Kid and Lou looked up from the fence they were repairing when they heard a rider approaching from the opposite direction of Sweetwater. Kid immediately dropped the end of the board he was holding and went for his holster. Lou winced as Kid's sudden movement sent splinters into her hands. But, she too went for her gun. A gang of thieves had hit neighboring ranches every night for the past week or so, and that put everyone on edge, even during the day. Even the sound of a single rider was enough to put them on guard.

The young couple relaxed when they both realized the rider was familiar.

"Cody!" Kid exclaimed, reholstering his gun. Lou did the same and the pair ran to greet their friend.

Cody had left for the Army just after Kid and Lou's wedding, and the couple had almost reached their first anniversary. Shortly after the end of the Express, Jimmy had moved on, leaving everyone heartbroken, especially so soon after losing Ike and Noah.

Teaspoon had bought the Sweetwater waystation from Sam and Emma and returned to Sweetwater. He had insisted Kid and Lou take half the land as their wedding gift. Since what was left of their family was scattering, the young couple jumped at the chance to go back to where things had been happier.

Now Kid and Lou were had just finished building a house and were starting a horse ranch with Buck's help. Teaspoon had taken over again as Marshal and Buck was now his deputy.

"I promised I'd visit as soon as I had time off." Cody exclaimed as he dismounted and embraced his friends.

Once hugs and greetings were done, Cody looked at Lou and grinned widely.

"Don't suppose lunch is ready?" Cody asked almost sheepishly.

"Yeah, Cody probably hasn't eaten in an hour!" Kid chided, slapping his friend on the back.

"I'll go fix some sandwiches." Lou laughed as she shook her head at her friend.

Cody admired the old waystation as he and Kid walked to the barn. Kid and Lou had built a small house behind the barn. Kid explained that he and Lou had been living in the main house with Teaspoon but decided they needed a place of their own. Teaspoon had volunteered to move into the bunkhouse with Buck, but Kid and Lou felt bad enough their business partner was living in the bunkhouse. They didn't need the co-owner of the land living there too.

While Kid was explaining the horse business to Cody, Buck came riding up.

Cody noticed immediately Buck looked extremely nervous. Cody was very surprised, considering he'd rarely seen Buck show any emotion.

"Cody!" Buck called as he dismounted his horse and walked over to embrace his friend. Once Buck had greeted Cody, Kid cleared his throat and spoke up.

"The buckboard's ready to go." Kid told Buck as he cocked his head toward where it was waiting.

"Thanks." Buck said gratefully. "I'm already running late." He said, nerves showing in his voice.

"Well calm down or you'll never get it out!" Kid laughed.

"Get what out?" Cody asked, confused.

"The big question." Kid said, winking.

"What big question?" Cody asked, still confused about what had his normally stoic friend so upset. Cody looked from Kid to Buck, dying for someone to tell him what was going on.

Kid just laughed at his clueless friend. Buck was blushing at being put on the spot.

"I'm asking Jenny to marry me." Buck answered softly.

"Jenny Tomkins!?" Cody asked in amazement.

Buck nodded slightly as he stared down at his boots.

"That's great!" Cody exclaimed, slapping Buck on the back. "I didn't know she was back, but that's great!"

Buck looked up and smiled proudly at his friend's approval. Sure, Kid and Lou had gone out of their way to make sure he asked Jenny, but people in love want everyone around them to be in love. Cody's excitement convinced Buck that maybe this was the right thing.

"Well I better get going." Buck said as he turned and hurried to the buckboard. "I'll see you later, Cody."

As Kid and Cody watched their friend head back toward town, Lou rang the dinner bell. That was all Cody needed to draw him away from the changes going on at his old home.

Lou was cleaning up lunch as Cody and Kid sat on the porch of the bunkhouse. The afternoon was growing warm and Cody was beginning to doze. A rider approaching from town made him look up.

He had expected to be greeting Teaspoon, but instead saw a woman on horseback approaching the station. She looked vaguely familiar, but Cody couldn't place her from a distance.

"May I help you ma'am?" Kid called politely as he stepped off the porch.

Cody was still trying to place where he had seen the auburn hair that hung in a loose braid behind the woman. Lou stepped out of the bunkhouse as the young woman reined in her horse in front of the building.

"Kat!" Cody exclaimed as it finally hit him who the woman was. He and Buck had met her a little over a year before when they had been in Omaha on a special run for Teaspoon.

