These stories come from inspirations of the songs from Bon Jovi's album                                                          "This Left Feels Right" Wanted, Dead or Alive Jesse and Frank James barely escape with their lives when a bank robbery goes bad. Living On a Prayer On her 80th birthday, Lou reflects on her life. Bad Medicine Buck reflects on his relationship with Kathleen Devlin. It's My Life Cody's joing the army as consequences. Lay Your Hands on Me Lou contemplates the changes occurring in her and Kid's blossoming relationship. You Give Love a Bad Name Jimmy reflects on his relationship with Sarah Downs... Born To be My Baby Kid and Lou consummate their love Always Teaspoon and Rachel start their life together by getting married. I'll Be There For You As the Cains ride out of the Sweetwater way station, Emma finds it hard to keep her emotions under control. Bed of Roses A healing Kid ponders how fortunate he is. Everyday Teaspoon contemplates the trials he faces with teaching a bunch of orphans how to ride for the Pony Express. Keep the Faith When Kid is late in returning to Sweetwater and Lou is pondering what happened to him, Emma encourages the young woman to hold on to her faith.

Wanted, Dead or Alive I'm wanted dead or alive Wanted dead or alive Jesse James ran through the encroaching darkness, clutching one hand to his wounded side, the other holding firmly to his six-shooter. He was in an all out run toward the designated rendezvous site he, Frank, and Cole Younger had agreed upon earlier that day. He wondered if any of the others in the gang had managed to escape the mixed group of vigilantes and Pinkerton detectives who ambushed them as they robbed the Northfield Bank. His racing mind, alert to the nearby shadows and sounds of the night, was still reeling with how quickly everything went bad. There was the usual meticulous planning done by him, Frank, and Cole a few days before the robbery took place. Trusted men were paid to go into the bank to case it, and then report back to them all the little details they needed to pull off a successful heist. They made sure each of the gang members: Jim and Bob Younger, Lonnie Packwood, Clell Miller knew precisely what their jobs in the robbery would consist of. As per their usual way of doing things, he, Frank, and Cole were the only members to enter the bank and conduct business. Always before their robberies went over without a single hitch, but Jesse supposed their luck had to run out sooner or later. He had hoped that it would be sometime in the future. He had entered into this robbery thinking only of obtaining enough money so that he and Zerelda Mimms could get married and start their life together. Zee was about the prettiest thing he had ever seen, and he couldn’t wait to make her his permanently. Now, with him on the run again, and with hardly any money in his pocket, Jesse’s plans of getting married were halted. Self-preservation came first, next to finding out what had happened to Frank and the others. He had personally seen both Clell Miller and Lonnie Packwood killed, but he didn’t have any idea whether his brother or the Youngers had survived. He wasn’t a praying man by nature, but he found himself doing so right then. He didn’t pray for his own safety, but for Frank’s and the Younger brothers. He didn’t want to think about the possibility that his brother was dead, so he decided to focus his attention instead on reaching the hideout. Jesse didn’t know whether to be relieved or scared when he noticed the flickering light of a fire dancing off the stone walls of the old miner’s shaft, as he neared the hideout. He hoped the golden glow meant that one or more of his gang members had managed to escape from the posse that was after them. The injured outlaw knew there was a strong likelihood that someone had either been coerced into leading the Pinkerton’s back to their hideout to setup an ambush for the rest of the members, or was caught just as they had arrived at it. He slowed his movements and approached the entrance to the mine shaft with caution, not wanting to be caught off-guard. Jesse placed his back against one wall of the shaft entrance, and edged closer to the opening, gun at the ready for anyone that might spring out of it at him. He took a deep breath and started to step into the entranceway, when a sharp whistle pierced the night air, and he froze in place. A second, softer whistle rapidly followed the first, and Jesse felt relief flood over him. “Frank?” “Jesse?” Jesse cleared the entrance and found himself swept into a bear hug by his brother. He gasped aloud as pain sliced through his body from the pressure Frank’s arm placed against his wounded side. Frank immediately released his brother, concern flooding over his face as he realized Jesse was hurt. “How bad is it?” “Just a flesh wound, I think.” Jesse responded as he moved further into the shaft and settled himself slowly onto the ground near the fire. “Let me check it out.” Frank crouched down beside his brother and helped Jesse remove his blood soaked shirt. Gently the older James brother probed the gunshot wound that his brother was inflicted with, wincing at the pained gasps Jesse made in response to his examination. Frank was relieved to find the wound had only damaged skin and muscle, before it