Chapter 24

"It's a real pleasure to meet you all," Boggs said with a smile as his eyes swept around the living room where a little crowd, formed by the Express family, gathered that evening.

"The pleasure is ours," Buck replied courteously, echoing everybody's feelings.

"You really have a nice place here, Kid," Jimmy remarked, looking around the room appreciatively.

"And it was high time you invited us over," Cody added with a smug smirk, patting the Southerner on the back. "You know, I never say no to a free meal."

"Boys, remember, my daughter's cooking, and she ain't the best of cooks… not even average," Boggs replied with an ample smile.

Cody shrugged with indifference, and, disconcerted, Kid turned to look at his father-in-law. What John was saying was not right. Kid had no complaints about Lou's cooking whatsoever. Maybe she was not as good a cook as Rachel, but that did not mean Louise was much worse. Actually, Kid thought he enjoyed the dishes that his wife prepared for him every day, and when he praised her cooking, he was always honest.

Kid opened his mouth to contradict Boggs' words, but before he could do so, Rachel stepped in, "Speaking of Louise, where is she?"

"In the kitchen," Kid replied. "She's been working hard all day to put together a nice meal, and I'm sure we'll enjoy it."

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go and see if I can give her a hand," Rachel offered, and instantly left the men alone in the living room.

When the station mistress was gone, Kid turned to the men. "Can I get you something to drink while we wait for dinner?" He paused to look at Teaspoon purposefully, and then added, "There's no alcohol in this house, but Lou has made a delicious apple juice."

"I guess that'll have to do," Cody mumbled without much enthusiasm.

"Don't grumble, son," Teaspoon said in a light tone. "You know well the oath you took to join this company, but of course you're free to explore other interests of yours. The door's open, and you just need to quit."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Maybe I should quit," he muttered under his breath, which luckily for him, Teaspoon did not hear.

"I'll get you the drinks," Kid said, putting an end to the bantering. "And please make yourselves at home, and don't stand there… you know, there are seats," he added, cocking his eyebrows pointedly.

Jimmy followed Kid to help him with the drinks while the rest of the men settled on the sofa and chairs in the living room. Silence fell in the room, which was soon broken by Teaspoon's deep voice. "You have a charming daughter if I may so."

"Thank you," Boggs replied, leaning back on the sofa rest to get into a more comfortable position. "My wife and I always tried to do our best with our children… even when I had too many responsibilities that kept me really busy."

"Kid told us you run your own business," Buck remarked breezily.

"Yes, that's right."

"What kind of business, Mr. Boggs?" Teaspoon enquired.

"Uh… imports and exports," the man simply replied.

"What is that?" Noah asked curious.

"Oh you know, selling and buying. We send our national products overseas, and bring theirs to the country."

"What kinds of things?" Cody asked this time.

Boggs hesitated for a second. "Most everything actually." His audience was staring at him, obviously expecting a more detailed answer, so the man added, "You know, spirits and… and…"

At that moment Kid and Jimmy returned with the drinks, cutting the conversation short. Drinks were handed round, but when Kid stretched the glass of apple juice to Boggs, the man lifted his hand in polite turndown. "No, thanks. I'd rather have some fresh water," Boggs said. "But don't worry. I'll go get it from the kitchen myself."

When Boggs stepped into the kitchen, Rachel was alone, stirring the contents of a saucepan on the stove. When she saw him, she smiled. "If you're looking for your daughter, she just went to the barn. Won't be long."

"I just came for some water, Miss Dunne," he replied, filling a glass, and quenching his thirst.

"It's Mrs.," the station mistress corrected him. "But please call me Rachel."

"Please forgive me for the blunder," Boggs apologized sincerely. "Couldn't your husband make it here today?"

Rachel cast down her eyes. "Henry passed away…" she whispered. "So yes, you could say he couldn't make it today," she added, in an attempt to prevent her mood from drooping, but failing miserably.

"I'm sorry," Boggs said, looking straight into her sad eyes. "Do… do you have children?" Rachel shook her head sadly, and he added, "Kids are said to alleviate the pain of losing your life companion… but maybe the correct line would be that they rather distract the pain, because it really never goes away."

"I heard what happened to your wife and children. I'm awfully sorry."

Boggs pressed his lips together in a troubled expression. "We've both been struck by sheer bad luck. Nobody can understand this burning emptiness better than somebody who's gone through the same, can they?"

Rachel nodded, feeling a strong connection with the man. He was totally right, and it was comforting to talk to a person who could understand her fears, her tears, and her loneliness. "It's too hard."

"It is indeed."

"I imagine it must've been difficult for you to let go of Louise," Rachel remarked with a sad smile.

"Well, I do believe that I haven't lost a daughter, but gained a son," Boggs replied. "And one day grandchildren will start arriving."

