The next morning, Christy dressed quickly and hurried to the bunkhouse, where she found most of the other riders already gathered around the table. Rachel was frying bacon and Cody was eating it as fast as she cooked. Christy noticed that Ike had returned. He shyly waved hello to her.

"Where's Jimmy?" Christy asked Rachel casually. A quick glance had shown him to be the only person missing.

"He left this morning on a ride. He'll be back tomorrow. Can you help me with the bacon? I haven't even started on the eggs." Rachel said as she slapped another plate of bacon on the table. Cody eagerly dived into it.

After breakfast, Christy pulled a large washtub to the porch and settled in a large rocking chair to shell some peas. She looked up when she heard someone climbing the steps and smiled when she saw it was Kid.

"Hi." She greeted him.

"Hey." Kid fidgeted nervously with his hat. "I need to talk to you."

"Sure. What about?" She reached into the tub and grabbed a handful of unshelled peas.

Kid sat down in the porch swing. He rested his hat on his knee, then replaced it back on his head. "It's about Jimmy, Christy. I don't think you need to get involved with him."

"What?" She asked, startled. "I'm not involved with Jimmy."

Kid avoided her eyes. "You know what I mean. You spent the whole day with him, and I seen the way he was lookin' at you."

"Kid, Jimmy was showing me around as a friend. I wouldn't even have gone with him, but I thought it would give you some time alone with Lou. He's very nice, and we had a good time, but I hardly think that qualifies as 'involved' with him." Christy stated emphatically.

"Look, all I'm saying is don't let it go any farther." Kid pleaded.

Christy could feel her irritation rising. "Are you trying to tell me what to do?"

"No! It's not that, I just-I just don't want you to get hurt, is all." Kid looked at her earnestly with his deep blue eyes.

"Kid," Christy sighed. "I appreciate you looking out for me, but really, Jimmy and I are just friends."

Her cousin shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry. I just worry about you, I guess."

"Well, stop." She smiled to take the sting out of her words. "I'm a big girl now, Kid. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, I know." Kid nodded. "So, you need some help with these peas?"

Despite worrying about Jimmy's strange behavior the day before, the day passed quickly for Christy. The more time she spent with the Express group, the more attached to them she felt. Buck and Ike spent most of the afternoon with Christy, showing her the sign language the others used to communicate with Ike. She was very pleased with herself when she learned enough signs to be able to hold a simple conversation with the shy mute. A bond developed between them when Ike learned that Christy had also had scarlet fever.

Noah helped Christy and Rachel slice some tomatoes to go with supper. He told her a little about himself as they worked. Noah was obviously the most educated of the riders, and he was proud of the fact. Christy listened in awe as he spoke about his mother being a slave and his desire to see slavery abolished.

"Your cousin and I seem to have different opinions on the coming war." Noah spoke carefully. "I reckon you feel the same as him?"

"I am a Southerner, Mr. Dixon, if that's what you mean. However, I don't condone the enslavement of human beings." Christy said lightly.

"And if war breaks out, which side will you choose?" Noah looked at her intently.

Christy hesitated. "If war comes, I will probably choose to stay with my family, what little I have left."

Noah nodded and let it drop. When they had finished with the tomatoes, he excused himself to go wash up for supper. Rachel smiled gently at her as she sat the table.

"You handled that pretty well." Rachel commented.

Christy grimaced. "You think so? I felt like I might as well have been standing here with a whip and chains."

"Noah's had a lot to overcome, it's been hard on him." Rachel soothed. "I don't guess the white man will ever really understand how it feels to be completely stripped of freedom."

Just then Teaspoon came through the door. He rubbed his belly as he lifted the lids of the pots on the stove, stopping to sniff each one appreciatively. "Hello, ladies. Smells good."

"You're home early." Rachel observed.

Teaspoon smiled slyly. "I sort of let Barnett take over, while I get something to eat. Christy, you'll be glad to know we've got both those scoundrels who attacked you locked up. We didn't recover your horse, though, I'm sorry to say."

"That's alright, Teaspoon. I'm just glad I don't have to worry about those two anymore."

