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.

Chapter 5

Meanwhile, back at the waystation, Cody had been faking an injured ankle to the very best of his ability, until Rachel caught him sleeping in the shade of the barn. Quietly capturing Buck’s attention, she gestured for him to come around the other end of the stable and help her carry out the cruel scheme she had concocted.

After a few moments of whispering back and forth, Rachel silently helped Buck fill a pail with a mixture of mud, water, and horse manure. Then, collecting a lumpy pillow, Buck carefully slit open a seam with his Indian knife. The couple carefully stood along the south wall of the barn, waiting to make their move.

Suddenly Rachel let out a piercing scream, and Cody jumped up with a start. An instant later, Buck fired a shot into the air, and Cody came running at top speed.

As he rounded the barn wall, he was immediately covered in a disgusting mixture that reeked of horse dung.

At the same time however, Buck dumped the feathers onto his head, and burst out laughing.

"I’ll kill you, Buck!" Cody thundered, spitting mud and feathers, and trying to clear his vision.

Rachel stormed back at him, "That ought to teach you to start a fight with expensive eggs, then get out of your punishment by telling Teaspoon you hurt your foot! Ike should never have had to take that run for you! One of these days, Billy Cody, someone’s gonna teach you your lesson in a none to gentle way."

Rachel quickly placed the bucket firmly over Cody’s head, spun and marched back to her house.

"I’ll get you for this, Buck! Don’t you forget it either!" Cody screamed, finally getting the pail off his head. I’ll get you both! he silently vowed, as he rushed towards the pump.

Kid and Noah learned what had gone on immediately after they returned from town, and both young men had enjoyed a long, bellyache-inducing laugh over their friend’s misfortune. It had taken Cody two showers, and half a bar of lye soap to get rid of the offensive odor, but once he was finally clean, the constant teasing of the others only served as fuel for his anger. Cody sat stewing through supper, slowly devising a plan for revenge…

A new day dawned on the prairie, far too soon for the four exhausted travelers. Sleeping arrangements had been made shortly after Tabatha and Melinda agreed to travel with them the night before. Jimmy and Ike thought that it would be best if the two girls shared a blanket. That way, they would not think that the men were taking advantage of them.

Both girls had done their share of rolling about on the hard ground, trying to find comfortable positions. Sleep finally captured each exhausted body, what felt like seconds before the dawn broke, drenching them in the glorious sunrise. The men were the first to stir, quietly getting up from their positions beside the still warm ashes of the night’s fire. As soon as they had risen, Ike stirred the coals to life, adding small twigs and bits of dry grass. Soon the flames were alive, allowing him to put the coffee on to boil.

Jimmy gently touched Melinda’s shoulder and called her name in a soft tone. The sleeping girl awoke at his touch and looked about, trying to remember where she was. Jimmy grinned. She was beautiful, even with bits of grass and leaves in her hair. He caught himself reaching for her, and instead, brought his hand to Tabatha’s shoulder to wake her.

"You’ll never wake her up like that," Melinda whispered in a soft, sleepy voice. Stifling a yawn, she lightly punched her friend in the ribcage.

With an "Oomph," Tabatha sat up and opened her eyes. "I’m up," she groaned.
Melinda pulled the blanket away, and stood up. Jimmy quickly moved to his feet as well.

"Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes, then we’ll head out. So you’d best get packed up."

Melinda grabbed her duffel bag, as Tabatha rose to her feet. "Where can we change clothes at?" Melinda asked.

Jimmy grinned and pointed to a small clump of trees several hundred feet away. "Just watch out for snakes," he warned.

"Snakes!?" Tabatha asked in alarm. "You never mentioned snakes in Nebraska!" Tabatha said, shooting a deadly look at her friend.

"There aren’t any poisonous ones, except rattlers. You’ll hear them in time to get away. Now let’s go," Melinda answered with confidence.

"Alright," Tabatha said a bit shakily, "But if we see any, they’d better bite you first." With that, the girls headed towards the clump of trees, each carrying a bag.

As soon as the girls had gotten out of range, Ike burst into silent laughter. His body shook as he sunk to his knees, gasping for breath. Jimmy simply shook his head, and softly said, "I didn’t think Tabatha would take me so seriously."

Melinda shook her head in amusement as she entered the small grove of trees, careful to avoid any sharp branches. Tabatha and Melinda carefully set their bags down, and then reached into them for something suitable to wear.

"What do you think of this one," Tabatha said holding up a powder-blue shirt to her black jeans. Melinda looked up from her selection, a pair of blue jeans and a red shirt. "Looks good, why do you care what you look like?" Melinda questioned, with sarcasm evident in her voice. "Is it because of Ike?"

Tabatha blushed greatly. She looked up and smiled. "So what if it is?" she asked as she put on the shirt.

Melinda looked up at her. "So how was it?" she asked as she finished binding her long hair into a thick French braid.

Tabatha knew what she was talking about and nearly dropped the brush. Blushing, she started to go through her hair savagely, tearing through the tangles. "It was nice, really nice."

"Was it now," Melinda said as she zipped up her bag. Tabatha did the same. They looked up at each other and started to laugh, long and hard. "I think we better get back," Melinda said teasing her a little. "Ike will wonder where you are."

"Oh yeah, what about Jimmy? I see the way you look at each other." The two girls started to giggle louder now. Together they ran out of the trees all their worries left in the dust.

As if reading his thoughts Jimmy asked, "So, what were you and Tabatha up to last night by the creek?" He couldn’t hide the teasing smile on his lips. He knew very well what they had been up to; he just wanted to get all the details.

Ike looked up, taken aback by the question. <We just talked, that’s all, > Ike said, looking Jimmy straight in the eye.

Again, Ike blushed. He wasn’t sure if Tabatha would mind it if he told Jimmy about their kiss. Jimmy waited for an answer. < We talked about what was bothering her and I gave her a kiss. > Jimmy was about to say something when a course of feminine giggles broke through the trees.

Ike saw the two girls emerge. He couldn’t remember ever seeing someone so beautiful.

After a quick breakfast of coffee and Jimmy’s porridge, the two couples packed all their belongings in preparation of the long ride ahead.

Jimmy arranged Melinda’s luggage carefully, tying her duffel bag over his bedroll, and hanging her backpack over the saddle horn. Mounting Sundancer, he reached down to pull the young woman up behind him.

Tabatha rode behind Ike, her arms holding tightly to his waist. Unconsciously, she felt the leanness of his body through his thin white shirt.

