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Two hours later, the saddle shop just smoldering now, the surrounding buildings only slightly grazed, the fire was out and the crisis was over. But not so in the clinic. For though the man, his wife and son came out of it with only minor cuts, bruises and smoke inhalation, Nathan was still concerned with Chris. He had sustained a bad blow to the head and a piece of wood about the size of a large knife had been propelled out of the fire and directly into his side. The fact that his lungs were filled with smoke was not helping him regain consciousness either, and he lay on the table taking shallow breaths as Nathan and Victoria bandaged him up.
Mary stood over in the corner, one arm wrapped around her waist and the other up to her face covering her mouth in shock. She was so gripped with fear that she couldn't move. She had felt the same way when she had found her husband shot on the floor of their home, and only the thought of her son had been able to snap her out of it. But now there was nothing for her to do but wait and worry as Chris fought for his life.
"What are his chances?" Victoria asked Nathan, careful to keep her voice low enough so Mary wouldn't hear.
"I have seen worse, but with a head wound it is hard to predict." He said, then he gave her a quick smile. "But I guess you know all about that."
Victoria nodded, checking the square bandage on his forehead for any signs of new blood.
"At least it has quit bleeding." She sounded hopeful. "Now if only he will wake up."
"Might be best if he stays out for a while, give his body a chance to start healing before he wakes up and begins to move around. Chris ain't one to lay still for long." He only hoped he would soon be arguing with the man to stay still.
Nathan finished with the bandage and turned to wash his hands.
"Mary, will you stay with him, I need to go check on the other folks. Victoria, I think there are a few people out there who would like to know what is going on." Referring to Buck, Vin, Ezra, JD and Josiah who had been sitting in the other room waiting. Nathan then walked to the door that lead to the next room, shutting it quietly behind him.
Mary came forward from the corner and looked at the pale man on the table, then up at Victoria, her eyes pleading for reassurance.
"He is a strong man and he is breathing much better with each breath." She put her arm around Mary's shoulders. "Don't give up on him yet. After all, he has a lot to live for." She gave her one last hug before she headed to the waiting room.
Mary leaned down close to Chris' face.
"Do you hear that Chris Larabee?" She whispered. "You have to get better, you have a daughter who is going to want to get to know her father. Don't you dare leave her an orphan again, you are all she has and she needs you." A tear fell down her cheek and she brushed it aside. "And I need you too."
Vin and Buck got to their feet as Victoria closed the door behind her, the look on her face not easing their minds any.
"How is he?" They asked, almost in unison.
"He is hanging in there, and Nathan has high hopes." She told them, trying to force a smile. "But he hasn't regained consciousness yet. So we will just have to wait."
Waiting did not seem like something these men were good at, and they made their displeasure known as they sat back down with heavy sighs. The wait would be a long one, and they settled in for the duration.
By the next morning Chris had still not awakened, but Victoria was able to get Mary to leave his side long enough to get something to eat and change clothes, but for no longer. Then she was right back at his bedside at the clinic keeping her vigil. The other six rotated between each other throughout the day, one of them always present in the room with Chris, eager to relay the good news should he wake.
Mr. Martin and his family had been released and Nathan had gone to check on them just before nightfall, leaving Mary, Victoria and Buck in charge of the patient.
Victoria was sitting beside him on the bed, changing the bandage on his forehead when his eyes fluttered open. They were glazed over with pain and confusion as he looked up at her.
"Lesha?" He said, his voice dry and horse from the smoke he had inhaled the night before. He even reached up and touched her hair briefly before he drifted back into sleep, letting his hand fall to his side.
Mary and Buck had head him speak, looking up just before he had closed his eyes again and came rushing over.
"Chris?" Mary called, hoping he would open his eyes again.
"He is too exhausted to stay awake for long, but it is a good sign that he is trying." Victoria's words bringing a smile of hope to Mary's face.
"You just keep fighting it Chris." Buck said to his sleeping friend. "We will be right here when you wake up."
They all sat back down again to play the waiting game. Victoria was the first to break the silence.
"Who is Lesha?" She asked. "He said that name when he looked at me."
Buck and Mary shot quick warning glances at each other before answering.
"That was the name of his wife. She died some time ago." Buck tried to sound nonchalant. "You look a little like her, and he must have mistook you for her in his delirium." Buck felt like a liar. Heck he was a liar! Victoria didn't just look a little like Alesha, she was the spitting image of her mother, but he wasn't about to tell her that. Yep, that is what he was, a liar.
"Mr. Larabee was married?" Victoria asked looking at the sleeping man. "He seems like such a loner that I would have never guessed. But I know what loosing someone can do to a person. I am sure it must have hit him hard."
"You don't know the half of it." Buck stated in a deadly serious voice.
The next morning Chris opened his eyes to the harsh glare of the sun coming through the window and forcing him awake. He looked around and saw Mary, who had her head lying on her crossed arms on the table top asleep. She looked exhausted and his heart went out to her for the worry he had obviously caused. Looking to the left of him he saw Vin sitting in a chair in the corner, his hat pulled down over his eyes and his chin close to his chest, sleeping as well. He was very thirsty but he almost hated to wake either of them to ask for a drink. He was saved from doing so by the door opening and Victoria walking in quietly, a bright smile coming to her face when she saw that he was looking at her. She set the tray she had been carrying on the night stand and sat down beside him.
