Clementine sensed that was something he wouldn’t be open to discuss further, and she was not about to pry.
Firstly, he was a complete stranger so that kind of questioning would be highly insensitive, not to mention inappropriate. She knew she would react in harshness if the tables were turned and somebody did that to her. And secondly, everybody had shadows in their past. Nobody understood better than Clementine wanting those shadows to sit in the corners of the mind, out of reach.
Considering all that, Clementine decided to change the subject. “What do you do for a living? What brings you to our lovely town?”
He took his time answering until she wondered if he was going to answer her at all.
Clementine had a moment of doubt, fearing she was bothering him, however, his open face, kind eyes, and a small smile reassured her that she wasn’t. That pleased her since she wanted to speak with him some more.
“I am a prior hunter,” he said vaguely.
Clementine narrowed her eyes. “Of animals or men?” she asked for clarification.
“What do you think?” he said instead of answering.
Clementine did not even have to think about it, it was obvious by his previous behavior. He manhandled Herbert with such ease it was clear he did that for a living, she realized.
“Of men, of course.”
He nodded.
That was exciting. Was he here hunting for someone? A million questions swarmed inside her head.
She leaned toward him. “Did you ever catch someone famous?” Like everybody else, Clementine was brought up with the tales of famous bank-robbers and other lawless men galloping through their country, always looking for the next big haste while eluding sheriffs or soldiers.
“I’ve skirmished with one or two.”
One of the customers started calling out for her.
“I do believe you are needed,” Alexander stated the obvious, with a small smile.
Clementine waved with her hand. “They are all grown men,” she intentionally spoke a bit louder. “And can find their way to the bar even without me.”
Alexander chuckled and Clementine could have sworn he looked pleased she chose to stay with him a little bit longer.
“What brings you to Courtfield? Are you looking for someone here?” It was hard not to be excited by the prospect of something like that happening. Sure, their town had a fair share of brawls, drunken arguments, but nothing truly exciting ever happened here.
Although, she reminded herself that having someone infamous could be rather dangerous. Alexander looked at her with an amused expression on his face and actually laughed out loud.
“I apologize if it appears as though I am prying,” Clementine said, righting her wrong.
He shook his head, still in high spirit. “I don’t mind. It’s just that you reminded me of someone for a moment.”
“Oh,” was all she said in return.
“Actually, I am here on a mission of sorts. I want to see if Courtfield is the kind of place a man could settle down for a nice, quiet life. Ranching, most likely.” Alexander said, answering her previous question.
Clementine gawked at him in utmost disbelief. It was inconceivable to her that somebody would utter those words with a straight face. Up to this point, she’d thought of Alexander as a sane human being. After his little revelation, not so much. Courtfield was located in the middle of nowhere. Who would want to come here? Apparently, strange bounty hunters would.
“Why here?” Clementine asked in all seriousness.
He laughed again. “Why not?”
Clementine did not miss the fact he did not answer her. She looked at him expectantly.
“It’s charming. It reminds me of my own hometown,” he explained, frowning, clearing his throat for a bit as though he could not believe he shared that with her.
Courtfield was a typical western town, populated mostly by ranchers and other farm owners. It was always busy on the streets, with people going to and from work, all kinds of deals were being made on the main square, and animals were everywhere. Keeping cattle and other animals was what kept this town going and every citizen of Courtfield knew and respected that.
Outside the main square in town where the businesses took their custom and the richer town inhabitants lived lavishly, Courtfield sprawled over fields and hills filled with large ranches, smaller farms and little houses like Clementine’s. Clementine could hear her neighbor’s chickens crowing each morning, and occasionally an errant cow wandered into her yard, looking lost without its herd. Courtfield was mostly a quiet place; other than the drunkards making trouble, it was a peaceful place to live.
Even though the land could be difficult to cultivate, people living here were quite stubborn and with hard work, they managed to tame the harshness of it. A great desert nearby kept it rather isolated from the rest of the country, and from a distance, it resembled a splendid oasis, a sanctuary to all.
Clementine's favorite part of the day was early morning when the sun hadn't begun to rise. The blues of the sky mixed with the distinct golden brown of the land always took her breath away.
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him why he wouldn’t simply go home instead of finding a replacement yet refrained from it for obvious reasons. She knew better.
We are all entitled to have our secrets, she reminded herself.
If they continued to socialize, perhaps become friends, then maybe Alexander would share his story with her. Certainly not before. And even if he never did, Clementine would understand that as well, and wouldn’t hold it against him.
Just as she expected, this stranger, this bounty hunter named Alexander, was one intriguing man. And the prospect of learning more about him filled her with something she hasn’t felt in a long time. If ever. It was a mixture of excitement, and despite all odds, hopefulness.
