Part two

Fallen Angel

Cort looks down at the beautiful woman in his arms. She's small, petite, and shapely. She has flaming long red curls. She hasn't stirred, although he picked her up, carried her to his horse and hoisted her up as he mounted. He'll have the Doc check her out when he gets her back to his rooms. He doesn't know where else to take her, but home. What do you do with a fallen angel?

Cort was on his way back to town after dropping off a prisoner in the neighboring town of Eden. He found her lying on a patch of ground alongside the trail. Everything about her appearance is mysterious.

She's naked except a sheet partially wrapped around her. The sheet is finely made and tightly woven, like nothing he's seen off a loom. The linen feels softer than anything he's ever touched. He's heard of very expensive material from China called silk, but has never seen it. That may be what this is.

She smells good like she's just bathed. Her skin is as soft as any woman's he's ever touched. It feels like she's been lightly oiled where his hands hold her. Her fingernails and toenails are enameled. She seems like flesh and blood, yet there is no earthly way to explain how she got where she was.

There were no tracks leading to where he found her body lying. Neither hers, nor anyone else's. No horseman rode up and dropped her on the ground. Nothing. It's as though she fell from the sky. The dirt is slightly displaced from her landing, but the lack of apparent severe injury makes Cort think she landed without too much force.

His discovered angel does have recent injuries that mar her tender skin. There's a nasty bite mark on her shoulder. The sheet fell away from her body as he examined her for injury. There are bruises on her hips and thighs. Lesser bite marks on her breasts. Cort thinks she's been raped.

Yet where is her attacker? If he discarded her, how was it done? Everything about her body suggests pampering and being well taken care of except the bruises and bite marks. There are no calluses on her hands to suggest repeated physical labor.

She has no money or possessions, except the sheet and her earrings which appear to Cort to be diamonds. Each one is larger than a carat. No one in Redemption has a lot of money. Those earrings are worth more than most of the people here will earn in a lifetime. This young woman isn't from Redemption. As the town's sheriff, he knows everyone in town and the surrounding homesteads.

She can't have been lying there for too long. She's a fair skinned redhead. The sun is beating down harshly today. She isn't sunburned. He found her body not long after she arrived. What would he have witnessed?

It's his job to find out what has happened to her, but none of the clues add up to anything logical. He's going to have to rely on what she tells him to solve this mystery. Who is she and how did she end up lying on the desert floor?

Cort believes in Divine intervention, but would God drop a girl in the desert for him to find? He doesn't think so. He grins. The Devil is more likely. He's been led into temptation more times than he'd like to recall in his sin-laden life.

While musing on her appearance and the likelihood of him finding her, he looks down when he feels her move slightly in his arms. Her eyes are open and looking up at him. She looks unfocused. They are a vibrant green-blue color.

"Hello, Angel. How are ya feeling?"

She focuses on his face. Her voice comes out in a whisper. "SID, thank God you found me. I was so scared. I was falling and it was dark." She reaches out her hand to touch his face, then her eyes slip shut again. She becomes limp again in his arms.

He was about to tell her who he is when her eyes closed again. Who's this SID? Is he the man who bit and bruised her? Does he resemble him? Probably not, she was only partly conscious. The mystery of her arrival is far from solved. She confirmed she fell, but from where? She said it was dark, yet it's mid-day. Cort shakes his head.

He repositions her in his arms, but she doesn't stir again. He knows one thing now. She sure isn't sent from the Devil. She sounded like an angel. There was an innocent quality about her. He feels protective of her. He will help her as much as he can. He'll keep her arrival in town quiet. How'd he explain the circumstances of his finding her? It won't hurt if no one knows where she is. He'll hear if anyone comes looking for her.

Cort reaches the outskirts of town and guides his horse around the north side toward his rooms. They're next to the jail. He pulls his horse up behind his place. Since he took over as sheriff after Herod's death, he's learned he needs to keep his doors locked. He still occasionally gets someone coming to town gunning for him. News of the shooting contest has spread beyond Redemption. A locked door means no sudden surprises.

He ties his horse, Maggie, to a post and carries Angel into his rooms. After throwing back the covers on his bed, he gently lays her down. He looks at her for a moment. She snuggles into the bed as he wraps the covers around her. He'll need to find something for her to wear. His cloths will have to do for now or he'll raise suspicions. Someone….or something will be looking for her. He wants to make sure no one finds her until she says they're safe and okay.

Cort takes Maggie to the town's stable and gets her watered and fed. He checks town to make sure things have been quiet over the last day. All seems fine. He makes sure his presence and return are known. Doc is on the outskirts of town at a small homestead helping Mrs. Henderson give birth. He'll have to wait 'til later to have him check out the angel. He goes back to write up the prisoner exchange. A small time gambler caught cheating patrons in the saloon. The guy is lucky he didn't get shot before Cort intervened.

He exits the jail by the adjoining door that links his office to his rooms. He removes his boots and enters quietly to not disturb the sleeping angel. He stands watching her. She is still soundly asleep. She's only moved slightly since he left. She's on her side, curled up. The blanket has fallen away and one of her breasts is uncovered. Cort isn't immune to her appearance. Her breast would fit nicely in his hand and the pink nipple in his mouth. He wonders what rosy color it would turn as it puckers from the attentions of his lips, tongue and teeth.

He shakes his head and turns to go get something to eat. It's been too long since he's been with a woman. And now there's a mysterious beautiful one naked in his bed and she needs his help and protection. He needs to make sure he leads with his head and not his cock in this situation. He looks down and adjusts himself in his pants as he walks into the kitchen.

Cort makes something to eat and wolfs it down. It's been many hours since he last ate in Eden. Angel will probably be hungry when she awakens, if she eats. He smiles at the thought. He doesn't really think she's otherworldly, but how she got here is certainly an unknown. Besides, Angel gives him a name to call her until he finds out what hers is. He clears away his mess and throws the crumbs out the door. Let the field mice eat outside instead of in here.

He goes into his bedroom and sits down on his chair in the darkened room. She's still sleeping. It sure'd be nice to crawl in bed and get some sleep. He rode through most of the night. He eyes the bed wistfully. Not such a good idea. He tips his head back against the threadbare upholstery of his old chair and falls asleep in moments.

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Ashley awakens. Where is she? Her memory floods back. She last remembers falling from the closet down into darkness. She was terrified as she frantically reached out to stop her fall and could find nothing. She fights to remember more. She is lying in a bed, but it's not hers and SID's bed. She blushes at the thought. She and SID? What exactly is that about?

She brushes her hand along the sheets. They are coarse and the bed is much smaller than SID's. The lighting is very dim in the room. She stretches and starts to look around. He is here; sitting in a chair. Is he sleeping? She wasn't sure if SID would sleep. Even if this leads to another round of mind blowing sex, she needs to feel his arms around her. She needs the contact of another human being. Well, as close as she can get.

She carefully gets out of bed, testing her legs. A little wobbly and stiff, but not too bad. She steadies herself and makes her way over to him. She hears his even breathing. He's asleep. She eases herself into his lap and wraps her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his with a little sigh. Her lips find his whiskered cheek.

"SID?"

Cort awakens instantly and almost dumps her on the floor in his haste to grab his gun. Then he realizes what startled him was the angel crawling on his lap, sinuously wrapping her body around him and kissing him. The Devil indeed.

"Angel, don't ever come up on a man like me and surprise him like that. You could get shot."

He grabs her around the waist to steady and prevent her from sliding onto the floor. That's when he really notices the feel of her very alluring body wrapped around him. He strokes the soft skin at her waist. His hands tighten around her. His voice gets huskier.

"It might be better if you don't wrap your beautiful naked body around men you don't know. My name is Cort. I'm the sheriff here. I found you laying on the ground in the desert a couple of miles from here. Who are you, Angel?"

Ashley notices pretty quickly that the man whose body she's hugging isn't SID. She puts her hands on his face. Whiskers. SID was clean shaven. She strokes her hands down over his coarse clothes. Certainly not Armani silk. She looks and listens to him. He bears an uncanny resemblance and his voice has a similar intonation to SID's.

And she's naked and draped all over a cop. Oh my God! She struggles to get off his lap which makes it worse as she wriggles her bare ass on him. He doesn't seem to mind, considering the way his hands are holding and touching her waist. She also noticed the husky quality to his voice, but since she's not ready to have sex with another SID look alike today…..she clears her throat.

"Excuse me, Sheriff Cort, but if you'd be willing to let go of my waist, I'll gladly unburden you of my naked body."

He chuckles. "No burden, Angel. I was actually enjoying it. I just figured I'd better let you know I wasn't this SID."

He lifts her off his lap and steadies her in front of him, reluctantly releasing her. "Again, who are ya, Miss Angel?"

She looks intently at him. Change the hair, the build some. The resemblance is uncanny. Especially in the dim lighting of this room. "Sheriff, my name is Ashley. Ashley Weston. I was kidnapped earlier today and was being held captive. I fell down some sort of hidden passageway in a house on Mountainview Lane in Paso Robles. I hit the ground and lost consciousness. I'm assuming that's where you found me. Obviously I don't have any identification on me, but if you check your computer, you can find me in the DMV. I'm licensed in California."

She puts her hands on her hips then sticks one out to shake his hand. She smiles prettily at him. "It seems that I have you to thank for rescuing and saving me, Sheriff. Thank you. Is there any way I can use your phone to call my good friend or my father? One of them will come and get me. Daddy would send a car, anyway.

