The Inventor and the Bounty Hunter - Jonah Hex

1.

It was a day in mid-June 1876 that Ella Spear saw a ghost.

She had hitched up her small, homemade wagon to her horse and rode into town with some items for a friend.

"You know, I can build you a proper wagon," one of the men in town had offered, on more  than one occasion, really emphasizing the 'proper' part of that sentence.

Her answer was always the same: "Thanks kindly, but I don't have the kind of money right now for a new wagon, so I make do with what I have. I have all I need."

This was the same man who, also on multiple occasions, asked her why she still wasn't married, 'still' being the emphasized part of that sentence. 

"Are you ever gonna get married?"

"I don't know. He was the love of my life - also, it ain't none of your business."

Once arriving in town, along with a lot of stares, she tied up her horse outside the saloon and gathered her basket for Lilah, all while one of the bartenders who was taking a break, smoking a cigar on the front porch, watched her. 

"Afternoon," she addressed him. "I'm here to see Lilah."

"You're too good to that woman."

"Hey, trust me, there's a lot more she rather be doing than working at this here establishment - but life isn't always fair." With that she pushed past him and into the rowdy bar. 

Her friend Lilah was one of the saloon girls who worked here. She didn't have much, but Ella helped where she could. She really enjoyed the other woman's company.

"Ella! Oh you're too sweet!" Lilah gave her a hug and happily accepted the items. "Aw, you're too good to me."

"Hey, don't you start now too. Friends help friends. You deserve it more than a lot of people do."

Lilah smiled.  "Well thank you.  Come in, come sit - tell me, what's your latest project?"

"Something that will help with the chopping wood - I don't mind the exercise, but I sometimes overdo it and then I can barely move. But for something like that, I need more parts, parts that I don't have, nor do I have the money for right now."

The ladies chatted for a good hour, also sharing a drink. Ella wanted to head home before it started to get dark. 

They headed down into the saloon together. Near the front door, a man was putting up a poster:

WANTED

Jonah Hex

$500 Reward

Ella froze. 

"Ella, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I have - kinda... My fiancé, during the war - that's his name."

"Jonah Hex?"

"Yeah. The war ended, and he never came home. There's  always been this  hope that he still will but-" She didn't finish that thought, just shook her head. "But he died, so..."

"Honey, I'm sorry," Lilah said. 

"It couldn't be him - it can't be. That's impossible - as I said, he died during the war. Must be someone cruelly using his name. Plus, he didn't look like that."

"Five-hundred dollars - that's one hell of a reward for finding whoever that is."

"Sure is - maybe I should go track down whoever it is, see who they really are." With that, Ella bid her friend goodbye, saying she'd see her again the next week. She headed back to her horse and rode away back home - all the while, that wanted poster lingered in the forefront of her mind. 

That was the day ghosts from her past reappeared. It would be several more days, however, before they came knocking. 

(Okay, there we go, hope you enjoyed this first chapter!

Thanks  for reading! :))