A/N: Thanks for the greet reviews. It's nice to know that I was thinking along the same lines as my fellow writers on how the story should go from here. Hope you like the next installment. Now the girls get to have some fun.

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

Part VI

"Why hello there, Ms. Nettie, Ms. Casey. We weren't expecting to see you in town today. Did those boys give you any problems?" Buck had stepped over from his place in front of the jail to help the ladies out of their wagon which they had parked in front of the restaurant. "Did you get all the repairs you needed finished? Ezra wasn't a bother now was he? See it was-."

"Now son, none of you boys are ever a trouble, and don't worry about convincing Mr. Standish to join Vin and JD, Ezra was actually quite helpful today." The old lady graced Buck with a thankful smile as he reached up to start unloading her wagon for her. "Why I don't remember the last time my kitchen was so clean and organized. I even had time to bake you boys a few pies. Of course Ezra insisted on peach, I hope that's alright with the rest of you boys."

"Ezra was doing house work? Why, our brother Ezra seems to be full of surprises this week." Josiah commented as he began helping Buck with the boxes in the wagon. Josiah and Nathan had walked up halfway through the conversation to visit with Nettie and help with unloading the wagon if their help was needed. People in town knew that Vin worried about the old lady, but truth be told all of the seven had a soft spot for the woman who sometimes acted like a mother to them.

"I thought that lazy fool said he don't do manual labor."

"I stated that a gentleman never does menial labor, Mr. Jackson, I really must insist if you are going to quote me that you at least strive to get the proper phrasing." The gambler finished his little speech while coming to lean against one of the support beams in front of the restaurant. "And I assure you sir there is nothing menial with the task of helping a cook as gifted as this beautiful lady keep her work area up to a level worthy of her talents. Now if you gentlemen would be so kind as to say your farewells, I do believe Mr. Tanner and Mr. Dunne promised to take these lovely ladies to lunch."

Chris and Vin had arrived with the southern; they were both now smiling at the looks the others were aiming in Ezra's direction. The trip out to Nettie's place seemed to have been good for the smooth talking conman, what the old lady had said to Ezra while he helped clean her kitchen would forever stay between them, and the remaining members of the seven were fine with that, they were just happy it had helped.

Vin, JD and Ezra had rode out at sunrise to the ranch and the three were meet at the front door by Nettie, Casey and Nettie's Spencer Carbine. After the men had seen to their horses they were dragged inside with an order to join the women for breakfast, during which Nettie made a point to talk to all three about the gossip from town, not just Vin as was the tradition. When Vin, JD and Casey had started to head out to fix the coral and fences, Nettie asked Ezra if he would mind helping an old lady reorganize and label her kitchen so they'd have room to start stocking up for the coming winter, the gambler of course said yes, happy to finally be of use on one of these trips, not just a tag along.

With the gambler helping in the house, and three people working outside the group got done early enough to head back to town for lunch and to allow Nettie to pick up her supplies. That plan in order, Ezra and Casey went to saddle the horses while Vin and JD loaded up the wagon with some preserves Nettie was brining to town, and the peach pies she had made for "her boys."

"Aren't you going to join us for lunch Ezra?" The use of the conman's first name got Nettie a few looks of shock which she either did not see, or choose to ignore.

"Why of course dear lady, I was merely going to return momentarily to my sanctuary above the saloon to retrieve the piece of literature which you inquired about barrowing. I will rendezvous with all of you at the restaurant in say fifth-teen minutes?" With a slight tip of his hat, Ezra was off towards the saloon to pick up his book.

"Are the rest of you boys going to join us, I have something we need to talk about before fancy man gets back." Nettie was heading for the restaurant when something caught her eye down the street. There heading towards the saloon at quite a quick pace was Maude Standish, to anyone watching it was easy to see she was heading to intercept her son at the saloon's door. From the way Ezra's pace picked up it was clear he had also spotted his mother.

"Ah hell, should one of us try to stop-?" The Texan's question was drowned out by a commotion down the street as Billy and Gloria Potter's children came running out of the General store into the street, plowing directly into Maude. The peacekeepers watched has she struggled to remain standing only to lose her battle with gravity and land in one of the many mud puddles that lined the main street of town. Unaware of what they had done the children continued down the street to their target.

"Ezra! Ezra, look what mother got for us! Remember those books you mentioned, the ones they use in schools back east? She got us some of our own." The southern was suddenly surrounded by children waving around new school books; they keep talking and following Ezra as he made his way into the saloon.

"Oh, Maude, here let me help you up. Oh, your dress, do you need help getting back to the hotel. Gloria, come help will you?" Mary Travis had exited the store just moments after her son and the other children.

The group gathered in front of the restaurant watched as the two mothers tried to help the conwoman stand up, knocking mud of her dress as they went. Chris noted, with a smile, that like Inez the night before it almost looked as if they were hitting Maude more than just removing the mud. Movement at the store's entrance caught the gunslinger's attention, he watched as Inez left the store holding a box of supplies for the saloon. With barely a glance in the direction of the scene in the street the Spanish bartender made her way along the boardwalk towards the silent observers.

"Good morning seniors, Senora Nettie. Senora Standish seems to be having a bad visit, no?" The question sounded quite sincere it was only her smile which made one think that maybe she felt differently. "Well I will see you later, have a wonderful day."

"Here sister, let me help you with that. Wouldn't want anyone else falling in the mud now would we. I'll bring Brother Ezra back with me, I'm sure he will need some help getting away from the children." Josiah took the box from Inez, and followed her across the street to the saloon. With a glance down the street the regulators could see that Maude was on her way to the hotel, looking a little worst for ware. Mary was heading towards them on the boardwalk with a bag of candy in hand.

"Mary, I was hoping you would come this way. Would you care to join the group for lunch?" Nettie asked from where she stood holding Vin's arm.

"I'd love to Nettie, I just need to give these to Billy and the other children first."

"That's a lot of candy for them, they must have done something really special for you to give them it." The gunslinger had a smirk on his face as he made his statement.

"What? Oh no, nothing special. Mrs. Potter and I simply asked them to do us a favor. One which we agreed they should be rewarded for." The newswoman said with a smirk of her own and a sparkle in her eyes. As Mary took the arm Chris extended to her he couldn't help but laugh at the innocent look that filled her face.

As the group began to head in for lunch they heard a wave of laughter come from the saloon as once again the children came stampeding out of the doors, only this time along with their books they all held some of the hard candies that Ezra carried around for Chaucer.

"It looks like they already got rewarded Mary, if I was you I'd wait and hand those out later. Shall we go lunch, don't know about all of you but I'm mighty hungry." As the group slowly entered the restaurant in order to find some tables, it dawned on Nathan that they hadn't finished their earlier conversation.

"Ma'am what was it you were wanting to talk to us about?"

"Oh, it can keep Nathan. I think I already got some of the answers I needed."

The group ordered their meal, joined a moment later by Ezra and Josiah. Lunch was a grand event; Nettie quizzed Mary and the other peacekeepers for more details to gossip she had heard about at breakfast, by the end of the meal everyone was laughing and having a good time. When the food was all gone, including the pies that Nettie had made for them, the men finished unloading and reloading Nettie's wagon, Mary headed off to find the children to give them the reward for a job well done, and Casey went to do her work at the store before they left town for the day.

Everyone went about their jobs for the day as if it was just any other day of the week, completely unaware of the eyes that had tracked their every move from a hotel window.