Teaspoon stood in the center of the jail facing the two small cells. Four of his riders were locked up until he could figure a way out of the mess they had gotten in. He never thought they could do anything as foolish as this. Now they had the banker, the preacher, and the mayor demanding they be kept in jail until the judge arrived next week. What the judge could charge them with was beyond him. There was very little proof they had done anything.
He looked at each rider, Kid and Cody in one cell; Buck and Jimmy in the next. Kid sat on a bunk in one of the cells. He had his back against the wall and was staring into space. Cody stood in the opposite corner talking to Jimmy through the cell bars. Teaspoon couldn't quite hear what was being said but he hoped they weren't planning anymore mischief. But knowing Cody and from Jimmy's grumbles every so often, he knew they were. Buck sat quietly listening to Jimmy and Cody. Teaspoon noticed every once in a while he would shake his head. Jimmy had his arms crossed and was leaning against the bar wall between him and Cody. Cody said something that made Jimmy smile and Teaspoon noticed Cody had gotten Buck's and Kid's attention also. Even though Buck shook his head at Cody, he noticed the rider was smiling, and slowly Kid did too. And considering what they had done, it wasn't a good thing.
Teaspoon had asked them earlier why they had done what they had done, but none of them would tell him. All Jimmy had said was that the girls deserved it and the others had agreed with him. He was about to start questioning them again when Rachel walked in with a basket.
Holding it up she said, "Supper, since you wouldn't let these boys finish their dinner."
"Did you see what they did?" he asked astonished that Rachel would let them off so easy.
"Yes," she said a hint of a smile in her voice, "And although I don't approve of what they did I do have to say that those three did deserve everything they got."
Teaspoon shook his head. "What in heaven's name could those three young ladies do to deserve…deserve….deserve that?"
"What! Teaspoon, I don't understand how you can stand there and not take up for these boys," Rachel huffed as she unpacked the food from the basket and fixed five plates. "After what those three did I would have thought you would be the last one to take up for them. I would have thought you would have been in on it."
Teaspoon stood there bewildered. Some how Rachel had turned this around on him and she was angry with him. She handed him the last plate saying, "How you could not know what they did is beyond me. Why, just about everyone at the social heard them. Well," she said turning around and smiling at the boys, "I've got to go. But I'll be back later with two pies and some cold lemonade for you boys." Then with a hint of a giggle in her voice she added, "Don't give Teaspoon too much trouble." She walked over to the desk and picked up her basket. As she walked out the door she said, "I thought you of all people would have done something before those four had to."
Teaspoon pushed his hat back and scratched his head. The Spring Social was two weeks ago and he thought everything had gone pretty well. All the riders had been on their best behavior and Lou had gone as Louise-and she looked down right pretty in the green calico she and Rachel had made. So what had happen? He just couldn't figure it out. He noticed Kid watching him.
"You don't know do ya?" Kid asked as he walked to the front of the cell and stood by Cody.
"Know what, son?"
"Ah, Teaspoon, you know what happened," Jimmy replied angrily.
"I don't think he does," Buck said as he watched Teaspoon set his plate on the desk of the office and pull the chair over to sit in front of the cells.
"Come on, Teaspoon. You can't tell us you didn't hear what they said. Hell, half the town heard them," Cody said incredulously.
"Well, since I seem to be with the half of the town that didn't hear them," Teaspoon said getting comfortable in the chair, "why don't we start from the beginning and figure out just what it is I'm supposed to have seen and heard."
"It was at the social a couple of weeks ago," Kid began and as the story unfolded each of the others took up part of it.
And as they spoke Teaspoon came to realize why the riders had done what they did.
**********************
It was the evening of the Spring Social and the whole town was going. Lou was up at Rachel's getting ready because tonight she would be Louise for a little while, something she was enjoying doing more and more. The other riders had left already, since Rachel had asked them to go over a bit early to help set up a few extra tables and chairs.
After helping set up the tables they stayed with some of the other young men from town talking about horses and what girls would be coming to the social. Soon everyone began to arrive. As the young ladies from town arrived they put their cookies and cakes on a table near the door with the punch Polly had made. She had assured the ladies in town that it contained no alcohol. Of course the last to arrive-or so they thought-were Caroline, Abigail, and Rebecca.
The three friends were always the last to arrive at anything the town did. They were always in each others company and had caused a fair amount of mischief around town. They had started a ruckus in Tompkins' store last week when Caroline discovered he had sold all the green calico she wanted for a new dress. Then Abigail had stormed off when Cody wouldn't ask her to the social-even after she made a spectacle in front of the jail trying to get him to ask her, but he'd been too interested in the book he was reading. Rebecca was the mild one of the three, when she wasn't around the other two she could be nice. Of course when she found out that Mrs. McGhee had sold the shawl she wanted, she had sulked around town for two whole days. To the chagrin of the three young ladies, three others arrived after them.
As the music began, Rachel, Lou and Teaspoon arrived. They had decided that Lou would be Teaspoon's niece, since they knew people would want to know who the new girl in town was. As the first dance ended, Kid claimed Lou for the next dance. She was very pretty in a green calico gown with a ribbon in her hair to match. The music was very fast and Kid twirled her around the dance floor. Lou was laughing and smiling, enjoying every minute of being Louise.
