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Saloon Girl At Ten Paces	By : SisterWine Category: M through R > Magnificent Seven Views: 899 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Mirisch Corp. own The Magnificent Seven(1998). Rio Bravo (1959) was written by Jules Furthman, Leigh Brackett & B. H. McCampbell, directed by Howard Hawks. I make no moneys from or claim to Rio Bravo (film) or Magnificent Seven (TV show).

Chapter List
- 1-One
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Chapter Nine
- 5
- 6
- 7
Chris was waiting for Colorado as he stepped out of the jail and replaced his hat on his head before removing his tobacco pouch and papers and rolled a cigarette. "What's in it for you?" He leaned against the beam that held up the awning, his hand on his beltbuckle.
"Well," Colorado finished rolling his cigarette and placed the end between his lips, patting his pockets for his matches, "I suppose, I get my pay and get to keep my job." His casual demeanour hadn't caught Chris off guard but hadn't soothed him, either. Finding his matches in his right vest pocket, he walked up to Chris and used the post the man in black leaned against as a strike and lit the match before lighting his cigarette. Shaking the match and tossing it aside, Colorado exhaled, casting the smoke downward, away from Chris. "We're here to do a job. I don't want any trouble." Big, blue eyes stared calmly at the man in black, waiting for him to make a move.
Meeting eyes with the younger man, Chris only stared at him, seeing himself staring back but with more cool of a much older gunfighter. "What about yer friend?" Chris stared intently at Colorado, searching for any sign the man was biding his time with the elder man.
Colorado removed the cigarette from his mouth and rubbed at the side of his nose with his right index finger as he chose his conversation carefully. "You'll have to ask him, Mister Larabee. It's none of my business. Scuse me." Stepping down, off of the walk, he made his way over to the Telegraph shop to wire Chance about apprehending Vin Tanner. He also included a side note about Vin's defensive friends and how they might be followed back to Texas. He wasn't worried about the six other men following them, or the gunfight that might ensue, instead, he was concerned with getting back safely and seeing justice settled. Like the Burdett case, before this, Colorado hadn't picked this news to settle his nose into but rather viewed it as another obstacle in earning his daily pay. As he finished the wire and stepped outside, he paused to smile at Inez, who made her way over to the Saloon, for work.
Buck sat at a corner table with Chris, drinking beer and sneering at the young deputy at the bar, his back to the wall with the chair turned sideways. "First, he arrests Vin and locks him in our jail, then he goes and flirts with Inez!" Shaking his head and taking a big gulp of his beer, Buck wiped his mouth on his cuff, never taking his eyes off of Colorado. His eyes narrowed as he watched how cool Colorado was while Inez leaned on the bar, across from him, staring at him with puppy love in her eyes. "It ain't right, Chris."
Chris tossed a glance over his shoulder at the young deputy before turning back to his beer. "Have another drink, Buck."
Shaking his head and absently taking a sip of his beer, Buck wiped his mouth on his shirt cuff, his eyes boring holes into Colorado's back. "Why should we have to sit here and just let him take Vin after he steals the heart of Inez?" Finally turning his attention to his friend, Buck turned in his chair to face Chris and leaned in. "I'm tellin' ya, Chris, there's somethin' about that kid. It just ain't right."
Chris smiled at his friend's statement and took another look, longer this time, at the man of Buck's ire and attention. "He's just doin' his job, Buck. You'd do the same thing, if you were in his shoes." Chris leaned back and watched his friend, waiting in case Buck took his anger too far. Initially he knew Buck wouldn't instigate something that he had no way of proving was wrong but, Vin's arrest seemed to take a toll on the man that came to call Vin a good friend. He admitted to himself that Buck's anger was not completely misplaced but, he couldn't allow Buck to do something stupid towards a deputy of Texas.
By now, the saloon was starting to fill up with men eager for the first beer or a hot meal after a day of various work. Dude had even settled into a corner table on the opposite side of the room, where he could sit and enjoy his beer in private. He had noticed that his young companion had been making fast friends with Inez as well as Feathers, chatting and laughing quietly at small conversations. Mainly, he kept his eye on the three men in the far corner of the room; the three who had been with Vin, earlier. His attention soon shifted again as Feathers slowly climbed the steps and smiled at him as she sat down, across from him.
Ezra, who sat with his back to the rest of the room, leaning back in his chair and shuffling a pack of cards, scoffed at his friend's malcontent. "As innocent as it is, I am inclined to agree with Mister Larabee. My dear cousin has stated this young man is exceptional with his draw as well as keepin' a level head about such misfortunes. Of course, she was adamant that he was not one to trifle with and has even pointed out several instances of proving his quick draw, more than once." Ezra spoke with a low drawl as not to rile any more of Buck's anger towards the young man.