Both girls were content with the arrangements made. Melinda just hoped that her friend wouldn’t get in over her head with Ike. She didn’t want to see her get hurt. She knew that Tabatha felt the same way about her and Jimmy. After all, being a best friend means looking out for one another. Ike could feel Tabatha’s bag on the side of the saddle. He was very curious as to what was in there. He knew Jimmy was thinking the same thing. Jimmy was content with having Melinda close to him. This way he knew that she was safe and not wandering around in the middle of nowhere. Ike too was content with Tabatha in his company.

As they began the journey to Ft. Laramie, Jimmy and Ike concentrated on teaching Melinda sign language. Tabatha also began to figure out the differences in the hand motions Ike used to communicate, although she had already managed to grasp the main idea behind the signs that he used, in relation to North American Sign Language. The process was slow, but by the time they finally stopped to let the horses rest, Melinda understood the signs for many different animals, people, seasons, landmarks, and weather conditions. Although pleased with her progress, she wanted to know more.

<When you can recognize more than just things, but actual phrases. > Ike answered with a smile.

Melinda simply threw her hands into the air in exasperation. "As if I have a clue what he just said!"

"Ike just told you that you would be able to understand him when you can recognize actual phrases!" Jimmy said, trying desperately to keep from laughing.

"Well, no offense, but I’m sick of trying to learn all these signs. Why don’t you guys tell us a little more about yourselves?" Melinda asked, flashing Jimmy a sweet smile, hoping to convince him to give her a break.

As soon as the horses had finished drinking from the stream, the riders remounted, and Ike began to tell his story. Jimmy interpreted each sentence for Melinda, until Ike had finished telling them about how he had lived in an orphanage for several years following the murders of his parents. He described in detail how he had met Buck, and how Buck had taught him sign. Ike also ‘spoke’ about the few jobs he and Buck had gotten before they joined the express.

<Buck and I worked at a livery stable before we started working for the express, > Ike signed, as Jimmy interpreted. <We saw a sign about the Pony Express wanting riders, outside an office building while we were in Lone Tree. We thought that it would be a chance for adventure and excitement. In some ways it was, > Ike finished.
Jimmy grinned, remembering all of the trouble they had managed to get themselves into. "Yeah, like the time Ike had to testify against a killer. We had a whole gang of outlaws chasing after us, trying to kill Ike, but we got the best of them! They managed to kidnap Buck, in an attempt to stop Ike from testifying in court."
"What did you do?" Tabatha cut in, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"We found Buck while Ike was on the stand," Jimmy concluded. "The killer was hung for his crime."
<That's nothing, > Ike said with a teasing grin. <How about the time you almost got hung, Jimmy? This girl named Sarah set Jimmy up to be hung. >
Both girls looked to Jimmy to interpret what Ike had just said, but Jimmy refused to repeat it.

"I have had more than my share of troubles too," Jimmy said wishing Ike hadn't brought Sarah up. He held nothing but bad feeling for the cold, uncaring woman and wished to just forget about her.
"I can just about imagine," Melinda said, trying to draw Jimmy back into a better mood. "Tab and I have managed to get ourselves into a few scrapes every now and then, too!"
Tabatha giggled. "Yeah, like the time we made a chocolate cake with laxatives in it, then sold it to one of our teachers at a bake sale!"

Melinda burst out laughing; "It wouldn’t have been so bad if she didn’t share it with all the other teachers at school!"

"Oh yeah, and school got canceled for the rest of the day because all the teachers had to go home sick. Good times!"
"We came this close to being caught," Melinda said holding her thumb and forefinger about half an inch apart.
Ike and Jimmy glanced at each other. <I prefer not to know, > Ike signed, with a strange expression on his face.
Jimmy simply shook his head while both girls laughed at the memory.
They sure know how to liven things up a bit. Jimmy thought with a smile. "You two sound like you can be kinda wild!" he said, trying to stifle a laugh. "I think you’ll love Cody. You can play tricks on one another all day!"

"Oh God! We aren’t that bad. We’ve done some pretty mean stuff, but only to people who deserved it," Tabatha said in defense.

"We can be mean, we just don’t tend to get caught." Melinda finished with a wicked grin. It might be fun to show Jimmy and Ike’s family a few tricks from the future! she thought.

Jimmy and Ike couldn’t wait to get back to Sweetwater and tell everyone about their find. Cody will be as mad as hell! Jimmy thought as he signaled Sundancer into a slow, ground-eating canter. Ike followed suit. Finally, the group of weary travelers arrived at the outskirts of Fort Laramie. Jimmy and Ike stopped their horses suddenly, startling both Tabatha and Melinda from their daydreams. "Alright," Jimmy said. "I think that it’s time for both of you to know a few things about this town. It’s full of nosey, busybodies. So, I don’t think that we should just go around telling people that you’re from the future. I suggest that neither of you speak to anyone, and stay a bit undercover."

Both girls agreed. They wouldn’t admit it, but they had fears of meeting new people from the past. They were content with the idea of simply staying close to the men who had so kindly taken them into their care.

< I think it would be best if we get rooms for you at the hotel first. You can stay there until we get back from delivering our message to the army, > Ike signed.

As soon as Jimmy finished interpreting what his bald friend had said, the four riders entered the bustling town of Ft. Laramie.

"We’d like two rooms please," Jimmy announced to the short, balding man at the front desk of the town’s nicest hotel.

"Two?" the man asked looking up from a big book in front of him. He seemed uninterested in the new travelers. New people came through nearly everyday and it only made business better for him.

"Here you go sir, rooms 24 and 25. That will be two dollars." After they paid the man and were registered, Jimmy and Ike escorted the two young women to their room.

<Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon, > Ike said as he stroked Tabatha’s hair out of her face.

Jimmy smiled down at Melinda, "Just wait here, and don’t leave the room," he said gently to the woman who had so easily captured his affection. The boys exited quickly, leaving the girls alone. Smiling, Tabatha and Melinda went into their room.

"Damn. I forgot they didn’t have indoor plumbing in this time. I stink like a horse and want a shower so bad," Melinda complained

"Well, they probably just go ask downstairs for a tub and hot water," her friend suggested.

"Would you please go ask? I don’t want to go back down there. That old guy was checking me out." Melinda lied.

"Fine. I’ll go order two baths to room 24," she said, slamming the door behind her.

A few minutes later, Tabatha returned, smiling brightly. Four men followed her, each carrying an end to two large, cast iron tubs.

"We’ll have water brought up in a few minutes, ma’am," drawled a tall man with curly red hair.

"Flirt! Never!" Tabatha said mockingly, batting her eyelashes, before bursting out in giggles. "Actually, I just asked for two hot baths to be brought up to our room, and the guy at the desk rang his little bell, and those four came running!" she admitted once she could speak.

Minutes later, a knock was heard, and several women came bustling into the room, pouring the tubs full of scalding hot water. "Here are towels, washcloths, and lilac soap. If you need anything else, just pull the bell cord by the door," said a smiling brown-haired woman, as they left the room.

