The Deadwood Saloon was significantly more crowded than the last time Robin had visited. A makeshift stage had been set up at the saloons front, and he could see Dexter tuning his guitar with a pick in his mouth.

"Let's sit at the bar!" Holly shouted over the noise, casting a lingering glance at Dexter. Leading Robin over to claim two of the few remaining seats in the saloon.

"Miss Ivy!" Miss Jackie shouted from down the bar, "It's good to see you again, love!"

"Same to you, Miss Jackie! It's been a while. How have you been?" Holly yelled back leaning over the bar to catch an easier view of the woman. "I love the necklace you're wearing today, by the way." She added, with a wink.

"Oh, this old thing?" Miss Jackie said, waving her hand. "A very talented friend made it for me. I need her to make me something new soon—I get so many compliments on this one. I'm growing tired of hearing the same thing over and over again."

"Oh, what a problem to have... Well, I'm sure your friend will be more than happy to help," Holly beamed. "Come see me at the shop if you ever have a moment. I think I have something that could almost compare to how beautiful you are, Miss Jackie.

"Oh, stop it," Miss Jackie giggled, coming down the bar to stand in front of their seats. "Now, is this why you haven't been visiting me in the afternoons?" The old woman smirked, looking Robin up and down before raising an eyebrow at Holly. "I can forgive you if so; I can see why you'd prefer his company."

Robin felt a blush creep up his cheeks. Although he considered himself a handsome enough man, he wasn't entirely used to people being as forward as they were here in the Great Plains.

"Hah! Yes, well, I wouldn't be a very good hostess if I was sneaking off to the bar and abandoning my guest," Holly said aggressively, her ears flushing red.

Miss Jackie nodded slowly, giving Holly a sly look. When Holly shot her a glare, Miss Jackie shook her head with a laugh, reaching down to pull out two glasses from behind the counter.

"Sure, hun," Miss Jackie said gently. "Whatever you say. Just remember, I'm a barkeep, not a priest."

Holly snorted, looking slightly annoyed. Robin raised his eyebrows at the implication.

"I'm well aware, Miss Jackie," Holly said with a warning look. "But you are also a terrible gossip, and I'm going to remind you that I wouldn't lie to you or a priest."

"A valid point, pretty girl. I just wanted to tease you," Miss Jackie said, leaning on the counter and lowering her voice almost to a whisper. "It's just that you've been cooped up in that old house for so long on your own. We're all excited for you. Heard good things about this one from those who've met him, and he's got my stamp of approval. Couldn't have come at a better time for you too, since—"

"Hi, Ivy!" a cheery voice called from behind them.

Robin turned to see a small woman with bobbed red hair approach thier seats. She was notably petite and skinny; and looked to be in the later half of her thirties. She was attractive, not by being beautiful, with a light, childlike aura one might find enchanting. The woman casually put her hand on Holly's back as she walked up beside her and sat in the bar seat on the other side of Holly, reaching for a hug, which Holly hesitantly returned.

"Oh, hi, Corrine," Holly said less than enthusiastically. "I'm looking forward to the show tonight."

"Aw, thanks, love," Corrine said shyly, giggling at the praise and playfully swatting Holly's shoulder.

Corrine then looked around the bar before leaning in towards Holly, speaking in a tone that wasn't quite a whisper.

"Since you're my friend, I'll let you in on a little spoiler for tonight's show." She said with a giddy squeal.

"Ah, a spoiler? Wha-"

Corrine held up her left hand triumphantly, revealing the ring Holly had given Dexter a couple of weeks ago.

Robin froze at the sight, knowing what ever came next couldn't be good. He slowly turned his focus onto the beverage before him, watching the two women from the corner of his eye.

Holly wasn't facing Robin, so he didn't see her reaction, but one glance up at Miss Jackie, who hadn't strayed too far from their seats, told him all he needed to know. Miss Jackie looked between Holly and Corrine with a saddened, yet not entirely surprised, look. Robin realized she had already known it all. Both of the engagement and of Holly's feelings for Dexter.

"O-Corrine, wh-where did you get that?" Holly laughed nervously.

"Dexter of course! He proposed! Isn't it lovely?" Corrine giggled again. "I guess I have you to thank for that. Truthfully, he proposed about a month ago, but didn't want me to tell you... but u thought, since you're my friend, and we're going to announce it tonight, I just had to share the news as soon as I saw you!"

When Robin stole a glance at Corrine, he saw her looking at Holly with a mix of guilt, glee, and, most strikingly, victory.

Pop!

Suddenly, the ring snapped off Corrine's finger.

"Oh my goodness!" Corrine cried in surprise.

Out of the corner of his eye, Robin saw Miss Jackie hide a smirk as she turned to attend to another customer further down the bar.

"Oh no!" Holly said, feigning surprise as she jumped up. "Don't worry, Corrine, I can fix it." Holly reached out to take the ring from Corrine, practically ripping it from her hands.

"Well, thank you, Ivy," Corrine said, reaching down her blouse and shaking out some broken metal. "Could you fix this necklace too? I don't know what just happened... It looks like it broke as well. Must be from fiddling with them too much..." Corrine added with an embarrassed laugh.

