Chapter 2
Pulling up on the reins of her mount, Lou stopped for a moment to enjoy the fresh air and warm sunshine of the last July morning. The rolling plains spread out as far as the eye could see, and she wanted to take it all in before they reached the Cottonwood station. Since she and Cody had left four days ago, they had maintained a quick pace, but after so many days in the saddle, Lou was anxious for a reprieve, even if it was only for a few minutes. Her body ached and she felt an overwhelming urge to sleep as the long days had taken their toll. Looking around she noticed a grove of trees and could hear the rush of the nearby creek, just beyond them she suspected. Closing her eyes for a few moments, she turned her face from the hot sun, savoring her moment to rest.
Drawing his mount up beside the petite rider, Cody noticed her peaceful countenance, asking, "Lou, you alright? We should get going to the next station if we want to reach Diamond Springs by nightfall."
"I know, Cody, can you just give me a minute?" Lou asked, annoyance clear in her voice.
Cody shrugged his shoulders and allowed his mare to wander off. "You know, we could water the horses if you want to rest a little. I think I hear a creek nearby," he suggested, trying to cheer her up. Since they had departed on this trip, Lou would either ignore him completely or snap at him if he even made a suggestion. He knew she was missing being at the station with Kid, but they had a job to do and the sooner they delivered their parcel, the sooner they could be back in Rock Creek.
Having heard his suggestion, Lou turned her horse in the direction of the trees and the promise of water that lay beyond them. The warm morning was turning into an oppressively hot day and she was eager for some cool water to help relieve her discomfort. She could feel beads of sweat trickling down her back and between her flattened breasts. Her bindings that she had donned before she left to help with her masculine ruse, were proving to be more uncomfortable than she had remembered. She wanted nothing more right now than to rip the binding strip from her chest and toss it in the creek. But, given their distance from the safety of home, Lou felt more comfortable keeping her femininity well concealed.
Walking slowly though the copse of trees, Lou soon reached the other side and the banks of the Cottonwood creek, a tributary of the nearby Platte river, came into view. Slowly approaching the softly moving water, she dismounted off her horse, allowing the animal to get a brief drink from the water's edge. She quickly removed her heavy jacket, folding it over the back of her saddle, securing it with the ties to her bedroll. Pulling her kerchief from her neck, Lou squatted down on the creek bank and plunged the square into the cool water. Wringing it out slightly, she bathed her sweaty face and neck with the material before dipping it back in the creek. Pulling her shirt away from her body, she dipped the wet kerchief beneath her bindings, providing some relief to her sensitive flesh. Behind her, Lou could hear the hoofbeats signalling the arrival of her companion. Looking up from her perch, she said, "You should take a break there, Cody. The water's cool despite the hot day. I'm sure we can spare a few more minutes before we have to continue on to Cottonwood."
"I suppose a few minutes more can't hurt," Cody agreed, sliding off his mount and moving closer to the water's edge. Deciding that a proper rest was indeed in order, Cody pulled off his boots and socks, plunging his feet into the cool water. Leaning back on the creek bank, he relished in the feeling of the coolness on his hot skin.
The two riders were enjoying the serenity of the summer afternoon when a shrill scream rent the stillness. Lou immediately stood from her position next to the creek. Scanning the length of the creek within her view, Lou could barely make out someone moving along the creek's edge about a mile downstream. Without hesitation, she leaped onto her horse, kicking it swiftly into a gallop. Together horse and rider raced along the bank until she reached the source of the screaming. A young Indian girl was surrounded by five scruffy looking men, one of which was holding her arms behind her back as two others pulled at her deerskin dress. A short distance away a fourth man was unbuttoning his trousers and Lou immediately realized what these men had planned for this poor girl. Remembering the shame and misery surrounding her own attack, Lou charged towards the men, desperate to save the girl from a fate similar to her own.
Driving her horse between the men and the girl, Lou pulled her gun out and aimed the weapon at the first man she encountered. She kicked another man away, shouting, "Get away from her!"
"Get outta here, boy," the apparent leader sneered at her, "You got no business here, unless of course you want a turn."