"Good morning." She whispered, so as not to disturb the other two. "You had us pretty scared there." She touched his forehead, checking for fever.
"How long have I been out?" He didn't even have to attempt to whisper, his normal voice not much stronger than one.
"Only a day and a half. The fire was night before last." She looked over at Mary and smiled. "Mary has been here pretty much around the clock. She will be happy to see you are awake. Vin and the others have been here too, each taking their turn."
"Is every one else all right?" He asked, having to cough a few times in order to get the sentence out.
"Every one is just fine, you got them out just in time. Joe Martin and his family have already gone home and Nathan said they are no worse for wear. You are a hero, Chris Larabee, a full fledged hero."
Chris shook his head, not very comfortable when it came to attention or gratitude.
"Can I get you something to eat or drink. You must be starving." She asked.
"Thirsty." He rasped, nodding his head.
"I am sure." She winked at him and got to her feet. Leaning down she shook Mary's shoulder softly, waking her from her sleep with a start. "Our patient is awake and asking for water. Could you help him out while I go find Nathan?" As if Mary would have said no.
Mary looked up at Chris, her face a mixture of joy and relief as she hurried over to his side.
Vin heard Victoria's voice and was up and standing beside him in a flash as well, hitching his thumbs in his gun belt, leaning slightly as he nodded his approval.
"You look like hell, Pard." He drawled.
"Thanks." Chris tried to laugh, but it hurt too much. He knew what Vin meant.
Victoria pulled at Vin's sleeve, jerking her head towards the door as she silently instructed him to follow. Once they were outside in the hall and Victoria had closed the door quietly behind them she held her finger up to her lips in a silent motion.
"I think they need some time alone." She gave a large grin as the two walked away.
Mary poured a glass of water for Chris and handed it to him and he drank deeply. When his thirst was quenched he relaxed against the pillow, amazed at how much just sitting up took out of him.
"You didn't have to stay all this time." He told her.
"I know. But I wanted to." She was not sure if he had wanted her too though.
"About the other night." He began, looking away. "I wanted to apologize for kissing you like that. I shouldn't have done it then."
Mary's heart sank to her feet, all her hopes of them finally getting something going dying in the silence.
"Oh……….. I see." She replied, looking down at her hands.
Chris reached up and touched her cheek softly, making her look into his eyes as he gave her a little smile.
"I should have done it long before then."
Mary laughed, a lump forming in her throat as her eyes misted up. She put her hand over his and leaned into his touch as she closed her eyes, savoring the moment.
"I was so scared, Chris." She told him. "I was so afraid I wouldn't get the chance to tell you everything I wanted to…….. that you were going to………" She stopped, unable to go on.
"Shhhhh." Chris silenced her, pulling her slowly down to him until their lips were only inches apart, letting them linger there just long enough to let the anticipation become unbearable. Then with the softness of butterfly wings they met, settling down into a kiss born of passion and relief. It was everything the two of them had been waiting for and they knew that no matter what, there was no going back now.
Their kiss may have lasted longer if Mary had not leaned down a little too far and put pressure on Chris' wound, causing him to take a deep breath as the pain assaulted him. She jumped back, cringing at what she had done, as the two started to laugh.
"Sorry." She told him, holding up her hands apologetically.
"We will have to try this again when I am not so impaired." He said, his words making a shiver run up her spine, causing her to blush.
The door opened and Nathan came in just then, followed closely by Buck, JD, Ezra, Josiah and Vin. The reunion that followed was a loud and boisterous, wearing Chris out, until Nathan ushered every out so he could rest again. Chris fell back to sleep with a smile on his face.
The next day Chris was feeling strong enough to sit up without assistance, but when Nathan made the mistake of saying he would soon be getting out of bed there was no keeping him down. Mary came in with his lunch that afternoon just in time to see him sitting on the side of the bed, wincing with pain as he slipped his foot inside his boot.
"And just where do you think you are going?" She asked, setting the tray down and putting her hands on her hips. "You get back in that bed right now."
Chris only gave her a devilish smile as he reached for the other one.
"Tired of lying around." He argued.
"Well, I am tired of worrying about you." She told him, knowing there was no way she was going to win this fight.
Victoria came in, seeing the battle of wills before her.
"Now, now. Let's not let this get into an all out brawl." She warned. "I don't think you could take her Chris."
And the way he was still feeling, he knew she was right.
"I came to tell Mary that we will be starting the meeting in just a little bit." She said.
"What meeting?" Chris wondered what he was missing being cooped up inside for the last day or so.
"The meeting to discuss the Martins and how to help them get back on their feet. They lost everything when the saddle shop went up in smoke, and they are talking about having to leave town." Mary told him.
"I am coming too." Chris tried to get to his feet but sat back down when the pain in his side got to be too much.
"Oh no you don't, you stay put, do you hear me?" Mary was at his side to steady him.
"Besides, we figured as much so we are holding the meeting here. I just wanted to warn you before we all came filing in. So relax, you are not going to be left out of anything." Victoria laughed, waving at the two of them as she left the room again.
"She is something else." Chris chuckled, laughing at how she had read him so well.
"Of course she is, she's her father's daughter." Mary agreed.
Chris shook his head in disbelief. Things had been happening so fast since her confession the other night at the restaurant that he had not had time to think about it. But now it came back to him like a wave crashing against the rocks. His daughter was alive, she had not died all those years ago as he had thought. He was filled with a overwhelming sense of joy followed by regret.
