Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to CBS, Trilogy, the Mirisch Group and a whole host of other people with more lawyers, cash and sense than I. No copyright infringement is intended or should be inferred.
"Damn!" Mary Travis swore profusely within the confines of the Clarion's four walls, glaring venomously at the printing machine that had jammed for the hundredth time. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to calm her steadily rising temper, without much success. She wrestled with the press for a few more minutes, sheer stubbornness refusing to let her give in just yet. Her fingers became coated with dark ink. Despite all attempts to keep from doing so, ugly smears managed to avoid the leather apron she was wearing and imprinted themselves on her yellow dress.
After a great deal of effort, she managed to dislodge the offending sheet of paper that had caused the problem, with a fierce tug that sent her stumbling backwards. She fell heavily on her rear, feeling the sting ride up her back as she sat there on the floor of the Clarion's office, looking stupid and dishevelled.
"I had to be a newswoman." She muttered as she stood up. "I could have stayed in Boston, married that nice Scott Lewis. The insurance business is dull but I would have got used to it and then died of boredom by the time I'm thirty." She stared at the printing machine, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks until the tide of anger reached climax. "I don't need this today you know!"
The machine stared back at her indifferently and Mary decided that it was definitely time to get out of here. The weekly edition was not due until the end of the week. Mary always gave herself a few days grace so that delays such as these would not impede the paper's scheduled release. She stared at the machine critically, trying to decide whether or not she ought to be responsible and continue working. After all, she was a pillar of the community and the Clarion News was an important part of Four Corners. She should be proud to be a part of all that.
"Mrs Travis," she drawled in an imitation of a particular gun fighter (the one in black) she knew well, "I think its time you moseyed on out of here and into hot tub."
Moseyed? What kind of word was that anyway? Maybe when she would take the dictionary into the tub with her, just to see if it really existed. In any case, she was through for the day. Removing her apron, she went through the motions, turning off the press and locking up the office. It was only until after she locked the door and emerged into the hot summer's day, did she realised that she had forgotten to clean herself up.
"Good day Maam." She heard Buck Wilmington grin. Instinctively, she had looked up as he offered the greeting and saw his expression change from casual politeness to that of bemusement.
"Mr Wilmington," Mary's eyes narrowed, suddenly feeling a mean streak the size of Texas running through her. "If you know what's good for you, not a word."
Buck had seen enough killers in his lifetime to know that there was murder in those eyes. "Not a one ma'am."
Mary continued up the street, having all the signs of a truly bad day of the office, following her as black thundercloud over her head. Even in the foul mood she was in, Mary Travis was a magnificent sight when she had something on her mind. Her blond hair glistened under the hot July sun and her blue eyes seemed to darken whenever she was in deep thought. If she had bothered to ask, she would have learnt that no man in Four Corner would think her anything but beautiful even if she was covered from head to toe in mud.
Stepping onto the wooden side walk, she saw her reflection in window of the general store. There was a smidgen of ink across her nose and a neat set of finger prints under her jaw. There was even a smear near her brow when she had brushed away a strand of hair that had come loose from her tidy braid. She was a sight! Strangely enough, she was just irate enough to not give a damn at the moment.
"JD!" She heard Casey Wells calling after JD Dunne who was striding across the street towards the saloon. The youngest of the seven men, who constituted as Four Corners lawmen, JD turned to the young woman impatiently.
"I can't help it Casey," he said in return. "I promised Buck and Josiah that I'd go with them!"
"You promised me first!" She whined plaintively.
"I'll make it up to you," he grinned, hastening his steps in case she decided to pursue the matter. "I promise!"
Casey said nothing as she watched him disappear into the saloon, feeling embarrassed at her public display. She seemed to shrink further behind the farmer's hat that she was usually wearing. A few of the town's more respectable women folk were staring at her with reproach. After all, a decent girl was not supposed to make such a spectacle of herself in front of everybody. As it was, they did not think much of her since she was rarely seen in a dress. Casey was used to hard work the farm with her grandmother. However, she learnt long ago, that it was far easier to do such work in a pair of pants than having to contend with the numerous layers a dress would require.
"Are you all right Casey?" Mary asked in concerned. Seeing the expression on the younger woman's face had disarmed her own rage a little.
Casey nodded slightly but Mary could see she was not. Casey might have been a tomboy who could probably ride and shoot like any man but she was no different from any girl with her first real beau. Mary was not so jaded that she had forgotten what it was like and she empathised completely with Casey's situation.
"I fine, Mrs Travis." She said softly. "JD's got important things to do." She looked up at Mary trying to put on brave face. "I'm sure he'll make it up to me later." She cast a disappointed look at the saloon before turning back to Mary.
Mary smiled faintly, feeling her immediate anger dissipated somewhat, even though the core of her general state of unhappiness was still very much in place. "I think this is one of those days."
Casey looked at her puzzled. "What sort of days?"
"The kind of days where you just need to dive under the covers and stay there." Mary offered her a look of mischief.
Casey laughed a little at that and started to feel her disappointment at JD's lack of regard for her fade a little. "I know what you mean Mrs Travis." She admitted and then noticed Mary's appearance. "By the way, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to your face?"
"You've got JD problems and I have a printing press." Mary retorted evasively. "At least yours take you out once in a while."
Casey laughed again. She did not have many female friends and although Mrs Travis had always seemed more comfortable in the company of her grandmother, she was always nice. Casey was somewhat in awe of Mary Travis, who managed with ease to run a business on her own while maintaining a reputation as a pillar of the community. This was the first time however, that the news paper owner had ever spoken to her with such warmth and kinship, almost as if she saw Casey as an equal not a young girl. It had enough effect to make Casey forget JD for the moment.
"You know something," Mary said after a moment. "We're women of the world, you and I."
"We are?" Casey looked at her.
"Work with me Casey." Mary quipped and placed a friendly arm over Casey's shoulder. "We do not need a man in our lives for us to have a good time, do we?"
Casey was not so sure about that but nodded mutely in response, curious at where Mrs Travis was going with this.
