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Buck Cross had made quite a name for himself in the territories as a horse trader. He worked well with both the Indians and the whites and that was no easy feat considering the state of relations between the two races. It seemed that finally being half-white, half Kiowa was paying off for Buck. Over the years, there had been many rough types to visit the little Shannon farm. Christy had never been afraid though. Most of the men were gentle as kittens, despite their appearance. The rest she knew Buck could handle. The men would generally buy or trade and would leave within a matter of an hour or two. The day after Jimmy’s visit, Christy and Jeremiah struggled to carry two heavy rugs from the living room outside for cleaning. Both rugs were bulky and large and Christy and Jeremiah were coated with a fine layer of dust before they finished. Breathing a sigh of relief when she finally dropped her load, Christy wiped her hands on her apron and looked up to see two riders approaching on horseback. The men headed for the barn, so Christy quickly turned her attention back to her chore. Jeremiah lifted one end of the rug and she beat it roughly with a broom. Dust flew and soon she was sneezing. She paused to swipe at her face. That’s when she heard the yelling. Jeremiah’s dark eyes met her blue ones as they listened to Buck’s voice angrily rising. She couldn’t make out the words, but Christy knew it was serious if Buck was upset. Worriedly she bit her lip and waited. The argument continued and she made up her mind to find out what was going on. “Jeremiah, take your sister and go into the house. Stay with Lou and don’t come out until I come get you.” She instructed. For once in his life, the boy didn’t argue. Instead he nodded and went to gather Theresa from the front steps where she had been playing. Christy watched until they had gone inside, then she headed for the barn. She stopped just outside the doors and peeped around the corner. She could see the two men who had arrived on horseback. One of the men, who had a long graybeard and even longer gray hair, was inside Katy’s stall. The other man with long dirty blond hair was successfully keeping Buck out of the stall. With a start, Christy realized they were trying to take Katy. The shouts she had heard were from Buck as he tried to stop them. Her fear gone now, leaving only anger in its place, Christy stepped inside. None of them noticed her because of all the commotion from Buck and the frightened Katy, who pawed at the ground and rolled her eyes around in her head. Suddenly Buck seemed to sense her presence. “Christy, get out of here!” The man who had been blocking Buck turned to look at her, giving Buck the advantage. Quickly he delivered a blow to the man’s face, knocking him to the ground. The man in the stall with Katy was still oblivious to Christy’s arrival. He was desperately trying to calm the mare. Christy watched helplessly as Buck and the blonde man scuffled on the ground. Just when it seemed Buck had the upper hand, the second man figured out what was happening. He jumped out of the stall and pulled his gun, training it on Christy. “Let him go, or the girl dies!” He yelled to be heard over the fighting going on beside him. Buck, who was just fixing to deal the first man a final punch, immediately ceased his efforts. The bearded man with the gun grabbed Christy by her upper arm and pulled her closer to him. She shrank away from his smell and struggled to release herself. His partner shook Buck off of him and stood, drawing his own gun. Buck trembled with rage. Only the fact that Christy was now involved held his temper in check. Christy closed her eyes and prayed that Jeremiah wouldn’t decide to come back and check on them. For a minute there was silence as the younger man who had taken quite a beating from Buck recovered his breath. “Now, if you don’t mind, we’ll be taking the horse.” The older man finally spat. The second man grinned leeringly at Christy. “See, Injun, if you woulda just gave us the filly in the first place, your gal here wouldn’t have gotten in such a pickle.” Christy could see Buck’s chest rising and falling rapidly as he fought to remain in control. The man who was her captor squeezed her arm tightly but she was determined not to cry out. He kept his gun pointed at her while the man with the dirty hair went into the stall and grabbed Katy’s bridle. He led the horse out of the barn. The bearded man waited until he was outside, then he backed out, too, pulling Christy with him. Buck’s eyes widened with fright when