The saloon is loud and rowdy , old man James who'd drink hisself to sleep after his fifth glass of whiskey as usual, man who sits at the edge of the bar named Rob quietly chatting to himself. The collar around your neck grows itchy and every few minutes you find yourself scratching at it, feeling the sweat roll down the back of your neck and on your forehead. The heat is almost unbearable and you'd rather be at your small house drinking the cold water that you know your mother harbors. But, you have no choice but to be here as it was the only way to pay off your debts that your father had managed to uphold.

Your father used to be the nicest man you'd known, his smile always made you feel better when you were a little girl even during your dark times back in the south and you wish that some day he'd go back to being that same man.

"Y/n! Are you in the clouds or what?" A hand smacks down in front of you and you nearly jump 5ft into the air, bringing your hand to your chest as your heart beats fast," I think Rob wants another drink." Your bar mate , Annabeth, laughs out and claps her hand on your back to which you roll your eyes at.

"Huh, yea okay right on it," You mumble and push a stray lock of hair behind your ear and turn your head to look at your bar mate. Her hair is in a long braid pulled back from face , her makeup neatly done, her lips tainted red. She was always the most favored one in the town, all the men giving her extra cents and for any woman here you expected her to grow an attitude towards you but she hadn't. In fact, she was the only one nice to you in the saloon, the only one who knows all of your secrets.

"Well hurry up, I've never seen him get impatient before, best to not see it now." She winks and you smile and nod, walking round back and grabbing a glass from the top counter above the drinks. You briskly grab the bottle and the glass before walking back to the counter and towards Rob. The floorboards creak beneath your lace up shoes and your skirt flares.

"Here ya go Rob, the regular," You greet him with a small to which he just nods and motions for you to hand him his drink, his face twisted into a bland look as his eyes hold a sense of worry. A frown finds its way onto your lips as you poor the whiskey into his glass, sliding it over to him as he digs a hand into his pocket before slamming down a few cents.

"Somethin' wrong?" You ask timidly, his mannerisms worrying you as he was never like this. Maybe his father had passed away or his mother had left like he had said she would before but if either of those scenarios happened, you would know as the town would know first thing. Everyone knows everyone here and it was as if the birds could talk because you could never keep anything to yourself, not even when Lady Margaret was found in a bed with a man who wasn't her husband outside of town.

Rob shakes his head in reply and grabs the glass before tilting his head back and chugging it down in one gulp. The bar continues to buzz as the men in the back corner gamble on, their angry curses filling the air as each one of them lose. But, your attention is on Rob, wanting to know what was wrong. Your curiosity always got the best of you, you knew that but you couldn't help but be worried for someone who always manages to ask how your day is with a couple extra cents added in. You reach an arm over the counter and place it on his shoulder, squeezing it slightly making him look up at you with the same blank look.

"I'm fine, ya hear me? Don't start worrying about me," He says, all-overish and silently as if he were keeping something to himself. You nod your head hesitantly wanting to press on but you don't want to make him angry so you just smile and take the bottle of whiskey, pour him an extra glass and walk to the back. For a moment , everything seems normal , the yelling , the cursing , the threats of others' lives and the occasional sound of someone being thrown out , but suddenly the batwing doors are swung open and a gust of hot air rushes in.

You raise your eyebrows in shock and confusion and round your head around the corner only to see an unfamiliar face. His hair tinted red and black, you can't see his face but by the way his jawline is shaped and the way his body is molded, you can tell he's handsome. He walks with air of confidence and slides himself in the seat next to old man James who awakens as if he felt his presence. He rubs his nose and grunts, cracking his back but the mysterious man only chuckles and taps the counter.

"One glass of Kansas Sheep Dip, please," He says and you start to wonder if you were starting become crazier than run over coon because his voice sends shivers down your spine. His voice isn't like the voice of others, like he's been smoking cigars since he was just a little boy. No, his voice is smooth and clear and full of confidence. The saloon drops into silence, so silent that you could hear Annabeth clear her throat.

"What would you like?" She asks in a sultry voice and you peek your head enough to the right to see the man nod towards your direction making you widen your eyes to the size of saucers.

"Some old whiskey, if you have that?" He teases in cocky tone making what sounds like old man James scoff sarcastically under his breath. Whoever this man is , no one seems to like him and you don't know if it's because he's a newcomer or if his attitude was enough to make them want to bring him out to the street.

"Alright, sure sweetheart." You hear Annabeth say, she swivels around and snaps her fingers at you. Hurry up and make the drink for the handsome man. You nod quickly and stumble around to grab a glass and a bottle before making your way to the counter , your eyes casted down almost making yourself trip over your own skirt. You stumble and flail forwards to the counter almost dropping the items in your hand. Annabeth sighs but your cheeks don't warm up from her reaction , it flares like the sun has been beating on your for an hour. The man lets out a laugh and taps the counter again.

"Don't hurt yourself, darling." Gosh you wish you could find some way to fling yourself into the sun or better yet , into the badlands. Yea, I'm definitely crazier than a run over coon. You sigh and place the glass on the table , pouring the drink. Your hands tremble and you have no idea why but what you do know is all you want to do is run behind the back. How can a man have such an affect on you and you've never once met him before this moment?

"What's your name?" Annabeth questions in a suggestive tone leaning against the bar with a smirk. The man swallows his last sip of the glass and places it down, leaning forward but he doesn't meet her eyes , he meets yours. For a moment it's as if you could see everything in his eyes and the danger they hold. More sweat rolls down the back of your neck and the air gets even more heated but you pay no mind , only looking at the mysterious man.

He licks his lips and opens his mouth,"It's San."

whew okay so no lie, i worked on this for hours trying to make sure it was as perfect as it could be. it's my first time doing a western style au , and i really wanted to do one . please give this book a try because i really don't want this to flop

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