THE ROCK CREEK ADVENTUROUS TALES PART ONE PROLOGUE The howling wind is sweeping down on the ranch located on the outskirts of Rock Creek the home of the long forgotten Pony Express Riders. In the distance the loud clattering and sweet songs of wind chimes can be slightly heard above the deafening gallop of hooves coming from the dozen or so restless horses that are trapped within the corral fence. A wooden plank engraved with the words The Kid & Buck Horse Ranch est. 1864 swings recklessly back and forth with a ghost town creaking noise coming from the rustic chains that hold the sign to the wooden posts. The view after the sign is of a ranch that has taken a couple of years and continues to be of hard labor from its owners Kid and Buck, to make it the largest horse ranch within a few hundred miles. To the left of the sign is an enormous wooden barn that has two corrals attached to it, and a third corral in the process of being built. The two corrals, that are already built, are located along the left side of the barn. Each corral has a set of large barn doors to allow easy entrance and departure for the many horses that reside inside. The partially built corral beyond the other two will be for wild horses that are not yet broke. There are three homesteads located on the ranch. One home is the old Pony Express Waystation home where Rachel Dunne lived during the Pony Express days, and still does. After the Pony Express was laid to rest, Rachel and Marshall Teaspoon Hunter bought the home, to start their new lives as Mr. & Mrs. Hunter. The second home on the ranch is located adjacent to the barn, but about fifty feet away. It is a newly constructed home that was built by Kid, Buck Cross, Jimmy Hickok, and on occasion Teaspoon would lend a helping hand other than supervising. This home is occupied by one of the families that are the co-owners of the ranch, Kid and Lou. The outside of Kid and Louise's home is white with dark green shutters around the windows. Several rockers and a wood swing are scattered about on the porch in an orderly fashion. Many family members often retire to Kid and Lou's porch furniture after a long hard day of work on the ranch. The wind chimes that hang from the porch roof ledge chime soft tunes whenever a breeze whistles through them. Lou constructed the chimes from pieces of rustic pipes held together by rope. She then attached a round base of metal at the top of the chimes. There are a few hanging baskets of flowers hanging from the rafters of the porch. The flowers are in full bloom making everyone aware that spring has just passed and that the hot air of summer is in full swing and here to stay for several months. The heavy breeze allows the fresh scent of the flowers to carry into the open windows of the house where the curtains whip out from their place against the interior of the windows. The last home on the ranch is located beyond Kid and Lou's home. Buck Cross the other owner of the horse ranch lives here. Buck's Pony Express family also built this home. The home is built along a harmonious flowing creek that also runs behind Kid and Lou's home, but a distance away from their backyard. The house is painted a medium brown with deep navy blue for the shutters surrounding the windows. The porch in front of the house extends the length of the home. Although there is a porch swing and several chairs on the porch, there are no flower baskets or anything else feminine that may lead one to believe that a woman lives here. Buck is a single man. He has yet to find a woman that can tolerate his Indian heritage. Upon Teaspoon's insistence that Buck will find a wife someday, he built a home large enough to accommodate a boundless family. Across from Kid and Lou's home is the old bunkhouse where six boys and one young lady had called their home while they rode for the Pony Express six years ago. The bunkhouse had been turned into a one-man home for Buck where he stayed until his home was completed. After the Pony Express had finished its last mail run, Buck was lost as to where he actually fit in the world. Other members of his Pony Express family quickly found their fate. Ike and Noah had each lost their life. Ike, earlier that year, died protecting the woman he loved. Jesse's brother, Frank James, shot Noah just before the Pony Express closed. Cody had joined the army. He left before the Pony Express actually closed down, much to everyone's disbelief, but especially the old stationmaster Teaspoon Hunter who couldn’t give Cody his blessing to go off to war to kill people. Cody became a scout for the army even against Teaspoon’s wishes. Kid and Lou had married in those final days before the express closed. Kid decided he would go back home to Virginia and fight in the war. Louise would stay on in Rock Creek with Teaspoon and Rachel who were already planning to be married. Jimmy had scattered about the countryside looking for what direction in life he should take. Teaspoon had sensed Buck's unhappiness at the family breaking up. Their family had been the first sense of security Buck and the rest of the boys, including Louise, had ever felt. Teaspoon had expressed to Buck back then no matter how many miles we are all separated by, we will always be family to each other. Teaspoon had offered Buck a deputy's job hoping that he would stay on in Rock Creek. He had said good-bye to all the boys except Louise. He was hoping he could keep at least one of them by his side. Buck wasn't sure. He thought maybe he'd try going home to his Kiowa family before making a permanent decision about settling in Rock Creek. Teaspoon had been understanding, but deeply saddened by Buck's decision. He had told Buck that he hoped life would be different for him in the Indian village this time around. Buck hoped so too. Even though leaving Teaspoon and Rachel was one of the hardest things Buck had ever done, Teaspoon didn't voice his concern for Buck directly to him. That didn't seem to matter Buck sensed that Teaspoon was sure he would not be treated any better then when he lived with the Kiowa tribe as a child. The day Buck left Rock Creek he kept Teaspoon's final words to him close to his heart. "Remember son, if life there doesn't work out the way you hope for, please come back home to us." Teaspoon had made Buck promise that he would. Teaspoon knew Buck would never break a promise. One year later in the autumn of 1862 Buck was home and wearing a deputy's badge. He was working alongside Teaspoon Hunter once again. Working with Teaspoon certainly allowed Buck to stay on in Rock Creek. He hadn't really confided to Teaspoon about his treatment at his brother Red Bear's village in detail. Only that his Rock Creek family made him feel better about himself. He hadn't wanted the only family he ever had to vanish before his eyes, and coming back only proved how strong their ties to each other are. Kid's idea about the horse ranch sealed Buck's fate to the people he cared about and loved the most in his life. A couple years of hard work by the owners and other family members has established Kid and Buck their future in Rock Creek. Along with running the horse ranch Buck stayed on as Teaspoon's deputy. Buck rarely shows up at the Marshall's office on a daily basis though. When his services are required as deputy, Teaspoon calls on his help. Most of Buck's days are spent working on the ranch along side his best friend and co-owner Kid. Both men have nurtured this ranch from its very beginning. Both men are proud of the long hours and hard work they put into the ranch to make it their future for themselves and their families. Their lives have never been without challenges though. They became a family made up of lost orphans trying to make it alone, but found each other along the way. They were brought together by one need. They all needed employment for one reason or another. Ever since that remarkable day when their lives finally had some security in them there have been some natural and unnatural forces trying to tear them apart. CHAPTER ONE The brooding gray clouds endangering their lives had appeared over Rock Creek for the past few days. After days of looking at a stormy sky with no raindrops Teaspoon had thought that maybe the skies were just being gloomy and that the violent storm that seemed so obvious at first would pass on to the next unsuspicious town. The first sprinkling of raindrops began to spill from the dismal skies by mid-afternoon on the third day of howling winds and dreadfully clouded skies. The gray overcast skies had become black as midnight within moments of the first outbreak of raindrops. Without stars to brighten the sky, the mid-day brilliance appeared to have shortened and turned abruptly into nightfall. The dirt streets of Rock Creek are bustling with the commotion of panicked townsfolk gathering the last of their purchased supplies from Thompkins’s general store and loading them onto their buckboards. Whenever there appeared to be a brutal storm descending upon the small community, it is an absolute must to have six weeks of supplies stored at one's homestead. It is more of a panic attack than a precaution. Never has any family from Rock Creek endured captivity at their homesteads for longer than a few days, and most of the time being secluded at one’s home involves a foot or two of snow in the dead of winter. Thompkins rushes out of his general store still wearing his white apron over his clothes with a hammer and nails grasped tightly in his hands. He grabs a plank of wood from behind a few chairs resting on the porch of his store. "There never seems to be anything good happening in this god forsaken town," he mumbled to himself. He places a board over a window and begins to hammer nails into the board. "Do you think the storm is gonna be bad enough to board up?" asked a customer holding his basket of supplies that he had just purchased from Thompkins store. Just as soon as the customer asks Thompkins about the store the two men observe the bank close their doors, and instantly the banker places a closed sign in the window. Both Tompkins’s and the customer's head turn when they hear the slamming of the saloon doors. "Does that answer your question?" replied Thompkins rather gruffly. "I can't tell you the last time the saloon closed its doors in the middle of the day." He continues to hammer the boards across the windows of his general store. The panic-stricken noise of the residents of Rock Creek spins Thompkins around to gasp at the view before him. The townsfolk are running hurriedly in every direction, causing more confusion then what is really necessary. They are trying to escape to the safety of their homes. But, in the mass of upheaval, many of the townsfolk are being trampled on, buckboards are racing down the main street of Rock Creek without a driver, and children are being separated from the security of their parent's hand. Thompkins shakes his head in amazement at the scene before him. The first claps of thunder roar across the town followed by a bolt of lightning. Thompkins has had enough. He high tails it inside his general store to find shelter, slamming the door and pulling the window blind down behind him. Back at the horse ranch the wind has mounted up to a destructive velocity. The loud thunder and streaks of bright lightning are turning the frightened horses that are trapped inside the corral into a wild pack of tormented animals! The animals seem as if they are in shock. They are racing at full speed circling the inside of the corral. The animals are hugging the fence tightly as if someone or something were attacking them. The horses are trying to pass each other in the circle they have formed. A few of them unconsciously gallop into the horse in front of them almost losing their balance and sprawling to the muddy ground. They have become out of control to handle and dangerous to themselves and anyone who tries to calm them! Buck and Kid are rushing out the front door of Kid's