Disclaimer: I own none of the characters of this story. The WWE or themselves own them. No profit is being made from this story. It's purely for fun!
A/N: Thanks you so much for the reviews. I am so glad that everybody seems to be enjoying my little Western. Liz, this chapter is for you;-)
Chris and Kurt had an early start the next morning. Within a few hours, Dave rode up in front of them without saying a word. Chris looked at Kurt with questions in his eyes while Kurt just grinned. He got his horse up beside of Dave while Chris went on the other side.
"Good morning Dave," Kurt said with a tip of the hat. "Anything in particular you want to work on today or is it just a normal day?"
"Just a normal day for you Kurt," Dave said with a small smile. He turned and looked at Chris. "You, on the other hand, will be helping me. We've got to repair the fence on the East Side of the property."
"Sure thing boss, lead the way," Chris said.
Dave pulled the reins and started heading towards the problem. Chris stayed right beside of him quiet for the first few minutes. He pondered over what exactly to say to Dave without sounding too suspicious. The silence was too much for Chris and he had to get his plan in action. It was now or never.
"So are you from around here?" Chris asked looking straight ahead. He figured Dave would answer him as long as he wasn't looking at him. Dave seemed most uncomfortable to Chris when people were looking straight at him.
Dave was quiet for a minute before answering. It had been a long time since somebody just talked to him for the sake of conversation and he was a little leery. Chris seemed to be an 'okay' guy so he decided to answer him. "In a round about way," Dave said with no expression on his face.
Chris waited a minute before speaking again. It hadn't taken him long to figure out that Dave wasn't used to people caring about him. He knew exactly what that was like and suddenly felt as though the two of them might have more in common that he had originally thought. "Ever get the feeling that you just don't belong no matter how hard to you," he said looking straight ahead.
Dave pondered Chris's statement before answering. He felt like that every day of his life and decided to admit it to the stranger. He rode quietly for a minute before quietly answering. "Every day."
"I don't mean to pry but why do you let them treat you like hired help? You are family and an heir to the ranch," Chris said.
Dave laughed a little before speaking. "I will say this much, you can definitely tell that you are not from around here. My mother was a full-blooded Indian who fell in love with my father. He did not feel the same about her but that didn't stop him from taking what he wanted."
Chris could feel the tension and anger coming out of Dave. He could understand why he felt that way but wasn't sure why Dave stayed and took it. He opened his mouth and shut it wondering at the intelligence of asking his next question. Finally, unable to stop himself, he asked him. "Then why stay?"
"Good question, I've asked myself that a time or two," Dave said coming to a stop. The conversation was the most talking Dave had done in years, other than to his family. He decided he needed a break from the friendly questions. "Here's the problem. The fence is broken in a couple of places. I had a few of the other men bring the stuff out here that we would need earlier."
Chris watched as Dave got off of his horse and headed towards the fence. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. He also wanted his help and hopefully, by the end of the day, he would get it. As he got off of his horse, he hoped that he would get it without Dave knowing what he was up to or all hell could break loose.
Shane sat at his desk wondering how much longer it would be before Chris sent him the message that he was waiting for. He had waited a long time to get even with his father for the things that he had done to his mother and sister and he was getting antsy at the wait. He still couldn't believe that finally, after all this time, it was going to be over.
"Shane," a female voice said coming from the living room.
Shane smiled as he heard his mother's voice. "I'm in my office Mom."
Linda walked in the room with a gentle smile on her face. Her blonde hair was pulled into a neat bun and her blue eyes showed nothing but happiness as she looked at her only son. She sat down in the chair in front of his desk with a concerned look on her face. "You work too hard son."
"Don't worry Mom, hopefully, I'll be able to retire soon," Shane said with a smile. He knew where his mother was heading with that statement. He had heard it enough to know what she was going to say word for word.
"I would love to see you settle down and give me some grandchildren to play with," Linda said with a soft smile. She hated seeing Shane work all the time. This need of his to bring his father down was consuming his life and Linda hated to see it. It was like the cycle of the McMahon life was starting all over again.
Shane grinned as he heard what he was expecting to hear. His mother would never change and he didn't want her to. She was a perfect mother as far as he was concerned and she deserved the best, along with his sister, Stephanie. "You know, there's nothing that I wouldn't like better. I just have to finish this one last business matter and then I promise, I'll concentrate on that," Shane said.
