It was a clear April Friday morning in Sweetwater and like every week, the stagecoach arrived bringing home some father or husband who had been away on business or some passing stranger who would soon be leaving.
But that morning there was an unusual passenger, one who might stop and stay in Sweetwater for quite a long time, or perhaps forever.
The passengers one by one stepped out of the coach. The last one, helped by the coachman, was a tall, thin young woman with long blond hair gathered up with a silver comb.
The woman thanked him for the help and he went to unload the luggage. When the man offered again to accompany her to the hotel, the young woman was grateful, accepting his help once more. The man resumed his journey with diligence, making arrangements with the boy at the reception, and showed her to her room.
She asked the receptionist if it was possible to have a hot bath ready soon. She really wanted to relax a little and wash off the dirt of the trip. She had traveled by ship from Italy, then she had taken the train and finally the stagecoach.
The woman was exhausted. She entered the room and began to take out of the bag of bare essentials for the morning and for the bathroom, promising to arrange all the luggage in the evening. She did not know what her plans would be and she was completely upset.
After relaxing with the hot bath they had prepared, she left and headed for the town's Marshall. She wanted to introduce herself and ask about her new job, Sweetwater's new school teacher.
She found him dozing in his chair with his feet on the desk. The woman gave a slight cough and when she saw that it had not had the desired effect, she tried again with more force. The marshall jumped in his chair, nearly overturning it.
"Eh, what ... who?"
Then he saw the young woman in front of him and composed himself.
"Teaspoon Hunter at your service, ma'am."
"Good morning Marshall, nice to meet you. My name is Debbie Mariani, I come from Italy and I will be the new teacher starting Monday. I wanted to ask about the school and if someone could help me settle in."
"It'd be my pleasure ma'am."
"Thank you, sir."
"Oh sure, Miss. The school is right nearby. I'll escort you and show you where it is." "Thank you, that's very kind."
"Italy, huh? What brings you here to this small town?"
"The desire to start a new life and embark on a new adventure."
"I can understand that. Well, shall we go?!"
The Marshall took her to the school, showed her the place, and told her that if she needed anything, books or whatever, she could go to Mr. Thompkins's general store nearby.
"Thanks, Marshall, I'm very grateful to you."
"My pleasure, Miss. I hope to see you soon."
She smiled at him, unaware of how soon she would see him again ...
As they were leaving the building, they came across a young man with long blond hair wearing a fringed leather jacket.
"Hey, Teaspoon, where did you go? I need to know how many bags of flour I have to buy, Rachel didn't write it down on the list."
He was about to swear when he raised his eyes and left the curse hanging in the air.
He was amazed to see the Marshall in the company of a beautiful, well-dressed young woman in a pretty blue dress and sweet green eyes.
"Good morning, Miss! William F. Cody at your service" and took her hand to kiss it.
Teaspoon intervened and said: "Cody, this is Miss Mariani, she comes from Italy and will be the new teacher starting Monday. Behave well with her, son."
"Good morning Mr. Cody, nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine, Miss."
Cody didn't take his eyes off her.
Debbie thanked Teaspoon and asked if he could direct her to Tompkins' shop for her purchases. Cody couldn't help but intervene and offered to accompany her, but she politely refused, saying she would get by on her own. Cody was a little upset but vowed not to let the next opportunity pass him by. Debbie said goodbye to the two men and followed the Marshall's directions.
"Hello Miss, what can I help you with?"
"Good morning, Mr. Tompkins. The Marshall told me that I can find the necessary items for the school here. I'm the new teacher. My name is Debbie Mariani."
"Nice to meet you. Let me have your list, and I will get you the material as soon as possible."
"Thanks, that's very kind. Could you please tell me where I can find the post office? I have to send a letter urgently."
"You can give it to Teaspoon Hunter. Other than being the town's Marshall, he runs the Pony Express station just outside the city."
"I prefer to take it in person, thanks. How do I get to the station? "
"Oh that's easy, just cross the prairie for a couple of miles and you'll be there." "Thank you, you are very kind. But one last thing, where can I rent a horse?"
"You won't ride there alone, will you? You could have bad encounters. Maybe it would be better to go there with a gig and not on horseback. However, you can find horses across the street."
"Thanks for the advice, Mr. Tompkins, see you soon."
Debbie had no intention of listening to the shopkeeper's suggestions and went back to her room to write the letter she would send to her parents, letting them know she had arrived safely.
