The story thus far: Seeking a missing Texas Ranger, our old acquaintance The Tequila Kid comes across a poor family named Miller. Like many others in the area, this widow Sarah and her two little girls, Amy and Cindy, have been brutalized by a wealthy scoundrel named McCuller, who intends to drive away all the owners of small farms and ranches in the area and take their land. Later, drying off from heavy rain at the local stable, Sheriff Lucas Clay comes in search of The Kid, demanding she surrender her guns. Knowing Clay to be corrupt (and in league with McCuller), The Kid asks to speak with him in private. Moments later at the jail, he threatens her, and she deals him a beat-down, then informs him that she means to arrest McCuller and Tyson Avidite (a banker who is part of the conspiracy) before she leaves.
From the sheriff’s office, she goes to the Silver Slipper, the town’s saloon, gambling house and brothel. There, she encounters a young man named Jud Nelson, who she’d seen Sheriff Clay harass earlier. Recognizing him as a decent sort, she hires him to watch the jail to see if Clay leaves. Then she meets a twelve-year-old girl named Dixie, who does menial work at the Silver Slipper and is bullied by Toots, the brutish bartender. The Kid asks Dixie which girl is the most popular of the whores. Star, the girl replies, and The Kid gives Dixie the money to pay for Star’s services that evening.
Upstairs in one of the bedrooms, The Kid enjoys an intense hour of sex with Star. Afterwards, she asks the prostitute a few questions about the town and its doings. She learns that Clark Hansen, the missing Texas Ranger she seeks, disappeared around the same time as Dixie’s older sister Dallas, who was one of the whores at the Silver Slipper. The Kid asks about Ben McCuller, but Star refuses to answer, claiming “it’s too dangerous.” When The Kid goes back downstairs, Jud returns to let her know that Sheriff Clay just left town, riding hard in the direction of McCuller’s place.
Figuring she’s done as much as she can for one night, The Kid decides to join an ongoing card game, where she ends up winning a decent amount of money, as well as a neglected horse, which she takes to the local stable where her own horse is being kept.
The next morning, The Kid is informed by Jud Nelson that Cy Warren, McCuller’s enforcer and dirty-jobs man, has just entered the sheriff’s office, using a key. On their way to confront him, The Kid is taken aback to recognize the horse Cy has hitched up outside as Thunder, who she knows to be the property of Clark Hansen, the missing Texas Ranger she is seeking. More determined than ever to get answers from Cy Warren, she boldly strides into the sheriff’s office, a nervous Jud close behind.
The Kid quickly catches Warren in an obvious lie about his having purchased Hansen’s horse, and arrests him on the spot, drawing her gun before he can. Once Cy is locked up, she and Jud set off for banker Tyson Avidite’s office. With the genuine ranch deeds in her possession, she and Jud quickly establish that the ones Avidite is holding for McCuller are obvious forgeries, created in an effort to steal the area’s small ranches from their rightful owners. Confronted by the evidence, Avidite breaks down and confesses to his role in McCuller’s crooked conspiracy.
Later that day, The Kid steals onto McCuller’s land while he is away. She encounters his vicious pair of trained dogs, and deploys Indian methods she learned as a young girl to make friends with them. That accomplished, she carefully breaks into his study, where she fiddles with a certain something in the man’s desk drawer before making her escape.
The Kid has one more task to accomplish before turning in. She drops by the Silver Slipper to liberate the young girl Dixie from her menial position. The vicious bartender Toots is intent on stopping The Kid, but she takes him down with a couple of well-placed punches, then helps herself to a large wad of cash from the man’s pocket for Dixie’s back wages. The Kid and the girl then depart, leaving an enraged Toots behind.
The Kid takes Dixie out for a decent meal, buys her a new set of clothes, then gets them a room at a local boarding house. After a bath, The Kid plans to turn in for the night… but Dixie has other ideas, insisting on making love to her benefactor as a way of saying thanks. The Kid finds the sweet young thing impossible to resist.
The next morning, on her way to the sheriff’s office, The Kid happens upon two men loading a large wagon with food and supplies, and quickly realizes they work for McCuller. When they beat a man for begging for a little flour, she arrests them both, putting them in jail along with Cy Warren. Once they’re locked up, she asks Jud Nelson to return the deeds McCuller stole to the families he took them from — along with a thousand dollars for each family, taken from McCuller’s bank account, and the contents of take the wagon of supplies.
By that time, The Kid is obliged to cut Warren loose, but she refuses to give him back his horse (who belonged to the missing Ranger Hansen), forcing him to walk back to McCuller’s ranch. Needless to say, Cy Warren is quite displeased.
The Kid takes Dixie to the Miller home, asking Sarah if she can take the girl in. Sarah immediately consents. Her daughters Cindy and Amy quickly take a liking to Dixie (whose real name, we learn, is Clara), and agree with their mother.
That night, The Kid beds down in the Millers’ barn, keeping a lookout. Before turning in, Sarah gives her daughters a bath, along with Clara/Dixie. Later, Sarah pays The Kid a late-night visit, and ends up slipping into The Kid’s bedroll to keep warm. There, she mentions having bathed the girls. The Kid wonders out loud why Sarah’s daughters don’t wash themselves, then gets the young mother to admit that she very much enjoys seeing the girls nude. By then, Sarah is so aroused that The Kid easily seduces her, and they begin to make love.