Linda's face showed her sadness. She looked at her son with concern in her eyes. She knew this was about Vince. She felt a tightening in her stomach that almost made her feel nauseated. "Is this about your father?"
Shane's eyes flashed but then there was nothing there but the warmth that his mother was used to. "Now Mom, some things are better left for me to do and you to find out later." He had told his mother everything she needed to know right then with that statement and Shane knew that.
Linda closed her eyes to hide the pain of speaking of Vince. No matter what he had done to her, she still loved him. Oh, there were times that she hated him but she still loved him. He was the father of her children and that still counted for something for her. Besides, she remembered vividly the man that she married. He was still in there somewhere, she just knew that he was and wanted to stop this before something happened that Shane would regret. "I wish you would drop this Shane before it eats you alive."
"Mom, I have to do this. He has to be stopped," Shane said imploring with his mother to believe in him with his eyes.
"I agree but does it have to be you that does it?" Linda asked quietly.
"Yes Mom, you know that nobody else will. I am the only man that's not afraid of him," Shane said with a sad smile.
"Ok, you do what you have to do but Shane, don't kill him," Linda said holding her hand up to stop Shane from speaking. "I know what you are going to say and maybe he does deserve that but you don't. You don't deserve the guilt that you will feel if you do this. Trust me on this son, I will let you get your revenge but not at that high of a cost. That is too much for anybody to pay, especially my son."
Linda quietly got up and kissed her son on the cheek. She walked out of the room before her son could see the tears in her eyes. She wished that she could get him to drop this vendetta against his father but knew that wasn't possible. Shane was a good hard working man who deserved to be happy. Hopefully once it was all said and done, he would find him a nice girl and settle down.
Ivory couldn't help but notice Lita's upbeat mood. She had been humming to herself all day and had a silly little smile on her face. She knew Randy was the reason for the smile and held off as long as she could about asking her about it. Finally, Ivory could stand no more.
"Ok, I've got to know. Is Randy the reason you are smiling so much and humming?" Ivory asked with a gentle smile.
Lita's smile increased with the mention of Randy's name. "Yes, is it that obvious?"
"Well, let me put it this way, I've never heard you hum, even with you were with Matt," Ivory said knowing.
"Ivory, he was just so sweet. He didn't do anything but talk to me until we got ready to leave. He took my hand and held it cause the grass was wet and he didn't want me to fall. Do you know how long it has been since a man did something like that for me?" Lita said gushing with happiness.
"It has been way too long," Ivory said. "You know, I think I can work it where you two can have some time off this weekend, if you like."
"Really?" Lita asked with a hopeful tone in her voice. "I had thought about packing a picnic lunch and taking it out by the pond."
"I think I can arrange that," Ivory said with a twinkle in her eye.
Lita clapped her hands together and jumped over to Ivory. She almost knocked Ivory down with her enthusiasm and hugged her tightly. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome honey, you're welcome," Ivory said hugging the girl tightly to herself for a
moment. "Now, get back to work. We've got a lot to do and not enough time to do it in."
Hunter grinned to himself as he traveled down the road. He had worked out the final details last night with Vince. He laughed out loud as he thought of how clever it was going to be. Stephanie was going to be sorry that she never sold that saloon to him when he asked.
He wasn't going to be sorry though. She was a pretty woman and this would get Ric off of his back. He had been on him for over a year now to settle down, get married, and have some brats. He knew that Ric wanted to make sure that he had an heir before he kicked the bucket but he wanted to sow a few more wild oats.
Thinking of wild oats brought Trish to mind. He smiled as he pictured her naked and waiting for him. "Too bad she's not the marrying type," he said out loud. He then laughed because he could never imagine her being a housewife and a mother. Trish was a lot of things but motherly was not one of them.
He wished he could get back to town quicker. Thinking of Trish had caused him to be just a tad bit uncomfortable riding on the horse but that was ok. She would be there waiting for him as always, warm, willing, and able. He laughed out loud at the thought while urging his horse to pick up the pace.
"When?" Tajiri asked with a little bit of glee in his voice.
Taker smiled as he looked at the expression of excitement on Tajiri's face. "Soon, my friend. Real soon."
