oom: kingsman, kansas

[scurlock]

It took him two days to ride to a little town just outside Wichita - Kingsman - where he spent the night in a tiny, rundown little hotel on the 'west side' of town, listening to the far off calls of the trains as they moved from track to spur to track again, heading east to Wichita proper. He didn't sleep, much, because the bed felt like straw full of rocks and the sounds of the lobby restaurant downstairs filtered up from the stairwell, keeping him awake.

He didn't care. It was cheap, and they had a stable.

The next morning he took care of some business in town, stopped by the only store to get himself a few things to eat - bread, jerky, a small bottle of whiskey, and dried fruit - before he spent some time organizing his things.

All his possessions were in his leather satchel - a 'war bag', they called them - and it really wasn't all that much. A few days worth of food, a box of bullets, a change of clothes, an extra pair of socks, his journal and the leather case that holds his glasses, a canteen of water, and some matches he swiped from the bar - waterproof 'strike anywhere' - as well as a small first aid kit, a piece of flint, a Bible and a pouch of candy.

There were a few other things tucked into the saddle bags attached to the horse, and his bedroll, but other than that, all he owned (that wasn't at the bar in his room) was here, on his person. It was minimalist but it worked, for him.

(Nothing holding him back.)

He still had one bit of business to take care of - money.

A train ticket south to Galveston wasn't all that expensive, but it happened to be a bit more than Doc had on hand. The second problem was that there didn't seem to be a way to get his horse to Galveston with him unless he rode the animal, and he had already decided against that. Selling Nova off to buy the train ticket was never even an option. He needed a way to get the money for the train fare, get to Wichita, and somehow get Nova back to the bar in between so he could leave him there for a spell.

He decided to think on the logistics, for awhile.

---

When night fell over Kingsman, the activity in town centered in three places - the trail depot, the local saloons, and the brothel on the east side of town.

Doc found himself in the third, that night. He had a seat on a low couch with a view of the hitching rail outside, and a glass of brandy in one hand. There was a woman sitting beside him, and they discussed everything from politics to pleasure. It helped that he was well read, and educated. It made conversation easier.

"So, Mr. Gordon..."

He turned and smiled at her a little. "Call me Jay."

"Jay. I like that," she commented, as she rested a hand on his arm. "Where you headed after you leave Kingsman?"

Doc crossed his legs and leaned back a little into the couch. "Not quite sure, just yet. Wichita, and I'm going to be catchin' a train from there. Heading south, likely down Galveston way."

"You got family, down south?"

"Friend of mine, actually."

"Texas is awful hot this time'a year," she replied, and she sighed a little as she sipped at her own drink and glanced up at him. "You plannin' on stayin' 'round Kingsman all that long, Jay?"

He shook his head. "Not really, no. Just stoppin' through, stayin' a few nights while I take care of some business."

"And just what sort of business would that be?"

Doc shifted his attention to the front of the room and those horses tied out on the rail, then he glanced back at the woman at his side. She had blonde hair that curled at the back of her neck and blue eyes - they weren't quite as bright as Katherine's but they came close when she smiled - and her cheeks were rosy from the heat and the brandy. He settled a hand lightly on her leg, and his fingers brushed over the fine fabric of her dress.

She was not, by any means or stretch, the prettiest whore he'd ever seen.

(Then again, this was a tiny little town in Kansas. He couldn't be too picky.)

He lifted his glass of brandy to his lips and finished the liquor off with a small sip - there hadn't been too much left anyways - before he leaned forward and placed the empty snifter down on the table in front of the couch.

She took the opportunity, then, and leaned down with him, and smoothed a hand over his jacket. "I'm very good at what I do, Jay."

"I don't doubt that."

"Then what do you say you and I head on down the hall and take care of that...business of yours?" She inclined her head towards the hallway that led to several bedrooms as well as the back door of the establishment.

Doc looked back to the front door, then to the hall, before he nodded and then stood from his seat. She followed, and as soon as they'd ducked out of sight of the sitting room, he turned and lightly pushed her up against the wall, and kissed her.

If she was surprised, she didn't show it. She just laughed. "Fiesty," she whispered. "I like that."

I don't care what you like, he thought. I don't even know your name.

She wrapped her arms up around his neck and pulled him closer - his hands went to her hips as she moved away from the wall and backed down the hallway. Each door he passed he counted in his head, as he walked with her, his hand trailing along the wallpaper. He traced his nails against the doorframe as she snaked her hands lower to his hips and grabbed him by the waistband.

One. Two. Three. Four.

"My room's right here, sweetheart," she gasped, quietly. "End of the hall. Jesus, you know how to kiss a girl."

"Shhh," he pressed a finger to her lips and silenced her as he tilted his head and listened to the noises in the hallway, behind those closed doors. There was no secret about what went on in this house - especially when he'd seen the local deputy duck into a room just an hour prior.

"What is it?"

He grinned and leaned in a little, as if he was going to whisper a secret into her ear. "Just thinkin' of all the things m'gonna do..."

"Oh yeah, that so?"

"That is indeed so."

Doc leaned in closer and pressed his mouth against hers again, and kissed her. A door opened to his left and he glanced over that direction, and a man with a beard and shiny silver spurs on his boots followed another woman into the room. He nodded in greeting. "Evenin'."

The other whore just laughed at him, and the blonde opened the door at her back and tugged at his vest. "C'mon, handsome, let's get you inside."

"Actually, could use a bit of air 'fore we get started...don't want t'get too...riled up," he murmured, as he arched his eyebrows and nodded at the room. "You go on ahead, m'just gonna step out back for a minute."

"Alright," she agreed. "But you best not keep me waiting, Jay, or I'll make you pay for that."

Doc nodded and then she slipped back through the doorway and shot him a wink, while he grinned in response before he walked the short distance to the back door and pushed it open. The stars were already out overhead and the moon was tinged with the orange color of dust, as it rose in the distance. He sighed and straightened the shoulders of his jacket before he glanced down the narrow alley and then turned to the right, and walked the length of it on quiet feet.

He slipped to the hitching rail out front and it just so happened that the attention of the men in the brothel (hidden behind those curtains that hid the going-ons inside and also hid the outside from those within) were on their ladies and not their mounts. He found the horse he'd watched that silver spurred cowboy ride in on and untied the lead, and clicked quietly under his breath before he pulled him back.

It took roughly forty-five seconds to tie the lead to Nova's saddle horn, and then he untied his own horse and led them both away from the brothel, and headed due north out of town.



He couldn't hide the smirk that threatened on his face as he disappeared into the dark, trailing that horse alongside him.