Buck paced nervously in front of the Marshal's office. He had been waiting inside, but Teaspoon had finally kicked him out, claiming he was wearing out the floor boards - not to mention making the Marshal nervous.

This had to have been the longest two-week period of his life. Actually, he would have sworn it had been more than two weeks, but everyone else around him insisted that's all it was.

He stepped out, looking at the clock in front of the bank again. The stage was late. Granted, it was only thirty-eight minutes, which wasn't much considering the distance the stage had to travel, but today it seemed like hours.

A sound off in the distance caught his attention and he stopped, squinting to try and see . . . Yes! It was the stage.

The wagon pulled to a stop, and he was right there to open a door. He politely, but impatiently, helped a woman and her two small children down - and then there she was. It almost seemed like she floated into his arms, and then he had her wrapped in a tight hug and they kissed, oblivious of the other people on the street.

When they finally parted for air, Amy looked up at him and smiled. "Did you miss me?"

He gave her a lopsided grin. "Maybe just a little. How long were you gone?"

"Well, I missed you," she said, slipping out of his embrace. "And for the record, Buck Cross, you're a lousy liar."

He just grinned and shrugged. Then, while Amy said goodbye to the children she had befriended on the trip, Buck gathered her bags from the driver.

Together they walked down the street toward the Pony Express station where Buck had a wagon waiting to take her home. As they walked Amy asked, "How's everything on the ranch?"

"Everything went real smooth," he assured her. "Ben really knows what he's doing."

"I was lucky he was looking to move."

"He hired a couple more hands like you asked. I think you'll like them."

"If you and Ben like them, I'm sure I will."

They reached the station and he lifted her bags into the back of the buckboard. "What did I miss around here?" she asked.

It was the question he had known was coming - and had been dreading. "Let's go inside," he said, somewhat evasively. "Rachel said she'd have lunch ready, and we'll tell you everything."

They walked down the street in silence, as Amy tried to absorb what she'd been told. Kid and Lou had finally said their vows, and that was good news. But Pearson's raiders had caused a lot of damage in the area. Jesse had run off to join his brother - who had been part of the raiders group. Cody had joined the Army as a scout and would soon be leaving. And the Army had set up camp just outside of town, showing no sign of leaving any time soon.

This was the hardest part though. They walked into the small graveyard on the edge of town and Buck stopped in front of a fresh grave. There was a simple marker over it: NOAH DIXON.

"Buck, I'm so very sorry." She hadn't known Noah that well, but he had been Buck's friend, and that made his loss very painful.

"It was kind of a hard time," he acknowledged. "We wanted to be happy for Kid and Lou. But we were sad for Noah . . . and Jesse."

There didn't really seem to be anything else that words could do, so they stood there in silence for a few minutes. Things were changing quickly all around them. Finally, still without speaking, they reached for each other, locked hands, and walked back to the station.

"They've set the date."

"How soon?"

"Our last run will be next week."

Amy set the harness down and went over to stand near Buck. He was leaning on the corral fence, watching a young colt kick up its heels. She took his hand and asked, "What are you going to do."

He shook his head. "I don't know. It's not like this is a big surprise - the telegraph lines are pretty much all up. Rock Creek will be connected before Christmas."

"It's still a big change for you."

This time he nodded. "Another change." He paused, smiling at the colt's youthful antics. "I have a couple of options. Teaspoon says the company will still be using the station here for the stage runs, and they need someone to help with that. Plus another one of his deputies joined the Army, and Jimmy is probably leaving soon too, so I can do that part time if I want."

"I get the feeling you're not that excited about either one."

He shrugged. "I don't want to work for the stage line, that's true. Teaspoon knows I'll help him any time he asks, but the deputy position is only part time. Now that I'll have to find a place of my own to stay, it wouldn't be much money." He looked away, his voice soft. "A lot of other places in town wouldn't even think about hiring me." Still, he knew he'd do anything to stay in Rock Creek - near Amy.

"It's their loss," she told him firmly. "But there might be another option."

"What's that?"

"You could move out here. I still need a foreman."

"Amy, there are a lot of people better qualified to be your foreman." He smiled, shaking his head. "It wasn't all that long ago one of your cows tried to kill me!"

"I think you've learned a little about them since then."

"That's true - Ben has been a big help. Amy, he's much more qualified to be foreman."

