This is another old story of mine. It is actually the first one I completed. The writing is not superb, and some plot points are a bit weak, but thanks if you decide to give it a chance
Chapter 1
The war had been over for two years, and life in Sweetwater seemed to go back to normal. Men had returned from war broken and shattered, no matter what side they had been fighting for, winners or losers, neither had reasons to celebrate a victory that had caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and had left a bleeding wound in the country. It had been four long years of fighting, and everybody was just happy that the conflict had finally come to its end.
It felt like ages since the Pony Express had delivered the mail all along the west. The riders had stopped their daily work with the appearance of the telegraph and the imminent war. The way station in Rock Creek had been one of the last to shut down but eventually the day had come when the riders had to say good-bye to their way of life. Everybody had to find another road to ride on in an uncertain future. The influence of the war had been impossible to ignore, and some had joined the conflict that had split the country into two.
Cody had been the first to join the army, always anxious for adventure and action; his decision had not left his fellow riders indifferent. It had stirred a commotion in the usually laid-back atmosphere of the bunkhouse. However, he was just the first one. Others just followed his example. Soon after the station had definitely closed down, Jimmy had gone. And then one miserable morning Kid had kissed his wife good-bye to head for the south where he would join the Confederate Army.
It had been six long years, and the war was just a bad memory for most people. Everybody wanted to forget. But not Lou, she didn't want to forget, she couldn't forget. It was her memories that kept her going every day. Her husband had left one cold morning six years ago and had never come back. Louise had witnessed how her friends, her neighbors, and local people had eventually returned one by one except for her husband. Cody and Jimmy had been back for over two years, but nothing had been heard from her husband, from Kid. His name hadn't been on the deceased list. The only thing that she had been able to find out was that her Kid had disappeared in battle. For the majority that was just another way of saying that he was dead. Yet, she couldn't and wouldn't believe that. She couldn't just forget and keep going. In her heart she felt that her husband would return one day. She couldn't lose faith. She needed to keep believing.
As Lou scanned the view from the verandah of her house, she felt very proud of what they had achieved. Soon after their wedding they had got the property in Sweetwater from Emma. The town had a very special place in her heart since she had lived many special moments there. In Sweetwater she had found a family, she had fallen in love, and enjoyed the first moments with Kid. However, when they had moved to Rock Creek, things had gone from bad to worse. First Ike had died and later Noah, and sadness had flooded overwhelmingly. She hadn't wanted to stay in Rock Creek, nor had Kid; there were too many bitter memories. On their new property in Sweetwater they had set up a small horse ranch. It had been their dream, and now looking at the result she could proudly admit they had done better than she had ever thought. Kid had only seen the beginning of it as he had left not much later, and she was sure that he would feel as proud as she felt right now. There had been hard and bad times she had to cope with on her own, but she had been able to get over it all. Fortunately, she had also got all the help she had needed.
After being away with his people for a while, Buck had come back to Sweetwater and become an irreplaceable hand at the ranch all these years. Then little by little she had been surrounded by those who were left of her family. First, Rachel had moved to town. A brand new hotel had opened in Sweetwater and its restaurant had required a cook. So Rachel, who had been missing Lou terribly, had not thought twice to accept the position. Teaspoon had also come back to his old job as marshal of Sweetwater. They had been an invaluable help to her, especially with her two siblings, who she sometimes seemed unable to cope with. When the war was over, Jimmy had also spent time at the ranch, but he never stayed long. He was still always on the move. Jimmy wasn't one to settle down, but every time he left she knew that he would come back. Cody was the only one who she saw less but he used to appear all of the sudden to pay them long visits.
The ranch was doing superbly. Business was flourishing more and more. The bunkhouse where they once lived as riders now housed the men who she had hired over the years. She was one of the most successful women in the territory, and she knew it.
