Chapter 13
It was later that Sunday evening, and Josh and Jenny lay naked under her bed covers after dozing off from their session of sex.
Jenny woke up and looked at Josh, then kissed his forehead and lightly kissed his lips.
Josh woke up and smiled the second he saw Jenny’s face. “Hello, beautiful.”
“Hello, handsome,” she replied with a loving smile.
Josh lightly kissed her lips. “Why didn’t we meet in the other world?” he said while he held her hand.
“We could be having a beautiful, loving life together instead of me having a boring and life with that old creep,” she replied and looked sick.
“That’s where our paradise is, back home,” he responded.
Josh and Jenny kissed.
The sound of cowboy boots on the front porch was heard while someone approached the door of the doctor’s office and coughed up some phlegm.
“It’s Doc Holloway. You better sneak out the back, or he’ll immediately run to Marshall Fisher,” she said and looked worried.
Josh jumped out of bed and ran over to his clothes.
“What time is it?” he asked while he pulled on his boxer shorts.
“8:10,” she replied while she looked at the clock on the dresser.
They both heard Doc Holloway cough up more phlegm on the front porch by the front door.
Josh quickly got dressed in his pants and shirt.
He blew Jenny a kiss while he hopped while putting on his cowboy boots at the same time he headed to the bedroom door.
“If anybody asks, you had a headache,” she said while she got dressed in her nurses uniform.
“I’m falling in love with you,” Josh said while he stood in the doorway.
“Me too,” she replied with a loving smile.
They heard Doc Holloway cough up some more phlegm on the front porch.
Josh looked nervous while Jenny just stared at him.
Josh had a spring in his step while he rushed to the rear door in the central area.
Josh quietly exited the rear door of Doc Holloway’s Office, ran down the back alley, and didn’t notice cowboy Butch who was forcing Daniel, a twenty-five-year-old man to perform oral sex on him in the shadows of the backside of the bank.
Josh ran down the alley and headed to Fisher’s Lane.
Josh rushed down Fisher’s Lane and headed to his hotel.
Josh rushed through the lobby of his hotel and bolted up the stairs.
Bud worked behind the front desk during the night shift and thought it was peculiar the way Josh dashed into the hotel room.
Josh went inside his room, got undressed, and jumped under the bed covers. He lay staring at the ceiling and couldn’t stop thinking about the beautiful time he just spent with Jenny. He closed his eyes with a huge smile on his face, happy to be in love with her.
Back at Doc Holloway’s Office, Jenny watched while Doc Holloway plopped on the other bed to sleep off the booze he drank all day.
Jenny quietly walked out of the doctor’s office to avoid waking up Doc Holloway.
“Hey darling,” Marshall Fisher’s voice was heard the second she stepped off the front porch and into the dirt street.
“Hey baby,” she replied, pretending to be happy to see him while she watched him walk over with Anita.
“Darling, I want you to meet my daughter, Anita,” he said while they walked up to Jenny.
“Hello,” Anita said with a smile.
“You look familiar,” Jenny said while she shook Anita’s hand.
“She worked at the counter back at the mansion for the Train House selling tickets and being the general caretaker,” Marshall Fisher replied.
“Oh yeah, what brings you here to Paradise?” Jenny asked.
“Daddy’s going to find me a husband,” Anita replied with sparkles in her eyes.
“That’s wonderful,” Jenny said, but she knew the Marshall would force someone to marry her daughter.
“Come, my sweetness, let’s go to the house,” Marshall Fisher said, then grabbed Jenny’s arm and walked her and Anita back down Paradise Lane toward the mansion.
Jenny was forced to stay at the mansion where the band played music for the Marshall, Jenny, and Anita, and they drank some expensive brandy.
Jenny hated every minute she spent in the place and was so happy to head back to her hotel at 10:00 p.m.
It was 5:00 a.m., Monday morning, and Josh woke up before the sound of the irritating bell of Maggie.
He stepped out of his room; the second Maggie was about to enter to wake him up. She looked a little pissed that she didn’t get to rattle Josh out of his sleep while she watched him walk down to the bathroom.
A little while later, Josh walked down Fisher’s Lane and headed down Paradise Lane.
