Bret – The Fight

As requested, me and Bart were both in the stateroom at 5:30 sharp waiting on Pappy, and he walked out of his room at 5:30 on the dot. Knowing Pappy, he'd been watching the clock just waiting for 5:30 to roll around so he could make his entrance. Pappy's been known to be a tad dramatic.

"I see you both made it," he said casually as he sat down and lit a cigar.

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"What happened with Olivia?" Bart jumped in.

Pappy sighed and looked at the tip of his cigar for a moment. "Well . . . she took it better than I expected."

"What do you mean?" I asked nervously. If Olivia was joining us for supper I assumed she wasn't inconsolable, but I was curious as to what exactly Pappy meant, and whether that was good or bad for the relationship the two of them seemed to be creating.

"She was calm. Cried some but didn't get hysterical on me. I don't think she has too much interest in seeing him right now though."

"According to Martin, she hasn't had that interest in several days."

Pappy looked at me sharply. "You've talked to him?"

"I've seen him around a couple of times. He's not too happy about all this."

"He been causing problems for you?"

I shook my head. "Nah; I haven't even seen him today." Sure, Langley may have annoyed me some, but I wasn't going to get Pappy involved. As long as Martin just watched and wandered after us like a lost puppy, I could handle the little bit of dust he kicked up. Besides, given the fact he'd been seen with someone else last night, and I hadn't seen hide nor hair of him today I wasn't sure even that little dust storm was still going to be a problem. "He just mentioned Olivia wouldn't talk to him," I added.

Pappy actually chuckled then. "She hasn't made things easy for him, that's for sure."

I exchanged a look with Bart and could tell he was thinking the same thing I was; we were both dying to know exactly what was going on between Pappy and Olivia and wondering how to broach the subject. I knew Bart didn't want to get Pappy worked up any more than I did and if we were wrong he would certainly get worked up. But if we were right and we wanted to stop anything from happening we were running out of time.

Bart took a deep breath. "Pappy?"

I grimaced and tried to prepare myself for whatever reaction Pappy would give us. Part of me thought Bart was crazy, but the other part said it was better to force the issues now before we ended up taking Mrs. Maverick back to Little Bend with us.

"Yes, son?"

"How's Olivia now?"

I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that Bart decided not to push the issue just yet. Meanwhile, Pappy sighed out loud. "Quiet," he said. "And I don't like it."

"Why's that?" I asked. Seemed to me there were a lot worse things she could be.

"Eh, I don't know what to do with them when they're quiet. Mad's easy to handle, even crying's not too bad, but I just don't know what they're thinking when they're quiet." He crushed out his cigar and lay what was left in an ashtray before standing. "I've got to pick up Olivia. See you boys at dinner."

It wasn't until Pappy left that I turned to Bart. "You had me worried there for a minute, Brother Bart."

Bart raised his eyebrow. "Now just how stupid do you think I am, Brother Bret? If he's in a decent mood and not acting like a schoolboy, let's try to keep him that way."

"I couldn't agree more. So what do you think?"

Bart crossed his arms and looked to the door Pappy had just left out of. "I don't know. Seems to be acting a bit more like himself. Let's see how supper goes."

I stood up and reached for my coat. "Good idea. Maybe seeing Olivia in person will shed more light on the situation. Besides, he can't get married tonight anyway."

"He could always bang on a preacher's door in the middle of the night."

Bart seemed to realize what he said about the same time I did. We both froze and looked at each other a minute. "He wouldn't do that. Would he?"

We were thinking the same thing; it was Pappy and he was libel to do anything. Bart groaned and finished slipping his coat on. "Let's just get through dinner first."

XXXXXXXX

We met Pappy and Olivia in the dining room, and I immediately noticed a difference in Olivia. No, she didn't look like a girl who'd been crying her eyes out all day, but she was definitely more subdued than I'd ever seen her. She still smiled at us and kept up a pleasant conversation, but she wasn't quite as jovial as she'd been all the other times we'd been around her.

