Chapter 16
Nathan and Vin were just coming back into town when they saw the others congregated around Lilly. “Oh hell Nathan, you think he’s back?” Vin asked with great concern.
“Don’t know, but I think we bess find out” Nathan said as he jumped off his horse and ran over to the others. Vin was close behind him.
When they got to the group, they could see that Lilly had fainted and JD was as pale as a ghost. “What happened?” Nathan said as he was checking on Lilly. He looked up to see JD staring wide eyed at him. “JD, what’s a matter?”
But no one said a word. “Anybody mind telling us what’s going on?” asked Vin, cutting through the silence.
“Well, we ain’t quit sure yet?” said Buck as he scratched his head.
“How could she possibly know that name?” mumbled JD as he watched intently. Nathan had pulled some smelling salts from his bag and was waving them under Lilly’s nose. Slowly she started to move her head , then with a jerk, she came to. She looked bewildered as she seemed to be trying to place what just happened.
“Are you all right my dear?” asked Ezra, with Lilly lying practically in his lap.
“Yeah, I’m fine. But what happened?” she asked as she was getting to her feet. Ezra was gently pulling her up, when she lost balance and fell forward. Luckily, JD was standing in front of her and caught her. He was still mesmerized that she knew his full name. He stood there, staring at her as she looked up, bashfully thanking whoever had caught her. When she realized that JD was standing there, the realization came back to her of what had happened before she had fainted.
“Lilly, how do you know my name?” JD said in almost a whisper. “No one knows my name as Hinkland.”
“Yeah, I thought your last name was Dunne?” asked Buck.
“Only my parents know that name. The only other person who could possibly know it is.....uhm......No way.” JD said in a state of utter shock. “It’s not possible. Beth is dead, Lilly. She is dead.”
“Oh Jonathan”, she said as she drew closer to him. She reached up and gently rubbed his check. He grabbed her hand hard and pushed it away. Through gritted teeth, he said, “My sister died when she was six.” Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes. Knowing that he would never allow himself to cry in front of Buck and them, he quickly turned away from her, almost knocking her down as he did.
“Oh dear God. I have been searching for you for three years Jonathan.” she cried as the tears freely fell from her eyes. “I was almost beginning......”
“NO” he shouted. “It’s not possible.” JD began to walk away from the group while everyone was frozen, stunned in the spots where they stood.
JD had told Buck all about his birth family. His mother, father and sister had been killed in a robbery, only he had survived. He was four years old. Shortly after the accident, he had been taken in by wonderful people who he came to know as his parents. He had had a good life, and told Buck that he didn’t regret it. But Buck knew JD had always had an empty spot where his family should have been.
“Jonathan, they told me the....”
He turned toward her abruptly, and stomped back to where she stood. She drew back out of fear, making Ezra’s heart ache at the obvious abuse she must have suffered from Ben. “STOP calling me Jonathan. My name is JD. Do you hear me?” he screamed in her face. She recoiled from the sound of his voice. He turned back around and continued walking.
“Wait, JD, please. I was told the same thing. My mother told me that you had been killed along with our parents, but I remember that night. I knew it was a lie. JD, they took you away from me. I didn’t know what was going on. They kept telling me that you had died too. For God’s sake JD, I was only six.” she pleaded to him. He finally stopped, and stood in the middle of the road with his back to them. He was listening to what she was saying. He wanted so badly to believe her.
Again, JD turned back around and stormed back to Lilly. He grabbed her by the arms, and started shaking her. “Why didn’t you come to me sooner? Why did you wait so long? Why now?” Ezra could not stand by and watch him hurt her the way he was. Ezra motioned to Buck to get JD off of her. Buck walked up behind JD and put his arms around him, pulling him back as he went.
JD began wiggling to get free from Bucks arms. Once he was, he stood there looking at her, the eyes of a wounded animal. “Why?”
Crying, she went to him and touched his cheek. “When I first starting see Ben, my mother did not approve. Then she got sick right around the same time as Ben started changing. She began to fear what was going to happened to me because of Ben. Finally, one night when the cough had her bad and she couldn’t sleep, she begged me to go west. I couldn’t figure out why. I had never been west, neither had she. But she seemed persistent. She told me of her fears that Ben would get me killed someday.” she said as she took both of JD’s hands in hers.
“I guess she knew she was going to die very soon, and decided that I should know the truth before she died. I think she hoped that I would leave Ben and go to look for you.” she said looking into his eyes. She saw no sympathy there, only pain.
“Well, she told me how she and your mother had made a pact to never tell us about the other because it would only be a reminder of what we had lost, our parents. When she told me I was devastated. I couldn’t believe the betrayal I felt. I had lived my whole life with a hole in my heart, always living with this feeling that there was something out there in this big world that was a part of me, but never knowing what is was.” She looked down at his hands in hers. Everyone watched as she seemed to be thinking of how exactly to continue on. She began absent-mindedly rubbing his hands, never taking her eyes off of them.
“When she told me, I was ready to go looking for you. She was able to give me your mothers name and where your parents had been the last she knew and that was it. But your parents were hard to find, and I never knew the name Dunne. But Ben put a stop to that quick. He was not about to let me go anywhere.”
It was only about three months later that the bank robbery incident had occurred, and right away, Ben started sending me those letters. Well, I knew him well enough to know to take them seriously. I knew that when he got out, he would kill me. So I did the only thing that I could, I came in search of you.” she said looking into his eyes. Tears streamed her cheeks.
“Why? Did you think I would protect you?” JD said coldly, pulling his hands out of hers.
Looking back at the ground, she continued. “No, JD. I just wanted to meet you. I wanted to make sure that you were doing good. I wanted to see how my baby brother turned out. I wanted........” she said looking again into his face, hoping for some compassion. “I had to see you, if only once, before Ben kills me. I just didn’t want to die without having been able to tell you that even though we have spent our lives apart, I have loved you all my life.”
JD just couldn’t take anymore. He pulled Lilly to him and wrapped his arms around her tight. He felt that bond that he had been missing his whole life. His heart felt full again, but it was just to much for him to bare. JD buried his face in her long curls and cried. He cried for those years of emptiness, he cried for all the years that he lost, but mostly he cried for what he had found, his sister.
The rest of the men just stood back and watched. They were all speechless. No one knew what to say, so they said nothing.
“Hey wait a minute” he said pulling back from her and brushing the tears away with his eyes. “My sister’s name really was Beth. If what your saying is true...”
She had almost forgot that part. Extending her hand to him in a handshake gesture, “Elizabeth Lillian Hinkland. At your service” she said trying to offer a smile. “My mother thought it best to go by Lilly cause it was less of a reminder.”
They hugged again for what seemed like an eternity. Neither wanted to let the other go. Ezra was the first to notice the crowd that was gathering to see what was going on, and decided to interrupted. “Who is in the mood for some libations? Maybe we can continue this in the saloon.”
“Amen to that. I sure could use a drink.” said Buck who also had noticed all the people gathering. “Come on you two. You can talk in the saloon.”
Chapter 17
Ezra watched from a far as Lilly and JD sat at a table talking. They had asked the others to give them some space so that they could discuss more of the details of what had happened. The men were all happy to oblige. Now Ezra sat shuffling his cards and watching the two talk.
Lilly sat facing JD which put her directly in Ezra’s line of sight. He was amazed at the change in her appearance. She looked softer, more fragile, but her face shined with love for the boy. Ezra examined her every detail as she listened intently to JD talk. He watched as she brushed the tendrils of hair that had come loose from her barrette away from her eyes. He noticed that strange way she always bit her pinkie nail when she was focused on something. But it was mostly her smile that took his breath away.
