Chapter 4

Summer turned into fall, and fall in turn became cold snow. After Christmas and New Years the nights were dark and lonely for Buck, who had thought of Lou's words every day since they were spoken. He had bit his teeth together and never once let her knew how he felt, thinking it wasn't much different from the days working for the Pony Express. He had watched her every day then too, knowing 
he couldn't have her. She had belonged to another man then, and she still did. 
Only difference was, Kid was dead now, and it was time for Lou to move on, but 
she refused to see it. In the back of his mind he thought maybe she did see it, 
only she didn't want to move on with him, but there was no way for him to know. 

It felt unreal that they had shared a bed for one night and made nothing out of it. Buck had always had something against one-night experiences, feeling dirty and bad about it, as if there were no feelings involved. But now he had in fact done it, and even though he had enough feelings to last them both, they were only bouncing back at him every time he wished Lou would see them. 

It was an exceptionally cold winter, the bunkhouse chilly and drafty. Lou wanted 
to invite Buck to live with her and the children in the house, but knew it was a bad idea. She told herself that in case she couldn't live with him in the same building without sleeping in his bed, she had been wrong before, saying there was nothing between them. But she had acted foolishly once before, and that was enough. Marilee was hardly old enough to understand her father had died, and it wouldn't be fair to her to give her a new dad so soon. Who am I kidding? Lou sighed. There 
is nothing between Buck and me, he would never be Mari's father! She was angry at herself for even suggesting it, taking her late husband's picture in her hands. She studied it, smiling through the tears as he looked back at her. She couldn't 
hide from his eyes, he saw her everywhere. Just the thought that he had seen her with Buck in their bed, was what made her cry this time. She had to go see Buck, just to make sure he was still there, for the first time wondering what was keeping him in Sweetwater. It was pitch dark outside, cold beyond belief. She pulled her coat around her slim figure, running as fast as she could toward the bunkhouse. 

Entering, she saw a few candles lit and a small, burning flame in the fireplace. 
Buck lay in his bunk, shivering from cold, two blankets covering his body. He 
hadn't noticed her come in, the wind from outside not changing his condition the least. Lou looked around, wondering what to do first. She threw herself at the fireplace and tried to revive the dying flames, succeeding only temporarily. 

"It's no use," Buck's stuttering words reached her ears. 

She turned around and went over to him. 

"You ain't sick, are ya?" she asked, feeling his forehead for a temperature. 

"No, I'm fine," he said, pulling the blankets closer around his trembling body, closing his eyes hard. 

"You gotta get warm," she almost whispered, his skin cold as the air. 

"Come inside with me," she said, but he shook his head forcefully. 

"I'm not going out there." 

"Then there's only one thing to do," Lou said, mostly to herself, looking around 
for more firewood. 

Buck sat up, despite his stiff body, leaning against the wall. Lou threw in more 
food for the fire, doing her best to keep it alive. It faded again, and Buck had to leave his bunk, though he dreaded it, and sit close to the fireplace. Lou found a third blanket and spread it over his shoulders. He looked up at her face, met her eyes cautiously, then turned back to the fire. His hands were so old and stiff he could barely move them, let alone feel them as he rubbed them together, in a desperate attempt to gain some warmth. 

"I'm sorry this had to happen," Lou murmured, rubbing his shoulders. 

"I'll live," he replied, actually feeling somewhat better. 

"You wouldn't unless I'd found you," she smiled carefully, kneading his back muscles through the blankets, suddenly struck by the urge to do more. 

She let go of him, to his great dismay, and sat beside him instead. They looked 
into the flames, which were dying once again, and simply sat silent side by side 
for a long time. Buck was still shivering occasionally, though his body was unfreezing more by the minute. Lou's eyes searched for his, found them and 
stared into them. He looked back, a longing sensation in them which made her shiver some too. But not from cold. 

Her hand moved on its own, creeping up behind his head, pulling it to her lips. 
They kissed briefly, the glowing light from the fire spreading across their bodies 
as they undressed each other. Buck let her roll him over on his back, the blankets working as a bed for now. She leant down to suckle at his nipples, her tongue licking his tanned skin, moving down toward his bellybutton. He moaned deeply, growing hard only from watching her. She let her tongue slide back and forth 
below his bellybutton, before finally moving down to touch his most sensitive parts. He breathed heavily as she took him into her mouth, licking and sucking 
with both tongue and lips, moving up and down his shaft. He grew bigger and harder, hips moving with her sucking and teasing. 

