Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" T.V. series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide.
When Chris Larabee had initially made the decision that he would take up the reins of his former vocation as a horse rancher, he had been motivated by the belief that it was a man's duty to be able to provide for his family. After all, as financially independent as Mary was on her own, Chris knew he could not expect for things to remain as they were and he wanted to contribute something to their life style instead of maintaining the status quo on a dollar a day existence. Horse ranching seemed to be the most logical choice at the time, since in all honestly he was not equipped to do much else, although admittedly he had never tried. However, as the venture became more than just discussion to Vin, Buck and himself, Chris found himself looking forward to it.
It was hard starting the actual work because the doing of it brought back memories of Sarah and Adam and Chris had never been able to cope well with those. He was aware that it was easier to think about them now that he was married again and no longer suffered the painful ache that those recollections brought with it. It surprised him even more when he found he was able to talk about his lost family and focus on the good times they shared now that he had some answers to the questions that had plagued him in the three years following their death. Chris was aware that he was healing and the obsession to torment himself with grief had released him in the wake of his marriage.
When he put the first nail in the first corral that they had started to build on the parcel of land chosen for their little enterprise, Chris had felt those memories flooding back with forceful intensity but surprised himself when he shrugged away the pang of grief they engendered. There was a time when he would have been completely overwhelmed by it and was secretly rather proud of himself that he had managed to keep it under control instead allowing it to control him as it often used to do.
The more he and the others continued working on the ranch, building stables, corrals and all the other structures necessary for the business they intended to nurture on this stretch of earth, Chris found another surprise in store for himself. He had missed working with his hands and using tools instead of a gun. There was something deeply satisfying about seeing something one built with one's own hands. He never thought he could have become so accustomed to anything as domestic as mending fences or going to horse sales again after the life he had been leading, but he did. It was not just the work but also the camaraderie of working alongside Vin and Buck.
Occasionally Ezra would take a look at the books and point out that they should not be spending too much money on this and that and managed their finances rather expertly so that they received maximum use out of their combined resources. Other times Nathan would pitch in when he was not busy with the healing he did when there was no trouble around while JD would delight in accompanying them to the horse sales. It was not hard to remember how young JD was when one saw his enthusiasm and Chris admitted the kid had a good eye for horse flesh considering he had come from the east and spent most of his life in a city. Josiah who had more or less finished the work on his church except for a few embellishments would come out to the ranch mostly to commune with nature and God as he put it.
Even though Vin and Buck were technically his partners, the truth was the ranch had become a group project and Chris enjoyed working with his friends during the day for something other defending the town against outlaws and all the other trouble that seemed to come with being lawmen. After months of work, the ranch had taken definite shape and it would not be long before they could officially say they were open for business. Chris was especially pleased that Vin had become attached to the shack that had been his home in the early days of his life at Four Corners. Even though the young man's wagon was left at the side of the house, Chris knew that Vin enjoyed the solitude of being away from town as well as having some place to call home. In truth, Vin spent more nights with Alex than he ought but Chris knew what it was like to love a woman and yet wish to spare her reputation.
Buck on the other hand was working hard in every possible to prove to Inez that he could be a worthy husband. It had surprised even Chris, the determination in which he launched into this endeavour. With a child on the way, Chris supposed Buck would act no other way. Chris was aware of Buck's history, that his mother had been a working girl and his fine appreciation of the fairer sex had come from association with the girls occupying the bordello he had been raised in. Whoever had been Buck's father was probably a question not even his mother could answer and Chris knew Buck did not want his own child to end up the same way of never knowing its father.
Buck was in a foul mood today and it was odd, seeing him this way. Chris had become accustomed to Buck's easy going personality and seeing him mad for this long bordered on the fascinating. Chris smiled faintly as he saw Vin trying to draw the man into conversation, when usually it was the other way around. Both men were attaching gates to one of the holding pens they had, since there would be horses occupying the enclosure soon enough. Judging by the frown on Vin's face, his attempts were proving tedious as Buck did not seem in the mood for it. Chris left them both, deciding he would occupy his time working on the barn until the point when Vin's temper got the better of him and Chris would have to pull them both apart.
He was still involved engaged in this worthy pursuit when he suddenly heard the slight trot of an animal on approach. Chris put down the tool he was using and walked out the barn door to see a rider nudging his animal to the house. With the noon day sun burning down on him, Chris squinted through the sweat in his eyes to see whom his visitor was. As always, his holster remained slung over his shoulder as he started walking towards the shack, poised to fire if the stranger was here for any dark purpose.
Upon reaching the shack, Chris realised that there was no danger, well not really. The Mexican standing at his door, knocking politely was no enemy. He wore the suit of a Mexican gentlemen, but the ornate holster and gun that slung around his hip indicated he was anything but. His approach brought the man's attention to him and he burst into a grin as he saw Chris.
"Compadre." He greeted. "I came here to find you and I see you have become a farmer."
"Raphael," Chris replied with just as much humour. "I ain't no farmer, I'm a rancher."
"You giving up the gun?" Raphael teased as he met Chris in a friendly handshake.
"Does it look like it?" Chris asked, glancing at the weapon draped over his shoulder.
"That is good," the man smiled. "I would be distressed to know that I will never see more of your work."
