Bucking the Tiger

by Marcus Galloway

  Doc didn’t seem to notice either one of the ladies’ shifting expressions as he stood on the edge of the platform and waited for the stage to Denison. It arrived amid the clatter of wooden wheels and the labored breathing of its horses. The ladies climbed up into the carriage and became quiet when they saw Doc headed for the seat directly across from them.

  “Any baggage?” the driver asked.

  Both ladies pointed toward a pile of cases stacked at the edge of the platform.

  Doc’s own case had been waiting for him at the station. After tossing it up to the driver, he got inside the stagecoach behind the two ladies. All it took was a tip of his hat and a cordial smile for him to put them at ease. “I see the city of Dallas is losing two of its finest assets,” he said with a Southern curl to his words. “I only hope you’ll indulge me with a bit of conversation to pass these next few hours.”

  One of the women was shorter than the other and had thick, red hair. “My name’s Colleen,” she said while offering her hand to Doc. “This is my sister, Jenny.”

  “Delighted,” Doc said.

  Jenny nodded in Doc’s direction, gazed out the window, and then rolled her eyes as the stagecoach lurched into motion.

  Caleb knew exactly how she felt.

  2

  The last time Caleb had been inside the Busted Flush, it was a clean little saloon with a few gambling tables and a good supply of whiskey. Although the same bar was in the same spot, nearly everything else about the saloon had changed. There were more people drinking, more people gambling, and even a better stage set up at the back of the main room. Caleb stood rooted to his spot for a good few minutes before he finally caught sight of a familiar face,

  “Is that you, Thirsty?” Caleb asked as he walked over to a middle-aged man propped up against the end of the bar.

  For a moment, Thirsty stared blankly at Caleb. He then smiled widely enough to show a mouthful of yellowed teeth. “Hey Caleb! Where the hell’ve you been?”

  “West Texas mostly.”

  “That’s not what I heard,” said another familiar voice.

  Caleb turned and immediately found a man behind the bar smiling right back at him. It hadn’t been too long since Caleb last saw Hank, but the portly man seemed a bit older than he would have expected. Even so, Hank had a wide smile and plenty of strength in his handshake.

  “Good to see you, Caleb! I wasn’t sure if you’d be back after handing over the reins to this place.”

  “Are you kidding? I needed to make sure you didn’t run it into the ground.”

  “I would never do that. I’ve been trying to make certain everything—”

  “Relax, Hank,” Caleb said. “I was joking. The place looks great. Just great. When I left, there was just ol’ Jed playing banjo in the corner. Now there’s a stage and everything. Where are the dancing girls?”

  “They don’t come on for a few hours. The late show is the most popular.”

  “I just bet it is.” Caleb turned and leaned against the bar. When he settled one hand on the polished wooden edge, he bumped against a fresh glass of beer.

  “On the house,” Hank said.

  Caleb took the beer, tipped it in a quick toast, and drank it down. The fact that it tasted better than he could ever have brewed it didn’t settle so well for some reason.

  “I changed the recipe a bit,” Hank explained. “Hope you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all. Seems like you’re doing real well for yourself.”

  “Speaking of that,” Hank said as he reached under the bar, “I’ve been keeping this aside for you.” When he brought his hand up again, it was wrapped around a fairly healthy stack of money. “You haven’t been around to collect in a while, so I’ve been saving it up.”

  Squinting down at the money, Caleb asked, “What is that?”

  Hank blinked and waited as if he expected Caleb to retract the question. “Your percentage. We are still partners, aren’t we?”

  “You own this place. You run it now.”

  “But you and I built it. I thought you were just letting me take charge while you were away.”

  “The Flush is yours now,” Caleb said grudgingly. “There’s no arguing that.”

  “If you want to come back and take over, you’re welcome to it. It’s just that…”

  “Just what?” Caleb snapped. “Just that you already smoothed it over without me and are doing just fine on your own?”