She let go of him just before he would lose control, straddling him to once again tease his nipples. He wanted to be inside her, needing it even more this time, though he thought their last encounter would last him a lifetime. She pressed her womanhood against his stomach, making him almost as wet as herself. His 
hands, finally somewhat warmer, kneaded her buttocks and lovehandles, before touching her breasts and nipples. He pulled himself up to lick his tongue along her side, reaching her right breast and take it into his mouth. She moaned, an orgasm close, moving her hips, unable to help it. Buck smiled, taking a careful hold of her other breast, his warm tongue making the nipple rock hard, causing her body to start trembling. As she came down from her first satisfaction of the night, she smiled and looked into his eyes as he lay back down. 

"Are you warm yet?" she asked, stroking his chest and abs. 

He nodded with a wicked smile on his face, rolling her over on her back. He let his swollen head touch her sensitive bud, which sent her over her peak again. He smiled again, entering her fully. This time he felt good about satisfying her first, 
but she wasn't done yet. She moved her hips so violently he nearly gasped, 
totally forgetting to move his own. She nearly laughed at him, grabbing his shoulders. As he finally started to move she let her head fall against the blankets, moaning with his every thrust. He groaned and let out a heavy sigh, having to let himself rest for a brief moment before continuing. He trailed kisses down her neck and shoulder, taking her nipple into his mouth again. She nearly screamed in total bliss. His hips moved with stronger force, thrusting hard. His loud moans mingled with hers, and they rolled around on the blankets, both unable to lay still in one position. Their hips moved against each other, moaning louder still. Buck felt how he had lost all control of his body, felt it move on its own, one single thought in his head. To stay conscious. His vision was blurred by white dots, and a fresh sensation of dizziness overtook him. He moved violently, letting all desires he had suffocated through the years with Lou claim his body, made him move until his whole body trembled in ecstasy. He felt Lou's fingers dig into his shoulders, the pain quickly overtaken by his orgasm. He screamed straight out, feeling his seed shoot deep into Lou's body, her womanhood tightening around him. He kept moaning and trembling, couldn't stop. Lou smiled, hugging him against her. 

She knew she had just given him the best of his life, his body shivering violently even minutes later. She had seen Kid react the same way once, and though they had had great sex after that, nothing could satisfy her like the way he had trembled and moaned that night. Like Buck was now. 

Buck fell deep into Lou's sweaty embrace, shuddering, biting his lips together to keep the moans from escaping. She had left him senseless, and he again had to focus on his breathing to keep from fainting. As he finally regained some control of his body, his muscles were so cramped he could barely move anyway. He stiffly lifted his head, looking into Lou's dark eyes. She smiled, kissing him, staring back at him. 

"I love you," he whispered, finally daring to speak the words he had thought since the very day he met her. 

Lou closed her eyes, let him kiss her, knew if she spoke now she would say something she would regret later. But to Buck it didn't matter if she answered or not, as long as she stayed with him. That was answer enough. 

Lou gently pushed him off of her, rising. Buck looked up at her with a frown, her hand reaching down to take his. 

He sat up, reading in her eyes that she wanted him to join her, wherever she was going. He smiled, took her hand. 

Lou moved to Buck's bunk, laying down carefully. Buck stood over her for a moment, looking down at her, the fire behind him making his contours burn with a glow of orange and yellow. She pulled him down, his lips touching her slim middle. He kissed her belly with light lips, inhaling the scent she had carried with her always, the scent he had smelled before and almost gone crazy thinking he couldn't have her. But now she was there, and all his. 

She let her hands play with his hair, as his warm breath flew lightly over her skin, tickling her to a giggle. Buck lay down in the bunk, leaning on his left elbow and looked at her. His hand traced her side, fingertips just barely touching her. She pulled him down to kiss his lips, letting her hand come around his neck. She pulled back instantly, looking at her hand in terror. It was bloody. 

Buck was first confused, and Lou sat up in the bunk to look over his back. She carefully touched the swollen areas where small rivers of blood trickled, from the place where she had let her fingers dig into him, trying to keep from going insane as he rode her. She smiled carefully, kissing his shoulder. 

