Epilogue:
Getting Even
Thanks to
The engraved plate, they were later told was soon in
the hands of the Treasury Department where it was promptly melted down. After
leaving them, Seacourt had gone to retrieve Lawrence
Preston whom they were told was languishing in a federal prison awaiting trial,
before they had even saddled their horses to return home. It appeared that the
justice system moved with incredible speed when it came to men who would
attempt to destabilize the economy of the nation.
There was only one thing that concerned Seacourt as well as Mary Travis was the fact that when it
was time to collect the bodies. Selena Quint had
disappeared from where she had fallen. The blood that had seeped into the earth
where she had been shot was abundant enough to believe that even if she had
escaped, the woman could not have gotten very far. The bullet that Julia
Pemberton had put through the mercenary was substantial enough to be fatal and
yet Alex could not shake the uneasy feeling that she might have survived.
In any case, Selena Quint
was just as wanted for a multitude of crimes as her former master.
The journey back to
Mary was not happy to return to the town but did feel
obligated to pay a call to Doris Stanley to thank her for her assistance in
passing her message of help along to Chris. The woman was most curious as to
the nature of Mary's relationship with the gunslinger and seemed somewhat
disapproving after Chris and the others had torn up the local saloon during
their brawl.
In the meantime, Ezra who simply had to know whether she
had thrown all their poker games was badgering Alex to distraction. Although he
remained close by Julia and was attentive in every way to her injuries, he
still found enough time to sidle his horse alongside Alex's periodically during
their ride home to convince her to play him again. After awhile, the doctor was
so irritated by the constant harassment not merely by the gambler but also by
Vin who was determined as a point of honour that she
proved Ezra wrong about her gambling skills. Alex was almost tempted to
strangle them both.
While Alexandra Styles found herself caught in a tug
of war between Vin Tanner and Ezra Standish, Inez and Buck's conversation
during the trip home were strangely silent for two people whose encounters were
normally so very fiery and spirited. Yet both were deep in thought about
everything that had transpired during the sojourn from
Even when she had stated so clearly that she was done
waiting for him and that she was moving on, there was a part of Buck that
refused to believe she might make good on her threat. While he took her
concerns to heart and was somewhat hurt when she had snubbed him before her
departure from town, Buck had conceded that she did have a right to be upset.
Still, he never imagined that someone else might come into the picture so soon.
Seeing how she had behaved towards Seacourt
had frightened the hell of out Buck Wilmington and finally he was forced to
concede that he did not want to lose Inez under any circumstances but had no
idea what he ought to do to keep her either. He knew he was not ready to make
the commitment and he was not about to enter any relationship with Inez
prematurely because he was afraid of losing her. That just did not seem fair to
Buck. He cared too much about Inez to risk his resenting her in the years to
come if he entered anything he was unprepared for.
Buck Wilmington could only come to one conclusion as
they rode home to
And then there was Chris and Mary.
The leader of the seven and the newspaper woman had
bickered constantly. Actually, she bickered and he merely gave her one of those
long cool stares that served only to raise her ire more. Despite the
circumstances, Chris enjoyed watching her trying to explain herself. He
remained silent, completely aware that his lack of speech would only drive her
to distraction. As far as Chris was concerned, he was entitled to a little
payback after the hell she had put him through the past few days.
Unfortunately, by the time they returned home to
"You know, it was not my fault." She said
for the hundredth time as they entered her house in the dark of night. The
others had scattered to their respective homes and lodging houses, undoubtedly
exhausted from their ordeal these past four days. Ezra wanted to get Julia home
as quickly as possible while Vin and Alex just wanted to get home.
"I know." Chris replied as he followed her
into the hallway after Mary had closed the door shut behind her.
"No you don't know," Mary glared at him with
an accusatory glare. "You say you know but you don't know and you're
thinking that I don't know that you don't know either." She retorted
before her brow knitted in confusion as she replayed that sentence and tried to
see if she could understand it herself, let alone expect him to.
Her choice of words only forced a smile across his
lips despite himself. Chris cleared his throat and returned her gaze.
"Naturally." He answered with the same somber expression once he
managed to compose himself. Still, had she looked closely, Mary would have seen
the twinkle in his eyes.
"Ooooh!" Mary
huffed and turned on her heels. How could he stay so calm like that? Did
nothing every get under his skin! With a sudden start, Mary realized that she
did know of something that might bring down the walls of superiority from which
he was presently looking down at her. She paused in mid stride and turned
around to face him. She knew she was not being fair but obviously more
persuasive methods were going to be required to snap Chris out of his dark
mood. Besides, she had to do something to make him feel better or he was never
going to let her leave town again. Her lips curled into a smile of pure evil as
she took a step towards him.
Chris knew the look as well as the gleam in his eyes.
Instinctively, he found himself thinking; things were about to get interesting.
"Chris," she said in a voice that oozed pure
sex. "I guess I did misbehave a little."
Chris swallowed, suddenly aware that she was going to
play dirty. Real dirty. He should be walking out of here with his skin intact
and his virtue in place, but the luster of her lips as she ran her tongue over
its soft pink silkiness kept him rooted to the spot. He felt a little incensed
that she was resorting to such tactics but found it quickly diminishing with
the seduction that was coming at him with the force of a locomotive.