The other boys and Lou soon arrived, and everyone sat down to eat. The conversation was lighthearted, and Christy was relieved to find Noah didn't seem to have any ill feelings toward her. With all the good food, good company, and especially Kid's presence, Christy felt she had never been happier. She went to bed that night with a sense of peace she hadn't felt in a very long time.

Christy rose early the next morning, partly because Kid was leaving on a ride, and she wanted to tell him good-bye, and partly because Jimmy would be arriving back, and she wanted a chance to talk to him alone. She quickly tied her hair back and ran down to the barn, where she found Kid in the process of saddling Katy.

"You'll be back tomorrow?" She asked worriedly. Now that she had found Kid again, Christy was reluctant to let him out of sight.

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll be fine." Kid grinned at her reassuringly.

Kid led Katy out of the stables and climbed up in his saddle. In the distance, Jimmy had just appeared over the horizon, galloping hard towards home. Katy pawed the ground impatiently, rearing to go. In minutes, Jimmy arrived. He threw Kid the mochilla, and reined in his horse.

"See you tomorrow, Christy! Watch out for Lou for me!" Kid called over his shoulder.

Christy waved at her cousin's retreating back, then turned to Jimmy. "Have a good ride?"

"Yeah, it was alright." Jimmy climbed wearily down from his horse.

Christy tried to think of something else to say. "Jimmy, did I say something to offend you the other day?"

"No." Jimmy glanced at her. "Why would you think that?"

"I don't know, no reason. I guess I'll go help Rachel with breakfast." Christy started slowly towards the bunkhouse.

"Christy?" She turned to find him watching her. He smiled a little. "You still want to go for a ride today?"

She let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, absolutely."

He walked into the stables. Christy watched him, feeling very puzzled. James Hickok was certainly a strange man.

After breakfast, Christy and Rachel packed a picnic lunch while Jimmy disappeared on a mysterious errand. Christy was tying a warm woolen hat on her head when he returned. Smiling, he grabbed her hand and led her outside. She gasped when she saw his surprise--a gleaming buggy hitched to a small, dappled-gray pony.

"I thought we were taking the buckboard! Where on earth did you get this?" Christy exclaimed.

"I rented it from a man in town. It's ours for the whole day." Jimmy grinned, obviously very pleased with himself.

Rachel came outside to inspect the handsome carriage. "Ya'll sure you want to go on a buggy ride on a day like this? It's sure cold out."

"We'll be fine, Rachel." Christy soothed.

"Well, at least take a couple of my quilts with you. You can wrap them around you and keep the draft out anyway." Rachel went back inside, and reappeared a moment later with two large, heavy, patchwork quilts.

After burrowing under the warm quilts and securing the picnic basket between them, Jimmy and Christy set off. The day was extremely cold, but the sun was bright and pleasant. A cold breeze blew against their faces, and Christy's cheeks rapidly turned a rosy pink.

"Are you too cold?" Jimmy asked.

"No, I'm fine. This is wonderful!" Christy loved the feeling of the wind against her skin.

Jimmy smiled over at her. "I'm glad you like it."

"So, is this how you impress the girls?" She asked coyly.

"Just you." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

Christy decided to change the subject. "Tell me about yourself, Jimmy."

He looked at her, puzzled. "Like what?"

"Anything!" She laughed. "Why did you want to work for the Pony Express?"

"I don't know." Jimmy shrugged. "I saw a sign wanting workers and figured it would be a way to stay out of trouble."

"You, stay out of trouble?" Christy said sarcastically.

Jimmy chuckled. "Believe it or not, I used to be worse, just ask Teaspoon. What about you? You don't ever say much about yourself."

"What do you want to know?" She asked.

"What was it like growing up with the Kid?"

Christy paused. "Kid was always very brotherly to me. He looked out for me. I can't tell you how many fights he got into, taking up for me."

"That sounds like Kid, always sticking up for other people." Jimmy agreed.

They rode along in silence for awhile. The vast plain was mostly empty and brown, except for a large barn, which looked deserted. Next to the barn, were the charred remains of what must have been a house. The grass around it was blackened from the fire.

"I wonder why that house burned?" Christy mused.

Jimmy shook his head. "Don't know. Could have been Indians, I guess."

Christy turned to her companion. "Jimmy, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He adjusted the reins and urged the horse to go a little faster.

"Why did you leave me with Cody the other day in town?" She searched his eyes.