"Looks like I hurt you," she said, hoping he wouldn't be mad. 

"You could never hurt me, Lou, don't worry," he spoke sincerely, taking her chin in his hand. 

He kissed her deeply, his tongue touching hers with a sudden hunger for her 
body. She looked into his eyes, where feelings of confusion and bewilderment flowed. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but he looked away, laying down with 
a sigh. The wounds on his shoulder didn't hurt that bad, and he thought he would be sleeping soon. 

"Buck, don't you want me again?" she asked with a seducing look in her luminous eyes, sinking down against the sheets as well. 

Buck looked at her, eyes big with further confusion. He hadn't been very sexually active during his marriage, as the tribe he lived with was going hungry and 
couldn't afford more than one child per family. When his son had been born, he 
was only sleeping with his wife when it was for certain she would not get 
pregnant. Doing it twice in one night was something he had never dared to even think about. Though he had wanted to, many times. 

It was obvious Lou was more spoiled than that. He looked into her eyes for a long moment, breaking out in a wicked smile. She smiled also, when she felt his hands stroke her body, searching for her sensitive spots. They made respectful love, sleeping peacefully in each other’s arms. 

Buck awoke a few hours later, lay beside her just watching her sleep. He couldn't believe she was actually there again, in his arms. She had said before that they had acted wrongfully doing what they did, but now he was more than certain she had changed her mind. 

 
Chapter 5

Lou woke at the crack of dawn, her head resting on Buck's left arm. His head lay against the wall, arms and legs spread across the bed. Lou noticed she lay basically the same way, their limbs tangled together. She watched the silent 
heave of his chest as he breathed, eyelids fluttering slightly as he dreamt. She carefully pulled her legs free, rising from his arm. He felt her weight leave him 
even as he slept, turned his head to his right just by instinct. Lou stared at him, praying he wouldn't look up, but his eyes opened slowly, squinting in the bright light from the morning sun. He smiled at her, her hand landing over his face, 
forced his eyes shut. She placed a kiss on his cheek and left the bed. It was 
enough for Buck to go back to sleep, and she grabbed her clothes from the floor, dressed quickly, rushed over to the house. 

She told herself it was because she wanted the children to find her in her own 
bed, alone, but in her head she knew she was only running from the feelings that wouldn't go away. The feelings she knew Buck had for her, and she had for him. 
But she didn't want them, none of them. She just wanted to be left alone, even though she could never imagine life at the homestead without Buck there. She 
was torn in both directions, unable to keep from sweating in the presence of Buck, and yet unable to love him like he loved her. 

She crashed on her bed, pressing her face into the pillow, biting her lip to keep 
from crying. She realized her tears didn't always mean her sorrow for Kid 
anymore, instead she cried for the love Buck was willing to give her that she couldn't give him back. Not as long as Kid existed for her, dead or not, and she knew he always would. She fell asleep and slept until the house started stirring. 

Buck showered and walked over to the house, fully rested and feeling satisfied for life. He smiled at Marilee on the porch, playing with a doll she had received on her birthday. It was Saturday, both kids home, and in a way Buck was glad he 
wouldn't have to see Rachel. He caught a certain light in her eyes every time she looked at him, as if she wanted to tell him she knew everything. But how could 
she know? And if she did, why wouldn't she say something? He decided to leave that for the gods to answer, walked into the house. 

"Ma's not here," Jimmy's dark voice spoke, stopping Buck dead in his tracks. 

"Uh... You know where she is?" he asked, almost cold sweating, scared his shirt would fall apart right before Jimmy's eyes and reveal the red marks on Buck's back. 

"By the creek. She wants to be alone." 

Buck nodded, turned. He knew when he wasn't wanted, and in the presence of Jimmy he often felt that way. The child seemed to have taken over Kid's soul and spirit, and through his light-blue eyes he showed exactly what Buck could imagine Kid would if he was alive, and knew about the things that were going on between his wife and the long lost Kiowa. 

Buck left the house instantly, sitting down with Marilee. 

Jimmy looked on from the window, a darkness spreading across his face. He 
envied the way Mari smiled with Buck, laughing at the way his voice changed 
when he spoke to the doll. Jimmy envied the way Mari always seemed to be 
loved, whoever she was around. She had always had a father as far as she was concerned, and always someone to look after her. Jimmy had no one since Kid died. He wanted no one else either, but watching Buck and his sister play on the porch, made him so angry he wanted to jump through the window and break it up. But instead he just turned back to his books, hoping to catch up on some Biology for school. 