Swallowing the bile that threatened to escape her, Lou felt her anger rising as she prepared to stop these men at any cost. The man who was holding the Indian girl started pulling at the ties of her dress himself as his miscreant friends tried to chase the interloper away. She felt hands pulling at her leg, trying to remove her from her horse. Levelling her gun at the man, she fired, hitting him near the shoulder. He staggered away, clutching his chest in pain. She saw the crimson stain spreading over his shirt and watched him collapse into the water before she turned her attention to the next man coming at her. Kicking as hard as she could, she knocked the man into the creek. She aimed her gun at the third man, who was trying to force himself on the girl despite Lou's attempts to thwart him. Her pistol pointed at his back, she fired again, two quick shots, causing the man to fall face first onto the creek bank. With only two men left, she set her sights on the apparent leader, losing track of the last man in the process. Aiming her gun once again at the man holding the young woman with his arm around her neck, Lou sat atop her horse, calling, "Let her go!" The man narrowed his eyes at her before drawing his own pistol and shooting. She felt the sharp pinch of the bullet hitting her shoulder, knocking her backwards off her mount and into the creek. Hitting her head on some rocks in the creek bed beneath the shallow water, Lou was barely aware of large hands closing around her throat as her head was plunged beneath the water's surface. Through the rippling water she felt the hands ripped from her neck announcing the arrival of help. She wasn't sure who had come to her rescue, Cody or someone else, but a flash of deep amber skin led her to believe some braves had come to help one of their own. Lou was barely aware of their presence, seeing only the flash of sunlight glinting off metal and hearing the cries of men avenging their sister. Satisfied that the girl would be unharmed, Lou allowed the darkness threatening to consume her to take hold. Closing her eyes, she felt at peace.
Cody watched Lou take off like a shot, headed towards the screams and whatever was causing them. Pulling his feet from the rippling water, he struggled to pull his socks onto his wet feet before finally donning his boots. Rushing back to his mount who had wandered further upstream during their unplanned rest, Cody swung himself up into the saddle and raced off in the direction he last saw his sister. On his way, he heard first one, followed by two other shots, prompting him to urge his mount to go faster. Reaching the scene, Cody pulled his pistol from his holster, keeping it trained on the first man he saw. Before he could assess the situation in front of him, he heard the shot and watched as his sister rider was flung backwards from her horse, landing in the water with a splash. One of the miscreants was on Lou immediately, his hands around her throat as he pushed her head beneath the water. The man he had been watching turned his gun towards Cody as a group of Sioux braves emerged from the far side of the woods. Traversing the creek, one threw a knife into the back of the man who had just shot Lou, knocking him into the water. The half-naked girl he had been holding pitched forward into the water, landing on her hands and knees. A second brave ran after the man attacking Lou, pulling him from her and drawing his knife across the man's neck, tossing him into the creek when he was finished and running off.
Reholstering his weapon, Cody dismounted, trying to get closer to where Lou lay unconscious in the creek shallows. He was so focussed on getting to Lou that he missed the brave sneaking up behind him before he felt a sharp pain at the base of his skull causing him to fall into unconsciousness.
The first thing Cody noticed when he opened his eyes was that it was dark. Sometime between him running off to help Lou and now, hours had to have passed. It was roughly noon when they stopped by the creek for a few minutes but now as he looked up, he saw stars winking at him as they shone brightly in the late July sky. Cody blinked several times to regain some sense of where he was and what was happening. As he lay there beneath the darkness of night, he remembered Lou running off after hearing someone screaming. There were shots. She was dead or unconscious, although right now he wasn't sure which. Someone had hit him, he remembered, reaching up to the back of his head and finding a large knot there. Rubbing it painfully, Cody tried to sit up. He was immediately struck by a throbbing pain in his head. Knowing he needed to find Lou as soon as possible, Cody called, "Lou," his voice a hoarse whisper. Pulling himself to his hands and knees, he started crawling around the ground, calling her name in the still moonlight.
