If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead, be sure to check out my Patreon!!!
Go to https://www.patreon.com/Tang12
...
Caleb smiled faintly, lifting a hand. "Jasper, swap with me. You man the counter. Jessie, help Mickey with serving. I'll handle the patties."
Jasper blinked in surprise. "You… wanna cook?"
Caleb smirked, rolling up his sleeves. "That's right. Been a while since I got my hands greasy."
Jasper laughed, shaking his head but obeying. He wiped his hands, moved to the counter, and Jessie slipped off to help with trays.
As Jasper settled in at the front, he glanced back at Caleb, curiosity tugging his voice. "So, boss… you meet with George?"
Caleb slid a raw patty onto the hot griddle, the meat sizzling as he pressed it down with the spatula. He didn't look up as he answered, his voice even but tinged with satisfaction. "Yeah. Met him first thing this mornin'. We struck a deal."
"And?" Jasper prodded, leaning an elbow on the counter now that his hands were free.
Caleb's eyes flicked to him briefly, a slow smile curving his lips. "And tomorrow, we start buildin'. Big changes comin', Jasper. Real big."
Jasper blinked, then let out a low whistle. "Damn, boss. You ain't wastin' no time."
"Time's the one thing we can't get back," Caleb said simply, flipping the patty with a practiced motion. The smell of searing beef rose, thick and savory.
As he worked, Caleb raised his voice slightly to be heard over the sizzle and only his employees could hear. "Listen up, everyone!" The crew, Jasper, Jessie, Simon, Mickey, and Troy, all turned their attention to him. "Starting tomorrow, this place is getting an upgrade. A big one. We're building a proper restaurant right here."
Eyes widened. Jessie gasped softly as discovered her mouth.
"I've hired George and his crew to handle the construction," Caleb continued, flipping burgers with practiced ease. "But they need extra hands for the heavy lifting. That means the four of you, Jasper, Simon, Mickey, Troy, you'll be on construction duty until the job is done. Jessie, you could have some vacation as we're renovating the stall. But if you want to join us and see us constructing the building, you are more than welcome to join us."
He looked at each of them, his gaze firm but fair. "It's hard work, but you'll be paid your regular wages, plus a bonus for every day you put in on the build. We're all building this future together."
There was a beat of silence, then Mickey broke into a wide grin. "A real building? Hell yes, boss! We're in!"
The others quickly echoed their agreement, excitement replacing their initial shock. They were going to help build the very place they worked in.
Caleb nodded, a satisfied smile on his face as he piled cheese onto the melting patties. "Good. Now, let's get through the rest if today's business. Tomorrow, we break ground."
The stall buzzed with a new energy, a sense of shared purpose. As Caleb flipped burgers, he wasn't just feeding customers, he was fueling a dream. And for the first time, his entire crew was building it right alongside him.
Caleb spent the rest of his day behind the griddle, flipping patties and preparing burgers as the orders flowed in.
Jasper kept the counter steady, calling out requests with practiced efficiency, while Jessie and Mickey carried trays to the tables, weaving between customers with quick, sure steps, and Troy guarded the stall. Simon, focused as ever, worked the fryer like a man born to it, pulling out baskets of golden fries that hissed as they met the open air.
The scent of sizzling beef, melting cheese, and hot lard clung to the little stall like a promise, drawing in townsfolk and travelers alike. Business was good, better than good, in fact, and Caleb allowed himself a flicker of satisfaction even as he worked. Each burger he plated felt like a brick in the foundation of what was coming.
He was in the middle of stacking a burger high with lettuce and tomatoes when the door creaked open wider, letting in a burst of laughter and heavy bootsteps. Caleb didn't have to look up to know who it was. The deep, measured drawl that followed confirmed it.
"Afternoon, folks. Smells like heaven in here."
Sheriff Malloy.
The lawman strolled in with a half dozen deputies in tow, their spurs clinking faintly against the wood floor as they claimed two of the four round tables in the corner. They were familiar faces, men Caleb had seen riding through town or standing sentinel outside the jailhouse.
