Chapter 2

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Three hours later she and Amy were in town going over the final instructions. They had decided to meet the other ladies in a barn that was close to Main Street.

"Does everyone have a sign or banner?" asked Ali excitedly, as she walked up and down the group looking everyone over making final inspections.

"Now remember ladies, there probably will be some men in the crowd who will yell at you or maybe even try and push or grab you. But you need to stand your ground. Does everyone understand this, because now is the time if you have changed your mind?" Ali inquired, as she was walking up and down the row adjusting some of the banners.

"My husband is going to be mad as a wet hen!" exclaimed one lady.

"Mine too!" added another lady, as she adjusted her sign.

"I just hope my fiancé isn't in town today because he will just boil over if he sees me," offered a cute, little red head.

"Yeah, Adam will probably blow a gasket if he sees me too," muttered Ali, as she tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach while walking over and taking her place in front of the marchers.

"Just remember, ladies, you want to have a say in your life and it has to start somewhere. You can't just stand by and do nothing if you want things to change, so today is the day to take a stand and let your voices be heard!"

Ali straightened her shoulders and started out of the barn.

"Alright, ladies, let's go set Virginia City on its as…ear," she caught herself from letting out an improper word as she hefted her sign higher.

"Boy, I sure hope I know what I am doing," she muttered, as she started up the street with the marchers behind her.

The ladies went down the side street and on to the main street marching and chanting, "Women deserve the right to vote for the new sheriff!"

As they were marching, Ali noticed the people on the sides watching them pass by. Some of the ladies were cheering them on, while others just lowered their heads and continued walking with their husbands down the street.

I'm sure glad I won't run into Adam or Ben today. They are out on the ranch and will be tied up all day. I know Adam is a free thinker on some things, but I don't know if he would approve of this or not. And I definitely know Ben would have a coronary if he saw me. Not that Adam or Ben could stop me, but I don't need any distractions either Ali thought, as she smiled to the crowds that had started to gather.

After they had gone about half the distance of Main Street, Ali couldn't believe her eyes when she looked over at the hotel and saw a man leaning casually against the wall. Oh, it wasn't just any man—it was James Collins! And he was standing there with a smirk on his face as he watched her march by.

I would like to smack that smirk right off his face she thought, as she smiled at him while walking by. If his stupid little smile wasn't bad enough, he had the audacity to tip his hat after she walked by!

Trying to just ignore him, they continued to chant until they came in front of a group of men who were standing outside the cattlemen's association building. They just had a meeting and were standing around discussing it, when one of the men heard the women chanting.

There was a rather portly, balding man who started to laugh and joke with some of the men while they were standing by him. They thought it was quite amusing to see a bunch of women making fools of themselves.

Finally, he decided to tell them just what he thought as he yelled out, "Go home and bake a cake. You women should be taking care of your men folk, not here making spectacles of yourselves!"

Ali just smiled and nodded at him as she shouted encouragement to the women.

"Don't break ranks ladies and just ignore the over fed idiot over there!"

As she made this last statement, she pointed her sign in the direction of the portly gentleman she had just insulted, and gave him the sweetest smile she could muster!

"What did you call me?" bellowed the man, when he heard Ali's comment.

He looked like he had just swallowed a bug as he sputtered this last question.

"If the shoe fits," answered Ali, in her most sarcastic voice as she continued marching.

All of a sudden, a man wearing a brown hat looked over at the ladies and recognized his wife. He had been standing with the group of men and thought it was amusing when he heard the insult that had been given to his friend—that is until he recognized one of the marchers!

"What are you doing here, Sally Mae?" he bellowed, as he started for the women.

"I am voicing my right to vote in the election for Sheriff!" challenged the woman behind Ali.

"And don't you dare come near me, Billy Jones!" she yelled, as she saw him coming toward the group of women.

Another man that had been standing in the crowd started towards the ladies when he recognized his fiancée.

