Grudges
Part One
Nathan walked into the Saloon just before night fell. He had been gone all day taking care of business and tending to patients. All he wanted to do now was have a strong drink. Pushing open the doors, he was greeted with the usual sites. Men were at the tables, some playing cards, some drinking and talking. Without pausing, he walked directly toward the table in the far corner. Behind him, a man from one of the poker tables groaned loudly. *Ezra strikes again* Nathan grinned as he pulled up a chair at the table. The four men at the table greeted him with nods of hello.
"Well hey there! Haven't seen ya today. Busy?" Vin had a grin on his face that looked mischievous.
"Just takin' care of some thing's. I miss anything?"
"Nuthin much. Pretty slow day."
Just then, Ezra walked up to the table and sat down next to JD
"So, how much money did you get out of that poor man, Ezra?" Nathan asked the notorious gambler.
"A small pot, I must say. Hardly worth the effort." Ezra seemed disappointed.
"Well, look who decided to join us." Buck pointed with a tilt of his head towards the door.
The six men at the table turned and saw Chris Larabee walk into the saloon. His hat covered his face but he still had a look on his face that only meant trouble. Noise in the room became a low hum as everyone watched Chris stride up to the bar and get a bottle of whiskey.
Retrieving the bottle from the bartender, Chris turned to face the crowd with an icy stare. Heads turned quickly back to their own business and the noise got a little louder, but not by much. The men at the table in the corner were surprised by the look Chris had just given the people in the saloon, but decided it best not to question Chris' actions. That could give one a headache.
Chris walked over to the table where the six other men sat. He set the bottle down on the table hard and sat down heavily. No one spoke as he pulled the top off the bottle and took a swig directly from it. Not bothering to use a glass.
"Easy, pard." Buck watched his friend incredulously. "Rough day?"
The others at the table kept their laughter inside as Buck received an icy stare from Chris. Buck and Chris stared at each other for a few seconds, with Chris almost drilling holes into his soul. The look was cold, and getting colder by the minute.
Without a word, Chris picked up the whiskey bottle and took another swig, this one longer than the first. JD grimaced. He knew it wasn't good to drink whiskey like that. The others knew it too, but they figured that Chris had spent his life lately in the bottle, and probably knew how to handle himself.
Setting the bottle back on the table, Chris looked at the other 5 men. They all stared at him, but turned away when he looked at them. Except Vin who stared him right in the eyes.
"You alright, pard?"
"What are yah…my paw?" Chris' voice echoed the look in his eyes. Vin flinched at the tone in his voice. Chris had never been one to open up, but this was too much.
"Just wonderin'."
Chris lifted the bottle again up to his lips. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Buck giving him a worried look.
After downing another mouth full of the liquor, Chris slammed the bottle on the table, shattering it into a hundred pieces as glass and the whiskey sprayed the seven men. They pushed their chairs back in a futile attempt to escape the barrage, but to no avail.
The silence was deafening. Buck, JD, Ezra, Vin, Josiah, and Nathan all stood around the table. Chris was still seated as if nothing had happened, the six men looking down at him. Every soul in the saloon stood silently still, watching the seven men. Chris got up roughly, causing JD to take another involuntary step back. Chris turned and walked out of the saloon, as he went past the customers, he didn't look at any of them. Pushing his way through the doors he had come in only 10 minutes ago, he disappeared into the night air.
~*~*~*~*~
JD Dunne couldn't sleep. He had been staring at the same spot on the ceiling of his room for the last hour. Sighing, he threw the blankets off of his body and got out of bed. He pulled on an old pair of trousers, and old shirt, his boots, and walked out of the building.
J.D. had no clue what he was doing out this late. It had to be at least 2 in the morning. There was not a soul on the streets. The cold night air blew around him, and he looked up at the moon. It was a crescent and it lit up the sky enough to see where he was going, not much more.
