I apologise for my 'accents'. I can hear them in my head, but I can never seem to get them to sound the same on the paper. They also seem to come and go. Anyway, thank you to all those who've reviewed and I hope you enjoy the next instalment.
"Well, now, all y'all must be plumb tuckered out with all yo' travels. Come on in and we'll see what we can do," welcomed Adelia, unphased by the number of people who had landed on her doorstep. Ushering them on through to the back, she ordered, "Now, the outhouse is just out there, so ya older chillun be sure 'n yer help the younguns. Then ya get yoselves back in her lickety-split, ya here! No dawdlin'."
Ezra set down the child he carried and gave her a little pat on the butt to encourage her to follow her siblings. Then he obediently followed Adelia's gesture to come upstairs and collect her bathtub to bring it down to the kitchen.
"It will be easier to give 'em all a good dunking, than to get hands and faces washed," announced Adelia firmly, heaving a large cauldron of chicken and dumplings that she'd intended on feeding to Ezra and the other six that night, onto the stove to heat. Then she put some of her fresh bread into the warmer oven. Hearing the bell over her front door tinkle again, she huffed and complained, "Now, who's that coming? I ain't expecting no-one until tanight."
Following Adelia, Ezra choked back his laughter when he saw Vin, Chris and Buck at the door trying to look nonchalant but failing miserably.
"What are y'all doing here so early? Ya supposed to be coming over for supper," scolded Adelia, her hands on her generous hips and a scowl on her face that was belied by the twinkle in her eyes. She knew that they'd followed Ezra.
Blushing, Vin looked down at his boots and tried to melt back behind Buck. Baker had run after the men, enjoying the activity immensely, and had run all the way through to the kitchen where he was met with squeals of delight from the first children to return from the outhouse.
"Well, since ya hear, ya might as well make yerself useful. Go on over to the bathhouse and bring back a couple o' buckets of hot water each. I got dirty kids to bathe," ordered Adelia, before turning on her heel, winking at Ezra and heading back into the kitchen.
Seeing the avid curiosity, Ezra sighed and walked across the eatery towards the men near the doors. Seeing the other three heading towards them from the Saloon, he groaned. He wasn't ready for Nathan yet. Looking pleadingly at Buck, he begged, "Buck, could you get JD, Nathan and Josiah to help bring the water? I promise, I'll explain everything in just a little while. Oh, and can you bring the water through the back door. Adelia will have us all down on hands and knees scrubbing the floor if we slop water, or track mud, over her floors. Trust me, I speak from experience."
Nodding agreeably, the lanky lothario turned to head his brothers off and redirect them towards the bathhouse.
Chris and Vin followed Ezra as he returned to the kitchen. On their appearance, the couple who had been sitting at the table smiling fondly at three of their offspring playing with the puppy, rose to their feet. Wariness replaced affection in their eyes, as the woman slid to hide the child on her hip behind her husband.
Saddened but understanding, Ezra smiled reassuringly and said placatingly, "No need to fear, Miz Charity, these are my family and fellow peacekeepers. No harm will befall you in this town if any of us can help it, as I told you. This is Mr Chris Larabee, our leader, and this is Mr Vin Tanner, our tracker. Mr Tanner is intimately familiar with your circumstances, only just having a bounty rescinded from his shaggy head for a crime he didn't commit."
Looking sharply at the gambler, Vin wondered at the reference.
"Vin, Chris, this is Mr Joseph Campbell, his wife Charity and their charmin' children, Joseph Junior, Chastity, Nate, Homer, Vernon and little Maisy. Charity is one of our Nathan's older sisters, whom I'd managed to track down," explained the gambler, smiling at the family.
"Your Nathan," growled Charity, her jaw clenched in the same way Nathan's did when he was about to issue one of his lectures on morality.
"Oh hush up now, girl," cautioned Adelia, knowing what had gotten both Adelia and her quiet husband's hackles up and heading off any confusion from the start. "Mr Ezra hasn't got a bigoted bone in his body. He's always treated me right kind and he'll treat you the same. As to him laying claim to Mr Nathan, well, I reckon he's got the right of it. The seven men who protect this town don't have no blood shared 'tween 'em, other than what they's spilled looking out fer each other, but they's kin all the same. Mr Ezra called him that 'cos he sees him as one of his family, that's all. They's been family fer a while now, so you just want to accept it and take it as fact. Ya do and ya'll find ya'll got more family than ya had this mornin'."
