Noah woke up shortly before supper. He felt better for the six hour nap he had took, but his body still ached with over four days of riding. He rose from his bunk slowly, assessing the condition of his muscles. Both rides had been routine, but it seemed as if every joint in his body was bound and determined to remind him never to make a double run again. Noah smiled at the thought, but then his smile faded when he saw Cody stretched out in the bunk beside him.

Noah still could not believe all that Teaspoon had told him before he fell asleep. A bank robbery! And Lou and Jimmy and Kid were in some real trouble. For a moment Noah felt guilty about his nap. His friends were in trouble, and he had slept the day away. But what could he do?

He grabbed his hat, and went to see if Rachel needed a hand with supper.

Jimmy and Kid reached Fort Kearney seven days after they had started out. Tired from the long ride, they were ushered right into the see the captain of the Fort. They delivered their message, and then learned that they would have a return message as well. One of the utmost import. They were to report back to the captain in the morning, and get the message before riding out.

That night they ate with the troupes stationed at the fort, and listened with curiosity as the soldiers discussed the upcoming war. It seemed the army took for granted that the war would start soon. Both Jimmy and the Kid had opinions on the discussion that went on around them, but they kept silent. Neither one of them wanted to damage the fragile truce between them with another heated discussion on the war. It was bad enough to feud over a woman, without bringing the whole nation into their quarrels.

The mess house at the Fort was a low and narrow room, and soon both Jimmy and Kid decided to get some fresh air. They wandered about the Fort for a while, and then decided to get to bed. They were put up for the night in a small house usually used by one of the officer’s families. The room they stayed in was well furnished for an army fort, and the tired men slept soundly.

The next morning they awoke to a brewing rain storm. Gail force winds whipped the American Flag on its pole at the front of the Fort, and lightening pierced the sky. Even though it was early morning, the sky boiled as black as midnight. Jimmy and the Kid watched as soldiers ran around making sure things were nailed down tight for the coming storm. They heard a few mentions of tornadoes.

The captain ran by with a group of men. He stopped to talk to the young express riders. The wind was terrible, and he had to shout, “You boys ain’t going nowhere in this. The last thing I need is for that message to be blown away in some damn tornado. Maybe you could give us a hand, we need to tape up some windows in those building over there, or they might get blown clean out.”

Jimmy and Kid nodded, and ran with the captain to help. The rain started then, heavy curtains of water coming down. The Kid grinned at Jimmy widely as they ran. Jimmy returned the grin, who minded a little rain if it postponed the long ride home for a day?

It rained for most of the day, and the wind continued to howl. There were no tornadoes though, and Jimmy and Kid spent most of the day in the mess hall playing cards with the soldiers. Jimmy won more than a few hands.

They slept again in the officer’s quarters and it was late that night when a knock came at the door. Kid rubbed sleep from his eyes and opened the door to find a young private they had played cards with standing there. “The captain needs to see you both.”

“Now?” Jimmy asked from where he sat at his bunk.

“You have a visitor.” The private answered. Jimmy looked at Kid, but Kid just shrugged. They got dressed quickly and followed the private to the captain’s office. Who could be here to see them? No one even knew they were there.

The Kid thought he might faint when he saw Lou huddled in a chair in the captain’s office. Wrapped in a blanket, her hair wet and plastered to her head Lou looked like a little girl. Two soldiers stood on either side of her, and the Captain sat behind his desk. Lou’s lovely brown eyes looked frightened, and exhausted.

When Kid and Jimmy came into the office she tried to stand up, but one of the soldiers pushed her back into the chair. Jimmy placed a hand on his gun at the action, and the Kid asked with unbelief, “Lou?”

“You know this woman?” The captain asked from behind his desk. An older man, his gray-blue eyes were deadly serious. He did not enjoy being woken up in the middle of the night.

The Kid gave no notice if he heard the captain. He strode over to Lou and fell to his knees in front of the chair. “What are you doing here?” He gently reached one hand out to her cheek. “Are you ok?”

Lou nodded, and then threw herself into Kid’s arms. Nobody moved to stop her this time. Jimmy watched the exchange from the door.

Slowly the two disentangled their embrace, and Lou met Jimmy’s eyes across the room. He was struck by the intensity he saw there, as she began to speak. Her voice was scratched with exhaustion, and for a moment Jimmy couldn’t believe it came from Lou’s lips. “Thank God you are still here.” Jimmy finally crossed the room and knelt beside Kid, taking one of her hands in his. The Kid grasped her other hand.

The captain spoke watched the two men from behind his desk, surprised at the obvious affection they both held for the young woman. He dismissed the two soldiers guarding Lou and then waited until they left before speaking. “She said she had a message for the two of you. The night watch woke me, but she would only talk if the two of you were here. So somebody better start explaining why I got pulled out of bed at three-thirty in the morning.”

Lou looked at the captain for a brief moment, and then focused her eyes back on the Kid and Jimmy. She alternated looking at each of them as she told them about what Teaspoon had learned. Her voice was worn, and her eyes seemed to close on their own accord, as if she could no longer hold them open. Sometimes her speech slurred as she spoke, her exhaustion was so heavy. The captain became visibly upset when he learned about the southern sympathizers and their plan. He asked Lou questions, but she had little information to add. She only knew that there were at least thirty men looking for Jimmy and the Kid. They knew about the return message, and they were willing to kill for it.

Jimmy and the Kid could not believe Lou was sitting there in front of them. Neither of them wanted to contemplate the misery she must have endured during the past few days for their sake. She must have ridden day and night to catch up with them. Her delicate features suddenly crumpled when the captain asked her for the third time if she knew anything else, and she burst into tears. This time Jimmy wrapped his arms around her. The Kid rose to his feet angrily, and told the captain to back off. Then Jimmy stood and easily swept the crying Lou into his arms. Cradling her against his chest, he addressed the captain evenly.

“This girl just went through hell to get here. She’s exhausted, and she’s going to sleep now. In the morning we will be back to talk about your precious message.”

The captain sighed, and ran a hand over his face. He was not a cruel man, and he didn’t mean to make the woman cry. He was just tired, and the strain of commanding his post with the war on the horizon sometimes got to him. The message was essential to the war effort, but the captain simply did not have enough men at his post to send an army detail to Fort Laramie. There had been trouble with an Indian treaty, and the captain’s troupes were stretched too thin as it was. He looked at the three express riders and sighed again. They looked too young to be brought into these problems.

“Alright, I didn’t mean to upset her.” He rose and came out from behind his desk. He placed a fatherly hand on Lou’s head, which remained buried against Jimmy’s shoulder. “Thank you for getting here before we sent these two boys out. The army is indebted to you. I am sure we can find a room for you to sleep in.”

Jimmy answered quickly, “She can stay with us.”

The captain nodded at Jimmy and the Kid, and left the room. Jimmy followed him carrying Lou, with Kid beside him.

They brought Lou back to the officer’s quarters, and Jimmy tried to lay her on the bed. But Lou wouldn’t relinquish her hold on him. Half-asleep, and mumbling incoherently, Lou clung to him as if he was her last hope from drowning. Gently he pried her fingers loose, and set her down. He exchanged a worried glance with the Kid. Lou had felt feverish in his arms, and her clothes were wet clean-through beneath the blanket. Jimmy went to his saddle-bags that were stowed beneath his bed and took out an extra shirt he had brought for the long trip. He handed it wordlessly to Kid, and then averted his eyes as the Kid helped the shivering, almost sleeping Lou out of her wet things. Lou was fully asleep before the Kid had fastened the last button on Jimmy’s shirt. The Kid then carefully eased her back toward the bed, and sat looking down at her, one hand holding hers. His mind was reeling. How could she have gotten here so quickly? Had she been out in that terrible storm? He could also still feel the touch of her soft skin beneath his fingers as he had helped her change. It had been so long since he had touched her like that, and it left him a little breathless.

Jimmy’s mind was also reeling. He stood behind Kid and looked down at the woman he loved, watching as her breath rose and fell in the even rhythm of sleep. He remembered her eyes on his in the captain’s office. He felt almost an uncontrollable urge to stoop down and place a kiss on her pale forehead. Instead he stooped and scooped her wet clothes from where they lay in a heap on the floor. He spread them over the only table in the room, near the fireplace so they might dry. Then he went outside to get some air.

He returned a while later to find a still dressed Kid stretched out in the bed beside Lou, his arms encircling her protectively. Jimmy swallowed a feeling of jealousy, and told himself the only thing that mattered was that Lou was safe. He crossed the dark room silently, as not to wake the sleeping pair, when Lou suddenly cried out. Jimmy froze in his tracks at the cry-disbelieving his ears. He must have heard her wrong!

But then Lou cried out again, and this time there was no mistaking it-Lou had cried out his name.

“Jimmy!” She moaned his name a third time, and writhed uneasily on the bed. The Kid was awake now, trying to sooth Lou. Jimmy stood still, staring at the bed, unsure of what to do. Lou seemed to be struggling against the Kid’s arms.

Then Lou screamed his name a fourth time, “Jimmy!” and sat up, breaking fully out of the Kid’s embrace. The Kid sat up too and Lou burst into tears. Sobs wracked her body, and suddenly Jimmy broke out of his stupor. He sat on the bed, and wrapped the sobbing girl in his arms, rocking her against him. “It’s ok, I’m here.” He whispered the words over and over against her hair. The Kid sat on the other side of her looking as if he had been punched in the stomach. After a while, Lou’s sobs began to subside. Jimmy looked up met the Kid’s gaze with an unspoken apology in his eyes, and gently tried to pass the still softly crying Lou to Kids arms. But the Kid stood up, shaking his head. “Stay with her.” He whispered and left the room.

Jimmy sat, holding Lou as she trembled in his arms. The calm he had collected by his walk through the night air was shattered. Why had she called out for him? Why had she pushed Kid away? Jimmy’s heart ached for the look he had seen in Kid’s eyes right before he went out the door. But his heart soared at being so close to Lou. Gently he pushed Lou far enough away that he might look into her eyes. He reached out a hand to brush away some of the short, tangled brown hair from her face. “It’s ok sweetheart.”

Lou looked back at him, with eyes that still held a great deal of tiredness that her brief hour sleep had not alleviated.

“I didn’t think I would make it in time.” She whispered hoarsely.

Jimmy cupped a hand beneath her chin, and brushed away some of the tears that streaked her face with his thumb. “You did.” He reassured her. Then he asked the question that had burned in his mind as well as the Kid’s. “Did you ride night and day?”

Lou nodded, and Jimmy could see her eyes were already beginning to close again. Whatever had woken her out of her short sleep was losing its hold against the onslaught of exhaustion that still possessed her little body. More questions would have to wait for later. Finally giving into the urge to kiss her forehead, Jimmy pressed his lips against the smooth skin for a moment, and then gently helped Louise to lie down again. She relinquished her hold on him without a fight this time, already lost to sleep. Jimmy pulled a chair from beside the table, stationing it near the bed. He watched her as he slept, and waited for Kid’s return. He tried to think of what he could possibly say to his friend, but no words came to him.

The storm reached the Connley farm the day after it had swept over Fort Kearney. Although it lost some of its raging wind, the rain was still heavy enough to cause Ike and Buck to wait a day more before heading back to Rock Creek. They were tired anyway.

Putting a saddle on the temperamental Flame had been more difficult than either of the two young men had imagined. The task had taken them the better part of three days, and they each had the bruises to prove it. The process forged in Buck a deep respect for the willful animal, that was unwilling to allow itself to be brought under man’s control. In the end, the horse had submitted to Ike and Buck, who worked together with a confidence born from years of friendship. Ike had finally managed to sit the bucking horse the same afternoon that Jimmy and the Kid had spent playing cards during the storm.

Flame had fought for a while, and Ike had almost lost his seat twice, but in the end the horse had grown still beneath Ike’s expert hand. Buck had watched the whole ordeal perched on a corral fence. He smiled as the horse tossed its head one final time, and Ike grinned back at him. Part of Buck could not help but regret the taming of the wild animal. Although perhaps ‘taming’ was too strong a word; the will of such a majestic beast might be quieted but it would never be tamed. And although Ike and Buck had accomplished much in three days time, Connley and his men still had their work cut out for them if they wanted Flame to become a reliable mount.

Connley was true to his word, and he gave Buck and Ike the gray mare as promised payment. In addition the two purchased a paint gelding, and two chestnut mares. Each was a good horse, and Teaspoon would be glad to see what the boys had accomplished with the money he had given them.

