"Ummph!""Ezra! Wake up! He was here, come on." The boy straddled the man in the bed and bounced in his excitement.
"Ummph," the gambler grunted again as the child bounced a little too hard. He reached out to still the over-exuberant boy and buy a moment to get his mind working. "Who was here?"
"Santa Claus! Come on!" Billy scrambled off the bed and grabbed at the covers to try to get Ezra to hurry.
"Ahhh the jolly old man himself made an appearance last night?" Standish took on a serious tone. "Am I the last to arise this morning?"
"Nah. I came to get you first. They all say I have t' wait 'til the sun is up," he said sadly. "But I don't wanna wait."
Ezra glanced out the window over his bed and saw the first hint of dawn in the eastern sky. "It won't be much longer. I have an idea that will help us pass the time until you can wake them." He sat up on the edge of the bed and grabbed the robe the Judge had loaned him.
"What kind of idea?" Billy asked as he sat on the bed beside the gambler.
"How would you like to give your grandparents a special Christmas gift?"
"Yeah! But what can I give 'em?"
"Come with me and I'll show you." Ezra took the boy by the hand and led him quietly down the stairs. "Shhhh…don't wake them yet."
Once downstairs where they could speak a little above a whisper, the southerner squatted down to eye level with the child. "Daylight will get here a lot faster, if we stay busy, so let's surprise your grandparents by having everything ready for them when they get up."
"Like what?" Billy looked puzzled by the suggestion. At the same time, he was very distracted, letting his eyes wander to the gifts stacked around the hearth and the heavy stockings.
"Follow me." Ezra led him back into the kitchen where he lit the lamp and pulled out a chair. After taking a seat and drawing the boy a little closer, he spoke in conspiratorial tones. "If they don't have to start the fires and light the lamps and candles they will be able to get straight to the business of opening gifts, won't they?"
The youngster's eyes lit up when he understood what the gambler had in mind. "Yeah! ‘Cause we don't ever take time for breakfast first."
"That would be a special gift for them wouldn't it? For them to be able to get up and not have those chores to do before they can enjoy Christmas with you?" He was trying to calm the boy down enough to get him to wait until daybreak, but inside he wanted to go wake everyone up too.
"Uh huh."
"Then let's get this one going first then do the fireplace in the sitting room."
The two worked quietly laying the fire in the cook stove, which would also double as a heat stove for the kitchen. A little later they had a nice fire built up in the fireplace and all the candles were lit. Ezra peeked outside and saw it was much lighter out, but it still wasn't quite late enough to be considered daylight out there. "Why don't you sit here with me for a few more minutes before you go wake everyone up?"
Neither of them had heard Mary creeping down the steps to peek into the room. She stood back smiling as she watched her two men sneaking around to surprise Evie and Orin.
Billy climbed up on Ezra's lap and sighed. "How much longer?"
"Not too much. Something has me puzzled though?"
"What?" The boy looked up at him innocently.
"How did Santa Claus get that sleigh and all those reindeer on the roof without any of us hearing him?" The southerner raised a brow in question and waited for Billy to explain it.
Billy smiled and his eyes twinkled with mischief. "I think I heard 'em," he said in an exaggerated whisper.
"Really?" Ezra grew wide-eyed and gasped. "What did they sound like?"
"They did a lot of walkin' around. Sometimes they sounded like they were right outside the door," Billy replied, obviously awed by the experience.
"What did you do?"
"I shut my eyes real tight so it would look like I was asleep," he confided and then giggled.
"That was a very wise thing to do," Ezra agreed. "Apparently your ruse worked."
"Huh?"
"You fooled him," the southerner elaborated and hugged the boy affectionately. Ezra felt rather than heard the heavy sigh that escaped the small body, and he glanced toward the window again and sighed right along with him. "What do you think they would do if they were awakened a little early?"
"Don't know," Billy answered and rested his head on the gambler's chest. "It's takin' forever."
