Disclaimer: Thanks to Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide, CBS, TNN and Hallmark Channel for bringing this wonderful to us. And thanks to those seven wonderful actors for bringing their characters to life.
Thanks Rowan for the beta and all the assistance you gave us in completing this story. Your help was immeasurable, sister.
Chris and Dani left early. They made the four-hour drive to San Francisco with a lot of talking and laughter. Dani told Chris more stories about growing up with her mom and Michael. Chris found himself telling Dani stories about Sarah and Adam, and his time with the Marshals.
He didn't tell Dani about the hard years after their deaths, the drinking and fights. But Chris realized that he felt better talking about his wife and son. It was a bittersweet feeling, wanting to share the stories with Dani, but still angry that Dani had never had the opportunity to meet Sarah and Adam and vice versa. Sarah would have welcomed her into the family and would probably have been fast friends with Amy.
"Chris, could I ask you a favor?" Dani asked hesitantly.
"Sure."
"I...I hope you don't mind, but I was wondering if, before I left, could I..." she trailed off, not sure about what she wanted to ask.
"Dani, what is it?" Chris asked gently.
"Could...could I have a picture of Adam?"
Chris felt his heart clench. Then he smiled. "Sure, I have lots of photos of him. I'll let you pick out the one you want."
"Thanks," she said softly. "Some of my friends have brothers and sisters. Sometimes, I envy them. Now, I can show off my own little brother."
Getting into the city in time for lunch, they prowled around the world famous Fisherman's Wharf, stuffing themselves with chowder and shrimp. They poked around the stores. Dani bought more souvenirs for all her friends back in Ohio. Chris grinned, knowing how many gifts she'd already bought, just in Tahoe alone.
"Ya know, you're gonna need to buy another bag just to haul all this stuff back home. You must have bought something for everyone in the state of Ohio."
She smiled at the warm feeling his gentle teasing gave her. "I know, I know. My da...Michael, says the same thing."
Chris frowned. "Why did you do that?"
"Do what?" She looked confused.
"You started to say 'dad', then stop and called him by his name. You did it yesterday, too." Dani wouldn't look at him. Chris reached out and tipped up her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "You know, Angel, whether or not he had a hand in your creation, he has raised you as his own. He is your dad. Don't be afraid to call him that in front of me. It doesn't bother me."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, Angel."
She let out a sigh. "Thanks, Chris."
They got back into Tahoe in the early evening. Chris knew the guys would probably be at the Saloon having dinner. He and Dani had already made plans to meet them there if they returned in time. Chris was glad, because lunch was a long time ago, and he was starving. He glanced over at Dani, who had fallen asleep about an hour ago. He smiled. This beautiful, shy young woman was his daughter. Then he frowned. Amy's father was a bastard. How dare he keep him away from his daughter? Chris was going to have to check into some things. But Earl Flannery better stay out of Chris' way. The man was not getting between Chris and his daughter again. Chris shook his head. What was it about him and fathers-in-law? Sarah's father had never liked him either.
By the time he pulled into the parking lot at the Saloon, Chris' emotions were back under control and he smiled as he shook Dani awake. "Hey, Dani. Dani, wake up. We're here."
"Hmm?"
"We're here. Wake up if you want dinner."
Dani slowly opened her eyes. Looking down into her upturned face, he was startled by the color of her eyes. He knew her eyes were green, but he suddenly realized...they were his eyes. His daughter had his eyes. Adam had gotten his eyes from Chris, too. Not noticing Chris' reaction, Dani yawned and looked around. "Where are we?"
"At the Saloon. You ready for dinner?"
"Yeah, I could eat." She got out of the car and stretched. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fade out on you."
Chris squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It was a long drive. Besides, it was probably a good thing you fell asleep when you did. That portion of the drive is a little scary for someone afraid of heights."
"Yeah, maybe you're right. So, this is the place Vin's friend, Inez, owns?"
"Yep. This is the Saloon."
"You're sure there won't be a problem with me being in there? I am underage."
"No. It's a bar and grill, so having minors inside isn't a problem."
"What kind of food does she serve?"
"A little bit of everything. Do you like Mexican food?" Chris asked.
"Yes."
"Inez makes the best enchiladas I have ever had."
"Mmmm. That sounds good." Chris held the door and let Dani precede him into the restaurant. Once inside, he quickly found their friends. It wasn't hard. The moment they had stepped through the door, Buck had stood up from the table and started waving his arms.
"Yo, Chris. Over here," the man yelled across the room, pointing out two empty chairs at the table. Chris rolled his eyes.
"That's Buck for ya. The master of subtlety." Dani laughed at his sarcastic comment. They walked over and took the empty seats, putting Dani to Vin's left, and Chris next to her. Buck was next to Chris, and then it was Ezra, Josiah, Nathan, JD and finally, Casey sitting to Vin's right. The pair had barely sat down before Inez was at the table.
"Senor Chris, good evening," the pretty restaurant owner said. "Would you like your usual?"
"Evening, Inez. No, I think I'd rather have a Coke if I could."
"Certainly. And you, miss?" she asked Dani.
"Inez, I'd like to introduce you to my daughter, Dani," Chris said, the pride in his voice evident.
Inez smiled broadly. "Good evening, Senorita Dani. Welcome to the Saloon."
"Thank you."
"What can I get you to drink?" Inez asked.
"Do you have Dr. Pepper?"
"Si." Inez nodded. "Do you need a few minutes to look at the menu?"
"Actually, Chris told me you make the best enchiladas around. I think I'll have that."
"Muy bien. Would you like chicken or beef?"
"Chicken, please. With rice?"
"Si." Inez turned to Chris. "And you, Senor?"
"I think I'll have the same, Inez."
"I'll be right back with your drinks." The pretty woman walked away, oblivious to Buck's gaze following her.
"You're catching flies, Buck." JD muttered, nudging the man with his elbow.
"So, Dani, have you been having fun this week?" Nathan asked.
Dani beamed. "Oh, yeah. We've been doing all sorts of things. Today, we went down to San Francisco and visited Fisherman's Wharf, rode the trolley cars and saw the Golden Gate Bridge." Dani smiled shyly. "Chris even bought me some Ghiradelli chocolate. It's a weakness. I love chocolate."
"Who doesn't?" Vin asked, licking his lips. His fondness for the stuff was well known to his co-workers. He smiled at Inez as she brought back their drinks and once again returned to the bar.
"Have you had the opportunity to visit any of the local attractions?" Ezra asked.
"Let's see," Dani said, trying to remember everything. "Wednesday, Chris and I walked down to Vikingsholm Castle then took a lunch cruise around the lake and into Emerald Bay. Vin told me how different the color changes were, but they were even prettier than he said. Then on Thursday we drove up to Virginia City. And drove all the way around the lake, stopping at all the shops and stuff. And Tuesday Vin took me to the Ponderosa."
"Oh, I love the Ponderosa," Josiah said.
"My dad, Michael, back in Ohio, was a big fan of the show. So I took a bunch of pictures of the cabin and stuff to show him. And of course, I had to buy some souvenirs."
"When you went to Virginia City, did you go into the Bucket of Blood Saloon?" Buck asked.
"Yeah. In face, we had lunch there. Isn't that a great name? I took a picture of the sign outside, just to show all my friends back home that there really is such a place."
"Well, it sounds like you've had a busy week. Are you planning to relax tomorrow?" JD said.
Dani shared a smile with Chris. "Actually, Chris and I planned to do something and wanted to know if you all would like to join us. We're going to the Valhalla Medieval Fair. We even rented a costume for me to wear."
