The Trouble with Drifters
Chapter 13: Dust Ups & Match Making
"Is that a sawed off Greener Mr. Wayne?" Cameron asked as they walked down street towards Kings Saloon. "Take a look see for yourself deputy. I picked this up while riding with the Calvary." Jonathon replied handing over the shotgun but not before unloading it (A/N1). Both men tipped their hats at a group of ladies as they passed. They smiled back then hurried off to their destination. "This is one of their new hammer-less shotguns. I wish I could afford one of these." Cameron said handing it back to Jonathon after admiring the weapon. He promptly reloaded it then slung it over his shoulder using the sling. "This set me back almost a month's pay if you include the custom sling." The bounty hunter answered staying on alert for trouble. Cameron did the same but one wouldn't know it by his body language. "I noticed that, does the leather part hold extra shells for faster loading?" he asked stepping out of the way of oncoming traffic. Jonathan did the same noticing heavy set lady give him the evil eye. He paid her no attention as the wagon she was on passed by.
"It holds 8 extra shells which came in handy fighting those renegade Comanche. Three of them tried rushing me but this baby did the job nicely." Jonathon told the deputy who ate up the story. Cameron liked his dime novels but hearing it from the source was priceless. "Nothing says leave me alone like a double barrel shotgun!" Cameron replied adding a 'boom' for fun. The bounty hunter chuckled at his companion's enthusiasm. "So where are we headed Mr. Wayne?" asked the deputy not really caring. He was hanging out with a legend in the making. "We are headed to Kings Saloon to get my belongings. Janet wants me to stay at her place." Jonathon answered getting a questioning look from Cameron. "...she doesn't want Cassandra getting the wrong impression Cameron. I stayed with them in Eastland in between my hunts." He added getting a nod of understanding from the deputy. "How long have you known Doctor Fraser and her daughter?" Cameron asked hearing yelling coming from the Dew Drop Saloon ending their conversation as they ran towards the commotion.
A man in black suite come flying through the swinging doors landing in front of them. He didn't look hurt, just dazed. "...shall we Mr. Wayne?" the deputy asked with a smile. "Lead the way friend." Jonathon answered following Cameron inside stepping over the man. The Dew Drop Saloon had a full on fight going on which made the two grin. Jonathon dodged a charging drunk tripping him right out the swinging doors into the street. "It's been awhile since I been in a good bar fight, this should be fun." He said punching a guy in the gut then tossing him to the side. Cameron blocked a punch then twisted the man's arm behind him and right into a wall face first by the doors. "This saloon has the best fights." He replied then continued. "Let's fight our way to the middle then get their attention ending the tussle." The deputy suggested. "I have a better idea deputy." Jonathon said butt stroking a big man in the gut with the greener. "What's that Mr. Wayne?" Cameron asked knocking two guys heads together rendering them unconscious. "...Blanks!" his new friend answered firing both barrels at once. The thunderous roar got everyone's attention as they stopped fighting. The entirety of the room looked at both men wondering where they came from.
"Listen up; Deputy Mitchell has something to say to y'all!" Jonathon yelled reloading the greener with live rounds which got everyone's undivided attention. "Thank you Mr. Wayne much appreciated." Cameron said with his ears still ringing from the blast. "Who started this fight and why? If no one takes responsibility the whole lot of you will be in my jail!" he yelled eyeing the room waiting for an answer. The crowd parted as a man was thrown to floor in front of Cameron and Jonathon. "This man was cheating at cards deputy. I caught him pulling cards from his sleeves. He denied it then tried to leave with the money." Tell Sackett (A/N2) replied looking down at the gambler making him look away. "Grant Davie O'Bannon, I knew you'd get caught sooner or later." Cameron said pulling out a pair of hand cuffs. "I'm innocent deputy, I don't need to cheat." Grant answered attempting to stand up only to have his legs kicked out from under him. "Sit down you no good cheat, the deputy didn't tell you to get up." Tell said with a sneer.
