Chapter 27

The next morning dawned under a bright winter sun. It was cold but still a lovely day; the perfect day for Christmas. Early in the morning, Jack woke Ennis up with kisses down his chest and down to his groin, taking him in his mouth for an early Christmas present, and when he was fully awake Ennis returned in kind.

A few hours later, they wandered down the stairs, Jack nibbling at Ennis's neck. They put their presents under the tree, got food for Lucky and Smokey and started preparing breakfast for everybody. They planned to take care of the early morning chores after breakfast, and then get down to present opening.

Over breakfast, the four of them talked pleasantly about the ranch and how things were going for them. They were all of the opinion that they'd had a rough couple of months lately and they deserved to have some quiet time. Ennis had it in his head to talk to Jack about the two of them maybe taking a trip together in the New Year, just the two of them. He'd talk to Jack about that sometime.

The pair of them checked on the horses in the stable; Star was now seven months gone, and would give birth around April next year. Jack put out fresh hay and water for them while Ennis saddled up Lightning to go and check on the cows. An hour later they returned to the house to finally open up the presents.

They all gathered in the living room and Jack distributed the presents around. The room was filled with the rustling of paper. All of the presents were well received, especially the jewellery for the women.

Jack opened his gift from Ennis last, and for a moment, he was too stunned to speak. The picture of himself and Ennis at Colorado Springs from last year, the pair of them smiling into the camera, Jack with his megawatt grin and Ennis with his shy, endearing smile that made his eyes sparkle happily. Their arms were slung around each other's shoulders in a friendly way. It was now in a beautiful mahogany frame; perfect for their dresser.

"Ennis?" he croaked, looking up at him. Ennis was smiling.

"You like it, rodeo?" he asked, reaching across for Jack's hand. Jack took his and gripped it.

"I do, I love it, thanks cowboy." Becky and Rose smiled at the thoughtfulness of Ennis's gift. After more thanks were exchanged, the four of them planned to spend the day on the ranch and just enjoy some time together. Jack and Ennis saddled up their horses and went for a ride to their hill. They tied their horses to a tree, but before they could start walking up the hill, Ennis grabbed Jack from behind and pressed him up against a tree, planting his lips on Jack's.

"Mmm," moaned Jack into the kiss, sliding his arms around Ennis's neck as Ennis started to massage his ass. Ennis was grinding into him and getting him hard rapidly.

Ennis pulled back and looked into Jack's eyes. "You havin' a good Christmas, darlin'?" he asked softly, now gently rubbing Jack's back.

Jack smiled at him, twining his fingers through Ennis's curls. "Yeah. Pretty damn good. Nice havin' family 'round."

"Yeah. Well, your family," Ennis said, looking aside. Jack cupped his cheek and made him meet his eyes.

"Ennis..." he said, deep blue eyes boring into his. "Don't go sayin' that. We're together, an' my family is yer family, okay? We're a family. You got Cecilia an' K.E. an' their families, I got my mama an' Becky. We're all one family now," he said seriously. He truly believed that; that their two family units had merged into one when they'd gotten together and their families had accepted it. He and Ennis counted themselves as married, after all.

Ennis looked into his eyes, seeing the love there. "Yeah...yer right, rodeo. You an' me..." Jack then leaned in again for another kiss, drawing out Ennis's tongue to meet his. They kissed leisurely for a few minutes, enjoying the other's presence.

When they drew apart again, Ennis was smiling again. "You like yer present, rodeo?"

Jack grinned. "I sure did. That was real nice of ya. I remember us havin' that picture taken, in Colorado Springs. Wasn't sure you'd go for it, askin' someone to take a picture of us together. It was real early days then."

"I know. We'd only been together...what? A few weeks?"

Jack nodded, thinking back. "Yeah...'bout three weeks or somethin'."

Ennis considered. "Yeah...was early. But...Jack...it didn't feel weird, havin' our picture took. I knew by then that it was gonna be you an' me, fer real. I really liked spendin' time with ya, back there. Felt real good."

Jack smiled. "Yeah. Really enjoyed it. Had a great time back there, but...I'm glad we're settled down now. I love bein' here. All this..." He looked back towards the land. "This is all I ever wanted outta life. Somethin' to call my own, my own business. An'..." He tilted his head. "It's all 'cos of you, cowboy. We got all this together."

