Chapter 1
Louise scanned the horizon for the rider from the other express station. She was so eager to get
away from the Kid that she refused to budge off of her horse and had decided as soon as the rider was
coming she would ride out to meet him. She had told Jimmy she needed to leave for a while but she
had a feeling he knew she was running. She would miss him almost as much as she would miss Kid.
Jimmy watched her from afar. He knew she was angry but had never seen her this desperate
to get away from the Kid's antics. He almost thought about taking his day off and following her so that
she would not do anything stupid but he and Kid were not exactly getting along right now and she
would be mad at him for not trusting her. That is why she and Kid were having problems. He was
suffocating her with his lack of faith in her ability to be on her own. Kid felt that if she would not
listen to him and would not marry him that she must not love him like he thought. He was over
jealous and way over controlling when it came to Louise and her decisions. She could not even do her
job without his going crazy with worry. Although it did benefit the others because when she was out on
a ride they could get him to do their work for them, saying it would take his mind off things. When
they had their last argument and finally broke up he had begun to flirt with the other ladies in town and
flaunt them in her face. Until recently, when he had begun dating the new school teacher, who he
followed around town like a puppy. She came out to the station all the time to have him go and fix
something or other at her place.
"No wonder she needs to get away," Jimmy said as the Kid pulled up in the buckboard with the
new teacher and her maid. He grinned ear to ear and came over to Jimmy to see why Jimmy was
watching Lou, asking him what was wrong with her this time.
"Kid, its none of your concern. Just go play school with the teacher and leave it be."
Kid got angry, looked at Hickock and turned off to walk away. Hickock did not care. He had
thought of how Kid had been treating Lou and it angered him. If she would only get over Kid she
could see that Kid is not the man for her. She deserves someone who will love and accept her for who she was. Hickock was thinking back to the week before when Samantha had come out to the station to
invite Kid to a dance or social being held in town and Kid had flaunted his new relationship all over
just to hurt Lou. Then when Samantha left and Lou tried to open up to him, he yelled at her and told
her he wasn't interested. Lou had taken off on her horse. Jimmy had known he was playing with fire
but he chased after the fragile young woman. She fell off her horse but only skinned her knee, giving
Jimmy a scare. He held her there for hours while she sobbed. It about tore his heart out when she
asked him why love is so painful. He couldn't give her an answer but just quietly held her wanting
more.
Just then Lou saw the rider approaching in the distance. She yelled out, "Rider comin', See ya
later Jimmy!" and was off. She took off at a high speed. As she approached the rider she knew
something was wrong. He was slumping toward her with the mochilla and had blood dripping from his
hands. She got to him in time to catch him and take a tumble off of her horse with him falling on top of
her. Then his horse collapsed and landed on both of them. Jimmy seeing what happened got up and
ran for his horse, jumped on without the saddle and took off hoping they were going to be
all right.
Kid still not guessing at what got Jimmy riled up finally looked in the direction where he rode
off figuring he wanted to try and grab Lou from him. He realized her horse was standing there without
a rider and the other riders horse was down. He was trying to see what was happening when Samantha
came over and asked him if he saw the horse land on Lou.
Kid yelled, "Teaspoon! " Kid then took off at a run to get to the girl he loved. He silently
cursed himself for having spoken so abruptly to her this morning when she tried to talk to him.
Teaspoon came out of the bunkhouse where he had been speaking to Cody about a special run
he wanted him and Buck to go on. He mounted his horse and told the boys to grab the buckboard and
get out there to help. He prayed the female rider was o.k. but it was not looking good from where he
stood.
Chapter 2
Lou realized she was going down when she attempted to catch Jeff . He
was already half unconscious when he fell forward and took her down with him. Then the horse which
was almost dead itself fell when it lost the weight of its rider. Unfortunately for her the horse fell on
both of them. The other rider had landed on her head and arms but the horse landed on the
other rider's arms, ribs, and on Lou's midsection . She had tried to turn so that the horse would not
hurt the baby she was carrying but when she did she heard her back pop. As the horse hit she felt the
impact and knew she had broken her ribs and the bone in her upper left thigh had been broken. She
could only think of her child though and pray it was not hurt too. She was going to give everything for
this baby that she already loved.
