DISCLAIMER: The characters of the MAGNIFICENT SEVEN belong to MGM, Trilogy, CBS, and TNN. No profit is made from this fan fic in any way, shape, or form except fun. However, I do not want my original characters borrowed or used without my knowledge or consent. If you are unsure if a character is canon or an original, please click here on original characters for an extensive list of my characters and when they were first introduced in my fan fiction.
Note: This is a holiday fic. It has kids and fun and some bad guys get their just rewards and the good guys win.
SPECIAL THANKS TO LYN MICKAM for giving me the name of Fletcher Talmidge
Chapter 1
It was cold, so cold you could see your breath appear like little puffs of smoke reminiscent of an engine chugging down the tracks, floating one after another until they grew smaller and disappeared into the cold gray skies. The mild winter had turned nasty last night when an unexpected ice storm had blown through with loud thunder and huge pieces of hail the size of a fist. The inky black of the night was broken occasionally by the flickering of the flames that flickered in the wind from behind the newly lit lanterns hanging from the light posts the town fathers had finally raised enough money to purchase and place on every corner. A few bonfires were still lit on whatever dry piece of ground could be found near a few of the darker alleys. Those flames were weak and tended to flicker in and out as the intermittent raindrops fell sizzling onto the flames and burning wood.
Chris Larabee was standing to the side of several crates and boxes using them for a wind break just as Vin decided to cut Buck off before he started trying to finagle some kind hearted soul, fool more like it, into taking his patrol. Vin was not feeling too kind hearted or foolish at the moment, but he was feeling considerably richer, colder but richer. He had just finished his second patrol of the day. He had only agreed to take it after he had swindled Ezra and Buck out of twenty dollars. Vin probably would have done it for the Southerner for free, but Vin had chanced to overhear Ezra tell Buck that he could get Vin to do his patrol for as little as five dollars. Buck said Vin would do it for no less than ten. He even put up ten dollars to prove his point. It became a matter of honor to see how much money Ezra and Buck would part with before Ezra folded and took the patrol himself. JD had sworn the gambler would have balked at eleven dollars, but when Vin shrugged and started to walk away, Ezra had quickly offered fifteen. Tanner had stopped and looked up at his friend from under the brim of his hat. The only thing visible had been his piercing blue eyes which were crinkled at the corners as if he was grinning beneath the dark blue wool muffler Nettie Wells had knitted for him and he had pulled up over his mouth and nose.
Vin blinked three times in succession as he pondered Ezra's latest offer. Chris Larabee turned his head to hide his grin and Josiah Sanchez had snorted in laughter as the tracker finally countered with twenty-five. Blanching, Ezra placed his hand over his chest as his heart had begun palpitating at the mere thought of paying Vin 'I would rather be outdoors in the freezing cold rain than in a civilized, warm saloon' Tanner twenty-five dollars to perform a task of menial labor for him. JD knew for sure that Vin had pushed the gambler too far when Nathan elbowed him. Looking at the healer, he nearly burst into laughter when he saw what Nathan had seen.
Ezra was frowning and Vin had turned to walk his horse to the livery.
"Twenty, and not a dollar more."
"Done, but I want my money first." Scowling at Tanner, Standish handed him the twenty dollars and turned to walk back into the saloon.
"I'd a done it for free iffen you and Bucklin hada just asked." Giving Josiah ten dollars and stuffing the rest in a pocket inside his coat, Vin looked over and winked at JD. "Here, take this an' see if ya can buy them two huge turkeys Lew Casper has been fattenin' up since September. Mrs. B promised to cook 'em up with all the fixin's an' invite everyone in town Christmas Day for a free dinner. Tell her Ezra and Buck bought 'em for her." Chris grinned when he saw the disgusted expressions on the faces of Buck and Ezra. Neither man looked pleased. Chris had actually burst into a snort of laughter when he heard Vin's departing words to his disgruntled friends. "You boys stay warm."
"That's mighty generous of you, brother, to enable us to provide a Christmas feast for all the folks in town." Josiah and Nathan were openly smirking as Josiah waved the ten dollars under Ezra's nose.
Ezra snorted in disgust as Vin walked off. They could hear Vin's muffled laughter as he turned to take his horse's reins to go to the livery and change horses before going out on patrol again. Young Fred Garret was just leaving Mrs. Potter's store when he spotted Tanner. An exchange of coins and Fred had agreed to take care of Vin's horse and saddle another. Meanwhile, Ezra shoved Buck through the saloon doors ignoring Buck's protest that none of this was his fault.
"Thanks, Ezra, Buck. I love roasted turkey for Christmas." JD was grinning at the gambler and the scoundrel. Ezra reacted to JD's opinion by grabbing JD and shoving him inside past the three men on the boardwalk towards the table where Buck had dropped into a chair right by the potbelly stove. He was still frowning wondering who had his ten dollars, Josiah or Vin.
"I intend to win back every dollar of that twenty from you and Mr. Wilmington. Now, sit and play." He began shuffling cards before he even sat down. Chris looked shook his head at their antics and turned to call after Vin.
"Buy you a cup of coffee while they saddle my horse for ya?" Vin nodded gratefully at Chris and followed the three other men into the hotel dining room while Fred went towards the livery. Mrs. B had fussed over Tanner pouring a generous dose of medicinal whiskey into his coffee and providing him with a plate of fresh hot bread, butter, and sliced ham. She was equally generous towards his three friends when she had found out about Ezra's donation of turkeys to the Christmas feast. Mrs. B's rich laughter was contagious as the other patrons began listening with smiling faces as Josiah explained just how Ezra and Buck had been encouraged to be so very generous. Vin had gone off half an hour later stuffed and warm to the marrow with a promise of some hot beef stew later for super and maybe a peach cobbler. He also received a few very appreciative nods and smiles from the few citizens who were brave enough to get near one of their skittish peacekeepers.
Three hours later he had returned numb with cold and was grateful when Chris had tossed a coin to the ubiquitous Fred Garret. Tired, Tanner had reclined against the post his hands wrapped around the cup of hot coffee Chris had given him while he offered his report and his opinion. The weather would probably stay this way for a few more days. He doubted if anyone with a lick of sense would be out in it that night as the wind and freezing rain was picking up again. It would probably turn to sleet before morning.
Chris had nodded his acceptance to canceling the patrols until morning. There was no sense in risking anyone on a horse that was unused to maneuvering the unusual icy terrain. That was when Buck had chosen to try his luck in finding a replacement for his patrol by walking up to lean on the opposite side of the post that Vin Tanner was currently reclining against. Chris's horse had just disappeared into the haze having been taken to the livery by young Garret who was eager to earn extra money for his Christmas gift for Glory Bridger. He already held one job clerking for Mrs. Potter, and with the influx of people for the sharp-shooting contest, he was making some good money working in the evening at the livery. Buck cupped his hands in front of his face and blew on them trying to warm them.
"Ain't got no gloves, Bucklin?"
"Hell yes, I got gloves, but they ain't gonna do much good in this weather. I swear it's colder than a cat's ass on ice, Vin."
"Quit your bitchin', Buck. I ain't gonna take your patrol just so you can go climb into a warm bed with Molly or Polly or whatever her name is."
Chris snorted but remained silent. Vin Tanner was into torturing his friends this wintry day, and Chris was inclined to let him have his way. He knew one word from him and Vin would let Buck off the hook, but truth be told, Chris was beginning to look forward to the little jokes the boys played on one another. Sarah would have loved helping Vin torture Buck. Hell, Vin would have had Adam in on it, too. He remembered the time when Sarah was pregnant and she had both Chris and Buck hunting all over trying to find her pickles and fresh cream. Funny thing was, the longer he was in this town around his friends and Mary and Billy, the more he could remember the good times with Sarah and Adam without that gaping hole in his chest swallowing him whole drowning him in blackness. He smiled, and Buck mistook it for Chris's laughter at him.
