As much as he wouldn't have thought it was possible, Caroline did a magnificent job of guiding Justus in the steps for the waltz, and quickly enough he caught on and was actually enjoying the dance. Well, maybe not so much as the company, and he was going to make the most of that!
"Yer not scary at all, Miss Caroline." At least while they were dancing! That way, there was more than just conversing to do, and it turned out he was far better at dancing then conversing!
"Looks like your ...Cade was it? Is gonna do somethin' other than dancing. Guess it's just you n' me for a bit then."
"Oh, well, he..." Justus' cheeks went bright red as he shrugged, stumbling a few steps as he was distracted. "Better that I get you all ta myself!" he declared, grinning. Then the music stopped and he looked at her awkwardly. "So, um...now what? Do I buy ya another drink?"
The young man assured her she was not scary at all, Caroline smiled at that, "Told ya so." She also pointed out he'd just lost his friend to another sort of blonde as Cade left with one of the whores.Happened often enough, even Caroline was reluctantly used to it by now.
"Oh, well, he..." Justus' cheeks went bright red as he shrugged, stumbling a few steps as he was distracted. "Better that I get you all ta myself!" he declared, grinning.
"That's the spirit, hon! Enjoy life while ya can I always say," Caroline nodded emphatically as they spun about to the tune.
Then the music stopped and he looked at her awkwardly. "So, um...now what? Do I buy ya another drink?"
"Well ya can, if you want and got the money for it. Don't buy one and then not be able to pay though, Ralph, he's the bartender, he doesn't take kindly to people who stiff us," Caroline was smiling as she said it but she wasn't exaggerating though either.
"Or we can just sit down at one of them open tables and you can tell your life's story, that kinda thing, I'm a good listener," she added in that easy going way of hers.
"I can buy ya another drink." Justus shrugged. It wouldn't break him, he didn't want to seem cheap, and wasn't buying drinks essentially paying for her time? And he surely didn't mind spending time with her, even if it meant a bit of his pay.
"We can talk, too, but don't know as there's much to say." They gathered the drinks then headed to a table, where he held a chair for her, then sat across from her.
"My life's story?" He chuckled at that, then nervously took a swig of whisky. He wasn't accustomed to talking about himself, mostly because there wasn't anyone who cared, and more mostly because there was much that he really couldn't reveal. Still, she had asked...
"Well, now...I was born in Texas. Dad went to th' war when I was little, an' Ma died." He shrugged. He did have good, although vague memories of the woman, and occasionally a passing tune would dredge up memories. "I kinda got moved around between relatives until Dad got back, those were mostly ranches and such, so I got some experience with cows."
He chuckled and took another sip of the burning liquor. "Cows are pretty dumb critters, I'll tell ya that, akin ta buffalo that will run right off a cliff without thinkin' on it." He grinned. "Did ya know some'a th' Indians do that with buffalo herds? Just run 'em off a cliff so they don't hafta chase 'em down one at a time. Pretty smart, so long as ya don't mind th' meat all bruised up!"
The young cowpoke agreed to buy her another drink so Caroline waved toward Ralph, "Pour me another, Ralph. I will be back there ta get in a while."
Ralph nodded in his usual poker faced style. Not much riled him or made him laugh, but no one who knew him wanted to see him angry. He could be scary then.
So it time for the young man to do a little talking, most everyone could at least manage the subject of talking about themselves. He mentioned his parents, his mother died when he was young. She nodded sympathetically. She lost her mother when she was around twelve.
He moved on to happier topics.
He chuckled and took another sip of the burning liquor. "Cows are pretty dumb critters, I'll tell ya that, akin ta buffalo that will run right off a cliff without thinkin' on it." He grinned.
"You think cows are dumb, I've had to handle me some drunk customers who were pretty damn stupid too," Caroline pointed out with a smile.
"Did ya know some'a th' Indians do that with buffalo herds? Just run 'em off a cliff so they don't hafta chase 'em down one at a time. Pretty smart, so long as ya don't mind th' meat all bruised up!"
Caroline frowned, "I don't think it is. Waste of meat if ya ask me. They can't possibly eat a whole herd. And I have read in the papers one of the big gripes the Indians have with us is white hunters are killing their buffalo." She rolled her eyes.
After the stage had been attacked and she and Addy taken captive by Indians, she did not like them one bit. She wasn't about to waste any sympathy on those red devils.
"Oh, they don't eat it all at once," Justus explained, "I think it's a whole kind of event...like a party, dryin' th' meat, scrapin' and preservin' th' hides, mostly gettin' ready fer Winter, I reckon."
