Cowboys and Angels

Chapter Eight

Author's Note: This chapter's song is "Out Last Night" by Kenny Chesney. I'll Link it above.

Their next round of shots got to them and the two drank up. Arthur was surprised at how well Adeline drank hard liquor- especially seeing as she grew up around hoity-toity rich people who probably only dipped their champagne.

"I'll give ya this," Arthur began. "You throw back liquor better than any woman I've ever met."

Adeline figured this was the closest she'd get to a genuine compliment from Arthur. "Thank you. It's all that drinking I did during my wild and crazy phase."

Arthur chuckled and their pair threw back another round of shots. The alcohol was beginning to take a hold of both of them. Adeline was seeing things a little fuzzy and Arthur was beginning to loosen up.

The two took one more round of shots before heading over to the poker table. They joined the next game. Adeline played quite a bit in her youth. The stable master taught her how to play. She knew she was good but she had no idea if Arthur was good.

"You ever played poker, Arthur?" She asked in a drunken haze.

Arthur laughed. "Woman, what do you take me for? Course I've played poker. Just so happen to be quite good at it too."

"Well I am too. Jus don't know if drunk me is as good as sober me," she giggled.

Arthur and Adeline played for a few minutes before the other men started getting agitated at them. "If you ain't gonna take this seriously, then leave." One of the men said.

Adeline huffed. "No need to be so grumpy." She mocked the man, sticking her bottom lip out to make it look like she was pouting, just like him.

Arthur laughed, knowing she was angering the man.

"Flush," Adeline called. She put down her cards with a giggle and stood up. "Goodbye fellas. Pleasure playing with ya." Adeline left them game, not really caring about it anymore. Arthur followed. In truth, he was kinda over it too.

Adeline got two beers from the bar and gave one to Arthur. "Guess drunk Adeline ain't so good at poker. I remember her being better."

"Why you talking about yourself in the third person?" Arthur laughed.

"I am?" Adeline asked, seeming shocked. "I had no idea," she giggled again. Alcohol made her really bubbly and way too happy.

"Anybody ever tell you that ya giggle like a school girl when you're drunk? Arthur asked.

"Loads of time," she giggled again. "Anybody ever told you that you're not so harsh and unapproachable when you're drunk?" She asked.

"Loads of times," he copied her, causing them both to laugh.

"Why do you let your grumpy exterior push people away? You're a really fun person, you could be best friends with everybody in Valentine if you would just not push them away" She asked him, suddenly turning serious.

He sighed, his drunk mind trying to sort out an answer. "I guess, well when people get close to me, they get hurt. I'm just trying to save them the pain."

"But doing that hurts yourself. When you close yourself off to the world, nobody wins. It's not fair to yourself." She explained to him.

He sighed, "Nothing in life is fair, Adeline."

She decided to drop the conversation. She would never get through to him. She finished up her beer just as the piano man started playing a new song. "Oh! I love this song." Adeline hopped up from the barstool and ten to the open space next to the piano.

She started doing something g that resembled a jig or a tap dance but her drunken movements made it seem like she was just flailing her legs. She looked crazy. Arthur put his palm to his face and sighed. She really had no fears. Talk about liquid courage.

He walked over to her and pulled her away from her one-man dance floor. "Come on. You're embarrassing yourself and me."

She obliged and went back to the bar with him. "You're just jealous because you can't dance as well as me," she scoffed at him.

He gave her a hearty laugh. "If that's what you call dancing."

She pretended to be hurt at his words but she actually enjoyed the teasing. "I'll have you know, I can waltz really goodly."

Arthur laughed at her drunk speech and at the fact that somebody who could waltz just went up in front of the whole saloon and flailed her legs and called it dancing.

He gave her a warm smile. "It's getting late, we should get you home." He was beginning to sober up because he was larger and could process alcohol faster but Adeline was still drunk. He was just looking out for her.

"Oh you're no fun," she complained. But even in her drunk state, she still saw the truth in his words. "I guess you're right, though."

They made their way to the front door and he held it open for her. "Thank you," she said and curtsied to him. She didn't know why she did. Must have been the alcohol.

He got up onto his horse and helped her up behind him before spurring the horse forward. Arthur was hyper aware of Adeline's arms around his torso. Something about it just made him itch on the inside. Like he wanted to grab her hand and hold it. He scolded himself for thinking like that. He was only here getting close to her because of Dutch's orders.

She hadn't moved for a while and Arthur was worried she had fallen asleep. "Adeline?" He asked.

"Yeah?" She returned, perfectly awake.

"Just makin sure you didn't fall asleep. You were awfully quiet back there." He explained.

"I was just looking at the stars. They're quite beautiful out here." She answered softly.

Arthur had to agree, they were beautiful out here. There wasn't a single cloud across the night sky and the crescent moon seemed to glow. Arthur rarely took the time to look at the night sky anymore. It felt like he never had time to, between missions for Dutch and trying to keep alive.

The rest of the ride back to Adeline's house was in silence but not an uncomfortable silence. Arthur didn't mind her presence. She was somebody he felt like he could be himself around. He could talk to her about all the horrible outlaw-type stuff he had done and she would listen intently. Never once did she suffer away or see disgusted.

They finally reached her house as the moon was high in the sky. Arthur being the gentleman that he was, walked her up to her front door.

"Thank you, Arthur. I had fun tonight." She smiled at him.

"I did too. And it's not very often I can say that." He answered.

Adeline offered him one last smile before she turned into her house. She wanted to hug him but she didn't take him for the hugging type. The last thing she wanted to do was make her new friend hate her.

Arthur walked back to his horse and started off for camp. The two had a fun night at the saloon. But what they didn't know, is that there was somebody watching them.