The Widow McHenry baked a mighty fine apple crumb cake. She used enough apples to make it moist and apple-y, but not so many that it was soggy and heavy. Teaspoon licked the crumbs off his fingers appreciatively. The only thing that would make it better would be a little whiskey to wash it down. But the Widow McHenry wasn't a whiskey kind of woman. She thought all liquor was the devil's handiwork and so instead Teaspoon was sipping…well…tea.

He'd make do. Kathleen McHenry was, in all other respects, a fine gal. At fifty-two, the lines on her face were the result of smiling, not bitterness, and she was still shapely and lively. Since Teaspoon was closing in on seventy himself, he didn't feel right about passing judgment on the attributes a woman lost in her fifties. After all, he wasn't the same man he used to be. His joints ached when it rained and his love of sweets had cost him another couple of teeth – although in the back, where it didn't hurt his smile. But he could still sit a horse, even though he didn't have much call to these days. And he supposed he could yet draw his gun, should the need arise.

He didn't expect it to. He was living the easy life, a permanent resident in a hotel with clean sheets, soft beds and running water. It was owned by Amanda O'Connel, the woman who was a daughter to him in every way except blood. She had succeeded beyond her wildest dreams with the high-class saloon she'd started nearly twenty years earlier. She'd transformed it into a series of establishments, each one grander than the previous, until she now owned and ran The Black Diamond Hotel in the heart of St. Louis. Her clientele included railroad magnates, cattle barons, and high stakes gamblers.

Teaspoon had come for a visit four years ago and never left. Amanda had talked him into staying, convincing him that he was at a time in his life when there was no shame in spending fewer hours in the saddle. She'd told him she could use his help; and to his surprise, he found he really was useful, settling disputes at the card tables and spotting guests who weren't on the up and up. But he sometimes wondered if he was doing the right thing. Amanda had never married, claiming Teaspoon was all the family she needed or wanted. He loved that they were kin, but he didn't like the notion that she would someday be alone.

When he told her this, she'd smiled.

"Don't worry, Dad," she'd said. "I'll be fine. If I wanted to get married, I would have married a long time ago. At this point, I don't want to give some man the right to everything I've worked so hard for. You're the only partner that I trust."

He was delighted that she called him Dad these days. It warmed his heart every time he heard it. And he was proud to be her partner, even though he repeatedly told her that he had no need for the money. But she insisted. I promised you we'd be partners that first time we met, she'd said. And I keep my word.

He stopped arguing because she was as stubborn as he was, and because he appreciated her integrity. She had grown into a shrewd businesswoman without sacrificing her good heart. Lou, Emma, Rachel, Amanda – they were all extraordinary women, and he was lucky to have had each of them in his life.

"Another piece of cake, Aloysius?"

"Hmmm?" He was brought back to the present by Kathleen McHenry, hovering over him with the plate of crumb cake under his nose. Try as he might, Teaspoon could never get her to call him anything other than his given name.

"Would you like another piece of cake?" she repeated.

He was tempted. It was damned good cake, after all. But he had been keeping company with her on her porch for over an hour. Any longer, and it could begin to look like courting. Teaspoon didn't want to raise expectations. He'd decided years ago that six wives were enough; going for Number Seven was not in his future.

"I thank you, Kathleen," he replied cheerily, "but I'm afraid I need to be getting back to the hotel. Amanda has been without my help long enough."

The widow frowned. "She managed that place without you for years. Surely, she can spare you for another hour."

Teaspoon narrowed his eyes. "She could," he said a little more assertively, "but I don't want her to. My daughter works hard. As long as I have breath in my body, I plan to be there to ease her burden." He hoped that made things plain for Kathleen.

She pressed her lips together. "I see," she said shortly. Her expression, a mixture of irritation and disappointment, made him think that she understood. She shrugged and said, "Well, you'd best get going then, hadn't you."

He rose from his seat a little regretfully. Judging from the tone of her voice, he didn't think he would be tasting more of Kathleen's crumb cake anytime soon. "Thank you for the cake and the company," he said smoothly. Then, because it was habit and he couldn't help himself, he added, "It was delightful on both counts." And before she could say another word, he stepped down from her porch and began walking toward the hotel. He knew she was watching him and didn't look back.

When he got to the hotel, he found Amanda in her office, sorting through a stack of mail. There was a glass of amber liquid on her desk which Teaspoon confidently identified as a very smooth Irish whiskey. Unlike the Widow McHenry, Amanda believed that liquor had its time and place.

"Tough day?" he asked, gesturing at the whiskey.

She gave him a tired smile. "Not really. It's just the new chef. I don't think he's going to work out."

"No?" Teaspoon raised an eyebrow. "I overheard several guests saying that his food is wonderful."

Amanda sighed. "Oh, his food is wonderful. But he's so abusive to the rest of the kitchen staff that I'm afraid they're all going to quit. He can't seem to get along with anyone."

"Well, that is a problem," he agreed. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

Amanda's smile lost some of its fatigue, but she still shook her head. "No. Better in the long run if I look for a replacement and let him go. It's important to have harmony in the kitchen."

Teaspoon nodded. "All right." He very rarely questioned Amanda's personnel decisions. She was a good judge of character and he knew he couldn't do any better.

He reached for an empty glass and poured himself a couple of fingers of whiskey. Then he settled in the chair next to Amanda's desk and took an appreciative sip.

"Tough day?" she asked him, echoing his words. "I thought you were visiting Kathleen McHenry."

"I was." He raised the glass. "I just need a little something to wash down her crumb cake."

"She didn't offer you whiskey?"

He made face. "Tea."

She laughed. "Is that why you're back so early?"