"Don't you encourage him, Chris. Man's getting' worse than Ezra at connin' folks. Hell, he keeps this up, he's gonna own half the town. Them twins and his aunt are just a bad influence on the boy. I think ya need to send him out again. Hell, he's probably already froze that skinny ass of his off, so a few more hours in the saddle out in the freezing rain shouldn't cause him no harm. Damn, I bet even the rats are inside tonight." Buck didn't expect Chris to help, but it was worth a shot. He waggled his eyebrows at Tanner as the tracker dusted a few drops of rain off of his arm. "I'll give you twenty more dollars to ride out for me."
"You ain't got no twenty dollars, Buck." Vin snorted in disgust. "Time you froze your fat ass off, pard. I hear Molly or Polly likes skinny asses."
With that and a hearty slap on the back, Vin over walked to the hotel. Buck spotted him taking the table right in front of the fireplace its flickering lights making shadows dance around the interior of the dining room. He could see him through the big hotel window. Dropping down into a chair with his back to the fire, Vin relaxed with the cup of coffee still warming his hands soaking up the welcome heat. Buck saw Mrs. B swoop down upon the seated tracker and knew that her hovering was a thing Vin allowed from very few people, but that thought was sidetracked when he felt something slap his arm. It was a pair of heavy gloves Larabee was offering him. Smiling his thanks, Buck took and tugged the gloves onto his already cold hands. "Thanks, pard. Go buy that ornery cuss dinner on me." Chris touched his fingers to his hat and disappeared into the warmth of the building leaving Buck to continue his walk to livery in the deepening haze. Before he got too far, Chris relented and called him back with a grin on his face.
"Vin says the weather's gonna get worse, an' no one but drunks and fools'll be ridin' in it. Best call it a night an' come back in out of the cold. Hate for anyone to think I ride with a drunk or a fool." His grin took any sting out of the words, but Buck was too glad to get out of the cold to take any notice. He'd get back at that smart ass tracker later. Right now he was neither a fool nor a drunk. He was mighty hungry, though. As he followed Chris into the dining room he noticed immediately that Vin had two more places set at his table. Chris looked at Buck and winked. Damn, how did they know what the other one was thinking when neither one had said a word.
"You two are just downright spooky sometimes."
"Shut up and have a roll, Buck. They're nice and hot." Vin smothered the roll with butter and took a huge bite out it. "S'good." He tossed one to Chris and another to Buck. Glory set three big bowls of steaming beef stew in front of them. Ezra appeared from out of thin air with JD on his heels. JD tried to take the only other chair with its back to the fire on the other side of Vin. Ezra beat him to it. Before they could interrupt, Nathan and Josiah appeared and ended any quarrel threatening to erupt. Soon they were too busy eating to notice much. Buck had been right. Not a creature was stirring as cold as it was outside. The men rode in pairs patrolling only during the daylight for the next few days until the ice stopped and a surprisingly bright sun began shining. The warmth it brought turned the weather into a comfortable cool that invigorated everyone as they bustled about getting everything ready for the contest and the big celebration feast.
It was around ten in the morning as the carriage pulled up to the front of the hotel. A young out rider, dressed in buckskins, jumped off his horse to open the door and assist Alexandra Terrell, Mary Travis, and Maude Standish from the carriage. Josiah Sanchez appeared from nowhere to greet the Southern woman. Young Fletcher Talmidge, just out from Tennessee, had lucked into this job in Sweetwater just last evening right after he had been robbed in that town by two men he had sworn to the sheriff looked just like two of the deputies. The sheriff had turned a deaf ear to Fletcher accusing him of being drunk. The so called deputies sneered in derision at the young man and the very fact that the sheriff was in on it infuriated the young man so much that his normal good sense almost deserted him, almost. The young man had pondered going for his gun to wipe those smug looks from the faces of the crooked sheriff and his men when he decided the odds were not in his favor. The sheriff wanted him to fire so the man he had stationed in the alley could take the boy out without anyone the wiser. He had told Fletcher he would have to go to jail for being drunk and disorderly, and once more Fletch clenched his fists and positioned his hand near his gun when a hand closed over his shoulder.
"It's not worth your life, son. Leave it alone." Fletcher turned to look at who was trying to interfere, and looked into cool green eyes that would brook no opposition. The man was dressed all in black and was flanked by a younger man whose blue eyes took in everything and everyone revolving around him. He nodded toward the alley and Fletcher also caught the glint of light from the fire on the barrel of the rifle aimed in is direction. To the right was a man dressed fancier than Fletch had ever seen before in his twenty years of life. It was this man who spoke next diffusing the situation as much with his glib tongue as the two other men did with their menacing silence.
"Permit me, gentlemen. I am Ezra Standish. My young friend here would be most wise to accept the valuable suggestion offered by my compatriots, Mr. Chris Larabee and Mr. Vin Tanner, Mr. . . ?"
"Fletch, Fletcher Talmidge." His voice was heavy with his Tennessee accent, but the boy was no fool. He had heard of these men before. The sheriff had also for he motioned his men back as he rushed forward with an explanation.
"This man is disturbing the peace."
"As would I, Sheriff, had I been set upon by brigands and relieved of the fruits of my labors."
"Huh?" Confusion was a lethal weapon that Ezra used with cunning skill. The more he spoke, the more witnesses gathered to prevent the sheriff from carrying out his plans without alerting the general public to his nefarious undertakings. Ezra's glib tongue also gave Chris and Vin the time in which to situate themselves to their advantage should a gun battle ensue.
"He said it's a shame you boys're so lousy at your jobs that ya let honest folks get robbed."
"Thank you, Vin. I had yet to formulate the proper insult that would get us all killed." Fletch snorted in amazement at the grin Tanner gave Standish, but the predatory smile on Larabee's face managed to scare the hell out of Talmidge. Fletch was stunned to discover that within seconds of that smile, the sheriff and his men found reasons to vacate the premises quickly and quietly. Fletcher was just about to follow and try once again to get his money back when a woman's voice stopped him dead in his tracks. He slowly turned and looked at two of the most beautiful woman he had even seen in his life standing on either side of an equally striking man. One was a stunning blonde and the other, the one who had spoken, was as dark as the other was fair.
"Why yes, Vin. Is there anything else you'd like to say that could just possibly end with you lying on the ground riddled full of bullet holes?" Her voice had never even risen, but her blue eyes had frozen everyone to their spots. Tanner never even blinked, turning a grinning countenance to the livid woman.
"Now you should know by now there ain't no way I would do anything that would upset my beloved aunt. Hell, one look from Chris scared 'em so bad they'll be pissin' themselves from here to Mexico."
The blonde woman ducked her head to hide her smile as did Larabee and Standish. The other woman, Fletch could tell she was Tanner's kin now, slowly blinked several times and bit her lip. She nearly kept her anger in place except for the formidable man standing next to her who burst into a shout of laughter.
"God help us all! He's the only person I know of who isn't scared of you! The twins are just like him!" The woman elbowed the man next to her in the ribs and then gave up and joined the others in laughing.
"They get it from your side of the family." The woman dismissed her husband's protest and stepped down in front of Tanner. He was laughing as she grabbed his collar and pulled his face down to hers. "Do you have to step in every time the odds are stacked against someone?"
Once again Tanner grinned that infectious grin as he enclosed her hands within his and handed the blame to someone else. "Weren't me this time. It was Chris. Me and Ezra had to come an' back him up."
"Mary, do they do this all of the time?" Alexandra was smiling as she threw that question over her shoulder.
"Only every other day, Alexandra. They spend the rest of the time just getting into trouble by themselves." The woman called Mary stepped down accepting the hand Larabee offered to her. She just looked over at him and smiled in resignation like this was an everyday thing she was used to by now. He grinned as John Terrell joined them. Tanner's arm was around his aunt, his hand resting on her shoulder. Standish had come to stand beside Mary and Larabee.
"Mr. Larabee had to step in. Why the minute Mr. Tanner mentioned you would find a way to blame us if this unfortunate young man got himself killed, Mr. Larabee sprang into action." That statement started Terrell laughing again as Fletcher looked on confused. These folks were just plain crazy. Then, his fears were confirmed as another woman appeared with several children. Fletch thought he was seeing double and had to blink twice for there was no way in hell he could tell the two little girls apart. Terrell finally took pity on the young man and stepped forward.
