Lou awoke to the metallic clink of the cast iron stove in the kitchen.

Rachel. The woman was up at her usual time, heating the stove to make coffee. Bacon and biscuits, with their tantalizing scent, would soon follow. Lou rubbed her eyes and brushed the hair out of her face. She braided it before she went to sleep, but a few strands always managed to work their way free to tickle her cheeks and cling to her lips. She had no issues with her hair. It was thick and shiny, the chestnut brown color livened by lighter streaks from the sun. Kid liked it. But she sometimes thought it had been easier when she'd pretended to be a boy and kept it short.

Next to her in bed, Kid didn't move. He was on his back, with his mouth open and a soft snore emerging from his throat. It was unusual for her to wake before he did, but then he'd had an unusual night. Kid typically turned in at nine and rose at sunup to begin caring for the livestock. Last night he'd stayed up late, reminiscing with Jimmy and Teaspoon. Lou was fairly certain whiskey had been involved. She didn't mind. She and Kid didn't drink often, but liquor had its time and place - and catching up after fifteen years with the man who had all but been a father to them was a reasonable occasion. If they stayed up again, she might join them.

She slid out of bed and pulled a robe over her nightdress, then padded down the stairs on bare feet to the kitchen.

"'Morning, Rachel."

Rachel smiled. "'Morning, Louise. Coffee'll be ready in a minute."

"Sounds good, although I don't think I'm the one who's really going to need it."

Rachel's smile grew broader. "Just how late were they up, anyway?"

"I don't know. I didn't hear Kid come to bed. He's still asleep."

"He's going to fret about the livestock. You know he likes to keep to schedule."

Lou shrugged. "I'll get my boys started on feeding. Kid can sleep in. It ain't like he takes days off very often."

"True." Rachel nodded as she slid a pan of biscuits into the oven. Then she joined Lou at the table, and the women sat and listened to the coffee pot bubble on the stove. A light summer breeze wafted gently through the open window.

"This feels like old times," Lou said suddenly. When Rachel raised an eyebrow, she added, "You know, you and me, sitting and talking about the boys."

Rachel chuckled. "And by 'boys,' you mean Jimmy and Kid, not your children."

"Don't forget Teaspoon."

Rachel chuckled again. "I think he might be the biggest boy of all."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," said a voice behind them.

The women turned to see Teaspoon standing in the doorway, pulling his suspenders over his shoulders. Lou thought he looked remarkably clear-eyed, given that he'd been up til God-knows-when, drinking whiskey and telling stories.

"Don't tell me Jimmy and Kid are still abed," he said.

Lou shrugged. "I left Kid snoring away, and we ain't seen Jimmy yet."

Teaspoon shook his head. "And I was worried I was getting soft." He nodded toward the stove. "Is that coffee I smell?"

Rachel nodded. "Should be ready by now."

She rose from her seat and placed mugs on the table, then filled them with the rich, dark brew. Teaspoon sat, and the three of them took appreciative sips.

"Aah, that hits the spot," Teaspoon said with a sigh. "You always did make good coffee, Rachel. Even Amanda's fancy cook at her hotel can't match it."

Rachel didn't reply, but she looked pleased. After a moment, she put a pan on the stove and began lining it with strips of bacon.

"So, what did you have to talk about, that you were up so late?" Lou asked Teaspoon.

He took another sip of coffee. "Just remembering old times." He grinned. "You recall when I brought the ball and bat to the station, Lou, and you all tried to play baseball?" When Rachel gave a puzzled frown, he added, "It was shortly after the boys had signed on with the Express, Rachel. You weren't with us yet."

Lou laughed. "We didn't understand the point of it, running around the bases like that. But we had fun."

"It's more than just fun these days," Teaspoon said. "Grown men actually get paid to play baseball. St. Louis has a team - they call themselves the Brown Stockings. People put down real money to watch them."

Lou shook her head. "Go figure."

"How about the day I found out you was a girl?" Teaspoon asked Lou. "We talked about that last night, too. You remember that?"

"I'm not likely to forget it. I was scared I was going to lose my job."

"It was a turning point, that day," Teaspoon said. "After that, things made more sense. I always thought you were a little...different, but up until then, I figured it was because you were scrawnier than the rest of the boys. You know, the way you wouldn't go to the swimming hole with them, or the way you wouldn't take your shirt off when you were working in hot weather. Not to mention you and Kid making cow eyes at each other when you thought no one was watching. I still can't believe it took me so long to see it." He shook his head. "And look at you now. A pretty woman, all grown up and married with kids of her own."

