stronger and held on firmly.
“Come on. Now, honey, don’t be like that! You weren’t too good for me last week!”
“That was last week!” Jenny said. “Things are different now. I don’t do that anymore. Now let me go!”
“The Kid’s not going to like that,” Stone said.
“He around?”
“No, he went out on that posse with the Earps. And Frank Leslie rode out with the sheriff when they went back out after they brought in their prisoner.”
“I said, let me go!”
The man pulled her down on his lap, laughing. “Playin’ hard to get, eh?
Well. I know what you like!” Jenny struggled as the man started roughly fondling her breast. The other men at the table were laughing and egging their companion on.
“Excuse me,” Finn said, pushing back his chair. He went over to their table. Jenny was making angry, whimpering sounds as the man forced his kisses on her. “I think I heard the lady ask to be let go,” said Finn.
The man stopped kissing Jenny and stared up at Finn belligerently, though he still held onto her tightly.
“What the hell business is it of yours?”
“I just don’t like seeing women bullied, that’s all.” Finn said.
“Is that so? Well now, just what do you intend to do about it?”
“How about if I break your knees” asked Finn, with a smile.
“Hey, now! I don’t want any trouble in here!” the barman shouted.
“You stay out of this, Lem! It ain’t none of your concern!” shouted the cowboy.
Lem didn’t seem inclined to make it his concern. The cowboy let Jenny go and stood up. He was a beefy man, as big as Finn, though heavier and not as muscular.
“Mister, you just bought into a pack of trouble.”
Delaney hit him in the face with a quick, sharp blow and the man dropped like a felled tree. His three friends were on their feet in an instant. One of them swung at Finn. Delaney caught his fist in his left hand, then brought his right hand up to cover it, gave a quick, sharp twist and the man howled as his wrist bone snapped like a twig. The other man had picked up a chair and was bringing it down hard. Delaney swung the man with the broken wrist around and made him take the blow. The chair broke over the man’s head and Delaney released him as he went down. The third man was reaching into the pocket of his coat. Delaney snatched up a half empty whiskey bottle from the table and smashed it into the man’s face. Whiskey, broken glass, blood and a few teeth spattered on the table as the man went down.
The man who’d swung the chair came up with a bowie knife he had in his boot. Delaney just looked at him and grinned. The man with the knife found the grin highly disconcerting. The knife made sweeping arcs in front of him as he bent over in a crouch. Cards, glasses and coins rained to the floor as Delaney picked up the table and ran it at him.
“Jesus…!” yelled the man with the knife as the table struck him and he was propelled back against the wall, struck it hard and remained there, pinned by the table. The knife fell to the floor. Delaney dropped the table on the man’s feet.
“Yowww.”
And then Delaney struck him once and knocked him out.
“Great day in the morning!” someone said.
A few people applauded and whooped. Delaney turned and gave them a small bow.
“I’d like to thank you, mister.”
Finn turned to see Jenny standing behind him.
“My pleasure, Ma’am.”
“Can I buy you a drink?”
“I’d be delighted.”
He glanced at Stone, who was watching him thoughtfully. Stone gave a slight smile, inclined his head and raised his glass to him.
“My name is Jennifer,” the girl said. ‘Jennifer Reilly. What’s yours?”
“Delaney. But my friends just call me Finn.”
“You sure do handle yourself well, Finn Those boys can be pretty mean.”
“Oh, I thought they seemed right sociable.” said Finn.
Jenny smiled. Oh, dear, thought Finn, not immune to its effects. What’s a heartbreaker like you doing in a place like this? One of the men behind him groaned from the floor, but made no move to get up.
“I’m afraid that coming to my rescue might have brought you trouble.” Jenny said. “Those men are Johnny Ringo’s boys. And they’ve got friends.”
“I’d be happy to make their acquaintance,” Finn said. raising his glass to her.
“I’m not sure you’d like that too much.” she replied. “What you did was very gallant, but I don’t want to mislead you. I’m spoken for.”
“So I heard.” said Finn. “I’d say the Montana Kid’s a lucky man.”
“He’ll appreciate what you did for me tonight,” said Jenny. “I’ll be sure to tell him when he gets back to town. I think the two of you might like each other.”
“Well, if you think highly of him, then I’m sure that I will, too,” said Finn. He turned around and glanced toward Stone’s table. The gambler was gone. He felt a light touch on his arm.
“You’re pretty good with your fists there, cowboy,” said a husky, female voice. “My! Strong, too!”
He turned to see an attractive young redhead smiling at him.
“Finn, I’d like you to meet my good friend. Becky,” Jenny said. “Becky, this here’s Mr. Finn Delaney.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Finn said.
“That was a nice thing that you did for Jenny.” Becky said. “Those boys had it comin’.”
“I thought so,” Finn replied.
“Too bad that Jenny’s already spoken for.” said Becky. “But I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I was to thank you for her.”
She stood up on tiptoe and kissed him. She took her time about it and she seemed sincere.
“You’re welcome,” Finn said somewhat breathlessly, when she broke off the kiss.
“Well now, I haven’t thanked you, yet,” said Becky, with a smile and a smoldering look. “That was just to introduce myself. Jenny, you’ll send up a bottle, won’t you, dear?” She took Finn by the arm. “Would you be so kind as to escort me to my room, sir?”
7
“Now let me get this straight,” hissed Andre, furiously. “I was up all night, worried about where you were, and you were off getting your ashes hauled with some bimbo?”
“It wasn’t exactly the sort of situation I could have backed out of.” Delaney protested, whispering so as not to wake Lucas, who was stretched out on the bed.
“Oh, really? What did she do, force you?”
“Come on, Andre, give me a break, for Christ’s sake! It would have looked a little strange for a cowboy fresh off the trail to turn down a proposition from a woman like that! Besides, I thought I might learn a thing or two.”
“Well. I hope she was a good teacher.” Andre said.
“That isn’t what I meant, dammit!”
“What’s going on?” Lucas mumbled from the bed. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, “Finn! What happened?”
“He was out getting laid, that’s what happened.” Andre said.
“What?” said Lucas.
“It wasn’t like that.” Delaney protested. He quickly brought Lucas up to date on what had occurred the previous night. “I knew you’d gone out with the posse.” he said, when he’d finished, “and I figured Andre would try
