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"Teaspoon, are you in here?" Kid had been looking all over town and hadn’t had any luck finding Teaspoon. "Where did he go?" "Kid, I heard you’ve been looking for me." Everywhere Teaspoon had been that morning, he was told that Kid had been there looking for him. It was nice to finally catch up to the boy. "What did you need?" "Well, you know that ride to St. Jo that you were gonna have Jimmy and Cody take." "Yeah, what about it?" "I was wondering if Lou and I could take it instead." Kid had some big ideas for the weekend, but they all depended on getting to take this ride. "Kid, I don’t know. I thought you were taking Lou to the 4th of July dance." "I was going to take her to the dance, but now that guy from Russell, Majors and Waddell is going to be here so she can’t wear a dress. I thought it might be a good idea for the two of us to leave so we don’t give her secret away." Kid knew how nervous this inspection was making her. She had gotten used to letting herself look more like a girl. She didn’t want to have to go back to being diligent in her disguise, especially with the dance coming up. "Damn, I forgot all about him. It’s no problem Kid. Why don’t the two of you take a couple days off too? It’ll give Lou a chance to visit her brother and sister." "Great Teaspoon! Thanks!" Kid couldn’t believe his luck. Now he just had to tell Lou what was going on. He hoped that she’d be excited and not get mad for setting this up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Rachel what am I gonna do? Kid and I were supposed to go to the dance together and now I can’t even wear a dress! Why did that guy have to pick this weekend?" Lou had been really looking forward to going to the dance with Kid. She had bought a new dress for it on her last run and couldn’t wait for him to see it. Now she was going to be stuck in a suit just to keep her secret. Why did the company have to go and decide to do an inspection? They’ve never bothered with one before."I don’t know Lou. Maybe you should talk to Teaspoon about trading Jimmy and Cody for the ride to St. Jo." "That’s a great idea Rachel! I never thought of that. Do you know where he is? I’ll go ask him right now." "I think he was heading over to the office Lou." Rachel had to smile as Lou rushed off. She knew how much Lou had been looking forward to this dance. Lou hadn’t told Kid about the new dress she bought. It was supposed to be a surprise for him. "Lou! I was just looking for you!" The two almost collided in their rush. "Kid! I can’t talk right now. I’ve got to go see Teaspoon. Have you seen him?" "I just talked to him. Lou, we’re taking Jimmy and Cody’s run to St. Jo. Is that alright?" Kid hoped she wouldn’t get upset with him. "Oh Kid!" Lou threw her arms around him. "That’s what I was going to talk to Teaspoon about!" "Really? So you’re not disappointed?" "Of course not silly! I can’t think of a better way to spend the weekend!" "Actually, Teaspoon gave us a couple days off so we can visit your bother and sister if you’d like." The smile on Lou’s face was answer enough. She was thrilled.
Chapter TwoHe finally knew where to find her. It would be just a couple more days and she’d be his again. When she ran away from him two and a half years ago, he couldn’t believe she was gone and vowed to find her. No one played Jonah Brooks for a fool.He knew she had his money and he’d finally get it back. She’d regret running. He’d make sure of that. He couldn’t believe she’d been passing herself off as a pony express rider. How could any one believe that she’s a boy? Sure she had fooled him for awhile, but he saw through the disguise. Now, he just had to get to her and get his money back. Passing himself off as an inspector from Russell, Majors and Waddell was a brilliant idea. No one would ever know he wasn’t what they thought he was. With any luck, Louise wouldn’t even realize it was him until it was too late. "Soon my dear, soon."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Well, have a safe ride and enjoy your time off." Teaspoon was glad to get Lou and Kid on their way. The inspector was due to arrive anytime and he wanted to make sure those two were well on their way before he arrived."Bye Teaspoon! See you in a week!" Kid couldn’t believe he was getting to spend a week alone with Lou. He couldn’t think of anything that could make this week go bad. As they rode off with a quick wave, the inspector was riding in from the other direction. Teaspoon couldn’t believe his luck. He was so relieved that he got Lou out of the station. Now they wouldn’t have to worry about giving her away. "Hello I’m looking for Teaspoon Hunter." "Well you found him. You must be the company inspector." "Yes I am. My name is Jon Brooks." Jonah didn’t think it would be a good idea to use his whole name. Louise might figure things out too quickly then. "Where would you like to start Mr. Brooks?" Teaspoon didn’t quite trust the man, but he hoped that he was just imagining things.
