Thanks to Randi for the very last minute corrections. She's the best. All mistakes are hers. I never make any!
*
Christine Hamilton gazed at the passing scenery as the stagecoach bounced over the rough terrain. The differences between Nevada and Virginia were stark and had become more apparent with each passing day of her journey. Virginia had many more towns, homes and businesses along the more traveled roads, and far less dust. She hadn't seen a single building in the entire five hours she'd traveled since leaving Carson City.
As she watched the sagebrush and colorful wildflowers glide across her view, she once again pondered the wisdom of her trip. Now that she was removed from her family, it had become obvious that her rather rash decision to travel to Bonnet, Nevada, was in large part, a result of her irritation at Will.
When her brother, Will, had turned twenty-one, her father had given him half ownership in a working gold mine. Three years later, Christine celebrated her twenty first birthday in anticipation of receiving something special, and rather expensive. That had been far from the case. She could still hear her brother's raucous laughter as Christine's face dropped when her father placed a deed in front of her at the dinner table.
"Now that you're all grown up, I'm giving you a working cattle ranch in Nevada," beamed her father as he smoothed out the document sitting in front of her. "The Bar M was given to your late mother by her father over twenty years ago. She'd be real happy to know that it's remaining in the family. With the railroads expanding west, the value of the land and the cattle will only increase. You own a cattle ranch now!"
The gift would have been better received by Christine if the ranch hadn't been the butt of more than a few jokes and sarcastic comments over the years. Everyone in the family knew that Molly Murphy Hamilton had found it necessary to inject money into the ranch, almost annually. The best she could ever recall her mother saying about the property was that it had broken even one year.
As those thoughts crossed her mind, Will was unable to contain his mirth any longer. "Yeah, Sis! You've got yourself a regular goldmine there. Oh, I'm sorry! I've got the gold mine. You've got some scrawny cattle and a few swaybacked horses. I'm sure it'll become profitable pretty soon, just like you'll be getting married pretty soon!"
Her brother's hearty laugh accompanied his stinging remarks. Christine's temper flared immediately. Her Irish heritage overruled the composure she normally maintained. Over the ensuing weeks, Christine would recall her exact words and marvel at the situation she had placed herself in because of a fit of pique.
"Listen to you! How many times have you been to your mine? You don't even know where it is. Grandpa Murphy loved that ranch and I'm going to make it successful and give Grandpa and Mom up in heaven something to be proud of.
"I'll probably settle down out there and raise a bunch of kids. They'll be riding horses and working cattle, not sitting around waiting to turn twenty-one so they can retire!" blurted Christine before she gave any thought to her words.
Her brother only laughed harder. "You may be right! I've heard there's a shortage of women out there. You should be able to collar some broken down lonesome cowpoke who would be willing to put up with a bossy stubborn man-hating woman so he can have a roof over his head. I can't wait to meet this guy. I bet he'll even have a few of his teeth left!"
It had always been that way between Christine and Will. They had spent much of their youth quarreling about anything and everything. He had teased her mercilessly at every opportunity. As they approached adulthood, Christine's social life had become a favorite source of derision for Will.
It wasn't that she wasn't attractive. With her copper-colored hair, high cheek bones, flawless skin and noticeably female figure, Christine had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her stumbling block, socially, was her intolerance. When a young man would show some interest in her, she'd try very hard to curb her tongue and fiery temper. Her ability to control her unflattering comments normally lasted a few weeks at most. By then, her suitor would begin to slide from his best behavior and become more relaxed. Invariably, that would lead to Christine observing traits that she found unacceptable in a mate. The young man would end his courtship with his tail between his legs and an oath to never again set foot in the same room as Christine Hamilton.
Christine firmly believed that her expectations regarding a mate were not unreasonable. A husband should possess certain traits, such as honestly, loyalty and confidence. He had to understand that Christine was not some kind of an ornament to hang from a man's arm, but a partner, a friend and an equal. Most men whom she had met had more than a little trouble with that concept. Christine had begun to wonder if there even were such men, or if she'd have to settle for something less.
Will knew she had high standards and enjoyed teasing her. Even though they had argued and disagreed on almost everything during their youth, Christine was secure in the knowledge that her brother loved her. Just last Christmas Christine had attended a gala, along with Will and her younger sister, Becky. They represented the Hamilton family since their father had begged off with a bad cold. Shortly before the party was over, Christine was accosted by a rather drunk Alan Huffman.