Lou smiled. "All boys, of course."

"Well, who better to know how to handle 'em?"

"Ma?"

As if on cue, Lou's eldest, James Ike, entered the kitchen and plopped himself onto the bench at the table. He was still dressed in the union suit he wore for sleeping, much the same as Lou and the boys had worn in their Pony Express days. His hair, thick and curly like the Kid's, clearly hadn't seen a comb.

He rubbed his eyes. "'Morning Aunt Rachel. 'Morning Uncle Teaspoon."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "You're an uncle already," she said to Teaspoon.

He shrugged. "Well, we are family. It was either that, or grandpa. I think I like uncle better. Makes me feel younger."

Rachel smiled, then turned to the boy. "Would you like a glass of milk?"

"Yes, please."

She poured a glass and set it in front of him.

"You're up...on time," Lou said to her son. She had almost said early, but that would have been an exaggeration. The truth was that everyone else was late. "Are your brothers still asleep?" she asked.

James Ike nodded.

Surprised, because he was usually the last to wake, Lou asked, "What made you decide to get up?"

The boy yawned. "Pa said we're supposed to move the cattle to the upper pasture today. He was going to let me ride Molly. I didn't want to be late and have him take Will instead."

"Molly?" Teaspoon asked Lou.

"One of Katy's foals," she explained. "Molly's six now, and Kid's trained her to cut cattle. We sell most of our horses, but not Katy's offspring. They're always special, and they always stay in the family. She's his favorite." She gestured at her son.

Teaspoon nodded. "I didn't realize you kept cattle. Kid didn't mention it last night."

Lou shrugged. "'Cattle' is probably a grand word for what we have. We usually keep a dozen or so steers. We use them to train the horses for cutting and driving cattle...and it keeps us in beef. The grass is eaten down in the field they're in now. Kid's been meaning to move them for a few days." She turned to her son. "I'm not sure your pa is going to be up to moving the cattle today," she said. "He had a late night."

Teaspoon grinned, but James Ike looked disappointed. "Maybe I could move them myself. I'm old enough now."

Lou shook her head. "It's a two-person job - you know that. If a steer breaks loose, one person has to keep an eye on the rest of them while the other chases down the steer."

Her son bit his lip. "How about if Will comes with me?"

"Will?" Lou thought about it for all of five seconds before discarding the notion. Her middle son was a smart boy, but prone to daydreaming. A steer could run off and he would never notice. She had more faith in Little Buck's powers of concentration, although she wasn't about to put on eight-year-old on the task. "Let's wait and talk to your father about it."

James Ike stuck out his jaw in a stubborn gesture that Lou was quite familiar with. Kid had a similar expression when he didn't agree with her. "I'm old enough," James Ike repeated. "It's time I helped out more."

"I'm not questioning your age," Lou said patiently. "But someone needs to go with you."

"Uncle Teaspoon-" her son began, giving the man a hopeful look.

"Arrived yesterday and doesn't know our land," Lou finished. "If you want to help out right this minute, then eat your breakfast, get dressed, and go out and give the horses their hay."

James Ike frowned. "That's a kid's job," he grumbled. But he tucked into the biscuits and bacon that Rachel put in front of him and had the plate clean in five minutes.

As he rose from the table, Lou said, "While you're getting dressed, wake up your brothers and get them to help you."

"Yes, Ma." And with his jaw still jutting out, her son disappeared up the stairs.

Teaspoon laughed. "I think of all the times I had to argue with one or t'other of you when you was young. You were a stubborn bunch, that's for sure. It's kinda...refreshing seeing the shoe on the other foot."

Lou thought about replying that she was never that stubborn, but realized it wouldn't be true. There were plenty of times when she'd dug her heels in. So she got up and refilled her coffee cup, turning toward the kitchen door as Kid and Jimmy walked in. They were dressed, but by no stretch would she have said that they were wide awake. Both were pale, with bloodshot eyes and drooping shoulders.

Teaspoon studied the pair and chuckled. "Rough night, boys?"

Kid shook his head. "I could have slept another couple hours. I don't understand it. I didn't think we stayed up that late."

"It's the whiskey," Teaspoon said. "I may have a bit more practice with it than you fellas do."

Jimmy groaned. "It was mighty smooth going down. Not so smooth this morning, though."

"Maybe this will help." Rachel placed two mugs of coffee on the table. "Have a seat and drink some coffee."