Her siblings had grown up more quickly than she had wished. Jeremiah was now nineteen and had recently married a nice Mexican girl. At the moment he was spending some time in his wife's native land. They hadn't decided yet where to settle down. Louise feared that Jeremiah wasn't much into ranch life, and they would eventually decided to move somewhere far from Sweetwater. Theresa had grown up into a beautiful and intelligent girl. Unlike her brother who had always been the rebel type, Theresa had opted to devote all her efforts to study. She had done so well that she had managed to grasp the opportunity to go to college. Louise couldn't feel prouder of her little sister at the moment even though she missed her too much.
Her friends and family were still around after all those years. Buck had finally married, fathered two good boys, and had settled down in the white world. Rachel and Teaspoon hadn't changed much. Rachel still occupied the post of hotel cook that she had first come to, and also gave Lou a hand with the meals for the workers at the ranch from time to time. Despite the years, Louise had not really progressed much in her cooking skills, and the men were grateful when they could sample some of Rachel's tasty cooking. It was a welcome reprieve from her pathetic tasteless tries. And there was Teaspoon. He was always around, and she didn't know what she would have done without him. There had been times that she had thought that she couldn't go on any longer and Teaspoon had always pushed her in the right direction with his tactics and his wisdom.
Yes, her life seemed full of good things. She was quite well-off; she had a family and supporting friends. Apparently, she couldn't complain since she didn't lack anything, or at least that's what everybody used to tell her. But she did. Something was missing in her life, her husband. He was her whole life, and something had broken inside her the moment he had left. Sometimes she seemed to go out of her mind, wondering where he might be, if he was all right, why he didn't come back to her side. Yet, she didn't have the answers to these questions and the uncertainty drove her just crazy.
At the beginning everybody had tried their best to support her, but as time went by, everybody seemed eager to elude the subject. They thought that she was insane for believing that Kid was still alive and would eventually come back. They just insisted on her moving on. From time to time she got an earful from her siblings, Teaspoon, Buck, Rachel, and even from Jimmy during his short stays insisting she forget Kid. He was dead to all of them, and she had to bite her tongue. She couldn't, wouldn't believe that Kid had died. She couldn't come to accept it in her heart.
The evening was calm and mild. There was not a single sound that disturbed the peaceful atmosphere. Even the horses which were grazing in the nearby corral didn't dare to break the moment with their gentle neighing. Louise was leaning over the rail of her verandah taking in everything around her when a soft rustle behind her took her out of her reverie. She turned around and as she took a glimpse at the person in question, she smiled broadly.
"You sure look stunning," she said, admiring the look of Teaspoon in a neat black suit.
"Er… thank you for lettin' me use your buckboard, Lou," Teaspoon articulated uncomfortably.
"Any time, but you never told me where you are going."
"Well," Teaspoon replied with a smile. "I'm takin' a certain lady to dinner, a widow who's new in town."
Louise laughed. "I thought your romantic days were over."
"My dear girl, there's no age for romance," Teaspoon answered with a melancholic air. "But there's no romance in view for this old marshal here. I've just been appointed as the one and only welcomin' committee to this charmin' eighty-year-old lady."
Louise laughed and Teaspoon joined in her mirth. When they sobered, they kept silent for just an instant and the marshal remarked.
"It's a lovely night, ain't it?"
Louise breathed in and said softly, "Yes, it is." She paused and added sadly, "Kid would love it."
Teaspoon sighed and placing both his hands on Lou's shoulders and looking directly in her eyes he began with a tinge of worry, "Louise…" Not that he had problems talking about Kid like everybody else, but he was really concerned about Louise. She seemed unable to come to terms with the fact that her husband was not coming back. She talked about him as if Kid were still among the living. Teaspoon feared that the day the truth sank in it would be totally devastating for her.
"What?" she whispered, apprehension in her voice.
Hearing the sadness in her tone, the old marshal did not have the courage to express his concerns and just added, "Yeah, I'm sure Kid would just love it." And after saying this, he kissed her on the cheek and took his leave.
He couldn't believe that only twenty minutes had gone by since they had sat down to dinner. They hadn't finished the first course yet, and Teaspoon already knew everything about the lady's children, grandchildren, her two cats, dog and seven parrots. The woman did not stop talking, and Teaspoon feared it was going to be a very long night. He admitted that he was quite loquacious himself, but tonight it seemed that he would be unable to get a word in edgeways.
