Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" TV
series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch
Group, MGM Worldwide.
Prologue
Papa's Dove
The dress mocked
her.
It was white, with
a sweeping skirt and covered with fine embroidered lace, the quality of which
was equaled by none. The neckline plunged enough to show her ample chest, and
the bodice would cling tightly to her impossibly slender waist when worn. It
was a gown to be envied by women, capable of dazzling even the most celibate of
men. In it, she would be like the fairy tale princess in one of those books
Papa used to read her as a child. He had wanted a dress made worthy of her on
her special day, a gown that would serve the most beautiful young bride to ever
grace the halls of the family parish church. The emerald necklace that had
belonged to her mother and her grandmother before her sat around the neck of
the dressmaker's mannequin joining the dress in its elegant display. Somewhere
on her dresser was a pair of matching earrings, equally expensive.
Equally sickening.
She rummaged
through the jewelry box on her dressing table, searching for the items of value
that would accompany her on the course upon which she had been deliberating for
some time now. Ever since her father had committed the ultimate betrayal by
deciding she needed a husband. She supposed that in the scheme of things, it
was inevitable that he should reach this terrible conclusion some day. It had
been her hope to fend off this desire of his until after he had passed on and
left her the bulk of his money. With a fortune behind her, she would be in the
position to select her own husband, or none at all.
She preferred none
at all.
Her mother, whom
she had never met, had passed on early in life. Eleanor had died bringing Julia
into the world, and in the moment where souls pass each other through the
threshold of life and death, wife and babe exchanged places in Donald Avery's
heart. From the moment of her first spirited cry, the child had become her
father's sole reason for being. He lavished upon his little daughter every
scrap of his time and love as proof of his undying love for a woman who had
gone too early. In her youth, she had adored the affection that was viewed with
distaste and disapproval by the rest of her family. She enjoyed taunting them
with the freedom of her unbridled lust for life. A lust which led her to form
dalliances with any man that met her interest for she was unconcerned by the
restrictions placed upon other young women.
She was not other
young women and the rules did not apply to her.
It equally aided
in her manipulations of those around her, in particular the men that happened
to fall helplessly to her charms, that she was an uncommonly beautiful creature
in every superficial way. Hers was hair like fire, yet not at all vulgar and
crass, rather subtle in the way copper shimmered under sunlight. Her emerald
colored eyes showed great intelligence, although she had never had cause to use
that high-powered intellect for anything other than her own desires. Her skin
was as creamy as milk, untainted, unaccustomed to any activity that might be
considered work. She was the kind of woman men would willingly commit all kinds
of folly to possess. Her lips were described as soft and enticing as rose
petals on a lover's bed. She was created for the sole purpose of seduction, and
she knew how to be nothing else.
She wielded her
power like some men commanded armies, sending others forward to die willingly
on the battlefield. For a number of years she used the men in her life the same
way. For a taste of her skin, they would do and say anything, and she enjoyed
the exultation of such power over them. It inflamed her with a fire nothing
could abate, and she had yet to meet a man she had not believed to be a fool.
It was not to say that she had no love for her Papa. He was, after all, the
only man who loved her for herself, simpleton though he was. It was the love of
a master to a faithful pet, completely selfish on her part and undeserving on
his.
By the age of 25,
she had more or less fended away with good humor all his attempts to marry her
off. However, his health had started to deteriorate and with the realization
that his days were soon coming to a close, the urgency grew to see to it that
his beloved daughter was not left alone in his departure. He wanted to spare
his sweet Julia the agony of loneliness, and for the first time made a decision
without consulting her first.
His name was
Roderick Packard and he was what was deemed "new money" to the
circles of blue blood society. He was not quite forty, coarse and completely
unrefined, but he was also frightfully rich and in need of a wife who would
make him acceptable to the world he to which he aspired. From the moment Julia had
met him, she knew without a doubt that she loathed him with utter and complete
hatred. The very thought of his big, rough hands on her made the revulsion in
her stomach surface with such intensity she could barely breathe, and somehow,
against all expectations, her beloved Papa had willing promised her to him.
She accepted the
proposal quietly, never allowing her father to know just how much she hated the
idea, all the while conspiring to find some way out of it. Her relatives,
enjoying what they felt was her deserved comeuppance, had gloated over the
marriage with obvious delight. Julia accepted the situation and allowed the
preparations to proceed, all the while wearing the mask of the gracious and
dutiful daughter. The wedding day drew closer, and tomorrow she would wear this
shroud of fine lace to what she considered nothing less than living death.
Except she had no
real intention of going through with it.
Slipping all the
jewelry into a small velvet box, she proceeded to the mannequin and took the
necklace to be worn during her wedding and placed it with the others. Dropping
it in the leather case containing the rest of her belongings, Julia looked up
and took a final view of the room in which she had grown up. It was with
sadness that she realized at that moment that she would never see the room
again. It had been her castle for so long, the ivory tower where she enjoyed
her best moments. Now she was forced to flee, like one of the heroines on those
romantic novels she had stopped reading after becoming a woman. Picking up the
valise, she let out a soft sigh and swept out the door, giving the dress a
parting look of hatred because it reminded her why she was abandoning
everything she knew for the unknown.
It was past
The safe was
hidden behind her mother's portrait, and before she took it from the wall,
Julia paused to take a final glance at it. Her mother stared back at her with
that non-judgmental smile of hers that often gave Julia comfort on those rare
occasions her conscience had reason to bother her. She wondered briefly what
Eleanor Avery might think of her actions. Removing the painting, she turned her
attention to the safe behind it. She had retrieved the combination a few days
ago while Papa had gone to visit Roderick Packard to discuss the fortune she
would be inheriting once they married. No doubt, Packard would have total
control over it, she thought bitterly.
Working quickly,
she soon had the heavy door of the vault open. Inside were several inch high
stacks of fresh, crisp bills. Papa never did trust banks entirely and so he
always kept enough in the safe to ensure his financial security in the event
the establishment attempted to leave him penniless. She knew that there was
something in the vicinity of $50,000 inside the vault and Julia wasted no time
liberating its entire contents into her valise.
Suddenly, the room
flooded with light. She spun around and saw Papa standing before her in his
nightclothes with a bewildered expression on his face.
"Julia? What
are you doing?"
There was no point
in lying. Even as she decided whether or not she would make the attempt, she
could see his eyes darting from the empty safe to the valise in her hand. Very
quickly, he would guess her purpose.
"I am leaving
Papa" she remarked neutrally. Julia had hoped to avoid this encounter, but
now that it was here, she supposed she owed him the truth.
"Leaving?"
he said, astonished. "You are to be married tomorrow!" he exclaimed
taking a step towards her. This too, was something she had anticipated and her
fingers slipped into the small purse she was carrying.
"Stop where
you are Papa." The derringer stared in his face before the old man had
been aware of his daughter reaching for it inside her purse. The astonishment
in his eyes defied description.
"What is the
meaning of this?" he demanded, his shock having faded now into anger.
"The meaning
of this Papa," she said as she moved slowly towards the glass doors,
"is that I am leaving this place and I am never coming home."
"But
Roderick..." he stammered, quite unable to believe that this was his
cherished daughter pointing a gun at him.
"Is a pig and
before I let you prostitute me to him for whatever reason, I would rather eat
this bullet first. Goodbye Papa" she started to turn around.
"Julia!"
he ran forward, "you're not leaving!" He could not let her go! "We
will talk this out!"
"No!"
she said sharply, swinging back around to aim the gun at him again. "Don't
assume I won't use this Papa." The ice in her voice was enough to convince
him that she would indeed pull the trigger, even if he could not fathom how his
daughter had become this cold-blooded thief standing before him.
"Why?"
he asked, his voice starting to break.
"Why
Papa?" she almost laughed at absurdity of the question. "Why am I
leaving, why won't I marry Packard or why have I taken all your money?"
The old man could
not speak. The question demanded answer but his heart was pounding too loudly
for that. He had heard the whispers and ugly little rumors about his Julia from
the others in his family and knew that their delivery of such tales was motivated
by jealousy. Until now, he had shunted all such venomous stories to their
proper place in the back of his mind. Now they all rose up in his memory like
the threat of dank water from the bottom of a well.
"Because
Papa," Julia met his gaze sharply, "I tire of you deciding what is
good for me, by your silly standards. If I choose to marry, which I doubt I
will, it will be to a man of my choosing, not yours! Your money would have been
mine if I had been born a man! It is an inheritance I would no doubt never see
if I married that pig. No Papa, I will take what is mine and I shall go. You
will never see or hear from me again. Goodbye."
With that, she
turned on her heels and walked out through the glass doors.
He watched her
disappear into the night, still coming to grips with the sting of her words. In
particular, the word 'prostitute'. Is that what she really thought of him? The
anguish of that realization clutched his heart with such pain that for a
moment, Donald Avery believed he would die. Stunned, he walked to the open
vault and saw that she had only taken the money and left the other valuables
within. With trembling fingers, he closed the safe door with a soft clang as it
locked again and replaced the picture that kept it hidden.
The agony inside
his chest had not abated, even when he staggered to his desk and sat down. He
sat on the leather chair, unaware that the cold night air was blowing through
the open doors. The only thing in his mind was how terribly wrong he was about
his daughter and what the short sightedness had cost him. He stared at the
picture of his beloved wife with tears running down his cheeks as he gazed into
the emerald eyes he had seen a thousand times before. Unlike Julia who was a
slender, petite thing, Donald was round and ungainly. His dark hair had become
grey and was unruly no matter how hard he tried to comb it. His blue eyes saw
little these days and were hidden behind a pair of steel rimmed glasses. Until
this moment, he had never felt so old.
He knew without
doubt she meant what she said. Julia Avery would not grace these halls again.
He could have her
brought back. However, he loved her too much to keep her caged for too long,
and the moment of release would see his dove taking flight again. It was better
not to try. Easing back into the leather chair, he ignored the heart crying out
its warning as it stiffened in pain. It was broken he decided and there was no
reason to pick up the pieces.
He closed his eyes
and waited for the pain to take him away to a place where Julia did not hate
him any more.
Part One
The Wild West
"Miss
Styles!" Nathan Jackson called after her. "You can't go up there on
your own!" The healer was following the lovely young doctor as she walked
down the board walk clutching her worn doctor's bag. It was early morning in
"Look,"
Alexandra Styles paused and turned wearily to Nathan, "you can't go
because Mrs. Doherty won't let a man treat her. I know the journey is a day's
ride but I'll make it. How hard can it be?" She was dressed in her riding
clothes and the weather was insufferably hot for it. Even though summer was
well and truly gone, the chill had yet to settle into the fall. In truth, she
was not that good a rider and did not relish making such a trip alone. However,
Agnes Doherty, whom Alex had been seeing on consultation, had not come in for
her weekly examination. The woman had a severe heart condition and although
Alex did not know for certain, she felt that Agnes' inability to meet her
appointment today was cause for concern. She was an old woman, on her own, and
if she had hurt herself there would be no one to help her before it was too
late.
"It's through
some pretty nasty terrain ma'am!" Nathan tried desperately to convince
her. "I ought to be going with you."
"But you
can't" she said firmly. "There's three cases of yellow fever in this
town for which you are the attending physician, and since I'm the only one who
can treat Mrs. Doherty, I'm going to have to go." With that she resumed
walking once again.
Nathan let out an
exasperated sigh and shook his head as he continued after her. She was right of
course. Even Chris Larabee had been aware of the
situation when he had taken the others to escort the stage into town. For the
past two weeks, the stage had been ambushed somewhere along the trail from
Sweet Water, and lives had been lost. Despite the leader of the seven desiring
his presence, since Vin had taken off to Purgatory to get a lead on who might
be responsible for these robberies, Chris knew how important it was that he
remained to aid the sick.
However, Nathan
was not about to let her go riding off on her own either. This was Territory
where a woman, especially one as beautiful as she, was in serious danger of
coming to harm. Unfortunately, she had a healer's instinct that was almost as
strong as his, if not more, and that meant she often went where angels feared to
tread. He supposed that in the scheme of things it was to be admired that she
was so dedicated, but it was dangerous and they both knew it.
"I appreciate
the concern, Nathan" Alex smiled warmly. Since her arrival in town, Alex
finally knew what it was like to have a brother. Nathan was like that to her.
They got along so well, it was a friendship that would be ruined if there were
anything sexual about it. They not only worked well together professionally,
but also understood what it was like to feel like an outcast for no good
reason. In their kinship, they had become more then just friends. They were
family.
"You
appreciate it," he retorted unhappily, "but you gonna do this fool
thing anyway."
"You got
it" she winked and resumed walking down the boardwalk, even more
determined than ever.
Nathan rolled his
eyes and mumbled to himself. "Good Lord give me strength."
"Howdy
Nathan." Vin Tanner's voice suddenly came up behind him. The healer jumped
slightly and turned around to offer the tracker a sharp glare.
"Will you not
do that!" Nathan barked. "If I had a gun, I might have shot you
dead." The tracker had the most annoying habit of being able to sneak up
behind people without giving away the slightest hint of his presence. Nathan
supposed that came from tracking buffalo and people, but sometimes, when his
nerves were like they were right now, Vin's ability could just rub him the
wrong way.
"Okay"
Vin took a step back looking at him with a raised brow. Nathan was not usually
this upset for no good reason. "Something wrong?"
"No,"
Nathan shook his head, feeling sorry that he had bitten at Vin like that. He
knew why he was angry and it was not Vin's fault that he was just a naturally
stealthy person. "I thought you were in Purgatory getting leads on these
robberies."
"There ain't
none" Vin frowned unhappily. "If there is, they did a pretty good job
of hiding it." He sighed. "I think I done talked to half of Purgatory
and nobody knew anything about who's been robbing these coaches. I tell you,
its like they vanish into smoke after the job."
"My three
cases of yellow fever are still pretty bad." Nathan sighed, not being able
to offer Vin any better news. "I need to be close to town and Miss Styles
has got it in her head to ride to the Doherty place by herself to check on Miss
Agnes."
"Alone?"
Vin looked at him, knowing the terrain well. The Doherty homestead was in rough
country, with craggy, uneven ground that made it an effort even for an
experienced rider to traverse, let alone an inexperienced one who was mostly
accustomed to riding in a wagon.
"Yeah."
he nodded looking at the tracker unhappily. "Mrs. Doherty won't see no one
but her, so I can't go and have her stay with the yellow fever cases"
Nathan grumbled. He glanced in the direction of the livery and saw Alex almost
reaching the public stable where her horse Calliope was kept. Suddenly an idea
came to him.
"Vin, you can
go with her" he stated. "Its too late for you to meet Chris and the
others."
Vin did not like
that idea at all. Not one damn bit. "No," he said quickly stepping
back as if the suggestion was hot water scalding his skin. "She doesn't
like me too much Nathan and she won't go for it." He hoped that excuse
sounded even partially credible.
"I'm asking
you to escort her on a ride," Nathan exclaimed, "not marry her. What
is it with you folks today? Has everyone got to give me an argument?" The
black man boomed before grabbing Vin by his jacket and pulling him along as he
continued walking.
"Nathan, this
ain't a good idea" Vin protested as he was dragged down the board walk by
the determined healer.
"I'm not
listening to you Vin" Nathan said firmly as he towed the tracker
unwillingly to the boardwalk. He knew if he let go of Vin, the man was only
going to think of a reason to squirm out of this task. Vin and Miss Styles had
never really gotten along since her arrival in town. They were so different
that they reacted to each other like fire and oil. No matter what the subject,
it was always guaranteed to end up in an argument. Although he did not wish to
inflict their company on each other, Nathan knew that this was the only
solution. At least with Vin escorting her, Nathan did not have to worry about
any harm coming to the good doctor. Also, Vin knew that part of the country better
than anyone else. He could make the trip go considerably faster, which was some
consolation, Nathan supposed.
By the time they
arrived at the livery, Vin had exhausted every possible argument he could think
of, to not accompany Alex Styles to the Doherty place. Unfortunately, Nathan's
determination that he go was as inexhaustible as his ability to block out those
very same arguments. He merely nodded patiently and ignored every single word
that Vin had said before repeating that Vin was going. Vin was starting to
wonder if his consent was every really an issue with the extremely irritated
healer.
"Miss Styles,
look who I found to go with you" Nathan announced proudly when they found
Alex saddling her horse.
Alex met Vin's
gaze briefly and then said very calmly to Nathan. "May I speak to you
outside Mr. Jackson?" Judging by the expression on her face, she was not
any happier at Nathan's suggestion than Vin himself.
"No."
Nathan shook his head, folding his arms to show that he was immobile on this
subject. "Cause you're only going to try and talk me out of it. Vin is
going with you."
"I do not
need a baby sitter." Alex retorted giving Vin a look that could only be
interpreted as distaste. "What is it with you men and this chauvinistic
crap?"
"That does it"
Vin said quietly, exhaling loudly as he looked at Nathan. "Get someone
else. I just rode back from a den of thieves and outlaws, meaner than spit. I
am not going out on the trail so I can spend a whole day listening to
that." He shot Alex a filthy look, which she returned in kind. With that,
he started walking out of the building while Alex turned back to her horse.
"Freeze!"
Nathan Jackson fairly roared and froze them both in the tracks.
Slowly, Vin and Alex
turned back to Nathan and found themselves facing the healer who was glaring at
them furiously. "Now I don't care what petty snit the two of you have got
going, and I don't give a rat's ass at this moment." Nathan's eyes darted
to Vin and then to Alex. "But you are going with her," he pointed his
finger at the tracker in no uncertain terms before turning to Alex. "You
are going to let him escort you, if I have to tie you down in the saddle and
have him lead you there!"
"Actually I'd
pay to see that." Vin quipped.
Nathan silenced
him with a look.
