“I just don’t like the idea of you traveling all that way by yourself,” Jimmy told Abby with a frown as he watched her packing a satchel that sat on the bed. Going over to where he stood leaning against the doorframe, Abby lifted a hand to his cheek. “I know you don’t Jimmy, but there’s no helping it. You can’t take the time off of work for that long to go with me and I need to go back so I can see to selling off the house and getting my belongings shipped out here.” When his look didn’t change she sighed. “I made it out here fine by myself…I’ll be fine going back. I promise.” He took the hand that slid from his cheek in his and gave it a squeeze the pulled her close as he put his arms around her. “I know you came out here by yourself, but I didn’t know you then and we weren’t engaged. Now that we are, I don’t like you going off that far without me.” A smile softened his face at the look in her eyes. “I love you to Jimmy,” she whispered before placing feathery kisses along his strong jaw, slowly making her way to his waiting lips. With a growl he held her close as he kissed her fiercely. They’d just recently become engaged and he was loath to have her leaving for a month to see to the house her mother and stepfather had left her when they died. He wished with all his being that he could get away to accompany her but he knew that it would be a real hard-ship on the others if they had to cover his rides along with theirs for that long. When he lifted his head, he looked down into her eyes, drinking in the sight of her and etching it into his memory. “Just promise me you’ll be careful and hurry back!” It felt good to be worried about and to know that he’d be waiting for her to return. Hugging him tightly once more, Abby stepped back. “You aren’t getting rid of me that easy James Hickok,” she told him with a saucy wink. “I plan on marrying you the weekend I get back so you’d better be here!” Jimmy tucked a stray stand of hair behind her ear, letting his finger linger on her chin, tilting her face up to his. “Don’t you worry about that…I’ll be here.” Never before did he want anything as much as he wanted to marry Abby Shannon. The day she entered his life, was the day he began to believe that there was a future waiting for him that didn’t involve hanging at the end of a rope or being killed by a bullet with his name on it. Looking at the clock on the dresser, Jimmy stood tall and nodded towards the bed. “It’s almost time to get you into town for the stage. If you’ve got that packed, I’ll carry it out for you.” Hurrying to close the straps on the satchel, she allowed Jimmy to take it for her. She took a lightweight cloak off the back of the closet door and put it over her shoulders. The last thing she took from the room was her drawstring bag. As Abby followed him down the stairs, he asked, “You have the gun I bought you right?” “Right here in my bag like you told me to have it,” she replied. When she’d first mentioned going back to sell off the house back east, Jimmy had come home with a small handgun and gave her lessons on how to use it. Once he felt satisfied that she could handle it well, he made her promise to keep it on her at all times while traveling. Emma and the others were waiting by the buckboard to say their good-byes to Abby. All of them would have gone to see her off on the stage but felt that they should give Jimmy some time alone with her before she left. After a round of hugs and kisses, Abby let Jimmy help her up onto the seat and waited for him to climb up beside her. With a course of ‘have a good trip’ and ‘see you soon’ they pulled out of the station. Jimmy was quiet on the ride into town, having a hard time dealing with the up coming separation from his fiancée. Seeing the unhappy look on his face, Abby slid over on the seat and tucked his arm around her and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’ll miss you more then you know…” she said softly. When she’d first arrived unannounced on her sister’s doorstep, Abby had only been planning on visiting for a week or two. That all changed when the young man at her side rode into the station yard from a run. The moment they locked eyes, she knew she was a goner. After their first kiss, she knew she’d found her one love in life and when he asked her to marry him, Abby knew that life couldn’t get any better. “I’ll miss you too, sweetheart. Just remember, I’ll be waiting for you…” “I know you will and I thank god for that every day. You’re sure you don’t mind that I have the furniture shipped out here? I mean, if you’d prefer that we pick it out together instead of using what my mother left me, I can easily sell it…or at least most of it. There are a few pieces I’d like to keep that were hers,” Abby asked thinking of all the things she’d have to take care of before she could return to the man beside her. Putting his hand over hers, Jimmy reassured her. “I don’t mind, really. If you’d like to set up house with things you were given by your mother, that’s fine with me. Really.” In fact, Jimmy was glad that Abby had things in which to set house up with. He had saved most of his pay from his job to date, but it wouldn’t cover all that they would need to fill a house in the beginning. If they decided something didn’t fit, they could always buy what they wanted later. As they got close to town, Abby’s spirits began to drop. Though she was looking forward to taking care of things back at the old house, she hated leaving Jimmy and all her new friends. “Are you still going to look for a place of our own or did you think about what Emma said, that if we like, we are welcome to build on a piece of her property?” Stopping the buckboard near the livery, Jimmy sat for a moment thinking. “Well, I’d like to keep looking for a bit while you are away. Maybe I can find something that we’ll both like and can afford. If that doesn’t pan out, we can talk about building near Emma’s, if that’s what you want.” Putting her arms around his waist she hugged him. “All that matters is that we are together.” Jimmy looked down into her beaming face, love shining from her eyes. His heart did a little flip, still amazed that she loved him and wanted a future with him. “Come on,” he told her as he got down from the buckboard. “Let’s get you on your way so you can get back to me that much quicker and I can finally make you Mrs. Hickok,” he told her helping her down and grabbing her satchel. “I like the sound of that,” Abby told him as they walked to where the stage had just pulled up. She waited while he handed the