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: After asking the right person (Nina, thanks;-) I'm changing the rating from R to PG-13. Thanks for the reviews; I'm just glad that everybody is enjoying the story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. The action and drama is getting ready to really pick up, so as always, please review! Thanks!
The day was finally over and Chris was glad. He was little sore from his ride with Dave but that didn't matter. As a cattleman, that was part of the job. He hoped nobody had down a time at the hotel because he desperately wanted a bath. After rubbing his horse down in the stable, he quickly walked up the steps and into the hotel lobby.
One look at the sheet and Chris grinned; he had plenty of time for a bath. He wrote his name down and then stuck his head into the kitchen. Sure enough, Randy was sitting there watching Lita work with that love struck look on his face again. Chris grinned as he walked over to him. "What's a man got to do to get some bath water around here?"
"All he has to do is ask," Randy said with a grin. He quietly got up and went over to the stove to heat up Chris's bath water.
Dave walked into the house tired but feeling good about himself as a person. Chris had made him really think about the way things were around the ranch. He looked around noting the mutated tones that were coming from his father's office.
He quietly pulled his boots off and walked over to listen. Normally, he didn't care what they were plotting and scheming but he was getting tired of being lumped into their category just because he was kin to them. He walked up to the edge of the door and listened.
"I don't know son, it's pretty risky," Ric said wiping his eyes.
"Dad, we're all about risks," Hunter said trying to make his father understand. "We wouldn't have all this if I hadn't of taken risks."
"I know that but kidnapping Stephanie? That's a hanging offense son," Ric said with a worried tone in his voice.
"Only if we get caught and that's not going to happen. Look, all I have to do is bring her here, marry her, and keep her here. How hard can that be?" Hunter asked with a mocking tone to his voice.
"When are you planning on doing this?" Ric said with a resignation to his voice.
"Tomorrow night," Hunter said with a gleam in his eyes. "Here's what we are going to do."
Dave stood there with a horrified look on his face. Stephanie was one of the nicest folks in town and did not deserve what was getting ready to happen. Suddenly, Chris popped into his mind. Quietly, he stood there listening to their plans, memorizing every word.
Ivory stood there at the door watching and waiting for Kurt. Ever since he had kissed her earlier that day, he was all that she could think about. She smiled as she thought of how it felt to be in his arms. It had been a long time since a man had made her feel that way.
"Oh Al, I think you would like him," she whispered out loud, her mind fading to the last conversation that she had with husband on his deathbed.
Al Snow lay there on his bed dying. He knew he was dying. He could feel his life slipping away second by second. His doctor had been very upfront and honest with him; the infection had spread to his lungs. There was nothing that could be done but his wife wouldn't accept that.
He smiled as he watched Ivory walking around the room ranting and raving about how that doctor didn't know anything. He was an idiot and she didn't believe a word that he said. She picked up a frying pan earlier and had chased the doctor out of the room giving Al a good laugh.
Unfortunately, it could very well be the last time he laughed at his wife's antics. The thought wiped the smile off of his face and made him realize how much he was going to miss his wife when it was all said and done.
"Ivory," Al said quietly with a faint smile on his face. "Ivory, come here sweetheart."
"What is it honey? What do you need?" Ivory asked rushing over to his side.
"Sit down, we need to talk," Al said patting the bed beside of him. "Please sit."
"You don't need to be talking. You need to save your strength," Ivory said with a worried look on her face.
"Honey, I'm dying," Al said in a quiet voice. "I know you don't want to hear it; I don't want to say it but we both know that it's truth."
Ivory closed her eyes unable to keep the tears from falling down her face. Al had been her life for so long and she so didn't want him to leave her. She loved him so much. It just wasn't fair that they had to go through this. "Don't say that."
"Sweetheart, I have to say that. It's true," Al said with a sad look on his face. "I don't want to leave you. If it were up to me, we would be together for the next 100 years but it's not going to happen that way for us." He opened his arms indicating that he wanted his wife in them.
Ivory lay down on the bed beside of her husband with the tears pouring out of her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and held her while she cried. He wouldn't be able to console her once he was gone and he wanted to give her everything that he possibly could before it was too late.