"All this time….." He looked up at Mary. "I have missed so much. I don't know my little girl anymore."
"Don't think about that. Think of all the time you have ahead of you, how much you both have to catch up on. But she is still your daughter, and she needs her Daddy. Be there for her now, Chris. Tell her."
"What if she hates me when she finds out? I never came after her, Mary. I let my Christine wander for days out there alone, lost and afraid. I spent the last fifteen years mourning over a grave that was never even hers. And if it is not Christine, then who is buried there. She was my daughter for heaven's sake, wouldn't I have known if she were dead or alive, wouldn't I have felt it? What kind of father will she take me for?" He bowed his head and rubbed at his eyes trying to erase the image.
"You were told she was dead. How could you have known, Chris. How could you have know that was not her buried there? She won't blame you. Just give her the chance to prove it. Don't throw away what you can still have together, don't let the ghosts of the past rob you of your future too."
Chris straightened up and took a deep breath, she was right. No matter what, he had to tell her the truth. He needed something from Christine, and whether it was forgiveness or condemnation, he couldn't go on without telling her.
"I will." He assured her. "Soon."
The meeting about the Martins was in full swing, the seven of them, Victoria and Mary all trying hard to think of ways to help them rebuild the saddle shop. It had been a very good business for not only the family but the town, they needed the Martins to stay as much as the Martins wanted to.
"If only we could come up with enough money to buy some supplies, I know we could get most of the town to pitch in and help rebuild it." Mary said, frustrated at the problem before them.
"This town?" Ezra scoffed, shaking his head. "The day I see any one of them lifting a finger to help one another is the day I will eat my hat."
"Then we need to make them get involved, show them how much they would lose if the Martins left town." Mary was upset, not at Ezra's words, but at the fact he was probably right.
"How much do you think we would need?" Victoria asked.
"Several hundred at least. They not only need a new building but supplies enough to get them started." Josiah estimated.
"I know where I could get my hands on an easy five hundred, but it would require a trip to Texas." Chris said in a quiet voice, with a wicked smile and a side glance at Vin. "Unfortunately I'm just not feeling up to it at the moment."
Vin blanched some, but knew his friend was only kidding. At least he hoped he was. No one else seemed to notice what he had said though and the conversation continued.
"What if we put on a dance?" Victoria suggested absently.
"A dance?" Nathan turned around to look at her questionably.
"What good would a dance do?" Buck asked.
"Well, not so much the dance itself, but it would at least bring everyone together and maybe stir up their sense of generosity. Back when I was in teaching college, our school suffered some damage during a bad windstorm. Well we decided to raise money by holding a dance. We didn't charge much to get in, but that was not where we planned to make the most of our money anyway. We all made cookies, pies, cakes and other treats as well as had raffles and made more money to fix up our school than we had anticipated. No one had to put out much money but with everyone pitching in it really added up." Victoria remembered how pleased they had been with the success of it all.
"That is not a bad idea." Mary said, seeing the potential in her plan. "We could talk to some of the local ranchers and farmers, one's who have benefited from the Martin's business and see if they wouldn't mind putting up something to raffle off. And I am more than sure that most of the ladies around here would be more than happy to show off their cooking talents with a bake sale." She was really getting into this idea.
"Do you think the town would go for such a thing?" Chris asked, remembering how the people wouldn't even step in to save Nathan when he was about to be lynched.
"Only one way to find out." Mary said, searching for any other suggestions. But no one had any, so it was settled. They left Chris' room to get to work.
They decided to plan it for the following Saturday night, holding it in the large livery stable where there was enough room to move around yet be covered if it should rain. Buck and Ezra were chosen to go around and solicit items or services for the auction since they were both known for their charm and convincing manner. Nathan, Josiah, JD and Vin were in charge of getting the livery ready, while Chris was given the title of supervisor since he was still a little tender from his wounds, but improving. Mary and Victoria got the job of organizing the refreshments and decorations. And as they went about their doings, they saw the town perk up with interest, giving them hopes that it might turn out a success after all.
Between all this Victoria and Mary worked on the storage room above the newspaper office, getting it suitable for living. It was hard going at first, no one having been up there for several months at least, the cobwebs and dust looked as if they had taken over. But once things were moved out and the place wiped down, Victoria could see a lot of potential in the large open room. She would have to put up some dividers here and there, to give the illusion of rooms, but other than that, it was perfect.
"This is the last of the boxes." JD said, carrying a large wooden crate in his hands as he came into the office. "Where do you want it?"
"Over here in the corner with that one." Victoria directed, not having him set it in the back room with the others. "These two are the older issues I want to look through."
"Well I sure hope they hold what you are searching for." He nodded, rubbing his back.
"Me too, JD. Me too." She ran her hands over the box, thinking that they may be her only chance.
By that Saturday morning everything was set. Not only had they collected two prime breeder bulls from a generous rancher, two milk cows and a dozen good laying hens to auction off, but the owner of the mercantile had donated a brand new plow and Winchester rifle himself. The ladies of the town had outdone themselves with their baked goods, promising a virtual smorgasbord of treats to bid on. If they didn't raise enough money to keep the Martins from leaving from all this, they never would. And between it all, Victoria had managed to get her little apartment ready and moved into. She still wanted to do some painting and re-arranging when her things arrived, but she was happy with the results so far and loved her little place. She had even made a cozy little bed for the Mother cat and her kittens in the corner of the room by her bed, moving them out of the barn until after the dance was over.
