Challenged to Write at least 11 Stories: 1 for each character in this list: Teaspon, Rachel, Sam, Emma, Tompkins, Ike, Buck, Lou, Jimmy, Cody There were 33 songs to choose from, all of the songs are in the Statler Brothers famous four part harmony. Email Lisa L Character Title Summary Kid Burning Bridges How did come Kid come to leave his home in Viriginia and why doesn't he want anyone to know his real name? Tompkins What Do I Care? It's the end of a long and busy day and Tompkins is trying to convince himself that he likes the solitary life that he's living. Ike I Was There Death is hard to deal with, but it's even harder when you see it happen in person. Ike knows because he was there. Lou I'd Rather Be Sorry Lou's attraction for one of her fellow riders has her taking a chance rather then being sorry that she didn't later. Jimmy All I Have to Offer You is Me Something important is weighing heavy on Jimmy's mind. Abby's the only one who can give him the answer that he needs to hear. Emma Do You Remember These? Emma and her daughter find a box of pictures that bring back memories of Emma's 'boys'. Buck It Should Have Been Me It's several days since Ike's death and Buck is having a hard time coping with the loss of his friend. Rachel Woman Without a Home Rachel is on the run with a bounty on her head. Seeing an ad for a housekeeper she's hoping she's found a place to call home again. Cody When I Stop Dreaming Cody's telling his friends about the big plans he has for the future only to be laughed at for his 'dreams'. Sam She's Too Good Sam's got something to ask Emma but his past keeps whispering in his ear that she's too good for him. Will Emma feel the same way? Teaspoon I've Had a Good Time Burning Bridges With every mile he put behind him, Kid was burning the bridges that tied him to Virginia and what was left of his family. A wry grin crossed his face as he thought of the home he’d left. It was a two story on the good side of town; he supposed others would say it had been a decent home. But it was what happened inside that home, what everyone couldn’t see that, had him on the run. His father was a very influential man in politics in Richmond. What others didn’t know was that he was also a very abusive man who thought it his right to serve out sentence upon his children as he saw fit for the littlest infarction committed. When Kid voiced his opposition to the rumblings of succession from the states that was already making the rounds early in the fall of 1859, his father did not hesitate to beat the tar out of him, claiming as he did so, that he would beat the words and ideas right out of him. Once Kid recovered from the near death beating, which was kept well under wraps by family and servants, he stole away in the middle of the night, intending to disappear from the life of Richmond society forever and the name of Miles Nathaniel would never cross his lips again. From that moment on he would simply be known as Kid, the nickname his brother always called him by, from the hills of Virginia He’d have to admit to being from Virginia. His accent gave it away he was told on his journey so that much of the truth of his past he would say, just not from where or whom he was. Weeks and months passed as he traveled west on foot. Every so often he was fortunate enough to get a rider with a stranger who took pity on him and his ragamuffin state of dress. When he could, Kid would do odd jobs, usually for elderly folk who couldn’t afford to hire anyone else. He’d be paid in a warm meal, sometimes a clean bed of hay to sleep on and if he was really lucky, there would be a shirt or trousers that were no longer needed by one of the household’s members that he would gladly accept. As the weather turned colder, Kid’s progress further west became slower. By the time snow fell, he’d made his way to Missouri. In a small town he came across a blind man that was in need of a hand. Kid quickly talked his way into the position out of desperation. He spent the winter months, doing any and everything the man needed him to do. But at night, he’d lie awake dreaming of the day he could once more be on his way. He read stories in the newspapers to the blind man telling of the great things a man could see by going west. The wide open spaces, herds of buffalo, Indian war parties….all of it made him anxious for spring to come. During the months he was with the man, Kid saved any money he received for his help and wore the new clothing he had sparingly, wanting to be sure he had something good to travel in when the snows melted. Finally, one warm day in March, Kid went to the blind man and told him he would be leaving. It was with regret that the man said goodbye to him several days later. There was a noticeable spring in Kid’s step as he set off towards St. Joe, Missouri. He’d read in the paper that three men named Russell, Majors and Waddell were starting a new mail service company called the Pony Express. They were looking to hire young orphan boys to ride two thousand miles, carrying the mail in pouches on ponies that were known for their speed. As he entered town, Kid passed by a stables and noticed inside a paint horse. She was the most beautiful horse he’d ever set eyes on. Though he didn’t have the money for such a fine horse, he couldn’t help asking the stables owner if she were for sale. “Twenty-five dollars and she’s all yours,” the man told him with a look that said he knew Kid didn’t have that kind of money. With a heavy-heart, Kid set out to find the Pony Express offices. On the way, he passed by a man saying that if you could last in the ring for three minutes with the Irish fighter next to him, you’d get twenty-five dollars as a prize. Kid couldn’t believe his ears and asked if he had heard correctly. “That’s what I said sonny, now move along,” the barker told him. “Excuse me,” Kid said in earnest. “I’d like to try…” Shaking his head the man moved close to him and said quietly, “Do you have any idea who this is? Why this is one of the greatest boxers to come out of Ireland…he’ll likely kill you if you insist on doing this sonny.” Taking off his coat he handed it to the man and climbed inside the makeshift ring. With a shrug, the barker rang the bell and the three minutes began. When the bell rang signaling the end of the required three minutes, Kid was still standing, barely. He’d been beaten severely and couldn’t see from his one eye at all, but he’d endured much worse at the hands of his own father so this beating was easily endured. Dragging his coat behind him, Kid made his way to the stables. With a hand out, holding the twenty-five dollars in it, he paid the shocked stable owner for the horse and led her out of the barn. Patting her on the neck, Kid stood close to his new horse. “Katy,” he whispered to her. “I’ll call you Katy…” What Do I Care? It was close to closing time and Bill Tompkins was looking forward to the peace and quiet after a long and busy day in the store with groups of giggling girls and gossiping women. After shooing the last group of girls out of