Rolling over onto his left side, Jimmy stared at the wall which separated him from Margaret. He shook his head. She'd come, not to challenge him, but, she said, to learn from him. He'd chased her away, horrified, when he learned that she wasn't a man, but she was a persistent wench, and he couldn't seem to persuade her that he was dangerous, especially to women. She turned out to be dangerous too, for within a fortnight's time he had fallen for her eyes, her laugh, and her low, expressive voice...

READ THE STORY

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.

READ THE STORY

"Sorry, Lou. I just..." Jimmy's voice trailed off, seeing just how beautiful Lou looked. All he could do was stare at the young woman before him. In a matter of seconds he took in everything about her. Her hair was swept up into a loose bun with soft curls gently hanging around her face. She had on a lovely pale yellow dress with a delicate flowered print. The full skirt and slim waist fit her perfectly, accentuating the feminine shape nobody really knew she had. The sudden thought made his face turn red.

READ THE STORY

Lou looked at her own hand, not recognizing the scars or the single wedding ring. Fear streamed through her blood and she gained a panic glare to her eyes. "This isn't my ring. Where's the diamond? What's going on here? If I was hurt why wasn't I taken to the hospital? What am I doing here with strangers?"

Rachel pushed herself between the upset husband and the terrified young woman. Something strange was going on here; Lou wasn't herself. Fighting with the Kid would only make it harder on both of them.

READ THE STORY

"What're you lookin' at?" Lou snapped.

"Nothin'!" he replied. Again he'd done it. "I mean..."

"Oh, I know what you mean, Kid," Lou said in the sweetest voice she could muster.

Kid smiled. Finally off the hook!

Lou walked over to him, and looked up into his eyes. "I understand that I'm nothin' much to look at, especially with pretty lil miss Heather walkin' around..."

Kid began to laugh.

READ THE STORY

"She can't be everything he wants, she's not you and I think you're prettier than she is."Jimmy turned away, why did he say that out loud. His face felt like it was on fire, but perhaps that was a good thing, he might just burst into flames and then he wouldn't have to face her. He knew she still had feelings for Kid and no matter how close they became, if Kid ever came to his senses and begged for forgiveness, he would always be her first choice.

READ THE STORY

Lou sat up and looked out the window of Rachel's house to the now near-desolate Rock Creek waystation. Prior her and Kid's wedding a few weeks before, it had been a bustling place, filled with the commotion of all the riders, Teaspoon, Jesse, and Rachel. Now Jesse had run off with his outlaw brother, Frank, Cody had joined up with the army, Jimmy was probably off with Rosemary and the abolitionists, Noah was dead, Louise couldn't ride anymore, and her replacement had been murdered. Buck and Kid were taking all the remaining mail runs and were dog-tired themselves. 

Chapters 1-5 || Chapters 6-7 || Chapters 8-11

"You have a lot of secrets, don't you Noah?"

"About as many as you do I should imagine," he replied. Their eyes locked once again and this time, neither pulled away. Lou saw the love in his eyes and his stare was looking straight into her soul.

"Well now you have one more," she told him as she leaned closer and kissed him gently on the lips. The electricity was overwhelming. They wrapped their arms around each other as the kiss became more and more urgent and intense. Noah, realizing the danger, pushed her away.

READ THE STORY

Jimmy didn't know what that meant anymore. He thought Rosemary was on the right side. But she had gotten Noah killed. That definitely wasn't right. But Kid believed in a world that kept men and women like Noah as slaves. That wasn't right, either.

"Which one is it, Kid? Which side is right?"

"There's no right side, Jimmy. Otherwise, a lot of good people wouldn't be dying. There's only home and family. That's what people are fighting for. That's what I would fight for."

READ THE STORY