Dropping their eyes, Charity and Joe looked ashamed of their assumptions.
Just then there was a clattering at the back door as the other men arrived with the hot water. Once again skittering nervously to hide behind her husband, Charity waited to find out who these new men were.
Taking one of the buckets off Josiah, Adelia poured it into the waiting tub. Josiah poured his other bucket in too. Nathan and JD each gave a bucket to Joe Junior and Ezra and all the buckets were soon empty and stacked by the back door, waiting to be taken back to the bathhouse.
Moving forward, Ezra took hold of Nathan's arm and gently pulled him over to where Charity was hiding. Keeping a calming hand on the healer's strong back, the gambler said softly, "I wanted to prepare you for this, but fate had other plans. Nathan, I had someone go through the slave sale records in Atlanta and managed to find one of your sisters."
Pausing when Nathan gasped and his knees gave out a little, Ezra smoothly slid his shoulder under Nathan's arm to shore him up. Sliding his hand over and around, he took hold of Nathan's waist and continued, "This gentleman is your brother-in-law, Joseph Campbell. The lady behind him is your sister, Charity. All of these children are your nieces and nephews."
Charity peered out from around her husband's broad shoulder and smiled timidly at her brother. They hadn't seen each other since they'd been children and both had seen a lot of hardship since then. Seeing nothing but stunned joy on Nathan's face, she slowly moved out from behind Joe and handed Maisy over to her husband. Sidling up to Nathan, she reached out to lay a trembling hand on his tear dampened cheek and said, "You sure got tall, Natty."
Hearing his childhood nickname broke through Nathan's trance and he pulled his sister into an enormous bear hug, sobbing into her shoulder. His knees gave out and he sank to the floor with his sister in his arms.
Clinging just as hard to her brother, Charity cried and soothed, "S'all right, Natty. We's tagether agin. No massers ta tear us apart no more."
Discretely looking away, most wiping a tear from their eye, the others busied themselves by taking the buckets back to the bathhouse. Ezra stayed on to help Adelia bathe the children in age order starting with Maisy, who was firmly warned against peeing in the bath by Vernon, whilst Joe Snr went out to the wagon to get their clean change of clothes. Once the youngest four were clean and wrapped in towels by the stove, Ezra and the boys were all told to turn their backs whilst Chastity bathed. By the time she'd taken her turn, her father was back and all the clean children hurried into their clothes and were taken into the other room to wait with Joe Snr. Then Joe Jnr hurriedly took his bath, after gratefully dumping a freshly arrived bucket of hot water into the now cooled and scummy bathwater.
Adelia ladled out bowls of chicken and dumplings to take out to the hungry family. Once she was gone, Ezra poured out glasses of milk and a mug of coffee to take out to them. Upon his return to the kitchen, he knelt beside the healer and his sister and laid a hand on each one's shoulder.
"I hesitate to intrude, but I think perhaps it would be wise for you both to have some nourishment," offered Ezra softly, "At the very least a hot drink. This has all been a bit of a shock to you both, albeit a very pleasant one."
Sniffling, then accepting the pristine handkerchief that magically appeared in the gambler's hand, Nathan wiped his face and blew his nose loudly. Being a mother, Charity had many handkerchiefs about her person and pulled one out to affect her own clean up. Then Nathan accepted Ezra's help in standing, before turning to help his sister up off the floor. A beaming grin threatened to split his face as he held his sister's hands tight, unable to believe that after all these years, she was standing right in front of him. The mirror image of his grin shone back at him from Charity's face.
Discretely herding the two towards the kitchen table, Ezra placed a hot cup of coffee in front of each that he'd dosed with liberal amounts of sugar. Glancing into the main room, he took note of the fact that his brothers were back for the most part, but that Josiah and Joseph were missing. Assuming that the ex-preacher had offered to show their guest to the bathhouse, he nodding and beckoned for Vin to come over.
"Vin, can you help me empty the tub and move it back upstairs, please? I thought Miz Charity would be more comfortable bathing upstairs with some privacy," asked Ezra, gesturing to where the tub stood with it's murky, cold water.
"Sure Ez," shrugged the easy going tracker, going to get a couple of the buckets and helping to scoop out the water, taking it out back to dump on Adelia's vegetable garden. Feeling twinges in his back, he looked up guiltily when heard twin tuts from Ezra and Nathan.
