Chapter 5

Early sunrise filtered into the upstairs bedroom window where Scully slept. She was exhausted from the previous night with all the men hounding her for dances and chit chat that bored her to the brink of suicide. She had a debt to pay and she wasn't even close to the payment of five thousand dollars. Her night clothes were plain, nothing fancy at all to say the least. She scanned the vast room only to find herself finally alone with no one lurking at her but she had noticed a full glass vase. Brimmed to the hilt with beautiful daisies and other mixed flowers that was left in the wee early morning hours by a secret admirer. She closed her eyes covering her face with her hands, wanting this bad dream over and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She lay there in her brass bed half covered with the thin white sheet as the heat of the day arrived.

Scully decided that she had laid in bed for as long as her aching muscles would allow her. What she needed was a bath. There was a bath house right off to the right of the saloon, since plumbing hadn't been installed in some of the buildings, only the fancy hotels had that installed in that day in age. Scully gathered up a few clothing items when Dixie entered her room with a bath towel and handed her a bar of soap.

"I figured after last night you wanted to freshen up. Here take this dress and these moccasins, not much in fancy but it's something to wear."

"Thanks. Where is the bath house located again?" She asked taking the towel and bar of soap.

"It's just around the corner of the saloon. You should not get lost with those bright white letters painted on the outside of the building," Dixie explained and then walked out of the room leaving her in private.

Scully hurried down the steps and back through the side entrance from the saloon making it to the bath house without any incident. She paid for the bath which was twenty-five cents and that was complete with hot water. Relaxing for more than a half hour soothing her aching muscles and washing away the grime from the previous night made her relax even more sighing and sunk down further into the claw foot tub. After soaking in the hot tub Scully slowly got up reaching for her towel drying herself off and dressed in another outfit that Dixie had laid out for her. It was a simple dress with a pair of moccasin's, paying the bath attendant she left and went back to the saloon to start this day over again, but little did she know it was all about to change, for the better and not the worse.

Dutchman's Gold Mine

Friday

1888

Mulder, Frank and Tucker quickly got to work so that they could put in half a day's work and relax for the rest of the evening down at the saloon. Mulder couldn't wait to get to town so that he could find Scully. Tucker and Frank blasted the last hole for the day, loading up the last mining cart to the hilt. Mulder walked with the burro, taking it out of the mine and pulling to a halt. They gathered up their supplies putting them in a pile at the front of the mine entrance. Mulder unloaded the cart into the sifting box finishing his task and finding more gold nuggets, and washed the gold nuggets off in the water. Collecting a few more nuggets placing them in the water pan, looking up at the sun and wiping his face off with his handkerchief. Tucker and Frank joined him at the sifter looking at their prize haul.

"Looking better than yesterday."

"Yeah, it looks like you hit the 'motherlode'," Mulder grinned at them.

"Sure did Austin! Let's get to town and have some fun!" Tucker smacked him on shoulder.

They gathered up their horses putting their saddles and bridles on. Mulder watched how they cinched their saddles but he couldn't get the strap tight enough. Just as Mulder slipped his boot into the stirrup the saddle turned on his weight. Frank noticed walking over to him and helped him cinch it tighter.

"Thanks." Mulder turned grabbing the horse's reins and slipping his boot into the stirrup again.

"No problem. Sometimes it's the leather that wears out or it's the horse's belly. The horse knows you are going to be riding them, they'll blow their belly out so that you can't cinch the saddle tight enough. I had one crazy pinto do that to me when I was kid," Tucker spat his chaw on the ground fixing his hat and mounted his horse, joining up with Frank. Tucker tied the burro's rope to his mule's pack and headed towards town. Frank and Mulder joined up riding alongside him. The horses snorted as the dust filled their nostrils from where their hooves kicked up. Mulder swiped his brow again looking back over his shoulder to see if any impending dangerous bandit would ambush them but there was no one as far as his eyes could see. Reaching the town, the street was busy for mid-afternoon, buckboards loaded with materials, a trio of cowboys lurked on the steps and several seated on the front stoop nearby. Mulder, Tucker and Frank took their horses to the livery stable along with their mule and little burro for some rest and get some grain into their bellies and paid for their overnight stay.

"Let's get a room before they all get sold out tonight. I don't see much of a crowd I know I don't want to sleep in the barn tonight after I get all freshened up," Tucker went to pay for a room leaving Frank and Mulder back in the street.

"You getting a room Austin? You have plenty of money there in your pocket."

"I'll take my chances tonight."

"Whatever you say Austin. I'm getting a room tonight to hell with sleeping in the barn tonight," he quickly joined up with his buddy in the hotel.

After Frank and Tucker paid for their two rooms Mulder stood outside waiting on them and they quickly joined Mulder out on the front stoop. Watching the street only noticing a few wagons leaving with their supplies, and a few ranch hands stopping in to wet their whistles. Mulder noticed an older gentlemen maybe late fifties riding his horse up to the saloon, whom was dressed rather fancy, maybe he was a ranch boss or businessman, he thought. He watched this man with intent, wondering if he had a lady he was courting or heading up a big deal in the saloon, whatever it was it sparked his curiosity even more. He was about to find out who this man was and what his intent was but when the older gentleman dismounted his horse a couple cowboys were close behind him, joining him at the steps. They were tall like Mulder but they were dressed in dark overcoats and wore fancy boots, like they were body guards to this man.