Tajiri smiled and nodded his head. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen after finally catching Bradshaw after all this time. He wanted to stay with Taker; he was the only family that he had. All of his family still lived in his homeland of Japan and he didn't want to go back there.
"What when we done?" Tajiri asked almost fearful of what Taker would say.
Taker noticed the look on Tajiri's face and bit back a smile. He knew that Tajiri was afraid that he wouldn't need him any more and it was really foolishness on his part. He looked out into the sky and said, "We catch him and take him in. You know how it works."
"No, after that," Tajiri said with a little aggravation in his voice.
Taker laughed and walked over to his friend. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "We get the paper work on the next one. We're a team and we're going to stay that way."
"Good," Tajiri said feeling the anxiety leave him quickly. That was all he needed to hear.
Chris and Dave had worked together quietly but got the job done in no time. Dave grabbed his canteen off of his horse and took a drink. He then offered it to Chris who had definitely earned his money that day.
"Thank you," Chris said with appreciation. He quickly turned it up taking three swallows before putting the cap back on it and handing it back to Dave.
Dave stood there with a look of astonishment on his face. Never, in all the time that he had worked there at the ranch, had a white man took a drink after him. "It didn't bother you a bit to take a drink after an Indian, did it?"
"No sir, the way I see it, I'm no better than you are," Chris said with a grin. "Your blood is red, just like mine."
Dave smiled and shook his head. "You're different than what I'm used to around here."
"Well, you'll find that I'm different period," Chris said in a smug tone.
Dave laughed out loud and shook his head. "I like you." He turned to his horse and put the canteen back up. "Let's get out of here."
"I'm right behind you boss," Chris said with a grin on his face. His plan was coming along rather nicely. Now, if he could just convince Dave to help him, he would be set.
"Not now Christian," Trish said pushing her boyfriend away from her in disgust. "Can't you tell when I'm in the mood and not in the mood?"
"Not any more," Christian said with a disgusted look on his face. "Look, I want to know what in the hell is going on. One day, you act like I'm the best thing ever and the next, you look at me like I'm a disgusting pervert."
Trish closed her eyes and counted to ten. She couldn't afford to piss Christian off. Besides, Christian had been really good to her and while she felt guilty over cheating on him, it wasn't enough to make her stop. She put on her prettiest smile and walked over to him. "I'm sorry, it's just that I'm so sick of this town."
Christian looked at his girlfriend's face and melted. "You know, we are not staying here much longer. One more job and we're set for life."
"Really?" Trish asked with a hopeful look in her face.
"Really. Tomko and I have all of the information we need on the bank. The minute we hit it, we're out of here," Christian said pulling Trish into his arms. "But baby, there is just one catch."
"What's that?" Trish said pulling out his arms and looking into his eyes.
"In order for you to leave town with me, you're going to have to marry me," Christian said with a determined look in his eyes. He held up his hand and silenced her before she began complaining. "I know about your little 'trysts' and I'll overlook them but you're going to have to commit to me and mean it."
Ivory had finally finished helping Lita with lunch when she noticed that there was somebody standing in the lobby. One glance told her that it was Kurt and she was surprised. He normally only ate there a couple of times a week and then, only at supper.
She wiped her hands on her apron and walked out to see him.
"Hi Kurt, what can I do for you?" Ivory asked with a smile on her face.
"Well, you can start by telling me how Lita and Randy's little 'date' went last night," Kurt said with a little smile. He had been curious about it all day. He had to come to town to get a few things for the Evolution ranch and decided to ask Ivory how things went between Lita and Randy.
"I think it went very well," Ivory said motioning for him to come closer. She brought her voice level down a notch or two. "Let's go out back; Lita's in the kitchen, Randy's around here somewhere and I don't want them walking out here and hearing us talk about them."
Ivory winked at him and yelled to the kitchen. "Lita, I'll be out for a minute. You ok in there by yourself?"
"Yes ma'am," Lita hollered back. "I'm fine."
Ivory smiled at Kurt and walked out the front door with Kurt on her heels. They walked off the porch and were in the back when Ivory started talking. "I think it went very well. She's been smiling a lot today and so has he."
"Good, those two are right for each other," Kurt said with a smile. "I just wanted to check and make sure Randy was a gentleman."
"Very much so according to Lita," Ivory said with a smile.