She changed into a comfortable pair of beige trousers, a shirt of the same color and a brown reindeer jacket. She tied her hair with a simple ponytail, then went to the blacksmith, renting a horse for one whole day.
She had her way explained to her again, making sure she knew the way, then set off for the Pony Express station, excited about her new life.
She left Italy because she felt suffocated by family and prejudices. She had fought against everything and everyone to have an education because a woman just had to stay at home and start a family.
Her parents wanted to force her to marry a man she didn't love and she didn't want to nullify all the sacrifices she had made to get an education. So one day she decided she would go to America, where she knew women weren't so segregated as they were in Italy.
Her parents had not taken this decision well, but in the face of her rebellious attitude, they had to give in.
She got on her horse and headed for the station indicated, keeping the letter for her family tightly in the inside pocket of her jacket. While she rode, she enjoyed the serenity of the prairie and breathed that pure air deeply.
Suddenly, she felt that the horse was fidgeting and becoming more and more restless, but she couldn't understand why. She decided to stop for a moment to see if there was something wrong when suddenly, she saw them. A group of Indians on horseback heading towards her.
She immediately got back on her horse and tried to ride towards the nearby woods, but to no avail; some of the fastest warriors caught up with her in no time and she had no way out.
The horse kept pawing and therefore made it impossible for her to try to escape. It remained motionless until she was surrounded by the Indians.
There were five of them and they motioned her to follow them. She tried to make them understand that she had not the slightest intention but they, very calmly, repeated the gesture of encouragement.
Debbie tried to spur the horse and try to escape, but as soon as she tried, the two who had reached her first blocked her and made her get off. Debbie began screaming and crying, begging them to let her go, but the warriors were intent on taking her away with them.
They tied her up behind her horse and forced her to follow them. She fell repeatedly, getting back up every time. Every bit of her pride was wounded, but she could do nothing but follow them, terrified of what was about to happen to her.
The scene had not escaped a man. He was a half-breed who lived among the whites, half Kiowa Indian, who also worked for the Pony Express. His name was Buck Cross and he was the half-brother of Red Bear, the chief of the Kiowa tribe in the area.
He had black hair reaching to his shoulders, an earring that represented a snake skeleton and he wore a knife around his boots. He had heard the girl's screams as he was returning from his run and had swerved in that direction, hiding in the trees.
He had observed and pondered the situation and understood that if he tried to save her, he would not be able to free her, there were too many and there was a risk that in the struggle the warriors would shoot some arrows that would hit either him or the girl. He then decided to follow them at a distance, ready to intervene if they had hurt her.
Debbie was taken to the Lakota tribe's camp and as soon as they saw her, everyone, men, women, and children surrounded her with curiosity. The men said something to what was supposed to be one of the chiefs, but not the absolute chief, because, from the gestures Debbie knew, they couldn't make any decisions. She was entrusted to an elderly woman who took her to a tent and gave her a cup of water. She refused, scared of what she would have to face.
Meanwhile, Buck remained hidden nearby. He had decided that if the fires remained quiet, he would intervene during the night to free her, otherwise, he would immediately try to make her escape. The day passed quietly, around lunchtime a young woman entered the tent where Debbie was being held prisoner to bring her food, but she refused, she could not swallow anything.
When night came and everyone had gone to sleep, Buck approached the tent and looked through an opening. He saw that the elderly woman was dozing and that the girl was leaning against the side of the tent near the entrance. She was sitting on a bed with blankets but evidently was determined to stay up all night, terrified of falling asleep and losing out of sight of what was happening.
Buck approached the entrance of the tent and managed to close Debbie's mouth with his hands, who let out a grunt of surprise and fear. Buck came to her ear and said in the sweetest and most reassuring way possible: "Don't be afraid, I'm here to free you, I'm a Pony Express rider, but you have to do exactly what I tell you."
Debbie nodded and he loosened his grip, but when she turned and saw that he was a half-breed, she was terrified and let out a cry. He immediately regretted it because the old woman woke up and was about to sound the alarm when Buck grabbed her arm and said something in a language Debbie didn't know, slipping a few coins into her hand, taking Debbie by the arm.
She did not know how to behave and when he saw her hesitation, he whispered in her ear: "Trust me and try to be credible, I know the customs of these people and I can take you away from here. Indulge me."
She nodded and when he hugged her, she let him. She was totally stunned and didn't know what was happening, but felt that the only thing to do was to trust him.