Josh soon walked into the Paradise Dining Hall, where he was greeted by Abby at the door with her clipboard.
“Josh Bryant,” he told her.
Abby looked at the names on her clipboard and checked off Josh’s name and smiled at him.
Josh went into the dining room and looked at Jenny’s table and noticed she was eating breakfast.
He walked over to his table and sat down.
James walked over to the table. “You beat me to the table for once,” he said while he sat down.
“Yeah,” Josh replied with a little grin while he thought about his last night naked romp with Jenny while he glanced back at her table.
After five minutes of waiting, Walt brought Josh and James their scrambled eggs, bacon dinner.
Kimmy placed two glasses of apple juice in front of the two guys.
“So, did you hear about Bob Jackson?” James asked then ate some scrambled eggs.
“Yep, I was there on Paradise Lane when it happened,” Josh replied, then he ate some scrambled eggs.
“What a shame,” James said, then he drank some of his apple juice.
“Yeah,” Josh said thought about yesterday’s shooting.
After breakfast, Josh left the Dining Hall and walked toward the General Store for his garden duty while Jenny headed down to Doc Holloway’s Office.
Then cowboys Butch, with a black eye from Marshall Fisher, and Tim walked down from Paradise Lane from Marshall Fisher’s mansion and headed toward Josh.
“We need to see you for a little private talk,” Tim said the second Butch grabbed one of Josh’s arms.
“But I need to get to my garden detail,” Josh quickly replied and tried to squirm out of their grips.
Butch gripped harder on Josh’s arm to let him know that wasn’t going to happen.
The cowboys Tim and Butch escorted Josh between the Dining Hall building and the General Store building.
They rushed him to the rear of the Dining Hall building and slammed his back up against the wall.
“Marshall Fisher wants to know why you were coming out of Doc Holloway’s Office last night?” Tim asked while he got in Josh’s face.
“What were you doing in there?” Tim asked while he got in Josh’s face.
Josh sweated and started to shake in fear. “I ah, I ahh,” Josh stammered, then he noticed Butch’s black eye.
“I ah, what?” Butch replied while he glared into Josh’s eyes.
“I had a throbbing headache, and she gave me something for it,” Josh nervously answered.
“The Marshall hit me because I didn’t report your time with Jenny until this morning. So you’re going to pay,” Butch said while he glared into Josh’s eyes, then he punched Josh in his stomach.
Josh’s cowboy had fallen to the dirt, dropped to his knees, and buckled over in pain.
“Butch here has a headache, and you’re the aspirin he needs,” Tim said while he picked Josh up by his collar and brought him to his feet.
“He sure looks like a pretty piece of aspirin,” Butch said while he lightly touched Josh’s cheek.
Josh had fear in his eyes while he recalled Willard’s tale of why he wanted to leave Paradise.
Tim spun Josh around and slammed him face-first into the wall of the Dining Hall.
“He’s right, I have a dreadful headache, and you’re just the medicine I need,” Butch said while he reached around and unbuckled Josh’s belt.
“No!” Josh yelled out and tried to squirm away from Tim’s grips, but Tim had pressed hard into Josh’s back.
“Please, no!” Josh yelled out while Butch lowered Josh’s pants down to his ankles.
Tim placed his hand over Josh’s mouth.
“No!” Josh muffled out his cry into Tim’s hand when Butch lowered Josh’s boxer shorts to his ankles, leaving his bare ass exposed.
Butch squeezed Josh’s butt cheeks. “I like them nice and tight,” he said, then smacked Josh’s butt cheeks.
Josh cringed in fear when he heard Butch unbuckle his belt and lowered his pants.
“I’m going to make this boy my new bitch,” Butch said while he leaned forward and licked Josh’s face cheek.
A shovel came out from behind the cowboys and whacked Butch hard on the back of his head. Butch’s eyes crossed, and he dropped to the dirt passed out.
Tim looked a little baffled at Butch, and the second he opened his mouth to say something, the shovel whacked Tim hard on the back of his head. Tim’s eyes crossed, and he dropped to the dirt passed out.
The pressure against Josh’s back suddenly disappeared, and he curiously turned around and saw James standing there with a shovel in his hand.