Meanwhile, Clara is in bed with her new sisters, teaching them some very intimate games. Cindy and Amy have already explored kissing with one another, but Clara gets them to go much further. They all have a lovely time.
Sarah, on the other hand, is so troubled by illicit thoughts of her daughters that she pulls away from The Kid, apologizes and leaves. Returning to the house, she is surprised to find Clara waiting in her bed. Sarah resists, but Clara’s seductive skills are so well-honed that she ends up giving in, allowing the girl to make love to her. One at a time, Any and Cindy are awakened by the sounds of passion, wander to their mother’s room to investigate, and end up joining in the sexual abandon. Sarah gives into her newly discovered desire and makes love to both her children, as well as Clara.
Meanwhile, evil rancher McCuller has assembled an army of rough men to drive the small farmers and ranchers out of the area for good, killing them if need be. He also hires notorious gunman Kid Coley (who widowed Sarah Miller a couple of months earlier when he shot down her husband) to kill the Tequila Kid.
And now, dear readers, we make our way into the next installment. Read on…
by Purple Les
The Tequila Kid left Sarah Miller’s barn before dawn commenced, leading Button by the reins. The stars sparkled against the moonless sky. Closing the gate behind them, The Kid mounted up and rode off.
An hour later, she dropped in on the prospector’s shack where she’d hidden the banker Tyson Avidite, bringing him food and water. He was going stir crazy, and frantic with worry about his bank, but The Kid told him she expected to have McCuller in custody inside twenty-four hours.
“I should never have involved myself with that man,” Avidite kept saying. “A terrible mistake, a terrible mistake. I let profit blind me to his bad qualities. He took advantage of me too, you know!”
Save it for the goddamn jury, The Kid thought, but held her tongue. As long as McCuller was alive, she needed Avidite to remain docile. Maybe I should take him back home now, let him cool his heels there . Then he’ll be more likely to do as he’s told.
Sure enough, the banker was beside himself when offered the opportunity to be restored to his home and comforts. “Thank you, thank you,” he babbled. “You won’t be sorry.”
Spying a small heap of tattered clothing in a corner, The Kid bent to rummage through it, coming up with a filthy coat and slouch hat, which she handed to Avidite. “Put these on.” Seeing the banker’s expression of disgust, she added, “You best be wearin’ a disguise. If McCuller finds out you were ridin’ on the back of my horse, your life won’t be worth a plugged nickel.”
Avidite meekly donned the reeking hat and coat. He hadn’t shaved in a couple of days, so the illusion was complete but for his fancy shoes, and those would be covered with trail dust soon enough.
They mounted Button, then set off. Thankfully, Avidite kept his mouth shut for the entire ride. Once they arrived, The Kid sourly regarded the banker’s luxurious house, then told him, “All right, then. You’re home now, and you best stay put here – don’t even look out the window. Have your wife tell anyone who comes by that you’re out of town on business. And if you so much as set a foot inside that bank, I’ll have your ass in a jail cell. Understand me?” Avidite gave a timid nod, and The Kid rode off without another word.
Glad to be done with that bit of business, The Kid rode over to the livery. “Howdy there, Abner,” The Kid said as she entered with Button in tow. It was warmer indoors, though their breath could still be seen.
“Howdy, Kid,” Abner replied, emerging from the back to take the horse’s reins. “Want her fed and watered, then?”
“Yep. Mind if I leave her here for a few hours?”
“Why sure,” Abner said, patting The Kid’s arm. “Say, I been thinkin’ ‘bout how you beat me there at checkers th’ other night. If you don’t mind, I’d like a rematch.”
“Why, sure. Abner. Got business to attend to right now, but soon’s I get a chance, we’ll play again.” The Kid touched the brim of her hat, then made her exit.
The door to the sheriff office was unlocked, so she walked in after a brief knock. The only light in the room came from the wood stove, where Jud Nelson was setting the coffee pot. Glancing up, he said, “Mornin’, Kid.”
“Howdy there, Jud.” The Kid said, drifting over to the stove. She lifted the lid of the coffee pot, making a face when she sniffed the contents.
Occupied with getting the lamp lit, Jud didn’t notice. “Coffee’ll be ready in a bit. I just put it on.”
Thinking fast, The Kid said, “I best go check up on them prisoners.”
She put her hand on the heavy wooden door that separated the jail and office and slammed it open. Sam and Cookie jumped, startled out of a sound sleep.
“Howdy, boys.” The Kid announced. “Reckon we’ll be turnin’ you loose soon. Like some coffee?”
Nestling back under the blanket, Sam replied, “None for me. I drink tea.”
Cookie sat on the edge of his cot hunched over and rubbing his face. “If it ain’t that shit water Jud makes, I’ll have me a cup.” He shook his head. “Worst damn coffee I ever had.”
The Kid took a quick glance behind her. Jud was busy shaving at a basin on the far side of the office. Speaking softly, she said, “He did make it. Now I’ll tell you somethin’, and you boys better listen good. If you don’t each have a cup of that coffee, I’ll keep you locked up till afternoon. Then you can try his cookin’ too, and have more coffee to wash it down.”
“Cheese and crackers, Kid!” Sam protested. “That ain’t human.”
