2 months until the LCW...
The boys were inside the saloon drunkenly singing some bawdy songs to a horribly banged out piano tune. While she didn't drink much, Grace did enjoy watching the others and the spectacle they made of themselves. Doc had only just jumped up from their table to join the others. Their voices slurred the words rendering the tune unintelligible but they didn't seem to mind. It's possible they couldn't even tell. Her eyes wandered from the show in search of Chavez but didn't see him. A giggle distracted her and upon finding its source in a buxom blonde, she also found Chavez seated at the far end of the bar. From her seat across the room she couldn't see his face, but the blonde was clearly visible. Obviously house entertainment, she was wearing a corset so tightly laced it was a wonder that she was capable of laughter. Tossing her unnatural curls she laid a hand on his shoulder and as she spoke leaned forward suggestively showing off her attributes that were practically spilling forth from the top of the corset. She watched as the blonde continued to rub Chavez's shoulder and toy with the ends of his hair. Grace swallowed hard and suddenly felt ill. The heat of the room and the noise suddenly seemed overwhelming. Downing her glass, she got up from her table and hurried out the door. She didn't see Chavez brush her hand away or the woman walk off in a huff in search of a willing customer.
Outside she recognized one of Murphy's men, a guy known as McCoy, standing on the other side of the street but ignored him. Grace paced back and forth in front of the saloon a couple times taking deep breaths, but found that it did no good. It took her a moment to figure out that she was experiencing jealousy. She wanted to walk back in and punch that hussy. As she tried to calm herself down she absently walked down the covered walkway along the town shops. What am I so upset about? Biting her lip she suspected that she wouldn't have cared if any of the other boys had been propositioned. She stopped in front of the What-Not Shop and angrily gripped the hitching post imagining that it was the girl's neck.
"What's got you all riled up? Grace had been so distracted by her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that McCoy had crossed to her side of the street. She had also failed to notice how far she had walked from the saloon. The man spoke again, his teeth were stained and rotting, "I asked you a question girlie aren't you gonna answer?" he asked in a drunken Irish brogue. Grace cast a quick glance toward the saloon but it was far down the lane now, even if she yelled the odds of her being heard over the music inside were not good. She was alone. Taking the Tunstall route she politely asked to be let by,
"Good evening sir, I was just getting some air, but I think I'd better be getting back now, so if you'll excuse me…" She made to walk past him but he stepped in her path and did so again when she tried to side step him. Annoyed, she reached to draw her pistol, but he caught hold of her wrist. The other hand quickly covered her mouth cutting off any attempt at a cry for help. Bringing up her other fist she dealt a swift punch to his stomach and made to kick his shin, but McCoy furiously shoved her against the shop door using the weight of his body to trap her there. With his free hand he pried the pistol from her fingers and tossed in onto the street. All the while she viciously tried to head-butt or snap at him with her teeth. Yanking his head away he spun her round, covered her mouth and began dragging her down between the buildings. All the while she struggled violently. She buckled her knees hoping that her weight would slow him down and desperately tried to shake herself loose from his hold.
Once in the alley he momentarily released her only to deliver the back of his hand across her face. The stinging pain was followed by the taste of blood as it filled her mouth and she gasped at the pain. The man fully expected the blow to render her incapable of standing, but Grace remained on her feet and wildly punched him with as much force as she could muster. McCoy fell to his knees holding his jaw. She looked down on him and spit out the blood that had pooled in her mouth and made to walk past him. He caught hold of one of her feet and pulled it out from under her. Grace hit the ground with full force, knocking the wind out of her; it was a wonder that she was able to cry out in pain. While she struggled to breathe the heavy weight of his body pressed down on top of her. Again that calloused hand clamped down over her mouth and in horror she felt him grab at her collar and pull. The buttons tore out of her shirt and his free hand groped at her body. Then he began reaching for the hem of her skirts. Squeezing her eyes shut she struggled against her attacker with all her might but his weight held her down like a rock.
