“Lou! I really don’t think you should be takin’ this run today. The McAllister gang is somewhere out the territory that you’re goin’ to be ridin’ through. It’s too dangerous for you!” Kid was worried about the love of his life.

All through breakfast, Kid seemed to be pestering Lou about her upcoming run to St. Joe. It was a typical run for Lou. She’s ridden it tons of times and she didn’t seem to see why Kid was so worried about this particular run.

“Kid! Leave me alone!! I’ve done this run a lot and haven’t run into any trouble on it before and the odds of me runnin’ into trouble on it today are slim! Now, quit tellin’ me how to do or not to do my job!! It’s none of your business!” Lou ran out of the bunkhouse with tears welling up in her eyes. Everybody at the breakfast table just stared at Kid. All were wondering if he was going to run out after Lou to apologize. Yet, he just sat there and played with the food on his plate.

“Damn it, Kid! Why’d you have to do that? Why don’t you just leave Lou be and let her do her job here? She’s proven herself to all of us that she can handle herself out there!” Jimmy stood up from the table and stomped out of the bunkhouse after Lou, hoping that he could be there if she needed somebody to talk to. Kid sat there, his face growing red in anger. He knew that Jimmy and Lou were growing closer over the last couple of months. Especially after Lou and he broke it off. Lou seemed to be going to Jimmy with all her thoughts lately, and that irked the Kid.

All the riders at the table quietly ate their breakfasts and then left the bunkhouse to proceed with their daily chores, leaving Kid to be alone and to think of what he had done. None of them were going to admit it, but, they did agree in a way with Kid. It was dangerous work that Lou was doing, and with the notorious McAllister gang out on the loose in their territory, things were even more dangerous. The boys knew not to press the issue with Lou though. She had a fire in her that none of them ever wanted to tangle with, as poor Kid had found out many times before.

“Boys, we hit St. Joe beautifully!! They didn’t know what hit ‘em!” John McAllister, the leader of the infamous gang was proud of their work for the week. “That bank had enough notes to supply our home with food for the winter.”

All the men slowed down as they rode further into the territory away from St. Joe. The McAllister gang was known through out the territory for their recent bank heists and hold ups of the Pony Express. They were known as southern sympathizers through out the territory, and were ruthless beyond all means. They were willing to do anything to help their homes, if it meant killing and/or abusing those who got in their way, they would.

“Let’s settle down here for the night. Nobody will come lookin’ for us way out here. Besides, we’re gonna’ be waitin’ for somebody to come ridin’ through here later on today.” John smiled crookedly as he and his men unsaddled and began to set up camp for the day and night.

“Hey, boss. What do you mean we’re waitin’ for somebody to ride through here? Who we waitin’ for?” Carl, John’s faithful friend and fellow southern sympathizer questioned his boss. “Are we waitin’ for another posse comin’ from the South?”

“No Carl. We’re waitin’ for something even better.” John gathered his men around the beginnings of the dinner fire. “You see. This here is one of the Pony Express runs for Russell, Majors and Waddell. It just happens to be, that a rider for this here Pony Express will comin’ through here sometime later today, and they are carryin’ something very valuable to us and our homes.” John walked around his men explaining what they were to do when the unsuspecting rider came through on his way to St. Joe.

“Boys. This rider will be carryin’ shipping schedules and locations to guns that are going to be headin’ towards Ft. Kearney for the Union. If we get those guns for the South, we will have the upper hand in the up and coming war.” John spoke with pride of his homeland.

“You see, the rider has no idea what he’s carryin’ so it should be as easy as takin’ candy from a baby.” He laughed heartily and sat down, ready to begin heating his supper, lying in wait for the unsuspecting Lou.

All the petite rider could think of was how infuriated and tired she was of Kid’s constant protectiveness. As Lou walked into the barn to start saddling up Lightning she tried to calm her self down.

“I swear! The way he smothers me, you’d think he was my father!” Lou was throwing the saddle blanket over her faithful steed’s back. “Damn…he drive me crazy sometimes!”

Poor Lightning was bearing the brunt of Lou’s anger as she saddled him up. Of course, lately the horse was used to Lou’s angry mood swings. He just stood there while Lou talked to him and saddled him up.

