Chapter One
"Now Teaspoon...Aw, come on...you can't do that Teaspoon," the boys' protests filled the sweat lodge. Only Kid and Lou were quiet-Lou processing what had just happened, and Kid, looking completely lost. He and Lou were still very new in their relationship, but he honestly didn't know how he would manage if Teaspoon made Lou leave.
"Now boys," Teaspoon silenced their protests. "The company has rules, and as an employee of the company, I have to follow those rules. Lou, you have proven that you can do the work, better than some of these boys I might add, but I just can't keep you on. You understand?"
Lou nodded, unable to speak. She had known this day would come, but she hoped it would be a very long time before it did. She hadn't saved enough money to support her brother and sister yet, and now she didn't know what she would do.
"Now, I'm not finished yet," Teaspoon looked around the room, making sure he had the undivided attention of everyone present before continuing.
"Lou, you have to be out of the bunkhouse tonight..."
"But where will she stay?" Cody interrupted.
"Cody, if you would let me finish, I'm getting to that part." Teaspoon glared at the boy for interrupting him. "As I was saying, you have to be out of the bunkhouse tonight. However, there is a spare room over the jail. It's gonna need a good cleaning, but you're welcome to stay there. You can stay at Rachel's until you get the room ready.
"That's great Teaspoon," Lou spoke up for the first time. "But what good is a place to live gonna do me if I don't have a job? Ain't nobody in Sweetwater going to hire me. I'll either be the one who was fired from the Pony Express, or everyone will find out I'm a girl. And then I'll be that horrible girl who pretended to be a boy and rode for the Pony Express."
"Now see, that's the trouble with you boys...and girl," Teaspoon added, still a little shocked that one of his express riders was female. He certainly hoped none of the others were, although he was reasonably sure they weren't. Looking at Lou now, he couldn't believe he didn't notice anything before.
"What is the trouble with us Teaspoon," Jimmy asked good-naturedly, bringing Teaspoon out of his reflections.
"The trouble with you all is that you are always interrupting me before I finish what I'm saying," Teaspoon said. "I was going to say Lou, that now that I am marshal of Sweetwater, I'm going to need a dependable deputy, and we all know that Barnett ain't it."
"What are you saying, Teaspoon?" Lou asked.
"I'm saying that if you want the job, it's yours."
Teaspoon's offer shocked them all into silence. Never had any of them even imagined Teaspoon would suggest such a thing.
Lou lost what little control she had managed to hold onto thus far, and tears began to pour down her face. She smiled through her tears though, letting Teaspoon know they were tears of happiness.
"Do you really mean it?" she asked, not quite ready to believe Teaspoon was offering her a job as his deputy.
"Why of course I do," Teaspoon told her. "So what do you say?"
"She says yes," Cody spoke up, a cocky grin on his face. "She wouldn't dare say no, 'cause that would mean she'd never get to see me again."
"I don't think it'd be you that she'd miss," Buck remarked dryly as Kid put his arms around Lou's shoulders and hugged her close to him.
They all began to laugh, and Teaspoon leaned over to Jimmy and whispered, "Actually, I'm kinda relieved. I was beginning to worry about them two."
Blue Creek, that same day
"Marshal, we found a witness who saw her heading west a few miles out of town."
"Only two towns in that direction. You take five men and search Grangers Point. The rest of us will head to Sweetwater. There's no way she can hide from us."
"Rachel, thank you for letting me stay with you," Lou smiled at her. "I know we got off to a rough start, but I'd like for us to be friends."
"I'd like that too Lou," Rachel smiled back at her.
"Louise," Lou told her.
"I'd like that a lot, Louise."
"Louise, tell me something," Rachel handed her a plate to dry. "How in the world did you ever manage to survive in the bunkhouse with all those boys around."
Lou laughed. "I have no idea. They about drove me insane most of the time."
"Rachel," Cody stormed into the kitchen. "Is there any pie left? I'm starvin'."
"Cody, is there ever a time when you aren't starvin'?" Lou asked him.
"Not that I can think of," Cody grinned at her, taking a large slice from the pie. He sat down at the table and proceeded to wolf it down in three bites, then looked at his empty plate forlornly.
"Cody, don't you have chores to do or something?" Lou took the empty plate from him.
"Yes Cody, get out there and help those boys with the chores," Rachel swatted at him with her dishtowel as he hurried out the door.
"See what I mean," Lou looked at Rachel.
"I certainly do," she laughed.
Lou was just outside the marshal's office, beating the dust off the mattress from the bed in her new room, when a man with a badge walked into the office. He had what looked like a posse with him, and she pulled her hat lower as they passed her.
"Marshal Hunter," she heard the man address Teaspoon.
"How can I help you?" Teaspoon asked.
"I'm Sheriff Jack McClellan of Blue Creek. I'm tracking an outlaw that escaped from my jail four days ago."
"Well, what did he do?"
"Killed a man. And it's not a he. The killer is a woman." Lou heard the rustling of paper and knew the sheriff was showing Teaspoon a wanted poster.
"I have a witness that saw her heading in this direction," she heard the man say. "Do you recognize her?"
"Well, I can't say as I've seen her around town," Teaspoon said. "And I think I would remember someone as pretty as that."
"She may be pretty, but she killed a man in cold blood," the sheriff said. "Do you mind if I ask around? Maybe one of your townspeople have seen her."
"Be my guest," Teaspoon showed the man to the door. As soon as he and his posse were out of sight, he turned to Lou. "Come on Lou. It's time for your first assignment."
"What's goin' on Teaspoon," she ran to keep up with him as they headed toward the stables. "Have you seen the woman that man is looking for?"
"You might say that," Teaspoon handed the wanted poster to Lou.
"That's Rachel!"
