EPILOGUE

It was a stroke of luck that J. D. had managed to slip out of the hotel room unnoticed. The judge and Mrs. Travis had practically smothered him with kindness and concern. All he wanted was to talk to the one man who promised this terrible thing wouldn't happen. Chris Larabee.

JD. had waited patiently out of sight until he saw Larabee mount up and ride toward the cemetery. His anger gave him the strength to board a nearby bay and follow his quarry up the low rise. Larabee stopped at the gate then walked over to the fresh grave of their mutual friend Vin Tanner. The man in black turned as JD. stepped up beside him and met JD.'s fist with his chin. He stepped back, his reaction to the blow more from surprise than from the weak impact.

"How could you let this happen?" JD. shouted at the top of his lungs. "Vin was your best friend! He trusted you!" Larabee reached out to JD. when he saw how pale he had become. "Don't touch me!" JD. shook off his hand and wiped angrily at the tears that fell onto his cheeks.

Larabee's eyes were misty when he said softly, "There wasn't anything more I could do. Miracles just aren't in my bag of tricks, JD. What more could I have done?"

"More," JD. repeated softly as his knees gave way. Larabee caught him and gently settled the young man on the ground beside the grave. There was a wagon coming out from town in a great hurry. Larabee looked and saw Mary and the judge on the seat of the buck board. He blinked as a breeze tossed the dust into his eyes.

The wagon pulled to a stop a minute later. Mary hopped down from the wagon and Larabee stepped out of her way as she rushed to the boy's side. "JD.?" she said, softly, coaxing him to wakeup. "Come on, JD. Wake up."

Larabee watched the judge step down from the wagon. Judge Travis stepped forward and asked, "What happened, son?"

"He said... that I didn't do enough to keep Vin from hanging, but," Larabee paused. His gaze dropped to the grave marker. "It was the only way I could figure to save his life. Everything was tested. That modified corset took my weight easily. The hooks that were sewn to the corset should have held. Ezra knew how to hook up the noose." Larabee looked skyward, his features drawn. "I just don't understand."

Judge Travis placed his hand on the distraught gunslinger's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself for JD.'s. disappointment. With all that's happened no one has had a chance to tell him about the plan, and –"

Before the judge could continue Larabee broke in. "It shouldn't have happened at all. Thompson shouldn't have been allowed to get close enough to do what he did. Especially after the trouble he caused earlier this year." A soft groan stopped Larabee's tirade.

He knelt at JD.'s side. Some of the boy's color-had returned and his eyes were open. A nicker brought Larabee's attention back in the direction of town. He could see five riders approaching. He soon recognized his four remaining friends and Nettie Wells.

Larabee stood and whistled shrilly. "Nathan, get over here!"

The black healer picked up his pace only a moment before the others. He dismounted looping the reins of his horse over the rickety fence rail. Seeing JD. on the ground, he grabbed his saddle bags. Nathan took his place beside Mary and quickly began checking on the boy.

Mary stood and looked at Larabee. "You're only human, Chris. Don't blame yourself for—"

What she was about to say was interrupted by the anxious questions leveled at the group concerning JD.'s condition and what had happened. It took a few minutes before Nathan helped JD. to sit up. "He's gonna be fine," Nathan said reassuringly.

Larabee stood rooted to the spot as Josiah and Buck helped JD. to his feet and over to the wagon. Soon JD. rested propped up against the side rail. He watched as they talked quietly to the boy. He noticed a lone rider coming out from town. The man was dressed head to toe in black and wore no gun. The collar of his plain white shirt lay neatly over the button-down coat. A pair of small spectacles reflected the evening sun from beneath a black, shallow-crowned hat with a wide, flat brim. His hair appeared short except for two locks of long caramel-colored hair that framed the man's clean-shaven face.

When he spotted the book clutched in the man's hand, he turned away. "Damned Bible thumper," Chris muttered as he tumed back to Tanner's grave. It was bad enough when Josiah decided to fill his ears with platitudes. He didn't think he could tolerate that from a stranger. Lost in his own thoughts Chris didn't see the tall preacher rein in his buckskin horse next to the others.

Mary watched the tall man with a slight smile on her lips. He greeted each of the men with a firm handshake and a clap on the back, except for JD. who got a hug and had his hat pulled down over his ears. The man's reception didn't penetrate the shell Larabee had erected around himself. Mary wondered briefly what Chris would say when he met the preacher.

