An apology

[Lovely]

July 16, Year 1


Maggie just raised an eyebrow at the line of down-mouthed boys that're lining up at her bar cuz their girls aren't talking to them.

Everitt would be the only one smiling... makes his job easier to round 'em up when the fighting starts... leans back and waits... gertrude in his lap, watching and offering Liza an ale if she'd like to enjoy the show with him.

"Most men go to the saloon to get away from their wives.. you invite yours along and buy her an ale? no ownder half this town thinks you're crazy."

"Crazy like a fox... cheers. hey ... could be a long night... now you won't wonder why."

"Are you really going to arrest all your brothers.. and your deputies by the looks?"

"It keeps 'em humble and keeps ol' Rory busy come Monday morning... a-yup... you want something a little stronger than that there, Liza?"

"Are you sure it's alright for me to be... here?" She glances around and then takes a sip of her ale, shaking her head no to anything stronger.

"You... might want to sit on the other side. See, usually... Alex will likely say something smart, just to confuse Cody, even though it's not a thing to do with him. Cody'll get hot around his collar and Doyle will push him off. Next thing you know... brother on brother, deputy on deputy, Sloane will slink out the back and go to Tess's for a while till it all cools down and come back to clean up. Me? I just have one little part." He rattles the keys on his ring.

Smiles and gets up to move to the other side, folding her hands in her lap and watching the boys as he spoke. "And how often do you have to do this?"

"Oh, it's been a while. Couple weeks now. Alex has been on good behavior, bless him. I was afraid he was losing his touch. I don't mind long as there's no broken bones. Keeps my boys on the alert and ... well, keeps Maggie in business."

She was a graceful lady despite being 'what' she was, Tessa strolled into the saloon without a shawl and and headed directly towards the line of men at the bar. There was a certain 'charmer' she was looking for and when she spotted him, she walked up to the man sitting next to him and tapped that man's shoulder. "Patrick.." She smiled pleasantly. "You'll be wanting to move out of the way."

"Sight for sore, ma'am," the man nodded, turning to show firey dark eyes tinted with the gin he'd been imbibing. She was pleasant and not intending to toss his carcass this time it seemed, but the way she'd asked he felt someone else's would be flung soon. "Please, take my seat." He surrendered his stool leaving the gap beside Alex.

"Well this is unexpected," Everitt chimed, leaning to whisper and rub his chin, intrigued by the new addition to the show.

[Lovely]

Her eyes were actually kind for Patrick this time and she gave him a slight nod. "Thank you. Most kind of you." They had their share of disputes in the past but tonight she had no quarrel with the darkest of the brothers. She waited until he'd moved before she tapped Alex lightly on the shoulder, waiting for him to turn. Elizabeth leaned in closer to Ev, her hand on his arm as she watched the 'show' beside him.

"No I'm not buying your round, Patrick. If anything you owe me for the last, lad," he said, engaging himself with a tactile game of standing a coin on its narrow edge, not seeing the change of partners beside him.

"Alexander Carlisle, I do not want you to buy me a drink ever, even if it's just so I can spit it in your face." She spoke cooly to the man who usually had such a way with the ladies, having them in fits of giggles and blushes with his smile.

He looked up in a shot, straight ahead with his palm landing the coin down flat against the sticky bar surface. The smile was crooked with the confusion that was only momentary as he pieced together why her tone was so stern. Oh that... "Tessa.. been a long time," he nodded as he turned the smile and recognition toward her, hoping... "What... where'd you put Patrick. Did he fall off his stool?" He dodged a bit, looking for his brother if only for the excuse.

She didn't return his smile and her eyes were dark stormy orbs that were filled with fire. "Patrick heeded my warning and got out of the way, he's apparently much smarter than you." With that she slapped him in his smug little smiling face.

The sound of the sudden sting had the boy's attention as well as that of the sheriff who sat forward, watching carefully now as the room turned quiet and heads turned.

Cody was a step away from trying to pull the coin from Alex's hand, but he stopped and turned, going back to his own stool with a raised brow and a smile on the edge of his cup. This could be more interesting than him getting hit.

Doyle chimed in first with his confusion. "Ma'am? Is everything alright?"

Her nostrils flared slightly and her hand clenched into a fist at her side, her cheeks slightly flushed in anger, she was doing her best to control her temper and keep her cool. She looked directly at Alex, she didn't care if the others talked about her or what they thought at the moment. "Angel may not have a daddy here in town to fill your butt full of buckshot, but so help me god if you ever pull anything like you did this afternoon, again.. I will. I am the only thing that girl has for a guardian and if I were her father we wouldn't be talking, I'd be kicking your rear all over the street." She took a step closer to Alex. "And I'm not entirely sure I'm above doing it anyway."

Alex swallowed, feeling the heat of the stares more intensely than the sting on his cheek at the moment. "Drink your drinks!" He snapped at the whole of the room that seemed more interested in this conversation than they should be. He nodded his agreement to her comments, his eyes lightless though clear and sharp despite the drink. "I'm not above being kicked, ma'am. No harm was meant and no harm came. Might I buy y'a drink just the same to say my apologies?"

[Lovely]

She shook her head, she wasn't being brushed off that easily, nor was what he'd done. "You may have found it amusing, but I assure you.. harm has been done. Madeline brushed it off and thought no foul, she is a grown woman. Angel however was simply humiliated. She is a sweet young girl and had you done the same to any other girl in this town, their father would be dragging you into the street, and you know it. Just because she lives in my house does not make her any different or any less sensitive then any other young girl in this town." She sighed and kept her gaze on his face. "No you may not buy me a drink and I am not the one you owe the apology to."