exited Jesse’s flesh. “It’s a flesh wound just like you thought, Jesse,” Frank told his brother. “It won’t take me long to get you patched up. You’ll be sore for awhile though.” “Better sore than dead,” Jesse replied. “You best get to the patching before I bleed all over the place.” Frank nodded. He dug into the supplies the gang had stored up in the back of the shaft, and found the necessary materials he would need to fix Jesse up. He handed Jesse a bottle of whiskey which was with the rest of the supplies, and the younger James brother took the bottle gratefully. Jesse pulled the cork out with his teeth, spit it out, and then took a long swig of the amber liquid. He gasped as the rotgut burned a path down his throat and into his stomach. He waited a couple of moments, before taking another drink of the whiskey, before handing the bottle to Frank. Jesse nodded his consent for his brother to begin the procedure necessary to fix him up. Frank took a deep breath and then poured a liberal amount of the whiskey onto the open wound in his brother’s side. He winced as Jesse’s agonizing scream echoed through the mine shaft, but did not let it deter him from doing what was necessary. He worked quickly to first clean out the wound, and then sew it up with a fishing hook and coarse thread. By the time Frank was finished, Jesse had passed out from the pain, and he was sweating profusely. He tossed the soiled rags he had used into the fire, cleaned his hands and face, and then settled himself into a protective position in front of his younger brother, and closed his eyes. Neither brother slept much that night. Jesse couldn’t find a comfortable position on the hard ground. Frank awoke to every little moan his brother made, as well as any sound he heard from outside the mine shaft’s entrance. In the dim light streaming in through the shaft’s entrance, Frank was able to tell Jesse was pale, but not feverish, and for that he was thankful. He took it as a good sign that no infection had sunk in during the night. Frank debated about starting another fire, not wanting to alert any of the posse members to their location, but knew if they were going to head out of the area, Jesse was going to need a hot meal to replenish his waning energy. It didn’t take him long to start the fire and make a meal which consisted of canned beans, chewy biscuits, and strong coffee to choke it down. Frank made Jesse a plate and handed it to his brother. “I don’t expect it’s going to taste anywhere near as good as Ma’s, but it’s hot and filling.” Jesse smiled wanly at him. “After not eating anything all night, it might just taste like heaven to me.” Frank chuckled, and then dug into his own plate of food. As soon as the meal was over, Frank gathered up supplies for the two of them to take with them, and then the James brothers made their getaway. Neither of them knew what the next hour, let alone the next day would have in store for them, but they were determined to do their best to slip through the closing nooses of the Pinkerton’s and make their way back home to Missouri and freedom.

Living on a Prayer Once Upon a Time Not so long ago Louise McCloud Kidrickson stroked the frame of the dusty tintype holding a picture of her and Kid at their wedding with a gnarled finger. Marrying Kid had been one of the happiest days of her life. The two of them experienced a lot of obstacles in their relationship, before they finally married. During the time that they were apart, Lou learned that she was pregnant. Instead of telling him about the baby they made together, she kept it a secret, and subsequently lost it. It was during the time that she was recuperating from the miscarriage that they found their way back to each other. Their reunion was almost torn apart for good, when the brother of Kid’s first lover arrived in Rock Creek with an infant girl in his arms who he claimed was Kid’s. Lou didn’t know who had been more surprised at this latest turn of events, her or Kid. One look into Katerina Odella’s cherubic face had been enough for them both to know the sweet little girl was indeed Kid’s. She had his cerulean blue eyes. There were some tough decisions to make that first night after Katrina was left with them. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know about Odella. When they first started getting serious, Kid told her about Odella and the fact that he and the young widow consummated their love for one another. It took place in the summer of the same year they all signed up for the Pony Express. Neither of them expected the complication of a baby they were suddenly asked to care for. Katerina quickly won her over though, and their plans to spend the rest of their lives together were cemented. Looking back now, Lou couldn’t even contemplate not having Katrina in their lives. Their eldest daughter was a beautiful person inside and out, and Lou loved her equally as much as she loved the rest of their children. Having Katie, as she was called by family and close friends, to love and care for during the long period of times she and Kid were separated from each other after he joined up with the Confederate Army, was a blessing to Lou; especially after she lost another child shortly after they arrived in Virginia. Those four years were filled with anxiousness and longing, heartache