“Get the hell out of here,” James said, then he turned around and headed to the rear door of the General Store.
Josh quickly pulled up his boxer shorts, pants and buckled his belt.
He picked up his cowboy hat, placed it on his head, then rushed away and headed to the front of the General Store.
James stood in the doorway of the rear door to the General Store and looked at Butch, and Tim still passed out in the dirt. He knew he could get into trouble, but he felt it was worth the risk to save a friend from being raped.
James went inside the store as if nothing happened outside.
Josh ran to the front of the General Store and saw Bo drive the wagon down Paradise Lane. He ran after the wagons in a panic.
Anita walked down Paradise Lane from the mansion, and she looked in awe at the town her father built. Then she saw Josh while he chased after the wagon. “Hi Josh,” she called out with a loving smile.
Josh saw Anita but didn’t recognize her and tipped his cowboy hat while he chased after Bo’s wagon.
From the back of the wagon, Harold spotted Anita walking down the street. He was immediately smitten.
Josh picked up speed and raced to the rear of Bo’s wagon. He almost gave up as he was out of breath, but then Gary’s hand finally grabbed Josh’s hand. Gary and Harold pulled Josh into the back of the wagon.
“Thanks,” Josh replied out of breath while he sat down in the back of the wagon.
Bo looked back when he sensed the commotion. “You’re late, Bryant!” he yelled.
“Sorry. I got detained,” Josh replied, still out of breath.
“Don’t let it happen again,” Bo scolded.
“Yes, sir,” Josh replied.
Josh just watched the wagon while it drove through the grassy field and tried to block out of his mind with the attempted rape.
Bo drove the wagon out of Paradise and headed toward the gardens.
Twenty minutes later, Jenny swept the floor with a bristle broom to kill some time.
The door slammed open, which startled Jenny. She turned around, and Marshall Fisher stormed inside with cowboys Mark and Tony tagging behind like obedient servants.
Then, cowboys, Steve and Dan walked cowboys Butch and Tim inside who both were in pain with severe headaches and large goose eggs on the back of their heads
“What’s wrong?” Jenny asked the second she saw Marshall Fisher’s pissed look and the two cowboys in pain.
Marshall Fisher grabbed Jenny by her hair and brought her face an inch from his face. “What the hell were you doing with that Bryant punk last night?” he blew his words into her face and glared into her eyes.
“He had a headache and needed some aspirin,” she replied while she pointed at the medicine cabinet with glass doors.
Marshall Fisher glanced at the medicine cabinet then he pulled harder on Jenny’s hair.
She cringed in pain.
“Are you lying to me?”
“No, baby, I swear! He had a headache,” she pleaded.
“You know the consequences if I find out otherwise,” he threatened. Marshall Fisher forced a kiss hard on Jenny’s lips then he threw her down to the floor. “Where’s Doc Holloway?” he asked while he towered over her body.
“I believe he’s having his morning drink,” she replied and looked intimidated with him.
“Go get the drunk,” he looked back and told cowboys Steve and Dan, who immediately dashed out the door.
“My two cowboys were hit by an unidentified assailant,” Marshall Fisher told Jenny.
Jenny got up off the floor and walked over to Butch and Tim. She immediately looked at the goose eggs on the back of their heads. “I’ll give them some pain medicine, and they can rest here,” she told Marshall Fisher.
“Do that,” he replied.
Jenny walked over to the medicine cabinet and removed a bottle of pain pills. She removed four pills and walked over to Butch and Tim. “I’ll get you some water,” she said while he handed her the two pills.
She poured them some water in a glass, and they both took the pills. She then placed Butch and Tim both in the bedrooms where they could rest.
“You’re moving into my mansion so I can keep an eye on you,” he said, then he stormed out of the office with his cowboys following.
Jenny silently cried the second the door was closed.
The rest of the day was uneventful for Josh. After he helped unload the baskets from the wagons and dropped them off in the kitchen of the Dining Hall, he relaxed in his hotel room.
It was now time for dinner, and Josh and James ate their steak dinners and remained quiet.