She looks down at her naked body. She doesn't have a problem with nudity, but she's spent way too much time naked around men she doesn't know today. And now she's with a cop. What is she going to do about SID? She can't press charges against him, can she? He's not even human. He wouldn't consider himself bound to their laws. She just told this man she was kidnapped. SID wouldn't let himself be taken. She feels lightheaded. She sits down on the floor by his feet before she falls down.

"Sheriff, is there anyway you could give me something to wear? And could I impose on you for something to eat? I haven't eaten since this morning. I feel so hungry. I was given drugged champagne earlier and it left me so thirsty, too."

She noticed how Cort looked at her oddly when she stuck her hand out to shake his, but the look on his face now is one of confusion and something else she can't quite put her finger on. "Is something wrong, Sheriff? Should I have started at the beginning?"

Cort looks at her long and hard. She sounds like she's speaking English, but many of the words she speaks don't make sense. He's never had a woman put her hand out to shake his, and certainly not a naked one. The kidnapping part fits what he's seen on her. Kidnapping and assault. She starts looking pale and sits down on the floor after he shakes her hand.

"Angel, Miss Weston. Where is Paso Robles? I pretty much know most of the territory of New Mexico and Arizona and I don't know of a town by that name. What's a computer, DMV, phone and a car? And how could I use one of those to look you up in the state of California or call your friend or father? And what are you licensed for in the state of California?"

He looks at her with genuine confusion and concern. Did she hit her head when she fell? He grabs a clean shirt off a hook and hands it to her. He'll get her something to eat in a minute, but he wants to see and hear her reaction to his questions.

Ashley takes the shirt and holds it to her body. She looks around the crude rooms of the Sheriff's. She doesn't see electricity or any modern conveniences. Everything looks like an antique. He said New Mexico and Arizona. Where is she? She can't possibly have landed somewhere else other than where she fell from….can she?

She slips her arms into the sleeves and wraps his large shirt around her. It comes down to her knees. She shivers although she isn't cold. She looks up into his eyes. She fights down the feeling of panic beginning to spread through her.

"Thanks, Sheriff Cort. I was in the Paso Robles area of California in San Luis Obispo County. I thought you were with the Sheriff's department in the area. If you were, I wouldn't have to tell you what a computer, the DMV, a phone or cars are. You'd know. Where are we?" She holds his gaze steadily, though she feels her body trembling.

"Miss Weston, you're in New Mexico territory. That's a long way from California. I'm Sheriff of the town of Redemption. I'm not sure what you're saying is possible, but you weren't dumped in the spot I found you. It was like you fell from the sky. There weren't any tracks around you."

Ashley swallows, more like a gulp. She looks at the Sheriff and nods. How is it possible for her to be in another location, another state entirely? The panicked feeling only increases when she looks around his room again. Even in New Mexico they have phones, cars, and computers. And they know what the DMV is. Especially a cop. She looks up at him, imploring him with her eyes. Her voice is barely above a whisper.

"Sheriff, I was most definitely in California. I live in Los Angeles. I was in Paso Robles to look at some real estate. What year is it?"

Cort is able to read people well after his time as an outlaw, a priest and a sheriff. He sees the panic rising in the girl. He sits down on the floor opposite her, not too close. She must have hit her head and is missing memory. California? Then Cort remembers she also appeared from nowhere and that hasn't been explained yet.

"Ashley, it's the year of our Lord, 1887."

Her face turns white. He worries she is going to faint. He doesn't wait for her answer, but scoops her up in his arms and carries her back to his bed. He lays her down gently. She is trembling. He now sees fear and panic in her eyes. He tries to soothe her. "It's going to be all right, Angel. I'll make sure you get back to your family. We can always send a telegraph from Eden." Instead of reassuring her, she looks more panicked. A tear is rolling down her cheek now.

"Sheriff, please don't play games with me. You have no idea what this day has been like." She glances wildly around again. Everything he says fits with her surroundings and the way he talks. A telegraph? "You know the year is 2007. Tell me the year is 2007, Sheriff. Tell me.....Please…." Her voice trails off. She feels so cold.

"Ashley, I'm not playing games with you. The year is 1887. We're in Redemption, New Mexico. Maybe you hit your head when you fell? You were out a long time. Your mind could be confused." Cort's heard of amnesia. He also was hit in the head once and felt foggy for a while. But, to believe it's 120 years in the future? That one's all new to him.

Ashley pulls her knees to her chest and wraps her arms around them; hugging herself. He is either the best liar she's ever encountered or he's completely sincere. For a moment she thought he might be SID trying to deceive her, but she discounted that quickly. As many similarities as there are between them in appearance, there are more differences in temperament, stance and they way they talk. She looks into his eyes. They aren't lying. She has to pull it together and think. Keep her panic in check.

SID, it has to be because of SID.

SID said he came from the future to her time. He said the where didn't matter. He can traverse time and distance. He bought the house. He intends to use it as his center. He wanted her there. He knew the passageway was there, he put it there! He just didn't expect that she would accidentally discover it and fall through.

That also means she is stuck in this place and time until SID finds her and comes to rescue her. He said he'd find her. She remembers him calling to her. "Oh, God, please don't let SID leave me here." It comes out as a plea in a whisper of a prayer. Sheriff Cort's voice interrupts her thoughts.

"Who's this SID, Angel? What'd he do to you? You need to tell me what happened to you so I can help get you home."

Ashley needs to trust someone. This sheriff from the past may have saved her life when he plucked her off the desert floor. She looks into his kind and beautiful eyes, watches his face. She sees no guile there. He's going to think she's crazy or deluded. She has to chance that. She needs an ally. Especially in 1887 or she isn't going to survive. This is a place and time that isn't kind to a woman alone and with nothing.

"Sheriff…..Cort. Please listen to what I'm about to tell you with an open mind. I'm not suffering a memory loss or confusion. As fantastic as it sounds, this is the truth of what happened to me today. It's all because of SID. He came to my time. He's a man, yet he's not human. He bleeds blue."

Ashley recounts the entire sci-fi tale of her day. She glosses over the sexual assault since she consented the second time they were together. She does tell Cort that SID's goal was to impregnate her. Cort's got a great poker face. He barely gives away a flicker in his eyes as she talks. Finished, she stops, sitting quietly and continues to hug her body. She feels lost in so many ways.

Cort takes in all she's said. The tale is fantastic. Impossible. Time and space travel in seconds? A man who isn't a man, but also part machine. This word that Ashley explained; technology. He's not heard that word before. He should think her mad and lost her grasp on reality.

Except she appears completely lucid and reasonable. He does sense she hasn't told him everything. She didn't share all he did to her. Why didn't she accuse this SID of raping her? He saw the signs of it on her body. Is it fear or shame? Has she fallen for her captor? Or is it that she knows she needs him to get her home? He rubs a hand over his face. She definitely needs his help. He makes a decision.

"Angel, Miss Ashley…what you say happened seems impossible. I see you believe the truth of it. It shows on your face. I know that God works in this world in very mysterious ways. I've seen things in this life that can't be easily or logically explained. I saw no passageway where I found you. There's nothing hidden in the immediate area where I searched." He pauses, thinking.

"Wherever you fell from the passageway, it closed behind you. We could search the area tomorrow morning. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary there, but you Angel. You seemed to have fallen from the sky. I'll help anyway I can to get you home."

"Angel, you're not in this world completely alone or destitute. I'll protect you until the time you can return or until you can stand on your own. Your earrings." Her hands fly to her ears, touching the forgotten jewels. "Are they real diamonds?"

Ashley nods. "They are."

"They'd sell for enough money to live for many years. For a lifetime if you were frugal. I need to ask you a question, Angel."

She thinks on what he has said. He is offering his protection and help. He has even found a way for her to survive financially, if…SID leaves her here. She looks into Cort's eyes.

"I need your help and protection here, Cort. This isn't a world I'm familiar with. I gratefully accept your offer. Ask me anything, Cort. I place my trust in you. Are you calling me Angel because you thought I fell from the sky?"

Cort smiles. "Yes, you seemed to have fallen from the sky, Angel." His face colors slightly. He still meets her steady gaze. "And you're as beautiful as I could imagine an angel to be."

Ashley feels her cheeks flush from his compliment. She smiles in return.

"Is it possible you're carrying this SID's child?"

"Yes, I could be, Sheriff."

"Then he'll come for you, Angel. Don't fear."

Ashley nods again. She isn't sure she can explain to him that is part of her fear. Fear he won't come get her and fear that he will.

Ashley has a face that's easy to read. The displacement she feels here would scare anyone, but what does she return to with SID? Her world, but one of captivity and without freedom. Facing pregnancy from a man or thing she doesn't know.

Ashley moves across the bed. She puts her arms around his neck, hugs him and gives him a light kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Sheriff Cort." She kisses his cheek again, and presses her cheek against his. She holds on to him tightly.

Cort is surprised by her again. The women from her time must be more forward in their displays of affection or gratitude. She clings tightly to him. He slips his arm around her back and holds her. Her cheek is soft against his rough one. He breathes deeply of the fresh scent of her hair. It touches his lips. His other hand goes up to lightly stroke her silky hair. It feels good to have the closeness of a woman.

Ashley's stomach growls, loudly. She giggles and backs away from Cort a little. He looks disappointed. She wonders about this kind, rugged and handsome man. Is he lonely? She swipes a tear off her face and cups his cheek for a moment. "I believe in God too, Cort. He must have dropped me like an angel into your path. I give thanks to Him for bringing you to help me." She looks around their surroundings again. It is very austere. No feminine touch in sight.

