Walkers Creek - A Western

'If it helps, I do care about her, but she isn't here any more to be cared for. She has left us both behind.'

'Are you sure?'

'Her horse has gone. She told me she planned to leave the town for good. She knew that Sanchez was dead. She said that there was nothing here for her any more.'

'When?'

'Not long ago. If you let me go now I might be able to chase her down.'

'Let you go? I'm not stopping you going anywhere.'

Logan gestures at the gun in the Sheriff's hand.

The Sheriff shrugs and holsters the gun.

'Perhaps, if you can delay a few minutes you'd permit me to ride with you?'

'To "protect" me?'

'To get a chance to say goodbye to my sister.'

'You really do care about her don't you?' Now that the gun isn't pointing at him any more, Logan sees behind the facade of the Sheriff's badge for the first time and sees the man. A tired man, saddened by the loss of his family. 'What on earth did you do to make her treat you like this?'

'What did I do? I became a deputy, a lawman.'

'That's it?'

'It was enough to estrange my father. He had little respect for the law and broke it frequently and flagrantly. It was probably best for both of us that he wouldn't have me at the ranch any more. I would have had to arrest him sooner or later. He was far more deserving of the noose than McLaren. Emily has always done her best to please her father and to do as he would do. I don't doubt that hiring you to blow up McLaren's house was an example of that. My only surprise is that she didn't ask you to kill him.'

'I'm pretty sure she meant me to. With what's happened since, I wish I had.'

Both men walk out into the main street, Logan leading his horses. Logan repeats his plans to leave and catch Emily on the road.

'You're not going to make much speed with that packhorse in tow.'

'I know, that's why I want to leave now.'

'Fine, you go, but when you find her will you do me the favor of getting her to wait? You don't need to tell her that it's me that's coming. I have a fast horse, I might be able to overtake you anyway.'

Logan steadies himself for the agony of hauling himself into the saddle but as he does so he sees something that makes him pause.

He isn't sure to start with but it looks so much like her. Who else would it be? But would she really, after all she has been through? No, it is definitely Emily, and she has her arm around the odious Humby.

The Sheriff turns to see what he is looking at and he too is taken aback at the sight.

Logan wants to call out to her. What will he say? What can he say? He thought she felt the same way about him as he does about her, but if she is so quick to fall into the arms of a man such as Humby then maybe he was wrong.

'Help me up,' he says to the Sheriff, determined not to stay to watch her, to see her flaunt this at him.

'No, wait here.' The sheriff walks up the street to meet Emily and Humby as they approach.

Logan watches the him walk toward his sister and considers turning away, dragging himself into the saddle and riding off but, without meaning to, he follows a few paces behind the Sheriff.

'Emily, what are you doing?' her brother asks.

'I've sold the ranch,' she says.

'I don't care about the ranch.'

'You never did, did you? Well, it's gone now and your friend has bought it.'

'And has he bought you too?'

She laughs at her brother's concern. 'Oh no, this is him being too drunk to walk without something to lean on. Here,' she untangles his arm from around her and shoves Humby toward him, 'you take him.'

The Sheriff steps aside and Humby tumbles onto the floor.

'That's no way to treat your friend,' she says, mocking.

He looks at his sister with his hands on his hips. He has not spared a glance for the Mayor as he scrabbles about on the floor trying to get to his feet.

'Does this mean you're still planning to leave town?' he asks her.

'Yes. There is nothing for me here now.'

'Not even me? No, I didn't think so,' he doesn't give her the chance to answer, 'but I'm surprised you didn't want to travel with Mr Tanner.'

She looks down at her feet as though suddenly interested in the state of her boots.

'He left without me,' she murmurs.

'No he didn't.' Logan says as he walks up to them.

She looks up and smiles, taking a step toward him and then seems to stop herself.

'Were you going to leave without me? I thought you'd already gone,' she says. 'Your horse had gone from outside Mannion's.'

'I thought that was your horse that had gone. I guess Mannion fooled us both by moving his own horse.'

'I'm glad you're here. Perhaps we could ride together a little? I think we have some things to discuss.' She says it with a twinkle in her eye and Logan is reassured that all will be well again.

'You can't go with him.' Humby lurches to his feet.

'I'll do what I want.'

'You,' he wags a finger at Logan, 'this is all your fault.'

Logan is caught off guard by the speed of the man, despite his drunkenness, he manages to swing a punch that Logan can't quite dodge and, unable to use his arm to deflect the blow staggers back as Humby's fist connects with his cheek.

Emily is quick too. The derringer is out of her pocket and Logan fears she will shoot the Mayor but instead she whips the barrel and the weight of the little gun into the middle of Humby's face, knocking him back onto the ground.

'I think now would be a good time to leave.' Logan says, tasting blood where his cheek has been cut by his own teeth.

Emily steps round Humby and throws her arms around Logan, knocking his hat off.

Logan laughs with relief that things might just work out okay.

'There is just one thing, before we go.'

She lets go and allows him to pick up his hat.

'Your brother. He's been looking out for you. For both of us. He knows what's been going on, all of it, and he's still prepared to stand here and let us ride away. Don't leave without saying something.'

He dusts off his hat. Emily looks from him to her brother and back.

'Our father would have--' she starts.

'Our father wasn't a good man, Emily. He didn't have a thought for our happiness or our wellbeing, he only cared about that ranch. I'm not sad to see it burned.'

'I really thought I would be sad,' she says, 'but I'm not. I've tried really hard to keep the ranch successful, tried to do what would have pleased father. I can see now that I was no better at pleasing him that you were.' She shakes her head. 'It isn't as simple as that though.'

'What isn't simple?'

'This. Us. We've spoken more words in the last five minutes that we have in five years. It isn't just going to change overnight. I'm not a good girl. You're a sheriff. We're oil and water.'

'You may be right, and it'll take a while before you can show your face in Walkers Creek again after knocking out the Mayor in the middle of the street.' His voice is stern but he has a big smile on his face.

She leans in and gives her brother a hug.

'You want to take care with him,' he says, indicating Logan. 'He's not the legendary gunslinger he likes to think he is.'

'That's okay. I've seen him in action and you're right, but I don't need a man to protect me or to fight my battles for me. I'm quite nasty enough to do that for myself.'

Her brother just laughs and nods.

'Perhaps I should give you the partner to that gun,' she says, pointing at the revolver in her brother's holster, 'and reunite father's guns.'

'No,' he says after a moment, 'keep yours. There'll be another chance to pair them up.'

They walk back to Mannion's store trying not to notice that everyone seems to be watching them. Whispers pass along, Logan presumes they must be commenting on the Mayor and his broken nose.