The last time JD Dunne had leaned
against a wagon and watched like this, was when the working girls were in
town. This time he was watching Mary Travis. The woman was seeing the final
pieces of furniture that had been retrieved from Royal's home off to their
original owners. She had found every owner and JD couldn't help admiring the
woman's determination. Ezra had said she would succeed and he had been right.
As JD straightened, half-turning
to move on, he caught Josiah's eye and instantly dropped his gaze. He felt
bad about Josiah. Firstly because the man had been so smitten with the singing
lady, Emma, but she had not even remembered him, and secondly for the night
in the saloon he and Buck had been teasing him. They had both had a little
too much to drink, consequently doing something JD was not at all proud of,
he had hurt a friend.
It had been a little funny. Josiah
was such a strong man and to see him all sappy and wistful had been a new
experience for the easterner, and, he was guessing, Buck, too. But they had
underestimated the depth of the man's feelings and had angered him… likely
even hurt him…and JD felt he should apologize…but where should he
start?
The boy startled as a strong hand
squeezed his shoulder.
"Good morning, John Dunne."
JD didn't look up. "'Mornin',
Josiah." They remained silent for a few moments.
"Is everything alright, JD?
Have I upset you in some way?"
Dunne looked up at him in alarm.
Why would he think that?
"No." Again he dropped
his gaze, but now he was trying to find the words he needed to make an apology.
Josiah settled next to him, leaning against the wagon JD had just stood back
from, hoping it would set his friend at ease. It did not.
"JD…clearly something
is on your mind. I'd be happy to share the burden with you, son."
Finally the young sheriff looked
at him. "Actually, Josiah, y'already do."
Sanchez leaned to the side a little,
now facing the younger man and realizing for the first time, how much discomfort
JD was in. "I do?"
"Yes, you do. I…"
he looked at his clasped hands. "…I wanted to say…" Now
he looked up at the preacher.
"…I wanted to say…I'm
real sorry about what happened with your lady friend, and…"
Josiah relaxed a little. "Why…thank
you, son…and…?"
"And…I wanted to say
sorry…sorry for what Buck and I said in the saloon the other night. We
shouldna teased you like that, it was mean… I should know…been teased
myself, too now."
Josiah released a small smile.
"I appreciate and accept your apology, John, but now, you have aroused
my interest. Who has been teasing you… and why?"
The boy stared at him open-mouthed.
He didn't know…whoa…he must be the only one in town that didn't.
"Well…it wasn't as bad
as what we said to you, but I got…mooed." JD blushed.
"Mooed?" Josiah stifled
a grin. "I see…and I suppose Buck *mooed* you, huh?"
JD nodded. "Yeah…well…him
and Chris."
Sanchez's arm slipped awkwardly
off the wagon. He composed himself.
"Chris…as in Chris Larabee…hardened
gunslinger?"
"Yup…I think I convinced
them they were wrong, though."
Sanchez blinked. "Chris Larabee
mooed…and I missed it. So now I need to know…what young lady has
caught your eye so fiercely that Chris Larabee deemed it necessary to *moo*
you?"
JD shook his head. "Oh no…let's
get one thing straight…yeah, Buck made her look real pretty, even when
she was in her draws, but that don't mean I like her…no sir!"
Josiah couldn't help it…he
let out a chuckle at the boy's exasperation… and the image he had just
provided.
"Let me get this straight,
a young lady…from this town…has seemingly caught your interest,
yet you feel obliged to deny it, and yet…you've seen her undergarments?
And Buck was involved…how? "
JD leaned forward over the wagon.
"Okay…she kept buggin' me, sayin' she could ride better 'n me an'
stuff…hell, I ain't surprised she thinks like that, she's all spit'n
vinegar an' dresses like a boy, but she can't…an' one day I'll prove
it…"
He was all puffed up with indignation
and Josiah watched in fond amusement as this young easterner who had worked
his way into the once closed hearts of six hardened gunslingers, attempted
to convince Josiah…and apparently himself…that this young lady was
more a nuisance than a possible love interest.
"Then Buck goes an' gets her
to put on a dress and brush her long brown hair until it was shining and walks
her over to me…but then she stepped up and her skirt got caught and then
I saw her draws," he winced, "and so did everyone else."
