Chapter Three
Ezra jerked awake when he heard his door open and automatically reached for the gun belt he had hung over the corner of the headboard. Just as his hand closed over the gun grip, he caught a glimpse of the skirt of a dress as the interloper stepped into the doorway.
"Mother!" the gambler snapped. "What are you doing here?"
Maude jumped slightly at the sharp tone in her son's voice, and her eyes were drawn to his hand where it still rested on the gun. "Oh! You startled me."
"I startled you? You are the one sneaking into my room unannounced," he accused. "Have you forgotten how to knock?"
"No, of course not. It's just that you're my son… You're right. Just because you're my son that doesn't mean I should go barging into your room." Maude actually managed to look a bit sheepish. "I didn't see you downstairs," she explained, "and it was so late that I thought something might be wrong."
"Late?" Ezra reached for his watch that he'd left on the bedside stand. "Mother, it is barely 9:00."
Maude plucked the watch from his fingers and held it up to her ear to see if it was still running. The steady ticking caused her to frown and look back at the face, as if she half expected the time to have changed in those few moments. "I thought it was later than that." She shifted from foot to foot and avoided making eye contact with her son. "I've been up for quite awhile. I guess I should have checked a clock before I came up here." She turned on her heel and took a step toward the door.
"Mother." Ezra watched her stop, but she did not turn back around to face him. "What do you mean you've been up for quite awhile? You are never up before 11:00 unless you're working a con and you have to be. Come to think of it, you went to your room very early last night, too."
"I was tired, that's all. I suppose since I went to sleep earlier than usual, that it would be natural for me to wake up earlier, too." Maude shrugged slightly and turned back to face the bed.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Ezra studied his mother's face and for the first time he noticed the dark circles under her eyes. She really did look tired.
"I'm fine," she insisted. "You don't need to keep asking me that," she added a bit testily.
Ezra was not entirely convinced, but he decided to let it go for the moment. "Why did you come up here, Mother?"
"I wanted to see how your evening went with Mary," Maude confessed. "Since I didn't see you after you walked her home, I thought … well, "she hesitated again. "She really is a nice woman. Not like I remembered her at all."
Ezra scooted over a little and patted the edge of his bed indicating that he wanted his mother to sit down. Once she was settled, the gambler propped himself up on one elbow and studied the older woman's features. She seemed genuinely sincere in her interest, but he had misread her intentions before, so he still did not fully trust her motives. "She is a very nice woman. Sometimes she might seem a little hard to people, but that is simply because she has had to try to support herself and her son alone. She's been trying to make it in a man's world, so she had to toughen up. You should know how that is."
"Yes, I know all too well how that is." Maude paused, looking down at her hands that she kept folded in her lap. "I'm sorry. The way I acted yesterday was inexcusable. I know you won't believe me when I say this, but I couldn't bear the thought that you might get hurt."
"Why the sudden concern about me? It isn't like you."
"I started realizing how much we had drifted apart. We used to be so close when you were little." She attempted a feeble smile, but the look on her son's face made it disappear as quickly as it appeared. "At least I thought we were close. I didn't realize how much you resented me until yesterday."
Ezra reached out and covered her hands with one of his own, causing her to finally look up into his eyes. "Mother, I never understood why you did some of the things you did. I'm starting to realize that there are a lot of things that I didn't know about that affected the way you were with me. I wish you would remember that I am a grown man now, and that I can handle whatever secrets you've kept hidden from me."
Maude nodded and looked away again. "I know you can, and I'll tell you, but not now. I can't tell any more right now," she admitted. "It was hard enough to tell you and Mary as much as I did yesterday. Give me a little time?"
"Take whatever time you need, but please, before you leave this time, tell me the rest of it." Ezra hoped his voice did not really sound as much like a little boy pleading with his mother as it did to his own ears.
"I will," Maude agreed and then quickly changed the subject. "So, what about last night?"
"I saw Mary home as I usually do when we've been out." The gambler half-smiled at the disappointed look on his mother's face. "What? Do you expect me to kiss and tell?" Ezra teased. "You taught me to be more of a gentleman than that."
"Apparently I must have neglected to teach you that it is all right to tell your mother," Maude countered, relieved at the lighter turn in the conversation.
"All right, Mother. I'll tell you a secret, but you have to promise that you won't tell anyone. You won't even bring it up to Mary," Ezra pressed. "If you break your promise on this one, I'll never trust you with a secret again." The sincere tone of his voice left no doubt that he was serious about the warning.
Maude perked up at the prospect of hearing a secret. Her smile and the twinkle that crept into her eyes seemed to bring her features back to life for the moment. "I promise. Now tell me, dear. What is this big secret?"
"I asked Mary to marry me, and she said yes." Ezra nearly laughed at the stunned expression on his mother's face.
"You're getting married?" Her mouth dropped open and she struggled to find the right words. She was not sure what kind of secret she had been expecting, but it was not the one she had just heard. "But why are you keeping that a secret?"
"We want a chance to tell Billy and the Travises first. Then we'll announce it to everyone else." Ezra waited, trying to judge Maude's true reaction to his news. She always had been one of the few that he had a hard time reading.
"Dear, you didn't rush into asking her because of the way I acted yesterday did you?" She wanted her son to be happy, but she did not want him doing something foolish just to get back at her.
"No, it wasn't because of what you said. I had planned to ask her on New Year's Eve but we couldn't get any time alone. So, I decided to wait until we got home and I could find the right time." The gambler shifted around in the bed so he could sit up against the headboard, to avoid getting a stiff neck from twisting to look up at his mother. "I have a little more sense that to take such an important step in my life, simply to rebel against you."
"I'm glad to hear that." Maude relaxed and smiled her first genuine smile since she walked in the door. "Sometimes it seems that rebelling against me clouds your good judgment." She paused and looked at him thoughtfully. "Or do you actually think everything out carefully, before you rebel?"
Ezra chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. "I'm your son. What do you think?" When there was no response from Maude he smiled and gave her a mischievous wink. "You taught me to never do anything without considering every possible outcome. I couldn't ignore that training even if I tried."
"You're sure you've considered everything this time?"
"There is no way that we can begin to imagine every possible route our lives can take, but we have talked about the most likely outcomes." The gambler leaned forward and looked her straight in the eyes. "Mother, we love each other. We both know that there will be some obstacles to overcome, but we are both willing to work through them. Spending our lives apart is a worse thought than any difficulties we might face together."
The last niggling doubts that Maude had were laid to rest. Her son was in love, head over heels in love, but he had not let his heart rule his head.
Ezra was taken aback when his mother suddenly wrapped her arms around him and hugged him fiercely to her chest. This hug was different than the ones she had given him in the past. There was a feeling of desperation to it that had never been there before.
"My darling boy," she spoke softly as she ran her fingers through his sleep-tousled hair. "I really am very happy for you." Her voice quivered slightly and she had to swallow hard before she could go on. "I love you so much."
The gambler's shields were shattered by his mother's words. He had wanted to hear her say that to him for as long as he could remember. She had said the words before, but this was the first time he could tell she really meant them, that they were not part of an act. He suddenly found himself hugging her back, clinging to her like a lost child who had been reunited with his mother. "I love you, too."
