Page 35 of The Sheriff and the Outlaw

Josey looked away crestfallen, as if realizing that she had made afaux pas.

“Pa, can we play Poker please? I’ve been wanting to learn—”

“You don’t know how to play?” Josey looked at him surprised. “Why, I learned how to play Poker as a child. It’s really a lot of fun. We don’t have to play for matchsticks either, if you don’t want to, but every young man should know how to play.”

Daxton laughed. Here he was the sheriff, and he was about to show his young son how to play Poker. He sighed as onecorner of his lips curled into a smile. “Okay. We’ll show you how to play regular straight Poker.” But then he pointed a finger at his son. “But I never want to see you in the saloon or playing against your friends for money, got it?”

A broad smile spread across Andrew’s face. “Okay, Pa! But maybe when I’m older?”

Daxton shook his head, giving him a stern look. “Many a man has lost a whole week’s wages or more on one bad hand of Poker.”

Andrew’s smile faded. “Okay.” Then he sat at the table. “How do you play?”

Daxton shuffled the cards, then stretched them out like an accordion and back again.

His son’s eyes widened in obvious disbelief, his mouth forming a perfect O. Daxton had his son’s attention.

“Now,” Daxton began. “First, the dealer deals out five cards to each player. You have to make sure to control your expression and not give away what you have in your hand. Many a good hand was lost by someone getting excited over being dealt good cards.”

“Poker’s not all about having the winning hand,” Josey interjected. “It’s about strategy… but having good cards doesn’t hurt.” She smiled at Daxton, indicating for him to continue.

As he taught his son the fine points of playing Poker, Daxton noticed that this was the first time that Josey had truly gotten excited over anything since he found her hiding in his barn a few days before. She was so knowledgeable about Poker that he wondered what her previous life had been like. And when he had mentioned playing a game of cards, the first thing she had thought of was Poker, an unusual game for a woman to know. Most women didn’t even want a man near a Poker table, let alone help a man teach his son how to play. And from what he could tell, she was an expert.

“Ha!” she said as she spread her cards across the table. “I won!”

“Yeah, the only reason is because everyone else folded.” Daxton gathered the cards and began to shuffle them, smirking. “I can’t believe you won with that hand.”

“Well, you have to be willing to take a chance.” Josey shrugged. “I had nothing to lose.” Then her smile faded. It was as if she had been about to say something, but then stopped short.

“Pa, can we play again?” Andrew bounced excitedly in his seat.

“Okay, one more hand. But it’s getting late, and you have chores to do in the morning.”

“Oh, Pa!”

Josey shuffled the deck, spreading them out across the table, gathering them again, and then shuffled and spread them out across the table again. Then she took two cards, flipped one end over and then back again. She ran her hand over the deck, gathering the cards, shuffled again, and then stretched them out like an accordion in midair, but caught them. Finally satisfied, she divided the cards into three sections, restacked the sections with one hand, and dealt.

“Wow!” Andrew exclaimed, his eyes wide. “Could you show me how to do that?”

“I’d be glad to.” She smiled, leaning in conspiratorially. “But it takes practice.”

“I’ll practice,” Andrew agreed, nodding vigorously.

Daxton let out a deep breath. “Okay, I think that’s enough Poker for one day. Time for bed.”

“Oh, Pa!”

“No, your father’s right,” Josey interjected, setting the cards in a stack in front of Daxton. “I could show you some other time….” She looked over at Daxton. “That is, if it’s okay with your father.”

Daxton gave her a small smile. “Well, we can talk about that later.” Then he turned back to his son. “But now, it’s time for you to go to bed.”

Andrew raised an eyebrow. “Just one more game?”

Daxton sighed. “Okay, just one more game. But after that, it’s off to bed.”

A broad smile spread across Andrew’s face. “Deal.”

Daxton laughed.

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