LeighAnn arrived early to the Long Branch, bag in hand. She generally arrived early for any appointment, as she didn't like coming in anywhere late. But she also had intentions of finding a quiet place to just sit and watch the routine in the saloon, in order to get an idea of what she would be facing. Looking about the room, she saw Sam working industriously at the bar, but Kitty wasn't in the room. Moving unobtrusively over to a small table in the corner, LeighAnn stowed her single carpetbag under the table and sat down to watch.
The patrons were a mixed lot. She saw well-dressed men, mostly likely local merchants, standing next to men with tattered slouch hats and dusty dungarees. There was a poker game going on at a table in the center of the room with four men staring intently at their cards. LeighAnn started to look to the next table, but something about the dealer drew her attention back to him.
It wasn't his manner of dress. A pinstriped suit and black Stetson hat with a string tie was fairly standard for dealers. And it wasn't his looks. Brown hair, mustache and brown eyes with no visible scars or distinguishing characteristics were nothing out of the ordinary. But there was something…. Settling back in her chair, trying not to be too obvious as she watched him, LeighAnn suddenly saw the dealer almost invisibly pull a card from his sleeve and insert it in the cards he held.
Shaking her head, she got up, intent on telling Sam but Kitty called her name just at that moment. 'Even better', she thought. Grabbing her bag, LeighAnn quickly moved over to where Kitty stood at the end of the bar.
"You're early." Kitty was pleased.
"Yes, Ma'am." LeighAnn nodded. "I wanted to get an idea of how things were here before I started. And I'm glad I did."
"Oh?" Kitty didn't like the way she said that. "You spot something wrong?"
"See that table in the middle, where the poker game is?" LeighAnn nodded to the table in question.
"Yes." Kitty nodded, as she looked to the table in question. "What about it?"
"Well, I just saw the man in the black hat pull a card from his sleeve and put it into play. The other men don't seem to have noticed, but I did."
Kitty's expression hardened and she took a deep breath before marching over to the table. "I told you I didn't allow cheaters in here, Graham." Amidst his shocked expression and instant denial of wrongdoing, Kitty reached down and plucked the cards from his hand and also spotted another card in his sleeve, which she also grabbed.
"Why, you dirty…" The ragged cowboy who'd been sitting across from Graham, started to his feet, his hand reaching for his gun. But LeighAnn, who'd so far gone unnoticed, swung her carpetbag at him, knocking him backwards before he could pull his weapon. "Hey!" He yelled as he fell to the ground. "What the…"
"What's going on here?" Matt Dillon's tough lawman voice could be heard from just behind them.
"Graham's been cheating, Matt." Kitty arched a brow at the soon to be fired dealer. "LeighAnn here saw him and I found a card up his sleeve."
"Yeah and it was me he was cheating." The outraged cowboy picked himself up from the floor with a glare towards the pretty brunette who'd knocked him down with her bag. "And that…"
"You mean my employee?" Kitty quickly interrupted him knowing what he was about to say.
"Yeah." He spit out. "Her 'employee' hit me with her bag."
Matt nodded. "She probably saved your life, Cowboy." Matt looked back over at Graham his jaw tightening. "I told you I don't allow card cheats in Dodge, Graham." He said, leaning over him. "Now you got 10 minutes to clear out of here or end up in jail."
"What about my money?" The still outraged cowboy interjected.
Matt reached down and snatched the pile of bills on the table. "How much did you have?"
"I had a hundred dollars on that table." He whined.
Matt counted out the money and handed it to him, took another hundred and handed it to Kitty, then peeled off another fifty before tossing the rest to the other two men who'd been silently sitting by watching the debacle in front of them. "You two split that between you and then get out of here for a while."
"Sure, Marshal." One of them answered as he took half the money and handed the rest to his friend.
"Hey!" Graham indignantly yelled as he got to his feet. "Most of that money was mine."
"You forfeited any money you had when you decided to cheat." Matt growled. "Now you take this," he shoved the 50 into his pocket, "and do like I told you. Get out of Dodge or I'll take you to jail right now."
"I'm going." He grumbled as he moved away from the table, scowling at everyone, especially LeighAnn. "But this ain't fair."
Matt took a deep a breath and squared his shoulders. One withering look at the cheating gambler served to shut Graham's mouth and send him scurrying out into the street.
"Thanks, Matt." Kitty smiled warmly up at him. "But uh… why did you give me this?" She waved the money he'd handed her.
"I figure you'll need it to hire another dealer." He grinned.
LeighAnn started to speak up as she'd already told Kitty that she was a dealer but she decided to keep her silence to see what Kitty would say. If she said nothing, then LeighAnn would talk to her in private. LeighAnn generally kept her personal business, personal. And that included the details of her employment. Besides, she hadn't as of yet been introduced to the tall handsome man that Kitty called Matt.
That was something she didn't have to wait for. "Well, as far as hiring a new dealer goes," Kitty smiled as she moved aside so that Matt was facing her new employee, "I already have. LeighAnn Turner I'd like you to meet Marshal Matt Dillon. Matt, this is my new dealer."
LeighAnn was a quick study of people and she didn't miss the quickly hidden expression on the marshal's face. He wasn't fond of Kitty's news. Whether it was because she was a woman or because he, for whatever reason, didn't like her, she couldn't yet tell. "It's nice to meet you, Marshal Dillon." LeighAnn smiled at him.
Matt had noticed the young brunette when he first walked in but he hadn't realized how truly pretty she was until right then. "Uhhh, Ma'am." He tipped his hat at her, not quite sure why he was flustered.
Kitty, who was a pretty quick study herself, shook her head with a sigh. "Matt, why don't go on over and get a beer. I've got to take LeighAnn upstairs to get settled in. I'll be back down shortly."
"Alright." He nodded.
"LeighAnn, get your bag and come with me." Kitty ordered.
LeighAnn said nothing as she grabbed her bag from the floor and followed Kitty upstairs.
Once on the second floor, Kitty led her down a long hall and to a room at the end. "It's not a really big room." Kitty stated as she opened the door. "But it's clean and should be comfortable. If you need some more blankets I'll make sure of it."
"Oh no, I think there's plenty on the bed." LeighAnn glanced around at her new abode. "This is a nice room."
Kitty nodded. "Yes, and I intend for it to stay that way."
LeighAnn noticed the tone her new boss took on. "I don't entertain men, Miss Kitty." She answered flatly. "So you won't have to worry about that." She paused as another thought crossed her mind. "You don't require that, do you?"
Kitty shook her head. "No, I don't. That's what I meant. If a girl wants to do that, then she'll need to take her trade elsewhere. I hire girls to serve drinks, flirt and talk with the men and cheer the place up. But that's all."
"Oh, good." LeighAnn let out a small breath with a smile. "Well then, if you'll give me a few minutes, I'll get changed and then you can show me my duties."
"Alright." Kitty responded with a smile. "See you downstairs." She turned for the door but paused. "I don't know what you have to wear in your bag, but if you need anything, there's some dresses in the wardrobe over there and some hair bows and such in the top drawer of the bureau."
"Thank you." LeighAnn answered but didn't move until Kitty left and closed the door behind her.
TBC