He wandered through the streets of Four Corners, looking at the buildings in town. Things had really improved in this town since the Seven had come into town. He passed the Sheriff's office when he heard the voice.
"Isn't it a little late for you?"
JD felt as if his heart had just jumped into his throat. Turning, he saw that it was only Chris, leaning back in an old chair on the porch. The older man had bags under his already dark eyes, telling JD that this was not the first night he had spent here.
"Couldn't sleep. What you doin' out here?" J.D. knew his voice was shaking.
"Watchin things." Chris' voice was slurred and the younger man knew that he was drunk. After the incident at the saloon that night, there was no telling how much liquor the gunfighter had drunken.
"I'm gonna go back to my room." The chill night air was getting to him…or was it the company? A man like Chris Larabee had his reputation for a reason, and no amount of months together could make a man forget that.
"'Kay."
"You gonna be okay out here by yourself?" JD knew he shouldn't be worried about a man like Chris', but it was the fact that they were friends to ask.
"Yah."
JD nodded as he watched Chris take a bottle from behind his back and take a long swig. The green eyes drifted back to the street, where they remained even after JD had climbed back into bed.
~*~*~*~*~
Bright and early the next morning, Vin strode down to the Saloon. The sun shone brightly, but there was still an occasional chill breeze. As he made his way up to the bar, he pushed aside the thought of a warm brandy, and settled on a coffee. Taking a sip of the hot liquid, he turned and walked towards the usual table. Buck and JD were there, and Ezra was just walking through the door.
Vin sat down and put his hat on the table beside him. Ezra walked up and sat down beside Vin.
"You alright there, JD" Ezra noticed that the young man's eyes had dark bags under them.
"I didn't get much sleep last night." JD rubbed his right eye absently. "I'm okay."
Then JD looked up and his face froze. The other men turned and saw Chris walk into the saloon. He looked at the four men looking right back at him. Walking slowly over, he sat down next to Ezra with Buck to his left. He sat down heavily, and leaned far back into his chair. Reaching into the inside pocket of his dark duster, he pulled out a full bottle of whiskey.
The men's faces fell, and waited for Buck to say something. Which they knew he would. They'd rather have Buck get on Chris' bad side than them.
"Come on Chris. It's a little early."
Chris shot Buck a look of pure anger, and put the bottle back in his duster. He leaned back into his chair and looked at the four men. Chris' glance went over to JD, whom he had seen last night.
"You finally get back to bed?"
J.D. was taken aback at Chris' concern for him. "Yeah. Guess I just needed that walk."
Ezra smiled. He knew that no matter how much Chris was cold to them, he still cared. But of course, he'd never admit it to them. Nathan and Josiah walked in then laughing.
"What are you two so worked up over?" Ezra felt a twinge of disappointment. He always liked a good laugh.
"You should see this old drunk man that just walked into the boarding house. What a character!! As funny as they get!" Nathan laughed again, apparently remembering something the man had said to them.
"Who is he?" J.D. asked.
"Said his name was James. He said he was just passing through. He looks pretty old, but oh man, he's hilarious!" Josiah and Nathan sat down with the other five. The two men shared a joke James had told them, and soon the whole table erupted into loud laughter that startled the other morning customers. Buck looked over at where Chris sat and saw that the man was gone.
"Hey, where'd Chris go?" Genuine concern shone through Buck's voice. He didn't like the way the gunfighter was acting lately.
"I dunno. What's his problem anyhow?" Vin wasn't the least bit worried.
"Yeah, really. He's worse than usual, and that, my friends, is saying a lot!" The men laughed, but Buck was still worried.
"I ran into him this morning at 2 when I was out. Sat in front of the Sheriff's office all night. Drunk as a horse. He looked completely out of it. Almost scared me. He looked like he wanted to kill someone." JD told the five other men at the table.
"Doesn't he always?" Ezra's laughter was cut short when the sound of gunfire filled the air. The men all pushed their chairs back from the table and ran outside the saloon, guns drawn.
