Part II: By the Short & Curlies

The jangle of reins and clomping of hooves signalled the arrival of the stage, something that in turn signalled Vin that in the next hour, the bordello could be seeing a customer-- of one kind or another. Curious, and slightly bored, Vin leaned against the window to watch the coach stop in front of the hotel across the road.

Eyebrow cocked with amusement, he watched as a haughty woman with a feather in her hat directed the driver and shotgun rider with getting her luggage down. Fellers looked like they were getting an earful, all right. They looked downright scared, if the slumped shoulders and quick nods were any indication.

"Anything going on?" Buck asked, sidling up beside Vin at window.

Vin tilted his head, his amusement growing. "Cain't decide if she's one of them fancy plantation women or one of, you know, our type of women."

Buck squinted at the sight of the woman wrangling the men who wrangled her luggage, then chuckled. "She's a little of both, come to think of it" he answered, then let out an outright laugh.

"Well, gentlemen, might I assume that from the study of our new arrivals in town, that we might have some business in this establishment soon?"

Buck turned to Ezra, a weird grin on his face. Of all he'd seen this far, that expression had Vin the most curious.

"Now that you ask, you could say that," Buck answered. At Ezra's suspicious narrowing of his eyes, Buck went on. "You're about to have some interesting business of your own. And it ain't the kind you take upstairs. Least, I wouldn't."

Ezra's face went pale. "No," he murmurred, rushing to the window. "Good lord." Ezra jumped back from the window, then glanced around the room in panic.

"Back door, Ezra," Buck said, and a split second later, Ezra was gone, leaving a gleeful Buck behind.

"You gonna tell me what that's about?" Vin asked.

Buck shook his head, still trying to contain his laughter. "That woman is Maude Standish. Ezra's mother."

Vin jerked his head back to the window, watching the woman bully the men some more, then snorted. "Explains a lot, don't it."

Buck's belly laughs started anew.

Vin found it interesting that Ezra's mama didn't have a clue what her boy did for a living. Well, not all of it, anyway. Vin thought there was a fine line between what Ezra did for money and what Maude did for money. To Vin, the biggest difference was the words people used to describe those things. In Vin's eyes, if the money in your pocket was a result of laying on your back, well, then, there only a couple of accurate words for that. Calling your customer a suitor didn't change what he was. Didn't matter that she also got money from the poker tables, either. Hell, Vin got extra money now and then doing other things, too, but that didn't make him any less a whore, so in his mind, as far as Ezra and his mama went, they shared an occupation, whether or not either of them knew it or wanted to admit it.

Chris had agreed with him-- well, as much as he could agree when he'd had his mouth around Vin's cock. The conversation about Ezra and Maude's swindling and boudoir habits had ceased not long after Chris had Vin's drawers around his ankles. Neither of them wanted to waste the time they could manage together talking about Ezra.

But now, Chris was just getting his gun belt back in place and was about to head out to the saloon, to keep an eye out on the crowd that would soon begin to gather there. "Wish you could take the night off," Chris said, putting his hat back on his head.

Vin shook his head, grinning. "With Ezra steering clear of here, I might be needed."

"Wish you could be at the saloon to watch Ezra try to keep Maude away from the folks most likely to blab on him," Chris said, his own grin widening.

Vin looked up from tucking in his shirt. "He has to do this every time she comes to town?"

"Gets funnier every time, too."

Vin sighed and sat on the edge of the bed to pull on his boots. "Don't see why he don't just tell her. Ain't any worse than what she does, from what I heard tell of her."

Chris gave him a soft, kind of sad smile that made Vin uneasy. "Things aren't that simple when it comes to your folks."

Oh, so Chris thought he had no idea what it was like to know you might disappoint somebody you love? That set Vin's nerves to buzzing. "Can't be any harder than having it get in between the person you share your bed with."

Chris stopped dead in his tracks near the door and turned to look at him. After a long moment, he let out a sigh of his own, then stalked over the bed. He hauled Vin up by his shoulders, and pulled him close. Vin was still a little irritated, but let himself be wrapped in a tight embrace. "You're right. Ain't easy at all, Vin." Chris' words puffed into Vin's ear, making him shiver. It felt a little bit like forgiveness, even though Vin didn't think he had anything to be forgiven for. It also felt a little like an apology, and while there also wasn't anything for either of them to apologize for, Vin understood the compulsion to say sorry anyway.

Vin squeezed his arms around Chris' waist, his way of letting Chris know they were all right.

When they finally broke apart, Chris steered him to the toward the door with a warm hand at the back of Vin's neck. They were all right, but at this time of day, seemed to Vin only barely. It was the hard part, where Chris had to walk out the front door, to do his job, and Vin had to stay behind, to do his. Every day, every time the door closed beind Chris' retreating back, Vin thought harder about how to get out of Judge Henry's clutches.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Vin glanced down over the balustrade and nearly fell over from shock. There, at one of the poker tables, sat Maude Standish, holding court over a group of fellas in suits. Behind her, with every bit of visible skin blushing pink, stood Ezra, his nervous glances darting all over the room at once.

"Gets better every year," Chris chuckled, absently rubbing Vin's shoulder as he passed around him to the stairs. "Shame Maude brought herself here to Buck's. I can't watch the fun, now."

"I'll be sure to tell you all the good stuff," Vin promised, rolling his eyes. Damn, but Chris and Buck could be just like women sometimes. At least Chris only got that way now and then. Buck though, that man was cackling like a hen all hours of the day.

At the bottom step, Chris turned, tipped his hat, and headed for the door. Vin took a deep breath, and prepared to work the room. After a quick turn, and taking a couple drink orders, Vin sauntered to the bar. Before Jimmy could get them poured for him, Buck was there, leaning next to him, smile as wide as the Mississippi river.

"Hell, this beats all them plays I saw in Dodge City," Buck said, eyes still lit on Ezra and Maude.

"It's entertaining enough to risk losing business?" Vin asked, more curious than anything.

"Hell, I know. Some of them fellas at Maude's table are gonna go broke before they pick out a lady. But I can't help myself, it's just too damn much fun watching him squirm and get pink in the face. Ezra'll make up for it, though."

Vin cocked his head, looking hard at Buck until the other man finally tore his eyes away from the sight of Ezra subtly waving off a regular customer. Buck just grinned, though. "He's a greedy little son of a gun, I'll give ya that, but he's smart. He knows when there's no getting around it and he'll ante up."

Vin shook his head, then grabbed the drinks Jimmy slid to him. He had to admit, it was pretty funny. Another of Ezra's customers was a fella who'd just lost another hand to Maude-- and apparently lost all he'd planned on spending on Ezra himself. Behind the mortified expression Ezra had been wearing, the ache of the loss of the money was plain to Vin, too.

Handing over a whiskey to an older customer ogling Greta, Vin just managed to spot Calvin Brady nervously heading for Ezra. Damn, but Ezra had the worst luck tonight! It was rare that three of his regulars would all be at the bordello on the same night. A quick glance at Ezra, and Vin saw renewed panic.

It was with a mental kick that he was going soft, that Vin decided to have a heart and help out. He wasn't what Brady usually wanted, but Vin knew how to use his assets to his advantage. His interception of the shy, tall banker went smoothly. A quick hello, followed up by a coy duck of his head, and the suggestion that he buy Brady a drink was all it took. Calvin Brady was soon comfortably ensconced at the bar, with Vin standing next to him, letting Brady drink up the courage to imply that he wanted to go upstairs.

"Are you positive, Mr. Tanner, that Ezra won't be upset that I'll be discussing business with you tonight?" Brady asked after his third drink. Poor fella was obviously most comfortable when he stuck to his routine.

"Tell you what, Mr. Brady. I'll go over and have a quiet word with Ezra, and he'll signal to you that it's all right."

Brady smiled in relief, and at that moment, he looked more like any ordinary, lonely man rather than just another customer needing sexual relief. The blond hair was thin and receding, but his face was gentle and sincere. As far as customers went, ones like Brady made the whole thing easier. "Thank you," Brady said, a shy tilt of his head.

Vin nodded with a small grin, and casually pushed off from the bar to have a word with Ezra. As he approached, Ezra stiffened. "Evening, Mr. Tanner."

"Ezra," Vin answered, inclining his head a little. "Since you're spending some time with your mother, Mr. Brady said he could talk to you about that investment another time, if'n it's all right with you. He's gonna explain all that stuff about interest to me, since he's here."

Ezra risked a glance at Brady, who although still looked guilty as sin in his nervousness, merely gave Ezra a quick nod. Ezra pasted a smile on his face and returned it, then looked to Vin. "Mr. Brady is an excellent financial advisor. I'm sure you'll do fine with the wisdom he dispenses."

Vin tried really hard not to burst into a laugh at that, and was only just able to contain himself. "I'm sure I will. But he'll be glad when he can talk about all that property stuff next week with you."

Ezra looked surprised, obviously having gotten Vin's real message, that he wasn't stealing Ezra's customer. It was Vin's turn to be surprised when Ezra's expression shifted to gratitude. He really hadn't thought Ezra was capable. "Thank you, Vin."

Vin grinned at him, feeling maybe just a little bit sorry for him, and replied, "You're welcome."

Strange that spending the next hour and a half with Calvin Brady was what enabled Vin to see Ezra in a new light. Vin was certain that Brady wasn't smitten with Ezra the way Chris and Vin were smitten with each other, but Brady definitely respected Ezra, and spoke of him in such a way that made Vin wonder if the things Brady saw in Ezra weren't an act, as Vin would have previously suspected.

Vin was a little surprised to learn that Ezra and Brady actually did do more business than just in the bedroom. To work through his hesitation, Brady gabbed a bit about those investments that Brady and Ezra made together, and Brady was sure to mention-- a few different times-- that he considered Ezra a friend and had benefited from their business dealings as much as Ezra had. Vin wasn't sure if he believed it, but he had more cause to wonder now than he would have earlier in the day.

It was a relief that Brady was more talk than action, confirming Vin's earlier hunch that Brady was lonesome more than anything. Vin had had to stifle his chuckles when Brady spent an inordinate amount of time kissing and nuzzling his belly. Besides the tickles it gave him, Vin just couldn't understand what Brady found so damned exciting about tonguing his navel. After they were all done, though, Vin decided that he'd rather be puzzled and tickled than have another one of the cold, rough fellas he'd occasionally had to bed.

Vin ended the night taking one more of Ezra's regulars-- thankfully a fella who just wanted Vin to use his hand on him-- and a fella who was on the way to becoming a regular of his own. Three customers, and he'd only had to give up his ass once. Coulda been worse, Vin knew.

Dawn brought a pleasant chill along Vin's front side, from the open window, and a line of damp heat along his backside, from where Chris pressed tightly against him. Both sensations, at the same time, were rather pleasant. Vin also had to admit that the pallet Chris had insisted on building for him was a lot more comfortable than the floor. He snorted quietly to himself, echoing his thoughts of the night before that he was going soft.

Chris, though, was hard as nails. At least his cock was, Vin thought, feeling it poking at his rump. Even in sleep, Chris and his cock had a one-track mind. Vin didn't care in the least. In fact, more he thought about it, the more pleased he was. They hadn't done anything more than curl up to sleep the night before, Chris considerate of-- though far from pleased by-- the workout Vin had had during working hours. This morning, though, Vin would be rested and ready to take all that Chris had to give him. Besides the fact that Vin wanted what Chris would give him, he also knew that he could soothe some of Chris' hurt and jealousy by showing him just how much he wanted him.

Not just yet, though. Vin was feeling a little lazy, and didn't mind nodding off now and then, just wasting away another couple hours and enjoying the feel of Chris next to him.

Next time Vin opened his eyes, Chris was most definitely awake. His lips skimmed Vin's shoulder, and his still-hard cock was nestled between Vin's ass cheeks. Nice.

Vin shifted, squirming a little against Chris, his nerves tingling happily from Chris' attentions. "You gonna dry hump me, cowboy, or are you gonna slick me up with a little of that keister grease first?"

Chris buried his laughter in the crook of Vin's neck, the hot puffs of his breath making Vin shiver, even as his body shook already from his chuckles.

"Never met anyone so damn happy in the morning," Chris finally answered as he renewed his caresses along Vin's hip and ass cheeks.

"You ain't such a sourpuss yourself in the morning lately," Vin said, rubbing back against Chris, another not too subtle hint.

"Mmm," Chris replied, hand returning with the slick stuff Vin was hoping for, "No reason to be; not when I have this to wake up to."

Damn, Vin loved the way Chris fondled his ass. The way he cupped and squeezed the cheeks while sliding slippery fingers in between. Objectively, Vin knew that he had a nicely shaped rump; one that helped in luring customers. But with Chris, it was different. Chris didn't lust for him any less than a paying customer, but Vin had no doubts that it was so much more than that. It made the lust itself feel so much better.

Vin raised his top leg, opening himself and inviting Chris to sink inside him. Chris nibbled on Vin's earlobe as he lined himself up, and began to push in. It was a long, slow, satisfying glide, Chris' shaft squeezing into Vin, stretching him with a pleasurable burn.

Vin sucked in a gasp, fresh air from the window mixed with the scent of sex filling his lungs. He exhaled slowly as Chris began to withdraw, then cried out as Chris drove back in hard. Chris didn't hesitate; didn't wait. He moved forcefully in and out of Vin, each stab of his cock jolting Vin with more and more sensation.

Chris' mouth latched on to Vin's neck, just below his ear, sucking hard, occasionally biting down. Vin squeezed his eyes shut and grabbed his own cock in a tight fist, unable to stop himself from stroking, desperately seeking the peak of the million sparks zinging through him.

Thrust after merciless thrust, Chris drove him closer to that pinnacle, until finally he pulled his mouth from Vin's neck and shouted hotly into Vin's ear. Vin's trigger went off at that, spurting hotly over his belly and hand, tingles washing over him as Chris emptied himself deep inside Vin's ass.

Vin finally emerged, dazed, from a dense fog. When his eyes focused, he saw a smug expression looking down on him. "Huh?"

Chris smirked even harder. "I can't believe it. I actually fucked you stupid."

Vin grumbled and closed his eyes again, nowhere near ready to answer that one. Chris chuckled and settled against his back again, pulling him close with a warm hand on Vin's belly. Hell, Vin didn't care if Chris wanted to get smug. Long as Chris treated him to a long, deep, hard fuck, Chris could get as smug as he wanted. Despite Chris' teasing remark, Vin was anything but stupid.

As had become his habit when he stayed the night with Vin, Chris stayed for breakfast, although this particular morning wanting gossip as much as bacon. Chris didn't come out and say it, of course, but Vin knew. He saw it in Chris' eyes the second they walked into the kitchen to find Buck and Inez still there, huddled together with wicked grins.

Vin just shook his head as he sat at the other end of the big table and scooped a plate for himself. It was definitely an amusement to Vin, seeing this side of Chris. With most people, Chris didn't give a damn about their personal predicaments, which made sense considering there was very little Chris let slip about himself. That Chris was a real contrast to the man who sat with a glint in his eyes as Buck regaled him with stories about Ezra and his mother the night before.

Vin helped Buck out late-morning by replacing a couple of the wood planks of the house porch in the front, and it gave him a good view of Ezra and Maude's antics. Vin was sure that Chris would be quietly jealous when he heard. The highlight of the show was when Ezra spotted his mother strolling along the boardwalk with Calvin Brady, arm in arm. From the look on Ezra's face, Vin could have sworn that Ezra'd got a hold of some bad peyote.

When they got within earshot, Vin picked up some of the conversation.

"I'd never have thought of investing in steel, Calvin. I can't thank you enough for your help. I'm so happy that you've been able to do something for me that you've done for my son."

"Yes, well, mother... we must be going now, if we want a decent table for lunch. Good day, Mr. Brady."

"Now, Ezra, you didn't have to be rude. Nothing wrong with me using your contacts for my own business gains. It's not like I'm stealing all your business from them."

