Holonovel, Chapter 5 (Part 3)

Posted on Sat Jan 11, 2020 @ 8:24am by Commander Caleb Ryan & Civilian Opal Oliver (Deceased) Dr

1,610 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: Holodeck 3
Timeline: MD10 2030

Shane just stared at the man outside the saloon. Finally, he said, “Clayton.”

“Shane,” the man replied.

“What brings ya ta this town?”

“Job.”

“That so?”

“Yup.” Clayton’s eyes shifted past Shayne to Carrie as she emerged from the shop. He straightened up.

Shane straightened as well, keeping between Clayton and Carrie.

Clayton’s eyes shifted to Shane’s empty belt, then to Shane’s eyes.

Shane smiled easily. “Not armed, Clayton,” he warned. “Wouldn’t wanna be shootin’ down an unarmed man in front a so many witnesses.”

Clayton just reached up and tugged the brim of his hat. “Ma’am,” he said to Carrie. Then he smiled at Shane. “Ain’t the time an’ place yet, Shane,” he said. “I think I might by Mr. Sweringa a drink first.”

With that, he sauntered off, his shoulder checking Shane’s as he passed.

Carrie caught the comment about buying Sweringa a drink and her heart lurched. Was this stranger trying to imply he had Sweringa on his (and presumably Jarred's) side finally? Or was she wrong about the man being someone that Jarred had brought in to begin with? Perhaps he was implying he was going to threaten Sweringa, or worse, provoke him? She had too many possibilities whirring around in her head, but the one thing that was certain was that none of them were good.

She moved quickly towards Shane and let him take her purchases from her. "Did you know that man?" she asked, hoping he might have more ideas that perhaps weren't so dark as the possibilities she had thought of.

“Run inta him a few times,” Shane answered as he loaded the supplies into the wagon.

Carrie moved closer to him so their conversation could become more private. "A few times?" she asked, looking up at him curiously. "So yes, then. Someone you were referring to when you said you had a dangerous past?" she murmured softly, preventing anyone nearby hearing by keeping her voice so low.

“It’s the past,” was all Shane said. “We ready ta go?” he asked Carrie.

"Yes, thank you," Carrie replied, and tried to let it go - however she couldn't help one more question. "What do you think he meant about approaching Sweringa?" she asked softly. "Do you think he's likely to threaten him or try to make a deal? Is he the type to talk and make a bargain?"

“No,” Shane said quietly. “He’ll provoke Sweringa into going for his gun. Then he will shoot him.”

"Oh!" Carrie spun round, shocked, her eyes wide. "But we have to stop him, don't we?" she spluttered, looking up at Shane's face, searching his expression and his deep eyes, looking for something... She wasn't sure what. Was she looking for guidance, good advice, warnings? She didn't know yet which. Standing as she was now, closer to him where she had turned suddenly towards him, his physical presence and appeal seemed to catch what little breath she still had left after that shock.

“What do you want me to do, Carrie?” Shane asked, glancing over at her as he got the horses moving down main street and out of town. “Law’s on Clayton’s side if Sweringa draws first. Self defense. And you know Sweringa’s a hothead. Won’t be hard to provoke. Sweringa don’t have a chance. Clayton’s fast. One of the fastest.”

"Faster than you?" she asked, turning pale and wide eyed as the options occurred to her. "Will he come after you too? Shane? Could he provoke you too?" Her heart almost leapt out of her chest. It was beating so fast now she was certain Clayton must be able to hear it right back in town. She put her hand on his forearm again, this time in a plea for reassurance.

Shane paused. “Ah’m not in that line of work anymore,” was all he said, staring down the road.

"I'm not sure Clayton is likely to care what kind of work you're in now, Shane. I think he'd be as happy to provoke you to give himself an excuse to try to add another notch to his belt, no matter what.