They sat there, not speaking, neither willing to be the first one to break the hug. Ezra could sense that his mother was crying. He could tell by her breathing and the slight hiccup when she tried to take a deep breath.
"I've really made a mess of things," Maude said when she was able to speak again, but she still held him close. "I wanted to make you strong, but I hurt you instead." She drew in a deep cleansing breath and continued with a little more self-control. "I should have made sure that you knew how much I loved you, but all my experience with showing my feelings to anyone had ended up making things so much worse for us. So, I shut down that part of me, even from you. I'm so sorry."
Ezra heard the words but could barely believe his ears. He tightened his hold on his mother and struggled to keep from crying. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of him. "I'm sorry too. I know I didn't make things any easier for you."
"Darling, none of it was ever your fault." She finally drew back enough to catch her son's eye. "It wasn't you that caused any of this. It was me, but now maybe we can get a chance to make things right."
"I'd like that," Ezra admitted, and on impulse kissed his mother on the cheek. "I'd like my children to know their grandmother."
"Children? Mary isn't…?"
"No, she isn't. But we both want children. I love Billy like he was my own, but we want children of our own too." The gambler blushed at admitting the full depth of his feelings for Mary's son to someone other than Mary. "You'll be the only real grandparent that they'll have. I'm sure the Travises will treat them like their grandchildren since they'll be Billy's brothers and sisters, but you would be their own flesh and blood."
"Grandchildren…I hadn't even thought of that." Maude still looked at herself as young, but that one word drove home the point that she was indeed getting older. "Sometimes I forget that you aren't a child anymore. And now here you are talking about children of your own." Surprisingly the thought of being a grandmother left her with a warm feeling inside, one that she had never experienced before, but she found that she liked it. "There's nothing I would love more than to hold one of your children in my arms."
After another heartfelt hug, Ezra sighed and released his hold on his mother. "Ummm…I don't want to break this up. There is this feeling that if we stop talking before everything has been said that we need to say to each other that we'll never finish, but I need to get up."
"That's all right, Dear. I don't mind waiting for you to get dressed."
"Mother… ummm…you don't quite understand," Ezra reddened and he glanced away before he continued. "I sleep naked."
Maude's jaw dropped and she stared wide-eyed at his bare chest. Two of her past husbands had liked to sleep shirtless, but of all of them, none had chose to sleep completely naked. The fact that her son slept naked shocked her, and it seemed so reckless of him. What would happen if someone came in gunning for him, or if he had to get out of the room quickly? She suddenly realized that she must be gaping at him like a girl catching her first glimpse of a man's bare flesh, and she tried to make light of it. "Well, it isn't as if I haven't seen you naked before."
"Mother, you haven't seen me naked since I was four. I know this because that is when I started bathing and dressing myself without your supervision, and I am quite sure I have changed considerably since that time." It amused Ezra to see his mother get embarrassed and even rendered momentarily speechless by his revelations.
"Yes, well then… I guess I should wait downstairs and give you some privacy." She kissed him on the cheek and then rose quickly and left the room.
The gambler nearly laughed out load at his mother's hasty retreat. He had not thought it was possible to embarrass her. She'd seen and experienced so much in her life that he figured she could take just about anything in stride. There was not much chance for him to reflect on this new side he had discovered to his mother, because that rather urgent call of nature that had made it necessary to cut their talk short would not be ignored any longer. He rolled out of bed and wasted no time in pulling the chamber pot from under the bed.
+ + + + + + +
Mary woke and felt for Ezra. When she didn't feel him there next to her she opened her eyes and sighed sadly. It would be so nice to wake up and find him there by her side, when it was actually daylight outside, instead of time for him to slip out in the night. The weight of the ring on her hand brought her thoughts back to the hours she did get to spend with him. She smiled when she held up her hand to admire the ring. "Ezra Standish, you are such a romantic," she said to the empty room. After a long languid stretch to ease the soreness in her muscles, Mary flipped back the covers and got up to face the day.
She washed in the basin on the washstand in her room. The cold water dispelled the last of the morning grogginess and cleared her head. After breakfast she would write a letter to Orin and Evie, telling them about her engagement and inviting them to the wedding. As much as they both wanted to get married right away, Ezra had understood when she said that she did not want to have to ask Evie to travel in the winter. They both wanted the Judge and his wife to be there, and if it meant waiting a few months, then that was what they would do. Mary had readily agreed to April 24th after Ezra had pointed out that it was the one-year anniversary of that last night they spent in the cave. The night they had first made love.
Mary hummed softly to herself as she cooked breakfast and prepared a cup of tea. She was famished and while the bacon cooked she picked up the tea and raised the cup to her lips, but she stopped short. She looked down at the cup and tried to decide what to do. "No!" She said resolutely and stalked to the back door to dump the tea out on the ground. Feeling much better, Mary poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot she had put on for Ezra. She knew he would be over when he woke up, because they had planned to tell Billy together of their plans to get married.
It was nearly 11:00 when Ezra came into the office of the Clarion and Mary greeted him with a kiss. "Hello, sleepyhead," she teased
"Et tu, Mary?" The gambler sighed in resignation. "You are the second one today to accuse me of sleeping later than usual." He kept a straight face for a few more moments and then grinned showing off his dimples.
The pretty blonde could not keep from laughing. She loved it when he smiled like that, and it always had a way of making her almost giddy. "The second one? You mean someone else has had your attention before me this morning?" She pretended to pout.
"Not by any choice of mine," Ezra confessed. "My mother popped into my room unannounced accusing me of sleeping much later than usual. It was strange, though. It was barely nine o'clock. She never gets up that early. Then she said that she had been up for quite some time."
"Maybe she just couldn't sleep last night," Mary suggested.
"No, it is something more than that, I think. She went to bed unusually early, too. I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong, but she keeps saying that she's fine."
"Maybe you should suggest that she talk to Nathan." The concern on Ezra's face was beginning to make her uneasy too.
"She wouldn't do it. She has an aversion to doctors of any kind."
"Well, she must trust Nathan. She hired him to work for her when she bought the hotel." The words had barely left her mouth when she clamped it shut and said a silent prayer that bringing up past transgressions would not undo any progress made in getting the gambler and his mother to reconcile their differences. When Ezra did not react to the mention of Maude's treachery, she thought it was safe to continue. "Besides, Nathan isn't a doctor, he's a self-taught healer."
"That distinction wouldn't matter to her. I don't know why she distrusts doctors so much, but even those rare times when she was really sick when I was growing up, she wouldn't let a doctor near her." Ezra shook himself out of his reverie and focused his attention on his bride-to-be. "I'm sorry, darling. I didn't mean to dwell on that. There isn't anything I can do to change how she feels or make her get checked out, so there is no sense obsessing over it. Is Billy home yet?"
"Yes, I just made him a snack. Everyone at the Potters’ was up early and the boys have been playing hard all morning," Mary explained. "He came in to warm up and started whining he was hungry, so I fixed him some bread and honey. I was hoping the three of us could have lunch together, and I didn't know how late you would be."
"Do you want to tell him now, or wait until after lunch?" Ezra asked a bit anxiously. He was almost as nervous about telling Billy that he was going to marry his mother, as he had been when he asked Mary.
