As they came to Salt Lake, a group of Mormons met them. They were working in a field, men and women together. They sang songs as they worked. "Good day to you neighbor. May we be of some help to you?" One of the men in the field stepped forward when he saw them riding up, extending his hand for a shake.
Jesse shook his hand. "Just passing through. Looks like you might have a good crop…"
"We try. Where are you headed, if I might ask, friend?" The man glanced at everyone. He was simply dressed in black, with a flat-headed hat on his head. The women were dressed in long dresses and bonnets, as they continued to work.
"Texas." Jesse said his eyes scanning the horizon.
Everyone continued working but this one man.
"Be watchful for the Ute's, they are stirring up trouble right now." The man advised as he went back to work in his field.
"Thanks for the warning." Jesse tipped his hat.
The man nodded.
Jesse was about to turn away from them when a cloud of dust announced itself and a small party of Indians came whooping and hollering down on them.
"Get down," Jesse ordered the people automatically.
He pulled a rifle from its holder and threw it at Darrel. Darrel nodded and caught it, just as an arrow breezed by his cheek. Darrel began shooting, knocking one off his horse.
Jesse glanced around at the men who were hovered in a circle trying to stay hidden. At least they had the good sense to stay down.
He saw the Mormon running down the field and crouching down with the women, trying to protect them.
All the people in the fields fell to the earth while Jesse grabbed Shannon and pushed her into a brush. "Stay here." He ordered.
She stayed for a moment, but when she saw the Indians firing at them, she ran to Jesse's side. He gave her a quick frown.
"You need someone to reload for you." She explained.
Pulling his gun, he shot at them as they peppered the air with their arrows. Shannon moved close to Jesse and when his gun was empty, she reached to reload it for him. He shot her a crooked kind of smile.
"Thanks," he muttered thickly as he aimed the gun she handed him, one of the Indians was about to jump them.
As he fired, the Indian fell right in front of her, she shrieked. But the Indian wasn't dead. He pulled out a deadly knife, from its scabbard and was about to stab Jesse in the back with it, when she raised the gun she was reloading, aimed and fired.
Jesse whirled about in time to see Shannon shaking. He saw the dead Indian and the knife. He took the gun from Shannon's cold fingers and raised her chin. "You did good."
His words penetrated her frozen brain and she blinked hard. "Stay down…" He told her gently, and then kept firing.
Jimmy John and the others kept themselves out of view, without guns they were at the mercy of everyone. Jesse couldn't worry about them just now; he was too busy trying to run these renegade Indians off the land.
Jesse killed three of them before they finally gave up and rode off, hollering as though they had earned a victory.
The man in the field stood up and stared at Jesse.
"That was close, friend. We thank you, sir. We brought no weapons to the fields. They seemed to have caught on to that, and take us by surprise quite often." He said. "My name is Nathaniel."
Jesse's mouth curved into a slow warm smile. "Jesse…my wife…Shannon." He grabbed Shannon and pulled her close for reassurance.
The way that flowed from his mouth had Shannon taking note of it. The sound of it rang in her ears though. 'My wife.'
"And the rest of you?"
"That's Darrel on the end and Billy beside him. The others are prisoners I'm taking back to Texas." Jesse informed him. He didn't distinguish them by name, and Jimmy John grunted.
"Prisoners. What have they done, friend?"
"Robbed, and killed." Jesse told him staring at the man a long time.
"Will they hang?"
"It's possible." Jesse frowned. "But they'll get a fair trial first."
Nathaniel tried not to stare at them. "Come, you must let us repay you with some food. We'll pray for their souls."
"Sounds good to me." Jesse smiled and turned to see Shannon staring at him.
"I killed…"
"No…you did what you had to do. I know you are a doctor and that you don't believe in killing, but there comes a time, when it's necessary. Unfortunately, that time came. You only did what you had to do. That's all."
Thinking about what he said, Shannon raised her eyes to him. "I've never killed anyone before…" Her voice wasn't quite steady.
He nodded, "I know…" His voice lowered, and he bent to kiss her on the forehead.
He waited for her to absorb his words, and hooked her arm in his. "Thanks for the help."
She glanced at him shyly, and smiled. However, Jesse had seen the tear that fell down her cheek.
"Looks like they are going to feed us." Jesse told her.
"Glad to be able to eat someone else's cooking for a change." Shannon smiled and tried to snap out of her thoughts, when one of the women looked at her.
The girl was young and pretty and her eyes went over Jesse very slowly. She had dark hair covered by a bonnet, and her eyes were so very blue. She was lovely. Shannon was shocked that a mere glance could suggest so much, but she soon realized that these women were not aggressive and their expressions had to speak for themselves.