"Oh, oh, of course not, Mother. Plenty of investments to go around."

Vin stifled his chuckles until they had passed and were out of earshot again. As he scanned the rest of the town, Vin realized that lots of folks had been just as quietly and subtly amused. Strange that it was this moment that made Vin realize that he'd made the right decision in coming here, to this town. Wasn't perfect, no place was. But for the first time in a long time, he remembered what it was like when a community of people were bonded together, laughing at their own and yet taking care of their own. He just hoped nothing changed to prove him wrong.

All right, this was getting old, fast. Vin was not of a mood to humor Ezra again. It was the third night in a row that he'd ended up helping to run interference between Ezra, his mother and the gabbiest folks in town, including Ezra's customers. Only reason Vin put up with it was his little revelation about town's folks looking after each other. If he wanted to give this town the benefit of the doubt, then he had to do his share to keep it the place he thought it could be.

So he was hiding a scowl when he did it, but he did end up whisking Calvin Brady away from Maude and Ezra again, giving in to the pleading in Ezra's eyes. He had Brady set up with a drink, and was doing a damn good job, he thought, of keeping Brady from the temptation to go back again. Just as he took a sip of his own drink, it occurred to him that of all the men who'd want to pay for time with Ezra, Calvin Brady was the last one to be bold enough to do it in front of Ezra's own mother.

Suspicion, deliciously curling in his belly, made Vin narrow his eyes a little as Brady prattled on about the eventual coming of the railroad. Of course Brady eventually wavered under Vin's scrutiny, and a deep blush rose on his face.

Vin grinned and said, "All right, Mr. Brady, you gonna let me in on what's going on?"

Brady ducked his head, and when he looked up, he glanced directly at Maude. Vin craned his neck, too, just in time to see Maude meet Calvin's eyes. Vin recognized a conspiratorial look when he saw one, and Maude caught Vin's eyes too, in time to realize she'd been caught out.

"Mr. Brady?" Vin prompted, his grin still pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"I think maybe I should let Mrs. Standish explain. To Ezra, anyway," Brady said, giving Vin an apologetic smile, and still managing to look shy.

Even from the bar, Vin could see that Maude was about to give it up, whatever it was. Obviously resigned, but still sporting a wicked expression, Maude sighed and gathered up her winnings, and bid a confused Ezra to follow her from the table.

They came directly to the bar, surprising the hell out of Vin.

"Calvin, I can't thank you enough for your help. This year has been even more profitable than the last," Maude gushed.

Brady took her hand, shook it with a smile. "It's been my pleasure, Mrs. Standish. Ezra, I'll see you next week," he said, and nodded at Vin, then headed for the front door.

Vin looked from Ezra, to Maude, and back again, completely lost.

"Mother? You've been doing business with Calvin Brady for two years now?"

"Matter of fact, I have, darlin. Who do you think sent Calvin to see you that first time?" She asked, looking exasperated.

"What's happened here?" Ezra asked, looking like a beat puppy.

Maude let out an exasperated breath. "I have to admit that when I taught you to use your charms as a boy, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind. But if it's how you prefer to conduct your affairs, who am I to interfere?"

"Mother," Ezra said, still looking wounded.

Maude put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "I expected you to treat him well and to use his financial expertise. If it involved getting... intimate, then so be it. I didn't expect you to actually take him as customer," she said, rolling her eyes. She softened her expression then, and cupped Ezra's chin with one, gloved hand. "But as I said, if that's how you do business, then it's up to you, darlin."

"I..." Ezra started, his expression one of humiliation.

"Close your mouth, Ezra. It's unbecoming for it to hang open like that. Now, before I head back to the hotel, let me just say that I'm disappointed in you for something else. I taught you better than to let someone else take what's yours. You gave up three clients, three nights in a row, in this ridiculous game of yours, and let that young man there have what should be in your pocket."

"You've known, all this time," Ezra said, and Vin had never seen him at such a loss. Chris was gonna love it.

"Of course, I've known. You think I fell off the hay wagon yesterday? I'm your mother. I know you, and that'll always be the ace up my sleeve. Now, give your mother a kiss. I'll be leaving on the early morning stage, and you won't be awake to see me off."

"Why won't I?" Ezra asked, even as he leaned over to kiss Maude's cheek.

"Because you need to go get Mr. Wilkins over there and mend fences, before this boy takes your earnings again. If you play your cards right, you'll be up all night, and in no shape to come to the stage in the morning. Don't forget to ask him to put up some cash for that steel investment. Remember, it's always best to use someone else's money."

"Yes, mother," Ezra answered automatically, his expression stunned.

"All right then, be a good boy and go see Mr. Wilkins. I'll wire you from San Francisco to check up on you. Good night, darlin."

"Night, mother."

Vin nodded at Maude as she took her swaying hips and strolled toward the door, then he turned to Ezra. "Good to have family lookin out for ya, huh, Ezra."

Ezra's mouth opened and closed several times, rapidly, before he finally spoke. "What just happened here?"

"Yer ma just gave you tips for your trade, best I can tell. Don't forget to ask Mr. Wilkins about that steel," Vin said, chuckling as he pushed off from the bar. He couldn't wait for the place to close, so he could tell Chris about it all. He couldn't help but wonder who else in town had known all along that Maude knew everything her boy was up to. This place just got more interesting every day.

+ + + + + + +

Sometimes it felt to Vin as though he was just waiting for disaster to happen. It wasn't possible that his life could feel this uncomplicated. Sure, he had that mess with Tyler Henry, but he was earning enough to keep him paid off, and could even see that he might be able to save a little in case something happened and he couldn't work for a while.

Folks in town minded their own business about Vin's job at the bordello, and while some treated him like he wasn't as good as them, he had the feeling it was more because he didn't come from a family they already knew and respected, rather than what he got up to at Buck's. Seemed these people put a lot of weight on your answer when they asked you who your daddy was.

About the only problem Vin could see was that he couldn't truly relax when it came to Buck. Vin couldn't count the times he'd had to mind that Buck didn't overstep his bounds when it came to JD. Just didn't feel right to Vin that a grown man who didn't have any urge to start a family would be so interested in a fifteen year old boy. Vin's instincts said that Buck wouldn't use JD for anything filthy, but Vin wasn't so sure he could trust his instincts in this. Logic said there had to be something more than just caring for JD's well-being; but if Vin's instincts were wrong, and his logic was right, JD would be the one to suffer for it. Wouldn't be fair to JD for Vin to give Buck the benefit of the doubt.

Vin didn't have a problem getting along with Buck, though. He could work with him and work for him, even have conversations and joke around with him. He'd just drawn a very clear line, and expected Buck not to cross it. Made it easier, actually, that Buck knew about his reservations; that way there was no misunderstanding between them those times Vin stopped Buck from crossing that line.

It was also pretty obvious that Vin's resistance to trust was also the reason Buck had charmed Vin into helping him work on the corral fencing, just the two of them. Vin figured Buck planned on doing a little building and mending of the personal kind. He didn't mind, thinking that if Buck really did just have JD's own good in mind, Vin ought to give Buck the chance to prove it.

Vin wasn't the talkative sort. Never had been. So he kept working, and when they talked, it was Buck who initiated it and kept the conversation going. Vin was beginning to wonder if he'd been wrong about Buck's intention with the fencing when he realized they'd be finished soon, and Buck hadn't moved beyond small talk. That was about the time that Buck casually dropped the little fact that he learned this business from his mother.

Hands still wrapped about the fence post he was driving into the ground, Vin glanced up at Buck, a quick look to let Buck know he was listening.

"Had me a nice little room in the barn out back, where my mama was working in Eagle Bend. Up next to the hayloft. After working hours, she'd come back and check up on me, see if I was sleeping yet. Sometimes I was, sometimes I wasn't, but I always knew she'd been there, 'cause when I woke up, I'd find a penny next to my bed."

Vin didn't say anything, just shoved the post down deeper while he thought over what he'd been told. Buck's upbringing explained how he understood the trade, that was for sure. But it didn't automatically mean that Buck wanted only good things for JD, who now occupied a room next to the barn of Buck's very own whorehouse. Hell, for all Vin knew, it'd been such a miserable experience that Buck would only be happy if another kid had to live that experience, too.

"Doesn't happen often that the son of a working girl knows who his daddy is, you know," Buck added after a moment.

At that, Vin's head whipped up. Finally, Buck was trying to tell him something.

"Hank Connelly." Didn't sound familiar to Vin, so he shrugged, letting Buck know he'd have to give him more. Buck sighed, and did. "Old Hank never come out and admitted it, but everybody in town knew. My mama knew. It was a couple months time that she didn't see nobody but Hank, so there wasn't any doubting. He stopped coming to see her once her belly started getting big, but till I was about sixteen, he give her ten dollars a month. Put it in the bank for her, never give to her outright. My mama never touched that money, though. Gave it to me, when I was eighteen. It's how I finally got enough to open this place. Kind of ironic, isn't it? Don't think old Hank saw it the same way, though."

"This Hank Connelly, is he somebody I should know?" Vin asked, going back to fitting the rail into the notch on the post.

Buck snorted, unamused, and shook his head. "Not especially, but Chris knows him."

Vin lifted an eyebrow at that, ready for Buck to go on.

"Hank also had a daughter, Sarah. Chris married her."

Vin dropped the rail on his foot, swearing loud enough to almost drown out Buck's chuckles. By the time Vin stopped hopping on his other foot, and the sting had eased, Buck's laughter had died.

"Of course, that marriage was not with Hank's blessing. Last thing Hank wanted was for the kid he acknowledged to be married to the best friend of the kid he'd never acknowledge. He didn't want Sarah associating with anyone who knew me. Dumb old bastard actually thought Sarah didn't know about me."

Vin couldn't help himself; he was engrossed. "Did Hank tell you all this?"

A pained look crossed over Buck's face at the question, but he answered. "Oh yeah. He came to see me one night. I'd had the house opened for business for about a year, then. He just came up to me at the bar, and told me there's things best left in the past, and for his daughter's sake, I needed to get Chris to back off. So Sarah could live in the future and not the past."

Vin nodded, able to hear Hank saying it, even if he didn't have a clue what he looked or sounded like. "And what did you tell him?"

"Told him to either buy a drink or take a girl, 'cause otherwise he was just taking up space. He left pretty quiet, but I saw the rage in his face. I shoulda known it'd be Chris he'd go to see next."

Vin winced. "I'm guessing that got ugly."

"Whew. You could say that. Hank got to Chris' and Sarah was there. Hank didn't know that until he'd done beat Chris' face black and blue and told him his little girl deserved better than the likes of him and me. Sarah came running out when she realized Chris wasn't fighting back. Sarah refused to leave with him, so Hank finally went on his own, but before he got back on his horse, he told Chris that Sarah would live poor and die young if she stayed."

Vin gulped down the hard lump in his throat and finally fitted the fence firmly into the notch. He looked up at Buck when he was finished, not knowing what to say. Buck must've been able to tell from his expression that Vin was at a loss.

"Yeah, well, the living poor part was wrong. Chris did real good, making a decent home for Sarah, and then Adam when he was born. And he'd long quit coming to get girls at my place. Hell, he didn't look at another woman once he laid eyes on Sarah. But anyway, the dying young part, well, that turned out to be true, even if it wasn't the way Hank meant. But still, I know Chris remembers Hank saying those words to him."

Vin shook his head, finally understanding some of the melancholy and guilt that he'd sensed in Chris whenever the topic of Chris' family came up. All he'd known was that Chris' wife and son had died in a fire while Chris was away from home. Chris had never said more, and Vin hadn't pushed.

Vin looked up at Buck again, squinting as the afternoon sun glared in his eyes. "Why are you telling me?"

Buck sighed, and shrugged a little. "You and Chris are gettin close. It's been a long time since I've seen him look like he has any peace in his life. I figure you have something to do with that. That being the case, I wondered if maybe things would be easier for you two if you understood a little of what Chris went through before you came to town."

Vin had to admit that sometimes Chris' silence bothered him. Not a lot, or he'd have made more effort to get Chris to say something. But it just felt as though Chris knew everything about him, but there wasn't a lot that he knew about Chris. He knew there was something a little bit wrong if you were worried about being at a disadvantage when it came to the person you shared your bed with, and so Vin had just tried to not feel that he was at any disadvantage.

At that moment, under the warmth and light of the sun, Vin felt no more grown than JD. It'd also just occurred to him that he actually had been wrong about Buck's purpose being to get him out here to talk under the pretense of working on the fence. It hadn't been about Buck getting on his good side about JD. It'd been Buck, doing what Vin realized was what Buck always did-- butting into other people's private business in order to help.

Ironic, then, that this little talk did actually go at least a little toward Vin thinking of trusting Buck. Vin was beginning to accept that the biggest danger Buck posed was in the form of his nosiness. If that ended up being the worst that Vin had to worry about where JD was concerned, then it might not be too much longer before Buck earned Vin's trust outright.

They finished the work on the fence in much the same way they started it, with small talk, and Buck carrying the bulk of it. When Vin went back in the house to take a hot soak before mingling with customers, his body was pleasantly fatigued, but inside he felt strangely rested and at ease.

As was his habit, he also made a point to run on out to JD's room, before heading to the house's main floor, to see that JD didn't need for anything. As happened frequently, Buck had beat him to it. It was the first time, though, that Vin didn't feel a twinge of irritation over it.

+ + + + + + +

Vin rolled his eyes at Chris and went back to brushing Peso, not bothering to show any more annoyance than that. Some days there was no getting a rise out of Vin no matter how hard Chris tried. One thing abruptly crossed Chris' mind, though. He wasn't exactly sure what he'd do with Vin once he actually got him good and riled. Hardly ever thought that far ahead, instead just enjoyed the challenge as the mood struck.

Chris stretched out further in the back of the wagon, leaning against a round hay bale that had yet to be unloaded. He'd slept well the night before, having finally gotten enough bundled wool to make Vin's pallet just as comfortable as any bed. That the pallet and the wool for stuffing the mattress was given as a birthday gift two months earlier was the only thing that saved Chris from a softly growled lecture for trying to make Vin 'kept' as he put it. While it was something they occasionally joked about, Vin was completely serious when it came to his independence and ability to provide for himself. As a matter of pride, Chris understood it completely. Vin could be bought, but only for a short time, and even Chris couldn't buy Vin himself. It bothered him at times that there wasn't more he could do for Vin, but Chris had to admit that Vin's self-reliance was one of the very things that excited him so much and earned his respect.

Chris never slept so sound as he did the nights he pulled the pallet from under Vin's bed and drifted off with Vin's body tucked against his own. He didn't spend every night up there with Vin, but when he did, for some reason he always felt like lazing a little bit the next day.

"You could make yourself useful, ya know," Vin called over to him, pulling up Peso's foot to pick out his hoof.

"Why would I wanna do that?" Chris asked, picking up his game of 'how to aggravate Vin' again.

"'cause you might wanna take that stud of yours out of the barn again one of these days, if'n you get what I'm saying. Ain't much of a ride, all by yourself, now is it?" Vin answered smoothly, barely glancing up from the clumps of muck flinging from the horse's hoof.

Chris clutched his belly, laughing as hard as he was, but caught a grin on Vin's face that told him Vin enjoyed this little game as much as he did. But, it really wouldn't kill him to lend a hand, he thought. He had, after all, imposed on Inez for breakfast three mornings in a row.

He dragged himself from the wagon and hollered over his shoulder to Vin. "I'm gonna toss out that dishwater for Inez then see about getting that hay unloaded."

Vin tossed his head, acknowledging he was heard, then moved on to another hoof.

Chris had just come out with the big dish pail when he heard racket in the street around front, shouting and hooting. He tossed the water to the side of the back door, listening closer. Peso was back in the corral, and Vin was just closing the gate, looking just as concerned, when JD came flying around the side of the house.

"Chris! Ya gotta come quick!"