"He came here to get away from that kind of responsibility," she reminded him. "Buck, anything about dairy ranching that you need to know, you can learn. The most important thing is, I need someone I know I can trust. Like you."

He looked away, thinking. In some ways it would be perfect - he'd be close to Amy every day. On the other hand, it would make him her employee, and that might cause other problems. Still, the work was preferable to running a stage station, and he could always help Teaspoon as needed.

When he finally looked back at her, he knew there was one thing he had to know before he could decide. "If I took the job, do you think I could get permission from the boss to court you?"

She felt her breath catch, and she struggled to balance her emotional response - she wanted to both laugh and cry. Finally she looked off into the distance and said, "I don't know, I've heard that the boss can be pretty stubborn and unreasonable."

"So I don't stand a chance?"

"Well, I didn't say that. I think it's possible, if you find the right time and ask in just the right way, that you just might get her to agree."

He leaned in, caught her chin in his fingers, and pulled her into a deep kiss. When they finally broke contact he whispered, "Do you think that would work?"

Her heart was racing, and she struggled to calm her breathing. "I think there's a chance it would work," she finally managed to say. "But you'll probably have to ask more than once."

He smiled, leaning in to kiss her again. "How many times do you suppose?"

"Lots."

He kissed her again, holding her tight. As she melted against him, his choice seemed suddenly clear. After the kiss ended he put his lips close to her ear and whispered, "I guess I better take the job then, if I'm going to have to spend so much time convincing the boss."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, surprised at how weak her knees felt just then. That was the answer she had so hoped to hear. "I'm sure you can wear her down."

"I can be very persistent," Buck agreed, wrapping her up in his arms. At that moment, any doubts he had had about the future were banished. He didn't intend to let go of Amy in the immediate future - and the rest would take care of itself.

The November winds began to blow hard and cold, foreshadowing the coming of winter. But the winds of change blew hot and heavy through Rock Creek, touching everyone in one way or another.

After much soul-searching, and a lot of heated discussion, Kid and Lou packed up and headed east, toward Virginia. It hadn't been an easy decision - there was much to keep them in Nebraska. But in the end, Kid's love for his home state won out, and Lou reluctantly agreed to the mov e.

That decision had, of course, not gone over well with Jimmy. As far as he was concerned, Kid could argue about states' rights all day, and it wouldn't change the fact that the South was fighting to preserve slavery. The two men weren't speaking by the time Kid headed out, which made it much harder for Lou to say goodbye to Jimmy. With the war looming for both men, she understood the poor odds that they would both survive to try and rekindle the friendship they had once had. But her pleas couldn't persuade either man to soften his stance.

Buck tried to stay out of the fight. He'd tried to ignore as much of the coming war as possible, figuring it was a problem for the white world. Still, after dealing with the southern raiders, and seeing Noah's life brutally ended at their hands, he knew he couldn't stay neutral. He sided with Jimmy and begged Kid to reconsider. But even though his approach was softer, and Kid really did listen, it was all for naught. And so with a heavy heart Buck saw them off early one morning, wishing them luck, and wondering if he'd ever see either of them again.

Jimmy hadn't fully decided what his plans were yet. He had seen Rosemary Burke back to Kansas following Noah's funeral, getting her to a safehouse set up by the abolitionists. He had then returned to Rock Creek, still debating his options. Recently he'd been having discussions with the army, though he refused to talk about what the discussions concerned. His present plan was to stay in Rock Creek through the holiday season - and then, no one quite knew.

Cody's plans had been clearer. He left Rock Creek just after the last Express run ended, with orders to report to a new army unit. His enthusiasm for fighting the war had dimmed after Noah's death, but his commitment remained strong.

Teaspoon and Polly had shared many a long conversation too. Their native soil of Texas was calling to them, but so were other voices. Teaspoon's long and varied career as a lawman and in military units had given him the wisdom to know he didn't want to fight another war. And Polly had found a home in Rock Creek, with a thriving business, and she was reluctant to give that up. In the end, they decided to stay - and Teaspoon even broached the idea of maybe, possibly, someday, they might think about getting hitched again.

Rachel elected to stay on as the cook for the stage line that still ran through Rock Creek. It was only a part time job since the stages didn't come through every day, but it helped to supplement her meager salary as the schoolteacher. (Rock Creek's current excuse was that money had to be allocated for the war effort, and there was nothing else left for the school.)