and joy, anger and tenderness, emptiness and fulfillment. Lou was finally able to carry a baby to full term in the second year of the Civil War, and it was a glorious day when Kid’s boy arrived safe and sound. Jeremiah Lewis Kidrickson was the spitting image of his daddy, with chestnut curls, dimpled mouth, and cerulean blue eyes. In the following years, they were blessed with two more daughters, and three more sons. Their children were what got them through the difficult times. Jimmy’s murder had practically been their undoing. She wanted to seek revenge against the man who had taken their dearest friend away from them. Although Kid had shared the same thoughts at the time, he knew that killing Jack McCall wouldn’t accomplish anything. No matter what they did, nothing was going to bring Jimmy back, and finally he managed to convince Lou of that. Rachel’s death from pneumonia at such an early age surprised them all. It didn’t surprise anyone when Teaspoon died a short year after his precious wife died. The PX family had buried them next to one another. Sariah Hunter Alden was grateful to them for all of their support during the trying time after both of her parents passed. Lou drew Sariah under her wing, realizing just how bereft Sariah was at losing her two parents so close together. Lou knew how Teaspoon felt after Rachel was taken from him. Her own sweet Kid succumbed to a fever only last winter, and it took all of the willpower she could muster, to go on with life without him. Her daughters began to hover ever closer to her, fearing that she would follow after their father. Although Lou understood their reasoning behind it, she snapped one day and told them if they didn’t stop smothering her she was going to pack a valise and head out on her own somewhere. Tears and admissions followed shortly afterwards her outbursts. After they had cleared the air between them, things were better between Lou and her children. Although her daughters tended to check on her more often than before their father’s death, they respected her wishes, and never hovered over her again. Today was her 80th birthday. Lou didn’t feel much older than she had when she stood with Kid in their wedding finery and had the tintype taken. Although a lot of time passed since that wonderful day when they were joined in marriage, Louise felt as if it all happened only yesterday.

Bad Medicine Your love is like bad medicine “I’m sorry, Buck. I can’t leave him.” Kathleen Devlin’s softly spoken words echoed through Buck Cross’s anguished mind as he lay upon his bunk in the darkened bunkhouse. His slumbering fellow Pony Express riders were oblivious to the torment he was in. He never fell in love so hard and fast before, or lost it so soon right after he did. It was a week ago today since he first laid eyes on the blond haired beauty, when Sweetwater hosted its annual Founder’s Day celebration. He and the others lined up for the horse race they were all too eager to participate in when he spotted Kathleen. She was sitting in a marked off section of seats with what presumably was her father along with the other town leaders in front of the saloon His breath left him as he caught sight of her. She was dressed in a beautiful pink and cream dress that accentuated her slender curves, and highlighted the healthy glow of her exquisite features. Her blonde curls were arranged in a golden halo and were topped off by a perky hat made up of the same materials as her dress.  Their eyes met and held across the short distance that separated them for a moment, and then she had smiled at him. He swore her smile could light up even the darkest of skies with its beauty. It took quite an effort on his part to draw his attention away from her and to William Tompkins, who had been delegated to explain the rules of the race. When Tompkins announced that Kathleen would present the winner of the race with a twenty dollar gold piece and a silver trophy cup, Buck decided then and there he was going to win the race. He won it all right, much to chagrin of the other participants. His fellow riders all good-naturedly cheered him on as he swung off of the back of his mount and started toward the little stage where he would receive his winnings. His heart did a somersault as he reached the stage and walked up the steps to where Kathleen stood awaiting his arrival. Kathleen was even more beautiful up close, than she was at a distance. Her blue eyes gazed into his own with such intensity, that Buck felt the impact clear to his soul. He was mesmerized by her beauty as she handed him the gold coin and trophy cup.  He wasn’t the only one surprised by Kathleen’s actions when the young woman leaned forward and kissed him on one cheek, and then the other.  