Vin and Chris both ran to him. "What's going on?" Chris asked, eyes already looking toward the front.

"A bunch... a bunch of men from that trail herd, they're gonna hang Nathan!"

Chris pulled out his guns, checking to be sure he had full rounds in each one, and he saw from the corner of his eye that Vin had dashed into the barn. Chris was just about to the front of the house when Vin caught up, JD trailing behind them. A single rifle shot boomed, and gunfire popped in the air, adding to the hoots and shouts.

"JD, you stay here, ya hear me?" Vin hissed.

"But Vin, I can--"

"You stay here, or I'll tan your hide so hard you won't be sittin' again till you're eighteen!" Vin shoved him backwards with a firm hand on his shoulder. JD gulped, but nodded yes.

Chris looked at Vin and saw a sawed-off Winchester lever-action rifle in his hands. He didn't say anything, just looked at the rifle then at the hard look in Vin's eyes. He'd considered-- for a split second-- ordering Vin to stay back the same way Vin had just ordered JD.

When they reached the street and looked down toward the end, there was a band of... eight men. They had Nathan on a horse, hands tied behind his back, and they'd just reached the knotted tree in the middle of the tiny cemetary that marked the end of town. Chris and Vin walked toward the ruckus, side by side, frightened townspeople hovering on either side of them on the boardwalk.

Chris glanced sideways again at Vin. "That's no six-shooter."

Vin snorted. "A man who knows his weapons. I like that."

"You know how to use it?"

Vin kept looking straight ahead, and answered without slowing down. "Better than the six-shooters."

Chris gritted his teeth. "Vin."

The younger man slid him a quick look as they continued walking, the narrowed eyes giving Vin's face a glint of danger. "I learned a hell of a lot more than trackin' from the Comanche, Chris."

"All right then," Chris said with a small shake of his head. Vin was never one to overstate his abilities; he was too honest for that. Chris was also smart enough to know that the Comanche didn't just use knives and arrows. Vin would hold his own.

Chris spotted Mary getting up from the road and smacking at heavy dust all over her dress. She came running to Chris, hair disheveled and eyes wide with fear. "They're gonna hang him! Their trail boss died of gangrene, and they're blaming Nathan. Chris, you have to stop them!"

He held her back with a hand on her flailing arms. "Stay back and out of the way. We'll stop it," he assured her, keeping up with Vin all the while. She backed away and Chris let out an annoyed breath.

"I'm guessing she got in front of 'em," Vin said, and Chris thought he heard a note of amusement in Vin's voice.

"Looks that way."

"Gutsy as hell," Vin said after a short pause.

"Yep," Chris agreed.

"Not too smart, though."

"Nope," Chris agreed again, a grin twitching on his lips.

"And here we are," Vin muttered as they reached the tiny cemetary.

Eight pairs of eyes turned to them, fear in some, loathing in some, indifference in the rest.

"Turn him loose," Chris ordered.

"Not gonna happen," one of them sneered from atop his horse.

"Reckon you'll be happier if you just rode away," Vin said.

"He killed a good man, and he's gonna hang for it," shouted a gruff man holding the reins on the horse Nathan sat upon.

"He didn't kill nobody," Vin said, slapping the barrel of the rifle casually against his palm.

"But I might," Chris said, "if you don't do as you're told and let him loose."

The silent pause seemed to last a lifetime, and yet when all hell broke loose, if felt like a fraction of a second. Chris and Vin both dove for cover behind the larger headstones, firing at the mob on the way. Each time they peeked over the stones, they took out another one, but damn near got their own heads blown to bits.

The horse Nathan sat on spooked right away, but didn't start running till four or five shots rang in the air. No way could Chris make it over there to cut him down without getting plugged full of holes. Nathan swung from the neck, eyes bulging, and all Chris could do was keeping firing till he could get clear.

Vin stood and pointed his rifle toward the rope around the tree, but his shot missed, as he had to duck down again before he could really take aim. Chris jerked upward again and fired at the big man who'd shot at Vin. The man went down in a heap, and instantly Vin was up again, aiming at the rope. One shot, and the rope snapped right off the tree, and Nathan dropped to the dirt. Two of the men were now just spots in the distant horizon, and another five bodies littered the cemetary-- topside, rather than in a coffin.

Just then, Chris heard a panicked shout, "Vin, behind you!" The words coincided with a blast from Vin's rifle. Chris whipped around and saw the eighth man falling from a stocky buckskin, a bright red stain spreading on his chest.

"Damn that kid," Vin grated, stomping his way over to JD. "I thought I told you to stay back!"

"Vin, he was sneaking up behind you! He'd a shot you in the back!" JD yelped.

Chris watched curiously as Vin took deep breaths to get control of his anger. "I knew he was there, JD. I was already firing at him when you started your bellowin'. You damn near ruined my shot!"

JD's eyes were wide, full of regret and fear. "Vin... I..."

"Not now," Vin said, cutting off JD's stammering. "Get on back to Buck's. And don't you forget, I got me a hide to tan, too."

JD clamped his mouth shut, but seemed rooted where he was. "Git, I told ya!" Vin said and shooed him with his hand. JD waited just another second, then turned and ran up the road to Buck's.

"That true?" Chris asked, "you already had a shot on that man when JD yelled?"

Vin turned his head to Chris, real slow, mouth a thin line and his eyes narrowed to slits. "Just asking," Chris said holding up his palms in defense. Damn, but Vin could get downright scary.

Vin snorted a little at that and shook his head. "That look works with JD, too. I gotta teach that boy some sense, before he gets himself-- or someone else-- killed."

Chris let out a relieved breath and grinned. "That something else the Comanche taught you?"

Vin's expression grew frighteningly devious. "I learned things that'd make the hardest man alive wanna go cryin' for his mama."

Chris chuckled. "You gonna use some of those things on JD?"

Vin sighed. "I wouldn't hurt him for anything. But I am tempted to take a switch to him."

Chris slung a hand over Vin's shoulder and nudged him toward the boardwalk. He had the saloon in sight, and a whiskey was sounding pretty good. "He's loyal, Vin," Chris said, kneeding a little at the back of Vin's neck before he let go.

"I know," Vin answered quietly. "That's part of the problem. He's so worried about doin' right by people, he don't stop to think."

Chris hummed a little, thinking that Vin was right, but that there was more to it. From the corner of his eye, he saw the undertaker approaching the dead bodies, and it began to make sense. "Well, I guess he's lost enough people close to him, he doesn't want to lose any more."

Vin's step faltered just enough for Chris to know that his insight was on the mark. "Reckon you're right about that. And I can't blame him for it. But he's gonna have to learn when to act and when to stay back."

Chris gave Vin a short jab with his elbow to get his attention. When Vin looked over, Chris said, "You don't have to teach him alone. I can help; he's lost all fear of me, if you hadn't noticed." Chris and Vin both laughed a little about that and the way JD had taken to following Chris like a puppy, asking questions about criminals. As they approached the bat wing doors to the saloon, Chris added, "You could let Buck help."

Vin paused before pushing through the doors, looked at him again with his brow furrowed together, but there was no anger to the expression, just a little apprehension. After a second, his face smoothed out again and he replied, "I suppose I could."

They made their way inside and took a spot at the bar. "So... you're ready to trust him a little?" Chris asked, knowing Vin would understand he meant Buck.

"I reckon," Vin answered, not really looking at him.

Chris nudged him again, prodding him to look his way. When Vin did, Chris said with a grin, "He really has taken a liking to the boy."

Vin finally grinned back. "I noticed."

"Hell, Vin, knowing Buck, what we have to worry about now is the trouble the two of them together can cook up."

Vin laughed with him at that. "You're probably right."

+ + + + + + +

Time with Chris seemed to be getting more rare, Vin thought to himself as he watched Chris ride out to the wagon train camped just at the edge of town. The trail herd that caused all the trouble with Nathan earlier in the month was just the start of it. Felt like every time Vin turned around, someone else was causing trouble, and Chris was busy dealing with it.

Vin felt it all the way down to his bones that this wagon train was going to bring a whole, new string of trouble. The farmer leading them, Will Richmond, was nursing a grudge the size of Texas. Word had it that he and his wife had lost their young daughter right before the Wagon Train got to St. Louis a couple months back. Folks riding with them were glad for a break, willing to see if Richmond could get his head together while the wagon train rested a spell there in Four Corners.

As far as Vin could see though, all Richmond had managed in the last week was to build that grudge against the world rather than get rid of it. The man was a regular every night at Buck's, and had had all the girls at least once. None of them had anything good to say about the man, though they had assured Buck that he hadn't truly gotten out of line with them.

Vin sighed, cast one more look at Chris' horse as it reached the circle of wagons, then stepped from the the porch onto the street, crossing it and heading up to the general store. Wasn't a lot of people likely to be there this time of the morning. Most folks went earlier, or after lunch time.

He nodded at Mrs. Potter, making sure to flash one of his genuine grins at her. She was one of the nicest ladies in town, Vin thought. Never judged nobody, and treated all the store's customers the same-- with respect. She worked hard at the store, too, taking real good care of her two kids. She'd definitely earned the respect that Vin returned to her.

After browsing for just a moment, Vin found the series of dime novels that he thought JD had been reading. The covers on the things were downright silly, and in some cases just plain infuriating. Vin seethed when he picked up one that featured a fearsome indian about to scalp a frightened looking farmer. Books like that made it hard for folks to get along with any of the indians on the nearby reservations.

Vin tried to ignore those, and set about looking for the ones JD wanted. At least, Vin was pretty sure JD wouldn't want any of those with stupid covers.

A tap on his shoulder caught him off guard, and Vin startled a little as he turned. Mrs. Potter stood there with an apologetic smile. "Can I help you find something, Vin?"

Vin returned her smile. "Thanks, Mrs. Potter. I know JD's wanting a couple of these, but I ain't sure which ones."

"Well, let's see," she said, "I believe that he's already gotten all of the dime novels that caught his interest. But I do have a few other things in stock that I'm sure he'd enjoy."

Vin winced. It was easier to pick out the dime novels, because the covers gave him some clue as to what was inside. Besides, the flimsy novels were affordable at just ten cents each. Real books could cost him more than a dollar each. "I only got a dollar and thirty cents to spare. Can I get something with that?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Here," she said, reaching onto the shelf, "I have a used, but good copy of Atlantic Tales. It's a collection of stories set in the East. He might like reading about places that are familiar to him."

Vin smiled big. "I bet you're right. Thanks, Mrs. Potter. How much is it?"

A puzzled look crossed her face as she glanced down at the book. Aw hell. That probably meant that the price was right there on the cover. She covered for herself with a quick grin, but Vin knew when he'd been found out. "It's used, so it's ninety cents."

Vin dropped his head for a second before he met her eyes again. "Good. I can get us a bag of gum drops while I'm here."

On the way to the cash register, Mrs. Potter stopped, and turned back to Vin with a secretive glance around the store first. "You know, Vin, lots of people have people have been working so hard at just staying alive that they haven't had time for book learning..."

A blush crept over Vin's face before he could stop it. "I know," he answered softly.

"It's just a suggestion, but... Mary Travis, before she came out here and started on a different path, was a school teacher in Virgina..."

The blush deepened violently as Mrs. Potter spoke. Vin knew the moment she realized that her suggestion was a bad one.

Again, she recovered quickly. "Which has no bearing on what I have in mind, only that it reminds me of learning. Anyway, I do have a rather nice collection of these books, and if you'd like, we could make use of them. I could help you--"

Vin smiled. Hell of a good women, making that offer just to spare Vin some embarrassment. "I don't want to put you to any trouble, Mrs. Potter. You got enough to handle, keeping up with things here and with your boy and girl."

At that, her face brightened a little. "How about this? I really could use some help in the store room a couple days a week. How about a trade? Help me out a couple of afternoons getting stock onto the floor, and we can work in some time with the books once the stocking is done?"

Vin cocked his head, wondering if she really meant it. "Are you sure it'd be a good bargain for you?"

She nodded warmly. "Absolutely. If I get the goods out onto the floor sooner, I'd have plenty of time."

Vin couldn't help it; his grin spread. "I'd like that. I'd like it a lot."

Mrs. Potter chuckled, obviously in relief. "Then it's a deal. Want to start tomorrow?"

"That'd be good."

Vin paid for JD's book and their gum drops, then left the store with a wave to Mrs. Potter.

Out on the boardwalk, Vin opened the paper bag, and reached for one of the little candies. Just as he popped it into his mouth, he noticed a woman in a rather dusty dress leaning against the post outside of the store. He didn't think too much of it, but as he passed her, he saw that she had tears trickling down her face, and that her eyes were glued on Buck's house.

Vin was rarely impulsive, so he had no idea what came over him.

"Gum drop?" he asked, holding out the paper bag.

The woman turned to him, startled, causing her long, brown hair to spill over her shoulder. "I'm sorry?" she said, emotion choking her voice, and confusion written on her face.

"Gum drop," Vin repeated with a smile. "Sometimes it's the only thing that can make things feel better."

After a moment, the surprise on her face turned into a smile. It looked good on her, and Vin found himself happy to see it. "There now, you should smile more often. Sorta lights up your face."

The woman ducked her head at the compliment, and Vin realized that a kind word had made her look prettier than he'd originally thought.

"I'm Vin," he said when the woman hadn't said anything else to him.

"Charlotte. Charlotte Richmond," she said after a sniffle.

Vin stiffened a little, realizing who she was. Then her frown and the sadness returned to her face.

"I can tell from your reaction that you know who I am.. and that you probably know my husband."

Vin sighed. "Yeah, well, I've seen him in Buck's," Vin answered, nodding his head toward the house.

Her expression grew stern at that, and Vin realized she thought he was a customer there.

"Oh no, I don't go in there for women. I work there."

Her eyes widened, and Vin was ready to kick himself. What made him think she'd think better of him working there than she would of him being a customer? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Aw, hell. Gum drop?" Vin offered again, kicking at the boardwalk with his toe, and his eyes pinned on his boots.

A healthy laugh brought his eyes up. "I'd love one," Charlotte said, a soft smile back on her face as she reached into the bag.

"Charlotte!" A harsh bellow called from down the boardwalk. Will Richmond glared at them from in front of the hardware store.

Charlotte sighed miserably, then met Vin's eyes again. "I'll see you around, Vin. Thank you."

Vin smiled at her, and tipped his hat. "Ma'am."

She popped the gum drop into her mouth then headed toward her husband. Richmond's hard eyes remained on Vin, though, and Vin felt anger curling in his belly. No doubt, that man was going to be trouble until he got his wagon train the hell out of town.

That night, when Buck opened the front doors for business, Richmond wasn't one of the first customers inside. Change of his habit, Vin thought. He wondered if maybe that pretty wife of his finally got him to see sense.

Whatever the case, it looked as though Vin was going to have another slow night. Those fellas from the wagon train wouldn't be seen taking a boy whore upstairs, and with all the strange faces in the house, the regulars were being cautious. So, aside from the trouble Vin sensed Richmond would be, the man was also costing him money by keeping that wagon train camped at the edge of town.

The money part wouldn't have stung so much if Vin could have at least consoled himself by spending more time with Chris. But with the wagon train set up like a bullseye just outside of town begging to be robbed, and with the latest flurry of trouble in the town itself, it just hadn't happened. Chris' time was hard to take.

Vin made himself useful by helping out at the bar and carrying drinks to the tables. If he wasn't bringing in cash from his work upstairs, he could at least earn his keep this way, he thought.

He'd just dropped off a round of beers to a table of farmers from the wagon train, when Richmond finally came stomping in. He looked more riled up than in previous nights, and Vin realized quickly that he'd started drinking already. He caught Buck's eyes from across the room, and Buck nodded to him before quietly slipping right out the front door. Buck would be going to get Chris, in case it got ugly; and to possibly stop it before it got ugly. Ordinarily, Buck could take care of it himself, with Vin there to back him up. But with the entire wagon train of these people around, Vin knew that having Chris there, to make it all official, would be for the best.