Even though she was married to Jesse, this didn't deter the girl, as Mormons were known for having more than one wife, she'd read about them back in Boston. She wondered how the women got along, or if they fought over the man. It was an interesting concept, but one she didn't hold with.
When the woman moved almost seductively in front of Jesse, blinking shyly from his occasional glance, Shannon felt a pang of something deep within, but she ignored it. She had no real claim to Jesse. Even though their marriage was legal, there was nothing between them, except a growing trust.
"I think she likes you…" Shannon chuckled nervously.
Jesse shook his head. "That's too bad. I'm a married man."
Shannon looked at him strangely.
There it was again, that temporary feeling nagging at her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that marriage was not supposed to be temporary. Still, that was not rational thinking. They'd both been forced into this marriage and the sooner they took care of the matter, the better.
Surrounded by women who shared the same man, she felt out of place and untethered.
The men regarded equally strange.
Shannon's mind kept going back to Jesse.
They had both been forced into the marriage. Yet, he didn't seem to fret that he now had a wife. He took it in such stride she was trying to understand him, and these people.
When they sat down to eat, Jesse pulled her chair out for her. The young girl that was so interested in him sat right across from him and smiled every time he looked up. She couldn't have been more plain about her intentions had she announced them.
Shannon had to admit, she was beautiful. Any man would be interested in her. She had a soft feminine look about her that was seductive in a different way.
The table before them was long and filled with good smelling food and plenty of people. Food was plentiful and everything was fresh from their gardens.
Nathaniel and his wives sat at one end.
"Under the circumstances, I think you should untie your prisoners so they can sit at our table and enjoy our food. Until they are finished at least. What harm can they do, they are outnumbered?"
"Alright…" Jesse agreed. He looked at Jimmy John, "These people are kind and generous, let's don't spoil that."
Jimmy John nodded. "I ain't never seen so much food in my life. And all of it looks good, too. I won't raise a ruckus."
Nathaniel introduced them and told everyone of them fighting off the Indians. Smiles went around the table.
"So why are the Utes at war with you?" Jesse asked.
"They feel that this land is theirs and we have no right to it. They don't understand the concept of sharing it. Their heathen ways makes it hard to understand that we do belong here, as we are sanctioned by God to come to this Promised Land. They see us as a threat, and I suppose we can be, if pushed in that direction. They believe we should share everything we have with them and they would do likewise, but we are a hardy bunch of people who work hard for everything we have. We grow our own foods, build our own homes, and govern our own people. If the land itself cannot be shared, then nothing can."
"How long has this been going on?" Jesse asked.
"Nearly a year now. We can't come to terms with each other I'm afraid. However, God will show us the way, I’m sure. We were meant to be here, it is our promised land."
"I thought religious groups didn't believe in violence." Jesse raised his eyes to meet Nathaniel's.
"We believe in defending ourselves, and if necessary using force when needed. Just like the wars in the bible. Even aggressively, if needed. We mean no one any harm sir, but God has led us here, and we are not leaving. Eventually, they will come to understand that."
Jesse nodded, but Shannon saw by the look on his face that he wasn't convinced this man was right.
Shannon was quiet most of the meal. Still trying to get a hold of her nerves and justify what she had done. She was justified in killing the Indian, for surely he would have killed Jesse. Yet killing and and taking the oath of a doctor clashed to her way of thinking. She was suppose to save lives, not take them.
"You were very brave," one of the women blurted.
"No…actually I was petrified." Shannon explained.
"She saved my life…" Jesse sent her a crooked smile.
Rachel, the girl that stared so at Jesse blurted, "It's a woman's duty to help her husband."
Shannon looked down at her food now and resumed eating so she wouldn't have to talk about it.
The other women talked with her, asking her all kinds of questions about her life and why she was traveling with her husband while he was preforming his duty. Shannon couldn't explain.
"I brought her along, in case there were any accidents along the way. It's a long trip to Texas." Jesse saved the day with his explanation and opened the opportunity for the women to speak to him.
Even with Jesse speaking up for her, she found she had little in common with these women and thought better of voicing her opinion on anything. These women were very accomplished in quilt making, cooking, sewing, housekeeping and having an abundance of children. Another long table filled with children, caught her attention. The children were of all ages. At the end of the table were four or five women, feeding the babies. In truth, the children outnumbered the adults.
When the meal was over and she tried to help clean up, the women shook their head. "We will clean up. You are a guest."
She sensed an awkward moment with them, as they clearly didn't identify with her in any way. They obviously felt the same as she. They were a group unto themselves and preferred it that way, she supposed. Not that they were unfriendly, but they made her feel like a foreigner.
Walking away from them, she found Jesse staring out at the land on the huge veranda of the main house. Nathaniel wasn't with him, so she joined him, feeling out of place here.
Their farms were well organized and taken care of. The men were never idle, but always working.
