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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 3973199" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Two-hundred-fifty-two, “I am all in” , Tuesday, June 20th, 2:00 P.M. On the next hand Maverick raises the ante by $ 1,000, causing Hawkes to fold and Cook to call. Both players are holding full houses, but Cook wins with Queens over Eights to Maverick’s Tens over Fives. The next hand is dealt and Cook raises the ante by $ 1,000 on the next hand causing Hawkes to fold and Maverick to raise another $ 1,000 which Cook calls. Cook takes it with a quartet of Jacks to Maverick’s full house Aces over threes. Hawkes is now back to his last $ 1,000 yet again. However, unlike the previous two times he was in this position he fails to win the hand, with it going to Maverick. With the dignity of a true competitor and gentlemen, Hawkes thanks his dealer, his competitors and the host and hostess. The saloon gives him a round of applause as he stands. Jake offers him his hand. "It has been my privilege and pleasure to sit across the table from you sir." Van Horne suggests a short outhouse break, the game to resume at 2:30 P.M.. Maverick is now at $ 29,000 to Cook’s $ 21,500. Jake takes the break to stretch again after using the outhouse. He returns to the table promptly. When the game resumes Cook wins $ 1,500 on the first hand the loses $ 2,000 on each of the next two hands. The next hand results in Cook holding four Jacks and he raises the bet by $ 3,000. Maverick calls, holding a full-house Ace high, which brings them both back to the same totals following the first hand. Cook barely wins both of the next two hands played at the ante with a flush followed by three-of-a-kind. The hand after that goes $ 2,000 above the ante with Cook winning again with a quartet of Nines. That puts Cook in the lead for the first time of this session at $ 28,000 to Maverick’s $ 22,500. Jake winds up with garbage on his next hand and folds, proving a good decision as Maverick had four Sixes. Neither player gets anything spectacular for the next eight hands which are all played at the ante with Maverick winning five and Cook winning three. This results in Maverick taking the lead again at only $ 500 above Cook’s total. Jake is pleased to finally get a decent hand with a quartet of Queens. He raises $ 2,000 above the ante. Maverick calls the $ 2,000 and raises another $ 2,000. Not to be outdone, Cook calls that and raises another $ 2,000 which Maverick calls. Maverick has four-of-a-kind Tens so Jake wins the pot which brings him up to $ 32,000 to Maverick’s $ 18,500. The time is now 4:45 PM, these hands having actually taken longer to play than when there were more players at the table in part because the dealer and both players are enjoying themselves immensely and savoring every moment. Jake comments, "There is very little in life as fine as a well played poker game, Mr. Maverick. I dare say, all previous distractions aside, it will not be easy to come by its equal." Maverick replies, "Indeed Jacob Cook, a game against a worthy opponent is something truly worth living for." Thus far Jake has not been able to detect any specific tells from Maverick but senses in his gut that the next hand dealt is a good one for the gambler from Texas and so Jake folds despite holding a full-house. That proves an astute move as Maverick held a straight flush. They swap hands for the next eight, none played above the ante due to the other player folding whenever one attempts to raise, thus with four wins apiece the totals remain the same. Maverick wins the next ante hand followed by a hand where the pot actually increases by $ 2,000 each due to each having good cards for a change. This narrows the gap, with Maverick now at $ 27,000 to Cook’s $ 23,500. With only fifteen minutes left until the scheduled 6:00 PM break Jake manages to find himself holding an unbeatable hand, a Royal Flush in Spades with Maverick apparently also pleased with his own hand as he raises the pot by $ 3,000 and waits for Cook’s next move. Jake places his cards face down and stares at Maverick for about a minute before he silently makes two piles of $3,000. He stares at the two piles for a few seconds before pushing them both to the pot. "Call and raise." Maverick calls that and then raises it $ 3,000 more. Jake smiles at Brett Maverick and says, "Do you want to finish this now? We are both going to be tired soon." Jake taps his tallest pile of chips a few times and says, "I am all in, and I say tournament winner buys the loser a drink." Jake pushes all his chips to the pot. Maverick replies, "Well, seeing as to how I began this hand $ 3500 ahead of you it wouldn't be fair for me to go all in." He counts out seven coins which he sets aside. He then pushes his remaining pile into the center of the table, calling the bet. The room gets totally silent as Maverick reveals his cards to be a Straight Flush in Diamonds Nine to Queen. Jake states, "True, you have shown yourself to be a sportsman and gentleman at the table. I greatly respect that." Without fanfare or gloating, because he has been on the other end this situation before, he turns over his cards. He cannot help but rub one of his silver Jack of Spades cufflinks a couple of times. "A difficult hand to beat, sir." After Jake puts his cards down and the room gives a round of applause as several photographers take pictures. Maverick says, “Well, there’s only enough time for