“Fine, fine. Hust pickin’ up some stuff from Gertie. You?” Jarvil replied.
“The same. How about we meet at the saloon tonight?”
“You know it!” The men laughed heartily and arranged a meeting at the Chuck-a-luck saloon that night.
Doss entered the shop, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Lily at the counter. “Good day, Lily. I hope you’re feelin’ fine?” he inquired politely.
Lily flashed a smile of her own. “Doss, how very nice to see you. I’m feeling fine, thank you. A little dizzy, and I do have the urge to vomit every now and again, but I’m fine.”
Doss got worried. “You aren’t sick, are ya?”
Lily laughed. “Well, no, not really, though I am not myself, either,” she said, laughing at her own joke. “You see, I’m with child.” She was actually afraid of letting him know for fear that he might not wish to socialize with her, but she knew he would eventually find out the truth, and as always, it would be better if she told him than if he found it out from someone else.
“Pregnant!” he exclaimed. “That’s great news!” But then he remembered her situation and toned down his enthusiasm. She noticed this immediately.
“It’s perfectly fine, Doss. I’ve accepted the fact that Harman is gone, and even though I miss him every day, I’m still grateful for the time the good Lord allowed me to spend with him.” Her eyes glistened as she spoke, and Doss found her more beautiful than ever.
He thought he’d mind hearing something like this, but the truth of the matter was that it was absolutely not important whether Lily was pregnant or not. He was still in love with her with a passionate fire that kept on burning more and more as each day passed by. All he could hope was that one day, she would feel the same way about him.
“Your stuff is all packed and ready for you.” She fumbled behind the counter and took out a package for him to take.
“That’s mighty nice of you,” he said. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” she replied.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Doss realized it was time for him to get back to business. The ranch wasn’t going to run itself. So he decided to take care of everything as quickly as possible and run down to the saloon to meet up with his good buddy Jarvil.
The Chuck-a-luck saloon was widely known, and every night there was a crowd of people enjoying the music and fine liquor. Doss was not a drinker, but what Doss liked most about this place was that no one actually got into any fights. It seemed that most men knew when to call it a night. It wasn’t like that in every saloon, and this was why the Chuck-a-luck was Doss’ favorite place. When he got there, he saw that Jarvil was already there, chatting with a few other men.
“Gentlemen!” Doss approached them, and the small group all flashed their smiles upon seeing him.
“Doss, get over here and join us! Barkeep, another round for everyone here!”
But Doss lifted his arm to refuse this offer. “I’m good, gentlemen. I don’t plan on staying long. Gotta get up mighty early tomorrow. Just came here to see Jarvil, and then I’ll be calling it a night.”
The two men separated from the others and sat down, trying to ignore the noise surrounding them.
“You know, Doss, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about, ” Jarvil said.
“Sure thing, Jar. What is it?”
“You seen that new girl over at Gertie’s?” He was referring to Lily. Doss didn’t like where this was going.
“Well, I got my eye on her. She looks like a good one. What do you think?”
Doss wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t intending on sharing his feelings for Lily, but there he was talking to a very good friend of his who obviously had the same intentions. “Yeah, I’ve seen her, Jar. You like her?”
“I reckon I do. Gonna go there tomorrow, bring some flowers, you know, the stuff them girls like. Gonna swoop her off her feet!” He hit the table with his fist.
Doss was still at a loss for words. Maybe the best thing would be just to keep quiet and see what happens. The two men discussed a few other affairs and then went their separate ways.
CHAPTER 6
The following day, Jarvil did exactly as he said he would. He polished himself up and headed toward Gertie’s with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. When he got there, Lily was by herself.
“Good morning, Lily!” he greeted her.
“Good morning, Jarvil. How are you?” She smiled back. “Are you here for the stuff? I’m not sure it’s ready yet, but let me check.” She started looking behind the counter.
“No, no, that ain’t why I’m here, Lily.” He coughed a little to clear his throat. “Here, these are for you.” He offered her the flowers.
