The Cowboys

Jack

He laughed, "Well, that makes two of us, then. I'm sure the sheriff'd turn a blind eye to me, given I'm a local and all. Probably just has my wanted poster 'cause its compulsory or something. Only people I've got to worry about are bounty hunters, meaning no offence to yourself, of course."

She laughed again, and he continued, "Besides, buying you lunch in town is a damn sight better than watching Tyrel's cows. Hell, it's a damn sight better than most things I can think of."

Bethany smiled a little wider, a little bit of pinkness coming to her cheeks. "I'm flattered. Not even my horse wants to by me lunch, let alone other men. All they're lookin' for is one thing an' one thing only."

*Sorry it's so short. Writers block *

I was taken aback by the question. She wants me of all people to help her. Well, its better than nothing, especially if it will help raise my standings.

I managed to stutter out, "yeah, sure, what do you want me to do?"



*sorry its short*

Jade:

Relief washed over Jade at his words. And she barely managed to stutter her reply.

"Oh, thank you!" she said, "When the Sheriff comes just tell him that I ran out the back way. I'll hide in the loft." Jade scurried up the ladder as the sound of hooves pounding against the road came closer and closer to the barn. She hid herself behind a bail her mind racing. Suddenly, she was hit by the strangeness of the situation.

Matt, her rival, had just agreed to save her from a few years in a jail cell. She almost laughed, but she was cut short by the creaking of the barn door and the sound of the sheriff's voice.

I saw a man walk in. He was a little fatter than was normal and he had a revolver in one hand. He had left his horse ouside. He looked surprised to see me in here.

I smiled at him and said, "Did I do anything wrong mr sherrif?"

He looked around at the barn and then looked back at me. "No, but if you dont tell me where that girl went I will charge you with aiding a criminal."

I smiled again, "Well, there's been two girls in here since morning, which one do you want?"

The sherrif growled, "You know which one I want..."

I paused s if i was thinking, "You mean the little one with black hair? Yeah, she just ran out back." I illustrated my point by motioning with my thimb over my shoulder.

THe sherrif was already through the door before I had finished. I counted to twenty before saying, "Ok you can come down now."

Jack

He laughed, "I imagine it's a real bore having to deal with that kind of attention day in and day out. Tyrel and I got the lighter side of it when we were both in town, mothers always trying to set us up with their daughters. It was one of the reasons I left - I didn't want to get tied down to one place. You can probably understand."

Before she could answer, though, the sheriff burst out the back door of a barn, revolver drawn as he looked around. He had a thunderous expression on his face, which, when coupled with his physique and outrageous moustache, was a sight to be seen. Jack had to choke back another laugh.

The sheriff spun to see them, his eyes narrowing immediately on Jack, "You'd do best not to laugh, boy. You might be local, but you're an outlaw, and I just lost my last such prey. You wipe that smile off your face, or you'll have to replace her in the cells."

Jade:

When Matt's voice reached her, she let out her pent-up breath, her body quivering as a result of the adrenaline rush she had sustained. She stood up slowly, took a few breaths, and regained her composure. She didn't want Matt to see how shaken she was. She climbed down the ladder and walked up to Matt.
"Thanks, pardner," she said, extending a hand. Matt grimaced, but shook her hand just the same.
"That's the second time today I've faced the prospect of a jail cell," she said sheepishly. Matt grinned.
"You need to get yourself a disguise," he said. He tapped the brim of her conspicuos union hat. "It's generally not a good idea to dress differently than everyone else when you're an outlaw," he said, a wry grin on his face. Jade sighed. She did stand out in a crowd, with her buckskin shirt and pants, heavy black boots, and union slouch hat. Her eyes didn't help either.

She stood awkwardly next to Matt, unsure of what to say next. She groped for words.
"So, uh, where are you headed next?" she asked.

Matt

I had never really thought about where I would go. "Umm... I'll probably just try and hitch on as a guard for a wagon train headed out west."

*sorry its short*

Jade:

She nodded.
"Well," she said, "I'd better get going. I need to change and find another place to stay. Thanks again for savin' my skin." She said the last part sincerely and nodded to her rival-turned-friend.
"See ya around." She turned and walked out of the stables and quickly ran into her room, grabbing Grant as she went. She took out a knife from her pack and cut her hair to the length of a man's. Then, she took off her union hat and changed into the typical cowboy's attire. She sighed and examined her new appearance in the dusty mirror. It would have to do. She grabbed her bag and ran down the stairs.

"Relax, Sheriff," Bethany told him. "Who's the person yer tryin' to catch?"