"I think now is as good a time as any." She led the gambler back to the kitchen and poured him a cup of coffee. "Would you like some bread and honey, too? I'm going to fix a piece for me."
"Yes, that sounds good, since I did not venture to eat this morning." He accepted the cup and the plate with a couple thick slices of bread spread liberally with sweet golden honey.
"Good morning, Billy." The gambler reached out and tousled the boy's hair playfully. "Did you have fun at the Potters’?"
"Yeah…an' Tobey liked my new knife. He started beggin' his momma to buy him one." The boy's excitement was contagious and both adults grinned as he rattled on. "Mrs. Potter said he 'abslutely could NOT have one', 'cause he would probly just end up cuttin' his fingers off."
Ezra glanced guiltily at Mary and cringed slightly at the look she was giving him. He had created a problem that he had not anticipated with the gift of the knife. "Perhaps I should talk to young Tobey about the responsibility involved with handling a knife. He is a tad younger than you, isn't he?"
Billy pondered that question a moment and then decided Ezra was asking how old his friend was and nodded. "He's seven."
"Ah, then there is a world of difference there. You are so much older that it is only natural that you would be able to handle that responsibility."
"Would ya tell Tobey that, so he doesn't keep beggin' his momma for one?" Billy asked, his face a mask of seriousness.
It was all Mary could do to keep from smiling at her two men as they discussed how to solve the Tobey situation. Ezra never treated Billy like a kid except during those times when Billy obviously wanted a father figure. The gambler had a way of getting her young son to see things for himself rather that just telling him the way things had to be.
"I would be happy to talk to your young friend. Perhaps we can go do that later this afternoon." Ezra glanced back toward Mary and was relieved to see her nod her approval of how he had handled the problem.
Mary picked up the dirty dishes and put them on the sideboard. When she returned to her seat she leaned forward, crossing her arms in front of her on the table.
"Can I go back out an' play with Tobey?" Billy asked as he started to get up from his seat.
"In a few minutes, if it is all right with your mother," Ezra answered first. "There is something we would like to talk to you about before you go back outside."
The boy scooted back up onto the chair with a grim look on his face. Usually when his mother sat him down and said she needed to talk to him, it was because he was in trouble for something. His mind worked, trying to figure out what he could have done wrong this time.
"Billy, do you remember several months ago when I asked your permission to court your mother?" Ezra began and then took a deep breath to steady his nerves.
"Uh huh," the child nodded, relieved that he was not in trouble this time.
"Well, something else has come up that we want to hear your feelings on." The gambler actually fidgeted in his seat under the unwavering gaze of the eight-year-old. "How would you feel if your mother and I got married?" There, it was out. He thought he was nervous trying to ask that question, but now he found he was even more nervous waiting for Billy's reaction.
"Really? That'd mean you'd be my pa, wouldn't it?" Mary's son looked at Ezra with a look of longing.
"Yes, I suppose it would. But, Billy, I don't want you to think that I want to take the place of your own father in your heart. Do you think you could make room for me in there next to him?"
"Uh huh. I gots lots of room."
Ezra was caught off-guard when Billy jumped from the chair and practically launched himself onto his lap. When he felt the small arms wrap around his neck he hugged the small boy to him. "Does this mean I can marry your mother?"
"Yup! Do I get to call you pa?" Billy was now standing on his knees on Ezra's lap so he could watch the gambler's face as they talked.
"I would like that, if your mother doesn't object."
Mary's heart melted when her son's eyes met hers. "Sure you can. I think your daddy would be very happy to see that you have someone you want to be your pa, since he can't be here to take care of you himself."
"Yea!" Billy nearly shouted, but then looked at his mother, feeling a bit guilty. He was young but he knew how much his mother missed his real daddy. "Is it bad that I love Ezra, Momma?"
"No honey, it isn't bad at all. I'm glad you love Ezra, because I do too. So how about a hug for me too?" She held her son snugly against her for a long hug and then kissed him on the forehead.
"Can I go out and play now?"
Mary laughed. Children had a way of making things simple. Say what needs to be said and then go play. "Yes, but stay were we can find you. I'm not sure what we will be doing for lunch." Her voice got louder as she called after the fast moving child.
"I think that went quite well," Ezra said. He was feeling quite smug about the whole thing. It had been silly to be nervous over how Billy would react to their news.
"Yes it did, but we better get out there and tell the others before Billy blurts it out to the whole town." She held out her hand to the gambler and urged him to his feet.
"Surely you don't think he could spread the news that quickly."
"You've not seen how fast that child can travel."
They were both still laughing when they stepped out onto the boardwalk just in time to see a very excited Billy talking to Buck. "I do believe I see what you mean," Ezra agreed, just as Buck looked over in their direction.
The ladies' man jogged across the street to intercept them and slapped Ezra on the shoulder amiably. "Ezra, you old dog. I knew the two of you were gettin' mighty sweet on each other, but married. Whoowee! Now that's news worth celebratin'." He held out a hand to the gambler to shake his hand. "Congratulations!"
Buck turned to Mary and grinned. "May I be the first to kiss the bride?" When he saw Mary duck her head and smile shyly he took that as a yes, and pulled her into his arms, lifting her up and spinning around once before stopping to place a chaste kiss on her lips. He hugged her and then stepped back, but left his hands on her shoulders while he spoke. "Mary, I hope you two will have a real good life together. You both deserve a chance to be happy."
"Thank you, Buck." Mary kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I know we'll be very happy."
Wilmington finally let go of her shoulders and turned back to Ezra. "It's about time you popped the question. But, you be sure and treat her right, or you'll have me to answer to."
The gambler grinned at the good-natured teasing. The wink Buck had given him along with his warning meant that he was not entirely serious, but Ezra had no doubt that if he hurt Mary in any way, Buck would make good on the threat. All of the guys loved Mary. He should never need to worry about her safety with six surrogate brothers to watch over her. "I assure you, Mr. Wilmington, that I have no intentions of causing her any reason for grievance."
Buck's whoop of delight had attracted the attention of the remaining members of their group, who had spilled out onto the boardwalk in front of the saloon to watch the show that was taking place in the street.
"Shall we go make the rest of our announcements before Master Billy beats us to everyone?" Ezra held out his arm for Mary to hold while they crossed the street. "Would you like me to ask Inez to pack us a basket for a picnic lunch?"
"A picnic? Ezra it's freezing out here."
"I know of no rule that says a picnic must take place outside. I thought Billy and Tobey might think it was fun to spread a blanket on the floor in the sitting room and have an indoor picnic." Ezra cocked one brow in question. "What do you think?"
"I'm sure they would have a lot of fun." She added with a grin, "I think it would be fun, too. Are you going to use that time to have that talk with Tobey?"
"I think the sooner the better in this case." He pushed the door open to allow Mary to step into the saloon ahead of him and they were quickly followed by five very confused men and one big man who was still grinning from ear to ear.
When they were all seated around their usual table, Vin sat looking from one to the other of the three and back again. "So ya gonna tell us what all that was about or are we supposed to guess?"