"Where is Mrs. Cort, Sheriff? Her stomach growls again and she giggles.

"There's no Mrs. Cort, Angel. I live here alone." He chuckles at her growling stomach. "And I better get you something to eat or there will be no Angel. You'll waste away to nothing while I ask you questions."

He reluctantly slips off the bed to go to the kitchen. It was nice holding her in his arms. He gets some bread and cheese. The coffee still on the black pot bellied stove isn't too old.

He sees her getting out of bed to come help him and he shakes his head. "You stay right there in bed, Angel. I don't want to have to pick you up off the floor again. If you feel stronger after you eat, then you can get up."

She looks at him, amused, as he orders her to stay in bed. "Yes, sir, Sheriff! I'll not move another inch off this bed."

"Good, it's nice you know how to follow directions. I wasn't sure if angels listened to anyone but God."

She giggles and adds. "And Sheriff Cort, this fallen angel knows who she should listen to."

Cort hands her the plate of bread and cheese and a mug of coffee. "I have some cream, Angel. Do you want some in your coffee?"

"Yes, please, Cort. That sounds very good." She starts eating the bread and cheese, forcing herself to slow down. She's so hungry she feels she could inhale it.

Cort returns with her coffee and cream and watches amused as she eats heartily. He moves it closer to her and sits down. "I have to go out and leave you for a while, Angel. I have to make my evening rounds of town as night falls. I want you to keep the door locked and don't answer it until I identify myself and unlock the door. If this SID comes looking for you, I'll hear about him. Any questions?"

She shakes her head no. She doesn't want him to go. She has no rational reason to ask him to stay. He has to do his job. She's never been a coward. Maybe if she could see the town, she'd be less fearful. "Cort, would you show me the town once it gets dark?"

Cort looks at her and arches his eyebrow. "Angel, if I show you town once it's dark, you won't be able to see much. Most people go to bed not long after the sun sets. If they're home and awake, there's some light in the windows, but the streets are dark. Even the saloon isn't that bright."

She nods. "I forgot, Cort. There isn't any electricity here yet. There is a man named Thomas Edison who is working on electric lighting on the East coast. The incandescent light bulb. I remember from studying in school that it was during the 1880's. Electricity will change the world and the night, Cort.

"Go do your job, Sheriff. I'll be fine here. Perhaps you can show me your town another time." She reaches out and squeezes his hand. Her eyes meet his. She smiles and releases his hand.

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Cort bows slightly and exits the door, locking it behind him. His mind is on the woman as he makes his way down the street, eyes ever alert as he scans for problems.

This woman is fascinating to Cort. She's all warm, curvy and female, yet she possesses a sharp intelligent mind. She's the type of woman who is unusual and unfashionable in this day. He wonders if there are many more women in her time who are both learned and sensual. He grins. That would be a time he would like. He fleetingly thinks of Ellen. She was sharp and intelligent, but with much tougher edges than Angel. Somehow he thinks Angel has never touched a gun, much less fired one.

He thinks about the softness of her voice, her skin, her fingers and her hair. It's almost as if she was made by God to be desired and touched by a man. Angel, indeed. Eve. Will this SID come for her? If he is a man of any type, as Angel says he is, he will come for this woman. He chose her. He took her. His seed's possibly growing inside her. Angel described his feelings of superiority over humans. He probably feels he owns her as well. He'll be here to take her back.

For a moment Cort wonders if it would be best for Ashley if he stopped SID from taking her back. That's not his decision to make. It's much more complicated than saving her from this SID who means to use her as he wants without her consent. It also means she would be stranded here for the rest of her life. Life is hard for a woman here. More difficult if you're not raised into knowing how to cope with the harshness. Worse if you're with child and unmarried. Only if she asks will he intervene.

Cort walks down one side of the street, talking to the merchants and townspeople, and then starts on the other side of the street. Businesses are closing down for the day. People are eager to get home to their dinners. The town's growing. Redemption is becoming respectable. There's a new general store and a restaurant. A church is going up. The latest talk is of fixing up the long abandoned schoolhouse and hiring a teacher for the growing number of children.

He knows pride's a sin, but he can't help feeling some pride in his part of making this place become a real town for good people to live. The shooting contest and the resulting blowing up of a part of town left the town in shambles. It also helped start the process of wiping John Herod from the minds of the townspeople. To dream of a future without John's repression and tyranny. Cort's role in that has been working to make town safe from the thieves, rapists, and murderers that were allowed to run free in Redemption in Herod's time of terror.

There are still flare ups of violence that he deals with, but they are lessening. Families are moving into town. At first Cort didn't plan to stay here past six months, but with the changes he's seeing, it almost feels like a place to try and put down some roots. He grins. Roots are not something a former gunslinger should consider.

Cort stops by the restaurant. The best perk of his job is free meals. He doesn't have to cook for himself. Mrs. Jennings runs the restaurant. She is the best cook in the territory.

"Evening, Mrs. Jennings. I have some paperwork to finish on that prisoner transfer to Eden. Could I take my dinner home tonight? I'll bring the dishes back tomorrow. And I'm really hungry. Double portions tonight. I'll pay for the extras." He smiles and pats his stomach.

"Sheriff, you're still practically a growing boy. If you're hungry, double portions it will be. The town's paying me for your meals. You don't have to pay for extras. I'll be back in a few minutes." She hustles her matronly bulk into the kitchen. He has a lot of affection for Mrs. Jennings. She fusses over him like a mother would. It's been a very long time since a woman has acted motherly toward him.

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Ashley looks around his rooms. She's not trying to be nosey, although she is curious. There isn't much to see. Sparse is the word that comes to her mind. Lack of modern bathroom conveniences is the second thought that comes to her mind. Ashley has to pee badly and isn't sure where the Sheriff does it. When she thinks back on her history lessons, all she can remember is the mention of chamber pots. There's one of those under the bed. But, what do they do with the chamber pot once it's full? Eww.

She wants a flush toilet and warm running water to wash her hands after she finishes. She wants to go home. Cort told her not to unlock the door, but she has to see if there's an outhouse in the back. She steals her way over and slowly unlocks the door, scanning for anyone. There's no one around. She sticks her head out the door and sees nothing, other than the backs of the town buildings. It looks like a ghost town from a Hollywood western.

She has no choice except to use the chamber pot. She covers it with the towel that was over it. She doesn't want to just throw it out the back door. She'll have to wait and ask Cort. She finds a bowl of water in the kitchen and washes her hands, face, and lastly between her legs. She has nothing to dry off with, but she is still only wearing Cort's shirt so air dry it is. She feels better when she finishes.

The Sheriff is an intriguing man. He has a soft Southern drawl. When he says "I'll" it sounds more like "Ah'll." And what kind of man must he be to keep the law in a violent western town? He has to be tough. Yet she's found him to be compassionate too. He not only saved her and brought her to his home. He told her he will help her even if SID doesn't come to get her.

Her thoughts leave the Sheriff for a moment and go back to her own dilemma. If she's pregnant and left behind here, she knows she's in added danger. Not just to the strong moral disapproval of being an unwed mother in this time, but to the very real danger of being pregnant. Many women die in childbirth with the lack of modern medicine. And then there are all the diseases that could take her or even worse, her baby. There are no immunizations, and the few medicines available are mostly alcohol or opium based.

"SID, don't you dare leave me here." She whispers it, but with an emphatic undertone.

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Cort takes the large sack of food from Mrs. Jennings. He thanks her and starts toward home. He's satisfied that there's nothing needing his attention in town at the moment. He's eager to get back and talk more to Angel. Her story is fascinating and although it seems unbelievable, he finds himself believing it more as time goes by. And the mastermind in the place and time displacement is this SID, as Angel has called him. He wonders what type of being he is. In God's legions or the Devil's?

Cort unlocks his door, starts to enter and then stops and calls out. "Angel, its Cort." He hears her bare feet scurry across the floor and the sound of the bed depressing as she jumps in. He grins and enters. She has the sheet pulled up to her neck.

"Hi, Cort. I couldn't remember if you told me to stay in bed or not. That wasn't too subtle, was it?" She giggles and pushes the sheet down and off her body.

"You look like you're feeling better, Angel." He chuckles and takes in the sight of her. Her bare legs make him want to run his hand up them to feel the smooth skin. As much as he enjoys seeing this woman in his shirt, he enjoys seeing her out of it even more.

Ashley sees his nostrils flare as he takes her in. She bats her eyelashes at him with a slightly coquettish grin. She can't help flirting with him a little. He is so handsome and she already feels at ease in his company. She crosses one leg over the other, pointing her toes in his direction. She sees his eyes rake up her legs and grins at him.

"See something you like, Sheriff?"

"I keep trying to decide whether it was God who dropped you here, Angel, or the Devil? You're making it hard for me to be sure."

He walks over to her and runs a finger up her lower leg. The skin is soft and smooth as he remembers.

"Angel, you need to know I wasn't always a lawman. You better not try to lead me too far into temptation."

"That's all right, Cort. I wasn't always an Angel." She grins and looks up at him through her eyelashes. A small shiver rushes over her from the feel of his fingers on her leg.

She notices the large sack in his hand. "What's in the bag, Sheriff?"

Cort's fingers still rest against her leg. His eyes don't leave hers. "I brought dinner, Angel."

Ashley takes his hand and smoothes it on her calf, then gets off his bed and pulls him in the direction of his table. "Why didn't you say so right away, Cort? I'm starving."

