Rawnie rolled onto her left side, pushing up with her elbow, and wiped the sleep from her eyes. For a second she wondered where she was, and then the memory of yesterday came back to her. Her uncle. She had found her uncle and the voice belonged to the woman who had let her into the house as her guest. Quickly she sat up in the bed.

"I'm awake," she called back, looking around for her clothes. They were hanged over a chair and they were still wet.

Emma stepped inside, carrying a bundle of clothes in her arms. She smiled warmly at the young girl. "I brought you some clothes. I figured yours must still be wet. Did you sleep all right?"

Rawnie nodded. "Fine, thank you," she said hesitantly, uncertain how to respond to the woman's friendliness. She already knew that they wanted her to leave, so in her heart she thought the friendly gesture to be a waste of time. Anyway, she couldn't afford to be friendly back or attach herself to any of these people. She already knew of the pain that caring for somebody could lead to, after all, not even her own mother had wanted her.

"While you get dressed, I'll be over at the bunkhouse, preparing breakfast. Why don't you join me there and you'll meet the boys as well. They're a bit rowdy, but they are good boys." Emma smiled at her as she, disapprovingly, noticed the scrawny arms and legs protruding under the nightgown. ‘The girl certainly needed some food,’ she pondered.

"The boys?" Rawnie frowned.

"Oh, this is a Pony Express station. Mr. Hunter is the stationmaster. For once most of our riders are here due to the rain, so it might be a bit boisterous over breakfast."

Emma left and promised herself she would make sure the boys behaved. The girl looked a bit apprehensive at the thought of meeting the riders, and she could understand it. They were good boys, but they were boys and, depending on what kind of life the girl had lived, boys could be intimidating.

Rawnie frowned as she looked at the dress Emma had placed on the bed. It was nice enough, she decided, but it wasn't her. It was a pretty dress and she had never been pretty. Her mouth was too small and her eyes too big for her face, not to mention their dull gray color.

She sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her mother had been beautiful once, but Rawnie only remembered her as tired. Sure, men had looked after her mother as she had walked down the street, but the looks had always embarrassed Rawnie, since she knew her mother loathed it.

"It ain't me," her mother used to say with a scorn, "it's what I do."

Anyway, Rawnie was neither interested in men or boys. In her experience, all they did was use women and for once, she would make certain she was not taken advantage off, uncle or no uncle. She inhaled and told herself she was here for the money and slipped out of the nightgown and into the dress. She was a bit too skinny for it, but she had to admit it didn't look too bad on her. Emma certainly had style, she concluded. She realized she was hungry and mustering what courage she had, she marched down the stairs, her head defiantly held up high. No boy would scare her.

***

"Teaspoon's niece? He never said anything about a niece?" Jimmy looked inquiringly at the housekeeper.
"He didn't know he had one until yesterday," Emma explained. "Would you please get out of my way, Jimmy? I'm trying to fix breakfast here." Luckily for Emma, Teaspoon chose that moment to walk in the door and Jimmy fastened his eyes on the stationmaster.

"You never told us you had a brother," he said with an eyebrow raised inquiringly at the stationmaster as he sat down with the others. All eyes turned to Teaspoon as they waited for him to reply.

"We parted ways a long time ago, Jimmy," was the reply.

"Are you sure she is your niece?" Jimmy asked. It was odd for a girl to travel alone, and trust had never been his strong side.

"I'm pretty sure. There are certain similarities and I believe her."

"What happened to your brother?" Buck interposed. The Kiowa believed strongly in family ties and the white way of breaking such bonds was a bit disturbing for him.

"He died four months ago. Listen, boys, I know there are a lot of questions going around in your heads right now, but the fact is that she is here, and as far as I know, I'm her only relative. She's gonna be staying here until we get things sorted out and I want you to behave."

"He's right you know," Emma put in as she brought in the bread. "Rawnie is our guest and you better treat her as such." She slapped Cody's hand as he reached for the bread. "That includes your manners at the table," she added, raising a threatening eyebrow at the disgruntled offender.

Cody ignored the look and leaned back. "Is she pretty?" he asked, unmoved.

He didn't receive an answer as the door opened and Rawnie, with her hands clenched at her side, stood in the opening, looking at them with uncertainty in her eyes. Teaspoon smiled warmly at her. He rose and placed an arm over her shoulders. She wanted to cringe at the touch, so unaccustomed was she to gentleness, but she managed to stop herself.

"This is my niece Rawnie," Teaspoon introduced her. "Rawnie, this bunch of rough'uns is the proud riders of the Pony Express."