A Lethal Lady

50 you're the young lady they found on the outskirts of town,” Rouse looked at Lauren, she was just a child. They say you were on the verge of death, it must have been terrible. What happened to you?

Are you Lauren?

“Yes, it's me.

You're too young to work in this place, and your parents?

You've already met my mother, that's Hilary. And my father, who knows, I never met him.

But if this Hilary was young enough, and she was the mother of that girl. You could say they didn't get along much in age. -Is she really your mother?

~My mother doesn't talk much about how she got pregnant with me, but what I do know is that she did it at a very young age.

That explained why she already had a daughter at such a young age, but what was strange to Rouse was that the doctor's wife had dealings with her. As far as he could tell she didn't seem to have a husband.

Well, if my mother gave you a job, you have to help me. We have to pick up all the blankets and put them in the wash. After the laundry, we have to clean all the rooms.

Okay.

1 guess she told you that you need another dress.

She offered me one of hers, but I don't think it's my style.

“I can see that, I'l give you one of mine. I think it will be a little tight on you, but it will fit.

Rouse finishes putting on Lauren's dress and thinks it's much better than her mother's, a little tight, but it was better. Although she still couldnt wear the corset, that dress was better than the rags she was wearing.

She was also assigned a small, somewhat dilapidated room, but at least she had a bed. The bad thing was that the bathroom was outside, but she would have to make do. Still, her stay in that town would be very brief.

After checking out his small room, Rouse made his way inside the hotel. On the laundry side, there he found Lauren wringing out the white blankets.

“It looks like your dress looks pretty good on you.

-I don't wear a corset, I'm sorry, I can’t wear it at the moment.

-Don’t worry, you look very pretty without it. When my mother starts paying you, you can go to the dressmaker in town an have her make you some dresses, or you can buy the ones she has on display. They're very pretty, and they're fashionabl The truth is that she wasn't going anywhere, she would most likely stay in that dress until the day she had to leave that town. She didn't have the slightest intention of spending her coins on dresses that were out of fashion.

Well, tell me what I do,” the young woman looks at her and smiles half-heartedly.

-Let's wash all this pile of blankets.

[.]

Tom was riding Belze at full speed down the dirt and rocky road, heading for the ranch of the only remaining cattle ranch near town. It was important to him that Joy continue to produce cattle near Coloma, it was beneficial to the citizens of the town.

The important people who visited Joy's ranch to buy cattle always ended up staying at Hilary's hotel, eating at the restaurant and one or two would come to James’ bar. And many who came with their wives ended up at the dressmaker's store.

Other than that, the town bank was always busy when Joy sold her cattle. For that reason, whenever the old man called him, he didn't hesitate to go to see what was on offer.

No sooner did Tom catch sight of the ranch in the distance than he slowed his horse's gallop. And little by little he stoppe until he was at the entrance of the ranch. He dismounted and immediately Joy approached him almost at a trot.

Tom, I'm glad you were able to arrive on time." she took off her hat. I thought that boy I sent for you wouldn't arrive so quickly.

“What happened, Joy? -The sheriff asks while tying his horse to the wooden fence.

“They stole some cattle from me.

Again?! Are you sure about that? -Tom looked sideways at him.

- know what I've got, Tom. I've had about ten cows stolen.

-Did you see who did it? -The brown man enters the old man’s property.

“No, but I'm sure it was Billy's gang of crooks.

it didn't surprise him that he and his companions were involved, they were in town for a few days, surely, that was the perfect excuse to sneak into Joy's ranch at night.

~You have to catch those bastards, Tom. If they keep stealing my cattle, I won't be able to keep my ranch.

“The sheriff was trying to calm him down. I'll get whoever's responsible for this, I'm telling you.

But I'm telling you it was Billy, he's a heartless thief.

-1 don't think Billy will be back in town for a while, I gave him a warning this morning.

-All right, lad. But I doubt that will stop him for long.

“In that case, I'll be waiting for him. For the moment, take me to the place where your cattle disappeared, I need to check the whole place.

Sure, sure, let's go...

[.]

The gorge of clothes was already laid out and getting some sun, although with the hot breeze blowing, it was more than certain that the sheets would dry out in a matter of minutes.

Rouse and Lauren went upstairs to the top floor where all the bedrooms were, with a pile of extra white sheets in their hands, the blonde was walking up the stairs behind the owner's daughter.

-All right, we'll dress the beds and then go down to the kitchen.

Rouse walked to the first door she saw, to do her job.

“Wait! -The young girl shouts at her back. Not that room.

“Why not?

“It's Sheriff Wesley's room.

The blonde looks at the wooden door and frowns. So the sheriff slept in a hotel, funny, for a sheriff he didn't have a hous of his own.

Doesn't he have land, your sheriff?

He does, it's huge. It is said that he has a ranch with very large land, but it is a litle far from town.

-And does he like to live in the filth?

“No ~ The girl smiles ~ My mother is in charge of cleaning his room, only she enters that room. I am forbidden to do it. Rouse was no fool, a young woman alone, a man alone and you could say how attractive. Of course there was something going on between those two.

The reason the sheriff was staying at the hotel and not at home was because of Hilary Miller. Now he understood perfect! why the doctor's wife treated her kindly, surely, everyone in town knew what the two were up to.

The woman had earned some respect, even if she was just..the sheriff's darling.

“Why doesn't she stay at his house?

She says she'd rather be closer to town, in case something comes up,” the girl shrugs. You can take those three quarters. The blonde nodded and walked away from the door, but looking at her sideways, she was a little curious about this sheri And knowing that his room was in the same place where she worked was tempting.

After finishing with the rooms, Lauren took Rouse to the kitchen. Since there was only one guest that day, plus the sheriff the hotel; the women didn’t have to cook as much. The blonde thought they could use more people in that place, now sh understood Hilary, when she mentioned that her daughter needed help.

The young woman was in charge of absolutely everything, while her mother only cleaned the sheriff's room. It was so unfair. However, she was not there to sort out what was fair and what was not.

Can she cook? -Lauren’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.

-Cook?

Ves, do you cook any specific dishes? -She insisted, as they both stood in the kitchen part of the room.

Did she know? Of course the blonde had no idea what cooking was, and she couldn't lie to that young woman. If she got her to cook something and messed it all up she'd get in trouble dragging that girl along with her.

Her mission was to raise money, not to give it away for damaging the whole dinner.

-1 don't know how to cook anything at all.

“Wow! That's not very common.

-What's that?

-A lady always knows how to cook. Those are the first lessons mothers should teach us, you know, for when we find a goo man and get married.

Rouse bristled at that mention, out of nowhere her thoughts drifting back to another time she didn't like to remember. Then she denies, and looks at the girl before her.

Perhaps I can learn something from you.

Sure, I can teach you,” she answers enthusiastically.

At least it made her change the subject, she was a very inquisitive girl. She asked a lot, and that wasn't good.

You are very serious, you should smile a little more.

1 don't think it's my style.

You're like the sheriff, he never smiles, he's always serious everywhere. Like he's angry all the time.

-Do you know the reason?

-Nobody knows, it's a mystery...