By work, he of course meant Chris' gun slinging abilities. Raphael who was rather talented with a gun himself had ridden into town two weeks after Inez had first arrived, alongside of Don Paulo who had an obsession with the young woman and was determined to have her one way or another. As one of his protectors, Raphael had been wrestling from the moment he arrived in Four Corners with his conscience and his duty to protect the Don even though the man's actions were questionable to say the least. As one of the old school to whom honour was not just a word but a way of life, Raphael had eventually chosen principle over duty and saved Buck's life. The last time Chris had seen him, Raphael was going to ground, certain that the Don's father would demand retribution.
"You have a lady now?" Raphael met his eyes with raised brow.
"A wife." Chris nodded because it was an unspoken rule among the men of his professional ilk that domestication like this was usually brought on by an attachment of the female variety.
"Congratulations." Raphael replied. "I hope she is a good woman but beautiful."
"You've seen her." Chris reminded. "She was with Inez that day."
Raphael thought a moment, recalling the faces of the crowd because men like him always noticed everyone on such occasions. "The one with the gold hair." Raphael replied, remembering the lady in question and had to admit she was quite the beauty. "I compliment you on your choice. She is very beautiful."
"The best." Chris answered truthfully, unaware of the emotion that had crept into his voice as they sat on the porch and caught up with the news in each others lives. "So what have you been up to?"
"I've been seeing a little of this country and I am now on my way back across the border." Raphael answered. "There is a job waiting for me in Bolivia. A town there requires a man of a honour to be the law, an old friend suggested that I take it."
"That's good," Chris said genuinely pleased for the man. Raphael was one of the few people Chris had taken an instant liking to even if they were both on separate sides when they had first met. However, their friendship had transcended that minor setback easily and they had parted as friends with a healthy respect for one another. "So are you staying a spell or you're gonna keep going?" He inquired.
"I have to keep going unfortunately," Raphael replied. "It is unlikely that I will be this way for awhile but I thought I might say goodbye as well as relating some valuable information I think you should know." His manner hardened indicating that whatever intelligence he intended on passing was not entirely pleasant.
Chris tensed immediately, sensing a shift in the casual mood of the moment into something darker. "You got my interest."
"Your compadre," Raphael remarked. "The one who fought Don Paulo, is he still here?"
"He's here." He answered tautly.
"I have heard news from some friends of mine who come from Val Verde that Don Paulo's father is not well."
Chris sensed ominous news about to reach him and straightened up, staring intently at the Mexican as he waited silently for Raphael to tell him the rest. "How bad is he?"
"Bad enough that his mind is no longer what it was. They say that he now believes that his son was unjustly murdered by Inez's lover and that he may seek revenge."
The timing could not be worse as far as Chris was concerned. With a baby in the equation, protecting Inez was extremely difficult even if everything Raphael was telling was the product of hearsay. However Raphael was a lot like him and not alarmist. If he had made a detour from his present destination to pause and give them this warning then it was not to be taken lightly.
"Inez family still lives in the town." Raphael pointed out. "It might be a good idea if the lady makes some inquiries into the welfare of her mother and sister. If the Don choses to carry out his vengeance, they would be the most obvious targets."
Chris agreed but Val Verde was on the other side of the Mexican border and Chris was reluctant to cross into Texas with Vin Tanner at his side to retrieve Inez's family. Vin was still wanted in Texas and going around the state to get to Mexico would take time they did not have. "Is he likely to kill them?"
"Once upon a time, I would have said no." Raphael admitted honestly. "He was a good man in his day but his son was always cause for trouble. However, a man like that with only one child tends to protect that one child no matter how badly he behaves. He loved his son, misbegotten as the boy might have been. I do not know what he is capable of but I can tell you that the man can be ruthless if you inspire his wrath. I would take my warning seriously Larabee."
Chris did. Any threat to the people in his life was usually met with Chris' fiercest determination to protect them at all costs. In truth, he had always suspected that Don Paulo's father would make an appearance at some point. However, he had expected retaliation to come soon after the death, not almost two years later. "I'll tell Buck but I tell ya, this ain't the best time for this." Chris admitted.
"Is there ever a good time for such things?" Raphael looked at him with a raised brow.
"No," He replied. "But Inez is about two weeks or less from having a baby."
Raphael said nothing, feeling something twitch inside him uncomfortably. Like just about every man in Val Verde, Raphael had once entertained thoughts about Inez although nothing had come from it. He felt slightly disappointed that she was now irrevocably lost to him even though he was mystified at why he ought to feel this way when there had never been anything between them. He supposed it was in the nature of men to feel this way about any beautiful women they never possessed. "My congratulations to the lady but you are right, it makes things difficult."
"We'll figure something out," Chris replied, trying to sound confident even though Inez's pregnancy made things exceedingly difficult. If it were anyone else, Chris would suggest Vin take them out of town and hide them some place in the wilderness. With Vin as guide, the chances of anyone finding them were remote. However, Inez could not be spirited away into the wild, not with a baby about to make its arrival at any time and even sooner if the lady was aggravated. She needed to be near a town with a doctor when the time finally came upon her.
"Larabee," Raphael considered another point. "It puzzled me why Alejandro would have taken so long to avenge himself upon Inez. I thought perhaps it had been his illness that had sent him over the edge and made him come after the Senora now but I wonder...." He paused as his mind latched onto a most uncomfortable thought.
Chris caught the sudden reflection in his eyes and immediately reacted. "What?"
"Perhaps the reason why he is choosing to take his revenge now is because your compadre has much to lose, a wife and a new baby."
