A Trail of Bodies Behind Him! The bold headline took up the top half of the front page and Hel scoffed in disgust, tossing the paper onto the table in front of him, shaking his head. He didn't bother reading the article. Reporters were mighty unhappy folk once crossed, and this one hadn't forgiven him. Greatly exaggerated, his exploits on the way to Georgia would go down in infamy thanks to the newsman's grudge.
A sudden thought tugged a smile across his mouth. He ought to thank the fella, for his return trip had been far less adventurous, and Hel figured it was partly due to the newspapers making him out to be so terrible. Normal folk, even the troublesome ones, just naturally kept out of his path. It made him chuckle as he finished his coffee, putting some coins on the table to pay for his breakfast.
El Paso had been a welcome sight when he'd rode in late last night, and he'd managed to get a hotel room to himself. This morning, he'd paid for a bath and shave before eating, and now felt ready to get down to business. Pushing from the table he was reaching for his hat when the door slammed open, bouncing on its hinges. Automatically, his hand dropped to his gun but Hel didn't touch it. The burly man with the glare wasn't looking at him.
A young couple sitting in the corner, however, had gone white, the girl beginning to silently cry while her companion unsteadily rose. With a snarl, the big man stalked toward them, throwing chairs out of his way.
"Thought you could just run off!" He bellowed. "Stealin' whats mine, are you!"
"Hold it, friend." Hel caught the chair before it could upset his table, firmly putting it upright. "You're causin' a scene an' disturbin' folk."
"Shut yer piehole!" Dark eyes turned on him. "And I ain't your friend! This here is personal!"
"Then do it somewhere private," Hel suggested mildly, moving away from the table while maintaining eye contact. "Or better, just walk away."
"Yer buttin' your nose in where it ain't welcome, buster," ugly, threatening, the big man turned to face Morgan. "I'm thinkin' to learn you some manners."
"Try it."
"Why you-!" a meaty fist lifted.
"Daddy, please!" The cry stopped them, the girl having risen from her chair, facing them trembling. Her beau had a hold of her arm, pale but determined. "Just stop this! Dobbie an' me-!"
"I'll get to you, Arlynn, with the strap! Jest after I get through with this here vermin."
"Daddy-!"
"I take exception to that, old son." Hel's voice dropped, his eyes turning icy. "We were all in here peaceable until you barged in. Why not turn around and walk away, think it over. While you still can."
"I'll break you in half, buster!"
Hel hit him. Hard knuckles smashed into the big man's mouth with a flat, fleshy sound. He'd moved subtly in closer as the big man snarled and threatened, and figured to land the first blow. To his way of thinking, it set the tone and he meant to knock this fella down a peg or two.
With a roar, the big man lunged at him, blood smearing his mouth and chin. Deftly sidestepping, Morgan kicked out a foot, tripping the big man. He hit the floor with a thud and a grunt. Backing up, Hel gave him space to get up.
"You gonna be reasonable, or do I have to," a hard shoulder caught him in the gut, the big man moving with incredible speed and force. They hit the floor writhing and fighting. The girl wrung her hands, screaming for her father to stop. Her lover took a more active approach and ran for the sheriff.
By the time he got back with the disgruntled lawman, Hel's shirt was torn, and both men were battered and bloody, but his opponent was on the floor, gasping. Blinking the sweat from his eyes, Morgan faced the sheriff, opening his mouth to explain when a bellow sounded from behind him. Too late he turned, a sledgehammer fist catching him across the jaw. Hel crashed into a table, knocking over chairs as he hit the floor, out cold.
"That's enough, Payton!" The sheriff's gun was out and steady. "I'm tired of tellin' you to quit causin' trouble in my town! What's it to be, jail or leave!"
"That snot-nosed whelp is takin' my little-!"
"Arlynn is married to Dobbie Alder, Payton, I stood as witness. You keep your nose outta their affairs from now on, or I swear I'll lock you up so long it won't be worth comin' out! We clear?"
"That's my girl!"
"A married woman now, do I need to repeat myself?"
Grumbling, unhappy, Payton went, leaving the bystanders looking down at the limp body on the floor.