Lou had not intended on telling Kid about the last gift he had given her. She knew he had
moved on and did not want him to marry her out of his Southern Hospitality or his sense of duty for
what is right or wrong. She would not turn out like her mother married to someone who did not love
her and ruining everyone's lives. This ride was a chance for her to take the money she saved up and buy
a place closer to St. Joe so she could get Jeremiah and Theresa from the orphanage. They were going
to begin their life together in a few months before anyone knew what was happening. She had picked
up enough cooking, cleaning, and sewing skills that she could go to work for one of the wealthier
families and support her brother and sister. Then after the baby came they would begin a farm of their
own while Theresa watched the baby.
Now she feared there would be nothing to tell him about.
Chapter 3
Pain wracked her body as Jimmy got to her. He screamed out her name but could only hear her
sobbing and crying in pain. He worked on pulling the dead horse off of her and the other rider but
realized it was too heavy. He went to Lou's head and said, "Honey I am here. I am gonna take
care of ya."
"Jimmy get the horse off... the baby...it's hurting...her" Louise said as she passed out.
Jimmy looked at her and connected the dots. Her and Kid had been fighting a lot lately and
more than once she had fallen asleep by crying, which tore his heart out every time he heard it. Then
there were all the times she ran out in the mornings and they found her ill. They thought she had just
been sick over the breakup. Then the heated words of Kid and Lou this morning came back to him.
Kid saying, "I don't want this anymore." Her running off in tears. Jimmy was angrier with him than he
had ever been with anyone. "How dare he do this to you, You deserve better." Jimmy calmed down
realizing his words were not going to help. "Louise, I am here. I am going to get you and the baby
some help. Don't you worry. Jimmy's got ya."
Kid ran up and asked Jimmy, "What happened?" .
"Just help me get the horse offa her and get the other rider back to the station!"
"Jimmy, there ain't no point in getting the other rider to the station. He's dead. So's the horse."
"Then get him the hell offa her, NOW!"
Teaspoon rides up and jumps off his horse before it stops and Cody and Buck were right behind
him. "What's goin' on?"
"Teaspoon we gotta hurry. It's bad." Jimmy was still holding her tight as Kid looked down.
Teaspoon, Kid, Cody, and Buck begin trying to lift the giant horse off of their Lou.
Jimmy grabs her and pulls her from under the horse while they are lifting the dead weight.
Jimmy yells at Cody to be careful when Cody almost drops the horse back down on her stomach.
Jimmy picks her up stroking her hair and telling her everything was fine. A worried Kid
attempted to remove Lou from Jimmy's arms but Jimmy turned his back so that Kid couldn't touch her.
"Buck, go get the Doc, now! Don't waste any time! Tell'm what has happened to Lou. He will
know what he needs!" Jimmy said trying to keep himself from yelling at and hitting Kid. She needs
him now and he is not going to let her down.
"Jimmy lay her in the wagon," Teaspoon said. Jimmy just looked at their surrogate parent.
"Son, we have to see where she is hurt."
"Jimmy, is she o.k.?" a worried Kid asks.
Jimmy turned and looks at Kid as he lays her down. "You just stay the hell away from her. You
caused this!"
Teaspoon watched in horror as Kid and Jimmy were going to begin fighting again. He decided
before it went any further he had better put a stop to it. He pulled out his gun and fired into the air.
Teaspoon could sense there was something Jimmy was not saying so he looked at Kid and said, "Go
and get a bed ready for her in the house and take your lady friend back home. You are going to have to
do this next run."
"But Teaspoon..." Kid whined.
"Don't argue with me boy! We have a job to do. Now hurry up!"
Kid picked up the hat he had angrily thrown a few moments ago a took off to the house where a
worried Rachel and Samantha sat from afar.