Raphael's struck a raw nerve because Chris knew from personal experience1 what torture that was for any man to endure. "You think he's coming after Buck now so that he can kill Inez and the baby?" Chris' voice was barely a whisper as he spoke.
"Yes," Raphael nodded, unsettled by the discourse he saw in Chris' eyes and wondered what had inspired it. It could hardly be the threat he had outlined to Inez and the child. Larabee and his men were extremely efficient, the Mexican was confident that they could effectively take care of whatever threat Don Paulo could throw in their direction. He was certain that following his warning, Inez would be duly afforded whatever protection she might need until the crisis had passed. "The Don would rather leave the enemy alive to pay the penance of his crime rather than kill him outright and end his pain. Don Paulo is an intelligent man and his actions are similarly intelligent, I have seen him with enemies before and he dealt with them in the same manner."
"We'll be ready for him if he comes this way." Chris said sourly, meaning every word of it should Don Paulo make an attempt for Buck or Inez. He disliked anyone who would use a man's family as revenge and felt a personal stake in seeing that the same thing that happened to him would never happen to Buck.
"I leave it in your hands compadre." Raphael nodded, with no doubt in his mind that it would be that way.
Raphael stayed for a little longer and they moved off the subject of the Don, though not entirely before the Mexican was on his way south of the border once again. Chris bid the man farewell hoping that it would not be the last time he saw Raphael, since there were few men he considered friends and Raphael seemed to be one of them. Following his departure, Chris went to find Buck and Vin, guessing that they were still working on the gate and was relieved to see that neither had inflicted bodily harm on each other yet. He supposed he should have never thought otherwise. Vin knew how to let a man be when he did not want to talk. After riding with Chris for so long, how could he not know how to do that?
Instead, he found the work progressing quite adequately and was felt somewhat guilty that he was the bringer of such bad tidings. It was not as if Buck had enough to worry about at this moment with his troubles with Inez but now he had to deal with the emergence of a new enemy at one of the most vulnerable times of his life. It did not seem fair to Chris. In either case, his old friend had a right to know and as it always inevitably fell to him to deal with such things, Chris decided not to waste time with it. If there was trouble coming, then they would have to deal with it now.
"How you doing boys?" Chris asked as he saw Buck holding the new constructed gate in place while Vin was securing the new steel hinge attached to it onto the fence post.
"We're getting there." Buck said as Chris came to help him with gate. The big man had discarded his shirt while his long johns were damp with perspiration under the arms and at the edges of his collar.
"Did I hear someone ride up?" Vin inquired, meeting Chris gaze briefly before he turned his attention back to the hinge he was screwing into place within the wood. The tracker had also discarded his shirt but had no long johns and showed how hard he had been working by the sweat forming on his bare skin.
"Yeah," Chris nodded. "Raphael."
Buck looked at him. "That fella who used to ride with Don Paulo?" The big man recognised the name immediately and did not let his surprise detract his attention from what he was doing.
"Yeah him." Chris said shortly as Vin tightened the final screw on the hinges and the gate was able to be supported without their strength to hold it up. Closing it shut, the trio regarded their work with some measure of satisfaction before they returned to the subject being discussed.
"How's he doing?" Buck inquired as they walked back to the house for a drink of water after their labour in the sun.
"Heading back across the border," Chris explained. "Seems he has a job waiting there."
"I'd like to have said hello." Buck said with a hint of disappointment, never having the chance to say how thankful he had been to Raphael for standing up to the Don and saving his life. When the duel with the man had gone Buck's way, Paulo, the coward that he was had ordered the hired guns on his payroll to end the fight with a gun. If not for Raphael's timely intervention, he would not be standing here.
"Well I had a feeling he wanted to get going as soon as possible." The gunslinger remarked as they reached the water barrel under the pump and Buck cooled himself by using the dipper to drink.
Vin could see something in Chris' manner that told the tracker immediately that there was more to the visit than just a hello. Chris was tense, more so than was normal for him and the man did not get that way without good reason. "Came here for anything in particular?"
"Yeah he did." Chris nodded and met Buck's gaze. "It seems that he heard some rumours and thought he'd better stop by here and let us know, so we can be ready if anything comes our way."
Buck looked sharply at Chris. "Meaning what?"
"Meaning that Don Paulo's father may finally be coming after you and Inez." Chris answered, deciding there was no way to make this news any easier to hear and so the best thing he could do was to just say it.
"Shit." Buck swore under his breath. "Now? He's coming after us now?"
"Ain't no time limit on revenge Buck," Vin drawled. "You killed his son, thing like that just don't go away, it gets worse over time."
"I know that," Buck said strongly. "But Inez, she's in no condition to handle something like this...." He lapsed into silence worried not only about how she would take such news but also how it would affect her physically. The baby was not long for coming into this world.
"Well we got to move her from the saloon." Vin said decisively. "She can't stay there, she's wide open."
"She could stay with us for awhile." Chris offered. "I don't see Mary having any trouble with that."
Buck was certain that Mary had no objections but Inez was another matter entirely, she was exceedingly proud and accepting someone's charity was not something she could swallow easily. Hell he had enough trouble trying to convince her to marry him and then promptly told himself not to go there. "I suppose but I was hoping some place out of town."
"Here?" Vin suggested. "A couple of us could stay with her for awhile, keep an eye on her while we worked on this place."