"Mary, don't even think about it." He
warned. "I ain't doing it this way." It was true. He did not want her
just because she was trying to pacify his anger. It felt wrong somehow.
Although he was starting to wonder why he was giving her such a hard time.
Wrong choice of words, Larabee.
"I'm sorry," her mouth met his as they stood
in the middle of the hallway. "I don't rightly know what you mean."
Mary looked at him with pure innocence before leaning down to kiss him again.
Her tongue slid past his lips and explored the inner
recesses of his mouth; taunting his with slick and seductive movements as Mary
pressed herself against him. Chris felt the heat of her body against him and
immediately felt stirrings that did not correspond with the irritation he felt.
He knew what she was doing and decided that she not going to get away with
this. However as her hands slid over his back and through his blond hair,
tipping his hat so that it fell to the floor, Chris wondered if he was not
being just a little unreasonable.
"This is not going to work." He mumbled when
she parted long enough to allow him to catch his breath.
"What's going to work?" She asked softly
before loosening her hair from the bun that held it in place. Her hair spilled
over her shoulders like a golden cascade and took his breath away as it crowned
her lovely face. Despite himself, he felt becoming increasingly aroused, as she
lowered her head to his meet his lips once more, except this time it was not
his mouth she sought but the sensitive skin of his neck. Chris felt himself
weaken at the knees as Mary started nipping gently at the flesh, her tongue
doing all sorts of sensuous things as he staggered backwards and came to a stop
at the wall. There was a moment of clarity when he wondered if the front door
was locked, however as her tongue started licking him gently across the
collarbone, Chris decided he did not care.
People ought to knock anyway.
He became aware of her palm sliding down the length of
his taut body and closed his eyes at how slowly she glided over her skin,
forcing the fabric of his clothes to aid in her caresses as she moved towards
his dark trousers. Chris had no idea under the right ministrations; his shirt
could produce such pleasurable sensations. Her fingers came to halt at the
waistband, before an index finger slipped behind the tough material and belt to
trace a seductive line over the velvet soft skin beneath his stomach. Chris
closed his eyes and shuddered as he felt his manhood straining to be free of
his clothes. Mary slid her other hand lower until her palm could feel his
growing erection struggling to meet her bare skin through the cloth.
Mary looked up at Chris and purred. "Why
Chris," Mary met his hungry eyes with a wicked gleam in her eyes.
"You're not that mad at me." She smiled and removed her hand, feeling
him shudder at the sudden withdrawal. However, she did not give him time to protest
as her mouth met his again with rising desire of her own. She could feel the
heat inside her body at the anticipation of what was waiting for her beneath
those too tight pants of his. However, Mary was not about to forget that he had
been mean to her so he could just wait a spell while she tortured him a bit.
Chris closed his eyes, running his fingers through her
hair as she started working on the buttons of his shirt. He was perfectly aware
of what she was doing of course and Chris convinced himself that no amount of
teasing by those soft pink lips even when they were at their worst, could
convince him to ever let her out of his sight again. Still, it was hard to stay
at all objective when Mary's mouth started moving down his neck, her tongue
laving every inch of skin in its downward descent. His cock was throbbing so
hard behind his pants that Chris knew that he had to get out of them quickly or
else he was going to explode from the sheer anticipation of her what her lips
were doing to him.
The buttons of his shirt came undone and Mary started
kissing his chest with soft, innocent kisses that reminded him of his first
lover, a sixteen year old who had took delight in exploring his body because it
was new to her. Mary lavished him with soft, innocent kisses across his chest
reminiscent of a young girl trying to seduce a man for the first time. She
carefully avoided his nipples even though she knew perfectly well how sensitive
they were to the touch. Her lips against the nubs of erect skin that were hardening
with each kiss planted near or around the tender flesh, was driving him insane.
"Mary. ."he tried to speak. "You're
going to pay for this." However the pleasure forced him to close his eyes
shut and draw his breath into ragged pants as she started licking the skin
around his nipples with long, wet lashes of her tongue.
Her hands had pinned his to the wall, so he could not
even direct her where he wanted her to go. Her grip was firm as she held him in
place, fully aware that he was fighting her even though she was pleasuring him.
He wanted to be in control. In fact Chris Larabee
absolutely craved it in almost every sexual encounter.
Not this time.
When she took his nipple into her mouth, she did so
with brutal force. She plucked it into her mouth, gripping the tip with her
teeth before her tongue laved it in hard, forceful licks. She could feel him
wanting to cry out but he was fighting hard to maintain his dignity. His
stomach muscles were clenched to keep himself from verbalizing his pleasure but
the cock that was starting to peek through the top of his waistband was telling
her how utterly aroused he was. As her mouth worked on his nipples, alternating
from side to side as she nibbled, nipped and then laved the tip in hot, wet
strokes, Mary slid her hand down to his groin and wrapped her fingers around
his erection over the fabric.
