The Reading Room presents A Thread In Time by Mrs. McSwain and Mrs. Hickock

This story takes place in an alternative universe. The setting is sometime in the second season.

Disclaimer: The Young Riders don’t belong to us, we’re just obsessed fans borrowing this wonderful bunch. They are a creation of Ed Spielman, and all that crap.

Prologue

"Are you sure this it the way to your uncle’s ranch?" Tabatha asked with hesitation in her voice.

Melinda sighed, "I thought I knew, but it’s been raining, and I haven’t been there by this road before."

Suddenly the open air Jeep skidded off the road. Quickly maneuvering the steering wheel and pumping the brakes, Tabatha attempted to keep the vehicle on the muddy road.

After a few moments, the Jeep slid to a stop amongst a grove of trees on the edge of a steep cliff.

"Thank God!" Melinda gasped, as she clutched the dashboard with white knuckled fingers. "I thought we were gonna die!"

"Well, we’re stuck for sure. We’re gonna have to get somebody to pull us out," Melinda said after quickly evaluating the situation.

After several futile attempts to get the phone to work, the two girls slowly began to devise a plan.

Noting the fact that the Jeep would provide no protection, without a roof in the coming thunderstorm, Tabatha agreed. "It can’t be that far. Besides we need to find shelter before this storm hits."

The two girls quickly packed up everything they could carry; especially the things that would be destroyed by the rain.

The pair had been walking for over an hour. The distance between them and the distant farm was much further that they had figured. Suddenly the wind picked up and huge drops of icy cold water began falling from the heavens.

Melinda pulled her thin black leather jacket closer around her curvy figure, and wished she had changed into jeans instead of the Capri pants she now wore.

Tabatha was equally unhappy with her attire, a long denim-skirt and tank top. She buttoned her jean-jacket and pulled her long golden mane into a loose knot at the base of her neck.

As the wind blew stronger, the sky erupted in distant bursts of lightning. Tabatha and Melinda trudged along fighting Mother Nature with each step.

As the rain began to pour down around them, Tabatha cursed, "Remind me to kill you for getting us into this!"

"If we live through it! I’m not the genius who nearly drove off a cliff either, am I?" Melinda replied sarcastically.

"No, but you are the genius who couldn’t read the map, remember where we’re going, or come up with a better plan than getting us lost in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a lightning storm, chasing after some house that seems to be getting further away with each step!" Tabatha yelled in a rush of anger.

"I’m sorry, alright! It can’t be that much further," Melinda called back over the wind. "Let’s just keep going."

The sky suddenly burst as a huge bolt of lightning struck the earth not far from where they stood. A purple-blue haze filled the air as the bolt of electricity stood where it had hit, emitting waves of power across the ground. A loud hum filled the air, and an uncontrollable power pulled the two girls forward.

As a huge blue porthole opened in front of them, both girls let out blood-curdling screams of terror. Then the power enveloped them and they were gone.

Chapter 1

The sun was rising on the horizon with brilliant bursts of crimson, violet, pink, and gold. A young doe was walking across the prairie; everything was peaceful. But just then a huge blue porthole opened up in the sky. Startled, the deer ran for safety. Two girls fell from the porthole to take a rough landing on the rocky earth. The first girl, a blue-eyed blonde hit the ground with a great force, knocking the wind from her lungs. Her friend, a brown-eyed girl with dark hair landed on top of her.

"I don’t think we’re dead, ‘cause this sure don’t look like Heaven to me."

They both got up and looked around. "Where are we?" Tabatha asked, taking in her new surroundings.

"We better start walking and find out where the heck we are and how we can get back." The two girls picked up their duffel bags and backpacks, then started walking in an unknown direction.

"Come on son, give it all you got," Jimmy Hickok said to the little boy he was playing catch with. The small boy threw the ball back to Jimmy with all his might. The game was going pretty smoothly until Rachel and Cody came walking down the street. Rachel was carrying a basket of eggs, to take back to the station. Without Rachel noticing, Cody picked an egg out of the basket. When Jimmy tossed the ball back to the child, Cody asked the boy if he could throw the ball back to his friend. The boy handed the blond rider the ball. Jimmy smirked at Cody, knowing that he could catch anything his bunkmate threw at him. Cody quickly pocketed the ball.

