"A One Horse Town"

[jack80]

Evan nodded. He never asked her what it was about, out of respect for her. He wasn't educated enough to know what it was about, only that she had some kind of trama maybe... Whatever it was, Evan refused to look at her differently.

"I will try Ms... Penny." Evan said with a smile. She wasn't old. Maybe a few years older then he, but she was far from old. She was pretty, and kind, and nice.

He also liked it when she smiled. Something he knew she sometimes had trouble with. Out in public and all. But when she was alone, in comfortable surroundings... she was very talkative. Very open. Very caring.

"Oh, Ms-" He cut himself off as she rushed off. "Penny, you don't have too." He whispered to himself.

When she returned, he eyed the plain brown package for a moment. What did she get for him.

He took it, and smiled. "Thanks, Penny. Ah, shucks you didn't have to do this for me." He said as he slowly unwrapped the paper, and stopped as he stared at it.

How had she remembered? He had been in the general store one time with her, and it was only a half-baked comment from his lips about how he wish he had one of these.

It was a duster... a light brown long coat.... He always had ideas of wearing something like this the day he began a law man... and now he was. And she had gotten him this.

"I... I love it Penny. You.... this would have cost you too much. I.... I cannot accept this..." He stuttered over the words... as he looked up at her. For a splint second he knew that if he refused this, it would hurt her. He couldn't do that. "Thank you." He said more sure of himself, his voice more confident. "I will wear this with pride." He said, his eyes gleaming with happiness.

 

[heartofcourage]

Penny Danville

Her heart stuttered for a moment when he said that he couldn’t accept her gift only to be replaced with relief when he seemed happy to have gotten it. It had cost her a bit of money that she didn’t really have but it was worth it to see the joy that it gave him. His youthful enthusiasm was contagious and it made her believe that maybe she could salvage what was left of her life and be a better person for it.

“You’re very welcome, Evan. You’ll be the most dashing lawman in this town and all the ladies will flock to you.” She laughed at the look on his face as she moved back to the stove to dish up what was finished. “Maybe even Miss Gracie Mae? I seem to remember you telling me that you were sweet on her. Maybe now‘s the time to get her attention.”

She longed for the days when she wished to get someone’s attention but then she shuddered to think of all the turmoil that attention would bring. Still, she had the thought that it would be nice to have someone in her life…She shook the thought out of her head and finished packing the basket she’d pulled out of the larder with things for the sheriff.

“There’s enough in here for all of you. Beans, cornbread, and some cobbler I made the other day. You promise me this will make it to the jail and you’re not going to eat it all on the way?” She teased Evan as she turned back to the table.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Albert Tabbot

He was not very happy when Adam and Johnny came swaggering into the Salloon, he sighed softly when they took a seat and ordered Whiskey. He poured their glasses and collected the money

"Miss Danville spoke with me earlier, you boys better enjoy those drinks, only two for each of you."

He didn't listen to their protests, instead hurried off to help another customer

 

[heartofcourage]

Adam Turner

He glared at the bartender as he mentioned speaking with Miss Danville that day. That woman would be the death of him one day, he swore as he tipped the whiskey glass back against his lips.

"Tabbot, that woman does not speak for me nor tell me what to do and I say that as long as I got the money to pay, you'll keep serving."

He slapped money on the counter top, daring the bartender to say something to the opposite.

 

[heartofcourage]

Penny Danville

She escorted Evan to the door, smiling as he went on his way with the basket of food that she had prepared. His mood seemed so much lighter now that he wore the coat she’d given him. She thought for a moment about the boarder who was upstairs and the rough start they had gotten off to. She shut the door and made her way back to the kitchen, picking up a bowl of cobbler and a spoon before climbing the stairs and knocking gently on his door.

“Mr. Lobo?” She called, wondering if he were already asleep.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Albert Tabbot

Albert made his way back to Adam and his friend and with a mild looking expression on his face he braced his arms on the counter top.

"Now then Adam, if you wish to make things hard on yourself I will have to oblige you. Two drinks for you two and that is it, push me and I will push back."

His tone was friendly, almost care-free, he stood and waited for a retort.