"Mr. Talmidge. I am John Terrell and these lovely ladies are my wife and our friend Mrs. Travis. We understand you were the victim of a robbery."
Fletch tore his eyes from the others and looked into another set of eyes that were used to having others obey him. "Uhh, yes sir. They took all I had worked for in that silver mine. I was gonna use it to get me a start on a piece of land and send for Ma and the youngun's."
Alexandra stepped forward the sympathy in her eyes making Fletch blink. "Was it a large sum?"
"It was nearly three hundre' dollars. Ma's bringin' mah brothers an' sisters here. I's gonna buy this piece of land 'bout three miles from here. Now I ain't got nuthin', no money t'all, now." He was trying valiantly to control his emotions but all he wanted to do was sit down and howl. Six months of back breaking work scrimping and saving every dime he could get from any job he could find, and it was all gone. He had never carried all the money on him before. He had taken to stashing it in safe places where only he knew and watching his back all the while until today, but he was tying to get to the bank when he had been knocked into the alley and slammed up against the wall. He had tried to fight but a gun to his head had prevented that. He had been hit hard, but he had not lost consciousness and had gotten a good look at the two men who searched him and took all he had.
"It was them that stole it. Them two deputies with that sheriff. I was goin' over ta the bank when I got bushwhacked. Ma an' the littl' 'uns'll be getting' off the train here 'round the 1st. I's supposed t' have a home fer 'em by then."
"Do you have any money left?"
"Ma's got the rest of Pa's savin's, but it ain't much. Not 'nuff for that piece a land with that littl' house aready settin' on it."
John Terrell had already seen the look on his wife's face. She hadn't been able to help her nephew when he was young and all alone, so she had compensated by helping anyone else she could. And she had had the gall to tell him that Tanner and the twins' penchant for helping people came from his side of the family. He almost snorted, but John didn't want the proud young man to get insulted thinking he was laughing at him. Besides, if he didn't do something, then the other men would just go after the sheriff and his men. Terrell did not know if he was willing to go on another adventure with any of the seven so soon. The last time had nearly gotten him killed.
"Well, I know a very nice town that is very well protected about three hours from here. We're leaving for there in the morning and we will need some additional help with our luggage and other carriages. My wife has brought some items she wants to be ready when the builders complete our new home, and we need extra help. Would you be interested in a job? You might find Four Corners more to your liking for your family than this," John paused and looked around searching for a word for this town. Sometimes a railroad did not bring civilization to these backwater towns. "Let's just call it a small town and leave it at that."
"You really need some extra help?"
"Can you use that gun and your rifle if the need arises?"
Fetcher grinned, "I can hit anything you kin see, Mister Terrell."
"Now that sounds like opportunity arriving right upon my doorstep." Maude Standish was standing on the boardwalk looking like a queen surveying her subjects - more like a cat deciding upon which fat canary she would pounce. The twins ran up to her and she actually leaned over to give each child a peck on the cheek. Ezra put his hand over his heart. Vin leaned closer.
"Courage, Ezra. Courage." Chris grinned for he knew exactly what Vin had said to their surprised comrade in arms. Now, he was beginning to sound like the con man.
"Dear Lord," only Vin and Chris heard Ezra mutter that prayer. Louder, he said, "Mother, dear. You have arrived early and from a completely different direction. I thought you wired me from St. Louis?" He had not known his mother was in the area much less traveling with the Terrells. Now, here she was in the flesh and already she had charmed the twins, his twins. He looked at Vin and Chris standing next to him and rethought his last statement. They were their twins, and his mother could not have them. Ezra did not know whether he was jealous or surprised or wary of his mother's attentions. He didn't have to worry long. Alexandra had walked up and without anyone seeing taken and squeezed his hand. Under her breath she said something only the three men could hear.
"The twins have her wrapped around their grubby fingers. I don't think she has ever met anything like them before."
The social smile upon Ezra's lips twitched and then became a full fledged grin that lit up his whole face. He should have known their twins could handle his mother. Vin's eyes were dancing as the gambler took to the steps and embraced his mother. She offered her cheek to him and he kissed it. Vin looked at Chris.
"Wolves."
"Only raised by 'em." Both men grinned at the allusion to Josiah's claim in the early times of the seven that he had thought Ezra had been raised by wolves. They grinned and turned to be entertained.
"Oh Ezra, darlin'. You think I would miss Christmas with my darlin' son?" The 'darlin' son' almost retorted yes, but he was too good a mood.
"Delighted as always, Mother. I see you have met our lovely young ladies."
"We been tellin' her 'bout the short shootin' contest."
Fletcher's eyebrows drew together and he looked at Tanner and Larabee. A grin was stretched all the way across Tanner's face as he corrected the twins.
"Sharp not short."
"What's the difference?" Lisha was not normally a truculent child, but Ours had seldom corrected her in public. Usually he waited until only she and her twin were present.
"Cause iffen it was a short shootin' contest, ya'd go around shootin' everybody in the knees." He was still grinning at them as he stalked them like he was going to pounce them both at one time. They started giggling and pounced on him instead. They reminded Fletcher so much of his little sisters that he felt a pang in his heart. He missed those two even if they had been put on earth especially to torture him. Everyone enjoyed the scene as they took their conversation into the hotel. Chris paused long enough to motion Fletcher into the hotel with them. Without the kid seeing, Chris nodded to Marshall Newcombe from Laramie.
The man had been standing in the doorway of the hotel. The man nodded in return silently promising to ferret out the crooked sheriff. He and his two deputies were on their way home after an arduous two months chasing a murderer. It was pure luck that Dirty Bill Duncan had chosen the morning when Vin and the others had ridden into Sweetwater to try and steal a horse, Vin's horse. Once the paperwork was done and the body identified and sent to the undertaker, the Marshall and his deputies decided to head on to Four Corners and spend Christmas at the invitation of the man who had cut their chase short. It didn't hurt that Tanner insisted the Marshall and his men get the reward since they had done all the work. Like he had said, if they hadn't chased Duncan till his horse had dropped dead, Vin wouldn't have had such a clear shot at the man his horse refused to go anywhere for. All single men, there was no pressing need to leave Sweetwater until Christmas Day to make the big celebration in Four Corners. They could afford to check out the sheriff and his deputies. There was something dirty about this little spur of a town, and there was nothing Newcombe liked better than to clean up a bad town.
Newcombe smiled as he heard that remarkable looking Maude Standish ask her son just why Mr. Tanner was not entering the contest as he would be a sure bet. Ezra was heard to have replied that no one would enter the contest until they had heard that Tanner was not going to compete. It seemed the tracker's reputation as a sharp-shooter was not only well deserved but becoming legend among the people in the territory. The Marshall had seen the flier withdrawing Tanner's bounty, and having met the man and measured his character against the murderers he had come across in twenty years as a lawmaker, Newcombe knew Tanner was no murderer. It was with this in mind that he returned to his table to join his deputies and tell them what he wanted from them. The prospect that there were men who were dishonoring the badge they all wore riled them deeply. If the kid was right and the sheriff and his men were crooked, Newcombe and his boys would get them. Come morning the peacekeepers from Four Corners would be gone and take the volatile young man with them. Newcombe made it a point to see them off that morning. His men were deployed discreetly asking questions of the townspeople. Maybe he would see the boy from Tennessee at Christmas and be able to give him a gift he needed badly; a gift called justice.
Buck watched from the boardwalk as the eager young man jumped to help the ladies down from the carriage. He broke into an even bigger grin when he caught sight of Lisha riding with Chris Larabee and talking up a blue streak to the smiling man. Vin had young Jamie Terrell with him and Ezra had Lison. Buck thought of a Christmas long past when Chris had arrived home with Adam by his side the young boy running off at the mouth about how perfect the tree was that his daddy had cut down. A small piece of guilt chose that moment to release Buck's heart. No longer was the man he considered a brother looking for a way to die and join his murdered wife and son. It was just another thing for the big-hearted man to treasure among many others this holiday season. He didn't need much; give him a roaring fire, good food, good company, laughter, and good times. It was going to be a very merry Christmas, one he had looked forward to since last year when he and the fellas were just getting used to one another. Buck had said a silent prayer asking that their odd family would endure another year together. Just looking around he had to admit there must really be a merry old fella called Saint Nick because this year was beginning to shape up to be everything he wanted it to be.