“Oh.” She didn’t know what to say. “But it’s not my birthday or anything.” She tried to not accept the flowers because she knew what that would mean, and that wasn’t the message she was trying to send to Jarvil.
“They ain’t for any birthday celebration reasons, but for something else,” he said..
“Oh, Jarvil.” She tried to buy her time, still not accepting the flowers. “I do appreciate the gesture. They are really sweet, and you are a wonderful man, Jarvil, but I … ” She didn’t know how to finish her sentence. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Jarvil’s feelings, but in the end, there was no other way of telling him that she didn’t see him as a potential future husband. She knew she had to bite the bullet and simply state it out loud. “I’m sorry, Jarvil, but I can’t accept the flowers. Please understand that. I’ve just been widowed recently, and I can’t start anything romantic yet. You are a wonderful man, and some woman would be lucky to have you. It just won’t be me.” She looked at him sympathetically, hoping that he understood.
“I see.” Jarvil’s voice was solemn. The flowers hung low in his hand. “Sorry I bothered ya, Lily.” With those words, he rushed out the door, almost bumping into Doss.
“Hey, Jarvil, how’s … ” Doss started to ask him, but Jarvil passed him by without even noticing him. Doss as confused. “Is he OK?” he asked Lily.
“Yes, he’ll be fine. I just think his pride has been hurt a little,” Lily said, and that was enough for Doss. But he didn’t come to talk about Jarvil.
“You know, Lily,” he said. “There’s this little dance next week. The sheriff’s wife is organizing it every year, and I was thinkin’ maybe, if you’re not too busy, you’d like to come with me.” He sounded clumsy, but she found it adorable.
“A dance?” She smiled, teasing him. “Maybe, if there’s not too much work here at the shop.”
Doss smiled back. He knew that Gertie wouldn’t make her work that much. “So it’s a date?” He winked at her.
She blushed and lowered her gaze. He knew what this meant, and it made his heart beat faster. He approached her and held her by the hands. She allowed him.
“Lily, you are so wonderful, ” he whispered as he came closer to her lips in an effort to kiss her. But he didn’t get the chance. The door swung open with great force, and Jarvil entered the store. It was obvious that he had been watching from the window and knew exactly what was going on.
“You hussy!” He pointed his finger at Lily. “And you! Some friend you are,” he growled at Doss. “After I told you how I felt about her. Doin’ this behind my back! Playin’ me for the fool!” He was yelling. “Well, no more!” He turned to Lily again, who stood behind Doss, trying to hide from the wrath of this angry man. “Do ya know who she really is, Doss? Do ya?” he asked..
“Why don’t ya just go home, Jarvil, and we’ll discuss this later,when you’ve calmed down a little?” Doss tried to talk some sense into Jarvil, but it was no use.
“No, Doss! I know the truth. The truth! And knowin’ it, I still wanted to marry her. When I tell ya what I know, will you still want to, huh?” Jarvil threatened.
Lily’s eyes widened in horror. Was he going to reveal everything to Doss?
“She was married, yes.” J
arvil seemed to quiet down. “But do you know the whole story? Because I do!”
“What are you talking about, Jarvil?” Doss was beginning to get angry and lose his patience. This had to stop.
“I hired a detective to snoop around a little about our little dove here. And do ya know what he found out?” He paused for dramatic effect.
Here it goes, Lily thought to herself. He was going to reveal everything to Doss, and then, she would be left by herself. He wouldn’t want her after he heard about her troubles.
“Lily here was a mail-order bride!” he yelled, as if trying to make the whole world hear the truth.
“A what?” Doss asked.
“You know, men buyin’ women to make ’em their wives. That’s what she was!”
Doss turned around and looked at her. Was this all true? He felt his mind was a blur. He couldn’t think straight. Was she lying to him about everything?
“But, that ain’t all, Doss. Oh, no! There’s more!”
Doss felt like the whole room was spinning. What more could there be?
“She ran away from the man on her own weddin’ day, and she met with some other fella, this Harman, who she ended up marryin’!”
