Blue finished his second whiskey and left the bar. He looked about. It was becoming dusk. As Blue looked to his left, there was Hank and George standing against the building. The woman was there also.

"Meet my daughter, Ella, Mr. Blue," said Hank.

He shook hands with her. She smiled. Her dress was pretty. It was black with white flowery looking designs on each side of the blouse, extending from the shoulders to the full length of the dress. They caught each other's eyes. Then Blue quickly look away figuring, he just didn't need anymore trouble, but he found himself slowly turning them back to hers. Then as he talked to Hank and George, his eyes would shift to see if Ella was looking, and she was. His heart started beating faster. Matter-of-fact, the meeting was scarier than the gun fight for Blue, or was becoming so. She was as pretty as a golden sparrow; better yet, let me describe her: nice hips, a pelvic cavity area that seemed perfectly formed; slim shoulders, deliciously molded into her breast area, which were like blossoming buds, and a buttocks narrow, small and spreading as she turned and the dress stuck to her, in all the right places; her spine was tender to the eyes, as her blouse was tight against it.

She was about five foot tall, rather short, but it was fine. Nice and healthy looking. Her bosom to her lower curves had less then ounce of fat, so he quickly calculated in his mind. He wanted to grab her right there but his manners controlled his body. He was many things, but not rude or disrespectful, although his temper could be raised quickly.

"You'll need to put down yor horse while yor here, Mr. Blue. My father owns a stable," said Ella.

"Yaw, if you could take one more on, I'd appreciate it," replied Blue. Whereupon, the three: Blue, Hank and Ella walked to the stable.

"Mr. Blue," asked Ella, "evidently you won the gunfight in the saloon but dont yaw think yor going to lose one someday?"

"No ms, I hav never thought that way. Ya see, I live to shoot. Those others shoot to live."

"Then you really enjoy it?" said Ella.

"It's something I'm really skilled at. Yes, I enjoy it," responded Blue.

After they bedded the horses, they went outside onto the porch. Hank went in the house, which was attached to the stable.

"I'll bet one will get you," Ella exclaimed; adding, "I never heard of any gunfighter going on forever."

"I can use something to drink mis," said Blue. Ella went to fetch him some lemonade. They both sat on the patio.

"Where are you going to sleep tonight?" asked Ella.

"Right here," replied Blue. "If you don't mind I'll get a blanket and in the morning I'll find a boarding house."

The more Ella talked to the gunfighter the more she saw the tender and honest side to him: the side she wanted to see of course. Most of the tenderness escaped men because they hid it so well but he wasn't afraid to share his feelings of hurt, pain and love; for the most part, yet he was blunt and that in itself could wreck a good relationship. He had loved his mother, who had died at the hands of her drunken husband when he was but eighteen; thereafter he left home; or shortly after. He had come from a family of farmers.

In the minds of each of them ran passion so deep their hearts were on fire. Ella's thoughts turned into questions that probed into his past. Respectfully, she thought here is a man who never really fell in love or had the opportunity to. The caretaker and nurturer side of her was coming out.

Blue was easy to talk to, but hard to lead. The trail was long, and he was eroded. Too many things to express in one night he thought, too many emotions to deal with. But he liked telling them to Ella, nonetheless.

He stood up, wiped the dirt and dust off his pants, then said with a sigh from his chest,

"I need to check on my horse. Come with me!" They both walked into the stable, and then into the horse stall where Dan was tied up.

Ella knew if she stayed in there with him too long, or just long enough, life would not be the same, yet as he gave his horse water and some oats, and grass, he didn't seem like the gunfighter he was. Then she shook her head, and told herself: I'm enchanted with this tough gunfighter, why? He's all of fifteen years older than me, and deadly. She stood up"up from watching Blue water the horse", off the stool her feet hit the floor, and Blue's hand grabbed hers, and they walked side by side to a ladder in back of the horses that led up to the hayloft. As they sat in the hay, she stood up, unbuttoned the front of her dress, and lifted one side of the full dress; she shoved the other side in back of her shoulder and let the dress drop. '...what am I doing,' she thought. But couldn't stop herself, the dress fell on the hay like a feather, she was naked. Gently, Blue did the same with his shirt and trousers. She was all he thought she was.

The Next Day
Chapter Three