Lou finished tending to Teaspoon’s shoulder. “I hope he’ll be Okay.” She commented aside.

     “Kid? ”Teaspoon asked.

     “Kid too.” Lou suddenly felt guilty about thinking of Jimmy before Kid. But Jimmy had been beaten pretty bad, and the riders were all sure he was out for blood.

     Teaspoon raised a surprised eyebrow. “Jimmy will be fine, once he gets his senses back.”

     Lou knew Teaspoon was probably right. She just hoped that Kid would help him stay in line. She felt a sickening feeling in her gut, somehow she just knew something was going to go wrong. She also found herself wondering, in Jimmy’s absence, if he had been the one who wrote those caring words to her. The letter had been found in the apron he was wearing. They did pass each other everyday with unspoken words and feelings. She excused herself and headed back into the house.

     “What’s wrong with Lou?” Cody thought out loud. Ike, Noah, and Teaspoon all just looked at him. “What?” Cody implored. Noah just shook his head.

     “Alright, standing out here fretting over Jimmy and Kid is not going to do any of us any good.” Teaspoon barked. Bandage or not, he could be very intimidating.

     Even though Teaspoon had told them not to worry, everyone had trouble sleeping that night.

     “Shh...” Jimmy hushed an already silent Kid, as they crouched in some thick brush a few miles from where the men had stopped. They were not quite close enough to hear what was going on but they could see that Josephine was waking up.

     “Now’s our chance.” Kid whispered.

     “I don’t want her caught in the crossfire.” Jimmy argued.

     “If they were going to hurt her they would have done it already.” Kid reasoned.

     Jimmy realized that Kid was right. “Okay just be careful where you aim that thing.” Jimmy poked a finger at Kid’s gun.

     “I think I can handle it.” Kid indignantly replied.

     The two horses thundered down from the hill above. Both men with guns in hand. A shot whizzed past Josephine, hitting the ground at the foot of the large darkly dressed man. “Texas Ranger. Hold your fire!” The man shouted.

     Kid flustered. If this man was a ranger they could be in serious trouble attacking him. He called over to Jimmy who was firing shot after shot in blind anger.

     “Jimmy he’s a Ranger!” Kid tried to get through to him. He was sure Jimmy had heard him, but was also sure, he no longer cared.

     The big man fell as a bullet from Jimmy’s gun tore through his lung. He gasped a few times, spitting up blood. Then, he fell backward in a crumpled heap. Josephine ran towards Jimmy, he pushed her away. Jimmy looked down at the man. Finally he saw his face, peaceful in death. Jimmy thought about how he had wanted to kill the ‘faceless’ man since he has spotted him in Sweetwater. It was a side of himself he thought he had permanently repressed, the side of himself that took pleasure in killing.

     “Hold it right there.” The other man came up within feet of Jimmy and Kid. It was then that they recognized him. It was Sheriff Spencer Hawkins. Kid felt a chill creep up his spine. He knew that they were now in the serious trouble he had dreaded.

     It was almost two days later when the four horses arrived in Denver. Josephine and Sheriff Hawkins shared a horse, shackled, she sat infront of him. He lead the dead ranger’s horse along beside him, with the heavy heap of man swung over it’s back. Jimmy and Kid rode on the sheriff’s other side. They were also handcuffed, but were both calm and understood the mistake they had made. Trying to run or escape would serve no purpose. They would just have to get word back to Teaspoon so he could sort the matter out. Sheriff Hawkins had explained the whole story to them. Josephine and her husband were criminals on the run. They had robbed at least three banks and two mercantiles, but were suspected in many more events spreading from St. Louis to Santa Fe. The man who had been after her, and whom Jimmy had now killed was indeed a Texas Ranger, and for that they were to be brought to justice in Denver. Jimmy was obviously hurt deeper than just that. Kid could see it in his eyes as they rode through town. He realized how awful heartbreak could be and he found himself missing Lou.

     Buck had just found out from the Denver sheriff, a very friendly and helpful man, Horace Tabor, that Josephine was a wanted criminal. He felt a knot twist in his insides. He knew that having her at the station and with Jimmy, was trouble. He just hoped he wouldn’t be too late getting a warning to them. He stepped out of the imposing brick building, and rushed over to unhitch his horse. He was almost mounted when he saw the entourage consisting of a shackled Josephine, still wearing her night time attire, Sweetwater’s sheriff Spencer Hawkins, a horse with a slumped dead body over it, Kid, and a despondent Jimmy. As they passed shop after shop, wooden false fronted buildings and houses, people poured out into the street to watch what was happening.

     “Kid! What’s going on?” Buck hollered above the commotion as the group rode up to the sheriff’s office.

     “Go and get Teaspoon. NOW.” Kid demanded. “Jimmy’s being held for the murder of a Texas Ranger.”

     “What?” Buck couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

     “We’re both in very serious trouble.” Kid hollered as Hawkins yanked him into the building.

     Buck rode with the vigor of a hundred men. The afternoon sun beating mercilessly down on his back. He arrived back at the Express station, exhausted, by dusk. Teaspoon and Ike hurried out onto the porch, hearing the frantic rider approaching. Cody and Noah came out from the bunkhouse. Rachel and Lou appeared in the doorway of the ranch house.

     Buck almost fell off his horse. Ike rushed over to lend him a hand. Ike motioned a few words to him. “I’m alright.” Buck panted his answer.

     “Jimmy.” He managed to get words out through his gasping breaths. “Kid.”