Mary could sense where this was heading and decided now was the right time go back up to bed so her son could have the fun of waking her. She moved as quickly as she could and still avoid making any noise.
"Well, I say, let's wake them up." Ezra smiled and winked and leaned close to whisper to the child. "I think it's taking forever too."
"Yea!" Billy bolted for the stairs and sounded like a small herd of buffalo pounding up the steps. The sound of a door being flung open was quickly followed with, "Mama, wake up. It's Christmas!"
The gambler grinned to himself when he heard more stomping and another door opening. He could just imagine the scene in that second room. He had been awakened in a lot of ways in his life but this morning had been the first time he woke up with a five-year-old sitting on his chest. In his mind, he could visualize the same thing happening to Judge Travis.
"Grandpa! Wake up!"
"Billy! You scared me… Ummmph… stop bouncing."
"But Grandpa, it's Christmas. Come on, get up!"
"It isn't daylight yet."
"But it's close enough, and Ezra is tired of waitin' too."
"Oh he is, is he?"
A squeal and hysterical giggles told Ezra that Billy had just met his match. All you had to do was hit just the right ticklish spot and the youngster nearly turned inside out squirming and laughing.
"Orin, if you make him wet the bed, you can change the sheets," Evie warned him.
"I think she means it," the judge commented. "Maybe we better just go on downstairs."
"Not without me you aren't," Evie teased. "I know you two. You'll dive into the presents and Mary and I will miss seeing you open them."
"Then we´d better hurry, or they won't be able to wait," Mary chimed in from where she stood in the doorway. "Billy, did you go wake Ezra?"
"Uh huh, he's already downstairs. He helped me fix a special Christmas present for Grandma and Grandpa. Come on and see."
The sound of shuffling feet and, finally, footsteps descending the stairs had the gambler watching the door into the sitting room with great anticipation. When the quartet reached the bottom of the stairs and then stepped into the sitting room they stopped in their tracks. The room was warm and cozy, a cheery fire burned in the fireplace, and the candles and lamps gave the room a soft glow. The whole room seemed to embrace you when you stepped inside.
"You like it?" Billy smiled at his grandparents and his mother. "Ezra helped me, so you wouldn't have chores to do when you got up."
Evie scooped her grandson into her arms and hugged him tightly. "Honey, this is wonderful. Thank you! This is a perfect Christmas present." Her gaze still traveled over the room and she paused to smile brightly at Ezra.
The Judge leaned in to give his grandson a quick kiss on the cheek, and he grinned at the blush it caused. "This is the first Christmas I can remember that everything was ready and waiting when we got up. You couldn't have found anything that would have pleased me more."
Billy grinned from ear to ear, basking in the praise. But it didn't take long for him to remember that he had gifts waiting to be unwrapped. "Can we open presents now?"
"You bet we can." The judge took his customary seat and waited for the ladies to take charge. "Do you want to sit with me?" He saw the indecision in the boy's eyes and realized that he wanted to go to Ezra, just like he used to do with Steven. "You don't have to, if you want to sit with someone else."
It took only a few seconds for the child to scramble up on the southerner's lap and then turn to watch his mother and grandmother. He fidgeted anxiously while they picked through the packages for the first ones to give out.
"Goodness! I can't believe so many of these are for Billy." She looked at her grandson seriously. "You couldn't have been that good this year, could you?"
"Yes I was. I didn't get in trouble at all." When his mother looked at him with that one look of hers that told him he'd better tell the truth, he amended his claim. "Not much, anyway."
"Well, if it wasn't much trouble, I guess maybe you do deserve all these." Evie handed the first one to Billy and waited for him to open it. She didn't have to wait long. He made quick work of untying the string around it and peeling back the paper.
"Wow, lookit!" He held his treasure out for them all to see and twisted around to see if Ezra was looking. "It's a top. Jimmy's got one, but he wouldn't let me play with it."
"Now you have one of your own," Mary pointed out. "Here's another one that says to Billy, from Grandpa."