Ike and Buck spent the rainy day with Connley, listening as he told them stories of horses he had seen over the years. The two men listened with awe, knowing that they were in the presence of a truly great horse breeder. Nearing sixty, they knew that the old man more than likely could have ridden circles around them in his day.

The next morning, there were still dark clouds on the horizon, but Ike and Buck knew they needed to go. They had been gone too long already. They started out early, after exchanging hearty handshakes with Connley. A mutual respect had grown between the three. As they parted company Connley told Buck. “Either of you ever looking for a job, you would always find a place here.”

Buck smiled and said, “I might just take you up on that one of these days.”

Noah sat on the porch of the bunkhouse with Cody, trying not to think about the danger his friends were in. He had tried not to think about it at breakfast. He had tried not to think about it at lunch. He had tried not to think about when he mended the fence that Teaspoon had asked him to fix. He had tried not to think about it when he went to Tompkins’ store to pick up some supplies for Rachel. He had been trying not to think about it for the past three days since he had returned to Rock Creek and learned of all that had happened in his absence. It was beginning to drive him crazy.

Noah looked at Cody. The young blond man sat with his feet propped up on the porch railing. He was reading intently, his eyebrows furrowed with his concentration on his book. Suddenly Noah felt infuriated. How could Cody sit there reading when Jimmy, Lou and the Kid might be dead!?! “Seems a man might want to spend some time in the real world instead of caught up in some book,” he said bitterly.

Cody didn’t seem to hear him, so Noah repeated the taunt.

Finally, Cody looked up from his page, his pale blue eyes questioning, “Something on your mind Noah?”

“I was just wondering how you could sit there reading while your friends might be off getting their heads blown off.”

Cody looked at the book in his hands and lowered his feet from the railing, surprised by the hostility in his friend’s voice. “You heard what Teaspoon said at dinner last night-If anyone was going to reach the Kid and Jimmy it would be Lou, there’s nothing we can do. Except wait.”

Noah shook his head, “I still say we should ride out after them.”

“And what?” Cody argued. “We’re a week from Kearney. There’s nothing we can do.” He saw that Noah was about to say something else so Cody hurriedly added, “They’re my friends too-but it’s no good thinking on something you can’t change.”

Noah looked at Cody and was surprised to see tears standing in his friends eyes. Immediately Noah regretted picking a fight. He knew Cody cared about the three missing riders as much as he did, if not more. “Listen, I didn’t mean nothing, I’m just worried.” He apologized.

Cody smiled, “I know. Listen Jimmy and Kid are the two most mule-headed fellas I know. They’re too stubborn to die. They’ll both be back here in a few days arguing same as ever.”

Noah smiled back.

Neither one of them saw Teaspoon, who stood at the corner of the bunkhouse. He had come up to get them for supper, and had stopped when he heard their conversation. The old station manager, pushed his worn hat higher up on his head, and passed a hand over his brow. He only hoped what Cody said was right, but he had a bad feeling in his stomach. There had been a storm brewing in the west, and Teaspoon had a feeling that wasn’t the only trouble that was coming from that direction. Trying to push the thought away, he called the two boys to supper. But his appetite was suddenly gone.

Jimmy fell asleep in the chair beside Lou as dawn broke over Fort Kearny. The Kid returned to find him sitting there, as if he was guarding the sleeping Lou. It had been four hours since Lou had called out Jimmy’s name. Four hours since the Kid had known that Jimmy indeed had found a place in her heart.

He looked at the two sleeping figures and sighed. Even now Jimmy remained the loyal to Kid. Jimmy not taken the opportunity to his advantage-instead he sat by the bed as a dutiful friend, nothing more. He had even tried to give Lou back to Kid when he had the chance to hold her! Standing there, the Kid saw with clarity how much that Jimmy had given up for him. How many times he had held back when a word or an action could have started something between he and Lou. The Kid had always told himself that if given the opportunity Jimmy would try to take Lou from him. Now he understood plainly that the opportunity had long been there, and Jimmy had walked away. Well no more! The Kid had just spent an hour with the Captain and they had devised a plan. A plan to deliver the message to Fort Laramie. And for Kid, a plan to give up the woman he loved to his best friend.

Jimmy’s eyes opened, as if he could feel Kid studying him. Their eyes met for a moment. Jimmy yawned as he looked at his friend, questions in his eyes. The Kid put a finger to his lips, and motioned Jimmy to follow him outside. With a passing look at the still sleeping Lou, Jimmy stood up stretching, his back popping from the uncomfortable sleeping position. He went out the door, blinking against the bright light of morning. The Kid sat on a bench near the door, and Jimmy sat heavily beside him.

After a few moments of silence the Kid said, “I talked to the captain. We still need to deliver that message.”

Jimmy studied his friend, not saying anything. He sensed that the Kid had much to say, and Jimmy was content to let him speak.

The Kid continued. “The message is important, it contains information about Union strongholds in the west. It basically is the plan for the western front if the war begins. If the south gets their hands on the message, we will be that much closer to war. If the north doesn’t get the message, and war breaks out the east will be fighting blind of what the west is doing. Fort Kearny’s been devising the plan for the past year.”

Jimmy’s eyes were wide, surprised at how much the Kid had learned. He wondered what the captain would do if he knew that he had just given so much information to a man from Virginia. He gave the Kid a small, mischievous smile

The Kid recognized what Jimmy was thinking and returned the grin. “I told him I was from the South. The way I figure it is that if the South gets this information we are that much closer to war. If they know what the Union’s capabilities are on the western front, they would be more secure in starting the fighting. Maybe what’s coming is inevitable-but if we can prolong it, or do anything to slow it down-I think that makes sense.”

The smile faded from Kid’s face. “But the captain’s forces are stretched pretty thin here, and we know the country better anyway...”

“So, let me guess, you volunteered us to deliver the message?” Jimmy complained, but there was still a hint of a smile on his face.

The Kid didn’t return the smile this time. ‘No, I volunteered you and Lou.”

Jimmy’s eyebrow’s raised, and the Kid hurried to explain. “There’s a group of soldier’s families leaving the fort tomorrow. They are heading south to hook up with a wagon train that’s going east. They’re the last one’s to leave before the coming fighting. You and Lou are going with them. You are going to pose as husband and wife-travel with the army’s people for a day and then head back east on a more southern route. That way you’ll be dodging the people looking for you.”

“And what are you planning to do?”

The Kid didn’t reply for a moment. He watched as a group of soldiers went through early morning drills at the opposite end of the fort. Finally he responded. “ I am going to leave tonight-return the way we planned. The only way you two will get through is if they think we’re trying to get the message back the same way we came in. I’m leaving as soon as it gets dark, try to get whoever’s watching to follow me and not pay too much attention when you leave in the morning.”

“Like hell you are!” Jimmy snapped. What the Kid was proposing was suicide. He knew that his friend was upset about what had happened with Lou, but this was crazy. The two began to argue, the Kid keeping his eyes on the soldiers.

“The captain and I discussed it-it’s the only way,” The Kid answered.

“No it isn’t. You go south with Lou, and I’ll be the decoy.”

“I know the country I’d be riding through better than you would. I used to ride a stretch of it when we were still stationed at Sweetwater.”

“Well I’m a better shot and you will be up against thirty men-so it would make more sense for you to go with Lou.”

Finally the Kid left off looking at the soldiers and turned to face Jimmy. His face was earnest, and Jimmy was surprised to see the intensity of the emotion there. “I’m leaving tonight. When they see that I am alone, they will be wondering where you are. They aren’t going to kill me outright until they know I have the message. They will want to make sure I have it. If they find out I don’t, then it won’t take them long to figure how it got out. I might buy you some time, but they still might come after you. If you’re the better gun, I want you with Lou. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”

The Kid’s voice broke with his last statement. Jimmy reached out a hand to Kid’s arm and said, “Kid what happened last night-the don’t mean nothing. If anyone should be watching out for Lou, it’s you.”

The Kid shook his head. “Please do this for me.” His eyes were pleading.

Jimmy tried to think of what to say next. Then finally he said, “Why don’t we leave Lou here, and the two of us go back together with the message. If you are so worried about her safety, why involve her at all?”

The Kid nodded, “That’s what I told the captain when we first started talking-but the reason he is having the families leave is to make sure they get out of here before the fighting starts. We can’t just keep Lou here-and if she is leaving, I want someone with her. I don’t want to involve her in this, but she’s here and she’s involved whether I like it or not-I think this is our best chance.”

Jimmy couldn’t argue with that, so he said, “Well why do we have to pretend to be married?”

The Kid’s voice was quiet when he said, “Because that way Lou can travel as a woman. The people after us will be looking for two men. Not a married couple.”

“So we’ll say she’s my sister,” Jimmy answered.

“I want you to be with her on the whole trip,” the Kid’s voice was barely audible as he continued, “I want you to be with her day and night.”

The word ‘night’ hung in the air after he said it. A tiny word floating there, with so much behind it. So much that had not been said. Jimmy wished he could pluck the word out of the air and stomp on it. Just kick it away and make it disappear. Make it so that the word ‘night’ in conjunction with Lou didn’t cause his heart to beat faster and his palms to sweat ever so slightly. Make it so that he could erase the look of misery in his friend’s eyes. The Kid looked as if he wished he could make the word disappear as well, but some things cannot be taken back once they’ve been spoken. So they sat there in silence for a while, each thinking their own thoughts.

Finally, Jimmy broke the silence by saying, “Kid, listen, I’m not-I’m not going to…” His voice trailed off, unsure of how to continue. What had he planned to say? I am not going to take Lou from you, thanks for the offer? I’m not going to find out if she loves me as much as I love her? Jimmy felt himself choke on the words, suddenly unsure if he could keep such promises once he spoke them. Then before he could think of what he was saying he blurted out, “Kid you are my best friend, do you know that? The best friend I have ever had in my life.” And unspoken, Jimmy added, Please don’t make me betray you. Don’t send me out with Lou!

The Kid understood what Jimmy said, and what he hadn’t said as well. He closed his eyes for a moment as if he had grown weary. “And you’re like a brother to me.” He said and then opened his sharp blue eyes to meet Jimmy’s, “So, please do this for me.”

Looking into those blue eyes, Jimmy could think of no more arguments. The Kid had given him permission to be with Lou, and in his friends eyes he understood that Kid knew that this time Jimmy would take the chance. That if he rode out of this fort day and night with Louise, they would not return to Rock Creek as merely friends. And if the Kid knew all of that, there was nothing left to say. Defeated Jimmy stood up and asked, “When do I pick up the message?”

“From the captain in the morning. The convoy leaves at nine.”

Jimmy looked out toward the soldiers the Kid had studied so intently, trying to process everything. The Kid rose and stood beside him. “Listen,” he said his voice quiet. “It’s not just Lou. If I was carrying that message, I honestly don’t know what I’d do. Jimmy-I am from Virginia, and although I don’t agree with everything that’s happening there, if this war starts I’d fight for her. If I’m the decoy trying to keep people from hurting you and Lou, I am sure I’ll do everything I can. But if I was actually carrying words that could help the people I grew up with-I’m just not sure.”

Jimmy looked at his friend standing beside him, but could not find the words to say. He knew despite what Kid had just said, the primary reason he was leaving was to give Jimmy a chance with Lou. After all this time. Unable to express his gratitude for something he knew must hurt his friend so deeply, Jimmy said, “I’m going to grab a bite for breakfast. Stay with her for a while?”

The Kid nodded, and Jimmy walked over to the mess house. The Kid had asked Jimmy to pretend to be Lou’s husband! And a few days ago he had almost killed him over a mirror set. Although Jimmy had once thought he would give anything for a chance with Lou he now knew that wasn’t true. He wasn’t willing to sacrifice his friend’s life. But he knew Kid, and he knew that once he made up his mind his friend could be as stubborn as a mule.

Jimmy spent the day in the mess hall playing a few hands of cards. He also went over and talked to the captain, and heard basically the same things the Kid had told him. Jimmy tried to see what the captain thought of he and the Kid changing places. But the captain was clearly not interested in giving the important communication to a Virginian.

The only hope to change Kid’s mind now was Lou. Jimmy had one of the soldiers bring the Kid and Lou some food around noon, and again at dinner. He decided not to interrupt the two of them, to give them a chance to work out whatever was happening between them. To give the Kid a chance to change his mind.