Ennis moved forward and wrapped Jack up in his arms. Jack nuzzled into his neck.

"Love you, Ennis," he murmured.

"Love you too, Jack."

Later that day, they returned to help Becky and Rose with Christmas lunch. They'd decided on turkey sandwiches, considering that they would be having a large turkey for dinner with all the trimmings. Becky was just glad that she wasn't having an aversion to it with her hormones.

"So," said Rose over lunch. "Are you three gonna call your families? You know, Cecilia, K.E., Adam, you know? An'..." she paused, looking at Becky. "Your mama an' daddy?"

Becky nodded, a lump in her throat. "Yep." She knew it hurt Rose when she talked about her Aunt Maria and referred to her as her mother, but she made up for it whenever Ennis and Jack were out of earshot. It was all she could do.

Later on, Ennis remained in the kitchen while Becky went to the office to call her aunt in Texas, her "mother". Jack then decided to spend some time with his mother, since she was all he had left of his home life.

He walked with her, her arm looped through his, and they sat down on the bench outside the barn, enjoying the brisk winter air.

Rose watched Jack; he looked healthy and happy, even with all of the bad stuff that had been happening lately with him and Ennis. Jack seemed to have realised that none of it was Ennis's fault; it was all down to their fathers. He looked a lot stronger and more together than she had ever seen him. She was pleased that her son looked happy; happier than she had ever seen him. She knew that he'd been repressed and squashed down by John for nearly twenty years of his life, and it was finally over.

"Jack?" she asked him. He looked at her, blue eyes peaceful.

"Yeah, mama?"

She smiled and linked their arms again. "I'm real glad that you're happy, sweetheart. I'm glad to see you happy."

Jack smiled and kissed her temple. "I'm real happy, mama. An'...I'm happy that yer here. I got all the people I love in one place."

She rubbed his arm. "Me too, Jacky."

In the kitchen, Ennis was waiting for Cecilia to pick up. When she did, he could hear a lot of noise in the background.

"Hey, what's goin' on over there?"

He could hear his sister laughing. "Kids, that's what! Our neighbours' kids are all here an' they're hopped up on sugar. Gonna lose weight chasin' after 'em."

Ennis smiled to himself. "Sounds like fun. We're havin' a quiet day. Everybody okay over there?"

"Yep, we're all good. Things okay with you an' Jack?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Back to normal, much as can be."

"Great. I gotta get goin'. They're after more food. Talk to ya later, sweetie?"

"Yeah, you bet. I'm gonna call K.E. in a minute."

"Okay. I already called him earlier. Give my best to everybody over there."

"Will do, bye sis."

"Bye, Ennis."

He hung up, still smiling to himself at the image of Cecilia and Tom chasing after a gaggle of kids. In a few years, they would probably have that themselves, with Becky's baby.

After a moment, he picked up again and called K.E. His brother picked up after a few rings.

"Hey, K.E., it's Ennis. Merry Christmas."

"Ennis, hey. Back at you. Everythin' okay over there?"

"Yeah, everythin's okay. Me an' Jack are alright."

"Glad to hear it. Was kinda worried about you two for a while."

"We're alright now. Gonna be fine."

"Good. Listen, Ennis, I gotta go. Sarah's um...well...Keith's asleep, an'..."

Ennis was surprised; his brother actually sounded embarrassed. "Say no more, K.E. I hear ya." They hung up and Ennis rubbed a hand over his face. They'd all come a long way in a year.

In the office, Becky was talking to her aunt. "So, um...how's my uncle?" she asked.

"Alright, I guess," she sighed. "Missin' yer daddy. An' I know you probably won't believe this, but he misses you too."

Becky snorted. "I don't care. This is his own fault. He didn't give me a chance to explain, just threw me out."

"I know, I've tried to talk to him. He still thinks he was right to call you out on it. But...he regrets the fact you don't wanna talk to him. You've lost two fathers, honey."

Becky swallowed. "I know. But...truth is...neither of them did right by me in the end. I'm tryin' to just move on from it. I've got my mama, an' my big brother, an'...my brother-in-law."

"Yeah. You'll be okay. Becky...if you ever wanna talk, you know where I am."

"I know. Thanks, Maria." She hung up and chewed at a fingernail. She then left the office and met Jack and Rose coming back to the house. Her heart ached for them, knowing what they truly were to her.

