Get Along Little Dogies (Arkady)

[Deleted]

Caden let Dusty lead him along like a lost puppy, all the while his brain working overtime trying to process it all. He felt like a right idiot. There he'd been, acting all macho and trying to impress the sweet, innocent, pretty girl, but as it turns out he wasn't the only one acting. He had actually explained all the hands, showed her how to shuffle and deal, and he was starting to get the feeling that she had known how to do all that all along. How else could she have known Barrett was cheating?

Then there was the fact that she had been willing to call him out on it and actually physically take the guy down while Caden had just stood there, trying to talk Barrett out of shooting him. Okay, so he hadn't actually believed at the time that Dusty?s accusations were true so he wouldn't have backed her up, but even if he did believe it? He probably still would have stood there with his hands up like a coward.

Looking over at Dusty when she spoke, despite it all he couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked in the moonlight. What a fool he was.

Swallowing, Caden tried to think of something to say. There was no point trying to act all brave and carefree now, they were far beyond that, and clearly she was not the type to be fooled easily, not like him.

"We left all tha money on the table," he said finally, quietly.

[Dusty Fae]

Dusty didn’t blame Caden for the way he were actin’ right now. It happened to people sometimes. Not ever’one had grown up in the same kinda rough and tumble life she had. Guns didn’t scare her anymore. The bad guys didn’t scare her anymore. She could say how many times she’d been in the middle of a hold up. It happened a lot in her line o’ work.

“If’n those men know what’s good for ‘em, that money’ll be there when we go back.” She were still looking at the sky ‘cause it really were a nice night and it weren’t often she got to appreciate it. She’d always loved the stars, even as a little girl. It were hard these days ta get a moment to look at ‘em.

She turned back to look at Caden. “I’m sorry ‘bout deceivin’ you,” she said quietly. “You’re a real good teacher though. I hope yah ain’t too mad at me. I’d be mad at me if’n I were you.” She did feel bad ‘cause he were so honest and nice. He were one o’ the nicer people that walked through the Saloon doors.

She felt she owed him some sorta explanation. “I’ve known Barrett a long time. He ain’t ever been nice and he really don’t like me. I take after my momma too much for ‘is likin’. He don’t a woman in charge. His poor wife is a real shy woman and he bullies her. I just wanted ta teach ‘im a lesson, but I never thought he’d pull a gun on anyone. I’m sorry ‘bout that too.” She had never meant fer that ta happen.

[Deleted]

Caden chuckled a little at her reply, but it was strained and short lived. All that over money and it was likely to be gone by the time he went back inside. Life was strange.

For a moment they stood together in silence, staring up at the night sky sparkling with stars. Then she was talking again and Caden... well, he just let her talk. This place was her home, and it only stood to reason that, working at the saloon, Dusty would get to know all the locals. She probably knew all their families, their favourite drinks, how they acted when they got drunk, and even more intimate details that he didn’t want to think about. He was under no illusion that she was as innocent as she looked any more.

Still, he didn’t know whether to appreciate the apology or feel all belittled.

“I ain’t mad at you,” Caden eventually replied, though he kept his eyes on the stars. “More mad at myself for bein’ such a fool.”

No point trying to hide the fact now. He doubted any lie he told her would be believed at this point anyway. The thing was that it wasn’t just about tonight. These past few months, trying to play the hotshot card player, trying to win his fortune... didn’t get more foolish than that for someone like him.

[Dusty Fae]

Dusty did feel awful. She really did. Caden were real nice and honest and sweet. He weren’t like the other men ‘round here. He weren’t like any of ‘em. He were different and now she’d gone and ruined any kind of relationship they ever mighta had. She weren’t even sure there was anything she could do ‘bout it neither.

He weren’t mad at ‘er, but she almost wished he was ‘cause then she could try and fix that. Instead ‘e were mad at ‘imself and that were harder ta fix. “Yah ain’t a fool,” she said closin’ the distance between them. She reached out ta put ‘er hand on his, but she thought better of it at the last minute and pulled ‘er hand back awkwardly. She didn’t know how to do this. She knew the tricks on how ta seduce a man but she didn’t know how ta apologize. She didn’t know how ta make things right with someone.

“Mr. Caden, you’re awful nice. You ain’t like the other men here. It’s why I decided ta help yah in the first place.” He were different. He had treated her like she were just a pretty girl, nothin’ else. “You’re real sweet.” She wanted ta reach out and touch him ta comfort him, but she didn’t know if he wanted her to, so she just stood there awkwardly.

