The weekly stage pulled into Four Corners sending clouds of dust billowing from the horse's hooves and the coach's wheels. John 'JD' Dunne had been on a wooden bunch outside the saloon flipping an ancient pocketknife into the well-worn wood of the boardwalk and turned to watch as passengers stepped down from the stage, his eyes widening as the last passenger stepped lightly to the ground.
Jumping up, the young peacekeeper ran headlong into the drinking establishment and, tripping over his own feet, almost fell ass over teacup into the table where Josiah Sanchez, Ezra Standish and Buck Wilmington halfheartedly played poker. At an adjacent table Vin Tanner and Nathan Jackson played a cutthroat game of checkers while Chris Larabee, in one of his moods, was nowhere to be seen. The leader of the unofficial posse of lawmen was more than likely riding the outskirts of town, keeping a sharp eye out for any untoward danger.
Grabbing beers before they could spill and chips before they could disappear into vest pockets, Ezra and Buck quickly stood up and backed away from the table while Josiah simply slid his chair back and caught the young man around the waist before he could collided with the table. JD broke free of the near tackle and straightening up said, "You ain't gonna believe this but I think you'd better be headin' for the church, Josiah. One of the stage passenger's probably gonna need a preacher."
"That so?" Josiah settled his hat on his head and sighed deeply. "They bring in a body?"
JD crossed over to the window to peer out at the street again. "No, nothin' like that."
Ezra looked down at Josiah and the big man just shrugged his shoulders while Buck threw down the loosing cards he'd been dealt in disgust and headed to the door to see what J.D. was going on about.
"We'll, I'll be damned," the ladies man said with a smile and pushed the batwings open and headed for the small group of passengers surrounding the coach as they awaited their luggage.
Walking up to the slatted brown doors, Josiah looked over them and watched as his friend headed directly toward a forlorn looking, quite possibly distressed, damsel and chuckled, "I'm sure you will, Buck." He, too, exited the bar with Ezra, Nathan and JD all in tow as they followed the ladies man.
Only Vin Tanner remained in the saloon, content to let trouble find him and not the other way around, while Chris Larabee, astride his big black gelding, pulled the horse up to watch the small convergence in the center of town.
Buck Wilmington's damsel in distress was a young woman with sky blue eyes and coal black hair once arranged in a most sophisticated style but now thoroughly disheveled with long strands fall haphazardly down her back and bedraggled curls framing her dirt-smudged face. Her gown, originally virginal white, lace draped and pearl studded was now grime covered, sorely worn and wrinkled. Glancing at the gaping onlookers she tried to smooth out the wrinkle silk and stretch out some of the kinks in her back after the long, arduous journey.
As they approached the passengers, Josiah said softly to JD, "I see what you mean about her needin' me…but where's the groom?" There was no one amongst the other passengers she could have been remotely connected to let alone married to and a thoroughly perplexed JD just shrugged his shoulders.
Buck, sensing a lady in need, quickly doffed his hat. "May I be of service? Name's Bucklin Wilmington."
His was a familiar name and, when she looked up into his smiling face, she knew that this was undoubtedly 'the ladies man'. Exceedingly tall and handsome with blue eyes that fairly twinkled with more than a hint of the rogue, she knew she was finally on the right track.
Ezra Standish cocked an eyebrow and moved closer to await the young bride's response. She looked vaguely familiar as she smiled when Buck boldly pushed a stray curl back from her face. Not wanting to be shut out by the smooth talking Wilmington, Ezra bowed and offered to retrieve her luggage.
"I haven't any," she replied without hesitation, her speech lilting with the slightest of brogues. Staring at him she knew 'the gambler' stood before her, his green eyes sharp and questioning as he offered his assistance. Would he still be as accommodating if he knew the reason for her lack of luggage?
A booming baritone voice made her turn away from Ezra. "I'm Josiah Sanchez and I'm the closest thing to a preacher you'll find in town…if that's what your looking for," he said and the bride blinked, her long, dark lashes fanning pale cheeks.
He looked like no preacher she'd ever seen before and his sheer size and passively menacing face made perfect sense of her brothers' tales now that he stood before her in the flesh. Nathan nodded as her eyes came to rest on his face and, as there were no others like him on the street, the town's only practitioner must have stood next to the man of the cloth. She smiled and nodded demurely looking toward the younger man. He failed to acknowledge her in any way and simply stared at her, wide eyed and tongue-tied.
Mary Travis moved down the boardwalk toward the hotel and, catching Chris Larabee's eye, smiled shyly as he touched the brim of his hat. Dismounting, Larabee tied his black gelding to the railing in front of the sheriff's office and stared openly at the young woman standing in the obviously costly gown, now travel stained and hopelessly snagged.
Returning his level stare, she spoke, "I'm looking for one Chris Larabee."
Laughing, Buck lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender and backed away from her. A bride looking for a would-be groom the likes of Chris Larabee meant nothing but trouble.
Chris looked to Mary once again and, seeing the surprise on her usually serene face, just shrugged his shoulders. Although he was sure he had never seen her before the woman was nonetheless vaguely familiar to him, too and he replied, "I'm Chris Larabee." His voice was even and guarded as he shouldered his way into the center of the group.
"I was told that you and six others protect this town." Six of the seven now stood before her and she turned her gaze directly to the one dressed in black and nodded in satisfaction. He looked every inch the white knight, even dressed as he was, and she would have recognized him instantly as the leader of these other men.
"That's right," his acknowledgment ever careful, revealing nothing more.
The bride's shoulders relaxed a bit as she smiled in relief and spoke hurriedly, "My name is Cadence Nichols and I may be in need of that very same protection."