He found her pacing in front of the horses, waving her hands about and knew she was talking to them again. So he just stood there, patiently waiting for her to notice that he was there. When she finally does her cheeks blush prettily and she looks away.

"You know," he said as he neared, "it's lucky we all know about you talkin' to the animals, otherwise most folks would probably think you've gone loco or somethin'."

"Maybe I have. You make me crazy sometimes."

"That so?" he replied as he pulled her into his embrace. "You make me crazy too."

"I do?"

Buck nodded his head.

"Really?"

"Yep. Especially since we returned from your village.

"Why?"

"Somethin' Dancing Cloud told me the day before we left."

Then before she could reply, he placed a kiss on her lips and told her to stay there while he went to let the others know he was taking her home. When he returned, he settled her onto Prince's saddle then swung up behind her and headed in the direction of her house. However, a few moments later, he changed course and headed toward the station.

"Where are we goin'?"

"You'll see."

"Hmp."

"Be quiet Snow Fox," he whispered in her ear, sending chills all the way to her toes. Then he began to place tiny little kisses along side that same ear and down her neck.

"Buuuck," she gasped when his hand began to inch closer to her breast. "Please Buck…stop…" She couldn't say anymore, closed her eyes and leaned her head back as the unfamiliar sensations bombarded her body and soul.

"We're here."

Amber slowly opened her eyes and noticed that they were at the Sweat Lodge instead of the Station House. She glanced over her shoulder with a questioning look, then asked, "Why are we here?"

"To sweat of course," he answered with a grin after he dismounted. Then he held his arms out to help her down. She wouldn't budge, so he reached up and pulled her towards his chest.

"No. You take me home this instmmpff…"

When he finally stopped kissing her and let her breath, he replied, "Nope. I think we need to sweat this thing out of us or I'll have to keep on kissin' you."

She swallowed hard, shoves away from him and stomps into the Sweat Lodge while mumbling a few swear words. Minutes pass quietly as they sat opposite of each other and Amber, who was still mumbling, took a risk and looked at Buck. When his eyebrow arched, she clamped her lips tightly together till she felt the need to scream in frustration. She glanced at him again and saw that he'd closed his eyes…now was the chance for her to sneak outside to let loose all this emotion he'd built up in her.

"Just where do you think you're goin'?"

"Arrrgggghh…how long are we goin' to be here?" she questioned as she slumped back onto the floor. Then she let out a screech when he pounced on her and pinned her down. His face was mere centimeters away from hers then he placed a kiss on her nose…her cheeks and finally her lips. This one was way different than the ones he'd given her before, it was so searing that it sent lightning coursing all through her body…right down to the tip of her toes.

Then he released her.

"You need to be quiet Snow Fox, I'm tryin' to concentrate."

She could not believe he'd kissed her like that, then had the nerve to tell her that he was trying to concentrate as he calmly sat back on his side of the fire. Her heart was going faster than a whirlwind, then she decided that turn about was fair play and pounced on him.

"I will not be quiet Running Buck, " she hissed when she'd pinned him to the ground. "You say you're tryin' to concentrate? Well then…concentrate on this."

And she proceeded to kiss him just as he did to her till she felt the unfamiliar emotions flowing through her veins. When she felt his arms snake around her back, she pushed herself away from him, shoved her dress back on, grabbed her shoes and stormed out of the Sweat Lodge before anything else could happen.

Buck watched her with a smile, thinking that he really did have his hands full with this woman. "Someday she won't be able to pull away," he thought as he lay there for a few moments longer, then he did as she did and got dressed. He made sure the fire was completely out before exiting, his hat in his hands. He notices two things the minute he stepped away from the Lodge. One, Amber is no where in sight and Two…neither is Prince.

"Damn. Didn't think she'd take my horse and leave."

So, with the setting of the sun, he starts to head in the direction of the Station intending on having a conversation with Amber when he got there. But the more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that she would just storm out on him again.

"Double damn," he thought as he kicked at the ground. "She is not going to make this thing easy for either of us." Then he looked up at the sound of an approaching rider and saw that it was Ike. 

Ike had the silliest grin on his face and when he came nearer, Buck replied, "Don't you say one single word about this."

~ Who…me? ~

"Yeah, you. So I take it the little she-cat made it back in one piece?"

