Ike and Jimmy noticed the covered wagon lying on its side, with a broken axle. A young woman covered in mud up to her waist was unhitching the horses from the wreck. A small boy waited by her side. He was clutching what looked like a stuffed toy. As Jimmy and Ike rode closer, the woman stopped what she was doing, and grabbed her rifle. She aimed it at both of them. Glancing over at the youngster, she said, "Stay near me Nathan!"

Ike and Jimmy stopped their horses, and raised both of their hands.

"Who are you, and what do you want!?" the woman asked.

"My name’s Jimmy Hickok, and this is Ike McSwain. We both ride for the pony express. We noticed the trouble your havin’ there… can we help?"

The woman studied both of the men. She then lowered her rifle. Wiping sweat from her brow, she said, "Yes. Please. It’s just me and Nathan. My name’s Jane. Anyway, the axle’s broken, and I don’t have anything to repair it with."

Jimmy and Ike dismounted. Walking over to the wagon, they both looked at the broken axle.

"Ma’am, we just might be able to fix this temporarily. The nearest town is Sweetwater. Just five miles up ahead. You’ll have to lighten the load though. Just take what you need."

"All right," she said as she picked up her son, and held him close. The youngster looked at Ike and smiled. Ike signed to the boy. The small boy returned the gesture.

"He doesn’t talk either. Not since his father died." The woman said.

"Ike, let’s get this fixed, so we can head back into town, before it gets dark." Jimmy said

Jimmy tied his horse behind the wagon. "That axle should hold long enough for us to get into town." He then began to adjust the harnesses on the team.

Ike sat on his horse waiting for Jimmy to drive the wagon. Nathan wiggled around in Jane’s arms, wanting to get down.

"What’s the matter son?" she asked.

He pointed in Ike’s direction. She put him down, and he ran to Ike. Nathan raised his arms. His mother began to smile.

"I think he wants to ride with you. That’s if you don’t mind?"

She walked to Nathan and picked him up. She handed him to Ike. Nathan placed his tiny hand on the saddle horn, while still holding the stuffed toy. He looked up and smiled. Ike smiled back.

"He’s really takin’ a liking to you," Jimmy said. Jane walked back to the wagon, and sat on the buckboard next to Jimmy. Gathering the reins, he slapped the team into a steady walk. Ike and Nathan followed along.

*********************************

"Where exactly were you two headed?" Jimmy asked. Jane brushed a strand of blond hair away from her face.

"Anywhere…"

"Anywhere?"

"Yes. Anywhere. Away from the memories of the old homestead. The place where Nathan’s father was murdered. She noticed the curious expression on Jimmy’s face. "He was murdered by a raiding party. They burned our home, our barn, and took our horses. One of the horses belonged to Nathan. It was an appaloosa with four white half socks. Nathan loved that horse. I was blessed by being able to purchase this team and the wagon too. I made a wedding dress for the blacksmith’s daughter."

Jane looked over at Ike and Nathan. "I love my son so much. I only want the best for him."

"Tell you what," Jimmy said. "Why don’t you and Nathan stay at the waystation until you find a place to call your own?"

"I wouldn’t want to intrude-

"You wouldn’t be. Anyway, I think Nathan would enjoy meeting the other riders."

Jane and Nathan met everyone at the waystation. Nathan never wanted to leave Ike’s side. When it was Ike’s turn to ride; Nathan seemed heartbroken. He wanted to go too.

"Honey, Ike will be back in a few days. He won’t be gone forever." His mother would say.

Nathan walked up to Ike, and handed him his stuffed toy. Ike gestured a thank you, and placed the toy inside his coat pocket. Nathan would watch Ike spur his horse into a gallop, as soon as the mochila was passed.

Often the riders would volunteer to baby-sit the youngster.

"It’s like having a little brother," Lou said.

"I’ll teach him how to play poker," Cody grinned.

"You mean how to lose at a card game- Kid interjected.

Buck laughed at the remark. "Cody, why don’t you teach him everything that you learned from Hezikiyah Horn?"

"Yeah…" Cody said. "He was a great man who taught me a lot about life itself. I could pass that along ."

Jane was helping Rachel hang the wash on the line.

"Rachel,"

"What’s on your mind Jane?"

"I need to ride into town tomorrow. I feel bad about askin’, but would the riders mind watching Nathan for me? I need to find employment. The sooner my son and I are on our feet, the better."

Rachel put her arm around Jane, and smiled. "Sure. We are always here to help."

"Thank you so much!"

The next morning, Teaspoon had Jimmy escort Jane into town.

"I’ll meet you at the general store in about half an hour," Jane said to Jimmy as she walked to the milliner’s shop. I do have some experience in that sort of craft…she thought.

Jimmy walked to the saloon for a sarsaparilla and a sandwich. Suddenly, he heard gun fire. He ran outside to see what was going on. He noticed a crowd of people gathered around the victim. He made his way through the crowd, and was shocked at who the victim was…Jane.

"What in the world happened here?" Jimmy asked the crowd of people. He knelt down to cradle her head against his lap. An elderly citizen said that a couple of town drunks had a dispute, and called each other out to settle their differences. Jane accidentally walked out into the line of fire. Jimmy knelt there, still cradling her lifeless body. Wondering how he would tell Nathan what had happened to his mother.