Loaded for Bear
Prank Wars #2
Vin Tanner stopped
and stared at the sight in Peso's stall. He turned to
look at the opening to the
livery, then, shaking his head, he returned his
gaze to the stall, hoping
somehow that the vision would have changed. It
hadn't.
There was a tiny,
miniature carved horse sitting where his real horse
should
have been. It was painted
to look like Peso. And on little Peso was a
small, stuffed bear, wearing buckskins and a hat that looked
just like his.
Vin turned and
glared at his best friend, who was collapsed against the
side
of
the stall, laughing his head off. "You're no help," he growled.
Chris just snickered. "He got you good this time."
Vin growled
wordlessly again. He was going to kill his lover for this. He
was supposed to be going on
patrol. "Think I'm gonna need a raincheck on
patrolling, Cowboy."
"Yep, reckon you
are. Can't patrol without a horse." Chris lapsed into
laughter again.
Vin stalked into
the stall and picked up the tiny horse and bear. Resting
in the bear's paws was an
envelope. Walking back out of the stall, Vin
handed the horse and bear
to the still laughing Chris. "Here. Hold this,
laughing boy." He tore open
the envelope. Inside was a single sheet of
paper. It was nice, solid
stationery; obviously Ezra's.
It contained a single line: *Can you follow the trail?*
Vin glared at the offending piece of paper.
Chris, reading it over his shoulder, snickered. "Now there's a
challenge."
Vin gave him the evil eye. "Don't need no suggestions outta you,
Cowboy."
Chris held the toy
bear and Peso up. "Well?" he asked. Vin just rolled
his
eyes and stared at the
floor, his eyes tracking the patterns in the dirt.
Once he caught on to'
Peso's trail, he turned and headed out of the
stables,
his eyes still on the
ground. Chris followed, keeping an eye on his friend
to
make sure he wasn't run over while he was preoccupied.
Vin followed the
trail to where it entered the alley next to the saloon.
At
the end of the alley, the
tracks vanished. Vin blinked. He was positive he
hadn't missed any signs, but there was no note for him here.
Chris cocked his
head and watched his friend. "Problems?" he asked.
Vin growled at him. "Tracks
disappear. Well, actually, they don't
disappear
so much as Peso walked
backwards in his own tracks. How the hell'd he do
that?" He sounded aggrieved and amazed at the same time. "Damn
gambler."
Vin followed the
trail back out of the alley and towards the jail, Chris
snickering as he followed.
Seated in front of
the jail was JD with another little Vin and Peso in his
hands. Grinning,
practically bouncing in his seat, he handed the little
bear
and horse to Vin. The note in its paws read: *Getting closer*.
Vin glared at the
chortling Chris. "Yer havin' too much fun with this,
Cowboy."
Chris grinned
unrepentantly at him. "Hell, yes I am. This is more
entertaining than Buck and his ladies!"
Vin rolled his eyes and headed off, once more following Peso's
tracks.
JD burst out
laughing. "Let me know where Peso ended up, Chris?" he asked.
"I'm
still watching these yahoos in the jail."
Chris nodded and
tipped his hat at the sheriff. "Will do." And he hurried
off after Vin quickly
retreating form. He caught up to him on the porch
outside of Nathan's clinic,
holding a third bear in his hands. There was
no
note
on this one.
Nathan, leaning on
the railing, grinned at Vin. "He's leading you on a
merry
chase, isn't he?"
Vin finally exploded. "I'm supposed to be on patrol!"
Nate laughed.
"Josiah took your patrol, Vin. Ezra made sure it was
covered. He figured you'd
want some time to relax after that trip to Eagle
Bend you just took. Hell,
that robber was enough to drive anyone crazy and
you
got stuck with him. He's just trying to give you a little bit of
fun."
Vin blinked. "Josiah took patrol?"
Nate nodded.
"Yep," Chris put in.
"Oh. Guess I'd
better move on then." Vin tipped his hat to Nathan and
headed back down the stairs.
"Thanks, Nate," said Chris.
"Anytime." Nathan
smiled and headed back inside the clinic. "Let me know
where
he finds that horse."
Vin found himself
at Josiah's church next; the little horse was snuggled in
a corner next to the main
door. He picked up the little toy and held it
reverently, silently reading the note attached.
*One more* it said.
"Where to next?" Chris asked quietly from behind him.
Vin looked over at
him and grinned. "Outta town, looks like. See ya when
I
get
back?"
Chris gave him a long look, then nodded. "Be careful. And take a
horse!"
Vin grinned. "I'm takin' Chaucer," he replied.
Chris laughed and waved him on his way.
Ten minutes later,
Chaucer was saddled and Vin was headed out of town. The
tracks he had found
confirmed his guess, Ezra and Peso were at the old
spring they had found. It
was a beautiful little oasis that was amazingly
well hidden from prying
eyes. The two lovers had discovered it earlier
that
spring, and had often found
excuses to sneak away together to their little
corner of paradise.
It was a half
hour's ride from town, and Vin arrived dusty and ready to
stop
moving. It had been a rather unexpected morning.
Ezra was lounging
up against a shady tree, his long legs stretched out in
front of him, his hat
tilted low on his head against the burning sun. Peso grazed next
to him. Vin
shook his head at the picture of
ultimate laziness his lover portrayed.
Silently he crept up to the
gambler and reached over to pull his hat off.
Before his hand could reach
that black garment, however, Ezra's head
shifted
and
sparkling green eyes peered up at him.
"Morning!" Ezra said cheerfully.
Vin glared at him.
"Ya made me get dusty," he growled.
Ezra snickered. "Isn't that supposed to be my line?"
Vin stared at him,
then, unable to help himself, he burst out laughing.
"Yeah, well. It seemed ta fit."
Ezra grinned and,
quick as a striking snake, wrapped his arms around
Vin's
lower
legs and pulled the tracker down on top of him.
Vin blinked in
startlement, then grinned. "Ya could have just asked. I
woulda come, ya know."
Ezra shrugged. "You
looked like you needed to relax, Vin. As cool and
collected as you always
are, even I could see you were stressed when you
returned last evening. This
seemed like fun." Then he grinned. "Besides,
I
owed you for knocking me off Chaucer last month."
Vin grinned. "I thought you got me back fer that with the
spyglass?"
"That was just the warm-up."
Vin laughed. "Well, now I need a bath, Ez."
"Easily remedied.
There is a warm spring over there." He pointed to the
spring behind them.
"Yep."
"Would you need some help then?" Ezra asked.
"Probably. Can't reach all those dusty spots on my back."
Ezra grinned.
"Shall we then?" he asked, and they headed for the stream
and
their
own brand of relaxation.
**********
Later, sated and
snuggled together on a bedroll, Vin sleepily asked,
"Ezra?"
"Yes?"
"How the hell did you
get Peso to walk backwards in his own tracks?"
Ezra grinned. "Why, I
bribed him, of course!"