Jimmy claimed the next dance and then Cody. Buck had resisted but Lou finally convinced him to dance with her. Everyone was enjoying themselves immensely. Kid and Lou danced again and then she danced with Teaspoon. After the music stopped and the band took a break, and so did the dancers. Lou moved away from her friends to the punch bowl for a drink.
As she went to pick up a cup of the sweet punch, a young man from town she didn't recognize handed her a cup. She smiled her thanks, as she turned to rejoin her friends. The young man caught her attention by placing his hand on her arm, and then asked for the next dance. Lou noticed Kid and the others watching and the hand Rachel had subtly placed on Kid's arm. "Thank you but I'm afraid I've promised this dance to Mr. Hickok," she replied sweetly.
"Then perhaps a later one," the young man persisted.
"Maybe," Lou agreed with sweet smile for the young man, but she was thinking, 'if you can get through that bunch.' She left him standing there and rejoined her friends. She almost giggled when Kid asked her what the young man had wanted. As the band returned and began to play again she handed her cup to Kid and explained that she had told the young man the dance was Jimmy's.
After begging off the next few dances Lou moved out to the front porch of the hall for some air. The evening had been magical for her. Her friends had made her feel wonderful with their kind words and attention. And a young man from town had found her attractive. She was feeling wonderful when someone said, "Hello. I'm Caroline Baker and these are my friends, Abigail Daniels, and Rebecca Martin. You're new in town, right?"
"Yes, I'm only here for a few days to visit my uncle the marshal," Lou replied a bit nervously.
"Oh, are you from Texas, too?" Rebecca asked sweetly.
"Um…yes," Lou replied unsure of herself.
"Well, we'll have to show you around town tomorrow," Caroline said fanning herself. She looked Lou up and down and noticed her dress was made of the same calico she'd wanted from Tompkins but the man had sold it before she got back to the store.
Lou thought quick to come up with a way to get out of them showing her around town without insulting the girls. "I won't be in town long and I'd have to get my…"
"Of course he'd let you come with us, since our fathers are the most important men in town," Abigail interrupted her. The girl couldn't understand why the marshal's niece wouldn't want to become part of their group.
"I'm sure…"
"We'll be by about nine tomorrow morning," Caroline said.
"I'm sure that he would and I'm sure that we would have a good time," Lou replied trying to keep her voice steady. "But I'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon and I would like to spend time with my uncle and his family."
"Family? Humph, that bunch is nothing but trouble. That one," Caroline said pointing at Buck, "is nothing but a half breed. He even let his best friend die and then wouldn't even bury him in the graveyard."
Allison joined her friend and pointed at Jimmy. "And that's Wild Bill Hickok himself. He's killed several men, and he's been know to frequent…well, you know those kind of places girls like us aren't suppose to know about."
Rebecca knew if she didn't join her friends she wouldn't hear the end of it. "That Cody fella there why he's tried to court every respectable girl in town and a few that aren't." She saw her friends roll their eyes at her and added, "And the other one is from the south. Why, he has his own slave here, that fellow they call Noah. Takes all his rides for him, I even heard that Kid threatened to whip him one time." Rebecca looked to her friends for approval and they smirked at her.
"Of course they sent the smallest rider on a ru…" Caroline began but stopped short as she looked closer at Lou. A spark of recognition in her eyes told Lou the girl had figured out her secret. "Abby, Becca, you won't believe this but this is Lou and dressed as a…no she is a girl."
Lou wanted to run and hide as Caroline's voice grew louder. "LOU'S A GIRL," she shouted and as fate would have it the music stopped at the exact same moment.
Lou thought her heart had stopped and she tried to push past the friends but Abigail and Caroline blocked her way. "Abby dear, what kind of girl do you think would dress as a boy and live with wild men like she's done?" Caroline said snidely.
"None, I would want to know. You know what I bet she ain't even the marshal's niece. I wouldn't doubt that she rides more around that station then horses," Abigail replied her voice filled with malice.
The riders were trying to push through the crowd to get to Lou but were having a difficult time of it. It seemed everyone from miles around was at the social.
Rebecca knew if she didn't join in her friends would hound her about it later. "I bet Russell, Majors and Waddell would like to know they have a female rider."
Lou wanted to hide. She turned to look for an exit and found that half of the people from the dance were watching her. The young man that had been kind earlier looked her up and down with a leer. She had to get away. She looked about for an exit and was ready to give up when Jimmy and Kid followed closely by Buck and Cody came crashing through the crowd.
The distraction of the riders finally getting through the crowd that had gathered to gawk at her caused a break in the crowd. Seeing it she ran. Never even hearing her friends call to her.
Buck nudged Kid having caught the young man leering at Lou. Kid moved toward the young man. Cody and Buck pulled him back and sent him after Lou. As he passed Jimmy they exchanged looks. Cody put his arm around the shoulders of the young man and was leading him away from the dance that had started back with the whispers of new gossip making the rounds followed by Jimmy and Buck.