home. The skies suddenly open up to a violent downpour. Both men are trying to toss their coats on to protect themselves from the cruelness of Mother Nature. They desperately make their way toward the frightened horses before they become an unknowing danger to themselves. The tornado like wind is stalling their movements toward the corrals. Louise watches her husband and best friend battle the harsh elements from inside the warmth of her home. A roaring roll of thunder and a flash of lightning suddenly startle her. Horror is etched upon her face as she watches the two stumble and almost slip to the ground! The vicious downpour appeared like a waterfall before her eyes. Her visibility is strained. With every squint of her eyes she sees less and less of the two men who are risking their lives to save their livelihood. Before Buck and Kid are even a few feet away from the last porch step they are drenched from the buckets of rain pouring over them! Both men have their arms up covering their faces from the battering they are taking from the hard rain. The downpour is blinding them from reaching their destination! "We've got to get to those horses before they kill themselves!" shouts Buck trying to yell over the thunder and rain. The hard pelts of rain are beating against his face making it difficult for him to see even a foot in front of him. Even Kid who is just a step in front of Buck is nothing but a blur. He pushes a few strands of his dark hair out of his eyes. But, with the rain beating down straight at him even clearing his face from strands of long dark hair doesn't help clear up his sight. Both men finally make their way to the edge of the barn. Buck and Kid both stand against the barn trying to catch their labored breath. Kid wipes the rain from his eyes. Buck puts his ear to the barn wall and leans in close to listen to any disturbing noise that might be coming from inside the barn. "At least the horses in the barn are quiet," spoke Buck as he pulled himself away from the barn and tried focusing on the corral that is out of his sight, but not out of hearing range. The overwhelming sound that Buck hears is of stampeding horses. Kid hears the unusual noise at the very same time as Buck does. Both men dart from their protection against the barn and turn the corner to continue toward the frightened animals. They hug their bodies close to the barn as they walk to the corrals. Once they reach the corrals Buck slides underneath the corral fence. Kid tried, without much success, to open the corral fence gate."Kid, you'll have to climb under!" Buck hurried back over to Kid, and helps him climb underneath the corral. Once Kid is inside the corral both men try making their way to the animals with extreme caution. "I'll get the barn door!" shouted Kid over the thunder hoping that Buck heard him. Kid started to walk away from Buck, and swiftly begins to slip in the mud. Buck takes a hold of Kid's forearm before he goes down. Kid lets out a gasp as he tries to secure his footing in the mud. "Be careful! Those horses will trample you to death if you go down in this mud!" shouts Buck as both he and Kid almost end up in the mud. Buck balances himself and tightens his hold on Kid. Kid balances himself before Buck releases his strong grip on him. Kid starts out once again toward the barn door only this time his walk is cautious and unhurried. Another loud and prolonged clap of thunder sends the horses sprinting faster around the confinement of the corral! Buck senses the danger he is in as he sees the horses coming toward him at an uncontrollable charge. His eyes are wide open with fear as he stares blindly at the horses advancing toward him in rabid fashion. Buck turns his body and hugs himself close to the corral. The horses pass by him kicking up a lot of mud aimed toward the back of him. He lowers his head down closer to the top rail of the fence. It seemed like an eternity until the distressed animals have passed by his shuddering body. Once the horses have passed by him Buck turns himself around and tries to calmly figure a way out of this situation. Kid manages to reach the barn doors slipping and sliding all the way. He lifts the wooden latch that holds the doors closed. With all the energy he can muster up, he manages to get the doors to open against the wind that has grown five times in strength since the he and Buck had first walked out of the house. Kid is in the middle of getting the second door open when two horses walk past him in a hurry to get inside the barn. "I'll get these two into their stalls," Kid shouted back toward Buck. Kid walks into the barn behind the two loose animals. They have calmed down into the tame animals that they once were before the storm had hit their home. Kid glances around at the horses that are already in their stalls. There are forty some horses already in their stalls not paying any mind to the inclement weather outside their save haven. Kid takes a quick glance at his old Katy. She seems not to be unnerved by the raging storm outside her comfortable stall. Kid continues into the barn farther and begins to get the two loose horses settled in their stalls for the night. Buck is right behind him guiding a restless horse into the barn. Kid turns toward Buck and watches his friend calm the animal before walking her to her stall. Buck slowly walks the animal while he tries brushing some of the rain from her chestnut coat. She prances back and forth as Buck leads her around the inside of the barn holding onto her harness. Buck offers her a carrot. She gracefully accepts the carrot from his hand. She calms down within a few minutes, and Buck leads her to her stall. He puts some fresh straw down on the ground for her to chew on. "Good girl," Buck remarked to the horse. Kid watched Buck handle the horse with amazement. He wonders how Buck knows exactly what to do to tame a wild animal down. It's a gift the Kiowa has been blessed with for as long as Kid has known him. Buck reaches Kid and they both rush back out into the blinding rain to rescue the rest of their stock. "It's a good thing we brought the horses from the grazing fields in earlier today. We could have had a real mess on our hands," Kid spoke over the restless hooves making their way towards the young men. Kid hurriedly tries to get out of the way of the approaching horses. He dislikes being trapped in a deadly situation such as this. Kid wonders how Buck manages to stay calm to get the job done as quickly as possible, when in fact he acts nervous around the raging horses which slows down the process of retiring the animals into the barn. "Watch your step!" But Buck's warning was too late for Kid. He slipped and lands flat on his back down onto the soggy ground. Buck rushes to his side before the horses are upon them again. Buck reaches out his hand for Kid to latch onto. He pulls Kid to his feet. "Are you alright?" Buck asked with concern for his friend's well being. Kid is covered from head to boot in mud. He tries to wipe the mud off his clothes with his hands looking a little sheepish at Buck. "Yeah, just a little embarrassed about my stupidity." "Let's just get to those horses," Buck spoke as he clapped his friend on the back and smiled at him for his foolishness. The thunder continued to roar in the skies. The rain continued to beat down harshly on the two young men that are trying desperately to save their horses. A prolonged clap of thunder rages on and visibly shakes the windows of the old Pony Express station home! CHAPTER TWO Teaspoon pushes back a curtain that hampers his sight onto the outside world. He is downstairs close to the front door of the home he shares with his wife Rachel and their two sons, Addison and Daniel Hunter. He gazes out at the storm that is threatening the lives of two of the young men that he loves as if they were his own sons. Teaspoon watches with concerned eyes as Buck and Kid wrestle with the horses against the strong elements of the storm. Rachel stands behind Teaspoon with concern enveloping on her face. She knows her husband all too well. He won't stand buy helplessly while Buck and Kid's lives are in danger. Teaspoon turns around and places his coffee cup onto the table directly behind him. "I've got to get out there and help them boys before they get themselves killed," Teaspoon spoke not looking up at his wife knowing there would be pain and deep concern harboring in her eyes. "I know you do. Just please be careful," Rachel spoke somberly as she moved to be at her husband's side. Teaspoon grabbed his coat from the coat rack near the front door. He starts to put it on when Rachel is at his side helping him with the buttons. He kisses her softly on the cheek and opens the front door. The brut force of the wind almost blows the door shut before Teaspoon can take a single step outside. He suddenly realized just how strong the wind had become as the day grew older. He firmly holds the door ajar with an opening only large enough for him to exit the house. The cold wind hits Teaspoon immediately in the face when he walks out into the storm. Rachel stands at the door keeping just a crack of it open so she can keep a watchful eye on her husband as he calculates his every move toward the corrals. Teaspoon pulled the collar of his jacket closer to his chilled face. As he takes two steps towards the barn the unrelenting wind sends him back one step. He pushed his body forward into the strong wind; he knows he must hurry to get to his boys. Buck and Kid don't notice Teaspoon making his way toward them. They are too busy trying to calm down the remaining horses in the corral. But, with each new roar of thunder and each bright bolt of lightning, the horses become more agitated and more of a danger to themselves and the two men trying to rescue them. Buck finally gets another horse by her harness and begins to sooth her by walking her slowly toward the barn. He is only gone for a few seconds when he makes his way back out to the blackness of the corral. He looks up and suddenly sees Teaspoon climbing underneath the corral fence. "No!" Buck shouts as he runs full force to get to Teaspoon. He forgets to pay attention to the soft ground underneath his boots. Buck takes a bad fall into the sticky mud. He hits the back of his head on the ground and lays motionless. When Buck doesn't make any attempt to get up Kid and Teaspoon both are at his side in a few seconds. Buck slowly opens his eyes for fear of being trampled by a horse. He's also afraid he may see stars before his eyes. A soft gasp of pain escaped his lips as he tries to move. Teaspoon and Kid both extend their hand for Buck to grab onto them for support. "Now who's doing the rescuing?" Teaspoon asked as they pull Buck to his feet. "Thank God son that you've got a hard head." Kid is a little more compassionate than Teaspoon. He is concerned that his best friend may end up with a splitting headache."Either that or the ground gives in right now with all this rain we're having," Kid spoke softly so he wouldn't alarm the headache that he is certain is brewing in Buck's head right about now. Buck rubs the back of his head and ends up with a hand full of mud. The rain which seems never ending continues its assault on the three men. For once Buck is glad for the relentless rain. It washes the sticky mud from his long hair and his clothing. "Why are you out here?" asked Buck with pain from a headache etched upon his face. "The two of you looked like you could use some help," Teaspoon replied innocently. "You shouldn't be out here in this mess. You could get yourself hurt," Buck spoke with protest in his eyes. "Buck, do you know how foolish you sound. I'm not the one that just about killed himself hitting his head on the hard ground," Teaspoon spoke straightforwardly. "Yeah, but if you hadn't come out here I wouldn't have been rushing to get to you before you got yourself hurt by one of these stampeding horses," Buck spoke softly due to the pounding going