"Do I make
myself clear?" He demanded, staring at them both hard, defying them to
challenge him on this point. It was not often that Nathan exerted his temper
like this, but he was hard to ignore when he was this riled. Despite
themselves, both Alex and Vin had come to the conclusion that perhaps they were
behaving a little childishly and conceded defeat in silence.
"Yes."
Alex spoke first reluctantly.
"Yeah."
Vin nodded a moment later.
"Good,"
Nathan smiled broadly, his pearly white teeth against his mahogany colored skin
making it almost a grin. "Now have a pleasant trip."
The robberies had
been strange from the very beginning. Stagecoach robberies usually took place
in a set pattern. Outlaws waylaid the carriage on some forgotten track and
ransacked all the passengers' belongings until they found something of value.
On very rare occasions, they shot someone if the victim made an attempt to flee
or put up a fight. Most of the time, the passengers knew it was best to give up
without a struggle to prevent any provocation that might give the gunmen reason
to fire. However, as Chris Larabee rode with the four
men who were the unofficial peacekeepers of
Most outlaws had a
reputation somewhere, even if it was merely speculation. The men who robbed the
stagecoach during the past two weeks were professionals, that much Chris knew.
They knew exactly who was on the stage and they knew what they were looking
for, even before they held it up. This suggested to Chris a certain amount of
discipline that came only with experience. However, the identity of the outlaws
was a guarded secret because they did not leave anyone alive after the robbery.
The outlaws
murdered everyone, including the driver during the first robbery. There had
been five people on the stage and all of them had been shot, including a
seven-year-old child. The infamy of it incensed them all, for it was an
unnecessary act of violence. Vin had read the tracks when they found the scene
and knew that there had been no attempt to interfere with the criminals. The
passengers had accepted the robbery and allowed the outlaws to pick their
belongings clean. Unfortunately, once there was nothing left to steal, the
outlaws turned their guns on the helpless passengers and murdered every one of
them.
The slaying sent
shock waves throughout the area for good reason. Every lawman from
This time, Chris Larabee was taking no such chances. He knew that the other
towns were guarding their stagecoach trails with similar tenacity and he did
not intend to let
"They should
be here soon." Josiah commented, staring up the trail from their hiding
place in the trees.
"Unless
someone got to them first." JD pointed out that grim possibility and
engendered a frown from most of the older members of the group. No one liked
the idea of what that would mean. This whole stakeout was meant to be a
preventative measure, not a clean up operation.
"Always an
optimistic soul ain't ya?" Buck retorted, patting the young man's back.
"Sorry."
JD apologized, not wanting to sound as if he was being a pessimist. He did not
think it should be right for anyone to be killed in cold blood the way these
murderers had been doing. It left a bad taste in his mouth thinking anyone
could be so callous. He wanted to find those men just as much as the others, it
was just the waiting that he abhorred.
"That's
perfectly all right, Mr. Dunne." Ezra remarked, understanding the boy
meant no harm. He was young and felt things deeply. There was a time when they
had all felt that way, even if none wished to speak of it aloud. "These
are unscrupulous men indeed. There is no reason to assume they may not have
altered their patterns."
"What do you
mean?" Josiah turned to the gambler sharply.
"He
means," Chris answered before Ezra could, his eyes never moving off the
trail of the anticipated stagecoach, "if they're willing to kill a stage
load of people to hide their identity, then they're smart enough to change
tactics to throw us off their track."
"Precisely"
Ezra said with a slight tip of his hat at his leader's direction. "Spoken
like a true commander of the field."
Chris did not
react to Ezra's compliment, if that indeed was what the gambler had been aiming
for, instead he remained silent as always, watching the road and listening
closely. Realistically, if the stage was ambushed, they would only know about
it if they were close enough to hear the gunshots. Chris hoped it did not come
to that.
"These
varmints need stringing up" Buck said with more venom in his voice than he
normally cared to show. The outlaws had been most indiscriminate about whom
they killed and finding the bodies after their massacre, left an image in his
mind he could have lived without.
"We'll oblige
them for sure." Chris said simply. "When we find them."
He could
understand the feelings of those around him and knew that these murderers had
stabbed at the very heart of what they had tried to accomplish in
The time moved by
slowly, and before they knew it the stage was late. A few minutes stretched
into five and then ten. By the time it was twenty minutes late, Chris knew he
was not waiting any longer. Digging his heels into his horse, he tore out of
their hiding place giving his companions little warning of his intentions.
Nevertheless they were used to his behavior by now and were content to merely
follow him instead.
They had not
traveled far when they heard gunshots in the distance. The sound made them ride
faster, racing against time as they tried to reach the stage before it was too
late. Chris, as always, was in the lead with JD keeping pace easily. The only
reason Chris had outdistanced him was because the gunslinger had a head start.
Under normal circumstances, JD was more than capable of riding them all into
the ground. Amazingly enough, this skill had developed while the young man had
lived in the east. JD's only knowledge of the west was what he had learned from
those cheap dime novels that inspired his youthful imagination.
The terrain was dry,
with the surrounding trees undergoing the process of autumn discard. Leaves
covered the ground in an array of bright, vibrant colors. Against the backdrop
of a clearer sky than any found across the country, the effect was nothing less
than breathtaking. The gunshots had traveled some distance to reach them, but
Chris knew that it was not far enough away that they could not reach the
beleaguered stage in time, if that was what where the shots had rung.
As they neared the
source of the gunfire, the shooting stopped abruptly. It was followed by the
terrified scream of a woman.
"Down
there!" Chris pointed to a narrow trail away from the main track, just
narrow enough to fit the stagecoach. Thick bushes and shrubs shrouded it and
presented every indication that they had recently been forced aside, if the
leaves and broken branches was any thing to go by. If Vin was present, he would
be able to tell Chris in an instant. Unfortunately, without the benefit of the
tracker, and with the urgency of the situation now escalated, Chris was forced
to go on instinct. It would be the perfect place to divert the stage and murder
its occupants.
As they broke
through the thicket, Chris became aware of hoof beats riding away that did not
belong to his companions. Straining to see through the dense foliage in front
of him, he saw riders in the distance, making their getaway. He counted at
least five, and they had seen Chris. Immediately, they began firing and Chris
crouched down low because they were too far away to make an accurate shot. By
the time he had broken through the worn path of leaves and branches, Chris knew
that they were too far away for the lawmen to catch them. The realization of
this escape made Chris swear, until he saw the stagecoach and the bodies.
God, not again.
Grimly exchanging
glances as their mounts slowed to a trot towards the crime scene, they all
feared the worst. The stage lay titled slightly to the side on uneven ground.
The horses harnessed to the wooden carriage were stamping their feet in
distaste, made uneasy by the scent of death in the air. While the humans
approaching did not have as sharp a sense of it as the team of horses awaiting
their arrival, the feeling of bad tidings was palpable in their lungs as well.
The luggage
scattered in the surrounding area seemed to confirm this fact. Ransacked
suitcases and trunks were strewn about the ground in an expanding field of
debris that only spoke in hushed tones of the violence committed in this grove,
far away from civilization. Personal belonging trampled underfoot by the
outlaws and their horses covered the ground as the lawmen dismounted and neared
the silent carriage with growing trepidation.
"We're too
late" Buck whispered. He did not want to face another scene of carnage as
they had done twice before. It twisted his insides as it soon became painfully
apparent this was precisely what they would find. The scene before them was no
different than the last time, only the location and the faces had changed.
"We don't
know that" Josiah said quietly but no one seemed to speak up in agreement.
The outlaws had left no survivors previously, and there was enough evidence
before them to indicate that this time was no different. Chris looked around, recalling
with absolute certainty that he had heard the cry of a woman shortly after the
shots. He strode forward, unafraid of anything that could be waiting for him
inside the carriage because horror and he were old acquaintances. After finding
Adam and Sarah's charred bodies in what was left of their home, nothing had the
power to frighten him after the horror of that discovery. As he rounded the
carriage, he came into sight of a woman.
Upon his approach,
she looked up at him with the most astonishing emerald colored eyes he had ever
seen. They were filled with tears and those perfect lips seemed to quiver with
sorrow as she wept for the four bodies before her on the grass. Her long,
copper colored hair was loose against her white skin, which seemed a great deal
paler in the face of the tragedy before her. She did not seem hurt but the top
four buttons of her blouse were undone, revealing enough cleavage to give him
concern.
"You scared
them away" she said, fumbling for those buttons as he came towards her,
before picking up gloves that were resting on a nub of rock near her.
"Are you all
right, ma'am?" Chris asked, worried that the men who had murdered these
people, an elderly couple, a middle aged man who appeared to be the stage coach
driver and a boy not much older than JD, might have harmed her. It was nothing
less than a miracle that she had been left alive, although if they had intended
to have their way with her, she might be happier with the alternative. As it
was, all, the victims had been shot in the back of the head. Chris could see
the sickening moisture of pulp on their skulls and stepped in front of the
woman so she had to look at him and not at the grisly scene before her. He
dropped to his knees to help her off her own.
"They wanted
to force me" she whispering, shuddering visibly by the odious notion. The
tears started running down her cheeks faster now, they made her cheeks sparkle
with luster.
"You're safe
now ma'am." he reassured her, placing his hands on her shoulders to help
her to her feet. She slid up with him, never more than a hair's breath away.
Chris could smell the scent of lavender and wondered wildly whether she bathed
in it or was it merely perfume. Suddenly, he noticed that he was becoming too
aware of her and took a safe step back.
"What
happened here?" Chris asked, noting the look of surprise on the face of
his companions. Chris was not normally so taken by any woman, except Mary. He
glared at them with a look that spoke volumes as to what they could do with
their assumptions of his reaction. Hell, she was a beautiful woman. He was man
wasn't he? He was allowed to look if not touch. Besides, his heart was and
always would be with Mary Travis. No spectacularly beautiful woman could ever
change that.
And if Mary knew
he had looked at this woman like this, she would utterly kill him.
Chris was almost
grateful when Buck Wilmington closed in on them, knowing that his old friend
was in a better position to be of comfort to her than Chris was himself. For
obvious reasons, she made Chris feel uncomfortable. However, there were also
some not so obvious ones that put him on guard for the same reason. Was it
right to complain if something seemed so flawless? Could it not mean that the
imperfection was only buried deeper?
Buck handed her
his handkerchief and produced his most charming smile. She was, in his opinion,
the most dazzling creature he had ever seen, and he had considerable experience
to be able to make that statement with some accuracy. "Now darling,"
he said with the warmth that Chris would not show, "we're the law in these
parts and we're here to protect you." He gestured towards the others, who
were spreading out over the crime scene to make a thorough examination. Only
Ezra and Chris remained.
"I was so
scared" she spoke with an eastern accent with a soft and breathless voice,
holding onto Buck's linen handkerchief like it was made of silk. "They
killed everyone for no reason. They forced the coach to this terrible
place," her eyes moved over the grove like they belonged to a frightened
doe. "They killed the driver" she whispered, stealing a reluctant
glance in the direction of the body belonging to middle aged man. "Then
they made us all climb out while they went through our things, trying to find
our valuables. After they took everything, they started shooting." Her
resolve seemed to break then and she descended into tears while taking refuge
in Buck's comforting arms.
Buck looked
genuinely touched by this poor woman's ordeal and offered Chris a look of helplessness
as she wept in his arms. Chris rolled his eyes, seeing Buck's interest was more
than just passing before looking at Ezra's whose expression was one of quiet
amusement. Chris had no idea what the gambler found so amusing with four bodies
and a woman who was frightened out of her mind. Chris made a mental note to be
let in on the joke when they returned to town. After the grisly work they would
soon have to perform with collecting and returning the bodies to
When she had
composed herself, she continued her story, drying her tear filled eyes as she
spoke. "They were going to force themselves on me! I fought them but there
were five and all I managed to do was pull off one of their masks. I saw one of
their faces very well indeed."
That immediately
caught Chris' attention. Finally, an eyewitness who could identify one of the
killers! He strode towards her again. "What exactly did you see
ma'am?" he asked.
"Now
Chris," Buck looked at him sternly. "The lady's been through a
difficult ordeal. Can't we spare her this until we get back to town?"
"Yes,"
Ezra said for the first time. "We wouldn't want this delicate flower to
wilt under such strong interrogation. I am certain, she will accommodate our
questions after she has had a moment to regain her strength."
There was
something in Ezra's voice that made the gunslinger look over his shoulder. For
a moment, he could not tell if Ezra was being serious or not. It sure as hell
sounded to Chris like Ezra was almost enjoying this poor girl's suffering. Buck
seemed oblivious to it, but Chris had learnt enough about Ezra to pick up the
subtle inflections in his voice. This was one of those moments when Chris could
not decipher his intentions. Chris was at a loss whether to thrash the crap out
of him for his behavior or shake a reason out of him.
"I don't see
why not." Chris conceded, still somewhat bewildered by Ezra's attitude.
"They're long gone anyway. We couldn't catch up with them even if we
wanted to."
"May I have
the honor of your name ma'am?" Buck inquired, realizing that proper
introductions had not been made.
"Why
certainly," she said smiling a little. "I am Julia Pemberton of
"Why that's a
mighty pretty name, Miss Pemberton." Buck said taking her extended hand
and kissing it in that most cosmopolitan way.
Chris and Ezra
exchanged knowing glances, wondering if there was any moment which Buck found
inopportune to make a play for a lady. Granted this female in particular was
especially fetching, but Buck might have found a better venue to nurture a
future dalliance. For a moment, it seemed that neither was aware that there
were four bodies lying in the dirt only a few feet from them.
"I am Buck
Wilmington," Buck introduced himself with a smile before turning to his
friends. "That there is Chris Larabee and Ezra
Standish."
She turned to them
and exclaimed. "You are my knights in shinning armor, all of you."
Chris cleared his
throat and replied uncomfortably, "We should get you back to town Miss
Pemberton." Somehow, Chris did not trust Buck alone with this young woman.
When his old friend was anywhere in the vicinity of a beautiful woman, Buck
didn't have the sense that God gave a dog. Chris did not want to chance Buck
being distracted on the unlikely chance that those killers were still out here.
She was the only witness they had, and the first real lead to these slayings
since they had begun. He was not going to lose that for any reason. No, Buck
was not a good choice to escort Miss Pemberton to
"Ezra,"
he said quietly motioning the gambler closer. "Can you take her into town?
We're going to need the coach to transport the bodies."
"Certainly
Mr. Larabee." Ezra turned to the young woman
wearing that same bemused expression that Chris was at a loss to explain. What
was it he was seeing?
"But
Chris!" Buck protested almost immediately for reasons that were obvious to
all except the young lady. "I can do that." He marched up to the
gunslinger to prove his point, casting another smile in the lady's direction,
assuring her that he would handle this slight problem of her escort.
"Chris what
are you trying to do to me?" He hissed quietly, grabbing Chris arms and
veering him out of Miss Pemberton's earshot. "Are you trying to ruin my
chances with her? That is the most gorgeous creature that ever walked the
earth!
Chris shook his
head in disbelief wondering if Buck was for real or not. It took less than a
second for Chris to realize that he was perfectly serious. Well, Buck was not
the only one who could do that. "Buck," he said calmly, not in the
mood for this when people had died because of their inability to reach them in
time. "I am not having this conversation with you. I need you here with
me, with your brain any place other than where it is right now. She goes with
Ezra."
Buck opened his
mouth to protest and saw the icy glare that Chris was giving him. It was a lost
cause and he knew it. "Fine" he said gruffly, throwing Ezra an
unhappy scowl. "But I'll never forgive you for this."
"I'll try to
get over it." Chris retorted and took a step towards the slightly
disheveled Miss Pemberton. "Ma'am, Ezra here will take you to
The young woman
looked at Ezra as if noticing him for the first time. Her eyes held Ezra's gaze
for a few seconds before she looked graciously at Chris once more, with that
near perfect smile on her lips. "That would be most accommodating,
Sir." She said in a voice full of breathless charm.
Chris walked
towards Ezra to have a private moment with the gambler as the lovely Miss
Pemberton gathered her belongings from the coach. Predictably Buck was in
attendance, providing support for the young woman as they steered around the
grisly collection of bodies. By now, Josiah had returned and was performing
last rites over the bodies, even if they were somewhat belated. JD had found a
quilt from the strewn belongings to cover the bodies from exposure to save Miss
Pemberton further need to view them in full living color.
"Don't let
her out of your sight." Chris instructed Ezra, who was still watching the
woman under Buck's ministrations. "If she saw them, there's a chance they
might come back to finish the job. They've been pretty determined to hide their
faces, I don't think they'll appreciate having a witness around to identify them."
"I will
ensure that the young lady is properly supervised. Mr. Tanner should be in town
by this time so we should be able to deal with anything, should it arise."
Ezra reassured the gunslinger.
Chris nodded
before letting out a deep sigh. "This smells bad."
With that Ezra
could not disagree. The carnage that resulted from a mere stage robbery was
disturbing. There was no reason to kill like this. From what little Miss
Pemberton was able to impart on them, the outlaws had taken precautions to hide
their faces. Why do that if the intention to kill was always there? Ezra could
understand Chris' puzzlement at the unnecessary shedding of blood and the total
lack of discrimination in the victims selected. "It does seem to be
somewhat overkill for a mere act of theft."
"Overkill is
an understatement." Chris grumbled. "They kill women and
children." His voice was a hard line of barely concealed anger, which was
rare for Chris Larabee in Ezra's opinion. Chris had a
tighter rein on his emotions than most people Ezra knew. If the gunslinger had
chosen to make gambling his profession, he would have had the most perfect
poker face.
"There is
going to be an outcry until we catch these villains." Ezra pointed out.
Lawmen in all the surrounding towns, including Four Corners were under
community pressure to end the killings. It had produced a measure of
unprecedented cooperation between local law enforcement in all the towns and
the directive had now slipped beyond the prestige of being the first to catch
these outlaws, to simply ending the threat.
"I know"
Chris nodded somberly. "I'm starting to think that this is not about a
robbery."
