Chapter 3
Jane looked at her. The woman looked like she was going to some fancy dance and she didn't seem to like Jane too much. She didn't know what to say to her. The longer she stood there staring at her, the more perplexed she was.
"There is a mercantile just up the way. It's small but I'm sure that we can find something for you to wear on the trail. 'Cause trust me, you can't ride in that."
"So what do you expect to wear?" Jane asked her.
"We'll get you some pants and a few shirts. It should handle things until we get to Pecos. You aren't going to balk about wearing pants are you, Miss?"
"If you think that it is for the best, no, I won't. I know that it isn't very ladylike but I am sure that comfort and functionality are more of what I need while we are on the trail. I have brought some money along with me to help buy supplies and such."
"That's good, 'cause we're going to have to mail most of your stuff. We don't have time or the luxury of carting it all with us. I'll see who I can get to bring it with them if the post won't bring it. There has to be a supply train heading out that way from the Army soon. I'm sure that I can persuade them to bring it. I'll go check with Charlie first. He'll know what to do with all your...stuff," Jane told her.
They headed down the boardwalk to the hitching post and got Jane's horse. She tied the mule to Maura's horse and then pulled them behind her as they made their way to the small shops that we cropping up near the train stop. She tied them up the the hitching post there and headed for the mercantile. Maura followed along behind her blindly, unsure if she was supposed to follow or stay put. Jane hadn't given her much direction but "come on."
Maura watched her as she moved. She reminded Maura of the giant cats at the zoo in Philadelphia. She moved with purpose, but she slinked along while she did it. There was nothing wasted in her movements. She also seemed to be somewhat of an Alpha in the area as Maura watched men move out of her way as walked down the street. The more Maura watched her, the more she compared her to a wild animal. She was just so feral. It was like Jane had been made for the West.
They stopped in front of a small clapboard building. There was a very faintly painted and faded sign above it. Maura couldn't make out anything that it said, but she followed Jane inside. She saw four men there. Two were dressed for riding and one of the other's looked to be a patron. There was a bald man with a big, brown mustasch behind the desk. He was stamping things and sorting through the mail. She watched as the two riders grabbed two sacks each. They both tipped their hat towards Jane and herself, saying "Ma'am, Ranger," and leaving the small building.
"Hey, Charlie."
"Heya, Jane. Got something to send off this week? What can I do for you?"
"When's the next wagon heading towards Fort Stanton or Pecos?" Jane asked him.
"At the end of the week. Not much on it, or I could send it out tomorrow when my rider comes in. Other than that, you'd have to talk to the Army postmaster, but I doubt they have anything running but dispatches right now," Charlie told her.
Jane just shook her head. She knew what he was telling her and she didn't like it. She didn't want to have to wait, but she knew that Charlie would take care of her. That was what she needed at the time. She knew that she could trust Charlie. He liked her and the Rangers. He looked out for them when he could.
"Look, Jane. I'll see what I can do. I'll try to get whatever ya got out tomorrow, but you know that I can't promise ya nothing," he told her.
"I know, Charlie. I know. Thank you for trying."
"So, what do you need taken?" he asked her.
"I'll be back. First of all, I need to get her ready to go, clothes, supplies and such. Then, I have to go through what she's got. It'll be afternoon sometime. That good?"
"Just make sure it's before supper, Jane," Charlie told her.
"I'll do my best, Charlie."
She turned around and headed back out the door. She didn't wait for Maura and she didn't say anything to her as she headed down the dirt road to another clapboard store. It was a lot bigger. She headed in and straight towards the back where Maura saw some cloth and clothes. She moved around like she'd shopped there all the time. She grabbed some pants and some shirts. She turned around to face Maura and realized that she was a little ways away from her.
"Come up here. Don't be shy. I wanna see how this looks on ya," Jane told her.
Maura slowly made her way over to where she was. She looked over the clothes that Jane has selected. They were made for boys or young men. She could see that they weren't very big and were somewhat thick.
"Now, I know they don't look like much, but they'll be perfect for the trail and working outside once you get to Pecos."
"If you believe that they are what I need, I am sure they'll be fine," Maura replied.
Jane gave her a look and then grabbed her arm. She pulled her over towards the clothes. She held up two white-ish button up shirts. One was smaller than the other. She went with the larger of the two and then grabbed two more just like it in blue and a light brown. Next she grabbed some other shirts, like henleys. She looked at Maura for choices in color, but got no reaction. She grabbed a cream colored one, a maroon one, and a black one. Next, they were on to pants. She grabbed some dungerees and held them up to Maura. She shook her head when she realized that Maura's dress was going to hinder figuring out what size she needed to get her.
"Well, that isn't going to work," Jane said and then called out across the shop. "Hey, Loren, is Lizzie in today?"
"Yeah, Jane, I'll get her for you," was the response from an unseen man across the store.
A few minutes later, a small older woman appeared beside them. She was dressed in a green dress. She looked over Jane and then Maura.
"So, Janie, what's going on that you need some more clothes? You could have just got something from the store out at Stockton. Are supplies not making it?"
"As far as I know, yeah, they are. These aren't for me. These are for her. I need to figure out what size pants she needs."
The woman looked over Maura and then at Jane. She cocked an eyebrow in question, but she didn't ask anything. At least not out loud. She tsked at Jane as she saw the pairs that Jane had in her hand. She looked at Maura again and shook her head.
"Go get whatever other gear you need for the trail, Jane. Loren will put it on your account. I'll take care of your friend here," Lizzie told her.
"Madam, I will be the one paying for the items for our journey. The Ranger is merely escorting me to Pecos. She is trying to help me find the appropriate clothes for such a journey. I am told that this isn't conducive for riding a horse. Can you help me with these pants, please?"