"Let's go to dinner." Mary suggested.
"Dinner?" Casey's eyes widened. "Where?"
"How about the hotel?" Mary glanced at the building across the street from the saloon. It was one of the more respectable places in town where women could frequent without creating any scandal to their reputation. "I don't drink, not much anyway, I don't gamble and I haven't bought a dress for myself in weeks, so I think I can afford to take a friend to dinner."
"Mrs Travis, I can't let youŠ." Casey began to protest.
"Of course you can," Mary cut her off before she could say anything. "How about you meet me at the hotel in an hour. I need to get cleaned up." With that, Mary continued her journey home.
Casey was still trying to get over her astonishment at this overture of friendship from the pillar of the community. Let alone a lady like Mary Travis. "Sure, Mrs Travis." She responded called out to Mary as the woman made her way to home.
As she past by another shop and saw her face in the glass window, Mary winced slightly and muttered her breath. "I need to get cleaned up a lot."
"Come on Inez," Buck Wilmington leaned over the bar and gave the sultry, Mexican his most charming smile. "You gotta say yes to me, sometime."
The saloon was full at this time of the day, even more so with the unseasonably warm summer they were having. It seemed as if every gunslinger, cowpoke and ranch hand was in town today and most of them were at the bar, waiting for drinks. Inez had been performing a minor miracle, keeping a vigil behind the counter and making sure that no one was going dry for too long. Although, the pressure rarely got to her, she could not say the same for the interruptions. For some reason, the heat had reached Buck Wilmington in more ways than one. He had been hounding her for most of the afternoon, like prized fighter that kept coming back after every hit. By late afternoon, his repertoire of charming proposals was wearing thin but not as much as Inez' patience.
"Buck, go away." She declared as her ears picked up another order from a man at the far end of the table.
"When are you going to admit, you're crazy about me?" He grinned. "I mean I fought for you and everything. How many men are willing to do that?"
"A hundred," she retorted, reaching for the bottle of scotch on the shelf behind her. "If they're stupid enough."
"Now that wounds me." He looked at her in mock hurt.
"Buck," Inez paused long enough to take a deep breath. She wanted to handle this delicately, without wounding his ego, such as it was. After all, he did not mean any harm, he was just determined and he never said anything truly offensiveŠ.
"Besides, you're going to waste without a man in your life."
Until that.
Inez slammed the bottle down on the counter with such force that it seemed that the entire bar suddenly went dead quiet. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Buck while her hands moved up to her hips. "I am going to waste without a man in my life. Pray tell me Senor Wilmington, what I have been missing? Ever since men like you decided that I was wasting away without a man, all my troubles began! Since I am obviously depleted by not having a swaggering, drunk pig in my bed, you will forgive me if I crawl into the dark somewhere and recover!"
"But honey.." Buck opened his mouth to speak when she shot him a look of pure venom that shut him up immediately. What was it with him today? It seemed like all the women in Four Corners were acting like bears with sore feet. Had his animal magnetism abandoned him?
"Inez," Ezra Standish who was at a table with the rest of the seven, looked up as she stormed past him. "The bar?"
"Get the man in my life to do it!" She fairly roared before disappearing through the main doors.
A series of guffaws broke out throughout the room in the wake of her spectacular departure, most of which was centred on Buck who was staring after her, dumbfounded.
"I think Inez is really mad at you." JD remarked, stating the obvious from the table where he was playing cards with Ezra, Nathan and Josiah, with Chris and Vin in earshot near the bar.
Ezra met his gaze. "You think?" He retorted before rising to his feet. The natives were beginning to get restless with the sudden void behind the bar. "Excuse me gentlemen, I fold. It appears that my partner's unexpected departure requires my presence at the bar." He glimpsed at Buck as he said that.
Ezra did not mind really. Playing bartender for a while was infinitely more preferable than having to admit that he had little more than two pair in his hand when he folded. It would do his reputation as a cardsharp serious injustice. As he passed by Buck, Ezra added. "I ought to make you get behind the counter Mr Wilmington, since you are the one who upset Inez."
"I can't figure it," Buck said truly bewildered. "What is it with the women in this town today?"
"Animal magnetism." Nathan Jackson sniggered, glancing over his shoulder. "Its powerful stuff."
Buck shot the man a look and ignored the obvious jibe. "Very funny, but I'm serious though. I saw Mrs Travis this afternoon and she was meaner than a mountain lion with something stuck in its craw."
"Mary?" Chris Larabee suddenly paid attention. Those present were perfectly aware when it came to discussions about women in general, there was only one in town in whom Chris had the slightest interest. Although getting him to admit it was something else entirely.
"She bit my head off!" Buck exclaimed.
"No offence Buck," Vin Tanner made himself heard. Although he was not at the card table and was sharing a drink at the bar with Chris, he had been listening intently to the conversation. After all, not one man in the room could have possibly missed Buck's exchange with Inez. Like Chris, Vin was an observer who rarely took part unless he felt strongly enough to do so. "Inez had a lot on her plate today without you hounding her like a dirty ol' coot."
"What did I say that I never said before?" He protested.
"Buck," Josiah met his gaze with an expression that always made Buck feel like he was ten years old again. It was easy to remember that Josiah was a preacher at that moment. "What didn't you say?"
Buck stared back at him blankly.
"Lord!" Nathan exclaimed exasperated. "Buck, you have about as much respect for women as I have for Southern Confederates."
"Hey!" Ezra protested behind the bar
"What do you mean?" Buck retorted truly shocked by the notion. "I'll have you know that I love women! Ask any one of them in town and they'll tell you how much." He grinned.
"I don't think that's what Nathan means, Buck." Chris interrupted. "There's a subtle difference."
"Like what?" He turned to Nathan again.
"Allow me," Ezra remarked, "if a Southern Confederate is allowed." He said good naturedly, knowing that Nathan meant no malice towards him in that statement. Having seen the way Nathan, whom he now considered a friend, was treated by some of his fellow southerners, he could understand the man's hostility.