She had this way of tilting her head slightly to the right when she smiled that was precious. She also had the most dazzling dimples he had ever seen. Ezra couldn’t help but notice that her beauty was ravenous. Her eyes had a sparkle that hadn’t been there before. She smiled and laughed so carefree.
JD must have something sad to Lilly because she put her hand on his back and rubbed it. Sliding her hand down his arm, she took JD’s hand in hers. Bringing it up to her lips, she gently kissed the back of it. JD seemed over come with emotion. He reached out and pulled Lilly to him, hugging her tight. She closed her eyes and held him to her.
When she opened them, she noticed Ezra deeply engrossed in this exchange of emotions. Ezra was embarrassed to have been caught staring like some uneducated moron. He blushed lightly and started to look away when he noticed her smile. She looked at him with caring eyes and he knew that she didn’t mind his intrusion. He wanted her in that moment more than anything he had ever wanted in his whole life.
“You think Ben will come back tonight?” said Buck scaring the wits out of Ezra.
“Geez, Buck, don’t sneak up on people like that” said Ezra, clutching his chest.
Buck looked perplexed for a moment, then continued on. “I don’t think he is going to wait long. He won’t want to risk giving her the opportunity to get out of town. Don’t you think?”
Ezra considered this for several moments. “Yeah, he’ll be back. I’m sure of it. The question is when.”
Chapter 18
Ben felt the lump on his nose from where Lilly had hit him with her elbow. “Whore” he screamed as he threw the bottle of whiskey that he had been holding against the building in front of him. Who did she think she was dealing with. He had killed people for far less than this stinking bitch had put him through.
Ben had arrived in the town of Jasper early. Now as he sat in the saloon, he revisited the events of the previous encounter. He had been caught off guard by them men in Four Corners. He hadn’t expected Lilly to tell anyone about her situation. He was going to make sure that didn’t happen again. What had surprised him even more was the way they had come to her defense. “And that sissy fella in the ruffled shirt” he thought to himself, the anger so raw and fresh in his mind. “Just exactly who did he think he was dealing with”.
The look on the face of the man she had called Ezra had disgusted him to his very core. He couldn‘t believe that Lilly would let herself get close to someone. He had been chasing her for three years and quite a chase it had been. She was a formidable opponent. She was smart and always managed to get out of his way a split second before he could get a hold of her.
That night in Colorado was the only time when she had let her guard down. He had watched her all night, going from one man to another. He was sickened by her. He had made the mistake that night though. He had let his anger get the best of him. “Never again” he told himself.
Ben sometimes couldn’t even remember the reason why he was still chasing after her. Long ago it had become his mission. She ran and he chased. It was just the way it was and would be until one of them lost. And to lose meant to die. He was prepared, but was she?
Ben had come to Jasper to meet some friends of his. He hadn’t had much need for any backup for a long time. A year ago, Lilly had attempted to befriend a Marshall in Missouri. Ben had taken care of that. “And then there was no Marshall, no more” he said to himself as he laughed hysterically. The few patrons in the saloon looked at him cautiously. Noticing this, he hissed at them, screaming “What the hell are you looking at?” He said to all of them, yet no one in particular. he had gone beyond the point of rational thought.
Having filled them in on the plan for Lilly, Ben’s friends were more than willing to lend a hand in taking care of the gunmen. They thought of it as a challenge. He had decided to give it some time before they were to strike. He wanted Lilly and her friends to let their guard down before he attacked. But he would watch. Oh yes, he always watched Lilly.
He knew that she would stay in that town until it was settled with him. He wanted to wait for a while so that Lilly could be the false hope that she was safe. He wanted a time when he could get her by herself. He would let his friends take care of the gunmen, but he wanted only to deal with Lilly. He wanted it to be slow and torturous and painful. “Maybe I’ll take that sissy boy of hers too.”
“If she thinks them men are going to protect her, she is dead wrong.” he said feeling the hate seep out of him. Ben left the saloon, and staggered down the alleyway toward the hotel. His head hurt and he felt sick but thoughts of revenge kept a smile on his face. Anyone passing by him would have been able to tell that he was far past the point of any sanity left. He laughed that deranged laugh as he turned his head up toward the moon. “I’m coming for ya Lilly” he scream as he fell backward to the ground, passing out for the night.
Chapter 19
It had been two days since Lilly and JD had discovered one another and there hadn’t been one second of the day when the two weren’t together. At first, Ezra was glad to give them the time to bond, but now he was starting to feel a little neglected. He knew that discovering JD had to be the greatest gift Lilly ever had, but he had barely seen her at all over the last two days. Now, he stood in the livery, absent-mindedly brushing his horse. He had needed the quiet to think.
As a matter of fact, no one had really seen either of them around. Ezra wasn’t sure where they went but he felt lonely. He wanted to hold her in his arms, like he did that night after Ben first caught her in town. He had felt things that night that he didn’t even know existed within him. Now, he felt impatient. He longed for her. He needed her.
He also knew that right now JD needed her too. JD had been so alone out here in the West. All the guys knew it. JD was young and it was understandable. And for once he was no longer alone.
But Ezra still could help but feel greedy. He wanted her......
Ezra jumped, dropping the brush in his hand, and went for his pistol when he felt the hands on his waist. He turned quickly, never having even heard anyone approaching him from behind.
“Wait, Don’t shoot. It’s just me.” said Lilly, drawing her hands back quickly. She stood there with her hands in the air, and a big beautiful smile on her face.
Immediately Ezra put his gun back in its holster. “God, you scared me to death.” he said chuckling to himself. He straightened his vest and hitched his thumbs in his gun belt.
“I can see that.” she started lowering her arms. “Are you busy?”
“Nah, I was just brushing my horse.” he said looking at the ground, absently kicking at a bit of hay. “Actually, I was just thinking about you,” he said raising his eyes to her without actually raising his head. He watched her face intently to see her reaction.
“Oh really” she said smiling. She walked closer to him. He could instantly smell jasmine. She stood only inches from him. Taking his hands in hers, she pulled his arms around her waist, her eyes never leaving his. “Well, I hope it was good” she said, running her hands up his arms.
Ezra was stunned by her actions. “Why uh....yes....I mean yes, of course.” She moved closer to him, their bodies pressed against each other. She looked up into his brilliant green eyes. “That’s good” she said.
Looking down into her face, Ezra felt his knees grow weak. He wanted so bad to kiss her, to make love to her, to be with her until the end of time. Ezra closed his eyes as she ran her hands up his shoulders, across the back of his neck and into his hair. She brought one hand around to his face, and softly caressed his cheek.
Ezra grabbed the hand on his cheek and drew it to his mouth. He kissed it gently on the palm and held it back to his cheek. He loved the feel on her hand on his face. He slowly opened his eyes to see her beautiful face watching him intently. Lilly took the thumb of her hand on his cheek, and gently traced the out line of his sensual lips.
He kissed her thumb, sucking it into his mouth, and she could take no more. Grabbing Ezra’s head in both her hands, she drew his lips to hers. Their kiss, strong and passionate, sent a million volts through her body. He brought one hand up her back and into her long curls, the other pulling her tightly against him.
Her taste was sweet like honey to his lips. He wanted every inch of her. He pressed his tongue into her mouth entwining it with hers. She ran her fingers through his hair, then moved them back down his back.
