Crossed fates

Chapter 4

Sweetwater, 1870-1871

About ten days after their arrival, Deborah received two letters: one from Lou informing her that she and Kid would be arriving in a couple of days, and one from Rachel informing her that she and Teaspoon would soon be joining them too.

Deborah joined Buck in the stable and said: "Honey, judging by the dates of the letters, Kid and Lou will be here the day after tomorrow, while Rachel and Teaspoon are in a few days. How do we organize ourselves? "

Buck, delighted by the news, replied: "Maybe we could clean the two houses and make them a little more presentable, so as not to make them feel the disappointment we felt. Then we will go to town to buy some supplies for them, in order to facilitate them. I will also start moving to build the new ranch, I don't want to stay inactive for long, I want to resume our life completely ".

She agreed and kissed him saying: "You always know what is the right thing to do my love"

"Oh yes? Well here, now I know that we should take advantage of the fact that the children are resting to enjoy our privacy a little ... "

"Buck Cross, you are awful"

"No, I'm just crazy about my wife" and he knocked her over laughing on the hay. They made love passionately, enjoying their new life after many difficulties.

In the afternoon they began to fix Lou and Kid's house by cleaning it up and fixing what they could, without invading their privacy by making changes to what had been destroyed or stolen. They just gave it the appearance of a tidy house, knowing that Lou and Kid would have to, as they had done, redesign some things.

The next day they went to the general store and did the shopping for everyone.

Kid and Lou arrived in the late morning and as soon as they heard the caravan, Deborah and the children rushed out to greet them. Deborah sent Ulisse to call Buck, who probably hadn't heard them coming, making a noise while he was cutting wood to build the fence for the new ranch. The two girls hugged their mother's skirt a little ashamed and Achille wanted to go in her arms. They had heard their parents talk a lot about the upcoming family but seeing them was another thing. Lou and Deborah hugged each other tightly, as if they didn't want to break away and wept with joy. It was then Kid's turn who hugged Deborah and hugged Buck too when he arrived.

After Emma and Jed, the couple had two more twins, Ike and Sam, two years old, and Lou told friends that Jeremia and Teresa, Lou's brother and sister, now grown up and eager to make a comeback, would soon join with their sister.

Deborah and Buck were delighted, introduced all the children and then took them to see their home. Tears came to Lou's eyes and she thanked her friends for fixing it as best they could.

"We did some shopping for you for the first few days, so you can recover from your trip before going to town", Deborah informed her.

Then she added to Kid: "Buck has already bought the land nearby to build the ranch and is already working on it, but you take all the time you need for the house and for your family, in the meantime he will take care of it. The sooner we leave and the sooner we'll leave that bad experience behind. Ah, in a few days Rachel and Teaspoon will be here too, we are going to get their house back on track too ".

Kid hugged Deborah and shook Buck's hand in gratitude. Deborah offered to look after the children while the two young friends unloaded their belongings with the help of her husband.

After an initial moment of childish embarrassment and shame, the children began to play together and it seemed that Ulisse and Emma recognized each other, after all as children, before the situation worsened, they had grown up together and spent their days playing as brothers.

Lou and Kid settled their things and in the evening they all dined together at Deborah and Buck's house, remembering the old days.

In a few days Teaspoon and Rachel also returned and went to live in the old house of the woman because the bunkhouse had been destroyed and Teaspoon would have no place to stay. The house was big enough for both of them and Teaspoon could have slept in the room that had been Deborah's before she married Buck.

Little by little they recovered their lives and as soon as the work on the two houses, theirs and Rachel's was finished, Kid also began to take care of the ranch. Buck had already marked off the land with a solid fence and was building the barn for the animals.

The three women decided one day to go to town to look for a job. They were looking for something that didn't keep them busy all day, so that they could then look after the children, but that would allow them to have some independence. Lou had again had to struggle to convince Kid to let her find a job, but in the end he too had given up.

They were lucky because Lou and Rachel found employment at a fabric shop looking for help: one in the morning and the other in the afternoon, without any particular constraints, so they could take turns taking care of the children. Deborah tried her luck at the school, she wanted to see if she could resume her teaching job. For the time being, she was able to work alongside the current teacher who would keep the job for another year and then leave the job because she felt too old by now. Deborah would have replaced her and she was delighted.

Everything was going well: the ranch had started and was starting to bear fruit, the three women took turns in childcare and housework and soon, as planned, Lou's brother and sister also arrived in town, who took a little house of their own. Neither of them had settled down yet, though it seemed that Teresa had a suitor she didn't disdain. Lou was happy about it, but she didn't want to force her hand. Jeremia did not want to have a family, he was very marked by the story of his father, which Lou had ended up revealing to him, and he preferred to take care of his sister. For a living he hired Buck and Kid on the ranch. The two men were delighted to have him with them.

A serene and peaceful year passed during which all the balances were settled. Sometimes they would get news of Cody and Jimmy and their adventures and hoped that sooner or later they would be able to meet them again.