one more hand before the break. No point in dragging this out.” And although the cards haven’t even been dealt yet he slides his remaining seven coins into the pot saying “I’ll either be finished now or I’ll double my remaining stake to give me half a chance when we resume.” Jake nods his acceptance and calls his chips. "Deal them." Job Kane deals out the cards. Maverick takes two cards and Cook takes three. On the second draw Maverick takes one and Cook takes one. Maverick places down his cards showing a Heart Flush. Jake then lays down his cards revealing a full-house Kings over Fours, winning both the pot and the tournament. Both players congratulate each other with a handshake and then thank their dealers and hosts. Maverick smiles and says, “For my drink I will take the most expensive whiskey that you have in the house.” "Harry!" Jake calls out. "What is the best whiskey in town you can get your hands on?" "Coming right up boss," Harry exclaims. He heads outside to the storeroom and comes back with a bottle with dust on it. "Niles was saving it for a special occasion, he marked the price as $ 55 for the bottle." Jake nods. "Open her up, Harry." The whiskey is poured for Maverick as drinks for others are served up around the room. Jake hears the familiar voice of Commodore Duvall behind him say, "Let me be one of the first to congratulate you Mr. Cook." Jake says, "Thank you Commodore. I trust you enjoyed the game, and some of the other entertainment?" He states, "Indeed, I was outside the door last evening when Mr. Adair got his just desserts. I would have come inside but I had seen those Federal agents and there was a remote chance that I might have been who they were looking for. Once he was arrested I headed over to Drover's and rented a horse. As their stagecoach crossed the bridge away from town the last thing that man saw was me tipping my hat to him with a wide grin on my face." Jake replies, "Well done, Commadore, very well done." Jake waves Harry over to put some of the $55 whiskey in his glass. "Now tell me, now that the tournament is over, what would you have done with the winnings if you had won?" The Commodore replies, "I would have purchased another Riverboat, named it the Laurel Belle II, and resumed my career as a Mississippi riverboat gambler. But fear not Mr. Cook, from what I hear there are plenty of opportunities in either Colorado or California for a man of my talents." Jake asks, "What does it cost to purchase your own riverboat?" He replies, "These day, I'm not altogether sure. I will probably have to look for a used one, but that would be alright provided the boilers are still in good shape. Why do you ask?" I am rather fond of my riverboat days, and might be interested in a partnership if the deal were right." Jake laughs, "I half expected you to say thirty thousand dollars. You are slipping Commodore." He sips from his whiskey. "Ah, that IS mighty fine. Yes, as I was saying for the right deal, I might be interested. You are well known sir, and you know the business of the river. I have no doubt that many will still come just for a chance to play with the Commodore." Jake sips again. "I trust you not a wit, but I see the potential. Besides, anyone who despised Evan Adair as much as I cannot be all bad. If you have any interest in a partner or two, look me up when you have part of the stake and some leads on a good solid boat. Until then Commodore, enjoy Colorado and California." "Indeed, well sir, I believe I will be off. It has been a pleasure." Although Kate’s mood had calmed since the early morning, she still fairly floated through the Cantina, heading straight for the kitchen instead of sitting at a table. "Dearest Dorita, I beg you to feed me, I'm starving," Kate said and kissed Dorita's cheek. Dorita is more than happy to feed Kate all of the food she wants. When she is around halfway through the meal she is joined by Conrad. Kate treated him to a radiant smile as he sat down. "Dorita's in heaven; I'm starving this afternoon." She reached out and took his hand. "And how are you, my dear?" He replies, "Truth be told I am a little tired. The last several days have been rather hectic for me and I haven't been getting enough sleep, I..." He then stops and blushes when he realizes what he just said. She squeezed his hand softly. "Can you ever forgive me for depriving you of sleep?" Despite her light tone her face was as rosy as his. "You'll have to make sure you get to sleep at a decent hour tonight.” Kate then asks, “You sent your brother off this morning?" He says, "Yes, but first we have to find out the results of the election. If Kate Higgins manages to win I'll be getting the night off, as she will be holding a party at the Long Branch instead of the usual evening fare." She says, "You'll forgive me then for hoping you'll have to work tonight. I'm nervous about the results, Conrad. I don't want the town to change too much, but I don't want to be afraid to walk down the street alone either. This is my home now." "Of course it is my darling. I wouldn't want you anywhere else." Dorita brings Conrad his food and the two of them enjoy a peaceful meal with light and happy conversation. Back at the Lucky Lady, Jake hears another voice, a female voice, state "Congratulations indeed Mr. Cook, perhaps I could have some pleasure of your company too." He looks over to see Fifi LaFarge standing there wearing a rather slinky dress. "Hello Fi," Jake replies, "a pleasure to see you." He lets