IT'S ALL IN THE CARDS

by Holly © 2001

Chapter 2

"Buck and Emily, sittin' in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-..."

"Okay Cody, we got the point, knock it off already!" Buck yelled at Cody. Buck had told Jimmy what had happened, and when he'd arrived at the station happy-as-a-lark, Cody had asked why. Buck had made the big mistake of telling him.

"Hey, I'm just happy for ya Buck," Cody replied. "I mean, not everyone can be a ladies man like-" he was cut-off by Rachel.

"Don't you and Kid have a fence to fix? He's been out there waiting for about a half an hour, and unless you don't want dinner tonight, and I highly suspect that you do, then you'd better get your backside out there and help him," Rachel intercepted.

Cody was out the door in a flash.

"Thanks Rachel. Where's Ike?" Buck asked her. "I want to tell him what happened."

"He's out in the barn brushing Eve," Rachel replied.

"Thanks," Buck replied as he rushed out to the barn.

Ike gave Eve a gentle pat on the neck as he put her back in her stall. Yesterday they'd gone on a hard run, and she'd gotten sick, but she was recovering well, and Ike was glad for that.

"Hey Ike, guess what?" Buck said as he burst into the barn.

~Hi Buck, what are you so excited about?~ He signed with a curious smile.

Buck told Ike all about Emily and their dinner date and how he was going to help her on Saturday.

~Well Buck, seems like you've found yourself a nice girl, I'm happy for you.~ Ike signed, smiling.

"Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I...she...makes me feel strange," Buck told Ike.

~I know what that is~> Ike smiled knowingly.

"What?" Buck asked.

~You must like her~Ike signed.

"I...well, I...I'm not sure, maybe...Oh, what am I saying? We're just having dinner. That's it," Buck said.

Ike just shrugged his shoulders and got this 'whatever' look on his face.

~I think that she likes you too~ Ike signed.

"Why would you think that?" Buck asked him.

~Well, let's think a minute, would she have accepted the invitation if she didn't?~Ike reasoned

"She was just being polite," Buck said. He actually hoped that wasn't the only reason. "Maybe this is just going to repeat Kathleen's story."

~I don't think that's the reason at all~ Ike signed with a stubborn look on his face. ~I don't think that this is going to be the same as Kathleen, at least I hope not,~ Ike didn't want to see Buck hurt like that ever again.

"Well, whatever the reason, she did accept, and I've gotta get ready. I don't wanna be late," Buck told Ike.

~Flowers~ He signed.

"What do you mean?" Buck asked him.

~I think she'd like some flowers, it can't hurt, can it?~ Ike signed.

"Yeah, I guess not, but where do I get flowers?" Buck inquired.

Ike shrugged his shoulders. ~Ask Rachel, she should know.~

"Okay, c'mon. I need your help. 'what should I wear?" Buck said, trying to sound like Cody.

Ike smiled. ~You go on. I'll be up as soon as I finish here.~

"Alright," Buck replied as he walked out of the barn.

Ike stared after his friend. He was happy for Buck, but also a little envious. Ike could tell that Buck liked this Emily girl a lot, or at least more than he was letting on. From what it sounded like, she felt the same way. 'Maybe someday' Ike thought. 'Maybe someday I can feel that way for a girl, and she'll feel
the same about me' Ike thought this was unlikely. His bald head and inability to speak wasn't very appealing to the young ladies. His thoughts were interrupted by Buck, calling his name from the bunkhouse. He pushed his previous thoughts into the back of his mind as he rushed off to help his friend.

"Well, how do I look?" Buck asked nervously.

"Very handsome," Rachel replied. "I'm sure Emily will love it," She said as she gave Buck a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I hope so," Buck said. 'What am I saying? She's just a girl... 'A very pretty one.' He added silently.

"She should, you spent enough time getting ready," Cody said, clearly irritated that Buck was the center of attention and not him, for once.

"You're just jealous, Cody. Get off of his back for a while," Kid told Cody.

"Well Buck, I hope you and Emily have a great time, but I've gotta run as soon as Noah gets back," Lou said with a mouth full of food.

As if on cue, Jimmy said, "Rider up," when he saw Noah approaching. Lou jumped up from the table and was out the door in a flash.

"Be careful," Kid said, following Lou outside and giving her a kiss as she mounted Lightning.

"I always am," she said to Kid. 'He worries about me too much. He knows that I can handle anything that I come across, but I guess that's just because he loves me,' Lou thought. 'I wish that we could be seen together in public, me as Louise, not Lou, a girl, not a boy, but sometimes life is that way,' as she saw Noah approach, she nudged Lightning into a full gallop, received the pouch from Noah, and headed for Blue Creek.

"Ride Safe!" Noah yelled to Lou.

"Thanks, I will!" She hollered as she rode off.

"Hey Noah, good ride?" Jimmy asked taking Noah's horse as he dismounted.

"Yeah, no trouble. Hey Hickok, can you take care of my horse for me? I'm starved," Noah said.

"Sure..., oh and..., uh, take a good look at Buck when you go in, ask him what's going on," Jimmy told Noah with a smile.

"Why?" Noah asked.

"Just do it, you'll see," Jimmy replied.

"What's he talkin' about Kid, I aint in the mood for games," Noah asked Kid.

"See for yourself," Kid said as they walked into the bunkhouse.

Noah let out a high whistle when he saw Buck.

"Hey Buck, whatcha so dolled-up for?" Noah asked with a smile.

"He has a DA-TE!" Cody told him, knowing they were both thinking the same thing.

