Jimmy and Cody were riding towards Rock Creek.  It had been about a year  since the express ended.  They had met up in the last town to go the rest of  the way to Kid, Lou, and Buck’s together.
 
“I can’t believe Lou is gonna have a baby in two weeks, can you Jimmy”

 “Uh-huh.  Hey Cody, look at that.”

Ahead he saw a girl about their age standing by a wagon with a broken wheel yelling at it, apparently trying to kill it too. She was kicking it and smacking it all over. As they got closer they saw a little girl, watching her  with little interest, it seemed she was used to this kind of  behavior.

Cody decided that at least for the sake of the child he should try  to help.  “Um, excuse me miss, but do you need some help?”

“You stupid, annoying, damned contraption, why won’t you just get me 3 more  miles? You just had to give up here, huh? I suppose I might as well just walk the rest of the way there. But I can’t do that can I? Noooo, because I have a seven-year-old to take care of and she can’t make it now can she?  Oh how I  hate you...”

Cody figured she must not of heard him, so he spoke louder, “EXCUSE ME Ma’am, BUT CAN WE HELP YOU?”

She spun around when she heard him and  immediately blushed, “Oh, I’m sorry. You must think I am completely
insane.  “I...uh...um..well, if you could give Quincy and me a ride into town we would be forever grateful.” She was visibly trying not to laugh at her unnatural wording.

Cody and Jimmy just stared at her. She was absolutely beautiful. Cody couldn’t help but think that she seemed familiar he looked at her hair, it was full of different colors; red, brown, and blonde. The way it mixed together her hair almost looked like it was gold. The second he saw her marbleized eyes it hit Cody who she was. They were blue, but around the pupil was a ring of yellow that burst out like sun-rays and along with the occasional gray streaks.  “Eleanor Leeser is that you?”

“I’m sorry do I know you?”

“William F. Cody! Now don’t tell me you don’t remember me. I lived right next to one of your grandfather’s properties.”

“Billy!?! I never expected to see you again!” She ran up to him and hugged him squealing with delight. “So you’ll give us a ride into town then?”

“Of course we would Lolly, but we don’t have a wagon...”

“That’s fine, Quincy and I could ride on the back of your horses.”

Jimmy was confused, “If you’re going to ride horses, why don’t you just ride the ones that were pulling your wagon?”  This comment was followed by hysterical laughing from both Lolly and Cody.  “What’s so funny?”

Lolly felt sorry for laughing at the poor guy.  “Nothing really, it’s just that I don’t ride horses. In fact I’m scared to death when I’m on top of one,  but if someone like you were to be up there with me then I wouldn’t be so  scared.” Jimmy saw her look at him a way that confused him, he wasn’t sure if she was flirting with him or just being sarcastic.

Cody caught his breath from laughing and said, “All right we’ll give you a ride to town. You should come to dinner with us tonight I’m sure no one would mind.”

“That’s really not necessary, besides I need to get to town as soon as I can so I can start looking for my brother.”

“Well, what’s his name maybe we know him, and you have to come to dinner.”

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know what name he would be going by right now, but his last name is Leeser.”

“Don’t know nobody by that name.”

“Its anybody, don’t use double negatives,” at his confused look she replied, “I’ll explain later, and I didn’t expect you to know him.  I  suppose I will come to dinner, but only after I get settled in town. By the way, since I am going to be riding on his horse what is your friends name, Cody?”

Jimmy stared at her wondering how she got so much out in one breath.

“Jimmy.  Why are you riding his horse instead of mine?”

She laughed outright at that, “You think I would trust you? I think not, Quincy will ride with you. She likes doing stupid things.” And with that she  walked over and shook Jimmy’s hand, “It is a pleasure to meet you Mr...?”

“Hickock, but you can just call me Jimmy.  Eleanor was it?” He was amazed that she had said that much. He could tell by the way she was looking at him  she was looking forward to the ride. Hell, so was he. Then he heard her giggling.

“If you don’t stop staring and help me up we’ll never get anywhere.”

Jimmy’s cheeks turned bright red and Lolly just giggled and continued, “By the way, you can call me Lolly, most people do.”

Quincy had climbed right up onto Cody’s horse with amazing ease for someone so small Cody was impressed, “Hey Quincy, how old are ya?”

“Seven, I am almost a grown up Lady!”

“I think you’re still a little young yet.”

“I’m only four years younger than she was when she got married.” Quincy pointed over towards Lolly. Cody looked back at Lolly for confirmation and at her somewhat disgruntled nod he turned back around to think. The last time he  had seen Lolly they were 6, it was hard to imagine her getting married at all  especially before she turned at least 16.

