Chapter Text
Marshal Ash Harris leaned back in her chair and stretched out her legs. She had made it a habit lately to settle on the porch of a different building every day while her office and jail were being built. Today she had chosen to sit on the porch of the general store. Since the store was currently not busy, Kyle sat in a chair to Harris’ right while his nephew Cassius rested in the only shady spot on the porch. The sun had risen in a clear sky and was doing it’s best to bake them all, without the benefit of any reprieve granted by clouds. A slight breeze lifted the dust from the street and spread it even further until Ash was certain she could taste it.
Kyle reached into his vest pocket and pulled out his watch. He rubbed the cover for a bit with his thumb before popping it open.
“The stage should be along anytime,” he said. “The driver told me last time he was here that it was easier to do business now,” Kyle return the watch to his pocket.
Harris nodded slowly. “Good.”
Anything more she might have said was cut short by the arrival of a wagon. The horse pulling it looked like it hadn’t seen a meal in days, or a good brushing. The man at the other end of the reins pulled the tired-looking beast to a stop in front of the hitching rail and jumped down. He flicked the reins over the rail and tied them off, although Harris privately doubted the horse had the energy to go anywhere. The people in the wagon didn’t look much better off.
Three kids climbed down from the back, all of them skinny, thin-limbed and topped by sandy brown hair that needed cutting. A woman climbed down from the front, and she too was thin. She turned toward the back, paused for a moment as if she were counting her children, and faced the general store. Her eyes never left Marshal Harris as she and her children approached.
Harris gazed back, unaffected by the study.
The woman had a quality Harris had seen before. Lack of hope. There were lines pinching the corners of her eyes, surrounding pale blue, lackluster orbs. Her mouth had pulled into a thin line and her shoulders slumped in resignation.
The man she had ridden in with looked very much like the children. The same underfed look about him, same sandy hair in need of a trim...and the same defeated air.
This was a family struggling to get by, Harris decided.
His gaze went from her face to the star on her chest and back to her face. He said nothing, did not nod and never slowed his pace as he climbed the two steps up to the porch.
Neither did the woman with him, or her children.
Harris watched Cassius rise from his pool of shade and follow the little family in. A heartbeat later, Kyle went in as well.
Ash stayed where she was for a couple of minutes until she heard snippets of Kyle’s conversation as he explained the changes that had taken place in the town recently.
“The town has taken up the old name of South Pass now that Kennecot is dead, thanks to our new marshal out there...That’s Marshal Harris...took out all of Kennecot’s men before finally killing the bas...man right out there in the street...the town is building a jail for Marshal Harris...he’s staying with Cassius, my sister and I...oh no, a fine man, our Marshal Harris…”
Relieved that Kyle was keeping her secret, Ash rose from her chair and went down the steps to stroke the horse’s muzzle. As she stroked the downy-soft nose of the poor beast, she realized it was going to get harder to maintain her ruse. She reached into her vest and pulled out an apple she’d been saving for Bear.
“He’ll understand,” she told the tired horse as he lipped the treat. “I’ll get him another after your people have left,” The horse blew out a breath through his nostrils and took the whole apple into his mouth, crunching it between his teeth. “You aren’t doing so good, are you friend?” Harris whispered to him.
The horse shook his head as if he’d understood the question quite well.
Ash waited until the apple had been chewed and swallowed before she patted the horse’s neck gently. “Hang in there, boy.” Then she turned and went into the store.
She went to the end of the counter first, noting the man was over in the corner where Kyle kept barrels of nails. His wife was fingering a bolt of printed cloth with a wistful look on her features. The children were gathered by a barrel, looking at a catalog with Cassius.
Harris lifted the lid of a tall glass jar silently and reached in. She grasped five pieces of stick candy, ensuring one was butterscotch. As she replaced the lid, she caught Kyle’s eye and lifted the candy. He nodded and turned back to his customer by the nails.
“Excuse me, Ma’am,” Ash addressed the woman at the cloth. “I was going to give young Cassius some candy and thought it might be rude not to offer some to the other children. Is it alright with you if they have a piece?”
The woman turned her full attention to Ash now.
“Marshal Harris, Ma’am,” Ash removed her hat and smiled. “I was raised to always ask a mother’s permission before offering sweets.”
“Thank you, Marshal. That’s very kind of you,” The woman nodded and brightened just a tad.
Harris went over to the children, offered Cassius his favorite, then gave each of the others their own candy as well, before finally slipping the butterscotch one into her own mouth. She gave Cassius a wink and then turned and left the store, heading for Doc Krieger’s office across the street.
Ali was just opening the door as she followed a woman out of the building. “I understand, Etta, but it’s really for the best.”
A blonde woman, laced tightly into a dark red dress, made eye contact with Ash as she stepped out of the doctor’s building. “Marshal Harris, how lovely to see you this afternoon! We haven’t seen you at the saloon lately,” She reached out her hand as if she might touch Ash’s shoulder, but stopped short of making contact.
Ash removed her hat again. “Good afternoon, Miss Cardiff. I guess I’ve just not been...thirsty enough.”
She could see Ali quickly hide a smile behind Etta.
“Do come around soon, Marshal. We’d like the chance to entertain you,” Etta smiled brightly and blinked slowly before turning back to Ali. “Thanks again, Doc.”
“Just remember what I said about...taking it easier, Etta.”
Ali and Ash watched the other woman walk away down the street before Ash settled into one of the chairs that lined the porch.
“You know,” Ali said as she sat down. “Most marshals wouldn’t be caught dead with a stick of candy in their mouths.”
“In case you’ve not noticed, Doc, I am not most marshals,” Ash said with a smile.
“Oh, I’ve noticed,” Ali said quietly.
Ash chuckled before taking the candy stick out of her mouth. “See that rig over at Kyle’s store? Do you know who it belongs to?”
“Sure,” Ali replied as she nodded. “Belongs to the Johnson’s. Why?”
“Does their horse always look that…” Ash searched for the word she wanted.
“Starved?” Ali supplied. “The past few months, they’ve all looked like they fell on hard times. They have a farm out a ways beyond town.”
“When you go out riding to see folks…”
“My rounds, yes?”
“Do you see the Johnsons?”
“I try to, yes.”
“Would you mind if I came with you next time? Might do some of the outlying folks good to know that a marshal is staying in South Pass now.”
“That’s a very good idea. Perhaps the day after tomorrow?”
“Sounds good.” Harris nodded.
“Well, I suppose my letters won’t write themselves,” Ali said as she rose from her chair.
Just then four horses came galloping up the main street, their riders hollering and whooping at the top of their lungs.
“Looks like the Andrews brothers got a day off. Your day just got a whole lot more interesting, Marshal,” Ali said with a cheeky smile.
“Oh?”
“They work for the Double Heart cattle ranch, to the west of town. They’re mostly harmless, but they can be loud and impulsive when their money mixes with whiskey. It might be a good idea to go pay Etta and the other girls a visit.”
“At the saloon? But I...I couldn’t possibly…” Ash stammered as she got to her feet.
“Don’t swallow your candy stick, Marshal,” Ali grinned openly now. “I only meant to keep an eye on the Andrews brothers.”
Ash crunched her candy as she grumbled about the cheek of women doctors, her ears turning red as she got to her feet.
A flurry of gunshots from inside the saloon made her step faster down the dusty street.
To Be Continued!