Finally Ivory lifted her head up and kissed her husband softly on the lips. "How will I make it without you?" she whispered the agony in her voice cutting her husband's heart like a sharp razor.
"Sweetheart, you are a strong woman. You will survive but I need a promise from you," Al said pushing her hair out of her face.
"What honey?" Ivory asked.
"I know this is hard for you to hear and hell, it's hard for me to say but if you ever get the chance to love again, I want you to know that you have my blessing," Al said.
"I don't think I will ever love again," Ivory said vehemently. "You're my one and only true love. There will be no others after you are gone."
Al smiled at his wife and shook his head. "Honey, you are beautiful and young. We've been married for 10 years and I'm thankful for every one of those years with you. What kind of man would I be if I asked you to never love again? Sure, I'm your husband but I don't want to think about you being alone for the rest of your life after I'm gone."
"You're my husband, you'll always be my husband," Ivory said with agony in her voice.
"And you will always be my wife but I won't be here honey. If you have a chance with a good honest man, I want you to take it because you have so much love to give. I'd take it all with me if I could but I can't," Al said with an agonized look on his face. "Do you think that it's easy for me to tell you to love another man?"
"No, I guess not," Ivory said looking into his eyes. "I promise Al. I promise that if I find a good man, I'll open myself up but only for you."
"You'll do it for yourself, not me," Al said with a sad smile. "Come here sweetheart, let me hold you a little longer before it's time for me to leave you."
Ivory came back to the present with a tear in her eye. She quickly wiped it away and smiled. Al wouldn't like her to be sad. He only wanted her to be happy. She knew that but it didn't mean that she was over him. She would always love him but as Al had said to her, her heart was big enough to love again. She had finally figured what her husband had been trying to tell her on his deathbed.
Her attention quickly turned as she heard footsteps on the front porch. She smiled as she noticed Kurt walking thru the door. He smiled back immediately walking up to her and kissing her on the cheek.
"I hope you know that we're courting now Ivory," Kurt said with a smile.
"I kind of figured that out," Ivory said with a smile of her own.
Chris was walking around town when he noticed the new man in town on his horse near the stables. One glance was enough to tell him that the man was tall, real tall. As the man turned his head, Chris's eyes widened when he realized exactly who it was standing under the tree. He quickly looked around and made his way over to him with a shocked look on his face. It had been a long time since he had seen the man, way too long.
"Taker, what are you doing here?" Chris asked with disbelief in his voice.
Taker had a shocked look on his face as he looked down at the man talking to him. Surprise showed on his face for a split second and then vanished into thin air just as quickly. "Well, Chris Jericho, as I live and breathe. What do you think I'm doing here?" Taker asked with an amused voice. "I'm here for a wanted man."
"Who?" Chris asked. He knew Taker was a US Marshall; he was with him when the governor of Texas had pinned him. He always thought they might meet up again someday but he didn't expect it here and definitely not now.
"Does it matter? Besides, don't you have anything else to talk to me about?" Taker asked looking out at the town, watching and waiting. He was trying not to let his emotions take over now that he had finally seen Chris again face to face. It was a losing battle. Being this close to his former ranch and now seeing his long lost 'son' was starting to get to him.
"Well, it's been a while. How have you been?" Chris asked sarcastically. He knew that Taker could be cold at times but he was a good man. He didn't understand why he was feeling all this hostility from him, especially after it had been so long since they had seen each other.
"Look boy," Taker said with a serious look on his face. The second Chris's mouth had opened, he knew that tone: that sarcastic dry tone of Chris's. He had a flashback of Chris being a skinny boy with a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas. "I didn't take you in all those years ago for you to disrespect me like that. Now, try again."
Chris felt immediately ashamed for his uncalled for attitude. The man in front of him was the closest thing to family that he had ever had in his entire life. He didn't treat him right when he left and Chris knew that now. It was time to mend those fences. "It's good to see you Mark," Chris said quietly using his real name.
