Read Online Rio Loco by Robert J. Conley - Free Book Online Page A

shoot. Let me in. It’s Bonnie.” Well, I set up right quick and I seen Pistol Polly a-walking to the door to open it up. Bonnie come flouncing in, and Polly shut the door behint her and latched it again. I was on a cot in the extra cell, and I set up straight as a supporting pole for the roof overhang.
    â€œBonnie,” I said, “what the hell are you a-doing here?”
    She come a-running into the cell and grabbed me around with both a’ her arms and squished me real damn good. “Barjack,” she said, “I was worried about you and missing you something fierce.”
    â€œHell,” I said, “I’m okay over here. There weren’t no need for you to come all the way down here like that.”
    â€œI want to stay here with you,” she said, “just in case something was to happen.”
    â€œThere ain’t no need for that.”
    â€œJust in case some a’ Chugwater’s boys was to show up,” she said. “I want to be with you.”
    I seen then that she was a-wearing, hanging over her shoulder, the gun belt I had give her with her thirty-two-caliber Merwin Hulbert in the holster. She meant to be ready for anything what might come up. I mean, that woman weren’t a-skeered a’ nothing a’tall. I couldn’ta done myself no better than have that there woman. She woulda tuck on a grizzler bear for me, I know it. She of a sudden pulled my face right toward her own and give me a big, sloppy smack on the lips. “I love you, Barjack,” she said.
    I kinda looked around to see that ever’one else had done dropped back off to sleep before I give her a answer, and then I said, “I love you too, sweet swaying hips.” Then she laid me back down and undid my britches. “Bonnie,” I said, “there’s a mess a’ folks in here.”
    â€œThey’re all asleep,” she said, “and it’s dark.”
    Then she hiked up her skirts and set right down on me and give me a hell of a romp right there in the jail cell. The blankets was still hanging up from the baths earlier, so I guess it was all right after all. When she was done with me, I needed me a drink a’ brown whiskey.
    â€œI’ll fetch it for you, Barjack,” she said. “I know where you keep it.”
    She paddle-footed outta the cell and on over to my desk, where she opened up the drawer andgot out my bottle and a tumbler. She poured me a drink and brung it back into the cell and give it to me. I tuck me a big swaller right off. Then she tuck the glass back from me and had her own self a swig. I was glad to see her drinking right instead a’ that pink swill she usual drunk. We finished off that glass in a hurry, and Bonnie tuck it back to my desk to refill it. By and by we snuggled down to sleep, and she mashed me up against the wall on that narrow little jail cell cot. I couldn’t hardly breathe, I tell you.
    Well, I guess it was about six or maybe seven when I final woked up, but I couldn’t hardly see no way to get up off a’ the cot without bothering Bonnie, and she sure as hell did not like to be bothered in the morning a’tall. In fact, that were the way I had learnt to fly that time. I had woked her up one morning and made her so mad she had picked me up by my collar and my belt and carried me out to the landing at the top a’ the stairs in the Hooch House and flung me out into space over the saloon. And I had flow, I’m here to tell you. I didn’t land none too good, but I had learnt to fly for sure.
    Anyway, I wriggled around, but ever’ way I tried I just got Bonnie’s fat against me in some other way. I seemed to be helt down good. Well, I scruggled around till I got my ass set up at last, but my legs was still pinned down. I looked at her all snuggled down and sleeping peaceful-like, and I jerked my right leg up and out. I couldn’t see no way out of it but to throw that leg over