DISCLAIMER: No profit is made in any way shape or form from this fan fic. All of the Magnificent Seven characters are the property of Mirisch, Trilogy, MGM, CBS, and now TNN. The twins, however, are mine. Captain McNelly was an actual Texas Ranger during this time period. Sam Crockett is just a name.
The object of everyone's thoughts was getting closer to Brecken. He'd actually slept the night through, but by dawn the jumbled thoughts in his head could keep their peace no longer. He needed to get on the move before someone remembered this cave from the last time he'd used it. Was it Nathan or JD who had camped here with him to avoid a rainstorm? It didn't matter. He'd made a meal of rabbit, but it was a skinny, tough thing with not much meat on it. It only served to make him hungrier. Hell, he could be eating biscuits, hot, fluffy biscuits dripping with butter and covered with peach preserves. Mrs. Bridger sure knew how to spoil a man. He saddled the horse and headed for Brecken.
No one would think to look for him there with all the people coming and going on the trains all the time. His friends would be too busy looking in the obvious places, which meant Vin had to do something to throw them off. Brecken would be the perfect place to go until he could collect his thoughts and decide what to do. The sheriff and the barkeep both would spot him a place to stay and food to eat until he could straighten everything out. If nothing else, he'd invite himself to stay in the suite of rooms Terrell kept in case of railroad business. Why not let his aunt's husband foot the bill? His aunt. He had an aunt. He had an aunt, and she had a husband and an uncle, which made him somebody's nephew and great-nephew. And he had cousins. The twins were his cousins. Hell, he actually did belong to them now, but where had his family been when he was all alone?
Why was he left to the mercy of strangers when he'd had kin? Had his mother done something so wrong that they didn't want her son? Why didn't anyone want him enough to come and get him? He was a good little boy. Sure he was up to a lot of mischief, but weren't all children? He knew his ma loved him. She was always hugging on him even when he wanted to go and play. And his Indian family had loved him. The chief had puffed up with pride the first time he'd killed a buffalo for the tribe. He'd called him son and treated him like his son teaching him right from wrong until the soldiers had come and turned the village into a blood bath. He'd been all through these thoughts the day before, and they confused him just as much now as they had then. He kept moving at a steady pace, trying to concentrate on the terrain, the sky, the cold, anything but the turmoil that was driving him nuts.
It was noon now, and he was nearing the place where he and Ezra had set the dynamite to slow the kidnappers down. It had been one hell of a ride. It was a ride where two men found they had even more in common than they thought. A ride where two men accepted the fact that they were friends, not just men who worked together. He stopped to let the horse drink and rest. He was hungry, but he'd been hungry before. He walked over after drinking some of the cold water and leaned against a tree. It was the same tree he'd been leaning against when Chris and Buck had taken the children on to Four Corners.
There were still a few bare patches where the undergrowth had not yet covered over the spot where they had blown the dynamite. He absently rubbed the spot where the bullet had grazed his side. Chris had been angry that night, not wanting to ride ahead with the children even when Ezra volunteered to stay behind and make certain Vin left in time. Larabee never worried about what could happen to him. No, he always put the others' safety ahead of his own. That didn't change things. Vin was still mighty pissed at Chris. He should have told him what he knew. Ezra, too. They both should have told him so that pinched face bitch couldn't have hurt him the way she did.
Vin let his body slide down the tree and sat thinking back on times that he had worked so hard to forget. The constant loneliness. The waiting for a family who never came. The constant disappointment whenever someone showed up and they hadn't come for him. He'd run away from the orphanage because he knew he would be lost there if he stayed. The memories poured over him as he watched the horse drink from the water as the sun bounced images of light across the water.
They just didn't understand how all his life he had tried to avoid thinking about why his family had refused to come and get him. He had waited three years for them to show up. No one ever did. Even the nuns had left him with that man who was just like that Miss Jones. Old man Perkins was never happy until he had beaten some child all the while telling him that he belonged in hell else his parents wouldn't have died and left him alone. Vin had watched and endured the suffering for almost six months, but he just hadn't been able to take it any more.
On the third anniversary of his mother's death, eight-year old Vin Tanner had run away. He finally accepted the fact that the kin his mother had promised would want him and love him as much as she had were never coming for him. He'd snuck into Perkins' office and had taken his father's badge and his mother's locket with their pictures in it and wrapped them in a bandanna. Then he had stolen some food from the kitchen, crawled down the trellis outside the window, crawled over the fence, and run off into the darkness. He ran as far from the town lights as he could, dropping to rest finally by the river. Then without food or water he had gone up one hill to the next as the hill country of Texas unfolded before him.
Three days later, worn out, filthy, hungry, lost, needing someone to find him, he'd come across a place of endless beauty. Even now, he could still picture the pink granite sticking up out of the ground in the early morning sun. Enchanted Rock. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Then as he'd stood there gawking, he'd been surrounded by Indians. They were all young braves, a hunting party. Small as he was, Vin stood straight up and looked for a place to run. They would want his scalp, but no one was gonna cut his hair. It was his hair. He picked up a piece of rock, pink granite like on Enchanted Rock, to protect himself. One of the Indians had pointed at him and said something. The others had laughed, but one young brave had held up his hand and said something. It shut the others up. The brave had gotten off his horse and approached Vin.
"You are far from home." He spoke just like Vin did. Perkins had said Indians were ignorant savages who couldn't talk at all, but this man spoke English. "This is sacred ground to us. Why are you here? Your family?" The young brave had looked at him. Vin had been scared. Almost too scared to talk until the brave actually squatted down to get to eye level with Vin. Two other young braves got down as well and flanked their friend. They knew Vin was scared of them, but the fact he stood his ground had impressed them. So did his blue eyes. One of the young braves pointed to Vin's eyes and said something. The one who spoke English had laughed and then told Vin why.
"My friend says you have the color of the sky in your eyes."
Vin had started to smile. These Indians weren't so bad. For some reason he told the brave the truth. "I run away."
