Chapter 1
Beatrice was a rather tall young Italian girl, with a slender body, green eyes and ash blonde hair.
From an early age, when her parents couldn't find her, she was holed up somewhere reading a book and fantasizing about the protagonists, the landscapes and the wonderful adventures that enchanted her so much that she lost track of time and space.
As she grew up, this passion of hers remained, but she focused more on romance novels or stories of the Wild West. She was convinced that in those immense prairies and with those breathtaking sunsets she too would be the protagonist of a passionate love story and nothing and no one took this belief away from her.
Her parents, when she reached marriageable age, had introduced her to some young man from a good family, but she had always decisively rejected their courtship: she wanted a passionate, sincere, spontaneous love and not a marriage organized by the family.
Her father and mother knew she was a stubborn girl and would never give in, but they loved her too much to force her to marry a man who wouldn't make her happy.
They talked about it for a long time and made a decision: they would send her to America, where Beatrice's mother had an aunt she had never actually met, but who had been very close to the girl's grandmother before she too emigrated to the New World.
They didn't say anything to Beatrice for the moment and, after finding the address on some old letters that her mother had kept, they wrote to this aunt to see if she could host Beatrice or at least give her support.
When the answer arrived, Beatrice's parents were a little thoughtful: Aunt Rosa, who now called herself Rose, could not host the girl because her house was too small, but she knew a woman, Emma Shannon, a dear friend of hers, who had helped her when she came to America, who ran a Pony Express station in Sweetwater, not so far from Devil's Gate, where she lived. Rose explained that Emma took care of the riders but was looking for help with the daily chores and Beatrice could lend her a hand, also receiving food, accommodation and a salary. Then she could maybe find something better once she settled in.
The two discussed it for a long time but in the end they decided to accept the proposal. They wrote to Rose that Beatrice would be leaving in a week's time and asked her to introduce their daughter to Miss Shannon, already announcing her arrival.
That same evening, the two communicated the news to their daughter: "Bea, your father and I need to talk to you"
"What is it mom? You don't want to propose me another guy to go out with, do you? Last time was enough for me! A bore!", the girl replied in a slightly too impertinent way which annoyed the woman.
"If you continue with this attitude, I really believe that your father and I will change our minds about a proposal that we came up with to help you…"
"A proposal? Which one?", asked Beatrice, curious and excited: it was as if she felt inside herself that that speech would change her life.
"Sit down, Bea", her father invited her.
She nodded and sat down in the living room on the sofa, as she used to do every time her parents had to talk to her about something.
"We thought a lot about your situation and we understood that if you don't fall in love you will never get married. We know you have this myth of America and the Wild West in your little head, so we made a decision", the father began.
Beatrice's hands began to sweat and she felt her heart flutter. She understood what her father was getting at and couldn't believe it.
"I don't know if you remember your aunt Rosa, to whom your grandmother was close in her youth and who emigrated to America. We wrote to her to test the waters and she said she can't accommodate you, but she knows a friend who needs help running a Pony Express station in Sweetwater, Nebraska. She would host you in her home, give you room and board, a salary and you would have to help her in managing the station's household chores. We know it's not much, but it might be fine to start with. What do you say?"
While her father spoke, the immense landscapes she had always imagined when reading her books loomed before her eyes and she felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
She got up from the sofa and rushed to hug her parents, which left them astonished because they didn't usually exchange affection in the family.
"Thank you, you are the best parents in the world. I promise I won't disappoint you."
"It won't be a walk in the park Bea, you will have to work hard, are you sure you can do it?", asked her mother.
"Absolutely, thank you thank you thank you!" and hugged them again.
The two smiled and together they began to make preparations for departure.
A week later, Beatrice was on the train that would take her to Genoa, from which the ship that would take her to England would leave, and then embark again towards America.
Aunt Rose, having received the letter from Bea's parents, was quick to send a message to her friend Emma, asking her to be patient a little longer to hire help, if she could, because a distant relative of hers would be arriving from Italy who had needed a job and that would be right for her.
Emma Shannon replied: "I've done it alone until now, what's a month or two more waiting?"
The agreement was made and Rose immediately wrote a letter to Bea's parents to reassure them that the girl would be fine.
Beatrice arrived at Devil's Gate in April 1861 and her aunt Rose was waiting for her. When she got off the stagecoach, she found an old lady in a wheelchair waiting for her accompanied by a woman with tanned skin.
When the old lady saw her, she immediately recognized her from the description she had read in the letter and approached her: "You must be Beatrice, right?"
"Yes I am. Aunt Rose?" asked the girl, a little confused.
"Yes, it's me and this is Lively Eyes, my friend and lady-in-waiting. Since I can't use my legs anymore, she's my point of reference. Welcome darling, let's go home, you must be exhausted"
Beatrice nodded and followed the two women to a small house not far from the center of the town. The house was small but welcoming, tastefully furnished.
"Come, sit down, Lively Eyes has prepared the sofa for you to rest. As you can see, unfortunately I can't offer you anything else, my house is very small and I couldn't take care of a bigger one in my conditions"
"Oh don't worry Aunt Rose, it'll be fine, I'm sorry to bother you so much"
"No trouble darling, I'm glad you're here, it's like tasting a bit of Italy again"
"Why didn't you tell my parents?"