Ezra looked at
him, interested in where that well honed intellect was leading Chris Larabee. Ezra had seen Chris offered clues that were
absolutely meaningless to the others, only to craft a perfectly plausible
reason for its existence. He had a logical and deductive mind that was capable
of taking apart a problem to its bare elements and then devising an equally logical
solution. If Chris thought there was more to this than just petty theft then
Ezra believed him with almost complete faith.
"She's a
pretty woman" Chris remarked suddenly glancing in the direction of Miss
Pemberton who was returning with a small valise in her hand and Buck still
following closely. The present subject was too grim and there would enough time
for him to suffer its tragic consequences when Ezra was gone. At the moment,
Chris wanted to forget about the deaths so he could concentrate on the job.
Ezra had to agree
with him with the change of subject and his observation of the young woman.
Miss Pemberton was extremely lovely. He found himself invariably comparing her
to Alexandra who was very attractive herself, except Miss Pemberton knew she
was beautiful and Alex viewed her features as another reason why she should not
be taken seriously. "Mr. Larabee, as Mrs.
Travis' beau, you should not be noticing such things." he quipped.
Chris scowled at
him because the gunslinger truly detested that word. It had been a full month
since Chris and Mary had gone public about their relationship, and even if the
town was hardly surprised, Chris found that people who had previously avoided
him were now speaking to him like they were old friends. Suddenly, he was being
invited to church socials and asked to participate in local events. He was
actually invited to a barn raising a few days ago. Chris could still remember
the laughter when Buck had heard that. Not to mention the invitations to dinner
whenever Mary was out of town for the day. For some reason, they believed that
he was incapable of feeding himself when she was not around to cook for him.
Nevertheless, he bore the embarrassment in silence even though it gave the rest
of the seven much fodder for amusement.
"I have two
words for you." Chris glared at him.
"I think I
know what they are." Ezra chuckled.
"Well Mr.
Standish," Julia announced her return with another one of those practiced
smiles meant to dazzle, "I am in your hands."
Ezra smiled faintly,
trying to remain polite even though he was perfectly aware of what was going
on. "I shall try to handle you delicately" he responded with every
ounce of southern chivalry in his voice.
Buck kept his
frown in place, clearly unhappy that Ezra was escorting her to town. Ezra
wished he could tell the tall cowboy that he had no reason to worry. After all,
he already had the affections of a woman he cared for deeply, he was not
foolish enough to toss everything aside for someone who appeared to be more window
dressing than an actual person.
"Miss
Pemberton," Buck said to her, "it would be my pleasure to call on you
in better circumstances."
"You have
been most kind Mr. Wilmington," she gave him a look of suggestion that
hinted her interest was more than just fleeting. "I should be delighted to
have your company at a later date."
Buck grinned at
that, happy with his success. He offered a triumphant look in Chris and Ezra's
direction before Chris finally stepped forward and took him by the arm.
"Come on Buck." He said towing his old friend away from the engaging
Miss Pemberton.
"I'll see you
in town!" He cried out as Chris distanced them both from Ezra and her.
"Are you
ready Miss Pemberton?" Ezra said, shaking his head as he turned around and
walked towards his horse, making no offer to help her with her valise.
She was waving
goodbye to Buck when she noticed him leaving. With the slightest hint of a
frown, Julia hurried after him, somewhat confused that her usual repertoire was
not working with this dapper young man. Julia knew the type of course. She had
met a few Southerners in her lifetime although she could not say she had ever
had one. He was a southern dandy, probably used to mint juleps and sitting on
the porches of large plantations while their black slaves fanned the heat from
their 'oh so gentle' brows. Julia did not like Southerners or their way of
life. The women in their world were even more repressed than the high born
society from which she had just escaped. She did not like their world where any
man or woman should be the property of others. She had very few morals in some
things, and often surprised herself by the existence of high-minded ideals
whose origins still mystified her. Perhaps, the question of ownership angered
her because she remembered how it felt when her father had sold her to Roderick
Packard. The only difference between her and a slave of the old plantations was
the color of her skin.
They did not speak
immediately after departing from the site of the latest murder, but rode in
silence for some distance. Ezra tried not to pay attention to the way her hands
were wrapped around his waist or the manner in which she placed her breath,
near his ear. He smiled faintly at the obvious tricks, wondering how long it
had been since he had last fallen prey to the most ancient of the arts. To her
credit, he had to admit she played it well. Any woman who could make Chris Larabee notice her was quite formidable indeed. When Ezra
scratched the back of his neck in irritation as a subtle signal for her to stop
her attempts at whatever it was she was trying to do to him, he heard the
slight huff of disappointment.
"Have I done
something to offend you, Mr. Standish?" she asked in the sweet voice of
hers.
"Not at all,
Julia" he replied as they moved out of the wooded grove and rejoined the
main trail back to town. After what they had discovered, he was looking forward
to dinner with Alexandra. "I am however, curious."
"Curious?"
He did not need to look behind his shoulder to know that she was looking at him
with a look of wide-eyed innocence.
"Yes"
Ezra nodded. "I've never met any man who, intent on violating a woman, is
good enough to undo her buttons with such care or allow her the time to remove
her gloves and place them aside."
For a few seconds
she did not answer. When she did finally respond, her voice was full of wounded
indignation. "Whatever do you mean?" she protested. "Those men
were going to rape me!"
"I'm sure
they would have partaken in the offering, but I have this sixth sense that you
might have bought yourself some valuable time by being a little more
accommodating."
"How dare
you!" she declared in outrage and Ezra felt a sharp slap on his back, to
which he only smiled wider. "You vile beast!" Her anger was quickly
followed by the predictable onslaught of tears.
"You are
wasting your time." Ezra remarked. "Tears have little effect on
me."
"You are a
horrible man!" she exclaimed.
"You misunderstand
me, Julia." he replied calmly, showing no indication of being the least
bit effected by her tears. If anything, it only served to confirm his
suspicions. After being raised by Maude Standish, Ezra was accustomed to every
possible guile capable of being produced from a conniving female. Perhaps that
was why he found Alexandra so refreshing. She was incapable of such cunning
because she was frightfully honest.
"You did the
intelligent thing. You used the resources that were available to you and escaped
the encounter with your neck in one piece. You bought yourself some valuable
time with the ploy although, had we not come along, I am certain they would
have killed you anyway."
There was a slight
pause before he recognized the sounds of a nose being blown and sniffles
subsided. "Are you going to voice these suspicions?" she asked after
a moment, no trace of the former distress in her voice.
"Of course
not." Ezra replied, unsurprised by this sudden about face. "Call it
professional courtesy."
"Professional
courtesy?"
"Yes,"
he nodded. "Miss Pemberton, if that is really your name, I have been in
this game since you were still deciding what to wear on your society debut. It
is my gift to spot a con a mile away, and you, my charming Julia, have made an
impressive start."
"Thank
you" she frowned, wondering whether this discovery was a good thing or
not. "I so enjoy making a good performance."
"First
rate," he chuckled. "Truly, you should be on the stage. I shudder to
think what new depths of vile you could bring to the role of Lady MacBeth or perhaps even Helen of Troy."
Julia felt herself
bristle. She despised the fact that he was able to see straight through her.
She often expected such clarity from women because they felt so intimidated by
her that it was all they could do when she stole their men away. However, it
was a novel experience to be unable to use her arts on a man. He was absolutely
correct of course. When the stage had been robbed and Julia had seen what they
had done to the others, she had made them the only offer she could to save her
life. As odious as it was, she would have allowed those men to touch her, even
if it was a stall for more time while she came up with another plan.
"And how did
you come to be the law around here?" Julia questioned after a moment,
suddenly curious as to his background. "You hardly seem the type to be
playing constable."
"I seem
hardly the type for many things" Ezra deadpanned, glad that she had
dropped the false attempts at trying to trick him. In truth, he sometimes
wondered why he was still in
"Let's just
say, even a con man needs to retire" he replied after a moment, giving her
any reason but the truth. He was good enough with facades himself, to make the
lie believable. "I own a saloon in town and it is in my best interests for
law and order to be maintained. Until our arrival, there was a decided lack of
it in
"So I've been
made aware." Julia replied. Her resentment was fading somewhat because it
was liberating to be herself for a change, without the persona she was forced
to maintain around men to get what she wanted. "I would not have bought
the Emporium if I had known this area was running rife with highwaymen."
"The
"I know"
she nodded. "However, it will soon be rebuilt and open for business."
"You selected
a very unusual choice for a new business" he remarked. Personally, he had
not counted on her trying to establish any kind of business. She did not seem
like a woman who would be content with the rigors of a career. Women like Julia
Pemberton preferred being cared for hand and foot, to be adored up close and
adorned in the best.
"I
agree" Julia replied, wondering what had been in her mind when she bought
the property. She wanted somewhere far away from the world of Philadelphia and
the West was a perfect place to hide from the likes of her father and possibly
Roderick Packard, should he take it in his mind to find her. After all, she had
left him at the altar and he struck her as the kind of man who would be small
enough to crave vengeance for his wounded ego. She had read the newspapers
saying that opportunities awaited those willing to take the risk in the Territory
and there was just a hint of challenge in the article to inspire her
excitement. She was through being cared for and pampered. From now on, she was
taking charge of her life.
"However, it
shows promise" she added after a moment. "I want to build something
on my own, without anyone telling me how to do it or whether or not it's
proper."
Ezra raised his
brow at that remark. "My dear Miss Pemberton," he found himself
commenting, "I do say you surprise me. It appears that you may not be as
shallow as you seem."
"Why thank
you Mr. Standish," she found herself producing a smile that was genuine
instead for the benefits of others. "I am so honored that you have favored
me with some measure of depth. The lawyer who sold me the business was not so
optimistic. He believed that a woman of my delicacy would not enjoy a place
like Four Corners." Julia did not add that at the time, she had been
sharing the delightful Mr. Porter's bed and that he had practically begged her
to marry him by the time she boarded the train to Eagle Bend. He would have
said anything to keep her.
"On the
contrary," Ezra answered, oblivious to her current line of thought, "
"How very
forward" Julia said, slightly impressed, even though she was disappointed
that the beautiful Mr. Larabee was taken. Normally
that would not stop Julia, but she could not afford to alienate a powerful
member of the community in which she was trying to establish herself. Alas, Mr.
Larabee, she sighed. It was not to be.
"One other
thing," Ezra warned, since they were now having this very frank
conversation. "Mr. Wilmington considers himself to be quite the ladies
man, and while I believe it is entirely possible that his interest in you is
purely carnal, he does seem more taken than usual. If you have no serious
affections for him, I would prefer that you did not trifle with his feelings.
He is my friend and is one of those rare individuals that bears malice to no
one. I would not appreciate it if you hurt him."
"Why Mr.
Standish," Julia returned coyly. "Perhaps, this is motivated by a
little jealousy?"
Ezra laughed
derisively. "Hardly Miss Pemberton. My heart lies elsewhere."
"Truly?"
she asked, her interest suitably piqued. Ezra Standish was a most intriguing
man. Despite his manner of supreme confidence and his clairvoyance in reading
her so accurately, Julia sensed depths to him that were not easily understood.
He subtly challenged the rebel in her, and she wondered if it was at all
possible to turn his head. "I didn't think it possible for any woman to
keep you faithful to her charms."
"Alexandra
doesn't need charm to keep me faithful" Ezra replied brusquely. "She
just has to give a damn."
Part Two
Witness
Peso, the horse,
was not happy, but then neither was Vin Tanner for that matter. The ride to the
Doherty place was initially a silent one with neither Alex nor Vin speaking a
word unless it was absolutely necessary. Both had decided to accept the
situation because Nathan was not allowing Alex to make such an arduous trek
alone nor Vin to squirm out of taking her. The heat that was baking the
landscape did not make the trip any more bearable as the terrain ahead took
them through the Badlands, being one of the harshest stretches of land in the
Territory. While the heat was somewhat tolerable with the shade of trees and
the air cooled by grass early in the journey, by the time they started to cross
the
He could see Alex
suffering under the heavy riding cloak she was wearing. Her tanned skin was
taking on the luster of dark bronze that seemed moist to the touch. He watched
her struggle with the temperature valiantly, determined for him not to see that
she was battling the heat. He supposed he had to admire her tenacity. This was
a woman who believed emphatically that neither retreat nor surrender was an
option, and made it into an art form. Vin glanced over his shoulder
occasionally, to see how she was faring as he led them through the bitter
landscape. He knew Agnes Doherty from his conversations with Nettie Wells, who
called the woman a stubborn old mule who would not take good advice even if bit
her on....
Well Vin got the
general idea by that point.
The farm, which
Agnes Doherty would not leave, was almost a full day's ride from
As it was, Peso
was showing ambivalence at being forced to traverse the cracked ground beneath
his hooves. The stallion had picked up the scent of death in the grisly end of
the animals already passed and was unsettled. Vin supposed that it was some
consolation that they were only travelling the outskirts of the Badlands
instead of trying to cross its wide expanse. This was only the first leg of a
difficult journey. After leaving the Badlands, they would then have to follow a
steep climb up the mountain for several hours before reaching the farm. It was
not a farm really, there was too much shale in the ground to grow anything and
it was useless as grazing land. Nevertheless, Richard Doherty had believed that
there was gold in these hills and wanted to remain close to the mother lode he
never found.
"How are you
doing Alex?" Vin asked as he wiped the sweat from his brow, surveying the
terrain ahead of them. In the distance, he could see the green of the hills and
knew for a fact, that there was a river running not too far from here. Both
were still hours away, but at least they would be able to water the horses and
stop for a break before making the trek up the hills. Personally, Vin was
looking forward to the interlude, and by the looks of her, Alex appeared to
need it just as badly.
"I'm fine Mr.
Tanner" she answered trying to inject as much ease into her manner as
possible.
However, in the
last hour or so, she had firmly decided that she was not going to endure this
trip unless she made some quick changes to her present wardrobe. First, this
riding cloak was going to have to go. She had not anticipated that the length
of the journey would take them through such laborious terrain, and what was
usually suitable attire for a quick ride now felt like sheets of wool against
her skin. From a medical point of view, Alex knew if she did not shed the
cloak, she would be in real danger of overheating. Struggling to hold onto the
reins while slipping out of the cloak, she did a curious dance on Calliope
before divesting herself of the garment. Underneath, she wore a thin cotton
shirt buttoned up high with a burgundy colored vest and a long dark skirt. All
were tolerable once she undid the top buttons of the shirt and let the air
breeze down her chest. She still appeared modest as ever but slightly less
uncomfortable.
Vin watched her
perform this little task, trying not to notice the length of her slender neck
exposed by the part of white cotton, tapering into the cleavage that was
tantalizing him with what he could not see but rather what he imagined. He
shook the thought out of his head, once again furious for allowing himself to
fall into this situation. "There's a river a few miles up ahead" Vin
said, deciding that it was best if he looked ahead and not anywhere else. "We'll
stop for a while."
"You
know," Alex sighed, feeling a great deal more comfortable now and a lot
less hostile, "if I wasn't sure that Agnes was in trouble, I wouldn't mind
stopping there for the rest of the day so I could soak in it."
Vin resisted the
urge to conjure a mental image of what that would look like.
Instead, he
glanced up at the noonday sun and squinted away the bright glare in his eyes.
"I can't say I blame you," he admitted. "It sure is a scorcher.
Don't feel like fall at all."
"You could
never get this hot in an English summer" she replied as she kicked her
heels and forced Calliope forward. She wondered how he could remain so
unaffected with that thick buckskin coat of his. While there was a thin film of
sweat covering his skin, he showed no other effects of languishing in this
temperature.
Calliope sidled
beside Peso and Vin found himself riding alongside her. She was close enough to
him for Vin to see the slight curve of cleavage beneath the white shirt. He
faced front immediately, abashed by his behavior, even though she was oblivious
to it, or more importantly, oblivious to him.
"This is
nothing" Vin commented. "A couple seasons ago, it was so hot we had
grass fires. Killed a lot of livestock and people too. Land's harsh if you
ain't ready for it."
"I know"
she nodded. "That's why I'm worried about Agnes." Alex bit her lip
thinking how the woman looked during her last visit into town. Nothing that
Alex could do would convince the elderly lady to remain in town with the
condition of her heart the way it was. Extreme heat like this could exacerbate
an already tenuous state of health. Despite herself, Alex did not want to admit
that it might already be too late. Agnes might have already fallen prey to the
worst outcome of her illness. Her absence in town today certainly proved it.
Agnes Doherty may have been a stubborn old crone but she was extremely
punctual. "She's very old and her heart is not good. I tried to talk into
staying with Nettie or somewhere in town but she's thickheaded and stubborn."
Vin gave her a
look. "Well you ought to know" he said with a faint smile.
"I am a
doctor, I am trained to render aid when it is necessary" she said hotly.
"Agnes is my patient and my responsibility. I could have made this trip on
my own you know. If Nathan was not so damn protective, I would have."
"You would
have gotten lost in an hour and then I'd still have to come looking for
you" he retorted. "This saves time."
He saw her bristle
visibly at that remark. "I'm sure someone else could have done the honors.
Ezra perhaps."
Now it was Vin's
turn to bristle, feeling an involuntary pang of jealousy when it was made
obvious that it was Ezra who had her affections and not him. "Then Ezra
would get lost and I'd have to come find both of you" he replied.
"Why do you delight in making me lose my temper with you?" she eyed
him critically. Vin Tanner was one of those unexpected mysteries of life that
came at you when you least expected it. Of the seven, he was the one she least
understood. He was so quiet and enigmatic most of the time and only seemed to
be vocal when he was around her. There was a part of Alex that enjoyed their
verbal jousting, delighted in crossing swords with him. When they argued, she
felt her blood rush and...
