DISCLAIMER: The Young Riders is the creation of Ed Spielman, and the property of Ogiens/Kane productions in association with MGM/UA television. This Story is created for entertainment purposes only, no infringement intended. Not to be copied without permission from the author.
Buck awoke with a start sometime later, a small cold hand on his arm. Coming slowly awake he his turned his head to find Jasper standing by the bedside gently shaking his arm.
“Buck, Buck, you need to come quick. The kitty in the barn is having her babies.” For the last few days the pregnant ginger cat in the barn had fascinated Jasper.
Buck placed a gentle kiss on the top of Bernie’s tousled red head and slipped his arm out from under her shoulders as gently as he could.
“Jasper what are you doing here” he murmured as he sat and lifted the excited young boy onto his lap.
“I wanted to see the kitty. I didn’t think anyone would mind” Jasper’s bottom lip trembled and his eyes clouded.
“It’s fine Jas, you just should have woken someone to go with you” Buck tried to explain to Jasper without scaring him.
“But I came and woke you, can we go and see the kitty now.” Jasper asked quietly unable to hide the excitement in his voice
“Just let me get my boots on” Buck lifted Jasper from his lap and sat him on the bed while he crossed the room to put his boots on.
“Bernie, Bernie, wake up, mama kitty is having babies” Jasper bounced excitedly on the bed, shaking his sister awake.
Bernie woke slowly, her confused eyes looking for Buck, finally finding him slipping his boots on, smiling shyly at him then she turned her attention back to Jasper.
“Why don’t we go and see them?” Bernie slid from under the covers and took her brothers hand in own as she stood and walked towards the door
“Wait for me you two?” Buck called in a whisper not wanting to wake Rachel, grabbing his knife he placed it in its sheath on his boot before he followed the two of them down the stairs, their stealthy trip broken only by Bernie and Jaspers hushed giggles.
The moon lit their way to the barn, but once they were inside Buck turned up the wick in a lantern allowing them to crawl into the back of one of the stalls just in time to see the huge ginger cat present the last of its six kittens to the world. They happily sat and watched the young ones bathed and fed, marvelling at the miracle of life they were witnessing. Bernie leaning happily into Buck’s loose embrace, she couldn’t help but feel Buck tense.
“What’s wrong Buck?” she asked gently turning to look into his face
“I don’t know, something just doesn’t feel right” Buck spoke feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
“How?” Bernie trusted Buck implicitly and knew that if he sensed danger that they were in trouble. “What do you want us to do?” she asked slipping her nightgown clad body under his arm.
“I don’t know, lets just get you both back to the house.” He murmured as they walked towards the door.
“What a touching scene” a sinister yet familiar voice spoke.
“Papa” Jasper squealed running into his father’s arms not realising the danger he had put himself in.
“Well Bernice” her father spoke curtly “Seems you chare your favours just as easily as your mother did.”
“:What?” Buck’s eyes snapped to stare angrily into the older mans face. Even if Jasper had not declared his affection for his father he would have known that this man was Bernie’s father, she had the same incredible intense eyes of the man that stood before them now. The only difference was that Alex Williams eyes were cold and piercing where Bernie’s practically radiated love and warmth.
“She’s a little tramp just like her mother was before her. Falling into the arms of the first man that shows you interest” Buck put his arm around Bernie and pushed her gently behind him “At least her mother chose a real man, not a heathen halfbreed like you.” Buck’s mind raced madly trying to find a way to save themselves, but at the moment they were the only ones actually in the barn, Teaspoon had taken to sleeping in the bunkhouse to be nearer to Jasper for protection, so he could not count on any help from him.
Bernie pushed away from Buck’s restraining arm and rounded on her father her eyes full of fury. “He has more kindness in his fingernail than you have in your entire body.” She paused her anger growing at her father’s derision “He’s more of a man than you could ever be.”
Her fathers eyes narrowed at the insolent and disrespectful attitude of his daughter. Swinging Jasper up, he carried him against his hip as he drew the gun hanging on the other hip, aiming it directly at Buck’s head. “That’s where you’re wrong Bernice. When you and your brother are out of the way, I’ll be a very rich man, I’ll have anything I want.”
Buck’s face creased into a frown as he watched the realisation of her fathers intentions become clear to Bernie. He watched helplessly as her bottom lip trembled and tears threatened, but smiled wryly realising that she wouldn’t let her father distress her in that way.
“You’ll never get away with killing us” Bernice spat at the man that was her father.
“Oh But Bernie, I wouldn’t be killing you, he will” Alex spoke waving the gun at Buck “It will be tragic really, an affair gone wrong and I will manage to get there in time to shoot the man that has killed my precious children.”
Bernie turned to look into Buck’s eyes knowing that it would take a miracle to save her from and indeed himself from certain death.
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