Chapter 3
"Jesse, go get the boys and tell them dinner's ready," Rachel asked the youngest member of the express family. He had just finished setting the table for the station mistress when she sent him off.
"Be right back, Rachel," the dark haired boy said as he ran for the bunkhouse door. Rachel watched through the window as his gangly frame disappeared into the barn in search of the other riders. Moving the roast chicken to the table, along with the bowls of mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy, she was surprised to hear the door open so soon after she sent the boy on his errand.
"Evening, Rachel," Teaspoon said, coming through the door. "Dinner looks mighty good this evening," he commented, eyeing up the delicious fare displayed on the table.
"It's too bad Cody and Lou aren't here to enjoy this with us," she replied. Rachel never liked when her boys were sent out on these longer runs. Too many opportunities for trouble, which they always seemed to find themselves in the middle of.
Sensing her worry, Teaspoon walked over and put an arm around her slim shoulders, "I know you worry about them, Rachel, but they'll be fine out there. Besides, now we're all assured to get enough to eat without Cody here asking for seconds and thirds."
"I know you're right, but I worry all the same," Rachel replied with a sigh. She worried the most about Lou on these long rides. If she was with Kid or Jimmy, she knew they would look out for her, but Cody tended to run off without thinking sometimes which could leave Lou exposed and unintentionally in danger. If anyone found out she was a girl, worse things could happen to her than to the boys. Teaspoon patted her shoulder before releasing her to head to the opposite end of the table. Teaspoon was just taking his seat when the bunkhouse door opened, ushering in Jesse and the riders from the barn.
"I'm telling you, Jimmy, it was the strangest thing I ever did see," Noah said as he entered the bunkhouse. "She could bend in ways that's just unnatural."
"Noah, ain't nobody can do what you're saying this girl can do," Jimmy replied, doubting the accuracy of the dark skinned rider's story.
"I saw her in town this afternoon. If you don't believe me, go past the Wild Horse tomorrow. I'm sure she'll be there," Noah said, sitting down on the bench near Rachel. "This looks delicious, Rachel," he declared, smiling at the blonde woman.
"Thank you, Noah," Rachel replied.
Jimmy and Buck quickly seated themselves at the table opposite Noah, leaving a meandering Kid to take the last seat between Noah and Teaspoon. Having followed the rest of the riders in, he remained quiet despite the strong banter between his best friend and Noah.
"What in tarnation has you all so riled up tonight, Noah?" Teaspoon asked the young man who couldn't seem to stop going on about something he had seen in town today.
"They got a new girl at the Wild Horse, Teaspoon," Jimmy stated, "and according to Noah here, she is extremely flexible."
Teaspoon, having caught a glimpse of the girl earlier in the day while on his rounds through the town, knew exactly which girl the riders were discussing. "All's I'm saying is that she could make things mighty interesting for a man. No wonder she spends her days on the porch," Noah explained.
"If she's so darn flexible, why would she spend her days outside. You'd think every man in town would want to-" Jimmy said before, Teaspoon interrupted him.
"Now boys, just cause the Wild Horse got a new girl, don't mean you need to worry any about what she can or can't do. You got jobs to do around here and spending your day gawking at some girl just cause she can do some fancy tricks is a sure way to get yourself fired." Teaspoon admonished.
"I just never seen no woman that can bend the way she could," Noah finished, crossing his arms over his chest.
Rachel eyed Noah suspiciously, pursing her lips together before deciding a change of subject was desperately needed. "How about we get started on this dinner before it gets cold?" she asked, passing the potatoes to Noah with a pointed look. Understanding that his conversation with Jimmy, Kid, and Buck about the new prostitute in town was not appropriate for the dinner table, Noah added a spoonful of mashed potatoes to his plate before passing them to Kid.
Turning to Jesse on the other side of the table, Rachel reminded the boy, "Jesse, after dinner you still have schoolwork to finish. Another chapter in your book tonight."
"Aw, Rachel, can't it wait til Lou gets back? She always helps me understand it better," he complained.
"Jesse, Lou won't be back for another week and you need to keep up with your schoolwork. You know she'll be happy to go over the chapters you've read while she was gone once she's home," Rachel gently scolded. Looking around the table she noticed Kid had directed his eyes on his plate at the mention of Lou's name.
"So whatcha reading these days, Jesse," Teaspoon asked the boy.
"I started reading 'A Tale of Two Cities' with Lou a few weeks ago. Since she hadn't read it yet, she offered to read it with me," Jesse informed the station master.