She looked up to see the muscles in his jaw tighten as
he fought to remain silent but the pleasure of her hands as she slid up and
down his shaft was beyond description. Mary was capable of driving Chris so
insane with desire that their couplings almost set the sheets on fire at how
much satisfaction they could achieve from pleasuring each other. However this
was the first time she had ever taken charge like this. Her initiative was not
only tantalizing, it was making him so hard that if she did not do something
very soon to alleviate the pressure building in his cock, he was not going to
be responsible for his actions.
Suddenly, he felt her slide further down his body as
her hands started working the buttons of his trousers fee. God, he was so ready
for her to do this! He stared at her mesmerized as she smiled at him; the pure
lust in her eyes was enough to make his jaw drop from the sheer expectation of
what those incredible lips had in store for his tortured cock. She undid all
the buttons and the last thing he saw as his pants were pulled down to his
knees, was the crown of gold hair before she slid his hard member as far down
her throat as she could.
God, God, God. He was not going to make it.
He tried to hold back, tried to bite down hard so that
she would not force it from him but the moment he felt her soft lips sliding up
and down his shaft, culminating with an insistent laving on the tip of his
cock, his defenses were effectively destroyed. His hands released were running
through her hair in complete abandon as she sucked his cock into her mouth with
such relish that he had no idea where he was and did not care when he finally
surrendered and gave her what she wanted.
"Oh God Mary," Chris groaned out loud,
making himself heard and not caring that he had. "Don't stop," he
cried again. "Please. ."
Mary tried to smile which was an effort in itself, considering
what she was doing and abandoned the idea as her hands massages his heavy sacs,
full of semen awaiting discharge. Chris was thrusting into her mouth, his hips
swaying back and forth as she gripped his cock with mouth, allowing him to
slide so far down her throat that she could gag if she were not careful.
However Mary cared little for the discomfort, more enthralled by the idea that
he was moaning and groaning with a total lack of control, something he rarely
displayed in their lovemaking. She had always let him take the initiative but
decided now that had been a mistake.
Still, he was very close and she could not deny how
much she wanted to feel this beautiful cock slid into her with its unrelenting
ability to make her just as oblivious to anything. She left his mouth and heard
the groan of disappointment that escaped him as she slid up to his mouth once
again. She kissed him passionately as his hands started tearing at the buttons
of the dress she was wearing.
"I want you to take me Chris," she whispered
heavily into his ear just before she started sucking the lobe into her mouth.
Her tongue ran along the crest of his ear and whispered again. "Right now
Chris. I want you take me right against this wall."
Chris smiled at her; one of those smiles that was
almost a cruel sneer. Roughly, he ripped the dress from her shoulders, his
large hands taking delight in the luxuriant feel of soft skin as he forced the
material away and revealed naked flesh. His mouth dug into her neck as he felt
the feverish need to taste her as completely as she had tantalized him with her
sensuous mouth. What would not come free in his hands, Chris tore without
hesitation. The seconds it took for her chest to be free of clothing were
seconds too long before Chris slid his mouth over the rosebud nipple on her
heaving chest.
Giving her no quarter for preparation, Chris took the
tiny nub of dark pink flesh in his mouth and sucked it past his teeth. Unlike
him, Mary had no fear of giving herself fully over to desire and the groan of
pleasure that escaped her lips as her fingers dug into his back expressed it
most clearly. Her skin tasted so good, it never ceased to amaze him how
powerfully arousing the salt of her flesh could be in his mouth.
"Oh Chris," she sighed breathlessly as he manoeuvred her around until it was Mary whose back was
against the wall. His hand slid up the folds of her dress, until his palm met
the firm flesh of her thigh. He tugged at the material, cursing the stockings
that kept him from bare skin until finally they were discarded and all the
other garments hidden beneath the length of her skirt. He travelled along the
gentle curve of her bottom, grabbing its smooth roundedness and relishing the
feel of it as he hooked her leg over his hip.
Instinctively Mary ground her pelvis against his, the
length of his manhood pressing hard against her leg as he nursed on her nipple
hungrily, wondering if close was ever going to be enough when lost in thrall of
that insistent nibbling that was sending waves of delight through her. Half
delirious with sensory overload, Mary slid his dark shirt over those well honed
muscles, groaning with pleasure as she felt the taut skin under her palms. He
dropped his arms long enough to discard the shirt completely and it joined the growing
pile of clothes on the floor. She ran her hands over his bare back and moaned
at how hard the muscle was before her nails raked across them in a spasm of
desire.
Chris closed his eyes shut as he felt himself
hardening at her sharp nails across his skin, finding pleasure in the pain as
she no doubt left red welts across his back. The onrush of feeling shattered
the last of his resolve and he left her mouth long enough to divest her of the
dress that kept him from having her naked against him. The bundle of cloth
slipped from her like a curtain falling. It revealed magnificence in every
curve of her breasts, in her slender hips, even in the way her leg had snaked
over his hip as his fingers trust deep past the thatch of golden hair that
preceded the throbbing folds of her inner passage.
