Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" T.V. series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide.
Chris Larabee was not a happy man.
Normally that, which did make him happy, usually engendered a reaction which went to the root of the problem for immediate removal. This usually meant that he either shot at it or he allowed himself to get so blind stinking drunk that the problem soon went beyond his caring, hence indirectly taken of for the moment. Unfortunately, he now found himself in a situation where those two easy solutions were no longer possible. It was so much simpler in the old days when he could just walk way from any situation that made him uncomfortable or ended any discourse with the infamous Larabee glare.
Of course things had changed considerably for him now and the reputation of being the bad element still kept away the people who would give him trouble so he rarely had to go out of his way to fend it off. On the rare occasions that he was forced to take action, he ensured that the unpleasantness did not revisit him in the future which was just as well because he now had a wife and son to consider, not mentioning a baby on the way. Although as much as he hated to admit it, there was not an enemy he had faced or fought in recent years who was capable of causing as much trouble as the woman who was facing him right now, waiting for an answer.
"But I ought to stay here and keep an eye on Billy." Chris implored his wife as he sat at the kitchen table shortly after breakfast, watching her get ready to leave the house, aware that she had every expectation that he would be accompanying her on her trip out of town. Not if he could help it, he thought to himself.
"Billy is spending the day with Lilith, Chris." Mary shifted her gaze briefly from the hall room mirror where she was adjusting her hat and stared at him. This conversation was starting to get tiresome and she waiting to see how many excuses he would throw up at her before he gave up and just came with her. It was not as if he had a choice in the matter. "There is no reason for you to stay in town. Most of the others are going to be here, the jailhouse is empty as you said and I would like you to accompany me because I'll need a hand to carry all the stuff I'm buying."
"But you're taking Homer and the wagon," he insisted, hoping to stall her long enough to find the argument that he could use to stay home without getting her upset. Unfortunately, it appeared that he was fast running out of options. "You won't need me there with you."
"Chris," she stared at him impatiently, folding her arms and taking on the stance that showed him that she was readying for a fight. "There was a time when you would not let me leave town without insisting on coming with me. What appears to have changed now?'
"Well I knocked you up," he teased. "No one's gonna want you now."
Mary gave him a dark look and then narrowed her eyes before turning away. She let out a sigh and then faced him again. It just looked like she was going to have to pull out the big guns. Her lips curled outward in a familiar pout she knew he could not stand. "I suppose I could go to Sweet Water myself, after all I supposed I won't be the first pregnant woman to do that because her husband is too insensitive to come along."
Chris let out a visible groan because she was playing dirty. Worse yet, it was working. "Aw hell Mary," he complained. "I ain't got no problem going with you to Sweet Water but I don't want to go shopping with you. I mean you spend three hours at just one store the last time we went!" He cried exasperated, remembering what torture that was.
"How would you know?" Mary walked down the hall with her hands on her hips, asking. "You spend all of it in the saloon!" She retaliated.
"Yes I did," Chris was unafraid to admit that because it was perfectly true and for good reason too. "But only because the guy selling you the shoes needing a drink after all that. You tried about every pair in the place. You know it would not be so bad if you just admitted that your feet are a size larger."
Mary's mouth dropped open in outrage. "My feet are not bigger, they've been the same size since I was sixteen." She exclaimed in indignant fury.
Chris looked at her with a perfectly straight face. "Sure they are."
"At least I don't try to squeeze into jeans that are three sizes too small for me. Talk about denial." She snorted in return, unprepared to let him get away with that insinuation. Of course, she did not add that while his jeans might be too tight but there was not a woman in Four Corners who had a problem with it and should he suddenly stop wearing them, Mary was sure she would be lynched as a result.
"I ain't in no denial." Chris replied hotly, incensed that she would resort to such an outright lie. His jeans were just the right size and knew she was only saying that because she wanted to get back at him for her having big feet. His jeans were snug but comfortable and he was not about to wear anything different just because she could not admit her shoe size had changed.
"Whatever," she shrugged and turned away from him, clearly unimpressed with him at all today by the expression on her face and that opinion did not look as if it was going to change any time soon. "You know, if you won't come with me, I'm sure Buck will. I mean, he was following Inez around during her entire pregnancy, wanting to be involved with every aspect of it. I suppose some men are just interested in the developing welfare of their child."
That rat bastard Wilmington, Chris swore under his breath.
Chris just knew that his old friend dogging Inez during her pregnancy was going to come back and be a haunt someone. Why did it have to be him? Thanks to his Buck, he was now trapped in a corner and she knew it too. He was also perfectly aware that just to make him squirm, Chris knew Mary would not be not above asking Buck to take her to Sweet Water to do her shopping. And Buck would do it too because he was big, dumb helpful ass and would make Chris look like a bastard if he could not even take his pregnant wife out for the day.
There was no God and if there was, he was having a great deal of amusement at Chris' expense.
"All right," Chris let out a loud groan of capitulation and grabbed his hat from the corner of the chair where it hung. "I'll take you already."
"I don't know whether I want to go with you now." Mary turned away miffed, pretending to be difficult just to drive the dagger another inch deeper. Hey, she allowed. She was the one who pregnant not he.
"Don't push your luck," he growled at her with that no nonsense expression that told Mary that even though she had won, it was in her best interest for the next few hours that she did not put him in an even worse mood because blood could be spilled. As it was, Chris could envision just how charming he was going to be during the next few hours of their trip to Sweet Water. However, he felt no regrets about that because if she was going to resort to blackmail in order to coerce him into going, there was no reason why he could not express his displeasure.