"Use short sentences." Nathan grinned, pleased that Ezra had not taken offence.
"What Mr Jackson is alluding to," Ezra began as he continued pouring drinks with the same sleight of hand that made him a renowned cardsharp. "Is that while you love the ladies as you say, you do not exactly show them the proper respect that is their due. Your idea of a lady does not extend beyond her ability to fall into your waiting arms. After a night's entertainment and the thrill of the chase is done, so is your relationship with the maiden in question."
"That's ridiculous." Buck protested but suddenly the amusement had drained from his face. He did not like the implications that both Nathan and Ezra were making, especially since there appeared to be a kernel of truth in what they had said. "I like 'em well enough."
"Liking them and respecting them is two different things." Vin added. "Take Mrs Travis and Inez for instance. These are women without family or husbands to fall back on. They're here in frontier territory holding their own. Inez has had the worst of it with that Don Paulo animal dogging her heels. I think it's safe to say Buck that she is used to doing for herself without any man's help. We all know that while its nice idea to meet someone and settle down, it's not the end all and be all of everything for us. We don't need a wife and children to be happy. It ain't so far fetched that the same thing could be said for Inez and maybe Mrs Travis too."
"But women always think about getting married." JD spoke up in Buck's defence.
"Did you when you were sixteen years old?" Josiah looked at JD critically.
"Of course not!" JD declared. "I had my whole life ahead of me."
"Try being a woman and understanding that as soon as you're of marriageable age, that was all that is ahead of you. Imagine not being sent to school because your daddy thinks it a waste time when you are gonna be bearing kids and being in a kitchen. Your entire life depends on how well you marry, not what you can do in the world but the man that makes you his wife." Josiah stated firmly. As a preacher, he had seen so many broken spirits because of that unfortunate reality of life.
"That's life isn't it?" JD said uncertainly, thinking about his exchange with Casey earlier on. Suddenly, he did not feel very proud of the way he had treated her.
"No it is not." Ezra said firmly. Of all the men in the room, only he had an idea of what it was to have a mother who did want more out of life and pursued it with a passion. "During the war, southern women on the plantations were left to fend for themselves the first time in their entire lives. No husband, no slave to do their bidding, just their own two hands. Most of them could not bring themselves to work and so they starved and some of them died. Why? Because they had been raised all their lives to believe that it was not a lady's place to do menial work, that they could not exist without a man to protect them. My mother, thank god, never learnt that lesson. Although my upbringing was not exactly rosy, I am here because she refused to believe she could not raise a child on her own no matter what anyone said."
"Mary could have left." Chris spoke up. "She didn't. She stayed and she's been fighting for this town. If she did what was expected of her, she would have packed and gone back east a long time ago and this little group of ours might never have been."
"To Mrs Travis and to Inez," Josiah raised his glass and looked at the rest of the seven who quickly followed suit. As glasses were raised, Josiah quick added, "Wherever they might be."
Inez had no idea where she was going. She only knew she had to get out of that saloon before she was forced to break a bottle over Buck's head. That man was so man infuriating! While she found his persistence oddly satisfying at times, most of the time, she wished he would speak to her like a person. She was not one of those love struck girls that always seemed to find their way into his bed but an intelligent woman who wanted more than belonging to some man! Even though she worked in a saloon, Inez did not intend to let the notoriety of the lifestyle taint her existence. Despite her fiery manner, Inez had just as much concern about her reputation as any respectable woman in town. Buck's attentions were not only forward but bordered on offensive. She knew the big oaf did not mean anything but it still galled her.
She walked up the wooden sidewalk aimlessly, not knowing what to do. Somehow, she did not feel like going back to the lodging house and after the display in the saloon, she was a little embarrassed about returning behind the bar. It was moments as these that Inez missed her family and the loneliness of the life she had chosen impressed itself on her most fully. She was realistic at the impossibility of returning to her home town. Don Paulo's father would not appreciate the return even if she had not killed his son herself. She had been the cause of Paulo's death and it was a sin that the old Don would not forget easily. As long as she stayed away, her family could go on undisturbed.
Suddenly, she saw Mrs Travis up ahead. The blond woman was looking at herself in the window of the general store with distaste. Inez had to admit that Mrs Travis looked far removed from her usually immaculate grooming. Inez approached her gingerly, wondering if the printing press had exploded, judging by the ink on her face and hands.
Mary looked up at Inez's approach. "I know, I know, I look a mess."
Inez chose not to comment on her appearance. She guessed that this was a sore point. "Bad day at the office?"
Mary let out a long sigh. "You would not believe it."
"Trust me," Inez offered a dark look in the direction of the saloon. "I could very well believe it."
They stared at each other, feeling the walls between their different lives disappear in an understanding that needed no words to express. A slow smile stole across each other's faces and they started giggling softly. Neither Mary nor Inez concerned themselves with the curious looks they were getting from passers by who wondered what both women found so funny.
"Oh my," Mary replied catching her breath. "I needed that."
"I think we both did." Inez agreed.
"I wonder where Casey is?" Mary scanned the street to see if the young woman was still around, however Casey was no where to be seen. She was probably getting ready for their dinner engagement at the hotel later this evening.
"Is that JD's girl?" Inez ventured a guess, having only heard about Casey at this point.
"Yes," Mary nodded. "The poor child was heartbroken because JD cancelled an outing."
"I'm not surprised," Inez replied. "I think Josiah and Buck," she could not hide the irritation in her voice as she said his name, "are going to Sweetwater tomorrow morning."
"Boys will be boys." Mary shrugged. "Anyway, she seemed so upset so I offered to take her to dinner at the hotel this evening." Suddenly a thought came to her. "Inez, why don't you join us?"
"I don't want to intrude." Inez said hesitantly. Although Inez found Mary Travis far more approachable than some of the haughtier members of Four Corner's female community, she did not know Mary enough to feel comfortable imposing.