I watched her and Pappy carefully throughout the meal looking for any sign that Pappy was acting as anything more than a kindly older man showing her the city, or any sign that she saw him that way. I didn't pick on anything in particular, but I was still worried. From what I'd seen of Olivia, she was a lady. She wouldn't fawn all over a man in public, no matter how she felt about him. Pappy was much the same. He's a son of the south and when it comes to a lady, he's always a gentleman, even if there are times he'll vehemently deny it.

The meal was finished rather quickly and by the time Pappy and Olivia were ready to go, the situation was just as foggy to me as it had been earlier. I didn't know how Olivia felt about her fiancé or ex-fiancé or whatever Martin was, and I still didn't know what Pappy's intentions were.

"Well, boys, I think we'll take our leave now," Pappy said as he stood and offered Olivia his hand. Me and Bart also stood as Pappy helped her to her feet and both said goodnight.

Olivia gave us a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she hooked her arm through Pappy's. "Goodnight, Bret; Bart. I'm glad you could join us this evening."

"It was our pleasure," Bart told her giving her one of those dazzling grins of his.

"Indeed it was," I added.

"Night, boys," Pappy said. "Behave yourselves tonight."

I wondered if that was his subtle way of asking we refrain from any Can-Can shows tonight. Pappy's not usually known for being subtle, but I knew he wouldn't discuss the show directly, not in front of Olivia. I grinned. "Not to worry Pappy. We're just gonna go find us a nice friendly poker game."

"Yep," Bart chimed in. "Nothing can go wrong with that."

Pappy gave us a look and sort of grunted in reply. "Come along, my dear," he said addressing Olivia. "There's nothing like a nice walk after dinner."

Olivia smiled again and I couldn't help but notice this one looked more sincere than the one Bart and I had gotten earlier, leaving me wondering yet again what really was going on between the two of them.

"That wasn't very helpful," I told Bart as we watched Pappy escort Olivia out of the dining room. "We don't know any more now than we did before."

"Nope."

I crossed my arms and sighed. "I don't know, Bart, do you think he really cares about her?"

"Oh, I'm sure he does," Bart replied. "The question is how does he care for her, and how much."

"Doesn't seem like either one of them feel like sharing the answers to those questions. But let's go find that poker game, shall we?"

"That, Brother Bret, is the best idea you've had all day."

"I thought you'd approve."

We left the dining room and made our way over to the casino. As soon as I stepped into the room, I stopped and took a deep breath. I'm a poker player, and I'll pick up a game wherever I can, but there's just something about playing in a place like this. Most often I find myself in dusty saloons or two-bit mining camps, but I have to say, there are times a man just wants good cigars and plush carpets and high stakes. Nothing about this trip had gone the way I'd thought it would and I hadn't spent nearly enough time in this room, but I planned on changing that tonight.

"Gonna find a poker game?" I asked Bart as he lit up a cigar. "Or are you gonna run off and find some disreputable game like faro or roulette tonight?"

Bart laughed. "Just poker tonight; I need somethin' that makes sense."

"Ain's that the truth. Well, have fun," I said slapping him on the shoulder. "Try not to get into too much trouble."

"Right."

I turned to go find a game and stopped dead in my tracks. Martin Langley was crossing the casino floor, coming directly towards us. "Oh, no," I mumbled.

"What?"

I sighed. "Look who's comin' our way."

Bart followed my line of sight and groaned. "Can't catch a break, can we?"

I shook my head and gave Bart a nudge. "Go," I said quietly. I didn't think Langley had seen me yet and there was no reason for another confrontation if it wasn't absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, Langley was faster than we were and Bart had barely taken a step when Langley did see us.

"Maverick," he called across the room. I could have ignored him and we'd all have probably been better off if I had, but I noticed several people turn our way at his shout. I wasn't in a hurry to make myself a spectacle so I decided to bite the bullet and just deal with him now.

"Langley," I said as pleasantly as I could once he was closer.

Langley said nothing else but continued to stalk towards me. If the man's slight stagger was any indication, he was drunk, and the look in his eyes was definitely anger. I almost groaned myself; this was not going to go well.

"Where is she?" Langley demanded when he reached us.