Chris met her mouth fiercely at the same time his
fingers were probing inside her. Her gasp was silence by his brutal kisses and
she could hardly breathe as she felt him explore her femininity with every
intention of finding the weaknesses that would break her into a thousand
pieces. His mouth moved over her lips, kissed her flushed face, moved to her
ear lobes before devouring the soft flesh where neck and shoulder joined. He
remained poised over her, bracing his weight against the wall with one hand
while the other prepared her for his eventual entry. They were both naked in
the hallway, if one considered the trousers wrapped around his ankles as his
being still dressed, beautiful bodies glistening with a fine sheen of sweat as
they moved towards apogee.
"Please Chris," she moaned as he felt his
fingers pressing gently against her moist walls, each touch sending a surge of
warmth coursing through her body. She wanted him so badly, no needed him to be
inside her as he drove her beyond arousal, beyond need, beyond caring. "I
need you so much." Her breathless voice began to take on the fluidity of a
whimper and the desperation in her demands collapsed whatever restraint had
thus held him back so far.
She was so wet that it was relatively easy for him to
find his way inside her as he positioned himself so that he could impale her
deeply with that first initial thrust. The air in his lungs was forced from
Chris Larabee when he pulled her leg further around
his waist until she was standing on her toes of her other foot when he finally
forced himself all the way in with one brutal thrust of his hips. Chris clamped
his eyes shut, biting down hard as he buried himself deep inside her,
immediately falling prey to the intense pressure of her muscles as they crushed
his throbbing cock with beatific pleasure.
"Mary. ." He whispered as he began to pump
into her hard and forcefully, watching her eyes glistening as her swollen lips
quivered with wave after wave of pleasure. "God, Mary." He wanted to
sing her name each time he felt himself impact against the abrupt end deep
inside her. She was shuddering in delight; her golden hair tossing over
shoulders as her head started to sway from side to side from complete abandon.
Her hands had dropped down to his rump and she wall pulling him deeper as she
started moving with him, until each stroke was making them bounce off each
other.
Chris started gasping as he continued to thrust into
Mary with such brutal force that his knees felt ready to give out if he dared
to pause and allow himself to catch a breath. He had no idea when he was
moaning out loud with her because he was too lost with the pleasure of what he
was now enduring. Each hard stroke made her grind her hips against him, until
she was squirming from the fullness of his engorged cock inside her.
Her mouth met his with feverish passion, until they
were breathing each other's heated pants as Mary started to feel herself slip
over the edge. His tongue thrust into her mouth as forcefully as his manhood
was turning her insides into quivery mounds of tingling flesh, moving with the
same rhythm until she felt the last vestiges of sanity, snap with a final rush
of explosive pleasure. "Oh lord," she cried out as she felt herself
swept away on the crest of a brightly coloured wave.
"Chris!" Her body bucked against his in total surrender.
When Chris felt her go, her warm fluids all around his
hardened cock made his let out a groan of relief because he knew he could not
longer hold on. Her muscles tightened around his erection with such merciless
application of crushing pressure that it snapped his control like kindling. She
had broken him with such intense pleasure that the satisfaction escaping him
when he ejaculated was beyond description. He had been flying so high that when
he finally crashed, there was no adequate way to prepare for it.
"Mary!" He growled her name full of guttural
intensity, like it was more than a word but the impetus through which he drew breath
to live or the hope that allowed him to wish for tomorrow.
He continued pumping into her, forcing all his seed
into the deepest crevices of her body, watching the glow in her cheeks as she
smiled at the sight of his pleasure. The meeting of hot juices was so sweet, so
wonderful that Chris could only collapse against her, knowing the wall was the
only thing holding him upright. Chris swallowed thickly as he felt her hold him
in her arms, in the way that made him feel so good to be alive where there had
only be darkness in his soul once. Chris rested his head against her shoulder,
enjoying how she stroked his back with her fingertips.
Mary sighed in complete contentment as she luxuriated
in the intoxicating scent of him in her lungs. It was even more tantalizing
intermingled with the salty smell of their heated bodies after their
lovemaking. She rubbed her cheek against his hair, enjoying how wonderful he
felt inside her even when he was spent and the frantic passion of a short time
ago had melted into something less torrid and steamy.
After awhile he looked up at her, his normally cool
blue eyes were warm and twinkling, despite his exhaustion. "I suppose you
think this means I'm ready to let you out of my sight again." He teased.
Mary sighed with contentment and responded with the
same breath. "I know it does."
Chris looked at her. "You're pretty confident
there Mrs. Travis. How do you know for sure?"
Mary met his gaze with a smile. "I know for sure
because unless you want to be spending the next six months in your shack alone,
that's the way its going to be."
"You'd miss me as much I miss you." He
declared confidently.
"I'd be willing to make the sacrifice." She
said firmly.
"I had no idea you were so mercenary," he
grinned, knowing that she was merely joking with him. Besides, confining Mary
to his rules was like trying to lasso a twister and make it stay in one place,
utterly pointless. She would get into trouble no matter where she was, that
much Chris had come to learn about her long ago.
"I've learnt a few things since I've became such
an outlaw." She joked and saw him chuckle slightly at the name he had been
teasing her with since their reunion in
"I noticed." He grinned. "There's just
one thing though," he met her eyes seriously.
"What?" Mary asked genuinely puzzled at what
he was about to spring on her now. Frankly, she was no longer in the mood for
surprises.
