Chapter 2

The morning came too quickly. Nora was up just before the sun was, her internal clock never allowing her to sleep in. Yawning, she rolled out of bed and got ready for the day. It was going to be a long ride. Heading into the Heartlands was easy, but finding a safe camp was another. She might stay close to the lake, or head toward the dry riverbed. Once she was ready to go, she grabbed breakfast in the saloon.

Once that was done, she headed toward the stables. She knew Khan wouldn't mind the late morning. They'd needed that rest. He greeted her with a loud whinny the moment she came into the barn. The stablehand chuckled, and walked over with her saddle.

"He's a good stallion ma'am," he smiled. "One of the best behaved I've ever seen."

Nora brought Khan out of the stall and smiled at the man. "That's because he's a gentleman," she chuckled, and patted the horse's chest.

"Here you are," he nodded. "And that bag right there is yours. Extra oats. Free of charge."

"Thank you," Nora said, grateful for the generosity.

Once Khan was saddled up and ready to go, she ran her hand down the length of his face. They'd been up in the mountains long enough. Where they were going, there would be plenty of grazing.

"Time to go somewhere a bit warmer, and a little less dangerous," she mused, and he snorted softly.

Using the stool provided, Nora swung into the saddle and gathered the reins in her right hand. A slight squeeze sent him walking, before extending into an easy trot. They soon left the smell of sheep and mud behind, the town disappearing behind the hills. It was good to breathe fresh air not dampened by sheep manure. The air was a bit chilly this morning, but it would soon warm up. Spring was already upon them, and summer would soon be here.

The moment they hit the open road, Nora gathered the reins and asked Khan to canter. Land blurred by them when he did, but they weren't in a hurry. Heading down toward the river, Nora let them follow it for a little while. She could take this road till they hit Flatneck Station, and head back inland. Khan would appreciate the ride as well. Cutting him down a worn path, Nora let him pick his way down instead of controlling him.

Just before they got to the bottom, Nora realized that his feet weren't the only ones making noise. Had she been more alert, she would have figured out they were being followed a long time ago. A rider cut his way infront of her, giving her no choice but to slow Khan down. It made Khan stop abruptly, because the rider turned his horse sharply toward them. Nora narrowed her gaze at the O'Driscoll she had encountered yesterday. Glancing behind her, she saw that his friend had come with.

"Well, well," he smirked. "Looky here. I bet you thought you wouldn't see us again, didn't ya lassie?"

"I could only hope," Nora replied dryly, aware that they were not in a good position. "I really don't want to shoot anyone today. Please move."

"I don't think you're in a spot to be making threats," the man snarled, and Nora smirked.

In her head, she knew that he was right, but her confidence might throw them off enough. Make them think twice about taking her. Or shooting her. Khan trembled under the saddle, pawing at the ground in frustration. It made the horse in front of them nervous.

"I suggest you pay up then," the man rumbled, pointing his gun her way.

"I don't have any money," she answered flatly, her gut tightening in anxiety.

She could try and shoot her way out of this, but Nora didn't want to injure Khan. A good horse was hard to come by, and Khan had been with her for several years now. Glancing over the river, Nora bit her lip.

"Don't have any money," the man smiled. "Well, that's too bad. But there are other ways to pay. It's all you women are good for anyway."

Nora glared at him, and Khan pinned his ears at the horse in front of him. It made the animal shy a little. She shuddered at the thought of what they wanted to do, but she wasn't helpless. The man behind her moved forward, making Khan move as well. He went a few steps before digging his hooves into the dirt. It made her lean forward involuntarily, and she grunted a little. The man behind her spat out something she didn't understand, when suddenly a gunshot went off. She gasped as white hot pain went through her body, and she jolted even further forward. All of the horses whinnied in alarm. Nora blinked rapidly, trying to get her vision back. Her shoulder was on fire, it hurt so bad! She didn't think they'd actually shoot her. Then again, maybe the man had tried for her head. Asshole. They were trigger happy morons.

Before she could figure out what to do, another gunshot went off. This had all happened within seconds, but to her it was in slow motion. Then, it wasn't. She heard the bullet hit flesh, and Nora swung around to see what had happened. The man who had shot her had a bullet hole in the side of his head.

"The fuck!" the man in front of her yelled.

"Run," she hissed to Khan, and pulled out her gun.

Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger as Khan galloped forward. It hit the man right in the chest, but she didn't stop to see if he died from it. Whoever had come to their aid was behind them, but she couldn't stop to thank them either. Khan thundered across the river, swinging right toward a familiar trail. They were going the wrong way, but at this point she didn't care. Agony shot through her again, blossoming from her shoulder. It had been a long time since she'd been shot. The pain had her vision going black, and she wasn't sure for how long. Long enough that she had fallen over Khan's neck as he galloped. Pushing herself up, she ran her fingers over his neck, trying to slow him down.