Chapter Three"It looks like you’ve got a fine bunch of boys Teaspoon. Is everyone here now?" Jonah hadn’t seen Louise anywhere among the boys. He was beginning to get a little worried that his information was wrong."Nope. Lou and the Kid are out on a run. They aren’t due back until next week." "Oh, that’s too bad. I was hoping to be able to meet all your boys. I’ll be gone before they get back." Jonah couldn’t believe his bad luck! He had no idea how to make this "inspection" last a week. He’d have to find out where she went so he could follow her. Teaspoon was no dummy so he’d have to figure out a good reason why he needed to know where she was. "You’re staying for dinner right Mr. Brooks?" Rachel didn’t trust the man very much either. "We’d love to have you join us." "Of course I will Mrs. Dunne. I can’t resist a home cooked meal. My wife isn’t much of a cook, but she does try very hard." Jonah thought that sounded convincing and hoped that he would have no problem using the little lie to get the information he needed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "C’mon Kid! The sooner we get there, the more free time we’ve got!" Lou couldn’t wait to get to St. Jo. She was going to spend a week dressed like a lady and enjoy all the time she and Kid had alone. This wouldn’t happen again very soon."Lou, we’ve got time. We don’t want to push the horses too much." Kid couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. "In fact, it’s getting kind of late, why don’t we camp here tonight. We could go swimming in that pond to cool off." "That sounds alright. I guess we have been pushing the horses in this heat." Lou really didn’t want to stop, but she knew Kid was right. Besides swimming with Kid was something she really enjoyed and they hadn’t gone in quite awhile.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Jimmy, I’d like to get some information about the two riders that aren’t here. Could you help me with that?" Jonah thought that getting the information from the boys would work better than asking Teaspoon. He never realized how close the boys were to each other."That depends on what you’re looking for Mr. Brooks." Jimmy wasn’t sure about this guy and he wasn’t going to give him any information he didn’t want to. "Well, how long have they worked with the company?" "The same as the rest of us, except for Noah." Jimmy answered. "That’s an odd question," he thought to himself. "Do you know where they came from, where they grew up?" Jonah thought that question would tell him exactly what he needed. He knew Louise’s background and if "Lou" was really "Louise" that would give her away. "I’m not sure. Neither has talked about it much. I’ve got chores to do. Maybe you better talk to Teaspoon to get your questions answered." Jimmy knew this guy must be up to something. He decided he better let Teaspoon know what he suspected about Jon Brooks.
Chapter Four"Kid where are you?" Kid had decided to get some firewood together before they went swimming and that was thirty minutes ago."I just wanted to make sure we got enough wood Lou." Kid knew she had been looking for him, but he wanted to think about what they were going to do when they got to St. Jo. He had also been thinking about stopping in a little town Jimmy told him about. It was a quiet little place called Davenport. He had something special he’d been thinking about asking Lou and it seemed like the time had come to get it said. "Are you ready to go swimming?" "Just waiting on you." Lou replied with a naughty glint in her eye.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Teaspoon, that guy’s up to something!" Jimmy wasted no time going to Teaspoon with his suspicions. "He’s been asking a lot of questions about Lou and Kid.""He’s an inspector Jimmy. He needs to know different things about every one of you. He’s just doing his job." Teaspoon didn’t like hearing that Jimmy was suspicious of Brooks too. There was something that seemed a little off about the guy. "If he works for the company, why did he need to know when they started? Wouldn’t they already have that information?" "I would think so. Maybe some paper work was missing." Teaspoon really didn’t like the way this sounded. "Teaspoon do you really…" "Teaspoon, can I have a moment of your time?" Jonah hoped Teaspoon would give him the answers he wanted. "Of course Jon. Jimmy, we’ll finish our discussion later. Now go and finish your chores." Teaspoon hoped that would be enough to get Jimmy to leave. He wanted find out what was going on with Jon Brooks for himself. "Teaspoon, I was wondering about Lou and Kid. Where are they from?" Jon hoped that Teaspoon would cooperate. "Now, I’m wondering why you’d need to know that. The company didn’t even want to know that when the boys signed on." "Well, it’s something the company decided that maybe they needed this information. It is one thing they wanted me to make sure I tried to get." This wasn’t working at all! He needed to make sure that this was the person he was looking for. "These boys haven’t really opened up about where they come from. Jon, I’m sorry I couldn’t help you." Teaspoon knew that the company didn’t care about where any of the riders were from. They wouldn’t have hired orphans if they did. "Are you coming for dinner tonight Jon?" "Of course! I just can’t get enough of Mrs. Dunne’s cooking." Maybe he’d be able to get some information then.