"What's it about?" Buck asked, thankful that Rachel got Noah to stop talking about that girl he saw in town.
"So far, it's about some man who was thrown in prison for a long time. His daughter comes to get him once he's released and he makes shoes. I don't know, seems kinda dumb, but Lou read ahead and said it gets better," the boy remarked, shoveling a mouthful of gravy-laden mashed potatoes into his mouth.
"It takes place during the French Revolution, Jesse, and Lou is right, it will get better," Rachel explained.
"When is she gonna be back, anyway?" Jesse asked.
"Sunday," Kid said, finishing up his dinner. Pushing his plate away, he leaned forward propping his elbows on the table.
"That's a whole week away," Jesse complained.
"Well, then you'll have plenty of time to get caught up to where she left off," Rachel warned. "Now hurry up and finish eating so you can get to your book."
Outside, the familiar staccato of hoofbeats sounded in the distance. As the sounds grew louder, Buck asked, "I thought there weren't any runs tonight, Teaspoon?"
The station master leaned back in his chair, hooking his thumbs onto his suspenders before replying, "There aren't."
"Well, someone is headed here in an awful hurry," Jimmy replied, his attention turning to the bunkhouse door.
"Who could be coming here at this time?" Rachel asked as the sound came to a halt outside the bunkhouse.
"Oh, it's probably just someone from outside of town that needs help," Teaspoon reasoned, judging from the direction the hoofbeats had come from. The sound of footsteps on the porch drew everyone's attention to the door moments before it was flung open. Covered in dirt from the trail and looking like he hadn't slept in days, Cody stormed into the bunkhouse, surprising everyone inside. The first to regain his tongue, Teaspoon asked, "Aren't you supposed to be in Fort Laramie right about now, Cody?"
Gasping for breath, Cody replied, "Yeah, but…"
Noah interrupted his friend, "You must've really wanted Rachel's dinner, Cody, if you came all the way from Fort Laramie tonight."
"I didn't get to Fort Laramie," the blonde rider replied, trying to catch his breath. He had pondered how exactly to tell his friends what had happened outside of Cottonwood, arguing with himself as he covered the last few miles to home.
"What do you mean, Cody? Why didn't you get to Laramie? Where's the package you were supposed to deliver?" Teaspoon asked tersely, his patience wearing thin.
Rachel, who had been watching the young man since he burst through the door, noticed that he was alone. "Cody," Rachel asked softly, "Where's Louise?"
Teaspoon looked out the window, only now noticing that there was only one horse outside and no sign of the other rider. "Uh, Cody, where is she?" Beside him, he watched the southern rider's face cloud with worry and a touch of anger.
"Teaspoon, we ran into trouble outside of Cottonwood a few days ago," Cody started to explain.
"Cody, where is she?" Kid demanded, standing from his seat at the table. He began pacing around the room as Cody began to relay the events that brought him home early.
"I think you better tell us everything that happened," Teaspoon demanded, pointing to the seat beside him.
"Teaspoon, I think I'd rather stand," Cody explained. "Lou and I had stopped near the creek about two hours outside the Cottonwood station. We were taking a little break after spending the last three days in the saddle. It was hot, so we headed towards the creek. While we were watering the horses, we heard someone screaming further downstream. Lou ran down to see if she could help. It was an Indian girl who was being attacked by some outlaws. Lou tried to help her, but was shot and knocked unconscious. I saw her fall from her horse when I got there and then everything went black. When I came to a few hours later, it was dark, and my head was killing me. I managed to find my horse, Lou's too, but there was no sign of her. I looked for her everywhere, I swear, Teaspoon, but she was gone. I managed to make it back to the Cottonwood station, hoping she had made it there, but when I got there, no one had seen her."
Shaking his head in disbelief, Teaspoon angrily asked, "Why didn't you go back and look for her the next day with some of the riders from the station?"
"I tried, but the station master refused to help. The only thing he would do was let one of his riders deliver the package to Fort Laramie so I could come back here to get all of you. Nate Hazelwood seems to think she's dead or soon will be," Cody explained. "That man had no sense of honor. He actually told me you should just forget about Lou and hire another rider. When he told me that, I knew he would be no help."
"Cody, do you think she's...?" Rachel asked, too afraid to even voice her fear out loud. She hoped he would say no.
"No, Rachel. When I went back to the creek, the bodies of all the outlaws were still there, but Lou was gone. I think the Indians took her with them," Cody said sadly.