Deborah and Buck would have wanted more children, but they had not arrived and in the end they told each other that maybe it was right, four was a good number and despite the commitment they gave, the two of them always managed to carve out moments of intimacy; the passion between the two had never failed and every now and then they asked Kid and Lou or Rachel to keep the children to sleep with them to organize romantic evenings just the two of them, during which they loved to talk to each other from the heart, to exchange their thoughts deeper, discuss topics that did not have time to address in the presence of children, spend moments simply embraced in front of the fireplace enjoying each other's company and making love tenderly. Deborah was increasingly in love with Buck and felt that he too felt the same. The years passed and the difficulties faced had not affected their love and Buck thanks to her had completely defeated his demons. He felt so happy with her and their children that he couldn't have asked for more.

One morning, while Buck was at the ranch, he saw a gig coming in his direction and he thought it was his wife who was returning from school and had decided to drop by to say hello. Usually he and Kid had lunch at the ranch to save time, even though they were practically attached to the house. They did not want to burden their wives with the commitment of lunch and were content to bring something that Lou and Deborah had prepared for them.

As the gig approached, Buck realized that it was not Deborah, but a woman with long black hair. He was stunned when the woman got out of the gig, approached him and throwing her arms around his neck said: "Oh Buck, I finally found you, I didn't hope for it anymore!".

Kid saw the scene and watched what was happening.

Buck broke away from the woman's embrace and said: "Do we know each other lady?"

"Have I changed and grown so old that you don't recognize me anymore? Yet once we were inseparable and promised"

Buck understood and with a huge smile he said: "Oh my God, Camille!" and he embraced her in turn.

Kid, hearing the woman's name, was not happy at all. He remembered what had happened the last time she had been to them and did not want them to create misunderstandings again. He decided to ignore it and wait for Buck to call him.

"Sorry, I didn't recognize you, I certainly wasn't expecting your visit, how nice to see you", Buck told her.

"You absolutely must be forgiven, it will mean that you will invite me to dinner"

"Yes, sure", Buck replied, but he regretted it the moment he said those words. He knew that Deborah would not take Camille's presence well after the last time, even though it had been ten years now. He suspected that Deborah still hurt remembering what had happened, but he certainly couldn't tell Camille that he couldn't stop for dinner for something she probably didn't even remember anymore.

"What are you doing here Camille and where is Billy? Did he stay in the city? How long will you stay? "Buck asked.

Camille's eyes filled with tears, she hugged Buck tightly and said: "Billy died in the war, since then I am alone, I have wandered here and there doing all kinds of work, we have not had children unfortunately or fortunately, I don't know me neither. I tried to find you but they told me you left Sweetwater and went to war. When I came to Rock Creek I heard about you and I got to know you were back here, so I thought I'd join you, did I hurt? "

"No, you did well, I'm very sorry for Billy. I was also injured in the war but I was luckier than your husband. Come on, let's go say hello to Kid, do you remember? We run this ranch together, he got married to Lou ".

"Wait Buck. What about you? Have you made a family? Did you then get married to that girl? You didn't hear from me after I left "

"Yes, I got married to Deborah shortly after you left. We live here in our house back then and have 4 children. "

"So did you manage to move on? I'm happy for you ", Camille said with a note of disappointment in her voice. Buck noticed it and knew that this would not do any good, but he could not abandon her, not again after what had happened in his youth, he would still be overwhelmed with guilt.

"Thanks, I was very lucky. Let's go to Kid's now "

She nodded and followed him. In the meantime, Kid, who had witnessed the whole scene, had moved away a bit so as not to make it clear that he had seen everything.

"Hey Kid, look who came to visit us! You remember Camille, don't you? "Buck said.

"How could I not remember, there was a real commotion the last time you came to see Buck! How are you? "

"Hi Kid, nice to see you again. I'm pretty good, thanks. As I told Buck I lost my husband in the war, but I survive "

"I'm very sorry Camille." Kid pretended to be surprised.

"Can you stay at the ranch, Kid? I take her home to meet the children, Deborah should arrive any moment "

"Of course, there's no problem, I should just talk to you about something before you go, if you can"

"Definitely. Camille, can you wait for me on the wagon please? I solve the problem with Kid and I'll arrive "

"Oh yes, of course" and she went to take her place in the gig.

"What is it Kid? Any problems with animals? "

"No, everything is fine here"

"So what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Can't you imagine it?"

"Camille…"

"Exact. Last time you risked losing Deborah for her and you know that just hearing her name puts her in a bad mood again after 10 years. Are you sure what you are doing? "

"I know Kid, but how can I abandon her? Last time my sense of guilt was making me lose the love of my life, I could not bear to live with such a weight again. She lost her husband, she is alone, a few days here she will not be able to cause damage. I know it will be difficult for Deborah, but she knows that I love her and that I would never betray her "

"If you say so ... Just be careful Buck"

"Thanks Kid, I'll do it. See you later"

Buck joined Camille, thinking worriedly about his friend's words. He knew that Kid was right, but he also had to deal with the impossibility of abandoning an old friend. He hoped that everything was fine and that Deborah understood.

"Are you all right, Buck?" Camille asked him.