He took her hand and pretended to put a ring on Debbie's finger, indicating to the woman that they were promised. The woman nodded and let them go. Buck had made the woman understand that Debbie was his betrothed and that she had been wrongfully kidnapped, so he had come to claim her. To convince her to let them go, he had also given her a small "reward."
Buck took Debbie by the hand, mounted her on his horse and set off as fast as he could. Neither of them spoke, the pace was very fast and the only goal was to get out of there before anyone noticed their escape.
When they were far enough away, Buck stopped his horse. He asked Debbie how she felt, but she was too terrified and didn't rest. He turned to her and explained that the Indians were probably waiting for the return of their leader to decide her fate and in the meantime, they had entrusted her to that old woman.
He explained that to free her he had to pretend to be her man who had come to claim her, otherwise the woman would never have let her go. Debbie looked at him dazed, she didn't know what to think and was scared that he was Indian, but on the other hand, he had saved her and could see in his eyes that maybe she could trust him.
"Tonight we will camp here, it is too dark to continue by now. Tomorrow morning I will take you to the station where you can recover from the shock and rest for a while. Rachel will take care of you."
The idea of spending the night alone with a half Indian after the adventure she had lived and moreover in the middle of the prairie scared her to death, so when Buck dismounted, she seized the moment and spurred the animal on, convinced of being able to escape. But she did not know where to go.
She hadn't reckoned with Buck's readiness, who whistled back his horse and made her get off. She tried to rebel but Buck looked into her eyes and softly said: "I know you can hardly trust after what happened to you, but I assure you I don't want to hurt you. We will eat something that I brought with me for my run and then we will go to sleep. If it makes you feel safer, we'll put the horse between us, so you won't feel threatened."
Debbie smiled at this last line and he said to her: "Hey, what is this? A smile? Maybe you can start to trust."
Debbie looked him in the eyes again and saw so much sweetness. She decided she would try to relax but still didn't speak. She just smiled another smile as he gently made her sit on a blanket while he started a fire, cooking some meat that he had brought with him in case he had to stay longer during his run.
Debbie remained silent and Buck, who was very embarrassed because he was very shy, tried asking her a few questions to find out who she was or at least her name.
"Will you at least tell me your name? You know my name and my work. Would you like to explain to me what you were doing all alone in the middle of the prairie?"
"My name is Debbie Mariani, I come from Italy and I am the new Sweetwater teacher. I was coming to the Pony Express station to entrust you with a letter to send to my family when I was attacked by the Indians and I truly believed I was facing a terrible fate."
Those words spoken in one breath brought her back to reality and only then did she understand what had really happened to her before it was as if she lived in a sort of limbo.
Tears began to gush from her eyes and she was seized with nervous jolts. Buck instinctively hugged her, but she drew back in fear.
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you more, I just wanted to console you and make you feel safe" "I'm sorry", she said through tears, "I didn't even thank you for saving me, I'm still in shock."
"I understand, but don't worry, it's all over. Eat something and then rest. Tomorrow it will be better. Anyway, nice to meet you, Debbie."
She smiled at him and gradually stopped crying, allowing herself to be persuaded to eat something. She felt that she could trust Buck and that she had nothing more to fear.
"So you are Italian? Why did you move here, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Well, I wanted to change my life and I hope that after today things will get better." "I'm sure it will. Now rest. You had a difficult day."
Buck started to walk away but she stopped him: "No, don't go, stay here, I feel calmer when you are near. I'm sorry if I tried to escape earlier, I still didn't realize I was safe until now." .
"It is understandable. Okay, I'll stay here, but you have to promise me you'll rest." "I promise.".
Buck smiled at her and Debbie felt a strange sensation in her stomach but didn't pay much attention to it. She was exhausted and just wanted to close her eyes.
The night passed quietly and when she woke up the next morning, opening her eyes she found herself embraced by Buck. She had probably not been aware of her actions in her sleep. She slipped off just before he woke up.
"Good morning! How are you this morning?"
"Better thanks!"
The two looked at each other for a moment but she immediately looked away, she was very embarrassed because she wondered if he had noticed that she had embraced him during the night.
"Well, then let's get on the road right away so Rachel will prepare us a hearty breakfast, we both need it."
"Who is Rachel?"
"The woman who takes care of all of the riders. You will like her."
"Yesterday I met Marshall Hunter and a friend of yours, I think, his name is…. Co ... oh I struggle to remember."
"It must be Cody."
"Yes, that's right, my thoughts are still a bit confused. Thanks again Buck, I don't know what I would have done without you."
