Please see Chapter 1 for warnings and disclaimers.
A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Little late I know, but I was traveling through the holidays. Sorry for errors, typos, and etc. but I was anxious to post and decided it didn't really need another proof read (though it undoubtedly did).
Chapter 8
Before they left the boarding house, Chris took Ezra aside. He was pleased that the other man had seized the initiative, but he was a bit worried too. The gunslinger knew that Ezra shouldered a fair amount of guilt, and he didn't want to see Eliza using that to get her own way. Granted the children had been dealt a difficult hand in life but fostering any headstrong unruliness wouldn't be doing them any favors.
"Ez, you let her get the upper hand now and she'll being riding roughshod over you from here on out," Chris cautioned quietly.
"I thank you for your sage advice, my friend, and I recognize the merit of your words. However, I would very much like to ascertain Eliza's aversion to feminine attire prior to adamantly insisting upon appropriate dress." His brow furrowed as he continued with a perplexed shake of his head. "Katherine was a true southern belle, always the proper lady. Never would she have allowed her daughter to traipse around in breeches and flannel."
Chris nodded in understanding, satisfied with Ezra's intentions. "Alright we'll see ya after a while."
***M7***M7***M7***M7***
Eliza had thwarted Ezra's best efforts to glean information and despite having visited each and every store in Four Corners, they had yet to compromise on anything. Ezra had found shoes for both of the children at Mrs. Potter's General Mercantile, and purchased some new shirts and trousers for Ethan. He had also asked the woman to set aside some yard goods, which he'd noticed his daughter fingering when she didn't think he was looking. There really wasn't much pre-made in a town the size of Four Corners, but there was more than one seamstress available.
The gambler wondered if it were in the girl's nature to be so surly and disagreeable or if her attitude was a reaction to the difficult circumstances of her life. Ethan did not appear to be similarly afflicted despite the shared circumstance, but then the boy hadn't read Katherine's letter. Perhaps part of the Eliza's antagonistic demeanor had to do with the knowledge of her true paternity. Whatever the cause, Ezra's patience was wearing thin as the girl danced precariously on the edge of what would be considered truly unacceptable behavior.
"Now that is just ghastly," the girl shuddered as Ezra held up a yellow calico pinafore dress, consistent with those worn by many of the local girls.
After returning the dress to the rack, he moved past several others, many of which were not close enough the correct size to even be worth having altered. Finally pulling out a green dress, Ezra cast an appraising look at Eliza. Though simple, the gown was cut in a more urban style and the cloth was of finer quality than the others in the sparse selection.
"This color would look lovely with your eyes and complexion."
The girl eyed the gown and even fingered the sleeve. "The color is nice," she agreed. "There is, however, a very distinct feature that renders it completely unacceptable."
Ezra sighed. "And what might that be?"
"It is a dress."
Before Ezra could reiterate the need for compromise the owner of the shop reappeared with some petticoats and other under garments.
"So this little one's a girl, huh?" Mr. Campbell asked despite the redundant nature of the query. The somewhat dense businessman was still more than a little shocked by the revelation.
"No, they just fancied making one of us into a Nancy-boy, and I drew the short straw," Eliza replied sarcastically with a roll of her eyes, unimpressed with the well meaning but somewhat obtuse proprietor.
"Eliza Marguerite, apologize this instant."
The girl, taken aback by Ezra's sharp tone as well as the use of her middle name, complied without thinking in a thick southern accent, "I am sorry for my rude words and sarcasm, sir. Please forgive my ill temper."
"Not to worry, missy," Mr. Campbell said waving off the apology with a laugh. "You've got spirit that's for certain," he added as he turned to rummage through a jar. Turning back with two peppermint sticks he continued, "Maybe a bit of something sweet to sweeten yer mood, eh? And one for that brother of yours, too."
Eliza offered the man a captivating smile that transformed her face to that of an adorable cherub, even with the faint bruise around her eye. When she reached to accept the gift, however, her hand was intercepted.
"I think I will hold onto these until we have completed our shopping. You needn't glower at me, my dear, all you have to do is assume a more conciliatory posture and demonstrate some willingness to compromise. Then we can consider this task finished and you may have your candy."