The men settled at the table and raised the mugs. Kid inhaled the steam from his before closing his eyes and taking a deep swallow.

"Ahhh," he sighed, his lids still closed.

"Better?" Lou asked, taking a seat next to him.

He opened his eyes to look at her. "Ask me again when I'm on my second cup." He frowned as he glanced around the kitchen. "Where are the boys?"

"I sent them to feed the horses. I figured you needed a break this morning."

"Thanks."

"Little Jimmy was talking about moving the cattle to the upper pasture," she added. "I told him it might have to wait another day."

Kid sighed and rested his forehead in his hand. "Damn. I forgot about that. I should have moved them a couple days ago. There ain't much left to eat where they are now. I suppose I could saddle up and get them moved today."

Lou heard the reluctance in his voice - but also the worry. He took good care of the animals and didn't like to think of them being uncomfortable, even for a day or two. He was going to be unhappy, she thought, no matter what he decided. If he drove the cattle to the upper pasture, an endeavor that would require most of the day, he would be tired and miserable in the saddle. If he waited until tomorrow, he was going to feel guilty.

"Why don't you let Little Jimmy and I move them," she suggested.

Kid raised an eyebrow at her.

"If we get started started soon, we'll easily be back by suppertime," she continued, before he could protest. "The weather looks good and it's only a couple of miles. I've driven the cattle with you plenty of times. It's always worked out fine."

Kid frowned. "I've got experience. Little Jimmy doesn't."

"He's got some," she said.

"Not much."

Lou waved a hand. "He'll be riding Molly. She knows what to do, even if he doesn't."

Kid looked down at his coffee cup. "That's true. She's a good cattle horse."

Jimmy patted Kid on the arm. "Give yourself a break and let them go. It'll show your boy you trust him, and he'll feel good about himself when he gets the job done."

"You all weren't all that much older when you started riding for the Express," Teaspoon added.

Kid smiled wryly. "I know that. But we were orphans. No parents to worry about us. This seems...different."

"Well, this parent," Lou pointed at herself, "will be with her son, making sure he stays out of trouble. We'll be fine, Kid."

Kid studied her face, then exhaled. "Okay."

"I'll get dressed and go tell James Ike." Lou rose from the table.

"Not before you've had breakfast," Rachel reprimanded. She put a plate of biscuits and bacon in front of Lou. "Eat. And I'll make you a lunch to bring with you while you're saddling up."

"Thanks, Rachel."

Jesse awoke to the twitter of the birds, surprised, and a little concerned, to see that it was past sunup. It was the first decent sleep he'd had in weeks, although he could have used a few more hours. He'd waited last night until the lights were out in Lou's house before advancing across the valley to one of her barns - and the lights hadn't gone out til after midnight. At the barn, he'd unsaddled his horse and put it in the corral, then climbed into the hayloft to stretch out.

The hay made a decent bed. It was dry and sweet-smelling with no hint of mold. Years ago in Rock Creek, Kid had always given the horses the best of care, especially Katy. Apparently, that care hadn't changed. The barn was clean and dry; and now that Jesse had enough daylight to look around, he saw that things were organized and well maintained. Kid and Lou might not be rich, but he didn't think they were on their last dollar, either.

He sat up and felt the familiar pain in his arm. Unbuttoning his shirt and sliding it off his shoulder, he studied the wound. It looked no better, but no worse than it had yesterday; still red and swollen, but not turning darker. The tissue wasn't dying, at least not yet. He might even be all right, he thought, if he got a little more rest and a decent meal. Rest and good food could do wonders. Jesse slid his arm gingerly back into the shirt and buttoned it up again.

He had a few ideas for what to do next, but no real plan. If Kid came out to tend to the livestock, as Jesse expected he would, he hoped to sneak into the house and talk to Lou alone. She would be frightened and possibly angry, but Jesse was pretty sure he could persuade her to hear him out. She'd always had a soft spot for him. He would explain that he didn't want to hurt anyone - that all he wanted was to get back to his family - but that he was wounded and needed to recover before heading home. He wouldn't mention the bank robbery in Minnesota. That wouldn't help his cause.

It was a risky strategy, but it was better than returning to Missouri and the prowling Pinkertons. It hinged on only one thing; Lou. If she still had any fondness for him - if he could remind her of that fondness - then he had a chance of laying low at her home. She could talk Kid into going along with it. Hell, she could probably talk Jimmy into going along with it, too, if he happened to be there. Jesse hadn't been completely oblivious back in Rock Creek. There had been something between Jimmy and Lou, more hidden than what was between her and Kid, but no less powerful.

