Cowboys and Angels

Chapter Two

Author's Note: This chapter's song if "Find out Who Your Friends are" by Tracy Lawrence. I chose this because This is the beginning of Arthur and Adeline's friendship. I'll link it above for you.

Adeline woke up the next morning to birds chirping and rays of sunshine flowing through the opened window. She got out of bed and walked over to the wash basin to rinse off her face. Next, she got dressed in an olive green, plaid dress with a simple off-white apron. After tying her hair up in a loose bun, she grabbed her small purse and walked out the door of her rented room. If her grandma saw her leaving the house without a hat or bonnet, she would have scolded her but Adeline liked feeling the sun on her face.

The clerk at the front desk waved to her and wished her a good day as she walked out the door. The first thing she needed to do was set up a new bank account in Valentine and have her money from New York wired over. Once that was done, she could head to the general store and buy whatever she needed with the change she had with her.

At last, she was finally done at the bank after what felt like hours and she could go to the general store. As she walked in, she noticed that the store was nearly empty except for her, the clerk, and two other shoppers. One was an older woman looking at the bolts of cloth and the other was a man looking at the hair pomades and supplies.

Adeline greeted the clerk and turned to find what she was looking for. According to her list, she needed some canned foods, some seeds for her garden, and some bolts of cloth. She picked out a few cans of corn, carrots, and peas. As for seeds, she picked out some beans, herbs, and carrots. The older woman who was getting cloth earlier had left, leaving Adeline to view the entire selection. She eyed the only other customer in the store as he had just moved from looking at hair pomade to horse food. She couldn't see all of his face because of his cowboy hat but she could tell he had some scruff and an athletic build. Adeline stopped herself so she wouldn't scare him. She finally picked out a few yards of fabric and went to pay. She paid the clerk and, with one last glance inside the store, she left.

Adeline carried her paper bag of goods with her as she walked down the road and to her old home to start unpacking. She figured she'd take this stuff first and then come back for her stuff at the hotel. She didn't mind the walk- it refreshed her.

The early spring air woke her up more as she walked on towards Whitewater creek. The gentle breeze rustled her hair and made her eyes water just a bit. Adeline hadn't realized how for she'd walked in so little time. As she turned right onto the road that would take her to Whitewater, she looked behind her and could no longer see Valentine. As she rounded the road ahead, she heard somebody call out for help.

"Help! Please! Anybody!"

At first she was skeptical because plenty of scammers would do this on the streets in New York. 'But this isn't New York. They might be seriously hurt,' she thought to herself. Adeline picked up her pace and finally saw the person crying for help. It was a middle aged man on the side of the road, clutching his leg.

"Sir, are you alright?" She called out.

"Ma'am! Please help. I've been bitten by a snake and I will surely die if I do not get help." The man cried out.

She ran up to him and bent down to see his leg. There was blood but she saw no bite marks. She looked into his eyes to see a menacing look on his wrinkled face. It was then that she knew something was wrong. She stood up fast and turned to run away but was stopped but the click of a gun.

"One more step and I will pull the trigger," the man threatened as he stood up, keeping the gun aimed at her. He wasn't injured and he was only faking to rob her.