Then suddenly the weight was gone. Upon opening her eyes she saw Chavez had appeared from nowhere, had roughly yanked the man off her and thrown him into the side of a building. Grabbing hold of the McCoy's lapels Chavez punched him hard repeatedly square in the face; she was certain that she heard a crunch as the McCoy's nose surely broke. Momentarily stunned the man fell back and Chavez drew one of his knives. From her place on the ground Grace looked up at Chavez's face and hurriedly jumped to her feet. The look in his dark eyes frightened her; he was going to kill McCoy. Knife in hand he was advancing toward the fallen man whose nose was yet gushing blood. Her mind raced. If Chavez killed this man he would be hanged no matter the reason. Thinking quickly she put herself between them, but Chavez easily pushed her away. Desperate to stop him, Grace threw herself at him and hung on.
"Chavez don't, please. They'll put you in jail! Hang you! For me, please stop!" she begged. Her arms squeezed around him, her feet stepped on top of his, anything to keep him from moving forward, from committing murder. After a few moments in which Grace pressed her face against his chest, she felt his breathing slow. He placed a hand at the small of her back and sheathed his knife. She let out the breath she had been holding but didn't release her hold on him just yet.
"Run pendejo, before I change my mind." His voice was dangerously calm but she could hear the hard edge in his voice. McCoy struggled to his feet and staggered off as fast as he could. As soon as he was out of sight Chavez looked down at Grace who still clung to him. Her body was shaking but she wasn't crying. Taking hold of her shoulders he gently pushed her away from him. As he did so she looked up into his face,
"Thank you" she said, her voice wavering. Seeing her split lip he angrily grit his teeth and shot a glance in the direction McCoy had run off. Eyes widening she reached out and grasped his arm. Without looking at her he said,
"I'm not going after him tonight Grace. Are you alright?" Shifting on her feet she reached up to touch her lip and winced,
"Yes, where are the others?" She asked as she realized her shirt was torn open revealing her corset cover. Embarrassed, she drew the shirt closed and attempted to tuck the edges into her skirt. Chavez shrugged out of his jacket and held it for her. Thankfully she slid into it.
"At Jane's place for the night" Nothing more about them really had to be said, it was understood that the boys were indisposed until the following day. "Let's head home." As they walked back to their horses Chavez kept a protective hand on her upper arm while the other hand lay on the hilt of his knife. They mounted their horses and took off for home. It was a comfortably cool night and the pitch black sky was lit up with countless stars and the moon was nearly full. For a long while they rode in silence until Chavez asked, "What did you jump on me for?" His voice was characteristically low and quiet. Grace turned to him with wide eyes,
"Are you kidding? I thought you were going to murder him. I saw that look on your face."
"And I saw yours, which is why I was going to kill him." He reached forward to run his gloved fingers through his horse's mane, remembering how he had found her. All he had seen was her petite body struggling beneath a man who had a fistful of her skirts. He shook his head trying to get the image out of his head. The rage he had felt completely consumed him in that moment. Turning to look at her he watched as she let go of the reigns and ran her hands through her hair. Until that moment he didn't think he'd ever seen it completely loose. Even in the moonlight he could see that it fell in soft curls down her back. Feeling his eyes on her, Grace cleared her throat,
"I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up Chavez." In the quiet of the night she now had time to really think about what had very nearly happened. That despicable man had almost raped her, and possibly even had it in his mind to kill her. Certainly Chavez had saved her life.
"You would have figured something out" he said trying to reassure her. As they rode she kept looking over at him, but he pretended not to notice. She drew his jacket close about her.
