TITLE: At The Beginning
AUTHOR: Jane
FEEDBACK: 
COMMENTS: This story begins right after Survivors and continues past
the end of the series. It is mostly a relationship story, so don't expect a
lot of action (although I of course included the obligatory shoot-out).
Also, I tried to be historically accurate, but I didn't have time to do any
decent research so please excuse any gaping flaws. And for anyone wondering
about the title, it's from the duet from the animated movie Anastasia. By a
strange coincidence the lyrics fit the story perfectly, but you have to read
it to find out!
DISCLAIMER: DISCLAIMER: The Young Riders is owned by MGM/UA and 
Ogiens/Kane Productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

                              At the Beginning
                                   By Jane

                            Prologue: The Promise

Several miles outside of Rock Creek, July 1861

The old house was dark save for a single room, where a young woman sat
keeping a painful vigil. For what seemed like the hundredth time that night
she wiped her father's ashen face and raised a glass of water to his lips.
With an effort he swallowed, then opened his mouth to speak.

"Shhh, Da, don't try to talk now," she soothed him gently. "Just rest. Let
me get you some more broth, so you can get your strength back." She moved to
stand up but he caught her hand, wincing as the movement jarred his wound.

"No, my girl," he said, watching her face cloud with sympathy. "I'm afraid
that won't help."

"Don't talk like that," she protested, stubbornly refusing to meet his gaze.
"You're going to be just fine, you'll see." Her fingers fiddled with the
bandages wrapped around his middle.

"No, Kate," he said softly. The tone of his voice made her look up at his
face. He smiled sadly at her. "I'm dying."

Kate saw the resignation in his eyes, and her own eyes filled with tears. "I
know," she admitted in a whisper.

He squeezed her hand and continued, though it was growing harder for him to
speak. "I'm sorry for leaving you like this. I know things have been hard on
you, living the way we do, and I wish I could've had the chance to make a
better life for you. I'm sorry I wasn't a better father to you."

"Oh, Da!" cried Kate, her tears overflowing. "You're the best father I could
ever wish for! No one could have worked harder than you to build a life for
us. You gave up so much just so we could have a chance to live our dream."
She looked at him solemnly and wiped away her tears. "And I promise I will
do whatever it takes to keep that dream alive. I'm going to keep this ranch,
no matter what happens, I swear it."

Even in the dim lantern light she could see the look of peace that had
settled over his face. "I know you will," he said softly. "You're a smart
girl, Kate. A good girl." He smiled, and she had to lean close to hear his
fading voice. "I love you."

He reached out weakly and drew her down to place a gentle kiss on her
forehead. As she straightened she saw his eyes close slowly, and the hand
she held grew still.

"I love you, too," Kate managed to whisper through the lump in her throat.

The single lantern flickered and guttered out, leaving her alone in
darkness.

                      Chapter 1: Good News and Bad News

"Well, boys, I've got some bad news." Teaspoon Hunter strode into the
bunkhouse, where the riders were already sitting down to lunch. They were
all there except for Cody, who was on a run, which meant that the rest of
them stood a decent chance of actually getting a meal.

"What is it, Teaspoon?" asked Kid, looking up in concern.

Teaspoon took off his hat and eased into his place at the head of the table.
"Cottonwood station was robbed yesterday."

Rachel paused in the middle of serving the potatoes. "Was anybody hurt?" She
couldn't help feeling a motherly concern for all the young express riders.

Teaspoon shook his head. "No, but they got all the horses."

"Any idea who did it?" asked Jimmy.

Teaspoon nodded. "The stationmaster thinks it was the same bunch that hit
Seneca last week. He figures they're following the river and headin' west,
hittin' all the ranches on the way. They also shot a farmer over south of
Ash Point."

"Isn't anybody trying to catch them?" demanded Lou.

The old marshal shrugged. "There's a posse from Seneca that's been trackin'
'em, but so far they ain't had much luck. And I just got word from the
company that they may be sending some special agents out to help."

Noah looked thoughtful. "If they're robbin' all the express stations that
means we're next in line."

"Not if I can help it," said Jimmy firmly. "I for one ain't gonna sit here
and wait for some bunch of two-bit thieves to steal my horse. I say we go
after 'em ourselves."

"Hold on now, Hickok," cautioned Teaspoon. "I ain't letting you boys ride
off half-cocked to get yourselves killed huntin' horse thieves. Besides
that, you ain't gonna have time. We've been ordered to pick up the runs from
Cottonwood until they can get some new stock."

There was a chorus of groans and muttered protests from around the table.
Teaspoon ignored them and continued. "And speaking of new stock, I've been
instructed to see about buying some from around here."

"There ain't a whole lot to choose from around here," said Lou doubtfully.

Teaspoon smiled. "There will be. A Mr. Tom O' Sullivan just bought the old
Wilson place. He's lookin' to start a ranch, and I hear he's got a pretty
good herd."

"I heard about someone buyin' the place, but I didn't think it was true,"
said Kid. "It's pretty run down."

"Well, seems like Mr. O' Sullivan couldn't afford a better one," replied
Teaspoon. "Anyway, I was hopin' one of you boys would ride out there this
afternoon and take a look at his horses." He looked around the table
expectantly. "Any volunteers?"

As usual nobody jumped to take the job, but Lou glanced hopefully at Buck.
He had been silent throughout the meal, as he had been of late in the days
since Ike's death. Though he was trying not to dwell on his grief, he felt
the loss most keenly at mealtimes. The empty spot at the table next to Buck
never failed to make him feel a stab of loneliness for his best friend.

But Buck noticed Lou's worried look, and realized that he had been brooding.
He knew the other riders were concerned about him, and for their sakes he
wanted to make an effort to appear more cheerful.

"I'll go," he said, and managed a smile. "Might as well send somebody who
knows what he's doing."

Somebody snorted good-naturedly, but they all looked relieved that Buck had
regained a spark of his old humor. Just then Jesse burst into the bunkhouse
and plopped himself down on a bench, grabbing for a plate and talking
excitedly.

"Sorry I'm late Rachel but I was just talkin' to Tompkins an' he said, Ow!"
Jesse yelped as Rachel slapped his hand away from the food. "What'd you do
that for?"

The housekeeper looked at him sternly. "You ain't touchin' a thing at this
table until you've washed up properly."

"Aw, Rachel, I'm starving!" Jesse whined, reaching for the food again.

But Rachel swiped it away again. "No, sir! Now go wash up."

The others chuckled as Jesse stood up in defeat and stomped outside. He was
back in record time, restored to his usual high spirits and obviously eager
to share his news.

Teaspoon regarded him with some amusement. "Well, son, it looks like you got
something you wanna tell us."

The boy nodded, stuffing a roll into his mouth. "Yup. I was talkin' to
Tompkins and he told me we've got a new neighbor. He's gonna be starting a
ranch or something a few miles west of here."

Jimmy smiled mischievously. "This new neighbor, he wouldn't happen to be
named O' Sullivan, would he?"

Jesse looked crushed. "How'd you know?"

"I heard about him earlier today," explained Teaspoon. "We may be buyin'
some horses from him later."

Jesse sighed. "How come I'm always the last one to find out about everything
around here?" he complained.

                                    *****

When Buck arrived at the old Wilson homestead he sensed immediately that
something was wrong. It was still early in the afternoon, yet there was no
one out working on the ranch. The corrals were empty, but the low whinnies
of horses could be heard coming from inside the locked barn. Puzzled, Buck
dismounted and led his horse to the porch railing. As he got closer to the
house he noticed several patches of blood-soaked ground, and the tracks of
many horses. Broken glass lay scattered on the porch from one of the
shuttered windows. Quickly Buck ran up the steps and knocked on the door,
hoping that Mr. O' Sullivan would be all right.

                                    *****

The sound of footsteps on the porch startled Kate from her troubled
thoughts. Glancing around for a weapon, her eyes fell on the frying pan on
the kitchen table. She grabbed it and crept silently through the next room
to the front door. She tensed at the sharp rapping and peered through the
shutters. A tall, fierce-looking half-breed stood on the porch, armed with a
revolver and a huge Indian knife. Kate swallowed hard and kept still, hoping
the stranger would go away and wishing they hadn't forgotten to fix the
broken latch on the front door.

                                    *****

No answer. Buck's brow furrowed in worry. Something was definitely not
right.

"Mr. O' Sullivan?" he called. "Is anyone here?"

Still no answer. Buck drew his gun, took a deep breath, and tried the
doorknob. It turned easily under his hand and the door swung inward. Peering
into the dim interior, Buck stepped cautiously into the house.

                                    *****

Kate held her breath. As the stranger entered the room she stepped out from
behind the door and brought her heavy iron skillet down hard on the back of
his head. The force of the blow caused him to drop his gun and sent him
crashing to the floor.

                         Chapter 2: Unlikely Allies

Despite the pain and shock Buck instinctively rolled as he hit the floor,
reaching for his knife. He came up in a crouch, ready to defend himself,
only to come face to face with the barrel of his revolver. But his anger
turned to surprise when he saw the person holding the gun.

The young woman stared back at him coolly, large hazel eyes glinting in
anger. She waved the gun slightly, indicating the knife.

"Drop it." Her clear voice would have been pleasant if not for the menacing
tone.

Buck lowered the knife to the floor and slowly stood up, raising his hands
in what he hoped was a peaceful gesture.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," he began, trying to appease her.

"Unfortunately for you, I can't make the same promise." She pointed to the
kitchen table. "Sit down. And keep your hands where I can see them."

Her eyes followed him while he pulled out a chair and sat down, placing his
hands flat on the table. Once he was seated she quickly bent and retrieved
the wicked-looking knife, holding the blade pointed carefully away from her
body.

Buck watched the girl pick up his knife, feeling like a fool. He could just
imagine what the other riders would say if they could see him. All he had
wanted was to look at Mr. O' Sullivan's horses, and now here he was being
held at gunpoint by a strange girl, and O' Sullivan himself was nowhere in
sight.

"Who are you?" he asked the girl. "Where's Mr. O' Sullivan?"

"I'll ask the questions here, not you," she snapped. "Who are you, and why
the hell were you breaking into our house?" Her voice held the faintest hint
of an Irish brogue.

Buck sighed. "My name's Buck Cross. I ride for the Pony Express. I was
supposed to come see about buyin' some ponies from Mr. O' Sullivan. I wasn't
trying to break into the house," he added defensively.

"Then why'd you sneak in here with a gun?" demanded the girl, glaring at him
suspiciously.

"I wasn't sneakin'!" Buck retorted in frustration. "I knocked, but nobody
answered so I figured somethin' was wrong and I went to check it out."

"Why should I believe you?" She was starting to sound a little less sure of
herself.

"Miss, I didn't come here lookin' for trouble, I just wanted to see some
horses. I'm telling you the truth, I swear." Buck looked her straight in the
eye, and now he could see that she must have really been through something.
Her cheeks were pale and hollow and the dark smudges beneath her eyes
betrayed her lack of sleep. Her disheveled clothes were bloodstained and
strands of auburn hair had come loose from their bindings to fall around her
face. Looking closer, Buck saw that the hand holding his gun trembled
slightly.

He took a deep breath and continued awkwardly. "Look, I know you must be in
some kind of trouble, but maybe I can help. Why don't you tell me who you
are and what's goin' on."

Kate studied the young man at the table warily for a moment. She was a
little disconcerted by the realization that he wasn't much older than she.
Sitting there calmly at her kitchen table, he wasn't quite as threatening as
he had appeared earlier, crouching in the dim foyer with a knife. Now his
dark eyes seemed to smile gently at her, and she could hear the sincerity in
his low voice.

Kate lowered the gun slightly. "How do I know I can trust you?" she asked,
still reluctant to let her guard down completely.

Buck half-shrugged and almost smiled. "You don't," he replied evenly.
"That's a chance you'll have to take."

Oh, that's real encouraging, thought Kate wryly. But still, something about
him made her want to trust him. At least he was being honest. And despite
her outward calm she was too scared and exhausted to press the issue any
further. She hesitated a minute longer before finally uncocking the gun with
a sigh.

"Alright," she said wearily, sinking into the chair opposite Buck and
placing the weapons on the table. "I don't know why I believe you but I do."

Buck had visibly relaxed and smiled at her. "You won't regret it. Now please
tell me who you are, and what happened to Mr. O' Sullivan."

She looked at him sadly across the table. "My name is Katherine. Tom O'
Sullivan is,, was, my father." For a moment her throat closed with emotion
and she missed Buck's look of surprise. "We only just moved here a couple
weeks ago, after Da finally saved enough money to start a ranch of his own.
That's been his dream ever since I can remember." Her eyes filled with
tears, causing Buck to lean forward with concern as she continued. "We were
doing fine until about a week ago, when Da caught a couple of men snooping
around our property. He ran them off, but yesterday afternoon they came
back. There were five of them this time."

