Sweet Water, Nebraska Territory

Chester watched, from the barbershop, as a stage pulled up to the Hotel. It was coming from the direction of Ft. Laramie so he didn’t think that Jane would be on it. He turned away from the window, sat back down in the chair and opened up a newspaper while waiting for his turn for a shave.

Meanwhile, Jane waited patiently for Zeke to amble on down from his perch to help an elderly couple from the stage. As he escorted them into the Hotel she climbed up, grabbed her carpetbag then jumped down and untied Diamond Girl from the rear of the stage. Silently and quickly she scooted around the building just in time, before the stage-master walked out of the hotel. When she noticed Zeke scanning the area for her, she shrunk further against the wall as little trembles began coursing through her body.

“Please God,” she begged silently, “let him leave now.”

When she looked back again, Zeke and the stage were pulling out of town and she breathed a sigh of relief. Then after placing the handle of her bag across the saddle-horn, she casually walked across the street to the merchant-tile store. As she walked in, she noticed the store clerk helping another customer so she bided her time till he came over to her.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes sir,” she answered. “Could you tell me where a Miss Rachel and the Pony Express Station are?”

“Well, Miss Rachel is loading up her buckboard right now,” he replied. “You a relative?”

“No, but I know who she is from what Buck told me.”

Thompkins was a little surprised that Buck would know the slip of a girl that was standing before him and he wondered how long they had known each other. Then Rachel re-entered his store to pick up the rest of the items that were on her list.

“Miss Rachel.”

“Yes Bill?”

“This young lady says she knows Buck and she’s come looking for you.”

Rachel looked at the young girl, wondering why Buck would be sending her here. It wasn’t like him to send someone to the station unless they were in trouble. So she asked,  “Are you in any kind of trouble?”

“No, no trouble. It’s just that Emery Pike killed my father and they, uh, Buck and the others, were taking him to his brothers camp so they could trade him for a girl named Amanda.”

“Amanda? Amanda O’Connell?”

“I don’t know her last name, but they figured it’d be safer if I went home.”

“Where’s that?”

“Falls Church. But then I remembered what Buck told me about you being the lady who made sure they had decent meals…”

Rachel held up her hand to stop the girl’s explanation and asked her name.

“Jane…Donavan.”

“Well Jane Donavan,” Rachel began, “you help me with the rest of these things and I’ll take you on out to the station with me so we can wait for the boys together. On the way, you can tell me all about yourself and why you didn’t go home like they said you should.”

Jane was a little surprised at the gentleness of this woman, but with a smile on her face and a nod of her head, she helped Rachel with the rest of the supplies. Then after securing Diamond Girl to the back of the wagon, they headed on out towards the station.

“Miss Rachel?”

“Yes?”

“I hope it won’t be too much of a burden for me to stay a couple days.”

“Nonsense, it’ll be just fine. Besides with Lou gone too, I’ll have someone to talk with besides myself.”

“Who’s Lou? I only met Buck, Teaspoon, Jimmy, Noah…uhm…Cody, Kid, Ike and Hack, but no one named Lou.”

“Hack?” Rachel laughed. “Did his parents not have a better name for him?”

Rachel had a sweet laugh…much like that of her mother’s and Jane sighed deeply. She missed her mother a lot and now she’d be missing her father…all because of a guy named Emery Pike. 

“God I do really hate him,” she thought.

“Jane. Jane? Who’s Hack?” 

Not realizing tears had silently made their way down her cheeks; Jane looked over at Rachel and answered, “Oh…Hack? He’s the Deputy from Benton. I sort of followed him and Marshall Dooley when they were heading here to hand Pike over to Marshall Hunter and the boys.” 

“And Lou?” Rachel questioned. “Did Ike say why they didn’t stay together?”

“I don’t know about him,” she responded in a whisper. “Ike didn’t speak to me and the others didn’t say anything about Lou either. All I know is the names I mentioned to you.”

Rachel shook her head. She had a sinking feeling that Lou had gone off on her own since she wasn’t with the boys. Then she wrapped an arm around Jane, giving her a gentle hug and telling her that things would be ok.

“How can you be sure?”

