Title: Scars Fade
Warnings: Violence, language
Disclaimer: I don't own them and I have no money, so don't sue.
Author's note: This is to wrap up any confusion over Sam and her husband, and to screw with her relationship with the Seven, mostly Ezra and Chris. Sam is mine, but feel free to use her. Thanks to those who came up with the names of the Seven's horses.
~~
"...This is my husband, Joseph." The words reached stunned ears. Ezra sat stiffly on the edge of the boardwalk. Buck just sort of choked and JD took off his hat. Nathan shook his head and Josiah frowned. Chris's eyes narrowed. Vin barely heard her, he was still far to disturbed by her eyes. Those dead eyes that stared without seeing. They were like two deep pits, vacant and defeated.
Larabee recovered first and strode over to the larger, burly man. He offered his hand and after giving Chris the once over, Joseph took it. "Samantha's husband? Good to meet you."
"Likewise." The man's voice was a rambling baritone. "I have to tell you though, when Sammy came to see me in New York, I was surprised. Never thought she'd set up shop in Colorado. Especially not in the middle of nowhere."
Chris smiled, a false smile that hid his displeasure with the man. It wasn't anything he did, or said, but rather his presence. Something didn't sit right with the black clad gunslinger. He eyed Vin and Mary, who had ambled over to the group. "Why don't I buy you a drink?"
The man's eyes suddenly brightened. "Excellent. Will your," he eyed the six other men warily. His eyes traveled to Sam. "Will your men join us?" It was fairly obvious he didn't want her left alone with six men.
"Never did know these boys to pass up a drink. Sam will be all right with Mary." Chris nodded to the blonde woman trying to remain inconspicuous behind Buck. "Joseph Hunter, this is Mary Travis. She runs the newspaper here in town."
Joseph watched Mary like a hungry wolf watches a wounded animal. "How do you do ma'am?"
Mary smiled tightly. "Very well thank you."
He turned back to Chris. "A woman huh? Couldn't find a husband I suppose. Makes women think they're independent. Personally, I think a woman's place is in the house. What about you?"
JD was beside the large man in an instant. His usually smiling face was creased by a frown. "You think that huh? Sam's been running that farm out there all on her own. She's independent and you married her."
"Yes well son, Sammy and I have talked about that. We have decided that it would be best if I took over the farm. I mean, she already almost ran it into the ground. You've got to learn early that women got no head for business. From now on, she'll be doin what she's supposed to, making my meals and stayin near the house."
Vin thought he saw something stir in Sam. The corners of her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. "Then may I suggest that you hire someone to teach the culinary arts to your spouse?" Ezra's southern lilt floated over the air. "We have all experienced her unique style of cuisine. It is not something I wish to relive."
Buck chuckled. Joseph nodded, "I may take you up on that. Now, how about that drink?" Seven men paraded into the saloon, leaving Mary with Sam. Ezra stood and turned toward her as if to say something, but he shook his head and went inside. Samantha didn't even glance in his direction.
Mary approached Samantha cautiously. It was strange to see her friend so quiet and withdrawn. "Samantha? Are you all right?"
Samantha's hands unclenched from their tight balls. Her fingernails left deep impressions upon her palms. Slowly, she shook her head. Mary guided the younger woman toward the newspaper office. When they were nearly there, Vin stepped out of the shadows in the alley. The wily tracker had broken off from the others. Mary nodded to him and ushered Sam inside.
"All right Sam, what's goin on? Is this man, and I use the term loosely, really your husband?"
Sam nodded, staring at a piece of paper on the floor. Mary shrugged and looked at Vin helplessly. Samantha was near comatose. "Look, from what you told me I never thought you'd go back to him? So why?"
Sam lifted her head. Her eyes sparked. 'So she is still in there after all.' Vin thought to himself. "I ran out of options Vin. It's that simple. I need his money to keep this farm goin."
"It's never that simple. You raced out of here last month without a word. What in the hell happened with you and Ezra? Maude stormed out of here the day after you left. Josiah said she was muttering something about an ungrateful child."
"You really don't want to know."
"Yes we do," Mary assured her.
"Fine, I'll tell you, but I warned you. Maude and Ezra pulled a con on me." Both Vin and Mary looked fairly surprised, but let Sam continue. "The day after Maude came to town Ezra was telling me about a con she was planning. He said he didn't know the details, but that it was tempting. It seemed temptation proved too much for him and I was the mark. I never even guessed. It was the day after the fire when Maude came into my room. At the time, it seemed like a blessing."
Mary was confused. "What was a blessing?"
"I was worried about the farm. I had so much debt, and then the barn...burned. That was the last straw. I was running out of money so quick it barely touched my hand before it moved on. So when Maude offered me a decent price for my mares I honestly thought about it. Then I went down to the saloon the next morning and found what she was really after. She and Ezra were planning to buy my mares, wait till I was flat broke, and then buy my land. I bet she set fire to my barn too."
Vin snorted, "I bet. Setting fire to your barn would have been work, and Maude don't work. More likely she just hired someone."
Samantha gave the tracker a sidelong glance. "And I suppose that makes it better. She didn't do it herself. Chance and I could have died in there. Three good horses did." Sarcasm dripped from every word.
"That's not what I meant. It just that..." he reached out and touched Samantha's shoulder.
His hand closed around her shoulder, more to stop her from pacing than anything. She flinched and sidestepped, breaking his hold. "Ow." Mary's head snapped up and Vin's eyes flashed.
"Ow?" he queried. Sam backed into a corner, looking a lot like an injured, trapped animal. "What's wrong with your shoulder Sam?"
"It's nothing," she glared at the lanky man. Mary approached her from the side. Her hand reached up and tugged at the collar of Sam's shirt. An ugly purple bruise the size of a small plate peeked out one corner of the shirt. Mary gasped.
The tracker was angry now, his eyes firing sparks. "Did he do that?" Sam jerked out of Mary's grasp and straightened her collar. "Samantha either talk to me or I'll talk to him. Why did you let him do that?"
She crossed her arms over her chest. "I married him Vin, and all that went with him. I took those damned vows, to "love, honor, and obey". Never could get that last one quite right. It's to death do us part. I just hope it's him before it's me. And by the way, I didn't let him do anything, but fighting back rarely accomplishes its intended goal."
"Is he always like today, talking about you when you're standing right there? Treating you like some sort of slave."
Sam chuckled softly. "Oh, today was a good day. You should see him when he's drunk. You'd really see something then."
"How can you possibly live like that?" Mary asked.
"I don't live it Mary," she told her friend quietly, "I survive it. I survived it once, and I can do it again. Look, Joe's in the street looking for me. I got to go." With that, she raced out the door to her husband's side. Together, they walked to the livery.
Mary and Vin looked at each other, mirroring the other's expression of concern and doubt. "I don't know how long she can put up with it Vin, walking around like she'd dead. And when she rebels..." her voice trailed off. "And she will rebel."
"He'll kill her," Vin finished her thoughts. "I know."
"Do you really think Ezra had anything to do with the fire?"
He shook his head. "No, I don't. I think he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. Maude has always had some sort of, hex over him. He probably don't know which way is up right now."
"Can't you do something?"
"It ain't our place Mary. We can't just go walkin in there for no reason. We have no power out on that farm. And as terrible as this may sound, what he does ain't illegal."
"It's putrid actually. And when has not having jurisdiction ever stopped the seven of you before?"
Vin managed a tight smile. "I don't suppose ever. I'll talk to the others. Don't worry none. We'll figure something out. In the meantime I'll tell Casey to keep an eye out when she goes to ride the horses."
"You think JD's gonna let her still go out there?"
"I don't think Casey is goin to listen to anything JD says. She respects Sam. She'll help." The tracker tipped his hat at the blonde woman and left. Mary sighed. She hoped they could help.
--
The next few weeks passed quickly. Joseph sent Mark, a stable boy to fetch The Dove and the broodmares from the town's livery. Casey continued to go out to the farm two or three times a week to exercise the Dove, Sam's promising bay filly. She informed JD and Vin that she rarely saw Sam, but when she did the woman appeared miserable. Save the times she worked with Chance, which were few and far between. She usually only worked the stallion when Joe left for Four Corners or Eagle Bend.
Ezra sulked in his room, coming out only for patrol and to play the occasional Poker game. He was sullen and barked at everyone except Chris. Vin and the others made sure they patrolled the fence line of Sam's property. Chance took to riding the fence with them, for he was turned out in a large field on the border of the property and was obviously bored. Sometimes he'd take off, whinnying anxiously and stopping as near to the house as he could get, but Sam didn't come out. In fact, the only time one of them had seen her, she'd spotted Buck's gray and disappeared back inside the house.
Occasionally Joe would come into town. He would enter the saloon, get seriously drunk and visit the bordello on the outskirts of town. Then he'd mount his steady palomino riding horse and lurch off toward home.
