At the very least to say, Dutch was not the most excited when Jane came back with them.
They strode into camp, and Jane grew more nervous by the second.
"Only you," taunted Bill as they rode by, "would go on a job, and bring a lady back with you."
"Listen, I had no say in this. This woman's damn insane," Arthur said back.
Jane huffed. "That's no way to talk about a lady."
"I wan't aware that 'ladies' shot people and jumped off a train with outlaws." Arthur retorted. "And once we meet with Dutch, you're going to have a lot of explaining to do, Miss."
Jane stayed silent, with the butterflies in her stomach turning into angry moths. They left the trees and trotted into a clearing.
She was surprised at what she saw. There had be around 20 people, some girls and some men, and of all ages. They were all scattered around a camp, with a bunch of wagons and tents.
Arthur hopped off his horse, then helped Jane off. She grasped her skirt in her fists nervously, hiding behind him slightly.
"Follow me, woman," he said, walking into the camp.
Hesitantly, she trailed behind him. People stared at her as she walked past. They watched her, as if she had done something horribly wrong. She noticed one in particular who looked outraged at the sight of her.
"Who the hell is that, Morgan?" He yelled.
"I barely know myself, Micah." Arthur yelled back, in not the nicest tone. "Now, unless your name is Dutch or Hosea, I don't want to speak to you."
The man, Micah, laughed. "Oh, calm yourself, cowpoke."
Arthur lead her to the biggest tent, where a man dressed in nice clothes stood. "Dutch," he called, causing the man to turn to him. "We, uh..."
Dutch eyed her suspiciously. "Who is this?"
Arthur shrugged. "Not quite sure. Lenny and I went for a train job, and this woman decided to follow us, pretty much begging us to take her with us."
"I did not beg," she said.
Dutch just sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well, what's you name, Miss?"
"Jane O'Hare."
"Well, Jane O'Hare," he continued. "What the hell are you doing in my camp?"
She cleared her throat, her fingers playing with her skirt fabric. "Um, well, it's a long story."
He leaned against a chest that had been stacked on top of crate. "We've got time."
Arthur crossed his arms and looked her expectantly.
"Well," she began, "I was on the train that they robbed. My father dropped me off at the station and I was on the way to St. Denis. I didn't want to go. So, I went with them."
Arthur cut in. "She didn't just go with us. Believe me, Lenny and I didn't have much say in this. She pulled a gun out of God know where and shot a guard. Then, she jumped off the damn train with us into a river, knowing damn well she couldn't swim."
"That's mighty brave," Dutch said, pointing at her. "And also insane."
"Well, that's most people here," Arthur said.
"Very true," Dutch narrowed his eyes at her. "So, Miss O'Hare, why didn't you want to go St. Denis? It better be a good reason."
She bit her lip before answering. Was she about to tell her life story to a pair of strangers?
The answer was yes. "My father had dreams of marrying me off and getting rich, like I was a form of currency," she spat. "He arranged for me to go to my Aunt, who would 'teach me how to be a proper lady,'" she said with finger quotes. "They had a rich man all lined up for me, who was I going to get married to, and be stuck with for the rest of my life. I've never even met him." She ran a hand through her hair, looking between the two men. "I can't just through my life away like that. I want to go out and see the world. There's so much country. I don't want to be confined to kitchen for the rest of my days."
They were silent, but exchanged a look. Then, Dutch broke the silence. "Well, Miss, that seems like a good enough reason. Believe me, everyone here wants the freedom of the country. Now, from what I've heard so far, you seem comfortable with a gun, so you could be of use to us. Now, nothing certain, but you can stay with us until you figure out what you would like to do." Then, he stood back up, and called a woman over. "Mrs. Grimshaw, would you be so kind as to give our guest here a fresh set of clothes and some food?"
The woman, Mrs. Grimshaw, hurried over. "Oh, you look like a drunken rat," she fussed. "Let's go get you a nice bath and some new clothes." She ushered her off, and a few of the other girls flocked around her.
Dutch looked to Arthur. "You made the right decision, Arthur," he said. "That girl just wants to be free, and we can give that to her, once we get more money and head west again."
Arthur looked to where Jane was being bombarded by the girls and their questions. "I suppose so."
~~~~
A few hours, the sun had set. Jane had gotten a bath, which felt nice after the long day. She got a new change of clothes, too. She had a gray shirt tucked into a burgundy skirt, both of which of which she borrowed from a girl named Mary-Beth. After her hair dried (which took a while because it's long), Mary-Beth put her hair into a braid, which ended just below her waist.
The group of girls had fussed over her, asking her a million questions. She only got time to herself when she was in the bath.
She went back into the camp, her eyes darted around nervously. Most of the people in the camp were gathered around the fire, talking and laughing and eating stew.
She slowly made her way over. Spotting Arthur, she started towards him, but Dutch's distinguishable voice called her out.
"Everyone," he yelled, "I want to introduce you to Jane!"
He pulled her next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "She's the newest family member, so I'm trusting you all to make her feel welcome."
They cheered, with the group of girls cheering the loudest. Jane met Arthur's eyes across the fire. He smiled at her, and she returned it.