[Deleted]

Caden stiffened up a little when Dusty stepped closer - real close - but she didn’t hug him like he kind of expected her to do. She just kind of stood there, real close, and looked up at him with those big, pretty eyes that seemed to shine in the moonlight, and she talked about him being nice and sweet and pretty much all the things girls like her weren’t supposed to like.

“Nice an’ sweet don’t get nobody very far in life,” he replied. Just look where being nice had gotten his parents, they worked harder than anyone he knew and had little money to show for it. Yet his grandaddy, who he had never met... life just wasn’t fair sometimes.

“Look, don’t worry ‘bout it, alright? Way I see it I don’t owe Barrett nothin’ no more, so I came outta this on top thanks to you.” He tried to smile, but there was still a sadness in his eyes it couldn’t banish.

[Dusty Fae]

Dusty wished 'er momma'd taught 'er how ta talk ta men when she weren't tryin' ta seduce 'em. It seemed like that were the only thing she knew how ta do when it came ta men. It were moments like this when she wished she had a daddy. If'n she'd had a daddy she mighta known what to do in this situation.

She didn't know what ta say. She wanted ta argue and say that bein' nice and sweet could get yah real far, but if'n she were honest it were mostly true. Bein' nice without any cunnin' behind it could end yah up worse off than when yah started. And yet, she still wanted ta argue.

Caden's smile weren't much of a smile. "That almost sounds like a goodbye," she said quietly. She'd heard a lotta goodbyes in 'er short life and this were borderin' real close and she didn't wanna say goodbye just yet. It were too soon, far too soon.

[Deleted]

Dusty sounded almost disappointed when she spoke, like she didn’t want him to leave. Was it just her guilty conscience for lying to him? He didn’t know why else she should care if she never saw him again. He wasn’t brave or exciting, not even all that interesting, though that could be partly cause he didn’t really like to talk about himself or his life. To be honest, he was a bit ashamed of it.

She was probably just being nice, that was all.

“I been slinkin’ outta town with my tail tucked between my legs for months, or runnin’ off in the night like tha devil himself was after me. This is the first place I can leave without havin’ to ta save my sorry life, so I figure I best get while tha gettin’s good,” Caden replied, shrugging his shoulders. “When mornin’ comes, I can just ride on outta here without a worry.”

Ha, like he was ever not worrying about something.

[Dusty Fae]

He were leavin’ after all. She knew that when he’d first showed up in the Saloon. She’d pegged ‘im for the type that would leave. She knew it all along and yet she were still real disappointed. She didn’t want ‘im ta go. There were somethin’ special about ‘im.

Dusty hugged ‘erself a bit, not ‘cause she were cold or anythin’ neither. She couldn’t help but think she were a fool ta be disappointed that Caden were leavin’. How many men had she seen that had blown in and outta town faster’n a tumbleweed? Plenty. And she’d never given any of ‘em a second glance. But Caden were diff’rent. She couldn’t quite pin down why he were diff’rent, he just were.

“So then this is goodbye,” she confirmed with a sigh. She turned away, still disappointed. She couldn’t help it. “Ain’t there anythin’ that could make yah stay?” She tried not to sound desperate, but she were startin’ ta feel that way.

[Deleted]

Watching Dusty’s reaction, Caden frowned in confusion. She seemed downright upset that he was leaving. It could have been all an act, that’s what girls like her got paid to to after all, among other things, but it seemed so genuine. But why? He didn’t get it. He was just a random guy that had tumbled into her saloon, that had to happen every day, so why was she so upset about him leaving? Did she get like this about all of them? He could hardly believe that.

He wanted to ask her why, but for some reason that question, that one word, just wouldn’t roll off his tongue.

“Well, I ain’t leavin’ ‘til tomorrow,” he said to her back, rubbing the back of his neck. “We could leave tha goodbyes ‘til then.”

[Dusty Fae]

Dusty didn’t understand why she were feelin’ this way. She hardly knew Caden. She shouldn’t feel so attached to ‘im. He’d taught ‘er how ta play poker even though she already knew how and then she somehow managed ta stop Barrett from shootin’ ‘im. It happened. This were a saloon. She weren’t supposed ta care ‘bout any o’ the men that came through the doors.

By the mornin’ she’d probably be sleepin’. She and the girls had ta sleep at some point and usually slept from the early morning into the late mornin’. She might be sleepin’ soundly by the time that Caden were leavin’, but she didn’t wanna tell ‘im that. She couldn’t. Instead she just nodded and didn’t say anythin’.

