"Morning, ma'am."

"Howdy, Mr. Watson."

"Fine day, ain't it?"

Cody tipped his hat and smiled as he crossed the street. He made sure to keep his chest thrust out, catching the sun's rays on the bright tin badge pinned to his chest. 'Deputy Marshal' -- yes sir, that's what it said.

At first when Sam had told him he'd be left behind in Sweetwater, Cody had been disappointed. After all, there were bank robbers to chase and surely that would have been a much finer place to be. Buck got to go of course, because Sam thought he was the best tracker. Now, Cody figured he could track as well as Buck, but Sam hadn't seen it that way. And instead of taking Cody for his expertise with the long gun, Sam had taken Jimmy instead. Lou was on a run, Ike was off in Blue Creek doing something with Teaspoon, and Kid was next up on a run so he got to stay at the station. Cody had been about to argue that he should go along Sam when the lawman produced the badge and held it out to him. "Cody, I need you to watch things in town."

At first, Cody had considered this to be a pain -- what did he know about being the town marshal? But Barnett had gone off to Fort Laramie to deliver a prisoner, and there wasn't anyone else, and someone -- someone with a lot of sense, naturally -- had to watch the town. Well, yes, Cody figured that was him, and now, walking around the town with the bright shiny badge on his shirt, he realized he'd gotten the best of the deal after all. He wasn't out in the hot sun, riding around, eating dust. He wasn't having to crawl around like Buck trying to find the trail. He didn't have to listen to Jimmy complain, because even though Jimmy thought Cody complained a lot, Cody was sure it was Jimmy who did the complaining. He didn't even have to be taking orders from Sam. Nope, right here, he was in charge, Deputy Marshal William F. Cody.

Yes, sir. That had a real nice ring to it.

Cody continued down the street, nodding and smiling at everyone he met and making sure that they saw the badge on his chest. He was just about at the general store, when all of a sudden, the doors opened and someone came flying out. The man rolled on the boardwalk, right down the stairs and landed in the dust in the street by the horses.

"And you stay out, you no good, lousy thief." Tompkins followed up his exclamation by appearing in the doorway and tossing the man's hat out into the street.

Cody hurried over to the store, stopping by the man lying in the street. Up close he could see that it was Tom Moore, a farmer who lived a few miles outside of Sweetwater making extra sure that his badge was prominently displayed. He turned toward Tompkins and asked. "What seems to be the problem here, Mr. Tompkins?"

"Caught him trying to slip a new shirt under his jacket."

Tom had managed to get himself into a seated position on the street and he looked up now with a hateful glare. "That ain't true," he hissed, rubbing at his arm.

Tompkins returned the man's glare with one of his own. "I saw him," he stated firmly.

Cody adopted what he figured was his best in-charge stance. "Well now, don't know one worry. I'll figure out what happened."

Tom shook his head. "I'd rather talk to Sam Cain."

"Yeah, let's get Cain," Tompkins agreed.

Cody shook his head. "Sam ain't here."

"Well, where is he?" Tompkins demanded.

"Feller come in this mornin' from Sand Draw, said that gang what's been robbin' banks around here was seen over by Devil's Gap. Sam headed out there with a couple o' the fellas." Cody cleared his throat and pointed to the badge. "He left you folks in real good hands though."

Tompkins gave that a short, derisive laugh. "What, from a boy? You ain't no lawman."

"This here badge says different."

"Anyone can wear a badge. Don't mean you earned it."

Cody's eyes narrowed and his voice was harder when he replied. "Now, Mr. Tompkins, I can't let you go around…"

"Go around what? Callin' you a boy?"

Cody shook his head as he slowly drew his pistol. "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to arrest you?"

Tompkins' jaw dropped in disbelief. "Arrest me? For what?"

"Interferin' with a lawman."

"Interefering?" Tompkins sputtered, then pointed at Tom Moore, who was still on the ground. "What about him?"

"Well, I'm arrestin' him too," Cody replied.

"But I didn't do anything!" Tom protested.

"That's for a judge to decide," Cody declared. He waved the pistol, gesturing toward the jail. "Now come on, both of you."

"You can't…"

"But I…"

The gunshot stopped the protests. "I ain't takin' no more fuss from you," Cody said, waving the pistol he was still pointing up into the air. "Now let's get on over to the jail!"

The fact that Cody had been willing to fire his gun to make a point quieted the other two men, at least for the moment. Tompkins absently reached a hand down, helping Tom up off the dirt, and then they both started across the street.

