Chapter Six.
Mrs. Roth's appeared to be deserted as Ezra left his horse around the back, and crept along the veranda. He knew he had beaten the riders, but he wasn't sure how much time he had to play with, and so was keen to get everything sorted as quickly as possible.
He rapped carefully on the door, and waited for a response. There was none. He tried again, and, once more, heard nothing. He tapped a foot on the wood in agitation, and ducked to one side to peer through the window.
He was looking into the main room of the house, and at the hob and table. A door was open into another room, and, making his blood run cold for a split second, was the limp form of Mrs. Roth.
He went back to the door and tried to open it. He wasn't surprised to find it locked, so he beat once more on the wooden frame.
"Catherine! Hannah!"
Getting no reply, he sighed, and drew himself up tall. With one hand on his hat, he threw himself sideways into the wood, listening to it splintering, and falling in what appeared to be slow motion before landing fairly awkwardly on his arm.
"Damn!" He lay on his back for a moment, looking up at the ceiling, and waiting for the throbbing in his arm to subside. He flexed it gently. In response, it twinged slightly, and a pins and needles sensation spread briefly. Sitting up, he decided it would be fine, and, adjusting his hat and brushing the splinters of wood from his jacket, he stood up.
Mrs. Roth was lying in the doorway to her bedroom, a purplish tint appearing to a bump on her forehead. The sheet of her bed was rumpled on the floor, and he guessed she'd fallen over it and hit her head on the chair by the door. He looked round for something to put on her brow, and in the end, brought out his hip flask, which seemed relatively cool, before putting it gently to Mrs. Roth's head.
"Catherine! Hannah!"
There was nothing. He sighed in frustration. Where were they? He couldn't have much time left, should he just leave? Well, no, he obviously couldn't leave Mrs. Roth.
There was the sound of soft footsteps.
"She fell over,"
Hannah was standing in the doorway. Her big eyes frightened, clutching at a blanket for security.
"She'll be fine. Where's your mother?"
"Town."
Ezra sighed. At least she was there. He'd just have to take the other two back now.
Suddenly, there was a familiar sound in the distance. The sound of hooves, pounding the earth. His voice took on a pitch of urgency.
"Hannah leave! Get out! Go and hide!"
This however, Ezra realised, was probably not the best tone to take, as she immediately ran over and clutched to him shaking.
"Hannah get out!"
But she sniffed instead, too frightened to move. Her fists clutching handfuls of his jacket.
As the hooves drew even closer, he sighed, held her tight, and sat back against the wall.
Time, had not played into his hands, and he could not abandon them now.
ooooooooooooooooooooo
"Now, Mrs. Moore," Catherine, sitting on a chair in the empty, pre-opening hours saloon, took in the six men gazing intently at her. Chris was taking the lead in the questioning. He took a seat opposite her,
"Yesterday some men came into town looking for Ezra,"
She tensed at once, drawing in a short breath, her eyes starting to shimmer, though she set her jaw tight in defiance. She swallowed,
"Why were they looking for Mr. Standish?" she whispered, hoarsely at first before clearing her throat and speaking up stronger. Buck gave a conciliatory smile and sat down on a back-to-front chair, pushing his hat up slightly,
"Err..well, they weren't so much looking for him as much as someone...with him."
Catherine let out deep shaky breath, bordering on a sob and buried her head in her hands. Before her, the men looked uneasily at one another, and Buck licked his lips, which suddenly seemed dry in the tense atmosphere.
"Mrs. Moore?" asked Chris, his face showing a distinct lack of emotion but his eyes watching her in concern and anticipation.
Catherine, face still hidden stood quickly, and turned away from the men, shaking. Chris tried again,
"Catherine?"
Taking in a deep breath to compose herself, Catherine turned round to them. She shook her head sadly,
"I knew they'd come. They always do. Sooner or later they just..." she sighed and flopped back down into the chair, "..they just do."
A silence reigned as the six lawmen waited for Catherine to say something, and they looked at one another uneasily. Suddenly she looked up panicked,
"Wait! Where are they now? What if they're..." she shot to her feet once more, heading for the doors, "...I've got to get back to Hannah!"
Nathan caught her arm, halting her flight,
"Wait a minute, hold on,"
Catherine seemed almost frantic, and grappled desperately with Nathan who began to loose the fight under the force of her emotions.
"Let me go! You don't understand!"
Vin and Buck stepped in, barring Catherine's way as she broke free of the healer, who replaced his hat looking somewhat disgruntled. Catherine, seeing her way blocked, turned to Chris teary-eyed,
"Please," she whispered.
Chris sighed and stood up,
"Hannah will be fine, Ezra has gone to get her, and we have no reason to believe that they know where you're staying anyway. But we need you to tell us why you're afraid of these men. We can protect you, but we need to know why."
Catherine's shoulders dropped as she calmed slightly, and she took another deep breath,
"They killed my husband..." she took a spare seat at a table to one side, her eyes filling miserably, "...and now they're after me."
JD frowned,
"Why?"
Buck sat back down, preparing for a long story. He looked over at Catherine,
"You'd better start from the beginning miss,"
"And not leave anything out," added Chris.
Catherine sighed, and nodded,
"When I got married, my husband and I moved to a small town out in the middle of nowhere. It didn't really suit me, but it wasn't a permanent situation so I put up with it. My husband was a lawman, he was offered a post at the town, and agreed to it for a short while. He liked the idea of turning it into a smooth, well-run, law-abiding town. Making his mark on it and leaving when everything was done. Anyway, shortly after Hannah was born, a powerful family of ranchers moved into the area, and started trying to get whatever they could from the locals. They had no respect for the law at all..."