***********************
"I swear, Teaspoon. If they had just left it at telling everyone she was a girl we'd not done anything but they called her…" Jimmy couldn't even say the word.
"She cried herself to sleep, Teaspoon and she ain't stopped. She's scared they'll tell the company or that someone in town will. She needs a few more rides to have enough to give her, Jeremiah and Teresa a good start," Kid added.
"Everyone in town heard them Teaspoon but you it seems," Cody put in. "Where were you?"
Teaspoon hooked his thumbs under his suspenders and stood to look out the window of the jail. He sighed as he watched the fathers of the three girls start across the street. "What'd you do to that fella that was lookin' at Lou?"
"Introduced him to some friends of mine," Buck said, he still hadn't moved from the bunk, but added, "eight legged ones." A slight smile played about his face as he recalled the young man's reaction to the spiders.
"Good heavens."
"Ah, Teaspoon, they weren't poisonous…just big," Cody said with his trademark grin.
Teaspoon walked over to the nail on the wall and took the keys down. Tossing them to Jimmy he said, "Best keep to the station for a while. Now git before those fathers decide to do something stupid." He left the riders to meet the men. Turning around he asked, "Whose idea was this any way?"
Jimmy was the first to speak, and as he did his grin grew wider, "We thought it up together."
"Should have known," Teaspoon said as the fathers came through the door and the riders went out the back. "Henry, Jack, Reverend, what can I do for you." Teaspoon's tone wasn't welcoming and at least one of the fathers had the good grace to not push the matter with the marshal.
"Get those boys back here and…"
"Henry, you love that daughter of yours?" Teaspoon asked not mincing words this time. Of course it wasn't the first time the three girls had caused trouble. The girls were spoiled and knew just how to get around their fathers.
The banker looked taken aback by his question. "Of course," he replied offended.
"Love mine, too," Teaspoon said pointedly as he stood up. "See that's what she's become to me a daughter and those boys-and they are more trouble than most sometimes-are like sons. Now Lou, she's had a rough time since her ma died. Could have done anything, but she wanted to make an honest living." Teaspoon could tell he wasn't quite getting through to the men. "Jack, what about that daughter of yours, don't you think that son of yours would want to punish someone that hurt her?"
"I would expect…" suddenly the mayor realized what Teaspoon was getting at. He would hope his son would do the same for his daughter as the riders had for Lou but the way they fought he doubted it would happen. "I see. The girls did go too far but Hunter those boys of yours shouldn't have gone as far as they did. The girls will be ruined if…"
The reverend held his piece long enough and finally spoke, "My Becca, told me what happened. The girls went too far this time. She's very sorry and would like to apologize when Miss McCloud is willing to listen to her. Gentleman, I have a sermon to prepare and I believe it will be on the pain it gives the Lord when we are unkind to our brothers and sisters and not tolerant of the differences he has created in us." Tipping his hat to the other gentlemen he left the jail and headed toward the church where his daughter was praying for forgiveness for what she had done.
The other two men left the jail after telling Teaspoon to let Lou know her secret was safe and the girls would be punished for their unkind words. He doubted they would do much of anything to punish the girls but…well, his boys had seen to it that Lou's honor had been defended.
After they left, Teaspoon went to find Lou. She'd been hiding out in the barn lately and jumping at every little sound. He heard her soft cries as he reached the edge of the barn. "Lou," he called as he entered the barn and he noticed the crying stopped when she realized she wasn't alone anymore. Not finding her anywhere on the ground floor of the barn, he climbed the ladder to the loft. "There you are. You know you got a ride this afternoon."
She dried her eyes and looked up at him. "You still going to let me ride?"
"Now haven't we had this discussion before? You're one of the best, why wouldn't I let you ride."
"Everyone knows now."
"And no one's telling. As a matter of fact a few of the folks in town said they suspected it all along. They'll keep your secret."
"You think so?" she asked hope filling her voice.
It broke Teaspoon's heart to hear the doubt behind the hope. "I believe so. Most folks come out here for a fresh start and everyone has a few secrets they want to keep. Bein' the marshal, I just happen to know a few of them and if they want to keep it that way then they'll keep yours." He saw the hope and a bit of the old Lou return when he said, "Buck has your horse saddled and Jimmy got your bedroll ready and Kid packed you a clean set of clothes in your saddlebags. Cody's helping Rachel pack you something to eat. Now come on, Noah will be here any minute."
"Rider comin'," Kid called out.
Lou kissed Teaspoon on the cheek and hurried down the ladder and out of the barn. He watched from the door of the hay loft as she jumped on her horse, took the hand off and was gone.
"Hey, Teaspoon," Cody called from down below, "You never did tell us where you were the night of the social?"
"Yeah, Teaspoon, why didn't you know what those girls did to Lou?" Jimmy asked as they all looked up at him.
If they could have seen him they all would have seen the blush on his cheeks as he said, "Gettin' to know an old friend a bit better." Looking across the yard to the porch he saw Polly sitting with Rachel on the swing and smiled.