Disclaimer: Jess Harper, Daisy Cooper, and all the characters and situations in Laramie belong to their copyright holders and not to me.
I feel, at least in respect to Jess Harper, the situation is patently inequitable.

WHEN IN DOUBT

Chapter One

Jess Harper never much liked riding the stage. Not inside, that is. He liked driving one. Heck, he even liked riding shotgun when he was needed. But inside? It didn't do a thing for him but give him a pain right where he sat down. Still, he hadn't been about to let Daisy go off to Cheyenne all by herself. Slim had put his foot down hard about it anyway, saying the trip was too rough and she oughtn't to go at all, but Daisy was about as set on going as he was on her not and said that, somehow, she'd managed to come all the way from the east without his approval and she thought she might just be able to make it to Cheyenne now, given a spot a good luck and provided it didn't rain.

Jess, at the time of the discussion, had been of a mind that there were several things that needed doing in the barn, but, being well aware that Miss Daisy's displeasure was most likely to be expressed in a very painful culinary way that affected even the innocent bystander, especially those overfond of apple pie, had instead gallantly offered to escort the lady to and from Cheyenne and by way of stagecoach no less. Evidently, Daisy's Cousin Louisa and her son and his family were going up to Saskatoon to start a general store and Cheyenne was as close to Laramie as they'd be before turning north. Daisy hadn't wanted to miss seeing Cousin Louisa, and Jess just about couldn't tell Daisy no on his best day. So, even though Slim continued to scowl and more than once threatened Jess with a hiding if he let anything happen to Miss Daisy, off they went.

They spent a pleasant afternoon visiting with Cousin Louisa and her family, spent the night at Cheyenne's finest hotel, where they guaranteed they changed the sheets every week without fail, and then prepared to leave the next morning. Daisy's friend, Mrs. Claremont, was having a granddaughter get married that coming Saturday, and Daisy was all-fired eager to get back in time for it.

"I promised I'd make the wedding cake, dear," she'd said, laying her small hand appealingly on Jess's arm, "and I really couldn't disappoint Hortense."

"No, ma'am," Jess had told her, "we sure wouldn't want that. We'll be back tomorrow night. That'll still give you three days to do whatever it is needs doing for that wedding."

"Wonderful. Thank you, dear."

Of course, nothing could actually be that simple. Seems there was a bridge out, and it wouldn't be fixed for the next three or four days at the best. The stage wouldn't be leaving until then. That's why, after a certain amount of negotiation and wheedling and a few tears, thankfully none on Jess's part, and a wire home saying they'd be a little late, they were driving a rented buckboard through the back country on their way back to Laramie.

Daisy sat smiling next to Jess with her parasol shading them both from the sun. "Won't this be nice? So much better than being shut up in that jouncy old stage with a bunch of strangers."

"Yeah," he said, "but that jouncy old stage had a driver and a shotgun rider and was going on the main road and stopping tonight at a nice hotel."

"Why, Jess, I never thought I'd hear you complain about spending one night on the trail. It couldn't be that bad."

"Not for me, Miss Daisy, but you oughtn't to be sleeping out like this. It won't be comfortable for you."

"We talked about this a good long while already, dear. It won't hurt me in the least to sleep one night in the wagon bed, especially with that nice feather mattress you bought. Why, I'll be so spoilt by the time we get home, Slim won't know what to do with me."

"He's the one who'll give me a good tannin' if I don't bring you back in the same shape you left in. I can't be too careful."

"Well, don't you worry, honey. I know this isn't the main road, but it's not too bad. The weather is lovely, and it's really quite relaxing to ride along like this without a lot of fuss." She put her arm through his. "Thank you, dear, for indulging an old woman."

He turned his face away a little, not wanting to let her see the pure pleasure in his smile. She didn't need to know just how happy it made him to do what he could to make her happy. He hadn't had anything like a ma since he was fifteen, and it sure felt nice to have one now.

OOOOO

"How about here, Daisy?"

He turned the wagon a little ways off the road and pulled up.

She squinted into the low sun. "But isn't it a bit early to be stopping for the night?"

"Not really. It'll be dark in less than an hour, and we might not find as nice a place further on. What do you say? It's got a nice shady grove of trees and a creek running just beyond, good grass for the horses, and I swear two of the fattest jackrabbits I ever seen was just peeking out of those bushes there. They'd be real tasty for supper."