Jimmy had gone over to the unconscious Lou and was holding her hand. He had already tied
his horse to the buckboard and was speaking softly to her as she was beginning to writhe in pain.
Teaspoon did not know what had happened but he did know it was something bad and that he
was not going to be happy. "Jimmy, you had better tell me what is going on."
"He turned his back on them Teaspoon. She loves him and he did this to her."
"What? He did not cause Jeff to be dead and he did not make the horse land on her?"
"No, he did not do that but I think she told him this morning and he said he did not want it."
"What did he not want?"
Cody sat in silence, waiting to drive the buckboard and hoping Lou would be o.k.
"She's PREGNANT Teaspoon!"
"No wonder she's so moody all the time." Cody chimed in.
Teaspoon's jaw dropped. "Number one, Cody shut up! Number Two, Waiting here is not going
to help her or the baby, let's get her to the house. Jimmy keep your temper. She needs someone to
remain level-headed."
By the time they got her to the house the Doc was waiting for them to get her on a bed for him
to examine her. Kid and Samantha were outside the main house waiting to see how she was. Jimmy
had gone inside with the Doctor as Teaspoon had told him to.
"Kid, I thought I told you to take your lady friend here home!"
"Come on Kid," Samantha pleaded with him as she grabbed his arm. "you aren't going to do
him any good if you stay here and argue with everyone. I know he is like a brother to you but you
come along and let them take care of him."
After that comment Cody thought to himself, "Brothers don't knock up their brothers."
Kid looked at Samantha and said, "I just wish I knew why they was so mad at me. I didn't kill
Jeff or make the horse fall on Lou."
Chapter 4
Teaspoon looked at Buck and Cody. "You boys better go take care of Jeff over there and then
ride out to the St. Joe station and tell them what has happened. Jest bury him in the graveyard over
there."
"Teaspoon, what about Lou and the bab.." Cody was interrupted by an angry Teaspoon.
"Cody, Shut It! You tell noone nothin' you hear? Now go on!"
The boys climbed back into the wagon and Buck sat worrying about what Cody had begun to
say. Louise had become like a little sister to him. He thought of her suffering and even worse dying.
He knew Kid and Lou had had rough times but he knew that Kid still loved her. He also knew that
someone else was in love with her too, not that Jimmy or Lou would act on it. They would both be
devastated if she were to die. He prayed to his spirit guides to watch over her and bring her back to
them. He looked over at the quiet Cody and waited for his ranting to begin. He could have timed it
perfectly.
"That low-down, dirty, womanizing, dog....How could he do this to her? I just want to.."
"Hold on Cody. What's going on?" Buck asked him seriously interrupting his rant.
"Kid!"
"What about him?"
"He knocked her up and then left her to fend for herself while he went and chased the teacher.
Hell, he did not even stay to see if she was o.k. He went off while she is fighting for her life and that of
his child while he is out gallivanting around town with his new girl."
"No, Kid wouldn't do that."
"You heard them this morning. He and Lou were fighting and he looked at her and told her he
did not want it. Remember, then she ran off and got sick again. Then I heard Hickock tell Teaspoon
after the horse fell on her that Lou is pregnant."
"How did Hickock know?"
"You seen how they gotten close maybe he is the only other person she told."
With that the two riders jumped off of the wagon and began to lift Jeff. Hanging out of his
pocket under the bullet hole was a note and a picture. The picture was of a woman who appeared
young with three young children and a man who Cody recognized as Lou's father. The note read
addressed to Louise Boggs McCloud read, We have found you and we are comin' for you!
Afraid that one of his business partners or a member of his gang was out for revenge they
decided they needed to take the note to Teaspoon. They finished lifting Jeff's belongings off the horse
and off of Jeff and proceeded to the cemetery with the buckboard. When they got it there Buck walked
to the house and looked at Teaspoon.
"Ain't you got that body buried yet?"
"Teaspoon, we got more bad news for you. This was on Jeff in the pocket right under the bullet
hole. They musta given it to him after they shot him."
Cody nervously took the letter and picture from Buck and handed it to Teaspoon as he said,
"This jest keeps getting better and better."
