Hands begin to stray

An hour or so later and the atmosphere inside the barroom was a picture of merry companionship. The three visitors were just finishing up the delicious meal Lucy had cooked them, and were regularly ordering drinks for the twins to bring over. Bill was still a little wary about the steadily more drunken raucousness, and the… overly comfortable way their hands were straying over his wife and daughter’s forms when they leaned in. But such was the general risk in running a drinking establishment and the leader of the group had paid up front for a full night’s board and tab. Mr Powell was diligently noting down every expense the men tallied up, feeling the weight of coins he’d been handed and watching the worries he had over their survival slowly chip away. Three guests for one evening were hardly going to turn the tide completely… but it was a start… it was a start!

“Ye’ve not had much business since movin’ here, Ah take it?” The older man enquired of Lucy, who had somehow ended up perched upon his lap… Even she was not quite sure how.

“Not… a lot, no…” She relented, smiling as encouragingly as she could back towards her husband. “But we’re certain that’ll pick up soon… Bill got an inside scoop, before we came out here!”

The old man’s chuckle was dry and gruff. “Oh… ‘bout the railroad comin’ through, Ah ‘spect?”

Bill’s ears perked up excitedly and he could hardly help blurting out:

“Yes! Have you heard anything? I swore they were supposed to be here by now!”

Another coarse chuckle emerged from beneath that moustache. “Aye… We’ve heard a thing or two, ain’t we boys?”

He shared a sly smile with his compatriots, before fixing Mr Powell with an almost apologetic smirk. “Fraid there’s been some trouble f’r the workforce of late… Bandits, or some such…”

One of his companions burst into laughter at this, but was quickly silenced by a glance from his blue-eyed elder.

“Ah’ve even heard they might be changin’ the whole damn route because of it…”

The fall in Bill’s face must have been plain for all the world to see. Everything he’d staked their lives and livelihoods on, falling apart behind his eyes. The stranger tutted consolingly… idly stroking the long, lustrous hair of Mrs Powell as he did so. He gave a good minute or so for the news he’d brought to sink in, before offering:

“Listen… Ah hate to see a good buncha folks so down on their luck… and ye’ve all been so mighty welcoming to me an’ the boys… Ain’t they?”

He looked around for a few supportive catcalls, and got them.

“An Ah happen to know a few more fellas in the local vicinity… Maybe Ah could persuade one or two of ‘em to drop by, now and then.”

Bill was drawn in, the begging hope clear as dawn within his eyes, like a dog praying for scraps. He was embarrassed even as he felt the expression cross his own features… but he needed to believe this man could help. The whole family needed some hope of increasing custom, else they’d either have to pack up and trudge back East… or starve before they got a chance to.

“‘Course… We'd have to feel very welcome, to make this our regular stop-off.” Smiled the stranger, reaching down quite calmly… to cup one of Lucy's prominent breasts.”