The air outside was filled with dust, but they still heard the sounds.
"See you in hell, Larabee!!!!" *Jesus, what did he do now?!* Buck wondered.
Just then, another shot rang out, and through the dust, the six men on the Saloon steps saw a man in Black fall. The six men ran down to the street and pointed their guns to where the shots had come from. The sound of horses hooves on the dirt quickly became faint, until they disappeared. Unable to see through the dust, the men split up, Josiah, Vin, and Ezra running off to see what they could find. Buck and JD turned and saw Nathan kneeling in the street, in front of the man who lay on the ground.
As they approached, they saw that it was Chris. Nathan yelled to JD, "Help me get him to the clinic!" The people in the streets watched in shock as the four men headed off to the clinic.
Part Two
Twenty minutes later, Buck and Nathan were in the clinic working on Chris and the others were out on the porch. They had found no trace of whoever had shot Chris, and they'd look again later.
As Mary Travis walked by the clinic, she saw as J.D., Josiah, Vin, and Ezra standing outside. They didn't say anything when she walked up. Only Ezra tipped his hat in 'hello'. Mary got a very uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"What's wrong gentlemen?"
None of the men spoke. They exchanged glances. All of them knew what had been developing between Mrs. Travis and Chris.
"Waiting for word on Chris." Vin finally spoke. "He got shot."
Mary's breath caught in her throat. Her hand went up to her mouth in shock. Slowly pulling it away, she asked, "Is it serious?"
"He's seen worse." All heads turned as Buck walked out of the clinic. He had blood covering his shirt, and he looked almost pale. Buck turned to his partners, and cleared his throat. "It caught him in the side of the neck. Passed right through. He should be fine, just can't talk. Nathan's patchin' him up now." Buck sat down in the chair that J.D. offered. The man looked tired.
"Can I see him?" Mary's voice was hopeful.
"Sure. Go on in." Buck waited till the woman was inside and the door closed behind her before he spoke again.
"The son-of-a-bitch tried to blow his head off."
~*~*~*~*~
Chris sat by himself at the bar. The bartender had given him his coffee without question. He had only stared at the man for a second, then handed over the cup. It was now an hour later and Chris had only taken 2 sips. He stared at the counter, his face expressionless.
From outside, the sound of men talking drifted into the bar. As the doors swung open, the six men saw the familiar back at the bar. Their talking stopped immediately.
"Nathan, I thought you said he was still in the clinic?" Vin asked, with a hint of exasperation in his voice.
"I guess he let himself out." And with that, the medicine man walked up to the man. The other exchanged quick glances before following. Nathan sat on the stool to the right of Chris. The right side of the man's neck had a bandage on it, and had a blood stain forming on it.
"What the hell may I ask, are you doing here?"
"Coffee." The gunfighters voice was so quiet and scratchy it made the others wince. He sounded awful. Nathan shook his head.
"You know, you shouldn't be drinking anything, much less something hot."
"Watch me." With that Chris took another sip of the coffee. It seared his throat all the way, and the others saw the pained look on his face.
"Fine." Nathan stood. Buck took his place on the stool to the left of Chris.
"Now, you wanna tell us what that whole thing was about day before last?"
"Old acquaintance." Chris smiled, and turned as the bar door opened. The men turned also to see a man enter the room.
"Hey! That's the fella that we were telling you guys about! The drunk James fella." Josiah told the group. Chris stormed past the group of men and walked right up to the man. As he approached, the man got a terrified expression on his face and turned to run out of the bar. But Chris was too fast. He grabbed the man by the arm, turned him so that he was facing Chris, and slammed him against the wall. With one hand holding onto the man's neck, Chris reached down to his belt and pulled out his pistol. He shoved the barrel of the gun to the terrified mans forehead.
The others watched in shock at what Chris was doing. Quickly, they ran over to the two men. Buck stood directly to the right of Chris, grabbing the his arm.