Unfortunately, Mary Travis was not in the mood to take no for an answer. Not today. "Inez, I would not ask you if you were. Come on," she urged. "You need to get out of that bar for awhile and Casey and I would love the company. Let's face it," she half smiled. "None of us are ever going to be comfortable in a sewing circle."
To that, Inez could not disagree.
So it was that Mary, Inez and Casey found themselves in the tasteful setting of the hotel's restaurant an hour later. The conversation was polite during the entree section of their dining experience, limited to the local gossip and the non-committal things women spoke of when still uncertain of one another. Casey who had actually worn a dress for the occasion, much to both Mary and Inez's surprise, had least to say although she did listen intently. However, Mary did notice the young woman paying careful attention to her table manners.
"That's a lovely dress." Mary commented and saw Casey's cheeks flush. She was pretty thing when she wanted to be, especially when she wore her hair loose instead of hiding it under a hat or braided in pig tails all the time. Mary started to see why JD was so smitten, even though he behaved typically boorish to the poor girl. JD's effort to be accepted as an equal member of the seven meant that he also picked up their bad habits regarding their treatment of the women in their life. Not that Mary counted herself as one of those by any means to make such a judgement.
"Thank you.' Casey answered softly. "Its the only one I got."
"Well I think its very nice." Mary remarked. "I think you should wear dresses more often."
"I was going to wear it tomorrow." Casey could help saying with a fresh resentment bubbling inside her. When she heard it in her voice, she started feeling badly. "It ain't JD's fault." She quickly stammered. "He is the sheriff after all."
Mary and Inez exchanged similarly sceptical glances before Inez spoke. "You don't have to apologise for him."
"I'm not!" Casey started to protest and then realised that she was of course. "I am so mad at him Mrs Travis." She finally admitted and strangely enough, the knot in her throat suddenly began to untangle.
"So you should be and call me Mary, please."
Casey's eyes widened at the thought of addressing Mrs Travis so formally. "He knew that I was looking forward to our ride tomorrow and he just made plans elsewhere, like I did not even come into his head!"
It was a story Mary knew all too well. She remembered what Steven had been like during their marriage. The missed dinners and promised outings that were always buried under his dedication to his work. She loved him and missed him dearly but enough time had passed since his demise to allow her to see their relationship with some objectivity. "Men are like that." Mary confessed. "It comes from passion for their work, ambition and in JD's case, a need to be accepted."
"I know," Casey said begrudgingly. "He wants so much to be like Mr Larabee and Mr Wilmington."
The mention of Buck made Inez snort derisively. "Why he wants to be like Buck, I'll never know. The man is a pig." There was enough vehemence in her voice for Mary to realise something else as well.
"You know," Mary looked at Inez with a wicked smile. "They say there is a fine line between love and hatred."
"Senora," Inez said with dignity. "The line at the moment is the width of the Rio Grande."
They started to laugh as a waiter approached. "Mrs Travis, would you like to see the wine list?"
"Oh," Mary stopped short and looked at the others at the table. Inez gestured that she would not mind it if Mary wanted one and Casey seemed content to let her take the lead. Mary could not see the harm in it. After all, a little wine at dinner was far from inappropriate, especially when she was dining with two other women. "Just a bottle of red, if you please."
It was about the last sensible moment of the evening.
Two hours later, the tall bottle of Californian wine was almost empty but its effect on the three women on the table was obvious. The initial unease with each other had faded completely and they were talking and laughing, confessing things to each other that had remained unspoken for sheer lack of friendship. The waiters were clearing the tables around them and preparing to close for the night. No one had approached Mary Travis and her party about departing yet, choosing to leave it until the last moment. After everything that the woman had done for the community, the establishment was willing to accommodate her, for a while anyway.
"Then he says to me," Inez manage to say through a series of giggles. "Senorita Inez, you can lead a horse to water but only Buck Wilmington can make him drink!"
"And he thought this was the way to turn your head?" Mary laughed in disbelief. "My goodness, I have underestimated Mr Wilmington technique. I thought he was simply limited to the tried and true club over the head!"
"But JD says that Buck is a real ladies man." Casey retorted, remembering those endless hours (and they truly were endless sometimes), where she had sat listening to JD going on about Buck and how successful he was at everything.
"He is a legend in his own mind." Inez corrected. "For every woman that does go with him, there's at least three whose told him to shove off."
"Yes," Mary shrugged. "So I've heard." Truth be known however, although Buck was always overtly charming to her, Mary had to admit that she was never on the receiving end of one of his proposals. As fuzzy as her thinking was at the moment, she could not understand why that was. "He's never done it to me, fortunately."
"He wouldn't," Casey blurted out giggling. "Chris would kill him."
Mary turned sharply to Casey, the statement having caused a moment of clarity in her foggy mind. "What do you mean?"
"Its nothing." Inez intercepted quickly. The wine had affected her as well but she was still reasonably in control of her faculties to diffuse the situation. "Mr Larabee is very particular that you afforded every courtesy, Mary."
"Oh," Mary nodded, somewhat satisfied by the answer but unable to shake the feeling that there was more to it than that. "That man is a puzzle." She sighed resting her chin in her palms as she leaned forward on the table. "With Buck and the others, its easy to know what is going on inside their heads but Chris," she let out a deep breath. "I can never figure him out, why is that?" She looked to Inez first and then Casey.
"He's a private man." Inez answered unable to illuminate Chris's character any more than that. Being the bar tender in the saloon most days made her privy to a great deal, especially the seven. Chris, she had to admit was indeed the enigma Mary believed him to be. However, Inez had observed enough about the man to know that he had some very strong feelings about Mary Travis that he tried very hard to disguise as simple concern. "He never says much and he drinks alone but he tips well."
The women looked up at each other and started laughing again, even though they had no idea if the joke was funny enough to warrant it. Still, it was good to just be absurd sometimes.
"Looks like they're closing up." Casey announced as the young woman looked around the restaurant. They could hear the washing of dishes behind the closed door of the kitchen. At this point, theirs was the only table with table cloth and chairs that were not upturned. "I told Grandma I was dining with you Mrs Travis...I mean Mary, so she don't mind me being in late but I better get going any way."