Not wanting to appear as though she was insensitive and bombard him with questions simply to satisfy her own curiosity, Clementine stood up, if somewhat reluctantly. “I have to get back to work,” she told him.
A few customers actually cheered to see her bring her attention back to them, commenting it was about time. She simply rolled her eyes at that, much to Alexander’s amusement.
“I see,” he replied simply.
“If nobody else told you this, welcome to Courtfield.”
“Nobody did, and thank you,” he looked genuinely touched.
“Would you care for anything else while you’re here? Fruit, jam, coffee?” Clementine was aware she was stalling.
“No thank you,” he said, shaking his head and turning as though he meant to leave.
“I’ll be seeing you around then, ” she hedged.
“Yes you will,” he joked.
She nodded and prepared to help another customer when he stopped her. “And Clementine?”
“Yes?”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Even though it was complete lunacy, her heart fluttered a little at his words since they meant she would definitely get a chance to see, perhaps even speak with him again.
Oh, my...
Alexander was in unusually high spirits an hour later, because Clementine had consented to spend her break with him. They had taken a walk about the town and talked about Courtfield, and the store. He walked her back to the store afterward and spent a few minutes lingering in the doorway. Not to watch over her. Alexander meant what he said. She could clearly take care of herself. The more time passed, and he watched her interact with other patrons, sharing private laughs, set boundaries if necessary, he was even more convinced of that.
Alexander actually wanted to stay simply because he was fascinated by her; that was a sentiment he wasn’t accustomed to, at all.
He liked the simple truth, Clementine was not some damsel in distress that fainted at everything, caring only about her attire, or people she saw, gossiping. She was working at a store, supporting herself, which implied much stronger character and thicker skin, if the c
ustomers he had seen were any indication of what she went through on a daily basis. She was obviously very independent, smart, and funny. Even from their short conversation, that much was rather obvious.
With traits like those one thing came to mind. Why is she working here? It intrigued and confused him why a woman like that would willingly deal with the drunk and disorderly customers that came with working somewhere that sold alcohol. Alexander instantly felt ashamed for having such thoughts. He was in no position to judge her, and deep down he knew he wasn’t. Curious was a better fit for what he was feeling.
Truth be told, he did not know her circumstances and what made her come here to work every day.
Perhaps she had an ailing parent and she needed coins to take care of them, perhaps she had debts, the list could go on. One fleeting conversation did not indicate he knew anything about her. Once he gave it a bit of thought, he realized, he knew nothing about her. She was the one asking all the questions, and he never returned in kind.
Him being tongue-tied did not mean he was disinterested. Far from it. It was just that during their conversation he was too stunned to react properly. Sure, he appeared calm and teased her a little, however, apart from that, his brain refused to function.
A part of him was concerned she thought of him as rude and cold based on their brief interaction. Clementine smiled a couple of times in passing and he did the same, not wanting to offend her again. If he did offend her in the first place. Alexander sighed. He was not acting like his usual self. He was thinking too much.
Not wanting to overstay his welcome like that cretin he had to throw out, Alexander walked up to the counter and, when she was distracted, left a few coins in the tip jar for the lovely woman. Not that she was his in any regard. She waved at him and he nodded in return, yet as soon as he left, he had the most ridiculous smile on his face. To that, he just shook with his head in wonder.
Stepping onto the road, Alexander realized the sun was much lower on the horizon than he anticipated. The setting sun painted the buildings, giving them almost golden tint that was rather pleasing to the eye. The people were acting a bit differently as well not having to make haste or hide from the heat that only lingered in the air now. Twilight calmed the rhythm of the town. Time flew inside the store.
Alexander had completed a job in the nearby town. He’d hunted the leader of a bank-robbing crew. It took him almost three months to catch up with them, successfully anticipating where their next heist would be, and the hard work paid off. Once Keith was caught, the rest scattered like scared mice. Eventually, they would find another crew, lowlifes like that always did. For now, everyone was little safer, thanks to him. Not that he needed any public praise for what he did, apart from his fee.
Nevertheless, having a few extra coins in his purse, and then some, Alexander decided he was done chasing bad guys. He wanted to change his ways, to settle down to a simpler life of ranching in a small town with a house and a bed to lay his head at night.
He could never return to his hometown, because everything there reminded him of Honey. The apple trees they used to climb together, school he walked her to and from, so it was imperative to keep moving forward and further away. That was the only method that he knew of that kept most of the bad memories away. He was still haunted by his past, but the more miles he put between him and that wretched town, the less potent they were.
The town was never the problem, you are. Thanks to the events occurring inside the store, he changed his original plan. He thought how perhaps he could stay in this town for a while and see what it had to offer.