Buck went looking for Lou, leaving Mari in her brother's care. He knew the boy had said she wanted to be alone because she had been crying, Marilee had said so. Buck couldn't think of anything he would rather do than to embrace her like he always did, hug her and soothe her, and if she needed it, he wanted to make love to her. He felt embarrassed for thinking that, but after their night in the bunkhouse he couldn't help it. He found her sitting in the middle of the creek, on the usual 
rock where he had found her many times before. 

He stood and watched her for a moment, her hair catching a glowing look in the sun, flowing down her back. He let out a deep sigh, leaning against a tree. His knees went weak just from watching her. 

Lou heard Buck approach, but she didn't turn. She had indeed been crying, but not over Kid. She had cried for Buck, whom she knew would never be more than a lover, no matter how much he wanted to be more than that. She couldn't love him like he loved her, she had decided that now. Still a voice told her she was already loving him, but she fought those thoughts with all her being. It wasn't fair to anyone. 

The creek was not icy, the currents seeming stronger than ever around the tiny woman. He wondered how she got there, to that rock in the middle of it all. She finally turned to him, looking into his eyes. She saw the love he felt for her, and 
she felt warm all over. Just like last night, by the fire, when his looks alone had made her do something stupid again. She knew she was leading him on, but she couldn't help it. When he looked at her with those black eyes she saw exactly what she wanted, what she desired and what she could have any day if only she told 
him the words he wanted to hear, but Kid constantly reminded her that she belonged to him. She saw in Buck's eyes that he knew what she had been through, what pain she felt and what loneliness she faced in her dreams. But she also saw the love he had developed for her, the desire he had and the life he wanted her to share with him. She turned away, looking at the afternoon sun, which was finally beginning to warm the snow and bring promises of spring. But Lou's heart was 
still cold. 

Buck looked around and noticed some smaller rocks in the creek, figured Lou had used those. He wanted to be close to her, but was afraid to walk out on those rocks. They looked a slight bit too small for his feet. 

"Lou, can you come back, I wanna talk to you," he spoke, the woman looking up suddenly. 

"Please?" 

Lou sighed, started to balance her way back on the small rocks. She jumped the last few feet to the bank, landing in Buck's arms. She looked up at his face with concerned eyes, smiling a bit embarrassed. She backed away, but his arms had closed around her and she was forced back into his embrace. 

"Lou, what's wrong?" he asked, her knees going week again, the warm sensation 
in her returning from hearing his soft voice. 

She looked into his eyes, meeting the same warmth and nervousness. He leant forward and kissed her, hugging her closer. She returned the kiss, slipping her tongue into his mouth. They kissed for a long moment, both breathing heavily when they parted. 

"I felt so lonely when I woke up, why did you go?" he asked, looking at her pretty face with sparkling eyes. Sparkling from love. 

"I had to see to the children," she said, feeling like she lied only a little. 

"Couldn't you have come back?" he asked with a teasing smile. 

"I had to think," Lou said, sighing. 

She couldn't lie looking into those eyes of his, the warmth and love radiating from them too strong. Her knees gave way again, and she had to lean against his chest to stay on her feet. 

”Think? About us?" 

"Yes. I woke in your arms, feeling so happy at first, but then I thought of Kid. 
Buck, can't you see? He's never gonna let me go, and I won't let him either." 

Buck looked away, backing a step from her body, ready to scream and hit something, but only sighed deeply. 

"I know." 

"Buck, I'm sorry," Lou whispered, searching for his eyes. 

When he finally met her stare the warmth was gone, replaced with anger and jealousy. But the love remained. 

"I can't believe I fell for it twice," he murmured, starting for home. 

"Don't just walk away! We need to talk, Buck, you can't just go!" she called after him, but his hand only waved at the air behind him, in a gesture to make her 
leave him alone. 

He watched him leave, sighing in despair, at a total loss of what to do. 

"I told you she wanted to be alone!" Jimmy called from the porch as Buck entered the barn. 