Alex found herself
blushing when she followed that thought to its inevitable end. Vin was staring
at her intently with those dark eyes of his and she shook the thought away. She
thanked God that her coloring hid such embarrassment from him, because she
could not face the wicked thought that had crossed her mind at that moment. She
loved Ezra. She loved Ezra's gentleness and looked forward to the time when she
could show the gambler just how deep those feelings were. She wouldn't even
require a wedding ring to do that.
"I
don't" Vin said simply. "I just call it like it is."
"Let's just
call a truce, shall we?" Alex suggested with a raised brow. There was no
anger in her voice, merely resignation. Sometimes there was even mischief, like
now. "At least for the rest of this trip. It's hell enough as it is."
"We can
always turn back" he teased.
"Now
see," she rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You got me all hot and
bothered again."
He was actually
smiling at that remark when Alex realized what she had said. Letting out a loud
groan, she waited for the return jibe and decided, she probably deserved it.
"I wouldn't
want to do that Alex" Vin retorted, unable to allow such a golden
opportunity slip past. "With Mrs. Doherty waiting on you, we wouldn't have
time for me to cool you down."
Alex rolled her
eyes in exasperation. "In your dreams Mr Tanner, in your dreams" she
laughed taking the remark with good humour. Vin
watched her looking ahead once more, unable to deny the satisfaction at winning
this particular round. He looked forward to their next confrontation with
unspoken anticipation.
Still, Vin should
not be baiting her like this because he knew he derived pleasure from it. Yet,
Vin was almost certain that it was the same for her as well. Of course, she had
no idea how he felt about her, and Vin was more determined than ever not to
reveal his true feelings. Still, there were moments when he saw something in
her eyes that almost grasped the truth before she would quickly brush it away
as little more than imagination. Everything she did and said made Vin twist
with a desire so intense that it was hard to breathe at times. Ever since she
had breezed into town that first time, he had been just as spellbound as Ezra,
but circumstances had placed the gambler in a position to win her favor first
and so Vin had stepped aside.
Because he was not
going to behave like he had with
He had genuinely
loved
And here was Alex
whose concern for others would force her to embark on the most foolish of
quests because it was in her nature to help and heal. She burned with such
dedicated fire that Vin felt awed at times and mindful of the need to protect
her from those who would take advantage of that kindness. It was not to say
that she was not an infuriating woman though. Vin had not encountered many
women in his life. He had known even fewer on an intimate level, and with the
exception of Charlotte, had mostly paid for those. It was not that he was
unattractive to women, it was just that he had never been anywhere long enough
to get to know any. Not until he came to
Now it just did
not feel right to take up with working girls, especially when he was living in
town permanently. When he was living his nomadic existence, he did not mind
taking such liberties because he was allowed some measure of anonymity. Vin was
a private person and felt that it was no one's business but his own with whom
he kept company. It had become worse with Alex in his life because now he could
not bring himself to partake of the company of another woman without wanting it
to be her. Sometimes, when they were arguing, he could almost smell the scent
of her, and Vin would find himself wondering whether Ezra had made love to her
yet.
The thought was
enough to make Vin sick with envy.
"Hey,"
Alex suddenly called out, looking at him, completely unaware of the thoughts
that were presently running through his head. "I thought you were supposed
to be leading this expedition."
Vin realized he
was lagging behind a little and immediately urged Peso forward to take up
position next to her once more. She looked at him with a smile, all traces of
their previous altercation having evaporated from her face. Vin was unsurprised
by her change in demeanor, for she was incapable of bearing a grudge and
normally after one of their little jousts, one of them would make an overture
of peace. He guessed this time it was hers.
"Sorry,"
Vin replied, "I'll try not to get left behind."
"You
better," she chuckled. "I wouldn't want to have to coming looking for
you."
Vin could only
laugh. "I feel safer already."
It was early
afternoon when Ezra and Julia finally arrived in Four Corners. Overhead, the
blue sky had suddenly disappeared to be replaced by the thick pregnant clouds
that were massing to chase the sunshine away. Although the rain was still some
hours away, there was no doubt that the portents of the weather were clearly
heralding the onslaught of a serious rainstorm. The air felt damp as Ezra
observed the cumulous overhead becoming thicker with each gust of strengthening
wind. Considering what Chris and the others would soon be escorting to town,
the weather seemed to suit the occasion.
In anticipation of
the coming storm, people were beginning to get indoors. It was a weekday, and
usually at this time the streets were crowded with people going about their
business. He could see them scattering to their houses as he and Julia rode by.
Some had paused long enough to take note of the stranger nestled comfortably
behind Ezra, but their curiosity was soon outweighed by the low rumble of
thunder in the greying sky.
"What a
charming town" Julia remarked, as her green eyes surveyed the town in
which she had placed so much hope. It was, as she expected, one of those dreary
rural towns where everyone was either a farmer or a farmhand. It was the kind
of place where someone of her refinement could sweep into town and dazzle
everyone with her acumen and savvy. She wanted the world in the palm of her
hand and
"It has its
moments" Ezra retorted, not missing the distaste in her voice.
Their journey back
had been illuminating, and while Ezra did not know exactly everything about
Julia Pemberton, he did know that this was a woman accustomed to getting her
own way in all things. She had very little scruples and even fewer inhibitions.
To a certain extent, he was almost curious to see how she would fare in
However, Julia did
not seem upset all. To his amazement, he saw her eyes light up as she studied
the building. Suddenly, he could see the possibilities that were dancing
through her imagination and marveled that he had not seen such potential in her
before. She struck him as vainglorious and shallow, with a taste for life that
only came with the indolent. For the first time, he saw something of a pioneer
spirit in her smile, and that did make her look extremely engaging.
"It doesn't
matter" she replied quickly, sounding like a youthful teenager as she
spoke. "I've got the money to fix it up and maybe I'll get a dressmaker on
premises who can do alterations and I'll even set up a little café inside the
building, where people can have coffee or something."
"An audacious
plan" Ezra found himself becoming lost in her enthusiasm and felt somewhat
surprised that something so simple could touch his jaded soul.
"Not
audacious," Julia retorted, her eyes still dancing with the vision she had
for her Emporium, "just common sense. It's done in the city all the time.
I don't intend to do anything that grand, of course, but smaller, and I need to
make it personal somehow. Communities like this don't take well to strangers,
so I'm going to have to get some local support. Who was this friend of Mr. Larabee's again?"
"Mary
Travis" Ezra replied, trying to hide the astonishment in the sudden change
of manner in the confusing Miss Pemberton. "I had no idea you were so
determined."
"I am through
letting anyone tell me what I can and cannot do" Julia stared at him hard.
"All my life, this face is all I've ever had to use to get anything. Maybe
if I can make this work, it won't matter how pretty I look."
Ezra could
understand the need to be more than what everyone thought you were good for.
Had not his life followed the same path? It was naturally assumed he would be
no good because he was Maude Standish's son and the apple never fell too far
from the tree. True, he had been raised to believe he was going to be bad from
the day he was born by the relatives whom he was thrust upon and by Maude
herself, when she decided he was old enough to learn the trade. Until he had
come to
To his utter
horror, he found that he was warming to this little schemer.
Deciding that a
change of subject was definitely in order, since he was not about to chart
these waters with her, Ezra snapped his heels against his horse and moved it
quickly past the Emporium towards the hotel.
"I am
assuming you kept your finances on your person and not unwisely in your
purse?" He inquired.
"What fool
would?" Julia replied. Her gaze was still fixed on her Emporium and what
it was soon to become.
Ezra could not
argue with that. He kept his money tucked safely in his right boot at all
times. He trusted neither wallets nor banks. "Certainly not I." He
retorted. "I shall take you the hotel where you can refresh
yourself."
"You were
meant to protect me" she pointed out.
"The hotel is
presently occupied by a good assortment of individuals. I am certain that if
outlaws were attempting to do away with you, they would allow some time to pass
before making the attempt. Besides, I will not be long. I need to confer with
my associates and apprise them of the unfortunate situation with the
stage."
"Yes that was
awful" Julia found herself admitting. Even when she had pulled a gun on
her papa, she had done so with the absolute knowledge that the shock alone
would have kept him from trying to interfere with her departure. She had never
killed anyone in her life, and she had secretly hoped that the first would not
be her misguided father. With a sigh, she found herself missing him despite her
anger at his betrayal. A sliver of satisfaction crossed her mind at how angry
Roderick Packard must have been. Good. He really was a pig. Unlike those people
in the coach with her, whose only crime was to be in the wrong place at the
wrong time.
"They will be
coming into town soon," Ezra replied unhappily, knowing he would have to
tell Mary first, who would have to wire the other town and produce a passenger
manifest to present to the undertaker.
"Are you
going to see your lady doctor?" Julia inquired with a hint of jealousy.
She hated how he refused her advances throughout the trip and the affection in
his voice when he spoke about this Alexandra of his, made Julia want to spit in
outrage. Finally, she found herself meeting the one intriguing man with whom
sex might be a pleasurable experience instead of a means to an end and he was
taken! This had to be God's idea of retribution.
"That is none
of your business" he replied firmly, feeling uncomfortable for some reason
to hear her mentioning Alexandra. Suddenly, he regretted speaking so much about
Alexandra to Julia. He could not explain why.
"I did not
mean to offend," she said with a slight pout.
"I told
you," Ezra looked at her impatiently, "that does not work on me. You
powers to move me Miss Pemberton are slight."
She let out an
audible sigh of resignation. "You cannot fault a lady for making the
attempt" she remarked before brightening up again. "So where shall we
have dinner?"
"Dinner?"
Ezra met her gaze sharply. "I believe I am otherwise engaged."
"You are
meant to protect me" she said firmly. "I did see those killers."
Unfortunately,
Ezra could not ignore the truth of that statement. Chris wanted her protected
and he had specifically instructed Ezra not to let Julia out of his sight. As
much as Ezra wanted to find Alexandra, he had a responsibility to the leader of
the seven. Chris had trusted him, a difficult enough thing to do after Ezra had
made his hasty departure during the line fire, at their first meeting. It had
taken a long time for Ezra to earn Chris' trust again and for some unfathomable
reason, the gambler found it necessary to maintain that relationship.
"You do seem
to have a point" Ezra frowned, knowing that she had him over a barrel in
this instance. "I will accompany you to your hotel and allow you to
freshen yourself, but I warn you, if these men intend on harming you, we may
have to move you to a safer location."
"Mr. Standish,"
Julia grinned with clear triumph in her voice, "I am in your hands."
"I am
rejoicing inside" he said sardonically.
The rain had
started to pelt down in huge pregnant drops by the time the stage made its
arrival in Four Corners. By now, news of yet another stage robbery had reached
the community and despite the rain, it seemed people somehow managed to appear
when the carriage rolled into town escorted by the lawmen who had been unable
to prevent the killing. Residents stood on the boardwalk under shop awnings, they
peered out their windows and out their doors, observing in silence the
unofficial cortege moving through the muddy streets.
Mary Travis stood
outside the door of the Clarion watching Chris Larabee
leading the solemn parade through the center of town. She could tell from this
distance that he was angry, even though nothing reflected in his face. The
others with him were similarly dour and she ached for them all and how painful
it must be to know that one is helpless to prevent such unnecessary loss of life.
Even though their actions had saved one person from a similar death, that did
not lessen the fact that four others had not escaped.
Chris raised his
eyes as he passed by the Clarion on his way to the undertaker, the rain spilled
over the brim of his hat as he searched the faces and saw the only one he cared
about. Mary was staring at him, her blue grey eyes conveying the sorrow she
felt for the victims and for him. Chris felt himself warmed by her concern. She
knew he had a tendency to blame himself for these things and was always on
alert to give him a sharp kick to his senses whenever she felt he deserved one.
Unfortunately, this time nothing was going to help until he found these
murderers.
He saw Nathan
standing at the top of the stairs that led to his infirmary and saw the slight
wince on the black man's face as the healer saw the stagecoach. He did not seem
unsurprised, which meant that Ezra had given him fair warning of what they
would find. Such senseless death often bothered Nathan the most, and Chris
could understand why he felt so driven to save every life no matter what the
consequences to himself. The alternative was to find oneself escorting this
stagecoach reeking of death through the center of town.
As they passed by
the hotel, Chris saw Ezra and Julia Pemberton together. Chris nodded at the
gambler as they passed by and knew the gambler was following on his duty to
keep the young woman safe. Julia's eyes were fixed on the carriage and Chris
reminded himself that he would need to question her once this particular task
was done. It was a miracle that she had survived the killing spree. Actually,
it was no miracle at all. It was the outlaws' lust that had saved her. That and
the timely arrival of the lawmen. Julia Pemberton could give them an accurate
account of what had transpired from the time the stage had been forced off the
track until the last gunshot had been fired on the last victim. More
importantly, she could give them a face upon which to blame the murder and a
place from which to begin.
"We've got to
stop this" Buck said riding along side Chris as they made the last leg of
their journey. Through the teeming rain that was slowly gaining momentum with
the high winds propelling it to a thunderstorm, he saw his friend's eyes were
just as hollow as his. Buck did not like to think about death or anything to do
with the dark side of nature.
"You and me
both Buck" Chris remarked, hating the look he saw on people's faces. Even
though they did not speak it out loud, Chris could see the accusation in their
eyes. He and the other six represented the law in
"I hope Vin
found something in Purgatory" Buck remarked.
Now that he
mentioned the tracker, Chris realized he had not see the young man while they
had been moving through town. Chris felt a flare of hope thinking that Vin
might have remained in that shantytown of outlaws and bandits because he might
have a solid lead on some information. At the moment, Chris was ready to ride
out with his men to scour the plains until they found something. Certainly, he
did not want to have another experience like this one again.
"I didn't see
him around," Chris retorted, "he might have found something if he's
still there."
"Let's just
hope nothing found him" the cowboy said gravely.
"Cut it out
Buck," Chris looked up at him. "You're a lousy pessimist."
Buck managed a sad
smile and wiped the rain from his face. "Well I can't let you have the
monopoly can I?"
"You don't do
it as well" Chris retorted as they arrived at the undertaker's premises.
The tall thin man in the customary black suit always made Chris uncomfortable.
The mortician always studied him with that expression Chris just knew was
reserved for potential customers. Right now, Chris wanted to be as far away
from him and his establishment as possible. He wanted to get out of the rain,
where he could drown in a bottle of whiskey and be with Mary, and he was very
particular in what order that came. Most importantly, he wanted to speak to
Julia Pemberton to hear her account of what she had seen, because Chris Larabee sure as hell was not going to make this ride again.
The next time he
rode into town bringing bodies, he wanted it to be the outlaws who had done
this.
An hour later, the
group found themselves in Mary Travis' kitchen after the grisly work of
delivering the bodies had been concluded and Mary had wired Sweet Water to
inform them of the murders and to receive a passenger manifest. As she brewed
coffee and handed them towels to dry themselves, Chris had Ezra bring Julia
Pemberton so that she could finally relate her account of events and offer some
description of the man she had seen. Since it appeared that Vin had not
returned from Purgatory with any useful information, the young woman's
eyewitness recollection was all Chris had to solve these murders.
"Boy it's
really coming down out there" JD remarked staring out Mary's window to the
garden outside. Sheets of rain shimmered through the air as the grass became
covered in a continuous puddle of water that stretched beyond the patch of
green and turned the dirt beyond it into mud. The wind was howling and JD saw
trees battling the gusts as leaves struggled to remain on the swaying branches.
There were no signs of any sun outside and the heavy dark clouds were being
propelled by wind into a stormy frenzy.
Ezra said nothing,
but his thoughts were with Alex at this moment, wondering whether or not she
was all right. He had been none too happy to learn about the quest she had
embarked upon earlier this morning, and even though he was certain Vin would
see no harm come to her as her escort, Ezra could not help worrying that this
weather might be even too much for the tracker. "We can hear, Mr.
Dunne." Ezra said with a little more sharpness to his voice then he
intended. Immediately after, Ezra felt guilty when he saw JD's fallen
expression. "I apologize my young friend," Ezra quick replied as Mary
walked past and squeezed his shoulder in comfort. "I did not mean to
bite."
"That's okay
Ezra." JD nodded in understanding and realized he should be quiet anyway
while Chris was trying to conduct his questioning of the lovely Miss Pemberton.
"I'm sure
she's fine Ezra," Mary whispered in his ear. "Vin knows what he's
doing."
Ezra offered the
pretty widow a warm smile and understood then what Chris Larabee
loved so much about her. Mary Travis was one of those rare people who saw the
best in everybody and whose desire to help was tempered with a genuine kindness
that was all too lacking in this world. He supposed anyone who could bring
comfort to the tortured soul of the gunslinger must be pretty exceptional. At
this moment, Ezra thought she was too. "You are a lady without peer"
Ezra replied, taking her hand and kissing it gently.
Mary chuckled
softly before they both turned their attention back to Julia who was seated at
the kitchen table with Buck standing close by, as if standing guard in case
Chris' questions became too hard. Mary could tell by the look in Chris' eyes
that her lover was almost at the end of his patience with his best friend. Buck
was holding Miss Pemberton's hand as Chris fired his questions at her.
"As you can
tell ma'am, this ain't the first stage that has been robbed. We've had two
other hits in two weeks with almost a dozen people dead." Chris stated
with a grim expression on his face.
"How
awful" Julia exclaimed, her lips quivering in typical doe like fear.
"I am truly lucky to be alive."
"Yes you are
darling," Buck said interrupting before Chris could ask another question.
"It would have been a loss to men everywhere."
Although no one
voiced it, almost everyone in the room had their personal reactions to the
display. Josiah merely shook his head in disbelief. Nathan stifled a silent
snort of derision. JD watched the master at work in fascination, while Ezra and
Mary exchanged glances that said in volumes what words could never express as
succinctly. However, Chris was another matter entirely.
Miss Pemberton
returned his gaze with a quick bat of her lashes and reveled at how easy it was
to make men like this squirm. "Why Mr. Wilmington, you are so sweet."