Mary and Ezra exchanged a look and the gambler nodded to her to go ahead and make the announcement. She suddenly felt very conspicuous sitting there, one lone female among all those men. When Inez walked up to the table to satisfy her own curiosity, Mary felt a little less intimidated, and made the announcement short and to the point. "We're getting married," she held up her hand to show off the ring Ezra had given her.
Inez squealed and rushed over to give Mary a hug. "I am so happy for you. Come to the kitchen with me so we can talk, just us girls." She stepped back to let the pretty blonde get up out of the chair. "Let me see the ring. I thought the ring came after the wedding?"
"This is a special kind of ring. Ezra says it is a kind of promise ring," Mary explained as they walked together toward the kitchen.
Josiah laughed at the lost expression on the gambler's face. "Get used to it, son. One of the things that will get women to gather together to gossip and giggle is news of a wedding. The whole matter is pretty much out of your hands now that the women have their heads together."
"When did this all happen?" Chris asked.
"I asked her after dinner last night," he hedged slightly. It was not really a lie, since the wee hours of the morning would have been long after dinner the night before.
"Ya asked her last night and we're just now findin' out about it?" Nathan pressed for information. "We all saw ya when ya got back from seein' her home last night and ya didn't let nothin' slip."
"We had decided not to tell anyone else until we had a chance to talk to Billy, and Mary got a letter off to the Judge and Evie," Ezra explained. "She got the letter sent out on the morning stage, and we talked to Billy just before coming over here."
"That is one excited kid," Buck commented with a wide grin. "He came runnin' up to me sayin' 'Guess what! Ezra's gonna be my new pa!'"
"Ezra? A father? Now there's a scary thought," Vin teased.
"When is the happy day?" Josiah asked and secretly wondered if they would ask him to do the ceremony. He would love to be the one to marry them, but considering Mary's closeness to Judge Travis he would understand if she asked the judge instead.
"We have set the date for April 24th."
Ezra glanced up when he heard the door open and saw his mother crossing the room to join them. He nodded to the seat Mary had vacated a few minutes before. "Have a seat, Mother."
"What is this about April 24th?" she asked.
"That is the date Mary and I picked for the wedding."
"Oh. But why so far away? Are you waiting for warmer weather?" Maude asked, thinking it probably had something to do with traveling in cold weather.
"That is exactly it. Mary and I just got back from a stage trip in this kind of weather, and I would rather be on a horse. At least you are using your muscles when you ride and that helps you stay warm. It got unbelievably cold on the stage, especially if it got windy. We don't want the Travises going through that to get here." Ezra explained. At the sight of his mother's raised brows he decided he might as well fill in the rest. "We could have planned it a little sooner than that, but the 24th has some special significance to us."
"Significance? What kind of significance?" Buck bobbed his eyebrow suggestively and leaned forward over the table waiting for an answer.
"Mr. Wilmington, that is a personal matter and it is of no concern to you," the gambler insisted.
"My son is right. Their reasons are their own concern," Maude said in support of her boy.
"Come to think of it, you weren't a bit surprised by this talk of a wedding date," Chris observed. "You already knew about this, didn't you?"
"I just found out a couple of hours ago," she confessed to the men, then aimed her next comment to her son. "Where's Mary?"
"Inez drug her off to the kitchen for some girl talk," Buck offered. "I would like to be a little mouse and hear that conversation," he said behind those expressive brows of his.
"On that note, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I think I'll go join the ladies." Maude did not give them any chance to object as she quickly moved toward the kitchen door.
+ + + + + + +
Ezra stayed to help Mary put Billy to bed. It gave him such a warm feeling that the child wanted him to come up and say goodnight. The gambler liked the new role he found himself in, and settled onto the sofa next to Mary with a contented sigh.
"What was that for?" Mary asked as she leaned against his shoulder and felt his arm wrap around her.
"I was simply thinking that in all of my life I can't remember another day when I was as happy as I've been today. From the wee hours of the morning all the way through to now, it has been a perfect day. Even our indoor picnic was perfect." He drew her closer to him and nuzzled his face against her hair. "I can hardly wait until we can live together as man and wife."
"Husband and wife," Mary corrected him.
"What?"
"Husband and wife. You said man and wife," she repeated.
"All the wedding vows I have ever witnessed say ‘man’," he insisted. "Why does it make a difference?"
"Man and wife makes it sound like the man isn't committed as much to the marriage, but husband puts us on more of an equal level," the young blonde explained. "We've discussed keeping things equal between us. You know I don't want to stop running the paper, and I know you don't want to give up gambling completely. If we are going to be equal in other ways, shouldn't we be equal in the vows too?"
"If you put it like that, absolutely. I don't want you to feel that I am trying to take away all of your independence or push you into a subservient role. It was your strength and determination that first caught my eye." The gambler gently rubbed his hand up and down her arm while he talked "You have never ceased to amaze me with your will to survive in a man's world. You are one of the most courageous women I have ever known."
"I don't know about that. I known what people call me behind my back, and courageous isn't it." She tipped her head, back and when he looked down at her she took the chance to claim a kiss.
"I reserve the right to see you in my own way," the gambler insisted between kisses. "And I find that I will need to ask you to draw on that courage of yours much sooner that I would have liked."
Mary drew back from him enough to see his face. "What do you mean?"
"I got some rather distressing news after I left you this afternoon. Chris got a wire from Judge Travis saying he needed four of us to transport some prisoners from Tucson to Yuma prison. I've been chosen to be one of the four." Ezra really did not want to leave so soon after getting home with Mary. They had been engaged less than a day and already they would be forced to be apart from each other. Not only that, there was the fact that his mother was in town. In the past he would have welcomed any excuse to get away from her for a while, but this time he wanted to spend time with her, too.
"Oh, Ezra. Why does it have to be you? Can't one of the others go in your place this time?" Mary turned enough to be able to wrap her arms around the gambler as she snuggled back up against him, tucked back under his arm.
"I'm afraid not. When Chris got the message, he tried to find a way to fix it for me to stay behind, but with them being gone so long it just wouldn't work out. I was surprised that he considered it at all. He's never been agreeable to leaving me behind when he can find a way to make me miserable by forcing me to go on some excursion or another." He kissed the top of Mary's head and hugged her even tighter. "Josiah is still a very strong man for his age, but we've all noticed that the cold affects him more than he will admit. JD is the only true lawman in town, the only one with a badge, and he shouldn't be away from town that long. Not unless there is no alternative. He's young, and it took a long time for the town to trust him, but they do now. And Nathan is the only healer for over a day's ride. Mrs. Bailey is near to having her baby, and Mr. Hurley is still recovering from the accident he had. Nathan is needed here. So that leaves Chris, Vin, Buck and me to transport the prisoners."
"Why couldn't JD go and you stay? I know him; he'd love being in on that job." Mary knew that Chris’ reasons were good ones, but she could not stand the thought of Ezra leaving so soon, so she refused to give up without a struggle.