"No good," Chris shook his head, not that it would not have been the ideal venue for Inez to be kept in safety. Don Paulo's men knew about this place. They had been here personally with the man when they had first ridden into town and they had seen who had stood with Buck during the duel with Don. The connection could be made and that could lead them here. "They've been here. If she's gone, they'll know we stashed her somewhere and this is the first place they'll come."
"We could keep her at Nettie's." Vin replied again.
"I don't think so." Buck said automatically. "Look, Vin I know you think Nettie is a fine woman and I ain't disagreeing with you there but she..."
Vin stiffened, filling with the usual hostility that came whenever any disparaging remark was made against the lady. Chris saw the reaction and quickly moved to interceded. "Vin, Nettie's got some pretty Christian ideas about what it is proper and what ain't. I'm pretty sure that she'd find Inez pretty improper at this time don't you?"
Vin blinked at Chris' words and felt an immediate halt to his annoyance. As much as he thought about Nettie, the woman was indeed very old fashioned about such things, having been reminded of how she had reacted when she had once caught Alex and he in a less than discreet position. He could not deny that Chris was right in this respect and understood why Buck had rejected Nettie's as a possible safe house.
"Okay, not Nettie's," Vin conceded with a loud exhale, not liking to admit that Nettie could be painted with the same brush as all those hypocrites in town in respect to Inez's pregnancy. "Where then?"
"I don't know," Chris replied. "In the mean time, we'll get Ezra to keep a close eye on her while she's at the saloon and maybe we'll stick around the saloon for awhile. At least until we think of something else."
Unbeknown to Chris Larabee, at the same time he was making that declaration to Vin Tanner and Buck Wilmington, his wife Mary was one step ahead already in preponderance to that question. Prompted in part by what she had heard about how Inez had been humiliated by Wally Levinson after walking from one end of town to the other looking for a place to set up a home with her baby, Mary had taken the afternoon to call on her friend. It was not the first time she had visited Inez at the saloon even though the community generally frowned upon the practise but they had learnt to accept that Mary Larabee was a woman of permissible eccentricities. Mary was their voice when they needed it raised in protest and they attributed much of their prosperity to her husband and the men he rode with. Thus she was allowed her unorthodox behaviour even if that meant association with a known wanton though they could not understand the friendship any more than they condoned it.
Inez had taken to her room and remained there her acceptance of Buck's proposal of marriage and had no wish to see any one. Although she was not hostile when Mary found her, the editor of the Clarion News was perceptive enough to see the surroundings she kept herself presently, bothered her even more when she had company. Mary had a solution to her problems and hoped that Inez would not be too proud too accept it even though Mary was making the offer with the best of intentions.
"You don't seem overly excited for a woman whose going to be married." Mary remarked as she pulled a chair next to Inez's bed where the lady was lying. The room was not big enough to support and more than a bed, a chair and a dressing table and stand for a wash basin. She could understand why Inez had been determined to find a new home. This was no place to raise a child.
"Why should I be happy?" Inez grumbled, still locked in the depths of her sombre mood with everything that had taken place in the last day. "I am doing it for all the wrong reasons and I'm sure Buck knows it too."
Mary made no remark about that despite what Chris had told her about Inez's statement being true. "You love him don't you?" Mary asked the question that should have settled all of this.
"Of course I love Buck," Inez admitted begrudgingly. "But I feel I am not honest in my reasons for marrying him. All I can think of is the baby, of it deserving a name and a father. Not whether or not I need a husband to love me and share this with me."
"Inez, wanting the best for your child is always admirable," Mary reached for her hand. "But you cannot base a marriage on such uncertain foundations. I know that you have fears for your baby and they are valid reasons but you need to look into yourself to see if you are ready to marry Buck. A child is not stupid and you don't want to find yourself resenting a baby for making you do something you should not have."
Inez swallowed thickly and closed her eyes as if all of Mary's points had been driven to the core of her. Inwardly, she had been aware of all these fears but she was at a crossroads and there seemed no alternative but to take the path before her because the other was too hard. "I love Buck and I know he's been trying so hard to prove to me that he can be a good husband and father but there is something inside of me that is still afraid of being hurt by him. Perhaps it is knowing just how much he could hurt me if I let him into my heart completely."
"We all take risks like that Inez," Mary remarked as she poured the tea she had taken the liberty of making in the kitchen downstairs before coming to the room. Handing a cup to Inez, Mary eased back into the wing chair and continued. "When you entered a marriage, you leave yourself wide open to hurt. There is no escaping that part of it. You plunge over a cliff and hope that there is no rocks beneath you and you will aloft."
"You make it sounds so inviting." Inez teased as she took a sip of her tea.
"Thank you," she laughed. "Can you believe I write just as enthusiastically?"
Both women chuckled for a few seconds and allowed the humour to drain from them before speaking again, enjoying the pleasant aftertaste left in its wake. "Thank you for coming to see me Mary." Inez smiled warmly, reaching for Mary's hand and squeezing it.
"Well, expect Alex and Rain to turn up at some point today." Mary remarked. "I don't know about Julia though, she's been very scarce today."
"She'll turn up when she turns up." Inez shrugged, knowing that Julia loved doing the unexpected when one was least prepared for it.
"Anyway, I came here to see you for a specific reason." Mary said getting down to business, now that Inez was a little more at ease and in her opinion, would be more responsive to the suggestion that she was about to make.
"I thought it was just the pleasure of my company." Inez looked at her with a raised brow.