"Well, I thought we'd go up to your room,"
he said suggestively. "And then I'd like to see what you'd look like in my
shirt."
Mary did not whether to oblige or hit him. She ended
up to doing the former.
"Will you two kindly get lost!" Alexandra
Styles growled as she stood in the middle of the boardwalk, glaring at the two men.
Vin Tanner on one side of her and Ezra on the other. She felt like she was in a
tug of war between these two men although the only ones liable to get torn limb
from limb would be themselves, if they did not leave her alone.
"Come on Darlin',"
Vin said tenderly, using that husky voice of his that was so irresistible to
her, except today. Alex was far too annoyed to let any of his cajoling or
coaxing get to her. "It's only a game of poker."
"Exactly," Ezra added his voice to the
argument in a renewed attack of solidarity between the two. "Just a
friendly game of poker. One game, we do not even require a stake. I just want
to satisfy my curiosity."
Alex let out a visible groan knowing that she was not
going to get a moment's peace from either of them until she agreed to play Ezra
and prove the legitimacy of her gambling skills. Although Vin had been good
enough not to mention it during their first night together in days, giving her
some respite after their journey from Winston Falls, he had been gently inferring
that she ought to satisfy Ezra's burning desire to know if she could really
play or not. Alex had no wish to meet Ezra at the gambling table mostly because
if she beat him, he would hound her to death until he finally returned the favour by beating her.
Frankly, Alex had too much going on in her daily
routine to be distracted by such competitive nonsense.
"Why is it so important that we play Ezra?"
Alex replied as she continued walking towards Gloria Potter's store to stock up
her pantry. After almost a week away, she was in severe need of groceries.
"So I won a few dollars." She shrugged her shoulders, trying to down
play the incident as much as possible. "I could have just been
lucky."
"Darlin' you won $250
in one night." Vin reminded dutifully. "Not even a working girl flat
on her back for a week straight could make that kind of money."
Alex whirled around and glared at her lover
tempestuously. "Do not mention working girls or bordellos in my presence
Mr. Tanner." She said icily.
"However, he is apparently correct." Ezra
retorted. "Even on a good night, I can come away with a hundred dollars
that is of course, the losers do not get perturbed by my luck at the tables.
Sometimes, these skills are so hard to live with."
Alex and Vin exchanged glances before rolling their
eyes collectively in a mixture of disgust and sarcasm. "And you want me to
play poker with that?" She eyed Vin critically.
"I know you can beat him." Vin said
confidently.
"No you don't know!" She gushed furiously.
"You want me to play so that you can know and personally, I don't care if
you don't know whether or not I can play because it's not that important!"
"It is to me." Ezra spoke up indignantly.
"How can I live with myself knowing that a woman has thrown all her games
of poker with me? How am I supposed to look in the mirror?"
"You better," she snapped. "Or else
you'll cut your throat shaving."
With that, she entered the store to do her shopping. Fortunately,
neither of the men followed her and Vin found himself laughing at her departing
remark to Ezra. The gambler fumed at not getting his answer and sent Vin a dark
look when he heard the tracker's laughter. "I thought you were on my side?"
Ezra complained.
"I ain't on no one side," Vin pointed out
quickly so that Ezra would not misunderstand. He wanted Alex to play because he
believed she could do it and because Ezra needed taking down a peg or two after
claiming that all Alex could play was 'Go Fish' when it was obvious that she
quite skilled to take money from those men. "I just want Alex to beat you,
that's all."
"It will be stone cold day in Perdition's Fire
before a woman beats me at poker other than my dear mother." Ezra said
full of pride. Only Maude had ever been able to beat Ezra at poker and that was
mostly because she had taught him everything she knew. .well almost everything,
that's why she could still beat him. However, to think that a scholarly female
could beat him at his own game was more than he could stand. He had gambled in
some of the finest places in
"That may be," Vin grinned wickedly.
"But I still say she's going to kick your ass."
Alex emerged at few seconds later to find them still
waiting outside the store for her to emerge. Alex saw them both and let out a
frustrated groan. "I hope you're both still here out some overwhelming
need to help me with my bags."When she was greeted with two guilty
expressions, Alex shook her head and disgust and turned on her heels to leave
them both behind. "Vin," Alex said before leaving, "if you wish
to see me for any other reason, I will be cooking dinner tonight. You can join
me if you wish but there will no more talk about gambling."
"Sure." He said hurrying up to her before
she left him behind. Vin made her turn around and look at him and Alex was
treated with an expression of apology and affection in his small smile. "I
understand." He said stroking her cheek with his hand. "I'll see you
tonight."
"Okay then," Alex replied, somewhat taken
back by the sudden withdrawal on this subject but deciding that she was not
going to complain. "I'll expect you this evening cowboy." She offered
him an uncertain smile.
Vin turned back to Ezra who promptly hissed. "You
traitor!"
"Now Ezra," Vin looked at him reproachfully
as Alex started walking away, holding his hand to his lips to signal the
gambler's silence. "If Alex doesn't think she's good enough to play you
then I don't think its right to force her. I mean just because she's real smart
and pretty and a doctor, doesn't mean a lady is any good at poker."
