A/N: This is the first in a series of very short stories inspired by Dustin Lynch's song, Cowboys and Angels. It takes place during Till Death Do Us Part, Part One.
William F. Cody sat on the bunkhouse porch shining his new boots. The leather was soft and smooth. They were the finest boots he had ever owned. Hopefully he would live long enough to wear them out. He looked over at Teaspoon's office, the corral where Buck and Noah were talking, and finally to Rachel's house. Every one of those people was angry and disappointed in him, but he needed to live his life. Cody had to do what he believed was right. He wasn't a boy anymore. He needed to stand up and be a man and to him that meant joining the army. Rock Creek had been home, but he was leaving it right after Lou and Kid got married.
Kid and Lou were getting married tomorrow. Cody had watched them from the very beginning when they all met bringing them to this moment. He always envied the Kid. Lou was the type of woman he hoped he'd meet someday. He missed his chance with Lou...well he really never had one to be honest. By the time he found out Lou was a she, she was already Kid's best girl. He never made a move on her and put it out of his mind to even consider it. Kid was a friend and there was a code, but maybe he did feel a little jealous and that jealousy came out as relentless teasing. He wasn't the only rider that teased the couple though so perhaps his feelings weren't unique.
Cody picked up his other boot and spread some polish on it. He buffed the polish to a shine as he thought of Lou. She was always there for him when he truly needed it. She seemed to be the one all the boys went to when they were having problems with women. Julia Tobin and her son Daniel had turned his mind sideways and the only person he could talk to that truly understood was Lou. She talked him down from feeling like he was standing on the edge of a cliff. Lou knew things that the other boys and Teaspoon didn't. He never would have survived the heartbreak if it weren't for her.
Lou nursed him back to health when spoiled meat sickened half the town of Sweetwater. There were parts of that time that Cody could barely remember. He did remember Lou's face hovering over him like an angel. The pain was great, but her touch seemed to make him forget the constant ache of his sickness. She saw him through until he was well. Cody would take the image of her face with him and keep it in his mind whenever he was met with danger. He was sure to encounter that daily now that he joined the army.
The Pony Express advertisement had stated in its desired qualifications that applicants must be willing to risk death daily. He done his fair share of risking death and in the army he was sure to risk it even more. He didn't expect each Express run would be deadly. Men weren't shooting at you like they do in battle. He needed his angel to watch over him. He couldn't wait to see her in her white satin gown tomorrow. He imagined she would look so beautiful. From what Lou told them, she never had much to smile about growing up, but Cody was sure her smile would rival the sun for brilliance. Perhaps that would be another image of his angel he would carry with him.
A/N: I know I have a lot of stories hanging, but the Ranch needed some stories for its schedule so I wrote this one quick. I'm doing one for each of the remaining Riders sporadically. I hope you enjoyed. I had another 'short' story get away from me and I have been diligently working on it, but I have started new chapters for both Better Fate Than Never and Dark Dreams so don't worry, I'm still keeping up with my unfinished stuff. Finally, I want to thank Leah for helping me crank this story out.