Then, one day a month after Joe's arrival, Casey galloped into town. She leapt off her horse outside the saloon and tied him quickly to the hitching post. She rushed inside, wrapping JD in her arms. The young sheriff was startled. "Casey? What are you doin here?"
The short girl looked up, her eyes filled with tears. "Oh JD! I'm so worried." He wiped a tear from her cheek. Vin and Buck came over.
"Worried about what?"
"Samantha! I was finished putting The Dove back in her stall when I saw Mr. Hunter outside Chance's stall. He had a whip in his hand and smelled like whiskey. Chance was wound up and was crashin around in his stall. So I went over and asked him what he was doing. He said that the horse had to learn some manners. I told him that I didn't think Sam would want him doin that to her horse. He blew up at me!" Casey cried.
"His face got all puffy and red and he said that I shouldn't be so nosy. He said that Chance was his horse and he'd do what he wanted. Then he turned and raised his hand. I thought he was about to hit me." JD stiffened, then tightened his hold around Casey's waist.
The tears flowed freely now. "That's when Sam came in. She stepped right between us and grabbed his arm. Her face was all set and stony and just so sad, like she knew what was comin. I think Ezra described it once as, 'resigned to a fate.' She told me real calm that I should leave, to take my horse and go and not come back. She never even looked at me, just kept starin at him. He was going to hurt her I know it. So I came here as fast as I could. You've got to help her!"
Vin and Buck nodded to each other over Casey's head. "Stay here JD. Find Nathan, just in case."
The two men mounted their horses and rode out of town at a fast canter. The ride to Samantha's farm took less than an hour. They reached the back paddock and Chance raced up to them. Vin leaned over to open the gate and rode through with Buck following behind. They headed at a trot to the house, Chance keeping pace on Vin's right. The tracker couldn't help but notice the raised, bloody welt on the stallion's shiny silver flank. He pushed Peso faster.
Joseph was waiting for them outside the house, shotgun in hand. "Hello gentlemen. Is there something I can do for you?"
"We came to see Samantha and Jerry." Buck told him, naming Sam's friend and foreman.
"Jerry is out of town at the moment, and Samantha is otherwise engaged." An evil smile flitted over his lips. Both gunslingers noticed the bruise that had formed on the burly man's cheek. "Now, since you are trespassing, I suggest that you leave before I am forced to make you. If there is nothing else," he pointed back the way they'd come.
"Hey!" Buck started, but Vin stopped him.
"We'll leave all right. I just got one question. Who gave you that bruise? Was it Sam, or was it Chance?"
HE sneered. "You'll never find out. Now leave." He gave up the pretense of politeness.
With a last, mournful glance at the ranch house, the two men left. Neither noticed the small movement of the curtain on the second floor.
--
"Aw, come on Ez. It's a beautiful day. You haven't taken Chauc out of his stall in a week. Poor horse is goin nuts." 'Same as his rider,' Vin thought but did not say.
"I'm sure that a single week of confinement has not brought Chaucer to such an extreme level of insanity, but I appreciate your efforts. I did feel the need to get out."
Vin nodded, content with the gambler's answer. Ezra finally seemed to be pulling out of his funk. He started to hang out at the saloon for longer periods of time, hustling money from one poor soul or another with the gusto of old. The only think he seemed loathe to do was ride patrol. It had taken a lot of talking to get the man to come with him at all.
The two men rode at a leisurely pace for a long time, letting their horses go where they chose. Without really realizing it, they ended up not far from Sam's farm. Vin saw her first, the rider on the tall gray, streaking across the meadow. As they came nearer, Ezra recognized the horse, and stiffened in his saddle.
Samantha drew Chance to a halt near Peso. She couldn't bring herself to look at Chaucer's rider. "Hey Vin. Out on patrol?"
"Nope, just riding. Haven't seen you lately."
"I've been, busy. I'll ride with ya'll for a while though. Joe is in Eagle Bend and I don't expect him till tomorrow. A few mores hours of freedom anyway."
Ezra looked over at her. He couldn't help but feel for her. The idea of that man beating her stirred up his temper. "I'm surprised he doesn't have someone watch you while he's gone." The words even surprised him. He hadn't realized how much he missed talking to her.
Samantha stared at him a moment, not sure of how to respond. "He does," she finally said. "But Mark has the good sense to lose me from time to time. I'd go stir crazy if I couldn't ride at all." They lapsed into silence.
After a while Ezra moved Chaucer forward until he was riding just in front of Sam and Vin. He needed to think. Time enough had passed for he and Sam to start speaking again, but they had not yet spoken of their argument. HE wondered if that void could ever be crossed.
Vin leaned over to Sam. "That's better. It seems that wound has begun to heal."
"Everything heals in time, but this has left a scar." She cast him a withering look.
"He didn't do it Sam. You've got to know that."
Her head fell. "I know," she whispered, "but I want him to tell me himself. He could have said anything and I would have believed him Vin, but he didn't."
"It's not Ezra's way."
"I think I'm startin to learn that too." They circled the far end of the Seven's boundaries, skirting the woods. "How bout we let these boys out a bit? I need someone to run Chance against."
Vin snorted. "We don't have a hope in hell."
Ezra agreed with a nod. "That gray has speed the likes not heard of since the days of Greek mythology and lore of a winged horse. It is Pegasus you sit astride my dear."
Sam smiled softly. "I'll give ya'll a sporting chance. I won't start him until you two pass that creek down yonder. Fair?"
Vin and Ezra responded by spurring their horses into action. The black and chestnut set off at a dead gallop. They passed the creek and Chance leapt forward as if shot from a cannon. His mane whipped back and stung her face. Her heart lifted.
The gray gained on Peso and Chaucer, steadily wearing down their lead. Suddenly shots came virtually out of nowhere. Chaucer's head shot up and he stumbled, going down hard on his knees. Ezra flew over his head and skidded to a halt a few yards farther on. Two more shots were fired.
Peso had been racing just behind him. The chunky black quarter horse gallantly tried to avoid the downed chestnut. He leapt awkwardly into the air, inadvertently kicking Chaucer as he did so. Vin and Peso went down as well.
Samantha didn't hear herself scream. She was able to stop Chance before he ran into the fray as well. She left him ground tied a few yard away. Peso was trying to get to his feet. Vin's left foot remained in the stirrup. Ezra had clambered to his feet, drawing his guns, keen eyes scanning the area. "Ezra help me!" Sam lunged for Peso's bridle before the startled horse could scamper off.
Ezra ran over to the downed horse, cursing as he went. He pulled Vin's leg from the stirrup. The tracker lay motionless on the ground, a gash running across his forehead. Nearby, Chaucer groaned.
"Damn," the gambler muttered.
"What?"
"He's been shot." He peeled away Vin's coat to reveal to bloody wound in his side. "We need something to stop the bleeding." Sam ran back to Chance and drew the hunting blade from her saddle bags. She cut away her sleeve and handed them to Ezra. He pressed the cloth to Vin's side.
"Will he be okay?"
"I've seen Mr. Tanner survive worse. What we need to do is get Nathan. Take Chance and go."
"He's in town at the clinic right?"
"Uh, uh no wait, he's not. He left yesterday for the Seminole village to visit Rain. His paramour. You have to go there. It's not too far from here. Get Nathan and bring back a wagon."
"What? I have no idea where that is! You have to go and I'll stay."
"If you haven't noticed, my mount is temporarily out of commission. At least, I hope its temporary. Check Chaucer, please?" Sam went to the chestnut. The horse had risen and stood shakily on three legs. He was missing a shoe and there was a bloody gash in his shoulder.
She went to Peso. The black gelding limped toward her, his right front leg already beginning to swell. "They'll both be okay, but they're not rideable."
"There, see? You need to ride."
"I don't know how to get there Ezra!" She wailed. "What good will it do Vin if I get lost and can't get to Nathan? You have to go!"
"The fact remains that there is an armed killer out there. I shan't leave the two of you unprotected."
"He's gone Ez. If he wasn't he could have picked the two of us off ages ago. I'll keep my .38 handy. Now go."
"And what do you suggest I do, walk?" Ezra was yelling now. His fear for Vin
was manifesting itself as anger.
"No," she said calmly, "take Chance."
Ezra blinked. "Are you serious?"
She nodded. "He'll run for you Ezra, I know it. Now come on, the longer we wait the worse Vin's chances get." Ezra stood and walked cautiously over to the stallion. Chance eyed him warily, laying his ears back, but relaxed when Sam talked to him. Ezra swung up. Chance shifted nervously.
Sam kept her hand on her horse's neck. "Ask Ezra, don't tell him. If you tell him he'll fight. If you use your spurs or whip your ride will be over before it begins, I warn you. Stay up off his back and talk to him. He'll get you where you need to go. Now go."
Ezra wheeled the horse in the direction of the village and they cantered off. Sam hurried back to Vin's side. She tore off her other sleeve. "Don't you dare die on me Vin Tanner," she muttered. "Don't you dare."