After each had enjoyed a long soak in the heavy cast iron bathtub, both girls turned to their bags for something appropriate to wear.

"Are you kidding? People don’t wear short skirts like that in this time! Everyone will think you’re a whore."

"Good idea. You wear that, and I’ll wear my dress from the wedding too. That way we won’t look so out of place," Melinda agreed.

Tabatha began dressing behind the screen, into her blue, silk dress. Melinda located her own long, rose-colored gown with its many buttons down the front, at the bottom of her bag. After they had finished dressing, Tabatha began looking around the room, furiously searching the walls for an outlet.

After drying their hair as best the could, the girls began trying to put their damp hair up, attempting to imitate the styles of some of the women who had brought them water.

"I think Ike’s gonna love that dress on you." Melinda said with a sincere smile.

Chapter 6

Once Jimmy and Ike had finally delivered the pouch to the military headquarters on the edge of town, they returned to the hotel to take the girls out to dinner. Ike hadn’t been able to hide his surprise at the change in Tabatha’s appearance. She was dressed in a long blue gown with sleeves that ended at her elbow. It was a beautiful dress that fit in all the right places. The rich fabric that covered her body seemed alive, as it flowed with each step. Jimmy’s reaction had been similar. He had stared openly at the young woman before him. The soft rose colored dress had captivated his attention, as it hugged her curves. He forced himself to look away, however, when he began imagining unbuttoning all the tiny buttons that adorned the simple dress.

The boys had washed up and changed into clean clothes, Jimmy had even taken the time to comb out the tangles in his shoulder length brown hair.
When they escorted the two young ladies downstairs, Ike couldn’t help feeling proud of the woman on his arm. She was very beautiful.
After ordering their meals, they settled into an easy conversation. Jimmy soon began telling about one of the boys’ many adventures with the pony express. When their meals arrived, the four eagerly began eating.

Pete Dalton was surprised to see the famous ‘Wild Bill Hickok’ seated at a table in the small restaurant, when he and his partner walked in. The sight of the well-known gunfighter was just too tempting. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to call on the famous young gunfighter, in an obscure attempt to expand his own reputation.

“Looky here Pete. We got ourselves a gunfighter,” Joe said loudly, as he too recognized the man. Quickly the pair approached the table.

Noticing Ike silently conversing with his friends, Pete added to his partner’s statement, “Yeah, a gunfighter, a dummy, and two pretty lil’ dames!”

Hearing the man’s statement, Tabatha’s blood boiled with anger, “He’s not a dummy!” she said boldly, getting up from her chair so quickly she nearly knocked it over.

Pete stroked his thick black beard and smiled at the girl who dared speak to him in a sharp tone. “Well, would ya look at this Joe. We’ve got a little fighter here!”

Pete said as he grabbed Tabatha by the hair. He smiled when her head tilted back, causing the girl to stretch to her tiptoes to keep from having her hair ripped from her scalp. It was obvious that he was hurting her.

“Let her go!” Melinda shouted as she, Jimmy and Ike jumped up from their places at the table. By this time everyone in the restaurant was staring openly at them. Tabatha struggled to get free. Tired of being bullied, she did just what her Grandfather had told her to do if she ever got into this kind of situation. She brought her right leg up and kicked Pete square between the legs!

“Why you little…” Joe started to threaten Tabatha, but was stopped by a flying punch in the gut by the other woman. Jimmy and Ike looked on, amused and slightly shocked by the girls’ display of self-defense.

“Now get outta here before we do something we know you’re going to regret later.” Melinda said through gritted teeth, pointing a trembling finger at the door. The two men glared up at the two girls standing above them, two armed men at their sides, ready for a real fight.

The cocking of their guns made them make up their minds rather quickly. Fear of death, forced the two cowardly outlaws to give in.

“We’ll get you for that, you little tarts!” Pete growled, as his friend pulled him to his feet.

“We’ll just see about that,” Tabatha said, steadily glaring down at the foul men.

The two men picked themselves up off the hardwood floor and fled. Both women were instantly relieved that they had gone. Each took a deep breath and looked around at the people who were staring at them.

“What you all looking at?” Tabatha said trying to sound confident, at the same time shaking in her shoes. “Get back to your meals, there is nothing more to see here.”

The attentions of the many other customers shifted back to their prior conversations, but still the focus was undeniably on the small group containing two outspoken women, a ‘dummy’, and a notorious gunfighter.

Ike and Jimmy stared at the two frightened women, to whom they were growing so attached. They were both more than a little upset by what had just happened, and the girls knew it. Silently, Melinda and Tabatha waited for the men to say something.

“You could have gotten yourselves killed.” Jimmy said angrily, staring into Melinda’s dark eyes.

Both girls looked down at the their dinner plates in humiliation. A bright flush burned on Melinda’s cheeks. Ike grabbed Tabatha by the shoulder, catching her attention.

<What did you think you were doing? You could have been hurt, or worse! What do you think I would do without you? > Ike signed franticly.

Tabatha looked shocked by the question. She had had no idea that Ike cared so much about her. Sure, there was that one kiss, but she didn’t know how to take that. She had thought that maybe, he had some feelings for her, but had pushed the notion aside, thinking that it was nothing, that she probably just had a simple crush on him.

“Look, what else was I supposed to do? I couldn’t just be humiliated like that. I stood up to him, big deal.” Tabatha said, looking into Ike’s caring face.

<I could have saved you. I would have protected you, if you had let me! You didn’t need to stand up for me. People have been calling me that since I was a kid. Sure, I didn’t like it, but I just had to learn to live with it. > Although, in truth, being called ‘dummy’ did bother Ike, he just didn’t want to see Tabatha getting hurt because of it.

“Look, Ike, I know that you could have done those things,” Tabatha retorted, standing up from her place at the table, “but I can take care of myself, and I just didn’t like them calling you that. It isn’t right.”

With that, Tabatha turned and fled the room, leaving the others to their own thoughts. Jimmy was still a little upset, but he had to admit that Melinda had handled herself very well. It told him that he’d best not make her angry. Although, he wouldn’t mind seeing the fire in her eyes aimed towards him, just once. It sent chills up his spine. Not many people could do that to him.

“You better go after her, Ike. She don’t know this town, and could get lost or run into those men again.”

He didn’t have to tell Ike twice. Ike jumped up and was out the door, almost before Jimmy had formulated the thought. Jimmy turned back to Melinda who was quietly studying her hand.

“You always fight like that?” Jimmy asked with a sheepish grin. Melinda smiled back shyly, knowing that Jimmy wasn’t angry with her any longer.

“Only when I need to. Tab and I learned how to defend ourselves against her little brother, a long time ago. I haven’t had to seriously hit someone in a while,” she said, blushing again.

