Part
Seven
PART
SEVEN
For Buck Wilmington, fatherhood had come even before marriage.
His initiation into becoming a family man was like all things to do with his life; completely unexpected. When Buck had first met Inez Recillos, he had known immediately that his affection for the lovely, Mexican barmaid was more than just the casual infatuation he had with most women that caught his eye. Something buried deep down inside of him, recognized the emotions he had for her as more than just his usual need to charm every woman that he came across. Everything about her touched him on a deeply personal level. She was strong, determined, and honest to a fault and in possession of more courage than any woman ought to have. At first, Buck refused to believe it could happen to him. He was far too happy being a bachelor and believed the way to riding himself of such feelings for her was to have that particular itch scratched.
Of course with Inez, thing were never quite that simple.
He pursued her like he had pursued no woman in his life and though she was highly resistant to his charms, Buck suspected it was mostly because she did not wish to become just another notch on his belt, like so many others before her. Through the course of time, Buck came to understand that despite her fiery protestations at giving him the pleasure of his company, her feelings for him were almost as passionate even though she was too proud to admit it. It took a great deal of perseverance before a night of drunken celebration had lowered Inez’s guard long enough for her to love him. Their first night together was burned into Buck’s memory and it was everything he thought she would be and more. For a man as accomplished as he in the art of love, Inez had literally swept him off his feet. Until the day he died, Buck Wilmington would count their first night together as one of the most passionate in his life.
Unfortunately Inez had other ideas. The next morning had seen her embarrassed and mortified by her actions. Buck was ready to marry her that morning but Inez would hear none of it, she may have made love to him but she was far from trusting him completely with her heart. Under the circumstances, Buck supposed she had a right to be so adamant. Inez was not a woman who fell in love easily and he was hardly the model of the ideal husband. His previous actions with the opposite sex indicated that he would find marriage restrictive and ultimately be unfaithful to her. He could not blame her for feeling but at the time, he was hurt at her doubt and he resolved to wash his hands of her once and for all, if she did not want him. It would have ended at that if not for the fact that two months after the heated coupling, Buck discovered that Inez was pregnant.
He was going to be a father.
When he had found himself in similar situation, Buck’s first impulse had been to deny it. He barely knew the mother and she was one of so many women in his past. Fortunately that had resolved itself as it was discovered that he was not the father of the young woman’s baby. However, Inez’s situation was entirely different. He knew for a fact that he was the only one who could have been the contributor to the new life forming inside her body. There was no doubt he was the father of her child and what surprised him more than anything was the fact that running was the furthest thing from his mind. From the moment he had learnt of her existence, Buck Wilmington had not been able to resist Elena Rose.
She was born like she was conceived, unconventionally but from the moment he held her in his hands, this small bundle of pink that was Inez and he, Buck had been utterly lost. Buck had barely looked back since leaving his bachelor life behind him and creating a home with his new family was one of his life’s great achievements. It was hard work being a family man and there were times when he and Inez were ready to strangle each other and other times when their love was so blinding, Buck could scarcely breathe. It was highs and lows with the former often outnumbering the latter and Buck had never been happier. He had his family that not only consisted of his wife and child but of the six men whose meaning to him was deeper than friendship and brotherhood.
From the moment she was born, Buck had adored Elena Rose. How could he not? She was the first child born to the seven and they all were smitten in their own way. Even Chris who had real difficulty being near an infant in the early days of her life mostly because she brought memories back of a time when he had been the new father. Eventually however, her charm penetrated the gunslinger’s hardened exterior and Chris was overcome just like the rest of his friends. For Buck who had loved women for so long, Elena Rose was the answer to all the questions he ever had about women. In watching her grow up, he saw how they perceived the world, learnt what was important to them and how many had a core of strength that remained hidden for most part, channeled to the things so vastly different from what men that it was somewhat staggering to perceive.
His own father was a mystery to him and Buck had been determined to never be that way with Elena Rose. He ensured that she could always rely upon him and she did. Their relationship was close from the day she was born and Buck worked hard to ensure it remained that way through the course of her life. He knew that he probably spoilt her a little since he had never been able to say no to any female in his life and he simply adored her. Fortunately, Inez was far more grounded than he about such things and though she loved Elena Rose as much as he, she was far more capable of offering the girl the discipline she needed. Not that Elena Rose gave them much trouble as she grew older. This was somewhat surprising considering the friends she made.
Most of the time, she was seen in the company of Michael Larabee and later on Samantha Tanner, when they arrived into the world. Their adventures caused all their fathers to require a stiff drink at times to calm their nerves while debating whether or not locking a child in a monastery was an entirely bad thing. Buck supposed that considering their lineage, the children could not be any other way. Besides, a part of him was pleased that their children had formed friendships almost as binding as their own had been. However, with the advent of Elena Rose approaching womanhood, Buck began to realize like the rest of the seven, that some of those friendships could evolve into something unexpected that none of them had ever considered.
No matter how much she grew up, Buck still saw Elena Rose as his little girl. In his mind’s eye, she would always be the small pink bundle handed to him by Nathan Jackson on that prairie where he and Inez had met. He could imagine her no other way, certainly not as a young woman and definitely not the object of someone’s affection. The idea that she might marry and leave home one day was a terrifying possibility because he could not imagine his life without her even though he knew that it was the natural way of things. When she turned sixteen, Buck suddenly became aware that he had fathered an extraordinarily beautiful child. Coming from two handsome parents of differing racial backgrounds had turned Elena Rose into something of an exotic hybrid and when her flower came into full bloom at sixteen.
Suddenly Buck began to have thoughts about the men who would come asking for her hand and the fears that she would meet someone like how he used to be in his youth caused the former ladies man to wake up in a cold sweat on more than one occasion. Josiah had made some joke about it being poetic justice since Buck’s first few years in Four Corners had sent many a father to the brink of a nervous break down in their efforts to protect their daughters from his charming smile. It was a natural part of life, Josiah had said when he realized that Buck was truly mortified by the idea of that little joke. Perhaps it was, Buck thought defiantly to himself, but he did not have to like it.
