Lou turned her attention back to Lightning, wondering if she had imagined the entire conversation with Jimmy. Every time her brain replayed the past few moments in her head, she knew that she hadn't imagined anything, especially the kiss. Just thinking about the sizzling kiss that Jimmy had her sent new shivers of excitement shooting down her spine. Never had she experienced such an intense mixture of reactions over a simple kiss, as the one's Jimmy's kiss had elicited inside of her. Not even Kid's.
Her body tingled from head to toe, her legs felt weak and her palms were clammy with perspiration. Her heart pounded in her chest, her pulse raced, and her lips burned where Jimmy's lips had touched them. Absentmindedly she brought a slender finger up to her mouth and gently retraced a line over them where Jimmy's lips had caressed them. She was still standing there with a dazed expression on her face when Rachel stepped out onto the porch with a basketful of the riders' dirty laundry under one arm.
After Teaspoon, Kid and Jimmy had exited the bunkhouse earlier, Rachel had set about cleaning up. She cleared the table, scraped the leftover food into a pail for the hogs and washed the dishes. Next, she wiped down the cookstove, table, sink and workspace. She hummed as she worked, tapping out a rhythm on the lids of the pans, tabletop and chairs as she moved around the room. She went on to sweep, dancing around the table as she did so, imagining that she was at a fine ball with a handsome man. As she was gathering up the riders' dirty laundry, she noticed how dingy the bunkhouse curtains looked and decided to wash them, too.
Setting the basket of laundry on the table, Rachel pulled a chair over to one of the windows and stepped onto it. She was wrestling with the nail that held the rod in place, when a movement outside caught her attention. Brushing aside the curtains so she could see out, she spotted Lou and Jimmy talking. She could see Lou's face clearly, even though it was at an angle. There was a puzzled expression on the female rider's face, as if she couldn't figure out what Jimmy was talking about. Surprise filled her own face a moment later as Jimmy pulled Lou into his arms and kissed her. Hastily she pulled the curtain rod down and got off the chair. She did the same to the other window's curtains and placed them on top of the pile of laundry in the basket, then waited a couple of minutes before stepping outside.
"Lou? Lou? Are you alright? Don't you have a run?" Rachel asked, deciding not to mention the fact that she had witnessed the kiss. One, she didn't want Lou to think she had been spying on the two riders, and two, she knew Lou would eventually tell her about the kiss.
"Huh? Oh, Rachel. Did you want something?" Lou asked, snapping out of her dazed reverie at the sound of Rachel's voice. Fervently she hoped that Rachel hadn't been standing on the porch of the bunkhouse very long. She had no idea of how to explain the kiss to Rachel, when she didn't quite understand it herself. She felt herself blushing as she turned to face the housekeeper.
Rachel took in the flushed cheeks and lit eyes and had to resist the urge to smile. Obviously Jimmy's kiss had unsettled the female rider, in more ways than one. She just hoped that Jimmy's impulsive display of emotion didn't wind up costing him more than just a little bit of embarrassment. It had been her experience that someone alway got hurt when ther were more than tow hearts involved. Silently, she hoped that it wouldn't be Jimmy who got hurt. While he appeared tougher than the others on the outside, Jimmy was the more fragile on the inside than the other two riders.
"I asked if you were alright and whether you had a ride scheduled?" Rachel said, repeating her question.
"I'm fine." Lou assured her quickly. "I also have a ride. The rider from Ft. Kearney is late coming in. He was due in about nine o'clock. What time is it now?"
Rachel turned the face of her watch pendat up so she could read the time. Her expression grew concerned as she said, " It's nearly ten! Who's the rider?"
"Ben Stead." Lou answered, her face displaying her own concern. She had known that the other rider was late arriving from Ft. Kearney, but hadn't realized how late he actually was. Then again, her mind had benn occupied with other, more pleasurable thoughts.
"Ben's late? He's almost always on time. Something must have happened." Rachel said.
Lou nodded grimly. She and Rachel turned towards the direction that the absent rider was expected to come from, each silently saying a prayer of protection over their friend. Although they often put up other Pony Express riders at the waystation, there were only a few of them that they all considered friends. Ben Stead was one of those riders.
Buck and Ike rode slowly back into town after making the purchases of the fruit and vegetables from the Barns'farm that Rachel had placed on her shopping list. Both were feeling pleased with themselves, after obtaining the last bushel of peaches that the Barns' had. Each was anticipating that evening's meal when Rachel would serve her delicious peach cobbler. Both would have been surpised to know that they were hoping for the same thing: that they would be able to finish their meal before Cody did. Otherwise they would have a slim chance of getting a decent slice of cobbler after he was finished with it. (Maybe Widow Greysen will keep Cody and Noah so busy out at her place that she'll invite them to supper.) Ike signed, half- hoping, half-jokingly.