"You don't have to thank me, anyone would have done it."
Debbie wasn't so sure. She was beginning to see things from another perspective and understood that she probably owed her life to Buck.
The boy made her get on his horse in front of him so that she could be more comfortable and lean on him in case she wanted to rest a bit.
During the ride, neither of them spoke. Buck had a pleasant sensation of feeling Debbie lean on him tenderly and she couldn't understand what that strange feeling she felt in her belly was.
Meanwhile, at the Pony Express station, the riders, Teaspoon and Rachel, were all worried about Buck. He should have been back yesterday at the latest, but he hadn't shown up yet.
One of Buck's close friends, almost a brother to him, Ike, who was mute from scarlet fever he had had as a child, made it clear to the others that he wanted to go find his friend, but Teaspoon had told him to be patient until the next day. If he did not come back, they would organize a search.
The next morning, as soon as they heard a horse coming, they all rushed out of the house and bunkhouse to see if it was Buck. When the horse approached, the first to recognize the rider and the girl who was with him was Cody who said: "But what's Buck doing with the new teacher? What the hell happened?"
Everyone looked at Cody curiously and Teaspoon explained to the others that they had met the woman the previous morning.
One of the boys, Jimmy Hickok, who had a reputation for being a skilled gunfighter, glared at Cody and said: "Oh, you met a girl and didn't tell us anything? Do you want to keep her all to yourself? I think you arrived late anyway!"
Cody made a face but didn't have time to answer because Buck and the new teacher had arrived in the meantime. Everyone gathered around Buck. Ike was the first one, asking questions about his health, what had happened, and who that girl was.
Instinctively, Debbie hugged Buck who immediately said: "I'm fine, guys, I'll tell you everything, but now make room, can't you see you're scaring her?"
Rachel intervened and said: "Guys, he's right, stay back, let them breathe."
"Thanks, Rachel." Buck then helped Debbie down and said: "This is Debbie, the new teacher. She had a bad run-in with a group of Lakota Indians. Rachel, she needs you."
"Now, come dear."
"Thanks and good morning everyone, I'm sorry to have disturbed you."
"No disturbance", said Rachel, "a nice bath and a hearty breakfast will help you recover and, if you want, you will tell us what happened."
Debbie nodded and after the boys introduced themselves, she followed Rachel into the house.
Meanwhile, the boys and Teaspoon began asking questions. Buck told them briefly what had happened and then said that Debbie would fill in all the other details if she felt like it, then he excused himself and went to wash up too.
One of the riders, Lou, finished making breakfast for Rachel who was with Debbie, but no one ate until they were all at the table.
Rachel prepared a hot bath for Debbie and a shirt and skirt to put on because her clothes were all dirty and torn. They were about the same size, only the girl was taller and had smaller breasts, but the clothes would still suit her.
"Take your time and relax, I'm over there. If you need to call me", she said softly. "Thank you, you're so kind."
"I'm glad you think so. I'll see you later."
Debbie took off her dirty clothes and eased her way into the tub. Immediately she felt invaded by a sweet numbness and abandoned herself to that pleasant sensation of closing her eyes.
As soon as they closed, Buck's sweet face appeared, smiling at her and Debbie immediately opened her eyes. She felt strange and did not understand why she could not forget that face even for a moment. She thought it was gratitude because he had been the first friendly face she had seen after the bad adventure.
After washing and relaxing, she got out of the tub, dried herself off and put on Rachel's clothes. She left the room and found the woman waiting for her sitting on a chair.
"If you feel like it and are ready, we can go for breakfast."
"Okay, thanks for your kindness and your help."
Rachel smiled at her and took her arm. When the two women entered the bunkhouse, the boys gasped, all except Lou, who glanced sideways at Debbie. She had noticed immediately but pretended nothing had happened.
Rachel invited her to sit down. She sat between the woman and Teaspoon, facing Buck. For a moment, there was an awkward silence, but then Cody interrupted: "Hell, Miss, what's up with me? I can't leave you alone for one moment before you lets yourself be attacked by the Indians?"
Debbie blushed and then said: "Please call me Debbie, not miss. I'm your guest. I'm afraid it was all my fault, Mr. Tompkins had warned me not to go riding alone on the prairie or at least take the wagon, but I didn't want to listen because I was in a hurry to bring you a letter to mail."
"So you were coming to see us?" Jimmy asked.
"Yes, I wanted to send my family a letter as soon as possible to inform them that I had arrived safely."