Buck made no effort out of hiding his anger, glared at the boy. He closed the door behind him, only to reappear outside moments later, his horse bridled and ready 
to be exercised. Jimmy frowned, watched the Kiowa gracefully mount his horse. Buck rode quickly from the station, leaving no doubt that he wasn't going to 
return for long. 

Lou looked after him as he went, her voice trapped in her throat, unable to holler after him the words he wanted to hear. The words he had spoken to her and not required anything in return for. The words she had only spoken to one man before in her life, but still wanted to tell another. Yet she was afraid that first man would ruin things if she did. She sighed and headed for the porch, where Jimmy waited with Marilee behind his legs. The boy looked at his mother with a concerned 
frown, but she didn't notice him. 

The words Buck had spoken at the creek echoed in her head. How he wanted to wake up beside her, how he had missed her and then the unspoken sentence; how much he loved her for being his. And she had popped the dream right as it was about to come true... 

 
Chapter 6

Buck let his horse wander, riding on until the night became too cold. It was dark since many hours back, and he had to bite his teeth together hard to shut out the chill. He had tried to think about Lou, but there had been too many distractions. She had walked in and out of his mind, but he couldn't focus on her alone. His 
anger was too strong. She had deliberately made him think she cared for him, but now she was telling him she only cared for Kid. He had been dead soon three 
years, and Buck cursed him for staying on. Why couldn't he just leave and let 
Lou's life have its course? He thought, finally turning for home. He was pretty 
sure the McCloud family would be asleep by now, and even if they weren't they wouldn't notice him come back. He would sneak his best and not light any 
candles. He didn't want Lou to see him. Didn't want to see her. 

As he finally came closer to the old Pony Express station, he heard voices. This surprised him, and all his anger turned into curiosity. 

"This will go quick, lady, just sit back and relax." 

"Get off of me!" 

Buck heard Lou's dark growl even from where he sat straddled across his horse up on the hill above Kid's grave. He listened again. 

"Now, be still and no one gets hurt, I'd hate to damage that pretty face of yours!" 

"Don't you dare touch my daughter!" 

"This beauty? No, no, why would I touch her, when I can give her enough pain hurting her mama?" 

"You filthy pig!" 

Buck decided he had heard enough. He could see only shadows dancing in the 
faint light from the house, but he had only heard Lou and two men speak. Maybe 
he could handle this, he thought. 

"What do you want?!" Lou cried angrily, fighting the grip of the strong man. 

"We want our gold," he replied, shaking her arm. 

"What gold?! We don't have any gold!" Lou assured him, her voice growing unwillingly desperate. 

"Your husband found gold five years ago, and we're here to collect it. And don't 
lie, it won't do ya no good!" the second man spoke, his voice revealing he must be at least five or so years younger than his partner. 

Buck let his horse into one of the corrals behind the barn, sneaking around the corner. The shadows of the dark night were on his side, and he could easily rush over to the bunkhouse without being seen or heard. "That was five years ago, we don't have it now!" Lou yelled, receiving a slap in the face. 

"I told ya to be still!" 

"Look, missy, we know your husband struck gold only half a mile from here, and a friend of his ended up in the same jail as us," the older man spoke, sitting down beside Lou. 

Lou knew exactly who this 'friend' was. He had gone under the name Folston, and had worked alongside Kid for a few months, as they were digging for gold on the station property. They had found only a little, but it was enough to give them a smaller fortune. Folston had drawn a gun on Kid and gotten away with half the valuable goods. They never saw him again, but heard he was caught a few weeks later, then trying to rob a bank. 

"See, Folston told us about your gold, and the son of a whore thought he'd be 
there to share it with us!" the younger man laughed, waving his gun around. 

"Be still with that thing, you know I hate guns!" the older man said harshly, swatting at his partner. 

"But Folston had a little accident!" the younger man continued to laugh. 

"Yeah, fell on a pillow and forgot to breathe…" the older man, which was 
beginning to sound more and more like the leader, smiled wickedly. 

"So, here we are! Ready to relieve you of that gold!" 

"There ain't no gold, we sold it and used the money to rebuild this place," Lou stated calmly, a shadow flashing behind the older man. She tensed, her ears listening for any signs of Buck, hoping it was him who had just passed behind the men. It had to have been. 

Buck sat right around the corner of the house, the two men with guns pointed at Lou and the children only ten or fifteen feet away. Now he waited, looking for an opening of some sort, hoping the men would split up eventually. The moment 
came sooner than he had expected. 

