Outlaw - Born & Bred

Chapter 7 - How to save a life

Dutch walked across, to where Hosea was sitting. He looked troubled.

"Is Casie Ok?" He asked, "I saw her come back with Arthur earlier."

Dutch shook his head. "Honestly Hosea, I don't know. Physically she's fine, mentally, she's a broken little girl." He sighed.

"So the tough little cookie, that everyone sees is just a front?"

Dutch nodded. "A means of protection. You know her father used to beat, and starve her, and the sheriff," he spat out the word, like some poison, that had found its way onto his tongue. "He forced her to watch her father hang."

Hosea shook his head "That's an evil thing to do to a child."

"I know we did right, taking her in." Dutch sighed, "I just wonder, if the love she's getting now, is breaking her even more."

"Of course not Dutch." Hosea reassured, "its a bit like a gun. You take a dirty gun apart, clean it, and put it back together. Then, it's as good as new."

"She's a little girl, Hosea. Not a gun. You know, she thought I was going to beat her. I probably scared her half to death, when she first arrived. I hate to think how frightened she must have been, riding home with Arthur."

Hosea smiled at Dutch. "You worry too much. Even if that is the case, she's not frightened now."

He continued. "Have you seen the way she looks at you?"

Dutch frowned. "No, what do you mean?"

Hosea laughed "She's not frightened of you. She's in awe of you. You can do no wrong in her eyes. Even if you beat her, she'd still love you. Your everything her father wasn't. She hardly ever speaks of her father, haven't you noticed."

Dutch stared at Hosea, "no Hosea, I hadn't, but now you come to mention it..."

Hosea continued. "You had the same effect on Arthur, when he was just a little older, I seem to remember. If she grows up to be like him, you can be really proud of yourself." He paused. "That's if your head can get any bigger than it is already!"

Both men laughed. "What would I do without you, Hosea. Your the one that always keeps me grounded."

Hosea patted Dutch on the shoulder, "well someone has to." He chuckled.

Casie walked out of her tent sheepishly, around mid afternoon, after sleeping for a good four hours.

Even after what she had done, which in hindsight, was pretty stupid. She hadn't really been punished. She felt so bad, that she started doing extra chores anyway. She cleaned up all the empty beer bottles, for Miss Grimshaw, and chopped some vegetables for Pearson, for that nights supper. She was about to get some hay for the horses, when she heard her name being called.

"Hey Casie, what's with all the extra chores?" Casie turned around to see Sean, with a beer bottle in his hand, leaning against a tree.

"I've been a bit bad," she began, "so I'm trying to make it right."

Sean patted the ground next to him. Casie walked over, and sat down. "If I did extra chores every time I got into trouble, I'd never sit down." He laughed.

Casie smiled for the first time, since she had returned. "Arthur says you don't do any chores anyway!"

Sean laughed."That," he said, "is because Arthur Morgan, is a grumpy bastard."

Casie punched him on the arm, and laughed, "don't be mean."

Sean put his beer bottle down, and tried to give Casie a stern look. Which looked more like a grimace. "No one punches Sean Maguire, and gets away with it."