The express rider came barreling into his home station, eager to greet the warm meal and bed that awaited him. He had been riding hard to avoid the approaching storm. Ike, who took the mail from Cody, was going to have to do the same to receive the same luck. Quickly Cody halted his horse outside the bunk house. He was eternally grateful to Jesse for offering to take care of it.

   “This storm’s moving in fast,” Cody declared to the other riders as he entered their little shack. “It’s gonna be a bad one too.” Eagerly, Cody joined the others who were already eating.

   “The weather’s been crazy all week,” Kid added. It had been making all the riders irritable.

   “I feel sorry for Ike having to go out in it,” Buck stated. “If he rides hard, he might be able to make it to the next station before it hits.”

   “Doubt Jimmy will even risk it,” Lou commented. “I know I wouldn’t leave a nice town like Cottonwood to be caughtout in a storm in the middle of nowhere.”

   “Oh, I almost forgot,” Cody stated as he pulled out a small package. “This came for you, Lou.”

   “Let’s see!” Louise cried as she took the package from Cody. Quickly she opened the package which revealed a photograph of a young woman Lou used to know. “Lily!” Lou cried out in happiness. Louise hadn’t seen or heard from her old friend in years. Along with the photo was a note from her dear friend.

   “Who?” Kid inquired of the woman he loved.

   “Lily,” Louise informed him. She was barely able to control her excitement. “We use to be best friends.” Lou could still remember all the trouble her and Lily got into at the orphanage. They use to drive the nuns insane. Many times Louise and Lily would sneak out of the little fortress, and go swimming in the near by pond. Her friend’s letter brought back a whole bunch of memories.

   “Well,” Kid began, eager to hear more about her friend. “What’s she got to say?” He hoped Louise didn’t take his question the wrong way, and accuse him of being nosy. Seeing her excitement made him happy, and he wanted to know more about this old friend. Kid couldn’t help but want to know everything about this little beauty standing beside him. Luckily, Lou didn’t take offense to the question.

   “Well, she says that she got my whereabouts from my brother when she stopped by the orphanage recently.” Lou felt a twinge of guilt. It had been a long time since she’d visited her brother and sister. “ Lily says their fine, and they miss me.”

   “I’m sure they know you miss them too,” Kid reassured her. He knew that Lou always felt bad because she couldn’t visit them as often as she’d like. Lou threw him an appreciative ‘thanks I needed that’ smile for his kind words.

   “Oh!” Lou exclaimed suddenly. “She’s getting married in a few months!” Lily had always dreamed of settling down and starting a family. That had been her one true wish. “She wants me to be her matron of honor.”

   “That sounds nice,” Kid stated. “But I don’t know if you should go.”

   “What!” Lou cried. There was no way she was going to miss this. “Why not?”

   “Well, it ain’t nice showing up the bride,” Kid answered matter-of-factly. “And seeing how you’re the prettiest girl in this whole country...”

   “Romeo, Romeo,” Cody began dramatically. “Where art thou Romeo?” Buck and Noah tried to stifle their urge to laugh, but that was a difficult thing to do. Cody however didn’t bother to as he crossed the room.

   “Behave,” Lou insisted as she looked at the blonde rider now contentedly stretched out on his bunk.

   “Just saying what’s true,” Kid stated in his defense. Lovingly he tickled her, causing her to giggle softly. He ceased quickly however to observe the woman he would die for. Everything about this girl was lovely in his opinion.

   “How would you like to escort me to this fine event?” Lou asked her admirer. Immediately she realized the game he was going to play. The ‘oh, I don’t know’ game. ‘Better do something sweet to persuade me’ antic. Lou, who usually played along, decided to be a little naughty this time. “Of course, if you can’t go Kid that’s fine. I’m sure one of the other boys...”

   “I can go,” Kid shot quickly. In retaliation to her rebellious behavior Kid began tickling her once more. This time he didn’t yield until she was giggling uncontrollably, and begging him to have mercy on her.

