Betrothed, Betrayer and Betrayed

Part Two

By: Rona Y.

The galloping hooves told Ben that Joe had arrived home and he smiled as he continued writing his letter. Any moment now, the front door would be thrown open and Joe would breeze into the room, calling out his greeting.

So the urgent thumping on the front door came as a complete surprise and Ben rose quickly to answer, wondering what on earth was going on. “Clem?” he frowned, gazing at the deputy in surprise.

“Ben, thank goodness I’ve got you.” Clem was panting and Ben glanced over his shoulder at the lathered horse that was standing in the yard with its head down at its knees.

“What is it?” Ben demanded. “What’s happened?”

Drawing in a huge breath, Clem told his unwanted news. “There was a robbery at the bank. Joe’s been taken hostage by the robbers.”

The colour drained from Ben’s face as he grabbed Clem’s arm. “Is he hurt?” he demanded. “Clem…”

“No, as far as I know, Joe’s not hurt,” Clem assured him. “Roy wants you to come into town.”

“I must tell Adam and Hoss,” Ben stuttered, as he reached for his gun and hat.

“I sent Jim after them,” Clem told him. Jim was another deputy that Roy called on when there was need.

It was clear that Clem’s horse wasn’t up to a fast ride back to town and Clem pulled it away from the water trough before it could founder. Fred, one of the hands, swiftly saddled a horse for the deputy as Ben threw his own tack onto Buck. Fred began to tend to the lathered horse as Ben and Clem rode off.

**********************

Bound and gagged, Joe rode along with the gang of bank robbers in a state of shock. It wasn’t entirely because he had been taken hostage; it was more who had taken him hostage that was causing the problem. For the young woman that Joe was due to marry in less than a week was one of the gang who had taken him along with them, so they could escape with the bank’s money. Joe could not take his eyes off Dawn’s slim back as she rode along in front of him.

After a time, the panting horses were pulled to a stop and the girls tore off the big coats, hats and bandannas they wore. “Now what are we going to do?” asked Val. “I didn’t count on taking him along with us!” She gestured angrily at Joe.

“None of us did,” Kate returned, equally angrily. “But we could hardly leave him behind, could we? He recognised us! And he shouted out Dawn’s name. We can’t go home, either, like we had intended.”

“Well, we aren’t going to sort anything out by shouting at each other,” Louise soothed. “We have to find somewhere to hole up and then we can decide what to do.” She glanced at Dawn. “Have you got any ideas?”

“If we keep going in this direction, we should come to one of the line shacks belonging to the Cartwrights,” Dawn suggested. “We can get supplies there, stop for the night, or we can take the supplies and move on.” She glanced at Joe, and colour immediately rose in her face as she saw that he was still looking at her.

“All right,” grumbled Val. “Let’s go. There’ll be a posse out looking for us.”

Allowing Dawn to take the lead, they moved off. After a few minutes, Dawn glanced back at Joe, who immediately dropped his gaze. He knew what she wanted. She wanted him to indicate to her that they were going in the right direction to find a line shack. Joe had no intention of helping her. His heart was breaking as the realisation of what he had just witnessed sank in.

Dawn was not who he had thought she was.

**********************

“What?” Ben breathed, disbelievingly. He sat down heavily in the seat Roy had pointed him at. “Are you saying… that Dawn… was one of the bank robbers?” He shook his head, trying to understand. “Roy, that’s not possible.”

“I’m afraid it is, Ben,” Roy Coffee, the sheriff, replied. “Dan Coutts heard Joe say her name. He says Joe looked as though he couldn’t believe his eyes. Much the way you’re lookin’ now, I dare say.”

“Couldn’t it be a different Dawn?” Hoss asked, hopelessly.

“Do you know anyone else called Dawn?” Adam asked. The name was extremely unusual. Hoss shook his head sadly.

“What was Dawn doing with that gang?” Ben wondered. “Was she a hostage of some kind?”

“I don’t think so,” Roy replied. “Ben, we’ve bin round to the house where them girls live an’ there ain’t nobody home.”

Frowning, Ben shook his head. “I don’t understand what you’re getting at, Roy.”

Sighing, Roy perched his hip on the edge of his desk. “Ben, we think that maybe the girls make up the gang.”

“The girls?” Ben echoed, disbelievingly. “But... why?”

“Well, it started us thinkin’, Ben,” Roy explained. “Ya know that one o’ the girls was killed in Sacramento last month?” When Ben nodded, Roy continued. “I wired the sheriff there, an’ he said she was killed robbin’ the bank!”

“What?” Ben felt as though the world was moving sideways around him. “Are you talking about Beth?” When Roy nodded, Ben continued, “But Joe told me Beth had been murdered.”

“Well, I dunno who told Joe that,” Roy replied, “but it ain’t true. Beth was shot durin’ a robbery. The five other people with her could all pass for young boys – or they could be girls. Only one person spoke, an’ the banker thought it was a boy whose voice hadn’t broken right.”

“Kate,” Adam said, through numb lip. “Kate has a voice like that.”

“Mr Coutts said the same thing,” Clem added. “That the person sounded like their voice hadn’t broken.”

“But how did Joe know it was Dawn?” Hoss asked. “If’n she wore a mask an’ all.”

