The Western Chronicles
by B L Miller and Vada Foster
Josie checked and double-checked the angle and position of the balls before taking her shot. With a crack, the cue ball struck the nine ball, just off from where she had intended it to, sending the white ball into the side pocket. "I thought you were good at pool, Josie," Sandy said as she refilled the gunslinger's glass again.
"I would be if the cues weren't warped," she complained, turning the stick in her hands to study it. "And if you would stop trying to get me drunk," she added half-jokingly as she pulled the cue ball out of the pocket and handed it to the blonde madam. Sandy smirked and handed Josie the full glass.
"I have to do something to have an even chance, don't I?" she said as she took aim, sending the nine ball into the corner pocket easily. "After a while, you get used to the curves of the cues. Don't even notice anymore." She set the cue against the wall and sat down on the couch. "I do believe it's your turn to rack them."
It was after three when Rebecca came down and knocked on the door. She poked her head inside and looked at Josie. "Can I talk to you?"
"Come on in, Rebecca," Sandy said as she tossed her stick on the table.
"I've got to get ready for tonight anyway."
"Josie," she began hesitantly after the madam left. "Lance has asked me to his ranch for a party tonight."
"Have fun," she replied with no sign of emotion.
"Well..." Rebecca turned, but not before Josie saw the look of hurt on her face. "I guess I'd better get back and get ready."
"Rebecca, wait," she said as she walked over and closed the door. "Sit down." They each took a seat on the couch, Josie mentally chastising herself for not realizing how much the young woman was looking for her approval and encouragement. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like I didn't care. I do care."
"You think I'm just a child, Josie. I'm not." She was upset enough to let her hurt and anger through. "I wasn't asking your permission, Josie. I was trying to share something important to me with you."
"Rebecca, I don't think you're a child."
"Really, Josie? What was that look when you saw Lance and me together? You didn't look happy."
"I..." She scrambled to explain what she felt when she saw them together. "I was just surprised to see you with someone other than Sandy, that's all.
Call it my protective nature." She forced a toothy smile, hoping to lighten the mood. Rebecca relented, unwilling to remain angry with her best friend.
"Okay, but I really do need to get going." She looked down at her dress, trying to smooth out the wrinkles, then down at her boots. Josie caught the look on her face and frowned in understanding. A quick mental count told her she didn't have enough money to get Rebecca both a nice pair of shoes and a new dress. There was a flicker in her blue eyes as she thought of a solution to the problem.
"Rebecca, go on to the house and get washed up. I'll be there in a little while," Josie said handing her the money to pay for the bath. When their hands touched to exchange the bill, Josie gripped it for a moment. "In the bottom of the saddlebag on my side is a small bottle of Katec toilet water. It's strong, so don't drown yourself with it." The smile she received was worth far more than the two bits the perfume cost. After Rebecca left, the gunslinger smiled to herself and headed upstairs.
The bathtub was located in a back room downstairs. The lock was nothing more than a piece of wood nailed to the door that turned to block it from being pulled open. Looking at it as she turned it into position, Rebecca decided that even she could pull the door open, the nail hole worn enough to allow the wood to swivel easily. One good tug and it was certain to fall to the floor. She silently wished that she had known so she could have had Josie stand outside the door. Too late now, she mused as she removed her clothes, setting them in a small pile on the floor, save the dress, which she draped on a nail sticking out of the wall for just such a purpose. She placed her clean underdrawers and slip on the small shelf and carefully stepped into the clawfoot tub.
She had been soaking for some time when she heard the firm but non-threatening knock on the door. "Rebecca?"
"Hang on, Josie," she said, climbing from the tub and wrapping a towel around her. She turned the lock and opened the door enough to poke her head out.
"Let me in." The look on the gunslinger's face reminded Rebecca of her sister's face when she was giving someone a present. She stepped back and let Josie in, closing and securing the door behind her. She was holding a light green and white lace dress as well as a pair of white button down boots. "I thought you might like to wear this to the party," she said as she set the boots down and hung the dress up, tossing Rebecca's old one on the floor with the rest of the dirty clothes. "I couldn't afford both, but Sandy found the dress in one of the closets. I think it'll fit you just right," she said, not bothering to mention that it took her the better part of an hour to find and purchase the boots. She was not expecting quite the reaction she got. Rebecca's eyes filled up and she gave Josie the best imitation of a bear hug she could, before softening it and laying her head on the older woman's chest.