"That, and she was beginning to get a peculiar look on her face."

Amanda cocked an eyebrow. "Peculiar - how?"

Teaspoon twisted in his chair. "Peculiar in that I had the feeling she was picturing me in my best suit, standing in front of the preacher."

"Oh my." Amanda laughed again. "Well then, she probably wouldn't be happy to know that you got a letter from another woman." She slid an envelope out from the stack on her desk and handed it to him. "At least it looks like it's from a woman. From Boston."

"Boston?" He stared at the envelope. The writing was in a familiar hand. "It must be from Rachel," he said. "She's the only person I know in Boston. She used to write real regular, but the letters slowed some in the last few years. I guess I wasn't too good at answering them."

He tore open the envelope and tugged out the letter. Then he read the first paragraph.

"Oh," he said to Amanda. "What a shame. It is from Rachel, telling me that her husband has passed."

She frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that. I never met her, but I remember you and the Express riders were very fond of her."

"We were," he agreed softly. "She hasn't always had an easy life. I thought things were finally going her way." He raised the letter and read silently:

It seems strange to be heading back west after so many years in New England, but Louise has invited us to stay with her and Kid and I've decided to accept the offer. I would like to meet their three children - they sound like good boys. And, if you haven't heard, Jimmy is the sheriff in their town. He settled there about six months ago. Between Kid, Lou, and Jimmy, I feel like I will be back with family, and I need family at this time. Joshua's parents are steady folk, but they're not the most welcoming.

Grace and I are catching the train to Council Bluffs in a couple of days. As I understand it, Serenity Springs is south of Lincoln, not too far from the Kansas border. Kid and Louise have a decent spread - something like 400 acres. There are plenty of ways Grace and I will be able to help out. It will be good for both of us.

Teaspoon put the letter back down. Lou and Kid had three children? Three? Where the hell had the time gone? He could remember performing their wedding ceremony as if it were yesterday; the Kid pale from nervousness and Louise looking dainty and beautiful in her white gown. And now they had three sons. Not to mention that Hickok was a lawman. Teaspoon wasn't sure what to make of that. Among all his riders, Jimmy was the one he had worried about the most. Cody had been impulsive, but usually had the dumb luck to land on his feet. The rest of them were, for the most part, level-headed. But Jimmy…Jimmy had been almost fatalistic about his future. Once he had strapped on his guns, he seemed to believe that he had no choice except to live and die by them, even though he didn't want a gunfighter's reputation and took no satisfaction in coming out on top of a fight.

And idea was forming in Teaspoon's brain. He slid the letter back into the envelope and looked at Amanda.

"Rachel is coming out west to stay with Lou and the Kid. They've got a spread in Nebraska, somewhere south of Lincoln. I think," he said slowly, "that I might join her for a little while."

Amanda pursed her lips. "I don't know, Dad. It's not really a good time for me to leave the hotel. I've got to find a new chef and we're booked solid for the summer. We've got more guests than ever coming in by train, now that there's a bridge across the Mississippi."

Teaspoon nodded. "That's okay, I understand. I can make this trip on my own. I expect I'll be gone two or three months at the most - unless you can't manage here without me."

Her brow furrowed. "I can manage. That's not the problem. But it's about four hundred miles from St. Louis to Lincoln."

"Yes, it is."

She looked worried. "You're going to take a stagecoach?"

Teaspoon shook his head. "I was thinking I'd ride. It'll take me more than a week but it's early summer. The weather should be fine."

"Four hundred miles on horseback, Teaspoon? Are you crazy? You're too-"

She abruptly stopped. He noticed she hadn't called him Dad this time.

"I hope you weren't about to say old, Amanda," he said with a chuckle. "I'll admit I ain't a kid anymore, but I can still sit a horse. Me and Thunder can make the trip."

"I know that. It's just..." She paused, searching for words. He was surprised to see moisture in her eyes. She was not a woman who cried easily.

"Amanda," he said gently. "What's the real problem?"

She looked away. "I've been wondering when this was going to happen. You've never been a man to stay in one place for too long. It's been four years…I suppose I'm lucky that you've been here as long as you have."

Ah...so that was it. "Amanda!" He raised his voice so that she would look at him once more. "Now, stop right there and get that notion out of your head. I ain't leaving for good. This is my home and you're my family." He hesitated, then said more quietly, "It's just…Rachel, Lou, Kid, Jimmy…they're my family too. And I'd like to see them one more time before I leave this earth. They're all together in one place. I don't think I'll have this chance again."

She nodded reluctantly and didn't say anything.

"Besides," he added, "I get the feeling that they need me. I can't explain it, but something's telling me I have to be there for them. Whatever it is, we'll take care of it and I'll be back before you know it."

"Promise?" Her dark eyes were hopeful. "If you promise, I'll know you mean it."

"I promise, Amanda. I'll be back soon. You'll hardly know I'm gone."

She nodded again. "Okay, then."

A/N: So, here's Teaspoon, earthdragon. I thought he was a good character, too. It's funny, because Anthony Zerbe is better known for playing villains, but I think this is my favorite role for him.

I'm pretty amazed at the number of views this story is getting, given that the series first aired nearly 30 years ago. It's a testament to how many people continue to enjoy it.

I've been deliberately vague about the timing and dates, because I didn't want to worry about whether everything worked perfectly. However, this story does take place in the mid 1870's - maybe around 1875 or '76. I do a little history googling out of interest and to make sure I'm not getting anything really wrong. In this case, I discovered that the first bridge across the Mississippi (south of the Missouri River) was the Eads bridge, opened in 1874. It led into St. Louis, and is still in use today. So, that's the bridge Amanda is referring to.