the man didn’t release Christy. “You can have the horse. Let her go.” She could feel his large belly shake as he laughed. “Well, Injun, I don’t think it works that way. You almost caused us a passle of trouble over one run down old horse. I reckon we better take the gal, too, as payment for our troubles.” Christy knew that would be Buck’s breaking point. She saw him reach for his guns and screamed. “Buck, no!” Fast as lightening, the man turned his gun from Christy to Buck. There was a loud explosion as the gunshot echoed off the barn walls. Christy watched in horror as Buck sank slowly to the ground. There was no time to think she could only react. With all her might, Christy drew back and kicked the man where she knew it would hurt him most. He gasped and loosened his hold. She jerked free and whirled around, straight into the arms of the other man. “Well, well, you’re a feisty little thing. Too bad your trouble will be for nothing.” He said as he placed his pistol gently against the side of her head. Christy closed her eyes tightly. She could hear the man she had kicked breathing raggedly behind her from the ground where he lay. There were no sounds from Buck and instantly she was sorry. Sorry that she had made him wait so long, sorry she hadn’t married him when she’d had the chance. Now it was too late. She waited and heard the cock of the pistol. “Put it down. Nice and easy.” Came a voice in front of her. Cautiously, Christy opened her eyes. Her gasp was audible when she saw Lou standing before her with a gun in each hand. Lou’s brown eyes were clear and serious, with no hint of confusion. She wore her old Pony Express uniform of men’s clothing. Her now long chestnut hair was hidden away under her hat. Christy recognized the old Lou, the one who wouldn’t back down in a fight, even if she were a girl. The man who held Christy realized the tables had turned on him. His friend lay in agony next to him and would clearly be no help. He considered just throwing down on the serious looking “boy” in front of him, but the odds were risky who would come out the winner. The man heard a horse galloping up, but the boy never flinched. A second later another young man joined the group. Christy’s captor was startled to see it was the famous “Wild Bill” Hickok. Unknowingly, he sighed heavily. This wasn’t turning out to be a good day. Christy had never been happier to see Jimmy. He glanced at Lou, who still held a gun on each man, but he didn’t seem surprised. The men knew they were outnumbered and quickly surrendered. As soon as she was released, Christy ran to Buck’s side while Jimmy and Lou tied up the men. Buck groaned as she gently tried to roll him onto his back. She unbuttoned his shirt and examined the bullet wound in his side. She went weak with relief when she discovered it was just a flesh wound and the bullet had made a clean exit. As she was attempting to staunch the blood flow with an old horse blanket, Buck awoke and blinked up at her. “Hey there.” She smiled softly. “You’re alright.” He sighed and grasped her hand. Jimmy carried Buck up to the house and put him in the guest bedroom where Christy could tend to him while Lou kept an eye on their prisoners and put Katy back into her stall. Then Jimmy and Lou loaded the two men into the buckboard and took them to Sweetwater where they would be put in jail. Jeremiah and Theresa, who had been hiding in Lou’s bedroom all this time, gradually crept into the bedroom where Buck lay. Christy watched them enter silently. She had cleaned and dressed Buck’s wound. She knew with a little time he would recover completely. Now there was only one question left in her mind. “Jeremiah, how did Lou know we were in trouble?” She asked. “I came inside, like you told me, and went up to her room. She was sitting in her rocking chair by the window, looking out at the barn. I didn’t think it would do any good, but I told her Buck was arguing with two men in the barn and you had went to see what was going on. It was like-like she came to life or something. She jumped up and strapped on her guns, grabbed her hat, and ran outside.” Jeremiah’s tone showed how amazed he was at the transformation in his sister. Christy was just as perplexed as the boy beside her was. After reassuring both of them that Buck would be fine, she sent Jeremiah and Theresa downstairs to play. She watched the man she loved sleeping peacefully and thought how close she had come to losing him this afternoon. If it hadn’t been for Lou, she knew the men would have killed her and finished off the job with Buck. Whatever had caused the sudden action in