Chapter 8

After the experience they had with Amanda, Buck had seriously begun to think about marrying Diana and was waiting for the right moment to propose to her. He wanted to build a future with her and was tired of waiting, even though they had only been together for a short time. He knew that there would never be another woman in his life and he felt that it was the same for Diana.

While waiting for the right opportunity, Teaspoon received word that the Rock Creek Pony Express station had burned down and the company had asked him to send two riders to rebuild it. Teaspoon had sent Kid and Jimmy and then joined them with Cody to resolve some tensions that had arisen in the city and that his longtime friend, Ben Turner, was trying to manage.

When Teaspoon, Cody, Kid and Jimmy returned, Teaspoon reported that Ben Turner had been killed and that he thought it would be better for everyone to move to the new Rock Creek station, where he would become marshal in Turner's place.

The boys agreed, all except Buck: he didn't want to leave Diana now that he had decided to ask her as his wife and he didn't even want to force her to leave with him since she was well integrated into the city and had a secure job.

Buck talked about it with Teaspoon: "I don't know what to do, I don't want to force her to follow me but if we separated, the distance would kill our relationship, there are too many miles between Sweetwater and Rock Creek. I'm afraid that if she doesn't want to leave, I'll have to leave you. I can't risk losing her, Teaspoon."

"I understand, son. Talk to her and decide together" and patted him on the shoulder.

Buck went that same evening to Diana who was surprised to see him, as he would have his run the next morning.

"Buck, what a nice surprise, what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you, Diana"

"Come, come in, have you had dinner yet?"

"No but I'm not hungry"

"Buck, you're scaring me, what's going on?"

He sat her on the couch in the living room and informed her of the move.

"Well, when do we leave then?" she asked when he had finished.

"Like when we leave? Are you willing to leave everything again?"

"Certain. My future is you and I will come wherever you go"

"What about your work and life here?"

"It's our life, Buck, and as far as work goes, I'll find something to do in Rock Creek too."

"Diana, I don't want to force you to follow me, I told Teaspoon I might not even go with them"

"Thus separating you from your family? I would never forgive myself. I lose much less than you in this transfer. Just give me time to notify Margaret and sell the house."

" Are you sure?"

"I tell you again, if you are not with me, nothing matters. If your future is in Rock Creek, I'll come with you."

Buck kissed her and was about to take her to the bedroom, when she stopped him: "I'm sorry, but we just can't today. This is really not the time to have a baby..."

Buck snorted but agreed. He accepted the offer of dinner and they tried to organize the transfer.

The next day Diana went to the station where she asked Teaspoon for the details of the journey and he replied that they would leave two weeks later. She asked him to accompany her to the agency to sell the house, since he had acted as her guarantor, and he accompanied her.

"Buck is lucky to have met you, not many women would sacrifice themselves for the man they love", he told her.

"For me it's not a sacrifice; Of course, I'm sorry to leave Margaret, school and my home, but my life is at Buck's side."

Diana made arrangements with the agency and then went to Margaret to tell her the news.

"I'm very sorry you're leaving, it won't be the same without you. The kids will miss you."

"I'll miss you too, but I can't let Buck go."

The two women hugged.

Buck, during his run, had made his decision about his future with Diana. When he returned, he invited her to dinner at the station, making sure the others left them alone. He had informed them of his intentions.

When Diana arrived, she noticed a strange silence and headed towards the bunckhouse.

She opened the door saying: "Hey, where are you all…", but the words died in her mouth.

She saw the table set for two with candlelight and a vase of red roses in the center of the table, her favorites. Buck wore the same suit he wore at their first dance and waited for her near the table.

He went towards her, kissed her and said: "Welcome darling"

"Buck, where is everyone and what does all this mean?", she asked surprised and curious.

He took her hand and led her to her seat, then crouched down next to her and said: "Diana, I've been thinking about this for a while and this move to Rock Creek has given me the opportunity to do so. I love you to death and I want to share my life with you."

He knelt in front of her, took a small red velvet bag from his pocket from which he extracted a ring and, showing it to her, asked her: "Do you want to become my wife?"