"Oh honey," Mary leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, trying to assuage his foul disposition. A smile of sickening triumph on her face as she did that. "It won't be so bad." She assured him as she went to grab her basket. "I promise, I won't take that long."
Chris could only think one thing;
Women, can't live with them. Can't kill them.
Alexandra Styles looked out the window and saw the sky turning a shade of grey. In the past two years, she had learnt enough about signs in the weather, thanks to the man in her life, that a storm was on its way. Unfortunately, she had no choice but to venture out in it. As she continued gathering the instruments and medicines she would require for the journey she had planned, she glanced out the window again as if needing reassurance that her haste was not without cause. Normally, Nathan Jackson would take care of a trip such as this but Nathan was at this moment, riding towards Eagle Bend preparing to take the most important exam of his life and thus it was left to her to take care of things in his absence.
The message had reached her less than an hour ago and she assumed she was going to be gone overnight. Fortunately, the messenger had ensured that she would be provided with accommodation for the night, so she would not be forced to make the trip home on the very same day. Besides, if she had learnt anything after being engaged to a tracker for some time, it was how bad a storm was going to be and judging by the way the sky looked, she had no wish to be in it when it finally descended upon her. As Alex put the last of her supplies into the worn, doctor's bag carried for years by her father and eventually passed onto her, she wished she had been able to tell Vin that she was leaving town.
Vin Tanner was at this moment, making a start on rebuilding the shack that had been burned down recently by an insane militant group when they attacked the ranch. He knew that he wanted to build it in time for their marriage, when they got around to setting a date, whenever that might be. She was in no rush to get married since time seemed to be so short lately and there always appeared to be one crisis or another that postponed their efforts to a later date. Besides, the way his friends had been teasing him on the subject, Alex was certain that Vin was just as sick of answering the question of when the date would be just as she was.
Leaving her bag on top of her examination table for the moment, she hurried up the stairs and ascended into the set of rooms that acted as her home above her clinic. After spending a few minutes ensuring that all the windows and doors upstairs were secured, Alex went to her bedroom and packed a small bag of clothes. Ever since she had travelled to Agnes Doherty's nearly two years ago and was subsequently caught in the worst rain storm she had ever seen, Alex had made it a point to always pack a set of fresh clothes whenever she left town. Of course, she thought with a smile as she placed a few articles of clothing inside a small carpet bag, that trip was not an entire loss.
When she was certain that she had everything necessary for an overnight trip out of town, Alex grabbed her long cloak and descended the stairs once again, her bag in hand as she returned to her clinic. She made a mental note to stop by the saloon and let Rain know what her plans were as well as for the part time nurse and bartender to give Vin a message as to what her whereabouts would be for the next twenty-four hours. Grabbing her medical bag from the table, she was on her way to the door when suddenly, it swung open and Vin Tanner made his appearance
"Vin!" Alex exclaimed, pleasantly surprised by his arrival. She dropped both her bags on the floor and went to greet him with a warm embrace followed by a soft kiss, which she savoured when she felt his arms holding her close.
"I thought you were going to be working at the ranch." She said breathlessly once she pulled away from him.
"I ran out of nails so I had to come back in," he explained taking note of the packed bags and the fact that she was dressed in travelling clothes. "You going somewhere?"
"Yes," she answered remembering that she could not waste any time if she wanted to beat the storm to her destination. "I've got a house call to make at Coventry."
"Coventry?" Vin looked at her, not at all liking the fact that she was going to that place again. The last time Alex had ventured that way; the tyrannical Sheriff Dylan Pierce had arrested her. While they had no idea what had happened to Pierce, Vin did not like to think that Alex would be anywhere in the vicinity of where the man might have been.
"At the local convent." Alex replied, oblivious to his caution as she picked up her bags and started towards the door, expecting him to follow while they continued this discussion on her way to find Phoebe at the livery. "One of the nuns had a bad fall and she has not come out of it yet."
"Don't they got doctors at Coventry?" Vin asked as he followed her out of the clinic. He hated Alex going off on her own, especially to Coventry, when they had no current intelligence on the whereabouts of Dylan Pierce who had sworn vengeance at Alex, during their last encounter.
"Well thanks to Pierce being gone," Alex answered as she locked the front door to her clinic once Vin was outside with her. "Everyone who didn't dare to leave while he was there, up and left as soon as they could so no, they don't have a doctor there. Besides, I'm not going into the town itself, the convent is a few miles out of town."
Vin glanced up at the sky and saw the slight tinge of grey filtering in between the clouds and came to the same conclusion that she did. The weather was about to turn very nasty and it further deepened his concern about her going off on her own considerably. "Alex, the storm is going to be on top of you if you try to go today."
"That's why I'm rushing cowboy," she said with a confident smile. "I figure if I can get going right now, I might just make it ahead of the weather."
Vin rolled his eyes in exasperation because she was making an extremely optimistic estimation of the storm's arrival. By his accounting, she would be caught right in the middle of it because she was not that experienced a rider nor did she know any of the trails that could get her to Coventry sooner than later, which really only left one course for him.
"I'm going with you."
Alex paused in mid step and looked at him. "No you're not." She said firmly and continued walking.
Vin stared after her. "What do you mean I ain't." He called after her. "Why not?"
"Because I'm going to a nunnery, a place that is not big on men as such." Alex retorted. "Why do you think they came here instead of Bitter Creek or Sweet Water to get a doctor? They wanted a lady doctor."
"I don't have to go in there," Vin said hotly, somewhat suspicious that she did not want him to go with her. "I just have to go with you. Besides," he cast a glance at the weather. "There ain't no way you can make it there without getting caught in the storm. Not unless I show you some short cuts."