By this time, Kid had heard enough. "How could you just leave her there?" he asked, the despair and anger evident in his voice. He had stopped his pacing, pausing by his bunk to finger the letter she had left for him once she found out about this special run. Leaning his forehead against the top bunk, Kid closed his eyes, waiting for his friend to explain why he would even consider leaving there without her.
"Kid, no one there would help find her. I knew we were her best chance at finding Lou and bringing her home." Cody pleaded with his friend to understand.
"Teaspoon, I have to go find her," Kid announced from his bunk.
"I'm going with you," Jimmy stated, knowing Kid would need all the help he could get.
"Me, too," Buck added. "You'll need a tracker and I can help with the tribe. Cody, do you know what tribe it was?"
"Hazelwood seemed to think it was Lakota. He had heard some rumblings in town about a camp somewhere nearby," Cody explained.
"That's pretty far south for the Lakota, but if it was them, they'll probably be on the move soon," Buck explained.
Kid had heard enough. He was pretty sure he could figure out where she had last been seen and if Jimmy and Buck were willing to help him then he stood an even better chance of bringing his girl home. His mind made up, the sandy haired rider stormed across the room, heading for the door. Kid's path was blocked by their leader, who stood between him and the door and had placed a halting hand on his chest. "Now, hold on there, Kid," he started, "You can't leave tonight. We need to give her a few days to get home on her own."
Kid frowned at his mentor, clearly unhappy at being told he couldn't go after Lou just yet. "But, Teaspoon..She wouldn't just disappear like this, especially without her horse."
"Kid's right, Teaspoon," Rachel agreed from the other end of the table. "Lou is always careful when out on those long runs. She wouldn't go running blindly into danger or leave another rider alone. Something had to have happened to her."
Looking between Kid and Rachel, Teaspoon conceded, "Alright, I agree this is not like her, but we have no idea where she is. Besides, Jimmy, Buck, you each have runs the next few days. I don't have enough riders to cover for the three of you. If she isn't back by Wednesday or we haven't heard from her, we'll get some replacement riders and head out in search of her." Looking Kid in the eye, he urged, "Alright, Kid?"
Kid begrudgingly nodded his head in agreement, knowing in his heart that he couldn't wait that long to go find her. Hearing that she had been shot and thrown from her horse was more than enough to send him packing. He silently agreed to wait at least until morning before he left, knowing that Wednesday was too far away and therefore, out of the question. Returning to his bunk, Kid peeked over to her small bunk and allowed himself to wander into her private space, a space they had shared only seven days ago. He could hear brief snippets of conversation coming from the rest of the bunkhouse as he moved further into her room. Seeing her pale blue ball gown from last weekend still hanging where she left it on the wall following their evening in town, he gently fingered the silky material, bringing it to his face to inhale the scent that was uniquely Lou. Catching the soft scent of lavender she preferred, he slumped on her bed, exhaling the breath he didn't know he had been holding. After all their time apart and their finally coming back together, Kid knew he couldn't bear to lose her now. If she was lost to him forever, he didn't want to live anymore. She was everything he wanted in his life. He wanted to see her become his wife, be by his side while they started their ranch together, and eventually, start a family with her. But if she never came back to Rock Creek, how could all their dreams come true? He knew the answer to that question, but couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. He needed to find her and bring her home.
He was sitting on her bed when he heard Rachel knock on the post marking the edge of her room. Looking up at the station mistress, Kid managed a strained smile before he turned his face to look at her gown once again.
"Can I come in?" she asked softly. Kid shrugged his shoulders in despair. Right now he didn't care about anything but finding his girl and bringing her home. Rachel moved closer to where he sat and, placing her hand on his knee, joined him on the petite rider's bed. "Kid, I know you want to go running after her and you have to know, I would love nothing more than to tell you to go." Kid turned his eyes towards her green ones, knowing there was a 'but' coming. "But, you need to be smart about this. Buck is the best chance you have of finding her and you know that."
"Rachel, I can't just sit here for the next few days and wait."
"I know that. Waiting can be the hardest thing we have to do. But sometimes we have to have faith in the ones we love and hope that they'll come back to us." Seeing his tacit nod of agreement, Rachel added, "Just promise me one thing, that you won't run off in search of her unless you know, and I mean really know, that you'll find her. Because, I don't think she'll be too happy to get home only to find out you've gone missing in search of her."
"Alright, Rachel. I promise," Kid softly agreed.
