Disclaimer: Don't own, wish I did.
A/N: Please read reflections first since this is sort of a cont. of that. Thanks to the crazy chickas who help me with this idea, ya'll know who you are. Enjoy.
Lou walked into the bunkhouse to find Cody reading at the table. When she entered Cody looked up looking guilty and trying to hide the book under the table. Lou got a grin on her face as she saunter up to the blonde rider leaning across the table to look at him.
"Whatcha readin' there Cody?" Lou asked mischievously thinking Cody was reading one of those girly books Emma had caught him with a few days ago.
"Oh … um … it's nothing Lou." Cody stuttered out not meeting the small rider's eyes.
"You wouldn't be reading one of them girly books Emma caught you with again now would ya?" Lou asked enjoying his discomfort.
"No … it's nothing really. Can we just drop it please?" Cody begged still refusing to meet Lou's eyes.
Lou looked over Cody's shoulder to see Buck sneaking up on him. Buck put his finger to his mouth to keep Lou from saying anything. She grinned a second before Buck launched his attack on the unsuspecting man. When Buck grabbed Cody and pulled him back off the bench he yelled, "Now Lou!"
Lou quickly snatched the leather bound book from Cody's struggling hands with a triumphant "Ha!"
"Now let's see just what Cody is reading shall we Buck?" Lou said as Buck grinned and nodded still not letting go of Cody.
"Please Lou don't." Cody begged yet again.
Lou smirked as she cracked open the book, but her smirk quickly disappeared along with whatever color was in her face. Her eyes shot up to meet Cody's. His ice blue eyes looked completely miserable and guilty.
"Where … how… why?" Lou asked not really sure what she wanted to ask him.
"I'm sorry Lou. I shouldn't have snooped. You're just always writing in that thing and I wanted to know what secrets you were keeping from us. Never thought it would be something like that!" Cody said.
Buck quickly released Cody when he realized just what Cody had been reading. "Damn it Cody don't you know to mind your own business!"
"I didn't know! I thought Lou was writing about some girl he was sweet on, how was I to know that Lou is a girl! And really you don't think I'm attractive? That hurts Lou." Cody grinned the grin that had most girls eating out of his hand.
"Cody them are private thoughts. You shouldn't have read Lou's journal." Buck said seeing how Lou was still dumbstruck.
"All come on Buck and how come you don't even seem surprised that Lou's a girl?" Cody asked eyeing the handsome Kiowa.
"Because I've known from the first day. Just because the rest of ya'll are blind don't mean I am. You can't tell anybody this Cody, Lou would lose her job if the others knew." Buck said to Lou's head nodding quickly in agreement.
"I ain't going to tell nobody. I really am sorry Lou, I know I shouldn't have snooped but really you aren't even a little bit attracted to me?" Cody asked still unable to comprehend that Lou wasn't attracted to him in the slightest.
Lou who had finally got a hold of herself let out a small laugh, "Cody you are incorrigible. You're a nice guy Cody but not my type."
"Oh I know who your type is Lou." Cody smirked.
"Cody!" Lou warned in a deadly tone.
"Cody whatever you found out in that journal is not your business, so I suggest you shut your mouth before Lou loses her temper." Buck suggested although he was dying to know who Lou's type was.
"You sure you don't want to know what she wrote about you Buck, I think you might find it a bit interesting." Cody smirked.
"Cody I swear to God I will kill you and not regret it if you don't shut your trap right now!" Lou yelled.
"Alright alright I'll be quiet." Cody said before exiting the bunkhouse.
"I told you to hide that thing better." Buck stated after the bunkhouse door closed.
"Yeah guess I didn't do a good enough job. You want to help me find Cody's journal?" Lou asked grinning.
Buck gave her that smile that always made her melt before quickly agreeing. In a matter of minutes they were sitting next to each other on Buck's bunk reading Cody's journal together giggling like school girls.
Well I did it. Me William F. Cody has left home and joined the Pony Express. I'll finally be able to prove to everybody that I am a man. I know the express only wanted orphans so I had to stretch the truth a little when I said I had no family. I do have a ma and sisters but they treat me like I'm still a little boy. I'm not, I'm a man dammit and its time they knew that!
So now I'm officially a rider out of the Sweetwater station. It's a small town but there seem to be plenty of pretty young ladies dying to meet one William F. Cody and I will be sure to oblige most of them it not all. The group of people I'm working with are as different from each other as night and day and I must say I have to be the most stylish out of them all.
Now Miss Emma Shannon is a fine woman with hair that looks like it's on fire when the light hits it just right. She's a tough little lady and the best damn cook I've ever met. She even puts my momma to shame, not that I'd ever tell my ma that. Ma would tan my hide from here to next Sunday for even thinking it. Emma make's biscuits that just literally melt in your mouth and her chocolate cake is to die for. It was worth taking this job just for Emma's cooking. I wonder if she has any more of those cookies in the house. I should go see after I finish with this.
