A Steady Hand M7 OW (soft FRM)
Another M7 Bingo prompt
Thunder rumbled as Buck dragged the saddle off Smokey and flung it over the fencing. Grabbing a handful of clean hay, he did a cursory wipe down of the geldings wet hide.
“Smokey, you’re just gonna have to wait till Tiny gets done with the others, old Pard,” Buck stroked the broad nose that was thrust out to him and dug in his pockets to find some kind of threat, “Damn! Even my peppermints are melting.”
He pulled the soggy melting candy out and held it on the flat of his hand for his horse to nibble. Smokey snorted but accepted the treat and with a final stroke, Buck backed out of the stall. He pulled his saddle bags off the fence and threw it over his shoulder as he started for the door.
“Go and get yourself dried off, Buck,” Tiny hollered at him from a stall further back in the livery, “I’ll get Smokey taken care of and bedded down in just a few minutes.”
“Thanks, Tiny,” Buck replied, more grateful than he wanted to admit at that moment.
The combination of three days riding mostly in a rainstorms and running out of food the night before had Buck feeling tired and old. He sighed as he opened the livery door and trudged back out into the storm one more time. It was hard to see with the blowing rain but it looked like the bath house was already closed for the night, and besides, Buck didn’t have any more clean clothes in his saddle bags.
Deciding that he might be able to live with himself for one more night, after all the damned rain should have washed away some of the sweat and there definitely hadn’t been any dust on the trail he’d ridden, Buck turned towards the tavern. He could always use his animal magnetism and get Inez to fix him some kind of supper. He was hungry enough that he didn’t much care what it was or if it was hot or cold.
The muddy street sucked at his boots with every step he took, making it was a relief when he reached the board walk on the other side. Unsurprisingly, there didn’t seem to be anyone out and about this evening, even though the sun wouldn’t have been down yet, if you could have seen it. Nothing but a blanket of dark gray clouds stretched out as far as Buck could see in the dim twilight. Even the occasional brilliant flashes of lightning didn’t show more than the rain pelting down.
“This would be a good night to curl up with someone warm and willing,” Buck said to himself with another wistful sigh. He looked into the tavern, and listened to the rise and fall of voices, the old piano, and the clink of glasses. There was quite a good crowd inside, mostly men, as usual.
“Not likely to happen, but it would be nice.” He muttered as he stepped through the batwing doors of the tavern.
“What would be nice, Buck,” Chris’s voice rose up from the shadows beside the door, almost making Buck draw his gun.
Chris snorted and struck a match, “You’re awful jumpy this evening, bad trip?” The light from the match flickered as Chris lit his cheroot. “And you’re wet as a dog!”
“Well, Chris, you might not have noticed it,” Buck groused, “but it is raining like hell out there.”
“Yeah, I noticed,” Chris gave him a wicked grin, “it’s been raining for the last three days.”
“I know,” Buck dropped his saddle bags over an empty chair at Chris’s table. “What are you doing sitting here by the door?”
“Ezra’s playing cards with some drovers,” Chris answered.
“Oh, too noisy for you,” Buck had to smile, Chris didn’t like anything to interrupt him when he was drinking serious.
“Just trying to stay out of the line of fire,” Chris said. He still had a wicked light in his eyes, “them boys started grumbling about Ezra’s luck an hour ago. It can’t be long now, before one of them says he’s cheating.”
“Is that why Vin’s sitting over there with Nathan looking all pissed off,” Buck nodded back at Nathan’s smile as he spoke.
“I reckon,” Chris laughed, “Vin tried to get Ez to shut down the game a little while ago, but you know how he is when he’s on a winning streak.”
“Not likely to give it up, come hell or high water,” Buck pulled out another chair to sit in.
“Take off that damned coat before you sit down, Buck, “ Chris ordered, “you’re dripping all over the place.”
“Not gonna make much of a difference,” Buck told him, but he struggled out of the sodden leather coat and draped it over the chair with his saddle bags.
“Buck, you need to go and get dried off,” Chris said, “you’re wet all the way through.”
“Chris is right, Buck,” Nathan had walked up on them as Buck pulled off his coat, “you’re gonna catch a cold standing around like that!”
“I’m gonna have a drink and something to eat first,” Buck told both men. “It wouldn’t do me no good to get dry and then come back out in this to get something to eat.”
“Look at you!” Inez cried as she came to the table carrying a mug of beer, “you are bring mud in all over the floor.”