"Damn, I've not been called that since you left," Taker said with a sad look on his face. "Why did you run off boy? Why didn't you just say good bye when you left?"
"I didn't know how," Chris said looking ashamed. "You know, I appreciated everything that you did for me; from taking me in to teaching me everything about cattle. You were the very first friend that I ever had and I never forgot you ever."
"You could have fooled me," Taker said with a harsh look on his face. "Next time, at least write a damn letter and let a man know where his son is."
Chris looked up at him with hopeful eyes. "Son?"
"I've always considered you my son, you dumb ass," Taker said rolling his eyes. "I was 25 when you were a kid; practically old enough to be your father."
Chris was stunned for a moment. He looked at Taker and noticed the pride in his eyes as he looked at him. "I'm sorry. I just thought you felt sorry for me when you took me in."
"Well, I did. It reminded me too much of myself at that age. I didn't want you growing up the way I did. I had to give you every opportunity that I didn't have. I just wished that you would have said good bye when you left," Taker said with a sad look on his face.
"Would it have made it any easier on you?" Chris asked.
"Probably not but I wouldn't have gone for years thinking you left because I made you mad in some way or another," Taker said shaking his head.
"What? I was never mad, I just figured once I was grown that it was time to go," Chris said with a shocked look on his face.
"Did you know that I sold the ranch a month after you left?" Taker asked watching as Chris shook his head no. "I did. I couldn't stand to be there without you anymore."
"How long are you going to be in town?" Chris asked.
"Probably not long. I've found my man and I'm just waiting for the right time to get him. What about you; how long are you staying?" Taker asked.
"I'm thinking about putting some roots here," Chris said with a small grin. He then frowned and said, "It's not safe to be talking out in the open like this. Too many eyes and ears around."
"I know what you mean," Taker said looking around. "I've got a camp set out on the outskirts of town. Come by and we'll talk some more."
"I will," Chris said turning to walk away. He stopped and looked back at Taker. "It's real good to see you again Taker."
"Same here boy," Taker said with a small smile. "Same here."
Dave rode into town with a determined look on his face. For so long, he had done everything that his family had asked him to do. He knew that he had to find a way to stop them. The only person that came to mind was Chris Jericho.
He knew that Chris was sweet on Stephanie; hell the whole town knew. Stephanie was a nice girl but she had never shown any interest in any man until now. If there was anybody that would help him, he knew it would be Chris.
He pulled his horse in front of the saloon and slid down. He tied his horse and walked in hoping that Chris showed up soon. It was the only way to save Stephanie from what his evil brother had in mind.
Christian walked into the house with a determined look on his face. He was tired of the way Trish had played him with Hunter. He was also very hurt because he was in love with her. He shook his head in disgust.
"How could I have been so stupid?" he muttered to himself looking around the house.
Trish was no where to be seen. He quickly walked over to her closet and let out a sigh of relief. All of her clothes were still hanging up. She hadn't left town yet but who knew what she was thinking or whom she was thinking about.
He looked up at Tomko as he walked in the door. "Tonight, right?"
"Tonight," Christian said with a firm tone in his voice. The sooner he got the job done, the sooner he could get Trish away from Hunter. He really didn't have any choice; it was now or never.
Trish rode up to the Evolution ranch with a smile. She knew Hunter would be pissed at her for coming by but she didn't care. She was coming to say goodbye although she doubted that Hunter would actually believe that she was done with him.
As much as she had enjoyed his body, that was about all that she had enjoyed, his body. Upon hearing Christian's ultimatum and thinking about it along and hard, she had made a decision. She was going to pick Christian. Of course, being in love with Christian had influenced that decision more than Trish would let on. She smiled her best smile as she saw Hunter walking towards her. She stopped her horse and waited for him to come to her.
"What in the hell are you doing here?" Hunter said walking up to her with an angry look on his face. How dare she think she could just drop by any time that she wanted to. This nonsense was going to stop and he was going to stop it now.
"I just came by to tell you not to come by any more," Trish said with a fake smile. She could tell that she had pissed Hunter off and was secretly pleased. He was too used to get his own way and it was time somebody gave him a dose of his medicine. She was glad that she got the opportunity to be that person.