Buck just grinned at his old friend. "And how about you, partner," he teased Chris. "You planning on dressing up in costume?"
Chris took a drink of his soda. "As a matter of fact, I am."
"You are?" Buck asked, his eyes widening.
"Yep. Dani helped me pick something out. We even thought about getting costumes for the rest of you, but they didn't have enough Jester outfits to go around." Chris smirked.
"Oh, very funny, Chris. So, what are you wearing?"
"You'll just have to show up tomorrow to see, won't you?" Chris said.
"Are you really wearing a costume, Chris?" Nathan asked.
"Yes, I'm really wearing a costume. It's nothing fancy, just a simple costume."
"Well, Dani, you certainly have accomplished something if you can get this guy to agree to that."
"She even found a costume for you, Buck, but I told her you'd probably be too chicken to wear it."
Buck looked at Chris with an injured expression. "Now, Chris, that was downright rude. I'd never refuse a request from a lady."
"Really, Buck?" Dani asked. "That's great. Because the lady at the costume shop is holding one on reserve for you until noon tomorrow." Dani stared at Buck with a hopeful expression on her face.
Buck glanced at Chris, not being deceived by his friend's oh-so-innocent look. He could hear the snickers from the others at the table. JD was among the loudest. But Buck just smiled at his new 'niece'. "I would be honored, my lady," he said, giving a half bow from his seat. "Just give me the name of the shop and I'll get my costume in the morning."
Dani dug into her purse and pulled out a business card and handed it to Buck. "You want to ask for Jean. She's the one we talked to."
"So, how about the rest of you?" Chris asked. "Anyone up for a day of medieval fun?"
"Rain's working tomorrow, but I think I can make it," Nathan said. "But I'm not dressing up. Sorry."
"Same goes for me," Josiah said. "But I would love to join you."
"I'll go," Casey said. "I have my costume, too."
"Well, I'm not wearing no costume," JD said emphatically, "but I'll go, too."
"Well, you may rely on me to be there. I would thoroughly enjoy the outing," Ezra remarked.
"Vin, what about you?" Dani asked.
He nodded. "I'll be there."
"Inez is welcome to come, too."
"Come where?" Inez asked as she started to bring out their dinners. She set down plates in front of Vin, JD and Josiah.
"To the Valhalla fair, tomorrow," Dani answered. "We're all going. Would you join us?"
"I'm afraid I can't join you, but I will see you there," she told them.
"What do you mean?" Nathan asked.
"I'm one of the vendors," Inez said. "I'll be there all day, selling food."
"Cool," was JD's remark. "Will you be in costume, Inez?"
"Si. All the vendors will be. Now, I will be right back with the rest of the food."
Dinner passed by with alot of laughter and conversation as Chris teammates got to know his daughter. Once dinner was finished, the jukebox in the corner was plugged in and couples started drifting slowly to the floor. JD stood and held out a hand to Casey and they headed out to the small area set aside for dancing. The others gathered at the table watched them with curiosity.
"Not quite as good as you and Vin, pard. But he's not doing bad," Buck remarked on JD's talents on dance floor. "But you sure surprised Jules with your moves."
"Who's Jules?" Dani asked.
"A lady I've been seeing," Chris answered. "Her name is Jules Greywolf. She's a K-9 handler for one of the Search and Rescue teams."
"Oh." Dani wasn't sure how she felt about that. It was one thing to know that Chris had been married in the past. But she had just found Chris and wasn't sure she wanted to share him with a girlfriend just yet. "Are you going to invite her to go tomorrow?"
Chris shook his head. "No, she's not in town right now. Her sister in Vegas just had a baby, so Jules went down to visit. She's due back on Sunday morning."
"Is she coming to the barbecue?"
"I haven't asked her," Chris said. "Would you like me to invite her?"
Dani thought for a moment, then nodded. She would have to meet this woman eventually. Best to do it now. Her mom had always told her it was easiest to just get things over with. "Yes. I'd like to meet her."
"Okay." The table got quiet as they watched the dancers. Chris and Dani both tried to stifle yawns. "Sorry," Dani said, covering her mouth. "It's been a long day."
"For me, too," Chris said. "You about ready to head home?" Dani nodded. "Okay. Listen, guys. Why don't we all just meet at the front entrance of the fair around one o'clock tomorrow." Everyone nodded in agreement. "See you all then." A chorus of farewells followed father and daughter out the door.
Chris and Dani were already at the gate when Buck showed up. Dani was wearing an emerald green over-dress with a cream colored under-dress. In her hair was a delicate halo of silk flowers. Chris had on black slacks with black knee-high suede boots, a black gauzy shirt and a sword strapped around his lean waist.
Buck came striding up in his outfit, the one Dani had picked out. He was half-afraid when he arrived at the costume shop that Chris had encouraged Dani to pick out something truly outrageous. He would have worn it in any case. He wouldn't hurt Dani's feelings. But thankfully, the costume was very flattering. At least, it was if the three phone numbers he had gotten on the walk from the parking lot were any indication. He was whistling as he joined Chris and Dani. Taking Dani's hand, he gave a courtly bow and kissed her hand. "My lady, you look radiant." Dani giggled and blushed.
Chris narrowed his gaze. "You look like the cat that just ate the canary. What's up?"
Buck put a hand on Chris' shoulder. "Your little girl has good taste, pard. This outfit does wonders for my handsome good looks." He adjusted the royal blue thigh-length tunic, worn over a pair of brown leather pants, brown boots and a white shirt. He had a brown belt wrapped around his waist over the blue tunic. Stuck in the belt was a jeweled dagger. Buck looked around, not spotting the familiar lanky form of the bounty hunter.
"Where's Vin?"
"Haven't seen him yet."
He looked at Chris. "He didn't come in with you and Dani?"
"He didn't come home last night."
"Was that planned?"
"Yeah. He stayed with Inez."
Buck just stared at Chris with a crestfallen expression. "With Inez?"
Chris smirked. "Your ears get plugged up? Yes, with Inez. She needed some help getting her booth ready this morning, so Vin stayed in town with her so that they could get here early and set up."
"Oh. Oh, well that's different, then. It's not like he was staying with Inez, ya know what I mean?" Buck said in a low voice.
"Just keep telling yourself that, Mr Wilmington," another voice broke in. "You might actually convince a stranger or two."
"Ezra, you look wonderful," Dani said. Ezra was dressed in an elegant blood red tunic trimmed in gold. It went down almost to his knees. He had on black pants, brown knee length boots and an ornate sword hanging in a sheath from his waist. Around his neck, he wore a gold-rimmed ruby about the size of a half-dollar.
"Why, thank you, milady," Ezra said, give her a bow. "As do you." He gestured to Chris. "The knight escorting you will be busy keeping all the unworthy ruffians away from you." He frowned at Buck. "I see they have already started gathering."
Buck ignored the insult. "Woo-wee, Ez, that getup must have cost a pretty penny to rent."
Ezra glared at him. "I'll have you know that this 'get-up' is mine, Mr Wilmington. You couldn't rent such a splendid outfit from a shop."
"You own your own costume?" Chris said.
Ezra brushed an imaginary bit of lint off of his tunic. "Indeed. I have always enjoyed attending these festivals. It seemed more feasible to purchase my own costume so that I might fully immerse myself in the spirit of the affair."
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," JD was complaining as he and Casey joined them.
"Oh, chill out, JD. It's not like I picked out something pink and frilly for you," Casey said. She and JD were wearing matching outfits. Both had on brown pants, brown boots, white shirts and green tunics. JD had a short sword strapped around his waist, while Casey had a small dagger protruding from her boot.