Inez told him plainly as she often did, that he was being silly. Of course, Elena Rose would meet someone one day she would love and cherish the way their parents felt towards one another, what was wrong with that? Nothing he supposed begrudgingly, if that was what would happen. He could live with that because comfortingly, that scenario was years ahead in the future and his happy family would remain safe for a while longer. However, suitors in the future was a non issue when it came to Elena Rose because the person she was destined for was already known to her and for reasons Buck could not understand, the idea that she could be in love with someone already terrified him
He supposed he should not be surprised at the developing affections between Elena Rose and Mike Larabee. After all, they had grown up together and were rarely apart. Mike and Elena’s romantic connection to each other really started to take shape when they were twelve, although Buck suspected that Mike had felt deeply for his daughter even earlier than that. He watched the attraction grow; convincing himself that it was youthful infatuation, that the years would diminish its intensity. It did not. If anything, it became stronger and there was no doubt in his mind that the boy adored his daughter almost as much as he did. It should have made it easier to accept but for Buck it made it all the more difficult. Chris seemed to take the whole thing with a grain of salt, remarking only that they’ll decide their on fate when the time came for them to make the decision.
When she was eighteen, he lived with the fear that one day Mike would come calling for her hand and that there was no way Buck could deny him and he would lose his little girl. It was not as if he did not like Mike. It was impossible not to. He looked at Mike and he saw his oldest friend, before life had got to him and scarred him to the hardened gunslinger he had become in his later years. However Mike’s edge was tempered by his mother’s temperament. There was no doubt in his mind that Mike would not do anything for his daughter and Buck realised that his own reluctance to accept the relationship was some fear of losing Elena Rose. He did not want their relationship to change and knew that when she was a woman married, everything would.
Since the day of her life began in the womb, she had changed Buck’s life. Every day following the discovery of her existence had shaped Buck’s life. He had been blessed with more joy than any man had a right to and there was a part of him that feared if she were gone from his life, so would that happiness. It was foolishness, he knew it but he could not ignore how it made him feel. However, the expectation that Mike would come knocking at his door and asking for Elena Rose’s hand when she was eighteen did not come at all. It was actually quite surprising when instead Elena Rose announced her intention to work in the Pemberton Emporium while Mike Larabee was going to California to gain a college education. For a time Buck was puzzled, wondering why they were marrying because that was what everyone expected. Elena merely shrugged and said that it was not time for that.
Later on Chris explained to Buck that Mike wanted to finish college first, become capable of supporting a wife before he made any attempts to acquire one. Elena Rose meant too much to him for her to be incapable of providing for her when she became his wife. It surprised Buck and despite himself, the old rogue appreciated the effort the boy had made. They remained closely bound for the next four years, always spending time together when Mike came home from college while Elena Rose continued to work at the Emporium, becoming more and more indispensable to Julia as time went on. For Buck, those years moved by too quickly and before he knew it, Chris was announcing that Mike was done in college and would soon be coming home.
And Buck just knew that when he did, everything would change.
************
"Michael, I don’t know whether this is a good idea or not." Elena Rose confided as they walked towards the Wilmington home where her parents were presently breakfasting. She had been waiting for Mike for most of the morning, aware that he would be making his arrival at the homestead in order to see her father.
"Ellie we talked about this," Mike sighed as he wrapped his horses reins around the hitching post. "I’m going to be leaving for Egypt in two months, I want you with me."
"Why couldn’t you do something here? I mean Egypt, it’s so far away." She sighed wistfully. Despite her ambivalence at what Mike was about to do, the truth was, Elena Rose did want to do with him abroad. She wanted to see all the things he had described to her during the past four years, the places that had existed beyond Four Corners and the Territory. Elena Rose had never been outside of the Territory and she wanted to see the world that Mike was promising to show her.
"Its pretty hard to do any serious archaeological work at Giza if one’s not actually there Elena," he said good naturedly, understanding the reason for her anxiety and unable to confess that he was completely devoid of the emotion himself. However, they had waited long enough and it was finally time for their lives to begin. "Elena this is a great opportunity," he said taking her hand in his and staring into her eyes, the way he did when they were children where she was afraid and in need of assurance. "The few years I spend over there is experience that will give the chance to get me a place in any college in this country."
"I know," she glanced apprehensively at the house. "Its just that I don’t think daddy’s that pleased with the whole idea of us being married."
"He just doesn’t want to lose you." Mike said with a little smile. "Who can blame him?" He lowered his lips gently to her forehead and planted a soft kiss. "It will be okay, I promise."
Elena Rose nodded slowly, allowing herself to believe him because he always kept his promises to her no matter what the situation. In her youth, she had not loved him as much as he had adored her but now, she could not imagine her life without him. The last four years where he had been away in California studying, had been agonizing for her. Half the reason she had convinced Julia Pemberton to hire her at the Emporium was just so that she would have something to do during the periods when he was away. Elena had never imagined Mike leaving could be as torturous as it had been. He had been there all her life and his sudden absence felt as if part of soul was missing.
"Okay," she let herself relax a little even if it was for a moment. No doubt, her anxiety would return in full force once they entered the house. "Just promise me you’ll start running if you see a shotgun."
"That’s not funny." Mike stared at her.
"Who was joking?" She returned his gaze wit ha perfectly innocent expression.
They reached the house a moment later and holding his hand in hers, Elena Rose led Mike to the kitchen where at present the Wilmington family was gathered around the table. She squeezed his hand tightly at the last moment, almost as if she were wishing him luck for the both of them. Elena Rose had no idea how her father was going to react to what Mike was about to propose but she resolved herself not to falter. She was a grown woman now and as much as her father loved, she had a right to live her own life, no matter how much he might think he was protecting him.
"Hey Mike." Seventeen year old Jimmy Wilmington grinned in Mike's direction when the two of them appeared before the family.
"Hello everyone." Mike greeted him back and felt intensely awkward when he noted Buck's gaze pointed sharply at him.
"Hello Michael," Inez smiled as she rose from her seat and kissed him lightly on the cheek as if he were a small child again. "Would you like something to eat?"
"No thanks Inez," Mike answered, having felt comfortable enough to call the lady by her first name a long time ago. "I came here to see Buck."