her sister-in-law, Christy was extremely glad it had happened. She went to sit on the edge of the bed. Her hand reached out to brush a strand of Buck’s long black hair away from his face. If any good had come of what happened today, Christy knew it was that she had finally realized the full extent of her feelings for the man next to her. As soon as he was better, she would tell him how much she loved him and that she would marry him anytime he wanted. She was still sitting there, happily picturing herself in a long white dress and a veil when she heard a soft knocking on the bedroom door. She shook her head once to clear the thoughts and went to see who it was. Jimmy stood there, looking unusually solemn. She quietly shut the door behind her. Leaning against it, she looked up at him gratefully. “I’m glad you were here today.” Christy said in greeting. She remembered the strain of his visit yesterday and wondered how long it would take before they could be friends again, if ever. He reached out to touch her face, seemed to think better of it, and withdrew his hand. “Are you alright?” “I’m fine.” She reassured him. “What about Buck?” His eyes rose to the door, thinking of the man behind it. “It was just a flesh wound; he got lucky.” He nodded absently. Despite the awkwardness of their relationship these last few years, Jimmy still considered Buck a friend. He wanted no harm to come to him. “Where’s Lou?” She asked suddenly. He smiled. “She’s putting the horses away. What happened?” “I don’t know.” She admitted. “It’s odd. Jeremiah said he told her what was happening and she just took off.” “Maybe it was the thought of you being in danger that set her off.” He reasoned. “After all, you’re pretty much all she has left, besides those two kids.” Christy shrugged. “Maybe.” Together they walked downstairs. Christy looked out the window and saw Lou sitting next to Jeremiah and Theresa. They were all talking and for the first time in a very long while, Lou looked like she actually understood the conversation. Jimmy watched Christy observing Lou. He had ridden out here to tell her his news, but Buck getting shot and delivering the prisoners to town had waylaid him. Now he stood before her and he knew the moment of truth had arrived. He removed his hat, unsure of how to begin. Christy turned to face him and for a moment she had the absurd thought that he was fixing to propose again. A knot of fear twisted her stomach. She went to sit down on the couch. “I guess you’re wondering why I came here.” He began. She stared at him with huge eyes. Christy wasn’t sure what Jimmy was fixing to say, but she sensed he was having a difficult time telling her. She waited silently for him to continue. He sat down in a rocking chair and sighed. “About three weeks ago, I got a letter from a fellow I bunked with some in the Army during the war. This was back when we-you, were still looking for Kid. I told him the situation and he promised me if he ever found anything, he’d let me know.” Her mouth dry, she felt an urge to stop him. She was no longer sure she wanted to hear what Jimmy had to say. Jimmy caught the look on her face but forced himself to go on. “This friend of mine was with a unit that went to survey the damage of the war. He traveled down south to a place called Helena, Arkansas. You ever heard of it?” She shook her head mutely. “Me either.” He rubbed his hands together nervously. “Anyway, he was in charge of trying to get together a body count of how many lives were lost. He counted all the graves in the area. He said most of ‘em didn’t even have names on them.” His eyes met hers. “But some of them did.” “What are you trying to tell me, Jimmy?” She whispered. He leaned back and rubbed his neck. Standing, he went to the window where Christy had been. Her gaze followed him from her place on the sofa. “He found Kid’s grave, Christy.” He said finally. “He found a grave marked Jebediah Lapolean Nelson.”
