Disclaimer: Ed Spielman created the characters of The Young Riders for television. The series aired on ABC TELEVISION from 1989 - 1992. Thanks to everyone who helped by being a beta. I couldn’t have done this without you.
He stood in the small cramped room, palms sweating, breathing labored. His mind drifted back to a few weeks before. Back to when this overwhelming feeling of uncertainty had first struck . . .
“What in the world was I thinking? I can’t do this. I must be crazy! I . . .”
“Something wrong?” Teaspoon Hunter interrupted his companion’s thoughts. He’d noticed the younger man’s agitated state and figured it was time for his sage advice – asked for or not.
“Wh- What?” his friend asked.
“I asked if there was something troubling you,” Teaspoon said with a grin. “I can tell by your response that there is. Care to talk about it?”
The man in front of him stood staring at, but not seeing his friend. Teaspoon decided a more direct approach was called for. He got up from the porch swing he had been resting in and went to stand next to his compadre. Once there he took the younger man’s arm and carefully lead him down the porch steps, across the yard and into his room. Inside his small adobe, the older man helped his dazed friend rid himself of all the nonessential clothing he was wearing. Then he quickly stripped down to his own undergarments and led his companion to the nearby sweat lodge he had constructed for just such an emergency.
Once he had his friend settled inside, he started the fire and soon was pouring water over the warm rocks to fill the enclosure with steam. This taken care of he once more turned his attention to his companion.
“What happened?” he asked.
“She said, ‘Yes’,” came the whispered response.
“What?” asked a puzzled Teaspoon.
His friend turned to face him, and Teaspoon immediately recognized the look of joy and terror residing on his features. He worked to control the chuckle that threatened to overtake him.
“She said, ‘yes’,” his friend repeated a little bit louder.
“That’s good, isn’t it?” asked Teaspoon. “You didn’t want her to refuse you, did you?”
“I’m not sure,” came the hushed reply. “I guess I was so positive she would say no that I didn’t even think about what would happen if she didn’t.”
This time Teaspoon couldn’t contain the laugh. “Why in tarnation did you even ask then?” he finally managed to ask.
His companion smiled and relaxed a little, “Well, after everything that happened this past week, I suddenly realized all I needed to be happy was her. So, this evening while we were sitting there talking after dinner, I proposed and she. . .”
Teaspoon waited grinning. After a few seconds, he prompted, “She. . .”
“She accepted.” His friend turned his joyful, frightened gaze back to Teaspoon. “What do I do now?”
Teaspoon’s grinned widened. “You get married, you fool. What did you think you’d do?”
“I honestly don’t know. Like I said, I really thought she’d say no. That she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, because of my job being dangerous. It being too hard . . .” he sighed.
The organ playing brought him back to the present. He turned to face Teaspoon. The frightened child look returning to his eyes. “What now?”
“Well, Sam,” chuckled Teaspoon. “Now it’s time to face the music. Let’s go.”
As the two men stepped out of the room at the back of the church and joined the minister at the altar, the occupants of the small building all stood and turned to face the entry where Emma stood waiting.
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