Chapter 6 A Change of Plans (Part 1)

Arizona Territory

Les Dean rode Slick in the direction of Mike Yardner's land. His task was to get Mike Yardner off of her land. Starcourt told him he wasn't a fan of murder, but he also wasn't opposed to it. It seemed as though Starcourt and his men were having trouble getting Mike off of her land. That fact puzzled Les. He could not understand why they were having such a hard time. How hard could it be to get a widowed woman off of a piece of land?

Les knew he had to come up with a plan. He needed a plan that did not involve killing a woman. The last thing he wanted to do was kill a woman. Les had never killed a woman before, and he really did not want to make Mike Yardner his first female victim. His momma raised him better than that.

Seeing Mike's house in the distance, Les brought Slick to a halt. Les sat there and pondered what his move was going to be. He felt as though he couldn't just ride up to the house. If what Starcourt said was true about Mike Yardner, then Les risked being shot if he showed up without warning. From what Les could gather based on what Starcourt had told him, Mike Yardner didn't have much trust in men. Les really couldn't blame her. It was more than likely that lately the men she had come in contact with were men who tried to get her off of her land.

Suddenly Les knew exactly what he needed in order to get Mike Yardner off of her land. Les knew he had to gain Mike's trust. It was obvious to Les that Starcourt's other men had failed to gain Mike Yardner's trust. Les was confident that if he could gain Mike's trust, then he would be able to get her off the land and earn his two hundred dollars. Les didn't know how long it would take to earn Mike's trust and get her off her land, but that did not matter. Starcourt never gave Les a timeline of when things had to be done.

Even though Dan had left a couple of weeks ago, that morning Mike decided to put on a skirt and a blouse. Before taking one final observation of herself, Mike made adjustments to her belt and her blouse. Taking one final look in the full length mirror and being satisfied with the reflection she saw, Mike opened her bedroom door and walked out into the living area.

Mike knew that Dan was not physically with her anymore, but that didn't mean she couldn't imagine him there. As far as Mike was concerned, Dan would always be with her. The funny thing is that after Johnny Yardner had died Mike was able to accept he was gone. She grieved her husband, but then was able to move on. With Dan gone, Mike can't seem to move on. She refused to move on.

Walking out into the living area, Mike looked at the over sized empty chair where she imagined Dan sitting. "What, haven't you ever seen a woman in a dress before?"

Since Dan was not actually sitting in the chair, Mike had to come up with an answer. "I guess I forgot how good it looked."

Mike was pleased with Dan's "answer." He did not say it directly, but Dan was telling her that she looked good and appreciated what he saw. With a smile of satisfaction on her face, Mike walked over to the stove to pour a cup of coffee for Dan. Mike knew Dan would appreciate a nice, hot cup of coffee. Mike grabbed the handle of the coffee with her bare hand. That was a mistake. She quickly pulled her hand away from the handle. The burning pain was instant.

Using a towel this time, Mike once again grabbed the handle of the coffee pot and poured a cup for Dan. Mike walked the coffee over to Dan and placed it on the table next to his chair. After placing the steaming cup of coffee on the table, Mike walked towards the fireplace. Her stomach was full of butterflies. She wanted to offer Dan a permanent place to stay. Mike wanted to make things permanent with Dan.

"Dan, you've been here for several weeks now. You're pretty much all better. I guess you have to decide if you're going to stay or if you're going to go," said Mike. Mike waited for Dan's "answer" with anticipation.

"Mike, I'd like to stay," said Dan.

A huge smile spread across Mike's face. She went to sit on Dan's lap. She knew Dan wouldn't mind. Once seated on his lap, Mike leaned forward for a celebratory kiss, a kiss to celebrate their brand new relationship.

Dusk was settling in, and Les knew he had to get the house before darkness covered the desert. Showing up when there was still light was better than showing up in the darkness. Not wanting to waste any more time, Les gently nudged Slick forward. Les rode until he was about ten yards from the house. He had already invaded Mike's land. Riding directly up to the house was risking getting shot.