~ Yeah ~

"She say anythin' to you?"

~ No. But she sure was talking Prince's ears off ~

"Well, what was she sayin'?"

His friend did not answer, although his grin did seem to widen. Buck rolled his eyes with a groan and asked Ike again what Amber had said to his horse.

~ Oh…nothing much ~

"Come on Ike, tell me. I need to know," he replied in exasperation.

~ All right. She was saying something about being a fool for feeling things she shouldn't be feeling ~

"Like what?"

~ That she loves you, but that a Little Bird was coming back into your life soon and that she would just have to forget about her foolishness ~

February 1861

As she sat in front of the fireplace, Amber thought about her family and friends. With the weather being colder than it usually was, she'd been staying home for the past three weeks. Now she was totally board and needed something to do. She'd already re-arranged the furniture several times, which wasn't easy being that she had to do it by herself. Then she decided she was going to visit her cousin and to heck with the weather.

When she reached the Station, she looped Thunders Prides' reigns around a post before walking to the house, hoping that Rachel was home. She knocked, then waited a few moments before opening the door and peeking inside.

"Hellooooo…Rachel?"

"She went to town for supplies."

"Why do you insist on sneakin' up on me like that?" she gasped as she spun around to face the man who's been invading her dreams.

"Sorry," he replied as he took her hand and placed a tender, tingly kiss in the center of her palm. "I'll try not to do it anymore."

She snatched her hand from his and asked where the others were.

"Teaspoon went to help a friend of his. Took Jimmy, Cody, Kid and Noah. Lou went with Rachel, Ike's on a run and I'm just hangin' around till I have to head back to the office.

As they waited for Rachel and Lou to return, Amber kept her eyes downcast. She didn't want to be falling into his twin pools of liquid night, knowing what emotion lay within their depth. Then she stood to stretch and decided to walk around the place to get the kinks out of her legs. Buck fell into step beside her as they made their way around the grounds. When they reached the barn, he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her till all rational thoughts go flying with the wind.

"What am I to do with you," he whispered. "My thoughts seem to scatter with the wind when you're near, but since my talk with Dancing Cloud, I am even more confused."

"Wh-why?"

"Because Little Bird is still alive."

"I know," she replied softly. Then before the tears could leak from her eyes, she pushed him away and walked back to the house to wait for Rachel…her back stiff and her chin up. She would not let him see how much she loved him because she had the feeling that he wasn't going to need her when Little Bird returned.
 

CHAPTER 6

Standing there with the hoe in her hand, Amber took her frustrations out on the soil in her little garden as fresh tears rolled down her cold cheeks. Then she tossed the hoe against the fence and slumped to the ground, yelling her emotions to the breeze.

"Why Dancing Cloud? Why am I even here when you knew that Little Bird was to cross paths with Buck again? Why is he to be the one to fill the echo of my soul? I could've stayed at the village and found someone there."

When she felt she'd finished with the questions, she said a small prayer for forgiveness for being angry with her Shaman. Then she looked up when she heard the sound of riders approaching and swiped the remaining tears from her face before going to greet them.

It was Ike and Jimmy. They were coming in fast and she wondered what was wrong…hoping that Buck was ok.

"Hi guys," she said with a smile. "What's got you comin' out here for?"

"Buck asked us to come get you."

"Why? He's not hur…"

"He's fine, but he wants you to be in town with the rest of us."

"Again…why?"

Jimmy took a breath before replying.

"We might be havin' some trouble with the Lakota. So we're here to help you get some things together since it looks like we'll be stayin' in town for a while."

She just stood there with her arms crossed upon her chest, tilting her chin defiantly while answering; "The Lakota don't scare me Jimmy. I have many friends among them and furthermore, I am not goin' anywhere."

"Well then," he said as he got down from his horse, "I guess we got to do this the hard way."

Realizing what he meant…that he was going to physically put her onto his horse, she spun around and began to run towards her house, only to be stopped by Ike. She glared at Ike and told him to move, but he just shook his head as Jimmy snuck up and grabbed her from behind.

"Put me down!" she screamed. "I am not leavin' and you can…"

"You can tell Buck yourself," Jimmy answered as he tried to place the squirming Amber on his horse. 

