Chapter 16

They reached Rock Creek by late evening. They hadn't wanted to spend another night out but had preferred to travel home. They unloaded their bags and then went to sleep exhausted.

The next morning Joy woke first and without disturbing Buck, exhausted from riding the horses all those hours the day before, went downstairs and began to unpack and do the laundry.

When she had hung out the clothes, she went to prepare breakfast. When she went up to her room, Buck was still sleeping. She would have liked to stay and contemplate him for a while longer, but it was already late and they still had many things to do, first of all going to say hello to their friends who didn't know they were back.

She lay down next to him, stroked his hair and said to him: "Good morning sleepyhead, it's already very late, wake up. Breakfast is ready"

"Mmmm, 5 more minutes, please", Buck muttered as he buried his head under the pillow.

Joy didn't answer and Buck, intrigued by her silence, stuck his head out of the pillow, rubbed his eyes and looked around.

Joy sat next to him watching him amused.

"I was sleeping so well, dreaming about you", he told her.

"Well, you don't need to dream about me, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. Come on, let's have breakfast and say hello to Rachel, Lou and the others.

"Mmmm, after breakfast I have to do something first"

"What? The luggage is unpacked and the laundry is already hanging out. What will you ever have to do?"

"What we didn't do tonight because we were exhausted…."

"Oh, that! Well, I totally agree with you on this point! Come on though, let's eat before everything gets cold"

Buck literally devoured breakfast, then took the tray, placed it on the bedside table and turned to Joy who was drinking the last sip of coffee: "I want you Joy, I want you now" and they made love happily.

They got up, got ready and walked hand in hand to the station. They found Noah and Cody trying to tame a wild horse. When they saw them coming, Cody yelled: "Hey folks, the newlyweds are back", walking over to give them a hug, followed by Noah.

The door of the house opened and Lou and Rachel ran out and joined the others: "Welcome back guys, how are you? How did it go?"

"Slowly, slowly, we will tell you everything. Kid? What about Jimmy?", Buck asked.

"Hey, who said my name?". Jimmy's voice was heard as he came out of the barn.

"Oh, welcome back brother" and hugged him, then turned to Joy: "Hi sister, how are you? Kid is out for his run"

"We're fine, thank you"

"Come on in, don't be asked. Noah, go get Teaspoon and tell him to leave his deputy at the office. Tell him I need him but don't inform him of their return, I want it to be a surprise!"

"Your orders, boss!" Noah laughed.

"Come on guys, you obviously stop for lunch, right?"

"Okay Rachel. Where can we put these?".

They had brought with them a sack with gifts for their friends.

"What are they?" Lou asked.

"Gifts for you of course", Joy replied.

"You've been very kind", Lou commented.

As they waited for Teaspoon to arrive to tell them about their honeymoon, Joy asked Lou: "So, how are the preparations going? Soon it will be your turn"

"It's almost ready: Teaspoon will officiate, you and Rachel will be my bridesmaids, and Jimmy will walk me down the aisle. You Buck and Noah will witness the Kid"

"And the dress?" Joy asked curiously.

"Well, that's why I was waiting for you" and she hugged her tightly.

"Where will you live?" Buck asked.

"Here for now and we'll sleep in the barn, then we'll try to calmly build our own house"

"Has Teaspoon picked your replacement yet?" Buck asked again.

"Yeah, she picked a Matt", Cody replied.

"Will he live here?"

"No, he has a house nearby and wants to continue living there, there will be no problem", Cody said.

Teaspoon's screams were heard from outside the house: "Rachel, what the hell is going on? Noah literally dragged me here!" and opened the door.

"Damn you guys, you're back! It was a trap then! Come here and say hello" and hugged them both.

When everyone was seated at the table, Buck and Joy talked about their trip and Buck's enrollment in medical school, then handed out presents and left Lou with Kid's who would be returning with Matt later in the evening.

Joy, Lou and Rachel made arrangements to go over for lunch the next day to look at Lou's dress and then the newlyweds took their leave. They wanted to drop by Thompkins to let him know that Joy would be back at the shop the next day and then they were going to enjoy their last day of vacation.

"Joy, Buck, you're back", Thompkins greeted them as they entered.

"Everything went well?" he asked.

"Yes Mr Thompson, thank you. Tomorrow I will be able to resume my work", Joy informed him.

"Very good! And you, Buck, did you then enroll in medicine?"

"Yes, I will start studying immediately with the help of the doctor"

"Well guys, I'm very happy for you."

Joy ran to hug him while Buck shook his hand.

On their way home they stopped by the doctor to inform him of Buck's enrollment and he, very happy that his references had been of help, said that he would immediately help Buck study for the first exam. Joy also wanted to go and say hello to Buck's father but he told her to go alone, he would wait for her at home.

Joy didn't insist, she knew she had to respect her husband's feelings.

Dr. Jefferson was happy to hear from them and told Joy to convey his regards to Buck.

When she returned home, Joy came through the door calling her husband: "Buck, honey, I'm back, where are you?"

She received no answer, but saw rose petals seeded from the door to the stairs and continuing on to the floor above.

Joy guessed Buck's plans and without speaking anymore, she put the bag on the sofa and went up to the bedroom. When she entered, she found him lying naked waiting for her.

"I knew you'd follow the trail and understand"

"I'm getting good at tracing, I have an excellent teacher" and in the meantime she undressed.