"Thank you, Josie," she murmured, her hand splaying out and rubbing up and down the gunslinger's back slowly. The movement of her upper arm caused her towel to fall open exposing her whole back as it hung loosely, trapped between their bodies. Josie was returning the embrace when she felt the smooth skin beneath her fingers instead of the towel. Rebecca made no effort to move when she felt the strong arms wrap around her bare skin and squeeze gently. After a moment, a feeling of awkwardness set in for the gunslinger and she reached down and gathered the ends of the towel, securing it back around her friend's body.
"I guess I'd better let you get ready." She turned and reached for the door handle. "Is this their idea of a lock?"
"Yeah," Rebecca replied, still staring in awe at the new dress and boots.
"I'll be outside when you're done," Josie said authoritatively. She took a quick look to make sure the blonde was still covered before she opened the door and stepped out. Another boarder was in the adjoining parlor and glanced in her direction. One quick glare from her and his attention went back into the week old newspaper in his hand.
Rebecca looked in the small mirror, trying to see as much of herself as she could. As Josie had predicted, the dress fit perfectly, although it was a bit snug in the chest, she thought as she looked down to see exactly how much cleavage was showing through the white lace that started barely above her nipples. To her relief, the lace was intricate enough to cover everything, although it still clearly defined her pushed up bosom, making her appear larger than she was used to, and causing her to feel a bit self conscious. She looked down at the delicate boots and smiled again. They were completely impractical for traveling and were clearly an indulgence on Josie's part. The boots had to have taken up most of the money not set aside for supplies. Rebecca ran her fingertips across the pearly buttons. "Oh Josie..." she whispered as a teary smile came to her face. She picked up the boots in one hand and her dirty clothes and traveling boots in the other, pressing the garments against her body to keep them from falling, and opened the door.
Josie immediately moved from her position leaning against the wall to help Rebecca with her clothes. "Give me those. You don't want that clean dress to smell like your dirty clothes, do you? Come on." As they went upstairs, Josie's boots struck the wood in sharp contrast to the young woman's bare feet. Once inside the room, the gunslinger put the boots in the corner and the clothes in the growing pile of laundry in the other corner. Rebecca sat down on the bed and pulled her leg up over her knee to put on her boot. She slipped the leather and cloth over her foot, frowning when she realized that the buttons were on the outside. "Why do they do that?" she grumbled as she tried to reach around and fasten the buttons. Josie chuckled and knelt down in front of her.
"Let me," she said as she pulled Rebecca's ankle off her knee. "They button on the outside because they expect all 'ladies' to have someone helping them get dressed." Her nimble fingers worked quickly, securing all the small buttons up the calf.
"Well, it seems a little silly, doesn't it?" Rebecca replied, surprised at the gentle manner in which Josie put her foot into her boot. She held the calf with one hand and gently slipped the shoe part of the boot onto the young woman's foot, then rested the foot back on the ground before methodically buttoning it.
"That's why I don't wear them. Just like corsets," Josie replied as she stood up. "Okay, let's get a look at you."
Rebecca stood and self-consciously turned around in place. She stopped and watched the gunslinger's gaze go up and down her body slowly, as if memorizing her. "Josie? How do I look?"
"Beautiful," she replied, suddenly realizing that her mouth was quite dry. She swallowed and looked into the blonde's eyes, unnerved by how deep the green seemed to be in them, almost an emerald color. 'You are no child, Rebecca,' she thought to herself as her eyes drank in the vision before her. 'No child at all.' "You'll be the prettiest one there," she said with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Now just try not to get sauce all over the front of your dress. I know how you eat." She followed her words up with hand gestures depicting a most unladylike manner of eating.
"Oh, you...." Rebecca huffed playfully. "This from the woman who makes noises with her armpits."
"Hey, I told you I have many skills."