"Ohhhhh, with whom, may I ask?" Noah inquired.

"A girl I met in town today, she's new in town. Her name is Emily Metcalf, if you must know," Buck replied.

Noah got a mischievous smile on his face.

"Buck and Emily, sittin' in a tree," he sang. Cody joined him. "K-I-S-S-I-N-"

Ike punched Noah lightly in the arm. ~Knock it off.~ He signed.

"What?" Noah asked curiuosly

~Jealous?~ Ike signed.

"Nah," Noah replied. "Sorry Buck, I was just playing. I didn't mean anything by it," he explained.

"That's alright," Buck said.

Ike looked at the clock on the wall. ~I'll go get the buckboard ready~ He signed.

"Yeah, Romeo, you better hurry. Don't want to keep Juliet waiting," Cody taunted.

At that moment, Teaspoon walked in.

"Hi boys, Rachel. Buck, what are you so prettied-up for?" Asked a smiling Teaspoon.

"Here we go again," replied Buck.

Buck walked up nervously to the door. He only intended to knock twice, but he was shaking so badly that his hand hit the door about six times. 'What's wrong with me?' he asked himself. He didn't have time to answer, because at that moment, Emily Metcalf answered the door. Buck was speechless. Emily was dressed in a forget-me-not blue dress, with white lace and black ribbon bordering the short sleeves. Her short brown hair was pulled into a bun at the top of her head, with a few soft strands at the base of her neck and framing her face. Her blue eyes were shining brightly.

As Emily stared at Buck, she wondered why a handsome man like him would even notice her in the first place. In tan pants, a black shirt and a black cowboy hat to match, she thought that he looked fantastic. He quickly removed the hat when he saw her.

"Hello Emily. You look very lovely," Buck said smoothly as he took her hand and placed a small kiss in it.
"Here, these are for you," He added, giving her the flowers.

"Th-thank you Buck. They're beautiful. And you don't look so bad yourself," Emily replied with a wink and a smile.

Buck blushed at the compliment. He wasn't used to people telling him that he looked nice. Judging from her blushing face, Emily wasn't used to it either. He wondered why. 'I think she's beautiful'. He thought to himself.

"Well, we'd better get going, I'm starved," Buck told her. "Will your dad be alright?"

"Yeah, he'll be okay. He usually doesn't fuss on the rare occasion when I go somewhere by myself. I've learned to take care of myself, that way no one else would have to," Emily replied. Her voice took on a harsh tone on the last part.

"Emily, I-" Buck started.

"I know what you're going to say, I'm sorry if I made it sound like you were going to hurt me. I know you wouldn't," Emily told him.

"No, don't be sorry. I know you have to keep your guard up. It's just that, well, a lot of people wouldn't let their daughters even look at a half-indian, let alone be seen in public with one," Buck replied coldly.

"I don't care. I like who I like. I've learned not to care what other people think. I'd like you even if you were yellow with purple spots," Emily said.

Buck laughed at the statement. They arrived at the restaurant soon after. Things got kind of quiet, so Emily decided to liven things up.

"Well, I've told you about me, so now it's your turn to tell me something about you," She said.

Buck told Emily all about his tough childhood, about his brother, Red Bear, and his mother. He told her about Ike, and how they'd met at the Catholic Mission school for orphans, about working for the express, and about his other friends there. Something about this woman made him fell like her could tell her anything and everything.

"Wow," She said when he finally finished. " Sounds like you and this Ike guy are really close. I'd like to meet him. He must really be something by what you've told me."

"He's my best friend. I can bring him with me to help us on Saturday, if that's okay," Buck said.

"Sure, bring him by, I won't mind. Dad will probably be at the saloon, so he won't care either," Emily replied. Even though she had kind of wanted it to be just the two of them, an extra pair of hands wouldn't hurt, and Ike sounded like a pretty nice guy, so she didn't mind.

Their food arrived then. They were both starved, so they ate in silence. When they were finished they quietly left the restaurant and headed to Emily's house. Little did they know that someone had been watching them the whole time.

When they arrived at her house, Buck quickly stepped down and went around to help Emily down.

"Buck, I've had a wonderful time. In fact, I can't remember a time when I've had more fun. Thanks," Emily said, kissing him on the cheek.

As she turned to leave, he gently grabbed her face and pulled it to his. Then they engulfed each other in a passionate kiss. Buck pulled away when a soft moan escaped Emily's throat. He started apologizing profusely.

"I'm so sorry Emily! I never should've done that, I'm sorry..." He repeated.

"Why, I'm not," Emily said with a smile.

"You didn't mind?" Buck asked her.

"No, why should I?" She told him.

"Never mind. I'd better get going, your father probably thinks I've kidnapped you," Buck said.

"Alright I'll see you Saturday. Goodnight, Buck Cross," Emily said, sticking out her hand with a smile.

"Goodnight, Emily Metcalf," Buck said, returning the smile as he took her outstretched hand and shook it firmly.

The ride home was quiet and lonely. Buck took this time to reflect on the past few hours of his life. Emily was amazing.
He still didn't know why he felt this way. 'Maybe Ike is right.' He thought. 'Maybe I do like her.' At this realization, his spirits lifted. 'Maybe she feels the same. Finally, someone who isn't just using me and getting my hopes up.' He thought, remembering Kathleen, a girl who had done just that. Now that he'd gotten to know Emily a little better, he no longer thought that she was going to repeat Kathleen's story. 'I like her for who she is, and she might feel the same.'

At that moment, life was sweet.