Early the next morning, Kid and Jimmy started on their way to Blue Creek. The tired and weary look on Jimmy's face indicated his lack of sleep the night before. He couldn't wait to get back home and sleep on his own bed. Even though the old bunk wasn't as comfortable, anything would be a step above sleeping on the hard, rocky ground.

There was little conversation between the two friends, each involved in their own thoughts.

Jimmy pondered once again his situation with Victoria, slowly digesting the words of wisdom he'd received from Kid the night before. Kid's thoughts focused on his friend's plight and what he could personally do to help Jimmy endure the trialsome period ahead. Kid understood that Jimmy was the kind of man that always got what he wanted, but this time things weren't so cut and dry. One of their dear friends, family was involved. Jimmy would need his support. Kid's attempts to lighten his companion's somber mood went for naught.

"Come on Jimmy, cheer up."

"I'm in love with a woman I can't have and you're telling me to cheer up?"

"I know it ain't easy Jimmy, but look at the things you do have. I mean you've still got your health, and all your teeth."

Jimmy found no humor in Kid's comment. "You're testing me Kid." he said as he encouraged his horse from a slow walk to a trot.

As the two friends continued on their journey, the sight of a body in the near distance caught their attention. "Think he's dead?" asked Kid.

"I guess we better go find out." said Jimmy.

They moved in closer to the lifeless body and dismounted. Jimmy bent down, inspecting the trail of horse tracks left in the dirt. "He was riding alone that's for sure. The tracks are all the same." he noticed.

"Maybe his horse threw him."

"Maybe." Jimmy said suspiciously. His gut feeling told him something wasn't quite right.

Kid approached the body which had been laying face down. As soon as he turned it over, the seemingly lifeless corpse came to life, pulling a gun on Kid.

"Howdy boys." greeted the grungy man with a wicked grin.

Jimmy at once drew his gun. "I wouldn't do that if I was you boy, unless you want to see what your friend here had for breakfast."

He waved his gun motioning Jimmy to cast both of his aside. Turning to Kid he requested the same. "Throw them over there. Easy, or I'll kill ya."

"We don't want no trouble Mister." said Kid.

"And I won't harm ya as long as you do what I say. Get over there with him." he ordered.

The man looked like pure trouble to Jimmy. An outlaw for sure. He could pick that sort out of a crowd. The man's eyes were dark and evil; a cold stare petruding from them; a look that would bring fear into any man's heart. Not Jimmy's. He'd looked down too many barrels in his short life; faced too many foes that wanted to take his life. This man was just like them, not deserving to walk on the same earth with decent people.

The stranger walked over to Katy and took the rope that had been looped on the saddle and threw it to Kid. "Your friend here looks like he'd like to shoot me in the back real quick-like. Tie him up; hands behind if you please." Kid complied.

"I never shot a man I wasn't staring right in the face and I wouldn't make an exception for you." Jimmy said in an almost cocky manner.

The man just laughed. "I like your attitude boy; reminds me of myself. Fast with a gun ain't ya? Yeah, I could tell the minute I seen ya. It's men like you I gotta watch out for."

After Kid had finished with Jimmy, the stranger tied Kid's hands with the remnants of the rope. "I'm sure glad you boys come along. Didn't know how much longer I'd be able to survive out here."

"Look Mister, if you're in some sort of trouble we can help you. We know the Marshal in Rock Creek." Kid's comment induced an almost uncontrollable laughter from the man.

"Marshal?!" he cried. "Boy, the only good thing a lawman's good for is... target practice." he said with a wicked grin. "Don't mind if I help myself to your horse. I gots a long ways to go." he said grabbing the reins of Jimmy's horse.

"You can take mine, she's faster." encouraged Kid.

"Much obliged for your helpfulness son, but markings like that on a horse makes a man too easy to find and that ain't in my plans right now. This palomino will do me just fine."

He went ahead and mounted the horse. "Sorry to leave you boys like this. By the way, don't go gettin' brave and try following me or I promise, I will be the last thing you see."

"Hyah!" he shouted and galloped out of sight.

"Great, now what?" asked Jimmy as they stood there in the middle of nowhere, their hands tied behind their backs.

"Well, like Buck says, never go on a run unprepared." Kid said.

"What?" asked Hickok with a puzzled frown.

"I need you to reach in the back of my pants."

"Kid, I know we're friends and all but I ain't going that far."

"I have a knife under my jacket." he said matter-of-factly.

"Well that's different." he said reaching for the knife.

"Is it just me or are you in a better mood for some reason?" Kid asked puzzled.

"Facing death Kid'll always make a man cheerful he's still breathing."

Jimmy managed to get the knife and with great difficulty they finally cut themselves loose. Retrieving their weapons, they both mounted Katy and were soon off in pursuit of the horse thief. The two riders were fortunate they had picked up some pointers from Buck about tracking and soon found themselves not too far behind their nemesis. About a mile further down the road, they encountered a man that had been gagged and bound, stripped down to his long underwear. It appeared their old friend had struck again.

"Bless you boys." thanked the older man as he was let loose from his bonds. "I thought for sure I was a goner."

"Who did this to you?" asked Jimmy.

"Jonas McBride."

"What?" asked Kid surprised. "How did you know it was him?"

"Told me right to my face he did, the old scoundrel. I tell ya this country's gettin' more dangerous by the minute. A man can't even come out for a simple ride anymore." he said as he stood stretching his back.

"What did he look like?" inquired Jimmy. The old man described the one responsible. His description fit the stranger the two had met earlier.

"Took my horse too. Tell ya if I ever get my hands on him..."

The sound of rustling leaves caught their attention. Kid and Jimmy quickly drew their guns only to see that the intruder was Jimmy's palomino, which had been abandoned nearby for the older man's fresher horse.

