of wood in what was left of her cobbler. The hole in the wall was about the same size as the one she’d put in the ceiling, and she wondered who she could hire to fix it then wondered why she cared. She’d just alienated her father, kicked her fiancé out of her life, and humiliated herself in front of the only man who’d shown true interest in her life.
“Have mercy,” she said.
“Fannie… give me the gun.”
Fannie jumped. She’d forgotten that Myron was still here.
“Are you still here?”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you going to run away, too?”
Myron grinned. “Not unless you shoot at me, too.”
She sighed. “I don’t know what came over me.”
Myron took a slow step toward her and when she didn’t turn the shotgun on him, he carefully removed it from her hands.
“Well now, Miss Fannie, I have to say that this was probably the most memorable evening I’ve ever spent in my life.”
She moaned and covered her face.
“I’m so ashamed.”
“Yeah, I don’t blame you,” Myron said. “You have one hell of a father. But you know you’re going to have to learn to forgive him one of these days.”
“Why?” Fannie said.
Myron set the gun aside and then took her by the shoulders.
“Because we can’t have our children’s grandfather barred from our door just because he is an ass.”
Fannie gasped. “What?”
Myron felt his apple cobbler churning low in his gut. He knew this was fast, but something told him that Fannie Smithson was too precious to let go.
“I know this is hasty, but I truly admire you, Fannie, and I would be honored if you would consider being my wife.”
Fannie gawked. “Have you lost your mind? Today was the first time we’ve ever spoken to each other and you think I’m so desperate that I’ll agree to something so outrageous?”
Myron sighed. “I suppose I have lost my mind, but it’s all your fault for being so audacious. I think it was right about the time you mentioned wanting to work in the saloon playing poker, that I fell for you.”
Fannie blushed. “I am a fool.”
Myron cupped her cheek.
“No. The fools are Harley Charles and your father for not seeing what a handsome woman you really are. And just for the record, I don’t want your damned dowry. I don’t need your father’s money. I have plenty of my own. What I don’t have is you. I’ll wait for as long as you wish, but please, Fannie dear, please consider being my wife.”
“You’re serious.”
“As a man can be.”
“You truly consider me handsome?”
“Truly.”
“I swear if you’re making jest of me in any way and I find out about it later, I will shoot you dead.”
He started to grin. “I believe you and I swear that I’m true.”
Fannie put her fingers against her lips, trying to stifle the urge to cry.
Myron lifted her hands away from her mouth and clutched them against his chest.
“So… Fannie… what do you say?”
“I say we’re both crazy,” she whispered.
He nodded. “Two of a kind. Perfect match, wouldn’t you say?”
She sighed. “Yes. I say, yes.”
His fingers tightened as his heart leaped.
“Are you saying that you’ll be mine?”
“Yes, but just remember…”
He swooped her up into his arms and swung her off her feet.
“I know, I know,” he said, as he started to laugh. “If I’m lying, you’ll shoot me dead.”
“Where you stand.”
“Right,” Myron said. “Now all we need to do is find a preacher.”
Fannie frowned. “I’ve heard that before.”
“I’ll find one before the week is out,” Myron promised. “So you’d better start sewing your wedding dress. I don’t want to wait any longer than necessary.”
“Truly?” Fannie asked.
“Yes, Fannie, dear. Truly. And if I can’t find a preacher, I’ll scare the hell out of your father, and have him marry us himself.”
Fannie started to grin. She would never have imagined when she woke up this morning that, by night she would have ended her betrothal to Harley, pointed a gun at her father, and promised to marry the man who ran the saloon.
All in all, it had been a very good day.
The Fragility Of Woman
They’d been riding in the stagecoach for hours and the dust boiling into the coach beneath the limp green curtains was thick in the air. Every breath Letty took smelled of dirt, and when she gritted her teeth, which was often, she could feel the fine grind of it between her teeth. Added to that, she needed to pee worse than she’d ever needed to go in her life—even worse than she’d needed to go at Forney’s