The day of Mr. Coldstone's arrival was finally here. Rachel was pacing, Cody kept fixing his hat while Kid just kept leaning against the wall of a building. The Stage was late. That wasn't unusual. The stage was usually late. Kid stood up from the wall and walked toward the street as he spotted a large dust cloud coming their way. It could only mean one thing. The overland stagecoach was pulling into town.
The driver pulled the horses to a stop and the passengers started to disembark the coach. Rachel stood with waiting on the boardwalk with Kid and Cody on either side.
A well dressed gentleman was the last person off the stage. He had just pulled a gold watch out of the pocket of his red brocade waistcoat. He reached inside the coach and pulled out a polished wood walking stick with a brass knob handle. Rachel took a step forward. He smiled at her guessing that she was here to greet him. He tipped his black felt bowler to her and the two boys at her side.
"Are you Mr. Coldstone?" Rachel asked welcoming.
"Why, yes I am. And you are...?"
"I'm Rachel Dunne," she said extending her hand. "I run the station here in Sweetwater. These two are riders for the Express. This is Billy Cody and the Kid."
Horatio took her hand, turned it, and gently kissed the back of it. Rachel blushed slightly. It had been a while since she was treated so chivalrously. Manners in the west weren't the same as they were in the east or even New Orleans.
"You must be tired from the long trip," Rachel commented. "Boys, why don't you carry Mr. Coldstone's things to the hotel?"
Cody and Kid picked up a couple of trunks and some carpet bags. They looked at one another. This man was not staying for a day or two. It looked like he was moving in or moving somewhere.
Horatio presented his arm and Rachel took it. "Now where is this hotel?" he asked suavely.
"Right this way," she said smiling.
Cody gave Kid a look. They were both thinking it. Rachel was smitten.
They settled Mr. Coldstone into his room and Rachel invited him to supper at the station which he graciously accepted. It was decided that Cody would ride over with a horse for Mr. Coldstone at half past six. Rachel was all smiles, but something about Mr. Coldstone made them uneasy.
Cody brought Mr. Coldstone out to the station. All the riders except Buck were present and accounted for. Teaspoon was also home early from town. Rachel had really outdone herself with dinner. It was a pot roast with roasted vegetables and a nice dark gravy. She made a delicious looking chocolate cake for dessert.
Teaspoon gave Mr. Coldstone an overview of the station while Rachel served the meal.
You said you have seven riders, there are only six here," Horatio observed confused.
"Buck is out on a run to Fort Laramie," Rachel answered with a smile. "He'll be back in a couple of days."
Horatio and the riders chatted over dinner. He noted that none of the riders save Cody was very talkative. They all seemed to be hiding something, especially the one called Lou. He couldn't believe that this group of insecure kids was the thorn in his side. This was going to be too easy almost like kicking puppies. There had to be more to this ragged band of kids. They were not in their element at a dinner table. He hoped the demonstration they had planned for him tomorrow was more of an indication on how they could have foiled his plans so thoroughly. Maybe he would have to test them and see what they were made of. He didn't want to take the easy options. He wanted to do everything in the most challenging way possible. He didn't want to take the cheap shots. If they were worthy of his respect tomorrow, he would avoid those. He would challenge them all on their level. He was disappointed not to meet the Indian tonight. He was the one he was most looking forward to meeting. He was the one that could sense the presence of Charles and kept him from getting close to them. He would wait for the Indian to come back before testing this ragtag bunch of boys.
"Marshal Hunter, being the marshal and the station manager has to keep you on your toes, I would imagine," Horatio commented.
"Well, I guess you could say that and these boys do sometimes help out as deputies too," Teaspoon bragged. "You could say we like to get involved in our town and provide more service than just delivering the mail."
"Yes, we like to protect the town and the people in it. I think it reflects well on us and the Pony Express, Mr. Coldstone," Cody was quick to point out.
"Yes, well it does always help to have the town on your side when it comes to business matters," Horatio agreed.