As they were leaving Lolly and Quincy each holding their own bag and the horses being trailed behind, Lolly turned back to her wagon and stuck her tongue out at it and shouted at the top of her lungs, “See, we don’t need you anyway.  Now we’re leaving you all alone!  HA-HA-HA!”

That just made Cody realize more how being married at 11 hadn’t given her the chance to grow up.  As he looked at Quincy, Cody thought to himself, I can’t believe she has a daughter seven years old.  She was 11 when she was born ...hmm musta been almost 12 then and married at an early 11.
 

 Lolly knew she was making a fool out of herself in front of the doctor, but she didn’t care. This just couldn’t have happened to her. They had only been together once and that wasn’t even her choice.

“Now Miss, being pregnant can’t be as bad as this.”

Ha! Little did he know, she thought to herself. However out loud she said, “I’m sorry for crying on you like this, but my husband just died in the war and this strain is just making me crazy. I don’t know what I’ll do having to support two children!” That was most definitely the worst acting she had ever done in her whole life.  I should have made up a story before coming here. I should have known.  If only I had come prepared! she yelled at herself. She couldn’t stand the way the man had been looking at her like she was a whore for not having on a wedding ring. “I’m sorry I really must go.”

After saying that she ran out  of the doctor’s office Quincy trailing closely at her heels.  Buck wasn’t watching the road too closely as he and Rachel started back home with the supplies and suddenly a young girl and a child ran in front of the wagon. He had been caught completely off guard and was worried he had hurt them. “Miss, I’m so sorry are you alri... Lolly?” he recognized her immediately from the bag next to her. She had told him once that she made it herself and he believed that only she would make a bag that looked like that.  It had random pieces of material all over it some from her original design
 of mixed and matched scraps and some were just patches. Buck recalled the time she told him where each piece of material came from, they all had a memory attached.

“Why Buck, I didn’t expect to see you here.” She squealed delightedly as he helped her and Quincy up. Then she pulled him into a hug and kissed him on the cheek. Lolly looked to Rachel and said, “You must be Rachel Dunne.”

Buck and Rachel both looked at her confused and Lolly laughed, like she always did, and explained, “I received a ride to town with an old friend of mine, Billy Cody, and his companion, Jimmy, and I have heard a lot about you and was, in fact, invited to dinner. I was hoping I could find a better outfit than this before I came out there.” She gestured towards her male shirt and dusty skirt. “Buck you can’t imagine my delight when I found out that you were going to be there as well, Buck.” Lolly shot him a huge smile to show him she meant it, but he could see remnants of tears on her face.

Rachel looked at the girl and was suprised to find that the girl was dressed so horribly, she couldn’t believe she had missed it before Lolly pointed it out. Rachel saw how her mistake was made though, the girl had composed herself in mere second after being hit and showed so much emotion and joy in her face that you never bothered to look at what she was wearing.  Even if you did look away from her face, there was her beautiful hair and the way her hands moved about everywhere as she spoke to emphasize what she was saying, there was no chance of getting as far as the girls clothes when you looked at her. “Lolly, I’m sure you can change your clothes at Buck’s place why don’t you get a ride there with us?”

“Really? That would be wonderful! I haven’t checked into the hotel, but my bags are there so let me go get one with a change of clothes.”

“Well, let’s go then,” Buck responded. “By the way, who is this girl I’m carrying here?”

Lolly laughed once again at her mistake. “I’m so sorry this is Quincy.  She is seven and smarter than I am.” She rolled her eyes and kept up her joyful speech with Rachel the whole journey to the station, never letting her get too comfortable with a subject before she moved on to the next.

Buck didn’t hear any of what Lolly said on the way to the ranch he lived at with Kid and Lou, Rachel, and Teaspoon. He was too engrossed in his own thoughts, memories really, of when he and Ike had first met Lolly...
 

He was 14 at the time. The room he and Ike shared was right next to the door and woke to a loud pounding. They hid in the doorway of their room and peeked out as the nun, Sister Mary, answered the door, slightly upset to be awakened at such a late hour.  What they saw suprised them:  there was a girl about their age curled up in a ball sobbing. Sister Mary tapped her on the shoulder, “Dear, would you like to come in out of the rain?”

The girl looked up at her, “Thank you Ma’am.” It was obvious she wanted more but she seemed too afraid to ask. Her eyes looked around, but she didn’t seem to register anything.

Then a man, probably in his early twenties in Buck’s opinion, came up to Sister Mary, “I’m looking for my boss’ wife
you haven’t seen any young women around here have you??”

“No I’m afraid not.”

“All right then, thank you kindly.” After Sister Mary shut the door she turned to see the girl shaking.

