Calamity Maude - I Married My Deputy

By John J. Law

Sheriff James Morgan liked his job in the sleepy little town in which he was the law. A widower raising a young son, James began corresponding with a mail order bride named Maude Addison, and fell in love. Little did he know that the sweet woman he'd fallen in love with by post was really a notorious outlaw who earned her moniker of Calamity Maude.

Shortly after Maude arrived in town, all hell seemed to break loose. First, a gang of outlaws lead by a man who called himself Tex Woodsaw, wounded the sheriff and killed his deputy. If not for his bride-to-be stepping in and killing the outlaw, Sheriff Morgan would have joined his deputy in an eternal sleep.

Then, one of Woodsaw's gang showed up to avenge his boss' death. Once again, Calamity Maude came to the rescue. When Maude came clean as to her past, James didn't care. She'd proven her love, as far as he was concerned. With the threat of the remainder of Woodsaw's gang coming into town to finish them off, Sheriff James Morgan did the only two things he knew were right; he made Calamity Maude his deputy, and he made her his wife.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.C. Hulsey Books
• Release date: Mar 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224431212

Book preview

Chapter One

Wounded Pride

Howdy-do, and a good day to y'all! If you were with me in the first installment of my crazy tale, you would have known that I got shot up real good by Tex Woodsaw and his band of outlaws. Tex and his crazy boys rode into town just looking to cause all kinds of trouble, and that was exactly what they did. They even killed my deputy, Cole Patterson, a kid that was barely over twenty. I would definitely have followed poor Cole to the grave myself, if Maude Addison hadn't rode into town, right in the nick. Maude was my mail-order bride, and her timing couldn't have been better. What I didn't know was that Maude Addison was really Calamity Maude, one of the most infamous lady outlaws roaming the land. Well, if I didn't know it when we were writing, I sure knew it right when I saw her. Why?

Well, once she entered that saloon, Maude just gunned down Tex Woodsaw, and sent his outlaws scurrying away like rats exposed to a gas lamp. Yeah, Maude sure proved her worth there, but so did I. I guess I kinda did deserve to get all shot up, considering how I just waltzed into that saloon with Cole. The odds were clearly against us, but we went on anyway, and well, we got shot for our trouble. And that's where this next tale of mine picks off.

Is he going to be all right? Is my husband going to be all right?

Lady, I'm doing my best taping James up good, but if you keep getting in my face like this, it's going to make my work mighty difficult-like. This is why I do suggest that you back off, and let me tape up your husband, our sheriff!

Yeah, Doc Hendershaw was really getting annoyed with Maude. Can't say that I really blamed him. Maude was really getting all tense and anxious in his office, and I imagine that it must have been difficult to near impossible to work with someone like that.

You, you better just wait outside, Maude. The doc needs to tape me up good, I stammered.

Maude looked down at me, still bleeding. I saw a look of genuine love and concern in her eyes. This was in stark contrast to what Maude had displayed earlier. When she gunned down Tex Woodsaw, she was the picture of complete grit and steel. You wouldn't have believed what you saw. It was amazing how fast she drew her gun and dispatched Woodsaw. She did not even flinch or show the tiniest hint of fear when she faced down Tex's outlaws. It was all just pretty amazing for her, and embarrassing for me, and everyone saw it.

Stay alive, love of mine. Stay alive for me.

I'll be fine. Doc Hendershaw said it himself. I look a lot worse than I really am. Just watch over Edwin for a while.