Later that same day, when he and the other riders prepared to leave with Teaspoon Hunter and Emma Shannon, Kathleen approached him. With a signal from Teaspoon they would wait for him, Buck stepped away with Kathleen so they could talk in private. It was then that Kathleen told him how much she enjoyed his riding abilities, and asked him if he would be willing to give her private riding lessons. Buck had readily agreed, and they set the first one for the following afternoon. Buck soon learned Kathleen was a fine horsewoman and didn’t need any riding lessons at all. She assured him she really wanted to get to know him, but didn’t know how to go about doing so without looking too forward. Her reason for her small deception seemed reasonable one to him. Since he hoped for a valid excuse to get to know her better, Buck forgave her duplicity. He wished he knew then lying was something that came naturally to Kathleen. She did it with an ease that came only with practice, but he had been blinded by his strong attraction to her that quickly turned into love. From that first day on, they spent as much time together as his Pony Express responsibilities allowed him too. He even suffered through the humiliation and degradation of being tarred and feathered by a couple of Jack Devlin’s henchmen for her. They warned him to stay away from Kathleen, especially a stuck up fellow named Rance Ellis, but Buck wasn’t one to give up on something he thought was worth fighting for. He soon learned what a fool he had been for believing anything that Kathleen said to him. Only a few short hours earlier Kathleen had pleaded with him to take her away from Sweetwater.  There was only a moment’s hesitation on his part at the thought of leaving Sweetwater without saying goodbye to Ike and the others, before he had willingly agreed to do so. Rance Ellis and the other men who worked for Kathleen’s father had ambushed them before they could get too far from town. Buck was prepared to fight to the death to keep Kathleen with him, but she had suddenly turned on him and told him he was a fool and ran to Rance.  Surprise and pain and flooded through Buck as Devlin’s men prepared to kill him. When his fellow riders showed up and saved him, Buck had never been so grateful to see anyone in his life. While the other riders kept the men at bay, Buck quickly mounted his horse and raced after Rance and Kathleen who were headed back to the Devlin’s ranch. Buck arrived at the homestead just in time to keep Rance from killing Jack Devlin. As her father lay bleeding in her arms, Kathleen had confessed that her time spent with Buck had all been a ruse to get him to fire Rance, so it would only be the two of them. Buck’s heart broke in two as he realized he had only been a pawn in her game. He yanked the chain holding the gold cross that she gave him to wear on the first day from around his neck, tossed it onto the floor and left. He knew he wasn’t the first man to have been poisoned by the love of a woman who was only out to get what she wanted, regardless of whom she hurt, but that knowledge didn’t take away the heartache he felt. Kathleen’s love was like bad medicine to him. It was a poisonous, alluring elixir, as whiskey was to his fellow Kiowa’s. He realized he was very fortunate to have come away from the relationship unscathed. He didn’t like to think how close he had come to losing everything he held dear to him, including his life, due to her diseased love. He was glad he had learned of her treacherous ways before all was lost.  It would take some time, but Buck knew he would succeed in purging himself of Kathleen’s memory, and be able to love again.

It's My Life William F. Cody approached the Rock Creek Pony Express Waystation slowly. He wasn’t looking forward to the argument he knew was going to take place as soon as the rest of the members of his family knew he had signed up to be a scout for the Union Army. Aloysius ‘Teaspoon’ Hunter was agitated enough that one of his old friends was in town recruiting young men for the upcoming battle that grew increasingly closer with each passing day. As he neared the bunkhouse, he could hear a heated conversation coming from inside. He recognized them as belonging to Teaspoon, Jesse James, and Noah Dixon. Another male voice joined the heated debate, Buck Cross’s. Buck was the peacemaker of the bunch, and Cody could just make out his words telling the others to stop fighting. He wasn’t looking forward to facing them, but the blond rider wasn’t about to back down from what he thought was right either. War was coming and whether they all liked it or not it was time for them to choose sides. He made his choice and he was going to live by it, no matter what anyone else thought. It was his life and he had a right to live it the way he deemed best. ********************************************************* The argument inside came to a close by the time he entered the bunkhouse. Teaspoon, Buck, Jesse, and Noah fell silent and all turned their attention on Cody as he entered. He watched Teaspoon carefully eye the new ridding boots and leather gloves he carried in his arms and knew the Marshal wouldn’t be too pleased to learn how he got them. “That’s a pretty fancy pair of boots you got there?” Teaspoon asked, stepping closer to the blond rider. “Nice gloves too. “ Buck pointed to the pair. “Where did you get them?” Cody glanced down at the boots and gloves he had bought with his Army advance.  “I bought them in town.” “How did you get the money?” Noah Dixon frowned. “You’ve been borrowing off me for weeks?” “Let’s just say it’s an advance.” Buck leaned forward onto the table. “What kind of an advance?” Cody sighed. “I signed up for the Army today, Teaspoon. Captain Earbach’s going to use me as a scout.” Buck cast Cody a disapproving glare as he suddenly exited the bunkhouse. Noah hung his head, and Jesse withdrew his startled gaze off Cody and on Teaspoon as the Rock Creek marshal uttered the words, “Merciful God.” Cody sighed as he seated himself at the table. Why couldn’t Teaspoon understand he was a man and perfectly capable of making his own decisions? “Noah, Jesse, I’d like to talk to Cody in private.” Noah nodded and departed the bunkhouse, taking a reluctant Jesse with him. Rachel, who had just returned from Tompkins store, entered the bunkhouse a few moments later. It was obvious by the worried expression on her face that someone had waylaid the housekeeper outside and filled her in on what he had done. “Is it true, Cody?” Rachel placed her hands on her hips. “Did you join the army?” “Yes.” “How could you sign up without talking to me and Teaspoon about it first?”   “It’s my life!”  Cody snapped. “I have the right to make my own decisions, whether you agree with them or not!” “I don’t know how you could have done something so foolish!” Teaspoon bellowed. “Maybe it’s foolish to you Teaspoon, but to me it’s my duty.” “Is that what the recruiter’s been saying?” Rachel’s voice faltered.   Cody rolled his eyes. “Look, he ain’t told me anything I don’t already know.”   “You don’t have the faintest idea what it is going to be like out there!” Teaspoon said, leveling an intense look on Cody. Cody stood up, his new boots dropping on the floor with a thump, as he met the older man’s blue eyes. “You’re right, I don’t know what it is going to be like out there, but I don know what it is going to be like around here Teaspoon. The Pony Express is dying. They’re stringing up those lines for the telegraph faster than we can ever ride. Soon there ain’t going to be no need for waystations, or mochillas, Teaspoon. Listen to me, everyone in the whole town is ready to sign up. I don’t understand why you two are so upset with me.” “Because we care about you, Cody,” Rachel put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it slightly.  “Both of us do.” “Well you ain’t my folks. So stop acting like it.” Cody shrugged her hand off his shoulder and moved towards the door. “Cody,” Rachel called after him. The blonde rider opened the door, but paused and turned to look at Rachel and Teaspoon. “I’m sorry if my decision has hurt either of you, but it’s my life and I’m going to live it the way I want to. “ Cody didn’t give the housekeeper or the Marshal a chance to reply, but walked out of the bunkhouse, closing the door behind him.

Lay Your Hands on Me Louise McCloud lay awake upon her bunk in the bunkhouse on the Rock Creek Waystation and couldn’t stop thinking about the Kid. The chestnut-haired, blue eyed Virginian who caught her attention the first moment she laid eyes on him in Sweetwater. He was soft-spoken, confident, and seemed to genuinely like folks, even if he did always keep to himself at first. She hadn’t been exactly outspoken herself either, back then. She tried so hard to keep her true identity a secret beneath the short haircut, wire glasses, and men’s clothing. Getting hired on as a Pony Express rider had been a stroke of luck for her, and she didn’t want to do anything to possibly get her fired. Or maybe; jeopardize the job she came to love so much. It was Kid who first came to know her secret. She was wounded by some outlaws on a ride, and it was Kid who found her. There had been more than a few moments of awkwardness that settled between them, after Kid lifted her shirt to examine her wound. He was confronted with features he didn’t expect to find on a young boy. Kid’s cheeks flamed immediately; making him look all the more adorable and she secretly was delighted. After that day, she and Kid began to spend a lot of time together. They made good use of every opportunity that presented itself for the two of them to spend some time alone. It was nice to have someone to talk to without being worried about giving her secret. Kid seemed to enjoy the shy glances, quiet conversations and stolen kisses as much as she had, if not more. Eventually the other riders learned that she was a girl, and much to her delight, they swore to keep her secret as well. Steadily the friendship with Kid gradually deepened into love and she found it increasingly difficult to be around the Virginian without wanting to touch him. She wondered if Kid experienced the same turbulent emotions she did about him. Suddenly she felt the need to lay eyes upon him and turned over on her side so she could glance down onto the bunk below hers. A hot shiver raced down her body as she saw that not only was Kid awake, but he held a dark desire in his blue eyes that told her all that she needed to know. Lou rolled onto her back and felt warmth fill her that had nothing to do with the fire burning in the stove, and everything to do with the look Kid just gave her. She didn’t know how she was ever going to be able to sleep, now that she had seen the undisguised look in Kid’s eyes. She didn’t know how much longer she could survive without having him lay his hands on her in the intimate ways a man was suppose to touch the woman that he loved. That he would take her to a sacred place that belonged to only the two of them. The first thread of morning light was seeped through the cracks in the wooden structure, before the female rider’s wanton thoughts relented enough to allow her to fall asleep.

