At The Express Station

The riders uttered words of pity as once again the sorrel filly named Prairie Fire, introduced Ty to the dirt. Even Kid flinched, and he couldn’t stand the young man. Lou, still had her eyes covered from the last fall the young man took. Being lucky, Ty only met the fence that one time. After that, Lou peeked through her fingers as the new rider tried hard to impress her. Jimmy was the only rider who showed no emotion. He just watched Ty fall time and again with the same nonchalant attitude.

Apparently, the only horses Ty had experience with were old, and ready for retirement. Breaking young horses was a whole new territory for him. One that Kid baited him into. Well, sort of. Kid just mentioned how Lou loves a man who can break a horse single handily. Ty took it from there, refusing to allow another rider near the filly.

“Maybe you should let somebody else try now?” Kid suggested, watching Ty spit out the dirt he just kissed, courtesy of the filly’s strong buck. “That had to hurt,” Kid noted under his breath. His words held no sympathy, and definitely held no hints of guilty feelings. Ty had started the rivalry.

All week, Kid had to stomach the admiring looks Ty sent Louise. And if he heard how brave and daring she was one more time, he’d go insane! The other riders found his behavior amusing, even started liking the temporary rider. Not Kid, and not Jimmy either.

The gunfighter kept his distance from the new rider ever since he returned from Fort Laramie. Ty paid Jimmy the same respect. Their distant manner had to with the private conversation Kid had stumbled upon two days ago. He still cursed himself for only catching the last words. “It’s an odd coincidence....” Jimmy had stated before walking out of the barn. His words had troubled the new rider. Ty’s pale face and missing smirk proved it.

Kid questioned his best friend about the conversation, but Jimmy refused to discuss it. ‘Nothing to share,’ he told Kid. That was a lie. Something had happened. But what was still the big question. If only he had heard the whole story. Ty’s struggle to stand broke him from his thoughts.

“I almost got her wore out,” Ty managed to declare after taking several deep breaths. His body ached, begging for mercy, but his will wouldn’t allow failure. He couldn’t quit with Lou there. Luckily, Rachel saved him.

“Lunch is ready!” The house keeper called from the porch. Noah and Buck tied Prairie Fire to the corral’s post, and helped Ty drag his exhausted body to the house. The rest of the riders were well a head of them with Cody in the lead.

“I hope you plan on washing up before eatin’,” Rachel warned the exhausted ‘horse breaker’. His face and hands were covered in corral dust along with his clothes.

“Wash up?” Ty cried weakly. He had barely made it to the table and she wanted him to go wash up?

“Uh huh. It comes along with having manners,” she scolded. To further persuade Ty, she removed his plate from the table. “I suggest you hurry.”

The rest of the crew remained silent as Ty summoned his strength, and headed out the door. Rachel had given the wash up lecture to all of them a time or two. Most threw sympathetic glances, but not the Kid. Ty didn’t miss the amused gleam resting in his eyes.

By the time Ty was completely washed up and wearing a clean set of clothes, the boys were done eating. He passed them on the way to the house. They all looked full and content. Ty prayed there was food left, but with Cody there......

“Are you sure you haven’t seen it?” Ty could hear Louise ask Rachel from outside the house. His hand froze on the door knob as he spied the ladies conversing through the lace curtains.

“No,” Rachel informed her friend. “Where’s the last place you saw it?”

“Under my pillow,” she answered, very concerned. “I usually write in it before I go to sleep, but it’s been missing for over a week now.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” Rachel said to her friend. “I’ll help you find your journal, if you help me with the dishes.”

“Deal,” Louise agreed eagerly. It was an offer neither one could pass by. Lou didn’t feel guilty about leaving the boys to the horse breaking. They could handle the chore on their own. Besides, she really wanted to find her journal. “I’ve looked everywhere for it.”

“Have you check underneath...”

Ty didn’t linger around to catch the final words spoken. Instead, he headed back to the bunk house with new found energy. His scheming mind just formulated another trick to pull on the Kid.

Back In Town~ Sweetwater’s Saloon

The young man could feel the admiring eyes gaze upon him. Thanks to a cowboy’s suspicious mind and hot temper, the young man got to demonstrated his ability with a gun. He was fast, very fast. The whole saloon was witness to his remarkable skill, and he didn’t even have to kill that hot headed cowboy. The speed in which he drew his peacemaker left the smelly farmhand stuttering and apologizing all the way out of the saloon.