Grant's fancy suite now sported several tears and blood stains. The gamblers face was starting to bruise and had a cut over his left cheek. "Then explain this Mr. I doesn't need to cheat!" Tell Sackett said grabbing the man's arm pushing up his sleeve as Aces and Kings fell to the floor. "That's good enough for me Tell. Grant O'Bannon; I'm charging you with cheating at cards, property damage and starting a fight. Stand up and turn around so I can cuff you." Cameron informed the gambler making him angry. "You'll regret this deputy. I'm friends with your boss." Grant stood up but refused to turn around instead chose to straighten his suit. "He doesn't like me anyhow so what's one more log on the fire going to do?" Cameron replied.
"You can do this the easy way or hard way O'Bannon. Please choose hard, it'd make my day!" Tell added cracking his knuckles as the gamblers eyes got wide. "Your choice Grant, if I were you I'd just take the easy way." Jonathon said with the greener still pointed in Grants direction. Everyone else had the smarts to get out of the way hugging the sides. Grant held his arms out to be cuffed not liking the look in Tells eyes or the bounty hunters shotgun. Tell wasn't playing with a full deck (aka: 3 fries short of a happy meal) and Mr. Wayne didn't fight fair. Cameron placed Grants hands behind his back cuffing them tight. "You won't need this so I'll take care of it for you." Deputy Mitchell said taking the pistol from Grant's shoulder holster.
Cameron pushed the gambler to the side then addressed the bar. "If anyone need to see doctor Fraser I can send for her or you can just go yourself." He said getting mostly grunts of no. Women doctors were still something new that wasn't widely accepted yet. "Would you mind helping escort my prisoner Tell? Last time I saw you were driving cattle to the stock yards over a year ago." Cameron asked as he pushed Grant out the door with Jonathon taking rear guard. "I was hoping you'd ask." Tell replied then continued as they walked towards the jail. "We've been busy with the ranch. Orrin (Sackett) is around town somewhere looking for an anniversary gift for his wife. He wanted to get it now instead of when we get home." Tell said then turned to Jonathon. "Would you by chance be Jonathon Wayne, the bounty hunter?" asked the former confederate soldier turned rancher. "No chance to it Mr. Sackett, have I met you somewhere before?" Jonathon asked poking the greener in Grants back reminding him to move along.
"We met in passing in Fort Worth (A/N3) two years ago. My brother and I saw you bring in Sleepy Joe." Tell answered grabbing Grant by the lapel yanking him forward. "Keep moving Grant or I'll find a mud hole to drag you through." Tell told the gambler making him stay in step. 'Damn, I hope Pete returns soon. He'll let me go then I can ride out after dark.' Grant thought to himself forming an escape plan. "Yes Sleepy Joe, I normally never watch hanging but he was the exception." Jonathon replied remembering the vile man. "That bastard deserved to hang twice after what he did." Tell said spitting on Grants boots then grinned. "What did Sleepy Joe do Mr. Wayne?" Cameron asked curious as a cat. "Sleepy Joe pretended to be a 'down on his luck' drifter to gain access to a church in Fort Worth. He brutally killed the preacher then ran off with the Sunday offering that night." Jonathon said glad the man hanged for all criminals to see. "If I may ask, why was he called Sleepy Joe?" Grant inquired wanting to know. Having the name Sleepy Joe doesn't really strike fear into a person like Black Bart (A/N4). "...because he slept all day only waking at night. That's when he committed all his crimes." Jonathon answered seeing Janet and Cassie waiting at the Wells Fargo station (Stage Coach). "This is where I leave campers. I promised Janet I'd meet her beau." He said as everyone came to a stop. "Thanks for the help Mr. Wayne; I'll have to remember your trick." Cameron replied shaking the bounty hunters hand while Tell kept an eye on Grant. "It was my pleasure deputy; if you need any help look me up." Jonathon answered shaking an over excited lawman. Grant rolled his eyes at Cameron's hero worship, Pete will love hearing this. "It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Wayne, my brother will be jealous that I meet you and he didn't." Tell said as they shook hands. "Something tells me you won't mention it until your back on the trail." Jonathon replied grinning. "Now why would I do a thing like that Mr. Wayne, that wouldn't be a nice thing to do to my brother, have a good day?" Tell answered with a grin then prodded the gambler towards the jail once more along with Cameron.