You Give Love a Bad Name Shot Through the heart And you’re to blame You give love a bad name James Butler Hickok stood outside the Sweetwater jail and waited for the U.S. Marshal to escort Sarah Downs outside. He wasn’t alone. His two closest friends and fellow Pony Express riders, the Kid and Louise McCloud, had accompanied him into town. The trio didn’t have long to wait until the jail door opened and two men appeared. One was tall with sandy brown hair and lithe figure, the other was short and stocky with dark hair and squinty eyes. There was a woman between them. She had brown curly hair, brown eyes, and a slender form.  Small cuts and abrasions still marred her beautiful features from when her horse had dragged her a few days earlier. Her hands were shackled in irons in front of her.   “Sam?” Sweetwater Marshal, Sam Cain, the taller of the two men escorting Sarah down the steps, stopped walking and glanced over to where the trio of riders stood. His two companions halted their forward motions as well. “Can I talk to her for a minute?”  Jimmy walked over to where Sam, Sarah, and the marshal stood. “Alone?” “Sure, Jimmy,” Sam said and motioned to the marshal with his head. The two men stepped away so that Jimmy could speak to Sarah privately. “I have nothing to say to you.” Sarah told Jimmy, keeping her head averted. “Why?” Jimmy asked. “What do you mean?” Sarah turned her head to look at him. “It was just business. Don’t think it was anything more.” “You’re lying,” Jimmy said, touching her arm. “And you think too much of yourself.” Jimmy felt her cold words like acid burning its way through his body. Even though he knew he had only been a part of her scheme, it did not change the fact that he had loved her. Still loved her despite what she had put him through. He had almost hung because of her, yet he couldn’t bring himself to hate her. “But I loved you. “ he told her, gazing into her face, searching for any sign of the love he felt inside himself reflecting back at him, but found only anger shining back at him. “Then you are a bigger fool than I thought.” Silence fell between them. There wasn’t anything more to say and both of them knew it. “Marshal, let’s go.” Sarah said and walked away from Jimmy. The U.S. Marshal escorted Sarah over to the stagecoach and helped her inside, before climbing in behind her. Jimmy watched until the stagecoach disappeared out of sight. Lou and Kid approached Jimmy, wanting to offer him their support as he grieved for the lost love he and Sarah had shared. “Are you all right?” Kid asked softly. Jimmy shook his head. “No, but I’ll be okay.” Even as he said the words to Kid, Hickok hoped they were true. He certainly didn’t feel as if he was going to be okay with his heart shattered into a million fragments around his feet. He didn’t know if he would ever love again now that Sarah had given love a bad name.

Born To Be My Baby You Were Born to Be My Baby, And Baby I Was Born To Be Your Man Kid stared heatedly down into the beautiful face of his new wife, Louise, as he joined them together. Lou’s dark eyes fluttered closed for a moment as she relished the sensuous sensations coursing through her in reaction to their bodies becoming one. “We were made to be together Lou. You were born to be my baby.” Kid whispered huskily in Lou’s ear as they began to move together. Lou gazed lovingly up at him, one slender hand reaching up to cup his strong chin. “And you were made to be my man.” Electricity sparked between them as they moved in unison with one another. Hands and mouths roamed over glistening skin as they rode the waves of passion toward a skyrocketing climax that left them both sated. As they lay together in the hotel bed, where they were spending their honeymoon, their limbs intertwined, Lou felt tears of happiness fill her eyes. She was still having trouble believing that she and Kid were finally married. They had faced so many hardships and obstacles during the course of their relationship that Lou had almost given up on them ever being together. Yet, here they were. They were married at last and she silently vowed that she would do everything she possibly could to make sure nothing ever broke them up again.