Cassidy had impressed everyone, but not like that express rider he’d met the other day. The rider had wandered upon him while he was practicing, and swore he had never seen a man shoot so well. “You ought to be famous,” he stated. And he was right. Why shouldn’t everyone know the name of Adrian Cassidy? Together, they formulated a plan that would give him the glory he deserved. It was just a matter of time before he became the most feared gun man alive.

Part 7

Back At The Station

After clean up, the two ladies ventured to the bunk house. On their way, Louise noticed the boys were still trying to break the spirited filly. Wisely, Ty had finally agreed to let Buck give Prairie Fire a try. Since she wasn’t there watching, Ty felt confident stepping down. He watched beside Cody as Buck skillfully handled the filly.

“It’s gotta be around here somewhere,” Rachel noted as she entered the tiny structure. She peered around the dusty room. How the boys allowed it to get so filthy amazed her. “It probably fell underneath the bottom bunk,” she explained.

“I thought I checked there,” Lou muttered as she began to look around the room. Rachel insisted on following her suspicion and headed toward Lou’s bunk.

Kneeling down, Rachel looked under the lower bed. She found cob webs and cards, but no journal. “It’s not here,” she said, rising up. That’s when she spied it. The journal’s little corner peeking out from under Kid’s mattress. Louise hadn’t noticed it yet, thankfully. When her friend looked away, Rachel made her move. “Oh wait, here it is,” she declared, holding the small item in her hand.

“Thank you,” Lou cried. She eagerly snatched her journal away. “Where was it?”

“Under the bunk,” Rachel lied. “Buried in cob webs.”

Louise frowned at Rachel’s words. Then she shrugged the puzzled thoughts away. After all, she had her journal back. “I’ve got some catching up to do,” Lou declared as she grabbed a pen and sat down at the table.

“You do that,” Rachel encouraged as she headed for the door. “I’ve got clothes to wash.” On her way back to the house, Rachel eyed Kid curiously. Why would he steal Lou’s journal? That was a question she planned on asking him later. In the meantime, they both had chores to do.

Buck halted the filly beside the corral’s gate. “She’s riding better,” he informed his friends. After circling the arena several times with her, Buck noticed how smooth her trot was. “She’s gonna make a good horse.”

“Oh yeah,” Ty agreed sarcastically. He felt no love for the stubborn beast. Not after all the dirt she introduced him to earlier.

“Why don’t you give Prairie Fire another try?” Kid suggested. He patted the new rider firmly on the back, and got a wicked glare in return.

“After you,” Ty insisted.

“Why not?” Kid stated. He climbed on the spirited horse and guided her around the small pen. Buck was right, she was riding better.

Ty frowned, disapprovingly. He wanted the filly to toss Kid into the wooden fencing. The smug look Kid threw made him wish he had cut Katy’s tail too. But then, Lou storming out of the bunk house gave him hope. The lady rider headed for Rachel’s, wearing a heated expression. Things were about to get interesting.

Lou pounded on the front door to announce herself, but didn’t wait for an invitation. She stormed in, eager to locate her friend. After searching the first two rooms, Lou finally found her gathering dirty clothes into a big basket.

“What’s wrong?” Rachel cried. She had a feeling Lou had discovered her little white lie. “Someone ripped pages out my journal!” Lou declared. She held the book up and pointed out the torn pages to her friends. Guilt seemed to reflect in her friend’s eyes, making Lou very suspicious. She studied Rachel carefully before demanding, “Where was my journal?”

Rachel took a deep breath before confessing. “Under Kid’s mattress.” She hated telling on the young man, but Lou left her no choice. “I wanted to talk to him about it before-”

“Rachel?!” Lou cried, with her temper rising fast. Her journal was private, as in off limits. How could Rachel protect the man who violated her trust and space?

“I’m sorry,” the house keeper stated to ease the angry glares. “It’s just not like him-” Lou didn’t wait for the explanation. Instead she stormed off to prosecute the culprit. Rachel uttered a prayer for the young man. He was about to face a woman’s wrath.