"You know, she was more than hesitant to leave on this run, knowing she would be away from you for two weeks. While she wouldn't tell me what happened back in Fort Kearney, I have noticed that things changed between you two after that," Rachel soothed, causing Kid to glance over at her with a smile on his face. Clearly, he was thinking about their time together all those weeks ago. "Kid, she loves you. And I can't think of anything that would keep her from coming back to you. If you believe in her, then believe that."
"Thanks, Rachel," he said, resting his hands in his lap.
"You've been in here quite a while. The boys are gonna be going to sleep soon, you should try to get some sleep, too. Don't stay up too late, alright," she said with a smile. Patting his knee, Rachel stood and left the small room. Kid watched her depart before standing and walking over to the window. Pushing the curtain aside, he looked out at the stars twinkling in the night sky. Whispering to himself, he said, "Lou, please be alright. I can't do this without you. I need you home with me. Stay safe, sweetheart and I'll see you soon." With one final look at the stars, Kid turned and headed for the loneliness of his bunk.
Four pairs of eyes were on him the moment he stepped from Lou's bunk. Looking at the faces of his fellow riders, Kid quickly proceeded to shuck his clothing off, crawling into his bunk in just his long john bottoms. It was hot in the bunkhouse given the sweltering heat of the day. Even with all the windows open, the faint breeze did nothing to cool the room off. Turning his back to the rest of the room, Kid tried to ignore the chatter of his friends while he tried to fall asleep.
"What do you think Lou's doing right now?" Jimmy asked, trying to lighten the tense mood that had descended upon the station following Cody's surprise arrival earlier in the evening.
"Probably wishing she could shoot Cody for leaving her there," Noah replied with a laugh.
"That's not funny, Noah," Cody commented. He was already feeling terrible about losing their sister but to have them teasing him for it was going too far, especially since she was still missing.
"Tell us again what happened at the creek," Buck asked. He wanted to know exactly what had transpired between Lou, the Lakota girl, the outlaws, and anyone else who may have been involved.
"Like I said before, Lou ran off on her horse to see if she could help that girl. By the time I got there, I-"
"Hold on, why'd it take you so long to get there, Cody?" Jimmy asked.
"I had taken my boots off and my feet were in the water. I thought we would be there for a while. I didn't think she'd go running off as soon as she heard that girl screaming," Cody explained.
"Alright, so you needed to get your boots back on, that couldn't have taken that long," Noah reasoned.
"You ever try to put your socks back on when your feet are wet? It's not easy, let me tell you," Cody remarked.
"So you couldn't follow her because you had wet feet?" Jimmy asked, his ire growing.
Sensing the anger in the tempestuous man, Cody tried to explain, "Look, how was I to know she would just run off like that. She barely talked to me the entire trip up to that point. And when she did, she always sounded angry and irritable. I thought he had done something to make her mad again." He indicated the back of the currently silent southerner.
"It was probably your stimulating company," Noah snickered.
"Anyway," Buck interjected, eager to get back on track, "what happened when you got there?"
"Lou had already shot two of them and had knocked a third one away. She was about to shoot the one guy who was holding the girl by the neck, when he shot her instead. The girl screamed again and I remember her dress was falling off her shoulder as Lou was knocked off her horse. One of the other outlaws tried to drown her, but one of the braves pulled him off her and killed him before I could get to her. I don't know where she got hit, cause just as I was walking over to her, someone hit me from behind. I remember falling in the creek near her and then everything went black," Cody explained again.
"But you weren't in the creek when you woke up?" Buck asked.
"No. I was in some clearing on the other side of the trees. Both horses were tethered nearby. All our stuff was still on both mounts, even her coat. It doesn't make any sense," Cody shared.
"Did you see any braves there?" Buck asked.
"I think I saw some right before I blacked out, why?"
"Someone must've told them to leave you alone. Otherwise, if that girl was being attacked by those men, Lakota braves would have killed everyone else there. That girl probably saved your life. Lou's too," Buck explained.
Not moving from his position on his bunk, Kid asked, "You think that girl took her back to their camp to help her, Buck?"
"It seems that way. Braves don't usually leave any survivors when one of their own is attacked, especially a young woman. She probably saved Lou's life or at least tried," Buck shared.
A quiet descended upon the bunkhouse as the boys thought about everything Cody and Buck had shared with them. As they slowly succumbed to sleep, Kid prayed for Lou's safe return, hoping she was indeed still alive. He was sure he would know if something bad had happened to her. Exhausted from worry, he finally drifted off, dreaming of their nights together since Fort Kearney.