Rachel brought coffee and cake to the table and they reveled in the dessert. The mood around the table loosened up a little bit as the riders relaxed around their guest. The boys talked about the demonstration they had planned and Mr. Coldstone asked questions about their other skills besides riding that made them an asset to the marshal. Jimmy and Cody offered to add some shooting to their demonstration and Horatio tried not to let his excitement show. Now he was getting somewhere. Cody started telling him all about their various adventures including the latest one where they seized all those guns for the army. Horatio had a difficult time keeping his poker face in check during Cody's description and almost cursed when he found out all the details of how Glover and his men were captured. So the Indian struck the blow that cost him his guns too. He was very curious to meet this young man.
After dinner Horatio asked Rachel if she would accompany him on a walk around the station while Kid saddled up a couple of horses to escort Horatio back to town. They stopped at the corral and looked at the horses. Horatio complemented her on dinner. It really was the best meal he'd ever had this far out west. Rachel was charming and in any other circumstances he wouldn't even hate these boys, but he came here for business reasons and he wouldn't let himself get attached. She would be useful and he would make the effort to show her special attention.
Kid escorted Horatio back to town and left the horse with him so he could make his way to the station at his leisure. They invited him to breakfast, but he declined saying he liked the quiet of the morning to read and plan business. He fully intended to do just that. He needed Charles here. He did not like waiting.
Buck was tired and on his way back from Fort Laramie. He decided to take Teaspoon's advice and he wrote and sent a letter back to Jenny Tompkins encouraging her to visit. He asked her to send word when she was leaving and if she wanted to, she could stay at the station with Rachel. He needed to move on with his life. He was genuinely looking forward to her visit. She understood so much better than anyone he knew what it was like to try and make it in the white world after leaving the Indian world behind. He knew she was struggling with things and he wanted to help her.
He had ridden much later than he'd planned it was already dark and he didn't hadn't set up a camp site. He saw the soft glow of a campfire and decided to investigate. It was off the beaten trail, but he liked that about camp spaces. He hoped whoever had a fire going wouldn't mind company in general and his in particular.
Buck carefully dismounted his horse and walked slowly toward the campfire light.
"I'm a rider for the Pony Express, is it alright if I share your campfire tonight?" he called from just outside the lit area.
Charlotte froze. She knew that voice. This was worse than she could have imagined. She couldn't say no. She couldn't say anything. He knew her voice. He would know it was her. This was silly. He was going to discover her anyway. She would just have to bite the bullet and get it over with.
"Sure, Buck, come on over and pull up some grass," she said sheepishly.
"Charlotte?" Buck said flabbergasted. He walked into the firelight with a look of profound disbelief on his face. He thought sure he would never see her again.
"I know, you're surprised to see me," she smiled at him. "What can I tell you, I just couldn't stay away from you."
Buck looked at her closer. "You're lying," he said seeing through her. "You weren't coming back to see me."
"No, I wasn't," she admitted. "But it is a nice bonus."
He was hesitant about joining her now. He didn't trust her. He didn't trust himself around her. He didn't want to get his heart broken again.
She could see the conflict in his face. She had hurt him. She felt bad about that, but at the time she really had no choice.
"Please stay," she said sincerely. "I owe you an apology and an explanation."
He turned away and she felt her heart sink. The feeling only lasted a moment when she realized he was taking his horse over to where she had tied up her own. She put some more coffee on while he unsaddled his horse and rubbed it down.
Buck came back to the campfire with his saddle and bedroll and set his things on the opposite side of the fire from her. He didn't want to be too close to her. He didn't want to forgive her just because she smelled nice. He sat down across the fire from her and took the coffee she offered him.
"I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye," she said genuinely. "I'm not good at goodbyes."
"Who are you and what are you doing out here?" He asked. "I know you're not some tourist taking in the sights. You keep turning up whenever there seems to be trouble and you always ask strange questions."
She was not prepared for an interrogation. She looked down at the coffee mug in her hand. She could see the liquid ripple as her hands shook slightly.
"I didn't lie about my name," she said quietly.
"Just everything else," he said bitterly.
"Not everything," she said looking him in the eye. "I wanted to be with you. I didn't lie about that."
Buck felt conflicted. He wanted to rush over to her and sweep her up in a kiss, but he kept thinking about his conversation with Teaspoon and he promised to keep his eyes wide open when it came to her. But she wanted him and that made him feel better.