The young man, he couldn't have been older than seventeen, had looked at him and then asked why. Vin told him about how he'd run from old man Perkins because no one wanted him. The young brave translated for the others. There was a moment of rapid-fire chatter and then the young brave who seemed to be in charge asked Vin a question that changed his life.
"Do you want to come with us and be one of our people? We will teach you to hunt, to fish, to be a warrior." Vin had taken one hard look around him at the eight young braves and then at the one in front of him.
"I ain't no Indian. No one'll want me."
"You will be Comanche in here." The young brave patted Vin on the chest. "And you will be my brother." Vin looked at him with big blue eyes wide with emotion. Then he smiled. He put his hand in the extended one of the young brave. He was pulled up behind his new brother when the thought hit him.
"What if yore pa don't want me?"
"My father has always wanted another son. And my mother will like the color of your eyes. You will bring us good luck because we found you here." His logic made perfect sense to the eight-year old boy. From that point on, he followed his brother everywhere.
The horse snorted, wanting attention. It brought Vin back to the present. If his family had come for him, Vin would have never met his Comanche family. He'd never have learned to hunt and shoot and see the beauty in the vast wilderness. He'd never have been in Four Corners to save Nathan and meet Chris. He'd never have met his friends, Chris, Buck, Ezra, Josiah, JD, and Nathan. He'd never been the man he was, and truth be told Vin Tanner liked who he was. He could have lived without the bounty on his head, and he could have learned to read sooner, but he never had met anyone he trusted enough with his secret who would help him instead of laugh at him like Mary Travis. He'd never have met Mary or Billy or Nettie or Judge Travis. They were all part of who he was, and he'd missed them badly while he'd been gone in the mountains saying goodbye. He missed them now. They were the reason he was cold and tired and hungry now. Damn, he hated this feeling of loneliness that kept creeping up and reminding him of all those times he'd been with his friends, good times and bad. They had become his family, and now his real family had shown up to confuse him. Why now???? He jumped on the horse and headed for Brecken. At this rate, he'd make it by late afternoon or early evening. Dinner time. He felt for his money pouch in his pocket. It was there. He gave the horse its head and let it take him onward, away from his family in Four Corners.
He had to get out of this place before the memories came back again. They only served to confuse him more. He knew no more now that he did before. He knew only that the world he had finally come to accept and cherish was no more. Nothing would ever be the same again. But that was life, wasn't it? Didn't it always change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse? Was this time for the worse? Were the friendships he'd found in Four Corners so shaky, so cheap that he could afford to lose them because of pride? He was getting closer to Brecken, and he could see the homesteads cropping up. In the distance he'd heard the train whistle. Trains reminded him of the Terrells.
They had really thrown his life for a loop, just like the railroad did to the farmers and ranchers. He hoped Four Corners would turn out to benefit from the railroad like Brecken had instead of Dowling, the town they'd seen the law so ineffective against the winds of change. With the seven present, how could it turn out like Dowling?
Chris had said they could handle Four Corners just fine, the seven of them. The seven of them. That phrase had come to mean a lot to him. It hit him just now how much being part of the seven had been the haven he had been searching for since he'd lost his Indian family. Damn, he missed them. Why the hell was he riding to Brecken anyway? He should have stayed in Four Corners and told his friends what he thought of them. Why should he be the one to leave? He wasn't the one keeping secrets from his friends, well at least any secret that concerned one of them. And why the hell was he running to Brecken with no more gear than the mare's leg strapped to his thigh and the clothes on his back? All he was doing was running, and from what, the truth? He'd faced harsher truths before and lived. He'd watched his ma die, his Comanche family butchered, his freedom stolen from him. What had Chris and even Ezra and JD done but keep quiet? He knew for certain that if they thought he could have been so badly hurt by the truth, they would never have withheld it from him. They had all proved to him what kind of friends they were in Sorrow Canyon, so why had they kept quiet unless they had been asked to?
Alexandra Terrell must have asked them to. She'd said she needed to talk to him before he did anything else. Was this what she wanted to talk to him about? He started playing the scene over and over in his mind using every bit of his memory. She had looked like someone had shot John or one of the children. She hadn't looked so much mad that he had figured out what that Jones woman was babbling about, but that he'd found out from someone other than her. And the look in her eyes, like she'd just lost something so precious. Was he so upset because he'd found out that way and that he felt someone had betrayed him that he couldn't see the pain in her eyes? Miss Jones might have enjoyed it had she known what she was doing. People like her liked to twist the knife once they had it in someone. They liked to watch them squirm, but Alexandra Terrell had never treated him in any other way than as a man she respected and admired. She had genuinely liked him. That he knew for certain. Why else would she have allowed him such familiarity with her children? It wasn't gratitude that let her step back and allow her children to ask for his help in getting rid of Miss Jones. Maybe he had been too hasty in running, and he had run. Could he have misjudged her and his friends?
The more he pondered the more he decided that he needed to know. He needed to stand and face the truth whether he liked it or not because not knowing was killing him. It was turning him into a coward who ran from the truth. And his ma had told him Tanners were strong. Strong men didn't run from the truth. He was going to rest up, fill his belly with some hot food, and then sleep on it. He was going back tomorrow and have it out with them. He was running, and his ma didn't raise him to run like a coward. He would go back and listen to them, all they had to say, and then he would decide what he would do. He owed it to himself and to his ma to find out the truth. Tomorrow he was going home whether the truth was something he wanted to hear or not.
By the time he arrived it was late afternoon in Brecken. He'd finally reached the conclusions that he was perfectly right in being angry over what had happened, that he'd turned tail and run from his problems which wasn't his way, and that he owed it to his friends and family to hear their side before he condemned them. He might have to shoot one or two of his friends, but he would at least have given them a chance to say their peace before he shot them. Having decided to return and face this head on, he rode into Brecken in a much calmer mood than when he'd left Four Corners.