First thing Richmond did was circle the floor, asking for Greta. When he was finally told that Greta was busy for a while, he grumbled angrily to himself before grabbing Jessie by the wrist, pulling her away from the customer she was flirting with, and dragging her to an empty table. Vin soothed the irritated customer, whispering quietly that they'd make sure he was taken care of for the night, and that they'd deal with the other rude customer. Luckily, the man was easily calmed, and Vin could go back to shadowing Richmond.

He did it discreetly, paying extra attention to the drinks for those at the tables nearest Richmond's. Vin was quietly swearing to himself that Chris needed to get his butt in there soon, when he finally spotted him coming through the door. They locked eyes immediately, and Vin tossed his head subtly in Richmond's direction. Chris nodded, and casually weaved through the crowd to Richmond's table. Vin eased just behind and to the side of Chris, in case he was needed.

When Richmond finally noticed Chris standing there, he looked up, and annoyance washed over his face. "Don't you got anything better to do?"

"Nothing better than making sure the people who live and work in my town are safe."

Richmond snorted. "And this town needs you doing that in the whorehouse?"

"If there's someone there itching to make trouble, yeah. You itching for trouble, Richmond?"

The man shook his head, disgusted, but obviously smart enough to know when he should ease up on the attitude. "Only thing I'm itching for, is what this woman is gonna give me."

"All right then. Let's just make sure it stays that way," Chris said, and shifted, as though to walk away. He stopped, though, when Richmond scooted his chair back loudly.

"Yeah, well you just make sure this particular whore stays the hell away from my wife!" Richmond growled pointing a finger at Vin.

Chris turned to Vin, surprise on his face. Vin was shocked, but answered for himself. "All I did was offer a kind word to a crying woman outside the general store. I didn't even know she was your wife till you hollered for her like she was a mangy dog."

Richmond stood slowly and took a step toward him. Chris smoothly stood in between, and got his face menacingly close to Richmond's. "You don't want to start something you can't finish. Are we clear?"

"Same goes for him," Richmond grated softly, though Vin and several people around could hear it since the room had gone dead quiet.

"You're wearing out your welcome in this town, Richmond. Time to think about moving on," Chris answered and edged even closer to Richmond, making him back up.

"Come morning, we'll start making plans to head out."

Chris nodded as though it'd been a friendly conversation, but nobody was fooled, and Vin knew they weren't meant to be.

Chris waited until Richmond had taken his seat again, then slowly made for the bar. Vin followed, looking back over his shoulder to catch Richmond glaring at him.

Once at the bar, Vin let out a long, slow breath. "That man is dangerous," he whispered to Chris.

"That means you best take care not to provoke him." Chris' voice was oddly cold. It renewed Vin's anger.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

Chris turned a sideways look at him, then seemed to deflate. "Sorry, Vin. It's been a long week."

"I didn't do nothin wrong," Vin said, feeling gut punched despite Chris easing off.

"I know. All you did was talk to her, right?"

Vin exhaled through his nose, trying to keep his nerves from flaring. "I came out of Mrs. Potter's, saw a woman standing there crying, and offered her a piece of candy. I'd only just learned her name when Richmond bellowed for her."

Chris sighed. "We'll all be better off when those people pull up stakes and move on."

Vin snorted. "Tell me about it."

Chris downed the drink Jimmy put in front of him, then looked at him again. "I am sorry, Vin."

Vin shook his head. "I know. Don't like it that strangers got you questioning me, though."

"Like I said. Long week. Got my nerves on edge."

Vin sipped his own drink, then risked another look at Chris. He looked damned tired. "Try to get some sleep tonight?"

"Got to sleep at the jail again tonight. Couple of fellas started a fight at the saloon. I'm keeping them tonight, see if they settle down and let it go by morning."

Vin dropped his chin. Another night without Chris. "I can bring by some leftovers from Inez's dinner. Ain't all that much for me to do here tonight anyhow."

Chris winced a little, but enough for Vin to wonder what was going on. "Sorry, Vin. Mary done brought some dinner by from the rooming house. Appreciate the thought, though."

Vin felt a flush working up his neck, but fought down his worry. Chris had done told him he didn't have any designs on Mary. It was just these damn new people all over town, making everybody tense.

"I'll be glad when they're all gone again," Vin found himself saying.

Chris turned and gave him the first gentle smile he'd given in a long time. "Me too, Vin."

Vin returned that smile, then Chris downed another drink and left. It was gonna be another long, lonely night, but knowing the wagon train was practically gone already made it tolerable.

Morning greeted Vin with fresh air and the promise of peace. Vin stretched, appreciating the softness of the pallet and the cool breeze that wafted over him. He smiled to himself, picturing the wagon train in his mind, all the folks there busy readying their supplies and getting ready to move on. They'd probably be gone by the next morning at the latest.

Vin dressed, feeling his mood pick up even more as he anticipated breakfast and seeing the back of Richmond's wagon. He bounded down the steps, wanting to fill his belly and then go off to find Chris, see if he'd managed any sleep at all at the jail.

When he rounded the corner into the kitchen, the somber faces looking up at him killed his hopes for the day. He wasn't even sure what had happened, but he knew that it wasn't good.

"What's wrong?"

Buck put down his coffee cup and JD just looked up at him as he absently toyed with the eggs on his plate. Had to be damn bad to ruin JD's appetite.

"There was a murder last night," Buck finally answered.

Vin's eyes widened. Aw hell. Not good was putting it mildly. "Who? What happened?"

"One of the women from the wagon train," Buck said, and Vin felt his face drain of color.

Buck looked at him curiously, then shot him a glare. "No, it wasn't your new girlfriend. You sure there's nothing you ain't told us?"

How the hell could did he go from elated to irate in less than five minutes, Vin wondered. "She ain't my girlfriend, Buck, and if'n you prefer to take Richmond's word over mine, maybe you wanna ask him to come in here and make a living getting fucked for you."

He grabbed a biscuit from the table and stormed out, leaving a stunned JD and Inez behind. He'd just reached the front door when Buck caught up with him, stopping him with a hand on his shoulder. Vin spun around, the biscuit flying out of his hand, and he felt fire in his eyes, aimed at Buck. "You might be wanting that hand back, Buck, so you'd best take it off me now."

Buck did pull his hand back, and only then did Vin see the regret on the man's face. "I'm sorry, Vin. I really am. This whole thing, after all the trouble we had already, well, it's got everybody's moods itchy."

"I said maybe two whole things to that woman, and already her husband, you and Chris have me courting her. Would either of you have accused Calvin Brady, or any of the other so-called respectable people in this town as fast as you two accused me?"

Buck winced at Vin's words, but answered quickly. "Mood we all been in lately, who knows? Probably."

Vin's chest rose and fell with anger. "Probably, huh. You ain't even sure. That right there tells me you do see a difference between men like Brady and men like me. Thanks for being honest, Buck."

Vin turned to leave again, but Buck followed, right on his heels. "Now Vin, it ain't like that, and you know it."

"No, I don't know it," Vin answered, going right out the door, heading for the jail.

"Vin would you stop for just a second?"

He shook his head, took a few more steps, then finally stopped when Buck followed, uttering a desperate sounding, "Please."

He turned, sent his hardest glare Buck's way.

"Vin. Sometimes, when things are tense and it feels like you got the weight of the world on ya, it's easy to just say things, and lash out. It's also easier to do that with people who are close to ya. People you care about. I don't know why, but people are just like that."

Vin kicked the dirt under his feet a little. "Don't make no sense to me."

"I know, it's crazy. I guess it's 'cause deep down, people feel safer letting those feelings go when they're with somebody they trust."

Vin looked at Buck hard, not sure if Buck meant that, or was just thinking fast. He still couldn't help but feel that how he made his money was a big part of it, even though Buck and Chris were the type to deny it. "Sounds like an awful easy excuse, Buck."

Buck shook his head, with a look of pity on his face that only made Vin angrier. He ignored Vin's glare, though, and went on explaining. "Chris and me are not the kind of men who judge people by this profession, and you know it."

Vin snorted softly. "I used to think it, but no, I don't know it anymore."

"It's the truth," Buck insisted. "And if you'd stop and listen-- I mean really listen, you'd know that it's still the truth. Hell, you been edgy, too."

"Yeah, I have. But I ain't took it out on the people close to me, have I?"

Buck sighed gently. "You been awful damned defensive, but no, you haven't. But if you want to-- if you need to-- I think you'll see that we won't think no less of you for it."

Vin spread his arms out in frustration. "That's just plain crazy! Why would I do that?"

Buck grinned at him. "Because you can do it, and we'll still be close to you."

Vin wrapped his arms around himself, all messed up inside, and mad at himself for beginning to believe Buck. "You people are loco."

Buck laughed at him then, a warm twinkle in his eyes. "Maybe we are. But we're loco folks who look after their own, even when we get a little ornery now and then."

Vin rolled his eyes, and half-turned. "Gettin' ornery's one thing. But this wasn't the same, Buck. I ain't got so many people close to me that I'd risk losing one by turning on 'em like that."

"Now, see? That's just it. If someone is that close, it ain't a risk. It's just one of those things you go through, and the people around you just let you go through it. You got that, here in this town; you just don't realize it yet."

Vin kicked the dirt a little more, awfully uncomfortable with this whole subject. Buck was describing family, and Vin didn't ever hope to have one of those. He just wanted to be done with all this talk, and go see Chris.

Before he knew it, though, Buck wrapped two long arms around him, right there in the middle of the street. "You done lost your mind?" Vin grumbled, then let out an oomph as Buck squeezed him in a big bear hug before he let him go with a ruffle to his hair.

"Inez spike your coffee again?" Vin glared up at him, but Buck had already done argued the fire out of him, and by the crazy grin on the man's face, Buck knew it.

"Vin? Don't ever forget that deep down, no matter what stupid thing comes out of my mouth or Chris', your word is always worth a hundred Richmonds or a hundred Calvin Bradys. And that's the truth."

With a soft sigh, Vin nodded. "You need me to get anything while I'm out?"

Buck laughed at him again, probably for the change of subject. "Nah, don't need anything." Buck's expression sobered, then. "Go easy on Chris today? This murder's weighing heavy on him."

Vin nodded. "I reckon it is. Gonna see if there's anything I can do to help."

"All right then, I'll see you later."

Vin offered Buck a weak grin before they parted on the street, Vin still heading for the jail, and Buck back to the house.

By the time Vin made it inside the jail, Chris had already pulled out a whiskey bottle, and was just unscrewing the cap. "Little early for that, ain't it cowboy?"

Chris blew out a tired breath, shaking his head. "Early would mean I'd gone to bed and done got up."

"You never got any sleep at all?" Vin said, surprised, and a little worried, too.

"Hell, the crowd at the saloon kept me busy most of the night, and then Henderson came looking for me when they realized that widow from the wagon train hadn't been seen all night. Ended up looking for her myself, finally found her just around dawn, behind the livery."

Vin sat in the chair in front of Chris' desk. "You coulda come got me to help, Chris."

Chris gave him a half smile. "Didn't want to have to get you up."

Vin gave him a hard glare. "Next time, get me up."

Chris chuckled. "I won't argue with you, believe me."

Vin grinned a little, then. "Good. So, any idea what happened to the widow?"

Chris shook his head, his frustration painfully obvious. "Her throat was cut, and there was a silver dollar laid over each of her eyes," Chris said, his voice a pained whisper. "Didn't learn much more than that before the Pinkerton fella showed up."

"Pinkerton?" Vin asked, surprised. "One of them detectives? Here?"

Chris nodded. "He's been on the trail of this killer for some time now. Pinkerton always seems to be a step behind, though. He did say that if the killer follows his pattern, he'll get another woman before he leaves town."

Vin gulped, not liking the sounds of this at all. None of the women in town would be safe until this man was caught.

"There's another problem, too, Vin."

Vin looked up, raising an eyebrow in question.

"With a murder in town, and especially with it being one of the women from the wagon train, they won't be pulling out of here as soon as we'd hoped."

"Aw, hell."

"I know," Chris said, sliding the shot glass his way.

Gratefully, Vin downed the whiskey. So much for his happy, breezy morning. "We need to set up patrols in town, especially after dark. We need to make sure those street fires stay lit, and we need to keep people in their own homes-- or at their own wagons-- much as possible," Vin said then slid the glass back to Chris' side of the desk.

Chris grinned at him. "I like the way you think."

Vin ducked his head a little, feeling a light blush. "Takin over your job, ain't I."

Chris let out a small laugh. "Not so much. I'd already thought of patrols, and keeping people inside. I hadn't thought about keeping an eye on the street fires, though. But you're right, the more lit up the town is, the easier it is to see people on the streets and in between the buildings."

"We know I ain't been useful at Buck's in the evenings, so I'll be out patrolling. Who else we got?"

Chris cocked his head, thinking. "Buck can be spared for a quick turn now and then; he and Jimmy can trade off watching the house and patrolling. We can round up a few more to help out in town."

"What about at the wagons?" Vin asked carefully, knowing the subject would be touchy.

"They aren't gonna like one of our townspeople nosing around their camp all hours of the night. And tell you the truth, I don't want them coming and going from town all hours, either. I hate to do it, but I'm gonna have to put out a curfew. People from the wagon train are gonna have to be back and with their own by eleven, and I'm gonna have Buck's and the saloon close at eleven, too."

Vin winced, knowing Buck wouldn't like it, but that he'd understand it. Jasper was doing real good at the saloon with the wagon train in town, so he wouldn't like it either, but he'd get over it.

"Well, with everybody where they're supposed to be that late, it'll be easier to spot anyone creeping around where they shouldn't be," Vin said.

"Exactly. That'll make patrolling a hell of a lot easier. It's gonna have to be this way till we catch this man, or till that Pinkerton is sure he's moved on."

"I vote for catching him," Vin added, giving Chris a narrow-eyed look. Chris slid a deliciously dangerous grin his way, letting Vin know they were together on this.

Chris rode out to the wagon train camp to let them know about the curfew, while Vin got started putting up the notices about it, and spread word in town. As Vin'd thought, Buck wasn't thrilled with the idea of closing early, but he saw the sense in it, and didn't argue. Instead, he offered to get Nathan to help with the patrolling, while Vin set about getting Josiah to help, too.

Vin didn't find Josiah at the church, which was odd considering his habits at this time of the morning, so he checked the church's backroom, the town restaurant and the hardware store, with no luck. After a glance in the general store, he finally checked the saloon.

There he was, already halfway into a bottle. Vin tried to explain about the patrols, but gave up when he realized Josiah wasn't hearing a word and that something was seriously wrong. Vin had never seen him like that, and it was worrisome. He considered himself lucky to finally convince him to put the bottle away and sleep it off.

It was damned difficult to get the man back to his room behind the church, and Vin knew that too many people had spotted them, Josiah's bulk half-draped over Vin's skinny frame, the two of them weaving their way along the boardwalk. When he got Josiah plunked down on his bed, Vin caught something mumbled about penance, then Josiah was out cold.

Vin shook his head, then slipped out again, and headed up the street. He saw Mrs. Potter out in front of the store, sweeping, and figured he may as well check to see if he'd still be helping out and getting started on his book learning later in the day. Made sense to try to keep some things feeling like normal.

As he hopped onto the boardwalk, he tipped his hat. "Mrs. Potter."

"Hello, Vin," she answered with a nervous smile.

"You doing okay?"

She nodded, but Vin wasn't convinced.

"You heard we're gonna have a curfew tonight, right?" he asked, tilting his head to meet her eyes.

"I did. I think it's a fine idea," she answered, but still cast her eyes out on the street, looking skittish.

"I'll be keeping an extra close eye on your place, Mrs. Potter," he assured with a smile.

Relief finally swept over her face, easing the worry lines that had been there. "I appreciate that more than I can say."

