It had been four days and so far the outlaws had eluded the Marshall. But of course they knew that it was only matter of time before he caught up with them. They were tired of running. Besides they were running out of grub, so they decided to stop and strike back. They slowed their pace down and knew that if they made camp tonight that the Marshall and the other fellow wouldn't try anything until dusk because they did have Melissa as a hostage.

Two nights ago Marshall Trevors had met up with Jimmy. It wasn�t the best meeting because Jimmy had almost shot him. However, it wasn�t Jimmy�s fault. Marshall Trevors should have been more careful and made his presence known before entering Jimmy�s camp. Jimmy had quickly turned around, pistol drawn at the intruder. He didn�t know it was the Marshall. It could have been the outlaws. They could have doubled back trying to get the drop on him. Upon seeing the Marshall�s badge, Jimmy calmed down and reholstered his gun. They talked some and had some supper. Jimmy had caught a rabbit and had been cooking it when he had heard the Marshall behind him.

The Marshall�s idea of them riding on and attacking didn�t set well with Jimmy. He had told the Marshall he wouldn�t be any part of that plan. He was going to get Melissa back in one piece and that was that. The next morning they continued to follow the outlaw�s trail, hoping that some good fortune would find them. Since they had been tracking them, the outlaws hadn�t stopped at night, but Jimmy and the Marshall wasn�t going to wear themselves down or their horses.

When the sun went down on the fourth night and it was pitch black, except for the light of the moon, the outlaws decided to camp for the night. They immediately found a little clearing in a ravine surrounded by trees, and they set about building a fire. They had stolen gear from Jake's wagon, so they set up their camp.

They blindfolded, gagged and tied Melissa to a tree, and then they settled down to sleep with one on watch or at least that's what it seemed. Tad and Sam used blankets and their hats to make it look like they were sleeping. Billy actually bedded down for the night but kept himself awake listening to all the sounds around him. Wayne stayed up stroking the fire, so that it would appear that someone was on watch. Tad and Sam sneaked out into the night to watch for the Marshall.

Meanwhile Jimmy and the Marshall stopped as they saw the red blaze ahead of them. They tethered the horses and went ahead on foot. Silently and cautiously they crept through the trees until they got close enough to the outlaws camp without being spotted.

They watched as Wayne eventually drifted off to sleep while being on watch. Marshall Trevors and Jimmy discussed what to do next. Finally upon agreement Jimmy sneaked into the encampment. "Melissa, it's me Jimmy. Don't worry, I'm gonna get ya out of here." Jimmy started pulling on the knots. The knots were too difficult so it would take too long to untie them, so Jimmy pulled out his knife.

Melissa had heard the outlaws' strategy, and she desperately wanted to warn Jimmy, so she began thrashing her head back and forth because she couldn't speak with the gag in her mouth. He was just about to tell Melissa to hold completely still because he didn't want to accidentally hurt her when he felt a sharp pain in his head. Jimmy toppled over and sprawled out on the ground. Melissa heard a thump, so she stopped moving. She wished she could see what was going on.

Meanwhile Jacy had been on the Marshall's and Jimmy's trail for a while now. She reined up Justice as she saw the firing blaze ahead. She heard a nicker from a horse not far from her. She quickly dismounted and found the Marshall's and Jimmy's horse nearby. She left Justice with them, and with her rope in one hand and her gun in the other she took off on foot.

As a man was about to hit Marshall Trevors over the head with his rifle, a rope landed around his shoulders. He was pulled backwards with a jerk and he fell hard to the ground on his back. The rope had taken Sam by surprise, so when he was jerked off his feet, he had dropped his rifle. Marshall Trevors heard the thump behind him and turned around to find one of the outlaws on his backside.

Jacy hurried onto the scene. She kept her gun pointed at the outlaw just as the Marshall was doing. "Where's Jimmy," she asked. He pointed in the direction that Jimmy took. Jacy tossed the Marshall her rope and then hurried off to find Jimmy. As she got closer to the tree that her sister was tied to, she saw a man hovering over Jimmy's body.

She immediately stopped breathing. If that man has killed Jimmy, he's in big trouble, she thought. She saw the outlaw pick Jimmy's head up by the hair and then just drop it back to the ground. This infuriated Jacy, and she through all caution and reasoning out of her head and rammed her whole body into the outlaw, knocking him to the ground with her on top. She pounded her fists into his body. Then she grabbed his head and slammed it against a rock until the outlaw stopped moving. She knew he was unconscious.

Marshall Trevors made Sam walk ahead of him into the camp. He woke Billy, who had fallen asleep shortly after Wayne, and Wayne by kicking them in the legs until they started moving. The Marshall pointed his gun at the men and told them to get up. Then he told them to throw their guns over to him. Billy and Wayne did as they were told. Mentally kicking themselves for falling asleep and letting the Marshall get the drop on them.

Jacy quickly took Jimmy's knife that she had found and cut the ropes that bounded Melissa to the tree. Melissa stood up and took the blindfold off and the gag out of her mouth. She got her bearings and then saw Jacy kneeling next to Jimmy. She turned back to the camp and saw the Marshall had the drop on the other three outlaws. She grabbed up the rope that had bind her and went over to the Marshall.

"Marshall do you want me to tie them up? I can do it." Marshall Trevors nodded at the girl, and she began to tie Wayne's hands behind his back. Then she used the other piece of rope to tie up Billy's hands. She was glad that she could help the Marshall. Michael had been the one who had taught her all about knot tying since she had to know for the calf roping competition not too long ago. Michael, she sure did miss him.