"Damn-it…I said…put…me…down!"

"Not a chance you little she cat," he said when he finally managed to get her into the saddle and swung up behind her. "You know he's right about you."

She turned and just glared at him.

"You are a truly exasp…oooff."

She jumped from the horse before Jimmy could react from the elbow she'd placed into his midsection; races over to where Thunders Pride stood and swung up onto his bare back as she yelled, "If I have to leave, I will ride my own horse!"

Then she took off towards the weigh station. 

~ We'd better get after her before she gets too far ~

"Yeah," Jimmy replied while rubbing his stomach.

When the boys caught up to her, they slowed her down and Ike tried to explain why they would be safer in town and what caused the situation in the first place.

~ Buck just wants you to be safe ~

"Does this have somethin' to do with that Lt. Curtis?"

~ Yes ~

"Why am I not surprised."

~ Because you know how they can treat the Indians ~

She nodded her head as she remembered what they did when they had gone to "rescue" the white captives from another Lakota village several months ago. Then she asked, "So…where's this Lt. Curtis now and what does Buck have to do with him?"

~ You're not planning on doing something are you? ~

"No. I'd just like to give him a piece of my mind."

~ Yeah? ~ He smiled ~ You and the rest of us. Now we'd best hurry to town and take cover ~

"Creepy," she thought as they rode into town. Then she noticed Teaspoon by the Marshal's office and told the boys that she was going to talk to him for a minute.

"I don't think that would be a good thing right now," Jimmy said.

"Fiddlesticks," she answered as she swung off her horse and started walking towards the town marshal.

Jimmy and Ike shook their heads as they continued on to the hotel with Amber's horse between them.

As Amber approached Teaspoon, she could tell he wasn't too happy and his tone of voice proved it.

"Just what in tarnation are you doin' out in the streets Miss Amber?"

"Just wanted to see that Buck was ok."

"He's fine. Now you get on to the Hotel and stay there with the others while I go have myself a little chat with that picture taker fellow."

"But where is…"

"Get…now," Teaspoon scolded before he walked away.

With a little pout, she reluctantly turned toward the Hotel to wait with Rachel and whoever else was there. After knocking on the doors to several of the rooms, she found Rachel in the fifth one. She was looking out the window while Lou sat in a chair with a book in hand.

"Hey Amber. Glad you made it."

"Yeah. Well Jimmy and Ike didn't give me much of a choice."

Then she sat next to the window that Rachel had been looking out of and kept taking peeks herself whenever she heard a horse ride by. It was just the soldiers every time, but she had to keep looking.

"You know you're likely to get a permanent kink in your neck if you keep doin' that," Rachel commented when Amber looked out the window for the millionth time.

"I'm sorry," she replied as she flopped onto the bed. "It's just that it seems to have been an awful long time for them to be gone.

"Would you feel better if I go ask one of the men downstairs if they've heard anythin' yet?"

"I don't think so…just wish they'd hurry up and get back here."

Another 20 minutes pass then 20 more. Amber got up from the bed to go look out the window again and saw that people were slowly coming out of the buildings so she let the others, that were in the room, know it was probably ok for them to leave the Hotel. When she, Rachel and Lou got outside, they walked over to where Teaspoon and Buck were as Teaspoon was telling those around him that things were safe again.

"What about the Lieutenant?" someone from the crowd spoke up.

Teaspoon looked at the soldier that his friend had placed in charge of his absence and asked if he should answer the question. When the Corporal nodded his head, Teaspoon turned back to the crowd.

"Lieutenant Curtis is talkin' with the Souix right now. His men will wait for him to return, and then they will be headin' back to Fort Laramie. Now why don't you folks go on home, we're done here for today."

That night as Amber sat with the others at the bunkhouse table, she thought that Teaspoon had not told all of what was going on between the Lieutenant and the Lakota. So she asked if the Lieutenant was ever going to return.

"No. Buck can vouch for that."

All eyes turned toward Buck and he answered, "They will talk, but when they are finished…"

"They're goin' to kill him?" Cody questioned.

"Yes."

"But why? Didn't he say he was wrong for doin' what he did?"

"Yes."

"Aaannnd?"

"He will die for Runs like a Bear."