"I feel weird. These pants are too tight," he said, pulling on the form-fitting pants.
"That's the whole idea, sweetie," a feminine voice intruded, much to JD's embarrassment. Her generous bust was almost spilling out of the tightly laced corset she was wearing as part of her costume. "Ya got to show the ladies your attributes." She glanced around the group that had gathered, smiling at Buck as he eyed her cleavage. She grinned invitingly. "Well, hi there, Handsome." Then she slapped him on the butt. "Nice dagger."
Buck grinned, fingering the dagger stuck in his belt. "This old thing? It just came with the costume."
"Oh, that one's nice, too," she smirked. Buck just laughed. Chris and Ezra both rolled their eyes. JD snorted. Casey and Dani had wandered a little ways away and were missing most of this conversation.
"Well, darlin, that one is all natural. I'm Buck."
"Cecilia. Is Buck your name or your style?"
"Both," he replied, wiggling his eyebrows up and down suggestively. "So, darling, you come to these things alot?"
"Every chance I get."
"Well, that's certainly a fetching outfit," the ladies man told her. He eyed it a little close, noticing a pin on the corset. "What's that for?"
"It identifies me as a Lusty Wench," she quipped.
Buck was intrigued. "Lusty wenches are my favorite kind."
"Are they? Have you met any others of the group?"
Buck's eyes just about bugged out of his head at this information. "There's a group of you?" he asked in awe. "When do you meet and how can I join?" he asked flirtatiously.
"There's about twenty-five of us in the Tahoe area. We come to any of the festivals within driving distance. I know there's supposed to be quite a few of us around here today."
"So what do you Lusty Wenches do?" JD asked in spite of himself. He had to admit he was curious. It didn't escape the woman's notice that JD's eyes strayed to her cleavage and she saw the flush rise up in his cheeks.
"We just attend festivals and have a good time. Most of us have been fans of the Renaissance for years and decided to form a group. Since most of us tend to costume ourselves as bar wenches, the 'Lusty Wenches' were born. That was six years ago, and we have members all over the US and Canada now. We're about two thousand strong. When members attend festivals outside their home state, they usually contact local members and we get together. I've met some really great people from all over the place."
"That sounds real hospitable of you," Buck stated, trying out one of the words that he had heard Ezra use a few days ago.
"Well, we try."
"So what do you do outside of going to festivals?" Buck was in full flirtation mode now, and was having a ball.
"I'm an accountant? And you?"
"I'm a cop," Buck said proudly.
"A cop, huh? Tahoe PD?"
"I used to be, but I just recently signed as a fed with the Cross State Enforcement Team."
"That's the new team that was formed after that bank robbery/hostage situation, wasn't it? That was a terrible situation. I remember reading about a new federal team being formed."
"Yeah, that was a bad call. I was there. But with this new team, something like that won't happen again. I'm tickled pink to be on the team."
"Impressive. When you worked at Tahoe PD, did you know Mitchell Dravus?"
"Yeah, I know Mitch. DUI squad, right?"
"Yes, he's my ex-fiancé."
Buck shook his head in mock sorrow. "And he let you get away? I always knew that boy was a few sandwiches short of a picnic."
"What a sweet thing to say," she said, grinning up at him.
"Well, Mitch's loss is my gain. I hope." He winked at her.
She studied him for a moment, then pulled out a piece of paper and quickly wrote on it. "Here's my name and number. Hopefully, I'll see you inside, but if not, give me a call sometime."
Buck took the paper but kept a hold of her hand. He leaned down and kissed it. "Count on it, lovely lady. I'll make it a point to find you." She giggled and walked away. Buck took the paper she'd given him and opened the pouch he was wearing at his waist. "Now that is a mighty fine figure of a woman," he said as he pulled out the other phone numbers he had received. "She and I are gonna make beautiful music together."
"Well, I see Buck's modesty is showing again, brothers" Josiah said, he and Nathan joining the group. Both men were dressed in normal clothes, neither of them dressing up for the fair.
"Laugh if you must. But that makes four phone numbers I've gotten today and we aren't even inside yet. This is gonna be a great day," he said, fingering his mustache.
"Well, let's go inside before Buck scares everyone off," Chris suggested. Chris paid his and Dani's entrance fees, and waited for the others while studying the map that had been provided. "So, where to first?" Chris asked once they were gathered around.
"Food," Casey and Dani chorused.
"Sounds good to me," JD echoed. "I'm starving."
"Me, too." "And me," came the voices of the others.
"Food it is," Chris said studying the map again, then turned to the left and led the way.
It didn't take them long to find the stands selling everything from turkey legs to cotton candy to funnel cake. The smells wafting from various stands was making everyone's mouths water. Chris glanced around trying to decide what he wanted to try first. That was when he heard a familiar voice.
"Ouch. Damn."
"What's wrong?" came the accented feminine voice.
"Just turned the wrong way, 'Nez. I'm okay," Vin said from behind the stall selling turkey legs.
"No, you're not. Now be still for a moment," she replied. Then Chris heard a relieved groan coming from his friend.
"Oh, yeah, right there." Chris heard a strangled sound from next to him and turned to see Buck's eyes widen in recognition as the Texan continued. "You've got magic hands, 'Nez."
"It's not like I haven't done this many times before. Besides, you did the same for me last night." Soft chuckles were heard from both.
The pair came around the corner and came face-to-face with Buck and Chris. "Hey, Cowboy. Buck." Vin greeted the pair. He was dressed similarly to Chris. He wore brown pants tucked into brown knee-high leather boots and a blue shirt under a brown tunic. He had a sword strapped to his waist and brown leather bracers wrapped around his wrists. Chris knew from reading that in medieval days, warriors had worn the bracers to support their wrists from holding the weight of their swords.
"Good day, my lords," Inez said in the old fashioned English used by many of the workers at the festivals. Like Vin, she was dressed simply and with a thought toward being around a hot stove all day. Her white peasant blouse had fitted sleeves, so that she wouldn't catch them on fire while tending to the food. Over it, she wore a black leather corset that tied up the sides. Her skirt was a dark blue color and she wore black sandals on her feet that laced up around her ankles.
"Good day, Inez." Chris said. Buck just nodded, having been seemingly rendered speechless by Inez's appearance.
"Would either of you like a turkey leg or some corn?"
"Sure," Chris said. He looked over at Buck, who just nodded, his mouth open in shock. Inez hurried off to fetch their food, leaving the three men standing to the side, Buck following her with his eyes.
"You okay, Vin?" Chris asked. "I heard you say 'ouch." Buck blinked, drawn out of his daze by the question.
"It's nothing, Chris. I just slept wrong last night. Inez, she knows what to do."
Chris could see the momentary look of jealousy flash against Buck face, before the man nudged Vin in the side. "Slept on a lumpy old couch, huh?" he teased, digging for information.
Vin looked confused. "What couch?"
Buck shook his head. "Never mind," he said, looking wistfully toward where Inez had disappeared.
Vin shrugged his shoulders. "You're weird sometimes, Bucklin."
"But the ladies love me." Vin just snorted. Chris narrowed his gaze and focused on the younger man. Ezra might be the gambler of their group, but Vin had a poker face just as unreadable. He knew Buck was unsure of the full extent of Vin's relationship with the pretty Hispanic woman, which was behind Buck's less-than-subtle attempts at ferreting out information. Even Chris wasn't sure how intimate the pair had become, but knew that both Vin and Inez were discreet people. Even if they were lovers, neither would give any indication of that in public. They both would feel that it was nobody else's business. And they were right.
And it was driving Buck crazy.