the store with a frown, Tompkins was finally able to turn the open sign to close and lock the doors for the day. Pulling the shade down on the door, he felt a sense of relief that he’d finally be left alone. Going behind the counter he grabbed his well-worn broom from its corner and began to sweep the days dirt from the floor. Once that was finished, he set the broom back in its corner and set about making his displays neat and tidy. He worked quickly and efficiently. The routine came as natural as breathing, he’d done the same thing day after day for years. Seeing that he’d sold out of quite a few goods on the shelf behind the counter he went to the storeroom and brought out the items he needed to replenish the shelves. One thing Tompkins took pride in was having a neat and well-stocked inventory for his shoppers to choose from. If you didn’t have what the shopper needed, they’d go elsewhere for their goods and money would be lost. That was one thing he couldn’t have happen. His livelihood depended on their money, little that it was most of the time. Seeing that the store was in order, Tompkins went behind the counter and tallied up the days sales. Opening his register he counted out the days starting money and set it aside for the next day. Next he took out the bills that were in there and began counting them. Coins were next. He smiled as the total came out exact the very first time. Tucking the days take into his pocket to put in the safe upstairs, he put the sales book back on the shelf under the counter and headed to the stairs that led to his apartment above the store. Many of the storekeepers in town didn’t live above their shops like he did and it made Tompkins shake his head in wonder. By leaving the shops without anyone around during the night hours, they were taking a chance on being broke into in his opinion. ‘That wasn’t going to happen to Bill Tompkins though’, he told himself as he opened the door to his living quarters. The rooms were covered in shadow from the fast fading sunlight filtering through the windows. Dust motes danced in the last of the light and he headed to his bedroom where a safe was in the back of his closet. Kneeling down, he carefully turned the dial first right, then left and right again until he heard the familiar click telling him he could now open the box. Pulling the money out of his pocket, he added the days take to the small pile already in it. He hated banks and refused to deposit his earnings in Sweetwater’s bank. You were taking a chance putting your money in a bank he always told other shopkeepers. One never knew when one of the many gangs that seemed to roam the Territory would rob the bank. Moving a box back in front of the safe, Tompkins went to the kitchen and began to prepare a solitary meal for himself. He never went to the restaurant, though he heard they had excellent food there. If he went in there by himself, he was sure the others would whisper behind their hands and some might point because he’d be sitting alone. It didn’t really bother him, the fact that he was alone. He liked it that way really. No woman to nag him, to spend his money or try telling him what he should or shouldn’t be doing. “No sir, I like it just the way it is…all by myself, doing what I want when I want and how I want”, he said out loud to the empty room. Grabbing a plate from the cupboard, he put his dinner on it and took a knife and fork from the drawer and went to sit down. With a sigh, he looked around him at his sparse surroundings. It wasn’t much to look at but it was home. Cutting a piece of meat, he mumbled, “What do I care if there’s no one to share it with….” I Was There The death of a loved one is hard enough to deal with but it’s even harder when it happens right in front of your eyes. I should know I was there… I was there, hiding in the shed when my mother came looking for me. She was furious that I had drawn in the front of the family bible. I didn’t know how to spell and I wanted to show that it was hers that it belonged to our family. So, I did the one thing I did know how to do. I drew a picture of my mother, father, sister and I with our house. I thought it looked quite nice. Apparently my mother wasn’t so thrilled with it. I heard her calling my name and knew that I was going to be in trouble. Mama never hit me or my sister but when she was unhappy with us, just the look in her eyes and the sadness on her face were enough to make you regret whatever you had done wrong. I ran and hid in the shed, knowing that sooner or later she’d think to look for me in there. I was able to stand on tiptoe looking out one of the dirty panes of glass so I could watch for her. She was showing my father the front of her bible and gesturing wildly to him as my sister played nearby when I heard the sound of hoof beats coming and they were coming fast. I ducked down as the horses passed by the shed where I was hiding. Peeking out after they passed I noticed my father putting my mother behind him and calling my sister over to them. She looked scared and had begun to cry as she ran to hide in my mama’s skirts. My father was arguing with one of the men though I couldn’t hear the words. He looked really upset and it scared me. I felt my heart stop when the man on the horse who was arguing with my father pulled out his gun. I remember seeing my father take a step back, he looked like he was saying something to my mother and she turned to go towards the house with my sister when the gun went off in the man’s hand. My father fell to the ground and didn’t move. I began to cry as the men got off their horses and started moving as the man that shot my father began yelling to them. One of the men grabbed my mother as she tried to get to the house. I seen him take his gun and shoot her and then my sister. I didn’t know what to do. There was nothing I could do to help them and I was afraid that they were going to find me and shoot me too. With tears running down my face I backed away from the window, still hearing muffled yelling from outside. I couldn’t find anything to hide behind in the shed. There was hardly anything in the building, just a few tools that were old or broken. I could hear a noise outside the door of the shed and ran to the farthest corner where the shadows were deepest and crouched down as low as I could go. Maybe if I were a little ball, the man entering the shed wouldn’t see me. I heard the squeak of the hinges as the door opened slowly. There was no movement for several seconds and I had to peek to see if he was there or if he’d left. I was terrified when my eyes met those of one of the men from the horses. He looked straight at me, not saying a word. He turned his head at something that was yelled at him and waved. “I’ll be right there. Ain’t nothin’ in here…” he yelled back to the others, and then looked back at me. I don’t know why he didn’t tell the others that I was there hiding in the shed. I don’t know why he didn’t shoot me like the other man did my mother, father and sister. I don’t know why I was spared that