Jimmy shifted uncomfortably. "I needed to be by myself for awhile, I had to think some things over."

"I thought maybe I had said something that made you mad." Christy sighed. "I wish you would have told me that."

"Well, I didn't want to tell you because you were what I had to think over." Jimmy said hesitantly.

"Me? Why?" Christy's clear blue eyes were confused.

Jimmy raised an eyebrow as he studied her. "I've never met anyone like you. Most people would be afraid of me because of my reputation. You act like you don't even care."

"I don't care, Jimmy. I try to judge people by their character, not what other's say about them." Christy gaze was still puzzled. "However, that doesn't explain why you would need time to think about me."

Jimmy seemed to turn slightly red. "I just-just, can't stop thinking about you, if you know what I mean."

Christy felt her mouth drop open in surprise. "Wh-what?"

Jimmy looked annoyed. "Ever since I found you laying there on the ground, I can't get you out of my head."

"Is there something wrong with that?" Christy asked slowly.

"Yes!" Jimmy snapped. "I can't think that way about you."

"Why not?" Christy felt more bewildered by the minute.

"Because you're Kid's cousin." Jimmy stated flatly. "Because of who I am."

"Whoa, wait a minute! First, what does Kid have to do with this? And what way are you thinking about me?" Christy exploded.

"I don't know!" Jimmy practically yelled. "But all I can think about doing right now is kissing you!"

"Then why don't you just do it!" Christy bellowed back.

Jimmy abruptly stopped the horse and pulled her into his arms. His lips found hers quickly and he kissed her with such passion and force, Christy almost fell out of the buggy. She wrapped her arms around him to support herself and gave in to his sweet kiss. Finally she pushed him away with both hands. They sat there, breathing wildly, and staring at each other.

When they finally resumed their ride, Jimmy glanced sideways at her and chuckled. "Now do you know what I meant?"

"I guess I have some idea." Christy replied smartly.

Christy was quiet, thinking of what had just happened. She couldn't deny that she had found Jimmy attractive from the start, but never had she expected anything like the kiss they had shared moments earlier. She wondered what Kid would think. He wouldn't be very happy, Christy was sure of that.

She observed Jimmy out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to be lost in thought, too. Was he wishing he had never kissed her? Although Christy hadn't anticipated his actions, she couldn't honestly say she was unhappy about it.

"What are you thinking?" She asked after a time.

"I'm thinking we may have to cut our ride short." Jimmy's gaze was worried. He nodded toward some heavy gray clouds, hanging low in the sky. Although the clouds were still far away, they were steadily moving in their direction. "I'm afraid a blizzard may be coming."

Christy felt a chill of fear run through her. "A blizzard? But where will we go? Can we make it back to Rock Creek?"

"I don't think so. We better try to find some other shelter." Jimmy swung the horse and buggy around and headed back in the direction from which they came.

"What about that old barn we passed?" Christy asked as she looked over her shoulder at the ominous clouds.

Jimmy urged the small gray pony to go a little faster. She seemed to sense her driver's apprehension, and soon they were fairly flying across the bumpy plains. When they reached the barn, Jimmy handed Christy the reins, and jumped down from the buggy seat. He opened the creaky barn doors and Christy urged the pony inside.

The barn was dark and dusty inside and the smell of animals still hung heavily in the air. Jimmy stumbled around until he found a lantern hanging on the wall. He removed some matches from his vest pocket and lit the lantern. The small light did nothing to cheer Jimmy and Christy's temporary shelter.

It was obvious the barn hadn't been used in a while. Cobwebs grew in every corner, and the hay on the dirt floor was damp and moldy. Most overwhelming though was the bitter cold. Snuggled in the buggy with Jimmy right beside her, Christy hadn't noticed the temperature. Now her teeth chattered and she began to shiver violently.

Noticing how uncomfortable she was, Jimmy set about trying to build a fire. First he cleared the hay from a small area of the dirt floor. He went back outside and began toting in several large rocks, placing them in a rough circle on the floor. In a corner, some old scraps of lumber lay piled in a heap. Christy helped Jimmy drag them over to their makeshift campfire. Jimmy poured a small amount of the kerosene from the lamp onto the wood and lit a match. The wood ignited with a blaze that soon settled into a small fire.