Chapter FiveEveryone was just sitting down for dinner when Cody came riding in."When are Lou and Kid getting back from St. Jo?" Cody was tired of doubling up! Jon tried to keep his joy at finding out where she was to himself. He’d have to leave tonight or early tomorrow so he could catch her while she was still there. He was so close to his money he could smell it. "Cody, it’s about time you’ve done your share of work around here! Just so you know, they’ve got some days off while they’re gone." Jimmy was tired of listening to Cody complain. He had enough to worry about. Brooks had the strangest look on his face when Cody mentioned Lou and Kid were in St. Jo. He must be after one of them. "He’s got you there, Cody! You could stand to do a little extra work once in a while." Buck could hardly finish his statement without laughing. As everyone finished up dinner, Jonah excused himself to head back to the hotel. He would have to come up with a great excuse to leave early. He was pretty sure he had the right person, but if he waited too long he may never find her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "That was a great idea Kid!" Lou was so relaxed from their swim. "We better get some sleep."Kid laid his bedroll next to Lou’s, took her into his arms and fell asleep. There was nothing better than this. He didn’t think there was anything that could go wrong on this trip.
Chapter Six"Where is that guy? I thought he wanted us to show him around some of the trail today." Buck knew something was up with this inspector. He had told Teaspoon he wanted to see where they ride out from and would be at the station bright and early. Now, he hasn’t shown and Buck was worried."Buck, what are you doing here? I thought you were showing Brooks around today." "He never showed Teaspoon." "C’mon, we need to find out what happened to him. I just don’t trust him. He was asking a lot of questions about Lou and Kid. I haven’t figured out which one he’s after though." Teaspoon knew there was trouble coming now. He’d send Noah out to St. Jo to warn Lou and Kid about the coming trouble.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Lou and Kid rode in to St. Jo around noon the next day. After checking on the drafts they had to pick up, they headed to the hotel to get a room."Afternoon Boys, how can I help you?" "We need a room." They decided Kid should do the talking. "Sorry, we’re full up. We’ve been real busy since this singer came into town. She’s supposed to be really good." "Do you know where we could find a room?" Kid didn’t know what to do. This was where he always stayed and he’d never even looked for another place. "Well, there’s another hotel a couple…" "I’ve had it! I’m not staying in this place any longer! The accommodations are terrible and the service is worse!" Kid and Lou’s heads jerked when they heard the shrieking woman coming down the stairs. Once she reached the landing, Lou thought there was something very familiar about this woman. She just couldn’t figure out what it was. "Ms. Maxwell, Are you sure you won’t reconsider? We’ve tried to take care of your every need. Isn’t there anything more we could do?" The hotel clerk looked relieved to be getting rid of the woman, but knew he must try to keep her happy. "No! I’m just going to find another hotel! Here’s my key and you can forget about me paying for the horrible night I spent in this place!" "Well, boys, it seems that we’ve got a room after all. If you’ll give us a few minutes, we’ll have it all cleaned up for you. Please sign, it’ll be two dollars." "Excuse me sir, who was that woman?" Lou hoped that hearing the name might help her place where she knew the woman. "That was Alexandria Maxwell. She’s a singer that’s in town to perform for the next month. Don’t let anyone know I told you this, but she’s about the worst guest any establishment could have." The clerk know he shouldn’t be telling anyone about Miss Maxwell’s faults, but the women had driven them crazy since she checked in the night before. As the clerk mentioned the name, Lou’s face paled considerably. This couldn’t be the same person she worked with! Alex swore she’d never show her face in St. Jo. Lou and Alex had worked for Jonah Brooks shortly after Lou had gotten away from Wicks. Brooks was better than Wicks, but he hadn’t known that Lou was a girl. When he did find out, Lou was gone without a trace by morning. He never figured out that Alex was also a girl. Brooks had used the "boys" to train the horses he stole. Some of them were a little wild and needed to be saddle trained so he could get a good price for them. "C’mon Kid, let’s go take care of the horses." Lou knew that Kid was wondering about her reaction to Miss Maxwell, but she wasn’t quite ready to tell him. "Mister, can we pick up the key when we get back?" "No problem. I’ll be sure to hold the room for you boys."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Teaspoon, I’ve got a message for you.""What is it Otis?" Teaspoon didn’t have time to be bothered. He needed to find where Brooks had gone. "Thanks Otis" "Teaspoon, I’m sorry I had to leave so suddenly. I just found out my wife is very ill and have to get back to St. Jo. Sincerely, Jon Brooks" "Sounds fishy to me Teaspoon. I think he went after Lou and Kid." "I agree Buck. I want you and Noah to head to St. Jo. Try to get there before Brooks so you can warn Lou and Kid. I sure hope we get to them before he does! What could he want with them anyway?" Teaspoon knew there was going to be trouble. "While you’re there, stop by Russell, Majors, and Waddell and find out if they even do inspections and if Brooks works for the company. When you find out, one of you ride back here and let me know what’s going on." Buck rushed off to get Noah so they could leave. This wasn’t going to be easy. Not only did they have to get ahead of Brooks, but also they had to try to find Lou and Kid in St. Jo. He hoped they could do this.
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