Chris had to smile at Buck's exasperation as Vin strode off toward the front of the food booth. It was good to see Buck so off balance. Considering what his old friend had done to embarrass him while he had been courting Sarah, Chris decided to sit back and enjoy the show. Payback was so much fun.
After everyone had stuffed their faces, they decided to walk around the 'village' and look in all the shops. Vin joined them, telling Inez he'd be back later to help out. She shooed him on his way, telling him to have fun. Dani had wanted to poke around to see all the wares for sale. Since they had an hour to go before the jousting and sword demonstrations, which is what Chris was looking forward to, the men laughed and followed along behind Dani and Casey.
Chris noticed several things that caught Dani's eye. He overheard her mention to Casey how one necklace in particular reminded her of the dragon that was the hero of her mother's books. Chris could hear the sadness in Dani's voice as she told Casey about the children's books her mother had written. 'Dudley the Dragon' was popular with children of all ages, and Dani had grown up with tales of Dudley's adventures.
Once the women moved on, Chris went over to look at the necklace. It was a pewter dragon, his wings outstretched. Clutched in his claws was a bright green stone. It was anchored on either side with a slim silver chain. Looking at the price, Chris dug out his wallet. He had a lot of birthdays and Christmases to make up for. He glanced over and saw Vin nodding at him. He smiled, paid the woman manning the booth, and put the necklace into his pocket.
"Hey, has anybody seen Buck?" JD asked.
They looked around. They started to backtrack when they heard Buck's booming laughter coming from one of the nearby booths. There, surrounded by several smiling ladies, was Buck. With her arms around his waist was the lady that Buck had been flirting with at the front gate. She was introducing Buck to her friends, and Buck was lapping it up.
"Oh, boy. You all realize that we're gonna have to listen to him brag about this for weeks, don't you?" Chris stated as he watched Buck tuck several more slips of paper into the now bulging pouch hanging from his belt. With a gallant bow, he left the ladies giggling in his wake and walked over to join his friends, a knowing smirk on his face.
"Sorry about the delay, boys, but they just can't get enough of me."
"Gee, Nathan, maybe you should warn the authorities. Seems the women around here have some serious mental health issues," JD remarked.
"That hurt, JD. But because I know it's just a sign of your jealousy, I'll be gracious and forgive you. Now take off that stupid hat."
JD touched the brim of his new cap, perched at an angle on his head with the feather sticking out of the back. "I like my hat, Buck. Robin Hood wore a hat like this."
"Well, you're not Robin Hood. We're did you get that silly thing, anyway?"
"I bought it for him."
Buck took a deep breath and turned around to face an indignant Casey. "Now, darlin, you know I didn't really mean it was a stupid hat. As a matter of fact, I love that hat. It looks good on JD." The others tried to stifle their laughter as Buck attempted to placate Casey.
"I know it does, that's why I bought it. And how many times have I told you, my name is not 'darlin', Buckey."
The others snorted at that little dig. It was a common knowledge around the office that Buck's real first name was Bucklin. But whenever Casey wanted to get his goat, she always called him Buckey. Buck hated it and she knew it. He started to say something, but Casey just walked off. Buck turned around and glared at his companions, but it had no effect, except to make them laugh all the more.
"You all are just jealous. But I've got a lot of ladies that adore me. All these phone numbers..." he trailed off in horror as he realized that the pouch containing all the phone numbers he'd received was missing. "Oh, my god. Where is it? Where did it go?" He frantically patted his torso, trying to remember if he had done something with it. He turned around in circle, trying to see if he had dropped in on the ground.
"Where did you last see it, Buck?" JD asked.
"It was on my belt just a few minutes ago. I put in some numbers I'd gotten from those wench friends of Cecilia's. It was right here."
"C'mon, Buck. In spite of your insults about my hat, I'll help you find it. Let's backtrack." He and Buck walked away, eyes scanning the ground, while Josiah and Nathan perused the items available in the apothecary store. Dani and Casey were several booths away, watching a customer get a Tarot card reading. Vin and Chris exchanged a look and turned to Ezra.
"So, Ez, you gonna tell Buck that you've got his pouch?" Vin asked. Chris just raised an eyebrow.
Ezra sighed. "Mr. Wilmington will eventually find his pouch. Probably right where he least expects it."
"Why did you lift it?" Chris asked.
"I simply wanted to let Mr. Wilmington avail himself of the opportunity to become acquainted with some...friends of mine."
"Whose phone numbers did you add, Ez?" Vin said, figuring that Ezra had something really devious in mind.
"Some acquaintances of mine that frequent the Blue Rose Cafe." Vin busted out with a shout of laughter while Ezra smiled. Chris looked on in confusion.
"Somebody mind explaining?"
"Forgive me, Mr. Larabee. The Blue Rose Cafe is well known in Tahoe for catering to a specific clientele."
"What sort of clientele?" Chris growled.
Ezra cleared his throat. "Drag Queens."
"Drag Queens?" Chris repeated.
"Yes. Most of them are very nice people. And unless you know them or they tell you, it's very difficult to ascertain that they are, in fact, biologically of the male gender."
"And you added their phone numbers to Buck's stash?" Chris wanted to make sure he had this straight.
"Yes."
Chris didn't say anything for several long seconds. Ezra started to look concerned, until Chris let out a soft snort of laughter. Then another. And another. "You are one devious son of a bitch, Standish." Chris finally managed to gasp. "I'm gonna have to keep my eye on you."
Ezra performed a mock bow at Chris' backhanded compliment. Chris shook his head as he went to join his daughter.
They got to the arena surrounding the sword demonstrations and found seats. JD and Buck had rejoined them after finding Buck's pouch mysteriously hanging from the branch of a tree outside the Lusty Wenches' tent. The two men settled onto the ground by their friends and turned their attention to the arena.
The instructor was inviting the spectators to enter the ring and pit themselves against him. Everyone would be fighting with unsharpened blades to prevent injuries. The group watched several opponents enter the ring and be quickly defeated. Chris was shaking his head at the inept moves of the last participant and caught the attention of the instructor.
"Would you care to try your hand, good sir?" the instructor asked him.
"Me?" Chris shrugged. "Why not?" He stood up and removed his sword and handed it to Vin. Entering the ring, he picked up the practice sword and approached the center.
"Your name, Sir Knight?" he was asked.
"Chris Larabee."
The instructor turned to the crowd. "Lords and Ladies, a round of applause for Sir Christopher of Larabee." The crowd cheered, whistles and catcalls coming from Chris' friends.
"En garde," the instructor began. For the next several minutes, Chris traded blows with the man. They both thrust and parried, neither man getting close to taping out the other. Finally, the instructor bowed to Chris and lowered his sword.
"Very impressive, Sir Christopher. You fight well."
"Thanks. It's been a while."
"Lords and Ladies, I declare this contest a draw. Give cheers for Sir Christopher of Larabee." Chris bowed to the crowd and made his way back to his friends.
"That was great, Chris," Dani jumped up as Chris approached and hugged him. "How cool."
"Were did you learn to spar like that, Chris?" Vin asked.
Chris shrugged. "A friend of mine in the Marshals was a member of the SCA." Seeing JD's confused look, he explained. "It stands for the Society of Creative Anachronisim. They're an international group that are into researching and recreating medieval European history. He showed me how to fight. It was a way to keep in shape. It's been a while since I've done it, though. I wasn't sure I'd remember." "Well, you did good, pard," Buck slapped him on the shoulder. "Good thing you remembered, so you didn't embarrass us."
"Well, glad I could help, Buck," Chris said sarcastically. "We couldn't have you embarrassed, after all."
"That's right, pard. I do have a reputation to protect. Ladies to impress and all." Buck grinned.