The first person he saw was Sheriff Johnson stepping out of the telegraph office. He took one look at Tanner and waved him over. As he got closer, he saw the grin on the older man's face and knew immediately that someone had wired the Sheriff to look out for him. Chris or John Terrell, and here Vin had thought he was being so clever doing just the opposite of what he would normally do. Damn, he should have gone to Chanu's people. Better yet, he should never have left at all. Vin threw his leg over and slid from the saddle to the ground. The sheriff quietly, but with a wink that told Vin he understood how he felt, handed him the telegram.
TANNER ARRIVE NEXT FEW DAYS STOP PUT HIM IN HOTEL STOP KEEP HIM IN TOWN UNTIL ARRIVE STOP JOHN TERRELL STOP CHRIS LARABEE
"You gone and done somethin' foolish, boy?" Vin smiled ruefully and handed the telegram back to the sheriff.
"Naw, just run off half cocked 's all. Guess they're worried I'll light a shuck to nowhere or run into some fellas lookin' for a bounty."
"Then it's a good thing you ain't that Vin Tanner fella. Him I might have to put into jail, Mr. Sheridan." The sheriff slapped Vin on the back and pushed him towards the saloon. "What say I buy ya some dinner and a drink to wash that trail dust down with?"
In a better mood than he'd been in twenty-four hours, Vin fell into step with the sheriff. "One day folks are gonna get real confused when you say Sheridan an' I turn 'round lookin' fer 'im too."
"Got too many strangers what with the train and all. Won't hurt none they don't know who ya really are, son. Sides, I ain't got the heart to tell that barkeep that you and that fancy gambler fella ain't kin. Still thinks you boys are cousins, and he helped roust that gang of kidnappers after the Terrell twins."
"He's a good man."
"That he is. Runs a good, honest place, good food, too." The mention of food made Vin's stomach growl. Sheriff Johnson looked over and laughed. "Sounds like you could eat yer weight, boy."
"That I can, Sheriff, that I can." They walked into saloon trading news.
An hour later and stuffed until he was satisfied, Vin walked out with the Sheriff. He was off to meet the train, and hearing who was getting off it made Vin join him.
"Heard Mary and Billy were gonna be home by the end of the week, just didn't know the judge was coming with them, or that they'd be stoppin' here first."
"Yep, hear the judge is gonna see Mrs. Travis and her boy to Four Corners and then join his wife and friends in Denver for the holidays. Got some other judge with him."
"Anything like Judge Travis?" Vin respected Travis, and any friend of the judge had to be worth his salt.
"Heard he don't put up with liars, and hangs 'em twice iffen he catches any man lyin' to him."
Vin laughed, "Yep, he's just like the judge."
The train whistle could be heard from the depot. The noise of the train braking made talk impossible for several minutes. As Vin stood on the platform looking for signs of the judge, Mary, or Billy he caught a glimpse of a face that made his spine tingle with dread. It couldn't possibly be her, could it? Dear God she was on the same train as Mary and Billy. Vin began to look in earnest.
"Sheriff, there might be trouble brewing. Can you get everyone to the hotel? I gotta go check on someone." Before the sheriff could answer, Vin was gone from the platform and into the crowded train car. Stepping up on one of the seats, he looked the car over and once more spotted the woman dressed in the dark blue velvet. She wore a veil of the same color, but Vin knew her anyway. It was Ella. Trapped by the crush of people trying to get off of the train, Ella turned and blew a kiss to Vin. She was near the other opening and the full car from him. He saw Mary and Billy outside on the platform. He started to close the distance between him and Ella by stepping from one train bench to the other.
Ella was out the door and on the platform walking behind Mary as Vin reached the door. She was carrying something in her hand, and Vin saw the last rays of the sun glint off the metal of the knife blade. He shoved one man out of his way and started yelling over the crowd. Mary kept walking unaware of the danger growing closer to her and her son. Just as Vin was ready to draw his mare's leg and shoot Ella if he had to, she stopped. Looking over her shoulder at Vin and then at whatever was in front of her, she appeared to falter. Then, she ducked into the crowd on the platform. Vin couldn't tell if she got back on the train or disappeared into Brecken. He just knew that whoever or whatever had stopped Ella had saved Mary's life. Where the hell was Chris when you needed him anyway?
Unaware of the danger she had been in, Mary was delighted to see Vin Tanner. She looked around in hopes of seeing the man who usually rode with him, but Larabee was no where to be seen. She'd hoped maybe he had missed her enough to meet her, but she had never given him any indication she would have liked that. Things had been rather strained between Mary and Chris lately. She'd held out some really big hopes for the man in black, but when he left to ride off with Ella Gaines, she'd been hurt. She had told herself repeatedly that she had no claim on him, but she had thought that he had cared more for her than just to up and leave when the first rich and good looking woman showed up from his past. The month that Vin had been gone had left Mary and Chris sidestepping one another. She shook her head at her foolish thoughts when her son did more than just smile hello to one of his favorite people in the world.
"Vin!" Vin barely had time before the little boy launched himself right at Tanner. He was engulfed in a hug and then peppered with questions. Not seeing any immediate danger from Ella, Vin concentrated on answering Billy while he kept a vigilant eye on everything and everyone.
"Is Chris with ya? When'd ya get back? Why didn't ya say goodbye when ya left? You goin' home with us?" Vin laughed and answered Billy in order. He'd been around the rapid-fire questions of the twins and was getting very good at answering them.
"No. Coupla days ago. Didn't mean to, but I had to go then. Maybe. Let's get you to the hotel." The look on his face indicated trouble, so the judge, the man with him, and Mary all walked with him to the hotel.
Sheriff Johnson arranged for a porter to take the luggage to the hotel while he escorted them there. Tanner wasn't one to make up trouble, but if he said he'd spotted some, then that was good enough for Johnson. He knew Tanner wouldn't say anything in front of the woman or the boy, but he caught the eye of one of his deputies who happened to be his son. He trusted his son to watch over Mrs. Travis and her family until Tanner could explain. He also knew Judge Crockett not only by reputation, but from his years as a Texas Ranger. Johnson knew why Crockett was here.