Kate recited her story as if from memory, fighting to keep her calm. "Da had
been expecting trouble, so we were locking the horses in the barn when we
heard riders coming. Da made me go in the house, but he stayed outside to
talk to them. I went in and got his rifle and watched through the kitchen
window. The men rode up to Da and started arguing with him. They called him
a dirty foreigner and told him to go back home to Ireland. They accused him
of stealing the horses he worked like a slave to buy, said they were gonna
take them back to their rightful owners."

She paused and threw him a bitter glance. "Funny isn't it? Horse thieves
talkin' about rightful ownership."

Buck smiled weakly, struck with pity and uncertain how to respond. Kate
continued her story in a detached voice, absently fingering the edge of her
bloodstained shirt. Buck knew she must still be in shock and sat dreading
what he knew she would say next.

"I could hear the whole argument through the window. Da told the men to get
off our ranch and never come back. Then one of them went for his gun, but Da
dropped him first. Everyone started shooting and Da got hit." Now Kate was
shaking, her hands twisting in her lap. She stared at Buck with unseeing
eyes, reliving the shoot-out in her mind. "I ran out on the porch with the
rifle. Da was trying to make it back to the house. I shot at the men and hit
one, maybe two, I don't know. Da made it to the porch and shot another
before they finally rode out. But then Da just collapsed."

Kate's eyes closed briefly and when she spoke again her voice was just above
a whisper. "There was so much blood. I got Da into the parlor and tried to
stop the bleeding, but I couldn't." She looked down at her hands, and Buck
knew she was blaming herself. "Da wouldn't let me go for the doctor. I
begged him to let me go, but he said it was too late. He could be so
stubborn sometimes."

She tried to laugh but it came out as more of a sob. For the first time Buck
noticed the still form on the couch in the dim parlor behind her. He reached
out uncertainly and placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. She took a
ragged breath and continued.

"Da made me promise to stay with him. I tried to make him as comfortable as
possible, but he just kept getting weaker and weaker. He told me he was
sorry he never got the chance to make a real good life for us." Impatiently
she wiped away the tear that finally escaped and rolled down her cheek. "I
swore to him that I would never give up his dream, no matter what. I
promised him I'd keep this ranch if I have to fight off a thousand horse
thieves."

Kate's face softened as she remembered her father's dying words. "Da said he
knew I would. He told me he loved me, and he kissed me, and then he died,"
she finished matter-of-factly, swallowing the tears clogging her throat.

Buck squeezed her hand gently. "I'm sorry," he said softly. She nodded in
acknowledgment. He watched her face settle back into a mask of composure,
knowing from his own experience that it was only a matter of time before her
numbness would give way to anger and grief.

"I've been waiting here since then for those men to come back, at least the
ones who can still ride. They probably figure it'll be easy pickin' now."
She smiled grimly. "But I mean to make it a little harder for 'em." She
looked at Buck, jaw set in determination. "I promised Da I'd protect the
ranch and I intend to keep my word. But I never meant to drag anyone else
into this." Kate stood up, pushing Buck's weapons across the table to him,
already regretting having told him so much. "You're free to go. I'm sorry
you had to get involved."

Buck stood as well, sheathing his knife and re-holstering his gun. "Well I'm
not," he told her. "You can't fight all those men alone. I'm going to help
you."

Kate shook her head. "This isn't your fight."

Buck smiled slightly, thinking of how often he and the other riders had said
or heard the exact same thing. It had never stopped any of them before. "It
is now," he replied firmly.

"No, it's not. If you stay, you're risking your life for no reason. I can't
let you do that," she said, arms crossed defiantly.

Buck raised an eyebrow. "You don't really have a choice." He cut her off as
she started to protest again. "Look, if you really need a reason for me to
stay I'll give you one. I think those horse thieves might be the same ones
that have been robbing express stations all around the territory. Me and the
other riders would've ended up tracking them down anyway. But that doesn't
matter, because I'd still help you."

"Why are you so willing to die for a complete stranger?" demanded Kate.
"Either you have an exaggerated sense of duty, or you're completely crazy."

Buck shrugged. "Maybe a little of both. But we're wasting time. Do you have
anything to write with?"

She blinked, a little taken aback. "What for?"

"To send for the marshal. He's a good man, he can help."

For once Kate didn't argue, but crossed to the bureau and pulled out paper
and a pen.

"Thanks," said Buck, sitting at the table and writing rapidly in a bold,
even hand. Kate peered over his shoulder, wondering where he had learned to
write, and saw that the letter was addressed to someone named Teaspoon. It
briefly explained about the horse thieves attacking the ranch, and asked the
marshal to send help as soon as possible. When Buck was finished Kate
followed him outside and watched him attach the note to his saddlebags
before sending his horse galloping towards town.

"Do you think the marshal will get here in time?" she asked doubtfully.

"I hope so," he replied. "But we'd better be prepared just in case."

"I know." Kate nodded, heading back inside the house. "I'll get the rifle.
There's some extra ammunition in the cabinet if you need any."

Buck followed her inside, a little unnerved by her calm as she retrieved and
reloaded her rifle. He reloaded his own weapon as well, and stuffed some
extra shells in his pocket. Meanwhile Kate went back into the parlor and
picked up her father's discarded gun belt. She had to clench her fists to
stop her hands from shaking as she buckled it around her waist. For a moment
she stood looking down at her father's peaceful face, remembering the
promise she had made. She would not let him down.

"I'm ready," said Kate quietly.

Buck turned to see that she had strapped a gun belt over her faded work
pants. The rifle rested easily on her shoulder. Something about the look in
her eyes suddenly reminded him of Lou.

He smiled faintly. "I guess you know how to use those." It wasn't really a
question.

Kate raised an eyebrow. "I learned to shoot when I was twelve. Sometimes it
was the only way to put dinner on the table."

"Then let's go."

They headed for the barn, knowing the gang would probably go straight for
the horses. On the way Buck paused to examine the tracks crisscrossing the
yard.

"How many men did you say there were?"

"Five," answered Kate, "but Da killed at least one of them."

Buck nodded and pointed at the ground. "That one there. You can see where he
got dragged behind his horse. And at least two others are wounded. They
weren't moving as fast as the others."

"They might have more men at their camp," Kate pointed out. "Even if a
couple don't come back, we'll still be outnumbered." She glanced at Buck.
"You sure you want to do this?"

"You can't get rid of me that easily," he said. "We'll just have to even the
odds."

They decided to hide in the barn where they had the best cover and could
still protect the horses. After much argument Kate positioned herself close
by the doors, hoping to be able to pick off the thieves when they entered
the barn. Buck didn't like the idea of her being so relatively unprotected,
and tried to make her hide in the hayloft. But Kate insisted that she could
take care of herself, and proved that she could be just as stubborn as he
could. Finally Buck gave up and climbed into the hayloft, which gave him an
excellent vantage point so he could watch for both the gang and Teaspoon, as
well as keep an eye on Kate. Then they both settled in to wait, knowing that
surprise was their best defense. The thieves would not be expecting much of
a fight from a young girl, and they would not be expecting Buck at all.
That, as Teaspoon would say, was their ace in the hole.

                           Chapter 3: Promise Kept

As the minutes dragged by Buck grew increasingly impatient. Waiting had
never been his strongpoint. He tried to think of something to say to ease
the tense situation.

"You have a fine bunch of horses," he said, looking down at the animals in
their stalls. "Some of the best I've seen."

Kate glanced up at him. "Thank you." Then she smiled a little. "Does that
mean you're still interested in buying some for the express?" Though she
would have died before admitting it, the waiting was wearing on her already
strained nerves, and she was glad to distract herself with conversation.

"I think that could be arranged. Maybe when this is all over you can talk to
Teaspoon about it."

"What does the marshal have to do with buying horses for the Pony Express?"
asked Kate curiously.

"Teaspoon was the station master at the old station in Sweetwater. He took
over for the marshal over there when he got promoted. Then when we moved to
the Rock Creek station Teaspoon took over for the marshal that was killed.
But he's still in charge of the station too. Somebody's got to keep all us
riders in line."

"How many riders are there besides you?"

Buck started to say six, but caught himself in time. "There's five now," he
said softly.

Kate sensed the change in his tone and looked up at him again. She saw the
sadness in his face and decided to change the subject. "How long have you
been riding for the express?"

"Since it first started," he answered with a touch of pride. "I signed up as
soon as I got out of the orphanage school."

"Is that where you learned to write?" asked Kate. She had been a bit
surprised earlier by his ability to read and write. A decent education was
hard to come by, especially for someone like Buck.

Buck nodded. "Yeah, that was about the only good thing I got out of being
there."

"Let me guess, you didn't exactly fit in with the other students."

"You could say that."

"I know the feeling," said Kate. "When I was growing up we were never in one
place very long, so I never really made friends with the other kids. But I
guess I didn't much fit in with them anyway."

"Why not?" asked Buck.

She laughed a little. "Well, for starters I always seemed to get along
better with horses than I did with people. And then I used to help my father
with all his jobs. Girls didn't like me because I dressed like a boy, and
boys didn't like me because I was a girl." She shrugged. "So most of the
time it was just me and Da." Her eyes threatened to fill with tears but she
blinked them away fiercely.

"You don't have any brothers or sisters?"

Kate shook her head. "No. No kin to speak of, besides Da. I guess I'm an
orphan now, too."

Buck was trying to think of something comforting to say when a faint sound
caught his attention. Kate heard it too, and looked at him anxiously.

"Riders coming," he said, peering cautiously out the hayloft door.

"Which way?" she asked tensely.

Buck tried to conceal his disappointment. "From the south." Rock Creek was
to the east.

Kate seemed to accept the bad news calmly. "How many riders?"

He squinted against the dying sunlight. "Five."

"Must be their lucky number," muttered Kate, getting a better grip on her
rifle.

"Let's hope not," said Buck. "Get ready." He settled down into the hay.

Kate crouched lower in her own hiding place, her heart thudding painfully.
"Buck?" she whispered.

"What is it?" His voice was muffled by the hay.

"I'm sorry I hit you with the skillet," she said sheepishly.

Buck smiled in spite of the lingering pain in his head. "Don't worry about
it. I've got a pretty hard head."

But there was no time for her to reply, for the riders had galloped into the
yard. They circled around the house, talking amongst themselves in gruff
voices.

"There's no sign of that blasted girl," said one of them. Kate peered out
between the slats in the barn wall and saw the blood-soaked bandage around
his upper thigh. She smiled grimly. So she had managed to hit one after all.

"She's probably off crying to the marshal," said another with a laugh.

"Will you two quit jawin'!" snapped a third man, apparently the leader of
the gang. Kate's eyes narrowed as she recognized him as the man who shot her
father. "Let's get the horses and get out of here!"

The hoof beats grew louder as the men approached the barn. Then two of them
could be heard dismounting and coming to open the doors, where they made a
surprising discovery. Buck and Kate listened to the startled exclamations
with satisfaction.

"It's locked!"

"What do you mean, locked?" demanded the leader.

"It's barred from the inside," explained one of the men on the ground. He
sounded slightly nervous. "Maybe there's somebody in there!"

"He's right, Jake!" chimed another. "Maybe that girl got the marshal
already! Maybe there's a posse in there waitin' to ambush us!"

"And maybe I'm gonna shoot you if you don't get them doors open right now!"
retorted Jake, drawing his pistol.

That settled it. After a lot of cursing and bickering the first two men
finally managed to ram the doors open and stumbled into the shadowed
interior.

Kate was ready. She stood and swung the rifle with all her strength, and the
first man went down with a thud as the butt connected with his chin.

"What the---!" The second man whirled and fired his gun, but Kate was
already diving for cover in the shadows. She rolled and fired her own gun,
catching him in the shoulder even as Buck's shot sent him sprawling. Then
everything seemed to happen at once.

The three remaining men outside charged into the barn, yelling and firing
into the shadows. Buck dropped the first one immediately, while Kate pulled
the second from his horse. He foolishly went for his gun, forcing her to
shoot him first. Jake had been caught off guard and was hanging back behind
his men, but now he saw his chance. He raised his gun to shoot Kate, who was
facing away from him.

With a shout Buck jumped down onto the cowardly leader, knocking him off his
horse. Kate spun around as the two of them wrestled with the pistol before
Buck punched Jake in the jaw and ripped the gun from his hand. Defenseless,
the thief glanced around desperately for a weapon before finally holding up
his hands in surrender.

Kate had her pistol leveled directly at his head. Her eyes burned with fury
as she glared at the man who had killed her father. She took a step toward
him and tightened her grip on the gun.

Jake looked at her nervously. "You ain't gonna shoot an unarmed man," he
said with more confidence than he felt.

