“You really think this is the right thing to do?” She sat down on the bed and watched as he packed the few things that he would be needing on this venture.

Teaspoon had given him strict instructions on the things he was allowed to do, and those things he was not to even attempt. All of which did not help Kid to know if he was making a mistake in his decision to go with a strange woman to some strange place to find strange men whom they weren’t even sure had committed the murder. There were no leads, and hardly any clues. It was going to be like solving a three hundred piece puzzle without knowing what it was supposed to look like in the end.

He glanced up briefly, meeting her eyes for only a fleeting second before plunging back into the organization of his small saddle bag stuffed with goods and miscellaneous supplies. “No, I’m not sure about this, Lou.”

The response startled her to say the least. It was not like Kid to always acknowledge when he might be making a mistake. Sure he was good at admitting it after the fact, but very rarely before. “Why not?” Her tone was as neutral and innocent as the inquiry itself.

Why not? It was a good question that deserved an answer, that of which he could not provide...at least not yet. “When Seth and I were younger, we attended the same school. That winter had been extra cold and my father couldn’t seem to provide for all of us,” he began simply. “I spent several months being hungry...and by the time that January rolled around, I was thin and pale. I ended up missing school for days at a time, just because I was too weak to get out of bed. Seth found out about it and started bringing extra food to share.”

Kid sat down, the memories ringing clearly now. He had not been able to picture Seth’s face vividly until this moment. It was like stepping back into a past...a past that he had happily chosen to forget. “His father wasn’t rich either, and had he found out about what his son was doing, he probably would have beat him...along with his sister.” He paused in mid-thought, staring down at the floor, almost ashamed to think about what another young boy had done to save his life. The life of a fellow student that Seth barely knew. “So, it was because of him that I made it through the winter,” Kid stood up, hoping to fight off the tears that had begun to sting his eyes.

Not knowing what to say to such an overpowering display of self-sacrifice and kindness...Lou sat there, motionless, letting it all sink in. The act of avenging his murder was most certainly a mission that Kid would have to undertake. She knew and fully understood that. It’s just that when it came to women...Lou didn’t trust them, not for one single minute. Every instinct in her body said that there was a missing link to the story, but how would she be able to convince everyone else? Unless it became evident to the other riders...she would reluctantly have to remain silent and hope that her gut feeling was wrong...for once.

Cody was vaguely aware of the hail which pounded upon him like a bags of pebbles which had been torn open and were falling from the sky. His attention was instead focused on the throbbing pain inside of his head.

It took every ounce of his strength to sit up...when all of the muscles in his back resisted with equal force. However, being the determined person that he was, Cody put all of his energy in to one motion and sat up quickly. The chunks of ice now began to hurt for the first time since he had regained consciousness.

Finally, shelter once again became his main objective, as it had been prior to his fall. His horse was gone...obviously, and he knew that the only hope he had would be to park himself in one spot and wait out the storm, proceeding home on foot once it cleared. Or if things were going his way, someone from the station would notice his absence and try to find him. And as one might guess, he was desperately wishing for the latter.

“Kid, let me go with you,” Lou pleaded, knowing that she would have no inward peace at all if he rode out with Marisa alone.

And of course, not surprisingly, his reaction was as predictable as Christmas day falling on the 25th of December. “You can’t, Lou,” he snapped before realizing how sharply the words had come out...and of course instantly regretting it at the same time. “I don’t know what we might come up against,” he quickly added, hoping to cushion the harshness of his previous response.

She tried desperately to control the temper that longed to strike out from within her, “Kid, do we always have to have this same discussion? I can take care of myself.”

He slung his saddle bag over his shoulder and made it clear by his body language that he wanted to drop the conversation right then and there. He had made up his mind, and that was the end of it...sorta. “Lou, it ain’t a matter of you taking care of yourself,” he paused, hoping to make her see his point. “It’s a matter of going out there against men that might try to kill you. I just don’t want to see anything happen to you. That’s all.”

Lou attempted to calm herself by constantly saying ‘he’s just trying to protect me and means well’ over and over in her mind. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t working. “I don’t see that stopping you from letting Marisa go!”

“That isn’t the same, and you know it!” Kid returned, frustrating that he was fighting a losing battle.

“Oh yeah, and I guess that’s because she can’t take care of herself and needs you to do her work for her,” Lou crossed her arms, wishing that there was something she could do to make him seem her point. Kid was baffled by her reaction and apparent hostility towards him. Then without reprieve, she pressed on, “So Kid, why is it that you’re so worried about me getting hurt, but then you go and let her get caught in the crossfire?”

Kid lowered his head and then looked up at her once again. His voice was soft and his eyes sorrowful as he reached for the door, “It’s not the same because I don’t love her. I thought you’d understand that by now.” Then, without another word, he stepped outside to prepare for his journey...wherever that might take him.

Mark was sitting out on the porch swing, ledger in hand, when Lou came from the bunkhouse and joined him. He barely looked up when she approached, but couldn’t resist commenting on the conversation he had just been a witness to. “You know, Louise, you ought to listen to what he’s saying. He only means well.”

She turned to him, aggravated that he had overheard their discussion. “You were listening to us?” It wasn't so much the fact that he had heard what they said that bothered her...it was just that Lou always felt badly about the way that things went between she and Kid at times. Why couldn't they have a "normal" relationship for a week straight?

He scratched his head and took a few notes before responding...a habit that had annoyed Lou every since she’d known him. “It’s a bit hard not to, especially when the window above your head is wide open,” he replied, grinning at her bewildered look.

“Oh,” she stated simply, “And I suppose you’re going to take sides and tell me how wrong I am and how right he was.”

Mark couldn’t chuckling at her tone. When there was something that she believed was happening, there was absolutely no convincing her otherwise. “I don’t take sides. I’m an author and a narrator. It’s my job to tell it like it is.”

As he had done so many times in the past, Mark instantly made Lou regret any harsh expressions or snappy comments that she might have thrown his way. But, while she felt sorry about her actions, it wasn’t usually a habit of her’s to apologize to him...call it a “mutual” understanding. He could always see the regret in her eyes...and to him, that was just as powerful as speaking the words.

Lou sighed and leaned back in the swing. “Does any of that writing stuff include giving a girl some advice?”

Hastily he put his papers down and gave his full attention to the young lady next to him. “Now that, my dear, is something I can most certainly do. Free of charge.”

Buck and Jimmy were working on hauling water to the house when they heard the customary rythmic pounding of a horse approaching. Naturally, both of the men had expected to see Cody riding in, as he was due back at any moment. So, naturally they weren't shocked to see his horse...well that was until they noticed the absence of one major detail...Cody wasn’t on it.

Dropping their pails without hesitation, they stood in the stallion’s path and drew him to a halt. A silent communication passed between the men, as they already immediately knew what action to take. Buck was the first to speak, “I’ll get Teaspoon.”

Jimmy nodded and attempted to calm the terrified animal. He shook his head and couldn’t help but wonder why whenever trouble rained in on the station, it poured.

On to Chapter Seven

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