Amber knew what Buck was saying. She respected the Lakota's ways because it was similar to that of her own people's customs. Then she stood, thanked them for dinner and said that she should head on back to her place. Buck also got up, saying that he would take her home.

They rode in silence back to her house, each thinking of the past week's events, and of each other. When they arrived, Buck stopped the buckboard in front of her steps, got down then went around to help her. He held her close as they walked to the door and asked if he could come in for a few minutes. She glanced at him and was lost. His chocolate brown orbs were pulling her into their depth, making her lose herself in them. Then she was wrapped in his arms, their lips meshing together as the liquid lightning coursed throughout her entire being. 

He picked her up, shut the door with his foot and carried her to her room. She was not going to run from him this time…she may fight him a little, but she definitely was not going to run. He stayed till the early morning sun kissed the dark blue sky and fluffy white clouds.
 

CHAPTER SEVEN

Amber sighed as she clipped a few early spring flowers from the garden while thinking about Buck for the thousandth time that morning. After placing the fresh blossoms into the basket, along with the scissors, she walked around the fence and headed toward her house. She was almost there then looked up when she heard the sound of a wagon approaching. Noticing that it was a young couple, she wondered if they were lost and she also felt that the woman looked vaguely familiar.

"Hi there," she said when they came closer. "Is there anythin' I could help you with?"

"Just need to water our horses," the young man replied as he helped the woman from the wagon.

"Sure thing. The trough is over by the barn. Where're you folks headed?"

"Salt Lake City to visit my family. By the way, my name's Patrick and this is my wife Jennifer."

After inviting them to stay for the rest of the day before continuing their journey, Amber asked Jennifer if she would like some tea while her husband took care of the horses.

"That'd be fine," Jennifer answered before giving Patrick a kiss then following Amber into the house.

As they walked inside, Amber kept glancing at this Jennifer and wondering if she were the same Jennifer that the soldiers "rescued" from the Lakota a while back. It was still bugging her while she made the tea…and some coffee for Patrick, so she decided to ask.

"Excuse me…your name wouldn't happen to have been Thompkins, would it?"

Jennifer was a little surprised at the question, but she answered it anyway.

"Yes. It's my father's name. Why, have we met?"

"Not really. I was stayin' with my cousin when Buck went with the soldiers to rescue some captives from the Lakota awhile ago."

"So you're Rachel's cousin?"

She nodded.

"Then you're the one who punched Buck in the stomach."

"Oh Lord. You saw that?"

"Yeah," she laughed. "It was a sight to see…him falling down on that hay, but I got to ask one thing…why did you run from him?"

"It's a long story."

The girls were still discussing the pro's and con's of what the soldiers' did on that day when Patrick walked in a few moments later. Amber stood to get him a cup of coffee while he talked with his wife, then after she handed him the steaming brew she asked Jennifer if she planned on looking for her brother.

"I'm not sure we'd be stayin' long enough to do so. Besides I'm a little worried that Black Wolf might still be wantin' revenge after the way things ended."

"He will not touch you," Patrick replied. " As long as I breath, I will not let him near you again and if you want to search for Two Ponies, we will stay for a while to do so."

Amber smiled at the couple. Obviously Patrick would move mountains for his wife and she would, most likely, do the same for him. Then a brilliant plan came to mind that would benefit them as well as her.

"How about you two stayin' here with me while you search for Two Ponies?"

"We wouldn't want to impose on your kindness."

"Nonsense. I have plenty of room, more than I need at the moment."

"You sure?" Patrick questioned.

"Yes," she replied as she got up to answer the knock at her door. 

When she opened the door, she finds Buck standing there and nearly jumped into his arms at the joy of seeing him, but she pulls herself together and calmly invited him inside.

He just kept looking at her, wondering how he was ever going to tell her that the company was moving them, including Rachel, to the Rock Creek Station in Nebraska. Then he noticed the couple sitting at her table. He glanced back to Amber, his eyebrow raised in question, then back to the couple.

"Why does the woman look familiar?" he thought to himself as he looked back at Amber again.

She smiled before she replied.

"Buck, this is Patrick and his wife Jennifer. They're goin' to stay with me a while before they travel on to Salt Lake City."

"Jennifer?" he asked. "Not Thomkins' Jennifer?"