"Cody and Buck go on and finish burying that body." Teaspoon looked at the note and picture
and then handed it to Jimmy. "Damn, if she makes it out of this accident she has to face this."
"I'm movin' her Teaspoon! I am movin' her now!"
"No, ya can't. Where ya gonna move her to fer one. Two, Doc's still in there workin' on her.
She cain't be moved yet. Sides we don't know who it is coming after her. Need to keep her here where
we can keep her safe. I'll have Barnett take over in town and we'll get some extra hands from one of
the other stations to take over yer rides for now. You stay here and keep your eyes open." Teaspoon
grabbed his hat and was preparing to ride into town when they heard the horses approaching. Kid and
Barnett were both showing up at the same time having ridden together from town.
"Heard you had an accident out here. Can I help?" Barnett asked.
Kid dismounted and ran toward the house. Jimmy and Teaspoon stood in his way. "Ya ain't
going in there." Jimmy growled. "Ya, done enough."
"The hell I'm not. I..."
"Kid," Teaspoon yelled. "Git over there and help Buck and Cody bury Jeff. Now! We will talk
later."
"Well, what has Doc said? Is she gonna be o.k.?" Kid looked the most scared he has been in a
long time. It was almost hard to believe that he had walked out on her.
Teaspoon just looked at him and said, "We don't know yet. He's still working on her. We will
talk later, son."
"Barnett, I need to see you. Meet me in the bunkhouse. Jimmy stay here in case anything is
needed."
Chapter 5
Jimmy looked in the direction Lou had been headed as he saw someone coming. He saw a
familiar form coming closer and closer to the house. He recognized their friend Noah as he stopped
and looked at the dead horse. Noah gathered his reins tightly and ran as quick as he could to the house
to see what was wrong. As he approached he saw the three in the cemetery digging a hole. He could
not tell who it was for and worried for his friends.
As Noah got closer to the house he saw a worried Jimmy pacing on the porch, his arms wrapped
around himself, and knew something bad had happened. "Jimmy, what's going on?" Noah jumped off
his horse afraid of the answer.
"It's Lou..The horse fell on her. Doc is in there working on her now."
"Why are they digging her a grave?"
"That's for Jeff someone shot him as he was on his way in. They shot his horse too. Lou caught
him as he fell and then the horse fell on her. Here look at this." He handed Noah the note.
Noah took the note and looked at it. "She's in trouble ain't she?"
"You don't know the half of it."
"Anyone told Kid about this yet?"
"Why should they. He left her in the condition she is in. He don't deserve her."
"But Jimmy," Noah's words were interrupted by a crying Rachel as she cam out of the house.
"Rachel, she gone?"
"No, boys we need a few buckets of water. Jimmy, I am gonna need you to go up and help
Doc. He has to try and set her broken bones before he can do anything else."
Rachel sits, thinking about the trouble the girl is facing. Not only may she lose the baby she is
carrying, but she has several broken and dislocated bones, lots of blood loss, and who knows about the
other damages she may have to fight not counting, fever or gangrene. She wished at that moment she
had gone to Louise and told her her suspicions about the baby. She had watched her friend every
morning and had watched her fighting illness at breakfast. She had been doing more to make sure Lou
was sent on less runs and around there where she could keep an eye on her. She did not think that
letting her go on this extended run would cause this much grief. She had hoped the girl could go away
and relax for a while away from the Kid and his antics. She wondered how Kid would feel if he knew
she was pregnant. She knew Kid still loved Lou but feared he would never forgive himself if Lou loses
the baby because she needed a break from watching him fawn over the school teacher.
Jimmy looked at Rachel as they brought the first bucket of water over. "What has Doc said?"
"She's bad, Jimmy. Real bad...She is bleedin' too hard from some of the places where bones are stickin'
out. He hasn't even looked at anything yet but the broken bones."
"What about the baby, Rachel?"
