CHAPTER TWO

A/N And so begins the A/U part of the story. Neither Maura, Jane nor any other R&I characters will be mentioned in this chapter. No Fringe characters are used either. These characters are totally from the bowl of spaghetti that is my mind…Also, a huge thank you to Tess G, TNT and Janet T. Without all of you, I wouldn't have these wonderful characters to play with.

Janz Riley bent his 6'4 frame almost double and plucked his favorite hat, well his only hat, from the dirty saloon floor. He dusted the crown and brim and settled it low over his eyes. When his anger had almost totally dissipated, he lifted his gaze to the hazel eyed beauty staring at him from the stage. "Millie, I Lo.."

"Who asked you to? Do you seriously think you're the only saddle weary bum asking for my hand? Ten times a day some drunken buzzard offers me a shiny bauble and offers to take me away from all this." Millie settled her hands on her firm rounded hips and fought to control her breathing. Any more deep breaths like the last one and her entire bosom would be on display. "What makes you different?"

He rubbed his left hand over his stubble covered cheek and prayed for the right words. The words Millie wanted to hear. I love you obviously wasn't the right combination. His eyes fell on the diamond sparkling up at him from the floor. It had cost him two months of his life and the entire $100 bounty he earned for capturing and turning the bank robbers over to Sheriff Mann. He rubbed his right cheek and turned for the bar. "Whiskey, double."

"You payin'?" the bartender barked holding out his hand.

Janz took two steps and lifted the ring. He flipped it at the bartender and snarled. "I think this should cover the entire bottle and my outstanding debt."

"Janz Riley, if you're looking for a wife, well look no futher. I can cook and clean and will gladly bear your children. Forget that high and mighty educated girl. You need a real woman." Cissy Pete rushed to Janz' side and hooked her arm through his.

"Pour Cissy a drink too." Janz growled dropping onto an oak bar stool. He liked Cissy well enough and before Millie came to town he had spent a lot of nights with Cissy. But she wasn't the woman he craved. Just looking at Millie made his heart beat faster and his manhood swell with need.

The bartender took another glass and blew into it before setting it on the bar. "Bottle of my best rye, and the night with Cissy. Unless you think you're gonna be sneakin' down the hall to visit Millie too?"

"Just the whiskey." Janz grabbed the bottle and took a healthy swig. He knew Millie was still on stage glaring at him. Hell, he didn't know what she wanted to hear. The Sheriff was probably right, she was just waiting for the banker to stop dithering and ask for her hand. He couldn't blame her. Millie deserved better than a broken down bounty hunter with a small ranch sitting in the middle of Indian Country. "I'll take a rain check on that bed."

"Rain, sleet or full on sunshine Janz." Cissy promised rubbing her large breasts against his arm.

Millie stood on the stage waiting for Janz to ask for her hand again. He would ask again and they would have another argument, then she would slap him and call him a few names before falling into his arms and into his bed. Battle scarred men like Janz didn't like easy women. She knew his type. Two years being the lead dancer at Boston's Saloon had given her a world class education when it came to men. The real question was how many weeks would she have to dance without pay to get her engagement ring out of Boston's greedy fingers? No one knew, or admitted they knew, where he came from or what his real name was. He paid cash to the bank and took over the Lively Dance Hall turning it into a saloon and part-time whore house. The dancers who didn't want to work off their room and board, had to pay $20 a month, almost double what he paid them to dance. Millie lifted her chin and swore she would get the ring, even if she had to wire her Father for money.

Janz felt the large nipples harden and ground his teeth together. Why not take Cissy upstairs and let her soothe his wounded pride? He caught her eye and winked. "I bet it's raining somewhere."

"It sure is!" Cissy squealed. She slammed her drink back and grabbed one large callused hand. "You come on upstairs with Cissy and I'll make you feel so good your toes will curl up to your knees."

"Hey, Janz." a drunken man with dirty hair down to his shoulders and a full beard seriously in need of a trim called as the couple made their way to the stairs. "Could you maybe spare a drink?"

The last thing Vance needed was another drink, but Janz couldn't say no to anyone or anything too weak to fend for itself. He steered Cissy to the table nearest the stage and poured. Too late he realized how close they stood to a glaring Millie.

"You ask me to marry you. Give me some tiny diamond ring. And then take a whore into your bed?" Millie charged across the stage and made a lunge at Cissy.

