"Anytime, Cowgirl." : Arthur Morgan X OC

Chapter 4

(A/N: Trigger warning: There is talk about a father threatening to hit his daughter)

The next few days, Jane shifted through different chores. She helped out Mr. Pearson with cooking, and then the next day she was responsible for washing dishes. She was getting very tired of doing housework, or chores. She had barely time to tend to Apollo.

Today, she finally wasn't assigned to anything. She sat on a rock, on the edge of camp, with Mary-Beth and Tilly.

"So, you could've married rich?" Tilly asked.

Jane nodded.

"And you ran away instead?"

Jane nodded once again. "That's not the kind of life I want."

Mary-Beth hummed in agreement. "I agree with her, Tilly. That's quite poetic. Running away from a life of martial imprisonment to a life of freedom in the country."

Tilly picked at her nails. "I suppose you're right."

Then, Sean approached them. "How'ya doin' der laddys?"

Mary-Beth was the first to answer. "We're doing good, Sean. Just enjoying the view. How about you?"

He chuckled and threw the cigarette that he had on the ground. "I'm doin' just fine, thank you." He then directed his attention to Jane. "Oh, Dutch is wantin' to speak to you."

She slowly stood up as her palms became sweaty.

He quickly reassured her when he saw her nervous face. "Ah, don't worry, Miss. I don't suppose it's any wrong you've done."

She forced a small smile, and without saying anything, ventured across camp to Dutch's tent.

"Ah, just the lady I wanted to see." He said when he laid eyes on her.

Arthur also stood there, his hand rubbing his stubble-covered jaw.

She wrung her hands together behind her back. "Sean said that you wanted to talk to me?"

He nodded. "Yes. Arthur was in Valentine today, and there's talk in town about you."

Biting her lip, she asked, "Me? Why?"

"Well, after you didn't arrive in St. Denis, you Aunt contacted you father, and then the law. They connected it the train robbery, and they put the pieces together, and they know that you're the lady that shot the guard and left with Arthur and Lenny. There's now a bounty on your head."

The world began to spin. She doubled over, and felt as if her lunch was going to resurface.

They both rushed to her side.

"Jane, are you okay?" Dutch asked her urgently.

What have I done? She thought. I made one irrational decision, and now I'm a wanted criminal? Jane, you idiot!

Arthur placed a hand on her back. "Jane, calm down, it's just a bounty."

She waved them off. "I'm- I'm fine." She stood back up, with a hand on her stomach. "I'm just new to this 'outlaw thing'."

Dutch patted her on the back. "It's alright. When John had his first bounty, he nearly pissed himself."

Arthur couldn't help but chuckle at that, recalling the memory.

At seeing the big, bad cowboy crack up, Jane couldn't help but giggle also.

"See," Dutch reassured. "It's not that bad. Besides, the bounty isn't even that big. Just twenty-five dollars. And hell, I'll even pay for it."