"Yes, Kid just wanted to inform me of a doubt he had, I hope it's all resolved. Here we go"

Camille looked at him cautiously, she had guessed what the nature of the two friends' speech had been. She had hoped that Buck was still in love with her, so that she could start a happy life again, but sadly he had moved on. She did not know what had really happened after her departure, it had left Buck scared to death by the absence of Deborah and Jimmy who had punched him accusing him of breaking her heart. Billy had insisted on leaving immediately, and Buck hadn't replied to her letters since. She didn't know what to expect. Her disappointment had been great when he had told her that he was finally married.

They arrived in a moment at Buck and Deborah's house. The children were playing in the yard with Lou's children and Buck saw that Deborah's gig was there, so she must be back by now.

He turned to Ulisse asking him: "Honey, where is mom?".

"She went to Aunt Rachel's for a moment to get something, she told us it would arrive immediately"

"Thanks, you are such a little man." Buck stroked his son's head and ruffled his hair. In a moment he was also surrounded by the other three and Calypso said to him hugging him tightly: "How nice that you are at home Dad." Then she turned to Camille: "Who is this lady dad?"

"She is an old friend, sweetheart, her name is Camille. On children, say hello. Emma, Ike, Sam, Jed, meet our friend Camille, come and say hello to her too ".

Then he turned to Camille and explained: "These 4 are my beloved children, the others are Lou and Kid's children. Lou is now at work; she, Rachel and Deborah take turns and all three look after them together. We have achieved a beautiful balance ". Buck went out of his way to make Camille understand that he was happy now and that he wanted things to stay that way.

Camille nodded but inside her was bitten by a tinge of jealousy.

Suddenly there was a noise coming in the direction of Rachel's house: Deborah had dropped the tub with the laundry to do. When she left Rachel's house, she heard the screams of the children and Buck's voice. She hurried to join them, fearing that something had happened because her husband almost never returned home before dinner time. When she approached and recognized Camille, the shock was enormous and she dropped the tub she was carrying, as if suddenly thrown back 10 years. She felt a pang in her heart and everything that had happened the previous time passed before her eyes. She felt exactly the same pain as when she had decided to leave.

Buck, Camille and the children whirled around.

"Mom, what happened, are you okay?", Nausicaa joined her.

Deborah recovered and hugging her daughter said: "Yes, darling, I'm fine, I just tripped over a stone and I dropped everything, I'm the usual careless" and kissed her daughter.

Then she turned to Buck: "Honey, what a nice surprise, I heard your voice from Rachel's house. But, do I see well? Is it Camille? "

"Yes, it's me, nice to see you again Deborah" the woman said.

Deborah did not return the courtesy but merely said to her: "How long! Why are you here?" and then turned to Buck.

"I came to see you a few days, I got Buck an invitation to dinner as punishment because he didn't recognize me, I hope you don't mind."

Deborah gritted her teeth hard and it took all her self-control not to tremble: "You are welcome. I see you've already met all the children "

"Yes, they are very sweet", Camille said.

"As Buck's children, it couldn't have been otherwise, don't you think?"

"Yeah", she replied, looking down.

Buck realized on the fly that Kid was right on all fronts, it was going to be a very tough situation to handle. He walked over to Deborah, kissed her and said: "Honey, Camille lost Billy in the war, she wasn't as lucky as we are. She knew we were back here and decided to come and visit us. Is it okay for you if she stops by for dinner and then we'll take her to the hotel? ". Buck took her hand and squeezed it, as if to let her know she didn't need to worry.

Deborah understood that he was trying to calm her down and replied: "No problem. Come, take a seat ".

Meanwhile, Rachel, who had heard the noise of the fallen tub, had left the house and witnessed the scene. She understood that Deborah and Buck needed to talk to themselves for a moment and went up to the woman saying: "Camille, what a pleasure to see you again, how long! Would you like to come to my house for tea while Deborah prepares for dinner? "

"Oh sure, gladly Rachel. I'm happy to see you too "and she started in the direction of the woman.

Buck took Deborah by the hand and led her into the house, not before saying to the children: "Guys, please, stay around here and play and don't go away, I'll be in for a moment at home with your mother, okay? Ulisse, Jed, I'm counting on you "

"Sure dad, don't worry"

When they were inside, Deborah sat without speaking on the sofa, shocked. Buck approached her gently, sat down next to her and said: "Honey, I know Camille's sudden visit upset you, but what could I do? She arrived without warning, she invited herself to dinner, she told me she was left alone, should I have sent her away without an explanation? Besides, she doesn't know what happened between us. I swear everything will be fine, you know I love you right? "

Deborah looked into his eyes and saw all her husband's love and concern, but said: "I know you are doing good and you don't want to feel guilty anymore, but please don't let her get on with it new among us. If she looked for you, it was because deep down she hoped you were still tied to her and when a woman bets on a married man, the consequences are never positive "

"Honey, she knows I love you, I told her and made her understand in every way and then she's not that kind of woman"

"Before maybe, but now she is alone and I am an obstacle in her way"

"In a few days she will go away and we will continue with our life"

"I really hope so", but Deborah feared that things would turn out differently ...