Lily’s eyes flashed with anger. How dare he speak Harman’s name! Who was he to desecrate the memory of Harman for his own selfish purposes?
“Then the fella died, and she was left with a bun in the oven. Oh, yeah. Did ya know she had a bun in the oven, Doss?” He pointed at Lily’s belly, and she shielded it with the palms of her hands. It was all over. She knew that much. Doss would never forgive her for all of this. She was supposed to tell him everything, but she was a coward, and this was the result of her cowardice.
She couldn’t stay here anymore. She knew this would break Gertie’s heart, but there was no other way. Too many things had happened, too many hearts were broken for her to remain here. She just hoped that she’d be able to escape before this crazy man informed that family where she was. She had to escape them one way or another.
“I did know, Jarvil.” Doss suddenly spoke in a calm tone, which threw Jarvil completely off guard. “I knew some parts, even though I didn’t know the whole story. But I do know now. And I hope that’s all I need to know.” He turned to Lily, who nodded, frightened.
“That family’s lookin’ for ‘her, and ya know what?” Jarvil’s eyes shone with a wicked gleam that sent shivers down Lily’s spine. She knew something bad was coming. “I’m gonna let ’em know she’s here,” he screamed victoriously. “If I can’t have her, you won’t, either, Doss! Over my cold, dead body.”
Doss looked him straight in the eyes. “Jarvil, this ain’t you. I dunno what has gotten into ya, but this is not the man you are. I know you.” He tried to reason with him again. “I know your mama didn’t teach you to be wicked and vengeful, did she, God rest her soul?”
Suddenly, Jarvis calmed down. The mention of his mother made him soften. “My mama ain’t here!”
Doss knew he lost him. “How about this, Jarvil?” Doss had another idea. “Remember you told me ya had money trouble?” Jarvil listened. “How about if I give you cash to handle that affair, huh? You say the sum, and we forget all about this. What do you say?”
For a second there, Doss’ idea seemed to appeal to Jarvil, as he contemplated solving his urgent money issues by simply taking the money Doss was offering. But his pride was too great.
“Never!” he yelled,. “You and I, Doss. Neither of us are gonna have her, I swear to you that.”
“Then you leave me with no other choice, Jarvil,” Doss said. “I’m calling you out.”
Lily shrieked. A duel? Could it be that Doss still wanted to defend her honor and be with her, despite knowing all truth? There was a glimmer of hope as Doss reached back to grab her hand.
Jarvil looked stunned. He didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t expected this, not from Doss. Actually, he didn’t know what he expected. His mind was too blurred from the disappointment and hurting of his ego for him to be able to think reasonably. Doss knew this, but he also knew that this was the only way out.
“Well, then.” Jarvil straightened his entire body. “I accept.” It was a brief statement but a bold one nonetheless. “Noon tomorrow?” he asked. Doss just nodded.
Jarvil sent a poisonous glance toward Lily, who was still hiding behind Doss, before he closed the door to the shop.
A few seconds later, the door opened again, and both Doss and Lily jumped. It was only Gertie.
“I saw Jarvil storm outta here like there was no tomorrow!” she exclaimed. “What on earth is going on??”
“Oh, Gertie!” Lily burst into tears and fell into Gertie’s arms.
CHAPTER 7
The following day, just before noon, the entire town gathered for the shootout. Everyone wanted to be present. There hadn’t been a shootout in ages, and even though they were hoping no one would get hurt, they knew that these affairs usually didn’t end like that. However, honor was honor, and old traditions had to be upheld.
Lily entered the room as Doss was holstering his gun,
“Doss.” She didn’t know what to say. After all, what was there to be said?
“It’s all right, Lily.” He turned to her and caressed her cheek. “I know what you want to say, and lemme stop you there. It’s fine. We’re fine.” He smiled.
“You don’t have to do this for me,” she said.