Later that afternoon, Jimmy submitted to a hair-cut at the captain’s direction. His long brown hair would never be believable if he was to pass as a member of the US Army. There once was a time when the cutting of his hair would have bothered Jimmy, but now he was so preoccupied with the events swirling around him, he gave the hair cut only a brief passing thought.

As twilight began to fall, Jimmy returned to find Lou sitting cross-legged in the bed facing Kid who sat in the chair Jimmy had vacated. They were talking quietly, and Jimmy could tell Lou had been crying. Neither of them heard Jimmy come into the room, so he cleared his throat to get their attention.

The Kid stood up quickly, saying, “I’m glad you’re here. I need to saddle up Katie and get ready to go.”

Jimmy looked from the Kid to Lou and back to the Kid again. He could read neither of their faces. But whatever they had discussed had not changed Kid’s mind. Jimmy thought of trying to talk the Kid out of decision one more time, but before he could speak, the Kid said simply, “I’m going.”

Jimmy nodded, suddenly sure he would never see his friend again. There was still so much left unsaid between them and the Kid was about to ride into almost certain death. But there was no time, and so Jimmy said, “Ride safe.” And pulled Kid into an embrace. As the two men separated, Lou rose from her seat on the bed and the Kid pulled her into his arms. They held each other for a long time, and Jimmy could tell by the shaking in Lou’s shoulders she was crying once again. Then as if in a mixed up repeat of the night before, the Kid gently pulled the crying Lou from his arms and passed her to Jimmy. But unlike Kid the night before, Jimmy took the crying girl. He met his friend’s eyes, in a final wordless goodbye, and watched as the Kid walked out the door into the night. For one wild minute Jimmy though of chasing after the Kid, and making him stop. Punching him. Telling him that no message was worth what he was about to do. But instead he just stood there, staring at the door his friend had just walked through.

The burning feeling in Teaspoon’s gut did not quiet after dinner that night. He sat on the porch with Rachel, and felt the fire in his belly spread, feeding on the worry and the fear he felt for his missing riders. Rachel glanced at him from where she sat sewing buttons on a shirt, and then looked back to her task.

“Buck and Ike should have been back by now.” She said it off-handedly, as if she was dropping a comment about the weather.

Teaspoon looked at her sharply. He had been so preoccupied with Lou, Kid and Jimmy he had all but forgotten about the two riders he had sent to buy horses. Now he realized what Rachel said was true-they should have been back from Connley’s by now. He swore under his breath.

Rachel didn’t look up from her sewing, and said, “Maybe you and Cody and Noah should ride that way tomorrow, see what is holding them up.”

Rachel didn’t really think anything was wrong with the two boys, but she knew that Teaspoon was being eaten alive with worry, and Noah and Cody were jumping at each other. It would do them all good to have something to do. She looked up to see Teaspoon studying her. She could see that he understood the real reason behind her suggestion. “Not a bad idea,” he finally said, “I’ll go tell the boys we ride in the morning.”

He headed off to the bunk house to tell Cody and Noah that they were done sitting around. They were going to go find Ike and Buck. And then maybe they would just keep riding and find the rest of their family. The fire in Teaspoon’s belly was burning higher than ever-but now it wasn’t a fire of fear, but the heat of action and decision. The waiting was over. It was time to move.

Despite Jimmy’s fears to the contrary, Kid had no intention of getting himself killed. As he rode into the night surrounding Fort Kearny he realized he was riding into danger, but at the same time he thought his chances weren’t really that bad. He knew the country, and he had ridden out danger plenty of times on his runs.

He rode for about two hours before he became aware some one was following him. The Kid couldn’t see who it was, but could hear the rider’s horse in the still night. Well let them follow. The Kid thought, and continued riding. He rode steadily, his body tense, waiting for the person behind him to take some kind-of action. But nothing happened that night. He rode into a small town called Riley at dawn, and checked into a room above the saloon. He locked the door, and put a chair beneath the door handle. He slept with his gun near his hand, but no one bothered him that morning either.

Dusty was confused again. He had been watching Fort Kearny for three days. Waiting for two men to come riding out. His instructions were clear. When two men came out of the Fort he was supposed to follow them, wait to they got down the road apiece and then retrieve the message they were carrying. Then he was supposed to shoot them. Dusty wasn’t too sure about the shooting part. He had never shot anyone in cold-blood, or even in a fair fight. But whenever the doubts crept up, Dusty silenced them by thinking of all of the fine things Richard Stone had told him after the botched robbery. He thought about how the message the two men were carrying would help the South. How they would all be heroes.

There were two other men with Dusty. He didn’t much care for either of them. They seemed sneaky, and they kept themselves closed off from Dusty. He didn’t trust them very much.

There had been a terrible storm, and that had delayed the men at the fort from leaving. Then in the middle of the night one lone rider had entered the fort. The rider had been a small man, and he had been riding like he was drunk or half-asleep. Dusty didn’t know what the late-night rider meant. He hoped it didn't have to do with his business. Then the next day nothing had happened. And Dusty had begun to worry. He hoped he wasn’t going to mess up another job.

Then finally, as it began to grow dark someone had finally left the fort. The man fit the description of one of the people Dusty was looking for. Curly hair, tall, blue shirt riding a paint horse. But there had only been one man. However the man with long brown hair, matching navy colts, riding a Palomino did not leave the fort.

Dusty and the other two men had argued about what to do. The two men had wanted to shoot the lone rider on the spot. But Dusty had his orders, and he knew they had to make sure that the rider had the message before they killed him. So it had been decided he would follow the man, and the other two would continue to watch the fort.

He rode behind Kid through the night, and was pretty proud of himself that he wasn’t detected. He saw the rider check into a room at the saloon in Riley, and then he went over to house near the end of the main street. He knew there would be two more men waiting there. They were supposed to finish the job if the riders got past the lookouts at the fort. He told them what had happened. The two men weren’t sure what it meant that only one rider had left the fort, but they didn’t think it was good. They decided to jump him as soon as he left town, and find out if he had the message. The plan wasn’t going as they had hoped, but it was still under control.

As Kid slept in Riley, Jimmy and Lou sat on the porch outside their house waiting to leave. After the Kid had left, Lou had went back to bed, facing the wall her back turned towards Jimmy. Jimmy had not slept much that night, his mind troubled with the events of the past few days. Over and over he tried think if he could have done things different, if he could have talked Kid out of his crazy plan. Now he sighed, and looked over to where Lou was sitting.

Barely a word had passed between them during the morning. Lou sat, pensively looking toward the gate through which the Kid had ridden. She blames me, Jimmy thought. She blames me for letting him go. The thought sent a shudder through Jimmy. Lou and the Kid had always been the two people he counted on the most. The two people he could talk to when he needed to sort things out. Now the Kid was gone, and Lou was wrapped in a silence Jimmy could not figure out how to break.

Then suddenly Lou broke it for him, saying, “Did you pick up the message from the Captain?”

Startled from his thoughts it took Jimmy a moment to answer. “Yeah, I got it while you were getting dressed.” He looked at the blue dress she was wearing, and wondered where it had come from. But he didn’t voice the question, suddenly unsure if he could trust his voice. The message Lou had asked about was tucked safely in the front pocket of his coat. Jimmy could almost feel it there, burning a hole in his pocket. The reason that the Kid was in so much danger.

As if reading his thoughts Lou said, “I hope it’s worth the Kid’s life.” Her voice was bitter, and it hit Jimmy like a slap in the face. She stood her eyes flashing angrily and went back into the house. Jimmy bowed his head and fought back the tears that stung the back of his throat.

A short while later Jimmy and Lou joined the four wagons leaving the fort. Six soldiers rode out with the wagons. Lou traveled in one wagon with two women and an assortment of children and boxes of clothes and dishes. Jimmy rode his horse and wore a soldier’s uniform, playing the part in case anyone was watching their departure. The uniform was stiff and uncomfortable, adding to Jimmy’s overall sense of misery. He had not been able to talk with Lou before they left, and as he rode he looked at her often, but she never met his gaze. Her last words stung him every time they flashed through his mind. “I hope it’s worth the Kid’s life.” The phrase played over and over in his head in a maddening litany.

They rode with the families leaving the fort for a day. It was a sad journey. The women and children visibly upset to leave their husbands and fathers-unsure when or even if they would be together again. No one questioned Jimmy or Lou’s presence in the group, perhaps too caught up in their own sorrows to give the two more than a passing thought. After a day’s ride they approached a wagon train that was encamped outside of a small town. The soldiers helped the families to join the larger wagon train heading east. There were tearful goodbyes, and then the soldiers headed back to the fort. Jimmy changed out of his uniform and then he and Lou headed into town, to begin the rest of their journey east. Lou now rode her horse, which had been hitched behind one of the wagons.

Jimmy had not noticed anyone following the wagons as they rode. He had watched carefully, and was pretty sure they had left the fort without anyone following them.

They reached the main street of the little town, called Anderson, as dusk fell. They left their horses at a stable and then headed over to the town’s only hotel and checked into a room, under the name of Mr. And Mrs. Cain. The silence was still between them as they climbed the steps to their room. Jimmy found himself wondering what would happen when they went into the room. Had the Kid told Lou that they were pretending to be married? What would she think of that part of the plan? Again he wished that he could talk to her, but every time he tried to open his mouth he saw her angry eyes as she asked him if it was worth Kid’s life. He opened the door, and entered the tiny room, feeling a like a man going into a prison cell. Lou followed behind him.

There was only one bed and Jimmy stared at it, wishing he could run from the room. Instead he mumbled, “I’ll sleep on the floor.” He couldn’t even bring himself to look where Lou stood beside him.

“It’s gonna be a long trip, Jimmy.” Lou said softly. “We can share the bed.”

Jimmy turned to her finally, surprised by the gentleness in her voice. It was so different than the harsh way she had spoken that morning. His eyes met hers, full of questions.

She looked back at him, and then reached out and grasped one his hands in hers. “I’m sorry,” she said simply. “I know it isn’t your fault that Kid left.”

Jimmy let out a breath he did not even know he had been holding. “No, Lou, I’m sorry, I should have stopped him. I should’ve done something. Maybe we should leave right now and ride after him-“

Lou placed a finger over Jimmy’s lips, effectively cutting him off. She was shaking her head. “He made his decision, we’ve just gotta trust he knows what he’s doing.”

Then she smiled softly, “And we need to get to bed, I still have about four nights sleep to catch up on.”

Wordlessly, Jimmy pulled Lou into an embrace, and held her for a long time. He felt such relief that Lou was not blaming him, although he could not help blaming himself. A short while later, they were both in bed. Despite everything that was happening, Jimmy could not help feeling awed that he was sharing a bed with Lou. He felt awkward lying beside her, and the very nearness of her disconcerted him. She fell asleep shortly after they lied down, her cheek resting gently against Jimmy’s shoulder. He lied still trying not to disturb her much needed sleep. Jimmy felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility well up inside of him. He wanted to take care of the sleeping Lou, and make sure nothing ever hurt her. And so thinking he fell asleep, and spent his first night lying beside the woman he had loved for so long.

Teaspoon, Noah and Cody made good time as they rode out of Rock Creek. Finally released from their helpless prison of waiting they rode quickly toward Connley’s farm. They camped that night, and their moods were better than they had been in more than a week. Men of action, it was good to be doing something. Even Cody, with his leg still sore, was glad to be riding again.

They met Buck and Ike the next day. The two riders were surprised to see their friends, but were quickly brought up to date on all that had been happening. Buck and Ike were both visibly upset as they heard about Kid, Jimmy and Lou. They also told Teaspoon about their time at Connley’s, and Teaspoon was impressed with the horses his boys had purchased. They brought the horses to another nearby way station, and left them in the corral to be picked up later. Then all five men rode together towards Fort Kearny. They might be too late to help their friends, but they were determined not to go back to the way station without them.

Kid awoke from his sleep a little after noon, and decided to start riding again. There was no sense waiting for dark. If someone was following him, he may as well face the person in the daylight.

He headed out of town, and noticed that he was being followed almost immediately. This time there was more than one person behind him, and they weren’t even trying to hide the fact they were trailing him.

Well, here goes, he thought, and kicked his faithful horse Katie into a run. He heard the horses following him begin to run as well, and couldn’t suppress a grin. Let’s see if you can catch me, he thought as he rode, expertly guiding Katie down the trail. Horse and rider became almost one as they rode, weaving on various trails, jumping small creeks and flying over the countryside. After a while of hard riding, the Kid reined Katie in, and listened behind him. He heard nothing, and was pretty sure he had shaken off whoever was following him. He smiled, and then urged Katie on, eager to put more distance between himself and whoever it was that rode behind.

