The Outlaws: Jess (10 page)

"Can anyone join in?"

Five pairs of eyes regarded him with
interest.

"You got money?" a rough man with a day's
growth of beard asked.

"I've got this," Jess said, dangling the
watch by its gold chain.

A man nattily dressed in fancy duds held out
his hand. "Let's see it."

Jess handed over the watch to the man who had
all the markings of a professional gambler.

"Aw, let the man sit in, Fisk," a
distinguished looking man wearing a dark suit said. "We need some
new blood."

Fisk inspected the watch carefully. "Belong
to your pa, did it?" he asked Jess.

Jess nodded. "It's solid gold."

"You must be desperate for a game if you'd
risk an heirloom," Fisk said, turning the watch over in his hands.
"It's gold, all right. What do you say, boys, shall we deal the
tenderfoot in?"

When no one objected, Jess pulled up a
chair.

"Five card stud," Fisk said, dealing out the
cards.

Jess fanned his cards close to his chest. He
kept his expression purposely blank despite wanting to jump for
joy. Luck was with him. He held a pair of kings. The betting became
heated. Jess watched the gambler closely for cheating. His intense
scrutiny was rewarded when he caught Fisk dealing himself a card
from the bottom. Jess slapped his hand down on the deck.

"From the top, please," he growled.

The bearded man leaped to his feet. "You been
cheatin', Fisk?"

"Sit down, Brewster, the tenderfoot don't
know what he's talking about."

"Calm down, gentlemen," the well-dressed man
said. "Let's give Fisk the benefit of the doubt this time. But
we'll all be watching you, Fisk, so if you've a mind to cheat,
don't. We should thank...what did you say your name was,
mister?"

"Jess. Jess Gentry."

"I'm Earl Wyland. I for one am grateful for
the warning."

"It's Dr. Gentry."

"A medical doctor?" a young cowhand asked.
"I'm Pace Lynch."

"I'm Chet Conner," a sad eyed man in a
wrinkled suit said.

"And I'm Burl Brewster." This from the
bearded man.

"Howdy," Jess said. "Yes, I'm a medical
doctor. I'm thinking of opening a practice in town. Remember me
when you need a doctor."

Fisk sent Jess a murderous glare. "Are we
gonna play poker or sit here and chit chat?"

"Get on with the game," Jess said. "Deal from
the top this time."

The game continued. Jess discarded three
cards and was dealt an ace, a deuce, and another king to go along
with his pair of kings. The bidding continued. At the final lay
down, Jess held the winning hand. He scooped up his winnings and
placed his watch back in his pocket. His luck held out. He won the
next two hands out of four. He owed his luck to reading expressions
and knowing when to hold and when to fold.

Sad-eyed Chet Conner said little during the
play. He bet with a reckless abandon that bothered Jess. The man
appeared to be sober but Jess could tell his heart wasn't in
gambling. He lost consistently and appeared not to care.

The game progressed. Gold coins and paper
bills piled up in front of Jess. A few hours later Jess became
aware of the passage of time and of his incredible good fortune,
and he didn't want to push fate. The nighttime crowd began drifting
into the saloon, some gravitating toward the poker table to watch
the play. Saloon girls sashayed through the crowd, urging men to
buy them drinks and making assignations for later.

When the deal came around to Jess again, he
placed the cards face down on the table and announced his decision
to call it a night.

"You can't quit now, Gentry," Fisk charged as
Jess rose and stretched. "Give us a chance to win our money
back."

"Another time," Jess declared. "It's getting
late. I still have to find a place to stay for the night."

"I'm through, too," Conner said. "Cleaned
out."

Fisk rose as if to challenge Jess.

"Accept your losses and let it go at that,
Fisk," Wyland advised. "We all lost tonight. And we're all aware of
your cheating now, thanks to the doc, here. I suggest you keep your
nose clean from now on."

Fisk slanted Jess another lethal look and
stalked away.

"Nice meeting you all," Jess said, eager now
to clear out with his winnings. They would be put to good use."

"Are you really going to hang up your shingle
in town?" Conner asked.