day or why I’ve never been able to speak since then. All I know is that it’s bad enough when someone you love dies. It’s even worse if you see it happen. I was there, I know…. I'd Rather Be Sorry “Come on Jimmy. Don’t tell me that you’ve never thought about kissing me,” Lou said with a coy smile as she looked up at her fellow rider with amusement dancing in her eyes. “It ain’t that Lou,” Jimmy stammered. “It’s just that…well…you’re the Kid’s girl and all…it ain’t right.” He felt uncomfortable with her talking about kissing her and all. Partly because he’d wanted to do just that for so long and he’d had dreams night after night of such a thing actually happening. As the man in front of her started to move away, she hurried around him and blocked his way. “But Kid and I aren’t together…he’s got that new…new school teacher. I’m free to be with whoever I want to be with Jimmy. I want to be with you,” she told him, letting her hand touch his arm and her fingers trailed down to his hand which she gave a gentle squeeze. Her admission of wanting to be with him brought all kinds of thoughts and pictures into his head and he tried to control the desire that shot through his body. With a sigh of frustration, Jimmy’s eyes narrowed as he looked down into her brown ones. “But why now? Why all of a sudden do you want to know what it’s like to kiss me Lou? And more importantly, why do you want to be with me?” A slight smile curled the corners of her mouth. “Well now Jimmy, I’ve been noticin’ you for a long time. Being with Kid kept me from doing anything about it. But now that I ain’t with Kid any longer, I can finally find out what it would be like to be with you.” Her answer didn’t satisfy him. “I’m not going to be some play thing Lou,” he told her as he grabbed both her arms. “I’m not going to be some kind of amusement that you can toss aside once you ‘find out’ what it’s like to be with me. I just can’t do that Lou. Not to you, not to me and not to Kid. ‘Cause even if you say you ain’t with Kid anymore, I don’t think you’re over him.” There, he’d said it. He’d probably kick himself later for it but he couldn’t take what Lou was offering without being sure she was over Kid. He wouldn’t be a stand in for the one she really wanted, if she did want Kid. With a little huff of indignation, Lou planted her hand on her hips and glared at the man. “What’s it going to take to prove to you that I don’t want Kid no more?” she asked incensed. “But what if you two was to get back together…how would that make you feel about having been with me Lou?” he asked, knowing that what she and Kid had wasn’t something that died easily. That there was a very real possibility that they’d get back together once Kid came to his senses about Samantha. In a softer voice she told him, “If that were to ever happen and I don’t think it will, I’d rather be sorry about hurting Kid’s feeling if he ever found out that I’d been with you then sorry that I never got to find out what loving you was like…” Jimmy stood quiet for a moment, thinking on what she’d said. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back for a second before looking at her again. Without a word, he pulled her to him and captured her lips with his in a demanding, searing kiss. In that one kiss, Lou could feel all the pent up desire that Jimmy had been holding in check all this time. She’d known he’d had feelings for her but never knew the depth of them until now. There was no mistaking that he wanted her and wanted her bad. Her arms snaked around his neck bringing them closer together. She loved the way his body melded with hers. They fit so well together. Why it had taken her so long to approach him she’d never know. With a groan, Lou pulled away from his kiss to take a ragged breath. “Oh, Jimmy….I don’t think I could ever be sorry…not if that kiss is any indication of things to come!” That grin that was all his, spread across his face at her words. “I promise you, you won’t be disappointed Lou…and you sure in the hell won’t be sorry!” As Jimmy took her hand and led her around the back of the bunkhouse heading for his special spot out by the pond, Lou knew without a doubt that she’d never be sorry about approaching Jimmy, only that she didn’t do it sooner. All I Have To Offer You Is Me Jimmy was nervous. He’d never thought he’d be contemplating what he was about to do and it had him scared. Was he crazy? Would she laugh in his face as soon as he talked to her? Or would she throw her arms around him and kiss him, which could be just as bad as her laughing at him… He just didn’t know. Didn’t know if this was the right thing to be doing or not. Part of him said it was and wanted to hurry and get it over, the other half told him to run and run as fast and far away as he could. Whatever he might have been about to do, it was to late now for he heard footsteps coming to the door. His heart was in his throat as it opened, light pouring out from behind Emma. “Jimmy, won’t you come in. Abby’s almost ready,” she told him holding the screen open for him. She gave him a warm smile as he stepped into the living room. He had his hat in his hands and was worrying the brim as he stood under her caring gaze. “Don’t you look nice this evening,” Emma declared taking in the young man’s Sunday best, his freshly washed hair that was combed and tucked behind his ears. Something must be going on she thought never having seen Jimmy so nervous and cleaned up before. “Thank you Emma,” he murmured unable to say more at the moment. Hearing a noise coming from upstairs, his eyes flew to the stairway as a flash of pale blue skirts could be seen coming down them. He watched anxiously as the owner of the skirts came into view. All thoughts of doubt flew out of his head as his eyes lit on the face of the woman he’d silently given his heart to, Abby Shannon. Just seeing her again made him realize what he was planning on doing later that evening was the only right thing for him to do. As she came towards him with a hand held out to him, he was more then ready for what was about to happen. “Jimmy!” she said in delight. Turning to look at her sister a moment she asked, “How did I get so lucky to be escorted by such a handsome man?” Jimmy tucked her hand in his arm with a chuckle and grin. “You look beautiful…” he said with awe. No matter how many times he looked into her face, he was always amazed at her beauty. And he’d been gazing at her face a lot in the last few months. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he asked her, “Are you ready?” Nodding, Abby smiled at him. “Lead the way sir! Oh! Emma don’t bother waiting up,” she threw over her shoulder as they went out the front door. Jimmy had borrowed the buckboard for the evening so that he could take Abby to dinner in town at the restaurant. Then he had planned a quiet stop out by the pond so they could sit in his favorite place and watch the moon as it rose overhead. It was there that he would finally say what he’d been practicing all afternoon in front of the mirror in the bunkhouse. They made small talk on the ride into town and over dinner. Jimmy didn’t want to give away what he had planned so he tried to keep things as normal as possible though he was sure that his occasional fidgeting was making Abby wonder what was up with him. After the meal was finished, they were walking back towards the livery when he asked, “Would you care to go for a little ride? It’s still early and I’d like to spend some more time with you.” Hugging his arm closer to her, Abby smiled up at him. “I’d love to! It’s such a beautiful night and the moon is so bright…” Patting her hand he agreed. “I know just the spot to go too. Come on. Let’s go get the buckboard.” He helped her up onto the seat and took the spot next to her. Jimmy was happy to let her continue talking as he turned the buckboard towards the pond and was glad he’d told the others too keep away this evening. With it being such a beautiful night, he wouldn’t have been surprised if the others had been out for a swim. “The pond?” Abby asked somewhat surprised. She hadn’t thought he be bringing her here. Then again, it was a favorite spot of his to come and think at and where the two of them had spent hours talking and getting to know each other. “Yep,” he told her stopping the buckboard. Getting down he came around to her side and offered her his hand to help her down. Once she was standing next to him, he reached behind the seat and pulled out a blanket he’d thought to stash there earlier. Taking her hand in his, Jimmy led the way towards the water. “It’s lovely in the moonlight!” Abby told him as she took in the reflection of the moon on the smooth as glass water. Jimmy let go of her hand and spread the blanket on the grass. Helping her down, he sat next to her. Taking off his leather gloves and hat, he set them off to the side. He didn’t want anything getting in his way tonight. “I’m glad you came out with me tonight,” he began quietly. He could see a small smile teasing the corners of her mouth in the dim light. “Me too. Thank you for asking me,” she replied as lightning bugs began to dance in the darkness. Trying to gauge her feelings, Jimmy asked another question. “You know you could have went out with any of the others….they’d have killed to escort you to dinner.” Setting her hands in her lap, she looked out across the pond. “Be that as it may, you are the one who asked and you are the one I want to be with. I like the others well enough but that is as far as it goes Jimmy. You should know that by now since we’ve been seeing each other for sometime now.” Abby looked over at him, trying to guess what was going through his mind. When they were together, they usually didn’t talk about the others. “You’re the one I want to be with,” she whispered, a finger softly tracing his jaw as he looked at her. “Are you sure?” his voice was gravely from the feelings he suddenly had overwhelming him at her words and touch. “Very,” was all she said as she leaned over and gently placed a kiss upon his lips. Putting a hand behind her head, Jimmy kissed her full and deep in return before moving back from her. His stomach was tied in knots as he took her hand in his. “I’ve never known anyone like you before Abby. The last few months have been very special to me and all because of you’re being here,” he told her working his courage up to say what he really wanted to say. Abby smiled. She’d been enjoying the time spent with him too and told him so. “You aren’t like any of the young men I’ve known either Jimmy. When I’m with you…well, everything just seems so right.” Closing his eyes briefly, he let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. “I’m glad you feel that way, ‘cause I’ve got something I’ve been wanting to ask you…” With a shaky hand, he lifted hers in his and pulled her a bit closer. “Ever since I first laid eyes on you, you’ve had my heart…the more we got to know each other, the more I wanted to be with you. I think of you day and night Abby. Without realizing what was happening, you’ve come to mean the world to me….”he paused to see her reaction and was glad to see she was listening to him intently. “I know I’m only an Express rider right now, but the pay is good. I don’t have a home of my own but that can change. All I have to offer you is me…and if you’d have me, I’d like to marry you Abby Shannon.” Jimmy’s heart was beating so fast he thought it might explode. ‘There, I’ve said it…I’ve asked her,’ he told himself surprised that he actually said the words to her. Abby’s own hand was shaking in his as he started talking about his feelings for her. When he told her all he had to offer was himself, she almost started crying with joy. She’d been in love with him for weeks now but couldn’t bring herself to tell him without knowing for sure what he felt about her. She had known he’d wanted her, that was easy enough to see from his looks and touches, but Abby hadn’t known if what he felt for her was more then that. Until this moment that is. With a trembling voice, she answered his question. “Jimmy Hickok, whether you have all the money in the world or only the clothes on your back, I’d love you all the same. I’d like nothing more then to be your wife!” At her words he crushed her in his embrace, his lips finding hers. Laying them back on the blanket, her lifted his head and murmured, “I love you Abby Shannon,” then kissed her again, this time with all the passion he’d been holding in check coming through full of promises of what was to come. Do You Remember These? “Do you remember these, Mama?” the young woman asked handing a box filled with tintypes to her mother sitting in the rocker. A feeling of love washed over the old woman as she gingerly flipped through each photo. “Oh course I do dear! My mind isn’t that far gone that I don’t recognize my ‘boys’,” she told her daughter. With tears filling her rheumy eyes, Emma showed her daughter a picture of six young men. “This here is when they first came to me…oh what a bunch of boys they were to be sure. Each of them had their own demons and needed motherin’ like you wouldn’t believe.” Pointing to the first young man, Emma said, “This one here is Ike. Ike McSwain. He was a mute due to seeing his family killed in front of him I believe, but boy could he talk!” Emma laughed at her daughter’s look. “You want to know how a mute could talk don’t you?” at her daughter’s nod, she went on. “Ike learned Indian sign from this young man here.” She pointed to another young man in the picture. He had long black hair and was wearing a vest. “Running Buck Cross. Just Buck Cross to us though. He was half Kiowa, half white and was trying to find his place in either world. When he rode for the Pony Express, I do believe he had found that for a time…I always wondered what happened to him in later years….I’d heard from Louise that he’d went back to his people.” Shaking her head, she mentioned to her daughter who sat listening with great interest. “But I was talking about Ike. He never made it to his next birthday.” A tear slipped down her wrinkled cheek and her frail hand lifted