Crawling around the small clearing he found himself in, Cody quickly located his horse, tethered to a tree. Using the animal for support, he pulled himself to standing and grasping his canteen, took a few gulps of water to clear his throat. His head slightly clearer, he turned around to scan the darkened landscape. Everywhere he looked, there was no sign of his fellow rider. Leaving his horse tethered, Cody walked through the trees to the creek, searching the creek bank and shallow depths for any sign of the female rider. Upon seeing only the five bodies of the men that had been attacking that Indian girl, Cody heaved a sigh and started the short trek back to his horse. Lou was gone and he would have to return to Rock Creek to tell Teaspoon, Rachel, and the boys what had transpired while on the way to Fort Laramie. How was he ever going to tell them their sister was gone? That he had lost her? How was he going to tell Kid? The thought of telling the southern rider that his girlfriend was missing and possibly dead filled Cody with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. The two of them had become so close over the past few weeks, he wasn't sure how one would survive without the other. While Lou had a special bond with Kid, the female rider had somehow managed to worm her way into all their hearts. As he thought about how special the girl had become to all of them, Cody felt the first tear slide down his cheek. It hadn't been that long since they had to say goodbye to Ike. If they had to say a similar farewell to Lou, he wasn't sure how the rest of them would move on, especially Kid. At that moment, he knew he had to do everything possible to bring his sister home.
As he brushed the tears away, a new resolve invaded his being. He had to get to the nearest station, see that the package made its way to Fort Laramie, and return home to tell the others. Better yet, maybe he could get some of the riders from Cottonwood to help him find her before he had to return to Rock Creek. His plan decided on, Cody was about to mount up when he paused, catching sight of a second horse tied about twenty yards away from his own. Walking over to the chestnut mare, he recognized Lou's horse from the last station they had stopped at. Someone had tied her horse to another tree, making sure to keep it from travelling too far away from him. Something seemed off about all of this, Cody thought to himself as he walked back to his own mount. If Lou was dead, her body would have been left with those of the outlaws. Only, it wasn't. Her horse was tethered up near to his own and he realized he was in the creek when he lost consciousness, but he woke up about fifty yards away from the creek. Someone had moved him here. Maybe that same person had taken Lou with them since her injuries were more severe than his. Hoping he was right, Cody climbed onto his horse and headed for the Cottonwood station to see about getting a new horse, something to eat, and maybe something for his throbbing head before he made the long journey back to Rock Creek to tell the others what had happened to their favorite girl rider.
It was nearing midnight when Cody arrived at the Cottonwood station. Not expecting any riders, the station master emerged from the station house, his shotgun pointed at the latecomer. "Good evening, sir. Name's William Cody. I'm a rider out of the Rock Creek station," Cody introduced himself, hoping to diffuse the situation as soon as possible.
The station master lowered his weapon, looking suspiciously at the newcomer. "Kinda late for you to be out, ain't it, son?" he asked.
"My fellow rider and I ran into some trouble a few hours ago on our way to Fort Laramie. We helped an Indian girl who was being attacked by some outlaws. I was knocked out and when I came to, Lou was gone," Cody explained. "I was hoping I could get some help from all of you."
"Well, son, being as it's almost midnight, you're welcome to a hot meal and a bed for the night. Why don't you come inside and sit for a spell," the station master said, turning to his riders. "Eddie, Lyle, why don't you see to Mr. Cody's horse," he said, pausing as he noticed the other horse being led by the new rider, "uh, horses. Take Levi with you to help. Mr. Cody…"
"It's just Cody, sir," the pale haired rider explained.
"My name's Nathan Hazelwood, but the boys around here call me Nate," the station master introduced himself. "You're one of Teaspoon Hunter's boys, ain't you?"
"Yes, sir. Teaspoon'll be mighty upset to hear about Lou's disappearance once I get back to Rock Creek."
"Well, we'll have to see what we can do, Cody. Why don't you come on inside? My wife Lollie'll fix you something to eat and we can talk about your missing rider."
