"Anytime, Cowgirl." : Arthur Morgan X OC

Chapter 26

Jane's heart had never felt so full and empty. She still could seem to shake the haunting images she saw from yesterday, but a big smile rested on her face at the sight of the ring on her finger.

It was the one that Arthur had initially proposed to her with. It was gold and had a small, blue sapphire sitting on top. To her, it was the most precious thing in the world.

But, she felt almost... guilty for feeling so elated. Like she shouldn't even be allow to be happy after her mother's death.

"So you were kidnapped by your aunt, forced to marry Bronte's son?" Tilly said, shaking her head.

Mary-Beth had a look of wonder in her eyes. "And then Arthur saved you? How poetic. Saved from one marriage, and willfully walking into another," she said, grabbing Jane's hand and examining the ring.

"Yeah," Jane said, smiling at the two girls. "This one is definitely wanted, unlike the other."

Tilly smiled. "Well, congratulations."

"Thank you, Tilly," Arthur said behind Jane. He handed her a cup of coffee and offered her a hand.

She took both and stood up. "See you in a bit," she said as he led her out of the gazebo.

"How are you doing?" He asked, putting a gentle hand on her back.

She sighed as she sipped from the cup. "I don't know. I feel the happiest and the saddest I've ever been."

"I understand."

"So what did Dutch talk to you about last night?"

That seemed to bring his mood down a bit. "He was angry that we had gotten you back."

She lowered her cup. "Angry? Why?"

"Said we ruined things with Bronte. Though after what he did to me and your mother, I don't see why he wanted to have ties with Bronte in the first place." He stopped them outside the front of the house. "But I don't care about all of that. You're here now."

"I'm glad I'm here."

He gently grabbed her left hand began to fiddle with her ring. "So, what made you change your mind?"

"Well, I guess being forced into another marriage made me realize that I had thought that being married would... hold me back. But, with you, I realized that that's not the case."

"And it never will be. And I have to admit," he said, finishing off his coffee. "I think I proposed to you initially to fix things between us. But, that's not the case now."

"Well, what's the case now?"

He grinned like a little boy. "Well now I really want you to be my wife."

Even though they had been together for a long time, he could still make her blush.

"Now," he continued. "Dutch and Hosea are planning a bank robbery for today."

"Today?" She asked. "Seems kind of sudden."

"I know. But if we're going to disappear, we need a big score."

She sighed, a feeling of anxiety settling in her stomach. "Alright. What if things go bad?"

"I'm sure it will be okay. Dutch and Hosea have it all planned out."

"If you say so." The thought of the cure suddenly popped into her mind. "Would you be willing to, uh, try the cure?"

He rubbed his neck. "I don't know, Jane. We'll talk later about it later. But right now, I need to get going."