“Please I need you’re help, he’s drunk again.”

“Who’s drunk dear?”

“Erik, please don’t make me go back. Erik will be just like him I know it.”

“Just like who? You’re safe here just calm down and explain things. Now who
 will who be just like?”

“Nobody...” she was no longer frightened, Buck remembered the look she shot him as their eyes locked. She seemed to be humored by the fact that he and Ike were spying on her. She smiled only slightly enough for them to see it, with the mischievous glint that would become so familiar. She turned back to Sister Mary completely composed showing off her breeding the way she was trained to, “I’m sorry I was so hysterical. I hate to trouble you, but I’m soaked to the bone, could you please lend me something dry to wear, I don’t want to get ill.”

Sister Mary smiled sweetly at her, Buck could tell that she wanted to know why the girl had such a sudden change in demeanor.  “Of course Dear, I’ll go find you something.” With that she left and the strange girl ran over to where Buck and Ike had been hiding, “Hello, my name is Eleanor Leeser, but I prefer Lolly.”

There was silence, Buck couldn’t form any words.

Lolly seemed a little annoyed, “...and you are...?”

“Buck Cross is what the nuns here call me. This is Ike McSwain, he can’t talk.”

She nodded slightly still in thought, “Why are you hiding back here?”

“We aren’t supposed to get out of bed after hours.” He then responded to Ike’s comment, “Yes, she is.”

“Who’s what?”

Buck shared a smile with Ike, “I was talking to Ike, he pointed something out to me.” She still looked confused.

“How did he tell you?”

“I’ve been teaching him Indian Sign so he can communicate.” Buck felt more proud than he usually did telling Lolly. She was impressed.

“Teach me too, please oh please.” She was begging just like a child should.

Buck was overwhelmed; he had seen Lolly go from a frightened child, to a proper lady, and then to the 11 year old girl she was. The next thing he knew he was agreeing to teach her.

“So what tribe are you from?”

“Kiowa, why?”

“I had a Souix friend and wanted to see if you spoke another language you could teach me.”

“It is, but will you have time to learn it all.”

“Sure, Erik and I should be here at least a month.”

“Why do you want to learn my languages?”

“I love languages...” she got a dreamy look, “I enjoy learning them more than knowing them, it helps you form friendships. All my best friends taught me languages including my brother, he taught me this one.”

“Ike wants to know which languages you know.”

She smiled, “Well obviously English, or American really, I know real English too, umm Spanish, French, German, Gaelic, Italian, Polish, need I go on?”

“No, that’s ok.  Ike also wants to know how you learned them all.”

“Well, Grandmother and Grandfather took me with them to Europe for three years. They hired me a new language tutor for every country we went to. It was a wonderful place mostly, but I missed getting to see my brother once a year, like before.”  She seemed sad.  “Erik doesn’t want me to see him ever again.”

“Who’s Erik?”

“My husband,” she said it with so little emotion he was sure she was trying to hide something,

“How old are you?”  Buck was more than a little suprised to hear she was married.

“Eleven, it was an arranged marriage, I don’t love him. There are only two people I love and one of them is my brother.” Ike and Buck heard resentment in her for being taken away from her brother.

Sister Mary returned and gave Lolly the change of clothes. “Buck, Ike, what are you two doing bothering this young girl?”

Lolly jumped in quickly to help them. “I woke them up by mistake, I am truly sorry, they came to see what the noise was and I asked them to stay and keep me company.” Buck was amazed how mature she had made herself appear, she looked like a 45 year old lady trapped in an eleven-year old’s body and Sister Mary fell for the act.

Lolly did learn both Kiowa and Indian Sign during her month with Buck and Ike.  She fit in with the two perfectly, but also had the respect of the rest of the children.  Occasionally the same man that came by the first night would come looking for his boss’ wife, who was in fact Lolly, but no one ever said they had seen her. He heard many stories about her brother, she worshipped him to no end.  Many of the times she came she brought with her alcohol she was trying to hide from Erik.  He never ended up hitting her, but she said it was only a matter of time, insisting she held authority on this matter. The thing that really attached him to her was the day she left she thanked he and Ike for giving her two more people to love.

They were nearing the house and Lolly’s near constant chatter stopped abruptly. Rachel was staring at her in awe, although Buck had been lost in his own thoughts he could tell which stories Lolly had been sharing. Buck followed Lolly’s gaze to where she was staring; it was Kid coming out of the barn. Buck thought it only fair to warn her, “Careful Lolly, he’s married.”

She didn’t even flinch, just kept looking straight ahead.  “I know.”  With that she stood up in the wagon shouted, “HEY KID!” and ran into his arms.

 Chapter 2 coming soon!