Chance galloped along as Ezra asked, but it was still too slow. Especially when Ezra knew the horse's capability for blistering speed. He leaned forward and began to talk in the stallion's ear. "I know that I am a far cry from Samantha, but please help me." The gray's ears flicked back to listen. "We are all in need of your assistance. So please, lend me your wings Pegasus, just this once. Go."
Chance snorted and leveled out with a speed that took Ezra's breath away. Never had he ridden so fast. He barely felt the horse's hooves touch the ground as they skimmed the earth. They reached the village that same way, the horse never slackening speed once. Chance was lathered almost to a pure white. People gathered outside their homes when they saw him coming.
"Nathan! Nathan!" He hollered at the top of his lungs. Nathan and rain emerged from her hut. Ezra jumped from Chance's back. The horse stopped dead, exhausted. "It's Vin, Nathan. He's been shot."
Nathan looked over at Rain and the pretty, young woman nodded. "Lead the way Ezra. I'll hitch up a wagon."
--
Sam used her knife to cut away at Tanner's shirt. She needed to get a better look at the wound on his side. She peeled the cloth away from the deep, gushing wound and grimaced. There was blood everywhere, although it didn't seem to be coming all that quickly. After yanking off the man's buckskin coat she rolled it up and propped up his head.
Sam used her skirt's petticoat to stuff the wound. Then she thought of something. She went to Chaucer and reached into Ezra's saddle bags. She dug around until she found the small silver flask he always kept with him. The man, she had to admit, had excellent taste in Scotch.
Sam spun the top off the flask and lifted the bandages. She dribbled a little into the wound. Vin groaned and twisted. Sam stopped and waited. After a few more minutes Vin's eyelids fluttered open.
"Hey Tanner. You're back with the living. Scared us there for a second."
Vin managed a weak grin. "What the hell happened?"
"Someone started to fire at us. Chaucer went down right in front of Peso. You two went down and I think he clipped your head with his hoof. The two of you flipped ass over teakettle." He grimaced as she gingerly touched the wound on his head.
"Did you see him? Do you know who it was?"
Sam shook her head. "No, he disappeared as soon as you two hit the dirt. I don't even know where the shots came from." 'Although I have a good idea who shot them,' she thought, but did not say.
Then Vin seemed to notice that he was shirtless. A deep flush rose to his cheeks. "Where's my shirt?" he grumbled.
"Yeah, about that... You got shot too. Caught it in the side. Ezra went for help. Why? You embarrassed?"
Vin shifted, but winced as pain lanced through his side. "I'm shirtless, of course I'm embarrassed."
Sam grinned wildly. "Give me a break Tanner. You've seen me half naked. Turn about is fair play. Now hold still while I pour this." She shook the flask.
"Let me have a sip first. Ez never lets the rest of us near the stuff." Sam passed him the flask. Vin sipped, "No wonder he pays so much for it."
"Tell me you're not going to start buying this stuff too."
"Hell no. I'll stick to beer and Red Eye, thank you." Sam took the flask back and poured it generously over the wound. Vin bit his lip to keep from screaming. It felt as if someone was placing a brand on him.
"Sorry."
"You had to," he gasped. His face was pale. The he yawned. "So...tired."
"Vin? Vin don't go to sleep. Vin?" It was too late. His eyes closed and he was out. "Damn." She stayed by his side, talking to him, his hand clasped in hers.
--
Samantha yawned as she entered her house that night. She'd arrived home less than an hour before, but she'd needed to take care of Chance, Chaucer and Peso before she could come in.
She'd stayed at Vin's side for hours that afternoon. The bleeding in his side had slowed, but he had not regained consciousness again. Sam had done all she could for him, which wasn't much. It was nearly dusk by the time Ezra had arrived with Nathan, Chance and a wagon. Ezra had asked that she take the horses back to her farm and care for them. She'd agreed readily. They loaded Vin into the wagon and headed for town.
It was a painfully slow march back to the farm. Chance was exhausted, becoming stiff as the cooler night air rolled in. He moved just as slowly as the other two horses, both lame. She put the horses in three empty stalls of the new barn that Joe had financed. She'd wrapped Peso, cleaned Chaucer's wound and rubbed Chance's sore muscles. 'At least Joe won't be back from Eagle Bend till tomorrow,' she thought to herself.
Samantha craned her neck to one side, feeling it crack and pop. She took Ezra's jacket off and laid it on the couch. He'd lent it to her upon his return. Sam went into the kitchen. The lanterns were lit, which she found odd. Her heart plummeted when she saw Joseph sitting at the table.
"Where were you?" He asked, his tone icy.
"Nowhere, just out."
He stank of cheap booze. "You were out screwin them gunslingers from town weren't you? You little whore!" He rose to his feet.
Samantha backed away from him, eyes flickering from left to right, looking for an escape. "Of course not! I wouldn't do that to you baby. I was only out riding with them." It was the wrong thing to say, and she knew it the moment the words left her lips.
"So you admit it!" he yelled. Samantha closed her eyes and lifted her hands. 'Oh shit,' was the only thought she had before his fist found her face and she crumpled to the floor.
--
Samantha rode into town early the next morning. She rode The Dove and led Peso and Chaucer. The two horses limped far less than they had the night before. The swelling in Peso's leg had gone down considerably over night. She'd had Mark tack on a new shoe for Chaucer. She rode hunched over in the saddle, her bruised body protesting to the physical exertion. Still, she had to deliver the horses and be back before Joe woke from his deep slumber.
Sam delivered Peso and Chaucer to the livery and hitched The Dove to a post outside Nathan's clinic. She had to see Vin, to make sure he was all right. She opened the door to the clinic. Vin lay asleep on a cot and Chris was perched awkwardly in a chair, asleep as well.
Sam drew a chair up beside Vin. She didn't want to wake Chris. The man intimidated the hell out of her. She hated how pale Vin's face looked, how young he looked. She put her head in her hands.
"What are you going to do now?" The voice behind her asked. She jumped. Chris brought his chair up next to her.
"Go home I guess. I just wanted to make sure he's gonna be all right. Is he?"
Larabee nodded. "Yep. Nathan got the bullet out and it didn't hit nothing important. It's the concussion he's more worried about, where Peso clipped him, but he already woke once last night, so I figure he'll be fine. It's you I'm askin about."
"What are you talking about?"
Chris pushed back a lock of her hair to reveal the black bruise on the side of her face. "I mean about that, and the rest of it."
"It's not as bad as it looks."
"Yeah right. You know everyone in town is worried about you. Especially Mary and Casey. What will you do about him?"
She shrugged. "Once the farm gets up and running again I'll leave him. I'll get him to sign the divorce papers and turn the farm over to me."
Chris snorted. "I know you're not naïve, so don't play at it. Vin told us you left him once. It took you two thousand miles to get away from him. What makes you think it'll be so easy this time?"
Samantha turned to look at him, looking crushed. "I don't, but it gives me hope. I can live through this."
"Maybe, until your body gives out. You know, I was married once. I had a beautiful wife and son. They died in a fire. I saw them that night at your farm, dying all over again."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you're wasting your life, and life is the most precious thing we have. After they died I wasted mine. Then I came here, and I found these people, these men. We all stopped running when we came here. This town and these people could do the same for you. Are you ever gonna stop running?"
Sam felt herself choke up with anger and grief. "Excuse me." She ran from the clinic and ran smack into Josiah. The big man laughed, "Hello Samantha. I was on my way to see Brother Vin. Thought I'd read to him from the Good Book. The word of our Lord always brings peace."
"Don't give me that Josiah." She snapped. "I am so sick of people spouting that divine message, holy destiny line. You think your good Lord would let Vin be shot? Do you think any fair God would let this happen to me?" She pulled back her hair to show him her bruised, swollen face. "So if you try and tell me this is all sort of some divine plan, I swear, I will shove that Bible down your throat. It's not fair." Sam pushed past Josiah and jumped onto the Dove.
Josiah watched her ride off. "No child, it's not."
--
Ezra Standish guided Chaucer through the back entrance to Samantha's property. It was just before noon and everything was quiet. No one was out working with the horses, and not even Chance was out to greet him. He needed to talk with Sam, to straighten things out. He hadn't seen her since the day Vin was shot two weeks earlier.
Standish left his charismatic chestnut in a stall in Sam's new stable. He walked quickly to the house. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He gave the doorknob a twist, and the door swung open. "Samantha?" He called.
The gambler stepped into the house, taking off his hat as he did so. He ambled past the living room and office. He spotted Samantha in the kitchen. She was bent over the stove, trying to get some wood to light. She swore as a match burned her fingers. Ezra chuckled.
Samantha's head shot up and her eyes widened. "Ezra! What are you doing here?"
"We need to have a word Sam."
"You know, I agree with you, but now is not a good time. I still have to make lunch before Joe wakes up. So why don't you go. I'll find you in town in a few days."
"I don't want to wait a few days. This has been on my mind for three months now."
Sam pushed her hair out of her face, tired and irritated. She wanted Standish to leave. If he didn't, there would be trouble. "Then it won't kill you to wait a few more."