Because you really want to stay so you can sight-see, he mocked himself. The sad truth was this city, on the outskirts of a desert, did remind him of home and not because of its landscapes. Clementine’s liveliness reminded him of his sister. Thinking of his sister was always bittersweet to Alexander. However, this time the similarities did not cause him pain, but joy. Remembering something good about his little sister for a change worked as a magical elixir that stitched his shredded soul.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he realized he had no place to stay that evening. It wouldn’t be the first time for him to slumber under the open skies. It was just that he was looking forward to resting on something softer for a change. The only reason he did not take care of that earlier was because he wasn’t planning on staying. Alexander simply wanted to rest for a bit before moving on. You make plans and God laughs, he reminded himself.
“If I was a hotel, where would I be located?” he murmured, earning a few glances. Alexander visited many cities that were built in the exact same way as this one, so figuring something like that took no effort at all. The only hotel in town would be located on the main street, near a train or wagon station.
This town had both, he was surprised to see. He rode into town on his own horse, so he didn’t bother learning something like that beforehand. Since he was already on the main street, he chose a direction and started strolling.
The train station looked fairly new. It was main floor only, as most of them were, but it was quite wide. The white facade was pristine looking but the sand and the wind worked hard on chipping its paint.
Alexander patted himself on the back when he spotted the hotel. He was pleased to see that it was not so far from the store, which was certainly a delightful bonus.
It was called The Grand Hotel. It was not that grand, only three stories high, painted in deep red that had lost some of its shine. What Alexander liked was that the rooms had small terraces so guests could come out and enjoy the morning sun. It was certainly something he would do. Having another escape route was a bonus.
Changing his direction, Alexander continued to roam, discovering what Courtfield’s main street had to offer instead of checking into a hotel. There would be time for that later, since places like that were always open for travelers.
Most of the shops were closed; he smelled the scent of freshly baked bread coming from a bakery with a beautifully crafted wooden loaf of bread attached above the door, the bakers inside no doubt prepared their loaves for the following day. Next to it were the Doctor’s Apothecary, a store, and a trading post. They all had signs with pictures. That was due to the fact not all the townspeople knew how to read. On the other hand, everyone recognized that a small bed was a sign for a hotel.
He was cheered when he spotted a gunsmith. The store was still open, so he entered to see what this craftsman had to offer. A few pieces were nicely done; however, he would not trade his revolver for any other in this world. Alexander couldn’t shoot with his right hand anymore, so he’d learned to do so with his left. Thanking the owner for his time, Alexander continued on.
He needed a telegraph office, and even though there was a small chance it would be open at this time, he felt compelled to find it. Reaching the livery stable, a place he was already familiar with, he realized he must have missed the post office somewhere along the way, so he decided to do another round. The weather was nice at this time of the day, so he didn’t feel the need to confine himself to some stuffy room.
It was time to send John, his only friend, some words. After everything he’d done for him, he would be pleased to hear Alexander was still here and breathing. At least he thought his friend would be pleased Alexander was alive. There’s a chance he would be glad only so he could kill me himself, he thought, chuckling.
His thoughts returned to Clementine. What was it about that girl that made him start noticing the world around him again? No matter how hard he tried, the answer eluded him.
Once he heard an expression, a diamond in the rough. That was how he was seeing Clementine. In a way, it was capturing her perfectly. She was a rare, and valuable gem, but needed proper care to shine.
That thought made him smile. He knew enough to predict there was a hundred percent chance that some bodily harm would follow if anybody suggested to her she needed any kind of help from another. He liked her self-sufficiency, although it saddened him at t
he same time.
Alexander did not know what tomorrow would bring, nobody did. But for the first time in many years, he felt hopeful, almost giddy of the prospect of finding out.
Chapter Five
The next day, Clementine couldn’t help glancing toward the entrance of the store every time somebody walked in, hoping it would be Alexander. For some unexplained reason, she did the same if she saw anybody walking out, as though she could have missed him. Overall her day was twice as fun thanks to that.
You silly woman, she chastised herself for her foolishness. She’d worked at the store for a while now and that resulted in some rather unpleasant experiences with men. She was constantly called names, and yelled at. Osmond and Garry were exception to her notion that all men were bad. Despite that, her attention to the entrance would not subside.
“Who are you expecting to come in, I wonder,” Garry teased her from the moment she arrived to work that day. He was relentless and Clementine was amused and annoyed at the same time. There were so many ways for him to say the exact same thing. Garry was a very creative man if properly motivated, as it turned out.
A Courageous Bride to Bring Him Hope: A Historical Western Romance Book Page 5