"You murdered my father," said Kate flatly. Her finger hovered over the
trigger.

"Don't do it," said Buck quietly, though he kept his own gun aimed at Jake.

"Do what? Kill the thieving low-life who killed my father?"

Buck chose his words carefully, wary of her reaction. "Jake deserves to pay
for what he's done. But if you shoot him now you'll have to pay for that
too. He's going to die anyway--listen." Just then they heard riders
approaching fast. "Here comes the marshal," Buck continued. "He'll make sure
justice is done."

Kate didn't budge. "The only justice for him is a bullet between the eyes!"
she snapped viciously.

"Maybe so," agreed Buck. "I'm not gonna try to tell you any different. But I
will tell you that if you kill him now, that's something you're going to
have to live with every day for the rest of your life."

She looked at him for a long moment. He was right and she knew it, but it
was hard to let go of her hatred. Somehow she felt she would be letting her
father down if she did not avenge him now. But as it turned out, she didn't
really get a choice. Suddenly Teaspoon burst into the barn, followed closely
by Lou, Hickok, and Noah.

It was just the distraction Jake had been hoping for. He lunged for a pistol
lying a few feet away, dropped by one of his fallen men. Kate saw him and
without hesitation pulled the trigger. Jake screamed in pain as the bullet
pierced through his hand.

"Marshal, arrest this man," said Kate clearly, looking with disgust at the
man now clutching his wounded hand and writhing in the dirt before her. "He
is a horse thief and a murderer."

If Teaspoon had been impressed by her skill with a gun, he was further
amazed by her apparent calm. "With pleasure," said Teaspoon after seeing
Buck's confirming nod. He looked at Jimmy. "Hickok, would you do the
honors?" Buck had yanked the moaning Jake to his feet, and now Jimmy helped
handcuff him and push him roughly out of the barn. Lou and Noah were already
busy dragging the bodies of the other men outside and hauling them onto
their horses.

Teaspoon stepped up to where Kate was standing mutely, looking after the
departing horse thief. "Are you all right, miss?" At her nod he continued,
"Looks like you put up quite a fight. I'm just sorry we didn't get here in
time to help."

Kate managed a small smile. "You can still help, marshal. The rest of the
gang is still camped somewhere south of here. You can make sure they pay for
what they've done."

"You can count on it," said Teaspoon. "In fact, me and the boys are gonna
ride out there right now."

Kate smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

Teaspoon shook his head. "Don't thank me, miss, that's my job. Besides, I
oughtta be thankin' you for doing the hardest part for me!" He peered at her
closely. "Are you sure you're all right?"

She nodded again. "I'll be fine. Just give me a minute?"

"Alright." The grizzled marshal gave her a reassuring pat on the arm before
going outside to join the others.

Buck was waiting for him with a question. "Are we going after the others?"

"Some of us are," answered Teaspoon, turning to the other riders. They were
already on their horses, with Jake tied onto his mount between them. "Lou, I
want you to take this garbage back to town and throw him in jail. Jimmy,
Noah, you and me are gonna find his friends so's they can enjoy the same
arrangement." The riders all nodded in agreement.

"What about me, Teaspoon?" asked Buck.

"Buck, I think you should stay and handle things here for a while." He threw
a meaningful glance at where Kate was emerging from the barn. "I get the
feeling you may be needed."

Buck nodded, for he had the same feeling. Kate had been through so much, and
the strain of the last two days would have to catch up to her eventually.

Teaspoon swung himself into the saddle. "Let's go, boys!"

Lou turned her horse to the east, pulling Jake behind her along with the
other thieves slung over their horses' backs. "You boys ride safe!" she
called over her shoulder.

Noah laughed. "Like we always do!" Then he and the others disappeared in a
cloud of dust.

                                    *****

Kate had come to stand beside Buck as he watched his friends ride off. He
turned to her with a smile.

"Well, you did it. You saved the ranch."

"Yes," she said softly, looking around at the finally peaceful surroundings.

Buck was watching her face carefully. "You're father would have been proud,"
he said gently.

Kate looked back at him for a moment as the reality of his words sunk in.
Would have been. Then all at once the world seemed to be crashing down
around her. Pain clutched at her heart as all the grief she had been holding
inside welled up and overflowed. Her face crumpled, and suddenly she was on
her knees sobbing uncontrollably and gasping for breath.

Buck was at her side in an instant. He knelt wordlessly and folded her into
a gentle embrace, rocking her soothingly. At first she tried to pull away,
wanting only to be left alone to die with her misery. But his strong arms
held her patiently, until she gave up and buried her face against his chest.
Buck felt the tension gradually leave her body as she sobbed until she was
too exhausted to cry anymore. For a few minutes he let her rest against him,
big tears sliding down her cheeks while her breathing slowly returned to
normal.

Then she stirred and pushed herself away from him. "I'm sorry," she
whispered hoarsely, ashamed of her weakness.

Buck smiled down at her and brushed away the last of her tears. "Don't worry
about it. I never liked this shirt anyway."

Kate made a sound somewhere between a hiccup and a laugh. "Thank you," she
said simply.

"You're welcome. Now c'mon, let's get you up." He slid an arm around her
waist and helped her slowly to her feet. She leaned against him briefly,
feeling weak and dizzy.

He looked at her pale face suspiciously. "When was the last time you ate?"

"I don't remember," she confessed.

Buck sighed. "Well I'm no great cook, but I'll see what I can do."

                                    ****

Buck did manage to find some food, and though Kate didn't have much of an
appetite she ate it to please him. So she was starting to feel like her
normal self by the time Teaspoon and the boys arrived with the rest of the
gang in custody. The stolen horses had been found and were temporarily being
held at an abandoned homestead to the south. Teaspoon was glad to bring Kate
the good news of the gang's capture, and offered her a place to stay in Rock
Creek for the night. But Kate politely insisted on staying at the ranch,
saying that she was fine and didn't mind being alone. She thanked them all
again, especially Buck, and watched them ride away into the dark.

                                    *****

That night at dinner the bunkhouse echoed with questions about the day's
adventure and the riders' spirited new neighbor. Buck did his best to
explain what had happened, with Teaspoon, Jimmy, Lou, and Noah chiming in at
the parts they knew. Everyone was interested in Kate's obvious skill with a
gun, and pestered Buck with questions about her character. He tried to
describe her as best he could, though he was reluctant to share some details
of her behavior that he thought she would prefer to remain private.

Buck finally grew tired of all the questions. "Look," he said, "I've only
known her for a few hours. All I know for sure is that she's independent and
really stubborn."

Rachel smiled around the table at all the riders. "Sounds like some people I
know."

                              Chapter 4: Solace

Kate splashed cold water on her face and hands, scrubbing at the grime that
had accumulated in the past few hours. She had not had a pleasant morning,
for the minister had arrived to bury her father, and after the brief funeral
Kate had immediately thrown herself into her chores. There was a lot of work
to do to make up for what she had missed yesterday, but she was grateful
because it gave her no time to dwell on her sadness. Now she had forced
herself to take a break and get something to eat.

As Kate wiped her face with a towel she caught a glimpse of herself in the
small mirror above the wash basin, and grimaced. Her eyes looked dull and
listless, and her freckles seemed to stand out against her unusually pale
cheeks. Wisps of hair had escaped the loose braid and clung in damp strands
to her face and neck. The slight warp and greenish cast of the old mirror
only made her appear more haggard.

Kate was not in the least bit vain, for she rarely had time to be concerned
with appearances. The wash basin mirror was the only one she owned, so the
only knowledge she had of her looks came from distorted reflections of
herself after long hours of hard work and sweating in the hot sun. Needless
to say, she would have been very surprised to learn that she had grown into
a very attractive young lady. Her eyes were fringed by long, dark lashes and
were normally bright and expressive, with a tendency to change colors
depending on her mood. A light dusting of freckles set off high cheekbones,
and when she smiled her full lips parted over white teeth and curved up to a
dimple on one side. Her hair, though often uncooperative, was thick and
shiny and fell almost to her waist.

But Kate had never noticed any of this, and just now she was certainly far
from looking her best. She sighed. "You'd better pull yourself together,
Kate O' Sullivan, or we've got a long haul ahead of us," she told her
reflection sternly before turning to enter the house.

To her surprise she heard a rider coming, and looked to see Buck trotting
into the yard with a large bundle strapped to his saddle. She stepped off
the porch and walked out to greet him, her heart sinking with the momentary
fear that he was bringing news of the gang's escape.

"Buck, what are you doing here?"

He slid off his horse and offered her the bundle. "Rachel asked me to bring
this out to you. It ain't much, just some food for you so you don't have to
worry with cooking right now."

"Who's Rachel?" asked Kate, accepting the package awkwardly.

"She's the housekeeper at the express station," explained Buck. "She does
all the cooking and cleaning and makes all us riders behave most of the
time, anyway."

Kate smiled faintly. "Sounds like a tough job. It's awful nice of her to go
to this trouble for me when she's already so busy."

Buck shrugged. "That's Rachel."

Kate looked at him shyly. "Will you stay and eat with me? I don't want this
to go to waste, and besides I'm not used to eating alone."

He nodded. "Sure."

                                    *****

They went inside and sat at the kitchen table that had hosted their first
painful conversation the day before. At first Buck felt awkward, unsure of
the appropriate conversation for someone who had just buried her father.
When Rachel had asked him to deliver the food he had hesitated, reluctant to
intrude any further in Kate's private sorrow. He remembered how when Ike
died he had just wanted to be left alone, but he also knew that it was only
with the help of his friends that he was able to deal with his grief. So now
he tried to help Kate deal with hers, and he found that it was easier than
he expected.

They talked about neutral things, like books and places they had been around
the country. Buck told her about Teaspoon and Rachel and the other riders,
and she grew increasingly curious about the unlikely group. The stories of
their various adventures made Kate laugh in spite of her sadness. She knew
Buck was trying to cheer her up, and was grateful.

"... and you can bet he never tried that again!" Buck finished his story,
chuckling at the memory of Cody performing the humiliating ritual to appease
the spirits he had previously scorned.

Kate giggled, trying to imagine someone covered in war paint, pork fat, and
dirt. It was not a pretty picture. "You sure have an interesting family,"
she told him.

"It never gets boring, that's for sure," agreed Buck.

"I must be crazy," said Kate, "but I think I'd like to meet them someday."

Buck smiled. "Why don't you come to the station for lunch tomorrow?"

She hesitated, though she was very pleased by the invitation. "I wouldn't
want to get in the way of one of your adventures."

He laughed. "I'm sure we could squeeze you in to our busy schedule. Besides,
the others wanted to meet you, too."

"Really?" Kate looked surprised. "Why?"

"Well, we are gonna be neighbors. And it's not every girl who's a dead shot
and takes on a bunch of outlaws by herself."

Kate looked down. "I don't think that's something I oughtta be too proud
of."

"Why not?" asked Buck. "What you did took a lot of guts. You did what had to
be done, and you should be proud of that."

She sighed. "I guess you're right. It's strange until yesterday I never
killed anybody, and there I was ready to shoot a man in cold blood." Kate
shuddered a little. "If you hadn't been there to talk me out of it I
might've killed that man." She looked at Buck sharply. "How did you know
what to say to me to keep me from pulling that trigger? Have you ever killed
anyone in cold blood?"

Buck nodded gravely. "Once."

"Why?"

"He killed my best friend Ike, among other things," replied Buck sadly.
"Everybody knew he was a criminal and a murderer, but the law couldn't touch
him. He was going to go free, so I shot him."

Kate studied him quietly for a moment. "Are you sorry?"

Buck shook his head. "I don't regret what I did. But I do have to live with
it for the rest of my life. You should be glad you don't have to."

She smiled a little, and decided to change the subject. "Tell me about Ike.
Did he ride for the express too?"

"Yes. Ike was our best rider. He was real good around horses" Buck smiled as
he tried to describe his friend, remembering all the things that made Ike so
special, his quirky sense of humor, his gentle spirit, and the wide grin
that always accompanied the occasional spark of mischief. Buck could almost
see him standing there laughing, strong hands moving rapidly in the familiar
gestures. Talking about Ike suddenly made his memory more vivid, and
lessened the sting of his absence. This had been a good idea after all.

                         Chapter 5: Kindred Spirits

The riders lounged on the porch of the bunkhouse, watching the townspeople
pass and waiting for Rachel to call them in for lunch. It was a warm day,
and they were all glad to escape their chores for a while to entertain a
guest.

Cody's low whistle broke the comfortable silence. "Now there's a sight for
sore eyes."

The others all looked up to see what had attracted his admiration this time.
A young woman was riding down the street from the other end of town, looking
comfortable in the saddle atop a bright chestnut mare. She wore a divided
riding skirt and lace-up boots, and a simple white blouse. Her coppery hair
hung in a thick braid over her shoulder, and her hat had blown back to
reveal a pair of large, intelligent hazel eyes. The girl's creamy skin was
slightly freckled and flushed from her ride, and she was smiling softly as
she approached.