"Oh really?" Hunter said with an amused look. "You and I both know that is not true." He never expected to hear that coming from her mouth. He didn't believe her. He knew that he made her feel like a real woman and that she wasn't going to just walk away from him. Women didn't walk away from him; he walked away from them when he was finished with them.
Trish laughed out loud. "Did you really think that there was anything else between us other than sex? No, I know you better than that. You're just pissed because I'm the one ending it and not you." She noticed the angry look on his face and smiled a genuine smile. "You should have never lied to me. We both know that you had were not moving me out here."
"Now honey, you know that's not true," Hunter said turning on the charm. She was the only decent piece of ass that he had found in a long time. He didn't want to let it go so easily. Besides, he knew that he could talk her into staying around, otherwise why was she there? "Look, why don't you come on down and check out the house?"
"You really don't get it do you?" Trish asked with an amused look on her face. "Let me make myself clear; goodbye Hunter."
With that, she turned her horse and put it into a full gallop. She laughed out loud enjoying the air flowing on her face. She had a future with Christian and she knew she had to get back to him. She was going to marry him and to hell with what everybody else thought, including Hunter.
Lita was finishing up the dishes after the supper meal. They had quite a pretty good crowd today and her back was killing her. She wanted to get done so she could get her picnic basket ready for tomorrow. She started rubbing her back hoping it would ease the pain a little so she could finish up.
Randy walked in carrying the last of the supper dishes. He noticed her rubbing her back and got concerned. She had worked really hard today with little or no break. "Why don't you take a break? I'll finish up."
"Are you sure?" Lita asked with a grateful look on her face.
"Oh yeah, just sit down and talk to me while I finish," Randy said with a grin.
"I think that I can handle that," Lita said getting out of his way. She sat down in the chair enjoying the feel of being off of her feet. She wiggled her toes in her shoes relieved to be off of her feet. "Are we still on for tomorrow?"
"You betcha," Randy said with a grin. "You've not changed your mind, have you?"
"No, I am actually looking forward to it," Lita admitted with a small blush.
"Good cause it's all I have thought about since you asked me. Can I ask you a question?" Randy asked. "I'm warning you, it's a personal one."
"If it's too personal, I'll let you know," Lita said with a heavy heart. She felt cold inside and she knew without a doubt what he was going to ask her. She felt as though her whole world was getting ready to crash upon her head.
"What really happened between you and Matt? I mean, I know it's not any of my business but he really hurt you, didn't he?"
Lita sat there quietly for a minute before answering. She wasn't sure how much she should tell him when she decided that if he really cared about her, then he would understand. It was now or never.
"Let's wait until you get done with the dishes, then we'll talk."
Chris walked into the saloon with a smile on his face. His eyes met Stephanie's and it seemed as if his smile was even wider. He nodded his hat at her as he made his way to a table. She brought him his usual with a smile that seemed to light up her entire face.
"There you go, one shot of whiskey," Stephanie said setting it down on the table.
"Now, how did you know that?" Chris asked with an amused look on his face.
"Don't tell anybody but I've got special skills," Stephanie whispered with a wink.
"Don't worry; I won't. I don't think anybody would believe me anyway," Chris said.
Stephanie laughed out loud. "I think you are probably right."
"So tell me, do you need any whiskey tonight?" Chris asked with a husky tone in his voice.
Stephanie fought the urge to kiss him right there in front of everybody. She straightened her dress and cleared her throat. "Not yet, but the night is still young."
Chris found his heart racing at the comment. "You just come get me when you do."
"I'll do that. I had better get back to the saloon," Stephanie said.
Chris watched as she walked away with an amused look on his face. He would love to get some time alone with her but he didn't know how. She seemed to work all the time. He made a mental note to get with Show to work something out. Suddenly he felt somebody walk up behind him. He turned and noticed Dave standing behind him.
Dave had stood there watching the interaction between Chris and Stephanie. He shook his head at the evilness of his brother. He had to be stopped and Chris was the only man that he knew could help him. "Chris, we need to talk," Dave said with a serious look on his face.