Ezra put his hand on her chin, gently lifting her head slightly to one side. Moving his lips across her cheek, he gently kissed her earlobe, drawing it into his mouth and nibbling on it. She giggled, trying to pull back but he held her tight. Kissing down her neck, he began to suckle the area right above her collar bone. He heard her moan softly and thought he would go nuts with desire. He wanted her so bad.
While he continued to kiss her neck, she drew her arms up to his chest and was gently rubbing it. She moved her hands to his shirt buttons and began to carefully undo them, one at a time.. When she had several of the buttons undone, she pushed open his shirt, revealing his bare chest. She looked at his chest as she ran her fingers over it. Leaning forward, she began gently kissing it forming a little trail as she went down his chest and then back up again until it was she who was kissing his neck. This time it was he who groaned with pleasure and she couldn’t help but smile.
He grabbed her head in his hands and crushed her lips with passion sending explosions of pleasure through her body. She started to unbutton his shirt more revealing his firm abdominal. Rubbing her hand across it........
“Hey Ezra, we got......oh shit.” said Buck as he came barging through the half open livery doors. Quickly, Ezra and Lilly pulled away from one another. Lilly brought her hand up to her lips, still tasting Ezra in her mouth. “Ah God, I am soooo sorry. But shit, Ez, we gotta ride. Chris got word that a man was arrested at Eagle Bend and we gotta check it out.” Looking from Ezra to Lilly. “It may be Ben. I’m sorry to interrupt but we’re leaving now.”
Ezra, hands on his hips and his shirt still unbuttoned, dropped his head. Taking a deep breath, “I’ll be right there Buck. Give me one second.” Buck knew that it was his cue to leave. Turning his attention to Lilly, “Well my-my Miss Lilly. You look a little flushed.” he smiled and tipped his hat to her. “You should get back to the saloon when we leave. JD is there waiting for ya. He is gonna stay here with you.”
“All right Buck. I will. Thank you.” Lilly said thinking what lousy timing this had. But the prospect of Ben in jail made her happy. With that Buck was out the door, leaving an over-worked Ezra and Lilly alone again. Ezra turned to her and smiled. She walked back to him and started to rebutton his shirt. He took both her hands and drew them up to his mouth. Looking into her eyes, he gently kissed her hands. She smiled a demure smile and standing on her tip-toes, she kissed him softly on the lips.
Taking a deep breath, Ezra straightened his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair to smooth it out. She stood back a bit and watched as he got his horse saddled up and ready to go. Once that was done, he walked back to Lilly and pulled her into his arms. Smiling that devilish grin of his, “We will finish this later?”
She loved his smile. It set her toes on fire. “And then some” she said kissing him with her most seductive kiss. Pulling away, he smiled, “Another one of those and I won’t be going anywhere.” He kissed her again, only this time briefly and mounted his horse. He put his arm out to her. She grabbed hold as he lifted her onto the back of his horse. “I’ll drop you at the saloon.” She put her arms around his waist and held him tight. She knew how to ride a horse and knew that is wasn’t necessary for her to hold him that way, but she wanted to. He lead the horse out of the livery and down to the saloon where the others were waiting.
The others were seated on their horse, talking to JD who stood on the boardwalk in front of the saloon. As they approach, Ezra could see Buck had a big, cheesy grin on his face. “Well, there ya are, Ezra. What took you so long?” Buck said kiddingly. Everyone turned to look.
Lilly couldn’t tell if Buck had told the others of their encounter but with the reactions her and Ezra were receiving she imagined so. Well, that was okay with her because she was in love with Ezra and soon they would all know anyways. Kissing Ezra on the cheek, she jumped off the horse, landing on her feet.
Chris smiled at this. Tipping his hat to her, “Afternoon Miss Lilly”. She looked up at him as she walked over to JD.
“Afternoon gentlemen. Buck tells me that they think they may have Ben at Eagle Bend?” she said as she mounted the boardwalk and took her place next to JD. She took his arm, interlocking her hands.
“Yeah. We got a wire that they thought it was him, so we thought we’d check it out. We want you two to stay in the saloon. We won’t be gone long, okay?” Chris said, trying to stress the importance of them staying together with the rest of the men out of town.
“I understand. We will be right inside, having a drink and playing cards. I think I will have to teach my dear brother here a thing or two about poker.” she said as she nudged JD in the side.
“Shoot. I ain’t never been bet by no girl.” he said looking absolutely horrified with the prospect of her beating him in cards. Buck would never let him live that one down.
“Well, that’s good. Just stay in the saloon.” said Vin.
“You men please be careful” Lilly said as they turned to go. Ezra was in the back. He turned to look at her as they started out of town. He watched as she blew him a kiss before entering the saloon. God, he loved her.
Chapter 20
Chapter 21It turned out not to be Ben in Eagle Bend. Just some sorry fool that fit his description. Again the six men questioned the locals to see if anyone had seen anything but there was nothing.
Nathan and Ezra were going to the saloon to ask around when they passed the mercantile store. Catching a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, Ezra stopped dead in his tracks. He stood looking in the window of the store.
“What’s a matter Ezra?” asked Nathan as he walked back to where Ezra stood. Nathan turned his attention to the store window. In the window were a plethora of things from books to toys. In the center of the clutter stood a small display stand holding a tiny silver heart locket. It was etched with subtle design and had a tiny pearl right in the center of the locket.
“Ezra, you looking at....”
“The locket,” said Ezra, cutting Nathan off. It was beautiful, small and dainty. And made just for her. Looking at it in the window, he could almost see her wearing it in his mind’s eye. “I have to have it” he said as he entered the store. Nathan decided it was best if he waited for him outside, cause he was sure Ezra would barter.
Within seconds Ezra was back out the door, locket in hand. Ezra stood admiring the purchase. Looking over his shoulder, “She’s really gonna like that.” Nathan said as he clapped Ezra on the back.
Looking from the locket to Nathan, “You think?” Satisfied with his purchase, he closed the box and placed the necklace in his pocket. Now, he just had to find the perfect moment to give it to her. Seeing the others gathering by the horses, Nathan and Ezra hurried to join them.
~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~On the ride back to Four Corners, Ezra’s mind wandered. He was trying to decide when he should give Lilly the locket. He wanted the evening to be special, but what and when could he do it? He thought about a special dinner. He definitely was no cook, so that was not an option. Then he thought about having a nice dinner at the hotel, but he knew that too many people from town would be interrupting them, and he wanted all her attentions.
Maybe he could take her on a ride or something like that. He could take her to a pretty area around Four Corners but far enough out of town that they would be alone. “Yeah” he said to himself. “That’s a great idea.” He knew he would have problems with Chris because he would not want Ezra to take Lilly anywhere that Ben might be able to get a hold of her. But he thought that if he was careful, Chris wouldn’t have to know.
Satisfied with his plan, he began to imagine them standing on a hill looking out over a green valley, Lilly wrapped in his arms. Smiling to himself, he began to im....
“Aw hell” he heard from just a head of him, startling him out of his thoughts. It was Chris. Ezra followed his gaze. They were nearing town now. Ezra noticed Lilly, JD, Billy and Casey playing in the field behind the church. It looked like, to him, that they were playing ball. Ezra turned his gaze back to Chris.
“What the hell is she doin? She trying to get herself killed” he scowled as he kicked his horse into a full run. Ezra didn’t like the look on Chris’s face. He too kicked his horse into a run while the others followed.
“Come on. Give me another card.” JD said impatiently as Lilly fell the deck in her hands.
“Now what do you say?” she said tauntingly, holding the card far enough in front of JD that he couldn’t reach it.
“Give it to me now” he snarled, reaching forward and grabbing it out of her hands. He sat for a moment while she waited for him to make his move. Looking at her over the top of his cards, she could only see his eyes and was unable to read them.