While Josh chewed on his steak, he glanced over and saw Jenny while she ate her steak dinner at her table. He felt relieved that Marshall Fisher didn’t learn about their lovemaking session last night.
“If I can have everybody’s attention,” Marshall Fisher called out from the doorway of the room.
Everybody looked at Marshall Fisher, cowboys Tony, Steve, Mark Ray, and Charlie standing behind him.
“Someone attacked two of my men this morning behind the Dining Hall. Therefore, I’m conducting an investigation, and the culprit will regret his dastardly deed. I’m also imposing a revised curfew to start in one hour,” Marshall Fisher addressed everybody and looked serious.
Josh and James looked down at their steak dinners and got scared.
Josh looked while Marshall Fisher walked over to Jenny at her table.
Cowboy Steve walked over with a dozen roses in hand and gave them to Marshall Fisher, who, in turn, gave them to Jenny. This was his way to say he was sorry for this morning’s encounter in the doctor’s office.
Josh looked away and was depressed. “Why is it always me?” he said under his breath.
Josh ate for a few more seconds then he heard footsteps coming up from behind him. He looked, and Anita walked up and sat down at one of the empty table seats.
“Hello, remember me?” Anita asked Josh with a loving smile.
Josh looked at Anita, and he didn’t recognize her at all.
“I’m from the lobby of the mansion where you came to pay to visit the Train House. I’m Marshall Fisher’s daughter, Anita,” she said with a gleam in her eyes.
Josh looked at her, then his eyes widened when he remembered. “Ah, yes, why did you come here?”
“To find a man to marry. I don’t have much luck with men back home, so daddy said he’ll help me,” she replied with love in her eyes while she looked at Josh.
Josh looked away and glanced over at Jenny.
James looked at Anita, and he instantly knew she was hot for Josh’s love.
Josh then looked upset when he saw Marshall Fisher escort Jenny out of the dining room.
Anita leaned over and gave Josh a quick kiss on his cheek. “I’ll see you later, Josh,” she said, then got and walked away from the table.
“I think she really likes you,” James said while he ate the rest of his steak.
“I’m not interested in her,” Josh said, then drank his milk and looked upset that Marshall Fisher left with Jenny.
It was quiet during the rest of their meal.
After dinner, Josh walked down Paradise Lane and headed in the direction of the Marshall’s mansion.
Josh walked down to the end of Paradise Lane, where the dirt road went through the grassy field with the entrance to Marshall Fisher’s mansion to the right. He stopped when he saw cowboys Willy, Kurt, Richie, and Howie at the campfire guarding the entrance trail to the mansion with Winchester rifles and bottles of whiskey.
Cowboy Willy saw Josh and walked closer to him. “What do you want?” he asked in a concerned voice.
“Nothing, I’m just taking a walk and enjoying the beautiful evening,” Josh replied while he looked at Willy, and he saw a shadowy figure walk from the dirt driveway of the mansion and headed toward the cowboys.
Josh turned around and started walking back into Paradise.
Cowboy Hal rode up on a horse and stopped at Josh. “Curfew’s about to begin so you better get your ass back to your hotel room,” he threatened.
“I’ll walk him back to his room,” Anita’s voice was heard from behind Josh.
Josh turned and saw Anita walking up to him from the campfire.
“Yes ma-am,” cowboy Hal replied politely at Anita and tipped his hat, turned his horse around and rode back into town.
Anita placed one of her arms around Josh’s arm and escorted him down Paradise Lane.
“Daddy did a beautiful job with the night sky. Don’t you think?” she asked while she reached over and held Josh’s hand.
He accepted holding hands with her because he was afraid if he didn’t, the Marshall would hang him.
“He sure did,” Josh replied with a fake smile.
“Yep, daddy’s a genius!”
Anita snuggled closer to Josh, and he looked uneasy.
“You make me feel like a queen,” she said with a gleam in her eyes.
Josh hated every second of Anita’s flirting while they walked down the street.
Harold walked on the other side of Paradise Lane, and he saw Josh and Anita and looked jealous. “Why can’t I get a beautiful woman?” he quietly said to himself, then he moped down the street and headed to Blaine Lane for his hotel.
Josh and Anita eventually walked down Fisher’s Lane, head to Josh’s Hotel, and stopped.