Sometime later, Kid was awakened by a hand pressed over his mouth. Startling awake, he opened his eyes to see a familiar face staring back at him. Taking in the long strands of brown wavy hair, the bare chest, and the deerskin breeches, he watched as the brave held a finger to his lips, indicating for him to stay quiet. Recognizing the face he hadn't seen in over a year, Kid whispered, "Curly?" Silently, the wavy haired Indian nodded his head. Kid sat up in his bunk, motioning for Curly to sit.
"What are you doing here?" Kid whispered softly, confused as to why his old friend would make a sudden appearance in Rock Creek. He hadn't seen him since his first few months in Sweetwater. "How did you find me?"
"You need to come with me, my friend. Shappa needs you," Curly whispered back.
At his confused look, Curly quietly explained, "Shappa saved my sister from the bad men. She insisted the braves bring her back to camp to help her."
"Shappa?" Kid asked, still confused.
"Kimimela thought she was a small man who rode to her rescue. She found out at camp that he was really a woman. Short dark hair, brown eyes, bad temper. You know her," Curly explained.
"Lou!" Kid exclaimed. "Do you know where she is?"
"Yes. I come to get you. Bring you to her," Curly stated. "We go now to see Shappa." Standing from the bunk, Curly stood in the middle of the room, waiting for Kid to get up. Scurrying from the bed, Kid quickly threw on his clothes. Grabbing a sheet of paper, he sat at the table and scrawled a note to Teaspoon, telling him where he was headed. Curly looked at him as he finished his letter. "Do you need anything else?"
"My bedroll is in the barn along with my saddle bags, but I can leave them here," Kid explained.
"No, bring them. We have a long ride ahead," Curly said as he moved closer to the door. Folding the letter in half, Kid placed it on the table by the pitcher of water Rachel always left for them before grabbing his gun belt and hat and leaving the bunkhouse.
In the darkness, he could just make out the outline of his friend as he disappeared into the barn. Running to catch up, Kid quickly set to saddling Katy, tying his bedroll to the back and tossing his saddlebags and canteen over the horn. Grabbing extra shot from the tack room, he tossed it into the pouch before leading his beloved paint mare out of the back door. He found Curly sitting astride his horse, waiting for him to join him. "We go now," he informed Kid.
"Lead the way, Curly. Take me to Lou," Kid said, ready to be on his way. Urging their mounts into a run, the two men raced off in the darkness, one eager to return to his wife, the other anxious to find his.
The sun was barely crossing the horizon when Rachel stepped out of her front door, a platter of pancakes balanced on her hip. She knew Jimmy had a run scheduled for early this morning and she wanted to make sure he had a proper meal before he set off. After last night's startling appearance from Cody along with his revelation about Lou, Rachel was sure the boys did not sleep very well. Her own night was spent tossing and turning as she thought about the uncertainty surrounding her friend's whereabouts. She was sure Kid was the most concerned, but Rachel was determined to stay strong for his sake, not letting on how truly worried she really was.
Crossing the yard to the bunkhouse, she noticed the barn door hanging slightly open. Not thinking too much of it, Rachel climbed the steps to the bunkhouse and let herself in. Jimmy was probably already up and saddling Sundancer before breakfast, she thought as she quietly closed the door. Rachel passed quickly to the table, depositing the platter of hotcakes onto its worn surface. Moving to the stove, she built the fire inside, before turning to grab a bowl and the basket of eggs. Cracking the eggs, Rachel thought more about everything Cody had shared with the makeshift family the previous night. She was sure Lou had to be safe wherever she was, but not knowing was going to wreak havoc on both her and Kid until she was safely back at home. As she continued preparing the rest of their breakfast, Rachel slid the platter of pancakes into the oven to keep them warm while she scrambled the eggs and cooked some sausages. Satisfied that things were under control, she turned to begin laying plates and utensils out for each of the boys as well as herself and Teaspoon. Looking around, she noticed the first signs of movement coming from the bunks. Buck was the first to wake up, followed by Jimmy, then Noah, and finally Cody. Glancing over at Kid's bunk she noticed that it was empty. Huh, she thought to herself, he's certainly up early this morning. Unless he slept in Lou's bunk last night. Checking on the eggs and sausage quickly, Rachel left the stove to peek behind the alcove to see if the wayward rider was there. Turning the corner, Rachel was surprised to see the girl's bunk completely untouched. Nothing had changed since she had left Kid in there last night, except now Kid was also missing.
