The Threads of Fate

by westerns never die

Anne Cartwright is Joe's twin sister, the often times spoiled only daughter among three brothers. Headstrong and used to getting her own way, she tags along on a trip to deliver the Pauite Wabuska to Fort Churchill. Along the way, the group runs into a dark-haired drifter with laughing blue eyes who eventually becomes more than a stranger passing in the night.

54. Never Say Die

A/N: This chapter is why I originally began writing a Bonanza fanfiction. Candy's disappearance was never explained in the show, he just vanished and then popped back up in the season 14 premier without so much as a "where have you been for two years?" Considering he was their foreman when he left, I figured it should have taken something major to make him just up and leave. This is my interpretation on why he left and I hope you enjoy it.

Warning: super long chapter.

Today on Bonanza: Never Say Die.

---

"What's the matter, Hop Sing?" Their cook was muttering to himself in Chinese, and that was usually not a good sign. He wrung his hands as he fumbled through the cabinets.

"Hop Sing miscount," he said sharply. "Not have enough for Mistah Candy's pies." His face fell a little and he sighed. She bit her lip. Would it be better for him to think he hadn't had enough to begin with, or to tell him Candy had slipped into the kitchen earlier and made off with a can?

Though, the fact he'd managed to slip anywhere right now and get away with it was almost worth a little reward in and of itself. A broken leg didn't exactly lend itself to stealth. Her heart skipped a beat.

They'd almost lost him. Doc Martin had told them even another day or two and it would have been too late, even amputation may not have been enough to save his life. Her stomach churned, but Annie forced it to settle.

She couldn't give anything away, not now, not ever.

"Would you like me to ride to town and get a few more cans?" Hop Sing's face lit up. "Anything else while I'm there?" Their cook scratched his head and disappeared into the depths of his pantry, talking to himself all the while. After a couple of minutes, he stuck his head out of the pantry.

"Peaches all Hop Sing need."

"I'll be back soon." She pushed off the wall and headed for the old sideboard. Candy was on her mother's settee, feigning interest in a book. He tossed the volume aside and struggled to his feet.

"Please, sweetheart, let me come, too. I'm going crazy stuck in here." Her gut twisted; she forced a smile to her face. He had no way of knowing how much the nickname hurt, and she could never tell him, not without running the risk of losing him.

The last three and a half weeks of his recovery had been nerve-wracking, and that was on the good days. When the pain had gotten to him enough he'd finally accepted laudanum, it had practically killed her to watch his struggle to hide it from them. Had he thought – even now, after everything – that they would turn him out? Think him weak, or useless?

She'd wanted to comfort him, tell him he was part of the family forever, but the words wouldn't come. Not when she wanted to say far more than her internal bargain would allow. If a brother was all he wanted to be, she had to leave it at that.

"That man will do anything you ask of him," Padre Javier whispered in her earonce more. Perhaps. But how could she ask him for something he clearly didn't want to give? He might pretend for a while, but in the end, it would destroy them.

"What would Doc say?"

"Doc's not here," Candy said reasonably. "Come on, please?"

"If you hurt yourself again, you're explaining it to him, not me." A hint of his usual grin split his face.

"Deal."

"I'll saddle the horses."

---

"You have no idea how good it feels to be out of that house." Candy drew in a deep breath of the pine scented air. Annie threw him a look, complete with raised eyebrow, and he laughed. "Okay, maybe you do."

"I was stuck in bed far longer than you, remember?" The echo of pain slipped across her chest and she winced. She'd do it again, without hesitation, but that didn't mean it hadn't hurt. Or that she'd feared her snap decision would cost her far more than she'd initially considered. It had been a gamble that he wouldn't dare shoot Ben Cartwright's only daughter, and she'd lost that bet, overlooking how deep his hatred had embedded itself.

At least his aim hadn't been true. Erin he would have shot to kill, there was no doubt about that. But he had hesitated, just enough.

"Don't remind me." Candy's face darkened for an instant, then he was looking around again. "Freedom." That one word sent a chill down her spine. If ever she'd harbored delusional thoughts of begging him to love her, that shattered them.

Candy was a wolf, a drifter, not the kind of man who could be tied down … hadn't he said it himself so many times over the past three years? He'd resent her before too long, then she would resent him, and what would they have then?

No, it was far better to let things stay as they were. She couldn't lose the only real friend she'd ever had.

"Yeah." They turned off the Ponderosa's private road and onto the main trail. "Feel up to a canter?" He grinned.

"Race you." The Honeycomb gelding shot forward, kicking up dust, and Annie sputtered in panicked speechlessness.

"You idiot!" She pushed Blue to a gallop and they pounded down the road, side by side. "What if you fall off?"

"I was riding before I could walk," he shot back over the thunder of hooves. Annie rolled her eyes.

"You can't really walk now, so what's the difference?" Their normal banter rolled off her tongue so easily, she could almost forget how stilted it had been at times lately. Candy laughed, but didn't reply, the light in his eyes dimming for some reason only he knew. She bit her lip and nothing else was said until they flew down the main street and pulled up in front of Roy's office.

"I win." He threw her a triumphant smirk.

"The real question is, can you get down?" Roy's dry tone followed the thump of his office door. The grizzled sheriff pushed back his hat and studied them. "I don't figure Doc is gonna be too happy with you if you mess up his pretty patch job."

"I'm fine, Roy. Just had to get out for a while." The sheriff hummed a reply and scratched his head.

"So, what brings you two into town? Last time either one of you rode in like that, we had trouble."

"If you ask Hop Sing, we do." Annie shifted her weight. "He ran out of peaches for a couple of pies he planned to make today. We're celebrating."

"Me walking across the living room without help does not warrant a party."

"You gonna tell him that? I happen to like eating, but hey, it's your stomach." Roy chuckled, then sobered.

"It's good to see you up and about, Candy." His throat worked. "You're a sight better than the last time I seen you." Annie bit her lip knowing exactly what he was seeing when his gaze drifted past them to the street.

Feverish. An infected arm. Broken leg. Delirious from pain and the fear he'd lose his arm. A shudder ran down her spine and Roy's eyes narrowed. She forced a smile, but he didn't stop looking at her for another moment.

"Well, I better not hold you up any longer." He tugged out his pocket watch and glanced at the face. "10:34. I best be getting over to the cafe before all the roast beef is gone. Later, Annie. Candy."

"Sheriff," they chorused in unison and turned their horses. The hitch rail in front of the mercantile was empty when they stopped. She hopped down instantly, but Candy took his time making sure his leg was properly situated before he put his weight on it. He stumbled a few steps, but by the time they walked inside, he was walking almost normally.

"Candy, good to see you!" Wayne Purcell was the first, but far from the last, customer in the mercantile to greet them before they reached the counter. Alicia touched his arm and smiled softly as she added her well wishes to those of her husband.

The only bad apple was Mrs. Smith, who stood there at the counter, her nose in the air, watching them approach with ill-concealed scorn. And disgust.

"Shameful," she hissed under her breath. Her hands twitched and she spun away in a whirl of skirts and stomped out the door, ignoring her packages sitting on the counter. Sam shook his head and tucked them out of the way.

"Don't mind her." He came around the counter and clapped a hand on Candy's shoulder. "Good to see you, son. What can I do for you today?"

"Hop Sing needs some canned peaches," Annie said. "He … miscounted … and doesn't have enough for his pies." Sam's eyebrow twitched.

"He did, huh? Lucky I have several cans in stock. How many you need?"

"Four?"

"One minute." He rang them up and she handed over the coins. "A pleasure doing business with you. You two take it easy, now."

"We will." Annie said absently, her gaze locked on Candy's legs as they headed for the door. Was he limping more than he had been? He stumbled a little on the way outside and she slipped under his arm just before he could fall. "Maybe you should have brought the cane Doc insisted you use?" She tried to keep it light, but this close, it was impossible to ignore her feelings. How could she not at least ask him how he felt?

"I'm fine." But there were beads of sweat on his forehead, and he looked pale, at least to her. Too much, too soon. Why had she thought it would be any different? He hadn't been born a Cartwright, but he was just like them.

"How about we let Doc Martin decide that?" She maneuvered them close enough to Blue's saddle she could tuck the bag of cans inside the flap without letting go of Candy.

"I don't –"

"Pa sees you like this and he'll have Doc ride out, so you might as well get it over with now." A rough chuckle escaped his throat.

"I guess." He wiped his face and adjusted his grip on her arm. "Lead on, sweetheart." Her heart slammed against her ribs and she prayed he wouldn't feel it.

She was glad Doc was waiting for them in front of his office. The man had probably watched the whole show from his window considering how his arms were crossed over his chest and the almost scowl on his face. "I distinctly recall telling you to stay close to home for at least a month." His hands parked themselves on his hips. "I suppose I should be grateful you had more sense than to ride out alone." Candy shrugged. "Well, I hope you didn't cause any more damage." He turned and held open the door. "Just like the rest of them," he muttered under his breath.

---

"Well, the bone is mending nicely. You're lucky it didn't come through the skin." Doc Martin tugged Candy's pant leg back down over his boot and leaned back in his chair. Annie closed her eyes against the thought. If it had … oh, she didn't want to think about that. "Just make sure you don't overdue it, that leg is still fragile. As for your arm …" He shook his head. "I'm amazed at how well it's healed. You'll have a scar, but that's better than the alternative." Annie swallowed hard, bile threatening to rise in her throat.

"Trust me, Doc, I'm never gonna forget that." Candy slid carefully off the exam table and winced when his foot touched the floor. Doc pretended not to see it, but his face gave him away. "I'm going straight home, all right? I don't plan on doing anything more strenuous than eating a peach pie." Doc's mouth twitched.

"Well, I see nothing wrong with that." He squeezed Candy's shoulder. "I'm glad to see you, son."

"Bye, Doc, and thanks." Annie waited until Candy slipped his arm around her shoulders before she started for the door.

