Thank you so, so much for the reviews on the last chapter. I started doubting this story and the reviews are so encouraging. Thank you so much for being so nice!

Chapter 21

Buck watched Chris come down the stairs. His friend's face was stony, much like it had been the day he had married Lucy Tanner. Buck frowned. He hadn't missed the look on Chris' face when he and Lucy had sat at the bar the night before, drinking. It had been a look Buck hadn't seen in years. Chris had actually looked relaxed, like he was enjoying Lucy's company. There was a warmth in his expression when he looked at her and he had actually laughed once at something she said.

Chris was expressionless now.

Lucy looked nervous, frequent glances at Chris as she walked down the stairs, keeping to the rail and keeping space between them. Buck wondered how much of that was a reaction to Chris' obvious change.

Buck stood at their approach, pulling out a chair for Lucy at the table they gathered at for breakfast most mornings.

"You look pretty as a picture this morning," he said with a smile.

Lucy ducked her head and brushed self-consciously at her new skirt and blouse. Buck kept his distance when she took her chair. She already looked ready to bolt.

Chris took a chair a couple seats away from Lucy. He reached for the platter of scrambled eggs Inez had already set out on the table. He dished some onto a plate, adding toast and sausage links, and set it in front of Lucy without comment. Buck saw her lips move in a thank you, though it was nearly silent.

"Where is your bundle of joy this morning?" Ezra asked.

Lucy lifted startled eyes to him and Chris narrowed his.

"What are you talkin' about?" Vin demanded.

Buck saw the way Lucy looked even more on edge at Vin's approach, casting a nervous look between Vin and Chris.

"Miss Ta…Mrs. Larabee's feline," Ezra clarified.

"Lucy's cat is in her room," Chris said.

"There ain't no 'bundle of joy'," Vin snapped. "This ain't a real marriage." Tension overtook his voice and posture.

"My apologies," Ezra said, clearly directing his words more towards Lucy than Chris or Vin.

Lucy offered him a shaky shadow of a smile before dropping her gaze to her plate again.

Buck tried to hold back a heavy sigh. He pushed forward a smile instead. "Lucy looks nice this mornin', don't she, Vin?" Anything to change the subject.

Vin pulled out the chair next to Lucy's and sat. "You look real nice, Lucy," he said, his eyes looking at her new clothing and sounding anything but sincere.

Another thank you moved her lips without sound.

Nathan exchanged a glance with Buck. Inez came out of the kitchen and Buck eagerly waved her over. She had a knack for talking down bullheaded, unruly drunks in the bar any number of times a night. Chris and Vin shouldn't be too much for her to handle.

JD beat Buck to getting to his feet and pulling out a chair for Inez. She set out the platter of muffins before taking the seat with a warm smile for the young man.

"I…"

Lucy's whisper caught the attention of the table.

She drew in a breath and squared her shoulders. "I appreciate everything you all have done…are doing…for me." She risked a look up and around the table. Her eyes lingered on Buck for a minute and she nervously ran her fingers over the sleeve of her blouse before she looked to Vin, then Chris and looked down again.

Josiah smiled. "We're all glad to have you here. Looking forward to putting an end to this mess and having you back in town for good."

Chris slammed his mug of coffee down, then muttered an apology.

Vin leaned in closer to Lucy, but Buck heard his words. He didn't think they carried to anyone else.

"I can haul some water for you over at Mary's if you want to take a bath in her private quarters. Imagine you ain't been able to do that out at Larabee's."

Lucy's eyes went wide and she immediately looked to Chris. Chris knocked his mug of coffee over and a low curse escaped as he grabbed at a cloth napkin to mop at the puddle. Buck saw a red flush creeping up the man's neck from his collar.

Poor man. After the solitary life Buck knew him to have lived since losing his family, having the constant presence of a woman in his house had to be somewhat unnerving. No doubt hearing Vin talking of something as personal as a lady bathing had to be awkward for both Lucy and Chris.

"I, um, it's—it's…I already…don't worry about it, Vin," Lucy stammered out.

"You sure?" Vin asked.

Lucy's cheeks flamed red. "I've been able to…bathe…out at the ranch," she said, then bit her lip.

Vin's brow knit, but he gave a single nod, accepting her answer.

