Cowboy Like Me

t h r e e

"You have three seconds to tell me what you're doing, or I pull my trigger."

The blonde woman dug the muzzle of her pistol further into the crook, causing her to wince in pain. The other woman instinctively tried to move away from it, causing Taylor to wrap her other arm around her neck, she was now in a headlock with a gun still to her back.

The sand around them had settled onto the women, the grit of the dirt now digging into the brunette's neck as the pressure from Taylor's arm only tightened, her breath heavy and her blood rushing at the thought of this being the end.

Nervously, she began to explain in between breaths, "You don't understand, they're coming after me and they'll kill both of us before you can pull that trigger."

Taylor gave an unimpressed chuckle and let go of the woman, pushing her away.

"You're the one Kane is looking for? Lucky for you I have a spot for you right next to your boyfriend Joe."

Taylor's smirk diminished once the woman had turned around, her dark hair unkempt and partially concealing a cut right above her right brow line, and a growing purple eye to accompany it. In fact, she seemed like she had been through a whirlwind. Her white shirt was dirty, seemingly now more brown than anything, jeans torn at the thigh and stiff. Scratches decorated her arms, including a big cut on the side of her neck, dried blood made it look worse than it was.

The brunette noticed her gaze and crossed her arms, feeling bare against the look of the blonde woman.

"Did— they do this to you?" Taylor squinted to get a better look at the woman's wounds, instinctively she backed away, afraid the cowboy would touch her.

"One of them caught up to me, but I held my own." She explained while looking around nervously, as if someone could come by and take her away.

"Please, you don't know what they're capable of if they find me. I can't go back, you have to help me—"

"Everything good over there Taylor?" The deep voice coming from the outside of the bar startled both women, Bill was closing up shop and had taken notice of the two standing by the stables. He made his way towards the cowboy, but upon taking a look at the mysterious woman, his smile turned.

"You're not the one they're looking for are you?" The old Sheriff took his hat off and held it to his chest, the grey hairs decorating his forehead pressed firmly down as his eyebrows frowned in order to get a better look at the woman. "Goodness, they made sure you wouldn't forget didn't they..."

He took a hold of the wounded woman's arm and brushed his fingertips over her bruises, she winced at the touch.

The unknown woman ran her hands through her hair in distress, a motion the cowboy couldn't help but notice. She plead in a hushed voice, as if to not attract further attention,"It's only a matter of time before they find me, don't let them take me, they can't know I'm here."

Bill raised his hand towards his face and cupped his chin, deep in thought. Clearing his throat he put his hat back on, and he turned to look towards the blonde, giving her a look that could only mean one thing.

Taylor could read his mind better than anyone else, and began to dread his idea.

"No way."

"Taylor," he began in a stern voice, much like a concerned father, "You know what she's in for if they find her. You can keep her safe for the time being while I figure out what to do. John has the pretty boy locked up for now, but we can't trust him around her, we don't know the full story yet."

"I'm not some babysitter, and I have my own things to do." Facing away from both people in front if her, she put her hands on her hips and walked a few steps away, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes and hoped this was all a dream, that Bill was not about to force her into taking care of a runaway crook.