Fat Stuff maybe the worst criminal in town, but he isn’t the smartest. When he sets out to con the wives of the richest ranchers around, Fat Stuff finds himself in a terrible mess at the hands of the women.
In this Old West retelling of Shakespeare's [i]Merry Wives of Windsor[/i], Fat Stuff and his gang of outlaws are always causing trouble. Most recently, they broke into Justice Short's warehouse, killed his cow, and beat his men. Somehow the men always get away with their misdeeds.
Then Fat Stuff comes up with his most conniving plan yet—to make the wives of the richest ranchers in the area think he’s in love with them. When one of the wives asks him to her ranch, Fat stuff thinks he’s got it made, but he is in for a big surprise.
The women have a plan of their own which puts Fat Stuff right where he belongs.
“I ain’t gonna let him get away with that, the son of a bitch. Not if he was twenty Fat Stuffs. I’ll see him in court, I will,” said Justice Short.
Reverend Day held up a hand as if calling for quiet. “Now,” he said, “if Fat Stuff has offended you, being a man of the cloth, I’ll serve as go-between to be a peacemaker.”
“I don’t need no peacemaker, Reverend. I’ll have him in court. I will. If I was younger, I’d call him out and shoot him down like a dog.”
“That’s out of fashion, Justice Short,” said the reverend. “And by the way, that brings to my mind the other matter we came here to discuss. And that is Miss Anne Paige.”
Skinny had been sitting quietly in a corner of the room, but at the mention of Anne Paige, he perked up. “She’s a lovely young girl with a very rich daddy,” he said.
Reverend Day interrupted him. “She is lovely, and I’m sure, when you get to know her better, you’ll love her.”
“Oh,” said Skinny, “yes. I’m sure I will.” And then under his breath, he added, “And her daddy’s big ranch and fat cows, too.”
“Well,” said Justice Short, “I heard that Paige is just down the street in the Dog’s Head Saloon. Let’s go pay him a visit.”
The Reverend said, “I heard that Fat Stuffs is there too, so Short, I beg you to keep your temper.”
- Word Count: 5,000
- Author: Robert J. Conley
- Heat Level: 3
- ISBN: 978-1-61937-332-7
- Cover Artist: Kelly Shorten
- Editor: Marci Clark
Long and Short of It
Reviewer: Aloe
Rating: 3.0
Review: Fat Stuff deserves what he gets. He’s a thief and conman and has bamboozled the men of the town, but then he decides to take…
Read More