“If you’re here, it’s for a reason,” Rachel answered. “So…would you like me to tell you a little about Lou?”

Jane nodded.

“Well first off, Lou isn’t a guy…she’s a girl.”

“But…”

“Wait, there’s more.”

And Rachel began to tell Jane all that she knew of how the Pony Express started, how Miss Emma and the town’s Marshall…Sam Cain…decided to finally get married and his accepting the Territorial Marshall’s job that had the couple moving away.

“For a time, there wasn’t anyone to help them with the cooking and stuff so they took out an ad for a housemother and here I am.”

“Do the boys know that Lou’s a girl?”

Rachel laughed again as she recalled how the Kid then the boys and finally Teaspoon found out about Lou being a girl.

“Let me tell you that story.”

As Rachel told the story, Jane could actually picture the things happening… Kid’s surprise at seeing a woman’s chest on someone who was supposed to be a boy then the stunned look of the others, but the best was when…how Teaspoon found out.

It had been hot that day and those who had the day off decided to go out for a swim at the swimming hole just south of the station. The boys, being the gentlemen that they were, let Louise have her swim first. Then Teaspoon showed up. Lou tried to keep him from getting in the water, but Teaspoon was a stubborn old coot and told Lou, “You can’t be hogging up all the water on such a hot day,” just before he dove in. 

While Lou screamed for him to stay away, Teaspoon started splashing water in her face then he told her; “Lou, what you need is a good old fashioned ally oop,” and proceeded to dive under the water. 

As soon as he went under, Lou froze…didn’t move even as much as an eyelash for fear of Teaspoon getting too close. However when Teaspoon resurfaced, the look on his face said he’d seen what she’d been hiding from him since the first day on the job.

Jane’s ribs ached and she was sure her cheeks would burst from laughing so hard that she had to take several deep breaths to control the laughter. She was still laughing by the time they came to the station that she almost didn’t notice how big it was. She gasped at the surroundings then looked at Rachel and said in a hushed voice, “You run this place?”

“Well…yes, but the boys do their fair share also. Why even Teaspoon helps around when he’s in the mood. Now come on, lets get these things put away before you tend to your horse.”

As Rachel and Jane were putting the supplies away, they were unaware of the rider that had followed them from a distance as soon as they left town.

Chester had been in a fowl mood to begin with and when he’d spotted Jane back in town, talking with a woman just outside the grocer’s store, his mood blackened even more. He was none too pleased when he saw her tying her horse to the back of the other lady’s wagon. Now he had to change his plans to get her back where she belonged…in his arms. He watched the house for several more minutes then he decided to go on back to town and re-formulate his plan to capture Jane.

Meanwhile as Jane walked her horse into the barn she was saying, “Well Diamond Girl, you definitely have you choice of guys. Me…I think I’ll stick with my Tarzan.”

“Tarzan?” Rachel softly laughed as she followed Jane in a few moments later. “Who are you calling Tarzan? 

“Uhm…no one.”

“Come on Jane, you were just telling your horse that you would rather stay with your Tarzan. Now which one of…wait a minute, its Buck…isn’t it?”

Jane had the decency to duck her head as she blushed and continued to rub Diamonds muzzle while Rachel tried to control her laughter.

“What did he do,” she finally asked when she could breath again, “swing from a tree?”

“Not exactly. He just crept up on me and pinned me to the ground.”

“Why?”

“Cause I tried to kill Pike.”

Later that evening Jane and Rachel were relaxing on the porch swing, discussing Lou’s story and how Teaspoon said later that he’d known all along about Lou being a girl, when they see a lone rider coming towards them. They look at each other then just as Rachel was going to the door to get her rifle, they hear the terrifying sound of a gun’s click.

Jane couldn’t believe it. There was Chester, sitting astride his huge beast of a horse with a wicked smile upon his face. She began to feel sick and stumbled toward where Rachel stood.

“Uh, uh Jane dear,” Chester said. “You walk yourself over here.”

Jane shook her head furiously.

“Ok then, I guess I got to come get you.”

He proceeded to get down from his horse while keeping the gun aimed at her and strode to stand in front of her. She was as pretty as ever and he intended to take her home with him…whether she wanted to go or not.

