Summary: Arthur never imagined himself to be with a girl such as Jodie Reed, she was the complete opposite of him. A rich, privileged, law abiding, kind woman who by all accounts shouldn't have even batted an eye at him, but she did. They were each other's first love and their bond was like no other. But with years the difference in their lifestyles was made more apparent and with Jodie's family heavily disapproving of their relationship will they manage to stay together or grow apart?
～ ARTHUR P.O.V ～
“You spend so little time here in camp lately Arthur, everything alright?” Mary-Beth asked him when they stood side by side, sharing their morning coffee.
“Ah you know how it is Mary-Beth, Dutch always has me running around on different jobs” Arthur explained himself, looking down at his coffee in an attempt to evade her challenging eyes.
But he indeed has not spent much time in the camp lately. For the past week he always disappeared as soon as it got dark. He has only been seeing Jodie for a week but yet to him it felt like he knew her for a year. Arthur never had as much fun as he did this past week, seeing Jodie was his favourite part of the day and although their meetings didn’t escalate any further from just cuddling and kissing he was still the happiest man alive.
Even when he wasn’t with her, she was still the only thing on his mind. He drew her in his journal, wrote things about her, thought about her.. It seemed as if he was living just for her now.
He was foolish enough to allow himself to dream of marrying her and making her join the gang.
But the gang life was not meant for her. She deserved far more than what he had. Still, it was a pretty dream, one that his brain unfortunately couldn’t stop thinking about.
“Jobs huh?” Mary-Beth raised her eyebrows playfully.
Arthur looked at her, carefully studying her face as she was grinning. He suspected John of already bluffing out to everyone that he saw him with a girl, god how he wanted to murder Marston in that moment. “Yes, jobs” He answered nonchalantly.
Mary-Beth laughed sweetly. “What? What is it?” He urged her.
“Nothing i just.. heard different and me and the ladies think we know why you’re so gone from the camp” She chuckled as Karen came to stand by her side.
“That idiot Marston” Arthur growled.
“Oh ain’t nothing wrong with loving a woman Arthur, it’s quite refreshing to see actually” Karen joined in.
“Don’t you both have work to do?” Arthur asked, more than done with this conversation.
They laughed and quickly scattered away at the sound of Mrs Grimshaw calling out their names, probably finding some work for the young girls.
It was as if Dutch waited for them to leave because as soon as they did he approached. "Nice day today huh?" He spoke looking up at the sun.
Arthur knew there was a reason for him saying that. He sighed and looked "Just tell me what you'll have me do now"
"John said something about heading into Blackwater to pick up another bounty, i want you to go with him" Dutch said. Arthur wasn't dumb, he knew the reason for Dutch wanting him to go with John was to get them to get along again.
Hosea tried too but Arthur wasn't going to forgive John as quickly as Dutch and Hosea seemed to. John left for a year and he couldn't understand how they forgave him so easily. They both welcomed him back into the gang with opened arms and a big smile on their lips. He couldn't believe that. He didn't speak to Marston for months after he returned, even when he did start talking to him it was only brief.
There was so much to him leaving than just the gang code. He ran off on Abigail and Jack too. But somehow everyone forgave him right away.
Well he isn't quite as quick to forgive. Even after he finds it in his heart to forgive his brother he sure as hell will never forget.
"You keep doing that you know" Arthur commented.
"Doing what?" Dutch asked, trying to act surprised.
"Pairing me up with Marston. It ain't gonna do shit Dutch you know that right? What he did i simply can't just forgive yet" Arthur explained, finishing his coffee.
"Avoiding him will also not benefit anyone" Dutch growled.
Arthur rolled his eyes at the man "It's better for me to avoid him than to start arguments with him"
"Then don't argue, it's simple"
"That's what im doing when im avoiding him"
"Arthur, will you go with him or not? I don't like him heading out into the Skinner brothers territory without any extra help" Dutch said.
Skinner brothers again.
When Arthur found out John was going after a member of the Skinner brothers he did admit that he felt uneasy. Sure he disliked Marston after what he did and dare he say he even felt hatred for the man now but he had to admit that he didn't want John to be skinned alive and cooked.
"I think we need someone else with us too if we're heading there again" Arthur said "After what i saw the last time i can assure you an extra gun wouldn't be a bad idea"
Dutch nodded and walked away slowly "Sure, pick anyone you want"
So naturally Arthur walked to Charles. "Up for hunting?"
Charles looked up and smiled "Sure, what we hunting?" He asked as he stood up.
"The wildest of animals" Arthur briefly said walking towards John with Charles following closely behind.
John was getting his saddle ready when he turned at the sound of Arthur and Charles talking. "Skinner brothers" Arthur finally replied to Charles. John turned to look at them "Nah, this is my bounty" He quickly said to Arthur.
"Sure.. And mine and Charles now too" Arthur answered with a cocky smile.
John sighed and looked at Arthur angrily "I intend on going alone"
"Oh? Why? So that you can run off again?" Arthur asked.
"Im done going over this with you Arthur" John said, obviously annoyed at Arthur's relentless judgement.
“Good” Arthur replied.
Charles saw the tension between the two men so he quickly attempted to calm down the situation before it got out of hand. “Going after any of the Skinner brothers alone is a death wish my friend. We’re coming with you whether you like it or not” Charles stirred the conversation in the other direction.
“Fine” John murmured hesitantly.
They all mounted their horses and rode towards Tall Trees.
Arthur wasn’t very fond of the idea of going after Skinner brothers again. Jodie’s words kept ringing in his head about how brave he was for going after such a dangerous bunch of people, but it wasn’t bravery, it was foolishness and a risk.
Ever since he met her it’s like he had a whole new motivation to live. He valued his life more than ever before because he feared if he died he would never see Jodie again.
At least that’s what ge believed. He knew that the likes of him would not cross heaven’s gates, but Jodie? Oh she’ll surely be there. A kind hearted, genuine and innocent woman like herself was bound to have a seat waiting for her in heaven.
They breached that haunted forest again.
“Keep your eyes peeled and focused, we’re in their territory now” Charles commented.
Arthur felt a bit calmer having Charles with them. Not too long into the forest they already noticed a hanging body with arrows in it. It was creepy.
“Jesus” John remarked looking at the body.
“You won’t find Jesus here” Arthur quickly bit back at John’s comment.
“Obviously” John answered, not moving his eyes away from the hanged body.
“Shh” Charles scolded the two men.
“Who are we even looking for John?” Arthur whispered.
John handed him the bounty poster. “Otis Skinner, the gang’s leader?” He raised his eyebrows at John. “You insane? How on earth are we supposed to get this man?”
“Just look at that reward money” John quickly answered.
“$75” Charles read. “Definitely not enough to risk getting scalped”
“You want to turn back?” John asked.
Arthur looked at Charles, awaiting his answer. “Someone has to stop these bastards” John said looking at Charles and Arthur, his revolver already drawn.
"I agree, but i don't think the three of us are a match for the whole army of those fuckers" Charles argued back.
"You would prefer to let them keep torturing and killing folk?" John asked.
The two men bickering was interrupted by a sudden arrow flying by their faces, just barely missing John. "Take cover!" Arthur screamed as he jumped of Boadicea and ran towards some rocks. The other two did the same. "Fucking hell" John shouted.
"You alright?" Arthur asked John.
"Im fine!" He said and shoot the man who tried to kill them.
The second that their attacker was dead, four more appeared and started shooting arrows at them. Arthur pulled out his revolver and killed two of them in a second, while John and Charles shoot the other two.
They were in a vulnerable spot, their backs and sides opened to any attack that might come from that direction.
More of Skinner brothers quickly showed up, some of them equipped with bows and arrows while others were running towards them with a machete.
Arthur shoot one with the bow but was not quick enough to do the same thing to the man sprinting at him with the machete in hand. He managed to catch the man's arm in the last moment as he tried to bring down the machete on his shoulder.
They wrestled for a short moment before Arthur pushed the man away from him and put a bullet into his forehead.
He looked around only to see John struggling as a man was on top of him, trying to drive a knife into his chest. Arthur quickly shot the man before John pushed his body off of him. Arthur ran to John and helped him up. "Where's Charles?" He asked.
"I don't know" John replied, trying to catch his breath.
"For christs sake!" Arthur shouted angrily. "Charles!?" He called out his name but received no answer.
"We have to find him" John said.
"Yeah no shit" Arthur replied, annoyed at John for putting them in this situation "If there's anything left of Charles.." He added.
"Don't say that" John begged.
Arthur sighed and looked down "Come on.. They couldn't of gotten far"
Together they walked, carefully observing their surroundings and any signs of where Charles might've been. After some time they noticed smoke in the distance. "There, it has to be them" John pointed.
"Let's sneak up on them" Arthur ordered and so they did.
Charles was there, tied to a post as three Skinner brothers surrounded him, laughing and interrogating him with a knife. “I’ll take his long hair” One said, “Then i’ll have his tongue” The other one laughed. “I’ll keep his nose” The third one laughed manically.
“Bunch of crazies” Arthur murmured.
John grunted in agreement, drawing his gun. “Let’s put an end to this before they make good on those promises”
Arthur’s reply came in the form of pulling out his revolver and pointing it to the three men, shooting them all in a matter of seconds, once again showing his skills in shooting.
Charles looked at them as they approached and sighed in relief. “Thought i was done for” He breathed as Arthur cut his ropes. “Not just yet” Arthur replied.
“Have you had enough or you still want to pursue this Otis Skinner guy?” Arthur asked John.
“It seemed easier when Javier talked about it” John admitted.
“Yeah well me and Javier weren’t exactly going after the leader were we?” Arthur remarked.
“Guess not” He agreed.
“Let’s go home” Charles said. “Im not risking my life for $75”
He was smart, Arthur thought. They whistled for their horses and quickly rode away from the Tall Trees.
“Everybody alright?” Arthur asked once they were out of the forest. “Yes” they both said and looked at Arthur. “Good, let’s head to the camp then”
Of course Dutch wasn’t happy with them showing up without any money but he was glad they were alright after they told him in what mess they got themselves. “I guess you’ll get another opportunity” Dutch told them.
“Im not going after that man again” John said.
They all shared a laugh before going their separate ways. Arthur was parched, he needed something to eat and thankfully Pearson just finished the stew. It wasn’t the best thing to eat but Arthur was hungry and Pearson’s stew would do just fine.
He sat down to eat in peace but Mary-Beth joined him. He didn’t mind, he enjoyed her company.
“I need a favour Arthur” She started.
Arthur took a spoonful of stew before looking at her, waiting for her to continue and she did “I want to go to Backwater to look for work, maybe pickpocket someone or find out about something interesting,, god just anything will do”
He chuckled “Mrs Grimshaw eating away at your nerves again?”
She looked around to check if she was near before leaning in “Im ready to murder her if i don’t get out of this camp for a bit”
“And Karen and Tilly?” He questioned.
“They’ll stay here, Grimshaw would lose her mind if we all left the chores and went into town. Karen and Tilly agreed to take the bullet for me this time” She shrugged with a smile.
“This time?” He raised his eyebrows “So im guessing this isn’t going to be the last time you ask me to escort you into town?”
“Well im sure Tilly and Karen will also want to go now, besides i’ll owe it to them” Mary-Beth explained.
“Fine” Arthur said finishing his stew.
It was still daylight when they mounted their horses and rode towards Blackwater. Mary-Beth borrowed Karen’s horse and Arthur rode Boadicea of course.