“He’d know,” Ben replied, softly, his voice sad. “He’d know just by looking at her eyes.” He would have known Marie anywhere, even if all he could see were her eyes. He would have known her from behind, across a crowded room. “Joe would know,” he sighed.

“Well, why are we still sitting here?” Adam asked, shaking off the shock.

With a flash of asperity, Roy replied, “We’re sittin’ here so’s I could explain what I was thinkin’.”

“What are we going to do?” Adam asked, chastened.

“You ain’t gonna do nothin’,” Roy said, firmly. “You’re all gonna stay right here!” He gestured to Clem. “Clem an’ me is gonna lead a posse after them.”

“We’re not waiting here!” Ben declared, getting to his feet. “That’s my son out there, Roy and I’m going after him!” As the lawman opened his mouth to protest, Ben over-rode him. “The only way you’ll make me stay behind is if you lock me in one of those cells!”

For an instant, Roy was tempted to do that very thing! “Simmer down, Ben!” he retorted. “All right, ya can come with us, but ya gotta do what I tell ya, unnerstand? I’m in charge, here, an’ if’n ya don’t do what I tell ya, I’ll git Clem ta bring ya back here to occupy that cell!” He exchanged a glance with his deputy. “Let’s go.”

The Cartwrights looked at one another and Ben nodded. “All right, Roy,” he agreed. “We’ll do it your way.”

****************

All through the heat of the afternoon, the girls and Joe rode towards a line shack. Joe noticed that their pace was getting slower, but he wouldn’t have told them, even if he could. Not by a single glance did he offer any help, and tempers were very frayed by the time they finally spotted one of the shacks in the distance.

The girls dismounted and Joe could see the weariness in the way they stood. He kept his head down, waiting for his chance to come. As soon as the rein was untied from around his hands, Joe planned to take action. Cochise was much fitter than the hired horses the girls were riding, and he was fairly sure that he could get away.

However, his hopes were dashed as Kate drew her .45 and aimed it at him. “Don’t try anything, Joe,” she warned him. “I won’t hesitate to use this, you know.” She nodded to Val, who came over and struggled with the rein for a moment before getting the knots undone. “Get off, Joe.”

Slowly, Joe did as he was told. Kate gave him a shove in the back to tell him to get moving and gestured to the shack. After a moment’s eye contact, Joe did as he was bid. Behind him, Louise and Julie began to lead the horses round to the lean-to behind the shack. Joe desperately wanted to tell them not to give Cochise too much cold water while he was warm, but one look at Kate’s face warned him that hauling the gag out of his mouth wouldn’t be a good idea. He sent up a prayer that at least one of the girls knew something about the care of horses. He might need Cochise to get out of there.

The inside of the shack was slightly stuffy from the heat of the sun, but fall would soon be upon them and Joe knew it would get cold that night. There were only two beds and two chairs. Joe wondered, cynically, how long it would be before there was a fight over who slept where.

“Sit down,” Kate ordered Joe. She still had her .45 aimed at him and Joe wondered how good a shot she was. She certainly handled the gun like she knew how to use it. He walked over to the table and sat down. “Val, tie his hands to the arm of the chair, and tie his feet, too,” Kate went on. “You could probably take the gag out now.”

Meekly, Joe submitted to being tied to the chair. His mind was racing as he thought of how he could get out of this mess. His best bet, he thought, wryly, was to tell them he needed to pee. They wouldn’t be too keen to keep watch on him then!

As Val rose from tying his feet, Kate put away her gun and Louise and Julie came in from outside. They all carried canteens and drank thirstily. Joe’s mouth was parched, but he wouldn’t ask for a drink. However, Dawn held her canteen out. “Do you want a drink, Joe?” she asked, and the tone made him want to weep, for it was the same loving tone that she always used when talking to him.

“Yes, thank you,” he replied, making his tone as neutral as he could. Dawn hesitated for a moment, but she had offered the drink and nobody else was making a move to give Joe one. She went over and tilted the canteen to his mouth.

The water was more than welcome, but Joe was distracted by her hand on the back of his head, and the smell of her perfume. He gulped some water down, then pulled back. “Thanks,” he offered.

“What are we going to do now?” Julie asked.

“We’ll get a fire going and make something to eat,” Kate decided. She was the leader. “Then we’ll talk about it.”

It didn’t take long for them to get a fire going in the stove and they began to sift through the supplies to see what there was to work with. Dawn left the others to it and drifted over to where Joe sat. “Nothing’s changed, Joe,” she told him. “I still love you and we can still get married.”

Stiffening, Joe blinked in disbelief. “How can you say nothing’s changed?” he demanded. “Dawn, everything has changed. There’ll be a posse out looking for you! When you get caught, you’ll go to prison. You’re not the girl I thought I knew! How can I marry you?”

“But we’ll let you go free,” Dawn insisted, as though this was what Joe was worrying about. “We won’t hurt you.”

“No?” Joe asked, sceptically. He moved his hands as far as he could. “What do you think this is, if you aren’t hurting me?” His hands were numb from the tightness of the rawhide. His fingers were beginning to go white and bloodless. “Do you think this is painless?”