Ezra eyed the bruise that had nearly faded away. It had gone from a deep black and blue to a sickening green-yellow in color. "No, but it might just kill you. I didn't have anything to do with that fire Sam, and I wasn't trying to scam you either."
Samantha looked at her hands. "I know. I think I knew ever since I got back, maybe even before then. You made me so angry Ezra! You didn't try and deny it; you didn't say anything!"
"I needed to find out some things from my mother first. By the time I had a chance to articulate my sentiments you were already gone."
"Did you learn anything?"
Ezra smiled faintly and touched his jaw. "I learned you have a fantastic right cross. As for my mother, she'll never change." She had to smile.
"This wound is leaving a jagged scar Ezra. It will be with us forever."
He shrugged, "Scars fade Sam."
"But they never really go away, do they? I want this scar to fade into nothingness."
"I want that too Samantha. We'll just work on it until we're okay."
Then, remembering herself, she went over to Ezra and tried to shoo him out the door. "Thank you Ez. I needed that, but now you must leave. It's important that Joe not find you here."
"Why?" Ezra's eyes looked deep into hers. What he saw there troubled him. There was fear in her eyes, not for herself, but for him. He grabbed her arms and refused to let her look away. "Why Sam? Why is it so important that I leave?"
"Because, because, I don't want anyone else getting hurt Ezra! I think he shot Vin."
"You should have told us this at an earlier date," he scolded.
"What was I supposed to do? He's been watching me like a hawk and I have no proof. But he came back early from Eagle Bend that day, and I smelled powder on his rifle. Ya'll couldn't hold him with that. I'll find out for sure and then tell you I swear, but there's no sense in putting myself and the rest of you in harm's way if I don't need to. No go, please, before I get into trouble."
"Oh, I think you're already there," a voice from the hallway informed her. Joseph stepped through the door. He grabbed Samantha's forearm and pulled her to him. "I warn you and I warn you and you still disobey me. And you," he glared at Ezra, "leave or I'll take the law into my own hands. You seven have been a thorn in my side since the day I came here."
Ezra pulled his Colt from its holster. "I always thought of myself as more of a burr. Let her go."
Joseph's twisted Sam's arm behind her back and his other arm snaked over her shoulders and around her throat. He tightened his hold and Sam began to wheeze. Ezra's determination wavered. Joe relinquished his grip on Sam's arm and reached for a knife that lay on the counter. He pressed the cold steel against her throat.
"Put your gun on the floor and kick it to me." The southerner hesitated. "Do it or I'll cut her."
Slowly, with one hand in the air, he lowered the pistol onto the wood floor. He kicked it behind him, sending it skittering across the boards into the office. Joseph smiled and pulled the knife away from her throat. Sam moved. She sank her heel into Joseph's foot and plunged her elbow into his side. He let her go.
As Samantha dove to one side, Ezra charged. He grabbed the man's arm and twisted it, making him give up his hold on the knife. He wished that he had hid trusty Derringer, but the spring mechanism had been giving him trouble and Ezra had sent it to be fixed. He threw a right into the bigger man's stomach.
Joseph smiled. He was tall, taller than Buck and built like an ox, bigger than even Josiah. He merely grunted. One meaty fist crashed into Ezra's gut. He doubled over and Joseph slammed his fists into his back. Ezra sank to the floor, gasping. He raised his foot, ready to send a crushing blow to the gambler's neck.
Samantha threw herself onto Joe, wrestling with one of his massive arms. Ezra rolled away. With a roar, Joseph ripped Sam off his arm and threw her bodily into the wall. He turned to Ezra and the to began to circle. They would feint left and right, looking for an opening. Finally Ezra lunged forward hitting him with a powerful two-punch combination. Joe shook his head, barely fazed. 'You've got to be shitting me!' Ezra thought as he ducked a roundhouse left.
Sam's husband found the knife and tossed it from hand to hand. He lunged at Ezra and the knife found its mark. The sharp blade cut deep into his thigh. Ezra gasped and clutched his leg. Joe sent him sprawling with a well aimed uppercut to his chin. Dazed, Ezra squirmed on the floor as Joe pulled the knife from his leg and raised it to deliver the final blow.
"Son of a bitch!" Samantha yelled. She had grabbed the frying pan from near the stove and swung it with all her might. She hit Joe upside the head and he crumpled to the floor. Ezra stared at her wide eyed, breathing in deep heaving gasps.
Sam stood shaking above her fallen husband. She wiped a small drop of blood from her lip. "That's it," she gasped. She threw the frying pan to the floor. "I want... a divorce."
"Inventive," Ezra told her.
"Practical," she replied. They looked at each other and stated to laugh. "Come on, let's get out of here." She offered Standish her hand and he took it. He lurched to his feet and swayed on one leg. One arm draped around her shoulder for support, he limped out of the house and to the barn.
Ezra sat heavily upon a hay bale, his hand clutching his thigh. Sam rummaged through a tack box until she found some clean white bandages. She tied them securely around Ezra's injured leg. "Can you ride?"
"I can try." She tacked up Chance and Chaucer and led them out of the barn. She gave Ezra a boost and they set off for town.
--
JD and Chris had gone back to the farm that same day, but Joseph was nowhere to be found. He had hurriedly packed a few things and taken off. The tracked him as far as the woods, but lost him amongst the pine needles.
Sam had telegraphed Jerry and he was returning, bringing Bonfire and a new trainer with him. He would arrive in a week or two. Until then, Sam was stuck in town. Mary offered to let her stay with her. Billy was visiting his grandparents and she could use his room.
Samantha visited Vin and Ezra every chance she could get. She could understand why Nathan got so frustrated with his two patients. They found it fun to think of new ways to escape the clinic. Ezra had busted his stitches only two days after his encounter with Joe and once Vin had almost fallen off the roof.
Everyone had found Sam's new use for a frying pan amusing to say the least. Sam liked being in town and spending time with her friends, Casey, Mary and Inez as well as the rest of the Seven. She enjoyed learning about medicine from Nathan, although some of the discussions were rather morbid. She teased Buck endlessly over his obsession with women, Inez in particular.
One day, as she came back from the livery, she passed Chris on the street. He nodded his approval and she felt proud. She didn't really believe that Joe would come back. She thought he was gone for good. But she was in no hurry to return to an empty home.
Then, a few days before Jerry was due to arrive, she had a shock. It was late Friday night, and she was returning from a rather profitable evening at the Poker tables. The streets were dark and eerie. To her surprise, a light in Mary's home was still lit. She found this odd, considering that Mary almost never stayed up so late. A small trickle of fear made her stomach turn.
She broke into a jog. The door was ajar. "Mary! Mary are you here?"
There was a tiny cry from her room. Samantha rushed inside. A dark figure towered over Mary, who was curled up crying on the floor. She clutched her arm and looked at Samantha with frightened eyes. "Samantha," she croaked.
Joseph turned. He sneered. "Just in time to see the show. It's women like this who turn others against their husbands. She turned you on me."
Samantha was shocked, for Joseph had fallen over the edge. "I didn't even know Mary the first time I left you. You're insane, that's why I left you. It has nothing to do with her."
A maniacal gleam took over his eyes. "I'll still kill her." He raised a hand and Mary cowered.
Samantha reached for the first thing she saw. She hurtled the ceramic water pitcher at his head. It smashed into the wall to his right. He spun around. Sam stood her ground, her fists clenched. "Leave her alone you bastard. I'm the one you want."
"We have the rest of our lives for that. You'll be with me forever."
"The hell I will! This ends tonight, here and now." Chris's words rang inside her head. "I'm sick of running from you. So come and get me." Sam spun on her heel and sprinted out of the room. She had only to feel the floor shake to know he was coming for her. She heard Mary screaming at the top of her lungs.
Joe caught her in the kitchen. He tackled her around the ankles and they both crashed to the ground. Sam hit the table, sending dishes flying everywhere. She heard something snap in her left arm. She growled and kicked out, catching Joe's nose, then scrambled to her feet. Sam took the stairs two at a time hurrying up to her room.
She reached it a few moments before Joe. She reached into the box by her bed stand and drew out her .38. She wheeled and aimed it at Joe. He slid to a stop halfway across the room. She pulled back the hammer.
"You don't have the guts."
"You don't want to find out." A door crashed open downstairs. "They're here to take you away. It's over Joseph."
"It will never be over," he screamed. "You're mine!" He charged her, arms out.
She fired four times. Joseph dropped to the floor. Sam walked over to him, the gun dangling loosely from her fingertips. He stared up at her, choking. Then he took a final shuddering breath and lay still.
The seven gunslingers ran up the stairs and gaped at the scene in front of them. Even Vin and Ezra were there. Ezra limped closer. Samantha dropped the gun. "Till death do us part," she told Joe. Then she walked past him and let Ezra drape his arm over her shoulder. It was over, finally. She had her friends. She had her life back. She shook her head as they all left, "Till death do us part."