"All I'm sayin' is that kid better watch out. If anything happens to Vin, I just might hold him responsible." Buck lowered his voice and leaned back in his chair, steadying his gaze on Colorado's back, once again.
Taking one last long swallow of his beer, Chris stood and dropped a nickel on the table. "I'm gonna go have a talk with Jesse. See how Lyla's doin'." As soon as he finished the sentence, his eyes met with Colorado's as the deputy tossed a glance over his shoulder at the far table where he felt the most heat from.
~~~~~~~~~
The sun just barely found its resting place on the grassy horizon as Chris's horse came to a stop in front of the newly finished corral. Swinging his leg over the side and lowering himself down to the ground, Chris heard the door open to the house and turned to find Jesse step out and watch him as he tossed the rein over the beam and walked up to the porch. "Jesse. How's Lyla?" He stopped at the bottom of the step and looked up at the young man's face, seeing the worry work its way into the young man's expression as Jesse lit a match to light the porchlamp.
Jesse shook his head sombrely. "Mister Jackson says she'll be fine but.... I dunno. She told me it was just indigestion but, the pain she's in.... ain't nothin she ate. Don't know about the baby, yet."
Chris nodded as he let the information sink in.
"Mister Sanchez told me about Mister Tanner bein' wanted for murder and the last men that tried to take him back to Texas." Jesse blinked, catching a hint of Chris's wariness before continuing. "I don't know about the other fella but, Ryan ain't like those men, Mister Larabee. Ryan's one of the best gunfighter's I've seen but, he's not a sell out." He could tell Chris shared Buck's contempt for seeing his friend locked up to be extradited back to Texas but something stopped the man from voicing it.
Nodding again, Chris turned and started walking away from the house. "How well do you know him?" He turned to ask, nonchalantly leading Jesse away from the house so they could talk freely.
Jesse sighed and stepped down off of the porch to follow him. "Well, his pa was a gunfighter turned rancher from Denver. We met while his pa was a ridin' guard on my uncle's wagon train. They'd come through Echo about twice a year and Ryan would come along, when his schoolin was done. His pa was a hard but fair man. Kinda like my pa was, before." He thought back to several moments that he and Colorado had tagged along with Rocky Ryan and was amased at the cool head Colorado's dad had in some elevated situations and how his best friend had learned from his father. Shaking his head, Jesse offered one last piece of advice. "Ryan isn't the kind to get involved in other's affairs but when he does, he takes account of the whole situation and if it don't feel right, he won't do it."
Chris thought about what Jesse said, not sure if it comforted him or not. He did know that he wasn't about to let his friend ride off with possible murderers, only wanting to collect the bounty on Vin, but he wasn't about to let Vin go, either.
As the sun crept lower into the distance, silence enveloped them for a long moment until finally the door opened and both men turned to find Nathan standing in the doorway. Jesse was the first to make his way over to the porch with a hopeful look at the healer. "How is she?"
Nathan wiped his hands on a towel and took a breath. "She's fine, restin'. I'll have some broth for her, in the morning. I'll be back to check on her tomorrow afternoon, and she should stay in bed, until then." Nathan could tell his words weren't exactly helping to ease Jesse's worry but he noticed the weight lighten on the man's shoulders.
"What about the baby?" Jesse swallowed, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer to the question.
Placing a hand on Jesse's shoulder, Nathan spoke calmly and tried to sound reassure the young father-to-be about the unborn's condition. "Too early to tell but as long as Lyla rests, there's a good chance they'll both make it. Right now, she needs rest and keep her comfortable."
~~~~~~~~~~
Nathan had given Lyla a tea he had made from herbs, a gift from a Navajo village he had helped in their time of need. The pain had subsided and she was able to rest comfortably but he put her on a regimen, in case the pain came back.
Colorado sat across from Jesse and Lyla and sipped his coffee as Lyla carefully cleared away the plates and silverware from the evening meal. He and Dude had been forced to wait another day while Judge Travis arrived on the stage, wanting to escort the deputies and their prisoner back to Texas, to plead Vin's case. It wasn't unheard of that murderers were given repreieve for joining the law and, even though he had no jurisdiction in Texas, the judge was willing to ask for an acquittal. Colorado could respect that and convinced Dude to wait another day. "You know, the Rangers were all set to come lookin' for you and here, those seven men found you." The two childhood friends shared a relieved look before he turned his attention to his surroundings, as well as watching Lyla make her way from the table to the sink as if she had had her sight back. "Would you like some help, Ma'am?"
Lyla paused halfway from the table to the sink and smiled. "That's alright. I've got it. Thank you, though." She continued but listened to what the two men were talking about.