Chris had been getting steadily better each day and after much coaxing by Mary and with Nathan's permission, he agreed to at least one dance with her that night. He had put off talking to Victoria about his news, figuring that with the dance coming up and all, he didn't want to run the chance of stirring up a hornets nest. He would wait till it was over and done with, allowing him to give it his full attention. Mary had informed him that Victoria had started going through the newspapers, scanning column after column each night, looking for clues but had found nothing so far. He hated to see her going to all the trouble while he knew the truth all along, but he was determined to wait till after the dance. Or was it that he was just afraid to tell her, and that was why he was putting it off? Either way, he knew that time was running out, and he had better think about what he was going to say, and how he would say it.
He was sitting in front of the jail that morning when Victoria came walking up to him.
"Good morning, Mr. Larabee." She said, signaling for him not to get up as she sat down beside him in an open chair. "Do you have a second?"
"Sure. What is on your mind?"
"Well, this is a bit awkward for me." She began, the uneasiness in her voice apparent. "I know that you intend on going to the dance and I know that you said you would dance with Mary once there. But could I ask a favor?"
Chris nodded, wondering where she was going with this, an uneasy feeling beginning to grow inside him.
"You see, to a man, a dance is just not that important. But to a girl, getting asked to one is a very big deal. And since we are raised to believe that it is the man who should do the asking, we end up sitting home waiting and wondering if the invitation is ever going to come. And when it doesn't and the gentleman we have our hearts set on never shows any intentions of doing so, we tend to feel rejected, as if they don't find us attractive or interesting enough to consider. So I have come here today to break tradition, Mr. Larabee and do the asking myself for this dance, and it would make me so happy if you would just say yes." She finished, her hands clenched together before in almost a pleading way.
Chris was a loss for words. Was he hearing right? Had Victoria, his daughter just asked him to the dance? Had she developed some sort of crush on him when he wasn't paying attention and was now gaining the courage to confess it to him? What was he going to do?
"Uhhhh, Victoria. We need to talk about this. Do you know what people would think? I mean if a man takes a girl to a dance, folks will get the impression that the couple are involved. Is that what you want."
"Well I was hoping. I can see that you are the cautious type, that you like to take things slow at first. But I had thought I had sensed something there, some connection. And when you were recuperating I was lead to believe there might be true feelings as well." Victoria sounded very hurt by his apparent shock.
"Victoria, listen to me." He leaned forward, taking her hands in his, and looking at her with all the sincerity he felt. "I care for you a lot, you are very special to me, more so than you know. But there can't ever be anything between us. There are just so many things you don't know about me, and then there is the age difference. I am almost twice your age for Pete's sake." He braced himself for the tears he hoped wouldn't begin to fall.
But instead a shocked look came over Victoria's face followed by one of genuine amusement.
"Mr. Larabee, did you think………… that I was…??" She melted into fits of laughter. She sobered up quickly at his look of confusion. "Don't get me wrong now, I think you are a very handsome man and I am flattered by your kind words. But I was not asking for myself. I came in hopes of convincing you to be Mary's escort tonight. I know she would say yes if that is what you are concerned about. Please Mr. Larabee, it would mean so much to me if you did."
Chris gave a sigh of relief and began to chuckle too at his mistake. Victoria had just shaved a few years off of his life with that scare, and probably added more gray hairs to his head than he cared to count. But now that he thought of it, why hadn't he asked Mary to the dance. They were all going, but it had never occurred to him that she would want to be invited. It had been so long since Chris had indulged in frivolities such as dances and courting that he had forgotten how a gentleman should act in this situation. But why not? What did he have to lose?
"Is Mrs. Travis at her office right now?" He asked with a smile, getting to his feet.
"She sure is." Victoria replied, grinning from ear to ear. "And I have some errands to run, so I won't be back for some time." She hinted watching him go, as if making sure he remembered the way.
When she was satisfied that things were in motion and on the right track she turned and headed down the sidewalk to tend to her errands.
Chris stood outside the Newspaper office and tried to think of what to say. He and Mary had not spoken about their new found feelings since the day he woke up at Nathan's, and he found that he was now tongue tied. But he had already let Victoria believe that he was going to ask her, so if he backed out now, he would have her to contend with. So opening the door quickly he stepped inside, full of determination.
"Chris?" Mary said, looking up from her desk. "What brings you here?" He looked almost nervous and that sent some instant panic to her heart. "Is something wrong? Has something gone wrong with the dance? Or is it Victoria?" Her voice beginning to raise in dread.
"No. Nothing is wrong." He assured her quickly. Nothing except the fact that he was as nervous as a school boy, and he had never been like that even when he was a school boy. He reached up and took his hat off, trying to remember how one went about courting a lady, it had been a long time. "I came to ask…." He stopped, his mouth refusing to form the words.
"Ask what?" Mary prompted.
"To ask……….to ask if you had heard anything from Billy about when he is coming." He finished, feeling like a coward.
"Billy?" She looked puzzled. "No, not yet, I only sent the letter a few days ago. It probably hasn't even reached him yet. But I will let you know as soon as I do."
