Out West Ch. 10: A new Eve?

Still, it gave me an opportunity to show I was not quite as useless as Martha seemed to suppose.

Emma did her best, but became saddle-sore within a day or so, and though Kate did her bit, she soon followed suite. I told Martha I was perfectly capable of taking my turn, and did so. Mules were not, as it turned out, as troublesome as the thoroughbreds I'd ridden at home; there are pluses to being born in the country.

The journey was, literally achingly slow, but across the week we made progress. What excited me was that we now knew that Tim was in South Dakota and we knew, more or less where he was. "Sharpy's Creek" was so clearly named after our family title, Sharpton, and it was perfectly plausible to me that Tim should be living high on the hog with a "hareem". It would be like him, as I told Emma, who seemed intrigued by him.

"But how come an English Lord would be able to make it out here, Pixie?" She asked, as we trudged along.

"Oh don't you worry, Emma, I said, "Tim has always been his own man with his own way of doing things, that's why he and Papa quarrelled, they were too like each other. Mama was like me, a peace-maker, but even she could not get those two Alpha men to agree to disagree. Tim likes money, he likes women, and he's a first class shot and rides well, I can't see why a man like him wouldn't make a fortune over here."

There was a dreamy look in her eyes.

And he's handsome you say?"

I giggled.

"If you mean is he a midget like me, then the answer is 'no'. He takes after Papa and Grandpapa Richard, both of whom were six footers. Tim must be six two or three."

"Ooh," she exclaimed, "do you reckon he likes blondes?"

"Darling," I said, kissing her, "if it is female and of the age of consent and under the age of forty and willing, Tim will fuck it, so you take care my love."

"Well," she said, all minx-like, "I know a thing or two about pleasing men, so who knows?"

"You want to join his 'harem'?" I asked.

"Well as I recall, even harems had chief wives, so let's see?"

I'd seen that look before, as it happened on my sister Gwen when she got Lord March in her sights. Well, Tim was a harder fish to land, but Emma certainly had the wherewithal to make the attempt so to do. It was all beginning to slip into place now.

I accepted that Kat and Martha needed space to develop their relationship and to work out the complex dynamics of how to fit Emma in. I accepted that Kate and Emma had begun to forge their own way forward. Looked to me as though it was exit time for me. A triangle would work better than a quadrilateral. I had, after all, grown from their love, and learned much. But if Emma was going to set her cap at Tim, it would be best to have a loving friendship between us rather than the current friendship of love. Let her and Kate and her and Martha do what they needed. I loved them all, but could not, I thought, compete.

On the fifth day we came to a Trading Post. It would, we thought, be a good opportunity to get some fresh supplies, and as it advertised itself as serving food, a chance to eat something we had not cooked ourselves. Escoffier we we were not, so just the chance of something not under, or overcooked would be a treat. We noticed another waggon was already there, so chances were we might be able to glean some information about Tim.

Martha got into best Jacob mode, and the rest of us brushed off the dust and followed her inside.

There was a wonderful smell of frying bacon which immediately had all of us slavering.

"I'll order breakfast ladies, and we can see about supplies after!" Jacob said. We settled down.

Our order was brought over to us by possibly the prettiest woman I had ever seen. Tall, she was almost as tall as Jacob, so she must have been five ten at least. Her skin was the colour of burnished bronze, reddish, but not red. Her nose was aquiline, and her hair the colour of deepest pitch. Her lips, oh my, those lips, they were shaped like a long cupid's bow and demanded to be kissed. I got a grip - on myself that was.

"Here you are ladies, sorry for any delay," she said, in what sounded a downbeat and even sad voice.

"It's no problem, there's no hurry," I replied, cheerfully, smiling at her like a mad thing.

She smiled back.

"You, girl, get back here, I ain't payin' you to chat to ladies, you get back here right now!"

She looked, with fear, at the owner of the loud voice, a large, fat man who was talking with Jacob, and scurried back.

Jacob came to join us. The woman came back with coffee, but this time just served it and went straight back.

"Found we ain't a far off now, girls," Jacob said. "Tim sends here for supplies, so we're about a day's march, maybe two. So Pixie, you figured what you going to do?"

I looked at her, called back from watching the beautiful waitress.

"Pixie, you still with us?"

"No, Papa," Emma laughed, "I think our little Pixie is smitten."

"Well you'd best get yourself unsmitten fast. Like as she's a half-breed Indian sold into slavery here."

"I thought slavery had been abolished," I said to Jacob.

"Yes, well tell that to the Indians in the Oklahoma territories. She ain't full Cherokee by the look of her, there's a touch of the tar brush there if I ain't mistaken."

