One Night Out West
Seven and Mary Travis
This story is kind of a follow up to a previous one of mine called 'One Morning Out West'. You don't have to read it but things may make more sense if you do. The country song "Cheater Cheater" by Joey + Rory gave me the idea for this. It was the line about the dimples. There is no angst (yea!), no sap and the only warning is I did not make Mary Travis a nice person. Thanks to my quick on the draw beta Antoinette.
Reviews are very much appreciated; I was trying for humor this time.
Cheater, cheater where'd you meet her
Down at Ernie's Bar?
Did she smile your way, twirl her hair and say
How cute your dimples are?"Mary Travis was frustrated. She was sitting in the Clarion newspaper office, chin in hand, tapping a pencil on her desk and trying to figure out a way to get...unfrustrated.
She wasn't quite sure when things went wrong, she couldn't have misread the signs that badly she thought to herself. Chris Larabee had been interested, she was sure of it. After all why wouldn't he be? She was still a young woman, pretty (if she did say so herself), intelligent, owned her own business and was a respectable member of the community. Unfortunately, she was also fast on her way to becoming a spinster and that was not acceptable.
She had everything carefully planned out from the moment she met Mr. Christopher Larabee. She had used her journalist skills to find out all she could, thanks to Buck she even knew that he was the marrying kind. She had changed her hairstyle and clothes and even encouraged Billy to seek the gunslinger out in order to have an excuse to talk with him.
She thought things had been going well, if somewhat slowly but she knew better than to push. She really had no doubt that he would ask her to marry him; it was a foregone conclusion. Handsome, brooding and slightly dangerous gunslingers always married the beautiful, feisty heroine. That drunken excuse for a preacher friend of Larabee's probably had the ceremony already planned.
The only problem was Chris Larabee. The man in black had gone from being a slow suitor to a non-existent one. Mary frowned to herself; he acted as if he wasn't interested, even to the point of ignoring her. When she had tried to use Billy to stir his flagging attention last week he had the gall to suggest she take the boy fishing! The nerve of the man!
Well, it seemed that Mr. Larabee needed to be taken down a peg or two. Yes, Mary thought to herself, all single men tended to get uppity at times; she just had to show him that he wasn't the only man in town. True, he was one of the few that still had his own teeth and half a brain but he needed to be reminded that she most certainly wasn't going to wait forever.
She would make him jealous. When he realized his choices were older motherly types or Mexican bar maids, he would come crawling back to her, begging her to marry him. She would take him of course, after she made him sweat waiting for an answer as punishment for his arrogance.
Mary took a deep breath and smiled, she so liked to work things out and it always helped to have a plan. She was a determined woman and with or without his consent Chris Larabee was going to be a husband again. She just had to decide which one of his friends was unknowingly going to help. It had to be believable so that let out J.D., Buck and Nathan and it would help if he were already angry with someone. Mary Travis giggled to herself, she had just thought of the perfect patsy.
Folks would talk about that night in the saloon for a long time. There were many things that made it memorable, from the sight of Ezra Standish shocked and speechless, to the cold, murderous rage of Chris Larabee. The most memorable event though was the apparently unhinged actions of one Mary Travis.
Five of the towns' peacekeepers were sitting at their usual table, drinking, talking and generally having a good time. Ezra Standish was seated at his poker table fleecing some men from back East that had come in on the stage that afternoon. There wasn't anything happening that didn't happen every night. Then Mrs. Travis walked into the saloon.
It wasn't a common occurrence, a respectable woman walking bold as brass into a bar and some thought maybe there was trouble. Certainly, the towns' lawmen thought so by the looks on their faces, but she walked right by them and made a beeline for Ezra's table.
Ezra smiled politely at the newspaperwoman when she laid down a copy of that afternoon's paper on the table next to him. The smile soon froze when she then proceeded to run her hands over his shoulders, all the while smiling down at him like a starving dog looking into a smokehouse.
"What the hell?" Vin Tanner asked in astonishment. His exclamation drew everyone's attention seated with him to the strange goings on at the gambler's table.