“Joe, I love you,” Dawn implored him.

“That doesn’t make any difference,” Joe told her. “Do you really think I could marry you? Do you really think that Roy doesn’t know who you are? How many banks have you robbed, Dawn?”

“A lot,” replied Dawn, defiantly. “We’ve been doing it for years, and we’ve never been caught.”

“I don’t think that’s something I’d boast about,” Joe retorted. And then a thought hit him. “What happened to Beth?” he asked. “You said she’d died, but how did she die?” When Dawn just looked at him, Joe felt a violent urge to throttle her. He was glad, at that moment, that his hands were tied. “Dawn? Was she killed robbing that bank in Sacramento? Was she the girl that was in the paper?”

“Yes,” Dawn whispered.

Disgusted, Joe looked away. “And you let me think she’d been murdered. You’ve played me for a fool, Dawn. You must have really enjoyed having such a sucker for a boyfriend.” He swallowed. “I suppose there isn’t a relative that you have to visit every so often, either? I assume you were robbing banks then, too?”

“That’s right,” Dawn replied. She rose, and Joe could see that she was angry. “But if you think about it, Joe, you’ll see we can be married. I’m giving it all up for you, Joe. This was my last bank job.”

“You’re right,” Joe agreed. “This was your last bank job. Because you’re going to prison, all of you!”

Without speaking, Dawn walked away and went outside. Joe’s face was grim as he met the eyes of the other four girls. His dreams lay in tatters before him.

*********************

As darkness began to fall, the posse made camp a little way from the trail they had been following. It was clear that the gang had been travelling quite fast, and had no apparent destination in mind, for the trail led all over the place. They were, by now, on Ponderosa land and Adam and Hoss had been speculating as to their likely destination.

“I reckon they might a got ta that line shack about four-five miles from here,” Hoss insisted. “If’n we push on, we could get there tonight.”

“Its no good trying to come on a place in the dark,” Adam argued. “Too many people could be killed. We need to make an early start in the morning and hope that we get to the shack before they leave.” He touched Hoss’ shoulder sympathetically. “I want to find Joe, too, Hoss.”

Hoss’ face crumpled. “Dadburnit, Adam, but I feel bad fer him! How must he be feelin’ right now?”

“I don’t know,” Adam admitted. “But we’ll find him, Hoss, I promise.”

“Yeah,” Hoss agreed, glumly.

**********************

The meal the girls had produced was good, given the limited supplies they had. Joe had endured being fed by Louise, simply because he had no choice. The coffee afterwards was more than welcome, for Joe’s mouth was dry. He smiled grimly as each girl in turn made a trip outside, and as they began to discuss who was sleeping where, he glanced at Kate and said, “It’s my turn.”

“What do you mean by that?” Kate asked, sharply.

Heaving a sigh, Joe gestured as best he could to the door. “You’ve all gone and now I need to go,” he told her, trying to be as discreet as he could.

The crimson blush that stained Kate’s neck betrayed her understanding. “Oh, I see,” she replied. “Dawn, you take Joe outside.”

“What?” Dawn frowned. “Why do I have to take him outside?”

“He needs to go,” Kate hissed and Joe felt an enormous desire to laugh as the colour mounted in Dawn’s face. However, he schooled his face to impassivity. Kate handed over the .45 and began to untie his hands from the arm of the chair.

“You could loosen the rawhide a bit, too, please,” Joe suggested. “My hands have no feeling in them.”

“Don’t try anything!” Kate warned and loosened the knots a bit. Joe’s hands were still securely tied, but he could feel his fingers tingling as the blood rushed back into them.

“Thanks,” Joe told her. He rose stiffly to his feet and preceded Dawn out of the shack.

The whole situation was horrible embarrassing for both Joe and Dawn. She did her best to watch him as she had been told to, but being a gently-bred girl, even if she had turned to crime, this was not something that she could deal with easily. She turned her head away and blushed hopelessly throughout.

For Joe, he found that his conscience was pricking him. Yes, he had definitely needed to go, but it seemed kind of low to use it to his advantage. Then common sense kicked in. Dawn and her friends were holding him hostage, and he didn’t know what they intended to do with him. He didn’t think they knew what they were going to do either. He had to try and escape.

Straightening, Joe took one step sideways, gathering himself to run. But Dawn knew him, despite any denials Joe might make to himself. She sensed the sudden purpose in Joe and reacted instantly, sticking her leg out, and tripping Joe up. He crashed to the ground and Dawn leapt on him.

There was no way Dawn’s slight weight was going to keep Joe down for long, but he had no intention of hurting her. He grabbed her wrist and threw her to one side. Dawn landed with a bump and a cry as Joe scrambled to his feet.

“Hold it!” Dawn cried, and cocked the gun.

Casting her one look, Joe started to run. Dawn fired.

The bullet bit into the ground by Joe’s foot and he swerved instinctively. But he was up and running now and he wasn’t going to stop. This was his home and he knew every bush and tree. But Joe hadn’t been prepared for Kate’s quick reflexes.

She dived out of the cabin, snatched the gun from Dawn and fired at Joe. It was a superb shot under the circumstances. The bullet struck Joe on the outside of his right knee and knocked him off his feet, without actually penetrating too far into his leg. Joe crashed to the ground. Kate and Dawn raced over to where he was lying and looked down at him.