Vin said this loud enough to be heard and succeeded
most spectacularly. Alex whirled around and glared at him with narrowed eyes,
reminding him of those furious looks she used to give him when they were in the
heat of one of their more intense verbal jousts. Even though her colouring was all-different, Vin could tell that her cheeks
were flushed just by the way her teeth were biting down to control her anger.
She dropped the bags on the floor and stormed up to him, practically smouldering from rage.
"You low down, dirty rat." She growled
quietly. "You know I can play him under the table any day of the week and
it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a woman!"
"Then prove it Madam." Ezra grinned,
appreciating completely the deviousness of Vin's plan and was able to take the
rest from here. Vin had given him a convincing platform to make his final
argument.
"Alright," she nodded, deciding that she was
going to make them both pay for this. They wanted her to play poker? Fine, she
was going to play. "Set it up." Alex said with a glacial tone to her
voice. "I'll meet you in the saloon in an hour and bring your money. We're
playing for real."
"I shall accept your challenge." Ezra smiled
triumphantly at Vin who was trying to wear a neutral expression on his face. In
truth, the tracker was wondering just what he had sacrificed in order to gain
this particular victory. After all, he had used the unfair advantage of
exploiting her abhorrence to being considered anything less than equal because
she was a woman.
"And you," Alex turned to Vin and grabbed
him by the collar of his buckskin jacket savagely. "You had better be so
prepared to make it up to me tonight because I am going to have you begging for
mercy!" With that, she picked up her groceries and stormed off.
Ezra and Vin watched her go before the gambler turned
to the tracker. "Mr. Tanner?"
"Yeah?" Vin said distracted, admiring how
seductively her body moved when she was good and mad.
"I think finally understand why you have been
walking around here with that grin on your face. You lucky bastard." Ezra
remarked, following his gaze.
Vin was still staring after Alex when he said with a
grin. "Ain't I though?"
The game had been going on for an hour now.
Somehow, everyone of the seven had managed to be in
the saloon for the gambling stand off between Ezra Standish and Alexandra
Styles. Even Chris and Mary were present, just to see what the conclusion to
this test of wills would be. In fact, it seemed that the saloon was unusually
busy today in the wake of the news that Alex and Ezra would be playing a hand
of poker solely against each other. No one spoke as the cards were dealt by
Josiah who was sitting in as dealer, since no one could find a person with a
more impeccable qualifications than the preacher.
The table occupied by the two players was an island in
a sea of bodies who kept close watch but remained far enough away to catch
every detail of the event. Even Inez, who was behind the bar, was paying close
attention to the proceedings as she moved along the length of the counter,
ensuring that all the patrons were rarely dry for more than a moment.
"Inez," Buck interrupted despite the tension
in the room.
Inez whose eyes were darting from her customers to the
gambling table in the centre of the room was in no mind to be distracted by
Buck when there was so much going on around her that required her attention.
"What?" She asked quietly, feeling it
inappropriate that he be speaking when it was already so quiet.
However, Buck had more important things on his mind
rather than Ezra's need to prove himself better than a woman. Since Seacourt had proved how easy it was for him to lose Inez,
Buck had been deep at thought trying to find a solution to his dilemma.
However, nothing had presented itself and he realized that for once he was
going to have to make a decision instead of running away and putting it off,
like he did with almost everything else in his life.
He was not willing to risk losing Inez under any
circumstances.
"I need to ask you something." He said
straightening up and speaking most formally.
The tone of his voice immediately made Inez meet his
gaze, because he did not normally look so serious. Buck was all about carefree
fun and even though he was utter scoundrel, Inez had to admit rather
begrudgingly that it was one of his most endearing qualities. God help her.
"What is it?" She asked, wondering if
something was wrong. She could not imagine what that might be since all their
friends were presently in the room, a captive audience to Ezra and Alex's
display.
"I want permission to court you." He said
taking his hat off his head as he asked the question.
Inez's eyes widened, from surprise or astonishment,
she was unable to say for certain at the moment. For an instant, she thought he
might be joking with her but when she saw that earnest expression on his face,
she realized he was completely serious about it. "You're not
kidding."
"Of course not." He said trying to hide his
exasperation. "What was so funny about him wanting to do the right thing
by her? "I would like to court you and I promise there won't be any other
women in my life. I am going to do the right thing by you."
Inez was still too astonished by this sudden pledge of
commitment. She knew what was at the heart of it of course.
"Ain't ya gonna say something?" Buck asked,
unable to fathom if her silence was a good thing or not.
"Is that what you want Buck?" Inez finally
responded, meeting his blue eyes and loving him more than ever for willing to
do this just to keep her. Just when she thought that he was a complete ass, he
did something that was utterly charming and flattering.
"Of course it is," he said firmly although
she could tell by the look of him that he was not sure about this at all. It
was some desperate bid to ensure that he not lose her to someone else as he had
almost lost her to Seacourt. "I don't want to
lose you." He insisted, clearing away any doubt in her mind.
"Senor Wilmington," she sighed. "I have
been thinking a great deal lately and I know that you were frightened by Mr. Seacourt but my feelings for you have not changed. I still
love you, idiot that you can be and I know your wish to court me is because of
some fear that I will run off with someone else."