"Naturally," Mary replied with a smile and then sobered when she began her proposal. "Now I think we're both agreed that this place," she let her blue-grey eyes sweep over the room. "Is wholly unfit for you to raise a child."
"To put it mildly," Inez frowned unhappily at having it pointed out to her even if she was well aware of the fact. However, Mary's friendship with Inez thrived on theirs being able to say out loud what most were too polite to.
"Well as you know," Mary began. "I still have the place that Steven and I owned just out of town. Its not too far away so you can still get to the saloon to manage it. There's a good couple of acres around the house in the rare instance you actually want to grow anything on it. Steven had ideas about wheat but he liked farming much as I like churning butter and I think the real reason he bought it was for the nice trails you could ride through. The house is in good condition, I've seen to that although you have free license to fix it up the way you like."
Inez just stared at her for a moment, unable to believe Mary's words and allowed her to continue.
"I was keeping the place for Billy but I don't really think that he wants to go back. Too many bad memories of what happened there I suppose. As for myself, Chris and I like being in town, me for the paper and him because he can keep an eye on things better if he were in town most of the time."
"Mary I can't afford to buy the place from you...." Inez stammered even though it sounded just perfect.
"Buy?" Mary looked at her. "Heavens no!" She exclaimed. "I never expected that from you Inez but the place has been empty for so long I do need someone in there."
"I will not accept charity." Inez said firmly, just in case the conversation was heading in that direction.
"Tell me something I don't know," Mary gave her a look. "No I am proposing a business arrangement. A rental agreement between you and I with an option to buy in the future if you feel that you would like to take the place off my hands. Lord knows, the added income would be nice until Chris' horse ranch takes off and you'll have some place decent to live and raise your baby and not feel like you're being forced into this marriage with Buck. Perhaps now, you can make the choice with a little less pressure bearing down on you."
"Oh Mary," Inez put down the cup of tea and leaned forward and embraced the woman warmly, not an easy thing to do since she had no waistline to speak off. "You don't know how much this means to me...."
"I know exactly how much it means to you Inez," Mary said softly. "That's why I know you had to have that place. It's of no use to me now and it gave me and Steven a great deal of joy when he was alive. I want it to be the same for you."
"I don't know what to say." Inez replied, still a little awed by the whole idea. She had seen the residence once or twice, whenever Mary had gone to the house after a big storm or some natural calamity that often promised damage to property in order to check to see if repairs were needed. Mary had never liked going on her own and Inez had often accompanied her for moral support. While it was not a sprawling mansion or anything, it had rooms, a kitchen, a fire place and a garden that had been left to neglect since a family had last lived there. Possibilities started emerging in her head almost immediately.
"Say yes." Mary declared.
"Yes!" Inez said eagerly, not wanting her best friend to think that she was even remotely anywhere near having second thoughts.
"It's a little bare with the furniture though." Mary continued. "There is only a bed and a dresser in one room, a kitchen table and a few other chairs."
"I've saved money," Inez put that concern to rest immediately. "I can afford to buy new furniture, not a lot but what I will need."
Mary was about to respond when suddenly the door to Inez's room knocked and the bartender sang out promptly for whomever it was to come in.
"Hey there." Alexandra Styles announced herself as she entered the room.
"You'll have to sit up here," Inez gestured to her bed as Alex approached them. "Mary's got the only chair."
"Ooh I am lucky," Alex teased, "Buck's been dying to hear that invitation."
"Very funny." Inez retorted but found her mood too good to spoil after what Mary had just offered her.
"We're just talking about Inez's new place." Mary offered, exceedingly proud that she had been able to do this thing for her friends.
"You found something?" Alex brightened up hearing that news. "Great, where?"
"Mary's old house out of town." Inez declared happily.
Alex flashed Mary a smile of admiration and showed her approval with her usual trademark sarcasm. "You really want Mary as your landlady?"
"Well she has you for her doctor." Mary returned just as sweetly. "That's living dangerously as it is."
"Touche'" Alex laughed. "I'm so happy for you. I hear its really nice out there and peaceful too."
"I could use a little of that after the last few months." Inez let out a sigh of relief, pleased to have this one worry of her mind.
"No argument there." Alex agreed. "By the way, any of you seen Julia?"
Twenty-four hours earlier things had been normal in her universe. Far from just normal actually, damn near perfect. She had everything she had ever wanted in her life; independence, some measure of wealth, a position in the community that was self-made and most importantly, a man that she simply adored. However, with the arrival of Walter Clemens to Four Corners on the stage, all that had changed and now she was here in the house she had grown to love and would sorely miss, packing.
Julia Pemberton told herself that this was the best thing for her to do. She would get out of town for a few weeks, hide herself in obscurity until the man was gone and then return home and undo whatever damage, hopefully if any, that he had done during his inquiries here. Of course, she would drop Ezra a little note that she was going and that ought to keep him from worrying too much during her absence. It was probably the coward's way of doing things but at the moment, Julia did not care. She had too much in Four Corners to lose any of it and so she was doing the most natural thing for her when things got bad, run.
Twenty four hours ago, she had been working in her office, going over fabric samples, trying to decide which ones she was going to select for the Emporium when the salesman came back this way in a week, believing that to be the height of tedium. She would gratefully endure that chore rather than to have a repeat of the unfortunate confrontation she had with Ezra regarding Mr Clemens' arrival. Naturally, the bastard had to go to the saloon first which was more or less Ezra's permanent place of residence whenever he was not doing whatever it was he did for the town.