"Looks like our guest has arrived," said Lou, smiling to herself over Cody's
startled reaction.

"That's O' Sullivan's daughter?" he exclaimed. "You never said anything
about her bein' beautiful!" he accused Noah in a half-whisper.

The black rider rolled his eyes. "The last time I saw her she was about to
shoot a man. I wasn't really thinking about whether or not she was
beautiful," he retorted.

"Yeah? Well Buck saw her again yesterday, and he never said nothin'
neither," complained Cody, watching Buck step down to greet their guest. "I
think he's been holding out on us."

"Now hold on, Cody, don't go gettin' any funny ideas," warned Lou. "That
girl's just lost her father, she ain't lookin' to be swept off her feet just
yet."

"Certainly not by the likes of you," quipped Noah with a grin, elbowing his
friend.

"We'll see about that," muttered Cody, straightening his jacket and running
a hand through his hair. He walked out to meet Kate with a broad smile,
leaving the others to shake their heads helplessly over his amorous
tendencies.

                                    *****

Kate let her horse trot slowly through town, glancing around curiously. She
spotted the pony express station at the far end of the street and squinted
to get a better look. She recognized Buck's tall form leaning against one of
the bunkhouse posts, and the other riders who had come with the marshal
sitting behind him. There was also a blonde man wearing a fringed jacket,
and an amiable looking man with a white hat and a blue shirt. A skinny
younger boy sat on the steps fiddling with a pocketknife. They were all
staring at her by the time she rode up and smiled shyly at Buck, who hopped
off the porch to greet her.

"I hope I haven't kept you all waiting," she said, sliding off her horse.

Buck opened his mouth to reply, but the blonde rider suddenly appeared
beside him, shaking his head and grinning. "No, not at all, you're right on
time." He gripped her hand and shook it warmly. "Welcome to the express
station. William F. Cody, at your service."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Cody," replied Kate, stifling the urge to laugh.
She had a sudden vivid image of him dripping in pork fat. Out of the corner
of her eye she saw Buck shaking his head in disgust.

"Cody, why don't you take Miss O' Sullivan's horse to the barn," he
suggested pleasantly.

Cody shot him a dirty look, but quickly covered by sweeping off his hat and
taking the horse's reins. "It would be my pleasure."

Kate turned back to Buck expectantly, and he flashed her an apologetic
smile. "You'll have to excuse Cody, he just gets a little carried away
sometimes."

"Yeah, with himself," said Jimmy from the porch, eliciting a ripple of
good-natured laughter.

"Let me introduce you," continued Buck, leading her onto the porch. "You
already know Jimmy and Noah and Lou, and this here's The Kid, and this is
Jesse. Everyone, this is Katherine O' Sullivan."

There was a chorus of friendly greetings as the riders politely tipped their
hats to their visitor.

"I'm real glad to meet you all," said Kate sincerely, already beginning to
like this odd group. "Please, call me Kate."

Just then the bunkhouse door opened and a woman's head peeked out. "Boys,
supper's on the table!" she announced, then smiled when she saw Kate and
stepped out to meet her. "You must be Katherine. I'm Rachel Dunne."

Kate took Rachel's offered hand and shook it warmly. "It's a pleasure to
meet you, Ms. Dunne. Please, call me Kate."

Rachel smiled, her beautiful eyes twinkling. "Alright, but only if you call
me Rachel."

"Alright then, Rachel, I want to thank you for invitin' me, and for all the
delicious food you sent yesterday," said Kate. "I'm much obliged."

"Well it was the least I could do," replied Rachel, then grinned. "Besides,
it's nice to make something for someone who really appreciates it now and
then. Feeding these boys is like sloppin' the hogs!"

The indignant riders made half-hearted protests, laughing in spite of
themselves, and they all filed into the bunkhouse. Cody miraculously
reappeared just in time to beat everyone to the table, but remembered his
manners when he caught Kate's look of amusement. Rachel moved to the far end
of the table and indicated for Kate to sit at her right while the others all
clambered over the benches. Buck sat next to Kate, then Lou and Kid, while
Cody sat across from her next to Noah, Jimmy, and Jesse.

"You've got yourself a fine horse," said Cody as Rachel started serving the
meal. "She seems real spirited-like."

Kate smiled. "Yes, Ginger has a mind of her own. She won't let anybody ride
her besides me. My father bought her for me when I first learned to ride, so
we sort of grew up together."

Buck noticed the flicker of sadness in Kate's eyes when she mentioned her
father and tried to distract her. "Better watch out, Kid, it looks like
Katy's gonna have some competition," he joked.

Kate looked at Kid with interest. "Who's Katy?"

"Only the fastest, smartest, most beautiful, and just plain best horse in
the whole world," answered Jimmy before Kid could reply. "At least, that's
what the Kid thinks."

Noah shook his head and winked at Kate. "Well, if you ask me, she can't be
that smart if she likes the Kid," he quipped with a grin.

Kate laughed as the conversation dissolved into light-hearted bickering. So
this was what it was like to have a large family. She couldn't help feeling
a little envious of the riders' camaraderie and obvious devotion to one
another.

The teasing banter was soon interrupted by the arrival of Teaspoon, who
tipped his hat to their guest. "Glad to see you could join us, Miss O'
Sullivan. How are you?"

"I'm fine marshal, thank you."

Teaspoon sat down and smiled broadly. "I'm glad to hear it. I've got some
good news for you."

Kate looked at him expectantly. "What is it?"

"Well, first of all, Jake Fetterson and his gang are now on their way to Ft.
Kearney for hanging. And secondly, I just received word that Russell,
Majors, and Waddell were offering a reward for the capture of the thieves."
He paused for effect. "A reward of five hundred dollars."

The riders gave a collective gasp. "Five hundred dollars?!" repeated Cody
incredulously.

Teaspoon nodded, grinning. "That's right." He looked at Kate. "That oughtta
go a long way in helping you fix up the ranch."

Kate shook her head. "I can't take all that reward money."

"Why not?" asked Lou.

"I didn't capture the gang, at least not by myself," protested Kate. "And
anyway I was just trying to defend myself."

Teaspoon quirked an eyebrow at her. "Maybe so, but the way I see it you
earned that reward money more than anybody else."

"He's right, Kate," said Buck. "You deserve that money."

She turned to face him. "What about you? You all helped, and brought in the
rest of the gang. You should at least get some of the money."

Jimmy scoffed. "Nah, we ain't got any use for that much money. We'd end up
loaning it all to Cody to squander on poker games and snake oil."

"Hey!" protested Cody peevishly.

Teaspoon chuckled. "Well there you have it. You'd best take that money,
you'd be doin' us a favor."

"Alright," Kate finally said with a smile. "I surely could use it."

"Good!" declared Teaspoon triumphantly. He looked around the table. "And now
that that's settled, who's up?"

Kid quickly downed the last of his milk and stood up. "Me, Teaspoon."

"You'd best get going. I hear a rider comin' right now."

"Ride safe Kid!" called Lou as he ran out the door.

                                    *****

The riders reluctantly returned to their chores after finishing the rest of
their meal without further interruptions or arguments. Rachel laughingly
informed Kate as they cleaned up the dishes that the boys had been on their
best behavior on her behalf. Kate could only imagine what they must be like
most of the time, but she found herself liking them all in spite of their
rowdiness and rough ways. She gratefully accepted Rachel's invitation to
visit as often as she liked, and left the bunkhouse feeling more cheerful
than she had in days. But she had one thing more to do before it was time to
go home.

Kate found Lou brushing down Lighting in the barn. She made sure none of the
other riders were around before approaching.

"Hey Lou," she said shyly. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Lou smiled. "Sure. What's on your mind?"

"I need some advice."

"Maybe you oughtta talk to Teaspoon," said Lou, half-jokingly.

Kate shook her head. "Can't. What I mean is, I need a woman's opinion."

Lou put down her brush and turned to face the other girl. "How'd you know?"
Seems like she'd been saying that a lot lately.

Kate looked a little surprised. "What, that you're a girl? I thought
everyone knew."

"Just Teaspoon and Rachel and the other riders," said Lou, shaking her head.
"Everyone in town still thinks I'm a boy. Guess I'm just not as good at
hidin' it as I used to be."

"It's not that," replied Kate with a smile. "I probably wouldn't have
noticed either, at least not right away, except I kinda have some experience
in that area."

Lou raised her eyebrows, instantly curious. "What do you mean?"

"I used to dress like a boy too, when I was younger," explained Kate.
"Nobody would hire a single man with a little girl always in the way, but
they didn't mind if he had a 'son' to help him instead. I didn't mind
helping my father, and being a boy taught me a lot of things I never would
have learned as a girl. But as I grew older it got harder and harder to keep
the disguise, and after a while it didn't matter anymore." She sighed a
little wistfully. "Actually I kinda miss it. I never did have much use for
dresses, and acting like a man sure gives you a lot more freedom. I guess
that's why you do it too, right? The Pony Express doesn't hire women?"

"That's right," said Lou. "But I figured I shouldn't have to do anything
else if I could prove I could cut the work as well as any man."

"I know the feeling." Kate grinned. "I promise I won't turn you in to the
company."

"Thanks," said Lou, picking up the brush again. "So what did you want to ask
me about?"

"I guess you all know by now that I'm planning on staying at the ranch and
running it myself. I know I can do the work, it's just I've never had to do
it alone, and I'm worried that people won't give me a chance because I'm a
woman. I guess I was wonderin' what you think of my chances. Am I completely
crazy for trying to stay?" Kate looked at her anxiously, hope and
determination mingling in her eyes.

Lou studied the other girl for a moment. She could see the resolve in Kate's
eyes, and a stubborn spirit to match Lou's own. "I don't think you're crazy
for trying to do something you've been working for your whole life," she
answered finally, earning a small smile of relief from Kate. "But I ain't
gonna lie to you and say it's gonna be easy. You'll have to work twice as
hard to prove yourself, and it may take a long time for people to accept
you. Probably some people never will. I don't know what else to tell you,
except that you just got to keep trying and hope for the best. But I do know
one thing." She placed a sympathetic hand on Kate's arm. "Whatever happens,
you're not alone. Me and the boys can help you. If you ever need anything,
all you got to do is ask."

Kate's eyes had filled with tears at Lou's gesture of friendship. "Thank
you," she said huskily. "But you all have helped me so much already. I'll
never be able to repay you."

Lou grinned mischievously. "Just give us a good deal on those new horses."

Kate had to laugh, wiping away her tears. "You can count on it."

They smiled at each other for a minute before Lou spoke again. "I'm glad
you're staying, Kate. Now we're neighbors, and it'll be nice to have another
woman around to help me keep the boys in line."

Kate laughed to herself at the idea of tiny Lou bossing the boys around,
though she had no doubt that was the case. "What's it like?" she asked
curiously. "Living with the boys, I mean."

"It hasn't been easy," Lou admitted. "At first I didn't think I'd ever get
used to it. They could be so disgusting sometimes, and rude, and immature."
She shuddered a little at a memory of her first week at the station. Then
her voice softened as she continued, "But then I got to know them all
better, and I found out they could be really wonderful, too. Now I don't
mind living with them anymore, I like it. It's kinda nice, going to sleep
every night knowing they're all there around me. It makes me feel safe, like
a family." Lou blushed. "You must think I'm pretty silly."

"Not silly," said Kate seriously. "Lucky."

Lou seemed a little surprised, but she realized Kate was right. "I never
looked at it that way before. I guess I am lucky," she said thoughtfully.

Kate nodded vigorously, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "It's not every woman
gets to sleep with five very handsome young men," she said, trying to look
innocent and failing miserably.

Lou pretended to be shocked. "Why Miss O' Sullivan!" she exclaimed, and they
both laughed.

                             Chapter 6: Lessons

After that Kate was always a welcome visitor at the station. She began to
look forward excitedly to her trips into town for supplies, because they
gave her an excuse to see her new friends. She quickly came to admire and
like each of them in their own ways. With Lou she found the female
companionship that had been lacking all her life, and they soon formed an
almost sisterly bond. In Rachel she found the mother she had never known,
while the gruff marshal with the soft heart began to feel like a grandfather
to her. She regarded Jesse with sisterly affection, and never failed to be
amused by his habit of constantly getting into scrapes.

