Chapter 9

It had been five days since Cody had arrived back at the station with the news that Lou was missing and injured. Despite warnings from Teaspoon and Rachel, less than a day later Kid had up and left in the middle of the night in search of his girl. Now, after finishing their runs and one of Kid's that he conveniently was absent from, Jimmy and Buck were finally getting ready to go find where their two missing riders had disappeared to. While Teaspoon had initially been angry that Kid had deliberately disobeyed his order to run off in search of Lou, he couldn't stay mad for long. The station master knew things had been rapidly developing between his two riders in recent weeks and they seemed to have figured things out between them. The arguments that had plagued their first go around were almost non-existent now and the two were constantly disappearing together whenever they had some free time. He was sure they were headed to the altar sooner rather than later, so when Cody burst into the bunkhouse last Sunday night, he knew it was only a matter of time before Kid ran off to find her. While he wouldn't force Kid to stay put, he was able to restrain the rest of the boys until they had finished their scheduled runs. Now, on this hot Friday morning, he watched from the bunkhouse porch as Jimmy and Buck readied their mounts for the trip that would most likely see them gone for the next week. He only hoped they were able to find Kid and Lou and that they were fine wherever they were.

Rachel closed the door to the bunkhouse where she had been finishing up the breakfast dishes and preparing bundles of hardtack and jerky for the two boys that would be leaving soon. The last week had been hard on her emotions as she alternated between worry for Lou and her injuries and hope that Kid had already found her. He had left Rock Creek five days ago, so he should have found her by now, she thought. In her heart, she knew that if anyone was going to find Lou, it would be the southern rider. The two of them seemed to have some sort of unexplainable connection. No matter where they were, they always found each other. She hoped that connection helped Kid now. Watching as Jimmy and Buck prepared to go find Kid and Lou, she stopped next to Teaspoon, asking, "You think they'll find them?"

"Buck's a good tracker, so long as he has Kid's trail to follow, they should get there sometime about Sunday. If they have to go on where Lou was last seen, it might take them another day," Teaspoon explained.

"You think Kid's found her yet?"

"Rachel, I would bet that boy has been in her company for a while now. And, I would be surprised if they don't take their time coming back," the station master said with a lop-sided grin.

"I know that look, Teaspoon. You think Kid'll want to stay there for a while before bringing her back home? And not because of her injuries," she said knowingly.

"If he's smart, he'll keep her somewheres safe until she's healed enough and Katy's rested enough to bring them both back home. Of course, that's all dependent on if'n Lou agrees to all this and doesn't fight him on it."

"I'd be more worried about her not wanting to leave just yet, Teaspoon," Rachel replied. "Without the boys around, they might enjoy a few days alone," she added with a raised brow, her meaning implied loud and clear to the man standing next to her.

"Well, can't say I'd blame them," he said with a smile. Stepping down off the porch, Teaspoon walked over to where Buck and Jimmy had their horses tethered to the corral. He wanted to talk to them a bit before they took off. Rachel was hurrying to catch up, the bundles of food wrapped up in her hands ready for both boys to add to their saddlebags.

Buck and Jimmy were tying their bed rolls onto the back of their saddles, their bags already flung over the horn, stuffed full of extra shot and other sundries. Rachel handed each man a bundle of hardtack biscuits and jerky, hoping it would be enough to sustain them at least until they got to the Lakota camp.

"You boys be careful out there," she warned. Whenever any of them left on a run, no matter the length, she worried about them until they had safely returned. Now with two riders already missing and two more going out to find them, the station would be stretched thin. Teaspoon had sent for three replacement riders for the next few days, just enough to get them through until their boys and girl could return safely.