Blood was soaking into the leg of Joe’s pants. He clutched the limb above the knee, trying to ease the pain. “You were supposed to be watching him,” Kate chided Dawn.

“You do it next time,” Dawn snapped.

“Help me get him up,” Kate ordered, realising that she had asked Dawn to do something very difficult. “We’ll know next time.”

Between them, they pulled Joe to his feet and supported him as best they could as he limped slowly back to the shack. Once inside, Joe’s hands were tied to the chair once more, and Julie split the leg of Joe’s pants to look at the injury. It didn’t look too serious, although with it being on the joint, Joe’s leg felt incredibly weak. Julie found the first aid supplies and bandaged the knee firmly. The bleeding stopped at last and Joe slumped back in his seat. His knee was throbbing fiercely and he knew it would make it harder to escape next time.

But there would be a next time.

*********************

The posse were up and moving before the sun was up. Ben had slept fitfully, wondering if Joe was all right. Then shortly before everyone began stirring, a thought occurred to Ben that robbed him of any chance of further sleep.

As soon as he saw Roy was awake, Ben went over to him. “Roy, listen, I’ve just thought of something.”

“Go on,” Roy grunted.

“We all assumed that Joe meant Dawn, his fiancée. But what if he didn’t? What if he meant Don, as in a man’s name? He’s very familiar with Don Douglas, that scamp of a boy who sometimes works at the livery stable.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Roy admitted, slowly. “Because of what Dan Coutts, the bank manager said, I just assumed it was Joe’s fiancée.”

“It wasn’t Don Douglas,” Clem stated firmly. As both Ben and Roy looked at him, he got slowly to his feet and went over to them. “I saw Don Douglas in the livery when I went to get my horse to come out to you, Ben. Old Pete, the owner, was complaining that Don had had a bad case of the slows all morning, and that he had had to stand over him all morning to make sure the work was done.”

“Well, that don’t mean it weren’t another Don,” Roy pointed out.

“I don’t know anyone else called Don that fits the general description,” Clem noted, sourly.

“Nor me,” Ben agreed, defeat in his voice. He had hoped that perhaps it wasn’t Dawn, although the prospect of Joe being the hostage of someone else, who might hurt him, had frightened him.

“So we’re back where we started,” Roy concluded. “Let’s get moving.”

*********************

It had been a long, cold night for Joe. The girls had all huddled together on the two beds, although how much sleep they had had was anyone’s guess. Joe’s uncomfortable position, plus the throbbing from his injured knee had effectively robbed him of sleep. He shivered as the first of the morning light crept into the shack.

Accustomed to being an early, if reluctant, riser, Joe was surprised when the girls all slumbered on. He shifted uneasily, trying to ease his cramped limbs, but the knots on his bonds remained as tight as ever. He flexed his knee slightly and caught his breath at the pain that flared up his leg. He bit his lip until the pain died back to the familiar throbbing. How was he going to run away with his leg in this condition? Joe shook the thought away. He would do what he had to, to get away. Pa and the posse would be following along and the longer the girls slept, the more chance they had of finding him quickly.

Little by little, the girls began to wake and soon the fire was built up, providing much-needed warmth for Joe, and the coffee was on. Joe was surprised that none of the girls seemed to feel any urgency to move on, but he reasoned that they had never been in this kind of situation, where they were being hunted and probably thought they were safe.

But over breakfast, Kate brought the subject up. “Where are we going to go now?” she asked. “We can’t stay here.”

“What are we going to do with Joe?” asked Val. “I don’t want to drag him along with us. He’ll just slow us down.”

“He’s a useful hostage,” Louise commented. She glanced at Dawn. “Sorry, but it’s true.”

“I know that,” Dawn agreed. She looked at Joe, who met her gaze impassively. “But we can’t take him with us forever. His family will come looking for him.”

“Let’s at least get into California,” suggested Julie. “Then we can turn Joe loose and he can get back to his family then.”

“He’ll slow us down,” Val repeated. “He’s hurt!”

“Why don’t we just leave him here?” Kate asked. “We’ll travel faster without him, and he’ll get free eventually.”

Silently listening, Joe was amazed that the girls didn’t seem to think that the posse would be tracking them. The frost the previous night would have preserved their tracks perfectly. Joe glanced at the window. If his family was with the posse, there was a fair chance that they were already drawing close to the shack. Joe decided that it might be an idea if he took a hand in the proceedings.

“Much as I find this discussion about my future riveting, ladies,” he began, “nature calls and I would like to answer.”

As the meaning of Joe’s words sank in, each girl blushed and turned to look at Dawn. She flushed, but with anger rather than embarrassment. “Come on then,” she replied, ungraciously and picked up the .45 while Kate untied Joe’s hands from the chair.

When he rose, Joe was horrified to discover that his leg would barely support his weight. He grabbed the edge of the table for support and took a small, hopping step, then another, while the girls all watched him interestedly.

“You’re not going to manage to get out there without help,” Kate observed and stepped forward to help Joe. “Dawn, don’t let your guard down. This could all be a ploy so we relax our guard.”