“It’s fuckin’ Christmas Eve Day, God damn it!” Cookie groaned. “Show some charity to your fellow man, for God’s sake.”
But The Kid stood firm. “You boys heard me. One cup apiece. If you don’t, I’ll have to have me a cup. If that happens, I’ll carve you both up good,” she murmured, patting the Bowie knife on her gunbelt.
“Coffee’s ready.” Jud called out, then entered the cells bearing the pot, which he held using an old rag, two empty tin cups in his other hand.
Grimacing, Cookie and Sam each reached through the bars to take their cups once Jud had filled them. The Kid stood behind Jud to one side, glaring at the prisoners while she slowly ran a finger up and down the handle of her knife.
The two men choked down the hot liquid as quickly as possible, while Jud asked, “Should I rustle up some breakfast?”
Sam and Cookie gulped down the rest of their coffee, nearly choking on the grounds in the bottom of the cup.
“No, no.” Sam said quickly.
“Um, we’ll eat when we get back to the ranch,” Cookie mumbled.
As Jud and The Kid walked back out to the office, Jud gave the coffee pot a slosh. “Reckon there’s just a cup or so left. You can have that… I’ll make some more.”
“Thanks, Jud.” The Kid said. “Go ahead and finish the pot. I’m gonna turn those two loose, then take care of some business.”
Once she’d returned Sam’s and Cookie’s belongings. The Kid put on her coat and walked outside with them. “I took your team of horses to the livery for the night,” she told them. “You boys pay Abner, take your wagon and get gone.” She was pleased to see that the two men didn’t seem to have the starch in them that had been there the day before.
Sam, in particular, was a touch green around the gills. “God damn it, I think I’m ‘bout to puke,” Sam moaned, clutching his stomach. “Fuckin’ coffee.”
The Kid rolled a smoke in the cold, crisp air, watching Cookie and Sam trudge down to the livery. She calmly waited for the explosion that was about to take place, enjoying her smoke. Sure enough, the boys came rolling up to her moments later in their empty wagon, mad as singed cats.
Cookie yelled down at The Kid, “Damn it all, where the hell are our supplies at?”
“Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.” The Kid calmly replied, flicking her cigarette butt away. Gone to folks who need ‘em, she thought. Go tell your crooked boss he won’t be starvin’ out any more good people round these parts.
“We had a whole wagon full of supplies here for the bunkhouse boys and Mr. McCuller. They’re gone now!” Cookie bellowed. “Where the fuck are they?”
“Huh.” The Kid said, feigning surprise. “We oughta look into that. Shall we go have a cup of coffee with the sheriff and fill out a stolen property report?”
“You…” Cookie began to speak, then thought better of it.
A white-faced Sam grasped Cookie’s shoulder. “Let’s get a move on.”
“You’ll be hearing from Mr. McCuller when we get back, damn your hide!” Cookie yelled out as the empty wagon rumbled toward the city line.
The Kid returned to the livery stable. Once inside, she asked Abner, “Them fellas pay what they owed?”
“Yep,” Abner answered, “Say, I just cooked up some bacon and eggs. Care for some?”
The Kid eagerly accepted, and sat down to dine, enjoying her breakfast with a decent cup of coffee. Then they sat down at the checkerboard, each taking a swallow from Abner’s applejack jug before they got down to business.
As Abner concentrated on the game The Kid pondered her next move – but right then, her mind wasn’t on the checkerboard. If I get out to McCuller’s, I can maybe nab him and that Cy Warren fella while his crew of toughs is out mindin’ the livestock. But I ain’t sure how to play that out.
She grinned at Abner and, in a mood to tease the man a bit, said, “Sure you wanna move that one?”
The smile vanished from Abner’s face. He took his fingers off the checker and looked at the board grimly. As the old man studied the board, The Kid glanced over at the three horses she’d stabled with Abner. She was pleased to note that the palomino seemed calmer; less shy than before. The horse seemed much healthier, too – it was plain to see that Abner had kept her well fed.
Leaving Abner at the checkerboard, The Kid got up and went over to spend some time with the horses, petting and softly talking to Button, Thunder and the palomino.
“All right, I made my move.” Abner called out after a while.
The Kid took her seat and resumed the game. Her mind kept returning to the situation with McCuller, though, and she couldn’t stay focused. Abner was a genuinely skilled player, and he soon had The Kid at a disadvantage. She put up a good scrap, fighting to save her remaining men, but before long, her last checker was caught in a cul-de-sac.
Slowly nodding, The Kid looked up at a grinning Abner, and extended her hand. “Well, looks like you got me that time. Good game.”
Abner reached out and shook. “You got braggin’ rights too, Kid. No one else in this town ever beat me before. Y’ever care to play again, just say the word.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” The Kid said. Standing up and stretching, she added. “I best head on over to the office. Jud’s waitin’ for me.”
“How’s he holdin’ up as the new sheriff?” asked the old man.
“Good,” The Kid replied. “Growin’ into the job, I’d say. Jud’s got more grit than he knows.”
“Don’t know him that well myself, but I like what I seen so far. He’ll make a better sheriff than our last, I reckon. That Lucas Clay was a son of a bitch and no mistake.”
Clapping the old man’s back, The Kid put her Stetson on. “I’ll be seein’ you later, Ab.”
When she made her exit, the sun was high in the winter sky. The Kid made her way back to the sheriff office, still mulling over her next move with McCuller.
