A/N: Up next, things get a bit tense when the rest of the gang shows up. After that, they're on the move again, but when one of the group gets a chance at Legare, will they be able to take it? Entertainment only, as always. Sigh.
Also, I just checked for a release date for season 12 and it shows May 23 on Amazon. BUT it's not just season 12. Seasons 13 and 14 show as releasing that day, too! Cue the Hallelujah chorus, it only took them how many years to get us the full series on DVD?
Okay, on to the chapter.
Dorcas Ranch, San Francisco, April 11, 1871
"I will not work with a man who rode with Quantrill!"
"Then you can walk right out that door, mister."
Annie rubbed her forehead. "How long are they going to keep this up?" Candy shook his head and she sighed. "How very helpful."
"Hudson," Candy called into the other room. "It's been almost ten years, can't you let it go?" The colonel appeared in the doorway from the living room, a scowl on his face. Teddy hovered at his shoulder, looking decidedly more cheerful.
"Are you going to forget about Legare in ten years? I lost friends to the Confederate Army, and they at least fought like soldiers. Not like these guerrilla units that were no better than outlaws themselves. I won't be friendly to a man like that, no sir. Especially a man that rode with Quantrill."
"Technically, we're outlaws," she reminded him, avoiding the question. "Your argument is weak."
"Maybe you'd rather not have my help, is that it?" Candy groaned.
"Look, no one said you had to be friends with Carter, just … get along with him until we ride out. It's not like he's coming with us."
"Uncle Jim –"
"What did I say?"
"Do you assume all men are cold-blooded killers just because of who they rode with?" Carter appeared in the doorway, arms folded over his chest. "Cause I certainly ain't like that little James runt and his older brother." From the look on his face, she figured he wanted to spit at the mention of their names but didn't only because he was in his boss' house. "That bunch of rats will get what's coming to 'em soon enough."
"You –"
"I rode with Quantrill, but that doesn't mean I agreed with everything he did. And to answer your nephew's question, no. War isn't exciting, it's chaos, blood, and death."
"What happened to getting both sides of the story?" Annie raised a brow and Hudson sniffed in annoyance. "Come on, you won't even see him again after we leave, can you just agree to disagree?"
"Colonel, I don't mind that you wore blue instead of gray. The war's over and has been for a long time." Carter shifted his weight. "If Dorcas thought like you, he wouldn't trust me with his granddaughter." Hudson's mustache twitched.
"Are they arguing again?" Samantha walked in from the kitchen, hands on hips. "Grandpa says that's not polite."
"No, it's not," Candy agreed, his eyes twinkling like they used to before … Annie swallowed hard. "Maybe they'll listen to you."
"You need something, Sam?"
"Grandpa said you can saddle Honey for me, Mr. Carter, I want to go out for a ride." She turned a bright smile on Annie. "Can you and Uncle Candy come, too, please?"
"I'm sorry, Sam, but if anyone saw us –"
"I know." Her face fell. "It's not fair, Uncle Candy never did anything!"
"Tell you what. After everyone knows that, we'll come back and go for that ride, how's that sound?"
"Grandpa said I can't ask you to promise, but I want to." She clutched Candy's hand. "Can't you just make a teeny, tiny promise?"
"We'll try, sweetheart." She threw her arms around him in a tight hug.
"Okay." Carter held out his hand and she skipped over and followed him out the door. "Bye, Aunt Annie, bye, Uncle Candy."
"Bye, Sam," they said together as the door closed.
"So that's where your name came from."
"Yeah." She played with the end of her braid. "McPhail back yet?"
"No." The front door flew open and Carter stuck his head inside.
"Your friend is coming in fast, might want to saddle up. I've seen men ride like that before and it usually means trouble." He disappeared and they eyed each other uneasily. Hudson straightened.
"Much as I don't like him, he does have a point. Teddy and I will see to the horses, get the saddlebags and rifles." He shot out the door, Teddy on his heels. Candy grabbed her hand and they bolted up the stairs, startling Martha who almost dropped her laundry basket.
"What's wrong?"
"McPhail is riding in and Carter says it looks like trouble." Her face fell.
"You're leaving."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Be careful."
"We will." They ducked into their borrowed room and slung saddlebags over shoulders and snatched up rifles. "Lasted longer than I thought we'd get," Candy mused. She wanted to say they could be overreacting, but she knew better. Griff scrambled out of the other bedrooms, having gathered up everyone else's gear, and they hurried downstairs and reached the yard just as McPhail galloped up and slid to a stop in a cloud of dust.
"Cavalry detail from the southwest." His horse danced in place. "And since Candy's here, he can't be the fella riding with 'em."
"Son of a bitch," Annie hissed, her blood boiling. How dare he?