Kurt stood there looking at her smiling and froze. He had always liked Ivory as a friend but here lately thoughts were consuming him of seeing her as a woman. He also knew she had been widowed for a while and just might be ready to move on. There was so much that he wanted to say but couldn't find the right words to say.
Ivory noticed the look in Kurt's eye and felt her heart pounding in her chest. She had never actually seen Kurt looking at her like that before. He was looking at her like a man smitten over a woman for the first time. She blushed at her foolish thoughts thinking how wrong she was for thinking that.
Finally, Kurt decided that it was now or never. He couldn't tell her how he felt but he could show her. He'd been dying to kiss those lips for a long time and now seemed like the right time to do just that. He grabbed her by the arms and said, "I'm sorry Ivory but I can't hold it back any more." He then proceeded to kiss her like she had never been kissed before.
After the initial shock of the moment, Ivory closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Kurt. It had been such a long time since she had felt a man's touch and Kurt kissing her brought back all those feelings and some new ones. She tried to stop the moan from coming out but couldn't. She had thought all of those feelings were long gone and her body was showing her otherwise.
Lita happened to look out the window and gasped out loud at what she saw. She rubbed her eyes and opened them again. Randy was walking around the corner and heard her gasp. He came running into the kitchen hoping everything was all right.
"What's wrong?" Randy asked almost out of breath.
"What?" Lita said turning her eyes from the kissing duo with an amused look on her face. "Nothing, look."
Randy looked out the window and grinned. "Well, I'll be damned, he finally kissed her."
Dave and Chris took their time going over to where the cattle were. He immediately noticed the Basham brothers and became disturbed by seeing them. Dave was puzzled as to why they were with the herd. He guided his horse over to where they were to find out where Kurt was.
"Afternoon boys, where's Kurt?" Dave asked bringing his horse to a halt.
"He had to go into town for some supplies, he'll be back directly," Danny said spitting out some tobacco juice.
Dave hid the disgust that he felt for the two boys. They were nasty and Hunter's boys; he tried his best to stay away from them because they were trouble. They looked alike and acted alike so it was hard to tell them apart. "Well, we'll be heading on back now."
"What about pretty boy? He's not done yet," Doug said coming up beside of his brother.
Dave looked at them with daggers in his eyes. This was what he could not stand about the ranch; he absolutely had no respect from the workers with the exception of Chris and Kurt. Of course, that was just the way his father and brother liked it.
"Are you questioning me?" Dave asked with a cold hard look in his eyes.
Danny and Doug looked at each other with fear in their eyes. They knew that he was an Indian and could scalp them in their sleep if he wanted too. Doug bowed his head while his brother answered. "No sir, not at all."
Dave nodded his head and looked at Chris. "Let's go."
Chris silently followed Dave noticing the look of hatred on the Basham brother's faces. He had just made a couple more enemies but he was used to that. He wasn't bothered by it at all; he was just making a mental note to not be caught alone with those two.
Kurt rode back to the ranch with a silly smile on his face. He still couldn't believe that he actually kissed her. He knew that she was surprised but then again so was he. He was still in shock over the fact that he had kissed her and didn't get slapped for his trouble.
He was starting up towards the cattle when he saw Hunter getting off of his horse. Not wanting to speak to him, he tried to ride on by without attracting his attention. Unfortunately, Hunter had seen him.
"Kurt," Hunter hollered motioning for him to come to him. "Is everything ok?"
"Yes sir, I just had to go to town for a few supplies," Kurt said.
"Have you seen Dave?" Hunter asked.
"The last time I seen him, he was heading out to fix the fence with the new man," Kurt said hoping Chris was ok. Dave was a strange man and it showed most of the time.
"Ok, well, get on back to work then," Hunter said dismissing him completely.
Kurt hid the anger. He had gotten good at that lately. He hated working there but the money was good along with the free room and board. Granted, he didn't like Hunter but nobody really did. He sighed as he pushed his horse to get back to work. There was still a lot to do before the sun went down.
Stephanie sighed as she cleaned the glasses. She had been sighing quite a bit lately and there was only one reason for it, Chris Jericho. She still couldn't get the almost kiss out of her mind. She wanted a kiss from that man and she would have it. She didn't know how or when; she just knew that it would happen.
She smiled as she pictured him in her mind. He was just so handsome with his long blonde hair and his crystal clear blue eyes. He was so different than the other men that she had met in her lifetime were. She wanted to spend some time alone with him and was trying to plot out how when Show walked up.