I got all the evidence I need to round him up. But I need to find out a little more about some things I can’t figure out on my own.
Once back in the office, she refused a cup of coffee from Jud, then they jawed about this and that until The Kid asked, “Jud, what can you tell me about this here Santa Claus fella?”
At first Jud was unsure if The Kid was joshing him. She seemed perfectly serious, though. “Er, well… what did you want to know?” he replied, puzzled.
“Well, I hear tell he’s got real strong medicine. Is there a way to get in touch with him? I’d like to ask a few questions.”
“Uh, well… no one really sees Santa,” Jud replied, still confused.
“But everyone knows what he looks like, and how he works, right?” The Kid asked. “I mean he’s real, ain’t he?”
“Uh well, yes, sort of.” He thought for a minute and then asked back, “Who told you about Santa Claus?”
“Well, this little girl, she’s around seven or eight.”
“Oh.” Jud said, suddenly understanding. “See, to a child Santa is as real as you and me are to each other. But once you grow up some, you figure out that he ain’t real at all.”
“He ain’t real? Then it’s a trick you play on young’uns?” The Kid asked.
“No, no,” Jud said back, “I mean it’s not a trick, it’s, uh, I ain’t sure how to explain. I mean, kids like it. Makes ‘em happy.”
“They like to be tricked?”
“No, no, Kid, it ain’t that way at all. I mean…” Jud was stumped, but determined to make sense of it all. “It’s like God. You want to believe in him, and he must be real. Now, you don’t really know for sure that he is, but you still believe. Understand?”
“I reckon,” The Kid said with her brow furrowed. “You mean like how the Indians say all things have a spirit, so they give thanks for all that’s around ‘em. Somethin’ like that?”
“I guess so. To be honest, Kid… it’s kind of makin’ my head hurt, thinking ‘bout all this. What say we go get us a drink? After all, it’s Christmas Eve Day.”
***
When The Kid and Jud entered the Silver Slipper, Belle was at the bar pouring drinks, because Toots had gone to the cellar to fetch a keg of beer. There was a small scrubby pine tree on top of a table in a corner, with old corks that had been painted red attached to it.
Star was at the top of the stairs, and quickly came down when she spied The Kid. Approaching Jud, she kissed him on the mouth and, noticing his pleasantly surprised expression, pointed up at a sprig of mistletoe that was hanging over his head. She moved to The Kid and kissed her, too. Jud blushed a bit at the sight.
Breaking away from The Kid, Star called out, “Belle! Drinks for my friends here, on me.” Turning to The Kid, she said, “That drink’s for getting Dixie out of here. I can’t thank you enough for that, Kid. Where is she now?”
“I put her with a family,” The Kid replied. “A good woman with two young girls. They’ve taken her in like she was one of their own.”
Star nodded. “I’m right glad to hear that. Does my heart good to know Dixie will be spendin’ Christmas with a real family. ” She sighed. “I sure hope Dallas found somethin’ like that. She never really belonged in a low-life cathouse like this.”
“By the way, did you know their names weren’t Dixie and Dallas? They’re really Clara and Ruth.”
“Well, I’ll be.” Star said. “I like those two girls even better now.” Taking The Kid’s hand, she gave it a squeeze, drawing close to whisper. “You stick around, hear? I have a special Christmas present for you… only you have to come upstairs to unwrap it.” She gave The Kid’s ear a playful nip, then made her way over to where several men were waiting for her.
The Kid and Jud bellied up to the bar, where a grinning Belle asked, “What it’ll be?”
“Rye,” Jud answered.
“Mescal for me,” The Kid answered, as Star kissed another man beneath the mistletoe. Kid leaned against the bar, glancing around for a sign of Toots. Best be on the lookout for him, she told herself. He sure won’t be pleased to see me here. I might have to bust him up again.
Resting his elbow on the bar, Jud said, “So this horse walks into a bar, and the barkeep says, ‘Hey, why the long face?'”
The Kid chuckled. “Heard that before… but it’s still good. Here, I got one. Man walks into a bar and goes ‘OW!’”
Jud thought for a moment, then laughed. “Gotta remember that ‘un.”
It was then that Toots came back up from the basement into the noisy bar, a small keg propped on his shoulder. He carefully set it down, then spotted The Kid. Toots stared for a moment, his lips curling into a snarl. Reaching for a pistol that hung behind the bar, he stomped out onto the barroom floor.
Star saw him raise the gun, cocking the hammer. She screamed, “Kid! Look out!” throwing herself between Toots and The Kid as the barkeeper took aim. An instant later, the gun roared.
Jud never drew faster in his life than at that moment. But once he’d cleared his holster, The Kid had already spun, drawn her left hand gun, crouched and fanned the hammer, putting a bullet dead center in Toots’ forehead.
Jud holstered his gun and moved through the gun smoke to join The Kid, who was kneeling on the floor next to a wounded Star.
Raising Star’s hand to her face, The Kid touched it with her lips, then said, “Just yellin’ was enough, Star. I’d a got him. Why’d you do such a fool thing?”
Star’s eyes sparkled. Her face had a pale radiant beauty to it as she gave The Kid a weak smile. She said, “I…” Then the light slowly left her eyes.
The Kid gently closed Star’s eyelids, then got to her feet.