Mr. Campbell chuckled and left the two to hash out the details.
"Here is what I propose. I will concede to purchase a pair of trousers in your size, which you may wear with a feminine blouse for the time being. We will also purchase this gown and I will commission the stitching of two riding skirts." The culottes, a divided skirt with overlying front apron, were not common but were sometimes worn out west by women wishing to ride astride a horse with modesty.
Eliza pondered the rather considerable expense Ezra was willing to incur for their wardrobe and was perplexed. "Why are you doing this? Buying us all these things?"
Taken aback by the child's candid question, Ezra took a moment to reply. Honestly, he had not given it much thought. It was his responsibility to provide for his children, even if doing so took a rather substantial chunk out of his savings. Of course he had not yet openly acknowledged the relationship and he could see why Eliza was confused. Still, he was not yet prepared to show his hand so he dissembled.
"I knew Katherine well. Your mother would have been appalled to see her children mistaken for common ragamuffins."
Cocking her head to the side Eliza sized the man up. She couldn't quite figure him out, but decided she would reserve final judgment for the time being. It might not hurt to offer at least a semblance of cooperation and in point of fact might prove useful in future negotiations. An old maxim from her primary reader came to mind, one about catching more flies with honey than vinegar.
With a nod of her strawberry blond head she agreed to Ezra's proposal and flashed him a sweet smile, her eyes full of merriment. "Throw in a new deck of cards and you have a deal."
***M7***M7***M7***M7***
In contrast to his sister, Ethan's friendly chatter kept Chris entertained during their visit to the barber. More than willing to wait his turn, the boy kept the assembled men entertained with amusing tales of a greenhorn that he'd met on his trip out west. He had Horace laughing outright, causing the man in his chair no small amount of concern since the barber was wielding a straight edged razor at the time. Ethan was pleased to lose some of his reddish gold curls and Chris noted that the trim in no way diminished the boy's roguish charm.
Horace gave Ethan a piece of taffy as he finished, inviting the boy to come around any time. As Ethan and Chris exited, the gunman studied the carefree boy. His manner was so different from his sister's. Doubting that Ezra would get any answers from Eliza, Chris decided on a more direct route.
"Why is it your sister doesn't want to wear a dress?"
Sucking on his chewy treat Ethan pondered the question. "We-o," the taffy sticking to the roof of his mouth and front teeth kept the lad from forming the word correctly and he worked to get the candy off to one side of his mouth so that he could speak more clearly. "She an' Ma used ta have a ball gettin' all dressed up. Never really cottoned to it myself," Ethan wrinkled his nose thinking of the stiff, itchy clothing his mother had loved to see him in.
"Course once Mama got sicker an' things got hard, we sold off a lot of the fancy clothes. Eli still wore skirts and sech, though. Ma woulda had a conniption if'n she'd seen 'er in trousers. Once Mama was bed ridden, Pappy Bill showed up, that was her pa. Wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw 'im but he 'as always fun an' taught us –" Ethan broke off, realizing that Mr. Larabee wasn't likely to be overly impressed with what Pappy Bill had taught them. "Really cool stuff."
The boy chewed a bit on his candy, pushing it over to the other side of his mouth before continuing. "Mama didn't really like us ta spend much time with Pappy Bill, but once she got sick…well, there weren't much choice. One day they had a big row and he left. When he come back, he an' Ma didn't talk but he had presents for us. A right pretty dress fer Eliza with some matching ribbons. He even took 'er out ta a fancy dinner in a restaurant with someone he said he done business with - a real gent of the first water that one."
Ethan looked down at his bare feet, chewing on his taffy. "She come home fit ta be tied and tore that dress ta shreds, shoutin' how she'd never speak ta Pappy Bill agin. I guess that fancy gentleman had lost his little girl ta scarlet fever and had a wife pining away at home. Pappy Bill got Eli all gussied up ta impress 'im so thet he'd wanna take her home. I reckon he probably had a good bit of money riding on that deal. It woulda worked, except fer one little thing, that bein' Eli's temper. 'Cept ta see Mama and when she went to the funeral she ain't never worn a dress since then."
