How About A Cold One?

by Debbie

Cody grumbled once again as he trudged through the snow, heading toward the barn. Things were so dull around the way station lately, he thought he would go crazy out of boredom. The excitement of their first Christmas together as a family was long gone from the air and the New Year's church dance had come and gone, without so much as a single girl willing to go out with him. Now there was nothing left to do but chores and more chores and all around him was snow and it seemed each week only brought with it more snow, which meant more chores.

The rest of the day went slow, even with the extra work the snow caused. Lying in his bunk that night, trying to think of something new he could do to pass the time, Cody suddenly became aware of a movement on the other side of the bunkhouse. There was enough light coming through the window, courtesty of the moon, that he could just make out two figures hurrying toward the door. One was tall and the other short, and if that wasn't enough to give away who they were, stopping at the door to kiss and grope was a sure sign it was the lovers who pretended that they weren't heavy into 'dancing'.

He watched as they slipped out into the night. Cody grinned and had to bite his tongue so he wouldn't verbally announce his excitement over the plan he'd just come up with. It's perfect, he told himself. No one will get hurt and boy was he sure going to enjoy the show afterward!

He quietly climbed out of bed and checked the other bunks to make sure the rest of the guys were sound asleep. Only Noah was out on a ride and he knew Jimmy and Ike slept heavy. The one to be wary of was Buck, he could hear a snowflake fall on the roof. But he hadn't moved since the first two left so Cody figured it was safe to go out as well.

Slipping into his boots and putting his coat on, Cody trudged through the snow once more, only this time he didn't mind it one bit. Making it into the barn without a sound, he paused to get an idea of where the activity of the night was occurring. Spotting a soft glow emitting from a back stall, he was rewarded with groans and whispers coming from the same spot. Getting on his hands and knees, he crawled toward the open door. They must have been in such a hurry to get at one another, they couldn't even be bothered to close the stall door, he reasoned.

Peeking around the corner, his mouth hung open in surprise. What he saw matched the moans and exclamations of enjoyment that he heard. Damn, Lou, he thought, those longjohns sure don't do you justice. No wonder Kid was always trying to get her out here. He forced himself to look away as Kid reached down to grab something on Lou that even Cody found he didn't want to witness.

As he turned his head, he smiled as he found just what he'd been looking for. Reaching into the stall, piece by piece, he removed their longjohns, clothes, and jackets, but thought it was very considerate of him to leave Kid his boots. Lou's boots he took with him.

Quiet as a mouse, he snuck back out and into the bunkhouse before anyone knew he was gone. He looked around then decided to just deposit the items in his arms under Kid's bunk. He then took off his coat and boots and climbed into his bed. Lying on his back, he placed his hands under his head and grinned as he looked up at the ceiling. He silently applauded the excellent scheme he'd just accomplished. He closed his eyes to wait for the fireworks to start, but knew that with those two, it could be a long wait.

The door to the bunkhouse was thrown open, bringing with it a gust of frigid air.

"What the hell?" Jimmy asked, sitting up and grabbing his gun. He pointed it at the blanket clad figure standing in the doorway. "Jeeze, Kid, I could have killed you! What's the idea, scaring us like that?" He put his gun back in his holster and sat on the side of the bed, rubbing his weary eyes.

"Will you shut the door?" Buck shouted. Noticing Kid's bare arms and legs, he asked, "And why are you only wearing a blanket and boots and nothing else in between?"

Jimmy looked up at that statement then looked around the room to see what else was going on. "Where's Lou?" he asked, pointing to the empty bunk.

Since Kid was still standing stock still, Ike took it upon himself to close the door.

"Which one of you took them?" Kid seethed. "'Cause when I find out, let's just say, they're gonna find out I'm not such a nice guy after all." He bared his teeth as he studied each face in front of him.

"Who took what?" Buck asked.

"Our clothes!" Kid screamed. "Or do you think I go around dressed like this in the middle of winter?"

"What do you mean our clothes?" Jimmy asked. "Who 'our' are you talking about?"

Kid looked at him, trying to decipher his question and gave up. "Mine and Lou's," he admitted. "Where are our clothes?!!"

Cody turned onto his side and raised himself up on his elbow. He nonchalantly asked, "Gee, Kid, what could you and Lou possibly be doing out in the barn in the middle of the night that would require you to remove all your clothing?" He innocently looked at Kid for an answer.

Jimmy and Buck stole a peek at one another, trying hard not to laugh as they realized the compromising situation Kid had found himself in.

Kid glared at him, feeling his cheeks getting redder than the color the cold air had put there. He turned as he heard a knocking from the direction of his bunk.

Ike was on the floor, pulling a pile of clothing out from under Kid's bunk.

Ignoring the now very obvious chortle from Jimmy and Buck, Kid sat down and quickly donned his longjohns and pants.

"So, um, Kid, where exactly is Lou at the moment?" Jimmy snickered.