As he was trying very hard to keep up with the lady's ramblings, something or rather somebody caught his complete attention. He kept staring in shock, not believing what his eyes were seeing. "It can't be," Teaspoon uttered out loud, completely forgetting the lady opposite him. He just couldn't avert his gaze and kept watching the person in disbelief, but the harder he looked the more convinced he got. Unsure of what to believe, without saying a word to his companion, he got up from his seat and approached slowly to the aim of his attention, ignoring Mrs. Benjamin's loud protests. At one of the tables in the restaurant sat a person who he had thought was dead but apparently he had been wrong, otherwise he was just seeing a ghost.
"Kid," he called in an unsure voice.
The man who had been engaged in an animated conversation with the young woman sharing his table turned his attention to the voice which addressed him.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Kid, is it really you?" Teaspoon said. "Oh God, you're alive. It's me, Teaspoon," he added watching the lack of recognition in the man. "Teaspoon, Teaspoon Hunter …"
"Excuse me, sir, but should I know you?"
"Kid, it's me, Marshal Teaspoon Hunter from the Pony Express… "He stopped short as he saw still no sign of recognition in the man. There was no doubt it was Kid. Sure he looked older after the lapse of six years, but his looks, his voice were all Kid's.
"I'm afraid that you've confused me with somebody else, Marshal Hunter," the man insisted.
Teaspoon remained speechless for an instant, but eventually he managed to articulate an apology. "Uh… yeah… that must be the case. Please excuse me if I have disturbed you."
The man smiled in acceptance. "Not at all, Marshal."
Teaspoon reluctantly returned to his table completely confused. He couldn't erase the feeling from his mind for the rest of the evening. That man was the spitting image of Kid. He talked like him, smiled like him, looked like him and behaved like him. He couldn't believe that he wasn't Kid. Teaspoon was baffled, and didn't know what to think about the whole thing. He kept watching the man from the safe position of his table. He was trying to convince himself that there was just a very strong resemblance between this man and Kid, but his eyes were telling him a different story.
The evening passed quickly. Teaspoon saw the man leaving, and he kept thoughtful all evening, undisturbed by Mrs. Benjamin's relentless conversation. He hoped that the man resembling Kid wasn't staying in town, at least not for too long. He would hate it if Lou came across him. This encounter had left the marshal jittered, and he couldn't think what it would do to Lou if she happened to see him. It would do her anything but good. In spite of her apparently usual light-hearted way, Lou was suffering inside. She just wasn't one to show.
The marshal made his way to his office alone. He had left Mrs. Benjamin in her house long ago, and since then he had been wandering about, thinking about the whole incident. The night had really turned out to be too bizarre. He couldn't make head or tail of the whole thing. As he finally entered his office, he was surprised to find the man from the restaurant waiting for him. He was accompanied by the same woman Teaspoon had seen him with.
"Marshal Hunter," the man greeted him, tilting his head politely. "Sorry to come and disturb you at this time of the night, but maybe you could help me … us."
Teaspoon, intrigued, merely nodded.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is David Kelly, and this is my fiancée Alice Campbell."
"Ma'am," Teaspoon greeted the lady with a nod of his head.
"We've been curious about what you said previously in the restaurant. You say that you know me?"
Teaspoon was silent and nodded hesitantly. The girl who hadn't said a word so far continued for him.
"Let us tell you something. A couple of years ago, almost at the end of the war, my father found a wounded soldier near our farm. He was unconscious, and had a bleeding wound on his head. He took him to our house, and there we took care of him; we nursed him and ten days later he came round. That man was David."
"When I woke up," the man said, picking up where his fiancée had left off, "I was at a loss, and Alice and her father helped me find a light in my dark confusion. I will never be able to repay them for all their help. You see, I didn't know how I had been wounded, how I had got there, or even who I was."
"What do you mean?" Teaspoon interrupted.
