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Resealing the windows on the north side of the church, Josiah Sanchez was whistling softly under his breath as he worked. With the exception of a rowdy cowboy in the saloon every now and then, the town had been quiet for the past two weeks. The respite had allowed all of the peacekeepers some time to relax and enjoy life for a while. Oh, none of them had any illusions that is would continue. It was inevitable that chaos would again descend on their fair town. But until that happened, the preacher was happy working with his hands repairing the old church.
It seemed the vacation was going to come to an abrupt halt when a glimpse of two people moving with quick, angry strides caught the preacher's attention. Wiping his hands, Josiah moved to the corner of the church to get a better look at what was happening. Sighing, he shook his head at the sight before him. Well Lord, it seems that two of your titans are clashing again.
Watching the two, Josiah was concerned. While he knew that conflict was as much a part of human nature as breathing, it always bothered him. This was especially true when the conflict was between these two people. They both could be passionate in their beliefs and obstinate in their views. While these traits explained, to a large degree, how they had been able to survive some of the events of their lives, at times, these same things caused problems between them. When they agreed and worked together, there was nothing they couldn't accomplish. When they disagreed, it was just like a hammer pounding on hot metal — sparks flew. This was one of those times.
As the two approached the livery, Chris Larabee pulled to a sudden halt and spun to face the woman stalking towards him. Although the preacher couldn't hear the words that passed between them, their stances spoke volumes. Chris' hands were on his hips, his shoulders tense and straight. Mary Travis pulled to a halt inches from the steeled figure in front of her, her fist clenched at her sides, her head thrown back to glare into the face towering over her. The battle raged back and forth between the speakers for several minutes until Chris briefly leaned forward so that his face was a hairs-breath away from hers. A few seconds more and he stormed past the woman standing like a statue in the street. She was still there, hands flexing at her sides, when Chris exited the stable on horseback. Pausing briefly to look again at the woman staring him down, he spun his horse and left at a gallop.
What the gunslinger didn't see after he left that Josiah could from his vantage point was that the statue faltered and stumbled briefly before she caught herself against the hitching post. After a few moments she ran a hand over her face before she straightened and began to move slowly back up the street.
Later that day, this same statue appeared before Josiah as he was leaving the church to eat an early supper before his patrol. Stopping in his tracks at the sight of her, he was struck by the pallor of her already ivory colored skin. "Mary? Is everything all right?"
"Josiah, would you please give this to him when you see him?" Mary replied as she held out a folded piece of paper. On it, in her delicate handwriting, was one word — Chris. It was only then that the preacher realized she was dressed in traveling clothes and had a carpetbag in her hand.
"Sure... but are you okay?" Josiah pressed, spotting a glimmer of tears in her eyes while he was taking the note. Her only response was a brief squeeze of his hand before she turned and headed for the stagecoach beginning to board passengers.
Stunned, the big man could only stand there and watch the stage carry her away — with no idea of where she was going or how long she would be gone. He realized that he was not the only one who had witnessed this when Buck's voice penetrated the recesses of his mind.
"Mary say where she was going?"
Turning to look at the man who had walked up behind him, Josiah slowly shook his head as he tucked the note into his coat pocket.
Sitting in the saloon the next morning at breakfast, Mary's departure was the topic of conversation.
"I heard she and Chris were fighting before she left," JD Dunne said, pushing his empty plate away from him. "Folks say they were...."
"Don't mean it was the cause of her leaving," Vin Tanner interrupted, pinning JD with his eyes and stopping the young sheriff from revealing any further gossip.
"Don't mean it wasn't either," Buck Wilmington observed. "You didn't see 'em. They were goin' at it pretty good."
"Gentlemen, whether or not she left because of her altercation with Mr. Larabee is irrelevant. Either way, it doesn't change the fact that she is gone. The question now is how long shall we be deprived of her presence?" Ezra Standish interjected, folding his napkin to lay it on the table.
"Sign on the door says closed 'til further notice," Nathan Jackson observed, sipping on a cup of coffee.
"What's closed?" Chris asked coming through the batwing doors and overhearing the healer's comment.
The sound of Chris' voice froze the discussion and speakers in mid-movement. Finally it was Buck who cleared his throat and shifted in his seat before answering the gunslinger who had sat down and was pouring a cup of coffee from the pot in the middle of the table. "The Clarion."
"Mary not feeling well?" Chris asked obviously surprised by the news.
It was JD who, after looking at the silent others shifting uncomfortably in their chairs, blurted out the answer. "She's gone. Got on the stage yesterday afternoon without so much as a goodbye."
