April 1867
Greenlake County, Texas
Greenlake County was known for its beautiful, widespread lake, of course, owned by Trout Walker's father, but since Trout was an arrogant, feebleminded man, he claimed the ownership of the lake too. The town is also known for its many onions, sold by an onion picker named Sam who sold them every day by the town's schoolhouse. He believed that they were a special remedy to cure anything and he did not only sell onions, but spices and special liquids. The teacher of the Greenlake County school house was Miss Katherine Barlow. She was the most beautiful woman in all of Texas, according to the men. Trout Walker liked her; really liked her and was intending to make her his. But Miss Katherine wanted no part of him at all. She knew he owned the lake and a steam boat meaning he was rich, but she didn't like that. In fact, he was illiterate and what kind of school teacher would be with someone who can't read? She occasionally taught a night class for illiterate men and Walker was one of her students. Trout liked to stop by the schoolhouse every now and then to say hello, but she would end up having to leave early or she would ignore him. One night after teaching at night school, Trout wouldn't leave or respect her request for him to leave the schoolhouse. He was insisting and can get rather abusive when he's drunk. "What's a beautiful woman like you doing alone?" Trout said as he took a drink from his whiskey flask. "I just want to spend more time teaching the young children of Greenlake County. I don't have time for a man right now, thank you Mr. Walker." As she tried to walk past him to leave the school house, he grabbed her arm and kissed her. She pushed him away and slapped his face. "What's wrong with you, Trout?" He laughed. "Hey now, girl. You know you liked it." From that point, Walker became touchy with her. He wouldn't leave her alone. He kept making her uncomfortable. She ran to her desk; Walker following behind her. "Come and give me another kiss, Katherine!" "Stop!" she said. And as he reached for her face, she pulled a gun out from underneath her desk and shot Trout. She always kept a gun to protect her students in case of an outlaw robbery or break-in. Trout laid there dead. Katherine still had the gun in her hand. She didn't say a word. She didn't know why she shot him. She just wanted him to stop and go away. She knelt down towards Trout's body and kissed his cheek. "There's your kiss, Walker." And from that day forward, any man who tried to harass her would receive a kiss and a coffin.
June 1870
A couple of years later, she became an infamous outlaw. She renamed herself: "Kissin' Kate Barlow" She only kissed the men she killed. Like many said around Texas, "If she had kissed him, she'd had killed him." Many reports of Kissin' Kate Barlow's crimes were mentioned in local newspapers around Texas; displaying images of men in coffins with a kiss mark on their cheek. Many suspect that that was Kissin' Kate's way of revenge. And who could blame her? She gave up her job as a school teacher and ran away after the night she killed Trout Walker or else she would've been hanged for murder. Nobody knew where she went after that night and the schoolhouse had been closed down because there was no one else to teach the children. She changed her style of appearance. She use to wear dresses, but switched to men attire. She wore a hat and wore her hair straight, not curly. She wore boots instead of heels. The only feminine thing she had was her lipstick. Engraved with the initials K.B. She carried it with her everywhere she went in case she had new victims. And she also carried her gun. Now, she didn't only kill and kiss the men who harassed her, but ANY man who she could rob from. She became tough throughout the years. Something changed her that night she killed Trout Walker. She recruited women who have experienced harassment by men to form her own gang. One hot, summer's day, she was riding out with her gang. "Girls, I think it's time we take a rest. The lake has been dried up, so we'll have to find some water somehow." They came across an area with little water and stopped to take a drink. "24 men in one month." She said to herself smiling. "Man number 25 better watch himself." She took a drink from the well. As she looked back up, she saw a bunch of horses ride towards them along with their riders. She squinted to see who the riders were. She put her hand on her gun. "I spoke way too soon." She walked closer to see. "Who are they?" one of her members asked. "Not sure. It looks like another gang, but I'm not be some ranchers." The gang was riding past the gang of women. "Lets follow em!" she said as she got onto her horse. "Hiya!" she said as she rode. Her gang following behind her. She caught up with the other gang and got in front of the first horse and stopped them in their tracks. She took out her gun. "Give me all you've got or else I'll kill you!" The man who seemed to be the leader belted out a laugh along with his gang. "And why should I listen to you? You're only a woman." This angered Kate. She pointed the gun at him, "Did ya here what I said? I said give me all you got before I shoot this bullet straight in your head!" The man got off his horse. Went towards her and her horse. Grabbed her leg and pulled her down. The man's gang laughed. She looked up at him and saw his face. "Who do you think you are?" The man smiled. "Why, Butch Cavendish would be who I think I am." He knelt down and looked at her real hard and reached for his gun. She squinted as if she was thinking real hard. "I don't care what your name is. You better start coughing up all you got or—" Butch grabbed her collar and lifted her up to his face. "I don't give a damn what your name is