Alex regarded him a moment, trying to decide if he was trying to help her because he was worried about her welfare or simply because he did not think her capable of making this trip on her own. Not that she would not mind the company but this was a matter of principle and when it came to principle, she knew herself she had the tenacity of a wolverine to prove that she was right. "All right then," she said reluctantly, having an uneasy feeling about this. "If you're only coming with me because you think I'll get caught in the storm and not because I can't get there on my own."
Well actually he did think that but Vin had been in a relationship with a woman long enough to know when was the best time to shut up and this certainly qualified as one of those moments. "Sure thing darling." He said with his best ability to tell a lie.
Alex started walking again and then remarked with a smile as he felt into stride with her and liberated her of one of her bags. "You know the last time we went out like this, you remember what happened?"
Vin could not help smiling at the memory of those three days they had been trapped in the wilderness struggling to get back to town only to discover that returning to Four Corners had changed everything between the two of them. They had travelled to Agnes Doherty's place as adversaries with unspoken affection and when they had returned, neither could imagine being with anyone else. "Yeah," Vin said slipping his arm around her waist. "We couldn't get into any more trouble than we did then."
"Well it wasn't all that bad." She said with a smile as he pulled her closer and she kissed him once more. "If I recall correctly, the idea of cabin with just you and me was not so bad after all." Alex gave him a suggestive wink.
"Ain't gonna be much of that going on at a convent." Vin pointed out
"Tell me about it," Alex sighed. "But I'm sure we can abstain for just one night." She replied pulling away and placing a more respectable distance between them. After all, they were not married yet.
"I won't have any trouble at all," he said with a perfectly innocent expression on his face. "Its you that can't keep your hands off me."
"Dream on!" She exclaimed laughing and swatted him on the shoulder to which he hugged her even closer, until Alex could do nothing but to succumb to sheer of happiness of being with this man and kissed him again, not caring at all who saw them.
They were almost to the livery when they saw Chris and Mary Larabee exiting the Clarion offices. By the looks of the wagon that was waiting for them outside, it appeared the couple were taking something of a trip themselves. However as they approached the gunslinger and his wife, it became very apparent, at least to Vin anyway, that Chris did look at all happy and wore a smouldering expression that gave caution to everyone who happened by. Vin wondered what on earth was snaking his best friend to such an extent and hoped there was not trouble a foot. With the weather the way it was going to be on route to Coventry, he did not want to leave Alex to fend for herself.
"Hey Chris," Vin asked gingerly.
"Vin." The gunslinger retorted rather abruptly. He did not look at all pleased to see them and further convinced Vin that it was probably wise to keep moving.
"You guys taking a trip?" Alex asked of Mary since Chris had the appearance of a man who did not wished to be bothered. Mary on the other hand, seemed to be in good spirits.
"Yes," Mary smiled, a sharp contrast to Chris' mood. "We're going to Sweet Water to do some baby shopping."
"Baby shopping?" Vin almost choked on his saliva when Chris turned to him sharply.
"Wanna make something of it?" He glared at Vin and growled at the tracker daring him to make a comment of any kind.
"Nope," Vin shook his head automatically and held a firm grip on Alex because he could see she was struggling not to let a snigger show on her face. "Not me."
"Good," he fumed and climbed onto the wagon.
"We'll see you when you get back," Vin said neutrally and pulled Alex away from the duo as Mary climbed onto the seat next to Chris, looking as if an argument was going to follow as soon as the tracker and the doctor had put enough distance between them.
"Breathe." Vin ordered, seeing Alex struggle to contain her need to laugh her head off. In fact he was having some difficulty himself and was grateful that he had some emotional control and could keep this unflappable expression on his face even if the devil were to show up here with a dozen pink elephants wearing dresses. "You laugh and you'll get me shot."
One of the advantages of learning the secret identity of one's lover was also learning when her birthday was. Upon learning that valuable piece of information recently, Ezra realised that the date was fast approaching and sought to find the perfect gift. Unfortunately, the only establishment where one might procure a gift worthy a woman of Julia Pemberton's stature in Four Corners was her Emporium and somehow that did not sit well with him since he wanted his gift to her to be something of a surprise.
Still, he did want to get her something special and so he had scoured the length and breadth of the establishment, searching for the perfect gift. Thanks to an exceptionally good win at the tables in the last week, he was able to have some freedom to select something truly exquisite and was pleased with himself when he finally found the perfect item for purchase. It was an ornate pendant, a single emerald coloured stone held in place by an intricate design of silver and matched perfectly the colour of Julia's eyes. As soon as Ezra saw it, he knew his search was over and was more than content to pay the money since Julia had a fixed price rule in the establishment and he could not argue the amount even if he was so crass to do so.
Returning to the saloon, he saw Chris and Mary Travis heading out of town in their wagon and took note of the gunslinger's expression as they were moving out of his line of sight.
Someone is in a bad mood, he thought.
Mr Larabee's mood aside, it was so far a pleasant day although by the look of the sky, the sunshine was soon to be superseded by a hint of rain. The cumulus clouds were heading away from Four Corners but Ezra estimated they would probably catch the edge of the storm was it passed by. Julia's birthday was tomorrow night and he had the entire evening planned carefully, from a romantic meal at the hotel where he would present her his gift to a more private sojourn at her home later. In either case, it would be a night to remember for both of them.
He entered the Standish Tavern and was unsurprised to find it relatively empty for this time of day. Although he seldom rose before noon, Ezra had woken up early this morning in order to make the necessary reservations at the hotel and to make his purchase at the Emporium. At this time of the morning, the only patrons who were in the Tavern were here mostly for the purpose of breakfast. Unlike the restaurant, the Tavern was a more relaxed surrounding for men who were lacking in manners and preferred cheap but good home cooking. To that end, Rain was serving meals to the few customers in the Tavern at this moment, including Josiah and JD.