"He don't see how its gonna make it, 'specially if its ma don't." She cried a few moments and
then stood. "We can't talk like this." She walked back toward the door, wringing the cloth in her hands
as Noah followed her in. She had the boys dump the water in the kettle and go and get more.
Teaspoon had heard what Rachel said about her condition and decided to go in the house and see how
he could help.
Chapter 6
Noah and Jimmy quietly trudged off to the barn. They did not want to think of what their
friend was going through or even of losing her.
They got into the barn and Jimmy lost control. He threw the bucket, breaking it and then
kicked the wall and hurt his foot.
"Jimmy, is that goin' to help her?"
"No. But either I do this here or I beat the tar out of Kid, which won't help her either."
Noah laughed and said, "No. It would just infuriate her."
Jimmy laughed and said, "maybe it would make her fight harder and I know it would make me
feel better."
Noah got serious and asked, "So what happened?"
"She needed to get away from that no-good.."
"Jimmy."
"What?" Jimmy again went into all of the details of the accident and their fight that morning.
His last words as he looked at Noah with pain and anger in his eyes was, "She was so scared, all she
could worry about was the baby."
"Boys, I need that water," Rachel yelled.
"Does Kid know about it?"
"Yes they was arguing about it this morning. He told her he don't want it. He done left her for
that school teacher. She was gonna leave and sort through things I think."
"I can't see Kid doing that. I know he still loves her. I can see it. There must be some kind of
mistake there."
They carried the water buckets to the house. Rachel waited by the door for them to bring them
in.
"Jimmy, go on up and help Doc with her broken bones. Mr. Spoon is up there already."
"Noah, can you go and git Lou's things from the bunkhouse and bring them here so we can
make her more comfortable?"
The rider looked at Jimmy who headed upstairs pondering over what he said, praying that
nothing happened to Lou because there would be hell to pay and Kid would be the one billed.
He held his hat in his hands and headed to the bunkhouse for her things. On her bunk was letters
addressed to all the riders in her handwriting. Noah suspected she planned on leaving for good. She
told Noah in his never to stop believing in people, especially himself and him if he ever needed a
place to go her door would always be open. She was hoping to begin over building a farm with her
brother and sister. He felt the tears slide down his face as he read between the lines knowing that the other riders and he should have known she needed them. He knew no matter what he would be there to
help her. He thought of her as his family, a little sister, who needed protecting and would do whatever
he could to help.
He looked down at the other notes and decided to take them to the other riders. He looked at
Ike's letter and hoped Ike would make it back from his ride before anything else happens.
Chapter 7
Jimmy went upstairs and half-opened the door. He quietly knocked as the Doc looked over and
told him to come in. They already had Louise in a nightgown that was pulled up above her thighs and
Jimmy could see the bone protruding from her skin. He looked away and into her still form lying on
the bed. He could see pain on the sweat streaked face and was afraid she had passed when he did not
see her moving. He held his breath and wanted to scream at God for having taken her away.
Teaspoon, reading Jimmy's mind, cleared his throat and said, "She ain't gone. She is sleepin'.
Doc had to give her laudanum so's he could fix her up."
"Won't that hurt the baby?"
"No more'n her screaming and upset in pain."
"Jimmy help us hold her hands while I push the bone back into her leg and set it." The Doctor
looked at Jimmy afraid the young man would lose his lunch at the sight of her leg. "Sit and watch her
face while I do this. Keep her hands from flailing and doing any other damage."
Jimmy looked at the sleeping Louise and then at the little bump on her belly. He wondered why
none of them had noticed. Were they all that self-involved they could not see what she was hiding?
He felt guilty for not having been there and was even more determined that he was not going to let her
go through this alone.
He clutched her hands and held on while he listened to the bone being rebroken and pushed
under her skin. He felt nauseous as Teaspoon told Doc he was afraid they had done more damage when
she began to bleed from a vein even heavier than earlier. The two older men applied pressure to her
wound and sent Jimmy for Rachel to help them with pressure while they stitched her up. He went
downstairs and sat.
Rachel came back down, looking white and wringing her hands a few moments later.