"Darlin', the townspeople will tolerate me being in a position of authority as long as Chris or one of the others is here too, but they don't completely trust me to have their best interest at heart yet. Having Nathan and Josiah here with me would work for a few days at most, but then people would start to feel insecure, especially when Nathan has to leave town to go out and help with Mrs. Bailey's baby. That would leave only two of us to watch over the town. It's hard to explain, but I've seen things like this before. People who are normally very rational suddenly start reading things into the situation that just aren't there. They would begin to feel like they weren't important enough for Chris to care about their protection if he left them in the care of an old man, a darkie, and a conman for an extended time." Ezra cringed at the sound of his own words, and he knew how bad they must sound to Mary. "People don't look at Josiah as old or Nathan as an ex-slave under normal circumstances, but this wouldn't be normal."
"But everyone likes Josiah and Nathan, and they are starting to like you, too," she countered.
"There is a big difference between liking someone and trusting them to keep you safe. They all know that Josiah and Nathan would do all they could to protect the town, but they don't know that about me. When the town is left in their hands for such a long time, the people need more assurance than they would get from the two of them and me." He placed a finger under Mary's chin and tilted her head back so he could see her.
"I know you're right, but I hate thinking that some of the people don't trust you enough to watch over the town while the others are gone. They don't have any trouble trusting you to help the others, though," Mary grumbled but gave in grudgingly.
"Give them time. It has taken a long time to gain as much trust as I have. It's funny, but I didn't even realize how much I wanted it until recently." The gambler slipped his hand up to cover Mary's hand that rested on his chest. His fingers closed over hers and guided it to his lips where he brushed a light kiss over the palm. "Even I know that I have to earn that kind of trust, that I can't just expect people to give it to me no questions asked."
"You will be careful, won't you?" Mary asked. "You'll be sure to dress warm, and you won't be gone any longer than you absolutely have to?"
"Darlin', nothing could get me to stay away from you a day longer than I have to."
"When do you have to leave?"
"Tomorrow at first light."
"So soon?" Mary asked. "How long do you think you'll be gone?"
"In warm weather we could make the trip quicker, but this time of year the cold and bad weather will add several days to the trip." Ezra was busy calculating the time in his head, and he was not happy with the numbers he was coming up with. "We could usually make the trip there and back in eight to ten days depending on the condition of the road and weather, but I am thinking the traveling time is going to be at least two weeks, probably closer to three."
"I don't want you to go, but I know you have to. Just promise you'll come back in one piece with no holes shot in you, no broken bones, and conscious." Mary's attempt to make it seem like she was teasing him failed dismally. The look of loss that already clouded her eyes said more than the tone of her voice.
"My dear, I give you my word that I will make every effort to return to you in the best condition possible." Ezra smiled down at her and winked playfully. "But now, here is the part where I need to ask you to be brave."
"What? That wasn't it?"
Ezra shook his head and his expression became a mask of seriousness. "I'm going to have to leave you here at the mercy of my mother."
Mary stared at him for several moments before she started laughing. "Oh, is that all? I'm sure I can hold my own with your mother."
"Time will tell, my dear. Time will tell."
Chapter Four
Ezra led a rather disgruntled Chaucer out of the livery and joined the rest of the men in front of the jail. The gambler patted the horse on the shoulder and then ran a gloved hand down the length of the animal's neck. "I know how you feel," Ezra said soothingly. "I don't like these early mornings either, especially when they are this damned cold."
"Who you talkin' to, Ezra?" Vin grinned over his horse's back and winked.
"If you must know, Mr. Tanner. I was speaking to my horse. Unlike some of you ruffians, I believe our four legged friends do understand us, and considering Chaucer's nature, I prefer that he is aware that this was not my idea." The gambler gave the big animal another affectionate pat and then started double-checking the saddle cinches and other rigging.
"So, Ezra, did that cantankerous beast of yers ever answer ya back?" Buck chimed in.
"In a manner of speaking, I suppose he has," Standish answered. His face was perfectly composed as he added, "he raised his tail and dropped a pile while you were telling about your conquests last night. I would say that that was his way of saying that it was a bunch of horse shit."
"Ha, Buck, I been tellin' you that all along. There ain't no way one man can do all that you say you do." JD laughed heartily and reached out to pat the horse on the nose. To everyone's amazement, Chaucer actually allowed the familiarity and refrained from nipping at the young man's hand.
Chris stepped up into his saddle and looked down at the rest of the men. "Josiah, you sure you and JD can handle things when Nathan gets called away? You know how rough it can get when you get a bunch of drunk cowboys who are getting stir crazy from being shut up from the cold."
"We'll manage fine. Despite the weather, things have been pretty quiet," Josiah insisted.
"Yeah, that's what bothers me. It has been too quiet. I don't like leaving the town this shorthanded." The man in black scanned the deserted streets, squinting his eyes to try to peer into the shadows.
"We'll be all right," JD added. "Besides, it ain't like Nathan will be gone all that long."
"Probably not more'n a couple days, if there aren't any problems," Nathan added. "Oscar is supposed to come after me just as soon as they're sure her pains are fer real and not likely to stop on their own. It's not much more than an hour's ride, so if Josiah and JD need me back here, someone should be able to come and get me pretty quick."
Chris pursed his lips in thought and finally nodded his agreement. This was the best they could hope for under these circumstances. "The rest of you ready?" He let his gaze travel from one to the other of his men as he tried to judge how close they were to mounting up.
"Ready when you are, pard," Vin said and pulled himself up on his gelding's back next to Chris.
"Time's a wastin'," Buck said with a grin and a wiggle of his brows. "The sooner we get started the sooner we get to Tucson and those pretty senoritas." The big man pulled his collar up around his neck to block off some of the wind that had suddenly kicked up and stepped up into the saddle.
"Ezra, time to go," Chris prodded when the gambler fidgeted with the saddle cinch for about the fourth time.
The gambler did not speak, just nodded sadly and put his left foot up in the stirrup.
"Ezra!" Mary rushed out the door of the Clarion office and hurried across the street.
The gambler dropped his foot back to the ground and barely had time to turn around before Mary was there in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly to his chest. "Darlin', you shouldn't be out here without a coat."
"I didn't want to take the time. I was afraid I'd miss you." She leaned her head against Ezra's shoulder for a moment and then let out a heavy sigh. "You'll be careful?"
"He won't have to be," Vin piped up from his place on the other side of their leader. "We'll be careful for him. Don't worry, we won't go lettin' anything happen to him."
"I'll hold you to that, Vin Tanner," Mary said and smiled over at the tracker. "I want him back safe and in one piece."
"Mary, we have to go. You should get inside out of the cold." Ezra started to loosen his hold on her but Mary had other plans. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.
Ezra had desperately wanted to kiss her goodbye, but he had no idea who else besides their group might be watching. When his lips touched Mary's the rest of the world ceased to exist, if only for those few moments. He tightened his hold on her again and allowed his lips to explore hers. When her lips parted he accepted the invitation eagerly. Reluctantly, they ended the kiss, and Ezra turned his head so that his lips almost brushed his lover's ear to whisper, "I love you, Darlin'."
"I love you too," Mary whispered in return, and pulled back enough to look up into his face. "I refuse to say goodbye."
The gambler smiled and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I'll be back as soon as I possibly can be."
Mary let go of him and stepped back far enough to give him room to climb into the saddle. She laid a hand gently on his leg and looked up into his eyes. "I'll be waiting."
