The Sheriff
by M.C.
A tough town in the Wild West is tamed by an even tougher female sheriff.


As I sat behind Jane and gently brushed her long, beautiful brown hair, I
thought to myself how much our town has changed since she became the sheriff
here. Although it had only been a few weeks since she arrived and assumed the
job, the changes that have occurred since then were nothing short of amazing.
I can still remember the day that this magnificent woman rode into town - in
fact, I was actually the first person in town to meet her...

"Good afternoon ma'am. Can I help you?"

"That depends. Do you run this horse stable?"

"Yes ma'am, I do. I'm the owner."

"Well in that case, yes honey, you certainly can. This here is Toby (she
pointed to the large horse behind her). He'll need to be fed and brushed;
we've had a long ride to get here. And I'll also need a stall for him for
awhile."

"For about how long do you think that will be, ma'am?"

"Oh I don't know honey, for a few weeks I suppose. And you can call me Pecos
Jane; or just Jane for short. And you are?"

"Richard. But you can call me Rick; everyone else in town does."

"Well then Rick, it's a pleasure to meet you." She held out her hand and I
shook it (and by god, I have never felt a stronger grip in my life. I felt she
was going to crunch all my fingers together).

"What's the matter Rick?" she asked and giggled,"you appear to be grimacing.
Is my handshake too strong for you? Tee, hee, hee."

"I'll take good care of of your horse ma'am...I mean Jane."

"Thank you Rick. I know you will. You seem like a guy I can trust. Now can you
please tell me where I might find the town hall? I have a interview with the
town council for a job in fifteen minutes."

"Sure thing Jane. It's about a hundred yards to the left on the other side of
the street. What job are you being interviewed for?"

"Sheriff. I heard that this is a rough, tough town that is looking for a
sheriff to bring law and order here. So I decided to apply for the job."

"Sheriff? But...but you're a...a..."

"A woman? Why how perceptive of you to have noticed. Your powers of
observation are quite astounding Rick (giggles)."

"But Jane, this is a really tough town. We've had several sheriffs over the
last few years and they all either resigned or were run out of here. What
makes you that think you can succeed where they couldn't?"

Jane began to giggle again and playfully pinched my cheek. "Oh Ricky (I hadn't
been called Ricky since I was a kid), I see you have something to learn about
women; and I'll be more than happy to teach you. But I really do have to be at
this interview. So I'll see you later. And do take good care of Toby."

"I will Jane." And as I watched this large (she must have stood at least six
feet tall and I'd have to say weighed well over 200 pounds), strong and very
confident woman with long, beautiful brown hair falling half-way down her back
walk away, I wondered, with some trepidation,"does she really know what she's
getting herself into?"

Regrettably, I wasn't at Jane's meeting with the town counsel but I certainly
heard about it - indeed, practically everybody in town did. When Jane walked
into the meeting and announced that she wanted the job as sheriff, most of the
men met her with derision. After all, they reasoned, if the toughest men that
they hired over the past several years couldn't handle the job, then how could
this woman? One of them - Ray - even went so far as to state out loud that he
would never allow a woman to be the sheriff in this town.

Jane's response to this was as simple as it was effective. She calmly walked
over to where Ray was sitting, reached out and grabbed him firmly by his shirt
and yanked him to his feet Then, with her open hand, she slapped him back and
forth across the face several times (I would have loved to have seen this in
person as Ray is one of the toughest guys I know and had been bullying me for
years). When she released him, Ray crumbled to the floor. Jane then put her
hands on her hips, turned to the stunned town counsel and, in a strong tone of
voice, asked,"now, is there anyone else here who has an problem with a female
sheriff?" Needless to say no one did and she got the job.

A little while later Jane came by the stable to check up on her horse. "How's
Toby doin, Rick?"

"He's doin great Jane. He's been fed and brushed, as you can see. I heard you
passed your interview with the town council Jane, so now you're our new
sheriff."

"Yes honey, you heard correctly; I guess news travels fast in this town. There
was some opposition to me at first, but in the end I was able to use a little
'feminine persuasion' to convince the counsel that I was indeed the right girl
for the job (wink). So tell me handsome, since I'm new in town of yours, where
can a girl get a decent dinner around here? I'm famished."

"Well, personally I like Charlie's Grill. It's just down the street."

