Chapter 3

That evening, Rachel made all of Lou's favorites, Creole style stew, biscuits with apple butter and apple pie. Lou couldn't remember when she last had a meal so good.

"Oh Rachel, I've dreamt of these biscuits and I've tried many times to make them just like you and haven't quite got it right."

"You telling me Lou that you never learned to cook in all this time?" asked Cody.

"Oh I can cook alright and I'll show you too." The looks of surprise everyone showed didn't go unnoticed. Lou smiled.

She had missed her express family deeply. She was surprised to hear that Cody and Buck were still in town although Cody had left but returned after scouting for the north during the war. She could see he had changed. He had matured with age and experience she supposed. He seemed a little more hesitant before speaking but she could tell he was still the same caring man who could always make her laugh.

As far as Buck, she knew he had gotten married to Emily Metcalf, the girl Ike was seeing before he died. Lou had wished she would've been able to attend the wedding, which had happened not long after her and The Kid left town, but knew it was just too dangerous to travel during the war. The news that Buck and Emily had a baby boy as well brought happiness to Lou so far from home, although a little sadness too, as she would miss out on their boys growing up together.

And of course there was Teaspoon who had retired from being the town's Marshal during the war. He had talked about returning to Texas but felt that he had already lost too much with the passing of Noah, Jesse taking off and Kid and Lou leaving. He wanted to be close to the remaining family he had left in Rock Creek.

Lou's eyes looked over her family with a sense of comfort. They had all welcomed her back without hesitation. She then looked at Jimmy momentarily making eye contact with him before shifting her eyes away. She never imagined he would wind up being the marshal in Rock Creek. Sure, he had plenty of experience helping Teaspoon over the years, but she figured his wild reputation would keep him from settling down for any amount of time. She was proud of the responsibility he had taken on even though she was a little scared how dangerous she knew the job could be.

The conversation at supper continued with lighthearted memories and tales of their adventures from the express days and the years since. No one wanted to bring up what was obviously the elephant in the room. They all knew that once Lou started telling her story it was no longer going to be an enjoyable evening. They also didn't want to start any difficult questioning while Jamie was present.

Jamie had finished eating and was now playing with a kitten he had found in the barn. Normally Rachel wouldn't have allowed any animals inside the bunkhouse but she already had stretched the rules when it came to the sweet little boy who was the perfect mix of his parents. He was so gentle with the little kitten and had eventually curled up on a bunk with it and fell asleep.

"Well sweetheart," Teaspoon said. "I think it's high time you tell us where that husband of yours is, don't you think?"