~~
THE END
Hoped you liked it. Please review, even flames, I don't care. Thanks.
Warnings: Violence, language
Disclaimer: I don't own them and I have no money, so don't sue.
Author's note: This is to wrap up any confusion over Sam and her husband, and to screw with her relationship with the Seven, mostly Ezra and Chris. Sam is mine, but feel free to use her. Thanks to those who came up with the names of the Seven's horses.
~~
"...This is my husband, Joseph." The words reached stunned ears. Ezra sat stiffly on the edge of the boardwalk. Buck just sort of choked and JD took off his hat. Nathan shook his head and Josiah frowned. Chris's eyes narrowed. Vin barely heard her, he was still far to disturbed by her eyes. Those dead eyes that stared without seeing. They were like two deep pits, vacant and defeated.
Larabee recovered first and strode over to the larger, burly man. He offered his hand and after giving Chris the once over, Joseph took it. "Samantha's husband? Good to meet you."
"Likewise." The man's voice was a rambling baritone. "I have to tell you though, when Sammy came to see me in New York, I was surprised. Never thought she'd set up shop in Colorado. Especially not in the middle of nowhere."
Chris smiled, a false smile that hid his displeasure with the man. It wasn't anything he did, or said, but rather his presence. Something didn't sit right with the black clad gunslinger. He eyed Vin and Mary, who had ambled over to the group. "Why don't I buy you a drink?"
The man's eyes suddenly brightened. "Excellent. Will your," he eyed the six other men warily. His eyes traveled to Sam. "Will your men join us?" It was fairly obvious he didn't want her left alone with six men.
"Never did know these boys to pass up a drink. Sam will be all right with Mary." Chris nodded to the blonde woman trying to remain inconspicuous behind Buck. "Joseph Hunter, this is Mary Travis. She runs the newspaper here in town."
Joseph watched Mary like a hungry wolf watches a wounded animal. "How do you do ma'am?"
Mary smiled tightly. "Very well thank you."
He turned back to Chris. "A woman huh? Couldn't find a husband I suppose. Makes women think they're independent. Personally, I think a woman's place is in the house. What about you?"
JD was beside the large man in an instant. His usually smiling face was creased by a frown. "You think that huh? Sam's been running that farm out there all on her own. She's independent and you married her."
"Yes well son, Sammy and I have talked about that. We have decided that it would be best if I took over the farm. I mean, she already almost ran it into the ground. You've got to learn early that women got no head for business. From now on, she'll be doin what she's supposed to, making my meals and stayin near the house."
Vin thought he saw something stir in Sam. The corners of her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. "Then may I suggest that you hire someone to teach the culinary arts to your spouse?" Ezra's southern lilt floated over the air. "We have all experienced her unique style of cuisine. It is not something I wish to relive."
Buck chuckled. Joseph nodded, "I may take you up on that. Now, how about that drink?" Seven men paraded into the saloon, leaving Mary with Sam. Ezra stood and turned toward her as if to say something, but he shook his head and went inside. Samantha didn't even glance in his direction.
Mary approached Samantha cautiously. It was strange to see her friend so quiet and withdrawn. "Samantha? Are you all right?"
Samantha's hands unclenched from their tight balls. Her fingernails left deep impressions upon her palms. Slowly, she shook her head. Mary guided the younger woman toward the newspaper office. When they were nearly there, Vin stepped out of the shadows in the alley. The wily tracker had broken off from the others. Mary nodded to him and ushered Sam inside.
"All right Sam, what's goin on? Is this man, and I use the term loosely, really your husband?"
Sam nodded, staring at a piece of paper on the floor. Mary shrugged and looked at Vin helplessly. Samantha was near comatose. "Look, from what you told me I never thought you'd go back to him? So why?"
Sam lifted her head. Her eyes sparked. 'So she is still in there after all.' Vin thought to himself. "I ran out of options Vin. It's that simple. I need his money to keep this farm goin."
"It's never that simple. You raced out of here last month without a word. What in the hell happened with you and Ezra? Maude stormed out of here the day after you left. Josiah said she was muttering something about an ungrateful child."
"You really don't want to know."
"Yes we do," Mary assured her.
"Fine, I'll tell you, but I warned you. Maude and Ezra pulled a con on me." Both Vin and Mary looked fairly surprised, but let Sam continue. "The day after Maude came to town Ezra was telling me about a con she was planning. He said he didn't know the details, but that it was tempting. It seemed temptation proved too much for him and I was the mark. I never even guessed. It was the day after the fire when Maude came into my room. At the time, it seemed like a blessing."
Mary was confused. "What was a blessing?"
"I was worried about the farm. I had so much debt, and then the barn...burned. That was the last straw. I was running out of money so quick it barely touched my hand before it moved on. So when Maude offered me a decent price for my mares I honestly thought about it. Then I went down to the saloon the next morning and found what she was really after. She and Ezra were planning to buy my mares, wait till I was flat broke, and then buy my land. I bet she set fire to my barn too."
Vin snorted, "I bet. Setting fire to your barn would have been work, and Maude don't work. More likely she just hired someone."
Samantha gave the tracker a sidelong glance. "And I suppose that makes it better. She didn't do it herself. Chance and I could have died in there. Three good horses did." Sarcasm dripped from every word.
"That's not what I meant. It just that..." he reached out and touched Samantha's shoulder.
His hand closed around her shoulder, more to stop her from pacing than anything. She flinched and sidestepped, breaking his hold. "Ow." Mary's head snapped up and Vin's eyes flashed.
"Ow?" he queried. Sam backed into a corner, looking a lot like an injured, trapped animal. "What's wrong with your shoulder Sam?"
"It's nothing," she glared at the lanky man. Mary approached her from the side. Her hand reached up and tugged at the collar of Sam's shirt. An ugly purple bruise the size of a small plate peeked out one corner of the shirt. Mary gasped.
The tracker was angry now, his eyes firing sparks. "Did he do that?" Sam jerked out of Mary's grasp and straightened her collar. "Samantha either talk to me or I'll talk to him. Why did you let him do that?"
She crossed her arms over her chest. "I married him Vin, and all that went with him. I took those damned vows, to "love, honor, and obey". Never could get that last one quite right. It's to death do us part. I just hope it's him before it's me. And by the way, I didn't let him do anything, but fighting back rarely accomplishes its intended goal."
"Is he always like today, talking about you when you're standing right there? Treating you like some sort of slave."
Sam chuckled softly. "Oh, today was a good day. You should see him when he's drunk. You'd really see something then."
"How can you possibly live like that?" Mary asked.
"I don't live it Mary," she told her friend quietly, "I survive it. I survived it once, and I can do it again. Look, Joe's in the street looking for me. I got to go." With that, she raced out the door to her husband's side. Together, they walked to the livery.
Mary and Vin looked at each other, mirroring the other's expression of concern and doubt. "I don't know how long she can put up with it Vin, walking around like she'd dead. And when she rebels..." her voice trailed off. "And she will rebel."
"He'll kill her," Vin finished her thoughts. "I know."
"Do you really think Ezra had anything to do with the fire?"
He shook his head. "No, I don't. I think he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. Maude has always had some sort of, hex over him. He probably don't know which way is up right now."
"Can't you do something?"
"It ain't our place Mary. We can't just go walkin in there for no reason. We have no power out on that farm. And as terrible as this may sound, what he does ain't illegal."
"It's putrid actually. And when has not having jurisdiction ever stopped the seven of you before?"
Vin managed a tight smile. "I don't suppose ever. I'll talk to the others. Don't worry none. We'll figure something out. In the meantime I'll tell Casey to keep an eye out when she goes to ride the horses."
"You think JD's gonna let her still go out there?"
"I don't think Casey is goin to listen to anything JD says. She respects Sam. She'll help." The tracker tipped his hat at the blonde woman and left. Mary sighed. She hoped they could help.
--
The next few weeks passed quickly. Joseph sent Mark, a stable boy to fetch The Dove and the broodmares from the town's livery. Casey continued to go out to the farm two or three times a week to exercise the Dove, Sam's promising bay filly. She informed JD and Vin that she rarely saw Sam, but when she did the woman appeared miserable. Save the times she worked with Chance, which were few and far between. She usually only worked the stallion when Joe left for Four Corners or Eagle Bend.
Ezra sulked in his room, coming out only for patrol and to play the occasional Poker game. He was sullen and barked at everyone except Chris. Vin and the others made sure they patrolled the fence line of Sam's property. Chance took to riding the fence with them, for he was turned out in a large field on the border of the property and was obviously bored. Sometimes he'd take off, whinnying anxiously and stopping as near to the house as he could get, but Sam didn't come out. In fact, the only time one of them had seen her, she'd spotted Buck's gray and disappeared back inside the house.
Occasionally Joe would come into town. He would enter the saloon, get seriously drunk and visit the bordello on the outskirts of town. Then he'd mount his steady palomino riding horse and lurch off toward home.