  While Hank may have looked a bit hesitant at first, he now straightened up and furrowed his brow into a firm scowl. “I was gonna say that I thought you were doing fine tearing from town to town with your partner Doc Holliday.”

  “Is that what you’ve heard?”

  Shaking his head, Hank said, “It’s what I know. Saloon owners hear all the gossip, Caleb. You know that. We also know how to separate the bullshit from the truth, and I’ve heard more than enough to know that you’ve been having yourself quite a time since you left Dallas. I heard you won more than enough to buy this saloon outright in a game just a month or two ago.”

  “You heard about that, huh?”

  “Yeah,” Hank said as he allowed his smile to return. “I sure as hell did. And you know how I knew it was the truth? I knew it because you were miserable as hell in that office and happy as a pig in shit when you were sitting behind a stack of poker chips. All in all, I imagined you were doing pretty well for yourself. If not, say the word, roll up your sleeves, and get to work right now. Things should really be picking up once the show starts and the night’s big game gets started.”

  Hank kept his eye on Caleb for a few seconds and then started laughing. “You’ve already been a gambler for too long, boy. The thought of an honest night’s work gives you the shivers.”

  “If you think gambling isn’t work, you don’t know the half of it.”

  “It may be work, but it’s what you’d rather be doing.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because that’s what you are doing,” Hank said simply. “Folks do what they want to do, no matter how much they grouse about it. You got up the gumption to strike out on your own and I admire you for it. This was your place, so you’re entitled to a percentage of the profits. It’s a great arrangement if you’d take a second to look at it”

  “I have looked,” Caleb grunted. “I just didn’t expect everything to work so well once I left.”

  Hank grinned and pushed the money farther away from his side of the bar. “Sorry to disappoint.”

  “No you’re not,” Caleb said as he took the money and stuffed it into his pocket. “And there’s no reason you should be.”

  “You know what would make you feel better?”

  “I’m sure you’ll tell me.”

  “Pay a visit to Sarah. She talks about you every time she comes by here.”

  “Does she still work at the Alhambra?” Caleb asked.

  “Sure does. And she’s just as pretty as ever.”

  “Subtle,” Caleb said under his breath. “Real subtle.”

  Compared to the Busted Flush, the Alhambra was an elegant palace of a saloon. Actually, that was only fair when comparing it to the Busted Flush that Caleb had known before he’d left. Unlike the Flush, the Alhambra hadn’t changed much since the last time Caleb had been there. The only thing that wasn’t the same was the fact that Sarah was no longer running drinks back and forth from the bar and its customers.

  Caleb knocked on the door marked “Private” and waited until he heard a hurried voice from the other side tell him to come in. After pushing the door open, he stood there and took a long look at the woman sitting behind a large oak desk.

  She slammed a ledger shut, tossed a pencil down, and got up from her chair before even looking to see who was standing there. The moment she did take a second to check, she smiled and practically jumped over the desk to get into Caleb’s arms.

  “Good to see you, too, Sarah,” Caleb said as he gave the blonde a squeeze.

  “How long have you
been back?” she asked.

  “Not long at all.” He held her at arm’s length so he could take a good look at her.

  The blonde was more than a foot shorter than Caleb, but she had no trouble standing up to him. Her chin was always held high, and there was always a spark in her eyes that only grew brighter when Caleb was around. This time, however, that spark seemed to dwindle a bit after just a few seconds.

  “How long were you going to keep me waiting before coming here?” she asked.

  “At least a week, but Hank twisted my arm.”

  She scowled and swatted his shoulder. “That’s no way to talk! Without me, you never would have gotten that saloon off the ground.”

  “I know it. That’s why I wanted to come by and thank you for what you’ve done.”

  “What are you talking about?” Sarah asked.

  “I’ve been to the Flush. There’s a stage, dancers, and I even smelled food cooking somewhere amid all that cigar smoke. Those were all your ideas.”