When they arrived at Blackwater Mary-Beth immediately went to the saloon and Arthur naturally went with her. He sat down by the bar while Mary-Beth went to work.
Arthur smiled as he noticed how easily Mary-Beth emptied the pockets of many unsuspecting men.
At that moment he realised how big of a fools men were. They might act tough and rough but as soon as a woman blinks her sweet eyelashes at them they become idiots with no brains. He figured he was the same way with Jodie so he honestly couldn’t blame any of them.
Plus he completely understood how a woman like Mary-Beth could play them like a fiddle. She was young and she was beautiful but she knew the right words to flatter a man. She knew how to behave to grab their attention. She was also an expert at maintaining their eyes on hers while her hands slipped into their pockets and searched for valuables.
It was easy but could become really dangerous in a matter of seconds. Which is why the girls always wanted someone like Arthur to come along and watch their backs if the situation escalated.
And it did, many times. He lost count of how many times he had to step in and beat someone.
He was on his third beer when Mary-Beth approached him. “I think that man might be suspecting me” She leaned, saying it casually.
Arthur looked to who she was motioning with her head and sure enough that man was watching her like a hawk. His gaze threatening and his mouth pressed tightly together in a straight line. “Stay close” Arthur told her, sipping on his beer.
“You look lonely” A sudden feminine voice said to him.
He looked to his side and saw a prostitute. “Im not” He shot her down immediately.
It made her laugh as she leaned onto the bar next to him. Her fingers fixed the collar of his shirt as she whispered into his ear “You sure honey?”
Arthur shot her a death stare, brushing off her fingers he nodded “Yes, im sure”
“Don’t be so shy, Im Lucy but people here call me Juicy Lucy” She chuckled seductively.
He gave her a disgusting look “I wonder why that is”
“You can find out real soon sweetheart” Lucy said biting her lip.
Mary-Beth suddenly ran to Arthur and yanked his sleeve, she dragged him away and he was more than thankful for that. Lucy was unrelenting in her goal of getting him to buy her company. “I stole a good amount, we should head out before we get in trouble”
Arthur nodded and they walked outside.
Once they were a good distance away from the saloon Arthur turned and asked her how much she managed to pick pocket.
“A lot, money mostly” She shrugged.
“Don’t forget to give the camp it’s share lady” Arthur quickly reminded her.
Mary-Beth let out a laugh and linked her arm with his in a sweet way. They walked like this with their arms linked down the street. It wasn’t anything romantic, at least not for Arthur, he viewed Mary-Beth like a sister and they had a strong bond but it wasn’t anything more than just friendship.
But to the surrounding eyes it might’ve looked different. They surely looked like a couple.
He apparently wasn’t the only one thinking that because as they turned around the corner he saw her.
Jodie was standing across the street and she looked directly at him. He saw the way her eyes widened in shock and the way her mouth fell agape. “Shit” He murmured and quickly released Mary-Beth, making her furrow her eyebrows at him.
Arthur and Jodie maintained eye contact as she shook her head at him and turned around to storm off. She looked very upset.
“Sorry Mary-Beth, i’ll be right back” He apologised and quickly ran after Jodie.
“Jodie!” He called after her but she didn’t even glance at him once. “Jodie wait”
No response.
“This isn’t what you think it is” Arthur explained and touched her elbow once he finally caught up to her.
She simply yanked her elbow back and looked around, silently telling Arthur they were in public and that people were looking at them. “Just listen to me alright” Arthur lowered his voice at her. “Go to our alleyway, i’ll explain everything” He said, sounding hopeful.
Jodie didn’t speak but he saw that she made her way to their alleyway. He quickly rushed back to Mary-Beth to tell her that she needs to head home on her own. Thankfully Mary-Beth didn’t make a big deal out of it, Arthur knew that she could handle herself with a gun so he handed her one of his revolvers, just in case.
When Mary-Beth mounted Karen’s horse Arthur walked back to that alleyway where Jodie was waiting for him.
How could she be at the wrong place at the wrong time, Arthur thought. How on earth was he going to explain this now, she won’t believe him. He knows how it looked in her eyes and what was probably going on in her head.
For a second he thought she wouldn’t be there but then he saw her, facing away with her arms crossed on her chest. He approached her and gently touched her shoulders t turn her around.
When she immediately evaded his touch he knew just how mad she was. “Jodie that really wasn’t what you think..”
“I may be young but i won’t let myself be made a fool off.. Who is she huh?” Jodie asked angrily, pushing him away.
“No one Jodie” Arthur replied.
He seriously didn’t know how to explain this to her without lying. Sooner or later the truth that he’s in a gang would have to come out, it would be the only way to explain that.
“You’re full of shit” Jodie said to his face. “There i was fully allowing you to play me like a fiddle, im so naive” She said shaking her head.
“She’s just a friend.. i swear” Arthur whispered.
“You really do take me for a fool huh?” She accused in disbelief. “What i saw didn’t seem like two friends!” She bit at him “No, she looked far too comfortable to be just a friend and the way she was holding you seemed a bit too intimate for just a normal friendship”
She was angry and hurt, this Arthur could clearly see.
“Jodie listen.. I will tell you everything if you agree to meet me tonight, alright?”
“You should meet that one instead” She growled, motioning to where she saw them previously.
Arthur sighed heavily, feeling completely defeated. “You know im not like that, im not some guy who plays around with women’s heart”
“I don’t know what you’re like.. I’ve only known you for a week” Jodie said coldly.
“I will explain everything to you if you agree to meet me tonight, okay?” He said, taking a step closer to her and grabbed her hand.
This time she didn’t immediately pull away from him, leading him to believe that he was making progress with her. She studied his eyes carefully, deciding on what to say.
“I don’t know” Was her reply.
“Jodie i am many things but i am not a liar, she is nothing more than a friend”
She remained silent, avoiding his eye contact at all cost. Arthur caressed her chin and made her look at him but she pushed him away “I have to go” She said and started to walk away.
Arthur didn’t say anything else. He believed that it’s better to give her some space. He knew he would see her tonight anyway so he didn’t panic.
When he returned to camp Mary-Beth approached him as soon as she saw him riding in. “Here” She smiled, offering him back his gun. Arthur returned the smile and took the gun, holstering it. “The woman?” Mary-Beth raised her eyebrows suggestively, obviously wanting to know more.
“What about her?” He questioned, acting nonchalant.
She gave him the look that showed that she wasn’t buying his casual act. “She’s the reason you been gone so often from camp, huh?”
He didn’t reply, just patted Boadicea on her neck.
Mary-Beth chuckled “Nothing to be shy about Arthur.. I find it very sweet the way you worried about her seeing us together, you must reqlly care about her”
He rolled her eyes playfully “She’s a good woman”
“But definitely not the kind i’d imagine you to be with” Mary-Beth laughed. “Does she know about your… Nature?” She asked, trying to find the right words to explain his lifestyle.
His expression changed “Not really..” He answered before facing her “Im meeting her tonight and i’ll tell her all about it”
“I hope you won’t scare her away” She said.
That got Arthur thinking. He worried that it might but what else was he supposed to do. He needed to let her know now before things get too complicated.
“We’ll see..” He shrugged.
“Well if she breaks things off then you’ll at least know that she didn’t love you enough, so there’s comfort in that” Mary-Beth said.
She had a point, but it would still hurt nonetheless.
Jodie was the best thing that happened to him and to risk losing her was not something he was fond of.
“That ain’t much of a comfort Mary-Beth” He said.
She sighed “I know.. i know”
“But thanks anyway” He nudged her shoulder with a smile.
“Well im hoping you’ll solve things and you can be prepared for tomorrow because i’ll want to know how it went” She grinned at him sweetly.
“I’ll look for you first when i return” Arthur joked and with that Mary-Beth walked away to return to her chores.
Arthur waited in camp until nightfall and then as soon as it got dark he left to meet Jodie.
As he rode to her house he noticed the lights were already off, meaning that her parents were sound asleep. He approached on horseback before suddenly a voice startled him. “You have 5 minutes”
He looked around, locating where the voice was coming from and then he saw Jodie sitting on the bench on the front porch.
Arthur looked confused to see her in front of her house. Anyone could see them easily.
She stood up and approached him “Let’s go then” She ordered and started walking away.
He quickly dismounted and followed behind her. They walked in silence until they were a good distance away from the house. “I don’t even know how to start” Arthur stated.
“Maybe by telling me yet again that she is nothing more than a friend?” Jodie said.
“That’s the truth Jodie”
“Jesus, still sticking to that story huh?” She hissed.
Arthur came closer “Listen.. Im not who you think i am”
“What are you taking about Arthur?”
He looked down, not ready to tell her the truth but still feeling obligated to. So he started “The woman you saw.. She’s just my fellow gang member” He just blurted out before sighing, looking her in the eyes “Yes Jodie im in a gang.. Im a criminal, an outlaw”
At his words Jodie stepped backwards, putting as much distance between them as she could.
It hurted Arthur, seeing this reaction from her but who was she to blame, of course this news was a shock to her. “But Im not a bad man” He quickly said.
“You’re a criminal?” Was all she seemed to have heard as she repeated the word in disbelief.
“Kind of.. I mean not really i just not abide by the law..” He explained.
“But you have to.. it’s the law”
“That’s why im called an outlaw sweetheart” He smiled trying to reach for her hand but she quickly yanked it away which broke him. He feared this might be the very end of their short relationship.
“Dear god..” She breathed “So you’re worse than i imagined”
“No, no Jodie look, yes im an outlaw but im not what you think” He said.
“That stuff about you picking up random jobs.. Was it true? I mean is anything that you told me true?”
He looked down and it was the only answer that she needed. “Jesus christ.. You lied about everything, didn’t you?” She shook her head in shock “So what do you do in that gang?”
It was the question that he feared.
Arthur cleared his throat before speaking “We.. rob stores, coaches, sometimes even banks, we scam people, steal cattle.. everything you’d expect from a gang of outlaws, i guess” He replied, there was no reason to hide the truth now. She needed to know everything even if it meant their end.
She sighed heavily as she felt the need to sit down on a rock. Arthur immediately approached and touched her shoulder “Are you alright?”
She flew onto her feet and pushed him away “Don’t touch me!” She shouted.
“Jodie please..”
“Do you kill people?” She interrogated.
“Yes”
“How in the hell did i end up in this situation.. How could i be so naive to fall for a lying thief and murderer” She growled to herself.
He noticed how her eyes started to fill up with tears. “I thought we had something good snd pure but it seems that god made other plans for me, it seems that he wants me to suffer”
“You wouldn’t suffer Jodie.. Im telling you that my gang is different, we live by a code. We only rob rich folk, only kill those who shoot at us first and help everyone we can” He told her.
“Only rob rich folk” She huffed “So people like me?”
“Yes but no.. look i don’t know what to say alright?”
“So because im rich that makes me less worthy of my money and my life than poor people?” She hissed.
“It ain’t like that Jodie” Arthur fought back getting frustrated. “We rob those who we know will still be able to live perfectly fine”
At that she laughed “You think of yourself as Robin Hood?”
“No but as normal people”
“You’re not normal, you’re a criminal” Jodie said, looking into his eyes to really make sure he heard her. When he didn’t reply she turned and started walking “Don’t visit me again”
“I know you don’t mean that” Arthur said with confidence.
Jodie turned to look at him “Oh i do mean it Arthur, i never want to see you again, you hear?”