Mumbling, ”Oh, Lord. Oh, my God,” a chalk-pale Belle seized the cloth from a nearby table, draping it over Star’s upper half.
Turning to Jud with tears in her eyes, The Kid took a handful of money out of her pocket, placed it in his hand and said in a choked voice, “Make sure she gets a proper burial.” Then she walked away.
Jud watched The Kid stagger out of the bar.
***
Back at the stable, The Tequila Kid saddled up Button, mounted her and rode out of town. She was unsure where she was going or why, just needed to be on the move. Poor Star. Saved my sorry life and paid with hers. I’ll ride a spell, try to clear my head, and think what to do.
She thought of Star’s smiling face, her kindly nature, the warmth of her body. Then there was the sorrow in her eyes that smiles couldn’t fully conceal. The drudgery of her job. The bottle of laudanum.
Damn it, I liked Star. No matter what most folks would think of her, she was a good woman. Better than a lot of preachers I knowed, that’s for damn sure. Star, wherever your spirit ends up, I sure hope it’s a better place than this.
The Kid rode aimlessly, tears freezing on her face.
***
Ben McCuller gathered his hired toughs around him. He was flanked on either side by his dogs.
“Now listen up, men,” he announced. “I want you all to get ready to ride. You’ll accompany Cy into town, where he’ll shoot down that new sheriff. After that, you’re all off for the rest of the day. Have a good time, but take it easy on the liquor.” He looked at them all sternly. “About an hour before dawn, you’ll meet at the north end of town, then split up. There’s just enough of you for one or two men to hit each sodbuster out there at about the same time. You fire shots and tell ‘em to clear out. Then burn their places down. Any who don’t make tracks, cut them down where they stand.”
The men looked at each other till one said, “But boss… on Christmas morning? That don’t seem right.”
McCuller spat on the ground in disgust. “God damn it, I knew some of you would be big babies when it came down to killing. That’s why I hired Kid Coley to clean up after. Think of him as my enforcer. If he finds out any of you men didn’t do the job you got paid for…” He drew a finger across his throat.
The men reacted to Coley’s name, giving each other nervous glances. They were well aware of the man’s reputation, and the unspeakable acts the man was capable of.
“Well, Merry Christmas, boys,” McCuller continued. “Just remember: do as I say and there’ll be a nice bonus waiting for you, along with what we agreed on. Mess the job up or show a yellow streak, you’ll end up face down in an unmarked grave. Now get ready to hit the trail.”
As the men drifted off to prepare, McCuller took Cy aside. “Warren, I’m giving you a chance to redeem yourself. You finish off Jud Nelson and take his badge before the raid. When the dust settles, you’ll be my sheriff and do what killing needs to be done.”
Meeting McCuller’s eyes, Cy gave a firm nod. “Yessir.”
Gazing off at his land, McCuller gave a satisfied smile. “I’m building a kingdom here, Warren.” His jaw tightened. “All that good land wasted on those two-bit dirt farmers… No. No more! By tonight that territory will be mine, every acre. Not long from now, I’ll be taking a wife, and she’ll give me sons. I’ll build my own army of hard men, the kind this land was made for.” He turned to Cy. “You could be the general of that army, Warren… and it begins with you acting as my sheriff.” Patting the man’s arm, he said, “Off with you, now. Next time we meet, I’ll expect to see that badge on your chest.”
“All right, boss.” Cy said. He turned and marched off toward the bunkhouse.
McCuller watched him walk away. Reckon I did what I could to light a fire under his ass. We’ll see if he’s got the grit to enforce the law the way I want. If not… well, we’ll be planting his corpse next to what’s left of that Tequila Kid. Coley should be taking care of her soon enough.
***
Kid Coley was on the road, headed for town in search of The Kid. I’ll pay the Miller woman a visit first. She was a fine piece, I recall. Didn’t get the chance to put it to her when I shot her man, but I’ll make up for it now. And them two little girls… bet they’re even prettier than they was then. I’ll show ‘em what it’s like to be with a man afore they die.
He saw a wagon approach. As they drew closer, Coley recognized the riders as two of McCuller’s men. That fat fella is his cook. I remember him, name of Sam.
“Howdy, boys,” he announced once they were in earshot. They were clearly nervous, but Kid Coley was used to folks being on edge in his presence. “Where you goin’ so fast with an empty wagon?”
“Wasn’t empty when we last had it,” the tall one grumbled. “That goddamn Tequila Kid, it’s her fuckin’ fault. She run us into jail… then, while we was locked up, she stole Mr. McCuller’s groceries right off the damn wagon! Or she let someone else steal ‘em.”
“However she done it, the boss is gonna be mad enough to spit nails,” Sam said. “We’ll be wearin’ his bootprints on our butts, that’s for damn sure.”
Kid Coley grinned. Somehow it made him look more grotesque than he already was. “If it’ll cheer you boys up any, your boss hired me to take care of that bitch. When you get back, tell McCuller I seen you. I’ll be comin’ by with his dead Ranger for him afore sunset.” With that, he spurred his horse on and rode off.
On to Chapter Ten!Amy’s Gift, Chapter 10
Well cured dialogues
Ah! The tension builds!
Kind of a sad ending for Star, but I can’t wait to see how the rest of the story plays out. I get excited every time I see a new chapter has arrived!