"Buck"
Chris said almost as sweetly. "Can I see you for a moment?"
"Sure
Chris" Buck replied and followed Chris as the gunslinger walked towards
the back door. Even though everyone else could see what was about to happen,
Buck was oblivious to Chris' nonchalant manner.
"What's
up?"
Chris opened the
door suddenly and shoved Buck outside without another word. As Buck opened his
mouth to speak, Chris cut him off abruptly. "Get out and don't come back
until I'm done."
With that Chris Larabee slammed the door.
Mary rolled her
eyes and looked at him sarcastically. "That was truly subtle."
"But not
undeserved" Ezra retorted. "Mr. Dunne perhaps you ought to join our
local Lothario and smooth his ruffled feathers at the saloon. Tell Inez the
drinks are on the house."
"Sure
Ezra" JD glanced at Chris, who nodded his permission for the young man to
go. No doubt, Buck would be incensed, but he knew Chris well enough to realize
when he was becoming a strain on the gunslinger's patience. In a moment, the
young man had slipped out the door and Chris resumed his interrogation without
interruptions.
"Why
Ezra" Josiah looked at him in surprise. "That's uncommonly generous
of you."
"Not
really" Ezra returned. "Inez knows which bottle to use when the
drinks are free."
"Now,"
Chris turned his attention back to Julia who was watching the interplay between
the group with some amusement, "Miss Pemberton, can I ask what you
saw?"
Dropping the
charade of feigned gentility, Julia decided that Mr. Larabee's
patience would not extend to her if she decided to play the wounded bird. She
could see the intensity in his eyes and knew this was not a man to be trifled
with. He wanted answers, and she had no doubt he would keep her here until he
received them. To a certain extent, Julia did want to help him find the
murderers who had slaughtered those innocents on the stage with her. She wanted
those men to pay for her humiliation, and on a lesser note, the lives they had
taken. Besides, it might be one way to show Ezra Standish she was not all bad.
"Certainly,
Mr. Larabee" Julia nodded, her voice sounding
all business now. The change was almost instantaneous, and everyone in the room
noticed it. Only Ezra was unsurprised. However, his eyes kept darting to the
window while thoughts of his lady doctor no doubt filled his mind. "As I
told you before, we were only a few hours from
"We heard
gunshots" Julia said, remembering the fear in the carriage as the first
sounds erupted....
Mrs. Henderson
squealed in fright, dropping her velvet purse onto the floor as her frantic
eyes looked to her husband. Unfortunately, there was fear in his face too. Both
of them were past the day where adventure or excitement held any sway for them.
They had the look of urbanities, with their store bought clothes and the slight
tinge of accent that might have been Irish.
She had remembered
the couple prattling on about seeing the country, now that the factory was sold
and the children were at school. She had not paid much attention for her mind
was still focussed on her escape from
"Be calm love,"
the old man had said "if it's a robbery we can handle that. We've seen
them in the city haven't we?" He tried to sound reassuring and held his
wife's hand in his, as if willing his strength into her frail disposition.
She nodded meekly,
but the fear had not faded from her face and was not likely to with the sudden
surge in the speed of the carriage
.
Julia looked out
and saw the horses thundering alongside the stagecoach, a difficult
accomplishment with the carriage rocking dangerously from side to side as it
trundled across the uneven terrain. She peered out of the window long enough to
see a branch snapping in her direction before a strong arm yanked her back into
the carriage.
"Stay inside
Miss!" The forth passenger ordered as she fell heavily into the cushioned
seat.
"I think
there are five of them, Mr. Baker" Julia replied, starting to feel the
charged excitement of the whole situation. She had read about stagecoach
robberies in the west but to actually experience one was another thing
entirely.
Suddenly, the
entire group found themselves tilting to one side of the carriage as the stage
made a sharp turn. The sound of gunfire had ceased now but the stage was on
different terrain for it no longer swayed from side to side but was shuddering
as if the ground beneath was hard and rocky. Mrs.
By now, Julia was
using the walls to brace herself from being shaken into to nausea within the
belly of the carriage. The novelty of the experience had faded to genuine
terror that her life might be in danger. Suddenly, she remembered the money in
her purse and quickly rummaged through the trifles within. With the exception
of the cash inside it, all the money that Julia had stolen from her father was
now sitting in a bank awaiting use in her new life when she arrived at
"It's slowing
down!" Mr. Baker announced and Julia realized he was correct. The
shuddering was abating, even though they were treated to a few jumps and rises
over the next few minutes before the carriage came to a complete halt.
Julia resisted the
urge to look out the window even though from what she was able to observe from
her seat, they had certainly moved off the main trail. This new place was
densely wooded with branches and trees looming a foreboding canvas over the
coach. For a few minutes, no one spoke as they listened closely to horses that
soon surrounded the stationary carriage. There were voices here and there,
angry, deep voices spoken with a Southern and Texan drawl. The words were clear
and the threat was even clearer.
Inevitably, they
heard the soft thud of the driver dismounting the front of the carriage before
hearing a loud booming voice shout at them from outside the door.
"Get out! All
of you!"
Reluctantly, Baker
went first. He was the only able bodied man in the carriage, even though he had
confessed to being a travelling salesman. His fear was apparent by the way he
kept straightening his tie. Julia followed him next because she wanted this
over and done with. Let them finish their thievery, she cared little for the
pittance that she would lose, even if they did find the money in her boot.
The five were
staring at the passengers when they emerged, studying all of them carefully as
if look alone could decide how much each of them was worth. They shoved the
stage driver into the forming group. Their clothes were nothing unusual for men
of this region. All however, wore hats with bandanas hiding their faces. Julia
knew immediately all of them were professional outlaws, except for one. His
fingernails were clean and manicured while the others were covered in dirt. She
took a gamble that he was the leader and filed that information away for future
use.
Mr. and Mrs.
Henderson were the last to emerge, and upon their arrival, the four with the
dirty nails begin ransacking the luggage loaded on the upper side of the
carriage. The leader began to rummage through their wallets and purses, taking
cash only and discarding the rest. His men conducted their search in similar
fashion and were not thorough. They created more mess than finding anything of
value. Very soon, the grove was covered in an array of objects, clothes,
brushes, shoes and the socks that Mr. Baker sold to general stores across the
Territory. The passengers watched and waited, knowing that this could not go on
forever.
The leader called
out to the pack after awhile. His voice sounded muffled through the clothes. He
told them that that it was enough, it was time to go. The others disembarked
the carriage and came to join him at his side. There was a moment of pause when
Julia tried to comprehend what they would do next.
When they killed
Mr. Baker, it was almost a complete surprise to her.
Julia was so
horrified by the sight of blood exploding from his head, spraying the coach
with his flesh and grey matter that she barely had time to scream before they
turned the gun on Mr. Henderson. What she could not do, Mrs. Henderson was able
to produce in a loud and piercing scream that seemed to filled the world. Birds
had flown the trees, frightened by the sound of violence. Mr. Henderson took a
bullet to the head and had no time to utter a cry as it tore through his head
and took away his life before he even hit the dirt.
Mrs. Henderson was
almost hysterical by the time the leader did the same thing to her. The shrill
cry cut shot by the eruption of gunfire. The kill was almost execution in
style, with one bullet to the head. Julia had been around enough guns in her
life to know that the shots were not random. She had little more than a moment
to spare when she saw that gun move in her direction before she cried out in
desperation.
"Wait!"
she called out, gambling her life on the most fragile of all enchantment.
He paused, if only
because he was curious as to what she would say.
"I'll do
anything if you leave me alive" she reached for the hair perched up on her
head and removed the pin that held it in place. Copper colored hair fell around
her shoulders as her fingers moved to the high buttoned blouse she was wearing.
Her fingers trembled as she loosened them and watched the reaction of the men
before her. By now, she had released enough buttons for them to have a clear
picture of what she was offering. The leader's eyes met hers and she knew with
certainty that he would take the bait.
Slowly, she
removed her gloves as he came forward, the others were watching with leering
eyes while their guns were aimed at her direction. He buried his face in her
chest and she tried to quell the revulsion at feeling his lips tasting her
skin. Her eyes were fixed on the bodies before her so she knew that what she
risked was far greater than her dignity.
Suddenly, they
looked up at the sound of hoof beats in the distance. The sound was loud and
fast approaching them. The leader recoiled from her, raising to shoot when
suddenly, he realized that his bandana had slipped off his face in his moment
of lust. Julia saw that he was a young man, clean-shaven, no more than
twenty-five, with dark hair and sharp blue eyes. He raised his gun to fire at
her when the others who had scattered for their horses by this time, barked at
him to hurry.
She saw the
confusion on his face as he tried to decide what to do, while the thundering
horses in the distance became visible. With a look she could only describe as
anguish, he turned and fled....
Of course, for the
delicate sensibilities of those who were present, certain events were sanitized
by Julia in the telling of the tale.
This was really
starting to turn into a bad idea.
Unfortunately, by
the time Alex Styles made this discovery, it was far too late to turn back and
she was not prepared to face the embarrassment of admitting to Vin Tanner that
she might have made a mistake. Perhaps it was not such a smart idea, setting
out from Four Corners to render aid to the old widow Doherty. At the moment, it
appeared that Agnes might be in a better situation that the one Alex and Vin
now found themselves.
While they had
been crossing the
After a short interlude
at the river Alex was eager to continue their journey, even though Vin was
becoming increasingly aware of the climate. She saw only the arrival of some
grey clouds that obscured the sun enough to let the air cool down considerably
and made the journey tolerable in comparison to what it had been earlier.
However, by the time they reached the foot of the steep hills upon which the
Doherty place was perched, she began to understand what Nathan had said about
the terrain being treacherous.
She was not the
best rider in the world, in fact as horsewomen went she was actually quite bad.
Alex had spent most of her life in carriages, as was the custom for women in
the
It made matters
even worse, those harmless grey clouds overhead soon evolved into a raging
thunderstorm that battered them relentlessly with huge rain drops that were
almost sheets of water pouring from the heavens above. Vin kept glancing over
his shoulder at her in concern, knowing that she was having trouble staying on
Calliope. With the terrain the way it was, if she were to fall she could injure
herself badly. He could tell she was afraid but her natural pride was keeping
that fear silent. Vin considered his options before finally glancing over his
shoulder again.
"I think you
should ride with me" he said firmly.
"Ride with
you?" she looked at him uncertainly. "Why?"
"Calliope is
making me nervous." Vin replied, hoping she would not see through the lie.
"I don't think she's handled this kind of track before. When a horse gets
skittish like she is, they're liable to throw the rider off. This ain't the
place for you to take a tumble."
Alex could not
disagree with him as she saw the sharp incline to the ground, obstructed by
shrubs, trees and the occasionally rock protruding from the shale ground. She
did not relish the journey she would take if Calliope did indeed do what Vin
feared. Alex knew she was not experienced enough to remain in the saddle if the
horse displayed such behavior.
"What about
Calliope?" she asked, feeling the fear a little more than she would like
to admit. Alex prided herself in being unafraid of anything, but since her
youth, she had never really liked horses. She could ride if she had to, because
it was a necessity in this day and age if she wished to travel anywhere on her
own, but in truth she preferred the safety of a wagon, where she felt she had
better control of the animal.
"I'll tether
her to Peso and just lead her along." Vin replied as he brought the
stallion to a stop in the middle of the track. He looked up into the sky and
could see neither cloud or sky. The whole world above was nothing more than a
canvas of grey water raining down upon him. He climbed off the horse and felt
his foot sink a little into muddy ground. Behind him, Alex had followed suit.
She removed the riding cloak that hung off her like a blanket of water. He
observed the beads of water running down her neck, disappearing into shirt that
was now plastered to her skin and left nothing to the imagination. He shook the
obvious effects of the image from his mind and returned his attention to her
horse.
The whole
procedure took a few minutes and when Calliope was finally tethered behind
Peso, Vin climbed back onto the animal and offered his hand to Alex as she
climbed up to him. It took a further few seconds for Alex to position herself
comfortably behind him before she slid her arms around his waist. The moment he
felt her arms around him and the weight of her chest pressed against his back,
Vin suddenly decided that this was not the best idea he had all day. He froze
for a moment, feeling her breath against his ear, the sensation magnified
because they were both wet and cold and were naturally drawn to the heat of
their bodies.
"Come on
Peso" he said quietly, urging the horse forward as he reminded himself to
concentrate on getting her to the Doherty place and not on the stirrings inside
him that could become uncontrollable if allowed to continue unchecked.
Alex said nothing
as she held on, unable to deny her own awareness of him. She tried to ignore
the wonderful smell of him so near her, and the taut muscles of his stomach as
she hung onto him, knowing with every fiber of her being that such feelings
were wrong. It was wrong because it was carnal desire and not any real feeling
for him that generated it. She was a grown woman after all and it had been a
long time, a very long time since she had been with a man. Alex told
herself the reaction was purely physical, almost scientific if you wanted to
analyze it down to its bare bones. She told herself that this is what came of
not indulging her feelings for Ezra and that when she returned to Four Corners,
she and Vin Tanner would return to their adversarial roles once again.
This was just the
rain and the cold, she told herself firmly and then found a stray thought
running randomly across her mind almost involuntarily.
What a load of
crap.
When Vin and Alex
finally arrived at the homestead, they were not only soaked to the skin but
chilled to the bone with the descent of night. There was no light to welcome
their arrival and the whole place seemed so quiet that it sang a foreboding
note. The house was not very big and it was difficult to see the lay of the
area with the darkness almost pitch black. Vin however, was accustomed to such darkness
when he had camped out on the plains alone, during his years hunting buffalo.
"Stay where
you are" he ordered as he climbed off the horse.
"You get no
argument from me" Alex replied, feeling very tense by all the darkness
around her. It was possible that Agnes was asleep and had put out the lights in
her slumber. She was after all an old woman, they tended to sleep early.
"That's a
change" Vin commented.
"Very
funny" Alex retorted, unable to see his face since he was little more than
a dark shape walking towards the outline of the house. She could hear the trees
rustling in the distance and hear what she guessed might be the sound of a
shutter banging against the window.
As he kept
walking, Alex called out, "Mr. Tanner?"
"Yeah?"
he said reaching the front door.
"Talk to me
would you?" she said quietly. "I'm not my best in the dark."
"I think
you'd do just fine in the dark" he remarked, pleased that she was unable
to see his wolfish smile.
"Will you
just go find Agnes!" Alex retorted in exasperation, catching the innuendo
in his statement. In light of the ride they had to share in the last leg of
their journey, the subject was too close to home.
"Going"
he replied and twisted the front door of the house, which was little larger
than a cabin.
Alex heard the
door swing open and his footsteps as he disappeared through the entrance. There
was a few seconds when she lost sight of him completely and could hear nothing
but the hooting of owls and thunder clapping in the night. She told herself
that he was quite capable and that nothing could possibly happen to him inside
a house. Even if that house belonged to an old woman who was still missing, who
was helpless and frail and unable to stop anything from harming her if it set
its on doing so. In fact, the more that Alex traveled along that line of
thought, she realized that it could be watching her right now, using the sound
of teeming rain to mask its approach towards her, having waited until Vin was far
enough away to...
"Alex"
Vin called out.
Alex almost jumped
out of the saddle at the sound of Vin's voice and fell unceremoniously off
Peso. Vin caught her before she hit the ground but the unexpected weight tipped
him over and they both landed on the wet ground.
"God damnit! Would you please not do that! You scared the hell
out of me!" she growled as she picked herself off him.
"You
know," he grumbled standing up, feeling just as cold and miserable as she
did, "it would be a lot easier if you'd just admit that this was a bad
idea."
"Agnes was in
trouble!" Alex declared angrily.
"Well she
ain't here!" he snapped, feeling his ire surge as well. They were out in
the middle of nowhere, caught in a storm because she was too pig headed to
consider the possibility that Agnes may have left for some other destination.
"What do you
mean she's not here!" Alex retorted, glaring at him before she swept past
him and made her way to the house.
"I'm telling
you, she ain't in the house!" Vin repeated himself as he followed her.
"It don't look like anyone has been here! Did you ask around town before
you decided to come out here?"
Alex froze in her
steps. She turned around and looked at him. Well in his direction at least. It
was still very dark. "It never occurred to me...." she mumbled.
"Agnes always comes to see me when she's in town..." The words died
in her throat because she had not anticipated that the old woman might have
returned to Four Corners. Of course it was possible but unlikely because Agnes
was very set in her ways. Still, her habits were not set in stone.
"That's just
great" Vin grumbled, visibly angry at being dragged out here without her
checking all the possibilities. "So as far as we know, Miss Doherty could
be living it up in the hotel in
"I
suppose," Alex bit her lip guiltily, feeling somewhat ashamed and unable
to refute his anger because he was perfectly justified in what he was saying.
She had not checked and she should have. Now there were in the middle of
nowhere, a day's ride from
Could it get any
worse?
"Well that's
it," Vin said throwing his hands up in the air. "I'm going in there
to get dried off and warm. Are you coming?"
"Obviously,"
she snapped. "I'm not going to stay out here."
"Good,"
he retorted as he strode past her. "We're going to have to spend the
night."
Oh yes, Alex
cursed silently to herself. It could get a lot worse.
Julia slept alone.
She was unhappy to
be alone because she knew without doubt she wanted company inside her hotel
room, and furthermore it was not Buck Wilmington's presence for which she
craved. The cowboy had been at her side all night while Ezra had withdrawn to
the saloon where he no doubt waited for the return of his precious doctor. For
some reason, he no longer wanted the responsibility of guarding her and it was
a task Buck Wilmington and JD Dunne were eager to take on in his absence. Julia
felt the sting of rejection for the first time in her life and had come to the
firm conclusion that she did not at all like it.
She tossed and
turned in her sheets, knowing that there was no reason for her to be enduring
the night in solitude. All she needed to do was crook her finger and Buck
Wilmington would be more than happy to oblige. He was mildly attractive and had
all the indications of being an interesting lover if she chose to allow him the
pleasure. Except there was only one problem.