"What I mean is that I didn't remember. Actually, I don't remember a thing about myself or my past. We tried to find out some information, but by that time the war was over, and everything was a mess. We didn't find out anything, especially without a name to go by. Alice and her father gave me a name, a life. I now know who I am, and I love my life, but I need to know who I really am or was. Are you sure you know me?"
Teaspoon was completely baffled by the information. "Yes, I'm sure."
"And can you tell me about me?"
"I can tell you many things," the Marshal said absent-mindedly, but stopped. Narrowing his eyes, he studied Kid carefully. "Don't you remember anythin'?"
"Not a single thing."
"Nothin' at all?"
"Nope"
"Don't you remember…," Teaspoon paused tentatively. "Lou?"
"Lou?" Kid shook his head. "Should I know him?"
Teaspoon sighed and managed to give a hint of a sad smile. "I'm really glad that you're alive, son. We thought we'd never see ya again."
Kid grinned uncomfortably, and said. "So what can you tell me?"
Teaspoon began somberly. "Uh … let's see where to begin. Uh … Kid was the name you used to go by. You were always reluctant to give your real name, and that's what we all called ya. Back then, you used to work for the Pony Express, a mail service before the war. That's where all of us came together."
"Who is all of us?"
"Well, Buck, Jimmy, Cody, Ike, Noah … uh… and … Lou. All of us. We became so close that we were practically a family. Some of us are still around, others took other roads, and unfortunately, others ain't among us. Anyway, when the war broke out, it brought with it the end of the Pony Express. You decided to set up a horse ranch here in Sweetwater. It's doin' really well lately."
"A ranch!" Kid exclaimed. "You mean it's still working?
"It sure is"
"A ranch of my own. Ain't it just perfect, honey?" he addressed her fiancée, and then explained to Teaspoon. "We've been talking about settling down here in the west. Things ain't very good down in the south. I've always had this crazy idea of a ranch. Just want to settle down and get married."
The words made Teaspoon cringe. He didn't know how to say what he had to. He was also thinking about Lou, and how she would take the news. Not very well, he expected.
"I'm afraid there's somethin' else I must tell ya." Teaspoon began tentatively.
"Please continue," Kid said eagerly.
"This ranch of yours is not completely yours."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean it's not yours alone. There's somebody else."
"Oh, do I have a partner?" asked Kid.
"Sort of," Teaspoon replied cautiously. "It belongs to Lou too, uh, I mean, Louise McCloud," he paused briefly." Your wife."
"Wife?" Kid repeated in a state of shock. "I can't have a wife."
"You sure have. I married you myself."
Kid dropped to a nearby chair and sank his head into his hands.
"A… wife," the girl stuttered.
Despite the consternation Teaspoon continued talking. "Yeah, she's kept the business goin' when nobody was around. And she is doin' superbly." He paused. "Son, she'd been waitin' to see ya for so long. She never gave up hope of seeing ya again. When everybody else thought you dead, she never lost faith. I reckon she was right after all." He stopped as nobody seemed to be listening to him.
Both Kid and the girl were disconcerted to learn the news from Teaspoon. However, Alice was able to compose herself and get over her first reaction. She knelt next to her fiancé and talked to him sweetly. "David, we knew that there was a big risk if we tried to find out about your past. We just have to face anything together. We are a team, aren't we?"
Kid looked up to her for the first time and smiled sadly. The girl turned around decidedly to face the marshal.
"How long was David married to this woman?" she asked coldly.
Teaspoon did not like the way she was talking. "They've been married for about six years." He intentionally emphasized the different tense.
"No, I mean how long they lived as husband and wife."
"About three months. Then Kid left for the war." Teaspoon answered curtly.
"That's nothing. You can't call that a marriage." The girl stated happily. "You can easily get a divorce. Pa knows good lawyers."
Teaspoon could not keep silent any longer. "Kid, if you talked things through with Lou before doin' anythin' rash, I'm sure …"
"Stop calling me that name, and I don't have anything to talk to that lady about," Kid answered angrily and continued, "Alice is the only woman in my life. Nobody else. We've been together for two years, and I won't let a three month affair ruin what we have. Good night."
"It was more than …" Teaspoon tired to retort but they were already gone.