Sitting in the cheery kitchen of the ranch house, Louise watched with motherly approval as Jimmy finished the sandwich she had fixed him. Teaspoon sat contentedly beside the younger man, every now and again slapping him on the back as they hastily caught up on the last six years. Lou was able to regard him properly now as Teaspoon dominated the conversation. Jimmy seemed the same in outward appearances apart from the mustache, but Louise could see his demeanor was altered somehow—his expression was graver, more thoughtful, and his eyes were soured from all that he had experienced during the war. He avoided the topic, however, by asking after everyone else.
"You haven't heard from Cody? We thought maybe, well, with Cody fightin' for the North…" Lou trailed off, noticing the dismissive look in Jimmy's eye.
"Not for about three years, I haven't. I didn't have much to do with the army, not officially anyway."
"He got married, you know," said Lou, grinning.
"Cody!" Jimmy spluttered his coffee as Teaspoon and Lou laughed. "Well now I've heard everythin'."
"We haven't met her yet, but Cody mentioned they might come visit this Christmas."
"Is Rachel still in Rock Creek? I almost stopped by there on my way here, but I wasn't sure."
"Naw, she run off years ago with an army captain," Teaspoon informed him perfunctorily around a mouthful of bread.
"John Hamilton is his name, and they are livin' happily down near Denver," countered Lou as she refilled their coffee cups. "He's a very nice man, even if you don't approve, Teaspoon."
"Who said I don't approve?" he replied in mock surprise. "Just a shame if you ask me, a good woman like that stuck down at one of those godforsaken army forts. There'll be trouble once the government stops ignorin' the Indian issue."
"Have you heard from Buck?" asked Jimmy, noticing the dark look that passed between Teaspoon and Lou.
"He stops by a couple of times a year, but it's hard for him," she explained. "They're fightin' a losing battle."
"Speakin' of a battle," Teaspoon said as the sound of the boys playing in the next room increased steadily in volume as an argument between brothers commenced, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen in the kitchen. "I'd better check on the troops."
Lou smiled gratefully and sank into a seat at the table, smiling when Teaspoon's gruff voice was heard from behind the door, growling in mock severity at the noise. Jimmy joined in her smile and shook his head, remembering the eccentricities of the old station master. He could not help but notice the stiff limp with which Teaspoon now walked, or the stark white hair that replaced the dirty gray it had once been. In just six years Teaspoon had gotten old, something Jimmy never equated with him.
"I know what you're thinkin'," Lou said quietly as she sipped her coffee. "It was a shock for us too when he came a coupla years ago."
"What happened in Texas?"
"More fightin'. The war only unsettled the peace the Rangers tried to bring to the place. I told him he was too old to go off fightin' again, but he wouldn't listen. He got his leg shot up pretty badly and had barely recovered when he arrived here suddenly."
"At least he had you to take him in, Lou."
She smiled at the recollection. "I'm just glad to have him here where we can look after him. He's the only grandfather our children will ever know, so I don't know what we'd do if he wasn't livin' here with us. He and Adam are practically inseparable. Besides, we all owe him so much, we can't even begin to repay it..."
Jimmy nodded solemnly at her words, knowing he too owed Teaspoon a great debt. The grouchy old man had saved Jimmy from countless mistakes in the past, though it was only now he was beginning to recognize them all. His musing was soon interrupted, when Jamie suddenly tore through the kitchen like the devil was at his heels, a broad grin on his face.
"Rider comin'!" he yelled, racing out the back door. Jimmy laughed at the use of the traditional Pony Express cry.
"He certainly is your son, Lou."
She laughed too and jumped up, pulling him outside, followed by Teaspoon who had Adam hanging onto his back.
"These boys sure do get excited when their Daddy gets home," Teaspoon puffed, as the young boy urged him to go faster. They made their way quickly into the yard to watch the approaching riders.
Jimmy stood silently behind Lou as Kid trotted into the main yard, followed by an old Mexican man and a young ranch hand about eighteen years old. He was unsure how Kid would react to seeing him here after all these years, remembering that their parting had not been on good terms. The Kid had blamed Rosemary for Noah's death and refused to hide the fact that he thought Jimmy was making a mistake by going with her back to Kansas and her abolitionist contacts.
Though they had grown to be best friends during the time the Pony Express had been operational, a cool, unemotional handshake was their farewell to each other. Jimmy only hoped his reception this time would be different. At least Lou did not seem concerned—she was grinning broadly at the surprise that awaited her husband. She waited patiently as he dismounted and immediately scooped up his two sons into his arms.
"How are my boys, huh?" the Kid growled lovingly, capturing them in a bear hug. "Were you good today? What did you get up to?"
Jamie and Adam's words tumbled out in an excited rush, causing Kid to smile. He glanced up to greet his wife, only to notice the tall, dark man with her.
"Well I'll be damned," he whispered, gently putting the boys down. "James Butler Hickok."
"Kid."
They held each other's stare, neither saying a word. Lou's breath caught in her throat as suddenly she feared Kid would refuse to take his hand, but then she expelled it with a nervous sigh of relief when her husband strode over and hugged his old friend firmly, slapping him on the back.
"I can't believe it. I can't believe you're here! It's good to see you, Jimmy…" The Kid was lost for words, instead he grinned incessantly as Louise came over and kissed his cheek.
Teaspoon watched the reunion with a proud expression on his weathered face, grasping the reins of Kid's horse. The other two men had also dismounted by now, intrigued by the show before them. Kid and the stranger said little to each other, but it was obvious they had once shared a special bond. Lou remembered her manners, and made the necessary introductions.
"Jimmy, this is our foreman Cholo, and Tom Jenkins, our ranch hand. This is a dear friend, Jimmy Hickok," she said.
Tom's eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the name. He had heard Kid and Lou mention someone called Jimmy from their time in the Pony Express but he had never dreamed this was who they had been referring to. The young man stuttered an incoherent greeting, shaking Jimmy's hand with wonder.
"Wild Bill Hickok!" he managed eventually, still pumping his hand. Jimmy nodded evenly and politely extricated his right hand from Tom's grasp.
Kid and Lou both waited for his familiar reaction to the pseudonym, one that Jimmy had always refused to acknowledge and merely associated with a dime-novel character. But instead he seemed indifferent, unaffected by the name, which prompted a swift glance to be passed between husband and wife. Since when did Jimmy allow himself to be called Wild Bill? Lou frowned and pulled an awe-struck Tom back by his sleeve, allowing Cholo an opportunity to meet their friend.
She was surprised to see the old Mexican's face harden when he too realized just who this man was. He stared gravely at the pair of ivory handled Colts that Jimmy wore strapped to his hips, and without a word he turned on his heel and busied himself with the horses, drawing them away to be watered and rubbed down.
If Jimmy was concerned by the snub he didn't show it, and Kid hastily tried to cover it by suggesting they all go inside. He picked Adam up and initiated the exodus, though Lou paused and watched after Cholo. She was worried that he might be upset by having Jimmy here, something she hadn't thought of until now. Cholo had lost his whole family to a gunfighter as they traveled north from Mexico many years ago. She knew the attack had been unprovoked and vicious, though Cholo refused to tell her the details. Teaspoon and he had become great friends and he perhaps knew more, but the old marshal knew that Cholo would come round eventually when he saw that Jimmy just wasn't like that. Teaspoon put an arm around Lou and walked with her inside, silently assuring her everything would be fine. Cholo made his way to the barn alone.