The next day the Jimmy and Lou rode in companionable silence. Both of them thought often of the Kid, and worried. However, neither voiced their concerns, as if in an unspoken truce not to talk about something they couldn’t change. No one followed them that day.

That night they checked into another hotel. They ate dinner, and then went up to their room. Lou complained, “I don’t know why I’m wearing this dress. Makes it impossible to ride.”

Jimmy looked at the dress she was wearing and smiled. It was covered with dust, and one of the hems was torn and crooked. He sat on the bed and said, “Kid figured they would be looking for two men, so it would make sense if we traveled as man and woman.” A light blush crept to his face as he said the word woman, remembering that they were supposed to be pretending to be married.

If Lou noticed the blush she didn’t comment on it. Instead she said, “Well, I don’t know how women wear these things, they are no earthy good that I can see.” She sat down close beside Jimmy on the bed.

“I think maybe they’re for the man’s benefit,” he smiled wickedly as he said it. “I mean it beats looking at another pair of pants.”

Lou hit his arm playfully, and suddenly Jimmy felt an overwhelming heat rush through his body. The image of her eyes on his in the captain’s office flashed across his mind, followed by the memory of her soft breathing next to him the night before. Before he could stop to think, he was kissing her, his mouth on hers hard and demanding. His hands searching her body eagerly, as he pulled her more closely to him, falling back with her to the bed. At first, Lou had been surprised and had simply had allowed herself to be kissed, but then she was responding, her mouth opening to meet his.

Then just as suddenly as the kiss started, Jimmy broke it off, pushing Lou away from him. He stood and walked over to the window, leaving Lou trembling on the bed. His voice thick with emotion, he said, “I’m sorry.”

For a long time she didn’t respond, and then Jimmy heard her rise to stand beside him. She placed one hand on his back. “Look at me.” She demanded softly.

He shook his head and continued staring into the night. But unwilling to be rebuffed, Lou turned him to face her. “Look at me.” She placed two fingers beneath his chin, and raised his eyes to meet hers. They stared at each other for a long time, and then Lou asked, “Why did you apologize?” Her voice was gentle.

Jimmy tried to look away, but Lou held his gaze steadily. “I had no right-“ He broke off frustrated, running a hand through his recently shortened hair. He went back to the bed and sat down. Lou watched him for a moment, and then sat beside him again, taking one of his big hands in both of hers, waiting for him to find words for whatever he was thinking.

Finally what he said surprised her: “The Kid is a good man.” He said it quietly, looking down to where their hands were clasped.

For a second Lou was not sure how to respond. Then she said, “Yes he is, and so are you Jimmy Hickock.” She squeezed his hand as she spoke.

Without looking up Jimmy responded, “You don’t know me, Lou. Not really. You don’t know the things I’ve done. The people I’ve hurt. There’s been so many people I’ve hurt. I don’t want you to be another one.”

Lou listened to his words carefully, understanding slowly dawning on her. The last few days had been a whirlwind of emotions for Lou. Throughout the whole long ride to Fort Kearny Lou had been so worried about the Kid and Jimmy, she had temporarily forgotten the confused feelings she felt towards them both. But when she had reached the Fort and seen Jimmy, she suddenly knew where her heart lay. That night she had called out for Jimmy, and he had come to her. Later when the Kid told her about his plans to ride on alone, Lou knew he was letting her go. She knew he understood that the feelings that had slowly been building inside of her for Jimmy had grown too big to be denied. Lou had cried, because she hated to hurt the Kid, and she hated to see what they had come to an end. Then she had lashed out against Jimmy, more out of frustration with herself than with him. It seemed wrong to be falling in love with another man, when the Kid was in such danger. She understood Jimmy’s confusion, and his unwillingness even now to betray his friend, and she also was more sure than ever that she loved the man sitting beside her. But how could she help him to realize that? Jimmy had always been guarded in his feelings, certain that his life as a gunfighter would only cause pain to anyone unfortunate enough to love him. She knew she needed to help him see that the only way he could cause her pain was to deny her his love. But she knew it wouldn’t be easy to convince him of that.

Choosing her words with care, she said, “Jimmy, you would never hurt me.”

Jimmy remained silent, his jaw clenched. So Lou continued, saying, “I loved the Kid, Jimmy, and part of me always will. But there was always something standing in the way of my being able to give myself to him fully. For a long time I didn’t know what that was, but now I think I do.”

At this, Jimmy raised his eyes to hers uncertainly. And Lou nodded, “It was you. I’ve loved you for a long time.”

“Don’t say that Lou.” He protested weakly, “Please…” his voice trailed on into a whisper.

Lou repeated herself firmly, “I love you.”

Jimmy closed his eyes, because the world seemed to be rushing all around him. Was Lou really sitting there saying she loved him? After all this time could this really be happening? Jimmy had dreamed of this moment for so long, but now that it was here it was not they way he had envisioned it. Instead of feeling elation, he felt a sense of dread. A certainty that Lou’s loving him could only end in disaster. She would end up getting hurt. He couldn’t let this happen, he wouldn’t let her love him. He opened his eyes with determination, but then meeting her gaze his resolve faltered. How could he turn her away, when every fiber of his being yearned for her?

Lou recognized the confusion in Jimmy’s eyes, and again waited for him to work through whatever it was he was thinking. Finally, with a voice that sounded almost defeated he said, “I love you too,” his words were barely audible.

Lou felt a warmth spread through her at the simple words. For so long she had wondered what she felt for Jimmy, and now the certainty of her feelings almost overwhelmed her. This time, she moved towards him first, raising her mouth to his in a short, gentle kiss.

For a second Jimmy resisted, but then his lips softened on hers. He raised one hand to her face, and he traced her jaw line with his thumb as they continued to kiss with the soft hesitance of new lovers. Finally after a few moments, they broke apart and looked into each other’s eyes. There was still doubt in Jimmy’s gaze, and Lou knew it would be a while before the doubt disappeared completely. But it didn’t matter, they loved each other-the rest would come in time.

They lay together on the bed, and talked long into the night. Lou told Jimmy about her ride to Kearny, and Jimmy told her about the storm that had kept he and Kid at the fort. Then their conversation touched on other things. They talked about their pasts, and shared memories of growing up. Jimmy could not remember the last time he had shared so much with someone. Lou was easy to talk to; she did not judge him or interrupt as he spoke. A few times, when the memory he was sharing was particularly difficult for him she would wait until he was finished speaking, and then kiss him gently once again, as if to tell him it was alright. Each time Jimmy thrilled at the soft touch of her lips on his. After a while, they would break off kissing to talk again. Jimmy listened intently to Lou’s stories, often with a trace of wonder as he learned more of the girl who had become the woman he loved. Finally, they fell asleep, lying in each other’s arms, lost in their first night together.

That night Teaspoon, Cody, Noah, Buck and Ike made camp near a small stand of trees. They had put in a good day’s ride, and were all pretty tired. Cody’s leg had been stiffening up on him, and he was glad when they stopped for the night. But nobody complained, they were all eager to find their friends.

Cody brought out the blank book Jimmy had given him and started writing. Buck looked over him with a mock grimace, “So the Adventures of William F. Cody have begun have they?”

Cody looked up from his writing long enough to give Buck a nasty face and then said, “Oh, I figure I’ve got enough for a few chapters at least.”

Ike signed something rapidly which made Buck laugh, but much to Cody’s consternation his Indian friend would not translate what was said.

Teaspoon watched these goings on with a faint smile on his face. It had been right to get the boys away from the station. They had been going stir-crazy waiting there. In a day or two, they should be crossing paths with Jimmy, Kid and Lou. Teaspoon knew he wouldn’t feel right until his whole family was accounted for.

As if reading Teaspoon’s thoughts Noah said, “We might come up to them tomorrow.”

Teaspoon nodded his agreement. The playful banter stopped, and everyone grew serious at Noah's comment.

“You think that Lou got through in time?” Cody asked Teaspoon.

Teaspoon shrugged. “If anyone can make it, it would be Lou. Never seen a woman like that on a horse, and she loves those two boys something fierce. Sometimes love can make you do something that might seem impossible without it.”

Noah nodded, and Cody exchanged a glance with Buck. They both wondered if it was Jimmy or the Kid that Lou was riding for. They had a feeling that maybe even Lou didn’t know the answer.

Then Buck said, “Seems like a lot of trouble for a message, all these people willing to kill over a piece of paper.” He shook his head, as if to say he would never fully understand the ways of the white people whom made up half of his heritage.

Teaspoon nodded, looking at the dancing flames thoughtfully. After an extended pause he said, “War’s coming boys. And when men take to fighting they sometimes do powerfully strange things. The men who are after that message don’t think about the fact they are taking a life to get it. They are thinking about a Cause. And sometimes when a Cause gets bigger and more important than even the other people around you, it can make you do things that don’t make sense. It gets inside of you like an itch, and it bothers you until all you can do is follow that Cause to whatever end it leads you to.”

Cody asked, “So what are you saying Teaspoon-that we shouldn’t believe in nothing? That we shouldn’t follow anything because it might mean we have to make hard decisions?”

Teaspoon met Cody’s agitated stare with a smile born of a long life of living, “No son, I’m not saying that. I’m just saying be careful what it is you choose to follow. And be careful how far you follow anything. The funny thing about Causes is when its all over sometimes its hard to remember what was all so sure-fired important that you were willing to kill for it. And then all your left with is blood on your hands, and blood is a hard stain to remove.”

Noah said, in the solemn voice of a prophet, “Well, the blood’s coming.”

Teaspoon nodded, and looked into the darkness that surrounded them. “Yeah it is. I reckon it is.” His voice was sad in the dancing firelight. The voice of a man who stood at the edge of a great flood, and could not stop the coming drowning.

The next morning Lou awoke to find Jimmy already dressed, sitting up at the edge of the bed. She scooted over to where he sat, noticing the solemn look on his face.

“Good morning?” She questioned softly, slipping one arm around his waist. She was still amazed at all that had transpired the night before. After waiting for so long she and Jimmy had finally spoken of their feelings for each other.

“Good morning,” Jimmy confirmed, kissing her on the forehead. Then he added, “Lou, we need to talk.”

Lou smiled, “If I remember right, we talked half the night away.”

Jimmy returned the smile with a small one of his own. “Yeah, I guess we did.” Then his face grew earnest, “But Lou there’s something else I need to say to you.”

Lou nodded, feeling somewhat uneasy about the serious tone in Jimmy’s voice. The night before she had thought he had begun to relax, and accept the fact that they were in love. She hoped what he was about to say would not be a replay of the doubts from the night before.

Jimmy cleared his voice, as if he was about to give a practiced speech. Then he started, “I love you.” He said the three words clearly, without a trace of doubt. Lou gave an almost unconscious sigh of relief, and then listened to the rest of what Jimmy had to say.

“I love you.” He repeated himself, as if he liked the sound of the words. “But Lou, we need to take things slow. I just don’t think it would be right, if we, well, if we went too fast with the Kid in such danger.” Jimmy’s face grew red as he spoke, and he kept his eyes averted to where his hands fiddled with a button on his coat. He continued, “I mean not that we would be getting closer anyway, I mean not right away. But if we spend too many more nights together like last night, well-things might happen. And I’d like to wait until we get back and everyone’s safe.” Jimmy ended the speech with a look of pure misery on his face. He sneaked a look at Lou to see how she was reacting to what he had said.

Lou smiled at him, and Jimmy thought there might have been a trace of laughter in her eyes. He frowned, not thinking what he had said was very funny. Seeing his frown, Lou quickly reached for one of his hands and said, “I’m not laughing at you Jimmy. It’s just you look so miserable sitting there. Like you’ve been working up that speech since before the sun rose.”

Jimmy shrugged his shoulders, unwilling to admit she was pretty close to the truth. Then Lou spoke plainly, “But I’m glad you said it. I want to be with you Jimmy. Very much. But I agree with what you said, and it would be better to wait until we know everyone is safe. I don’t want there to be any guilt clouding our love.” Then she leaned towards him and planted a sweet kiss on his cheek. Jimmy looked at her gratefully, glad she had been so generous about what he had said.