to brush it away. “A tragic story that one was…Ike had fallen in love with a young woman. Her father had a gambling problem and was killed over it. While, the daughter decided to take matters into her own hands and went after the man who had shot her father. Ike happened to arrive at the wrong moment. He shoved her out of the way only to get fatally shot himself. It was such a sad time for all of us.” Taking a moment to compose herself, Emma pointed to another man in the photo. “This one here was known as Kid. Don’t know what his real name was. Now Lou, right here in front of him might have known but I never did hear what it was. He was from Virginia. He was running from something in his past that kept him from talking about it. I do know that he had a brother…but Jimmy, this man here,” she said pointing to a man in a light colored jacket and black hat, “he shot Kid’s brother.” At her daughters exclamation of shock, she told how Jed had arrived in Sweetwater supposedly as an Army man but was really working to help further the South’s cause for when war broke out in the year to come. “Kid’s greatest love was Louise…or Lou to everyone else. This one right here.” Emma pointed to Lou’s picture and smiled. “She was something else I tell you. I don’t think I could have masqueraded as a boy and done the job she did. Worked hard as anyone of those boys too! Louise McCloud. Her mama died when she was young and she had a brother and sister to take care of. They all ended up in an orphanage and she left it to make a home for her siblings. How she came to be dressed as a young man isn’t important now….just that she did what she set out to do. She and Kid were quite a pair. The two of them could fight like cats and dogs but in the end they would make up and life would be good again for them. Until the war that is. They’d been planning on getting married and that damn war tore them apart like it did the whole country. Kid was loyal to a fault and for some reason only god and he knew, Kid felt duty bound to return to Virginia to fight for them. Louise promised to wait….and wait she did for over eight years before she let herself move on with her life. Kid didn’t come back. Was killed in what they called the Battle of the Crater….don’t know what he was even doing there since most men from Virginia were fighting elsewhere at the time.” Olivia Cain put her hand over the top of her mother’s and held it comfortingly in her own. She could see and hear the love that her mother had for these young people in the picture. It wasn’t often her mother spoke about the time she ran a Pony Express Station and now that she was losing her memory it was even more bittersweet to hear her talk about the past. Hoping to take her mother’s mind off of her sorrow at the loss of the young man named Kid, she asked as she pointed to another man in the picture. “You said this one was named Jimmy…tell me about him mama.” “That there is James Butler Hickok. ‘Wild Bill’ as the dime novels named him. Didn’t know your mama knew such a man did you now? True he was good with the gun, but he never earned the reputation that he was saddled with when a man named Marcus penned that first novel about him. Jimmy had his own demons to fight and was a hard man to know. He kept to himself much of the time but if you needed a friend, he was right there. Always had the other’s backs too. He too, was in love with Louise though he never said a word to her about it that I know of. May be the reason he didn’t marry until just before his death. Married a much older woman too. I wondered if she made him think of Louise but never having met her I don’t know. He was shot in the back by a coward up in Dakota Territory. A sad day that was when the news arrived. Something about Jimmy always made me have a special place in my heart for him.” Sitting up in the rocking chair a little straighter, she pointed to the last man in the picture. He was a blond haired young man in buckskins. “This here is William F. Cody. You’d probably know him better as “Buffalo Bill Cody” the man with the famous Wild West Show.” Olivia looked closer at the photo. “That’s really Buffalo Bill? I remember seeing his show a few years back when I was in Chicago. I only wish I’d known then that he was a friend of yours mama. I would have made sure I got to meet him and send your regards to him.” Smiling fondly at her daughter Emma reassured her. “That’s alright dear. William and I have kept in touch over the years. When I was younger, he’d make sure to send your daddy and I tickets to see his show when it was near by. William was always the dreamer and quite the storyteller when he was with the Express. I remember him telling me once about his plans for the future, how he was going to be a household name one day and he did exactly as he said he would. He married Louise you know…” When her daughter murmured that she hadn’t known Emma told her about it. “Louise was waiting for Kid to return from the War Between the States and when he didn’t, Cody was the one to keep checking on her. She refused to come stay with me and daddy but Cody made sure she was alright. It took years for their friendship to grow into more but it did and one day they married. He calls her Louisa now…they’ve had quite an exciting life I must say. Never thought those two would end up together.” Setting the photo aside, Emma took out several other photos and told the story of them also. The walk down memory lane had taken a lot out of Emma. It had been a long time since she’d let herself think of her other ‘children’, the ones she’d given her heart to all those years ago. Handing the box to her daughter, she tucked the blanket closer around her. “I think I’ll just rest for a bit,” she told Olivia. “But first, would you hand me that photo with all of them in it? I’d like to look at it a while longer…” Olivia handed her mother the photo, stood and kissed her softly on the forehead before turning to leave. Stopping in the doorway she turned to look at Emma a moment and tears filled her eyes as she watched her mother’s finger tracing over the faces of the ones she’d loved and the ones she’d lost so long ago. “I remember…” Emma whispered as tears began to fall. It Should Have Been Me He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting in that spot, staring at the chard earth where the funeral pyre had been just days ago. He didn’t care either. Nothing mattered anymore. Ike was gone. He’d never see his best friend again and it was tearing him apart. His shoulders began to shake silently as tears ran down his cheeks unchecked. One thought kept running through his mind over and over, ‘It should have been me…’ ‘It should have been me that got shot, not Ike…Ike had so much to live for…why did he have to die?’ Buck asked himself over and over. It was Ike who recently had found the love of his life, Emily. It was Ike who had shared his plans with Buck, telling him how he planned on asking Emily to marry him. It was Ike who was planning a future full of promises. But it was Ike who was gone… No matter that Buck knew that there had been nothing he could have done to stop his friend’s senseless death, he felt it deep in his soul, the pain and despair and the helplessness. Not only for his friend’s death but also for his own loss of his best friend, his confidant, the only person he’d known who truly accepted him for who he was without reservation. He felt guilty over the selfish thoughts he was having over Ike’s passing. He felt he should be more concerned with Emily and her loss. She’s the one who lost the man she loved, the man she had planned on making a life with, having children with, growing old together with. Though he felt bad for her, she hadn’t known Ike as long as he had, she didn’t have a chance to develop the relationship that he and Ike had shared through their experiences as children. They had been there for each other through the good and the bad. There had been an over abundance of bad too. For each of them. Buck wondered how he’d make it without his friend by his side. He’d miss Ike’s smiling eyes, so full of mischief at times that they seemed to dance. He’d miss the little quips that Ike would sign to him while in a crowd that would make him smile or behind Cody’s back when the young man was telling another one of his tall tales. He’d miss the security he’d felt knowing that Ike was nearby when he went into town and the folks there would start eyeing him with disdain. Just knowing Ike was there had made it easier to go about. Buck didn’t even want to go into the bunkhouse…He felt that the others all pitied him, whispering behind his back. He just knew they were all worrying about him and what he would do now that Ike was gone. What could he do? It wasn’t as if there was anything he could do to bring his friend back, there was no way he could change places with his friend. Buck was being eaten by the guilt that it should have been him and not Ike who was gone. He’d always been there for Ike in the past, helping him out of danger. This time, he wasn’t there like he should have been and it cost Ike his life. He let Ike and the others down by letting Ike get shot and he hated himself for it. As darkness fell, Buck remained staring at the blackened earth, almost as if he stared long enough it would disappear and Ike would be back, looking for him and wanting to show him a picture he’d drawn. The shadows began to play tricks on his eyes and he’d swear that he saw Ike, standing in front of him alive. The only thing is he could hear a voice, a voice he knew belong to his friend though he’d never spoken a word in the whole time he’d known him. Through tears, Buck watched as his friend smiled and waved at him. “Buck…you can’t do this to yourself. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have stopped this from happening. It was my time…you need to go on. You’re going to do great things and I will be here, watching over you and smiling the whole time….I’ll never be far from you my friend…” With that Ike disappeared into the night. Buck broke down in loud sobs. Even in death, Ike was there keeping watch over him as they had promised to do for each other years ago. Drying his eyes, Buck took one last look at the place he’d seen Ike and couldn’t help thinking, ‘It should have been me…’ Woman Without a Home Rachel Dunne had evaded her captures by keeping to remote parts of the Territory between the home she and Henry Dunne had built and the town she was now coming up to, Sweetwater. Back in Blue Creek she had seen a newspaper ad in a paper that someone had discarded stating that the Pony Express Station there was looking to hire a housekeeper. She knew how to cook and clean having done it for the past several years with her husband. The job sounded like a perfect place to ‘hide’ from the men who were hunting her. Knowing that she’d need to clean up a bit before she went and found a man named Teaspoon Hunter, she made her way to where a person could get a bath for twenty-five cents. Digging in her pocket, she pulled out the coin needed and handed it to the old man who called to a boy to fill a tub in the back for her. Making sure the privacy screen was in place before she began to undress, Rachel carefully laid out a cleaner set of clothing from the small pack she carried and slipped into the heavenly warm water. Wishing she had a bar of her homemade rose soap to use, she made due with the bit of lye that was on a table next to the tub. Scrubbing what felt like weeks of dirt from her pores, Rachel ducked under the water thinking how good it felt to finally be clean again. She hated the running, but there was nothing she could do to change that at the moment. She was a wanted woman with having killed the man who’d shot her husband. It was hard being a woman without a home but if things went the way she hoped in a short while that would all change. Washing her hair took the longest. Her strawberry blond locks were knotted and full of snarls. Finally she felt like a new woman. The only blight was the manacles around her ankles. No amount of picking at the locks had yielded her freedom from them. At least the chains had been broken with an ax allowing her to run as she had. Knowing her skirts would keep them hidden for the time being she got dressed and began to dry her hair. Once her hair was dry enough to put up and look presentable, she smoothed down her skirt and looked in the mirror one last time. With a slight frown she wished that she had something more appropriate looking to wear for a job interview but knew it was wasteful thinking. Thanking the man outside the bathhouse, Rachel asked if he might know where she could find a man by the name of Teaspoon Hunter and the Pony Express Station. “The station is a few miles out that way,” he pointed with a gap-toothed grin. “But you can find the marshal down that way,” he pointed in the opposite direction. Talking to the town marshal was one of the last things she had wanted to do with a bounty on her head. “Talking to Mr. Hunter will do just fine,” she told him wondering how long it would take to find the Express Station. “But if you’s a wantin’ to talk to Mr. Hunter you’d best be headin’ down to the marshal’s office like I said….he’s in his office probably sleepin’ this time of day,” the old man said with another grin. Rachel’s heart sank. If she understood the man correctly, Mr. Hunter and the marshal were one in the same. She felt her stomach clench at the thought of talking to the law about a job. By now she figured he must have gotten the poster with her picture on it. Fearing that she’d be put in a cell instead of hired, Rachel stood on the boardwalk trying to weigh her options. If she kept running, she was sure her husband’s killers would catch up to her and when they did, it wasn’t going to go well for her and she knew it. Killing one of them sealed her fate in their eyes. With a reluctant step, she started towards the marshal’s office. When she reached it, she put up a fist to knock on the glass pane, seeing the man inside sitting in a chair leaning back with his hat over his