Lou finished cinching the saddle and stood there leaning on Lightning. She was crying so hard that she didn’t hear the footsteps behind her. Jimmy slowly walked into the barn, walking towards the sounds of sobs in Lightning’s stall. It near broke his heart hearing Lou sobbing. Sometimes Kid drove him crazy too with his overprotectiveness of Lou. Yet, he understood in a small way, why he was so damn protective. None of them ever wanted to see her get hurt. But, Kid did take it too far sometimes.

Jimmy opened Lightning’s stall and just stood there for moment, thinking of what he could say.

“Lou? Are you okay?” Jimmy said quietly, hoping not to scare her out of her wits by sneaking up on her.

Lou quickly straightened up, putting her hands up to her face, trying to quickly dry her tears away.

“I’m fine Jimmy!” Lou snapped at him. “ I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you that way.” Lou looked sheepishly at her best friend and confidant.

Jimmy was taken aback at first, but knew that Lou wasn’t angry with him, so he stood there smiling at her. “I know you didn’t Lou. Do you want to talk about what or who is bothering you?” Knowing very well whom Lou was upset with.

The petite rider walked towards Jimmy and stood next to him then sank down to sit on the barn floor.

“Jimmy, why does he treat me like I’m a little girl?” She just stared up at him, hoping that he’d give her the answer she wanted to hear. “I mean, everybody else treats me with honor, respect and dignity. Nobody else here feels like they have to watch and protect every move I make, do they?”

Jimmy smiled at her. Little did Lou know that they all paid special care to her and watched over her, but not as obviously as Kid did.

“Lou, you know that we all watch eachother’s backs. Kid’s my friend, and so are you. When the two of you started…uh…you know…dancin’, he just became a little more protective of you. Even though you two aren’t together any more, he still cares a lot for you.” Jimmy blushed. He certainly didn’t think he was going to have to bring up the Kid’s and Lou’s “dancing” into the conversation. Afterall, he didn’t really feel as if it were his business.

Lou’s face blushed as she looked down at the hay-covered floor. Jimmy cleared his throat and began speaking again. “What I’m tryin’ to say is, that Kid’s being overprotective and all can drive us all crazy, but, I understand why in a way. He still loves you a lot Lou. Hell, we all do.” He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face so she would look in the eyes.

“Lou, you’re right. He’s got no right tellin’ you or what you can and cannot do. Especially, when it comes to your job. But, the McAllister gang is nasty.”

Lou quickly pulled away from Jimmy. “Don’t you start on me too Jimmy Hickok! I’m quite capable of takin’ care of myself. I thought I already proved that to you!” Her eyes were beginning to well up again and she turned her head away.

“Damn it Lou! You have proven yourself to me. You have to all of us, but, we still are lookin’ out for you!” Jimmy didn’t mean to sound so angry, but, he cared so deeply for Lou and he hated seeing her so upset.

“Lou, I’m sorry for yellin’ at you. I had no call to it.” Lou looked at Jimmy with a small smile. “I know Jimmy. I’m just glad somebody around here trusts that I can take care of myself.”

Jimmy smiled at her as he started to stand up. He held his hand out to help Lou up and to help her finish getting ready for her ride to St. Joe.

“Thanks Jimmy. For everything.”

Lou and Jimmy walked out of the barn together and waited for Ben to ride in and pass the mochilla to Lou. Jimmy turned towards as she climbed into the saddle.

“Be careful Lou. Remember that the McAllister’s are ridin’ somewhere out there and they ain’t the kind that’ll back off until they get what they want.”

“Thanks again Jimmy. You know I’m careful and I can handle what ever comes at me. See ya’ in a couple of days.” Lou smiled and urged Lightning forward to meet Ben and grab the mochilla from his hands. She was off to St. Joe, but had no idea what the next couple of days were going to bring her, and how much strength she was going to need. Mentally and physically.

Jimmy watched her ride off towards the east with a small grin on his face. He was just glad that they were able to talk and that he was able to hopefully make her feel somewhat better. Little did he know how right he was on her needing to be careful.

John McAllister sat infront of the morning fire. Staring into it as his mind kept pondering what the group’s next moves were. They’ve already hit to Express shipments of the Army payroll and the bank in St. Joe, but knew that they had to get the list of the next few shipping dates and locations to get the load of guns that were being shipped to Ft. Kearney. The southern sympathizers would do anything for their homes in the south. Even if it meant killing or hurting anybody that got in their way.

“Boys, that Pony Express rider should be ridin’ through here later this afternoon, so we need to be ready for him.”

The gang all watched John McAllister with intent, learning what the next move was.