"Give me that," demanded the healer, striding across to take the bucket off Vin.
"Why didn't you say that your back was sore today," scolded Ezra lightly, feeling guilty for even asking the tracker to help him and wishing he'd called Buck or JD.
"Weren't that bad," scowled the Texan, huffing as he was pointed towards the kitchen table but going to sit there anyway, "I just jarred it a mite this mornin' when me n' Buck hit the floor. Ain't worth all this fuss, pair o' mother hens ya are."
Pausing in his bailing, Ezra lifted an eyebrow and directed a stare at the Texan that had the younger man squirming even before the honeyed tones drawled, "Well, then I guess y'all won't be wanting this mother hen to rub that back o' yours, since it 'ain't worth the fuss'."
Grinning at the perfect imitation, as well as the effect of the gambler's words, Nate set his bucket down and winked at his smiling sister.
"No need ter be hasty, Ez. Ain't that bad, but it ain't that good neither. I reckon a rub wouldn't do any harm," weaselled the tracker, looking up with wide innocent eyes, knowing that none of his older brothers could resist the 'big eyes'. He'd overheard Buck saying that both he and JD had the 'big eyes' down pat and that the look should be outlawed.
Shaking his head at the younger man's antics, Ezra put his bucket down too and asked, "Oh you reckon not, huh?"
"Ain't worth riskin'" answered Vin solemnly, "Don't wanna wake up Christmas mornin' and not be able ta move. I's lookin' forward ter tomorra."
Grinning wide enough to expose his gold tooth and dimples, Ezra agreed, "Me too. Guess we'll just have to give you that back rub after all."
Sitting back with a smug grin, Vin nodded with satisfaction at having won.
Laughing, Ezra and Nathan lifted the tub to carry it outside to empty what was left of the water. Charity rose and lifted an empty pail to fill and take out to rinse the tub.
Vin stealthily arose and gestured for JD, Buck and Josiah to join him, explaining the need for more water. The men nodded, took up the pails and made their way to bathhouse once more.
After Charity had retired upstairs to take her bath, the men all made for the front room. The adults were all waiting on Nathan's sister before eating their meals. Adelia had gone back to the kitchen to carry on with her preparations.
"So, what is it you do for a living, Mr Campbell?"
The tall, quiet man looked over at JD and answered in a soft, deep voice, "I can do most things, sir. I's been working farms all mah life, so's I can do most anything ta do wit farmin' 'r animals."
Flustered by the older man calling him sir, JD blushed and said, "You don't need to call me sir, Mr Campbell. My name's JD and you're welcome to use it. Any friend of Nate's is a friend of ours, right fellas?"
Nods came from those sitting at the table. The children had moved over to a cleared bit of floor and were playing quietly with a deck of cards given to them by the gambler, used to amusing themselves. Joe's smile widened a little and he nodded respectfully, still not used to being a free man amongst white folk.
"I'm not sure that anyone's hiring round here, since it's winter 'n all," said JD, thinking hard for any work opportunities.
"Not to worry, JD, I've already found suitable employment for the Campbells," announced Ezra, sitting at the table in his vest and shirt sleeves, shuffling his cards contentedly.
"Really? With who?"
"With whom. And to answer your grammatically incorrect question, there is a small farm holding not far from the Wells' place. The house is somewhat small but is in good repair and even has a lot of its furnishings intact. There is a barn and a corral suitable for holding a couple of horses and a milk cow, not to mention a chicken shed and another low shed that may have originally been used for swine. It's perfect farming land for someone who knows how to do so, however, the previous owners were not knowledgeable enough to make a go of it," replied the gambler, keeping his eyes on the cards in his hands.
Peering suspiciously at his brother, Vin asked, "Ya talkin' 'bout the Murrays' place, ain'tcha? Heard that Mrs Murray went back East ta nurse her father and refused ter come back. Ole Dan's been hitting the bottle pretty hard ever since, letting the place go. Found his cow in Netty's yard a month back."
"That is indeed the place, Vin," agreed Ezra benignly, refusing to look any of them in the eye as he sensed the anger from a few of them.
"Heard that Dan Murray lost his place to the bank and was in threat of becoming a danger to himself before he came into a bit of a windfall and decided to buy himself passage back East to try and win his wife back," observed Josiah sagely, his hooded eyes on his boy, knowing that Ezra had been behind the farmer's change in circumstance. Sensing the unjustified anger, he sought to diffuse it before any hurt befell his son.