"I wanted to ask you something," Lucy said. She dropped both her hands to her lap and Buck was able to see the way she clutched her fingers together. "About my knife."

Vin nodded. "I have it. And your sheath."

Chris had finished cleaning up his coffee and Buck shoved the pot towards him for a refill with a questioning look that Chris ignored.

"I'm done," Chris told Buck, refusing the pot. He looked to Lucy. "I'll be in town if you need anything."

"She won't," Vin said.

Chris didn't argue. Just kept the same unreadable expression on his face and tipped his hat to Inez, heading for the door.

Lucy watched him go, but then licked her lips and turned back to Vin. "I don't have a gun anymore," she said.

Vin looked pained. "Luce—"

"I—I don't know if you—if you have a spare, but I think—well, maybe, if…I would feel safer with a gun." She pressed her lips together and looked like she expected someone to smack her for asking for anything. Buck's stomach sickened at the thought of what Eli Joe may have done to lead her to that.

Vin was shaking his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. Not right now."

Lucy swallowed hard and nodded, looking back down at her hands in her lap.

"I know you're a good shot. You bested most men back in Texas," Vin said, clearly trying to provoke a smile and failing. "But right now…Luce, let's wait until things calm down."

Buck didn't have to guess at what Vin was trying to say without blaming Lucy. The girl was jumpier than a six legged frog. Buck couldn't blame Vin for not wanting the girl to have a loaded gun and a finger on the trigger with how skittish she was. Didn't matter how good a shot someone was if they were going to twitch against the trigger when they didn't mean to.

Lucy's cheeks flushed slightly and there was no mistaking the shame on her face. It was clear Vin saw it, too.

"This'll all be over soon. Things will get back to normal." Vin sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as Lucy. Lucy didn't look up at him.

Vin looked at Lucy's half-eaten plate of food. "You done with breakfast? You want to go for a ride?"

Lucy nodded, but didn't speak. She started to pick up her plate, but Inez waved away the help.

"You go ahead, enjoy the sunshine."

Without another word, the Tanner siblings made their way out of the bar. Buck blew out a long breath. He didn't know which one of the trio of instant spouses and in-laws was the most high strung right now, but he didn't particularly want to be the one to pluck the string that snapped.

#

Lucy stayed by Vin's side, thankful for his presence. She was slowly growing more acclimated to the town, but the sheer number of people—of men—still unnerved her. And then there was the commotion, the noise and shouts.

"You want to go take a look at Gal while I saddle the horses?" Vin asked. "Jim's been keeping her in the pen out back. Said she seemed less skittish away from all the comings and goings in the stable."

Lucy nodded eagerly. She left her brother in the barn and hurried through to exit out the back. There were three small pens, one holding a good sized draft horse. The third pen, farthest from the building had Gal. And a man in black.

Lucy hesitated, even though she recognized Chris' lean figure. She watched him run a flour sack over Gal, the small palomino flinching at every touch, pulling away. Chris calmly kept the steady pressure until Gal's feet stilled and he rewarded her with a break from the frightening touch. Lucy couldn't hear what he said to the horse, but he scratched the mare's neck and ran a hand over her muzzle before moving again. This time Gal only took a few steps away. Chris approached again, his touch gentle and sure. Lucy's chest ached at the sight of how calm he was, how he didn't get angry with the horse for her skittishness that wasn't the mare's fault.

Lucy moved to the edge of the pen that stood between her and her horse, and the man she was married to. She watched Chris pick up a lead rope and winced as Gal wheeled away in fright.

Chris didn't move, letting the mare move around him without lifting the rope toward her.

Lucy pressed a hand against her chest, wishing she didn't know exactly how it was whippings from Eli Joe that led to the horse shying in terror at the sight of a lead rope.

Lucy's movement drew Chris' attention. He looked over at her before turning his attention back to the frantic horse.

"She didn't used to be like this," Lucy said, defending the horse she had counted as her only friend after Vin had left.

"Don't know how anyone would be able to make it through a time with Eli Joe without changing," Chris said.

Lucy watched her mare, knowing how it felt to be cornered, to not know who you could trust anymore.

"She seems strong enough to come through it," Chris commented. "She didn't let it turn her mean. With the right folks around her, she'll find her way." His green eyes met Lucy's.