Buck looked down, “I’m sorry Inez, I’ll get the mop and clean it up for you, if you’ll fix me a plate of whatever you got on the stove.” He offered.
“No, no, no,” Inez said, looking at Buck’s tired face, “it will be all right, you sit down and I will bring you some tamales and a whiskey, yes?” She put the beer down in front of Nathan and turned back to the bar.
“I sure wouldn’t say no to that,” Buck beamed at her and lowered himself into a chair.
Nathan sat down and picked up his beer, “You still need to get dry, right quick, or you’re gonna be sick.”
“He will, Nathan,” Chris promised, “as soon as he eats, I’m gonna walk him straight over to Miss Leticia’s and see that he goes to bed.”
“I don’t need an escort,” Buck grumbled.
“No, but I’m going that way, anyhow,” Chris told him.
“You staying at Lettie’s place now?”
“Yep, I changed over to her place while you were gone,” Chris admitted, “you were right, she‘s a better housekeeper.”
“She’s a real nice lady, too,” Buck told him, “and she needs the money for her boys.”
Nathan nodded, “I wondered how she was going to make it when her husband died and left her with that big house and no money.”
“And two little boys,” Buck shook his head, “but she turned that big house into a money maker instead of moaning and crying about it.
“Got to admire her gumption,” Chris said.
Buck looked at him funny, “You been admiring her?”
Chris rolled his eyes, “I ain’t you, Buck.”
Buck smiled.
“Amen and thank the good Lord for that!” Nathan said.
“Ha, ha, ha,” Buck told both men when they started laughing.
“You are not picking on Senor Buck, are you?” Inez asked as she returned to the table laden with a heavy tray. She put a plate in front of Buck along with a full shot glass and another beer.
“Buck makes it too easy not to pick on him,” Chris told her.
Nathan nodded, still chuckling.
“Well, stop it while he eats,” Inez smiled down at Buck, “if you need anything else let me know.” She left the table in a swirl of brightly colored skirt.
“Did my eyes deceive me or is Miss Inez warming up to you, Buck?” Nathan asked.
“She’s always got a soft spot for him,” Chris told the healer, “when he’s not trying to get under her skirt.”
“So, when he all tuckered out, like now,” Nathan grinned, “Inez is nice to him.”
“Yep,” Chris said, “that’s about the way it seems to me.”
Buck went on eating and pointedly ignoring the two of them. He ate all three tamales and the rice and beans that had filled the plate, washing it down with beer and finishing it all off with the whiskey. Leaning back in his chair, Buck rubbed his hands down over his stomach, now full.
“That was a good supper,” Buck sighed contentedly. He blinked suddenly sleepy eyes and looked at his two friends, “I reckon I will take your advice, Nathan, and go on up to bed. If you think you all can handle Ezra’s new friends without me?”
“Oh, me and Vin can handle that bunch,” Nathan assured him.
“I’m going to walk with you, Buck,” Chris reminded him.
“I can get there by myself,” Buck told him, a little irritated at the supposed implication.
“Of course,” Chris said mildly, “never said you couldn’t.”
“Well, don’t you think you should stay here till the trouble is taken care of?”
“These boys don’t need me, “Chris told him, “besides, JD and Josiah just came in the other door.”
He motioned towards the back of the tavern and sure enough, JD was hanging up his long canvas coat beside the one that Josiah had obviously just removed. Both men raised a hand to their friends and moved over to the bar.
“Looks like we got more help than we’ll need, you go and get out of them wet clothes,” Nathan urged Buck, “we’ll see you in the morning.”
Buck really didn’t need any more convincing. He was way past tired and now that he’d eaten, sleep was calling to him like a siren in some distant sea.
“See you all in the morning, then,” Buck stood and started to reach for his gear.
Chris beat him to it, lifting the wet coat and shaking his head, “I don’t know if this is gonna do you much good, but put it on anyway.” He held it out and helped Buck slip his arms into the sleeves, and then tossed Buck’s saddle bags over his shoulder.
“I can carry them, Chris,” Buck protested.
Chris smiled at him, “I know you can, but that don’t mean you have to.”
Buck grumbled a little, “You sure are in a good mood tonight. All smiling and joking like something good’s gonna happen.”
Chris just shrugged, still smiling.
Nathan laughed, “Don’t be complaining, Buck.”
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, right?” Buck agreed as Chris followed him out into the still falling rain, the warm touch of a steady hand on his back.
