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Willow Creek, Nebraska Territory 1868
Running work-hardened fingers through shaggy brown hair, he kicked the straw across the barn's dirt floor with moccasin-clad feet, trying to deny what his head had known but his heart wouldn't admit since he had ridden up. Dim sunlight reflected weakly from a shiny object discarded carelessly in the empty stall. Recognising the object, he fell to his knees and lifted a pair of fine wire rimmed glasses and broke down crying like a baby.
His companion, was at a loss to know how to help him. He was extremely uncomfortable with the emotional scene before him, so afforded his long time friend the privacy he needed and turned back to the house. Somehow, while Kid vented his grief he had to piece together in his mind what had happened in their absence.
Eight days ago, when he and the Kid had left to deliver their horses, there had been seven people living at the Express Station Homestead. The square-jawed man laughed to himself as he remembered that each of the riders had been tickled pink when they heard the name that Lou had given their home, a home that was open at any time to any of the Sweetwater/Rock Creek express riders. They had purchased the land soon after the end of the War of the States, and had written to all of their friends offering a place to stay if ever it was needed. At the moment only two of the Express Riders were living there, Buck and himself. They were joined by Lou's brother and sister, Theresa and Jeremiah, Buck's wife Jenny and their six-month-old son Ike and Kid's baby son Noah.
Dragging his thoughts back to the present, he wandered around the homestead looking for clues to where they could be. Inside the house, the fire in the hearth still burned dimly under a cast iron pot. Most damning evidence of all, was the blood smeared across several of the steps leading up to the porch.
Jimmy knew his friend Buck well enough to know that he would have defended the women and children with his life, but where they were was another question. As he asked himself where, he remembered the hidden stores cupboard that Buck had insisted on building. With a flash of insight he ran towards the Barn, running to the opposite side of the building to Kid, he fell to his knees and brushed the hay from the trap door. Lifting the door, he strode quickly down the three small steps, disheartened to find that his friends were not safe and well, he was about to leave when he heard a soft whimpering. Following the noise, he found a tiny baby laying on the floor on a mound of musty blankets. He carefully lifted the precious child from the floor and enfolded him in his arms, crooning softly to him as he carried him to his father.
"Kid" tears clogging his throat, he called and at the lack of response he knelt at Kid's side. Kid, baby Noah is here, he's hungry but he is well' and pressed his son into his arms. At Kid's continued silence he continued a little more harshly
'Kid you have to get a grip, if we are going to find Lou we have to think, it won't help them if you have fallen to pieces. They need you to track them, you know that you are a better tracker than I am.' at the sound of an approaching horse, he drew his gun and peered around the edge of the barn door. Reholstering he ran out to greet Jenny before she could get too upset. Jenny upon seeing the arrows protruding from the stair rails, jumped from her horse and sank to her knees on the ground, her eyes downcast and closed, praying to every God she knew to keep her husband safe. Jimmy embraced her trying to give her the strength and support he had been unable to give Kid. He knew that the often unemotional Jenny would cope far better than Kid.
'Where is he Jimmy?' she spoke softly
'Not here Jenny. We haven't had a chance to find out yet'
'Where's Lou?'
"Missing, Baby Noah was hidden' Jimmy stated. Watching Jenny struggle with her emotions he tried to keep her mind off her husband 'Jenny, Kid has fallen to pieces, I'm going to need you to help me, if we have any chance of finding them. Can you help me?' at her nod, he helped her to her feet
'They were here just before noon, I took Baby Ike into town to see his grandfather, that's were he is. Buck didn't want to come with me, he said that I needed to spend some time with Da alone.'
'What about Theresa and Jeremiah?'
'They rode over to Sam and Emma's this morning. Theresa was going to help Emmas with the children and Jeremiah was going to go hunting with Sam'
'So they only took Buck and Lou' Kid spoke from the barn door.
'And one of them is hurt...we need a plan and quickly.' Jimmy spoke what everyone was thinking.