Poor Star 😞
It was Toots that pulled the trigger, but surely Kid has to take a portion of the responsibility – If she’d rescued Dixie/Clara stealthily instead of wading in all heavy-handed, that might have played out differently. On the other hand, she’s a Texas Ranger, which I suppose requires her to follow procedure. Pissing McCuller off looks like it’s going to have some pretty severe consequences, too.
Looking forward to the next episode, which looks like it might be the big showdown. Good stuff.
Emiliano; grazie mille. Forgive me if I picked the wrong language.
Chuck ; thank you, I think you’ll find the last two chapters coming up exciting I hope.
BlueJean ; thank you. I felt bad for Star,but she was a hero. I think Kid did try to make a low key rescue, I guess she could have been super secretive, and maybe would have been if she’d known more about the situation before hand.
But she did try low key, I think Toots gave her no other choice.
Just whetting our appetites for what I’m sure will be an epic confrontation and conclusion. I’m really enjoying this journey Les, and especially the well drawn villains and dialogue.
Toots died better than he deserved: And for Star, well, it was almost merciful (and redeeming?)
the way she went out. She gave her life to save the kid (and, by extension, everyone else in the community), while her personal demons were also put to rest once and for all (I might have teared up a little at Star’s heroic passing…). 🌷 Meanwhile, The Tequila Kid is certainly in a dark place at the moment, and she might not have her “edge” as she faces Kid Coley & the rest of McCuller’s miscreants. The Tequila Kid really seems up against it at the moment, and some of her decisions have contributed to her dire situation- which makes it worse. Let’s hope Jud & the rest of the community provide more than moral support for the Tequila Kid as she faces perhaps the toughest test of her young life. And what about Sarah & the girls??? I really hope The Tequila Kid rallies to end the McCuller’s evil reign, and sends that demon Kid Coley straight to hell where he belongs. Ultimately, this latest installment in the series really feels like an homage to some of my favorite westerns, with many familiar themes being present / presented. I continue to love every bit of it. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I thought, well nice, two chapters of nice sex,with some story in there, and now this chapter. Kind of light fun , with Kid’s questions about Santa and Jud trying to answer it. Maybe a hint of sex to come in the bar with the mistletoe and jokes and then, bang. I cried.
ps, I forgot about Sam and Cookie, drink up bitches.
sue ; thank you, and thank you again.
Erocritique ; Thank you very kindly. Very perceptive as always and yes, it’s all going down in the next two chapters.
tackysum ; thank you, and I am grateful for you sticking with it, and thanks for your kind comments.
Another great chapter Purple Les as I expected. Looks like she will clear up this town soon and get rid of the bad element. I just hope she heads to the Miller’s and stops Coley before he hurts or touches any of them.
Sorry to read about losing Star but looking forward to the next chapter.
It’s keeping me engrossed.
With a little more — infil… sort of detail here and there, and minus the underage sex — could be turned into a novel.
Will all the bad early morning coffee prep, and all the people turning down his cooking, looks like Jud Nelson will never have a loyal breakfast club. He did really manage to shoot from the hip when it counted though and seems relentless in his pursuit of justice in town. Just sayin.
David ; Thank you. I hated losing Star, but well, sometimes that happens. As for the rest, stay tuned and see.
kinkys_sis ; thank you. I enjoy your stories so that means a lot to me that you would think that.
obsessive imaginings ; I agree, Jud won’t be going into the hospitality trade anytime soon. You may have misread the shootout, but he tries. Thank you for commenting.
Wait you really don’t get my joke do you?
Might I suggest you look up this actors 1985, 1987 and 1989 movie roles.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000555/
I’m sorry, I missed it. First, when I named the character I really didn’t know there was a Jud Nelson actor. I would have come up with another name. And well, I wasn’t in the world yet when some of those films came out, I was almost here,but still it wouldn’t have registered with me. I had seen bit and pieces of Breakfast Club on TV but what you said didn’t mean anything, I wonder if in retrospect if that’s where I got his name with out knowing.
Anyway thanks for wising me up, I’m much obliged.
The actor spells his first name “Judd.” He was part of what film critics called the “Brat Pack,” a group of actors in their teens and twenties, in the 1980s. His characters were known for their earnest and intense demeanors. In the late 1990s, he played Brooke Shields’ boss in the TV sitcom Suddenly Susan.
Sixteen years ago, on a different site, another author told me that “there are no heroes, but there are people who do heroic things.” Star was a young woman who did a heroic thing.
I winced on second reading to see that Kid fanned the hammer of her gun to cock it. I have read elsewhere that that doesn’t work and makes a gun impossible to aim properly. Being fast on the draw is no good when you miss.
I think about Santa Claus a lot. I was shocked to the core when my Mom told me he wasn’t real. Jud is up on the legend and is a good thinker. I’m glad he told Kid and reassured her.
I can’t believe your own Mother told you that. Maybe if you were in your thirties when she told you I might get it, but as a child?, I’m sorry, maybe she had her reasons?
I never explained fully, I was saving for another story, but the deal with Kid’s guns is this. She’s a crack shot with her right hand, but with her left hand gun,which she has a fanner hammer on, she has a disadvantage, she can only take a kill shot with it. Head or heart. It’s the way she learned. It’s all in that origin story that I’ve never wrote.