Now Emma is sweet on the local marshal Sam Cain. I like Sam he doesn't put up with anyone causing problems in his town. He ain't afraid of nothing, that's the kind of man I want to be. I want to be a good just man that ain't afraid to stand up for what is good and right. I'm pretty sure Sam is sweet on Emma too, he be a smart man to marry her up real quick before some of the other fools in this town realize what a good catch Emma is, all they'd have to do was taste her cooking. Sam better make sure Emma don't feed nobody but him and us.
Our station master is one Teaspoon Hunter. I wonder how he got that nickname, course it's better than what his actual name is, I mean who the hell would call their child Aloysius. I guess that explains why he rather be called Teaspoon. He's an odd one that is for sure. The first day here me and the other newly hired riders were standing near the corral waiting for our station master to show up. It didn't take us long to realize he was actually bathing in the horse trough. And my sister complained about my bathing habits, she'd fall over dead if she had seen that! And then to top it off with he used a horse tail for a towel and he said bear grease was the secret to health. I don't think I'll try that. I've always been pretty healthy don't think I need any bear grease to keep me that a way. Teaspoon has a way of talking that would confuse whiskers off of a kitten. I don't think he even knows what he is talking about some times. He does have some interesting tricks up his sleeves though. His bag of tricks as he calls them. He's teaching us how to lean to the side of the horse to avoid gunshots; he even gave us some firecrackers to spook horses if any Indians are chasing us. I've got a few other ideas of what I can do with them firecrackers but it best if I wait to find out just who of my new friends would be the easiest to get without worrying about getting shot, definitely wouldn't be Hickok probably not Buck either. Oh I almost forgot the biggest thing about Teaspoon he's done been married six times, I think he said twice to Indians. Teaspoon didn't seem to impressed with me when he first saw me, so when he asked if I was any good with my Hawkins I had to show him how good I was. I saw a bale of hay hanging from a rope over by the cows; it was probably a 200 yard shot. I aimed for the rope and hit it on my first try, the hay drop startling the cows. Teaspoon didn't say anything but I knew he was impressed so were the others, I mean come on that was one hell of a shot. I'm good and I know it.
I guess I better talk about my fellow riders now. Talk about a bunch of misfits. I think I may be the only normal one out of the lot. First we got Buck Cross at least that is his white name. His real name is Running Buck. See Buck is a half breed. He's part Kiowa. Now at first I wasn't too thrilled to be working with an Indian because can you really trust them. Buck has changed my mind on that at least a little. He don't say much but he can't be all bad considering how loyal he is to Ike. I have a feeling once he gets used to being around the rest of us he will lighten up a bit, I've already seen a bit of a sense of humor poking out around the edges. I wouldn't want to get on Buck's bad side though, if he has one, he's deadly with that knife he wears on his left leg. He wears a gun too but I know he's better with that knife. Plus if he wanted to go after ya you'd never hear him coming. But Buck doesn't seem to let things get to him. I've seen how he is treated in town just cause he's a breed. He's never even attempted to defend himself, at least not yet but everybody has breaking point right? Teaspoon and Emma don't seem to mind Buck being part Kiowa, in reality I don't think any of us really care anymore. He's just Buck our friend and maybe even might consider him a brother, as I'm starting to think of the others as.
Alright now there is Ike McSwain. He has to be the biggest oddity of our group. Ya see Ike can't talk. Not that he won't he literally can't talk and on top of that he's bald, lost his hair to scarlet fever. Teaspoon says he's lucky that a way he could have lost it to an Indian scalping him. Nobody cares that Ike can't talk cause he sure knows his way around horses. He's the best rider we've got. He works harder than the rest of us; I guess he feels he has to prove himself. I can understand wanting to prove yourself but I ain't about to work myself to death to do it. I'm here doing a man's job that should be enough to prove that I'm a man. But I guess Ike not being able to talk makes him feel less of a man. Buck taught Ike how to use Indian signs to communicate with, I still can't read them but Lou is getting pretty good at it. Buck translates for the rest of us and if he's translating right Ike has a pretty good sense of humor. I kind of wish he could talk I think we could get into a lot mischief together, it would be a blast. I think Ike and I are going to be good friends once I can understand him.
I reckon I should tell you about Jimmy. James Butler Hickok actually, sometimes he just goes by Hickok, I think only his friends call him Jimmy. Not sure if he has too many of those though. He's got this air about him that says I'll kill you without thinking twice about it. I have no doubt he could too, he's pretty good with that colt he wears slung low on his hip. Pretty fancy gun for a poor boy like him, I wonder how he got it. He's hotheaded, arrogant, constantly scrawling; I have yet to hear him laugh. I wasn't impressed by Hickok at first but damn can he shoot. Teaspoon ain't impressed with him at all, he made it clear to the would be gunslinger that we are here to ride not shoot. Not that Jimmy can ride. That first day he fell off his horse at least three times when trying to pass the pouch, though I think I probably helped pull him out at least twice, it was pretty funny but Jimmy ain't got no sense of humor. At least I know he won't stand a chance with the ladies once I lay on the charm, my smile will beat Jimmy's scrawl and brooding any day of the week, yup Jimmy don't stand a chance. Jimmy probably won't admit it but I know for certain he can't read a single word. Maybe after he gets used to us I can teach him. I like to read. You can learn about real heroes that a way. Jimmy don't talk much about his past, of course none of us really do. I don't think the others had a happy childhood like I did. I feel bad about that sometimes, I'm pretending to be an orphan for a job but I know they ain't. They are working this job cause they have to not because they want to. They ain't got nowhere else to go. But they don't need to know I'm not really the same as them, I've got just as much right to work as they do. I've got just as much right to earn my way in the world. I left home with just the clothes on my back and my Hawkins I aim to earn my way in the world like a man because dammit that is what I am.