It was a slow, halting process to reach the horses, and it left Candy sweating and pale again. Annie arched an eyebrow and he rolled his eyes before he carefully swung into the saddle. "I'm fine." She held her tongue and headed out of Virginia City at a walk. He might protest, but she knew him well enough to know he couldn't handle anything faster right now.

The clock at the courthouse chimed eleven as they left Virginia City behind them.

---

"Hop Sing, you've outdone yourself," her father announced as their cook placed a golden-brown pie in the center of the table. Pride covered the little man's face.

"Hop Sing glad Mistah Candy is better." He left the table and returned with a second pie. "Must celebrate."

"Oh, we are, Hop Sing, don't you worry about that." Hoss reached for the closer pie and Erin slapped his hand. "Dadburnit, woman, what was that for?" His wife laughed and laid her hand on his arm.

"Candy gets the first piece."

"Oh." Her brother shifted in his chair and Joe let loose with a cackle. Ben raised an eyebrow, instantly bringing them all under control.

"Erin is correct, this is Candy's celebration, after all." He nodded at Hop Sing and the cook began to cut the steaming pie, the rich scent of baked peaches making Annie's mouth water.

Furious pounding at the front door startled Hop Sing and he dropped the knife to the table with a clatter and disgusted muttering in Chinese. Ben laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't fret, I'll see who it is." Annie turned in her chair, watching as he hurried to the door, and whoever was still pounding on the other side. "Yes? Roy, what –"

"Where is he?" A strange voice rose in anger and a man with a badge on his chest shot around the corner, stopping feet from the table. "You, get up." His gun was in his hand before anyone could do more than blink. "Out of the way, girl." It took a split second longer than it should have to register that it was Candy he'd addressed … Candy he was glaring at with pure hatred roiling in his eyes. But once it did, there was no way in hell she was giving him a clear shot.

"What's the meaning of this?" Her father's voice rose in disgusted anger, the familiar warning note ringing loud and clear, demanding the stranger tread carefully, lawman or not. "Put that gun away, right now."

"Not a chance, Ben, not after what he did. Get up, Canaday!" Annie reached back and gripped his arm, pleading with him not to even blink sideways. Whatever was going on, this fellow had a hair trigger and he was just begging for a chance to use it. "Girl, move, now!"

"No."

"What's going on, Roy?" Joe shifted in his chair, and the stranger's gun swung to him. He froze. Erin clutched Hoss' arm, probably begging him not to move.

"I done spent three hours trying to explain to this fool it can't have been Candy but he wouldn't listen."

"What can't have been Candy?" Her father stepped between the lawman and her. "Put that away, now. If you'll tell us what's going on, I'm sure we can clear this up."

"Can you bring a man back from the dead?" The lawman's face twisted. "Your foreman robbed the Carson City bank this morning and left a teller and the bank president dead."

Shock rendered them all mute. It ended up being Candy who found his voice first. "I haven't been in Carson for over a month," he protested, voice shaking slightly. "Ask anyone."

"Don't lie, I saw you running for your horse!" Annie pushed back her chair and slowly stood, keeping her hands out to her sides and her gaze locked on the sheriff.

"Candy." One word, that's all it took. She heard the chair scrape on the floor and his grunt of effort as he steadied himself against the chair back. "If you couldn't catch him right now, you're pathetic."

"Anne." Ben's voice held a warning note, a note she chose not to heed. The lawman's gaze slipped over her shoulder as Candy put out a hand, bracing himself against the table.

"Riding into Virginia City this morning was more than he should have been doing, especially since he forgot to bring his cane along. He's been here the rest of the day."

"When did it happen, Sheriff?" Hoss asked quietly.

"Just before eleven o'clock."

"I done told you I seen 'em a few minutes after ten thirty and they didn't leave till eleven, I heard the clock chime the hour as they were riding out." Roy looked about ready to throw his hat to the ground and stomp on it. "I don't know who you seen, but I saw Candy."

"I saw him, and so did almost a dozen others," the other lawman growled. "In Carson City."

"I got just as many that seen him here," Roy exploded. "Don't turn him over, Ben."

"If he doesn't come in now, I'll bring a posse, Cartwright, and we'll drag him in, alive or dead." Annie's breath caught in her throat and she stepped back, reaching for his hand and clutching it tight, feeling the slam of his heart against her back.

"Mr. Cartwright –"

"You're not going anywhere, Candy," he interrupted. "Much less Carson City." Her father's back stiffened and his hands landed on his hips. "You're not taking my foreman off this ranch."

"I've got the law on my side, Cartwright!"

"We'll see about that. Hoss, ride into town, send a wire to our attorney in Reno, have him secure a meeting with the governor."

"You got it, Pa." Her older brother shuffled away from the table, giving Erin's arm a quick, reassuring squeeze. He skirted wide around the enraged sheriff and snatched his hat and gun belt off the old sideboard, then hurried out the door.

"He's coming with me, Cartwright."

"No," her father said evenly, his voice granite hard. "I catch any posses trespassing on my property and they'll wish they hadn't stepped foot on my land." A shiver ran down her spine. There was a tone to his voice that hadn't been there in over a decade, hearkening back to the Ben Cartwright of 1859.

"Are you threatening me?"

"I don't have to threaten, Sheriff. Now get out." He stabbed a finger at the door. "Right now. Before I yank that gun out of your hand and throw you out." Joe edged up on his side of the table, and Erin eased back, everyone positioning themselves for a worst case scenario. Annie tensed, ready to dive for the floor, taking Candy with her.

The sheriff roughly holstered his pistol and stormed for the door, pausing halfway there to turn and throw one last comment over his shoulder. "I'll be back, Cartwright, and that killer is coming with me if I have to kill every single one of you." The door slammed hard enough to rattle the walls. Candy dropped to his chair, gasping for breath that wouldn't come.

"He's lying, I didn't – I haven't been – I –" His face paled as his eyes searched their faces, desperation burning like a forest fire. Her father brushed past her and touched Candy's shoulder.

"Easy, son, easy. Easy now. Shh. I know you're innocent, you don't have to say a word. Joe, help him to the sofa. Hop Sing, some water, please." The cook wrung his hands, looking like he wanted to throttle the cake server he was holding.

"I bring." He disappeared into the kitchen and Annie struggled to speak.

"They have to be framing him."

"That thought crossed my mind." Ben rubbed the back of his neck. "I just don't know why." Hop Sing returned with a pitcher of water and five glasses. Candy waved his away, as did Annie. If she drank anything right now, she was afraid it would come straight back up. Candy leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees, breathing like he was about to pass out. "Easy, now. That sheriff will not take you anywhere, I promise."

"He's got witnesses …"

"So do we, Candy the whole town saw us!" Annie sat beside him and laid a hand on his back. "It'll be okay, we'll prove he's lying." He turned, panic flooding his eyes, and she swallowed hard, raising her head to turn pleading eyes on her father.

"Ben …" Roy stepped forward, hat in hand. "It won't look good for him if they have to drag him in."

"I'm not letting that man take him anywhere."

"From the sound of things, Carson City is screaming for his head." Candy shuddered.

"They're not getting it," Annie spit through her teeth. "It wasn't him, it couldn't have been! He was right beside me when it happened." Roy laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Missy, you don't have to convince me none, I saw him, too. Ben, his only chance is to get the trial moved out of Carson City, he'll never get an impartial jury in that town."

"It won't get that far, surely?" Erin wrung her hands. "It can't."

"They'll never agree to moving it for the same reason: he knows they'd never get a conviction in Virginia City." Ben's eyes were worried, and that scared her. If he wasn't sure, how much of a chance did they really have?

"Reno may be his best chance."

"Why are we admitting defeat?" She shot to her feet and stormed across the room, fighting the urge to throw something. "Make that sheriff sit down and talk to everyone we saw in town this morning, they can tell him the truth."

"Missy, I gathered everyone together when he first rode in and they talked till they was blue in the face, same as me. It made no difference, Gage thinks he knows what he saw and he ain't budging from it. All I could get him to do was leave his posse in town."

"But it couldn't have been Candy he saw!" Her heart slammed against her ribs.

"Annie." Ben shushed her and wrapped her in his arms. "We'll get to the bottom of this, I promise." He guided her back to the sofa and settled her beside Candy. "No one is getting railroaded, no matter what I have to do." Candy swallowed hard and raised his head slowly.

"Thanks," he whispered hoarsely, and her father squeezed his shoulder.

"It'll be all right. Roy, I'll be in tomorrow morning and we'll see what we can figure out. Get us some time with Judge Faraday, please." She didn't like that tone, he sounded like what he was really saying was they were going to need all the help they could get. "Joe, I don't want any of you leaving the house tomorrow until I return."

"Pa," Erin's Irish brogue had thickened, something that only happened when she was riled. "What if they come for him?" Ben swallowed hard.

"Then your sister is in charge."

---

No one felt like eating after Roy left. Hop Sing, for the only time in his life, didn't utter a squeak of protest over the wasted food, clearing the table in stunned silence.

Candy didn't budge off the sofa, his head buried in his hands, shaking like a leaf in a thunderstorm. She tried to reassure him, but her words fell on deaf ears. The four of them ended up sitting around, staring at the floor until Hoss returned shortly after dark. Annie took one look at his face and her heart crashed to her boots.

"Well?" Her mountain of a brother shifted uneasily, crushing his hat in his hands. He sighed at last, and tossed the shapeless lump on the sideboard.

"He says it'll look better for Candy if he comes in on his own to answer the charges."

"But he didn't do it!" Annie leaped off the sofa and Hoss shook his head.

"All of Virginia City knows that, but Carson City won't believe it. And Faraday stopped me on the way home." Her father sighed.

"What did he have to say?"

"He says to bring him in."

"No." Ben shoved his chair back and stood, eyes dark with anger. "He's not setting foot in Carson City."

"Yes, sir. He figured you'd say that and he said he'd personally take responsibility for it if we'd bring him to Virginia City instead."