This year, Chris seemed even more content, almost downright happy. Even Vin didn't show the same amount of restlessness he normally did when cooped up in town for too long. Ezra had actually mentioned looking forward to Maude's visit, but he still maintained it was only because she had heard that the Terrells were coming to visit Four Corners. In fact, Buck wondered how Maude had ended up traveling with the Terrells and then he stopped worrying about it. It was Maude afterall. With a woman like her you just had to go along with whatever she had in mind. Life was easier that way. Buck moved forward as the twins caught sight of him. He had a duty to go and let his darlin's know they were still the only girls for him.
According to Vin the weather had settled down, so the people began their preparations for their celebration. Nettie and Casey were planning on spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in town as were several more of the families the seven men had befriended. In fact the hotel itself would be stuffed with patrons. The little Christmas celebration had tuned into a town affair. The list of folks offering to bring food to the affair had filled up three pages in the book Mary had placed at Mrs. B's disposal. Anyone in town was welcome, and a generous donation from the Terrell family had kept the Parkers happy that money would be made in excess of what they had hoped for this season. Josiah had even talked several local groups into donating and taking food and blankets to the reservation and the Seminole village. Then, there was the shooting contest.
The annual event had grown once the word went out that Vin Tanner had declined to participate in it. He had not really thought much about entering any contest simply because he had no need to prove to anyone how accurate he was with any weapon. His keen eyesight enabled him to make shots that most men would not even contemplate. So, it was up to Buck and JD to represent the seven at the contest. More than twenty men, mostly locals, had signed up. It was proving to be a big affair, and Buck was favored to win since Tanner had flatly refused to participate in front of the huge crowd the event threatened to have. Even a few boys who worked for Stuart James had paid entry fees. As long as the big rancher was staying within the law and not bothering the new settlers, the seven merely kept their ears open and their eyes on him and his men. However, they had seen nothing but compliance from James. Guy Royal had yet to show his face since Chris had led the boys once more to his ranch at night to tell him how much they regretted not finding the man who had paid to have the Marshall murdered and the town burned.
The twins were excited spending their Christmas with all of their family in attendance, especially their seven. The only disappointment they had expressed was that Ours would not win the contest for them. It was as Lisha had pointed out, ". . .very arravating of him." Vin had figured out they meant aggravating, but he kept quiet. He was waiting for the twins to use their butchered version of the word in front of Ezra. Vin knew his friend would appreciate the way the twins butchered the English language. JD had agreed it was wise of Vin not to correct the twins on this particular point. Hearing mutilated words normally made Ezra's eyes roll back in his head, and sometimes he even frothed at the mouth so affronted was he that some people who could not learn to speak correctly and coherently. However, with the twins he was the world of understanding and patience. He was at least if you didn't know to watch for the telltale vein throbbing in his forehead. The twins were so attentive to Our Ezra whenever he attempted to correct their vocabulary that they would try new words out on him all of time. At least they did until their mother informed them that were several words they were not allowed to say in public for any reason whatsoever she didn't care how many times Daddy or one of their seven said them. So, they decided to give up on their vocabulary game and concentrate elsewhere.
They had a new project. Ours and Our Ezra had said what a shame it was that the Fletcher boy had been robbed and how big the prize had grown for the contest winner. It was two hundred and fifty dollars, just shy of what had been taken from Fletch. They had heard him say he could hit anything their daddy could see, and Ours had said a man didn't boast about things like that. If Fletch said he could shoot, then Tanner would take him at his word.
Lisha and Lison decided Fletch needed to win the contest, but first he needed the entry fee. They tried their parents, but their daddy had cautioned that Fletch might feel like he was receiving a handout, and he was far too proud for that. Finally, they decided with Ours and Our Ezra's help that Maude should offer to make a deal with the young man. She would put up the five dollars for his entry fee for just fifty dollars of the prize money. Nearly desperate, Fletch had been easy to manipulate when Maude put it to him that she was down on her luck and needed only a small start to recoup her losses. Her pride would not allow her to ask her son for his hard-earned money. She could not live with the humiliation that act would cause her, not that her son would deny her, but that he would give her more than he had even if he had to borrow it from his friends. Fletcher understood this sentiment for was not that what he was doing for his own widowed mother?
Maude had returned to the twins to report her triumph. They had promptly told their co-conspirators and Ezra and Vin had been seen later that evening in great spirits. Ezra had not only been highly amused by the tract his mother had taken to secure Fletcher's agreement, but he had managed to place a huge bet on Talmidge to win and had graciously allowed Tanner and Maude to invest with him. Maude had playfully elbowed her son when he mentioned that she certainly had nothing to fear from him. He would never ever laugh at his mother's ill fortune. That provoked a snort of laughter from Vin when she muttered under her breath that he would not only laugh, but he would probably be the one to con it out of her had she had the forethought not to teach him everything she knew. If Fletcher proved to be as good as Vin thought he would be, they would win a tidy sum. The contest was drawing near, and people were running about here and there setting up targets, baking and roasting every conceivable dish, buying last minute presents, and most of all placing bets on the outcome of the contest on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve had been the best day of his whole life. Fletcher Talmidge exited the hotel dining room later that evening feeling like a stuffed pig. He was full to the brim with good food and even better feelings. It was hard being away from home, but he didn't feel as sad as he had before the contest. It had boiled down to Fletcher and Buck Wilmington when all was said and done. The target had been moved another five hundred feet away. Everyone held his and her collective breath as the young man stepped forward and took aim. Fletcher had sent his bullet straight and true into the swinging target's bull's eye. Buck's shot was just half an inch to the bottom left. The big man had tipped his hat and the next thing Fletcher knew was that he was two hundred and fifty dollars richer. The crowd had not even allowed him time to shake hands with Wilmington. He had been bustled into the hotel dining room where the new mayor, Mayor Parker, had handed him an envelope which contained a bank draft for the winning purse. Maude Standish, who had made quite a sum of money from her bet, was magnanimous in her generosity by allowing the unknowing Fletcher keep all of his money. When he had protested that was not their deal, she had shown him the money she had won from her bet on him. Fletcher was satisfied that Maude had more than recouped her losses and was more than willing to keep the money.
The final blessing of the day had been when the Marshall rode in with his two deputies and Fletcher's money. They had caught the sheriff of Sweetwater and his two deputies gathering their stolen money prior to their leaving town. The deputies had been killed in the ensuing gunfight and the sheriff had fled leaving the money behind. Fortunately for Fletcher, Judge Travis had just arrived in town with his wife. They were resting the night in town and taking the Terrell carriage to Four Corners in the morning. In fact Fletcher would be the driver. Since it was Christmas, Travis had decided the money was best returned to the people from whom it had been stolen. A reward for the former sheriff was posted and a new sheriff chosen from the townspeople. Fletcher had been speechless when the Marshall had handed him his money, almost downright flabbergasted. He had everything going for him right now, but one thing was eating at him and he knew it was foolish to let his pride goad him into it, but Fletcher just had to know the answer to one question that was burning into his mind. Who was the best marksman in this territory? Fletcher Talmidge or Vin Tanner?
All these things ran through Fletcher's head as he walked toward the two men sitting outside the saloon in the sunshine. Despite their reputations, Fletcher found it hard to feel nervous or intimidated by the two men. Tanner had his chair tilted back and his hat pulled low over his face. One of the twins was sitting on his lap her arms wrapped round his shoulders and her head buried into his neck. She was sound asleep. Her sister was close by draped across none other than Chris Larabee's lap. She too had given up the fight to stay awake. Her feet dangled off the side and her head was lying back across his arm.