“Well” she said, this time her being the impatient one.
He lowered the cards revealing a grin that covered his entire face. “Gin” he shouted with glee. “I beat you again”
Eyeing him closely and looking at her own cards that weren’t even close to a Gin, she smiled, “I think you’re cheating.”
“Oh cheatin huh? I’ll show you cheatin.” he said coming around the table after her. But she was too quick. She was out of her chair and out the saloon doors before he knew what had happened.
Realizing where she went, he went after her. The sun was bright and it took a couple of minutes for his eyes to adjust. He spotted her running toward the church, and started hot pursuit. He was finally able to catch up with her in the field by the church. He caught her by the waist, wrestling her to the ground. Laughing hysterically, she threw grass in his face but he didn’t let go. He proceeded to tickle her, laughing joyfully himself.
“Hey, can I play?”
JD stopped tickling her long enough to notice Bill standing near them. He seemed excited at the prospect of playing with the grown-ups, if that was what you could call them. From their behavior, it was hard to tell.
Grabbing Billy by the waist and bringing him to the ground, “well, of course” Lilly said as she started to tickle him. JD joined in as the child squealed with glee.
Lilly suddenly stopped, looking from Billy to JD and back to Billy. Smiling at Billy, “lets get him.” she said turning her attention on JD.
“Yeah” Billy said as he jumped on JD, trying to tickle him. They played around for a while. Dancing and jumping, laughing all the while.
“Hey, what are ya’ll doin?”
All three turned the attention to see Casey standing by the church.
“Havin fun. What’s it look like?” JD said as he twirled Billy around like an airplane.
“I got my ball. Wanna play?” Casey asked eyeing JD and Lilly.
“That would be great. Get over here” said Lilly as she grabbed Billy out of JD’s arms and set him on the ground.
Casey joined the three to play a game of ball. They laughed and tossed the ball. And in general, just had a really good time. Lilly couldn’t help but to watch JD. Her heart was filled with such joy that she was afraid it would burst. She looked at the boy and still couldn’t believe that he was her brother. It was a miracle.
~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~Lilly had her back to the men as they approached. She had just thrown the ball to Billy, who ran after it when she noticed the confusing look on Casey’s face. She was looking behind Lilly. Curious, Lilly turned just in time to see Chris storming up to her, obviously in a huff.
Grabbing her by the arms and shaking her roughly, “What the hell are you doin?” he demanded to know.
“Chris, we were...” she said looking at JD and Casey for support. She could tell that they were in shock over Chris’s actions.
“Well” he said giving her a rough shake.
“We got tired of sitting in the saloon so we decided to come out and play” she said innocently, trying to look around.
“You wanted to come out and play. Lilly, what do you think this is? Some kind of game. It’s not a game Lilly. Look at me,” he said shaking her harder now. “Ben is not a game. He will kill you”
“Chris please, you are hurting....” she tried to say, but he cut her off. She noticed that Ezra had made a move to try to stop Chris, but Vin had held him back. They also looked stunned by Chris.
“Hurt you? Lilly, I am trying to protect you. Ben is the one who is going to hurt you.” he said anger still filled his eyes.
“No Chris, I mean literally. You are hurting my arms.” she said tears welling up in her eyes.
Looking down at his hands, Chris realized that he had been holding her so tight that his fingers had gone white. Once the realization set in, he let go of her. She stood there rubbing her already bruised arms which would surely have fresh ones after this.
Chris took a couple of steps back from Lilly and put his hands on his hips. “Lilly” he said, dropping his head. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to hurt you. I just want to protect you.” Looking back up at her, “can you understand that?”
Still rubbing her arms, Lilly stared directly into Chris’s steel gray eyes. “Chris, you have to understand. This is the first time in the last four years that I have actually felt any real joy at all. I found my brother,” she said taking JD’s hand in hers. She looked briefly over at Ezra, “and well...” she said blushing slightly, her voice quivering from fear, “and people I care about.” JD noticed the look that Ezra was giving her. He didn’t think he liked that very much. He would have to talk to her about that later.
“I know you said that we should stay in the saloon, but Mr. Walker is right there on his porch with a shot gun on his lap. We asked him to keep a lookout. Mary has also been watching from the Clarion. See, she is in the window,” Lilly pointed to Mary and waved. Chris turned to see Mary wave back. He turned his attention back to Lilly. She walked back up to him and took his hands in hers. “I have spent almost four years running for my life.” she said with her attention focused on the hands that she now held. Looking up at him, tears freely falling now “I just wanted to live it now, if only this once.”
Lilly began to cry. Chris pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. “It’s okay Lilly. Everything will be okay” Chris said as he stroked her hair. He looked up at JD. JD stood a few steps back, still in shock over the way Chris had grabbed her. Noticing Chris motioning to him to get Lilly, JD snapped out of his daze and put his hands on her shoulders. She pulled herself away from Chris, weariness in her eyes.
“I really am sorry though. I appreciate everything that you have done for me.” she said getting herself under control. She wiped away the tears and forced a big smile. Chris returned the smile and kissed her forehead.
“We’re going to the saloon. Wanna come?” he asked as he gently rubbed her arm. He didn’t want to touch them too hard. He was already pretty sure that he had put several new bruises on them.
“Of course. You guys still need to tell me about Eagle Bend,” she said trying to smile, still rubbing her arms. She had a look of grimace as she rubbed them.
Chapter 22
Ben sat before the men, looking at them one by one. Some of these men he had worked with before. Some were killers who proudly discussed their victims, others were thieves who would steal from a priest if he had something they wanted. he wasn’t sure where Jacob had found some of them but he didn’t care. As long as they took care of the gunmen. That was his only concern.
“I have heard rumors about these seven men that are protecting the town. Do any of you have any concerns regarding them” Ben asked eyeing them carefully. He had to make sure that everyone would do their part. He couldn’t afford to have to take all the seven men on himself. He only wanted Lilly.
“One of them bastards killt my brother. That tracker man, he’s mine” one of the men spouted angrily. He stared at the others, making sure that they understood that he was not to be crossed.
‘Good’ Ben thought to himself. ‘Revenge will definitely keep him doing his duty.’ “What about the rest of you? Any problems with this.” Ben regarded the rest of them with no real interest. He was getting itchy. He wanted to move and move now. Lilly was just so close to him and yet he couldn’t have her.
“I heard that Larabee fella is supposed to be fast” said a young man, a long scar running down the side of his face. Ben could see youthful pride in the kids eyes. He nodded his head to the boy. “Good” he replied as he whipped his pistol out of his holster at a pretty impressive speed. Ben was surprised. He didn’t impress easy.
The rest of the men began to discuss the other gunmen. Ben let them talk, listening to the various conversations. He heard lots of arrogance in their voices which suited him fine. In fact, if they all wanted to try to prove to God and who ever else they cared about that they could take the seven, that was fine with him too. He just needed five minutes to get Lilly away from them. Then to hell with all of them.
“All right then” he said breaking into the flow of conversation. All the men turned back toward him, waiting for orders. “In three days, we strike.”
Chapter 23
“Come on JD. Will ya go already?” said Buck impatiently. It was JD’s turn again and again he sat there looking at his cards for what seemed like an eternity to Buck.
“I’m thinking” JD said glaring at Buck over his cards. Lilly and Ezra just laughed.
It didn’t matter what JD did because Lilly had him beat with a full house, queens over 10’s. It was just a matter of letting him think that he actually had a chance. While JD stared at his cards, maybe hoping that they would change or something she guessed, she turned her full attention to Ezra who was seated across from her.