The preacher left the Bible on the tail of the wagon and turned to Nettie Wells. He held both of her hands. Judging from his posture, Mary could hear him saying something like flaw shucks, ma'am".

After a moment he walked through the cemetery gate and shook hands with the judge. He tipped his hat to Mary. She smiled fully reaching out to touch Larabee's sleeve. "Chris," she said, getting his attention the second time. "I really think you should talk to this man."

He glowered at Mary before he snarled, "And just what could this man have to say that I would want to hear?" Larabee gestured halfheartedly in the general direction of the stranger.

A comfortingly familiar voice from just behind his left shoulder said, "How about I'm not dead yet?"

Larabee's eyes widened as he turned to face Vin Tanner. Larabee stood frozen for a moment, his expression rapidly changing from anger to disbelief and back again. Tanner had no time to react before Larabee's fist connected solidly with his jaw.

Tanner looked up at Larabee from the ground, rubbing his chin. There was a mischievous grin in his eyes as he asked, "And just whose idea was this anyway?" Buck handed Tanner his fallen hat and helped him to his feet. Tanner wrapped his pony-tail up and stuffed it under the hat as he resettled it. "Feel better?" he asked, taking half a step back.

"No," Larabee said as he turned to the judge. "Why didn't you tell me he was still alive?"

"I tried but you weren't in the mood to hear what I had to say."

Chris looked at Mary. She shrugged. "You wouldn't listen, and we couldn't find JD. to tell him because he slipped out while we were making Mr. Tanner's final arrangements."

"Everyone else knew?" Larabee questioned.

"Not until well after we reached the undertaker's establishment," Ezra added, handing Larabee his flask. Larabee took a deep swig from Ezra's flask. Handing it back, he got a strange look on his face, then asked, "What broke if it wasn't your neck?"

Tanner handed him two long, thin pieces of broken bone. "Corset stays," he said with a smile. "You ready to go?"

Larabee stared out across the flat, desolate, Texas landscape. "It's not right leaving this here."

"Not much choice. It's a long ways back to Four Corners."

"Was it worth it?"

"Hard to say."

Larabee turned to Tanner, a wolfish grin on his face. "Well, maybe we'd better get out of here before someone finds out vou ain't dead."

As they headed for the horses, Vin pulled Ezra aside as they walked. - "Did you send my regrets to the lady for the excess wear and tear on her garment?" he asked the gambler.

"You know I couldn't do that and keep the illusion we have created. Never fear," Ezra said, seeing the look on Vin's face. "As the hooks could not be easily removed, nor the stays replaced, I have seen to it the young lady will not be found lacking." Ezra grinned widely, allowing the sun to glint off his gold tooth.

"Thank you."

"It was my pleasure," Ezra said, taking up the reins of his horse.

Tanner put a hand on Ezra's arm. When the man turned, Vin said seriously, "No. Thank you."

Ezra was touched by Vin's statement and took it deep into his heart. His gambler's facade only allowed the faintest flicker of emotion as he tipped his hat in the ex-bounty hunter's direction.

Larabee mounted his horse then wheeled it around to face Tanner as he settled into the saddle of the rented animal.

"I see the need for disguise, but why that?"

"Who'd suspect? Besides," Tanner gingerly fingered his throat, "We had to do something to hide the bruises."

Larabee smiled and turned his horse. He rode a short distance, then stopped. After a moment, the others joined him. Buck, Josiah and Ezra stopped on his right. Tanner, Nathan, and the buckboard carrying JD., Nettie and the Travis's came up on his right. Larabee's smile broadened and they continued together.

They hadn't ridden half a mile when Tanner pulled his hat off, hanging it from the saddle horn. He untied the thong holding his pony tail and tossed it aside, shaking his hair so it flowed free in the breeze. The leather strip hadn't hit the ground before his fingers began working on the starched white collar. With a satisfied smile, Tanner sent the collar whipping out into the prairie grass.

He took a deep breath and undid the buttons on his coat. A moment later Josiah came up fast from behind, a huge grin on his face. "Brother Tanner," he said as he drew even with Vin, "you appear to be coming apart at the seams."

Josiah's pale eyes twinkled merrily as he twirled the stiffly starched collar on his finger. Tanner shot him a dark look. He shrugged out of the coat and threw it at Josiah. The others started to laugh as Tanner undid several buttons on his shirt. Then he began working on the cuffs of his shirt and pushed the sleeves up to his elbows. Still grinning, Josiah flipped the collar aside.

THE END

Jessie my friend it was a good ride and you are sorely missed.