 

[DeathsKnight]

John Lobo

John listened to the footsteps and by the time Penny knocked on his door, he had already placed his weapons within reach, but placed very demurely in sight. He got up, soundlessly moved to the door and pulled it open, taken slightly aback by the bowl with cobbler in it.

"Miss Danville, can I help you with anything?"

He remembered the little scuff between him and the two boarders

"I hope I did not cause unnecessary problems trying to keep those two..."gentlemen" from talking all that nonsense about you."

 

[heartofcourage]

Penny Danville

“Gentlemen?” She asked, frowning slightly as she thought about the loud voices that she’d heard earlier. “Oh, Adam and Johnny? No, there’s no problems with them. You’ll find that there are some people in this town that like to talk about “nonsense” as you like to put it. Well, not some, most, in my experience.”

She offered him the bowl of cobbler, looking past him for a moment into the room and noticing the careful placement of his weapons. A man with a past was a man that took special care with his guns like that. It didn’t matter to her thought as she flashed him a smile.

“I brought a peace offering. I was very rude earlier when you first arrived.”

 

[DeathsKnight]

John Lobo

He smiled, it had been ages since he had eaten home made cobbler.

"Well ma'am, that is an offer I can never refuse, it looks fantastic."

He opened the door wider to accept the offered bowl and spoon,

"Would you like to have a seat or do you still feel a bit unwell?"

He had noticed that she was looking better and just hoped that his concern about her well-being was not seen as an intrusion on her privacy.

 

[heartofcourage]

Penny Danville

She smiled at his concern and stepped into the room, sitting down on the small chair she’d placed in there to make the guests feel more at home.

“I’m fine, Mr. Lobo. My little spell earlier was nothing to worry about. I’ve been having them since I left the east coast.” She paused and bit her lip, wondering just how much she could confide in this strange man. He seemed friendly enough, but he wasn’t as innocent as Evan. “I’m just sorry that you had to witness it.”

 

[heartofcourage]

Adam Turner

Adam watched the bartender closely and knew that it was a losing fight with him. It seemed that Danville had gotten her hooks in him some way.

“She one of your girls now? Cause you’re sure sticking up for her like she’s gonna be working here soon.”

He grinned as he shoved the glass back at the bartender and stood up with steady ease.

“Come on, Johnny, let’s get out of here. We don’t need to drink his watered down swill. I’m sure Mr. McGuire would be more than happy to oblige us the whole bottle for half the price, especially seeing how he and Miss Danville haven’t been seeing eye to eye lately.”

 

[DeathsKnight]

John Lobo

He waved away her last words,

"Things like that is out of our control, you will have a good reason especially something that happened to you that would cause that."

He took a bite of the cobbler and savored the taste, then he smiled at her

"I read at times, passes the time much better than shooting people I assure you."

 

[DeathsKnight]

Albert Tabbot

Albert just grunted non-comentically, he knew that Adam was a man who just loved looking for trouble

"You do just that, but don't come back here after wasting your money."

He pushed away from the counter to serve another patron

 

[heartofcourage]

Penny Danville

“So, my mysterious drifter is also a scholar? That’s certainly a surprise.” She said with a lighthearted grin, watching as he seemed to enjoy her cobbler. “I’m afraid that in this town, books are still a high priced commodity, but Evan might have the market cornered on dime novels if you’re interested.”

She glanced around the room, noticing how the weapons were positioned in places that were easily reached. This was a man who had very recently given up the gun as a profession, she thought to herself. She’d seen more than her fair share of them drift through this town.

“We all have secrets, don’t we, Mr. Lobo? Mine are just a little more unsavory then your average woman.” She tried to smile away her comment, but it didn’t quiet reach her eyes.

 

[DeathsKnight]

John Lobo

He chuckled, that dry chuckle of his which did not seem to carry any further than his mouth.

"A scholar I am not, just a man who have been raised in a place where my current skills was not welcome."

He took another bite of his cobbler, chewed it and then looked at her

"Some secrets are not that easily concealed,"

He sighed.

"That is why I am never long in one place, I would like to be like Mr Murdock, unknown, unbothered. But I am young, my name already in one of those dime novels, so I am a man who can not keep his own secrets."