She tried to keep her attention on her cards, only that was harder than one would think with that gambler sitting across from her. She watched him as he surveyed his own cards, tilting his head very slightly to the left as he examined them. She noticed the way he shifted his jaw as he was thinking. God, he was gorgeous.
She couldn’t help but think back to the kiss that they had shared at the livery. The way he had held her in his arms, the desire it had stirred in her, the weakness she had felt in her knees. It had been an incredible.....
Ezra must have been able to feel her eyes on him because he looked up at her with a most brilliant smile. It seemed to light up his face. She couldn’t help but notice the sparkle in his eyes. They were so mesmerizing.
She had been a little upset earlier when Chris had told her about Eagle Bend and it not being Ben. She had prayed that it would be him, but she knew in her gut that he was still out there, lurking and waiting for his moment. They had decided to play some cards to try to take everyone’s mind off of Ben. And sitting there, staring at Ezra was surely doing the trick for her.
“Hey” she felt a small push on her arm. “Hello Lilly” JD said trying to get her attention. “You in there?”
Startled out of her daydream, “huh? Oh yeah, um....I have a full house.” she said laying her cards on the table. JD noticed the look on her face and turned his attention to Ezra. Ezra was staring back at Lilly.
“What the hell is going on here” JD asked himself. He had seen the exchange between the two back at the church, and now this. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. JD really liked Ezra. He had been there for him on several different occasions. He trusted him as a gunfighter. But for Lilly, now that was a whole other subject.
Ezra was always looking for the angle when it came to anything he did, especially when it was for himself. He often used people for his personal gain. And JD wouldn’t let Lilly be hurt by Ezra. Lord knows she had already been through enough. He wouldn’t risk Ezra hurting her more.
“What do you mean, what’s going on here? I just beat you again. That’s what’s going on.” she laughed poking JD in the ribs.
“Damn” Buck said as he threw his cards in the center of the table. “She did it again.” Looking at Ezra, “Oh, she’s good.”
Smiling, she stood up from the table. “If you all will excuse me. I promised Mary I would help her with this weeks edition. She hasn’t been feeling well” she said looking from man to man. She bent over and kissed JD on the top of the head. “you gentleman please take it easy on my dear sweet brother.” she said smiling as she ruffled his hair.
“Hey” JD said in protest. The others laughed. She started for the door, when Ezra said “Someone really should go with her. I’ll do....”
“NO. I mean no, that’s okay. I need to talk to her anyway. Besides I’m losing everything but my shirt.” JD said.
“Well, the night is still young,” Buck said with a sarcastic smirk. Him and Ezra really got a kick out of this and laughed.
“Ha , very funny” JD said as he went out after Lilly. Exiting the saloon doors, he looked for Lilly. She was a few paces up ahead of her. “Lilly” he yelled. She stopped and turned around. When she saw it was him, a big beautiful smile spread across her face. He ran to catch up with her.
“Don’t want your poor old sister walking by herself now do yak?” she said as she put her hands around the arm he offered to her.
“Listen” he said, not even hearing her. He wanted to be as gentle as possible. “What the hell is goin on with Ezra?” Gentleness was not JD’s strong point.
She was taken back by this outburst. “What do you mean?” she said eyeing him closely.
“I mean, what is with the looks between you two? and what was that comment about finding others you care about back at the church?” he said as he turned her to face him.
“JD, I don’t understand where this....” she said completely taken off guard. She had not expected a reaction like this. She thought if anyone would understand it would be JD because he was good friends with Ezra.
“Lilly. I have had this empty spot in my heart my whole life where you and mom and dad should have been. Now, I have you back.” he said taking her face in his hands. “Ben has already done so much damage to you that I couldn’t stop. I will not let Ezra hurt you too.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
“JD, Ezra isn’t going to hurt me. I won’t let him. Besides, why would be so wrong with it if I did see him? You trust him with your life. Why would you not trust him with me?” she said as she took his hands in hers.
“I have never know Ezra to do anything with a woman that didn’t have a return in it for him. He is a con. And he is greedy. He will only use you Lilly.” he looked so sincere that it was beginning to frighten her. It was already too late. She was in love with him. “Maybe, he is just too young to understand” she said to herself. She couldn’t continue this conversation. Kissing JD on the forehead, “I have to get to the Clarion,” she said as she turned and started walking.
“Lilly, just think about what I said.”
Chapter 24
She felt her heart ache. Why would he want her to stay away from Ezra? She had watched them all very carefully. She could see the trust that existed between all the men. She had witnessed on several occasions where Ezra had risked his life for her and the others. And now JD was going to tell her to stay away from him.
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice when she walked right past the Clarion and toward the church. She continued on until she was in the field by the church and around to the back.
“Good afternoon Miss Lilly”
Lilly almost jumped out of her skin. Turning quickly, she lost her balance and tumbled to the ground. She stumbled to get to her feet when she felt big hands grab her around her waist and effortlessly set her back on her feet. Terror filled her heart as she turned to see Josiah standing there, a wondrous smile on his face.
Clutching her hand to her heart, “Lord, Josiah, you nearly scared me to death.”
“I’m so sorry Lilly. I didn’t mean to frighten you but you looked so lost in your thoughts that I was afraid you were going to keep going right into the woods before you ever realized where you were.” he said as he rested his hands on his gunbelt. Tilting his head to one side, “you look troubled”.
Her heartbeat began to return to normal. Laughing, “Well, with someone like Ben after me, I am troubled.”
He eyed her carefully, “Not about Ben. Seems like its something more, something closer to heart.”
She looked at him with wide eyes. How could he possible know. “Yeah” she said trying to choose her words carefully “I guess I am a bit pre-occupied.”
“Does this have to do with JD and Ezra?”
Now she was left completely stunned and totally speechless. Standing before him with her mouth open, she slowly shook her head.
Josiah laughed a good, loud hearty laugh. “Don’t look so surprised. We all know that Ezra is sweet on you.”
She regained her control, and then blushed profusely. “But.....I ...um”
“No need to say anything. I think that it is great. Ezra is a good man. He has been lost for many years, but I see something new in him since you have been here.” Josiah motioned over to the back steps of the church. “Wanna have a glass of lemonade?”
Lilly couldn’t help but smile. Looking at this huge man whose frame was the size of a small carriage, and he was offering her lemonade.
Josiah was the biggest of the men in size. Although he was big, he was lean, no fat. His hands were the size of her face, and she felt like a small child standing next to him. But there was something so comforting about him. She felt so safe and open.
Managing to relax, “I would love that” she said as she took hold of the arm that he had offered to her. She let him lead her to the back steps where she took seat and waited for him to return. He was only gone a few minutes. When he returned, he handed her a glass of lemonade and sat down beside her.
“Josiah?” she said looking at her glass. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course, my dear. Anything”
“How well do you trust Ezra? The reason I ask is because I happened to mention to JD that I might have feelings for Ezra and he flipped out. He ranted on and on about Ezra not being trust-worthy, and about how he will only hurt me. I know JD is only trying to protect me, but is he right?” she said looking up into the loving face of Josiah.
“Well,” Josiah said as he looked out into the trees that lined the field. “What do you think Lilly?”
She thought for a moment, then smiled. “Well, I think that he is very caring, and that he has been so polite with me. He has made it a point to comfort me in this troubled time.” She took a sip of her lemonade. “I love the way he looks at me. It’s like I can see something in his eyes that I have never seen before.” she giggled and looked back her glass. “To tell you the truth, it makes me weak the way he looks at me.”