Another one of the riders is called Kid. Really his name is Kid or at least that is what he told us. What kind of name is Kid anyway? I reckon his name must be really embarrassing if he rather go by Kid than it, either that or he is hiding from his past. Maybe he's a wanted criminal back in Virginia. He is too damn good with his guns for the naïve innocent act he's got going on. I mean he outshot Hickok! Kid is definitely not telling us something about his past. And for some reason Kid thinks he is in charge. He's constantly taking the lead when we do things together. I'm not sure if I like him or not. I guess he's alright I just don't trust him just yet. Besides he has absolutely has no sense of style. Those buckskins he wears have to be the most hideous pieces of clothing I've ever laid eyes on. Whoever sold those to him saw a sucker coming a mile away. I wear buckskins but mine look good, couldn't he have enough sense to find some with a bit of style to them, then again as long as he looks that stupid I won't have to worry about him catching the eye of any of the pretty ladies in town. And if he did catch their eyes it would probably be to laugh at him behind their hands. Of course I don't reckon Kid cares what the ladies think of him, he spends all his time talking to his horse Katy anyway, I reckon that is the only girl he is worrying about impressing. But I think even the horse thinks the buckskins are horrible since she is always biting at them. And if the buckskins weren't bad enough that stupid floppy hat he wears is just as bad. I seriously need to teach that boy how to dress. Might give it a few months though, give me a chance to impress the ladies before I help him out, wouldn't want him to steal my thunder.
Lastly and certainly the least or at least the smallest is Lou McCloud. He's just a slip of a fella. Not even sure he's old enough to be working for the express even if he does claim he's seventeen. He's just too damn small. I swear he's almost feminine. Even his voice comes out sounding girly sometimes; surely his voice would have already completely changed if he really was seventeen. He really is a runt but I like him. He's spunky, showed Teaspoon that just cause he's puny don't mean he can't do the job, that boy can ride. Teaspoon called him puny but spry. I think he's kind of like our mascot or pet maybe. I mean he does carry his own weight in chores plus a lot more. I ain't going to complain about that though, the more chores he does the less I have to do. But still there is something off about that boy. He never goes to the swimming hole with us; he is always up before the rest of us and waits until after we go to bed before he gets ready for bed. And then there is the way he watches us sometimes, well more watches Buck than the rest of us. I wonder if Lou is a little odd, surely he doesn't like men. I've seen him writing in that journal of his all the time, maybe I should start snooping and see if I can find where he's hiding it. I want to know what is going on with that boy.
But even with all the oddities of our small little group I think we all get along pretty well and are slowly becoming friends maybe even a family. I guess time will tell.
Buck and Lou closed Cody's journal and looked at each other before breaking into a hysterical laughter.
"You know he's right about those buckskins." Buck said wiping tears of laughter from his face.
"I know they are horrible. You know I never would have guessed that Cody still has a family. I think his arrogance is all an act." Lou replied a few seconds later after she got her laughter under control.
"So Lou what did Cody mean about the way that you watch me?" Buck asked a teasing light to his eyes.
"I don't know whatcha mean Buck." Lou said standing up to put Cody's journal back where they found it trying to hide the blush that stole across her face but before she could put it back Cody walked into the bunkhouse immediately spotting the journal in her hands.
Lou and Buck both froze as they stared at the now irate blonde rider. "You get mad at me for reading your journal just for you to do the same to me?" Cody asked Lou, no ounce of his usual humor in his tone.
"Cody … I… we … I thought … I'm sorry. We won't say anything about what we read will we Buck?" Lou stuttered turning to the Kiowa her eyes huge.
"No we won't say anything Cody. It was wrong of us to snoop." Buck replied looking down.
"I reckon it's only fair. I read yours, you read me were even." Cody replied taking the book from Lou's hands.
"By the way Cody I ain't a pet!" Lou scolded a few minutes later.
Buck and Cody just snickered at the petite rider. All right this means war. Lou thought to herself an evil smirk forming on her face. The smirk causing both males to stop snickering and look slightly worried.
"She's planning something Buck." Cody whispered.
"Yup, I think she is." Buck replied. This should be interesting. He thought quietly before leaving the two riders to continue to stare at each other. What Buck didn't know was the journal wars had officially begun.
