Ezra sighed, closed his eyes, and leaned the wooden chair to balance on two back legs. The playing cards ruffled through his fingers without him thinking about it, though the chill of the evening vaguely made him consider putting on his gloves. A storm that morning had brought in a light pre-Christmas snow lending the town a softer look. Along the main street, he could see the glow of lamps being lit, could hear voices bidding "good evening" as the clerks and shopkeepers, headed toward homes or the church.
Behind him in the saloon, he heard Inez get a laugh from Buck. JD had already bid them good night and headed out to share the next day's holiday with the Wells'. Chris had left moments ago to head home to his family. The Larabee's would be back to share in the town's Christmas supper. Buck…Ezra shook his head, who knew what mischief Buck would get up to on Christmas Day. A light smile touched his thoughts as he heard the off-key singing that had just started coming from the church. Josiah's voice boomed through the night.
He and Vin, along with Buck and Nathan would stand watch tonight. Tomorrow, Nathan would head out to the Seminole village, driving a wagon filled with supplies and some toys. Ezra's smile went up a little more. No one had seen who loaded the wagon. Tomorrow after the shared meal, he and Vin would ride home to their own Christmas celebration.
The scrap of the chair beside him being pulled out stilled the shuffling of the pasteboards.
"Mine some company, Ezra?" Nathan asked as he eased into the chair.
Looking up through the crystal night, into the stars just starting to light the sky, Ezra said, "It is a fine evening, well worth sharing."
"Thanks, Ezra."
"Do you plan an early departure come morning?" Ezra asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
"Yeah,' Nathan admitted. "Take most of the day to get out to the Seminole's camp." From the corner of his eye, Ezra caught the smile the other man was trying to hide. "Dang funny thing, that wagon just showing up back of the salon today."
Slipping his cards into his inside coat pocket, Ezra said, with just the proper amount of amazement, "Most fortuitous, I would say."
"Fortuitous?" Nathan chuckled. "Reckon it was fortuitous you standing there when I was asking Missus Potter about getting in some supplies. Yep, downright fortuitous."
Ezra's only answer was to shift around and take his hip flask out. Offering it to Nathan, who shook his head, Ezra took a quick nip then returned to his contemplation of the clear, peaceful night.
A few more minutes passed in silence before Nathan asked, "You, okay? You been awful quiet tonight."
"Given the arrival of Christmas tomorrow," Ezra said, "I was merely enjoying the tranquility of this year's holiday as compared to the last two."
Nathan chuckled a little. "Yeah, not the best way to spend Christmas. Hey, but last year worked out. The Collins' are pretty friendly now."
"An apt point. I was probably remiss in mentioning the peacefulness as I am sure it will produce some calamity."
"You ain't superstitious are you, Ezra?" Nathan joked.
"I am a gambler, sir. Men in my profession are by nature super –"
A gunshot exploded in the evening.
Ezra's flask hit the boards, gun coming out, as they moved together, coming off the chairs and hitting the dirt street. At the same instant, the doors behind them burst open, Vin and Buck mere seconds behind them.
"Where?" Buck yelled.
"Bank?" Ezra came back.
"No," Nathan said. "Other direction."
They sprinted to the first building on the long street as another shot, further down, shattered the evening. Staying behind cover despite the distance that the shot sounded from, they took a moment to consider their plan.
Nathan checked his Colt. "What they after in this direction?"
"Stage office," Ezra guessed.
"Lowest form of life that would rob someplace on Christmas Eve," Buck complained.
"We'll take the street." Vin said.
"Got the alley," Nathan confirmed.
Another shot filled the night air, urging them to move faster. The teams split up, moving toward the stage depot, using the dark and buildings as cover. Ezra stayed just behind Vin, watching the opposite side of the street as they moved carefully down the wide sidewalk toward the shuttered office. A few curious faces peered out frosted windows, then ducked back quickly.
Vin slowed as they came to the last block. "Three shots," he said.
"Two shooters perhaps chasing each other?" Ezra ventured.
"Long pauses 'tween those shots. Kinda strange." Vin looked over his shoulder. "You be careful now."
Ezra nodded, seeing the love and concern in Vin's eyes. "I would ask the same, love."
Vin stepped forward, as Ezra moved back to cover him. Glancing down the narrow cut to where the others were waiting, Vin raised his hand, showing five fingers. The five seconds ticked by - then they moved the last dozen feet and Vin kicked in the door of the depot. They both flipped sideways, flattening against the outside wall, expecting gunfire. Nothing happened.
The splinting of wood from the back told them that their two companions had copied their maneuver. Nothing moved in the murky building. Ezra charged forward, hearing a curse from Vin as he did. He sprinted to the raised clerk's desk, ducked behind it. Silence answered his advance.
