“I can’t believe that horse…” Will touched his side.

“The boss is going to mad-you know that.” Garvin hissed.

“Yeah, yeah, we will get him what he wants.” Johnny mocked.

“Guys! Stop complaining, I still don’t know why we did not go after her in the first place…”

“You know why!”

“I agree.”

“With?” Will and Johnny jumped at Garvin.

“We should have gone.” Garvin got out his blade and twisted it in his hands.

“Daxton, what do you think?”

“You know what I think. We need to go today, and no more complaining about sides or arms, let’s go.”

So, they went.

They trudged on knowing their goal and they would not stop-for anything.

Meanwhile, Jade was calmly getting up and saddling Rowdy, which proved harder than she thought, though Rowdy did his best to help her.

“Ah, this saddle…is…heavy.” Jade wiped her brow and tried again: “See Rowdy, I got it that time.” Rowdy just kept eating in reply. They rode with canteens full and spirits high. The sun shined brightly in the sky and it burned Jade’s eyes as she rode on Rowdy. Her head became heavy, but she kept it high. As day became night Jade fell to Rowdy’s neck and slowly drifted away. After another few minutes she fell to the ground and Rowdy nudged her once again, but she would not wake up. Rowdy circled around her, but she was exhausted. A man from a small distance made camp in the woods with a blanket, saddle as a pillow, and a small and strong fire…but, he left it with his horse and went to Rowdy and Jade.

Jade woke up to a man putting a wet cloth on her head, she jumped, and he went backwards in surprise.

“Woah!” He laughed. “You are okay, you fell off your horse from exhaustion-your horse is just over there.” He pointed to Rowdy rolling in the grass.

“Thank…you. If you don’t mind, sir, who…uh, who are you?” Jade shyly asked biting her lip.

“Ah, I guess I owe you that, ma’am. I am Phillip Dean.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Dean. I am Jade.”

“Well, nice to meet you.” He paused and seemed to want to say something.

“…Yes?” Jade waited.

“Uh, well I just wanted to know why a young girl is out riding by herself in the middle of nowhere.”

“Well, I thought I was heading to a town and I seemed to go in the wrong direction.” Jade smiled.

“You are really avoiding the center of the question.” He cocked his head.

“Oh…well,” with that she spilled everything she spilled everything from the debt to them bringing her to the camp and her escaping. He sat there his legs crossed looking dead into her eyes and then at the fire sometimes, he rubbed his chin at the end of her tale.

“Jade, you have been through a lot, I am proud that a girl your age can do that thing, though it is very dangerous. These men, where are they?”

“They are following me, who knows where they are.”

“Is that them?”

Jade took a deep breath and looked her heart screamed as she saw the black coats and leather gloves with guns at their sides and their horses galloping.

“I can tell from your face…”

Jade nodded. He thought.

“Okay, go into those woods and hide there, hopefully you won’t be spotted.”

“And if I am?” Jade turned back.

“We will get to that later.”

She took Rowdy and went into the woods and quietly as she could go as far as she could until she hit the river, Rowdy went down into the river which was much lower than the ground, it was perfect for his height. Jade used his back to step down and carefully took another step down, she stood on the jagged rocks that lined the river just enough, so she could see the men coming and her new friend.

“Hello, friend.” Will leaned on the horn of the saddle.

“Hello, where are you off to in such a hurry?” Her friend managed a laugh.

Jade sat there concerned for him, he was doing so much for her…

“We are looking for someone. She ran away after my wife and I adopted her, she is obviously scared and we…uh, well still training her not to lie…who knows what she will say to people.”

Jade rolled her eyes.

“I understand, I wish I could help,” he paused, “but, I can’t. I am going to my grandmother, she is dying, and I want to be there and so does my mother.”

“We will just have to keep looking, I am going to look around in these woods, she is very sneaky.”

Jade grimaced in disgust at all the lies that came out of Will’s mouth so easily.

“Oh, well, I wouldn’t.” He panicked.

“And why not?” Will looked at him suspiciously.

“It is really rough back there and the horses probably won’t even fit, ha-ha, and there are a lot of snakes, no girl would go back there…right?”

“I guess not, be a shame to hurt our horses and our…daughter, be so close.”

“Yes, yes.”

“I will be going, have an enjoyable day.”

“You too, good luck finding your daughter.”

After they were gone for a few minutes he came and got her.

“Well, you can ride with me, Jade. I don’t want you to face this alone.”

“Thanks, but you have already done so much for me.”

“You have given me something to live for, Jade, you have done so much for me, I can’t even tell you.”

“Thank you.” Jade smiled.

“For?”

“For…well, everything. You did not tell I was here in front of those men, you went and got me in the first place…you took care of Rowdy, thank you.”

“You are very welcome, it was my pleasure.”

They paused not knowing what to say and he said:

“Well, let’s go.”

“Okay.” Jade laughed.