Lucy swallowed hard. "I hope so," she whispered.

Then Chris looked over her shoulder and turned his attention back to the horse he was working with.

"Horses are saddled," Vin said.

Lucy tried her best not to jump at his approach. She hadn't heard him coming up behind her. With one last look at the man patiently working with her horse, Lucy followed Vin into the stable.

#

Chris scratched the mare's neck, pleased with how she held still instead of whirling away from him the way she had when he first approached her. He let himself out of her pen, picking up the lead rope and flour sack he had been using and set them alongside the back of the livery stable. He'd come back later and put them inside. After Vin and Lucy were no longer in there. He knew Tanner had been right in pointing out the marriage was nothing more than an illusion. Something to keep the law from allowing Eli Joe to take Lucy back.

A point that had been well worth reminding himself when he had overheard Tanner mention hauling bathwater this morning. And all he could think of was Lucy's trim form stepping out of the tub in his kitchen, then the feel of her slight weight against him the night before last when she had been tipsy and smiled up at him. The warmth of her under his hand when he put his hand on her back to guide her through town. The blue of her eyes when she studied him and he wanted to make sure she knew she could trust him.

But none of that would matter once things were settled with Eli Joe and Lucy left the ranch. Left him.

Chris pressed his lips together against the curse that wanted to escape. He tamped down any sort of emotion, something he had been doing for years.

He had made it back to the main street of town, leaving the livery stable behind, when he heard the shouts. And then a gunshot.

He immediately looked toward the sound, it was near the saloon. Buck and Ezra, most likely JD and maybe Nathan, would still be there. They would respond to the threat. Chris started heading that direction, then stopped.

Lucy.

She would hear the shots and be terrified. It didn't matter that they had confirmation that Eli Joe was too far from their town for it to be him, the sound of shots and fighting would rip away at her tentative peace.

Chris raced back the way he had come.

More shots sounded in the distance behind him, and Chris rounded the corner, seeing Lucy and Vin on horseback in front of the livery. Lucy's horse reared slightly at the new shots and she was frantically gathering the reins, looking has panicked as the horse. Her own disarray was clearly driving the horse's response.

Vin was trying to get his mount close to Lucy's, reaching for her reins, speaking to the horse, even as the horse's fear built.

Chris jumped back as the horse whirled around and reared again, his hooves coming close to his chest. As soon as the horse landed back on the ground, Chris grabbed at the reins, the feel of leather secure in his hands a relief.

The horse went to spin again, and Chris pulled on the reins sharply, getting the gelding's attention.

"Whoa," Chris spoke firmly, not letting the thudding of his heart come through his voice. The horse and Lucy didn't need him adding to the chaos.

The horse finally stilled, though his sides still heaved with heavy breaths under the saddle.

"Come on down," Chris said to Lucy. He kept hold of the reins, positioning himself close enough to catch her if her knees buckled.

She dismounted, panicked eyes going from Vin to him, then surprised him by reaching out a hand to his arm and steadying herself near him.

Chris kept one eye on the horse, mindful of the possibility of more shots ringing out. "It's ok," he said to Lucy.

She nodded quickly like she was willing herself to believe what he said.

Vin was off his mount and coming to Lucy's side. She didn't let go of Chris' arm.

"The Flying R hands brought a herd in this morning. Should've realized those boys would get rowdy," Chris said to Vin.

Lucy's hands trembled against his arm.

"I should've known," Vin muttered. He frowned deeply at his own lapse in judgment then looked to Lucy. "I'm sorry. I shoulda thought of that. They always raise a ruckus when they're in town."

"It's—it's not—not Eli Joe?" Lucy asked.

"No," Vin and Chris said in unison. Chris saw Vin's eyes flick towards Lucy's hands gripping him and his jaw tightened.

"We can let Larabee get on with his day," Vin said.

Lucy nodded, but didn't let go. Chris wondered if she realized she was holding on to him.

"Come on, Lucy," Vin said.

"Give her a minute," Chris said, not sure Lucy was steady on her feet yet. She was pale and her grip hadn't loosened.

"I'll take care of her," Vin said, then closed his mouth when the words came out sharp enough for Lucy's grip to tighten.

"You don't need to drag her off," Chris snapped. "Give her a chance to catch her breath."