Johnson liked the seven men who protected Four Corners. They were good men, although most folks only saw the gunslinger or the fancy gambler or the former bounty hunter. But Frank Johnson had dealt with thieves and murderers all his adult life, and he knew these men were ones to ride the river with. Vin Tanner no more murdered that Kincaid fella than he had, and that is exactly what Sheriff Johnson had told Judge Crockett in person when he'd been interviewed by the judge. The fact that Eli Joe hired a group of murderers posing as a marshal and his deputies just to kill Tanner was proof enough for Johnson on Tanner's innocence. Now they just had to convince the hanging judge of San Antonio. If they all survived the danger Tanner had seen on the train.
Vin insisted on using the Terrell suite. He knew that the others were coming, at least John and Chris were. He didn't want anything to happen to Mary or Billy, so he couldn't leave right away to look for Ella. So, he waited until Mary went to settle Billy into the room he would share with her to speak to the others. He knew the deputy and suspected the other man was the judge Sheriff Johnson had told him was coming with them. He didn't have time to find out.
Turning to Johnson he asked, "When's the next train leave outa here?"
"Bout a hour an' a half. What's this trouble you're talkin' about, Tanner?"
Vin turned to look at Judge Travis and told him specifically as he explained to the others. "I saw Ella Gaines." Judge Travis's eyes narrowed as he waited. "She got off the train when she saw Mary. She was followin' her and Billy. Looked to have a knife in her hand."
Judge Travis sat with a loud thump in the chair as if someone had just pulled the rug out from under his feet. "Dear God. You don't think she's after Mary, do you?"
"She waited until I saw her clear, Judge, then she got off the train knowing I would follow her. She was walkin' right up behind Mary when somethin' stopped her."
The other men in the room started asking questions at one time until Oren held up his hand to silence them. "Vin tell us what you know." Vin told them Ella's description and where he had last seen her. After listening intently, Judge Travis spoke again, "I'll need someone to stay here and guard Mary and Billy while we search for this woman."
"What's she done, Judge?" Sheriff Johnson had no problem arresting a woman, but Vin Tanner had the same look on his face that Johnson remembered from the Terrell kidnapping. He'd made up his mind that no one was going to hurt Mary or her son. This woman had to be mighty dangerous for Tanner to be acting like this. The other man had remained mostly silent until now. He had been watching Vin and listening to him intently. He spoke for the first time.
"What crime has she committed that would make you demand a search and confine Mrs. Travis and her son to this room under guard?"
Vin regarded the man looking at him. Silently taking his measure as a hard but honest man, Vin stopped to give him a reason. It wouldn't do to make an enemy out of any judge. "She paid to have Chris Larabee's wife and son murdered so she could have him. The woman's crazy. She killed a woman an' her child 'cause she believed it would make Chris love her."
"Name's Sam Crockett. And you?" Crockett already liked Tanner. The man was no fool and he appeared honest. He knew he had to be objective, but Crockett was a man who believed that a man who murdered another for money legal or not was a man who would kill without thought. The man in front of him did not appear to be that type of man, but the judge was going to see this through. He would wait and see how Tanner conducted himself. Without hesitation, Vin took his hand in a firm grip.
"Vin Tanner. You any kin to?" The Texas drawl was evident and Crockett smiled.
"Distant cousins, son. So distant, I doubt there's much blood but the name between us, but it's a proud name."
"That it is. You're a judge, too?"
"Yes." If Tanner didn't know he was a Texas judge sent here to question him, he might learn even more about the real Vin Tanner. Fair or not, the judge wanted to know the man. He wouldn't give a pardon to a murderer no matter how much the governor had future plans for the US Senate. As Judge Travis went to ask Mary to join them so he could explain, the judge made his plans. "Tanner, I remember a Jeff Tanner years ago when I first joined the Rangers. Must have been a good twenty-five twenty-six years ago. Rode with Jack Hayes and Rip Ford. Any kin?"
"My pa, but he died 'fore my ma. Don't remember much 'bout him." Vin was distracted for a moment. This man had known his pa. It was too much information all at one time, but he wasn't running from it this time. This time Mary and Billy needed him.
"Well, I remember some stories Rip Ford still tells. Maybe we can talk later and I'll tell you some of 'em over a shot of whiskey?"
Vin was about to agree when the judge threw the door open from Mary's room.
"I can't find Mary or Billy. The door was open and they weren't in the hallway or on the stairs."
Vin didn't wait. He brushed past Crockett and headed for the door. Before he could get any further, Johnson stopped him.
"Tanner!" Vin had the door opened but he paused and looked over his shoulder. "You gonna wear a badge in my town." Vin caught the badge Johnson tossed him.
"Until she's behind bars and Mary and Billy are safe."
"Good enough. Let's go. Tom, you go round up the boys and tell 'em what's goin' on." With that, he was out the door following Tanner.
Crockett and Travis were left alone. "Somehow I get the feeling that Ella Gaines is gonna regret goin' after your grandson and his ma. You want to tell me what's between her and Larabee? She seems real fond of Tanner?" Oren knew Sam was just trying to keep him focused on anything but the fact was that he'd already lost his son. He couldn't imagine what losing his grandson would do to him, or Mary for that matter.
They heard the commotion all the way up the stairs and the two men hurried down the stairs to witness Vin Tanner at the hotel window with his mare's leg trained on someone they couldn't see from where they stood. They looked at one another and reached the lobby doors in time to hear the icy voice that stopped everyone in their tracks.
"I said LET HER GO, NOW!" Every word was delivered in an icy threat that made Sam Crockett take sharp notice and Oren Travis relax just a fraction. Whoever the man speaking was, he was being given full authority as Johnson took up position with a rifle in the opposite window of the hotel.