Jimmy turned his serious face to Rachel, saying, "Don't worry, Rachel. We'll be careful. And we'll be sure to bring those two back home." He knew her tendency to worry, especially when Lou was involved, since he felt the same fear when she was late coming home from a run. The petite woman had somehow worked her way into his heart and while he would never act on any feelings he had for her, he knew he felt more than just the brotherly affection the rest of the riders harbored for her. Kid was obviously the exception to that brotherly bond, having already staked his claim on the girl, and she seemed more than happy to let him, having set her sights on his sandy-haired friend. While the rest of the riders had front row seats to their relationship in the past, since they had gotten back together following Doritha's death, both Kid and Lou had made it their mission to keep their relationship private this time around. They were all aware of the change in their relationship status, but Jimmy knew that things had changed following their run to Fort Kearney almost a month ago. For one, he had seen Kid sneaking out of her bunk on more than one early morning since then. He wouldn't be surprised if they got married soon, especially with talk running rampant that the express was out of money and would be shutting down soon. All the signs were there, if any of his bunkmates were paying attention. Lately though, they all seemed to be more wrapped up in the war back east and what it meant for each of them.

"You boys make sure to bring them back with you, ya hear," Teaspoon warned. "And be careful once you get to the camp. Might be best to stay outside until you can figure out if they're still there."

"We know, Teaspoon," Buck said. Having spent his life caught between two worlds, he was well prepared to approach the Lakota village in search of their friends. They needed to get them out of there, hopefully without having to use their weapons.

"Just bring our girl home so we can tend to her," Teaspoon added.

"We will, Teaspoon. Rachel," Jimmy said, climbing up on Sundancer. Looking over at Buck, he saw the Kiowa rider was already mounted up. Kicking their horses into a walk, they headed north west out of the station.

"Ride safe!" came the calls from Teaspoon and Rachel as well as Cody and Noah who had emerged from the barn in time to see the two riders off. Kicking their heels into their horses' flanks, Jimmy and Buck galloped out of the station in search of their missing friends, hoping that they hadn't waited too long.

After three and a half days of hard riding, Buck and Jimmy had finally found the creek where Cody had said their troubles began. With the weather as dry as it had been recently, Kid's tracks had been fairly easy to follow for the better part of their journey. It was only this morning as they had approached the creek that the tracks suddenly disappeared. Deciding to stop and rest for a while, both riders dismounted, allowing their horses to drink from the creek and themselves a moment to regroup.

"He couldn't have just disappeared, Buck," Jimmy stated. "What do you think happened?"

Looking around, Buck replied, "They could've travelled through the creek for a while, but I'm inclined to believe that the camp is around here somewhere."

"What do you want to do?" he asked his Kiowa friend.

"Why don't we wait here for a while. Maybe we'll see someone from the village to give us an idea of which direction it is. Or we could wait until dark and see if their fires are visible from here," Buck suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. Why don't we make camp a little further back from the creek bed so we don't give away our position?" Buck nodded, pulling the reins of his horse, guiding the animal back into the trees. Jimmy followed, bringing Sundancer with him. Soon the two riders had set up a small campfire and had unpacked their bedrolls and supplies. Buck slipped away to find something for them for supper to go with their usual beans and hardtack. He returned less than an hour later with two rabbits. After skinning and gutting the animals, he set them to roast over the fire. His task complete, Buck settled back onto his bedroll, leaning against his saddle for support.

While his partner was off hunting their supper, Jimmy took care of their horses, stripping them of all the tack and tethering them for the night. He had set the beans to cook in the small pot Teaspoon insisted they bring along on longer rides. Now, as they sat waiting for night to descend, Jimmy took out a hardtack biscuit and began slowly eating the dry morsel. He and Buck were enjoying the silence of the hot summer evening, when they heard voices coming from the creek.

"Lou, come back here!"

"You'll have to catch me, Kid!"

Immediately, Jimmy and Buck looked up sharply at each other. It couldn't be this easy, could it? they both thought. Scrambling from where they sat, the two riders crept cautiously to the edge of the treeline, hoping for a glimpse of the two they thought they had just heard. Approaching the creek, they decided to lay low among the brush, keeping their eyes trained on the water and the trees on the other side. For a while they saw nothing that would indicate their friends were nearby. "That sounded like Kid and Lou, didn't it?" Jimmy asked, making sure he hadn't imagined their voices calling from somewhere nearby.