"Might be a good idea for you to close the store before dark. Lock up, and head on upstairs."

"I'll do that," she said, idly sweeping again.

"Nobody's getting in there unless they break in, and I'll be watching to make sure there's nothing out of place."

She stopped sweeping again, and looked at him with gratitude. "I feel much better knowing that. Thank you."

Vin grinned at her. "Don't think nothin of it." With all she had to worry about, Vin decided it wasn't right imposing on her for that book learning, so he decided not to say anything after all. Instead, he tipped his hat again, and prepared to head back to the jail, see if Chris learned anything else. "I'll be seeing you in a while, then, to check up on ya."

Mrs. Potter surprised him with a quiet chuckle. "You haven't forgotten already, have you? About our arrangement?"

"No, ma'am. Just didn't want to get in the way if the curfew made it harder on business."

"Actually," she said, "with closing down early, it's likely to get crowded right before suppertime. I imagine other folks will want to be getting in before dark, themselves. Why don't we work on the inventory and get to those books around lunchtime, instead? That way I can be ready for the late afternoon rush?"

"Are you sure?" Vin asked, trying not to sound overly hopeful.

"If it's a good time for you, then yes. The stocking will go quickly, with two of us, and then we can start with the books while we have some lunch."

"It's a deal, Mrs. Potter."

"Good," she replied, more relief in her voice than ever. It occurred to Vin then, that as much as wanting to help him, she was also probably glad to have him nearby. She'd been trying hard not act spooked, but Vin had been able to tell anyway.

"I'm just gonna check in with Chris, see if he's found out anything, then check on Josiah, make sure he's still settled, then I'll be back to get started on that stock."

Mrs. Potter smiled sadly at that. "Don't worry too much about Josiah. He'll be fine again in a couple days, you'll see."

Vin cocked his head. "What makes you say that?"

"Every year, about this time, he goes through the same thing for a few days, then as quick as it came, he's over it. Hasn't told anybody why, as far as I know, but those of us who've been here, we've gotten used to it."

"Every year? Same time?"

She nodded. "This is the sixth year, now, since he came to town. Poor man. Whatever it is that haunts him, it has precise timing."

"Thanks, Mrs. Potter. I'll be back shortly."

With another nod to her, Vin jumped back down to the street, hoping it wasn't as much trouble to find Chris as it had been to find Josiah earlier. He passed in front of Buck's, deciding to keep going and risk trying the rooming house, thinking that if Chris hadn't been there yet, it might be a good idea to check in Mary and her boarders anyway. Even Mary couldn't stand the sight of him, she was still a woman living on her own, mostly, and Vin wouldn't want anything to happen to her.

As he passed Buck's stable, though, a soft 'pssst' caught his attention. On alert, he looked around and edged into the stable yard, ready to pull out his six-shooter, if necessary. As he slipped around the corner of the barn, though, he relaxed a little.

"Hello, Vin."

"Mrs. Richmond. Something I can do for ya, ma'am?"

She smiled at him softly. "You can call me Charlotte."

Vin looked around, nervous. This most definitely was not a good idea. "Ma'am, your husband won't be too happy to know you're here."

She ducked her head, and when she lifted it again, her face was drawn with sadness. "I just want..."

"What?" Vin asked, softening despite himself.

"I wanted to know if you could tell me something of what my husband gets up to in there," she finally blurted, desperation in her voice.

Vin flushed, and felt the urge to tug at his collar. "Well, now, I don't know what exactly you want me to say. There's things that it just ain't right to talk about."

Charlotte flushed then, too, but with anger. "But it's all right for him to do those things?"

"That ain't what I meant," Vin said, trying to soothe her, in case she got loud and caused a scene. Vin'd seen women do that. Granted, they'd been women whores, but Vin wasn't taking any chances that farmer women didn't get that way, too.

"I don't want to know details. I just... I want to know if he takes women in there."

Vin hated it, but that wounded expression got to him. Wasn't right for this sweet little woman to hurt so much over a no good, ungrateful husband. He couldn't lie to her, though. She deserved to know. He sighed hard. "Yeah, he takes women."

Vin didn't know what he expected from her after hearing that. But it wasn't for her shoulders to droop, for her start shaking from her sobs, and definitely not for her to lean against him let her tears spill onto the bandana wrapped around his neck.

"Hell, I'm sorry. It ain't my business, but he shouldn't be doing this to you."

She didn't answer him, just clung tighter, while Vin stood there with his hands at his sides, feeling awkward and scanning the area in case anybody was looking. Eventually, he did raise one hand to pat her shoulder. Finally, she stopped, and pulled back with a sniffle. "Lord, I'm sorry. Don't know what come over me."

"Grief, I reckon," Vin answered automatically.

She sniffed again and bobbed her head a little, half in agreement. "There is a bit of that, I suppose. Mostly, I just don't know what to do. He goes to see these women, and yet he won't even lay a finger on me, his own wife."

Vin blushed furiously at that. No way in hell was he supposed to be hearing about Richmond and his husbandly duties.

She glanced up at him and must've noticed how red he was. "Now, I've gone and said something improper and embarrassed you. I'm sorry, Vin."

"Hell, I ain't one to judge what's proper. It just ain't my business, is all."

Charlotte surprised him again, this time by quickly managing such a bright smile. "You're an honest man, Vin. Feels nice, talking with someone who's so free with the truth."

Vin cocked an eyebrow at her. "Well, here's another free bit of truth. Anyone sees you talking with me, here, we're gonna have more trouble than either of us wants to handle about now."

"You're right, I know. I'm sorry to put you in an awkward position," she said, apology in her eyes.

"It's all right. It's just best if'n you slip on out of here, now. And listen, keep yourself safe, you here? Don't go wandering away from the camp after dark, and try not to let yourself be alone. Stick with someone you know."

She nodded, this time looking almost obedient. "I'm still gonna hope that we'll find some way to talk again."

Vin winced a little, knowing that was a bad idea.

"I'm allowed to hope, even if that's all it is, " Charlotte whispered, coming closer to him for just a second, before she eased back. "I deserve at least that much."

"You deserve more than that, but it ain't up to me."

Charlotte smiled at him once more, before turning to go. Thankfully, she was careful. She checked the street first, before stepping out into plain site. Once she was gone, Vin let out a long breath.

Damn, but women were confusing! Crying one minute, downright flirty the next, then saying stuff that sounded like poetry. They were interesting, but too damned much work and too damned confounding to put up with all the time.

Vin decided to give it another minute before he headed back onto the street. From his spot at the corner of the barn, he could see Charlotte make it to the edge of town, though, and kept his eye on her until he was sure the men on watch at the wagon train had spotted her.

He was glad to finally find it safe enough to back out and look for Chris.

Vin spotted him heading back into the jail, and was relieved at the timing. Well, he was relieved until he walked inside and realized Chris was all tension and raw nerves again.

"More bad news?" Vin asked, though he was sure he wouldn't like the answer.

"That Pinkerton fella. He's got a suspect."

Vin's nerves prickled at Chris' tone. "Who?"

"Josiah," Chris said, looking up at Vin, eyes hard and serious.

Vin snorted. "You cain't believe that."

Chris' expression didn't falter, though. "I have to consider it, especially seeing as how he never made it to his room at the church last night, he's still on a raging drunk, and has a history of it, too."

"Chris, you know Josiah."

The glare hardened even more. "I don't think you can ever really know a person."

The words were like a slap in the face, as Vin abruptly realized this was personal. "That ain't true."

"Sometimes, I wonder," Chris whispered, danger making his eyes glitter.

"You gonna tell me what's got your knickers in a knot, or are ya just gonna play games all day?"

"Did you lie to me?" Chris asked quickly, looking hurt and mad all at once.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Did you lie to me last night, and is there something you want to tell me about today?" Chris said by way of an answer, and was suddenly looming over him. Vin didn't like it.

"No, I didn't lie to you. If you gotta ask that, maybe we really don't each other. And as for today? No, there ain't nothin I wanna tell you. There ain't nothin about today that's a damn bit of your business. Seeing as how we don't know each other, and all."

Vin stalked to the door and whipped it open. Just as quick, though, Chris' hand was on it, slamming it shut again. Vin slowly inclined his head, just enough for Chris to see his eyes from under the brim of his hat. Vin matched him, glare for glare, for a long moment, till the hard mask on Chris' face faltered just a little.

"I don't seriously think Josiah did it," Chris finally said, his voice roughened.

"And?"

"And that woman is trouble, Vin. Crying on your shoulder the second time you even exchange words? You're being set up for a fall."

So, Chris had seen a lot. Vin didn't have anything to hide. The hiding had been for Charlotte's sake. But he didn't like Chris spying on him and then expecting him to come running to him with every detail of his life. Nobody owned Vin Tanner. Not even Chris.

"This really about the trouble coming down on my head, or is it about you?" Vin finally asked.

"It's about making trouble for everyone. You sneaking around with Charlotte Richmond will make trouble for you, JD, Buck, me, and who knows who else who might get caught in the middle."

"Only people likely to get caught in the middle is those nosy enough to put themselves there," Vin replied, reaching for the doorknob again.

Chris still held the door closed with one hand, though. "It's getting out of hand, Vin."

Vin shook his head, misery washing through him. "I'm tired of doing, or not doing, according to what other people want. It's time I stop letting other people tell me my business. It's my life, Chris."

When he looked up at him again, Vin saw much more of the hurt there than the anger. Didn't change anything, though. Whether or not he let Charlotte cry on his shoulder some more was up to him, not Chris, or anyone else. He'd already decided it was a bad idea, and that hadn't had anything to do with Chris. But Chris hadn't even bothered to ask him. Hell, he wasn't so stupid that he'd go looking for trouble just to spite Chris. But he'd be damned if he'd rule out helping Charlotte if she needed it, just to please Chris.

"Your life, huh," Chris finally said, voice flat and without emotion. Vin nodded, yes. "All right then. Go live it."

Chris stepped back from the door, pulling it open and freeing the way for Vin to walk out. At that moment, Vin was overcome with doubts and a sudden flurry of fears. Did Chris mean that him walking out was something permanent? Was this just Chris trying to give him permission of some kind to make his own decisions? Vin didn't have any idea.

For a crazy second, Vin considered closing the door again and begging Chris not to let him go. Next thing he knew, though, he was out on the boardwalk, wishing he wasn't so numb, wishing he could feel the sunshine beaming down on his face.

Chris sank heavily into the chair behind his desk. What the hell had he just done?

He knew better than to think Vin was up to something with Charlotte Richmond. Hell, he'd seen the woman sneak around the corner of Buck's barn, and had watched when she lured Vin back there. Vin sure as hell hadn't gone looking for her.

But Vin had taken the bait, at least to some extent. Was that what rattled Chris so much? To realize that Vin had a vulnerability? Or was it that he had a vulnerability that threatened Chris himself? It was a question that made Chris' head hurt even more than it already did from the lack of sleep.

Whether he was just being territorial, or whether Vin was showing signs of vulerability, Chris had to face facts. It was painfully obvious that something about that woman's situation had called to Vin's sense of morals. Chris had heard that much in Vin's voice when he'd told Richmond that he'd found Charlotte crying in front of the general store. Vin had seen someone wounded, in a sense, and had responded with kindness. Vin refused to apologize for that, and refused to deny that kindness again if it was needed.

Chris rubbed a tired hand over his head. It was a hell of a thing, that if Vin suddenly got flexible when it came to his moral stance over Charlotte, Chris might actually think less of him. Chris really didn't want Vin to change for anyone, including himself. Hell, one thing Chris loved most was that when Vin felt strongly about something, he couldn't be budged. If something was right, it was right, and there was no changing Vin's mind. It wasn't being stubborn; it was refusing to adjust his morals based on others' opinions. The problem was that if Vin stood his ground when it came to her, Chris just knew it was going to drive an even bigger wedge between Vin and himself. Not to mention the fact that even a man who didn't appear to have much use for his wife could get damned mean when another man showed interest. If Charlotte continued to turn to Vin with her marriage problems, Vin could find himself in serious trouble.

The best thing for all of them would be to catch this killer, as soon as they could, so they could get that wagon train the hell out of town. Once the wedge with Charlotte's name on it was gone, Chris could go to work setting things right with Vin again and not have to worry Vin'd get himself beat or killed.

It was only a couple hours, and it was in the chair, with his feet propped on his desk, but it was actual sleep. Chris would take it any way he could get it. When he cracked his eyes open, he spotted Josiah in the cell nearest him, still sound asleep himself. He'd finally relented and hauled him in, even though he didn't think Josiah was a killer any more than Vin did. Mostly, he wanted the man where he could keep an eye on him-- and could keep an eye on the Pinkerton who seemed hell-bent on Josiah swinging. If the Pinkerton wanted to go head-to-head with Josiah, Chris would know about it.

In a few days, he'd have enough wires from sheriffs in other towns that had been hit, establishing dates of those other murders. Josiah didn't often leave town, so Chris knew it'd be pretty easy to get him off the offical list of suspects. In the meantime, Josiah could work through his yearly penance safely inside a cell.

Before heading out for his first early-evening patrol, Chris slid some food through the bars, knowing that with the lifting of his drunken fog, Josiah's hunger would set in. He locked the door behind him to make sure the Pinkerton didn't get any bright ideas.

Too damned many things to be watching out for, Chris realized as he scanned the street. Between looking for anyone suspicious, looking for women walking around on their own, and looking out for Will Richmond causing trouble-- and Charlotte Richmond, too, for that matter, Chris thought he was gonna go cross-eyed. It was just getting to be sundown, and there was lots of activity in town. Looked as though people were getting as much done as they could before it got dark. Mostly it seemed that the general store was busiest. As he strolled by, he popped his head in, looking for Gloria Potter.

He caught site of her at the counter, and after just a second she saw him standing there, and smiled.

"Everything okay, Gloria?"

"Just fine, thanks. I have Vin here to help and to keep an eye out."

Chris gave a brief chuckle. Widows or married women, it didn't matter to Vin, it seemed. "I'm glad to hear that. Is he gonna stay while you close?"

Gloria counted change for her customer, then looked back up at him. "He'll help me close, and make sure I get upstairs with the children safely."

Chris nodded. "Good. I'll be back by in about half hour anyway, just to look in."

"Thank you, Chris," Gloria said, then smiled at her next customer.

Chris didn't say it, but he was thinking that he might have to help her get some of those people out when he came back. The sooner people were on their back to where they were supposed to be, the better for all of them.

His quick turn around the town was uneventful, which suited Chris just fine. He'd only ducked into Mary's rooming house long enough to see her and the regular boarders sitting down to supper. He declined her invitation to join them, leaving with the suggestion that she lock up behind him and all of them call it a night. Her boarders weren't the type to get the urge to sit at the saloon, so they'd be fine if they stayed in for the night.

By the time he made it back to the general store, the crowd had thinned a lot. Vin was loading a small wagon at the side of the store, and he could see Gloria inside finishing up with the last few customers inside.

"You and Vin all set to close, Gloria?"

She looked at him with satisfied exhaustion on her face. "Any minute now. He'll be taking a patrol when we're closed, so I'll have an extra eye on the place then, too."

"Good to hear. Night, Gloria."

With a tip of his hat, Chris slipped back outside. There was just enough light outside to still make out people on the street, but it was definitely harder to see. When he stepped off the boardwalk, he heard hushed voices and was instantly on alert. It was coming from the direction of the wagon Vin had been loading. Chris' jaw clenched.

He stepped closer in time to hear Vin's reply to a woman's voice.

"You stir up a hornet's nest, somebody's gonna get stung."

"You're the first person who's even pretended to care how I feel. How can I ignore that?"

"I ain't saying you should. I'm just saying you have to take it for what it is. I cain't fix this for you, Charlotte."

"But you can help."

Vin blew out a frustrated breath. "Don't see how."

"Help me understand! What does he get in there that I can't give him?"

