Taken in Turns
Copyright© 2026 by Heel
Chapter 1: The Girl at the Piano
The town didn’t have a proper name—folks called it whatever suited them that day. “Dust End,” when the wind kicked up. “Lucky Strike,” when someone found a vein of silver. But most nights, when the lamps burned low and the whiskey ran high, it was simply the place where she played.
Nita sat at the piano like it was the only steady thing in the world.
The saloon buzzed with noise—boots scraping wood, glasses clinking, men arguing over claims and cards—but her music cut through it clean and bright. Her fingers moved quick and sure, never faltering, even when the room leaned too far into trouble.
She didn’t look at the men much anymore. She didn’t have to. She knew their types by the way they listened.
And she knew those three better than anyone.
They sat apart, as always.
The eldest brother, Thomas, kept to the shadows near the bar. He was a man carved out of quiet and patience, with broad shoulders and a gaze that lingered too long on things he couldn’t have. He drank slow, never more than he could carry, and when he looked at Nita, it wasn’t hunger—it was something heavier.
The middle brother, Elijah, leaned back in his chair like he owned the place. Boots up, hat tipped, a grin always waiting at the corner of his mouth. He laughed loud, played cards louder, and lost money like it didn’t matter. But when Nita struck a softer tune, he’d go still—just for a moment—like he’d forgotten how to breathe.
And the youngest...
Samuel didn’t sit at all.
He hovered near the piano most nights, pretending to watch the room but always just close enough to hear the scrape of her fingers on ivory. He was restless, sharp-eyed, quick with his temper and quicker with his smile. Of the three, he was the only one who ever spoke to her without stumbling over it.
“You’re playin’ that one too fast,” he muttered one night, leaning in just enough so only she could hear.
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