“The boy has no idea what he’s carryin’, so it’ll be easy to catch him by surprise.” John smiled as he thought of what to do next, but was interrupted by a voice in the back of the group.

“But John, every lawman is lookin’ for us out here in these parts. Don’t you think it’s gonna’ be dangerous for us to be huntin’ a Pony Express rider? Are you sure he ain’t gonna’ be shadowed?”

John stood up infront of the group in anger. “First off, remember, no matter how dangerous this is, we’re doin’ this for our homes and our families. Nothin’ is gonna’ get in our way! Especially some puny boy ridin’ for the Pony Express.” John walked stoically infront of the men preaching of the importance of their mission. “These guns we’re gonna’ steal are for the good of our homes and families. When y’all came along with me, you knew what you were getting’ into and it’s way too late to back out now!”

John suddenly stopped his preaching to the gang and looked over the group. Over the horizon towards the west, he could see a trail of dust growing. “Everybody shut up and find cover! We’ve got company and it looks like our luck is with us.”

The group scattered about and then John lay next to the campfire covering himself in dirt, making it look like he had been injured. “I’ve got you now boy.” He smiled as he put his head in the dirt. “Those schedules and guns are mine.”

“Come on Lighting! Just a few more miles and then will rest up a bit.” Lou coaxed her horse into a faster gallop. She had a strange feeling, call it ‘woman’s intuition’, but, she knew something wasn’t right. Then she looked to the east and saw a fire in the horizon. She squinted her eyes to see if she saw what she thought she saw. A body lying in the dirt, and they looked to be hurt pretty badly.

“Well boy, looks like we’re makin’ a pit stop. We’ll see if they need help.” She nudged Lightning in her sides and took off towards the campfire. Little did Lou know of what she was riding into.

Lou rode up to the dwindling fire. “ Whoa girl.” She slid off her trusty steed’s back and carefully walked towards the body lying on the ground. She pulled her gun out of the holster and slowly cocked into firing position. As she walked towards the body, she saw that the man was still breathing, all be it, very slowly. Lou crouched down next to him to roll him over, but was quickly surprised as he grabbed her hand with the gun in it and then sucker punched her in the jaw. Lou fell backwards into the dirt hitting her head on something sharp, and then sank into darkness.

John stood up and looked down at the small body lying in front of him, smiling at how easy it was to get what he wanted. “Come on out boys, this runt didn’t even know what hit him. Carl, you go check his horse’s mochilla. The schedules should be in it.” Carl ran over to Lightning and searched the mochilla. Smiling as he opened it, he just found what they were searching for.

“Found it boss!” Carl ran back over to John and to Lou’s crumpled body.

“Why in God’s name would they let such a puny thing like that ride for the Pony Express?” Carl inquired to his boss.

“You saw how he was ridin’! He’s small and it makes him quick.” John walked closer over towards Lou and crouched down next to her. “We gotta’ get rid of him before anybody catches us on this trail. Somebody’s liable to come lookin’ for him when he doesn’t make it to St. Joe on time. Somebody grab his head and help me throw him into the brush over there and then scare off his horse!”

John grabbed Lou’s feet and legs, while Carl came over and wrapped his arms around her upper body and then lifted. “Man he’s light.” Then Carl felt something as he and John started walking. He stopped suddenly and then dropped Lou on the ground, causing her head to bounce off the hard and dusty ground. John looked up at Carl like he was losing his mind. “Why in the Hell did you drop him like that?” The look on Carl’s face told John that something wasn’t right. “John, this he ain’t really a he!”

John bent down and ripped Lou’s shirt open in anger.

“You have got to be kiddin’ me! This rider for the Express is a girl!”

Lou could hear yelling as she started to awaken from the darkness. Her head was pounding and her whole body was beginning to ache. She started to sit up when she felt a boot make a sharp kick to her left side. Lou fell back down to the ground, curling up in a ball, then realizing that her shirt was ripped open. All she could think of was Oh my God! They know I’m a girl. What are they going to do to me now? Her eyes welled up with tears because of the overwhelming fear. Fear of her past with Wicks. Fear of Kid being right all along and that Jimmy had put his faith into somebody who couldn’t handle this. Then it hit her as she lay there in the dirt. I’m stronger than this. I can make it through this. I will not let Kid be right.

