Sam and Eddy looked at each other, eyes wide. They both scrambled for cover as a couple more shots rang out, hitting the ground next to the cabin. Eddy and Sam were in the far part of the cabin. They looked at each other, “We gotta get our hands untied.” Sam said.

Eddy turned around at the same time her older sister did. They were back to back trying to untie each other when Rooster and Billy came scrambling into the cabin. Rooster stood up and looked at the girls. He stormed over and smacked both of them, sending them flying backwards into the wall.

Rooster stormed over and grabbed a rifle. “You two ain’t worth losing my life over,” He growled and pointed the rifle at the Parker girls, who were lying exhausted and battered on the floor.

Billy grabbed a rifle and looked at Rooster. “Don’t kill ’em yet. They might just get us outta this.” He said and grabbed Eddy by the hair, pulling her up to her feet. “You’re going to protect me now.”

——————————–

Ben and Adam rode up to the Thunderbolt. They were surprised to see new structures in the process of being built. “What do make of this, Pa?” Adam asked.

“Looks like someone decided to make themselves at home.” Ben replied as they rode further into the ranch.

“Dawson?”

“That would be my guess.”

Ben and Adam noticed a cabin up ahead, separate from everything else. “Let’s check out that cabin.” Adam pointed.

They rode on up ahead and stopped just outside the little cabin. Father and son dismounted from their horses and tied them to a nearby bush.

Ben approached the door and knocked. As he knocked, the door opened and he and Adam made their way inside.

They looked around the sparsely decorated cabin and that’s when Ben noticed a figure lying on a cot near the back. He walked over and looked down. The man lying on the cot was clearly dead and had been for some time now.

Adam sighed when he walked up beside his Pa and looked down at the poor man. Ben reached down and closed the man’s eyes. “Poor Jake.” Ben said, shaking his head solemnly.

“You know him, Pa?” Adam asked.

“I did.” Ben replied. “Jake Parsons. He was the foreman on the Thunderbolt and a good man.”

“Apparently someone didn’t think so.” Adam stated.

Ben covered Jake with a blanket, then he and Adam walked back outside.

“These people need to be stopped, Pa. They’ve ruined too many lives.” Adam stated.

“I agree, son. Let’s have a look around and see what we can find. Then we’ll head back to town and see the sheriff.”

————————————————

Billy made his way over to a window, still with a firm grip on Eddy’s hair, and used his rifle to smash out the window. As he watched Joe and Hoss running toward the cabin, he fired his rifle at them. The bullets slammed into the ground by their feet, causing both Cartwright boys to take cover.

“Joe!” Eddy called out as she saw him diving behind a rock.

“Shut up!” Billy hissed at her.

“You got no chance now.” Eddy said. “You might as well give up.”

Billy let go her hair and smacked her hard across the face. “I told you to shut up!”

As Eddy hit the floor, Sam went to lunge at Billy but was stopped as Rooster grabbed her and held her firm around the neck as he pulled out a knife. “Now, where do you think you’re going?”

Eddy, who was still lying on the floor, looked up in horror at the sharp blade pressed firmly to her sister’s throat. “Let her go, Rooster!” she yelled.

“No way. Billy’s right, you two are gonna help us get outta here.”

“Like hell we are.” Eddy barked. “What do you want us to do, play shield for the rest of our lives?”

Sam swallowed, feeling the cold, sharp blade against her neck. “She’s right. They know we’re in here. They won’t ever let up.” That was when Sam looked at Eddy and took her chance. She brought her foot up, kicking Rooster in the nuts. He doubled over, letting the knife go in the process.

As Rooster hit the ground, this drew Billy’s attention away from the window. As he turned to look at Rooster, a shot rang through the window, hitting Billy in the right shoulder. He fell to the ground like a sack of grain.

Eddy scrambled to her feet and kicked the rifle from Billy’s hands as Sam did the same with Rooster’s gun.