"See mamma, I told he'd be here!" Cassie said pointing toward her uncle as he made his way to them. Loki stopped pacing sitting between the two women then happily wagged his tail. The big man that smelt of sweat and gun powder was coming over; he gave the best belly rubs. "Sometimes trouble finds your uncle preventing him from arriving on time." Janet told her child in a soft voice. "Just like me mamma?" Cassie replied with a toothy grin. "No little one, your middle name is Trouble!" Jonathon said walking up to them with a grin. "Na huh, my middle name is Jolene uncle Jon." The little girl answered back. Janet rolled her eyes getting ready for one of their back and forth conversations. After a few minutes Jonathon relented making Cassie smile. "Okay you got me, Jolene means beautiful in French not trouble." He said making Janet smile. "It does!" Cassie asked with wide eyes and a smile. "Has he ever lied to you?" Janet said looking at her daughter. "...Nope!" Cassie replied then hugged her uncle.
"So what was that commotion I heard down towards the Dew Drop Saloon?" Janet asked her friend as he gave Loki a belly rub. "What makes you think I was involved with that?" Jonathon replied standing up re-shouldering the shotgun. "Did you get in a fight Uncle Jon and beat up some bad guys?" Cassie asked doing some mock punches. "No, I helped Deputy Mitchell end a fight and arrest a Grant. There weren't any bad guys to beat up this time. There were a few drunks that tried to hit Cameron and me though." He answered with a chuckle. "Cassie calm down, you're supposed to act like a young lady." She corrected her daughter. There were times when Jonathon's influence on Cassie was that of another child. Men were just over grown boys that needed correcting as well she thought. "One you're a man and two you were escorting Grant with a shotgun in his back. SO, it was an easy guess Jonathon Jack Wayne!" Janet replied with a pointed look and tapping her feet. Cassandra looked between the two then spoke. "You're in trouble Uncle Jon; mamma used your full name." She said in a serious tone while Loki hid his face with his paws. "Guilty as charged, to answer your next question. No one needed medical attention. The furniture however will need a good wood worker." Jonathon added making Cassie giggle.
Jonathon pulled out his pocket watch to see what time it was. Cassandra wanted a closer look so she stood on the tip of her toes to do so. "What time is it Uncle Jon?" she asked getting a glimpse of a picture. "The time is 11:43, let's hope the stage isn't late." He answered closing the watch with a snap. "That gives Aunt Sam time to get here too, right mamma." Cassie asked looking past Jonathon for her aunt. "Your aunt might not be able to come. She had lots of work to do." Janet answered ignoring Jonathon's questioning look. "...but when you mentioned that..." Cassie started saying but her mamma cut off the little girl mid sentence. "There's no need to remind me Cassandra. Samantha was excited about Daniel bringing her new science books to read." Janet said giving her daughter 'the' look. "That's not...um...yeah science books; she just loves science Uncle Jon." The little girl replied unconvincingly.
Jonathon looked from Cassie to Janet getting a good idea of what the red headed doctor was up too. "Reading about science is one thing, but can she actually perform experiments?" he asked noticing Janet look behind him with a smile, a smile that meant she was up to something. His next clue was Loki running towards a person followed by Cassie. The final clue came in the form of perfume, Miss Carters perfume to be exact.