Cody took a moment to address the crowd that had gathered. "It's all right now, folks. I got everything under control."

The murmur from the crowd evidenced some doubt about that, but Cody didn't notice. He was following his prisoners toward the jail.

"It's mine!"

"No it ain't!"

"Yes it is!"

"Prove it!"

"Give it to me!"

"Come an' get it!"

Cody hurried toward the school, drawn by the sounds of an argument. As he got closer, he could see Willie Paulson holding something high over his head. Godfrey Hudson was desperately trying to get it away from Willie. But since Willie had a few years, and at least a foot in height advantage over Godfrey, it wasn't much of a fair contest.

"Boys! Stop that fighting right now!"

Cody smiled as he saw Gwendolyn Sullivan come running out of the school. He'd been trying to get the pretty young schoolteacher's attention for some time, and now he saw his perfect chance. Hurrying forward, he held a hand up and then pointed at his badge. "Don't you worry none, Miss Sullivan. I'll handle this."

She stopped halfway to the boys. "Well…"

Just then Godfrey threw himself at Willie's knees, toppling the taller boy. The two of them rolled in the dirt, attempting a few feeble punches but mostly just grappling for the upper position.

Gwendolyn gasped. "Oh, dear." She looked up, seeing the blond man coming closer. "Someone run and get Marshal Cain," she said to the other children.

Cody held out his hands to stop the two girls who started out to do their teacher's bidding. "Now, now, no need for that."

Gwendolyn looked up from where she had just tried, and failed, to pull Willie away from the fight. "Oh, I'd really feel so much better with Marshal Cain…"

"Sam ain't here," Cody explained, and then he sighed. Why couldn't people just see the badge he wore? And what, exactly, did Sam have that he didn't? "You're in good hands, ma'am. I'll take care of this." He took her arm and gently steered her away from the wrestling mass of limbs and then he boldly stepped into the fray.

A flailing foot caught him high on one cheek and sent him falling ignominiously onto his butt.

Cody sat there for a moment, stunned. He raised one hand unsteadily to his cheek, relieved to find only a little blood on his fingers when he looked. He blinked his eyes several times, trying to clear his vision. Then he shook his head. His hears were ringing, and it almost sounded like laughter.

His vision and thoughts cleared suddenly, and he realized it was laughter he was hearing. And they were laughing at him!

Scrambling to his feet, Cody stalked toward the two boys who were still rolling around. Carefully avoiding the legs this time, he reached down and grabbed Willie's collar, pulling the boy back. And as Godfrey came up still trying to fight, he grabbed the other boy's collar as well. Holding the two combatants at arms' length, Cody glared at each of them in turn as they continued to struggle. "Now just stop it, you two!"

The struggling eased off somewhat as the boys took the opportunity to take some deep breaths and assess any damage. They were both bruised, with bloody noses, but no apparent major damage.

Thus, no reason to leave the battle unfinished.

"He took my hat!"

"Ain't his."

"Is so."

"I found it on the ground."

"After you knocked it off!"

"Stop it!" Cody shouted - and immediately wished he hadn't. The ringing was back in his ears, and all through his head.

Sensing weakness, the two boys locked eyes, and then as one, each took aim with a kick to Cody's shins.

"OWWWWWWWW!!!!!!" For just a fraction of a second Cody's grip slipped as he processed this new pain. But then he grabbed the two boys again. "All right, that's it. You're both under arrest!"

There was a collective gasp from the assembled children, and Gwendolyn stepped forward. "Really, they're just boys. Surely we can…"

"Ma'am, they assaulted a deputy marshal in the performance of his duties." Cody shifted his weight from one leg to the other, trying to figure out which way hurt less.

"Oh, but…"

"If their folks come askin', just tell 'em to come to the jail," Cody said, pushing the boys ahead of him. He limped along with them, sure that Sam couldn't have handled the situation any better.

And he'd check back later to see how impressed Miss Gwendolyn Sullivan had been with his actions.

"OWWWWWWW!!!!!"

Cody flinched away and put up his hand to stop another attempt to inflict pain. Glaring at the other man he reached out and snatched away the bottle. "What the hell is this stuff?"

Peter Stone sighed and then put on his best friendly-doctor face. "It's just alcohol, Mr. Cody. To clean that wound."

Cody sniffed the bottle suspiciously. "Don't smell like whiskey to me."

"That's because it's medical alcohol."

Cody sniffed again. "How do I know it ain't somethin' to knock me out?"