"Oh boy!"
The women mixed in passing out some gifts to the adults. It had always been their tradition to pass them out one or two at a time so everyone could enjoy seeing what everyone else received. They knew it was a little hard for Billy to wait for his next gift, but they also knew that doing it this way prolonged the whole event, and had him even more excited when the next one was handed to him.
The gambler looked at the package in his hands and swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Ain't you gonna open it?" Billy asked.
"Yes. I think I might need some help though. Will you help me with the strings?" The southerner held the package closer so the young boy could pull the ties loose, and open the flaps of paper.
He couldn't help but grin when he saw what was inside. "Mary, thank you, darlin'. This is one thing I can always use." He held up the three boxes of Faro playing cards and winked at Mary. "You would be amazed at how fast I can wear out a deck of these."
"No, I wouldn't. I've seen first hand how tattered they get." The young blonde smiled warmly and then handed out the next package. "Orin, this one is for you. It's from Ezra."
The judge looked at the package in surprise. "Why thank you, Ezra." He made a show of opening the package and smiled when he saw its contents. "How did you know I was wanting one of these?"
"I hazarded a guess," the gambler replied. "I noticed the old one was a bit worn."
"Thank you. This is really nice. Evie, take a look at this." He held it out for his wife to see. "I had made up my mind to get a new watch fob and chain after the holidays. This one I have has seen better days. I'll keep it for the sentimental value of it, but it has had so many links break that I have been afraid I would end up losing my watch."
"That is nice," Evie agreed. She took a seat near her husband and set a package on her lap. "I think it is Mary's or my turn now. Why don't you open one, dear?"
"All right. How about this one?" Mary picked up the one closest to her and sat down to open it. "Oh, Ezra. They're beautiful!" She ran her fingers over the soft gloves before pulling one on. "And they fit! Thank you." Her chair was near enough to his that she could lean in close for a kiss.
"Ewww!"
All four adults looked at the boy and laughed.
"What about you, Evie?" the gambler asked.
"I already have one picked out," she said with a huge grin. It took only moments to open the wrapping and when she saw what was inside she was momentarily speechless. "Orin, this is so extravagant. I've seen this same perfume in some of the shops but I wouldn't even hint at wanting it. How did you know?"
"I can't take all the credit. Mrs. Potter helped me," he confessed.
"Mrs. Potter?"
"Yes. I picked it up when we were in Four Corners. After I got it, I decided it wasn't a good time to give it to you. I didn't want you to think I was trying to buy your favor," the Judge explained. "So, I have kept it hidden all this time, just for this occasion."
"That is so sweet. I don't think you will ever cease to amaze me. Just when I think I have you figured out you do something totally new." The elder Mrs. Travis rose from her chair and went to hug her husband.
The morning continued in that manner, taking turns opening gifts until only two remained, one for Mary and the one Ezra had in his pocket. Mary's hand flew to her open mouth when she opened her last package from Ezra. "I love it. Look…" she showed off her last gift. "I love cameos and I don't think I have ever seen one with this shade of blue in the background." Her mouth dropped open again and she looked at Ezra in surprise. "It will match my blue dress perfectly."
"It matches your eyes even better. I saw it and I knew it had to have been made just for you." The southerner reached out to take her hand and give it a squeeze, sparing Billy the horror of having them kiss each other while they leaned across him again.
"Well, that looks like that's all of them," Evie said as she started to get up to pick up the wrappings. Some of it could be saved and put to a new use, but most of it would go into the fire.
"There is one more gift to give, if I may." Ezra reached into his pocket and pulled out the last small package. "I saved this one for last." He handed it to Billy and watched the boy's eyes light up at the thought of having one more gift to open.
Inside the paper was a small carved box. Billy turned it over in his hands and finally looked up at Ezra with a puzzled expression.
"The box opens."
"Oh." Billy said, and struggled to get the lid off. "WOW!" His eyes grew as big as saucers when he looked inside. "Look, Mama!"