When she had seen Ezra, she thought that he had come to whisk her away for dinner or something as he tended to do on occasion and felt the familiar joy of seeing him, until she saw the look in his eyes and knew immediately that something was wrong. In truth, she had seen something there for quite a few weeks but whatever it was, was something Ezra was not prepared to discuss even though he shared her bed at nights and woke up from terrible nightmares that left him in a cold sweat. While they had a rule of never keeping secrets between them, Julia could see something inside Ezra that was raw and wounded and knew that whatever it was, she would have to wait him out. However, when he walked into her office yesterday, it was she who was soon on the defensive.
He closed the door behind her and the first thing he had said to her was;
"Julia Catherine Avery," he stated and drove whatever she was about to say from her lips as she stared at him like a cornered animal. "Born in Philadelphia, only daughter to Donald Avery and..."he snorted as he said this. "Eleanor Pemberton Avery on November 6th, 1854."
Julia swallowed the lump in her throat, having no idea what to say to it and unable to deny any of it, except the rotating question in her mind at how he had come across that information. "Ezra I can explain." She stammered.
"Trust me," he stared at her. "I have every intention of letting you do that."
"How did you find out Ezra?" Julia asked because the question of how he knew surfaced some very unpleasant possibilities. "Is someone here?"
"As a matter of fact," he said coolly, realising by her reaction that everything that Clemens had told him, JD and Vin was utterly true. Even though none of them had revealed to Clemens that the woman in the picture was anyone they recognised, Ezra was astute enough to know her anonymity would not last. Clemens was a professional and no doubt he was asking around town right this moment, trying to see if they could find the woman in the picture. "There is a Pinkerton detective by the name of Walter Clemens, newly arrived off the stage, seeking with the tenacity of a blood hound the present whereabouts of a Julia Avery."
"Oh boy." Julia exclaimed and started thinking fast. "Its just him? No one else?"
"Are you referring to your father or your fiancee'?" Ezra asked sharply.
"Ezra," Julia exhaled loudly, not wishing to deal with him right now when her secret was so close to being uncovered. "He was going to marry me off to this son of a bitch that wanted me so he could get his foot into Philadelphia society. I had no choice in the matter. If I didn't marry him papa would disowned me, I had no choice I had to run!"
"What about the aunt who left you all her money?" Ezra asked, since her story did not make sense if that was the case.
Julia shifted uncomfortably and guessed she had no choice but to tell him. "There was no aunt!" She exclaimed. "The rest of my family hates me. They think that because papa let me get away with everything all the time that it was what I deserved to me married to Roderick Packard, to be window dressing at his arm. The man is old Ezra! He's almost fifty! I couldn't stand the thought of him touching me, let alone being married to him."
She had returned to her desk after retrieving a leather valise from her cupboard. Pulling the bag open, she began emptying the contents of the drawer into it.
"What are you doing?" He demanded even though it was rather obvious.
"What does it look like?" She retorted.
"You are not implying that you are intending on leaving?" His expression was near horrified.
"I have no choice, I cannot let him find me." Julia stated, trying hard to remain compose. She did not want to leave Four Corners any more than he wanted to go but to stay and let Clemens find her was not an option. He would bring her father here and no doubt close on the heels of her father would be an extremely angry Roderick Packard who had enough money to see to it that she would dearly for the insult of jilting him at the altar. Just as he would take his vengeance out on anyone else she might care for.
"Where did you get the money Julia?" Ezra suddenly asked. From the day she had arrived in town, Ezra had assumed that there was some rich relative paying all the bills. The Emporium she bought and refurbished, the house she lived in required just as much attention, the money for that had to come from somewhere. Ezra had never asked before because it was none of his business but now, its origins had urgency about it.
"I couldn't just leave without any money." Julia said going to the wall where a picture was hanging and removed it to reveal the small safe she had secreted behind it. Ezra had known of its existence although this was the first time he had seen it for himself. "None of my family was going to help me and I wasn't willing to pay the price my male friends would like." She paused and met his gaze directly. "I was done playing whore to anyone. I wanted a new life where I did not have to rely on this face and this body to get by so I took steps to see to it that I would be financially secure."
Ezra did not like the sound of this.
"Papa had a safe like this one." She said opening the safe on her own wall at present. "I found out what the combination was because I knew he didn't entirely trust banks, so he had a good deal of cash in the safe at all times."
"Oh Lord." Ezra winced and found himself a chair upon hearing that. "How much did you take?"
"Just enough to survive. I had a lot of jewellery of my own, wedding gifts you might say..."
"How much did you take Julia?"
"With the jewellery and money combined?" She looked at him nervously. "Sixty two thousand."
Ezra's eyes widened. "Sixty two thousand dollars! You stole that kind of money from your father?" He exclaimed in shock.
"Papa is a millionaire!" Julia snapped. "He would have hardly noticed it."
"You have to give it back." He stated.
"Like hell I do.' Julia exclaimed looking at him as if he was mad. "It's my money. If I had been born a man, he would have left it to me. Instead he was going to marry me off to some coarse pig and put it in trust under my husband authority. How fair is that?" However, as she opened the safe and began removing its contents, Ezra saw a hefty stack of bills, along with bonds and other important papers that indicated she was far from financially destitute.
"How much is left?" He asked unable to deny that she had a valid point but their immediate problem required solution as well and for the moment, this seemed like the most sensible course of action.
