Chapter 7
Mike opened the cabin door and walked outside with her shotgun. She saw a man sitting on his horse. "What do ya want?" she asked.
"Howdy, ma'am. I've been traveling for a while and was wondering if I could hole up in your barn."
"I suppose that'll be fine. Why don't you get your horse settled and then come in for a bite to eat" said Mike. Sutler was barking. "Quiet," she said to Sutler.
"Much obliged, ma'am. I'll be back shortly," said Les.
Mike walked back in the house and put the shotgun by the hutch. She set a plate and spoon on the table for Les. Before coming into the house, Les knocked on the door. "Come on in!" Mike called out.
Les opened the door and stepped inside. He put his gun by the door along with his pack. "Thank you, ma'am. Again, I'm much obliged." It was then that he noticed a man standing by the fireplace. "I didn't realize you had company."
"It's not company when it's just one person. This is Mr. Daniel. He's just passing through," said Mike.
It was then that the man standing next to the fireplace turned around and Les saw the man was actually was. Les couldn't believe who he was seeing. The man standing next to the fireplace was Deputy Newly O'Brien from Dodge City. What on Earth was he doing in the Arizona Territory and at the house of Mike Yardner? Why was Mike Yardner calling him Mr. Daniel? He had questions and wasn't sure how to get the answers. Les noticed that the deputy didn't seem to recognize him.
"Come and have a seat," Mike told Les. "We already ate, but there's some son of a gun stew left over for you to eat." She scooped some stew on the plate in front of Les.
"I'm sorry. I didn't get your name," Newly said to Les.
Les had no idea what was going on. He had to be careful how he answered this question. Something told him not to give his given name. Somehow inspiration struck. "My name's Favorite. Momma had seven boys before me and figured by baby number eight, she'd have a girl. Of course I came out a boy. My brothers teased me that if I had been a girl, I would have been momma's favorite. That's where the nickname came from."
"My name is Mike," said Mike.
"Mike?" Les questioned.
"Yes, Mike," Mike replied. Mike's tone of voice told Les to not question any further.
Les ate the stew and bread. He wanted to find out how "Mr. Daniel" ended up at Mike Yardner's ranch. "So Mr. Daniel, Mike said that you're just passing through. Did you come down the pass to get here?"
Newly didn't know the answer. He couldn't remember. Mike could see his hesitation and answered for him. "Mr. Daniel was thrown from his horse. His horse found its way to my ranch. My dog and I backtracked in the direction that the horse came. That's when I found him. When I got to him, he was on his way to meeting his maker. I was able to get him back here and back to good health. Ever since he was thrown from his horse, he can't remember who he is or where he's from."
Mike's story explained the deputy's new name and why he did not recognize Les. "Well, you seem to be doing alright," said Les as he finished his stew.
"I sure am, thanks to my wonderful nurse and that son of a gun stew." Newly turned to Mike and smiled at her. Mike returned the smile. Les saw the way Mike looked at Newly.
"I believe that son of a gun stew had something to do with your recovery. Ma'am, that's the best stew I have ever eaten. For a body that's used to lemons, it was pure sugar. Well, I better get settled for the night. Old Slick out there is probably wonderin' where I am. We've been together so long that when I snore, he answers."
Both Newly and Mike got a chuckle out of that. Les was out of the house and Mike decided she too was tired and decided to turn in for the night. She grabbed the gun next to the hutch. Newly noticed.
"Do you think you really need that?" asked Newly.
"Last night you took it all the way around the mulberry bush. I'm just making sure you don't get lost," answered Mike.
Newly walked over to her, took the gun from her, and placed it on the table. He then took her chin in his hands, slowly lifted her face and began kissing her. Mike immediately responded. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. Newly was the one that stopped the kiss. Mike was out of breath, but she was in heaven.
"Goodnight, Mike," Newly softly said.
"Goodnight," said Mike. She went to grab the gun and then put it back down. "Oh, hell!" Mike exclaimed and then went to her room.