Sanchez couldn't help smiling.
"Hmmm…I see…and who exactly would this young lady be, JD?"
Dunne sighed heavily, resting his
head on his clasped hands. "Casey Wells."
Josiah's huge toothy grin lit up
his face. He had seen the girl watching the youth from afar on numerous occasions.
So she had finally plucked up the courage to speak to him. Damn…he would
have liked to have seen all this unfold…damn Emma Dubonnet and 'Getting
Gertie's Garter'…damn her to hell. He squeezed the boy's neck.
"Well…as long as you're
sure of how you feel, that's all that matters."
"Damn right," JD nodded
back, happy Josiah could see he was sincere. He watched the preacher leave,
the man chuckling as he went on his way. JD smiled to himself, happy that
he and Josiah had talked and that the young sheriff had made the man a little
happier…well, he guessed he was…seeing as he was smilin' and all.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Larabee looked up from the wanted
posters as JD entered the jail, nodding to the youth before resuming his reading.
JD had decided this was a day for clearing the air. After several moments,
Chris spoke.
"Did you want something, JD?"
JD's mouth went dry and he suddenly
didn't feel so sure of himself. He turned to leave.
"Err…sorry, doesn't matter."
"JD, It mattered enough to
bring you in here…what is it?"
Dunne turned back to face the man
he looked up to more than anyone in the world, and tried to find the words
he needed to say, suddenly blurting out a name.
"Tophat Bob…"
Gaining the blond's full attention,
Chris looked at him. "What about him?"
JD took a seat, his need to ask
his question now taking over from his attack of nerves.
"I…I asked you how you
knew you could take Tophat Bob Spikes."
Chris nodded. "I remember,
what of it?"
"Well…you didn't…you
didn't answer me…you just…smiled. Did that mean you knew for sure
you could? But how can any man…?"
Sensing something bigger, Chris
leaned his arms onto the desk.
"I smiled because…I never
know. What I do know is…I've yet to meet anyone faster than me, and it
don't scare me to be challenged, so if it came to a showdown, I reckon I stand
as much a chance as the man I'm facin' down. I have a reputation, JD…there'll
always be someone out there wantin' to call me out. If I think about being
slower than him, even for a moment…then I will be. Does that help?"
JD looked into the man's eyes and
saw the sincerity there. Chris' eyes were softer now. When he had first met
him they were cold and hard, now…now Chris seemed happier, and it showed…in
his eyes. He nodded.
"Yeah…I think so. So…you'd
never back down…ever?"
Chris sat back. "Man can't
live forever, kid, I don't intend looking for trouble, but I sure as hell
won't walk away if it finds me. Do *you* think you can take Bob Spikes?"
JD swallowed. He was fast…he
knew it. But faster than Tophat Bob?
"I don't know. How could I?
I've never faced a man down…ever."
Larabee nodded. "Good…keep
that in the front of your mind, it'll stop you from doing something stupid.
It's not always about being the fastest, son, remember that." He stood.
JD frowned, looking up at the man
in black. "Where do I learn about such things? Where does that kind of
understandin' come from, Chris?"
Larabee leaned forward. "You
watch, you listen and you learn from us and then you remember the one thing
we can't teach you." Leaning further over, he briefly touched his hand
to JD's chest.
"It mostly comes from in here."
With a touch to his hat, Larabee
left the jail. Mouth open in astonishment, JD placed his hand to where Chris
had just touched. His heart? He was supposed to think with his heart? He looked
up as Buck came in.
"There you are…you comin'
for a beer?"
"Err, yeah, sure." He
stood.
"What you just say to Chris?"
"Why?"
"Well…he just come over
to me an' squeezed my shoulder an' talked all gentle like…just like he
did before…well…just… Well, anyway, he said you had a question."
The two walked onto the boardwalk
together.
"Aaah, I reckon this is one
I need to think through a while. But you can answer me this. Do *you* think
you could beat Tophat Bob if he called you out?"
Buck laughed. "What…that
overstuffed, ugly lookin', sissy blowhard? Hell, yeah."
The End