Kate got along with the boys equally well. She could hold her own with them
in any argument, and proved herself a fair hand at cards as well, much to
the chagrin of those who happened to be on the losing end of the game. She
had the utmost esteem for Jimmy, not because of his skill with a gun but
because of the strong yet sweet character she saw beneath his tough
exterior. She also respected the soft-spoken leader of the group, though
sometimes she had to agree with Lou that the Kid's strict sense of honor
could be more of a nuisance than a virtue. Kate admired Noah's keen mind and
ready wit, which could be as sharp as his beloved whip. Even Cody seemed to
grow on her, for his constant cheerfulness was contagious, and she soon
discovered that despite his sometimes frivolous behavior he was also a very
intelligent, loyal, and serious young man.

Of all the riders Kate remained closest to Buck, perhaps because of their
shared ordeal and because they spent the most time together. Kate had used
her reward money wisely to fix up the homestead and get her business on its
feet. Word got around that the Pony Express bought stock from her, and
forced people to take her seriously. She began to trade horses with the
Lakota, and for this she enlisted Buck to teach her Indian sign. Kate was an
eager student and a fast learner, and after only a few lessons she was
already signing most of what she needed. So she then asked Buck to teach her
to speak Lakota as well, knowing the Indians would respect her more if she
knew their language.

Kate loved her lessons and the break they provided from the hard work on the
ranch. She thought Lakota was a beautiful language, with its gentle sounds
and melodic rhythm. Learning aside, she also enjoyed spending time with
Buck. She liked his thoughtfulness and quiet humor, and the stubborn streak
that equaled her own.

One day Kate was waiting for Buck to meet her for a lesson. They had decided
to have a picnic as a change of pace and agreed to meet down by the stream
outside of town. The spot they picked was a little grove of trees close to
the water's edge, where the stream formed a small pool. It looked peaceful
and inviting, so Kate pulled off her boots and let her feet dangle in the
cool water. She leaned back on her elbows and closed her eyes, softly
humming an old song.

"That's a nice tune." Buck's voice interrupted her thoughts as he came to
sit beside her. "What's it called?"

Kate had been unaware of her audience, and blushed. "It's 'My Wild Irish
Rose'," she replied, sitting up to smile at him. "It was my father's
favorite song. When I was little he used to sing it to me." She looked
dreamily up at the sky. "I used to stand on his feet, and he would teach me
to dance."

Buck smiled at that mental picture as she continued a little wistfully. "I
still miss him, you know. Sometimes when I look at the ranch, I think of how
hard he worked to get us there, and it just hurts so much that he isn't here
to see it now."

"You'd feel worse if you didn't miss him," he pointed out gently.

She blinked back the tears that had gathered and sighed. "I know. The funny
thing is, sometimes what I miss the most is just the silly little things,
like the way we used to dance."

"Will you show me?"

"What, the dancing?"

Buck nodded and stood up. Kate took his offered hand with a smile and let
him pull her to her feet. She moved closer to him a little awkwardly and
carefully stood on the tips of his boots. He steadied her with an arm around
her waist and slowly began to waltz. Kate giggled and held on tight as Buck
started to spin, barely noticing her weight.

"You know, you're not a bad dancer," she told him playfully.

Buck pretended to be hurt. "Not bad?! You try doing this with somebody
standing on you."

"Don't worry," she teased. "You're doing a pretty good job."

Then Kate noticed a gleam in his eyes and looked at him suspiciously.
Suddenly she felt water lapping at her ankles and realized that he was
waltzing right into the pool. Her eyes widened and she gave a little shriek.

"Oh, no, you don't!"

But it was too late. With a triumphant laugh Buck let go of her and pushed
her backward into the water. Unfortunately she managed to keep her grip on
the front of his shirt, successfully pulling him off-balance and into the
pool next to her. They emerged laughing and spluttering, and immediately
proceeded to have a water fight. And by the time they decided to call a
truce and have their picnic, the last traces of Kate's sadness had been
washed away.

                         Chapter 7: Eye of the Storm

"Suppertime!" called Rachel, standing on the bunkhouse porch and waving at
the riders out by the corral. They all hurried to finish their chores,
ducking their heads against the gusty wind. Rachel pulled her shawl tighter
around her and glanced at the sky. It was chilly for early September, and
ominous dark clouds were massing on the horizon.

"Looks like there's a storm comin'," remarked the Kid as he passed her on
his way into the bunkhouse.

Rachel looked worried. "Shouldn't Buck be back by now?" she asked Cody as he
came up the steps.

He shook his head. "He probably just got held up in Fairfield. Those boys
are always runnin' late."

Jimmy overheard and tried to reassure the motherly housekeeper. "Don't
worry, Rachel, Buck can take care of himself."

She sighed. "I just hope he makes it back before the storm hits. It looks
like it's gonna be a bad one."

                                    *****

Buck cursed under his breath as the first heavy drops of rain began to
splatter around him. Rock Creek was still miles away, and there was no way
he'd make it back before the storm really hit. Still he urged his tired
mount faster, hoping to at least outride the worst of it. But the icy drops
soaking through his clothes soon forced him to dismiss that idea. The rain
was rapidly turning the trail to mud, making it too dangerous to continue at
a fast pace. Buck ducked his head against the wind and veered off the trail,
heading for the only shelter he could think of.

By the time he reached Kate's ranch ground and sky were an indistinguishable
blur of gray. His horse plodded miserably into the yard, slipping in the
mud. Buck dismounted and led the exhausted animal towards the barn, where he
could dimly see Kate trying to move her horses inside. The storm had made
them spook in the corral; she had to lead them one at a time into the barn,
moving slowly to avoid slipping. She saw Buck coming and waved at him with a
wry smile.

"Is there room for one more?" He had to raise his voice above the downpour.

"There always is," she shouted back, heading for the corral again.

Buck yelled his thanks and entered the barn, grateful to get out of the rain
if only for a few minutes. He quickly tended to his horse before running
back outside to help Kate move hers. The wind was picking up rapidly,
driving the rain into their faces. The low-hanging clouds created an
artificial night brightened only by the occasional flash of lightening in
the distance. Buck and Kate hurried to get the last of the frightened horses
stabled and quieted, taking care that each animal was dry and calm before
they left the shelter of the barn and made a run for the house.

"Kate, be careful!" yelled Buck as she dashed ahead of him. "You might
sli--" Of course he hit a patch of mud and went down with an undignified
yelp.

"Did you say 'slip'?" Kate couldn't help laughing at him, though she offered
her hand to help him up.

"You think this is funny?" He gave her hand a tug that sent her sprawling
beside him with a shriek.

Now it was his turn to laugh as she tried to glare at him but ended up
laughing instead. They both looked ridiculous, with water streaming into
their eyes and strands of hair plastered against their faces. They sat
trying to catch their breath when a flash of lightning nearly blinded them,
followed by a deafening peal of thunder. Buck scrambled to his feet, pulling
Kate along with him, and they ran hand-in-hand for the house. When they
reached the porch they paused to try and shake off excess water.

"Looks like somebody heard me wishing it would rain," said Kate through
chattering teeth, trying to squeeze the water out of her long braid. "I
guess I should have been more specific."

Buck was unsuccessfully shaking out his drenched jacket. "You should've
asked for an umbrella while you were at it."

Kate smiled faintly. "I'll remember that next time." She bent to pull off
her muddy boots. "C'mon, let's get inside before we catch pneumonia. I'll
get some towels."

"I'll start a fire," said Buck, following her inside and heading for the
fireplace. After several fumbled attempts his numb fingers managed to light
a match, and Kate returned with towels and a blanket to find him crouching
before a growing blaze. She knelt beside him and handed him a towel before
stretching her fingers toward the fire.

"Thanks," said Buck, quickly drying off his face and hair. "And thanks for
letting me stay here."

Kate smiled. "You're welcome. Thanks for helping with the horses."

"You're welcome." His smile faded when he noticed her trembling. "You're
shivering."

"I know. I should get out of these wet clothes." She paused, suddenly a
little uncomfortable.

Buck glanced at her uncertainly. "Right," he agreed.

Kate moved briskly away from the fire and shrugged out of her vest. Buck
heard her toss it onto a chair and stood up, keeping his back turned while
she unbuttoned her shirt.

"Where are you going?" Kate was now spreading her pants out to dry.

Buck paused on his way towards the door, trying not to look at her. "I
thought you might want some privacy," he almost mumbled.

"Don't be silly," replied Kate, surprised by her lack of modesty. "It's not
like you've never seen long johns before. Besides, the rest of the house is
freezing and you're still soaked. You ought to take off those wet clothes
too." She tried not to blush at the boldness of her last words.

Buck didn't look at her but went back towards the fire and began to slowly
peel out of his clothes. He wondered why he felt strange undressing in front
of a girl. After all, he got dressed and undressed in front of Lou all the
time. Why should Kate be any different?

Kate had finished undressing and stood awkwardly in her long john pants and
sleeveless camisole. The wet braid hanging down her back made her chilled,
so she started to unplait her hair and brush out the tangles with her
fingers. She sat down on the floor in front of the fire and spread her hair
over her shoulders to dry. Suddenly she realized she had been staring at
Buck and ducked her head, fumbling for something to say to cover her
confusion.

"How did you get caught in the storm?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't notice
her blushing. "Wasn't your run supposed to be finished this morning?"

"Yeah, it was," said Buck, stepping out of his pants. "But the person I was
supposed to deliver the document to in Fairfield never showed up and I had
to take it all the way to Ft. Kearney."

"You must be tired," she said sympathetically.

"I've been better" he admitted, his voice trailing off as he finally turned
back around.

Kate noticed him looking at her strangely. "What?"

Buck looked embarrassed. "Nothing. You just look different." He had never
seen her with her hair down before, or without all her clothes for that
matter. After a moment's hesitation he sat down on the floor beside her and
leaned back against the couch.

"You mean I look like a drowned rat," she said playfully.

Buck grinned and teased her back. "Something like that," he lied. Actually
he thought she looked beautiful, with damp curls clinging to her face and
firelight dancing in her eyes. He tried not to think about how close she was
beside him.

Kate sniffed. "You don't look so great yourself," she pointed out, though
she had to admit the firelight shone quite nicely on his high cheekbones and
dark hair. She closed her eyes briefly, a little frightened by the direction
of her thoughts. Buck sensed her trembling against him and thought she was
still cold.

"You're still shivering," he said softly. "Here." He reached over and picked
up the blanket she had brought earlier, wrapping it snuggly around her.

"What about you?" she protested, stopping him with her hands. "You're hands
are like ice!"

"It's your blanket," he replied simply.

Kate rolled her eyes. "But it's big enough to share. I don't want you
catching cold because of me. Besides, if you get sick how will I keep up
with my lessons?"

Buck smiled and gave in. "Alright, you win." He pulled the blanket up around
them both, more glad than he wanted to admit that she didn't object to such
closeness. To his surprise she seemed content to relax against him and
didn't seem to mind his arm looped cautiously around her waist.

They sat huddled together before the fire, talking softly, while the storm
continued to rage against the old house. Buck must have dozed off for a
moment, for he started awake at a peal of thunder to find that Kate had
fallen fast asleep. She was leaning against his side, her head resting on
his shoulder. Buck stared at her for a moment, knowing he should wake her
and let her go to bed. But they were both still wet, and he was unwilling to
leave the warmth of the fire. Besides, she looked so peaceful and
comfortable that he hated to disturb her. He reached out and gently brushed
a stray strand of damp hair from her face, then drew the blanket tighter
around her shoulders.

Buck felt a sudden ache in his chest as Kate smiled in her sleep and
snuggled closer against him. For a long time he stared at her, a million
thoughts racing through his mind. He had never given much thought to his
future; it had always been hard enough to survive in the present. All he had
ever dared to hope for was a decent job and a home where people didn't judge
him because of his color. With the Pony Express he had found what he wanted,
honest work among friends whom he could trust and love like family. Only now
when Buck looked at the girl sleeping beside him he knew that wasn't all he
wanted.

Buck sighed and leaned back against the couch, pushing his thoughts away. It
was useless to think about what he wanted, he knew. What could someone like
him ever offer someone like Kate besides a life of hardship and isolation,
shunned and mistrusted everywhere they went? Kate had already known enough
of hardship and prejudice in her short life, and he knew she deserved
better. Despite his feelings he realized there was only one thing left for
him to give her, and that was friendship. He smiled sadly as he looked at
her again, knowing this was the closest he would ever come to what he really
wanted. Carefully settling Kate more comfortably against him, Buck closed
his eyes and listened to her steady breathing until he finally fell asleep.

Kate opened her eyes slowly, momentarily confused by her surroundings. Then
she realized where she was, and what had awakened her. She was still sitting
with Buck before the fire, her head pillowed on his shoulder, his arm
wrapped loosely around her waist. And he was snoring softly. Kate smiled and
started to wake him, but thought better of it. She knew how exhausted he had
been, and even in the dying firelight she could see the lines of weariness
in his strong features. But something else in his face made her pause. He
looked almost wistful, and Kate wondered what he must be dreaming. At any
rate she hated to disturb him. She had to admit she was very comfortable
herself, and she didn't really mind his snoring. Somehow it was strangely
comforting, and suddenly Kate understood what Lou had said about feeling
safe sleeping in the bunkhouse. She smiled again and settled back against
Buck's side.