"Ezra!" Mary looked at the gambler like he had lost his mind. But when he signaled her to wait, she held back what she wanted to say.
"I saved this for last because I didn't want you to be distracted by other unopened gifts. It is important that you really listen to me. There are rules that go along with this," he said and tapped the small pocketknife Billy held. "And if you don't follow the rules, either your mother or I will take this and put it away until you are old enough to be more responsible. Do you understand?"
"Uh huh."
"Good. Now the first rule is that you must remember this is not a toy. A knife is a tool, and in some situations it can be a weapon. Because it can be harmful if it isn't handled right, you must be extra careful. Understood?"
"Uh huh." Billy nodded solemnly.
"All right, there are some things for you to keep in mind." Ezra held his hand up and ticked of the rules on his fingers as he said them. "You are not to have the blades open except when you are actually using it. Don't cut or carve on anything that belongs to someone else without their permission, and you are not to let anyone play with it." Ezra maintained eye contact with the boy and tried to sound stern.
"I won't. I promise."
"One more thing. I don't want you to use it until we get back home," the gambler insisted.
"Why?" The boy cocked his head and looked at the gambler.
"I want you to have Mr. Larabee show you the proper way to handle and care for it."
"You think Chris would show me how to carve like he does?" Billy asked hopefully.
"He might, if you ask him," Ezra offered. "Just don't forget, if your mother or I decide that you are not behaving responsibly, your mother is to take the knife and put it away until she decides you are old enough to have it back."
The boy looked at the small pocketknife and then over at his mother. He had no doubt that his mother would do just that, and if she did, it would be a long time before he got it back. "I won't forget." He turned soft blue eyes back to his mother and held up his treasure for her to see. "Wanna see it?"
"I can see it; it's very nice. You will be very careful with it, won't you?" She sighed when she saw her son nod emphatically. "Don't forget to tell Ezra thank you."
"Thank you!" Billy twisted around in the gambler's lap and hugged him tightly around the neck.
After a moment to recover from his surprise, Ezra wrapped his arms around the child to return the hug. "You are most welcome." For a moment he hadn't thought that he would be able to say anything around the lump in his throat.
"Mary, why don't you help me get some breakfast going?" Evie asked the younger woman. "Billy, if you come with us, I'll fix you each a leftover biscuit to hold you over 'til breakfast is ready. It'll take a little while for the stove to heat up, and I don't want you all to starve while you wait," she said with a wink.
The southerner looked at the boy on his lap and grinned, and the youngster giggled and clamped his hand over his mouth in an effort to keep from giving away their secret. Ezra leaned closer and whispered in the young one's ear. "Why don't you go with them, then later you can tell me how they reacted."
Billy slid to his feet and hurried to his grandmother's side. "Come on, Grandma, I'm hungry." Grabbing the older woman's hand he tugged her after him toward the kitchen.
After the others were out of the room, the Judge took the chance to talk to the younger man. "Ezra, you did a good thing for Billy. He needs the influence of a man in his life. Mary means well, but she would keep him away from a lot of things growing boys need."
"I don't believe that she is too happy with me right now," the southerner said with a sigh. "I think perhaps I might have overstepped myself."
"Don't worry about Mary. I'll have a talk with her. I remember when I gave Steven his first pocketknife; he was just about Billy's age, and I gave him a similar set of rules." Orin looked puzzled. "Somehow you seem to know just the right things to do with Billy. That surprises me after the type of childhood that I imagine you had."
"I am at a loss for an explanation, other than that I do enjoy being around children," Ezra confessed. "For some reason most of them seem to like me too."
"I've noticed that. You know, it seems like children have a way of seeing through the image to the heart of a person," Travis mused. "You just have a natural way with them."
The gambler ducked his head and blushed in embarrassment at the praise. "Thank you, Orin. I hope that I can continue to do right by him." He looked back up to meet the Judge's eyes before he continued. "I would never knowingly do something that might prove harmful to your grandson. I don't believe I could love him more if he were my own."