Always “Do you, Teaspoon Hunter, take Rachel Dunne to be your lawfully wedded wife?” Reverend Jonah Andrews asked solemnly. Aloysious “Teaspoon” Hunter gazed lovingly into Rachel Dunne’s beautiful green eyes and stated warmly.” I do.” “Do you, Rachel Dunne, take Teaspoon Hunter to be your lawfully wedded husband?” Rachel smiled through the tears standing in her eyes at Teaspoon. She didn’t see the silver hair or the grizzled face, but the gentle, caring soul who had so easily made her love him. Their love wasn’t a fireworks and excitement kind, like she had known with Henry Dunne, but a tender understanding and deep devotion that would see them through difficult times as well as easy ones. “I do,” Rachel replied and her smile widened as Teaspoon winked at her. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Reverend Andrews stated. “Teaspoon, you may now kiss your bride.” “You don’t have to tell me twice,” Teaspoon swept Rachel into his arms and kissed her amid the applause and shouts of ‘Congratulations’ which were given by the various members of their Pony Express family. “Are you having any second thoughts?” Teaspoon asked Rachel half-jokingly as they shared their first dance with each other as husband and wife. “Nope, are you?” “Not a chance.” Teaspoon told her hoarsely. “It’s for always, Rachel.” “Always,” Rachel echoed the sentiment before pressing her lips to his to seal the words.

I'll Be There For You I’ll Be There for you These five words I swear to you Emma Shannon Cain kept her back rigid and her chin up as she sat beside her new husband on the wagon seat while they drove out of the Sweetwater Pony Express way station yard.  She couldn’t bring herself to look back upon the group of young men, young woman, and the wrinkled older man who had so quickly endeared themselves to her. She had already cried a bucket of tears when she packed up her worldly possessions to take with her to her and Sam’s new destination. She was determined not to let another drop fall. Over the past couple of days since her wedding, Emma had taken each of the riders aside for some quiet time alone. Jimmy Hickok had sworn to set Sam straight if he did anything to hurt her. Kid thanked her for being someone he could look up to. Cody mourned the loss of both her and her cooking which had made her laugh. Ike vowed never to forget her, while Buck stoically expressed his thanks for her treating him the same as the others. Her time with Lou McCloud had been the most difficult. Both of them wept as Lou lamented that she would never forget her and promised to write. Emma had vowed to do the same. Her love and admiration for the determined young woman made leaving Lou the hardest. She had talked to Teaspoon last. The older man had become a trusted confidante, protector and friend, and she was going to miss him dearly. The tears she had been determined not to shed now began to slowly roll down her cheeks as the voices of her Pony Express family members called out to her and Sam. Sensing her distress, Sam reached over and took one of her slender hands in his own. He gave it a gentle squeeze and said, “It’s going to be all right, Emma. I’ll be there for you. I swear that I’m never going to leave you.” “I know you won’t, Sam. Everything is going to be just fine.” Emma drew strength from Sam’s words and felt her own spirits rise. She would see her Pony Express family again some day, but for now her place was with Sam.