That day they continued to ride east, and again they had the trail to themselves, as no one followed them or seemed concerned with their passing. In three more days time they would be at Fort Laramie. They only could hope the Kid was having such an easy time

The Kid finally ran out of luck on the third day after he left Fort Kearny. He had been unable to fully shake off his pursuit, although he had stayed well ahead of them. But then Katie had stumbled when some dirt had given away on a small slope. Her leg was hurt, although not badly. Unfortunately, she could barely limp along, and the men pursuing Kid began to close in on him. During the past days, the group following him had grown, and now Kid thought maybe as many as eight men were on his trail.

They caught up with the Kid about four hours after Katie had gotten hurt. There were nine men, and without exception they did not look happy to have been on the chase. They were all dirty, and had the hard look of trail criminals. One older man with a droopy mustache looked like he might show some compassion, but Kid doubted he would be much help against eight others.

Four men trained guns on him as they rode up, and Kid didn’t make the mistake of drawing his. Instead he put on his best innocent look, and waited as the men surrounded him.

One man, a greasy looking individual with long brown hair and yellowish-green eyes, apparently the leader of this little group of desperadoes, told the Kid to throw down his guns, and Kid complied.

Then the man demanded, “Where’s the message from Kearny?”

Kid shrugged his shoulders as if to say he wasn’t sure what they were talking about, and said, “You fellas must have me confused with someone else.” His adrenaline was pumping, but the Kid kept his cool.

The man did not look amused at Kid’s response. “You was one them that brought a message to Kearny a few days back. We know there was a return message. So you best stop your funning, boy, and tell us where the message is, and where your friend is. It will save you a whole heap of hurt.”

The Kid continued his innocent act saying, “Well I did deliver a message to Kearny, like you said. But they didn’t give me nothing to bring back.” He grinned good-naturedly, deciding what the hell, he was in for it anyway. “As for my friend, he decided Army life was a little more to his liking than riding for the express. Said something about sending those Southern bastards back to hell, and joined up-“

The Kid’s questioner brought his pistol down crashing on the Kid’s head. The Kid saw stars and then black nothingness, sliding off of Katie’s back in an unconscious heap.

The man spat towards where the Kid fell, snarling, “Make another comment like that about the South, boy, and I’ll forget all about the message and just kill you.”

However, the Kid did not hear the threat, but if he had he probably would have wondered what the man would have thought if he found out that the Kid was from Virginia himself.

Buck was off his horse, leaning close to the ground, studying it intently. His four friends watched him from their mounts. About two hours ago they had come across Katie standing in a field next to the trail. Kid’s horse had hurt her front leg. Finding Katie abandoned made all of them nervous. They knew that Kid would never voluntarily leave the horse he loved so much. A short distance from where they found Katie there had been a confusion of horse tracks on the trail. They followed the tracks down the trail continuing west, trying not to think about the Kid in the hands of so many men. At least there had been no signs of blood. But now at a fork in the trail the tracks looked like they went in two different directions, as if the group had split up. Finally, Buck stood.

“It looks like most of them went the way we’ve been heading,” Buck said, “But three went that way.” He pointed to where the trail branched off to the south.

Teaspoon nodded, and Buck swung back on his horse.

Teaspoon said, “All right. Me and Noah are going to follow the trail south. You three boys follow the main tracks west. If you come across them be careful. We don’t know what condition Kid is in, and we don’t know if they’ve got Jimmy and Lou. Be careful, don’t go in there shooting. If Noah and I can, we’ll catch back up with you.”

Buck nodded his agreement, and then Teaspoon and Noah were off in a cloud of dust. The other three continued west, riding with a new sense of urgency, worried about what they might find at the end of their trail.

The Kid awoke to find himself sitting in a chair, his arms tied tightly to his sides. His head ached in distant kind of way, and there was a shooting pain in his side. He moaned lowly, trying to clear the cobwebs from his hand.

“Looky-here.” A vaguely familiar voice was saying. “Looks like our pony express boy is waking up.”

A man’s leering face came into view. He was the man who had hit him over the head, and Kid felt himself flinch unintentionally. The man let out a loud laugh, giving the Kid a whiff of breath reeking of onions. “That’s right, boy, you better be scared, because you are in trouble now.”

The Kid looked around the room he was in. It was dusty and dark, one lone window letting in the light, and five other men were crowded, standing inside. There was no sound of life from outside, so Kid was pretty sure that they were not in a town. He sighed, no help was going to be coming.

The man with the onion breath was talking again. “You better talk up, and tell us what you know. You’ve already talked quite a bit in your sleep, and that’s been right helpful. But you better tell us what else we need to know, because I am not a man who is known for his patience. Where’s the message?”

The Kid looked at the man steadily, not saying a word, but his mind was racing. What had he said when he was not fully conscious? Had he talked about Lou and Jimmy?

The man smiled, without humor, and said, “Don’t think we can’t make you talk.” Then he slapped Kid hard with the back of his hand. The Kid’s head snapped back with the blow, and a trickle of blood started at his brow. The man struck him again, laughing. Another one of the men in the room started to laugh as well.

The Kid wobbled at the end of consciousness but did not make the merciful plunge into the darkness. Then the man punched him in the stomach, and asked again, “Where’s the message?”

Again the Kid didn’t respond, and this time the man unholstered his gun, and pointed at the Kid. The Kid closed his eyes, certain he was going to die, and then the shot rang out, but he felt no pain. Then suddenly there was a volley of shots, and the world seemed to explode inside the small cabin. Gunfire brightened the room in an unreal series of flashes, as the men inside began to shoot outside through the window and doorway. In the flashes of light, the Kid saw his would-be murderer lying face down in a pool of blood. Help had come from somewhere, and a gun battle was raging with Kid caught in the middle!

A bullet whizzed past his head, and the Kid decided it was time to get out of the line of fire. Straining with all his might, he was able to tip the chair he was tied to, falling sideways on the ground. The pain in his side sharpened to a knife of high heat. He fought off the blackness clouding in the corners of his vision, straining against the ropes that tied him. Then another one of his captors, suddenly fell, dropped by a bullet. The man fell almost directly on top of Kid, and the weight of the man sent his side into agony, and he finally slipped back into unconsciousness, the gun battle still playing above his head.

Buck, Ike and Cody had followed the tracks west until they came to a small clearing where stood an old rundown house. They had reigned in their horses, and walked the last few yards to the edge of the clearing. One gun man stood outside the house standing on a porch at the doorway. From their angle it was impossible to see into the building, but six horses were tied to the rail in front of the house. For better or worse, they had found the men they were looking for.

The three skirted around the clearing, trying to see in the window at the front of the house. When they finally were able to see in, what they saw was not good. The Kid was tied to a chair, and five men were standing around him. They caught only a glimpse of the Kid’s pale face, and then it was blocked from view by one of the men. They each drew their guns, grim looks on their faces. The odds weren’t good. Cody brought up his rifle, training it on the men on the other side of the dirty window. Buck cautioned him with his hand.

But then they saw a man bring up a gun, pointed at the Kid’s head. There was no more time to think or plan. Without hesitation, Cody pulled off a shot, and the man with the gun went spiraling down. Then all hell broke loose, as the other five men started shooting. It was impossible to tell if the Kid was safe, and Buck could not help thinking he might be shooting his friend, as he fired three quick shots into the building. But there was no choice, the shooting had started, and if they stopped the Kid would most certainly be gunned down by the men inside. Beside him Ike took aim at the outside guard, and killed him with one shot.

Cody switched to his colt, dropping his rifle. “Cover me!” he yelled, and started running in closer to the house keeping behind a low stand of trees. Buck and Ike sent out a protective volley of shots, and then Buck stopped to reload, his heart racing.

For a moment everything was silent, then another barrage of shots exploded from the house. From his closer vantage point Cody had a clearer shot, and he took careful aim when one of the men inside got too close to the window. The man fell back, and Cody was sure he had hit him. However, he was unable to see the Kid, and he felt fear slice through him.

Buck and Ike ran up beside him, guns blazing. The guns from the house grew eerily silent. Buck exchanged a glance with Cody, who nodded. Buck quickly ran towards the porch, and this time Ike and Cody provided a cover of gunfire. Buck just had reached the porch when a lone bullet rang from the house, slamming into his shoulder. He reeled back, dropping to the ground, right outside the window. He peered in carefully, trying to ignore the pain in his arm.

He could see a few men lying in awkward positions on the floor. It was hard to see into the narrow room. Then he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. He shot at the movement, and heard a guttural noise, and then something falling. He waited, but heard nothing else.

“I think we’re clear,” he shouted back at Cody and Ike. Warily the two made their way to the porch. Slowly Cody opened the door.

The scene inside was terrible. Five men lay dead or dying in pools of blood. And in the midst of them lied the Kid, tied to a chair.

Dusty was about ten miles away from the cabin, and did not know that the men he had been riding with were dead. He now sat in a house with eleven other men, who were all looking at him with admiration. Not used to such attention, Dusty couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

For a while there, things had not been going well. They had been unable to catch the one rider who had left Fort Kearny. They had picked up more men on the trail as they rode, and their party had swelled to nine. One of the men had been a hot-head named McGreggor. Dusty remembered seeing him from time to time while he had been riding with Richard Stone. McGreggor was a mean, nasty man, who instantly took control of the group of criminals. They had ridden for two days without catching up to the rider, and Dusty could not remember the last time that he had ridden for so hard and so long, and his old body was protesting from all over. He didn’t think they would ever catch up with the man in front of them.

On the third day, they started gaining ground. Finally around noon, they were close enough to see the rider’s paint horse in front of them, and they could tell the horse was hurt somehow. Then they finally caught up with him. Dusty couldn’t help feeling kind-of sorry for the boy. He was a lot younger than Dusty had thought he would be, and he was scared. The boy had looked at Dusty pleadingly for a second, but the older man had averted his eyes, because here was nothing he could do to help the young express rider.

Then McGreggor had lost his temper, and he had knocked the rider unconscious. They had decided to take him to an abandoned house they knew about, and McGreggor had told Dusty to double up with the unconscious boy. Two men had hauled the Kid up unto Dusty’s saddle, and then Dusty had the difficult task of making sure he didn’t fall back off as they rode.

Then it happened. The boy in front of Dusty had let out a low moan, and had mumbled something. Dusty had reigned in his horse, and the rest of the group stopped beside him. McGreggor looked back at him and swore, saying, “Whatcha doing old man?”

But Dusty had ignored him, waiting for the boy to speak again. After a moment, the Kid had said, “Look out for her Jimmy.” His voice was slurred, and barely intelligible.

McGreggor barked impatiently. “He ain’t making any sense. Let’s get going.”

But some of the other men were leaning in close to hear what else the Kid would say, and McGreggor’s impatience was ignored.

Then the Kid had jerked in the saddle and said, “Take her Jimmy and get to Laramie with the message, they won’t be looking for you south.” Then he had cried out, “I love you, Lou,” before slumping back into unconsciousness.

The men remained silent for a long moment, even McGreggor’s sharp tongue silenced. They hadn’t understood a lot of what he had said, and they wondered who this girl was he was talking about. But one phrase played over clearly in each of their minds. Get to Laramie with the message, they won’t be looking for you south.

Could the other rider really be trying to get the message through on another trail to the south? Was he riding with a woman? Dusty remembered the small rider who had come into Fort Kearny during the middle of the night. Could it have been a girl? Could she have warned the two riders of the plan to intercept the message? Dusty told the other men what he was thinking, and their faces had grown serious. If the message got through on another trail, Richard Stone was not going to be a happy man. None of them relished the prospect.

There was a heated debate about what they should do, and finally it was decided that Dusty and two other men would ride south. A large group of riders was supposed to rendezvous at a house at the edge Prospect, a town a few hours south. They decided that Dusty would meet them there, and tell them what they had learned. If they were trying to get the message through on another trail, they would have twenty men on their tail.

Now Dusty had just finished explaining what he had learned to a room of eleven men. Six more were in town picking up supplies. Every man in the room looked at Dusty with admiration, impressed the old man had found so much out.

Two of the men in the room were the men that had originally been with Dusty outside of Fort Kearny. They had left off watching to join up with the rest of their friends. One of them slapped his leg, and said, “Daggone it Dusty, the morning after you left to follow that boy a bunch of wagons full of soldier’s families left the fort heading south. We didn’t thinking nothing of it!”

Another man spoke up. “Yeah I saw those wagons, I was keeping watch down in Anderson. They hooked up with a wagon train heading east.”

A third man said, “There’s a road that goes from Anderson to Laramie. It’s about another six miles south of here. That’s the way they’d go.”