"That ain't true." Buck hastily countered
but knew deep down inside that she was right.
"Buck," she reached for his hand and held
it. "I may meet someone else some day and I may not. For right now, I can
wait for awhile." She smiled. "When you are ready to come to me with
all your heart, I will be more than happy to let you court me."
Buck looked at her uncertainly, not knowing what to
say. In a way, he was almost relieved but also wondered if she had ulterior
motives for turning him down. However, no sooner than the thought crossed his
mind, he knew that Inez would not lie to him. Their relationship may have been
fiery, spirited and barely bordering on civil at times but lies and deception
was in neither of their vocabularies.
"I am going to marry you some day you know,"
he said firmly with no doubt or hesitation in his mind. That much he was clear
on anyway.
"Maybe you will." Inez smiled and then added
with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "Or maybe if you wait too long,
someone else will."
"Don't count on it." Buck grinned glad that
things were somewhere back to normal between them. As normal as they could be
anyway. "I'll fight em for you."
"Then let us pray for your sake, it is not a
battle of wits." She laughed and went back to serving customers again.
"You better treat me right," he called after
her. "You ain't getting any younger."
Inez threw him a tempestuous look and responded in
kind. "And you're not getting any smarter."
It had come down to this.
All their money was now in the middle of the felt
covered table. There was no doubt in anyone's mind by now that Alexandra Styles
expertise did not merely include doctoring. She was indeed a formidable poker
player. She had held her own against Ezra throughout most of their game and
they were almost evenly matched with neither gaining the advantage. Skill had
brought them to this point in the game and now it was left solely in the hand
of chance to decide who the winner would be.
While Ezra seemed nervous mostly because he allowed
himself to be preyed by thoughts of losing to a woman, Alex on the other hand
seemed cool as ever. For her, the gambling had been the least of her concerns.
She had been forced into this match by duress and revenge was her only agenda.
She was rich enough to be able to stand the loss of the money should it come
down to such an outcome and they were less than a hand away from that final
moment of truth.
Vin was standing next to Chris and Mary, pleased as
punch because as far as he was concerned, he was vindicated in every way, no
pun intended. Alex had proved she could play poker better than Ezra or any of
them had given her credit. While he would love to see Ezra put in place by
being defeated by her, it no longer mattered whether or not she won. She had
proven Vin right and that was a victory that was terribly satisfying, if the
look on Ezra's face was anything to go by.
"How did you get her to play?" Chris asked as
the three of them stood by the bar, watching the proceedings
"It took some convincing." Vin swallowed,
not wanting to discuss really how he had manoeuvred
her into agreeing to participate in this venture.
"How?" Mary pressed, "I thought Alex
was adamant about not showing her gambling skills to anyone."
Vin cleared his throat and then told them.
Mary laughed at hearing how Alex's refusal had been
circumvented. "You are a brave man Mr. Tanner." She chuckled,
picturing the calamity that was coming at the tracker at full steam when this
was all over.
Chris merely met his eyes with a steely gaze and
remarked. "I guess there's no kitchen table in your immediate future pard."
"Chris!" Mary exclaimed reproachfully and
smacked him on the arm.
"That's all right ma'am." Vin answered good
naturedly. "Just don't take no trips to Sweet Water when the
"You weren't going bring that up again Vin."
Chris turned to him with a hint of annoyance.
"And you were going to leave the kitchen table
out of it. ."
"Boys!" Mary interceded. It was hard to
remember they were grown men when they were like this. "And I use the term
very accurately here, you're causing a scene."
"Sorry ma'am." Vin replied and turned back
to the game before muttering softly with a faint smile. "
Chris sneaked a grin and retorted. "Like you've
ever eaten food on that table. ."
Mary rolled her eyes in exasperation and mumbled.
"Men. Can't live with them, can't shoot them."
"Do you think Miss Alex will win Nathan?"
J.D. asked as they continued watching the display like spectators at a
gladiatorial match.
"She might." Nathan had to admit as he sat
at the table with J.D. and Julia Pemberton. He did not like the idea of the young
woman moving about after less than a week sustaining her injuries but Julia had
been adamant about being present during this match. He could not blame her.
After hearing about Alex's skills in that saloon with those tough men, seeing
her beat Ezra was almost worth the effort of escorting Julia to such seedy
surroundings.
"I didn't know she could even play." J.D.
said confused. "I mean she always lost when she played Ezra before."
"It's the oldest trick in the book," Julia
said to the younger man. "No faster way to catch a man then to let him
win."
Nathan gave the woman a stare and then frowned as he
remembered all those games of horse shoes he played with Rain on occasion when
he visited with her at the Seminole village. In fact, she never ever seemed to
win when they played and suddenly, Julia's words started to leave a very
unpleasant taste in his mouth. What if Rain were doing the same thing that Alex
had done? Suddenly, the idea of riding out to the village to challenge her to a
game was starting to look very attractive.
"The oldest trick in the book?" He looked at
the Emporium owner.
"There's only one other older." She
mentioned with a smile, seeing the kernel of suspicion she had planted in his
wrinkled brow.