“I can’t keep that promise Jodie, im in love with you”
“Stop saying that!” She rushed back to him and pushed him with all of her strength, as if that did anything to Arthur.
“You love me too, it hurts you to admit it but you know that no matter how big of a criminal i am you’ll still want to see me” He said looking down at her face. She was so close and she was raging.
“I could never love a murderer”
“Really?” Be raised his eyebrows “Well that’s a lie because you already love one”
She had no answer for him. “Don’t come by my house again”
With that she finally turned around and walked herself back to her house. She denied any offer of Arthur escorting her home and he understood. She needed time to process this information.
He stayed there, keeping his eyes on her to make sure that she returned back home safely.
This might’ve been their breakup, but one thing was for sure and that was that Arthur would not give up on her.
Summary: Arthur never imagined himself to be with a girl such as Jodie Reed, she was the complete opposite of him. A rich, privileged, law abiding, kind woman who by all accounts shouldn't have even batted an eye at him, but she did. They were each other's first love and their bond was like no other. But with years the difference in their lifestyles was made more apparent and with Jodie's family heavily disapproving of their relationship will they manage to stay together or grow apart?
～ JODIE P.O.V ～
Sundays were what she hated the most.
Being dragged out of her warm bed and into a church wasn’t exactly fun, especially after barley getting any sleep due to Arthur. She came home late last night and before she managed to shut her eyes quite a lot of time has passed.
But how could she possibly fall asleep when the thought of him kept invading her mind. The image of his bulge was ingrained in her eyes.
She knew it was her fault, she shouldn’t of straddled him the way she did. What was she even thinking at that moment? Ofcourse that would be the reaction of any men with a woman sitting on his lap and kissing him so heatedly.
Still he apologised, he apologised for something that wasn’t even his fault.
If anyone was to apologise it would be her for acting so inappropriately.
Even now, sitting in a church with her parents next to her awaiting for the preacher to come she couldn’t stop her mind from wondering to the events of last night. She felt ashamed to be thinking such thoughts in a church.
Her mother requested her to be dressed in the finest clothes for the church.
She looked around and saw Cassidy and Annie sitting a few rows from her, waving for her to come sit next to them. Jodie found church visits awfully boring but with Cassidy and Annie at least the time would pass a bit quicker. “May i sit next to Annie and Cassidy?” Jodie asked in a whisper, pointing to the two girls.
Her father observed as if to make sure it was really them. “Go ahead, but don’t disrupt todays sermon with anything you hear?”
“I won’t” Jodie smiled and stood up.
Picking her dress she quickly walked to the row where her friends were seated.
“How come you’re alone today?” Jodie asked, knowing they usually come with their partners.
“Austin went to New York on a business trip” Cassidy said. “Mine got too drunk last night, i couldn’t even wake him” Annie said.
Jodie chuckled softly “Did you check if he’s even alive?”
“His chest moved up and down so here’s hoping” Annie replied.
They shared a laugh before Cassidy turned to Jodie. “I have some news for you” She started, softly grabbing Jodie’s hand. “Austin sent me a letter that he met someone in New York, a young and wealthy man who is coming to Blackwater” Cassidy stopped for a second to look at Annie before she smirked and looked back at Jodie who looked at her with interest “He was asking Austin about the women here.. If there are any unmarried ones”
Jodie’s eyes widened “And?” She asked, not of excitement to hear Cassidy continue but more of fear and anxiety. This would complicate things with Arthur.
All she wanted was to be happy and free, even if just for a few weeks. She would make sure that those weeks would be the best in her life.
“Well he told him about you and Austin said that the man seemed interested” Cassidy said with a big smile.
“Oh” Was all that Jodie managed to utter.
Cassidy squeezed her hand “Well aren’t you happy?”
At that moment Jodie realised that she probably wasn’t giving off the emotion that she was supposed to, so she quickly corrected her facial expression into a happy one “That’s… amazing, im shocked” Jodie said, faking a smile on her lips.
“Positively shocked, right?” Annie asked.
“Of course” Jodie lied quickly. Her face must’ve showed the truth because Cassidy caressed her hand “Austin described him as a handsome man, he said you would like him a lot” She explained.
“I trust his judgement” Jodie spoke.
The doors to the church suddenly opened and the preacher came inside to give his usual sundays sermon.
Jodie didn’t even pay attention to a thing that the preacher was saying. She completely zoned out, thinking about what to do. Should she tell her friends that she met someone? She feared that they would immediately tell her parents.
She couldn’t wait for the preacher to finish his speech so that she could run out and get some fresh air.
Cassidy poked Jodie’s side “You alright? You look a bit pale?” She whispered.
Jodie smiled “Yeah im fine” She lied.
She wasn’t fine. Not at all.
“We were going to take a walk after church, you wanna join?” She whispered.
To be honest Jodie wasn’t feeling it. But it was much better to be with her friends than her parents, so she nodded and looked at the preacher, not wanting her parents to notice that she was chatting during the sermon.
After some time the preacher finally ended his sermon and everyone made their way towards the exit of the church.
Jodie walked to her parents just to tell them that she was going to hang out with her friends for a short time. After that she found Cassidy and Annie and they walked towards the docks again, which was their favourite place to hang out. “So when will Austin and this new handsome man come here?” Jodie asked, wanting to know how much time she had left with Arthur.
“Well Austin returns in two weeks, so im guessing the man will come at the same time” Cassidy explained with a playful grin “Why? Is someone impatient?” She teased.
It took Jodie everything to fake a smile “I think every lady would be in this situation”
Cassidy laughed loudly “True”
“Do you know his name?”
“I sure do, it’s Luke” Cassidy smiled.
“Ohhh Luke and Jodie” Annie teased “It matches perfectly”
No, she thought to herself. Arthur and Jodie matched perfect, not this. Of course she didn’t say that out loud. “It does”
“What’s his last name?” Annie asked Cassidy.
“Thompson” Cassidy replied, knowing why Annie wanted to know.
“Jodie Thompson” She chuckled, saying the name out loud.
“It has a nice ring to it, don’t it Cassidy?” She kept joking while nudging Jodie’s shoulder.
If only they knew how much heartache their teasing was causing her. Her eyes roamed around the streets as they walked and talked.
Once they finally made it to the docks they sat down and continued chitchatting about usual things. But the only thing that was on Jodie’s mind was Arthur. It was as if he felt that she was thinking about him because as Jodie turned she saw two men ride towards the sheriff office.
She looked more closely and noticed that it was Arthur and someone who she didn’t know.
Arthur had someone tied up on the back of his horse and when he dismounted he pulled that person off and easily threw him over his shoulder as he carried him into the sheriff’s office.
Jodie was unable to look away. The sight of Arthur easily picking up and throwing a whole person on his shoulder like he weighed nothing was a sight to behold for a young woman like her. It showed Arthur’s strength.
She knew that he had to be strong due to his arms being so big but now seeing this, she was foaming at the mouth.
“Jodie.. Hello..?” Annie called her name a bit annoyed that she completely zoned out. “We’re asking you something”
“Oh yea, sorry, what?” Jodie apologised, focusing her attention back to her friends.
“We’re asking you what you think about Katie’s new boyfriend?” Annie said.
“Third one this month” Cassidy added before they started laughing.
“Awful.. She changes them like clothes” Jodie said.
“Oh i just can’t wait for the day her many boyfriends realise that she’s been playing them all” Annie said chuckling.
As soon as Jodie heard the sheriff’s office door open she immediately turned to look again. Arthur was coming out with some money. He licked his thumb and started counting the money before handing half of it to the other man that arrived with him.
He had to bring in a bounty, she thought.
Her eyes never left him as he mounted and said something to the man before riding away. Oh how she wanted to stand up and run after him.
“Come let’s take a walk, my ass hurts from sitting so much” Jodie said suddenly. She didn’t really care for a walk she just wanted to run into Arthur, even if she was well aware that this decision wouldn’t be the best. But she needed to see him.
“Alright..” They said and gave each other a funny look.
Jodie walked in the direction where Arthur went.
She saw Boadicea hitches outside the saloon and she smiled. Naturally she walked to the mare who seemed to immediately recognise her. "What are you doing Jodie?" Cassidy asked her as they watched Jodie walk to the horse. "Oh come on, you girls know how much i love horses" Jodie said.
"But you cant just approach a random horse like that" Annie argued.
Oh if only they knew that this wasn't just a random horse. This horse knew everything. Boadicea knew what happened the previous night, she knew who rode her last night. She knew that her owner visited Jodie last night and that they spent almost the whole night together.
"Hey beautiful" Jodie whispered, petting her neck.
Boadicea sniffed her hand and neighed happily which made Jodie laugh "You know me huh girl"
Jodie brushed Boadicea's nose "Where is Arthur?" She asked as if the horse would answer.
Boadicea snuggled her head into Jodie's shoulder. "I love him, you know" She whispered to the mare's ears. Looking into the saloon she saw him leaning onto the bar still in the company of that other man. Jodie sighed "I truly do"
"Jodie let's go" Cassidy hissed, a bit annoyed at Jodie for not listening to them.
"Your mother will be displeased if you come smelling of horses” Annie added, thinking that would make Jodie move but she didn’t care for their words.
“I don’t care about my mother’s opinion anymore” Jodie answered quickly. “She would be displeased either way”
“Well we should leave anyway, it’s getting late”
Jodie stopped patting Boadicea and approached her friends “No.. What we should really do is go inside and have some fun”
“Inside where? The saloon?” Cassidy asked in shock. After Jodie nodded with a smirk Annie gasped “Jodie are you crazy? You want us to go in there with all those dirty old men?”
“There’s women there too” Jodie shrugged.
Perhaps she really was losing her mind.
“Not of our standards. We don’t fit there”
“Thats exactly why we should go there, no one will expect anything from us, no one will watch our behaviour and manners.. We will be free to have some real fun with no reservations” Jodie explained.
Cassidy and Annie looked at each other “Im not sure Jodie”
“Im done with always doing what im told” Jodie said and turned towards the saloon “It’s my life and we’ll only be young once” With that she walked to the saloon.
“Jesus Jodie” Cassidy said running after her.
As soon as they entered the saloon all the people turned to look at them. Men would whistle lowly as they passed them by. Jodie only kept her head straight, she knew what she wanted and she walked right over to the bar, with Cassidy and Annie following close behind her.
“Something without alcohol please” She said once she was next to Arthur.
He was turned away from her as he talked to the man but as soon as he heard the familiar voice he turned.
His face was full of surprise as he saw her there.
Arthur’s mouth opened as if he wanted to say something but remembered that there were people around so he quickly shut them.
Annie pinched her sides “That’s that man” She whispered.
“I know” Jodie replied back.
“We have coffee, tea and root beer” The man behind the bar answered.
“We’ll have root beer” Jodie smiled, stealing a quick glance at Arthur who was still looking at her. She smirked and looked away.
When the bar owner gave them their root beers they turned and waked to a free table.
The way Arthur’s eyes followed her movements was not dismissed by her. “We really should leave before that man comes to bother you again” Cassidy said, quickly drinking her beer.
“He won’t, he was nothing but respectful when i turned him down” Jodie said, not trying to make them think something bad of Arthur. “Let’s just relax and enjoy ourselves” She tried to ease some of the nervousness that she saw Cassidy and Annie had.
The whole time they were there Arthur kept stealing quick glances at her.
The bar soon became very lively as the drinks started to have effect on the men.
The girls were sat next to the poker table and the people playing it started to become more and more aggressive with their words, especially when they were losing money.
