Molly leaned her head back against the door and fought to catch her breath. Tears rolled freely down her face. She knew JD must hate her. She felt like a fool. It had happened as she’d dreamed, him at her door kissing her good night. And she’d slammed the door in his face for it. Nearly the same thing had happened between her and Ryan. No man, save her father or uncle, could lay a hand on her without her nearly going into hysterics over it. Each one’s touch felt like her professor’s had that night.

Molly took a few steps forward, taking off her gloves. She sat down at the table. She’d sought out Emily that night. Once again she needed the comfort of her best friend. She didn’t have that here. The closest person to that here was Lily Patterson. She got up from the table and walked into her room. Carefully she took off her dress and hung it up in the closet. She was too upset to even consider sleeping and too restless to remain in the house alone. She took off her jewelry and shook down her hair before putting on an everyday dress.

‘With Mr. Larabee hurt Lily could probably use company too,’ she justified her decision to herself. ‘Da won’t be back for a while if at all tonight.’ Firmly resolved in her decision, Molly walked out into the night and toward the saloon.

There were still a few people out helping to clean up after the dance. Molly made her way quickly to the saloon. As she got to the doors she noticed that no one appeared to be inside. A movement near the bar told her she was wrong as Lily came into view. She appeared to be pacing. Quietly, Molly stepped inside.

"Lily?" Molly called to her. The unexpected voice caused Lily to turn and jump. Seeing it was only Molly she placed a hand to her chest and let out a nervous laugh.

"Goodness Cher, I thought you were someone else. I was hoping for news on Chris."

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Is Mr. Larabee alright?" Molly asked.

"I haven’t heard yet but I’m sure he’s fine. I’d just like to know for sure. What are you doing here so late, Cher? Does your father know you’re here?" Molly shook her head.

"No, he went with Colum to the ranch. I’m not sure why. I didn’t really feel like being by myself." Lily looked closer at the young woman. She had changed from the dress she’d been wearing at the dance and had brushed her hair down. She also appeared to have been crying.

"Molly, what is wrong?" she asked her. It was a question Molly’d been expecting but was unprepared for how to answer. She began fidgeting with her hands, not sure of how to answer Lily’s question.

"JD walked me home from the dance. When we got to the door…he kissed me." Lily waited for a moment expecting Molly to say something more.

"Is that all?" she asked. "Molly, he didn’t do anything…" Molly cut her off embarrassed at what she’d implied.

"No, no. It just…I wasn’t expecting it was all. I wasn’t quite certain what he meant by it. I think that I wanted him to kiss me but when it happened…" Molly cut off her abrupt explanation. She wasn’t quite sure how much to reveal to Lily but she needed someone to understand. Lily took a step forward noting the look of panic that filled Molly’s face.

"When it happened what, Cher?" she asked her.

"I got scared," Molly whispered. Lily let out a sigh. She cared for Molly but she couldn’t deal with the young woman’s inexperience with men right now. She needed to check on Chris. Molly could wait until the morning.

"Cher, it is late. A lot happened today. I think that if you go home and get some sleep it will all look different in the morning." Molly looked up at her and nodded feeling dejected.

"Good night, Lily," she said before walking out the door.

Buck Willimington was on his way inside the saloon to talk to Lily. He knew she’d be worried about Chris and he didn’t want to have her waiting for word alone. Stopping at the door he noticed that Molly Gallagher was with her. He was about to walk inside, a flirting comment on his lips when he heard Molly’s voice say ‘…he kissed me.’ The smile on his face froze as Lily moved and Molly appeared in his line of vision. The look on her face was panic.

"Is that all?" Lily’s voice asked. "Molly, he didn’t do anything…" Molly cut her off.

"No, no. It just…I wasn’t expecting it was all. I wasn’t quite certain what he meant by it. I think that I wanted him to kiss me but when it happened…"

"When it happened what, Cher?" Lily asked her. The answer Molly gave caused Buck’s heart to nearly stop.