Chapter SixChristy had thought she had accepted Kid’s death but Jimmy’s words were like a blow. Perhaps some part of her deep down had always hoped that one day, despite the odds, Kid would walk through that door and return to her and Lou safe and sound. Now, even that small light had been extinguished.She felt stunned. Too stunned to move, too stunned to cry. She wished for Buck’s calming presence. “When?” She asked dully. He bowed his head, knowing the next part would be the worst. He could think of nothing to ease the pain he was fixing to cause her, so he just said it straightforwardly. “Three months ago.” Her head jerked up and her eyes were stricken. “What?” She whispered. He swallowed hard, hating to hurt her like this. “Kid was being held prisoner in Alton, Illinois. When the war was over they released him, but he was sick. He made it as far as Arkansas, then he died. No one even knows who buried him or why he was there. At least, that’s the best my friend could piece the story together.” “Oh God!” She cried. Her hands sought her face and the nails tore at the skin as if to rip it off. “No!” Alarmed, Jimmy went to her side. “Christy, don’t! It’ll be alright.” “No, Jimmy, it’s anything but alright!” The hands rose to her hair, pulling and tugging. “I gave up on him! He was alive and I-gave-up-on-him!” Her sobs came then. Jimmy hugged her to him. His heart felt like it was breaking in two. He had thought leaving her had been hard, but nothing could have prepared him for this. “I-it’s m-my f-f-fault.” She stammered. “H-he n-never would have st-stopped looking for m-me!” He grasped her tearstained face between his palms. “No! You did what you could, but you had to live, too. No one would blame you for giving up, including Kid.” “He was alive, Jimmy!” She wailed. “All this time, I thought he was dead. He was alive!” She rocked wildly back and forth. Jimmy refused to let her go, so he moved with her. Her body shook with her crying. He held on tighter, determined to see her through this. Had he done the right thing in telling her, he wondered? Kid was dead; telling Christy wouldn’t change that. When at last her tears stopped, she just sat and looked into space. She felt nothing, just a hollow void within her. At last she had the information she had sought for over four years. Christy had thought that just knowing, even if Kid was dead, that she would have some inner peace. She had never counted on this, though. “We can’t tell Lou.” She said at last, her voice thickened by her crying. He nodded numbly. Lou had made a giant step towards getting better that day. Both of them knew they couldn’t risk anything that might send her spiraling back into the abyss she had been in before. They sat together in the growing darkness. Christy made no move to light the lamps and Jimmy didn’t want to leave her side. . A silence hung over the room. They were both still sitting there when Jeremiah, Theresa, and Lou finally came inside. Theresa was so happy that Lou was acting normal again, she failed to notice the tension in the air. “Christy! Lou’s talking again!” She tried to smile as she hugged the little girl to her. “I know. Isn’t it wonderful?” Lou sat down on the other side of Christy and reached over to hug her. “I’m glad you’re alright.” Christy felt a brief wave of happiness when she looked into Lou’s eyes and saw her old friend looking back at her. She thought of what Jimmy had just told her and shivered. If Lou ever found out what happened to Kid, would Christy lose her again? She didn’t want to take the chance to find out. Jimmy soon ushered them out of the room to give Christy some space. He carefully lit the lanterns, casting a warm glow into the shadows. Christy drew her knees up to her chin. “I’ll go into town tomorrow and have the doc come out and check on Buck. He can look at Lou, too, while he’s here. I’ll send a telegram to Rachel and let her know what happened.” Jimmy said quietly. She nodded absently, not really caring. Everything had ceased to matter. Even the joy of having Lou back was spoiled. Christy’s head ached. She tried not to think of Kid lying sick somewhere with no one to care for him. Jimmy noticed her weariness. “Why don’t you go on to bed? I’ll round up something for the rest of us to eat. Maybe things will be better in the morning.” She doubted things would ever be better again, but she decided to take his advice. She rose, fully intending to go straight up to bed, but instead she ended up sneaking out the back door and walking down to the grave marker Buck had made for Kid. She sat down on the ground next to it. The moon was shining clear and bright and crickets raised a soft chorus on the night air, but Christy didn’t notice any of those things. Her mouth pulled down into a deep frown as her minded flickered to the real grave Kid was lying in somewhere in Arkansas. Now she realized what had been wrong all this time. She had listened to others and let them talk her into believing her cousin was dead. Deep in her heart, Christy had thought otherwise. She had felt like there was still some kind of connection between her and Kid. Anger rose in her briefly. Why had she let Buck persuade her? The thought was gone almost as soon as she’d had it. She couldn’t blame this on Buck. It was her