Jenny walked slowly around the home yard. While she studied the clues left behind she remembered her life with her husband. Buck had rescued her as a white captive from an Indian camp years before, and helped her readjust to the white world after seven years as an indian. She had travelled back east, but after only two years she had returned to the one person who had treated her with affection and respect since her rescue. Their friendship had rapidly blossomed into love and much to the dismay of her father, the man who had hated Buck since their first meeting, Storekeeper Thompkins, she had married her beau in a traditional Kiowa ceremony. Both Buck and her stepfather during her years with the Lakota had taught her well she could track almost as well as her husband.
'This was not done by Indians.' She spoke softly as she pulled one of the arrows from the stair rail.
'What?' both Kid and Jimmy wheeled around to look at her intently.
'There are arrows here from three different tribes, they wouldn't be in a joint war party. The horses, there were four of them, all white man's horses. One horse carried two. If Indians did this, Buck and Lou would not have ridden, they were captives. Even if...' she paused her tears overflowing. 'If they were so badly injured they couldn't walk, they would have left them here to die. ' She turned to face Kid 'You know as well as I do that they don't take men of warrior age captive. This was not Indians'
'Who would want to hurt them?' Jimmy puzzled
'Buck was acting strangely this morning, those men from the oil company have been here several times. They asked me not to tell you but one of them hit Lou yesterday. ' At the sight of both Kid and Jimmy's fury she soothed them. 'Buck ran them off, but they said they would be back and we wouldn't like it. I hadn't thought about it until now, but maybe Buck didn't want to leave Lou here alone.' She paused. 'I shouldn't have gone today.'
Kid passed his son to his uncle and embraced Jenny 'You couldn't have done anything, we would have to find you and Ike as well.'
He embraced her tightly, both drawing strength from the other. 'We're not staying here tonight, gather some things and we'll stay at Sam and Emma's before we start tracking them.'
Within a few minutes, Jenny had gathered up some supplies and had fastened baby Noah into an Indian Style baby board and they began the hour long ride to their neighbours.
A Deserted Barn, 15 miles away
Lou trembled in fear as she heard her companion being beaten by three thugs hired by the oil company to scare them off their apparently oil rich land. She had been locked into what was once a tack room, and although trying valiantly to escape to help her friend she knew it was useless. She bravely stood her ground in the middle of the room as the bolt on the door was thrown open and Buck was pushed into the room, falling with a grunt at her feet.
'It's your turn tomorrow honey, and we have a better way to convince you to sign the sale papers.' the leader leered at her as she fell to her knees by Buck's side.
'Go to Hell you filthy pig,' she spat; her liquid brown eyes full of venom.
He slammed and bolted the door his evil laugh reverberating through the barn. Lou lifted Buck so that he lay across her lap. Knowing that he was badly hurt, tears welled afresh in her eyes.
The last thing she remembered before waking up in this room was hiding her precious son in the stores cupboard and leading the man who had found her away from that door. She had realised that there was no hope of avoiding her own capture, but she would give her life to save Kid's son. God Knows what these desperate men would do to a helpless baby. Buck had sensed there would be trouble that morning and had done his best to make sure there was nobody home. She had stubbornly refused to leave knowing that her beloved husband would be returning with Jimmy. This had been the first time they had been separated since their express days, and it had been more painful than she could have imagined.
She could tell when they had opened the door that it was early evening, just as she knew that Kid would know that she had been taken. While she also knew that his heart would be full of worry, she knew that he would not rest until he had found her. Gently without disturbing Buck too much she peeled Buck's shirt from his body and efficiently bandaged the bulletwound in his shoulder with strips of her skirt, trying to stem the slow but steady flow of blood from the wound. Spitting on another strip of fabric, she began to gently rub the blood and grime from his face.
'I'm sorry Lou,' he murmured.
'What for Buck? Ever since I have known you have been coming to my rescue, I don't deserve what you have done for me.' Tears overflowed from her expressive brown eyes.
'You are family Lou, I will protect my family to the death. But this time I don't think I can help us.' He saw her chin tremble and reached up to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
He could feel his strength wane and knew he must rest to have any hope of protecting his tiny friend. Levering himself up and wincing at the amount of pain he felt, he leaned against the wall at his back and drew her into his loose embrace.