"Oh yeah, and that's one that'll be sure to land you a husband." She didn't understand the knowing smirk that came to the gunslinger's lips. Rebecca was about to comment on the look when the church bell chimed off in the distance, drawing her attention to the time.
"Oh no, he's going to be here any second," she gasped as she raced around in search of the brush. "Oh Josie, my hair is a mess and-"
"Relax, Rebecca. Here." She pulled the brush out from the saddlebag and walked over to the window. "Stand here and watch for him. I'll take care of your hair."
As promised, Josie gently brushed Rebecca's hair while the blonde watched the street below. The green eyes were half-closed in enjoyment of the unexpected luxury of having someone else do her hair. Long fingers aided the brush through the soft blonde hair. The strokes were far gentler than she had ever done for herself and Rebecca made a mental note to ask her to do it again sometime, perhaps in exchange for a backrub. Josie always did like backrubs. The young woman smiled at the thought. She enjoyed giving massages to the gunslinger, to run her fingers over the strong muscles, to hear the soft murmur of relaxation that came from her mouth. She wished Josie would ask for one more often, not just when she was in pain.
The sound of a wagon approaching drew her focus away from the spot on the wall it had strayed to during the brushing and back down to the street below. "He's here," she whispered nervously, pulling the gunslinger from her musings as well.
"Oh," Josie replied, setting the brush down on the table. She put her hands on Rebecca's shoulders and turned the smaller woman to face her. "Listen to me. Have fun, enjoy yourself, but be careful." She didn't even realize that her voice was in 'mother' mode. "I know you're a grown woman and what you do is your business, but remember that you don't have to do anything that you don't want to do."
"Yes, mother.", Rebecca said with a smile as she tried to cover up her nervousness. It didn't work.
"You'll be fine; stop worrying," Josie said reassuringly. "You'd better go before he thinks you've stood him up."
"Oh...bye," she said as she headed out the door, only to turn around and give her friend a quick hug. "I'll be back early...I promise." Then in a rustle of skirts, she was gone .
Josie stood at the window, watching as Lance put a soapbox on the ground for Rebecca to use as a step to get into the wagon. Despite her upbringing, Rebecca acted every bit the proper lady, holding her hand out to be assisted up the step, sitting with her hands crossed over each other in her lap. The only thing missing was a hat. 'Damn, forgot about the hat', Josie thought to herself. 'How could I forget that? Oh, Rebecca, I hope no one mentions it.' She watched the wagon until it was no longer in sight before turning away from the window. Josie lay down on the bed with her fingers interlaced behind her head, staring at nothing. What had happened at the saloon? Why did she get so angry whenever she saw them together? She blew stray strands of hair out of her eyes as she let out an exasperated sigh. She should be happy that Rebecca had found a nice young man to give her attention. From what the gunslinger could gather about the young woman's past, something not spoken of any more than her own, she wasn't used to receiving such positive attention. Josie rubbed her eyes. Sitting here staring at the ceiling wasn't going to help her understand. She rose to her feet and set out for the saloon.
The wagon moved slowly out of town, the pale gray of evening settling around them like a dark blanket. "You look very beautiful," Lance said as he admired the vision sitting next to him.
"Thank you," Rebecca replied softly, finding herself unexpectedly shy. "Lance, you don't sound like you come from these parts. Where are you from originally?"
"Well, our family is from back east, near Albany. We moved out here about two years ago. Pop was a banker; came out here to settle down and raise cattle," he looked out at the setting sun. "Don't think he expected it to be so hard, though." He smiled and took her hands in his hand, the reins tangling between them. "But I guess it's worth it to see such a pretty girl as yourself. But how'd you know we weren't from around here?"
"Your accent," she replied. "You have one, even if you don't realize it.
Like coffee. You pronounce it caw-fee."
"I do not have an accent," he said indignantly. "Only people from the south and from New England have accents."
"You do. Listen...coffee...walk...you say them," she said. He repeated the words. "See? Caw-fee and wok. You have an accent.", she said triumphantly. Lance nodded in defeat.
