MacLeod, Texas Ranger
By Donna and Abs

Texas Ranger Duncan MacLeod threw the doll into the dirt and sighed, as he hurled himself onto his palomino. That Koren was a menace! It was up to him to find him and, once he did, to take his head when no one was looking!

He had been riding for days now. He was hot and tired, and sick of chewing on the jerky he had in his saddlebags. As he booted the horse into a smooth, ground-covering lope, a wave of dizziness suddenly overcame him. Pulling his horse to a halt, he shook his head, trying to clear it. Instead of being on the dry Texan plains, he was now just outside a small town!

At least with this one, the town was not a total shock, in and of itself. For him, the shock was being outside a town when a moment before there had been no sign of civilization. But at least the town looked like one he would be used to seeing, even if it hadn't just popped up out of nowhere.

Riding into town, he nodded at the nice-sized Hotel and Saloon. He would go in there to get more information. As he rode in though, the hair on the back of his neck started to rise. There were Immortals in this town. Lots of them!

Most of the men in Edan were meeting in the saloon, discussing the situation. They had not found Prudence yet, and most agreed that she had probably been taken aboard a ship.

As Ranger MacLeod entered the saloon, he stopped dead in his tracks, a shocked look on his face. Sitting at the table was someone that looked just like him!

The Immortals in the room were looking up, too. "Another Duncan," said Kit. "One with guns!"

Connor groaned and then chuckled. "Just how many of you are going to show up?" he teased.

"You're asking me?" asked Ranger McLeod. "Why is there more than one in the first place?"

It took a little doing, but the men finally managed to tell him the whys and wherefores of his new home. "Hell," he groaned, sinking down into a chair. "I think I need a drink."

Olga, the buxom Immigrant girl who served the drinks in the saloon, came over and placed a beer in front of him. Despite the somber mood, most of the men chuckled at the way Ranger stared at her chest, seconds before one of them poked him in the eye!

"Maybe this place won't be too bad after all," he drawled before downing the beer in one long gulp.

Methos, whom this Duncan did not know, slid his chair around until he was behind him. "Can I take it from your attire that you are an experienced tracker?"

"One of the best," he said honestly. "Are you in need of one?"

"Yes and no," drawled Methos. "As you see, we already have one of your caliber, since we have another one of *you*, but you are, as it were, right in the middle of that part of your life, and might have a slight edge." He avoided Duncan's frown. "We've pretty much decided to take the search to the sea, but I would appreciate if the land search went on meanwhile." Duncan had mentioned wanting to go with his cousin on the Dochas.

"Sure, I'll start in the morning then, once you get me all the details," he said. "Is there a place I can bunk down for the night? And a hot bath would sure be good right about now."

Olga heard this, too, and came over. "We're short-handed," she said. "The woman we're looking for is the hotel's owner! But I can get you a room." She went to the desk to get a key.

"Thanks, sweetie," he said with a grin as he took the key. "That takes care of me, what about my horse? I've been riding her pretty hard."

"Livery's at the end of the street," said Methos. "They'll take good care of her there."

He rose to his feet, sending a cloud of dust from his clothes into the air. "I'll be back in a bit then. I want to get her taken care of first."

"There are baths in the rooms," said Mosby, shaking the dust away from his own immaculate clothes, "but there is also a Japanese bath."

That caught the Ranger’s attention. "Really? I really do think I will like this town," he said with a
typical, charming MacLeod smile. Heading to the door, he unhitched his horse and instead of mounting back up, he led her on foot to the livery.

Ashley was coming out of the barn while he was coming in. She wolf whistled and he stopped to look at her. She wasn't bad looking!

Ranger MacLeod smiled again, suddenly conscious of all the layers of Texas dirt caked on him. "I'm new in town," he said. "They told me at the hotel I could stable my horse here."

"She is a beauty!" said the girl, and he realized the whistle hadn't been for him at all! The way the girl was looking at the horse made him almost blush with embarrassment that he had gotten the wrong idea!

It didn't stop him from admiring the girl though as she walked up to him, took the horse and led her away to a stall. He had never seen a woman wearing tight jeans before, and he had to admit, he liked what he saw.

She turned her head and caught him looking. For the first time she saw him, not the horse, and she gave him a long, considering glance. Then, smiling, she went with the horse into the barn, exaggerating her hip sway just a bit.

"Yup, yup, yup," he mumbled to himself. "This is getting better and better all the time."