"Just throw the ball," Jimmy replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, yet careful not to lose his temper in front of a group of ladies that stopped to watch the game.

Cody threw the egg with all his might. Jimmy raised his hands up in the air to catch it. Gracefully, Jimmy caught the egg, causing it to explode in his hands, getting egg-yolk on his hat, face, and in his hair. Shocked and a little angry, Jimmy started to run after Cody.

Jimmy quickly managed to grab the egg basket from Rachel and resumed chasing Cody, throwing eggs at the very quick and agile blond rider. Cody ducked as Jimmy threw another egg at him. Just then Teaspoon walked out of Thompkins store. The egg hit him squarely in the face.

Teaspoon stumbled forward causing Cody to veer off to his right and fall, twisting his ankle.

"What in tarnation is going on out here?" Teaspoon yelled at the two riders as he was wiping the yolk out of his eyes. The rest of the riders had witnessed the whole thing from across the street. They all started to laugh uncontrollably. Rachel on the other hand was furious. At least six eggs had been destroyed; a good mornings breakfast or some freshly baked treats for desert, all gone, she thought.

"The yolks on you Teaspoon," Cody called as he started limping away on his twisted ankle.

Teaspoon finished cleaning the egg from his face and looked at his boys. "Cody," he said, "normally I would skin you alive and hang your tanned hide out on the shed and give you a good talking to. But today I’m going to spare myself the trouble and tell you to get ready for the ride you and Jimmy are goin’ on."

"Can’t, Teaspoon, I don’t think that I can ride with my ankle the way it is." The others rolled their eyes at Cody’s attempt to get out of work, yet again.

"Well," Teaspoon said, "I guess I’ll have to get someone else to go with Jimmy to Ft. Laramie." The other riders stared in disbelief as they witnessed Teaspoon letting Cody off the hook.

"I just got back from a three day run Teaspoon," Buck said from his spot on the sidewalk.

"I’ve got a ride tomorrow morning," Lou said, shoving her hands deep into her pockets.

"I promised Rachel that I’d fix the porch swing and the roof on the outhouse tomorrow," Kid explained.

Teaspoon looked to Ike. He struggled for a second, trying to think of anything to get out of the long trip to Laramie, but could think of nothing. With a shrug of his shoulders, Ike nodded his acceptance.

"Well, get a move on, boys. Time’s a wastin’!" Teaspoon said loudly, handing Jimmy a small package, addressed to Major Thomas T. Briggs.

With a call of "Ride safe," from Rachel, the two riders headed towards their horses, mounted, and rode back to the waystation.

Chapter 2

Jimmy was not in a good mood when he and Ike left the station for Fort Laramie. Ike kept his thoughts to himself. Finally, Jimmy broke the silence. "You can say something you know Ike, I ain’t mad at you."

Ike looked over at Jimmy and gave him a weak smile.

Jimmy smiled, knowing that the gentle rider wouldn’t stay mad at Cody very long. They rode westward in silence for the remainder of the day; each trapped in his own thoughts and memories. At dusk the riders stopped along a small creek, and set up camp in a small clearing nearby. Both were very tired. They’d pushed themselves and the horses almost to the breaking point to make up for their late start.

< I’ll start a fire first, then I’ll help with the cooking. > Ike said with a smile. He knew Jimmy wasn’t known to be the ‘fastest spoon in the west.’

"Ike, I don’t need any help cooking, I’m sure I can manage a couple cans of beans."

Not far away, Tabatha and Melinda spotted the twinkle of a small fire, in a grove of trees. Tabatha started to walk towards it until Melinda grabbed her arm. "What in the heck do you think you’re doing? You can’t just go up to a couple of strangers in the middle of nowhere," Melinda whispered, worry thick in her voice. Tabatha shrugged her friend off and looked her straight in the eye. "We need to find out where we are and why we are here. I don’t know how we got here or how we can get back, but we have to get help of some kind or we’ll die!" She paused for a minute, then said, "It’s getting cold out anyway, maybe they’ll share their campfire with us." Together they walked down the hill, their bags over their shoulders and a little caution in their step. They knew that they had to be extra careful as they approached the camp of the two men below.