"Damn," Chris muttered blowing out a heavy breath. The twins' grandfather sounded just like Maude. He couldn't blame Eliza, and didn't envy Ezra his shopping trip with the hardheaded child. The gunfighter knew he'd definitely drawn the better duty this morning.
As he observed the cheerful boy another question came to mind. "Eliza talks different than you," the gunman noted.
"Yeah, we decided we aughta fit in the best we could, includin' how we talked. Comes easier ta me," the boy laughed. "Fact is, I kinda like it." The boy's eyes sparkled mischievously. "However, I can speak like nearly anyone I hear, when I so choose," he added in a southern drawl that mirrored Ezra's tone to a tee. "Once, with Pappy Bill, I played the part of a kid from England."
Swallowing the last bit of his candy and running his tongue over his teeth the boy offered a cocky grin. "Good day, Governor. Might I have a biscuit and a spot of tea?" Not his best, Ethan knew but he did better if he could hear someone first and it had been some time since he'd heard the accent. "My favorite's from down in Louisiana. Laisser les bons temps rouler, mon amie (Let the good times roll my friend)," he rattled in a perfect Cajun accent."
Chris's eyes widened at the boy's ability. He had no idea what Ethan had just said but he'd heard enough of the Arcadian French to recognize the accent. His brow furrowed when he considered how Bill Hamilton had most likely capitalized on Ethan's talent.
"Eliza's not so good at it. If ya listen close ya can almost always tell she's from the South and if she's not tryin' ta hide it's plain as the nose on yer face where she's from."
"Hey Chris, hey Ethan," an out of breath Billy Travis greeted the pair. "Ma wants ta talk to ya Chris. Can Ethan come see my room while ya talk?"
"Sure Billy," Chris agreed, ruffling his blond hair fondly.
***M7***M7***M7***M7***
"Is that true? What Chris told Ma about Eli bein' a girl?"
"Well, ya don't think Mr. Larabee'd go an' lie ta yer Ma do ya?"
"No. It's just hard ta believe. I never met a girl like her."
Ethan grinned and set the carved toy soldier carefully back on the shelf. He was beginning to understand the warm reception by most of the kids in the township. Having faced off with the formidable seven and survived "hard time" in the Four Corners' jail at only ten-years of age Ethan and Eli had attained infamy in the eyes of the town's young people.
"Wanna see somethin'?" Billy asked conspiratorially he's eyes darting quickly to the closed door. "Something secret?" He very much wanted to impress his new friend who was just a touch older than himself.
"Sure."
Billy Travis disappeared under his bed and soon came wriggling out with an old cigar box in his hands. He lifted the lid with a proud grin, "These are Chinese fireworks. Kinda like firecrackers but even better. I got 'em from Grandma and Grandpa's cook Zhi Peng. He lights some off every year at New Years."
Ethan was properly impressed. "Wow! Them's mighty fine. When're ya gonna set 'em off?"
Billy's small face scrunched up and he bit his lip nervously. "Don't know yet. Needs to be night, but Ma's not likely ta let me out after dark." He didn't bother to mention that lighting them off without an adult was likely to be hugely frowned upon, that was a given that all kids would understand when dealing with fireworks.
"Can I be there when ya do?"
"Sure."
"Cool!"
Closing the box, Billy crawled back under the bed to hide his treasure. "Wanna see somthin' else?" his muffled voice asked from under the bed.
"Yeah," Ethan agreed, curious what other interesting things the other boy might have hidden away.
Billy emerged with a large photograph and handed it to the other boy who whistled appreciatively as he looked at the provocatively dressed woman in the picture. The leggy dark-haired woman was stretched out on a divan wearing naught but a sleeveless chemise and lacey pantaloons that didn't even reach all the way to her knees. Both boys looked at each other and giggled at the scandalous picture, though neither was old enough to truly experience the attraction that he might in a few years. That didn't mean that looking at the taboo picture was not somehow exciting, simply because they were doing something they knew they should not.