                                    *****

A loud knocking shattered the morning silence and startled Buck awake. He
sat up, disoriented, and glanced around as memory returned in a rush.
Looking towards the front door he saw Cody peering anxiously through the
shutters. Buck quickly disentangled himself from the blanket and stumbled to
the door. Kate sat up, blinking, as Buck's comforting warmth deserted her.

Buck opened the door for his friend, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "Geez,
Cody, you tryin' to wake the dead? What are you doing here?"

"Sorry," said Cody defensively. "Teaspoon sent me to look for you, see if
you made it through the storm. We figured you might've stopped here if it
hit before you could make it back to Rock Creek," he explained.

Buck stifled a yawn and nodded. "Yeah, I barely made it this far. We were
just locking up the horses when the worst of it hit" He trailed off when he
noticed Cody's strange expression. "Something wrong, Cody?"

The blonde rider was staring past him into the house, his sharp eyes taking
in the clothes scattered around the room and finally resting on Kate, who
was still wrapped in the blanket and shaking herself awake.

Cody's gaze shifted to Buck standing there in his long johns, then to Kate,
and back to Buck. "Uh, no, no, nothin's wrong," he finally managed, starting
to back away. "Sorry to interrupt. I'll just leave you two alone"

Buck stepped onto the porch after his friend, staring at him in
bewilderment. "What are you talking about?"

Cody shook his head, his blue eyes just a little too wide. "Nothin', I ain't
sayin' nothin', it's none of my business. I'll just tell Teaspoon you're
perfectly fine."

Suddenly Buck realized what Cody must be thinking and turned red, then
white. "Cody, wait a minute!" he said, his voice dangerously low. The other
rider turned back to him in embarrassment, holding up his hands in a gesture
of apology. "I don't know what you're thinking right now but whatever it is
it ain't true," Buck continued. "We are just friends, and nothin' like that
is ever gonna happen between us, understand?" At Cody's nod he went on, "I
don't care if you think I'd do somethin' like that, but don't you ever think
like that about Kate again."

Cody shook his head. "I won't, I promise. I'm sorry I got the wrong idea,
it's just... it looked like--"

"I know," Buck cut him off, then smiled. "It's okay. It ain't your fault
your mind's always in the gutter."

Cody was about to make a retort when he saw Kate come to stand in the
doorway, wrapped in the blanket with the morning sun shining on her unbound
hair. He forgot what he was going to say and stared at her.

"Good morning, Cody," she said with a smile. "I guess you're here looking
for Buck. How would you boys like some breakfast before you head back to the
station?"

The mention of food restored Cody's powers of speech, and he grinned
enthusiastically. "That'd be great, thank you."

Kate laughed. "Just let me get dressed first, I'll be right back." She
turned into the house and headed upstairs.

Buck quickly pulled on his own now-dry clothes and went with Cody to check
on the horses and see if anything had been damaged by the storm. By the time
they got back Kate was bustling around in the kitchen, dressed in her
customary pants and work shirt. At her suggestion Cody made himself useful
setting the table while Buck helped her peel and slice the potatoes. When he
was finished Cody sat down and watched his friends, feeling a little out of
place. Buck and Kate kept up a steady stream of friendly banter, and it soon
became obvious even to Cody how comfortable they felt with each other. Cody
smiled to himself, for no matter what either of them said he realized there
was much more than friendship between them. And he finally acknowledged what
deep down he had known all along, that Kate would never be interested in
somebody else, not even William F. Cody.

                          Chapter 8: The Debt Paid

By the middle of September Kate was doing well enough to actually hire a
couple of ranch hands. She had a little trouble finding people who were
willing to work for a woman, but in the end she found just the right men for
the jobs. Jack Riley was an old drifter from Tennessee who'd headed West to
make his fortune when he was eighteen. He'd lived all over the country and
held just about every job imaginable. He'd been married and settled down for
a while, but after his wife died he went looking for work elsewhere and
eventually wound up in Rock Creek. Jack knew everything there was to know
about horses and was glad to take the job at the ranch. He didn't mind
accepting orders from Kate; in fact he admired her spunk and respected her
as an equal. She often consulted with him about managing the herd, and came
to rely on his experience and good judgment.

Danny Johnson was the second person who answered Kate's help wanted ad. He
was only seventeen, a runaway from a troubled home life back in Kansas. By
the time he reached Rock Creek he was too desperate for work to care that
his boss was a girl not much older than himself. Danny was a good kid and a
hard worker. He learned about horses from Jack and quickly came to idolize
the older man. The riders liked him too, seeing in him something of
themselves when they first hired on with the express.

Having Jack and Danny to help made running the ranch quite a bit easier, and
a lot less lonely. Kate would sit with them on the porch in the evenings,
listening to Jack tell stories that made them howl with laughter. She had
more free time now, and when she wasn't visiting with the riders she liked
to go for long rides by herself. Sometimes she would ride to the creek and
sit on a low-hanging branch to read, letting her feet dangle into the water.

One afternoon she arrived at the creek only to find that her favorite tree
was already occupied. It was Buck, sitting quietly with his knees drawn up
to his chest. He started when he heard her ride up but smiled when he saw
who it was.

"Hello Buck," she said. "I didn't know you liked to come out here. I hope
I'm not intruding."

He shook his head. "Nah, I was just thinking."

"Is something wrong?" She sat down on the branch across from him.

"No, I just got a letter from an old friend is all. It brought back a lot of
memories."

"Good or bad?"

Buck smiled. "Mostly good."

Kate looked at him curiously. "So who is this old friend anyway?"

"Her name's Camille. We knew each other as children. She's gonna be passing
through Rock Creek on her way to get married."

Buck told her about growing up with Camille among the Kiowa, though he
didn't say what had happened to make her go back to the white world. He
explained how he had tried to look for her after he left the Kiowa, but none
of his efforts had been successful until one of his letters finally found
her a few months ago.

Kate was surprised to learn that his friend was a girl that he had once been
promised to. For some reason the thought made her strangely uneasy, but she
did not allow herself to consider the reason why. She also sensed that Buck
was holding something back, but as his friend she did not want to invade his
privacy.

Later she talked to Lou about it, asking if Buck had ever talked about
Camille before he got her letter. Lou had been as surprised as Kate, and
agreed that there was something about Camille that Buck wasn't telling them.
Both girls had noticed a sadness about him when he spoke of her, though he
seemed eager to see her again.

Lou shook her head in puzzlement over the matter. "I don't know what it is,
but there's something strange about this whole thing. The way Buck's acting,
it kinda makes me wonder if he might still have feelings for Camille."

Kate looked at her sharply. "That was a long time ago, Lou," she pointed
out, wondering why she suddenly felt so upset. "And besides, she's getting
married."

Lou was looking at her thoughtfully. "I know. But still, it's gotta be a
little strange for Buck. I mean, it seems like they were pretty close, then
he loses track of her for seven years and now all of a sudden she's getting
married."

Kate frowned. "I guess that would be pretty odd."

"It might not be such a good thing that she's coming here," sighed Lou. "I'd
hate to see Buck get hurt again."

"Again?"

Lou nodded. "Buck hasn't exactly had the best experiences with women," she
explained sadly. She told Kate what had happened with Kathleen Devlin, or at
least what she had been able to gather from Buck's heartbroken appearance
afterwards, and about Jennifer Tompkins.

Kate went home with a heavy heart. It hurt her to think of the pain Buck
must have gone through, and she certainly didn't want to see him suffer
again. She couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had settled in the pit
of her stomach, not to mention an as yet unacknowledged thought that had
been in the back of her mind since Buck first told her about Camille.

The next week Kate wondered if Camille would be there when she went into
town for supplies. She got her answer when she came out of the general store
and ran into Noah. He was hurrying out of Teaspoon's office and seemed to be
upset about something. He didn't stop when she asked him what was wrong,
just yelled a reply over his shoulder.

"Buck's gone. He took Camille and ran off, and we gotta go after him."

Kate stared after him stupidly, feeling as if someone had just punched her
in the stomach. She sank down on the bench outside Tompkins's store and
shook her head to clear it. Had she heard him right? Why would Buck run away
with Camille? She could think of only one reason, he must still care for
her. The thought made her feel dizzy, but she forced it aside and went to
look for the other riders. Surely there must be some other explanation.

She was absurdly relieved to find out that Camille had been sick, and that
Buck had probably taken her to find a cure the white doctor could not
provide. But she still passed a couple of bad nights until they returned and
explained what had happened. It wasn't until after Camille and her fiancé
left town that Kate was able to ask Buck about it.

He then explained to her what he had not told anyone before, about how he
felt responsible for Camille being taken back to the white world. That was
why he had been willing to do whatever it took to save her life, because he
still blamed himself and felt that he owed her. But Camille had never blamed
him for what happened, and she made him realize that everything had turned
out the way it should have. Yes he had loved her once, but now his debt was
paid and he could let her go.

After talking to Buck Kate finally understood the confusion he had been
going through and why he had been reluctant to tell his friends about it.
But she also understood something about herself that left her at once
frightened and exhilarated. She remembered her reaction when she thought
Buck still loved Camille, and realized that the dizzying pain was not worry
but jealousy. Suddenly Kate could no longer ignore the thoughts that had
haunted her since the day she had found out about Camille.

She was hopelessly in love with Buck, and had been long before her jealousy
forced her to admit it. She had never felt anything like this before.
Everything seemed different somehow, yet she knew her newly discovered
feelings would not really change anything. Kate was certain that Buck did
not feel the same way about her. He had never treated her as anything but a
close friend, nor did she expect him to. It was enough for her to love him
and be with him as a friend, without asking anything in return.

                            Chapter 9: Last Dance

"What's taking so long?" demanded Jimmy impatiently for the third time that
evening. "The dance will be over by the time we get there."

The riders and Teaspoon were gathered on the bunkhouse porch, waiting to
escort Rachel, Lou, and Kate to the annual fall dance. But the ladies had
been upstairs in Rachel's house for half an hour, and refused to come out
until they had dressed to perfection.

Cody looked at Jimmy in annoyance. "Would you quit pacing already, you're
making me dizzy!"

Jimmy sighed and plopped down on the steps. "I just don't understand how it
can take so long to put on a dress."

"That's 'cause you don't understand the female mentality," stated Teaspoon
with the air of an expert. On seeing the boys' blank looks he immediately
launched into a convoluted explanation of the differences between men and
women. The riders rolled their eyes and prayed the ladies would be ready
soon.

Upstairs the three women were hurriedly tying bows and putting the final
touches on each other's hair. They talked and giggled excitedly amongst
themselves, for these special occasions were a rare chance to behave and be
treated like real ladies. As for Kate, who had never been to a real dance
before, she couldn't decide whether she was more nervous or happy to be
included.

"All right, Rachel," said Lou. "That's the last of the pins. I think you're
ready now."

"Thanks, Lou." Rachel got up from her chair and turned around to face her
friends. Though she was older than the other girls the beautiful housekeeper
could still turn quite a few heads. Tonight she was wearing a lacy white
blouse beneath a tailored vest with a matching full skirt. Her hair was
pulled into an elegant upsweep, and a string of pearls hung at her throat.

Lou and Kate beamed at her. "Rachel, you look lovely!"

Rachel blushed prettily. "Not as lovely as you two. Just wait till you see
yourselves!" She ushered them towards the full-length mirror in the corner.

"I can't wait to see the look on Kid's face when he sees you, Lou!" said
Kate admiringly, looking at her friend. Lou was wearing a dress like the one
she got in Willow Springs, but this one was pink instead of blue. Her hair
was pulled back from her face with a matching ribbon, showing off her
beautiful dark eyes.

"Never mind about me," said Lou with a smile. "I can't wait for the boys to
see you! They won't even know what hit 'em!"

Kate looked skeptical. She knew she was nowhere near as pretty as Lou or
Rachel. It had been a long time since she had worn a dress, and she felt
awkward and exposed. Rachel had picked her a sage green dress sprinkled with
tiny cream flowers. The wide scoop neckline and belled sleeves were trimmed
with delicate cream lace and the bodice fit snugly around her slender waist.
It was a pretty dress, but that only made Kate feel more uncomfortable.

Rachel was positioning her in front of the mirror. She gestured at the
reflection and exclaimed, "See? What did we tell you?"

Kate stared at the reflection in shock. The girl looking back at her was
lovely. The green dress brought out the color of her luminous eyes and
contrasted nicely with the coppery hair spilling in loose waves down her
back. A satin ribbon held her hair back at the crown, revealing the high
smooth forehead and delicate cheekbones. Kate felt a slow flush creeping
into her face, which only added to the charm of her reflection.