Ezra had gone a bit pale now but he was gamely trying to finish his hand, while at the same time trying to ignore the blonde woman who stood behind his chair. This was not an easy task because her hands were moving over his shoulders, down his chest and back up. The other men at the table astounded by such a wanton display, folded their cards as quickly as possible, stood up and practically ran from the table.
With the desertion of his fellow players, Ezra tried to still the wandering hands of Mrs. Travis, who began whispering rather sugary endearments into his ear. His requests for her to cease her actions were ignored. His attempts to escape were unsuccessful as she was much too quick for him and he was too much of a gentleman to use force. He looked toward the table where his fellow peacekeepers sat, his expression desperate, hoping for a rescue from the embarrassing public display of such unwanted attention.
His associates were staring with horrified fascination at the scene being played out before them. J.D.'s eyes were wide and his mouth hung open making him look rather comical. Nathan looked puzzled, as though he were mentally cataloguing symptoms and trying to come up with a disease that would explain what was happening. Josiah looked dazed, his mouth moving in what undoubtedly were prayers. Buck was snorting and fighting not to laugh while at the same time thumping Vin on the back. The quiet tracker was coughing and sputtering after having had the misfortune to take a drink at the wrong moment.
It was distressingly apparent to Ezra that no help would be forthcoming from that table.
Chris Larabee was sitting quietly but the aura of danger that usually clung to the man, seemed to thicken. The blond man's eyes narrowed as he watched the events unfold before him. It was clear from his expression that he wasn't enjoying the show.
Ezra was no fool. One glance at the volcano that was Mr. Larabee and he knew an eruption of epic proportions was bubbling just below the surface. He stood up from the table with the idea of putting some much-needed distance between him and the crazed Mrs. Travis but she would have none of it.
"You have the cutest dimples, Ezra," she said in a seductive whisper that was unfortunately clearly heard by all.
"Oh Lord," Ezra moaned, fighting off her busy hands and trying to edge away only to find himself being pushed back against the poker table. "Madam, I demand you cease groping me at once!"
"Oh don't be shy my little cheater," Mary cooed and pulled away the chair that Ezra had been sitting in and was vainly trying to use as a barrier. A quick look at Chris and she could see her plan was a rousing success. His face was tight and slightly flushed from anger.
Ezra, the cool, controlled conman that he was, panicked. The gambler was more than a match for many desperate situations, however being clumsily seduced by Mrs. Travis in a public saloon, was not one of them. The woman was a friend of Maude for God's sake! In his haste to get away from the octopus that was masquerading as a human woman, Ezra got his foot tangled in the ladies skirt, lost his footing and fell back onto the poker table scattering cards, chips and glasses everywhere.
It was at that moment that the angry and barely contained jealous time bomb, otherwise know as Chris Larabee, exploded. "Get your hands off my..." he thundered, knocking his chair over as he stood up automatically going for his gun.
His fellow peacekeepers acted together to prevent their leader from gunning down one of their own. Vin grabbed the gun hand before it could complete its draw while at the same time Buck did what he did best, talk.
"Now stud don't do something you'll regret."
"I won't regret it! Let go my arm Tanner!" was the furious reply.
"Not 'till you calm down cowboy."
"Calm down? Do you see what she...?"
"Brother you don't really want to hurt anyone over...whatever the hell is going on," Josiah said reasonably.
Larabee stilled and everyone waited as he thought about the ex preacher's words. Finally, he looked at Josiah and said in a voice that cut like barbed wire. "Hurt? No, I want to kill that no good, piece of trash..."and he once again started forward.
"But it's not Ezra's fault!" J.D. panted as he tried to help Buck and Vin hold Larabee back. "I mean he didn't do anything, Mrs. Travis started it."
"Well I'm sure as hell gonna finish it!" Chris snapped, finally jerking himself free.
"Now Chris," Nathan put in, trying to save himself from patching anybody up. The southerner made a lousy patient. "You don't want any bloodshed. Ezra's an irritating fool but he's our friend. Give 'im a chance." A glare in his direction reminded Nathan whom he was attempting to reason with. "Uh...well," the healer stammered feeling the force of that glare intensify, "Just...you know...talk?"
"I'll talk alright," the gunslinger hissed and walked angrily over to the still struggling twosome at the poker table. "Go rot in hell should about cover it."