From what Kid had said, Rachel knew that the odds for this man to get grandchildren were almost nonexistent, but she couldn't actually know if things might work out in the end for the couple. Of course Rachel had no right to say anything, and she just smiled encouragingly while saying, "That'll be just great."

Light conversation flowed at the dinner table, generously sprinkled by laughter and high spirits as the riders told story after story of their adventures and mishaps. Boggs was clearly enjoying himself if his loud guffaws were any evidence to go by. His cheerful disposition sharply contrasted with Lou's serious countenance. She kept her attention directed to the food she was eating, and did not seem to be listening to a word of what was being said at the table. Kid kept looking her way, wondering what was wrong with her. That was not the way she had behaved the day she went to the station, but today she acted totally aloof. Kid could not understand why she behaved this way, or why she did not join the mirth. Just for propriety she should at least pretend she was interested. Kid knew she was shy and too quiet, but she was beyond weird. Who couldn't crack a tiny smile by just listening to Cody's exaggerated accounts?

"I can see all those stories in the newspapers are true," Boggs remarked, sharing a smile with Rachel, who was sitting by his side. "The Pony Express riders are national heroes."

"I know nothing about that," Noah said matter-of-factly.

"We just do the job," Buck added.

"And Teaspoon sometimes deputizes us when the need arises, but that ain't always as thrilling as it sounds," Jimmy concluded.

"So if you need your riders to help you, I imagine that Rock Creek must be a magnet for trouble then," Boggs remarked.

"Well, things ain't that bad now," Teaspoon replied. "When we first moved here, the town was severed, and confrontations between abolitionists and pro-slavery citizens were common. The town was mayhem and a hotbed of violence. Thankfully, things have sobered down, and are now even humdrum."

"Aren't you into anything now?" Boggs continued his questioning.

"I'm afraid there's nothin' much going on. I told ya, too calm and borin'."

"There's the Mr. X business, remember, Teaspoon?" Cody reminded his boss.

Boggs cleared his throat and lowered his eyes when he heard the rider. "Mr. X?" he echoed in a low voice.

"Well, that's a foreign matter," Teaspoon replied dismissively, chuckling at the same time. "I mean, it's nothin' to do with this town. It's just a little job in cooperation with the army and the lawmen in this area."

"It doesn't sound so little to me," Boggs remarked.

"I guess not, but I'm just playin' a small part actually."

"That name… Mr. X… it sounds quite enigmatic," Boggs continued, lifting his eyes towards Teaspoon again.

"That's just a goofy nickname… for a gunrunner who's escaped the law for years," the marshal explained.

"Any progress in the investigation, Teaspoon?" Kid asked, and, as he glimpsed across the table, he noticed Lou's attention seemed to have perked up. She was looking at Teaspoon expectantly as if she was interested in hearing what the marshal had to say.

"There's somethin'… a scent to follow, at least," Teaspoon explained. "Apparently, this Mr. X is suspected to have been a neighbor in Willow Springs. His identity's still a mystery, but there is another thread to pull… his family."

Suddenly, the sound of something cracking cut Teaspoon's account short, and everybody turned to see Louise had knocked down her glass of water, breaking it in the process. The liquid ran over the surface of the table, wetting the beautiful cloth Louise had dressed the table with, and even some of it fell onto the floor. "Oh I… I'm sorry… I'm so clumsy," Lou apologized, hurriedly wiping the water on the table with her own napkin.

"Don't worry, Louise," Rachel said as everybody helped the girl to sponge the water from the tablecloth with their napkins. "It could happen to anybody."

Louise crouched by her chair and wiped the little water that had fallen onto the floor too. "I'm sorry," she whispered once again.

"Sweetheart, remember you're not a child now."

From her cowering position, she lifted her gaze to meet her father's. He was shaking his head in obvious displeasure, and a familiar glint in his eyes told Lou everything she had to know. Louise lowered her eyes, and when the floor was dry, she straightened up, and sat back down at the table. As she wrapped the broken glass in a dry napkin, Boggs seemed not to have forgotten the conversation before the interruption.

"So, Marshal Hunter, the next step is going after this fella's family?" he asked.

Teaspoon shook his head. "That was the plan, but apparently, accordin' to Sheriff Martin, there's a lot of contradictory information about this man's family… too many scents for just one nose." Teaspoon paused, and then added, "Anyway, we've found out about the whereabouts of one of his thugs: Red Peters. He's now in Blue Creek, and it's just a question of time and patience for Sheriff Martin and his deputies to fall on him."

"And he'll lead you to Mr. X…" Boggs added.

"Hopefully yes," Teaspoon replied with a smile.

"A very interesting story, very interesting indeed," Boggs remarked, and his eyes turned to find his daughter's. At his intense stare Lou lowered her gaze back to her plate as a shiver coursed all over her body.