He shrugged. "Never had much ta do with th' savages, 'cept th' ones that try an' run off cows, ain't no better'n bandits." Of course, a cowpoke didn't like anyone who messed with the cows and made their life harder! "So, ya seen a lot of real yay-hoos come through? I hope it doesn't get too dangerous fer ya, ya ought not hafta worry 'bout things like that."
Although it looked like the man at the bar wouldn't put up with much trouble, although once trouble started, it might take a few seconds to intervene, and that could be a long time for a lady in distress. Even so, Miss Caroline seemed like a lady who could take care of herself!
He shrugged. "Never had much ta do with th' savages, 'cept th' ones that try an' run off cows, ain't no better'n bandits."
"Me either til a stagecoach I was riding got attacked by them. Me n' the driver, a friend of mine got captured for awhile by 'em. They also killed the shotgun guard and a woman and her son. Long story short, we escaped and the army found us," Caroline wasn't even sure the cowpoke would believe that story.
Back to her life in the saloon, he asked,"So, ya seen a lot of real yay-hoos come through? I hope it doesn't get too dangerous fer ya, ya ought not hafta worry 'bout things like that."
"Not a lot I reckon. Most customers are fine. But on occasion, the job can be dangerous. I been shot at a couple times and roughed up some too. More so in another saloon not here in the Star Dust," she answered.
"All part of the job. It's my life, what I chose to do, just gotta live with it," she shrugged.
"Don't understand how a man could do anything ta harm a lady," Justus grumbled, shaking his head, "no matter what th' cause, nor how much he been drinkin'." It just wasn't right, and using alcohol as an excuse was a lie. That was one thing his pa had never done -- abuse a woman, nor tolerate that kind of behavior from anyone around him.
"Had I been here, I would'a...well, somethin'! Ladies should be treated with respect, no matter what their callin'." Well, maybe there were some crabby old biddies who could be hard to deal with, but they had the double respect of gender and age!
"So, ya plan on stayin' around these parts, or is there someplace ya'd rather be?"
"Well, you don't understand, cuz you are a gentleman and a decent person. Plenty of men ain't either. In my line of work, I run inta those sorts more often than you'd think. I can handle 'em," Caroline really was confident in her abilities that way. Besides Ralph was around and if it came to it, he would not just handle 'em but manhandle them.
"Some day you'll find yerself or rather some gal will find you and you'll end up gettin' married. You'll make a good husband, I just know it. I'm a great judge of character, you better believe it," she smiled.
"So, ya plan on stayin' around these parts, or is there someplace ya'd rather be?" he now asked.
"No, I like it here. Saloon's not as busy as the last one I was at in Helena but that's a bigger town too. It was also rougher. One thing about Kalispell, it's a pretty peaceful town. Hopefully it'll stay that way," she didn't say it aloud but she was thinking of Evergreen and it's feud with Lost Lake. Frankly she was amazed it had still not exploded into open violence. But she was cynical enough to realize it would eventually.
"I originally came from Chicago....but now I like a smaller town. I'll stay til I'm no longer welcome."
"What about you? Thinking of setting down roots around here or got the urge to see new places?"
"Reckon fer now I'll stay around here, 'till there's a reason not to." Smiling, Justus shrugged. "Like what I seen so far, an' Mr. Pike's a good man ta work for...so far. Got no call ta go back ta Texas, an' honestly, I'm ready ta stick in one place, maybe find a nice gal."
He took a sip of his drink. "'Course, I plan on havin' somethin' by then, some money so I have somethin' ta offer her rather than livin' in th' bunkhouse with th' rest of th' crew!" He laughed at that, because, of course, no wife or lady would be living in a bunkhouse with all those smelly men!
"Gonna be a while, I reckon, but see no reason ta hurry." Funny, but Caroline was so easy to talk to, and he was enjoying the conversation.
"Not sure I want my own ranch, but just ta be in good at one...an' have a little cabin or somethin' nearby. Not hafta worry 'bout...livin'."
Or bounties, or posses...
"Reckon fer now I'll stay around here, 'till there's a reason not to." Smiling, Justus shrugged. "Like what I seen so far, an' Mr. Pike's a good man ta work for...so far. Got no call ta go back ta Texas, an' honestly, I'm ready ta stick in one place, maybe find a nice gal."
"Thatta boy! I've always thought Mr. Pike a decent sort...for a lawman and I've heard nothing all that good about Texas. And don't you worry, stay like you are and you'll find yourself a gal alright," Caroline encouraged him.
This young man was the sort of customer she loved to sit and talk with, not the drunken slobs she had to pretend to like all too often or the ones who were sure they were god's gift to women.
"Not sure I want my own ranch, but just ta be in good at one...an' have a little cabin or somethin' nearby. Not hafta worry 'bout...livin'."
Caroline had to laugh at that, "I think we all have to worry 'bout livin', hon."