Crescent City in The Rockies Pt. 02

"Oh! And I am still married as well!" Merilee gasped.

At the time that Merilee and Daniel were discussing their plans for the future, Polly was telling Billy that they had no future together.

"Got me a new lodger," Polly said as she pulled her shift on over her immense bulk.

"But, but I love you," Billy whined.

"Thought I loved you too, 'til I seen what the new lodger's swinging," Polly said.

She touched Billy's cheek softly. He was nearly in tears by now.

"Hey, just go on back to your pretty little wife; surely she done forgive you by now, huh?" Polly suggested.

She kissed him. Then she lumbered to the door.

"Hell, show her what I done taught you, huh?" Polly advised.

Billy stumbled out of the boarding house and walked to the Main Street Saloon. Merissa greeted him and soon Billy was smiling and laughing, happy mood fueled by alcohol. And when he slipped her a few coins and she took him up the stairs, he did show her what Polly had taught him.

"Ah, Senor Billy, you good, eh?" she giggled.

A lawyer in Denver did agree to assist Merilee in ending her marriage to William J. Benhurst the Third. Merilee nearly fainted at the twenty dollar retainer the attorney demanded, but again, her dear sweet Daniel shrugged and paid the man.

Billy thought to fight the divorce. It would be truly shameful, losing a wife such as Merilee, and so soon after their marriage. Upon receiving the paperwork from the attorney's office, Billy stormed out of the Mayor's office to the office of Dr. Jordinaire.

"There will be no divorce; I love you," Billy demanded, flinging the door open.

"There will be a divorce," Merilee said and stood.

The bump was barely noticeable, but Merilee pointed out the swelling in her midsection.

"I am with child, Billy, and you are well aware it is not, could not possibly be yours," she said, quite scornfully.

She sat again as Billy, and everyone else in the office stared at her. She smiled as Daniel came and put a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"I would like to wed the father of my child. To do so, I must be divorced from you," Merilee said and patted Daniel's hand.

"You, you low down snake in the grass," Billy snarled hatefully at Daniel.

The young man turned and stomped out of the office. Merilee again patted Daniel's hand and told his next patient that it was his turn.

Daniel bought a buggy and had a soft, down filled pillow placed on the bench for Merilee's comfort. She fussed when she saw the buggy.

"But, this is unnecessary, Daniel," she said. "I can ride Missy just fine."

"The other morning, when she saw the snake," Daniel reminded her and even rubbed her belly gently.

"Fine, fine, as you wish," Merilee sulked and settled her rump onto the pillow.

They settled onto the seat and Daniel flicked the reins. Their two horses pulled the buggy and Daniel guided them toward Crescent City.

Halfway between the town of Benhurst and Crescent City, Daniel pulled the horses to a stop. Billy Benhurst stood in the middle of the path, ten gauge shotgun in hand.

"Low down dog! Would steal another man's woman?" Billy drunkenly snarled.

Daniel had his Colt .45 in his holster. But he feared any movement would cause Billy to pull that trigger. He could not risk the spray pattern. Even bird shot at this close a range could injure Merilee, injure their baby. The blast could also strike their horses, spook them into running.

He held up his hands, showing that they were empty. Billy sneered at the futile gesture.

Merilee huffed with indignation as her husband wobbled unsteadily on his feet. Billy had been similarly drunk the evening he'd given her to two men, for them to fornicate with.

"Billy, whatever you are hoping to accomplish with that..." Daniel said in an even tone of voice.

There was a shot, Billy looked startled, then he fell to the ground. Merilee held a smoking Derringer in her small hand.

Daniel jumped down from the wagon and approached the groaning Billy. There was a splotch of red forming on his shoulder.

"Damn it, I'd hoped to hit him in his head," Merilee complained and searched to reload the small pistol.

"Merilee, put that away; he's injured," Daniel ordered as he lifted Billy into the wagon.

"You could have killed me!" Billy whined as the rocky path jolted him terribly.

"And that was my full intention," Merilee snarled.

Daniel removed the slug from Billy's shoulder, wrapped the wound with gauze, and sent the still whining youth on his way. Then he and Merilee again set out to return home.

The next morning, Will and Billy paid the office of Dr. Jordinaire a visit.

"What's this about you shooting my Billy because he won't give you no divorce?" Will demanded of his daughter in law.

Merilee told Will what had actually transpired and why she had shot his son. Daniel did verify that Merilee was telling the unvarnished truth.

"Miss Merilee, he'll not fight the divorce," Will promised.

"Boy, go on home; your momma needs you there," Will spat at his cowering son. "Needs you hell of a lot more than I need a spineless deputy mayor, that's for sure."

Epilogue.

Their son, Anatole Daniel Jordinaire was already walking, getting into everything before the decree of divorce arrived from New Orleans, Louisiana. As Merilee was quite swollen with child, they waited until their daughter, Emily Anna Jordinaire was born before the Reverend Dumble performed the wedding of Dr. Daniel Jordinaire to Merilee Burgess.

Norma Benhurst rejoiced the return of her only child, to the exclusion of her husband. She fussed and coddled the young man.

Will took to staying in town; the shrill Norma making life at Benhurst Ranch unpleasant. Will also resented the smug, satisfied little smirks his son gave him whenever their paths crossed.

Polly McCall made Will's stay at her boardinghouse quite pleasant. Soon after, Polly quit accepting new lodgers.

In 1876, Norma mysteriously became with child. Will knew it could not be his; he'd not graced their home in months. One look at his son's face told Will how the miracle of life had happened. But he simply shrugged his shoulders.

In 1876, Polly gave birth to a son whom she named David, after her father. Norma gave birth to a little girl that she named Adelaide, after her own mother. But dear Adelaide was addled, not quite right in the head.

(Years later, it would become known as Downs' Syndrome.)

In 1878, Norma again became heavy with child. This time, both mother and child expired in childbirth, leaving Billy to raise his daughter alone.

In 1899, ground was broken to begin construction of the Jordinaire Medical College in Benhurst, Colorado. A steam shovel easily broke through the rocky soil and scooped away mounds of earth. Then construction was halted when they found two well preserved bodies in an underground shaft. The two men were Asian, in their late twenties or early thirties when they died. There was no one that could identify the bodies of Moo Tuy and Ng Sin Dao; the bath house girls had long ago left Benhurst to return to San Francisco, California.

But to this day, those that are in the basement of the library claim that they can hear hammering on the floor and two voices faintly crying out for help.

***** THE END of Crescent City in the Rockies. Again, thanks to Blackrandl1958 for sparking my interest in the Western Genre.

This was the fourth story in this genre. 'Beyond The River' in the Anal category, 'Knothole Saloon' in the Lesbian Sex category, and 'Post; Three Days' Journey' and 'Crescent City In The Rockies' in the Loving Wives category. There may, or may not be more in this genre; at present I have no plans to continue along this vein of thought. But, who knows which way the tumbleweed may travel?

**Author's Note: I write these stories for my pleasure; I post them here for your enjoyment. I do thank you for reading my stories.

I especially thank those that take the time to leave comments, good and bad, and those that take the time to rate my submissions.

Have a swell day. Saddle up. Oh, and don't forget the lard.