"Let's ride." Chris nudged his horse in the ribs and turned its head away from the hitching rail and out toward the street. The others followed his lead, riding away without looking back, all except for Ezra.
After they had gone past several shops, the gambler twisted in the saddle to look back for Mary. She still stood exactly where he had left her, her arms wrapped around herself to ward off some of the chill that her gown and robe could not hold at bay. When she saw him turn around, she raised one hand to wave goodbye. Ezra raised one hand in response, then tipped his hat and rode on out of town.
Mary stood rooted to the spot watching the men as they rode away, refusing to move until they were completely out of sight, despite Josiah's insistence that she get inside and get warm. When she could no longer see Ezra, she gave a sad sigh and walked back to her home, feeling so very alone.
+ + + + + + +
Maude stood watching from the window of her hotel room. She had wanted to go down to see her son off, but she thought she would be pushing her luck a little too much. He was starting to accept that she really had come there for a visit, and she did not want to undo the progress they had made in reconciling their differences.
When Mary stood watching Ezra leave, Maude's heart went out to her. She was too far away to see her face, but she could tell by her posture that the younger woman was not taking this well at all. Maybe this would be a good time to pay her son's fiancée a visit, so they could get to know each other a little better without anyone else around.
Maude felt certain that Mary would not be going back to bed. So, she hurried around her room gathering her clothes and got dressed. Her hair could wait. She left it down around her shoulders, but grabbed up her hair pins and dropped her silver-handled brush into her bag, just in case she could get it pinned up before venturing back out into the streets when she came back from Mary's.
It did not take her too long to reach the Clarion office, and she tried the door. It was unlocked. The bell jingled when the door opened, and again when it jarred closed. Maude paused for a moment and listened for any sound that Mary was on her way from the back. When she heard nothing, she stepped to the door that divided the living quarters from the business area and knocked gently.
Mary heard the faint knock and hurried to wipe the tears from her eyes before she got up from the kitchen table to see who was there. The last person she had expected to see was Maude Standish standing in her office. "Maude? May I help you?"
"Actually, dear. I thought maybe I could help you. Do you mind if I come in? That is if you hadn't gone back to bed after seeing Ezra on his way?" The older woman noticed the red-rimmed eyes that looked back at her and knew that Mary had been crying.
"No, I couldn't go back to bed," the younger woman admitted. "There is no way I would have gone back to sleep. Come on in and I'll fix us some coffee."
"Thank you, dear." The con-woman followed Mary through the sitting room and on into the kitchen. It was the first time she had been into the living quarters, and she could not help but glance around to see what the place was like. Everything was well kept and remarkably clean for a dusty, backwater town. The one thing she hated about these smaller towns was the dust. It seemed to find its way into everything, and it was a never-ending battle trying to keep it at bay.
"Have you had breakfast?" Mary asked as she pumped water into the pot and added the ground coffee. Once it was on the stove, she turned back to her visitor. "I need to fix something for Billy and me, so I would be glad to fix something for you too, if you haven't already eaten."
"No, I haven't, but I don't want to put you to any trouble. It was presumptuous of me to visit this early, but when I saw how sad you looked after Ezra left, I thought you could use some company." Maude heard herself, but had a hard time believing that she was actually meaning every word of what she was saying. It was strange how much a person could change in just a few months. Six months ago, she would not have been here wanting to console the woman who would be keeping her son from ever rejoining her at their trade.
"It isn't any trouble. You're right," Mary added. "I could use the company. I've had to watch him ride away before, but it was never this hard before."
"A person's outlook on things changes when you find you are both going to be sharing the same future." Maude smiled and mentally made a decision that it was time to really talk to her soon-to-be daughter-in-law.
"When I met Ezra's father, I was so smitten by his charm, his manners, and his incredible good looks. He just swooped in and swept me off my feet." Her expression took on a wistful expression as she reached far back into her memory. "My parents tried to warn me that he was no good. They did everything they could think of to keep us apart, but all that did was just make me want to be with him even more."
"Is Ezra anything like his father?" The younger woman took a seat across the table and listened intently.
"In some ways he is. He got his looks and that auburn hair from his father. He even has the same innate charm, but the similarities end there. I told you that his father died when he was six months old, but I didn't tell you how he died." Maude paused and collected her nerve before plunging on ahead. "Mind you, this isn't something that I want spread around, and I trust you to keep it to yourself." When she saw the young woman nod in agreement, she went on. "He got caught at one of his cons. I told him it wasn't going to work, that someone was going to get hurt, but he wouldn't listen. It ended up with one of the men that he had cheated, going crazy and coming after him. Ethan ended up killing the man and he was hung for murder."
"Oh my! Does Ezra know this?"
"Not yet. It is one of the things that I need to tell him while I have the chance. Ethan shot the man in self-defense, but they convicted him because he had conned the man and destroyed his life. They decided that a crazy man couldn't be held accountable for his own actions, but that Ethan knew exactly what he was doing." Maude swallowed hard and looked at her hands in her lap. She had them clasped together so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. "I loved him. Of all of my husbands, he was the only one I really loved."
"That's why you still use his name?" Mary asked.
"Yes. Ethan Patrick Standish." Maude smiled as a new happier memory surfaced. "When Ezra was born, he wanted to name him after himself, but I told him I didn't want him called Junior. So, we picked the same first initial, and they shared a middle name."
"Ezra Patrick Standish?" The young blonde tried out the name and smiled. "I never knew what his middle name was. Every time I ask, he has a silly answer. I remember once he said it was Persuasive."
"He knew it was his father's middle name. I think he avoids using it because it reminds him that he never had the chance to get to know him," Maude explained.
"He missed not having a father. I'm sure of that, and I think that is why he wants to be a father for Billy."
"That is part of it, but the rest of it is that he knows how bad stepfathers can be. He had four of them and there wasn't a decent one in the bunch." Maude decided it was time for a change of subject. She wanted to befriend Mary, but there were things that she had to tell her son first, before she told anyone else.
"Have the two of you given any thought to where you'll live? Are you planning to stay here?" Maude asked.
"We haven't talked a lot about it, but we plan on staying here, at least at first." Mary blushed slightly and smiled. "But, if we find out we need more room, we'll either have to add on to this place or build a place our family can grow into."
The young blonde studied the older woman across from her and noticed the dark rings around her eyes, and the paleness of her skin. "Maude, may I ask you something?"
When Maude nodded her consent, Mary pressed on. "Is there something wrong? You look a little pale, and Ezra said you've had trouble sleeping." She could not help but notice the look of sadness that clouded the blue eyes that looked back at her.
"I'm fine. I've just been getting so tired lately, but when I go to bed, I wake up after a few hours and can't go back to sleep," the con-woman admitted. "There have been times in the past where I had trouble sleeping, but it has always passed after a time."
"For some reason I feel like you aren't telling everything," Mary accused. "You aren't going to tell me any more about it, are you?"
"There really isn't anything to tell."
"Just promise one thing," Mary insisted. "If you need help, send for me or go see Nathan. Ezra's worried about you, and honestly, I'm starting to get worried too."
Reluctantly Maude nodded. "I promise."