"Hey," she said as they approached her. They smiled back and Jack slung an arm around her.

"You call yer mama, honey?" She met Rose's eyes briefly and then cut hers away.

"Yeah, I did. She said my daddy's feelin' guilty for kickin' me out, but...I don't wanna hear it. He hurt me an' I can't forgive him."

Jack looked sympathetic. "I know." He knew how it felt to feel resentment towards a father and not be able to forgive them for what they'd done.

They went into the house and met with Ennis, who was dishing out food for the two dogs. Jack went straight to Ennis's side. "Hey, cowboy, what's goin' on? Everythin' okay with Cecilia an' K.E.?"

Ennis nodded, putting an arm around Jack. "Yep. Cecilia's chasin' after a load of kids who've had too much sugar, by the sounds of it, an'...well...K.E. an' Sarah...they seem to be takin' advantage of the fact that Keith's out like a light."

Jack's eyes widened and then he grinned. "Well, um...good for them." When Rose and Becky went into the living room to sit down, Jack leaned in close. "Not a bad idea, if you know what I mean," he whispered, eyes full of lust.

Ennis gave a sideways grin and then took his hand. "You wanna...?"

Jack nodded. "Yep. Good way to pass the time."

"Sure 'nough." And with that, Ennis took Jack upstairs for a few hours.

When they were gone, Becky looked at Rose. "Listen...I know it ain't easy for you, me havin' to pretend to 'em that Maria's my aunt."

She shook her head. "It's okay, honey. I know why you do it. An'...Maria brought you up, after all."

"Yeah, but...yer still my mama," Becky replied, smiling slightly.

Upstairs, Ennis was busy gazing down into Jack's eyes as he slid into him, lacing their fingers together. He smiled down at his lover.

"Merry Christmas, rodeo."

Jack looked up at him. "Back atcha, cowboy."

Joe Aguirre sat in his old Rambler in the swirling snow, smoking and getting ready for his long, three-day journey to Georgia. He had finally tracked down those two queers that he had hired last summer, Twist and Del Mar, and now he was seeking revenge.

It was humiliating enough that he'd hired them only to find out what they were, but they had come to his office a couple of days later, confronting him for telling Ennis's brother, K.E. Del Mar about them. They had stood there together, completely unashamed of themselves for what they'd done while they had been supposed to be working. They had confronted him, as if he had been in the wrong.

And then they'd disappeared, and he'd hoped that he would never have to deal with them again. But then Alma Beers' father had been in touch, and with some persuasion he'd set up a murder plot with John Twist. But that had gone awry, for they had been warned about it and had fled Lightning Flat in the middle of the night, and he hadn't heard from them since.

A little later, he'd heard from John again. His brother had reported that his daughter Becky had seen Jack in Texas, with Ennis, and that he had been hurt and put into hospital with fractured ribs. Joe had felt angry that the damage hadn't been too life-threatening, but they had disappeared from Texas soon after, and he had no idea where to. Becky had told her father that they'd gone to Utah, but neither of them believed it. It was unlikely that they were still so close.

He'd heard nothing of them since, not for months. But then in July, he'd been visited by rangers of the Forest Service, and they'd informed him that they'd found out about his breach of their rules while he'd had people herding sheep up on Brokeback. They had issued him a ban from future herding and had even confiscated his sheep, so he was left with no income, and he and his family had been struggling lately. It was Christmas and things were much worse this year.

He blamed those two queer herders, and there was no room in his brain for the possibility that it might not have had anything to do with it. He had nobody else to blame, and he wanted to blame them for it; get revenge for what they had done and what they were.

In September, he had heard that John Twist had died of a heart attack, and that Jack and Ennis had been in Lightning Flat for the funeral and to help Jack's mother. But he hadn't heard until a few days later, so they'd already left by the time he'd heard about it, so he was unable to track them down. He'd hoped to confront them then, but it hadn't happened.

He hadn't heard anything about them since, but the other day he'd finally heard people talking in the local bar. People had been talking about beef prices in the area and how they were rising, and somebody had mentioned the idea of buying beef from other states. Somebody had mentioned a place in Georgia, just outside the city of Sandersville. It had started up in the previous fall, and was quickly gaining a reputation for its impressive meat and dairy products, and for its good prices. But it was the name that struck him. The people in the bar had mentioned that it was named Brokeback Ranch, and they had speculated that it might be named after the mountain to the north of town.

