Meant to live

Chapter 1

The last night of May, dressed in the disgusting whore's dress that had belonged to her sister. Her and her sister did what they could to survive on their own. The fabric slid up slowly over her bosoms as she pushed them to the heavens, hoping her new disguise would get her what she needed. She barely went into town so no one except for Millie would know who she was. The black and white cloth settled tight on her curves.

Wonderful, she thought.

She secured her mother's thin hair needles into her curls, almost admiring who she looked. With all the candles blown out and the Texas sun setting, she walked towards town replaying the day's events.

Amelia had buried her sister in the ground earlier that morning. She tried to shead her tears as anger filled her heart. Her younger sister worked with no shame as a whore in town. The men normally treated her sister right and with some respect but there were always more that were rough. The night her sister was killed, one man had gotten rough. She tried to get him to stop. Instead, he choked her life from her and spat on her naked corpse.

Now, two days later, there she walked with her head high as she strolled into the dark town. Piano music poured from the saloon. She stopped at the swinging doors and clutched at her sister's silver locket that was hidden in her dress.

"Lord, in heaven. Give me the strength to get through tonight. Amen."

She pushed her way into the saloon as she looked around for him. She scanned the sea of men. Nasty, swearing, drunkards, all the lot of cows. At the far end, leaning back in his chair was an unfamilar face. She locked into his eyes as he drank his whiskey. The badge on his shirt gave him away. That had to be the new deputy. There's no way he'll survive the week, she thought.

"My Lord, Amelia. Is that you?"

She turned her head to Millie that gave a hail Mary as the look on her face looked as if she had had a stroke.

"Shh! You want to let the Indians know I'm here?!"

"What are you doing here dressed like that? You need to go home and bury your sister."

"I did this morning, next to Mama and Papa. Now where is he?"

Millie shook her head as she moved down the bar.

"Rickwall's gone. He left after..."

"I know a few of his men are still here. Where are they?"

"Leave it alone, Amelia. You're gonna get yourself killed."

"Hey, Millie!"

Amelia looked up to the mirror as she saw the table near the stairs. One of Rickwall's men had scared off another girl and was waving an empty bottle of liquor as it crashed to the floor.

"Get us more and bring a girl that knows what she's doin'!"

Amelia grabbed a full bottle of whatever she could reach for and left before Millie could interject, grabbing the arm of the girl that had left the table.

"Go get the other girls and get them as far away from that table as you can."

Amelia winked as the girl ushered the others away. She strolled, taking a long sip of her bottle with a false smile, to the side of the table where Noah, Rickwall's head lackey was sitted. She carressed his large shoulder as he turned and gave her a whistle.

"Now why can't the Lord always answer my prayers like this?"

"Excuse me, Cowboy but I can't seem to find a man that can handle his liquor, would you mind helping a lady finish the bottle?"

"More than glad, sweetheart."

"Aw damn, there's no chair. Wait here and..."

"That's alright, sweetheart. You can take my knee if you want and warm it right up."

"Mmm. What a gentleman," she purred.

Dead pig was more like it. Noah moved his hand up her backside as she pulled her bare knee over his thigh. It was a good thing she didn't own any stockings.

"You must be a fine cattle herder with muscles like yours."

"I'm no damn cattle herder!"

"Farmer?"

"Nope."

"The mill?"

"No. You could call me... a merchant."

She eased herself lower on his lap to see if she could find any weapons. He had a gun on his hip but she had to be sure there was no knife.

"Really? You must be bathing in fortune."

She giggled as she knowingly pushed her chest out. His eyes stayed on her flesh as he smiled. She smiled herself, taking a small sip of the liquor. He sampled he liquid as she found the handle of his hunting knife. Her hand almost gripped the handle as long fingers wrapped around her wrists, tightening around her bones.

"You trying to steal from him, whore?"

"Oh, Daniel. Let her go. She was just having some fun."

Daniel still held on tight as she tried to pull away. The struggle caused the locket to fall to the ground.

"What we got here, Precious?"

He opened the silver locket and looked up to Ameila as her welcoming attitude turned sour.

"Noah, it's the dead whore's sister!"

Amelia grabbed the bottle smashing it over Daniel's head. She surprised Noah by kneeing him in the face. The force tilted them from the seat as she scrambled up from the floor. Both men ran in seperate directions and in a moment, she had to choose. The man with her sister's necklace or the man who could lead her to her sister's killer.

A wave of fists and fighting filled the saloon as Amelia darted for Noah. A pair of arms reached out and dragged Amelia to the floor. She turned and saw the surprised look of the Deputy as he safely straddled her.

"Did you just start a brawl?"

"This ain't your fight, Deputy."

She swung her arm, punching him off of her as Noah ran out of the bar. Amelia chased after him and slid in the dirt as he mounted his horse, riding it towards her. She picked up a stone and flung it at his head, knocking him from his horse.

He tumbled to the ground as she dove for him. She moved quick as his strength would have overpowered her. She landed on his back and pulled his arm back enough for him to scream in pain.

"Where is Rickwall hiding?"

"Go to Hell, whore. I ain't telling you a damn thing."

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

The voice of the Sheriff made her stop pulling. That and his loaded gun pointed at her.

"Ameila get off of him. Now. I don't want to have to fire my gun at an unarmed woman."

"Alright, Sheriff. I'll let go."

The sheriff lowered his gun as Amelia sharply turned Noah's wrist, breaking it with a snap. The large man screamed in pain as she turned to run. The Deputy pulled her into side of the bar as she hit her head, rendering her unconscious.