“Um… From what I’ve seen, he stays here and there, various places.” The girl looked around the room. “Cora!” She turned back to him. “She’ll know. They’re friendly.”
He stared across the room at the woman headed their way. The dark-haired beauty with full red lips and dark eyes looked to be Joe’s type. He wondered just how friendly the two actually were. He wasn’t worried about their physical relationship but their emotional ties gave him some concern. Joe had a way of wooing women. Good thing that saloon girls and whores could usually be bought, even if it meant turning their loyalties.
Cora stopped beside the table. “What do you want?” She frowned, looking put out. “I’m not doing any more threesomes tonight if that’s what he’s interested in. I’ve done two already and that’s my limit.”
“A shame,” Slim murmured, drawing her attention to him. He wouldn’t mind watching two whores go at one another, sucking each other’s tits and licking one another’s cunt. His cock hardened at the thought.
“He’s asking about Joe.”
“Oh?” Cora’s eyes narrowed as her gaze went from him to the girl and back again. “What’s your interest in Joe?”
“Just trying to find out some information,” he told her. “I’ll make it worth your while.” When he and Montana had ridden into town, he’d noticed that Delia’s Palace had been boarded up. He’d bet almost all the saloon girls here used to work over there. Whores were much more profitable for a saloon than just serving girls. They knew how to make a buck. And these two had already offered themselves up to him. Well, the one on his lap anyhow. The other one had simply confirmed that she was for sale, so it was only a matter of time…
“What kind of information do you want?” She eyed the money in his hand. “And what exactly is it worth to you?”
Good, she was willing to talk. He pushed the girl off his lap and set her on her feet. “Get going. I won’t be needing you.”
“Hmph.” The girl glared at him then stomped off toward the bar.
Slim smiled up at Cora as he stuffed the money back into his pocket. He wasn’t just going to turn it over to her. Not until she earned it. In more ways than one.
Any information he could find out about Joe would better his chances of getting his cousin to help him and Montana. “You have someplace private we can go?” After he got the information he wanted, he intended to fuck the hell out of this beauty and taste what Joe had been getting. Taking a woman that Joe was poking gave him a wicked sense of pleasure.
“Grab your bottle, cowboy, and follow me upstairs.”
* * * * *
Montana stood on the boardwalk, looking up at the moon. The one constant in his life, comforting but sad at the same time. Seemed to him that there should be more to live for than admiring the sky. But that’s about what his life had come to.
Slim hadn’t returned, so he’d had dinner alone downstairs at the inn. He’d thought about going over to the saloon afterward but hadn’t felt like dealing with drunks and sordid women trying to get his money. Knowing Slim, he’d probably found some whore to spend time with, maybe even a card game or two, which would likely keep him occupied until morning.
What did normal family folk do on nights like this? He had to wonder. He’d never really had a normal life or a family. Bored, he walked toward the end of town, noting the position of each structure in case he and Slim needed the information later. Not much to see in Elk Valley. Another poor desert town pretty much, just as he’d figured it would be.
“Stop it, you sons of bitches!”
Montana stopped. He stepped off the boardwalk and peered between two buildings. Looked like a skirmish among some boys.
“You’re the bitch,” one of them said. “A dirty one too. You’re no better than any filthy animal.”
“Yeah, and dirty bitches get kicked to hell and back,” another added.
“Don’t touch me!”
From the high-pitched sound of the boy who was getting the worst of it, Montana figured him to be quite young. It brought back memories of his own youth, memories that he’d rather forget.
“Get her down!”
Her? It wasn’t a boy they were picking on. It was a girl. He stepped between the buildings. “Back off, fellas,” he warned. Now that he stood closer, he could see that they all looked to be maybe fifteen or sixteen years old. Old enough to know better. Three against one. Not fair by a long shot. Not that he had been all that fair to others in his own life.