"Do you want to tell us what happened? Are you up to it" , asked Teaspoon.
Debbie nodded, bracing herself as she told the boys and the Marshall what had happened. "And then Buck came…" ,Cody said.
"Yes, fortunately! I even tried running away from him too because I was terrified. Then I realized that I had to trust him and I let myself be helped."
"How did you know he wouldn't take advantage of you too? You didn't know him", Cody continued.
"I looked into his eyes and felt that I could trust him."
Buck and Debbie's eyes met, but they both looked away. This was not lost on Noah, one of the other riders who had joined the Express shortly before.
"How did you get the old woman to let her go Buck?", Kid asked, another one of the riders, who sat next to Lou.
"I gave her some money." Buck failed to say what he had really said to the woman so as he and Debbie would not feel too embarrassed. She thanked him with a look.
"Well, Debbie, what are your plans then?" Jimmy asked.
"For now I have taken a room in the hotel in town, but as soon as I have settled down, I want to start looking for a small house not far from the school."
"And are you going to live there alone?" Kid asked.
"Well, yes, I don't know anyone and I can't spend my life in a hotel room."
"Don't you think it's dangerous for a single woman, given what happened to you?" asked Jimmy. "What alternatives do I have? I am alone."
Rachel had an idea: "Look, I was thinking that I would really like to have some help handling all these boys, so if you would like, you can stay here and live with me when you are not in school. If you don't have to prepare lessons or correct homework, would you be able to help me with them? What do you think?"
"Well, I don't know, I don't want to be intrusive or annoying."
"No bother, trust me, on the contrary!", Cody said.
Everyone laughed and Debbie blushed. She just didn't know what to say and was deeply embarrassed. The boys tried to convince her and Ike even gestured something to her.
"I don't understand Ike, I'm sorry."
"He's saying we'd be happy to have you here. He uses Indian signs that I taught him", Buck informed her.
"You are very nice, Ike. I don't know."
"Come on, don't make us beg", Cody said.
"Well, if you all agree and if it won't be a bother, I accept."
"Well!" Cody yelled.
"Do you all really agree? You too, Lou?"
Debbie hadn't missed Lou's stares and she couldn't understand why. Noah didn't seem too enthusiastic either.
Lou replied, "Why are you asking me?"
"Because I would like you all to agree and I don't want to impose my presence on anyone. If me staying here were to create problems for any of you, I would not hesitate to leave and organize my life as I had originally planned."
Lou replied: "It's not a problem for me, don't worry."
"I'm happy because I'd like us to become friends! We should be the same age." "Who told you I'm a girl? Buck, did you tell her?"
Debbie intervened before Buck could reply: "You mean someone doesn't know? Buck never said a word, it was immediately obvious to me with all the looks you throw at Kid."
"Nobody in the town knows, and I would like things to stay this way."
"Oh, sure, it's certainly not up to me to tell your business, but I'd really like us to become friends."
"We'll see", Lou said.
"So you all agree. Even you Noah? You haven't said anything yet", Debbie asked again.
She did not want to bother anyone. All she wanted to do was build a peaceful life, without all the unnecessary misunderstandings that she did not need.
Noah replied with a simple, "Yah."
"Very well!" Rachel interjected, "Then it's decided. "
"Thanks, everyone! I hope to find a new family here with you. Speaking of family, is it possible to send the letter I wrote to my parents? Even if I think I have to rewrite it with the latest news?"
"Sure", said Teaspoon, "Monday, Noah will take it with him on his run."
"Thanks! I'll go straight to town with the horse…Oh, the horse I had hired! The Indians have it!"
Teaspoon told her not to worry, he would talk to Mr. Carson and fix everything. Then he added: "Anyway, after yesterday's adventure it's not really wise that you go out alone again. I'll send Cody to pick up your things at the hotel, he'll be delighted, won't you?"
"Sure", replied the boy, "At your service. I'll go to the hotel and collect your trunks and your bag, alright?"
"Thanks, Cody, you are really nice."
"For you, this and more, I'm at your service."
"We had no doubts, Cody", Noah said and everyone laughed.
Everyone except Buck, who seemed annoyed by the merciless court that his friend was doing to the girl.
Rachel got up to clear the table and Debbie followed, but the woman told her to rest.
Debbie replied: "If I have to live here, I have to be considered one of you, so it is right that I help you. The hot bath and breakfast have refreshed me enough, thank you."
Rachel didn't argue and the two women arranged the table and dishes. Meanwhile, the boys had gone to do their jobs, while Teaspoon and Cody headed into town.