With a roared curse, Janz dropped the bottle into the waiting hands of Vance and caught Millie about the waist seconds before she crashed into Cissy. Hands pulled his hair and scratched his back, neck and face. He held on as tight as he could without doing permanent damage. "Sorry Boston, folks but shows over for tonight." He adjusted his hold on Millie and strode toward the stairs.

"Janz, what about tonight?" Cissy wailed watching the pair disappear up the winding staircase.

"Looks like I will need that rain check after all." Janz shouted opening the door to Millie's room.

The second she felt her feet touch the carpet, Millie rounded on Janz fire shooting from her eyes. She lunged at him slapping him hard across the face. "Who the hell do you think you are, Janz Riley? You have no claim on my person."

Janz calmly stepped around Millie and opened the door. He positioned himself just inside and challenged. "If you can get through me and out that door, I'll leave and not lay a hand on you. But if you can't get past, I rip that fancy get up off that delicious little body and have my way with you one last time."

Of all the words falling from his chiseled lips, she only heard three. So he thought he could plunder her body and then go back to that little, well that tart Cissy? Pride and anger surged. She felt her body begin to shake with the fury rising in her and she gave it full run. Her eyes darkened to an ominous shade of green and her blood boiled staining both cheeks. "You won't be having your way with anyone tonight mister!"

Janz saw the warning signs and thought to step aside. Was it really worth getting his eyes clawed out or his face shredded by this she-cat? He took a half step and saw her feral grin. "Aw hell." he muttered reaching up to pull his hat down tighter.

With a thundering roar Millie flew across the room and buried her knee in his crotch. All the air left his body with a wet OOOFFFFHH. Pain and fire started in his balls and seared through his entire dick. Whiskey and the remainder of his supper spewed from his mouth soaking his shirt and spraying Millie. He clutched at his stomach and dropped to one knee only to be sick again. Once his insides stopped heaving and his head had slowed to a fast whirl, he fell to the other knee and then gave up and sprawled face down on the floor.

"We heard all the yellin'. Is, Oh my God, did you kill him Millie?" Boston asked running into the room Cissy right behind him. He dropped to one knee and started poking Janz in the shoulder afraid to turn him over. God, if Millie killed him the Sheriff would close the saloon and maybe run him out of town.

"Grab that sorry excuse for a man and get him out of my room." Millie hissed. She turned her back so Boston and Cissy couldn't see the tears streaming down her face. What if she had killed Janz? She had never kicked a man in his privates before. When her father had explained how to do it, he had told her to only use it if she felt herself in extreme danger. Hearing Janz say he would walk away had driven her crazy with jealousy.

Boston saw Millie's shoulders shake and knew she was in tears. He grabbed Janz by the shirt collar and seat of his pants and half carried, half dragged him down the hall to Cissy's room. Between the two of them, they managed to get him onto the bed and check for a heart beat.

"Wh.."He felt like he was going to puke again. Janz grabbed his head with both hands and fought the waves of nausea. Millie had just tried to kill him. He had been dead wrong about her. Millie had only been being nice to him the way she was to all the other saddle bums and drifters that found their way into Boston's saloon. He was such a fool. He mumbled thanks to Boston and heard the other man leave the room softly closing the door.

Cissy poured cool water in a ceramic pitcher and gingerly sat on the bed. She dipped a cloth into the water. Janz opened his eyes and watched her wring the excess water from the cloth before wiping his face and neck with it. He lay quiet letting her tend him and felt his heart sink all the way to the bottom of his feet and out pooling on the floor. Cissy was an angel, but she deserved a husband who would love and cherish her. Someone other than him. He struggled into a sitting position and pulled her into his arms for a long embrace.

"You don't gotta say nuthin', Janz." Cissy pulled away and searched his weathered, but handsome face. "I was only joshin' about marryin' me."

"You deserve so much better." he whispered and levered himself off the bed. "Next time that deputy comes in here, give him a wink." Janz pressed a soft kiss to her lips and limped from the saloon.

It started to rain a mile from his ranch. He thought about stopping and pulling on his rain slicker. "What the hell, it's only rain." He clucked his tongue and lightly touched his mare's side with one spur. The black mare tossed her head eyes rolling. She was smart enough to fear the storm. Janz should have been afraid too.

He pulled back hard on the reins and leaned down to pat her quivering neck. A bolt of lightning split the sky and snaked it's way across the inky sky. Janz had only a split second before the second bolt struck him in the chest and sent him flying over Velvet Nights rump his body tumbling ass over tea kettle. For the second time that night he fell face first with the breath knocked out of him.