She takes the sack from his hand and sets it on the table. She smiles at him when she notices the amused expression on his face. "That was just a little snack earlier." She opens the sack and starts pulling out the food and setting it on the table. "This smells really good, Sheriff."

"Mrs. Jennings' the best cook in the territory, Angel." He finds two knives and forks for their meal as well as an extra plate and cup for her.

Ashley fusses over Cort, serving him large portions and making sure his meal is ready first. She wants him to know how grateful she is that he is helping her. She thinks about how attracted they are to each other and his resemblance to SID. There has to be a connection, though she has no idea what it can be. They don't even belong in the same century. She glances up when she feels his eyes on her.

Cort's eyes see so much. It's almost as though he can look into her soul. She stops spooning mashed potatoes onto his plate for a moment, then resumes with a small smile on her face.

"Tell me what you're thinking, Angel."

"I was thinking that it's very nice to be here with you despite the strange circumstances of my arrival here. You're a wonderful and generous man. I'm very lucky to have been found by you."

She hesitates for a moment. "And if SID is coming for me, I might as well tell you since you'll meet him…the two of you resemble one another very much. Close enough to be brothers. Close enough to be twins."

She looks up into his eyes, and then continues heaping food onto his plate.

Her compliments make Cort smile as he observes her. Why would he look like this SID? Ashley says he isn't even human. Is she the connection? "I don't know how that can be explained, Angel? I have no brothers far as I know." He smiles at her. "I don't know how much food you think I can eat, but you can stop heaping that plate full anytime."

Ashley grins at him and stops adding food. "Gravy?" He nods and she puts gravy on his mashed potatoes, and hands the plate to him.

"I don't know what to make of all of this, Cort. It certainly is odd and mysterious. And mystery didn't seem to enter my life until SID did today. He's certainly the key to all this…strangeness." She starts to put food on her plate. It smells so good. She feels as if it's been ages since she's eaten.

Ashley is about to take her first bite when Cort begins to pray. She puts down her fork, folds her hands and bows her head.

"Lord, thank You for this food we eat. Thank You for leading me to your angel who fell from the sky. I will protect her for You to the best of my abilities. Amen."

"Amen." Ashley studies him as he picks up his fork. This is a very good man. She sees that there is pain in him, too. His life hasn't been easy.

He glances up at her. His eyes are the window to a very deep soul. He smiles at her.
"Eat, Angel. Remember how hungry you are?"

Ashley nods and they both get quiet as they hungrily devour the delicious food. As the meal progresses, Ashley tells him a little about her life in Los Angeles and the special people in her life that she loves. She avoids telling him about her ex-fiancé or the circumstances around her miscarriage. She has a feeling the situation would enrage a man like Cort. For a modern woman like Ashley, she is more enraged at her own stupidity at being sucked in by a love that wasn't right or true. She settled and it led to disaster. Never again.

She glances up and Cort is watching her. She smiles at him. "Cort, I get the feeling you see and read too much with those beautiful eyes of yours. Tell me about how you came to be sheriff in Redemption? Were you ever a lawman before?"

Cort watched her face darken. Thoughts too painful to share. Most people he's met have their own personal sadness or demons. He's sorry to see the beautiful angel does too. Redemption and how he came here is a long story.

"I was brought to Redemption to take part in a shooting contest. I wasn't a willing participant. The town was under the protection, or more accurately the terror and control, of an outlaw named John Herod. He and I once rode together. I left. Men didn't do that to John. A woman named Ellen came to compete in the contest. She had her own demons from her childhood, thanks to John Herod. By the time the contest was over, part of the town was blown up and all the contestants other than me and Ellen were dead. Ellen rode out of town and threw me her father's Marshal's badge."

"I became Redemption's sheriff. Marshals are appointed by the US Government. There is no way a former outlaw with no money would ever be appointed marshal, so I became sheriff instead. The town wanted and needed me, so here I am." A small smile blooms on his face.

"I never thought I'd want to stay in Redemption, Angel, but a change is happening here. Redemption's becoming a safe place to live. Families are moving in. Good people. There's going to be a future for this town. I've played a small part in the rebuilding. It feels like a place I want to stay for a while." He glances at her. As time passes here for her, would it be a place she'd want to stay? It's too soon to ask. He knows this SID will be coming for her.

Ashley is convinced that Cort is a master of understatement. She feels his role in this violent western town's evolution is much larger than he's admitting. She's also surprised. He once rode with this evil John Herod. He was an outlaw. That's what he meant when he told her he wasn't always a lawman, but he changed.

"Cort, what made you change your life from outlaw to lawman?" She watches as his eyes cloud over.

"Angel, I did something that will keep me from the Kingdom of God forever. I killed a priest. A man of God saved both mine and John Herod's life. John held a gun to my head, but I still pulled the trigger to save my worthless life. And the look in that padre's eyes before I shot him told me that he forgave me. I knew the best man died. The weak and damned man survived. I changed my life after that. Tried to become a man of God, but that was impossible. The sins are too deep. My taint once again led death to the mission where I was working. John's men hunted me down and burned it. That was when I was brought to Redemption for the shooting contest." He falls silent, lost in his thoughts of the past.

Ashley sets her fork down. The pain in this man runs so deep. She contemplates what he said. She reaches out her hand, placing it on his. She stays silent until he finally looks at her hand on his, then up into her eyes.

"Cort, I'm not an expert on religion or God by any means, but I believe in the God who will forgive our sins if we ask for forgiveness with sincerity in our soul. The God who believes people can change their lives and make it good. The priest saw you as a man whose sins needed to be forgiven. A man who still had a chance to redeem his soul. That's why you were brought to Redemption. He saved you from John Herod."

"The priest wasn't afraid to die, Cort. He got to know you and saw that there was hope for you. He knew your journey in life was just beginning. A long hard journey, with much of it still ahead of you. His was over. He went to be with God, his salvation assured. Cort, as long as you don't give up, you'll get there. When your time comes and you face God, he'll welcome you into His Kingdom if you continue on your path." She smiles.

"Cort, I'm a young woman who's been seen as a prize by one man or another for most of my life and I can see how fine a man you are. A cut above most that I've met. You've found a place where you're needed here in Redemption. You're doing something fine by making a safe place for people to live. You're creating a future for them and for yourself. Perhaps you weren't meant to be a preacher, Cort, but you have purpose. The priest saw that. This town sees it. God sees it."

"You're an optimist, Angel. Truly one of God's chosen. Perhaps that is why so many men have seen you as a prize. You're one, but not a prized possession. They are short sighted. You are precious, not to be owned, but cherished." He puts his other hand on top of hers.

Ashley smiles at him. "Cort, that was supposed to be about you. Showing you how great your worth and value are. And that God will forgive you. Instead you complimented me. You are a good man. And a charmer." Then she stands up and comes around the table to Cort's side, her one hand still between his. She wraps her other arm around Cort's shoulder and gives him a hug, then a kiss on his cheek.

She's so grateful for all he's willing to do for her. He releases her other hand so she can give him a proper hug. She whispers in his ear. "And promise me that one day you'll really see your worth."

Cort breathes in her scent and his hands move to her arms wrapped around him. He strokes them. "I will, Angel if you promise the same thing."

"I promise, Cort. Now we better finish our meal." She kisses his cheek again.

He keeps his hands on her arms and strokes the soft downy skin until she giggles again. "What, Angel?"

"You're most definitely a man, Sheriff Cort."

He grins. "And you are definitely a woman, Angel." He gets up and guides her back to her chair, seating her in it. His hands linger for a moment on her arms. Their eyes connect.

"Finish your meal, Sheriff. There's dessert in the bag." They begin to eat again and resume their conversation. They both ooh and ah over the fresh apple pie Mrs. Jennings provided.

Ashley stands to clear the table when they finish. Cort goes for water from the well outside for the dishes. He takes care of emptying the chamber pot when she haltingly tells him about using it. Her face flames red when he chuckles at her.

"It's only pee, Angel. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Everybody has to do it."

"Maybe, Cort, but I usually push a handle down and it's gone in a flush of water. No one has to empty it for me."

w

Cort goes to make his evening rounds of town after the dishes are washed, dried and put away. He made a fire in the stove for Ashley to warm some water to take a bath. The desert evening air is getting cool.

Ashley thinks about how many towels are in her linen closet at home. Cort has only two rough and practically threadbare ones. She wishes she could give him some of her plush ones. He has so few possessions and she has more than she wants or needs. She's noticed that he doesn't seem to care. He seems content with what he has and doesn't yearn for more.

Why isn't there a woman in this place to give him a few nice soft feminine touches? Does she wish she could be the woman? She thinks of how handsome he is. What would he feel and look like beneath his clothes? He's all man. This is impossible and dangerous thinking. She busies herself getting ready to bathe.

Cort's walking down the sidewalks on the far side of town, checking for signs of trouble or unrest. Doors are locked in the shops and windows without light. Even the saloon seems quiet tonight. His thoughts keep coming back to the Angel in his rooms. Considering he vowed to protect her, he shouldn't be having the thoughts he's having. His pace picks up without even noticing. His boot heels clunk along the boards. One gives slightly as he walks. He needs to remember to get a nail and hammer for that tomorrow before a citizen falls on the loose board.

Cort remembers the soft touch of her skin. The curves of her body. The bounty of her round breasts as they pressed against him when she kissed him earlier. Her lips…so soft. Her scent. Cort takes a deep breath. He remembers the slight floral smell of her hair and skin…lavender.