Jimmy caught himself staring into her dark brown eyes again. This was one spell, he knew he would fall under every time.

The couple spent a few moments dwelling on their own thoughts, letting a calm peace surround them. The spell was broken when their waiter came to the table to ask if they had finished with their meals.

Jimmy frowned at the rude interruption, but allowed the man to clear their places.

“Would either of you like dessert this evening? The cook has prepared blueberry pie and chocolate cake,” The waiter asked.

“Well,” Jimmy began after glancing at Melinda for confirmation, “I believe one of each would suffice, if you would, please.”

Once the waiter had disappeared back into the kitchen, Jimmy turned to Melinda with a smirk, “I’ve never had cheesecake, but I think this might be alright.”

“We can share,” Came the girl’s soft reply, a teasing grin tugging at her lips.

Ike found Tabatha in the livery, quietly stroking his horse’s face. She looked like a princess, so elegant in her silken blue gown. He wanted so badly to take her in his arms and tell her that everything would be all right. Ike knew that she missed her home and her futuristic world. He wanted to comfort her in some way but knew that the subject of ‘home’ was a touchy one. As he watched her, she gently scratched behind his gelding’s ears, speaking softly to the animal. There was so much love in her voice. He knew that he could not stay angry with her. Ike slowly came to the realization that he was falling in love with this woman.
Tabatha turned to Ike. She had felt his presence just after he entered.

“Did you come out here to give me another lecture?” Tabatha asked, her voice still a little shaky.

<No. > Ike signed. <I came out here to apologize for how I acted. > Tabatha smiled at Ike and shook her head.

“No, I should apologize for making such a huge scene in there. But, you have to admit, that guy sure got blue in the face!” Ike’s shoulders started to shake with laughter, inducing soft laughter from Tabatha as well. Ike stopped laughing abruptly, suddenly more aware of her delicate features. He couldn’t help thinking of what could have happened if she had not reacted the way she had. Ike extended his strong hands to pull her into a close embrace. He breathed in her sweet scent, trying to find a way to communicate to her his true feelings. He had so much he wanted to say to her, but without a voice, he found expressing himself to be difficult, if not impossible at times. Therefore, Ike simply held her, wishing he could express his feelings in words, but knowing that was impossible.

Tabatha relaxed against him, letting go of the last of her fear. I know Ike would have protected me. It’s my own fault for getting into trouble like that. Why couldn’t I just sit there calmly and let Jimmy and Ike handle those guys? Why do I always have to be so defensive? She couldn’t keep herself from thinking about what might have happened if Ike and Jimmy hadn’t been there to protect her. She felt so much safer, knowing that Ike was around to keep her out of trouble.

Ike could have held her forever; he loved the wonderful feeling of her wrapped in his arms. He ran his hands down her back and pulled her closer. She drew back slightly, looking up into his beautiful blue-green eyes. She reached up and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. As much as she missed her home, she couldn’t help feeling better about being stuck in the past, as long as she was with him.

Jimmy and Melinda were enjoying one another’s company, enjoying their desserts, while Jimmy entertained her with another tale. Jimmy captured her full attention as he described the perils the riders had gone through in order to rescue Lou’s siblings when they were kidnapped by the gunrunner, Boggs.

“Cody and I snuck into a tent where all the bad guys were passed out from drinkin’, then we switched clothes with ’em. Cody took all the money they’d been playin’ poker with, then we snuck out into the camp.”

Melinda laughed merrily at Jimmy’s account of the adventure, especially when he mentioned Boggs asking him what was going on, only to have Jimmy blame an Indian war party, which consisted solely of Buck! Jimmy loved the sound of her laughter. It was an immense change from her usually dismal demeanor.

“You look real nice.” Jimmy said a few moments later, attempting to change the subject of their conversation.

Melinda smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. “Thank you, “ she said, memorizing the gleam in his eyes, and the strong line of his jaw. “You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said, a small smile creeping to her face. “Except for that little bit of icing on your chin.”

Gently she lifted her fingers to wipe the particle away. In the same instant, Jimmy caught her hand, placing her fingers to his lips.

Cody barely spoke a word to anyone at the station. He was still steaming over the previous day’s little ‘incident’. He simply sat around, silently devising a plot to get back at everybody for the humiliation he had suffered.

“Come on Cody, give it up!” Kid said as he was walking toward the outhouse to fix the roof, “Everyone has forgotten about it by now.”

“Hey Cody!” Buck called from the corral. “Don’t go jumpin’ in the manure heap. I don’t think any of the ladies will like that for your new cologne, except for maybe Katy!”

“Everyone’s forgotten about it huh?” Cody yelled back at his bunkmate. “You know Kid, one of these days I’m gonna get you back for teasin’ me! An’ I can guarantee you, you ain’t gonna like it!”

Kid looked back at Cody as he walked to the barn to help Noah carry the rest of the tools they would need to fix the outhouse roof. Cody smiled to himself as he went over to stand by the bunkhouse. He watched silently as Kid and Noah approached the outhouse. He could hear everything they were saying.

“I don’t think that it would be safe for both of us to be up there,” Noah said with caution, as he and Kid both climbed to the roof.

“Come on Noah.” Kid said, once they were both situated on the roof. “I’ve fixed this roof many times. I think I know what I am doing. Besides, it is not like the roofs just gonnaaaaaaahhhhhhhh…” Before Kid could even finish bragging about his knowledge of fixing things, the outhouse roof gave way and both riders fell through. Both men were dumbfounded. They looked at each other with grimy, yet puzzled faces as they found themselves in a huge mess of broken lumber and filth. It didn’t take them long to figure out that the roof had been sabotaged, and by whom.

“You two better wash up or the ladies won’t never come near you again!” Cody shouted with glee. Then he focused more on the Kid, “You especially, Kid, you want Lou to get closer to you, don’t ya?” With that, Cody sauntered away, proud of his acting job and the horrific prank. Two down, two to go! You’re next, Buck! Cody thought happily as he walked off to the bunkhouse to read his latest dime novel. He had to admit that it felt good to get that off his chest.
Kid and Noah were furious about what had happened to them. “Damn that Cody!” Noah cursed under his breath.

“We weren’t even the ones who pulled that prank!” Kid glared after Cody. “Just forget about it, Noah, now we have a whole outhouse to fix and clean up, we better get started now before anyone wants to use it.” Kid said angrily.

Noah looked up at Kid for a second. “I don’t know about you Kid, but I’m gonna git cleaned up a bit first,” Noah said, shaking the goo from off his left boot as he got up and left, leaving Kid still sitting there in the stinky sludge.