on inside his head. "You two need my help. You two can't handle all these horses by yourself," Teaspoon spoke with confidence knowing he is capable of handling any situation that comes his way. "Please go back into the house with Rachel. If anything happens to Rock Creek’s marshal the townsfolk will have my hide," Buck spoke in a pleading tone to Teaspoon. "Buck, Teaspoon's right. The three of us can get this done a lot faster than just the two of us can. Let's just get these horses in the barn. When we're finished we can go over to the house and argue about it then," Kid spoke trying to reason with Buck. Buck shakes his head in disapproval not happy with the end result of his pleading. Teaspoon walks swiftly away from Buck before he can mount another protest. Kid puts his arm around Buck's shoulder in a comforting manner. "Don't worry. Remember when we were all riding for the Pony Express, Teaspoon was more cautious than all of us put together. Some things never change Buck," Kid spoke trying to persuade his lifelong business partner that nothing bad could ever happen to Teaspoon Hunter. "The only thing that's changed is that he's older now," Buck spoke in a quiet and sad tone as if he doesn’t want Teaspoon to hear his words. "Don't let Teaspoon ever hear you say that. He'll have your hide long before the folks of Rock Creek can get a hold of you." Kid walked away from Buck just in time to retrieve a horse that calmly pranced up to him as if the horse wants Kid to direct him into the safety of the barn. "Hopefully they'll all start to tire from their aggressive attack." Just as Kid opened his mouth about the horses finally becoming worn out the skies open up with an earth-shaking clap of thunder startling the horses that are still out in the storm causing them to react with another stampeding waltz around the corral. The wind has died down enough that the rain is not blowing directly into their faces, but it is still coming down by the buckets full! Buck watches Teaspoon grab hold of a rather meek horse that prances right along side of him. The horse allows Teaspoon to grab his reins and lead him safely into the dry barn. Buck breaths a sigh of relief that perhaps Teaspoon can still handle the elements of surprise. Buck thinks back to the days when they rode for the Pony Express. They were a close-knit family. When any one of them was in trouble the others were always there to help out. Teaspoon was always there. He never once let them down. He'd let them try and solve their own problems, but he was always close by to listen or help out. There had been so many times when they lived in Sweetwater and at Rock Creek when the townsfolk discriminated against Buck because of his Kiowa blood. Teaspoon always defended Buck even when others doubted him. Indian troubles were a daily battle in Sweetwater and Rock Creek. Somehow Buck always managed to get in the middle of the war between the White man and the Indian. Even if he didn't want to be, the townsfolk and Indians always placed him in the middle. Since he is a half-blood the townsfolk found it easy to place blame on him. Teaspoon always stood up for both the Whites and the Indians. He'd never take one side or the other without all the facts being laid out in front of him. If the facts looked more like mud water than clear water then he'd find the truth before doing any accusing. Teaspoon always knew how Buck felt. Being from two different worlds, but not really being accepted by either world. Teaspoon is definitely a man that any man, woman or child could easily respect. Even if the townsfolk thought Teaspoon was wrong deep down they all knew he was right. Finding Teaspoon and the Pony Express Waystation in Sweetwater was the best thing that ever happened to Ike McSwain and Buck Cross. Thoughts of Ike brought a warm smile to Buck's face. If Ike were alive today he would definitely have been a part of this ranch. Jeremiah is seated on a chair at the dining room table. He slips one boot on and is working on the second when Louise comes storming into the dining room as if the house were on fire. "Where do you think you're going?" Louise's tone, that matches her temperament, has never been anything to fool with. "I need to get out there and help Kid and Buck," Jeremiah replied not quite looking his older sister in the eyes. Jeremiah is sixteen years old and at least a head taller than his sister. But, Louise's wrath is one thing he tries to avoid at all costs. He has witnessed what Kid goes through on an almost daily basis being married to his sister. He has also noticed how Louise can easily put Buck in his place if need be. Yes, Jeremiah knows that when Louise speaks you damn well better listen! "I don't think you'll be going anywhere," Louise spoke commandingly. "How much longer am I gonna have to endure being treated like a ten year old?" Jeremiah asked making his way into a bad mood while meeting Louise's stubborn glare. "This storm is like a wicked witch. One minute she's looking like she's not gonna attack and then suddenly the thunder and lightning and downpours strengthen her victory. Kid and Buck don't need you out there getting in their way. They would only worry about you getting hurt. Then they wouldn't pay attention to what they're doing, and one of them would end up getting seriously hurt." Jeremiah couldn't believe his dumb luck that Louise had caught him before he could escape her over protective motherly ways. His sigh is one of exhaustion after listening to the same lecture he endures every time he tries to accomplish a task that proves he's a man and not a young child. He'll have to apply himself more to find a way to outsmart his persistent sister. Kid and Buck are gently easing two horses into the barn. "I'll take her Kid," Buck stated as he takes the reins of both horses and proceeds to lead them into two vacant stalls. "There are only three more horses out there," Kid spoke wiping rain from his face with the back of his hand. Yeah, the three wildest one's," Buck spoke as he walks one of the horses into her stall and starts to walk the other into her stall. "Better get back out there with Teaspoon.” Kid had already started toward the barn door. He couldn’t help himself but to turn around and smile at Buck's smothering remark. "You worry too much." Kid spoke as he makes his way back out into the bad weather before Buck can comment. When Kid gets back outside into the storm he notices that Teaspoon is trying to get a black stallion to listen to reason. It appears to Kid that the stallion has taken a slight liking to Teaspoon. The stallion allows Teaspoon to pat and brush the moisture from his mane. Kid hurries to one of the last two horses in the corral. He sees Buck coming out of the barn throwing a glance Teaspoon's way before making his way over to the last horse. Kid shakes his head smiling at his friend. What a mother hen Buck has become where the marshal is concerned. Buck tries several times to grab the reins of the horse closest to the barn doors. She prances around close to the barn entrance, but refuses to go inside. When Buck tries again to grab her reins she quickly turns away from him as if playing a game. "So you want to play hard to get," Buck spoke softly to the horse as not to alarm her. She throws her head back slightly which gives Buck the opportunity to grab her reins. Another loud crack of thunder rolls across the flat land of the ranch. A flash of lightning follows lighting up the sky as if it were daylight. The steady drizzle paces back up to a drenching downpour. Kid crouches down low to the ground as a piece of the barn roof tears loose and flies toward him! It lands on the ground behind him and crumbles to pieces as it hits hard to the ground. Kid straightens his stance slowly glancing up at the barn roof. He sees plenty of areas where the roof is completely missing or where pieces of roof are loose and trying to dislodge from the barn. Buck tries to locate Kid and Teaspoon in the sudden burst of downpour. The rain is like a blanket and is too thick to see anything or anybody in front of him. He hears the hail of sounds coming from a cornered animal. Buck struggles against the elements of the weather to make out the stallion pacing back and forth where Teaspoon has him cornered at the far end of the corral. He can barely make out Teaspoon's stance in front of the frightened animal. Teaspoon appears to be backing off the animal when Buck hears the violent pounding of the stallion's hooves hit their mark. Buck's eyes are wide open with terror as he sees Teaspoon slammed to the ground by the force of the stallion. When the stallion tries to get away from his captivity in the corner he tramples on Teaspoon's legs! "Teaspoon!" Buck bellowed deeply with fear etched on his face. CHAPTER THREE Without a moments hesitation Buck is at Teaspoon's side. He slides to the ground and pulls Teaspoon's head onto his lap. Buck gently strokes Teaspoon's face brushing back the blood that is pouring out from a gash above his eyes. It doesn't take long before Buck's shirt is soaked with blood from Teaspoon's head wound. Teaspoon lays on the muddy, cold, wet ground unconscious. "Teaspoon," Buck spoke softly. Kid witnessed everything that just happened from the far back end of the corral. He stands still in horrified disbelieve for a moment before he is able to gather his thoughts and quickly make his way over to Teaspoon and Buck. As he makes his way over to Teaspoon and Buck he slips and slides several times in the slippery mud. Kid is on his knees at Teaspoon's side. He takes in everything before examining Teaspoon's wounds. "The cut on his forehead doesn't look too bad, but it sure is bleeding heavily." Teaspoon's pants have been torn around the calf and knee area. Kid can't really tell if they are just badly bruised or maybe worse. "I'm not sure about his legs." "We have to get him over to the house and out of this blasted rain," Buck stated his voice cracking with emotion. Kid takes hold of Buck's forearm in a firm manner. Kid hears the stress and blame in Buck's voice. "Are you okay?" "Yeah I'm fine. Let's just get Teaspoon over to the house before he starts to get sick from this cold rain." Kid and Buck both stand up and gently pull Teaspoon up. They both have a strong hold on his waist. His legs drag behind him. The almost dead weight of their friend makes it a slow process to reach the corral fence gate. Jeremiah opens the front door and watches the pouring rain hit the already soggy ground. "We could end up having a flood if this keeps up much longer," he spoke to himself. He had hated to do it, but he had to wake little Emma up so that Louise would have to attend to her two-year-old toddler. The time it would take Louise to get upstairs, calm her daughter down, and resume her place back downstairs in the kitchen, would give him ample time to make his escape. He could have been a great help to Buck and Kid if only Louise could see things his way. Three sets of hands in a disaster such as this one would definitely be much better than two. Louise could only understand that when the third set of hands were her own. Jeremiah quietly closes the front door, and tiptoes off the creaking front porch. He only walks a short distance when he spots Kid and Buck wrestling with Teaspoon's limp body. He runs over to where they are without thinking about the slippery mud beneath his boots. Jeremiah does plenty of slipping and sliding, but manages to stay on his feet. Kid spots Jeremiah coming towards them at full speed. "Get back in the house! I'm sure Lou didn't give you permission to be out in this storm!" "I'm not a child anymore! I am capable of doing a man's work!" Jeremiah demands. "Yeah! Well Teaspoon isn't a child, and look what has happened to him," Kid spoke harshly at his brother-in-law. Buck is becoming very impatient at the conversation between Kid and Jeremiah. "Kid can we just get Teaspoon in the house. Jeremiah if you want to be all grown