“Believe me,” Joe panted, as Kate took his arm. “This is no ploy.” He could feel the sweat beading on his forehead, and realised that running away could no longer form part of his escape plan. Desperately, he tried to think of another plan, but nothing came to mind.

Nature’s call answered, he rested for a minute, leaning against the side of the shack. His leg was now trembling beneath him and the pain when he walked took his breath away. “Ready?” Kate asked, drawing Joe away from his musings over how he was going to get away.

“Ready,” he replied, dispiritedly. He allowed more of his weight to rest on the girl, and felt the momentary hesitation before she accepted it. Perhaps, he thought, he could use that. He didn’t know how, but something might turn up. “Wait, I must rest,” he puffed, after only a few steps. They were now at the front of the shack.

A man suddenly burst from the trees nearby. “Hold it!” he cried, aiming a rifle at them. Joe recognised Adam.

Other men appeared from the cover round about, each one armed.

“Dawn!” Kate cried. “Shoot him!”

As Dawn whirled, Joe raised his bound hands and smacked them off Kate’s chin. The girl tumbled to the ground, out cold. Joe caught his balance, and looked at Dawn. The gun was pointing right at him and at that distance, Dawn wasn’t going to miss!

The posse froze.

********************

“There’s smoke coming from the shack,” Clem confirmed. “There’s plenty of cover, so I think we ought to go on on foot.”

“Are they still there?” Ben asked, anxiously.

“Yes, I’ve seen movement from inside,” Clem nodded. “I ain’t seen Joe, but Cochise is in the lean-to out back with the other horses.”

“Let’s go,” Roy ordered. He drew his pistol, and the others copied him, drawing pistols or cradling rifles. Clem led the way, and the men kept silent.

Soon, the shack was in sight and they used the good cover to get closer. They all shrank back into the undergrowth as the shack door opened and Joe came out, with Dawn and Kate. Joe’s hands were tied and he was limping badly and leaning on Kate. Dawn carried a .45 and looked like she knew how to use it. Roy waved them all to wait.

It was only as the trio returned to the shack that Dawn allowed the gun to drop in her hand, her vigilance relaxed. Roy nodded and Adam burst from the trees. “Hold it!” he cried.

***************

“Give me the gun, Dawn,” Joe said, evenly.

“Stay back!” Dawn cried. “Or I’ll shoot!”

Inside the shack, Joe could hear the other girls calling to one another, but he ignored it. His attention was on Dawn and the round, dark, barrel that pointed in his direction. “Dawn, please, give me the gun,” he coaxed, his voice warm and caressing. Joe took a step towards her. He lifted his bound hands. “Dawn…”

For an instant, Joe thought she was going to capitulate. Then the shack door opened and one of the other girls shouted, “Dawn, behind you!”

Joe’s eyes opened wide and he took another step. Dawn brought the gun up and shot Joe, even as Adam pulled the trigger on the rifle. The bullet bit into Dawn’s back and she arched backwards, emptying the gun at the sky. Joe collapsed to the ground.

Adam’s action released the posse from its immobility and they surged forward. A couple of shots were exchanged, but with Dawn shot down and Kate unconscious, the girls in the shack had had enough. Within moments, they had thrown their guns out and were surrendering to Roy, Clem and the others.

The Cartwrights left them to it, all three crowding around Joe. Ben put his hand to his unconscious son’s head, murmuring his name over and over. Hoss took out his knife and sliced through the rawhide around Joe’s wrists. Adam simply looked at Joe, knowing that he had almost certainly killed the girl that Joe loved, but hadn’t done so in time to prevent his youngest brother being badly hurt.

As Joe groaned and stirred back towards consciousness, Ben’s inertia left him. “Adam, get into the shack and get the medical supplies,” he urged. “Joe’s bleeding badly. Hoss, help me carry him inside.”

“What…?” Joe muttered, disoriented. He tried to move, but let out a groan as the pain hit him. Forcing his eyes open as he felt himself being lifted, Joe peered blearily at Ben. “Pa? Is…that…you?”

“It’s me, son,” Ben soothed. “You’ll be all right, Joe. Just stay still.” However, Ben was talking to himself, as Joe had slipped off into unconsciousness.

Inside the shack, Ben gently laid Joe on a cot and took off his jacket and shirt. Dawn’s bullet had hit Joe in the right chest, slicing through the skin between his ribs and lodging in his right arm. Both wounds were bleeding profusely. “We’ve got to get this bleeding stopped,” Ben cried.

Grabbing Joe’s bloodstained shirt, Ben ripped it into pieces and wadded one bit against Joe’s ribs. Adam reached over and put his hand on it, pressing down to stem the blood flow. Joe groaned and tried to twist away from the pressure. “Hold him, Hoss,” Ben ordered, as he wound another piece around Joe’s arm and tied it off.

That done, Ben rinsed his bloodstained hands in a bucket of water and fetched a canteen. Lifting Joe’s head, he trickled the liquid into Joe’s mouth and Joe swallowed, his eyes fluttering open again. “Pa?” he whispered. “It hurts.”

