Ezra groaned aloud as every memory of the horrible day he lost his father came crashing down on him. That day his life had changed in ways it had taken him years to fully understand and nothing had been the same since then, particularly where Mother was concerned. What he'd told Vin about his mother tonight was true; Daddy's death had hurt her deeply and from that day on the woman Ezra had always known had slowly disappeared. Sighing heavily he pushed up from the bed, he didn't care what he'd told himself about getting drunk earlier, if his train of thought was going to continue down this track he was going to need a drink. Or several.
Going over to his discarded waistcoat and dug around the pockets until he found his key to the liquor cabinet downstairs where his personal store of bourbon and whiskey was kept. Giving his shirt a passing look he briefly wondered if he should redress but he shrugged the thought off. Currently, he and Inez were the only people keeping rooms here and now that the saloon was officially closed it was unlikely the barmaid would still be up. Tossing the vest back on the chair, Ezra slipped the key into the his trouser pocket and retrieved the lamp from the table.
Deftly Ezra made his way down the stairs and through the barroom. Rounding the bar he slipped into the back room, setting the lamp on the counter as he walked by. After making this place his home for more than a year, Ezra knew these rooms like the back of his hand and the light the lamp was giving off wasn't really needed. Besides, there was a wall lamp in the store room he'd light when need be.
Ezra had absolute confidence in his ability to navigate the darkened room, so when his barefoot collided with a hard, unmoving, and very out of place object it was both unexpected and unpleasant. The curse that almost escaped was cut off when his shin collided with the same unyielding object, taking his breath and pitching him forward. Ezra barely had time to register the fact that he was heading for the floor before his fall was abruptly broken as the side of his head made contact with the solid and rather unforgiving edge of the liquor cabinet. By the time he finally hit the floor the only thing running through Ezra's mind was the pain radiating up his leg. The spots of light dancing at the edges of his vision were hardly even given a thought.
Leaning against the cabinet Ezra dropped his head onto his knees with a groan. Good lord, that hurt! All thoughts about his mother, his past, and the whiskey he'd been after vanished. His only concern at the moment was being able to draw a full breath again. It was a task he was so focused on that he didn't notice when Inez rush into the room. It wasn't until the Mexican girl spoke that he looked up.
"Senor Standish? What are you doing?"
His breathing had almost returned to normal and the pain in his leg had dulled down to an almost bearable throb, so Ezra tested his voice. "I was...endeavoring...to get to the liquor cabinet."
Unlike himself, Inez had brought a lamp into the room with her and he could now see the stack of crates and bags neatly piled in the middle of the floor, well, they had been neat until he'd tripped over them. "In the dark?" she asked.
"Navigating this room in the...Ordinarily, navigating this room in the darkness is not a task that poses a problem for me." He said, scowling at the offending pile of supplies. He supposed one could argue he should have had a light but, in his defense, those crates should not be there.
Inez stepped farther into the room. "Are you all right?"
Ezra scoffed and nodded warily. "As soon as my breathing returns to normal, I'll be perfectly sound." His leg and foot were still tingling unpleasantly but they were no longer throbbing. However, he was, for the first time, becoming aware of the ache developing on the side of his head. Reaching up he explored the area, somewhat surprised when he didn't feel any blood.
"Is something wrong with your head?"
Ezra almost smiled at that question. Undoubtedly there were those who would claim there was plenty wrong with his head but he knew what the woman was really asking. "I hit it on the cabinet when I fell. However, I expect it's not a life threatening injury." He replied in a tone that downplayed the ache that was developing.
The concern he already seen on her face became more pronounced and she rushed over, shoving the lamp into his hands. Despite his protest she turned his head slightly and began examining the area he'd been fingering moments ago.
Ezra winced when her fingers found the point where his head and the wood had met. "Sen – senorita, please." He pulled away from her probing touch. "Your ministrations, while appreciated, are unnecessary."
"But there's a bump."
Yes, there was. He could feel the knot rising as she spoke, but still he made light of it. "I've had far worse pains I assure you." Putting as much space between them as the cabinet at his back would allow, he offered her the lamp back. Reluctantly, Inez took the light and an uncomfortable silence fell between them.
After a moment Inez bit her lip. "Senor..."
"Don't." Ezra snapped. He knew where this was going and honestly he didn't want to hear it. He had seen the guilt in her eyes all afternoon and she had no reason to feel guilty. In this whole fiasco Inez was the last person he felt any ill will towards and he didn't want to hear her apologize when she had done nothing to be sorry for. He knew she felt like she had stolen something from him but she hadn't. It wasn't her fault Maude thought her more capable of handling the business than him, or, more likely, his mother had known from the beginning he wouldn't accept any job offer from her. Either way, he neither wanted, nor needed an explanation from Inez.