A curt knock at the door interrupted the boys and Billy quickly hid the photograph behind his back as Chris walked in.
"Ready to go, Ethan?"
"Ah, yeah," Ethan agreed coming to his feet.
Chris stopped and looked suspiciously at the boys. "What have you been up to?"
"Nuthin' just lookin' at Billy's stuff. He has some right dandy things."
Sensing the tension in the room and noting how Billy wouldn't meet his eye, Chris continued his interrogation. "What's that behind your back, Billy?"
"Oh, ah this?" Billy lifted the picture with its back to Chris. "Nuthin'."
Taking a step forward Chris held out his hand. "Why don't I be the judge of that?"
Hanging his head, Billy handed over the photograph. Chris's eyes widened and he had to bite his cheek to hide a grin.
"What's going on up here?" Mary's voice asked from the hall as she peeked her head into the room.
Chris held out the picture, which Mary accepted and then gasped. "William Travis, where on earth did you get this?"
Wanting to spare his friend who had been kind enough to share his secrets Ethan was quick to respond. "It weren't Billy Ma'am. I brought the picture. I'm real sorry."
"You brought it?" Chris demanded sharply, pinning the boy with a glare that had garnered the truth from many hardened criminals. It seemed highly unlikely that the lad had secreted the photograph within his tattered though oversized clothing.
"Yes, sir," Ethan answered looking down at his bare feet.
"Billy?" Mary asked quietly. "Is that the truth?"
Still flummoxed that Ethan had taken the blame for him, the younger boy was caught off guard by his mother's question. "Er…ah, well…." he stammered not quite sure what to say.
"Your Ma asked you a question, son" Chris snapped causing the boy to meet his eye. Looking from Chris's earnest green eyes to his mother's the boy sighed heavily and shook his head.
"No. It was me. I got it from Grandpa's office. I guess it had been," he wrinkled his brow as if trying to remember something, "Seized in some type of, umm… raid…I didn't really understand."
"Which is just as well because you know your grandfather's cases are none of your business and that his office is off limits," his mother chided. "I cannot believe you took something from him."
"It wasn't stealin'," Billy was quick to explain. "'Cause he'd set it out to be burned. Takin' somethin' from the trash ain't stealin'."
Mary's eyes narrowed dangerously. "That is a discussion I suppose you will be able to have with your grandfather since he should be arriving in the next couple of days." Billy's face lost all color at that bit of news. The Judge was going to be far from happy. "Even shelving that aspect of this matter, there are more than a few things that you and I need to discuss, young man," Mary continued, her look causing Billy to squirm under its intensity.
"I guess we'd best take our leave," Chris stated, putting a hand on Ethan's neck and directing the boy to the door. "Billy you listen to your Ma now. Mary," Chris gave a nod.
"Thank you for coming, Chris. I am sorry for this," she waved her hand to indicate the current situation.
"Boys are bound to find trouble now and again, Mary," Chris replied giving her a wink and a smile.
As soon as they reached the kitchen, Chris took a seat in a wooden dining chair and Ethan was surprised to find himself staring at the floorboards. "OW!" he yelled as a hard swat fell on his upended backside. "OUCH! DAMN! What did I do?" he asked as another two swats fell. After ten powerful smacks Chris allowed the boy to stand.
"What did I tell you about lying?" Chris demanded.
Ethan winced as he realized the reason behind the impromptu spanking. "Not to," he mumbled meeting Chris's eyes.
"Now, I realize you were trying to protect your friend and that was admirable but you aren't doing Billy or yourself any favors by taking credit for something you didn't do. And you DON'T lie to me. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good." Chris smiled and reached out to ruffle the boy's hair, realizing that he had just spanked Ezra's son. Not that this was the first time, but this was the first time since he'd found out that Ethan was Ezra's. For a brief moment he wondered if he should have just handed the boy over to Ezra to deal with. Of course Ethan didn't yet know that Ezra was his dad. Besides with two rather rambunctious children, both with a penchant for finding trouble, Ezra was going to need all the help he could get or he was bound to wear his hand plumb out…and he already had a bad shoulder. He couldn't very well afford to lose the use of his hand, particularly his gun hand.