"Well a fine hello to you too Buck," Jennifer replied with a smile as she stepped forward while her husband remained seated. "It's good to see you again, although I wasn't expectin' we'd be passin' through Sweetwater."

After he'd gotten over the initial shock of seeing her again, he embraced her in a huge hug and was spinning her about, till Patrick cleared his throat.

"Put my wife down," Patrick said in a firm tone. "I'll not be havin' her swung about or squeezed to death with her bein' in the family way."

"Family way? You're goin' to have a baby?"

While the three of them were talking, Amber had quietly gone into the kitchen and was fixing Buck a cup of the coffee as she tried to bring her rapidly beating heart under control. He had a way about him that made her blood sing and her soul fill. She was so lost in her own thoughts she didn't notice the others had sat back down at the table.

Someone spoke her name from a foggy distance.

"Amber?" Buck whispered as he gently shook her shoulder.

"Oh. What is it?" she barely replied when she felt the earth shake beneath her feet as she looked into his fathomless eyes.

"We need to talk."

She let him take her by the hand and lead her outside. When they stood on the porch, he gently pulled her into his embrace, holding her while she trembled. Then he asked if she were ok.

"Y-yes," she answered as she broke away from his warmth. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Russell, Majors and Waddell are movin' us to the Rock Creek Station."

"Where is that?"

"Nebraska Territory, near Missouri. Jimmy and Kid left last week. Teaspoon and Cody just left a few days ago. The rest of us will be leavin' tomorrow."

She just stood there as she wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill that she'd felt go though her body, then she asked how long they were to be in Rock Creek.

"I don't know," he replied with sadness. Then he took a stepped toward her.

She stepped back.

"Amber what's wrong?"

"You're leavin'. And Rachel and Louise…everybody's leavin'."

"We'll write or, better yet, you could come with us."

She shook her head as he finally wrapped her in his arms again. She whispered for him to just go ahead and leave, to go do his job, that she would write and think of him everyday.

"You would write everyday?" he asked with a smile.

"Maybe not everyday, but as often as possible."

Then she looked up into his soulful brown eyes, was lost in their depths again and began to cry. He gently brushed the tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, telling her that things will be ok and that he would miss her something terrible then he place a sweet, tender kiss on her rosy lips before saying good-night and riding off towards the station.

"Miss Amber, you got another letter from Rock Creek," Patrick called out as he entered the house.

Thinking that it was from Buck, she smiled as she thanked him then curled up in her favorite chair and quickly opens it. Her smile faded with every word she read. The letter had not been from Buck…it was from Rachel.

"Is it not from Buck?" Jenny asked when she saw Amber's smile begin to fade.

Amber looked up from reading, tears in her eyes and barely managed to tell them that her cousin had written the letter.

"Well, what does she say that's got you upset?"

"She…it says…Ike…"

She just couldn't go on. She handed the letter to Jenny, who began to read the letter aloud.
 

14 May 1861
Dear Amber;

It is with a sad and heavy heart that I am writing this to you. When Jesse and I returned from Saint Joseph's we found out that Ike had been killed. He had fallen in love with a girl named Emily and before they could even begin a courtship, her father was killed. Then she got it into her head to confront the man who had shot her father. Ike found out and he went to save her from herself, but got shot in the process. All of us have tried to console Buck, but he just seems to be in so much pain that maybe, if you come to Rock Creek, you could talk some sense into him.

    Sincerely,
      Rachel
 

After Jenny finished reading it, she looked over to where Amber was sitting. She was still curled up into the chair, streaks of tears trekking down her face. Jenny reached over and placed a hand over the tightly clasped ones of her friend and said, "You've got to go."

"I know," Amber barely whispered. "I'll go pack some things."

Then she stiffly rose from her sitting position and made her way back to her room to begin packing. A few minutes passed. She still stood in front of her dresser, not making much progress in choosing what to take, when Jenny came into the room.

"Would you like some help?"

Amber blankly looked at her friend, her heart filled with pain then she slumped to the floor at the end of her bed as her mind tried to understand the loss of someone so dear to her.

Jenny pulled out one of the carpetbags and began to sort through the clothing for the trip to Rock Creek. She had sent Patrick into town, just before she came in the room, to find out when the next eastbound stage would be in. Hopefully it would be soon, so that Amber could be with Rachel and the rest of her Pony Express friends…especially Buck. Jenny knew that these two had a special bond and had no doubt that someday they would be together forever.
 