Kid stood up, fully dressed, with Lou's clothes tucked under his arm. "One of you knows full well where she is and you better pray I don't find out which one of you it is," he threatened. He stomped out, slamming the door behind him.

Buck and Jimmy collapsed onto their bunks in hysterics, while Ike silently shook his head, grinning. Cody laid back down and smiled at the ceiling once more. He knew there was no way the Kid would find out it was him - the others were helping him out by enjoying his little prank and irritating the hell out of Kid. Sleep would come easy for him tonight, that was for sure.

No more mention was made of Kid and Lou's predicament in the barn. And the amusing looks they got from the others finally stopped after a couple of days.

Cody found it getting boring around the station again so he was looking for his next victim and he found it in the form of his friend, Jimmy Hickok. Jimmy had left on a short run one day earlier but a snowfall had occurred before he got to his destination. The mail still had to get through so he waited for an answer then turned his horse back toward Sweetwater. It was slow going in the freshly fallen snow so by the time he got back he was frozen and exhausted.

Jimmy was so glad when Noah met him out in the yard and offered to take the pouch to Teaspoon in town. As he was leading his horse toward the barn, Rachel came out of the house.

"Jimmy!" she called, hurrying toward him. "You alright? We were worried about you."

He slowly nodded. "Yeah, no problems, just slow going is all." He headed in the direction of the barn, only to be stopped once again.

"You need a warm bath to relax those chilled bones. I have a tub set up in the kitchen, waiting for you. I've been heating the water, hoping you'd return soon. The tub is half full already and there's a bucket on the stove warming as we speak," Rachel told him. "You take care of your horse then take your time inside. I'll keep the others away."

"Rachel, you are a godsend," Jimmy said with a grateful smile as she rubbed his arm and headed toward the bunkhouse.

Jimmy wasn't the only person smiling. Coming out of the shadows from the side of the barn was none other than Cody. Making sure no one was around, he grabbed a bucket and headed to the back door of the house, which led into the kitchen. Quickly filling the bucket at the pump in the kitchen, he placed it on the stove and took away the one already there. He then slipped back out, quiet as a mouse, as he heard the front door open.

So tired that he almost couldn't stand on his own two feet, Jimmy somehow made his way into the kitchen. Since he was assured by Rachel that he wouldn't be disturbed, he didn't bother checking the back door for company before stripping down to nothing. He took the bucket off the stove and set it by the tub then stepped in. As the steam seemed to latch onto his sore, frozen body, Jimmy let out a contented sigh. He leaned back in the tub, eyes closed, and let the warm water do its healing.

Remembering the bucket he set on the floor, Jimmy didn't care what the temperature of the water was, he just wanted it on him now. He lifted it up and poured its contents over his head.

Rachel, Kid, Lou and Cody looked up in shock as the most heart wrenching shriek reached their ears. While Cody lowered his head to hide a smile, the other three stared at each other, trying to figure out what they'd just heard. It sounded like a wounded animal.

Just then they heard heavy footsteps on the porch and the door was thrown open.

"Jimmy!" Rachel exclaimed. "You look like a drowned rat, what happened?"

Breathing heavy, he directed vicious eyes at each occupant of a seat at the table. The only one he left out was Rachel.

"Now, Jimmy, you should know better than to walk around in this weather with wet hair," Cody playfully chided him. "You're starting to form icicles," he added.

Kid and Lou were at first taken aback by the murderous looks Jimmy was displaying. Now they started to relax and find humour in the situation.

"What happened, Jimmy, you decide to wash your hair in the horse trough?" Kid joked.

"Make your jokes now but take heed, one of you will pay, my friends. Oh yes, one of you will most definitely pay." Without another word, Jimmy headed to his bunk to retrieve a towel out of his chest. He wasn't sure who had done the frigid deed yet but it was someone in this room. Maybe it was Kid and Lou - he did rile them up good with the barn incident. Or maybe it was Cody because, he paused trying to come up with a reason. The only one he could come up with was because Cody was Cody and it was just like he to do something so idiotic.

Cody watched Jimmy grunting to himself as he tried to dry his hair. That was three of them taken care of and not one of them suspected him in the least. This was easier than he thought. Next on his list were Buck and Ike. They were scheduled for a ride tomorrow. It was a short run but since the mail they were carrying was precious documents, two riders were required.

Buck and Ike were scheduled to leave early so Cody decided to 'help' them get ready. He surprised everyone when he walked out of the barn, leading both their horses behind him. "What?" he asked. "You would think you've never seen me saddle a horse before."

"We haven't," Jimmy whispered to Kid, who tried to hide a smile.

"Well, thanks, Cody," Buck told him while Ike signed his appreciation.

"Have a good ride," Cody called, waving after them. He then walked back to the bunkhouse, whistling happily.

The two riders made their delivery without mishap then turned around to head home. Snow began to fall and by the time they stopped for the night in a glen of trees, they were soaked. Buck made them a lean-to out of tree branches to give them a little shelter from the elements. They would sleep a few hours then head out, just before dawn.

