The
Showdown
A hush had
fallen over all the men assembled in the saloon as they watched, awed by the
confrontation at the raised table in the corner. No one dared offer
encouragement to either man, since it would only bring the wrath of both down
on the culprit.
The darker man
scrutinized the contents of his hand, weighing the possibilities carefully. A single
nod indicated his satisfaction with what he was seeing before he threw a couple
of coins into the center of the table, “A dollar.”
His opponent
gave him a serene smile, but simply picked up a few of his own coins and
casually tossed them into the pile in front of him.
“I will see
the dollar and raise you five,” he spoke softly, but everyone assembled there
could hear him clearly.
The dark man
nearly growled with frustration, he had exactly five dollars left. This was it,
either he won this time, or it was all over. When he had sat down to this game
over three hours before, he had been so confident, and now he was reduced to
this.
“Call,” he
said gruffly as he tossed in the last coins. After a few seconds of staring at
his opponent, he lay his cards face up on the table between them. “Three tens.”
His opponents
face never lost its serene smile and pleasant expression. “Well done, sir. I
have but two pair.”
Nathan’s heart
lightened as he reached out to gather the pot he believed he had won.
“Unfortunately
for you, they all bare the same mark,” Ezra remarked as he laid down the set of
four jacks he had held, the expression on his face still not changing one whit.
“Damnit, Ezra,” Nathan growled as he sat back in his chair
again. He couldn’t believe it! He’d lost the bet!
“Nathan, I tol’ you,” Vin spoke for the first
time since the game had started over three hours ago. “Never bet against Ez.
You’d think you’d know that by now.”
“Yeah,” Nathan
acknowledged as Ezra gathered up his winnings. “But I was sure I could catch
him cheatin’ this time.”
“Mr. Jackson,
I have told you on many occasions. I do not cheat,” Ezra said regally. “Now, I
shall bid you adieu and retire to my room. Mr. Jackson, I shall be expecting to
see you tomorrow night, as agreed.” Ezra took only a moment to savor the look
of chagrin on Nathan’s face before gathering his dignity and ascending the
stairs.
Or as much
dignity as a man could having after spending the last three hours playing poker
in the middle of the night in nothing but his underwear. Finally, Ezra thought,
maybe Nathan will accept that he did not need to cheat to win after this.
Of course the
agreed to three weeks of early shifts swaps did help sweeten the win also.