The next couple of hours passed quickly as the two women became better acquainted. Mary fixed breakfast for the three of them and practically had to push Billy out to play. He was fascinated with the woman who would soon be his second grandmother. Maude smiled to herself, as she climbed the stairs to her room. It had been a good morning, one that she would not forget any time soon.
Once inside the room, she turned the key in the lock and dropped her bag on the table. She never had gotten her hair pinned up, but she didn't care. Carefully, she hung up her coat and climbed out of her dress before curling up in bed. She was tired. She was tired of being tired, but she had come to accept it over the last several months. Naps had become a necessity, not an indulgence, but with no one around to notice her absence for a while, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.
Chapter Five
"I never saw a town that looked so good," Buck said, through chattering teeth. "I need to find me a nice warm body to warm me up again."
"Since when have you ever needed an excuse to find a warm body?" Chris asked.
"Got that right," Vin added. "Bucklin's gotta one track mind."
"Ain't never found nothing else worth thinkin' about," the ladies' man joined in the good-natured ribbing that was aimed at him.
"Surely you jest, Mr. Wilmington. As much as I agree that the allure of someone of the feminine persuasion is worthy of occupying one's mind, there are other things in life that are important." The gambler glanced over at the tracker and winked.
"Oh, now come on, Ezra. You can't be too serious about that. After all, you've got Mary, and you can't say that she ain't the main thing on your mind," Buck set out to defend himself.
"I didn't say Mary wasn't topmost on my list of priorities. What I was attempting to point out is that there are other concerns in life as well; earning a living, raising a family, the safety of yourself and those you love. Don't you ever consider those things?" Ezra dropped the attempt to goad the ladies' man. Now, he found himself truly curious about what went on in the older man's head.
"Sure, I think about those things. I just ain't ready to give up my freedom and settle down to raise a family. Some day, but not yet. There are too many pretty senoritas out there waiting for ol' Buck." The big man grinned and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
The talk stopped when they stopped in front of the Tucson jail. The four men dismounted and tied their horses to the railing out front. Chris led the way inside, and they all sighed in pleasure at the warmth that greeted them when they opened the door. All but Chris moved over close to the potbelly stove and pulled their gloves off to warm their hands. Vin was careful to keep his back to the sheriff on the offhand chance that he might have a good memory for wanted posters.
The man in black stopped in front of the desk and nodded to the man seated behind it. "Sheriff Brody?" When the older man nodded, Chris held out his hand to him. "Chris Larabee. We're here to take your prisoners to Yuma."
"Judge Travis said you'd be comin'," Brody said as they shook hands. "I'll be very glad t' see these two outta this town."
"They been givin' you trouble?" Buck asked.
"Nah, they can't while they're in here, but some of their kin sure can. I haven't had a peaceful minute since the Judge sentenced 'em t' prison." The old sheriff sighed and shook his head. "Seems like the world's full of mighty foolish folks. Those two were sentenced t' ten years. But if their brother an' uncle have their way, they'll all end up gettin' hung."
"What makes you say that?" Buck asked as he left the warmth surrounding the stove and moved to stand next to Chris. The ex-lawman in him was sending out serious warning signals.
"Those two idjiots got the fool notion that Joe and Carl ain't gonna make it to Yuma. They keep sayin' no kin of theirs is ever gonna set foot in a prison." He looked up intently at the two large men standing in front of him. "They already tried t' set fire t' the jail. An' I found signs that they tried t' pull the bars outta the winda. Now I have t' have guards outside t' make sure nobody gets near that winda again. It ain't been easy findin' fellas willin' t' help out either. Nobody wants t' get killed tryin' t' keep these two locked up."
"Wonderful," Ezra grumbled. "So not only do we have the elements to endure, but we will most likely have to clash with a pair of reprobates to keep our charges incarcerated. Can this situation get any better?"
"Huh?" Brody's brow wrinkled as he squinted and tried to make sense of the gambler's rambling.
Chris just shook his head and offered a translation. "We have bad weather to deal with and now we'll probably have to fight to keep those two locked up."
"Well, why didn't he jist say so? Ain't no call fer all them fancy words." Brody frowned at Ezra, and made a point of turning back to deal directly with Chris and Buck.
"Ah, don't mind Ezra," Wilmington soothed. "He's like that with everybody. It's got to where we wonder if he's sick if he isn't spoutin' off a bunch of five dollar words."
Larabee decided it was time to turn the subject in another direction. "You think you and your men can keep them shut up for one more night? We really should get a good night's sleep before we start out in the morning."
"Got that right. It's gonna be a few days before we get another chance. Once we take them from you, at least two of us will need to be awake with them all the time, even if we lock them up in different jails at night along the way." Buck looked at Chris to see if he agreed.
"We won't rely on someone else to guard them while we sleep," Larabee agreed. "Especially now that we know there will be someone intending to try to break them out."
"Mighty glad t' hear that," the sheriff said. "Gotta say that I'm glad it ain't me that's gotta take 'em that far. You boys go git yerselves somethin' to eat an' git some sleep. We'll make out all right fer one more night."
"All right," Chris agree. "If you need us, send one of your men. I wouldn't be surprised if the others try to get to them tonight, since they know they will be moved out tomorrow."
"Perhaps," Ezra interjected. "But, if they have even a modicum of intelligence, they will wait until we are well away from any town. It would be considerably easier to emancipate them from a prisoner wagon, guarded by only four men, than to affect the same results from a fortified jail cell in the middle of a busy town."
"Ezra's gotta point," Buck agreed. "Back in my time, I found out the hard way that the most dangerous time is when you're movin' prisoners from one place to another. Don't matter if it's from the jail to the courtroom, or takin' 'em to prison, or just walkin' 'em to the gallows. If there was gonna be trouble it would be then. Hell, we've all had to deal with that since we went to work for the judge."
"Well, Grady an' Vern might be idjiots but they ain't stupid," Brody offered. "I figure they probly already thoughta that. I'll put extra men on watch tonight, jist to be on the safe side. Never know, they mighta figured that we would expect 'em to wait 'til yer out in the middle'a nowheres, an' we won't be watchin' too close tonight."
"That is a very astute observation," the gambler commented. He decided that this sheriff might sound like a hayseed, but in truth he was pretty sharp. When the old sheriff looked at him in bewilderment, Ezra tried again. "Good point."
"Ah, well, I ain't lived this long by bein' stupid neither." Brody got up and walked over to the door. "Down there," he said and pointed down the street. "That's the Nuggett Saloon. Ya can git something t' eat there. Our only other eatin' place is closed right now. Mr. Tucker died not long ago, an' his widow hasn't reopened it yet. They got rooms there too, but it's quieter at the hotel. That's back this way." He turned and pointed in the opposite direction. "See the mercantile? It's jist past there."
"What about the livery?" Vin asked from his position behind Buck.
"Oh, fergot about that. It's on past the Nuggett close t' the edge'a town."
"Thank you, Sheriff," Chris said and offered his hand again. "We appreciate the help." Larabee signaled to his men to follow him, and they all stepped back out into the cold.
"Good Lord," Ezra grumbled. "I swear it is even colder than it was when we got here."
"Just feels like it, 'cause we just came outta a warm place," Vin explained.