Just then, Buck happened to walk by, laughter threatening to escape his throat. “You better go and get cleaned up too Kid, I’ll start to work here and then you two can come back in a week or so and help. That is if you smell better by then!” Kid glared up at Buck, anger flashing in his eyes. With a grunt, he picked up his hat from where it sat covered in filth. Without noticing, he jammed his hat back on his head and picked up his bar of soap. Goo rolled down his handsome face, as he stood up from his place on the ground. Wiping his shirtsleeve across his face, Kid straightened himself out as best he could, and stalked off toward the shower.

Melinda was relieved that Ike had found her friend, and that she was okay. To be honest, she had enjoyed being alone with Jimmy. She smiled at Tabatha as she sat back down at the table, to finish her now cold dinner. Ike carefully pushed the chair in behind her, in a very courteous fashion, before seating himself. Dinner resumed in a rather uncomfortable silence. Once Ike and Tabatha had finished coffee and pie, the riders escorted the two beautiful women back to their room at the hotel.

“We’ll be across the hall if you need anything,” Jimmy said, taking one last look at Melinda. He hated to leave her; he wanted so much to get to know her.
Ike turned to Tabatha who was holding his hand. He gave her a light squeeze to get her attention. <We’ll set out for Sweetwater first thing in the morning, so get some sleep. >

Tabatha smiled and looked up at him, studying his handsome features. “You too Ike.” With that the door closed behind both girls, leaving Ike and Jimmy alone out in the hall.

“Well, we’d better hit the hay too, Ike.” Jimmy said, stretching his muscular arms above his head. “We still have ta figure out a way to explain this to the others,” he added as he and Ike entered their room.

Little did the boys know, that there was a dark figure in the corner, watching them. Pete stroked his beard, anticipating what he would do next. He had a plan in mind, a good plan. He smiled to himself and started to walk down the hall, stopping in front of Tabatha’s and Melinda’s room. “I’ll get you both for humiliating me, you lil’ bitches, and I’ll get your boyfriends if they try to stop me!” Pete whispered, then turned and left the hotel to let the rest of the Dalton gang know about his plans.

Outside, eight men waited for further instructions. “What are we going to do, boss?” one of the men asked.

Pete looked up at the eager young man. “No,” he said, “I have a better idea. We’ll follow them out tomorrow. See where they go and work out all the details later.” Pete paused to create a more dramatic effect before finishing his statement. “THEN, we’ll take care of ‘em…for good!”

The band of outlaws drowned out the silence of the night with a chorus of chuckles, each imagining the kind of women who were capable of bringing Pete Dalton and Joe Carter to their knees. They would undoubtedly have some fun with these women before they were unceremoniously ‘taken care of’.
With a loud grunt from their leader, the nine outlaws mounted their horses and rode off into the darkness. They would wait for daybreak, and then the chase would begin.

Chapter 7

Morning came quickly for the sleepy riders. Ike looked out the window and saw that it was raining. Jimmy rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned. Quickly glancing out the window, he noticed the dark clouds and rain streaming down the window. “I was hoping it would be nice out today.”

Ike had been hoping to have an enjoyable ride home with Tabatha. Suddenly he remembered that they had to figure out what to tell the others about Tabatha and Melinda. Ike clapped his hands to get Jimmy’s attention. <What are we gonna tell the others when we get back to the station? >
Jimmy looked thoughtful for a minute. “Maybe they will have something in those bags of theirs that they can use to prove where they’re from.” Jimmy answered with a devilish grin.

Ike agreed, sharing the curiosity as to the contents of the girls’ bags. Quickly the two express riders dressed and repacked their belongings so they could leave.

Tabatha and Melinda had been up for some time, talking things over. “How the heck are we gonna explain that we’re from the future to their friends?” Tabatha asked, frowning at the rain pounding on the glass window.

Melinda too was stuck for an answer. She shook her head and said, “I don’t know, we don’t want to mess the world up and we don’t want to look like a couple of crazies fresh out of the loony bin.”

Melinda thought for a minute, “Maybe we can show them a few things, like my CD player, and your camera. Those things can’t harm them too much. We could even show that Rachel lady some of our cosmetics and stuff like that,” she suggested.

Tabatha nodded. “That should be enough to convince them. My drivers license might help too.” She said with a smile. “I can’t wait ‘til we get to Sweetwater. Then I can thank that Cody guy, for making Ike go on this run!”

“We still have to be careful about telling too much about the future. So you’d better leave your license as a last resort. They don’t need to know that the horse has been completely eliminated as a mode of transportation.”

Both girls heard the hall clock strike the hour. Simultaneously, they moved to their own sides of the changing screen and began dressing in their warmest clothes to keep warm in the rain.

Melinda found a pair of old, faded-blue Levi’s. She then pulled on a white tank top, followed by a white cotton shirt and then an oversized purple sweater. Tabatha donned knee socks, followed by gray wool slacks. She pulled on a T-shirt, then a blue turtleneck sweater, and her jean jacket. Each girl wore two pairs of socks and hiking boots.

Melinda peeked over the screen to look at her friend. “I don’t think that showing them a few gadgets from the future is going to hurt any. I mean nothing is going to happen.”

Tabatha smiled. “Yeah it’s not like the ground is going to open up and swallow us!”

Melinda came out from behind the screen and put her leather jacket on. “Why not? The sky opened up and swallowed us, didn’t it?”

The girls giggled until they heard a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” Melinda announced as she moved to answer the door. Her face lit up when she opened the door to find Jimmy standing there with Ike.

“Time to go ladies,” Jimmy said, smiling as he tipped the brim of his black cowboy hat. Jimmy and Ike came in to help them with their bags, still curious as to what was really in them. Melinda quickly pulled her long locks back in a tight braid, and then they were ready to leave.

Once everything was packed up, they went downstairs to grab a quick breakfast. After a meal of hot biscuits and gravy, with plenty of coffee, the group headed to the livery to get the horses. Little did they know, that they were being closely watched by a man in the shadows.

<Did you have a good nights sleep? > Ike asked Tabatha putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Yes, thank you,” Tabatha said, as she looked around at all the busy people in the muddy street.

As soon as the horses were saddled, and their bags adjusted so they would not fall, each couple mounted up. Jimmy pulling Melinda up to sit in front of him, while Tabatha settled in behind Ike. Within a few moments, they were completely out of sight.

Once the express riders and their female companions were well out of Fort Laramie, the man who had been watching the group turned back to go tell the others that they had left. With this message, Pete and his gang were off, slowly following their tracks, being careful to go unnoticed, yet determined not to lose the trail.

The four travelers kept an easy pace through the rain. They didn’t want to wear out their horses or have them slip and fall.
Jimmy decided it was best to begin a conversation in order to keep the girls’ minds off the cold and wet. “I think we need to talk about what we are going to tell the others when we get back home,” he announced to his friends.

