Chris Larabee was sitting outside, in front of the jail, with Vin Tanner. When his wife and son had been killed, he never thought thst he'd find someone to share his life with again.
He had drowned his sorrows in the whiskey bottle and had used his gun for his battles. That's how he had become an infamous gunfighter. How he had become the "bad element". But, when he had signed on to protect the Seminole village, he had met back up with his long-time friend Buck, and had met five other men that would become family to him.
But, the long-haired tracker that was sitting beside him had become more than that. He had become his lover. The other half of his soul. He loved Vin more that anything. More than anyone. If he was truthful, he loved Vin more than he had ever loved his late wife.
Of course, all of his deamons weren't gone. Occasionally, he would still lose himself in the whiskey bottle. But, those times were becoming fewer and far between. And, the fact that Ella Gaines, the woman that had hired Fowler to kill Sarah and Adam, was still on the run somewhere was a huge thorn in his side. But, he would take care of her if she ever dare show her face in Four Corners again. He didn't care if she was a woman. He'd kill the bitch. His eyes narrowed into slits just thinking about it.
Sensing Chris' mood change, Vin laid a casual hand on his arm, removing it after a minute. Chris took a calming breath and thought about how he would love to shout to all of the world that Vin was his. But, he couldn't. The only people that knew were the other five peacekeepers. Luckily, they had been good about it.
"Riders comin'," Vin said in his quiet Texan drawl.
Chris followed Vin's line of sight and saw five riders. A few minutes later, they reined their horses to a stop in front of the saloon, the Standish Tavern. After dismounting, they all made sure that their horses were secured to the log, where everyone tied their horses.
As the riders were walking into the saloon, Chris got a look at one of their faces. It was the face of the man in the lead. "you've got to be shittin' me," he said.
"What?" asked Vin.
Chris couldn't believe it. "My cousin," was all he said.