Someone To Watch Over Me
by Purple Lacey
Part Five
Ezra Standish was in heaven. It had to be heaven because he couldn’t imagine being this happy anywhere else.
The child was seated in front of Buck on the big bay mare that Buck had introduced earlier as Jackpot. The boy felt like they were flying as the big horse galloped across the grounds of Buck’s estate. Ezra turned to look over Buck’s shoulder to see a grinning Vin bent over the neck of his own mount as the men raced the horses to the stable.
“Faster! Faster!” Ezra squealed as Vin closed some of the distance between the horses.
Buck gave a carefree whoop of exhilaration, touched his heels to the horse’s sides, and tightened the arm he had wrapped around Ezra’s waist as the faithful horse increased his speed in response. Ezra laughed out in delight as Vin fell behind again. Far too soon for the excited child, Buck was pulling back on the reins to slow the horse as the stables came into view.
“We won! We won!” Ezra cried in elation, his cheeks flushed with pleasure at the victory.
Vin pulled his own mount up and joined them. The men began walking the horses the rest of the way to the stables to let them cool down.
“Yeah, y’all beat me fair and square,” Vin smiled at him. “You’re a good rider, Ez.”
Ezra’s little chest puffed up with pride at the compliment. “I like horses,” Ezra told him honestly. “I want a horse of my very own.”
The child looked at Buck speculatively, and the man grinned and loosened the arm he had around the boy to reach up and pinch his chin saying, “Not for a few more years yet. We’ll talk about it when the time comes, I promise.”
Disappointed but accepting the quashing of his new fantasy with equanimity, Ezra shrugged. He was just too happy to let anything disturb him right then.
“Looks like Nathan and Raine made it,” Vin informed them waving at the pair watching from the path leading from the house to the stable.
Buck looked up and gave his own wave to the couple who returned it. Ezra smiled at Nathan and looked curiously at the pretty woman that accompanied him. The man and woman reached the stables first and stood waiting patiently for the threesome.
“Howdy, Raine, Nathan,” Vin called.
“Welcome you two,” Buck greeted the new arrivals. “Glad you could make it.”
“Looks like somebody had a good time,” Nathan remarked looking at the glowing little boy seated in the saddle in front of Buck.
“It was great, Nathan,” Ezra answered full of enthusiasm. “Did you see? Buck and me raced Vin back home and we WON! That was after Buck showed me all around. Did you know that we have our very own lake? Buck says we can go swimming there when it gets warm and there’s fish in it too and we can go fishing. But we don’t even have to go to the lake to swim because we have a swimming pool behind the big house. Buck says he’ll show me the big house tomorrow, but it’s not as nice as our house that’s why we live there instead of the big house. And there’s a basketball court in our very own backyard and I got my own swing set too! It’s got a slide and swings, and monkey bars and a fort and everything! It’s so cool!”
Nathan grinned at the boy’s chattering and reached up to lift the boy down to allow Buck to dismount. Tiny came out of the stable to take the horses, and Vin and Buck surrendered the reins with quiet thanks.
“Ezra, this is my wife Raine,” Nathan said turning toward the woman watching them with a warm smile.
Ezra looked at the woman who approached and held out her right hand. Ezra slipped his in hers cautiously and shook.
“I’m very pleased to finally meet you, Ezra,” she said cheerfully. “Nathan has been telling me all about you. You sound like a pretty special person and I’d like to get to know you too.”
Remembering Nathan’s words from the hospital the night before, Ezra looked at her worriedly and said, “Please don’t be mad at Nathan. He really wanted to keep your plans but he came to help me when I got hurt because Chris asked him to. He was really nice and I don’t want him to be in trouble because of me.”
Raine smiled compassionately at the boy’s attempt to take the blame for Nathan missing their dinner date and assured him, “Nathan explained everything to me, and I understood completely. I’m glad he was there to take care of you. Besides he made it up to me today. Everything is fine. You don’t have to worry.”
The child looked relieved and Nathan felt the tension leave the little body in his arms.
“Thanks for putting in a good word for me, Ez,” Nathan whispered in the boy’s ear and then gave him a wink. “I appreciate it.”
Ezra winked back and smiled at the doctor.
“Why don’t we head back up to the house,” Buck said as he started to herd them in the right direction.
Nathan shared a laughing grin with his wife behind Buck’s back when their host took Ezra back from him, not wanting to surrender the child to anyone else even for the short time it would take to walk back to the house. Sometimes the big-hearted man was completely predictable. It looked like Ezra’s legs wouldn’t be getting much of a work out until Buck felt more secure in having the boy around. Looking at the boy snuggled happily in the big man’s arms, Nathan could see that was perfectly acceptable to the newest member of their little family.