Jimmy looked up as he heard the two approaching women. He couldn’t take his eyes off the dark-haired girl. She was something all right, the way she looked around at her surroundings and at him. He tipped his hat to them and quickly got Ike’s attention. Ike stood up and walked over to Jimmy. Ike immediately noticed the blond-haired girl. The twinkle in her eye and the way she seemed so confident attracted him immediately.

"Hello," Jimmy said in a soft clear voice, so as not to frighten them, "My name’s Jimmy Hickok and this here is my friend Ike McSwain. Who might you lovely ladies be?"

Melinda spoke first, "My name is Melinda and this is my friend Tabatha. We kinda fell into, well…where ever this place is and we are sorta lost and…."

"What my friend is trying to say," Tabatha said, speaking for the sake of getting near the warmth of the fire, "is that we were kinda hoping that you two would be kind enough to share your camp fire with us and…."

Before she could continue, Jimmy spoke up. "Of course, but we would be even happier if you two would share supper with us." The two strange girls smiled at each other, then at Jimmy and Ike. Tabatha noticed that Ike was staring at her and simply smiled back at him, noting that he was very quiet.

It wasn’t until they sat down to eat that she figured out that he was mute. She found this factor very intriguing. She had done some study in sign language when she was thinking of majoring in Communication. Besides, she had always found the silent type very attractive.

Melinda was the first to ask a question of Jimmy, whom she herself couldn’t take her eyes off.

"So where are we, and what are a couple of good looking guys like yourselves doing out here, in the middle-of-nowhere?"

Jimmy looked up in surprise and grinned. "You’re in Nebraska territory and we work for the pony express. We’re on our way to Fort Laramie to deliver a message to the Union Army stationed there."

Shock covered Tabatha’s face and she grabbed her friend by the shoulders and said, "Mel, I don’t think that the correct question is where we are but when we are!" Ike quickly went over to Tabatha and tried to calm her down. She was pale and looked as though she was going to faint. She looked up at him and smiled weakly. "I’m fine, Ike. I just didn’t really expect to be one of the first people to travel back into time."

"Well…I’m afraid…that we’ve kinda been transported 140 years into the past!"

Jimmy didn’t quite believe the girl, but she seemed so serious. He was almost convinced.

<When are you from? > Ike asked Tabatha, with a gentle look in his eyes that told her, that he would not let anything happen to her. Understanding the basic meaning behind Ike’s hand motions, Tabatha answered before Jimmy could interpret, "The year 2001."

Ike was surprised to see that she understood what he had asked. Melinda noticed the surprised look Ike and Jimmy both were giving them and explained. "Tabatha took a few classes in sign language, and actually learned some." Tabatha smiled up at Ike who was studying her eyes. Jimmy moved closer to Melinda to try to get to know her better.

Clearing his throat, Jimmy began, "Tell me, if you’re really from the future, have you ever heard of me?"
"I doubt it," she said, racking her brain. Thinking aloud, Melinda said his name aloud. "Hickok…James Hickok…I’ really can’t say that I recognize that name." An instant later, it hit her. "Wild Bill Hickok. That’s not you, is it? Your name is James, right. It's not William or Bill. Unless, Wild Bill was one of your relatives or something."

"We learned about the old west in history class. We learned about all the big heroes and outlaws of the 1800’s. Like… Billy the Kid, Doc Holiday, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill, Frank and Jesse James…and Wild Bill Hickok. Are you really him?" she asked, biting her lower lip in worry.

"I’m just Jimmy. ‘Wild Bill’ is a fictional character made up by this fellow, Marcus. He got mad at me for doin’ something stupid to him, so he decided to makeup a bunch of lies about me and put them in a book. So, whatever you’ve heard about me is a pack of lies."

"I read in the Encyclopedia that you were a U.S. Marshal and an expert gunfighter. I don’t think it said anything about you that was that bad," she replied, attempting to defend her slight knowledge of historical facts.