Buck moved into the foreman's cabin on the Dandridge ranch and threw himself into learning the business. He also went into town a couple of days a week and pinned on a badge to give Teaspoon some time off. It helped to keep his mind busy - then there was less time to think about how his Pony Express family had fallen apart.  But mostly he worked on the ranch. He and Ben developed an easy working relationship, and a close friendship, as they readied the ranch for winter.

Of course, he spent most evenings with Amy. After dinner they would retire to the parlour, sometimes to talk, sometimes to just sit together in front of the fire. Frequently they would each pick a book and read - they found they didn't really need to talk, they just needed each other's company.

It was early December, and outside the wind was howling, and there was a threat of snow in the air. But inside, Buck and Amy had just finished cleaning up after dinner. Now he was stoking the fire in the parlour, waiting for her to bring the coffee so they could settle in for a night of reading. He had a book all picked out.

He turned as he saw her come into the room, then watched as she put the coffee down on the table. But instead of sitting down, she did something he definitely hadn't expected. She went to the still-vacant music room and opened the door.

Buck was quite sure that door hadn't been opened since Jimmy had found the room the day after they met Amy. And to be sure, a bit of dust fluttered near the floor after being disturbed by the movement. But he was quite curious what had finally led her to go to the room that held so many bad memories. He walked up behind her, put his hands on her shoulders. "Amy?" He could feel her trembling under his touch.

She didn't turn to look at him, instead just stood there looking into the empty room. "I was thinking we should have a Christmas party," she finally said softly.

A Christmas party? He wasn't sure he had heard her right. Granted, she had done very well since the dance, facing the world again. But there were still so many things, like this room, that made her tremble. "A Christmas party, Amy?"

She nodded, turning partway to look at him. "You know, Christmas. Baby Jesus, angels, three Kings. Saint Nicholas. A fancy tree, presents."

"I know what Christmas is, Amy." Despite the sisters' best efforts at the mission school, he had never really come to accept the Christian religion, or its holidays, as his own. But he could appreciate a decorated tree and presents as well as anyone. Still, he knew that Amy realized that hadn't been what his question really was. He turned her body to face him. "Are you sure you're ready to have a party here?"

She didn't answer right away, staring at a spot on the floor. Finally, without looking up, she whispered, "I need to face the ghosts from my past before I can go any farther. And I do so want a future." She looked up and added, hesitantly, "With you."

He swallowed hard against a sudden lump in his throat. Wrapping her in his arms he held her tight. "I want that too, Amy," he managed to whisper. Then he pushed her away just far enough so that he could look into her eyes. "We'll have the best Christmas party anyone in Rock Creek has ever seen!"

She favored him with a small smile, then buried her face against his chest again. Tears of both fear and happiness soaked into his shirt.

And then, the words he had often wondered if he would ever hear.

"I love you, Buck."

Her voice was barely a whisper, but he heard those words as if she had shouted them. He buried his face against her head, his own tears dampening her hair. "I love you too, Amy."

Amy had actually been considering the party for a while, and the next day over breakfast she showed Buck a telegram from a company in Chicago - confirming that the new piano she had ordered would be delivered before Christmas. "It's the same kind that mama had," she confided. "It will look just right in that room."

"And just what else have you already planned for this party?" he asked.

"Well . . . I thought maybe I'd get some sheet music for an opera, and you could sing . . ."

"I don't think so, Amy."

"But, Buck . . ."

"Amy . . ."

She tried to pout, but it was too hard so she finally gave in and grinned. "I thought it would have been a simply grand idea!"

"I'm sure you did." He tried to keep his voice stern, but he couldn't help grinning too.

"So, what have I really planned?" She got up from the table and went to the doorway leading to the parlour. "We used to have grand parties in Chicago," she said, closing her eyes and seeing the parties in her mind. "I've ordered champagne from St. Louis, and lots and lots of decorations. And papa had a number of business associates there - I've asked one of them, an attorney, to help locate some musicians. And a chef."

He grinned. "Digger will be hurt that you're not asking him."

"Digger is a fine cook," she answered. "But for the food I have in mind, I need a chef."

"All that's going to cost a lot of money," he pointed out.

"I have the money, Buck." She came back to the table and sat down. "Do you think people will be upset if I throw a fancy party? I guess I don't know very many of them that well."

"No, I think they'll enjoy it," he assured her. "It's just not something you have to do."

