Cheaters in the West

Ms. Peyton's hysterical laughter started as soon as the door quietly closed. I turned to her and she stopped laughing. "Can you believe that woman? Give them to some small museum in Podunk, Texas. We're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars here, not chump change. But don't worry, we don't need her, she did the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. Atherton get me that contract."

She handed me what looked like a deed or a bill of sale, and my name was on it. "What is this?" I asked.

"She gave you the diaries," laughed Ms. Peyton. "Free of charge, no money at all. She just gave them to you." Then she started laughing again. "Some people just don't deserve money."

"You're right about that," I smirked. "Atherton, where are my guns?" He opened the wall safe behind his desk and got out the display case holding my ancestor's pistols. I took the case, and stacked the diaries on top of it. I put them down on the desk and shook Atherton's hand. Then I headed for the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" screamed Ms. Peyton. Just as I got out of the building I saw Samantha's Mustang driving out of the parking lot. I jumped into mine and gunned it. I was sure I could catch her. Her little Pony was light and fast, but we're still talking about a v6 versus my supercharged v8.

Samantha had a big head start, and a lead foot, but I was gaining on her quickly. She also had the advantage that I really didn't know where she was going. She could have gotten off at any exit. In the end it was the cops who helped me. They had pulled her over for speeding. I pulled up a safe distance away from the cops and waved my arms signaling to them. One of the cops warily approached me, with his hand on his gun. "Officer, I didn't want to alarm you, but I need to talk to my girlfriend, when you're done writing her ticket." I said.

He just looked at me and nodded. "You can talk to her while we run her I.D. and plates. Just don't try anything funny. We've still got her license and her car."

"Why did you tell him that I was your girlfriend?" Samantha asked me.

"Wishful thinking," I said.

"But after the wonderful night you spent with Ms. Peyton, I th..."

"After you left, I drove home, alone. I'm as puzzled as you are about what that bitch was talking about or what she was trying to make you and Atherton think. But there's nothing going on between me and her. Now which way is it to your museum?" I said.

"What about all of that money?" she asked.

"Fuck the money, I'd rather have you." I said.

"But this isn't the way our ancestors did it," she said. "This isn't the way the story is supposed to work."

"I know," I said. "I'm supposed to fall for the stupid blond chick who'll end up breaking my heart and hurting me and making lots of people suffer due to her selfishness right?" she nodded her head.

"Been there, done that, changed the script," I snapped. "We know that in the end the way our ancestors did it didn't work, no one ended up happy. So we get a chance to do it the way they should have. And you've had enough practice, don't you think it's time you got the real thing?" she nodded her head again and we finally kissed. Her lips were just as warm and soft as I'd imagined.

We went down to Dansen, and presented them with the guns and the diaries. They let us march in the Town's founder's day parade and gave us the key to the city. We ended up moving there after we got married. Ms. Peyton had spent a lot of her precious money promoting items she didn't actually have a contract to sell, so she got her ass fired. She tried to sue us, but again without that contract she didn't have a case. Atherton took it all in stride and ended up marrying his sourpuss secretary. Apparently she was hell on wheels in bed. And my ex wife Carla still calls me a lot and I hang up on her.

The end.

Hope you liked it, I promise next week's story will be more normal, at least for me.