own fault for giving up; her mistake to think that just because she hadn’t heard from Kid that he was dead. She knew she would have to live with that knowledge for the rest of her life and she didn’t know if she could. Christy stretched out on the ground. She traced the earth with her finger. The grief of not knowing what had happened to Kid had been bad, but this was far worse. Mixed with her sadness were regret and a feeling that she had let him down. She closed her eyes, as if to block some of the pain. She lay like that for hours, finally falling into a fitful sleep just before dawn. Lou continued to get better and Buck was sitting up in bed in a matter of days. Rachel arrived a few days after the shooting. She quickly assessed the situation and took control. She made certain Jeremiah and Theresa studied their lessons and did their chores. She washed the laundry, cooked the meals, and directed Jimmy to some of the jobs that needed doing outside. For the first couple of days, Rachel let Christy mope around the house. Most of the time, Christy would wrap herself in a quilt and sit in the porch swing. Lost in her own thoughts, she would stare out at the horizon for hours. Fearing another situation like Lou, Rachel determined not to let the girl do nothing all day. She invented things for Christy to do. Not trusting her with the cooking and cleaning, Rachel set her to weeding the garden, shelling the last of the summer peas, anything small that would keep her occupied but she couldn’t mess up too bad. Christy moved mechanically, but she didn’t argue or not finish whatever it was Rachel had her doing that day. Jimmy watched her with worried eyes. He felt a measure of guilt for telling Christy when no real purpose had been served. He wanted to talk to her but Rachel carefully kept them separated. She knew what Christy needed right now was to be alone to sort through her feelings. Buck asked Rachel everyday why Christy didn’t come to visit him much. Rachel had filled him in on Jimmy’s news. Buck wanted to comfort her. He also wanted to punch Jimmy for telling her. Rachel explained patiently that Christy just needed some time. She also carefully intervened to keep Buck and Jimmy apart. Lou was another story. Like Jimmy, Rachel thought it best to keep the news of Kid’s death quiet, at least until Lou had some time to heal. She was the only person Rachel took it easy on, allowing Lou to simply keep her company in the kitchen or watch over Theresa. In the end, it was Cody who saved the day. He just happened to wander in one day and was surprised to find Rachel and Jimmy there. After being filled in on the situation and pausing to give Lou a joyous hug, he headed out to the shady tree where Christy was lying on a quilt staring up at the sky. “Hello there!” He called down to her cheerfully, interrupting her view of white clouds against an azure background. “Billy!” She exclaimed, momentarily forgetting her sadness. He squatted down next to her and she rose to embrace him. She breathed in his scent. He smelled of sunshine, trees, and summer. He smelled of life. His soft buckskin jacket was warm against her cheek and his blonde hair tickled her nose. Almost despite herself, Christy felt her spirits rise a little. “What are you doing here?” She asked. He was relieved to see the beaten look leave her blue eyes. He grinned widely at her as he clasped her hands. “Well, I had some good news to tell ya!” She snorted. “I could use some of that.” His own light blue eyes mirrored his concern. “You alright?” “I’ve been better.” She shrugged. “I’ve just been sitting here thinking that I can’t let this kill me, though. It’s not what Kid would have wanted.” “You’re right.” Cody assured her, looking far more serious than was normal for him. “So what’s this good news you have to tell me?” The devilment reappeared in his expression. “Well, nothing much, exceptin’ that I’m a daddy!” A genuine smile lit her face. “Oh, Billy! That’s wonderful! When? What was it-a boy or a girl? What did you name it? How’s Louisa?” He laughed at her many questions. “It’s a girl, her name is Arta. She was born two months ago, but I had to wait for Louisa to get up and about before I could come out and tell you. I didn’t want to write because I wanted to tell you in person. I wanted to bring her with me, but Lu said she’s too little.” “Of course she is! I want to see her as soon as she gets a little older, though.” The happiness faded for a minute as Christy thought about all the children Lou and Kid would never have. Cody was quick to catch the look and hurried to distract her. “Lou looks