He glanced to the side. A girl was pressed against the wall of the building, trying to protect herself with a pathetic-looking stick. She was dirty and dressed like a boy. Probably homeless. An easy victim. But she didn’t deserve this. Anger surged inside him. “Get on outta here.”
The boys ran, disappearing into the dark like a bunch of cockroaches. Cowards. “Are you all right?” he asked as he stepped closer to her.
“Stay back. I’ll shove this stick right up your nose if you come any closer.”
He raised his hands and backed off. She had spunk. He liked that in a female. “Don’t think I’d look too good with a stick up my nose.” She didn’t comment, just stared at him as if he was a two-headed rattlesnake. He couldn’t leave her like this. Vulnerable to anyone who could take advantage. She needed shelter, at least for the night. Slowly, he reached into his pocket and tossed a couple of coins at her feet.
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the money then back at him. “I’m not a whore. Just cuz you ran them bastards off, don’t go thinking I’m gonna be grateful and—and let you—”
“Whoa there.” His lips twitched. “It never crossed my mind.”
She raised her chin. “Why not?”
He had to chuckle at her indignant look. At the same time, he worried that the next man she came across wouldn’t be as concerned, nor care about her virtue. “The money is just in case you need a place to stay for tonight. You should get off the street.” She looked as if she didn’t have a penny to her name. Even slower, he reached for his pistol. When her eyes widened, he spoke softly. “It’s all right.” He put the gun on the ground and pushed it toward her with his boot. “Take this. For protection.”
“Are you loco? Why would you give me your gun?”
He knew a gun was costly to give away, but he had a second one in his saddlebag. “I figure you need it more than I do.”
Without another word and knowing she’d be too prideful to take his offers while he watched, he turned and walked away. Maybe doing a good deed would soothe his troubled soul. He needed something to make himself feel as if he wasn’t totally worthless in this world. If he had a brain in his head, he’d leave Elk Valley now, while the getting was good. Get away from Slim and this life he’d gotten himself trapped in. But he had no place to go.
He’d tried hiring on as a hand on a few ranches in the past but he always seemed to get himself into trouble. And fired. At least with Slim, he wasn’t alone. A person shouldn’t be alone. Like the girl. He wondered where she normally slept at night. Probably under the moon. There were worse places.
After checking out the bank to see how well protected it was, he returned to his room at the inn and flopped down on the bed. He had kept his eyes open for the girl while he’d strolled back through town but he hadn’t seen her again.
He rolled over onto his stomach. He’d try to get some sleep. When he woke up, Slim would probably be back and they could get on with things.
If he got enough money from the bank robbery, maybe he would finally turn honest. Honest. He grunted. Somehow he doubted that an honest life would ever truly be in his future.
* * * * *
Joe strolled along the boardwalk, heading back to the office, after doing his nightly rounds. Other than chasing away three boys sneaking a smoke behind Delia’s Palace, all had been quiet.
As he glanced to the side, something across the road caught his eye. Lantern light glowed from inside the abandoned barbershop. Nobody should be in there. He crossed the
road and peered through the large, front window but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He tried the door and it opened easily. It should have been locked. He had the key in his desk. As he stepped inside, he drew his pistol.
Standing still a moment, he listened for movement but he didn’t hear any sounds. When he rounded a stack of crates, he saw a body on the floor and his heart clenched. An empty bottle lay nearby.
“Damn it, Willie.” He re-holstered his pistol and crouched beside her. He shook her shoulder but got no response. She was out cold.
Joe reached out and carefully picked her up. He held her close, looking down at her dirty face. She would be really pretty if she kept herself clean. “Why do you do this to yourself?” he whispered, wondering where she’d gotten money for the liquor. He’d trusted that she wouldn’t buy any more. He’d thought that if he believed in her and told her so, then she’d believe in herself. He’d been wrong.
As quickly and quietly as he could, he carried her down to the jail. He was grateful not to pass anyone on the way. Willie didn’t need any more gossip to deal with, nor did he.