All Jodie wanted to do was to go and be with Arthur but her circumstances would not allow her that.
Suddenly one of the man from the poker table stood up “You fucking cheat!” He accused one of the other players.
The mood in the saloon instantly changed.
“I knew you cheated you fucking cunt!”
“I did no such thing” The man accused of cheating hissed as he stood up too.
The tension in the saloon was rising and Jodie and her friends felt quite vulnerable, sitting right next to the poker table where violence was just waiting to happen.
“Let’s leave” Annie urged Jodie.
Jodie saw how Arthur kept a close eye on the situation happening next to them. How could he not when the men were causing such a big scene. “You did!” The man shouted again.
Annie yanked Jodie’s sleeve “We really should go Jodie, this ain’t no place for us”
Jodie didn’t move, she was way too curious to see what happens next to even comprehend the danger that they were in. Would a stand out happen? Like in the books?
The man suddenly pulled out his revolver and pointed it at his accuser “Say that again and you’re a dead man”
The whole saloon was dead silent that you could hear a needle drop.
Arthur inched closer to where she was as if he sensed danger.
As that man was pointing his gun, the other one suddenly grabbed the empty beer bottle on the table and threw it at him, causing the one pointing the gun to just barely dodge the bottle. It angered him madly as he grabbed the poker table and flipped it onto the other man.
Screams from the girls erupted as the man flipping the table came over and started punching the other one that was trying to free himself under the poker table.
Everyone in the saloon started to fight each other, it was as if they were just waiting for something to happen so that they could fight. “Jodie come on!” Annie yelled grabbing Jodie but the crowd was too big and Jodie got separated from her friends as everyone fought.
Jodie got caught in the midst of men fighting, she couldn’t go right and she couldn’t go left. Everyone was out of their minds as they punched and pushed each other.
Each time she tried to move she just got slammed back into the wall.
“Fuck” She whispered to herself, panic rising up in her chest.
On the last attempt to move away she got pushed to the ground. She couldn’t even stand up and that was when she really started to freak out.
Out of a sudden someone punched a man standing in front of Jodie. She looked up to see Arthur absolutely beating everyone that was near her before he leaned down and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder and moved through the crowd, pushing everyone out of the way as he carried her out through the back door.
She gripped his clothes tightly as he carried her and she knew then that she was safe.
Once they were outside of the saloon he finally lowered her onto her feet. “Arthur” She let out a sigh of relief.
“Jesus Jodie.. What were you doing there?” Arthur asked her.
“I noticed Boadicea and i.. well i guess i just wanted to see you” She explained, her voice still shaken up.
Arthur caressed her chin “Are you okay?”
“Im okay now” She smirked.
He shook his head and looked down “Thought you said that a saloon was no place for a lady like yourself”
“It’s not and i wouldn’t of went inside, but i saw you so i came inside” She shook her shoulders.
“And nearly got trampled because of it” Arthur said, obviously unhappy with her choice. “Silly girl” He smiled as his thumb traced her lower lip.
Jodie smirked, wrapping her hands around his shoulders as she stood on her tippy toes and gave him a kiss.
They were alone in the alleyway thanks to Arthur carrying her through the back door instead of the front exit. “I simply couldn’t wait till tonight” She whispered against his lip.
“What are you doing here anyway?” Arthur asked.
“It’s sunday, we went to church” She said.
“Church” Arthur repeated, his voice a bit contradicting.
“What?” She asked confused. “Are you not a religious man?”
“Not really” Arthur confessed.
Jodie smiled “Then i have a lot of work to do”
“Do you now?” Arthur raised one eyebrow, teasing her as he leaned into her. He was just about to kiss her but the voice of Cassidy and Annie stopped them. They heard them calling for her on the other side of the saloon, where the main entrance was.
“Shit.. I have to go” Jodie said, resting her palm on his chest, slightly pushing him away.
She walked away but not before Arthur pulled her back for another kiss “See you tonight then?” He murmured against her lips.
“Yes” She whispered back.
With a quick peck on his lips she quickly walked away to meet her friends. She came around the saloon and saw her friends looking into the window of the building. “Im here im here” She ran to them.
Annie grabbed her hands “Oh Jodie, thank god” They sighed in relief upon seeing her.
“What happened to you?” Cassidy asked, hugging her.
“I got caught up in the crowd” Jodie replied.
“How did you manage to make it out of there?” Annie asked, her hands still gripping hers tightly.
Jodie looked down and blushed. “Well, actually.. That man saved me, you know.. the one i turned down”
“The cowboy?” Annie raised her eyebrows.
“Yes him”
Cassidy and Annie looked at each other “Damn Jodie, he really likes you huh?” Cassidy commented.
Oh if only they knew.
“I guess..” She shrugged, trying to act like she didn’t care. “Let’s go, your parents will be worried if we’re gone too long” Annie said and they walked back to church.
Her parents were already waiting for her so she said her goodbye to Cassidy and Annie before leaving for home.
Jodie spent the entire day just wandering around. Helping her mother cook and clean, then she spent the afternoon in her room, reading books to make the time pass quicker.
The day was long and dragging on and on but finally the dusk approached and Jodie was preparing the table for dinner. Her mother had prepared some oysters which they all ate.
After the dinner Jodie went to her room, saying that she was gonna retire for the night. If only her parents knew that this was far from the truth. Her night was only just begging, she just needed to wait for her parents to go to sleep. Arthur would be here when the lights would go out, no sooner so she had to be patient.
After some time she heard sounds from the hallway and so she peaked her head out of her room. She saw that the house was dark and silent, meaning that her parents finally went to sleep.
Now all that was left was to wait.
Finally, after what seemed like hours she heard something hitting her window. She jumped up from her bed and ran to the window. As she looked down she saw him, mounted on Boadicea and looking up at her with a smile. “Ready, princess?” He whispered.
Oh she was more than ready.
She carefully stepped out of the window as Arthur dismounted to catch her as she jumped.
Like previously he caught her with ease. Jodie wrapped her hands tightly around his neck as she gave him a hug. “I missed you” She said.
Arthur smiled and kissed her cheek sweetly. “Missed you too, pretty girl”
“So, where are we going tonight?” Jodie asked when Arthur lowered her onto her feet.
“Wherever the horse leads us” Arthur joked while he helped her mount Boadicea. “Oh we’re being mysterious now huh?” Jodie said with a smirk. She moved back to give Arthur space in the saddle but he stopped her.
He then mounted behind her and grabbed the reins.
She felt so safe, having his arms on both sides of her body as he held the reins. When they started moving she leaned back against his chest. “I saw you today, even before the saloon” Jodie said, turning her head back to meet his eyes.
“Yea?” Arthur raised his one eyebrow.
“Mhm, you and your friend were going into the sheriff’s office and you were carrying someone on your shoulders” Jodie explained.
“Oh yea, we were bringing in a bounty” Arthur said.
“Thought so.. Who was the man you were with?”
“A good friend of mine, Javier Escuella” Arthur replied, smiling at her curiosity.
“May i know what the man did to have a bounty?” Jodie asked again. She knew she had a lot of questions but she knew that Arthur didn’t mind any of them.
“Ever heard of the Skinner brothers?”
Jodie looked at him with a puzzled expression “No.. but they sure don’t sound too friendly”
Arthur chuckled lowly, his chest rumbling against her back. “They are awful.. to call them human beings would be an insult to us” He started talking and looking around “They live up in Tall Trees and they are dangerous, the things i’ve seen in that place as we searched for that bounty are never leaving my mind again”
“What have you seen?” She asked. Maybe it would be better if she wouldn’t know but curiosity is a dangerous game.
They looked at each other for a moment “Things that are not for your pretty ears to hear”
“Well my pretty ears wanna know anyway” She argued.
Whatever he saw had to be bad for him to protect this information from her this badly.
“Men burned alive, amputated, hanged, dismembered, skinned” He started going off.
“You saw all that?” Jodie asked in shock.
“That forest is filled with things like that” Arthur replied.
Jodie faced forward “Guess that would explain why my family always evaded going through Tall Trees, they would rather take a route that would take us much longer than to go through that place” She looked back at Arthur “I always wondered why and now i have my answer”
Arthur nodded “Smart decision, that place only brings trouble”
“It’s like those woods are cursed” Jodie murmured.
“They might be” He agreed.
“Well you were a brave man to go there to catch a bounty” She said.
“No man is invincible to bullets”
Jodie huffed “Still, you need guts to go there”
“True, but me and Javier have each other’s backs so it felt safer going there with him” Arthur answered.
At that Jodie turned around and gave him a small smile “Still.. No amount of money is worth risking your life for” She told him, almost as if she was scolding him. Maybe she was, because what she heard definitely sounded very gruesome and dangerous. Why would anyone want to risk getting tortured and killed for a few bucks?
He snorted “Easy for you to say”
His words stung her a little. Everyone saw her as a spoiled girl with her daddy’s money and she honestly never cared for anyone’s opinion but hearing Arthur say that was a little different. She knew he was probably just joking and teasing but still she didn’t like being seen as spoiled.
After she didn’t reply and instead turned to look straight ahead he knew what he said was wrong.
“Hey” He whispered, letting go of the reins with one hands to caress her chin and make her look at him “I didn’t mean it like that”
“Do you see me as spoiled?” She asked gently.
He smiled softly “If i wouldn’t know you then yes, i’d probably see you as spoiled daddy’s girl. But i know you and i see the truth, you don’t enjoy this rich life”
“Having money is great, but not at this price where i have to behave how they want, do what they want, dress how they want and the worst marry who they want. I live a privileged life but it’s filled with so much control that its hard to enjoy”
“I understand”
“You might think im lying but i’d truly much rather be poor if that would make me free”Jodie said and that was the truth.
He pressed his lips against hers “I believe you” He whispered.
Boadicea neighed which made Jodie flinch as she got startled. Arthur laughed into the kiss before they stopped to look at their surroundings.
Jodie saw that they were at Upper Montana River.
“What are we doing here?” She laughed.
Arthur dismounted and helped her down. "Teaching you how to fish" He smiled.
"Teaching me?" She raised her eyebrows "What if i already know how to fish?"
"Oh do you now?" Arthur asked, approaching her with a smirk as he towered over her. Jodie bit her lip and smiled, obviously teasing him, she was trapped between Boadicea and Arthur as he stared her down seductively “Maybe” She looked at his lips as if to wait for him to kiss her but the kiss never came.
Instead Arthur reached behind her and pulled his fishing rod out of the side of his saddle.
He walked towards the shoreline, fully expecting her to follow him.
Of course she did, without a second thought.
She stood beside him as he dug through his satchel for a small piece of cheese “We will use this as bait” He said as he placed the cheese on the hook, then he handed the fishing rod to Jodie. “Here you go, let’s see your fine fishing skills” He joked.
Jodie gladly took the rod and casted the line into the water. “Now you just feel for the tug” Arthur said to her ear as he stood behind her.
She waited, in that time Arthur managed to start a fire, hoping to roast some fish for them. They waited for a long time but then finally something tugged on the line “Arthur! Arthur!” Jodie said excitedly “I got one!” She shouted.
Her excitement was an obvious sign that she indeed never fished before despite her statement earlier.
Arthur quickly stood up and ran to her side. “Start reeling” He said.
Jodie started reeling like crazy at which Arthur grabbed her hands “Slowly.. You don’t want to break the line” He said with a small chuckle.