his eye travel a bit before, "Have Harry get you something to drink on me if you can stay a bit. I have a few more things to take care of but I would certainly enjoy your lovely company." Jake leaves her with a disarming smile and searches out Van Horne. Cornelius Van Horne is also seeking Jake. He approaches and says "Mr. Cook, before you get lost with your admirers could I have a few minutes alone to discuss some business matters.” Jake replies, "Certainly, my good man, I am feeling magnanimous right now. Lead on!" They head upstairs to one of the rooms, where Jake notes that a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon is on the table along with two glasses. Van Horne shuts the door and says in his own voice "Well done Jacob me boy, very well done indeed." Finally letting go of his careful composure, Jake raises both fists in the air and lets out an enthusiastic, "Yes!" He dances around the room for a bit before stopping in front of the big man. "Red," he says panting, "that compliment from you means as much to me as winning the tournament." Then he breaks into hysterical laughter, "Alright, I lied, winning the tournament felt MUCH BETTER!" When the laughter subsides a bit he uncharacteristically hugs Red for a moment and says, "I do owe it all to you." He quickly breaks away and pours some bourbon. Red says, "So Jacob me boy, I couldn't help but notice that Miss LaFarge seems to have her sights on you. What are ye thoughts regarding the young lass?" Jake looks up surprised. "My thoughts? I have thought nothing more than the end of this tournament for days and you want my thoughts?" Jake slowly shakes his head back and forth. "I had a girl, the most amazing girl I have ever met. I blew it with her. I need to close that chapter of my life, lick my wounds and drown my sorrows with a girl in every town and whores in between. Why do you ask?" Red replies, "Because something came for you Jacob, a telegram from Miss West. You had spoken to me before about the status of your relationship. It arrived immediately prior to the start of the tournament and I didn't want you to be distracted so I hung onto it. Based upon your winning I feel I made the right decision as your focus was where it needed to be for the last three days. But now that it is over I feel I should pass this on to you." He reaches into his jacket pocket and takes out a Western Union telegram which he passes over to Jake. It reads: Dear Jake - stop - I know the tournament is this weekend at the Lady. I am truly sorry I can not be there. I wanted to wish you luck even though I know you don’t really need it. I don’t think you ever did. But you have your lucky hat as a back up, just in case. Luck or not, I know you’ll do great. - stop - It’s really been weighing on my mind that you have not tried to contact me while I have been gone. I miss you very much, in more ways than one. Please take a moment from your hopefully lazy schedule and wire me back in Rochester. I’ll check the office when I arrive there and I look forward to hearing from you. - stop - Baby, I just have one more thing to say. I am sorry if I put pressure on you, pressure that you were not ready for. I understand that you are not ready to go the places that you made me ready to go. Our time apart has made me see that we might be in two different places in our lives. Not hearing from you makes me think that you perhaps regret some of the things we have done and said. I don’t blame you in any way; maybe I wanted things so badly that I pushed you further than you could go. I know I can be persuasive when I want to be and perhaps you thought the things you wanted would be easier to get… I don’t know. I am not sure of much anymore except for this - stop - No matter what either of us does, I will always love you. You’ll always be the man who made me want to really live again and helped me do it. Even if it can not be true, you are the one I was meant to be with. You have a special place in my heart, you earned it, and that spot will always be yours. - stop - I Love You, Ruby West - stop - PS Starry nights are not the same without you. Jake stares at the telegram for several long moments. "I am not angry that kept this from me. You were likely right. Besides, waiting three days makes no difference in what I must do. No time like the present." Jake takes some paper and a pen from Red and quickly writes a note, seemingly knowing exactly what to say. He turns away from Red as he finishes, his hand goes to his eye to remove some stray irritant. "Old friend, please see that this somehow gets back to Ruby. I have no secrets from you, read it before you send it. I should get back down with the party, it would be a shame if I missed my big day." Jake returns downstairs for a night of celebration, the reports having all left but most of Jake's usual players and friends have arrived. Near the end of their dinner, Kate asked Conrad, "Do you know of a good place to go to get the results as soon as they're known? Would we just go wait outside the Town Hall?" Conrad says, "Let's just go, the Judge wants it to be a public process so that there isn't any dispute or controversy over the results." Kate and Conrad finish their meal and head over tot he town hall as it is now 5:00 P.M. While the polls officially close at 5:00 PM although there are a half-dozen people still waiting in line at that hour so they are allowed to vote as well.</blockquote>

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