"Cody!" Kat exclaimed as she dismounted. Lou and Kid exchanged confused glances. Neither of them remembered Cody ever mentioning a Kat in the past.

Cody rose and hugged Kat warmly.

"What are you doing here?" Cody asked amazed to be looking at a woman he never thought he would see again.

"Passing through." Kat answered coyly. She was about to elaborate when Lou cleared her throat.

"Oh! Kat!" Cody began, picking up his manners. "This is Lou and Kid. Guys, this is Kat Schmidt."

Kat extended a hand to each of them as politely said it was nice to meet them.

"And how do you two know each other?" Lou asked curiously. Enough women had shown up at the station over the years, that Lou knew better than to trust any of them.

"We met when Cody and Buck were in Omaha last year." Kat explained. "I promised I'd visit if I was ever near Rock Creek."

"So why are you in Sweetwater?" Lou asked, her suspicions growing.

"I was in Laramie when I heard a card shark say that Sweetwater had a half-breed deputy. When I heard him say Teaspoon Hunter was the Marshal, I remembered you saying you and Buck worked for him."

Cody nodded as he offered Kat a stool to sit on. Kat sat down and smiled at the group before she continued.

"Anyway, I knew there couldn't be more than one Teaspoon Hunter." Kat continued. "And I took a chance the deputy was Buck."

"What were you doing way out in Laramie?" Cody asked. Kat's face clouded over, but she took a deep breath and answered.

"My father got sick a few months after I met you." Kat began sadly. "So we sold the saloon and went to stay with my aunt and uncle in Laramie. My father wanted to move further west before he died."

Cody was shocked at the news. Oliver Schmidt had seemed to be a strong and healthy man when Cody had met him. Cody went over to Kat and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders as a single tear ran down her face.

"Daddy died about two months ago." Kat said, drawing in a ragged breath.

"I'm sorry." Lou consoled. Now she felt guilty for being so suspicious of the woman.

"Thank you." Kat said sincerely, smiling up at Lou.

"So why are you here?" Kid asked. He thought a woman in Kat's position should be with family and not running around on her own.

"I had decided to go back to Omaha. But when I heard about Sweetwater, I wanted to see Buck before I went back." Kat explained honestly.

"You were going back to Omaha?" Kid asked, shocked the woman wouldn't stay with the family she had left.

"My aunt wanted me to stay with her." Kat began. " But I wanted to get back to something familiar. And I was sick of working in my uncle's doctor's office and helping my aunt take care of seven kids."

"I don't blame you!" Cody exclaimed, chuckling.

There was an awkward silence throughout the group then. Lou and Kid were both taking in this woman who had turned up. She was pretty, with auburn hair a little lighter than Lou's. She was a little taller and bigger boned than Lou, but still very petite. Her beauty made her look fragile, but the way she carried herself was completely the opposite.

Cody noticed Kat looked uncomfortable with the stares of his friends. The Kat he remembered would have simply absorbed the attention. Obviously this woman had changed some since Cody had last seen her.

"Is Buck here?" Kat asked timidly, breaking everyone out of their reverie. "The Marshal said he thought Buck would be out here."

Cody, Lou and Kid exchanged nervous glances. This woman had obviously come to see Buck. They couldn't tell her he was probably asking Jenny to marry him at that very moment.

"He's running some errands." Kid said, taking the lead in misdirecting Kat.

Kat's face fell a little at the news. She was so excited about seeing Buck. After a year of caring for her father, she had decided to do something for herself. It might have seemed crazy to everyone else, but it made perfect sense to Kat. She felt like she needed to find out where she belonged. When she heard about Sweetwater's new deputy, she knew she couldn't go back to Omaha without seeing Buck again.

"Will he be back soon?" Kat asked, looking around the group. She was sure they weren't telling her the whole story. The three friends looked at each other nervously.

"Why don't I take you to the hotel." Cody offered. "Then as soon as Buck gets back, I'm sure he'll want to see you." Cody added, hoping he wasn't lying. He knew Kat had formed quite an attachment to Buck, and he didn't want to see her reaction if Buck came back to the station with Jenny.

Kat sat a moment, contemplating the offer. Cody was almost afraid she was going to insist on waiting for Buck when Kat finally spoke.

"I would be honored to have you as an escort, Mr. Cody." Kat said playfully. Cody was relieved, not only that Kat was leaving, but that there was still a spark of the old Kat showing through. Cody still didn't see the same fire in her eyes that had been there in Omaha, but surely that would return in time.