"Great. Thanks." He put his hat back on and turned sharply towards the door. "I would appreciate it if you do." But as he grabbed hold of the door knob, he stopped. This was not like Chris to run from anything. He would never back down in a fight, so why should this be any harder. But somehow it was. So before he could think twice or talk himself out of it, he turned back to face Mary. "Would you like to go to the dance with me tonight?" His own voice sounding strangely alien to him.
Mary blinked a few times, the only indication he had that she had heard him at all, before she opened her mouth to speak.
"I would love to, Chris." Her smile telling him everything.
"Good. I will pick you up tonight just before seven." And with a nod he left the office and a deliriously happy Mary.
Vin walked down the street to the livery, going around to the back corrals where all the horses had been put until the dance was over that night. But when he came to the corral where his and Chris's horse had been placed he saw that they already had a visitor. Victoria was up on the railing, dividing her attentions between Nero and his large black, Sire. He stopped and watched as Sire shook his head as she scratched the white blaze running down his face, prancing around slightly as if he enjoyed her attention. She laughed out loud at his antics and leaned over, placing her head on his as she gave him a quick hug. Vin had never envied a horse before, but as he watched Sire receiving all of Victoria's attention, he felt a twinge of jealousy shudder through him. Nero, not to be left out of all this, nudged her from the other side, reminding her that he was important too and was rewarded with a rub and a few kind words.
Vin watched for a few minutes more, enjoying the sight before he walked over.
"I am impressed." Vin said, causing her to turn around and look at him. He stepped up on to the rail beside her and gave the black a scratch under the chin. "Sire usually doesn't let anyone handle him but me." He had spent a lot of time training him to be wary of strangers, since as a bounty hunter, it was very important that your horse trust only it's owner. Otherwise, if you were not careful, you may find your self flat on your back watching your bounty riding off on your horse. "What is your secret?"
"Secret?" She laughed. "If I tell you, then you will tell someone and they will tell someone, until every man around knows the way we women charm our men."
"Oh, then you do have a special method you use?" Vin had no doubt about that, because she had certainly charmed him. "What if I swear never to tell, to take it to my grave, will you give me a hint?"
"Very well, but you promised. To your grave." She warned him with a shake of her finger. When he nodded solemnly she continued. "Well horses are no different from men, all you have to do is speak to them very softly, because the quieter you are the more they will strain to hear you." She demonstrated by whispering Sire's name very low, causing his ears to perk up and he turned away from Vin to look at her. "Then you put your hand on them very lightly, so as not to spook them. You want them to know you are there, but not heavy enough for them to feel like you are trying to control them. Let them think that they are the only ones who notice." She laid a feather light hand on the side of Sire's head, and Vin watched as his horse took a few steps towards her until his head was in easy reach of her. "And last but not least you have to stroke their ego, tell them what they want to hear even if they don't know it themselves." Again she turned her attentions back to Sire. "You are such a handsome horse, Sire. You are so strong and regal. How could any filly resist you." And taking a lump of sugar out of her pocket she offered it to him and watched him eat it up greedily. "And you must never forget to reward them either, when they have done what you wanted, that keeps them coming back for more. All the while, never knowing that they have just been had: hook, line and sinker."
Through her entire explanation, Vin's smile of amusement had grown.
"I will concede that it works on horses just fine." He pulled his horses head around to look at him as he scratched his nose. "Isn't that right boy, you traitor you. But I can't see any man falling for that. You best stick to using it on only on horses."
"Maybe you are right." Victoria agreed, giving Nero a lump of sugar too before she climbed down off the fence. "But you have to admit, it sounded good."
The two of them walked back inside the livery, looking around at all the decorations and tables ready for the night ahead. Everything was set, all they needed now was the people. They started out the door when Victoria stopped, looking around her with a worried expression.
"What is it?" Vin asked.
Victoria turned away from him, as if talking to herself in a low tone he couldn't quite here, all the while looking as if she had just remembered something.
"Victoria, what is wrong. I can't hear what you are saying." Vin persisted.
"Oh, I am sorry. I just remembered that I forgot that I told Mary I would string up this box of lanterns across the doorway and then bring the empty box back to the newspaper office so she could use it to carry over some dishes. She asked me to hurry since she needed my help back at the office at noon, but I got so side tracked with the horses that I forgot to do it." She looked genuinely distraught.
"Well you don't want to keep her waiting, and I have some free time. I will string the lights and then drop the box by when I am done." He suggested.
"Are you sure Vin, that would be so nice of you." Victoria said, reaching out her hand and placing it on his arm in a thankful gesture. "You are so helpful and I don't know what I would do without your assistance. Besides I didn't have a clue as to how I was going to carry that heavy box all the way back to the newspaper office. But it shouldn't be any trouble for such a strong man as you."
Vin felt his face blush a little at her words, enjoying the look of gratitude on her face very much.
"No trouble at all. Now you better hurry before Mary wonders where you are." He told her with a nod.
Victoria came forward quickly and reached up to give Vin a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you." She called as she ran out of the livery, waving back at him with a big smile.
Vin reached up and touched his cheek where her lips had just been. It had been such a quick kiss, her lips hardly touching his face, but he could still feel the heat as if she had just branded him there. And perhaps she had. He didn't have to wear her brand to know she now owned his heart. He reached down to the box that held the lanterns that she had pointed at and began to pull them out for hanging when he stopped short.
"Well I be damned." He muttered, looking at the livery doors where she had just departed. She had bamboozled him after all, proving that he was no different from his fickle horse. "I do believe I've just been had: hook, line and sinker." And looking back at the lanterns and the box that couldn't have weighed over a pound and a half, he started to laugh out loud at himself.