"No." Their father began to pace. "What about the governor?"

"He can't do anything until a trial has actually taken place and Candy's been convicted –"

"Is he out of his mind?!" Annie thought her heart would rip in two. "He wouldn't even be governor if it weren't for us!" Ben rushed to her.

"Annie, he can't legally do anything yet. I just wanted to let him know what's going on." So it wouldn't take as long later, should they need his help. She swallowed back bile. If he already thought they were going to need a stay of … her stomach turned over. No. She wasn't going to think like that. How many times in the past had they outwitted frame jobs or mistaken identities? They could do it again, they had to do it again. "Candy." The sharp edge to his voice brought their foreman's head up when nothing else had. "I don't know what's going on, but I promise you we'll get to the bottom of this." Ben rubbed the back of his neck. "It has to be a frame up, but for the life of me I can't figure out what they stand to gain."

"No one can," Hoss said slowly. "I must have had a couple dozen people come up and tell me they know Candy's innocent."

"What's the point?" Joe spit out. "Everyone knows Candy hasn't been in any shape to leave the ranch for almost a month, how do they think they can get away with it? That sheriff saw him just now."

"Joe …" Ben's attention shifted to his son. "We'll –"

"You have to take me in." Candy's shaky voice silenced them all. Annie's heart slammed against her ribs.

"No."

"If you don't, they'll come and get me." His hands trembled in his lap and he bowed his head. "That sheriff will bring an army …" Ben laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "I can't let any of you get hurt."

"We'll be fine." Joe worked his hands. "You heard what Hoss said, Virginia City will stand with us if it comes to a fight."

"Will they, Joe?" Candy looked up, devastation coloring his face. "Mr. Cartwright … you have to take me in." He moved to stand and Ben stopped him. "It's the only way." He seemed to choke on the words. "You know it is."

Oh, Candy. He wanted to run, it was in his eyes, in every line creasing his face. They all saw it, even Erin who'd only known him such a short time. Her sister-in-law caught her eye and swallowed hard. Annie choked on the lump in her throat. If anyone could run and manage to evade the law, it would be him, but how could that be better?

He'd be hunted for the rest of his life, they'd never know if he was all right, only if he'd been caught, and by then it would be too late to do anything but mourn.

"All right," her father said gently. "But not to Carson City. We'll leave first thing in the morning. No one shoots first, but if someone else starts something, by God, we'll finish it."

---

They rode into Virginia City armed for bear, Ben leading the way, his face set in stern lines, Joe and Annie on either side of Candy, Hoss and Erin bringing up the rear, a ring of hands circling them. People pointed and whispered, some rushing over to offer words of encouragement. Her father merely nodded his thanks, and they rode on, stopping only when they reached Roy's office. Annie swung down first, her rifle draped over her arm, as Joe and Hoss moved to help Candy dismount.

The door flew open, and Carson's sheriff stood in the gap, hands dangling at his sides, his right perilously close to his gun. Annie drew in a breath and Candy paled when he noticed the man.

"Wised up, did you?" The man scoffed. "I knew you'd break." The gathering crowd erupted in a chorus of jeers and protests.

"He can't run anywhere!"

"He can barely stand, he didn't rob no bank!"

"Candy's no murderer!"

"He's being framed!"

They closed ranks around their foreman, slowly helping him into the sheriff's office after Roy swept the other lawman out of the way with a disgusted growl. Candy's limp was more than obvious as he struggled across the room. Roy took pity on him and stopped him halfway, dragging over a chair. He had to shove the other sheriff away again before Candy could sit down. "Gage, I done told you to get! This is my town, and I'm in charge."

"The crime happened in Carson City – my town!"

"This ain't Carson! Clem!" Their friend appeared out of the back room. "Get him out my sight."

"With pleasure, Sheriff." He ushered the other lawman out of the office, none too gently, and bolted the door after him. The crowd outside hissed and jeered, bringing a brief smirk to Clem's face. Roy shook his head in disgust and brought Candy a cup of coffee.

"You look like you need it, son." He patted his shoulder and sighed heavily. "I hope you got something up your sleeve, Ben. If half of what Gage is saying turns out to be true, we've got a fight on our hands."

"But you –" He held up a hand.

"Easy, missy. I know you were both in town when it happened, probably half of Virginia City seen you or knows someone who did. Problem is, Gage is claiming he's got just as many people who seen him running out of the bank with two people dead inside and a heap of money stolen. Frankly, I got two theories and we can't prove neither one just yet."

"Out with it, Roy." Ben sat down in the other chair and took off his hat. "What can we do?"

"Either he's being framed for some reason, or they saw someone who looks like him, and they just assumed it was Candy." Roy stroked his mustache. "Either way, you need to speak to Judge Farraday and get the trial moved out of Carson City."

"They'll never do that, not if they're trying to frame him, they've got to keep it under their influence."

"Reno puts it in Butler's territory," Annie said softly, her heart skipping a beat. "That's not much better than Carson."

"We might get an impartial jury in Reno," Roy said gently. "He doesn't stand a chance in Carson." Ben slapped his hat against his leg and shoved back his chair.

"I'll be back, I'm going to see John." Clem let him out the door and bolted it behind him. Annie drew in a shaky breath and pressed her hand against her mouth. This couldn't be happening. Had it only been yesterday morning they rode into town for peaches? How had everything changed so fast?

"Candy …" Roy cleared his throat nervously. "I got to put you in the cell, they might use it against you if I don't."

"I know." His voice was wrecked. Her brothers helped him hobble back to the cell where he sat down heavily on the bunk against the wall, rubbing his bad leg. The door clanged and Annie's heart kicked. She went over, half dazed, and clutched the bars. He opened his eyes and attempted a ghost of his usual grin, but it fell flat. She swallowed hard, then called over her shoulder.

"Joe, send a hand to Carson City, have him scout the saloons, poke around and see what he can come up with. If they're framing him, someone has to know something about it." Her twin nodded and left the office. Annie flicked a glance at Hoss' wife and Erin cleared her throat and took Hoss by the arm.

"We should take rooms at the hotel, no telling how long it will be before this is straightened up." She gently drew him towards the door. "Come on. Annie will stay with Candy and Roy will not let anything happen." Hoss twisted his hat in his hands and Annie forced a smile.

"Go on. There's nothing you can do here." He looked like he wanted to refuse, but then he looked over at Candy and his throat worked, something flickering in his eyes.

"Yeah. I reckon not. We'll be back soon, Candy."

"I'm not going anywhere," he replied while staring at the floor. Hoss nodded and hurried out after his wife. Roy sighed.

"It ain't locked, in case you didn't already notice." He jerked his chin at the cell. "I trust the two of you. We'll be in the other room." He and Clem left the back room and she darted into the cell and scooted onto the bunk beside him. His shoulders heaved and she wrapped her arms around his back.

"Shh. Pa will figure something out."

"I wish I could have run," he whispered hoarsely. "God, I want to run." His breath hitched. "You saw his face, he believes it was me, he's not faking, Annie."

"Listen to me. No matter where it is, the jury will see you walk into the courtroom, they'll realize you couldn't possibly have run anywhere. They may not want to believe it, but they'll have to. All we need is one man, Candy, one man who believes us." Tears stung her eyes and she blinked hard. He sucked in a shaky breath and raised his head, fear burning bright in his eyes.

"Stay, please."

"I will." Something in him relaxed, and he rested his head on her shoulder as they waited in silence for Ben to return.

When he did, Annie took one look at his face and her heart crashed to her boots. He clutched the bars in white-knuckled hands and his throat worked. Candy didn't move his head from her shoulder. Ben's gaze landed on him, then shifted back to her.

"John is willing to help influence a change of venue, but he's not sure if we can make it happen. Carson City is screaming for justice, and that sheriff is out for blood."

"They're not getting his."

"Once we get to court, the truth will come out. They'll see he couldn't have done it. Candy, don't give up, son. We'll pull it out yet." Slowly, he looked up and swallowed hard.

"I know you'll try, Mr. Cartwright. I don't … I won't blame you if it …" He trailed off and Ben swallowed hard.

"Let's wait and cross that bridge if we come to it, all right? Annie, I'll see you back at the hotel." He turned and left, the door closing behind him with a muted thump. Candy took a deep breath and worked his hands.

"What do you think?" he asked quietly.

"Half the town saw us, no matter what that sheriff believes, he can't ignore that many witnesses."

"But how many 'witnesses' can he call that'll say they saw me in Carson City?"

"Anyone who says they saw you running out of the bank is a liar," she said coldly. Annie jumped to her feet and stormed across the cell in a huff, fingers tugging at the end of her braid. She whipped around. "I'll take the stand and tell them where you were, and I guarantee they won't like it."

"If you were a horse, right now I wouldn't want to be within a mile of you," he choked out on a half laugh, half croak. Candy shifted on the bunk, rubbing his leg, and sighed. "I don't know why, but I'm more afraid now than I was going back to Olympus."

"Why?"

"I shouldn't be, back then I'd only known you a month, with no guarantee I wouldn't be bundled off with Gibbs and abandoned to my fate." His throat worked, and she wondered yet again how many times he'd moved on to the next town because he'd had to, not because he wanted to. "Now … maybe it's the look in his eyes, or …" He swallowed hard.

"Pa never would have left you to fend for yourself."

"I know that now."

"But?" He ran a finger over the brim of his hat, not meeting her eyes. "Candy."

"You got a glimpse of it at Stillwater, but out there, it can get a hell of a lot worse." He motioned out the barred window without taking his gaze off the hat. "I just never thought it would happen somewhere like Carson City. As much influence as Mr. Cartwright wields, as many witnesses as we have, it may not be enough."

"They wouldn't dare lynch you."

"They won't have to," he said sharply. "Not if they can seat twelve men on that jury that believe I'm guilty." His head came up, their eyes locked, and all the air left her lungs in a rush.

