Chapter Five

Jimmy stared at his boots. That was not the reaction he had been expecting. He jumped backward as Priscilla made another gagging sound.

“Oh Lord,” she said again, covering her mouth. She ran toward the back of the hall and threw up once again.

Jimmy watched for a moment then went to her side, pulling her long brown hair back from her face as she retched again.

“I’m so sorry,” Priscilla said, finally recovering her equilibrium as she sat heavily on the ground.

“It’s okay,” Jimmy told her, taking a hanky from his pocket and handing it to her. Once she had wiped her face, he took it back and cleaned off the tip of his boots, tossing the hanky into the alley once he was done.

“I don’t think I want that back,” he grinned.

Priscilla drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees.

“You coming back in?” Jimmy asked cautiously.

“No,” Priscilla answered. “I think I’d rather stay out here.” She looked glumly at the ground. “I have made a big enough fool of myself for one evening. You don’t have to stay out here with me,” she added softly.

Jimmy watched her defeated posture for a moment, then walked back to the hall. He snagged a cup and went back out, filling the cup with water from the trough before he approached Priscilla’s side. He waved the cup in front of her. "Here.”

Priscilla’s head snapped up as she accepted the water. “I thought you were gone.”

“I told you I wanted to be here with you,” Jimmy replied.

“Even now? After that display?” she asked, incredulous.

“Even now,” Jimmy answered. “To quote Teaspoon, he who hesitates is a damned fool,” he grinned.

“What?” Priscilla exclaimed.

“I don’t want to keep putting off getting to know you,” Jimmy explained. “I’ve seen you at your worst, so how ‘bout you get yourself cleaned up and we go inside and you can show me a different side of you.”

Priscilla smiled and Jimmy was struck by how pretty she was once more. But everyone knew she was pretty. Jimmy was just sure there was something more to it. Every time he saw her, he felt it. She was living a life she didn’t choose for herself.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I didn’t feel like I was coming down with something,” Priscilla said.

“I think you had too much to drink.”

“I don’t drink,” Priscilla announced primly.

“You did tonight,” Jimmy told her.

Priscilla scowled fiercely.

“Maybe someone spiked the punch,” Jimmy offered. He was glad to see his words had some effect as Priscilla stopped scowling at him.

“Maybe,” Priscilla agreed reluctantly.

“So you wanna go back in and see who did it?” Jimmy asked, his eyes dancing.

Priscilla laughed, as he had hoped. “Are you always like this?” she asked, a quizzical smile on her face.

“Like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Priscilla answered. “So able to take life as it comes.”

It was Jimmy’s turn to laugh then. “No, almost never.” He sat on his haunches beside her. “But we could go back inside and try to get to know each other a little more.”

Priscilla watched him closely for a long time and Jimmy could not help but reach out and brush a smudge of dirt from her cheek.

“Okay,” Priscilla said finally. “Just give me some privacy to clean up.”

Jimmy smiled as he straightened up and walked toward the door. Maybe the night had just begun. He had just placed his hand on the doorjamb when he heard his name being called out.

“Hickok,” a tall black-haired man was saying. “Heard tell that you are the man who killed Gabe Caulder.”

“Gabe Caulder ain’t dead and if he is, I’m not responsible,” Jimmy replied as the knot that had developed in his stomach at the sound of his name grew larger.

“That’s not what they are saying inside,” the man said slowly.

“That ain’t my doing,” Jimmy said with a scowl.

“I think it is,” the man told him. He took a step into the street. “Let’s go.”

Jimmy shook his head. “I didn’t kill Caulder. He was alive last time I saw him.”

“I ain’t arguing the matter,” the man said coolly as he moved into the road. He stood, one hand resting on the butt of his gun, his eyes trained on Jimmy’s right hand.

“What’s going on?” Kid shouted, Lou hot on his heels as they rushed out of the hall. A few moments later, Priscilla joined them. She looked at Jimmy and even from a distance; he could see the confusion on her face.

“What’s going on?” she whispered, echoing Kid’s earlier question. But like Kid, no one answered her.

“Jimmy,” Kid said loudly, “get inside.”

“He can’t,” the man informed him, “he’s got business to attend to.”

“I’m gonna get Sam,” Lou told Kid, moving toward the door.

“Now!” the man commanded Jimmy, firing once. The bullet hit the wall just above Lou’s head. Kid’s grabbed Lou with both hands and pulled her close.

Jimmy turned away from his friends and stepped into the road. The last thing he saw before he focused on the man in front of him was Priscilla’s face. She looked horrified.