**Chapter One: Welcome to Bakerstown

                Aiden nearly cried out with joy when he saw the buildings popping up in the distance. For weeks he’d been running but he couldn’t run anymore. He was tired, his horse was near death and he had no more will to run.

                 Praying the town wasn’t only a figment of his sun baked mind, Aiden rode closer and felt relief fill him when he saw the people, the horses, the carts and the wagons. He could hear men hollering as they loaded a train with supplies. He saw a man balancing himself with his arms stretched out as he ran across a stack of lumber laughing happily. Aiden shook his head. He’d been happy once, though he didn’t see that happening again anytime soon.

                Aiden knew his horse, which he’d stolen somewhere between east Kansas and this Texas town, was on its last leg. To give the beast a bit of a break he hopped down and walked on foot beside it as they entered town.

                Aiden’s clothes were stiff and dusty and his body ached. His stomach was in a constant state of pain from the hunger that ravaged it. How long had it been since he’d had an actual meal? At least a week, but probably longer.

                The aroma of cooking meat reached his nose and Aiden clutched at his cramping stomach with his free hand. He wanted nothing more than to go into that diner across the street and fill the rumbling void in his middle but food cost money and money was something he didn’t have any of.

                “Dammit, Ryder! You’re gonna get yourself killed one of these days and then that’ll make Susie cry which in turn will lead to Brody coming down here and whooping my ass for letting you get killed on my watch!”

                Aiden glanced back toward the sawmill and saw the man that had been running across the stacks of lumber, now attempting to ride a pallet of lumber being lifted by a pulley with a team of Ox on the other end. The man was laughing and singing as he sat there on the lumber with his legs dangling down and another man, probably the boss of the mill, glared up at him.

                Aiden shook his head. Strange folks called this place home—maybe he wouldn’t stick out so badly after all.

                “That would be my brother.”

                Aiden turned his head to see a man standing behind him. He was taller than Aiden (who was fairly short at only about five feet and nine inches tall. He had a mustache that matched the black hair visible beneath the hat on his head. He gave Aiden a friendly smile and stuck out his hand.

                “Name’s Ty Hampton. I’m the sheriff in town so I feel I should welcome you. We don’t get many newcomers riding in alone.”

                Aiden looked around the rather crowded streets and wondered why as he shook the sheriff’s offered hand.  Ty seemed to read his thoughts. “This is a good town with good people. Most of what we see moving in are families. The previous sheriff kept a pretty tight grip on the town and most people are scared of him still to this day.”

                Aiden simply nodded as he attempted to lead his horse away from the sheriff. “You got a name, kid?”

                Aiden bristled at being called kid. He was damn near twenty-five years old. It wasn’t his fault God had made him so innocent looking. “Aiden.”

                “Well welcome to Bakerstown, Aiden. Don’t mind my brother there, he’s the town idiot.” Ty winked. “All towns have gotta have one I reckon. You look beat, Aiden. How ‘bout I take your horse to the livery for you and you can get yourself a bite to eat?”

                Aiden had no idea why this lawman was being so nice to him. Couldn’t the man see the word ‘abomination’ written across his forehead the way everyone else seemed to recently. “I uh.. I don’t have any money.” Aiden replied.

                Ty frowned a bit and then shrugged. “Don’t worry about that. Newcomers get their first night room and board free around here and I reckon that goes for their horses too. You planning on staying here long?”

                “I don’t know yet.” Aiden replied honestly as he grabbed his saddlebags and Ty took the reins of the horse from him.

                “Well hopefully you will. We can always use more folks around here. Just don’t start any trouble and you won’t get any from me. Anything you need just seek me out or one of my deputies. I’ve got three of them running around here.”

                “Thank you.” Aiden mumbled.

“There’s three hotels in town but ‘Graces’ is the nicest. That and you can get hot showers there. I reckon you need one.”  Ty tipped his hat and then walked away, leading the exhausted horse toward the livery.

                Aiden stood there with his saddlebags over his shoulder, feeling more than a little awkward as he watched Ty walk away. It had been a long time since anyone had been nice to him. Aiden supposed it would take some getting used to.

                Aiden’s stomach clenched painfully again when the door to the diner opened and the scents wafted out.

                “Excuse me?” Aiden turned at the sound of the feminine voice behind him and saw a woman standing there with a dazzlingly bright smile on her face. She was roughly the same height as Aiden. She had a full, soft figure and dark freckles littered her cheeks. But it was her eyes and smile that made a bit of his guard drop—she looked like an angel—all softness and light.

                “Hi..” Aiden mumbled, adjusting the saddlebags on his tired shoulder.

                “My name is Susie.”

                “Aiden.” He replied, not offering his last name since she hadn’t.

                “Are you hungry, Aiden?”

                Aiden’s stomach roared in response. “A little.” He admitted with a wince.

                Susie’s smile brightened. “Then as the official welcoming committee to Bakerstown, Texas, please allow me to buy you a meal.”

