"To help me," Mary Rose cried out, her exasperation obvious. "It won't kill you, Eleanor, to lend a hand every now and then. Oh, never mind. Forget I even mentioned Catherine. You should have asked me if you could wear my dress before you put it on, by the way."
"It's too tight for me."
Eleanor didn't apologize, but Mary Rose hadn't really expected her to. They reached the general store. Mary Rose held the door open and let Eleanor go inside first.
Douglas made certain there weren't any unsavory characters inside, then went back out and stood by the door. He was going to make his sister control Eleanor's behavior.
Harrison spotted the man who had tried to ambush him as soon as he walked into the saloon. The son-of-a-bitch quickly looked away. Harrison pretended he hadn't recognized him. He looked the other two over on his way to the counter.
He ordered a drink of whiskey and downed it in one long swallow. He swore he could still hear Eleanor's voice pounding like a hammer inside his head.
Travis moved to stand on Harrison 's left side and Cole moved to stand on his right side. Both brothers put their backs to the counters and stared at the strangers.
"Well?" Cole whispered. He half turned to ask, "Is he in here?"
Harrison didn't answer. Travis turned to him and said, "There are a couple of other men hanging around Belle's place. You should look them over too. They don't have any reason to be down there. Belle's been in Hammond almost six months now. Everyone knows she won't be back until July. She always comes home for my birthday and stays until it turns cold again. Are you sure you remember what the man who shot you looked like?"
"What are you boys whispering about? I don't want any shooting in here, Cole. Keep that in mind." Billie was frowning with his worry.
"I was just about to tell Travis and Cole to stay out of my business, Billie," Harrison told the proprietor.
"I don't recall ever hearing anyone tell Cole Clayborne to stay out of his business before."
"I'm not taking offense," Cole said. " Harrison hasn't been feeling well lately."
Billie nodded sympathetically. He leaned into the counter. "I heard about your fainting spells. Have you had any more I should know about?"
Harrison turned to glare at Cole. The brother tried to look innocent. He failed in his endeavor.
"I didn't tell Billie," he insisted.
"He told Dooley," Travis was happy to add.
"Do you know those men sitting at the table in the corner near the window?" Harrison asked Billie.
"No, why do you ask?"
"I just wondered who they were," Harrison replied.
"Someone needs to tell them to take a bath. I can smell them over here," Cole remarked in a loud voice so he'd be sure to be overheard.
"Stay out of my business, Cole," Harrison snapped.
"I was just having a little fun."
"Do you want to go down to Belle's place or not?" Travis asked.
"Tell me who Belle is first," Harrison said.
"Why, she's the town's whore," Billie informed him. He sounded immensely proud of that fact. "Belle's a right nice woman. Isn't she, Travis?"
"Yes, she is."
Cole wasn't paying any attention to the conversation. One of the men had gotten up and walked outside. He waited to see what the others were going to do.
"Of course, she's gotten on in years," Billie continued. "She's still got a good, soft touch though. Judge Burns always stops by her place to say his hello and put his boots under her bed whenever he passes through town on a hanging spree. We all think mighty highly of her. I guess you figured that out already though, since we named our town after her."
"The town's named after a whore?" Harrison was incredulous. He shook his head and burst into laughter.
"What's so funny?" Billie asked.
"I thought you named the town after the flower," he admitted.
Billie chuckled. "Now, why would we want to do a fool thing like that? We ain't city boys, Harrison. We'd never name our place after a flower. That don't make no sense at all. I think maybe all of them fainting spells made you as loco as Ghost."
"I only fainted once," Harrison announced.
"Of course you did," Billie agreed. The condescending tone of voice indicated he didn't believe Harrison.
Cole was still keeping his eye on the two men huddled together at the table. One of them was talking in a low voice. The other kept nodding. Then the agreeable one got up and went outside.
Cole immediately turned his gaze to the street beyond the window. He was curious to find out where the man was going.
"Travis, why don't you go on outside," Cole suggested in a whisper. "Use the back door."
"Billie doesn't have a back door," Travis reminded his brother.
"Then make one."
"I told you to stay out of my business," Harrison repeated.
Cole shrugged. Travis had already left to go into Billie's storeroom. Harrison tossed a coin on the countertop. "Thanks for the drink, Billie."
He turned around and walked over to face the man who had tried to kill him.
The stranger looked up from his drink and frowned at Harrison. His right hand was slowly edging toward his lap.
"I saw your face, you son-of-a-bitch."
"What are you talking about?"
Harrison told him. He used every foul, four-letter word he could think of while he insulted him, but the one word that finally got a reaction was coward. Ugly-face took exception to the word.
He started to stand up. Cole's voice stopped him cold. " Harrison, you're talking to the scraggliest looking animal I've ever seen. I can smell his stink all the way over here. If his hand moves once more, I'm gonna have to shoot him."
"For the love of mother, don't start anything in here, Cole," Billie pleaded. He sounded like he was about to cry. "I just got my new mirror up on the wall. Go on outside, please. I'm begging you."
"Stay where you are, Cole. This is my fight, not yours. What's your name, coward?"
"I'm going to kill you. No one calls Quick a coward. And people call me Quick because I'm quick as a snake."
After giving the threat, Coward stood up and strutted outside. He was wearing two guns. Harrison was wearing only one.
Cole went to the doorway to watch. Billie hurried out from behind his counter and ran over to the window.
"Don't you think you'd best get on out there and help your friend? Everyone in town knows Harrison can't shoot his way out of a gunnysack. He's gonna get himself killed. I sure wish Dooley was here. He went fishing today. He'll be sorry he missed this."
Cole was busy looking at the tops of the buildings, trying to locate the other two men. They'd disappeared, but he knew they were hiding nearby. Men who ambushed once will do it again, or so Cole believed, and if the three of them were friends, they all thought the same gutless way. Cowards ran with cowards, didn't they?
"Now, what's Harrison doing standing in the middle of the road talking to Quick?" Billie asked.
"He's probably lawyering," Cole replied.
"His speechifying is making Quick-As-a-Snake real mad. I can see him fuming from here."
Harrison was trying to get Quick to admit his guilt before he hurt him. If he cooperated and owned up to his crime, Harrison would force himself to behave in a civilized manner. He wouldn't kill him. No, he'd let him crawl away… eventually. He would beat the hell out of him first, of course.
"Your bullet could have killed Mary Rose Clayborne," he roared.
Quick backed a step away from the rage he saw in Harrison 's eyes. "I'm going to kill you," he repeated in a stammer. "Here and now in front of witnesses. We'll have a draw, on the square."
Harrison nodded. He was through talking. "Tell me the rules," he demanded.
"What?"
"Tell me the rules of a draw."
Quick spit in the dirt and let out a snicker. "We each take a walk backwards real slow for about ten paces."