"Because otherwise they wouldn't have allowed you to come and from what I read in their letter, if you had stayed at home you would have died inside. You are entitled to your chance. That's why I contacted my friend Emma. When I arrived here many years ago she was just a child, but her family welcomed me as a daughter, then unfortunately Emma lost both her parents and took a bad path, until she got married and became a fantastic woman. It's a shame that her husband left her alone... but that doesn't interest us now. Get some rest and tomorrow you will leave for Sweetwater to your new life. I only ask you to keep my condition a secret from your parents."
"Of course aunt and thanks again"
Beatrice rested for a few hours and then helped Lively Eyes with dinner. The next morning, she took her leave and took the stagecoach to Sweetwater.
A whirlwind of feelings stirred inside her: worry, emotion, anxiety, joy, she didn't know what to expect and she wanted to make a good impression on Emma. When she got off the stagecoach, she didn't see any woman with red hair who matched Aunt Rose's description of Emma, but she did see a gentleman in his fifties, with gray hair, a hat hanging on one side, and one of his two eyes more closed than the other. When he saw her get off the stagecoach, he approached her and held out his hand: "Miss Beatrice, I suppose"
"Yes, who do I have the pleasure of speaking to, sir?", she replied confused.
"Teaspoon Hunter at your service miss. I manage the Pony Express station with Emma: she is taking care of the bunkhouse because the new riders will arrive tomorrow and she asked me to come and welcome you"
"Very nice Mr. Hunter and thank you"
"But which Mr. Hunter, I'm Teaspoon. We will have to collaborate at the station, I would say to skip the formalities, do you agree?"
"Oh, sure Mr.…I meant Teaspoon"
"Good, ready for your new life?"
Beatrice nodded. During the journey to the station, which was a little far from the city, immersed in the prairie, Teaspoon asked Beatrice to tell him a little about her life and he explained to her how things worked at the station.
When they arrived, a red-haired woman rushed out of a white wooden house and met them.
"Welcome Beatrice, I hope this old fox hasn't been too rude to you: I'm Emma, nice to meet you"
"Oh no, Miss Shannon, Teaspoon was very kind and put me at ease straight away. Nice to meet you and thank you for giving me this opportunity."
"What Miss Shannon, I'm just Emma! Welcome!" and hugged her. Beatrice was surprised by such warmth and said to herself that she would feel very comfortable.
Emma and Teaspoon helped her with her luggage and showed her to her room: "You will live with me in the house, while the boys will sleep and live in the bunkhouse. Teaspoon sleeps in the barn. Tomorrow 6 new guys will arrive, we will get to know them together. Now I'll show you the house and explain what you have to do. Welcome between us"
"Thank you Emma, I'm happy to be here"
As she showed her around the house and the station, Emma inquired about Rose's health and told her about their relationship and the accident that had left her in a wheelchair.
"I haven't seen her for a long time, there's always so much to do here. When she wrote to me about your arrival, I couldn't help but accept. Sooner or later I will have to go and visit her and your presence here could be the right opportunity"
Beatrice nodded.
Emma left her alone to sort out her things and rest a bit, then Beatrice joined her to help her prepare dinner and the three of them had dinner in the two women's house. The conversation focused on curiosity about the new riders who would arrive the next day.
The following morning, Beatrice got up, prepared breakfast with Emma and waited for the boys to arrive. Teaspoon had told them that he wanted to examine them first and test them: if someone was not suitable for the job, he would send them away immediately without wasting time.
Emma and Beatrice watched with curiosity from the window the arrival of the 6 boys who all lined up in front of the fence and were scrupulously examined and tested.
A couple of hours later, the man entered Emma and Beatrice's house with the six boys: "Ladies, meet our new riders: "Buck Cross, half kiowa; Ike McSwain: he doesn't speak but expresses himself with Indian signs that Buck will teach us and in the meantime will act as our interpreter; Jimmy Hichock, a hothead but a good gun; William F. Cody, a blowhard with good aim; Lou, skinny but fast as a bullet and finally Kid, the calmest of all. Guys, meet Emma and Beatrice: they will take care of you. Treat them with respect or you will have to deal with me."
It was incredible how Teaspoon had already understood so much about those guys in just over two hours. Emma and Beatrice held out their hands and when Bea touched Buck's hand she felt an electric shock that scared her, so much so that she jumped a little. Buck lowered his head as if resigned and this displeased her, she almost felt guilty, so much so that she felt compelled to say: "Sorry, I got an electric shock, I must not have dried my hands well. Welcome Buck."
He half-smiled but she noticed a hint of sadness in his eyes.
The two women showed them the bunkhouse and explained the rules of the station, then let them go to settle down and remarry. Dinner would be served at 6.30 p.m.
The boys were all on time and during the meal, Teaspoon and Emma broke the ice by asking the boys to tell them where they were from to get to know each other better and then they too said something about their lives. Emma and Teaspoon were trying to lay the foundations for a lasting relationship, for the good of the station, but also because everyone needed to form sincere human relationships.