People were milling about enjoying the bright sunshine that brought some much needed drying warmth to the unseasonable cold snap. They were all feeling stuffed and content after the big dinner that followed the shooting contest. Had he not known that John and Alexandra Terrell were richer than a dog had fleas, he never would have suspected it. They had mingled with everyone genuinely having a wonderful time. Mrs. Terrell had even helped serve the meal, her young daughters following behind charming everyone with their attempts to make certain that everyone had as much food as they wanted. Mrs. B had practically beamed as she had flitted from table to table making certain that her efforts were successful. If this was her effort for a celebration dinner after the contest, Fletcher couldn't wait for the big dinner on Christmas day. He watched as Mrs. B had paid particular attention to the seven men who had commandeered one table that let them watch the comings and goings of all of the people in the hotel as well as anyone on the streets. They were extremely popular with a group of children and young people who not only were relaxed in their company, but equally demanding of their time.
Fletch had quietly observed them as he ate his meal from the seat of honor. Runner-up Buck Wilmington was as affable as ever. He personally told the young man he had only seen one other man who could shoot better and that was his friend Vin Tanner. Buck hadn't meant anything by it, nor had the other people when they mentioned it, but it had begun to eat at him. He tried to concentrate on other things, but the topic of conversation always came back to that and it bothered his pride. People were quite interested in Fletcher's plans, and when they found out he was using the money to buy a homestead for his widowed mother and siblings, several people had pointed out property near theirs that needed a hard working family with a man who could protect them as well. It was discussing how things had been more than a year ago before the seven first started protecting the town that gave Fletcher a good idea of who it was everyone considered the better marksman, and Fletcher had begun to wish that Vin Tanner had been part of the contest.
Fletch had entered the shooting contest to win back some of his money, but he had learned much more, especially about the men who had stepped in to save his life in Sweetwater. He forced himself to join in the conversation with those around him, and the more he had listened, the more he had been convinced that most everyone thought that had Vin Tanner been in the contest, he would have easily won. This group consensus Fletch at first put up to the fact that Tanner was a favorite of many in town. It didn't take long as he heard more people speak of the amazing shots Vin Tanner had taken on numerous occasions to save one or the other of the six men who shared law keeping duties with him. It didn't take much longer until he decided that he wanted to see how good Tanner was. Maude Standish, who was sitting next to her son and was enjoying counting the fruits of their scheming, was the first to see where this curiosity could lead to another contest that could prove highly lucrative. Ezra and then Buck both picked up on what Maude was thinking immediately and all three set about until Fletcher was willing to wager a goodly portion of his winnings to see who was the better shot. Others got curious as they saw the young man stalk out with Ezra and Buck on his heels. The rest of the seven and Maude followed at a more sedate pace.
Chris watched the young winner of the sharp shooting contest walk towards them. He had that same predatory walk that Tanner exhibited when he was on the hunt, and his eyes looked everywhere and took in everything. He reminded Chris of one of those big cats on the prowl. The young man was smart, quiet, tended to listen first and talk only after long periods of quiet contemplation. The smile reached Larabee's eyes as it dawned on him that this young man was a lot like another sharpshooter he knew. He wondered if Talmidge had a stubborn streak as wide as the desert was hot. From the encounter in Sweetwater, Chris was willing to bet Fletcher was just as stubborn as Vin.
What was it that made some men so gifted with the talent to take a life and yet only serve as a means to remind the same men that all life was precious? Men like Tanner and Talmidge were rare. Maybe it was the fact that they could kill so easily that made them respect life so much. There was an underlying sense of justice that served to make men like these two all the more circumspect in their dealings with others. Young Lison yawned, stretched and threw her arm out, her little fist barely missing Chris's nose. The silent figure next to him snorted.
"Don't make me shoot you."
That only got Chris an innocent look from under the low brim. "What'd I do?"
Chris righted the instantly wide-awake little girl until she was sitting on his lap facing the street. "Encouragin' a sweet young thing like this to try and take my nose off." Lison tilted her head back on Chris's chest until she was looking up at him upside down. Her lips twitched until Chris winked at her. The grin she gave him was full of mischief and so reminiscent of Vin's that Larabee caved and started laughing. It caused several people to widen their eyes and then grin as the most formidable of their peacekeepers stood up and tossed the giggling girl in the air before catching her. Her squeal of delight made her sister stir. He held her as she joined him watching as the young man with jet black hair and one green eye and one brown eye stopped in front of Tanner and looked at him. Vin let his chair down with a resounding thump that finally dragged Lisha from her nap. Like her sister, once she was awake, she was instantly awake. She shared a look with her sister and then turned solemn eyes towards Talmidge.
The twins entourage consisted of their brother, Billy Travis, Josh, John Henry, and Dal Samson. The boys, who had been dozing quietly, sat up to see what was brewing. Since Ours and Our Chris were waiting for the young man to speak, the twins decided that if they were real quiet the two men would forget they were there and let them stay and watch. They were almost disappointed when Vin handed Lisha up to Chris and he stood them on the table behind him. With his back to them he motioned them all away, but the twins merely separated and came to stand on either side of him. The boys found spots where they could see and hear all uninterrupted. Chris put his arms around them and pulled them tight up against him. Then, Talmidge began to speak.
"Tanner."
"Talmidge."
"Heard you're some kinda whiz with that sawed off ya carry."
Vin looked up and smiled at the kid. "I tend to hit what I aim at."
Chris saw Buck nudge Ezra and grin. He snorted in disgust realizing that somehow those two had gotten Fletcher into trying to goad Tanner into a personal sharp shooting contest. That's just what they needed in town when you had two hard headed fools who could dot the eye of any eagle from distances that most men would never think possible, but these two did it as easy as licking butter off a knife. Chris decided that one way or another someone was going to tell him what had instigated this. Someone would as the twins tugged on both his arms. He leaned over, and they whispered the story of how they had gotten Maude to get Fletcher to enter the contest and how it had been Vin's idea. Had anyone else told him or if it had concerned someone else, he would have questioned the source, but these two were notorious for telling all of their exploits with Ours without embellishment and with the most minute detail. Chris didn't know if the Terrells knew of this particular exploit, but he decided to let them find out the way he had. One day late, a dollar short, and the last one to know. He whispered to the closest twin.
"You tell your ma or pa yet?"
He was met with two sets of disdainful blue eyes that reminded him of Vin when Buck made one of his outrageous suggestions or Ezra resorted to five-dollar words.
Lisha sighed, "Our Chris, if we didnent tell mommy or daddy everything we do with Ours, they wouldnent let us out of the house."
Lison added, "It's not like Ours would let anything happen to us, but Daddy says we attract trouble like honey attracts bears, an' Mommy says Ours likes trouble so why fight it."
"It's downright arravatin' 'cause Mommy says Ours is gonna get done in by trouble one day," Lisha supplied loud enough to draw a scowl from Vin and a laugh from Talmidge.
Fletch grinned at Vin sensing no threat from either man or the two bookends. "I hear you're the best around. Why didn't ya shoot agin' me?
"No need to. I know I can shoot. Everythin' else is just braggin'." Vin wasn't bragging. He was stating the truth as he knew it. "'Sides, good in front of crowd a folks is one thing, good when it counts is another." The twins nodded sagely at Our Chris whose lip turned up in a wicked grin that caused the twins to wink back at him. He knew now that Talmidge would push until Tanner gave him a demonstration. Chris was about to offer Buck and Ezra as targets since he now knew exactly what the other two were up to especially since Maude had arrived with the others. The three of them were as guilty as JD was young. Then, he decided if these two were going to have a pissing contest, he would sit back and watch. It was just a contest of skill any way. What harm could it do?
"You shoot almost as good as Ours." Lisha was practicing being polite, but she refused to sacrifice honesty over politeness. Fletch having little sisters was tolerant but somewhat confused.
"Your what?"