The other men stood nervously around their table, ready to intervene but knowing if guns were drawn there was little any one, except Nathan , could do. They watched as Chris stalked up to the couple. Ezra finally gave up his gentlemanly ways and shoved Mary Travis hard enough to propel her backwards to bump against Chris when he stopped behind her. It was quiet for a moment and then three people started talking at once.
"I will not be manhandled in such a manner..."
"Oh Chris, Ezra and I were just having a little conversation."
"Don't make me shoot you!"
"Con...conversation?"' Ezra sputtered indignantly, "You have fondled my person in a most indelicate manner. Your conduct is nothing short of indecent and I..."
"The only conversation I saw was you pawing at Standish," Chris growled at Mary, ignoring the conman's tirade.
""Pawing? Chris you are exaggerating. There is no reason to get so worked up about this," Mary said, also ignoring Ezra.
"will not tolerate my being mauled, yes, mauled! I can not think what possessed you..."
"Worked up? Lady you haven't begun to see worked up," Chris said, placing himself between Mary and the still rambling gambler. "I don't share and no one touches what's mine, ever! You'd best get that straight right now," he thundered.
"to act in such an undignified manner. I am shocked and dismayed at this lack of respect towards myself and..."
"Shut up Ezra!" two voices shouted in unison.
"Fine!" the conman snapped. Thoroughly disgusted with the events of the evening, he set about straightening his disheveled clothing, all the while muttering quietly to himself and occasionally shooting angry glances at Chris and Mary.
Chris truly was trying to hold his temper in check and not kill that lying, scheming, conniving...he took a deep breath and turned to the other peacekeepers. "Boys, take Mrs. Travis back to the Clarion and make sure she gets there safely. Don't...come...back...here."
Ezra looked up and swallowed nervously at the look Chris Larabee directed at him.
"Inez, you and everyone else go home. Mr. Standish and I are going to have a private conversation." This was said in a tone that expected obedience and he got it. The saloon empted of patrons in seconds. Mary went quietly with the others, convinced that she would be a bride before winter. She wore a smug look on her face, which didn't go unnoticed. She walked ahead of the group with the air of a cat who had eaten the canary.
"I don't know if we should just leave those two," Nathan muttered as they made their way out of the saloon. He felt some compassion for the gambler but there was no way in hell he was going to argue when Larabee was in such a filthy temper. "I better check and make sure I got bandages and maybe brew some tea."
"Have faith brother," Josiah whispered, looking back at the two men. "Chris won't shoot him, J.D.'s right, none of this is Ezra's doing."
"I don't like how Travis is letting old Ez take the fall though," Buck muttered darkly. He was beginning to have doubts about Chris's happiness with Mrs. Travis.
"Yup," Vin agreed his mind busy on what he had just seen and heard. Something wasn't right, the trail was showing one thing and the signs were showing something else. His curiosity was up and he aimed to do some tracking on his own.
+ + + + + + +
In the now empty saloon, the silence was oppressive as the two men looked at each other. Chris Larabee walked slowly to the bar, sat his hat down and poured two glasses of whiskey. Ezra watched him closely and caught a glimpse of emotion as Chris turned back around to face him.
"Don't you dare," the southerner warned.
Chris Larabee started laughing.
"She violated me!"
Chris began laughing harder.
"You sir, are nothing but a cad," the conman sniffed disdainfully, but walked over to accept the glass of whiskey that Larabee held out to him. "The lady was using me for your benefit."
"Can't really blame her," Chris mused, eyes glinting with humor. "You do have the cutest dimples...cheater."
"Cretin," Ezra said with a smile, realizing the situation did have a certain humor about it now that it was over. "I had no idea you were the possessive, jealous type. Would you really have shot her?"
"Yep," the gunslinger answered, throwing back his head and downing the last of his drink. "Ain't no body else gonna get their hands on your dimples but me," his voice was low and whiskey rough, "that alright with you?"
"I have no complaints but am I right to think you have indecent designs upon my person, sir?" Ezra asked, gold tooth shining in the dim light.
"Let's go upstairs and you can show me some violating, indecent or otherwise."
"Mr. Larabee you are a bad boy."
"Oh you ain't seen nothing yet, Ezra."
The End