"One of these days, Buck, I'm gonna shoot you."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Buck just laughed.
During their trek through the village, they came to the archery booth. The man manning the booth was trying to tempt the guests into trying their skills.
"Vin, can you shoot a bow and arrow?" Dani asked.
"Yeah," Vin said reluctantly.
"Would you try? I'd love to see you shoot." She smiled. "Please?"
Vin gazed at Dani, then turned to Chris. "Your daughter's dangerous, Cowboy. She asks so sweetly and bats her eyelashes, and you're a goner."
"Yeah. What do you want me to do about it?"
"Nothing to do. I just wanted to state a fact."
"Noted."
Vin picked up the bow and a quiver of arrows. The worker asked his name.
"Vin Tanner."
"Lords and Ladies," he called out in a loud voice, "gather around to see amazing feats of skill. Watch as Sir Vin of Tanner attempts to make a bullseye."
Vin took a deep breath as he notched the first arrow. Sighting down the arrow, he let out half the breath and let the arrow fly. It landed dead in the center of the target.
"Hooray," the crowd yelled. Vin notched the second arrow. Again a bullseye. He did this five times in a row, much to the delight of the crowd. With each rising cheer, Vin became more and more uncomfortable with the attention. Finally, after the sixth bullseye, he handed back the bow to the worker.
"Well done, Sir Vin. Good show."
Vin ducked his head. "Thanks," he said softly. Turning to Dani, who was wearing a huge smile, he muttered under his breath, "Very dangerous."
As they headed back to the entrance, Vin stopped. "Well, this is where I say good bye. I need to get back and help Inez."
Dani smiled at him. "Thanks, Vin. I had a really good time today. Especially the archery."
"I'm glad," Vin said. "I'll see you back at Chris' later then." She nodded. Vin walked off with a wave to everyone.
Dani turned to the rest of the group. "You're all coming to the barbecue tomorrow, right." Everyone nodded their assents. "Great. Thanks for coming today, everyone. I really enjoyed it."
"Hel...uh, heck, darlin, I had fun, too," Buck said. With waves and nods, the others headed off to their own vehicles.
Dani took the arm that Chris offered as they walked back to Chris' truck. "So, have you talked to Jules yet?" she asked him.
"Not yet. I'll have to give her a call in the morning. I don't have number for her in Nevada. She should be home before noon."
"I'd like to meet her. I hope she can come tomorrow."
"Yeah, me too."
Dani McCarter sat on the lounge chair on the back deck of Chris' house. She had been sitting here for fifteen minutes just watching the others talk and laugh together. All six of her father's friends were there, as well as Casey, Rain, Jules and Inez.
She was still a bit overwhelmed by this group of men. Except for Chris and Vin, she'd only seen the others a couple of times over the last week. While on their shopping trip, Casey had given her a rundown on the men on the team, but the only one she'd had the chance to really talk to, aside from her father, was Vin.
But she did hope to get to know them all better, particularly Buck, who had known her father the longest, according to Casey. And JD, who was more her age, and shared her interests in computers and music. Casey talked a lot about the youngest team member, and it was easy to see that she was attracted to him. Nathan and Josiah didn't really talk to her much, but seemed nice enough.
And Ezra? Well, she really liked Ezra. He was smart and elegant. And he promised to take Dani to a casino the next time she came to visit. She really wanted to see what that was like. She'd often seen movies about Las Vegas and all the lights and glitter. She couldn't wait to see a casino in person. She knew she was too young to gamble, but figured it would be fun just to be inside one and see all that went on.
And Ezra was so smart. Her English teacher would love all the big words he used to describe things. His speech was so colorful it made her laugh. Especially when he was trying to insult Buck, because it always took Buck a few seconds to realize he'd been insulted, much to the delight of JD. Buck would then chase JD around, while the others laughed at the antics of the two men.
Her gaze stopped on Vin. He had quickly become the older brother she never had. She knew just by spending time with them that he and Chris were very close. And she found herself talking to him a lot about both her fathers. Her worries about Michael's health and her anxiousness about Chris' continued acceptance wore heavy on her mind and the quiet Texan was a good listener. He didn't always offer advice, which was fine, but she found that just talking about her concerns seemed to lighten the load a bit.
She was torn. She was really enjoying getting to know Chris and his friends. On the other hand, she desperately wanted to return home to Ohio. She was so worried about her father. When she'd talked to him on the phone that morning, he'd sounded so tired.
"Are you okay, Dani?"
Dani raised her eyes to find Jules standing next to her chair. She hadn't had the chance to really talk to this woman that Chris was dating. She seemed nice enough, but Dani wasn't sure how she was supposed to act around her.
"Ah, yes, I'm fine. I guess I'm just anxious to get home."
"Understandable. Can I sit?" Jules asked, indicating the chair next to Dani.
"Sure." Danielle shifted to lie on her side in the lounge chair, so she could see Jules better as the dark haired woman sat down.
"It sure is pretty here," Jules commented. "Chris was lucky to find this place."
Dani just nodded. Jules recognized her nervousness and just smiled, trying to make the young woman more at ease.
"How long have you know Chris?" Dani asked.
"Not long. A few months maybe. We met during a search and rescue operation."
Danielle nodded. "Yeah, he told me. He said that you train dogs for tracking people when they get lost."
"Yes. I also help the local police when they're tracking suspects into the woods. They have K-9 units, but in area like this, where there is so much wilderness, sometimes Deoge—that's my canine partner—well, sometimes he can do a better job, since he's had more practice tracking in the forests. The police K-9s handle the drug cases and some suspect tracking, but Deoge often handles any tracks in the wooded areas. Although, I've also been doing some training with their K-9 dogs to get them more used to working in the trees and mountains."
"Do you like your job?"
"Very much. I love working with Deoge and training others to work with their dogs. And I love being outdoors. I could never handle having a job that kept me inside all the time. I'd go crazy."
"You're very pretty."
Jules smiled at the complete change in subject. "Well, thank you. I guess I have good genes. You must as well. I know you do on your father's side. And he tells me you look just like your mother, so I guess you got lucky there too."
Dani blushed. "My father—Michael, my father in Ohio—he always tells me that the Flannery women were all blessed with beautiful looks. I always just figured he was biased. I mean, I know I'm not ugly, but I never really thought of myself as beautiful."
"Well, you should. And if you look that much like your mother, I'm not surprised that Chris fell in love with her."
"He told you that?" Dani asked, sitting up.
"He told me a little bit about her when I talked to him yesterday. He said your mom was the first woman he ever loved...and lost."
"They were high school sweethearts," Dani explained, as she pulled her feet underneath her and wrapped her arms around her knees.
"You never forget your first love, no matter what else happens in life. And now he had you to remind him even more."
Danielle gazed up at the beautiful Indian woman across from her. "Are you and Chris...are you in love?"
Jules leaned back and folded her hands in her lap. She saw Chris in the corral with Vin and Buck, JD standing on the bottom rail of the fence and resting his arms across the top. Chris looked up at something Vin said, the sun shining off his blond hair, and the smile blossoming across his face. When JD nearly fell off the fence laughing at the flummoxed look on Buck's face, it was obvious who the target of Tanner's comment had been.
Jules glanced over at Dani. "In love? No. I enjoy spending time with him. I find him extremely attractive. Hell, who wouldn't?" She smiled and glanced back at the blond man who had captured her attention on the mountain that day. "We have a lot of common interests. But we also enjoy teaching each other about new things. He is fun to be with. But I'm not in love with him."
Dani bit her lip and pushed a lock of hair behind her left ear. "It's okay, you know, if you are. I wouldn't mind."