Dusty listened to these developments with a smile. Things were coming together. Just then the men with supplies returned. Then the entire group saddled up to ride. No one even gave a thought to the fact that night was falling. They were close to the thing they had been working to for so long, and they could all feel it. Nothing was going to stop them now.

Teaspoon and Noah saw the large group of men ride off and exchanged anxious glances. They had followed the horse tracks to a house where a group of men was meeting. They had tried to get closer to the house, but there was not much cover. There was no sign of Lou, Jimmy or the Kid.

Then as twilight fell the entire group had headed out. Teaspoon and Noah decided to follow them, uncertain of where they headed. The men rode through the night, and never noticed the two riders that ghosted their trail.

Ike and Cody looked down at where the Kid and Buck slept side by side near the fire. They thought their friends were going to be ok, but they had had quite a scare.

After the gun battle, they had found Kid lying in the midst of dead bodies. He had been covered with blood, and for an instant his friends had been certain that they had inadvertently killed him with their gunfire. But then the Kid had moaned, and they realized that he was still alive. They had untied him quickly, and brought him out of the house. After checking him out they realized that most of the blood on him wasn’t his, and must have come from the other men who had been shot. However, the Kid had been beaten pretty badly, and it looked like at least one of his ribs was broken. Buck had been shot in the shoulder, and although the bullet had only grazed him, he was bleeding profusely.

Cody and Ike had tended to their friends as best they could given the circumstances. Buck protested as they cleaned his wound, telling them to look after the Kid. By then the Kid had regained consciousness. He had been pretty amazed to see his three friends, and he quickly filled them in about all that had happened. He told them about Lou arriving at the fort, and how she and Jimmy were trying to get the message through on a different route. Then he told them how he was captured, and that he thought he might have broken his ribs when he was knocked off of Katie.

Cody noticed how the Kid’s face clouded over when he told them about Jimmy and Lou riding together. He wondered if there was more to that part of the story that the Kid wasn’t saying, but for once, Cody kept his comments to himself.

The Kid ended his tale by saying, “I think I may have said something about Lou and Jimmy when I was out of it.” His face was pale at the thought he might have said something to put his friends in danger.

Buck told Kid about the tracks that had separated from the pack and headed south. The Kid swore and said, “I must have said something. They know about Jimmy and Lou.” His voice was desperate with misery.

“Teaspoon and Noah followed the tracks South.” Cody explained.

Kid said, “We’ve got to follow them too. If anything happens-“ The Kid tried to stand up as he talked, but fell back to the ground gasping in pain.

Cody put a hand on his shoulder. “We ain’t going anywhere tonight.” The Kid started to protest, but Cody continued, saying. “You are banged up and Buck’s been shot. We ain’t going to do no good to anybody if you two drop out of your saddles before we get where we’re going. Rest up. We’ll leave at dawn.”

For a second Cody thought the Kid was going to protest again, but pain clouded in his eyes, and he nodded, defeatedly.

He had fallen asleep shortly after, and Buck had been soon to follow. Cody and Ike stayed up for a long time, thinking about their friends and worrying about the future.

That night, Jimmy began to worry as well. During the past three days it had been hard for him to remember that he and Lou were running for their lives. The blossoming love that was growing between him and the beautiful girl had consumed most of his thoughts. But during the last day, the trail had become more desolate, and they hadn’t passed a house or farm for hours. And now, lying beside her by their campfire he was suddenly very much aware of the dangerous position they were in. Lou was sick. She had begun coughing late in the day, and now she coughed in her sleep. The coughs seemed to wrack her small body with a cruel force. She was lying close enough that Jimmy could feel heat radiating off of her body-she had a fever.

Jimmy berated himself as he listened to Lou fight through another particularly bad coughing attack. He had noticed that she felt feverish back at Fort Kearny, undoubtedly because of her ride through the storm and lack of sleep. However, during the last few days, Lou had seemed her usual energetic self. But finally, everything had caught up with her. Jimmy thought that he should have seen this coming. The sense of dread that had settled on him when Lou first admitted her love for him came back full force. They were still two days away from Laramie. Jimmy had not seen anyone on their trail, but with Lou being sick, anyone following would have a good chance to catch up. The old, familiar sense of fear that Jimmy always felt in relationship with those that he loved began to gnaw at the back of his mind. During the past day he had allowed himself to begin to hope-that this time it would be different. That this time he would have the chance to enjoy loving someone and being loved in return. But now listening to Lou cough he felt the hope slip away from him, like a night time mist dissolving in the heat of dawn.

Beside him Lou pulled herself up to a sitting position, and then sat there, breathing heavily. Jimmy sat up beside her, gently rubbing her back with one hand. “You ok sweetheart?” He asked his voice choked with worry.

Lou shook her head, and spoke, her voice raspy, “I feel like I can’t breath.”

Jimmy felt fear turning his stomach sour. He fought to keep his voice even, “We’re gonna get you to a doctor.” In the back of his mind a nagging voice told him that he didn’t even know where a town was on this unknown trail, let alone a doctor.

Lou shook her head, “We’ve got to get to Laramie, we’re close.”

Jimmy pulled her against his chest, and said, “Laramie can wait a day. You’re burning up.”

Her head resting against him Lou said quietly, “Jimmy, I didn’t tell you, I sold the mirror set you gave me back to Tompkins. I used the money to buy a horse on the way to Fort Kearny. I’m sorry I sold it, but I wanted to be able to get there as fast as I could.”

Jimmy spoke against her hair, “It’s ok, as soon as we get to Rock Creek I’ll buy it back for you.”

Then Lou erupted into another coughing fit. Jimmy decided not to wait until morning. Gently he laid Lou down and then saddled up his horse, and packed up their few belongings. Then he lifted Lou onto his horse, and swung on behind her. They rode into the night to find a doctor, Lou’s coughs punctuating the night air, her horse following, riderless, behind them.

The next day around noon Dusty and his men reached the spot where Jimmy and Lou had camped. The deserted stretch of trail they were on was a little used road, and everyone agreed that the campsite more than likely belonged to the two carrying the message. They poked around the ashes from the campfire, and one man found an empty tin of army rations charred in the flames. They were undoubtedly on the right trail! From the looks of things the two had cleared out in the middle of the night. Everyone wondered what that meant, but were heartened by the fact that they were less than half a day behind the ones they were following. Laramie was getting closer, but with any luck they would be able to catch the two before they got there.

Teaspoon and Noah watched from a safe distance, wondering who the men were looking for. They continued to follow the group as they left the campsite. And further away Kid, Ike, Buck and Cody followed the same trail, riding hard after their nights sleep. Everyone was on the same path, at different points riding to a fate that no one could guess.

Everyone that is, except Richard Stone, the man who had set all of these events in motion. He still sat in the abandoned house near Rock Creek, without any outside word as to what was happening with his plan.

Of course, he had learned by now that the Marshall Hunter had left Rock Creek, and no one was sure where he had gone. The woman he stayed with, Rachel, said he had some business at a trial somewhere or another, but Stone doubted the story. He was fairly certain that somehow Teaspoon had found about the plan to steal the message. He wasn’t sure how this was possible, but he had a good instinct for such things and he trusted what his feelings told him.

His instincts also told him something had gone wrong with his plan. Terribly wrong. He should have word by now about the message. He wondered fleetingly if maybe some of his men had decided to deliver the message to Texas without him, taking the credit for themselves. But then he dismissed the idea, reassuring himself that his men weren’t smart enough to double-cross him. He sat brooding in the abandoned house, watching out the window for someone coming with information. He decided he would wait one more day, and then he would ride out himself to see what had happened. And there would be hell to pay, if the message had gotten through to Laramie!

At noon Jimmy reigned in his horse, finally coming to a point in the trail that he recognized. He had ridden throughout the night and into the next morning on the lonely, unfamiliar trail, and Lou’s condition had steadily declined. Now she wasn’t even coughing anymore, just breathing in wheezy snatches. Her fever had increased, and she was covered with sweat, barely able to sit up in the saddle, even with Jimmy’s support. As hour after hour went by, without sign of another person, Jimmy tried to fight down panic.

Finally, they reached a fork in the trail around noon. One branch forked back and north to Rock Creek, and the other branch continued onto Laramie. In Jimmy’s estimation it would still take them another two days to reach Laramie at the slowed rate they were travelling. Rock Creek was only three or four hours away, but it was in the wrong direction. Jimmy hesitated, unsure of what to do. Unsure if Lou could hold unto Laramie. The thought sent shivers down Jimmy’s spine, and his decision was made. He would not risk Lou’s life-he spurred his horse toward Rock Creek, urging the animal to go fast despite carrying two riders.

They rode into Rock Creek around supper-time, and Jimmy went straight to the way station. Rachel and Jesse both came to the porch when he rode in, eager to see which one of their loved ones had returned. Jesse had returned from Danville just that morning, and Rachel had her hands full trying to keep the young boy from riding out after his friends. They were both surprised to see Jimmy and Lou, and were alarmed when Jimmy had to carry the sick girl into the house. Taking one look at Lou, Rachel didn’t waste anytime asking questions, and sent Jesse to get the town’s doctor. She helped Jimmy lay Lou on the couch, and then forced him to sit down as well.

Questions were racing through Rachel’s mind. Where was the Kid? Had they already delivered the message? Where was Teaspoon and the rest of the boys? But looking at Jimmy’s face told her that the questions would have to wait. His eyes, never left Lou, and he looked like he had been to hell and back.

Finally the doctor came, and sent Jesse, Jimmy and Rachel outside as he checked sick girl. Jimmy paced, while Jesse and Rachel sat on the porch swing. Finally unable to keep her questions to herself, Rachel stood up, and put both hands on Jimmy’s shoulders, “What happened?” She asked.

For a second she thought that Jimmy would break into tears. His face clouded over, but then in a choked voice he quickly explained everything that had happened since they left. When he told Rachel about the Kid riding off alone, one lone tear slipped down his face. He ended by saying, “Lou rode day and night to get to us in time. She rode through one of the nastiest storms I’ve ever seen. I thought she was ok, but last night she started to get sick. We were out on a trail I’ve never seen, and there was no towns, and no doctors. If anything happens to her, it is my fault; if anything has happened to the Kid, it’s my fault.”

Rachel pulled the young man before her into an embrace. The sorrow and shame in his eyes was more than her sensitive heart could bear, and tears danced in her eyes. “She’s going to be ok,” Rachel reassured him. “And Teaspoon and the boys went after you and Kid. They probably have met up with him by now, and are riding home.”

Jimmy didn’t return the embrace, but instead stood there, his arms hanging limply at his sides. Just then the doctor came out onto the porch, a grim expression on his face. Rachel felt Jimmy’s shoulder’s jerk when he saw the doctor, as if someone had punched him. She couldn’t help wondering what had happened between Jimmy and Lou, and if their friendship had finally been given a chance to grow into the love that had always danced right below the surface. She kept one hand firmly around Jimmy’s waist as they listened to what the doctor had to say.

“She’s a sick girl,” the doctor started looking at each of them meaningfully in turn. “She has a high fever, and congestion in her lungs that I don’t like the sound of.”

“Is she going to be ok?” Jesse asked from where he had risen out of his chair. His voice broke as he asked the question, Lou was special to the boy’s heart.

The doctor turned to young Jesse, and for the first time a smile broke on his serious face. “She’s going to be just fine.” He promised, “But,” he cautioned, “She needs rest and plenty of it. And I’m leaving you some medicine that she needs every morning and every night until that fever breaks. It will help her to sleep.” He handed Rachel a small, green bottle.

Rachel took the bottle, as Jimmy asked in a trembling voice, “Can I see her?”

The Doctor looked at him a long minute before answering. “She’s sleeping, so don’t disturb her-but you can look in on her if you’re quick about it.”

Jimmy nodded, and hurried into the house. He knelt by the couch where Lou was sleeping. Another tear escaped, as he reached a hand towards her face, but then pulled it short remembering the doctor’s admonishment not to waken her. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to her. How could he have let this happen? For so long he had waited for the chance to love Lou, watching the Kid and her together and fantasizing that one day he would have the chance to love and care for someone like that. And when the chance had come, he had been unable to care for her even for one week! Now, Lou looked so small ensconced in a light blanket. So fragile. Jimmy let another tear slip down his cheek, as he thought that nothing so fragile should ever have been put in his hands. He could not be trusted with anything that could break, his life would not allow it. When the Kid came back Jimmy would tell him that what he had feared all along was true-Lou deserved a man who could care for her-and Wild Bill Hickock would never be that man!