up how about saddling up your horse and get over to the Doc's office and get him out here," Buck spoke trying to hurry the conversation between kid and Jeremiah to be over. "Doc isn't going to come out here in this miserable weather," Jeremiah replied. "Tell him that Teaspoon has been badly hurt. He'll come out," Kid replied. Jeremiah ran to the barn almost falling down several times into a pool of mud. He quickly gains his balance and continues his journey into the barn. Buck and Kid make it to Rachel and Teaspoon's home. The hurricane like rain has slowed down to a drizzle. Buck glances down at Teaspoon's face when he hears soft pain-filled moans coming from the man. He tries to loosen his grip slightly thinking that he is hurting the marshal. Kid notices Buck's worrisome expression. "He's strong Buck." Buck doesn't acknowledge that he hears Kid. He is deep in thought praying Teaspoon's injuries aren't as critical as they appear to be. By the time the two men reach the house with Teaspoon, Rachel has already been alerted to the fact that Teaspoon is injured and she is standing in the open doorway. She tries to protect herself from the inclement weather, but she also wants to visualize her husband's injuries as the two men bring him closer to the front door. Her expression is of uneasiness. She fears that her husband may be badly hurt. If the truth were known though no one could have stopped him from helping his two boys. Buck and Kid ease Teaspoon into the house. "We sent Jeremiah for the doctor Rachel," Kid spoke softly to her. Jeremiah galloped his horse as fast as she possibly could go through the rain and muddy streets of Rock Creek. In front of the Doc's office Jeremiah brings his horse to a complete halt and slides off her back, throwing the reins over the hitching post. He hurries past his horse and walks onto the front porch of the Doc's office. Jeremiah raps on the front door a few times, but gets no answer. Jeremiah starts to shiver from the drenched clothes that he didn't have time to change out of. His entire body starts to tremble from the cold night air and the dampness. His pounding on the door causes the windows to rattle. The longer he stands outside without an answer the louder he bangs on the door. The thought crosses his mind that maybe he should just break into the Doc's home. "Come on Doc. Answer the door!" As Jeremiah shivers violently and clutches his arms together he raises his tightly clenched fist ready to pound on the door again. The door suddenly opens abruptly. Jeremiah almost falls forward into the doctor's arms. "Jeremiah what is your problem at this ungodly hour?" Doc, Teaspoon's been hurt real bad out at the ranch! He's out cold and he's got a large gash over his eyes. Buck and Kid asked me to bring you out to examine him. They both seem real upset at the way Teaspoon looks," Jeremiah spoke his voice stuttering from the cold. "Let me get my medical bag. Get my horse from the livery stables and saddle her up for me," Doc Barnes spoke wasting no time turning away from Jeremiah to retrieve his black medical bag. "Sure thing. I'll be right back with her," Jeremiah replied to an empty open door space. The boys had managed to walk Teaspoon up the stairs to his bed. His wet clothes heaped in a pile at the foot of the bed. Rachel is unwilling to leave her husband's bedside long enough to hang them over a clothes racks to dry. Buck is sitting on a chair close to Teaspoon's bed on the opposite side that Rachel is sitting on. He has his chin propped up with his hands, his elbows on his knees. There is no movement from the marshal. Buck runs his cold fingers through his damp hair trying unsuccessfully to calm his nerves. He continues to be too quiet. He is content to watch Teaspoon for any sign of his waking up to join them. Rachel places a damp cloth on Teaspoon's forehead to relieve some of the fever that is already raging inside the faithful marshal's body. Rachel glances over at the tormented expression that has been glued to Buck's face since they brought Teaspoon into the house. "He's going to be alright. You know how stubborn he can get. He won't stay down long." Buck doesn't take his eyes off Teaspoon's still form. "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" Rachel takes the cloth from Teaspoon's forehead to dampen it again in the basin of warm water she has sitting next to the bed on a nightstand. "Both of us, I guess." She wrings the cloth out and gently strokes Teaspoon's bruised face with it. "I know exactly what you're thinking. You're going to blame yourself for this. Thinking you should have dragged him back into this house the second he got near any of those horses. You know when Teaspoon gets something in his head he sees it through until the job is finished." "What he is, is a stubborn old fool Rachel. Thinks he still has to keep us in line like he did when we were riding for the Pony Express. When we were all his boys," Buck spoke softly so he wouldn't wake the man he loved like a father. "He's not that old Buck. Personally I think he can still handle you boys pretty darn well. It's those unrelenting horses he has trouble with." Buck glances over at Rachel and manages a half smile just to let her know that he's not totally blaming himself for Teaspoon's predicament."I just wish he'd let us take care of him now." "I know honey," Rachel spoke reassuringly. "You won't tell him I called him a stubborn old fool, will you?" "Not on your life! He'd probably have us both hung," Rachel replied. She places the damp cloth over Teaspoon's forehead once again while listening to Buck's soft laugh. She turns her attention towards the footsteps making their way up the stairs and into her bedroom. Doc Barnes steps into the room with Kid trailing close behind him. He walks closer to the bed and glances down at Teaspoon before looking directly at Rachel. "Kid has told me a little bit of what happened. I'll need to examine my patient if you could all wait downstairs." "Doc Barnes, I'd like to stay," Rachel stated calmly. Doc Barnes takes her hand in his and forces her to rise from the side of the bed that she has not moved an inch from since Teaspoon was brought into the bedroom. "Rachel go downstairs and make some coffee for these two exhausted boys of yours. I promise the second I'm finished with my examination I'll be downstairs to report my findings to you and the boys." Buck walks over to Rachel and takes her hand away from the doctor's hand. "Doc's here now. We need to allow him to find out what's wrong so Teaspoon can start healing." Rachel simply nods her head in agreement. She takes one last look at her husband and bends down to place an affectionate kiss on his cheek. "I'll be right downstairs. I love you," Rachel whispered to Teaspoon. Kid, Buck and Rachel leave Teaspoon in the good care of Doc Barnes. Louise is busying herself, in Rachel's kitchen, making coffee when the three worrisome faces walk to the table. Rachel, Kid and Buck each somehow musters up the strength to pull out a chair to seat themselves. Louise glances at each one of them hoping one of them will speak up about Teaspoon's condition. None of them do. Their eyes all hold a downcast appeal to them. Louise could swear that she can even feel their hearts breaking at the thought of their fallen husband, father, friend and marshal. She clears her throat, but still none of them pay her any attention. It rather troubles her that Kid, Buck and Rachel obviously don't notice her or even smell the strong pot of coffee brewing. You would think her coffee would wake up their senses! Louise places her arms around Rachel's shoulders. "How's he doing?" Louise asked still gazing from one anguished face to another. "Doc Barnes just arrived. He's upstairs examining Teaspoon right now. Who's sitting with Abigail and Emma?" Kid asked concerned about his two young daughters. "Jeremiah walked back over to the house to tell me what happened. The storm woke Teresa up. She came downstairs to make sure everyone got out of the storm safely. You know what a little worrier she can be. Anyway, they both said they'd stay up until we come back home," Louise replied a little upset that Kid doesn't seem to trust her younger brother or sister with their two children. Kid notices the disapproving tone in Lou's voice. He reaches out to bring her down on his lap and hug her. "I'm sorry. This storm just has me a little on edge." "Jeremiah wanted me to tell you and Buck that he managed to get the last three remaining horses into the barn and secure for the night." "I guess he's a lot more responsible than I gave him credit for being," Kid spoke softly to his wife. Buck and Rachel have remained quiet during the entire time that Kid and Louise have been holding their conversation. Louise gets up from Kid's lap and walks back over to Rachel to be by her side. She once again puts her arm around the disheveled woman's shoulders. "I'm sure Teaspoon is going to be alright. Teaspoon isn't about to leave Buck here in charge of the town," Louise chuckled softly at the mere thought of that happening. Rachel and Buck both manage to glance up at Louise and offer her a smile that brightens her face for a brief moment. "I wish Doc Barnes would hurry up," Rachel spoke her voice cracking with emotion. She gets up from her chair and begins to wear a hole in the dining room hard wood floor. "Rachel doc needs time to make an accurate diagnosis of Teaspoon's injuries. We wouldn't want doc overlooking anything that could be portentously serious later on," Buck spoke as he watched Rachel pace back and forth across the dining area. The doc’s footsteps can be heard walking down the stairs. Rachel stops abruptly and glances towards the stairs. Doc Barnes walks into the dining area where he faces an over anxious family waiting for some good news about their beloved family member. Buck and Kid both notice the concerned look on the doctor's face. They both stand to hear the news they are dreading. "The gash on Teaspoon's forehead is not too worrisome. I am concerned that Teaspoon is awake and complaining of a severe headache. I'm sure he has a slight concussion. He may endure other symptoms from the concussion such as blurred vision and perhaps some dizziness when he tries to stand up." Rachel's obviously tense structure is starting to relax somewhat from the doctor's news. She even is slightly smiling. Buck and Kid still sense the doctor is not through telling them the worst of Teaspoon's injuries. "I don't want to ruin your apparent better mood Rachel, but I haven't finished with my prognosis of your husband." Doc Barnes spoke calmly not wishing to alarm anyone. He turns to face Buck and Kid. "I'll need some wood to make a splint for his left leg." "It's broken?" Rachel asked as her spirit has been dampened. The doctor turns to face a semi fragile Rachel. He takes her hand in his trying to comfort her. "I'm afraid so. The break appears to be a clean break. It should heal without any complications." "Buck and I will go out to the barn and find some wood along with some rope," Kid spoke as he pushes Buck towards the front door. The two men leave Louise and Rachel to talk more with the doctor concerning Teaspoon's accident and recovery. Back outside again the boys don’t have to fight to walk, the wind has calmed down to a normal summer breeze. The rain is still falling from the overcast sky, but it is a mere drizzle. The thunder and lightning no longer exist. The two men walk towards the barn at a fast pace dodging the deep mud puddles along the way. Even with the night shadows lurking over the ranch the two men still can witness the damage the violent storm has done to their horse ranch. Buck and Kid both stop dead in their tracks as they approach the barn and corrals. They look upon the shambles the corrals are in due to the strong winds that descended upon the ranch. Parts of the corral fence are split in two and other parts of the corral are completely torn apart. One