JD and Ezra just happened to be walking by and saw him standing there laughing at nothing.
"And what prey tell is so amusing?" Ezra asked, looking around the livery for signs of something humorous.
"Oh if I tell you, then you will tell someone and they will tell someone and soon every man in the world would know." He told him, unable to stop smiling.
"Every man will know what?" JD asked, trying to make sense of all this. Vin didn't look drunk, but he was sure acting funny.
"Just how gullible we men can be when pitted against a smart lady." Vin explained, knowing that he had sworn to take the truth to his grave.
"Amen to that, brother." Ezra agreed, nodding his head in complete understanding.
"Now lend me a hand with these lanterns." Vin told the two of them. No sense in him having to suffer through his humiliation alone.
Mary looked up as Victoria came into the newspaper office.
"What are you doing back so soon, I wasn't expecting you back for at least an hour. I thought you were going to put up some more lanterns in the livery." She looked at her watch, knowing she had told Victoria she had to finish the article she was working on before they went to pick up some of the baked goods together.
"I know, but Vin offered to put up the lanterns for me. And don't hurry, I will kill some time looking through more of the old newspapers, you finish your article." She told her, going over to the boxes in the corner and kneeling down she took out the next few to read through.
"That was nice of Vin. And I won't be long, I am almost done." Mary returned to her work.
Twenty minutes had not gone by when Mary heard Victoria's sharp intake of breath, causing her to look over at the girl. The look on her face told Mary that she had found something in the paper, could she have actually found the truth.
"What is it, Victoria?" She asked, coming over as she stood up.
"I think I found something. It may even be the answer to who I am." She held the paper out for Mary to see as she read the headline out loud. "'Tragedy Hits The Thomas Family Once Again.' Little Heather Thomas not only had to endure the loss of both her parents in the fire that destroyed their home out side of Red Ridge a few weeks back, but now the five year old, blond hared little girl has disappeared somewhere on her trip east where she was to be placed in a school for orphaned girls." Victoria stopped and looked at Mary in excitement. "It has to be me, look at the date. This was published only a week after I was found by Emily and Joshua. I could really be Heather Thomas." She put her hand on her forehead in disbelief.
But as Victoria had been talking, Mary had kept reading, putting her hand on hers and pointing back at the newspaper.
"I don't think so Victoria. Read the next paragraph." She told her quietly.
Victoria looked puzzled at her expression, but did as she told.
"Heather Thomas was bound for the Mavis Edwards Orphanage for Special Children since she had been both deaf and unable to speak since birth…….." Victoria let her voice trail off as all her hopes were dashed with those few words. She looked at the paper for a little longer, then carefully folded it up with a sigh. "Well it was great while it lasted." She said in a brave voice. "And there is no reason why the answer still can't be hidden among the rest of the papers." She sounded as if she were looking to Mary for reassurance, needing her to tell her that all her searching would not be in vain.
"I know you will find out the truth somehow. You just can't let this one little set back get you down." She told her.
"And I won't. I will keep looking till I find the answers, even if it takes me the rest of my life." She gave a determined nod of her head, letting Mary know she would be Ok. "Now you get back to work on that article."
Mary nodded and turned to go back to her desk, but not before secretly picking up the folded paper Victoria had just sat down and slipping it unseen into her pocket. Victoria may not have found the answer to her past, but she may have just stumbled on to the secret to who the child was buried in the grave at the bottom of Razor's Bluff.
Mary's thoughts were interrupted just then when the door opened and Vin Tanner came inside carrying an empty wooden box. And though he headed over towards the older woman, his eyes never left Victoria.
"Here is that box you wanted, Ma'am." He said, removing his hat as he handed the her the box.
"Thank you Vin. Victoria told me you volunteered to hang those lanterns for her. That was very nice of you." She took the box and put it by her desk.
"Yeah, well lets just say I was helpless to resist her……… persuasion." Vin said, noticing that Victoria was now blushing and would not meet his gaze.
Mary was still distracted by the newspaper article she had hidden in her pocket and didn't pick up on the sarcasm in his voice.
"Do you know where Chris is right now, Vin?" She asked, looking out the window, as if trying to spot him. "I have something I need to talk with him about."
"I saw him going into the general store as I was walking over here. It would be safe to say he would still be there." Vin informed her, nodding towards the other side of the street.
"Thanks." She came around her desk and headed for the door. "I will be back in just a few minutes, Victoria. Then we can get going." She told her as she walked out, leaving Vin and Victoria alone in the office.
"So……" Victoria began, clearing her throat nervously. "Did you have any trouble with the lanterns?"
"No. No trouble. But why should I have, my being such a strong man an all. Not to mention helpful." He used a matter-o-fact tone.
Victoria cringed, her own words coming back to haunt her as she looked up at the man she had tricked.
"Vin, I am sorry. I had no right treating you like that, it was a mean spirited joke and I am sorry." She came around from behind the boxes of newspapers on the floor, her hands open in a gesture of remorse.
"I guess I had it coming. And I deserved what I got for doubting you. I guess it goes to show that I am no smarter than my horse." His feelings were not hurt so much as his male pride was bruised.
"No, that is not true. It proves only that you have a very kind and caring nature, and I took advantage of that. It was an unfair test and I knew it." She argued, quick to defend him, even if he wouldn't do it himself.