"So soon?" Mary said dejected that the night was drawing to a close. She could not remember when she had enjoyed herself so much in the company of other women. When she had moved out west, Mary had left most of her friends behind. Since Steven's death and assuming his role at the Clarion, she had little opportunity to make new ones.
"It is almost nine o'clock." Inez remarked glancing at the clock on the wall. "You don't want to leave it any later than that." She said to Casey. "It will not be safe for you."
"JD should still be in town," Mary suggested. "We'll get him to escort you home."
"I don't know if I want to talk to him yet." Casey grumbled. "I'm stilly pretty mad at him."
"Well," Inez smiled. "Once he sees you in that dress, I'm sure he'll be falling over himself to take you home. You can make him suffer all the way back there." She burst into laughter and saw Casey giggle in agreement.
After settling the bill, the trio of ladies found themselves out in the night air. The heat of the day had evaporated into a cool night perfect for walking and the full moon illuminated the dreary town with a blue lustre. The saloon was still alive with activity but it would be inappropriate for either Casey or Mary to enter it at this time of night.
"I'll go and JD." Inez offered, being the only one of them who could enter the establishment without causing any raised eye brows. The sultry Mexican woman crossed the road and disappeared through the front doors in a matter of seconds.
"I'm just going to check on my horse." Casey remarked as she proceeded to the horses tethered across the street.
Mary watched the young woman go, thinking how pretty Casey would be when she was older. Her flower was just coming into bloom now and although it was difficult to judge through her manner, Mary knew she was going to turn heads someday. Momentarily deserted, she looked up into the sky and saw the full moon, glowing with incandescent beauty. She remembered how she and Steven used to spend hours staring into the stars under the moonlight and that memory stabbed her with a profound sense of his loss. It was so hard having to go on without him and although he had left her Billy, the void inside seemed achingly deep at times. Today, it felt as it would go on forever.
"Mrs Travis." She heard a voice behind her that made her jump.
Mary turned around and found herself staring at Chris Larabee. "Mr Larabee." She greeted once she had regained her composure. "I thought you'd be enjoying the rest of the evening indoors." Her gaze moved briefly in the direction of the saloon.
"I needed some fresh air." He admitted. "What are you doing out at this time of night?"
The way he asked the question irritated her. "Its not that late Mr Larabee." She pointed out.
"Its dark," he said with that icy demeanour that only serve to infuriate her. Suddenly, she had some idea of how Inez felt with Buck. "That's late for a woman alone."
"I never said I was alone." She replied, bristling with enough annoyance that it showed quite clearly in her eyes.
He did not respond for a few seconds but his gaze bore into her and made Mary uncomfortable by the scrutiny. "I'll escort you home." He said finally. The tone of his voice indicated that it was not a question. He took a step towards her and Mary saw his expression shift as he caught a whiff of something in the air.
"I'm not ready to go home just yet Mr Larabee." Mary stared at him hard, stepping back
"You've been drinking." He stated. Once again, it was not a question.
"Its none of your business Mr Larabee if I had." What was this interrogation? Mary felt the resentment bubbling inside her at his presumption. However, she did not need a reputation around town that she was drunk, so she felt compelled to add, "If you must know, I shared a bottle of wine with dinner."
"It must have been a big bottle." He drawled.
"You are the last one to point fingers, Mr Larabee." She turned an accusatory eye at him. "Now, I'm staying right here, if you don't mind."
"I do mind." He said unperturbed by the anger in her voice. If anything, he seemed to be enjoying the banter. It only angered her further. "I also think that it ain't proper for a lady to be out at this time of night alone."
"Compared to what?" She retorted. The evening's libations as Mr Standish would put it, had given her normal courage an unsettling boost. "If I knew what was proper at all, I would have packed up my bags and run home to Boston as soon as Steven died. Nothing I do in this town is proper according to the good people of Four Corners, so what do I care really?"
"You're respected Mary." He pointed out sensing that they were reaching the heart of the matter.
"Respected maybe," she snorted. "Liked, no. The men in this town think I am too independent to be running the paper on my own. Since I happen to be young and unattached, the women look at me like I'm likely steal their husbands once I get it in my mind to do so."
"Mary," he met her gaze with those astonishingly blue eyes of his, "You're an important part of this town." He did not add that she was also an important part of him. "You have a position in the community that depends on your reputation. Now I am taking you home." His voice was calm as ever but it was a tone she knew would broke no argument.
Unfortunately, Mary was in the mood for one.
"Did it ever occur to you that I might have plans?" She demanded, trying not to let him get the better of her. Subconsciously however, she knew it was too late. She was angry and in the rare instances that she allowed it to escape that veneer of gentle good humour that was expected of her, it was impossible to control.
The prospect that she might have company at this hour was one that Chris did not at all like to entertain. He shifted his gaze up and down the street to see if there could possibly be anyone with designs on her but saw nobody. "Who is he?"
There was enough tension in his voice for Mary to realise that this was not just a matter of her personal safety. There was something else at work here. Jealousy perhaps? "Mr Larabee, this wouldn't be a personal issue for you, would it?"
His eyes hardened and she knew instinctively that she had delivered a winning blow in their verbal jousting. She could see the withdrawal in his eyes and a flash of something so passionate and tantalising that she was almost curious to investigate. On any other night but tonight, she might have.
"Not at all." He said casually, hiding the effect her question had upon him. However curiosity, intermingled with jealousy, refused to let him leave.
The attempt to hide his emotions in a mask of indifference struck Mary as funny for some reason. She tried hard to keep herself from laughing because she knew it was definitely the wrong thing to do and she would regret it severely tomorrow. It was almost a relief when Mary saw Inez come out of the saloon with JD in tow. The Mexican pointed the youngest member of the seven towards Casey who was waiting for him by her horse. Mary found herself smiling as the couple greeted each other. Judging by the way JD was looking at her, it would seem that he did appreciate the dress she was wearing. After a moment, the two young people rode off into the night just as Inez reached Mary and Chris.
