Part Three

The next morning was like many others here. Sun blest and warm. The town was bathed in the amber glow of the early morning sun, giving it a homely, friendly look. Annabelle walked over to the window as she swung her hair over her shoulders and began to brush it. Her busy arrival last night hadn't really allowed her to get a look at Four Corners.

Glancing over the streets below, the place seemed to be a rather unremarkable little town, much like many of the others she had visited since coming out West. Families, labourers, cowhands and the occasional gunslinger living in as much peace as could be expected in these wild territories. It certainly had potential, and given a few years and a few wealthy investors, it could easily grow to be a wonderfully successful settlement.

Her sharp eyes spotted Buck and JD walking across the street. The older man was laughing at something and the younger one was scolding him for doing so. She smiled. They certainly appeared to be quite a double act.

Buck happened to catch sight of her at the window, and flashed her a dazzling smile, tipping his hat in greeting.

Annabelle waved quickly before stepping back out of sight. Checking her reflection in the mirror, she clipped her hair up behind her head with swift, practised hands.

Mr Wilmington certainly was a handsome, relatively good man, with a cheerful disposition. And his obvious attention was somewhat flattering. If only the situation were different perhaps he might have stood a chance. In a way it was rather disappointing.

She smiled, a little sadly. However different she was from many of the women she'd ever met, her heart would always somehow triumph over her head. Something she found most disconcerting.

--

"Mornin' Miss Annabelle," Buck said, stepping up to her as soon as she had exited the hotel. He took a quick perusal of her form. The travelling clothes she had worn yesterday were replaced by a lovely looking ensemble of leaf green skirt and Basque style bodice, accompanied by a white blouse. Said something about her - practical and yet pretty. Interesting lady.

She smiled in return, realising that he must have been waiting for her. Well he was persistent, she'd have to give him that.

"Mr Wilmington," she greeted with a nod, "I trust you don't have bad news about our pungent friend."

"Na," he said with a shake of his head, "He's gonna be right as rain. Tossed an' turned a bit durin' the night, but he seemed okay. The doctor'll be back later today and I'll give him a quick look-see before then. But for now that leaves me free ta give ya that tour I promised."

'And would that include a in-depth look at certain secluded spots and haystacks?' she thought to herself. Indeed the man was incorrigible. Part of her hated the idea of spending an entire day staving off his affections, and part wanted to entertain them. Deciding to go for polite, lady-like conversation, she sent him a look of some concern.

"But Mr Wilmington, you can't have gotten much sleep last night. Don't feel obliged to deprive yourself of some rest for my sake."

Buck almost laughed. Since when had he ever let losing a bit of sleep stop him in his pursuits? Hell, they were the cause of most of his losing sleep.

"Trouble is," he grinned, all charm, "I do feel obliged. I made a promise to a lady."

Her reply was accompanied by a playful and somewhat mysterious smile, "And since when did I make pretensions of being a lady?"

"Well then," Buck replied easily, "I made a promise to a mighty fine woman."

"Again," Annabelle said lightly, "You can't say that with any degree of certainty."

Definitely had some spirit in her, did this one. Buck categorised the women he made a play for into two categories. Lilies and roses. Lilies were delicate girls, shy and sweet. Much like the other two who had arrived with JD last night. Roses were no less beautiful, but underneath they had thorns. Tough and wilful, and if you weren't careful you'd get stung. Annabelle was definitely a rose. Inez was too. And like that Mexican senorita, Annabelle seemed determined to lead him a merry dance that went nowhere. Well Buck wasn't a man to be so easily defeated. He put the charm onto full tilt.

"Maybe not," he said with a shrug and a chuckle, "But my eyes don't lie. Yer beautiful - an' I swore to myself that I'd never let a beautiful lady down."

She wasn't so naive that she didn't pick up on the implications of that sentence. Despite what she had said, however, she did carry the charade of being a lady when it suited her and it wouldn't be the done thing for her to mention it. Instead she just took hold of Buck's outstretched arm and allowed him to lead her off on a tour of the town.

He gave her the full works, everything from the hardware store to the Clarion to the livery. He noted with some interest the way in which she took things in. Something in her manner was almost calculating - as if she were storing away the facts that may be of some importance to her. It just made him more interested in who she was, if just the smallest bit concerned about her motives. After all, he knew nothing substantial about her.

The saloon was their final stopping point.

Buck began to comment that a lady such as herself shouldn't really be going into this kind of place, but she interrupted him immediately. She said she had no objections to going inside - reputations were only important to people who cared about them, and life was far too short to worry yourself silly over what was seen as proper. Besides, she professed that she had acquired a taste for card games and perhaps it would be a pleasant means of chasing away what was left of the morning.

Buck smiled. He liked her. Not quite enough to consider revising his vow of bachelorhood yet, but she had a spark about her which would keep a man interested. True, she didn't seemed to be quite the pure bred lady she first appeared to be, but on the flip side that meant she weren't no prune faced choir singer either.