face. ‘Keeping the town safe from riff raff must be a taxing job or a boring one,’ she thought as she waited for the man to motion her in. Teaspoon sat up with a start at the knock on the office door. He wasn’t used to anyone knocking, most everyone just barged in without so much as a ‘how do you do’. Much to his surprise there was a fetching woman standing on the other side of the door. Motioning for her to enter, he stood up, setting his hat upon his head and tipping it to her in greeting. “Ma’am,” he nodded and smiled. “Marshal Hunter at your service. Might I be of some assistance?” With a grin Teaspoon hooked his thumbs in his faded suspenders and said with a note of hope, “Why yes I do Mrs. Dunne. Just so happens that we are still in need of a cook and housekeeper for my boys. You look strong enough to do the job.” He was thinking of several of the applicants who’d been at least twenty years older then him and slept even more then he did who didn’t work out. With a wry grin, Rachel told him, “I’m more then capable of doing the job Marshal Hunter. My cooking skills are quite good also. I can promise you that if hired, you won’t go without food or clean clothes.” A big smile crossed his face as he asked her, “Can you make decent fried chicken and apple pie?” knowing that it was one of his favorite meals which he hadn’t had since before Emma married Sam and left. “Not only can I make fried chicken but the pie will melt in your mouth,” she told him knowing that the ability to cook and cook well was going to be the clincher for her getting this job. “In fact, if you let me show you what I can do, I think you will be more then satisfied.” A smile plastered over his face, Teaspoon went to offer Mrs. Dunne his hand. “Deal,” he told her as she took it in her and gave it a good shake. Offering her his arm, he told her, “Why don’t I just escort you out to the station and show you around and let you get settled in a bit before you need to start working on dinner?” Taking his offered arm with a smile, Rachel was delighted. “I’d like that. Please, call me Rachel.” “Only if you’ll call me Teaspoon,” he told her in return. As they walked down to the livery to get a buckboard so he could drive her out to the station, Rachel let out a sigh of relief at finally no longer being a woman without a home. When I Stop Dreamin' Cody looked around the room and frowned. “You all can make fun of me if you want, see if I care. One day though, you’ll see…My name’s going to be known in every household from the east to the west coast!” he declared. Jimmy shook his head and chuckled under his breath. “Cody when you gonna quit all that dreamin’ you are doin’ and start livin’ in the real world?” Standing up and strutting around the room, Cody looked at his fellow riders. “That’s the problem with all of you,” he said matter of fact. “You don’t do no dreamin’, you ain’t makin’ plans for the future. But me, I got plans. Big plans and just you wait and see…I’m gonna be famous!” “What makes you so special that all them people are going to know you?” Noah asked, flashing Jimmy a smile. Getting Cody all riled up was a favorite past time of theirs and the young man gave them plenty of opportunities to rib him. “Now that you ask Noah, I’ll tell ya,” Cody said with his hands flourishing about in the air. “See, I got this idea to do a show one day. Not just any kind of show mind you, but a traveling show….I’m gonna bring the Wild West to the folks back east.” His excitement could be heard in his voice and his eyes were sparkling. “And why would the good folks back east want to see such a show?” Noah wanted to know. “Because they thirst for stories of the west. The long to hear tales of gunfighters, such as you Jimmy,” Cody winked at his fellow rider who’s eyes narrowed at the remark about him being a gunfighter. “The want to know all about the Indians and the fighting out here, they want to see what a buffalo looks like…look at how popular them dime novels are…I’m tellin’ ya, folks would pay and pay good money to see a show like that. Why, I could get rich doin it!” Lou sat listening to Cody go on about his ‘future’ plans and had to wonder where he came up with ideas like that. “You amaze me Cody, you really do,” she told him. “I ain’t ever heard of any show like that before. Where do you come up with such ideas?” With a lop-sided grin, Cody hurried over to where she sat on her bunk. “See that’s the beauty of it Lou! There ain’t never been a show like it before! Why folk’s would come from miles around to see my show.” Slowly looking around the room at each of the riders, Cody studied them for a moment before stating, “Seein’ how you all are my friends and I consider you family, I’m willin’ to let you all be a part of it…” He frowned at the laughter that filled the room. “What?! Don’t you think I can do it? You don’t want to be a part of the greatest show on earth?” Buck looked at him and shook his head. “And just where do you think you are going to find these Indians to be in your show? Most of them hate the white man and would never willingly do such a thing as you are talking about.” “Well, I ain’t thought that far ahead yet Buck…it’s all in the plannin’ stage still. I got the ideas runnin’ through my head and I keep addin’ or changin’ them as I think of things that I know I’d want to see if it were me goin’ to such a show…” From across the room where he lay on his bunk, Kid spoke up for the first time. “I think it’s a great idea Cody. No, really,” he said when the blond man gave him a funny look. “I can just see it now…William F. Cody, king of the Great Plains…come see real buffalo, genuine Indians….” The others all broke out laughing again as Kid couldn’t keep a straight face any longer and joined in. Ike thumped the table and asked, *Where you going to get the buffalo? Not like you got a few spare laying around* That broke everyone up again. “He’s got a point there Cody,” Jimmy laughed. Sighing, Noah stood up and clamped a hand on Cody’s shoulder. “You need to get your head out of the clouds Cody and quit all that dreamin’ like Jimmy said. Come on guys, we got chores to do before Teaspoon comes a lookin’ for us.” Grumbling to himself as he followed the others out of the bunkhouse, he called after them, “When I stop dreaming, that’s when I’ll be dead!” She's Too Good U.S. Marshal Sam Cain paced back and forth on the front porch of Emma Shannon’s house worrying the bouquet of wild flowers he’d picked for her as he warred with himself. ‘She’s too good for you Sam Cain,’ he told himself. ‘What were you thinking that you were good enough to ask her to be your wife?’ Slapping the flowers against his thigh he turned and walked back the other way again. Stopping, he lifted his hands and began moving them as he talked to himself, causing the riders and Teaspoon sitting on the porch of the bunkhouse to laugh quietly. “You really think he’s gonna do it Teaspoon?” Cody asked as Sam walked across the porch once more. “Just give him some time son. He’ll get it done, just needs to work up the courage is all,” Teaspoon told him with some reservations of his own. Having done the asking six times himself, he knew you had to work yourself up to the moment. “What have you got to offer her you big fool?” Sam asked himself. “All you got is your job and that is about to change in a few weeks…you’d be takin’ her away from her home and family and for what? A room in a hotel until you could afford a small box of a house?” “He’s gonna wear a hole in the boards if he keeps that up,” Jimmy said as Sam continued to pace back and forth. “Why don’t he just get it over with and ask Emma for god’s sake!” “Now Jimmy,” Teaspoon said, hooking his thumbs in his suspenders as he tilted his chair against the bunkhouse wall. “When it’s your turn to do the askin’ you’ll see it ain’t all that easy to do.” “Well if it makes ya look like a fool talkin’ to yourself on some woman’s porch for an hour I ain’t gonna ever do it!” he declared. Sam stopped and mopped his brow with a handkerchief and looked nervously at the door to Emma’s house. He knew he should knock on it and let her know he was there but he couldn’t get up the nerve to do it yet. He’d practiced what he was going to say to her all morning but now that he was on her doorstep, all the doubts he’d kept at bay were washing over him making him doubt what he had planned on doing. Sam’s life wasn’t spotless. He had a past and even though he and Emma had discussed it before, he still wasn’t sure he was worthy of such a good woman. He’d been married before and look what had happened. He hadn’t been able to protect Jenny and their unborn child and he lost her. For months he’d been consumed by getting revenge on the men who had killed her and it had turned him into something he wasn’t proud of. He was scared that that man still lurked within him somewhere and he never wanted Emma to see him like that. He’d almost had himself talked out of making what he termed a fool of himself when the door to the house opened, causing him to stop where he was as Emma opened the screen. “Why, Sam! I didn’t know you were here!” She told him with a smile. “Won’t you come in?” Sam quickly took the hat off his head and nodded to her. “Emma…” he felt like his tongue was tied in knots. “Uh…these are for you,” he offered the poor looking bouquet of flowers that had been used to hit his leg at each turn he made pacing the porch. Emma took the sad looking flowers with a grin. “Why thank you Sam…why don’t you come on in while I put these in water.” Moving jerkily behind her, Sam grabbed the screen door and disappeared inside as the riders began to make bets on if he’d go through with actually proposing to Emma or not. Sam put his hat on the hat rack next to the door and nervously walked into Emma’s living room. “I think the flowers will look pretty over here don’t you?” Emma asked setting the vase on the mantel over the fireplace. “Sure…” Sam offered lamely. Swiping his palms on his pant legs he felt his stomach begin to knot as Emma invited him to sit next to her on the settee. “Can I get you anything to drink Sam or maybe a slice of pie from dinner?” “No, no thank you Emma. I’m fine,” he told her not sure how to bring up the subject foremost on his mind. Turning slightly so she could look at him, Emma asked politely, “What brings you out this way Sam?” Sam’s heart raced frantically in his chest as he looked at her smiling face. She was so beautiful to him. An angel in disguise, he thought and certainly too good for a man like him. Gulping he stumbled over his next words, “I come to see you Emma….there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about for sometime now and seeing how I’m going to be leaving my new job soon, I thought it best if I come see you before I leave…” Emma sat waiting for him to tell her what it was he had wanted to say. Nodding slightly, she hoped he’d relax and continue. When he sat looking lost in thought, Emma gently laid a hand on his arm getting his attention. “Sam, are you alright?” “Emma,” he took the plunge and got to the point, “I was wondering if you would consider marrying me…I love you Emma and I don’t want us to wait any longer…” Emma’s smile softened as she whispered, “Yes…yes I’ll marry you Sam Cain.” It took a moment for her words to register. Sam’s eyes flew to hers and saw only love radiating back at him. “Oh, Emma…” he said gathering her into his arms and kissing her soundly. She really was too good for him, he thought as she kissed him in return but he wasn’t about to let her go now that she’d said yes. I've Had a Good Time “Well boys…” Teaspoon said as he walked into the bunkhouse at the Pony Express station in Rock Creek. “All good things must come to an end and I have to tell ya, I hate to see the express ending. I’ve had a good time over the last year and a half and I’m gonna miss ya all.” Waving his hands for quiet as they all began to talk at once, Teaspoon looked around the room at the faces of the people he’d come to know and love like a family. There was Buck, the quiet, proud half Kiowa who had proved to himself that there was a place in the world for him and it was being part of the family that all of the riders had formed. Lou…the surprise of the bunch by being a young lady and not a man after all. She ‘d proved to be just as good as any of the others if not better at some things over the course of the express’s time. Sitting next to her was Kid, the southerner who had learned to be his own man since joining the express. The two were planning on getting married in a few weeks and then would be moving on to a place out in California. Cody, the brash and dapper young blond who fancied himself a ladies man. Something about the young man made Teaspoon think he’d go far in life. Just how far, he’d never have guessed. Then there was Jimmy. Hot headed, stubborn Jimmy who’d earned himself the moniker of “Wild Bill” over his course with the express. He didn’t deserve the name but if he kept on the course his life was leading him, he’d end up in an early grave. The last to join the family was Noah Dixon. A proud, educated, free black man. Teaspoon had enjoyed many a talk late in the evening with the young man. He didn’t know what the future held for him with the war coming and the country about to be torn in two in part over the slavery issue. With sadness, Teaspoon looked over to the empty bunk near the door. It had belonged to Ike McSwain. The only one of them to not make it to the end of the Express’s run. The young man had been a mute but he sure could talk when he wanted. He was sorely missed by each of them in their own way but most of all by Buck. Turning, Teaspoon seen Rachel enter the bunkhouse. She’d joined the family back in Sweetwater after a string of unfortunate housemothers once Emma left with her new husband Sam. “Yep, only a few more runs and we’ll be shut down. I sure will miss y’all,” he told them once again with a sad little smile. “I sure have had a good time…” his words trailed off as he became lost in thought as the other occupants in the room all seemed to be too. Email Lisa L. HOME