Chapter 10
Two weeks after Sam and Emma left to return to Sweetwater, Buck and five men from town drove his horses to the auction. The trip would take at least a month there and back. Buck hated leaving Lou behind by herself but he needed someone to take care of the animals on his ranch and with her there it would mean one less man he would have to hire and that would mean more money in his pocket after the sale. And more money would mean he could provide Lou with more of the things she needed, despite the fact she swore she had what she needed, Buck wanted to give her everything. He'd give her the world if he could.
Lou stood on the porch of the small cabin she had shared with Buck for almost a month as she watched him ride away with the men and the horses. Over that month they had become close, possibly closer than they had been in the days of the express. Buck had been kind and gentle with her, he took her riding at least three times a week. He talked to her and asked her opinion and advice about everything. He even took her advice, something that Kid had never done. Lou felt a pain seize her heart as Buck disappeared from her sight, somehow during that month Buck had managed to bring her heart back to life and watching him leave her behind took a piece of it with him.
Lou raised a hand to her face and felt something wet on her cheek, she was crying. The realization of what that meant was almost too much for Lou. She was falling in love with Buck...if she was honest, she would admit that she had always cared more for Buck than the others, not as much as she cared for Kid but if Kid hadn't been in the picture ...well things might have turned out so different for them both. Lou decided right then that when Buck returned in a month, she would tell him that she wanted to change their relationship, she wanted a relationship with him.
Sam had waited for two weeks for word from Virginia and still nothing had come in. Omaha had no information on Jeb Spencer, no record of the man at all. Sam had sent messages to all the towns in the terrority and none of them had heard of the man. It was like he didn't exist. On a hunch Sam decided to draw up a likeness of Jeb and send it to the sheriff in Virginia that had worked Lou's attack. He didn't know if his hunch was correct but something told him that Loulabelle and Buck were in danger with that man around. But he needed some kind of proof, he couldn't just shoot the man on a hunch. Sam prayed that he'd get an answer before it was too late.
Buck had been on the trail with his horses for almost two weeks. Each day away from Lou felt like it lasted a million years. He had thought all the years he had spent without her had been hard but now that he had her waiting for him back at his home, it was even worse. Knowing she was there, knowing that he still couldn't have her ... it was sooo much worse. He had promised he wouldn't touch her until he loved him back, but Buck was just a man, he didn't want to have to wait but he knew he'd wait a thousand years for Lou. He just hoped he didn't have too.
During the two weeks that they had been on the trail, Buck had kept a sharp eye on Jeb. Each passing day made Buck even more weary of the man. The hatred he felt radiating off of him was so intense. He didn't know what he had done to cause Jeb to hate him so, he had always treated him kindly, he had given him a job even though something told him not to. Buck was sure it boiled down to Lou, but why? What did Jeb have against Buck having Lou? Was it just because he was a half breed and she was a white woman? Buck didn't think so, no, this was something more. Something more sinister. Buck thought that this month couldn't get over with fast enough. He wanted to be back home with Lou and he wanted Jeb out of his life and as far from Lou as he could possible get. He would rest easy until that day. He would stay vigilant. He would protect her, he would not let another bad thing happen to her ever again. Not as long as he was alive.
And Jeb Spencer knew this ...
A/N: ok I know that was an extremely short chapter after such a long gap between updates. Things are going to get intense in the next few chapters tho so I figured I'd keep this one short and only slightly worrisome. Hopefully next chapter will be up much quicker.