Inez nodded in understanding, having a good idea why her daughter seemed almost as tense as the young man before her and why Buck was glaring at Mike as if he was a hated enemy. She sighed inwardly, reminding herself that she would let things progress on their own for awhile before she intervened. For the moment at least, she would give Buck the benefit of the doubt. Her personal opinion was that it was time for Elena Rose to make her own decisions and there was no doubt in the Mexican's mind that Mike Larabee was utterly in love with her daughter as much as Elena Rose was with him. Of course men were not so astute about these things and while she was sad to think that after today, her daughter would no longer be hers, she wanted nothing but Elena Rose's happiness.
"What about?" Jimmy asked.
"It's a private matter." Mike said staring across the table and meeting Buck's gaze, determined not to show any fear. He was, after all, his father's son.
"Jimmy," Inez spoke up. "You have chores to do. Take care of them please."
"Ma," Jimmy looked at her in confusion. "I ain't finished eating yet."
"Oh yes you are." Inez said sweetly. "Get going now."
Even though he was seventeen years old, he recognized the tone of her voice that demanded obedience and he was too conditioned not to ignore it. Swallowing what was left of his breakfast still in his mouth, Jimmy grumbled as he left the table, even though no one seemed to notice. Once he was gone, Inez gestured at Elena to follow her into the kitchen so that the two men could have the privacy needed to discuss things. Elena Rose was reluctant to go especially with her father merely sitting there staring at Mike as if something was terribly wrong. It was such a far cry from the man she had come to love so dearly? Why was her father so angry?
The question did not have opportunity to be answered as Elena Rose was ushered out of the room leaving Mike alone with Buck Wilmington who did not at all seem very happy to see him. Like her, he was just as bewildered by her father's behavior. Surely Buck knew how they felt about each other? After all these years, he could not possibly be in the dark about why Mike had come to see him today, especially since he had gone away to college. Buck merely stared at him, wearing a hard expression on his face, a far cry from the happy go lucky family man he had always knew and admired.
"Buck, I've come to ask for Elena's hand." Mike announced after a long pause, deciding not to waste time with trivialities.
"I guessed that." Buck said slowly, finally faced with the moment he had dreaded for so long.
"I have a job in Egypt." Mike said slowly, choosing to hide nothing as he made his case. "I'll be an assistant to a professor who is supervising some archaeological digs on the Giza Plain. I'll be gone for a while, I want Elena Rose to come with me as my wife."
"You want to take her away from everything she's ever known?" Buck accused, his heart pounding at the thought of her being so far away from him.
"No," Mike shook his head, refusing to be intimidated by the question. "I want to show her the world. She deserves to see it."
"She's too young." Buck returned. It was a weak excuse and he knew it.
"She's old enough to know she wants to come with me." Mike returned. "Buck, I love her. I've always loved her and she loves me. I want to make her my wife, please."
"No." Buck said simply and did not realise until he said it how unreasonable it sounded.
Buck stared at Mike Larabee as he absorbed the answer. His face remained the same despite the refusal. There was no angry demands, no expressions of outrage of anger, just that contemplative look of study that told Buck nothing about what he was feeling. For a minute, he looked so much like Chris it was maddening because all it did was remind Buck how foolish he was being but he could not agree to this. She was his flesh and blood! His first born! She had changed everything by her existence, how could he let her go? How could he stand to be without her in his life?
"May I ask why?" Mike spoke after a long moment wrought with unspoken tension.
"She's too young to be married or to be taken so far away from home. If anything happens to you over there, she'll be stranded in a strange place." Buck returned. "I ain't letting you put her in that kind of danger."
"I see." Mike nodded slowly. "You don't think that I don't love her enough to make sure that if something like that happened, she would be sent home to you?"
"You're younger than she is," Buck retorted. "You probably wouldn't think of it. When you're young and you don't know better, things like that seem far off."
Mike sucked in his breath and stared Buck straight in the eye. "I love her more than anything in the world. I would never cause her to be harmed in any way but you're wrong about so many things. She wants to be with me and I know if I asked her to come with me, without your permission, she'll do it because she loves me as much as I love her. I don't want to do that. You're her father and she adores you. I won't break her heart by making her choose between what she feels for me and her love for you. I thought you would care enough not to do the same."
"Get out." Buck hissed, the younger man's words penetrating more than it should. The kid was right of course but he could not give in. He could not imagine his little girl being taken away from his life, to journey to a place an ocean away, he could not stand how any man could let his child leave like that? What on Earth was Chris thinking by letting Mike go so far away? "We're done."
"Yes we are." Mike nodded and put his hat back on, preparing to leave. He was not going to force the issue, not yet. Buck was afraid of losing his daughter and Mike had to hope that when the shock of the proposal finally sunk in, Buck would be a little more receptive to the idea. Right now the man needed a little time to come to terms with the changes that were coming. Mike loved Elena Rose enough to give Buck that time.
And without another word, he left.
************
The shock wave of Mike Larabee's abrupt departure hit Buck Wilmington a few minutes later.
He recalled hearing Elena Rose asking Mike what had happened when he strode out of the house and Mike had not answered her which was all the answer she needed to come storming back through the door. Buck was still seated at the table, hating himself for what he had done because the younger man had shown he loved Elena Rose more than her own father. Buck felt ashamed and yet he could not let this happen. Each time he thought about his daughter being married, his gut constricted with fear and suddenly he was reminded of what it was like before she came, when he had been alone except for the six friends he rode with. Before Elena was conceived, he did not even have Inez. None of it made any sense, he knew that but it still felt real.
"What did you say to him?" Elena demanded, staring at him with eyes so ablaze with fury, Buck was rather unsettled by it. She had always been his Rose, to see this darker side of her was unnerving.
"I said no." Buck admitted, refusing to be that much of a coward.
Elena's expression hardened a split second before he saw just how hurt she was. With a calmer voice than she thought her capable of under the circumstances, Elena asked quietly. "Why?" Her voice was little more than a whisper.
"Because you're too young!" He exclaimed, unable to believe she could actually ask her that. "You're still a kid!"
"I AM TWENTY THREE YEARS OLD!" She roared. "I am old enough to make my own decisions and you had no right to refuse him!"
"I'm your father!" He cried out in desperation. Couldn't she see he was doing it for her own good? "If I let you marry him, he'll take you half way across the world! You don't want that!"
