“Rawnie?” Emma called softly as she stepped inside. She brushed some dust from her skirt and carefully removed her hat and jacket. Reaching for an apron, she called for the girl one more time. She frowned slightly when there was no reply. She started walking up the stairs and stopped outside the girl’s room.

“Rawnie?” She knocked on the door. “Are you there, Honey?”

“Leave me alone,” came the sobbing reply.

The frown on Emma’s forehead deepened when she realized the girl was crying.

“Rawnie, it’s me Emma. Can I come in?”

Silence, except from a few sobs was her only answer. Taking the silence as an invitation, Emma slowly turned the doorknob. The girl was sprawled out on her bed, her face buried in the pillow.

“Rawnie, honey, what’s wrong?” Emma asked gently as she pulled up a chair to the bed. The girl continued to sob into the pillow. Emma soothingly and tenderly stroked her hair.

“He hates me,” Rawnie sobbed without looking up.

The pillow muffled Rawnie’s voice so it was hard for Emma to distinguish the words. “Who hates you?” she asked softly.

“I’ve ruined everything. I didn’t mean for it to be like this.”

“Rawnie, you haven’t ruined anything. Come on, sit up and tell me what happened,” Emma pleaded.

“I always mess up everything.”

“Rawnie, I understand you’re upset right now, but nothing will get better by you lying here crying,” Emma said firmly. “Now sit up and tell me what happened.”

Rawnie slowly rose. Grabbing the pillow and clutching it in front of her, she wiped the tears off her cheeks. Emma handed her a handkerchief, which she accepted gratefully. She loudly blew her nose and took a shivering deep breath.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

“Now can you tell me what happened?”

Rawnie snuffled and wiped her nose. “I didn’t mean for him to get so angry.”

“Who? Teaspoon?”

Rawnie nodded. “I just wanted him to see me. I guess… I wanted him to care…Nobody ever cared for me before and when I saw him with the riders…” Rawnie inhaled, and tried to steady her voice. “I should have known it was useless. I mean, why would he care? He never heard of me or my mother.”

“Honey, he cares more than you know,” Emma said trying to comfort her.

Rawnie shook her head. “He doesn’t want me here. And then he told me I should stay away from Buck…and at first I just wanted to make him angry…” She sobbed and a tear that ran down her cheek was hastily wiped away. “But then Buck was really nice and I thought it wouldn’t be so bad having him as a friend…but then Teaspoon got real mad and now he’s made Buck mad at me too…”

“Shhh, hold it, honey. Are you telling me that all this is about you seeing Buck?”

“I ain’t seeing him. He’s just been a friend. I never thought he’d be so angry about it. He said if I didn’t do as he said he would lock me up.” The tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks, but Rawnie no longer cared about wiping them away. Talking to Emma calmed her down in a way she never could have imagined. “I’m sorry, Emma,” she repeated. “I didn’t mean to cause all this trouble.”

“Don’t worry,” Emma replied and pulled the girl into a hug. “It ain’t you who’ve been causing any trouble,” she added firmly. It seemed she needed to have a talk with her stationmaster and the sooner the better.

*****

“Mr. Spoon!” Emma’s call suddenly brought all of the riders to the window, just in time to the see the delicate housekeeper march resolutely towards Teaspoon’s shed.

Cody whistled softly at the sight and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Kid asked.

“Emma is going to take on Teaspoon. I’m not missing this for anything in the world,” Cody replied and before he had even opened the door there was a general rush for the porch.

Watching in tensed anticipation the riders gathered on the porch. They were doing their best to act uninterested as their eyes followed every one of Emma’s steps. Emma saw them and stopped in her stride. Raising her chin slightly she looked at each of them.

“Kid! Do me a favor and hitch up the buggy for me, please.” It was not a question and Kid quickly moved to follow the order out. After a final glare at the boys, she continued. Without hesitation she banged on the door to Teaspoon’s shed.

“Mr. Spoon!” she repeated. It took only a minute for a slightly disoriented Teaspoon to open the door, hatless and his suspenders hanging from his trousers.

“Emma? What is all this about?” he asked as he lazily scratched his chest.

“I could very well ask you the same. Get dressed, Mr. Spoon. You and I are going on a trip.”

“A trip? Where?” Teaspoon stared in confusion at the composed woman before him. Despite her calm appearance there was a fire within her. Teaspoon had a feeling that this trip, whatever it was, wouldn’t be pleasant for him.

“Get ready,” she replied and turned to walk over to the buggy Kid was bringing forward. She didn’t even wait for his reply. Grateful that the worse part of his headache had disappeared, Teaspoon slowly turned around in search for his hat.

At the buggy, Emma turned to face the riders. “What are you gawking at?” she asked unfalteringly. “Get inside and start preparing for supper. That goes for you too, Kid. Jimmy, you’re in charge of the cooking.”

Extremely disappointed, the group slowly walked inside, but they knew better than to argue with Emma. In silence, they watched out the window how the odd couple, the small and frail-looking woman and the older rogue, headed out from the station. As they disappeared out of sight, the tension lifted from the station and they all breathed easier.

“Wonder what all that was about?” Jimmy asked.

“Beats me,” Cody replied. “I’m more worried about supper. Jimmy, you will make something eatable this time, right?”

Jimmy just stared at him and frowned. Kid turned from the two only to find Lou still staring out the window. He walked up to her.

“Lou? What is it?”

“Huh?” she said, disrupted from her thought.

“I just wondered what’s on your mind?” Kid repeated.

Lou shrugged. “Nothing special. Just wondering what happened, that’s all.”

“Guess we won’t find out until they’re back.”

“Maybe not,” Lou replied cryptically. “Emma was all right until she came out of the house. It’s only logical that the other person there would know what is going on.”

“You mean Rawnie? I think it’s better we leave everything as it is,” Kid suggested. “Besides it ain’t our business…”

“You’re probably right,” Lou sighed. “Although I admit I wouldn’t mind having a clue to what is going on.”