"Good. Then I'll put my things in the sheriff's office where I'll be staying,
tidy up a bit and meet you there at about an hour. Is that O.K?" I looked at
this large, strong (and strikingly beautiful) woman who was now also our new
sheriff and nodded my head. She struck me as someone you don't want to mess
with. "O.K. Jane, I'll see you at Charlie's in an hour." After we sat down for
dinner and ordered our steaks (I had one and Jane had three!), I asked
her,"how do you plan to bring law and order to our wild town Jane, when all of
the other sheriffs have failed?"

"The same way that I've done with the several other towns that I've already
tamed Rick, with these (I followed her gaze down to the two Colt 45 caliber
revolvers holstered in her gun belt), and these (she made two fists and held
them up before me). Personally I much prefer using my fists. It's not nearly
as messy and much people don't get hurt as much; not to mention it's much more
fun."

"I heard what you did to Ray at the town council meeting earlier today. You
must be one very tough woman Jane."

She grinned when I said this. "Nah, I went easy on him. Not one single punch.
And as for my toughness, well, I'm as tough as the situation requires; no
more, no less. Take right now for example. Do I seem tough to you?" Jane then
ran her fingers through her long, beautiful brown hair and fluffed it up - as
if to emphasize to me that, although she was very large and strong, she's
still 100% woman (she later told me that that was exactly her intent).

"No Jane; not at all."

"That's my point Rick. I'm just as tough as I need to be." She made a fist
with her right hand and playfully tapped my jaw, giggled and said,"you were
right handsome, this is the best steak I've eaten in a long time." Then she
got serious. "Look Rick, I'm the sheriff here now, and I intend to bring law
and order to this wild town of yours; that's what I was hired to do. I like
you. I felt that from the moment we met at your horse stable earlier,
otherwise I would have never let you take care of Toby. The point I'm making
is that in order to tame this town, you're probably going to see me do some
things that you wouldn't expect a woman to do - or a man either for that
matter. But I don't want you to ever be intimidated by me and what you'll
probably see me have to do to get the job done. So let's agree right now to be
friends."

Jane held out her hand to me again but, remembering the last time we shook
hands, I was reluctant to take hers. "Oh come on you big baby," she
teased,"I'm not going to hurt you. I'll be gentle this time; I promise." And
she was. "Good Ricky. Now that that's over, you can walk me back to the
sheriff's office."

We left the restaurant and walked to her office. Before we parted, Jane put
her powerful arms around me and I received the strongest, most passionate hug
and kiss I could ever have imagined. And while she was kissing me, this
incredibly strong woman lifted my 180 pounds up off the ground as if I was as
light as a feather, carried me inside and kicked the door closed behind her.
The rest, I'm afraid, is X rated.

What followed over the course of the next several weeks had to be seen to be
believed - in fact I witnessed many of these events personally and still can't
believe what I saw this incredible woman (and by this time my girlfriend) do.
I saw her beat up an entire gang of ruffians singlehandedly - without even
getting her beautiful hair mussed! She outdrew the two fastest gunmen in the
territory, merely shooting their guns out of their hands so she wouldn't have
to kill them; then battered them both to a pulp with her fists (they had
refused to check in their guns before entering our town as the law requires).

And when a ruthless gang robbed the town's bank, Jane - without even asking
for a posse - tracked them down to their hideout, beat them all up and brought
them back to jail; along with the stolen money of course. Our once rough,
tough town that many had thought was untamable was indeed being brought to
heel; by a single woman!

As I continued to brush Jane's beautiful hair, she looked up at the clock on
the wall. "It's almost eleven o'clock honey, and those cowboys are still
partying it up at the saloon. They're getting very close to violating the
curfew law (in our town it's illegal to make loud noises after eleven p.m. on
a weekday). "It looks like I might have a little bit of work to do tonight
sweetie pie."

"I'd...I'd like to help you out tonight Jane. After all, there must be at
least ten of them; and they're all strong, tough cowboys."

My mighty girlfriend rose from the chair she was sitting in and smiled at me.
"We've had this discussion before, haven't we honey?" I nodded. "And you know
what my answer is, right?" When Jane saw that I had my head down, she put her
mighty arms around me and gave me a strong, loving hug. And as she did so, she
softly said,"I love you sweetie pie; and I would never be able to forgive
myself if anything were to happen to you. I know you want to help me, and
that's very sweet of you; but you do help me you know, but in other ways."