"What do mean left?"
"Julia you have expended a great deal of money on the emporium and the house, I am assuming that you do not have a great deal of it left."
"Well," she cleared her throat. "Actually, I have a little more than what I originally started out with." She blushed slightly and brought Ezra to her from his chair, requiring an explanation to that statement.
"How much more?" He was almost afraid to ask as he rose to his feet.
"As you know," she said with a nervous smile. "The Emporium has been doing well and was making profit within six months and I thought that instead of letting that profit go to waste I might consult a lawyer in Sweet Water who specialised in investment opportunities. So I bought into a few little businesses which amazingly enough have been doing spectacularly well." She said this all without taking a breath which meant she was edging to a grand sum that was going to make his head swim.
"How... much?" He said slowly.
"Ninety two thousand dollars." She confessed.
Ezra had to sit down again. "You have close to a hundred thousand dollars?" He could barely get the words out. "And you not feel it necessary to tell me? What kind of properties?"
"Oh a little railroad stock here and there, some shares in a gold mine and couple of large stores in Eagle Bend and Sweet Water, one little place here..." She said quietly, hoping the first few examples would snare his interest so that the last would not.
No such luck. "Here?" He looked at her. "What did you buy here?"
"Promise me you won't get mad." Julia declared staring at him seriously.
"Do not tell me..." Ezra started to groan as the realisation came upon him. "Please, I do not want to know....."
"Well you always said that you hated your mother owning the Standish Saloon so when she was here the last time, we talked and I offered a very good price and then she doubled it." Julia replied with a dark expression on her face as she revealed that snippet of information. "The woman has no shame. It was going to be a surprise...."
"A surprise!" He glared at her. "You thought that I would be surprised! Well I am surprised Julia by a lot of things. We had an agreement! No secrets."
Julia took a deep breath. "Ezra I couldn't tell you."
"Why not?" He accused. "Did you think the money would have some bearing on how I felt about you? That I care so much that you are a millionaire's daughter?"
"Of course not," she stammered. "I don't know why I didn't tell you. I didn't want any part of Julia Avery any more. You wouldn't have liked her. She was a spoilt, opinionated brat who used every man she came across for some ulterior motive. When I left home, I left her behind. I never lied to you about anything except that."
"Well," Ezra said trying to calm his anger down. "We will deal with this when Clemens is gone but for right now, he is here and while Mr Tanner and Mr Dunne are assured of keeping their secrecy regarding your identity, I am certain that the rest of the town will not. Somehow, we are going to have to think of something."
"I am thinking of something," she declared continuing with her packing. "I'm leaving."
"Except that." Ezra stopped her hand from reaching for the safe again. "You are not going to run like some terrified child. As one who has done that on numerous occasions, I can tell you it reeks of permanence."
"I can't let him find me." She said firmly.
"We will just have to return the money to your father and tell him that you have a life here." Ezra replied.
"Return the money?" She stared at him. "Are you out of your mind? We're talking about almost a hundred thousand dollars?"
"Will you kindly stop reminding me how much money is involved, I find that it is severely hindering my good judgement to keep my greed in balance!" Ezra snapped. "I am attempting to handle this responsibly."
"Why don't we get away from here?" Julia exclaimed. "We could travel a bit and come back when he's gone!" She suggested.
"And that is not helping." He looked at her critically. "Julia, you have to give the money back."
"No," she said defiantly. "I don't have to. It's mine. I earned and I'm not giving it up and its a hundred thousand dollars!"
God this sounded so familiar, Ezra thought to himself and suddenly had an idea of how he sounded to the rest of his friends. He winced hearing the figure once again, wishing she would refrain from bringing up just how much money was involved. He was fighting his baser instincts like she could not possibly imagine. "Yes but when you give back what is owed you will still have a considerable amount of money left and your house and the Emporium."
"But giving back the money will tell papa where I am and he will come here." Julia said trying not to hide the real fear she had. "I'm not ready to face him Ezra, if ever."
Ezra could understand her dilemma yet he could see no solution out of the problem. "Julia you have to face him at some point."
"No," she shook her head. "I won't. He'll come here and he'll try take me back!"
Ezra could start to the see the real cause of her hesitation and suddenly realised it was not the money at all but that fact that she was terrified out of her wits of being discovered by her father. "Julia, you know I will not let that happen."
"You don't know my father." She stuttered fearfully as it started to overcome her. She snapped the bag close. "I won't let him take me back, Ezra! I won't go back to that again!" Without saying another word, she grabbed the bag and ran out of the room.
Whether or not he followed her, Julia was not certain because she had not looked back to find out. She had not even gone back to her house, she had climbed on her horse and ridden immediately to Bitter Creek, with every intention of leaving forever. However, sense prevailed and she returned the next morning, making her way straight to her house and careful that no one saw her when she did. Julia set to work immediately, packing her trunks and ensuring the necessary arrangements would be made for an absence of some weeks.
She wanted to say goodbye to Ezra and explain what she was trying to do but somehow, she knew he would only attempt to talk her out of what she intended and that unacceptable at this moment. Once preparations were made, Julia penned a letter to Ezra and one to Mary because Mary was the only other person in Four Corners who knew that Julia Pemberton had been her own creation. Locking the door behind her as she gazed at her house one final time, Julia hoped Ezra would understand and believe that she would come back when it was safe.
