Three’s a Crowd
By JudyL
April 1, 2013
The Magnificent Monday Writing Challenge has
begun!
And this week's theme is... Two's
Company, Three's a Crowd
# Any AU
# No shorter than 100 words and no more than
1000 words
********
Ezra walked into the saloon and looked around. It had been a long week and he just wanted to relax with his fellow lawmakers. It seemed they had already beaten him to the punch as all six were present and accounted for. The gambler studied the scene before him.
The saloon was doing a brisk business these days. Between the regular patrons and visitors passing through, the place seemed full. Ezra scanned the room, noting that ‘his’ poker table was open and that no one was sitting at the table the Seven usually claimed, not even any of the others. He frowned.
Chris and Vin were seated at the very back corner, both facing the room, backs protected by the wall, but they seemed to be engaged in an actual conversation, with words even. Ezra snorted to himself and moved slowly across the room as he considered the odd friendship between their leader and the tracker.
The two men seemed to read each others’ minds at times. Even their disagreements, which could be spectacularly loud, tended to end with a non-verbal apology and a handshake. Ezra envied their friendship.
He reached the bar and waited for the barkeep to finish with some other patrons. Buck and JD leaned against the far end of the bar, JD teasing Buck as the lothario of the group flirted with the barmaid. Ezra grinned. Those two were more like brothers than some blood relations he’d known. He frowned. Theirs was another friendship that he wished he had, one so close that a stranger would assume the two were family.
Ezra sighed and gave the bartender his order. He accepted the drink with a nod of thanks and swiveled around to find the last pair of men he’d come to think of as friends. Nathan and Josiah had more in common than a casual observer would assume.
Both men were physically impressive, tall and muscular, but with hearts of gold. They cared for people and helped people, each in their own way. Perhaps that was the bond between them, that willingness to sacrifice their time and energy for the good of others. Ezra shook his head. There was little chance of him connecting to them on that level.
The gambler sipped at his drink then lowered his head as he continued to contemplate the men he worked with. He always seemed to be the third wheel, not quite fitting in, rarely being one of a pair. Oh, if he were honest with himself, he did consider all six of them to be his friends, probably the closest friends he’d ever had. He’d always figured that “two’s company, three’s a crowd” referred to a couple, a man and a woman, but it was obvious to him that it could apply to two friends as well.
Someone stepped in beside him and grabbed his arm. Ezra looked up surprised to see a smiling Buck Wilmington.
“Come on, hoss,” Buck said, guiding Ezra away from the bar. “The others are waiting.”
Ezra followed, somewhat nonplussed. He saw that the others had congregated at “their” table. JD was grabbing his hat back from Vin while Josiah stole the glass Chris had just poured for himself. Nathan was laughing as he pushed a chair out and Buck gently pushed Ezra into it, giving his shoulders a friendly squeeze before he slid into the chair beside him.
Cheerful banter flowed around him and invited him into the circle of friendship around the table. The evening progressed with laughter, dinner, discussion and finally a friendly game of cards.
Ezra leaned back as they all relaxed with a last drink. Contentment settled around his heart like a warm blanket. Perhaps, if two was company then three would be a crowd, but somehow seven seemed to be just the right number for their little group.
The end
Feedback is appreciated. JudyL
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