Jesse looked at her when she walked over closer.
"They are a good people, but a little different, wouldn't you say?" She said softly, so no one else could hear.
"Very different, in many ways." His voice had lowered too.
"Nathaniel has three wives." Shannon reflected.
"Really, I didn't think that was legal." Jesse glanced at her.
"I don't think they regard the law in the matter. Not our laws at least. They seem to be a law unto themselves. Strangely enough, the women all get along though. There's no jealousy, no fighting, just living. It's rather peaceful, being around them. Yet their beliefs are so foreign to me. I'm sure they don't realize it, but they treat me as if they can barely tolerate me. I don't think they are used to seeing a female doctor. And I don't think they approve of it either. Strangely I feel the persecution here just as strongly as I did in Boston."
"You don't think you'd like this kind of living?" He smiled.
She blushed, "I don't think…it's for me. I've read about them extensively. The one thing about them is the polygamy. Perhaps if they could give that concept up, they might be tolerated by others much easier."
"Well, we are only passing through. And these are a relatively gentle people who want to farm and worship as they please. We'll be moving on soon."
"You have a lot of respect for others, don't you?"
"Look around you Shannon. These people keep their farms beautifully. Have you ever seen a beautiful farm before? These are, the land, it's so organized and clean. They are hard working, and generally peaceful, gotta respect that." Jesse sighed. "It takes a lot of work to keep it that way, they sure aren't lazy."
"You're right about that. I tried to help them with the dishes, but they refused, said I was a guest."
"Sorry they outcast you." Jesse sent a understanding glance her way.
After a long silence, Shannon laughed softly. "Jimmy John sure ate a lot. All of them did actually, there was so much food. The men are enjoying it here."
"Yeah, another reason to move on. I don't need them getting too comfortable. This isn't a pleasure trip. And the sooner it's over, the better." Jesse smiled and shook his head.
"Did you tie them up again?" She asked.
"I had to and I could see it didn't sit well with Nathaniel, but, they are prisoners. And…I didn't want Thornton lose too long among all these women."
"They haven't caused you much harm though." Shannon defended. "Except for trying to get away, they've not caused anyone any distress."
"Not unless you count the times I've chased them all over the territory. I don't aim to do that again. And that Thornton…there's something about him I really don't like. I can't put my finger on it yet, but it will come to me."
"It's kind of sad…taking them to prison, when you know they are going to hang, though, don't you think?"
"No ma'am, I don't." Jesse looked down, as though the comment had stung a bit. "They broke the law, several times; they killed innocent people to do it. And what good are laws if you don't uphold them?"
She thought about that for a long time. "I guess you are right. It's just well…we've gotten to know them a little."
"That's why a lawman can't get to know them. He has to distract himself and remain neutral in things like this. Or he can't do his job. And my job, is to bring them in. I aim to do just that."
"You haven't been so harsh on Darrel or Billy."
Jesse glanced at her, indulging her in her victory. "Due in large because of you. You seem to want to mother them. I agree, they aren't dangerous like the others. They're just kids, and I doubt they did any of the killings. As far as the robbery goes, they probably just held the horses for the others. Therefore, I don't look at them the same. After you've been a lawman for a while, you get to where you can pick the dangerous ones from the others. But don't under estimate them. Any of them."
"Is Jimmy John dangerous?"
"He's the leader, so yes, he is. Because they listen to him. But it's Thornton that crawls up my skin. I don't like him, or trust him. It's not for me to judge them, but it is my job to bring them to justice. It's funny in some ways. Jimmy John on the surface isn't a bad character, a little rough and unseemly, but not a bad fella, but Thornton he's got a mean nature, sinister in fact. The others, Elmer, he's old and probably tired of the outlawing ways. Wes, he's the quiet one, don't really know what I think of him. I try not to dwell on any of them. My job is to see that justice is served."
Shannon was quiet a long while.
"Two of the young girls had their eyes on Darrel and Billy. And of course, one of them sure was interested in you. Her name is Rachel I think, and she couldn't speak louder if she tried. Do you think you could adapt to their ways?" Shannon asked.
"No ma'am. If I wanted one, I could only handle one at a time. And I've got one…remember?" He suddenly glanced at her. "I don't claim to understand their religion, but I can tell you, it isn't for me. However, they are dedicated to it, and I will leave them to it. As far as the women go, I'm not here for that. We happened to fight off some Indians for them, they gave us a meal, that's all there is to it."
"And ours…is a temporary situation of course…" She added looking at him. "And you didn't come to Oregon to fetch a wife, either."
His glanced went over her, lazily now, and a smile curled his lips. She wished he wouldn’t smile like that; he was so darn handsome…
"Of course. So far this marriage hasn't been as bad as I thought it might…"
And then he got up and walked off.