A few minutes later the group reached the wide terrace at the rear of the house to find Josiah just stepping out the back door.
“What ho!” Josiah greeted them with a big smile, “The wanderers return. Did you have a good ride?”
Ezra waved a little hand at the judge and hollered, “Yep!” and Josiah grinned at the boy who was already unconsciously beginning to imitate his guardian. “We raced Vin and we won!”
“Congratulations,” Josiah told him. “I take it you like riding then?”
“OH YEAH!” Ezra enthused. “Jackpot is the best horse! She’s really big,” the boy demonstrated by stretching his hands up over his head as far as they would go. “And she flies! Well not really, but it feels like she does. She goes really fast. Buck says she’s the fastest horse in the stables. Vin’s horse, Ranger, is fast too, but not as fast as Jackpot. She’s the best.”
Josiah listened to the child with amusement. “Sounds like she gave you an enjoyable ride, alright. How do you like your new home?”
If possible, Ezra’s eyes got even brighter as he enthusiastically replied, “It’s the best house, ever! I even have my own room and my own lovey bed. And we have a really biiggg TV.” Once again the little arms were used to demonstrate the size, this time stretched out from his sides.
“And we have a whole room full of nothing but books that Buck and me are going to read. And Buck says he’s going to show me how to play the games he has in the couch. And look! Over there I have my very own swing set. I can play on it whenever I want to! And we have a basketball court with baskets and everything and Buck says he’s going to teach me how to make a perfect three pointer. That means he’s going to show me how to throw the ball in the hoop. And we have our own lake for fishing and swimming, and a pool too!”
Josiah listened to Ezra rattling away and couldn’t help but compare this happy, chattering child with the frightened, nearly silent one he’d first met only the night before. Any lingering doubts he may have had that Chris Larabee knew what he was doing placing this child with his old friend had just been well and truly laid to rest.
“Miz Nettie, she’s Vin’s mama only not really but Vin said she’s just as good as, anyway Buck says she’s pointy on the outside like a cactus but real nice in the inside and it’s true because she made me HAMBURGERS for lunch and told me she’d make my favorite things if I told her what they were except she already did because hamburgers are my favorite thing or at least one of them because I like chocolate cake and milkshakes too...oh, and peanut butter cookies. And she says she got some gray hairs because of Vin getting in trouble when he as little and Buck says he almost smeared the street and they’re trouble magnets and that’s why Chris had to come be their Angel and...”
Vin had started laughing at the boy’s monologue and tried to cover it up by pretending to cough, not wanting to hurt Ezra’s feelings...or face Buck’s wrath for making the child feel bad. Raine turned her face into Nathan’s shoulder to stifle the sound of her giggles. Nathan was biting the inside of his cheek to keep his humor under control. Josiah’s grin kept getting bigger and bigger as he listened to the rapid-fire delivery of the little boy. Buck was just happy the boy seemed so pleased and was comfortable enough with his new surroundings and family to act more like a normal six year old.
The mustached man unthinkingly placed a light, affectionate kiss on Ezra’s forehead as he listened to the child ramble. The reaction he got was startling. As if he had flipped a switch, Ezra instantly went still and silent. The little boy lifted incredulous green eyes to look into his new foster father’s puzzled blue ones and raised a hand to the spot on his forehead where Buck’s lips had touched. Buck watched as wonder replaced disbelief in the boy’s eyes before tears began to fill them. Ezra threw his arms around Buck’s neck and held on tight, pressing his little body as close against the man as he could.
It took Buck a minute to figure it out and when he did he was stunned. No one, NO ONE, had ever offered this child the tiniest expression of love or affection. The child had never been the recipient of something as simple as a caring kiss. It was no wonder Ezra had such a low opinion of himself. That he was still able to retain his good and loving heart in the face of such emotional neglect was a miracle. Buck felt his own heart begin to bleed all over again for this little boy who wanted nothing more than someone to love him. His own eyes begin to fill with tears and he had to blink rapidly to force them back.
The people watching the little drama were not unaffected. Seeing the impact the simple show of affection had on the child made them all sad. Vin, Nathan, and Josiah exchanged identical looks. A silent pact was made. Each would do whatever was in their power to see that this love starved little boy remained with his new protector, and had all the love they could possibly give to him. Never again would he want for affection. They would see to it.
“I’d love to see your new room,” Raine finally said trying to bring some normalcy back to the scene.