Stone sighed again and shook his head. "Now why would I want to do that?"

Cody glared at the other man. "Some people just don't like the law."

"As I understand it, that position is quite temporary," Stone replied. "Fortunately," he muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"You said somethin'!"

Stone shook his head. "Nothing. Now, let me clean that wound."

Cody hopped off the examination table, holding the suspect bottle at arm's length. "I ain't never had cleanin' a wound hurt so much."

"Mr. Cody, this is the latest in medical treatment, I assure you."

"It hurts."

"That means it's doing its job, cleaning the wound." Stone paused, turning away. "What an idiot," he muttered.

Cody sniffed the bottle again, anything but convinced. "I think you'd best come over to the jail with me, Doc. 'Til we can figger this out."

"What? Now see here Cody…"

"That's Deputy Cody. And 'til Sam gets back, I'm the law here. I can't take no chances. And 'sides, it's against the law to call a lawman an idiot."

"Chances?" Stone shook his head. "And what law?"

Cody plugged the stopper into the bottle and motioned toward the door. To be honest, he had no idea what law, or even if there was one. But there should be one, he figured. Sam Cain sure wouldn't put up with being called an idiot!

And neither would Deputy Marshal William F. Cody!

Cody all but ran for the door, stepping out onto the boardwalk in front of the jail and pulling the door firmly shut behind him. That at least muffled all of the angry voices coming from inside.

He slumped down onto a chair by the door and ran his hand wearily through his hair. He couldn't understand why people were so upset with him! Granted, being locked up in jail wasn't the most pleasant thing - but what did they expect? Sam had left him in charge, and he had to enforce the law. And he had to make sure the people of Sweetwater showed the proper respect to the town's lawmen!

Cody had just never figured keeping order would be so hard. It wasn't like they'd had a bank robbery, or even a bunch of drunks causing trouble. Nope, the trouble today had been from the regular folks of Sweetwater.

What he really needed was a cup of coffee, he decided. He started to get up - and then sat down again. He couldn't go to the little café over by the dressmaker's shop. He'd had to arrest Marcus Volker for disorderly conduct, and the man had locked up the door, claiming there was no one to run the business if he wasn't there.

There was the restaurant at the hotel…

But no, that wouldn't be a good idea either, since he'd had to arrest the hotel's handyman too. It turned out Willie Paulson came by his fighting tendencies naturally. Cody rubbed gingerly at his ribs, feeling for the bruise that the boy's father had left.

Cody leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. People just didn't understand how difficult this job was! And when those people didn't show the proper respect for their lawmen - well, that just made it even harder!

He was just considering where else he could try for a cup of coffee - where no one was mad at him - when some movement at the end of the street caught his attention. Shading his eyes, he stared down the street, then got to his feet quickly as he recognized Sam riding into town. He was followed by three very sullen-looking men tied to their horses, with Jimmy and Buck bringing up the rear of the group.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Cody stepped out into the street and waved. At least Sam would be available to help now. And, as a fellow lawman, Sam would surely understand what Cody had been going through that day.

"Sam, boy am I glad to see you!"

Sam looked around, noting the reasonable quiet main street. There did seem to be an abnormally high number of people just standing there, watching them, but that was probably because of the three prisoners he'd just brought back. "Everything all right, Cody?" he asked as he dismounted.

"Sam, I'll tell you, I don't know how you do it!" Cody exclaimed. "Folks 'round here ain't got no respect for the law. Gonna be plenty for the judge to do…"

"The judge?"

Cody nodded. "The circuit judge. Comes through next week, right? That's what I've been telling everyone."

Everyone?

With a sinking feeling, Sam jumped up onto the boardwalk and threw the door open. The sheer volume of the voices that greeted him made him take a step back, but then he took a deep breath and walked into the jail.

The two cells were packed with people. And not the kind of riff-raff that he had captured today with Buck. No, these were the people of Sweetwater, the people who owned the businesses, who he saw on the street every day. The ones he attended church with…

Some of the language he was hearing now was definitely not very church-like. And most of it seemed to be directed at Cody.

Sam stepped in farther, still trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "Tompkins? Shepherd? Godfrey? Doc?" He did a double take. "Miz Perkins?" What in the world was the church pianist doing in the jail?

Tompkins pushed his way to the front. "Cain, you open this door right now," he demanded, backed by a chorus of agreement. "And then maybe - just maybe - we won't kill that idiot!"

Somehow, Sam didn't even have to ask what 'idiot' they were referring to.