"You never asked me if I did!" She shouted. "I don't want to leave you or mama or even Jimmy but its time for me to go and its not like I wouldn't come back! I've never been out of the Territory daddy, I want to go with Mike, I want to see what's out there. Don't you understand, I love him!"
"I can't agree to this," Buck swallowed, feeling his heart breaking at being unable to say what she wanted to hear. He just was not ready to let go of her. "I'm sorry."
"Don't make me do this daddy," she said softly, her eyes glistening with emotion as Elena Rose found herself faced with an unimaginable situation. "Don't make me chose between you and him. Please."
"I can't Rose," he whispered. "I can't let you leave, not yet."
"Oh daddy," she blinked and turned away, the disappointment thick in her voice. "It was never your decision."
With that, she left the room, not even looking at him as she went.
Inez walked in almost immediately after, her face staring at him in shock as if she could not believe what he had done. The astonishment on her face was more mute horror as if she was looking at a stranger that had suddenly taken the place of her husband.
"Buck what have you done?" She asked him, needing to hear it for herself from his lips.
"I don't want to talk about it Inez," he said gruffly. "I've made my decision."
"Have you now?" She returned sharply not about to take that for an answer in any shape of form. "Might I remind you that she is my daughter? I carried her in my body, I am the one who suffered public ridicule when she was first conceived. Don’t you ever tell me that I do not have the right to have some say in what my child’s future is!"
"Inez, she’s still a child!" Buck shouted, refusing to back down.
"She’s a great deal more grown up than you are!" Inez barked. "Buck, she loves him. She has loved for a long time and I won’t let them be kept apart."
"He’s going to take her away if they’re married Inez. To Egypt or some strange place like that!" Buck exclaimed, trying to make her understand that he had good reason for what he had done.
Inez paused a moment, considering his words but the respite was fleeting. "Buck, she’s not our baby any more. She’s a grown woman. She knows her heart and you have to let go. The tighter we hold on to her, the more she’ll slip away." Inez closed the distance between them and took his face in her hands in a gesture of warmth and understanding. "I know its hard to see her as a woman but you have to. You have to let her be happy."
"Inez," Buck whispered softly. "She’s our little girl. I can’t imagine her being gone."
"It is hard for me too." Inez confessed feeling her own sorrow at what must be reflecting in her eyes. "I do not want her leaving any more than you do but we must let her choose her own life and we must prepare ourselves for losing her when she does."
Buck thought about the child he had loved for so long and realized that his image of Elena Rose had remained unchanged since the day she was born. Perhaps that had been wrong because in seeing her as nothing else, he had not allowed himself to understand that time was passing and she was evolving into her own person beyond the Rose he had always considered her to be. He had always prided in himself in knowing how women thought and yet he had been so wrong about his daughter. He held her in his eyes as a child, oblivious to the fact that like every young woman, she had hopes and dreams of the future, a future that obviously centered a great deal on Mike Larabee.
"Oh hell Inez," Buck swallowed, his voice choked by emotion in his throat. "I hate losing her. I really do."
"I know," Inez smiled, seeing in his eyes that he was reaching the point he needed to be. "But its not forever and you could think of it as gaining a son." She teased a little.
"Make me feel better why don’t you?" He glared at her. "Chris’ kid don’t take after him much." Buck muttered. "I don’t remember Chris being that smart."
"I’ll bet Mary was," Inez chuckled as she wrapped her arms around her husband and rested her head on his shoulder. "You want me to tell Rose?"
Buck nodded slowly, still hating this whole idea of a daughter married and being taken away but he could not deny that Inez was right. In his heart he knew it too but was too compelled by his feelings of loss to admit it yet. "Yeah, she’s probably still mad at me. I suppose I can’t blame her for that. I was a little out of hand."
"Buck, you’re a wonderful father." Inez gave him a look. "But you have made a mess of this situation and I will only partially clean it up for you. I will tell your daughter that her father has come to his senses and that she can marry the man she loves. You will ride to Four Corners and give Mike your blessing."
"Aw darling, don’t make me do that." Buck complained, having no wish to face the younger man and admit that he was wrong.
"Buck, this is not up for negotiation." Inez said firmly. "You will go."
Buck frowned, aware that he had already lost this argument and there was no sense getting any deeper into trouble by making Inez madder than she already was at him. Besides, she was right. He had behaved like a fool in front of the younger man who had acted surprisingly adult considering. That he had refused to make Elena Rose choose between the two of them was testament to how much he cared about her and on some level that made Buck feel a little better about the man Elena Rose had chosen to be her husband.
Husband.
The word sounded so alien even as he said it. Baser instincts still prevailed even though he had decided that Inez was right about allowing Elena Rose the choice to make her own decisions. His mind could not overcome the concept that she was too young to be a wife. Time had moved so fast that sometimes Buck wondered where it all went. Why did it feel as if it was not that long ago when he had heard that knock on the door, where Vin Tanner had tricked him into believing that the husband of the woman who’s bed he was presently occupying had returned? After that day, everything in his life had changed. From the formation of the seven, to the first time he met Inez and Elena’s eventual birth, everything had moved so fast and here he as now, a man almost at his sixties, trying to cope with getting older and watching his daughter start a life beyond his.
With a sigh, Buck knew that he was trying to find the rolling tides of an ocean. Life had no intention of remaining in stasis for him. It would go on without his cooperation and around him if necessary. He could do nothing to stop it except perhaps change with it. Perhaps that was what he could not face most of all, not the loss of Elena Rose with the approach of her life but the fact that he was simply getting old and once Elena Rose married, there would be no hiding how much older he had become. The rogue he had once been was so far away from what he was now that he hardly recognized himself and the truth that he refused to admit to himself, though he was certain Inez knew, was his fear that with Elena Rose's marriage, he would become even more unrecognizable.
"You're right," Buck sighed, admitting defeat at last. "I'll go."
**********
When he arrived at the Larabee home, Buck was surprised to learn that Mary had no idea what had happened between him and her son. It was just as well, Buck thought as Mary directed him to the Standish Tavern in order to find the boy. Mary could be as fierce a lady grizzly when it came to her children and Buck's actions if she knew, would certainly earn him a decent hollering. Even though he probably deserved it, Buck was in no mood to receive her rebuke when he still yet to face Mike. He felt bad enough over what he had done earlier and it was going to feel a lot worse when he was faced to swallow his pride and apologize to the young man. Sometimes admitting one was wrong could be such hard word; Buck sighed as he made his way to the saloon.