Then, one day a month after Joe's arrival, Casey galloped into town. She leapt off her horse outside the saloon and tied him quickly to the hitching post. She rushed inside, wrapping JD in her arms. The young sheriff was startled. "Casey? What are you doin here?"
The short girl looked up, her eyes filled with tears. "Oh JD! I'm so worried." He wiped a tear from her cheek. Vin and Buck came over.
"Worried about what?"
"Samantha! I was finished putting The Dove back in her stall when I saw Mr. Hunter outside Chance's stall. He had a whip in his hand and smelled like whiskey. Chance was wound up and was crashin around in his stall. So I went over and asked him what he was doing. He said that the horse had to learn some manners. I told him that I didn't think Sam would want him doin that to her horse. He blew up at me!" Casey cried.
"His face got all puffy and red and he said that I shouldn't be so nosy. He said that Chance was his horse and he'd do what he wanted. Then he turned and raised his hand. I thought he was about to hit me." JD stiffened, then tightened his hold around Casey's waist.
The tears flowed freely now. "That's when Sam came in. She stepped right between us and grabbed his arm. Her face was all set and stony and just so sad, like she knew what was comin. I think Ezra described it once as, 'resigned to a fate.' She told me real calm that I should leave, to take my horse and go and not come back. She never even looked at me, just kept starin at him. He was going to hurt her I know it. So I came here as fast as I could. You've got to help her!"
Vin and Buck nodded to each other over Casey's head. "Stay here JD. Find Nathan, just in case."
The two men mounted their horses and rode out of town at a fast canter. The ride to Samantha's farm took less than an hour. They reached the back paddock and Chance raced up to them. Vin leaned over to open the gate and rode through with Buck following behind. They headed at a trot to the house, Chance keeping pace on Vin's right. The tracker couldn't help but notice the raised, bloody welt on the stallion's shiny silver flank. He pushed Peso faster.
Joseph was waiting for them outside the house, shotgun in hand. "Hello gentlemen. Is there something I can do for you?"
"We came to see Samantha and Jerry." Buck told him, naming Sam's friend and foreman.
"Jerry is out of town at the moment, and Samantha is otherwise engaged." An evil smile flitted over his lips. Both gunslingers noticed the bruise that had formed on the burly man's cheek. "Now, since you are trespassing, I suggest that you leave before I am forced to make you. If there is nothing else," he pointed back the way they'd come.
"Hey!" Buck started, but Vin stopped him.
"We'll leave all right. I just got one question. Who gave you that bruise? Was it Sam, or was it Chance?"
HE sneered. "You'll never find out. Now leave." He gave up the pretense of politeness.
With a last, mournful glance at the ranch house, the two men left. Neither noticed the small movement of the curtain on the second floor.
--
"Aw, come on Ez. It's a beautiful day. You haven't taken Chauc out of his stall in a week. Poor horse is goin nuts." 'Same as his rider,' Vin thought but did not say.
"I'm sure that a single week of confinement has not brought Chaucer to such an extreme level of insanity, but I appreciate your efforts. I did feel the need to get out."
Vin nodded, content with the gambler's answer. Ezra finally seemed to be pulling out of his funk. He started to hang out at the saloon for longer periods of time, hustling money from one poor soul or another with the gusto of old. The only think he seemed loathe to do was ride patrol. It had taken a lot of talking to get the man to come with him at all.
The two men rode at a leisurely pace for a long time, letting their horses go where they chose. Without really realizing it, they ended up not far from Sam's farm. Vin saw her first, the rider on the tall gray, streaking across the meadow. As they came nearer, Ezra recognized the horse, and stiffened in his saddle.
Samantha drew Chance to a halt near Peso. She couldn't bring herself to look at Chaucer's rider. "Hey Vin. Out on patrol?"
"Nope, just riding. Haven't seen you lately."
"I've been, busy. I'll ride with ya'll for a while though. Joe is in Eagle Bend and I don't expect him till tomorrow. A few mores hours of freedom anyway."
Ezra looked over at her. He couldn't help but feel for her. The idea of that man beating her stirred up his temper. "I'm surprised he doesn't have someone watch you while he's gone." The words even surprised him. He hadn't realized how much he missed talking to her.
Samantha stared at him a moment, not sure of how to respond. "He does," she finally said. "But Mark has the good sense to lose me from time to time. I'd go stir crazy if I couldn't ride at all." They lapsed into silence.
After a while Ezra moved Chaucer forward until he was riding just in front of Sam and Vin. He needed to think. Time enough had passed for he and Sam to start speaking again, but they had not yet spoken of their argument. HE wondered if that void could ever be crossed.
Vin leaned over to Sam. "That's better. It seems that wound has begun to heal."
"Everything heals in time, but this has left a scar." She cast him a withering look.
"He didn't do it Sam. You've got to know that."
Her head fell. "I know," she whispered, "but I want him to tell me himself. He could have said anything and I would have believed him Vin, but he didn't."
"It's not Ezra's way."
"I think I'm startin to learn that too." They circled the far end of the Seven's boundaries, skirting the woods. "How bout we let these boys out a bit? I need someone to run Chance against."
Vin snorted. "We don't have a hope in hell."
Ezra agreed with a nod. "That gray has speed the likes not heard of since the days of Greek mythology and lore of a winged horse. It is Pegasus you sit astride my dear."
Sam smiled softly. "I'll give ya'll a sporting chance. I won't start him until you two pass that creek down yonder. Fair?"
Vin and Ezra responded by spurring their horses into action. The black and chestnut set off at a dead gallop. They passed the creek and Chance leapt forward as if shot from a cannon. His mane whipped back and stung her face. Her heart lifted.
The gray gained on Peso and Chaucer, steadily wearing down their lead. Suddenly shots came virtually out of nowhere. Chaucer's head shot up and he stumbled, going down hard on his knees. Ezra flew over his head and skidded to a halt a few yards farther on. Two more shots were fired.
Peso had been racing just behind him. The chunky black quarter horse gallantly tried to avoid the downed chestnut. He leapt awkwardly into the air, inadvertently kicking Chaucer as he did so. Vin and Peso went down as well.
Samantha didn't hear herself scream. She was able to stop Chance before he ran into the fray as well. She left him ground tied a few yard away. Peso was trying to get to his feet. Vin's left foot remained in the stirrup. Ezra had clambered to his feet, drawing his guns, keen eyes scanning the area. "Ezra help me!" Sam lunged for Peso's bridle before the startled horse could scamper off.
Ezra ran over to the downed horse, cursing as he went. He pulled Vin's leg from the stirrup. The tracker lay motionless on the ground, a gash running across his forehead. Nearby, Chaucer groaned.
"Damn," the gambler muttered.
"What?"
"He's been shot." He peeled away Vin's coat to reveal to bloody wound in his side. "We need something to stop the bleeding." Sam ran back to Chance and drew the hunting blade from her saddle bags. She cut away her sleeve and handed them to Ezra. He pressed the cloth to Vin's side.
"Will he be okay?"
"I've seen Mr. Tanner survive worse. What we need to do is get Nathan. Take Chance and go."
"He's in town at the clinic right?"
"Uh, uh no wait, he's not. He left yesterday for the Seminole village to visit Rain. His paramour. You have to go there. It's not too far from here. Get Nathan and bring back a wagon."
"What? I have no idea where that is! You have to go and I'll stay."
"If you haven't noticed, my mount is temporarily out of commission. At least, I hope its temporary. Check Chaucer, please?" Sam went to the chestnut. The horse had risen and stood shakily on three legs. He was missing a shoe and there was a bloody gash in his shoulder.
She went to Peso. The black gelding limped toward her, his right front leg already beginning to swell. "They'll both be okay, but they're not rideable."
"There, see? You need to ride."
"I don't know how to get there Ezra!" She wailed. "What good will it do Vin if I get lost and can't get to Nathan? You have to go!"
"The fact remains that there is an armed killer out there. I shan't leave the two of you unprotected."
"He's gone Ez. If he wasn't he could have picked the two of us off ages ago. I'll keep my .38 handy. Now go."
"And what do you suggest I do, walk?" Ezra was yelling now. His fear for Vin
was manifesting itself as anger.
"No," she said calmly, "take Chance."
Ezra blinked. "Are you serious?"
She nodded. "He'll run for you Ezra, I know it. Now come on, the longer we wait the worse Vin's chances get." Ezra stood and walked cautiously over to the stallion. Chance eyed him warily, laying his ears back, but relaxed when Sam talked to him. Ezra swung up. Chance shifted nervously.
Sam kept her hand on her horse's neck. "Ask Ezra, don't tell him. If you tell him he'll fight. If you use your spurs or whip your ride will be over before it begins, I warn you. Stay up off his back and talk to him. He'll get you where you need to go. Now go."
Ezra wheeled the horse in the direction of the village and they cantered off. Sam hurried back to Vin's side. She tore off her other sleeve. "Don't you dare die on me Vin Tanner," she muttered. "Don't you dare."
