A Distant Heart: A Contemporary Western

by Steedly, Arabella

  Just as Violet was about to summon her students back inside, she noticed one more passenger stepping down from the stagecoach. Violet’s breath hitched when she saw he was tall and handsome, so she surveyed him from his brown leather cowboy boots to his matching Stetson hat. He had dark brown hair that appeared to fall just below his ears, and he seemed to be older than her. Based on the amount of stubble on his face Violet would wager he had been on the road for a few days and hadn’t had a bath or a shave.

  As he glanced up and down the dusty streets of Durango, she saw a smile creep onto his face. She noticed he had highly visible dimples and a thick neck and muscular chest. He was so incredibly handsome she felt a flash of heat come into her face. When he turned his head and gazed at her, Violet immediately looked away and placed her focus back on the children. Embarrassed, Violet lingered just long enough to beckon the students back inside.

  After school had let out, Violet made her way to the door and scanned the outskirts of Durango for the sexy mystery man. She was curious, and she had not allowed herself to be curious about a man after losing Solomon. Violet hoped that if she managed to run across him, she would have the courage to speak—he was so handsome. Despite her best efforts, for the remainder of the day, her mind kept drifting to that sexy stranger and wondered how she could casually meet him without being judged as inappropriate.

  There was a rumor going around town that a few women were earning a handsome sum of money selling their virginity over and over again to drifters of course—who never suspected anything different. But Violet knew the rumor wasn’t a rumor at all. She was very close to one saloon girl who kept deep dark secrets of many who lived in Durango. Violet couldn’t help but wonder if her mystery man would fall for that ruse.

  Violet wondered if she should get in touch with Nina to see what she knew about the handsome mystery man. After a moment, Violet pushed thoughts of Nina to the back of her mind as she gathered her satchel and locked the schoolhouse door, behind her. Violet looked west into the late afternoon sun and headed toward the Bluebell Cafe to meet her best friend Savannah for a glass of lemonade and to catch up on the gossip.

  Savannah was seated in their usual spot at the corner table furthermost from the door. She waved at Violet and motioned with her hand for her to come on over. "Oh, hi darling it's so nice to see ya," Savannah said as she pushed a large glass of lemonade across the table.

  Violet sat down and patted the loose hair in her bun back into place then raised the glass to her lips, "Thank you for ordering for me...I'm parched. How about you?" The two ladies sat for a few moments making small talk about the weather.

  Savannah worked at the bank as their only teller, so she had plenty of gossip to share. "Did you know Mrs. Johnson is expecting a baby in January...the preacher is being reassigned...Sheriff Marcum finally caught those cattle rustlers after they started almost two months ago." With a sly smile on her face, Savannah leaned over the table a bit then looked around to ensure no one could hear her, and whispered, "Mayor Atwater is still advertising for more men to come to Durango for work."

  Violet gasped. "How do you know?"

  "He and Mathias McNitt along with Dewitt Dodson--you know the man who owns the saloon--had a meeting with Mr. Hensley in our back room, and I just happened to hear with they said,"

  "So, Mr. Hensley is in on it too?"

  Savannah nodded her head. "Of course he is. It's good for the bank business he says."

  Violet shook her head in disbelieve. “It seems that Mayor Atwater was lying the other day at the town council meeting?"

  "Sure was... He and the others don't care that men working on the railroad, or come to seek their fortune in gold, that Durango doesn’t have the means to house or feed them—causing dangerous communities like tent city to spring up and threaten our safety. Yet he keeps advertising in the papers, like the ones in Oklahoma City and Chicago.”

  "Well, I do declare!" Violet said as she raised her glass to her lips.

  Chapter Three

  McCoy’s first official day in Durango was much more physically demanding than he had anticipated. He had been a rancher all his life—started out as just a kid helping his pa. So he had figured working on the line would be a cinch for a strong, tough man like him but he was mistaken.

  Since he was the new man, Sam had assigned McCoy to the pick ax crew whose job it was to loosen and level the rocky soil before they laid down the train tracks. The foreman was a heartless man who sat high on his horse riding up and down keeping a close eye on their progress. He yelled orders and offered no sympathy when the blisters on their hands turned into bloody open wounds, or the men fell over with leg cramps. His only concern was making their quota of track laid for the day.

  On the way back to tent city, after their day was over McCoy's back ached, and his hands felt like they were on fire. He walked up to the well and gave the handle on the pump a stroke or two then bent down and splashed cool water all over his face. He grabbed his handkerchief from his pocket, got it wet and washed the back of his neck and his face.

  “Hey McCoy, you did some good work out there today for a greenhorn. I reckon you could do with a couple of shots of whiskey.” When McCoy glanced around to see who had spoken, he saw Sam, and there was no smile on his face.

  McCoy tipped his hat, and said, “I wager that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day,” and followed Sam and the other men in town toward the saloon. He was interested in checking out Durango and sighed when he noticed the school house was closed. But his spirits were lifted when off in the distance he heard laughter and the sound of a piano.