He moves quickly down the other side of town, heading toward his place. Town doesn't need him any longer tonight. All is quiet and peaceful. Cort and the Angel in his rooms have other needs.

While the water heated, Ashley found some light oil and cinnamon to add to the bath water. The only soap Cort has is so caustic, she thinks it would take your skin off rather than wash it. She recalls that early soaps were made of lye. When the water is sufficiently warm, she adds a few drops of oil and the cinnamon after pouring it in a porcelain basin Cort gave her. The scent is fresh.

She unbuttons and removes Cort's shirt and lays it over a chair. She wishes she had her own clothes to put on. Underwear, for gosh sakes…her bra and panties. She looks down at herself and grins, naked again. She wets the cloth and begins to wash, one hand holding her long hair out of the way. She hears the sound of the door opening and turns as there is a rush of cool air. She turns in that direction, the cloth on her chest. Cort is standing in the doorway, watching her. Intensity, desire in his eyes. She freezes as she catches his gaze.

Cort didn't pause nor knock when he enters his rooms. The area where Ashley is standing was ringed by three candles, bathing her body in the dim light. She's naked and washing herself. She is beautiful. The body he remembered, he longs to touch now. Their eyes meet. He feels his want and desire rising as he looks at her.

"Angel……" He shuts the door behind him and strides across the room. Quickly closing the distance between them. One hand is entwined around her long hair, holding it out of the way. He moves in behind her, his hand lightly strokes the soft skin of her back. He leans down and his lips brush against her neck. He sees a shiver pass over her body as he touches her.

"Let me help you bathe, Ashley." He takes the cloth from her hand and drops it in the basin. His hand brushes down her arms. His lips find her neck again, nuzzling the skin there. He lightly traces his tongue along her collarbone.

Cort slips his arm around her waist and pulls her body closer to his. He hears the breath she was holding escape, then her body moulds back against his. Cort takes that as his go ahead. His lips find her skin again. His free hand takes the wet cloth from the basin and rubs it over her chest, washing first one breast, then the other. He watches the pink nipples pucker and rise from his ministrations and the air cooling the water on her skin. He longs to suck them into his mouth.

Ashley moans. "Cort." All rational thought is gone. She's lost in the sensation this man is causing in her body. She whispers. "Touch me." Her back arches as she pushes her chest toward his stroking fingers.

Cort cups one of her beautiful breasts in his hand. The flesh is soft and fills his hand. His thumb brushes over her puckered nipple. He rubs and tweaks it between his fingers. She's pressing her body again his hands. Her hips are rubbing against his groin. He presses forward against her lush ass. His cock stirs. He wants to press her forward over the table, open his pants and thrust his cock between her spread legs.

Is she getting wet for him? Cort needs to touch her. He moves the wet wash cloth down her belly and presses it between her legs. He washes over her red curls. She parts her legs for his hand. Cort sucks on the flesh of her neck and shoulder. His cock twitches when she moans. It's swelled painfully against his pants, longing to get out and bury itself inside her.

"Angel, are you wet for me?" He rubs the wet cloth between her legs. Then he drops it to the floor so that nothing separates his fingers from her cunt.

Ashley moans and whispers his name again as his fingers finds her clit. Now it's her hips that arch toward his fingers. "I'm wet for you, Cort." She isn't thinking, simply feeling the incredible sensations his erotic fingers and lips are causing on her body. She again rubs her bottom against his hardness. He's pressed tightly against her.

Cort presses two fingers against her entrance, finding the moisture he wants and slides them back up to rub her clit. Rhythmically he rubs her nub in circular motions as she moans for him. Cort's going to make her come and then take her to his bed. She's as sensual as he imagined. He needs to feel inside her. He pushes his middle finger against her entrance and penetrates into her tight passage. The feel of her smooth slick flesh makes him moan. He wants this woman now.

He whispers huskily into her ear. "Angel, I'm taking you to my bed now. I need to be inside you here." He slowly thrusts his finger in and out of her hot tight cunt.

Ashley is moaning and arching into his pleasuring fingers. Yes, she wants this beautiful and wonderful man inside her. She finds his thigh with her hand, rubs it up toward his cock. She wants to touch him before he enters her. She feels the considerable girth and length of his erection through his pants. She needs to touch him before he plunges into her flesh…..in her flesh….making love? Oh, God, no, she can't!

"Cort…please, stop. I can't make love to you. I'm sorry. Please stop." She tries to stop her arching into his pleasuring fingers. She wants him so badly.

Her hand was about to rub his cock. He longs to feel her touching him. He's so hard now. Then she says stop. Stop? Cort thinks of the outlaw he once was. A man who knew when a woman wanted him and would push forward and fuck her whether she fully wanted him to penetrate her or not.

Is he still that man? If he makes her come, will she call out for him to take her? She is still writhing beneath him. Her body slick, wet and hot for him. Her nipples peaked for him. He growls in frustration and pulls his plunging finger from her tightness and steps back. His hand still holds her waist. He turns her around and sucks her wetness off the finger that was buried inside her. She tastes so sweet.

"Angel?" It is partly a groan, and partly a moan of want and need.

"I want you so badly, Cort. But I can't love you now. I can't go through life that way. Not knowing." A sob escapes her and she wraps herself around his body.

Cort doesn't understand what she means. Her body is pressed against his ready one. He tips her face to his and sees there are tears on her cheeks. He leans down and kisses her. His lips pressing against hers lightly, then harder as hers part to accept his tongue. It leaves them both wanting more. Needing more.

"You can feel my need for you, Angel. I can feel and see yours. Why do you want to stop? Is it because of this SID? Do you have feelings for this man?"

Ashley grabs his hands and looks into his eyes. The tears are sliding down her cheeks now. "No, Cort. This has nothing to do with my feelings for SID. Cort, SID and I had sex. I could be pregnant from him. I don't know. If I'm here forever and he doesn't come for me, I have to know who the father of my baby is. If we make love, I wouldn't know if you or he is the father. You'd never know for sure if it was yours. I could never tell the child who his father is. I have to know.

"I'm sorry. As much as we want to make love, we have to wait. If I'm still here in a couple of weeks, I'll know for sure whether or not I'm pregnant. Then we could be together if that's what you still want with me. I know I'll still want you."

She closes her eyes. Cort looks down at her hands and squeezes them firmly. As much as he wants to make love to her now, he understands what she's saying. She's not a woman who wouldn't care who the father of her child is. And as much as she hasn't implicated this SID in raping her, he kidnapped her. She was taken. Cort can't do that to her. The attraction he has for her is strong, but there's more to it.

"Okay, Angel. Waiting will be excruciating, but I can wait. You're worth waiting for. And I don't want to be another man to take you as a prize." Cort smoothes her hair back over her shoulders and dries the tears off her soft cheeks with his thumbs. Her blue-green eyes are looking into his with trust and great affection. His lips descend on hers, touching them lightly. He sucks her lower lip between his. She moans.

Cort's want is raging again in that moment. He's still hard. His tongue slips between her lips. His hand cups her breast again and plays with the puckered nipple. He picks her up and sets her on the kitchen counter and moves between her legs. She wraps her legs around him, pulling them sex to sex for the first time. He moans now and grinds against her. They'll be out of control again in a moment and he will take her.

They break apart, breathless and on fire. Cort watches her heaving breasts. Now he knows the rosy color of her aroused nipples. He can see the hint of her pink lips through her public curls. He growls in need and turns from her.

"Angel, I have to leave for a while or we won't be able to stop."

Ashley nods to him, still breathless and excited. He can't see her response. "Yes, Cort."

Cort strides out the door, shutting it behind him.

Ashley leans back against the cabinet, trying to slow her breathing. She feels his lips on hers, his tongue in her mouth, his hands all over her body and his fingers between her legs. Her legs part again for him. Her fingers find her dripping pink clit and she rubs it until she comes hard, calling out his name into the empty darkened room. "Cort!"

w

Cort walks without direction for a few strides. He tries to adjust his painful cock in his pants and takes a few deep breaths. He turns and moves toward the saloon, pushing through the front doors and sitting down at the bar. The bartender hurries over.

"Evening, Sheriff. What can I get ya?

"Evening, Rance. I'll take a beer, and a shot of tequila."

Rance pours Cort the shot and goes to get him a pint of beer. Cort slugs down the shot and enjoys the feel of the burn down his throat. Anything to take the heat off his cock. Ashley's everything he imagined she would be. Passionate and sensual, an eager lover. He felt inside her. He closes his eyes for a second. He knows what it would be like to sheath his cock in there.

He takes the beer from Rance and drains it. "Rance, give me the bottle. I'm feeling thirsty tonight."

Cort pours himself another shot of tequila and drains it. He knows her eyes are on him.

Lulu watches the Sheriff. She's been trying to get him in her bed since she came to this dusty town. He's very handsome. Always kind when he talks to her. And if the lawman is in your bed, it means he'll leave you alone to whore.

Most of her customers are dirty cowboys who grunt and sweat over her as they fuck her, then pass out. Their only interest is getting drunk and having a fuck on their day off. The saloon and she provide both services. But when she looks at the Sheriff, Lulu sees something different than a dirty cowboy.

He certainly is handsome. He has a reputation as the fastest gun around. Maybe anywhere. A man who was an outlaw and saved the town of Redemption. He looks different tonight. He looks like he needs some of what Lulu can offer. She sashays over to the bar.

"Evening, Sheriff Cort." She catches his attention and bats her eyelashes at him. "How are ya this fine evening?" She leans forward to give him a good view of her cleavage. Lulu has two assets that her customers enjoy quite a bit, big tits and a lush round ass. She'd like to use both of them on the Sheriff.