Sam then managed to maneuver herself enough to pick the knife up, which wasn’t an easy feat, what with her hands still tied behind her back. But she managed it and used it to cut herself free. Once her hands were loose, she went to Eddy and cut her loose.

With both girls now free, they picked up the rifles and trained them at Billy and Rooster. Eddy made her way to the door, keeping the rifle trained on Billy as she did so, and threw it open.

“Joe!” she called out, exhausted. “It’s clear!”

Sam walked up to Eddy and leaned against the door, ready to pass out. Both girls were exhausted, emotionally and physically. Sam turned when the light coming from the door they were standing by,  disappeared. Her mouth dropped open and tears came to her eyes. It was Hoss. “Hoss!” She screamed, dropping the rifle and wrapping her arms around the big man. “I thought I lost you,” She said as tears started to make their way down her cheeks.

Hoss wrapped his arms around Sam as tears filled his own eyes. “Never! I ain’t goin’ nowheres.”

Sam buried her face into Hoss’ massive chest and sobbed openly. She just couldn’t believe he was there, that he was alive. If this wasn’t proof that miracles happened, nothing was. She looked up at the big man and into the gorgeous blue eyes she never thought she’d ever see again. “But I saw you get shot… there was blood on your head…”

Hoss removed his hat and she saw the bandana wrapped around his head. “It was just a crease. I reckon we can thank our lucky stars he weren’t a better shot.”

Sam took a shaky breath and wrapped her arms tighter around Hoss. She never wanted to let him go. She knew now that she loved him and how close she came to losing him. At that thought she looked back up at the big man. “Hoss, I…” she started but somewhat was losing her nerve. No she had to tell him. He had to know how she felt. “I love you.”

Hoss looked down at her, a little startled but happy that he now knew she felt the same way that he did. “I love you too, Sam.” he replied as he pressed his lips to hers.

As Sam and Hoss were having their emotional reunion just inside the cabin door, Joe and Eddy were having their own out on the porch.

Eddy was wrapped in Joe’s tight embrace and crying. Joe had tears in his own eyes. He had come so close to losing her. After everything that they had been through, Joe knew that Eddy was everything to him and he never wanted to lose her.

He pulled her tighter to him. But it seemed that he just couldn’t pull her close enough. One thing he did know, was that he never wanted to let go. Never again. She was his heart and if it had of come down to it he would have clearly gave his own life for hers.

Eddy had her face buried in Joe’s chest and taking comfort in his strong embrace. She knew she was falling in love with the youngest Cartwright and realized, at her foolishness, she had almost lost this chance before they ever even had it. “Joe,” she started.

Joe pulled back and looked down at her. Even with the gash over her right eye and bruise forming, she was still breathtaking. As he was looking at her, he knew he never wanted to spend another moment without her. Before Eddy had a chance to continue Joe spoke the words he was feeling deep in his heart. “I love you, Eddy.”

Eddy stared at Joe, startled at his declaration. Did he just confess that he loved her? She prayed that she had heard him right. She knew she felt the same way about him. She knew the moment they had kissed at that shed. When she finally found her voice, she slightly smiled at the handsome young man. “I love you too, Joe.”

Joe smiled at her and then pressed his lips to hers, in what would be the second, of a lifetime of kisses.

However, the reunion of the Cartwrights and the Parkers was soon interrupted, when Billy and Rooster took their chance and tried to push everyone away from the door. They did manage to get the Parker sisters away but not Hoss and Joe. Joe hauled off and punched Billy in the face sending him to the ground and Hoss just shoved Rooster to the ground. The girls had scrambled,  grabbing the two rifles that had been thrown on the ground in the kerfuffle. They trained the guns on Billy and Rooster.

Without words being said, Joe and Hoss started to tie the two men up and escorted them outside. Once outside Joe and Hoss helped Rooster and Billy on their horses. Once that was done, they threw Cal’s body over his mount and tied him to the saddle. Sam took the reins of Cal’s horse, Hoss took Rooster’s and Joe took Billy’s and they made their way up the hill to find Chubb and Cochise, so they could make their way into town.