He was still on the street when he saw Chris Larabee emerge from the batwing doors. The eyes of his oldest friend narrowed as he caught sight of Buck and told him in an instant that Chris knew what had happened. Chris' expression remained stony as he paused at the edge of the boardwalk and waited for Buck to join him. Buck took a deep breath, knowing that this was probably the easier of the two encounters he would make today. After the way the day had started, Buck supposed it could only get better. It sure as hell could not get worse.
"Chris." Buck nodded at him in greeting.
"Buck." Chris stared back at him.
"Is Mike in there?" Buck asked gingerly, glancing towards the Standish Tavern's doors.
"Yeah," Chris nodded imperceptibly, his eyes still boring holes into Buck's skin as the former gunslinger gave him a perfect demonstration of the infamous Larabee glare.
"I need to see him." Buck managed to say, aware that Chris was angry but was restraining himself in order to give Buck a chance to explain.
"I think you were pretty clear when he was at your place." Chris retorted coolly but there was a thin line of anger in his voice that Buck had heard enough times in his life to recognize immediately.
"I changed my mind," Buck said quickly, deciding to diffuse the situation before it got any worse. "Of course he can marry her."
Chris' reaction was slight but it was enough to show Buck that he was relaxing somewhat and more pliable to a civilized conversation now that Buck had apparently come to his senses. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"Oh my wife told me I was being a damn fool." Buck confessed with a heavy sigh.
"Well Inez was always the smarter of you two." Chris remarked with the barest hint of humor in his voice.
"Thanks a lot," Buck growled at him. "Mike is a fine young man, Chris. I always thought so. I just got mighty scared when I realised my little girl ain't a so little no more."
"I know what you mean." Chris nodded in understanding and sympathy.
"You do?" Buck stared at him with surprise. Chris did not often admit he was scared and even rarely over something as personal as this.
"He's my son. I don't like the idea of him sailing half way across the world either, you know. I could barely stand it when Billy went to West Point or when Mike went to California. I kept thinking they were too far away to protect. Now he wants to go Egypt. That's so far away from here you need to go to another page to find it on a map." Chris admitted, lowering the mask that concealed so many emotions and showed Buck that on this point, their feelings were almost the same.
"Then why let him go?" Buck asked, hoping that if Chris had an answer, perhaps it would work with Elena Rose too.
"Because its not my place to keep him here Buck." Chris stared at him as if there could be any other response. "He's a grown man. Its time for his life to begin and he can't do that if I'm protecting him. Sooner or later he's got to do it on his own. You remember what that was like don't you? We went through the same thing with JD."
"That's different," Buck insisted, "JD was here with us. He was apart of the seven. Anything happen to him, all six of us would be there to catch him. Where Mike and Elena Rose wants to go, we won't be there."
"No we won't," Chris agreed. "But they love each other Buck and they'll find a way without us. We have to give them the chance to try."
"I'm too young to be a grandfather." Buck sighed.
"No you're not," Chris smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "And neither am I."
"I should disown her for making me related to you." Buck chuckled.
"I could say the same." Chris laughed with him. "So are you going to tell my son that he can marry your daughter before the kid gets any drunker than he already is?"
"He's drunk?" Buck stared at him.
"Yeah, one drink and he's drunk." Chris shook his head in bewilderment.
"Well at least we know he didn't get that from you." Buck gave Chris a mischievous look.
"Right, right," Chris returned his response with a barb of his
own. "Like Elena didn't get her brains from you."
Both men laughed for a few seconds before Buck stopped and declared abruptly.
"You realize we're gonna have to hog tie Vin to get him into a suit."
"Why?" Chris looked at him in confusion.
Buck rolled his eyes in exasperation, "cause there's no way in hell he's going to look like some wild and woolly buffalo hunter that's past his prime at my daughter's wedding."
**********
The wedding was held less than two weeks later with almost everyone in town turning up for the affair. Once again, Josiah Sanchez found himself presiding at the most important ceremony in the lives of the seven since Lilith's marriage to Billy Travis. Of course on that auspicious day he had been the father of the bride and not the preacher that was marrying the happy couple, like this wedding. It was a difference he did not mind at all and considered it a great privilege when Mike had asked him to perform the ceremony. Considering that they had only two weeks to prepare for it, the wives of the seven came together with remarkable efficiency. Inez of course wanted everything to be perfect and like a general on the battlefield, enlisted the aid of everyone possible to make her daughter's special day an event to be treasured for ever.
The ceremony was to be held at the church that Josiah had restored through years of devotion and the reception would take place at the Wilmington homestead. The children of the seven wherever they might be scattered throughout the country made the trip home to attend the wedding celebrations. Samantha Tanner had returned home Eagle Bend where she was almost near completion in her apprenticeship as a land surveyor. Like her father, she loved wide, open spaces and the land and in the vocation of marking the vast tracts of land in the Territory, she had found the perfect blending of her skills. Of course, she did not forget that she was a woman and when many saw her moving through town, respectfully garbed like a lady, she amused herself knowing that they would probably be stunned if they knew what she did for a living.
Peter Standish and Tommy Jackson were also able to attend the wedding owing to the fact that the school semester was over and they were at home on holidays anyway. Peter was studying to become an engineer and each time he returned home, he dazzled those who would listen about the things he would build. At the moment, he seemed preoccupied with the notion of building flying machines which twenty years ago sounded outlandish but was now becoming more and more a topic spoken by a great number of people. Josiah swore he saw Ezra flinch every time Peter spoke of building one of these craft and making them fly. According to Peter, there was a race to conquer the sky and once it was done, the face of the world as it was known would change beyond human imagination. When Peter described it, even those as jaded, as the seven tended to believe it.
Tommy Jackson's dreams were nowhere as lofty but there were nonetheless just as important. The younger man had persevered in Yale despite the prejudice he encountered to show that he was just as capable of any white student attempting to survive there. Nathan claimed that while Tommy spoke of being a chemist, the gleam in his eyes indicated that there was more to his dreams for the future than just that achievement. Tommy was often in correspondence with men like Edward Bouchet and had since began correspondence with an Elmer Samuel Imes who was also studying to be a chemist in Fisk University. The connection to other similarly minded Negroes did a great deal to encourage Tommy in his own endeavors and there was no doubt in any of the seven's mind that whatever he chose to do in the future, it would be on his own terms.