With every step she took, Lou’s anger grew. Kid had betrayed her! How could he sneak through her journal when he knew how much it meant to her? And to rip pages out that held her most secretive thoughts?! That was inexcusable! As she approached the boys wisely parted, making a clear path for her.

“We need to talk,” she hissed at Kid. The confusion that surfaced over the his face made Lou frown in disgust. He doesn’t even know what he’s done wrong! The little journal thief! Kid’s friends threw sympathetic glances at him before leaving him to face Lou. Jimmy encouraged a lingering Ty to join the group in the bunk house. Kid muttered a thanks before facing Lou. “What’s gotten into you?”

“What’s gotten into me?” Lou cried, appalled by his ignorance. “This!” She shoved the journal roughly in his chest.

“You found your journal,” Kid noted.

“Hidden in your bunk!” Lou stated. Angrily, she grabbed the journal back.

Kid shook his head, bewildered by the news. “Lou, I didn’t take-”

“You’ve gone too far this time, Kid,” Lou declared before storming off. She didn’t want him to see the tears waiting to escape her eyes.

The pain that reflected in Lou’s eyes made Kid’s temper flare. Someone hurt Lou by trying to hurt him. Nothing could make him angrier. Instead of going after his love, Kid went after his suspect. Ty.

All the riders jumped from their seats as the bunk house door flew open. Kid lunged at Ty, pinning him roughly against the wall. “You used Lou’s journal to set me up!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Ty hollered back. His denial enraged Kid, but before a brawl commenced the others stepped in. Firmly, they separated the two angry men.

“Don’t lie!” Kid ordered.

“I ain’t,” Ty said, straightening his clothes. Kid lunged at Ty again only to have his friends interfere. He pulled himself free from their restraining hands, making sure the door slammed on his way out. He needed air.

The riders exchanged confused glances before Cody muttered, “Ain’t it grand how friendly and peaceful we all are?” The others just shook their heads, refusing to comment on the battle. All except Jimmy.

“I think you’ve out stayed your welcome,” Jimmy stated to the temporary rider. Ty nodded in understanding while the others exchanged baffled glances. Something was definitely up.

Later That Night, At Supper

Bad feelings hung over the dinner table. Those feelings made the room’s atmosphere heavy and uncomfortable. Cody was the only one who managed to round up an appetite. The scene was torturous for Teaspoon. Finally, he couldn’t take the silence any longer.

“The town’s fair is this Thursday,” Teaspoon announced. He watched interest spark in the riders’ eyes. “It’s gonna be a grand event!”

“I heard there’s gonna be a series of contests throughout the day,” Cody added. He too wanted to cheer up the room.

“Yep, and a dance later that night,” Teaspoon informed them.

“Hopefully I’ll be back from my run in time to enjoy some of it,” Jimmy said. The town, more often than not, held its colorful events on days when he was scheduled to work. This time however, he might actually be able to attend the dance. Too bad Ty wouldn’t be.

“I think you’ll be impressed by the fair Sweetwater puts on, Ty,” Marshal Hunter stated.

“Actually, I’ve decided to leave early,” Ty announced. The ladies, Kid, and Teaspoon were the only ones surprised by his words. “I’ve already traded runs with Cody.”

“Which I greatly appreciate,” Cody reminded him. Now that Ty was Jimmy’s relief rider, he could escort Sarah to the dance. Besides, it made sense. By taking the run, he’d end up at Pole Creek eventually. Then Ty could use his early arrival to get acquainted with his home station.

“Son, are you sure you’re ready?” Teaspoon asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he answered. What choice did he have? Hickok made it clear his presence was no longer tolerable. Still, that didn’t mean they had to part on bad terms. In fact, Ty still had a surprise to give Jimmy.

Part 8

At the Station, Mid Thursday Morning

“Are you sure you don’t need someone here with ya, son?” Teaspoon asked the young man.

“I’ll reach Pole Creek just fine,” Ty reassured him.

Most of the express crew gathered around him to say their good-byes. Louise even gave him a hug. Boy was he going to miss her. They could have had something real special.

Kid was the only one keeping his distance. Gee, that hurts. How could he not say goodbye? They had grown so close! Maybe he’s just bad at good-byes?