What did surprise him however, was the presence of Billy Travis seated at the same table. From what he knew of the boy's mother, Ezra was certain she would not have approved of him being inside the establishment, let alone with a similarly youthful companion. Lilith King sat next to him and while Billy seemed engrossed in whatever he was discussing with almost adult resolve on his youthful face, the young lady seemed mostly bored. She was a pretty thing, Ezra observed, with sunstreaked blond hair and a look about her that was just off kilter enough to be interesting. In some future, she would certainly be something of a heartbreaker, he thought as he approached the table.
"Hey Ezra." JD greeted with his usual enthusiasm and Ezra knew that there were some states where good cheer like this before noon could get a man shot.
"Good morning, Mr Dunne, Mr Sanchez, Master Travis and Miss King." Ezra responded politely as he joined them at the table.
"Ezra," Josiah tipped his hat as he continued to observe something in a handkerchief that Billy was showing him.
Ezra glanced at Rain who had returned behind the counter and was cleaning the bar top with a cloth, her attention seeming very far away at that moment. He had become accustomed to the woman's moods to know that she was not much of a day dreamer. In fact as women went, Rain was remarkably practical and aloof. Unlike Inez who was more expressive in her personality, Rain's temperament was a lot like Josiah's, understated but nonetheless run through with steel.
"Miss Rain seems rather distracted." He pointed out.
Josiah glanced briefly at the young woman and nodded in agreement. "She's just thinking on how Nathan is doing."
"I forgot," Ezra mused, realising what day it was. "So I take it Mr Jackson has already departed for Eagle Bend to pursue his dreams of medical accreditation?"
"Left at first light." Josiah answered. "Nervous as all hell." Josiah could not help stifle a smile as he thought about how anxious the healer had been this morning as he prepared to set out for Eagle Bend to begin the first in a series of exams that would put him on the road to being a real doctor.
"Well it is a pretty important day for him." JD pointed out. "I mean it would nice though when we can call him Doctor Jackson."
Ezra could not deny that he would be pleased when that day came upon them as well. It was still bizarre to him how all his life he had been taught that a coloured man was not even that, a man and yet upon meeting Nathan Jackson, that perception had altered so drastically, Ezra could not imagine ever thinking that way. Not only did Nathan prove to be an exceptional healer and a good friend, the man had overcome his prejudice for Ezra and in retrospect, considering how he had been treated by white man in the past, he had more reason for it than Ezra, had become the gambler's conscience. Nathan was always quick to give him a gentle kick in the right place whenever his moral centre was being tested and gave him the incentive to do the right thing.
Of course, it could be damned inconvenient at times.
"I am sure that Mr Jackson will acquit himself most admirably in the examinations. He has certainly put enough time and effort into the endeavour to warrant nothing less than the most outstanding result." Ezra drawled and surprised himself inwardly because he really meant it. He truly believed Nathan would have no trouble with the exam. Between Alexandra and Josiah, the man had good support when he had been studying and Ezra felt somewhat guilty that he had not volunteered his assistance.
"Well that's real nice Billy," JD said handing the handkerchief back to the youth. "I'm sure Miss Julia would like that."
"I trust you have there a token of appreciation for Miss Pemberton's birthday, Master Travis?" Ezra said smoothly, perfectly comfortable with the crush the boy had on his lover.
"Yeah," Billy nodded with a smile of pride. "I'd saved up two weeks of money I earned from chores and bought this from that Mr Wing when he came through town."
Mr Wing had been a Chinese pedlar who had come through town a few days ago, selling all kind of oddities, from spices to Chinese silk fabric and small trinkets to amuse. Ezra found the merchandise passable but hardly worth spending money on. "May I?" He asked the boy who handed him the wrapped up bundle before pulling back the folds.
"Isn't it pretty?" Lilith sighed somewhat disappointed that her best friend in the world was giving such a lovely gift to someone else.
Ezra's eyes widened as he saw nestled in the palm of his hand among the folds of the boy's handkerchief, an emerald pendant that looked identical to the one he had just spent a hefty amount of money at the Emporium. "What the hell!" He exclaimed in surprise as he sat up in his chair.
Both Josiah and JD looked at the gambler in shock because Ezra was not prone to expressing himself so coarsely as he himself would point out, if he was not so outrage by what he was seeing. "This is a heinous forgery! That charlatan!"
"What's wrong Ezra?" Josiah asked as Billy shrunk back a little in fear.
"What's wrong?" Ezra sputtered in annoyance as he reached into his coat and rifled through the pockets until he found what he was seeking. Placing the brown package on the desk, he unwrapped it so they could see the reason for his annoyance.
JD started to laugh while Josiah could only say out loud. "Oh my."
"I fail to see what is so amusing." Ezra gave JD a dark look before turning to Billy. "You cannot give her this."
"Why not?" Billy returned just as strongly. He had saved very hard to get Julia this gift and he was not prepared to relinquish of it for anything.
"Because, yours is obviously a fake." Ezra pointed out.
"Why can't yours be?" The boy returned just as directly.
"Because mine was $18 dollars, how much did that forger Mr Wing abscond from you?"
"Two dollars." Billy replied.
JD and Josiah were almost in hysterics upon hearing that. Ezra glared at them and decided that he was not about to be usurped by an eight year old. "Obviously, since I paid more for my pendant, it would be the genuine article while yours is a fake."
"I don't know Ezra," Josiah examined the two identical pendants. "They look pretty close."