"Sheriff," Jasper greeted from the counter, tipping his head. "Your usual?"
Malloy gave a short nod, settling into a chair. "You know it." Then, glancing at his men: "Same for the boys."
"Coming right up," Jasper said, scribbling the order before calling it to Caleb.
Caleb cracked a faint smile, sliding fresh patties onto the sizzling griddle. From now on for Sheriff Malloy and his crew, their lunch was on the house, just like the arrangement Caleb and the Sheriff have reached on previously.
Within minutes, plates hit the tables, burgers stacked high, fries steaming in generous bowls. The deputies dug in with gusto, voices rumbling low as they swapped stories over the clink of cutlery. Sheriff Malloy ate slower, savoring each bite, his sharp blue eyes sweeping the room in idle vigilance.
But free food only went so far. By the time their plates were wiped clean, a few deputies were still licking grease from their fingers, hunger gnawing stubbornly.
"Another round," one of them said, digging into his pocket. "We'll pay this time."
Malloy raised a brow but said nothing, and soon fresh orders were flying off the counter again. Caleb didn't mind, more money in the pocket never hurt.
He was stacking another burger high when it happened.
A sound split the lazy hum of the afternoon. Sharp, violent. Gunfire. Not close, not yet, but coming fast. It cracked through the air from the direction of the auction yards, followed by the thunder of hooves. Heavy. Many.
The chatter died instantly. Every head in the stall turned toward the street beyond the windows. Caleb froze for a fraction of a second, spatula hovering mid air, before setting the patty down with quiet precision. His eyes slid to Malloy.
The sheriff had gone still, a muscle ticking in his jaw. He swallowed the last bite of his burger whole, pushed back from the table, and rose in one smooth motion. The chair legs scraped loud against the floorboards as he stood. With deliberate calm, he wiped his hands on his trousers and reached for the iron at his hip.
"Damn," Sheriff Malloy muttered. "That don't sound good."
His deputies were already on their feet, boots pounding as they checked their revolvers, faces taut with sudden focus.
Caleb didn't waste breath. "Jessie. Mickey." His voice was sharp, clipped. "Stay inside. Lock the door when we leave." Then he turned to the others, eyes hard. "Jasper, Simon, Troy, the three of you with me."
The three men exchanged quick looks, then drew their revolvers without hesitation. Caleb unholstered his trusty Navy, the worn grip fitting into his palm like an old friend. Together, they moved at a jog, boots pounding the dirt as they joined Sheriff Malloy and his deputies at the center of the three way intersection, right in front of the stables.
The street had gone eerily quiet, save for the distant roar of hooves and sporadic gunfire. Caleb positioned himself beside the sheriff, eyes locked down the road. The tension thickened with every heartbeat.
"Sounds like a damn war party," Sheriff Malloy muttered, scanning the dust rising in the distance.
Caleb meanwhile didn't take his eyes off the horizon. "You tell me if Valentine pissed off some outlaw gang lately, Sheriff?"
"Not that I know of," Sheriff Malloy replied evenly. "And even if they had, nobody stupid enough to ride in like this."
Then the sheriff grunted, his jaw tightening. " maybe thisnpeopel come here to make a statement. Either threaten the town… or burn it down." He spat in the dirt, then cocked his revolver. "Ain't gonna happen on my watch."
The sound grew thunderous now, hooves pounding like drums of war. And then they appeared. A dust cloud first, then silhouettes, then men on horseback bursting into view like demons loosed from hell.
More than ten riders, all armed, guns flashing in the sunlight. The leader rode a big brown coated horse and had a nasty scar carved deep into his cheek, an ugly reminder of past violence.
They stormed down the main drag, firing into the air, whooping and hollering as pedestrians screamed and ducked behind barrels and wagons. The riders slowed as they reached the intersection, drawing up in a half circle before Caleb, Sheriff Malloy, and their men.
Sheriff Malloy raised a hand, voice carrying authority even over the snorting horses. "Whoa there, gentlemen. This is a peaceful town. What's the meaning of ridin' in like devils with your irons high?"