Chris winced. He didn't envy Vin having to deal with this woman's problems. Pity for him almost chased away the seething that was stirring in his belly. Almost.

"I don't know that I understand it myself."

"Then tell me what happens in there."

"'scuse me?" Vin asked, clearly rattled by Charlotte's request.

"Tell me. How does a man go about buying himself time with... one of those women."

"Aw, hell. I gotta get back to helping Mrs. Potter."

"Vin, please! Just say it to me, and I'll go."

"You sure you really wanna hear this?"

"Yes. I need to know. Vin, please."

Chris heard Vin's resigned sigh, though it was soft. "Well? Man comes in, has a drink, maybe a card game. Keeps an eye out for a girl he wants to spend time with. Talks to her, then leaves his money at the bar, and she takes him upstairs."

"I see."

"Told you it was best not to hear that."

"No, I'm glad to know."

"All right then, you best be getting back. It's already gettin dark for you to be out alone."

"I just want to know one more thing."

"Charlotte..."

"Please, just one more question."

Vin didn't answer.

"I'll be quick, I promise."

"Well come on, then. Ask."

"If men go in there to spend their money on time with women, do women go in to spend money on time with you?"

"Lord, we are not talkin about this. We need to git you back to your people."

"Vin? Why can't you tell me?"

"No, women do not pay to go upstairs with me. Men do." It was the first trace of anger that Vin had allowed to come out.

"Vin, I'm not judging you for what you do with men. I just wanted to know if women ever do it, too."

"Ain't happened yet. You happy now?"

"I'm sorry, Vin, I am. I just wanted to understand, is all."

Vin let out a loud, ragged breath. "All right then, so now you know. And now, it's too dark for you to be headin back yourself. And I done promised Mrs. Potter I'd help her close up. Damn."

"I'll be all right, Vin. I'll go straight back, I swear. You won't have to break your promise."

Vin didn't have to say anything for Chris to know that he'd end up walking her back to the camp anyway. Talk about a catastrophe in the making. Well, Chris wasn't going to let that happen.

He stepped around the corner boldly. "What's going on back here?"

Vin and Charlotte both turned, startled and looking guilty.

"I'm just heading back now," Charlotte said, looking from Vin to him again.

"I'll walk you," Chris said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. "Ain't safe for you to go all the way back alone this dark out. Vin? Gloria said you were gonna stay till she closed? I think she's about ready."

Vin brushed past him, barely looking at him, his jaw set.

"Mrs. Richmond? We best start back now."

She sent one last, sad look in Vin's direction before walking out onto the street with Chris.

He hadn't planned on saying anything to her. He really hadn't.

"He's right, you know. He can't fix your marriage for you."

She looked up at him sharply. Chris kept walking. "Do you make a habit of lurking around corners, listening to other folks' conversations?"

"When their conversations could lead to somebody getting hurt, yes."

"He won't get hurt."

"You don't know that, Mrs. Richmond. You're playing with fire."

She stopped abruptly, and turned sad, yet defiant eyes on him. "I finally know what it's like to speak and have someone else really listen. We're not doing anything wrong."

"Maybe not, but you know damn well your husband won't see it that way. Who do you think is going to get hurt when he decides he won't put up with you two seeing each other?"

Even in the dark, Chris could see tears filling in her eyes. "He doesn't care enough to do more than raise his voice. He only does that much as a matter of pride."

Chris narrowed his eyes at her, not moved by her weepiness. "You want him jealous, don't you? You want him to show some kind of reaction, so you'll know he still wants you. Only thing is, you're using Vin to do it."

Charlotte tossed her head, staring out at distance. Chris realized then that it likely hadn't occurred to Charlotte herself what she was doing.

"Maybe," she said carefully, "maybe I do want Will to give some sign that he still loves me. But that doesn't have anything to do with Vin. I'm not using him."

Chris sighed. He didn't know if she wasn't trying to convince him, or herself. "I'm asking you to be careful. It could go real bad for all three of you if this keeps going the way it is. We got enough to worry about with this killer in town. We don't need it getting any uglier than it already is."

"I won't do anything to hurt Vin. I swear it."

Chris kept walking, forcing Charlotte to keep up. "We'll see."

Heading back through the edge of town, Chris saw a lone figure walking up the middle of the street. It was plain to Chris, from the swagger and the way the sawed-off rifle rested in the man's palm, that it was Vin. Chris wasn't sure if he wanted to try talking to him yet or not. He wasn't sure what there was to say at the moment. He had the strange feeling that they just needed to hold on, see this whole thing through.

As he neared the jail, Chris spotted the snip of a shadow poking out from the corner of the building. He gritted his teeth and subtly drew his gun. Before he reached the corner he leveled it.

"Hands up, or I shoot now and ask questions later."

He saw the hands go up, in the shadows, and a second later, the man came out of hiding. Damn Pinkerton.

"Poplar, you're gonna get your head blown off one day."

"My apologies, Mr. Larabee. Most people aren't as alert as you are. I find it relatively easy to observe people this way, that being the case."

"I have men on patrol, Poplar, who might be even quicker to shoot than I am. You can do your job, but make sure it don't get in the way of mine."

Poplar inclined his head in the sissy way that Ezra did when he was being pompous. "Very well. I do have something to share with you, though. Something that I believe makes both our jobs easier."

Chris flipped his hand up, a gesture meaning to get on with it already.

"I have a suspicion of who our next victim will be."

Chris gave him a hard look. "How the hell do you know that?"

Poplar sighed impatiently. "Because I have followed him for so long that I have learned to anticipate his moves. I know what motivates him."

"Well, don't just stand there. Who is it?"

"Another woman from the wagon train." Chris' heart sped up, knowing the next words and not wanting the trouble it was sure as hell going to mean. Poplar continued, "The woman trying to seduce a man who is not her husband. I believe you've seen them as well. You can bet that our killer has knows something of this, too. The prositutes, he would consider not worth saving. His victims tend to be independent women, those who appear to be respectable on some levels, but who in the killer's eyes are walking down the wrong path. I believe that he thinks he is saving them from making immoral decisions, freeing them from their sins. He thinks he is saving them."

"I thought you were convinced the killer was Josiah? He's either been in a stupor, or passed out cold in that cell."

The Pinkerton quirked an eyebrow. "I'm still not ruling him out. Mr. Tanner himself, the object our potential victim's affections, has visited Mr. Sanchez himself. No, Mr. Sanchez is not so isolated that I can ignore him a suspect at this point. But even if I'm wrong, and our killer is still out there, this woman uncannily fits his pattern."

Chris groaned to himself. That was just great. There was no doubt in Chris' mind that the killer was still out there, and if this Poplar knew his patterns better than he knew the prime suspect, there could be something to Poplar's suspicion. The man had to have gotten something right to have tracked the killer to this town, after all. That meant Charlotte had made things even more dangerous for herself than she realized. If Vin felt obligations to her before, he sure as hell was going to feel some now. Damn it.

"Get yourself back to the hotel, Poplar. You don't have business out here on the street just now, so I want you inside. Besides that, I'd rather not have to pay for your coffin if one of my men shoots you."

The man looked startled for a second, but nodded and headed back up the boardwalk.

Chris watched Poplar until the man walked into the hotel, then he made his way to Vin, in the street.

"See anything out of the ordinary?" Chris asked him, as though they hadn't been prickly with each other lately.

"Nothin 'cept that Pinkerton hiding in the shadows. Little fella give me the spooks."

"Glad you didn't shoot him," Chris said with a light snort.

"Thought about it," Vin replied, with a slight twitch on his lips.

Chris took a deep breath then, knowing he had to give Vin the news about Charlotte. "Vin, we got another problem, and you ain't gonna like it."

Vin's eyes narrowed. "What now?"

"Pinkerton thinks the killer would be motivated to go after Charlotte Richmond next," he said, feeling it better to just say it.

Vin looked surprised, and of course, worried. "What the hell for?"

"Some crazy thing about the killer thinking he'd save her from sinning."

"Sinning?" Vin asked, eyes suspicious.

Chris sighed. "Yeah. Vin, you two have been noticed, and not by just me. She ain't as subtle as she thinks. The more she keeps this up, the more serious danger she's putting herself in."

Vin looked away for a long moment, before turning back to him. "I reckon you think I'm in the wrong, here..."

Before Chris could stop himself, he interrupted. "Like you said, Vin, it's your life. I just don't want anyone getting hurt. Anyone."

Vin closed his eyes a second, taking a long breath. "I don't want anyone hurt either."

"Watch your back, Vin," Chris warned, waited for Vin's nod, then slowly turned around.

Jimmy, Buck, and Ezra of all people, ended up offering to take patrols from midnight to dawn, so Chris could get some sleep. Nathan and Vin had helped him patrol till midnight with nothing unusual having happened, so Chris settled in at the jail again for his shut-eye.

Josiah still wasn't talking-- at least not to him, so Chris figured he might as well put him out of his misery. He'd given him a bottle through the bars of the cell earlier that night. How a man handled his guilt and grief was his own business as long as it didn't hurt anybody else. Josiah'd never hurt anybody when he'd gone on his yearly binge, so Chris decided it wasn't right to deny him this year. Josiah seemed content enough to go through his ritual in that cell, so as far as Chris was concerned, it all worked out just fine.

Chris waited till Josiah passed out again, then grabbed one of the spare blankets and took up his position in the chair, with his feet on the desk. Took all of two minutes to nod off. He was woken from a light sleep though, the clink of a key in the lock of the door jarring his senses.

He re-holstered his gun when he saw Vin's head pop in, followed by the rest of him-- and an armful of blankets of his own.

"Livin dangerous, Tanner."

"Figured you'd be smart enough to know the killer wouldn't have a key."

"Smart enough, but maybe not awake enough."

"Go back to sleep," Vin whispered, amusement in his voice.

Without another word, Vin spread his blankets right on the floor, under the rifle rack. Chris wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but he was glad to have him there all the same. Vin eased down onto his bedroll, and sighed with exhaustion. Chris didn't want to take time to think about it, or he'd change his mind. So he got up, bringing his own blanket with him, and took up what he considered his spot, spooned behind Vin.

He let out a deep breath, relaxing for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Chris," Vin whispered.

"Shush. Doesn't matter. Right here, right now, it doesn't matter."

Vin nodded, let out another sigh, and scooted back, closer to Chris. Again, it only took Chris seconds to drift off to sleep.

When dawn brought the day's first light, Chris woke with a stiff neck, and a sore back. Vin was long gone.

Chris groused to himself all the way to back to the jail, and all through finishing his dinner. Why the hell was it that Vin seemed to have the golden touch with everyone lately in town except for him? Well, him, and Will Richmond. But Richmond was really an outsider and didn't count. Vin was even getting along well with Mary the last couple days, too. Seemed fear and common sense and finally gotten through to her, and she'd gotten herself a place on Vin's list of who to keep a special eye on. Between Mary, Gloria and Charlotte, Vin had his hands full, and Chris was none too pleased.

He should have realized that trying to warn Charlotte off would just encourage it. He should have known that telling Vin that Charlotte was making herself a potential target of the killer would only have him looking out for her more. Hell, the idea behind telling Vin had been to get Vin to back off, so the killer wouldn't think of Charlotte as a woman about to get loose with her morals. It wasn't supposed to end up with Vin shadowing her. Chris knew it was just Vin watching her back, but he couldn't help the sharp pangs that it gave him.

He couldn't deny, though, that Vin'd worked wonders with Josiah, even with everything else he'd taken on. Whatever had been haunting Josiah every year, he'd eventually told Vin all about it. Although, not until after Vin had made a mysterious trip out of town the other day and come back with at least some answers, prodding Josiah into giving him the rest. Josiah was about due to snap out of it anyway, but it was plain for Chris to see that this time, the man had actually come out of it with some peace. Vin had gone to a hell of a lot of trouble. Of course, neither Vin nor Josiah had shared any of it with Chris yet. It rankled a little bit, to suddenly feel like he was on the outside looking in, with all that Vin had going on.

That wasn't the worst thing, though. Amidst all the chaos of a killer in town and what Vin what us up to, Chris still to worry that Richmond would end up shooting Vin to salvage his pride. Not an hour earlier, JD had slipped into the saloon looking for him, wringing his hat and nervous as hell. He blurted out that he was afraid Vin might take Charlotte to Brazil. He'd overheard them talking in the kitchen at Buck's, and like a good boy, had come to report it to Chris right away. It was just the kind of silly talk that came out of a woman's mouth when she ached for romance, but it was definitely just talk. Hell, Chris had been married, he knew how women's minds worked. What Charlotte wanted was her husband to look at her the way he used to-- the way he did before their child had died. But since she couldn't have that, she was just going to live in a world of fantasy for a while, and get Vin busted up in the process.

"Want some advice from a crazy man?"

Josiah's voice startled Chris, damned near making him spill his coffee. "Depends," he answered, recovering quickly. "Is the advice crazy?"

Josiah eased into the chair on the other side of the desk. "Matter of opinion, I guess."

Chris grinned. "All right then. What?"

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

Chris just cocked an eyebrow, not knowing what the hell Josiah was talking about, but leaning toward the crazy part.

Josiah looked thoughtful, as though sorting out his thoughts. "The boy's carrying a pretty heavy burden these days. But he's handling it pretty good, if you ask me. Those ladies have never been safer."

No need to clarify who the 'he' was that Josiah was talking about. They both knew. "I agree. But Vin sure as hell isn't any safer, and what does that have to do with beating 'em or joining 'em?"

Josiah grinned, and as it often did, it made Josiah look just a little bit insane. "If you don't fight him so much on this, he'll feel like he can talk to you about it, instead of feeling like he has to hide it from you. Times like these, it'd be good to know what's on his mind, is all I'm saying. Just give it some thought."

Chris cocked his head, honestly considering what Josiah had said. "All right, so it ain't all that crazy," Chris said grudgingly.

"Surprising, isn't it?" Josiah replied, looking pleased with himself. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go let the Pinkerton follow me around some."

Chris snorted in disbelief. "Why?"

Josiah shrugged. "Gives me something different to do, and keeps him out of your way."

Chris let out a quick laugh. "I suppose it does. Thank you, Josiah."

Josiah tipped his hat, and closed the door behind him.

Chris sighed and sat back into his chair. Josiah might be crazy, but when he made sense, he really made sense. Chris sure as hell wasn't going to be able to watch Vin's back the way he wanted if Vin was keeping his distance. And if Poplar was right, and the killer did have his sights set on Charlotte, then the best place for Chris was with Vin, who'd be sure to be keeping his eye on her. What Chris needed was to be able to keep an eye on both of them.

Sun was just starting to set, so Vin would be at the general store, helping with the crowd and closing. Chris plopped his hat on his head, decision made, and headed out the door.

Gloria was behind the counter at the register, but he didn't spot Vin. He hadn't been around the side, either. He was beginning to wonder if they'd changed their routine, when he finally saw him, coming from the back with a big flour sack over his shoulder.

Chris edged through the crowd, catching up with Vin as he dropped the sack onto a stack of three others just like it. "Need a hand?" Chris offered. Vin looked up at him, eyes narrowed with suspicion. Chris chuckled. "I have been known to be useful. It ain't unheard of, you know."

Vin finally cracked a grin. "I reckon it ain't. Wanna come grab another one of these sacks with me?"

"Sure."

Vin nodded, still looking suspicious, but not as defensive as he had the last couple days. Once they got to the back room, Vin crossed his arms and leaned back against a shelf of canned goods. "You up to something?"

Chris gave him a half smile. "I just figured it'd be easier looking after all these women if you had a little help."

Vin shook his head. "You're looking for a killer. You don't have time to be lookin after me while I'm lookin after them."

"I didn't say I'd be looking after you. It isn't like that," Chris said, though in part it was true anyway.

Vin looked skeptical, but nodded anyway. "Appreciate that you got my back."

Thinking that it was going well so far, Chris decided to make his next move. "I've been thinking about it, and I might have a way to make things safer for all of us."