Buck looked at her in silent gratitude, still a bit overcome with emotion. With a final hug, he gently pulled the child’s arms from around him just enough so he could look Ezra in the face.
With one hand, Buck tenderly wiped away the trace of tears that could be seen on the boy’s cheeks as he suggested softly, “Why don’t you go show Raine your room? You can also see if Bob has brought your things up yet.”
Ezra nodded and Buck knelt down to place his feet on the terrace tiles. As he started to withdraw his arms from the child, Ezra grabbed onto his neck with both arms once more and daringly kissed Buck’s cheek before hurriedly disengaging and stepping back to watch with wary eyes for Buck’s reaction. Buck felt the tears start to gather in his eyes again and he gave the child a wide, if watery, smile.
“I like that,” Buck told him sincerely when he could speak over the lump in his throat. “I like that a lot.”
Ezra beamed and hurled himself at Buck to give him another kiss. Buck hugged him close again and kissed back.
“I don’t think I could ever get enough of those,” Buck whispered to the boy.
“Me neither,” Ezra whispered back.
“I guess we’ll just have to keep doing it and see who gets tired of ‘em first,” Buck teased with a grin.
Ezra giggled in response and gave him another big hug before letting go.
“Now,” Buck said putting on a serious face. “We have guests in our house, and as the hosts it’s our job to be hospitable and make them feel welcome, and it’s never polite to keep a lady waiting. So, why don’t you do the hospitable thing and take Raine inside and show her your room since she’d like to see it. ”
Ezra’s little chest puffed out with pride at Buck’s including him as a host of the house. Feeling like a grown up, the boy nodded his head in understanding and hurried over to Raine and took her hand. Buck stood watching the pair leave and had to brush at the moisture in his eyes before he could turn to face his friends.
“So now you know,” a familiar voice called from the right of where the men were standing.
Buck turned to find Chris seated in one of the wrought iron patio chairs encircling the glass topped table on one side of the terrace. The four men walked over and pulled out chairs to join him.
“Every other word out of that poor boy’s mouth makes me want to wring the neck of that heartless bitch that gave birth to him,” Buck ground out through gritted teeth. “I can’t call her his mother because I’ve seen insects with more maternal instincts than it appears she has. I swear to you here and now, I will take him and go live in a hut in Bolivia before I ever let that woman get her hands on him again!”
“Here, here!” Nathan seconded grimly.
“As an officer of the court,” Josiah said soberly, “I didn’t hear that.”
“Hell, Josiah,” Vin growled, “I’m a damn officer of the court too, and I’ll tell you straight out that I’ll help him do it if it comes to that!”
Josiah grinned suddenly and responded with, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t help him. I just said I didn’t hear him say it.”
Chris chuckled and said, “Hopefully it won’t come to that.”
“Can’t you zap her or something? Keep her away?” Buck asked in frustration.
Chris sighed and answered, “You know I can’t, Buck. I’m not allowed to interfere in the exercise of free will. Each person has to be allowed to decide on his or her own actions and accept the consequences of those actions. Then everyone who is impacted by THOSE decisions has to make their own decisions on how to deal with it, and so on and so on.
I can step in to protect the boy if he’s in danger but, as frustrating as it may be, I can’t stop someone from PUTTING him in danger. Those are the rules and you know it. I already skirted dangerously close to the line as it was by arranging it so Ezra came to you, and even then it wouldn’t have worked if any one of you had chosen not to do as I asked last night.”
Buck blew out an angry breath and slumped heavily in his chair. The men remained lost in thought for several minutes.
Chris turned to look at a thoughtful Vin and gave a little half grin saying, “Yeah, I can do that.”
Vin grinned back
“What?” Buck asked hopefully.
“There’s no rule that says I can’t tell you what I know about her,” Chris replied.
Buck contemplated on that and then began to smile.
“So we got our very own spy in the enemy camp?” he mused, eyeing Chris speculatively.
“Yep,” Chris agreed. “You’ll have to verify anything I tell you from other sources before you can use it...but I can help you find those sources.”
Buck began to chuckle evilly and nod his head as he said, “My attorneys will gun her down with the smallest bit of ammunition. You tell me where to start ‘em off and I’ll have an army of private detectives digging up every vile thing she’s ever done in her life.”
Chris barked an unamused laugh and said, “Even with an army of them they’ll have to work overtime to root out EVERY rotten thing she’s ever done. The woman has no conscience and doesn’t care about anything or anyone but herself.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to make sure she doesn’t get the chance to hurt anybody else,” Vin stated resolutely.
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Nathan chimed in with his own determined look.