Holding Out for a Hero

Prologue

Almost three months had passed since Maude Donovan and Cristian de la Torres were married, and they'd settled into a nice little routine. Most of the time Maude still ran the biggest and best saloon in Little Bend, Texas, Maude's, and Cristian practiced law in and around the area. Cristian had clients in New Mexico and Arizona, and when he had to go handle business for them, Maude went with him.

When they were gone Maude's daughter Doralice took over the saloon, and I guess I did, too. My name's Bart Maverick, and someday soon I'm gonna marry Doralice. No, I hadn't officially asked her yet, but it was just, well, understood that marriage was somewhere on the agenda.

I'm a professional poker player. Some folks would call me a gambler, but they'd be wrong. Gambling is roulette, and Faro, and dozens of other ways to lose your money to the saloon. Poker is a science, and a lucrative one at that when played correctly. And when Doralice is running the saloon I'm her floor manager. I keep the games and the gamblers honest and fair.

Maude and Cristian had just left two days ago for Tucson, and things were running pretty smoothly at the saloon. Nobody had tried to shoot, stab, or maim anyone else recently, and we'd only had one cowboy hauled off to jail. Sheriff Dave Parker, an old friend, told me there was some muttering on the cowboy's part about 'gettin' even with that Maverick fella.' I ignored the threat.

Randy was working with Doralice behind the bar, and my lady and me had decided to have an early supper. We'd gone down the street to the newest cantina and had just ordered when that same cowboy came barrelin' inside. Drunk as he'd been the night before, if not worse, he was shootin' his gun off into the air and yellin' about that 'damn Maverick.' I grabbed Doralice and shoved her behind me, then got out my own gun just as the sheriff arrived.

"I guess you didn't understand get out of town, did you?" Parker yelled as he buffaloed the cowboy and knocked him out cold. He then turned to me while he gathered the drunk off the floor. "Sorry, Bart. He gets thirty days in jail this time." He tipped his hat and dragged the unconscious man across the cantina floor and out the front doors.

"Are you alright?" I asked Doralice as I gathered her into my arms.

"I am," she replied, "but I'm starving. Can we stay and eat?"

I laughed. That's my lady. And I gave it no more thought until we'd returned to the saloon an hour later. That's where we found Dave Parker waiting for us. "What's up, Dave?"

"Bart . . . can we talk someplace private?"

"Sure, come with me. Doralice, we're gonna be in your office." She nodded, and I took Dave with me.

"What's the matter?" I asked as I closed the door.

"That cowboy that tried to kill you? He's dead."

"What?" I didn't know what else to say. He'd been plenty alive when he tried to shoot me in the cantina.

"I dragged him back to a cell and locked him up. Then Willie came in and we talked about a couple things, and before he left again he checked on the prisoner. He's dead, Bart."

I sighed. Far be it for me to want to see anyone dead, but the man did try to kill me. And Dave was just doing his job when he hit the guy. "It wasn't somethin' you tried to do, Dave. You were tryin' to keep from killin' him. It just happened."

Dave shook his head. "I sure hope this don't turn into somethin' bigger."

"What else could it turn into? He was just another cowboy that drank more than he should have."