When Dutch released her, a group of of men started singing, and the girls joined them. Jane moved towards Arthur.
"So," he said while taking a sip from his whiskey, "How'd you like it here so far?"
"It's nice. Everyone seems really welcoming." She glanced around the loud circle, taking in faces that she hadn't had time to study before.
Arthur finished the last of his drink and set the empty glass on a crate. "Yeah. These are some good folk."
Suddenly, Mrs. Grimshaw popped out of nowhere. She had a bowl of stew in her hands. "Oh, dear, I almost forgot your supper. Here," she said, shoving the bowl in her hands. "Eat up. It ain't much, but it's something."
She smiled then left again.
Jane ate it. The stew tasted pretty plain, but still good. The warmth of it was calming. It seemed to warm the last of her that was still cold from the river.
"So, are you okay with just leaving your family behind?" Arthur asked in his gruff voice.
She just sighed. "I... I guess I have to be now. My father just wanted to make money off me, and yes, I love my mother, but she didn't try to help me. Why should I stay with people who are holding me back?"
Arthur hummed. "That's a good point, Miss. While we do more running than exploring here, you'll still be able to have more freedom than being a housewife."
"Yes," she replied.
They stood in silence for a while. Everyone was still drinking and singing.
"Thank you, by the way," she said, placing a hand on his arm. "I would be in St. Denis right now if you wouldn't have helped me."
Arthur laughed. "Well, you didn't give Lenny and I much of a choice."
She couldn't help but giggle too. "Yeah, I guess so."
Jane nearly jumped out of her skin when two pair of hands clamped down on her shoulders. "Jane!" Mary-Beth's voice yelled. "Stop standing there next to this boring lump and coming dancing with us!"
Before she could answer, Mary-Beth pulled her by the hand to where the rest of the girls and some guys were dancing.
Everything was a blur, and then she ended up face to face with the other man from the train.
Before she even knew it, she dancing around with this man, Lenny. She was tense at first, but she soon let herself go. She laughed and swung around, nearly bumping into another dancing couple. Then, she was spun and entered another set of hands.
He had shoulder length red hair and spoke in an Irish accent. "Hello der Miss. 'Name's Sean."
"Jane," she laughed.
She danced and spun around for what seemed like hours. Sean was a much better dancer than Lenny. He dipped her then twirled her around, causing the rest of the world to melt away.
She knew just met these people, but damn, she felt right at home.
After a while, Dutch's voice rang out. "Alright everyone! You should try to think about getting some sleep. We've got a full day of money-making ahead of us tomorrow."
Jane stood still for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. Mary-Beth appeared beside her again. "We have your bedroll all ready. It's over there, by our wagon. Alright, goodnight." She disappeared leaving Jane alone with Sean.
He grabbed her hand. "Well, Miss Jane, I had a damn well time dancing with you." He kissed her hand, then sauntered off.
What a flirt, she thought.
Now standing completely alone, she rushed off to where Mary-Beth had told her to sleep.
Looking up, she noticed that the night sky was the clearest that she had ever seen. The moon was so bright that no one even needed to use a lantern.
Mary-Beth was already asleep next to another girl, who had short blonde hair. Jane settled herself next to them. While the exhaustion of the day finally took over, Jane only had one thought on her mind.
What the hell did I just do?
~~~~
The following morning, Jane woke up earlier than almost everyone. She quietly got up, without waking Mary-Beth, and was drawn to the edge of camp. There were three or four men surrounding the fire, but they paid her no mind.
She sat herself at the edge of a cliff, pulling her legs up to her chest. She watched the sun slowly creep over the horizon. It was so peaceful and serene. As she watched, she knew that this was what she wanted. She would be completely content if she could stay here, with nature, for the rest of her life.
Suddenly, footsteps were audible behind her. She turned her head, to see Arthur approaching her, holding two cups of coffee.
"Here," he said, passing it carefully to her and taking a seat. "I figured you could use something to wake you up."
She took it and sipped it gingerly. "Thank you."
He just nodded in response. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" He asked, looking out to the valley. By now, the sun was almost completely over the horizon.
"Yes," She looked out, then looked back to him. "I know I've said it a million times, but thank you again for letting me come with you. If it weren't for you, I would be basically engaged and on lock down for the rest of my life. Or I would have drowned."
"No problem," He said, then laughed. "That reminds me, we're going to have to teach you to swim. It's a valuable tool when you're an outlaw."
"Today?" She asked expectantly.
He shook his head. "No, not today, woman. On a day we're not busy."
She stretched her shoulders upwards. "So, what are we doing today?"
"Well, I'm going to collect a debt for Strauss at Emerald Ranch, and I believe you're staying here to help Mrs. Grimshaw. I'm sure she could use another set of hands."
She appeared discouraged. "But, I came here to get out of doing house chores."
Arthur shrugged and stood up. "I don't think there's much you can do about it. But, when I'm done with the debt, we can go into town and get you a horse."
Jane felt a spark of excitement. She always wanted her own horse, but her father would always say that it wasn't ladylike. "Okay," she said.
By now, most of the camp had woken up by now. Arthur offered her a hand and helped her up.
"Well, time to get to work."