"I didn't know. You're very intelligent as well as beautiful, Rebecca.", he pulled her hand up for a kiss. She smiled, thinking how nice the attention was, then discreetly pulled her hand away, thinking that a refined lady would do the same. Lance smiled and untangled the reins, shifting in his seat and leaning forward to watch the road in the dimming light. For several minutes there was no sound save the steady rhythm of the horses hooves against the ground and the creak of the wagon. "Rebecca, if she's not your mother, then why do you travel with her?" he sat up in his seat and looked at her. "You have to admit she's not like most women."
Rebecca grinned. "No, she's not. But that's part of what makes her so special. She is different. Maybe she doesn't fit into the mold of a perfect lady, but generally, I think proper ladies are boring. Josie's fun; you never know what to expect next from her. It's exciting." She didn't even realize how big her smile was when she spoke of her friend, but he noticed.
"She looks like the kind that likes trouble. Seems to me you'd be better off settling down somewhere."
"Oh, I'll settle down eventually. I just haven't seen enough of the world to decide what I want to be yet."
"Want to be? What do you mean, want to be? Don't you want to be a wife and mother like all women?"
"Well, of course I do, Lance," she said huffily, not at all happy about having to defend herself. "It's just that I want more than that. Lance, I want to learn about medicine; how to help the sick and injured. I want to do more than cook and clean and raise babies," she quieted down as they passed through the gates to the ranch.
"Seems to me that's all any woman would want," he said, keeping his eyes straight ahead as his perfect vision was shattered.
"You didn't remind me about a hat," Josie growled to Sandy as she entered the saloon and bellied up to the bar. "What if someone says something to her?"
"Josie..." Sandy motioned behind the gunslingers back at the barkeep to bring the bottle along with the glass he was holding. "I didn't think about the hat. She'll be fine. Rebecca certainly is pretty enough to go without a hat." She poured a glass of whiskey and pushed it in front of the raven-headed woman.
"Did you find the boots you were looking for?"
"Yes." The blue eyes lit up with rare excitement. "They fit her perfectly. You should see them, Sandy; nice white leather with shimmering white buttons like pearls. She looked so nice in them and in the dress too. You had her size right." Josie stopped when she realized just how much she had said and how she had said it. She quickly drained her glass and refilled it.
"I wish I had remembered the damned hat," she mumbled into the glass.
"Next time you'll remember the hat, Josie. In the meantime, the girl is out having fun, why don't you? There's fresh cigars in my desk and the pool table is free," she suggested, trying hard to keep the smirk off of her face. The tall gunslinger was acting like a typical mother worrying about her child's first date. 'That girl's got something on you Josie, I can feel it,' the madam thought to herself. 'You've changed and I'd swear on a stack of bibles held by Saint Peter himself that it's all because of that girl.'
"Fine...beats sitting around here looking at all these codgers," Josie grumbled, breaking Sandy out of her reverie. The gunslinger grabbed the nearly full bottle and they headed for the back room.
"Rebecca, this is my mother and father, Mister and Mrs. Jon Van Doren."
Lance turned to face his parents. "Mother, Father, this is Rebecca."
Mr. Van Doren kissed the back of Rebecca's hand, and Mrs. Van Doren smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, Rebecca...?"
"Cameron, Rebecca Cameron. Pleasure to meet you as well," she replied, leaning down to accept the offered kiss on the cheek.
"Ah, well now Rebecca, we've met before, haven't we?" Lance's father asked. Like his son, he never forgot a pretty face.
"Yes, at the theater," she replied, instantly regretting it when she saw the look on the older woman's face, that of a cat about to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse.
"Ah yes, the theater. Lovely establishment, wouldn't you say? Not nearly as grand as say, the Palace, but still rather nice for such a rustic area." She turned to see if there was anyone around who was more important she could talk with, and finding none, she returned her attention to the young woman.
"What were we talking about? Oh yes, the theater. You were there with your mother, weren't you?" Lance opened his mouth to correct her, but shut it when he felt the gentle poke in his side.
"The actors were very funny, didn't you think?" Rebecca asked, trying desperately to change the subject.
"The actors? Oh, I suppose so." She dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand as if it was not even worth discussing, and then went on. "But tell me dear, why does your mother wear your father's clothes? And in public?" she said in a disapproving tone. Rebecca's mind raced quickly as she tried to come up with an acceptable explanation.