Penny Standish had achieved her goals much more rapidly than the others as she fulfilled her ambitions to be an actress. Despite it being the part of a minor character, following her performance as Lavinia in Titus Andronicus for which she received pleasant enough reviews, Penny found herself receiving the attention of a man named Charles Frohman and was soon threading the boards on Broadway. When she was not there, she was traveling across the country and performing. Although it seemed to be brutally hard work and a vocation which still gave her parents a great deal of concern, the glimmer of success could be seen in the horizon. Penny's news upon returning home for the wedding seemed to indicate that with her winning of the starring role in a new play called Madam Butterfly.
Adam in the meantime was no longer working at the Clarion News. Last summer, he had sold a book, an adventurous tale about a young man's journey to the west, which had been purchased by a fancy New York publisher. Based partly on some of JD's adventures with the seven, the book was a great success particularly in the East and was the fiction of choice for an generation of young men who had been born too late to know what the rugged west had been in their father's day. Thanks to his royalties, Adam no longer needed to work and after treating himself to a typewriter, the young man set down to work on his next piece of fiction. Much to JD's relief, Adam's writings had a little more realism and less flamboyance than that of another writer who had once attempted to chronicle the seven's adventures, Jock Steele and it felt oddly satisfying to know that it was Adam doing it.
Kyle Larabee had also left Four Corners but was home for his brother's wedding. Kyle had followed in Billy's footsteps, joining West Point. It was his first year away from home and Chris was gratified to know that the General, his own father, was close enough to keep an eye on his grandson. Although the General was pretty much retired these days, the older man had made it a point to remain close by much to Chris' relief. Jimmy Wilmington had declined the need to go to college, preferring instead to work on the Lucky Seven ranch. The boy had a real knack for handling horses and the ranch's three principals were confident that when it was time for them to retire, they would be leaving the place in good hands. Nettie did go to college, having decided she wanted to be a doctor. It was her first year away from Four Corners, having enrolled in the Emma Willard Academy for young ladies. Since the passing of her mother, Nettie had spent a great deal of time with Alexandra Tanner, helping in the cli nic and learning enough to know that it was what she wanted to do with her life.
Fortunately not all the children were ready to fly the nest and so the seven were left with some sense that the best part of their lives were not behind them, with Sarah, Rebecca and Daniel still in their lives. Still, there was no doubting that things were changing dramatically with this wedding. Although they had already gone through the same experience with Lilith and Billy, there was something different about this one. Billy and his family lived in Four Corners, where else Elena Rose and Mike would be travelling half way across the world when they began their married lives. It was an exodus that defined the realization that someday their children would scatter to the winds and with this wedding, the day had drawn one step closer.
**********
"So how is Buck taking this any better?" Samantha Tanner asked as she and Elena Rose got dressed for the wedding that was now only matter of hours away.
It was decided that it would be easier for them to prepare themselves for the coming nuptials at the Standish home since it was in town and not far from the church where the actual ceremony was held. Mike was involved in similar arrangements at the Larabee household while back at the homestead where she had grown up, Inez was busily ensuring everything was perfect when the guests returned to the place for the reception. In the meantime, Audrey, Rain and Lilith were taking care of decorating the church for the special event about to take place in its hallowed halls. Like everything else the seven was involved in, the preparations for the wedding had mobilized everyone. It was terribly in keeping with the tradition.
"Well he still hates the idea of me going to Egypt." Elena Rose replied as she fixed her hair as she intended to wear it up for the ceremony, holding it together with some fashionable pins that Penny had picked up for her in New York and keeping the tradition of wearing something new.
"Well I can't say I'm too thrilled either." Sam confessed as she ran a brush through her hair. Sam hated wearing her long, sheeny tresses up, a habit she had not been able to break since her childhood. "That's a long way. I'll miss you both."
"Its not forever," Elena Rose looked away from the mirror. "Besides we'll keep in touch. I can write lots of letters you know? Its just that Mike wants to be a serious archaeologist and I don't want to deny him that. Besides," she said with a little smile. "I want to see the Middle East."
"I can't say I don't envy you," Sam replied. "Maybe I'll do that once I finish up with Messrs. Hill & Blume Surveyors."
"What about Peter?" Elena Rose glanced at her with a twinkle of suggestion in her eye.
"What about him?" Sam asked innocently.
"Oh don't play coy with me," Elena Rose retorted staring at her pointedly. "There's been something up with you two for ages."
"Well maybe there is," Sam chuckled, not about to deny when she knew in her heart how deeply she felt about Peter. "Can I ask you something Ellie?"
"Can it wait until after you two give me a hand with these things?" Penny's voice interrupted as the stage actress entered the room, carrying the gowns both participants in the ceremony would be wearing for the day.
"Oh now that's really lovely," Sam commented as she relieved Penny of Elena Rose's wedding gown and took a moment to admire it.
"Isn't it?" Elena Rose beamed proudly as she ran her fingers over the soft creme colored material as Sam was hanging it up until she was ready to wear it. "Its Mary's."
"Yeah, Rain and Audrey did a great job altering it for you." Penny remarked as she handed Alex her own dress. "And I think its kind of nice that you're wearing your mother in law's wedding dress."
"Well its not like my own mom had one," Elena Rose sighed. "I mean she had her wedding in the middle of a prairie somewhere, while giving birth to me. With your dad as a bridesmaid." She winked at Sam.
"He still says it wasn't because of his hair." Sam chuckled.
"And my daddy had to lend yours a ring." Penny pointed out, having heard this amusing story from Nathan numerous times in their lives." She giggled.
"Somehow it's just the way I expect it to be with my dad though," Elena confessed, enjoying the moment with her friends. "Just a little crazy."
"I think Mike is really pleased you are wearing his mom's dress," Sam remarked. "Gives the wedding a nice sense of continuity."
"I think so," Elena Rose nodded before she glanced at Sam again. "Now, what was it that you were about to say when Penny walked in? You seemed kind of cryptic."