"I admit that I had my doubts," Travis confessed. "But, after watching you with him this past week, those doubts have been laid to rest. Ezra, I'm sorry for how I treated you when I came to Four Corners last time. I've always been one to try to avoid judging someone without all the facts, but I didn't give you a chance, and I was wrong."
"You have no reason to apologize to me, because I had given you no reason to trust me with your family. The one you should apologize to is Mary," Ezra said. "But this is an experience that I never thought I would have in this lifetime."
"What experience is that?"
"Hearing a federal judge apologize to me. I might not feel that it was necessary, but I will always remember it," the southerner replied sincerely. "Thank you."
"It was necessary, and you're right, I do need to talk to Mary too. I should have trusted her judgment. She has never been one to jump into something with her eyes closed. It was just hard for me to accept that she saw more in you than I could see," Orin admitted. "If I accepted that, then I would have had to acknowledge that I was wrong about you, and that just wasn't something I was prepared to do."
"Ezra!" Billy called out to the gambler as he came back through the door and headed straight for him. "We surprised 'em! Grandma said we are spoilin' her."
"Then I take it that the ladies were pleased with the second part of the morning surprise."
"Uh huh, and they said they'd still give us biscuits to hold us until they get breakfast ready." The boy's grin was infectious as he recounted the events in the kitchen.
"Hallelujah! I'm starving," the judge said, and gave Ezra a wink on the sly. "I don't know about you two, but my belly button is rubbing against my backbone."
+ + + + + + +
Ezra looked at the stack of gifts on his bed and shook his head. There had never been a time when he had felt so much at home during a holiday. The Travises had been such gracious hosts and it hadn't taken more than a couple days after he arrived for them to warm up to him and make him feel truly welcome. That in itself would have been one of the best Christmas gifts he could have ever hoped for, but added to that he found himself the recipient of several material gifts. The wonder of them was that they were given by people who really wanted to include him, not by people who felt like they had no choice in the matter. At first, they might have felt a little pressured by the fact that he was here with Mary and they couldn't simply ignore him, but he had no doubt that now the gifts had been freely given and that made them all the more special to him.
The gambler sat on the edge of the narrow bed and picked up each item in turn. The Travises had been very generous and had given him a warm knitted wool cap and a winter scarf. The deep, rich brown would work well with his tan coat. Evie had made them herself and she had laughed to see his puzzled expression. She told him she knew he was very fashion conscious. But, she thought while he was out riding patrol on those really cold days that they might come in very handy to keep his ears and neck warm. Ezra put the cap and scarf on to see how they felt and smiled. He would definitely wear them on patrol, and he would remember that Evie had made them just for him.
The Judge had given him a box of fine cigars. Apparently he remembered that Ezra liked to indulge in one when he played cards. The southerner opened the lid to the box and lifted one out. The aroma, when he passed it under his nose, brought back memories of the south and the tobacco plantations he had visited. There were no finer cigars made in the States than those made in the Virginias and the Carolinas.
Mary had given him a splendid cravat that would be perfect with the red brocade vest he liked to wear. She had said the deep red and the touch of gold in it brought out the hint of red in his hair. He had never really thought about it, but someone had once told him that his hair had a touch of red in it if the sun hit it just right. It was strange how you noticed those kinds of things when you loved someone, just like he noticed the slight flecks of gold in Mary's blue eyes.
Ezra was sure that the Judge and Mary must have gotten their heads together about gift choices. He let his fingers run over the surface of the silver cigar case she had given to him. It was just large enough to hold four cigars and still fit in his inside jacket pocket. After another deep whiff of the cigars, he filled the case so it would be ready for the next day.
The one gift that he treasured the most from the assortment on the bed was the three packs of faro cards. It wasn't the cards themselves that were so special, but it was what they represented. Mary accepted him just as he was, and she didn't intend to try to turn him away from his profession. Despite all of his faults and tarnished image, she loved him, and that love was the most precious gift of all.