"Hello Chris." Inez greeted. After seeing the man on a daily basis, the formality had just disappeared from their acquaintance. "Sorry I took a while, it was impossible dragging that boy out of there and keeping Buck's hands off me." She added distastefully.
Mary looked over her shoulder just in time to give Chris a 'don't you feel stupid' look. "I'm amazed you got him out of there at all." She remarked as she took a step away from Chris towards Inez. "Why don't you an I take a walk, Inez. Its a nice night."
"Sure." Inez nodded wondering what on earth she had walked into.
"Goodnight Mr Larabee." Mary said coldly and brushed past him.
"What was that about?" Inez asked when they had left the seven's leader far behind.
Mary was still feeling a light headed from the wine and guessed that was why she had been so short with Chris. Normally, it was far easier to just to just agree with everything he said rather than protest. Chris could be a force of nature when he desired it. Mary like most of the women who came across a man like that, was just as susceptible to his magnetism as anyone else. Poor Buck, Mary thought to herself, he did not possess one tenth the animal magnetism that Chris Larabee had when he walked into a room.
"He was acting like a juvenile." Mary said sharply.
"He tends to do that around you." She remarked.
"I noticed." Mary admitted. Her relationship with Chris Larabee had been a point of gossip, she knew that. She had heard the whispers and rumours and tried hard to ignore it. Mary refused to let innuendo force her into a situation when neither Chris nor she seemed ready for it. "However, I don't belong to him yet."
Deciding that a change of subject was definitely in order, the two women fell silent for a moment as they walked across town. Four Corners was not that big so it was not long before the could see the impenetrable darkness of rugged bushland before then. For a moment, they stared into the darkness, until the eyes become accustomed to the night and the faint outline of the horizon against the indigo sky became visible. The stars stared back at her with indifference even though there was a time when Mary was certain that they were keeping watch over her.
"I miss Steven." Mary admitted softly, finally allowing herself to reveal what had been the cause of her short temper today. It had bothered her all day that there was no one in her life she felt comfortable enough to confess the significance of the date. People respected Mary Travis. They called her the pillar of the community but what did that mean exactly? She had accepted the that men and women of Four Corners chose to stay on good terms with her for differing reasons but would not offer anything resembling a friendship. It was a lonely existence. How lonely it was, did not become apparent until this afternoon.
"Its our wedding anniversary today."
Inez faced her slowly and her warm, brown eyes filled with sympathy and understanding. "I am sorry Mary, I did not know."
"Steven and I weren't out here long enough to celebrate one before he was killed."Mary confessed, feeling the well of grief rise so powerfully that she could do little to contain it. "I told myself all day that I could handle it." Her voice was starting to shake. "Then that stupid printing press decided to jam and I kept thinking to myself when I was trying to fix the thing that Steven could probably do it in a minute....." The wall around her emotions broken then and Mary caught her breath as the first sobs broke through. When the tears finally came, she found Inez wrapping her arms around her offering comfort. Through her loud audible sobs, she managed to stutter. "Damn him Inez, how could he do this to me! We had it all planned out, how we were going to raise a house full of kids and make the paper into something we could be proud of. We were going to live out the rest of our lives, sitting on a porch somewhere watching the stars. I can't do it alone!"
"Yes you can." Inez said, making Mary look at her. "You are the strongest woman I know. I'd give anything to have your strength. You've made it on your own already Mary, there is not one person in town who would say otherwise."
Mary composed herself after her moment, drying the tears in her eyes with a handkerchief. It felt good to let it all out after keeping the pain inside. She wondered momentarily how Chris controlled the emotions he felt about Sarah's loss. After a moment, she realised that he did not control it at all. He merely suppressed it with such practice that it was now something that could not be rid of unless he was willing to sacrifice part of himself. It was not a trade Mary was willing to make in any case.
"I'm sorry to be in such a state." Mary faced Inez, wiping her tears. Her cheeks and her nose were flushed red from her weeping and she suddenly felt embarrassed for making such a spectacle of herself. She had invited Inez to dinner for the company, not to be her confessor.
"Don't be foolish," Inez said gently, remembering how Mary had been the only one who to her when Don Paulo had ridden into town and called her a thief. Except for the seven, most of the town was ready to believe she was a thief. Mary was the only person who was willing to hear the truth from her. Inez had not forgotten the gesture and she was glad to be able to repay it with similar kindness. "We are friends, no?"
At that, Mary brightened visibly. "Yes, we are." She said with a widening smile.
"So, its nine o'clock and we are women of the world," Inez grinned. "What shall we do?"
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea."
The house before them stood on a hill several hundred yards out of town. Even as they made their way up the broken steps leading to the front door, Mary and Inez could still hear the sounds of the saloon behind them.
"I told you I saw a light." Mary stated pointing to the enormous house.
"But I thought you said it was deserted." Inez stated.
"I also said it was haunted." Mary replied, her eyes focused on the uneven path before her.
"No you did not." Inez declared. "All you said was that you thought you saw a light." They had been on their way back to the Clarion's office when Mary had caught sight of something flickering in the windows of the deserted Chesterton House. Perhaps it was the wine or the need for the night not to end that led Mary to suggest that they investigate and Inez to agree.
"Its just a legend." Mary said dismissing the whole notion. "Apparently, Darryl Chesterton who was one of the original settlers in the town, killed his wife and two daughters when he found out that she was having an affair."
"That's awful!" Inez exclaimed as they reached the front landing. The house looked like something from a Victorian novel, with tall spires, two many rooms and gargoyles keeping watch at strategic corners of the building. The light that Mary had seen was still distant but she could see it through the window. "What happened to him."
"He killed himself with a double barrel shot gun." Mary continued as they stepped onto the creaky boards of front porch. Cobwebs hung from every corner of the decrepit house, with windows that had were covered with dirt or smashed. The lock of the front door was hanging from the wood by a fraction of splinter. Judging by the dust covering the broken fragments on the floor, the damage was inflicted some time ago.