     “What about Jimmy and Kid?” Teaspoon was already worried. The solemn look on the young Indian’s face scared him.

     Buck finally seemed to have caught his breath well enough to convey the events to Teaspoon. “Jimmy is being charged with murder.”

     Rachel and Lou both gasped. Cody’s jaw dropped.

     Buck continued. “ Kid is being held too.”

     “Who did they kill?” Teaspoon said sternly.

     “That’s the bad part.” Buck began, all eyes were on him. “A Texas Ranger apparently.”

     “Why would Jimmy kill a Ranger? That makes no sense.” Teaspoon was floored.

     “I know.” Buck agreed. “I saw the man with my own eyes, and I saw his badge.”

     “Oh, and Sheriff Hawkins was there. He had the girl. She was shackled.” Buck added.

     “Josephine?” Teaspoon thought out loud. “Hawkins?” He scratched at his whiskery chin. “Somethin’ ain’t right here.”

     “Kid asked for you.” Buck passed on Kid’s request.

     “Alright then, ‘nuff said.” Teaspoon turned to face the women in the doorway. “Rachel get this boy some water.”

     She rushed off and came back with a ladle and a basin.

     “Teaspoon let me go with you!” Lou implored. Teaspoon ignored her.

     “Teaspoon!” She shouted.

     “I need riders here. There’s got to be men, er, people here to run the mail.” He hollered back. He knew they were all concerned. They had formed a close bond. When one rider was in trouble it was always hard to keep the others away.

     Ike motioned frantically at Buck. Buck took a slurp of water from Rachel, then hollered out after Teaspoon. “Me and Ike will stay, we can do double runs if we have to.”

     “Guess I’ll stay too.” Noah added. He had a run to Rock Creek in the morning, and it didn’t look like anyone would be taking his shift for him.

     Cody and Lou ran for the stable, Teaspoon galloped past them.

     Kid paced back and forth in the small cell. Jimmy who hadn’t said a word since his arrest finally spoke. “You shouldn’t have followed me.”

     “Yeah well I’m sure you’d have done the same.” Kid knew Jimmy would have.

     “That ain’t the point.” Jimmy quipped.

     “What is the point then?” Kid stopped his pacing.

     “The point is it’s not just me getting in trouble here. I killed a man and I wanted to kill him.”

     “Quit being so hard on yourself. Teaspoon will come and sort it out for us.” Kid explained.

     “I wish you hadn’t brought him into it.” Jimmy rose, obviously agitated. “Don’t you get it? It was my mistake. I killed a man.”

     “No, I don’t get it.” Kid said honestly. “Who knows, if I wasn’t so hung up on Lou, I might have fallen into the same trap. You didn’t know who she was Jimmy. It’s not your fault. God knows we’ve all made our share of mistakes.”

     Jimmy looked a few cells over at Josephine. She still looked beautiful, and he still found himself caring for her. He didn’t want to talk anymore. So Kid left him alone. He knew that Buck would do his best to get to Teaspoon soon. Hopefully then, things would be okay. Kid kept telling himself that over and over as he paced the length of the cell.

     Cody and Lou caught up with Teaspoon less than a mile from the Express station. Teaspoon had slowed down. “Sorry about that.” He apologized. “I just know that whatever trouble Jimmy is in won’t leave us alot of dalleying time.”

     Lou nodded. She was beginning to comprehend the seriousness of the matter.

     “Teaspoon?” Cody started.

     “Yes Cody?” Teaspoon turned to look at the worried blond rider.

     “What will they do to him?”

     “Well I have seen a few times, in my day, where men had shot at Rangers.” Teaspoon elabortated, “see Cody, the Ranger is about the highest form of law we got out in this wild west. I mean you kill a man, chances are you get hung. You kill a lawman and you got real good odds at swinging from a rope if you’re caught. But killing a Ranger...” Teaspoon’s face dropped. “I just hope this is all a big misunderstanding.”

     “Me too.” Cody agreed.

     The ride was hard and long but the three pressed on, propelling themselves forward at a swift purposeful pace. Somehow they had managed to reach Denver by noon. Teaspoon felt a chill creep up his spine as they passed a fresh gallows, the feeling was reinforced as they passed the undertaker, proudly displaying his two new oak boxes.

     “Do you think that’s for...” Cody’s voice drifted off as he spoke.

     “Denver’s a big town.” Was Teaspoons only reply.

     Teaspoon found himself surprised by the growth of the Colorado town. The last time Teaspoon had been in Denver the town was just a few scattered buildings along Cherry Creek on the South Platte river. In the foothills of the front range of the Rockies it had seemed to be an unlikley place for a town. But, it survived against the odds, into quite a large civilized community.

     Teaspoon decided that what they needed most after the rough ride, was to ensure themselves a room and a chance to clean up a bit. They checked into the Silver Spoon hotel. An impressive three story stone building. The carpets were a plush crimson and the walls were painted a pale rose color. A large chandelier hung majestically over the foyer. A middle aged woman with striking red hair greeted them at the desk. “We’d like two rooms please.” Teaspoon smiled sweetly at her.

     “Certainly.” She reached to grab the keys off the pegs on the wall. “There you go!” She smiled.

     Her hospitality took the edge off of their hard travels. Cody and Teaspoon headed up to their room, Lou went to go find a bath.

     After a change of clothes, Teaspoon considered a nap, but he knew the matters at hand were more pressing, he had wasted enough time already. Cody was laying on one of the rooms ample double beds. Teaspoon slipped past him, and out the door.

On to Chapter 5!