"What's that?" Vin said, moving over to the flour sacks.

"I'm thinking that Mrs. Richmond could best protected if I have one of the boys look after her on a regular basis," Chris said, moving alongside Vin.

Vin bent down and grabbed the corner of a sack, looked up at Chris with a smirk on his face. "How'd you come up with that one?"

"Hell, Vin, you're also looking after Gloria and Mary, and taking patrols on top of that. If Charlotte Richmond is likely to be a target for this killer, she needs to be looked after more regular."

"That all there is to it?" Vin asked, hauling the sack to his shoulder.

"If she has someone there who's officially guarding her-- someone who's not you, it might look less like flirting to this killer, and it could make her less likely to get picked by him."

Vin shook his head. "You got it all figured out, don'tcha?"

Chris tried to look all business; hoped he pulled it out. "It makes sense, Vin."

At last, Vin's face cleared, and even grinned a little. "Told myself I wouldn't be stubborn about this. It's a good idea, so I best not make a liar of myself. Besides that, she was starting to me make me a tad nervous."

Chris let out a deep breath and chuckled. "She was, huh?"

Vin shrugged, shifting the sack a little, and turned toward the door. "I feel bad for the way she been treated, and I don't want nothing to happen to her, but I wouldn't want her husband to get wind of some of what she said to me."

"Well, now she can talk about South America to Ezra or Jimmy, and you won't have to worry about her husband at all."

Vin turned slowly, eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "What'd you say?"

Damn. Chris didn't know how he was going to get out of this one? Play it casual, he decided. "You know how women are. Someone lends an ear, they'll prattle on, tell their fanciful stories. Ezra'd probably enjoy it. He's travelled some, I think."

"No, I don't know much about women. But I know about private conversations. You had your ear to doors again, Chris?"

Chris swallowed. "Don't take it personal. JD was just highstrung when he heard that. I done told him it wasn't anything to worry about--"

Vin swung the sack back down at his feet and cocked his hip out in a defiant stance. "Ain't enough you done listened in on us twice. Now you got JD spying for you?"

Chris' jaw tightened. "He wasn't spying. He overheard, he got worried, so he came to me."

Vin shook his head. "That so? Chris, I gotta tell you. You're more worrisome than that damn Pinkerton. Hell, you're damn near scaring me as much as the killer out there."

"Get mad at me if you want, but if even JD is hearing you and this woman talk, it's a damn good sign that this is beyond out of hand. You don't have any idea how Richmond would react to hearing that his wife was making up even the most silliest tales about running off to Brazil with another man."

Vin snorted. "You gonna tell me?"

"Matter of fact, I am. You ain't been married, Vin. You don't understand what a man feels for a woman once he's married her. He may be acting like a bastard, but there is a tie there that nothing can break. Nothing."

Silence hung heavy in the room at that, and Chris felt his stomach lurch as he saw Vin's eyes cloud over with heartbreak. Vin wouldn't be heartbroken to hear that if he hadn't actually started to have feelings for this woman. Realization, cold and more painful than he could have imagined, washed through him; even if that wagon train pulled out at that moment, Vin was lost to him. Whatever had happened between Vin and Charlotte that Chris hadn't known about, it was enough to give Vin the experience with women that he'd been lacking. It was enough to show him how good it could be, with a woman. With that woman in particular.

Vin finally looked away from him, defeat written in his posture as well as on his face. He picked up his sack again, and this time it somehow seemed to weigh him down more. "Well, you done got what you wanted. Charlotte'll have her protection, and I'll be out of the way."

Chris sighed hard. "Only way I wanted you out of, was harm's way, Vin."

Vin looked back at him, fleeting anger just one of the emotions flitting across his face. "Maybe."

"Vin--"

"Thought you gonna be useful? Either grab a sack, or be on your way."

Lump in his throat, Chris just nodded, and headed straight for the door at the front of the store. He'd make himself useful somewhere else.

So much for bright ideas from crazy men.

Chris again politely refused Mary's offer of supper, preferring to eat at Buck's. Inez didn't mind, especially with Vin usually taking supper with Gloria these days. For some reason, she liked a full table at dinner. Chris guessed that it reminded her of family, somehow. Made sense, once he thought about it.

JD was subdued, probably still worried that Vin was actually going to run off to Brazil with Charlotte. If not for the ache in his gut knowing that at least some part of Vin was willing, Chris would laugh at the notion. Chris would bet his month's pay that Vin couldn't find Brazil on a map.

Buck and Ezra were cheeful enough, though. They'd managed to find ways to mix in their favorite pastimes with their patrolling. Buck used every opportunity he could to flirt with all the women in town, while Ezra made cash by finding-- for a fee-- secret places for the more daring of the town men to keep up their drinking and gambling after the saloon closed for the eleven o'clock curfew. Those places weren't so secret, though, seeing as Chris knew about them. But at least he always knew where to find those men, and they were easier to watch than a saloon-full of them. It was simple enough for Chris to tell the men he had on patrol over the late hours where the boys were for the night.

After supper, JD went upstairs to his temporary room to read for the rest of the night. Buck and Vin both hadn't wanted him in the back room again until after this killer was found, and though JD was a little uncomfortable hearing the ruckus of men cavorting with the girls of the house, he didn't argue with them about the change of rooms for a while.

Chris headed out on the back stoop for a smoke and a drink before taking patrol.

"Something on your mind, stud?" Buck asked, stretching his legs out in front of him.

Chris let out a short laugh. "Right to the point as always."

"Hell, it don't take a genius to see you're knotted up over something."

Chris sighed. "Things are just crazy lately, Buck. That's all."

"Ain't gonna be crazy forever," Buck promised.

"I know. But it won't be the same again, either."

"Hell, what'd be the fun in it, if it was?"

Chris looked at him sideways. "You been spending time with Josiah?"

Buck looked over, confused. "What?"

Chris shook his head. "Crazy old man had some advice for me today. Didn't work, of course. You were just starting to sound like him, though."

Buck nodded, a rare, wise expression on his face. "Was this advice something along the lines of easing up on Vin a little?"

"I knew it, you're as crazy as he is."

Buck laughed. "Hell, it ain't the advice that backfired. It's how you used it."

"How the hell would you know?"

Buck leaned back and rolled his neck. "Because the only way that advice wouldn't work, is if you mucked it up. It's plain as day that you getting worked up about the little Mrs. Richmond is only pushing 'em together more."

"Buck, I think he's really getting... feelings for her."

Buck softened a little. "Well, sure he is. But those ain't romantic feelings. He'd be that way about anybody not being treated right. Look at how he took on JD. Look at how hard he's working to help out Gloria. Hell, he's even understanding more of why Mary used to bristle at him, and he's taking real good care of her lately, too."

Chris wasn't convinced. Not by far. "All those things are different."

"No, they ain't. They all come down to who Vin is. He's finding out that he has the ability to help people when they ain't doing such a good job taking care of themselves. He's still a bit young for it yet, but he's getting there."

"I wish I could believe that was all there was to it, Buck."

Buck just rolled his eyes at him, apparently giving up for the time being.

Half an hour or so of peace, then Buck ambled off to take a quick tour of town and see if there were any ladies to escort to safety. Chris wanted just a few minutes of quiet, so stayed put for the time being. The silence was shattered by stomping feet from inside, headed his way. Hauling himself up from the back stoop, Chris turned just in time to spot Jimmy, flush-faced and panting, coming towards him.

"I think we got trouble on the way," Jimmy said before Chris could even ask. "It's that Richmond woman."

Chris suppressed the urge to growl. "What's she done?"

"She done... she done hired herself a... companion," Jimmy stammered.

"She what?" Chris bellowed, pushing himself past Jimmy to head onto the main working floor.

Jimmy followed, wringing his hat. "I was out walking through town. I just got back, and Greta told me the Richmond woman left her money on the bar, and went upstairs with Vin, about forty-five minutes ago."

"Dammit," Chris grumbled, turning the corner and heading straight for the stairs. "You stay down here. If Richmond comes in knowing about it, you tell him she's not here, that you been here the whole time and don't know what he's talking about."

"Right," Jimmy answered, but Chris could hear the fear in his voice.

Chris turned before he got too far up. "I'll be getting her out the back way. Stall him if you can, but if he gets mean, go ahead and send him up."

Jimmy nodded, so Chris ran up the rest of the way.

His heart hammered in his chest, anger boiling within him. When he got to Vin's door, he didn't pause, just grabbed the door handle and shoved his way in.

Two startled heads popped up as the door swung open. They were seated at the two wooden chairs in the room, pulled up to the dresser, where between them sat two glasses of lemonade, cards, and piles of matchsticks.

"I don't want explanations, I just want the lady out of here before somebody gets shot," Chris said, voice low and not leaving room for argument.

Charlotte stood slowly, and Chris could see that she was shaking. He wasn't sure if this had been a dumb act of rebellion, or if she'd really tried to buy a romp with Vin. They were definitely a little rumpled-looking, hair and clothes just a tad disheveled, but it was also plain that the card game had been going on for a while. A quick glance at the bed showed the blankets messed up, so Chris just couldn't say.

"Chris," Vin started, argument in his tone.

"You wait here," Chris interjected before Vin could say more. "We've got to talk."

"Let's go, now," Chris ordered, and with only a brief look at Vin, Charlotte moved to obey.

Chris looked out in the hall, and saw the way clear to Buck's room. On the way there, Greta came out of her own room, looking both ways herself. "Out the back?" she asked, moving to take Charlotte's arm herself.

"Yeah," Chris said, nodding. "Take her to down JD's room. I'll send Josiah along to get her back to camp. Don't open that door in JD's room for nobody but Josiah or me, you got that?"

Greta nodded, and dragged Charlotte along with her.

Chris took a deep breath and darted over to the balustrade. A quick glance over it showed no signs of Richmond. Chris bounded down the stairs, then went out the back, hearing Charlotte and Greta coming down the back stairs.

Seeing nobody around the barn or in the back next to JD's room, he hurried out to the street. For once, luck was on his side, and there still was no sign of Richmond. He didn't know how long that would last, though. He turned up the road, heading for Mary's, knowing that Josiah had been taking supper with her earlier.

After a couple sharp raps on her back door, Josiah himself answered it.

"I need your help," Chris said. "We got to get Charlotte Richmond back to the wagon train camp, soon as we can."

"What's she doing out alone after dark?" Josiah asked, looking a little irked to have his after-dinner pie interrupted. Mary appeared next to him, too, looking a little too curious for Chris' sake, but he didn't have time to deal with it.

"She hatched some dumb plan to get her husband to pay attention to her. Decided to buy an hour with Vin."

"Oh, no," Mary said softly, understanding how serious this was. "Does her husband know yet? Has anything happened?"

Chris shook his head. "I got her out of there, she's holed up in JD's room with Greta. Figured to have Josiah be the one to take her back, maybe say they were having a religious discussion or something."

Josiah snorted, and not with amusement. "You think he'll believe that?"

"I'm sure as hell hoping. I don't want that man to get wind of this, if I can help it, and not tonight, for sure."

"Chris, maybe I can help," Mary said, reaching for her shawl. "I'll walk back with them, we can say that Charlotte and I were getting to know each other, and Josiah offered to walk her back. I came along for the fresh air."

Josiah's eyebrows went up, and he looked to Chris. "Sounds good to me."

Chris nodded, relieved. "Thanks, Mary. But we have to go now. Richmond could come along any minute."

Josiah held the door open for her, and the three of them crept back to Buck's quickly.

The relief at seeing Mary, Charlotte and Josiah all making it out onto the street without being noticed, was enormous. The rush of anger was still coursing through Chris' body, though. He went in through the back again, and stomped up the stairs, and found himself bursting into Vin's room for the second time that night.

"It's working hours. You're supposed to knock," Vin said casually, straightening the bed.

Chris was over there in a fraction of a second, spinning Vin around by the shoulders. "It ain't funny, Vin. We got better things to do than deal with stunts like this."

"You see me laughing?" Vin asked, anger in his eyes, too.

"You trying to get yourself killed?"

Vin shook off his hold, and moved around to the other side of the bed. "I'm trying to help that woman handle losing her husband and her child." He didn't look up as he spoke, just went about his straightening, smoothing the bed covers with angry swipes of his hand.

"Her husband is still here, and it ain't up to you to fix this for her. You sure as hell aren't gonna do her any good by making Will Richmond think that she paid money to lay with you!" Chris grated, conscious of not raising his voice. "Unless, of course, she actually did, and that's why you're having to straighten yourself out," Chris added before he could stop himself.

"Maybe this is from the pillow fight we had. And maybe it ain't your business," Vin replid, voice low and tight.

"Vin, we can't have married women paying for a tumble. Whether they actually take it or not," Chris said. He didn't know if the pillow thing was true or not, and he was terrified to ask.

Vin let out a humorless laugh, apparently enjoying watching Chris squirm over it. "Wasn't like that. She wanted to talk, but Greta gave her a hard time, thinking she could bully Charlotte out of here. Told her if she wanted to spend time in a whorehouse, she's was gonna have to spend her money, too. Before we knew it, Charlotte slapped her money on the bar, and headed for the stairs. Hell, Greta didn't know what to do then, so I thought it best to get her up here before too many people noticed."

Chris groaned. "Well, they noticed all right. It's gonna be all over town, not to mention that wagon train camp, that she bought you for a spell. Only thing we got to contradict that is Mary and Josiah walking her back. Mary's gonna try to say they were together tonight."

Vin scrubbed a hand over his head, brought it down the back of his neck, and squeezed, tension radiating from him. "It ain't right, Chris, that he come in here and tumble around with whoever he wants, then go back to her. But her, she's just talking to a friend, we pillow fight like we're kids and drink lemonade, but we get treated like we're havin some affair. Ain't right."

Chris gritted his teeth. "No, it ain't. But I think it's been said about a hundred times now, that it's not your place to fix that for her."

Vin rolled his eyes, clearly as exasperated as Chris. "Ain't wrong to try to help a friend who's hurtin."

"It is when you're a man, and the friend is a married woman. You don't understand, Vin. You can't be getting into another man's marriage."

Vin flung his arms out in frustration. "What marriage? Ain't a marriage when you go home to your wife smelling like other women."

"She's not your concern, Vin. Not in this. She isn't yours. She's his, and nothing can change that."

Vin's expression collapsed into sorrow. "He don't deserve her."

Crossing his arms over his belly, Chris swallowed his own misery at hearing Vin pine for Charlotte. "Listen to me, Vin. It doesn't matter that he's taking his grief to working girls. In the end, that's all it is, grief. Something, some time will jar him out of it, and he'll remember that he wants to hold on to her for the rest of his life. He married her, he had a child with her. You can't understand the bond that brings between a man and a woman. Nothing or no one can get in the way of that. You sure as hell won't."

"Don't wanna get in the way. Just want her to be treated right," Vin answered, throat tight, eyes filled with pain.

"More than anything, Vin, that woman wants her husband back. That's something you just can't help her with, no matter what you do. You can't give her what she really wants. Sooner you accept that, the better for the both of you."

Vin looked numb. He cleared his throat before he spoke, and when he did, it was a rasp. "Reckon you might be right." He turned for a moment, took a deep breath, then reached into one of his dresser drawers, pulling out the Winchester. "I best be taking a patrol. Need to check on the general store and Mary."

"Watch your back," Chris whispered, watching Vin walk away.

It was damn near dawn, and Chris had yet to get even a minute's sleep. Damn Pinkterton had been lurking around outside of Buck's after midnight, when he was supposed to be tucked in at the hotel. He insisted that Charlotte Richmond would probably try to see Vin again, and that the killer would take the opportunity to strike. After what the woman had tried earlier, Chris couldn't say for sure that she wouldn't be that brazen again. He'd sent the Pinkerton back to the hotel, but he'd stayed out there for hours himself, with Buck for company, watching, until finally the last lamp went out in the house, and the wagon train was dead quiet except for their watchmen. Only thing left for Chris then, was to have a drink at the jail and try to nod off for a bit.