Chance galloped along as Ezra asked, but it was still too slow. Especially when Ezra knew the horse's capability for blistering speed. He leaned forward and began to talk in the stallion's ear. "I know that I am a far cry from Samantha, but please help me." The gray's ears flicked back to listen. "We are all in need of your assistance. So please, lend me your wings Pegasus, just this once. Go."
Chance snorted and leveled out with a speed that took Ezra's breath away. Never had he ridden so fast. He barely felt the horse's hooves touch the ground as they skimmed the earth. They reached the village that same way, the horse never slackening speed once. Chance was lathered almost to a pure white. People gathered outside their homes when they saw him coming.
"Nathan! Nathan!" He hollered at the top of his lungs. Nathan and rain emerged from her hut. Ezra jumped from Chance's back. The horse stopped dead, exhausted. "It's Vin, Nathan. He's been shot."
Nathan looked over at Rain and the pretty, young woman nodded. "Lead the way Ezra. I'll hitch up a wagon."
--
Sam used her knife to cut away at Tanner's shirt. She needed to get a better look at the wound on his side. She peeled the cloth away from the deep, gushing wound and grimaced. There was blood everywhere, although it didn't seem to be coming all that quickly. After yanking off the man's buckskin coat she rolled it up and propped up his head.
Sam used her skirt's petticoat to stuff the wound. Then she thought of something. She went to Chaucer and reached into Ezra's saddle bags. She dug around until she found the small silver flask he always kept with him. The man, she had to admit, had excellent taste in Scotch.
Sam spun the top off the flask and lifted the bandages. She dribbled a little into the wound. Vin groaned and twisted. Sam stopped and waited. After a few more minutes Vin's eyelids fluttered open.
"Hey Tanner. You're back with the living. Scared us there for a second."
Vin managed a weak grin. "What the hell happened?"
"Someone started to fire at us. Chaucer went down right in front of Peso. You two went down and I think he clipped your head with his hoof. The two of you flipped ass over teakettle." He grimaced as she gingerly touched the wound on his head.
"Did you see him? Do you know who it was?"
Sam shook her head. "No, he disappeared as soon as you two hit the dirt. I don't even know where the shots came from." 'Although I have a good idea who shot them,' she thought, but did not say.
Then Vin seemed to notice that he was shirtless. A deep flush rose to his cheeks. "Where's my shirt?" he grumbled.
"Yeah, about that... You got shot too. Caught it in the side. Ezra went for help. Why? You embarrassed?"
Vin shifted, but winced as pain lanced through his side. "I'm shirtless, of course I'm embarrassed."
Sam grinned wildly. "Give me a break Tanner. You've seen me half naked. Turn about is fair play. Now hold still while I pour this." She shook the flask.
"Let me have a sip first. Ez never lets the rest of us near the stuff." Sam passed him the flask. Vin sipped, "No wonder he pays so much for it."
"Tell me you're not going to start buying this stuff too."
"Hell no. I'll stick to beer and Red Eye, thank you." Sam took the flask back and poured it generously over the wound. Vin bit his lip to keep from screaming. It felt as if someone was placing a brand on him.
"Sorry."
"You had to," he gasped. His face was pale. The he yawned. "So...tired."
"Vin? Vin don't go to sleep. Vin?" It was too late. His eyes closed and he was out. "Damn." She stayed by his side, talking to him, his hand clasped in hers.
--
Samantha yawned as she entered her house that night. She'd arrived home less than an hour before, but she'd needed to take care of Chance, Chaucer and Peso before she could come in.
She'd stayed at Vin's side for hours that afternoon. The bleeding in his side had slowed, but he had not regained consciousness again. Sam had done all she could for him, which wasn't much. It was nearly dusk by the time Ezra had arrived with Nathan, Chance and a wagon. Ezra had asked that she take the horses back to her farm and care for them. She'd agreed readily. They loaded Vin into the wagon and headed for town.
It was a painfully slow march back to the farm. Chance was exhausted, becoming stiff as the cooler night air rolled in. He moved just as slowly as the other two horses, both lame. She put the horses in three empty stalls of the new barn that Joe had financed. She'd wrapped Peso, cleaned Chaucer's wound and rubbed Chance's sore muscles. 'At least Joe won't be back from Eagle Bend till tomorrow,' she thought to herself.
Samantha craned her neck to one side, feeling it crack and pop. She took Ezra's jacket off and laid it on the couch. He'd lent it to her upon his return. Sam went into the kitchen. The lanterns were lit, which she found odd. Her heart plummeted when she saw Joseph sitting at the table.
"Where were you?" He asked, his tone icy.
"Nowhere, just out."
He stank of cheap booze. "You were out screwin them gunslingers from town weren't you? You little whore!" He rose to his feet.
Samantha backed away from him, eyes flickering from left to right, looking for an escape. "Of course not! I wouldn't do that to you baby. I was only out riding with them." It was the wrong thing to say, and she knew it the moment the words left her lips.
"So you admit it!" he yelled. Samantha closed her eyes and lifted her hands. 'Oh shit,' was the only thought she had before his fist found her face and she crumpled to the floor.
--
Samantha rode into town early the next morning. She rode The Dove and led Peso and Chaucer. The two horses limped far less than they had the night before. The swelling in Peso's leg had gone down considerably over night. She'd had Mark tack on a new shoe for Chaucer. She rode hunched over in the saddle, her bruised body protesting to the physical exertion. Still, she had to deliver the horses and be back before Joe woke from his deep slumber.
Sam delivered Peso and Chaucer to the livery and hitched The Dove to a post outside Nathan's clinic. She had to see Vin, to make sure he was all right. She opened the door to the clinic. Vin lay asleep on a cot and Chris was perched awkwardly in a chair, asleep as well.
Sam drew a chair up beside Vin. She didn't want to wake Chris. The man intimidated the hell out of her. She hated how pale Vin's face looked, how young he looked. She put her head in her hands.
"What are you going to do now?" The voice behind her asked. She jumped. Chris brought his chair up next to her.
"Go home I guess. I just wanted to make sure he's gonna be all right. Is he?"
Larabee nodded. "Yep. Nathan got the bullet out and it didn't hit nothing important. It's the concussion he's more worried about, where Peso clipped him, but he already woke once last night, so I figure he'll be fine. It's you I'm askin about."
"What are you talking about?"
Chris pushed back a lock of her hair to reveal the black bruise on the side of her face. "I mean about that, and the rest of it."
"It's not as bad as it looks."
"Yeah right. You know everyone in town is worried about you. Especially Mary and Casey. What will you do about him?"
She shrugged. "Once the farm gets up and running again I'll leave him. I'll get him to sign the divorce papers and turn the farm over to me."
Chris snorted. "I know you're not naïve, so don't play at it. Vin told us you left him once. It took you two thousand miles to get away from him. What makes you think it'll be so easy this time?"
Samantha turned to look at him, looking crushed. "I don't, but it gives me hope. I can live through this."
"Maybe, until your body gives out. You know, I was married once. I had a beautiful wife and son. They died in a fire. I saw them that night at your farm, dying all over again."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you're wasting your life, and life is the most precious thing we have. After they died I wasted mine. Then I came here, and I found these people, these men. We all stopped running when we came here. This town and these people could do the same for you. Are you ever gonna stop running?"
Sam felt herself choke up with anger and grief. "Excuse me." She ran from the clinic and ran smack into Josiah. The big man laughed, "Hello Samantha. I was on my way to see Brother Vin. Thought I'd read to him from the Good Book. The word of our Lord always brings peace."
"Don't give me that Josiah." She snapped. "I am so sick of people spouting that divine message, holy destiny line. You think your good Lord would let Vin be shot? Do you think any fair God would let this happen to me?" She pulled back her hair to show him her bruised, swollen face. "So if you try and tell me this is all sort of some divine plan, I swear, I will shove that Bible down your throat. It's not fair." Sam pushed past Josiah and jumped onto the Dove.
Josiah watched her ride off. "No child, it's not."
--
Ezra Standish guided Chaucer through the back entrance to Samantha's property. It was just before noon and everything was quiet. No one was out working with the horses, and not even Chance was out to greet him. He needed to talk with Sam, to straighten things out. He hadn't seen her since the day Vin was shot two weeks earlier.
Standish left his charismatic chestnut in a stall in Sam's new stable. He walked quickly to the house. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He gave the doorknob a twist, and the door swung open. "Samantha?" He called.
The gambler stepped into the house, taking off his hat as he did so. He ambled past the living room and office. He spotted Samantha in the kitchen. She was bent over the stove, trying to get some wood to light. She swore as a match burned her fingers. Ezra chuckled.
Samantha's head shot up and her eyes widened. "Ezra! What are you doing here?"
"We need to have a word Sam."
"You know, I agree with you, but now is not a good time. I still have to make lunch before Joe wakes up. So why don't you go. I'll find you in town in a few days."
"I don't want to wait a few days. This has been on my mind for three months now."
Sam pushed her hair out of her face, tired and irritated. She wanted Standish to leave. If he didn't, there would be trouble. "Then it won't kill you to wait a few more."