"How do I help you Jane? You're the most awesome woman. I've seen what you've
done since you came here. Jane, you singlehandedly tamed this town. How did I
help you do any of this?"

Jane stopped hugging me and stepped back so we could look at each other
face-to-face. "Let me explain what I meant by 'help' Ricky. Yes, I'm a strong,
tough woman - stronger and tougher than any man; but I'm still very much a
woman. And as a woman, I still need love and attention. I don't need a strong
tough guy Rick, because I'm stronger and tougher then they could ever hope to
be. What I do need is a kind, sweet-hearted, gentle guy. But when you're a
woman who can beat up a dozen men with her fists, what man wouldn't be
intimidated by her? I've been searching for such a man for a long time - and
finally I found one; and that man is you Rick.

"And finally having found my soul mate, I'm not about to lose him because of
his male ego. Your job Richard (she rarely calls me that) is to keep me
company, to be my companion, my lover, and to take care of Toby. That's your
role in this relationship. Leave the rough stuff to me. Believe me honey, I'm
tough enough for both of us...and then some." Again Jane put her arms around
me and I was on the receiving end of another one of her awesome hugs (and
believe me, they are indeed awesome). In the background we heard loud noises
continuing to come out of the saloon. Jane glanced at the clock again and
sighed - it was now a quarter past eleven. "Excuse me honey,"she said
casually,"but it seems that I have some work to do", (by 'work' she meant
confronting ten, strong, tough, drunk and rowdy cowboys).

I tied Jane's long, pretty hair into a ponytail so that it wouldn't get into
her eyes while she was fighting. She put on her gun belt (which she sincerely
hoped she wouldn't have to use), then we walked out the door of the sheriff's
office and began to make our way over to where the ruckus was coming from.

Stopping a few feet from the swinging doors of the saloon, Jane smiled at me
and said,"I think it's better if you wait out here honey; it'll be safer for
you. This shouldn't take too long." Then she gently pinched my cheek, turned
around and - without showing the slightest trace of fear - went inside.

As soon as Jane walked through the swinging doors of the saloon, everything
became quiet; very quiet in fact. Even from where I was standing, I could feel
the tension that was happening inside. Suddenly, after a few moments of this
eerie silence, I heard WHAM! POW! SMACK! CRASH! as well as the shouts of men
yelling and screaming,"Get her! She's only one woman to our ten! Surely we can
take her down!"

CRACK! the doors to the saloon suddenly swung open and a large, tough looking
man came flying out and landed - unconscious - on the street. He was soon
followed by another in pretty much the same condition. PUNCH! POW! THUD! Three
more battered cowboys flew out and joined their friends lying in the street.
Meanwhile, inside the saloon - in addition to all the sounds of fighting,
yelling and screaming - I could distinctly make out the sound of
Jane...humming!

WHAM! POW! Two more battered cowboys joined their unconscious friends making
it seven so far. Seven down, three more to go. PUNCH! Another was added to the
ever enlarging pile of battered cowboys. Finally, SMACK! THUMP!... and then
eerie, almost surreal silence returned. A few seconds later the saloon doors
swung open and Jane walked out, calmly dragging the last two battered cowboys
by their shirt collars behind her (incredibly, she didn't appear to have so
much as a single mark on her!). Jane flashed me a pretty smile as she
effortlessly dragged the last two men over to where the rest of their gang -
battered and unconscious - were lying. One of them was completely out of it,
while the other, George - the trail boss of the cowboys who had the reputation
of being the toughest guy in town - was conscious...but just barely.

Jane casually threw the unconscious cowboy, who must have weighed at least 200
pounds, on top of the pile. Then she lifted George, who was even larger, up by
his shirt with only her right hand - his feet were literally dangling off the
ground when Jane did this! And as this incredible woman held the helpless man
a few inches from her face, she gave him a stern lecture him on how she
expected him and his fellow cowboys to behave from now on when they come into
town.

"O.K. tough guy, you knew the law in this town, that there's to be no loud
noises after eleven p.m. on weekdays within the town limits - and yet you all
willfully violated it. As sheriff, I've been entrusted to enforce the laws of
this community. But because I'm in such a good mood tonight (Jane looked over
at me and winked), I've decided to let you all off with the light beating I
just gave you (I glanced around and saw nine large, tough cowboys lying
battered and unconscious on the street; not to mention George who was now
whimpering like a small child. This is what Jane calls a light beating?) But
if you and your boys ever violate the law again, I promise I won't go as easy
on you as I did tonight. Did I make myself clear?"