"CODY!"

There was the sound of a horse heading away at a fast pace, and Sam looked out the window just in time to see Cody riding like the wind, heading out of town.

"Ain't even got room for these fellas, Sam," Jimmy said from the doorway, trying hard not to laugh. He and Buck ushered the three new prisoners into the room.

"Don't even start with me, Hickok," Sam muttered, rummaging through his desk drawers. "You wanna do something, help me find where Cody put the keys."

A chorus of voices from inside the cells offered advice on that, and Buck finally made the word 'stove' out of the noise. He found the keys on a chair next to the stove and held them up.

"Be my guest," Sam said wearily, indicating the cells.

Buck walked toward the doors, taking just a moment to savor the sight of Tompkins behind bars. Then he opened the first door, stepping back quickly as people pushed out. As soon as the first cell had emptied he went to the second one and unlocked that door too.

"Cain, you gotta…"

"That boy is a menace!"

"Do you know what he…"

"I missed a whole day…"

"All right! All right!" Sam shouted, holding up his hand for silence. "I'm sure you all got a story to tell, and I'll hear 'em all. One at a time. Starting tomorrow." There were some protests, but Sam stopped them by herding the townspeople toward the door. "Tomorrow," he promised, several times.

When the last person was outside, Sam closed the door, leaning against it as if to make sure it couldn't be opened again.

Jimmy pushed the three prisoners into one of the cells and slammed the door behind them. Buck still had the keys and he locked the door, then set the keys on the desk.

Sam walked over and sank wearily into the chair by his desk. "Thanks, boys. At least that part went smooth today."

Jimmy grinned. "You figure all them people Cody arrested…"

Sam groaned and held up a hand. "I don't even wanna think about it. Tomorrow'll be bad enough." He shook his head slowly. "All I asked him to do was watch things, not arrest half the town!"

"Cody doesn't do things half-way," Buck said. "He was deputized…"

"And dangerous!" Jimmy supplied.

As the two younger men laughed, Sam got to his feet and pushed them toward the door. "Yeah, thanks," he said, opening the door. "You just tell Cody he'd best not show his face in town for a while," he warned as he escorted them out the door.

Sam watched as Buck and Jimmy, still laughing, mounted their horses and headed for home, and then he walked back into the jail and slumped into his chair. Rummaging in the bottom drawer of his desk he pulled out the bottle of whiskey he kept handy for when it had been 'one of those days' - and right now he felt like he'd gone through several of 'those days' in the last half hour.

He poured himself a double shot, kicked his feet up on the desk, and took a long, satisfying sip. The liquor went down, hot and smooth. A few more sips and he figured the whiskey would ease some of the pains from being in the saddle most of the day.

And a few more drinks, maybe he could stop thinking about the earful he was sure to get tomorrow…

Sam sat on the chair outside of his office watching the street in front of him. He knew it was coming, and knew when she arrived it was going to be bad. He'd not meant to anger her, heck he hadn't even realized he'd done anything wrong until she slammed the door in his face.

He was fairly relaxed considering that his future with Emma was at stake.

It'd all started innocently enough. He needed help and he'd deputized the first men to volunteer. That they were Emma's boys; he'd not given a thought to that. That they were Emma's boys hadn't occurred to him. He'd helped them out of enough scrapes that he figured they'd help him. So he'd deputized them…all of them. And that is what seemed to anger her the most.

His mind wandered away from the goings on in the street and back to when Emma had gotten so angry. She'd seemed fine with him deputizing the boys until he'd said Lou had been a real big help sneaking up on the outlaws since the rider was so small. And that was when she got mad.

He'd never forget the way her eyes had turned darker and her face had grown red. He wasn't sure what to do at first then Teaspoon had whispered "run." And he'd started to but then Jimmy, Buck, and Cody had come through the door talking excited about what they had done and on the right side of the law. Which had only seemed to upset Emma more.

That was when Lou had come in leaning on Kid, bit closer than necessary if you asked him for the wound, and that was when she'd turned on him. She'd started yelling at him to leave; actually it had been directed at all of them.

Looking up he saw her headed his way from Tompkins' store. He acted as if he didn't see her and headed back into the jail. "Barnett!" he called to his deputy who was in the back.

"You ok Marshal?" Barnett asked coming from the back of the jail holding a broom. "You're talkin' kind of funny."

Thinking quick Sam said, "Laryngitis, Emma is headed this way and I don't want her to catch this. I'm going in the back. See if you can get her to leave."