"She does a great job at getting around the place. I think she knows this place better than me." Jesse chimed in as he watched his wife carefully, ready to help out if she needed. After a breath and a glance back to Lyla as she pumped water into the sink, Jesse swallowed. "Is this what you've been doin? Trackin' down innocent people and draggin' 'em back to Texas?"
Clearing his throat and shifting in his chair, Colorado shook his head. "It's not my business, Jess. It's either me and Dude or a posse of Rangers riding in. He's a wanted man, Jesse. He knew his day was coming, just like you did. How well do you really know Mr. Tanner?" He watched Jesse's reaction carefully. Remembering his cooled coffee, he raised the cup to his lips but paused as Lyla accidentally dropped a plate she had been drying, and heard it shatter on the hard wood floor. Setting the cup down and rushing to pick up the pieces and set them carefully on the small countre, next to the sink, he turned and watched as Jesse was by his wife's side, making sure she was alright.
"Has something happened to Mr. Tanner, Jess? Is he alright?" Lyla listened for movement or any sound as both Jesse and Colorado glanced at each other. "Jesse?!" Starting to panic, she reached out her hand and felt for the edge of the table but jumped as Jesse's hand slipped into hers.
Jesse stood and tried to calm her. "Nothing's happened. He's just fine, darlin." He glanced over at Colorado, who stared at his coffee, trying not to listen. "Why don't you go lie down? I'll take care of the dishes. It'll be alright, darlin." A nod from Lyla as he helped her into the bedroom to lie down before returning to the table. "How fair is this sheriff, you work for?"
Colorado rubbed his nose in thought. "Well, he's been pretty fair, so far. Not the kind to scare easily. Jess, this isn't for us to figure out. Tascosa put out the bill, we're just escorting him back there. Let his trial work for him. If good outweighs the bad, he'll be pardoned." Their eyes met but not necessarily for agreeance. After a final swallow of coffee, he stood. "I should get back. Good seeing you, Jesse." They shook hands before Jesse walked to the end of the porch with him and watched him ride away.
Night had fallen but Colorado was able to make it back to town with hardly any trouble. As he climbed the stairs to the second level, he asked Inez for a towel, as she made her way back downstairs from making up an empty room for the next guest. He blushed as she smiled and nodded before removing one from the small cabinet beside the wash room. Thanking her and watching as she made her way down the stairs, he turned and walked over to the door, knocking softly before opening it, after hearing no reply. "Oh, I'm sorry, Ma'am." His face reddened more as Feathers adjusted her robe to cover her bare shoulders, her back was to him.
Turning and smiling at his embarrassment, Feathers tied the belt around her waist and walked over to him. "No harm. Just finished up." Her smile lingered as she stepped to the door. "Have a nice soak." She gave him a wink as she walked out of the room and back to her room.
Jaw dropping as Buck stood on the stairs and watched the whole scene, he found himself speechless as Feathers smiled at the young deputy and then made her way down the hall. Colorado was left blushing and turned to watch her leave, also, catching Buck's stare before closing the door. Buck made his way up the stairs and down to the Feathers' room, waiting a moment before knocking on the door. When the door opened, he found himself stumbling over his words as he tried to ask her back downstairs for supper. "Hi, uh, what was he...? Uh, that is... Was he botherin' you, ma'am?"
Feathers laughed. "Bothering me? What for? He wanted to take a bath. I told him how great the water was." She had already dressed in a long blue shirt and white blouse and was finishing tucking in the blouse when he knocked on the door. Her hair was down and damp as she had just washed it and dried it and was in the process of brushing it before placing it in a bun at the nape of her neck.
Buck cleared his throat and shifted as he removed his hat and fidgeted with the brim, thinking of the words. Clearing his throat again, he paused as she fixed her hair and stood waiting for him to speak. "I um, *ahem* was wondering if I may escort you to the dining room, ma'am?"
A crooked grin as she finished placing the last pin. "I'd love to." She grabbed her key from the table beside the door and stepped out after slipping on her shoes, locking the door behind her. "Are you always this nervous with women?"
"Nervous, ma'am?" Buck shifted as he turned and followed her down the hall and then back down the stairs. They paused as they hit the landing before the second flight of stairs.
Feathers leaned back on the railing and stared at Buck for a long moment. "You seem to think that he and I have something. Don't you, Mister Wilmington?"
"Buck, please, ma'am."
Feathers nodded. "He's a sweetheart and a charming kid but, Colorado and I are just good friends. Besides, he's a bit young, for me. Don't you think?"
Again, Buck shifted and cleared his throat out of nervousness. "Certainly, ma'am." He wasn't sure if he was relieved after hearing her admission or not but at least her answer wasn't what he was fearing she would say.

Continued.
- 5
- 6
- 7
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Saloon Girl At Ten Paces