The Ballad of Broken Vows

Chapter Four: Arthur

I walk back downstairs, preparing for the earful I am going to receive from Doc. The music is still playing and I hear the people chatter amongst themselves, probably about the mystery woman I just brought in. As soon as I reach the bottom step, I can feel Doc's gaze. I see poor Jimmy standing beside him sweating like a sinner in church. Doc must have buried him with questions while I was with Cassidy.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I know exactly what is about to be said. I make my way through the crowd. The party seems tense since I returned with Cassidy. Even some of the guys who were in bed have now joined. I keep my eyes on the ground, dodging the disapproving looks from the gang.

"Ah, son, may I have a word?" Doc asks raising his glass to me. I nod once and walk to the dining room where he and Jimmy stand. I sit at the wobbly chipped table and Doc sits right beside me. He lifts a hand, signaling for Jimmy to leave us be. He leans with one arm resting on the table, and he studies my face for a few seconds.

"Can I explain?" I ask.

"Sure!" Doc yells slamming his glass on the table. I wince. I knew he was going to act this way. "Please enlighten me, Arthur. Why did you bring that girl here while we are trying to get the hell out of New Water? She is young, too young, to be running with us. No new members, remember, Arthur? We don't let anyone in our gang because of rats! Do you want us to get caught?"

Doc riddles me with question after question. I felt like a child that has gotten in trouble. I'm a grown man and yet here I am getting yelled at like a damn child.

"Doc!" I shout in attempt to get him to shut the hell up. Luckily, it worked and he stopped. Harold's eyes widen in surprise, but they quickly fall back flat. "I met the lady in the saloon. She told me her story, and I felt bad for her. I didn't plan to bring her back."

"Well then why the hell did you?" Doc cuts me off. I narrow my eyes at him.

"She had an abusive husband. He came in while we were talking. The bastard got angry and tried to kill me while my back was turned, and she grabbed my pistol and killed him." I say leaving out a few of the details, like that man revealing my identity to everyone in the saloon. That part is better kept between Cassidy and I. It's also better if her and I don't return to New Water anytime soon. "Even if she wanted to rat on us, she couldn't because she killed her husband. She's wanted now too. She needs us more than we need her."

Doc ponders for a minute. He lights a cigarette and takes a long drag. We sit in silence. Hopefully, he will understand and not try and kill me in the middle of the night for bringing an outsider- especially a woman, into the gang. Suddenly, he lets out a nice long sigh, which indicates he's about to talk again.

"Arthur, you can't be with the girl." Doc says. My eyes widen and I shift uncomfortably in my chair. "I know you, son. You're twenty-eight, you want a family. I see the love that you have to give and want to give to a woman."

"Doc, I-"

"Being in our position won't allow us to have any of that. For your sake, go into town and sleep with one of them harlots, but don't bring her back in hopes of being a family. This 'outlaw' business we run, marriage and children are not possible, you remember Chance and Rebecca." He places his hand on my shoulder.

Ah, Chance and Rebecca. The two reasons why Doc placed the ban on relationships in our gang. Chance was one of the few gunslingers we had in the gang. Chance and I were the same age, and at eighteen he met Rebecca at a saloon in a town called Janesville. She was a working girl, selling her body for the night. While we were camped on the outskirts of Janesville, Chance would go into town and spend the night with the girl. Over the course of a few weeks, Chance and Rebecca fell in love. He snuck her back into camp one night and begged me to help him. I told him not to risk it, Doc had always said never to get involved with a lady for longer than a night. The next morning, he told Doc about his involvement with Rebecca. Back then, Doc was a lot more lenient. Rebecca soon became one of us.

But when it comes to being a gunslinger, you also come with a giant target on your back. We didn't worry too much about the government ten years ago, but we had disputes with other gangs. One night, Chance and Rebecca went into the town by themselves. While there, Chance had a run in with our rivals, the Von Greene gang. Shots were fired, a lot of stray bullets showered the innocents.

Rebecca was one of the people caught in the crossfire.

Chance was able to kill the Von Greene's, but he was never the same after that. His heart had been broken. He lasted maybe a week after Rebecca's death before he raided the Von Greene's camp by himself in attempt to "avenge" his lost maiden. I don't know how long the poor man lasted when he opened fire on the camp, but I do know he ate quite a few bullets before he finally went down. The Von Greene's did not know the whereabouts of our camp, but they knew we were close to Janesville. They placed Chance's body on his horse and sent it back into town. Doc went out to do some scouting when he found Chance's horse and his body wandering around the outskirts of Janesville.

From that day forward, none of the gunslingers were allowed to marry or pursue a relationship.

A relationship never even crossed my mind with Cassidy. She is an extraordinary woman, but I'm not a man lookin' for love. I especially don't want another Chance and Rebecca situation. I do love the gang, they are my family, and my Genie. I'd kill for them. But if I ever fell in love, I would definitely react like Chance if something were to happen to my lady.

Although I know I can't be with anyone, I want to flatten Doc's head for saying this 'outlaw business we run.' I did not ask to be a part of this gang. I was taken because he killed my father and my mother fled. If mother would have taken me, I might have gotten married and had a couple of little ones running around by now.

C'mon, Arthur, you can't think like that. If my mother would have taken me, I'd probably be dead now. She didn't work, she couldn't provide for me. Hell, she's probably dead herself. Maybe it was for the best Doc took me in. I learned how to be a man. I learned how to handle a gun, how to defend myself; I even learned how to love and be a real family. What Doc said kind of pissed me off a little, but he's right. I run this gang as well.

But, I'm scared I'm going to fall for Miss Cassidy. Hell, she already has my attention set on her. Her beauty, her demeanor, just her in general. She's a badass but sensitive. She's everything I would ever want in a lady. That's why I can't be given the opportunity to slip up and lay down with her.

"I've got a plan." I say after a few minutes of thinking. Doc perks up and blows a line of smoke out the side of his mouth.

"What is it, son?" Doc asks leaning closer to me, intrigued by what I have to say.

I take a deep breath and say, "we have to make her leave." Doc leans back in his chair and chuckles. He throws his cigarette down on the ground as he stand up. He walks over to me and claps a hand on my shoulder and with a huge grin he says, "I'll find out when the next train out of town will leave the station."