Taking A Chance on Love (Book 1 Of The Tombstone Brides)

Chapter 7

It was a long journey, and both myself and Victoria were exhausted, but we made it. Well, almost. The train let us off at the stage depot where hopefully we would be able to take a stagecoach that would take us to our final destination..., TombStone. I walked towards a building that had a sign over the door that said where we needed to go so that we all could get food, where we could relieve ourselves and where we could rest as well. "Come on, let's head over to that little house that says we can find some refreshment," I said as I picked up our bags and Katie and headed towards the abode. I knocked, but no one answered. I knocked again, "Hello? Is anyone here?" I shouted. Still no answer. "Maybe you should just open the door, Laura. Perhaps they left it unlocked." Victoria said as she put her bags down and stretched. 

I nodded, and turned the door nob and pushed the door open.  Inside the room was covered in a thick layer of dust, which indicated that no one had lived here in a long time, that or the owner was either a man or a very messy person. "Can you hold Katie for a moment while I check if there are any perishables that we can eat?"
She nodded her head and held out her hands for Katie. 

After my hands were empty I started exploring the building, but as I walked towards a door that led to the back rooms, an unpleasant smell emanated from within. What in the world would make such a smell? I wondered. I pushed on the door, but it didn't budge, I pushed again, this time I put all my weight into it. After the last push, the door flew inward causing me almost crash into the wall. I stopped myself though, I turned the corner and gasped. The body of a middle-aged woman lay dead on the floor. Her throat was slit, and her dress was hiked up in the back, Cleary this poor woman was abused, raped and in the end killed. I slowly made my way out of the room and went back to Victoria.

Victoria saw the pallor of my face and rushed to my side, "sweetheart, what is wrong? What happened?"

I didn't say anything but shook my head in disbelief. "There's the dead body of a woman back there, I..., I think she was the owner of this building and in charge of the stage depot before she was brutally murdered. I would feel a whole lot better if we found some tools and give her a Christian burial." Victoria laid her hand on my shoulder and gave me a comforting squeeze. Then she made a playpen for Katie by tipping over the table and chairs and sort of making a corral for her. Sure that, Katie wouldn't get into too much mischief, we were able to find some shovels, then while I was out back trying to find a suitable spot to bury the lady in, I heard a startled scream that sounded like it came from Victoria.

I rushed back inside the building only to see a masked man holding Victoria by the neck while his other cohort was standing a little to close to Katie for my piece of mind. "What do you want?" I asked the man holding Victoria. The man stared at me and looked at me from head to toe, then he smiled. "There are many things that I want." He said, "Money; Women; Freedom from the pursuit of the law! But I wouldn't mind a taste of one of them, mainly..., YOU."

I was insulted, how many men was I going to encounter, who thought that it was okay to proposition a  woman to become a harlot?  The very idea was disgusting. I stood my ground and forgot that I had the spade in my hand, so I edged very slowly towards the man that was smoking his cigar and whirled around and hit him in the back of the head with the spade. The man dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. I smiled when I saw his unconscious form laid out on the floor. The other man threw Victoria to the side and was beginning to approach me. He stared at me with his cold green eyes and leered at me. He pulled out a carving knife from his back pocket and strode even closer. "I'm going to enjoy this missy."  He said as he laughed heartedly.