“Just take it easy, son,” Ben soothed. “We’ll get you home. Lie still now.” He offered Joe some more water and Joe accepted eagerly. When Joe had finished, Ben put the canteen aside, and took a closer look at Joe’s leg. He didn’t undo the bandage around his son’s knee, but he could see the fresh blood that spotted the white linen.

“Ben, how’s Joe doin’?” Roy asked, coming in.

Rising, Ben went over to speak to the lawman out of Joe’s immediate hearing. Both men instinctively kept their voices low. “He’s bleeding badly and we need to get him home.”

“Clem an’ the men are riggin’ a travois,” Roy told him. “We figgered that Joe wouldn’ be up ta ridin’.” Roy looked uncomfortable and lowered his voice even further. “Dawn’s dead, Ben. Them other girls tol’ us that they robbed the bank sure enough. The money ain’t bin touched an’ is safe in them saddlebags. I’m real sorry, Ben.”

“It’s not your fault, Roy,” Ben assured him. But he couldn’t help wondering how Joe would take this news. He had loved Dawn and her death, combined with what she had done, would make it very hard for Joe to get over it. “Thank the others for us. We’re very grateful for your help.”

“It ain’t nuthin’,” Roy protested, but he was sure Ben didn’t hear him. Ben’s attention was once more on his injured son.

***********************

With Joe’s bleeding stopped at last, Ben wrapped him in Adam’s custard-coloured coat, at Adam’s insistence, and they placed him carefully on the travois, covered in blankets. Roy, Clem and the other members of the posse took the four remaining girls back to town. Clem rode on ahead to send the doctor out to the ranch. Ben just hoped that Paul Martin was in town. Joe’s temperature was beginning to rise and the bullet was still in his arm.

It took them almost two and a half hours, travelling at a steady pace, to reach the house. To Ben, it seemed an eternity since he had left the previous day. With Hoss and Adam’s help, they got Joe into the house. Hoss went to put away the horses and Adam stayed to help Ben ease Joe out of his clothes.

“You’re very quiet, Adam,” Ben observed. “Are you all right?”

“Yes,” Adam replied, almost inaudibly. Ben glanced at him, not in the least convinced by his answer. When their eyes met, Adam jerked his head almost imperceptibly at Joe, who was conscious and Ben understood that whatever was troubling Adam was not going to be discussed in front of Joe. That alone gave Ben the clue he needed. Adam was upset that he had had to shoot Dawn, but had still not prevented Joe being injured.

Looking down at Joe, Ben knew that Adam’s worries would have to wait for just now. His priority had to be Joe. “How are you doing, son?” he asked.

“All right,” Joe lied. Sweat beaded on his brow and matted his hair to his head. “Can I… get a drink?”

“Of course you can,” Ben replied and lifted Joe’s head so that his son could drink. “Adam, could you get me some cold water and cloths?” Ben asked, knowing that it was better to keep Adam busy. However, Hop Sing had pre-empted Ben’s request and brought the necessary items into the room. Ben gave Adam an apologetic smile and shrugged.

“I’m all right,” Adam told Ben. “How about I bring you some coffee?”

“Bring yourself and Hoss some, too,” Ben suggested. “I think we could use it.” He dropped a couple of cloths into the water. Wringing one out, he laid it on Joe’s head, and taking the other, he began to wipe Joe’ hot face and chest. “How does that feel?” he asked.

“Mm,” nodded Joe, unable to find words. The pain from his injuries was sapping his strength rapidly. Joe wanted to move away from the pain, but knew that he couldn’t. His eyes sought his father’s and found there the reassurance that he needed.

“Paul will be here soon,” Ben told Joe. “You’ll feel better after he’s looked at you.” Ben wondered how long it would take Paul to arrive. Even another minute was too long for Joe to have to wait.

********************

Although the wait seemed interminable to the Cartwrights, it lasted only another half hour. Hop Sing let Paul into the house, and he made his way to Joe’s bedroom, quite familiar with the house after the many years he had been family physician. He examined Joe quickly, then looked at the others.

“I’ve seen worse,” he told them. “Obviously, the bullet has to come out and I have quite a bit of stitching to do. Joe’s knee is a bit of a mess. Lucky that bullet didn’t hit any straighter, or it would have shattered the kneecap and Joe wouldn’t be walking again. Off you go, and have something to eat. I can manage this alone.”

Left alone, Paul gave Joe something for pain and brought out the chloroform. Joe had been drifting in and out of a restless sleep and slid under quite easily, allowing Paul to get on with his work. Compared to some of the surgeries that he had performed on Joe, this one was quite simple and straight forward. He removed the bullet from Joe’s arm and stitched it. He stitched Joe’s side, noting that the muscles were badly torn, and splinted Joe’s knee. When the wound was healing cleanly, with no sign of infection, he planned to put Joe’s knee into a cast, because the bullet had chipped the edge of the kneecap and Paul was worried about it. Then he cleaned up Joe’s wrists and bandaged them. That done, he waited for his patient to rouse.

********************

“What is Joe going to think?” Adam asked, his voice beginning to rise as his temper got the better of him. “I shot Dawn and she’s dead!”

“You were trying to save Joe’s life,” Ben repeated, trying to keep calm. “He’ll understand, Adam. How do you think he feels about Dawn now?” With a pang of anguish, Ben remembered how happy Joe had been; how happy they all had been.