"Well, I am glad of that. But neither of us are ready for that right now."
"But, maybe someday..."
"I don't worry about the future. The present is difficult enough without adding problems that may, or may not happen, tomorrow or next week or next year. Dani, I like your father. And he likes me. Right now, that's what we're dealing with. We share dinner a few times a month, we go dancing or riding, or just spent a quiet Sunday together or with friends. At the moment, I like it that way. If that changes in the future, then it does. We both are open to date others if we want, we don't have any kind of commitment to each other."
"So, you're just good friends," Dani teased.
Jules laughed. "Yeah, at the moment. Is that okay?"
"Yeah...at the moment." Danielle smiled back at this woman her father was seeing. She could understand his attraction to her. She was beautiful, intelligent, strong-willed and friendly. And Dani liked her a lot.
A shout brought her attention back to the yard. She looked up to find Casey chasing after JD, trying to retrieve the camera she'd be following everyone around with all day. It seemed that Casey hated having her picture taken, so always opted to take all the photos herself. Dani didn't mind, Casey had promised to give her a set of the photographs so that she could show her father all the people she'd met here.
JD and Buck had taken it upon themselves to get a few snapshots of Casey as well. It seemed their way of getting those shots was to snag the camera from her. She shook her head.
"It would have just been easier for them to use a different camera," Inez said as she walked up and sat down on the deck. "Now, if they use that camera to try to get pictures of Casey, she will only be pouting and yelling in every shot. Men! What do they understand of all this?"
"Oh, I don't know," Jules said. "I think Chris and Vin have it all in hand." The other two women followed Jules' gazed to see Tanner and Larabee back up on the deck. Chris had his own camera in hand, snapping shot after shot of the three 'children' running around the yard.
"Oh, great shot!" Chris exclaimed, as he took more shots of Buck and JD slamming into each other in their effort to avoid Casey. Buck, being the bigger of the two men, toppled over on top of JD. Dunne was bellowing for his friend to "get up, you're crushing me, you big ape! Geez, Buck, you need to lose some weight."
"Now, JD, I'm just the right weight for my height," Wilmington said, as he pushed off the ground, only to slide in the wet mud and fall back onto Dunne.
"Oomph!"
"Sorry, kid, I keep slippin'. Let me try something else." Buck than reached up with handful of mud slapped it against JD's face. "Oops, sorry kid," he said, chuckling.
By this time, Casey was heading toward the deck, her own camera rescued from the pair before they landed in the mud. From the relative safety of the deck, she continued to take more pictures of the slimy duo, until she heard another camera clicking. Turning around, she spotted Chris Larabee, a camera up to his eyes, pointed directly at her.
"Chris!" Larabee just smiled as he continued to take photos of the young woman. Casey handed her small camera to Rain, who was leaning against the deck railing watching Buck and JD wrestle around in the mud. Rain almost dropped the camera, but managed to get a good hold on it, thanks to Nathan who stood nearby. They both turned as a Wells tornado stormed toward her boss.
"Chris! You put that camera down!" Larabee continued to snap pictures as she got closer. When she reached up and grabbed the lens, he let her lower the camera. Casey glowered at him, but he just continued to grin. "I want that film," she declared.
Chris looked over at Vin. "It ain't worth getting in a fight over, cowboy," Vin reminded him.
Chris nodded and opened up the camera. He pulled out the strip of film inside and handed it over to Casey. She smiled smugly and walked back to Nathan and Rain, certain that she had won that round.
"Oh, the arrogance of youth."
Dani glanced up to find Ezra Standish shaking his head at Casey, then glancing back to Chris and Vin. The others followed his gaze, to see Chris handing a roll of film to his co-conspirator. Vin dropped it into a plastic film canister and walked inside, no doubt to hide it somewhere until he could have it developed.
Vin winked at the others as he walked by. Laughter followed him inside.
"So, darlin', you're leaving tomorrow?" Buck asked Dani, as he sat down next to her at the table, rubbing a towel around his head. They were sitting on the deck in back of Chris' house.
"Yes. I need to get back. I've been gone over two weeks and want to get home to see my dad. His health isn't good and I don't want to stay away to long."
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. But, I'm glad we all had the chance to meet you. It's nice to see Chris being a daddy again."
"You knew Chris when his wife and son were alive didn't you?"
"Yes, darlin' I did. And I'll tell you what, he sure loved that little boy. It's a shame you didn't get a chance to know him when you were younger. You would have been the light of his life, just like Adam was. In fact, I can see already that you're gonna be the most important person in his life from now on."
"Hey, Angel." She turned to see her father walking toward them. She was secretly pleased at the nickname her father had bestowed on her. It made her feel special, like he really cared about her. Chris sat down at the table. "Buck isn't bending your ear too much there, is he?"
"Now, Chris, I'm just trying to get to know the little lady a bit better. After all, Uncle Buck has to know a young lady's interests if he wants to lavish presents on her during those special times of the year."
"Uncle Buck?" Chris asked, turned to wink at Dani. She giggled in response.
"Well, of course. She's part of the family now."
"Uncle Buck?!" And incredulous JD had wandered over toward the table as well. "Geez, Buck, give the poor girl a break. You'll have her running back to Ohio faster than...faster than..."
"Faster than a jackrabbit from a she-wolf," Vin supplied as he joined the group. JD nodded his thanks at Tanner. "Chris, I'm gonna bed down the horses. JD, why don't you give me a hand."
"Sure."
"Can I help?" Dani asked eagerly.
"Sure, darlin', come on."
"Be back in a bit," she told her father. He nodded and watched her walk toward the barn with the two men.
"So, Chris. How ya doin'?"
"I'm just fine, Buck." He knew his friend was worried about him.
"So, you're a dad again."
"Yeah," he said, smiling.
"How do you feel about that?"
"What do mean?" Chris asked, confused by the question.
Buck shrugged. "I know how hard it was for you after Adam and Sarah died. It won't be easy watching her leave tomorrow, knowing she's driving back to Ohio by herself."
"She's not."
"Not what, not leaving?"
"Not driving back alone."
"What? But I thought she drove out here by herself."
"She did. But she isn't driving back. She's gonna fly. She happened to mention to Vin that her car was starting to act up on her. He took a look at it and doesn't feel it's safe for her to drive it all the way back. So we're gonna put her on a plane and Vin's gonna do a complete check on her car while its here."
"Is she okay with that?"
"She didn't have much choice. The three of us kinda ganged up on her."
"Three?"
"Me, Vin and Michael, her father. I mentioned her car problems to Michael. He didn't think there was any way that she'd leave the car behind. It belonged to her mom. But I promised both of them that the car would be fixed and as soon as it was I'd get it back to her. And she listened closely to Vin when he told her everything that could go wrong on the trip back. I'm surprised she made it all the way out here."
"I'm surprised her father let her start the trip if it was in such bad shape."
"Not his fault. Vin said the worst problem probably happened during the trip. She said before she drove out here, she had only used it for short trips to school and such, so it hadn't done any long distance travel in a long time. But there's enough other smaller things wrong that neither of us are comfortable with her driving all the way back."
Buck looked back over toward the barn. "She seems to get along okay with Vin," he commented.
"Yeah, they're getting close," Chris agreed. "I think Vin's quiet nature appeals to her. He's helping her deal with getting to know me. She's still a bit conflicted about searching for me after all this time."
"Feels like she's betraying her father in Ohio?" Buck ventured.
"I imagine that's part of it, yeah. Probably still a bit apprehensive about if I'll continue to want her in my life, even though I've tried to reassure her."