"You can't give up."

"Unpin those ears, sweetheart, I'm not." He tossed his hat aside and scraped his hands over his face. "I just learned a long time ago not to get your hopes up about anything. No matter who you have fighting at your back." He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Did you bring the cards?"

---

"Are you two still playing?" Roy scratched his head the next morning and set Candy's breakfast on the bunk beside him. "I'll be back with yours, missy, unless you was fixing to head to the hotel so Ben won't worry?"

"Pa knows where I'm at," she said without taking her eyes off her hand, and laid down a card. Candy dealt her a new one and added a second just as she touched the second card and laid it down as well. Roy whistled softly.

"Dadburnit, how do you do that?" Annie shrugged and Candy hid a smirk.

"Practice," they responded in unison, and the sheriff threw up his hands.

"I give up." He left the cell and headed back out to his office. "I figure Ben and the lawyer will be here soon. Damn Weston," he muttered. "I aim to give that kid sheriff a piece of my mind he shows his face in my town again. Whatever game he's playing, Candy, he ain't gonna get away with it, I promise you that."

"Thanks." His throat worked and Annie swallowed hard. How could anyone believe it, even if they didn't know Candy personally? She laid her cards down and squeezed his hand. He forced a smile, then glanced over her shoulder as the front door opened out in the main office, and several pairs of boots rang on the floor.

"Roy." Her father's voice drifted into the room. "How's he doing?"

"They been playing poker all night. Not sure who's winning, if either one of them is actually keeping score."

"It ain't about winning, Roy." Hoss shuffled over to the door and Annie glanced over her shoulder and offered him a brief smile. "Just the company. Everything all right?"

"Is the lawyer here yet?"

"Yeah." Her father maneuvered past her middle brother, beckoning another man forward.

"Candy, you remember Ed Geltner. If you have no objections, I've hired him to be your attorney."

Candy pushed himself up off the bunk and hobbled unsteadily over to the bars, then looked the man up and down. "He's willing to take my case? I seem to recall he didn't want anything to do with Annie's unless she agreed to plead to a lesser charge."

"Candy –"

"Now, Ben, the boy's got a point, much as I hate to admit it." Ed adjusted his coat sleeves and cleared his throat. "I apologize for that incident." He fiddled with his cuff links and cleared his throat again. "Unfortunately, despite the fact I already have a list of almost two dozen witnesses who can place you in Virginia City when the crime was committed, I'm afraid we're going to be up against it."

"Ed, why?" Her father gestured to her. "She was with him, people saw them, talked to them, and Paul examined his leg. How can Carson City ignore that?" Geltner sighed.

"They can and they will. I took the liberty of stopping in Carson last night on the way back from Reno and it's ugly. Two men are dead and over fifty thousand dollars is gone. I talked to Sheriff Weston and the people who were in the bank when it happened, and they all agree it was Candy that did it."

"But that's impossible!"

"I didn't say it was possible, just that they believe it. Ben, we have to get the trial moved to Reno. We need an impartial jury, or at the very least one without a dog in the fight." The lawyer ran a hand through his thinning hair and sighed. "He stands trial in Carson City, he'll hang. It's as simple as that."

"But he's innocent!" Annie shoved the cell door open. "He was right beside me."

"You don't have to convince me, Annie. I saw him, too. I know they have to be lying, or mistaken, I just can't figure out which it is."

"Weston isn't lying," Candy said slowly, his fingers tightening around the bars. "He believes every word he said."

"It's gonna be a toss up, Ben, and I don't know which way it's gonna go. But we have to get the trial moved to Reno. If we can't manage that …" the lawyer trailed off and raked a hand through his hair again. "I'll do everything I can, but Lord I'm afraid it ain't gonna be near enough."

"We've pulled it out before, Ed." Her father's voice was tense and his fingers worked at the brim of his hat. The lawyer's mouth thinned.

"I'm afraid your luck may have run out."

"No," Annie hissed. "I'll take the stand and make them listen. They can't ignore that many witnesses, they just can't."

"They've got just as many of their own," Geltner quietly reminded her and her heart slammed against her ribs. "And they believe them."

"But they're wrong," she whispered. "They're wrong." Her voice broke and she staggered back against the wall, eyes stinging. "They're wrong," she said again. Her father came over and put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed gently.

"We'll prove it."

"How?" He didn't answer, only held her tighter, and that scared her more than anything else. Until she glanced at Candy over his shoulder and saw the undiluted panic filling his eyes. He wasn't even trying to hide it, and for some reason, that made it more frightening. Her throat closed and she looked away.

They had to prove he was innocent, they just had to.

---

"Anything?" She met Joe at the door; her brother shook his head.

"All Dude and Parker could dig up was the same thing Ed told us. Carson believes it was Candy, no doubts or questions." Joe stripped off his black gloves and tossed them on Roy's desk, then leaned against it, arms crossed over his chest. "I can't understand how, but there it is. No hint of a conspiracy, no one suggesting it could have been someone else, nothing." He pinched his nose and drew in a deep breath. "They think they've got him dead to rights."

"But they don't," she protested. "It's impossible."

"I didn't say it was, Annie, just that they believed it. And do they ever believe it."

"But why? What motive could he have had? His royalties from that mine already total more than what he was supposed to have stolen." Joe stilled. "What?"

"The mine," he said slowly. "What if someone wants the mine?"

"He drew up papers leaving it to Pa if anything happened to him," Annie said quietly. "I think he mentioned it a couple times around town, too."

"Of course you'd know," he muttered under his breath. He threw a quick glance at the half open door to the cells and lowered his voice even farther. "Why haven't you told him?"

"He doesn't want me," she hissed barely loud enough to be heard, her heart breaking again as she finally spoke the words. "We're nothing more than friends."

"You should tell him."

"No."

"If this ends badly, you won't get another chance."

"I'm not going to think like that," she spit, and grabbed her hat. "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere I can find some damn proof," she called over her shoulder, and slammed the door behind her. She stood on the boardwalk, surrounded by the midday crowd of shoppers and passerby, utterly lost for the first time in her life.

What now?

Maybe if she went to Carson herself … no, they'd never tell her a thing. She was too well known, anyone with half a brain would realize who she was and why she was there. Even if someone in that blasted town did know the truth, the rest of them would make sure she never heard it.

She rushed down the boardwalk and flew into Judge Faraday's office. He glanced up and sighed heavily. "I haven't heard back from Judge Butler yet. For what it's worth, I hope we can pull this off." He stacked a pile of papers and folded his hands on the desk. "Ed came by a little while ago. He's got everything ready, including a list of witnesses a mile long that places Candy here when it happened. Normally, I would suggest we delay the trial itself, just to give ourselves time to locate someone else who could have done it, but in this case, time is our enemy. We need the jury to see how difficult it is for him to walk, and realize he couldn't have run anywhere without us constantly telling them."

"They couldn't possibly think he's faking, could they?"

"A Carson City jury would, but one from Reno? I don't know." Faraday ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "We're in for a fight, Anne." Their gazes locked. "It's gonna be one hell of a fight." Numb, she managed to nod her head and back out the door without stumbling.

She ended up in the Bucket of Blood, an untouched beer on the table, staring at the picture on the far wall without really seeing anything. At least a dozen people came over to offer their support, which she accepted automatically, her mind spinning faster than the wheels on a runaway train.

Geltner was supposed to drop by the jail later and update them on the change of venue. She didn't want to think about what it might mean if he didn't appear. No, no, she couldn't admit defeat before the trial even started. They'd win, they had to win.

"Annie?" She looked up at Joe standing next to the table, hat in hand. "Ed just left. Candy will stand trial in Reno." She pressed her lips together and managed a stiff nod. It was a victory, a small one, granted, but a victory nonetheless. He had a chance, now. All they needed was one man who didn't believe Carson's lies. She reached out blindly and grabbed her beer, fingers tightening on the glass until her knuckles went white. Just. One. Man.

---

"All rise for Judge Butler –"

"Sit down!" Butler slung his shotgun across his bench and tossed his coat over the back of his chair. "All of ya, sit down. And let me say, there won't be any riotous behavior in my courtroom or I'll have it cleared, is that understood?" There were a few muttered complaints, but they silenced as soon as the judge glared at them sideways. "Go ahead and present your case, Richard."

The prosecutor from Carson stood, and Annie wished she could sit beside Candy, but only Geltner was allowed at the defense table. She glanced around and swallowed hard. Half the courtroom was glaring fit to kill him and the other half was ready to kill them. She clenched her hands in her lap and focused on the twelve men in the jury box. Please, just one.

"Gentlemen of the jury, as you know, on the 14th of this month of May, the year of our Lord, 1870, the Carson City bank was robbed of $50,000. As if that was not heinous enough, the perpetrator also proceeded to shoot down a beloved husband and father, our teller Mr. Samuel Winters, and the bank president, Mr. Franklin Cosgrove." He turned and glared at Candy. "Over a dozen witnesses positively identified the man as Ponderosa foreman Candy Canaday." A lump clogged her throat. "Sheriff Weston immediately rode to Virginia City where he was met by resistance, even from the town's own sheriff –"

"Because I seen him in Virginia City, you birdbrain!" Roy hollered across the courtroom. "I know Judge, I just had to say it." He turned his hat over in his hands and wiggled deeper into his seat.

"May I continue, Your Honor?"

"Get on with it."

"Thank you. For my first witness, I call Mrs. Humphrey Able." A plump woman in dark green with a feathered hat bustled through the crowd and took the stand. "Now, Mrs. Able, could you tell the court what you saw on the morning of May 14th?"

"It was just before eleven and I was heading home from the mercantile. As I passed the bank, I heard gunshots, and then a man ran outside with a bank bag over his shoulder and a gun in his hand. He ran to his horse, jumped on, and galloped away."

"Could you identify this man?" The woman threw Candy a vicious glare.