Cody handed the reins to Lou's horse to one of the riders before dismounting from his own mount. One of the other riders was there to take the reins from him and Cody watched as the two horses were led into the nearby barn. Following Nate into the bunk house, Cody was relieved to see one more rider and a matronly woman seated around a table. The two looked like they were in the middle of a card game with the rest of the riders as Cody spied many hands of cards strewn around the table. "Lollie, we got a visitor from the Rock Creek station for the night. Cody here was on a ride to Fort Laramie with another rider. Got in a bit of a tussle with some outlaws. Lost his friend in the process. You think you can find him something to eat?" Nate asked the redhead.
"Sure thing!" Lollie said, rising from her seat at the table. Moving over to the stove she stirred whatever was simmering in the pot, releasing a fragrant aroma into the room. Cody breathed in the savory smell, his mouth watering as his stomach gave out a resounding grumble. "Sounds like you could use a good meal," she said to the newcomer. Ladling the leftover stew into a bowl, Lollie ushered the rider over to the table, encouraging him to have a seat.
Sitting down at the table, Cody scooped the warm stew into his mouth, savoring the flavor of the spicy broth. His stomach calmed with the introduction of some much needed sustenance. Looking at his two hosts, he asked, "Do you think you might be able to help me go out and find my friend?"
"Where did you say he went missing?" Nat asked.
"Along the Cottonwood creek up near where it meets the Platte, maybe two hours from here."
"I heard that a band of Lakota were seen camped around there. You said you helped an Indian girl?" Nate asked the young man seated across from him.
"Yeah. She was being attacked by some outlaws. My friend tried to intervene, even killed a few of them before he was shot," Cody explained between mouthfuls of stew.
"Did any braves show up?"
"I saw some right before I was knocked out," Cody shared, putting his spoon down with a clatter.
"I hate to tell you, Cody, but if your friend's still alive, the Lakota probably took him. There's no telling what'll happen to him if they've got him," Nate said, trying to get the young man to see reason. "You might as well just finish your run and head home."
"So you won't help me find him?" Cody asked, pausing his spoon halfway between the bowl and his mouth, the surprise evident on his face.
"There's no point in risking all our lives just for one rider, who's in all likelihood, dead. I'm sure Teaspoon can just hire another one to replace him," Nate replied firmly. "This here's why the company was lookin' for orphans. So's it didn't matter if'n any of 'em were lost."
Cody couldn't believe what he was hearing. The people here at the Cottonwood station couldn't care less what happened to Lou. It was at that point that he understood what he needed to do. If these people weren't going to help him, then he needed to get to those who would. He had to get back to Rock Creek as soon as possible. "Do you think you could get a rider to deliver a package to Fort Laramie? That way I can get back to Rock Creek as soon as possible," he asked the unhelpful station manager.
"I could do it, Nate," Levi volunteered, having just returned from the barn with Eddie and Lyle. "I don't have any runs scheduled for the next week or so. I could be back before I'm needed around here."
Nate Hazelwood looked over at the young man who was always so eager to help out.
"I suppose we could do without you around here for a while. Get a good night's sleep and you can head out first thing in the morning," Nate replied.
"I'll get the package for you as soon as I get my saddle bags, Levi," Cody said.
Eddie motioned to the door, "We carried your bedroll and saddle bags over to the house. Left 'em outside along with the gear from the other fella's horse."
"Thanks, Eddie," Cody replied, standing from the table and heading out the door. He soon reappeared in the small house with the two bedrolls, two saddle bags, two canteens, and Lou's coat, which she had removed earlier in the day because of the heat. He withdrew a small bundle from his saddle bag and handed the parcel to Levi, telling him the delivery instructions he had received from Teaspoon four days ago.
The young man took the parcel and headed to his bunk for the night, bidding the room a good night. Cody decided to follow in the other rider's footsteps, asking, "If you'll just point, I'd like to turn in. I'll need to leave early in the morning to head home."