They'd had one shot, when the topic of Charlotte's antics finally came up.

"It was a damn fool thing to do, but I admire her gumption," Buck said, sitting on the corner of Chris' desk.

Chris wasn't in the mood to credit the woman for anything. He hoped his sour look told Buck that much. "She's not stupid, Buck. She knows she's got to do something to make that husband of hers come around. She wanted him to know she'd been at your place. Her putting up money for Vin was just quick thinking when Greta tried to shame her into leaving."

Buck sighed. "What are the chances that the killer is one of the men from the wagon train? Why don't we just send them on their way, get the woman out of town, away from this killer and Vin, too?"

Chris nodded. "I've been thinking that myself. I don't care anymore about that Pinkerton. He can whine all he wants that all people involved need to stay. This town will be a lot safer once they're gone, and I get the feeling they will be, too."

Buck was about to answer when the door swung open and Ezra slipped in.

"Your secret card game finally break up?" Chris asked, irritation still itching under his skin.

Ezra looked startled for all of a second, then came around. "I heard something interesting tonight-- or this morning rather-- at the game that I believe I should share."

"Out with it, then," Buck added.

"Mr. Larabee, did you check the telegraph office this evening, for wires from the town sheriffs where the killer has previously struck?"

"That's a question, Ezra, not information," Buck smirked.

Ezra gave a brief roll of his eyes, and went on. "That Poplar fellow says he followed the killer from Lawson. But Jervis Henderson, the man scouting ahead for the wagon train, said that he saw the Pinkerton here in town the day before the rest of the wagon train arrived."

Chris looked to Buck, not liking the sound of that. "That wagon train was here for a week before that woman was killed. If Poplar had tracked the killer here by then, why didn't he come to me sooner?"

Buck looked unnerved, too. "He coulda given us some warning. That lady might not have died."

Chris cocked his head toward Ezra, thinking. "What's this got to do with Lawson, though?"

"I was getting to that. Jervis also saw Poplar in Eagle Bend. Jervis scouted both towns before deciding where to bring the wagons for resupply."

Chris tensed, head to toe. "But I'm guessing the wagon train never stopped in Lawson, right?"

"Exactly. So when, exactly was Poplar in Lawson to have investigated this murder, if he was just ahead of the settlers?"

"Something's not right, here," Chris said, standing to pace.

"When's the last time Poplar's been seen?" Buck asked.

"I sent him back to the hotel just after midnight. He was hanging around in the shadows, to see if Charlotte would try to come to Vin again," Chris said.

"Jervis saw him behind the livery not long ago, when he took a moment to relieve himself. It's why Jervis mentioned it. The man unnerved him, I have to say."

"Time we had a talk with Poplar. Ezra, get to the telegraph office, see if anything came in that I didn't see."

"Mr. Larabee, being that dawn is just now upon us, the office is closed, and being a civic-minded citizen these days..."

Chris rolled his eyes. "We all know you can get in there without much fuss, so just do it."

"As you wish," Ezra replied with a slight bow and satisfied grin, heading out right away.

"Coming?" Chris asked, going for the door himself.

"Right behind you," Buck murmured.

Chris made straight for the hotel, knowing Buck was watching his back, to see if anyone else was hanging around. Moving quickly, he used his key for the hotel, grateful now that Mr. Granger had thought of it when the mess started.

Once inside, he motioned for Buck to stay put, while he took the stairs two at a time, then marched straight to Poplar's room. As was his habit, lately, it seemed, he didn't knock. Granger's key was a master for all the rooms, and Chris didn't hesitate to use it.

Bed was still made, and Chris could just feel that nobody had been in that room for hours. He was about to turn on his heels and head out, when Poplar's bag caught his eye. What the hell, Chris figured. He yanked it from the floor, onto the bed, and jerked it open. He tossed items of clothing out of it, until he came to a page of a yellowing Santa Fe newspaper.

At the top of the page was a headline: Murder in Nearby Lawson. Headline was more than four years old. But it described a murder frighteningly similar to the one that had happened days earlier, right there in town. More concerned than ever, Chris put the paper aside, and dug back into the bag. More newspaper clippings, all describing similar murders, some as old as five years, some as recent as six months. The last thing in Poplar's bag was a small, leather sack.

Chris looked inside, and his stomach rolled over. Silver dollars, clean and shiny, just like the ones found on the eyes of the murdered women; the one right there in Four Corners, and the ones described in the clippings.

"Son of a bitch," Chris growled, tossed aside the coins, and hurried from the room. He figured Poplar was up to something, but he hadn't quite believed he was actually the killer. Dammit, and now he had to find the man before he killed someone else.

Chris rushed down the steps to find Buck pacing impatiently. "Damn Poplar is the killer," Chris said, going straight for the door.

"Aw, damn," Buck muttered, following. Chris locked up quickly, then marched out onto the street. "Buck, go get Josiah, you two go to the camp, check on Charlotte Richmond. Don't tell 'em anything, except that I'm going after someone who might be the killer, and I said to keep an eye on all of 'em."

Buck nodded, then took off for the church at a dead run. Ezra came out of the telegraph office, looking all around him, obviously spooked. Chris met him halfway.

"Chris. Wire came in last night, after the office closed. The murder in Lawson was four years ago. Their only suspect was a man who frequented the brothel. The description is frighteningly similar to Cirus Poplar."

"I just found the coins in his room, along with a clipping of the Lawson murder. We have to find that man, and now. Go get Nathan, and meet me in front of the jail. I'm going to get Vin."

Ezra nodded, and ran for Nathan's clinic.

Chris took off for Buck's, moving into a run himself. As he rounded the corner around back, he saw a figure next to the barn, cinching a saddle; a figure that had saddle bags over his shoulder. It wasn't Poplar.

"Vin!"

Vin spun around, and dropped the saddle bags, not in surprise, but in disgust. Chris knew Vin would have heard him coming.

"What do you want now, Chris."

"We can argue later, Vin. We got more pressing things, now. That Pinkteron, he's the killer. He's not in his room, and we have to find him. Now."

"Goddammit," Vin grumbled, pulling his winchester from his thigh holster and heading for the street. "Come on, we got to go 'fore he gets to Charlotte."

"No kidding?" Chris replied, anger pumping through him despite his own words about arguing. "Is she on her way to meet you?"

"Not by herself, she ain't," Vin hissed. "Not stupid, you know."

"Right," Chris muttered, walking next to Vin, eyes searching every dark corner along his side of the street, while Vin did the same with his.

A high-pitched scream at the edge of town had them both at a dead run. Not a full second later, a shot rang out, followed by a series of shouts from several different voices, and then another shot. Then silence, except for the pounding of feet, Chris' and Vin's.

When they rounded the corner of James' feed and grain, they both skidded to a stop. Poplar lie dead on his back, eyes opened with shock but unseeing. His sack of coins spilled around him, and a red stain spread on his chest. Standing around the body, stunned silent, were Charlotte, Mary, Calvin Brady, Buck and Josiah.

Chris pulled out of his temporary paralysis when he heard more running feet, coming from the camp. Richmond and two other men from camp dashed toward them.

"Charlotte! Charlotte!"

"Will!" Charlotte sobbed and ran full-on into her husband, and he wrapped her up tight against him.

Chris whipped his head around to catch Vin's expression. He was surprised that there was little of heartbreak to be seen in it. Chris wondered if it would be there a little later, once the shock of the whole thing wore off.

"I heard gunshots," Nathan panted, as he and Ezra came around the corner.

"Too late to save him," Chris said, jerking his head in Poplar's direction.

"I'm taking her back," Richmond said, to whom Chris wasn't sure. But Charlotte wasn't putting up a fight. In fact, she was clinging to him pretty hard, head buried in his chest and not looking at anyone else.

Nathan bent down to look at Poplar, while Calvin and Mary slowly edged away. Chris followed them, though, and when he was sure they were out of earshot of the others, slipped in front of them. "Just what did you two think you were doing?"

Mary had the decency to look abashed, at least. Calvin mostly looked uncomfortable.

"Chris, she said she wanted to leave whether we helped her or not. We weren't going to let her sneak out to meet Vin on her own," Mary finally answered.

Chris shook his head, having to work real hard to suppress his fury. "So what happened? Who shot at who?"

Calvin cleared his throat, looked to Mary first, then answered. "That Pinkterton came out of the shadows, holding a gun. He was talking crazy, wasn't making sense at all, saying he had to save Charlotte, and to turn her over to him. I had my gun, too. When he raised his, I shot at him... but I missed. Buck and Josiah were there, the next thing I knew, and I think Buck got him."

"All right, we'll sort out the rest later. Calvin, get her back home safe."

Calvin nodded, and took Mary's arm again, leading her away.

Chris sighed, his jaw aching from all the tension. When he turned back to the others, they were getting Poplar carried off to the undertaker. Except for Vin; he was gone. And he'd had saddle bags earlier, for running off with Charlotte. She was back with her husband, but what if Vin left anyway?

Before Chris knew what was happening, he was at a dead run again, his duster flapping noisily and slapping against his legs. He came around the corner of Buck's barn so fast that Peso's head jerked up hard, yanking the reins from Vin's hands, where he stood at Peso's side.

Breath ragged, Chris managed to speak anyway. "You are not leaving."

Vin's eyebrows shot up, and he looked at Chris like was he was loco. "Is that so? Why ain't I?"

"'Cause I said so," Chris replied, crossing his arms over his chest, blocking Vin's exit from inside the barn.

"Why the hell would you do that?" Vin yelled.

"Why the hell wouldn't I?" Chris hollered right back.

"Why cain't you just answer a damn question without asking another one?"

"Why the hell are we shouting at five in the damn morning?"

Vin let out a long breath, muttering to himself as he turned back to his horse. He hadn't answered, just set about pulling the saddle off Peso's back. He hadn't uncinched the girth, though. Which meant he'd done that before Chris got there. Vin hadn't planned to leave?

"She wouldn't have stayed with you long, Vin. You have to know that," Chris finally said.

"That was the idea," Vin replied, not looking at him, but going about getting Peso settled again.

Chris slowly stalked closer. "I don't get it. What exactly was the idea?"

"Let her husband think she run off with me, let him get worried he'd lose her, so he'd come after her," Vin replied, voice matter of fact as he put the saddle on its tree.

"Where the hell did you get a fool idea like that?" Chris asked, irritated and confused on top of being exhausted to the point he could barely see.

Vin snorted, head shaking. "From the fool right in front of me. You're the one going on about how something would remind Richmond that he didn't want to let her go. Going on about how nothing can change how a man feels about his wife."

"I didn't mean for you to set yourself up as bait for a jealous husband, Vin!"

Peso's bridle pulled from his head, Vin pushed him into his stall, then lowered the slat that would hold the gate to it closed. "Don't matter what you meant for me to do, Chris. That's the part you ain't been able to understand yet."

Felt like a punch in the gut. "Keeping you from getting your head blown off matters to me."

"You think I don't know how to keep myself alive? You know better'n that. I just don't get at all what the hell you been trying to do."

Chris leaned against the stall gate, trying to catch Vin's eyes, but he wasn't looking at him. "I know you can take care of yourself. But everybody has times when they don't have the best judgment. I was thinking that maybe this woman got under your skin, and was making you lose your judgment. I was worried about you, Vin, that's all."

Vin did finally look at him, and this time there was a little of the heartbreak that Chris thought he'd see earlier. "Yeah, I know that's all. You done made that part pretty clear."

Vin closed his eyes a second, dropping his head, then started back toward the house. Chris stood there a minute, trying to get his head together. He was sure that the answer was right there in his brain somewhere, and that if he'd had more than four hours sleep over the last week, he'd know what it was.

For nearly the whole week, he'd been on the lookout for a killer all the while sticking his nose into Vin's business, to keep Richmond from going after him. Hadn't been easy to keep it all together and still manage to keep his resentment of Charlotte under control.

Then, like a sudden burst of fireworks, the answer was right in front of him, loud, bright and colorful. Chris had worked so hard to keep his jealousy of Charlotte under control, and had emphasized over and over how intense a man's love for his wife is, that Vin must've gotten the idea that Chris was telling him that what they had could never compare to what Charlotte and Richmond had... or what Chris and his own wife had had. Ah, hell.

Breaking into a jog, Chris went straight for the back door. From the smells of bacon that greeted him as he reached the doorknob, he knew the kitchen would be full, but it didn't stop him from shoving the door open.

Several pairs of eyes turned on him, including Vin's. Vin was just reaching down to the table for a cup of coffee, but his hand froze in mid-air as Chris stalked toward him. Vin straightened, confusion drawing his eyebrows together.

Chris didn't slow down, though, and when he reached Vin, he took him by the shoulders and shoved him back against the wall. Vin's eyes grew wide, but Chris didn't pause. He framed Vin's face with his hands, bent his head and seized Vin's lips with his own, kissing him hard and deep, his tongue relentless as it slicked inside of Vin's mouth. When he finally pulled back, their lips parted with a soft, wet smack.

"That make the rest of it clear enough?" Chris asked, his throat tight.

With dazed eyes and a red, puffy mouth, Vin answered. "I uh... maybe... I ain't sure."

"Then let me try again," Chris whispered. This time, Chris caressed Vin's face with his thumb, while his other hand slid into the tangle of Vin's hair, to hold Vin's mouth captive. When he finally eased back, he rested his forehead against Vin's. "If she'd have run off with you, I guarantee I'd have come after you, and shot her before Richmond could even get close," Chris said softly.

He felt Vin grinning under him. "If I was a better man, that would bother me."

The clomp of another pair of feet coming into the room had Chris turning his head.

Greta stood at the door, wrapped in a robe, with her hair falling out of her pins and looking like she just tumbled out of bed, which she probably had. "Oh, fer cryin out loud, take that upstairs! Some of us want to eat."

Chris felt his smile breaking out, thinking that was the best idea he'd heard all week. He stood back from Vin, but grabbed his hand and dragged him past Greta. "Food'll wait," he said looking over his shoulder at Vin.

"That, it will," Vin answered, relief shining in his eyes.

They both ignored the laughter that broke out in the room behind them.

Damn, Chris had missed this pallet. He'd missed having Vin draped over him, his warm, soft skin pressed against him. If Chris had his way, he and Vin wouldn't be leaving the pallet for days--except to slip out for food now and then. He wouldn't have his way, of course, but if not days, they could take some well-deserved hours.

Vin let out a contented sigh, his hot breath tickling Chris' neck. Yeah, he'd missed that, too. He found his hand sweeping along Vin's body then, needing to feel as much of him as he could reach. His fingertips traced over Vin's back, over the bumps of his spine, and down to the curve of his ass, where he settled his palm, and squeezed. Vin hummed softly at that.

Chris wasn't fooling himself, though. He'd have to find a way to say things to Vin, things that would let Vin know how he felt. He didn't ever want to have to go through something like this again.

"You know," Chris said quietly, "there's things about my life before you got here that you might want to hear."

"When you're ready," Vin answered, just as quiet, and not so much as twitching from his position.

"You going to sleep now?" Chris asked, his heartbeat speeding up at the thought of finally telling Vin himself about his wife and son.

"Nope," Vin said, still not moving, except for nuzzling even closer to Chris' neck. Chris thought he could feel the beginnings of a smile there, but knew it wasn't that Vin would be happy to hear of his family's tragedy. He knew that it was Vin happy because Chris was finally ready to share that piece of himself he hadn't offered before. He really was ready, Chris realized, and knowing that, he felt even more peace seep into him.

"I was nothing but trouble then, a bit of a wild one, drinking and women about the only thing on my mind. To this day, I don't know what Sarah saw in me."

Vin chuckled softly, "Is that so?" Then he nuzzled a little more, and suddenly Chris wasn't just ready to go on, with Vin, he needed to.

The End
Part III: It Takes a Town . . .