"Just as soon as I find a place to rent
within my means," Jess said. "Until I won tonight, I didn't have a
nickel to call my own." He tipped his hand. "I owe you all my
thanks, gentlemen."

"Mr. Gentry, might I have a word with you?"
Conner asked.

Jess was surprised to find the meek Mr.
Conner following behind him. "Of course. How may I help you? Are
you ill?" Jess took a closer look at the man, thinking he might be
consumptive.

"No, not sick. At least not in the way you
mean. My wife of thirty years just passed away and I'm taking her
back to Philadelphia for burial. It was her wish to be buried
beside our only child, who died before we left Philadelphia."

Jess led Conner to a table and invited him to
sit down. Conner took a seat and stared at his hands. Jess waited
for Conner to state his business.

"You need to rent a place to practice
medicine."

"That's right," Jess said, wondering where
this was going.

"I own a house located on the main street
that might suit your purposes. Would you care to look at it? I'm
leaving taking my wife's body back East on the train tomorrow. I
intended to leave the house empty until I return, but that doesn't
make sense. Renting it will help both of us. Frankly, I could use
the money, Dr. Gentry."

Jess tried to contain his excitement but it
was difficult. Practicing medicine again was his fondest wish. "You
were gambling rather recklessly tonight, Mr. Conner."

"I know. Since Elsie died I haven't been
myself. I came out here with a nice little nest egg. I built the
house and opened a dry goods store. I guess I'm not much of a
businessman for my store failed quickly.

"I took a job in a bank. Bank clerks don't
make much money and I rarely gambled until today, but something
snapped inside me when I lost my wife. All my dreams were gone,
just like Elsie. I didn't regain my wits until you accused Fisk of
cheating. Suddenly I realized how foolish I had been. I need money
to see me to Philadelphia and pay for Elsie's funeral."

"How long to you intend to be gone, Mr.
Conner?"

Conner shook his head, his grief palpable. "I
don't know. Perhaps I won't return at all. I have a brother in
Philadelphia. He offered me a job in his hardware store. I just
might take it."

Jess's eyes lit up. "Would you be willing to
give me, say, a six month lease?"

Conner blinked. "I'm sure something can be
worked out that will please both of us."

"When can I see the house? If it suit my
needs, I would be interested in renting."

Jess followed Conner out the door. "It's not
far," Conner said. "We can walk, but bring your horse, if you'd
like.

Jess decided to take his horse and led him
down the street behind him. They passed the bank, the mercantile,
the sheriff's office, two saloons, barbershop, grocery store,
blacksmith, bathhouse, and not one, but two daily newspapers.

"All this building happened since the first
tents went up in eighteen sixty-seven, just over a year ago,"
Conner explained. "I arrived with the early settlers. Elsie and I
lived in a tent until our house and store were built. Almost
overnight four thousand residents swelled the town, and an army
supply depot was built nearby to protect the railroad workers.
Despite the army presence, a sheriff and town government, Cheyenne
is still a lawless town. Most people refer to it as 'hell on
wheels.'"

"Is there a doctor in town?"

"There is, but he's worthless," Conner spat,
surprising Jess with his sudden ferocity. "The man is always drunk.
Had he been worth his salt, my Elsie might be alive today. That's
one of the reasons for my offer. You seem to be a responsible young
man, one a body could trust with their loved ones."

Conner stopped before a neat little cottage
located at the end the business district, far enough away from the
saloons to escape the noise and rowdiness.

Jess smiled as he looked over the clapboard
cottage with a critical eye. The two-storied white house sat on a
large shady lot surrounded by a fence. Jess swung open the gate,
making a mental note to fix the squeaky hinges. Conner dug a key
from his pocket and unlocked the door.

"Go right in, Doctor. I'll light a lamp so
you can take a look around and see if it will suit your
purposes."

Jess stepped inside. Conner struck a match to
a lamp and led Jess through a rather large parlor that would serve
nicely as a waiting room. Off to the side was another, smaller
room. Beyond was a kitchen. Conner opened the door to a pantry, and
Jess was pleased to note that it held a full compliment of dishes,
utensils, and cooking pots. There was even a shiny black
cookstove.