'Lou, I was never the one to save you, it was always Kid, you know that he will always come to your rescue. He will this time too.' Buck closed his eyes trying to stay conscious throughout the wave of pain and nausea that hit him. Lou nodded her head against his chest and closed her eyes sobbing herself to sleep. Buck held her as tightly as he could and prayed to his gods that he was able to protect her. Although Lou thought she was tough and had always thought that she could take anything that the male riders could, Buck had seen what vengeful men could do to women and he would die trying to protect the vulnerable woman in his arms.
Sam & Emma's Property, Nebraska Territory
They arrived at Sam and Emma's shortly after dark, Sam greeted them at the porch with a loaded shotgun, thinking that they were the men from the oil company. Seeing the worry on their faces, he took them all into his study leaving Baby Noah with his Aunt Theresa.
'Now. What's wrong?' he asked as he closed the door behind Emma.
"The oil company have Buck and Lou,' Jimmy stated bluntly.
'Not Lulabelle.' Emma gasped. Looking at Kid's pained and sorrow filled face she knew that she had not misheard.
'We would like you to look after Theresa, Jeremiah and Noah, until we find them' Kid asked 'If that's okay? We'll start tracking them tonight.'
Sam looked at the exhausted men and the emotionally drained Jenny and made his decision.
'Stay here tonight and try to get some sleep, Cody will be here in the morning. There's no need to track them because I know where they have been holed up. It's only about a half a day's ride from here. I'll come with you and I'm sure Cody will want to help. You can't help them if you are dead on your feet,' he stated.
'C'mon, I'll fix you some stew and you can wash up.' Emma as always kept her head in a crisis and helped them to take care of the necessities. After they had eaten and washed, the house fell silent as they all settled down to get a little sleep before first light. Kid unable to sleep crept quietly onto the porch and sat on the top step, thinking of his wife. He had been sitting their oblivious to everything around him, his mind filled with his wife, when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Jenny had come to check on him.
'Are you alright Kid?' she murmured.
'No, but I will be,' he almost whispered. Jenny knelt on the step in front of his feet and put her hand on his chest.
'Kid, search your heart for her, I know in my heart that Buck is alive. You must know that Lou is alive and well. Buck would not let it be any other way, he would die protecting Lou.' tears overflowed from her luminous blue eyes. 'I should be jealous, but Lou sees no man but you' Kid pulled her into his embrace realising for the first time that Jenny was hurting just as badly as he was. He lifted Jenny into his arms and carried her to the porch swing. Sitting with her across his lap, he cradled her as she sank into a light and fitful sleep. He in turn dozed but every time he would close his eyes, his mind would imagine the myriad of things that could be happening to his beloved wife.
Shortly after dawn Cody rode up on a beautiful black stallion. Kid woke Jenny gently and shifted her onto the seat and walked down to the hitching rail to meet his old friend.
'Kid is that you?' the blonde haired rider asked incredulously.
'Yep, How are you?' he asked.
'Fine, what are you doing at Sam's place?' he responded.
'Lou and I own half of the neighbouring property, Buck and his wife own the other half.' he explained.
'You're joshing me right, You three still live together. And Buck has a wife!' he laughed.
'Actually Jimmy lives there at the moment too,' he smiled wryly.
'Well I'll be hogtied.' he paused 'that doesn't tell me why you are at Sam's place.'
'Yesterday, Kid and Buck were abducted by some thugs from the Oil Company.' Sorrow filled Kid's voice.
'They are bad news, Kid. On the way here I met several families that are moving on because the Company has made life impossible for them. They have killed one fella.' Cody realised after he had spoken what he had said. 'I'm sure Buck and Lou are okay.' He embraced his friend. 'Tell me about Buck's wife, is she an Indian?'
'Do you remember when Buck rescued Thompkins daughter from the Lakota?' he asked.
'The one that went back east?' he asked and Kid nodded.
'She came back here three years ago and not long after married Buck. They have a baby now.' While he was speaking Sam fully dressed and ready for the trail walked onto the porch.