   “If you two keep this up,” Cody began jokingly. “Your gonna have to get your own room. The rest of us can’t stomach all this lovey-doveiness.” Cody’s comments made all of them chuckle.

   “I second that,” Noah called.

   “Well, we can always give them the barn,” Buck suggested teasingly. “Course, might be a little cold.”

   “I’m sure they’ll find some way to keep warm,” Cody reassured Buck. Suddenly Lou’s pillow came flying at him, catching him square in the face. Cody’s fellow riders burst out laughing at Lou’s actions. “Why thank you Lou,” Cody stated after recovering from Lou’s mighty aim. “I’ve been needing to get another pillow for some time now.” He tucked her ‘gift’ under his head and pretended to fall asleep. Well, half pretended. He was still exhausted from his hard ride. Surprisingly, Lou didn’t go retrieve it.

   “You can use it for a while,” she stated sincerely. “I have to write Lily back.”

   “Thanks Juliet,” Cody replied. It didn’t take long for him to enter a peaceful slumber.

    The rest of the riders settled down as well. Buck, followed Cody’s example as did Noah. The Kid decided to venture out to check on Katy for the hundredth time. He always did when a bad storm was coming in, and Louise began her letter to Lily. Lily had wanted to know everything about her new life, and Louise had a lot to share.

Dear Lily,

   I was so excited to receive your letter. Congrates! I can’t wait to meet the lucky man. From what you wrote, he sounds like a real nice man. I’m so glad you asked me to be your matron of honor. There is no way I’d miss this opportunity for the world! I’ve missed you so much. Things have really changed since we parted ways. For both of us!

   I guess you know about my masquerading. The pony express doesn’t hire girls, so I have to pass myself off as a man. ‘Lou” is my alias. Everyone at my home station knows the truth, and has sworn to keep my secret. They are all so sweet. Sometimes I feel like the luckiest girl around because of who I get to work with. I live with six young men, and they are all so handsome! Course I’d never admit that to them. It would go straight to their heads. Their names are Cody, Jimmy, Buck, Ike, Noah, and the Kid. The Kid’s not really a kid, but we just call him that because he wouldn’t tell what his real name is! Must be pretty bad cause he usually tells me everything. Won’t tell me his name though.

   I’ll tell you a little about each one so you get an idea of the people I live with. Let’s see. I think I’ll start with Cody. Cody is the only rider with blonde hair, and he’s got pretty blue eyes. He’s just like the boys you use to talk about all the time when we were younger. He can be very comical at times. He loves to read anything and everything just like you. Sometimes I want to kill him, but most the time he’s a lot of fun to be around.

   Buck and Ike are best friends. They are both sweet and loving. Buck is half Kiowa, and he helps us understand the Indians better. One time I had to help the boys defend Buck’s honor against Tompkins. Tompkins owns a store here in Rock Creek, except this incident occurred when we lived in Sweetwater. See, Tompkins used to operate a store there too, but he followed us to Rock Creek. Anyway, the whole situation got real crazy, and I ended up hitting the storekeep with a skillet! I couldn’t believe what I had done after I did it! Tompkins got over it though. He gets along better with Buck now too.

   Ike is probably the best rider out of all of us. He has a way with animals. Due to some hardships he suffered in the past, he can’t talk. He also lost all his hair. Buck taught him how to communicate through sign language, but there are times when I’m not sure exactly what he’s trying to tell me. He is the gentlest man I’ve ever met.

   Noah was the last rider to join our crew. He is a free black man, who has a remarkable skill with a whip. He hates the South with a passion, and sometimes he takes that out on the Kid because that’s where Kid’s from. Kid ain’t like most southerners though. He don’t believe in slavery. Usually, Noah comes around and feels bad about lashing out at Kid. Noah’s a loyal friend. He’s like family to me, just like the other boys.

