Buck finished his swim and returned home to the station just before suppertime. He found all of the riders and Teaspoon relaxing on the porch, shaded from the late afternoon sun. The boys never made it over to swim, they had just returned from town and Teaspoon was recently returned from making that horse deal in Blue Creek.

Everyone greeted Buck and Ike began to quickly sign to him. "Did you meet the temporary cook, yet?" Ike asked.

"Nope, I didn't even know that Emma had hired one before she left." Buck replied.

"Her name is Anna Baker and she knows sign!" Ike signed, excitedly.

"She's fixin' supper now," Jimmy stated, "By the way, where were you this afternoon, Buck?"

"Yeah, no one was here when I finished my chores." Said Cody.

"You mean there was no one here when you woke up from your nap." Buck replied.

All the riders had a laugh over this, at Cody's expense.

"I took that new gelding out for some mild exercise, didn't much feel like stayin' here. Then I fell asleep under a shade tree. Just woke up a bit ago, and washed up a bit over at the creek." Buck lied. He did not want to tell the riders about the mystery lady at the pond.

Just then, Anna stepped out onto the porch to call the riders in for supper and Buck saw his mystery woman!

Buck was shocked and stared at Anna with amazement and a touch of sympathy. Anna looked at Buck with puzzlement and then a flash of understanding hit her.

"Buck, this is Anna Baker. Anna, this here is Buck Cross." said Teaspoon.

"Nice to meet you, Anna." Buck managed to get out.

"Likewise, Buck." Replied Anna, with a neutral poker face. "If y'all don't mind, supper will be about ten more minutes." With that Anna retreated back into the bunkhouse, all the while hoping that Buck did not know her secret. She knew her hope was in vain, she had seen it in his eyes, he knew her secret.

Teaspoon and the other riders crowded around Buck, who by that time had shaken himself out of his state of shock.

"Are you o.k., Buck?" Asked Teaspoon.

"Buck, what's wrong?" Signed Ike.

"I'm fine." Buck replied, "She is beautiful."

"That she is." Cody said, with a grin.

"C'mon boys, let's go eat." Teaspoon said, as he herded his boys into the bunkhouse. He followed them, hoping that the mysterious Anna would not cause trouble between Cody and Buck, he did not want any love triangles, he knew from experience what trouble they were!

Supper passed uneventfully, Anna made pleasant conversation and kept the boys from getting too rowdy. She avoided any mention of her swim, however. When asked by Cody what she thought of the pond and her swim, she merely replied that it was enjoyable and a nice treat from the heat of the day.

After supper, Anna made coffee and went out to the bunkhouse porch. The boys and Teaspoon joined her there. They past the rest of the evening with conversation that stayed on neutral topics and away from Anna. She proved herself adept at getting the boys to tell long tales of their lives that kept the conversation away from her.

Eventually, Teaspoon and most of the riders retired for the night, leaving Buck and Anna alone on the porch, both sitting on the steps looking out into the night.

Without looking at him, Anna asked, "How long were you watching me at the pond?"

"I didn't mean to..." he began.

"How long?" She repeated.

"Long enough." Buck stated, his anger at the person responsible clearly evident in his voice.

"I'm trying to forget, to put the past behind me. You won't tell the others will you? I can't bear to be stared at and talked about, an object of pity." Anna said fiercely, fighting back tears.

"I won't tell." Buck replied, softly.

"Thank you." she said, dropping her gaze to the ground, to hide the tears that rolled down her face.

Buck ached to put his arms around Anna. He hesitated, then he gently put his arm around her and drew her close to him.

Anna stiffened at the touch, both from pain and the memory of what ususally followed any touch she experienced. Then she allowed herself to relax into the first gentle touch she had known in years. She sensed the gentleness in Buck and knew instinctively that he would not hurt her.

"Thank you, Buck." Anna whispered, again.

Suddenly a thump and muffled voices from near the window near the door, broke the moment and Anna jumped out of Buck's embrace and fled across the yard to Emma's house, with only a fleeting glance of gratitude towards Buck.

Buck watched Anna vanish into the house, captivated by the beautiful woman, her terrible secret, and the combination of strength and fragility she exhibited. He knew that it took her a lot to trust him and Buck felt the trust she placed on him and vowed not to break it.

He got up from the steps and entered the bunkhouse, finding the riders busily settling in for the night. They glanced at him, with guilty expressions across their faces.

Buck just prepared for bed, allowing their guilt to grow.

"Buck..." began Kid.

"We didn't mean to spy." Said Ike.

"Did you hear us?" Buck asked.

"No, we just saw you hug her." Said Cody, with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

Buck looked immensely relieved at this news, which confused the riders, because it deepened the mystery that surrounded Anna and now appeared to include Buck.

"What did she say to you Buck, none of us have been able to get much out of her about herself." asked Jimmy.

"I promised that I would not betray her confidence and I won't." Buck stated, firmly.

Buck then went to bed and left the riders to ponder the mystery that now included one of their own, as well as Anna.

Anna sat in her room in Emma's house, and stared out the window into the night. Buck's gentleness both surprised and comforted her. As ahe sat there Anna realized that her secret was no longer hers alone, she now had a friend, an ally. The thought comforted her as she settled in for sleep with a new confidence about her future.

On to Chapter Seven