Entering the saloon, they found JD sitting by himself at the table, indulging in one of his favourite past-times - a dime novel. Since coming to Four Corners he had quickly learnt that there was a wider chasm between fact and fiction than he could have possibly imagined. In his books, the good were good and the bad were bad. The heroes always won out in the end and justice prevailed. Reality wasn't quite so clear cut and that complicated things to an extent he had initially found confusing. While the others seemed to take everything in their stride, JD had often found himself angered, amazed, shocked or frightened, even when everyone around him was perfectly calm about the situation. They didn't teach you how to be like that in the books. Still, it didn't hurt to pander to a bit of escapism every now and again.

The young man seemed a tad perturbed to be dragged away from his story, but was willing to play a hand of cards or two when it was suggested that they join him. Buck pulled out a chair for Annabelle, and the three of them fell into a companionable conversation as they began to play.

Buck should've known that trouble was brewing when she produced a packet of Stutz playing cards from her pocket. They were the same type Ezra used - had to be a bad omen.

He was proved undoubtedly right when she proceeded to win every last dime of the little amount they had on them within just a few hands of poker. Buck blamed it on the fact that he was relatively unfamiliar with the unusual version of the game she had suggested, but he knew it was a pure lack of skill that had let him down.

Annabelle smiled as she raked in her winnings. "How about we play simply for fun, hmm?" she asked with an undoubted trace of humour in her voice.

"Well, I ain't got anything else left to play for!" JD exclaimed, clearly a little amazed by her proficiency.

She laughed lightly at the young sheriff. A few more years and he would be a fine man, no doubt. And would make an excellent husband for some lucky young thing. One of the traits Annabelle prided herself on was that she was a superb judge of character. It didn't seem to take her long to get a good sense of a personality. To her, JD Dunne appeared to be young, somewhat naive and inexperienced, but eager and willing to learn. He also wore his heart on his sleeve, his every emotion and thought expansively on show. It was a rather refreshing sight in these cynical days.

Realising she was starring at the young sheriff, she shook her head, clearing away the thoughts.

"I'll be dealer this time," she announced, picking up the cards and shuffling them with expert and dexterous fingers.

Buck watched her skill with some appreciation and nodded, realisation beginning to dawn. He'd been had.

"I take it you ain't an amateur at the card table," he commented, indicating the rapid finger work that his eyes could barely keep a pace with.

"I grew up on a gambling ship," she admitted, her smile widening, "A steamer that went up and down the Mississippi. My father owned it. He taught me how to play."

"And you didn't think we'd might like to know this before we put our money down?" Buck said with the raise of an eyebrow.

Annabelle shrugged lightly, "You didn't ask," was her simple reply.

To which the cowboy chuckled.

"Well you're damn good. Only know one other lady who can play like you an' she ain't the type o' woman you'd wanting ta be fallin' asleep around. Ya never know what might be missin' when ya woke up!"

Annabelle smiled knowingly. There were probably a few people out there who would say the same about her. She didn't consider herself a criminal, but she had in her time crossed some people who more than deserved it. Unfortunately for them she had discovered herself to be rather adept at it too. And, of course, she had loved every last minute of it.

She guessed that that had also been a product of her father. The ship - known as El Puerto, meaning the 'harbour' or 'haven' depending on who you asked - had become rather well known in professional gambling circles. When he had brought it, his ambition had been to create a place where only honest games went ahead and cheating was outlawed, punishable by being rather unceremonious tossed overboard. As Annabelle and her brothers had grown he had taught them every trick he knew. Every way he had ever discovered of manipulating the cards to your advantage. And in turn she had - like her father - put this knowledge to use in spotting the cheats. Then she would choose whether or not to expose them or play them at their own game. There was nothing so satisfying as cheating a cheater. Their dumfounded faces as you won was truly a sight to behold. It was ironic in a way that the family who abhorred cheating most profoundly were probably some of the best at it in the world.

Well, perhaps that wasn't entirely true. In public, they spoke out against cheating, but she knew how things had really happened. Her father had been a remarkable cheat, with an penchant for the occasional con as well. He had been shrewd enough however to leave his reputation intact and spot a wonderful opportunity. Gambling without cheating had turned out to be a gold mine for the family.

"I've met the type," she replied, a little evasively, dealing out two cards to each of them and laying the pack to her left, "On my father's ship and in the gambling hall I once owned with my husband."

Buck and JD shared a quick look, which did not go unnoticed. JD appeared a little hurt at her seeming deception. For a small moment she thought that perhaps he had harboured some sort of attraction towards her, but she dismissed this within a blink of an eye. This boy seemed to attach himself to people too readily. He should be used to a let down or two by now. Clearly however he was still shocked by her small betrayal.

Buck was a harder man fathom. His general appearance was always open, but somehow he still seemed to hide his true feelings. By the slow, understanding nodding of his head, it appeared as if he had expected that revelation to come. Subconsciously she played with the emerald wedding ring that must have given her away to him. Why she still wore it was a mystery to her. The more time that passed, the more meaningless it got. She had never been one to be sentimental nor have her head in the clouds, but the reality of her situation was still refusing to force itself upon her. Almost every morning she twirled it in her fingers, contemplating whether or not to wear it. Then some instinct would take over and she would plant it firmly on her finger and not give it a second thought until she took it off later that night.