Images danced and whirled in Lou’s head, meaningless patterns or memories floating by one after the other. She saw the faces of people she loved, Teaspoon, Rachel, and all of the boys. She saw her brother and sister who lived in an orphanage, and Emma the woman who had worked at the station before Rachel. But most of all she saw the Kid and Jimmy. Jimmy.

Lou was dimly aware that she was sick. She remembered coughing. How foolish she had been not to worry about getting sick after her long ride through that storm! Jimmy had looked so scared the last time before she had once again slipped out of consciousness. Lou had wanted to tell him it would be ok, tell him not to worry, but her tongue had been thick in her mouth, unable to form the reassurances she wanted to voice. Now, lost in the dark sea brought on by the doctor’s medicine, she hoped Jimmy wasn’t worrying too much.

The men following Jimmy and Lou came to the fork in the road a mere four hours after the two had passed. None of them were happy to see that the tracks turned back towards Rock Creek. Why would the riders turn away from Laramie? Could they be following the wrong people? However, there was nothing to do but continue. But to a man they all thought that each minute was bringing them closer to Richard Stone, and none of them wanted to run into him without that message. Dusty in particular was nervous-it had been at his word that they all took to this path, if it ended in a dead end, he was fairly certain where the blame would fall.

Noah and Teaspoon also wondered what was going on when they saw the men turn toward Rock Creek. They were headed home! What could that possibly mean?

Five hours after Teaspoon and Noah left the spot, Ike, Buck, Cody and the Kid rode up. Buck didn’t even have to get off of his horse to tell which way everyone had gone. The path was chewed up by more than twenty horses. The Kid looked disbelievingly at the tracks as they led back to Rock Creek. Why would Jimmy and Lou go that way unless something had gone wrong? Were they being chased by the other men? Kid felt his breath catch in his throat at the thought. If anything happened to them, because of what he had said, he would never forgive himself.

Ike looked worriedly at the Kid. His friend didn’t look too good, his face had been pale and drawn as they rode, but the Kid wouldn’t hear of taking a break. Now the Kid looked ready to fall out of his saddle. Ike thought it had as much to do with worry as with the broken ribs. Cody and Buck weren’t faring well either. Ike could tell that the wound in Cody’s leg was bothering him, and Buck’s shoulder had started bleeding again about an hour ago. Ike thought that none of the three of them would be able to keep up the fast pace they had been riding for much longer, but he tried to push down the worried thoughts as they turned toward Rock Creek. At least they would be near home soon!

As the dark gathered over the plains, Jimmy sat on the porch looking out into the blackness. Lou was still sleeping, but Jimmy’s mind refused to rest. He replayed the events of the last few days over and over in his head. So much had happened, that it seemed like years ago when he had given his friends those presents. But it had only been about two weeks. Jimmy passed a hand to his breast pocket where the message still waited to be delivered. He planned to leave in the morning and finish the ride to Laramie. Then Jimmy thought again of the presents, trying to remember why he had decided to buy them in the first place. When he had fixed the broken wagon wheel for the men on the side of the road, he had no idea they would pay him so handsomely. He had tried to return the money, but the three well-dressed gentlemen had refused.

A small smile crossed Jimmy’s face briefly as he thought about the expressions on his friends’ faces as they opened the gifts. Everybody but the Kid had been so excited. The smile disappeared with the thought of the Kid. It seemed that no matter how hard Jimmy tried, something was always coming between him and his unlikely friend from the south. This frustrated Jimmy a great deal, because he had a great respect for his friend. The Kid was a good man, he always tried to do what was right without regard to himself.

He heard the door open beside him, and then Rachel sat beside him on the swing. She studied the pensive young man beside her for a moment, and then said, “Last few days have been hard on you.”

Jimmy shrugged, and continued to study the night.

Then Rachel spoke carefully, placing a motherly hand over one his, “Jimmy, sometimes a man is faced with decisions, and there is no good choices to make. What you and Kid decided was the best you could do with the hand you were dealt. I think Kid is going to be just fine, but no matter what happens you gotta know that you boys did what you thought was best. That’s all anyone can do.”

For a second she thought Jimmy would remain silent, but then he said, “What if I didn’t think we were doing what was best? What if I just wanted something so bad that I let Kid go without a fight?”

Rachel squeezed his hand and asked, “You talking about Lou?”

Jimmy nodded his head miserably, and then said, “I love her Rachel, and she said she loves me. But I can’t help thinking if I didn’t want to be alone with Lou so bad maybe I would have tried harder to keep Kid with us…” his voice trailed off as he finally spoke the terrible thought that had been eating at him for the past several hours.

Then Rachel was talking again, “It was Kid’s decision to ride out alone, and maybe he did that to give you and Lou a chance?” Jimmy nodded his agreement, and Rachel said, “Then you can’t fault yourself for taking that chance. You’re loving Lou has nothing to do with what happens to the Kid and it has nothing to do with her being sick. Those are just things that are happening, they’re not because of your love.”

Jimmy raised his eyes to hers uncertainly, “Are you sure? It seems that the people I love always end up getting hurt. I don’t what that to happen again.”

Rachel released his hand, and placed hers on the front of his shirt over his heart. “Jimmy, listen to me.” She instructed. “What goes on in here, inside of you has nothing to do with people getting hurt. It isn’t because you loved them any more than it is because the sky is blue. People get hurt, and people die. That doesn’t mean we need to stop loving each other. In fact it means we have to love each other more, and know that what we have is precious because it might not last forever. We’ve got to hold unto to that love with both hands as long as we get the chance.”

Jimmy closed his eyes, and with a weary voice whispered, “I wish I could believe that.” Rachel pulled him into an embrace, trying to think of what else she could say to ease his troubled heart, when a voice called out from the darkness “Thought you were supposed to be delivering a message!”

Instantly, Jimmy had both guns drawn, peering into the night trying to see who had spoken. But he couldn’t see who was before him in the dark street!

Dusty and his men followed the tracks all the way to the edge of Rock Creek. Then three of the men cautiously rode up to the station, and saw a man sitting on the front porch. They had all been drilled with the descriptions of the men they were looking for. The description of the second man was-tall build, long brown hair, black hat, and matching navy colts. The man sitting on the porch matched the description perfectly, except his hair was short. But if he had traveled with the army’s people, might he have cut his hair? The three men thought that just might be the case. The men rode back to the group to tell them what they had learned.

Dusty decided that he was done making decisions-it was time to talk to Richard Stone. They would tell him what they found, and then they would let him decide what to do next. Leaving five men to keep an eye on the way station, the rest rode the short distance to where the man with dark eyes waited, wondering what he would think about all that had happened.

Richard Stone was nearly beside himself in agitation when his men rode in that night. In quick order they told him that they didn’t have the message, and how they thought it had slipped through their fingers. He nearly burst into a fit of rage, but Dusty was able to calm him down by telling Stone about his theory that the man with the message was now at the way station.

As Dusty finished speaking, Richard’s dark eye’s deepened to an even darker shade, and the men near him could not help but shrink back a little bit in fear.

“We’ll hit the station right before midnight,” he spoke angrily, biting off his words. “If the message is there we’ll get it. If it isn’t-that particular branch of the Pony Express will be out of business for some time.” A few of the men chuckled, but this time Richard Stone didn’t crack a smile. His face remained deadly serious, and Dusty could not help but send up a little prayer for the people who were inside the station.

Teaspoon and Noah had followed Duty and his men all the way to Rock Creek. Noah kept an eye on the big group of men, and Teaspoon followed three men that went to the way station. When the three men returned, Teaspoon rejoined Noah at a small stand of trees near their camp.

“What’s going on?” Noah whispered, as Teaspoon swung off of his horse.

Teaspoon shook his head. “You ain’t going to believe this, but Jimmy is sitting on the porch of the way station.”

“What!!” Noah exclaimed, then he looked furtively over to the men they were watching. But no one seemed to have heard him. “Is Kid with him??”

Teaspoon shook his head. “Listen, you stay here and watch these men, I am going back into town to find out what the hell is going on. If they start coming for us, fire two shots in the air to warn us.”

Noah nodded and Teaspoon once again disappeared into the night.

Teaspoon left his horse at the saloon, and then crept back through the shadows towards the way station. Something was wrong here-it just didn’t make any sense that Jimmy would be back at Rock Creek without delivering the message. And where was the Kid?”

As he approached the front porch he saw that Rachel had joined Jimmy on the swing. He watched as she went to hug him and then called out, “I thought you were supposed to be delivering a message.”

Jimmy jumped, and drew his guns. Teaspoon watched him from the dark and then whispered, “You going to shoot your boss?”

Rachel called out, “Teaspoon?”

Teaspoon stepped into the light, and quickly ushered the two of them into the house. He didn’t think it was safe to be sitting on the lighted porch. His eyes widened when he saw Lou laying on the couch, Jesse lay beside her on the floor, one arm flung over his eyes as he slept.

“Where’s Kid??” Jimmy asked, keeping his voice low as not to wake the sleeping pair.

“I was just about to ask you that!” Teaspoon answered. “And what the hell are you doing here?”

Rachel and the men sat at the kitchen table and quickly Jimmy told Teaspoon about what had happened. He finished by saying, “Lou took sick last night and I didn’t think she would make it to Laramie, so I brought her here. I don’t think anyone is following us, and I’m going to ride to the fort in the morning with the message.”

Teaspoon passed a hand over his eyes, and sighed. “Son,” he said, “Noah and I just followed nearly twenty men here. They are all gunning for that message your carrying.”

Jimmy looked at Teaspoon startled. Twenty men!?! But what Teaspoon said next scared Jimmy even more.

“We came across Katie a couple of days ago, but there was no sign of the Kid. There was a bunch of tracks and we followed them until they split up in two directions. Cody, Buck and Ike went one way and we went the other. The tracks we was following headed south, and then they ended up right outside of town. Noah is keeping an eye on the men we was tracking. It seems to me they are trying to figure out what to do. They probably are confused because you headed for here instead of Laramie. They would have caught you for sure if you two had tried to make it to the fort.”

Jimmy didn’t hear the last part of what Teaspoon had said. The words, there was no sign of the Kid, played over and over his head.

Teaspoon noticed Jimmy wasn’t paying attention, and grabbed the young man’s arm forcefully. “Listen,” he said, “I know you’re worried about the Kid, but you’re just going to have to trust that he’s ok. We’ve got our own problems here. Those men know you’re here, and they’re going to be coming through that door guns blazing before long.”

Jimmy nodded, trying to push down the despair he was feeling. He had done nothing right on this delivery. The Kid was more than likely dead, and now Lou, Rachel and Jesse were in danger, because he hadn’t been careful enough! Twenty men had followed him, and he hadn’t even known. Jimmy pushed down these thoughts forcefully and said, “There’s only one thing to do, I’ll leave now and try to outrun them to Laramie.”

Teaspoon shook his head, “That’s would be suicide. There’s twenty men.”

Jimmy snapped back angrily-“So what, you want to just wait here until they come to kill us all!”

Teaspoon glared at him for a moment, and then swore under his breath. “The only chance we have is to fight.”

Rachel said, “We’re in our town. We can get help.”

Teaspoon and Jimmy both shook their heads, and Jimmy said, bitterly, “When have you known the people in Rock Creek to help with something like this?”

Teaspoon added, “I would try to go get my deputy at least, but I’m worried that I wouldn’t make it back here, with those men watching. Sure as hell they saw me come in here. The only thing we can do is sit tight and wait for them to come.”

Jimmy was about to argue further, when the door burst open, and Noah rushed in. He said, “They’re coming at midnight. I had to come now, or I wouldn’t have had the chance. They’re riding towards the station.”

Rachel’s eyes flew to the clock on the mantle. It read 11: 40. In twenty minutes they would be in the midst of a gun battle. Teaspoon took charge quickly. “All right, this is where we’re going to have to make our stand. Noah get the rifle, and get upstairs. Rachel how many guns have you got in this house?”

“Besides the Rifle and the one’s you boys are wearing, there are two in the desk in the living room.”

Jesse came into the kitchen, blinking sleep out of his eyes. He looked surprised to see Teaspoon but didn’t ask any questions.

“Alright,” Teaspoon said. “You and Jesse each take one of those guns. Jesse, you and Jimmy take the front of the house, me and Rachel will take the back. Remember, we don’t have a lot of ammunition-so don’t waste your shots.”