"I did not get swindled!" Ezra roared. "Master Travis I insist."
"Well I ain't gonna get rid of mine.' Billy said petulantly.
"If you were ten years older, I would call you out so we can settle this like gentlemen." Ezra grumbled, unable to believe that he could have been lured into buying a clever forgery.
"You don't got to wait," Billy returned, determined that all those chores were not going to go to waste. "I'm challenging you."
"This just gets better." JD chuckled as he was reduced to loud guffaws while Josiah was trying to remain the adult since no one else was.
"Challenging me?" The gambler stared at the young boy in astonishment, unable to believe he was going to be so stubborn about this. At this moment, it was easy to tell that he was Mary Travis' son.
"Ezra, just get your money back." Josiah tried to reason with him.
"I will not." Ezra looked at him in outrage. "Getting my money back would imply that I have been conned and I do not get conned. Now the young man has issued a challenge." With great dignity, as much as could be gained considering a grown man was accepting a challenge from an eight year old for the hand of a lady, Ezra regarded his rival. "What do you have in mind?"
"Cards." Billy swallowed.
"Billy!" Lilith exclaimed with horror because like everyone else at the table she knew whom he was challenging. "You can't challenge Ezra to cards!"
"You want to challenge me to a game of cards?" Ezra almost laughed out loud. "Very well, I accept. What would be your pleasure?"
Billy smiled. "Go Fish."
Buck Wilmington rode into a town with a most satisfied expression on his face. Even though it was obvious a storm would soon be coming, it was his turn in the jailhouse with Josiah today, what with Nathan on his way to Eagle Bend. The former rogue was in very good spirits, having been sent off from home after a very pleasant morning in bed with his lovely wife. She would be making her appearance in town later, to deal with the afternoon crowd in the Standish Tavern who would no doubt be clamouring for a taste of her fine cooking. Having partaken of her culinary expertise at home, Buck could well understand why her lunch time menu was so popular.
Of course, he would be lying if he said if he was not slightly biased.
If anyone had told Buck Wilmington when he had first come to Four Corners, that he would be running a ranch with his best friends in the world, that he would be married with a wife and child, he would have thought them insane. He had loved being the scoundrel that jumped in and out of so many beds that he had never dreamed he would willingly give it up. Of course, it was true what they said that when the right woman came along, everything would change.
Certainly he had changed. Sure, he still liked the ladies but his admiration for them did not go beyond a visual appreciation and strangely enough, it was not so hard being faithful to just one woman if the woman in question was Inez. Not just Inez but also his little daughter Elena Rose. Just seeing the plump face n his mind's eye was enough to bring a smile to Buck's face. He loved every aspect of being her father, from the midnight feeding's to even the diaper changing because when he did all those things, Buck just knew she could tell that he was her father.
He rode into town and passed by Chris and Mary who appeared to having on hell of an argument when he happened by them. While Buck could not say for certain exactly what the content of the quarrel had been, he did hear something about thick headed and mule brained coming from Mary so he did not comment when he finally approached them. Buck could see the thunderous expression on Chris' face enough to make polite greetings to his oldest friend and his wife before bidding them good tidings on their journey to Sweet Water.
Boy, he thought as he continued towards Four Corners, someone was in a bad mood.
Buck did not anticipate much action in town today as it had been relatively quite in the area the past few days and was something of a change, considering what things could be like in Four Corners. The place was so often the convergence of five kinds of trouble that none of the seven were about to question it whenever there was a lull in the action. The last week had seen them working on the ranch, helping Vin rebuild the shack into a decent sized house for the time when he and Alex finally chose to get married. Buck and the rest of the seven were certain that the only reason why a date had not been set by the couple because they were determined to drive everyone insane with curiosity.
Upon reaching town, Buck left his horse at the livery and went towards the Standish Tavern where he was certain the others were congregated. Besides, a beer after his ride would not go astray and he did feel parched even though it looked like the weather was going to change from its sunny disposition to something of a mild storm. He reached the bat wing doors of the Tavern when suddenly, he saw the doors swing outwards, almost knocking him silly with Ezra Standish bursting through them, muttering loudly.
"Go Fish!!!!?"
"Nice to see you too, Ezra." Buck remarked with the gambler barely hearing him as he stormed off into the street.
Buck entered the saloon to the sound of peals of laughter being exuded with glee from both Josiah and JD. Josiah in particular was wiping tears from his eyes and Buck wondered what so funny and quickly descended upon them in order to be let in on the joke. Whatever it was, Buck was certain that it had to do with Ezra, if the look on the man's face was any indication.
"What's so funny?" Buck asked, glancing at the door where Ezra had just exited. He had not seen the gambler so infuriated about anything since the occasion when he came up against another one of his kind and had lost repeatedly, even though Ezra was certain the man had been cheating.
"Billy challenged Ezra to a game of cards." JD managed to say.
"You're kidding." Buck retorted and was then told the rest of the circumstances surrounding the issue of the challenge and found himself joining their laughter when it was all said and done.
"Oh this is rich!" Buck chuckled. "Mr Standish, professional gambler playing go fish with an eight year old for a lady."
"Buck!" A voice sang out suddenly and severed any further conversation when the big man turned around in his chair and saw a face he had not seen in almost two years.
"Millie!" He said with a wide smile, remembering the lovely brunette who had been the object of his affections some time ago. "Well hello darling, what are you doing back here?"
When the seven had been usurped by a sheriff appointed by the railroad, Four Corners had almost been burned to the ground by Messrs. Royal and Stuart who had hired men to chase the residence out of town, after killing the man. In the aftermath of that crisis, Millie and her family had chosen to leave town even though the young woman had been very passionate about him. In retrospect, Buck supposed that probably had a lot to do with the man's decision to leave in the first place.