John looked back down at Lou and saw her starting to move again. “I want you to stay down there!” He yelled fiercely at her, then punching her in the jaw again, knocking her back down to the ground. “You may be a woman, but, not you or anybody is going stand in our way!” Lou looked at him in confusion while holding her jaw. She could feel the pain growing more intensely in her head and all she could see was white spots in front of her eyes. Then, John stepped forward and clinched his fist up like he was going to hit her again. Carl quickly grabbed his fist in her defense. “ John? What are you thinkin’? This here is a woman. You’ve never done this before.” John glared at Carl and slugged him in the gut, causing him to lurch forward.

“This if for the Cause Car. John McAllister is not going to let some woman get in the way. Those schedules and guns are ours! Now, you’re either with me, or you can disappear like this young lady is going to.”

Everyone just stared at John in awe. Almost simultaneously, they replied that they were with him and then began packing up their supplies.

“We got what we were lookin’ for. Now we’re gonna’ get out of here and head towards Ft. Kearney! We need some miles behind us today!”

Lou realized as she lay there, that she was in a lot more trouble than she thought. These were the men that the boys and the company were so worried about. She looked up when she heard a familiar noise. It was the cocking of gun.

“Like I told you. Nobody is getting’ in my way.” John sneered and then pulled the trigger. Lou hit the ground again, welcoming the cold blackness.

“Boys, let’s move her into the bushes and then get outta’ here.”

Carl and another man picked up the injured Lou and dropped her into the brush. Then joining the others as they saddled up leaving her for dead.

Lou kept trying to open her eyes, but the heaviness of them was to great. Along with the pain in her whole body, that seemed to be consuming her. The nausea kicked in every time she moved because the pain was so great.

“Oh Lord. Just get me through this.” Lou moaned as she rolled over onto her other side.

As Lou rolled over, the darkness in the sky was looming and then lit by an ambient light. It was as if the sky was split in two and then ocean poured over her. The rain was coming down very hard. The thunder boomed, which in turn shook the ground because it was so loud.

“Great. Just what Ineed. Please get me through this God.” Lou began to shiver violently because of her wet clothes. Lou’s thoughts were all beginning to whirl together. I can get through this. I can only hope that Lightning finds his way back to the waystation and then the boys will come lookin’ for me. At that thought, she began trying to move herself out into the open, where she at least could be seen if somebody happened to be riding through this part of the territory. Of course, the likeliness of this happening was slim, way out here. She slowly dragged herself out into the open. Freezing cold and shivering, she closed her eyes.

“I just need to close my eyes for a while. I’m so tired.” Lou’s eyes closed and she fell into darkness.

“Well boys…looks like it’s gonna’ be a rough night. Mother Nature’s wrath is gonna’ make life pretty interestin’!” Teaspoon pushed himself away from the dinner table, wiping the corners of his mouth.

Both Kid and Jimmy stared at Teaspoon with anxious looks in their eyes. Teaspoon looked at them with his famous fatherly face.

“Boys. Lou’ll be fine. You’ve all had to ride in foul weather before, and y’all came back in one piece. And besides, she would be even angrier with you Kid if you went ridin’ after her because of the weather!”

Kid stood up from the table, looking interjected. “But Teaspoon!”

Teaspoon cut him off before Kid could even get the rest of sentence out.

“I know you’re worried. Hell, Kid. We all are. But Lou can handle things on her own. Deep down inside, you know that. Now sit down and finish your supper. When we’re all through, we’re gonna’ tie a few things down before Mother Nature really gets nasty.”

Kid sat back down next to Teaspoon and played with the food on his plate. All the time thinking to himself, I just know somethin’ ain’t right. Lou’s in trouble. I can just feel it.

Jimmy watched his best friend, feeling the same anguish that Kid did. He just knew how to hide it better than Kid. Jimmy couldn’t stand watching Kid so upset, so he lightly kicked him under the table. “Kid…”

Kid looked up at Jimmy. “What do you want Jimmy?”

Jimmy saw this look in Kid’s eyes. This look he knew all to well. Kid knew that Jimmy had a soft spot for Lou, and unfortunately, there was many a brawl that resulted from that soft spot.

“Lou’ll be okay Kid. But, it’s not the weather you’re worried about is it?” Jimmy inquired to his friend.

“Jimmy, just mind your own business. Or is it too hard for you to do that?!” Kid seemed to be getting angry with Jimmy a lot lately.