"What's that?" J.D. had to know.
"Let me demonstrate." Julia replied taking a
deep breath and then saying in her sweetest voice. "Why J.D., I can ride
and shoot better than you can." Reverting back to her own voice, Julia
then added. "Then of course she lets him beat her at all those things."
"But that's what
Julia was in good spirits today because earlier that
morning, Alex Styles had paid her a visit at her home. It was the first time
the doctor had ever deign to call on her. They had shared tea, trying to move
past the awkwardness that had still lingered even after their adventures in
Stone Creek and
Necessity had brought them to a temporary truce but
now it was over they were back to where thing had been when they had originally
left for
"I won't lie." Alex had replied. "We
didn't get off on the best footing. Stealing another woman's man is never the
perfect ice breaker to begin a friendship."
"I'm sorry it went that way," Julia
apologized and was surprised when she actually meant it. "I won't lie and
say that was a different me because that sort of behaviour
has been the heart of who I am. I'm finding a new way to live and its taking
some getting use to."
Alex had nodded imperceptibly and then added.
"But you were right. Things with Vin had started progressing beyond my
control and perhaps it would have ended between myself and Ezra anyway. You
were just the catalyst to make things move a little faster."
"I behaved badly," Julia admitted freely.
"I cannot take away the pain I caused you so I am only going to apologize
once."
It was enough for Alex because the doctor took a deep
breath and remarked. "I don't know whether we'll be the best of friends,
at this point I'm not even ready to admit that I like you. However, you saved
my life and that counts enough to make us sort of even."
It was not the best response that Julia could have
hoped for but it did prove that there was nothing Julia Pemberton could do if
she set her mind to it.
God, it was good to be bad.
"Are you raising the stake Alex?" Josiah
asked now that it appeared that the two parties were down to their last dollar.
Alex stared at the lonely dollar note on her corner of
the table and felt that she had played well enough to prove that she was good
enough to give Ezra Standish a run for his money. This was never about winning.
She took a deep breath and looked at the preacher who had been dealing the
cards all this time and had been wearing that bemused expression every time he
saw a bead of sweat running down Ezra's forehead.
"No," she sighed and gave her cards one final
look of disappointment. "It's not worth my time."
"Then you fold?" Ezra said almost exclaiming
it for the entire crowd to hear.
The relief in his voice was unmistakable however. Not
only was she good, she was very good and he had not met such a formidable
opponent since he had left the bright lights of
Alex nodded sombrely.
"I guess I do." She threw Vin an apologetic look that showed her
regret not being able to win for him.
The tracker smiled warmly, telling her in his cool stare
that he did not care for such things. He was proud of her anyway because she
had actually made Ezra sweat and that was something almost no one did without
the aid of firearms or a particularly large Bowie knife.
Satisfied that she had his support, Alex lay down her
cards and turned to Josiah. "I fold."
The sound broke out around them was a mixture of
cheering and disappointment as supporters of either opponent voiced their
feelings on the outcome of the game. Ezra presented his cards and revealed a full
house, a formidable hand to say the least. Easing back into his chair, he wore
a smug grin on his face as he rested on the laurels of the sizeable pot before
him.
"That was well played Alex." Josiah
commented as he collected the discarded cards and started returning them to the
deck. "You could not have played any better than Ezra here. It was just
luck."
"Yes," Alex said innocently. "Luck does
seem to be the vital ingredient."
"Miss Styles, I must say I am impressed."
Ezra, ever the gentleman, added politely. "You were a challenging
opponent."
"Why thank you Ezra." Alex smiled as she
rose to her feet, tired of sitting on this hard chair. "I hope your
curiosity is properly sated." She replied as she saw Vin coming to join
her at the table.
Around them, the crowd had started to dissipate with
the end of revelries, bets made were being settled and the tense atmosphere of
the saloon soon disintegrated into something closer to the norm. In either
case, Alex had no intention of remaining in such seedy surroundings but she did
have one final thing to impart upon the gambler now that they were no longer
the centre of attraction.
"By the way Ezra," Alex said quietly, her
eyes darting around so that no one would notice her words or what he would
discover after she had revealed her parting gesture. "You know that
situation between you and me with Julia?"
Ezra knew perfectly well what she meant by that as
Josiah picked up the cards she had placed face down when she had folded.
"Of course and you know I still feel regret at how I behaved towards
you."
"Whatever," Alex dismissed it with a shrug
because she had dealt with that hurt long ago but had yet to find the
opportunity to avenge herself until now. "I just thought I'd let you know,
we're even."
Ezra did not understand and Alex swept out of the
saloon without another words, bringing confusion to Vin who was about to join
her at the table. Ezra started after her in confusion. "What does that
mean?" He asked Vin and Josiah. Vin shook his head blankly, having no idea
what Alex meant by that enigmatic statement.
"I think it means this." Josiah said barely
stifling a guffaw as he revealed her hand to Ezra and Vin. The tracker started
laughing and Josiah found himself unable to resist joining in that infection
expression of amusement as Ezra stared open mouth at the cards Alex had held
when she had chosen to fold and let him win.
A perfect Royal Flush.
The End