"No, I heard them too. They're around here somewhere," Buck replied, turning his eyes back to the water.

They lay there for a few more minutes waiting for some sign of their friends, when suddenly a Lakota woman emerged from the trees on the other side of the creek. She crept closer to the water's edge, silently slipping her moccasins from her feet. Jimmy and Buck watched as she kept looking around behind her, waiting for someone to find her. Thinking she was safe, the woman began walking again along the soft banks of the creek. She paused to look off at the blazing sunset throwing its colors across the sky and reflecting off the water. Closing her eyes as she turned her face to the warmth emanating from the sun, she missed the shirtless man creeping from the woods, sneaking up behind her before wrapping his arms around her middle. Buck and Jimmy watched as she shrieked in surprise at the intruder. Her surprise didn't last long as they could see the man dipping his face into her shoulder. "It's so beautiful," the woman said softly, her voice carrying across the water to where Jimmy and Buck lay on their bellies watching the pair. There was something familiar about the pair, although from this distance it was hard to make out any of their features.

"Yeah, you are," the man replied, causing the woman to twist in his arms. Now facing him, she pulled his face down to hers, pressing her lips to his. They pulled apart in time to hear the man ask, "You ready for a swim?"

"Kid, we've been coming here every sunset since you got here, I think you know the answer to that by now," Lou said playfully. She reached for the ties to her dress, pausing when his larger ones stilled her movements.

"Lou, let me do that," he said softly.

Now that they knew the identity of the pair, Jimmy was getting increasingly uncomfortable. He felt like he was intruding on a private moment, which of course, he was. Looking over to Buck, he said, "I think we should go back to camp. Leave them alone for a while." Buck vigorously nodded his head in agreement. Things were getting a little heated between their bunkmates, and they really didn't need to be witnesses to their amorous activities. As they turned and walked away, they heard first one and then the other enter the water with a splash followed by more splashing before it was quiet again. They could hear their voices in soft conversation and tried their best to block it out of their minds, instead trying to have a low discussion about how they wanted to proceed now that they had indeed found Kid and Lou.

"Well, it looks like we found them," Buck said with a wry smile. He was happy for the pair, especially since they looked so comfortable out here. The carefully guarded behavior they usually displayed around the station was gone and they seemed freer without the rest of the boys around to spy on them.

"Yeah, looks that way," Jimmy grumbled. Everyone back at the station had been so worried about them and here they were, swimming and having a good time.

"Jimmy, what's wrong?" Buck asked, noting the irritation in his friend's voice.

"Nothing that matters," Jimmy retorted.

"Alright," Buck acquiesced, "But we still need to figure out how to let them know we're here."

"Do you think they're being held here?" Jimmy asked.

"Did they look like they were being held against their will?" Buck retorted, knowing full well that prisoners were not allowed to come and go as they wanted. Likely they were free to go whenever they wished, but for some reason, they had decided to stay put.

Jimmy gave out an audible grunt at the other man's remark. In the distance they could hear more splashing and laughing along with snippets of conversation. "Maybe we should try to sneak into their camp tonight so we can talk to them?" Jimmy suggested, not really wanting to sit here and wait until morning.

Across the campfire, Buck removed the pair of rabbits from the fire, handing one to Jimmy before settling back to enjoy some supper. The two men ate in silence as they contemplated their options and tried to ignore the sounds coming from the nearby creek.

Having spent the last three days in newly wedded bliss, Kid and Lou made their way to the creek once again at sunset as had become their habit since the day Kid had arrived at camp with Curly. Over the past three days, Lou had shown him around camp, spent some time teaching new English words to Wachiwi, Ojinjintka,and Hantaywee, and helped Curly and Magaskawee prepare for the coming winter. Kid and Curly would go out hunting with the rest of the braves or would accompany their women while foraging in the surrounding forests and plains. While they would keep their distance from their wives as was the custom, Kid loved watching Lou around the other woman and especially the children. She loved helping Magaskawee with her daughter and he frequently would catch her speaking softly or even singing to the infant while her mother took care of other tasks. The two families would share meals each afternoon and evening before the visitors would sneak out to the creek for their evening swim.