Like Mike, Newly also enjoyed the kiss. He sat down in the chair next to the fireplace and reclined his legs. It was then that he started to whistle "Mulberry Bush." He was hoping that Mike would hear him and take the hint.
Mike was in her room, but she wasn't getting ready for bed. She was pacing. That kiss had her on cloud nine. With the kiss on her mind, she heard Newly whistling. She listened more closely and realized he was whistling "Mulberry Bush." Not wanting him to get lost, she decided to invite him into her room.
Mike opened her bedroom door. Newly turned and looked at her. "It's awfully hard for a lady to get any sleep around here."
Newly took Mike's hint. He got up from the chair and followed her into her room. Mike took Newly's hand and led him to her bed. They both sat down and looked into each other's eyes. They could see they both wanted the same thing, to make love to one another.
"Mike, tell me now if you want me to leave. Because if you do, I will," said Newly.
"I wouldn't have invited you in here, if I didn't want you," replied Mike.
That was all that Newly needed to hear. He slowly removed his clothing, while Mike removed hers. Clothes removed, they climbed into bed. There was some foreplay, but before long, Newly and Mike were making love. They were exploring each other's bodies with a strong lust. Once their lovemaking was over, they fell asleep.
Out in the barn, Les couldn't sleep. He was supposed to be here to kill Mike Yardner, but now he was having second thoughts. 'I'm not a killer. What made me think I could kill a person, especially a woman? What has greed done to me?' Les thought. He thought back to how Mike looked at "Mr. Daniel." For some reason, he felt that they should be together. His mind was made up. He would not kill Mike Yardner.
Les' mind was made up about killing Mike, but now he had another dilemma. Should he tell Mike "Mr. Daniel's" true identity. Again, he thought about it and came to a decision. He would tell her. Les couldn't explain it, but he felt that she should know who "Mr. Daniel" really was. Mind cleared, Les settled down to sleep.
The next morning Newly was in the dining room area shaving. Mike was still in bed when she noticed that Dan was no longer there. She got out of bed, got dressed, and walked out into the living area. She saw Dan shaving and walked over to him.
"How is it that you're always up before me?" she asked with a smile.
"I was wondering the same thing and I came to the conclusion that you're just bone lazy," Newly teased.
"Well, if I'm bone lazy this morning it's probably because of the activity I was involved in last night," Mike said in a sultry voice. "I'm going to take a cup of coffee out to Favorite. I'll be back."
Mike walked out to the barn with the coffee in her hand. She saw Favorite packing his gear on his horse. Seeing this surprised her. Mike wasn't expecting him to leave so soon. "Are ya leaving?"
"I will be, but I was hoping to talk to you before I did. I'm glad you came out here. I have some confessions to make. First, my name is Les Dean and I was hired by Starcourt to kill you for your land. I'm a greedy man and the two hundred dollar payment couldn't be ignored. That changed when I saw how you looked at O'Brien. I can't explain it, but I feel you deserve to be happy. I'm going back to Starcourt to return his money."
Mike was at a loss. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. As she was digesting this information, it occurred to her that Les mentioned the name O'Brien. Who was O'Brien?
"You said O'Brien. Who's that?" Mike asked.
"That man in there is Newly O'Brien. He's a deputy from Dodge City, Kansas. He works for Marshal Matt Dillon," Les answered.
"What's he doing way out here?" asked Mike.
Les wasn't sure if he should answer honestly, but he did. "Without a doubt, he was trackin' me down." Les noticed the look on Mike's face, so he continued. "He was taking me to Hays for a trial. I was caught cheating at poker at the Long Branch, a saloon in Dodge. One night I was able to make my escape. He obviously was able to find my trail. You do what you want with this information, but I saw how you looked at him. What he doesn't know won't hurt him. You take him into the sunset and be happy." Les finished his coffee and left.
Mike watched Les ride off. She walked back to the house with a lot on her mind. Now she had her own decisions to make.
TBC