"She'll come around, Chris. Just give it some time."
"Yeah, I know you're right. Anyway, we were able to convince her to let us buy her a plane ticket. Besides, Dani is really worried about her dad. By plane, she'll get back that much faster. Michael is going to have someone pick her up at the airport."
"He's pretty sick, huh."
"Dani thinks it's cancer, but her father hasn't talked to her about it. I imagine that might be one of the reasons he's okay with her finding me. He wants to be sure she'll have somewhere to turn if something happens to him, now that her mom is dead. I know I would if I was in his place."
"Well, she'll have all of us now, pardner."
"Yeah, she will." Buck turned to his friend and smiled. Chris was glad that the man was still in his life. He knew that this whole thing had come up pretty quickly and Buck had been concerned that Chris wasn't dealing with it as well as everyone thought. But every time Chris looked at Dani, he couldn't help but smile. Like he was doing now.
And after reading some of Amy's journals, Chris knew that Dani's mom had done what she thought was best for her daughter... and for Chris. As much as he wished he could have been in Dani's life all along, he couldn't fault Amy for the way she handled the situation. And he couldn't change the past, no matter how hard he wished he could.
But he was determined to make the best of the future. He had loved Dani's mom, and knew that Amy had loved him. Only a bitter old man had kept them apart from each other. And he wasn't about to let that get in the way of his relationship with his daughter.
But if he had stayed with Amy, he wouldn't have met Sarah, and Adam would never have been born. And he wasn't sure he could live with the knowledge of never knowing them. From what he'd read in the journals, Michael McCarter had been a loving and wonderful husband and father, and Chris was grateful that Amy and Danielle had him in their lives. He couldn't wait to meet the man.
"Chris, you with me?" He glanced up into Buck's amused eyes.
"Sorry, Buck," he said, chagrined at letting his mind wander.
"No problem, pard. Just wanted to make sure you didn't get lost somewhere in never-never land." Buck looked over to where Vin, Dani and JD were still tending to the horses. "I think Vin will be good for her, Chris. With you and her father, well, you both are authority figures for her. But Vin can be just a friend. And he is closer to her age, so they maybe have a few more things in common."
"Yeah, maybe. I am glad he was here when she first came out to the house. Dani told me that she was really nervous and being able to talk to him helped calm her down."
"Well, pard if anyone can calm a nervous filly, it's Vin Tanner."
"She's not a horse, Buck!" Chris said with a frown.
Wilmington grinned. "Hell, Chris, females is females, no matter the species."
"Is that why that stray dog keeps following you around, Brother Buck?" Josiah asked as he joined them.
Chris laughed and Buck opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Ezra.
"It's that animal magnetism. Although I do believe that the canine in question is male, which would mean... "
"Now, just a minute!" Buck cried.
"It would mean, that Buck is ambi-sextrous," Chris remarked with a smirk.
"Chris!" Buck turned to his oldest friend, his eyes widening as he noticed Nathan and the ladies smiling at him from behind the blonde's shoulder. Chris, of course, had known they were there, which was why he'd made the comment.
Nathan slapped Larabee on the shoulder. "That was good, Chris. Ambi-sextrous! Ha, that's funny."
Larabee's grin got bigger as Wilmington tried to explain to the ladies.
"Senor Buck," Inez crooned, moving close to the big man. "There is no need to explain. We have all heard about your appeal to the opposite sex." She ran her finger down his face, her fingernail caressing his jaw. "We just never knew that men were attracted to you as well."
Buck smiled. "Well, darlin', I always knew that you were attracted to me."
Inez started to frown and comment, then looked over Buck's shoulder. "Oh, Senor Buck, I am attracted, yes I am very attracted."
Buck grinned at the others then noticed that Inez wasn't looking at him, but at something behind him. He turned to see what had captured her attention.
"Hmmm, yes," she said softly, "I am very attracted." She waved at Vin, who smiled and waved back.
A booming laugh from Josiah pulled a frown from Wilmington. He then turned his attention back to Inez.
"Now, darlin', ol' Buck has more charm than that scrawny Texan."
"It's not just his charm, Senor. It's... everything. The whole... how you say... the whole package."
"And what a package," Jules remarked, which caused Chris to raise an eyebrow. She winked at him and he smiled, realizing that she was baiting Buck. He quickly glanced at his old friend, who was gaping at the beautiful woman perched on the arm of Chris' chair.
"I guess this means that Vin has a bit of that animal magnetism of his own," Rain stated. "Of course, I'm partial to tall, dark and handsome." She walked up behind Nathan and wrapped her arms around him. "But, I can see where women would be attracted to Vin. Those gorgeous blue eyes, that long luxurious hair... "
"That butt," Inez interrupted, still watching the man in question, who was chasing Danielle back to the house, followed by JD.
"I've got a butt!" Buck exclaimed loudly, just as the trio made their way back to the table. Silence followed his statement, a look of astonishment on JD's face.
Vin and Dani looked at each other and burst out laughing, the others joining in.
"Well, Buck, I'm happy to know that you have all your parts," JD remarked. "Is having a butt, the same thing as being as ass?"
"JD!" Dunne looked at Chris, wondering why he was shouting. It took about two seconds for him to realize the meaning the rebuke.
"Oh! Sorry. Sorry, Chris. Ah, Dani forget I said that."
Danielle bit her lip to keep from saying anything, especially after Vin winked at her. "Aw, hell, Cowboy, it ain't like she hasn't heard the word before. Hell, you say worse when you're cussin' at the horses."
The Larabee glare and growl had absolutely no effect on the longhaired young man who just smiled back at Chris. Larabee shook his head and sighed.
"Why me?" Chris lamented. "Why do I have to be surrounded by these clowns?"
"The joys of fatherhood in the midst of this eclectic group. I daresay, Mr. Larabee, it will be most interesting to see how long you continue to keep possession of your sanity," Ezra quipped.
"So, what got all this started anyway?" JD asked.
Buck grinned at Tanner. "The ladies were just admiring Vin's a..." Buck was stopped from continuing by a loud throat clearing. Glancing quickly at Chris, he grinned. "Ahem, they were admiring Vin's attributes."
Vin blushed. He turned to look at Inez and shook his head. "You started this, didn't you?"
She smiled demurely at him. "Now would I do that...cute butt?"
"I'll get you back for this woman. Someday, I will get you back for this." The others laughed as Inez jumped up and ran away, chased by Vin.
"Run, girl!" Rain yelled. "Don't make it too easy for him to catch you!"
"But don't make it too hard either!" added Jules.
The group settled down to watched the sun set. Chris moved to sit on the steps leading to the back yard. Dani joined him, sitting on the step below him. She leaned back against him and he wrapped his arms around her. He sure would miss her when she left, but they would definitely keep in touch. He was looking forward to getting to know her better.
He planned to travel to Ohio in the next month to visit with her and Michael. The other man had extended the invitation the first time they'd talked. McCarter had told Chris that he was welcome to visit anytime. The two men had spent nearly an hour talking on the phone that first night. Larabee had been impressed with the love he could tell the man had for his daughter. And he wanted to thank him in person for taking such good care of her and her mom.
It took a truly loving man to welcome another man's child into his life and treat her as his own. He hoped that Michael McCarter would get the chance to come to Tahoe as well, so that he would know that his daughter was safe and loved while she was here.
Shortly after the sun went down, the others decided to leave. Dani got up and walked them all to their cars. After everyone was gone, she went in to help Vin with the clean up.
"Dani, I'll do this. It's your last night with Chris. Go spend some time with him."
She nodded, handing him a dirty glass and walked back outside to join her father on the deck.