A man dressed totally in black was standing behind the two men holding Mary Travis with a gun to her head. Crockett saw John Terrell holding Billy Travis over near the saloon door, shielding the boy with his body. Two men flanked him, one impeccably dressed in a red jacket and the other was tall with a mustache. They were standing there silent, but with their hands resting on their guns. No one was moving or talking.
Then one of the men spoke. "You let us ride outa here or we'll kill her now."
"You so much as get one speck of dust on her, an' you'll wish I killed you fast. I'm not tellin' you again. LET HER GO!" Larabee was standing less than a foot from the two men holding Mary now. He felt her eyes on him, but he couldn't take the time to look at her and reassure her. He'd seen Vin at the window, and one of the gunmen was visibly panicking. His gun wavered and Larabee drew as he heard the mare's leg boom.
Mary nearly fell into his arms as he pulled her away from the bodies on the ground. Neither man was dead. Chris had shot the wavering gun out of the hand of the man who had panicked. He was clutching his bloody hand and yelling for a doctor. Buck put his gun in the man's face.
"I'd shut up if I were you. That boy's ma happens to be a friend a ours."
Ezra was standing over the man Vin had taken care of. His left shoulder was useless, but the man tried to get his gun with his other hand. Ezra's boot stopped him. "Now, now, we cannot allow you to have that weapon. Look at what befell you the last time you were allowed to play with guns."
One of the deputies, Johnson's twenty-three year old son, looked up from collecting the man and grinned. "You men don't fool around, do ya?"
"I prefer to think that we are very proficient at our chosen professions. I myself am a man of chance. Perhaps when I next visit your quaint town under much friendlier circumstances you might introduce me to others who share that particular avocation?"
Vin Tanner had come to stand beside his friends. When the two deputies looked over at him, Vin smiled.
"He wants you to point out some dumb rich fellas next time he's in town so's he can fleece 'em."
"Now Mr. Tanner, I do not fleece ignorant persons. I merely relieve them of their ready cash in order to put it to better use." Ezra didn't want his good impression ruined by his friend, even if his friend probably owed him a payback for failing to tell him what he knew.
"The better use is the Ezra Standish Saloon Fund." Vin saw the looks go a bit off again and he realized he sounded like Ezra for just a moment. "He wants to get enough money to buy a fancy saloon."
"Oh, okay." Both deputies nodded their understanding as they took the two men to jail.
Vin turned to Chris and Mary. Suddenly, everything he'd been feeling hit him again, but then he was tired, angry, and had almost seen two people he loved nearly gunned down in front of him. He was lucky no one was dead, and that thought put everything into perspective. None of his friends had done anything except try to protect him, just like they had protected Mary. He planned on making them grovel just a bit to teach them that he expected they trust him enough to tell him rather than keep things from him, but they had Ella Gaines to catch. John Terrell walked up carrying a little boy intent on getting to his mother and Chris. As Billy jumped up and wrapped his arms around his mother's neck, Vin explained in as few words as possible.
"Ella Gaines is here. Those men were probably hired by her." Chris nodded and looked at Mary. The barrier that had been between them had been shattered when both thought they might lose one another. With that woman's name, Vin saw the barrier go back up on Mary's side. He sighed out loud. How the hell had Chris Larabee ever gotten Sarah to marry him without his friends' help? "Ya want me to look for her or stay with Mary and Billy?" Vin was letting Chris call the shots. He knew it would give Larabee the time to focus on the job at hand, and that was to keep Mary and Billy safe from Ella.
Chris looked grateful before his face took on its passive look. Handing Mary and Billy over to Vin was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, but if Ella was trying to kill them after Larabee had tried to stay away from them then she had to be stopped. Chris realized that Mary would never be safe from Ella even if Chris begged Ella to marry him on bent knee. He turned to regard the closed look on Mary's face. Very gently, he spoke to her letting everything he felt for her show in his eyes. "Go with Vin. I'll come explain everything as soon as I can." When she would have spoken, he put his hand out and cupped her face in his palm, placing his thumb over her mouth. "I promise. We'll talk as soon as I make sure you and Billy are safe."
Mary nodded and followed Vin into the hotel where she and Billy were engulfed in a hug by Oren Travis. It wasn't until that moment that Mary actually realized that if Chris had not ridden up when he had, that she and Billy would be dead. She had no idea why John Terrell was there, although she knew he would be in Four Corners. But why they were all here was beyond her ability to think about just now. She was shaking by the time she'd gotten to the room and Oren took Billy into the other room. Vin led Mary to the couch and sat beside her. He put his arms around her and just held her until she stopped shaking. He had a feeling he knew a little about how she felt.
"It's all right. We won't let her hurt you or Billy."
Mary stiffened for a moment and then turned the fury that had been consuming her on Vin. "Why would the woman Chris loves want to hurt me? What is wrong with you people? He left her because he was mad she lied to him, but that doesn't make it a reason why she would try and hurt me or Billy. What's going on??"
Vin's surprise was momentary. Mary didn't know. In the month that he had been gone, the rift between Mary and Chris must have gotten wider and Larabee had been too consumed in keeping Mary safe from Ella to tell her. Vin didn't mind Larabee's reticence when it came to barking his business all over town, but the man needed to learn that there were times you had to talk. Like when you found out something that would blow a friend away or get the woman you loved killed. Mary's anger only added to Vin's sense that his friend needed a good swift kick in the rear or a bullet hole some place safe, just a little nick to make him wake up and smell the coffee. He was about to explain when Judge Crockett brought Mary a glass.
"Drink this, Mary. Sip it." He cautioned. Then he turned his gaze on Tanner. "You didn't kill that man." It was more of a question, and it brought Vin out of thoughts that could let his guard slip and let Mary or Billy get hurt.
"He didn't need killin'. If he'd a hurt Mary or Billy, I'd a killed him without a thought. But we need to know if Ella paid him to do it. Sheriff Johnson'll see justice done."