“I saw you go talk to Lou this morning! You just have to go and be her big protector don’t you?!” Kid stood up from the table almost knocking over the milk jug in front of him.

Jimmy stood up immediately from the table, sizing Kid up.

“Yes. I went to go talk to Lou this morning! She’s my friend too!! And by the way, no one would have to go and talk to Lou to console her if you kept your fat mouth shut all the time and showed some faith in her! You forget, that she’s been on her own for a long time and that she’s proven herself to us countless times!”

Kid moved away from the table, looking like he was about to storm Jimmy when Teaspoon interrupted their little argument.

“Now both of you sit down and shut up or you’ll both be fired!!”

Kid pulled away from Teaspoon and ran out of the bunkhouse. Jimmy tried pulling away from Teaspoon so he could follow after Kid. He’s sick and tired of the Kid always blaming he and Lou’s problems on him. Teaspoon yanked on his arm, quickly stopping any notion that Jimmy had of going after Kid.

“Hold it their son. Just let Kid be. He’s just upset that he and Lou left things the way they did before she left on he run. Things haven’t been real sweet between them since they broke things off.” Jimmy moved away from Teaspoon and then sat on his bunk.

“I know Teaspoon. But for God’s sake! Kid has got to realize that he’s just pushin’ Lou further and further away when he shows that he doesn’t trust her!”

“Jimmy? Why do you think he’s so angry? And besides, you seem a bit worried yourself.” Teaspoon came and sat next to Jimmy. All the other riders were out trying to tie things down at the station, leaving he and Jimmy some time to talk.

“What’s buggin’ you son?” He put his arm around Jimmy’s shoulders.

“I don’t know Teaspoon. I just got this gut feelin’ that somethin’ ain’t right. I think Kid’s right and Lou’s in trouble.” Jimmy’s eyes softened as he looked at his hands on his lap.

“This McAllister gang is mean Teaspoon! You know that. They were last seen comin’ from the way Lou was headin’, and with her bein’ so bull-headed, she rode out of here without feelin’ to cautious.”

Teaspoon took his hand off Jimmy’s shoulder. “Son, if she ain’t back in a couple of days…like she is supposed to be, then we’ll head out toward St. Joe and find her. Besides, she’s smart and she’s probably trying to stay out of this God awful storm.”

Suddenly, the bunk house door flew open with a crash. Kid came in with a ghostly pale face.

“What is it son? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Teaspoon got up and walked towards the Kid. Jimmy quickly getting up and following him..

“We’ve got trouble Teaspoon.” Kid’s face seemed sallow and his eyes were dark. “Lou’s in trouble. I just know she is.”

“Why do you say that son? What gives you that idea?” Teaspoon was getting angry with Kid. He really hoped that going outside would cool Kid’s jets.

Kid looked at Teaspoon and Jimmy. “Lightning’s outside, but there’s no sign of Lou or the mochilla.”

All of their hearts dropped when they heard Kid talking. The others all came running into the bunkhouse when they saw Lightning came galloping towards the way station. All came in with worried faces, but with the look of being ready to do anything to help.

“Boys, come in and sit down for a second. Now, I know you’re all wantin’ to go and find Lou right now, but this weather is makin’ it hard to see anything. Especially at night! We’ll leave at first light, rain or shine. Now all of you get some shuteye. We’ll need all the strength we can muster for Lou’s sake.”

The riders all nodded. Even Kid and Jimmy, knowing that Teaspoon was right. They all got ready for bed, but none really were able to sleep. All were too eager to get started looking for their fellow rider and family member. The stormy night seemed like it would never end.

Dawn came and the riders filed out of the bunkhouse, walking towards the barn. The rain was pouring down, which meant tracking Lou was going to be next to impossible. Even with Buck’s tracking skills. The riders all discussed the plan and decided that the most logical step to take would be to head towards St. Joe, where Lou was heading last. The riders all saddled up and headed out. Mother Nature not letting up one bit.