Rachel and Debbie then went into the house and the first showed the girl where she could settle down.
"It was lucky Buck heard your screams, wasn't it?" Rachel asked.
Debbie blushed a little, which Rachel did not miss, and then replied: "Yes, I'll be grateful to him forever."
"He is a boy with a noble heart, he would throw himself into the fire to save a person in need. If you win his trust you will have a faithful ally forever."
"I'll try not to make him an enemy then." The two women laughed and then went out to do the laundry.
Ike was standing next to them and gestured to Debbie something that she obviously didn't understand. Rachel also struggled at times to understand Ike and hadn't learned the signs well enough yet, but Buck came and communicated to the women that Ike was saying he was glad Debbie would stay with them.
"Thanks, Ike", the girl said, "I really think I'll ask Buck to teach me the signs so I can communicate with you.". Then he turned to Buck and said: "As long as it's okay with you and you feel like it."
"Oh sure, whenever you want", he replied.
Rachel, who had understood that something was in the air, said to Debbie: "If you want, you can take some time while you wait for Cody, I don't need you here anymore."
"That's fine with me", Buck said, "I'm done too."
"Okay then.". The two sat on Rachel's porch and Buck began teaching her the basic signs of communicating with Ike.
After about an hour, Cody returned with Debbie's trunks and things, who in the meantime was in the bunkhouse preparing lunch with Rachel.
"Thanks, Cody, I'll pay you."
"I'm looking forward to it", the boy said, attracting a glare from Rachel and Debbie. Cody left without a word and carried Debbie's bags into the house.
When she finished preparing lunch, Debbie went back into the house to rewrite the letter for her family and then returned to the bunkhouse with the others.
"Oh, Debbie, we haven't told you yet, but we have a picnic by the river tomorrow, will you come?" Rachel asked.
"Oh yes, gladly, thanks, it sounds nice!"
"What are you going to do in the afternoon?" Jimmy asked.
"Oh, I think I'll organize work for the school on Monday, but first I have to sort out my bags and that's going to take a lot of time."
"I can help you if you want", Lou said. She understood that she had been unfairly rude to her and wanted to make up for it.
"I'd like that, Lou, thank you."
"Are you planning to go to school alone on Monday afternoon? I don't think that's a good idea. I'd gladly accompany you", Cody interjected.
"Oh no, it's not necessary. I'll go alone, but this time with the buckboard, if I can borrow it."
"I think Cody is right. At least for a few days, it would be better if someone accompanied you to show you the safest route and to make sure the Indians are no longer around", Buck said.
Debbie gave him a look. She didn't really want to make the trip with Cody, but what Buck had observed was right.
"Oh, okay, but only for a few days. Maybe on Monday, I'll take the opportunity to buy myself a horse of my own."
After lunch, Debbie and Lou went to arrange the new arrival of clothes and things. Lou was shocked at the amount of clothes and shoes Debbie had brought with her. Debbie always loved being tidy and coordinating clothes and accessories.
"I'm sorry I was rude to you, but when you arrived, all eyes were on you and I was a little jealous."
"Don't worry Lou, I understand that and I think your jealousy was mostly about Kid. Am I wrong?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Well, yes, you are a beautiful couple."
"I would say that you were also impressive, Cody and Jimmy cannot take their eyes off you and I think Buck was also admiring."
Debbie blushed a little when Lou said Buck's name.
"Ah, I see that someone here already shows some feelings towards him! Buck is a good guy, he's very shy and reserved, but he's a good friend."
"You're the second one who tells me this today. I need time to settle in and still and think about what happened to me yesterday. I will always be grateful to Buck for saving me. You know, he's teaching me sign language, he's very kind."
Lou smiled and the girls chatted happily as they sorted things out.
When Lou was gone, Debbie tried to organize work for the following Monday, but she was struggling to concentrate, her mind kept returning to Buck, his sweetness and the feeling she had when she was near him.
In the evening, after dinner, she stayed for a while in the bunkhouse to watch the boys play cards. She positioned herself near the fireplace where Ike was and tried to communicate with him a bit.
Buck saw her in trouble and joined her to help her. After a while, she retired to her room. She was exhausted, the day had been full of emotions and she still had to get rid of the fear of the bad adventure she had gone through the day before. Her sleep was restless and sometimes the fear she had felt came back to her mind. She woke up with a start, but then went back to sleep peacefully because she knew she was now safe.