“It’s a strong one” Jodie commented. She truly never thought that fishes are that strong. She reeled and reeled but was unsuccessful in each attempt. “Arthur” She pouted in disappointment, still trying to get the fish to the shore.
“Don’t give up now princess” He said.
Whenever he called her princess she felt weak in her legs. It sounded so good when he said it. If anyone else would call her that she would feel disgusted and weirded out but when he called her that it had a completely different effect on her.
“I can’t, it’s going to get away Arthur!” She shouted when she felt a particularly hard tug on the line.
“Here” Arthur said as he came to stand beside her, stretching out his hands to grab the fishing rod.
Jodie handed it to him without hesitation and as soon as Arthur grabbed the fishing rod everything seemed to run smoothly as he easily reeled the fish out of the water.
As he grabbed it he smiled cockily at her. “Oh look, a Bluegill”
She shook her head and pushed his shoulder playfully “A few more of these and we have ourselves a fine dinner”
“Get on it then Mr Morgan, im starting to get hungry” Jodie said confidently.
“Oh what now, you give up on fishing already?” He teased.
“So what if i do?” She teased right back, sitting down beside the fire. Arthur smiled and shook his head “You gotta stick at things and not let small inconveniences ruin your learning experience” He looked back at her “It’s all part of it, no one knows how to do new stuff right away, it takes times and practice”
“Yes but we don’t have time right now” She smiled.
“Then sit back and watch how it’s done, princess” Arthur said with a grin.
It didn’t take Arthur long to catch three fish. He sat down next to Jodie and placed the fish on the grill grate.
Arthur wrapped his hands around her, bringing her into his touch as they waited on the fish to be done. “You do this a lot? Camp out in the nature?” She asked, looking at him.
“Quite a lot yes” He answered.
“Who taught you how to fish?”
“My father” Arthur replied.
“He taught you how to shoot too?” She raised her eyebrows at him which made him smile softly.
“He taught me pretty much everything” He replied, meaning Dutch and Hosea.
“What did your mother teach you then?”
At that Arthur grew quiet. Jodie instantly noticed the change in his mood. “My mother didn’t teach me much, she died when i was still very young, I don’t remember much of her. I just know she loved flowers”
“Im sorry.. I shouldn’t have asked” Jodie quickly apologised.
“You couldn’t have known” He smiled softly “It’s good that you ask Jodie, how else are we supposed to get to know each other?” He explained.
“Well i still feel stupid” She admitted.
“Shh” He whispered, kissing her softly.
Their kiss was interrupted by the sound of a loud shriek going through the woods behind them. “What was that Arthur?” She asked, obviously spooked by the sound.
Arthur looked around and thought about who the sound might belong to. It shrieked again and it sounded like it was in pain. “Must be an animal” He commented, not paying much attention to it.
Jodie stood up “It sounds hurt” She said with a worried expression.
The horrifying sound echoed through the woods again and Jodie stared down at Arthur “Come on” She urged him to his feet “We need to help it”
“A pack of wolves probably got to whatever animal that is Jodie, there’s not much we can help with” He said.
“We don’t know that” She simply said and turned to run in the direction of the noise.
“Jodie!” He hissed quickly following her, obviously not happy with her decision to run towards the noise.
She ran through the thick forest with haste and urgency that Arthur was barely keeping up with. “Jodie stop” He called out for her, unable to see her in the dark and the bushes.
Then he saw her frozen body as it stopped as she looked at something on the ground.
“Jodie” He said again, stopping by her side. He examined her face that was full of shock before looking down only to be met with the sight of a small buck that got his leg caught in a bear trap.
She leaned down and grasped the trap, trying to open it only to result in the buck screaming out in pain.
Jodie looked up at him with tearful eyes “We have to help him Arthur” She sobbed.
Arthur knelt down next to her, placing his hand upon her shoulder to comfort her “Jodie..” He said gently, not really knowing how to break the bad news to her.
“Arthur no! Help him, now!” She said loudly.
“There is nothing we can do, he’ll either bleed out or get eaten by a pack of wolves Jodie..” He explained as softly as he possibly could to not break her heart.
He straightened up and pulled out his revolver before cocking the hammer.
She knew that this buck was doomed, of course she did but the harsh reality still hurted her deeply. She simply couldn’t accept it. “Stop Arthur” She sniffed, immediately standing up at the sound of him readying his gun.
“Jodie im going to save him from suffering”
“Murder isn’t the solution” She hissed.
“This is mercy, not murder” Arthur said looking at her. He noticed how her expression changed. “Jodie this little thing won’t survive” He said pointing to the buck that was suffering. “This injury is a death sentence for an animal”
Jodie turned away, looking into the distance before giving Arthur a quick glance with a nod.
She couldn’t bare to look at it but she heard Arthur as he knelt down and whispered “Sorry” Before he shot the buck.
The shrieking instantly stopped.
Arthur walked holstered his revolver before walking to Jodie. “Im sorry.. But it was the right thing to do, we spared him a fate that would be far worse than this”
At that point he realised how innocent Jodie was. How blinded she was to the harsh realities of this cruel world. Maybe the right word to describe her would be naivety but that word seemed too negative for her. In truth she was too good for him.
If she reacted this way to him killing a wounded animal how would she reacted to the news that he was a criminal that robbed and killed people?
It will ruin her but the truth has to be told, there was no way he could hide that from her. She doesn’t deserve to be lied to.
Summary: Arthur never imagined himself to be with a girl such as Jodie Reed, she was the complete opposite of him. A rich, privileged, law abiding, kind woman who by all accounts shouldn't have even batted an eye at him, but she did. They were each other's first love and their bond was like no other. But with years the difference in their lifestyles was made more apparent and with Jodie's family heavily disapproving of their relationship will they manage to stay together or grow apart?
~ ARTHUR P.O.V ~
“Did you get him?” Charles asked Arthur, they went out hunting for rabbits.
Arthur sighed as he walked back to their horses where Charles was waiting “Nah, he slipped away”
Charles laughed “They are much more difficult to catch than one would think” He patted Taima on her neck. “We should’ve opted for proghorns” He added.
“Maybe we are just bad at hunting” Arthur said.
“Speak for yourself” He said laughing loudly. Arthur looked around the plains, the midday heat was getting to him. He could feel his clothes clinging onto his sweat damp skin. “You know, these fish will suffice, i have to get out of this sun” Arthur said pointing to the few fish he had stored on his saddle.
“You sure?” Charles questioned.
“Yeah” Arthur answered, grabbing the saddle horn to pull himself onto his horse. “Im sure you’ll manage just fine on your own” He added, looking at Charles.
“Damn right i will. See you back at camp?” Charles questioned.
“Of course” Arthur smiled.
Little did Charles know that Arthur had no intention of going back to camp, he had a different one in mind. One that would consist of him riding to Jodie’s house.
Yes, he knew where she lived. He found out yesterday when he followed the stagecoach that she and her father were in. When he saw how mean her father treated her by gripping her elbow and dragging her, he worried for her wellbeing.
So he followed for a bit just to make sure there wasn’t any big trouble.
They had a big house just outside Blackwater. The house looked exactly how he expected it to look with a rich family living inside it.
Jodie didn’t want them to see each other anymore but he knew she didn’t really feel that way.
It was her attempt at trying to convince herself that she doesn’t want him, that she doesn’t love him. But Arthur knew that this game couldn’t be played.
The heart wants what it wants, it doesn’t listen to the brain.
He waited for it to be dark before he’d made his move.
First he had to find out which window was hers. He climbed on a nearby tree and observed the windows. He could see two silhouettes that went into the bed and he was sure that wasn’t Jodie. She didn’t have anyone to share her bed with.
He jumped off and walked around the house. There was a light in the window and he could see a woman standing and brushing her hair.
This had to be her.
Picking a tiny rock he threw it to the window.
The silhouette moved away before her curiosity got the better of her and she slowly approached and opened the window carefully.
“Pssst” Arthur whispered from the ground, looking up at her as if she was a princess.
“Arthur” Jodie let out a surprised gasp, stepping back to give him the room to enter as he climbed up and jumped into her room.
For a moment Jodie didn't know what to say, she just stared at him.
There was no need for any words as Arthur leaned in and kissed her lips deeply. He smiled when he felt her immediately relax and melt into the kiss. He grabbed her face gently as he looked into her eyes, not saying anything, just admiring her beautiful face.
"What are you doing here? How did you find my house?" Jodie asked, breaking the silence.
"I followed you yesterday, i feared your father would hurt you somehow.. He didn't look happy" Arthur answered before looking down with a mischievous smile "And i also needed to know where you live so i could visit you"
"Arthur.. I thought i told you that we shouldn't do this" She whispered.
"No one has to know, we can keep this a secret" He motioned between them.
"And when my father finds me a husband?" She raised her eyebrow.
"We'll deal with that when it happens. For now we should just enjoy each other" Arthur explained as he held her hands "There's nothing wrong with loving each other Jodie"
He kissed her again, not being able to keep his hands off of her. "Come with me" He whispered before moving again towards the window. "Come where?" She giggled quietly.
"Out to enjoy a nice walk under the stars" He whispered.
"My parents.." She started before Arthur cut her mid sentence "Are asleep, i saw the lights go off and two figures go into the bed" He moved towards the window yet again "Come, let's have some fun, you'll be back before they wake" Arthur convinced her, yanking on her hand gently.
For a second he thought she would decline him but she didn't. She only looked back towards her door before shaking her head with a smile and walking towards the window with Arthur. He climbed out before jumping down. "Here, i'll catch you" He whispered, stretching his arms.
She climbed out "You promise? You won't drop me?" Her voice was so tiny and scared it made Arthur smile.
How could she possibly think he would drop someone as precious to him as she was. "I promise"
When she was out of her room she turned and looked down, her fingers still gripping the window shelf. She let out a shaky breath as she lowered her body as much as possible before letting go and jumping into Arthur's arms.
He caught her effortlessly and it made her giggle loudly as Arthur twirled around with her in his arms still. "Shhh" He whispered with a grin, leaning his head to kiss her.
His arms slowly lowered her to the ground. "You'll get to meet my horse, come"
"Really?" She asked excitedly, following behind him as he walked.
"Uh huh, in fact you'll even get to ride her" He smiled softly "You know how to ride, right?" He asked.
"A little.. The basics of it" Jodie replied.
"Basics are good enough" He confirmed leading her into some nearby bushes behind a tree. "Here she is, my Boadicea" Arthur spoke, untying her from the tree where he tied her reins on.
"Oh hi there" Jodie spoke in a soft voice, stretching her arms for Boadicea to sniff her hands. "She's beautiful Arthur"
"On that much we agree" He confirmed, petting Boadicea.
He thought Jodie wouldn't be as relax near the big animal but she surprised him. She had no fear of Boadicea whatsoever, she petted her instantly. It made him proud as he saw how great they got along. "Here" He said, placing a carrot into Jodie's palm before leading it to Boadicea's nose. "She won't bite me?" Jodie asked, flinching a little at the feeling of Boadicea's thick lips touching her palm.
"She won't, just keep your palm open completely so that she can grab the carrot with her lips" Arthur explained. He was standing right behind Jodie, reassuring her the whole time.
Boadicea successfully took the carrot and ate it in a few bites.
"Go ahead" Arthur said, motioning to the saddle as he held the stirrup for Jodie.
"She won't move?" Jodie asked.