                Aiden shook his head. Did he have charity case written on his shirt or something? He glanced down but other than dirt and sweat, his shirt seemed unmarked. “That won’t be necessary, ma’am.”

                Her hands went to her hips and Aiden would swear she was pouting. The smallest hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Please, allow me to buy you lunch. I do it for all the newcomers.”

                Aiden doubted that but hell maybe it was the truth. This town did seem to be awfully friendly between Susie and the sheriff.

                “Okay then.” He finally relented.

                “Good!” Susie led him toward the diner and they both stopped when a voice called out from above them.

                “Susie! My love! My breath! My life! Oh Susie dear!!” Aiden frowned as he looked up at the pallet of wood in the air and the man, Ryder, standing atop it waving like a fool. Aiden glanced at Susie and saw that her full cheeks were flushed bright red as she too looked up at him.

                “Come along now, Aiden,” she urged.

                “Aren’t you gonna talk to him?” Aiden asked as the man called out yet again for Susie, this time professing his never ending love and devotion.

                “No.” she replied. “I’m mad at him.” From the flush on her cheeks and the sparkling in her eyes as she led Aiden toward the diner, he would say Susie was far from mad. “My husband seems to think that late nights at the saloon can be forgiven by public displays of craziness.”

                Aiden couldn’t help but smile. “From the way he’s carrying on I would say he really does love you. I would probably let it slide just so long as he didn’t have too much fun.”

                Aiden clamped his mouth shut, unsure what had caused him to speak so openly with this woman! Surely he’d just pushed a boundary and was going to have that free lunch invitation snatched away.

                Instead Susie surprised him when she laughed. “Not Ryder. He might be insane and he might test my own sanity but he’s loyal… like that annoyingly cute little puppy that won’t stop gnawing on your ankle.”

                Aiden remained silent, though he had to work hard to erase the smile from his face. He wasn’t sure it was appropriate to smile as the person buying your meal spoke that way about her husband.

                “I need one of your lunch specials for my friend.” Susie said to a woman by the door as they stepped in. Friend? It had been a long time since Aiden had had a friend.

                “You got it Susie.” The woman replied with a smile before disappearing through a door toward the back of the diner.

                Aiden glanced around the fairly empty space. It was in between meal times so not many folks were eating. He glanced at Susie when he heard her sigh. She had her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes were closed. “Three…” she began to count down. “Two….One…”

                On cue the diner doors burst open and the man from the sawmill came running in. Aiden watched with mild amusement as he came up behind Susie and wrapped his arms tightly around her soft waist. He buried his face in the loose hair on Susie’s neck and Aiden suddenly felt awkward as the man simply stood there holding his wife.

                “Ryder, that’s hardly proper.” Susie gasped with a blush as she pulled her head away.

                The boyishly charming man flashed a grin that was infectious. “No one in this town expects proper from me, Sue. And since when have I cared? Please tell me you aren’t mad anymore.”

                “You were at that saloon almost all night while I sat home alone.” Susie reminded him as she pulled out of his arms and turned to look up at his face. The man was tall…. Right around six and a half feet at least.

                “Forgive me. The whiskey got to flowing and I was doing so good at the poker game and I….” Susie placed a finger to Ryder’s lips to silence him and Aiden saw passion flare to life in the man’s dark eyes. Aiden quickly turned away to allow them their privacy.

                “I forgive you. Now get back to work.”

                “Yes, ma’am.”

                “And Ryder?” Susie continued. “You better come straight home tonight.”

                “Yes, ma’am.” Ryder’s voice was a few octaves deeper with this reply. Aiden felt his heart hurt. He would never know what it felt like to have someone so in love with him.

                Aiden was about to walk to an empty table when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned to see Ryder standing there grinning down at him.

                “What?” Aiden asked uncomfortably when Ryder simply stared at him.

                “Just sizing ya up is all.” Ryder replied, that grin never leaving his face. Aiden glanced at Susie who was pinching her nose between her fingers.

                “Goodbye Ryder.” She stated with exasperation.

                “Alright, I’ll go—“ Ryder conceded. He moved away from Aiden and then that grin of his widened and filled with mischievousness. “Just so you know—she’s mine.” He stated just before sweeping Susie into his arms, dipping her low and landing a kiss for the ages on her lips.

                Aiden’s eyes widened as he cleared his throat and fought back laughter. Ryder sat a flustered, stuttering, breathless Susie back on her feet, tipped his hat to Aiden and the few patrons inside the diner and then left with an extra pep to his step.

                Susie tugged at the bottom of her blouse and attempted to straighten the hair that Ryder had messed up as she cleared her throat. Her face was cherry red as she looked at Aiden and chewed her lip.

                “Unfortunately I have to get back to the church but you enjoy your lunch.” She said quickly. Aiden felt his heart fall a bit. His new friend was a church going woman? They wouldn’t be friends long then if she realized what he was.

                “Thank you for the meal, ma’am.” Aiden replied.

                She waved her hand. “Call me Susie. Welcome to Bakerstown, Aiden.”