"Easy," she whispered, and he snorted loudly.

He came to a trot and alarm bells sounded in her head. They weren't safe here either. Khan realized that the moment he slowed, but his reaction was much more violent. He slid to a stop and whirled around to rear, his legs pawing the air. The motion sent her tumbling from the saddle, unable to hang on. The snarl of a cougar had her scrambling to her feet, but the stallion bellowed a challenge. Scrambling for her gun, Nora watched in horror as the big cat dodged Khan's strikes and lunged toward her.

"Fuck!" she cried.

Khan's teeth suddenly closed on the cougar's back, and he threw the big cat away from them. Another bellow left his throat as well as a gunshot. It made the stallion jerk his head up, and swing his body protectively in front of hers. The cougar fell dead where Khan had thrown it. Shoving herself up, Nora fell against Khan's neck.
"Well you sure are having a fine day."

Lifting her head to stare over Khan's back, Nora met the blue eyed gaze of Arthur Morgan. As he put his rifle away, he rode over at an easy walk. His gelding easily skirted around Khan, even though the stallion put his ears back. The gelding turned neatly so that Arthur could see them easily.

"It wasn't intentional to have a bad day," Nora muttered, aware of his sarcasm before it dawned on her. "You shot that man."

"I did," he drawled, swinging out of the saddle. "Let me see that shoulder."

"It's nothing I can't handle," she protested, tensing a little.

"I mean you no harm ma'am," Arthur rumbled, lifting his hands. "I was on my way to the Downes Ranch. You happened along the way."

Giving him a cautious look, Nora weighed her options. He clearly wasn't going to leave, so she allowed him close enough to check the wound. Inhaling harshly, she tried to ignore the pain, and leaned against Khan's neck. Arthur grunted softly, a sound she wasn't able to read.

"You got a brave friend, Miss Nora," he rumbled. "Don't see many horses who will take on a cougar."

"He'll take on anything, as long as he knows he can trample it," she muttered. "Part of the reason we're still alive I guess.

"Well you need to get that wound cleaned," Arthur answered. "Come, I can take you into Strawberry, make sure you get there safely."

"This isn't the first gunshot I've had," Nora replied slowly. "I can clean it myself. You said you was on your way to the Downes Ranch?
"I am," he nodded, his eyes narrowing toward her.

He didn't like that she had declined his escort to the town. It made her smirk a little. The Downes family he said. Thomas Downes was always running fundraiser's in Valentine for the poor. She'd been to Valentine enough to remember the man. He'd barely been able to scrape by himself, but there was a different reason she found herself speaking.

"Stay away from that place," she said, the words leaving her lips before she could stop. "It's nothing but a death wish. That man is sick. TB. You ain't paying a simple house call outlaw. There ain't no money to even steal."

Arthur gazed at her for a long moment, trying to decide whether or not he wanted to take the advice she'd given him seriously. Whether he did or not wasn't her problem, but it was the least she could do since he'd killed a man in her defense. Gathering some of Khan's mane in her hand, she winced as her shoulder throbbed.

"Well then, let's find some place to camp for the night," he drawled, his voice calm. "Your boy put a lot of distance between where you was at."

"You followed all this way?" Nora asked, looking at him in surprise.

"Well after you got shot, I had to make sure you weren't dead," he shrugged, and motioned toward the saddle.

Sighing in defeat, Nora let him help her up onto Khan's back. He lifted her like she weighed nothing, while Khan stood firmly for them. Once she was safely in the saddle, Arthur reached into his pocket and gave Khan a mint. The stallion wasted no time in taking it from his palm.

"You did real good boy," he rumbled, and Khan snorted. "I know a place by the water. No one can sneak up on us there, and it's sheltered."

"Okay," Nora murmured, and Arthur nodded.

"If you get dizzy, let me know," he ordered firmly, getting onto his own horse.

"I'll be fine," she grunted stubbornly, and it made him chuckle.

Leaning over Khan's neck, she sighed softly. Wrapping the reins around the saddle horn, she left them loose enough so he had his head. He knew what to do. Arthur led the way, and after a mile he cut off the road and down a steep overgrown path. It took them down toward the river. A shallow cave greeted them when they got to the bank of the river. There were two spots for grazing, which made Nora sigh in relief. It had been a short ride, but by the time Khan had stopped walking, Nora was dizzy. The bleeding had slowed, but she was pretty sure the bullet was still in there. It hurt more than she'd care to admit.

"Here we are," Arthur rumbled, swinging out of the saddle. "Stay in the saddle, I'll help you in a moment."