"Oh," Sam remembered what she had been saying and wondered if she should bring it up on such occasion, now that she had reason to pause and consider it. "It's nothing."
"It didn't sound like it," Penny pointed out. "Come on, how bad could it be?"
"It's not bad," Sam shrugged and then let out a sigh. "Okay, I was wondering whether you ever thinking about what happened to us when we went searching for the Twin Lakes."
For a brief instance, none of them responded to Sam's question. She need not elaborate any further than that because they all knew to what she was referring. So many years had passed and they had managed to keep the memories of what they had seen after drinking from that strange pool called the Twin Lakes in the mountains. Though they all had been visited by visions, not many of them liked to talk about it. Kyle in particular had seen what he thought was his own death until learning otherwise from Nettie that he would survive some war in the distant future and become Four Corner's sheriff once JD Dunne was prepared to retire.
"I do," Elena answered first. "For a long time, I only had this feeling that what we saw was real but no real proof and then Mike came home and said he got that job in Egypt and I knew it was true because I saw us both in Egypt during my vision. What about you two?"
Sam and Penny exchanged glances as if trying to decide who would go first and coming to the conclusion that it would be Penny. "I saw myself on stage," she crooked the corner of her lips into a little curve. "I saw myself as a success and everything I wanted to be and then I saw myself as Adam's wife."
"Now that's a surprise." Sam confessed although she was pleased that there was a future for two of her closest friends. Besides, Penny's extroverted nature was just what someone like Adam, who was shy and somewhat solitary, needed in his life. "A nice one though. At least you can keep an eye on each other since I won't be there to look after you."
"And where will you be?" Penny asked.
Sam smiled as she remembered what she had seen and how the memory of it was still so vivid in her mind. There were moments she could still feel the wind in her hair, the sky surrounding her on all fronts and the giddy realization that she was flying as free as a bird in the sky.
Aware that her friends were waiting for an answer, Sam responded softly, "I'll be catching the moon."
Her cryptic words hung in the air for a few seconds after she had spoken them with none of them saying anything because that Elena's confirmation proved those visions of so long ago was no apparition or fantasy but something real that would unfold in the course of time. The slight preview into the future promised extraordinary things for them and for the people with whom they would share it.
***********
Mike Larabee stared at the clock and knew that time was not moving slower, he was just being impatient. He had waited for this day for so long and now it was finally here. Ever since he was a child he had adored Elena Rose Wilmington and while some might think an infatuation like this would fade with time, his affection for her had only grown stronger and deeper until it had become love in all its passionate glory. He stared in the mirror, partially dressed for the event ahead and knew that he could not wait for it to be over because he would not rest easy until she was his wife. So many years ago, he had seen a vision of his future in the pool called the Twin Lakes but the revelation had been of little surprise to him. He had always loved Elena and what he had seen in the pool merely confirmed it.
He thought of the world they would be venturing into weeks from now and hoped he was doing the right thing by taking Elena Rose from all the things she knew. He had wanted so badly to see the world beyond Four Corners and to share it with her, he wondered if he was being a little selfish for placing so much distance from her friends and her family by their marriage. The notion that he might be doing an injustice to Elena Rose worried Mike a lot especially as the ceremony drew closer. He wished he could see Elena Rose once more just to assure himself but it was tremendously bad luck for him to see her before the wedding and he was not about to jinx their new life together before it even started.
"You okay?" Billy Travis asked as he saw Mike looking a little more far away that usual.
"I'm wondering if it isn't right taking Elena Rose away from everything" Mike spoke out, looking to Peter and Tommy who were also present for reassurance.
"Well Egypt is pretty far away." Peter agreed. "Can't be easy for either of you. I mean that's a long way to be from everything and everyone you've ever known."
"Oh you're just a ray of sunshine aren't you?" Tommy gave his friend a look because Mike needed assurances, not reasons to make him feel even more apprehensive then before.
"Mike," Billy said with an air of experience in his voice. "You think you can handle it out there on your own?" He asked his younger brother, having complete faith in Mike even though he posed the question.
"Of course I can," Mike returned confidently. "Its scary to be on my own, I'm not going to lie about that. I mean you and dad have been there in one way or another to catch me whenever I took a stumble, its going to be different not having you there but I think I'll be okay. I have to be," he said firmly. "Its time for me to be on my own."
"Don't you think Elena Rose feels the same way?" Billy stared at him.
"But...."
"But nothing," Tommy blurted out before Billy could say anything. "Elena Rose is the most practical minded woman we know and she does not do anything she doesn't want to do."
"Tommy's right," Billy reinforced the younger man's statement with his own agreement. "She loves you very much Mike, she's going with you because she wants to, not because you're forcing her to."
"I know," Mike nodded. "I'm just a little nervous, I guess."
"Its understandable," Peter smiled warmly. "It's a big day."
"I'm getting married," Mike turned away from the mirror after straightening his tie and stared at them with a somewhat overwhelmed expression on his face. "I can't believe it."
Kyle, who chose that moment to enter the room with Adam, caught the end of that conversation. "Tell me about it, I still remember when you'd get all excited every time you were going to see her. You could just tell by how pink he got every time she smiled at him." The younger man chuckled gleefully and caused an eruption of laughter from the friends around him.
"I really missed the days before you started to talk." Mike glared at him.
"I could say the same thing." Billy grinned.
"Hey if it makes you feel any better Mike," Adam Dunne remarked once the laughter had died down. "I'll be leaving Four Corners soon too."
"How come?" Kyle turned to him and asked quickly.
"Well I've been talking to Penny and she says that I should think about writing a play." Adam remarked. In truth, his desire to go to New York had more to do with being near the titian haired beauty more than anything else. "It will give me a chance to do something a little different and I can keep an eye on Nettie at college."
"Hey that's great." Peter said gratefully, glad that Penny would have someone to watch over her in the big city. Peter always felt a little apprehensive about Penny being alone in New York. Even though he was not far away in Connecticut, Peter still could not help but feel uneasy about her being in such heady company as the New York theatre world. "Just don't forget your friends when you become rich and famous."
"And that refers to you how?" Adam retorted with a smile of mischief.
The door swung open and Jimmy Wilmington stuck his head through the door. "Hey Mike, your mom says its time to get going."