"Chris!! What the hell are you doin?!" Vin came up to Chris' left, and drew his gun. By that time, the Chris and James were surrounded by six men, all guns drawn, but all unsure of who to shoot. Buck looked into Chris' eyes, and didn't recognize his friend. There was only pure hatred and a wanting to shoot James dead, and Buck knew he would.
Chris shoved the gun harder into the man's forehead. James closed his eyes against the pain. Buck grabbed Chris' arm tighter, and the gunfighter turned his aim. His gun was now pointed at Buck. Suddenly, all of the others trained their guns on Chris. They weren't going to let Chris shoot Buck. James, who was still being held by the throat, managed to get out a few words.
"Don't do it Christopher. He's your best friend." A tone with more anger than anything any of the men had ever heard came out of Chris' wounded throat.
"Shut-up!" Chris turned his gun back to James, who closed his eyes, waiting to hear the sound. It came quickly. The sound of the pistol that had killed many people already being cocked. Suddenly, Vin brought his gun up fast and hit Chris hard over the head with the butt of it, knocking the gunfighter out. As Chris Larabee fell to the floor, the others rushed over him, taking his gun away, and dragging him over to a nearby table. Buck and Vin remained by James, who was still visibly shaken.
"You wanna explain why the hell I just had to do that?!" Vin was mad, and he knew that as soon as he woke up, he'd have to answer to Chris, and he'd like to be able to explain.
"You saved my life. Thank you."
"You're not welcome!" Vin spat. "Who the hell are you?!"
James was silent. He looked over at the table where Chris was slumped in a chair, still unconscious, but almost coming out of it. "I'm his father."
Part Three
The seven men entered the Sheriff's office. Chris had a trail of blood coming from the wound on his neck, which had reopened after Vin hit him on the head. He didn't appear to feel the pain, though, as he was led to a chair.
J.D. walked over to his desk and sat down. Ezra and Vin stood by the door, and the others stood silently.
"You know I've seen a few of family reunions in my time, but that was definitely the most interesting." Vin's voice was extremely sarcastic. Chris just looked at him, then got up to leave. Before he could get all the way to his feet, Buck put a hand on his chest.
"Sit down." Buck's voice was deadly serious, but Chris didn't back down. "Sit down, Chris!" The men in the room didn't know what to expect. In the saloon, Chris had been ready to kill Buck.
The gunfighter sat down, not letting his eyes come off of Buck's.
"Now, for the second time. You wanna explain what the hell is goin on?! If I'm gonna have a gun pulled on me, I like to know why!" Bucks last sentence came out harshly. He stared Chris in the eyes.
"I told you. An acquaintance." Chris' voice was still rough, and it seemed to J.D. that more blood came out of his wound when he talked. He figured it wasn't his imagination when Nathan spoke up.
"As much as I'd like to know as well, Chris, you are in no shape to be talking. I have to re-stitch that neck." Chris got up from his chair and walked to the door. As he walked out, he gave Buck a look that meant they'd finish this later. Nathan followed him out of the building, and they walked towards the clinic.
"Those men back there don't know if they trust you anymore." Nathan spoke to the gunfighter.
"They never should have in the first place."
~*~*~*~*~
J.D. looked at the remaining men in the room. Buck looked very upset. J.D. had to admit that he was shaken. Back in the saloon, Chris had been totally out of control. J.D. was sure he'd been like that before, but it was his first time seeing him like that.
"Anybody else think that we should talk to James?" Josiah asked the group.
"Good idea." Ezra answered.
"Wait. Do you all think that we should be getting into Chris' life. It's personal." J.D. wasn't sure he felt right butting into someone like Chris' life.
"If he's this out of control, I don't think we have a choice." Vin got up and walked to the door. "James is still in the Saloon. Let's go." J.D. followed reluctantly.