Or am I just scared of him because you mean so much to me and therefore he's a threat to my happiness and survival? To be frank, if he removes you from the picture for Jarred, I have no safety left to run to," she declared sadly. It wasn't only about safety. The whole idea of a world without Shane in it was so terrifyingly dark and icy to her, and she was much more afraid of losing him than she felt she could trust herself to say. She also doubted he would want to hear her declare dedication and love like that, so she bit back on it and let out a much less impassioned idea of just emotionless safety instead.

“Clayton’s a professional. If Ah mind mah business, he’ll mind his,” Shane reassured Carrie, still staring straight ahead so she wouldn’t see his poker face. The fact was, one didn’t hire a man of Clayton’s caliber to just deal with a bunch of farmers. Any old gunslinger who was decently fast would do. Clayton was elite, and expensive.

Carrie was naive in many ways, but she didn't trust Jarred one inch, and something in her insides just wasn't accepting that Clayton wasn't a threat to Shane. "But if Jarred has hired him, couldn't you be his business? He won't mind you then, will he?" she asked, persisting with her angst and the sinking feeling Clayton's hard eyes had filled her with.

"Shane?" she began, but his insistence on not looking at her, or at anything else but the road, with an intensity it didn't warrant, seemed to answer the question before she even asked it, so she didn't finish it. She just sat silently, her hands in her lap, quietly going through in her head what she could do to make this different.

When they got back, Carrie went about her chores, made supper and made her decision.

She waited for Shane to come in for his food, and when they were sitting at the table she told him what she wanted to do.

"Mr. Black," she said, after she'd let him have a few mouthfuls of his supper. "I wonder if you would be kind enough to hitch up the wagon again in the morning, as i would like to visit Jarred. I have decided I don't want to fight him for this old ranch any more, and I'll be offering it to him for a very reasonable price, and then packing up and moving out. I know you don't want a relationship with me, so I won't insult you by trying to get you to come wherever I end up, and I hope you don't mind the lack of notice that there will be no more work here. I am sorry to have taken so long to decide, and then to have come to the decision so suddenly in the end," she told him, proud of herself for managing to get all that out without emotion choking her, or tears escaping her treacherous eyes.

Shane’s fork stopped midway to his mouth, and he gave Carrie a bit of a surprised look. He put his fork down and picked up his cup, taking a sip. “Is that so, Mrs. White?” he asked. “He’s got you running scared now?” Another sip. “What if we’re past reasonable offers?”

"I think we both know that we're already past reasonable offers if we're perfectly frank, and that is why he's brought in that Clayton person. I'm not prepared to be the reason you would be put at risk, Shane. I'll give him the damn place, if it would otherwise cost your life. It's just a house. You mean too much to me," she admitted, knowing he wouldn't like to hear her say this, but owing him too much openness and honesty to lie about her motives or determination.

"No ranch is worth giving my life for, nor worse still, sacrificing someone else's life, especially someone as..." She stopped, knowing he would like it even less if she added what she had been about to say about him. "S-Someone like you," she finished, hoping that this would be a slightly more acceptable description of how much she cared about him.

In many ways, Carrie was sure Shane must know how she felt by now, but she was also sure he was the kind of man who was unaccustomed to having feelings discussed as lightly as things like the weather, and that meant he wouldn't want to hear her expound the details of how she felt. It was customary to keep it unspoken even if it were mutual, and even then it would have been the expected and acceptable thing for people to wait for a time that could be considered to be proper, and he had made it clear he wasn't in the market for that sort of commitment, so, this was a difficult conversation to be having at all.

“I’m not so sure it’ll settle as easy as all that anymore,” Shane said quietly. “Not sure at all…”

Carrie felt a shiver of chill run down her spine. "Oh, Shane! This is all my fault!" She sighed heavily.

TBC

Dr. Opal Oliver
Civilian Doctor
Deep Space 5
AKA Carrie White, ranch owner/holocharacter

Cdr. Caleb Ryan
Executive Officer
Deep Space 5
AKA Shane Black, ranch hand/holocharacter

 

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