That seemed to bring the cheerful atmosphere to a halt abruptly as the men looked at each other, feeling something happen at that instant that was difficult to define. They felt it and yet they would not put their finger on what it was until much later, when there was time to reflect deeper.
Mike however, understood immediately He saw his family, composed of his friends and his brothers and was suddenly struck with the understanding that today was probably the last time they were all going to be together for quite a while. Destiny was scattering them in all directions so that they could find their own way in the world. No matter how necessary that was, Mike could not keep from mourning the end of things as they knew it. Peter and Tommy would soon return to New Haven. Adam would be going to New York where Nettie was studying to be a doctor. Kyle would be at West Point while Sam continued her apprenticeship in Eagle Bend. Penny would be in New York or wherever her career took her touring. Jimmy would stay, happy to take the reins of the Lucy Seven ranch when the time came. Their childhood was fading before his eyes and Mike was sad to see it go.
The future, always so far away in the distance, had finally arrived because someday had become today.
*********
Buck Wilmington stared at his daughter and felt interminably old but for the first time since this all had happened, he no longer felt saddened by it. It was impossible to feel anything but pride as he saw Elena Rose standing before him on the day of her wedding, looking like a vision of beauty he would carry in his heart until the day he died. For the longest time, his image of her was as the small babe Nathan had placed into his arms and told him was his daughter out there in the prairie. Now that image was replaced by this lovely young woman, who stared at him with the same adoration she had in her eyes all her life, filled with confidence that no matter what happened, her daddy would be there for her. The emotion would have overwhelmed him if he did not remind himself that he would do nothing to mar this day for his daughter.
"Are you ready?" He asked her quietly as they stood at the entrance to the church, preparing to enter.
"Yes daddy," Elena Rose whispered from under the veil she was wearing. "I'm ready."
"I am so proud of you." He took a moment to say.
"Thank you," she responded and lifted her veil to kiss his cheek. "Whatever happens daddy, it will never change anything between us. You'll always be in my heart, no matter where I go in this world."
Buck felt moisture filling his eyes but he composed himself. "Oh darling," he smiled faintly. "You're gonna make your old man get all weepy now."
"That's okay," she smiled as she lowered her veil again. "I think you're allowed. After all, you're the father of the bride."
********
The wedding took place with the summer providing a beautiful sunny day for the event. Buck watched his daughter being married to Mike Larabee with nothing less than delight on her lovely features. It was clear as they stared at each other, that they were utterly in love and would remain so for the rest of their lives. Josiah, who had planned his sermon with some help from Adam Dunne had spoke eloquently about friendship and marriage and all the things the seven and their families had shared to bring them to this point in time. As he heard the words being spoken by the couple as they recited their marriage vows, he felt Inez's head resting on his shoulder as her fingers entwined within his. Buck looked down at her and they both felt the same warmth passing through them. Instinctively, Buck glanced at his son and placed a gentle hand on Jimmy's shoulder. The young man looked at his father at the gesture and winked, telling Buck all he needed to know in that one roguish smile.
Buck's eyes scanned the room and he saw Mary Travis Larabee, drying her eyes with a handkerchief, trying not to cry even though she was fighting a losing battle. Chris was smiling at her and planted a kiss on her forehead while Sarah Larabee observed the proceedings with stardust in her eyes so much like her father's. Vin Tanner was staring at his daughter, appearing a little disturbed by how well she wore the bridesmaid's dress perhaps imagining that she too might not be far from this day. Alex noted his uncertainly and rolled her eyes in resignation, deciding she was washing her hands of it before Daniel's insistent tugging of his collar captured her attention.
Ezra Standish was watching carefully how Penny was gazing in Adam's direction and turning an accusatory eye to Julia at whether or not she had been aware that this was in the wind. Julia caught sight of his pointed stare and turned away, refusing to be drawn into this issue until at after the ceremony was over. Julia instead turned was instead gazing proudly at Peter who was fumbling through his pocket appearing as if he could not find the ring much too Tommy's alarm, who from his seat was gesturing at his friend where he could find the jewel on himself. Fortunately, this soon resolved itself when the Peter let out a sigh of relief and patted his coat's top pocket.
Later on when the ceremony was concluded and every one returned to the homestead, Nathan and Rain watched in pride as Rebecca, under some tutelage from Naomi sang the song that would gave Mike and Elena Rose their first dance as Mr and Mrs Michael Larabee. The young woman had a wonderful voice and the song she had sung was one of her own composition. After a few minutes, even her parents had chose to join the couples who had started dancing after Mike and Elena Rose had begun.
The day dragged on and Buck became more accustomed to the idea that his daughter was now a married woman thanks to his friends who sat with him away from the house and the other guests as they proceeded to get terribly drunk. Passing the bottle around as they sat away from the crowd, it almost felt like they were out on the trail again, when their friendship had been young and new. The seven had started out together not even trusting each other to begin but they had become family, first in their deep friendship and finally with the union of their children.
"Daddy," Elena Rose and Mike turned up shortly as the sun was about to set searching for them. "Where have you been, I've been looking everywhere for you." The happiness at being a new bride was radiating from her smile and Buck felt his heart melt, thinking that it was a good thing he had allowed to happen despite his fears.
"Just getting a little peace and quiet" Buck answered with a smile. "What's up?"
"I saved a dance for you daddy." Elena said impatiently. "Come on," she grabbed his hand and tried to pull him gently to his feet.
"Oh give me a break darling," Buck protested, too comfortable and too drunk for that matter to move. "I'm too old for this. Son," he glanced at Mike. "Can't you control your wife?"
"Yeah," Mike returned politely, "about as well as you can."
"Touché." Ezra grinned raising the bot "I do believe the young man is in already in possession of the most important fact of married life."
"Well he is my son." Chris gave the gambler a proud look.
"Oh come on Buck," Vin urged "Give it a try even if you are an old buzzard."
"Hey be nice," Mike gave the tracker a reproachful stare. "He is my father in law."
"And I ain't never forgiving you for making us kin." Chris remarked before breaking out into a drunken laugh.
"Up yours Larabee." Buck growled.
"Now is that anyway for family to talk to each other?" Josiah chuckled.
Chris stared at Buck and at their children, knowing that despite their antagonism, things could not have transpired better even if they had imagined it. "Yeah, that's exactly how it should be."