"They see you?" Hudson asked on the way out of the barn with horses under lead. Sam hovered next to Carter, watching them with worried eyes. The foreman picked her up and set her in Honey's saddle, then mounted his own horse.
"No," McPhail said.
"Hurry," Dorcas insisted as he strode out of the barn on Teddy's heels. "I'll stall 'em long as I can, no reason to suspect us of anything. Carter, take Sam out riding."
"Haven't had any visitors in a month of Sundays, Mr. Dorcas," the foreman responded and clucked to his gelding. "Let's go, Sam."
"Be careful," the little girl said softly. Annie tried to swallow the lump in her throat but it wouldn't go.
"What she said," Dorcas echoed. "All of you, take care, and we'd better see you again soon, you hear?"
"No promises, you know that," Candy said evenly as he mounted up. Annie passed McPhail his gear, then swung into the saddle. "Let's ride." They tore out of the yard at a gallop.
"Where to," Griff called over the thunder of hooves.
"Any ideas?" Candy sounded worried. McPhail shook his head in response.
"I was hoping you did."
"They catch us now, it's obvious there's two of us, but who are they gonna believe?"
"Him," Annie snarled. Considering the chase over the cliff, they didn't have any doubts about Legare's version of events. Long-standing friendship could do that, she supposed. "How many are there?"
"At least a dozen." The odds weren't as bad as they could be, but … they'd managed to slip away last time but it was the surprise of that jump and the regulations that kept the lieutenant from duplicating it. He wouldn't be so easy to fool again.
And if they ended up shooting their way free, it wouldn't matter if they could prove Candy innocent of Carson City, they'd be doomed forever if even one man behind them died.
"We escape and find somewhere to hole up for now." Candy knew it, too, she could tell from his voice. "We can't fight them."
"We might not have a choice," Hudson said. "I warned you of that."
"We know," she said shortly. Silence fell, broken only by snorted breaths and pounding hooves. A rifle shot split the afternoon and Annie ducked on instinct. She glanced back and found the cavalry detail swinging in on their tails, just a few miles away. There was no way whatever idiot had fired could have actually hit someone, but they just had to make a statement, she supposed.
"If the river isn't flooded, we can cross up ahead, gain some ground."
"And if it is?" There wasn't an answer, and she hoped they didn't have to find out. Her heart sank when they topped the rise and sparkling blue-gray water surged past down below on its way to San Francisco Bay. They yanked their horses up and watched the white foam frothing at the banks. The animals danced uneasily.
"If we cross that," Hudson began, "there can't be any stopping halfway." He eyed them all in turn. "Even if someone goes down." He glanced back. "And we don't have much time."
"Will they follow us?" Griff was watching the approaching soldiers. Candy shook his head.
"I don't know. Whoever's in charge can use their discretion, if he orders them to cross they have to." He looked back. "But I don't know. It'll depend on how bad he wants us."
"Can everyone swim?" They all looked at her. "You'll have to keep afloat long enough for us to lose them and circle back if someone goes down in that." She jerked her chin at the raging river. "Just let it carry you until you can get to shore and we'll track you down." Heads nodded and Hudson took over, barking rapid-fire orders.
"Stay close, but not close enough your mount will take someone else with you if they lose their balance, it'll break the impact. If the current carries you downstream just keep your eyes on the far bank and get your horse there, don't let them turn away. And above all if someone does go down, we can't stop, no matter who it is, that'd just put one more person at the mercy of the current. Keep riding and we'll circle back around. Let's go!"
They spurred their animals into motion and galloped for the bank. The horses splashed into the churning waters and their smooth strides became leaping hops searching for ground underfoot until they were forced to swim.
The current was strong, fed by heavy rains and snow melt high in the mountains, and they were all quickly buffeted sideways. The pinto neighed and thrust his head above water, legs thrashing under the surface. Annie clung to his back, praying. She cast a desperate look behind them and found the cavalry still coming hard. The gap had closed to about two miles, maybe less.
They were just over halfway across when Griff's bay squealed and turned downstream despite his tight grip on the left rein. Before anyone could react, the horse was swept against the pinto's side and the animals panicked. Annie was knocked out of the saddle and carried out of range before she could even cuss the bay. "Go," she hollered before the current pulled her under, tossing her back to the surface a split second later.
Candy was going to lose it. Hudson better be able to keep him from jumping in after her. She went over the formation in her head and thought they'd been close enough the colonel could stop him if he tried something stupid. She went under again and clawed her way back to the surface. All she had to do was keep her head above water and let the river do the work.
If she could manage to float, this wouldn't be that bad.
She wasn't sure how far she'd come before the river widened and the current slowed a little. Annie managed to claw her way to the far bank and scrambled up it, dripping wet and more than a touch mad. That stupid, blasted horse. She flopped on the bank to catch her breath, laying back in the sun-warmed grass. Cartwright bad luck strikes again.