either." He threw her to the ground. "And frankly, why would you be stealing from a bunch of outlaws anyways?" She looked at him, feeling idiotic. "They're outlaws too?"she thought to herself. "We're outlaws too." She said getting up and wiping the dirt off her vest. Butch laughed. "Women outlaws?" he said in disbelief. "You've got to be joking." "What's wrong with being an outlaw? Does it matter if I'm a man or a woman?" "Quite frankly, sweetheart, it does." He said as he spat at the ground. She was upset at this remark. She was a huge feminist and didn't like Butch's way of thinking. "You mean to say, we can't be outlaws?" He smiled. "That's what I'm saying." She got furious. "All you men are the same. You think the same. You want the same thing. And you treat women as if they ain't important to take on anything. Well, you listen here you-" Butch slapped her. Her gang pulled out their guns at the Cavendish gang while the Cavendish gang did the same to them. Kissin' Kate held her face. Butch walked back to his horse. "I don't care if you're an outlaw." Kissin' Kate got up and walked towards Butch. She wanted to shoot him, but at the same time, she wanted to tell him something. "What if I was part of your gang? You know, team up? Double the size?More crimes?" Butch stared at her as if she was crazy. "And why would I want a bunch of women in my gang?" She came closer to him. "Because you're a man." His whole entire gang became quiet. Butch stared at her as if to say "touché". "Alright, you can be apart of my gang, but I'm the leader and always will be the leader no matter how hard you try to be the leader." "Deal." She said and stuck out her hand for a handshake. Butch stared at her hand and slowly grabbed it. They shook hands. "Alright boys, looks like we have an addition to the gang…" "I'm Kissin' Kate Barlow and I-" Butch's gang gasped and Butch turned to her in disbelief and as if they were scared "What?" she said. "You're theKissin' Kate Barlow? Is it true you kiss the men you kill?" "Yes…So watch your backs, gentlemen." She said in a cocky way as she went to her horse. Frank whispered over to Butch. "Hey, don't bed this woman, Butch. I know how you get around women. You can't keep your silver calm. And with this one, you could be on a ticket to your grave if you screw up." Butch looked at him and smacked Frank's hat off. "Shut it, Frank. I ain'tgonna sleep with this one. She looks like she would castrate me if I touched her." "What was that, gentlemen?" Kissin' Kate turned around. "Nothing." Frank said. She glared at them and got on her horse. "Where we off to?" "Not sure." Butch said. Just keep riding off until you find a spot to sleep. "Yeah, sleep with you, Butch." Whispered Frank. Butch held his hand up towards Frank as if he was going to hit him. Frank shielded himself. "Sorry." Frank said. "Let's go, boys and girls." She said as her and her new gang rode off.
They stopped at an obscure town, where they chained up their horses. Kate pulled aside one of her girls, "Keep the girls away from Cavendish's gang. I don't trust those bastards. They keep reaching for their guns every time they see me."
"You got it, Kate," the girl said.
Sometime in the middle of night, Kate's eyes flickered open. She sat up, scrubbing the sleep from her eyes. She heard a noise and grabbed for her gun, holding it close. She snuck out from her tent and squinted through the darkness. She saw a shadow moving over the ground, away from the camp and into the woods. Tightening her grip on the gun, she followed the shadow, keeping her footsteps light. Nobody in the campground stirred. She weaved between the trees, trying to keep her eyes on the shadow.
Suddenly, the shadow stopped in front of her, and she suppressed a scream. "What the hell?!" she gasped.
Butch sneered. "Are you following me, Barlow?"
"No, I just wanted to take a piss in the bushes."
Butch curled his lip. "I didn't know whores had a sense of humor."
Kate slapped him. "Watch you're filthy mouth!"
Butch waggled his tongue. "You'll never get to know how good this filthy tongue works."
Kate stormed past him, feeling the metal of her gun. "What're you doing out here anyway?"
Butch sat down on a log, stretching his body. Kate tried not to stare at the muscle underneath his shirt. Butch smirked. "I came out here to light a fire."
Kate rolled her eyes. "You expect me to believe that?"
Butch rubbed his jaw and glanced leisurely at Kate's body, letting his eyes linger on the gun. "I like to make sparks fly."
Kate scowled. Had she really woken up for this? "I'm going back to bed."
Butch grabbed her arm as she attempted to pass him. "Is it true you fuck the men you kill?"
Kate rolled her eyes, yanking her arm away from Butch. "You're an idiot."
Butch got to his feet, crowding her. "You want to be with a real man, Kate? A live man?"
Kate swallowed as Butch trailed his fingers up her leg and over her thigh. "I-I-I don't like men."
Butch kissed her ear. "Well it's a good thing I'm not a man. I'm an outlaw."
Kate gave in, dropping the gun and wrapping her legs around his waist.
And together, she and Butch made the brightest fire.
Frank wandered the camp ground restlessly. He'd gone into Butch's tent to stare at him, per usual, but he wasn't in there. What if that strange woman with the harlot lipstick gone and done something bad to his Butch? He'd strangle her with his bonnet!
Frank saw movement from the corner of his eyes and walked towards it, into the woods. He heard strange noises, like a cat being strangled. Parting a few tree branches from his sight, he saw something that made his blood run cold and his heart stop beating.
Kate Barlow placing a kiss on the cold cheek of an unmoving Butch. Catching sight of Frank, she winked. "I told the fool I like my men better dead."