She wanted Ezra
Standish.
In her entire
life, she had never had a man say no to her advances, no matter how overt she
behaved. Not only did he reject her sexual favors, he behaved as if she were a
sheet of transparent glass, to be seen through with absolute ease. She knew he
was aware of her as a woman because not even his nonchalance could hide the
reactions endemic to all males around her. However, his desire was tempered
with the knowledge of what she was and that forced him away from her. Julia had
known him for less than a day, but already she was more intrigued by the
gambler than any man she had ever met in her life.
She knew she could
break down his defenses, provided his doctor stayed away from town a few more
days.
Tomorrow, she
would move her belongings to the home of Mary Travis to stay until the outlaws
were caught. For the moment however, Chris Larabee
believed she would be safe in the hotel. Knowing Ezra was more centered than
Buck in her presence, the gunslinger had appointed both of them to guard her
during the night. Thus both Ezra and Buck had taken a room at the hotel and
were no more than two doors down from her room. Chris doubted that anyone would
make an attempt on her life so soon but he wanted to take no chances. Although
it was quite apparent that nothing she did would ever turn the gunslinger's
head from the formidable Mrs. Travis, Julia had come to possess a healthy
respect for him. She had no doubt that he would find those outlaws eventually.
It was just a matter of time.
Suddenly, she
heard the sound of a doorknob twisting through the continuous pitter-patter of
rain against the ceiling. She sat up immediately, wondering if it was Buck
showing more backbone that she believed he possessed by attempting a
Besides, it might
even prove mildly entertaining.
As the crack of
the door widened, Julia lay back in bed, rolling onto her side as she removed
her nightgown and tossed it aside in anticipation of the man's arrival.
However, it opened wide enough for her to see a gun barrel makes its appearance
instead of a man. It took a few seconds to register the danger before the gun discharged.
Julia let out a short squeal of fear, rolling off the bed onto the floor with a
loud thud as the bullet tore through the pillow where her head would have been.
Feathers and cotton erupted from the burnt fabric, drifting through the air as
he cocked his weapon and fired again.
Julia screamed
again as the second gunshot was heard, this time it shattered a window and
created a spray of glass on the floor. She cringed further beneath the cover of
her bed, trying to think where she had kept the derringer and realizing with
anguish that it was in the trunk on the other side of the room. Missing a
second time, the shooter did not bother to make another attempt as the pounding
of approaching footsteps signaled the arrival of her guardians who were running
down the hall. Julia let out a sigh of relief hearing their impending arrival
while scrambling for her nightgown.
"You check on
Julia!" She heard Buck cry out as he ran past her room, continuing down
the corridor in pursuit of the assassin who almost ended her life. Julia
thanked God that she had been unable to sleep, knowing that had the assassin
caught her unawares, she would be dead by now.
"Julia!"
Ezra called as he entered the room. Ezra's eyes searched the room and feared
the worst when he saw the feathers and cotton floating around the room from the
punctured pillow.
Julia stood up to
show that she was unharmed while at the same time slipping her nightgown over
her naked form. When she had pulled the fabric over her head, she caught sight
of Ezra who was barefoot and wearing only pants with an unbuttoned shirt
hanging loosely from his muscled body. He let out a sigh of exasperation at the
sight of her undress before remarking sarcastically. "I was going to ask
if you were alright but somehow a more important question comes to mind."
"Really?"
she asked, trying to sound brave, but the attempt on her life had shaken her
badly as she climbed over the bed to avoid the broken glass on the floor.
"What would that be?"
"Do you
always sleep in the nude?" he asked, seemingly annoyed even as his eyes
were moving up and down her body revealing that his interest was more than just
curiosity.
"I thought it
was Buck" she snapped angrily.
"Well
naturally, that explains everything" Ezra replied and then asked her
seriously. "Are you hurt?"
"No,"
she said hugging her arms as she felt the slight chill in the air. "I'm
fine." She could not tell if it was because of the temperature or the
experience that she had just endured. Julia sauntered towards Ezra until she
was standing inches away from him. "I would have preferred it to have been
you." She smiled suggestively.
Ezra shook his
head and turned away. "Please, do not embarrass yourself." He started
towards the door, suddenly feeling like he needed to help Buck.
"Embarrass!"
she exclaimed in outrage. "Why can't you admit that you want me? I could
be your greatest experience. I could be the one to tell your grandchildren
about" she said imperiously.
Ezra looked over
his shoulder to send her a glare that could only be described as unfathomable.
"I have no affections for you Miss Pemberton. I have been charged to
protect you because it is my duty to do so. Nothing else."
"It's not so
bad," she purred seductively as she approached him. "I will still
respect you in the morning."
Ezra felt her soft
skin against his own and immediately felt unspoken desires flare up inside him.
However, he forced them aside ruthlessly because he was not going to betray
Alexandra Styles, no matter how much of a temptation Julia Pemberton might
prove to be. It was bad enough that he had recognized a kindred spirit in those
amazing emerald eyes, now she was offering herself to him and Ezra was only
human after all.
God, he wished
Alexandra were here.
"Get
dressed" Ezra ordered. "We need to find you some other accommodation.
This establishment is obviously not safe after this recent intrusion."
At that moment, he
saw Buck walking down the hallway. His return indicated that he had been
unsuccessful at capturing Julia's would be assassin. Ezra swore under his
breath, knowing that this was just the first of these attempts. While Julia
lived, the killer risked exposure and that was good enough reason in Ezra's
opinion to remain vigilant about ending her life. Buck swiped the wet hair from
his face and it looked like he was soaked to the bone in his long johns.
"He got
away" Buck announced unhappily. "Varmint had a horse waiting for
him."
"I am the
last one to question a gamble, but this attempt has a hint of desperation in
it. After all their efforts to remain anonymous, I am surprised that they made
such a fool hardy attempt."
"Is she
alright?" Buck asked, itching to enter the room to see for himself.
"As well as
she can be" Ezra grumbled unable to hide the chagrin in his voice which
Buck immediately picked upon. "We need to remove her from the
premises."
Buck nodded in
agreement. "Damn that was fast." The tall man commented. "How
did word get to them so fast that she was here?"
Ezra could not
answer that question and had a feeling that Chris was right. This was more than
just about a robbery. The question was, if not about a robbery than what?
Part Three
Forces of Nature
It could quite
possibly be most uncomfortable night that Vin Tanner had ever spent anywhere.
This included the
time he had been thrown into a Mexican jail in the heat of summer with two
drunks who had thrown up continuously throughout the night and then spent the
rest of it wallowing in their vomit while they slept. Vin remembered the foul
stench that had almost made him beg for a hanging while flies buzzed around the
piles of regurgitated mucus, hounding him into the night with their annoying
sounds.
This had the
potential to be worse than that experience.
The trip to the
property had been difficult enough to endure with their constant arguments and
the heavy tension of unspoken attraction that existed between them, despite
Vin's refusal to acknowledge it or Alex's tenacity for self denial. The idea of
spending an entire night with her, in the same room, because Agnes' cabin had
no internal walls to give them privacy, both terrified and excited him at the
same time. Vin Tanner did not want to be in this predicament, and he was fairly
sure by now that neither did Alexandra Styles.
After they had
entered the cabin and Vin had lit a lamp to illuminate the room, Alex realized
just how difficult the next few hours were going to be. Although her heart well
and truly belonged to Ezra Standish, she found Vin compelling in a way that had
become acute in the past day. She understood the attraction was purely a
physical one and refused to give it any more credence than that.
Obviously Richard
Doherty's dream of gold had never matured, because the cabin was barely
functional. While there was wood on the floor, the room was met at one end by a
stone fireplace and a bed on the other. In between, there was enough space to
house a round dining table, some chairs in front the stone hearth and a small
space reserved for cooking. It was confining enough to ensure that Vin and Alex
would be very aware of each other with absolutely no room for privacy.
Alex still felt a
little strange using this home without knowing where Agnes was. Even though
they had little choice in the matter, she had reservations about invading
someone's private domain. Agnes might not appreciate the intrusion. However, no
sooner had that thought crossed her mind than Alex knew she would not mind if
Agnes turned up and threw them both out. At least then Alex would know that she
was all right. She wanted to go looking for the old woman because she did not
believe Vin's assumption that Agnes might be in Four Corners. After being the
woman's physician for almost two months, Alex had obtained a sense about the
lady and knew that she would not have neglected her appointment with Alex so
easily without good reason.
Vin could tell
Alex was uncomfortable by the way she was pacing the floor while he was trying
to light a fire. Agnes had left plenty of wood in the wood box next to the
fireplace and Vin was forced to come to the conclusion that her trip, if she
indeed was left for Four Corners as he suspected, was a hasty one.
Occasionally, he would spy the doctor glancing at him with a look in her eyes
that was quite devoid of all the contempt she usually visited upon him in her
high powered gaze. This time, she looked nothing like the confident, no
nonsense woman that was capable of sewing up flesh like he darned his stocks.
At this moment, she reminded him of a young deer, skittish and afraid of every sound.
He wondered if he did not frighten her a little. Although he pretended not to
notice, Vin could see her shivering in her clothes and could admit to feeling
the same chill himself.
"We're going
to have to get dry" Vin commented after the kindling had caught fire. The
twigs quickly ignited the heavier logs resting upon them, wrapping tongues of
amber flame around the bark as the fire began its work. Within minutes, he was
savoring the feel of the heat that emanated from the roasting pieces of wood, deciding
this moment would only be fully complete if there was coffee to accompany it,
as he knew he could use a cup of the beverage about right now.
"I know"
Alex replied, knowing that if they did not get out of their clothes, they were
in real danger of becoming ill. Somehow on top of everything else that had
taken place today, being held up here for the entire week it would take to
recover from a nasty cold was not an experience she wanted to endure. She
wanted to return home to Four Corners as soon as possible, away from this
place, and furthermore, away from Vin Tanner. As it was, she was having
difficulty with the entire concept of being trapped here in this cabin for the
whole night. "We're going to catch pneumonia if we stay in these clothes
much longer."
"I have some
fresh clothes in my saddle bag." Vin replied. "What about you?"
"This is
it." Alex frowned, gesturing to her wet clothes while feeling supremely
foolish for not bringing extra garments with her. At the time, her mind had
been so filled with concern over Agnes that it had not occurred to her to
foresee this possibility. Despite her attempts to remain composed, she was
unable to keep the embarrassment from her face.
Vin was certain
she was blushing but did not press the point because the situation was awkward
enough as it was. "We'll think of something later" he muttered before
excusing himself to go tend to the horses.
The tracker
stepped out into the porch, taking in a breath of the damp night air. Now more
than ever, he wished Nathan had found someone else to escort Alexandra Styles
to this place. Someone safe and reliable like Josiah or Chris, anyone but him.
How was he going to manage the entire night with her? He stepped from under the
porch and let the rain wet his skin, cooling the heat of his turbulent
emotions. Even when he had been with Charlotte, Vin had never felt anything
remotely like this. He knew what it was like to want someone, but this was the
first time he had ever hungered for someone. He stood under the rain, allowing
the water and the wind to sweep his mind into a calmer state of being. He let
it run down his face, tasting its refreshing moisture in his throat before
releasing a deep breath.
He could do this.
The barn lay in
the distance and although Vin did not wish to make the walk across the muddy
track, he was not prepared to leave Peso and Calliope out in the open to suffer
such inhospitable weather. He led both the horses into the barn and noticed
with a frown that there was no wagon in sight, or any horse to pull it. The
stables appeared empty, and upon further investigation, Vin learnt that the
most recent spores were a few days old. With rising anger, Vin was now almost
certain that Agnes Doherty was either in Four Corners or in some other town.
Wherever she was now, the old lady had traveled with her horse and wagon.
Cursing silently
to himself, he retrieved his saddlebags and realized on his way back that he
should probably have asked her if there was anything she wanted from her own.
However, his chagrin that they may have made this journey for no good reason
and were stranded here for the night decided that he really did not care.
Besides, the woman had not even brought a change of clothing with her! With
that in mind, it was likely that there was very little in her saddlebags that
would be of any real use tonight. Since there was only one bed, Vin thought it
wise to bring his bed roll with him, lest he began entertaining any notions
that could get him slapped or worse.
The first thing he
noticed upon returning to the cabin was the wonderful smell of piping hot
coffee. He could smell the aroma wafting through his lungs, filling every
corner of the cabin when he came through the door. The next thing he noticed
after that initial enchantment was that Alex was making it and that she had
done so wearing nothing but a blanket over her wet undergarments. Her clothes
were hanging neatly from a chair in front of the fire and Vin could only stare
as he saw the enticing sheen of her wet hair against her bronzed shoulders.
She caught the
expression on his face and the unmistakable look in his eyes. Alex felt her
cheeks flush at the unexpected reaction before she responded. "Would you
like some coffee?" she asked, trying to propel him past the moment.
"Yeah"
he said quickly, trying to hide what had been so apparent in his face. "It
might just make up for all the hell you've put me through today," he said
sarcastically as he came forward and accepted a cup of the hot beverage from
her. Alex had taken up position next to the fire, kneeling close enough to it
that her face was bathed with an amber glow.
She looked at him
with an annoyed frown. "You are never going to let me live this down are
you?"
"No,
especially since it does look like Agnes has up and gone away" he said
downing a mouthful of coffee and allowing it to warm him inside on its way to
his belly.
"What do you
mean?" she looked at him hard, hating the hint of triumph in his voice.
"I mean her
wagon and horse are gone" he exclaimed, visibly annoyed that he was placed
in such an untenable predicament for no good reason at all.
"I'm sorry to
inconvenience you" Alex replied, rising to her feet with great dignity
while clutching the blanket around her as if it were protecting more than just
her virtue. "I thought she was in trouble."
"You thought
wrong" he grumbled.
"Look,"
she glared at him, really angry now, "I didn't need you to come out with
me."
"I didn't
need me to come out with you either" he rose to his full height and stared
at her. "But it wouldn't be so bad if you could just admit this was a bad
idea." He glared at her, wondering if she had any idea what kind of
position she had placed him in with her impulsiveness. He did not want to be in
this place alone with her, where her very presence taunted him with such desire
he could barely think, and yet were he to succumb to it, he would only find
himself betraying a friend.
"Never"
she said firmly, her eyes blazing. This was a bad idea, and Alex knew it, but
she was not about to tell Vin or let him know she felt the same way. He was
unbearable enough knowing that she had dragged them into this mess, but to
admit defeat before him as well, that was even worse. Thanks to her, they were
now trapped in this cabin until morning at least, far away from home and about
to vivisect each other. She was prepared to admit responsibility. She just was
not prepared to do it to him.
Somehow through
the course of their heated exchange, Alex suddenly became aware that he was
standing only inches away from her. She could smell the musk of his wet
buckskins and the scent of his skin taunted her. She stared into the depths of
his dark eyes and saw the same hunger that had been teasing her with its presence
during the day. This was wrong and she knew it but he smelled so damn good that
by the time she took a step back, it was too late.
She felt his hand
encircling her shoulder and pulling her to him, with little time to protest
before her mouth met his. A secret growl of pleasure escaped him when her
confusion gave way to consent and her mouth parted for him like a sensuous
flower. With hungry pleasure, she savored his tongue probing past her lips,
caressing the inside her mouth as he tasted her like she was something
wonderful and exotic. She closed her eyes, feeling the yearning for him grow as
her cheek caressed the fine stubble of his face while his lips took from her
everything they wanted.
Vin moved his hand
across hers, sliding over her fingers before coaxing them gently to release the
blanket she was holding between them like a shield. When she relaxed her grip
upon it and let the coarse fabric slip to the ground, Vin almost pulled the
thin straps that held her camisole over her body. His mouth was still on hers
when he swept the lace away and revealed her perfectly formed breasts. He broke
away from her sensuous mouth long enough to admire her exposed chest, bare and
ready to the touch. It almost undid his control. Kissing her again, his palms engulfed
her nipples with hard caresses.
"Oh
Christ," Vin mumbled in her ear as his fingers enclosed their softness and
felt the distinct nub of erect flesh that made him groan with satisfaction.
“Alex…”
"Vin"
she whispered but the words died in her throat as his mouth slid down her neck.
Vin was holding
her shoulders carefully as he worked his way down her neck so she would not
squirm away. His own anticipation had risen at the feel of her erect nipples
rubbing against his shirt. Vin's mind was so far away at the moment, he could
scarcely believe this urge to take her was coming from inside him. Even with
Charlotte, there had been some measure of control, some restraint that held him
centered on what he was doing. However with Alex, his desire was all consuming,
his passion was like a force of nature sweeping him away. All of her was much
better than he imagined. Her scent, her taste and her touch brought out in him
a raw craving for her he never dreamed existed. As his mouth took one hard
rosebud nipple in his teeth, Vin heard her moan slowly. It was a sated groan
that sneaked past her throat as she arched further into his mouth. God, he
wanted to her so much.....
Suddenly, she
shoved him away violently and ran out the door before he knew what was happening.
It took a moment
for Vin to get past the throbbing haze of raw desire to realize that she had
run from him. The door was wide open as he stumbled outside after her, trying
to ignore the physical discomfort he felt at the abrupt end of his intense arousal.
Alex had not gone very far, she was only a few feet away from the door, letting
the rain soak into her skin.
He knew she was
crying even before she turned around and looked him in the eye.
She stood upright,
covering herself as best she could with her arms, an expression of intense
shame etched in her face. The sight of it drove a stab of pain through Vin's
heart when he finally understood without her having to speak, why she had
pulled away.
"I'm sorry
Vin," she whispered. "I want you so much it hurts, but I am in love
with Ezra and it is wrong to use you this way. I won't do it!"