"Is that you, Molly O'Brien? Just what do you think you are doing here?" he demanded, as he started to grab her arm and pull her out of the marchers!

Molly saw him coming and decided she wasn't about to let him take her out of the march. So she did the only thing she thought would stop him—she threw her banner over his head and wrapped it around his neck!

About this time the man who Ali had called an idiot came stomping over and started to grab her arm to pull her out of the line. Well Ali wasn't about to stand for this bully stopping the march, so she raised her sign high over her head and brought it down on his head with a loud thud!

The look in his startled eyes was priceless as he touched his forehead to see if he was bleeding. After he realized he would live, he tried to grab for Ali. But she dodged him as she pushed another man right into his arms and both men went down into the mud!

That was all it took for pandemonium to break out on a warm sunny day in Virginia City. Ladies were screaming and hitting anyone who tried to stop the march. The men were shouting at the women, while trying to get their 'womenfolk' to go home with them.

Everyone in the crowd was hitting, grabbing or yelling at someone when suddenly Ali was pushed to the ground, and she ended up landing on her backside in a huge puddle of mud. Amy was standing right next to her and tried to step over Ali, but ended up falling down beside her and splashed even more mud on to Alissa.

Amy was so infuriated when she realized what she was sitting in that she picked up some of the mud and threw it at the man standing in front of her. He ducked and it hit another man that was trying unsuccessfully to grab his fiancée's arm to take her home. He let out a roar when he realized what had just smacked him in the face and reared back and hit the man standing next to him. That man thought he had hit him on purpose and spun him around and punched him square in the jaw.

By this time Ali was so angry at what was happening to her march, she reached down and grabbed a handful of mud and slung it at the first man she saw. Unfortunately for Ali, he started to bend over to help his wife up, so the mud missed him and landed square in the face of none other than Sheriff Roy Coffee!

Now Roy had heard all the commotion from his office and had decided to investigate. He had finally worked his way into the middle of the crowd when smack—he was hit with a fistful of mud. As he stood there simmering while the mud slowly dripped off of his face, Ali decided this might be a good time to try and get out of his way. She knew that making the sheriff mad was probably not in the best interest of her cause or her for that matter. So she started to crawl out of the chaos until she was eventually by the sidewalk. She finally was able to stand up and started to turn around to look for her sign when she ran smack into what seemed like a brick wall!

Slowly glancing up this brick wall, Ali eventually looked right into the eyes of a very irate Adam Cartwright! The look in his eyes suggested that he probably wasn't in the best of moods, so her first instinct was to run. And that is just what she did! She picked up her skirt and ran over to retrieve her sign. She was hoping to gather what few ladies were left to continue their march. Sadly, after looking around she realized that her little group of ladies were scattered everywhere.

Not only that, but Sheriff Coffee was coming from one direction towards her, and Adam was coming from the other direction. And neither one looked too happy with her as they both arrived at her side at the same time. If this wasn't enough to ruin her day, Mr. Collins was standing on the sidewalk applauding her while watching this whole little fiasco go down.

Well, that was all Ali needed to let her temper take over as she marched right on over to James, drew back her arm and punched him square in the eye! She really let him have it as all the built up anger from the failure of the march was in her swing.

Poor James never dreamed a woman would actually punch him, and was completely caught off guard and went down like a sack of potatoes. As she stood over him with her hands on her hips, Ali started to yell in a very unlady like voice, "James Collins, you are an arrogant jackas...!"

A hand was quickly clamped over her mouth as she was picked up and carried off away from James. Adam had grabbed her around her waist and was carrying her away from the pandemonium as she hung helplessly between his body and muscular forearm. Alissa was kicking and screaming the whole time as Adam carried her over to the barn where she had started this unforgettable march, determined to find out just how she had ended up in the middle of it all.

TBC

As if having her march end in turmoil wasn't bad enough, now Alissa has to deal with a very angry Adam!