"I got scared." He knew better than to think that JD had done anything that Molly didn’t want him to. He also knew what it was like to be a young man in the company of a young woman you found yourself having feelings for. His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of the women moving toward the door. He backed himself up into the wall, not wanting to reveal himself as having been listening in on their conversation.

Molly stepped out and began walking up the street toward her house. A few seconds later Lily immerged and began walking the opposite way up the street toward Nathan’s no doubt tired of waiting for someone to bring word to her on Chris’s condition. Almost all the men were on that end of town. Vin and that captain had stopped an apparent robbery in the bank. He was now at the jail where the three men, including KC, were being held.

The end of town Molly was walking towards was quieter and they couldn’t be sure that it was one of the three would-be robbers that had shot Chris. He didn’t like the idea of her walking home alone. Resolved he began to follow her at a distance. She stopped at the church and after a moment walked up and inside. Buck followed her.

The night had turned cool and Molly wished she’d put on her sweater as she made her way slowly up the street. She still didn’t feel like she could go straight home. Seeing the church ahead she decided she’d go inside and light a candle before going back to the house. She made her way up the stairs and into the darkened church. The candles at the front near the altar gave a soft glow to the small church. Molly walked toward the front and sat in a pew. She blessed herself before kneeling down. A small statue of the Virgin Mary was near the candles. Molly directed her prayer to her.

"Oh Holy Mother, please tell me what to do," Molly said out loud. "Please don’t let me lose him like I did Ryan."

"Molly," the deep voice from the back of the church caused Molly to jump up. Buck Willimington was standing at the back of the church. "I saw you leave the saloon and I said to myself ‘a pretty girl like that shouldn’t be out alone’." Molly tried smiling at the man. "Did something happen at the dance?"

"No," Molly answered him.

"I don’t mean to be forward but you look a bit upset. JD’s a young man and he’s likely to not be thinking in the company of a lady such as yourself. Somethin’ might have happened that he didn’t mean," he prompted. Molly closed her eyes and shook her head.

"JD didn’t do anything wrong," she answered him.

"Then what happened?" Buck asked her. Molly didn’t answer him. "What were you afraid of?" he asked, his voice softer. She realized that he’d heard what she’d told Lily. In defeat, Molly sat in the pew.

"I was afraid of it happening again," she said. Buck walked to the pew in front of her and sat facing her.

"What were you afraid of happening again? Molly, did someone hurt you?" he asked. The look on her face was all the answer he needed. He’d seen that look on one too many womans’ faces and it told him all he needed to know except for the name of the bastard that had hurt her. Molly simply nodded in answer to his question. "Tell me what happened." She shook her head. "Why?"

"Because I couldn’t bear the thought of you thinking any less of me." Her answer tore at his heart. He brushed the back of his hand across her cheek feeling her tense at his touch but not pulling completely away.

"That would never happen, darlin’." She stood and walked toward the altar her arms folded tightly across her waist. Taking in a deep breath she voiced the story only one other person in the world had heard.

"Two years ago when I was seventeen, my mother fell ill. I was in school at the University and my father was working for a friend’s business. She kept getting worse and worse until it got so she couldn’t get out of bed anymore. My father couldn’t stop working but she couldn’t be left alone so I had to stop going to classes to care for her. It was in the middle of the term and I was falling desperately behind. My history professor, Gregory Hartman, heard about my mother and he offered to tutor me in the evenings so that when I was able to return to classes I would be so far behind or need to start over. I would go to his home after supper and he’d help me with the lessons I’d missed that day. One night, as I was leaving, he was helping me with my coat. He bent down and he kissed me so fast I wasn’t even entirely sure it had really happened. I didn’t want to go back the next night. He’d had a lot of sherry to drink and I thought that maybe he had been intoxicated. He’s a married man. So I went back." Molly stopped.

"What happened?" Buck asked softly. Molly turned and faced him.

