What if Ross hadn't been lying and Abigail really was killed in a prison riot a week before Dutch?
That's the situation John Marston finds himself in after watching Dutch commit suicide. He manages to shoot his way out of trouble after killing Edgar...
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Jack was no longer speaking to John, it seemed.
The entire ride home to MacFarlane's ranch, well over a thousand miles and a couple of months in length, Jack barely said a word to his father. Instead, there was nothing but stony silence, punctuated only by the odd "yes" or "no" or similar one word responses.
Bonnie didn't even get those. Jack seemed too angry to even look at her most of the time, and he more or less ignored her, even though he kept his tongue to himself and refrained from calling her any more derogatory names. John could tell it took a toll on her, but she was a tough woman, and she did not complain.
He wanted to comfort her, but for Jack's sake, he didn't want to risk the boy seeing them touching again. Still, her baby-blue eyes rarely smiled these days, and while he wouldn't have called her sad - more disappointed - all he wanted was for her to be happy. For them all, Jack included, to be happy.
To that end, John hadn't so much as held her hand in months by the time they entered Hennigan's Stead and sighted the fence at the boundary of MacFarlane's Ranch. After so long away, it truly was a sight for sore eyes, and it gave John a warm, happy feeling, almost like being home.
Before they even reached the ranch's borders, however, John saw a familiar bear of a man riding atop a sorrel gelding and making his way towards him. A glance over at Bonnie made him smile at last as he realized she saw the man on horseback too, and was grinning from ear to ear.
"Daddy!" she cried as Drew MacFarlane met them on the road. He and Bonnie got off their horses, and Bonnie threw her arms around her father, wrapping him in a tight, warm embrace.
"Glad to see you back in one piece," Drew chuckled as he and his daughter released each other. "The ranch has missed you almost as much as I have these past few months." He turned to Jack's horse and held out his hand. "I'm Bonnie's father, Drew. Pleased to meet you, son. You must be Jack Marston. You're the spitting image of your Pa, you know."
"I guess," Jack grunted stiffly, nevertheless reaching down from his saddle to accept Drew's handshake.
"Got an icy attitude just like him too," Drew laughed nervously, finally sensing that something was amiss. "But if you're just as hard a worker and half as good with horses, we'll put you right to work, son."
"I'm okay with horses," Jack admitted, still a bit unsure about the man.
"He's bein' modest," John chuckled. "The kid can ride almost as well as I can, sir."
"In that case, I'll have the boys bring an extra bed to your cabin, John, and the boy can apprentice under you until I know just where I want him workin'."
"I'm not sleeping in the same room as him," Jack growled, shooting his father a spicy glance.
"Pa-." Bonnie began, but thankfully Drew cut her off with a different suggestion, one that might make the boy more comfortable.
