“Quit your hollering Jesse! It’s too blasted early in the morning for you to be carrying on at the top of your lungs like that!” Teaspoon commanded sharply as he stepped back into the front part of the jailhouse from his morning trek to the outhouse.
“Ah, Teaspoon. I’m sorry,” Jesse exclaimed, lowering his voice a notch despite his protest. “…but they are back.”
“Who’s back?” Teaspoon asked as he moved over to the wood stove and poured a mug of coffee.
“The boys are.” Jesse told him.
“Was Lou with them?” Teaspoon asked, taking a sip of the coffee he had poured and grimaced at the hot liquid’s bitter taste.
“No. But then I only saw Buck and Ike riding past on their way to the way station.” Jesse replied.
“That can only mean one of two things.” Teaspoon said thoughtfully. “Either Jimmy and Kid are keeping to a slower pace for Lou’s sake, or they’ve had another falling out and neither Buck nor Ike wanted to stick with them and get caught in the crossfire. I expect we best head on over to the way station and find out what’s going on.”
He set his unfinished mug down on top of the desk and slung an arm around Jesse’s shoulders as they left the jailhouse and headed down the wooden sidewalk toward the way station.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He had just cleared the side of the bunkhouse, heading for the porch, when out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Ike and Buck coming out of the barn He shook his head. He must have been too caught up in chopping wood not to have heard the two riders’ mounts as they came into the way station yard.
“When did the two of you get back? Any luck finding Lou?” He asked them as the mute rider and the Kiowa joined him near the porch steps.
“We just got back.” Buck told him crisply. “And, yes, we did find Lou, but…”
His sentence was cut off by the simultaneous arrival of Teaspoon and Jesse on foot, and Kid, Jimmy, and Lou on horseback. Cody’s eyes widened in surprise as he noted Lou’s hands tied in front of her with a bandanna as the trio passed by where he, Buck, and Ike stood in the way station yard as they rode their mounts up to the barn.
“What in the hell?” he exclaimed as he glanced at Buck and Ike. “Are they out of their minds?”
“They must be.” Buck commented. “Ike and I didn’t want any part of tying Lou up like she was an outlaw, so we headed off without them.”
“Smart move.” Teaspoon snapped angrily as he passed by Buck, Ike, and Cody as he stalked toward the trio of riders who had just ridden up to the barn.
Buck, Ike, and Cody exchanged worried looks at the irate expression on the stationmaster’s face.
“This is going to be ugly.” Cody commented.
“Isn’t it though?” Jesse commented gleefully, as he paused besides them. “Teaspoon’s fit to be tied. Come on, before we miss the show.”
“You’re getting a little too much pleasure out of seeing Jimmy and Kid in trouble.” Buck told Jesse.
“Why shouldn’t I be?” Jesse said defensively. “It’s their fault they chased Lou off in the first place with all their fighting. And now they’ve added to their grievances against her by bringing her back home against her will. I want to be there when Teaspoon rips into them because they deserve everything they get.”
He brushed past them and continued on to the barn, where all three riders were now dismounted and they could hear the sound of Teaspoon’s voice ripping into the two male riders, though they were too far away to comprehend what it was he saying to them.
“Maybe we should go get Rachel?” Cody suggested. “Surely she might be able to cool Teaspoon down before he does something too rash.”
Ike snorted. (She’s liable to help him shoot them rather than keep him from doing something rash once she catches sight of Lou tied up.)
A door banged shut behind them and the threesome turned to see Rachel storming off of the bunkhouse steps toward them, with an equally upset Noah behind her.
“Uh…oh.” Buck exclaimed as both the housekeeper and the black rider stalked passed them, without a glance in the trio’s direction. “Looks like we’ve got no choice now but to go listen in and make sure Kid and Jimmy don’t end up in shallow graves by the time Teaspoon and Rachel get done with them.”
“I think you’re right.” Cody agreed as reluctantly he, Buck, and Ike moved to join the others outside the barn.
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