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Hosea
Rimstead bowed his head in prayer before he stepped into the Quick Dollar
Saloon. He would need the Lord’s protection. Beau Rawlins, the owner of the
saloon, had him pegged as a trouble maker. After finishing his prayer, Hosea
felt more confident than ever that God was directing his steps and Beau Rawlins
be damned.
So
to speak.
Hosea
stepped into the saloon and saw the woman he had come for. Gail was standing up
from a round table and wishing two cowboys luck as they ambled toward a
roulette wheel.
All
of the men inside the Quick Dollar were called cowboys, even though there
hadn’t been a ranch in the area for at least three years. The clientele at the
Quick Dollar, along with most of the population of the border town, consisted
of outlaws on the run from the law.
“I
need to talk with you,” Hosea spoke to Gail as she was walking back to the bar.
The
expression on the woman’s face could have been anger, hope, or sadness, maybe a
combination of all three. “I told you never to bother me again, Hosea.”
“Yeah,
you told me a lot of things.”
“Hosea…please.”
Hosea
looked about anxiously. So far, no one was paying them any mind. He had to keep
it that way. “Look, I got me some money. I want for us to go upstairs. Just to
talk. But I’ll pay you just as if…”
Gail
pressed her lips together and looked down. “Okay.”
As
they moved toward the stairway, Hosea noted that the Quick Dollar looked like a
typical western saloon. The second floor was horseshoe shaped with plenty of
rooms where commerce was conducted. The stairway on one side of the saloon was
wide, allowing for a lot of traffic. The bannister which ran up the stairway
and across the second floor was strong and ornate.
“After
we talk, I’m gonna do some preachin’,” Hosea said in a loud whisper. “Warn
these people about the comin’ judgment.”
“These
people don’t want to hear nothin’ you say! These jaspers have themselves enough
troubles with the law here on earth. They don’t need to hear about some law
ridin’ down on ‘em from the sky.”
The
couple reached the second floor and entered one of the rooms. The room was
blue, dirty and didn’t have a window. The only furniture in the place was a bed
and a small side table which contained a vase and a lantern that was already
lit.
“There
ain’t enough space here to turn around in,” Hosea groused,
“People
don’t come here to turn around.”
“Guess
not.”
“Say
what’s on your mind, you’re payin’ for it.” Gail tried to sound harsh but
couldn’t quite manage it.
“Gail,
you need to come back to me and be my wife!”
Tomorrow:
Episode Two of Hellfire