The leader sneered, his scar tugging as he let his gaze linger on the sheriff's badge. "So, you're the law here," he said, voice like gravel. "We came 'cause some of my boys were shown the door a while back. Came askin' polite for a little charity. Instead, they got run off. Intimidated. That don't sit right with me."
Caleb's eyebrows rose. He took a half step forward, his voice cutting through the tension. "Let me guess. Your 'associates' were the O'Driscoll boys who tried to shake down my food stall for 'protection' money?"
The leader's eyes snapped to Caleb, narrowing into venomous slits. "The O'Driscolls are gone. We're the Driller Boys now. And if you know that, then you must be one of the bastards who ran my boys off."
Caleb smirked, a cold, humorless expression. "There's no 'intimidation' when your boys show up threatenin' to wreck a legitimate business after being told 'no.' So what's your play here? Start a war in the middle of the street? Ten of you against ten of us?" He made a show of looking at their grim faces. "Seems like an even fight to me. A stupid one, but even."
The leader's face flushed with rage. "You got a smart mouth, friend." In a flash, he raised his revolver, pointing it directly at Caleb's chest. "Maybe I'll shut it for you!"
The action was a trigger in itself. In an instant, the street became a tableau of drawn steel. Sheriff Malloy, his deputies, Jasper, Simon, and Troy all raised their weapons, aiming at the Driller Boys. The outlaws mirrored them, a dozen gun barrels now pointed across the dusty divide.
Caleb didn't flinch. Instead, he let out a soft, chilling chuckle. With his right hand already holding his Navy revolver, his left swept down and drew his Schofield in a blur of motion. He now stood, dual wielding, both pistols aimed unerringly at the scarred leader's face.
"I wouldn't if I were you," Sheriff Malloy warned, his voice steel. "You boys are outgunned and out of your depth. Back your horses up and ride out of this town. Now."
The leader laughed, a harsh, barking sound. "Outgunned? I count even. And we can shoot a hell of a lot faster than you old men and shopkeepers!"
"Really?" Caleb's voice was a whisper, yet it carried across the silent street.
He activated Dead Eye.
The world bled into a hazy, amber toned slow motion. Sounds distorted, stretching into a low drone. The frantic snorting of the horses, the tense breathing of the men, the distant cry of a bird, all faded into a background hum. Caleb's focus became absolute. His eyes, glowing with an otherworldly intensity behind the mechanic of the skill, flicked across the line of outlaws.
...
Name: Caleb Thorne
Age: 23
Body Attributes:
- Strength: 7/10
- Agility: 7/10
- Perception: 8/10
- Stamina: 7/10
- Charm: 6/10
- Luck: 6/10
Skills:
- Handgun (Lvl 3)
- Rifle (Lvl 3)
- Firearms Knowledge (Lvl 3)
- Past Life Memory (Lvl MAX)
- Knife (Lvl 2)
- Blunt Weapon (Lvl 1)
- Sneaking (Lvl 3)
- Horse Mastery (Lvl 4)
- Poker (Lvl 4)
- Hand to Hand Combat (Lvl 2)
- Eagle Eye (Lvl 1)
- Dead Eye (Lvl 2)
- Bow (Lvl 2)
- Pain Nullifier (Lvl 1)
- Physical Regeneration (Lvl 0)
- Crafting (Lv 2)
- Persuasion (Lvl 2)
- Mental Fortitude (Lvl MAX)
- Cooking (Lvl 2)
- Teaching (Lvl 1)
- Germanic Language Proficiency (Lvl MAX)
- Inventory System (Permanent - 5x5x5)
- Acting (Lvl 2)
- Alcohol Resistance (Lvl MAX)
Money: 1,580 dollars and 10 cents
Inventory: 5,407 dollars and 43 cents, 7 gold nuggets, 8 gold bars, 7 silver rings, 1 Double Action, 1 Schofield, 2 large bags of jewelry, 4 gold rings, 2 silver rings, 4 silver pocket watches, 3 gold buckles, 1 gold pocket compass, 2 platinum pocket watches, 2 Colm's Schofields, and land deed (Parcel)
Bank: -