She swallowed the sudden lump that had appeared in her throat. "I guess I
can manage to clean up all right after all," she finally managed with a
smile.

The boys scrambled to their feet as the front door finally opened and Rachel
emerged followed by Lou and Kate. There was a moment of awed silence before
Cody whistled appreciatively. This had definitely been worth the wait.

"Miss Rachel, you look radiant as always," said Teaspoon, sweeping off his
hat with a bow. "Would you do me the honor?"

"Certainly." She flashed him a dazzling smile and slipped her arm through
his.

Kid and Lou quickly followed suit, leaving Kate standing shyly with the
other boys, who seemed to have momentarily lost their powers of speech.

It was Noah, ever the gentleman, who first stepped up to her with a broad
smile. "Kate, you are truly a vision."

"Thank you," she replied, blushing furiously as she accepted his offered
arm. "You boys all look real nice too."

Kate hadn't had so much fun in a long time. She took turns dancing with the
riders and Teaspoon, though there were plenty of other men who would have
been happy to replace them. Neither Lou nor Rachel lacked for partners
either, though Lou wisely kept close to her fiancé to avoid any jealousy.
The boys also found many girls to be very friendly, and eager to dance with
the handsome young express riders.

Kate laughed as Cody twirled her around at the end of their dance. "Please
stop, Cody, I'm so dizzy I can't stand up!"

"All right, all right," he laughed and caught her as her knees wobbled.

They made their way off the dance floor to the punch table. Kate decided to
sit the next one out, and stood happily watching her friends and their
partners. Kid and Lou were dancing off to one side, oblivious to the rest of
the world. Jimmy was laughing over something with his partner, a pretty
brunette who was looking at him like he hung the moon. Cody went spinning by
with his giggling victim, narrowly missing Rachel and Noah. Teaspoon was
whirling around with a little girl in his arms, and even Jesse had gotten up
the courage to dance with a girl he had a crush on.

Kate's smile faded as she realized one person was missing. She let her gaze
wander around the room, searching for the familiar dark features and ready
smile. Kate was so busy looking that she started when Buck came up beside
her and offered her a glass of punch.

She turned and smiled at him. "Thanks. How come you aren't dancing?"

"I thought I should give the ladies' toes a break," he quipped with a grin.

Kate laughed. "You can't be that bad."

He shrugged. "Maybe not."

"Well I happen to know you're pretty good at the waltz," she said with a
twinkle in her eye. "The next song is bound to be a waltz, and it just so
happens that I am available."

Buck pretended to ponder this for a minute. "Hmmm, let's see. Dance with the
most beautiful girl in the room, or go eat cake? That's a hard one." He
looked down at her now blushing face. "I would love to have the honor of
this next dance."

"I thought you'd never ask!" she joked, stepping happily into his arms.

"Just try and keep your toes out of the way," he told her.

Her laughter faded as the first notes of the song wafted over the dance
floor. It was "My Wild Irish Rose."

Buck and Kate looked at each other for a moment in surprise. Then he slowly
began to lead her around the floor, smiling at her upturned, radiant face.
It was wonderful, dancing with her close against him, yet painful at the
same time. Buck wondered if she could hear the pounding of his heartbeat,
and struggled to ignore how badly he wanted to kiss her.

That waltz held some of the simultaneously longest and shortest moments of
Kate's life. She wanted the song to last forever, to stay there in Buck's
arms and have him look at her always the way he was right then while they
danced. But tomorrow she would go back to being plain old Kate with freckles
and sunburn and tonight's magic would be gone forever.

Rachel and Lou stood by the refreshment table chatting and watching the
dancing. They both found themselves staring at one couple in particular. Lou
noticed how well her two friends moved together, the protective curve of
Buck's arm around Kate's waist, the way they smiled into each other's eyes
and seemed to be in a world apart. She turned to Rachel with a smile.

"They certainly make a nice couple."

"Yes, they do," agreed Rachel.

Lou sighed. "It's too bad they haven't realized it yet."

The older woman flashed her an understanding look. "Don't worry, Louise,
they'll figure it out sooner or later."

"I know," said Lou. "And from the looks of them I'd say sooner rather than
later. It's just that it's hard not to say anything when it's so obvious."

The housekeeper couldn't help but laugh. "Now you know how we felt about you
and the Kid."

"But we were never that bad, were we Rachel?" asked Lou hopefully, though
she had a sinking feeling about what the answer would be.

Rachel nodded solemnly. "Worse," she said, and laughed.

Lou made a face and looked back at her friends on the dance floor. Lord
knows she and the Kid had never had an easy time of it, and she hoped Buck
and Kate would have better luck than they had.

                       Chapter 10: For Better or Worse

Two weeks later the riders celebrated the long-awaited marriage of Louise
and the Kid. Despite a few initial mishaps and the difficult path that had
finally led to the altar, no one doubted that the young couple had a bright
and promising future ahead of them. It was a beautiful ceremony, and
everyone present felt as if they had been part of something very special.

Kate missed the beginning of the ceremony due to the unexpected arrival of a
new foal, and when she slipped quietly into the church the two riders were
just exchanging their rings and their vows. Kate felt tears start in her
eyes, her heart swelling both with happiness for her friends and envy of
their good fortune. She wondered if she would ever experience that same joy.
But there was only one person with whom she would ever want to share her
life, and he thought of her only as a friend.

The new Mr. and Mrs. Kid sealed their union with a kiss that was hailed with
cheers and loud applause from Rachel and the riders. No one could have been
happier for them than Buck, but at the same time it hurt to see their
obvious passion and know he would never share that kind of bond with anyone.
Though he had found the one woman he could love for the rest of his life,
she deserved so much more than he could ever hope to give her. He knew he
couldn't ask her to make the same pledge as Kid and Lou, even if he thought
she loved him in return.

No one expected the tragic death that shattered the joyous mood. Afterwards
the riders did their best to have a good time for Kid and Lou's sake, but it
was not an easy thing to do. The sad omen had made them all more aware of
the approaching war and inevitable division that would result. Their world
had changed forever, and they were helpless to stop it.

Kate found Buck sitting at a table by himself, absently watching Rachel and
Teaspoon dancing. She and Cody had been dancing too in an effort to lighten
the depressed atmosphere, but even he was having a tough time trying to
retain his usually happy go lucky attitude. Now Cody had been called away on
army business, and Kate had come to see how Buck was holding up. She knew
that he felt the growing turmoil more keenly than the others, that it tore
him apart to see the only real family he had ever known slowly falling to
pieces.

"Are you all right?" she asked softly, sinking down beside him.

Buck nodded and managed a faint smile. "I was just thinking."

"About Jesse?" Kate had seen the argument between him and Noah, and guessed
what it was about.

"Yeah. I can't believe how quickly he's ready to turn his back on his family
and fight for a cause that goes against everything we believe in."

Kate sighed. "Try not to be so hard on him. Jesse's just as confused as the
rest of us, and he's too young to realize the consequences of what's going
on right now. I'm sure he doesn't mean to hurt any of you, he just doesn't
understand everything that might happen."

"Maybe so. But it's not just Jesse." He looked at her sadly. "It seems like
everybody's taking sides. Somehow I never thought that could happen to us.
We're supposed to be a family, yet we're already at each other's throats
before the war's even started." He shook his head regretfully. "It doesn't
have to be this way."

"No, it doesn't," agreed Kate. "You can't stop the war that's dividing this
country. All you can do is live with it as best you can. But you can stop it
from dividing your family. You just need to make sure that when the fighting
starts you all remember who your friends really are." She turned to look at
the dancing newlyweds. "Kid and Lou, they're the lucky ones. No matter what
happens they'll still have each other."

"I know," he said, then smiled wistfully. "But I don't think Kid and Lou are
feeling too lucky right now. This is supposed to be a celebration, and it
feels more like a funeral."

"Don't you think we oughtta do something about that?" asked Kate, smiling at
him hopefully.

Buck could not refuse her. "You're right." He stood up and pulled her to her
feet, twirling her onto the dance floor. "This is a special occasion, and we
might as well make the most of it. I get the feeling there isn't going to be
much else to celebrate for a while."

He didn't know how right he was. Four days later Buck had found himself
riding out to Kate's ranch to bring the sad news of Noah's death and the
fight with Pierson. The other riders were all dealing with the loss in their
own separate ways. Cody was stubbornly concentrating on his army duties,
while Jimmy tried to find solace with Rosemary. Rachel and Teaspoon busied
themselves with work, and Kid and Lou had each other. Once again Buck was
left on his own, so when a tearful Kate opened her arms to him he didn't
hesitate to accept her embrace. They sat on her porch and cried together,
drawing comfort from one another.

Now Kate stood in the cemetery a little apart from the riders. Though Noah
had been her friend she hadn't known him as long as the others, and she
didn't want to intrude in their private grief. Kate listened with tears in
her eyes to Teaspoon's heartfelt speech. She remembered the last time she
had seen Noah alive. He had come back to the wedding reception after talking
with Captain Erbach and Kate had made him dance with her to try and cheer
him up. It was hard to believe that the strong young man who had whirled her
across the dance floor that night was now lying dead in the cold ground. As
Teaspoon said, it was not natural.

                           Chapter 11: Revelation

The days following Noah's death were hard on everyone. The remaining members
of the express family struggled to pick up the pieces of their lives,
knowing that some things had changed irrevocably. They were all aware of new
divisions among them, no matter how hard they tried to retain their old
closeness. The Pony Express was nearing its end, and none of them wanted to
consider what would happen to their family when it did.

Rosemary had gone, unable to live with her guilt over Noah's death and the
knowledge that the riders blamed her for what had happened. Jimmy had
briefly considered going with her, but he quickly realized that she was no
longer the same woman he had first come to admire. Like Isiah, Rosemary had
twisted the noble ideals she originally fought for and used them as an
excuse to seek revenge. So in the end she left Rock Creek for good, and
Jimmy was not really sorry to see her go. Afterwards he and Kid managed to
sort out their differences, and their friendship remained as strong as ever.

Lou and Kid had indeed decided to take some time away after their wedding.
They went to St. Jo for a week, and when they returned they brought Jeremiah
and Theresa back with them. The new family would stay with Rachel until the
end of the express, when they planned to purchase a small farm just outside
of Rock Creek, near Kate's ranch. Cody continued to scout for the army,
spending more and more time with the troops stationed for training on the
outskirts of town.

Of all the riders' futures Buck's held the most uncertainty. He knew he
would never find another job like the one with the express, nor another
family. He wanted to remain in Rock Creek close to the others who planned to
stay, but he had no idea what he would do there. In the end, it was Kate who
offered him a solution. She invited him to come work at her ranch, and even
suggested that they could become partners. After all, if it hadn't been for
him she might not have had the ranch at all.

One day in late October Kate came into town to buy supplies and went as
usual to visit Rachel and the riders. As she approached the bunkhouse she
heard Lou and Kid's voices inside. She didn't want to eavesdrop and started
to turn away when she heard her name.

"I'm so glad Buck decided to take that job with Kate," Lou was saying. She
sighed. "Maybe now they'll finally see what's been right in front of 'em all
along. Even a fool can see how much those two love each other, but sometimes
it seems like they're never gonna figure it out."

Kid started to reply, but Kate was no longer hearing. The world seemed
suddenly to be spinning around her. There could be no mistaking Lou's
meaning. She took a deep breath. There was only one way to find out if her
friend was right.

Kate found Buck out behind the barn chopping firewood. He heard her coming
and stopped to greet her, but his smile faded when he saw the expression on
her face.

"Hi, Kate. Is something wrong?"

She felt her face turn red in embarrassment over what she was about to say.
"Not exactly, I just need to ask you a question."

Buck turned back to the woodpile and selected another log. "Okay, shoot."

Kate took a deep breath, then blurted, "Do you love me?"

The log splintered in half as Buck's axe came crashing down. "What kind of
question is that?" he said, avoiding her eyes by picking up the pieces.
"Sure I do, we're friends."

Kate stepped closer to him, forcing him to meet her gaze. "You know that's
not what I meant," she said in a low voice.

Buck sighed, knowing he could never lie to her. Briefly he wondered how she
had discovered his secret. Then he looked at her openly and regretfully, the
emotions he had been trying to hide for so long plainly evident in his face.
"Yes," he said simply.

Kate stared at him, shocked by the intensity of feeling she saw in his dark
eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked finally.

He looked away. "It's not important."

"Not important?" she repeated incredulously. A dozen emotions were welling
inside her, but it was anger at both him and herself that gripped her first.
"How can you say that? This country is tearing itself apart right now, and
love is the only thing that can keep any of us together. After everything
that's happened I can't believe you don't understand that."