“He can’t stop loving her, just like that,” Adam argued. “Who knows? He might have been able to forgive her and they might have been married anyway.”

“Do you really know your brother as little as that?” Ben asked quietly and a flush stained Adam’s face and neck. “I have no doubt that Joe still loves her, and will for some time, but do you think he could forgive her for the way he was treated? Or for lying to him?”

“I couldn’t,” Adam cried, “but I’m not Joe! He loved her, Pa! Perhaps enough to forgive her anything!”

Sighing, Ben groped for the words to make Adam understand. “Joe loved Dawn very much,” Ben agreed. “He has been so happy for the last few months. We all liked her, too.” Hoss nodded. “But she deceived us. She deceived Joe. We may never know why she robbed banks, and to be truthful, I don’t care. But she lied to Joe about how Beth died. She betrayed Joe’s love by not telling him the truth.”

“But she couldn’ tell him the truth,” Hoss muttered. “How could she tell Joe she was robbin’ banks?”

“I understand that,” Ben assured Hoss. “Of course she couldn’t tell Joe. But you saw her out there today, Hoss, holding that gun on Joe. However much she loved him, that didn’t stop her shooting him when she thought her life was endangered. We don’t know what the girls planned to do with Joe. But they all knew who he was, and according to Dan Coutts at the bank, Dawn didn’t protest against taking Joe hostage.”

“Maybe she were pressured inta doin’ it,” Hoss mumbled, uncomfortable at being cast as Dawn’s defender, but feeling she needed someone to stand up for her.

“Maybe,” Ben allowed. “But I don’t think so. After a time, your way of life becomes a habit.” Hoss nodded. “Habits are hard to break, as we all know. Dawn and the others weren’t novices at robbing banks; that much is clear. When you life a certain way, it changes the way you think. The instinct of a criminal is to shoot to free themselves. We all know that. That’s what Dawn did. And the fact that she loved Joe didn’t make her hesitate at all. Not only is Joe going to have to learn to live with the knowledge that the girl he loved was a bank robber, had lied to him and has died, he has to learn to live with the fact that she was willing to sacrifice him to save herself and her friends. Knowing that, do you really think, Adam, that Joe would have forgiven her?”

“No,” Adam agreed. “I guess not.”

“Just remember one thing, though,” Ben cautioned his sons. “Joe will have to mourn Dawn to get over her and move on. Make allowances for him?”

“Course we will, Pa,” Hoss agreed. He glanced at the stairs. “What’s takin’ so dadburned long?”

“If only I’d fired sooner,” Adam fretted.

“You can’t change what happened, son,” Ben reminded him. “You did your best, and no one can ask for more. Joe’s alive; that’s the main thing!”

“You’re right,” Adam agreed and sat down. Ben saw that he looked a bit more relaxed and was glad that his words had hit home.

Where was that doctor?

********************

They didn’t have much longer to wait. Paul Martin sat down and took the cup of coffee Ben offered him. “Joe’s doing fine,” Paul assured them. “There isn’t too much infection and Joe was cooling down nicely when I left. He’s sound asleep, by the way, so you don’t need to rush up to sit with him for a few minutes.” He twinkled roguishly at Ben, who smiled. “One thing to watch out for, through. The muscles in Joe’s side were badly damaged. Keep him as straight as you can, because we don’t want those muscles to heal contracted up. If that happens, Joe won’t be able to stand up straight. It’ll take a bit of effort on his behalf to begin with, but once the healing starts, it should be all right.” Paul yawned. “Sorry. Right, his knee. Keep him off it at all costs. I’m sure there’s a bit of bone chipped off the kneecap. I’ll put a cast on when the wound is healed. I don’t really expect there to be a problem, as long as Joe keeps off it for a few weeks. Once the cast is on, he can have crutches, but he must keep walking to a minimum. Downstairs in the morning, sitting with his leg up, and then back at night is his absolute limit! Give him a couple of months, and he’ll be fine!” Downing the rest of his cup in a oner, Paul rose. “I’ll be back out tomorrow, Ben. And don’t let Joe use that arm!”

“I won’t,” Ben replied, smiling. “Thanks, Paul.”

*******************

Over the next few days, Joe slept a lot, replacing the blood loss. Ben was quite glad, because the scandal had spread beyond Virginia City and there were daily reports of unsolved robberies that could have been perpetrated by the girls. As each new crime was reported to Roy, he questioned his four prisoners and they admitted to quite a number of them. It seemed more than likely that the girls would go to prison for a very long time.

But at last, the day that Ben had been dreading arrived. Joe had been alone all morning while Ben, Adam and Hoss sorted out a few problems that had arisen. When Ben came back to see how Joe was doing, he found his youngest son sunk into deep misery.

“What’s wrong, Joe?” he asked, catching sight of Joe’s face as he entered the room. “Are you in pain?”

“Not really,” Joe replied, for he was always in pain of some kind, mostly from his side, as he was careful to keep the muscles stretched as far as he could. “Pa, is…” Joe hesitated and tears sprang into his eyes. “Is Dawn dead?”