  McCoy watched Sam push open the saloon doors and followed the group of men inside. Sam crossed the room with wide strides and approached a woman with long flaxen hair who had on a bustier, silk stockings, and a robe with feathers around the front. He grabbed her around the waist, pulled her close to him and pressed his mouth to hers with such force it was almost an act of ownership. The woman fell back into one of his arms and kicked up her leg as the room filled with applause and laughter.

  McCoy glanced around the saloon and marveled at all the scantily clad women most busy sashaying around the card tables or sidling up to the men at the bar. Where McCoy was from the saloons were scarce and the woman inside them less friendly.

  As he sat at a table with Sam and the other guys, McCoy tossed back one shot of whiskey. The other men were more interested in the saloon girls than talking with him. He couldn’t blame them, had that school teacher been there; he would have given her all of his attention. McCoy got up from the table, tipped his hat at the other men, and sidled up to the bar. He’d have one more drink then head back to get some shut eye. “Barkeep, whiskey please,” McCoy hollered over the noise of the crowd and held up his shot glass.

  The same barkeep as the night before poured him another whiskey. “So I see you found yourself some work." McCoy nodded in agreement. The barkeep crossed his arms in front of him and leaned over the bar when he said, "Sam and the rest of the boys are probably betting on how long you’ll stick around. Greenhorns don’t tend to last long when they are pretty boys.”

  McCoy looked at him quizzically then shook his head. “Pretty boys? I ain’t no pretty boy.”

  The barkeep laughed, “Compared to the yahoos around here, you are. I can tell by the way the ladies are keeping their eyes on you.” The barkeep nodded over to a corner of the saloon where two of the local ladies were standing. They were staring at McCoy as they whispered to one another and giggled. The barkeep filled McCoy’s shot glass one more time, “That one’s on the house, Mr. McCoy and I’m Dewitt, Dewitt Dodson.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Dodson that’s mighty kind of you. Just call me McCoy. Never saw the need for mister.”

  Dewitt nodded, and said, "Seeing you’re new in town you're probably in need of a hot bath."

  McCoy nodded. "Yes, I could use one."

  Pointing across the room to a boy who was sweeping the floor, Dodson hollered out at hi
m. "Hey Jimmy, go fix up a hot bath for this man." Then he turned to McCoy, and said, "This one is on me."

  McCoy got up from the stool and tipped his hat to Dodson. "Thank you kindly, and I believe I’ll take you up on your offer.”

  Dodson smiled and pointed toward Jimmy, and said, "Follow him upstairs."

  Jimmy showed McCoy to a private room with a brass bathtub in the middle. Then he pointed to the closet, and said, "There are towels and a robe in there. Go on and put the robe on if you want to while I bring the hot water up to the room.” He nodded toward a basin and pitcher on a wash stand over by the window. "There's already water in the pitcher and a straight razor in the drawer. I'll bring the hot water for the basin first so you can start shaving."

  McCoy was impressed when he told the boy, "Thank you, son," and dug into his pocket for a coin to tip him. With a grin, Jimmy plucked the nickel from McCoy’s fingers and left to finish his errand. As soon as McCoy had unbuttoned his shirt and slipped his pants down to his ankles, there was a knock at the door, and then a woman with black hair poked her head inside. "Oh, hello, my name is Bonnie do you need any help with anything?"

  McCoy looked up at her as he slid down his pants and watched her jaw drop when she glanced down at his cock. She licked her lips and stepped inside. "Oh, honey...I'm sure I can help relieve some of your tension. I heard this was your first day working down on the line—I’ll give you some tender loving care.“

  He stepped out of his pants and kicked them aside and finished taking his shirt off. As Bonnie walked closer, her hands fluttered over her breasts, and a twinkle came into her eyes. But he stepped away and reached for the robe, and said, "Not tonight, darlin I'm not interested." Then he chuckled to himself when her grin turned into a pout when she turned and headed for the door.

  Minutes later he had finished shaving and was soaking in the tub of hot water when he heard a giggle and a moan--the unmistakable music of desire--coming from the room next door. McCoy glanced at the wall that separated them and noticed there was a small crack in the wood. Curious, he got out of the tub and grabbed a fresh white towel. As he peered through the crack, he was shocked at what he saw.

  John, one of the men that he worked with, was embracing a tall woman with auburn hair. She had her back toward him, but from what he could tell, she looked just like the school teacher. How could that be? Surely the city father’s wouldn’t allow the school teacher to moonlight as a saloon girl.

  Moments later he heard John say, "Nina, I'm ready for some of your special brand of lovin'." He could tell John was drunk by the way he was slurring his words. McCoy heard Nina sigh as she unbuttoned his pants and exposed his erection. John looked down and gave her a toothy grin and began to stroke his hard rod. "Go ahead Nina, let me see what I've been thinking about all day long. Go on and show me your beautiful big tits."

  McCoy watched as Nina slid the straps of her camisole over her arms as John's eyes got wider and wider. He could only imagine what John was experiencing. Then as she slipped out of her knickers exposing her beautiful pert ass, she bent down to pick them up off the floor. When she did, he got a glimpse of pussy lips peeking out of a patch of curly red hair. Just as John reached down to grab Nina's ass to pull her closer to him, McCoy dropped his towel and reached for his cock that was getting harder by the second.