side of the barn door is torn from its hinges. Tumbleweed and sagebrush are littered throughout the corrals. The barn roof has a few gapping holes. The water trough next to the barn is completely flattened. Many of the small trees around the outside of the corrals have completely collapsed. "I guess we don't need daylight to gather how much work we'll have in store for us over the next few weeks," Kid spoke as he glanced Buck's way. “We don't even know what kind of damage has been done out back. How are we going to get the ranch back in shape and also replace Teaspoon as the town marshal and deputy?" Buck asked his attention totally aimed toward Kid. "I hadn't thought of our marshal and deputy duties. First we need to focus on Teaspoon. Let’s find some wood for Teaspoon's splints." CHAPTER FOUR It is early morning the day after the storm. The ranch rooster is crowing his head off. He knows that everyone on the ranch has an abundance of chores to do. What the poor old rooster doesn't quite understand is that everyone on the ranch has been up since before the crack of dawn. He continues his morning tune without giving it much thought. Jeremiah and Louise are walking around Teaspoon and Rachel's home surveying the damage the storm left behind. Jeremiah picks up a large stone and hurtles it at the unsuspecting rooster perched on his wooden post that survived the storm but is slanted semi sideways. "Can't that dumb bird see that we are all out of bed?" "Jeremiah the rooster only understands sunrise. Please don't throw any more stones at my rooster. The poor thing probably had a rough night in that awful storm," Louise spoke in a concerned manner for one of her animals. Louise, with her hands exhaustingly perched on her hips, looks out over the ranch from just outside the white picket fence that goes around the front of Rachel and Teaspoon's home. Her keen eyes don't miss a thing. The bunkhouse windows are completely shattered. The roof will definitely need patched up as well. The firewood once neatly stacked on the bunkhouse porch is strewn all over the ranch land. She should be able to help with restacking the firewood. Her eyes scan towards her home. Her clotheslines are lying on the ground. "So much for hanging clothes out today." Her porch looks about the same as Rachel's. Some of the flowerpots are broken with dirt and uprooted flowers scattered everywhere. Many of her flowerpots are simply overturned but not broken. Flower baskets that were once hanging from the porch rafters are now on the ground. The flowers completely smashed. I won't be able to breathe life back into those flowers she thought as she continued her survey of the ranch. The wooden chairs are over turned, many are broken and scattered in the yard. A few upstairs windows are cracked, but not completely broken out. Looking at the front of her home, a few pieces of roof will have to be replaced on the porch roof. There's no telling what damage has been done to the back of the house. "I'm sure my garden is probably flattened." From where she is standing Louise can't tell what kind of damage may have been done to Buck's home. Jeremiah scans the barn and corral fences. The barn roof has holes big enough to fall through. Kid and Buck will need his help to get things back in shape before cold weather hits in just a few short months. There is no way Louise will be able to say no to his offer of help. Even Kid who thinks he is immature will gladly accept his willingness to help with repairs. The corral fences suffered the worst damage. Many parts are completely down, or if not down, the wood is split in half. The water trough is completely ruined. Maybe that could be Jeremiah's first project. The horses can't go without a water trough nor could the ranch. A fire would surely destroy the ranch without water to put it out. As he looks around at everything he can fix Buck and Kid walk out of the barn. Kid and Buck meet up with Louise and Jeremiah standing in front of Rachel and Teaspoon's home. Kid opens the gate to the white picket fence. It falls off its hinges. "Looks like we have our work cut out for us," said Kid as he leans the gate up against the inside of the fence. "What about playing marshal and deputy?" Louise asked a teasing smirk playing on her facial features at Kid and Buck's poor misfortunes. "That's our job too," Buck replied discouraged. Buck follows Kid through the broken down gate. They walk up the steps leading to the porch. The destruction on the porch floor is scattered dirt everywhere and broken flowerpots. Jeremiah and Louise follow both men onto Rachel's porch. Louise begins to set the flowerpots right side up that had been knocked over. She tries to scoop some of the dirt into her hands to place it back into the pots. "This is really no use," Louise spoke disheartened. "Louise there is more important things to worry about then a few over turned flowerpots. Don't be so down in the dumps. If we all chip in the ranch will be back to normal in know time," Jeremiah spoke trying to cheer the frown from his sister's face. "You sound almost happy that this happened Jeremiah," Kid commented his voice showering the anger he's feeling. Before Louise can blast her husband on his cruel comment towards Jeremiah, Rachel wanders onto the porch from inside the house. "How is Teaspoon doing this morning Rachel?" Buck asked concerned. "He isn't awake yet. But his color has come back and he doesn't appear to have a fever any longer. I'm sure he'll be fine as far as his wounds go. His temper and disposition, well that's an entirely different matter." Jeremiah, Louise and Rachel share a quiet laugh concerning Teaspoon's sometimes foul and impatient disposition. It won't be easy for the marshal to be tied down until his leg heals. His family knows this all to well. The marshal has never been one to rest even when shot. If there's a job to be done the job gets done first and if there's time left over then there's resting. Kid and Buck glare at the three in bewilderment over their laughter at Teaspoon’s expense. Buck looks at Kid and they both shrug their shoulders. Kid glances at Louise with disappointment wrote all over his face. His voice on the other hand is filled with animosity. "What's so funny?" Jeremiah and Louise's laughter echoing loud in Kid's mind, but in reality their laugh is barely above a simple giggle. Rachel places her petite hand over her mouth to quiet down her giggles. Her misty bright eyes are the only evidence giving her recent bout of laughter away. Jeremiah and Louise can't seem to bring their quiet chuckles under control. It's Buck now who continues to glare back and forth from Louise to Jeremiah. He sees that Louise is trying to stifle her laughter. Jeremiah, on the other hand, is young and thinks everything is hilarious. Even if someone he is suppose to care about is in pain. This is definitely something Buck can't deal with or forgive. He aims his harsh words at a young Jeremiah. "I really don't believe Teaspoon's pain is something you should be snickering about. He could have been more seriously hurt last night or even killed. I suppose a more serious injury would still crack a smile on your face," Buck spoke to Jeremiah in a strong manner with bewilderment and hurt buried deep in his dark brown eyes. Louise faces her brother to speak directly to him. "I'm not entirely sure we should be snickering about this. I mean in reality we are all going to suffer just as much as Teaspoon." "That's why we should laugh now. We probably won't laugh again for at least six months," Jeremiah stated between his silent chuckling. Buck's anger finally reaches the point of not being able turn this episode into a simple misunderstanding. An immeasurable contempt for Jeremiah has embedded itself onto Buck's face. There's no way a smile will replace it anytime soon where Jeremiah is concerned. "I've had enough. I'm going to see how Teaspoon's doing," Buck spoke agitated that Jeremiah finds the situation with Teaspoon amusing. "We aren't laughing about Teaspoon's injuries. We're laughing about his foul mood Buck," Jeremiah yelled as Buck walked away from the tiny group gathering. "He really should learn to take a joke better than he does," Jeremiah spoke about Buck his laughter quietly disappearing. "Watch it Jeremiah. Buck is in no mood for your immaturity today," Kid spoke annoyed at Jeremiah as he trailed behind Buck into the house. Rachel clears her throat to obtain Louise and Jeremiah's attention. "I guess we were being a bit harsh. Louise lets see how that husband of mine is doing." "Jeremiah would you help Teresa with the girls. I'll be over home soon." "I suppose I should stay away from Buck for awhile." "Maybe we'll all have to stay away from Teaspoon and Buck for a while," Louise spoke now concerned about her family. Jeremiah nodded in agreement and turned to head toward Kid and Louise's homestead on the ranch. Louise followed Rachel into the house. Teaspoon is trying to shift into a sitting position on the bed when Kid and Buck come storming through the door to his rescue. "It's about time you boys decided to come help." Teaspoon is already quite annoyed at his situation. He has been trying to pull himself into a sitting position for the past thirty minutes. The splint binding on his left leg is bulky and awkward to move. Teaspoon's pillows have fallen to the floor with his struggle to sit up in bed. He tries reaching for the pillows and almost upends himself onto the floor with the pillows. Buck rushes to Teaspoon's bedside. He clutches onto Teaspoon before he tumbles onto the floor. Buck gently pushes Teaspoon back onto the bed. "What are you trying to do?" He takes Teaspoon's pillows and props them up behind the marshal. Teaspoon is able to sit back and relax. "This is very uncomfortable," Teaspoon replied sheepishly. "Are the pillows comfortable now?" Buck asked. "You both know I am not going to be tied down to this bed for too long. No matter what Doc Barnes or my beloved wife has to say about it," Teaspoon declared. "Teaspoon it's best if you listen to the doctor this time," Kid stated meekly. Teaspoon eyes up both boys. He knows his cantankerous mood is making both his boys apprehensive about saying too much to him. His features soften slightly. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to take this out on you two. I'm sure there's a lot of work out on the ranch to be done. You'll need help. I just haven't got time to lie around doing nothing.” "You don't have a choice this time Teaspoon. Kid and I can handle the work. You just need to concentrate on taking it easy and getting yourself healed up," Buck spoke with authority. "How much damage has been done to the ranch?" Teaspoon asked as he looked at both Kid and Buck who seem a little apprehensive about telling him the bad news. "I would like an honest answer to my question before I have to get out of this bed and check myself." "There's some damage, but nothing the two of us can't handle," Kid spoke softly. "Now both you boys know that I require details. Spit it out Buck before my already foul mood turns fouler." Buck glances over at Kid almost asking for approval to tell Teaspoon the truth about the damage done to the ranch. Kid nods his head for Buck to proceed. "The corrals are pretty much destroyed. There's some roof work that needs to be done to the barn, the bunkhouse, and the back of this house. The tree out back smashed into the roof of the spare bedroom. A few windows need replaced at the bunkhouse, Kid and Louise's home, this house, and my home. The white fence…" "I've heard enough Buck!" Teaspoon yelled holding up his hand to cease Buck's complex description of the devastation the storm buried onto their homestead. "You asked for details Teaspoon. I'm just trying to tell you everything so later you're not yelling at me for not including something," Buck spoke worked up into a bad mood from Teaspoon's shameful dependence and his own guilt feelings for not chasing Teaspoon away during the storm before he got hurt. Teaspoon can see the hurt and confusion in Buck's eyes. "I'm just worried about the two of you. You can't fix everything around the ranch and take care of the town too." Rachel and Louise walk into the room where Teaspoon is talking with Kid and Buck. They both stand at the bottom of Teaspoon's bed. "Just how are the two of you going to play marshal and deputy and fix up the ranch at the same time?" Louise questioned mostly aimed at her husband. "We'll tend to keeping order in Rock Creek during the day and we'll work on repairing the ranch in the evening. There's still plenty of daylight after dinner," Kid answered his wife. "You'll both be sick inside a weak," Rachel spoke concerned. "We'll manage. We've had to deal with situations just like this before. I think we've grown accustomed to a lot of long hours and hard work," Buck spoke with authority knowing that Teaspoon would bulk at his response to the work that lies ahead of him and Kid. "Maybe Jeremiah can help with some of the repairs," Louise spoke softly not wanting to get Buck unhinged again where her brother is concerned. Buck doesn't back down from the softness in Louise's voice. He looks straight at her as if they were the only two in the room. His eyes seem to penetrate right through her with anger. "I think maybe you should just keep Jeremiah in the house. Give him something minimal to do, something that he can't hurt or destroy." Teaspoon is watching the conversing between Buck and Louise with eyebrows raised. He isn't so sure about it, and he's actually afraid to ask. "I don't see how the two of you will be able to keep up such a schedule. You can try it for a few days to see if everything works out. If it’s too much of a work load for the two of you we'll have to get some help in the marshal department." Rachel turns to Louise who is still fuming over Buck's words about her insensitive brother or so at least that's what Buck thinks. "Louise may I have a word with you alone," Rachel insisted as she's pulling on Louise's arm before she clocks Buck with it. Louise won't budge at first. She soon gives in not taking her seething eyes off Buck and also her husband who didn't defend Jeremiah at all over Buck's harsh words. The two ladies leave the room and head downstairs to the kitchen. "We should be leaving. There's a lot of work to be done out there and we need to get over to the marshal's office," Kid spoke not wanting Teaspoon to worry about the hostility they all just witnessed between him and Buck with Lou. "Is everything alright between everybody? Sounds to me like there's some hostility brewing amongst all of you," Teaspoon asked turning his attention to Buck. Buck shoves his hands into his pants pockets. He hangs his head slightly low to avoid looking directly into Teaspoon's questioning eyes. He already feels shameful for his words about Jeremiah and treating Louise so badly. "Buck and I are fine Teaspoon. It's the rest of them were not too sure about." "What about this fermenting anger towards Jeremiah?" Teaspoon posed his question directly at Buck. Buck glances back up at Teaspoon. He can't seem to get past Jeremiah's immature nature. "He's just an unsympathetic sixteen year old out to prove that he's always right and everybody else is always wrong." Buck spoke in an angry tone. "That's right he's a sixteen year old. Remember you were once sixteen. Seems to me you boys were stubborn, always hell bent on getting yourselves into trouble and myself having to do all the rescuing." "I fail to see the comparison between Jeremiah and myself or any of us who rode for the Pony Express. We grew up fast riding day and night through territories and towns we knew nothing about. It was a miracle that none of us was killed on a mail run. We were never right Teaspoon. You were the one that was always right. We may have gotten ourselves into some trouble now and then, but nothing we couldn't get ourselves out of. We sure as hell didn’t express insensitivity to the feelings or pain of other people!" Buck spoke trying to avoid yelling so Louise and Rachel wouldn't hear his words. "I was always right wasn't I," Teaspoon spoke with assurance in his voice and mannerisms. "You boys all had to grow up fast. All of you were alone in the world at some point or another. Being alone makes a person sense things a lot differently than someone who's had shelter his whole life." "Another word, what you're trying to tell us is that Jeremiah takes people and their feelings for granted," Kid spoke his words rather harsh for his brother-in-law. "What I'm trying to spell out is that Jeremiah is a younger sixteen then what you boys were at sixteen. You are more sensitive to the people in your lives and the surroundings because you grew up with a lot more hostility, prejudice, pain and death. Those things tend to cause you to be more aware of other's pain and suffering. Jeremiah hasn't seen the prejudice that you've had thrown in your face since the day you were born Buck. Nor has he seen the suffering and pain it put you through. He didn't see how much pain you were in Kid every time Lou had a mail run. You knew how dangerous it was riding for the Pony Express. You love Lou and it nearly destroyed you a few times to let her go on her mail runs," Teaspoon stated with this sermon making more sense since the last sermon the boys were forced to listen to. Both men nodded as if they completely understood all of Teaspoon's words of wisdom. He still had the ability to make the boys sit and listen when he spoke. They had many experiences of Teaspoon's lectures, speeches and words of wisdom when they all lived together and rode for the Pony Express. They would never say one word until he was completely finished with his words. Usually by the time Teaspoon was finished speaking his peace there were no words left to say. After all, Teaspoon is always right even if he's wrong. Not one of those Pony Express riders ever argued that fact. Kid and Buck wouldn't attempt to argue that fact even now. "We better be getting over to town. With no marshal in town we could have all kinds of trouble coming by to pay respects," Kid stated flatly. "See you boys later." Kid and Buck walk into the dining area where Rachel and Louise have been deeply into a conversation of their own. Once they see Kid and Buck their mouths are quiet. Each woman sipping on her cup of coffee trying to not look so guilty about their conversation before Buck and Kid enter the room. "Are you heading over to your new job?" Louise asked hardly containing her apparent second attack of laughter. Kid bends down to kiss his wife on the cheek. "This isn't funny. Maybe Buck and I should send you and Rachel over to the marshal's office. I'm sure the bad guys won't mind a lady marshal and deputy." Rachel is baffled that Kid pulled her into this one. "I have a husband to take care of." "Buck and I can take care of Teaspoon and repair the ranch while you two are chasing outlaws," Kid spoke with a teasing smile on his face. "Sorry Kid. Louise and I have other plans for today. You two might as well give up and just get yourselves on over to town before someone decides to burn Rock Creek down." "Rock Creek's been pretty quiet lately. It should be a rather easy day," Buck spoke calmly. "Let’s hope so. You two will have plenty of work this evening to tire you out. You sure don't need a brawling, disorderly group in town today," Rachel spoke trying her best to reassure the men of their newly inherited duties. "Thanks Rachel," Buck spoke with some apprehension in his voice. "Rachel!" Teaspoon bellowed from his confinement in bed. All eyes turn upwards toward the stairs. Teaspoon's hostile bellowing for Rachel has let her know just what kind of mood her beloved husband is in. He is irritable, irrational and beyond the point of reasoning with. The boys and Lou head to the front door and start to make their way outside. Rachel watches them leave. "You're all just chicken." "I thought you said you could handle Teaspoon. Kid and I were willing to trade jobs. You wouldn't hear of it," Buck spoke smiling at Rachel's misery. "Is there a chance I could change my mind?" "Rachel!" The bear roars again. "Not a chance," Buck stated as he rushes out the front door behind Kid. Louise stays behind. "I'll be back over later for our trip into town. I'll just check on the girls first and make sure Jeremiah and Teresa are not pulling each other's hair out.” “Rachel!!!” hollered Teaspoon. “Better start praying for winter,” Lou stated as she heads to the front door. "Why would I want winter?" "Bears go into hibernation for the winter," replied Lou acknowledging Teaspoon’s bear like personality. They both smile at Lou's words of wisdom. "Teaspoon isn't the only one who can speak words of wisdom and have people listen to him." By the time Louise walks outside Kid and Buck have already road off into town. Rachel hurries up the stairs to see Teaspoon. She sits at the edge of the bed and places a kiss on his cheek. "What seems to be the problem?" "No problem. I…I was just getting a little lonesome sitting up here all by myself," Teaspoon stated sheepishly. Rachel tries to wipe the pleasing smile from her face. "I see. I can sit up here with you until Louise comes back. We have a few things to do in town this morning." "The doc should have my crutches ready." "You're bound and determined to get out of that bed before you're suppose to. Doc Barnes may just have another patient that will need those crutches worse than you." Teaspoon looks somewhat defeated. Rachel is Teaspoon's seventh marriage. She is a little bit of his other six wives mixed together, and then a whole lot of just Rachel. She doesn't take any of his cramp! Even though Teaspoon is always right, Rachel rules the Hunter household. "I promise I'll listen to the doctor and take it easy. If I could just walk around a little that would ease my jittery nerves." "Don't try and fool me Teaspoon Hunter. Your nerves are as calm as old Katy's are. Not even a storm like last night put fury into that animal." CHAPTER FIVE Buck and Kid are at the marshal's office cleaning up the place. Kid has a broom in his hand sweeping up the dust from the floor. Buck is hanging up the latest batch of wanted posters onto the bulletin board. He starts to hack and cough from Kid's housecleaning. "Kid, we're not going to be eating off the floor," Buck spoke as he continues to cough up dust. "Oh. Sorry," Kid spoke as he starts to realize that the dust from his sweeping is flying around the jail. He scoops the dust into a dustpan and throws it into the trashcan by the marshal's desk. "Now what do we do?" Buck shrugs his shoulders and sits down at the desk. "I guess we wait for trouble." Kid hears commotion coming to the entrance of the marshal's office. He peaks out at the main street of Rock Creek. "Here comes Thompkins. I guess our easy day has just come to an abrupt halt." Thompkins slams the door open to the marshal's office. He is somewhat displeased that he finds only Buck and Kid staring back at him. "Where's Hunter?" "Teaspoon had an accident out at the ranch last night. He broke his left leg. He won't be able to work for awhile," Buck spoke calmly to Thompkins who has always disliked him. "So you two are going to handle this town by yourselves," Thompkins stated with sarcasm behind a wide grin. "This should definitely be worth keeping an eye on." "What is it you want Thompkins?" Kid asked annoyed. "Oh yeah. I caught two young boys stealing from my store." "Well where are they?" Buck asked already starting to sound annoyed with the interruption from Thompkins. "I tied them up at the store so they couldn't get away while I'm here trying to get some assistance from you two marshal's," Thompkins spoke while grinning at the town's misfortune. "Oh that's a smart thing to do Thompkins. Their parents will likely have us arrested for an act of abuse," Buck stated annoyed more than ever by