Six Shots Deep

Two Down, One To Go

"Put your hands where I can see them!" I yelled.

The man stuck his hands in the air. I walked around to face him before hitting him in the head with the butt of my rifle. He fell to the ground with a thud. I hogtied him and whistled for Nightmare. She came trotting up to the riverbank and stopped in front of me. I picked up the overweight man, lifting him on the back of Nightmare with a struggle.

I climbed up and headed back towards Valentine. Once there, I tethered Nightmare and headed into the sheriffs office.

"Could I get some help out here?" I slammed the poster down on the desk. "Man's overweight."

"Sure," the same deputy stood, returning a few minutes later with the unconscious man over his shoulders. He laid him in a cell and locked it. He then circled around to the sheriffs desk, pulling out a huge stack of money. "Good work out there, Rose. Keep it up."

I counted the money before nodding and heading out. I mounted Nightmare and began to steer her down the road to the hotel. I walked inside, renting a room for the night. Once I got upstairs, I unlocked the door and walked inside. I shut the door behind me, locking it and leaning against its mahogany frame. I slid down the wall in a heap, now feeling alone and vulnerable.

How could I let myself get tangled in with Morgan again? How could I let my guard down. We could've never worked out. I buried my face in my hands, drawing my knees to my chest as I sobbed. This was for the best.

Wasn't it?

*****

The next morning, I wasn't up and moving until noon. I didn't feel like doing shit today. I laid in bed for a while after I woke up, memories of Arthur flooding into my brain. I tried to chase them away, but that didn't work. I decided to take a day for myself, which meant no bounties, no men from the saloon, and especially, no Arthur.

I saddled up Nightmare and climbed up, patting her neck and feeding her a carrot. She ate it gratefully as I turned to head for the falls. I trotted slowly, taking in the beautiful countryside. The weather was warm and the sun shined bright. Once to the falls, I decided to wade in the water for a bit.

I carefully stripped, letting my long curls fall around my back. I stepped in the cool water, going in until it hit my mid back. That's when I succumbed underneath. As I came back up, I shook my head, my soaked hair leaving water droplets in its wake. I rung out my hair, before tying it up in a wet messy bun.

That's when a whistle brought me back to my senses. I quickly dipped down, my body covered by the water completely as I turned.

Arthur was sitting on the riverbank, enjoying the show.

I scowled at him, giving him the middle finger. He threw his head back in laughter before standing up, stripping down his clothes and joining me.

I stared up at him as he inched closer, his body wading in the water. He joined me, grabbing me by my hips as his arms wrapped around my waist.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked, trying to pull away from his grasp.

He held me tighter. Instead of answering, he simply kissed my neck. I felt that familiar heat against my skin again. The butterflies in my stomach were swarming in pleasure. I stopped him, pushing his hands away from my waist.

"Rose-"

I shook my head. "I ain't gonna do this." I replied sternly. "Not when just yesterday, you decided to head up with some blonde bitch-"

"Woah, hold on there." He grabbed my hands. "What the hell you talkin bout?"

"I saw that woman rubbing up on ya."