"Whatever it was, it was still kind of funny." He admitted, giving her a wink. "But I don't ever want to catch you using your secret woman powers on any other man. I mean if you women ever decided to gang up on us and use your powers for evil, you could take over the world."
"Too late." She said with a helpless look. "Our conquest of male domination has already been set in motion."
"Then I guess we are all doomed." He laughed, enjoying their light banter. But he knew he best leave, the office was not exactly what you would call a public place, and being so close to Victoria was not such a good idea. "I better get going." He looked over his shoulder out the window behind him. "I wanted stop by the barber shop before tonight and get Mack to give me a trim, but from the looks of the place I will have a long wait. Every guy in town must be there waiting for a cut and a shave."
Victoria too could see that it was standing room only across the street, men even waiting outside the barber shop, hopeful for their turn.
"I am sure Mack has never had so much business in his life." Victoria agreed. "But now I feel guilty. If I had not held you up with the lanterns you may have been able to be in by now." She got an idea, her eyes lighting up. "Let me make it up to you. I can give you a trim." She picked up a straight back chair and moved it out into the middle of the room.
Vin held up his hands and backed away a few steps.
"Uhhh, thanks for the offer, but I think I am just fine."
"Come on, don't be stubborn. You said you wanted a trim, now just sit down here and let me do this." She grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him over to the chair, forcing him to sit down in front of her.
She took his hat from out of his hands and put it on the counter as she started opening drawers looking for something. When she came back over to him she had a comb in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other. Vin stood up again, trying to make a break for it, but she pushed him back down.
"Don't worry, I used to cut my father's hair all the time. Well at least until he went bald on top. But that was not due to any fault of mine." She was quick to point out, waving the scissors in front of him for emphasis. "Now sit still and don't move."
Vin could feel the hairs on his neck bristle as she came towards him with the sharp scissors. He could not remember ever having a woman cut his hair before, and he was not sure if he was going to like this. At her first touch, Vin shot out of his chair like a bullet, but she was ready for him this time and had a hand on his shoulder forcing him down before he was able to escape.
"For heavens sake, with as much fuss as you are making, someone would think you were Samson himself and you fancied me as Delilah. I promise that I will not strip you of all your might by just trimming your hair. Now will you just trust me?" She ordered, shaking her head as she started back to work.
Vin did trust her. Or at least he had until she had picked up the scissors. But taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and tried to act like a man.
It didn't take Vin long to realize that there were some advantages to this whole hair cut thing. Having Victoria so close to him was definitely nice and when she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling it up to make her cuts, he thought he had died and gone to heaven.
"I am going to follow the cut that is already here, I won't change the length, I will just tame it down a little." She said between snips.
But Vin was not listening. Instead he was lost in the sensation of her nearness, her movements and her touch. He could feel her dress brush up against him as she circled around him. And the way her fingers seemed to linger on his leg when she would pick the up the comb she laid there sent chills up his spine. Yes indeed, he could get used to this real fast.
Vin felt her cool breath on the back of his neck as she blew the clippings away, brushing off his shoulders until she was satisfied.
"All done." She said, coming around to look at him face on. "And you were so brave that I wish I had a lolly pop to give you." She teased, taking the round mirror off the wall and holding it up for him to look in.
Vin didn't need a lolly pop, the hair cut itself had been reward enough. He reached up and raked his hands through his hair, testing the thickness and length.
"Not bad." He nodded, surprised at how good it felt. Not even Mack had done such a nice job. "Maybe you should give up teaching and try your hand at this."
"Vat?" She said in a shocked voice, using a very thick French accent. "I am an artist, I cannot create masterpieces such as zis every day!"
The two of them laughed as Vin got to his feet, reaching into his pocket and with a wink, flipped her two bits. She caught it between her two hands and looked down at it in puzzlement.
"For the haircut." He explained.
She took his hand in hers and after turning it over palm up, she put the coin inside and closed his fingers around it.
"Keep your money. This one is on the house."
"You have to let me pay you, you did a great job." He argued.
"Ok, you can pay me back by dancing with me tonight." She suggested, knowing she would have gladly paid him for the privilege.
"I don't know. I am not much of a dancer, you might be better off taking the money." Vin confessed.
"I will take my chances." She said, looking up at him with eyes that stripped him of all excuses.
They looked at each other until Vin began to fidget under her gaze.
"Until tonight, then." He told her, reaching for his hat and going to the door.
"Tonight." She repeated, watching him close the door and head down the street.
Mary had caught Chris just as he was coming out of the store, a wrapped package that looked suspiciously like a new shirt tucked under his arm.
"Chris, I have some news." She told him, taking hold of his sleeve and pulling him into the alley beside the store.
"News? Isn't that your business to have news?" He asked, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Not this news." She assured him, taking out the folded paper and showing it to him. "Victoria found this today, and at first she thought she had discovered who she really was. But instead I think she may have figured out who is buried in the grave you thought was hers."
Chris scanned the article quickly taking note of the date as well as the description of the little deaf girl.
"It would sure make sense." He agreed.
"She was headed in the same general direction that your wife and Christine were, she could easily have been put on the stage before it was held up. And with as much as this Heather and your daughter looked alike, it would have been easy for the man who found them to mistake her for Christine." Mary deduced.