As the crew rode out, Ty noticed the space Kid gave Lou. He rode well away from her, fearing her wrath. Another job well done.

Still At the Station, Late afternoon....

“How was your ride?” Ty asked as Jimmy pulled up his tired palomino beside the bunk house.

“Fine,” Jimmy answered. He watched impatiently as Ty finished saddling his horse. “You should have been ready by now.”

“Sorry Mr. Hickok,” Ty cried with a touch of sarcasm. “Won’t happen again.” The gunfighter just shook his head and surrendered the mail. Good come back. “Oh,

Rachel made you some stew before she left,” Ty informed him before climbing on the station’s gentlest horse. “It’s a little cold, but-”

“Thanks,” Jimmy interrupted. He couldn’t wait to clean up and eat. Then he would join the others in town.

“Don’t worry, I’ll ride safe,” Ty called as he spurred his horse in to action. Surprise, surprise, Jimmy didn’t call after him. Guess he’s bad at good-byes too.

It was off to Pole Creek. Or, at least that’s what everyone thought. But Ty had unfinished business that made it necessary for him to secretively return to the station. He had one last prank to play.

In Sweetwater

The time was growing near. Soon he would get his chance to prove he had the fastest draw in the west. He’d be famous. Men with fancy suits would write about his daring deeds, while others feared him. His ability with a gun would finally be recognized. No longer would he be a nameless soul. Nope. After tonight, everyone would know the name of Adrian Cassidy.

Less than an hour later, Ty was back at the station. He peered in the bunk house windows, pleased with the sight before him. Jimmy Hickok was peacefully asleep on his bed. Shouldn’t have ate the stew, Jimmy boy.

He entered the little structure confidently. The dozing rider wouldn’t wake for another hour, missing all contests. Thank God for the Indians and their secret medicines! But on the bright side, Jimmy would rise in time to attend the night’s dance. In fact, Ty was counting on it.

“Aren’t these some bad boys,” Ty said, examining the matched pair. The beautiful guns were hanging from his bed post, cradled in strong leather. I’m surprised you’re not sleeping with them. It would be safer, you know. But then, sometimes safety is just an illusion.

The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, making Jimmy rush to get ready. There was no way he was missing the dance. I can’t believe I fell into such a deep sleep. It had been an easy, uneventful ride! Luckily, there was still enough light to get to town in. He was sure to have a grand time at the dance!

In Town, At the Church Dance

The pained looks Kid sent Lou were all too noticeable. Rachel’s heart bled for him. Something inside couldn’t believe, no didn’t believe, he had betrayed the lady rider. Granted, the young man had done other foolish things to aggravate Louise. Moving her things out of the bunk house was a prime example. One he learned from. The situation was puzzling! If only she had talked to Kid about it before Louise got a hold of him.

It was obvious that Louise wasn’t having a much better time. She stood beside the punch bowl, sporting a depressed look across her face. Rachel, like Kid, was giving Louise distance. Until she calmed down, there would be no reasoning with her.

The other riders were enjoying themselves and had been the entire day. Noah and Buck had both won one of the many contests hosted earlier. The others came really close. All together it had been a fun day. Louise and Kid were the only ones not taking advantage of fun events.

The streets were lit up by lanterns draped from building to building, guiding the happy citizens along. Jimmy was one of those merry people until a voice rang out. The strange voice issued a challenge, one he tried to walk away from.

“You don’t want to do this,” Jimmy warned the young boy, who appeared to be no more than eighteen.

“Scared Hickok?” Cassidy asked. As they stood face to face with fifty yards between them, Cassidy’s confidence began to soar. He was gonna be famous! Concerned citizens took cover.

“Don’t do this,” Jimmy ordered. I don’t want to kill you. He could see the boy’s fingers itching to draw.

Soon the boy made his move, but his draw was no match for Jimmy’s. The boy’s gun hadn’t even cleared the holster before Jimmy raised his and pulled the trigger. Click. That was the only sound that rang out from his weapon. No boom from a bullet’s exit, just the hollow click of an unarmed gun.

Both contestants in the shoot out were momentarily stunned. Hickok’s misfortune puzzled them both. Then Cassidy saw his edge, and took it.

On to The Conclusion!

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