“Well, you’re home, she said with love in her eyes then gave Josh a kiss on his cheek. “I’m so lucky to have you as my boyfriend.”
“You’re what?” Josh replied, a little shocked.
“You’re my boyfriend,” she repeated with love in her eyes.
“I ah,” Josh stuttered.
“I love you,” she quickly blurted out like a shy schoolgirl and released him from her hand and gave him a kiss on his lips.
“You what?” he replied the second their lips separated.
“You’re my boyfriend, and I love you,” she called out while she skipped down the street, leaving a little trail of dust.
Wendy and Eric, a middle-aged couple from Minnesota, looked at Josh with a smile while they heard Anita’s comment while they entered the hotel.
“I should have known,” Jenny’s voice called out from behind Josh.
Josh’s eyes widen in fear, turned around, and watched while Jenny walked up to him, visibly upset.
“No, it’s not what it appears,” Josh pleaded.
“They all say that,” Jenny replied.
Jenny walked past Josh and head down the street.
“Let me explain, Jenny.”
Jenny ignored him while she walked away down Fisher’s Lane.
Josh rushed after Jenny.
Cowboy Hal rode up on his horse. “It’s curfew time. Get your ass in your hotel,” Hal said with a serious look while he placed his right hand on the grip of his Colt 45 pistol.
“Yes sir,” Josh said while he walked to the front door of his hotel and glanced back at Jenny, who rushed down the street.
Jenny’s eyes well up as she walked to the rear door of Doc Holloway’s Office building.
Later that night, Josh lay in his bed and stared at the ceiling. His thoughts tossed between his love for Jenny and Anita’s forced love on him.
His room door slammed open, he jumped up, startled and got scared when he saw cowboys Steve, Tony, Mark, and Ray rush inside his room.
“Marshall Fisher wants a word with you,” Steve said while the cowboys approached Josh’s bed.
Steve and Tony grabbed on of Josh’s arms and yanked him off the bed.
They rushed Josh out of his room.
A little while later, cowboys Steve, Tony, Mark, and Ray rushed Josh over to the Marshall’s Office.
Inside the office, Marshall Fisher and Charlie waited behind the desk while they drank some coffee.
The door opened, and the cowboys entered with Josh in their grips.
Josh looked scared to death when he saw Marshall Fisher and Charlie stand up from their desks.
Cowboys Steve and Tony threw Josh to the floor.
Marshall Fisher walked over and grabbed Josh by his hair and pulled up to his feet. “Who attacked my men?” he said while he got nose to nose with Josh.
Josh looked scared to death and fought from peeing in his pants. “I didn’t see who did it.”
Charlie walked up and punched Josh in his stomach.
Josh dropped to the floor in pain.
Marshall Fisher grabbed Josh by his hair and painfully brought him to his feet. “I think your ears are clogged,” he said, then smacked both of Josh’s ears. “I said, who attacked my men?”
Josh cringed in pain. “I don’t know!”
Fisher nodded at Charlie, who grabbed one of Josh’s arms and rushed him over to one of the empty jail cells.
Charlie threw Josh into the empty cell, where he slammed to the floor then slammed the door shut.
“You’ll stay locked up until you give me a name,” Marshall Fisher said then left his office with the four cowboys.
Charlie sat back down at this desk and started playing his harmonica.
Later that night, cowboy Kirby had guard duty in the Marshall’s Office.
Josh tossed and turned in his bunk while he tried to sleep.
Over in the saloon, Charlie had some shots of whiskey with cowboys Mitch and Alan at the bar.
Cowboys Ned, Clint, Glen, and Chester sat at one of the tables with Rodney, the stagecoach driver, and played poker while they drank their shots of whiskey.
Doc Holloway was again passed out drunk at another table.
At the bar, Charlie gulped down his shot of whiskey. The
Wendell spat tobacco into the brass spittoon, poured the Charlie and the cowboys another shot of whiskey, and listened to the rest of Charlie’s story.
“And so the Marshall will hang that Josh Bryant punk even if he squeals on who attacked his men. He’s going to be dead soon,” Charlie said while he gulped down his whiskey.
“Good, I l