With a sigh, she sat up and shook the water out of her gun, wrung it out of her hair and shirt. There was nothing she could do about her boots or pants at the moment but they'd dry eventually. The question was, did she sit here or try and meet them halfway? It would take time to lose the cavalry detail … more time to get back to the spot where they crossed … longer still to head downriver towards her ….
Walking in wet boots was going to be so enjoyable. She just hoped the cavalry hadn't been close enough to realize that someone had gone into the river or this was going to get interesting. They'd have seen the horse turn, seen the animals bobble, but would they have seen her slip off? If no one had stopped, they might get away with it, especially if someone was thinking and rearranged the formation to put her riderless horse in the middle. A thought made her flinch.
If the pinto had survived.
She couldn't think like that. He would have been swept past here by now if he'd drowned. The animal had to be alive.
She started walking back upriver, wincing as the wet leather slid against her feet. It'd take hours to dry out at this rate and she'd have blisters long before then. If they ever had to cross another river, she certainly wasn't riding next to Griff. At least she was alive to complain.
"Stupid horse." Annie scraped wet hair out of her face and slowly made her way north.
How far had the river carried her? She looked back but it was all waving grass and rushing water. At least there was no sign of the cavalry detail. Annie picked her way carefully up a low hill, boots sliding on loose dirt and rocks.
"Miz Canaday." Her head flew up in shock as a rifle cocked and she went for her gun but Legare was already there, his rifle aimed at her chest. "You don't want to do that, ma'am." He stepped down from the saddle, and she noticed his pant legs were wet. They stared at each other, mere feet separating them.
"Bastard," she spit, and he laughed.
"Whatever else I may be, it ain't that. I like you, I really do. Dying here would be a poor reward for all that courage."
"What do you want?"
"I was after McPhail. When it comes down to it, I ain't got nothing against your husband."
"You destroyed his life."
"I didn't even know he existed until I saw the papers weeks later."
"If you had any honor at all –"
"I'd turn myself in?" He laughed again. "I'm not a fool, either."
"You crossed Cartwrights."
"I'm shaking in my boots, ma'am."
"I'll kill you." He snorted and she saw red. Annie lunged, darting past the rifle and tackled Legare. The rifle fell as he grabbed for her, dodging punches. He kept laughing, which only infuriated her more. She managed to land a hard right to his jaw and he spit blood onto the ground.
"Older brothers?"
"I thought you knew all about us," she taunted and slung another punch. "I'm gonna enjoy watching you hang!" He shoved her backwards and she landed on the ground.
"Go on, shoot me." She snarled and drew with lightening speed. Panic flashed on his face and he threw his hands in the air.
"Annie, no, please!" Her heart slammed against her ribs and the gun fell from her fingers. Suddenly it was Candy in front of her instead of … it wasn't identical, even without the accent, but dear God ….
"Damn you to Hell!"
"Not so easy, is it?" He retrieved his rifle, let the hammer down slowly, and calmly slung it over his arm. "You can't kill me, ma'am, no matter how much you want to." He put the Winchester back in its scabbard and mounted his horse. Legare looked down at her with a smirk. "Because you can't hurt him." He touched his hat in a salute and turned his horse, urging the animal to a ground eating lope.
Annie screamed and slung her Colt a good ten feet. She screamed again and ripped up handfuls of grass and flung them at nothing. Glaring at Legare's rapidly vanishing back, she swore a string of words that would have gotten her mouth washed out with Hop Sing's strongest lye soap.
"I'll give you a game you'll wish you'd never started," she hollered after him, but there was no sign he'd heard her.
It was almost dark when the horses stopped beside her where she sat on the bank, staring at the raging water. "Annie!" Candy leaped off his horse and pulled her into a hug. "God, I was so afraid. Are you okay?"
"I ran into Legare."
"Oh, God," McPhail whispered and she shook her head.
"He gave me the chance to shoot him." She drew in a shaky breath. "I wanted to, but I couldn't do it!" Tears slipped down her face and she wiped them away. "He s-said 'Annie, no, please," and all I could see was Candy instead of him." She collapsed against her husband's shoulder, the tears coming harder. "I could have ended it right here! I knew who it was! Why couldn't I pull the trigger?!"
"Cause you're not a cold-blooded killer," Hudson said as he dismounted and crouched in front of her. "You've got a heart."
"You won't think so in a minute."
"Why?"
"Change of plans." She looked around at the ring of faces. "That son of bitch likes games so much let's see how he likes it when the shoe's on the other foot."
"What do you – " McPhail started, but she interrupted him.
"He destroyed Candy's life so we'll return the favor. We're going to Charleston."