Even before Ben spoke, Joe knew the answer. “Yes, son, I’m afraid she is,” Ben replied, heavily. “I’m sorry.”

Tears were now streaking Joe’s face as his loss hit him and he reached up to try and wipe them away. “Do you know what she did, Pa?” he whispered.

“Yes, I know,” Ben answered, steadily. “She and the others were robbing banks.”

“They admitted it?” Joe asked. “I knew they’d robbed the bank in Sacramento when they were there shopping for the …” Joe couldn’t finish the sentence, but Ben knew what he was thinking; the wedding dress. “That’s how Beth was killed. When Dawn told me about it, she implied that Beth had been murdered.”

“I know,” soothed Ben.

“The others – where are they?” Joe asked.

“In jail, waiting for the circuit judge to come,” Ben informed him. “They’ll all be going to jail, Joe. It seems that they have been robbing banks for a few years now, and are wanted in a number of states and territories.”

“I don’t understand this,” Joe admitted. His tears had dried for the moment. “Dawn admitted to me that she robbed banks, and I was disgusted and angry, Pa. I loved her! Yet she shot me.” Joe’s voice was rising and Ben tried to calm him, but Joe was too worked up. “She tried to kill me and yet I’m grieving for her! I don’t understand!” He was practically shouting at Ben, the tears spilling out once more. “Why am I grieving for her?”

“You’re grieving because you’ve lost something, Joe. Dawn is dead, and you loved her very much. You were going to marry her. Not only have you lost her physically, but you lost the person you thought she was. It’s quite natural to grieve for that person, Joe. There’s nothing wrong with doing that.” Ben took Joe’s hand and made his son look at him. “Joe, there’s nothing you did, or could have done, that would have changed Dawn. She was who she was, and we’re all grieving, too.”

“You are?” Joe asked, his eyes rather wild as he struggled to come to terms with this.

“Yes,” Ben replied and allowed his sorrow to show. “We all liked her very much, Joe, and were looking forward to her becoming part of the family. You aren’t the only one who has been hurt by all this; you’re the person who is hurt most, but we’ve been affected, too. Adam most of all.”

“Why Adam?” Joe wanted to know.

Hesitating, Ben eyed Joe thoughtfully before he replied. Joe seemed to be calming down a bit and he judged it safe to carry on. “Because Adam shot her, Joe.”

Joe looked astonished. His memory of the shooting was patchy at best. “Adam? Shot Dawn?” Joe echoed. “Why?”

“To save your life,” Ben replied. “Dawn was going to kill you, Joe and at that range, she wouldn’t have missed. Even with her aim spoiled by Adam’s bullet, she still shot you, Joe. Adam saved your life, but he feels wretched, because he had to shoot the woman you loved.”

For a few moments, Joe just gazed, open-mouthed, at Ben, while he assimilated this news. “But he didn’t mean to kill her, did he?” Joe asked. “Not Adam!”

“No, he didn’t mean to kill her,” Ben assured him. “And he feels worse because he had to shoot her in the back. Adam isn’t sure he can face you, knowing that you loved Dawn. He isn’t sure that you weren’t going to marry her, anyway.”

“He thought…?” Joe couldn’t continue.

“Joe, he didn’t know what to think,” Ben hurried on before Joe could jump to any conclusion. “He was terrified that you would blame him for what happened. You must understand, we didn’t know what Dawn had told you, or exactly what happened. As far as we knew, you might have thought Dawn was innocent in all this.” He smiled slightly. “And you are fiercely protective of your friendships, Joe, protecting them against all comers.”

“Until I get the facts,” Joe responded. “Pa, where is Adam now? I need to talk to him.” He produced a tremulous little smile. “And then I think I’ll want to do more grieving.”

“Adam’s outside,” Ben replied. “I’ll get him.”

*********************

Ben never knew what Joe and Adam said to each other that day, but both were easier to live with. Joe was soon on the mend and impatient to get out of bed. He had days when he was very quiet and sad, and everyone gave him space if he needed it, or company if that’s what he wanted. Ben found himself grieving, too, for what might have been. He missed Marie more than ever and found that so did his sons.

“Marie was the only mother we all had in common,” Adam explained. “Her presence at the wedding would have been so wonderful. I guess its natural that we think of her at times like this.”

“I guess it is,” Ben agreed. He felt a warm glow in his heart as he realised how much his older sons had loved the mother who had come to them when they were well grown. Marie had been such a special person.

Joe was soon hopping about on his crutch and driving them all crazy with his complaining about the cast on his leg. His family took this as an encouraging sign that he was recovering both physically and emotionally. Adam and Hoss soon stopped treating him like he was made of glass and began teasing him as they had always done. Joe took it in good part, and handed it back every chance he got. Ben took heart from it.

But the day after the trial was over, Ben found Joe reading the account of it in the paper. “I’m glad it’s over, Pa,” Joe told him, when Ben asked if he was all right. “But I think it’ll be a long time before I trust anyone with my heart again.”

Ben didn’t know at the time how true this would be. Although Joe declared himself in love several times over the coming years, it was a long time before he found true love with Alice. Dawn had left her mark on Joe, in more ways than one. The scar on his arm and side was a constant reminder of the betrothed, turned betrayer, to her betrayed one.

The End

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