*Author's Note*

Thank you for the favs, follows, and reviews.

I'm so sorry that it's been a while since I updated this. Life got a bit crazy for a while, but it's slowed down now so I got time to write again. Hope ya'll like this new chapter.

Unexpected Encounter

Shaw POV:

"Shaw! Shaw, wake up!" I heard my brother shout, roughly shaking me as I slept. "Shaw, wake up! Everybody's gone!"

"What?!" I groggily roared. Boltin' upright to sit in my bed, I growled, "What'd you mean everybody's gone?!"

"Just what I said, nobody's here." Todd told me in a serious tone.

"Where'd they go?! Huh?!" I demanded cause no way in hell did they just disappear. Hell, how did they just leave?

"I dunno, but they're not here." My brother shrugged.

"Fuck! Fuck! Where could they be?" I asked, mainly myself, as I ran my hands thru my hair in frustration.

"I dunno? Maybe they went to the main house?" Todd weakly suggested, tryin' to sound hopeful in our dire situation.

"I hope so, cause if not then that means Jessa just kidnapped my kids and done ran off." I spat, feelin' my blood boil with hatred at the mere thought.

"If she ran off maybe it was to Granny Delize's in Virginia cause things are so heated here with 'em McCoys." My brother, who was turnin' out to be a helluva livestock trader, suggested.

"Shit." I sighed, running my hand over my face. "Looks like I gotta write that old hag a letter inquirin' 'bout my family. Gotta tell Devil Anse they're gone too."

"Devil Anse was talkin' 'bout takin' the clan deep up into the mountains since the settlement's just 'bout done."

"I know, Todd." I snapped, causin' him to flinch. "Damnit, if I can't find them then they won't be comin' with us to the mountain settlement." I couldn't have that happen. I needed my family up there in those cold remote mountains with me. They were my family. Mine! They're supposed to be with me and nowhere else.

Jessa POV:

I'm not sure how long I was asleep for, but when I woke up, I had a horrible stiff neck and still felt exhausted. I guess after almost being choked to death and running away with my kids to Kentucky, I'd be exhausted for a while. Especially since my body was still run down and healing from my miscarriage. Of course, it's always one thing after the other with me. I noticed that on the dresser was a neatly folded dress along with a wash basin and pitcher of water. Aunt Betty was so kind to do that. I wonder if she set the kids up with rooms. She probably did, but I guess I just wanted to know that they were safe and sound.

I gingerly pushed myself off of my bed and made my way over to the nearby dresser. It hurt to walk, but I was pushing myself since I knew I had to get cleaned up and see a lawyer. My original plan of seeing Lawyer Brooksdale is a bust. Aunt Betty's going to suggest that I talk to Perry Cline and Brenton Landon and, knowing my luck, she probably sent word to them by now about my predicament. Well, I guess I can't be too picky about my McCoy family lawyer. As long as I can get a divorce, well, I'll use any lawyer that I can.

Quickly, I washed up and got dressed. As I walked out of the room and downstairs, my body stopped protesting the movements; ached less and less. By time I reached the kitchen, where Betty was making pastry dough, I felt more mobile. "Thank you for the clean dress, Aunt Betty." I gratefully told the old woman as I came up to her side.

"Oh, it was no trouble, sugar." She assured me while mixing dough at her kitchen table. "The kids are upstairs asleep." Aunt Betty assured me in a soft tone. Of course, she knew I'd ask about my kids. "You need to see Perry Cline and Brenton Landon; they know from your Cousin Nancy why you were forced to settle with that demon Shaw and I think they can help you prove that your marriage to him ain't right; needs ended."

"I figured you'd say that."

"Sugar, the sooner you get a divorce the sooner you can get word to my nephew; get yourself and the chil'ren off to safety."

"I know." I sighed. The old maid had a point, a very valid one too and I knew it. I was just mentally exhausted from everything, from years of bullshit, and didn't feel like dealing with family lawyers today. Reckon I don't have a choice, since from the look she was giving me, I knew that Aunt Betty wasn't going to let me sit around the house 'til I went to see Perry and Brenton. "I'll go see them in Pikeville once I have some coffee." I assured Aunt Betty as she continued to knead her pastry dough.

"There's something leftover on the stove if you're hungry, sugar. Coffee's on the stove, still hot too."