"Oh, well, you see...that's for my benefit. You see, if people see her like that with me, well, they just assume that she's a man and they don't bother me. Mother's just trying to protect my virtue." She smiled, trying to look as innocent and ladylike as possible.
"Ah, I knew there had to be some explanation." Her curiosity satisfied she turned to her husband. "Come along now, Jon. We have others to attend to." Mrs. Van Doren gave Rebecca a smile that looked as if it were made of paste, and hooking her arm through her husbands, she propelled him off in the direction of a small crowd of people who had just arrived.
"Sorry about that," Lance said once his parents were out of earshot.
"Mother can be a bit...nosy at times."
"It's all right," Rebecca replied. The smell of fresh ribs cooking assailed her nose. "Mmm, smells wonderful," she said sincerely.
"Oh, you haven't lived until you taste Pedro's cooking. His ribs melt in your mouth," he chuckled. "Of course, you'd better make sure you have a tall glass of water next to you. It's a bit spicy."
"I can handle spicy, Lance. One time, my father came home from the trading post with a small little pepper and gosh was it hot."
"Well, I guess you can handle Pedro's sauce then. Come on, let's see if we can get some before the ranch hands take it all."
"You think she's having a nice time?" Josie asked absentmindedly for the fifth time in the last hour.
"Josie, she's fine. She'll be back anytime now, I'm sure of it. Just relax," Sandy said with a sigh pulling two thin cigars out of a humidor on the desk. "Now I think I've seen his family around here before. Don't get out much, ya know. They look like real nice people. I'm sure she's just fine," she said as she handed the cue ball to the gunslinger. "I do believe it's your shot."
"Yeah," Josie replied noncommittally. To herself she wondered, 'are you safe, sprite? Are you all right? Please be careful.'
"Did you enjoy yourself, Rebecca?" he asked as they walked near the stable.
"Yes I did, thank you. The food was wonderful, and the company was nice too," she said shyly, turning her head away slightly.
"Yes it was," he said, his voice slightly deeper than before. They were standing just outside the stable. Lance moved, positioning her between him and the wall of the building. "Rebecca..." he said as he moved closer, causing her to back up against the whitewashed wood. "You are very pretty." He had noticed the way she smiled earlier that night whenever he said that and he tried to use it to his advantage now. "Your lips, they were made for kissing." He ran his thumb across her lower lip, causing her heart to pick up its beat slightly. Rebecca looked at him uncertainly not knowing what to do or say, afraid she was about to be kissed and afraid that she wasn't.
"Oh?" was all she could think of to say. Lance smiled.
"Yeah." He bent down and pressed his lips to hers, pushing her harder against the wall. His arms came out to rest against the wood on either side of her head. "Rebecca..." he whispered as he came up for air before planting another firm kiss against her mouth. She felt his tongue slip past his lips, demanding entry.
"No," she said as she pressed her hands against his chest, trying to back him away from her. Lance didn't back up, but he made no effort to continue.
"Rebecca ...all girls kiss," he said as if stating the obvious.
"I did kiss you...but I don't want to do...that," she said, wishing that Josie was there at that moment. "Lance, a real gentleman wouldn't try to push a lady further than she wanted to go."
He ran his fingers through his brown hair as he tried to maintain control. This small blonde woman was so tempting. He longed to taste her mouth, to take her to his bed. She would be a good mother, he thought as he looked at the womanly flare of her hips. His mother always said to look at their hips; the larger they were, the better for bearing children. Rebecca's hips weren't that wide, but certainly looked nice enough to keep the flames going for quite some time. Lance smiled at her and placed his hand beside her head again, leaning in ever so slightly. "I'm not trying to push you, sweet Rebecca. I am, after all, nothing if not a gentleman." He made no effort to change his position just as she made no effort to remove her hands from his chest, lest he move forward to kiss her again. "But you need to understand that when a man kisses you, you have to let him kiss you the way he wants to. Have you ever been kissed like that before?"