Here Buck snorted,
"They usually don't."
Catherine carried on,
"Guy, my husband, tried to deal with them as best he could, but they took over, the whole town was part of their estate. They went where they liked, did what they liked, no one could stop them, even if they tried, and usually you wouldn't dare..." she sighed, brushing away a tear gently before it spilled down onto her cheek, "...well, one day they tried to take the home of an elderly neighbour of ours. They wanted it to extend their grazing land. When she wouldn't let them have it they started to tear it apart anyway. I begged Guy to stay out of it, but he wouldn't.." she paused and smiled warmly at the thought of her husband, "...he couldn't," she stopped again, and her voice cracked a little as she continued, "They shot him as soon as they saw him. Didn't give him a chance. Then they came to tell us about what they'd done. I heard them coming, shouting and laughing, and I knew, as soon as I heard them, I just knew. So, I took one of Guy's guns and we hid. They were drunk, and falling about, shouting about Guy, boasting..." she breathed in deeply, trying to curb the wealth of emotions straining to unleash themselves, "We obviously didn't hide ourselves very well. One of the brothers found me. He started to...started to...," she stopped, and lowered her voice, sounding ashamed of herself, "…I knew what he wanted...and I would never...so I grabbed the gun, and I shot him..."
"Did Hannah see this?" asked Josiah softly. Catherine shook her head solemnly,
"No, she had her eyes shut and her hands over her ears, hiding behind the table. She's been so good about it all really, never complains, never cries," finally, Catherine gave into her emotions, and started to cry herself, furiously wiping away the tears as she sobbed, "She's born it better than even I have,"
"And so you move around to stop them catching up with you?" Chris asked. Catherine nodded,
"They stop at nothing. They'd trail me to the ends of the earth, but I don't think I can do it any more," she ran a hand through her hair, exasperated, and shook her head sadly.
"Well, I reckon it's about time we put a stop all this travellin' don't you?" Vin asked. The others nodded, hands going to gun holsters subconsciously.
As Catherine smiled gratefully, and Buck took on the mission of cheering her up and issuing various promises and assurances, Nathan wandered over to where Chris stood, looking grave,
"Chris, shouldn't Ezra have been back by now?"
Chris sighed and nodded,
"I was just thinking that myself,"
Vin, always a keen ear, turned to the pair, keeping his voice low,
"Think there's trouble?"
Chris' face hardened, and he simply shrugged,
"You know Ezra."
That said it all.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Ezra had contemplated barricading himself in the front room, and taking out as many of them as he could. But that idea was quickly waved off, it was all very well, but Hannah was already terrified, and he doubted she'd be able to handle his shooting people. What if she was hurt as they shot back? Besides, not that he minded being outnumbered, but eight to one was fairly unjust, and if they shot him, who'd protect Hannah? He gazed at Mrs. Roth's limp form. Certainly not her.
He took the hip flask from where he'd propped it to cool Mrs. Roth's head, and held it to her in a mock toast,
"To our good health," he told her, taking a swig.
Beside him, Hannah whimpered at the sound of the horses coming ever closer, and the calls and shouting of the riders. None of which sounded too friendly.
Ezra fumbled the lid to the flask back on. How was he going to defend himself? What was to stop them entering and simply shooting anyway? He looked back at Mrs. Roth, and an idea formed. Surely, if he used sheer ignorance and a concern for the woman, he would be perceived as less of a threat? Well, it was worth a try.
Gently, he pulled Hannah from his side, and took off his jacket, rolling it into a ball and propping it under Mrs. Roth's head. He also took his gun belt off and put it beside him, figuring it made him seem more harmless. He looked over at Hannah, his tone stern yet desperate.
"Stay there,"
As boots sounded on the planks of the veranda, Ezra crouched by Mrs. Roth's side, a hand to her head in the sort of concerned gesture he supposed Nathan might have used.
The door, which had swung shut, suddenly burst open off it's hinges, and splinters of wood scattered about the front room. Hannah moaned softly, and pushed herself closer to the wall. Before the men came blundering in, Ezra flashed her a smile, showing a confidence he didn't feel.
"We'll be fine."
As a pair of heavy feet trudged across the floorboards, Ezra looked up,
"Ah gentlemen! Thank goodness! My neighbour Mrs. Roth seems to have taken a fall. Now I have managed to ascertain that the injury is not too severe, but I am no physician, and I am frightfully concerned at her lack of consciousness. I've not left her all morning..." as Ezra gabbled, more men joined behind the first to look at the spectacle, "...but I am greatly heartened by your arrival, and I wonder if one of you gentlemen would be so kind as to ride into town and fetch the healer."
He was greeted by a chorus of men who were all blinking at him, several with half-amused sneers, the other half looking thoroughly bewildered.
However, all confusion dropped at the sound of a raspy cackling from behind them. Like Moses parting the waves the men all shuffled to one side as a tall, silver-haired man walked through them, looking amused as he came to a stop in the doorway.
He took in Ezra with a lop-sided sneer,
"Well, well, well, if it isn't our gambling sheriff, boys,"
Ezra took in the sniggers of the men uneasily, and watched as the silver-haired man's gaze drifted to a frightened looking Hannah, who, under his fierce glare, crawled across the floor, stepped over her great aunt, and clung back to Ezra, whose arms folded instinctively around her, his eyes never leaving the man in the door.
"And look who he's got with him. Little Miss. Moore. Well, I'll be. Looks like we scored big this time lads. Real big."