Jimmy, rising from his bunk, noticed the alarm creeping onto the station mistress's face. "Rachel, is something wrong?" he asked.
"Jimmy, have you seen Kid this morning?" Rachel said, her eyes scanning the room. As her eyes travelled around the familiar space, she noticed Kid's hat missing from his bunk as well as his gun belt missing from the rung on his bed. Swallowing her fear, she slowly sunk onto the bench by the table.
"No, Rachel, why?" Jimmy asked, his tone alerting the rest of the riders that there might be a problem.
"He's not in his bunk and his hat and gun are missing," she commented.
"You don't think he went to find Lou after we went to sleep, do you?" Noah asked, voicing what everyone in the room was already thinking.
"Someone go check if Katy's still in the barn," Rachel suggested, remembering the open barn door on her way to the bunkhouse this morning.
"I'll go," Jimmy volunteered, getting out of bed and throwing some clothes over his long johns. Putting his boots on, he quickly left the bunkhouse to check the barn for the whereabouts of the familiar paint mare.
Rachel watched him from the window as he disappeared into the barn only to reappear a minute later, running towards the house. Opening the door, he announced, "Katy's gone."
"I thought he was gonna wait til Wednesday to go so you and Buck could go with him to help?" Cody asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Having spent the last four days on the trail without stopping to rest, his sleepless nights had caught up with him.
"Guess he decided against it," Jimmy replied tersely. He knew Kid would do whatever it took to bring Lou home again and he knew Teaspoon's telling him to wait wasn't going to sit well with his friend. When he really thought about it, he would have done the same thing if Lou were his girl and she were out God knows where with God knows who and injured no less. Actually, Jimmy was surprised Kid managed to wait as long as he did.
"Boys, he promised me last night he wouldn't go after her just yet unless he found a good reason," Rachel shared. "It's not like him to lie to us."
"I would say your girl getting shot and going missing is a pretty good reason to hightail it outta here," Noah said, buttoning his shirt.
From his spot by the window, Buck quietly suggested, "Maybe he had help."
All eyes turned to look at the Kiowa rider. "What do you mean, Buck? Did something happen last night?" Rachel asked, pulling the food off the stove. Adding the last bowls and platters to the table, she motioned for the boys to start eating.
Sitting down, Buck said, "I thought I heard something late last night. When I looked out the window, I thought I saw Kid walking to the barn. There was someone with him."
"Who was it?" Jimmy asked, helping himself to some eggs.
"I don't know, but he had long hair. It was dark and I couldn't see all that well," Buck replied.
"Well, you would think he would've at least left a note," Cody said, adding a fourth sausage to his plate.
"Did you see one on the table this morning when you came in, Rachel?" Buck asked.
The station mistress shook her head, prompting the rest of the boys to search the floor, their breakfast momentarily forgotten. Looking down next to his side of the bench, Jimmy noticed a folded piece of paper lying there. Picking up the sheet, he turned it over in his hands, noticing the familiar scrawl of his southern friend and the name, 'Teaspoon,' written on the front. Handing the note to the woman at the head of the table, he said, "What's it say, Rachel?"
Opening the note, Rachel said, "Well, I guess there's no use waiting for Teaspoon to get here before we read this." Turning her eyes to the letter, she began to read:
Teaspoon,
Had to find Lou. Help arrived to take me to her.
Be back soon. I hope you understand.
Sorry,
Kid
"I guess that answers it. Someone must've come to find him, but who would know about him and Lou? Does Kid know any Lakota?" Noah asked. Having joined the express later than the rest of the riders, he was unaware of Kid's Lakota friend.
"You don't think it was Curly, do you?" Jimmy asked.
"He would make the most sense," Buck replied. "He is Lakota so maybe he recognized Lou from his time with us in Sweetwater."
"Well, whoever Kid ran off with, someone's gonna have to tell Teaspoon that we're down another rider," Cody said, hoping the task wouldn't fall to him. He had already delivered enough bad news for one day. He didn't want to be the one to have to bring more.
"I'll tell him," Rachel replied. "I need to bring him breakfast anyway."
Having mostly solved the mystery of the missing rider, Rachel and the boys returned quietly to finish their breakfast, knowing there would be some long days ahead of those who remained at the station. As they ate, each member of the makeshift family prayed in their own way that Kid had a safe journey to the Lakota camp and that Lou was still alive when he got there.