"Not what, Ours." Lison could simply not believe the thick-headed quality of some men for she had often heard her mommy mention that the men who infuriated her the most were the ones best described politely as dense or thick-headed, excepting Daddy and the seven. Their men brought new meaning to the words ornery and stubborn, but Lison had no time for pondering what was located between men's ear. Her sister needed assistance in educating this young man. Since Ours and Our Chris were smiling at him, they considered him to be someone worthy of their notice. Two sets of determined blue eyes bored into Fletch until the young man took step back right into the mountain known as Josiah Sanchez.
"Easy there, son." Josiah righted Fletch before he nearly twisted into a heap on the ground. Once again not watching his back had nearly landed him in a precarious position. Seeing Josiah posed him no harm, Fletch nodded to Josiah and mumbled a thank you. Those two bookends could be kin to Larabee because the glare they had just singed him with made him feel nine years old again and facing Mizzus Berryhill who was madder than a hornet that his dog had torn up her garden.
"Y'all namin' a body or you just naturally confusin' like that gambler fella?"
Lisha and Lison each grabbed one of Chris's hands and swung down to the boardwalk. They stationed themselves on either side of Vin, folded their arms, and waited to see how long it took for Fletch to take the hint. Fletcher looked from Vin's eyes to the twins and started grinning.
"You go by the name a 'Ours'?" Fletch thought that was the funniest thing he had heard until he got hit by twin glares and a Tanner scowl. His laughter died as quickly as it had begun.
"He's not yours." Lisha's voice held a world of tried patience in it. Nathan looked away so the twins would not see the laughter he could barely contain.
"He's Ours." How many times had they told these people that Ours was theirs and no one else was supposed to call him Ours but them. Lison grabbed hold of Vin's hand and tugged on it. "Tell 'm, Ours."
Lisha turned to Chris and Josiah. "You gonna let him laugh at Ours?"
"He's a big boy, girls. Vin can take care of himself." That was the wrong thing to say to the territorial twins.
"That don't mean he don't need his back washed."
"Watched, not washed." Vin sighed. Any credibility he had as a mean son of a bitch was being ruined by his two very over protective cousins. How in the hell he had lasted this long without them to protect him, he had no clue. However, the next line was worth every conceivable insult they had ever given him. In fact, he might just keep them around forever.
"You better not laugh, Mister Fetch. Ours don't care much for most folks an' he don't like the rest. You don't want to get shot, you best not arravate him." Lisha had her hands on her hips and was tapping her little toe in an exact imitation of her mother. Lison was shaking her head as if Fletch was not long for this world.
"Fletch not fetch like a dog, little missy," Fletch knew mean when he saw it, and these girls were mean. He liked that. "I guess I couldn't laugh at a man who could shoot better than me, 'specially one that helped save my life."
"He's saved a lot of sorrier hides than yours." Lison wanted this Fletch to understand what Ours had done for him.
"He saved Jamie, an' us, an' Daddy an' Our Nathan. He shot the bad guys that woulda hanged Our Nathan an' then. . . . " Lisha was not going to be left out.
"An' then he shotted that rope from 'round his neck and winded two of those bad men."
"Wounded, not winded. Lord, I'm turnin' into Ezra tellin' folks how to talk."
"Ezra, are you going to let Mr. Tanner insult you like that?" Maude was trying to redirect everyone's attention because she could see a lucrative deal being lost as the twins got the two men off of the subject. Time to get someone to help her arrange everything the way she wanted it.
"I refuse to believe that my associate means that as a slight, my dear mother. However, due to PRESENT COMPANY," Ezra's emphasis on those two words did not go by unnoticed by Vin Tanner, "I would not wish to belittle Mr. Talmidge's winning of the contest by boasting of a friend's prowess with a rifle."
"But, Our Ezra, Ours shotted the rope from a hundred miles."
"Ladies, may I suggest we go inside and discuss this over a slice of that delightful chocolate confection Mrs. B has created for our enjoyment? There we might discuss an event that might settle the question before us in a more congenial atmosphere."
"Huh?" Four people asked that question at the same time. Fletch, the twins, and JD were all scrunching up their noses in confusion.
"He said why don't we go inside and discuss another shootin' contest over a piece of cake." Chris had decided that it would do Tanner good to have a whole crowd of people watch him lose to the kid. He didn't doubt Vin's skills, but he knew the sharpshooter had said on more than one occasion that crowds made him nervous. He figured part of the reasons Vin had refused the contest was that he did not want to perform in front of a crowd of people. He was not somebody's trained dog, and that just might give the kid the edge. Either way it was a contest that Chris Larabee decided he wanted to see. "I think we should hold it tomorrow morning around ten. What do all of you people think?" His idea was met with a scowl from Tanner and unanimous approval from everyone on the street. "Then let's go in and set the rules."
Buck and Ezra were grinning ear to ear already planning how much money they would bet. Maude had a smug grin on her face that reminded Larabee of the proverbial cat that had just eaten the canary. Chris just smirked at his best friend and ushered him and the children ahead of him into the hotel. John Terrell gave him a look that asked if this was a wise idea, and Chris returned with a shrug of his shoulders and basically asked of the older man, "What could go wrong?" Those were words he would regret later.
Roscoe Jesse Faver was an angry man. Not even the holiday spirits or the Christmas spirit of giving unto others did anything to make him look at the world as any thing different as the means to an end, and that end was his own well-being and wealth. Even before that damn boy had kicked up a dust and involved the three peacekeepers from Four Corners, Faver and his two deputies had been turning quite a profit in Sweetwater. However, because of that boy and those busybody men, Faver and his boys had been caught red-handed by that US Marshall.
Being as loyal as Benedict Arnold, Favor fed his two deputies to the Marshall and his men and lit a shuck out of Sweetwater as if the hounds of hell were after him. He had headed straight to Purgatorio after he had unearthed his remaining strong box. He had enough gold to hire fifteen men, and with those fifteen men he was going to ensure that Roscoe Faver would be remembered in this territory for a long time to come. He had sneaked back into Sweetwater under the cover of darkness and had made contact with the same man who had fed him the information that the Marshall had left the town in the hands of the one deputy who had never crossed the line being so pious and all. Newcomb had taken with him the three hundred dollars his deputies had stolen from that Talmidge. He was the last victim to whom they would return his stolen money.
Applying a knife to the throat of his informant, Faver had also learned that there was a lucrative contest in Four Corners that had drawn many participants. The Christmas celebration would have all of these well-heeled people in one convenient place, and one very visible but unguarded bank full of all the Christmas money even small dry goods stores easily made at this time of the year. Where better to take his newly hired gunmen than to a Christmas dinner? He could have his revenge along with his money plus some. All in all it was a plan that was all to Faver's advantage. Seven men protecting all those folks in one spot unarmed against fifteen of the meanest hombres he could find. Plus, there was the insurance that the folks would all cooperate. If he could get his hands on Judge Travis and his wife, he would have hostages that would force the seven to lay down their arms. With the flick of his knife Faver had then rid Sweetwater of its only resident gambler and snitch and thus any chance that could have warned the Judge in time.
Fletcher Talmidge knew none of this as he rode into Sweetwater late Christmas Eve. Having entrusted the bank in Four Corners with his entire life savings, Talmidge was determined to have a good night's sleep before starting out at dawn to drive the carriage and deliver the judge and his wife to Four Corners. They would arrive in plenty of time for Fletcher to participate in the second sharp-shooting contest in as many days. Tanner had been volunteered to shoot against Fletcher, and no amount of arguing on his part had enabled the beleaguered Tanner to get out of performing for folks like an animal in the circus. His words not Fletch's. Unaware that he would soon be an unwilling participant in a contest of life or death, Talmidge had blithely curled up in the hotel bed in Sweetwater and slept soundly. He awoke to the promise of sunny skies and the anticipation of the look on his family's faces when they discovered Fletcher had earned them a fortune of five hundred fifty dollars. After a hearty breakfast and a moment of discomfort as the judge sized up his escort/driver, Fletcher went to see to the carriage. He had no sooner entered the livery when a knife was placed at his throat.