Diana couldn't believe her eyes and ears and gasped.

When she shook off her surprise, she replied: "Buck, the day I met you was the happiest of my life and I understood that everything without you was meaningless, so yes, I want to be your wife and make you happy for lifetime!" and threw her arms around his neck crying for joy.

He pulled her away, put a beautiful ring with an emerald stone, green like Diana's eyes, on her finger and kissed her passionately.

He then sat down next to her and said: "When we get to Rock Creek you will live with Rachel and in the meantime we will look for a place of our own. As soon as she is ready, we will get married and start our life together. Or would you rather get married right away and live in a hotel?"

"If it were up to me I would marry you tonight too, but perhaps the best solution would be to do as you said, wait until we have a house of our own and settle down in Rock Creek. I love you so much Buck and tonight you have made me the luckiest woman in the world."

Buck kissed her and then sat her down for dinner: "Tonight you will be my lady, you will be served like a princess. And… don't worry, Rachel cooked!"

They both laughed and Diana asked him: "So the others already know everything?"

"Yes, I wanted the station all to ourselves, they'll be back late. Do you mind?"

"Absolutely not and… I'll take care of dessert tonight, just don't be too late…"

Buck kissed her and after dinner they celebrated their engagement before the friends returned.

Buck took her home before the others returned and they took the opportunity to make love again.

When he returned, he had to give a detailed account of the proposal, it was the price to pay for having had the station all to themselves for an evening.

The next day, Diana broke the news to Margaret: "I would like you to be there at my wedding to Buck, I know Rock Creek is far away, but you have witnessed the evolution of our story and I would like you to be there on the biggest day too, the best part of my life"

"I promise I'll try. Write to me as soon as you decide the date"

After school, Diana went to the station where she celebrated with Rachel and Lou and where she brought a letter she had written to her sister informing her of her marriage. They had written to each other often in those months and Diana had informed her of her relationship with Buck. She knew she couldn't be at the wedding but she wanted to share her joy with her.

Rachel, Lou and Diana began making plans for the wedding and Buck was teased good-naturedly by the boys.

A few days before leaving for Rock Creek, the boys, Rachel and Teaspoon went into town to get supplies from Thompkins for the trip and Diana joined them for final shopping. Buck was helping Jimmy load the bags into the buggy when the stagecoach came to town. A very elegantly dressed woman got out, she could be defined as a great lady, with a pale pink flounced dress and a small umbrella that protected her from the sun. She ordered a man who had come down with her to unload her luggage and take it to the hotel. She looked around and when she saw the boys, a bright smile appeared on her face and she walked towards them. Diana was leaving the store when she witnessed the scene.

The girl approached Buck, touched him on the shoulder and when he turned she kissed him on the mouth.

Diana was petrified and had to lean on Lou who luckily was next to her.

When the woman pulled away from Buck's lips, she said to him: "How lucky I found you right away! I'm back Buck, I'm here to stay. My father died and left me his entire inheritance. I left immediately for Sweetwater to join you, I want to share everything with you, I want to make up for our relationship and the lost time, I know you still want it too" and she was about to kiss him again but he, having recovered from his astonishment, stopped her.

In the meantime, Lou had whispered the woman's name in Diana's ear: Kathleen. Diana felt faint.

The other kids, Rachel and Teaspoon were also petrified by the scene. Rachel started to intervene when Teaspoon told her who the woman was (the station was still run by Emma when she first came to town), but the man stopped her, making her understand that it was up to Buck to stop her.

When the latter pushed away Kathleen who was trying to kiss him again, she, with a surprised expression, asked him: "But like Buck, aren't you happy to see me?"

"Should I?", he replied, frowning and coldly.

"I told you I came back just for you, we can pick up where we left off", the woman explained.

"Kathleen, we didn't break up, you decided to leave to follow your father, a lot of things have changed since then"

"You don't want to give up on us out of a stupid matter of spite, I hope!"

"It's not a matter of spite, Kathleen, I've moved on. I'm getting married."