"Two? Do we need both of them?"

"Well, I'll tell you, Daisy, I'm plannin' on puttin' away about one-and-a-half of 'em. What you do with the rest is your business."

She laughed and shook her head. "I don't know why I even asked. All right, let's stop here, but we're getting a nice early start in the morning."

"Yes, ma'am!"

He hopped down from the wagon and then swung her down.

She kept her hands on his shoulders even after her feet were on the ground. "And no grumbling when I wake you at dawn."

He winced. "Yes, ma'am."

She patted him and let him go. "Now, if you'll get some water and get a fire started, I'll make the coffee and set us out some bread and butter and open up a can of beans to go with those jackrabbits."

He grinned, hoping he could find some kind of game as fast as he'd said he could. By the time he had the horses unharnessed and turned out and got a fire going, she was already bustling around, laying out the food and the dishes and generally arranging the camp so it would be comfortable for them both. As it happened, he did bag a pair of rabbits, and it was just getting dark when he got back to camp with them.

"Oh, Jess," Daisy said. "They look so nice and plump. They ought to be delicious."

"They'll do," he said, ducking his head a little. "I'll get 'em skinned out and ready to cook."

He'd barely started when he heard a horse coming close. He dropped the rabbits and his knife and drew his gun.

"Come over here, Daisy," he said low as he grabbed the rifle, and then he drew her over into the shadow of the trees, away from the fire.

The horse came right into camp. Its rider was sagging in the saddle, and there was blood all down the front of his shirt on one side.

Jess put himself between him and Daisy. "What do you want, mister?"

The rider shook his head a little and then narrowed his eyes in their direction. "Where are you?"

"First you tell me who you are and what you want."

"I mean you no harm." The man held up both hands and then clutched at the pommel of his saddle to keep himself from falling. "My name's John Hudson. I'm a deputy marshal in Cheyenne."

"If you come outta Cheyenne, mister, you're facing the wrong way."

"No, headed back there. Listen, I'll throw away my gun if you want. Just let me get down."

Jess handed Daisy the rifle. "You stay right here, understand?"

She nodded and aimed the rifle at the stranger.

Jess walked over to the man, still covering him with his pistol. "All right, give me your gun."

The man clung to his saddle. "You'd— you'd better just get it. I don't think I can."

Jess obliged him and stuck the revolver in his belt. "All right, deputy, I'm gonna help you down, but just so's you understand, there's a rifle trained on you from right over in those trees. Don't try anything you're gonna regret."

"I swear I mean you no harm. I work for Marshall Evers. He sent me out."

He was breathing harder now. Jess figured he'd better let him down before he flat out fell.

"I know Evers," Jess said as he helped the man sit down with his back against a tree. "Heard there was a bank robbery in Cheyenne."

The deputy shook his head. "Mine payroll."

"Yeah," Jess said with half a smile. "That's what I heard, too."

The deputy laughed some. "Never hurts to have a little caution, I always say."

"Yeah."

Jess peeled back his bloodied shirt with the badge still pinned to it and found he was hit high up in the shoulder.

"I don't think it's too bad," Hudson said. "The bullet went through. I just have to get the bleeding stopped."

"Daisy?" Jess called. "I think the deputy could use your help."

Daisy came into the light, still holding the rifle, but it was pointed at the ground now and there was only pity and concern in her eyes.

"Boil some water," she said, handing the rifle to Jess and immediately starting to examine her unexpected patient. "And get me the sheet off the mattress. Oh, dear, I wish I had my medical bag."

Jess did as he was told and it wasn't very long before the deputy was clean and bandaged up and looking much better.

"Thank you, ma'am. I do appreciate it."

"Now, you make yourself comfortable for a few minutes," Daisy told him. "There's a feather bed in that wagon, and Jess'll help you up to it. Supper'll be ready soon, and after you eat, you can get to sleep. You'll feel much better in the morning."

"I thank you again, ma'am, but no. I have to keep going. I've got that payroll money back from the bunch who took it, and they're not very happy with me. I have to get it back to Cheyenne before they run me down."

Daisy looked at Jess in wordless protest.

"Look, deputy," Jess said. "If you're worried about that bunch, you can stay with us. I'm not a bad hand with a gun if need be."

"No. They'd kill you both as soon as not. I can't bring that on you. If I move on, they'll let you be."