"N-no. Lance, I think I'd better get back now," she tried to duck under his arms but he was too fast for her. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
"Rebecca...I'm not trying to rape you, I just want a kiss." He brought his mouth to hers again, this time with more authority. He forced her mouth open with his tongue, yelping and letting go of her when he felt the bite of her teeth on his lower lip. "Ow...you bitch," he spat, his hand going to his tender lip.
"I said no," she said nervously, visions of the women of Rosewood and the things that Lefty's men did to them filling her mind, making panic rise in her throat.
"Well...I guess you did, didn't you?" he said in a defeated tone. "If that's how you want to be...." Rebecca understood the implication. He wasn't interested in her anymore. He looked over at the crowd of ranch hands milling about. "Hey Matt!" he called. One of the men separated himself from the crowd and began walking their way. "Matt will take you home," he said, effectively dismissing her as he walked to meet with the ranch hand. He said a few words to the man, gesturing in her direction, and without a backward glance he rejoined the celebration up at the main house. Matt looked apologetic as he escorted her to the wagons and helped her into the one the ranch hands used for hauling hay about the fields.
"Sorry ma'am. This here's the only one that Mr. Van Doren lets us use. Seat's pretty clean, though," he pulled out his handkerchief and wiped the wooden seat before she sat down anyway. "I'll have you home in no time." He sat down and snapped the reins, sending the horse into motion. Rebecca remained quiet on the way back, wishing only to be back with Josie, to have her tell her that she'd done nothing wrong, and that everything would be all right, but mostly just to be with her.
Josie paced back and forth from the window to the door of the back room.
Sandy looked at the clock nervously. It was after ten and there was no sign of Rebecca. A half dozen whores sat around playing cards. The menacing look of the gunslinger had driven away most of the evening's business since she had come out of the back room shortly after eight and began her relentless pacing. "Josie, please come sit down...you're making me dizzy."
"How much longer can she possibly be? She said she'd be back early," the gunslinger growled. The creak of a wagon in the distance drew her back to the window. "She's back," Josie said with relief evident in her voice, and she headed for the door.
"Good night," Sandy said to the retreating form.
Josie made it back to the boarding house a minute or two before Rebecca. She had the lamp turned up and was sitting in the chair, waiting for the young woman to come upstairs and tell her about her evening. She listened to the rhythm of the young woman's steps in the hall. They stopped at the door, but Rebecca didn't enter immediately. Seconds passed as Josie waited for the blonde to open the door. A grave fear set in as the gunslinger leapt from her chair and opened the door. Instantly Rebecca was in her arms, sobbing shamelessly. Josie's body softened immediately as she enveloped the young woman in her arms and closed the door. She led them to the bed and sat down, keeping her arms around Rebecca. Anger, fear, concern, and a twinge of guilt for not being there all filled the gunslinger as she waited for the tears and ragged breathing to cease and her friend to be able to speak again.
It was several minutes before Rebecca calmed down enough to speak. Josie had spent the time holding her, doing her best to keep her anger in check and promising herself that Lance would suffer if he hurt her friend in any way. Slowly the tears and haggard breathing eased to a point where Josie felt comfortable letting go. "What happened?", the gunslinger asked tentatively, not fully certain she wanted to know the answer. Her eyes inspected Rebecca, noting no tears in the dress, nor bruising anywhere, except perhaps her lips. The young woman took a shaky breath before speaking, her eyes fixed upon a spot on the floor.
"He kissed me," she said softly. "I wanted him to, but..." her voice trailed off. Josie placed her fingers on the young woman's chin and forced her to meet her gaze.
"But what, Rebecca? What did he do?" She fought to keep her anger in check and not let it show in her voice. "Tell me," she said softly.
"He tried..." she paused but didn't turn away. Josie swore she could see the young woman gathering the strength to speak. "He tried to kiss me more than I wanted...and when I said no, he...he got mad and had one of the men drive me home."
"He wasn't man enough to escort you home?" This time Josie made no effort to hide her anger, only the intensity of it.
"But he had Matt bring me...he's a nice fellow." She saw no change in the gunslinger's expression. "Josie, he didn't try anything. Matt was a perfect gentleman."
"Shame Lance wasn't," she growled, rising and going to the window. It was taking great effort to stay in the room and not go knock some sense into the young man, or just knock him around. A very unpleasant thought came to her. "Rebecca ...is there anything else? I mean did he try to touch you?" It was an effort to get the words out.