"It’s a series of books with information on almost anything you could think of." Tabatha replied, slightly puzzled. I can’t believe they’ve never heard of an Encyclopedia. she thought.

"Well," Jimmy said with a shake of his head, "I’m not a U.S. Marshal, so the Encyclopedia must be wrong. I might have the reputation for being fast on the draw, but that doesn’t really make me a gunfighter. I don’t go around shooting people for sport!" He said, angry at the young woman’s accusation.

"I wasn’t accusing you of being a killer," she said, as though she had read his thoughts. "I was simply stating what I knew about Wild Bill Hickok. That’s all."

Jimmy was shocked at the defensive tone in Melinda’s voice. She sounded hurt by his insinuation that she believed him to be a cruel person. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that to come out like it did. I’m just having trouble believing you really are from the future."

"Well, believe it," Tabatha said, pulling out a twenty-dollar-bill from her pocket. "Just look at the date on this." She ordered, thrusting the money into Jimmy’s hand.

He and Ike examined the piece of green printed paper. They were surprised to find a picture of a man called Jackson, adorning the front of the paper and the words ‘Federal Reserve Note’ across the top. Upon closer examination, they found the word ‘Series’ and the numbers 1996 near the bottom of the picture. The back of the bill read ‘The United States of America; In God We Trust.’ It held a picture of The White House, as well as the words Twenty Dollars on both sides.

"So, what is this supposed to prove? A picture of some guy named Jackson on a piece of paper with lots of twenties on it?" Jimmy asked, passing the money back to its owner.

"It proves that we are from the future! That man happens to be President Andrew Jackson. I do believe he has been president by now…" Tabatha began, before Melinda cut her off.

"Did you see the tiny numbers on the bottom, on the left side of the picture of Jackson? That’s the date when the bill was printed." With a slight nod to her friend, the bill was again passed to the two curious men.

"Yes the money was minted in 1996. We live in 2001. So the money is five years old, to us."

"Everything we have is from the future. You would have no idea what most of it is." Melinda said softly, opening her backpack. Carefully, she pulled out a paperback novel she had been reading. Not wanting them to see that it was a trashy romance novel, she opened to the copyright page and quickly showed them the dates. "This was written in 1999, two years ago. We really are from the future." She said in her most persuasive tone.

Jimmy couldn’t quite take it all in. They really are from the future. But, how did they get here? Why are they here? He thought, wildly.

Questions swirled around in Ike’s mind as he too, tried to absorb all the information. They proved they’re really from the future! What do we do now? Why did we meet them? Why are they here? Ike thought, his emotions showing plainly on his handsome face.

"I know you both must be really confused, but just try to let it all sink in." Tabatha reasoned calmly.

"You both must be confused right now, but we are too. After all, it’s not everyday that two girls fall out of the sky and end up 140 some years in the past, having dinner with Wild Bill Hickok." Melinda laughed lightly, near the point of hysteria herself.

"If you would please stop calling me ‘Wild Bill’," Jimmy said, frowning at the bitter taste the name left in his mouth, "then I believe we can all sit down to eat."

Lifting the lid on the pan of beans, Jimmy was relieved to see that for once, dinner had not burned!

Supper was delicious to the four weary travelers. It consisted if beans, jerky, and Rachel’s biscuits. At the end of the meal, Tabatha reached into her bag for several candy bars. Passing them around, Ike and Jimmy looked on curiously until the girls had each taken a bite. "Milky Way huh," Jimmy read with a smile. "Sounds interesting."

The boys each took a tentative bite and their eyes lit up. It reminded them of the time Teaspoon had them make ice cream and they had waited forever it seemed, for their first taste.

<This is really good,> Ike signed frantically. Tabatha smiled at him. She knew that she was quickly falling for this handsome man before her.

"If you think this is good, you should taste my chocolate cheesecake, or Mel’s pizza!" She laughed

"What’s a Piet-zzza?" Jimmy ask in confusion, "And why would you make a chocolate cake with cheese in it?"

<Seriously, what are they? > Ike asked when the outburst of giggling had subsided.