"I'm fine," she protested, and instantly regretted it.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Well go on, get down then," he said, giving her an interesting look.

"Fine," she muttered, giving in.

Leaning forward, she carefully pushed Khan's bridle off. He lowered his head so it slid off easier, and snorted softly. She hung it on the saddle horn. While Arthur made camp, she let the stallion walk over to the grass. Arthur even took the things from her pack and set them up. He was quick and efficient, which told her that he'd done this many times. Only when he was satisfied, did Arthur walk over to her. He carefully helped her out of the saddle, his arms strong and steady. She had no choice but to accept the help, but she was grateful for it. Nora had done this on her own before, but it was never pleasant.

Leading her over toward the log that he had positioned near the fire, Arthur eased her down. Nora sighed softly, and leaned against the wood at her back. A hard look had her staying put, and Arthur headed over to Khan. She watched as he untacked Khan, giving him a quick look over.

"For an outlaw, you sure are a gentleman," she mused as he walked over.

"Sometimes," he smirked. "I may be an outlaw, but I do know how to help people."

The moment Khan had been free of his saddle, the stallion gave a loud snort and dropped down to roll in the grass. It made Arthur chuckle, and she smiled a little. Putting the saddle down, Arthur sighed and glanced toward her again.

"Let's get this looked at," he rumbled. "I know the bullet is still in there."

"Yeah, I know," Nora muttered, unbuttoning her shirt.

He helped her get her arm carefully out of the sleeve. She had contemplated just ripping it, but she didn't want to do that. Once it was free, Nora guided him to where her medical kit was. Arthur walked back over with a grim look on his face. She stared at the fire he had started.

"Just get it out," she said quietly, and Arthur nodded.

Gathering what he needed, Arthur sat down behind her, drawing her into the shelter of his legs. He worked in silence, and tried to do as little as possible to hurt her. Nora inhaled softly when the tweezers found the bullet. In a swift move, he yanked it out. She couldn't help the sound that left her throat. Cleaning it as quickly as he could, he wrapped it gently, and tied it tightly. He had clearly done this as well, many times.

"All done," he rumbled.

"Thank you," Nora whispered, clearing the tears that had managed to leak out of her eyes. "I'll be good as new tomorrow."

"A gunshot like that ain't going away overnight ma'am," he chuckled, and she caught her expression.

"Well no," she murmured, once her emotion was under control. "But good enough to function and get the hell out of here. No more surprises."

"Good thing I came along then," he teased, and she snorted.

When he shifted, Nora realized she had leaned against him while he had worked. She cleared her throat, and ignored the embarrassment that caused her cheeks to flush. Pushing herself to sit up, Nora regretted the decision instantly. Closing her eyes against the wave of dizziness that hit her, Nora sucked in a breath.

"Thank you," she said again.

"You're welcome," he drawled, carefully standing up.

She watched him as he went to wash his hands, and clean up the mess he'd made. Arthur sighed softly, his shoulders tensing slightly. Something had drawn his attention, but she didn't know what.

"You stay put. I'll find us something to eat," he commanded, glancing her way.

"I…" she trailed off at his narrowed glance. "Fine…"

That satisfied him, knowing she wasn't going to fight him on that. Rising to his feet, Arthur grabbed the bow that was resting against his saddle. Hooves caught her attention, so she glanced up. Khan walked over quietly, lowering his head and pressing his nose against her cheek. His breath washed over her, so she reached up to stroke his face. Leaning into him gently, Nora tickled the whiskers on his chin.

"I'm okay," she murmured.

Snorting softly, the stallion moved to graze behind her. Aware that Arthur was watching, she snuck a look to see the fond expression on his face. The man was observing everything, making sure there was no danger around them. Tomorrow was going to be quite an issue, but Nora decided she'd deal with that when it came. There was no doubt this man was dangerous, but he'd made it clear she was safe. For now anyway.

"Stay put," he ordered once more, and headed out of camp.

He wasn't gone long, and came back with a rabbit to cook for the both of them. It was at that point Nora realized she was actually very hungry. Glancing at the sun, she realized a good chunk of the day had been wasted. Part of her was glad those men were dead. Lifting her gaze again, Nora watched Arthur move around the camp. She spent way too much time observing, but it would help her in the long run. Two revolvers sat in their holsters, a hunting knife behind one of them. His saddle had a spot for a shotgun and two rifles. The saddle had been custom made to carry what he needed, and with the gelding he rode as stocky as he was, it worked well. There was no doubt that when he rode out, he was on a mission, or ready for whatever would cross his path. The guns were protection, she knew that, but it wasn't from animals. No, he was protecting himself from people. Civilization was on its way, but out here the law would only go so far.