His partner moved up, not seeking cover since the building was dark and quiet. Vin glared at him, not happy with his risky move.
Ezra only shrugged. "I do believe it was my turn to run into possibly dangerous buildings."
The stomp of Buck and Nathan's boots on the hardwood floor was the only sound in the cold evening.
"Back door was still locked," Buck informed them.
"But you can smell gunpowder back there," Nathan added.
"Why'd someone shoot then –" Vin's words were cut off as another shot echoed through the town.
Buck led the charge out the front door then stopped.
"Where they headed?" Nathan asked.
Ezra shook his head. And another shot filled the night.
"Edge of town," Vin snapped. "Telegraph office maybe."
Nathan looked confused. "Two men?"
Even as he said it another shot sounded down the street.
Without another word, Vin and Buck started to jog down the street. Ezra remained slightly behind, as he and Nathan scanned the area around the wide main road, still wary of any shots coming out of the darkness.
Ezra paused, stared toward where the shots had sounded, then back to where they had come from. He had pulled enough cons to know when something wasn't right.
"Stop!" he ordered. "It's a distraction! We are being led away. They are after the saloon!"
Nathan surged past him. "Not the saloon, the church! People and money."
"Damnit!" Buck yelled.
Running hard along the main street they slowed as they came within sight of the rough-hewn church building. Light glowed from two windows facing the side road; an unsaddled horse tied to the nearest hitching post was the only thing that seemed out of place. Leaning against the frosted wall of the feed store, they studied the dimly lit area. As Vin leaned next to him, Ezra touched his shoulder. Vin gave a quick squeeze to Ezra's arm, conveying his acknowledgment that the slight touch expressed more than just a warning.
"No singing," Nathan observed.
"God-damn it, what kind of low, snake bastard would rob a god-damn church at Christmas," Buck muttered.
Despite the threat, Ezra almost had to smile at Buck's choice of words.
"Stay here," Vin said. "I'm gonna get a peek in the window and see what is going on."
"We have failed to account for the shooters," Ezra reminded them.
"I'll take the back," Nathan said. "If they try to join up, I don't think they'll come down the main street."
"Whistle?" Buck asked.
"Real loud." He moved between the feed store and the church, disappearing into the gloom of the alley.
Holstering his gun, Vin moved the last few yards, easing into a crouch under the low window. Ezra's hand tightened on his Remington as Vin moved up, sighing only when his lover was under the window. A few seconds went by before Vin moved just as carefully back to the others.
Vin said, "Two kids, standing there talking to Mister Dietrich and Josiah."
"Kids?" Buck questioned.
His two companions understood his question; to him, JD was still a kid.
Holding his hand about elbow height, Vin said, "'bout yay high. Taller ones got a pistol."
Ezra drew a sharp breath. They all knew that a kid with a gun was just as dangerous as a man with a gun. A glance between them marked their understanding of the options.
Buck pushed his hat back. "We each take a window, and watch. If they start out we'll grab them. Anything looks like it's going bad, and we…stop them."
They moved toward their positions. Ezra followed Vin to the window nearest the front door while Buck took the window to the back. Risking a slow move, Ezra peered through the frosted glass.
In the minutes since Vin's report, the two children had moved away from the two adults and were backing toward the door. The shorter of the two was carrying what looked like the small satchel Josiah used in place of a collection plate. The other had the pistol pointed at the ground.
"Headin' for the door," Vin spoke up, breath steaming in the freezing air.
"I'll take a position in front," Ezra said, motioning with his gun.
The other two understood his move, with one of them on each side of the main door, they would catch the two kids between them. Ezra started across the area, his move concealed by the wooden doors.
A loud, shrill whistle erupted in the still night -
And a hard galloping horse rounded the corner, sliding to a stop a dozen feet from Ezra. Ezra's gun came up as Buck and Vin screamed warnings to him. He hit the dirt, but there was no safe cover. He saw the rider's hand move down toward their waist.
"Stop!" Vin was suddenly straddling him, rifle aimed at the rider.
Behind them the double doors slammed open and the two boys rushed out, slamming to a stop at the sight of the lawmen.
"Drop the gun!" Buck yelled, his revolver steady on the boy. The boy stared wide-eyed and dropped his weapon.
Gesturing with his rifle at the rider, Vin ordered, "Down!"
The rider, long, hooded coat flapping as they jumped off the horse to land between Buck and the two boys. Nathan suddenly rounded the corner of the building, holding a young girl by the arm in one hand and a large, old pistol in the other.
"Stand still!" Buck loudly commanded.
Everyone stopped moving.