Thunder rumbled as Buck dragged the saddle off Smokey and flung it over the fencing. Grabbing a handful of clean hay, he did a cursory wipe down of the geldings wet hide.
“Smokey, you’re just gonna have to wait till Tiny gets done with the others, old Pard,” Buck stroked the broad nose that was thrust out to him and dug in his pockets to find some kind of threat, “Damn! Even my peppermints are melting.”
He pulled the soggy melting candy out and held it on the flat of his hand for his horse to nibble. Smokey snorted but accepted the treat and with a final stroke, Buck backed out of the stall. He pulled his saddle bags off the fence and threw it over his shoulder as he started for the door.
“Go and get yourself dried off, Buck,” Tiny hollered at him from a stall further back in the livery, “I’ll get Smokey taken care of and bedded down in just a few minutes.”
“Thanks, Tiny,” Buck replied, more grateful than he wanted to admit at that moment.
The combination of three days riding mostly in a rainstorms and running out of food the night before had Buck feeling tired and old. He sighed as he opened the livery door and trudged back out into the storm one more time. It was hard to see with the blowing rain but it looked like the bath house was already closed for the night, and besides, Buck didn’t have any more clean clothes in his saddle bags.
Deciding that he might be able to live with himself for one more night, after all the damned rain should have washed away some of the sweat and there definitely hadn’t been any dust on the trail he’d ridden, Buck turned towards the tavern. He could always use his animal magnetism and get Inez to fix him some kind of supper. He was hungry enough that he didn’t much care what it was or if it was hot or cold.
The muddy street sucked at his boots with every step he took, making it was a relief when he reached the board walk on the other side. Unsurprisingly, there didn’t seem to be anyone out and about this evening, even though the sun wouldn’t have been down yet, if you could have seen it. Nothing but a blanket of dark gray clouds stretched out as far as Buck could see in the dim twilight. Even the occasional brilliant flashes of lightning didn’t show more than the rain pelting down.
“This would be a good night to curl up with someone warm and willing,” Buck said to himself with another wistful sigh. He looked into the tavern, and listened to the rise and fall of voices, the old piano, and the clink of glasses. There was quite a good crowd inside, mostly men, as usual.
“Not likely to happen, but it would be nice.” He muttered as he stepped through the batwing doors of the tavern.
“What would be nice, Buck,” Chris’s voice rose up from the shadows beside the door, almost making Buck draw his gun.
Chris snorted and struck a match, “You’re awful jumpy this evening, bad trip?” The light from the match flickered as Chris lit his cheroot. “And you’re wet as a dog!”
“Well, Chris, you might not have noticed it,” Buck groused, “but it is raining like hell out there.”
“Yeah, I noticed,” Chris gave him a wicked grin, “it’s been raining for the last three days.”
“I know,” Buck dropped his saddle bags over an empty chair at Chris’s table. “What are you doing sitting here by the door?”
“Ezra’s playing cards with some drovers,” Chris answered.
“Oh, too noisy for you,” Buck had to smile, Chris didn’t like anything to interrupt him when he was drinking serious.
“Just trying to stay out of the line of fire,” Chris said. He still had a wicked light in his eyes, “them boys started grumbling about Ezra’s luck an hour ago. It can’t be long now, before one of them says he’s cheating.”
“Is that why Vin’s sitting over there with Nathan looking all pissed off,” Buck nodded back at Nathan’s smile as he spoke.
“I reckon,” Chris laughed, “Vin tried to get Ez to shut down the game a little while ago, but you know how he is when he’s on a winning streak.”
“Not likely to give it up, come hell or high water,” Buck pulled out another chair to sit in.
“Take off that damned coat before you sit down, Buck, “ Chris ordered, “you’re dripping all over the place.”
“Not gonna make much of a difference,” Buck told him, but he struggled out of the sodden leather coat and draped it over the chair with his saddle bags.
“Buck, you need to go and get dried off,” Chris said, “you’re wet all the way through.”
“Chris is right, Buck,” Nathan had walked up on them as Buck pulled off his coat, “you’re gonna catch a cold standing around like that!”
“I’m gonna have a drink and something to eat first,” Buck told both men. “It wouldn’t do me no good to get dry and then come back out in this to get something to eat.”
“Look at you!” Inez cried as she came to the table carrying a mug of beer, “you are bring mud in all over the floor.”