"How did you get hurt?" he asked brusquely.
"A flying rock from an explosion," she answered honestly. At this point she had nothing to lose by telling him as much of the truth as was safe.
"You were there," he said not asking just confirming. "You were at the in the hills the day we found the gun runners and the guns."
"Yes, I was there," she said defending herself, "Though not for the reason you're probably thinking."
"Did you kill the man at the jail?" he demanded.
"No!" she protested, "I can't believe you'd think I'd be capable of murder."
"Then why were you in Sweetwater?" he asked her harshly.
"I was following you," she said.
"Why?" he asked.
She stared at him for a moment and then turned away.
"Okay fine, how about Fort Laramie," he challenged.
"What about Fort Laramie?" she said innocently.
"Why were you there?" he asked.
"To find you," she answered honestly.
"Why?"
"You had something that didn't belong to you," she stated.
"It didn't belong to you either," he retorted. "Were you sent to retrieve it?"
"Yes?" she confessed timidly. She didn't like where these questions were leading. They weren't leading to anything good and she didn't want him to hate her.
Buck looked at her and the dark clothes she was wearing. The silhouette she cast seemed so familiar. His brows furrowed as he figured out where he'd seen it before. He didn't want to believe it, but he had to ask.
"It was you, wasn't it? You're the one who shot me aren't you?" he accused her softly.
"I wasn't trying to hit you," she justified. "It was an accident."
"I can't believe you shot me," he said raising his voice and dumping out the contents of his mug. He stood up and walked around the fire. "You could have killed me."
"Oh, I didn't even come close to killing you," she countered and stood up herself. "I barely scratched you."
"Yeah, well if your aim was better I wouldn't be standing here!" he shouted as he walked toward her.
"Quit being so overdramatic, you big baby," she yelled back walking toward him as well. "Besides your exploding hill stunt really did almost killed me so I say we're even!"
She looked into his eyes. He was on fire. She could feel the heat peeling off of him. She wanted him and the look in his eyes told her, he wanted her too. She could tell he was scared though. Scared she would hurt him again. She threw caution to the wind and launched herself at him kissing him hard. They fell to the ground in an impassioned embrace. They looked more like wrestlers than lovers and every kiss bordered on the edge of violent. They bruised each other on rocks and sticks as they rolled around on the ground. There was no tenderness, only raw passion.
Horatio had a nice morning. He didn't try to do anything in a rush. The boys from the Pony Express could wait on him. He had the boy at the livery saddle up the horse and he rode out just after nine on this glorious sunny morning. He was looking forward to seeing Rachel again. She was a delightful woman and a very good cook. Today he would get a sense of what these riders were really like.
Horatio rode into the station in time to see a relay exchange between the bald rider and someone he hadn't met. That rider took a pouch from Rachel and jumped onto another horse and rode back the way he came. It was such an efficient operation. If the telegraph and railroad weren't threatening its existence, he would have surely invested. However, impressive as it was its days were numbered.
He tipped his hat to Rachel and dismounted his horse. Cody came over and took his mount to the barn and took care of it.
The boys had set up some seating by the bunkhouse for Horatio and Rachel had a table set up with liquid refreshments. They really went all out on their quest to impress him for their bosses. He would play along for as long as it took to learn these riders and figure out how to best destroy each and every one of them.
Lou did a fantastic exhibition of trick riding. Horatio was impressed by the horse handling skills of the tiny rider. The Kid and Cody did some trick mounts and all the boys participated in a series of trick handoffs and exchanges. It was an impressive display.
The second round of demonstrations was even more impressive to Horatio than the first. The boys had set up some cans on the corral fence and did some fancy shooting. James and Kid were lightning fast draws although he gave the edge to the Hickok boy. Kid was no slouch. They set up some apples and Noah took his whip and took out the targets as smoothly and efficiently as the pistols Kid and Jimmy wielded.
Horatio learned Cody was a dead eye from a distance. He couldn't miss. They kept moving the target back. As long as the target was in range of his rifle he hit the target with a bull's eye.
It had been a very interesting morning. After all the impressive displays of skill, Rachel called them all in for a lunch of sandwiches and lemonade. She had fresh from the oven cookies for dessert. Horatio was looking forward to spending the afternoon at the station when he could get some better insights to all the riders.