"Cheesecake doesn’t have real cheese in it," Melinda gasped, "it’s just the name for a very good dessert"

"Pizza, is a full meal in itself, with cheese, meat and vegetables on it." Tabatha explained, "Melinda used to work at a pizza restaurant when we were in high school."

Both girls sighed, they would have to spend a very long time explaining what everyday objects and places were to these men.

After a brief explanation of high school, then college, Melinda excused herself to speak with Tabatha privately.

Chapter 3

"We can’t just go tellin’ them everything! We could screw up this whole world if we told people everything that was gonna happen. We owe these people more than that." Melinda began.

"I know, but we have to think of some way to explain who we are and where we’re from without revealing the whole future of this world to them."

"Speaking of revealing, our clothing is totally out of place for this time period. I’ve never had anyone look at me like that before. It’s as if they’ve never seen a woman’s legs before or something! We can’t keep dressing like this." Melinda whispered.

"More importantly we need to figure out some kind of sleeping arrangements for tonight. They can’t just put us up at the closest Holiday Inn."

"Maybe we could just share a blanket and sleep really close to the fire." Melinda reasoned.

"Okay, but we really have to figure out what to tell them, and soon." Tabatha replied.

"If, no, when they ask us something, I’ll try to explain it logically to them. I know a little more about this time period than you do."

"Yeah, your foster father has an obsession with John Wayne movies!" Tabatha smirked.

This comment caused Tabatha to burst out into laughter, "I hope you don’t get us in deep trouble with this one! You know this is not just some dumb romance novel! This is real life. Our lives!" Tabatha spat out in exasperation.

"I know, but doesn’t it remind you of some sort of crazy sci-fi/ western movie?"

Ike signed with a happy grin on his face.

"I’m not sure this is all real. I think we might have dreamed this all up. I mean, they say they live in the year 2001," Jimmy replied.

"I know what you mean. I’m almost afraid to go to sleep and then wake up to find them gone."

The two men shared a silent smile. Both were taken with these young women from the future.

Jimmy’s reply was interrupted by a spurt of laughter from the creek bank, where the girls had gone to talk.

"I s‘pose so, I don’t know what else to do with them. They don’t have any horses and I doubt that they know where they’re going. Besides, I definitely want to get to know Melinda better."

Silence reigned for a few moments, until another burst of feminine giggling burst forth, from near the creek.

"I wonder where they really came from, and if they really are from the future. They couldn’t have just made all that stuff up. Not with those dates and the money."

"Well," Jimmy answered, clearing his throat, "I don’t really see that they’ve given us any reason not to believe them. They haven’t said anything to make us doubt them. Besides, look at the way they’re dressed, Melinda has those funny little short pants that show her legs. Those can’t be proper! They remind me of bloomers!"

"And then their luggage, that’s really strange, I kind of want to know what all is in there."

<Don’t forget their Milky Way bars. > Ike put in, scribbling the name in the dirt with a twig.

"Yeah," Jimmy agreed, "Then there are those words, Piet-zzza and Chocolate Cheese Cake. I don’t think they could have made all this up. And the tiny bit I saw, of the cover of that book was in color, and it was real shiny. It all fits if they really are from the future."

"We’ll ask Teaspoon what to do when we get back. He always has an idea," Jimmy reasoned.

The girls returned to the camp-sight a few moments later. They were completely serious, with laughter the furthest thing from their minds. They needed to inform their rescuers, but not expose the secrets of the ‘future’ to them. Tabatha sat down on a nearby log, and then waited for Melinda to begin the explanation. Much to her surprise, Ike immediately joined her on the log, stretching his thick wool blanket around her shivering shoulders, covering them both.

Melinda cleared her throat softly, then sat down next to the fire, content in staring into the flames, as if they held the answers, and could help her explain.

Jimmy got up from his spot near Ike, and picked up a few pieces of wood. After carefully stacking the wood in the center of the fire, he sat down on the ground behind Melinda.

She stared contentedly into the fire, watching as the flames licked up and down the fuel, devouring the wood, and glowing blue and orange. Jimmy could have sat watching her all night, but suddenly she broke the spell, rising to her knees, and moving back from the hot glow of the fire.