The group walked down the street without a word. Things had been quiet lately, but now that quietness they all disliked was gone. As they entered the Saloon, James was seated at one of the tables. He had a wet rag on his forehead. As they approached, he pulled it away, revealing a small round black bruise in the shape of a pistol chamber.
"Is he okay?" James voice was shaking, and he was still visibly off-edge.
"It's odd that you care." Ezra was curious.
"Well, of course I do. He's my son, ain't he?"
Vin sat down at one of the chairs at the table, while the rest remained standing. J.D. hung in the back, not wanting any part in it.
"Coulda fooled me." Ezra's drawl was filled with a mixture of concern and humor.
Jmaes looked at the men for a few seconds. "I take it that Christopher never mentioned me. I'm not surprised."
Vin tried hard not to laugh. He could only imagine what Chris would do if he heard one of the six call him 'Christopher'. "Mr. Larabee, do you know why Chris a attacked you?"
James looked Vin in the eye. "No, I don't." Buck walked up and sat beside his friends father.
"Now, Mr. Larabee, Chris may be a tough man, but we all know that he would never attack a man for no reason, especially his own blood. Now, would you like to tell us the truth?" Buck looked James in the eye. The older man bowed his head slightly, and stayed silent for a few seconds. The others waited patiently. Ezra, Vin, and Josiah sat down, while JD edged closer, unable to let go of his curiosity. As JD looked at the man, he realized that this was the father of a very dangerous gunslinger. A gunslinger that had just tried to kill his own father in front of at least 6 witnesses. It was bound to be a good story.
James put his head down and mumbled something under his breath. Ezra, who was sitting the closet to the old man, heard it, almost. He hoped he hadn't heard right. "What?!" James then told the whole story.
When Chris was 10 years old, James Larabee had beaten his wife almost to death one night when he had come home drunk. Chris had heard the whole thing. The next morning, Chris had carried his mother out to their wagon, and had taken her to a new town, and they had started over. It had been hard on Chris, he never had many friends because he was trying to help his mother. James vanished without a trace, and no one even thought he was still alive. They never saw him again. Until today.
~*~*~*~*~
Chris Larabee walked through the door of his rented room, and went over to the window. Gazing out to the street, he saw Buck walking towards the saloon. The man was going slowly, and Chris had the feeling he was looking for someone. Going away from the window, he sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands.
His throat had been throbbing day, and now that Nathan had re-stitched the wound, it hurt more. He could feel the pull of flesh every time he turned his head in any direction.
Chris closed his eyes when there was a knock on his door. Lifting his head but not getting up, he stared at the closed door, trying to decided if he really wanted to deal with whoever it was. Sighing, he got up, blood rushing to his head, making it throb more. Walking the short distance to the door, he flung it open.
"Yeah?" Chris asked his guest.
"Mr. Larabee, I think you need to come to the Saloon. Buck wants to talk to ya."
"Alright Ezra." Chris followed the man out of the room and onto the streets below. As they made the short walk to the saloon, they were silent. People rushed around them, doing their own things, while some cast glances in the two men's direction. Especially those who had heard about the events in the saloon that morning, and a lot had. Just before entering, Ezra stopped and turned to face Chris. Their eyes met. Chris saw sympathy in them.
"I don't blame you. I would have done the same thing." Ezra turned and walked into the saloon. Chris remained out side the saloon for a few seconds, staring out at the people on the street. He suddenly felt a rush of anger flood over him. His father had probably told the whole story. He wondered how may knew. Quickly he shoved the door open and rushed inside, straight towards the bar where six men sat. James was not there, causing relief to flood through Chris. If he had been there, Chris would have been tempted to attack him again.
The guys all looked up at the silence that once again signaled Chris' arrival. The man walked to the table and sat down in an empty chair. The bartender came over and placed a bottle of whiskey on the table. Chris looked at the bottle, then poured himself a little. Ezra did the same.
"Where's James?" Chris couldn't help but ask. He hoped they would tell him James had left town.