  She shrugged and stepped back until she was able to lean against the corner of her desk. “Hank does a fine job on his own. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve got my hands full right here.”

  Caleb walked forward slowly, until he was less than a foot in front of her. Reaching out to place his hands against the desk on either side of her, he whispered, “Thanks for doing your part.”

  Averting her eyes and smirking, she made no effort to put any more distance between herself and Caleb. “My pleasure. So what brings you back to Dallas? Considering how you were run out of here the last time, I didn’t know if you’d be back at all.”

  “I wasn’t run out. This place just became more trouble than it was worth.”

  “That’s right. Speaking of trouble, how did Dr. Holliday’s trial turn out?”

  “Ten-dollar fine. That’s it.”

  “If he sticks around you for much longer, he should be expecting a lot more trouble than that.”

  Turning so he could sit on the desk next to Sarah, Caleb laughed and asked, “So I’m a bad influence now?”

  “You and I both know Doc ran a crooked game when he dealt faro at the Flush.”

  “There’s plenty of cheaters making the rounds, Sarah. You know that.”

  “Bucking the tiger is hard enough. You can’t tell me that you didn’t know those odds were being swung even more in your favor.”

  “And everything here is aboveboard?”

  She shrugged and stepped in front of him. Now she was the one to lean forward and drop her voice to a whisper. “I don’t take a percentage of cheaters’ profits.”

  “Everybody cheats at some time or another,” Caleb replied. “The only difference is who gets caught and how many times they’re called out for it.”

  Slowly, Sarah’s smile returned and she started to nod. “You’ve grown up, Caleb Wayfinder. When we first got into the saloon business together, you said you wouldn’t tolerate a cheat at your poker tables.”

  “Poker’s different.”

  “I believe you said anyone who’d swindle a man at a card table deserved to be—”

  Sarah was cut off when Caleb took hold of her waist and pulled her close. His lips touched against hers for a moment before she leaned in closer to make the kiss even more passionate. In no time at all, her hands had found their way around him and her fingers were sifting through his hair.

  As he continued kissing her, Caleb could feel every inch of his skin warming up. Soon, it seemed as if Sarah’s body was melting into his own. When their lips parted, it was out of sheer necessity to draw a breath, and even so, they were reluctant to give in to such simple demands.

  As Caleb was starting to lean in again, Sarah turned away and backed off.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  Sarah crossed her arms and walked over to the door without opening it. “You’re not staying,” she said. “Are you?”

  “No.”

  “Why not? Things are back to normal around here. The only ones looking for you or Doc anymore are just asking out of curiosity.”

  “This place…Dallas…it’s not…” As Caleb struggled to find his words, he found himself moving closer to Sarah. “There’s a lot outside of Texas that I haven’t seen.”

  “From what I’ve heard, you’ve been making the rounds to card tables rather than taking in any sights.”

  “What would you rather I do? Stay here and rot in some office?”

  “You mean like me?” Sarah asked.

  “No. What I mean is there’s plenty more out there than just Dallas, and there’s nothing stopping me from going out and taking it. You could come with me. Doc mentioned heading up to Denver. After that, I was thinking about seeing California or maybe Canada. Hell, I could go see New York City for the hell of it.”

  “Sure beats staying here and rotting with me.”

  Caleb took her in his arms and brushed the hair away from her face. As much as he wanted to tell her what she’d said wasn’t true, he just couldn’t. Not even Doc could have gotten away with a bluff like that.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “You can come with me, you know. There’s nothing stopping you, either.”

  Glancing around at her office and the shelf full of ledgers, Sarah nodded. “Yes there is. I’ve got this place and this job. I already own most of the Alhambra and will own it all in a few years. Dallas is getting bigger every day and there’s so much more for me to do. I’d ask you to stay, but—”

  “I can’t,” Caleb said before she could. “So, I guess that leaves us in a bad spot.” Pulling her close, he added, “But I won’t be leaving until tomorrow.”