Jimmy was coming to, so Jacy helped him to his feet. His head was bleeding and Jacy feared that he might pass out again because he had a very big bump on his head. She had to find something to place on his head to stop the bleeding. Leaning heavily against Jacy, he let her lead him over to the fire.

Jacy helped Jimmy to sit down, and then she tore her skirt apart and tied it around his head as tight as she could. She looked over at her little sister, "Melissa are you alright?"

"I'm fine. How's Jimmy?" Melissa was concerned for him. She walked closer to Jacy and Jimmy.

"He's hurt really bad. We've got to get him to a doctor." She looked at the Marshall as she said it.

Marshall had just got done whistling for his horse. "I'll help you get him on his horse, but you'll be able to make better time getting him to a doctor without me with these outlaws."

"Where's the other one?" Melissa asked. "There were four of them." She looked around to see if she could spot him.

Jacy had been concentrating on Jimmy, but it finally sank in what Melissa was saying, "He's over there by the tree. I knocked him out. I don't think he'll be going anywhere." Melissa didn't see anybody over by the tree, so she went to investigate.

"I'll go get mine and Jimmy's horse." Jacy was about to run off but then she heard Melissa hollering.

"Marshall, Jacy! There's no one over here. Where did he go?"

"Keep your eye on them. I'll have a look," the Marshall said as he headed towards Melissa.

Jacy pulled out her gun and kept it trained on the outlaws. She hollered over to Melissa and the Marshall, "If he's not there, he ain't got far. I smashed his head in pretty good."

Marshall found the outlaws blood on the ground. He hadn't left by going up the ravine. He had gone back through the woods. "He shouldn't get to far. I'll find him."

Marshall Trevors and Melissa returned to Jacy. "Go get those horses." Jacy ran off. A few minutes later she returned leading Sundancer and Justice. The Marshall helped Jimmy onto his horse after Jacy had climbed aboard. Jimmy would have to hold onto Jacy. He didn�t care. He wasn't in any condition to ride. His head hurt tremendously. The pain was killing him.

Melissa mounted Justice, and the three of them took off for Two Forks. The Marshall with his three outlaws took off to look for the fourth outlaw. The Marshall knew that the fellow couldn�t get to far on foot.

They hadn�t gotten far when he whispered, "Who are you?"

"What?" Jacy inquired for she didn�t understand what Jimmy meant.

"Who are you? What�s your name? And what�s the other girl�s name?" Jimmy didn�t know who the two girls were. "Do I know you?"

"Why, I�m Jacy and that�s my little sister, Melissa. Of course you know us, don�t you remember us, Jimmy?" She was amazed and worried.

"Whose Jimmy? Is that my name?"

"Yeah, your name is Jimmy. Don�t you remember your own name?"

Jimmy shook his head but that hurt, so he immediately stopped. He whispered, "No, I don�t remember my own name. I don�t remember anything. I don�t know why I�m out here or how I got hurt. All I know is that my head is hurting a lot."

"Just relax, rest your eyes." She cupped his head and pushed it down to rest on her back. "I�ll take care of you." Jacy couldn�t believe it. Jimmy didn�t know her or even himself.

After a while Marshall Trevors came across three men and their camp. John saw the Marshall and realized that him and the other three fellows must be the ones that Kitten had told him about. But he didn�t see any little girl with them.

"Howdy Marshall. We�ve been looking for you." John stated.

"You have?"

"Yeah, are those the outlaws you were after? What happened to the girl, Melissa? She�s my friend�s sister." John couldn�t speak of her as �Kitten� for the Marshall wouldn�t know whom he was speaking of.

"Oh Jacy, she�s with her sister. They�re heading towards Two Forks. Their friend is hurt. They�re taking him to the doctor."

"Hey John, I just checked on the horses and we�re missing one, yours." Stan said as he came and joined the men.

"I bet the other outlaw that I�m after, stole it. I was on his trail when I saw your fire. I wasn�t sure, but I thought I�d take a look to make sure it wasn�t him." Marshall Trevors said. "Now that he�s got a horse, it�s going to be a little bit harder to find him. I think I�ll take these three in to the jail at Two Forks, and then I�ll hunt for him."

"We�ll ride with ya, if you don�t mind, Marshall." John turned to Stan and Mack, "Get the horses, you two double up."

"John, we could go after that outlaw and get your horse back." Mack suggested.

"No, we�ll do that later. First we�ll give the Marshall a hand getting these three to town and check on the girls. Then will get my horse back." John was more concerned about Kitten than his horse. He could always get another horse. No one could ever take Kitten�s place. He wanted to make sure she was all right. So John, Mack, Stan, Marshall Trevors, Billy, Wayne, and Sam rode to Two Forks.

Meanwhile Jacy had stopped. She was trying to figure out what would be the best course of action. "Why are we stopping?" Melissa inquired.

"I think we should head home. Jimmy needs to get lots of rest, and he can do that best at our place, not at some strange doctor�s office in Two Forks." She pointed Sundancer towards Dreamville and started forward.

"Wait, wait Jacy. Two Forks is closer, and you said Jake is there. I want to see him, make sure he�s all right." Melissa argued.

"Melissa, I told you Jake will be ok. The doctor�s taking care of him. But I�d feel much better if we got Jimmy home and had Doc Daniel look at him. Please Melissa, come with us. I�ll need you to ride on to town and get Doc Daniel while I get Jimmy settled in at the house. Please!" She pleaded.