"Do you think that will last until the blizzard is over?" Christy stared at the small pile of lumber remaining.

Jimmy looked very grim. "Not unless this is a very short blizzard."

Jimmy unhitched the pony from the buggy and led her into one of the stalls. He found a small sack of oats and sparingly poured some into a trough. Outside the wind began to blow fiercely. It pounded on the walls of the barn and howled around the corners.

Christy sat miserably huddled close to the fire, thinking how worried Kid would be. Kid! He was out on a run…what if he got caught out in this blizzard? She could only pray he would reach safety before the blizzard's blinding snow started.

"Don't worry, we'll be alright for a day or two." Jimmy said as he warmed his hands in front of the fire.

Christy swallowed the lump in her throat. "Actually, I was thinking about Kid. I hope he can find some kind of shelter."

"He'll be alright, Christy." Jimmy reached over and lightly touched her knee. "Kid's a smart man, he'll find some place to hole up before it reaches him."

The blizzard hit the barn with the force of a cannonball. The wind's pitch raised to a scream that sounded eerily like a woman's voice. The driving snow scoured and lashed against every inch of the barn. The small fire seemed very puny against the force unleashed outside.

Jimmy and Christy sat staring into the fire. Just thinking about Kid and her nice warm bed at Rachel's caused a single cold tear to trickle down Christy's cheek. Jimmy saw the tear but tried to ignore it. It had been his experience that crying women were best left to themselves. It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but he often found that he made matters worse.

Finally he could stand it no longer. He scooted closer to Christy. "Did Kid tell you about the time Teaspoon taught us to play baseball?"

"B-baseball? What's that?" Christy's lip trembled a little.

"It's a game. You hit a ball with a bat and run around in circles trying to score." He explained.

Christy looked at him doubtfully. "Sounds fun."

Jimmy nodded understandingly. "That's we thought, too, at first, but it really was fun. Until Cody and me got into a fight because he hit me with the ball. Jed was there…"

"Really?" Jed's name seemed to catch her interest.

Jimmy was relieved to see Christy had stopped crying. Encouraged by this, he began telling her funny stories of things that had happened to the riders over the years. He told her of the time a woman had temporarily left her baby in the care of the riders, and when Kid had stupidly tried to move Lou out of the bunkhouse because she was a girl. He chuckled as he related the story of the rider's claim in a gold mine that they thought would make them all rich. The hours passed by and before they knew it, it was almost midnight.

"So Lou and Kid kept it secret that Lou was a girl?" Christy shook her head in amazement.

"Yep, until Lou's father kidnapped her younger brother and sister. When her father said he had two daughters and not two sons, Lou had to come clean." Jimmy laughed.

"I like Lou. I'm glad Kid has someone like her in his life." Christy commented.

Jimmy looked thoughtfully into the fire. "Yeah, Lou is very special."

Christy glanced at him sharply. "Are you and Lou close?"

Jimmy didn't meet her eyes as he shook his head. "Nah. Well, I guess we better turn in. It's getting late."

Christy couldn't help but feel Jimmy was hiding something from her, but she didn't ask anymore questions. She rolled up in Rachel's quilt as close to the fire as she dared and tried to go to sleep. Without Jimmy's amusing anecdotes to distract her, the cold once more seemed to chill her to the bone. Before long, her feet felt numb and her teeth began chattering.

Jimmy propped himself up on his elbow. "You know, two quilts are warmer than one."

"Wh-what d-do you mean?" She stuttered.

"I mean if we share, we can have two quilts instead of one." Jimmy caught the look on her face. "Don't worry, I'll behave."

She flashed him a quick grin. "Maybe it's not you I'm worried about."

As she lay next to him beneath both quilts, Christy was very much aware of Jimmy's presence. Her cheeks felt like they were burning and her heart raced at the feel of him next to her. She tried to lie stiffly, so that no part of her was too close to him. Christy didn't know how she would ever get to sleep, but she had to admit she was much warmer. With the extra quilt and Jimmy's body heat, she began to feel quite cozy, and despite her fears, she soon became drowsy and drifted off to sleep. Long after she had slipped into dreams, Jimmy lay awake, staring down at the girl who despite his best intentions, was slowly taking over his heart.

Chapter Seven