"Ok, sit down," Chris said nodding his head towards the chair.
"No, not here," Dave said looking around. "We need to talk somewhere private."
Chris stood up and Dave followed him. Chris was puzzled and a little worried. Though he hadn't known Dave very long, he knew something was bothering him. He only hoped that he could help his new friend.
"This has been really nice," Kurt said holding hands with Ivory on the front porch of the hotel. The sun had set and the town was quiet except for the saloon but even it seemed quieter than normal tonight.
"Yes, it has," Ivory said with a smile. She had been enjoying just sitting and holding hands with Kurt. There was something about him that made her feel safe and wanted. It had been a long time since a man had made her feel that way and she was enjoying every single moment of it.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to get up the courage to let you know how I really feel about you," Kurt said with a slight blush.
"You're weren't the only one hiding your feelings," Ivory said with a sigh. "It doesn't matter now; we're courting now and that's all that matters."
"Did you ever think you would court again after your husband died?" Kurt asked.
"No, not really. I kind of felt like courting was for the younger ones," Ivory said with a smile.
"Well, now you are not 'that' old Ivory," Kurt said with a slight smile. "Besides, you look pretty darn good to me."
"Thank you," Ivory said with a smile. "You're pretty handsome yourself."
Kurt smiled as he bent down and softly kissed her on the mouth. She was his dream come true in a lot of ways. When he kissed her, he finally felt a sense of home: a feeling that he had been searching for all of his life.
"Lita, what is it?" Randy asked with a concerned look on his face.
Ever since he had asked her about Matt, she had that closed look on his face. He had cussed himself mentally at least a half a dozen times over being stupid while finishing up the dishes. He should have never asked her about Matt. It really wasn't any of his business.
Lita sat there wondering how Randy would react to what she had to tell him. She didn't want to tell him but didn't think it was fair not to. She could see how worried Randy was and decided it was time to tell him the truth. "I knew the day would come when you would ask me about that," Lita said quietly. "I just wasn't expecting it so soon."
"You don't have to answer it. I wish now that I had never asked it," Randy said with a sad look on his face. "I can tell how much it hurts you to just think about him, let alone talk about him."
"No, not really. It hurts more to think of how stupid I was," Lita said with a small smile. "I'm just going to be straight with you. You deserve that. I thought I was going to marry him. He was everything that I thought I wanted in a man but he wasn't what I thought he was," Lita said looking out the window trying to put the next sentence into words.
"You don't have to say any more," Randy said angry with himself for getting her so upset.
"No, I do," Lita said taking a big breath. It was now or never. "I gave my innocence to Matt."
Randy sat there stunned. He couldn't believe that Lita had actually said that let alone did 'it'. She was always so prim and proper. Suddenly a light bulb went off inside his mind and he smiled. "If you think that is changing my mind how I feel about you, then you are sadly mistaken."
Lita sat there with a stunned look on her face. She wasn't expecting that kind of reaction and wasn't really mentally prepared for it. "But I'm not..."
Randy took his finger and placed in on her lips. "I'm sorry for what he did to you but I don't care what happened between the two of you. All I care about is what is happening between us."
"But he tricked me and..." Lita said getting flustered.
"Lita, you're not hearing me. I don't care what happened between the two of you," Randy said finally reaching her.
"You mean, it doesn't bother you?" Lita asked.
"The only thing that would bother me is for us not to give this a chance. I've never felt this way about anybody before and I'm not letting the ghost of Matt Hardy ruin what could be our chance of happiness," Randy said with a serious look on his face.
Lita smiled and touched his face. He smiled and leaned in closer and closer until their lips touched. Once that happened, the world stopped moving for the two of them. The only thing that matter was the here and now, the past was in the past where it belonged.
"What's wrong?" Chris asked Dave watching him pace the hotel stable floor. Chris had watched him pace for a few minutes and was starting to get concerned. The troubled look and the agitation on his friend's face had been a look of a different kind. He didn't know what was going on but he needed to help if he could.