“Bundle up boys! We gotta’ keep warm. The last thing we need is for us to catch our deaths ‘cause of a little bad weather.” Teaspoon watched all his boys slow up enough to tighten their jackets around themselves. Teaspoon scanned over the faces of all his riders. They all seem so lost and in dispair. Kid’s face was the worst of them all. He knew that Kid would never forgive himself if something happened to Lou and he never got to apologize for his earlier behavior. All of the boys knew that Kid had all of the faith in the world in Lou’s abilities as a rider. Kid’s overprotective side always came out though, which in turn, usually meant that he put his foot in his mouth after he spoke to Lou. Teaspoon in turn, smiled at a memory for a moment. Remembering the time when Kid tried to move Lou into Rachel’s house. Everyone knew what Lou’s reaction would be, except for the Kid, who’s pride was quite wounded when she laid into him in front of everybody. The poor Kid seemed to be oblivious to what Lou wanted. He unfortunately learned the hard way. Lately, their relationship was quite rocky, which in turn, caused Lou to end up talking more to Jimmy. If this little love triangle of theirs didn’t kill him, nothing would.

Teaspoon rode up to Kid. “Hold up a second son! Slow down or you’re going to ride Katy in to the prairie.”

Kid knew Teaspoon was right so he pulled up a bit on Katy’s reigns. Kid would never forgive himself if something happened to Katy too. He loved both girls in his life very much.

“Teaspoon, can I ask you a question?” Kid’s face was showing the wear of worry. “Do you think the McAllister’s got to Lou?” His eyes were full of unshed tears, though he tried fighting them back.

Teaspoon looked at Kid with a worried face. “Kid, I can only hope that Lou was able to ride through this part of the territory without the McAllister’s and her crossing paths. You see, Lou didn’t have any idea what she was carryin’ in the pouch.”

Kid angrily pulled up on Katy’s reigns a bit more. “What do you mean Teaspoon?! What was Lou carryin’?!”

All the riders held up as Kid started yelling at Teaspoon.

“Boys, I couldn’t tell Lou what she was carryin’, or any of you for that matter! She was carryin’ some shipping schedules and locations for the Army that the South would have loved to get their hands on. The company figured the less people who knew, the better.” Teaspoon looked down at his hands. “I’m sorry boys. I wish I could have said somethin’ to her, but, there was nothin’ I could’ve done about it.”

All of the riders were angry at Teaspoon, but none were as angry as Kid and Jimmy.

“How could you Teaspoon?!” Jimmy was seething.

“We all know that Lou can take care of herself, but, we should’ve at least had two guns on this run!”

Kid looked at Jimmy with astonishment. For the first time in a long while, he agreed with Jimmy on something regarding Lou.

“Jimmy’s right Teaspoon. We should’ve had two guns on this one. What were you thinkin’?”

Teaspoon was growing very tired of the boys’ attitudes, and it was beginning to show. “Now listen! I understand how upset all of you are, but, I was followin’ orders and that’s the end of it! Now, are we gonna’ stand here and argue or are we gonna’ try and find Lou?”

The riders all looked around at each other, all knowing very well, that they weren’t going to be able to help Lou if they stood around and argued all day. The rain began to fall a little harder, so visibility was limited and the sun would be going down in a few hours. They would have to keep riding at a rapid pace to reach St. Joe by nightfall. All of the riders agreed to stop arguing and started to ride towards St. Joe again. Little did any of them know what or whom they would be running into on the way there.

“Come on men! We gotta’ keep ridin’ if we’re gonna’ intercept that gun shipment to Ft. Kearney.” John McAllister was growing anxious to get their next venture done and over with. Even he, who is normally calm and collect, was beginning to feel the anxiety of what happened the day before. Who would have thought that Russell, Majors and Waddell would have a girl riding for them. John just couldn’t believe it. What a strange girl he thought. He quickly put the thought of Lou out of his head when he saw the trail dust being stirred up in front of them.

“Hold up a second boys!! Somebody’s ridin’ this way. Everybody draw their weapons and get ready for anything!! We are not going to let anybody get in our way of our dreams!” John McAllister led his hang in drawing his weapon and started riding towards the on coming riders.

All of his men were beginning to worry about John. Even his best friend, Carl, who would stand by John’s side for anything, was beginning to worry about John’s sanity. It seemed as if John was fighting his own battle and had forgotten about his loved ones and all of his friends. The ‘Cause’ that John seemed to be talking about all the time, was a strong one in all of their eyes, but, he was taking everything much too seriously. He was willing to risk his life and all of theirs if it meant the South was going to get the bloody guns that they needed. The gang was worried, but they trusted in John and rode on to face the unknowing Teaspoon and his young riders.

“Hey Teaspoon!” Cody held up on his horse and started yelling to their faithful leader.

“Teaspoon! We got a big group of horses headin’ towards us, and they ain’t lookin’ real friendly like!”