"I say, can I ask you boys to give me a lift home? I stay just about a mile from here. Besides you look like you could use a couple of fresh horses...I mean if you think you'll be goin' after that no good horse thief."

The boys took the man up on his offer. He supplied them with two horses, light provisions and bid them luck on their hunt.

Victoria and Cody waited patiently by the creek. "Do you think he'll show?" she asked. Cody realized he was being selfish, hoping Taylor wouldn't show his face so he could have her all to himself, but of course refrained from telling her that.

"Don't know." he said annoyed.

"Is something troubling you?" she asked him with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah, if you need askin'. I don't like this whole idea, you coming out here by yourself. I know you mean well but it ain't safe."

"Cody, we've been through this already. I have you here so you needn't worry."

"So what are you gonna do when I'm not here?! When I'm off on a run?!" he cried.

"I'll figure something out." Her stubborness pushed him over the brink.

"That ain't good enough Victoria." he said with a raised voice.

"I can take care of myself Cody. I don't see why you're giving me such a hard time about this." she retorted angrily.

"Because I love you damn it!" he shouted.

Victoria turned pale. Her entire body froze. Her worst fears had come true. Those three little words she hoped Cody would never utter. Those three little words she hoped she'd never hear. Yet there they were; those three little words.

Instead of the happy excitable feeling a woman would get when told she was the object of a handsome man's affection, those words felt more like aching stab wounds in her heart.

She couldn't bear hurting Cody but she knew now she'd have to break his heart. There was no way she could love him in any other way but as a dear friend.

Cody could've kicked himself. He couldn't believe he had just blurted out his deepest feelings for her just like that. He saw the panic in Victoria's eyes and instantly knew his timing had been horrible. Seeing she hadn't been ready for such a revelation, Cody began to apologize.

"I'm sorry Victoria."

"Cody you don't need to be sorry but we do have to talk about this. Things are not so simple."

"Why not? I don't understand." The look he gave her was one of total confusion.

Victoria's heart was breaking, her eyes starting to well up with tears as she looked into Cody's searching blue eyes. "I could make you happy." he said softly as he held her arms.

"Did I come at a bad time?" asked Taylor who had been standing there unnoticed.

They both turned in Taylor's direction and in unison Cody shouted "Yes!" but Victoria "No!" Taylor stood there feeling rather uncomfortable, sensing he was now in the middle of a very intense moment.

Cody felt like he was losing grip on the entire situation. At this most critical time, Taylor's arrival had been dreadful. Why couldn't he had just let them be so they could've settled this? he thought. Before Cody could say another word Victoria turned to him and whispered, "We'll talk about this later." She knew it probably wasn't fair to leave him in a state of limbo, but with Taylor present the matter would have to wait. She felt the boy's arrival was of some fortune since she wasn't quite sure what and how she was going to say what she had to say. Stalling bought her some time to get herself together.

Concentrating on Taylor's first lesson wasn't easy. The sudden events that had just unfolded spun like a tangled web in her mind. Somehow she had managed the first 15 letters of the alphabet and the spelling of his entire name.

"Make sure you practice these and I'll meet you back here the day after tomorrow."

She handed him a writing book to practice the things he'd learned and was glad to see the excitement in the young boy's eyes.

"A writin' book of my own!" he exclaimed.

"And before you know it, you'll have it all filled."

Taylor noticed Victoria's saddened glance at Cody who had been sitting by the edge of the creek, no doubt thinking about what had been said.

"Ms. Victoria, do you not love Mr. Cody?"

"Taylor! What made you ask me that?" she said startled at the boy's inquiry.

"I know I should've said somethin' when I heard you and Mr. Cody you know, talkin'...I'm sorry." he apologized, looking down at his book.

"First rule of being a gentleman Taylor, never eavesdrop on other people's conversations." she pointed out.

"Are you upset with me?"

"No." she said understandingly, patting his hand.

"So are you gonna tell him you love him?" he asked, looking at her.

She smiled. "You ask too many questions. Now go on, get out of here...and practice those letters!"

Kid and Jimmy spent the next few hours tracking McBride's trail from the point where they found the old man all the way into the rocky hillsides just outside Blue Creek.

"Sure's keeping a step ahead of us." said Kid. "We're gonna be losing light soon too. So what do you want to do?"

"That's a tough one. I just keep seeing $600 dollars staring me right in the face. That's a lot of sarsaparilla and good steak dinners to turn back on." added Jimmy.

"Five hundred." corrected Kid.

"I thought the bounty was 6."

"In Cottonwood, not Blue Creek."

"So if we catch him we take him to Cottonwood."

"Are you crazy? You may not need to be back home tomorrow but I better be or I'll have to face a fiercer opponent than McBride...a woman called Lou McCloud. It ain't a road I'm willing to take.

"I hear that Kid. Like they say "hell has no wrath like a woman's scorn."

"Thanks. Well he can't be too far. No food, little water, tired horse. He's here someplace. I can feel it." finished Kid as he surveyed the area.

The boys had been able to keep close track of McBride following the hoof prints and horse manure left behind, but still weren't able to catch even a glimpse of the elusive cattle rustler. When they had almost given up hope and considered calling off their hunt, the faint smell of burning wood caught their senses. The two friends looked at each other and smiled. No doubt McBride thought he had discouraged them enough so they would follow no more. Little did he know, these Pony Express riders were more persistent than he'd given them credit for.

Kid and Jimmy left their horses behind and proceeded towards the smell of fire on foot. They reached a small clearing in the midst of dense trees and sure enough there he was, tending to the fire he so carefully had built.

"We'll wait 'til he's asleep, then we'll take him." said Jimmy.

"It's your call."

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