"He left. We told him it would be a good idea, and he agreed." Buck said slowly. He watched as a small smirk formed on Chris' face.
"Good." Chris began to stand up, when he was stopped by a Vin placing a hand on his shirt. Chris looked at the hand, then to Vin, who pulled it away. "Chris, you still haven't told us who shot you."
Chris Larabee slowly sat back down. He guessed he better tell them, before Taylor came back. "His name's Vince Taylor. We ran into each other about 4 months ago. I killed his brother and father while they were trying to hold up a bank. I guess he finally tracked me down."
Ezra stared at Chris. "Wait, I've heard of this guy. Didn't he kill that family over in Texas a few years back? Over some debt or something."
Chris nodded. "Yeah, that's him." Just then, as JD was about to ask more about this Taylor fellow, gunfire filled the afternoon air.
Part Four
Early afternoon sunlight shone on the street as the men raced outside the saloon. As they made their way to the street, they had to push past people trying to make their way indoors and away from the shots. The seven men all had their guns drawn and ready. There was a man standing in the middle of the street about 200 yards in front of them. He was firing his gun into the air above his head repeatedly, not aiming at anything. He was trying to get their attention. Ezra turned to see Chris' eyes go cold. Taylor. Ezra seized up the man immediately. He looked like he was in his late thirties. His black hair dusty, and unkept. He had a beard that looked more like he just forgot to shave than anything else. His face was rugged and he wore an unreadable expression on his tired face. He looks like the perfect match for Chris.
Silence filled the air as the seven men stood in a line facing Taylor. People from the town watched from the windows of the buildings. Although they didn't want to get in the line of fire, they couldn't hide their curiosity.
"I got no trouble with the lot of yah, just Larabee. The rest of yah better git." Vin was standing to the right of Chris, and saw that the look in the man's eyes. He was completely willing to finish this one on one.
"How'd you find me Taylor. From what I can remember of you, you ain't a good tracker." Chris didn't sound worried that he'd been found. He'd never been hiding. He was just curious.
"Easy. You see, your old man worked for me a while. He was in the hole to me quiet a bit of money, so we made a deal. He helps me find you, and he lives. We all win. 'cept you that is." Chris' whole body tensed at the mention of his father. I should have known he had something to do with this. Chris shoved the thought aside. I'll deal with him later.
"Well Taylor, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not gonna be the one to die today." Chris' voice was pure ice, the other six knew Chris meant every word.
"I dunno, if the shot I got off earlier is any indication, I think I've got a good chance." JD's blood ran cold. Taylor had almost killed Chris before, what if this time, he really did? "So why don't you tell your little guppies there to back off and we can settle this."
Chris didn't have to say a word. The other six men put their gins back in their holsters and walked off the street. They stopped on the saloon steps and stood back to watch. But inside, they were all worried.
In a second it was over. As the two men stood facing each other silently, Chris saw Taylor's right hand flinch, indicating he was going for his gun. In a flash, Chris had his gun chest level and pulled the trigger. The noise made JD jump. It had been immediate. Taylor fell with his hands around his gun, but never got his gun higher than his waist. Chris had been to fast.
Chris calmly let his arm and gun drop to his side and turned. He saw his comrades on the steps to the saloon. Vin was leaning against the wall of the saloon, a smirk on his face. Josiah had a gleam in his eye. Nathan just nodded as Chris looked at him. Ezra had a amused grin on his face, and Buck just did a slight nod. It was JD that caught his eye. The kids mouth was wide open in shock. Chris walked towards the saloon and was on his way through the door when he passed JD. The kids mouth was still open as he looked out to the street where Taylor still lay dead. As he brushed past him, Chris took the barrel of his pistol and put it under JD's chin, pushing it closed it. Chris entered the bar and heard the others laugh at JD's sharp intake of breath realizing he had been staring. Then rubbing the underside of his chin where Chris had placed the hot barrel of his gun. Ezra patted the young kid on the back and they walked off together with Nathan to collect the body of Vince Taylor.