He was surprised when the judge smiled at him and shook his head like Vin had just confirmed something the judge had known all along. "You sound like a man who appreciates justice, Mr. Tanner. I like that. Now if you will excuse me, I think I'll check on Oren and the boy."
Mary was stunned when she'd heard Ella's name mentioned. She still remembered the letter that had been sent to Chris via the Clarion and the picture that had fallen out of it. Chris had been dressed formally and was standing next to a smug looking Ella. Mary had thought that Chris would eventually forgive Ella for lying to him to get him to come to her ranch after a time, but the look that Chris had given here after she was safe confused her. What else had Ella done, and why hadn't Chris told her? The brandy in the glass made her feel warm all over, and the fact that she was drinking it on an empty stomach just made her a little bit looser with her thoughts. Her natural reserve was forgotten as she let the reporter in her have free rein.
"What's going on? What does Chris need to talk to me about, and why are Billy and I in danger? Don't look at me like that. Tell me, or I will leave and go ask those men myself!" Vin knew she would do just that.
"She's the one who paid Fowler to kill Sarah and Adam. She's crazy about Chris and thinks killin' anyone he loves will make him love her."
Mary was stunned for the second time that day. Vin took her glass and refilled it. Mary hadn't liked Ella when she'd met her, but she hadn't known that the woman was a killer. A murderess who would order the death of a little boy and his mother. Now, they said she was after Mary.
"That woman ordered the death of Sarah and Adam?" Vin heard the confusion and anger in her voice. He knew exactly how she felt to be the last one to find out because someone thought they were protecting you. He almost smiled. Chris was going to have to talk a blue streak to settle this one down. Mary was madder than he had been.
"Know how ya feel."
"How could you possibly know how I feel?"
"Cause he went an' done it to me, too."
"Who did what?" Mary was becoming confused. Who and what was Vin talking about?
Vin looked at her and gave her that understanding smile of his. If he didn't wipe it off his face in the next second, she'd kill him.
"You know why we're all here, or at least most of us? We're here cause they were chasin' me. I got mad an' left. They were comin' after me."
Mary looked at Vin. Had he found out why Judge Crockett was here? Mary had only discovered it the day before. Chris knew about this all along, too? Then she heard Vin talking, and she stopped to listen to him. What he said almost mad her jump up and scream.
"Seems Alexandra Terrell is my ma's youngest sister. She was supposed to tell me, but some old biddy did it first an' I got mad when I found out Chris and Ezra already knew. I lit a shuck outa town, an' they came after me. I reckon JD and the rest are with Alexandra and the children." Vin finally looked at Mary and knew she was as stunned at the news as he was. She looked madder, if that were possible. Vin couldn't help it. He had to smile when the first thing that burst into his brain was the thought, 'Chris is gonna get it now!'
"Of all the arrogant, impossible men, Chris Larabee takes the prize! And how on earth, no when, I mean, well damn, I go away for a week and this happens?" Yeah, Mary was working herself up into a really good head of steam. When she'd said damn, Vin had to bite back the smile that threatened to betray his amusement. Then, he heard someone at the door. He stood in front of Mary and pulled his mare's leg. John Terrell announced himself before he came in the main room.
"It's John." Vin unlocked the door and motioned Mary behind the couch. She didn't look too thrilled at the idea, but Vin frowned at her and she complied for the moment. He stepped back and spoke.
"It's open." John Terrell opened the door wide in order to show Vin that he was alone. The tracker, no his nephew nodded at him and motioned him in.
"Chris and the others are checking out the town with the sheriff and the deputies. As soon as they can find out anything, they'll come up here and tell the rest of us." He turned to Mary. "Are you all right?"
"Oh, I'm just peachy. I just found out a friend of mine is kin to another friend but no one's bothered to tell either one of us. I just had a gun pointed to my head by some hired killer because some mad woman thinks Chris Larabee is in love with me, and my son watched the two men who kidnapped us in the first place get shot! And every time someone comes to the door, I have to hide behind a couch! Of course I'm fine, John!" Mary was so mad she couldn't think. She stalked over to the side table and poured herself another brandy. She tossed it down like it was water. John raised an eyebrow and looked at Vin. Vin's lips twitched at the corners, and Terrell saw the same impish grin he knew from his wife and twins. Someone was going to pour kerosene on the fire that was Mary Travis. He knew Vin was actually relishing the tongue-lashing John was receiving and that was awaiting Chris Larabee. He steeled himself for the wry comment that came out of his wife's nephew's mouth.
"Well, least we didn't kill 'em."
Mary turned on Vin her eyes blazing. In a controlled voice that should and would have scared anyone in their right mind, she advanced on Tanner, "Who didn't you kill?"
"Your kidnappers," Vin actually smiled this time. "Billy didn't see no one get killed. I just winged mine, so did Chris." John didn't know what to do. Mary's eyes got real wide and advanced closer to Tanner. Her fists were clenched. John was going to have to return to Four Corners and tell Alexandra that Mary Travis had killed her nephew. Maybe there was time to get his horse and head out of this town to the mountains, Brazil, anywhere there wasn't an angry woman ready to kill someone. He might even warn Chris, so he could have some company when he ran. He tried to remind himself he was a brave man, but John winced as he watched as Mary come face to face with Vin Tanner.
"Are you saying I should be grateful you didn't kill them in front of Billy?"
Tanner never flinched. "Yeah, I mean we didn't even get any blood on ya. Now he can watch the judge try an' hang 'em." He saw Mary's eyes narrow, and then he couldn't help himself. He chuckled at her. She wasn't any good to them all worked up like this, just as he was lucky some bounty hunters hadn't caught him on his mad run to Brecken. They both needed to calm down and take control of their problems instead of letting others do it for them. And as he chuckled, he saw John Terrell's face. The man didn't know Mary like he did, but Vin started laughing in earnest at the look on John's face. Mary saw and turned and looked at John, too. It dawned on her that John thought Vin was a dead man, and it suddenly hit her what her friend was doing. She looked from the one horrified man to the laughing one, and then she sat on the couch and started laughing, too. She punched Vin on the arm.