Ezra pushed himself cautiously to his feet. With his gun still steady, Vin reached down and helped him up, holding on to his arm for slightly longer than was needed. A quick glance was all it took for Ezra to convey his relief that for the moment, no one was being shot at.
The child in Nathan's grip let out a small yell and before anyone could move, the rider surged forward and grabbed her, hauling her back toward the boys who were standing very still. The light from the church's open door lit up the rider's face, revealing a woman's terrified expression. She pushed the hood back, exposing a middle-aged woman, her face tired, and weathered. The three children encircled the woman like chicks looking for protection from the hen. She said something firmly that made them all quiet.
At Vin's questioning look, Ezra said, "They are speaking German."
Looking around, she knelt on the icy ground and snapped something at the boy who had held the gun. The boy, crying even harder now, choked out an answer.
Buck holstered his gun. "Someone wanna tell us what the he…heck is going on here?"
Mister Dietrich stepped around Josiah. "They are her children."
"Yes, we surmised that much," Ezra said with a touch of sarcasm. He looked forlornly at the slushy mud on his coat.
The woman was looking both scared and mad at the same time. The children had their heads down, shame filling their faces.
Dietrich stepped forward and asked a question. She stood up, still keeping a hand on the boy's shoulders, and talking for a few minutes.
When she paused, Mister Dietrich translated, "This is Missus Hoffman. They were a few miles outside town when their wagon broke down. She had planned to come into town the day after Christmas and sell some of their things to pay for the wagon repairs."
She gave the oldest of the boys a hard shake. Now the boy spoke in low tones.
"The oldest one here, Otto, thought they could, uh, borrow the money from the poor box, since they were poor. When they saw people in the church he decided to steal the collection. He wanted to distract any town officials by having his little sister run around town shooting the only gun they had bullets for."
Missus Hoffman now spoke up, voice sad and ashamed.
"She thinks the boy, thought of the plan so she would not be forced to do sell any more of her things. She was cooking and had not seen them take the horse. When she saw the horse gone, she realized they must have come to town. She saw the other wagon horse from down the street."
Missus Hoffman went down on her knees, holding the oldest by the arms but giving each of them a hard look before speaking. Even without knowing the language, Ezra would tell the children were getting a lecture they would not soon forget.
"Pretty good plan," Vin said. "Surprised the girl could handle that big gun."
"And load," Nathan said with a touch of admiration.
Buck chuckled. "Gotta admit it mostly worked."
Missus Hoffman straightened up and asked something that made her voice shake.
Taking a deep breath, Dietrich said, "She wants to know if they will be put in jail."
"Might put the fear of the law in 'em," Buck half-heartedly suggested.
With a slight laugh, Ezra said, "I do believe Mother Hoffman has already accomplished that task, considering the contrition on each child's face."
Silence claimed the area for a minute.
"Mister Sanchez," Missus Potter spoke up from just behind Josiah. "I do not recall actually putting anything into the collection bag.
"You know," Mister Hillyard said, "I don't seem to recall collection being taken."
Several other voices spoke up about not having added any coins to the bag. Josiah looked around at his congregation. Then shared a look and smile with his four friends.
"The message tomorrow brings is about forgiveness," Josiah reminded them. "I do believe that I handed this pouch to the boy when he asked politely for it. I'm not sure what is in it."
The big preacher handed the sack back to Missus Hoffman. She stared at the bag, then at the crowd standing in the church door.
Josiah said, "Mister Dietrich, please tell them they are welcome to stay in the church tonight. It's warm and we have blankets to make mats. Tomorrow they can join the celebration meal. Then we'll see about getting the wagon fixed."
Everyone was smiling as Mister Dietrich repeated the information. Staring around her, Missus Hoffman broke into hard sobs, latching onto Buck and crying into his shoulder.
Ezra exchanged a look with Vin that asked why it was always Buck. Vin merely rolled his eyes. Before anyone could move, the three children managed to hug each of the people standing nearby. Easing away, Josiah led his flock into the warm building followed by Buck, still holding up the crying woman, while Nathan ushered the children inside, closing the doors against the cold.
Vin gave a huge sigh. "Well, that could'a been bad."
"But it wasn't," Ezra observed. "Perhaps our luck concerning the Christmas season has indeed changed."
Vin tilted his head down, his gaze letting Ezra see all they meant to each other. "Long as we're together, it'll be good."
Safely hidden behind the solid doors, Ezra suddenly wrapped Vin in a hard, long hug. "Merry Christmas, Vin."
A quick kiss touched his neck just before Vin, eased away. "You too, partner."
From inside the sound of the congregation singing, "Silent Night" filled the wintry night. Scattered through the English was a spattering of German.