I winced at the smell of alcohol coming off him; definitely drunk. "Who?" I asked innocently. I don't know why I said it. Common sense should tell a man it isn't wise to provoke someone with a grievance, real or imagined, against you, especially when that person is drunk, but I said it anyway. Langley didn't appreciate it.

"You know who," He all but growled taking a step closer. "Now where is she?"

"I don't know," I said, quite honestly I might add. I had no idea where Olivia and Pappy had run off to. "Not with me, obviously."

"Still with your old man?"

"I guess so." I didn't even bother to comment on the old man part. I just wanted Langley to move along.

Langley's eyes flashed. "Why? What is she doing?"

"I don't know." Again, I couldn't have been more honest.

Langley scoffed bitterly and glared first at me than Bart then me again. "I tried seeing her again this afternoon. She refused. She wouldn't come down to see me, she wouldn't talk to me. The only thing I could get out of her was I should know what the problem was. Now I want to know what's going on."

For the first time, I almost felt sorry for the boy. I mean is there any man alive who can understand a woman? On top of that, I'd love to know what was going on myself. The fact was, however, I just couldn't help him, with either of his problems. I sighed heavily. "You know, Langley, I wish I could tell you. I really do, but I can't. As I have told you many times, I can't help you. If you want to know what's going on, you'll have to talk to either Olivia or my father. Good luck with that."

I stepped around Langley then. I couldn't make myself any plainer than I'd already been. I could sympathize with him because I was just as lost as he was, but I couldn't help him and I wasn't in the mood to put up with his drunken belligerence any longer. No wonder Pappy has always told us not to drink.

Well, I may have been done with Langley, but he wasn't done with me. No sooner had I stepped around him than I felt something, or rather someone, reach out and grab me. I was just about to shake the grip off of my arm when I heard a sharp "Hey" come from behind me. The yell hadn't come from just anyone though; it was without a doubt my brother's voice. The grip on my arm fell off, and I whirled around just in time to see Langley ball up his fist and land a solid right cross that skidded across Bart's face. Bart hit the floor and instinct took over.

I could have forgiven Langley a lot; him following me around, all these unwanted conversations, even him pestering me about Pappy. Up until right now, I could have forgotten all about that, but no one takes a swing at my little brother for no reason. No one. I'm usually a lover, not a fighter, but I wasn't going to stand around and let Langley beat up on my brother, especially not when poor Bart was totally innocent in all this mess. If Langley wanted a fight, I was more than willing to give him one.

Without a thought to where I was or even what I was doing really, I closed the distance between us and yanked Langley around. Balling up my own fist I threw a punch at Langley catching him on the jaw. I smiled with grim satisfaction as he staggered back a few steps. That ought to teach him to go around dragging my brother into his fights.

Langley was able to stay on his feet but just barely. I was actually surprised he was able to do even that in his drunken state, but I felt like I'd made my point. He was bent over, hands on his knees, looking like he was trying to either catch his breath or clear his head, maybe both. Either way, I didn't think he'd be a problem anymore, so I turned my attention to Bart. My brother was back on his feet; hand over his cheek, looking a little bewildered. I was just about to ask him if he was alright when I was jerked around and a sharp pain shot across my cheek.

I didn't see Bart dart past me because of the stars dancing across my field of vision, but I did hear another punch land and a grunt of pain. I would have been satisfied with that except I felt Bart crash into me a split second later and realized Langley, not Bart, had landed the punch. The pain from Langley's punch settled into a dull ache and my vision cleared so I could finally see what kind of damage the man had inflicted on my brother. I didn't know which blow was responsible for what injury, but a small trickle of blood was coming from Bart's lip, and a welt was around his left eye. Needless to say, I wasn't happy about either one.

I helped steady Bart and then rushed Langley again. I heard someone yelling from across the casino but didn't pay attention to it. I was focused only on Langley now. I'd made a mistake earlier. I'd assumed Langley was too drunk to do much damage and had underestimated just what he was capable of. Well, I was through with thinking that way. It was time to get serious, get dirty, and it was no holds barred. Yes, sir, if Martin Langley wanted a fight, I'd give him one.