"Ow!"
"Oh shut up." Mary wasn't ready to let any of the men off of the hook, but she at least knew Vin knew exactly how she felt. He at least had come right out and told her the truth, unlike their mutual friend. Larabee was going to have to grovel big time when this was all over. John had thought both had lost their minds, but he realized that Mary calm and collected was less likely to go off on her own than the angry woman he had confronted earlier. He grinned ruefully at both of them.
"I just knew you were making her angrier. I should have trusted you both more." It was an apology that made Vin and Mary both look at John Terrell like he was a painting on display at a museum. He was at this moment an object of great curiosity, and John was not one to lose a moment such as this. "Do you know how I met Alexandra?" The question threw both Vin and Mary for a short moment. He walked over and poured himself a glass of brandy as he took up his story again. "I met her fifteen years ago in Texas. She and her uncle were having trouble with a group of drunken cowboys. I rescued her." He stopped to look at his now rapt audience. "Then, I did the smartest thing I ever did in my life. I asked her to marry me. She took one look at me and told me to go away; she didn't have time to get married. I asked her why not. She informed me that she was looking for her nephew. She wanted to bring him home, and she didn't have time to ignore some fortune hunter no matter how handsome he was." He knew Vin was paying close attention and what he said next would determine if Vin would give Alexandra the chance to explain it all to him. "My brother informed her we weren't fortune hunters, and that we would be happy to help her find her nephew. That's when I found out what a volatile temper she had. She asked us that if the Texas Rangers couldn't find a ten year old little boy, what made us think we could?" Both Vin and Mary smiled at this.
"What'd ya say?" It was almost a whisper, but John and Mary heard it. And John Terrell had known his wife long enough to recognize the same sense of fair play he now saw in her nephew.
"I told her that I would spend every dime I had and spend the rest of my life helping her find her nephew if she would marry me." John took a drink of the brandy. He knew when to close a deal. "Took me one week to convince her that I loved her completely, and another to convince her that she loved me. Then, I had to put it in writing that I would use every resource I had until I found you. Your aunt was as remarkable a businesswoman at twenty as she is now. And, I have never, ever failed to fulfill a contract." John looked Vin right in the eye to let him know that there was no way he would allow Vin to go anywhere until he gave Alexandra the opportunity to talk to him. "I have never broken a vow to my wife, and I do not intend to start now."
Vin returned John's gaze with equal candor. What he had said made sense to Vin. They had looked for him, but he'd been living with the Indians by then. No one had any way of knowing where he was, but she had kept looking for him. John had just furnished part of the answer to the question that had plagued Vin since his ma had died. Over the years he had managed to hide the question, bury it so it wouldn't bother him so much. It was what he had reacted to in the first place. It wasn't that he felt betrayed so much as he was frightened of what he would learn, that no one had ever come because no one had wanted him. But they had come; they had looked for him. He just wasn't anywhere they knew to look. A little bit of peace claimed his heart. He looked at John and nodded.
"Well, if she's got a temper like my ma, she ain't one you want mad at ya. I guess I'd better go back with ya an' talk to her. Wouldn't want to be the cause of your breaking a promise to her."
Mary put her hand on his arm and patted it. He'd let her stay to hear it all. Whether he needed a friend for support or one to keep him from doing anything stupid, he'd wanted her there with him. She'd always liked Vin's loyalty to his friends, and knowing she was counted as one of them made her feel like Ella Gaines had no power over her. She had powerful family and friends, but the seven men who'd banded together to help out in Four Corners were her best friends. She just regretted the fact that she was going to have to slap some sense into at least one of them, maybe more. Before she could say anything, there was a knock on the door.
"Vin, open up. It's us. We got to ride, now." Buck was at the door.
Chapter 25
John actually opened the door while Vin stood once again in front of Mary. This time she walked over to the room in which the judges were talking with Billy. Her son looked up and Mary saw chocolate cake over his shoulder. He pointed to an almost clean plate before he turned back to his dessert and milk. She smiled, but it turned to a frown when she turned back to the room and saw Chris Larabee standing there. He had the unmitigated gall to smile at her. Vin was at the window taking a very intense interest at a scene on the street below. Buck joined him and no one except Ezra noticed the matching grins they traded. Chris smiling was not going to win Mary over. John Terrell looked over at a bemused Sheriff Johnson and shrugged his shoulders.
"The livery man saw a woman matching Ella's description. A man hired a buggy and drove off with her. Said they were arguing. He wanted to go to Mexico and she didn't. They went off east instead of south."
Vin raised an eyebrow. He'd never heard Chris say so much at one time.
"Moons still bright. We oughta be able to track 'em we hurry." Chris looked over at him and nodded. Then he turned his back on everyone and advanced on Mary. His three friends looked at one another, then at the sheriff, then at John Terrell. They were of one mind. They all vacated the room in less than a minute.
"I'll go get the horses." Vin was gone.
"I'll help him." Buck was gone.
"I'll go tell the judge and Billy." Ezra didn't waste time on big words.
"I'll go make sure we got enough men to set a guard on Mrs. Travis and her son." Sheriff Johnson followed Vin and Buck through the door. That left John Terrell. He didn't bother to say a word. Neither one of them was paying attention to him now anyway. Since he'd already sent a telegram telling Alexandra that they had found Vin, he took the bottle of brandy, his glass, and made his way into the next room. He was hungry and the meal the judge had ordered smelled awfully good.
'Rats, they were all rats deserting the sinking ship. Even Vin, after all she had done for him, left her alone with Chris Larabee. Well, she could forgive Vin. Not wanting to see his best friend cut down in his prime Mary could understand, maybe even Buck and Ezra, but they could have stayed to help her out.' She had no desire to see Chris right now much less talk to him. She was still angry and hurt. She was not ready to forgive him for omitting to tell her everything.
"Are you all right?" Flame erupted in her eyes at that question. 'That was not the right question to ask, Larabee.'