They had been halfway along the trail to the creek, when Lou decided to sprint ahead, leaving Kid to wonder what had happened to her. After getting the scare of his life last week when Cody had relayed the news that she had been shot and was missing, he was hesitant to let her out of his sight anytime soon, preferring instead to keep a close eye on her. Lou knew he was nervous, especially given what happened once he arrived at camp and found her betrothed to one of the other braves. For the most part, she was fine with his current level of overprotectiveness, especially since it was away from the prying eyes of the boys. But every once in a while, she liked to have a little fun. Scampering off, she heard him call out to her, "Lou, come back here!"

From her hiding spot, she yelled back, "You'll have to catch me, Kid!" before quietly moving closer to the creek. She checked behind her to make sure she couldn't see him as she made her way to the banks of the creek. Slipping her moccasins off, she stopped to look at the sunset like she had been doing each evening since Magaskawee had brought her here. Thinking once again about her baby growing in her belly, the one Eyota referred to as Weayaya, she placed her hand over the place where it grew and closed her eyes imagining the day she told Kid about their miracle. She was lost in her thoughts and mesmerized by the glowing sky that she completely missed Kid sneaking up on her from behind. Shrieking when his arms snaked around her waist, Lou started laughing, knowing he had indeed caught her.

"Gotcha!" Kid whispered into her ear, dipping his lips close to the gentle curve of her neck. Nipping and tasting her skin, Kid grazed his lips along the sensitive dip, smiling when her skin started to pebble beneath his attentions.

Lou was soon squirming around in his grasp, trying her best to draw his attention to the beautiful sunset once again. "It's so beautiful," she whispered.

Looking at the sky and then at the woman in his arms, Kid whispered into her ear, "Yeah, you are." Turning around in his arms, she looped her hand around his neck, drawing his face closer to hers and planting a kiss on his lips. Tightening his hold on her, he slanted his mouth across her own, pulling her bottom lip between his own. Allowing him access to her mouth, Lou stroked her tongue against his, melding her body closer to him. Breaking their kiss, Kid murmured, "Ready for a swim?"

Smiling up at him, Lou said, "Kid, we've been coming here every sunset since you got here, I think you know the answer to that by now." She reached up to start unfastening the ties to her dress.

Wanting to see her out of her dress, Kid covered her hand with his larger ones. "Lou, let me do that," he whispered seductively. Lou dropped her hand to her sides, allowing her husband to undress her. Reaching for the buttons to his pants, she quickly unbuttoned them and started sliding them down his legs. Her dress was quickly puddled on the ground as she stood there in the deep orange and pink light of sunset, the colors making her skin glow. Never taking his eyes off the beautiful woman standing in front of him, Kid quickly yanked his pants the rest of the way off until they both stood naked in the sunlight. Closing the gap between them, he wrapped his arms around her, crushing her body against his and kissing her deeply. He could feel his arousal springing to life but knew this was not the time. She needed to move her shoulder, which was the primary reason for coming here each evening. Not so he could lay her on the cool ground and make love to her, although he recalled the previous evening when they had done exactly that. He kissed her one last time then relinquished his hold on her, watching as she jumped off the banks into the deep part of the creek. Waiting until her head had resurfaced, he jumped in after her, swimming in circles around her.