"Ok what are you up to?" Show said reading her like a book. He knew that Stephanie always scrunched her nose when she was plotting. She had had her nose scrunched for a few minutes now and he was starting to get worried about what was going on in that pretty little head of hers.
"Nothing," Stephanie said with a mischievous smile. She knew that Show knew she was up to something but she wasn't inclined to tell him. There were some things a girl had to keep to herself.
"Nothing my foot," Show said smiling back at her. "I've been around you long enough to know when you are planning something and you're doing it right now."
"Maybe I am but if I am planning something, then it's my business," Stephanie said cheekily.
Show busted out laughing and watched Stephanie's smile grow bigger. He knew she was up to something and he would bet the money in his pocket that he had to do with Chris Jericho. "I know you are up to something and I'm thinking it has to do with Chris Jericho."
The telltale blush on her face told Show everything that he needed to know. Knowing that Chris was working for Shane had eased his mind a bit on the man. He wouldn't take advantage of her; he knew that in his gut. He just hoped that Chris stayed around and that Stephanie didn't get hurt.
"Don't worry, you're secret is safe with me," Show whispered before walking off.
Stephanie shook her head and got back to work. Show knew her better than she knew herself at times, which should have bothered her but, oddly enough, didn't. They had been friends for a long time and she knew that he was just worried about her. Hopefully, things would work out with her and Chris. Maybe then Show could get a life of his own instead of it being his life long mission to keep her safe.
Dave was laughing so hard at the antics of Chris Jericho that he had to wipe the tears from his eyes. Chris was like a breath of fresh air in his dull life. For so long, Dave had been alone and he finally felt as though he might have found a friend. In all his years, he had never felt so comfortable in his own skin as he did when he was with Chris.
The more time Chris spent with Dave, the more he liked him. It was almost to the point that he wanted to stop his plan of using him. He was starting to feel more and more guilty about it as the day went on. Dave was an honest, hard working man. His only crime was being related to Hunter and Ric and even that wasn't directly his fault.
They had rode all over the ranch with Dave pointing out the trouble areas that needed to be checked on. Chris made mental notes at all of the stakes wondering which part of the land was Stephanie's. He finally couldn't hold his questions in any longer.
"Do you own everything that is staked?" Chris asked.
"Hunter and dad do," came Dave's abrupt reply.
"It's your ranch too. You work just as hard as they do if not more so," Chris said puzzled by the coolness of Dave's reaction.
"I'm going to be honest with you. I don't count. I'm considered a worker the same as you. The only difference is I get to sleep in the big fancy house with them instead of out in the bunkhouse. They do that for appearances only," Dave said.
Chris sat there quietly thinking about what Dave had said. He couldn't believe that they would treat their own flesh and blood that way. "Well, if you were my brother, I would be proud of you. I wouldn't try and hide you or your heritage."
Dave looked at Chris with shock in his eyes. The shock slowly turned to gratitude. He then turned his head straight ahead. "Thank you."
"No problem, just telling you the truth," Chris said with a grin.
Dave smiled as he watched the sun start to set. Maybe Chris was just the person he needed to get out of this hellhole. Maybe he had really found his first true friend who liked him for him and not who his family was.
Trish sat there alone lying on her bed. She couldn't believe that Christian knew about her and Hunter's little 'trysts' as he called them. To her knowledge, this was the first time that he had caught her and she was a little shaken up by his demand. She was shaken up period at the thought of marriage.
Did she really want to spend the rest of her life with Christian? She really wasn't sure. She liked her freedom and the fact that she answered to no one. She had been a loose woman for so long that she just assumed that she would never marry. She honestly felt as though she wasn't the marrying type. She also wasn't sure that she wanted to give Hunter up so soon.
She knew that Hunter wasn't the settling kind of guy. She knew his kind well, which was how she knew how to deal with them. Hunter was easy for her to manipulate into thinking he was in control. She had thought Christian was that kind of guy but she was beginning to think that she could have been wrong about him.
Christian was a crook but at least he was an honest one. He never stole from the poor, only the rich and she fell in love with him over that. Her eyes mirrored her confusion with her thoughts. She had just realized that she was in love with Christian and her life had just gotten ten times more complicated than it was before.