Barnett's eyes grew big as he asked, "Is it really catchin'?"

"Only when you're as close as Emma and I are," Sam replied with a grin his voice barely above a whisper now.

"Ok, but…."

"Here she comes. Now remember I'm not here," Sam said. He felt like a coward as he hurried to the back of the jail but he wanted more time to figure out just what he'd done wrong in treating Lou the same as he did the other riders.

*****************

"Howdy, Miss Shannon," Barnett said as Emma came through the open doorway of the jail.

"Barnett, Sam around here by chance," Emma asked as she place her hands on her hips.

"No, ma'am," Barnett replied looking out the window of the jail. "Ain't seen him all day."

Emma could tell the deputy was lying, since everyone knew he couldn't look you in the eye when he did. Smiling sweetly she asked, "Are you sure, Barnett?"

Barnett looked toward the back of the jail giving away where the marshal was hiding from Emma.

"Thank you, Barnett," Emma said as she headed to the back of the jail.

Barnett made a quick decision to see what Miss Nora had for dinner at the restaurant down the street and left the jail before Emma reached Sam's hiding place.

*******

"Sam Cain, are you hiding from me?" Emma asked as she reached the back of the jail.

Sam quickly grabbed a broom and started sweeping where he was. "Why Emma, I didn't expect to see you in town today thought…."

Emma didn't let him finish as she said, "You thought I'd be out at the station tending Lou."

It was more of a question than a statement (since you use this to describe Emma's comment, you can leave off the '?') and Sam could tell she was angry. She didn't stand with her hands on her hips like that unless she had a point to make. "Well, he said he was ok Emma. I didn't think it was more than a flesh wound, since he acted as if he was fine, just a bit embarrassed at getting caught off guard and shot in the leg."

"You didn't stop to think he was putting on a show for the others," Emma asked becoming even angrier, he could tell since her eyes were getting wider and darker with each word.

"Well, I did try to look at it but he kept backin' away and sayin' it wasn't nothin'," Sam defended himself. "Besides, I didn't think Jake and Lucas would be armed, just a handful to bring in alone."

"Those two have been trouble around town since before they got out of school, Sam Cain. You can't tell me you didn't think they'd be dangerous," Emma said stepping closer to him. "Now Lou's shot. She could have been hurt worse, if ya'll had been any further away. She lost a lot of blood."

Sam didn't catch Emma's slip at first and continued to defend his actions. "How was I supposed to know he'd get shot," he argued back. "He's proved himself enough to ride for the Express, not to mention the way he handled himself against that gun runner Boggs, and Dewitt. Handled both….She!"

Emma's face reddened as she realized she slipped up and told Lou's secret. Trying to cover she said, "What?!"

Sam sat down hard on the bunk in the cell he'd been standing in the doorway of. It made sense now. The tears when they were waiting on Kid that time. The curves he thought he was imagining another. The way she was always looking out for the other riders. "A girl," he said aloud. And it really explained the looks Lou and Kid exchanged when they thought no one was looking.

The stunned look on the lawman's handsome face had Emma smiling, as she walked over and sat down beside him. "Don't feel bad, Sam, Teaspoon hasn't even figured it out yet."

Jesse bristled at the disappointment in Ephraim’s voice. “Go on… say what you have to say, I can probably help.”

“Probably?” The boy scoffed at the thought. He was only a year younger than Jesse and the two had argued many times at school. “I got somethin’ important for the Marshal… ‘real’ important.” Ephraim had managed to puff himself up again. “He’d want to know that the bank’s bein’ robbed. Dang!” Realizing that he’d just handed Jesse the secret his look soured. “So where is he?”

Jesse pointed down the street. “At the Express Station.”

If Ephraim thought that Jesse was a little too quick with the information, he didn’t say so. Swinging back out onto the boardwalk he went running.

Left alone in the office, Jesse stood behind Teaspoon’s desk and felt his hands begin to shake with anticipation. This was just what he’d been waiting for… a chance to show Teaspoon and Jimmy and the rest of the boys that he was big enough to handle a man’s responsibility. With a determined yank he pulled open the drawer to the right of Teaspoon’s desk and gave a grin. “Yes… “ he reached in and pulled out Teaspoon’s extra revolver and shoved it into the waistband of his pants and then picked up a tin star with one point of the star bent to the side, “and I’ll need this.”

Jesse turned to the piece of tin on the wall and pinned the star onto his shirt. He expanded his chest and caught a glint of sunlight off the tin. “Folks’ll have to notice me wearin’ this…” So would Teaspoon, his mind added in.