Teaspoon pulled up on his horse and motioned for the others in his group to also hold up for a minute.

“Whoa boys! Looks like we got company. Everybody be ready for anything that may be comin’! If I’m right, this might be John McAllister and his men.”

All the boys pulled their weapons and held ready for the oncoming horses.

“Be careful boys. These men can be crack shots and will fire at anything. Their good and I don’t want to have to bring home anybody injured.” Teaspoon was worried for his boys, but he knew that they would be able to handle themselves. They all have handled themselves in gun battles before.

Soon, the McAllister gang was upon them and they began firing at the riders. The battle was a short one. Especially when Kid and Jimmy both noticed that John McAllister had the mochilla from Lou hooked to his saddle. Both riders went after John with a vengeance. They both drew their weapons and simultaneously shot at John, knocking him off his horse and he hit the ground. As John was taking his last few breaths, he stared at Kid and Jimmy with a crazy look in his eye and laughed sinisterly. “You boys will never find you’re little girl friend. She’s long gone and burnin’ in Hell.” He slowly gurgled his last breath and died for his precious ‘Cause’, without ever getting the precious guns that the South so desperately needed in his eyes.

All of the other riders watched as John died and came and stood by Kid and Jimmy. They all had a look of sorrow. Was it true that Lou was already gone? None of them could believe it until they found her body at least.

After they all checked each other over and made sure that none of themselves were seriously injured, they all decided to go and find Lou. At least, so they could bring back her body to bury close to them. They quickly mounted their steeds and headed towards St. Joe. They had at least one thing on their side. They didn’t have to worry about running into the McAllister gang again. They were just a ruthless as people had said.

The riders and Teaspoon rode for another couple of hours and decided that they needed to find a place to make camp before sun down. They soon saw that there was a fire pit from a previous campfire that they were nearing and decided that they would make camp there. They rode up to campfire when they were all shocked by what they saw next.

“Oh my God! Lou!!!” Kid ran over to Lou’s beaten and bloody body. The other riders quickly followed him.

“Come on sweetheart. Wake up! Oh God, please don’t be dead.” Kid whimpered. He could never forgive himself if she died and he never got to tell her that he loved her.

“Kid…I’m so cold.” Lou’s eyes started to open again. She tried moving but the pain was too immense.

Jimmy quickly ran over to them and handed Kid his jacket to cover Lou with.

“Don’t worry honey. You’ll be just fine. We’ll get you warm and then we’re gonna’ take you home to Rachel. She and the Doc will get you all better.” Kid caressed Lou’s head, trying to wipe away some of the dried blood off of her face.

Teaspoon quickly walked over and helped Kid assess Lou’s injuries. They were able to stop the bleeding from her gunshot wound, but, she had lost a lot of blood in the last twenty-four hours and here bruises were terrible. Their was no time for the exhausted riders to make camp. If Lou were to survive this terrible ordeal, they would have to get her back the way station quickly. Everyone packed up their belongings and they began to ride back to the station.

“Kid, I’m sorry. Maybe you were right. Maybe I shouldn’t be ridin’ for the Express anymore. Look what happened to me.” Lou’s eyes filled with tears. Not just because of her pain, but because of the emotional drain on her.

“No Lou. I was wrong. You’ve been shot and beaten and are still alive after a day. You are stronger than anyone I know. I’m sure anyone of us would have given up after what you have gone through. You’ve made it this far and you better not give up on us now.” Kid spoke sweetly to Lou. He loved her very much and couldn’t imagine living without her. None of them could.

“He’s right Lou. You’re the only girl I know that could survive something like this. I’m proud to have you ridin’ with us. You better not think about quittin’ after what we went through on findin’ you.” Teaspoon smiled as the female rider.

Lou smiled at them all. Feeling happy that none of them lost any respect for her for the ordeal that she went through. She happily fell asleep in Kid’s arms as they rode towards home.

The next few days were hard ones. But, Lou survived beautifully. Her gunshot wound was mainly superficial so it would heal nicely. Her bruises were starting to heal and the cut on her head was healing nicely too. The emotional scars were not as easy to heal, but Lou knew that with the renewed support for her, that she would make it through the rest of this ordeal. She also knew, that all of the riders, including Kid, have had a new respect for her and treated her better. She was no longer just the runt of the group, she could handle things on her own, in any tough situation. She had trust in herself and the others. This family was growing stronger and stronger everyday and it showed.

THE END