"And that's why its haunted?" Inez replied looking around nervously. The moon had disappeared behind the clouds and there was not enough illumination from the town to keep the place being in virtual darkness.
"No," Mary pushed the door open. "You know what they say about rich people who die with houses like this. There's always the myth that there is money hidden somewhere in the building so you have your treasure hunters breaking in to find out if there was any thing to it. Some of them confessed to seeing the ghosts of Mrs Chesterton and her daughters roaming about the place. I think its just a load of bull myself." She entered the house and immediately brought her handkerchief to her nose. The smell inside was musty and she could hear small thing crawling through the dark. Although it was difficult to see, she saw the silhouette of a lamp and a customary box of lighting matches at its side.
Although the matches were old, there was still enough oil left in the lamp to burn. After a moment, light flooded into the darkened room.
The place had been thoroughly ransacked by one looter or another. Upholstery had been torn off the wooden frames of the chairs and furniture lay up ended on the floor. There was dust and cobwebs everywhere. It appeared no one had been through the place, judging from the thick layer of dust that had settled over the place.
"No one has bought the place?" Inez inquired, looking around curiously. The portrait of Darryl Chesterton and his family was hanging on the wall, although the frame was askew to the right.
"No one wants to own a haunted house." Mary said as a matter of faculty as she picked up the lamp and started towards the staircase. "Come on Inez."
"You have a strange sense of adventure." The Mexican commented as she kept close behind Mary. The place was starting to get to her a little and she hoped whatever they found would satisfy Mary's curiosity and not place them in any undue jeopardy. The effect of the wine was replacing sense with too much audacity in both of them.
The flight of stairs they proceeded was in the same shape as the rest of the house. As Mary proceeded up the narrow flight of stairs, she noticed several of the family pictures were on the floor. She leaned over and picked up one of the fallen frames. The picture it held was of a young girl, Mary assumed it was one of the Chesterton daughters whose life had ended so tragically. She could not have been more than thirteen years old and she was a beautiful child. Had she lived, she would have been just about Casey's age.
"She was a lovely girl." Inez stated when Mary showed her the frame.
They continued walking up the stairs but each step was met by a loud uncomfortable creak. They could hear the wood straining beneath them and Mary began to question herself, the wisdom of what she and Inez were undertaking. They were almost to the first floor with two more flights to go when suddenly a loud crack shattered the silence. Mary and Inez looked at each other with wide eyes when the realisation dawned just in time for the rickety stairs beneath them to give way completely. There was hardly time to utter a short scream before they were both plunged into the darkness below.
Chris had not meant to follow them. Unfortunately, what he said about it being dangerous for Mary to be out at this time of the night would not allow him to join the others in the saloon. Even with Inez, two women did not make any less of a target than one, especially when they were both beautiful. Chris followed at respectful distance because he knew Mary would not appreciate the effort. Sometimes, her need for independence was almost maddening. However, seeing where the two women had went reinforced the decision. At the time, he had questioned how much trouble they could get into so close to town.
As he hurried up the stairs, Chris reminded himself never to underestimate either woman again.
Although dazed, neither women were hurt too badly but clarity returned sharply when they smelled smoke. Mary suddenly became conscious of the lamp she was no longer holding and tried to sit up at that discovery. She and Inez were covered in dirt and debris from the collapsing stairway. She pushed away the pieces of rotting wood trapping her in place and sat upright to find herself in what appeared to be the cellar. Beside her, Inez was swearing in colourful Mexican expletives while trying to free herself from the same debris.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Mary replied but her eyes transfixed elsewhere.
"Now I know why my mother said that drinking is bad for the health." Inez complained. "It makes you do the stupidest things."
"I did see a light!" Mary protested and then added. "I think."
Inez turned sharply towards her. "You think?"
"It could have been the moon reflecting off the top window." She said somewhat embarrassed that she could have been wrong by what she had seen. A situation that was not improved by the groan of exasperation from Inez. "Its was an honest mistake!" She insisted.
Inez treated her to more of those colourful Mexican expletives.
"Look, we have bigger problems." Mary said feeling sillier than she had in a long time.
"Like what?" Inez said throwing a stray plank off her legs.
"Like that!" Mary pointed.
Inez's eyes widened as the lamp that made the journey with them had shattered on the wooden floor before them and started a small but rapidly growing fire. With all the junk that had been stored in the cellar with them, the fire was finding a great deal to feed its fury.
"This is not bad." Mary said standing up quickly and dusting herself off. "We'll just get to the cellar door and get out of here."
"Finally," Inez sighed in gratitude. "Something that makes sense."
The two women skirted the edge of the flames and hurried up the creaky staircase without much thought as to its strength. The fire had now found the pile of debris that had come down with them and quickly enveloped it in flames. The room was starting to fill with smoke and Mary could feel the heat through her clothes. She reached the handle of the door and twisted it.
"Its locked." She looked at Inez.
"What?" Inez exclaimed horrified.
"Its locked!" Mary repeated.
"I heard you!" Inez retorted and looked at the fire that was had now overtaken half the room. There was a window on the other side of the cellar but a wall of flames ensured they would not be using it. Mary tried the door again out of sheer futility. It absolutely refused to budge.
"What kind of idiot locks the door to a haunted house?" Mary shouted tyring not to panic, however the rising smoke was not making it any easier.
"The kind that doesn't want trespassers!" Inez cried out.
Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke from the other side of the door. "Stand back."
With a sinking feeling, Mary recognised it immediately and wondered if dying here would not be such a bad thing after all.
Both women went down the cellar stairs as far as they could before she responded to their unseen saviour. "We're clear!" She called out.
No sooner than the words had escaped her lips, the door flew open with a loud bang. Splinters flew from the torn wood of hinges and a gush of musty air immediately invaded the room. Compared to the smoke they had been forced to inhale during the last few minutes, the air was almost as good as fresh.
