CHAPTER 5

Two Weeks Later

The bunkhouse door opened to reveal a still healing, but seemingly happy Dani. She stretched out her one working arm keeping the sling contained one still. "How ya feelin'?" Jimmy questioned as he watched her take a step away from the doorway.

"Alright. Happy to see the sunlight from the outside of this damn place. I'm not one for lying around. Getting stuck doing it for days is liable to drive me crazy." Ike attempted sign to her, but she wasn't picking it up. "What did he say?"

"He says you look much better." "Thanks, Ike." She let out small smile in his direction.

She pulled her colt from its holster as she took a seat next to him. Jimmy continued his widdling on the top step of the porch. Dani did her best to situate her gun between her legs. She hoped to figure out a way to clean it with one hand, but was finding it extremely difficult. She looked up to survey the rest of the Express station. Buck and Lou caught her eye at the corral fence. "Haven't you all been workin' on that fence for the past few days? Not done yet?"

"Yea, but we caught some trouble outside of town yesterday," Jimmy defensively remarked.

"What kind of trouble?" She was still obviously having some problems balancing the gun in between her legs.

"Peterson gang heard there was some kind of shipping schedule coming in on the noon stage," Kid interjected after exiting the bunkhouse. "Teaspoon asked us to help."

"You sure are a close knit group of rowdies, aren't ya?" She had now given up on her gun and placed it down beside her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jimmy questioned angrily. "Calm down, Hickok; I didn't mean nothin' by it. Just noticed that you all seem to stick together no matter what. Must be a good feelin' knowing you always got someone watching your back."

Ike tapped Dani's shoulder and motioned to her gun. "You wanna see it? Bein' that it ain't loaded, I guess that'd be alright." All eyes turned to the beautiful piece of craftsmanship in Ike's hands. It was almost a match for Jimmy's colt with nickel plating and all except for the distinguishing rose painted on the handle.

"Where did you get a gun like that?" Jimmy asked his suspicion getting the best of him.

"I could ask you the same thing. My guess is it ain't a story you like sharin'."

Ike's hands began moving. "Ike wants to know why you would think that." Kid translated for him.

"Ike, it's been my experience that beautiful guns bring ugly reputations. Doesn't matter how eye catching and shinny it is, in the end, all a gun brings is death. Once you strap it on, you become a target and a killer. Not a story most people like recounting." The wisdom behind her words sounded almost like a female Teaspoon, Kid thought to himself. For someone not too much older than them it seemed she had seen a lot in her life.

With that said she stood from the bench making her way over to Lou and Buck. "Need some help?" Buck held onto the hammer while Lou held up the fence post.

"You know you shouldn't be trying to help out with something like this with your arm hurt," he stated.

"Well Buck, seems God gave me two arms just in case one stopped workin'." Dani shot him a big smile which he quickly returned.

"Well, I know Rachel and the Doc would have my hide if I let you go and hurt the other one, too."

She nodded, "I reckon a no armed gunfighter wouldn't strike much fear into the hearts of many people." She laughed at her own joke. "Well, I'll just go back to entertaining those three," she pointed to the porch.

Buck followed her movements keeping the huge grin plastered across his face.

"You like her, huh?" Lou questioned as Buck's attention turned back to the chore at hand.

"What makes you say that?" Buck inquired with a slight smile.

"Buck, come on. I don't know what happened with you and her, but it's obvious that you have feelin's for her. Why don't you do somethin' about it?"

"What am I supposed to do, Lou? She doesn't seem like the type of woman who has much interest in courting."

"Well, she was sayin' how she'd like to get out of the bunkhouse more. Take her on a picnic. I'm sure Rachel would help. It would do her and you some good to get away from all those pryin' eyes anyway. And trust me, she likes you. No woman smiles like that at any man unless she has taken a liking to him." Buck began to blush at the prospect of the beautiful gunfighter actually taking a liking to him. What exactly was it about her that made him smile so much?

"When should I ask?"

"Now's as a good time as any. I think she headed back into the bunkhouse. I can get Kid to help me with this." Buck turned his attention to the bunkhouse as Lou yelled for the Kid.

He slowly opened the bunkhouse door to find Dani lying down again in his bunk. "Hey, Buck, that was quick." Buck's smile grew as he took two steps toward her and let the door close behind him. As he went to take another step a figure to his right caught his eye. "Hey, Noah."

Noah's attention went from Dani to his boot which he quickly slipped on. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Buck's good mood was slowly slipping as he felt tension fill the room.

"Not at all, I'll leave you two alone." Noah stood from the table and exited the bunkhouse. Something about the situation didn't feel right to Buck as he recalled the sense of recognition between Dani and Noah the night he got back from his run.

"Did you have something you wanted to talk about?" Dani asked. Buck remained standing as he stared at the floor. "Buck, what's wrong?" Dani slowly rose making sure to not apply too much pressure to her continually throbbing arm.

"Why was Noah in here?" Buck asked with a slight twinge of jealousy. "I'm not sure, actually. Too many of you riders to keep up with. Mentioned something about a stone in his boot. We didn't really talk much, why?"

Buck shook off the feeling and looked up at Dani catching her eye, "Would you like to go on a picnic with me tomorrow?" Dani smiled at him, "Seein' as it would get me out of here, I would love to." They continued to stare at each other as the room disappeared.

Their quiet moment was quickly interrupted by the bunkhouse door slamming open behind them. Their attention turned to Jimmy, "Buck, Kid says him and Lou need some help with that fence."

Buck turned his attention back to Dani. She smiled her understanding to him, "Go. I'm sure I can find something to do around here." With that he and Jimmy headed out the door. Dani laid back down on his bunk. From under her pillow, she pulled out a ten cent novel Cody loaned her and began reading.