***M7***M7***M7***M7***
"I will see your ten and raise you another," Ezra drawled, taking a lazy drink from the glass in front of him.
"I'm out."
"I'm in."
"I'll call."
Ezra smiled widely at the three men around the table as he laid down what he was quite certain was the winning hand. Their arrival on the afternoon stage had provided him with a relaxing diversion from the recent upheaval within his personal life. Not only that but he had been able to refortify his funds following this morning's expenditure on his children's wardrobe. "Gentlemen, it appears that today is not your lucky day. However, lady luck is fickle and has a way of turning," before Ezra could finish his proposal for another game a dusty figure clad in buckskin approached.
Vin pinned Ezra with an icy blue glare that had the three strangers scooting their chairs away from the table. "We need ta talk."
Surprised by the hostile vehemence in the tracker's tone, Ezra nodded and deftly collected his winnings. "Well, gentlemen, perhaps we might meet up again this evening for another game as it appears my friend has something of great importance to discuss with me at the moment." The card sharp tipped his hat to the men from the stage, and came to his feet. Any complaint from the strangers was quelled by the steely glint in Vin's eye and the two peacekeepers exited the saloon without interference.
Crossing the street to the jail in silence, Ezra watched his friend's tense movements. He couldn't begin to imagine what had aroused Vin's ire or why it was directed at him. He hadn't seen the sharp shooter for more than a day – Vin must have just barely returned to town with Buck.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Vin rounded on Ezra. "I ain't one ta get in the middle of 'nuther man's bizness, but I'm tellin' ya right now ya damn well better be pullin' yerself together and steppin' up to take care of those two kids cuz I ain't seein' 'em go ta no workhouse."
"A workhouse? Good Lord, why on earth would you ever think I'd allow them to go to a workhouse?"
"Cuz there's a cantankerous ol' bitty in Eagle Bend that aims ta see 'em in one," Buck answered coming through the door with JD, Nathan, and Chris.
"I beg your pardon?" Ezra demanded.
"Whatcha talkin' about, Buck?" JD asked at the same time.
Needing no further prompting Buck recounted their meeting with Ms. Weatherby and Mr. Atwood. He was somewhat surprised that the others already knew that Eli was a girl, but the rest of the information was definitely news to them.
Ezra fell into a chair his hands in his face. "Dear Lord, what have they gotten themselves into?"
"Judge is coming in the next couple of days," Chris said resolutely catching the other man's eye to quiet his fears, "We'll get this all sorted out. Right now I think we need to have a talk with our two little troublemakers and find out exactly what happened in Canyon City."
***M7***M7***M7***M7***
"I thought you said no one would be looking for you," the black clad gunman stated with a frightening calmness.
"Didn't think anyone would," Ethan replied honestly with a shrug of his shoulders. "Especially not ol' Withered bee."
The boy's intentional mispronunciation earned him a glare from more than one of the seven men assembled in the church sanctuary. The peacekeepers had headed straight over to the church to get answers from the twins who seemed genuinely surprised to hear that they were being pursued.
"You don't think she's still holding on to the hope of that gold mine?" Eliza asked her brother.
"What gold mine would this be?" Ezra demanded sharply.
"Welllll…" Ethan started. "When Mama died in Mississippi we needed a way to get out West. They'd stuck us in an orphanage and Miz Weatherby was headin' up an orphan train so we thought that was as good a way as any."
"The problem was, we didn't want to be adopted off along the way, so we came up with a story for Ms. Weatherby," Eliza continued not bothering to hide her soft southern drawl.
Ethan chuckled, "I nicked a map from the surveyor's office an' sorta doctored it up sum. Well, Eli did most of that, really."
Eliza smiled at her brother before taking up the story. "We told her that our grandfather had passed away leaving a claim in the Colorado Territory. The map showed the general area of the claim, but we let on that we knew exactly where the entrance to the mine was and would share the gold with her if she would see that we got there. Ethan had a pocket full of fool's gold that he'd come by and that was all it took for her to buy our story."