Her interest made Arthur genuily feel warmth inside his heart. "Of course not, but here" He whispered, grabbing the reins with his other free hand to keep Boadicea steady "If it makes you feel any safer"
"It does, thank you" She smiled walking to the side and placing her feet into the stirrup before grabbing the saddle horn and hoping on. Arthur gave her a little push.
"You nice and comfortable?" He asked, looking up at her.
"Yes" Jodie chuckled happily.
"Let's go then" Arthur said, clicking his tongue to signal Boadicea to start moving. He walked by their side as he lead Boadicea by the reins.
"May i ask where you're taking me?" She asked curiously.
"Somewhere beautiful" He answered.
"And where might that be?" She continued.
Arthur smirked as he looked up at her "Just relax, princess"
She remained silent for only a short moment before speaking again. "Can you hand me those reins?" She asked, pointing to Arthur's hand that was holding onto them.
"I want to go faster" She explained as he kept looking at her.
"You sure?"
Jodie laughed "I know how to trot a horse Arthur"
He handed her the reins, still looking a bit unsure which made Jodie chuckle as she grabbed the reins and nudged Boadicea to make her start trotting. Arthur's worries disappeared as he saw that Jodie knew what she was doing and with her mounted on top of Boadicea he had nothing to worry about. He knew Jodie was in good hands.
Jodie started doing circles around Arthur and her smile was a sight to behold. She looked so happy while riding Boadicea.
"Stop showing off" Arthur smirked.
“Oh now don’t get jealous of my fabulous riding skills” Jodie said dramatically, a big grin on her face.
“Im jealous of the horse for having someone so beautiful riding them” Arthur said without even thinking.
Jodie’s eyes widened as she gasped before letting out a loud laugh. Arthur looked down awkwardly “Shit.. That uhhh.. Came out wrong, sorry” He apologised shyly. He didn’t want her to think that he was a creep.
She stopped Boadicea by his side. “It’s alright, at least you’re honest” She smirked cockily.
And he was honest. He might’ve been respectful and gentleman like but to claim that the thought of making love to her didn’t cross his mind would be a huge lie. It did, more than once. Every single time they kissed he could barely hide his arousal.
“I-“ He stuttered, not knowing what to say to her.
Jodie hooked her leg over Boadicea and motioned for Arthur to help her down. He came closer and grabbed her hips, steadily lowering her down onto the ground.
“It’s not a secret, i want you too” She said, looking into his eyes intensely.
God how he wanted to take her right then and there. But she was a lady, she deserved better than some cold and hard ground. Jodie deserved a big warm bed with soft cushions and nice pillows.
“But that’s one thing we can’t do, we can’t let ourselves go in that way Arthur” Jodie explained, her palms coming up to rest on his vest. She looked down “It’s my duty to remain untouched for my husband” With a sigh she continued “My mother always talks about the importance of that, if a woman is not a virgin for her husband than her value goes down horribly and she is seen as damaged goods”
It would be a hard task, resisting her but he would do anything just to be with her. Even if that meant that things would not escalate beyond heated make out sessions.
“Alright” Arthur said quietly but determined.
She smiled softly “Still think this is a good idea” She pointed between them.
“I do” He replied.
“You sound a bit unsure” She said and moved, turning her whole body away from him. “I don’t blame you, i know how important sex is to you men” Jodie said, looking into the distance.
“Hey hey” Arthur said coming to face her again “I won’t lie sweetie, it’s going to be very hard but i won’t do anything that would ruin your reputation and value”
“So you still want to see me?” She asked surprised.
He grabbed her hands, urging her to look him into his eyes “Of course Jodie” Kissing the back of her hand he added “Im not in it for sex” He said.
Jodie smiled widely “Im happy we settled that”
“I have a question though.. Wil you be able to resist me?” He asked cockily.
She gasped playfully “I hope to god that i do”
Arthur leaned down to kiss her softly. Their lips moved slowly but passionately. His tongue founds its way into her mouth.
Would they really be able to resist each other when they can’t even resist their lips from touching and their tongues from tasting each other so desperately?
His hands wrapped around her hips, pulling her into an even deeper kiss.
Boadicea suddenly snorted behind them, making them both jump before they laughed. "I think it's her getting jealous now" Jodie chuckled.
"Come let's go" Arthur said and started walking.
They walked a bit further before stopping on a nice destination under the stars. "You like strawberries?" Arthur asked as he knelt down to start a small fire to keep them warm.
"I sure do" She smiled, looking at him as he yet again lit a fire so easily.
"Well do you like chocolate covered strawberries?" He smirked.
Jodie chuckled "You really made an effort huh"
He did. He honestly would've never do something like that for anyone but Jodie was different. He knew from the moment he saw her that she is someone who he wouldn't mind spoiling and loving shamelessly.
Arthur placed a cup on top of the fire anchor and opened a chocolate bar, throwing it into the cup and waiting for it to melt.
"Sometimes" He answered and sat beside her. "You cold?"
"A little"
He stood up and walked to Boadicea, he grabbed his bed roll, pulling a blanket before walking back to her and wrapping it around her shoulders. He checked the chocolate which was already completely melted into liquid.
Arthur then took the strawberries, dipping one into the warm melted chocolate before bringing it towards Jodie's mouth.
She grinned and opened her mouth. "Mmm, that's so good"
He took one and ate it too.
"Here" Jodie said, wrapping the blanket around him as well, bringing them closer. "So Arthur, i never got the chance to ask what you do in life" She started as they continued to eat the strawberries and chocolate.
Shit, Arthur thought. He knew that the conversation would happen sooner or later but was he ready to tell her who he was? He wasn't. In his mind it would be better to wait a little longer, make sure that Jodie was head over heels for him before telling her the truth. He knew that the more she loved him the harder it would be for her to leave him if that would cross her mind.
"I do a lot of different jobs"
"Such as?" Jodie asked curiously while chewing on her strawberries.
"Break in wild horses for different families, guard their wagons on the road, work on ranches, guard people, collect bounties.. I pick up any kind of work i can get" He explained.
God if only she knew that he was doing the exact opposite. He was doing the robbing not the guarding.
"That would explain the guns" She smiled looking down at his gun belt.
"You don't like guns i take it?" He asked.
That made her laugh "Who does?"
"Well i do" Arthur replied honestly. "And lots of other people too"
"But just imagine how many lives those things took" She said.
"What about how many they saved?" He raised his eyebrows at her, playfully. "Guns aren't bad.. You just have to know how to use them and most importantly you have to be alright in the head"
How ironic of him to say that, he thought. He had so much blood on his hands. "Here" He said and unbuckled his gun belt, the memories of him doing this exact thing a few days ago came flushing into his brain. "If it makes you feel safer" He added and dropped his gun belt near them.
"It does" She acknowledged "But i will say that they make you quite sexy"
He raised his eyebrows in surprise before letting out a chuckle "Sexy? I thought you said they make me look intimidating?"
"They make you intimidatingly sexy"
If only she realised that she shouldn't be saying things like that to him when they both knew he couldn't have her. He wanted to kiss her again but he knew if he did it wouldn't end well, not with her saying stuff like that.
Arthur cleared his throat and pulled out a pack of cigarettes "You mind?" He asked, grabbing one out of the pack.
"Not if you let me try" She answered with a smirk.
He looked at her and lit his cigarette, inhaling the smoke before exhaling and answering "Nah"
"Nah?" She raised her eyebrows.
"No. They're bad for you"
She chuckled "Oh and they aren't bad for you?"
"Im already too far gone darling, but you.. Well i wouldn't want to get you hooked on something as unhealthy as cigarettes" He explained.
"You fear you'll have a bad influence on me?"
He snorted "I guess i do"
Jodie shook her head with a smile before standing up and turning around dramatically "But i wanna be cool like those ladies at the parlour who lean on counters and smoke"
"Smoking ain't cool though, it’s a bad habit”
Jodie stepped closer, her hand reaching for the cigarette between Arthur's lips "Nah uh" He murmured and threw the cigarette away, preventing her from trying it.
Maybe he was an asshole, maybe he should've let her try it but why? He didn't want to teach her only bad stuff. He wanted her to remain as innocent and pure as she was.
She laughed at his action to stop her from smoking. Hooking one leg over his lap she slowly lowered herself onto him. His hands automatically wrapped around her hips, keeping her secure on his lap.
Jodie smirked as she leaned down and kissed him passionately.
This time he allowed her to take the lead as their tongues brushed against each other. "I can taste it you know" She whispered against his lips. "The cigarette"
"Bad girl" He commented in return before melting into another kiss.
"But i also taste strawberries and chocolate" She whispered again, smiling into the kiss.
"Focus on that then" He replied.
She too tasted like the mix of chocolate and strawberries, it was so addictive to Arthur. He gripped onto her hips tightly as they continued to make out.
It surprised him that she was bold enough to sit on his lap. Previously they only shared kisses but this was a big step from that. His heart raced at the thought of their clothed genitals brushing against one another in such close proximity.
His pants started to get a bit tight in his crotch area.
Shit, not now, he thought. Whenever he got an erection he always managed to hide it from her successfully but now? With her sitting on his lap? There was nothing that could be done to hide it because she would most certainly feel the bulge poking up at her crotch.
And she did. He was sure she did as after another shared kiss she looked at him and then down at where she was sitting “I should probably go home”
“That’s not a bad idea” He agreed.
Of course he didn’t mean that literally. He didn’t want her to leave, ever. But now in this situation and with his uncomfortable ache in his hard dick having her so close would only bring him pain.
Jodie moved away from his lap and her curious eyes didn’t go unnoticed by Arthur as she stole a quick glance at the bulge in his pants.
She didn’t look disgusted by him. Her eyes showed a different emotion. One that he would explain as hunger and need.
As soon as she realised Arthur caught her looking she turned around. Arthur took this time to quickly adjust himself as he stood up. “Im.. Sorry about this” He murmured awkwardly, too ashamed to even look her in the eyes. “I can’t help it” He explained.
“It’s okay” She answered, blushing.
Arthur didn’t know what more to say, it was way too awkward to try and explained so he knew it would be better to just ignore it. He called Boadicea and as she walked to them he helped Jodie up onto the saddle before he himself mounted as well. He sat in front of her and as she wrapped her hands around his torso he nudged Boadicea’s sides, urging her to start moving.
They trotted quickly back to her house. There was no conversation as they rode, only silence.
When they reached her house Arthur dismounted and helped Jodie off of the horse.
He touched her chin and made her look up at him before slowly closing the gap between their lips as he kissed her sweetly.
“Sorry if i made you uncomfortable” He whispered. “It wasn’t my intention”
She smiled against his lips “Stop apologising”
They shared another quick kiss before she looked at him “Will you come tomorrow too? At the same time?”
“I sure will” He nodded with a smirk.
“I’ll wait for you”
“Good”
She turned to look up at her window. “Will you be able to climb up?” Arthur asked as he saw her looking up with her face in thought.
“Im not sure” She giggled.
“Let me help you” He whispered before kneeling down. “Here, sit on my shoulders, I’ll give you a boost”
Jodie laughed loudly as she sat on Arthur’s shoulders and when he stood up she squeaked. Causing Arthur to keep having to shush her to not wake her parents. Her hands gripped his shirt tightly.
“Grab onto the window shelf, i’ll help you up” Arthur murmured.
“Im scared Arthur” She said with a lighthearted chuckle, causing him to laugh quietly.
“Darling just grab onto the shelf and pull yourself up, i’ll do the rest” He demanded.
She did as she was told and as she pulled herself up Arthur helped her by allowing her to stand on his palms before pushing her up.