"Come in." The sound of a soft knock on the door pulled him back from his musings.
Mary slipped inside and chuckled when she saw him sitting on the bed with his wool cap on and its matching scarf wrapped around his neck. The cigar box was still open where he had filled the case, and he was holding a box of the cards and absently caressing the package with his thumb. "Enjoying yourself?"
Ezra reddened and nodded. "I was just thinking. I suppose you could say I was making some memories. This has been a day I want to remember in as much detail as possible, because it was our first Christmas together."
"I wish everyone else could see this side of you. You are such a softy, but you always keep that part of you hidden." She moved to sit next to him and hugged him close. "I love you."
"I love you more."
+ + + + + + +
Ezra held out his hand to the Judge and clasped the older man's hand firmly. "I want to thank you again for inviting me to share your holiday. I enjoyed every minute of the visit."
"We were glad to have you. You're welcome here anytime you happen to be in town." Orin returned the handshake with equal vigor.
"And remember, I'll be very upset with you if you don't stay with us when you're here," Evie added, and stepped forward to give the gambler a goodbye hug.
"I'll be sure to remember that. Thank you." He returned the hug and then stepped back to allow Mary to say her goodbyes.
The trip back to Four Corners was uneventful. They were the only ones on the stage and they had bundled Billy up in some of the blankets and let him nap on the opposite seat while they cuddled together on their side.
Ezra had mixed feelings about the return home. On one hand, the time they had spent with the Travises had been wonderful, and he hated to see it end. But on the other hand he would be glad to get back to the normal routine, and he had to admit that he missed the other six peacekeepers. The fact that he had become so attached to these men surprised him as much as falling in love with Mary had. He had made it such a point to remain a loner and now he had friends and a woman he loved and who filled his every waking and dreaming moment. His life just couldn't get much better than this.
The stage rolled into town around mid-afternoon, and Ezra was surprised to see the other peacekeepers come out to meet it. It seemed that no matter where each one happened to be he had been watching for it. Chris was the first one there and grabbed the box that served as a step and set it on the ground before he opened the door for them.
"Chris!" Billy launched himself out the door, catching Larabee by surprise. "Guess what I got for Christmas!"
"A grizzly bear?"
"No," the boy giggled. "Lookit. Ezra got me a pocketknife."
"That's a nice one. What are you going to do with it?" the blond asked. "You know you have to be really careful with it, don't you?"
"Uh huh, and Ezra made me promise to ask you t' show me how to use it. Would you teach me to carve like you do?"
"Sure, I will, if your mother doesn't care." Chris glanced over at Mary with one brow cocked in question.
"I would really appreciate it if you would teach him to handle it properly."
"Consider it done. So, did you all have a good trip?" Larabee asked. "The town seemed pretty empty with all of you gone."
"I think we all agree on that." Nathan grinned at them and winked at the gambler. "I didn't have no one to give a hard time to."
"Well, then it is good that we returned when we did." Standish recognized the teasing for what it was and smiled at the healer. "It wouldn't do for you to get out of practice."
"Ezra," Mary said as she slipped in beside him. "I am going on home. Will you be over later?"
"I'll come now and bring your bags."
"No, Ezra, let me do that for you. I think Chris has something he wants to talk to you about," Josiah offered.
"Billy, why don't you go help your mother, and after supper tonight I'll show you some things about how to handle that new knife." The man in black tousled the boy's hair and winked at him.
"Is there something wrong?" Mary looked from one to the other, but she couldn't tell anything by any of their expressions. "Ezra?"
"It's all right, darlin'. I'll be over after I talk to Mr. Larabee." He watched as she followed Josiah and stopped to glance back in concern before forcing herself to go on.
"Now, if I might ask, what is so important that it required my immediate attention?" The question had no more than left his mouth when he wished he hadn't asked it.
"Ezra! My darlin' boy, you're finally back!"
"Mother?"
Fini
(for now)