Jimmy moved aside slightly, and then took off his thick, tan, leather coat. After settling it about her petite frame, Jimmy sat back waiting to see who would break the silence.

"I know you both must be confused and wondering what this is all about, I know we are too. You must wonder what we’re doing here and how we got here, too. Tabatha and I have decided that the two of you can be trusted, and that you both are very kind, sweet gentlemen."

"We aren’t sure of everything ourselves, in fact we are probably just as confused as you are," she began, "I think it may be best if we both just explain a bit about ourselves, first."

Melinda gave a nod, and Tabatha began to share her life story as best she could, without revealing too much of the ‘future’.

"Well," Tabatha began, "my full name is Tabatha Alexandra Erickson. I’m twenty and come from a family of five. My parents and I have never gotten along well though, but I am very close to my grandfather." Tabatha was forced to clear her throat of the lump that was paining her voice. Then after taking a long deep breath, she continued, "I have one older brother, who is just about perfect at everything, and a younger brother whom my parents adore. My parents have always expected me to be like my brothers, and never really let me do what I wanted. Never the less, they are my family, and I love them." After a gentle hug from Ike, Tabatha went on.

"Melinda and I both lived in California. We have been the best of friends all our lives, despite all the torment we went through in school." Tabatha paused for a breath, "This summer, we have been traveling across the western part of the U.S. and have been taking pictures and talking to the unusual people we’ve met, for a documentary in sociology." She then added with a laugh, "You two are by far the most unusual, most interesting, and MOST handsome people we’ve ever met!"

It was then Melinda’s turn to explain her life story. Staring into the flames, she cautiously began her lengthy explanation.

"My name is Melinda Elizabeth Dawson. I’ve never had a real family. My mother didn’t want me when I was a baby, so she gave me up for adoption. I was adopted by the Dawson family, and went to live with them in Utah. Then when I was ten-years-old, my family was killed in an accident."

Jimmy could feel the bitterness and pain in her voice, as she spoke of her past, so he gently pulled her closer. Wrapping his arm around her, he softly whispered, "You don’t have to go on if you don’t want to."

Melinda began again, pulling away slightly, and staring into the fire. "I had to move around for the next few months, living in foster homes until I came to live close to the Erickson’s home in La Bonita, California. We became best friends, and went through school together. We’ve been like sisters for as long as we’ve known each other…we were going to the same college too, until I couldn’t afford it anymore. I was going to move in with my elderly uncle and help him run his ranch, so Tabatha decided to transfer colleges so we wouldn’t have to be several thousand miles apart." Melinda’s voice trailed off, as she stared into the flames, asking herself once again why this had all happened.

Tabatha felt obligated to finish the explanation for her friend, who had grown suddenly silent.

"We were going to Melinda’s uncle’s home after a friend’s wedding in Tuscon, Arizona, when all of a sudden a thunder storm started. The next thing I knew, we fell into this strange porthole and landed here."

Home. Will I ever see home again? Tabatha thought as she sent a downcast look at a pile of leaves near her toe.

She missed the familiar surroundings of her own room, and the comfort she found in her grandfather’s voice. She felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. To save her some embarrassment, she quickly got up to leave the campsite, to be alone. Ike quickly decided to go after her and comfort her, knowing that she shouldn’t be by herself.

She doesn’t know where she's going and could get hurt, lost, or…worse! Ike thought frantically as he got up, leaving Jimmy and Melinda alone.

Chapter 4

Ike found Tabatha near a large rock by the side of the creek. She just stood there looking into the water as if it was mesmerizing her, beckoning her to jump into its blue depths. Ike slowly approached her and put a hand on her shoulder. Tabatha let out a sharp gasp and jumped back into the rock. Glad to see that it was Ike, she calmed down a little. "You scared me," she said in a soft whisper. Her face had tear trails that led down to the sides of her cheeks and down off her chin. Ike held up his hand to apologize and took the bandanna off his bald head. Walking over to the creek, he dabbed a small amount of water onto it.