"Talk about wishful thinking."Buck replied sarcastically. "You really think Cody's going to pass up a helping of Rachel's peach cobbler?" Ike thought for a second and then shook his head. Only a run could keep Cody from partaking of one of Rachel's delicious meals.
They continued on their way, Ike occasionally pointing something that interested him out to Buck. When he came across a flower, plant or tree that he didn't recognize, he would sign a question to Buck. Buck would respond by telling him what it was and then show him the sign for the object if Ike didn't already know it. They were just on the outskirts of Rock Creek when the peaceful silence around them was shattered by gunshots.
Buck and Ike exchanged startled glances, then spurred their mounts into a gallop in the direction they thought the shots had come from. Rounding a small grove of trees, they came upon a scene that made the hair on the napes of their necks stand at attention!
A lone horseman on a cream colored appaloosa galloped across a meadow, chased by several Indian braves. The rider on the appaloosa kept one hand on the reins and in the other held a pistol that he repeatedly fired at his pursuers.
"Apache!"Buck shouted, recognizing the bold green and black painted markings on the horses of the attacking braves.
Ike nodded grimly, as he drew his gun. Out of all the tribes located in this section of the Nebraska Territory, the Apache was reputed to be among the most hostile. Both riders kicked their horse at the same time, urging Racing Moon and Thunder to increase their speed.
At the sound of hoofbeats and gunshots coming from behind them, the attention of several of the braves chasing the lone horsemen, swerved around to meet their attackers. Two braves fell from their horses almost simutaneously as Buck and Ike fired. Instinctively, Buck through himself to the side as a razor sharp arrow whizzed past his ear. Ike swirled towards Buck, thinking that his friend had been wounded. Another arrow whizzed by, this time grazing his hat and causing it to fall backward. Ike swung his horse around, reined him in and took deadly aim at the approaching brave. He smiled triumphantly when the brave flew off the back of his horse, and knew his bullet had found its intended mark: through the brave's heart.
Sensing that they were approaching impending danger at their close vicinity to the town, the leader of the remaining braves barked out a sharp order to his companions. Together the group of graves darted across the meadow in the direction of the distance mountains. Buck and Ike breathed a sigh of relief and then turned their attention toward the lone rider. Whether the appaloosa was frightened by the continuous gunfire around it or was obeying its injured master, the appaloosa was in a dead run towards Rock Creek. Judging from the slumped over position of the rider, Buck thought grimly that the run might turn out to be a dead one indeed.
Jesse and Kid stood outside of Teaspoon's office, Kid
holding a hammer and nails, and Jesse sifting through
a stack of wanted posters. Whenever he came across a
poster that interested him, he would stop and read
aloud the list of crimes the wanted person or persons
had committed.
"Listen to this one Kid! These boys are brothers
named Jenkins and their wanted for just about
everything! Murder, attempted murder, desertion from
the army, bank robbery, rustling,-"
"Jesse, would you give it a rest already! I'd like to get this finished before night fall!"Kid told him irritably.
"Jeez, what's eating you. Just cause you and Lou ain't getting along right now ain't my fault." Jesse replied heatedly.
Kid turned towards Jesse with an enraged look on his face. He had heard about enough wisecracks out of Jesse concerning his and Lou's relationship to last a lifetime. Just as he was about to open his mouth to tear into Jesse, his attention was drawn towards the road. Buck and Ike led a cream colored appaloosa with an injured rider on its back down the road at a fast pace. He guessed that they were taking the injured man to Dr. Dane's office.
"Teaspoon, I think we've got trouble." Kid called out before handing Jesse the hammer and tin full of nails. Teaspoon appeared in the doorway with an inquiring expression on his weathered face.
"Buck and Ike just rode through town leading an injured rider on an appaloosa. Looked like Ben Stead's horse to me." Kid told him.
"Damn! Next to all you boys, Ben's one of the best riders the Express has, besides being a fine man. Jesse, stay here. And don't tough nothing! That included the new Winchester I have siting on my desk!" Teaspoon said, as he and Kid started off towards the doctor's office down the street.
"I'll stay here only if you let me know what's going on."Jesse called after them, kicking angrily at the porch post before turning back to the wall where the wanted posters were hung.
(I never get to do anything exciting. All I have to do is do the chores, do my homework. They never let me have any fun.) He said angrily to himself. Then a thought crossed his mind. Maybe if he had all the wanted posters hung up by the time Teaspoon got back, he'd be able to go visit with Cindy Lou before supper.
Lou and Rachel had grown increasingly worried over the whereabouts of Ben Stead, when Ike raced into the yard on Thunder. Hurriedly he filled them in on what had occurred outside of town and Ben's condition. Lou leaped onto Lightning's back, took the mochilla Ike offered her and kicked Lightning into motion.
"Ride safe, Lou." Rachel called after her.
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