Chris Larabee stepped in casually through the doorway, showing none of the concern he felt. "If you don't mind cutting your evening short ladies, this might be the time to leave."
Mary swore at him in some of those colourful Mexican words.
"Good morning Inez." Buck Wilmington grinned at her from across the bar.
"What do you want?" She groaned. Inez was not much of a drinker and this morning she had learnt why she had stayed away from alcohol. After seeing so many drunks come and go in the saloon, she should have known that her ordeal was just beginning. Her head was throbbing from the effects of a massive hangover, not to mention her mouth felt as if it was full of cotton wool and her stomach seemed to be rejecting last night's dinner. If it was not for the responsibilities to the saloon, she would have spend the whole day in bed and attempted to forget the embarrassment of last night.
Unfortunately, it was not mean to be.
"I just came to see how you were," the cowboy said with that annoying grin plastered across his face. "After your little adventure last night."
"I heard the Chesterton House was burnt to the ground." Ezra replied trying to stifle a smile from the card table he was occupying with Vin.
"Completely?" Inez squeaked a response.
"There ain't even a fireplace standing." Buck said triumphantly. His face inches away from hers. He was clearly enjoying her embarrassment to the hilt.
"Stop talking so loud." Inez hissed, before resting her head on the counter. This only succeeded in drawing a hearty round of laughter from everyone in hearing distance.
"A little hangover Inez?" Ezra inquired politely. "They saw Californian wine is as rough as the hills. I prefer the French variety myself."
Inez responded with a venomous glare.
"Now come on," Buck said reproachfully as he rounded the corner and got behind the bar with Inez. "Leave the Senorita alone." He told Ezra gallantly. "A lady should not be made to suffer more than she already is." He reached for a glass and pulled out a flask from his coat. Inez watched in mild fascination as he emptied its contents into a glass and then presented it to her. The liquid was dark red, like tomato juice with sprinkles of something dark she did not recognise.
"Now this is Buck's sure fire remedy for hangovers. Guaranteed to cure your ills in one healthy glass."
Inez looked at it sceptically. "Are you sure this works?" She was just sick enough to try it.
"Trust me." He said with complete and unabashed charm. Whether or not there was any sincerity in his voice was beyond her ability to detect this morning. "This is how I make my spectacular departure after a night with a special lady."
"As opposed to jumping out of her window?" Vin remarked, recalling their first meeting.
"Before that part." Buck growled, throwing him a look.
"What the hell," Inez retorted. "I couldn't feel any worse." She took a deep breath and downed the liquid before discovering that she was wrong. She could feel worse, a lot worse. She had not downed any more than four gulps of it before Inez slammed the glass down on the table and started turning green. "I think I'm going to be sick." She felt the nausea hit so badly from the foul drink that she forced to run outside and retch.
Buck watched her go mystified. "It always works for me!"
"What is in that?" Ezra asked, shocked by Inez's pallor.
"Just the usual." Buck answered innocently.
"Being?" Vin pressed, looking up from his hand.
"Tabasco, mashed jalapin peppers, coffee grinds, tomato juice and just for some kick, gun powder."
There were audible groans around the table when JD walked into the bar and strode towards them. "Hey, what's wrong with Inez? She's throwing up something fierce out there."
Ezra started to chuckle before he looked at JD. "Mr Dunne, I think for Mr Wilimington's sake, you ought to make a hasty start to Sweetwater. Preferably, before Inez returns."
"Why?" JD asked confused.
"Don't question the man," Buck jumped over the counter and strode purposefully towards the young man. "Let's just go." He fairly dragged JD out of the place, using the rear entrance, just to be on the safe side. Inez mad was something even Buck Wilimington was not about to face unarmed.
Ezra and Vin started laughing as Buck disappeared. "I wonder how long he'll have to stay in Sweetwater." Vin mused.
"Let's just say, I hope he has more than a day's supplies with him." Ezra grinned.
Oh great, Mary groaned as she saw Chris Larabee walk into the Clarion office. Was it not bad enough that she was responsible for burning down the Chesterton House, the embers of which was yet to cool on the hill. Now she had to endure his company while he gloated over having to rescue her and Inez yet again.
"Mr Larabee." She said forcing herself to be pleasant even though she was suffering a massive headache resulting from an even more ferocious hangover. Mary wondered briefly how Inez was feeling this morning. If it was anything like the square dance going on in her head, Inez had her complete sympathies. Now she knew why she did not drink often.
"Good morning Mary." He said with the barest hint of a smile.
"What can I do for you Mr Larabee?" Mary looked up at him, flinching involuntarily as the sun got in her eyes with the glare of stage lights.
Chris saw the reaction and said nothing although he was thoroughly amused about the whole thing. "I just came to see how you were."
"Oh I'm fine." She lied. "Just have a lot of work to do, so if you excuse me..."
"Hangover that bad?" He could resist mentioning.
"I do not have a hangover!" She hissed vehemently and then regretted doing so because the stress just made her throb even more. She settled down and met his eyes with increasing annoyance. "Are you here just to torture me or do you have a specific reason?"
"No," he shook his head and then let a smile steal across his usually dispassionate features. "No, specific reason, just here to torture you."
"Out!" She stood up and once again felt her head swim. It took a few seconds to recover but eventually she was capable of meeting his eye again. "You are really enjoying this aren't you?"
"Why would you say that?" Chris asked, all innocence.
"Because you're sick!" She snapped.
"Evidently, not as sick as you." He pointed out.
"That's it! Get out of my office!" The last vestiges of her patience had run dry
"Okay," Chris answered, not at all upset by her behaviour. He found it rather illuminating actually. Even in this state, she was beautiful and he appreciated the chance to savour it. "Incidentally, Buck wanted me to deliver this." He reached into his dark coat and produced a bottle filled with a strange red concoction. He placed it on her desk on his way out.
"What is it?" She asked as she picked it up and examined the insides closely.
Chris Larabee made sure was out the door before he answered. He did not want her to see the wide smile across his face.
"Buck's sure fire remedy for hangovers."
THE END