Forced up to the driver's seat, Fletcher's left leg had been chained out of sight to the side bar making sitting uncomfortable. He was allowed enough room to maneuver the carriage and an empty rifle next to him, but that was all. He had also acquired three men as escort one up on the box with him and one out rider. The third man had disappeared out of Fletcher's sight. With the promise of Mrs. Travis getting the first bullet after they killed him, Fletcher had no choice but to obey. The judge and his wife blithely entered the carriage to find the third man sitting inside the carriage waiting with a gun ready to use if the judge decided not to cooperate. They decided to cooperate. The carriage left Sweetwater precisely at seven Christmas morning.
Mrs. (Judge) Travis was later heard to have said that if Vin Tanner had not finally lost his temper, she and her husband might not have lived to enjoy the Christmas feast that Mrs. B had orchestrated to perfection. Tanner, at last truly annoyed that his friends and family had turned on him, had actually shouted to his beloved twins that he would rather spend Christmas in a cave than make Ezra and his mother and other cronies rich off of him. There was no way in hell that he was going perform tricks for the crowd that would surely gather. The two little girls had burst into tears as their Ours had stalked angrily from the hotel to disappear into the night. Even Maude felt a twinge of guilt for forcing the usually unflappable tracker into the foul mood that had him strike out at the last unfortunate two who gave him some advice on how not to be nervous in front of crowds.
Inconsolable, the twins heartbreak had even Bull Samson pulling on gloves and coat and woolen muffler to brave the night cold to find the tracker. Larabee had stopped anyone from searching for Tanner by wisely pointing out that if Vin did not want to be found, it wouldn't matter who tracked him. He personally promised the two woebegone girls that he would personally drag 'Ours' back in the morning when he had cooled off. The twins looked sadly at him and shook their heads. Even their mommy and daddy had insisted that Tanner would return to apologize. The twins had been put to bed, but no one had really asked why they were so upset.
Thinking the twins were upset they had been yelled at by the one person they believed literally walked on water, they failed to remember that the twins had caused Vin Tanner and the rest of the seven to shout in outrage every time they went on an adventure together. They were always falling into trouble or their innocent intentions always landed someone in trouble. No, the twins were not upset Ours had yelled at them. They were unfazed by adults shouting. It was when Ours or their parents or any of the seven got really quiet or fell silent that they knew they had made someone very angry at them. No, it wasn't the shouting that made them burst into tears. Nor was the shouting responsible for their sadness. It was the fact that their Ours had gotten angry and had stalked off on Christmas Eve. The twins were convinced that with Ours gone, Santa might not know where to bring him his presents. No one had convinced them that Santa would not make the same mistake of forgetting their beloved cousin yet another Christmas. Had they not had heard Mommy tell Daddy that there were too many years when Vin was their age that no one had even wished him merry Christmas much less given him a present? That was what had sent them to bed so upset. Santa would not be able to deliver Ours his presents once more if Santa did not know where he was.
Determined to fix this before morning, the twins crawled out of bed and quietly donned their warmest clothes. Ours had taught them how to track, and they were really quite good at it as they practiced all the time at home. They quietly slipped past Mrs. Mason and down the hall. They crept past their brother and Billy's room and then they crept down the back stairs to the room of the one person they knew could figure out a way to help them. Their parents had been standing with Mary Travis and Chris Larabee on the dark boardwalk outside the hotel enjoying the good company, the quiet peace, and looking out at the brilliant sky littered with stars. Had they not been there, they might not have noticed the small figures that slipped quietly from the alley several doors down. Chris had heard something odd and turned in that direction. This wasn't the first time that his hearing had come to his rescue and forewarned him of impending disaster. The others quickly picked up on his tense stance, and that was when they saw the two little figures dart across the street into the livery.
"That can't be our twins?" Alexandra wrinkled her brow trying to convince herself this was not happening to her.
"Courage, Alexandra. Your twins are on the prowl." Mary supplied the answer.
"You don't think they are going after Vin, do you?" Alexandra was hoping against the knowledge that was practically slapping her in the face.
"No, I think they are waiting to jump Santa and force him to give them a ride in his sleigh." Alexandra frowned at John for being a smart-ass. Normally she found his smart mouth quite entertaining, but right now she could have cheerfully decked him. Before she could tell him that all her children's vices were from his side of the family, Larabee gave in to his anger.
"Damn, I'm going to shoot them first and then Tanner!"
Terrell, used to the facts that his twin's had ways of bending anyone to their will and that his wife would object to bullet holes in both her children and nephew all of whom he was really quite fond, merely shook his head at the enraged gunman.
"We can't shoot them, any of them. Neither my wife nor Mary will allow us to shoot any of them."
The sigh was loud and disgusted, "Just one bullet, a flesh wound, Tanner only?"
"No shooting any of the children big or little." Alexandra was determined.
"A sound beating?"
Mary actually giggled at the hopeful note in Larabee's voice.
"No beatings."
"What about we lock them all in the same jail cell for Christmas?"
"No!" was the unanimous verdict from both women.
Their discussion was loud enough to attract Buck, who strolled up and asked if the twins had made their escape yet. Buck's disclosure did little to make the vein in Larabee's forehead throb less. In fact they all watched in morbid fascination as they waited to see what Larabee was planning to do to Buck, but the scoundrel just indicated they should all calm down.
"Everything is under control. Trust me."
"Maybe I can help convince you that the little ones are quite safe." Maude's appearance made Larabee swing around to confront Buck.
"What the hell is goin' on, Buck?"
"If I may?" Maude's request was met with four skeptical looks. She smiled regally at them and proceeded as if they were all her willing pawns. "The lovely young ladies remembered that I pledged to help them if they ever needed advice, and they came to me with their very heart-warming predicament. I enlisted the aid of Misters Jackson and Wilmington. They agreed to help once I had explained to them the twins' dilemma."
"Nathan's waitin' for 'em in the livery. They asked us to help 'em find Vin, an' we agreed to. Hell, you can't tell me that y'all just expected them little gals to stay put while there was a chance Santa would forget Vin again since he's not here?"
Four adults turned to stare at the ladies' man dumbfounded.
"Buck, how did you figure that out?" Mary was just beside herself.
"Why on earth did you encourage those two to sneak out?" John Terrell had never thought Maude would actually encourage his daughters to be deceitful, nor would Buck encourage his daughter's to do anything that would place them in danger. He knew there had to be some sensible explanation. Otherwise he would just have to borrow Chris's gun and shoot Buck Wilmington and Maude Standish before his wife did. Buck just went on oblivious to the clear and present danger.
"Well, the darlin's came up while Maude an' us were talkin' an' asked us if Vin always slept here in the hotel. I told 'em that sometimes he slept out in the wild and sometimes in that damn wagon a his. And no, I didn't say damn in front of 'em."
"And?"
Buck's audience was pretty sure of the answer. "They were worried Santa would forget Vin again since he didn't always sleep in the same place. That's why they insisted he have a room near theirs, so they could make sure Santa knew right where he was." Buck started laughing quietly while he kept an eye on the livery. "When was the last time you saw the twins cry cause Vin yelled at 'em. They usually yell back or laugh."
"Yes, I have noticed that the twins are not very impressed by uncouth behavior such as shouting or even glares. It is when the angry party gets very quiet they finally realize the danger of their actions have elicited."
"Dear Lord, that's why they were crying. They think he's going to miss Santa."
"Precisely why I felt I had to lend my assistance. I shudder to think what they might have attempted had I not acquiesced to their pleas."
"When did they ask you for help, and when were you going to tell us?" John Terrell had to admit that this was the one thing he would never have thought of as a reason.
"You were going to tell us, weren't you?"
Maude answered first. "That is why I came immediately to you."
"Yes ma'am, I was coming to tell ya. Nathan had promised Mrs. B we'd check the back door of the hotel, an' Maude was waitin' there with the twins. The twins begged us to help after Maude explained what they wanted to do. Nathan told 'em to let him finish up the patrol an' then Maude would send them across when you weren't lookin'. We sent them on an' then we circled back here to tell ya. Nathan's waitin' with them and the horses. We figured that we'd tire 'em out an' bring 'em back all tired an' willin' to go to bed if we didn't find Vin first."