"Well we best be getting a table soon. Or we'll not get a seat tonight." Tucker spoke up and spit his chaw at the ground.

"Yeah, every cowboy in the territory will be here tonight and all the good ladies will be taken. If you know what I mean," Frank winked.

"Come Austin, maybe your 'red-haired angel' will grace her presence tonight," the two men said in unison.

Meanwhile the trio walked to the saloon steps just as they approached the last step a man was tossed out of the swinging doors out into the street, landing hard on his backside, along with his hat.

"Get out of here before you get yourself killed!" the big burly man said, wiping his hands on his vest. He spat at the man on the ground. The disgruntled customer wiped his hands on his pants and picked up his Stetson, and mounted his horse leaving town.

"You already know the rules, don't you?" the burly man bellied up to Mulder.

"No, what are the rules?" he questioned him being dumbfounded.

"You can dance and drink to your heart's desire but no marriage proposal to any of the ladies, not even to the 'saloon girls' working. Got that straight stranger!" he told him.

"Fine, probably ain't nothing I want to marry anyways," Mulder murmured under his breath, looking back at his friends.

"One more cackle out of you mister! Don't be a thorn in my side because you'll be tossed out on your ass just like the last guy," he countered turning and walking back into the swinging doors.

"Damn, this thug knows how to handle his patrons don't he."

"He's just doing his job and if he didn't this place would be a battle zone. He has back up and you've already met them in the street the other night," Frank told him.

The three of them walked into the saloon although it was late afternoon most of the crowd hadn't arrived yet. Mulder scanned the room while the piano man played a tune and looked for the fancy dressed gentlemen he spotted earlier in the street. He spotted him at the far left of the room, sitting with his two other guards, presumable watching the side door and every now and then glancing upstairs as if he was looking for someone in particular.

"Come join us Austin, unless you want to belly up to the bar and order some 'fire-water'." Frank jabbed him in the elbow with a bottle of whiskey and three shot glasses in his other hand.

"Ah yes I will take my chances with some of that 'fire-water' first then whiskey later," he winked smiling and slowly walked over to the bar stool, sitting down. A couple of rugged cowboys seated further down the bar drunk their whiskey in one gulp, not taking their eyes off Mulder. He was nervous to say the least but he quickly ordered a drink, as to not rouse suspicion.

"Bar-tender! What do I need to do to order a drink around here," he ordered, glancing back at the rugged men while the bar-tender had his back turned.

"Don't get your britches in a bunch what will it be, Fire-water, Whiskey, Tanglefoot, Forty-Rod, Tarantula Juice, Taos Lightning, Red Eye, or Coffin Varnish?" Morris turned looking at Mulder, almost knowingly, he knew Mulder from somewhere before.

"Don't I know you? Yeah, you're the guy I meet back east. What's your name again?"

"Austin Cooper." Mulder adjusted in the stool looking around trying to avert his eyes from the bar tender. Mulder knew Morris but he didn't want to cause enough unwanted attention to this situation already at hand, let alone two rugged cowboys just a stone throw away, ready to beat him to a pulp if he said the wrong word.

"How's things?" he asked curiously.

"Everything is great," he replied.

"Just a cold beer," he took out two bits, tossing them onto the bar.

Morris poured a glass of frothy cold beer into a glass pitcher when a young saloon girl came from the other side of the room with her tray in her hand.

"Dixie and Lily Rose shall be here in couple hours," the young woman said over her shoulder to Mulder.

"Who's that?"

"Oh, Dixie has been with us a long time but Lily Rose just joined up recently on certain circumstances that was not of her control," Morris wiped his hands with a towel.

"What does she look like, this Lily Rose," he questioned intently.

"The most beautiful woman ever to set foot in this town that is for sure, red haired, pearl skin, eyes like that of the ocean," Morris said. Mulder held up his glass taking a gulp of his beer, and spanning the room for Frank and Tucker, finding them in the far right of the saloon, setting up a table of cards. Paying for his beer and grabbing another from Morris, he walked back to their table and joined them, taking his hat off his head setting off to the side.

"Aren't you going to get cleaned up Austin?"

"We're going to get a quick game in before we freshen up for the ladies tonight."

"Yeah, I think I found my 'red-haired angel," he took a sip of his beer and looked around the room again, nervously.

"You're sure Austin that beer ain't messing with yer' head?" Frank dealt the cards to Tucker, chuckling.

"I'm sure. The bartender told me that there was a new girl and she had red-hair."

"Just because a lady has red hair don't mean that'll be her," Tucker gulped down his whiskey shot.

"Of course," Mulder responded, defeated it was only time that was on his side to wait out until this "Lily Rose" appeared and he soon would find out.