'Cody' he embraced his young friend and patted Kid on the back "Kid go in and eat, we'll be riding hard, you need to keep your strength up.' Kid realised Sam was right and went into the house. Waiting until he was inside Sam turned to Cody.
`Are you going to help us?' he asked.
`What do you think, They are my family.' he paused in thought, pushing his hat back on his head 'How is Kid taking it?'
'He's hanging by a thread, if we don't find her alive I don't think he'll cope.' Sam shook his head 'You haven't seen them for what, five years?' at Cody's nod he continued. 'They were devoted to each other then, now they hardly leave each other's side, they are like two halves of the one whole.'
'Have you got a fresh horse for me, I'll go and saddle up.' They walked to the barn, while they were saddling their horses, Kid, Jenny and Jimmy came out to saddle theirs. Kid saddled Lou's horse Lightning. None of the others had the heart to tell him he could be wasting his time. Mounted up and leaving the stable, Sam leaned down to place a kiss on his wife's lips.
'Take care Sam, of yourself and them.' she spoke leaning back she spoke more loudly "Good Luck, we're all praying for you.'
They set off at a hectic pace, desperate to get to their family members before any more harm could befall them.
The Barn, Early morning
Lou was awakened when she was dragged roughly by her braids to her feet. Collecting her wits she watched as Buck was pulled to his feet the same way, his handsome face almost unrecognisable after yesterdays beatings. She watched silently as Buck was lashed spreadeagled between two trees. Tears began streaming down her cheeks and she fought like a wildcat when she realised that they intended to whip him. Her struggles stopped when the man holding her hit her so hard across the face that she saw stars. While trying to regather her thoughts, she caught a glimpse of light reflecting in the shrubbery not twenty feet from the Barn. Peering hopefully into the shrubbery she was delighted when she realised that the light had reflected from glass beadwork on Jenny's doeskin dress.
Her attention was dragged back to Buck when she heard the lash of the stock whip , closely followed by Buck's cry of pain. Kid watched the repeated lashes, sickened by what desperate men would do to make money. Tapping Cody gently on the shoulder he signed at him to shoot the man holding Lou as he shot the one whipping Buck. Both men took aim with their rifles and fired simultaneously, both men dead before they hit the ground. Released from his grip Lou ran to Buck's side and taking a knife from the boot of the man on the ground she cut the leather thongs lashing him to the trees as the other abductor emerged from the barn. As he emerged from the door, they found the barrel of both Jimmy and Sam's guns pointed at their heads.
Cody and Kid were already running towards the clearing, closely followed by Jenny. Kid fell to his knees as he turned Lou towards him, the only physical marks he could see on her a large purple and blue bruise on the side of her face and a split lip. Jenny rolled her semi-conscious husband onto his back and cradled him against her. He lifted a hand to push her pale blond hair from her face.
'Eagle Feather, I have missed you.' He kissed her softly as he slipped into unconsciousness.
'My darling, please lay still,' she cried as she took stock of his injuries.
Sam crouched beside them, 'Is he okay?' Jenny took stock of her husband. 'He will be fine, I need to get him to bed to rest,' she answered.
Kid had walked Lou away from the others. Frightened to stop touching her, he caressed her face and held both of her hands in his 'I was so worried,' he admitted. 'I couldn't bear it if I lost you.'
Lou reached up and kissed him deeply 'Buck would not let them hurt me. He has been my guardian angel. Even he knew that you would save us,' she murmured as she rested her forehead against his chest. 'You found Noah?' she asked ,already knowing that he had.
'He's with Emma.' they embraced tightly
'C'mon, let's go home.' Kid walked toward the others with his arm around his tiny wife's waist. They constructed a stretcher for Buck, attaching it to Jenny's horse and Sam and Cody tied the sole surviving abductor securely to the pommel of his saddle and the bodies of his two accomplices over another horse. They made slow headway home, stopping only long enough for Sam to leave their unwanted cargo in the nearest town. Each was content in the knowledge that the bruises and injuries would heal, the memories might take a little longer to fade but their family was once again complete.
'The Young Riders' is an Ogden/Kane Production. No breach of copyright is intended.