The next morning Vin made breakfast for the pair then helped Chris load up Dani's luggage. She had an afternoon flight out of Reno and Larabee would be dropping her off at the airport. Vin put her bag on the rear seat of the truck and closed the door. Then he turned to the girl who had so quickly come to mean so much to all of them.
"Dani, honey. It sure was nice meeting you. I'm glad Chris has you in his life now. And I really enjoyed spending time with you."
Dani stepped closer and put her arms around Vin's neck. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.
"I'm so glad I met you. Thank you for making this so easy. I can't believe everything turned out so well."
Giving her one final squeeze, Vin released her. He reached a hand up and wiped away a tear. "Now, darlin', don't cry. You'll be back." He leaned closer and whispered into her ear. "You're good for Chris. I haven't known him a real long time, but I've never seen him happier. Hell, that smile ain't left his face since he met you."
Dani grinned. "I'm glad. I can't wait to get back home and tell everyone about him. And about the rest of you. Nobody else knows that I came out here to find my father. I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure that...well..."
"I understand. And I know Chris does too."
"That's right, Angel," Larabee said as he came around the front of the truck. "And in another month, I'll be able to meet them all." He wrapped an arm around Dani's shoulders and tucked her closer. "And I can't wait." She smiled and returned the embrace.
"I gotta go," Vin said. "You have a good trip and be sure to call when you get in."
"I will. Chris already made me promise to call. At least a dozen times," she said, exasperated.
"I just don't want you to forget," Chris told her.
"You got those pictures?" Vin asked.
"Yep. Right here," she said, tapping her shoulder bag.
"What pictures?"
"The ones from this week, from Ponderosa and San Francisco," Dani explained. "And the Renaissance Faire. Casey has a friend in town who developed them for me. I didn't want to have to wait until I got home. This way, the only ones I'll have to wait on are the ones from yesterday at the barbecue. We didn't want to give those to Casey since she doesn't know about the roll you took with her in them."
"I told Dani I'd send those along later, after I got them developed," Vin explained.
Chris nodded. "You ready to go, Angel?"
Looking up at Chris, Dani sighed. "Yes and no. I'm definitely ready to go home and see my Dad. But, I hate to leave. Talk about conflicting emotions."
"You can visit whenever you want. And I'll be in Ohio in just a few short weeks. I can't wait to meet Michael."
"He's looking forward to meeting you, too. In fact, he wants to meet all of you. I wish Vin and Buck and the others could come too."
"Maybe he can meet them later. The last time I talked to him, I invited him out to visit. If we all showed up in Ohio, I think we'd overwhelm him."
Dani laughed. "Yeah, probably, especially Buck and JD. He'd sure love to talk to Josiah though. And when I told him Ezra was once a professional poker player, Dad said he'd like to challenge him to a game, just to see how he'd do against a pro."
"Ezra would love it," Vin remarked.
"Maybe when your dad comes out, Ezra can take him to the casino and they can play there, get the whole atmosphere," Chris added.
"Oh, yes! That would be awesome!" Dani exclaimed.
"Well, I better run," Tanner said. "Course, I guess it won't matter if I'm late, since the boss is gonna be even later."
"I got Josiah spying for me," Chris teased.
"Figures. Dani, we'll see ya. You call now."
"I will. Thanks, Vin," she said, giving him another hug and a kiss on the cheek before he got into his jeep. He waved as he drove away.
"Well, what say we hit the road. We can grab some lunch in Reno before your flight takes off."
"Sounds good." She took one last look around before climbing into the truck. Chris got in beside her and they drove off.
(Note to readers: yes, we know, since 9/11 that only passengers are allowed past the security checkpoints. We are invoking literary license here in order to complete this story)
"Attention ladies and gentleman. We will now begin boarding for Flight number 2133 with service to Columbus, Ohio at gate number seven. Passengers with small children or who will need extra assistance will be boarded first. First class passengers may board at any time."
"Well, Angel, that's your flight," Chris said, while the overhead announcement finished. She had a seat toward the rear of the plane, so would be boarding in one of the first groups.
"I don't want to leave," she said softly.
He smiled. "I know. I don't want you to leave either. But you need to get back to Michael. He needs you right now. And you'll be back. Often, I hope."
She nodded, the tears welling up in her eyes. "As often as I can." She flung her arms around Chris' neck. "I was so scared when I came out here. I almost turned around a dozen times. But it was worth it. I'm so glad I met you, I only wish I'd done it sooner."
"Nothing we can do about what's past. But that doesn't mean we can't make up for lost time in the future. I will always be here for you, Dani. No matter what. You can call me about anything, anytime. I love you so much. Don't ever forget that." He hugged her tight, feeling tears in his own eyes at the thought of letting her go.
For several minutes they stood silently, hugging each other, totally unaware of the people around them. Finally, she loosened her grip.
"I think that's me," she said. Chris let her go, hearing the announcement about boarding again.
He placed his hands on either side of her face, his thumbs sweeping away her tears. She did the same for him.
"We're just a pair of cry babies," she joked.
"I am gonna miss you, girl."
"Like you said, I'll be back. And I'll call often." Her face turned serious. "But I do want to get back to Dad."
Chris took her hands in his. "Angel, you be sure to call me if you need help with anything. And you tell Michael the same thing. I will do whatever I can to help either one of you. He is family now too. And don't either of you ever forget that."
She smiled. One of her greatest fears of finding her biological father had been the fear that Michael and Chris would hate each other or that one would resent the other. She was thrilled that they genuinely seemed to like each other. The two most important men in her life were getting along, even becoming friends. She couldn't wait for Chris to come to Ohio and meet Michael in person.
Dani took a deep breath. She leaned over and grabbed her bag from the floor and hefted it over her shoulder. Grabbing her ticket from the outside pocket, she checked it to be sure her boarding pass was still there.
"Well, they're calling my row," she said. She smiled and looked into Chris' eyes. "I will miss you so much, Chris. Thank you for welcoming into your home...and your heart. Mom always said you would. I guess she knew you pretty well."
"As well as anyone ever has. I love you, Angel." He hugged her again quickly and then watched as she turned and walked to the gate. "Don't forget to let us know when you get home," he called after her.
"I will, as soon as I walk in the door. Love you."
He smiled and waved as she walked down the gangway. His smiled faded as he lost sight of her, his heart already aching from her absence. He shoved his hands in his pockets and moved over to the glass window. He would stay there until the plane left, hoping to catch one last glimpse of her through the tiny windows of the plane.
Dani found her seat and settled in. She had a window seat, which had bothered her at first. But Chris and Vin had both assured her that all she had to do was close the window if her fear of heights got too bad. But they'd also told her that it wouldn't seem so bad inside the plane.
She reached into the small pocket on the seat in front of her and browsed through the magazines and instruction sheets there. Finding nothing of interest, she reached into her purse and pulled out the pictures from her week in Tahoe. She stopped at the one that Casey had taken of her and Chris sitting on the back deck of the house. It made her smile.
"You were right, Momma," she said softly. "He is a very special man. Thank you."
Dani pressed the picture against her heart and closed her eyes, the smile still on her face. She didn't even notice the plane leaving the gate. As it took off, she was reliving the fun they'd had at the Faire and the antics at the barbecue. Her time with Chris in San Francisco and on the lunch cruise around the lake were memories that she would always keep with her. And she looked forward to making more memories in the future.
She was glad she came, glad that Michael had finally convinced her to find Chris and talk to him, to let him know he had a daughter. Her thoughts turned to her father in Ohio. She knew that he was sick, but now at least she knew she wouldn't have to endure the unknown future alone.
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