Josiah smiled. She continued, “But I have been hurt so bad by Ben that maybe my intuition is off. Maybe, I want so bad to feel that safe feeling that I get when Ezra puts his arms around me that I am overlooking something. Maybe, I want so bad to trust again that I don’t see his deceptions. Maybe.....”
“Maybe, JD just got his sister back after living his whole life alone, and he doesn’t want to share you with anyone else?” Josiah said cutting her off. He looked down at her to see what her reaction was. She sat there, an expression of understanding spreading across her face. She turned to Josiah.
“That’s it.” she exclaimed. “He is afraid that if I love Ezra, I won’t be able to love him.” Josiah sat shaking his head. “Josiah” she yelled as she grabbed him by the neck and kissed his cheek. “You are a genius.”
Josiah smiled and hugged her tight. “You just be careful with your brother. He is fragile. He has experienced so many emotions these last couple of days that his feelings are very strong right now.”
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek again. “Thank you for listening. And don’t worry. I have spent too long searching for him, I won’t ever let him go again.” With that said she got up and headed for the Clarion. She had told Mary that she would be there a while ago. Lilly just hoped that Mary would understand.
“Bye Josiah” she said as she went on her way. Josiah tipped his hat and finished drinking his lemonade.
Chapter 25
Ben sat at a table near the back of the saloon. He was playing with a deck of cards when Jacob came in. Jacob scanned the patrons of the saloon looking for Ben. Finally he spotted him in the back. He rushed over to him.
“Ben, we got a problem” Jacob said, afraid for the man’s reaction. He had known Ben for about two years. He respected the man because he was once a smart guy, but he knew that was losing his mind. Now, the only thing he felt for the man was fear.
Ben never looked up from his cards. “What is it?”
“Well, um....some of the....um” Jacob said looking around the saloon. He wanted to make sure that there were people in there. Ben was less likely to shoot him with witnesses around. At least he hoped so.
Ben slammed his fist down on the table, knocking the bottle of whiskey that he had been drinking over. “WHAT THE HELL IS IT?” he shouted, rising from his chair.
Jacob recoiled from his voice. “Some of the men have backed out. They have heard more about them gunmen and ran out last night. We still got five, not counting me and you so that’s seven” Jacob felt like he was talking a mile a minute. “We can probably get some more men, but we will need time. I don’t think we can get enough by tomorrow. We could always post-pone the attack” Ben shot Jacob a look that could have cut him down where he stood. “Or maybe not” Jacob said quickly.
Ben sat back down, considering what Jacob had just told him, and looking at the cards in his hand. Ben looked up at Jacob with a calmness that startled him. “Well then, we will just have to pick our moment wisely.”
Chapter 26
Lilly opened the door to the Clarion, only it was dark in the little office. “Hello?’ she called out looking for any signs of Mary. Scanning the room, she noticed a piece of paper of Mary’s desk. She walked over and picked it up.
Lilly,
I wasn’t feeling too well, so I went up to take a nap. Thanks for your offer to help anyway. I will definitely take you up on it later.- MaryShe knew Mary had been feeling a bit under the weather as of late, but for her not to be at the office, Lilly knew she must be pretty sick. She decided that she had better check up on her.
Lilly went around the side of the office and up the stairs to Mary’s apartment. Knocking lightly on the door, not wanting to wake Mary up, she decided just to let herself in. Just as she was about to turn the knob, the door was yanked open. Lilly had her hand on the knob and was unwillingly pulled forward with it.
Luckily, it was Chris who opened the door. He had fast reflexes. She was able to catch her before she hit the floor. “What are you doing here Chris?”
“I was with Mary downstairs when she began to feel real faint so I brought her up here. Billy is here and I didn’t want to leave him” he turned to her and smiled. “What are you doing here?” he asked in return as he motioned her in and shut the down behind her.
“I was going to help with the paper, but saw the note she left so I thought I should see if I can help any.” she said glancing in the other room. She saw Billy stretched out on his bed, laying half way off of it. He looked sound asleep. “You wear him out?” she said smiling at Chris and motioning to the other room.
Chris smiled so unexpectedly that it caught Lilly off guard. She hadn’t seen Chris smile very often. She knew him to be much too serious most of the time. It was good to see. His smile lit up his whole face, and she noticed just how very handsome the leader was. “Yeah, guess I did.” he said bashfully. Lilly could see the love Chris had in his eyes for Billy. It touched her heart.
As they stood talking, there was a small knock on the door. Chris looked at her puzzled, “Wonder who that could be?” He walked past her and opened the door. It was that good looking bounty hunter Vin. Vin motioned to Chris to come out of the landing.
Lilly watched as the two men made their exchanges. After a few minutes, Chris looked back at her, followed by Vin. “Oh no” she thought. Chris motioned for her to come over to them, so she did.
“Lilly, I hate to do this, but I need to ask ya for a favor?” Chris said as he was putting his hat on. All three of them were standing on the landing at the top of the stairs. She looked for Chris to Vin.
“Is everything okay?” she said almost afraid to ask.
“Oh, yeah, I mean no....I mean this has nothing to do with Ben.” Vin said trying to get his thoughts straight. Lilly realized that she was holding her breath and let it out with a sign.
“Oh thank God. Well then, what is it?” she said, trying to figure out the looks on their faces. “Anything I can do to help?”
Chris smiled and shock his head. “Funny you should ask that. Judge Travis wants us to ride over to Farmour and pick up a couple of their prisoners. There was a big ruckus and now the jail is too full. We are gonna bring a couple back cause our jail is empty right now.” Looking at her, “But what I was gonna ask ya is, would you mind staying with Mary? She...”
Laughing, she wiped her forehead, “Is that all? I thought you were gonna ask me to kill someone.” She put her hand on Chris’s arm. “I had planned on it.” she said smiling. “Besides, I wanted to spend some time with Billy. That will give Mary some time to rest.”
“That would be great. I didn’t want either of them to be left alone.” Thinking for a minute, “What about you? You gonna be okay if we leave town?”
She shock her head, How was she to know. Ben could strike at any moment, but she didn’t think so. Besides, she was going to stay inside with Mary so unless he saw her go up to the apartment, no one would know she is there. “I will be fine Chris. Thank you for your concern though. We will all be fine. I will stay inside with Billy.”
“That’s a good idea. You all stay inside. We will be back before you know it and someone will come let you know when it is safe to come out. Okay?” he said waiting for a yes. The others were gathering a the bottom of the stairs.
“Afternoon Miss Lilly” she heard from the bottom of the stairs. She turned to see Nathan standing there patiently waiting for Chris and Vin.
“Hello Nathan. How are you today?” she asked to the handsome healer. She really liked Nathan. He had such heart. She admired that in him. He had seen so much because of the slavery and he never seemed to let it rule him. He was a good man.
“I’m doin all right. How about u?” he said with a big smile.
“Very well. Thank you for asking.”
“So you okay with this?” Vin said eyeing her from under his hat.
“Yes, I am fine. Now go,” she said as she shooed them off the landing. “ya’ll just be careful, ya hear.” She stood for a moment longer as she watched Vin and Chris make their way down the stairs and over to their horses that were waiting by the road.
Chapter 27
“Afternoon Lilly,” she heard as she was able to head into the apartment. She knew that voice. She turned back to see Buck sitting on his horse wearing his most dapper smile.
“Why Buck, you charmer. Good afternoon,” she said as she did a slight curtsy and smiled. Buck laughed and winked at her before he turned his horse and rode after the others. Lilly turned to go inside.