Melinda quickly answered before Jimmy could continue. “Tab and I have an explanation. We were talking about it before you boys came to our room this morning,” she said loudly, practically shouting so she could be heard over the howling wind. “We planned on telling your family about some of the things from our time, and maybe a few things that will be happening in the next few years.”

“If they don’t believe us, we’ll just have to show them our driver’s licenses.” Tabatha put in, causing Melinda to give her a dirty look.

<What if that doesn’t work? > Ike questioned, wondering what a driver’s license was.

“Well,” Tabatha suggested, “we figured it wouldn’t harm the future if we showed them some of the things in our bags.” Melinda nodded in agreement.

“What exactly do you have in those bags of yours?” Jimmy asked staring at the backpack that was on his saddle horn.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Melinda scolded, “I think it’s more important to get to Sweetwater right now, don’t you?”

Both men agreed; they were disappointed but wouldn’t let it show. They knew they would find out what was in the bags eventually. They continued on in silence until they stopped for lunch. They managed to find a small cave where they could build a fire and be out of the rain. Melinda ordered the boys to sit and relax while she and Tabatha made lunch. Both boys were happy to have a chance to rest in the cover of the cave, while the two girls fixed them lunch. The meal consisted of warmed biscuits from the restaurant, beans, boiled jerky, and hot coffee. They all sat in contentment, enjoying their meal. “So…” Tabatha said, turning to ask Ike a question, “You never told me why you took that ride for Cody.”

Ike looked up and smiled at the memory. <Well, Cody was supposed to go on this ride with Jimmy, as a punishment for something that happened earlier. >

< Cody threw an egg at Jimmy. > Jimmy gave his friend a deadly look but kept silent. <It was all part of a prank of his. The egg exploded on Jimmy and he and Cody were chasing each other around. Jimmy threw an egg at Cody and missed and hit Teaspoon in the face! >

Puzzled, the girls turned to Jimmy for an interpretation. After a long moment of both young women staring at him expectedly, Jimmy threw his hand in the air and gave in to the unspoken request.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Tabatha and Melinda were overcome with laughter. Ike joined in; glad they finally understood why it was so hilarious.
Jimmy quickly broke in, finishing the story. “See, Cody has this habit of trying to get out of work and sometimes it works. This time it did, because he faked a sprained ankle.” The laughter faded.

“How did he convince anyone of that?” Melinda asked wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

“He ‘fell’ off the boardwalk and landed wrong,” Jimmy continued, “See, he jumped out of Teaspoons way. The egg would have hit Cody if he hadn’t moved.”

Both girls were trying their best not to burst out laughing again, as they pictured the scene.

Once they finished eating, they extinguished the fire and were again on their way, the rain having subsided to sprinkles. Although it was cold, both girls were content with sharing the body heat of the two express riders. As they rode, Tabatha entertained the boys, trying to explain that her father was a pilot, which led her into a very complicated explanation of what an airplane was. Melinda sat silently, enjoying the predicament Tabatha had succeeded in getting herself into.

Not too far away, the Dalton gang was watching them. Pete sat silent on his gray stallion.

“Come on, boss,” Monty said in a whiny voice, “we have them in our sights. I say we kill ‘em right now.” The foolhardy young man was just about to signal his horse to move down the hill, when Pete cocked his .45, aiming it at Monty’s skinny frame.

“See that man down there?” Pete asked, pointing to Jimmy. “That man is the one and only ‘Wild Bill Hickok’. The fella who kills him will live on as a legend! And that’s gonna be me.”

Turning in his saddle the bearded man growled, “Now in order to get him where we want him, you men are gonna take somethin’ important from him.”

“Oh, I get it,” Monty said excitedly, “We’re gonna kidnap his woman and use her as bait!”

“What about the other gal?” A scrawny man, who was obviously part Indian, asked from the group. Pete turned around and smiled wickedly. “We’ll take her too. She’s the one I told you about.”

His gang tried to hide the smirks of amusement, as they remembered the story about the restaurant. However, they were all careful not to mention the incident.

“What are we going to do with her boss?” Joe asked, pointing at Tabatha, lust glazing his mismatched eyes.

Pete turned back to Joe and glared down the hill at the blond girl. “We’ll kill her. She is of no use to us and we certainly can’t use her as bait. But we won’t kill her right away, we’ll have a little fun first!”

This comment brought on a chorus of evil laughter, and each man formulated his own vision of ‘fun’.

“I wouldn’t mind getting her dummy boyfriend too. Anyone who rides with a famous gunfighter has to have some sort of reputation.”

Jimmy knew that he was falling for Melinda. He held her close to his body, enjoying the feeling of her soft curves against his lean body. He never wanted to let go. As they rode, she slowly relaxed more and more, until Jimmy sensed that she was almost asleep. Her head was leaning against his muscular chest, her eyes closed against the clouded sky and the stinging rain. Silently, Jimmy cursed himself that he was the reason this fragile creature had to be out in weather such as this.

“Should we stop for a while? Melinda is almost asleep, and Sundancer is getting pretty tired.”

<Yes, it’s too cold to go much further today. We should find a place to stay for the night, > Ike signed, his hands shaking slightly from the cold.

“I’m alright, Jimmy, you don’t need to stop for me,” Melinda mumbled softly.

“I think we should rest the horses for a while, then try to make it to Mud Springs. It’s only another two hours away. I think it’d be best if we stayed there tonight.”

Both horses came to a stop and the riders dismounted. Melinda squeezed the water from her braid and then shook herself to knock the multitude of raindrops off her leather jacket. Tabatha shivered involuntarily as she pulled off her soaking jacket. Ike moved quickly to hand her a blanket from his bedroll.

“We should have thought to buy you ladies some hats and rain slickers. I know I wish I had mine right now,” Jimmy said, pulling the shivering brunette closer to him.

After Ike finished unsaddling his mount, he moved to do the same for Sundancer. Jimmy moved their few belongings under the shelter of a gnarled old pine.

Together, the men began rubbing down the horses with rags from their saddlebags. Melinda and Tabatha huddled together under the shelter of the tree, sharing the blanket.

“We’ll let them rest for a few minutes, then get back on the trail,” Jimmy announced as he and Ike came under the shelter of the tree.

<Sweetheart, you need to get into something dry or you will catch your death, > Ike signed, worry evident in his eyes.

“Alright, I’ll get changed into dry clothes,” she answered through chattering teeth.

“If you gentlemen would kindly turn you backs…” Melinda began, standing up and stretching out the blanket as wide as she could.