No one could fault Maude or Buck. Their intentions were good, and Nathan was the best one to have around for he would see that the children didn't take a chill or get hurt. Larabee had waited until Buck was finished before he asked, "Buck, how many horses has Nathan got saddled?"
"Three." For the first time that night Larabee smiled a genuine smile.
"You wait here?" Terrell nodded trusting these men to keep all of the children safe. The two women agreed as well and nodded. "You best get out of sight. We'll take them out and let them track him. Moon's bright tonight. We'll see where they end up. Maude we need you to tell Ezra and Josiah where we've gone and for JD to keep an eye out for Vin. Tell Josiah to sit on that ornery son of a Ranger until we get back. We'll bring 'em back when they're too tired an' hungry to put up a fight. Then we'll throw them in the same cell with Tanner until dinner."
With that taken care of Larabee and Buck quickly crossed the street to join Nathan and the children while the others disappeared from sight. Maude went off to tell the other men while Mary went off to check on the Jamie and Billy. John and Alexandra went to check on baby Belle. They saw Lisha riding with Chris and Lison with Buck. John whispered to his wife as they peered through a darkened window, "At least they had the sense to ask them to help them instead of going off on their own."
"They all take after you, bad to the bone. I don't know whether to be terrified of them or proud of them. Belle is the only child who takes after me. She is going to be sensible and reasonable."
Her husband knew their children and had no doubt that they knew who would be patrolling the area and when they would be there. He had to admit that he was proud of them. He secretly thought that they just might surprise them all and find Vin Tanner. However, he had not gotten to his position without knowing how to deal with people. "I think they have two of the biggest hearts I have ever known next to their mother's."
He saw Alexandra's mouth curve in a smile. "Thank you, but if you think we are blaming this on my side of the family, you are sadly mistaken." He wisely remained silent.
They waited several minutes and watched as Larabee and Wilmington swung the twins down to let them concentrate on the ground at the edge of town. Then, after pointing to the ground and having Chris double-check them, they scampered back up like they had been tracking all of their lives. Pausing to look at the same ground the twins had just gone over, Buck looked at Chris and grinned. Nathan shook his head in wonder.
"They found his horse's prints?"
"That they did, Nathan. Damn these two little girls are just like him." Buck looked down at the little girl who was concentrating on the moonlit ground. "You actually know what you're doin', don't ya, litt'l' darlin'?"
Lison looked up at Buck and said loud enough for the others to hear, "Ground's still soft from the meltin' ice an' rain.
"An' Ours' horse's got a little half moon on his shoe where it got scraped on a rock." Lisha was happy to teach their seven how to track. Chris swallowed a smile and asked seriously, "Which way?"
Lison and Lisha looked at one another and then both pointed. "That way, towards Miz Nettie's." Somehow, all three men knew that Vin Tanner would be found right where the twins had told them. None of them would admit it, but the longer they were around Vin the easier it was to gage what reaction the twins would give to any situation. The thought if having two more like Vin Tanner walking around looking like the twins would when they got older was a terrifying thought for all three men. Suddenly Buck whooped in laughter.
"Dang, they're gonna be two walkin' talkin' mean and ornery women when they get big." He was rewarded with two sets of blue eyes.
"What's wrong with that?" Lison was ready to go and sit with Our nathan if Our Buck didn't give her an answer she liked.
"Yeah, what's wrong with mean and ornerary?"
Chris snorted in laughter that set off Buck and Nathan. Lisha turned around and glared at him. Throwing his hands up in surrender, Chris managed to sputter out, "I like mean and ornery."
"Me, too. I really like ornerary." Nathan gasped out. Buck nodded his head in agreement and Lison relaxed.
'Men!' her eyes said to her sister.
Shaking their heads they took off in that direction. No one would have thought to look at Nettie's for Vin while she was in town. It was something the tracker would do just to confuse his friends. Chris looked at Buck and Nathan grinning ear to ear.
"Takes one to know one."
Nathan started laughing and yelled over the sound of the horses' hooves on the ground, "Nope, takes two to know one."
"You got that right. Buck, why don't you circle back an' let 'em know we're goin' to Nettie's. We'll bring 'em all back in the morning." Buck handed Lison to Nathan and started to turn. Nathan called him back.
"Hey Buck? Tell 'em we'll swing by and fetch those supplies we been storin' at Chris's shack. Mrs. Potter was supposed to have 'em all prepared and delivered there in the wagon. Tell Josiah I'll meet him an' the others halfway with the wagon so's we can deliver 'em early and get back in time to watch the contest." The scoundrel grinned, touched his hat, and spun around.
Buck caught up with them by the time they were halfway to Nettie's. It was nearly midnight when they rode up to see a man silhouetted in the doorway of Nettie's place. The scowl on his face changed quickly into a disgruntled look as the twins jumped down and rushed him.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Unfazed now that they had found Ours, they trotted up and put out their arms to be hugged. Sighing, Vin reached down and grabbed both girls hugging them. He was still scowling at the other three when Chris decided to explain why he had to be found. It took all four men, some rabbit stew Vin had cooked up, and a whole hour of talking to convince the twins that Santa would leave all their gifts in one spot since he knew they would all be there for the big party the next day. Buck and Nathan did most of the talking while Vin and Chris nodded their agreement. Then Vin lit into the girls for sneaking out which made them grin because Chris said they had tracked him all the way here in the moonlight. Vin shook his head not knowing whether to be proud or angry but he settled for proud. They really were pretty smart little girls.
"All right, ya did a good job trackin', but if I ever hear you snuck out on your ma and pa without one of us knowin, I'm gonna tan both your hides and lock you in jail. You promise me now, or I'm tellin' Santa to bring you switches."
The twins looked at him and thought from the quiet way he was talking that he must really mean it. They looked at one another and decided as one that mentioning that he lit out of town without so much as saying goodbye would not be a wise thing to do. Sighing loudly because they could think of no other way around the promise, they finally capitulated. "All right, we promise, but you got to promise to say goodbye 'fore you leave next time." When his promise was given they were happy to settle down. Right before Lisha drifted off settled with her sister next to her and wrapped in one of Nettie's quilts and held in Vin's arms, she whispered in his ear.
"You don't got to shoot anything tomorrow if it arravates you."
Vin gave up. "Aggravates not arravates."
"Oh, well," Lison echoed from her place beside her sister, "we still love you any way."
"Go to sleep so you can get home and open all your presents tomorrow."
"They did a good job trackin' you." Nathan waited until the twins were sound asleep. "You taught 'em good, an' Ezra has too 'cause they wrapped Maude round their little fingers."
Vin grinned, "Yeah, but what's it gonna cost me? A pound of flesh? Cause I ain't got no money. She's gonna make me shoot against that boy an' I don't need to win no pissin' contest."
Buck snorted, but Chris beat him to the punch. "Just think, you get to shoot at this litt'l' bitty bull's eye on a movin' target in front of everyone in Four Corners and the surrounding areas."
The sarcastic reply from Vin was a choice word he would not have said if the twins were awake. "Remind me to help you out with courtin' Mary, pard. I bet me an' the twins can get you two hitched up so fast it will make your head swim. And, Nathan, you can get hitched to Rain the same days as Chris and Mary." Vin grinned at the two glares trying to set him afire. He was on a roll now. "I bet Polly or Molly would make it a triple weddin' if ya asked one of 'em, Buck." He grinned evilly at his friends secretly glad they had come for him. He had never once thought the twins would think he had never had a real Christmas, and Vin was touched by their worry for him. He vowed then and there that no one would hurt his twins. He drifted off to sleep not minding the stiff neck he would probably have in the morning from sleeping like this. Tomorrow would be the first Christmas he could remember in a long time that he didn't have to worry about that bone aching loneliness that had usually been his present for several long years. He never dreamed that this would be a Christmas no would forget for a very long time.
Roscoe Faver was another man who slept dreaming about the money and revenge he would get tomorrow. He would never know how the seven had stumbled upon their plans, but he would regret the day he laid eyes on the men from Four Corners.
Continued in Part Two
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