He approached her again and began to wipe the dirt off her face. She closed her eyes and smiled at his touch. She didn’t know why she was falling in love with this man but knew it was right. She opened her eyes and looked at Ike, who was staring at her with a strange expression on his face. She had never seen that look in a man’s eyes before. He gently leaned forward and brushed his lips up against hers. Ike blushed. <Sorry, > he said as he pulled away from her warm body. Tabatha just realized what had happened and smiled back at him. "No don’t be sorry, I liked it…a lot." Ike pulled her closer to him and began to kiss her more deeply than before. They were both captured in an overwhelming feeling of desire.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "It’s just been an extremely long and confusing day. I’ll be fine."

"You don’t look fine," Jimmy retorted, then grimaced at the way the comment had come out. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to come out like it did," he struggled. "What I mean is, I know you must be really upset."

Jimmy tried again, "Your past doesn’t sound like anything to be embarrassed about. Ike and I, along with all the other riders, are orphans too. It’s nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yes, Russell, Majors, and Waddell hired us specifically for that reason. All of us boys have formed a sort of family back at our home station, in Sweetwater."

"How many of you ‘boys’ are there?" Melinda asked, turning to look into his deep brown eyes.

"Well, besides Ike and myself, there are five other riders, and also a stationmaster and housekeeper," he explained.

"The stationmaster, Teaspoon Hunter, is the Territorial Marshal." Jimmy paused when she wrinkled up her nose in confusion at the unusual name.

"No," he broke off the remainder of the sentence as he heard Tabatha and Ike approaching. The couple settled down on the ground across from Melinda and Jimmy. Tabatha cuddled close to Ike, sitting directly in front of him so her body leaned against his.

<What have you two been up to? > Ike signed, attempting to hide the grin that teased his lips.

"Jimmy was just about to explain to me all about the Pony Express, and their family in Sweetwater," Melinda announced for her blushing friend’s benefit.

"Well, go right ahead, I want to know about them, too," Tabatha put in, snuggling in closer to Ike’s chest.

Ike quickly gestured for them to listen while Jimmy explained the others to them.

"Teaspoon's real name is Aloysius Hunter. He is the Marshal of Sweetwater. He is also a former Texas Ranger and probably the toughest old goat you’ll ever meet. But he’s like a father to us."

This comment brought a laugh from Jimmy and smiles to the face of each girl, although Melinda wasn’t quite sure what Ike had said.

"Then there’s Rachel, our housekeeper. She takes care of us all, and treats us like her own."

<She puts up with us, is more like it! > Ike corrected, silently laughing at the memory of how they had treated her when she had first come to live at the waystation.

"Anyway, she’s a great cook and keeps us all in line. You’ll like her," he said with a smile, before continuing. "Then there’s the Kid," Jimmy began.

"What’s his real name? Kid must be an alias too," Melinda questioned from her spot beside him.

Jimmy laughed in amusement. After a few moments, he recovered, and was able to explain.

"Kid has never actually told us his real name. It’s some huge secret, that we’ve been trying to find out ever since we first met him."

<Then there is Cody; he’s the joker of the group. It’s because of him that I had to take this run. But I’m glad I did. > Ike said with a smile as put an arm around Tabatha. Jimmy quickly translated what Ike had said, for Melinda’s benefit.

"Then there’s Noah, he’s the only black rider for the express. He hasn’t been with us very long, but I’m sure you’ll like him."

After a deep breath, Jimmy continued, "Lou is another one of the riders. We will tell you more about Lou later." Both girls exchanged confused glances, and then turned their attention to Ike.

<Buck, is my best friend and has been with me most of my life, kinda like you two. He’s Kiowa, and has to help Teaspoon a lot with tracking outlaws, > Ike finished.

Again, Jimmy interpreted for Melinda. Silently, he decided that he would spend the majority of the next day trying to teach both girls the signs Ike used to communicate.

"That’s all of the riders, you girls can meet them when we get back to the station." Jimmy said, then paused realizing what he had just said, what he’d been saying for the past few minutes. "That is, if you two wouldn’t mind going back with us?"

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