good. Rachel told me about Buck and what happened. I knew she was faking!” Christy looked at him sharply but saw that he was teasing. She rolled her eyes at him and slapped him playfully in the arm. “I’ve missed you, Billy.” He smirked at her and reached up to adjust the collar on his white shirt. “Hard not to miss someone as good looking as me. Now, come up to the house with me; I want to visit with Buck for awhile.” He took her hand again and together they walked to the house. Rachel sighed with relief when she saw the effect Cody had on Christy. For all his bluff and bluster, he was a good friend and he had managed to put the sparkle back into the younger woman’s eyes. Buck was sitting up gazing out the window when Christy and Cody entered. He smiled softly at her, also noticing the difference in her demeanor. He shook hands with Cody and gestured for them to sit down. “How you feeling?” Cody asked. “Better. Glad to have some company, though. It gets a little boring cooped up here by myself.” He admitted. Christy glanced down guiltily. “I’m sorry, Buck. I know I should come to check on you more.” “It’s alright.” He insisted. “You’ve had a lot on your mind.” The three friends chatted for awhile. It didn’t take long for Buck to tire, so Christy and Cody soon left him to rest. As they went back downstairs, Christy wondered aloud where Jimmy was. “He was headed to town when I got here.” Cody commented. “I reckon he’ll be back before long.” The rest of the day passed pleasantly. It was the first time that Christy had felt normal since Jimmy had told her the news about Kid. Cody kept her entertained with stories of his new baby and she couldn’t help but laugh. The idea of Cody as a father was almost beyond belief. That night, after Rachel had retired for the evening, Jimmy, Cody, and Christy sat around the kitchen table together talking. Lou was upstairs reading to Theresa and Jeremiah. She seemed to want to spend as much time with them as possible to make up for the four years she had missed. Jimmy had only arrived back from town a few hours earlier. Both Christy and Cody smelled the liquor on his breath and suspected where he had been. He didn’t appear drunk, exactly, but his eyes were reddened and his balance was a little unsteady. Christy was surprised. Jimmy had never been one to indulge in much alcohol, other than the occasional drink. Christy studied the two men at they talked. All day an idea had been pecking at her mind. She wanted to tell Jimmy and Cody and get their opinion, but she wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. Finally, she decided just to dive right in. She waited for a lull in the conversation before starting. “I want to see where Kid is buried.” They both turned to stare at her. Cody’s gaze was incredulous and Jimmy’s a bit bleary. “What?” Cody finally managed. “I have to see it, Billy. I want to know for sure, I guess. Maybe somebody there will remember him…I don’t know how to explain it exactly, but I feel like I need to see his grave.” She fumbled to explain herself. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Chris.” He hedged. “What do you think, Hickok?” Jimmy’s eyes met hers. “If she wants to go, I guess she’s got a right.” Cody blew out an exasperated breath. “I ain’t talkin’ about whether she has a right. I mean does she need to go? Christy, don’t you think it would just upset you? I ain’t tryin’ to be harsh here, but Kid is dead-seeing his final resting place ain’t gonna change that.” “I know, Billy.” She stated quietly. “Maybe you’re right; it may be a totally stupid idea, but it’s something I feel I need to do.” “How are you gonna get there? Arkansas is a long way from here and Buck and Lou aren’t exactly in shape to leave alone.” He pointed out. “Rachel can stay with them; she’s already told me that much. Some lady just moved to Rock Creek who used to be a schoolteacher; she’s filling in until Rachel can get back.” Christy insisted. Cody leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “You can’t go by yourself.” Christy started to speak but Jimmy interrupted her. “She won’t have to, I’ll go with her.” “Oh, that’s gonna go over real well with Buck.” Cody rolled his eyes. “Jimmy is still my friend, same as you. Buck knows that.” Christy replied. “Fine.” Cody sighed. “You might as well count me in, too.” “What about Louisa and the baby?” She protested. “They’ll be alright for a little longer. Ya’ll are my family, too.” “Well, it’s settled then.” Jimmy said firmly. “I’ll gather some provisions and we can leave in a couple of days.”
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