"Where did you find this one, Janie?"
"She came from back East," Jane answered.
"Right. Alright then, go get the gear y'all need. I'll get her taken care of," Lizzie stated.
Jane nodded and walked away. She began to mentally think about what they would need for their journey to Pecos. She knew about how much weight the mule could take and she hoped that it was a good one. She knew that each horse would hold some of the weight, but the bulk of it would be them as riders. She thought about what she had that she knew that Maura wouldn't. She shook her head as she headed out to the horse that Maura would be riding to check to see what was already packed. She was mentally kicking herself for not already checking this before they went into the mercantile.
She didn't care about the looks that she was getting. This was her job for the next few weeks. She was taking a high-brow woman from back East to the Texas frontier. If she wanted to go, Jane wasn't going to stop her. She didn't care about politics. She cared about Texas and living her life her way, and that meant on the prairie keeping Texas safe.
She checked over the horse. The saddle was new and at least Western style. The saddle bags were empty, but there was a rifle sheath. She laughed at that. She couldn't see Maura ever lifting a rifle, no matter if it would save her life. When she realized that the horse was outfitted with gear, but no supplies, she headed back into the shop to get Maura some much needed survival gear.
She grabbed a thick piece of heavy canvas and then a small bed roll. The next few items were a blanket, some matches, a metal cup, a plate, some cooking pots and utensils. Loren just watched her as she moved around the store. She knew that he was watching, but she was more worried about how long it was taking Lizzie and Maura for her to care. She started selecting can goods and some dried meat. When she asked for a small sack of flour, coffee, and flour, Maura finally came up to the counter with her clothes. She gave Jane a smile as she added them to things in Jane's pile.
Loren watched Jane as Maura looked over the pile on the counter. He started ringing it up when Jane gave him a pointed look. He packaged the food in one packet. She reached over and took the bed roll and rolled it up, hooking the buckles. She grabbed the clothes and rolled the up. She put the henleys inside the button up shirts and rolled them together. She looked at the two pairs of pants. She grabbed one and a roll of shirts and handed them to Maura. The rest she bundled up together. When he was done ringing up what on the counter, he looked up at Jane to see if she was done.
"Add a coat. She'll need it for the nights. Let her pick it."
He nodded and Lizzie went to grabbed a light brown duster. It seemed that she knew exactly what Maura would want. When she came back with it, Maura just nodded. He added the duster to the total.
"That'll be five fifty," he told them, wondering which one of them was going to pay.
Maura reached into a hidden pocket in her dress and handed him six dollars. She told him to keep the fifty cents for Lizzie helping her find clothes that would work for her. Jane shook her head as she picked up most of the supplies and headed out the door. Maura was still talking with Loren and Lizzie while she was packing up the horses.
She hooked the bed roll up behind Maura's saddle. She tucked the clothes into one of the saddle bags. She then took the canvas and the rest and secured it to the mule. She knew that it wasn't perfect, but it would last them a few days. It would at least get them to the next Fort and there they could resupply before heading to Pecos.
Loren was watching from just outside the shop doors.
"Be careful out there, Janie," he told her.
"Why? What's going on? You heard something?" she asked the older man.
"The Apache been hounding the settlers again. The Colonel has been sending out patrols everyday. Sometimes they come back whole...and well...sometimes not. Be careful out there with her, Janie. She ain't built for this like you are. You take care of her and get her to Pecos as soon as you can," Loren advised her.
"I will, Loren. I will. Is Jedi still working at the smithy?"
"Yup, and I'm sure that he would love to see a pretty face, too," Loren added.
"Loren..."
"Can't blame an old for trying, Janie. Just tell your Ma hello and let me know when you are going stop hunting outlaws and have some in-laws," he said laughing. "Now, go on and get. By the way, there's some ammo in that third bag you tied on the mule. Figured you might need it."
"I'll pay for it, Loren. How much I owe you? A dollar?"
"Nope, no worries. That woman more than paid for 'em for you. Now go on and get her settled down for the night. Morning gonna come fast and hot."
"Don't I know it."
She walked across to the smithy. She could hear Maura behind her. She wasn't sure if Maura was going to like what she was about to do, but they were going to be out in the wilderness alone. They would need the extra protection. Maura would just have to deal if she wanted to survive.
She pulled out her Colt and hit a post nearby the forge with its butt. A voice called out from the back and Jane smiled. She wondered what Jedi would have to say when he saw Maura. Then she wondered what this "proper lady" was going to say when she gave him her order.
"JANIE RIZZOLI!"
"Jedidiah Young, how are you?"
A young blond man with dark trousers and a leather apron came out to greet them. He wiped his brow and looked Jane over like she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Well, that was until he saw Maura. Jane wanted to lean over and close his mouth for him.
"You're drooling," she whispered to him.
He closed his mouth and then turned back to face Jane. He looked from her to Maura and back again. He was obviously confused by the pairing so much so that he didn't know what to say or ask.
"Jedi, I need some guns."
That statement brought him back to the present and to Jane standing in front of him. He looked her over and saw that she still had her pistols. He could only wonder why she would need more guns.
"Whatcha needing?"
"A rifle, nothing too big. A shotgun, decent size and good for hunting. And, a small pistol, five or six shot, probably a 45 if you got one," she told him.
He cocked an eyebrow, but nodded towards the door just to the side of the forge. She followed him inside and heard Maura hot on her heels as soon as they hit the wooden floor. He grabbed some items and put them on the counter before her. She looked them over and nodded. Each piece was exactly what she was looking for and now was the first test of the Eastern woman.
"Maura, come tell me how you like the feel of this pistol?" Jane asked and waited to see what the honey blonde would do.