His gaze was locked on hers though he was expecting to dodge another slap and kept wary of the movement. "Of course, you're right. You're right, ma'am. It was wretched horrid of me t'think of it and it won't happen again. If you'll excuse me, I'll be going to offer that apology," he said, intending to do so if she felt she could believe him as he finished the bottom half of his glass first.

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, watching his eyes as he spoke to her. Contessa gave him a single nod of her head and stepped aside to let him pass so he could go make his apology. She just hoped it would be enough to repair the damage that had been done to Angel's self esteem.

Behind Alex the distinct snickering at his misfortune was anything but disguised as Cody tried to keep the sound in, his whole body rocking.

Patrick watched from close-by and followed his brother out the door to keep him from mischief. From his own experience, being cast out from the Madame's good grace was nearly worse than being made example of by Gully on Sunday.

Everitt turned with a serious tone, a little worried about the turn of events and set Gertrude to the floor. "Excuse me a moment, Liza. Shouldn't take but two shakes," he said, coming up to speak with the Madame directly if she'd have words for anyone else.

Elizabeth excused Ev of course, the turn of events had been more surprising than fist-a-cuffs might have been. She wondered just what Alex had done to raise the ire of the madame.

As Contessa turned, she nearly collided with the sheriff as he came up beside her. She greeted him with a very brief smile and nod of her head. "Evening Sheriff."

"Couldn't help overhearing," he said, nearly joking at himself as he rubbed one of his ears that were often too keen to drop most conversations around the place, keeping him up on events except this one. "All this over an apology? What's he done this time?"

Her hands gathered in the sides of her skirt and she looked down, taking another deep breath before lifting her gaze to meet his eyes. "No, it's not about an apology. It's about treating a young girl with respect, despite where circumstance has placed her. Angel may have grown up in a terrible place, but she is the sweetest girl you'd ever meet. It's not her fault who her parents were or that her mother placed her in my care when she died. I promised to take care of her like she was my own. Alex is very lucky I'm her guardian and that she has no brothers. He thought it would be amusing to try and get Lucky to steal the girl's clothes while they snuck in the river to cool off this afternoon and then teased them about being stuck there with nothing but the water.. They did get their clothes but what Alex thought was funny was very embarassing and upsetting to Angel. She has only a small chance to have a better life than what she was brought into. She's usually more well behaved than most the girls in this town. Alex catching her in the river with nothing on.. well she locked herself in her room crying when she got home."

[Lovely]

"So they were in the river all nekkid?" Cody chimed in, listening to more than he should and dismayed that he'd missed an apparent opportunity both to see teh girls and see Alex at an all-time low.

Doyle came to the girls' defense at Cody's mutterings. "S'cuse me ma'am," he said, brushing past her and the sheriff to get at the deputy. He'd hush him up one way or another.

Ev let him pass, ignoring the young officer for the moment. He could make him pay for the comments all the next day with pleasure. "Tessa, now you know Alex means no harm to any girl in this town and Angel's been a friend and that he would put his own soul up to keep her safe."

Her eyebrow arched and she tilted her head just so. "That's why I didn't fill his butt full of buckshot.. this time." She softened a little, she knew Alex wasn't mean to be mean to any of her girls and was friendly with most. "Ev.. I know and thats why I only slapped him. Like I said he's lucky it was me and not someone else. He should have thought about her feelings.. Maddie or any of the girls.. heck they would have offered to get out of the water for his ten cents without him stealing their clothes.. some might have just to see his face when they did.. pardon my bluntness but their wh*res.. they aren't shy. Alex knows just as well as you or I that Angel's not one of my girls. She's doing her best to be a good and proper girl.. it's the only chance she has not to end up one of my girls.. and it's not a very big chance at that. What man is going to want to court or marry a girl who grew up and lives in a cathouse? Only the kindest of folks here will give her work and it's odd jobs here and there, but she doesn't complain. She was just so upset that Alex caught her doing that and then he teased her."

Doyle was listening now and making sure Cody's ears were boxed so he couldn't, slapping the smart out of the blond boy's smile as he knocked the cup from his hand and flat handed Cody's ear. "That's for insulting Tess and this is for makin' fun o' makin' fun o' Miss Angel. Git yourself outta that chair and get outside," he said, pulling Cody with him.

Cody looked up at the smith with shock that he was actually giving a reason instead of just pulling him off Alex this time. "I'm gettin'. Gotta go home anyhow. No fun here with that leprechaun all mopin' and following orders n'all. Beat up by the Madame, if that don't beat all," he scoffed, pulling himself out of Doyle's grip and bumping past Everitt to excuse himself.

Everitt's boot would've raised to Cody's backside, but not at the risk of hitting Tessa. He let him pass and Doyle behind him, giving the Madame a nod. "You're a fair woman with a good heart. He'll do the right thing. If you have any trouble, you give me a holler."

Tessa smiled a little at Ev. "I hope so, I don't have much experience with the larger guns.. I'd hate miss his butt and hit his front. Besides.. did you see the looks and whispers and comments?.. he just had a small taste of what it's like for her." She winked at the good sheriff and gave a small curtsy before heading toward the door herself.