Jesse stood, feeling a little light-headed. He could use a solid meal, that was for sure, and he needed to get out of the hayloft before someone came in and found him. He moved toward the ladder, lowering his foot through the opening in the floor to place it on the top rung. Before he could descend, however, the barn door creaked and swung open. Damn! Jesse quickly withdrew his foot and moved deeper into the loft, away from the opening.

"I'll go up and pitch down some hay," a voice said. "Will, you can put it in the stalls. Buck, you'll feed the horses in the corral."

The voice was a boy's voice; not as deep as a man's, but certainly broken out of its higher register. A boy in his teens. Jesse blinked. Assuming this was their son, Lou and Kid hadn't wasted any time starting a family. That surprised him. Lou had seemed uncertain about having children when he'd known her. He'd teased her about little ones once, and she had gotten a panicked look on her face. But then Jesse also knew that things didn't always go as planned between a man and a woman - especially when the woman was pretty and sweet-smelling.

He heard footsteps approaching the base of the ladder and dove under the large pile of hay, burrowing into it to cover himself. Best to avoid a fight, he thought. Lou wouldn't cooperate if any of her children were harmed. He waited, peering through the strands, trying to silence his breathing.

The boy emerged through the opening in the floor. Definitely Kid' son. He had his father's blue eyes and thick head of hair. The boy wasn't particularly tall, but his coltish legs suggested he had at least one growth spurt left in him. Jesse held his breath as the kid grabbed a pitchfork and slid it into the hay pile, a few yards away from where Jesse lay buried. Then the boy pitched a large forkful of hay over the side of the loft, quickly following it with a couple more.

"Buck," he called down. "Put that in the cart and take it outside to the corral."

"Okay," a boy, clearly younger than the one in the loft, replied.

Well, that's good, Jesse thought. Buck is just a child. He shouldn't give me any problems. He flatted himself on the ground as the pitchfork came nearer.

The older boy pitched more hay down to the barn below. "Start putting that in the stalls, Will."

"You ain't the boss," a new voice snapped. Somewhere between the other two in age, Jesse thought. The voice isn't quite broken, but it's on the edge of it.

"I'll be down in a second to help you," the boy with the pitchfork offered.

A pause; then, "Okay."

The boy tossed more forkfuls of hay over the side of the loft, then propped the pitchfork against a beam and headed down the ladder. Jesse breathed a sigh of relief but continued to lay still, afraid of giving himself away. The children were quiet as they distributed the fodder. There were the sounds of rustling hay, the snorts and stamps of the horses, and the creak of the cart as Buck wheeled it out the door.

And then wheeled it back in moments later.

"Joshua is back," he announced.

There was a pause. Then the boy called Will said, "What are you talking about?"

"Joshua. He's back in the corral. I just saw him."

The oldest boy said, "He can't be. Pa sold him over a year ago to some rancher outside of St. Joe."

"Maybe he ran away and came back home."

Oh hell. Joshua evidently was a horse - the same horse that Jesse had stolen from a rancher in St. Joe two days ago. Last night when Jesse had deposited him in the corral, there had been close to a dozen horses dozing in the dark. Enough so that the addition of one more shouldn't immediately stand out. Trust Kid's son to recognize a gelding, who looked like any other chestnut gelding, from among the many horses Kid was keeping.

"What makes you think it's Joshua?" Will asked, sounding skeptical.

"He's a chestnut with a white blaze."

The oldest boy laughed. "We got at least nine chestnuts with white blazes. You're dreaming, Little Buck. You're too young to remember what Joshua looked like."

"We ain't got nine chestnut geldings," Little Buck said, his voice sounding indignant and on the edge of tears. "And I'm not too young to remember. Come out and see for yourself."

There was a pause. Jesse imagined the two older boys exchanging amused expressions. Then the oldest said, "Fine. After we finish feeding the horses in the barn, Will and I will come take a look."

"You'll see."

Jesse's chest tightened as he saw his chances of getting Lou alone dwindling. He pictured the older boys examining the horse, confirming its identity, and then running to the house to tell Kid and Lou that an animal they had sold many months ago had magically reappeared in their corral. Lou and Kid would come out together to inspect it and there would be all kinds of questions and speculation. Jesse should have turned the animal loose last night instead of putting him with the others.

But then there was a new set of footsteps, and a new voice.