And yes, your opening sentence about hero’s I agree with fully, and thank you for commenting, I know you’ve been going over a bad patch, so thanks.
I guess I can say something about the comment now. The story was fiction, about the death of a firefighter in one of the Twin Towers. He was acclaimed as a hero. His widow saw a different side to him: consumed by job stress, picking fights with her, belittling her and finding fault with her. To a large extent I see the man in Pages From a Diary and other marriages-gone-to-hell stories. He wasn’t a hero, but he wasn’t an unmixed villain either. He saved lives at a terrible cost to himself and his wife, who had loved him but no longer did, though I still think she wanted to care for him.
The author of that story and I had a discussion, and I was so grateful to her.
And thank you for the really nice reply!
I guess really we are all the villain and hero of our lives. I try to be the hero, but sometimes the hero in me sees the villain in me and I try do better. Thanks.
Purple Les, you create sweet and darling love stories, always involving caring mothers and daughters who bond with them (in bed and out of it), and you add in secondary characters who give lots of dimension, helping the girls and women adapt and thrive in life.
Oh, don’t worry about my mom telling me Santa Claus wasn’t real. I would have figured it out eventually.
I wanted to figure out ways that Kid and the girls’ mom could talk about Santa to the girls. I think you could tell them that Kid came to the town because she was doing her job, but Santa saw her and used her as his helper, while he got ready to drop off the gifts.
One of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books (I can’t temember which one) has a passing mention of Santa, “He uses a pack mule in the southwest.”
On Christmas Eve night 2016, late night, one of my cats got out the back door into the yard while I frantically hunted for him. I was working an overnight shift starting at midnight, and I’d have to leave in minutes. It was dry, but a howling wind. Suddenly, the cat reappeared and trotted into the house, and he never tried to get out again. I figured the wind covered up the sound of a sleigh alighting on the roof.
That’s beautiful. There is nothing worse then a pet escaping the house, and I’m so glad it came back with a little help from Santa.
I had started writing a longer post, but I figure I should probably curb my tendency to ramble on about what I don’t like, and try to keep things to the point, so here’s a (slightly) condensed version.
Sorry, I don’t think I liked the developments in this chapter much for a couple reasons.
Firstly, The Kid has spent the whole story kicking the hornet’s nest and almost going out of her way to piss off the bad guys. She has to have a plan for how she’s going to deal with the fallout, right? Well, here we learn that… no, not really. She’s just not sure what she’s gonna do about the Big Bad that she’s been poking with a stick. She has to know that she’s pushing McCuller to drastic actions, and now it just feels like she’s recklessly endangering the innocent people of the region. Sure, she can be impulsive, but that doesn’t sound like the clever Kid that we know.
Secondly, the sequence of events leading to Star’s death feels really contrived. At this critical juncture, The Kid decides to go for a casual drink in the one bar where she made another mortal enemy. Really? I get the whole “noble sacrifice to save the hero’s life” trope, but the set up seems forced and it cheapens Star’s death (not to mention The Kid immediately saying that just yelling would have been enough).
Anyway, those are small enough details in the context of the whole story, and I’m still looking forward to seeing where things go from here.
Also, am I missing something about Dixie/Clara and her sister using fake names? When this came up two chapters ago, it seemed like a very minor thing but a bit of a pointless reveal. Now, in this chapter, this is mentioned again to Star, who says “I like those two girls even better now,” which seems like a bizarre thing to say. Am I not understanding some kind of reference or significance here?
…This is still pretty long, huh?
It wasn’t that long, and you bring up valid points. Thank you. It does seem that way. All I can say in her defense is she is a cold, tired, law enforcement agent. Besides trying to take down a land grabber who has hired toughs and a fast gunman working for him, along with the town sheriff and banker, she’s looking for the Ranger who was a friend and who was there before her to do the same job and was never seen again. Who was sent there to begin with because a citizen sent a letter to the Texas Rangers for help. I don’t see her so much pushing McCuller to drastic action, he already has his plans in place, even if Tequila had never shown up.
A bizarre thing for Star to say? I guess it would be for anyone to say, but maybe someone who’s on laudanum, and works in a brothel, maybe it makes sense to her. Of course Star wasn’t always ‘Star’ either, but a girl named Millie who liked girls,and yet ended up working in the sex trade. And I think Kid meant by saying, ‘Shouting would have been enough’ is that she’d have rather died herself than see Star die for her.
Dixie/Clara, Well it’s more that they were given nicknames at some point in a town and they stuck. I see it as not using fake names, as much as being labeled by others and forgetting your own true worth and identity.
I think one person alone, except for a ranch hand helping out, and an old stable master, might very well be flying by the seat of her pants. Kid has made errors of judgement in the other stories as well.
Kicking the hornets nest? Or pushing back as best she can to keep the adversaries off balance? I guess it may be how it’s looked at.
Thank you No One for a very thought provoking comment. I hope I addressed everything, and thank you for continuing to read the story despite the things that bother you about the story. I appreciate that.
Oh, of course I’ll continue reading. These are minor points in the overall story after all. As you may have noticed, I tend to analyze stories in more depth than the… average erotica enjoyer, let’s say. 🙂 Take me with a grain of salt. Clearly most people think it’s just fine as is, but rightly or wrongly, I like to give food for thought to good writers so they consider certain aspects in the future and hopefully continue to improve. It’s a bit self-serving, admittedly, because I feel like analyzing why certain parts don’t work for me will also help me to be a better writer, but who knows…
Anyway. I didn’t think of Star relating more closely to the sisters because she also uses a different name. That makes sense to me.