“Of course I don’t. I want to.” He kept smiling. “Maybe you don’t see this yet, but I love you, Lily. I’ve loved you from the moment I laid my eyes on you. And whatever happened to you before I met you isn’t important to me.” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What I want is you right here and right now. The you that is the result of all those positive and negative things that happened to you. They are what made you, well, you.” He suddenly laughed. “It all sounds a bit confusing, but ya know what I mean, right?” He kept his warm hand on her cheek.
“I do.” She closed her eyes and released one little tear. It would be the last one.
“Now, you also don’t know,” he tapped his gun, “that I’m a mean gunslinger, and Jarvil doesn’t stand a chance. I think he knows that himself.”
“But, you won’t hurt him, right?” She knew how shootouts ended. One person had to die. But maybe they could change it. No one had to die, if an important lesson was learned.
“Oh, gosh no!” Doss seemed shocked at her question. “I have no plans on killing a good friend of mine. That’d be … ” He couldn’t even say the words. “I’ll try to reason with him again. And again. And we’ll see what happens. If worse comes to worst, I’ll just scrape him a little. Nothin’ big or scary. I promise.” He winked at her, and she felt at ease. She knew that Jarvil wasn’t a bad guy. He surely didn’t deserve to die by the hand of one of his best friends. It’s just that he let his ego get the best of him. She was hoping that he would learn his lesson before there was any need to draw their guns.
As noon drew near, more and more people gathered at the square. On one side, Doss was already waiting, ready for anything. However, he meant every word that he said to Lily. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Jarvil. After all, the two had been friends for 20 years, and now, to squabble about a girl seemed crazy. But this was what Jarvil chose, and Doss decided to play along. He did have an ace up his sleeve, so he was eager to start the show.
When the church tower sounded noon, Jarvil exited from one of the opposing houses. His hat was cocked, shielding his eyes from the sun. He approached Doss slowly and confidently. The crowd was completely silent.
Doss decided this was the moment to try to talk some sense into Jarvil. He approached him.
“Jarvil.”
“Doss.”
The two men faced each other, but anyone watching from up close could see that the hatred from the previous day had already dissipated. Now all that was left was the promise of something horrible that had to be upheld. Neither of the two men wanted to back down. That wou
ld mean a shameful defeat.
“You can still put an end to this, Jarvil,” Doss said, only for Jarvil to hear.
“Doss,” Jarvil’s voice was weak.
“We can end this, right here, right now. Don’t be a fool, Jarvil.”
That was the wrong choice of words, Doss thought to himself. I’ll just get him going again. But Jarvil didn’t seem to be offended.
“Words were said, Doss. Ugly words.” Doss had known Jarvil long enough to realize that this was an apology. Jarvil finally came back to his senses and was thinking like his old self again.
“I know, old friend.” Doss felt the urge to place his hand on Jarvil’s shoulder, but that’d break the shootout code. No, there had to be another way of avoiding any bloodshed.
“Just aim for the heart, Doss. Please.” Jarvil’s voice was barely audible.
“I’ll have none of that, ya hear,” Doss hissed through his teeth. “No one’s dyin’ here today. I’ll make sure of that.”
Jarvil looked at him in surprise. “How’ll we pull it off?”
“Lemme think.” Doss closed his eyes. “All right. Just shoot to miss, ya hear? We’ll both miss. And that’ll be that. But I don’t mean shoot the windows behind me. Shoot at my feet, next to me, somewhere close, but shoot to miss. Got it?”
Jarvil nodded.
This was a plausible option. The last shootout ended the same way. Both shooters missed, and they decided not to repeat the trial. That’s how they’re going to do it now.
Seeing both men were ready, the sheriff organized the crowd and gave the two actors some space.
“Whenever ya’ll are ready, gentlemen!” the sheriff exclaimed.
Lily looked on from the crowd, enshrouded in Gertie’s loving embrace. The two women were praying that no one would get hurt.
Doss and Jarvil steadied themselves and stretched their fingers. The tension was growing, but not a sound was heard from the crowd. Their eyes were fixed on the two men who appeared to be ready to kill each other with one pull of the trigger.
Regency Romance: Fallen Duchess (A Historical Victorian Murder Mystery Love Regency Romance) Page 5