"So," Buck said, in a seemingly offhanded manner, returning her from her thoughts, "Yer married. I thought ya said it were 'Miss' Henderson."

"Yes it is," she explained coolly, without any hint of remorse at having effectively lied to them, "It's been so since he died."

JD felt a touch guilty. He had just started to think badly of her before that.

"Oh, gee, ma'am," he said quietly, his young face full of remorse, "I'm so sorry."

Annabelle warmed slightly at the sympathy she saw in him. He didn't even know her and yet he reacted so warmly towards her. It was rather unexpected in the world that she had gotten used to as so harsh. In her experience people were generally out to do you over in any which way they could.

"Thank you, Mr Dunne," she said gently, "But it was a long time ago."

Buck recognised something familiar in that.

"The war?" he asked, purely on gut instinct.

She nodded and he left it at that.

--

Ezra walked down the creaky wooden steps with a renewed vigour. The alcohol enhanced misery, which had consumed him so effectively the night before had become nothing more than a hazy memory, and he had promptly returned to his usual jovial self. Life was in too little supply to spend it in a pointless state of melancholy. Especially when there was money out there just waiting to won.

He moved himself off of the last step with a grace most ladies would be envious of and adjusted his cravat. He walked over to the bar where JD was picking up two pitchers of beer.

"Well, good morning to you, Mr Dunne," he said brightly.

JD looked at him with a slight frown. Ezra usually wasn't this cheerful when he got up, even when that happened to be at eleven in the morning. He was used to seeing the gambler spending the minimum of an hour complaining about how early it was. It made him wonder what he was up to.

"Everything okay?" JD asked with a slight hint of concern.

Ezra shook his head, twirling his hat in his fingers.

"Just because my mood is considerably less dour than is usual, it certainly doesn't mean anything is amiss. In point of fact," he said, slapping JD on the back so hard that some of the beer spilled from the pitchers, "I am feeling rather jovial today. Now all I have to do is find some willing opponent to test the whim of Lady Luck against."

"Well," JD said with a smile as he began to walk back over to the table, Ezra following, "Got the perfect one for ya right here. I'll warn ya though Ezra - she's more than meets the eye."

That would be something he'd definitely like to watch. Annabelle was a good card player and it'd be interesting to see how her skills compared to Ezra's. JD used the Southerner as a benchmark. Anyone who was better than him had to be one of the best.

Ezra was about to enquire who JD was talking about when he spotted the lady sitting at the table with Buck, the two of them chatting with some intimacy it appeared. At that very moment, the cowboy reached up and pulled a stray strand of grass out of her hair, lingering a little longer than he really should.

For a moment JD swore he saw a flicker of reaction on Ezra's placid face, but if the mask had slipped it had only been for a moment.

"Yes, Mr Dunne," he replied in a quiet, even voice, such a change from the boisterousness of a moment ago, "She certainly is."

JD was about to ask him what was up, but Ezra simple continued walking without another word. He stopped at the table, just behind Buck and Annabelle.

The cowboy was currently recalling an amusing anecdote about how he'd once helped a jilted young lady get her revenge on the man in question.

Annabelle laughed brightly, as he reached the conclusion, "And exactly how long did it take for him to get rid of the delightful smell of cattle manure?"

Buck's grin widened at the memory, "By all accounts, 'bout a week. Didn't make him very popular with any of his mistresses."

"Yes," Annabelle said with a nod, "I can see how that could cause him to lose his charm."

Buck went to agree with her, but was beaten to it.

"Quite true, madam," Ezra interjected from behind, his voice icy in its formality, "Although it appears as if you have lost none of yours."

Annabelle looked horribly startled by the sudden voice, but managed to maintain some degree of composure as she rose and turned to face him.

"Or at least," Ezra added, a sudden venom springing into his tone as his eyes set themselves on her face, "Mr Wilmington here doesn't seem to think so. In fact, he seems quite enamoured with you."

There was silence for just a short, tense moment.

"Well, sir," she said evenly, any of the shock she had exhibited seemingly having been knocked out of her by his manner, "There really is no need for such a lack of decorum. The matter of who I am and am not permitted to talk to has long since been taken out of your hands."

"Not according to the law," Ezra replied stiffly, clearly riled.

"Ah, but you were never really a wonderful advocate of that, were you now, Mr Standish?" she countered with soft spoken malice.

There was a stand off of furious glares and Buck felt the need to intervene. Not only because he was worried about what they'd do, but also because he was dying to know how they were acquainted.

"So," he said, with a brightness that didn't really fit the situation, "I take it you guys are old pals."

There was another short moment of silence and glaring. Buck wondered whether the pair of them had heard him, or were just too busy shooting daggers at each other to notice.

It was Ezra who spoke up first.

"Indeed we are acquainted, Mr Wilmington," he said in a tone that bordered dangerously on mocking, "This charming young lady and I have quite a history together."

Buck and JD frowned, wondering where this was leading.

"Gentlemen," Ezra continued, "I'd like you to meet Annabelle Standish. My wife."