driver her bag and he secured it on top of the stage. Jimmy took her off to the side a bit, to have as much of a private moment alone as he could before she left. “I know I’ve already told you that I’ll miss you and to be careful…I don’t know what else to say other then I’ll miss you and I love you sweetheart.” With a contented sigh, Abby smiled up at him. “I love you too, Jimmy.” Opening the book she had brought with to read on the long trip, she showed him the tintype of him that he’d given her, stuck safe in the pages where she could look at it whenever she wanted. “All aboard!” the driver called out as a man and woman hurried into the stage. “Looks like it’s time…” Jimmy said, choking on the words. He gathered her in his arms one last time and kissed her passionately. “Hurry home, I’ll be waiting,” he whispered into her hair before leading her over to the coach and handing her up the step. Abby sat near the window where she was able to watch Jimmy waving until the coach got to far for her to make him out any longer. With a heavy heart, she watched as the countryside took her farther away from him. The only bright thought was that soon, she’d be heading back to him for the rest of her life. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ “When did Abby’s letter say she’d be back?” Cody grumbled to the others as an irritable Jimmy stormed out of the bunkhouse. “He ain’t been very fun to be around since she left…” “She’s not supposed to head back until the end of next week, so it’ll probably be another week before she gets here,” Lou told him in sympathy. Jimmy had been a bear for the last three weeks and it was driving everyone at the station crazy. If they seen him heading in their direction, they usually turned and went the other way. Even Teaspoon took to spending his nights in town at the jail rather then being around the young man. “Can’t be too soon for my liking,” Kid mumbled having been at the end of Jimmy’s temper more then once in the last few days. “Well, he’s goin’ for a ride now,” Buck told the others as he watched Jimmy ride out of the yard. “Better enjoy the peace and quiet while you can!” “No kidding!” Cody declared preparing to take a relaxing nap in peace. About an hour later, a wagon was heard coming into the yard. Ike was closest to the door so he went to see who it might be since Emma was over at the Clarey’s for the birthing of Mrs. Clarey’s fourth baby. Thumping the wall to get the other’s attention, he turned, hands flying excitedly. “Slow down Ike,” Kid told him trying to catch what he was saying. *It’s Abby…she’s back*, he told them hurrying out the door. “What?” Lou said in surprise. “She’s not due back for at least two weeks…” the other’s followed after Ike to see Abby being handed down from a wagon by one of the men from town. “Hello!” Abby greeted them with a smile and hugged them all in turn. Seeing a sleepy Cody stumbling onto the porch of the bunkhouse she laughed and called to him, “Hello, Cody!” She looked confused when his reply was “Thank God!” Not seeing the one man she was most anxious to see she asked, “Is Jimmy on a run?” The disappointment could be heard in her voice. As the boys took her bags, Abby thanked the man who brought her out to the station. Following them into Emma’s house, she wasn’t surprised when Lou asked her, “What are you doing back so soon? We thought you wouldn’t be here for another two weeks at least…” Setting her hat and shawl on the chair in the living room, Abby grinned. “Seems that my attorney had a buyer for the house before I even got there. All that I needed to do was make arrangements for my things to be shipped and pack things for travel. As soon as that was taken care of, I got on the first stage west and here I am…” Once her bags were on the way up to her room she asked the others left downstairs, “Where did you say Jimmy was again?” Buck was the one to answer her. “Ah, were not exactly sure where he is right now. He went for a ride over an hour ago.” Giving her a big smile he told her, “It’s been a bit hard on him without you here…been a bit of a bear if you know what I mean.” “Oh, he has, has he?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye. It certainly was nice knowing that Jimmy had missed her but she was sorry it had been hard on his friends. As the others joined them back in the living room, she asked them, “Please don’t tell him that I’m back. Just tell him that he’s wanted over at the house…I’d like to surprise him when he gets back.” “You got it!” Cody said in glee. He’d love to see the look on Jimmy’s face when he got an eye full of Abby, back safe and sound again. Looking a bit weary, Abby told the others, “I think I’ll just go to my room and clean up a bit. It was a long trip.” “Sure thing Abby,” Lou said as she began to herd the other riders out of the house. “Let me know if you need anything,” she offered before closing the door and leaving Abby to herself. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ All of the riders were sitting on the porch of the bunkhouse when Jimmy rode up several hours later. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the way they were watching him with various grins on their faces. “You’re wanted in the house,” Buck said in a solemn voice, looking over to Emma’s place. “What for?” Jimmy asked, wanting to go inside and brood some more while laying on his bunk. He’d really been missing Abby as of late and he didn’t feel like listening to one of Emma’s ‘talks’ even if it was only because she was concerned about him. “Don’t know,” Lou shrugged. “We was just asked to tell you to go over there when you got back,” Cody told him. “All right, all right, I’m going,” Jimmy grumbled, turning to go over to the house. He knocked once, twice, three times and waited for Emma to answer the door. When she didn’t come, he opened it and stuck his head in. “Emma?” he called out. Stepping into the house he called out into the silence again. “Emma? It’s me, Jimmy…what did you want?” “Emma’s not here, but I am,” he heard from upstairs in a voice he’d been longing for. His eyes closed for a moment before he took off running up the stairs two at a time. “Abby?” he said in wonder as he stopped in the door to her room. “I didn’t expect you yet….” His voice trailed off as he drank in the sight of her. Moving swiftly he gathered her in his arms, kissing her passionately. “God I’ve missed you,” he said breathlessly when he broke off the kiss. “Don’t ever leave me like that again…”

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