The Kid’s full line was actually, “Just yellin’ was enough, Star. I’d a got him. Why’d you do such a fool thing?” which fully implies that she’d have been able to take care of Toots with just a warning. Admittedly, later on when she’s thinking about it, she does say that Star saved her life, but still, if you’re trying to sell a noble sacrifice, it’s probably best not to immediately cast doubt for the reader on whether it was really necessary. 🙂
I get your point about The Kid just trying to do her best in the situation and flying by the seat of her pants. I guess what throws me off is that she does it all with such matter-of-fact confidence that I imagined she had some grand plan in the works, you know? She arrives in town and immediately hears about how McCuller has the region in his grip, and that he’s very dangerous, and that nobody messes with him… and she instantly goes about messing with him in the most obvious ways. Of course, McCuller would have gone on with his nefarious deeds regardless of her presence, but clearly her messing with his plans will cause a reaction. I think maybe it would have worked better to show some of The Kid’s doubts before now, but I don’t know, maybe it’s just me reading too much into it.
And to JetBoy, sure, The Kid could have simply underestimated Toots, but my broader point was about the whole sequence of events (I might have trimmed down my explanation too much in that part). While I think it’s a weird time for The Kid to decide to go for a drink in that specific bar, sure, let’s say she thought it would be fine. Normally, the bartender would be very easy to spot when you enter a saloon, but in this instance Toots was coincidentally busy elsewhere. When he returned, even though it was specifically mentioned that The Kid was keeping an eye out for him, he still managed to spot her first. And he happened to have a gun on him at that moment (which I thought was outlawed in town? Maybe just in the streets, I forget). And he doesn’t hesitate one second to shoot at an officer of the law in front of witnesses. And Star just happened to be in the right spot to see it coming and intervene in that short moment. Sure, each one of those individual steps can be justified (coincidence, Toots was blind with rage, etc.), but taken as a whole it starts to really feel engineered to get to a predetermined event that the author wanted to happen. Which of course, it is, but it shouldn’t *feel* that way. 😉 I think I’d have preferred if Toots simply sees The Kid walking down the street out the window and flies into a rage, grabs a gun, and goes out to shoot her. It feels more random, but more real.
Well, thanks. We always try harder, and it’s good to point those things out. I think maybe Kid should have asked when she got to the bar, ‘where’s Toot’s”. She didn’t see him and kept an eye toward the entrance assuming he was on an errand. We all know what happens when we assume.
Toot’s was not carrying a gun. It was hanging behind the bar and he went and got it. Maybe I didn’t convey the hubbub in the bar well enough to show all the distractions going on. And how fast it happened. I know I often say the wrong thing at the wrong time, and I feel Kid didn’t mean to belittle Star sacrificing her life for her. It’s funny about how one small change in anything can change a sequence of events. Who’d have thought an assassination in Serbia would have triggered World War One.
One last rebuttal, McCuller is all ready the prime suspect, and Kid knows this, from the information that the rancher, Mr Fletcher, sent to the Texas Rangers, causing Ranger Clark Hansen to investigate months before the Tequila Kid arrives. But when chapters, no complaint just saying, are spread out it’s easy to forget small details.I don’t think being nice on the Kid’s part would help the situation. Like JetBoy and I say, she’s a nineteen year old, or so, PTSD survivor who’s doing her best. She tries to plan it out but,things happen, and she is impulsive. Speaking of which, the last two chapters may drive you nuts. But I hope you enjoy them.
From my perspective, I see The Kid as a shrewd operator whose fatal flaw is a penchant for impulsive behavior which, coupled with her sheer nerve, gets her in some very serious tangles. You see that in the two previous stories, too. Sometimes she thinks her way out of a jam, sometimes she just gets lucky. As a modern day cop, she’d probably get drummed off the force before her first year was up. I think that makes her character more believable, not less.
As for the shooting of Star… well, The Kid basically underestimates what a psycho Toots is. She whipped his ass in a fight, and he backed down, so she foolishly figures he’s not a problem anymore. If she’d seen the crazed way he carried on after she left the bar, I dare say The Kid would’ve exercised much greater caution.
I am doing a bit of catching up. Firstly with Kinkys_sis’ naughty little bus fun. Then BlueJean’s fantasy story, and now cowboys and things… three so very different stories. But all good in their own way. It shows the diversity of the sites brilliant writers.
Thank you, Helen. I love ‘cowboys and things’
Les, as you can see from all the adoring comments you have really struck a nerve with the Tequila Kid and her story. Thank you for bringing such enjoyment to all your readers.
But it is now time to quit teasing us and drop the next two chapters you keep talking about.
I admit the first thing I do when I click on my JS link is look for the chapters. PLEASE put me out of my misery.
Nothing to do with “teasing”. A new story is published on the site every few days, as you can see. There are a few series to switch between, plus the occasional one-shot. Purple Les doesn’t control the schedule, so don’t blame her. I would guess that a new chapter of Amy’s Gift is next in line.
I hope you are correct about “next in line” the wait is pure torture.