"Troy, get the horses, I'm taking this lady inside. She's gonna show me where the gold is or pay." 

The younger man nodded, uncocking his gun. He strolled confidently toward the barn. Buck followed him, waited until he was inside. Troy felt a hard fist at the 
base of his neck; fell to the ground before he could turn around and see who had 
hit him. Buck looked around, saw a sack of potatoes standing by the door. He 
lifted it above his head and slammed it in Troy's face, causing his enemy to lose conscious. He sighed in relief, panting for a moment. He slipped gracefully out the door, careful to stay in the darkness. 

The other man and Lou had moved inside, and he saw now the children were tied 
to the porch. Jimmy saw him, looking over his shoulder nervously, stated the man with the rifle was nowhere near a window. "He's got mom," he whispered, Buck nodding, gesturing for him to be silent. 

"I'll get her out of this, I swear," he whispered back, pulling his knife from its sheath. 

Just then Lou and the other man came toward the door. 

"Where is the gold, lady, I'm gettin' tired of this!" the man growled, pushing her out. This was just the moment Buck had waited for, the man for a split second not focused on his surroundings. 

He let out a cry and launched himself at the older man. The two fell to the ground, Lou throwing herself out of the way, watching with horror in her eyes as Buck fell beneath the heavier man, both struggling to hold the knife The older man's fist hit Buck square in the face, and the Kiowa was temporarily defeated. That was all his opponent needed, and he scrambled to his feet, started to run toward the barn, Buck's knife in his hand. 

Buck was on his feet an instant later, grabbing the rifle as he rose. The old man turned to see the weapon pointed at him, threw the knife toward the porch with 
all his last strength. The rifle went off, and Lou breathed somewhat lighter after seeing the outlaw fall to the ground. But Jimmy's cry was all she needed to turn to her children, again skipping a heartbeat in fear. 

"Are you alright?" she asked, bending to her knees at Jimmy's feet. 

"Buck!" Jimmy and Mari hollered as one, both struggling the ropes to free their hands, unable to point in the right direction for their mother. 

"Oh my God," Lou breathed, crouching at Buck's side, taking his head in her lap. 

The knife was half-way inside his gut, and he struggled to swallow the blood rising to his mouth. He couldn't breath normally, struggled to sit. Lou held him down, telling him to be still, but his panic rose as his breath became even more strained. 

"It's alright, Buck, you're gonna be fine," she whispered, stroking his forehead. 

Jimmy managed to get his hands loose, and freed his sister. 

"Jimmy, get a doctor! Hurry!" Lou called, her own panic rising as more blood 
came out of Buck's mouth. 

"God, Buck, be still!" 

Jimmy ran to the stables, passing the still unconscious outlaw, grabbing a horse and a bridle. There was no time to saddle up. 

"It hurts," Buck panted, his eyes wide open, condense lathering his face despite the cold night air. 

"It's alright, you'll make it. Just be still, Buck, you hear me?" Lou pleaded, unable to force the tears back anymore. 

Buck's eyes closed and he started to see white dots before his eyes. Lou's caress became more desperate as she kept the hair out of his face, murmuring a pray to her white God. 

"Buck, don't you dare leave me," she begged, hugging his upper body against her own. 

"It hurts so bad," Buck whispered, his head falling against her chest. 

"Don't you leave me, Buck! Dammit, stay with me!" Lou cried, the tears falling down her cheeks. In the corner of her eye she saw Jimmy ride past them in a fast gallop. 

"Buck, don't die," she whispered. 

The minutes felt like hours, and Lou couldn't stop crying. Buck's shirt and jacket were bloody, the knife still in him. He still couldn't breathe, swallowing hard to get rid of some blood. 

"Buck, stay here, you can't leave us. We need you, Buck, you hear?" 

Buck tried to nod, but more blood forced its way out his mouth and he nearly choked. 

Lou leant her head against his, her tears falling into his damp hair. "I love you," 
she whispered into his ear, kissing his forehead. "I love you so much, don't leave me." 

Buck forced his eyelids open, looked into her unsteady gaze, feeling tears come 
to his own eyes. 

"I'm sorry, Louise," he whispered, closing his eyes again. 

Moments later Lou gave up a heart-wrenching growl, sobbing loudly against 
Buck's forehead.