"It was Candy Canaday." The Virginia City side of the courtroom hissed and jeered, prompting a similar response from the other half of the crowd. Annie's stomach turned over.

"Quiet!" Butler slammed his gavel on the desk. "I mean it, all of you." The prosecutor turned sneering eyes on Ed Geltner.

"Your witness." Ed stood up and looked around slowly, then focused on the woman sitting there with her nose in the air.

"You say this man ran to his horse?"

"Yes."

"Your Honor, may I beg the court's indulgence on a small matter?"

"Such as?"

"I'd like my client to run across the room, if he can." Doc Martin shot to his feet.

"I object, Geltner! He may never walk again if he causes more damage to that leg."

"Paul." Her father joined the doctor. "They have to see." Doc Martin sighed.

"Just make sure he doesn't fall." Annie bit her tongue to keep from protesting as Geltner helped Candy to his feet and stepped back. The cynical part of her brain accepted that it would be better if he did fall, proving beyond all doubt that he couldn't possibly have run out of a bank three days ago, much less loaded down with a bank bag.

The rest of her couldn't stand the mere thought of him getting hurt worse than he already was. She held her breath when he took a few shaky steps away from the table, tensed to leap up and help if he stumbled. Ben laid a hand on hers and squeezed gently as he retook his seat.

Candy only managed a handful of awkward, limping strides before he stumbled against the prosecutor's table, his face red, more from humiliation than anything else, she was sure. Doc Martin was beside him seconds later and she felt safe enough to sneak a look at the prosecutor and the jury. The former looked slightly stunned, almost as though he hadn't really believed it, but the jury merely looked interested.

That was good, wasn't it? She bit her lip until she tasted blood. Mrs. Able blinked a few times, but didn't attempt to change her testimony. How could they honestly think Candy could have run anywhere three days ago? They had eyes, didn't they see how much that had taken out of him? He was pale and sweat trickled down his face as Geltner and Doc Martin helped him sit back down. Geltner arched an eyebrow.

"Personally, I fail to see how anyone in Carson City could have failed to catch the thief if it was Mr. Canaday as they claim, but do continue Mrs. Able." The woman sniffed.

"That's it. He rode off on a bay horse." Geltner tilted his head.

"A bay, you said?" He turned. "Mr. Cartwright, what color horse does your foreman ride?"

"A chestnut with a blonde mane and tail. The animal carries a Honeycomb brand." Annie swallowed hard, her chest so tight she could barely breathe. She touched his arm and he offered her the ghost of a smile and squeezed her hand.

"Your Honor, come on! It's easy enough for a man to change horses, we all know that," the prosecutor protested.

"Shut up! Might I remind you a man is on trial for his life? This court will consider every argument that could prove his innocence. Carry on, Ed."

"I have no further questions of this witness."

"Then I call Carson City sheriff, Gage Weston." The lawman stood and made his way to the stand, stepping aside to let Mrs. Able return to her chair, leveling a glare at Candy in the process. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell this court what you saw on the morning of May 14th?"

"I saw the Ponderosa foreman rob the bank and kill two men."

"Objection!"

"I ain't looking for your opinion, Weston, just the facts," Butler spit through his teeth, and Annie dared hope he might believe them. Please … The sheriff stabbed a finger at the defense table.

"The man I saw is sitting right there and if that don't make him the Ponderosa foreman I don't know what does. He's faking that limp, he could run just fine three days ago, I saw him myself and I was standing not even three feet away when he killed the teller."

"Objection!"

"What would you call it, Geltner? I saw that man right there in the Carson City bank when it was robbed and two men gunned down in cold blood for greed." Weston's face was red. "I know who and what I saw." Ben's hand tightened on hers and she swallowed hard. The prosecutor turned on them with a smug smile.

"Your witness."

"Where's the money he stole?" Geltner asked calmly. "It's a known fact the defendant has more money on deposit in the Virginia City bank than he supposedly got away with from the Carson City bank." The lawyer studied his hands. "What motive could he have to steal when he's already possessed of not insufficient means?"

"Take a look behind you, Geltner," Weston sneered. "All the motive in the world is sitting right back there with the rest of the Cartwrights." The entire room sucked in a gasp and turned wide eyes on her; Annie felt her face flame. Geltner looked over his shoulder and her eyes narrowed.

"Put me on the stand," she hissed dangerously. That ass had crossed a line.

"Anne –"

"Put. Me. On. The. Stand," she said through her teeth. Ben leaned back and her brothers scooted down the bench a few inches. Geltner swallowed hard and glanced at Weston.

"You'll be the first one I call," he promised. "Sheriff, you do realize you are leveling accusations at a woman whose reputation is above reproach?"

"Not to hear some of the folks in your town tal –"

"Weston!" Butler straightened with a hard jerk. "You will confine yourself to answering counsel's questions, is that understood? You'd better not forget I'm friends with her father, mister." This time the sheriff swallowed hard.

"I apologize."

"Now, Sheriff, has the stolen money been recovered?"

"No."

"No? But I understood that Mr. Canaday was located within hours, at the Ponderosa, and no money was found to be with him."

"He stashed it somewhere."

"Oh." Geltner rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The same place Kully Mako used, do you think?" The Virginia City side of the room snickered at the look on Weston's face.

"Quit trying to turn things around! That man robbed our bank and nothing you can say will get me to believe otherwise."

"If that's the way you want it, I have no further questions of this witness." Annie wrung her hands in the folds of her skirt, the fabric a wrinkled mess by the time the prosecutor had worked his way through over a dozen witnesses all claiming the same impossible thing, not one speck of variation in their stories.

It had to be a look alike, if they were trying to frame him someone would hesitate, they couldn't all have nerves of steel. Somebody was bound to slip up, especially with Candy sitting there right in front of them as they spun their lies. But they believed what they were saying.

And it was more than possible, all of them except her had run across a double over the years. Wait, had Adam? She tried to think back, but all that came to mind was the slimy little deserter who resembled Joe and the slick talker who'd almost lost them the Ponderosa and come close to getting Candy killed.

If it was a double, the man was out there somewhere, and someone knew who he was. They needed to find him, but whoever it was already had a three day lead, and it might as well be three years. But it wasn't impossible, given enough time they could find him, she might not be as good as Hoss, but she could track just about anything or anyone. A hard swallow clogged her throat.

She was afraid they wouldn't have the time.

"Gentlemen of the jury." Geltner stood and began to pace slowly across the courtroom. "The prosecutor has painted a picture of a desperate, greedy killer. I submit to you that he is mistaken, not about the nature of the man who committed this heinous crime, but in believing it was my client who did so. As many witnesses as he has called that place Mr. Canaday in Carson City at the time of the robbery and killings, I have twice as many who can place him in Virginia City, including the sheriff, the doctor, Ms. Anne Cartwright, and fully two dozen others. You see, Mr. Canaday was recently injured by a spooked horse, necessitating bed rest for many weeks to allow his broken leg to heal, so his trip to town three days past attracted considerable attention. For my first witness, I call Anne Cartwright."

She shot to her feet so fast the feathers on her hat fluttered and stalked to the witness stand, casting a dark glare at the Carson City sheriff on her way. He wasn't going to like what she had to say, that was for sure. She sat down and placed her hand on the Bible someone held out. "I swear to tell nothing but the truth."

"Ms. Cartwright, you've known the defendant for how long?"

"Three years."

"Would you describe him as trustworthy?"

"With my life."

"I see. Has he ever given you cause to think him capable of that which he stands accused?"

"Objection! Her opinion doesn't count."

"Very well, I'll rephrase the question. Did Mr. Canaday ever express a desire to have more money than he currently possessed?"

"No."

"Since Sheriff Weston brought it up, we might as well face it head on. Ms. Cartwright, to the best of your knowledge, has the defendant ever voiced an interest in you romantically? Ever expressed a desire to win your hand, shall we say?" Her chest tightened, her eyes burned, and she had to will her voice not to shake. One slip and that snake would be on it like a hawk.

"No."

"Thank you. Now, can you relate to us what took place the morning of the 14th?"

"We rode into town to get Hop Sing some more canned peaches. He miscounted how many cans he needed to bake the pies he'd planned to celebrate Candy's recovery."

"I see. So you rode into Virginia City?"

"Yes. We met up with Roy outside his office and talked for a few minutes, then he noted it was after ten-thirty and he'd best be getting along to the cafe before all the roast beef was gone. So we went to the mercantile for the peaches. At least a dozen people stopped us on the way down the street to speak to Candy. It was the same inside the store."

"Could you name some of these people for the court?"

"Wayne and Alicia Purcell. Harriet Caster and her daughter Ruth. Mrs. Bowen at the dress shop. Doc Martin. Sam at the mercantile. George at the photography studio."

"I see. All these people have known Mr. Canaday long?"

"About three years, same as the rest of us."

"How long did you remain in town?"

"We rode home just as the clock at the courthouse was tolling eleven. Doc Martin checked Candy's leg while he was in town since he'd struggled leaving the mercantile. He forgot his cane at home."

"I see." Geltner looked at the jury, then back to her. "Is there any doubt in your mind that it was your foreman riding with you that morning?"

"None," she said simply, her fingers itching to wipe the sneer off the prosecutor's face.

"Thank you, Ms. Cartwright. Your witness." He sat down and the prosecutor rose and ambled over, leaning one arm against the judge's bench.

"Ms. Cartwright, are you aware of the penalty for lying under oath?"

"I have no need to worry about that, but you may want to ask your own witnesses that question." The Virginia City side erupted in laughter, prompting Butler to slam his gavel against the bench.

"Quiet!" The room fell silent.

"All right. Is it true you have feelings for the defendant?" Her blood ran cold. Who could have told him?

"I consider him my best friend if that's what you mean." Ice, cold, chilling ice, not hot New Orleans blood. "If you're insinuating anything else, you might want to remember my father is sitting right over there." She tamped down smug satisfaction when the man's gaze shifted sideways to a glowering Ben. Annie forced herself to calmly stare him down, waiting him out. If he got no reaction soon, he'd move on, the better to attempt another scandalous tack.