"What's wrong Rachel?" Jimmy jumped up afraid to ask.
"The Doctor knows she broke some ribs and he fears she has some internal bleeding as well.
He says he also is afraid that she broke her back which means she may not be able to walk again, let
alone ride. She is going to lose her mind when she has to depend on everyone else for everything."
"Is she gonna make it?"
"He don't know Jimmy."
Jimmy could not sit there and watch her die. He threw his hat on his head and decided he
needed to go on a small ride to get away from there. He was afraid of what he would do if he stayed.
He walked out the door, jumped on his horse, again without a saddle and took off to go to his thinking
spot. He was thinking the entire time that if she did not live those who put the hole in Jeff would be
looking down the barrel of his guns.
Chapter 8
Noah left the bunkhouse and headed over to the cemetery. The sun was still up and it was really
hot out so he grabbed a bucket of water and a ladle for the other riders. They were almost done when
he got over there.
"Here you go guys."
"Thanks Noah," Cody said.
"Any news?" Buck inquired.
"No, not yet, Jimmy was going up to help Doc set a broken bone and then Doc was going to
work on whatever else needed fixin'."
"Did they say how bad she is?" Kid asked.
"No, it ain't gonna be no picnic. I'm tellin' ya. When she wakes up and realizes she can't do
nothin' and go nowhere she is gonna be mad."
"I can't stand here and wait no more. I am goin' over."
"Kid, here. She left this in her bunk. There is one for all of us. Ya better sit down and read it
'fore you go over there."
Kid,
I know I have said and done some stupid things. You have too. But it has led me to the
conclusion that we just don't belong together. This is just not the right time for us. I am leaving. I am
going to go get Tessie and Miah and we are going to be a family together. I will always remember you
and you will hold a special place in my heart. This is hard enough. Please do not come and look for
me.
Louise
Kid read and reread the letter. "She was going to leave and not even tell me to my face. She
can't do that."
"Why not Kid? You left her this morning when you guys had your talk. Why wouldn't she
leave when you turned her away? You don't deserve her or this.."
"Cody what the hell are you talking about?" Kid yelled.
They then heard the door slam at the house and watched Hickock ride off in the opposite
direction in a haste.
Rachel came out of the house and watched him ride off yelling his name.
"Do you think?" Buck could not say it let alone think the worst.
"I am going over there." Kid jumped up and ran.
The other rides followed on his heels.
"Rachel, Rachel!"
"What Kid?"
"Is she..?"
"No. She is not dead but she and the baby are not out of the woods yet."
"Baby? Rachel, look at me. Did you say baby?"
"What you didn't know?" Cody chimed in disbelievingly.
"Wait, Cody." Noah said. "Kid, didn't she tell you during that fight this morning? They heard
you say you didn't want it?"
"That is why everyone has been so mad at me. Of course, I would want a child with her. I love
her still. We were talking about fighting more and I did not want to discuss our problems at that
moment. We were both still angry. Wait....How did you find out she was pregnant before I did?"
Cody, Buck, and Noah looked embarrassed at having drawn the wrong conclusions about the
Kid. Cody looked at him and said, "Jimmy told Teaspoon."
Kid got angry. "I can't believe she told him before she told me. I am going to..."
"Rachel looked at him and shook her head. "You. Men. Are. Stupid. You are not going to
help anyone by being mad at each other. Are you forgetting what is going on upstairs right now?"
"Rachel, I need to be there." Kid looked up at her. She knew he loved Lou and just hoped
everything would work out for them.
"Go on then. But Kid, It doesn't look good."
He ran into the house and up the stairs. He opened and closed the door behind him and turned
around not expecting to see her so battered and bruised. Her skin was chalky white and she was hardly
breathing. Teaspoon stood up preparing to throw him out of the room, when he looked at him and told
him that he did not know about the baby. Kid had tears in his eyes as he spoke and Teaspoon knew that
if they died he would be devastated.
He led Kid to a chair that was by the head of the bed. He laid his head down by Louise's face
and caressed her cheek, trying to tell her it would be o.k.