Caleb looks over his shoulder, hoping there is someone else behind him. Seeing no one coming to his rescue, he turns nervously, locking eyes with the gambling beauty.

  “Oh, come, darling, I am but a lost swan in a sea of ill-gotten gains. I promise no harm to you.” The woman in red beckons Caleb to sit beside her. She leans towards the table to showcase her plunging neckline.

  Caleb does his best to keep eye contact. Pa always told him to be polite to women, but his upbringing is being put to the test. The sound of his worn boots clunked on the makeshift saloon floor. Creaks of imported oak whine as he gets closer to the card table. He smells roses and gin as he sits next to the foreign woman.

  “I saw you running to the bar earlier.” The woman in red swirls clear liquid in her surprisingly clean glass. Caleb’s eyes widen, and he unknowingly licks his lips. “Were you that desperate for a drink in this dump?” A quick grin slips out before the contents of her glass are rushed into her mouth. “I’ve taken money from a hundred drunks since my arrival, and I have yet to see someone talking to themselves. Your little drunken argument was so distracting that I almost lost my hand. Tell me, love, are you a possessed little dessert mouse, or do you have a fun little secret?”

  Caleb’s face runs cold. He can feel sweat building up under his cowboy hat. His hands were just as wet. “Ma’am, I was just thirsty is all. The bartender wasn’t looking my way and I… I was trying to get her to look at me.” Caleb fumbles his words, as if this is his first time speaking out loud.

  A high-pitched cackle erupts from the woman in red. She leans her head back to keep her eyes from watering enough to ruin her powdered makeup. “You are just, just, refreshing. A spring oasis in this rocky desert.” The woman holds up two fingers and motions to the bartender. Fresh glasses are set down in front of both of them, and a clear liquid splashes to the brim.

  “My name is Charlotte Ashford.” She raises her glass towards her new quest, inviting him to a toast. “Who do I have the pleasure of drinking with on this scorching hot day?” There is a quiet awkwardness for a few moments before Caleb feels his card reach an invisible hand towards the drink. Almost forcing him to grasp it. He raises the crystal glass to meet Charlotte’s. “I am Caleb. Caleb McGraw.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  The clinking of the glasses rings out as Caleb gulps the glass. The taste of juniper rushes through his nose and makes him shudder. He feels the pull from his card slowly subside as his belly warms from the gin.

  “Well, Caleb McGraw. I am a little lost here. See, I have travelled all the way from England to see what all this card madness was about. What I have found is drunken fights, thieves, and bad gamblers. What I haven’t found is a card. The newspapers back home talked about this land as if cards were pouring out of the sand, but here I am cardless. Would you help a swan out?” Charlotte sips her drink, blotting her lip afterwards with a lace doily.”

  Caleb’s eyes hardened a little at the mention of a partnership. Pa had always been a shrewd horse trader. There were few men better at getting something extra in an exchange. He needed to get more than his fair share of a deal, or it was a no. Besides, Caleb can feel his card thumping in his chest. Charlotte only has a stack of chips.

  “What is a swan like you willing to offer?” Caleb sits back in his chair and takes another swig of gin. “I’m willing to offer every one of these chips for one. You bring me a card, you get this pile sitting in front of me.” Charlotte twirls a blue chip between her fingers, somehow rolling it around every digit.

  Caleb’s eyes go wild. His poker face broke as soon as the words left her lips. “All those chips, if I find you any card?” He tries controlling his frantic breath.

  Charlotte’s eyes run over the pile of poker chips in front of her. “I would say there is a thousand dollars or so in this pile. You have my word that you will get every cent for any card you can find me. I may even give you more for the right card.”

  “Well…” Caleb starts to say something and pauses. “Charlotte, I just got into town. Honestly, ma’am, I don’t even know where to find a card myself. You might have to ask around the bar for someone else who has some know-how. I desperately need the money, but I don’t think I would be able to help such a beauty when I can’t seem to figure it out myself.

  Charlotte’s eyes soften, and she reaches her hand out to touch Caleb’s arm. “Caleb, these drunk fools have told me where to find a card. Their secrets fall out when they start losing too much money. What I do need is someone hungry enough to see if the secrets are real. Are you in?”

  Caleb looks down at her silky hands, then to the pile of chips. His stomach rumbles, and his card begins thumping like a jackrabbit. “How would you like me to help, Miss Swan?”