"Very well. Was the defendant out of your sight at all that morning?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Are you aware how long it takes to get to Carson City from Virginia City? Considering how slowly his leg was healing, Candy would have needed at least two or three times as long as normal to get there, to say nothing of the return trip loaded down with all that money. Frankly, sir, it was impossible," she said as sweetly as she could manage, while gleefully imaging him roasting on a spit in an effort to keep the polite smile on her face. "Though, if you insist, we could always break your leg and give you a shot at proving me wrong." Laughter erupted, and the prosecutor's face turned red as a tomato. "It wasn't Candy. I know who and what I saw," she said, mimicking the sheriff.

"I have no further questions," he snapped as he pushed off the bench. She left the stand and retook her seat to ripples of quiet applause from the Virginia City side. But all she had eyes for was the jury. They had to believe it, they just had to.

As witness after witness took the stand, she dared to let hope flicker back to life. The jury was swinging from confused to confounded and everything in between. Surely they could see what must have happened … that many people placing a man in two towns at once could only point to a look-alike.

"I don't like that one on the end," Erin whispered in her ear a little while later as Doc Martin was giving his testimony. "He looks like he wants it to be over so he can go home for supper on time." Annie followed her gaze to the heavyset rancher and a pang of dread filled her stomach.

"All we need is one man."

"I pray he's there, sister."

"You are sure the man you saw that morning was the defendant?" Doc Martin bristled.

"Of course it was Candy! I've treated him multiple times over the past three years for everything from bullet wounds to broken bones and a bout of influenza. I've said it already, but I'll say it again: the man with Anne Cartwright that morning was Candy Canaday." The prosecutor's mouth thinned and he spun on his heel with a terse, no further questions.

"That feller sure isn't happy," Hoss muttered under his breath. "We may get that hung jury yet." He glanced around. "Might even get enough time to find who really done it."

"I wouldn't hold my breath for that," Joe said softly, darting a nervous look at the other side of the room. "Carson City doesn't like what's happening anymore than he does. They acquit him, we're gonna be facing down a lynch mob."

"We can handle it," she whispered back, her throat tight.

"I call Emma Smith to the stand," Geltner called out and Annie's chest tightened as the woman sashayed up the aisle and took a seat, gloved hand resting primly on the leather covered Bible. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"Of course." She sniffed and adjusted her skirts.

"Mrs. Smith, I understand you were in the Virginia City mercantile that morning along with Mr. and Mrs. Purcell and a few others?"

"I was. I had some shopping to do."

"I see. Were you there when Ms. Cartwright and the defendant arrived?" The woman's lips twitched and her nose shot into the air.

"Anne Cartwright came into the mercantile alone." The room erupted into jeers and shouts, hollered voices yelling at her and condemning her for her lies.

"What the hell are you doing woman?"

"Emma!"

"Quiet!" Butler slammed his gavel on the bench repeatedly, to no avail. Annie gasped for breath, her heart threatening to saw clean through her ribs. Why? She couldn't wrap her head around it. How could the woman hate them that much? Why? It was like she was in a tunnel, everything sounded far away.

"You liar!" She was on her feet without conscious thought, pushing aside grasping hands that sought to stop her. "Evil bitch!" Hoss got his arms around her waist and hauled her off her feet. "You left your packages on the counter when we walked in!" Tears spilled over her lashes until she couldn't see a thing except the memory of Candy's stricken face when he'd turned around in his chair. "You killed him!"

One man. One lie. She knew without looking the jury wasn't confused or bored any longer. They'd wanted an easy way out of a chaotic trial and a spiteful old woman had just handed it to them on a silver platter.

"Hoss. Hoss, give her here." Her brother passed her into their father's arms and he cradled her against his chest while she sobbed. She barely heard the prosecutor begin his questions; why bother anyway? The damage was done. She cried harder, soaking his shirt. Butler dismissed the jury less than ten minutes later. Geltner leaned back in his chair and attempted to explain why he'd basically given up, but all she did was shake her head and sob. Geltner scrubbed his hands through his suddenly messy hair.

"I'm so sorry, Ben."

"It's not your fault, Ed. No one knew she was going to do that." The room still hadn't fully quieted, either, despite the old hag making her escape as soon as she was released from the stand, a smug smile on her face amid the shouts and curses raining down on her head.

The jury returned in less than five minutes and her heart crashed to her shoes. She'd known as soon as the woman spit out her lies what the verdict would be, but that didn't make it any easier to hear. "We, the jury, find the defendant guilty on all charges." A wail tore free and she collapsed against her father's shoulder. Butler slammed his gavel on the bench as the room erupted again, cries of delight mixing evenly with shouts of outrage.

"I'm going to wire the governor." Ben handed her off to Joe. "I'll be back."

"If I can't hear a pin drop in this room within five seconds, I'm gonna pull the trigger on this scatter gun," Butler's voice rose in warning and the crowd finally silenced. "That's better." He made a noise in his throat. "Personally, I can't say I agree with the verdict, but it has been made. Stand up, young fella." Candy struggled to rise, but he waved off Geltner's offer of assistance. "Do you have anything you'd like to say before I pass sentence?"

"I'm innocent." His voice didn't shake. Butler nodded once, almost seeming to agree, and cleared his throat with a disgusted glance at the Carson City group.

"I sentence you to hang by the neck until dead. Sentence to be carried out here in Reno tomorrow at noon. May God have mercy on your soul." He slammed the gavel against the bench and the crowd erupted again.

Annie tore herself free and fled, shoving her way through the crowd, half-blinded by tears, and out into the street. Dozens more people milled around outside on the street, unable to fit into the jam-packed courtroom. Whispers turned into a roar as the news filtered out. She turned and ran down the street, skirt hitched up to her knees to keep from tripping.

Practically falling through the doors, she blew into the livery stable like a tornado. She snatched up a saddle and threw it on Blue's back, then slipped the bridle over his ears and mounted up in a swirl of skirts that spooked the horse in the next stall into a rear. Blue tore out the double doors and galloped down the street and out onto the open range. A wordless shriek filled the clear afternoon, ripping her throat raw.

She rode until a copse of trees came into view, prompting her to yank the stallion to a halt and scramble down, tearing her rifle from the scabbard. She stopped a hundred yards from the trees and worked the lever, firing round after round into the trunks, imaging Mrs. Smith's face on every one, until the hammer clicked on an empty magazine.

With another wail, she slung the weapon at the trees and crumpled to the ground in a sobbing heap. "Candy!" She rolled onto her side, arms wrapped around her legs, and screamed until she was hoarse. "No." Blue approached and lowered his head to sniff at her hair. "She killed him." Another scream built in her chest.

She didn't know how long she cried, but the sun had slid closer to the horizon, tears had dried on her face, and her head throbbed with every heart beat by the time she rolled onto her back, staring up at the sky in despair.

"I can't," she choked out. "Ma, I can't watch them hang him, I just can't. I love him," she whispered through fresh tears as her eyes and throat closed on a sob. "I should have told him." It didn't matter what influence her father had with the governor, Carson City would never listen, much less accept a stay of execution even if they could get one. He'd die without ever knowing what he really meant to her …

Her eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright in the waving grass.

No.

Annie scrambled for the rifle and shoved it back into the scabbard, then mounted up, spurring Blue into a dead run for the Ponderosa, coming up with and rejecting plans on the fly. There wasn't much time, but she'd come up with something or her name wasn't Anne Cartwright.

She reined the stallion up at the hitch rail and left him to stand while she tore into the barn and grabbed two halters. If the two she wanted weren't in the corrals, she'd just have to work with it. Momentary relief flooded her when she caught sight of the bay pinto and the chestnut they'd ridden down to Arizona. She breathed a prayer of thanks, haltered the animals, and led them into the barn.

The oldest, plainest saddles they had would have to do, no one should get close enough to ever find the pine tree brand under the fenders. Spare saddlebags were in the house, as were the bedrolls and blankets. She left the horses tacked and burst into the house. "Hop Sing!"

"Why you run around like chicken with head cut off?" Their cook bustled out of the kitchen wiping his hands on a dishtowel. "What you doing in barn? What happen?"

"They're going to hang him," she choked out, and his face twisted. He muttered viciously in Chinese.

"What you do?"

"I'm going to bust him out." His eyes widened and his mouth fell open, lips moving, but no sound escaping.

"Missy Annie better have hell of good plan."

"I need your help."

"How?"

"We'll need food, canteens, whatever you can think of. I've got to get packed." She darted upstairs, fingers clawing at her skirts as she ran. First change, then pack the basics. Extra clothes, a couple pistols, ammunition, rifles, soap … she flew into her room and stripped off the grass-stained dress, leaving it on the floor in a heap. She threw on the first clothes her fingers touched, yanking her hair back into a braid as she circled the room, calculating what they'd need.

Her old saddlebags went onto the bed and she stuffed an extra shirt, socks, and drawers inside along with a deck of cards, a bar of soap, and her old hairbrush, the one without her initials monogrammed on the back. Her old pistol, the one without the mother-of-pearl grips, she shoved into her plain holster, and kept moving, fingers methodically tucking cartridges into the loops on her bandoleer.

She'd have to leave her mother's Bible and ring, they couldn't have anything that tied them to the Ponderosa, even remotely. She'd have to write up a bill of sale for the horses and pray it wasn't questioned since she couldn't fake that. She threw a couple books into the bag, tucked her bedroll under her arm, and left the room in a rush, shooting down the hall to Candy's bedroom.

It felt like she was invading something private by being in here, but considering the circumstances, she doubted he'd mind too much. She snatched up his saddlebags and threw the same things inside, adding his shaving kit and a comb, plus a couple books. What else? She looked around. He'd probably want that gold watch, but could she risk it? A pair of drifters with something like that would attract attention, and completely the wrong kind.