As Jane inched away from man Rachel could see how badly she was shaking and started to move towards the frightened girl, but with one look from him, Rachel knew not to even move a finger. When he was right up next to Jane, he grabbed her by her long brown hair and forced her to look at him.

“We’re going to have some fun Jane…that is after you tie your friend here up.”

“No,” Jane barely got out through clenched teeth. She was angry with herself for not believing Chester would really come after her or that he had the audacity to pull a gun on her. After all, she considered him to be lowest of life forms on the face of the earth and she would never willingly go anywhere with him.

“No?”

Jane shook her head.

“Well sweetheart, you’re going to do as I say or I’ll kill your friend.”
 

Chapter Six

Rachel felt helpless as the man held his gun to Jane’s side and forced them to walk back into the house. Then he motioned for her to sit in one of the chairs at the table while he handed the rope, he’d gotten out of his saddlebag, to Jane.

“Tie her up sweet-cakes and make sure the knots are secure.”

When Jane didn’t move, Chester jammed the barrel of the gun into her ribs and whispered ruthlessly, “Do it or she’ll die right now.”

“You’re going to have to kill me first,” she said while trying to ignore the pain that flowed around her ribcage.

“You’d like me to, wouldn’t you? But I got plans for us.” Then he shoved her toward Rachel saying, “Now tie her up.”

Rachel could see Jane’s fear of this man was great. She did not want to be anywhere near this monster, who had so rudely interrupted their quiet night and gave the girl’s trembling hands a squeeze before letting her own hands be tied to the arms of the chair.

“I’m sorry,” Jane barely said.

“It’s ok. The boys will be here soon,” Rachel replied just as softly. “And knowing them, they’ll be after you like bees to honey.”

“Quit jabbering and get on with it.”

Jane threw an angry heated look at Chester before quickly looking away from the evilness she saw in his eyes and in the softest voice she could find, she spoke to Rachel one last time before he yanked her away from a woman she’d most likely never see again.

She was tired, but she didn’t think that she could get any sleep while bound to the chair that held her prisoner. It had been at least a couple of hours since Jane had been kidnapped and she prayed that the boys would return faster than soon. A few moments later, her stomach began to grumble and she looked at the fruit bowl in the center of the table.

“If I could just sink my teeth into one of those apples,” she thought as she slowly leaned forwards, “then maybe…”

She leaned a little more, but before she could grab the apple her footing slipped and she went crashing to the floor.

“Damn-it! Now you’ve done it Rachel,” she scolded herself as she winced with the pain that radiated down her entire right side. Then with her own tears pooling in her eyes, she whispered; “Please God, send the boys home now.”

A few days later, morning dawned sunny and bright and Rachel was still lying where she fell. Her body ached everywhere now and she was sure to have some major bruising, if not a broken bone or two. Then she heard the sound of multiple riders and sighed a prayer of relief that the boys had returned. As soon as she heard the sweet sound of their voices and laughter coming closer, she began to scream with all the fury that had built up over the last couple days.

The boys charged full force through the door as soon as they heard Rachel’s scream and stopped just as suddenly when they saw why.

“Oh my God…Rachel, what happened?” Lou questioned. 

Rachel didn’t say anything till the boys had her sitting upright and untied then she told them of how a young lady named Jane Donavan showed up.

“Jane was here?” Buck asked as a frown marred his smooth forehead.

“Yes and before you go and get mad at her…I asked her to stay.”

“Why?”

“I was getting lonely talking to myself,” she responded with a small smile.

“What in blazes is Jane’s horse…?” Teaspoon started to ask as he came in the door, but one look at the long faces on all those gathered around the table, especially Rachel’s, had him concerned. “What’s happened here?”

Rachel hesitated long enough for Buck to raise his brow in question as he softly asked, “Jane’s horse is still here and she’s not?”

She nodded.

~ Then where is she? ~ Ike signed.

“Chester’s kidnapped her,” Rachel answered. “He threatened to kill me if she didn’t tie me up and go with him.”

The riders all looked at each other and came to a decision, but before they could speak the thought, Teaspoon said, “I know you’ll want to go after her but not all of you. Cody…Ike, you go with Buck. Bring her back safely.” The boys started to head out the door, but before they got too far Teaspoon told them to bring the Chester fellow in too.