When somebody had then mentioned that the ranch was being run by two young men from Wyoming, Joe had put two and two together. It had to be Del Mar and Twist; he wouldn't put it past them to live together like they were a normal couple, like they had the right to. He was disgusted by it, and he was fuelled by a desire for revenge, and to put them in their places.

All he had to do was find the ranch in Georgia; it was half an hour outside Sandersville. All he would have to do when he got there was drive around the area until he found it. And he would find it, he was determined to. His gaze fell on his shotgun on the seat beside him. He wanted to get revenge on them for his ban, and for sinning when they were supposed to be working, on his time, no less. He wanted to kill them for what they'd done, what they were. It was up to him to rid the world of these queers.

The sound of slippered feet drew his attention, and he looked out of his window to see his wife Claire walking up the garden path to his car, an expression of concern on her face. She looked cold out in the snow and he had half a mind to tell her to get back inside.

"Joe," she started when she got to him. "How come yer takin' off? It's Christmas, you oughta be inside with us. The kids came up 'specially for it. What are you up to?"

He puffed out a cloud of smoke in frustration. "I told ya, it's business. Be gone about a week or so." He felt guilty about leaving her but he had to do this.

"So you ain't gonna be here for New Year's?" she asked, looking sad.

"No. Sorry, Claire. I gotta go. Be back in a week. Give my best to the kids, okay?"

She nodded, and then saw the shotgun. Her eyes widened. "Joe...?" she asked uncertainly.

He gave her a look. "Business, Claire. I gotta go now." He leaned out of the car and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, before starting up the car. He drove off into the darkness, murder in his heart. He would kill those two queers, no doubt about it.

December 28th, 1964

It was a cold, quiet night, and Ennis and Jack had taken Rose out to Bill and Mary's place for a few drinks and some chat. Becky hadn't been feeling up to it, so she was sat on her own at home, with Lucky and Smokey for company and a good book. Jack had been reluctant to leave her on her own; he said he had a bad feeling about it. But Becky had shooed them off and told them she would be fine.

However, now that she was alone on an empty ranch, she had to admit she was nervous. But she'd been alone plenty of times before, and she'd never felt like this. What was so different about tonight?

Her due date was just five days away, so she hoped she wouldn't go into labour while they were out. She had to admit she was excited about the impending event before her, and she couldn't wait to be a mother. She knew that her family here would also be excited; they already were, especially her mother. She knew she had to make it up to Rose for everything she'd missed out on where a little girl was concerned.

A sharp knocking on the front door drew her attention. She looked over and frowned; they weren't expecting anybody. Maybe it was one of their friends.

She looked out of the window, just in case. An unfamiliar Rambler, a kind of reddish colour, was parked a bit of a distance away. She didn't recognise it. She opened the door to see a strange man; he had some weight to him, dark hair underneath a flat hat and a green coat. He had a heavy moustache and a scowl on his face.

"Can I help you?" she asked cautiously.

"This Brokeback Ranch?" he asked, the name sounding like it tainted his mouth.

"Yes, can I ask what yer after?"

"I'm lookin' for Del Mar an' Twist," he said. She narrowed her eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Ain't none of yer business. Where are they?"

"Out. Won't be back for a while. Who are you?" she repeated, now getting suspicious.

"I'll wait for 'em. Lemme in," he said, taking a step forward. She put her hand on the doorframe.

"Can't let ya do that. They ain't here. Come back later."

"No chance." Without warning, he pushed past her with his considerable weight, so that she staggered back.

"What the hell do you think yer doin'?" she demanded, now growing angry and alarmed. She was in a delicate state right now and she was getting scared.

He turned to face her, and her eyes widened when she saw that he was holding a shotgun.

"What the hell...?" she asked. Lucky and Smokey were growling at the stranger, sensing that Becky might be in danger.

"I'm gonna wait for 'em. Don't care how long they are. Shut the hell up!" he snapped at the dogs, who did so and went to Becky, protecting her.

Becky realised who this might be, and her panic was rising. "You're Joe Aguirre," she said, voice wavering from fear.

"Yeah. Guess they told you about me."

"Yeah. You tried to kill them," she hissed, arms folded. "They told me everythin'. How you tried to have them killed in the middle of the night."