Lou tread water while she watched Kid circling her, coming ever closer to where she was swimming in place. Waiting until he was about to move in on her, she dove beneath the surface and swam away, laughing when he discovered her flight. She watched him watching her with a playful gleam in his blue eyes before he disappeared under the water. Reappearing by her side, his arms snaking around her bare body, Lou shrieked again at having been caught. Kid silenced her with his mouth, crashing his lips against hers as their hands explored the planes of the other's body beneath the water. Guiding them through the water until his feet could reach the creek bed, Kid pulled her tightly against him as he found his footing. Lou wrapped her legs around his hips, enjoying the feel of his arousal against her womanly folds. Her hands were busy exploring the muscles along his shoulders and back while his hands were enjoying the silkiness of her skin as the water gently lapped against them. As much as she wanted nothing more than to join her body with his right now, Lou knew she needed to exercise her shoulder so she could get back to normal. "Kid," she whispered between kisses. "Kid, we're supposed to be swimming," she reminded, disentangling her limbs from around his body. He tightened his hold on her briefly, pressing one last kiss on her lips then releasing her to swim away from him. He watched as she would slip below the surface of the water, the bright sunset reflecting off the water's surface, making him temporarily lose sight of her until her head popped back up. "You know, Kid, we have all night to finish what we started," she said seductively. Gliding through the water, Lou watched the movements of her husband as he mirrored her location in the water. The two of them continued their dance among the water until Lou felt her shoulder getting sore and her body getting tired. Slowing down her movements, she waited for Kid to swim over to her.

Like each of the previous nights, their swimming had a rhythm to it. They would start out playful, chasing each other around, followed by some time spent wrapped tightly around the other. After circling each other in the water, Kid would watch Lou for any signs she was tiring. She seemed to get tired much more easily lately, which he wasn't sure if it was a result of her injury or something else. Normally, back in Rock Creek, she could outswim him any day, her body easily gliding through the water with expert strokes. But now, after about a half hour in the creek, he could see her slowing down each night, her body fatigued. Noticing her starting to slow down once again, Kid moved effortlessly through the water, coming up behind her and slipping his arms around her body. She would lean against him, the two of them enjoying the feel of their warm bodies together in the cool water. Resting her head against his shoulder, Lou half floated against him, his arm circling her small waist to keep her close to him. "We should head back soon," he suggested, kissing her cheek as he slowly moved them closer to where their clothing lay on the creek bank.

"Probably," Lou agreed.

"How's your shoulder feeling?"

"Better, but still sore. Think we'll be able to do this once we get home?"

"I don't see why not," Kid replied, noticing they were almost back to where they started.

Lou was busy looking around while Kid guided them back through the water in search of their clothing. The sun had dipped low in the sky, ushering in the darkness of twilight. Around them, the light was dimming rapidly and she knew they would have to make their way back in the dark if they didn't hurry up. They had arrived at the spot where they usually climbed out of the creek, when Lou looked across to the opposite bank and noticed what looked like a fire in the trees. "Kid," she whispered to the man behind her. "Look over there," she directed, pointing over to where she had seen the fire. The two of them stared intently at the point she had indicated.

"It looks like a fire," Kid suggested.

"I know that. Do you think someone's there?" she asked quietly, not wanting to alert whoever might be there to their presence.

"I don't know, but we should get dressed. Do you want me to go check it out?" he asked her as he climbed out of the water. Reaching down, he linked his arms with hers, pulling her out of the water with him and depositing her onto the banks. She quickly pulled her dress back on while Kid put his pants back on, slipping his feet into the moccasins Curly had given him so he didn't have to worry about his boots for a few days. Lou had raved over how much she liked her pair, so when Curly offered him a pair of his own, Kid was happy to accept them.

Looking across the creek, Lou squinted to see if she could make out any movement by the fire. "No," she whispered, "at least not by yourself. Let me come with you." She knew when she said that he was not going to like it, so it was no surprise when his answer came.

"You think that's a good idea, Lou?" Kid didn't want to come out and say 'no' mainly because he didn't want to be telling her what to do. It had gotten him in trouble too many times before and he really didn't think it was a good idea for either of them to go over there.

"Not really, since neither one of us has any kind of weapon," she relented.