"No," was the soft reply. Josie visibly relaxed and returned to the bed. Without thought, she put her arm around Rebecca's shoulders and pulled her in for another hug.
"It's all right now, sprite. You're safe here," she whispered into the younger woman's ear. "I wish it had gone better."
"I had a nice time otherwise," Rebecca offered, trying to lighten the mood. "They have a cook, Pedro. He makes the best barbecue ribs... they were so good."
"How many racks did you eat, my little eating machine?", the gunslinger teased good-naturedly, also trying to eradicate the somber mood. The young woman smiled and wiped her eyes.
"I only had a few pieces. Had to act like a lady, after all.
Oh, they had a small band there, too..." She went on for several minutes describing the rest of the party, deliberately leaving out her conversation with Lance's mother. She let out a long yawn in the middle of describing the ranch itself.
"I think it's time for bed," Josie said as she rose to her feet.
Rebecca nodded and reached down to unbutton her boots. Without a word, the gunslinger dropped to the floor and made quick work of the buttons.
"Thanks." She picked one of the boots up and stared at it thoughtfully. "You know, Josie, someday I'm going to give you something. Something that only I can give you. Something irreplaceable." She gingerly ran her fingers over the leather of the boot. "Something that makes you feel as special as I do tonight. You didn't have to get me these beautiful boots, you didn't have to find me the dress." Before Josie could react, Rebecca put her arms around her and gave her a loving embrace. "Someday...."
Josie looked down at the blonde head resting under her chin. She thought back over the last few months, trying to pinpoint exactly when the young woman in her arms slipped past her defenses and became such an important part of her life, not just an unexpected burden. She tightened her grip slightly, smiling to herself when she felt it returned. "Come on, sprite. You've had a long day. Let's get you to bed."
Long after Rebecca had fallen under the sandman's spell, Josie laid awake trying to quell the anger that burned inside her. Despite the young woman's protests that he did nothing other than try to kiss her more than she wanted to, the gunslinger still felt an almost uncontrollable rage towards him. How dare he try to force his way on Rebecca. Only when she looked at the angelic face sleeping beside her did Josie feel any sense of calm. Moving gently as so not to disturb her, the gunslinger curled her body around Rebecca's and soon joined her in sleep.
After breakfast, they went to the saloon to return the dress and to visit with their friends. Sandy adamantly refused to accept the garment, citing that it had been collecting dust in the closet for months after its original owner left. She gave Rebecca a small carpetbag to keep the dress in while they traveled. Josie sat at a table with three other women, intent on playing a few hands of poker while the young blonde went upstairs to visit with Stacey and Victoria, both of whom had remained in their rooms.
"Full house," Elaine said triumphantly as she lay her cards down and reached for the pot. Despite having a flush in her hand, Josie tossed her cards down. Something else had captured her interest.
"I'll be back," she said firmly as she rose from her chair and stormed out the door. Elaine and the others looked at each other for just a brief moment before the black headed woman went in search of Sandy. She had no idea who or what the tall woman had seen, but whatever it was, the gunslinger was most definitely angry when she left.
Lance stepped down from the wooden walk in front of the mercantile, totally oblivious to his surroundings. The next thing he knew, he was being thrown hard against the side of the building, an extremely angry woman in black glaring at him, her hands clenching the front of his shirt. There was a fire in the ice blue eyes, a fire that was reserved for him and he knew it. Never in his young life had he felt so much fear as he did at that very moment. "I-I-I...." he stammered helplessly.
"You are a very lucky man, you know that?" Josie growled, pushing him against the wall again for emphasis. "I don't like men who try to take advantage of young women, especially...my...friend." She accentuated the last three words with little shoves into his chest, each shove slamming him hard against the wood.
"I-I...all I did was kiss her," he cried, his eyes darting around in a vain attempt to find someone to help him. "I swear I didn't try anything else, I swear!"
"If you had tried something else..." Josie moved close, her face scant inches away from his. "...the only 'lance' you would have left is the one in your signature." She looked down at his crotch, then back up at his face, and arched an eyebrow. "Got it?"