"How about a kiss, you stuck-up little bitch," snarled Huffman as he grabbed Christine's wrist and pulled her to his chest. As he leaned in to kiss her lips, Christine lowered her head and struck Huffman's nose with her skull. Since he was a large, ruggedly built man, the blow to his face simply served to enrage him. He again grabbed Christine's wrist and pulled her closer as he pulled his other hand back. It was obvious to everyone watching that the man fully intended to backhand Christine. Just as Christine prepared herself for the impact, Huffman suddenly flew backward as a fist smashed into his already tender nose.
Christine turned to see Will rubbing his hand as he watched Huffman begin to regain his feet. "Once you're back on your feet, you'd better use them to walk the hell out of here," suggested a neatly dressed man with a star pinned to his chest. "If you'd managed to strike Miss Hamilton, I'd be trying to save you from a lynching about now. I strongly urge you to see what's over the next hill. Your kind aren't welcome in this town."
The town marshal was not a large man, but the gun his hand rested on looked exceptionally big. Huffman first glared at Christine, and then at Will before stomping out of the building. That was the last time he was ever seen in Glenwood.
Christine's musings ended as the stagecoach slowed to a stop in what appeared to be a very small town. The driver opened the door and spoke to Christine and the other passenger, a portly drummer.
"We'll be here a couple of hours. There's a pretty fair diner across the street and a saloon up the street, if you're so inclined. Be back here and ready to leave at two PM sharp.
"Just watch your step on the planks everybody uses to cross the street where it's muddy. More than one fella's found himself sitting in the mud after his boots slipped on a slick board."
Having nothing better to occupy her time, Christine carefully made her way to the dinner and took a seat at a table. An older woman appeared at her side a few minutes later, leaving a cup of coffee and taking her order back to the kitchen.
Christine noticed two slovenly dressed men wander into the diner as she waited for her food to be served. The men casually scanned the room until their eyes fell on her. The taller of the two showed a mouth full of yellowed teeth as he broke into a big grin and elbowed his companion. He nodded in Christine's direction and sauntered over to her table.
"Ma'am, it just ain't a good idea for a handsome woman like you to sit all alone. There are some hardcases around here that could cause you all kinds of problems. It's lucky that Stan and me are here. We'll just sit down and keep you safe from the dubious characters that are bound to try to bother a looker like you," proclaimed the tall man as he pulled out a chair and sat across from Christine.
"I'm sure there are some rather undesirable characters nearby," replied Christine with a frown as the shorter man dropped into the chair to her right. "I appreciate your offer, but I'll take my chances. I'm having some difficulty believing that there could possibly be less scrupulous gentlemen in the immediately area."
The man across from Christine considered her comment for a brief time before a frown crossed his brow. "Are you saying that Stan and me ain't exactly model citizens? You Easterners think you can waltz in here and talk down to us locals? Stan and I sure don't cotton to being insulted by some uppity acting b..."
"I hope I'm not too late!" broke in a pretty blonde girl dressed in western garb. "Are these gentlemen your friends? I was hoping we could have some privacy while we caught up on old times."
As she stared at the strange girl, Christine caught a quick smile and a wink before the girl resumed her poker face and sat in the only remaining chair. Understanding washed over Christine as she formulated her response.
"These gentlemen were just leaving. They kindly offered to keep me company, but that was before they realized that I was meeting you here. They'll be on their way now."
"Just a minute! There's two pretty women here and two pretty good lookin' guys, so it's just about perfect. You ladies can buy us some lunch and then Stan and I'll show you a good time. This works out perfect for all of us." The apparent leader of the ragged duo chuckled.
"Yeah, you've got a point. You two fellows do kind of stand out, and we're definitely fine looking females," replied the blonde girl. "The only problem I can possibly see with your suggestion is how mean Blue gets when we hang out with strange men. Or is he a friend of yours? That would save you a lot of grief when he gets here if you're already friendly with him."
"Blue?" asked the man with yellow teeth. "You're not talking about Blue Rhone, are you?"
"So you are his friends? That's great. He'll be glad to see you fellows taking so much interest in us. I'll tell him how you wanted to show us a good time," continued the blonde. "He should be here any minute."
"I just remembered that Stan and me have an appointment and we're going to be late if we don't get moving," claimed the tall fellow as he quickly stood and motioned for his partner to do the same.
"Please tell me that the appointment is with a barber," quipped Christine as the two men nervously headed for the door.
"I can't believe you just said that!" laughed the blonde girl. "I'm June Lane, by the way. I saw those two morons bothering you and thought I'd help out. It never occurred to me that they'd think that we'd be interested in them!"