Kid stood there, staring off at the flickering glow across the creek. Thinking to himself, he wondered if it could be possible. "Lou, you know what day it is today?"

"I think it's Monday, why?" she asked, trying to see his face in the rapidly waning light.

"Just thinking. I was supposed to wait until Jimmy and Buck finished their runs before the three of us left to come find you. When I left with Curly, I'm not sure if they decided to come anyway," Kid explained to her, pulling her closer to him as they both watched the light grow brighter in the dimming night air.

"You think that could be Buck and Jimmy over there?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"Maybe you should just yell their names and see if they respond. If it's them, they'll recognize your voice," she suggested.

"Yeah, but if it's not them, then we'll have given away our location and I don't want to bring any trouble back to camp," he said close to her ear. "Besides, if it is them, you want to bring them back to our tipi tonight? We can't very well leave them out here all night when we have shelter back at camp."

"Maybe they could stay somewhere else?" Lou suggested weakly. She hated thinking their friends could be out there and they didn't help them. But, on the other hand, she was really enjoying having Kid all to herself the last few days and was not looking forward to them resuming their usual relationship once they returned home. And the idea of their two friends sharing their tipi, even for just one night, was intolerable.

"How about this, we'll sneak over there to see if it's them. If it is, we can sit with them for a while and let them know we're leaving tomorrow. If it's not, then we can sneak back across the creek and back to the village," Kid suggested. He had a strong suspicion that they would find their friends over there.

"Alright," Lou agreed, "But we need to hurry. The evening meal should be ready soon and I don't want to make Magaskawee wait for us." As if on cue, her stomach gave off a loud growl.

"Hungry?" Kid asked her with a grin.

"Yeah, and if I don't eat I might get sick again," she reminded him.

"Well, we don't want that. C'mon, let's go," he said, taking her hand and quietly leading them along the banks until they reached a shallow section. Slipping their moccasins off and tucking them in their free hand, Kid and Lou slowly waded their way across the creek, slipping back up onto the creek bank on the other side. Putting their hide shoes back on, they silently crept through the trees until they came close enough to the small camp to make out the familiar sounds of their friends.

"I don't know, Jimmy. We can't just go marching into the village demanding to see them. Besides, we have no idea where they're staying once we get there. You wanna check in every tipi over there until you find them? Somehow, I don't think that would go over too well," Buck replied, growing silent all of a sudden. Pressing his finger to his lips, Buck looked around the dark woods behind Jimmy.

"What?" he asked his friend.

"I think we have company," Buck whispered, pointing over Jimmy's shoulder.

Moving through the trees, their hands still clasped tightly together, Kid announced their presence, "You do." Hearing the cock of a six shooter, Kid pushed Lou behind him, knowing that Jimmy had probably pulled his gun and was pointing it somewhere in their direction.

Growing annoyed that he didn't recognize his own best friend's voice, Lou muttered, "Good God, Jimmy, put that thing away. It's us." Kid chuckled beside her at her instant irritation with their friend.

"Lou?" Jimmy asked the darkness.

"No, it's Cody. Of course it's Lou. Now stop trying to shoot us," she said, pushing Kid into their camp. The two missing riders slowly materialized out of the dark trees, standing close together near the small campfire Jimmy and Buck had started earlier. "What are you two doing here?" she asked, looking between Buck and Jimmy.

"Looking for you," Jimmy replied. "When Kid here up and disappeared, Teaspoon made us wait to come find you both. What are you still doing here anyway?" he asked, his annoyed tone rivalling Lou's.

"For your information, Jimmy," Lou retorted, "Katy needed to rest for a few days before we started for Rock Creek. And I'm still recovering from my injuries."

"When did you get here, Kid?" Buck asked the southern rider, not wanting to get in the middle of Jimmy and Lou's argument.

"Thursday," Kid replied, watching things heating up between his wife and his best friend.

"You look well enough to me," Jimmy commented, looking between the two riders who had just entered their camp. "Looked well enough to me back at the creek."

