Page 42 of Live Love Lasso

Country boy.

City girl.

If that ain’t a match made in the heavens, I don’t know what is.

“So, how does this work, exactly?”

Later that evening, Lemon and I stand in the middle of Main Street, staring at a long strip of railroad tracks that runs up the center of the thoroughfare. I can’t believe she hasn’t seen the train come through yet, especially considering Mabel rolls by every quarter hour.

Some of the buildings rumble unhappily, siding slapping before I get a chance to answer Lemon.

Her eyes widen, and she glances around. “Uh oh, the Gulch didn’t like that question. Hope I’m not about to get on her bad side.”

A warning rumble echoes from the Welcome Inn, situated behind us.

“She’s just got a mind of her own, city girl, it’ll be fine.” I point toward the tracks. “Anyhow, Mabel’s a PG staple. She’s designed to give riders an experience. Folks ride Mabel for dinner, to see the sights, to visit the library car… She’s practically a city on wheels and she runs twenty-four hours a day.”

Lemon claps her hands together. “I’m so excited! Mabel’s actually the first PG attraction I read about. My friend Amadala wrote up a whole page on her in a little packet she made me. Confused me a little when I arrived, but now that I’ve heard you talk about it, I can’t wait.”

On cue, a train whistle blares through the night, announcing Mabel’s impending arrival.

I guide Lemon back a few feet as Mabel roars into view, sliding to a slow, hissing stop. She’s all shiny black paint with red and gold accents, her name painted in italics on one side. The coach car doors open wide, and monsters pour out into the street. Lemon and I wait until everyone’s exited, then I hold her hand as she steps elegantly up into the first car.

The wooden floorboards flip over to form a red carpet that delights Lemon to bits. She waves at the floor as it clatters over and leads us all the way to the back of the first car. I try to see the coach cars the way she does. They’re big and wide with bench seats on one side and cozy velvet seating areas on the other. Mabel’s red carpet leads us to the final banquette.

Lemon slides in, mouth dropped open as she looks around the train. “This is totally fabulous,” she says on a gasp. “Like, I’ve never seen anything this cool!”

Part of the wooden tabletop flips over to reveal Mabel’s menu. Lemon gasps and bends over the tabletop, scanning it with a delighted laugh. I’m fuckin’ loving watching her experience Mabel for the first time. A pixie attendant appears to our right, introducing herself and offering up drink recommendations.

Lemon gets a bloody gin martini, and I opt for dealer’s choice. After we order our drinks, the train takes off, heading out of downtown and through the residential area.

She stares out as we pass the houses until the lights fade. I made sure we got an early enough reservation to see most of the haven before it gets dark.

The attendant returns with our drinks just as we motor past the Punishers skyball stadium. Lemon gasps at seeing the big stone arena, its floodlights punctuating the sky. “Punishers, right? I’ve seen a couple of players downtown.”

I nod. “Yeah. A few of the players live downtown, but most of them opt for private ranches out here around the stadium.” I wave at the gorgeous arena. “Are you into skyball? We can get tickets any time you want. Punishers put on a great game.”

“I’d love that, Furyon.” She clinks her martini glass to mine. “This was a great idea, thank you.”

We talk for an hour over drinks. Mabel barrels through the setting sunlight, and Lemon gets a great view of the farms on the western side of the haven, up through the foothills and back down. We pass by the wraith property, a beautiful complex with a five-star hotel and a dozen high-end shops. I make a note to take her there sometime. As a city girl, I think she’d appreciate what the wraiths have to offer.

When we order dinner, the attendant lets us know the kitchen’s a little backed up. She suggests we visit the library car and leaves us a pager, promising to page us when our food is ready. We take another round of drinks to go, then walk through the next three train cars. The fourth opens into a two-story library car that’s tall and skinny. Monsters walk along the second story, picking books from shelves filled to the absolute brim.

Lemon spins slowly in place. “How is this possible?”

I grab a book and look at it, considering how lucky we are to have something like this in PG. “Mabel’s spelled to sit in a time loop, like I mentioned. But the library car is spelled to be much bigger in here than it appears from outside. It’s a fancy bit of magic, another creation from our original Keeper all those years ago.”

“Sounds like he was really something,” she murmurs.

“I’ve heard he was.” I shrug. “I never got to meet him since that was before my time, but we’re lucky to have things he created that make PG such a gorgeous place to be.”

She winks. “Nice sales pitch, Furyon.”

“Well,” I say with a laugh, “I’m more than a little invested in showing you the best this place has to offer, city girl.”

She goes quiet at that, so I wave at the shelves around us. “What do you think…shall we pick out a couple books and keep drinkin’?”

She beams at me and looks at the nearest row. I go the next one over and pick my way through the titles until I find one that sounds interesting. Lemon meets me at the end of the aisle with a giant book in her hand.