CHAPTER EIGHT

Rock Creek Station - Nebraska Territory

Amber, once again, picks up her bags and heads towards the Marshal's office after stepping off another hot and dusty stagecoach. When she entered the office she noted, with a smile, that Teaspoon was in charge of yet another town and seemed to be enjoying every moment of it…including hounding the young boy who was mopping the jail cell.

"Now Jesse, don't be…" he halted his speech when he noticed her standing just inside the doorway. "Why Miss Amber, this is a surprise. Rachel's at the…why the long face?"

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Rachel wrote to me. Her letter said that Ike…he…" then she began to cry. "Oh God Teaspoon, tell me he's not really dead."

Teaspoon took Amber's bags and sat them on the nearest chair at the same time telling Jesse to go get Rachel. He then wrapped an arm around Amber's trembling shoulders and helped her to another chair before her legs decided not to support her anymore.

"There weren't nothin' we could've done to prevent that from happenin'."

"Emily could've."

"Maybe, maybe not. It's just somethin' that happened and Ike was in love. He was tryin' to defend Emily from the man who'd killed her father." Then he looked up as Jesse came back with, not only Rachel, but Louise as well. "Why don't you go on to the station with the girls, freshen up a bit and when Buck returns…maybe the two of you should have a talk."

She nodded her head like an obedient child and let Rachel embrace her as they walked out of the office, with Louise carrying the bags. When they reached the station, Louise set the bags just inside the door and returned to the work that she had been doing before Jesse came hollering for Rachel. Then Rachel had Amber sit at the table with a cup of tea while she filled the tub for her to wash up in.

Amber sighed as she sank into the warm, rose scented water a few moments later, after Rachel had gone to finish the laundry she had been hanging. She closed her eyes as she listened to the raised voices emanating from outside. Then they got louder. Boot-steps sounded on the small porch before the door suddenly swung open revealing a tired, but handsome looking man.

"B-Buck?" she managed to gasp while grabbing for the towel. "Go away."

"Buck Cross you get out of there right now!" Rachel's scolding voice sounded as she walked up behind him and reached for his arm. He just shrugged her off as his eyebrow arched skyward. 

"Buck…I'm warnin' you, young man."

He ignored her as he took the few steps to close the distance between him and the woman who sank further into the tub, taking the towel with her.

"B-Buck…go a-way," she barely whispered as he just stood there, staring down at her.

He didn't budge.

Seconds later Rachel and Louise each grabbed one of his arms and had to shove him back outside, into the waiting arms of Kid and Jimmy. After the boys had escorted him to the bunkhouse, the girls went back inside to see if Amber was all right.

"Is he gone?" she asked in a hushed whisper when she heard the door shut.

"Yes," came Louise's response.

Amber slowly opened her eyes to find Rachel standing there with a dry towel and a smile on her face.

"Think you should step out of the tub and be dressed before he decides to return?"

"Yeah, I think so."

After she finished dressing, she came back out to the kitchen and sat at the small table with the other two women. They talked a little about Ike and the funeral that the others had given him. She wished she had been here for that. Then she sighed.

"You ok?" Lou asked.

"Mhmm…least I think so. I just wish I had been here for him."

"Well you're here now and that's what counts. By the way, how did he know you were in the house?"

"I could make a wild guess, but then I maybe wrong."

"Guess away," Rachel replied.

"Well…I'm thinkin' either one of the boys told him just before he stormed in here or he saw me and knew that you had written to let me know what happened."

"Rachel!" Lou gasped. "You said you were goin' to let him write to her about Ike."

"It would have been way into next year if I did," she defended. "Besides, how was I to know that he'd charge in while she was in the tub?"

The girls laughed a little then Louise headed back over to the bunkhouse while Amber helped her cousin with the evening meal. They decided to make cheese biscuits to go with the stew this time and to have apple, cinnamon pie with ice cream for desert. When everything was done, they gathered the plates and utensils, along with the biscuits on one tray while the bowl of stew sat on the other. Then they walked across the street to the bunkhouse.

"Mmmm, somethin' sure smells good," Teaspoon commented as the women walked in the door.