At that moment he remembered that Diana must have witnessed the whole scene. He turned to look for her and when he saw her leaning against Lou, it broke his heart to see her hurt and worried look.

He called her and said: "Diana, darling, come"

Lou motioned for her to join Buck and Diana moved to his side.

"Meet Kathleen Devlin, the woman I told you about. Kathleen, this is my fiancée Diana, we're getting married soon in Rock Creek, where we're all going" and he hugged Diana who was unable to breathe.

Kathleen looked at Buck with resentment in her eyes but her words were of a completely different nature: "Oh Diana, nice to meet you. I'm happy to hear that Buck told you about me. I think I have to congratulate you on your supposed wedding to Buck."

Diana felt her blood boil, she regained all her strength and replied with affected kindness: "Our wedding is not supposed, Miss Devlin, it is a certainty and yes, Buck told me about you, he told me how it was behaved with him. I have to thank you, you know, now Buck is aware of what he doesn't want in a woman and in his future wife"

"I wouldn't be so sure darling and just call me Kathleen, after all we share a love for the same man", Kathleen replied sharply.

"Enough Kathleen, we have nothing more to say to each other. I'm sorry if your father is dead but you will have to manage his estate alone, or at least not with me. Good day. Let's go darling."

He took Diana by the hand, made her get on the wagon and walked towards the station, followed by the others who didn't say a word but simply waved at Kathleen out of politeness.

Kathleen watched them go, clenching her fists and promising herself that she would do anything to get Buck back with her.

Just out of range of the woman, Buck looked at Diana and said to her: "I'm sorry darling that you witnessed the scene, I swear I knew nothing about it and that I didn't return the kiss, it caught me off guard"

Diana, who had calmed down a little, replied: "I know, my love, I don't blame you. I have to confess that my feet sank when I saw her kiss you and Lou told me who she was. However, I am sure of your love for me and you have just shown it to me. You are aware that she will do anything to have you again, right?"

"Too bad for her, she will face disappointment"

"Buck, I have to ask you. What effect did seeing her again and feeling kissed by her have on you?"

"I was surprised at first, but then all the resentment I felt towards her resurfaced"

"If all this anger has resurfaced, it means you haven't really forgotten her"

"No Diana, I will never forget her, but not for the reason you think. I will never forget the suffering I felt and the sense of rejection that day. As you said, it helped me understand what type of woman I want next to me and in fact my choice fell on hers opposite, on a loyal and sincere woman like you"

Diana kissed him and he reassured her again: "Nothing and no one will ever be able to separate us, keep it well imprinted in your mind and heart"

For the next two days, Kathleen did not show up and Buck and Diana breathed a sigh of relief, believing that her heart was at peace, but on Saturday evening, two days before departure, the city had thrown a ball in honor of the guys and to celebrate Buck and Diana's engagement.

Kathleen showed up uninvited at the party and asked Buck to dance with her. He refused but when she insisted, Diana told him: "Buck, it's just a dance, we have our whole lives to be together, give it to her"

Kathleen looked at her with eyes full of hatred, but Buck wanted to accept Diana's invitation and agreed: "Just one dance, Kathleen, and then I hope to never see you again"

She held out her arms to be pulled onto the floor and when they were out of Diana's sight, she began to plead her case: "Buck, I wish we could talk alone for a moment, I'd like to explain my reasons and what happened next that we broke up"

"I don't care about any of this, Kathleen, any explanation is useless"

"Please, I just want to confess my true feelings to you, if your love for Diana is really that strong, you shouldn't fear a confrontation with me"

"In fact I don't fear it, I just don't care"

"Please!"

"Okay, let's go out for a moment." He grabbed her arm rather roughly and they went outside.

"Can't we find a quieter place?"