Ezra eyed the bruise that had nearly faded away. It had gone from a deep black and blue to a sickening green-yellow in color. "No, but it might just kill you. I didn't have anything to do with that fire Sam, and I wasn't trying to scam you either."
Samantha looked at her hands. "I know. I think I knew ever since I got back, maybe even before then. You made me so angry Ezra! You didn't try and deny it; you didn't say anything!"
"I needed to find out some things from my mother first. By the time I had a chance to articulate my sentiments you were already gone."
"Did you learn anything?"
Ezra smiled faintly and touched his jaw. "I learned you have a fantastic right cross. As for my mother, she'll never change." She had to smile.
"This wound is leaving a jagged scar Ezra. It will be with us forever."
He shrugged, "Scars fade Sam."
"But they never really go away, do they? I want this scar to fade into nothingness."
"I want that too Samantha. We'll just work on it until we're okay."
Then, remembering herself, she went over to Ezra and tried to shoo him out the door. "Thank you Ez. I needed that, but now you must leave. It's important that Joe not find you here."
"Why?" Ezra's eyes looked deep into hers. What he saw there troubled him. There was fear in her eyes, not for herself, but for him. He grabbed her arms and refused to let her look away. "Why Sam? Why is it so important that I leave?"
"Because, because, I don't want anyone else getting hurt Ezra! I think he shot Vin."
"You should have told us this at an earlier date," he scolded.
"What was I supposed to do? He's been watching me like a hawk and I have no proof. But he came back early from Eagle Bend that day, and I smelled powder on his rifle. Ya'll couldn't hold him with that. I'll find out for sure and then tell you I swear, but there's no sense in putting myself and the rest of you in harm's way if I don't need to. No go, please, before I get into trouble."
"Oh, I think you're already there," a voice from the hallway informed her. Joseph stepped through the door. He grabbed Samantha's forearm and pulled her to him. "I warn you and I warn you and you still disobey me. And you," he glared at Ezra, "leave or I'll take the law into my own hands. You seven have been a thorn in my side since the day I came here."
Ezra pulled his Colt from its holster. "I always thought of myself as more of a burr. Let her go."
Joseph's twisted Sam's arm behind her back and his other arm snaked over her shoulders and around her throat. He tightened his hold and Sam began to wheeze. Ezra's determination wavered. Joe relinquished his grip on Sam's arm and reached for a knife that lay on the counter. He pressed the cold steel against her throat.
"Put your gun on the floor and kick it to me." The southerner hesitated. "Do it or I'll cut her."
Slowly, with one hand in the air, he lowered the pistol onto the wood floor. He kicked it behind him, sending it skittering across the boards into the office. Joseph smiled and pulled the knife away from her throat. Sam moved. She sank her heel into Joseph's foot and plunged her elbow into his side. He let her go.
As Samantha dove to one side, Ezra charged. He grabbed the man's arm and twisted it, making him give up his hold on the knife. He wished that he had hid trusty Derringer, but the spring mechanism had been giving him trouble and Ezra had sent it to be fixed. He threw a right into the bigger man's stomach.
Joseph smiled. He was tall, taller than Buck and built like an ox, bigger than even Josiah. He merely grunted. One meaty fist crashed into Ezra's gut. He doubled over and Joseph slammed his fists into his back. Ezra sank to the floor, gasping. He raised his foot, ready to send a crushing blow to the gambler's neck.
Samantha threw herself onto Joe, wrestling with one of his massive arms. Ezra rolled away. With a roar, Joseph ripped Sam off his arm and threw her bodily into the wall. He turned to Ezra and the to began to circle. They would feint left and right, looking for an opening. Finally Ezra lunged forward hitting him with a powerful two-punch combination. Joe shook his head, barely fazed. 'You've got to be shitting me!' Ezra thought as he ducked a roundhouse left.
Sam's husband found the knife and tossed it from hand to hand. He lunged at Ezra and the knife found its mark. The sharp blade cut deep into his thigh. Ezra gasped and clutched his leg. Joe sent him sprawling with a well aimed uppercut to his chin. Dazed, Ezra squirmed on the floor as Joe pulled the knife from his leg and raised it to deliver the final blow.
"Son of a bitch!" Samantha yelled. She had grabbed the frying pan from near the stove and swung it with all her might. She hit Joe upside the head and he crumpled to the floor. Ezra stared at her wide eyed, breathing in deep heaving gasps.
Sam stood shaking above her fallen husband. She wiped a small drop of blood from her lip. "That's it," she gasped. She threw the frying pan to the floor. "I want... a divorce."
"Inventive," Ezra told her.
"Practical," she replied. They looked at each other and stated to laugh. "Come on, let's get out of here." She offered Standish her hand and he took it. He lurched to his feet and swayed on one leg. One arm draped around her shoulder for support, he limped out of the house and to the barn.
Ezra sat heavily upon a hay bale, his hand clutching his thigh. Sam rummaged through a tack box until she found some clean white bandages. She tied them securely around Ezra's injured leg. "Can you ride?"
"I can try." She tacked up Chance and Chaucer and led them out of the barn. She gave Ezra a boost and they set off for town.
--
JD and Chris had gone back to the farm that same day, but Joseph was nowhere to be found. He had hurriedly packed a few things and taken off. The tracked him as far as the woods, but lost him amongst the pine needles.
Sam had telegraphed Jerry and he was returning, bringing Bonfire and a new trainer with him. He would arrive in a week or two. Until then, Sam was stuck in town. Mary offered to let her stay with her. Billy was visiting his grandparents and she could use his room.
Samantha visited Vin and Ezra every chance she could get. She could understand why Nathan got so frustrated with his two patients. They found it fun to think of new ways to escape the clinic. Ezra had busted his stitches only two days after his encounter with Joe and once Vin had almost fallen off the roof.
Everyone had found Sam's new use for a frying pan amusing to say the least. Sam liked being in town and spending time with her friends, Casey, Mary and Inez as well as the rest of the Seven. She enjoyed learning about medicine from Nathan, although some of the discussions were rather morbid. She teased Buck endlessly over his obsession with women, Inez in particular.
One day, as she came back from the livery, she passed Chris on the street. He nodded his approval and she felt proud. She didn't really believe that Joe would come back. She thought he was gone for good. But she was in no hurry to return to an empty home.
Then, a few days before Jerry was due to arrive, she had a shock. It was late Friday night, and she was returning from a rather profitable evening at the Poker tables. The streets were dark and eerie. To her surprise, a light in Mary's home was still lit. She found this odd, considering that Mary almost never stayed up so late. A small trickle of fear made her stomach turn.
She broke into a jog. The door was ajar. "Mary! Mary are you here?"
There was a tiny cry from her room. Samantha rushed inside. A dark figure towered over Mary, who was curled up crying on the floor. She clutched her arm and looked at Samantha with frightened eyes. "Samantha," she croaked.
Joseph turned. He sneered. "Just in time to see the show. It's women like this who turn others against their husbands. She turned you on me."
Samantha was shocked, for Joseph had fallen over the edge. "I didn't even know Mary the first time I left you. You're insane, that's why I left you. It has nothing to do with her."
A maniacal gleam took over his eyes. "I'll still kill her." He raised a hand and Mary cowered.
Samantha reached for the first thing she saw. She hurtled the ceramic water pitcher at his head. It smashed into the wall to his right. He spun around. Sam stood her ground, her fists clenched. "Leave her alone you bastard. I'm the one you want."
"We have the rest of our lives for that. You'll be with me forever."
"The hell I will! This ends tonight, here and now." Chris's words rang inside her head. "I'm sick of running from you. So come and get me." Sam spun on her heel and sprinted out of the room. She had only to feel the floor shake to know he was coming for her. She heard Mary screaming at the top of her lungs.
Joe caught her in the kitchen. He tackled her around the ankles and they both crashed to the ground. Sam hit the table, sending dishes flying everywhere. She heard something snap in her left arm. She growled and kicked out, catching Joe's nose, then scrambled to her feet. Sam took the stairs two at a time hurrying up to her room.
She reached it a few moments before Joe. She reached into the box by her bed stand and drew out her .38. She wheeled and aimed it at Joe. He slid to a stop halfway across the room. She pulled back the hammer.
"You don't have the guts."
"You don't want to find out." A door crashed open downstairs. "They're here to take you away. It's over Joseph."
"It will never be over," he screamed. "You're mine!" He charged her, arms out.
She fired four times. Joseph dropped to the floor. Sam walked over to him, the gun dangling loosely from her fingertips. He stared up at her, choking. Then he took a final shuddering breath and lay still.
The seven gunslingers ran up the stairs and gaped at the scene in front of them. Even Vin and Ezra were there. Ezra limped closer. Samantha dropped the gun. "Till death do us part," she told Joe. Then she walked past him and let Ezra drape his arm over her shoulder. It was over, finally. She had her friends. She had her life back. She shook her head as they all left, "Till death do us part."
~~
THE END
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