Heart heavy, she left the watch on the nightstand, collected his bedroll, and rushed from the room. She dumped everything on the settee and grabbed a pair of rifles from the rack. "Hop Sing, hurry up, please," she called as she ran for the safe behind her father's desk.

He might hate her for this once he found out what she'd done, but it was life or death. He'd understand, they all would, given enough time. Annie spun the dial and yanked open the door, scanning the piles of deeds, stock certificates, and reports, eyes lighting on the neat stacks of greenbacks on the shelf. She rifled the pile, separating a few thousand dollars and laying it aside. It wasn't enough to cripple the ranch, she could make sure of that, but she had to take enough they could get away clean. Maybe someday she could apologize.

Annie closed the safe and collected paper and a pen, scribbling up a bill of sale for the two horses and signing her father's name to it, as Hop Sing scurried out of the kitchen, overloaded sacks in hand, two canteens slung over his shoulder. She could have cried when she spotted the cans of peaches tucked into the top of one sack. "Hop Sing ask honorable ancestors to guide you."

"Thank you." She stuffed the money and the bill of sale into her saddlebags and threw her arms around him. "Please … tell Pa I had to."

"Mistah Cartwright will understand." Hop Sing patted her back. "Hurry." She pulled back and grabbed the rifles, bedrolls, and food first, carting it all out to the barn and loading the horses, then returning for the saddlebags and canteens.

Did she have everything? Throat tight, she turned a circle in the main room, memories of a lifetime closing in now that she was about to lose it for what could be forever. Blue neighed in the yard and she froze mid-spin.

"Annie!" Joe's voice carried through the door, and then he was standing in the opening, eyes going wide as he took in the saddlebags slung over her arm and shoulder. "Annie?" She raised her chin and swallowed hard. "Oh, no." His head began to shake. "Oh … no …"

"I can't let him hang."

"Pa's meeting with the governor tonight, sis, stop –"

"They won't listen, you know they won't, Joe. They want him dead!"

"You'll be running for the rest of your lives!" He barreled into the room and looked around wildly. "Oh, God …" He clutched at his hair. "You're not the one who does things like this!"

"You were right," she said softly. "I love him, and I can't let him hang."

"Annie, Annie, stop and think –"

"I have, Joe." A clock ticked ominously in her head. She was losing time she didn't have. "I'm busting him out." He moaned and looked around like he was at a loss as to what to do or say.

"You'll get killed."

"I'm not going to watch him hang." Time was up. She drew her pistol and thumbed back the hammer. "Get in the pantry, right now."

"Have you lost your mind?!"

"I mean it, Joe, now do it. You follow me and try and stop us all you'll do is get us killed. Hop Sing, you lock that door and don't let him out until noon tomorrow or I swear I'll haunt you. No matter where you go or what you try to cook, you'll never make another edible dish in your life." Who knew his attempts to keep them from swapping ingredients would come in handy now?

"You have lost –"

"Get in the pantry!" It came out as a shrill screech like nothing she'd ever uttered before and maybe that more than anything else silenced him. Joe swallowed hard and retreated to the kitchen. Just before Hop Sing closed the door, he gave her a look that spoke volumes.

"I hope you know what you're doing, sis." Her throat closed and her eyes misted, but she didn't say a word. Hop Sing bolted the pantry door and she backed away, gun still in hand.

"Tell them I'm so sorry, but I have to do it," she whispered hoarsely.

"Hop Sing tell." His eyes were red. "Hurry." She nodded slowly, holstered her pistol, and ran. She led the horses from the barn, securing a sack of grain onto the pinto's back at the last minute, and mounted Blue, spurring the stallion for a lope out of the yard, her heart pounding in dread.

Candy, I'm coming.

---

She tied the horses in a copse of trees about three miles north of Reno, on a direct path to the desert the Horn siblings had attempted to cross. It wouldn't be full dark for several hours, but that was fine, she needed daylight for this to work. Her hands shook as she looped the pinto's reins. It had to work, she couldn't accept anything else. She mounted Blue and turned his nose towards Reno, keeping the stallion to a lope until she pulled up in front of the sheriff's office. She looped his reins over the hitch rail and went inside, heart skipping beats every few seconds, hands shaking, but mind made up. The sheriff looked up when the door closed and he swallowed hard, the lump of tobacco in his jaw shifting.

"I'm right sorry, Ms. Cartwright. For what it's worth, I don't think he done it."

"I need to see him." Her voice shook slightly. "Please."

"I can do that." He stood and gathered his keys. "Your pa and brothers is around somewhere, I could send a deputy to find 'em if you want."

"No." Why were there no more guards? She looked around, but the sheriff was alone.

"It won't be long before Carson City's deputies and that kid sheriff arrive, so if you've got anything to say you'd rather they not hear, I'd say it now." He opened the door to the cell room and there was Candy standing unsteadily at the door, hands wrapped around the bars. The sheriff found the key and stuck it in the lock. Annie sucked in a deep breath and drew her pistol.

"Get in the cell, sheriff." He froze, and half-turned, just enough to see the gun. The wad of tobacco shifted again.

"I don't rightly think you want to do that."

"Annie, what are you –"

"Not now, please. Just toss your gun, sheriff, and trade places with Candy."

"You won't get a mile with his leg."

"That's for me to worry about, now do it."

"Ms. Anne –"

"I'd rather not shoot you, but I will if I have to." She faced him over the cocked pistol, eyes hard in a lined face that had aged years in a matter of hours. "Your call."

"I'm beginning to see why Jocova threw you back. You don't know what you're doing, girl. A life on the run ain't much of a life."

"It's still a life," she said softly. "Now move."

"Annie …" Candy moaned softly. "Sheriff, you aren't gonna win. God help us, I knew it. I knew one of these days you'd leap without thinking."

"You think I don't know that?" He shifted his tobacco again. "I'm just trying to figure out how to explain things when that kid sheriff shows up."

"You'll have all night." She motioned with the gun. "In the cell."

"All right, all right." He tossed his pistol on the ground and opened the cell door. Candy limped out and the sheriff took his place. She slammed the door and locked it, then tossed the key across the room.

"Come on, let's go."

"Annie, I can't run."

"It's just till we get outside." She grabbed his arm and steadied him. "Come on."

"Lord, you've lost your mind. I'm not worth it, sweetheart."

"Yes, you are," she protested, hot tears spilling over her lashes. "Anyone who says otherwise is a damn liar." She snatched his gun belt out of the drawer. "Put it on, hurry." They stumbled outside and he shook his head when he saw Blue at the hitch rail.

"Dear God, they're gonna hang us side by side. Mr. Cartwright is gonna kill me."

"Noted." She pushed him at the stallion. "Get on and hang on." He mounted from the off side because of his leg, and she swung up behind him, then turned the horse on a dime and galloped down the street.

"Canaday's escaping," someone shouted, and within seconds, half the town was alerted. Gun shots rang out, but they were too late. Even carrying double, Blue was fast enough they were out of range before most people could react. She pointed his nose straight north and asked him for everything he had.

Call it five or ten minutes to get a posse together, the tracks would still be fresh, and it just might work. Three miles, he just had to last for three miles. Candy flinched, and she wished they could slow down to keep from jarring his leg, but there was no time. Not yet.

"You just destroyed your life," Candy moaned under his breath. "They catch us they'll kill us both."

"They're not gonna catch us." At least, she hoped not.

"He's good, but he's not that good, Annie, especially carrying double. We don't even have any supplies."

"I know what I'm doing." She risked a glance back. No sign of pursuit yet, but she knew they were coming. The miles flew by and Blue was lathered by the time she pulled him up near her cache. "Get down, quick."

"Are you crazy, sweetheart?"

"Just do it!" He struggled to dismount and she jumped down after him. "Hold Blue." She passed him the reins and darted into the trees, soothing the horses when they snorted in fright at her sudden appearance. "Easy, boys, easy." She untied the sack of grain from the pinto's back and hauled it back to Blue.

"What are –" She ignored Candy for the moment and secured the grain to Blue's saddle, then slipped off his bridle and tied it to the saddle horn. One lingering look into his liquid eyes and a last stroke of her hand down his forehead and she slapped his flank, sending the stallion into a run. She didn't even have time to watch the roan disappear over the next hill.

"Come on." She helped Candy into the trees and he drew in a sharp breath when the horses came into view. His head swiveled back in the direction Blue was galloping and he suddenly began to laugh.

"If I ever doubt you again, just punch me, sweetheart. You wanted it to look –"

"It's not what you do, it's what they think you'll do," she reminded him. "If I fooled you, we've got a better chance than I'd hoped. As soon as that sheriff tells them what you said, they'll think we're out here somewhere with no supplies and no plan, easy to catch as shooting fish in a barrel." She moved to help him mount up. "Come on, we're wasting daylight." Candy took a step back.

"Why, Annie? You – you just gave up everything and for what? I'm not worth it, sweetheart, friend or not."

"We don't have time to discuss it now, that posse will be right on our tail unless we hurry." Candy swallowed hard and glanced over his shoulder, then mounted up, his face going white when his leg protested.

"Lead the way," he mumbled, and she wheeled the pinto.

"Come on, there's a stream back this way. Even if they find our real tracks, it'll take time for them to sort everything out." She set a fast lope, skipping the jarring trot that would only do more damage, splashing down into the stream within a few hundred feet and riding straight down the middle. They had to slow to a trot for safety's sake, and she hated it, an itch crawling its way down her back. The posse was coming, she could feel it.

Everything rested on the fact the whole town had seen them ride away on Blue, no supplies, no apparent plan, and riding double to boot. They'd be confident of the direction she'd taken, the tracks winging straight as an arrow towards that desert, and she was praying they wouldn't look too closely at the ground after a while. Blue would eventually turn for the Ponderosa, and once they found him of course, they'd realize they'd been had, so the more distance between them and the posse before that happened the better.

