Ch 8

The night of the dance came. Jimmy watched as the others got ready. He sat at the table in the bunkhouse cleaning his guns.

"You sure you don't want to go? You'll be here all be yourself." Asked Lou.

"I'm good Lou. I like being by myself."

"Just you never go and I hate to think of you just sitting here while we are having fun."

"I won't be sitting here. I'll be sleeping." Smiled Jimmy.

Lou rolled her eyes and straightened her dress while waiting on Kid to finish. Noah and Cody had already left to pick up their dates. Teaspoon had just left with Emma. Kid and Lou finally left. Jimmy looked at the now empty bunkhouse. Thank goodness. Time to get rid of some of these stupid gifts. He opened his trunk and started pulling all the crap out.

Cody danced the night away with Shannon. She smiled and laughed. Dorothy sat on the side watching and eating. Kid and Lou were dancing as well. Noah was taking a plate back to his table for his date. Dorothy stood and stretched. Time for some fresh air.

Jimmy having gotten rid of all his so called gifts was laying in his bunk. He had just closed his eyes when a loud noise came from outside. He cracked them back open and listened. The noise came again.

"Shit. Just my luck." He grumbled as he got up and got one of his guns.

He eased out onto the porch. The station yard seemed quiet. He started to go back inside when the noise sounded again. This time from the barn. Jimmy made his way to the barn and eased inside. The doors at the back of the barn were open. Jimmy looked around holding the lantern and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He made his way to the back and stepped in the open doorway. He heard the noise come from the distance. He walked out back behind the barn and looked. The horses seemed skittish. He still didn't see anything. He gave up and turned to go back inside. Something struck him on the side of his head. He lost his balance and fell onto his hands and knees as his gun skidded away. He turned to look over his shoulder. He saw movement then nothing else.

Teaspoon, Emma, Kid, and Lou made their way back home. As they got closer, they saw a light coming from the barn.

"Wonder what Jimmy is doing in the barn at this hour?" Asked Emma.

"Who knows." Said Teaspoon.

They pulled up and stepped down. Lou went with Emma to her house to change as Kid and Teaspoon put the horse and wagon away. Kid walked in the barn but no one was there. The lantern was lit and hanging on a nail.

"Teaspoon, he ain't in here but the lantern is lit."

"He knows better than that."

"Something feels off. Jimmy wouldn't do that."

"See if he's in the bunkhouse."

Kid walked over to the bunkhouse but Jimmy wasn't there. Lou had since changed and was walking across the yard.

"Kid?"

"You seen Jimmy?"

"No but I was only at Emma's. Why? What's wrong?"

"The lantern was left in the barn but he wasn't there. He ain't in the bunkhouse either."

"Kid!" Yelled Teaspoon.

Kid and Lou ran back inside the barn. Teaspoon was standing out the back holding the lantern. Kid and Lou went to him as he held the lantern over the dirt. You could see where someone fell and drag marks were leading off into the distance. Then off to the side was Jimmy's gun.

"What's going on, Teaspoon?"

"The hell I know."

Lou covered her mouth with her hand.

"Someone must have got him." Said Teaspoon.

"But why? There ain't been nothing going on lately." Said Kid.

Lou gasped. Teaspoon looked over and saw her face.

"What is it, Lou? Something you need to tell us."

"Oh my God." Said Kid.

"What the hell is it?!" Yelled Teaspoon.

"Someone has been leaving gifts for Jimmy for the last couple weeks." Said Kid.

"What do you mean gifts?"

"Like candy, flowers, a shirt. Things like that. He doesn't know who." Answered Lou.

"Where were these things?"

"On his horse in town. On his bunk. Places like that."

"On his bunk?! Really?!"

"Yeah."

"And why didn't someone say something?"

"He figured y'all would laugh at him. We thought maybe it was Cody." Said Kid.

"Where are the gifts now?"

"In his trunk."

Teaspoon, Kid, and Lou walked into the bunkhouse. Cody and Noah were coming in after dropping their dates at home. Teaspoon went to the trunk and jerked it out from under the bed. He flipped it open but it was empty except for a few of Jimmy's things. Lou jumped back shocked.

"It was in there." She said.

"It was. I saw it too." Said Kid.

"Well it ain't here now." Said Teaspoon.

"He must have gotten rid of it all while we were gone." Said Lou.

Cody and Noah walked over with confused looks on their faces.

"What are y'all doing?" Asked Noah.

"Hickok isn't here." Said Teaspoon.

"I can see that. If he was, he'd kill ya for going in this things." Said Cody.

"No dimwit. He is missing." Said Teaspoon.