"Hello at the cabin!" Les shouted. "I'm comin' in peaceful"

The shout from outside broke Mike from her reverie. She suddenly realized she was sitting on an empty chair and was about to kiss the back of her hand. "Damn!" she said to herself. "This place is worse than Dodge City on a Saturday night."

Mike thought about what she just said. Why did she have to say Dodge City? That place was bittersweet to her. There were people from that Kansas town that took Dan away from her. Instead of being with her, Dan was in Dodge City. Mike had heard things about Dodge City. She wondered if they were true. Then again, Mike couldn't help but smile when she thought about Dodge City. The man she loved was from Dodge City.

Sutler's barking reminded Mike there was someone outside. Grabbing the shotgun, Mike opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. When she did, Les rode up to the house. Sutler continued to bark.

Mike looked at Sutler "It's alright. Quiet down." She then looked at the stranger on the horse. "What do ya want?"

"Water for Slick and vittles," Les answered. "I have money, ma'am."

"Ma'am," Mike repeated with a shake of her head.

She was considering sending the stranger away. It wasn't like her to invite strangers, especially men, into her home. Yes, she had brought Dan into her house, but that was different. Mike felt as though she couldn't let Dan die out in the desert. Her husband died of a head injury after his horse hit a prairie dog hole. Mike had seen that Dan had a head injury. She couldn't save her husband, but maybe she could make up for that by saving Dan. Fortunately she was able to save Dan.

"I'm well fashioned," said Les. He could see that Mike was really considering whether or not to grant his requests.

"We're all well fashioned," Mike responded. She finally decided to give in to his requests. "The well is over there. When you're done, come on in."

"Thank you," said Les.

Mike turned around to walk back in the house. When she did, Sutler started barking again. "You stay out here. You're taking on men's ways."

Once inside the house, a plan started to formulate in Mike's mind. Before she was interrupted by the stranger, Mike was in a fantasy that involved kissing Dan. She was about to kiss the back of her hand. The back of her hand was not a man. Would it be possible for her to use the stranger that was outside as part of her "Dan" fantasy? Pretending a man was her Dan was better than pretending the back of her hand was Dan. Inviting this stranger in might turn out to be a good idea after all.

Mike quickly set a place at the table. She had already eaten, but had some leftover son of a gun stew. This was the second time she had made it since Dan had left. Muley roasts were prime this time of year, so she had the meat for it. She even added frogs to her son of a gun stew. Mike wondered if Dan did the same thing. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Mike shouted.

Opening the door, Les walked inside. He hung his hat on the peg, put his long gun next to the door. "I sure do thank ya, ma'am." Les made sure not to say, Mike. He wasn't supposed to know who she was.

"You don't have to call me, ma'am," Mike told the man sitting at the table. "My name's Mike. Sit. We have some son of a gun stew."

"Mike?" questioned Les, taking a seat at the table.

"I know it's an unusual name for a woman," Mike answered. "My pa was hoping for a boy, but I ended up being a girl. My ma wanted to name me Peggy. My dad wanted to name me Mike. My dad won."

"I guess we have similar stories," said Les. "My name's Favorite. I have eight scruffy older brothers. When I was coming, they water-witched over my momma's tummy and determined I was gonna be a girl. So, they named me favorite. I obviously wasn't a girl, just like you obviously weren't a boy."

Mike sat down at the table with Les. The two of them shared a conversation while Les ate. Both were trying to gain the trust of the other person for their own personal reasons. Les wanted to gain Mike's trust so he could get her off her land and be paid two hundred dollars. Mike wanted to gain Les's trust so she could use him as part of her Dan fantasy.

"Mike, that was the best I've ever tasted," said Les, referring to the stew.

"It's the frogs in it," said Mike.

"I noticed earlier you said 'We have some son of a gun stew,' and I see a bed over there," said Les. "Do you have someone livin' with ya?"

Mike had to think quickly. She knew Favorite was right. Mike did say we when she brought the stew to the table. She had to come up with a reason explaining why she said we and why she had a bed in the corner.

TBC