"Evening, Miss Lulu." Cort can't help but see her wares on display. Lulu is a pretty girl. Too pretty to be stuck whoring in this town, but from what she told him, she's been one for over five years. Her stepfather sold her virginity at 13 to the highest bidder after her mother died, then sold her to a pimp. She's been a whore ever since.

Cort made sure neither of the two girls in Redemption's saloon is considered a slave and they get their wages, though he knows the amount of money they make is small. Lulu presses her breasts against his arms. Wrong night for him not to take notice. His questing cock twitches in his pants as her soft full flesh presses against him. He swallows.

"Would you like a drink, Lulu?" She nods. Cort gets another glass from Rance and pours her tequila. For a girl who lives and works in a saloon, she makes a hell of a face when she sips it. Cort laughs as he puts down another shot.

"I just don't like hard alcohol, Cort." She smiles at him, dropping the Sheriff. "There are other things I like much better. Like you, Cort." She runs her fingers up his arm and presses more of her body against him. She leans in and kisses his cheek.

"It's a quiet night in town tonight, Cort. I'm bored. You look like you need attention. Let me give you some. She slips her hand down his chest and settles it between his legs. She rubs her hand firmly over his crotch. His cock springs to her attention. She smiles and looks up into his eyes coquettishly. "Come to my bed, Cort. I'll take care of that for you."

Cort looks steadily at her. He drinks down another shot. His fourth? Or is it fifth? Time to stop. If he goes home now will he be able to keep his hands off the angel in his house? His hips arch against Lulu's hand. He stands up and scoops her up in his arms and walks toward the stairs and up to the bedrooms. Lulu squeals when he picks her up and then giggles in his arms.

"Which room, Lulu?" She giggles and points out the door on the right. Cort kicks it open and carries her in. He kicks the door closed and hears it click shut. He sets her down by her bed, taking in the room for a moment. It's bright colored, feminine, with frills. Very Lulu. He grins and pulls her into his arms and kisses her.

His hands slip down to cup and squeeze her bottom through her petticoats. He gathers them up in his hands, wanting to touch her flesh. That's why he's here. She's naked beneath the petticoats. "Luscious Lulu and her beautiful ass." He grins and kneads her flesh.

Lulu's never seen the Sheriff like this. He's obviously starting to feel the tequila, but there's something else going on with him that she doesn't understand. It doesn't matter. She's got him where she wants him. She unbuttons her low cut bodice and exposes her breasts for him. She cups them in her hands and presses them up toward his mouth.
"Drink your fill, Sheriff."

Cort growls and lowers his head to her tits. Cupping and squeezing with one hand, his mouth finds the other and sucks the large nipple into his mouth. For a fleeting second he thinks of Ashley's beautiful breasts, but pushes them out of his mind and feasts on the bounty before him.

Lulu's hands slip down and open Cort's pants. She puts her practiced hands inside and his cock springs out. Thick and long. Very nice. She may not have to pretend with him. His mouth's very talented too. She feels moisture between her legs; he's making her want him. That's a switch.

"Cort, honey. That's a cock that needs some immediate attention. I have just the place to put it. The perfect fit." She kisses his hair and runs her fingers through the locks. She's always wanted to touch his hair. Lulu opens his shirt to run her hands over his tight muscular chest. He's still feasting on her breasts and nipples with his wonderful mouth and those bow shaped lips.

Cort's cock can't give his mouth anymore time. He needs to fuck her. "Lulu, I know where that perfect fit is." He picks her up, pulling the petticoats down and off her. Damn, her body's made for sin. She giggles as he deposits her on the bed. She gets on her hands and knees and spreads her legs for him. She wiggles her ass toward him. "Ready, Cort."

He moves in behind her and grasps her hips. He rubs his cock through her wetness with a groan. He guides and pushes the tip inside her. He firmly penetrates her until he's as deep as his cock can go. Then he hilts it to try to plunge deeper in her. He closes his eyes. It feels so damned good. He covers her body with his to get at those tits again. "I'm ready too, Lulu."

Cort starts to thrust in her hot wet cunt. Long, deep, hard and fast movement. His hands can't get enough of her tits. His mouth finds her neck, kissing and sucking the flesh there. Suddenly it isn't Lulu beneath him any longer, but the woman he wants. He works hard at making her come with him. Her body bucks beneath his.

Lulu is moving fast beneath him to match his thrusts. Damn, this feels good. Maybe the best she's ever had. Somehow she knew he'd be a special fuck. A groan slips from her mouth. A real one, not play acting. She puts her whole body into matching his thrusts.

Cort feels her body moving with his. He hears her groan. The sucking sound of her wet flesh as his cock moves in her. He is fucking her as hard as he can. He growls in her ear. "Come with me, Angel. Now!" One hand slips down between her legs and finds her clit with his fingers. He rubs her in the same rhythm as his cock thrusts. She screams for him. Her body spasms around his. She calls his name.

"Cort!" Lulu screams. Her cunt spasms around his cock, squeezing it tight. Oh, God. She is having an orgasm. After thousands of times fucking men, she has never come before. It feels so good. His seed starts to spurt inside her body. She comes even harder.

"Angel!" He comes and shoots hard in her sweet hot cunt. When he finishes he collapses down on her, trying to hold himself from crushing her. He stays buried in her for a minute. He feels the alcohol level mounting in his blood stream. He also remembers he's in the saloon fucking Lulu and not making love to Ashley. He pulls out of her and rolls to his side. He runs his hand over his face and through his hair. He turns to the woman at his side.

"Thank you, sweet Lulu. You gave me what I needed tonight." He leans over and kisses her cheek gently. She looks at him and smiles. He sees into her soul for a moment. An unguarded flicker of real affection, and pain that is usually hidden behind a facade. Just as quickly, the other face is back in place.

"You're welcome, honey. It's my job after all. I'm very good at it." She smiles at him, pats his arm and rubs her breast against it. "Don't forget to come again, Cort."

Cort gets off her bed and quickly dresses. Lulu's watching him. She looks like paintings he's seen of naked women reclining. Her face framed by her blond curls. He takes out money and presses it into her hand. "Good night, Lulu." He straps his gun belt back on, turns and walks out the door. He closes it gently behind him and sets off for home.

Lulu looks at the money in her hand and smiles. Cort paid her double. She intends to lie to Rance, pay him the usual and pocket the extra money. She gets up and prepares a basin of water to wash away the signs of sex with her latest customer.

w

Ashley finished her bath, dried and put Cort's shirt back on. She feels badly. She drove the man from his home. She wants to go home so much. Is SID really going to come for her or leave her here in the past in this foreign place? She has way too many feelings already for the Sheriff. They're growing stronger with each passing hour she spends here with him. She can't let herself fall in love with him. It will only hurt both of them when she leaves.

She gets in bed and lays her head back on the pillow once things are cleared away. She should try and get some sleep, but sleep won't come. There are too many thoughts in her head, especially wondering where Cort's gone. He's been gone about an hour. What's she going to say to him when he returns? Will the sexual need ramp up between them again? She hears the sound of a key in the lock. He fumbles it. Those sure and steady hands?

He opens the door just as she's getting out of bed to go help him. He lurches in the doorway, closing the door behind him and locks it. She can smell the alcohol on him immediately. And something else. She sniffs the air. He grins at her. She slips out of bed and over to him.

"Cort, are you drunk?"

"I'm not. Though I can't say I'm feeling any pain either." He chuckles and eyes her again clad in his shirt. He's glad his cock is immune for the time being.

"I wasn't sure you'd still be here, Angel, or if you were a figment of my imagination."

"Oh, I'm real enough, Cort, but I wouldn't be surprised if you'd be seeing things now. Let me help you lay down. You're going to need some sleep." She takes his arm and that's when she smells it. He smells like sex and alcohol. She stops. She feels a twinge of something for a moment. Jealousy and regret that the woman he was with wasn't her when she was who he wanted. And she wanted him. But she has no claims on this man, and she turned him away when he was in need.

She whispers. "I'm sorry, Cort. I'm not a tease." She leads him over to his bed.

Cort heard her whisper something, but didn't catch what she said. "I'll shleep on the chair, Angel. You take my bed." He gives her a goofy grin. He's not drunk enough not to have noticed his slur in his speech.

"No, Cort, you need the sleep more than I do." She pushes on his chest and he falls down on the bed.

He chuckles as she pulls his boots off and unbuckles his gun belt. He lifts his hips as she pulls the gun belt off him, buckles it and loops it over his bed post. She held it like it was something that would bite her. He remembers wondering earlier if she'd ever touched a gun before. He just got his answer. He grins at her, turns over and is lightly snoring in moments.

Ashley sits down on his chair and watches him sleep for some time. Considering the combination of alcohol and sex, she figures he must have gone to the saloon. She can imagine some whore just waiting to snatch up the handsome sheriff. Again she's jealous when she has no right. Except she likes this man a lot. And he did what he needed to keep his hands and body off of hers. He was as aroused as she was.

She sighs and lays her head back on the chair, her eyes still on him. Cort's like a sleeping panther. She finds him beautiful in many ways. Why does she find a man she could love in a time and place where she doesn't belong? Damn you, SID. In one day you've turned my life upside down. She's tired, but the chair is too upright and she can't get comfortable. Cort must've been very tired earlier when he fell asleep here.

