"You know Lily, I think this whiskey tastes better when you pour it." Lily chuckled lightly at Buck's comment. She slid the glass of amber colored liquid across the bar to him. He'd said almost the same thing every time she'd served him in the two weeks since she took over the saloon.
"You flatter me too much Mr. Wilmington." Lily winked at the tall gunslinger. Her attention was drawn to the front of the saloon where a young woman had just entered. Lily wondered what the woman wanted. She certainly looked out of place in the saloon.
Bryn clutched her worn black leather bag tightly to her chest. It was mid-afternoon but the saloon was full of people. The smoke from a nearby cigar assaulted Bryn's noise. She wrinkled her nose in protest. From where she stood just inside the swinging doors of the saloon Bryn could see the woman Ezra had mentioned. She was behind the bar laughing with a tall dark haired man who was finishing a drink. Bryn took a few hesitant steps toward the bar.
"Well howdy there darlin'." A hand reached out and grabbed Bryn's wrist. She cried out in pain and protest. The man pulled Bryn down into his lap. She struggled against his grip but couldn't break free. "How come I ain't never seen your pretty little face ‘round here before?" Bryn could smell the whiskey on his breath as he moved his face closer to hers.
"Please let go of m'." Bryn struggled uselessly in the stranger's grasp.
"Aw come on, darlin', you and me, we're gonna be good frien . . ." The man's words were cut off. Bryn realized that his grip on her had been released and she jumped out of his lap. The same tall man she'd seen drinking at the bar no had his arm around the stranger neck choking him.
"That wasn't very gentlemanly of you. No way to treat a lady. I think you ought to apologize to her, don't you?" The man's voice was almost soft and gentle but firm enough to elicit a nod out of the stranger. The tall man released his grip and the man sputtered to draw air into his lungs before stammering out an apology. Bryn nodded at his words and moved again toward the bar.
"Are you alright, cher?" The woman from behind the bar appeared at Bryn's elbow.
"I . . . I'm . . . alrigh'." The woman smiled kindly at Bryn and guided her to an empty table near the bar.
"Sit here, cher." The woman moved swiftly to the bar and gracefully took a bottle and glass from behind the bar and returned to the table. "You'll have to excuse some of the men around here. Very few of them have anything resembling manners. Here drink this." The woman handed her a glass of amber colored liquid that Bryn suspected was whiskey.
Bryn gratefully took the glass of whiskey and raised it to her lips. "Drink up, cher, it'll make you feel better." Bryn noticed a slight twinge of an accent to the woman's words. The tall man who had rescued her now appeared behind the woman.
"Are you okay, ma'am?" Bryn could see in his eyes that his concern was real.
"Aye, I believe tha' I'll b' alrigh'."
"Bryn are you alright? What happened?" Ezra Standish had pushed his way through the crowd that had formed around the table where the two women sat. He had rushed in when two men leaving the saloon had said something about trouble involving a red haired woman.
" 'm fine Ezra." Bryn felt a small smile cross her face and she tried to suppress a giggle over having been asked the same question in less than a minute.
"You two know each other?" Buck Wilmington looked at Ezra wondering how he knew the woman, since it appeared she'd just stepped from the stage. He knew she had to be new in town because he would have noticed a woman this lovely before.
"We knew each other in New Orleans. Allow me to introduce Catherine Brynda Callaghan, this is Buck Wilmington and the proprietress of this fine establishment, Ms. Lily Patterson." Bryn shook hands with both of them.
"Since the trouble seems to be under control, I should get back to serving my customers." Lily smiled at the trio and rose from the table.
"Lily, a moment of your time. I know from our previous time together that Ms. Callaghan is a fine singer and musician . . . "
"And . . .?" Lily had a feeling she knew where Ezra was going with this and allowed him to continue.
"Ms. Callaghan is en route to Denver but I would like to see here stay here in Four Corners for a bit. I believe I overheard you and Mr. Sullivan speaking about the possibility of employing some live entertainment for the saloon. Perhaps you would consider hiring Ms. Callaghan?"
"I don't think she was what we had in mind." Terrance Sullivan had appeared from out of a back room and had been standing nearby eavesdropping on the conversation.
"How would you know, if you've never heard her sing?" Buck came to Bryn's defense again. He and the rest of the men had discovered an immediate dislike of Terrance Sullivan when he arrived with Lily two weeks before.
"I think it's a fine idea." It was obvious by Lily's tone that there would be no further discussion of the matter. "Do you have a place to stay, cher?" Lily smiled kindly at Bryn.
"No exactly, I was going t' stay at th' hotel tonight an leave tomorrow but now everythin's changed."
"You'll stay here then. Terrance, take Ms. Callaghan upstairs. Put her in the room next to mine." Terrance motioned for Bryn to follow him. Ezra gave Bryn's hand a gentle squeeze before she followed the surly man up the stairs.
Terrance lead Bryn down the hall his silent rage clearly evident. At the far end of the hallway they stopped in front of a door. Terrance pushed the door open and waved Bryn in. He turned and faced her with cold grey eyes.
"This is where you'll stay. I'll tell you now, I don't like that Lily hired you, but its her place. I'm warning you now, that I won't tolerate any of your shenanigans. I know how you Irish are with your drinking and stealing. I'll be watching you."