Jonathon turned around seeing Miss Carter in a simple yet beautiful red dress. Her blond hair wasn't in a pony tail like before. It gently moved in the wind giving her the appearance of a golden halo. Janet stepped up beside Jonathon then whispered into his ear as they watched Samantha approach with Cassie and Loki in tow. "See something you like Jonathon?" she asked with a devilish grin. "Janet, I see many things I like, just not what I deserve." He answered in a hushed voice not wanting Miss Carter hear him. She was gorgeous with a beautiful smile that could light up a darkened canyon.
Samantha greeted the two of them giving Jonathon a big smile unknowingly. "Mr. Wayne, it's a pleasure to see you again. Would you be here to size up Daniel by chance?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm. Cassie moved to her mother's side followed closely by Loki. "What makes you think that Miss Carter?" he replied trying not to smile. Samantha had that effect on him whenever he looked into her baby blue eyes. "You care about Janet and Cassandra's well being. The last thing you want is your family getting hurt. Your also carrying a Greener Shotgun as a silent threat. That makes quite the statement." Samantha answered sizing up Jonathon's intentions without passing judgment on the bounty hunter. The talk with Janet last night softened her opinion of the man. "Shotguns in general speak for themselves. This one here is for Janet to protect herself and Cassie, things might get tense soon." He replied then continued. "Now if it scares Mr. Jackson into never raising a hand to her so much the better." Jonathon said earning a scowl from both women. "You have nothing to worry about Jonathon, Daniel isn't violent. He's a good man, you'll see." Janet told her over protective friend. "Daniel is a kind and caring man Mr. Wayne. He won't let anything happen to either of them." Samantha reassured the bounty hunter placing a hand gently on his shoulder. "I'll still need to talk to him man to man Miss Carter." Her touch didn't go unnoticed by him. It did however calm him for some reason. "Jonathon is just being a man Samantha; he's really a softy on the inside." Janet said giving him a playful shove right into her friend.
The 'shove' caught Jonathon off guard causing him to bump Samantha hard enough to make her loose balance. Jonathon reached out grabbing her arm pulling Samantha back and into his chest. The two froze looking into each other eyes. Jonathon didn't let go of her forearm until Cassie giggled. Samantha blushed deep red then looked down in an attempt to hide her face from the bounty hunter. "...my apologizes Miss Carter, I lost my balance somehow." He said looking at Janet who was looking elsewhere. "That's okay; if I had fallen it would've been Janet's fault. You caught me in time though." Samantha replied giving Janet a questioning look. She just smiled and shrugged her shoulders watching the two.
"Mamma, here comes the stage. Danny will be here soon. I can't wait to hear his stories!" Cassandra said jumping up and down clapping her hands. Loki barked with excitement too as the horses came thundering in kicking up dust coming to a stop right in front of everyone. "Whoa, I said Whoa! Damn horses, you listen almost well as Roscoe. I told you we'd be early." Slim said with a grin to his friend. "I don't call 11:58 early, you're just lucky my watch looses time Slim." Roscoe rebutted getting off the stage coach using his lanky frame to his advantage. "I still win the bet, you owe me a beer at Kings." The overweight but jolly man said looking down at the people waiting. "Howdy folks how are you today?" the man greeted in a raspy voice then stepped off the stage coach as well. He proceeded to knock dust of his Levis with an equally dusty hat. "...and that's Slim and Roscoe, our fearless Wells Fargo employees." Janet said through a coughing fit.
A/N1: Gun safety 101, never hand over a loaded firearm to another person, ever! The only exception is if you're in the middle of gun fight...just saying.
A/N2: The TV miniseries 'The Sacketts' aired in 1979. The book it was based on is written by Louis L'Amour. Tell Sackett was played by Sam Elliot and Orrin by Tom Selleck.
A/N3: Fort Worth, Texas was established in 1849 as an Army outpost on a bluff overlooking the Trinity River.
A/N4: Charles Earl Boles aka Black Bart was born in Norfolk England. His parents immigrated to Jefferson County New York when he was two years old. He lived a law abiding life until 1875. Black Bart made his living robbing Wells Fargo Stage coaches until 1883 when he was captured. His life story is worth reading.
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