"Jimmy!" Lou yelled. "What were you doing by the creek? Did you see me and Kid there?"

"Yeah," was Jimmy's terse reply.

Buck jumped in, afraid Lou would get the wrong idea. "We did, but we left before you got in the water. Don't worry, Lou, we didn't see anything."

Lou was seething with anger, all of it directed at her friend. How dare he stand there and judge her? He had no idea what she had gone through the last two weeks and the way he was going, she wasn't going to tell him ever.

Beside her, Kid could feel her body tensing with anger. Trying to calm her, he pulled her closer and slipped his arm around her waist, whispering, "C'mon, Lou. Let's go back to camp. Should be time for supper." Leading her away, back to where they crossed the creek, Kid said over his shoulder, "Buck, we'll be leaving in the morning as soon as we can get ready. We'll meet you over here, on the edge of the prairie."

"See you then, Kid," Buck replied, returning to a sullen Jimmy. He had been happy to go find their friends since they left Rock Creek. But since their arrival today, particularly after he witnessed Kid and Lou alone by the creek, something changed in his demeanor. "Wanna tell me what that was about?" Buck asked the temperamental man across from him.

"We spend three days travelling from Rock Creek to rescue them only to get here to find they're having a grand old time swimming and doing who knows what else," Jimmy started. "Tell me, Buck. Did she look injured to you? Cause she sure didn't look injured to me."

"Jimmy, we really don't know how she's feeling since you didn't give her a chance to tell us. And anyway, Kid's right, Katy needed to rest if she's gonna bring both of them back. You heard him, they'll be leaving tomorrow. You think you can cheer up between now and then?" he admonished. He had a feeling Jimmy was slightly uncomfortable seeing Lou so relaxed and happy with Kid, given that he thought the moody rider had deep buried feelings for Lou. But she had clearly chosen Kid and Jimmy seemed to be fine with it, as long as he didn't have to watch it. However, Buck had never seen the two of them together like this before. Normally around the bunkhouse they tried their best to keep things between them hidden. Tonight, knowing they were far away from prying eyes, they felt no such compulsion. And while their openness brought a smile to Buck's face, it was having the opposite effect on their friend. Settling onto his bed roll for the night, Buck was surprised to hear Jimmy speak.

"She looked so happy with him, didn't she?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah, she did. Kid did too." Buck said.

"I'm happy for them, Buck, don't get me wrong. But…"

"But, what?" the Kiowa gently prodded.

"But what if he hurts her again?"

"I don't think he'll do that, Jimmy, do you?"

"What if he leaves her to go back to fight for Virginia?" Jimmy asked softly.

"Then she'll figure it out. But somehow, I don't think Kid is going to risk losing her again. We all saw how miserable they both were after they broke up. And at the rate they're probably going, he wouldn't be leaving just her behind," Buck said carefully. He was pretty sure they had rekindled the more intimate side of their relationship given the number of times they seemed to disappear around the way station. And if they were holed up in a tipi for the last four days, he was sure neither one of them was keeping their hands to themselves and sleeping in separate beds. They couldn't keep from touching the other the entire time they were in their camp just now. As far as Buck was concerned, it was only a matter of time.

"You're probably right, Buck," Jimmy conceded, thinking back to the number of times he watched Kid creep from Lou's bunk in the wee hours of the morning. Not that he thought they were doing that in the bunkhouse. But there was the barn and the pond to consider. "They really did look happy, didn't they?"

"Yeah, but Jimmy, I think what we saw between them tonight should stay here. Can't let Cody hear about any of this," Buck suggested, fairly certain that Jimmy would go along with it. They had all tried to remain distant regarding the pair's relationship the second time around, but Cody seemed to always put his foot in his mouth at the worst times.

"No telling what Cody would do with this information," Jimmy said, tacitly agreeing with his friend. Rolling over and settling into his bed roll, he added, "Good night, Buck."

"Good night, Jimmy."