It he did not, then it would matter little anyway.
"Now you know what you're going to say to her?" Nathan asked Josiah as the preacher left the front entrance of his church and started making his way to the home of Audrey King.
"Yes," Josiah looked at the healer as Nathan dusted some lint off the shoulder of his coat. "Nathan, I have been to supper with a lady before this."
"Yeah,' Nathan replied, more or less ignoring the remark. "But she ain't like Miss Maude, Mrs King, now she's a fine lady."
"You don't need to tell me that." Josiah becoming slightly annoyed that Nathan underestimated his ability to recognise that Audrey was a proper, Christian woman who was just out of the ordinary enough to be very attractive to him.
"Give her these." Nathan handed him a bunch of flowers tied with string.
"What's this?" Josiah groaned, starting to wonder if Nathan thought him to be a complete novice at this. He knew how to charm a lady. He knew verse and prose and he certainly knew how to talk to one without saying anything stupid.
"Well I don't you see bringing her anything." Nathan pointed out with a smug expression on his face that only deepened Josiah's desire to wipe it off.
"Give me that." Josiah snatched the flowers from the healer and then said firmly. "I think I can handle things without your assistance, Brother Nathan."
"All right, all right." Nathan said backing off because he recognised the line of tension in Josiah's voice that said he was going to hit something soon and if Nathan was not careful it was apt to be him. "Have a good time Josiah."
"I'm having supper with the lady and her daughter." Josiah letting out a deep breath. "I look forward to a pleasant evening but there is no good time to be had."
"Of course." Nathan said with a completely straight face and only succeeding in making Josiah's eyes roll with resignation as the preacher turned and walked away. When he had put suitable distance between himself and Nathan, the healer was joined by the familiar voice of JD Dunne.
"Hey Nathan, where's Josiah going?" The youth inquired.
"Going off to dinner with Mrs King." Nathan said with a faint smile as he started back towards the saloon since he had the rest of the night to himself and Rain seemed to be spending most nights in there anyway.
"She's a decent woman, not anything like Maude, although don't tell Ezra I said anything." JD remarked as he walked with Nathan and then muttered. "Hope he brought her flowers."
Josiah found himself in front of Audrey's front door a short time later, still stinging with annoyance at Nathan's presumption. After all, he knew how to talk to a lady. He had done it on numerous occasions even if he was not always lucky in love. In truth, the fairer sex always had the power to move him greatly although he had to confess to being a romantic which sometimes clouded his judgement a little. However, he did not feel this way for Audrey and he liked the woman herself who had shown him yesterday afternoon what she was made off when she had offered kindness to Inez when the young Mexican had needed it most.
In truth, he had wanted to approach Audrey for some time now but had been held back for a number of reasons, the most prominent being the fact that she had only recently lost a husband and it was never wise to crowd a widow in mourning. However, he had become fast friends with her daughter Lilith, who was now Billy Travis constant companion. Lilith was not like other children and she had some very strange hobbies, the least of which was an untapped talent in magic which Josiah had been attempting to temper before she caused mischief. He poured over the books she brought him, somewhat fascinated by the pagan practises that surprisingly enough made no reference to the devil or any thing remotely associated with hell. The craft of spells and magic were not always dark and some of the incantations were scribed when the first Christians were a handful of fisherman.
Tapping lightly on the front door, Josiah adjusted his collar and straightened his hat, suddenly revisited by all of Nathan's warnings that Audrey was a real lady and should be afforded every courtesy. As he felt the anxiety catch up to him, Josiah swore a silent curse at Nathan and hoped the man was happy for the nervousness he had caused. Josiah had little time to indulge in his insecurities when the door swung open and Audrey appeared before him.
"Josiah, please come in."
"Good evening Audrey." He tipped his hat and then removed it before following her inside the house.
He had followed her a few steps up the hallway, when she noticed the flowers in his hand and he found himself presenting them to her.
"They're lovely Josiah," she smiled radiantly and then took a deep breath of them. "What a nice thought."
Josiah cleared his throat and felt a little guilty considering how he had rebuked Nathan about all his instructions prior to arriving here. "It's the least I can do in exchange for some good home cooking, Audrey."
"Well taste is first," she said with good humour as she led Josiah into the living room where Lilith was sitting rather uncomfortably in what appeared to be her Sunday dress, trying not to fidget while she sat perched on a chair.
"Josiah!" The young girl beamed at him.
"Why don't you look nice Miss Lily." Josiah offered her a warm smile and noticed Lilith's cheeks turning a shade pink whenever he called her that.
"Lily," Audrey turned to her. "You think you can keep Mr Sanchez company while I got fetch him some lemonade to drink before supper?"
"Sure mama." Lilith answered dutifully and faced Josiah again, undoubtedly pleased by his presence her mother withdrew to the kitchen and Josiah found himself a place to sit on the sofa.
"Its about time Josiah," Lilith hissed once her mother was gone.
"Time for what?" Josiah looked at her blankly.
"Do you know how long I've been working on her to ask you for supper?" The little girl said with a loud exhale to emphasise the effort expended by herself.
"You shouldn't be doing that." Josiah chuckled. "But thank you anyway."
"Of course I should," Lilith sighed wondering if these grown up had any sense whatsoever. "I have to wait for mama to work up to it herself, she'd never ask you. Besides, I know she likes you."
"We'll see." Josiah replied and hoped the young woman was right. If not, it was going to be a long night.