"Don't need your help," Vin said, each word slow and deliberate.

Chris felt his spine stiffen. "Then why am I married to your sister?"

Vin clenched his jaw, Chris could see Vin's fingers curl into a fist, but he didn't regret the words. Not when he had enough anger to fuel him—at Eli Joe, at those men who had attacked Lucy on the stagecoach, and now at Vin for not realizing what his words were doing to his sister.

"She's still my sister. My responsibility." Vin took a step towards Chris and Chris moved forward, the tension that had been building in him from the day he first took Lucy home with him needing an outlet.

Chris started shifting, instinctively wanting to block Lucy from the anger between him and Vin. She wasn't gripping his arm anymore. Chris glanced behind him. Lucy wasn't there. He wheeled around, searching the empty street in front of the livery.

"Where is she?" Vin asked. Chris swung up in the saddle of the horse Lucy had been riding.

"Check inside the barn. I'll head towards the church." Chris couldn't think of anywhere else Lucy would feel comfortable. But he also knew Lucy was too skittish to go anywhere on her own. He didn't want to think about what could have happened to her. He looked at Vin and saw the same fears reflected in the younger man's eyes.

Without another word, Chris wheeled his mount around and took off toward the church.

#

Inez carted the tray of used mugs to the kitchen, already looking forward to the end of the day and getting off her feet. Maybe she'd push Ezra for a bonus if she had to do the dishes singlehandedly. The man would either raise her pay or do the dishes himself. Either way, she would be the winner.

She pushed through the swinging doors, already dreading the sight of the other mugs and shotglasses that would be piled high after the busy morning.

She set the tray down with a thud, then jumped back at the movement in front of her.

"I'm sorry!" Vin's sister gasped, holding out a hand in apology. "I'm so sorry…" her voice trailed off and she bit her lip. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Inez pressed a hand to her racing heart, but waved away the apology with her other hand. "I was just surprised is all. I'm not used to anyone in here." Inez studied her more closely. Buck and JD were out front, drinking. Ezra was elbow deep in a pile of cash he was winning, and Nathan was eating a meal. None of them had mentioned a word about a new threat to Lucy that would send her into hiding.

"I just needed…" Lucy glanced at Inez as if weighing what she was about to say. Inez tilted her head, wanting to encourage the girl to say what she needed. She could only imagine how little she was able to say to Chris out at the ranch.

"I needed a break from Vin and Chris," Lucy said, the words spilling out her brow wrinkling with frustration. The she winced and started to shake her head.

Inez spoke before Lucy could backtrack. "I don't know how anyone wouldn't need a little space from those two," she smiled.

Lucy looked relieved at Inez' understanding. "They're so—so—beyond—"

"Exasperating?" Inez offered.

"Yes!" Lucy nearly exploded, then clapped her hand over her mouth, instantly starting to apologize.

"No need to explain anything or apologize," Inez said. "I am only surprised those two have not driven you to distraction sooner."

"Can I…would you mind if I stayed here for a bit?" Lucy asked. "Just for a bit," she rushed to add on.

"Of course," Inez said. "None of the men will set foot in here willingly."

Lucy let out a long breath of relief and Inez was struck by how young Vin's sister really was, and how much she was carrying on her shoulders on a daily basis. Inez picked her heavy tray back up to bring it closer to the sink and blinked.

Lucy looked at what had made Inez stop. "I hope you don't mind," she said tentatively. "I was in here and there were dirty glasses…"

Inez shook her head, some of her own fatigue lifting, knowing she wouldn't have the full sink waiting for her at the end of the day. She looked at all the clean, dry mugs and glasses, neatly stacked and ready to take out front. She wouldn't have to ask Ezra for a bonus. She'd just tell him she had hired some extra kitchen help. Inez unloaded her tray and smiled broadly at Lucy. "You'll have your pay at the end of the day for your work."

Lucy started to shake her head, but Inez held up a hand to stay any arguments. "You are doing me a favor," she insisted. "I appreciate the help."

She went back out front before any of the men could come looking for her and discover Lucy, or Lucy could argue further.

She flashed Ezra a wide grin when he looked up from his card game to check on her behind the bar. The poor man had no idea she intended to pay Lucy quite well for her help in the kitchen. Ezra returned the smile and went back to his card game.

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