"I had heard something similar myself," concurred the southerner mildly, switching to some of his fancier shuffles.
"What did you do, you old fraud," demanded Buck, leaning in on the table to fix Ezra with his midnight blue eyes.
"Me? What makes you think I had anything to do with it?"
"'Cos we know you," answered Chris shortly, glaring his younger brother as he became frustrated with the lack of answers. "Now quit dancing and answer the damn question."
"Language, Chris, there are delicate ears present," chided Ezra, flicking his eyes over to where the children were clustered, enjoying the chagrined look on the older man's face. Deciding to take pity on his curious brothers, he said, "I happened to be riding patrol that way when I came upon Mr Murray in a moment of weakness. I engaged him in conversation and learned of his sad situation over a game of chance. During the course of that game, Mr Murray won a not insubstantial amount of money off me. I must have been overly tired that day or possibly sickening with something, else I can't think how he would have won."
"Oh yeah, that'd be it," snarked Vin, poking the gambler in the ribs and earning himself an emerald glare that held no real heat. Any anger he'd felt at the situation was gone now.
Shrugging carelessly, Ezra continued, "In any case, the man packed up his goods and returned to Four Corners with me, taking the stage out the next day. I realised that it was a prime opportunity so hastened to see Mr Merton at the bank and bought the property from him at a very reasonable price. As you all know, I'm not partial to menial labour, so I needed tenants. It was remarkably fortuitous that I was to find such a treasure as Mr Campbell and his family. They will be able to undertake all the hard labour, whilst I reap the financial rewards."
Unable to help himself, Nathan asked suspiciously, "Just how generous are these rewards, Ez? Ya ain't lookin' to pull one over on ma sister, are ya?"
A quick flash of hurt showed in the green eyes, before they were lowered to the cards again.
"Nathan! That was uncalled for," came an unexpected voice, along with a slap to the back of the healer's head, "You apologise to Mr Standish right now, ya hear me, boy!"
"Ow! Dammit, sis, why'd you do that? Ya don't know him like I do. Ez can't help himself when it comes to money…"
Vin put his hand on Ezra's arm to stop the man from leaving the table.
Chris growled, "Nathan, you'd best be shutting up and doing some thinking now. Just who was it who spent his own money to pay someone to find your family for you? And who was it who spent his own money to buy that fancy clinic that you're learning to be a doctor in? And who was it who spent his own money to make sure that your sister's family had a home to come to near you?"
Shame flooded the healer he realised that he fallen back on old prejudices. Rubbing the back of his head, Nathan looked over at Ezra and felt even worse when he saw how badly he'd hurt his friend. Eyes shining with sincerity, Nathan leaned forward and said, "I'm real sorry, Ezra. I got no excuse for what I said just know and humbly beg you to forgive me."
Voice light and airy, revealing none of the despair he felt at the attack, Ezra looked up and replied, "It's quite alright, Mr… Nathan."
"No, it ain't. But I'm sorry anyway. Wish I could take the words back, but I can't," lamented Nathan, horrified that he'd once again jeopardised his friendship with the quirky southerner.
"In any case, to answer your question, I will get a flat ten percent of any yearly profit. A further forty percent of the profit will go towards the interest free mortgage. The rest of the profits will go towards running the farm and the family. This will continue until the cost of the property is recovered in full, at which time the farm and all profits will belong to the Campbells."
Stunned, Nathan sat back and gaped at Ezra.
"Yo friend offered us a chance to own our own land, Natty. Wish Mama 'n Daddy was still alive so's they could see us now. You learning to be a proper doctor and me 'n my family farming ours own land – well, almost. Never woulda believed it iffun ya'd told me 'bout this day back when we's on Jackson's farm," stated Charity, her eyes brimming with thankful tears as she stood behind her husband, clasping his broad shoulders tightly.
Suddenly, Nathan remembered that Ezra had been looking for all his sisters and he mentally smacked himself for not asking earlier. Looking at the now cagey gambler and cursing himself for putting that look back on his friend, Nathan blurted, "Did you have any luck finding Hope and Faith?"
A chill swept the room as all the Campbells looked down and Ezra's face took on a look of sympathy. Nathan knew he wasn't going to like the news about to be imparted.
TBC