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BELLE WAS STARTLED AWAKE BY a series of gunshot blaring through the air. The blonde girl banging her head against the wooden pools hanging over her.
"Oh, Jesus," Belle mumbled. Josiah struggled up beside her, rubbing his tired eyes hoping to wake himself up.
"What did they do now, spell his name wrong?" Josiah grumbled, referring to Billy shooting at the newspapers that were hung against a wall, whilst inspecting the red mark growing on Belle's forehead before pressing a tender kiss to the growing bruise.
"We got a new sheriff on our hands, boys. Goes by the name Pat Garrett," Billy announced, anger seething through his teeth.
Belle and Josiah scrambled out from their makeshift bed on the floor to see the torn and destroyed news article. "Jesus Christ! What the hell did he do that for?" Josiah exclaimed, reading the news article.
"Make himself famous," Billy seethed out. "Be a known man like me."
-----
The group had travelled out in the country once again, being led by Chevez. Coming to a stop, Chevez held his hand out, informing the people behind him that they needed to turn back as they were about to step on an Indian burial site. However, not everyone cared for Chevez sceptical beliefs as Dave argued with him. Belle rolled her eyes, tuning out the small tiff. Chevez eventually grew tired of Dave and turned away, leading the group away from the site, although Dave rode forward, jumping from his horse and digging around in a pit of dirt for bone.
Chevez chased after him, tackling him to the ground. The two hot-headed men fought for a few minutes with their respective blades, while the group silently watched on their horses on the border of the burial site. It was when Dave reached for his gun after Chevez had cut him across the gut, that every person watching reached for their gun and pointed it at the accused cheat.
"I don't think so, Dave," Billy said, his brow raised at his friend. Dave sighed and dropped his gun.
"You want your knife back?" Chevez asked Dave, gesturing to the large blade pointing threw his forearm. Dave stood and carefully ripped the blade from Chevez's arm.
"Learn how to tame your dog, Billy," Belle seethed, narrowing her eyes at Dave with a sneer plastered over her face. Dave heard her insult and shot her the nastiest look, causing the blonde girl to roll her eyes.
Jumping from her horse, she searched for some bandages to wrap around Chevez's arm in her bag. She ushered her old friend to come over to her, not wanting to step on the burial site out of respect. Chevez held his bleeding arm out to Belle who gingerly cleaned it, becoming more and more tender with each hiss and groans which erupted from his mouth. Apologising after each agonized sound, she made hast to wrap a clean bandage around the hole. Dave stood behind Chevez, waiting for the same treatment from her girl. Belle furrowed her brows. "What?"
"Well, don't I get a patched up?" Dave gestured to Chevez then to the minor slash across his stomach.
Rolling her eyes, Belle grabbed another roll of bandages and threw them to the man. "You can do it yourself,"
"How?" Dave asked, furrowing his eyes. He had never treated a wound on his middle before and didn't know how to go about it.
Belle shrugged, jumping onto her horse once again, guiding it to follow after Chevez, the rest of the men trailing after her. "Figure it out!"
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'WHITE OAKS... WE WILL NOT TOLERATE SCUM.'
Belle knew she wasn't scum, far from it. She was a lovely mother, wife and teacher in New York. The furthest description from 'scum'. But her days riding with Billy and his new gang made her feel like nothing but scum. That's why she was so hesitant to go into the new town Billy dragged them to. That and he was dragging them to a brothel. Most likely the last place she would want to seek shelter. But with her head held high, she realised it's better than hanging from a rope in Lincoln City, so she grinned and bore it.
Following the group of young men into the tall building, she grasped onto Josiah's arm, wrapping her own around his bicep - as an act of possession and protection.
"Well, I'd be hog-tied and sent to Hades! Billy!" An attractive red-head woman clad in a deep scarlet gown latched onto Billy, crushing him into a hug. Releasing from the embrace, she announced. "What have we got here?"
Giving each man who passed her an embrace, she reached Josiah and Belle. "Wicked Boy, Josiah!" The woman, she learnt was named Jane, brought Josiah into an embrace. Belle's eyebrows shot up at the fact the two knew each other. Sending her husband a stern look once out of the wrap, Josiah tightly smiled at her, wrapping his tighter around his wife. "Ooh, and who might this be, fresh meat for me?" Belle narrowed her eyes at the redhead slightly, opening her mouth to speak before Jane interrupted her. "I'm only teasing ya, sweetheart. I know you, whenever Doc got dragged her, all he would talk about is the stunning Miss Belle Tunstall and how he was gonna marry her someday... So let's see the ring!"
Belle chuckled at Jane's excitement, her opinion on the woman changing immediately. The blonde held up her left hand, showing off the simple golden band around her ring finger to Jane. Jane gasped, grabbing Belle's hand and bring it closer to her face. "Well, isn't that pretty! You lucky girl! And you weren't lying, Doc, she is a stunner...and a keeper!"