"James Ike?" The voice was female, and much the same as it had been fifteen years ago - soft and a little low.

Lou. Whatever she might look like, she didn't sound any older. Jesse felt his tightness ease a little.

"Yes, Ma?" the oldest boy replied.

"Your pa's got some other things to do today, so you and I are going to move the cattle to the upper pasture."

"Really?" The oldest boy sounded pleased.

"Really. Rachel is packing us a lunch. Let's go back to the house to get the food and our gear, then we can saddle Molly and Gunpowder and be off."

Rachel? Jesse stifled a snort of surprise. Rachel was with them, too? Just how many of the Express family were living here?

"Yes, ma'am." The boy's voice was brimming with enthusiasm.

Lou laughed. "I wish I could make you this happy about schoolwork. Maybe when we get back tonight I could get you to read a chapter or two from one of Grace's books."

"I'll be too tired."

"Ma," Little Buck's voice piped up before Lou could reply. "Joshua is back in the corral."

There were a few beats of silence. Then Lou said, "What?" The laughter was gone from her voice. She sounded puzzled.

"Joshua is back in-"

"Oh, he's imagining things," the oldest boy cut in. "He brought hay out to the horses in the corral and he mistook one of the chestnuts for Joshua."

Another pause, as Lou cleared her throat. "Your brother has a good memory when it comes to the horses," she said slowly. "What makes you think it's Joshua, Buck?"

"He's a chestnut gelding with a white blaze, and white socks on his hind legs."

"That could also describe Bailey or Hogan."

"I know, but it's not them. It's Joshua."

"I see." Lou sounded wonderfully patient; more patient than Jesse's ma had ever been with him.

"Let's do this," she suggested. "We'll all go back to the house. You and Will can have breakfast, Buck, while James Ike and I get our gear ready. Then before he and I head out, we'll go the corral and look at the horse." When her oldest son snorted, she added, "It won't take long, Jimmy. Ten minutes at the most."

He sighed, "Okay, Ma."

"Thank you. Now let's go to the house."

Lou and her sons left the barn, closing the door behind them. Jesse counted to a hundred, then extricated himself from the hay. Maybe all was not lost after all. He still had a chance of getting Lou alone - well, almost alone. If she and her son were going to be out riding today, he could meet her on the trail. No sign of Kid; no sign of Jimmy Hickok; just her teenage son and herself.

As he descended from the loft, a little voice in Jesse's head reminded him that he had just dodged a bullet and the smartest thing would be to cut his losses and leave. Nothing in Serenity Springs was turning out to be the way he had expected. Lou and Kid weren't living in isolation. They had three sons - and maybe a daughter, too, whoever Grace was. Rachel was staying with them. Jimmy Hickok was here. It was starting to feel like Rock Creek all over again.

But he couldn't let go of the idea of seeing Lou. Over the past two days as he'd fled the Pinkertons, he'd built her up in his mind to be a refuge. A friend, when he had no other people he could trust. He couldn't bear to give up on that refuge, not when he was so close. Jesse cracked the barn door open and made sure that Lou and her children were out of sight. Then he exited the barn and headed toward the corral. Thankfully, Little Buck's powers of observation hadn't extended to noticing the saddle Jesse had left leading against the barn. He quickly saddled Joshua and led him out of the corral. After mounting the animal, he rode the short distance to the second barn, putting the building between himself and the house.

Then he waited for Lou.

"I told you," James Ike said to Little Buck. "Joshua ain't here."

"But he was here, Ma, I swear it." Little Buck's lip was starting to tremble.

Lou leaned against the corral fence and squinted at the equines. Against all probability she had been prepared to believe her youngest son, because from a very young age he'd had an uncanny memory for the horses. He was three when he could look at two nearly identical black geldings and tell you which one was Midnight and which one was Gunpowder. But there was no doubt that Joshua wasn't here now.

"Let's go," she said to James Ike. "Those cattle aren't going to move themselves."

"But Ma-"

"It's okay, Little Buck," she said soothingly. "We'll sort it out when we get back. Let's go, Jimmy."

"Yes, ma'am!" James Ike nearly bounced as he stepped toward their horses.

They mounted and rode away.

A/N: For U.S. readers, professional baseball began in 1869 with eight teams: St. Louis Brown Stockings, Boston Red Stockings, Cincinnati Red Stockings, Chicago White Stockings (apparently stockings were a thing), Hartford Blues, Louisville Grays, Mutual of New York, and the Philadelphia Athletics.