He swallowed nervously as beads of nervous perspiration rolled off his brow. Josie pulled him forward slightly and shoved him against the wall again, slightly harder than before. She knew he would end up with little more than a few bruises on his shoulder blades and perhaps a ruined pair of britches, but in her eyes, that was a small price to pay for making Rebecca's first date an unpleasant experience. "Rebecca is a very forgiving person, but I'm not. Be thankful that you get to walk away with all your body parts intact." She gave him one more shove and then let go of his shirt. "Hurt her again and I swear you won't live to regret it."
Lance slumped down on the ground next to the wall, grateful to be alive. Josie gave him one more menacing stare before turning to head back to the saloon. She stopped short when she saw Rebecca standing at the mouth of the alleyway staring at her. Neither paid any attention as the scared young man quickly took his leave, smartly heading in the opposite direction. Josie approached her, trying to keep her face as expressionless as possible despite the gnawing fear that the young woman would think her little more than an animal for attacking him. By the time the gunslinger was within touching distance of Rebecca, she was certain that the young woman would walk away from her, never to return.
"How much did you see?" Josie asked, managing to avoid eye contact, certain of the disappointment she would find there. She was startled to feel a gentle touch on her forearm as Rebecca reached out to her.
"Enough," she said softly. "Did you hurt him?"
"Not nearly as much as I wanted to," the gunslinger admitted. "I held back."
"Why? Hey..." she put her fingers on Josie's cheek. "...look at me...that's better. Why did you hold back? Because of me?" she asked gently. The blue eyes flickered for the briefest of moments, giving Rebecca her answer. The unspoken admission was enough to make Josie visibly uncomfortable. The young woman pulled her hand back and smiled warmly, as she understood the unspoken fear. She also understood that her tall companion wasn't ready to voice that fear or have it voiced for her. This wasn't a case of the gunslinger protecting someone from harm. Rebecca realized that it went much deeper than that. What happened in the alleyway was revenge, pure and simple. Josie wanted to punish Lance for hurting her. As much as the thought of physical violence bothered her, Rebecca nevertheless felt a warm, comfortable feeling at the knowledge that the gunslinger cared enough about her to do such a thing. She captured the blue eyes with her own. "I'm glad you didn't beat the stuffing out of him, even if he did deserve it."
The words eased the tightness that Josie was feeling in her chest, as she understood that Rebecca wasn't upset with her. "I wanted to, you know. I wanted to push his little head right through the wall." Her muscled forearms tensed as she remembered the feeling of slamming him against the wooden side of the building.
"I know you did, Josie. But don't you see? You didn't. You didn't hurt him; well not badly anyway, and you didn't lose control," she said reassuringly, frowning when she noticed that the gunslinger's jaw was still clenched as tightly as her fists. "Josie, you're not the monster people think you are or even you think you are. What you did today wasn't done out of anger or hatred, it was done out of care and concern for another human being." She touched the gunslinger's arm again and maintained the contact, wrapping her small fingers around the powerful wrist. "For me," Rebecca said softly, almost in awe that her sadness could affect Josie so.
The gunslinger cleared her throat and politely pulled her arm back, the emotions becoming too much for her once again. "I don't think you have to worry about old lance in the pants again."
"Josie!" Rebecca said, shocked at her friend's comment. "I don't believe you said that. How awful." A huge grin broke out on her face as she thought about the comment some more. The grin turned into a smile, which in turn became a giggle. She swatted her tall friend's arm playfully. "You are bad."
"Stick around me and you'll learn just how bad I can be," Josie said wickedly. "Come on, I'll buy you a drink. If you're a good girl I'll even teach you how to play pool."
"Really?" Rebecca said excitedly. "You would, really? Teach me, I mean."
Josie smiled at the childish look of excitement in her friend's face. "Rebecca, I'll teach you how to play pool and anything else you want. I warn you though, I'm a hard taskmaster; worse than Belle."
"If you're my teacher, I don't think I'll mind. I'm a fast learner, you'll see," she said enthusiastically. "I won't let you down."
"I'm sure you won't," Josie agreed as they entered the saloon.