She crossed the floor of the saloon and wrapped her arms his neck, pushing her soft lips against his and delivering upon him a kiss of intense passion that Buck had no choice but to respond to for a few seconds. His sense were bombarded by her familiar taste and scent and Buck was revisited with the memory about just how passionate he had been about her once.
"I came back to be with you Buck." She said breathlessly once he had regained enough equilibrium to push her away.
"With me?" He squeaked, staring into her blue eyes and knew that it was the truth. "But what about your pa?" He managed to ask, desperately seeking a way out of this sudden predicament.
"When I told him just how much I love you and I would just die without you, pa just knew that he couldn't stand in the way." Millie gushed like a girl delirious in love. Indeed the sparkle in her eyes seemed to indicate just how giddy with happiness she was to be back in Four Corners again, or more specifically with him.
"I guess not." Buck stammered, trying to imagine how he was going to explain this to her. "Uh Millie, a lot has happened since you've been gone. I've changed..."
"Oh Buck," she looked as if he was being silly and moved to hug him again when Buck took a cautious step backwards. "I don't care how much you've changed," she beamed at him with radiance. "You've always been perfect to me and I know you couldn't have changed enough for me to ever stop loving you." As that sentence escaped her, she surged forward and embraced him again, planting kisses on his face.
"You'd be surprised." Josiah drawled under his breath and garnered a furious look from Buck, who was perfectly aware that both the preacher and JD who was hiding his face behind his hand, was having a great deal of amusement at his expense.
"Please Millie," Buck peeled her arms away from him and cleared his throat, trying to find the words to tell her that his circumstances had changed drastically since they had last been together. Unfortunately, the girl was obviously smitten by him and Buck did not want to break her heart especially when her pa had a shot gun, by telling her that he was married with a young daughter. "This is so much to get accustomed to. I'm gonna need time."
"Oh I'm sorry," she pulled away, embarrassed by the torrent of emotion she had just displayed before him. "I didn't want to crowd you. I know how hard it is you to commit to a woman so I just want you to know that you don't have to make any promises to me. I just want to be with you."
Buck looked at her stricken and tried to force a smile on his face as he responded. "That's mighty good of you Millie."
"Well," she let out a sigh. "I've got to help momma with the shopping." She smiled at him, adjusting the bonnet on head and fixing her hair back to respectability. "I'll see you later." Millie replied withdrawing out of the tavern .
"I'll be looking forward to it." Buck waved goodbye, still wearing that same frozen grin on his face because he did not dare do anything else. He was still doing it when Millie disappeared out the door and he felt his heart stop pounding on his chest. When she was no longer in sight, he let out a deep breath of relief even though the conundrum still remained.
"What am..." He started to say when riotous laughter ripped through the place emanating from Josiah and JD.
"Quit laughing!" Buck growled. "This is serious." He pulled up a chair and sat down before them, glowering at the sniggers and loud guffaws that were tearing through their sides.
"It sure is Buck," JD managed to say. "After all, you're a guy who has trouble with commitment!"
He was still hollering the same when Buck started chasing him around the table.
Nathan Jackson was not nervous.
He told himself this about a dozen times since he began the ride to Eagle Bend. He knew he should have gone the day before and had adequate time to prepare himself for the exam instead of spending half the day riding to the testing centre in Eagle Bend. Unfortunately, Nathan was not about to shirk his responsibilities to Four Corners either by taking time more personal time that he should. Besides, the judge had invited him to stay at his home for the evening and share supper once his tests were done and Nathan was so touched by the offer he had not wanted to refuse. He had decided that he would go to Eagle Bend this morning, take the test and then spend the evening with Orin Travis before heading out in the morning. That seemed uncomplicated enough.
He had set out at first light and the sun was beginning it journey across the sky towards noon apogee when he neared the halfway point between Four Corners and Eagle Bend. His first exam would not be until early afternoon and so Nathan knew he would have plenty of time to get there. In his saddle bags were his books and notes that he had been reviewing each time he stopped to take a break and water the horses, trying to ensure all the knowledge he had forced into his head the last few months had not withered away. Despite his attempts to remain in control of his fear, Nathan's stomach was a mess of nerves and he kept reviewing the data in his head continuously until he could think of nothing else.
No one could blame him for his delirium of panic, not if they were facing a trial as important as this was to him. Ever since he had walked into the field hospital during the war, Nathan knew he wanted to be a doctor and until Alexandra Styles had offered him the opportunity all those months ago, he had never dared to dream it was possible. Sure, there were quacks out there who called himself doctors, who had plenty of ability but none of the training, like himself. Until Nathan had met Alex and saw how she conducted himself, he never imagined how much difference the training made to the ability. Fine woman that she was, she had attempted to teach him as much as she could and he had learnt a great deal since working with her in tandem. He knew about surgery and diseases, he knew to diagnose serious illness by the slightest of symptoms and yet his mind craved more.
The journey to Eagle Bend had so far gone without incident and Nathan believed he would make it to the town in good time. Hopefully, he would have time to grab a bite to eat and perhaps and hour or two to review his notes again. Nathan had the sneaking suspicion that he might be panicking a little but needed a second person to be sure of that. He wished Rain would have made this trip with him but she had rightly stated that she would be a distraction to him and he had enough worries on his mind. Still, he could never imagine the lovely young woman to be anything but wonderful to his morale but then Rain was a great deal more sensible than he was about such things.
In that way, women seemed to be one up on men.