When they arrived home it was well past two in the morning. Tunstall was asleep in the house and wasn't expecting them back until much later in the day. They both dismounted in silence. Chavez moved toward her and gently took the reins from her hands, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I'll put her away, you head on inside." Watching him closely she seemed about to say something before nodding and quietly slipping inside the house. Chavez watched as she went in before heading to the barn. Once safely inside her room she collapsed onto her bed rubbing her eyes wearily. That had been close. She knew that her father had always tried to protect her from the more ugly aspects of life. She didn't realize how vulnerable she was or how easily she could be victimized and it both frightened and angered her. Eager to get out of her clothes she quickly changed into her nightgown and washed her face, carefully dabbing at the blood on her lower lip. Above her wash basin she looked at her reflection in the mirror and saw the empty room behind her. Looking into her own eyes she thought, I don't want to be alone right now. It was like she could still feel McCoy's body on her, his breath on her face, and it sickened tried to ignore the feeling but it was no use. Shaking her head she walked to the window. Outside she heard the horses in the barn and decided to go out to see if Chavez was still awake; being alone right now was too much. She hoped that being with someone would distract her mind. Slipping into a light pair of shoes and shrugging back into his jacket she climbed out of the window and headed over to the barn.
Crossing through the open barn doors she first heard and then saw Chavez. His smooth voice could be heard speaking softly in Spanish as he brushed with horse's coat with great care. Never understanding a word he said in Spanish, she liked the sound of it nonetheless. It was comforting. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder at her; saw the nightgown under the open coat. "Can't sleep?" Grace walked over to stand in front of his horse, sliding her hand down the smooth neck.
"I didn't bother trying." Chavez watched her silently as she stroked the horse's nose. Locks of hair had fallen into her face, and her eyes were avoiding his, but the telltale sniffle gave her away. Grace was a strong woman. Seeing her like this gave him a strange ach in his chest. Taking a breath he dropped the brush, took her hands, and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"It's alright" he whispered against her hair, "It'll never happen again Gracie." At first Grace was completely taken off guard and tensed up, but in no time she melted against him. Encircling her arms around him she hugged him back. Laying her forehead against him, she felt the tears that threatened to fall. She had thought that coming out here would help take her mind off it, but such a tender gesture completely broke her down. Grace very rarely cried and no one had ever seen her do so, but Chavez understood that she needed this release. Murmuring something in Spanish against her hair he pressed his lips against her temple. For a long while they stood together, Chavez comfortingly stroking her back as she cried quietly. Taking a shuddering breath Grace looked up at his face, the moistness in her eyes enhancing their unique coloration.
"I'm sorry" she said softly trying to brush the tears from her cheeks. "I always thought I could take care of myself." Despite her crying, her voice was steady and controlled. As she held his gaze a tear rolled down the delicate curve of her cheek. Chavez brought his hand up to her face and brushed it away.
"I don't mind taking care of you" he said. Hugging her once more he continued, "Come on let's go to the bunkhouse." Taking her hand he led her out of the barn and over to the small bunkhouse where all the boys slept. The bunkhouse was a simple structure; just an open hall with a row of beds lining one wall. Chavez let go of her hand and she walked to his bed to sit down while he grabbed a bottle of whiskey hidden under an unused beds mattress. After a moment of awkwardly tapping her toes on the wood floor she drew her feet up on the bed and lay down. When Chavez turned around a fleeting expression that was gone before Grace could identify it passed over his face. Uncorking the bottle he took a swig and offered it to her. Grace accepted it and took a long sip before handing it back. The liquid stung her split lip but its warmth felt good as it went down. The crying had stopped leaving her in a state of exhaustion. Sitting beside her on the bed Chavez tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, leaving his hand to rest on her shoulder. Lying on her side Grace gazed up at him.
"Chavez, would you mind if I stayed here tonight?"
"No, you can take my bed." He turned to go to another bed but Grace caught his hand, holding it tight.
"Stay?" When he gave her a quizzical look she moved over on the bed and clarified, "Don't leave me." Knowing that if she went back to her room she would be miserable and alone, she wanted to stay here, but she wanted him close so that she could feel safe. Nodding he pulled off his boots and lay down beside her. It was a fairly small bed and for fear of falling off, or maybe for want of closeness, she laid partially on his chest, using him as a pillow. Weariness quickly overtook her and she fell asleep but Chavez remained awake for some time after, absently stroking her hair. Eventually he too succumbed to sleep.