"Oh-He gave you this necklace too?" Holly said, taking the remnants of the necklace hesitantly. Robin couldn't tell what the necklace had looked like from the broken pieces, but he inferred it was likely the one he had seen around Dexter's neck when they first met.

"Yes," Corrine sighed, cheekily. "I always complimented him on it. I'd been saying I wanted one like it, but you've been too busy lately to make me one, Ivy! Which we both know is a lie..." she added giving Holly a playful glare. "So Dexter just gave it to me. He never really liked it much anyway."

"Oh... Well, that was very sweet." Holly said through gritted teeth. Robin detected sarcasm in her voice but wasn't sure if her sarcasm was aimed at Dexter's gift or at the insult at Holly's work.

"I'm happy for you both, Corrine," Holly continued without looking at the woman before her. She was fiddling with the pieces of metal in her hand. "I'm sorry you'll have to push back the announcement while I fix your ring."

"No, it's fine! We can still announce it without the ring. Most people already know anyway," Corrine said reassuringly, patting Holly's shoulder.

"Ah, r-right," Holly said, her voice breaking and betraying her heartbreak.

Quickly, Holly stood up from her seat, and backed away from Corrine. "Well, I'll go fix these. It might not be exactly the same, but I'll try my best," she said, her voice filled with forced cheer.

"Oh, gee. Thank you, Ivy," Corrine said sweetly. "You're a good friend."

With Holly now standing, Robin could see her face clearly. The earlier feeling of disgust in his stomach returned. Holly was practically beaming with her fake smile, trying to hide the betrayal and hurt in her eyes.

Holly didn't respond but turned and promptly left the saloon, leaving Robin sitting awkwardly at the bar. Corrine turned to him with an innocent smile.

"Hi, I'm Corrine. You must be the Mr. Robin, Ivy's guest, right? I heard you're a doctor?" Corrine said sweetly, tilting her head and gazing at him wide-eyed.

Behind Corrine, Miss Jackie was making motions with her head, silently urging Robin to ignore Corrine and follow Holly.

Robin gave Miss Jackie a slight nod, though he didn't need her encouragement. Now that Corrine had turned her attention to him, the feeling of disgust in his stomach grew almost unbearable.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm afraid I must be going. Good luck with the show tonight." Robin said hurriedly, almost leaping from his seat and rushing out the doors after Holly. As he pushed through the saloon's old wooden doors, he saw Holly running down the alley as fast as her legs could take her. Cookie, who had been tied up outside the saloon as a horse, now scampered at her feet as a small dog.

"Wait! Holly! Wait!" Robin yelled, chasing after her into the night.

Holly slowed to a stop and waited for him to catch up before turning around. Her eyes were bloodshot, and multiple tears threatened to spill over her long eyelashes, which were now clumped in soggy groups around the bottom of her eyes. Although her mascara wasn't running, tear streaks were left on her cheeks from where previous tears had carried away her makeup.

When Holly noticed Robin staring at her, she quickly looked down to hide her tear-streaked face.

"I'm so sorry, Robin," Holly said, her hands shaking as she dug into her purse. "I promised you a drink." She pulled out some money and held it out to him, still avoiding eye contact as she wiped away more tears. "Here, you can take this and enjoy the show."

"No, No, it's okay, Holly. I don't really feel like having a drink anymore." Robin said, reassuringly pushing her hand away.

"Oh," she said, swallowing a sob. "You're right...I'm sorry to have ruined your night. You can use it for food or something else... I don't care, but I will head home now if you don't mind."

"No, Holly, you didn't—" Robin paused, reconsidering his words. "You didn't ruin anything at all. I was... I was just hoping you wouldn't mind if I accompanied you home? I'd like to make sure you get home safely."

A sob escaped Holly's lips. She looked up at the sky and lightly patted away tears from her eyes. "I'd prefer you didn't. I feel like destroying everything in sight, and I'd rather not have anyone see me do that."

"I understand that," Robin said reassuringly. But would you mind if I showed you what I used to do back in London when I was so angry I wanted to destroy things? If it doesn't help, I'll let you destroy whatever you want. But, as your housekeeper, I can't help but try to minimize the mess I'll have to clean up. " He said, only slightly teasing and offering her a reassuring smile.

Holly regarded him with a doubtful look. Another sob bubbled up, and she gave him a half-hearted nod.

"Okay. Perfect. Cookie, would you mind giving us a ride?" Robin asked, turning to the small dog at Holly's feet, who looked up at her owner with concern.

Cookie sneezed and trotted to the road, turning back into a horse. Holly sniffled as she trudged over to Cookie, quickly hopping up on her back as easily as one would jump over a puddle. Robin hesitantly came up beside Cookie, looking for a way to get up as easily as Holly did. Holly sniffled before reaching her hand down to help pull him up. It was a bit awkward, and he struggled to pull himself onto Cookie's back, even with her help. However, Robin was a bit thankful for his clumsiness, as it caused a pause in Holly's heartbreak, as she couldn't help but laugh at his feeble attempts.

"Hold on tight," Holly said after Robin finally managed to climb onto Cookie's back. She rearranged his arms around her waist, using one hand to hold his arms and the other to grip Cookie's mane.

Before Robin could respond, Cookie snorted and took off into the night.