Nathan was approaching a clearing when suddenly, he almost tumbled from his saddle by the sudden limp of his horse. Grabbing onto the pommel before he fell off, the dark mare stopped moving and Nathan forced himself into an upright position in order to get climb off the animal safely. She had come to a halt in a clearing and appeared reluctant to move which did not bode well for his situation. Nathan dismounted the animal, trying not to feel apprehension at what the delay mind mean to his appointment in Eagle Bend.
When he touched the ground, he noticed the mare's hind leg raised slightly and felt his stomach knot in tension as he leaned forward to examine what was wrong. It did not take him long to discover that the horse had thrown a shoe and while it was not a disaster of major proportions, it would add time to his travels.
"You picked a great day for this." He grumbled as he fumbled through his saddle to find the tools to repair this latest blunder.
The horses snorted its innocence as Nathan started to get to work and he hoped that there were no more surprises waiting for him. At this point however, the sky above started to rumble and Nathan looked up to see thick clouds forming in the previously blue sky. A slight wind had started to pick up and Nathan was beginning to wonder if the powers that be were trying to tell him something. Pulling his hat firmly over his head, Nathan resolved to let nothing get in his way of reaching Eagle Bend.
He was going to be Doctor Jackson if it killed him.
At this point, thunder rumbled through the air as the sky became charged with the electricity of lightning. The horse started to become skittish at the sound and made replacing the shoe somewhat of a trial as he tried to get the animal to stay put. It was not lost upon him that his clothes were starting to become soiled from kneeling close to the ground and as the clouds began to overtake the blue sky, could see what was coming for almost a mile off.
"You ain't gonna get to me." Nathan muttered as he continued working, when the wind picked up and the clouds became pregnant with moisture.
The minute he said that, the rain came down on him.
It took another ten minutes of working on the animal before the horse was shoed and finally able to continue the journey. By the time Nathan climbed back into the saddle, he was drenched to the bone and possessing a mood that rivalled the tempest that was brewing around him. His clothes remained stuck to his back as he fumbled through his saddle and searched for his coat, only to find that in order to accommodate his books and notes, he had left the damn thing at home.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he dug his heels into the side of his mount and urged her to keep moving, praying that was the last misadventure the day was going to throw at him. He wiped the rain out of his eyes and stared at the trail ahead before urging the horse to gallop faster. The wind had picked up considerably and as he rode through the precipitation, he could feel sheets of water lashing against him.
All of a sudden, a branch of the tree he was presently riding beneath decided to snap. The thick length of wood swept him out of the saddle in its descent and into the wet mud of the track beneath him. He hit the ground with a loud splatter and swore so profusely, he was rather grateful that no one was about to hear the string of words that would have made Chris Larabee proud. Standing up as he saw the tail end of his horse widening the gap between them, Nathan was starting to wonder if God was trying to tell him something.
"Good luck Brother Nathan," he muttered as he started following the animal in the rain. "Good luck my ass."
After JD had left the Standish Tavern with his skin intact, the youth made his way to Gloria Potter's General Store where he was meeting Casey Wells so that they could go riding today. With Nettie gone to Silver City for a few days to visit an old friend, Casey was left alone at home and although he sensed that she liked having the independence of being on her own, she was also unaccustomed to the experience. Nettie had been all she had known for as long as Casey could remember and JD whose mother had been his entire world until she passed on, could appreciate how it felt to be alone for the first time.
Unfortunately, as he looked up at the sky above, it appeared the idea of going for a ride was going to be somewhat problematic since it appeared that a storm was making its approach over the horizon. While it looked like it might miss Four Corners, they would still get some rain and JD felt his heart sink knowing that he might have to cancel their outing because of it. Casey had really looked forward to going out, particularly when she did not have to worry about Nettie expecting her home for supper or something. As a man, JD could appreciate the freedom to move and felt that it was not right sometimes, that women were so restricted in the things they did.
He was making his way down the boardwalk and could see the store where Casey worked as Mrs Potter's assistant, coming to his sight as he approached. He was not paying much attention to anything else, since he was still chuckling in amusement at the absurdity the day had so far thrown at them. Poor Buck was at this moment, trying to think of a way to let Millie down gently, while keeping her return to town a secret from Inez. As far as JD could tell, Buck's entire strategy at the moment was to lay low in the hopes that the problem would go away.
Good luck, JD snorted sceptically.
Ezra on the meantime was probably holed up in his room, trying to figure out how to play Go Fish before he had to face Billy Travis for the hand of Julia Pemberton. JD could not even imagine what Julia was going to say when she heard about this and was forced to stifle a chuckle as he pictured the scene that would soon be when Ezra and Billy stared at each other across a felt covered table.
"What's so funny, JD." He heard the sweet voice of Jillian Carr in front of him.
"Oh Hi Jillian," JD said pleasantly at the pretty blond who had appeared out of nowhere and barred his way with her smile and the scent of lavender exuding off her skin.
"Aren't there any mean outlaws in jail today?" She asked coquettishly and JD felt himself clearing his throat as she gave him looks that were destined to get him into trouble with Casey if she saw them together.
"Not today." He said indifferently, wishing that she would get out of his way so that he could keep going.
"I'd love to take a tour." She oozed seduction in her voice even though she was not much older than him. While JD found her to be pretty, she seemed to be one of those women that Buck would consider too much trouble for the effort. Jillian was not the kind of girl who would sit by his side, wading her bare feet in the creek while they fished. She probably did not like to ride and needed a man to do everything for her. JD did not know that much about women but he did know for certain that Jillian was just too much trouble and the last time he had even looked at another woman, it had just ended up badly and made JD wished he never betrayed Casey to begin with.