“Ah hymmm.” Startled by the noise, she heart fluttered when she turned to see Ezra, a big beautiful smile on his face, standing at the bottom of the stairs.
“Why Mr. Standish. I didn’t see you there.” she said flashing her best smile. He ran up the stairs to greet her. Reaching the top, he grabbed her by the waist, panting a little from the stairs.
“Did you miss me?” he asked devilish grin on his face.
She was caught off guard by this. He had such a playful look on his face. She wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing. Putting her hands on his chest, she laughed “Why, me miss you? Never,” she said being stubborn and turning her head away from him playfully.
“Oh really.” he said eyeing her closely. “Well I do believe that you are embellishing on the truth a bit, aren’t you Miss Lilly?” he said with one eyebrow raised.
Wanting to play his game, she raised her own eyebrow. “Would I do that?” she said with big puppy dog eyes, and giving him her most innocent smile. Ezra stood, his arms around her waist, watching her, the smile slowly slipping from his face.
“I missed you.” he said looking deep into her eyes. “I missed you a lot.” She was completely caught off guard by his sudden seriousness. His eyes were deep and heavy, and gazing into them made her weak. She smiled and kissed him lightly on the tip of his nose. “I missed you too.” she said as she pulled him to her. She held him in her arms, his cheek resting against hers. She kissed his ear softly, whispering “a lot”.
He felt so comforted in her embrace. He turned his head to her neck and kissed it softly. He pulled back and gently brushed his lips against hers. She felt his warm breath on her face.
“Come on Ez. Let’s ride.” yelled Buck. He was sitting on his horse, waiting for the gambler so they could head out.
“Damn, that man has lousy timing,” grumbled Ezra as he pulled back from Lilly. Tendrils of her hair were falling into her eyes. He reached up and brushed them aside, loving the feel of her skin to his finger tips. “You gonna be okay?”
“I will be fine. In fact, I really need to go check on Mary anyway.” Lilly said as she brushed the side of Ezra’s face with her finger tip. He took her hand and closed his eyes, rubbing his cheek into her palm. He brought her palm to his mouth and kissed it. She watched intently every move he made. “How long you all gonna be gone?” she asked as she drew her arms up around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Their lips were only inches away.
She tilted her head slightly to the left, examining every inch of his face. He had the tiniest scar, probably half and inch long along his left eyebrow. She was going to have to ask him about that someday. “We probably won’t be back until late this evening” he said, his breath caressing her cheek. She drew her hand to the scar and traced it with her finger tip. She never said anything, only looked deep into his eyes. Ezra was in a trance watching her. “Long story” he said a sweet smile spreading across his face.
“Ezra, come on. We’re gonna leave without ya if ya don’t hurry.” Buck said impatiently. Ezra looked over his shoulder at his co-worker and friend, and shook his head.
“Ya know its killing him that I am standing here with you instead of him.” Ezra said watching her closely to see her reaction. She only smiled never taking her eyes off of him, and still brushing her finger along his scar.
“Buck is a good man, quite a sweetheart. He is also too used to getting his way,” as she was speaking she got closer and closer to Ezra so that the last word out of her mouth was slightly muffled by the kiss she had initiated. Ezra had been watching her approach with baited breath, and was now in ecstasy from the passion of her embrace.
Their lips became one, exploring every inch of the other. She ran her finger tracing the scar into his hair, the other caressing his neck. She tightened the hand that was in his hair into a fist and gently pulled his head back. It was a swift motion that left Ezra surprised for the breaking of their kiss. Gently she put her mouth on the under side of his chin just above the Adam’s apple and bite him, gentle enough not to draw blood but hard enough to spark a fire in Ezra’s loins that he hadn’t felt in years. A moan escaped his lips.
The moment was intense. Ezra’s whole body burned for her, to take her and make love to her for hours. He wanted to caress her body and pleasure her in ways that only he could. He pulled her hard against his body and crushed her lips with passion.
Chapter 28
They both heard the door open unexpectedly, causing them to break their kiss. They pull away from each other, Lilly immediately drawing her hand to her tender lips. Ezra stood, licking his lips. She turned to see Billy standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. He had a disoriented look on his face.
“Hi Lilly. Hi Ezra. Where’s Chris?“ looking around still not fully wake. Lilly bent down in front of the boy, putting her hands on his waist.
“Chris had to go somewhere sweetheart. I came to stay with you for a while. Is that okay?” she said trying to comfort the boy.
He put his arms around her neck and hugged her. “Yeah, I love it when you are here” he said kissing her cheek. She picked him up, his arms still around her neck. He was resting his head on her shoulder, his legs wrapped around her waist tight. She turned to Ezra smiling. He stood watching her, wondering what she would be like as a mother. He thought that she would be fantastic.
“I better go,” Ezra said motioning to Billy. “The others have probably already left without me anyways. I’ll come check on ya later okay?” Ezra said rubbing the side of Lilly’s arm.
Holding Billy against her, “It’s probably not a good idea. I doubt you guys will get back until late and I don’t want to disturb Mary. She needs rest.” she looked at him with questioning eyes. “I hope you understand” she asked watching his reaction. A smile spread across his face.
“Of course, I do. You’re a saint for taking such good care of them.” he said brushing his fingers along the side of her face.
She chuckled. “I can assure you, I am no saint.” She smiled her most beautiful smile. Ezra’s heart felt so full of emotion as he watched her shift Billy to her other hip.
“Lilly, I’m hungry” Billy said as he raised his head, and absent-mindedly played with her ponytail.
“All right sweetheart. You gonna help me make some supper?” she asked.
“Yeah!!!!” was the boys reaction excited to get to help.
“Good. You go wash your hands really good and we can get started okay?” she said as she set him on his feet. Billy started back into the house. “Bye Ezra” he said before he shut the door quietly.
“What a sweet boy” Ezra said looking back as Lilly. She was standing before him, tendrils of hair surrounding her face. The sun was setting behind her, casting colors of gold and pink on her skin. She looked like a painting that Ezra had seen once when he was a boy.
“Yes, you are” she said with a sly grin on her face, one eyebrow cocked. She winked at him and turned to open the door. In one flowing motion, Ezra grabbed her free hand, and yanked her to him. She crashed into his chest and into his lips for a brief but powerful kiss. It lasted only for a few seconds but it could have moved mountains. Lilly could feel her toes on fire. When Ezra released her from his embrace, he smiled and turned quickly, bouncing down the stairs obviously proud of himself.
She watched him as he descended the stairs, taking them two at a time. Ezra turned to look up at her as he was taking the last step, only his foot caught just the tiniest bit of the edge. Ezra tumbled forward, hands out in front of him as he spilled himself on the ground. Unfortunately for Ezra, Buck had just turned the corner to see if Ezra was ever going to join them and saw the whole thing.
Lilly gasped and started down the stairs, but Ezra was up too fast. He was brushing the dust off of his pants and finely tailored green jacket, his face a brilliant shade of red. He turned to her to let her know that the only thing hurt was his ego, and smiled. Since she knew he was okay, she couldn’t resist the humor of his fall. She laughed hard, holding her hand to her side. Ezra only shock his head. Buck was laughing so hard at the gambler’s antics that he almost fell off his horse.
She didn’t want to add insult to injury by asking him if he was okay. She decided it would be best to drop it. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon,” she called after him. He stopped and turned to her to bow. “It was very graceful” she just couldn’t resist. Ezra laughed at this himself and blew her a kiss.
