Miss Vickie and Miss... Missy?  That didn’t sound right. But whatever you called her, the two women squared off and traded verbal jabs. Cassie got bored of it all<i>real </i>quick, and wandered off to help with the breakfast rush. That part was easy - hand out food and discourage groping hands. And the Peacemaker strapped to her thigh helped<i>a lot</i>with the discouragement.<br/><br/>Slowly the breakfast rush died down, and Cassie was chatting amiably with an iron-haired old prospector when there was a tap on her shoulder. “You ready to go, Miss Cassie?” asked Miss Vickie.<br/><br/>“Just about,” she replied with a grin. “Be right back.”  With that she headed up the stairs two at a time and into her room. Ignoring the Winchester leaning against the wall, she scooped up her sawed-off 12-gauge and slung a bandolier of shells across her body. After a moment‘s hesitation, she shrugged into her canvas duster as well.<br/><br/>“All right,” she called as she came down the stairs. “I’m ready...”<br/><br/>“"Miss Freeman!”  It was Missy, and a sweating man, and the damnedest wolf-dog Cassie has ever seen.<br/><br/>“Aren’t you the<i>cutest</i>thing!” Cassie exclaimed as the rich woman and her employer squared off again. Grinning, she squatted down and held out her hand. “Who’s a good boy?”<br/><br/>“Careful, ma’am,” Higgins said. “He bites.”<br/><br/>Cassie grinned wider as the wolf-dog licked her fingers. “I’m sure you do!” She cooed, scratching his head. “You’re just a big old killer, aren’t you?”<br/><br/>-*-<br/><br/>“What Jeb here said, Miss Jules,” Tom added, stretching the kinks out of his back. “A bite o’ breakfast would go down right good, an’ we kin get these chairs out while you get it made.”  He flexed his fingers. “Y’all need any help settin’ yer gear up after?  Ah don’ reckon Ah knows a printin press from a flat iron, but Ah’m always game ta learn something new.”<br/><br/>As he spoke he tested the weight of the chairs. They weren’t light, but they were nothing next to the crates they’d hauled in. “Jeb?  If’n y’kin get th’ door fer me, Ah reckon we kin get these out afore y’kin whistle Dixie.”