Chris looked from the article, to Mary and back again. This was it, the last piece of evidence he needed. He was now completely convinced that Victoria was indeed his little Christine. No wavering doubts remained, haunting him with the thought that he might be mistaken. He was sure.
"I can't wait any longer." He told Mary with a determined nod. "I will tell her tomorrow, first thing."
Vin walked down the sidewalk, giving an amused look at the men still waiting at the barber shop across the street as he passed. You have no idea what you are missing boys, he thought to himself with a smile.
He reached the bath house and opening the door, he stepped inside. He could hear Buck, JD and Josiah's voices from behind one of the several curtains and walked over, pulling the sheer fabric aside as he strolled in.
JD was in one of the large metal bath tubs, the steaming water up around his waist as he fumbled with the slippery soap. When he saw the curtain open he quickly reached over the side of the tub and grabbed his trousers off the stool beside him, gripping them tightly. When he saw it was only Vin, he relaxed visibly and put them back down with the rest of his clothes.
"What's got you so jumpy, Pard?" Vin asked.
"I thought you might have been Ezra, and I am not taking any chances with tonight. I know it was him that took my pants before, and I am not going to let them out of my sight this time." He said, a determined look on his face.
"That is all good and well." Vin said, a look of confusion and concern coming to his face. "But where are your boots?"
"What?!" JD jumped half out of the tub, frantically reaching over to feel where he had left them on the floor. When his fingers collided with the feel of leather, he relaxed, realizing from Vin's now devilish grin that he was teasing him. "Funny, Tanner. Real Funny." JD slapped the water in such a way that it sent a shower of sudsy drops raining down on Vin, but it didn't stop his laughter.
Vin was still laughing as he handed the owner enough money for a bath and a shave, going over to the sink to deal with his face before his body.
"Damn!" Came a curse from Buck who was standing next to him.
Vin looked over and saw Buck wipe away a few drops of blood from in front of his ear where he had just cut himself.
"I hate doing this myself." He muttered, as he tried again to trim his sideburns. "I always look like I came out on the bad end of a knife fight." He then gave Vin a wide grin. "That or I just had a wild night with a lady with long fingernails." But Buck's smile disappeared as he once again scratched his skin with the sharp razor, causing him to curse again.
"Then why don't you just go down to the barber shop and get it done for you?" Josiah suggested, looking up from where he sat polishing up his boots.
"Because I don't have the time to waste standing in that long line, Preacher!" Buck said in an exasperated tone.
"I now." JD agreed, looking over his shoulder at them. "I went over there and was told it would be at least a three hour wait, maybe longer!"
"Then I guess you should have had the foresight that I did and got it taken care of yesterday." Josiah reached up and patted his nicely cut hair.
JD gave a displeased grunt, but Bucks only reply was yet another curse caused by his next wound. But as Vin reached up, taking his hat off and hanging it up on the peg as he lathered up his face with the shaving brush, Buck noticed something different.
"You got a hair cut!" He said, pointing at Vin as if he had just committed a crime. "How did you manage to get in when we couldn't?"
JD and Josiah both looked up to see if what Buck said was true.
"It is a good look for you Vin, makes you almost look like a gentleman." Josiah complimented.
"But how?" JD asked, repeating Buck's question.
Vin toyed with the idea of telling them the truth, but dismissed that idea quickly. He was not about to share the experience he had just had while sitting in the chair at the newspaper office with anyone. That was something he would keep to himself, playing it over and over in his mind whenever he needed a smile.
"Let's just say I have connections." He told the three men, as he lifted the razor to his face, making it clear the conversation was closed.
"Fine!" Buck huffed, slapping the demonized razor down on the counter. "You and Josiah just be as smug as you want. It doesn't matter. Because even without a haircut I will still be the guy with the most girls buzzing around him at the dance." He snatched up the shaving brush that Vin had just used and slapped the soap on with such gusto that some of it went in his eye. "Ahhh! I am blind!" He yelled, fumbling for a towel.
Vin reached over and calmly took the only one hanging near Buck and wiped the rest of the soap off his own face as he headed over to his awaiting bath, leaving Buck still searching for what was no longer there.
"Well you can have all of them Buck." JD said, laughing at his still frantic mentor. "Assuming you will be able to find them now that you are blind. The only girl I am interested in dancing with tonight is Miss Victoria."
Vin stiffened. He had known that both Ezra and JD had been giving her a little extra attention, but this was the first time it occurred to him that either one of them might actually have more than friendship in mind. The thought troubled him more than he cared to admit as he removed his gun belt and began to unbutton his shirt.
"Ah the lovely Miss Ashford." Josiah sighed, looking upward closing his eyes. "To be in her presence is to touch springtime itself."
"Those are pretty words Josiah." JD admitted. "But don't get your hopes up, old man. Young ladies like Victoria are looking for someone closer to their own age, not a father figure. They want someone suave, handsome and young, not someone they'll have to be cutting their meat for in a few years. Yes indeed, tonight Miss Victoria will be looking at me."
Buck had recovered his sight, having wiped his eyes with his shirt tail, just in time to catch the looks exchanged by Vin and Josiah, and with a nod of understanding he walked forward. So with the kid still sitting in the tub, scrubbing at his arms with a brush and his mind lost in his daydream, the three men each picked up a large bucket of cold water and dumped it all over JD's head. The scream that came out of him could only have been described as a caterwaul, the sound of it just slightly louder than the laughter of the others.
Four Corners Chronicle
'Wanted' page