As Chris entered the bar, followed by Josiah, Buck, and Vin. People walked away from the windows where they had watched the whole thing. Some looked at Chris with a hint of fear, but mostly admiration. Buck saw Chris pull his hat down to hide his eyes. Buck smiled. He knew Chris hated all the people staring. "Come on Chris." He said as they sat at their usual table, watching as even the bartender kept his distance. "You should be used to all the attention with all the stunts like that you do." Buck laughed. Chris just smiled as he shook his head.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The seven men sat at their usual table late the next night. They had been there for almost an hour, drinking and talking. JD had tried out a new joke he'd heard, only to be rewarded with moans. Chris had even contributed to the conversation. He didn't talk a lot, he never did. But this night they were hearing more out of him than they had over the past few days. He had been gone all day on an 'errand', he called it, and only returned about 3 hours ago. Nathan and Josiah had taken care of Taylor's body, and no one talked about it, but no one had forgotten. JD especially. Chris had caught him staring at him three times in the last hour. Vin noticed it to, and knew that Chris noticed it. He just hoped Chris wouldn't lose his temper with the kid. Vin had to admit, he was impressed with Chris too.
Once again, Chris felt JD's eyes on him. Picking up his whiskey, and not even looking at JD, Chris said, "JD, if you got a question, why don't you just ask. It'd sure be better than having you staring at me the whole night." Chris took a long sip of the Whiskey and set the glass on the table. Only then did Chris look at JD. The kid looked terrified. But he quickly regained his composure. "No. Sorry." It was now JD's turn to take a drink. Buck put a hand to his mouth to hide his smile. Ezra had to turn his entire face. Chris gave JD a smile before standing up.
"Well, I'm gonna go take a walk." Taking his hat from the table Chris pulled it low over his eyes, and turned to leave. As he walked out, no one saw the huge grin on his face.
Epilogue:
As Chris walked into the Sheriff's office the next morning, JD was sitting at his desk. "You wanted to see me, JD?"
JD Dunne turned at the sound of Chris' voice. "Uh, yeah. Chris, I just got this a minute ago." JD got up and handed a folded piece of paper to the gunfighter. "Normally, I'd say I was sorry, but…" JD's voice trailed off, not finishing his sentence.
Chris read the paragraph quickly, then looked up. "Thanks JD." He turned and walked out the door. In the street he passed Buck and Vin.
"Hey, Chris, what's with the smile." Vin asked curiously. "You just scare the crap out of JD again?" Vin had thought the whole incident last night had been very amusing.
"Nope. See you two around." And with that, Chris walked through the two men and down the road, tipping his hat to a lady that passed by. She smile awkwardly, not ever seeing that side of Chris Larabee. Buck and Vin just watched, looking at each other, they turned and began to walk again when they saw JD come out of his office.
"You guys just see Chris?"
"Yeah. He just went that way." Buck pointed down the street in the direction Chris went with his head. "Why?"
JD shook his head. "He's acting his head. I mean, I know he always does, but I mean, really weird. He just got a telegram. His father was shot and killed yesterday, and he reads it and it doesn't even shake him. Almost like he already knew..." Once again, JD's voice faded away, the three men turned together in the direction Chris had gone.
"You don't think…" JD stammered.
"No JD. I don't think anything." Buck said, and walked off. Vin just looked at JD, and spoke slowly. "You better not get involved JD. A word of advice." His voice was all business.
"Ha! You think I'd get involved with this? What do think, I want to die early?"
"Smart kid." Vin walked off after Buck, and JD went off back to his office.
"Hey Buck," Vin said, running to catch up. "What was that errand Chris was gone all day yesterday for?"
"Don't know. He never said." The two exchanged glances, then decided together with a look to never to bring it up again.
"So, Vin, what do you say we go and see if any new ladies came in on the last stage?" Vin just laughed as the two walked off.
The End