Buck woke up and this time there was not an empty space next to him. He felt sore and a little ashamed. He hadn't meant for things to get so out of hand. At the same time there was something exciting about what had happened between him and Charlotte last night. She had scratched him and bit him and the more he let her, the more excited she got. Truth be told he liked it when she scratched him and bit him. It excited him too. He wasn't exactly gentle with her either. She asked him to bite her too and to rip her clothes as she tore his. He didn't know how he was going to explain all the missing buttons on his shirt to Rachel. He could explain away one but not all. The top of his long johns was ripped in half –he'd have to replace that. He couldn't come up with a good enough story for either one really. Maybe he should tell Rachel the truth. She was much more worldly than most people he knew, perhaps she would understand or at least not judge him. No, he couldn't tell her. He couldn't tell anyone about this. He was afraid they wouldn't understand. Hell, he didn't really understand.
He looked down at her and saw the look of contentment on her face. He wanted to know more about her and her connections to the guns and the bank. He wanted to know if she was in trouble. He could help her, he knew he could. She started to wake as she snuggled in closer to the warmth of his chest. He kissed the top of her head and she jumped a little. He had startled her.
"Good morning, Sleepyhead," he said sweetly.
She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and remembered fondly what occurred last night.
"Good morning yourself," she said back to him smiling. "I'll put some coffee on."
She got up slowly and grabbed his shirt from the ground and slipped it on. "Do you mind if I borrow this for a while?" she asked.
He shook his head. Seeing her in nothing but his shirt made him a little giddy. He watched her walk down to the stream nearby and fill the coffee pot with water. He caught himself staring at her and he felt a flutter in his stomach. He quickly pulled on his pants before he tried to get his mind back on breakfast. He started a cooking fire as he waited for her return.
"We need to talk about what's happening between us," he said as she came back.
"Why spoil it with talking," she said wistfully. "Talking about things just makes them complicated." She looked away and pulled his shirt close to her body crossing her arms around her body.
Buck was momentarily stunned. He did not understand this woman. He thought women liked talking about their feelings. She didn't act like any woman he had ever met. She didn't act like Rachel, or Lou, or Emma, hell she didn't even act like Kathleen.
"You're scared," he challenged her, "Aren't you?"
She turned her back on him and started to get dressed. "I don't think we should see one another again," she said as she slid her riding skirt up over her hips.
"Why?" he asked angrily. "Because I want to talk about our relationship?"
"We don't have a relationship. Besides it's not safe for you to know me," she stated plainly.
She picked up her corset and put it on under Buck's shirt and then reached down for her blouse. It was ripped to shreds. She smiled at the memory of him ripping it off of her then forced the memory back and turned to him tying the ends of his shirt together around her.
"I'm keeping this," she said referring to his shirt. She tried to make her facial expression stoic like she was in control of her emotions.
"The bank and the guns, they're connected aren't they?" he asked her
"I don't think so, but I'm not sure," she lied. She knew they were but it was better for him if he didn't.
Buck walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Are you in trouble?" he asked her kissing her head.
"No, nothing I didn't volunteer for," she answered. She liked being in his arms but she couldn't let him know that.
She broke away from him and started to saddle her horse. "I've got to go. I'm sorry."
"Can't you quit?"
"No, it's not something I can quit. I can live or I can die," she said seriously.
"I can protect you," he offered.
"No you can't," she said frustrated then sighed, "But it's sweet of you to offer."
Before she could mount her horse Buck grabbed her and laid a blistering kiss on her lips that made her weak in the knees.
As much as she didn't want to, she broke the kiss and vaulted up onto her horse. She could feel the emotion catch in her throat.
"I'll see you again when it's safe," she promised. "We have to be careful. We can never be seen together by anyone."
He watched her gallop away. Maybe it was for the best.
I didn't really have time to write much today only edit what I wrote yesterday. So there probably won't be an update until Monday. Also, my next week is a little crazy so my updates probably won't be daily. Thank you to all my readers for the comments and support. I promise this will have a good pay off in the end even if it makes you squirm a little in the meantime.