"What do we do with him?" One asked.
"Help me get him to Doc Gibbons office. He'll be feelin' it when he comes 'round."
Hel woke grudgingly, his ears buzzing. He recalled getting clobbered, feeling like a stampede of longhorns had made their getaway across his head. Groaning, he started to sit up.
"Easy, young feller, you got quite an egg on yer jaw."
"Do I?" It slurred and Hel felt his entire face throbbing from the two simple sounds. Blinking, he looked around, frowning. "Where am I?"
"My office. They brung ya here after Payton got done moppin' the floor with ya."
"That ain't how I recall it goin'..." pausing, Hel considered that a moment. "Maybe I'm not clear on the details."
"Well, I suppose ya were holdin' yer own for a while. Then ya looked away, and son, no one takes their eyes off Payton Hedge once he's on the prod."
"I won't forget," wincing as he felt along his jaw, Morgan glanced at the sawbones. "I can go?"
"Can ya stand?"
"You mean I'm not?"
"Son, ya jest sit there. I'll fetch 'round a strong cup of coffee."
Looking around the cluttered space, Hel realized it was a doctor's office. Huge, thick books stacked on several surfaces, anatomy charts, skeletal charts, covered trays of what he only guessed were doctoring implements, and strange vials containing liquids of various shades. Just how bad had he been hit? Considering that, he tried standing but when the room spun he sat back down, squeezing his eyes shut. It took all his willpower not to throw up.
"Told ya," the voice was back, shuffling footsteps approaching. "If ya hurl yer supper, you'll be the one cleanin' it up. My knees ain't good."
"Breakfast," Hel muttered, breathing deep through his mouth. "It was breakfast."
"So, yer memories comin' back, eh? Good. Drink this then clear out if you can. I got an appointment comin' in."
"Thanks." He felt it was a good sign he didn't spill any coffee, which was so bitter it made his eyes hurt. "Lord, man, what is this?"
"It'll kill or cure, sonny. Try yer feet."
"You want me to pour this on my feet?"
"Don't be stupid-!"
"Easy, old timer," Hel managed a grin. "I'm fooling with you." Pushing upright, he only wobbled a little. "See?"
"Sure, now try walkin'."
Hel couldn't recall a doorway being quite so far before, but by the time he got there his ears were ringing. The crogedy old sawbones refilled his coffee cup and brought over a chair.
"You'll be good as new, jest take a minute. This yer first tangle, son?"
"Not by a long shot. First time I've been on the ground in a while though," Hel considered that as he drank the hot tar, grimacing slightly. "Won't make that mistake again. Got careless."
"Ya gonna go lookin' fer payback? Sheriff'll not take kindly-" but Hel waved him off with a brief shake of his head.
"No, I ain't even mad, at least, not at- what's his name? Payton?"
"Payton Hedge. Meanest bronc this side of anywhere. Ya stopped him from makin' his daughter a widow, so ya watch yer step around him. Old boy's like a dog on a bone."
"I'm the bone?"
"What do ya think?"
"Thanks, old timer," he felt better standing up this time, and set the coffee cup aside. "What do I owe you?"
"Nothin'. All I gave you was the table to lay on until you came around, and I don't charge for coffee."
"Obliged," a quick check told him he had his gun and hat, so Morgan reached for the door. It opened under his hand and he took a quick step back, staring in surprise as Connie stepped in. Her rich brown eyes went wide.
"Hel!"
"Miss Connie!"
"No," Morgan gave a lopsided grin, lifting a hand. "That's alright. I'm used to that reaction. Besides," he gave her a subtle wink. "It's my name."
"Figures. Clear out, the young lady here needs to see me. Miss Connie, I'll get some things ready and be back. Make yourself comfortable."
"Thanks, doc."
They waited until the old man shuffled off into another room, muttering under his breath. Hel looked at her with an uncertain smile, unable to think of how to begin. Her brown eyes were friendly but guarded.
"Ah didn't think Ah'd be seein' ya so soon, or ever..." her slow Texas drawl finally broke the silence and Hel scratched the tender edge of his jaw with a nod.
"Yeah, things changed, and I... I guess I sorta drifted back this way."