With Arthur’s help she managed to pull herself up and enter her room through the window that she left opened. “Tomorrow then?” She whispered, looking down at him.
“I’ll be here” Arthur smiled.
“I’ll wait for you” She blew him a kiss before closing the window.
God what she was doing to him. His cock still twitched as he remembered the way she sat down on his lap and how good she felt against him. In that moment he wanted nothing more than to have her right then and there beside the fire.
His cock started to get hard again at just the thought of that.
He rode off in the direction of the camp, thinking that his erection would go away but after a few minutes the ache was only getting stronger and he knew what he needed to do. He stopped and dismounted.
Walking to a nearby tree he unzipped his pants and pulled out his throbbing cock.
His palm grabbed tightly around his shaft as he started pumping up and down. It felt so good to release some of the painful ache. He closed his eyes and imagined Jodie’s palm around his cock.
He fantasised about her perfect slim body, her perfect skin, perfect round butt, perfect breasts, her long black hair that he wanted to grab a fistful of as he thrusted into her. He imagined how good she tasted or how good she would feel.
“Fuck” He grunted to himself, squeezing his cock hard as he pumped quickly.
Jodie was making him go crazy.
Heaven forbid anyone saw him right now, leaning against the tree with his cock in hand. He was smart enough to turn away from the road, besides it was still night so no one should come this way, he thought.
He was facing the tree as he supported his weight on his forearm.
All sort of grunts and groans escaped his lips as he imagined Jodie was doing this to him. The sight of her perfect rosy plump lips never leaving his mind.
What he would give to have her.
“God dammit” He groaned as he came. His seed shooting out and landing on the tree before him. He panted loudly, trying to catch his breath as he quickly tucked himself back into his pants.
He turned and slid down, a bit ashamed of what he just done and how perverted all his thoughts were.
He let out a loud sigh as he walked to Boadicea. “Try not to judge me too much girl” He whispered as he mounted her.
Summary: Arthur never imagined himself to be with a girl such as Jodie Reed, she was the complete opposite of him. A rich, privileged, law abiding, kind woman who by all accounts shouldn't have even batted an eye at him, but she did. They were each other's first love and their bond was like no other. But with years the difference in their lifestyles was made more apparent and with Jodie's family heavily disapproving of their relationship will they manage to stay together or grow apart?
~ JODIE P.O.V ~
She couldn’t get any sleep that night. She twirled in her bed, thinking about the kiss. She has only kissed one person before Arthur and it was nothing like how Arthur kissed her.
Everything he said was true, she was attracted to him, she did like him. From the moment she saw him in the theatre she felt an insane pull towards him, it was like magnet. He didn’t look like anyone she’d usually hang out with but there was something about him. When she heard him say that it was love at first sight she laughed but what he didn’t know was that she felt the same way she just wasn’t ready to admit it.
But now, as she laid in her bed and thought about that kiss she was certain it was love at first sight for her too.
The second that she closed her eyes she could only see him, so manly and strong but yet very gentlemanly and charming.
She remembered how his beard felt against her face, how his lips brushed against hers and how his tongue played with hers.
She could still taste him now, the coffee mixed with cigarettes was a strange but inviting taste. God, how she didn’t want him to stop. She wanted to stay in that alleyway with him all night but she knew that would be a mistake.
Had she stayed with him for a few more seconds it would lead to something that she wouldn’t be able to undo and yet she wouldn’t be able to stop. If only he knew how aroused and hot he made her feel. At that moment she cursed being raised by such a privileged family where the status and reputation meant everything. She was sure her father would bury her alive if he found out who she was kissing with, she couldn’t even imagine what he’d do if they were to have sex that night.
Jodie was a virgin. Her mother kept yapping about how important it was for her to be pure for when they find a suitable match to marry her.
She feared that day when she would be forced to marry someone and sleep with him just because he happened to be rich. She didn’t want that.
All the men that were considered for her match were complete assholes. So entitled and rude that it made her physically cringe at the thought of living with them let alone share a bed. She wanted to run away, live her own life and not be controlled by her parents anymore.
They controlled every aspect of her life. Who her friends were, what she would do in life, who to marry, who to talk to, how to behave.. Everything she did was observed by her family.
When she thought of Arthur it made her think of hope. But allowing herself to fall in love now would be a big mistake.
Love was the only privilege she could not afford.
She knew that her parents would ruin this as well. Rhe second that they’d find out she’d seeing someone they’d go and marry her off, especially if they knew that Arthur was the one she was dating.
So she had to see him again. To explain this to him, to end things.. Even if they weren’t anything yet.
This needed to be stopped before it gets the chance to turn into something more. But damn it, will she be able to remain this strong minded and motivated when she looks at him? Will she truly not fold as soon as he looks at her with his ocean eyes, or when his big hands touch her delicate ones?
Jodie prayed to god to give her strength. To do the right thing.
It took her a long time to fall asleep that night. But as she woke up Arthur was the first thing on her mind.
“Breakfast!” She heard her mother yell out.
With a grunt she got up and dug through her closet for a pretty dress. She decided on a green one. The dress wasn’t as puffy and big as her other ones, instead it was slimmer. It hugged and showed off her body perfectly.
She walked to her vanity where she put on a small amount of makeup and doused herself in perfume.
Jesus christ she thought.. She wanted to end things with Arthur so why was she over here trying to look good and smelling so inviting? It will have the opposite effect. Still she didn’t stop.. She combed her hair and styled it. She would have to touch up in the evening before meeting him anyway.
She finished the look by adding some gold earrings and a gold necklace with a green pendant, it matched her dress perfectly.
With a deep breath she walked downstairs to join her family at breakfast.
“Oh look who finally decided to join us” Her mother said.
“Sorry, i slept in” She answered dryly.
Her mother gave her a disapproving look. “You look exquisite today” She commented on Jodie’s attire. No doubt disapproving of Jodie’s choice of a dress that wasn’t as puffy as her other ones.
Jodie shrugged as she picked at her scrambled eggs “Wasn’t in the mood for something extra today”
“Oh please, a woman like you should always dress extra”
“It’s still a luxury dress mother”
Her mother sighed before looking at her husband, Jodie’s father. “Your father will be going to Blackwater today, there’s still chance to find you a decent suitor at todays auction”
Jodie wanted to flip the table. It seemed whenever they talked the only thing the conversation would be about is her suitors. “Here’s hoping” Jodie said, not even hiding the sarcastic tone in her voice.
“You should be happy, i don’t understand why you’re acting the way you are” Her mother said. “Your friends are all excited to be betrothed and yet you’re making it seem as if it’s the worst fate in the world”
“I guess it is.. Being married to a stranger, to a man that i don’t know let alone love. It seems pretty atrocious to me” Jodie bit back at her mother.
“I didn’t know your father too, love doesn’t just happen instantly Jodie, you fall in love with time” Her mother said again “As you’ll get to know your husband that’s when you’ll fall in love”
What she said sounded like a bunch of nonsense. How come she felt love immediately when she looked at Arthur? She didn’t know him but yet she felt in her heart that he was the one. She wanted no one else and this conversation was making her feel sick. But the auction would be a good excuse to go to Blackwater and meet with Arthur. “May i at least come with?” Jodie asked, looking at her father.
He nodded.
They left for Blackwater after they had their lunch. Her father summoned a stagecoach to take them to town. They didn’t live too far from Blackwater but far enough to where they couldn’t walk.
“Annie and Cassidy will be here too” Her father said when the stagecoach came to a stop.
“I know, that’s why im going” Jodie lied. She knew damn well why she came.
“I’ll go look for them” She said to her father.
He nodded and so they parted ways. She walked to the docks of Blackwater where she knew that her friends would most likely be and she was right. They were there sitting on the benches overlooking the sea. “Hi there” She smiled and waved to them.
She knew Annie and Cassidy since her family moved here to Blackwater. Her father got a job in the bank so it was most logical for them to move here.
“Oh hey you!” Annie waved, her curly blonde hair moving in the wind.
“Here sit down girl” Cassidy moved to make some space between them.
Jodie sat down with a sigh. “Here for the auction again?” Annie asked with a smile. Jodie nodded “My father is, but as you both know i find it way to boring so just decided to take a walk because i knew you two were here somewhere”
“You guessed correctly” Cassidy nodded.
“So…” Annie nudged Jodie’s ribs.
“What?” She asked, genuinely confused.
“How was that coffee?” Cassidy asked, looking at Annie and falling into laughter.
Jodie wasn’t sure if they were tainf a piss or genuinely asking her. She thought it would be more likely that they were messing with her. They both also came from a rich privileged families which they showed of proudly and carried themselves like a proper high society ladies.
She thought about her answer and she almost answered with truth but knowing them she knew they would immediately blurted out everything to their parents which would mean that their parents would instantly run to her house to tell on her. So she decided to lie.
“Oh i didn’t go with him”
“What do you mean? We saw you walk away with him” Cassidy replied with a puzzled face.
“Only around the corner, i didn’t want to embarrass him by turning him down in front of everyone” Jodie lied expertly.
They looked at each other “So where did you go then?”
“Well i felt a bit sick so i went home” She quickly replied with a false smile.
Cassidy and Annie apparently believed her as they looked concerned “Oh my.. Well are you alright now?”
“Yes yes i am, no worries”
They all looked at the view in silence for a short moment before Annie spoke up “I heard there is gonna be some champagne and cakes at the auction, shall we go?”
Cassidy looked her up and down “Sure.. But i can’t have too much of them, Austin will notice if i gain weight”
Austin was her betrothed. Jodie remembered how excited Cassidy was when she announced to her and Annie that her family finally decided on a suitor. They met him and sure he looked alright, he was a typical rich man in suit. But right from the start his control over Cassidy was apparent.
She started dressing like how he wanted, styling her hair how he liked and doing makeup the way he preferred on a woman. Even her personality changed, she used to be a very outgoing girl but since Austin she was less spoken and more quiet. But Cassidy would never admit how much she changed, she would never admit that Austin had a negative effect on her mental health.
Whenever the conversation about him happened she always defended him and kept making a point that she was so in love with him. Jodie didn’t know if that was true or not. How could anyone love someone as controlling and manipulative as Austin?
Annie’s betrothed was a bit better although he was much, much older than her. She didn’t talk about him a lot and Jodie couldn’t blame her. It can’t be easy knowing you’re about to marry a man who could be your father.
Today’s auction was much more crowded than any other days. Of course it was since it was the last day and there was a party yet again. But today’s party was much more special since it was the end.
“Here we go” Annie said as she grabbed three glasses of champagne and handed it to her friends.
As they sipped on their alcohol Annie pointed “Look Jodie, that man seems infatuated with you”
Jodie looked to see where she was pointing at and she saw a somewhat older man dressed in suit, clean shaven and seemingly well behaved as he smirked at her. His hair was cut short and nicely smoothed with a hair pomade. “He doesn’t look bad you know” Cassidy came to whisper in her ear.
“Doesn’t matter, it’s my father’s say in who gets to marry me” Jodie replied coldly.
“You’re right” Annie answered.
For the remainder of the auction they stood together, slowly sipping in their champagne while observing the crowd. At some points Jodie felt uncomfortable because that man wouldn’t stop looking at her and whenever they locked eyes he would smile.
His smile didn’t make her feel good things. It was a strange smirk that she couldn’t understand.
Every now and then she looked around, hoping to see Arthur even though she knew she shouldn’t want to see him, not under these circumstances where she knew she couldn’t be together.