"How's that?" I asked, genuinely intrigued.

"If'n I had to guess, I'd say her daddy was an escaped slave, some of 'em escaped to Indian territory where they was made welcome, that'd be the likely thing."

As it happened, Martha was spot on; but more of that in its proper place.

Just as we were clearing our plates and calling for one last coffee before purchasing supplies, three men came in. I could see the man at the bar smile broadly.

"Hi there Seth, the usual?"

"Sure, set 'em up. Who's the filly?" said the largest of them, a thickset bald man with a great handlebar moustache.

"She's an Injun I bought day afore yesterday, useless as they all is, but right pretty to look at, an if 'ya want to break her in, I'll give ya a good price."

"You think I'm payin' fer Injun cunt, you can go screw yourself, Ben."

So saying, he grabbed the woman's crotch and pushed his finger between her thighs.

My blood boiled, and I felt for my pistol.

"Steady, Pixie," Jacob said, "we don't want trouble."

"This 'un's a skinny bitch, Ben, ain't worth more'n a few dollars. Me an' the boys likes our women to be women. Hey, Mister," Seth said looking over at Jacob, "don't seem kinda fair as you havin' three women and we havin' none. You ain't one of those Mormons are you?"

Jacob looked cooly at him.

"I ain't, and they ain't for sale or hire."

"There's three of us and one of you, pilgrim, I'd speak softer if I was you."

"If you was me, pilgrim, you'd know better."

Seth seemed to back down.

"Okay, Mister. Well I reckon you bein' new here don't know who I am an' our way o'doin' things. So I'll give ya a chance!"

"Obliged." Jacob's tone of voice spoke volumes. I saw that although the right hand was on the table, the left had gone quietly to the holster. I put my hand on my pistol.

"I'm Seth, an' these are my boys, an' we're the law between here an' Sharky's Creek. An' when the boys get back, like as we'll be the law there an'all. So, if ya wants to go on further, we'll have the blonde with the big tits or the redhead, ain't no-one goin'a want the kiddo 'till she's growed some, tho' Brett, I'm a thinkin' you likes breakin' 'em in, so we'll consider her too."

'Oh, much obliged, I'm sure', I thought to myself, my hand on my pistol.

Kate and Emma looked uneasy. Jacob - well he just looked.

Then it happened in such a blur that I could hardly keep up.

Seth went for his gun, but Jacob, whose right hand was on the counter, pulled and fired with the left hand, shooting him in the gut, then as his two companions went for their guns, there were two more shots from Jacob, first from the gun in his right hand, then another from the left as he turned. Both the other men went down, then, as he turned again, I shot, hitting Ben in his right hand, causing him to drop the shotgun he was about to fire into Jacob's undefended back.

"Obliged, Pixie," Jacob said, "must remember to keep my eyes out for yellow-bellied snakes," he said, pistol-whipping Ben.

"Dang me!" The man who had been about to pay the Indian woman for his family's meal, exclaimed. " I seen me some shootin', but that! Hey, Mister, you ain't that Jack Anders are ya?"

"The same, at your service. Now I'd suggest you an' your kin take what you need and leave. There's no charge!"

Kate was hugging Jacob, and Emma looked at me with surprise.

"I knew Jacob could shoot, but you?"

"Rabbits," I said, hoping to sound mysterious.

Ben was cursing, but no one much cared.

"You'll regret that Mister," he snarled.

Jacob smacked him again with the pistol.

"Some men don't know when to hold their lip. In view of your cowardly attempt to shoot me in the back, we'll take our supplies and leave you to fix that hand - looks painful!"

I looked at Jacob. There was a nod, as Kate and Emma began collecting supplies.

I went to the Indian girl who had hidden herself in the corner.

"Come with us," I said, it isn't going to be safe for you here. Can we get you back to your own people?"

She smiled sadly with those great big luminous eyes.

"It's kind of you Miss, but they'd like as sell me back to this fool. They only kept me after my mother died so I could serve them and be sold at the right price."

"In that case," I said, my mind utterly made up, "you're coming with me."

"Where to?" She asked.

I wanted to reply, 'to the ends of the earth if I have anything to do with it', but recognising I might have been getting a way in advance of myself, I replied:

"Sharky's Creek if you know where that is?"

"I do, my tribe live just beyond it, if you're looking for a guide, I know the quickest route. We can decide what to do when we reach it, yes?"

"Yes," I said, knowing what I wanted.

"I'm Pixie," I said.

"I'm Evie," she replied with a smile.

My heart melted.