  Sarah allowed herself to be drawn into his embrace one more time.

  3

  The stage pulled into Denison right on schedule. Jenny was asleep while Doc amused Colleen with general chatter and the occasional card trick. Without missing a beat, Doc winked at Colleen and climbed out of the carriage door the moment the stage came to a stop.

  “Everyone getting off here?” the driver asked.

  “The ladies are heading on to Denver,” Doc said. “And I may be joining them.”

  “Getting along pretty well, huh?”

  “You can say that.”

  Doc was heading for his hotel when he heard a vaguely familiar voice calling for him. Stopping, he turned and saw an old man standing in the door of the post office.

  “Dr. Holliday!” the old-timer shouted. “You got some letters here!”

  “Keep it down, I’m right here,” Doc said through gritted teeth.

  “This just came for you,” the old-timer said as he waved an envelope at Doc. “Sitting with the others, in fact. Ain’t you ever gonna read your mail?”

  “Is it from the same place as the others?”

  “All the way from Georgia, yes sir.”

  Doc looked at the letter in the old man’s hand. Although it was an effort to do so, he managed to shake his head and turn his back on the old man. “I’ll read it later, when I’ve got the time.”

  “Just take them now. I can fetch the others and—”

  “When I’ve got the time,” Doc snapped. “Thank you very much.”

  Rather than walk the rest of the way to his hotel, Doc went straight to the little saloon next to the stagecoach platform. It was a place no bigger than a horse stall and smelled just as bad. The man behind the bar recognized Doc on sight and immediately filled a shot glass with whiskey.

  After downing the shot without so much as a wince, Doc removed the flask from his pocket and handed it over. “Be a good man and fill that for me.”

  The barkeep did as he was asked and said, “Didn’t know you were back in town, Doc.”

  If Doc even heard the barkeep, he gave no indication. Instead, he simply drained a good portion of the flask and then handed it over again to be refilled. Once another portion of whiskey went down, Doc let out a few short hacking coughs, which eventually tapered into a
wheezing sigh.

  “You feeling all right?” the barkeep asked.

  “I’m right as the mail,” Doc said, which brought a wry grin to his face as well as the flask back to his lips. This time, he took a bit less of the liquor before twisting the flask’s cap back in place. Placing down more than enough money to cover the amount of whiskey he’d been given, he said, “Be so kind as to forget this visit.”

  The barkeep made the money disappear with a deft swipe of his hand. “Anyone in particular I should keep an eye out for?”

  “No.”

  “Long as there ain’t no trouble nipping at yer heels.”

  “With any good fortune,” Doc said as his more familiar grin returned, “all the more interesting troubles are in front of me.”

  Doc left the little saloon with a tip of his hat. True to his word, the barkeep returned to his business as if nobody had stepped through his door.

  By the time Doc returned to the stagecoach, the horses had been replaced with a fresh team and the driver had climbed back into his seat. When he saw Doc coming, the driver leaned down and asked, “Still no luggage?”

  “There are stores in Denver, aren’t there?”

  “I suppose so.”

  “Then who needs luggage? Let’s put this town behind us.”

  As Doc settled into his seat, he was careful not to disturb Jenny. Soon after the wagon got moving, she was snoring loud enough to cover the sound of the horses. Colleen and Doc engaged in a bit more chat, but it wasn’t nearly as spirited as when they’d left Dallas.

  Doc soon crossed his arms and gazed out the window, allowing Colleen to drift off to sleep. Even though Denison wasn’t more than a smudge on the horizon behind them, Doc couldn’t help but feel as if he were still standing on that boardwalk with those letters in arm’s reach.

  Part of him wondered what was in those envelopes.

  Part of him already knew.

  After he’d taken a healthy swig of whiskey from his flask, every last one of those parts quieted down and allowed Doc to nod off and catch a bit of sleep.