Vin tried to hide
the anguish in his face and thought he did quite an admirable job of it
considering. Of course she was right. He valued Ezra's friendship too much to
throw it away like he almost certainly would if he had made love to her. Vin
was not willing to take another man's love again. He had learnt that much from
"Come
inside" he said trying not to show how much this hurt him but
understanding that he had brought this partly on himself. He had made the first
move. "I promise I won't do anything."
She nodded slowly,
fearing nothing of the sort from him because he was an honorable man and no
matter what she might tell herself later on, she knew that what he had
engendered inside her was like nothing she had ever experienced with Ezra
Standish.
Alex doubted she
ever would.
The following
morning saw not the rising of the sun but the continuing fall of rain. The
Territory was accustomed to enduring worse weather than this in its time, so a
hard autumn rain was considered little more than a staple of the season.
Normally, it would be tolerated with little more than a shrug by its inhabitants
as one of those things that came with living in the Territory, except this time
with everything taking place around him, Chris Larabee
really wished it would clear up. Although Chris was confident that Vin Tanner
could handle almost anything thrown at him, he was unable to deny the concern
he felt at the prolonged absence of the tracker. Despite the fact that he was
reaching the point where he would soon be unable to simply shrug the situation
off in his belief that Vin could handle things, Chris knew that moment had not
arrived.
With the attempted
murder of Julia Pemberton the night before, it was obvious the threat he
perceived was not a product of his imagination. He had believed the attempt was
inevitable even if he had not expected it to arrive so soon. The young lady had
spent the night at Mary's but it was soon apparent that it left a great deal to
be desired as a hiding place. Most people knew Mary's connection to the seven,
not to mention to him personally, it would not take a great leap of faith to
deduce that Julia would take refuge in her home. Fortunately, it was Mary
herself, who finally produced a solution by offering the use of the old Travis
place. Since the fire that almost killed Chris and Billy when the discovery of
her husband's killer had come to light, Mary had conducted enough repairs to
ensure it was habitable, even though she had no intention of ever living there
again. The memories were too vivid.
While Julia did
not appreciate the idea of being moved so far out of town, she understood the
serious threat her life was in after the night before. Much of her annoyance
was due to her desire to get started on rebuilding her Emporium. However, Chris
had been adamant about her remaining under protective custody since she was her
only link to the murderers.
Besides, he never
really liked that Emporium anyway.
"It's not
much." Mary confessed as the two women arrived at the property that
afternoon escorted by Chris, Josiah and Ezra. Buck and JD were making the
rounds through town, trying all their contacts again, now that they were armed
with new information about one of the men that they were hunting. Obviously,
the killer must have known that Julia would be taken to Four Corners but Chris
was surprised that he would risk coming into town so soon after the robbery and
murders. It indicated to Chris that there was some importance attached to his
not being identifiable, beyond the obvious fear of capture. If he had been
desperate enough to come into town, then it may be that he was desperate enough
to make a mistake. In either case, Chris was leaving no stone unturned.
"It will do
Mrs. Travis." Julia remarked politely, even though the place did look
rather primitive. She supposed this sort of rustic dwelling was typical of
country homes. Considering that it was a good idea to keep in the woman's good
graces, Julia resisted the urge to tell her how she really felt.
"I have tried
to keep the place up since the fire," Mary explained as they pulled their
cloaks tighter as they prepared to make the dash from the wagon to the front
porch to avoid the rain. "But I really must confess that I have personal
reasons for not coming here more often" she admitted after she and Julia
trudged over the muddy ground, raising their skirts high enough to avoid
getting them dirty before arriving on the porch.
"Why don't
you sell it?" Julia inquired as she reached for her bag in back of the
wagon under the hood of canvas protecting it from the rain.
"I thought
about it" Mary replied. "However, I thought I would keep it for my
son Billy. This is his home too and while I find it difficult to be here, he
may not." Mary let her gaze sweep across the spread and felt a tinge of
grief when she remembered how Steven had felt about this place. They had ridden
across the area, searching for the perfect home to raise their family when they
came across this patch of earth with its trees and green grass, falling in love
with it at once.
"I'm
sorry" Julia said automatically, detecting the note of sadness in the
widow's eyes. "I appreciate your accompanying me here" she remarked,
realizing now how difficult it must be for Mary Travis to be here. She was
starting to understand Ezra's sentiment towards these people, even if he seemed
in every way the rogue and scoundrel. It was somewhat of a revelation when she
discovered that it was not the security of a home or his precious Alexandra
that kept Ezra bound to
To get him, she
would have reach them first.
"Well it
can't be a good endorsement of
"Well thank
you," she replied genuinely touched as Chris and Josiah emerged from the
house.
"Is
everything alright?" Mary asked the gunslinger. The lawmen had made a
quick inspection of the place, making certain that it was fit for Julia's use
of it.
"Seems to
be" Chris said shortly. "We've made sure that there's plenty of
firewood and supplies for the next two days. We'll be taking turns keeping watch
on you."
"Including
Buck?" Mary could not resist teasing him on this point, even Julia had to
chuckle slightly.
Chris gave Mary a
look and shook his head. "No," he replied. Buck would be too
distracted by Miss Pemberton's charms to be an effective watchdog. The men who
robbed the stage did not believe in taking prisoners as all their previous
actions had thus proved. As much as he thought about Buck, sometimes the man
had no sense when it came to women. Buck's attention was prone to wander in the
presence of a pretty face and Chris was not allowing him in a position to get
his head blown off, as well as the person he was charged to protect. "I
need him to go to Purgatory, maybe see if anyone matching Miss Pemberton's
description of the robber has blown in since Vin turned up."
"I wonder how
Vin's doing" Josiah said in that deep voice of his while peering over the
porch to take note of the rain that showed no signs of abating. The wind was
picking up again and around them the trees were swaying back and forth from the
rising gale. It only brought home to them the missing friends who should have
been home by now.
"Considering
he and Alex are together, probably not well" Mary laughed and then turned
to Julia to explain the joke. "They don't exactly get along."
"That's
putting it mildly" Josiah retorted. "If he were shot to pieces,
bleeding to death and strung by his toe nails, he would still rather have
Nathan fix him up instead of the fine Miss Styles."
"You
know," Julia found herself commenting, "there's a fine line between
love and hate." From an outsider's point of view it was very apparent that
there was something happening between Alexandra Styles and Vin Tanner that Ezra
had no idea about. The gambler at this moment was riding along the perimeter of
the property, ensuring no one had seen them arrive with Miss Pemberton. Chris
did not want to risk any word reaching the killers about her present location.
"I hope it's
not that fine." Chris frowned, hoping that her observation was wrong.
Vin had a history
of reaching for unattainable women. Charlotte came to mind most prominently.
Even though the relationship had disaster written all across it from the very
beginning, Vin had plunged in head first, completely oblivious to the
consequences to himself and to Charlotte. Of course the others were perfectly
aware that Charlotte was using the tracker. Her unhappiness with her husband
made Vin's sensitivity an attraction she did not deny herself, and it still
angered Chris to know the hurt she had caused Vin when it finally ended. While
Vin had never confessed to having any feelings for Alex Styles, not that he
would to Chris anyway, the gunslinger was forced to admit that he did get very
vocal around her. Watching Vin and Alex battle it out was sometimes reminiscent
of his arguments with Mary. God, he hoped it was not that reminiscent because
like
Josiah, thinking
the same thing that was running through Chris' mind, remarked quite simply.
"Amen to that."
Mary did not want
to remain at the property for too long and she and Chris returned to Four
Corners while Josiah and Ezra remained on first watch. The two men immediately
began playing cards, an enterprise that only bored Julia to no end. She walked
through the house, being driven mad by the incessant fall of rain that had
dogged her arrival in Four Corners. She wanted to be in town where she could begin
work on her Emporium and make a start on the new life she had fled
Despite herself,
the solitude and quiet allowed Julia time to consider her actions. She wondered
how her father was and how he was managing, now that he was no doubt inundated
by the tales of her upstart manner from the relatives. They had always detested
her because of her beauty and her singular place in her father's heart. It did
not help that she had revenged herself on their jealousy by using the very
thing they abhorred so much about her. There was not a man she had been unable
to charm, not a man that was able to say no to her. She thought about Roderick
Packard and immediately felt her skin crawl at the thought of marriage to him.
What had her
father been thinking?
"You seem
awfully quiet my dear" Ezra remarked, noticing her pace the floor like a
caged cat. Somehow the analogy suited her. Despite the fact that he appeared
completely fixed on the hand before him, Ezra had been watching her move across
the floor. When she was quiet and not making all sorts of innuendo, Ezra was
able to see the beauty that placed so many men under enchantment. There was
strength about her, the existence of which he did not think even she believed
in. He wondered why she had fled from her past life. Although she had confessed
no such thing, he knew she was running. She had the look of someone who did not
want to look behind her.
"I am just
thinking about your robberies" she lied.
"It's a bad
business" Josiah commented. "They've killed women and children, old
and young. There doesn't seem to be any set pattern."
"Yes,"
she nodded, unafraid of speaking about such grisly business. She had seen the
deaths up close and knew that very little she heard from either man could shock
her. "It seems extremely random. Almost like overkill."
Ezra turned to her
sharply, as if she had said something important but for the life of him he
could not understand why. For a few seconds, he said nothing as the thought
moved around his head, trying to find substance. After a moment, it slipped
away completely and whatever it left was only an uncomfortable taste in his
mouth he could not quite fathom.
"So, where
are you from Miss Pemberton?" Josiah asked, since the silence in the room
was making the atmosphere somewhat awkward.
Ezra watched her
for reaction because that was the one thing that Julia seemed very restrained
about, her origins before her arrival at
"I am from
Pennsylvania" Julia replied, approaching the men and pulling a chair so
she could sit down and observe their card game for the want of something to do.
"You came out
here all on your own?" Josiah probed, because she was really a young
woman, despite her looks. It did not seem proper for a young lady of her
breeding to come to such a frontier place as the Territory.
"I had
to" Julia answered. "My father had this odd idea that I should be
married." She saw no reason to hide that much of her past. As long as they
had no names to connect with a face, her privacy was ensured. Besides, she
liked the calm of the preacher for some reason. In a strange way, Josiah
reminded her of her father and she found it easy to trust him.
"Really?"
Ezra found himself asking with more interest than he should have felt.
"Yes."
Julia brightened by his concern. Was he jealous? She did so hope he was.
"He had arranged a marriage for me to this most odious man. Of course he
was rich, but truly unredeemable in any shape or form. I loathed him from the
moment I laid eyes on him."
"I gather you
told your father you weren't going to marry this man" the preacher
ventured a guess.
"Eventually"
Julia allowed herself a satisfied smile remembering the look on her father's
face when she had made her announcement to depart. She would have almost risked
telling Packard to his face just to see his reaction. "He did not
understand and decided to disown me." Julia continued weaving her lie to
engender a more sympathetic response from not only Josiah but Ezra as well.
"That is
unfortunate" Ezra stared at her with an expression that told her without
doubt that he did not believe one word she was saying although he would not
expose her to Josiah. "However did you manage?"
"I had a rich
aunt, who refused to see me ruined," Julia glared at him with a
well-hidden scowl. "She had left a sizeable trust at my disposal and I had
heard about all the opportunities to be had in the new West so I came
here."
"The new West
is somewhat overrated," Josiah pointed out as he finally showed Ezra his
hand. "Too many folks come out this way expecting to find streets paved
with gold and then learn otherwise. I do hope your situation turns out better
than those poor unfortunates."
"I don't want
to find streets of gold," she replied, knowing that his words were only
out of concern. Julia found herself warming to the preacher and felt it
necessary to justify her actions. It was quite something to earn this man's
respect and for some reason Julia wanted to. "I just want to build
something of my own that does not require me marrying well or having some man
to look after me forever. I'm done with relying on the opposite sex for
assistance." Then with a sweet smile, she added. "After this
situation is resolved however."
"It's nice to
be appreciated." Ezra retorted sarcastically.
"You
ready?" Vin asked Alex as he peered through the cabin door.
"Yes"
she nodded, allowing her gaze to sweep past the rustic home that had been the
scene of so much turmoil the night before. The rest of the night had gone by
quite innocently as Vin had honored his word to keep his distance, as she
believed he would. The atmosphere now hung with an uneasy silence that neither
was willing to break.
As she walked out,
Alex pulled the door closed behind her, hoping that it would not only keep away
intruders but also trap the secrets within. Vin had said very little to her
throughout the remainder of the night. However, Alex had no doubt that she was
in his thoughts, since he was most certainly in hers. She had no idea how she
had allowed things to progress as far as they had, and now gravitated between
trying to understand it and denying it completely. Alex could not ignore how he
had made her feel. She'd had only one other lover in her life, and that
experience had been uncomfortable and awkward, with her curiosity being the only
thing that was satisfied.
She forced all
these thoughts away when she joined him outside, unable to hide from the
knowledge that things between them could never be the same again, not if she
wanted Ezra in her life. She pulled the hood over her cloak and saw that he had
already mounted Peso and was waiting patiently for her to do the same. Neither
could meet the other's gaze because the memory was too fresh. Alex hurried past
him, saying nothing as she climbed onto Calliope, so eager to begin this
journey back to Four Corners that she barely noticed the rain on her skin.
Right now, the
most important thing in her mind was to return to Ezra and never think of what
happened last night again. In time, she might actually let go of the guilt that
would follow her whenever she looked at Vin Tanner and remember what almost
was.
The effects of the
terrible weather did not abate with their departure and only seemed to increase
the atmosphere of unresolved tension between them as they descended down the
steep hills. The wind howled its protest as the horses moved slowly down the
sharp incline, trying to navigate the ground of shale and rock. In some places
the shale had been washed away so completely that the soil lay exposed, until
the rain invariably turned the ground into mud. As they continued down the main
track, Vin was very conscious of the trees whose branches had been twisted so
viciously by the gale that they hung precariously over the path, threatening to
fall at the slightest gust.
After a while, the
path had deteriorated badly, with a few trees having been uprooted and now
lying stretched across the muddy track. It concerned him enough to force away
thoughts of the night before and bring forward a greater problem. He knew that
it was for personal reasons that they both wanted to return to Four Corners,
and for the most part, Vin was the first to admit that it was safer that they
be around their friends instead of alone. However, he was starting to see the
danger in continuing. The storm was quickly turning into a calamity that could
cause serious injury to them if they continued.
"Alex,"
he looked over his shoulder and saw her wiping wet strands of hair from her
eyes as she tried to focus through the rain pounding at her relentlessly.
"We can't keep going."
Alex nodded, half
expecting this because she was not blind to the weather. It did seem
treacherous out here, and the clouds overhead showed no signs of dissipating.
The storm had dug its heels in and did not appear as if it would yield for some
time. While she was fearful of what else might occur between them, she would
not gamble with their lives again. Had she listened to him earlier on, they
would not have found themselves in the present situation.
"Is it safe
to turn back?" she asked. It had been a struggle trying to reach this far.
Although she did not have the expertise with the land that he had, she knew
that the road had deteriorated into a slick, muddy mess in some places.
Vin considered the
possibility of danger in trying to back track. He would have preferred to find
shelter somewhere and wait until the worst of it passed by, but the weather was
too harsh for anything other than the shelter provided at Agnes Doherty's farm.
They were almost half way down the hill by now and if they persevered just a
little more, perhaps they could make it down to more solid ground. At least
then they would not be in danger of taking a bad tumble if the horses missed
their footing.
"We'll keep
going until we get to the bottom of the hill" he decided.
"Are you sure
that's wise?" she persisted. "It's been pretty bad so far."
"We're almost
half way down." he retorted as he nudged Peso forward. "We'll take
shelter once we get down this hill."
"If you say
so" Alex answered skeptically, feeling a little uneasy with the whole
situation as it stood. She was afraid that Calliope might slip, and she was not
a good enough rider to keep the horse under control should that happen. Alex
was aware of the terrible injuries that could result from falling off a horse.
"Mr. Tanner,"
she nudged Calliope alongside Peso. They had been avoiding any conversation for
some time now, and she was of the opinion they needed to speak of it or else
this would develop into something that would have repercussions when they
returned to
Vin glanced
sideways and then said simply. "I think you can call me Vin now."
She gave him a
look. "I wish you would not make this so hard."
Vin returned her
gaze with some irritation. "I ain't making anything hard. Looks to me like
we said everything we needed to last night."
Well she could not
fault him on that brilliant deduction. "I realize that, but I don't want
you to think I do this sort of thing all the time. I love Ezra."
Vin flinched
slightly at her saying those words. How many times was she going to rub that in
his face? He was aware of how things were. While he might not like it, Vin had
accepted that was how it was to be. "Look," he glared at her feeling
a little more hostility then he intended, "you and Ezra are together. I
know that. I always knew that. You don't need to explain anything or justify
what happened. I reckon it's best if we just leave it be."
"Fine"
she whispered softly, realizing how pointless it was to feel any guilt towards
him. Alex had not wanted to think that she might have led him on in any way and
wished to apologize if she had unwittingly done so. Digging her heels into
Calliope, she sent the horse trotting forward, leaving him behind because she
did not want to be anywhere near him at this point.
Vin Tanner could
go to hell as far as Alexandra Styles was concerned.
"Alex!"
Vin called out before she got too far ahead of him. The track was unsafe as it
was, without her trying to traverse it on her own. She may be an excellent
doctor, but she was unskilled at reading the land or seeing the danger in the
tracks.
No sooner had he
spoken those words than Vin watched in horror as the ground beneath her fell
away in a loud rumble. The weight of animal and rider had loosened the last clumps
of earth holding the track together and the soil tumbled free in a wall of mud.
She barely managed to utter a scream as both Calliope and Alex disappeared into
the wake of the landslide. The horse struggled to drag itself back to the top
of the peak frantically before its weight dragged it down with the rest of the
mudslide. Alex on the other hand, had already been swept downward. She
disappeared in sea of mud and earth.