"Well, that failed. But not this. This'll work," he said, waving his shotgun. "Gonna send those queers straight to hell."

Her guts started clenching up with fear. He was after killing Ennis and Jack, and if she stood in his way, she wouldn't put it past him to attack her too. This was bad.

"Look, I..." she stammered. "I don't think..."

"Shut up," he said shortly. "Keep yer trap shut or you'll be goin' with 'em."

She turned and tried to go into the kitchen, hoping to use the phone in there to alert Ennis and Jack. But to her horror, she felt the barrel of a shotgun pressing into her back.

"Where the hell you think you're goin'?" the intruder hissed into her ear.

"I...I, um..."

"You ain't goin' nowhere," he said, jabbing her harder with the gun. "Get in one of those chairs." The dogs were growling again but when she went to her chair on trembling legs, they followed her and sat by her like a pair of guard dogs. She was frozen with fear. What if she got so scared that it sent her into an early labour? She'd heard about that. He would kill her for sure. She prayed with all her heart that her family was about to return, but then what would happen?

"Why do you wanna kill them?" she asked trying to stay calm.

"I got banned from havin' sheep up on Brokeback, an' it's all their fault."

"What?" she asked. "They had nothin' to do with that. You got banned for breakin' Forest Service rules an' you know it. They told me all about it. It was yer own fault."

"Maybe, maybe not. But I still want 'em dead for what they did on my time, when they was supposed to be workin'! An' I lost money last year when they got 'em mixed up. Gonna teach 'em a lesson."

"This ain't the answer," she said quietly.

"Shut up," he snapped at her. He then sat on the sofa to wait, shotgun handy. She sat in her chair, feeling the minutes pass like hours.

The other three pulled up the driveway in Jack's truck, talking and laughing, completely oblivious to the danger that awaited them. They got out and stretched, not noticing the Rambler in the darkness.

"Hey," said Jack. "I wanna go check on Star, okay? I'll go 'round the house an' come back inside in a minute, okay?"

"Sure, rodeo," replied Ennis, nodding. "We'll get in an'...maybe get some supper started."

"Sure." Jack gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, which made him blush, and then walked off around the house.

Ennis turned to Rose. "Shall we then?"

She nodded, smiling. They walked up the front steps and when Ennis opened the door, he froze. Joe Aguirre was sat on their sofa, holding a shotgun and looking murderous. Becky was sat in her chair, looking terrified.

What the hell?

It took Ennis a few moments to register the scene before him, and when he did, he grew alarmed. Why was Aguirre here, and what was he after?

Aguirre stood up and Ennis's eyes fell on the shotgun. Becky's eyes were wide and fearful and he hoped that she was okay. He was just glad that Jack was out of the house.

"What are you doin' here?" he asked, aware of Rose standing right behind him, and he shifted to make sure he was protecting her.

Aguirre looked at him. "After you an' Twist. Gonna do what I shoulda done when I saw what you was doin' up on Brokeback.

"Look, Aguirre, whatever's goin' on, we can talk 'bout this. You don't gotta resort to violence."

"Don't tell me what to do, you filthy queer," he spat.

Ennis let that go; he had to be very careful here to avoid someone getting hurt. "Look, can ya at least let Becky up?" he asked, sensing that he'd ordered her into the chair.

"Fine," he said dismissively. Becky immediately got up and went straight to Rose, who put an arm around her and quietly asked her if she was okay.

Aguirre looked past them. "Where's Twist?"

"None of yer business. Either put that down or get the hell out."

"Nope. Gonna send you two queers straight to hell where you belong. Now where's Twist? Oughta get him first, fer makin' a fool outta me. Fuckin' with Joel Smith an' then havin' the nerve to come back."

Ennis twitched at the Joel Smith comment; he wouldn't let Aguirre put Jack down like this. "Get the hell out, Aguirre."

Aguirre thought for a moment, and then his eyes gleamed in a way that none of them liked, not at all. He turned and then walked towards the kitchen, heading for the back door. Ennis looked confused for a moment, and then the screen door opened and closed. His heart clenched up when he realised that Aguirre must have figured out where Jack was.

He ran out of the house and saw Aguirre heading for the stables, hearing Rose dialling 911. He ran forward on shaky legs; he didn't want to call Jack's name and alert Aguirre to Jack's location. His only thought was for Jack's safety.

