all my fault!" Rosalyn almost fell over her heels, as if she had been shot herself. Arthur scrambled to catch her before she fell. Rosalyn had given up on standing taking Arthur down to the floor in the many layers of her eloquent dress. Rosalyn broke down and clung onto Arthur's chest crying, her tears falling onto the bare skin of his opened collar as he sat there holding her. He desperately hugged Rosalyn hoping that she would not spot the lie in his eyes. "I'm sorry," Arthur said and held her. Rosalyn's hand held the back of Arthur's neck, gripped on his long hair as she left no space between them. Arthur felt so much shame, he didn't deserve her love or affection, yet he greedily took it as she clung to him. He was holding her close as his nose buried into her golden hair, the soft smell of strawberries buried under cigar smoke and gunpowder.
Distracted by her sweet smell Rosalyn pulled back and kissed him. Arthur's heart stopped in his chest as she started to kiss him passionately. He should have pushed her off, stopped her or resisted but this time he didn't. Arthur crushed his lips into Rosalyn's and bear-hugged her. Rosalyn ripping open the buttons of his shirt as she straddled his lap. Arthur pulled the ribbon on the back of her dress loose. He shrugged off his jacket as Rosalyn pulled the bulk of her dress off. Sitting in his lap in her creamy white slip which he kissed her breasts through. Rosalyn's fingers dug into his hair as Arthur caressed her breasts.