"But I'll enjoy it too," she answered.

"Then by all means, do it." He paused, then added, "But I'm still not singing opera."

He ducked out of the chair just in time as she threw a slice of bread at him. Laughing, he scooped up his jacket and hat and made his escape out the back door.

As he made his way down toward the barn to help Ben, he couldn't help but marvel at the differences between the Amy he had first met, and the woman he had just left in the house now. The changes were huge - and good.

This would definitely be a party to remember.

Christmas Eve, 1861, dawned clear and cold in Rock Creek. The ground was covered with a thin layer of snow from a storm that had passed through a few days earlier. It gave the land a clean, fresh, peaceful look.

Things were not peaceful on the Dandridge ranch that day. From before the sun had peeked over the horizon there was activity as final preparations were made for the evening's party. Amy was banished from her own kitchen as the chef hired from St. Louis worked on his creations. The room looked chaotic, but the aromas wafting into the rest of the house were heavenly.

She had hired some of the older children from town for the day to help and put several of them to work hanging decorations. Meanwhile, Buck and a couple of the boys trekked off to a stand of pine trees farther out on the ranch land and returned later in the morning with the Yuletide tree. It was large and they struggled to get it in place in the music room, but finally it was upright and the process of decorating started.

There was a flurry of activity outdoors too. While Pete took charge of delivering the day's milk supply, Ben directed the placement of lanterns to light the guests' way. He set up extra water and feed bins for the horses that would be delivering the guests later in the day.

Digger kept all the workers fed. Inspired by the visiting St. Louis chef, he went all out in his preparations, and set out a spread that left the bunkhouse table sagging.

Amy ran from place to place, watching everything with delight, offering suggestions here and there. She hadn't realized how much she missed things like this. She got so caught up in getting things done that Buck and Ben finally picked her up and carried her to the bunkhouse to make her get something to eat.

Finally, in the late afternoon, Buck found her alone in the music room, admiring the festively adorned tree. She was sitting on the bench in front of the new piano, idly plunking some keys as she looked at the tree. He slipped up silently behind her and slid his hands over her eyes. "Guess who?"

She reached her hands up, running her fingers over his. "Let's see," she said, continuing her explorations up his arms. "Oh, I know! It's Christmas, so you must be Saint Nicholas!"

He pulled his hands away, laughing. "Close enough. But I don't think anyone's ever called me a saint before." He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small box wrapped with a big blue ribbon. "I wanted to give you this while it was still quiet. Merry Christmas, Amy."

She smiled up at him as she took the box. Then she shook it, listened to it, sniffed it . . .

"You could try opening it," Buck suggested, amused by her attempts to identify the contents.

Amy scowled at him. "Where would the fun be in just opening it?" But, having exhausted other detection means, she undid the ribbon, opened the lid - and gasped.

Inside, on a velvety pad, was a delicate silver chain with a heart pendant attached. On the heart itself an intricate rose design was engraved. She just stared at it, unmoving, until she finally realized Buck was saying something. "I'm sorry, what?"

He shrugged. It was hard to tell from her expression, but was she disappointed? "I was just saying, I know it's not as fancy as what you're used to. I wish I could afford . . ."

"Buck, it's beautiful! And you chose it for me, which makes it more precious than any money."

"I'd give you the world if I could, Amy."

"You already have," she said softly. She stood up, moving up close to him. "Buck, you gave me my life back. That's worth more than all the money in the world."

They were standing very close together, and now it took barely any movement from either of them for their lips to meet. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling hers encircle him at the same time.

When she finally pulled away, she took the necklace and put the heart against her throat, turning around and holding the ends of the chain out to him. He fastened the chain, then looked over her shoulder at the silver heart sparkling in the waning sunlight. "You own my heart, Amy," he whispered, not referring to the silver one.

She leaned back against him, reaching up to touch the pendant. "And I will try to take very good care of it," she answered softly. Then she twisted away and turned around, smiling. "I have something for you, too. Wait right here!" Without waiting for an answer she ran out of the room.

He heard her footsteps going up the stairs. He'd wait, all right - forever, if necessary.

She was back quickly and handed him a box. He grinned and repeated her investigation methods - shake, sniff, listen.  When he looked up, Amy was watching him with a look of amusement, and he couldn't help but laugh himself. He pulled the ribbon and opened the box.