Tabatha fumbled in her duffel bag, finally securing a dry T-shirt, and the shirt she had worn on the ride into Ft. Laramie. As soon as the trembling girl had changed into the dry shirts, Melinda folded up the blanket and moved to her own bag.

As she searched through the contents, the two curious riders couldn’t help but peek at the mysterious items in the young woman’s bag. Finally she produced a fringed leather jacket; much like the one Cody wore. The sight took both men off guard. Damn! Cody will just die, when he finds out that women from the future dress just like him! Jimmy thought, a wicked smile covering his face.

“ B…Bu… But,… Thanks,” Tabatha finally managed, slipping Melinda’s favorite article of clothing on.

Melinda had always loved that jacket, simply because her foster mother had hated it and attempted to get rid of the “gaudy” thing many times. Tabatha could remember her friend buying the jacket when they were fourteen, with money she’d earned babysitting all summer. Melinda had bought the jacket after seeing the movie “Dances With Wolves”. She had bought it as a form of teenage rebellion and to make her foster parents worry. The jacket had been an inside joke for years between the friends, as well as a sort of security blanket for the owner.

“I know it looks awful, but it’s kinda special to me,” Melinda said, bending to zip her bag closed once again.

Clearing his throat, Jimmy announced, “I think it’s time for us to get going. It looks to be clearing off, but it’s getting foggy.”

With a nod, the two couples quickly gathered their belongings and then resaddled the horses. After Jimmy gave Melinda a leg up, he swung up behind her. Ike and Tabatha also mounted, then the group rode off, headed to the frontier town of Mud Springs.

Chapter 8

“Cody did what?” Teaspoon thundered, sitting up straight in his desk and placing his feet on the jailhouse floor.

“Just what I said, Teaspoon. He sabotaged the roof of the outhouse when he knew Noah and Kid were gonna up there puttin’ on new shingles,” Rachel repeated.

“Where is that boy now?” he asked, reaching for the basket of food Rachel carried.

“I haven’t seen him all day,” she answered, it was surprising, but Cody had actually missed lunch. Rachel had been hoping to wash laundry all morning, but her plans had changer abruptly when two of her express riders had appeared covered in filth.

“Well, if you see that damned boy, send him over here. I’ll put the fear of God into him, right through the seat of hit britches!”

Rachel nodded, still too angry with Cody for his terrible behavior to even think about asking Teaspoon no to be too hard on him. Carefully she poured the old Marshal a cup of steaming coffee. “Dinner might be a little late tonight. I still have to get more soap so I can wash clothes tomorrow. The boys have used it all up with this foolishness,” she added before stepping out the door.

Honestly Rachel, you are the one who started this whole business! Teaspoon thought as he watched her hurry across the street.

Dusting off his hands, Cody admired his handiwork. Buck wouldn’t know what hit him! It was perfect. Now, he would just have to wait for Lou to get back from her run. It was a shame though; he wouldn’t be able to watch his revenge reek havoc on the Kiowa rider. Oh well, maybe he wouldn’t be in so much trouble this way. Standing, Cody went to the imposter’s new stall. The filly stood quietly, sniffing the air and swishing her tail as she looked around her new surroundings.

“Easy girl, you have too be good for a little while yet, at least ‘til you’ve got Buck a few miles from home,” he murmured to the filly who was now impersonating the newest mount at the Sweetwater station. Cody rubbed the soft nose of the beast, in an attempt to calm her down. “That’s a good girl. Now you be good, at least until Buck takes you out!”

Cody walked away happy with his little act of revenge. He quickly saddled Soda and left the barn. Swinging aboard his loyal mount, Cody nudged the horse into a fast trot and headed for town.

Once Buck had finished saddling his mount, he led the skittish filly out to the front of the bunkhouse where he would wait for Lou to return and toss him the mochila. Buck tied the horse to the porch rail and went around the back, where Kid and Noah were hard at work fixing the outhouse. Although he felt sorry for his friends, he was still very glad he hadn’t been one of Cody’s victims, yet.

“Hope Cody doesn’t do anything else while I’m gone. I wouldn’t want to miss all the excitement!”

“Thanks a lot! I’m glad you thought it was so damn funny, Buck.” Noah said, hammering a new piece of lumber into place with a single blow.

“You know Buck, this is all you and Rachel’s doin’ anyway. I don’t see why Cody took it all out on us!”

“Yeah Buck. Cody’s probably gonna shoot you or somethin’!” Kid said, exasperation evident in his voice.

Buck shrugged off their comments, then returned to the bunkhouse to collect his gunbelt.

Hearing Kid’s shout of “Rider commin’!” , Buck hurried out of the bunkhouse and mounted the filly.

Kid hurried over to Lou, hugging her gently. Taking Lightning’s reins Kid said, “ Welcome home. I’ll take care of him for you. Why don’t you….”
Just then Buck’s mount let out a piercing squeal, gave a kick and reared, throwing Buck to the dusty ground. The filly trotted away, pleased with getting the rider off her back.

“Buck!” everyone shouted when the saw the Kiowa rider, fly through the air. All three ran to the fallen rider, hoping to find him uninjured.

Lou was the first to reach Buck’s side. Upon quickly making sure there were no broken bones, she announced to the two worried young men that Buck would be fine.

Slowly he sat up, his lungs aching from having the wind knocked out of him. Taking a small breath, he accepted Noah’s hand and was pulled to his feet.

“Are you alright Buck?” Kid asked, wondering if he should take Buck’s run for him.

“I’ll …be…fine in…a minute. I just…got the wind…knocked outta me,” he gasped, leaning on Louise for support. “I want… to see that horse.”

“Just get her over here,” Buck demanded, his voice stronger as his breathing became more regular. “I want to see something.”

Kid sent over to the spirited animal and managed to grab the reins. The sorrel followed obediently over to where Lou and the boys stood. Buck leaned forward to study the horse closely. “This horse has a white heart on her forehead,” he announced, causing he others to stare at him in confusion.

“So,” Buck began, “somebody switched horses on me. Teaspoon bought a sorrel filly with a white spot on her forehead, not a heart. This is the green broke filly that Mr. Harris bought a couple of weeks ago,” he explained.

“Damn him!” Buck cursed under his breath. “He said he was gonna get me back, but I never imagined he’d go so far as to almost get me killed by switching buttercup for this she-devil!” Buck said as the others stood wondering why Cody was being so cruelly dangerous in his pranks.

Suddenly Noah remembered seeing Cody ride off towards town. “Rachel!” he exclaimed, wide-eyed at the thought that Cody might go for public humiliation for the station mistress in place of actual bodily harm. “We have to get into town and catch Cody before he does anything to Rachel.”

Lou turned to Buck, saying, “If you’re sure you’re fine, you had best go get your real mount and then get going.”