"We were sitting in the dinning room at the table working on an algebra problem when all of a sudden he told me he wanted to hear me recite. So he handed me a book and told me to stand in front of the fireplace in the parlor and begin. I did. I heard him come into the room and stand behind me. And then his hands and his mouth they were everywhere at once. He was telling me how beautiful I was and how no one deserved me but him. He kept telling me things he wanted to do to me. I tried to get him away but we ended up falling to the floor. I kicked him and stood up. He just knelt there looking up at me. I demanded he allow me to leave that instant. I grabbed my coat and ran from the house. I knew I looked a fright and I couldn’t go home like that so I went to Emily’s and told her what happened. She’s the only one I’ve ever told until now."

"And tonight, when JD walked you home and he kissed you goodnight, you thought that would happen again," Buck finished for her.

"I slammed the door in his face. He did nothing wrong and I slammed the door on him. What sort of a person does that make me?" she asked, freely crying. Buck stood up and walked up to her.

"I want you to listen to me now. You did nothing wrong. What that man did to you, that was wrong. A man doesn’t do something like that to a woman he cares for. I think JD’d understand that."

"No, I could never tell him this," Molly said.

"Molly, he’d…" she cut him off panic in her voice.

"Mr. Willimington please promise me that you will never, ever tell anyone this. Please, promise me."

"Hush now, I won’t say nothin’," he said to her holding his arms out to her. Molly looked at his face and an odd warmth filled her. This man, she was safe with. The relief of finally having told someone mixed with the exhaustion of finally letting it out and she allowed his arms to envelop her. Buck stood in the middle of the aisle of the church rocking the sobbing girl in his arms. That man had taken a special part from this girl that made him no different than the three men that were now sitting in the jail. Only difference was what they wanted to take could have been replaced. He thanked whatever God there was in heaven that Molly’d managed to save herself from an actual rape. Still, the same type of damage was done. It would be a long time, if ever, that a man’s kiss or his touch wouldn’t bring her fear and for taking that from this girl, Buck Willimington wanted little more than to hunt down and kill Gregory Hartman. After a few minutes, Molly quieted and pulled back from him. He gave her a smile. "I should get you home," he said.

The two made their way across the street to Molly’s house in silence. "I could stay till you’re pa gets back," he offered.

"He should be back anytime," she said. "Good night, Mr. Willmington." He tipped his hat to her and left. Molly went inside and straight to her bed. For the first night in a long time her sleep wasn’t dream filled.

JD caught site of Buck walking from the other end of town. He’d wanted to talk to his friend ever since he’d brought Molly home but couldn’t seem to find him. That might have been a good thing since he was afraid that Buck would just laugh at him or make some stupid joke. The look on Molly’s face hadn’t been a joke. She’d really been scared. Scared of him. "Hay, kid," Buck called out his usual greeting.

"I’d been lookin for ya," JD said to him. His hat was in his hands and he was twisting it nervously. "I did it," he said. Buck just looked at him. "Well, I mean I kissed her but…"

"Kid, just take it slow with her," Buck said before JD’d even finished.

"Go slow?" JD repeated, not sure he’d heard him right. Those two words being said in the voice of Buck Willimington in reference to a woman didn’t make sense.

"That’s right," Buck answered him, patting him on the back. "Just take it slow."

Molly woke the next day and stepped out of her room. Her father had clearly not returned. A knock on the door startled her and she went to open it. Mary Travis was standing on the porch.

"Good morning, Molly," she said to her. "I was hoping to ask you a favor."

"Of course," Molly said to her.

"It’s about the prisoner’s who are in jail. You see, there are several of us women in the town who take a turn making a meal whenever the jail houses prisoners. This evening was supposed to be my turn but something’s come up for me. I was hoping to impose on you?"

"What would I have to do?" Molly asked.

"Just make a meal for the three men and the guard and bring it to the jail."

"I think I could do that," Molly said. "I can have it there around six?"

"That would be fine," Mary said smiling at her. "I really appreciate it."

"It’s no trouble," Molly said, hoping that when she brought the meal to the jail it wasn’t JD’s turn to be guarding the prisoners.