Unfortunately at the time that JD was valiantly trying to make his escape from Jillian Carr, Casey had strolled out of the Potter's General Store to witness the exchange between her beau and the too pretty Jillian. She bristled in annoyance seeing him talk to the girl, perfectly aware that when it came to looks, JD had no sense whatsoever and could be easily swayed by the first pretty face that came upon him. Of course it did not help that Jillian had her eye on JD, who was not only terribly brave and incredibly handsome but also Sheriff of Four Corners. Jillian with her hair of golden curls shimmering in the sunlight and her perfect blue eyes, who cut a feminine figure indeed in her rose coloured dress while here was Casey, wearing men's clothes that showed no one that she was a woman.
Turning away from them because she could not bear to look, Casey decided that was the problem with JD. He just did not see her as a woman. He saw her as a girl, a friend he could do all the things that he could not do with the rest of the seven but not quite the things that a courting couple should be indulging in. She did not even think he considered her his girl the way Ezra saw Julia. Ezra was always bringing the beautiful Emporium owner flowers and other pretty things. He actually took her out to dinner in a restaurant! The closest JD had ever come to doing that was a picnic basket and she had to bring it! Of course, Ezra's relationship with Julia left no doubt as to what their feelings were for each other.
Casey knew enough about men and women to say for certain that Ezra and Julia's relation was on an intimate level that she and JD had not even spoken about. There was that time a few months ago when she had let him kiss her and touch her a little farther than either were accustomed but JD's response had been less than encouraging and Casey had made no further offering of herself. JD was so embarrassed by his behaviour, although he had not explained why he had behaved that way, that he had not made an attempt to bring up the subject. Casey actually wondered if he was just trying to avoid telling her that he did not feel that way about her.
But she wanted him to feel that way about her.
She wanted JD to be her first lover and as the thought took root in her mind, Casey came to the realisation that she was old enough to give herself to JD. The proper thing would be to wait until they were married but the way things were going, if she did not show JD that there was more to her than these drab clothes, he would stray again. Just like he strayed when that lady bounty hunter had come to town and almost killed him. In truth, Casey looked forward to it because she just knew that JD was so experienced about these things and he would make it wonderful for her.
"Hey Casey." JD's voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
"Hi JD." Casey faced, becoming more certain about her decision now that it was firmly placed in her mind. She looked around and saw no sign of Jillian and wondered where her rival for JD's affections had gone. "Where's Jillian?"
"Who knows," JD shrugged his shoulder without a hint of feeling that he actually cared. "I told that I had to go cause I was taking my girl out for a ride." He grinned, hoping that would be enough to assuage Casey's fears that there was anything going on between him and Jillian.
The tactic had the desired effect when she flashed him a radiant smile that JD could feel all the way to his toes. He wished Casey could understand that compared to her natural beauty and plain honesty, Jillian Carr did not stand a chance against Casey Wells for his affection.
"JD," Casey said with that same smile unaware of its effect on JD. "I was thinking we might skip our ride."
"Are you sure?" He asked, although he did not want to admit to her that it was probably a good idea with the weather the way it was.
"Yeah," she nodded. "Let's go back to the farm."
"Okay," he said puzzled. "But what do you want to do there?"
Casey's answer as a little smile JD did not understand.
Men! That's what Doctor Alex would say, men!
At the moment, Lilith was in complete agreement with the doctor's exasperation with the gender that had lead her to make that statement. She had left Billy who was presently at home practising as hard as he could, preparing himself for this stupid card game that he had challenged Ezra to. Like Ezra even had a chance of winning and yet Lilith found the gambler losing to be completely unacceptable. If he lost then Billy would get to present his gift to Julia and Miss Pemberton as nice as she was, clearly liked her Billy.
That's right, Lilith thought with as much stubbornness that Billy had displayed when the discovery was made that he had bough the same gift as Ezra. Her Billy. Lilith adored Billy, she though he was the most wonderful boy in the world except he had this thing for older women, way older woman and Miss Pemberton was so beautiful that Lilith could not possibly hope to compete with the Emporium owner. Unfortunately, when Billy won this card game, there was no doubt in Lilith's mind that he would because he was the most wonderful boy that ever lived, Miss Pemberton would be his forever and Lilith did not at all like that idea. However, that was not very much she could do to keep that from happening.
She was half way home when she remembered the Book of Shadows.
Even though Josiah had told her to never touch the thing after all the trouble it had caused when she had tried to help Billy with the perfect gift for everyone last Christmas, Lilith had been stealing glances of it on occcassion. She was certain that she had seen something in its arcane pages that would suit her nicely if she could only get up the nerve to try casting another spell. After how terribly wrong the last incantation of hers had gone, Lilith was naturally concerned whether or not this was such a good idea. After all, love potions were tricky things and if she made a mistake...
However the more she thought about it, the more Lilith knew that she could not allow Billy to fall any more deeply under the spell of the beautiful Miss Pemberton. Besides, she would be careful when casting her little spell. After all, she knew very well what could happen if she did not. She spent the rest of the morning, going about town and seeking the ingredients because love spells were not to be taken lightly and had to be performed to the absolute letter or else who knew what would happen? Worse yet, as much as it pained her to do it, Lilith found that she had to keep what she was doing a secret from Josiah because she was certain he would not understand no matter how valiant the cause.
Unfortunately, the former preacher had seen her gathering her ingredients and while she had claimed that she was making the collection for the purpose of a school project, Lilith was not entirely sure whether or not Josiah believed her. Nevertheless, the possibility of discovery only hastened her return home to begin conjuring before he grew wise to what she was planning. Lilith hated to lie to Josiah but a love potion could not possibly harm anyone.
Right?