"She goes by Jade somethin'-er-other. Didn' catch her last name. You seen her?"

Bethany looked up for a moment as if she was thinking. "Mmm...no, can't say I've seen her. I'll let you know if I spot her, though."

The Sheriff nodded to her. "Thank you, BJ. And you," he pointed to Jack. "You tick me off one more time, you better watch yer back."

Jack

He shook his head with a sad smile. It seemed that the locals weren't going to be as friendly to him now that he was a wanted man. But then, who'd want to get caught up aiding and abetting or anything like that? BJ was safe from it, of course, a bounty hunter could just claim to be bringing him in.

He looked across at her as they dismounted outside the inn, "Thanks for that, by the way."

“Thanks for what?” She asked, slightly confused, “I didn’t really do anything.”

“You told him to relax, and he did. If I’d told him to, he would’ve taken me in. You kind of redirected his anger back to Jade ‘something-er-other’.” He said, imitating the sheriff’s voice with unerring accuracy.

Jade headed down the stairs once again, grabbing her bags and leaving the room for good. She needed to find a place to stay that was farther away from town. She sighed. She started to walk across the dusty saloon floor and crossed the room, looking out the swinging doors warily.

She saw the Sheriff storming down the road, still angry at losing his prey. Jade grinned. She had an idea. She walked out the swinging doors, the Sheriff getting closer by the minute. She walked down the stairs and down the road until she was but a few feet from the sheriff. He still hadn't noticed. Jade walked right by him and tipped her hat, saying, "Good mornin' sheriff." He nodded absent-mindedly and muttered something in reply. Jade grinned, barely able to keep in her laughter.

As soon as he was out of hearing, she burst out laughing at the completely oblivious sheriff. She shook her head and resumed walking down the street. Then, she spotted the bounty hunter and a handsome young man coming down the street. She wondered if they knew where she could stay. She was desperate, so she decided to ask.

She strolled up to the bounty hunter and the man and they looked at her quizically.
"Howdy," said Jade, tipping her hat. She had to add the "howdy's" as part of her disguise. "I was wondering if you knew a place I could stay for a while. I mean, you helped me out back thar, so I figured it was safe to ask."

Bethany looked at the stranger with a funny look. "Helped you...?" She gave a sly smile. "Ah, Miss Jade," she murmured, tipping her hat. "We meet again. I'm sorry, but as a bounty hunter, I don't really have a place you could stay, unless you want to stay in an Inn with me. Otherwise, yer outta luck. Would you like to join us for lunch?"

Jade's eyes flicked to the man on the horse and wondered if he could be trusted. The bounty hunter evidently saw her distrust and said,
"Don't worry miss Jade, he's just as much an outlaw as you. Matter o' fact, he about saved yer tail back there with the sheriff." This removed some of Jade's distrust, and she looked back kat the bounty hunter.
"I might as well get some grub before I go," she said, accepting the offer for lunch. "I don't think we've formerly met, and I can't just call you the bounty hunter. You got a name?"

MATT

I waited a second before stepping outside. After having been in the stale for the morning the light was blinding and I had to wait for my eyes to adjust. When I could see again I examined the small s*** hole that had proved so interesting.

It looked like the whole town rested on a crossroads. I could see jade talking to two people on horses. Looks like she's made some friends. Too bad ones a bounty hunter.

I walked across the street to the small shop and stepped inside. The coolness was saintly after the baking heat of outside. I walked up to the cashier and asked him if he had any knives. He pointed me to a shelf against the back wall. I walked over and chose two knives with five inch damascus blades. On my way back to the cashier I picked up a box of shells.

"It'll be fifty dollars for the knives and the ammo."

I handed over the money and made as if to leave the store, but then I remembered something.

"Excuse me sir, but do you know if there are any wagon trains heading out west that I could hitch a ride with?"

The man looked at him like he was crazy, "You think caravans leave out of [i]this town?"

"I was just wondering. Do you know of any place where I could get a job to bide me over till I can get to a bigger town?"

The man thought for a second. "I could always use a hand here, but this doesn't look like your line of work. Tyrel seems to be hiring people. He has a ranch just outside of town. You could check with him and see if you are needed. Other than that I'm afraid to say you are out of luck friend."

I thanked him and left the store, going to retrieve my horse. When he was saddled and ready to go I mounted and rode out into the sun. A passing stranger gave me directions to Tyrel's place. While I was leaving i saw Jade in a restraunt with the two people she had been talking to earlier. She saw me as I passed. I nodded and motioned down the road. She nodded in return, and I spurred my horse out of town.


*I hope this brings everything back to life. I was really enjoying it.*