There was however, one thing he wouldn't mind hearing from the woman and that was how she had manged to get on his mother's good side as fast as she had. It was really a remarkable feat and Ezra wondered if Inez was aware of just what she had accomplished. Winning Maude over wasn't easy, and short of having money, which Ezra doubted she did, Inez must have shown something quite extraordinary in her personality for Mother to take to her so quickly. Then again, he already knew Inez was tough, capable, and all woman, and those were all admirable qualities in Maude's opinion, maybe that had been enough.
All his thoughts concerning her were benign, but even so, he saw her flinch slightly at his snappy, one word response and he felt a little guilty about it. "You haven't done anything." He continued, softening his voice. "My mother is an extremely savvy businesswoman; the job wouldn't have been offered if she didn't believe you were capable of fulling the required duties adeptly. And in matters of business, my mother is usually right."
"I am sorry."
"Don't be. To be honest, I would not have taken the position had it been offered. Working under my mother has yet to prove to be of any great benefit to me."
After a pause, Inez offered him a smile and Ezra felt a little of the heaviness that had been weighing on him lift. He still felt at odds with his mother and most of his friends but at least the tension between the two of them was clearing. But he'd had more than enough talk concerning the saloon for one day. He was ready for the conversation to go somewhere else. Anywhere else. "If you don't mind senorita, why, may I ask, are there supplies stacked in the middle of the floor?"
Inez looked to the pile on the floor and back to him. "I was cleaning up. There was no order to anything in here." She said, sounding a little defensive.
"Cleaning?"
"Si."
"I see." Pushing to his feet, Ezra offered a hand to help Inez up, and as she stood, Ezra became suddenly and painfully aware of how compromising the situation they were in could be seen. Up till now he hadn't given any thought to the fact Inez must have been in bed when she'd heard him fall but judging from her attire that's exactly where she'd been. At the moment she wore nothing but a simple shift and the garment barely covered her knees, offering Ezra a clear view of her smooth and very shapely legs. But, he had no business looking at her legs. He jerked his eyes upward, searching for her face, only to find them involuntary stopping somewhere around her neckline. A neckline that's ribbon wasn't tied quite tightly enough to be proper. In fact, if a man looked closely he would just be able to see the rise of her breasts. Not that he was looking. Closing his eyes he shook his head to clear it of the extremely inappropriate thoughts that were quickly forming. Here he was, half-naked, in a dark room with a woman who was hardly dressed herself. He was a gentleman, and a gentleman had no business being in such a state of undress with a lady. "If you'll excuse me senorita," He cleared his throat. "I'll umm... I'll return to my room now."
"Of course." Inez said hastily moving back a couple of steps.
It was difficult to tell in the lamplight, but Ezra thought he noticed a flush had come to her face. Obviously she had taken note of their rather immodest state as well and that knowledge only increased his desire to get out of the awkward situation.
Inez turned quickly to leave the room and Ezra followed a few steps behind, taking advantage of the glow from lamp to avoid unwitting locating anymore of Inez's cleaning projects.
Reentering the barroom, Ezra retrieved his own lamp. "Goodnight, senorita." He said, trying to avoid looking directly at her. "I'll try to remain a bit quieter for the remainder of the night."
Inez smiled but it seemed she was trying to not look at him as well. "Goodnight, senor. Sleep well." Ezra nodded his thanks not having the heart to tell her he doubted sleep would find him tonight.
Once he was back in his room he leaned against the door and blow out a breath, glad to be alone once again. The only thing he'd got out of that trip a few bruises, a headache, and an awkward meeting with a beautiful barmaid. And he hadn't got the whiskey he'd gone down for in the first place. Sighing, he shook his head and flopped back down on his bed with a humorless laugh. Well, he didn't need it anyway. The memories were bad enough without mixing them with alcohol.
A/N: Thanks to my readers who gave me their opinion on how the story should progress, everyone seemed to think weaving the story lines together was a good idea. That was my thinking as well and I'm glad you agree as I already had this chapter mostly written. I would like to add that if you are not an Ezra/Inez shipper, don't worry, I'm not planning on taking this story there. But, as Ezra himself admitted, he is a man. If you are a fan of the Ezra/Inez pairing, give the boy time, he just met her...Vin's the one who runs off with the woman he's only known like two days. As always, thanks for reading :)