Jess frowned. "I'd come along to Cheyenne with you, but—"

He glanced at Daisy, and Hudson shook his head.

"No, I won't ask that of you. You can't leave the lady here alone and I can't expect her to make the trip to Cheyenne. I've got to go as quick as I can."

"You'll never make it."

The deputy pressed his lips together. "I'll do all right. Ask her. She patched me up. It's not that bad a hit. Now that I'm not bleeding anymore and had a rest, all I need is some of that coffee and a little of whatever you've got to eat, and I'll be ready to go again."

"Daisy?" Jess asked, unconvinced.

"It is a clean wound," she said. "I don't like the idea of him riding on tonight, but I suppose he can. It's a long ride back to Cheyenne, especially in the dark."

"Not even twenty miles now, ma'am," Hudson said. "And my horse knows the way."

"I got some rabbits," Jess said. "We'll get 'em cooked up and—"

"No time for that," Hudson said, getting to his feet. "I got one of the gang, Scott, the boss, and that's slowed 'em some, but I don't want 'em catching up to me, especially not here. Ma'am, do you have anything I can take with me now?"

While the deputy gulped down a cup of coffee, Daisy packed up the bread and butter and the two fresh apples she'd bought at the last minute for a surprise treat for Jess. The deputy thanked them both and mounted his horse with a good deal more steadiness than he had dismounted it. Jess peered into the night until even the vague shadow of him was gone.

Daisy took his arm. "I know you want to go with him."

"I would," he admitted. "But I'm not leaving you. Not with that gang nearby."

"You don't think they'll come here, do you?"

"I don't want you to worry about that." He patted her hand. "We don't have anything they'd want except coffee and rabbit, and if they insist we can give them those. I just hope the deputy gets through. If he shot their boss, they're all gonna be madder'n hornets. He's not in any kind of shape to do much fightin'."

"I hope he has as much of a lead on them as he thinks."

"Yeah."

Jess picked up the rabbits he'd dropped and started skinning them again. Daisy went on with getting ready to make supper. They were both quiet for a while, but then things started to feel normal again. Jess's heartbeat slowed, and he stopped tensing at every little noise from out of the darkness and the smell of roasting rabbit wafted to his nose, making him smile.

OOOOO

Jess was leaning back against a tree, enjoying the last of his coffee, his empty plate still beside him, when Daisy went to the wagon and rummaged in her purse. Then she came up to him, one hand behind her back.

"What are you up to?" he asked, seeing the gleam in her eye.

"I told Mike I'd bring him something from Cheyenne, but I don't think he'll miss these."

She handed him a very small white paper bag, the kind that came from a candy store, and his eyes lit.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, and he looked in the bag.

"Lemon drops! You got lemon drops and you didn't tell me?"

"Just don't tell Mike I gave you his."

"I'll get him some new ones when we get home," Jess said, and he popped one into his mouth. "Umm."

"They're a bribe, you know," Daisy said confidentially.

"Bribe?" he asked, the word only a little garbled.

"Slim will never let me go anywhere ever agin if he finds out we had trouble."

Jess sighed. "You got that right. And he'll sure let me hear about it, too."

"Then we're agreed. Neither of us will say anything about our visitor."

"No, of course not." Jess popped another lemon drop into his mouth and offered the bag to Daisy. "Really wasn't much of a visitor anyway. Didn't even slow us down."

"Right."

Daisy took a lemon drop and put it in her mouth, so coolly serene that he wondered if the candy would even melt.

After a minute or two, he folded up the bag and handed it back to her. "Do you mind keeping 'em for me? I don't want to crush 'em in my pocket or something."

"I can certainly do that. And how about some more coffee? I think there might be just one cup left."

"That'd be nice, Daisy. Thanks. I'll drink that and then take everything down to the stream to wash. Then we probably ought to get to sleep. Especially if you want to leave early."

"Ain't nobody leavin'."

Jess started for his gun, but froze when he heard the click of a pistol being cocked.

"Uh uh," the same voice said from the darkness. "There's no need of anybody dyin' just yet."

Jess was still sitting on the ground with his back against the tree. Daisy was standing between him and whoever was out there. There was nothing for him to do but raise his hands.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I didn't really expect to be writing this, but it just popped up and so here it is. Please be aware that I'll be posting chapters as they're written, so I can't say how long it will be in between. I'm guessing about once a week. I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think.