"Thank you, Aunt Betty."

After having a small bite to eat and some coffee, I left Aunt Betty's farmhouse and went to Pikeville to see the McCoy family lawyers. As I rode along the desolate country road that led to town, I was a bit jittery and afraid that I'd be found and brought back to Shaw, which was a fate worse than spending an eternity in hell.

Thankfully, I made it to Pikeville without any problems.

After pulling up to Perry's law office, I pulled the break on my wagon and gingerly climbed down since I was still feeling stiff and wobbly. I'm sure I must look like holy hell since passersby were staring wide-eyed at me. One woman even gasped and rushed down the plank sidewalk, dragging her young child behind her, once she took a good look at the finger sized bruises and strangle marks on my porcelain skin. I didn't blame the town's folk one bit for their rection. If our places were reversed, I'm sure I'd be staring wide-eyed too.

Clutching my skirts tightly, since I felt slightly anxious about being in town, I rounded my wagon and made my way over to the plank sidewalk. As I stepped on it, the sound of the law office's doorbell chimed and out walked non-other than Bad Frank Philips himself. Oh, hell no! Fuck no! I'm screwed! I'm so screwed! He's gonna rat me out to Shaw, I just know it.

As soon as the bounty hunter turned lawman looked at me, his brown eyes widened, only to burn black and squint in disgust. "That so called husband of yours tried to strangle ya to death rather than just divorce you." He stated, not asked, in a firm, but gravelly tone.

"Y-yes." I shakily nodded. I didn't know what to make of the exchange, but I was praying that the hardened man would show me mercy.

"I don't believe in killin' women an' chil'ren. Just ain't right, no matter the circumstances." Bad Frank told me as he closed the gap between us. "Y'have my word, Miss McCoy, that I won't tell him where you're at."

My eyes widened at hearing him call me Miss McCoy. Did Perry and Brenton tell him what Nancy told them? That I got stuck with Shaw in an attempt to keep Tolbert safe from him? Schooling my features, I gestured to my neck and told Bad Frank, "The circumstances for this was Shaw Elderidge findin' out that I never wanted him but got stuck makin' a bargain to be with him to keep my common-law husband, Tolbert McCoy, safe from harm. A bargain he broke when he hunted him down at his still; shot and killed him in a jealous fight of drunken rage."

"Ain't a good 'nough reason to attempt murderin' ya." Bad Frank told me, only to add in, "Ya might want to ask Lawyer Perry Cline and his brother-in-law Brenton Landon a bit 'bout the legality of your marriage. From as I understand from my knowledge of the law, if Mr. McCoy didn't take you off his accounts and land documents or didn't get somethin' notarized sayin' he divorced you or ya'll weren't no more common-law, then your marriage to my informant might not be entirely legal."

"What?" Whooshed out as I blinked like an owl. His words took me aback. I never thought of my situation like that.

"Yes, ma'am." The weasel faced man nodded. "I got divorced out west, during my outlaw days, and ya need documents signs and a wife taken off things or else she's still your wife. Common-law or church wed, makes no difference. Gotta have some kind of divorce decree." Oh, wow. I didn't know he was divorced. That was something my history book never got into. No wonder he gave me that sage advice.

"Thank you, Mr. Phillips, for the advice. I'll be sure to bring it up to Perry and Brenton, since I'm seeing them about my marriage problems anyways."

"You're welcome, ma'am." He tipped his hat at me before heading across the street.

Well, that was an unexpected encounter.

Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I marched over to the door of the law office and swung the door open. The doorbell loudly rang, causing both Perry Cline and Brenton Landon to look up at me. Their eyes widened in horror as they took sight of me standing in the doorway. Reckon I looked like a ghost back from the grave with the strangle marks and bruises littering my neck like sick, fucked up hickeys of evil and malic.

"Fuckin' hell, that bastard Shaw tried to strangle the life out of you cause he figured out you're still legally a McCoy; that he blackmailed you into a sham." Brenton Landon blurted out as Perry looked at me with sympathy shinning in his otherwise cunning eyes.

Well, looks like getting the McCoy lawyers to help me's going to be easier than I thought.

AN:

Sorry for this being so short, but I wanted to get something out since it's been so long since I updated this. Next part will pick up where this left off.