With a nod, he ran out the door and headed down toward the bank. Rock Creek would never forget him after this.

*** ***

“Marshal Hunter! Marshal… Hunter, I-” Ephraim nearly collided with Jimmy Hickok as he ran into the Station yard. “The bank…”

“What’s the matter, son?” Teaspoon looked up from the reports he was reading. “What’s wrong at the-”

“Men’re robbin’ the bank!”

“Boys?” Teaspoon saw Rachel take Ephraim by the shoulder and sit him down on a chair; he’d be fine… now he had to see to the town. “Who’s ready?”

Jimmy, Buck and Noah had already swung up on their mounts with Lou opening the gate on the corral. “We’re ready.” They rode out from the corral as Teaspoon swung up on Pepper where she was standing at the hitching post.

*** ***

Jesse found a waiting spot near the laundry, using the hanging sheets as cover while he waited out the robbers. He didn’t know how many of them there were, but he only counted two horses outside the Bank and really, how many outlaws took off on foot? He knew he’d have a good chance of getting the drop on them. That’s all he wanted.

The front door banged open and a man backed out, a full saddle bag over his shoulder and a gun in his hand.

Quickly wiping the sweat off his palms against the legs of his pants Jesse wrapped his hand around the butt of his revolver and let out a little breath. When a second man stepped out onto the walk he pushed through the sheets on the laundry line and leveled his gun at them both. “Hold up, boys! I’ve got you covered!”

*** ***

He heard the words and felt the grip on his gun tighten. Lifting his head he saw the window of the bank reflecting the street behind him. A young man… probably no older than his brother stood in the street, telling them to “Drop your guns!”

“Right,” he whispered as his eyes focused on the tin star reflecting the light of the sun.

“Put your hands up in the air!”

“Damn if I will.” Swiveling on his heel he fired a shot right through that shiny little star.

*** ***

Teaspoon saw Jesse’s body crumple to the ground. “No!” He spurred his mare to move faster, but Jimmy was already there, knocking the first man to the ground with a bullet in middle. The second was on his horse, turning the gelding toward the far end of town. Teaspoon drew his pistol and shot him in the back watching with satisfaction as the man fell face first off his horse into the dusty street.

*** ***

Frank rolled onto his back and hissed out a few choice words. His wound was full of dirt and with the pain radiating through his shoulder he knew he wasn’t going to die from it, but it was going to hurt like the dickens. “Damn it all to-”

He swung his body to the side, trying to regain his feet and nearly rolled into the deputy he’d shot just a few moment before. The deputy lying dead in the street.

“Got you good, didn’t -“ the last word died on his tongue as the pain cleared the haze from his eyes and he saw the young man’s face. “Jesse?”

Buck knelt by Jesse’s side, first checking for any signs of life before closing his eyes to the light of day.

“No… no!” Frank struggled as a hand pulled him up by the back of his collar, “Let me go… he’s my brother! Dammit let me see him, he’s my brother!”

Frank found himself face to face with James Hickok, anger turning the gunman’s eyes to cold glass. “Ask me if I care what you want.”

“Let me go… let me go!” Jimmy dragged him off toward the jail, never once acknowledging the pitiful cries of the bank robber in his grasp. Noah followed after them, gun at the ready in case Frank made a ‘run for it.’

Teaspoon, having returned the money to the manager of the bank knelt down beside Jesse. Buck shook his head before Teaspoon had to ask any questions. They both knew that Jesse’s life had been cut short the instant the bullet entered his chest, but it was the tin star with a round hold clear through the center that had the marshal feeling every one of the years he’d lived. Clasping the tin tightly in his fist he felt the bite of metal prick into his palm drawing his own blood to mix with Jesse’s but he didn’t care.

He’d lost a friend today. He’d lost a friend along with the other riders and the bitter taste of it wasn’t likely to leave them for months.

“What a waste, Buck… a pure waste.”

Buck nodded, his quiet manner just the balm for Teaspoon’s wrath. “He thought he was doing the right thing.”

“No… no he didn’t, Buck.” Teaspoon looked up at the young man at his right and sighed, “that was the trouble with Jesse… he only knew what he wanted to do… problem is, most times there wasn’t half as much thought as there should have been.”

Even if Buck wanted to argue with him, he couldn’t. Teaspoon was right. Looking down at Jesse’s ashen face, Buck mourned, with things like this… Teaspoon was always right.