"But I do understand!" Buck retorted. "I don't want to lose any more
friends. I didn't tell you how I feel because I didn't want to risk our
friendship. When I said it wasn't important, I just meant it wasn't
important that you knew, because it would only make things complicated." He
shook his head bitterly, turning back to the woodpile. "Looks like I was
right."

"No you weren't," Kate said firmly. His explanation had only made her
madder. "You should have been honest with me."

Buck chopped another log, viciously, and faced her again. "Why would I tell
you something that would only cause you pain?" he demanded angrily. "I know
I have no right to love you. I have nothing to offer you, and I can't ask
you to love me back."

She was looking at him with an unreadable expression, her anger gone. "Why
not?"

"Look at me. I'm a half-breed, remember?" His eyes filled with pain at the
memories of years of isolation and insults. His voice was harsh as he
continued, "I don't belong anywhere. People hate me, distrust me, cross the
street to get away from me. Anyone close to me just becomes a target for
that same hatred. How could I ask you to share that life with me? You
deserve so much better than that."

Kate's eyes had filled with tears at the sacrifice he was willing to make
for her. She knew that if she hadn't confronted him he would have gone on
just being her friend no matter how much it hurt him to be with her, and
never told her how he felt. But now she knew, and she was determined not to
let him sacrifice his own happiness anymore. She took a step closer and
looked earnestly into his face.

"Don't you see, Buck? You've already given me the life you think I deserve.
Because of you I have the ranch and my horses, a beautiful home and friends
that are like family. I have the life I've always wanted. All I need now is
someone to share it with." She dropped her eyes for a moment, blushing,
before meeting his gaze with a smile. "And I can't think of anyone I'd
rather be with than you."

He looked at her standing there with the sunset behind her crowning her head
with fire. Her cheeks were flushed with emotion and tears sparkled in her
extraordinary eyes. Buck thought she had never looked more beautiful than at
that moment. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let go, but
instead he turned away from her again.

"Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you don't have to
pretend," he said tiredly. "I don't want your pity. I just want to be
friends like we were before. It's better for both of us if we just forget
this whole conversation."

Buck wasn't prepared for her reaction. "Dammit, Buck," she cried, "quit
being so stubborn! You say you want what's best for me but you won't listen
when I tell you what that is!"

He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Fine, I'm listening!"

"It's you, Buck!" she said in exasperation. "You are what's best for me. I
don't care what other people will say and do. I just want to be with you."
Her beautiful eyes searched his face for understanding.

He was shaking his head, unable to believe that someone as special as Kate
would willingly share his life. "You don't know what you're saying" he
started.

Kate stomped her foot in frustration. "Yes I do, I know exactly what I'm
saying! I love you, you idiot!" And then because she could think of nothing
else to say to convince him, she flung her arms around his neck and kissed
him.

For an instant Buck stood numbly, unable to move or think, but when he felt
Kate's arms around him all his reserves were swept away and he finally
yielded to the wish that he had been hiding for so long. He pulled her
tightly against him and kissed her back with equal passion. After a long
moment they parted and looked at each other, both a little breathless. He
saw in her eyes the love that mirrored his own, and any remaining doubts
were replaced by a wave of happiness that left him dizzy.

"How come you never did that before?" asked Buck softly, only half joking.

"I wanted to!" Kate admitted, and flushed in embarrassment. But there could
be no secrets between them now. "But I owe you so much, how could I ask
anything more from you?"

Buck shook his head. "You don't owe me anything."

"Yes I do," Kate insisted. "And anyway, I never thought you cared for me
except as a friend."

"What changed your mind?"

Kate looked sheepish. "I accidentally heard Lou talking to Kid about us. She
said any fool could see how much we care about each other."

"Not this fool," said Buck wryly.

Kate laughed. "That's because you're too stubborn to look."

"Oh, thanks. Now I'm a stubborn fool."

"So am I, if that makes you feel any better," she replied with a smile.

He laughed. "Not really." Then he pulled her closer against him and looked
at her seriously. "I wonder what the chances are that a couple of fools
could turn out all right in the end."

Kate wrapped her arms around him once more. "I guess there's only one way to
find out."

Buck grinned. "Well then, what are we waiting for?" He felt her smiling too
as she stood on tiptoe to welcome his kiss, and he knew that at least one
pair of fools would definitely end up all right.

                            Epilogue: I Thee Wed

October, 1862

It was almost a year later when the remaining riders from the original
Sweetwater station all gathered in Rock Creek to celebrate another wedding.
The ceremony was held at the ranch now owned jointly by Kate and Buck. Just
before dusk the guests gathered in the yard before the house. Everyone was
there, Kid and Lou, who was now expecting, and Jeremiah and Theresa; Rachel,
Teaspoon, and Jimmy; and even Cody had gotten leave from the army.

Teaspoon smiled with some amusement at the groom who was nervously hooking a
finger under his collar. "You all right, son?"

Buck smiled weakly. "I will be."

Just then Kate came out of the house. A murmur went around the small crowd,
and Buck forgot all about his nerves as he stared at her. She looked
exquisite. The ivory lace dress was simple yet elegant, with a delicate
ruffle around the wide scoop neckline and at the ends of the long sleeves.
It hugged her slender figure and skimmed the toes of her satin heels, and
even had a slight scoop train in the back. Tiny white blossoms peeked out of
her upswept hair, crowning her head like stars.

Buck felt his throat tighten with emotion as she came to stand before him.
He still couldn't believe that this extraordinary woman was going to be his
wife. Kate looked up at him with eyes full of love and promise, her face
glowing with happy excitement. Neither one of them really heard a word
Teaspoon was saying, until it came time to exchange their vows. Then Kate
seemed to start and turned to face the old marshal as he asked for her
pledge.

"Do you, Kate, take Buck to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to
hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for
poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you
part?"

"I do," said Kate clearly, smiling into Buck's eyes.

Buck's heart was pounding as Teaspoon repeated the question for him. "I do,"
he said huskily. Then he took Kate's small hand in his own large one and
they exchanged rings.

Teaspoon beamed at them. "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the
bride."

Kate turned to Buck with tears of joy shining in her eyes. He took her
gently into his arms, and their lips met in a tender kiss. When they finally
parted there was not a dry eye in sight. Then somebody gave a joyful whoop,
and the happy couple was surrounded by a mob of cheering friends and family.

The celebration lasted well into the night. There was food and music and
dancing under the stars in the yard lit by garlands of paper lanterns. The
ex-riders took turns toasting the new couple, and all of the friends had a
wonderful time laughing about old times and catching up with those who had
been away. But eventually the guests began to head home, leaving Buck and
Kate standing hand-in-hand on the porch of the home they would now share.
Then Kate's laughter drifted out over the yard as he swept her off her feet
and carried her over the threshold.

The next morning Buck was awakened by the dawn light streaming through the
window, painting the bedroom with warm reds and golds. His first conscious
thought was that he must be dreaming, and his second was that he wanted
never to awaken. But he knew he was not dreaming, and wondered briefly what
he had done to deserve so much happiness.

Buck looked down at the woman cradled in his arms as if to reassure himself
that she was real. Kate was still sleeping peacefully, smiling as the
morning sun warmed her face. Buck lay quietly, listening to her breathe and
thinking nothing at all, enjoying the pleasant weight of her head against
his shoulder and her arm flung across his chest. Absently he let his fingers
move lightly over the coppery hair spilling across the bed.

Kate slowly became aware of a gentle hand stroking her hair, and when she
came fully awake a wave of happiness nearly took her breath away. For the
first time in her life she knew what it was like to wake up in the arms of
the person she loved; for the first time she felt perfectly content. She
lifted her head a little to look at her husband, who smiled when he saw she
was awake.

"Good morning," Buck said softly.

"Yes, it is," replied Kate, inching forward to kiss him.

His arms tightened around her. "And it's getting better by the minute," he
grinned, her laughter echoing his own.

A few moments later they heard Jack whistling in the yard as he began his
morning chores. They looked at each other a little regretfully, knowing it
was time to get up and go to work. Reluctantly Kate disentangled herself and
got out of bed. She went to the bureau and tossed Buck a clean shirt before
finding one for herself. Buck was sitting on the edge of the bed pulling on
his boots when he noticed what Kate was wearing.

"That's my shirt," he pointed out with a smile.

Kate had been looking out the window while she buttoned the shirt. Now she
looked down and immediately noticed her mistake. The shirt hung down to the
middle of her thighs, the cuffs nearly reaching her fingertips.

"What, you don't think it fits?" she said innocently.

Buck quirked an eyebrow skeptically.

"Well," she teased, "it looks better on me."

Buck had to agree with that. "You're right," he said, standing up and coming
over to the bureau. "But if you're going to wear that I guess I have to wear
this." He held up a lacy blouse a gift from Lou and looked at her seriously.

Kate laughed and reached for the blouse. "I don't think so."

But he held it away from her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"But it's my color!" He backed away, pulling at his other shirt as if he
meant to change.

Kate followed him, hands on her hips. "Buck Cross, you give that back right
now!" She lunged for the blouse, but he jumped away and ran to the opposite
side of the bed.

"No way!" Buck said, holding the blouse against him. "I think it really
suits me."

"I'll tell you what suits you," grinned Kate. "This!" And she hurled a
pillow at his laughing face.

Buck saw the wicked gleam in her eyes a moment too late to avoid the blow,
though he immediately retaliated with a pillow of his own. Soon they were
whacking each other mercilessly with the large pillows and shrieking with
laughter. Finally Kate stumbled and collapsed helplessly against the bed.
Buck seized the opportunity to throw his pillow at her, shouting in triumph.
Unfortunately she ducked, just as Danny burst into the room, alarmed by the
commotion. The pillow sailed across the room and hit him squarely in the
face.

"What the?" The young man staggered backwards. The look on his face sent
Buck and Kate into another spasm of laughter. Poor Danny could only stand
there feeling ridiculous while they clutched their sides and wiped the tears
from their eyes.

"Uh sorry to disturb you," he stammered in embarrassment. "I heard the noise
and I thought I just wanted to make sure everything was all right."

By now Kate had managed to calm herself somewhat. "That was nice of you,
Danny," she smiled. "But we're fine. We'll be down in a minute."

Buck nodded. "Sorry about the pillow," he said sincerely, although his eyes
still twinkled.

"That's okay." Danny backed out of the room and closed the door behind him,
shaking his head. Getting married sure made folks do some strange things.
But he couldn't help smiling as he went to help Jack finish the chores
before breakfast.

When Danny was gone Kate stood and started straightening her disheveled
appearance. "Poor Danny," she sighed. "I'm sure he already thinks I'm pretty
strange, but now he's probably going to think you're crazy."

Buck looked at her. "He'd be right."

And Kate read his meaning in his eyes, and smiled. It seemed she must be
crazy, too.

"A pillow fight, eh?" Jack chuckled. "Must've been quite a sight."

Danny nodded, laughing in spite of himself. "Yeah, I guess it was." Then his
face clouded. "But to tell you the truth, it kinda worried me."

They had been filling the feed and water troughs, but now Jack paused in his
work to study his younger helper. "What's troubling you, son?"

Danny looked uncomfortable. "Don't get me wrong, I'm real happy for Buck and
Miss Kate. It's just, now that they're married it don't seem like they're
gonna want to spend much time workin' on the ranch."

"I don't think you need to worry about that," said Jack with a smile. "Just
give it a little time."

Just then they heard the front door open and turned to see the new Mr. and
Mrs. Cross standing on the porch. Suddenly Kate laughed and broke into a
run.

"Last one to the barn has to break the new mustang!" she yelled over her
shoulder.

"Cheater!" hollered Buck with a grin, chasing after her just slow enough to
let her win. They disappeared into the barn, their laughter mingling with
the whinnied greetings of the horses.

Jack turned back to his friend. "Like I said, you don't need to worry, son.
Seems like this is gonna work out just fine."

And as it turns out, he was right.

                                  The End
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

     *Lyrics from "At the Beginning"

     We were strangers, starting out on a journey
     Never dreaming what we'd have to go through
     Now here we are, and I'm suddenly standing
     At the beginning with you
     No one told me I was going to find you
     Unexpected, what you did to my heart
     When I lost hope you were there to remind me
     This is the start
     Chorus:
     And life is a road and I want to keep going
     Love is a river I want to keep flowing
     Life is a road, now and forever
     A wonderful journey
     I'll be there when the world stops turning
     I'll be there when the storm is through
     In the end I want to be standing
     At the beginning with you
     We were strangers, on a crazy adventure
     Never dreaming how our dreams would come true
     Now here we stand, unafraid of the future
     At the beginning with you
     Chorus
     I knew there was somebody somewhere
     Like me, alone in the dark
     Now I know my dream will live on
     I've been waiting so long
     Nothing's gonna tear us apart
     Chorus