Buck looked down, “I’m sorry Inez, I’ll get the mop and clean it up for you, if you’ll fix me a plate of whatever you got on the stove.” He offered.
“No, no, no,” Inez said, looking at Buck’s tired face, “it will be all right, you sit down and I will bring you some tamales and a whiskey, yes?” She put the beer down in front of Nathan and turned back to the bar.
“I sure wouldn’t say no to that,” Buck beamed at her and lowered himself into a chair.
Nathan sat down and picked up his beer, “You still need to get dry, right quick, or you’re gonna be sick.”
“He will, Nathan,” Chris promised, “as soon as he eats, I’m gonna walk him straight over to Miss Leticia’s and see that he goes to bed.”
“I don’t need an escort,” Buck grumbled.
“No, but I’m going that way, anyhow,” Chris told him.
“You staying at Lettie’s place now?”
“Yep, I changed over to her place while you were gone,” Chris admitted, “you were right, she‘s a better housekeeper.”
“She’s a real nice lady, too,” Buck told him, “and she needs the money for her boys.”
Nathan nodded, “I wondered how she was going to make it when her husband died and left her with that big house and no money.”
“And two little boys,” Buck shook his head, “but she turned that big house into a money maker instead of moaning and crying about it.
“Got to admire her gumption,” Chris said.
Buck looked at him funny, “You been admiring her?”
Chris rolled his eyes, “I ain’t you, Buck.”
Buck smiled.
“Amen and thank the good Lord for that!” Nathan said.
“Ha, ha, ha,” Buck told both men when they started laughing.
“You are not picking on Senor Buck, are you?” Inez asked as she returned to the table laden with a heavy tray. She put a plate in front of Buck along with a full shot glass and another beer.
“Buck makes it too easy not to pick on him,” Chris told her.
Nathan nodded, still chuckling.
“Well, stop it while he eats,” Inez smiled down at Buck, “if you need anything else let me know.” She left the table in a swirl of brightly colored skirt.
“Did my eyes deceive me or is Miss Inez warming up to you, Buck?” Nathan asked.
“She’s always got a soft spot for him,” Chris told the healer, “when he’s not trying to get under her skirt.”
“So, when he all tuckered out, like now,” Nathan grinned, “Inez is nice to him.”
“Yep,” Chris said, “that’s about the way it seems to me.”
Buck went on eating and pointedly ignoring the two of them. He ate all three tamales and the rice and beans that had filled the plate, washing it down with beer and finishing it all off with the whiskey. Leaning back in his chair, Buck rubbed his hands down over his stomach, now full.
“That was a good supper,” Buck sighed contentedly. He blinked suddenly sleepy eyes and looked at his two friends, “I reckon I will take your advice, Nathan, and go on up to bed. If you think you all can handle Ezra’s new friends without me?”
“Oh, me and Vin can handle that bunch,” Nathan assured him.
“I’m going to walk with you, Buck,” Chris reminded him.
“I can get there by myself,” Buck told him, a little irritated at the supposed implication.
“Of course,” Chris said mildly, “never said you couldn’t.”
“Well, don’t you think you should stay here till the trouble is taken care of?”
“These boys don’t need me, “Chris told him, “besides, JD and Josiah just came in the other door.”
He motioned towards the back of the tavern and sure enough, JD was hanging up his long canvas coat beside the one that Josiah had obviously just removed. Both men raised a hand to their friends and moved over to the bar.
“Looks like we got more help than we’ll need, you go and get out of them wet clothes,” Nathan urged Buck, “we’ll see you in the morning.”
Buck really didn’t need any more convincing. He was way past tired and now that he’d eaten, sleep was calling to him like a siren in some distant sea.
“See you all in the morning, then,” Buck stood and started to reach for his gear.
Chris beat him to it, lifting the wet coat and shaking his head, “I don’t know if this is gonna do you much good, but put it on anyway.” He held it out and helped Buck slip his arms into the sleeves, and then tossed Buck’s saddle bags over his shoulder.
“I can carry them, Chris,” Buck protested.
Chris smiled at him, “I know you can, but that don’t mean you have to.”
Buck grumbled a little, “You sure are in a good mood tonight. All smiling and joking like something good’s gonna happen.”
Chris just shrugged, still smiling.
Nathan laughed, “Don’t be complaining, Buck.”
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, right?” Buck agreed as Chris followed him out into the still falling rain, the warm touch of a steady hand on his back.