"She weren't real happy when she found out it wasn't real gold. We had to light out of Canyon City pretty quick," Ethan explained. "That's why we needed a distraction to hold everyone's attention."
"So you set fire to a barn full of thorough bred horses?" Ezra demanded heatedly.
"Of course not!" Eli answered indignantly. "We didn't want the horses hurt so we turned them out ahead of time. And we didn't set it on fire…just kind of put a hole in the side of it."
"How'd ya do that?" Nathan asked, not sure he wanted to know.
"Dynamite," Ethan answered with a grin only to lose it quickly when twin glares from Chris and Ezra were leveled in his direction.
"What'd you take from this Alonzo Willis?" Chris wanted to know.
"Nuthin'," Ethan shook his head. "Honest. He left town just as we was comin' in. Never even met the man."
"And Ms. Weatherby?" Ezra asked.
"We've got nothing that belongs to that woman," Eliza answered furiously.
"Eli an' Miz Weatherby didn't get on so well," Ethan explained. The boy looked thoughtfully at his sister. "You don't think this is about that do ya?"
"About what?" Vin queried
"Well, uh, um Eli sorta drew a picture of Miz Weatherby, one that she didn't really seem ta like and ah posted it where some folks would see it."
Eliza smirked at the memory. She was a rather talented artist. "Granted she was unhappy, but I don't see her chasing us hundreds of miles because of it."
"Well, something that the two of you did definitely drew some unwanted attention," Josiah commented. "You're sure that you didn't steal anything from this Willis character?"
"Positive," the two responded in concert.
"Could just be the horses, that'd be enough ta get a man plenty riled," JD added.
Vin shook his head. "They're lookin' fer sumthin' p'ticular." The long-haired tracker appraised the two green-eyed rascals. "Ya sure ya didn't take sumthin' of value?"
Eli rolled her eyes, "Absolutely," she huffed.
"If you are attempting some type of subterfuge in this matter, it would be in your best interest to admit to it now," Ezra lectured sternly. "And to your extreme detriment if you do not."
"There is no subterfuge!" Eliza snapped.
Seeing both Chris and Ezra react to his sister's show of temper, Ethan decided to interject. "Really, we didn't take nuthin' from this Willis fella or anythin' of much value in Canyon City. We was just in a hurry to get out an' away."
Josiah smiled at Ethan's peacekeeping efforts. "It seems we might be best served to wait for Judge Travis to arrive and see what we can do to keep ahead of this," the former preacher suggested. "In the mean time, these two have worked hard this afternoon and need some supper."
***M7***M7***M7***M7***
Several people were rather anxiously awaiting the stage's arrival. At least a few, however, were dreading it. Normally Billy Travis would have been ecstatic to see his grandfather, but he knew that once the judge found out about the purloined picture, he'd probably be sporting a sore backside. The twins were also filled with more than a little reservation. Despite the assurance of the seven peacekeepers that Judge Travis would be able to help their situation, Ethan and Eliza had been raised to be wary of anyone who could pronounce sentence on another.
Ezra decided to wait and speak to the Judge before telling Ethan or publically announcing his paternity. Though, he regretted the strain this placed between Eliza and himself, the former confidence man decided this was the best course of action. Much to Eliza's chagrin, the twins were expected to continue to fulfill their community service commitment, though they had been granted a couple hours of free time to play in the afternoons.
As it happened, the twins had just finished their work at the restaurant and were looking forward to a game of ball with some of the other kids in town when the stage pulled in. Stopping to look at each other, needing no words to convey their anxiety the children watched with trepidation as the passengers disembarked. First off was a matronly woman who was greeted warmly by a small family that had come in from one of the distant homesteads. Second was a silver-haired man with a commanding presence who they took to be Judge Travis, since Mary Travis stepped forward to welcome him with a hug. It was the next traveler to step down that had the kids looking at one each other in stark horror. The pinched face and hawkish nose of Ms. Weatherby caused both children to step back in revulsion.
"Damn!"
"What the hell is she doin' here?" Ethan wanted to know.
"I don't think we should stick around to find out," Eliza replied resolutely.
TBC…