After fumbling with the knob, he finally got the door open. He stepped inside and kicked the door closed behind them.
No one was locked up in the cells right now, so he put Willie on a cot farthest from the main part of the office. He covered her with a blanket and then just stood there, watching her for a long time.
His heart went out to her. Willie deserved a better life than what she’d known and he felt responsible for her now. Unfortunately, though she welcomed his presence in her life, she wouldn’t let him take care of her.
Tonight he’d sleep here to make sure that she stayed put and was safe. He turned and headed for his desk. He lit a lantern, but kept the flame low.
After pulling down some old wanted posters and hanging a new batch he’d received a few days ago, he locked the office, extinguished the lantern light and headed to the back. He entered the cell next to Willie’s. With a groan, he lay down on the cot. It had been a long day. He pulled his hat over his face and soon after he drifted into a light sleep, dreaming of what tomorrow would bring.
* * * * *
Emma tossed and turned, drifting in and out of sleep. A multitude of dreams plagued her. Dreams of her father. Dreams of her friends in Elk Valley and those back in Boston. Dreams of Joe.
His hands caressed her body. The strong yet soothing touch of his fingers relaxed her. She lay naked in his arms, enjoying the feel of his warm flesh against her cool skin.
He whispered tender words of love to her and made promises that every woman longed to hear from the man who held her heart. She murmured her own feelings of love then kissed his neck, letting her tongue linger against his skin. He tasted warm and spicy. When his body trembled, she smiled.
Joe moved his fingers down her back, settling his hands on her butt. She snuggled against him, feeling safe and loved. He’d asked nothing of her and had vowed over and over again never to leave her.
“Joe, is this real?” she asked, afraid to trust what was happening.
“Of course. My words are true.”
She wanted to believe him more than anything but something tugged at her deep down—some sense of doom. She clung more tightly to the man of her dreams, feeling that if she let him go she might never find him again.
He shifted, pulling her beneath him. “Let me love you.” With exquisite ease, he entered her body until they were as one.
She wrapped her arms and legs around him. “Never leave me.”
“Never.” He moved his hips slowly, giving her more pleasure than she’d ever known. His cock slid back and forth inside her, building sensation upon sensation, until neither of them could hold back.
She toppled over in ecstasy, calling out his name. He climaxed right along with her. Pure love and insatiable desire. Yes, this was her fantasy.
A loud noise jarred Emma awake. She sat up in bed. It took her a moment to distinguish the sounds coming from outside. A wagon rumbled past, then she heard cattle. Someone must be moving livestock through town. Not a common occurrence but it happened from time to time.
She looked down at the mattress and touched the cool, empty spot next to her. Her thoughts went to her dream, still vivid in her mind. “Love is never that perfect or that satisfying.” She lay back down and closed her eyes, wondering what her future truly held.
* * * * *
Early the next morning, Emma squinted at the sun streaming through the clinic windows. As she set a cup of coffee down on the desk, the door opened. A young man entered and closed the door softly behind him.
She didn’t recognize him. He must be from a new family in town or from a family just passing through. “Can I help you?”
“Mayhaps.”
The voice caught Emma’s attention and she peered closer. She’d been wrong. It was a young woman dressed like a boy. And she had a gun shoved into the front of her pants. Blood trickled down the side of her face.
Emma jumped up. “What happened?”
“Are you the doc?”
“Close enough.” She rushed across the room and reached out but the girl pulled back before Emma could touch her forehead. “I need to look at it.”
After a moment, the girl nodded and stepped closer, but still looked wary. Emma wondered at her age. She couldn’t really tell from the way the girl was dressed. She moved slowly, hoping not to scare her off. “I’m Emma Bray. What’s your name?” The girl had a pretty good cut right above her left eye.
“Willie.”
Willie? This was the one Joe had spoken of. When that’s all the girl said, she questioned, “Just Willie?”