Bed of Roses Manasses, Virginia-1865 A still healing Lewis ‘Kid’ Kidrickson stood in the doorway of the boarding house room his growing family had called home while he was off fighting in the Civil War, and took in the heartwarming sight before him. His wife, Louise, sat on the side of the bed nursing their infant son, Jeremiah. Lou’s long dark hair shaded her exposed breast mostly from his sight and her beautiful face was turned downward onto the tiny infant in her arms. Kid dragged his eyes off his wife and over to the pallet where their four-year-old daughter Katerina slept. Although Katerina had his chestnut curls, blue eyes and smile, the rest of her features were soft like Odella’s. He was a fortunate man to have been loved by two uniquely different women in his lifetime. His relationship with Odella had only lasted one fleeting summer, while his and Lou’s would endure through all eternity. “Kid?” There was loving concern in Lou’s voice as she said his name. Kid turned his attention back onto his wife and saw her gazing at him with love shining in the depths of her soft doe eyes. A man could drown in them. As he watched, Lou carefully stood up with her precious bundle in her arms and moved to the end of the bed where Jeremiah’s cradle stood. She laid their son into it and covered him up with a quilt before turning her attention back to her husband.  Brown eyes locked with blue and held as Lou lowered her dress to the floor and held out a hand. Kid didn’t hesitate to close the distance between them. Lou lay back on the bed and pulled Kid with her as they let their passion guide their hands and mouths. Later, after their lovemaking was over and their bodies were sated, Kid rested his head upon Lou’s breasts and found he was content for the first time in a long while. He realized Lou’s body was a bed of roses that he could lay his weary bones on and her love a thick quilt which could cast out the cold and keep him warm every night.

Everyday Aloysius “Teaspoon” Hunter wearily sat down on the cot in the shed which served as his bed. He was dog tired and his bones ached from all the hard work he had done that day. Teaching a bunch of orphaned boys how to keep alive while riding for the Pony Express was exhausting. It didn’t help any that they were all mule-headed and different as night and day. The Kid was calm and sure of himself, but wasn’t cocky like Jimmy Hickok was. William F. Cody could try the patience of a saint with his tongue wagging, boastful personality, which over shadowed Lou McCloud’s quiet demeanor. Ike McSwain appeared to be scared of his own shadow, except when Buck Cross was around. He had to give them all credit for knowing how to ride and shoot and defending themselves against a band of outlaws and renegade Indians while alone on the trail they knew nothing about. He couldn’t recall how many times Jimmy had fallen off the back of a horse while catching the mochila or Cody forgot to duck down behind his mount while he took potshots at him. Teaspoon wasn’t certain any of them would be ready to ride by the time the express officially started, but experience would come in time.  He wasn’t about ready to give up on teaching the boys who would be calling the Sweetwater station home. Even though he retired to this shed bone tired from training the boys, every day he was thankful for having new reasons to get up in the mornings. As long as the Pony Express needed him, he had a place to hang his hat, good food in his stomach, and an important job to do.

Keep The Faith Louise McCloud sat on the top step of the Sweetwater Pony Express station and gazed worriedly out into the growing darkness. The Kid was late returning from an overnight ride to Ft. Laramie and all sorts of morbid thoughts were running rampant in her head. They had all heard talk that very evening from Sam about a band of notorious cut throats who were causing all sorts of mayhem and murder up and down the trail leading to Ft. Laramie. Sam Cain was the marshal and was kept informed of the heartless acts of dangerous criminals who could be heading in their direction. Emma Shannon, the housekeeper for the station was quick to shush him up, but fear had already set in for Lou. She heard the door to the bunkhouse open and knew it was Emma before the older woman sat down beside her. “I’m worried, Emma. Kid should have been back a long time ago.”  “Worrying isn’t going to get you anywhere, Lou. I’m sure the Kid is all right.” “How do you know? He could be in trouble and none of us are there to help him.” “There’s no sense in borrowing trouble where there probably isn’t any.” “What if I’m not wrong in believing he’s in trouble? He could be lying hurt somewhere or he could-,” Lou’s voice cracked and she struggled not to give into the tears which were threatening to overflow onto her cheeks. Emma reached out and gently turned Lou’s face toward hers. A tender smile curved her lips as she saw the moistures standing in Lou’s eyes. “Keep the faith, Lou. Kid knows how to take care of himself. Believe in him and his abilities to overcome whatever might have detained him,” She said softly. Lou nodded and choked back the sob that had filled her chest as Emma spoke. The housekeeper was right. Kid had been late before, and except for the one time when he was locked up in Prosperity, he had always returned. Just as she was able to get herself under control, Lou and Emma heard hooves rapidly approaching.  A moment later Kid streaked by the bunkhouse on the back of his paint mare Katie. Lou cast Emma a relieved look before she jumped up and bolted across the yard. The housekeeper watched with a smile on her face as Lou welcomed a surprised Kid with a hug. A moment later Kid and Lou disappeared inside the barn and Emma headed into the bunkhouse and informed Teaspoon Hunter and the other riders Kid had arrived back safe and sound.

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