Jack finished his checks on Star and stretched, looking forward to an evening with his family. He exited into the main part of the stable and when he neared the doors, he stopped in his tracks. Aguirre was stood there, an evil look in his eye.

"Aguirre?" he asked, looking incredulous at first, and then alarmed when he saw the shotgun.

"What are you doin'?" he asked cautiously.

"Gonna send you to hell, Twist. You an' Del Mar both."

Jack's eyes widened. "What have you done to Ennis? You hurt him?"

"Aw, ain't that sweet?" sneered Aguirre. "Yer boyfriend ain't been harmed, yet. Wanted to get you first, fer makin' a fool outta me."

"Makin' a fool outta ya? What the hell are ya talkin' about?"

"Joel Smith, that's what. You fuck around with him one year an' then have the nerve to show up the next."

"Alright," said Jack, holding his hands up. "That wasn't planned. I was messed up inside so I came back to sort some things out. But that don't mean-"

"Shut up, Twist," Aguirre snapped. "It's yer fault I got banned from herdin' sheep. You grass me up to the Forest Service?"

Jack shook his head, eyes wide. "No, we didn't. We had nothin' to do with that, Aguirre."

"Whatever. I'm still gonna shoot you both for what you are. For fuckin' around on my time."

"Look, Aguirre-" Jack then saw Ennis run into the stable behind Aguirre, stopping when he saw the situation. Aguirre hadn't noticed his presence, but Jack noticed that Ennis was steadily inching towards their assailant.

"Aguirre, this ain't the answer," Jack said, trying to buy Ennis time and distract Aguirre. If they worked together, they would sort this out.

"Shut up, Twist," said Aguirre, aiming the shotgun and cocking it. Jack's stomach clenched.

Ennis closed the gap between himself and Aguirre, and tapped him on the shoulder. Aguirre turned. Whatever he'd been about to say was interrupted by Ennis's punch across his face. Aguirre's finger pulled at the trigger when he was hit, and the gun fired. But Jack had anticipated it, and ducked when Ennis drew back his fist, so he was left unharmed. He crouched on the floor as Aguirre went down. Ennis then headed straight for him.

"You alright, darlin'?" he asked, pulling Jack up. He'd heard the gunshot, but even though he'd known that Jack had ducked, he had still hated the idea of a gun aiming at his lover.

"I'm fine," said Jack reassuringly. "He didn't get me. I'm okay."

Ennis nodded and pressed their foreheads together. A sound behind them made them turn. Aguirre had gotten up and was heading back towards the house.

"What's he...?" Jack asked, looking unsure.

"I don't..." They moved forward and when they got outside, the scene they saw made their stomachs clench again. Aguirre was on the back porch, and had Becky pressed up against the back wall, her eyes wide and fearful. He was clearly snarling something at her and even from this distance, they could see her shaking.

They ran towards the house, but then they heard the sound of a cruiser approaching the house. Aguirre seemed to come to his senses, and lowered the gun. He looked around, and then scarpered, heading off around the house and towards his own car.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief and the pair of them walked forward, thinking that it was over. But they were wrong.

"Jack..." said Ennis in a tone that worried Jack. He was looking straight at Becky. She was still shaking, and as they watched, Rose rushed out of the house and went to her, curling an arm around her. Becky let out a groan and water gushed out from between her legs onto the porch. Her waters had broken.

"Oh my God," said Jack, and the pair of them ran at breakneck speed. They reached the women and saw how distressed Becky was.

"Becky, you okay?" asked Jack fearfully. She looked at him, wide-eyed and fearful.

"Her waters have broken, Jack. Can you call Rick an' let him know?" said Rose, taking charge of the situation. She'd missed out on so much of her daughter's life and had to do right by her now.

"Okay," said Jack. He ran inside and Ennis helped Rose with Becky, getting her around the house to Jack's truck and helping her in. Ennis then went inside, where Jack had just hung up.

"Okay?"

"Yep, we better get goin'." Jack looked scared.

"Rodeo?"

"Ennis...if somethin' happens to her or the baby...because of him...I'm gonna get my shotgun an' head up to Wyomin'. An' you ain't gonna stop me."

"No, I ain't. But I ain't gonna let you go alone. I'll be there."

"To stop me?" asked Jack defiantly.

Ennis moved forward, placing his hands on Jack's shoulders. "No, to make sure you don't get hurt."