"I'm gonna put on some dry clothes before I turn in," Buck told Ike as he took his saddlebag off his horse. He opened the bag then threw it to the ground. "What the ...?"

Ike looked at him in concern but watched as Buck grabbed the saddlebag and proceeded to remove it's contents: shirt, longjohns, blanket. And they were frozen in a solid clump. They both knew the only way that could have happened was if the items were put in the bag wet.

*Who would do something like that?* Ike signed.

"I don't know but I'm starting to get an idea of who might be causing all of us to feel chilled to the bone."

*We can't do something about it out here,* Ike let him know. *Here, you can wear something of mine.* He reached into his own saddlebag and pulled out a frozen mound of fabrics. He stood facing Buck and both men shook their heads in disgust.

They rode into the way station the next morning, exhausted, cold and wet. They handed their horses to Noah, who was startled by the expressions on their faces. "Something wrong, fellas?"

"You could say that," Buck answered. "Where's Cody?"

"Out on a run, he'll be back tonight," Noah told him.

"Good, real good. That gives us plenty of time," Buck said to no one in particular. "As soon as we change and you come back to the bunkhouse, there will be an important meeting." He turned on his heal, with Ike following.

Noah watched them. He wanted to know what was going on so he went right to work on the horses.

"So you see, it had to be Cody," Buck finished telling the others.

"It makes sense," Jimmy said.

"He was the only one to not really join in on the teasing about what had happened to each of us," Kid recalled.

"He thinks he got us good but oh, is he wrong," Buck told them. "We need a punishment for him."

"Yeah, how about a cold one?" Jimmy suggested.

"That's it!" Buck exclaimed. "It's perfect."

"What's perfect? What'd I say?" Jimmy was confused by the excitement showing on Buck's face, which quickly spread to the others.

"Only the best thing we can do to Cody," Buck explained. He motioned the others to come closer. "Now this is what we're going to do ... "

Cody had left for his ride and returned the same day but waking up so early to go on the run left him exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to climb into bed and sleep all snug and warm. Just as he bent to remove his trousers, he heard a thud then a high pitched scream.

Quickly turning around, he saw Lou sitting on the floor, holding her right ankle, while Kid crouched in front of her.

"What happened?" Cody asked. "You alright, Lou?"

"No, she's not alright," Kid answered for her, as Lou writhed in pain. "Lou, that looks bad. Buck, will you come take a look at her ankle?"

Buck immediately went to the young woman on the floor and inspected the damage. "It's getting swollen already. We need something cool to put on it to keep the swelling down but there's nothing in here."

"I've got it!" Kid exclaimed. "Cody, you're closest to the door. Go outside and fetch me a handful of snow."

"What?! Are you crazy? I just got undressed and it's freezing out there," Cody argued.

"It's not that cold tonight and you'll only be out there briefly," Buck told him, biting his lip as he said it.

"Besides, if you don't go and Lou can't walk on her ankle, I'll make you do all her chores," Kid warned.

"Fine, I'll go," Cody grumbled. He didn't bother to put on his coat, as he would be right back. As he stepped to the edge of the porch and reached down to grab a handful of snow, the door suddenly shut behind him.

"Oh, no," Cody muttered. He dropped the snow and ran to the door, only to find it locked. "Hey, guys, come on, this isn't funny. Let me in, it's cold out here."

"Did you hear something?" Noah asked.

"Sounded like a whine to me," Jimmy answered. "Musta been the wind. Suddenly I feel a draft. Anyone want to join me at the fireplace?"

"Sounds good to me," Lou said and jumped to her feet.

"Amazing recovery, Lou," Jimmy teased.

"It is amazing, isn't it?" she agreed as she stomped her 'injured' ankle on the floor for emphasis.

"That's my girl, nothing gets her down," Kid smiled. He sat on the floor then motioned for Lou to join him. She sat between his legs, leaning against his chest. He wrapped his strong arms around her and she put her hands over his.

They heard a pounding noise from outside but Jimmy surmised it must be a loose shutter. He'll have a look at it in the morning.

After a few minutes had gone by, Lou looked around and hesitantly asked, "He's not gonna get sick out there, is he?"

"Don't worry, Lou," Buck said. "We'll only leave him out there about ten minutes. Of course, it'll be the longest ten minutes of his life. Besides, I left him a blanket in plain sight." He glanced at Ike and grinned. He indicated for the others to lean closer to him.

Cody couldn't believe they were ignoring him. It was cold outside! Suddenly he spotted something under the bench and got excited when he saw it was a blanket. He reached down to pick it up and cried out, "What the heck?!"

Suddenly he heard a burst of laughter coming from the bunkhouse. "Ah man," he sighed, knowing what was going on. Boy was he sorry now. He shook his head, feeling sorry for himself, as he held up the blanket by a corner as it dripped all over the porch.

THE END

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