But she explained her desperation to see him with the goal of ending things.
The night drew closer and the party was in full swing. Jodie, Cassidy and Annie all danced together while laughing. Her father was totally immersed in the conversation that he was having with a random man.
As they danced suddenly the man that was looking at Jodie approached as he looked at Annie “May i steak her for a dance?” He asked Annie, pointing to Jodie.
Jodie again felt that uneasy feeling at the presence of this man. She desperately hoped that Annie would deny him and kept dancing with her but of course she didn’t. “Sure thing” Annie smiled and let go of Jodie hand, allowing it to be grasped by the man’s.
She gave a small smile, cringing inside as they started dancing “Jodie Reed” The man bowed as he twirled her around.
Her eyes widened, making him laugh as he shook his head “Im Bennett Parker, i know your father”
“Oh do you?” She raised her eyebrows. Not remembering his name ever being mentioned by her father.
“Im an old friend of your family” He explained.
Jodie smiled “Interesting”
“Mhm” Bennett smirked “We talked about you today”
Jodie only blinked at him, waiting for him to continue which he did “He told me that he considers me among the top suitors for your marriage”
She stumbled at his words. “Oh..”
“We in fact already agreed on the matter today” Bennett remarked.
Jodie glanced at her father who was still in deep conversation with that man.
What Bennett did next made her shiver. His hand traveled down from her hips and resting on her butt. “Soon you’ll be my wife” He whispered which gave her the goosebumps.
She cleared her throat and moved away. “I look forward to it” She lied.
Shock is what she felt in that moment. “Where are you going?” Bennett asked, grinning like a fool.
“To find my friends and tell them the good news” Jodie said to him, once again lying just to get out of this extremely uncomfortable situation.
“Will you return to the party?” He asked.
She nodded quickly, desperate to run away.
As soon as Bennett let her go she turned and started walking away from the party. She needed to find Arthur, she needed to get away from this creepy man. Did her father really promise her to him?
The streets of Blackwater were mainly empty, the reason being the party which most of the citizens attended. While she walked she constantly felt like someone was following her and as she turned her stomach dropped.
It was Bennett, he walked a few feet behind her.
Panic started to rise up as she fastened her pace to quickly go to the alleyway where she was supposed to meet with Arthur. She prayed to god that he would be there. Every now and then she glanced back and Bennett was always close behind her.
At first she thought it was pure coincidence but now she was sure that he was following her as he stayed on her trail no matter how many turns she made.
She cursed that damned auction party that caused the streets to be so empty.
Gathering her dress in her hands she walked even faster. Finally turning into the dark alleyway where she was supposed to meet Arthur.
But he was not there and now she was stuck.
“Your friends are at the party, where are you going?” Bennett asked when he caught up to her.
It was just them in the dark alleyway and with that her heart raced wildly as her mind tried to make something up. “I just needed to take a short walk” She lied, smiling sweetly at him.
He approached “Do you usually take walks through the dark alleyway’s such as this?” Bennett asked, doubt clear in his voice.
“I know Blackwater pretty well, im positive nothing bad could happen to me” She replied quickly.
“Oh please” He said, coming face to face with her now before touching her hands. “I thought you’d prefer a better place than this” He smirked.
His comment made Jodie confused “Excuse me?”
“You were giving me hints. Running away from the party like that.. constantly looking back to make sure im still with you and now bringing me here where we can have some privacy” He smirked.
Jodie finally started to realise what he wanted and her heart sunk to the bottom of her chest.
Her eyes searched left and right, begging that Arthur would show up.
“Oh no i-“
“Shh” Bennett placed his index finger on her lips, shushing her “I get it, we’re going to be married so why wait on the wedding night when we can have each other right now”
“I-“
His fingers brushed her hair away from her neck, exposing the skin.
He suddenly kissed her neck, his hands coming up to grope her breasts.
“Stop” She gasped in shock.
“Just relax” Bennett whispered, his lips starting to suck her neck.
“No im serious, stop” She demanded this time.
“Shh it’s okay, you’re going to be my wife anyway” He said, his fingers started to unbutton her dress.
It was then that Jodie pushed him off with all her strength “I said stop!” She shouted, staring at him with fear in her eyes.
“Oh you like it rough i see” He commented, approaching again and grabbing at her skirt to yank it up her hips, exposing her undergarments as he tried desperately to remove them.
Jodie felt tears in her eyes, was this how it was going to happen? On a random night in the middle of a party being forced like this? It was her worst nightmare and now it was happening.
“No, stop it!” She shouted trying to smack away his hands but he gripped her throat.
“Playing hard to get huh?” He growled. His other hand ripping her dress, causing her to cry out loud.
“Stop it!” Jodie yelled again, attempting to push him away.
“I thought she told you no buddy” A voice suddenly spoke up from the darkness.
It made Bennett immediately release his grip on her as they both looked in the direction of the voice. There was Arthur, standing in the middle of the alleyway staring at them with his cold blank expression. Jodie thanked the god as she let out a sigh of relief.
“This doesn’t concern you, get lost” Bennett said turning his attention back to Jodie, fully believing that Arthur would leave just like that.
But he was wrong. Arthur took a few steps closer “You’re harassing the lady, let her go and leave before things get ugly” He warned again.
“This lady is to be my wife, i can do as i please with her” Bennett hissed.
“No you can’t” Arthur said again.
Bennett turned to him then “Who the fuck do you think you are to tell me what to do huh?”
“Just a feller who knows what the word no means”
Bennett walked towards Arthur with an angry expression “Think you’re funny huh?” He asked. “One last warning to leave so i can fuck my fiance in peace” Bennett growled at Arthur.
That was his mistake because as soon as Arthur heard him say that he grabbed Bennett by his collar of his suit and slammed him into the wall. He started punching him repeatedly, making Jodie gasp at the scene.
The blood splashed everywhere and Jodie was sure she saw some teeth being knocked out of Bennett’s mouth.
She rushed to Arthur and tugged at his shoulder “Stop you’ll kill him” She said, not really caring if he did but she was just worried what would happen if he did murder Bennett.
Unlike Bennett Arthur immediately stopped when he heard Jodie tell him to stop. He let go of Bennett’s collar, making him fall to the ground with a thud.
Bennett spat out some blood as he crawled away from Arthur. “You’ll answer for this!” He stuttered as he slowly stumbled onto his feet.
Jodie walked forward “Go ahead tell them about what happened and i shall tell them about this” She showed the bruise on her neck. “You don’t wanna mess with my daddy” She added.
The fear in Bennett’s eyes felt like justice. Jodie couldn’t lie that it felt great seeing him as helpless as she was just a few moments ago.
The man scurried off like a coward.
“Oh Arthur thank god” Jodie said as she suddenly wrapped her hands around his torso, resting her head on his chest as she gave him a tight hug.
Arthur immediately wrapped his around her, making her feel safe in his grip.
“Im sorry i was late” He apologised, looking down at her “Are you all right?”
She couldn’t find the right words. No men has ever stood up for her like that before. There was something so attractive in the way he beat that man for the simple fact of insulting her.
“Jodie?” He asked again after not receiving an answer.
In a split unthinkable second she crashed her lips on his. Arthur melted into the kiss right away. Their mouth moved with need while their tongues danced with hunger. The kiss felt like it wasn’t enough. Jodie wanted more of him, so much more.
He was a respectable man, never letting his hands touch anywhere else other than to caress her cheeks and jawline.
Arthur slowly walked them both backwards until Jodie’s back hit the wall behind her. She felt safe being trapped between a wall and Arthur’s body.
They kept kissing for a long time before Arthur eventually broke the kiss. “Is it true? What the man said? You’re to be his wife?” He asked, not moving away from her as he awaited her answer.
Her expression changed as she looked down “I just found out today, it’s not official yet”
Arthur snorted “Yeah.. Especially not now after all this” His fingertips gently touched her bruises.
“Arthur..” She started looking up into his ocean eyes “What you said about me.. That you fell in love with me the moment that you saw me?” For a moment she stopped, swallowing the lump in her throat “I felt the same way about you”
He grinned and pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss, obviously happy with her confession.
“Arthur” She whispered again, her words melting right into the kiss. “We can’t..”
He slowly stopped no matter how addicting her lips were, he had to force himself. His eyes glanced at hers. “This.. We.. It can never be” She said quietly, voice almost as tiny and unsure as she was. “Im a high society woman, my parents would never approve of you so we better stop meeting before our feelings get too hard to control” She explained with a heavy heart.
Strangely her words didn’t hurt Arthur. She was right, she was a highborn and he was just a cowboy even worse an outlaw which she had no idea about yet.
By all rights they shouldn’t be even in the close proximity of one another. He truly felt like she was way out of his league.
No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that they don’t belong together her lips were automatically drawn to his. “Please tell me you understand” She whispered as she brushed her lips against his, breathing him in.
His fingers caressed her cheeks gently “I do, but i don’t want to”
“You have to” She whispered, kissing him again.
“All i know is that i love you Jodie Reed”
She grabbed his hand and removed it from her face “You’re making it harder for me Arthur”
Jodie stepped away from him. “I can’t afford to fall in love now.. My father will marry me off any day and what then huh? When im married to someone else while being in love with you?”
“Then we’ll run away”
“Run away?” She asked in disbelief.
“Yes run away.” Arthur replied, determined.
“I can’t do that.. my family would never stop looking for me, they’d send every detective agency after us” Jodie explained, her eyes sad. “And they would find us, Arthur” She said it as a fact.
“They wouldn’t and if they did i’d kill them”
It made her laugh, his optimism. “If we end this now it’ll be so much easier for both of us”
“No it won’t Jodie, you think you’ll do good if we don’t see each other but it won’t. Nothing good will happen from this” He urged her.
“Nothing good will happen if we continue to see each other either, we will only torture ourselves” Jodie was adamant about making her point.
“At least we’ll have a little piece of heaven when together”
She didn’t know what more to say. God if he knew how much she wanted this, him. She would give up everything to be with him but she knew she would put him in danger. Her rich family would hire everyone and then they’d probably kill Arthur. She didn’t want this tragedy to be bestowed upon them both. If something were to happen to Arthur she would never forgive herself.
“Jodie!” She heard her father call out from the streets, looking for her.
“Im sorry” She whispered as she quickly kissed Arthur’s cheek and ran to meet her father.
The heartache she felt was unexplainable. She fought off her tears as she approached her father. The feeling of anger and frustration was the only one she felt as she stared at her father.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere” He said angrily.
Jodie shook her head “Oh were you? Well sorry i was busy getting assaulted by that man you want to marry me off to!” She hissed as she showed her bruised neck.
Her father gasped as he examined the bruise “Bennett Parker?”
“Yes, Bennett Parker” She confirmed angrily.
“Did he do anything else?” He asked her. She knew what he was hinting at and she also knew that he was asking purely because he knew that if she wasn’t a virgin anymore her value would unfortunately go down.
“No father, he didn’t” Jodie answered, not bothering if she sounded annoyed.
“Good, i’ll find you someone else” He said, grabbing her by the elbow and dragging her towards the stagecoach. “I can walk on my own” She growled as she yanked her arm free from his grasp.
She entered the stagecoach and looked back at her and Arthur’s spot where she saw him leaning on the wall, smoking a cigarette as he looked at her.
Her heart felt pain again. It was hard seeing him with such hurtful expression on his face.
Jodie gave him a weak smile before the stagecoach started moving, leaving Arthur alone in Blackwater.
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