Ashley gets up and pads over to the bed. She looks down. There's room and she doesn't take up that much. She lays down on her side on the edge of his bed. Her legs are cold and she pulls his covers over her. He's still lying on his stomach on top of the bed. She closes her eyes.

Cort snorts and mumbles something in his sleep. The next thing she knows he's pulling her against his body. He whispers, "Angel." Her body's tense at first, and then Ashley relaxes back into his embrace. His breathing evens and she falls asleep in his protective arms.

w

Cort awakens first. He has his body wrapped around his Angel. Correction, Ashley. She's not his. She smells so good. He inhales deeply of her hair and her skin. Despite the drums playing in his head from the tequila, he wants her this morning. His fingers stroke lightly through her silky hair. He thought he'd never touched fine silk. He knows that's no longer true. He presses his face into her hair for one last touch and smell of her this morning.

He extricates himself from around her body and gets out of bed. She's worth waiting for. She needs to wait, so he'll wait. No more trips to the saloon. And he hopes that bastard SID doesn't come for her. He's not beyond being a bit of a selfish bastard too. He wants her to be happy, but he also wants her. If the time traveler comes for her, she won't be here any longer and their chance will be gone. If she wants it, he will fight for her.

Cort moves into the kitchen and puts on coffee. He fills his basin for a bath, washing away the last remnants of sex with Lulu from his body. He dresses and walks over to the bed, watching her. "Angel, the sun's coming up. Let me show you Redemption."

Ashley wakes up and stretches, smiling up into Cort's face. "Good morning, Sheriff." She stretches lazily again.

Cort watches her as she stretches like a cat. He can't help himself. He reaches down and picks her up out of the bed linens. He plants a kiss on her and she wraps her arms around him to hold on. Her fingers stroke his hair. He kisses her again as her lips respond to his. Cort sets her on her feet.

"Let me find you something to wear, Angel."

He finds a pair of his pants and socks, and helps her put his pants on. He buttons them up and gets a belt to cinch the waist. When he lets go of the waistline, they fall to the ground. Ashley giggles and scoops them off the floor, holding them up for him to put the belt on. She tucks the shirt in to take up more room, but they are way too large. Cort's belt doesn't have enough holes to belt around her tiny waist, so he wraps it around without hooking it.

"How do I look?" Ashley asks after stuffing her hair under his hat as she stands before him.

"You look like a beautiful woman trying to dress up as a boy in man's clothes." Cort gives her his critical eye.

"Angel, this isn't going to work. There's no way in hell anyone would ever take you for a boy. And your feet are way too small for my boots. You'll walk out of them. I don't see how we could keep them on your feet." He rubs a hand over his morning whiskers.

Ashley is disappointed. She wants to see Redemption with Cort. She has the feeling that today will be her last day here. SID is coming for her. She feels a sudden sense of loss. She and Cort are acting like lovers this morning. If SID doesn't come for her today, will she ever be able to leave here? Will she ever be able to leave Cort?

Cort looks at her. He'd rather remove his clothes and take her to his bed this morning. As they look at one another, he knows this will be her last day here, and he knows she feels it also. He wants to show her Redemption. He scoops her up in his arms and walks out the front door. Daylight is just starting to break. Town is still quiet and empty.

Cort sets her on the hitch rail at the edge of the wooden sidewalk. She perches carefully and holds on tightly. Cort starts by pointing out the newly built restaurant where he got the food that Mrs. Jennings made. Then he points out the new general store, run by the Millers who Cort says are becoming his friends.

"You would like them, Angel. The schoolhouse is being refurbished on the other end of town. It's been closed a long time." He smiles at her.

Ashley can see the pride on his face in being a part of the town's rebuilding. It's similar to the South's reconstruction after the massive destruction from the Civil War. Ashley's amazed to think that war was fought only twenty years before this time. The country is in a huge revitalization and growth period. Cort's part of that surge into the West. Could she be a part of it? No, she doesn't belong here in this time or this place. She reaches out and touches his hand.

"Cort, this is a wonderful thing you're doing here in Redemption. You're making this a safe town for people to live in and flourish. To raise families and have a future. Nothing's more important. You should be so proud."

Cort smiles at her and takes her hand. "It feels better than anything I've done for a long time, Angel." Their gazes lock for a long moment. Cort finishes describing the rest of town. The main street is long and dusty. The raised wooden sidewalks are there for when the winter rains come and turn the streets into a muddy mess.

Ashley notices he conspicuously avoids describing the saloon. She needs to let him know she understands. She has no claim on him. "Is that the saloon, Cort?" She points across and down the street to the now quiet structure.

Cort gives her a short, almost embarrassed nod.

"I'm sorry, Ashley, that you had to deal with me drunk last night. I don't drink too frequently. In fact hardly at all. I can't afford to get drunk, slow and stupid in this job."

"Cort, you were fine last night. What happened between us was wonderful and intense. I'm sorry I turned you away and drove you from your own home." Her voice drops to a whisper. "I didn't want to stop." She looks up into his eyes.

Cort reaches out and rubs his thumb across her soft cheek. "I understand, Angel. You did the right thing. You didn't drive me from my house. I was afraid I couldn't stop if I stayed near you. We're both worth more than that."

Cort knows he did the right thing, even though he wound up drinking one too many shots and in Lulu's practiced bed. He won't hurt Ashley by telling her about Lulu. Even though he thinks she knows he found more than drink in the saloon. He refused to take her as a prize he desired.

Ashley's hand tightens around his. Everything is fine about last night. "Cort, thank you for showing me Redemption. I wanted to see it with you and through your eyes. You made it come alive, even at this early hour of dawn."

She takes a deep breath. There is the smell of new wood in the air from all the construction. She starts to ease off the railing, but Cort stops her and lifts her off before her bare feet touch the rough wood. It's possible that he is everything she's looking for in a man. She tightens her arms around his neck as he carries her back into his house.

She sees Cort glance at his bed when he takes her inside. It's what they both want, but can't have. He sets her down in the kitchen, leans down and kisses her. Sweet and soft with Ashley's arms still around his neck.

When they break apart, Ashley can't stop from touching him. This time another soft brush across his cheek with her fingers. He takes her fingers and kisses them when she finishes. They both smile.

"How about us eating some breakfast before I have to get to work, Angel?"

"That sounds good, Cort. I'm hungry." She smiles at him one last time before their eyes break their gaze. He lets go of her hand and she starts looking through the food that Mrs. Jennings sent for Cort. There's some bread and ham to warm. Cort has some eggs.

Cort stokes and readies the stove while Ashley cuts the bread, fries the eggs and some ham. They both sit down to a hearty meal. Ashley enjoys cooking for him. It's a small way she can show her appreciation for all he's done for her. She asks him about his usual day around town and shares with him a little of what her days are like in the 21st century.

After they finish she insists on cleaning up the dishes. Cort brings the water in for her and sets out to do his morning rounds of town. She washes up the dishes, dries them and puts them away. Cort brought enough water for her to have a quick morning wash up. She pours some warmed water into the wash basin.

She unbuckles Cort's pants, smiling as they fall to the floor before she even has to slide them down. She folds them for him and lays them over his chair. He doesn't seem to have any hangers. She sees the sheet from the hillside house that she was wrapped in when he found her. She folds it and sets it on the chair too. She slips off Cort's long shirt and does a quick wash up. She hears the door open. Cort really has to stop doing this if they expect to keep their hands off one another. She smiles, picks up his shirt and turns.

"Back so soon, Cort?" She covers herself with his shirt and looks up into SID's eyes.

"Ash-lee. You don't have to dress for me. You know I prefer you naked, my pretty butterfly." He rakes his eyes over her body. His cock instantly stirs for her. He gives her a smarmy smile and advances.

"Have you missed me? I have come to take you home from this ghastly primitive place. I dressed in the native costume to blend in."

Ashley looks at SID. She is terribly conflicted. She's excited to see him and wants to go home, but part of her wants to stay here, get to know Cort better and avoid SID. If this was her time, she would refuse to leave with SID.

SID's dressed in western garb including leather chaps and boots. His hat's on at a jaunty angle. He looks very handsome, but there is the edge of a little boy playing dress up, compared to Cort who looks like he belongs. And there's also that gleam in his eye when he looks at her. He is ready for sex again. Is she with him? That's the price for a trip home. He's advancing closer. She backs up a bit.

"I'm glad you found me and came to get me, SID. This has been quite a journey. Scary and exciting at the same time." She wraps Cort's shirt tighter around herself. The way SID is smiling at her, he is not going to wait until they get back.

"I need to say good-bye to Cort. And thank him for his hospitality. He is the sheriff in this town."

SID sneers. "A lawman? I've had previous experience with them in another place and time. I found none of them worthy of my attention. Nor yours. You can leave him a note." He moves closer into her space. "When we're ready to leave." SID reaches out, touches her neck with his fingers and pushes the shirt down off her shoulder.

"Mmm, I get to uncover my present. How did you know? You're just what I wanted." He giggles and puts his hands on the wall on either side of her shoulders. Ashley didn't realize he'd backed her up against the wall. She let him get the instant advantage.

"Please, SID. Not here. No, stop."

He leans in and nuzzles her neck. Then he licks his long tongue up the soft flesh to her chin. Ashley tries to duck away, but his hand is already around her waist. He presses her against the wall with his body. His lips descend on hers, cutting off her protests.

His fingers separate the shirt and start taking it off her body. Ashley struggles to stop him, pushing her hands against his chest in vain. He's so strong. Suddenly she hears the cock of a gun.