   Your probably wondering about now why I don’t go crazy being surrounded by all these men. Rest assured, I do! If Rachel wasn’t here, I would have probably killed everyone of them. Rachel is the housekeeper at the station, and is also the teacher of Rock Creek. When she first arrived, I was jealous. All the boys were drooling over her night and day. I was being cold towards her for a while. Finally she sat me down for a girl talk. She realized that my jealousy wasn’t the only reason I was being unfriendly. I missed our previous housekeeper, Emma. Emma was like a second mother to me, but after she married Marshal Cain, she left town. Her husband had gotten the job of Territorial Marshal, and so they had to leave. I felt so alone after that. Now Rachel and I are good friends. She is a special woman. Don’t play poker with her though. You’d never win! I bring her all my love problems.

   Speaking of Love, I have a confession to make. My relationship with the Kid goes way beyond friendship. He was the first to discover I was a girl, and we’ve had a special bond ever since. See, I got shot and well, he looked up my shirt to check out the wound. I wasn’t hurt bad, just a little nick along my ribcage. Yes, it was embarrassing, but something special came from it. We love each other. Course it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for us. He can be so over protective, and that drives me crazy. Although, I think the risks I take have had the same effect on him. He has asked for my hand twice, but I just don’t feel ready. Sometimes I feel that he just wants to marry me to protect me. Presently, we’re not together couple wise. We still care for each other, and sometimes it seems like nothing has changed between us. Like today, he was tickling me, and we were flirting so much the others threatened to kick us out. Still, I need him to see me for the strong, independent woman that I am. Like Jimmy does.

   Jimmy. Now I have another confession. He’s kissed me, and I can’t honestly say I didn’t return the favor. He is so intriguing and passionate. Did I mention a great kisser? Guess I did now. When I first met him, he was always looking for trouble. Teaspoon said Jimmy was full of demons. Teaspoon’s the station manager and marshal of Rock Creek. He taught us his ‘bag of tricks’ for surviving this rough country as express riders. Teaspoon is like a father to us all, and we are like his children. He does the best he can to keep all of us out of trouble. With Jimmy that can be challenging.

   Jimmy used to be so wild and impulsive. Very hot headed. He’s changed now though. Although he still has a temper, he doesn’t act on it right away. He is also well known for his ability with a gun. Ever heard of ‘Wild Bill Hickok’? That’s my-I mean- our Jimmy. He doesn’t like his reputation though. People are always calling him out, and journalists are always writing untrue things about him. He only kills in self defense, and he has a sweet side. Sometimes, I starting wondering what it would be like to be his girl. After the kiss he gave me, I wouldn’t mind finding out! I think he has strong feelings for me, but he refuses to act on them. He told me once that he had no future to offer a woman because he always had to worry about who was gonna sneak up on him from behind. Jimmy has made a lot of enemies throughout the years, but then so have the rest of us. It seems we’re always off saving the day.

   Speaking of saving. Recently I picked up a young lad who tried to steal my horse, Lightning. We wrestled for a while ‘til his hands got away from him and he ended up touching where he shouldn’t have been touching! Turns out, his guardian was murdered. Naturally, we helped the boy get the men who did it. It was some adventure. This boy looks harder for trouble then Jimmy ever did! All of us keep a real close eye on him. He lives with Teaspoon, which is for the best. Hopefully, Teaspoon will have the same effect on young Jesse James as he has had on Jimmy!

   Well, that’s my life so far. I wish I could have told you all this in person. Hopefully, I’ll be able to take the whole week off before your wedding, and then we can catch up on old times. I’ll even bring you a picture of my express ‘family’. Take care, and tell that husband to be of yours that I look forward to meeting him.

Your long time friend,

Louise

   Once Lou finished her letter, she got it ready to be mailed. It was amazing how much had changed since she last saw her friend. Although she had suffered terrible hardships throughout the years, Lou couldn’t imagine life without her boys. They were her family and she loved them all. Quietly she peered around the bunk house at the sleepy riders. She was surprised to see Kid sleeping on his bunk. “He must have snuck in without me knowing it,” Louise said softly to herself. The young men she lived with looked so peaceful. “Yep. They're all mine,” Lou stated with a giggle.