The once tough man (now shaking uncontrollably) meekly uttered the words, "yes
ma'am."

"Good," Jane said as she gently put him down and released him from her grip.
(I thought she was going to punch him out too but I guess she felt that
they've all had enough)."Now, when your boys regain consciousness, collect
them and go back to your ranch. And the next time you come into town, behave
yourselves; or else." SMACK! Jane pounded her right fist hard into her left
palm; so hard in fact that even I started to shake.

As I watched the battered, beaten and humiliated cowboys slowly get up and,
heads bowed in shame, mount their horses and ride off into the night, I heard
Jane - who by now was standing next to me - giggle and say,"boy Rick, being
sheriff in this town of yours sure keeps a girl in good shape; tee, hee, hee."
Then she took me by the hand and added,"I don't think they'll be giving us any
more trouble honey. So let's go back to my office and you can continue
brushing my hair as you were before we were so rudely interrupted. Then we can
get into bed and do some serious cuddling."

A few days later at my stable:

Jane came by to visit me at my stable while I was feeding Toby as well as the
other horses I was taking care of. "Rick,"she began in a somewhat serious tone
of voice, "you and I need to have a talk."

"About what Jane?"

"Honey, I believe that my work in this town is just about done."

I felt my heart drop when she said this. "I...I guess that means you'll be
leaving soon, won't you?"

"Well yes Richard, it does. Now that I've brought law and order to your town,
it doesn't make sense for me to remain here, not when there are many other
towns which, like yours, need a 'woman's touch' to straighten them out. In
fact, I just heard from a town in the next territory that is in desperate need
of a sheriff and would like to hire me." Jane paused for a moment and then
continued,"but I was thinking that, perhaps you could sell your stable and
come with me. I even made some inquiries about potential buyers and I believe
I may have found someone. You're the best friend I ever had Rick, and I don't
want to lose you."

Suddenly I started to perk up. "And who will replace you as sheriff Jane?"

Before answering, Jane broke into a wide grin. "Ray, the guy I slapped around
during the town council meeting."

"But he's a bully. He likes to pick on people weaker than he is."

"Correction Rick - he 'was' a bully; but I believe I cured him of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well after I became sheriff he started to say some not nice things about me
behind my back. So one day I confronted him about it in his home. You may have
noticed this about me Rick, that I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be
(wink)."

"What did you do to get him to change Jane? Ray's been a bully for as long as
I can remember."

"I simply took him across my knees, pulled his pants down and gave him a
well-deserved spanking until he agreed to see the error of his ways. And after
he stopped crying I had a long talk with him - well I did all the talking
actually - explaining how I expected him to behave; and he's been a good boy
ever since. I think he'll make a fine sheriff. So Rick, if we can sell this
stable of yours will you come with me?"

"Definitely Jane. You're the biggest, strongest, most beautiful woman I've
ever seen. What you did here in just a few weeks was absolutely amazing! I'd
absolutely love to spend the rest of my life with you." Once again I found
myself wrapped in the arms of this awesome woman in one of her monstrous
embraces. It's a feeling that words just can't describe - it's a feeling that
I want to experience every day for the rest of my life.

Epilogue:

Shortly after the meeting at my stable, Jane did indeed find a buyer for it;
and I made a rather handsome profit from the sale. Before leaving town we did
one more thing, Jane and I got married. She and I then went to another town
where she became the sheriff, and then after that another, and then another.
And no matter how rough and lawless those towns were before we arrived, they
were always quiet and law-abiding by the time we departed - thanks to my
incredible wife.

Because Jane wouldn't allow me to fight alongside her, I began to write about
her amazing accomplishments. I would send my stories off to various newspapers
and magazines, and - though most of them thought they were the work of pure
fiction - they were published anyway. Then one day a great thought came into
my head - to write a book about my amazing wife; and so I did.

This is the title and byline of my book:

"Pecos Jane: the Girl who Tamed the West."

"With her lightning fast draw and mighty fists, Pecos Jane singlehandedly took
on and tamed the toughest western towns and brought law and order to the Wild
West."

Chapter One...