"Sure thing, son," Lollie said, clearing the dirty bowl and spoon from the table before indicating a bed by the door for the visitor to sleep in. "I'm real sorry about your friend," she added as she washed and dried the dishes before returning them to a shelf. Cody, tucked his and Lou's belongings under the bed, removed his boots and jacket, before crawling under the blankets intending to get some sleep before he started the long journey home. As the voices in the bunkhouse died down for the night, Cody drifted off to sleep, hopeful that the morning would bring news of Lou.
The next morning, Cody was awake before dawn, having spent the night tossing and turning, his mind plagued with fears for Lou's safety. Deciding that sleep was not going to be a real possibility until he reached Rock Creek, the rider dressed and made his way out to the barn to saddle the horse he had ridden in on the night before. After finding the blanket, saddle and remaining gear in the tack room, the blonde man set about readying his mount for the arduous journey home. He led the horse out to the hitching post outside the bunkhouse, returning briefly inside to retrieve the two bedrolls and saddle bags. Tucking everything, including Lou's coat onto the horse, Cody, stood outside for a few minutes, his eyes scanning the landscape for any sign of the petite brunette rider. Realizing that his searching was hopeless, he turned to look towards the small cottage that stood nearby. He watched as the front door opened and Lollie Hazelwood came strolling out, a plate of biscuits in her hands. Her husband followed behind her with a fresh pot of what he could only assume was coffee. Eager to be on his way, Cody held the door open for the couple as they approached the bunkhouse with breakfast for the riders inside.
Following the couple into the dimly lit bunkhouse, he noticed that Levi had awoken and was dressed in preparation for his ride to Fort Laramie. "Morning, Cody," Levi said, seeing the visitor was all ready to depart.
"Morning, Levi," Cody returned, settling at the table for a quick breakfast. Lollie placed the biscuits on the table along with a plate of butter. Nate helped set out plates and mugs around the table for the occupants of the bunkhouse.
"I'm sure you're anxious to get out of here this morning," Lollie remarked, sitting in her seat across from him.
"Yes, ma'am, I am. Teaspoon and the rest of the riders will want to hear about Lou as soon as possible," Cody explained, taking a large bite from the biscuit on his plate.
Shaking his head in disgust, Nate commented, "I'm not sure what difference it'll make at this point. This Lou is probably dead or soon will be. Seems like a damn waste of time if you ask me." He shot a pointed look to his wife to stay quiet before he resumed eating his breakfast.
Lollie, despite her husband's lack of faith in anyone, understood how close the riders could become, living as they did and facing what they did each time they rode out on a run. While she kept her fears firmly hidden from her husband, she worried for each of her riders and would be beyond grief if any of them didn't return from a ride. Turning to Cody, she said, "I'm sure if your friend can be found, the rest of your riders from Rock Creek can help. Let me get you some extra biscuits for the road, son." Moving from the table, she set about wrapping three extra biscuits in a napkin before handing the small parcel to the blonde young man. "What does your friend look like, so we can keep an eye out for him in case he turns up?" she asked Cody, sitting next to him.
"Lou's pretty small, but he can ride faster than any of us. He's got short brown hair, brown eyes, and wears glasses, although he wasn't wearing them at the time. Teaspoon calls him puny, but spry and it kinda fits our Lou. If he turns up here, will you please send word to Rock Creek for me?" Cody said. "Oh, and keep him here until we can send someone to bring him home."
"We'll be happy to, Cody," she replied, moving away from the visitor and returning to her seat on the other side of the table. "You have a safe ride home, young man," she admonished.
Cody rose from the table, taking the bundle of extra food with him. Donning his hat and tipping the brim at the riders gathered around the table, he turned on his booted heel and left the bunk house. Swinging up into the saddle, he tucked the extra food into one of the saddle bags, and turned the horse in the direction of home. Lightly nudging the animal beneath him into a canter, he leaned over, saying, "We've got a long journey ahead of us, we best get a move on."
Reaching the outskirts of the way station, Cody kicked his heels into the mare's sides urging her to increase her speed, carrying him across the open plains in search of the only people he trusted to help. Lou was somewhere out there and he needed to get home to the people that actually cared about her. Despite not wanting to leave without her, Cody knew the best chance of bringing the female rider home lay with their family back in Rock Creek.