"It'd better," they replied in unison as they sat the trays on the table and began passing out the plates.

After everybody had their plates, Rachel and Amber sat down and Teaspoon led them in prayer. "We thank thee o Lord for the food we are about to eat. Let it nourish our bodies as you nourish our souls. Amen. Ok," he said as he rubbed his hands together, "let's eat."

They all "dug" in, Cody in the lead of course which made Amber smile. Cody was always eating something. It was like he had a bottomless pit for a stomach. She glanced at every one of them, but when it came to Buck, she kept her eyes averted because she didn't want to see the same light she'd seen when he walked in on her bath. Then he leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"Can we talk?"

She waited for the butterflies to settle down before she replied with a slight nod.

"Not here," he replied. 

She watched as he walk outside then, with a sigh she excused herself and went out the door also. He was sitting on the corral fence. Amber placed a hand over her stomach to calm the butterflies and took a deep breath before walking over to him. She whispered his name and when he looked down at her, she was lost. She was loosing this battle with her heart.

He smiled when he saw the emotions cross her face and thought of the times when she had followed the older kids when their villages gathered together.

"What?" she asked, when she saw him smile.

"Nothin'. Just thinkin' on how often you followed your brother, especially that time you jumped on his back.”

She rolled her eyes skyward as she, too, recalled that day. Then said, "Mother was a little upset and gave me extra chores for the next few days, but I always found a way to follow you guys."

"Really? So it was you hidin' in the grass all those other times."

Mortified that he'd already known she was hiding in the grass during those times, she felt her face flame and looked away. Then as he jumped from the railing she took a cautious step back while whispering an apology.

"What are you sorry for Snow Fox?" he asked as he reached for her.

She took another step back, then another, then replied, "I just wanted to know why the older kids went to the water when the sun was no longer in the sky." Then before he could wrap her in his arms she bolted, like a scared rabbit, towards the house.

A week passes before it was Buck's turn to ride again and Amber was planning on returning home, by horseback this time.

"I am not gettin' into another stuffy stagecoach," she thought to herself as she packed her bags. When that was done she set them on the bed and headed to the kitchen for some coffee. As she entered, she noticed Buck sitting at the table and sighs as she got a cup from the shelf.

"I'll just leave the two of you to talk," Rachel said before she walked out the door.

After Amber fixed her coffee, she sat down next to Buck and asked what it was that he wanted to talk to her about.

"Us. This thing that's happenin' between us."

"What thing?" she replies as she looked at her coffee.

He slowly moved her cup from her hands then held them with one of his as the other one cupped her chin before replying; "This." Then he kissed her. A sweet, sensuous kiss, sending electrical shocks down her spine. He then nibbled at her trembling lip before he let go of her and when he looked into her eyes, he knew that she'd felt the same as he did.

"Rider up," Rachel said when she opened the door to let Buck know it was time to get back to business.

He sighed. He kissed her again and asked for her to wait for him to return from this ride so that they would have more time to talk.

"And just where do you think you're goin'? Rachel asked when she saw Amber come downstairs with her bags.

"Home."

"Didn't Buck just ask you to wait for him to return from this run?"

"Yes."

"But you're not goin' to."

"No." Then she asked if she could borrow a horse.

Rachel started to argue with her cousin, but when Amber was adamant about going home, she reluctantly gives her ok…with one exception…Jimmy and Cody were going to go with her.

Just before dawn the next day, Amber and her escorts head out towards Sweetwater. They ride in silence for several miles then Cody begins to whistle just as they pass the Big Sandy station.

"Cody, will you please stop that," she huffed a few moments later.

"Made you talk," he replied with a smile.

She just glared at him then nudged the horse into a gallop, to get away from the both of them. Later that evening after they set up camp, she curled up with a blanket while leaning against the saddle. When Jimmy handed her a plate she shook her head and told him she wasn’t hungry.

"You got to eat somethin'," he argued. "You haven't done so since we left Rock Creek and if you don't, we'll turn around and head right back to the station."

"Don't you threaten me James Butler," she hissed. "I ain't hungry, so leave me alone." Then she turned away from them while grumbling that she had too many big "brother's" and threw in some of those colorful French words that her mother would say to her dad when they would argue.