Dave paused looking at Chris with concern in his eyes. He hated telling him what his brother was planning. He still couldn't believe that his brother was capable of such an evil, wicked act. "We're friends, right?"
"As far as I am concerned yes," Chris said with a puzzled look.
Dave took a deep breath. He had never been more ashamed of his family than he was at that moment. He hated what they were doing and he had to stop them before somebody got hurt.
"Hunter is planning on kidnapping Stephanie and forcing her to marry him," Dave said looking every bit as serious as a judge sentencing a convicted killer.
The anger coursing through Chris's veins seemed to overtake his body. He could feel the anger flowing through his body like waves in a stormy ocean, harsh and uncontrollable. He closed his eyes and asked, "When?"
"Tomorrow night," Dave said.
Chris immediately began pacing the floor. "Why? What in the hell is going on? Why does he want Stephanie so bad?"
"You know that my family has had some shady dealings. Hell, everybody in town suspects it," Dave said noticing Chris nod his head yes. He continued to talk. "There's another person involved, a very dangerous person by the name of Vince McMahon."
Chris looked at Dave trying to hide his emotions. Should he tell him the truth now or wait? If he told him now, he ran the real risk of losing Dave's friendship but it was risk he was going to have to take sooner or later. He opted for the sooner option. He had found that honesty was always the best policy and decided to put it to use.
"Dave before you go any further, I need to tell you something," Chris said with a sad look on his face. His heart was racing and he felt like he was going to throw up. He didn't know how Dave would take the fact that he was trying to be his friend for all the wrong reasons. It was that way until Chris had found out what a good person Dave was. When that happened, all the plans seemed to fade away as the friendship started to grow. He crossed his fingers behind his back and hoped for the best.
"What is it?" Dave asked. He could tell that Chris was troubled and that bothered him. While he hadn't really known Chris all the long, he felt as though he was a friend. Having grown up without them, he didn't want anything to happen to hurt his friendship with Chris. It hadn't felt close to anybody since his mother had died. At least, not until he had met Chris.
"I don't know how to say it so I'm just going to come right out with it. I'm working undercover to bring Vince down," Chris said waiting for the explosion. He had never seen Dave angry but from what he had heard around town, it wasn't a pretty sight.
Dave stood there for a moment thinking over what Chris had said. He didn't care how Chris came to town or what he was there for. He had been kind to him in ways that he had never had growing up. He would be damned if he would throw it all away now. He looked Chris in the eyes. "Ok so how do we do it?"
"You're not mad at me?" Chris asked. The relief that he felt was immediate. He really had thought Dave would have been angry with him for deceiving him.
"Hell no, you are the one person that has been honest with me, including now. Look, I've been stomped on by my family my whole life. I have had enough of it. I want out and if I have to take my brother and father out to do it, then so be it." Dave said.
"Well, before we talk any more, I need to include some friends in the conversation. I trust them and I have a feeling that by the time it is all said and done, you're going to have some new friends around here," Chris said with a slight grin on his face.
"Christian are you home?" Trish hollered walking into the house.
She walked into the bedroom and saw him lying on the bed. She walked up to the bed and looked at him. He was staring at the ceiling ignoring her. She let out a sigh and walked over to the closet to hang up her coat.
"Where have you been?" Christian asked not looking at her.
"I went to the Evolution ranch to break things off with Hunter," Trish said quietly looking down at the floor. She looked at his face and he finally looked at her. "I'm sorry Christian. I don't know what I was thinking."
"Come here," Christian said patting the bed beside of him. She crawled on the bed and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" she asked quietly.
"For not paying more attention to you and taking you for granted. I do love you Trish and I do want to marry you but only if you want me and only me," Christian said holding her tightly against himself.
"I do love you Christian. I didn't realize how much until you threw the ultimatum in my face earlier. I don't want to be with anybody else, just you." Trish said with a sigh.
Christian sat there holding her for as long as he could. He knew the time was coming for him and Tomko to get their work done. He had one more job and then he was out of this crazy town. Then and only then, could he get Trish away from Hunter, which was the consuming thought; at the present time, that was the only thing on his mind.