Chapter 1 – A Girl Named Harper

Her name was Harper Parish, and I never did find out where she came from. I just know that she influenced my life in ways I never could have imagined.

I was about twenty-five when I first met her; she was seventeen. Now don't get the wrong idea – I was too old for her and I knew it. Besides, the last thing I wanted to do was get tied down to one woman, in one place, and spend the rest of my life there. Not that there was much chance of that happenin'. Harper insisted she was never gettin' married.

I'd ridden into a little town called Wilsons Corners, tired, dirty, and hungry, and I wasn't sure which one to take care of first. The one thing I was sure of was my horse felt the same way, which is why I headed straight for the livery. That's where I first caught sight of her, and to say she fascinated me was an understatement. I saw her from behind, and if it hadn't been for the long blonde hair I would have been convinced 'she' was a 'he.'

Before I could say anything she turned around, and not only did her gender become obvious, so did her youth. She had blue-gray eyes that were way too serious for her age, and a black hat that she wore Texas style. And she dressed nothing like any girl that I'd ever seen – her clothes would have passed for a man's.

"Help ya?" she asked, and her voice was pure honey. Low and drawl free, she made you want to ask her questions just so you could hear her speak.

"You the stable man?"

She stared at me like I'd just asked the dumbest thing she'd ever heard. Then, unexpectedly, her eyes crinkled up and she laughed. "Yeah, mister, I guess I am. Horse need tendin'?"

"Yes, ma'am," I answered, and I laughed with her. "Water, food, rubdown."

"You goin' to get the same thing?"

The question was blunt but understandable, considering the way I looked. "Except for the rubdown, yes."

"Well, mister, if you want one . . . there's always girls at the Black Nugget Saloon."

"How about you tell me where the hotel is in this town?"

"That's easy," she grinned as she took the reins of my horse. "Three doors past the bank, down on the other side a the street. You stayin' the night?"

"At least," was the most honest answer I could give her. I'd been riding for almost a week and I needed to rest in an actual bed instead of the ground. And I needed a good, hot bath. After that I'd see just what the Black Nugget Saloon had to offer. In the way of poker, that is. The last thing I needed in my life right now was one of the ladies that worked there, no matter how pretty or accommodating they might be.

"Alright, Mister . . . ?"

"Maverick," I told her. "Bart Maverick. And you are?"

"Harper Parish. Temporary employee of the livery. I'll take good care of your horse, Mr. Maverick. You need anything else, you come back and see me."

"Thanks, Miss Parish."

"Don't call me that. Call me Harper."

"Alright, Harper. I'm Bart."

She grinned that little lopsided grin again. "Good to meet ya, Bart. Like I said, you come back an see me if you need anything. I got a handle on most a the town."

"Hotel got a dining room?"

"Not one that's any good to speak of. Head across the street to Bonnie's. Best food in town."

I tipped my hat. "Thanks, Harper."

I paid her and headed for the livery door. "Don't get lost," she called after me, and laughed again. My stomach growled and I set out down the street towards Bonnie's. I wasn't much dirtier than most of the cattle hands rolling around these small towns, and for once I was actually hungry. So getting clean was going to wait.

I was almost done with my meal when a now-familiar face came through the doors. Harper Parish headed straight for my table, and I was concerned. Had something happened to my horse? I didn't have to wait long for my answer.

"Horse okay?" I questioned.

"What?" she asked as she pulled up one of the empty chairs. "Oh, yeah, your horse is fine. You a gun-hand?"

I was trying to swallow the last of my meal and almost choked. "Me? Lord, no. Not on my best day. Or would that be my worst day? Why do you ask?"

"Lawman?"

I shook my head. "Not that either. Somethin' wrong?"

"Bounty hunter?"

It sounded like she was goin' through every job she could think of, so I tried putting any end to her string of guesses. "Gambler."

"Oh." Harper sounded deflated. "You ever do anything else?"

"Yeah. A lotta different things. Why? You lookin' for somethin' specific?"

She nodded her head, and that long blonde hair bounced up and down. "I need somebody to . . . " That's where she stopped. I waited for her to finish the sentence, but there was no more forthcoming. I pushed my plate away; she'd been right about the food. It was better than average, and I'd cleaned my plate. Something I didn't do very often.

"To do what, Harper?"

"I need somebody to do a job for me. I can pay. You interested?"

"What kinda job?" I'd be the first to admit, the word 'job' was usually enough to send me running in the opposite direction. When your poke keeps gettin' smaller and your belly's just as empty, you begin considerin' all sorts of things you might not have considered last week. Right now I was willing to listen to whatever she had to offer.

"I gotta go back to the livery. How about I meet you here at Bonnie's at eight o'clock tonight? Maybe by then you won't appear as you're gonna fall asleep on me."

That sounded good, considering the way I felt when I first rode into town. And now that I had a full belly it was only gonna get worse. So, against my better judgment, I agreed. "Eight o'clock. Here at Bonnie's. I'll be here."

I couldn't ask her any more questions; as soon as I told her I'd be there, she was gone. As I paid for my meal I couldn't help but wonder – what had I gotten myself into now? And just who or what was Harper Parish? I got out of there in a hurry, trying to stay awake long enough to get to the hotel. I did, and got a room, arranging for a bath around seven o'clock. With a guarantee that someone would wake me when it was ready. That was a necessity, because the way I felt right now I'd probably sleep until tomorrow. That's what a week in the saddle will do to you.

XXXXXXXX

I felt better after some shut-eye and a bath. It didn't hurt that I shaved and changed clothes, either. I was almost feeling human again by the time I walked back to Bonnie's, this time dressed like a gambler and not a saddle tramp. I had every intention of going to investigate the Black Nugget Saloon after my meeting with Harper.

I walked back into Bonnie's and spotted her right away. She was sittin' at a table in the very back of the place, looking exactly the same as she had earlier in the day. Except for the coffee cup she held in her left hand. She whistled when I got close enough to her. "My, my, don't you look pretty," and for the third time today she gave me that little lopsided grin. "Didn't know you'd clean up that nice."

"Thanks, I think. Is that all you're havin'?" and I pointed to the coffee cup.

"For right now. You lookin' for supper?"

I laughed and shook my head. "Nope. I'm goin' to play some poker when I leave here. I'll eat when I'm done." I signaled one of the ladies that I needed coffee, and she brought it right away. Once she was gone I turned back to Harper. "Now, tell me about this job you're offerin'."

"I need you to retrieve my best friend Danny Mills from Wyoming State Prison."