Thompkins overreacting attitude. All three men head out of the jailhouse and over to Thompkins general store. Once inside the store Kid rushes over to untie the two boys that look to be about four and six years old. Both boys have blonde hair and blue eyes and grins that are full of mischief. Kid's facial expression is bleak with fright that Thompkins may have hurt the two young boys by tying them up with heavy rope used for hangings. "Thompkins you can't tie up children that are practically babies," Buck spoke his words heated by the sight of the two boys tied to chairs that they had been seated on. "What about the candy they stole and ate?" "I'll pay for it. How much do they owe you?" Buck asked getting more upset the longer he's near Thompkins. Kid gets the two boys free from the chairs. "Their parents must be in town somewhere." "They owe me about five cents." "You're kidding. You caused this much of a commotion over five cents worth of candy!" Buck spoke not wanting to believe Thompkins could be this furious with two young boys who took five cents worth of candy. Buck retrieves the change from his pants pocket and tosses the five cents on the counter behind Thompkins. The children's parents walk into the general store. "I hope they weren't any trouble Mr. Thompkins," the mother spoke as her two sons run to her open arms.. "They were no trouble at all Mrs. Patterson. Right Thompkins," Kid spoke calmly not wanting to arouse the parents suspicious as to why the marshal and deputy were at the store with their children. "Thank-you Mr. Thompkins for keeping a watchful eye on these two while we were at the bank. Come along you two. We must get home. Your Pa has chores to get done," Mr. Patterson spoke. After the Patterson family gathers up their purchases and exits the store Kid rushes to get in between Thompkins and Buck. Kid is sure that Buck has lost just about all his composure with Thompkins. "You were babysitting," Buck stated through clinched teeth. He tries to get around Kid to get at Thompkins. Kid manages to keep a strong hold on Buck's arm so he can't punch the storeowner. "They aren't babies Buck," Thompkins spoke his voice trembling a bit. "Kid lets get out of here before I lose my normally calm patience," Buck spoke harshly. Both men head for the door before Thompkins can say or do anything else to disrupt their day. Kid lets the door slam behind him. Buck turns his attention towards the breaking of furniture, shouting customers, and flying fists coming from the saloon. "Sounds like something's going on over there," Kid stated as he watches the saloon doors. "You think we should get involved?" Buck asked apprehensively. Kid looks at Buck a bit confused by his question. "It's our job to get involved Buck," Kid points to the marshal's badge pinned on Buck's shirt. "Oh Yeah. Right," Buck spoke dishearteningly. Just as they start to cross the dirt street to get to the saloon two drunks come crashing through the front picture window of the saloon. The two men fly backwards taking out the horse railing along the street leaving it totally demolished. Glass, from the window, scatters into the main street. Kid and Buck are both startled from the cracking of glass shattering. They both jump back from the unexpected activity at the saloon. Buck and Kid use their arms as shelter to protect themselves from the flying glass pieces. The two drunken men who apparently don't even realize what has happened are laying flat on their backs at the edge of the street. They both appear to be out cold for neither one is uttering a sound or moving. The saloon owner comes rushing out of the saloon with a rifle cocked and ready to fire. "Best sober up fast boys! You've got a lot of things to pay for around this town!" He aims the rifle at the two semi-conscious men. Kid runs up and grabs the rifle out of the saloonkeeper's hands. "It's a bit early for all this violence don't you think?" "Keep those two drunks out of my saloon and breakfast would go smoothly around here," the saloon owner spoke as he barked out an order to Buck and Kid. "You're the one that served them whiskey for breakfast. Maybe tomorrow morning you should have coffee on the menu," Buck spoke in a sarcastic tone. "Don't you tell me what to have on the menu! You just sober those two up and get them back here to fix all the damage they've done," replied an anger saloon owner. He storms back into his saloon. Kid and Buck look at each other. Now they are both confused. Each man grabs one of the drunks and gets them to their feet. The drunks are holding their head in their hands trying to hide from the light of the late morning sun. Kid and Buck push them across the street towards the jailhouse. Both drunks stumble their way across the street occasionally falling to the ground. On the way to the jailhouse both men have fallen so many times they decide it would be best if they crawl to their destination. Buck and Kid walk ahead of the two men. Kid holds the jailhouse door open for the two drunks to crawl into. Buck is inside the marshal’s office with a jail cell already open for the two old men. Once the drunks are inside the cell Buck slams the cell door shut but doesn't bother to lock it. Immediately both drunks are climbing from the floor onto their cot while they struggle with consciousness. Buck and Kid both chuckle for a moment. "So this is what Teaspoon puts up with all day long. No wonder he's always sound asleep by seven in the evening." "Yeah, he needs a good night's sleep to capture all the residential criminals of Rock Creek," Buck spoke watching the two drunks snore away in the cell. Louise is re-planting some of her flowers when she hears the vibrating horse hooves on the ground coming her way. She glances up to see Kid and Buck ride in. She watches as the two men guide their horses into the barn. Louise stands up and tries to brush the dirt from her clothing. Kid and Buck walk out of the barn moments later. They head over toward Louise. "Dinner will be ready in about five minutes," Louise spoke as Kid walks up to her and places a kiss on her cheek. "How did your first day go playing marshal and deputy?" "Awful," Buck answered bluntly having the appearance of being worn out. Louise looks the two men over. She sees the tiredness in their eyes. The sight of their slumping shoulders breaks her heart. The frown on their face is deteriorating their otherwise handsome features. Both men seem to be taking turns yawning. Lou shakes her head and smiles slightly with amusement at her two overworked and under appreciated men. They won't be getting many repairs done to the ranch tonight. "That bad?" "It could have been better. Has Teaspoon ever complained to you about the problems he has with just the local residents of Rock Creek?" Kid asked searching for an answer for their miserable day. "You know Teaspoon. He never complains unless it has something to do with a member of his family," Louise answered Kid. "We're going to start on the barn roof before dinner," Kid spoke to Louise in between his yawns. "There's no sense in that. Dinner is just about ready." "Can you bring it out here Lou? We really need to get started before what is left of the daylight is gone," Buck stated tiredly. Louise watches Kid and Buck walk to the barn rather slowly. "Sure," Louise spoke barely above a whisper. Jeremiah comes out of the house. He's also watching Kid and Buck at the barn. "Are they going to start working before dinner?" Louise turns and heads up the front steps to her home. "They want their dinner outside tonight so they can start working on the roof." I'll have mine out here then too," Jeremiah stated in an overly enthusiastic tone. Louise grabs Jeremiah's arm and pulls him into the house with her. "Oh no you don't. Buck isn't in one of his best tolerable moods at the moment." "I'll hang around Kid." "Kid's in an even worse mood," Louise spoke as the front door closed behind her and Jeremiah. Buck and Kid both have dragged supplies, to fix the roof, onto a solid section of the barn roof. Buck is hammering down a new section of roofing over a large section of roof that was torn completely away from the barn. Kid is working on another section doing the same thing. "Boys," Rachel yelled from the ground below where the men are working on the roof. "What is it Rachel?" asked Buck in an unenthusiastic tone of voice. "Teaspoon just wanted me to find out how your first day went in town." "Should we tell her the truth or lie?" Buck asked Kid talking softly so Rachel wouldn't hear him. "Everything went just fine Rachel. Tell Teaspoon not to worry," replied Kid. Buck rolls his eyes. He continues to finish up the section he's working on. A crooked smile appears on Buck's face. He can't help but smile over Kid's lie just to keep everyone from telling them I told you so. "Teaspoon would like you to stop by tomorrow morning before you head over to the marshal’s office." "Sure thing Rachel," Kid replied smiling and throwing a few pieces of loose timber at Buck who is now laughing a bit louder. Rachel meets up with Louise as she is bringing Buck and Kid their dinner. Louise sits their dinners on a large cut off tree stump that is close to the barn. "They're eating dinner while they work?" Rachel asked a bit puzzled. "They said they needed the daylight that's left to get started with the repairs." "Isn't Jeremiah helping them?" Rachel asked. Louise shakes her head no. "I thought it would be best if Jeremiah stay away from Buck and Kid for a few days. When they're both good and exhausted then I'll throw Jeremiah out to help them." "Are you hoping they won't notice Jeremiah under their feet?" "Something like that," Louise spoke as she smiled and put an arm around Rachel's shoulder. Both women stroll away from the barn and leave each other to walk into their own home. "Goodnight Rachel." "Goodnight Louise." CHAPTER SIX The next morning Buck stumbles out the front door of his home tucking his shirt into his pants while trying to hang onto his gun belt with one hand. After he accomplishes that task with some difficultly he buckles his gun belt on as he walks over to Teaspoon's home where he is to meet up with Kid. Kid greets Buck by the white picket fence that leads to the entrance of the Hunter home. A white picket fence that is still in shambles from the storm. Kid is still yawning, but at least he has himself completely dressed. "What do you suppose Teaspoon wants to talk to us about?" Kid asked in between long drawn out yawns. "Probably wants to reprimand you for lying to his wife the way you did last night," Buck spoke as he strolled into the front yard and left a stunned Kid holding up the broken gate door. Kid propped the gate up and ran to catch up with Buck. "You are kidding right?" Buck just arched an eyebrow at Kid and smiled. Both men enter the house to the smell of fresh coffee brewing. They take the stairs two at a time and bust in on Teaspoon and Rachel in a loving embrace on the bed. Kid and Buck both clear their throats to get the couple's attention. "What you two didn't think we heard you coming? You sound like a herd a cattle walking up those stairs," Teaspoon bellowed. "Rachel places one last soothing kiss on Teaspoon's forehead.”I'm sure you men have a lot to talk about. I'll be downstairs." She leaves the bedroom. Teaspoon is laying flat on his back, but is reaching his hands out for Buck and Kid to help him sit up. "You think you boys could help an old man out here." "Sorry Teaspoon," Kid spoke rushing to Teaspoon's side. Buck props Teaspoon's pillows up in back of him while Kid helps Teaspoon into a sitting position. "You think maybe you could put a couple pillows underneath that bad leg?" Teaspoon asked pathetically. Buck grabs two pillows from a nearby chair. Kid lifts Teaspoon's bad leg up while Buck situates the pillows underneath the leg. Once Buck has the pillows fluffed and right under Teaspoon's leg Kid drops the leg onto the pillows without thinking about it being