"No, tell me what you have to tell me and let's get it over with"

"I really liked you, Buck, I defied my father for you, but what could I do? He had been injured, he was at risk of losing everything, he needed all my comfort and support. I never stopped thinking about you for even a moment, I wondered if you would ever forgive me for the harm I had done to you and my father understood it. He even told me to go back to you, but I couldn't leave him, he had no one. He never fully recovered from that injury, he had an infection and became weaker and weaker until he left me alone. I was devastated by his death, but I had the hope of coming back to you, explaining everything to you and being happy together again. I did all the paperwork as soon as possible and came back here to look for you. It didn't seem real to me to see you immediately as soon as you got off the stagecoach. I had considered that you might have moved on, but our time together had made me realize how deep your feelings were. I know you say you love Diana, but if you look deep into your heart and are truly honest with yourself, you will find that your feelings for me are not erased, just dormant. Think before you marry a woman you don't really love."

"How dare you judge my feelings for Diana? You know nothing about us and our history, how deep our love is and how far our relationship has gone."

"Oh, so that's what we're talking about, you think you've compromised her and you want to marry her. You don't have to do that, Buck, these things can be solved..."

"Go away Kathleen and don't ever dare insinuate such falsehoods again. I marry Diana because I love her and my life has no meaning without her. You missed your train, get over it and stay away from us", Buck railed.

"You will regret it Buck Cross, if you look carefully into your soul, you will find that I am right and then you will come and beg me to get back together" and she left after spitting these poisonous words.

Buck was shocked. He knew he had to return to Diana who must have noticed their absence by now, but he also needed to reflect. Kathleen had said some very heavy words about his feelings and he knew he really had to look into his heart, he owed it to Diana.

He came back and went to her, told her what he and Kathleen had said to each other and Diana understood.

"Come on Buck, take your time to think. We still have one day. Go and pray on the prairie and when you have clarified, you will return to one of us"

"Diana I love you, you know that right? My feelings are sincere."

"I know, but I also know that you need to definitively close this story, you need to look inside yourself and understand if what you felt for her has been repressed but is still deep in your heart or if it has really vanished completely. Be honest with yourself and don't let me or her influence you, think selfishly for once in your life and choose what you really want, without fear of hurting me. You have to promise me."

Buck took her face in his hands, kissed her head and said: "I don't deserve you, I've always known that. I'll do as you say, I owe it to you"

She nodded and told him: "Take me home and go."

"No, this is our party and I don't want anyone to murmur or get strange ideas. Let's do a few more dances and then we'll do what you said. I'm sorry I ruined your party."

"I don't care about the party, if you choose to be with me, we will have a thousand more beautiful ones, otherwise it means it wasn't meant to be"

They danced a little more and then took their leave. Buck drove her home and told her he would meet her the next day. She kissed his cheek and let him go.

When she saw him disappear, she felt as if her heart had stopped. She was sure of the love he felt for her, but she wasn't so sure that he had truly forgotten that woman. She spent the night clutching the pillow that smelled of Buck and cried for fear that her dream would end there.

Buck went home and found the others who had returned. He explained the situation to them while he was preparing what was needed to stay out for the night and Ike railed at him: Have you gone crazy perhaps? What comes to mind?

"Ike, I owe him. I love her very much and for this very reason I have to clarify my soul and dispel any doubts, she herself suggested it, almost ordered it"

It seems absurd to me

"It's not son, Buck needs to understand what's really in his heart before he marries her, I agree with him", Teaspoon interjected.

Buck left, went to the place where he used to meditate and built himself a sweat lodge. He sought his vision after purifying himself and when he awoke his face broke into a smile.

He lay down to rest a bit and before dawn he set off again to reach the woman who belonged to his destiny.

The sun had just risen on the horizon and Diana had already dressed, there was no point in staying in bed, she hadn't slept a wink all night.

She was fluffing the pillow Buck slept on when she heard the door open downstairs. Worried, she took the gun she kept in the drawer for safety, but as soon as she approached the staircase she dropped it to the floor. She didn't even have time to speak because Buck overwhelmed her with a demanding kiss, lifted her in his arms and took her to the bedroom where all Diana's doubts were finally dissolved.

While making love to her, Buck whispered in her ear: "I will always and only choose you, you are my breath and my life, the rest doesn't matter."

Diana melted in his arms and let herself be loved by the man who would be hers forever.