  McCoy quietly moaned as John grabbed Nina’s arm pulling her to toward the bed. He fell on his back, and she sat straddling his hips. John’s hands went immediately to her breasts. But all McCoy could see was her the smooth skin of her back and her open butt cheeks. Nina started to pant as she rode John’s rod up and down. McCoy kept time with her while he continued to pleasure himself.

  John pulled her down on his chest, and to McCoy's delight, he could see Nina's ass and John's cock fucking her dripping wet hole. In and out John's cock pumped her while McCoy watched their every move. He kept his eyes glued to that spot between Nina's thighs. It was easy to imagine he was the man Nina was riding as he stroked himself faster and faster.

  John’s grunting must have let Nina know he was on the brink of his explosive release because she bounced up and down faster and harder on his rod. Just as McCoy was about to cum along with John, there was a quick knock at the door.

  McCoy grabbed his robe and expected the door to open at any moment, but it didn't. So he pulled the robe tightly around him and pulled the door open. Jimmy was standing in front of him with a shy expression on his face. "Mister your bath time was up ten minutes ago. If you will kindly get dressed so I can get the room ready for the next customer."

  All of a sudden, he saw Bonnie coming down the hall. She licked her lips then a sly smile appeared on her face. “See, you should have let me stay.” McCoy clenched his jaw then grabbed his clothes and slipped out the door. But as he passed the room where John and Nina were, he stopped and looked over his shoulder before putting his ear up to the door. Hearing nothing but a man snoring, he shook his head and kept going and promised himself the next day he would meet the schoolmarm to see if she was Nina.

  Chapter Four

  The next morning Violet woke up with her hand between her legs. She had tossed and turned most of the night dreaming about making love to Solomon. Violet was still awake when she heard the clock in her kitchen strike three. So she decided to pleasure herself hoping it would relax her so she could fall asleep. Solomon was her first and only lover. They fell in love when she was sixteen, and he was twenty. When he had passed from the cholera epidemic, she had promised herself there would be no other man, and so far she had kept that promise.

  Violet climbed out of bed, stood in front of the mirror and surveyed her nude body in the moonlight. Taking one more moment to enjoy herself she caressed her breasts and rolled her hard nipples between her forefingers and her thumbs. Noticing it was still early, Violet giggled and walked over to her dresser. She pulled out the middle drawer and ran her hands through her folded underwear. Her breath hitched when she located the wooden dildo Nina had secretly had made for her soon after Solomon had died.

  Violet thought back to the day several years before, when she was crying distraught over Solomon’s death, and Nina had stopped by to comfort her sister. After Nina had stroked her head and put a cold cloth on her brow, Violet couldn’t stop crying. So Nina had taken Violet by the hand and lead her into her bedroom where she was currently standing, and said, “Honey, you are so worked up you need to release your built up frustrations.”

  It was an awkward few minutes at first, but Nina was very professional when she undressed and ordered Violent to do the same. While Violet stood their nude sobbing with her hands over her face Nina laid back on the bed and spread her legs wide open. At first Violet had gasped, but after a moment or two she had to admit seeing Nina’s pussy was causing her pussy to tingle. Patting the bed, Nina instructed Violet to lay down and face her to she could see what Nina was about to show her.

  When Violet laid back she didn’t know how to start, so Nina reached over and gently pressed Violet's legs apart and told her to watch and follow her lead. She showed her how to massage her folds and used her finger to demonstrate to Violet where her nub was. When Nina pressed down and wiggled her finger Violet moaned with pleasure. Then Nina reached into her purse and pulled out two wooden dildos.

  By the time that afternoon had passed Nina, and Violet’s faces were red as two beets. Soon after they had gotten started Violet moved over close to her sister, and before she knew it her sobs had turned into breathless excitement. She started kissing Nina’s sweet lips and Nina started rubbing herself while she fingered fucking Violets wet pussy. Violet had lost count how many times Nina had gotten off and, according to Nina, Violet for sure had cum three times. After that every Sunday afternoon, when Violet got home from church Nina would come by for a sisterly visit. More often than not they would spend the afternoon in bed playing with each other.

  Violet remember how once when they were scissoring each other and rubbing each other’s clits—Nin
a was panting when she whispered, “Violet you know I love men, but there is something about your pussy that drives me wild. I cum harder with you than any man.”

  While Violet was moaning and giggling playing with her sister, she had said, “That’s because our pussy’s look identical. But Nina, my tits are bigger.”

  Back in the moment, Violet laid down on the bed and rested her head on the soft pillow as she and ran her hand down over her mound past her red curly hair. Spreading her legs a bit she raised two fingers to her lips and licked them before rubbing her swollen nub. With the fingers of one hand, she held her pussy lips open while she tickled and teased her self with the other. After a few moments to ensure she was wet enough, she slowly worked the wooden cock—nine inches at least—between her warm folds. In a moment or two, it didn't take long; Nina had schooled her well, she plunged the dildo in and out caressing her hot spot—stretching her pussy open as far as it would go. Then she arched her back and moaned as that sweet electrical pulse flowed through her.