broke. Teaspoon lets out a stifling scream of pain as he grabs for his broken leg. "You could try being a little more gentle about it Kid." "Ah, sorry Teaspoon. I wasn't thinking," Kid spoke behind tired eyes. Teaspoon eyes his boys over suspiciously. After one day at the marshal's office they are both looking a bit under the weather. "You two sure everything's alright? You both look like you should be sleeping in your beds instead of starting a new day." "We were up pretty late last evening fixing the barn roof. Afterwards we had horses grazing in the pastures that had to be guided into the barn for the night," Buck spoke supplying Teaspoon with an answer to their yawns and bloodshot eyes. "You sure nothing happened in town yesterday?" "Nothing out of the ordinary," Kid replied lying through his teeth again. "Ok. I guess the town folks haven't been too hard on you then. I sure could go for a cup of that coffee Rachel's brewing," Teaspoon spoke with a hint of a request for the boys to fetch him his morning coffee. "I'll get it for you," Buck spoke turning his attention to Kid and shaking his head. He knows Teaspoon is up to no good. Buck leaves the room and heads downstairs for the coffee. Rachel is at the foot of the stairs with three cups in her hands. She hands the boiling liquid over to Buck. "Are you sure you can handle all three?" "I'm fine Rachel." Buck walks back up the stairs more quietly this time around. When he gets into Teaspoon's bedroom he hands Kid and Teaspoon each a cup of steaming coffee. Buck and Kid start to drink from their cups. Teaspoon glances down at the contents of his cup and shows dislike for the liquid inside. "Something wrong Teaspoon?" Buck asked with concern. "I thought maybe I'd try my coffee with some cream in it this morning." "Since when did you start drinking coffee with cream?" Buck asked confused. "Well… I…I thought maybe I'd just give it a try that's all," Teaspoon spoke rather soft spoken. Buck takes Teaspoon's cup of coffee from him and rushes out of the bedroom and back down the stairs to Rachel's kitchen. "My foot is getting cold. You think you could get a pair of my socks out of the drawer for me," Teaspoon asked Kid. Kid walks over to Teaspoon's chest of drawers and goes through all the drawers before finding his socks in the very last drawer. He hands them to Teaspoon. "I don't think I can reach my foot son," Teaspoon spoke sarcastically. Kid grabs the socks from Teaspoon and tries to putting a sock on the foot of Teaspoon’s broken leg with Teaspoon moaning in pain. "I'm trying to be careful." "You have a lousy bedside manner Kid." "I admit I don't have much experience in putting other people's socks on. Hell I have a hard time dressing myself in the morning." "I bet you do," Teaspoon spoke with a snicker. Buck walks back into the bedroom. He stops dead in his tracks with a silly expression on his face when he witnesses the scene before him. "Here's your coffee with cream in it Teaspoon." Buck hands the fresh cup of coffee with cream over to Teaspoon. Kid forces the sock on Teaspoon's foot. Which causes Teaspoon to spill some of his steaming hot coffee down the front of his shirt? "Kid I could have wrestled with the undertaking of putting my socks on a whole lot better then what you're accomplishing." "Sorry Teaspoon. I suppose you need a dry shirt now too." "That would be nice." Buck is standing in the background trying to hold in his laughter and not doing very well with the task. He watches as Teaspoon takes a sip of his coffee. He watches as Teaspoon's face turns sour. "You're right son. There's no way I can drink that god awful stuff," Teaspoon spoke gruffly as he hands the cup of coffee back to Buck. Buck takes the coffee cup from Teaspoon. "I suppose you'd like a fresh cup of black coffee." "That'd be nice of you to get me a fresh cup," Teaspoon smiled pleased with himself for causing both men a morning they won't soon forget. Kid takes Teaspoon's soiled shirt off and puts a clean shirt back on the disabled marshal. He's buttoning the shirt up when Buck comes back into the room with a cup of black coffee. He hands it over to Teaspoon. Teaspoon takes a pleasing sip of the black brew. "Now that's much better. You two best get into town. It's already eight o'clock. You've got a busy day ahead of yourselves," Teaspoon spoke commandingly. Both men start to leave the bedroom. "Oh and boys. Thanks for the visit this morning. It was…interesting to say the least." "Have a nice day Teaspoon," Kid spoke gruntingly to an amused Teaspoon Hunter. Addison and Daniel Hunter come barreling into their father's bedroom landing abruptly onto his bed. Teaspoon moans in pain pretending that the boys hurt his leg. Addison has beautiful brown chestnut locks like his mother with light brown eyes. He is five years old. He is Rachel and Teaspoon's elder son and he definitely shows his devilish side when his laughter lightens up a room. He starts to tickle Teaspoon. The same way Teaspoon is always tickling him whenever he doesn't obey his father. "How are you daddy?" Addison asked in-between his boisterous giggles. Teaspoon finally gets the boy down on the bed and gives him just a little taste of his own medicine. He tickles him feverishly. Addison giggles are uncontrollable. Teaspoon can't help but laugh at the boy's seeming torment. "Ok. I give up!" Addison muffled his scream mixed with giggles. Teaspoon gives him one last tickle and then stops. "I suppose you may have had enough tickles for one day." Daniel Hunter is Teaspoon's youngest son. He is three years old. He doesn't demand tickles. Teaspoon pulls Daniel up to his chest and gives the boy a big old bear hug. Daniel has reddish brown hair and a few freckles scattered on his face. He is a little quieter than his untamed brother. Daniel points at Teaspoon's bad leg. "Daddy you have a boo boo. You need me to fix it for you?" Daniel asked as he hugs Teaspoon back. "Ah… Daniel. The doc already fixed my boo boo." "Do you have to stay in bed because you're sick?" Addison asked getting into the conversation with his dad and brother. "I am not sick. Your mama won't let me get out of bed," Teaspoon spoke to both his boys. "You just make sure you listen to mama, Teaspoon Hunter," Rachel ordered from the doorway. "Mama!" Both boys yelled in unison. Both boys jump off the bed and leave their father in a mass of disheveled blankets. They run into their mother's open arms. Rachel bends down to give them each a kiss and giant hug to start their morning. "You two run along downstairs. Your breakfast is at the table," Rachel spoke softly to her two children. Both boys high tail it down the stairs. Rachel turns around to view Teaspoon straightening out his blankets. Rachel places a kiss on his cheek. "Those two are going to miss their daddy being confined to a bed for a month or more." "Once I get those crutches I'll be able to walk around a bit. I'll at least be able to sit outside and watch them play even if I can't join in." Rachel glances skeptically at her stubborn husband. "You ain't going to even let me sit outside?" Teaspoon asked a frown developing on his face. Rachel hates seeing Teaspoon so beside himself with anxiety over his bedridden state. She fluffs his pillows and props them up again for him to rest his back on. "I suppose if you sit still and don't do too much moving around. I can let you sit outside now and then." "Thank-you very much warden." "Your welcome," Rachel spoke beaming brightly at her husband. CHAPTER SEVEN Miss Cooper an elderly lady from town with poor eyesight is yelling at Buck and Kid in the marshal's office. She is shaking her walking cane at the two young men barely missing their faces. An elderly gentleman is standing behind the lady looking intimidated by the woman. Her hair is white and swept up in a bun. There are some loose strands of white hair around her face that are evidence of a slight struggle. She is losing her temper with the two men at the marshal's office. They don't appear to be taking her very seriously. Although the thrashing they are taking from her walking cane has the two men backed up to the wall, they are not sure how Teaspoon would handle this situation. "I demand you lock Mr. Larson up," Miss Cooper yelled loud enough for any town folk passing by the office to hear. "Miss Cooper, what did Harry do?" Kid asked stunned that two of the town’s most elderly citizens would be at the marshal’s office with a physical dispute. "What did you say?" Miss Cooper yelled as she leaned closer to Kid to hear what he said to her. "I said what did Harry do wrong?" Kid yelled. "Took me on a picnic,” claimed Miss Cooper without any resentment in her tone of voice. "Why that sounds real nice of you Harry," Buck spoke his attention turning to Mr. Larson with an amusing smile on his face. "I thought so too," Mr. Larson spoke meekly. "Nobody asked you to butt your nose into the conversation marshal," Miss Cooper spoke in a harsh tone aimed at Buck while pointing her cane up in his face. "I was only trying to help," Buck spoke defending his actions. "Miss Cooper, a picnic does sound nice," Kid spoke trying to get back to the matter at hand. "He tried to seduce me!" Miss Cooper yelled at the three men who by now are all trying to stifle their laughter. Miss Cooper looks from one man to the next. She is not finding any amusement in this situation at all. She has a scowl on her face and it isn't budging off her face anytime soon. "I want Harry arrested for his actions!" The laughter coming from all three men suddenly comes to a quiet stop. Buck and Kid straighten up and try to look the part of acting marshal and deputy that they have sworn to do. Mr. Larson's laughter has turned into a frown. "Miss Cooper I really don't think Mr. Larson meant to take advantage of a wonderful woman such as you," Kid spoke as he lays his smooth talk on pretty thick. He wants to make sure Miss Cooper can't see through his wicked ways to keep from having to lock poor Mr. Larson up. "Mr. Larson next time you take Miss Cooper on a picnic remember to keep your hands to yourself. Unless of course Miss Cooper should say otherwise," Buck spoke trying to offer some advice. "There won't be a next time!" Miss Cooper stated irritably. She proceeded to leave the jailhouse. On her way out she slaps poor Mr. Larson with her walking cane. "If the law won't protect a woman then a woman will just have to protect herself." She slaps the cane at Mr. Larson several more times before Kid and Buck apprehend her cane. "Miss Cooper it isn't a good idea to beat Mr. Larson with your cane right inside the marshal's office," Kid spoke. He hands the cane back to Miss Cooper, but escorts her out the door. "It's better if you beat Mr. Larson with it out on the street where we can't witness the action," Buck spoke with a smirk across his face. Kid watches from the doorway as Miss Cooper and Mr. Larson walk down the street to their buckboard. Kid watches as Miss Cooper allows Mr. Larson to take her hand in his and proceed to help her onto the seat of the buckboard. "She's actually going to let Mr. Larson take her home." "It figures. She's already forgiven him. But I bet the next time she sees either one of us on the streets of Rock Creek she'll use that cane on us," Buck spoke as he sits down at the desk. Kid walks away from the doorway and sits in a chair close to the desk. "I have the feeling we're in for another day just like yesterday. I can't believe our luck. Teaspoon never has this much trouble with the town folks." "Maybe he does and just never mentions it to any of us or complains about it." "I don't know Buck. You would think if he had to put up with Miss Cooper too much, Teaspoon would have shot her by now." A man who resembles a mountain man with a frame well over six feet tall and muscles that he has the right to brag about, walks out of the livery stables shouting at Mr. Jenson and Jason. Mr. Jenson and his son Jason own the livery stables in Rock Creek.