Buck nodded and wished his friends good luck as they hurried off to the barn to retrieve their mounts and head for Sweetwater.

Rachel had just picked up everything she needed from Tompkin's store. She was about to head for home when she saw Cody. She glared angrily at the boy and began to approach him. Remembering that Teaspoon wanted to talk to the boy, Rachel decided that now was as good a time as any.

"Billy Cody! Teaspoon wants to talk to you about what you did earlier!" Rachel said, raising her voice. Cody gave her a mischievous smile and started toward her.

He didn't plan on pulling any more pranks. Well, not today anyway. He wanted his prank on Rachel to be something special, something original.

"Come on Rachel," Cody whined. "I wanna go and pick up that new dime novel that was supposed to come in today."

"That will have to wait, young man," Rachel scolded, placing her heavy parcels into his waiting arms. "Teaspoon has a few words he wants to get into that thick head of yours."

Cody hung his head in defeat, then closed the distance between himself and the buckboard. Quickly he placed her purchases in the back and then helped her into the seat. With a silent curse, he turned and headed to Teaspoon's office. He knew what he was in trouble for, but he had to remind himself that it was all worth it. He took a deep breath and lifted his gaze. He was going to take his punishment like a man.

"Mr. Harris?" Buck called, as he trotted Lollipop into the yard of the Harris ranch. "Mr. Harris, I brought your filly back," he called again, louder this time.

"He's not here," Came the reply from a female voice. Slowly, a woman in her early twenties stepped out onto the front porch, her belly swollen with child. Buck heard the cocking of a pistol she tried to hide behind her, and knew he would have to explain fast.

"Afternoon ma'am, I'm here to bring Mr. Harris his filly back. My name's Buck Cross. I ride for the pony express," Buck said in a very soothing tone. Still the woman did not put the gun down.

"Ma'am, I just came by to leave Ed his horse and get mine back. You see, a friend was trying to play a trick on me, so he switched my horse with Ed's filly here. If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you'd just let me take my horse back, and leave this one in the corral." Buck explained, nodding slightly to the horse he led behind him. He never took his eyes off the gun she clenched with a trembling hand.

"That's close enough!" she shouted, when Lollipop took an eager step forward. "Take off your gun and throw it down," she demanded, looking him over with hatred in her eyes. Buck did as she asked, then slowly raised his hands in the air. "The knife too!" the woman ordered, as soon as she caught sight of the knife in the sheath tied around his ankle.

"Ma'am, I mean you no harm, I just wanted to give Ed his horse, and take mine back. That's all. If you'd just allow me to put the filly in the corral and collect my horse, I'll be on my way," Buck said, his voice calm as he carefully tossed his knife on the ground, next to his gunbelt.

The sound of an approaching wagon drew the woman's attention away from Buck for a split second, and then she lowered the pistol. "You'd best not be lying, Injun. Here comes Ed now."

"Howdy, Buck! I see you've met Jane," Ed called, pulling his team to a stop. "Jane, this is Buck Cross. He's an express rider. A real fine young man too."

"Buck, I want you to meet my sister, Jane. Jane just came to live with me a few days ago," Mr. Harris explained.

"Nice to meet you ma'am," Buck said with a smile, tipping his hat slightly. Jane simply turned and stepped back inside. Ed shook his head slightly, then took off his hat and ran his fingers through his short blond hair. "I guess you want your horse back, seeing as you've brought back this she-devil," Ed said lamely, smacking his hat against his leg to knock off the dust.

"Yes sir, Cody must have been trying to kill me when he traded horses with you," Buck said, a smile tugging on his lips.

"Must have been. Sorry about that. Your horse is in the barn. Go ahead and get her, I know you must be needing her for a run."

"Thanks," Buck replied, dismounting in order to pick up his weapons. Quickly Buck headed to collect his rightful mount from the barn. Ed silently led the filly into the corral, and then slipped off the halter so she could run. With a light slap on the horse's rump, he released the animal into it's corral, then he turned to close the gate and go to the barn, where Buck was saddling the matching filly.

Buck quickly readied his horse, as Ed promised to bring Lollipop back to the station for him. With a call of "Thank you," Buck rode off in a cloud of dust.

Jane you've got to get over it. Not every man's gonna hurt you. Ed thought as he began unloading the wagon. What had happened to his younger sister was a terrible thing, but nothing could be done to change it. The only thing that might really help her was to see the man who had raped her be hung. Unfortunately, the bastard hadn't been captured yet.

Hefting a bag of flour to his shoulder, he headed into the house. "Jane, we need to talk," he began, setting the flour on the kitchen table.

"Cody, it's about time you showed up," Teaspoon growled when the blond rider stepped into his office.

"I guess I'm here for my punishment," Cody answered, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the wall of the Marshall's office. "What do ya want to do ta me? Dock my pay? Put me on double duty?"

"Son, Rachel told me what you done to The Kid and Noah this mornin'. It was a mean an' spiteful thing to do, not to mention dangerous. They both could have easily been hurt. Not mention the fact that they 'bout destroyed the privy from all your foolishness," Teaspoon admonished, his voice strained with pent-up anger.
Cody just stood there, letting Teaspoon's rebuke roll off him.

"Damn-it boy! When are you gonna learn that revenge ain't sweet at all. It'll make ya hard and cruel. You're too good a man to be hurtin' your friends, just to get back at 'em for a little teasing."

"I know that, but they could have. Now either you stop this foolishness, or I'm gonna have to let you go." Teaspoon threatened.

"Fire me?" Cody asked, his voice rising an octave at the thought of losing his job over a few pranks.

"Russell, Majors, and Waddel won't stand for such foolishness in their company. I'm afraid that if you don't start behavin' yourself, you'll no longer be in their employ. Meanwhile, if you'll start behavin' yourself...I think you're gonna have to take the next couple of runs for Kid and Noah, " the stationmaster finished, tucking his thumbs behind his suspenders, in his usual way.

"Are you finished bawlin' me out yet?" Cody asked, his face void of emotion, his voice now calm.

"Get outta here, and start actin' your age, Cody!" Teaspoon answered, then turned to place his feet up on top of his desk. He had a nap to finish.

Rachel turned at the shout of her name to see the approach of Kid, Noah, and Louise. Smiling brightly, she greeted her 'boys'. "Well, who told y'all that you could come to town? I know you have chores to be doin'," she chided.

"We thought we should warn you; Cody's gonna try to get you next. He switched Buttercup for Ed Harris' green filly. Buck got thrown before he got a quarter of a mile from home," Kid stated in a rush.

More calmly, Noah began to explain the entire situation to Louise who was slightly puzzled as to why Cody had set-up Buck in the first place. As they talked, the group headed back home, to begin looking for anything else Cody might have planned or set up as a prank.

To be continued...

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