Stillness descended as the cup Chris was holding stopped midway to his lips at JD's words. Surprise and disbelief flashed across his face as he tried to comprehend what he had just heard.
"Anyone know where?" he finally asked quietly, setting the full cup of coffee back down and breaking the spell that had been cast by some unseen force.
Six men shook their heads to indicate they did not know. Pulling the note from his coat pocket, Josiah laid it on the table in front of the man sitting beside him as he rose to leave. "Perhaps this will tell you. Mary asked me to give it to you before she left. Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for me to get to work if I'm going to get the south windows repaired today."
Moving towards the door, Josiah heard the others getting up to leave also. Pausing on the boardwalk, a quick look through the window revealed the gunslinger sitting in the same position staring at the piece of paper lying before him.
"Did you see that?" JD asked nervously. "Chris looked like he was scared of that note."
"In his eyes, my friend, that note represents his salvation or confirms his damnation," Josiah observed squinting into the bright sunlight.
"And how will he know?" Nathan asked, not liking the tinge of worry that laced the preacher's words
"Simple. It all depends on whether it tells him if Mary is coming back or not," the preacher added quietly before he stepped off the boardwalk towards the church.
Sitting outside of the jail with a silent Chris, Josiah again thought about the argument he had witnessed and the events that had happened since then. It had been almost a week since Mary's mysterious leaving. In that time, the gossip going around the town had reached deafening levels. Hell, if Josiah had only heard about the altercation through the rumors, he would of thought the two had been rolling on the ground throwing punches.
Josiah knew Chris had probably heard the whispers, seen the looks, the nods, the points, but like always, the gunslinger ignored them and went on his way. He did not try to explain nor defend his actions. Neither had he — as far as Josiah knew — told anyone what had been in the note Mary had left for him or what they had been arguing about. In fact, he had grown even quieter, more withdrawn in that time.
Josiah had the feeling that he had resigned himself to leaving town for good and was preparing himself and the others for it. Josiah wasn't ready to let him go without trying to talk him out of it.
"You could try to find her you know," the big man said quietly, breaking the unspoken vow all of them had made to not say anything about Mary to Chris.
Even though Chris did not turn to look at the preacher, Josiah knew Chris had heard him from the slight nod of his head acknowledging his words. After a few moments, quiet words drifted back up to the preacher.
"If she'll be happier without me in her life, what right do I have to do that?" Shaking his head as if to answer his own question, Chris continued. "This is her home. It's only right that I leave so she can come back."
"She tell you that in the note she left for you?"
Silently, Chris pulled the paper from his coat and handed it back to the man sitting slightly behind him. Taking it, Josiah turned it over and was about to open it when he realized that the wax seal that Mary had put on it was still intact.
"You haven't read it?" Josiah asked astounded by the revelation.
Shrugging, Chris finally turned to look at Josiah. "Didn't seem to be any need."
Looking long and hard at his friend, Josiah had the urge to cuff him up side the head to knock some sense into him. He was always so ready to resign himself to hell. Instead, Josiah ran his finger under the edge of the folded paper to break the wax, feeling the weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders as he did so. By breaking the seal and reading the note, he could be inadvertently speeding up Chris' leaving. Regardless, at least Chris would know the truth.
The sound of the stage coming into town briefly drew Josiah's attention as he unfolded the paper. Glancing back down to scan the handwriting, he breathed a heavy sigh as he finally looked back up.
Meeting the deep green eyes watching him, Josiah held the paper out to Chris. "I think you better read this and then get over there to meet that stage," the big man said lightly as he felt a huge weight lift from him.
Taking it, Chris' eyes continued to scan the big man's face trying to understand what he was seeing reflected there. Finally tearing his eyes away, Chris looked down to the paper.
Chris,
Received word that one of my dearest friends was thrown from a horse and killed. Am leaving on the afternoon stage to take care of her children until her husband returns from a cattle drive. Should be home on Friday. If I'm delayed, I'll send you word.
Mary
PS. I'm sorry about our fight. We'll talk when I get back.
Chris raised stunned eyes to look at the big man grinning at him. "Uh, Chris, passengers are starting to get off the stage," Josiah finally said as if speaking to a young child. Shifting, Josiah barely contained the joyful laughter that threatened to escape him as Chris jumped up and hurried to meet the beautiful woman who had appeared in the doorway of the stage.
Well Lord, it seems we have come through another storm intact. Don't mind saying you had me scared on this one. Still grinning, Josiah stepped down to the street to greet the couple coming his way.
The end.
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