Jimmy frowned and pleaded, “Teaspoon, let me ride out of here. They’ll leave the rest of you alone.”

Teaspoon didn’t respond, instead he walked into the living room and swept the sleeping Lou off of the couch, and then placed her on the floor beside it. Then carefully, he pushed her tiny body beneath the couch, and said to no one in particular, “She’ll be safer down here.”

Noah grabbed the rifle and headed upstairs. Rachel handed Jesse a gun, and looked at Teaspoon her eyes wide. He smiled at her reassuringly, and then turned to Jimmy.

“Son, you did the right thing coming here with Lou. If you had tried to make it to Laramie, they would have caught you for sure. And they weren’t on your trail the whole time, just the last day or so. I don’t know how they knew where to find you, maybe the Kid let something slip. I need you here with us ready to fight, not trying to rethink things you ain’t gonna be able to change. Do you understand?”

Jimmy nodded, and pulled out each of his colts making sure they were fully loaded. He snapped the second one in place in its holster, and then he and Jesse headed for the front of the house. They blew out all of the lamps not wanting to give anyone outside a clear shot, and then they sat in the dark and waited.

Despite their various injuries, Buck, Ike Cody and Kid had steadily gained ground on the men they were following. The Kid was riding with a sense of urgency he could not explain, and as they drew nearer to Rock Creek, the uneasy feeling spread to the rest of the riders. When they were about an hour from town, they urged their horses into a gallop. Shortly before midnight they saw the lights of the town, and Kid pushed his horse to go even faster. His heart was beating in his chest, and he pain in his side was screaming wildly. But the Kid paid it no mind-for suddenly he was sure that if he didn’t reach Rock Creek soon Lou would die. He couldn’t explain this irrational fear, he just gave himself up to it, and spurred his horse on like a man possessed. The other three struggled to keep up, feeling the same undercurrent of fear that ran through the dark, moonless night.

Dusty and three men crept up the main street of Rock Creek, until they were directly in front of the way station. There was a stable on the other side of the street, and the men entered the barn’s darkness. Dusty watched two of them disappear in the back of the barn with their long rifles knowing they would find a perch for their guns in the second story hay loft.

Then suddenly Richard Stone was beside him. He had his gun drawn, and a nearly maniacal smile was now plastered on his face. Dusty swallowed a little shudder. Then Stone whispered something that sounded like, “For the glory of the south!” and let out a terrible blood curdling scream that shattered the night, firing off three rapid shots in the direction of the way station. All around him, the men took their cue and started firing. Dusty could not even count the shots, as he too pulled out his gun and started shooting. He had no idea if he hit anything, and suddenly he didn’t care. He shot blindly as fast as he could, reloading hastily and shooting again.

Before him the windows of the house exploded inward, and the front door was laid to waste, practically falling off of its hinges. The men shot up the house for nearly five minutes, and then the street grew silent once again. A few lights came on in the buildings down the road, but no one came to help.

Then one lone shot came out of the way station, and a man fell from the second story window above them. His body landed only a few feet from where Dusty stood inside the barn, and the old man couldn’t help but stare at it with a dread fascination. Again the night was ripped apart by the sound of gunfire. But Dusty wasn’t shooting-suddenly he remembered the bodies of the young boys who had tried to rob the bank as part of Richard Stone’s diversion. Suddenly an anger welled up inside of Dusty. Those boys hadn’t deserved to die like that! The man lying in the street hadn’t deserved to get shot out of a second story window in the middle of the night! What they were doing here made no sense. There was no glory in this-shooting up a house that held three or four people-all for a piece of paper. Without thinking, Dusty turned his gun towards the back of Richard Stone. Stone didn’t notice, his whole attention was caught up in the gun battle. Unthinking Dusty stepped closer to the man, and in doing so unwittingly exposed his head and shoulders in the open barn doorway. Before he could pull the trigger, a shot rang out from the station, and Dusty crumpled in a heap. Stone continued to shoot, unaware of how closely he had just come to dying.

When the first volley of shots had come, no one in the way station even tried to return fire. The sheer volume of firepower against them, made it impossible to get off a clean shot. It seemed like the gunfire would never end, as the windows all were shattered, and glass flew everywhere in the house. Then finally the street grew quiet once again. Noah, peered out one window cautiously, and saw movement in the barn across the street. Without hesitation, he pulled off a shot from his rifle, and watched in satisfaction as a man fell from the barn’s second story hayloft. Nineteen to go, he thought grimly. But there was no more time to think, as again the night came alive with gunfire. He saw another man cross in front of the doorway in the first level of the barn, and he shot again.

Downstairs, Jimmy watched as two men tried to run in closer to the station. Taking careful aim he fired at one of the men, and his bullet found its mark. Beside him Jesse shot at the other man, but his shot went wide. Jimmy then shot that man as well.

In the back of the house, Rachel and Teaspoon fired off a few carefully chosen shots at their assailants. Neither were sure if they hit anything or not.

Then suddenly, there was the sound of horses coming up fast. Jimmy watched in disbelief as four horses rode down the street in front of him. From their backs the riders were shooting at the men who were holed up in the barn and other buildings across the street. Because of the dust and the gun smoke on the street, Jimmy could not make out who these riders were who had come to help them. Then suddenly as they had come, the horses were gone down the street.

A few seconds went by, and once again the four horses came back, the riders’ guns blazing. Just as the last horse passed in front of Jimmy, its rider fell off of his horse. He had been shot! As he fell Jimmy saw the rider’s face, it was the Kid!! Cody, Ike, Buck and the Kid had returned in time to help them, and now the Kid was lying, shot down in the middle of the street!

Without giving a thought to his own safety, Jimmy ran out into the street where the Kid lay face down. He pulled off three shots in the direction of the barn, and then he reached for Kid’s arms, ready to drag him to the safety of the house. Jimmy had gotten about halfway back, half dragging-half carrying his unconscious friend to the station, when two shots rang out from the barn before him. He felt a searing heat burst on his side, and then something that felt like a hammer slammed into his shoulder. Reeling, he staggered for a moment, and then sank to the ground, and blackness surrounded him.

The sun shone brightly through the glassless windows, lighting the room in a cheery afternoon glow. Teaspoon entered the room quietly, and looked around. Five make shift beds had been arranged in the living room of the way station, transforming the room into a mini-hospital ward. The glass and debris from last nights gun-battle had all been swept away, but bullet holes still pock-marked the walls. Rachel and the Doctor were both sitting beside a bed on the far side of the room. Catching sight of Teaspoon, Rachel gave him a small smile and motioned him to meet her on the porch. Teaspoon nodded, and a few seconds later they were both sitting on the porch swing looking out at the now quiet town of Rock Creek.

They sat in silence for a few moments, and then Teaspoon said, “How’s it going in there?” He tried to hide the nervousness in his voice.

Rachel smiled, and put his hand on his shoulder. “They’re all going to be just fine.”

Teaspoon let out a breath he had not even known he was holding. The last few hours had been a nightmare for the older man, as he had to wonder whether the people he loved like his own children were going to live or die.

The gun battle had been terrible. Teaspoon had been in many tight spots in his career with the Texas Rangers, but nothing had ever compared to this. They had been out gunned 5 to 20, and Teaspoon had really been unsure they would make it through the gun battle alive. He had been almost unable to believe the amount of gunfire that poured in on them.

Then suddenly, he had heard horses riding in fast from the front of the house. Yelling at Rachel to stay put, he had run to see what was going on. He had reached the front door just in time to see Jimmy fall to the ground in front of him, shot down. The Kid was lying beside him in the middle of the street. But before Teaspoon could react, the horses had returned, and before his disbelieving eyes Cody, Buck and Ike were jumping off their horses, and pulling the Kid and Jimmy back into the house. There was no time to talk, and the gunfight continued. Teaspoon returned to the back of the house, while Ike and Buck and stayed with Jesse and tried to attend to Jimmy and Kid. Cody ran upstairs with his rifle to help Noah.

Even with the extra guns, they were still in a tight jam, until Teaspoon heard even more gunfire coming from up the street. Trying to see out the window, without getting his head shot off, Teaspoon was able to make out his deputy! He and five man, were coming up the street, running from building to building. The town’s people had come to help after all!

The gun battle went on for a few more minutes. But soon, the men that had tried to take the way station were giving up. It was nearly one o’clock in the morning, and Teaspoon had had his hands full trying to restore order to his little town. Someone had run for the doctor, and several men helped Teaspoon gather up their new prisoners. In the end they arrested eleven men. Eight more had been killed in the gun battle. Several of the others were badly wounded.

Jimmy had been shot in the side, and a bullet had also hit him in the shoulder. The Kid had been hit in the arm, and he had two fractured ribs as well as an assortment of cuts and bruises. Cody had reopened the wound on his leg, due to his hard days of riding, and Buck had a bleeding wound in his shoulder as well. Lou had slept through the entire gun battle under the doctor’s sedative, and was still sick with a fever. A piece of glass from a shot out window had gave Noah a nasty cut on his head. None of the townsfolk were harmed in the battle.

However, Teaspoon had had little time to assess his rider’s conditions, as he herded his assorted prisoners to their cells. Noah and Ike, his only relatively healthy riders had left with the message that started all of the trouble at the break of dawn. They were going to bring back an army detail from the fort to collect the prisoners, who would be tried for the crime of treason, among other things.

Teaspoon had spent the night questioning the men that he had captured. Some of them had been unwilling to talk, but a few had told Teaspoon enough to thank God in heaven that no one else had been killed.

He had learned that the group of ruffians had been led by none other than Richard Stone. A notorious criminal from Texas, Teaspoon remembered the man well from his Ranger days. A vicious killer, Stone had left the Rangers in disgrace and then had become the terror of East Texas for many years. Teaspoon himself had tracked Stone across many desert miles, but had never been able to catch the criminal. And Stone had gotten away again, he was not among the dead, wounded, or captured.

Now sitting on the front porch, Teaspoon tried not to think about the man from his past still riding the plains. Instead he tried to focus on what Rachel had told him. His boys were going to be ok.

Later that afternoon, Teaspoon sat in between two beds. On one Jimmy slept soundly, and on the other the Kid was also sleeping. Lou rested on a third bed in one corner of the room. Cody and Buck sat at the table were playing cards quietly.

Buck looked over at Teaspoon and smiled. He whispered teasingly, “I’ve seen prettier bed-side nurses.”

Teaspoon looked up and grinned, “Bet you haven’t seen any handsomer.” He tipped his hat as he spoke.

Cody rolled his eyes, and then said in a more serious tone, “What you thinks gonna happen between those three when they all wake up?” He pointed at Kid, Jimmy and Lou.

Teaspoon glanced back at the sleeping boys, and then said, “I was thinking about the same thing to tell you the truth. Before all of this happened, there was trouble brewing between them. Think it may have started with those presents Jimmy bought everybody. I don’t know if the past days have helped it or not. From what Rachel tells me, Jimmy’s blaming himself for a lot of what happened.”

Cody nodded, “Kid was doing the same thing. He told Stone and his men where Jimmy and Lou were. He was nearly unconscious when he did, but that didn’t matter to him. Kept saying if anything happened to them it was his fault.”

Buck added, “Seems like the three of them are always blaming themselves for something they can’t control.”

Teaspoon nodded, and then walked over to where the boys were playing cards. He studied Buck’s hand for a moment, and then sat down. Finally he spoke, his voice thoughtful. “Yeah Jimmy and Kid do blame themselves for a lot of things that happen around them. They feel a responsibility for the people they love.” He looked at Cody and Buck in turn and then continued, “All of you boys do that. You hold yourself to a set of standards, and you have my respect for it. The trick is figuring out how to live your life within that set of standards, without making yourself crazy. I’ve seen both of you boys struggle through things that you couldn’t control. And I know what its like to be standing at the edge of something terrible and not be able to anything about it. So, what I’m getting at saying is when Kid and Jimmy wake up we is just gonna have to remind them that everything worked out alright, and that they’ve got nothing to blame themselves for.”

“That might be easier said than done!” Cody responded, laying down his cards, and winning the hand.

Teaspoon gave one last passing look at the three sleeping figures, and then decided to put off any further thoughts of the future for the time being. He didn’t know all that had happened between his three sleeping riders. He had a feeling that their relationships might never be quite the same after all that had occurred. More than likely the bond the three shared would grow deeper.

Teaspoon gave Cody a grin. “Deal me in,” he said. And they played cards as the afternoon waned in the gathering twilight.