“Tomorrow” he said and mounted his horse. She could hear Buck. “It’s about damn time. The others already left. Hell, they’re probably there by now.” He sounded frustrated. Ezra turned to look at her one more time before he left. She was still standing on the landing watching them. He saw the door of the apartment open again and Billy come back out. “All right Mr. Wilmington. Let’s ride” Ezra said as he spurred his horse into a gallop.
~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~Lilly had taken Billy’s hand in hers. With her free hand, she had once again drawn her finger tips to her lips. She was still trying to catch her breath after that last kiss of his.
She suddenly realized that she couldn’t ever remember being this happy before. She watched as the two gunmen rode out of sight. She took a deep breath and sighed. Billy was once again tugging her hand. “I’m all clean. Let’s make mommy some supper.”
She turned to the child. She couldn’t help but notice how happy she felt. It was so welcome to her after so long of knowing only fear. Turning to enter the apartment, Lilly suddenly felt a wave of uneasiness settle over her. She felt as if she were being watched. She turned to look around, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
“Must be my imagination” she told herself, knowing that she didn’t really believe that but what else could she do. She went inside and locked the door. Little did she know that Ben was on his way. On his way to settle a score, for what he didn’t know anymore, but it didn’t matter. Soon he would there, and soon Lilly would die.
Chapter 29
It was around 9:00 pm before they returned with the prisoners. Everything had pretty much gone as planned. In fact, Ezra had wondered several times during the evening why he had even come along. There were only four prisoners that the sheriff of Farmour wanted to move, and they hadn’t even said a word since they had left town.
Ezra hadn’t minded the quiet because it gave him time to think about how he wanted to give the locket to Lilly. He still hadn’t given it to her. He could never get her alone for more than a few minutes. Anytime Ezra thought he had an opportune moment, they were interrupted. He had needed a plan, something to get her away from town, something really special. And Farmour had finally helped him to figure it out.
While they were still in Farmour, Ezra had seen a couple that gave him an idea of what he should do. The couple was young, no more than JD’s age and they were carrying a picnic basket as they headed out of town. That was when it came to him. Take Lilly on a picnic.
Ezra knew of this beautiful spot on a hill overlooking the river. “That would be perfect,” he thought to himself on the quiet ride home. “I could have some food prepared at the hotel since I am no cook at all. Then we could ride out to my spot and spend some quality time together.”
Since Ezra and Lilly had gotten together, they really had never had much time to spend alone. Someone was always interrupting or something was always going on. This way they could be alone, get to know each other better. He thought that it might be risky with Ben still on the loose, but the area that he wanted to take her was very open. Ben would not be able to get to Lilly without them knowing that he was coming. His biggest hurdle would be to convince Chris that she would be safe.
When they got back into town, they all split up. Chris, Vin and JD took the four prisoners to the jail to lock them up. Josiah and Buck went back to the church. Nathan went to his room. Ezra headed for the saloon. He wanted to get things in motion for his afternoon with Lilly. It had to be tomorrow because he didn’t want to wait any longer.
Ezra knew that one of the bar maids, Emily, at the saloon also worked at the hotel preparing meals during the day. She owed him a favor for a bit of revenge that he had help to enforce on an unpleasant acquaintance of the woman. He had beaten the gentleman rather badly during a poker game, leaving the man with nothing but the clothes on his back.
He would get her to prepare the food. He also thought it would be a nice touch to have fresh flowers put in Lilly’s room. He knew that Lilly would most likely be with Mary most of the day, but would have to go back to her room to change clothes before she came to find him. What a surprise for her to open her room and see the fresh wild flowers everywhere. He knew that he could get Emily to do that also since she would have less conspicuous access to Lilly’s room
He tied up his horse and went inside. He quickly scanned the saloon, but didn’t see her. He went to the bar to get some whiskey and asked where she was. Downing the shot set before, Ezra turned to see who all was in the saloon while he waited for Emily to return. The bartender said that she just ran over to the hotel for a minute. Ordering another whiskey, Ezra smiled as he began imaging the look of Lilly’s face. “She will be so surprised.”
Chapter 30
Vin and Chris had brought the men into the jail and put them in their cells. JD was right behind them. The men were fully cooperative. JD was amazed at how little the men had said or done since they had picked them up in Farmour. Securely in their cells, the three men locked up the jail and headed toward the saloon.
Ezra had told them what Lilly had asked of the men, no disturbing Mary when they came back to town, but Chris couldn’t help himself. He had to make sure she was all right. Vin decided that he would go with Chris and take first watch over the apartment. JD needed a drink. He figured that with Chris and Vin watching his sister, she was safe so he went to the saloon instead.
JD walked past the first window of the saloon, glancing in as he always did, but came to a screeching halt. Quickly he backed up and leaned against the building. “No,” he told himself. “I must have imagined it”. He peeked around the shutter for another look. No, he hadn’t imagined it. There was Ezra, plain as day, standing at the counter with Emily, one of the bar maids. “What the hell is he doing with her?” he asked himself feeling anger well up inside him.
He watched Ezra and Emily. The two were standing very close, Ezra talking intently while Emily listened. Ezra must have said something funny because Emily threw her head back and laughed, putting her hand on Ezra’s arm as she did. Ezra took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips. JD was furious. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Ezra, making passes at Emily and practically in front of the whole town.
JD knew he had to get closer. He had to see if he could hear anything to confirm what he was seeing. Ezra had his back to the saloon doors so JD slipped in unnoticed and sat at the table nearest to Ezra.
“And we have to be very careful. Lilly can’t find out about this, all right my dear.” Ezra said slightly slurred. “He must have drank quite a bit already” thought JD to himself, the anger beginning to boil the blood in his veins. Ezra said something else but he was too close to the woman. They both laughed heartily. This time Ezra was right in her ear whispering.
“This is gonna be great. The best part is that Lilly doesn’t suspect a thing” said Ezra confidently. JD was so furious that he couldn’t think straight. What was he gonna do. He couldn’t believe that Ezra would do this to her. He had know Ezra for about two years now and really trusted the man. Ezra was a lot of things, but a scoundrel was not one that JD had really associated with the gambler.
JD didn’t understand it. He had seen Ezra and Lilly earlier on the landing of Mary’s apartment kissing. He had thought that they were getting along great. And now, doing something like this to her right under her nose. “I can’t believe that he would use her like this,” JD said to himself. “If Ezra thought he was gonna get away with this,” JD muttered under his breath as he carefully slipped back out of the saloon, “He had better think again.”
The first thing he had to do was to tell Lilly. He didn’t feel right doing anything about it without letting Lilly decide what to do. JD silently left the saloon, turning the first corner he came to. He could hear Ezra’s voice behind him. JD watched as Ezra and Emily, arms intertwined, left the saloon and walked over to the hotel. Ezra allowed Emily to enter the hotel before him, quickly surveying the street before entering. JD decided that Ezra was making sure that no one saw them entering together.
JD was stunned. He stood there, beside the building for what seemed like hours. The night air had a chill in it, the same way his heart did. He had been cautious about Lilly getting involved with Ezra, but he never really believed that there would have been a problem. He trusted Ezra more than that. Now, JD realized that he was right to have warned Lilly before.
JD looked up at the bright full moon and sighed. It looked so lonely up there in the clear sky, no stars around at all. “Oh Lilly. This is going to break your heart.” he said to himself. As he stared at the moon, he tried to think of a way to tell her with as little pain as possible. “Yeah right,” he told himself. “What is the easiest way to break somebody’s heart.”
He turned his attention to the empty street of town as he continued thinking about what he would say to her. Tomorrow, he was going to have to do one of the hardest things he ever had to do in his life. But right now, he wanted a drink.