Chapter 10

With the bullets flying and a fire raging, Jeremy was shot and sank down quickly. Jason was nearest and held on to Jeremy.

"Jason, we got to get Jeremy to the ship!" Joshua said as he had to stand up and fight a large burly man who was ready to clobber him on the head. In between the fight Jason put Jeremy down and said:

"Joshua, take Jeremy to the ship!" as he stepped in and punched the man in the stomach and then knocked him down with a right to his jaw.

"But what about Candy?" Jeremy said

"I have to save Candy!" He tried to get up but could not stand very well. The shot in his leg was bleeding and without a tourniquet he would lose too much blood.

"Jeremy, I will get Candy, you go back to the ship, Joshua will take you!" Jason said as he looked for a way to get to the saloon. Joshua carried Jeremy to the ship and got him on the ship and left to help Jason.

Rafe had been stunned but now he was angry. He wanted to find Candy and no one was going to harm her if he could help it. He looked for a back way in to the saloon which was burning ferociously and went in and up the stairs. He heard steps above the roar of the fire. He hid on the side of the steps and waited to see who was coming down the steps.

"Hurry, Mrs. Candy, we have to get out of here!" Chin said as he came down the steps with Candy. Rafe stood in front of them and said:
"Are you all right Candy?" Candy recognized Rafe and said yes.

"Let's get out of here now!" Chin shouted as he saw that the stairway was about to collapse. They got down the stairs, a small fire had started at the entrance to the doorway. Chin got out but Rafe and Candy were still inside.

"Candy, we have to go through the fire. Are you ready?" Rafe said. Candy looked at him and said 'yes' They ran through the doorway together. Some of Candy's clothes caught fire. Rafe tore the rest of the skirt off of Candy.

"I am sorry Candy, but if I did not do that you would have been hurt!" Let's get away. Chin had a lantern he had found, and they ran into the woods.

Lin had rescued some ladies who had been held in the basement on the other side of where Jeremy and Rafe had been. They had been tied and when he found them, he untied them quickly and they made their way upstairs and outside to the woods as well.

Clancy had been inside and was almost trapped, but Joshua had seen him and helped him get out. Jason had looked inside to see if there were any more people that needed help. They had not found Candy or Rafe yet and were worried. Just as the three of them made it out the whole saloon collapsed with a giant

WHOOSH!

There was silence. Those who had been in the town watched as the shanty's all collapsed at about the same time. The earth shook violently with the collective flattening of the town. No one said anything. There was no talking, no gunfire, nothing. Just dead silence. The fire was now just a smoldering pile of ashes. Some of the more spirited people started to look in the wreckage and debris to see if there was anyone they could help. There were a few who were trapped but still alive. Lin and his Chinese friends came out of the woods with the Chinese ladies as well as Candy. Rafe had said goodbye and had left her with Lin. They headed to Clancy's ship for a safe place.

"Candy, Oh, Candy, I am so glad you are safe!" said Toy who had just finished taking care of Jeremy.

"Please, come, he is calling for you!" Toy said and took her to Jeremy. She was still in her underwear and a blanket around her. Her hair was a mess, her face was smudged with dirt and grime, but she had to see Jeremy and he had to see her. When their eyes met, they heard nothing but their own hearts beating as one. They hugged and she sat next to him. Aurora came in and looked at Candy and Jeremy. She knew, as she looked at them and she said quietly:

"You can't kill love!" She smiled and walked out of the cabin and went on to the deck. Looking out at the town, she thought about Rafe:
"Rafe, why did you not come back here? Where have you gone? I know that you are my true love? Am I your true love?" she asked silently on the deck and then went back inside.

Rafe stood on a hill, he did not have a horse but that wasn't a problem, he could get one. Looking out over towards the ocean, he saw Clancy's ship, the lights were on. He thought about Aurora, and to himself he said:

"I realize that Candy and Jeremy have something special. Well, I want a home and love and Aurora, you are my home and my love, and I know that love like that can't be killed. I will find you sweetheart no matter where life takes me!"

With that, he walked down the hill toward the city of San Francisco to get a horse. Jason and Joshua had gotten back to the ship with Clancy, and they were fine. They went and found that Jeremy and Candy were in the captain's cabin, and no one was to disturb them. Clancy set sail for Seattle that night. Lin and Toy and their son Chin went with them as well as the 5 Chinese ladies.

Sitting in the galley drinking a beer Jason and Joshua were reminiscing about all that had happened when Toy walked in with Lin. Lin said to Jason:
"I have a proposition to make. You are an excellent business man are you not Jason Bolt?" Jason looked at Lin and said:

"I like to think so, what is this all about?" Toy looked at Lin and then without any more hesitation she said:
"I would like to start a Chinese restaurant in Seattle!" Clancy looked at Joshua and Jason and then Jason said:
"I am not sure, we have a town council, we would have to talk to Aaron and Lottie, since she owns the saloon, I am not sure she would welcome competition?"

"Oh, I think it won't be competition, it would be part of her business!" Toy said.

"Well, who would run the business?" That is when Toy brought in the 5 ladies and said:
"They will, we have: Miss Soon LI, Miss Hun li Quan (my sister), Miss Jun Soo, Miss May Chin, and of course my best friend from China, Miss Sarah Lee, we went to the same mission school!" Jason and Joshua and Clancy stood up and shook hands with the ladies and Joshua said:

"Well, could they be considered 'brides', Jason?" Jason looked as if he were thinking, and said:

"You know, that is not a bad idea! I think they would be more welcome then and I think Aaron would not put up a fuss, but I still want to talk to Lottie, she may have something else in mind!"

"Like what?" Candy asked as she and Jeremy, who was on crutches, finally made an appearance in the galley.

"Oh, good, you are up now. We are going to give those ladies a job and they will be considered brides so that Mr. Stemple will let them stay!" Toy said. They all laughed and had a drink or more and settled down until they reached Seattle, their home.