She turned slowly. “Yah don’t have ta leave, yah know. You could stay.”

[Deleted]

In the moonlight, with her arms wrapped around herself and the way she was looking at him she looked so tiny and vulnerable; Caden felt his resolve buckle.

“I could...” he said thoughtfully before shaking his head. She was bewitching him, making him forget all his senses. Not that that was a hard task. “Come on, you know as well as me that they ain’t gonna hold Barrett all that long, and when he gets outta there he’ll be gunnin’ for me. Be better off if I weren’t here when he got out.”

Barrett seemed to be the prideful type, and while he might not hunt Caden down to another city, if he were to just be hanging around the man’s hometown then he’d just be asking for trouble. Still, they would at least hold him for a night, right?

“Hey, how ‘bout we go back inside and see if all my money’s still there and maybe get us a drink?”

[Dusty Fae]

She almost got ‘im ta stay. He’d been real close, but they both knew that Barrett would be out fer blood and he’d probably take it out on caden if’n ‘e were still here. And then he’d come lookin’ fer her. He wre probably madder’n a wet hen at her. But she couldn’t deny that it’d be best for Cadent a leave. She just didn’t want ‘im to.

She sighed. “Yeah, I s’pose yer right. Barrett’ll be out for blood anyhow.” She didn’t know how far Barrett would be willin’ ta travel ta get revenge, but she were bettin’ it weren’t gonna be far. Even so, she wished he wouldn’t go. She could get real used him comin’ in and talkin’ to ‘er while she tended bar. She could get real used to that. Too bad it weren’t really gonna happen.

“You know,” she said instead of answerin’ the question. “I never did give the winner a kiss. And I guess that you’re the winner. You’d best collect that prize. It ain’t gonna be around all night.” She smiled a little, fin’lly feelin’ like ‘erself again.

[Deleted]

It didn’t even cross Caden’s mind that Barrett could decide to go after Dusty if he wasn’t here, or even if he was. He knew there were despicable men in the world, but the very idea that any of them could harm a woman seemed ridiculous. So he didn’t worry about her at that moment, only about saving his own neck, even if there was a part of him that wanted to stay...

Though having Dusty agree that Barrett would be after him was a pretty good deterrent for that.

What wasn’t, though, was the sudden switch back to her earlier playful manner. He had been so taken with her from the moment she had stepped in to help him, and he felt that earlier attraction returning full force. She was offering to kiss him, even though it wasn’t for show, it wasn’t to keep her end of the bargain in front of anyone else, just for him.

Prob’ly just a good bye kiss.

Oh, what the hell? What did it matter why? He’d be an idiot to refuse.

“Well, I, um...” Caden stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess I did win, but I wouldn’ta won without you.”

[Dusty Fae]

Dusty didn’t wanna think ‘bout Barrett anymore. He were with the Sherriff right now and he’d probably be held at least ‘til mornin’. That meant that even though Caden were gonna leave she’d at least have tonight to enjoy his company and that would have to be enough.

She smiled, amused at how he were actin’. He were bein’ all uncomfortable, but ‘e weren’t sayin’ no. And if he didn’t wanna kiss ‘er then he woulda said no or stammered some kinda excuse. She put a finger to his lips. “Shh, I ain’t havin’ none o’ that now. I said the winner and yer the winner. There weren’t no specifications.”

She took both both his hands put them ‘round ‘er waist. “You’d best hold onta me, in case I get a little weak in the knees.” She snaked ‘er own arms ‘round his neck, pressin’ up against ‘im. Dusty leaned in close, but waited a moment, teasin’ Caden. Then she closed her eyes and kissed him gently.

[Deleted]

Caden’s words trailed off when Dusty placed her finger over his lips. She was talking real soft now, but not in the upset way she had been before. Now it was a more intimate quiet, and even though music and laughter from the saloon rang through the air, her voice was all that he heard; her voice, the silence, and the hammering of his own heart.

He didn’t try to protest when she took his hands and put them on her waist, though he might have blushed a little. It wasn’t like he hadn’t fooled around with no girls before, but they’d always been country girls, shy like him; none so forward nor experienced as no saloon girls.

Swallowing audibly with a loud gulping sound when she wound her own arms around his neck, Caden’s eyes widened a little when she pressed her body against his, but it wasn’t too long before she was kissing him and after a moment his eyes drifted closed and he was tentatively kissing her back.