“Does he have to be alive?” asked Cody.

Teaspoon didn’t have to answer; he just gave him that stern fatherly look and sent them on their way.

Meanwhile at a campsite just outside Benton, Jane was standing toe to toe with the man she loathed. He had one of her arms pinned behind her back and his other hand cruelly tightened onto her hair, bringing her head back to a point where she thought he would surely snap it from her neck.

“You are going to have to learn some manners Jane and I intend to teach them to you.”

“The hell you will,” she spat back.

He gripped her hair a tad bit tighter and laughed, “Oh yeah,” before he crushed her lips with his own. When he stopped punishing her lips, he whispered, “That is just the beginning my sweet. Now…I’m hungry, so get dinner started before I decide to have my desert first.”

Jane could only take so much from him then an idea broke through her anger and she began to smile. As she slowly inched her free hand up his ribcage, to his shirt collar, she could see confusion in his eyes. When they started to glaze over with desire, she kneed him in the groin and grabbed for his gun as he fell into a withering heap of pain at her feet.

“You will not touch me ever again,” she spoke in a soft angry voice, “or so help me God, I will blast them things off that you’ll never be able to bed another woman.”

She then made him get up, not caring that he was still in a fair amount of pain, and marched him over to a tree not far away. Then with the rope that he had bound her with, she placed his hands through the loops and walked around the tree a couple of times to secure him to it.

As she stepped back to admire her handiwork, he started spouting threats at her, but she just ignored him and aimed the gun at his most prized possessions.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I?”

“Jane, come on,” he stammered, “be reasonable.”

“Reasonable? How can I be reasonable when you know I can’t even stand being around you?”

He was silent.

“What? Nothing to say?”

He was still silent.

“Well then,” she stated, “I guess I’ll be going.”

With that, she slowly backed away while keeping the gun aimed at him. Then when she bumped into his horse, she swung herself up and kicked the horse into a run. At that same time, Cody was complaining to Buck as they raced in the direction Rachel thought Chester might have taken Jane. 

“Buck, will you please slow down,” Cody complained. “You’re going to kill your horse, not to mention ours.”

Buck just gave his friend a look that said ‘leave-me-alone’. Then he faced forward again, worrying about Jane and what that man would do to her. She was too vulnerable. She was too special. He knew in his heart, from the moment he laid eyes on her, that she would be in his life forever. But 
since this Chester guy had taken her, he wasn’t even sure she was still alive. He didn’t understand it. He could usually tell if someone was going to be ok or not, but with Jane he couldn’t tell at all, he only knew that he loved her.

The startling confession of his own heart had him reigning in his horse so suddenly that Ike and Cody flew past him before they could stop their own horses. As they made their way back to him, Cody asked if he was ok. When Buck looked up from staring at the saddle-horn, Ike knew his friend had just had a profound moment and asked again if he was going to be ok.

“I guess so,” he answered in a soft whisper.

~ Then let’s go rescue your woman ~

Buck smiled. Nothing could get past Ike. So the three boys headed out again, pacing their horses this time, to take Jane back from the kidnapper. A mile or so later they see a lone rider coming towards them, riding like the devil was at his back and they spur their own horses into a gallop. As soon as they were close enough, Buck saw that the rider was Jane and began to call out to her.

Jane thought she heard her name being called and looked up. A small hysterical giggle escaped her throat only because she thought she was also seeing things. Then she began to tremble and shake as tears welled up in her eyes. She recognized the men riding towards her, Buck being in the lead and just before their horses came to a stop side by side, she lunged gratefully into his arms and started to cry in earnest. 

He was whispering something to her but she couldn’t comprehend any of the words, her mind being totally numb from almost loosing her life just because she wouldn’t give Chester what he wanted. When she felt Buck shake her gently by the shoulder, she looked up into his creamy brown eyes and nearly melted.

“Where’s Chester?”

“Ti-ed up,” she sobbed.

“Where?”

She shook her head, not wanting to be anywhere near the bastard and pleaded with the boys to just take her back to Rachel.