“Yeah.”
Emma turned and grabbed some disinfectant and some swabs. “I’ll need to clean the wound. Hop up on that table there. How did this happen?”
Willie pulled out her gun and set it beside her as she scooted up onto the middle of the exam table. “Does it matter?”
“It might. If something made you dizzy and you fell.”
“I didn’t fall. I was pushed and hit my head on the boardwalk. Some stupid boys keep harassing me.” Her chin quivered, but for just a moment, then she raised it a notch in defiance. “I gave them all something to think about.”
Emma eyed the gun. She wasn’t sure what Willie meant by that and was afraid to ask. She dabbed at the blood.
“Ouch!”
“Sorry.” Emma felt for the girl, who seemed like a lost soul, putting up a brave front. “Did you tell the sheriff?” Joe should know.
“No way. Joe was in a cranky mood this morning. Especially after he saw this here gun. Besides, I can take care of myself. Mostly.”
Emma’s curiosity rose a notch. The girl had already seen Joe. If not about her troubles, then about what? She put a small bandage over the cut on Willie’s forehead. She thought it best not to ask any more questions. In her experience, people didn’t usually cotton much to prying.
The door flew open and banged against the wall, causing both Willie and her to jump. A woman stood in the entry. The same woman Emma had caught with Joe in the jail. She felt like groaning and running from the room but she held her ground and forced a civil tongue. “I’m with someone right now.”
“Learn quick. Willie ain’t nobody, no matter what she says.”
“Best not let Joe hear you say that.”
“Like he cares.”
Emma felt Willie stiffen. She wondered just what the connection between Willie and Joe was. She’d find out from someone. Folks in a small town might not like people prying in their personal business but they still loved to gossip about others whenever they could.
“I heard you’re like some sort of doctor or something.”
The woman’s attitude and tone of voice grated on Emma’s nerves more so than her words. “That’s right.”
“Cora, you’re such a mule’s rear. This here’s a real lady and educated too. Give her some respect.”
“Shut up, skunk fac
e.”
“You’re looking for a black eye!”
Emma put her hand on Willie’s arm, afraid she might jump off the table and hit Cora. Or shoot her. That was trouble none of them needed. “Um, I think—”
“I didn’t come here for a meet and greet,” Cora interrupted. “I got a rash on my butt. I think Joe got too rough with me last night.”
Emma tensed and she sucked in a gulp of air.
At her reaction, Cora smiled. She turned and lifted her skirt in the back. “He spanked me right good. He likes that kind of stuff before he goes between my legs.”
“Hellfire, Cora,” Willie exclaimed. “You’re crazier’n a locoed bedbug. No one wants to look at your nasty butt.”
The woman dropped her skirt and turned back around. “The doc needed to see what Joe done.”
Joe was with her again? No. Emma didn’t believe that. The woman was just trying to get a rise out of her or embarrass her. She could see the satisfaction brewing in the woman’s eyes.
“Joe weren’t even with you last night,” Willie responded.
Yes. Emma felt a sense of relief to hear someone confirm her own beliefs. But how did Willie know? She did her best not to outwardly react to anything either one of them said.
“You were probably too drunk to know who you was with,” Willie continued.
“You’re calling me a drunk?”
The girl’s face flushed.
Emma didn’t like the direction of this conversation. She’d had enough of Cora and wanted her out of the clinic before they all started throwing punches. She turned and grabbed some salve off a shelf. “Put this on the rash. And try taking a bath in some clean water every once in a while.” She couldn’t help the gibe.
Willie snickered.
“Hey, someone who looks and smells like pig slop shouldn’t be laughing.”
Willie blanched, but said nothing.
Cora grabbed the salve. “Thanks, doc. Can Joe and I still fuck?”
Emma and Willie both gasped. Emma had just about had enough of this crass woman. Before she could respond, Cora laughed, flicked a coin across the room, then stomped out the door.
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