"Mister, I clearly heard the lady say 'no' and 'stop' when I came through the door. So you can either let her go or your brains are going to be splattered on my wall. I'd rather save the clean up. But make no mistake, I'll do it."

Cort's voice has an edge of steel to it. He punctuates it by aiming and cocking his second pistol at SID's head.

SID gives an exaggerated sigh. He takes his hand off Ashley's breast, which he's already managed to cup. He snakes his arm firmly around her waist and turns her with him toward the pesky offender.

"Uh, uh, uh, Sheriff. It isn't nice to interrupt a liaison. The lady in question belongs to me. I am SID. She had a little mishap which deposited her here in this 'town' of yours. I've come to return her to where she belongs. With moi."

He punctuates the last word to make sure the insignificant bug understands that there's no room for discussion. If he understands the French word at all. SID looks him over and dismisses him immediately. Neanderthal.

Cort takes an instantaneous and intense dislike to SID. From what he saw when he came through the door from the jail, he's certainly the one who bruised and bit Angel. He also took from her in other ways. Of that he's now certain. He's insufferable and conceited. SID also obviously feels Ashley's his possession. If Cort kills him now, he'll save Angel from SID, but he sets her destiny here for the rest of her life.

He's frustrated. He wants her to stay. She needs to go home. He won't back down if SID tries to hurt her. He'll protect her even if it prevents her from going home forever.

Ashley sees that SID's words and actions set Cort off. He'll kill SID with little more provocation. Ashley can't be the impetus for SID's or Cort's death. She knows SID will not back down. He truly feels she belongs to him. He chose her, he took her, and now she's his. SID isn't human. He feels superior to them.

"Please, SID, let me talk to Sheriff Cort. Allow me to tell him good-bye and then we can go home. He protected me and saved me, SID. If I'm pregnant, he may have saved your baby."

SID narrows his eyes as he looks at her. She's trying to manipulate him to allow her to talk to the lawman. And it's working. If he doesn't give this to her, she may be reluctant again in their bed and he enjoys his tigress matching his ardor. He wants to be away from this dirty place. He wants to fuck her. But it could be fun to shoot the Sheriff dead in the middle of the town first. He looks at him and his guns speculatively.

"You may have your moment, Ash-lee. You've already said the good-bye part so that will make it happen more quickly." He releases her. "Go now." He looks up at the lawman with a grin. "And tell him to put his toys away or I'll pull mine out too." SID taps his finger on his own gun belt.

Ashley wonders if SID's guns are real or more like a Hollywood prop. It doesn't matter at this point since SID keeps antagonizing Cort with each utterance. Ashley does the only thing she can think of to diffuse the situation. She steps away from SID and directly in front of him to walk toward Cort. He has to put his guns down or he is pointing them at her.

Cort uncocks his pistols and puts them in his holsters while still keeping a wary eye on SID. "Angel, never walk in front of a man with his guns drawn. You could get shot." He chides her, angry at the entire situation.

"You're right Cort, but I did get you to put them away." She smiles at him, takes her hand and smoothes it across his cheek.

Cort fights not to close his eyes at her touch. He can't take his eye off the…what? The enemy? Or is it rival? SID's watching him with a smug superior grin on his face. How Cort would enjoy wiping that look away.

"If you don't want to go with him, Ashley, you can stay. I'll help you get used to life in this time. There are others here who would help. You don't have to go." Cort stops when he sees the look in her eyes. She needed to know, but he's added to her burden. The ass snorts behind her. Cort doesn't look up or he knows the least he will do is slug him.

Ashley flinches slightly when SID snorts. Cort doesn't understand. SID will not allow her to stay. He came to take her back. Nothing or no one will stop him.

"Cort, you don't know how much that means to me, but I have to go. I don't belong in this time. My being here might even upset some balance. And I won't have either of you hurt. I leave with SID and your life goes on here and mine will go on where I belong. Don't worry. I'll find my way to freedom, Cort."

She brushes his cheek and whispers, "I'll never forget you, or what you've done for me. Have a good life, Cort. Find someone to share it with you. You're a special and wonderful man. God sees that. He must if it's so apparent to me." She tiptoes up to kiss his cheek.

Angel's going. He sees that now. Neither he nor the arrogant being will budge. Ashley can't live with either of them being harmed. He turns his face and pulls her into his arms. He kisses her full on the lips. He feels her melt into his arms and kisses him back. When they finally part, he brushes his hand lightly across her soft cheek.

"Good-bye, Angel. It was my pleasure to have helped you until you were ready to ascend back to Heaven. You'll fly free again." He smiles and lets her go. He looks up at SID. His smug grin has changed to a malevolent gaze. He had started to advance on them until Cort let her go. Whatever he is or feels, jealousy is most definitely an emotion he has. He didn't like Cort touching or kissing Ashley.

Ashley can't see SID's reaction yet. She glances up at Cort one last time. Tears brim in her eyes. There is one last thing she needs to tell him. "Thank you for never treating me like a prize, Cort. Good-bye." She smiles and turns.

"Thank you, SID. I'm ready to go back home to Meadowood." She walks toward him and holds out her hand. When she looks up into his eyes, she sees how stormy they appear. He's angry about the kiss. She's surprised.

SID throws a belligerent glance in the Sheriff's direction. How dare he touch her? She's his. He kissed her. He should crush him. Ash-lee interrupts his thoughts. She slips her small hand in his and looks into his eyes.

"Come, SID. I know you're eager to get home." She gives him a smile of promise.

SID throws one last dark, but triumphant, glance in the dirty cowboy's direction and scoops Ashley up in his arms. He grabs the sheet from the chair and walks out the door into the street. He looks down at her. His beautiful butterfly. He must know. He spits the words out.

"My Ash-lee, he didn't fuck you, did he?"

"No, SID, he didn't fuck me. If I'm pregnant there's no way anyone could be the baby's father except you." She leans up and kisses his cheek, holding on tightly around his neck as he walks out the end of town. She needs to be gone.

SID reads the truth in what she says. He'd be able to tell if she was lying to him. Her face is too open. He feels something inside he doesn't understand. Happiness or relief? He scoffs. He's not capable of those ridiculous human emotions.

When he became flesh did the infusion of human DNA so he could reproduce with her change him in other ways? He dismisses the thought. He stops as soon is he is out of sight of town and sets her down on the ground.

"Take off the shirt, Ash-lee. He can collect it when we're gone. He's followed us out of town. He must fear for your safety. What he doesn't understand is he was the only one ever in danger, my pretty one."

Ashley nods. She already knew that. She takes off Cort's shirt, folds it and sets it on the ground with a small pat. She doesn't look up to see him. She knows she might cry. She holds her hand out to SID again. He scoops her up and hands her the sheet.

"We return to our bed, my pretty. You might feel a moment of dizziness, but you'll be rewarded at the end of our journey with my big cock." He chuckles. What more could any woman want?

"SID don't we have to return to where I arrived? It was miles from here according to Cort."

"The place doesn't matter. All that matters is me and my technology." He easily holds her in one arm and reaches into a pocket. He pulls out a small device which he's already programmed. He touches a few buttons and grins down at her.

"Voila."

w

Cort's watching them, not trusting SID. It angers him when he picks her up and holds her naked in his arms. He pulls something from his pocket and a few moments later they simply disappear. There's a shimmer in the desert air where they were, then nothing.

Cort hurries over to the area. All that remains is his shirt where Angel laid it. He picks it up and looks around. Their footprints end where SID stopped and the trail disappears. She's returned. He smells his shirt. Her fresh scent remains.

"God speed, Angel." He turns and walks back into town. Time to get back to work.

He walks by the saloon and hears a "Yoo hoo, Sheriff." He looks up and sees Lulu beckoning to him from her second floor balcony. She is waving him over.

"Morning, Sheriff." She leans over, giving him an ample view of her barely encased bosom.

"Morning, Lulu. You better keep them covered." He points with his finger at her breasts. He licks his lower lip with his tongue. "I don't want to have to arrest you for public indecency."

She giggles. "I don't want that either, Cort." She whispers conspiratorially, "If you come and see me again we can commit private indecency together." She leans over further and pushes her breasts together. "I'll give you a new tight place to slide your cock." She gives him a welcoming smile, promising everything.

Cort swallows hard and feels his face flame as he imagines sliding his cock back and forth between Lulu's beauteous breasts. His cock takes notice and he shifts on his feet.

"You are one very naughty woman, Lulu."

"And you're a man who likes to be naughty sometimes, Sheriff. Don't deny it, or yourself. Come see me tonight. We can be naughty together." She slides the neckline of her dress down a little more.

Cort swears he catches a glimpse of her large pink nipple. He needs to make a decision or he'll be up the stairwell taking two at a time in a minute.

"I could use a bath tonight, Lulu. It'd be nice to have someone to wash my back." He looks up into her eyes.

Lulu looks down into Cort's smoldering eyes. Success! "I'll have a hot bath ready for you at six. How does that sound?" She flutters her periwinkle blue eyes at him.

"Make it six-thirty and I'll be there."

"Okay, Sheriff, six-thirty. I'll wash your back. You can wash mine." She makes it very clear she's talking about her tits as she hefts them in his direction. "See you then, Cort." She turns and sashays back into her room, swaying her hips to full effect.

Cort tips his hat, watching her as she retreats. He whispers under his breath. "Lead us not into temptation, Lord. That prayer was written in a town where Angels don't fall from the sky to love, and Lulu does not live." He shakes his head and walks down the street toward his office.

....to be continued