Buck looked over at Ike and Cody, his brow raised.

~ Take her on home ~ Ike said. ~ We’ll go after Chester ~

He nodded, turned his horse around and headed back to Sweet Water with the woman of his heart in his arms.

That night, supper was a quiet occasion. The three women at the table all had some form of bruising. Lou’s…Louise that is…was more prevalent, most of it being on her face. Frank Pike’s man must’ve taken a sadistic pleasure in smacking Lou around and Jane’s heart went out to the girl. Rachel, of course, had her own bruising, but it was only due to her falling while tied to the chair Chester had forced Jane to tie her to. Jane, herself, had some bruising as well but most of it was emotional. Her father had recently been killed by Frank Pike’s younger brother Emery and Chester had threatened to kill Rachel. So she wasn’t too keen on being around any man…only those who were sitting at the table.

“Jane?”

Jane looked over at the sound of Rachel’s voice and softly asked to be excused.

“But you’ve hardly touched your supper.”

“Not hungry,” she replied. “I’d like to check on Diamond if you don’t mind.”

She didn’t wait for an answer, but got up from the table and walked out the door. Her heart felt heavy knowing she was the cause of the things that had happened several days earlier and knew she couldn’t stay much longer. As she wandered into the barn, to her horse, silent tears ran down her cheeks. She would leave for Falls Church in the morning.

Back inside the bunkhouse, Buck glanced at Rachel then Teaspoon. Upon receiving a nod from the both of them, he headed after Jane. When he reached the barn, he leaned against the door and watched her as she wrapped her arms around her horse’s neck. Then he quietly walked toward her and wrapped his own arms around her.

“Jane?”

“Go away Buck.”

He didn’t leave. He turned her around and gently cupped her chin.

“I won’t let him hurt you anymore.”

She knew he was just being the gentle man she’d come to care for, but she really couldn’t afford trust anyone till she knew for sure that Chester would be completely out of her life. When she tried to push Buck away from her, he just held her closer. Then as he placed a soft kiss upon her forehead, she began to cry.

“Don’t cry sassy mouth,” he whispered. “I’ll take care of you.” Then he placed an even softer kiss on her trembling lips.
 

Chapter Seven

The next morning, planning to leave these wonderful people, Jane began to pack her belongings back into the carpetbag. She would return to her father’s shop, re-build and try to make a go of it. Slowly, with a heavy heart, she starts to dress when she hears a soft knock at the door.

“Who is it?”

“Just me”, replied Rachel, “I was wondering if you’d like to help with breakfast this morning”.

“Sure…be right out”.

She took a deep breath and prepared herself to say good-by to a woman who she has grown fond of and would terribly miss as she missed her mother. Then she went out to the kitchen.

“Morning.”

“Morning to you too,” Rachel said with a smile but when she noticed that Jane still looked as she did last night, she asked if anything was wrong.

“No…nothing’s wrong,” Jane stated with a shake of her head. “Did Ike and Cody get back yet?”

“Not yet, but don’t you worry, they’ll be back in no time at all.”

Jane wasn’t too sure. If the boys didn’t show up soon then she would know that something did happen and it would be all her fault.

Taking the breakfast fixings over to the bunkhouse was the hardest thing Jane had to do that morning. She wasn’t sure she could handle seeing Buck in his nightclothes especially after the way he kissed her last night. 

“Lord, but he’s a good kisser,” she thought as she and Rachel stepped onto the bunkhouse porch. His kisses, oh how she enjoyed his kisses. “Like dripping butter onto pancakes…all smooth and creamy.” 

She had wanted him to kiss her in other places, but didn’t dare tell him or he’d probably think she was nuts or something. So she had pushed him away and ran back to Rachel’s house to hide under the covers…away from the heat she’d seen in his eyes and from the heat she’d felt flowing throughout her body. 

The door suddenly opened before them and there he was, the man who melted her to the core with just one look from his fathomless brown eyes. She couldn’t move…couldn’t even breathe. Then Rachel nudged her shoulder, startling her from sensuous thoughts and she carefully walked past Buck, trying not to touch him. 

That was easier said than done. 