Peso reared on his
hind legs as he staggered backward in fright, completely aware of what he had
seen. Vin managed to stay on the horse, but he lost sight of Alex disappearing
down the hill. "Alex!" he roared, his voice almost a scream as he
leapt off Peso and ran down the track, hoping that she was riding the crest of
the landslide and not buried under a ton of soil. If that happened, there was
no way he could reach her before she suffocated.
Vin skid down the
muddy incline, calling out her name but seeing nothing but ragged holes against
the hill where constant erosion and water seepage had collapsed its insides.
The sudden landslide had been soundless, except for a low rumble that died
almost as quickly as it began. In the aftermath of the radical shift of earth,
the hills returned to the sounds of wind blowing through the trees, rustling
leaves and water falling pitter-patter against the ground. His heart was
pounding as he felt the mud give way beneath him, adding speed to his rapid
descent.
For a moment,
blind panic gripped the tracker when he could not see her. The idea that she
might be buried so far beneath the soil that he could not reach her terrified
him to the core. There was only one thing worse than knowing she would never be
his, and at this moment Vin knew perfectly well what that was.
It was knowing
that she was dead.
"Alex!"
he called out, feeling a cold fist tightening around his heart as he landed on
the mound of wet soil that had piled in the wake of the collapse. Vin saw
Calliope lying on her side. The mare was covered in mud and raised her head
weakly as she tried desperately to rise to her feet. As Vin scrambled over the
mud towards the animal, he knew Calliope would not be able to stand ever again.
The break in her leg was evident from where he was. He paused as he came to the
animal, running his hand over her cool flank, hoping that the touch would
soothe her fear. He could see Calliope's nostrils flaring as she struggled to
rise, followed by the plaintive nicker of despair
when she could not. It stabbed at Vin's heart to see the animal in such pain,
and he knew that his course was clear.
Sliding next to
Calliope's head, he ran his hands over her, trying to calm her down and keep
her from making another attempt to stand. She breathed easier at the feel of
human contact, unaware that even as Vin was trying to soothe her fears, he was
reaching for the gun in his holster. He kept the weapon out of the animal's
sight, moving it gently into position so that Calliope would die without
realizing the fear that came before the end.
"Its okay
girl," he said quietly. "No more pain."
With that, he
pulled the trigger. The sound exploded in the air, cutting through the fabric
of all other noises with the overwhelming capacity that was exclusive only to
guns. Birds flew out of the trees overhead, frightened into the rain by a sound
that was almost as loud as a thunderclap but not quite as comforting as all
things in nature tended to be, no matter how violent. Calliope's eyes glazed
over as her head dropped back into the earth, a thick rivulet of blood exuding
from the entry wound as Vin drew away from the carcass.
Suddenly, he heard
another sound and remembered Alex.
"Help"
he heard a weak voice.
Vin saw an
irregular shape of mud and earth heave, not too far from him. Jamming his gun
back into his holster, Vin pushed himself down the slope, allowing the mud to
carry him down toward the moving shape that had been jarred into consciousness
by the sound of the gunshot. He reached her as her head lifted into view,
followed by an arm that was trying hard to breaking free of the mud.
"Alex!"
Vin grabbed the exposed arm and immediately began digging the soil around her.
She was not buried deeply at all, but the weight of mud and soil against the
cloak she had been wearing was making mobility difficult. Vin sank his fingers
into its woolen fabric and yanked hard backward, splattering himself with mud
as he swung it aside. Pulling her gently by the arm, Alex rolled out of the
earth, coughing hard as she tried to expel the dirt in her throat. She was
completely covered with dirt and her hair was struck to her scalp in thick,
grainy strands, but Vin thought she had never looked more beautiful because she
was alive.
"Are you
hurt?" he asked as he rolled her onto his lap.
It took a moment
for her to answer as she stirred from the dark nightmare that had just
enveloped her in its folds of sand and mud. She was trembling as he held her,
but Vin saw no signs of broken bones yet and could not detect any blood.
However, she was so covered in dirt it was difficult to tell.
"No," she
coughed, expelling more earth from her mouth. "Not really. My leg hurts
like hell. Am I moving my ankle?" she inquired as she made an exploratory
flex of the particular limb.
"Yeah."
Vin nodded worriedly, seeing her foot move. "It's moving."
"Then it's
just a bad sprain" she muttered as she decided to lie perfectly still in
his arms for a moment. Her head was swimming and she felt the sharp sting of
cuts and lacerations across her arms and chest. "What happened? Did I
slip?"
"No,"
Vin shook his head, brushing a smear of mud from her face. The raindrops were
washing some of it off her face but not enough. "Landslide."
"Oh,"
she nodded still quite dazed, her eyes closed still. "I thought I got shot
for a minute there. I thought I heard a gunshot."
"You
did." Vin said somberly. "Calliope was hurt really bad."
Her eyes opened at
the realization of what he was trying to tell her. "My horse......."
"I'm sorry
Alex," he started apologizing, hating to tell her such news after such a
terrifying experience. "Her leg was broken. It wasn't right to leave her
in so much pain."
Alex looked away,
trying to hide the tears that filled her eyes at the new of the mare's death.
True, she was not the best rider in the world, and horses in general tended to
frighten her a bit, but Calliope had been the first horse Alex had ever bought
herself. She remembered how she, Mary and Inez had gone to the Roberts Stud in
Bitter Creek to buy the animal. It was also the first time she had seen any
horse breeder got the better of by a Mexican bartender with the bartering
skills of a voracious wolverine. Alex remembered running her hands over the
smooth sheen of the animal's flank and knowing with some unexplainable instinct
that she could get along with the mare.
"Was it
quick?" She managed to ask after awhile.
"I made sure
it was." Vin reassured her, able to see how the loss of the mare was
affecting her. He'd had Peso longer than he could remember, and considered the
horse not just his main form of transport but a trusted companion. Peso had
shared his life with him when there were no others in his life to share
anything. He would feel just as devastated by the loss of that devoted animal.
"Thank
you." Alex whispered and lay on his lap for a moment before struggling to
sit up.
"No, you sit
still for a minute" he said, resting a hand on her shoulder to keep her
where she was. "Just catch your breath while I figure out what we're going
to do next."
"Okay,"
she nodded, grateful that he was here with her. "Vin," she said after
a moment.
"Yeah?"
he asked distractedly as his eyes surveyed the terrain for an alternate route
down the hill. He no longer wanted to take the main track because it had been
cleared of trees and lay open to the elements. Such factors allowed the rain to
seep through the soil and create the disaster that had almost killed Alex a
moment ago. He was not risking her life like that again. He was the best damn
tracker in the Territory and if there was a safe way down this mountain, Vin
Tanner was going to find it.
"Do you think
horses go somewhere when they die?" She asked quietly, needing to believe
that modern Christian dogma was wrong, that animals did have a soul and there
was a paradise waiting for them at the end of their lives.
Vin looked down at
her in surprise, thinking how far removed she seemed from the efficient doctor
who was used to giving him orders and going off to tend all kinds of ills
without fear of God and heaven. He wondered if Ezra had ever seen the vulnerable
side of her that Vin was often fortunate enough to glimpse. The gambler never
seemed to be around for those occasions because he always needed tending in
some way, and it occurred to Vin that she was probably so strong for that very
reason.
"I think so"
Vin answered softly. "I think there's a place for everything that lives
and breathes. Just because we don't know about it doesn't mean it ain't there.
We don't know where heaven or hell is meant to be either, but we still
believe."
"I called her
Calliope after a Muse" she said suddenly. "I can't even remember
where I read it but it was such a pretty name and she was such a beautiful
horse."
"It's a
pretty name" he agreed.
"Vin?"
she asked again, this time looking at him directly. "Is that short for Vincent?"
Vin stared at her
because it had never occurred to him before. Before his mother died, she had
imparted upon him that he was a Tanner, specifically Vin Tanner. He was too
young to remember much else about his life with her, except that she sort of
reminded him of Nettie Wells. There were no records or papers to make any
contradiction to that claim and he went through his life needing no proof to
know that he was a Tanner. "I don't know" he said, genuinely
perplexed.
She smiled at him.
"It's a nice name too."
By the time the
sun set that day, Chris Larabee knew one thing, he
was going to find Vin Tanner and Alex Styles.
He could not
explain the instinct that insisted that they were in trouble, but he had learnt
never to question it during the past years. True, the Doherty place was some
almost a full day's ride from Four Corners, but he knew Vin, and that knowledge
told him that even with the rain, the tracker should have had no trouble
returning to town as scheduled by now. With the outlaws responsible for the
stage robberies and murders still at large, Chris was painfully aware how much
danger Vin and Alex could find themselves in if they were to encounter these
men.
With Nathan and JD
taking up watch at the Travis place, the rest of the seven were gathered in the
saloon around their usual table. As usual, Buck was disappointed that he had
not been assigned guard duty over the fair Miss Pemberton and had the strangest
feeling that Chris did not quite trust him. Nevertheless, it had given Buck the
opportunity to make the trip to Purgatory where he was able to meet some
willing female company as well as stumble across an important lead on the
outlaws.
"I'm telling
you, Chris," Buck said with smile as he leaned across the bar, waiting for
Inez to bring his drink, "I was cooking today. By the way,
Chris frowned at
the mention of the working girl he had visited a few times in the past. He had
not been anywhere near her since he and Mary had started their relationship,
and felt a little uncomfortable at the mention of her name. He knew Buck was
just throwing that at him in payment for keeping him away from Julia Pemberton.
"Get on with it" he growled, slapping a card onto the table as a
discard. He was not in the mood to be friendly, what with Vin and Alex yet to
return.
"Right,"
Buck continued, taking some satisfaction in his annoyance and feeling suitably
vindicated. "Anyway, I met this girl and I'm telling you she had the
best...."
"About the
robberies Buck!" Chris glared at him. "Jesus!"
"Okay,
okay," Buck winced, trying to pacify Chris when he realized just how black
a mood his friend was in. By the looks of Ezra and Josiah, the condition seemed
to be catching. "You know there was a time when this used to be such a
happy group."
"Maybe,"
Inez announced, finding time to serve his drink now, "if you just tell
them what they want to know and stop flapping your lips about your many
conquests, they might be happier."
"Jealous
darling?" He gave her one of his suggestive smiles. "All you got to
do is say the word."
Inez rolled her
eyes in disbelief, slamming his glass down in front of him, spilling most of it
on the table, before sweeping away to deal with the rest of the customers. Buck
sighed, knowing that it was just a matter of time before she succumbed to him,
but wishing that the wait was not so arduous.
"Mr.
Wilmington." Ezra finally spoke, exuding calm even though he wanted to
know like the rest of them what Buck had learnt in Purgatory. He was in the
same frame of mind as Chris Larabee, although he had
better patience than the leader of the seven. "It would be a great help to
us all if you just told us what you have discovered?"
"Sure."
Buck sighed, deciding that there was definitely no room for levity with this
group tonight. "As I said, I was cooking tonight" he picked up his
drink and came to the table. He flinched a moment at the wet around the glass
and wiped his hand on his coat after setting it down again. "I ran into
this working girl Elisa after I said hello to
"The throes
of passion can loosen the tongue." Josiah remarked and then added.
"Figuratively."
"Exactly,"
Buck nodded. "I had to pay her a couple of dollars but I managed to find
out that she knows this horse dealer who supplied horses to five men each time
they went out on a job. He wouldn't say much except that he knows they're up to
no good because they're always after fresh horses and paying him in cash.
That's why he can afford to come see her as often as he does."
It was not much of
a lead, but Chris had to admit it was something. One of the reasons why it was
so difficult to track these men was because they were never riding the same
animals. It was quite clever actually, changing mounts after each robbery. He
knew how distinctive some animals could be, making it easy to identify the
owner. Everyone in Four Corners knew his black gelding on sight, as well as
Vin's horse Peso. "Does he have a name?"
"No."
Buck frowned, wondering if that omission by Elisa had been intentional or not.
She claimed she had not known, but he had the feeling she had been trying to
coax him into paying more for the information. "However, she did say he
was coming back tomorrow."
"That's the
first real evidence we've had since this began." Josiah looked at Chris
who had to agree with the preacher.
"Buck,"
Chris looked at him, "you go back to Purgatory and wait this guy out"
Chris said, fingering his cards with no attention being paid to the game at all
since his mind was singularly focussed on how they
would deal with this potential lead. "When you get him, I want you to make
it very clear that if he doesn't tell us everything he knows, we'll take him in
as an accessory to the fact."
"Can we do
that?" Buck stared at him Chris.
"I don't
think this town is going to take to kindly to the man who supplies these
bastards with their horses so they can do their killing." Chris looked at
the other two men who nodded their agreement at his sinister intent. "You
tell him we'll haul his ass into town and let a lynch mob deal with him."
"You're a
vicious man" Buck grinned.
"But he does
have an excellent feel for strategy" Ezra replied with a slight tip of his
hat to Chris in admiration, which the gunslinger returned in kind.
"In the meantime,"
Chris said putting his cards down. He was unable to concentrate on the game,
there were too many other concerns on his mind at the moment that needed
addressing first. "You mind taking a ride with me Preacher?" Chris
glanced at Josiah.
"Where are we
going?" Josiah inquired, still looking at his own hand.
"I want to
take a ride to the Doherty place" Chris confessed. "Vin and Alex
should have been back by now."
"I'll come
with you" Ezra suggested, glad someone was thinking along those lines
other than him. He did not want to sound like the worried suitor, but with
another night having descended upon them and no sign of either Alexandra or
Vin, Ezra could not help being concerned.
"No, I need
you to stay with Julia." Chris said automatically, knowing how distracted
a man worrying about a woman could be on the trail. "Besides, Nathan may
need to get back to town to tend to his yellow fever cases, and JD need someone
to ride shotgun with him."
"I could do
it" Buck offered enthusiastically.
"No, you can
just go to Purgatory" Chris said without even looking back at the man.
"You got a job to do there."
"But
Chris..." he protested, sounding like a little boy at that moment.
"I don't want
to hear it, Buck" Chris repeated with enough of an edge to his voice to
make it count.
Buck knew that
tone well enough to know that it was pointless trying to change his mind.
"You are really starting to cramp my style" he grumbled.
"You'll
survive" Josiah remarked with a hint of a smile. "Besides, I get the
feeling that she's not interested in you, cowboy."
"What do you
mean?" Buck demanded, horrified by the notion that someone may have
already obtained the young lady's affection during all his absences. Even Chris
stared at Josiah in surprise, while Ezra said nothing and seemed more glacial
than ever.
"I think she
has a taste for something Southern" Josiah glanced in Ezra's direction.
"That is your
imagination talking Mr. Sanchez" Ezra offered something of a protest, but
knew he did not sound very convincing. Josiah was correct of course, Julia
wanted him and only him. While it did something to the ego to know that,
considering that Alexandra was out there braving God only knew what, it made
Ezra feel terribly guilty to think that some other woman was vying for his
attention.
"Is it?"
Chris looked at him, with one of those shadowy smiles of his. "She did ask
for you specifically to guard her."
Ezra shifted in
his seat. "That is not my fault." The gambler threw down his cards,
disliking the tone of this conversation immensely. He was having enough
difficulty on the subject of Julia Pemberton without it becoming a matter of
public debate. Mr. Larabee, I feel that you should
omit me from guard detail."
"Can't"
Chris said simply, not allowing Ezra to squirm out of it that easily.
"With Vin gone and Nathan needed in town for doctoring since Alex is not
here, we're pretty short handed."
"What is it
with you?" Buck declared, glaring at Ezra with an accusatory eye.
"You're always getting the best ones!"
"I am not getting
anything!" Ezra protested with uncharacteristic emotion. "I am not
the least bit interested in the charms, or anything else for that matter, of
the fair Miss Pemberton, no matter how many times she offered me her attentions
during the night!" It took a second for Ezra to realize what he had said
before noticing the amused expressions on Josiah and Chris, not to mention the
angry glowering on Buck's face.
"She asked you to sleep with her?" Buck said slowly.
"I have
nothing further to say." The gambler rose to his feet. "I shall ride
there now and perform the task you have set for me, Mr. Larabee.
Would you please find Alexandra." With that, Ezra stormed out of the room,
leaving an air of astonishment behind.
"I knew
it" Buck grumbled after he left. "This is all your fault Chris."
Chris turned to
him. "How so?" The gunslinger demanded with annoyance.
"If you
didn't insist on keeping her away from me, she wouldn't have fallen into Ezra's
arms. Its bad enough he's got that pretty doctor to himself and now Miss
Pemberton too? You know Chris, you ought to pay more mind to those of us who
haven't found the loves of our lives. After all, you've got Mary now, so you
can't appreciate the problems the rest of us have to go through." Buck was
rambling but he was genuinely disappointed to think that once again, another
beautiful woman had slipped out of his reach.
"Buck, just
get riding to Purgatory" Chris sighed wearily, suddenly feeling that he
was the warden in an insane asylum.
"Fine,"
Buck stood up from the table, "send me away like I'm some wayward
kid."
"It would
help if you stopped acting like one" the gunslinger pointed out.
"I know when
I'm not wanted." Buck huffed with offence and took the same route that
Ezra had just done, storming out of the saloon with Josiah and Chris staring
after him. Their gazes were still fixed on the bat wing doors after the tall
man had left. For a moment, neither said anything for their minds were still
trying to accept the sequence of events that had just taken place like some
heavy wind that had blown through the room.
"You know
something, Josiah?" Chris remarked still staring out the door as if he
could see through the wood at Buck saddling his horse and preparing for his
journey to Purgatory once again.
"What?"
Josiah replied just as dazed.
"Thank
you."
Now Josiah did
turn to the gunslinger, feeling some confusion in the gratitude since he had no
idea why it was offered. "Thank you?"
"Yeah,"
Chris nodded, picking up his glass because he really needed a drink now,
"for being the only one other than me that is older than 12."