They followed the stream for miles, passing up the first patch of rocky ground that presented itself, jumping out at the second stretch instead and picking up a fast lope again. If the posse did manage to track them, she was betting they'd pick the first patch and end up hopelessly lost.

---

It was almost full dark by the time they finally stopped for a rest. Candy rubbed his leg and grimaced. "How bad is it?"

"Not as bad as hanging." He turned his head. "You didn't have to do that, Annie. No jail can hold me if I don't want to be there."

"With that leg you wouldn't have made it far, and I wasn't going to let you hang."

"I've never had a friend like you before." His eyes looked wet in the dim light. "I don't think even Mr. Cartwright would go this far." Her throat closed; it was now or never.

"You're more than a friend." The words felt strange, but she had to say them. Something flickered in his eyes.

"I'm honored you think of me as a brother, Annie, but –"

"You don't understand." Tears stung her eyes. "I … I promised I'd never say anything … I didn't want you to hate me and leave, but …" His forehead wrinkled.

"You're not making any sense, sweetheart."

"Candy … I love you." A giant weight left her chest and she drew in a shaky breath. His eyes widened, lips moving but no sound escaping. "It's okay, you don't have to love me back, you don't even have to pretend, I can live with that, really." A tear slipped down her cheek. "I don't know when everything changed, but it did and … and … you wondered how I knew you were hurt, remember? You called for me when it happened, and I heard you, just like I knew when my brothers were hurt, mostly Joe, but … but …" Why didn't he say anything? "They said I loved you, Pa, Joe, Hoss, even Padre Javier. I didn't want to admit it because I didn't want to lose you, I was afraid you'd leave and I'd lose the friendship we had and I didn't want that. But they were going to kill you and I couldn't … I couldn't let it happen.

"We don't even have to ride out together if you don't want to, there's money in your saddlebags, and food, and ammunition … and … just don't get caught. Please." Tears slid freely down her face as he stared at her in silence. "I can take anything but that." He still said nothing and her heart shattered. A sob caught in her throat and she wheeled the pinto, racing away as fast as the animal could run, choking on tears.

She'd known he didn't care … how could she have dumped all that on him out of the blue? He'd probably never even thought about her that way … how could she have been so stupid? She should have kept her mouth shut and then she'd at least be able to ride with him.

There was a sudden rush of hooves thundering closer, then Candy was to her left. He leaned over and grabbed the pinto's bridle, hauling both animals to a dancing halt in a cloud of dust. "What –" His hand slipped around the back of her neck and his mouth was on hers before she could draw in a breath. Lightning sizzled through her veins and her heart skipped beats. When they finally separated, his eyes were glowing.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time."

"I've wanted you to do that for a long time," she said softly, and Candy drew in a shaky breath.

"I heard what you said when I got back from Lisa's that day and I didn't think I meant anything more than a friend. When you were shot …" his throat worked. "I wanted to stay right there and never leave, it didn't matter what your pa said, I would have, if you hadn't looked at me like you did."

"I was afraid you'd leave and I didn't want to lose what we already had. I didn't think you wanted me." His arms slipped around her back and he pulled her against him.

"I love you, Annie. God only knows what we're gonna do now, but we'll face it together."

"I didn't actually plan past getting you out of the cell and throwing off the posse."

"I knew it." Candy shook his head on a half-amused laugh and pressed a kiss to her hair. "I knew you wouldn't think one of these days." His face twisted. "Just never thought it would be over me." He sighed. "We need to get the hell out of Nevada, and fast. Any town with a telegraph is dangerous now." He released her, but kept her hand clutched in his. "Don't get me wrong, I didn't much like the idea of hanging, but I wish you hadn't –"

"None of that –" she flung her other hand out behind them, "is worth anything with you dead. I'd rather have one day together than a lifetime alone."

"Then you've got me sweetheart, for as long as we can stay alive." He scanned the horizon. "Didn't Padre Javier say something about looking him up if we needed help?"

"Yeah, but what could he do?"

"He might not be what Mr. Cartwright would have in mind, and I don't have a ring or even a dime to my name, but Annie, will you marry me?" Her heart stopped and air backed up in her lungs. Had she heard that right? "I know this is a terrible time, and I can't offer you anything like you deserve, but we've lost enough time as it is, and I don't know how much longer we'll get."

"Yes." She choked on the word, tears sliding down her face. Candy chuckled softly and wiped them away.

"Come on, we can make it to Los Robles by tomorrow night if we hurry."

"But your leg –"

"At least I'll be alive for it to hurt, sweetheart." He looked around at the slowly darkening sky. "You do what you have to do out here to survive." A shiver ran down her spine. They didn't have the might of the Ponderosa backing them anymore; all they could rely on was their own wits and skill with a gun. "Let's go." He spurred the chestnut into motion and they loped off into the coming night.

---

Two hard-ridden, long, dusty days later, they reined their horses up in the darkened square of Los Robles in the wee hours of the morning. Annie dismounted stiffly and looped the pinto's reins over the hitch rail in front of the church. Candy moved to dismount and fell, barely catching himself against the chestnut's side. "I knew we should have stopped to rest."

"And rest our way into a noose?" He struggled to regain his feet. "Wake him up, I'll just … wait here." His skin was pale in the moonlight, sweat trickling down his face. She ran to the door and knocked, her heart pounding. Please be here. She knocked again, harder, more desperate. The quick shuffle of feet from inside sent a wave of relief flooding through her.

"Quien es?"

"Anne Cartwright," she hissed softly, even though there was no one around to overhear. The door flew open and Padre Javier stood in the gap, eyes going wide. "We need help." He looked over her shoulder and his fingers reached for the rosary in his robe.

"But what has happened?" He rushed to the horses and ducked to slip Candy's arm over his shoulders.

"If they catch us, we're dead," she said softly, and he looked between them.

"Is your father chasing you?" A humorless laugh escaped.

"I wish it was that simple." The padre's throat worked.

"Come inside, quickly, and I will make some coffee, then see to the horses. You rest and tell me what happened when I return." He settled Candy at the old kitchen table and put the coffeepot on the stove, then rushed back outside. Candy leaned his head back against the chair and sighed, fingers kneading his leg. Annie took the chair beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. They sat there in silence until the padre returned. He poured coffee and took the chair across from them. "What has happened, my children?"

"Candy was convicted of murder and sentenced to hang. I broke him out of jail and we're on the run." She drew in a shaky breath and he squeezed her hand. "I couldn't let him hang, he was innocent." The padre set his cup on the table and stroked his mustache.

"Never did I see this," he murmured. "I knew there was nothing he would not do for you, but I did not think you would cross that line." He shook his head slowly. "Never underestimate the depths of a woman's love," he said half to himself, then glanced up. "You do not deny it any longer?"

"No."

"Ah." He folded his hands. "What will you do now?" Candy sighed and scraped a hand over his face.

"Somewhere out there is a man wearing my face, and we've got to find him if we're ever gonna be able to go home again. The hard part is gonna be proving he robbed the Carson City bank and killed those men instead of me."

"We'll prove it, I don't know how, but we will," Annie said heatedly. "They'll have to admit you're innocent." A bitter taste filled her mouth. "That bitch will get what's coming to her, they wouldn't have convicted you if she hadn't lied." Candy squeezed her hand.

"I hope not, but we'll never know."

"You will be safe here, at least for a while. Jed Walker is in prison and the ranch was broken up, only friends remember you in Los Robles."

"Thank you," they whispered in unison, and the padre smiled.

"I will return shortly with Maria and Ricardo. What is a wedding without witnesses?" His eyes twinkled and he squeezed Annie's shoulder as he passed. "Forty years, my children." The door closed behind him and they traded glances.

"Of course he knew," Candy muttered, his eyes closing. "I'm starting to wonder if we were the only ones who didn't."

"They do say love is blind," Annie murmured as she snuggled closer and Candy shook his head.

"No, it's friendship set on fire, sweetheart."

---

"Do you, Candy, take this woman to be your wife, loving her and only her so long as you both shall live?" His eyes were wet when he looked at her and she could barely hear what the padre was saying through the blood roaring in her ears.

"I do." Her throat closed and for a moment Annie was afraid she wouldn't be able to answer when it was her turn. This moment was nothing like what her pa would have wanted for his only daughter, but all she needed was Candy, no fancy dress or expansive banquet afterwards.

"Do you, Anne, take this man to be your husband, keeping yourself only for him, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." A tear slid down her cheek and Candy brushed it away, his fingers grazing the lace mantilla Maria had lent her. Padre Javier smiled.

"Then, by the power invested in me by Almighty God, I pronounce you man and wife." He crossed himself. "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." He murmured something else in Spanish that she didn't catch and retreated. "You may kiss your wife. I shall stay at the cantina tonight." The door closed behind him and they were finally alone.

Candy's arms wrapped around her and she looped hers around his neck, mouths meeting in a kiss desperate for forever, but painfully aware that this moment could be all they'd ever have. Tomorrow they could begin to search for the man with his face, but tonight was for them, for the years of mixed signals and missed opportunities that no longer mattered.

Posses might run them down, or bounty hunters shadow their back trail, but they had each other, and that was all Annie needed.

---

A/N: And here we are finally after 400,000 words! I hope it was worth the wait, if not, drop me a PM or a review with any criticism.

So, they're in the wind and on the run. Seasons 12 and 13 will follow our dynamic duo as they try to find Candy's double and prove his innocence. Some familiar faces will be popping up – including Griff – whose story will be fleshed out more than in canon since they kind of ran out of time to build his character. If there's anyone in particular you want to see, let me know. Captaintjf for one has already given me some ideas that I plan to use moving forward.

Quote, "Love is friendship set on fire" tentatively attributed to someone named Ann Landers, I think.

Yes, I did imagine Bon Jovi's "Never Say Die" playing while Annie is riding out after making her decision, when she's headed to back to Reno, and when they ride off into the night. I love that song and it fit so well.

Until next time!