He filled the doorway. So she sucked in her stomach as much as possible, but still slightly brushed his body with hers as she stepped into the bunkhouse.

“Lord have mercy,” her thoughts pleaded silently. “Why him? Why me?”

Buck wasn’t having it too easy either. His breath was still stuck in his throat from that slight touch of her breasts against him as she squeezed by and his feet seemed to have taken root where he stood.

“Buck?” Rachel said, intruding on his thoughts.

He glanced over at her then his eyes caught Jane’s.

“Dear God,” he thought. Then he told Rachel that he was going out to look for Ike and Cody and practically tripped over his own feet on the way down the steps.

Meanwhile, Cody and Ike were ducking from the gunfire that came from behind a tree. They could see someone had been tied to it and somehow had managed to get loose. Now that someone was firing at them.

“Damn,” Cody grumbled. “Bet it’s that Chester guy who attacked Jane and Rachel.”

~ Could be ~

“I’m sure it is.” Then he stood half way and yelled. “Hey Chester! You son of a….”

Ike yanked Cody back down to the ground as a volley of gunfire erupted around them again.

“Damn,” he said again as they returned fire. “This is not good.”

What the boys didn’t know was that Chester had some help on his side. He had hired some men prior to looking for Jane and instructed them to look for her also. If they didn’t find her, they were to meet up with him in Sweet Water and they would adjust their plans. But since they hadn’t shown up 
by the time he saw Jane talking with Rachel, he decided to go it alone. However, them showing up now was perfect timing and he aimed to kill the two men that were shooting at him then he was going after Jane again. 

Back at the bunkhouse, Jane couldn’t eat. She just sat there staring at her food wishing she were with her father…that he was still alive. Maybe she could leave without them noticing. She then asked if she could go into town to pick up a few things she might need to start up her father’s business again.

“You plan on running in yourself?”

“I’ll have to Jesse,” she whispered.

“But you’re a girl,” came his response.

Jane stared at the young boy in disbelief as he sat there looking as if he’d said nothing wrong. Then she exploded.

“You think you know it all, don’t you,” she seethed as she got up into his face. “Well let me tell you one thing mister…you don’t know me. I will run my father’s business and it will be prosperous.”

Then she stormed out of the bunkhouse, slamming the door as she went and ran to the house to gather her things and leave the station.

Meanwhile Lou had smacked Jesse on the arm for being so callus and between her and Rachel, he’d gotten an earful on how a woman could run her own business without help from any man.

Buck heard gunshots and spurred Chieftain into a run, but by the time he’d gotten to the area it had grown silent. He scanned the grounds and the trees then he spotted a movement among the low growing shrubs.

“Ike? Cody?”

He called out their names over and over, becoming a little more fearful with each passing silent response then he was suddenly throwing himself to the ground when another round of gunfire rang out.

Buck mumbled a curse as he crawled on his belly to where he’d seen the movement in the grass and came across his friends. Both were wounded, although not severely and Cody was unconscious. He looked at Ike and whispered, “You ok?”

~ Yes, just a flesh wound ~

“Cody?”

~  His shoulder and hip ~

“Why is he unconscious?”

~ Had to knock him out for his own good ~

“Tried to be a hero, didn’t he,” Buck stated.

Ike nodded an affirmative answer then asked how they were going to get out of the situation they seemed to be stuck in.

As this was unfolding, Rachel and Louise were trying to talk Jane into staying with them till they knew for sure that Chester was behind bars. Of course Jane had to be stubborn about the whole thing and argued softly with them.

“No. Me being here puts you all in danger,” she replied as she purchased her ticket for the stage home. “Besides I got a store to run.”

“What about Buck?”

“Tell…tell him I…” She began. “Tell them all…I’ll miss them, but I do need to be getting back home.”

“Promise you’ll write then,” Lou said softly as she gave her new friend a hug.

“I promise.”

Then she turned to Rachel. 

When Rachel opened her arms, Jane gladly stepped into their warm embrace and cried.

“Don’t fret none,” Rachel spoke while holding back her own tears. “We’ll let everyone know of your decision…especially Buck.”

“Thank you,” she responded softly as the three women went outside to wait for the stagecoach in the cool afternoon sun.