"Well being as how I almost got killed, I guess I am supposed to throw myself in your arms and thank you for saving my life when you got me into this trouble in the first place?" Mary regretted the words before they even left her mouth. 'Oh great, now I say the one thing guaranteed to shut him up better than knocking him unconscious.'
Chris turned from Mary and looked out the window. There was so much to say and so much to apologize for he didn't know where to start. But, he had to tell her everything now or lose it all. He slowly turned to face her. Her eyes no longer condemned him; that was a step in the right direction. Did he start from the beginning? How much did she know?
"Tell me about Ella." So Vin had told her something. He remembered to thank his friend when he got a chance, if Vin gave him a chance. Chris was tired of shouldering all the responsibility. Maybe it was time he spread it out among his friends.
"You know what she did?"
"Vin told me all about that, but he didn't tell me why you wanted me to think you would eventually go back to Ella."
She wanted the truth and would accept nothing less. It was a day of reckoning for Larabee, and one he'd been trying to avoid since he'd found out that Ella had ordered his family killed. If he didn't tell the truth about his feelings for Mary now, he would lose her forever. That much he knew by the way she was waiting for his answer. Like Vin, she wanted to know she could trust Chris with more than her life. She wanted to know if Larabee trusted his friends with his feelings just as they trusted him enough to tell him. They had all put up with Larabee's silences once too often.
This time he had to vocalize what his friendship to Mary meant to him, or she was going to move on with her life. She owed it to Billy. She didn't want him to fall to his knees and propose, just let her know he valued the friendship they had enough to tell her the truth. As long as she knew she had his trust, Mary could wait forever for Chris to include her and Billy in his heart where he had kept only Sarah and Adam for so long. She just wanted to know he would trust her with the truth, let her shoulder some of the responsibility with him. It wasn't too much to ask considering all they had all been through together. It wasn't too much for Vin or Buck or any of his friends to ask of him. If Larabee was willing to give his life for them, he should be willing to trust them to share the truth with them, let them assume responsibility for the things that happened to them instead of Chris always accepting it alone.
Chris took a deep breath and plunged into unknown and unfamiliar territory. 'Damn, he wished he'd have gotten to talk to Vin first. It would have at least prepared him to face Mary, but when had he ever made it easier on himself?' He looked at Mary. He'd seen that look on a woman's face before. It meant she wasn't going anywhere until she got what she wanted from him. Too bad it wasn't his blood. He would rather shoot himself than do this, open himself up to heartache again. Taking a deep breath he plunged ahead. It actually became easier as he allowed the words to spill out of his mouth, and Mary listened.
"Ella was easy." Mary raised an elegant eyebrow at that comment and Chris had to explain what he'd meant. "I didn't love Ella; I never had. So, it was easy to take up with her again. I never wanted to feel like I did the days Sarah and Adam died."
Mary nodded her understanding. She also unconsciously relaxed which in turn made Chris relax. "You don't owe me an explanation about what happened with Ella. I want to know why you didn't tell me that she'd hired Fowler." Then, she asked the question she needed answered. "Why did you push me away when you got back? I thought we were friends."
"We are friends, but I didn't want Ella to think," he paused trying to get the words out.
Mary moved right up to Chris. Her close proximity reminded him just how much he had missed her. "To think what?" Her voice had dropped to a whisper and Chris had to lean into her words. Her lips were very close to his and suddenly the words weren't so difficult after all.
"To think that I cared as much for you as I cared for Sarah. I couldn't take that chance. I couldn't let Ella know in case she sent someone after you."
"She's mad, Chris. She came after me any way, even though you've stayed away. If you let her control who you care about who you trust then she wins and Sarah and Adam's deaths mean nothing. Do you see that?" She couldn't believe she'd gotten this much out of him, and she had to make him see that he was not the guilty party here. "You didn't leave Ella for Sarah, did you?" He shook his head no.
"We were through long before I met Sarah."
"You didn't kill Sarah and Adam. Ella did. You are not responsible; she is."
Chris rested his forehead against hers. "But if I hadn't loved her," he began.
"Then, Adam never would have been born. Could you have lived not having him in your life or Sarah? Would your life have been as good with Ella?"
Chris looked at her and pulled her into his arms. She held on content knowing that Ella had lost this battle. Then she heard the whisper near her ear.
"Ella's not gonna win this one. She's not worth the rope that's gonna hang her." He pulled back enough to look at Mary. She put her palm against his face, and Sheriff Johnson knocked on the door. The moment was ruined, but Mary already had more than what she wanted. She smiled at Chris.
"You'd better go before Vin gives you the slip again and takes on Ella by himself. He's not real happy with you right now."
"Aw hell." Chris had almost forgotten he had one stubborn tracker to deal with. "He don't listen half as good as you do."
Mary's laughter caressed him. "Somehow I don't think your animal magnetism will work on him."
"That's Buck who's got the animal magnetism." Mary flashed him a smile that made Chris's knees go weak. As he walked to the door to let Johnson and two deputies in, he heard her answer.
"Oh, you've got a brand all your own." That remark made Chris start laughing. The tension drained out of him. He was ready to face Vin and hunt down Ella Gaines. He must have been around Ezra too long because he felt like the odds were finally in his favor. He was on a roll here. He saluted the Sheriff on his way out.
Johnson just shook his head. Those two sure made things lively wherever they went. He wished he had been a fly on the wall earlier, but they had a job to do and a murderer to catch. He'd keep the Mary Travis and her son safe until Larabee came back to collect them. If anyone could track Ella Gaines down, it would be the men from Four Corners. He gave the deputies their orders and went to speak to Judge Travis and Judge Crockett. Johnson wanted to know if the Texas judge had decided anything about Vin Tanner, yet.
While Chris had been repairing the rift in his relationship with Mary, Ezra Standish had approached the livery in hopes that he still had two friends there waiting on him, and Ella Gaines was making good her escape.
Continued in Part Six
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