"Of course coming home to find my sexy lusty husband naked in bed waiting for me is my most secret dream come true. You should do this more often. And I see you also braided…"

In the meantime she had finished undressing and joined him on the bed. In an instant she was on top of him and riding him while he played with her nipples until he exploded inside her reaching orgasm together.

When Joy lay down next to him, Buck was still aroused and positioned himself between her legs penetrating her again with a passion that took her to heaven.

"My God Buck, you are a force of nature. I never thought I'd reach heaven. You are simply wonderful"

"You too, darling, are no different. I'd say we can't complain about our chemistry at all, can we?"

"Well, I sure don't"

"And neither do I, my love" and kissed her tenderly. They stayed in bed until dinner time, then Joy fixed something to eat and they went back upstairs to celebrate the last day of their honeymoon.

Life resumed immediately in a routine way. Buck went back to his runs and met Matt, a really nice and kind guy who integrated very well into the group. When he had free time, he went to help the doctor who explained everything he needed to take the first exams and in the evening, after dinner, while Joy read, he studied and then they relaxed making love as soon as they could. They led very full and happy lives.

Joy and Rachel took Lou to shop for a wedding dress and also bought them a new dress.

A few days before the wedding, Sam and Emma arrived in town with their two children, John and Margaret.

The stagecoach arrived in town on Monday morning, and Lou and the Kid were to be married the following Saturday, October 1st.

"Lou, Kid, what a joy you have given us with your news", said Emma rushing to embrace the two boys as she got out of the stagecoach.

Soon after Sam got out holding John's hand, a beautiful 1 year old boy, and Margaret, just 2 months old, in his arms.

They all greeted each other warmly and Joy stood a little apart with Rachel, who had always heard of them but had never met them in person, to allow the boys and Teaspoon to greet their friends warmly.

Buck was right up to them and said to Joy: "What are you doing here on the sidelines? And you too Rachel, come! Sam, Emma, this is my wife Joy and Rachel who came into our family after you left" and pushed them both forward.

"Joy, the beautiful woman who ensnared our Buck's heart! I'm so happy to meet you! And you too Rachel, Lou wrote me beautiful things about you", Emma said walking towards them.

Joy and Rachel were a little embarrassed.

"So Joy, you must be a very special girl if our Buck burned everyone on time and got married. When I left him he was so hopeless about love", Emma continued.

"Well, actually I'm the lucky one, Buck is a wonderful man and husband", Joy said.

"I've never had any doubts about that", Emma stated and hugged her.

"Nice to meet you Emma and you too Sam", Rachel said.

They all made their way to the station and told each other about their respective lives.

Joy, Rachel and Emma became fast friends and in the blink of an eye came Lou and Kid's wedding day.

The ceremony was very emotional and Teaspoon moved everyone with his speech. At the banquet they enjoyed dancing and eating the delicacies that had been prepared.

Sam and Emma left two days later with the promise that they would soon return to see them.

Lou and Kid didn't go away for their honeymoon, they preferred to save money to build their new house.

Lou helped Rachel look after the boys and the women often got together to chat when they could.

The day of Buck's first exam came all too soon for him. They left for Lincoln two days earlier to make sure everything went smoothly. Buck had bought an elegant suit for the occasion and Joy told him it would be his good luck charm.

Buck was as taut as a violin string before entering but Joy tried to calm him down.

When it was his turn, Joy went in with him. Buck brilliantly answered all the questions that were addressed to him, leaving the two examining professors amazed, so much so that they complimented him: "We are really surprised by your skill boy, we know that you work and that you have a family, so it can't be easy for you . Congratulations, keep it up"

Buck thanked him and when he came out he lifted Joy off the ground making her spin around in delight.

Every time Buck had an exam they were away for a couple of days, they'd got the hang of it and knew what to do and where to go.

The spring of 1861 arrived and war was drawing ever closer even in Rock Creek. Cody decided to join the Army and soon the Pony Express suffered from the advent of the telegraph.

One day in September, Teaspoon arrived at the station with the dreadful, sadly expected announcement: "Boys, Russell, Major and Wadell have decided to terminate the Pony Express service, by the end of the week we will all be out of work."

The boys fell into their chairs because they hoped that announcement would never come. They knew that their experience was about to end and in fact everyone had already looked around and decided to start an activity all together. They had learned that the land behind the station was for sale and had decided to buy it by pooling their savings to start a ranch and farm, but they didn't think it would happen so soon. Lou and Kid were building their house there.

Lou was pregnant with her first child and Kid was very worried, even though she tried to calm him down.

Buck and Joy had also wanted to contribute their savings, although Buck had intended to work as a doctor alongside the doctor and had also opened a small door to his father. Sometimes they worked together but he wanted to do the exams alone.

Joy also became pregnant soon after. Lou gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Elizabeth, while Joy gave birth to a boy who had his mother's eyes and golden complexion like his father. They named him Ike after their lost brother.

Buck managed to get his medical degree on time and officially became Rock Creek's doctor as soon as his mentor retired.

He and Joy had two more children, a girl named Emily and a boy named Brandon.

They were truly happy and blessed every day they spent together. Jimmy was soon crushed by his Wild Bill fame and the ranch and farm took off successfully. Rachel and Teaspoon were always driving the boys and soon Noah too found a good girl and started a family of his own.

They spent the war years working hard and helping each other like a real family and Joy thanked God every day for having given her such a happy and fulfilling life and above all a man who made her immensely happier every day.