"Just feels like it, or it actually is colder, don't mean squat when your balls are freezin' off," Buck complained. "Let's get the horses bedded down and get something to eat. I don't know which to bitch about first, the cold or my empty stomach."
The four men climbed onto their horses and turned them up the street toward the livery. It was so unusually cold that few of the town's people had ventured outside, and the streets were fairly deserted. Chris shifted uneasily in his saddle and the hair on the back of his neck stood at attention. He had the unnerving feeling that they were being watched. A sideways glance at the tracker, told him that Vin had sensed it too.
Thankfully, it was not very far to the livery and the quartet made it without any trouble. The owner took their payment in advance and got them their measures of grain and hay for the horses. The men took extra care with their mounts that night. They brushed them down, checked their hooves for stones, and made sure they had their blankets spread out over their backs. Their lives could depend on the animals in the coming days, and they all knew it.
The meal at the Nuggett had been hot and filling. It was not haute cuisine as Ezra had pointed out, but it definitely served its purpose. The four sat around afterward and enjoyed a few drinks, reveling in the warmth the fiery liquid sent through them. But the evening came to an end earlier than usual for all of them, when their bodies began to respond to the warmth in the room after being so cold all day. The warmer they got, the sleepier they got. Even Ezra was ready to call it a night and left with the others for the hotel.
"You're actually gonna stay at the hotel?" Vin asked. "I thought you always stayed at the saloons."
"I do, Mr. Tanner. That is when I am there to ply my trade. However, tonight I could use a quieter place to sleep."
The bell on the door jingled when they entered summoning a clerk from a room behind the counter. "Can I help you gents?"
"We need rooms," Chris stated, like that should have been obvious to the man.
"How many?"
"Four." Chris looked at Buck and rolled his eyes.
"I only got two left. This cold snap has more people stoppin' early 'stead of tryin' to make it to the next town," the clerk explained.
"Two? Only two?" Ezra groaned. "Perhaps I should go on back to the saloon."
"Won't do no good," the clerk commented. "It fills up quicker'n I do here 'cause it's cheaper."
"Fine. We'll take the two rooms. How much?" Chris asked.
"Two dollars each."
Larabee handed him the money from the funds the Judge had allotted them for their expenses and held his hand out for the keys.
Once at the top of the stairs they all stood outside the first room. "So who's bunkin' with who?" Buck asked.
"We could toss a coin," Ezra suggested.
"I'm too tired to mess with that," Chris growled. "Ezra, you're with me." He tossed the second key to Buck and motioned for the gambler to follow him. Ezra did not try to protest; he simply followed the black clad man into the room and dropped his saddlebag against the wall next to where Chris had already dropped his.
Neither spoke as they stripped out of their coats and boots. Both took off their outer clothes and left on their long underwear and socks. The bed was cold when they first crawled in it, and turned to sleep back to back.
The gambler lay there for a few minutes until he could stop shivering after their combined body heat finally warmed the bed enough for them to start to get comfortable. He could tell by Chris’ breathing that he had not gone to sleep yet either. "Is there a particular reason you selected me?" he asked.
Larabee sighed and seriously considered his answer first. "I guess for Mary," he answered.
"I don't understand."
"I've seen how you two are together. It reminds me of how Sarah and I were, and I remember how she used to worry when I had to be gone. She used to always tell Buck to bring me back safe. I'm just trying to do the same thing for Mary, since you didn't have a best friend for her to entrust you to. Even though Vin promised we'd watch your back, it isn't the same as having someone as close as Buck was to Sarah and me to count on."
"I see," Ezra said and then paused. "I suppose I should say thank you for taking on that role, even though I don't see that it was necessary."
"You might not think it is necessary, but everyone needs someone to watch his back. I know I can depend on Buck and Vin to do that for me. They both know they can count on each other and me, and whether you believe it or not, we've all learned that we can count on you too. It's time you realized that you can depend on us."
Ezra was struck momentarily speechless. He had never expected to hear something like that from Chris Larabee. After a moment, he managed to find his voice again. "Thank you, Chris."
"You’re welcome. Now shut up and go to sleep," Larabee growled.
+ + + + + + +
"You fellas watch yer backs," Brody said as he put the lock on the door to the prison wagon. "I wouldn't put nothin' past those skunks they call kin."
"We'll be careful," Buck assured the older man. "Sounds like the Corby clan are all a pretty bad lot?"
"Yup. Vern an' Grady bein' the worst of 'em all. They jist managed t' not git caught is all. I think they're feelin' a mite guilty about these two gettin' caught, 'cause we all know that they was all involved in the hold up, but no one could prove it." The sheriff pulled on the lock to be sure it was closed securely and then walked to the front of the wagon and handed the key to Chris.
"They all need to count their blessings that the bank clerk didn't die, or they'd be headed to the gallows instead of Yuma," Larabee pointed out.
"Sure enough, but they ain't lookin' at it like that, so ya jist don't let yer guard down, not fer a minute." Brody stepped back to allow room for Chris to climb up into the driver's seat. "Y'all stop by on yer way back through an' I'll spring fer a beer."
"Is that your subtle way of ensuring that we survive this arduous journey intact, and that our charges are once again safely incarcerated?" The gambler allowed a trace of a smile to appear at the thinly veiled accusation. The old man did not have much confidence that they would get the prisoners to Yuma, and he wondered if the sheriff knew something that he was not telling them.
The older lawman, frowned a moment and then ventured a reply. "Yup. If I understood ya right that is. I'd like t' know if they're still locked up, or if I need t' go lookin' fer them again."
"You'll see us on the way back," Buck promised. "Let's get movin' before we waste too much daylight."
"And while it ain't rainin'," Vin agreed, looking up at the overcast sky. This time of year it could be deadly to be caught out with wet clothes. Their oilcloth slickers would help some, but if it rained too hard even those would not help enough.
Chris released the brake and flipped the reins, "Giddup!" The wagon creaked as it started to roll and they headed out of town, with Larabee's horse tied to the back of the wagon.
"How much trouble do you think these miscreants' kinsmen will be?" Ezra asked Vin, once they were well out of town.
"Hard t' say. But from the sound of it, they're mighty determined to keep these two out of Yuma." The tracker turned to glance back behind them for any telltale signs that they were being followed. The rainy weather that had been hitting this area recently would hinder that though. Wet ground does not allow for a dust trail. He knew he would have to double back on their trail when they were a little farther out of town and see if he could pick up signs of pursuit.
"I don't think it's a matter of if they'll try, but when they will," Buck added as he rode up next to them. "I'm glad that we're gonna be stoppin' in towns for the nights, even though it means it will take us longer to get there. Leaves less chance of them bein' able to sneak up on us in the dark."
"You know me," Vin began. "I'd rather take my chances out in the open, but this time, I think yer right."
"Of course, you'll never hear me object to sleeping in a bed instead of sleeping on the ground, freezing to death," Ezra agreed.
"We won't be sleeping in hotels or saloons," Chris broke in. "All of us are staying at the jails that we keep the Corby brothers in. If there are any cots, we'll take turns with them, otherwise we use our bedrolls on the floor." Larabee's tone left no room for argument.
"At least we will be in out of the elements," Ezra commented, glad that he would at least be warm and dry.