"Ah heard about the fight, are ya alright?"
"Wounded ego. Doc promised me a full recovery." She laughed, and Hel was drawn to the sound, amazed at the way it made him long to hear it again. "What about you, Connie? Are you ailin'?"
"No, Ah'm fine- Ah," stuttering to a stop, she flushed crossing her arms to look away. "Ah'm fine."
"This isn't a social call, you sure?"
"Don't see as how it's any of your business, Hel Morgan." The curt snap made him frown, but being as he was, Hel didn't back down. Instead, he took a step forward, gently cupping her shoulders.
"You in trouble, Connie?"
"Ah'm... Ah'm not goin' to talk about this with ya. Why should Ah?"
"Because I care." Moving even closer, he stared down into wide brown eyes, trying to figure out why he cared, but he did. "Talk to me?"
"Nothin' to talk about." She was stubborn but held his gaze. "This is my business, no one else's."
"If you need help, you can ask me," he offered sincerely. "No strings, no judgement, just help. You hear?"
"Ah hear. Thank ya, Hel." His soft grunt quirked her brows. "What?"
"I was just wondering... you know why they call it sparkin'?"
"What?"
"Sparkin," his fingers tightened a fraction on her shoulders. "When folk get to makin' love, kissin' and holding hands, sneaking off in the dark-"
"Ah know what sparkin' is. What's your point?"
"Do you know why they call it that?"
A rosy hue painted her cheeks as she stared up at him, her breath coming a little faster as she shook her head.
"It's because two people are looking for a spark when they get all lovey with each other. And they keep searching until they find someone who lights them on fire."
"Who told ya that," her gaze dropped to his mouth as Hel leaned closer.
"My mother. I don't think she'd lie to me."
"Ya sure 'bout that?" Whispered against his lips, Connie was struggling to understand why this was happening, how this was happening. Just where had he suddenly come from? When his hands gently slid from her shoulders to her waist, she didn't move away. Hel's green eyes were intense and staring right into her.
"You want to test her theory, Connie?"
"Hel..."
"It's just an experiment," the rumble was soft. "No pressure, no strings."
"Ah think you're crazy, Hel Morgan."
"So, no?" A twinkle in his eyes made her skin tingle and Connie fought to keep a smile from her lips.
"Ya don't know me."
"You know me," he countered quietly. "Better than any person alive. If you think there's a chance we could make a go of it, why not? Who cares if it's reckless, this wouldn't be the first loco thing I've done, and won't be the last. I think it could work as long as we're in it together."
"What are ya talkin' 'bout?" Tears burned her eyes as she stared at him. "Ah don't understand ya,"
"The spark," his slow grin was warm, spreading through her like sunshine. "I felt a spark last time."
"So?"
"If you felt it, we can build a life on that, Connie. It won't be easy, and we'll have hard times, but I know what I'm doing this time. If you want to give this a chance, I think we could have a life, a good life."
"Doin' what?"
"The only thing I know how, but... different this time."
"A lawman."
"But this time I'll be wearing the badge, not the other way around."
He watched her consider that, hope and surprise warring with the sudden, unexpected nature of his offer. Chewing on her bottom lip, Connie studied him, trying to see if he really meant what he was saying, if he really knew what it was they'd be walking into. Red light district girls didn't get a clean start. They didn't get happily ever afters with a white knight. They got dirty looks, snide comments, and pious judgement from 'good' society when they tried to go clean. They got cold shoulders, public shunning, and-
"If I'm pushing too hard, say so." Hel was studying her expression. "I just didn't feel like wasting any more time, but I'll wait if that's what you want."
"It's not that, jest... maybe Ah'd feel better about it if we did that lil' experiment ya was talkin' 'bout?"
Moving toward her, Hel took Connie in his arms, fitting her snugly against him. A thousand words flooded his mind but none of them seemed fitting. Instead, he went right to sparkin'. She felt like heaven in his arms, her lips soft and warm against his. After a brief glance at each other, they tried again, longer, deeper, and her arms went around him.
From the other room, Doc Gibbons considered interrupting them but decided his beakers needed shining instead.