"The stove was Elsie's pride and joy," Conner
said wistfully. "Everything is just the way she left it. Would you
like to see the upstairs?"

Jess nodded and followed Conner up a closed
staircase to the second floor. There wasn't much to see. Two fairly
large bedrooms with the usual compliment of furniture. Colorful
quilts covered the beds and cheerful curtains hung at the windows.
Everything was clean and neat as a pin.

"One of Elsie's friends came in to clean
after Elsie... Conner's voice cracked. "The outhouse is in the
back, well away from the house, and we have our own well. There's
even a lean-to for your horse. What do you think, Doc," Conner
asked as he led the way back downstairs. "Will it do?"

"Quite well," Jess said, excitement thrumming
through him. "The anti room off the parlor will make an excellent
examining room and private office. One of the upstairs bedrooms can
be used for seriously ill patients needing intensive care. Indeed,
your house will suit my purposes extremely well. How much rent are
you asking?"

Conner grew thoughtful. "Before tonight and
that blasted poker game, I hadn't even considered renting. Let's
see," he said, tapping his chin. "Would twenty dollars a month be
too much? It's hard to find a decent place these days, you couldn't
do any better. A six month lease sounds reasonable to me. And if
it's possible, I'd like the first six months rent in advance. I
wouldn't ordinarily ask such a thing but I'm desperate for money
and collecting it monthly would be nearly impossible with me so far
away."

Jess had won six hundred dollars tonight, and
a good share of that money was Conner's. If luck was with him, he'd
have six months, maybe longer, before anyone suspected he was a
wanted man. He could conceivably live here forever if business was
good and his past didn't catch up with him.

"I think that's a reasonable request, Conner.
Can I move in tonight?"

Conner nodded. "I intended to remain at the
station with Elsie's coffin tonight anyway."

Jess counted out one hundred and twenty
dollars from his poker winnings and handed it to Conner.

"I'll write out a lease so there will be no
question about the legality of our deal," Conner said, moving to
the small desk sitting in the corner of the parlor.

He set the lamp down, found what he needed in
the desk, and wrote out a document giving Jess a six month lease on
his house, making the notation that the rent had been paid in
advance. Then he handed it to Jess and they shook hands.

"Should I decide to sell, I'll let you know.
Your six months rent can go toward the sale price, if that's all
right with you."

"Sounds fair," Jess said, pleased with the
deal. "Good luck to you, Mr. Conner."

"And to you, doctor."

Conner took one last look around the pleasant
parlor, then quietly departed. Jess felt sorry for the man, but
meeting him tonight had been a stroke of luck. In fact, his luck
tonight had been phenomenal on all accounts.

Jess led his horse around to the lean-to,
unsaddled him and rubbed him down. He made a mental note to stop by
the feed store tomorrow when he purchased food for the larder. He
also needed to replenish his medicinal supplies, and order what he
couldn't find. He supposed a cot would do for an examining table
for the time being, until he found something suitable.

Jess still had four hundred and eighty
dollars left from his winnings, and that had to pay for food and
supplies and hold him over until money started coming in. Hopefully
patients would arrive soon after he hung out his shingle. Perhaps a
few handbills wouldn't be remiss, he thought as he returned to the
house and chose one of the bedrooms for his own.

Jess undressed, doused the lamp, and went to
bed. Of all the incredible things that had happened today to make
it memorable, the singular thing that stuck out in his mind was
holding Meg in his arms and kissing her. He knew she had enjoyed
his kisses. She wouldn't have kissed him back or melted in his arms
if she'd been repulsed or angry. How could she profess to love Zach
and still respond passionately to his kisses? The longer he thought
about it the more that relationship puzzled him.

Meg was different from any woman he'd ever
known. She was brave, passionate, independent, and thoroughly
exasperating. She resisted taking orders and refused to comply with
any but her own edicts. For her sake he hoped Zach could convince
her to leave bounty hunting to men who were cut out for that kind
of work.

Jess awoke early the following morning, ready
to begin drumming up business. He strolled down the street and ate
breakfast at the Railroad Cafe. Then he visited the nearest
newspaper office and ordered a dozen handbills advertising his
services.