It was his turn to be speechless. The gift was a shirt - but one like he'd rarely even seen, and certainly never owned. The fabric was silk, and the color was a rich sky blue. He hesitated, almost afraid to touch it.

Amy reached in and lifted the shirt out, holding it up to his chest. "Is it all right? I thought the color would be good with your hair and eyes."

He looked into her eyes, saw the approval there, and nodded. "I like it. Thank you."

She smiled, then reached for a smaller box she had set on the piano. "This is for you too."

This time he just opened the box without testing it first, and he could feel a lump forming in his throat as he saw the contents. It was a silver pocket watch, and the cover was etched with a drawing of a magnificent buck deer, running in full stride. He picked up the watch, flipped open the cover, and saw his name and the date engraved inside. He finally shook his head. "Amy, it's too much . . ."

"No, it's not." She closed his hand around the watch, then kissed his fingers.  "It gave me great pleasure to get it for you."

He snaked his other arm around her waist, pulling her in tight. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Just love me," she answered simply, then grinned and added, "because you can't help yourself."

He knew she was right about that, so with an exaggerated sigh of resignation he leaned in to kiss her - just as all the children who had been helping them rushed into the room, leading the musicians who had just arrived from town. Buck and Amy looked at each other and just had to laugh, because there didn't seem to be anything else to do.

"I think it must be time to get dressed for the party," Amy remarked.

"Must be," Buck agreed, letting go reluctantly. "Make sure you save me a dance."

"Lots of them."

The party was, by everyone's account, a great success.  Neighbors came together to celebrate the season, and for a few hours in Rock Creek it was possible to believe that there really was peace on earth and goodwill toward all men. There was good food, good drink, and good companionship.

Buck stood off in one corner of the music room, nursing the single glass of champagne he had decided to allow himself. Never having been much for drinking, he figured that was enough for the night. He certainly didn't want anything to interfere with his memories of the party.

He watched as Amy applauded one of the town teenagers who had just finished playing a Christmas carol on the piano. Just watching her, he couldn't help but think again how lucky he was. She looked up just then, caught him looking at her, and smiled - even from across the room, it had the effect of making him feel warm all over.

As the young pianist made way for the professional musicians to play again, Amy made her way over to Buck. "Are you just going to stand there and watch me all night?"

"I can think of worse things to do." He thought she was beautiful every day, but tonight she was especially fine. The dress she had chosen was dark brown, and her light brown hair contrasted well with the fabric. The dress also had a bodice panel and two side panels of blue - almost the exact same shade of blue as the shirt she had given him.

The music started and she held out her hand. "I think you owe me another dance."

He set the glass down, taking her hand. There wasn't a lot of room to dance, but as long as he had her in his arms, he didn't care. The rest of the world almost ceased to exist.

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "I saw you talking with Tompkins earlier."

He had to smile at the memory - now that had truly been a surprise. It might even qualify as one of the season's miracles. "He wanted to talk about increasing the dairy deliveries he gets at the store." The conversation had been brief, to be sure, but civil - definitely the first time he could say that.

"I know. He asked me about it, and I told him he'd have to talk to my foreman."

He smiled down at her. "So you set that all up then."

She shrugged. "Maybe."

His grin widened. "Woman, you are devious."

"But do you love me anyway?"

He pulled her back into the corner and stopped. "What do you think?" he whispered as he pulled her close, searching for her lips with his. The music went on around them, but neither of them heard it.

"It's freezing out here!"

"Oh, shut up and get down before someone sees you."

Baxter rubbed his arms and knelt between Abe and Gus.  "Abe, what are we doing here? There's too many people around."

Holling sighed and explained again. "There's people around now, but they're already starting to leave. Once everyone clears out, that's when we'll go in." His face took on an evil grin as he added, "We'll finish the party all right."

"Word in town is, she's got a lover," Gus said. "Some Indian. What if he don't leave?"

Abe shrugged. "Then we kill him too," he answered, his voice colder than the night air.

The hour grew late, and the guests reluctantly began to take their leave. Pastor McCready stood at the door, reminding everyone as they departed of the special Christmas Day service the next morning. People left singly and in small, friendly groups. Wagons left carrying the musicians and the chef back to the hotel in town.

Teaspoon had escorted both Polly and Rachel to the party, and they were among the last to leave. "Amy, that was one fine party. Thank you."

"Do you think everyone had fun?" she asked? "I had fun."

"Honey, if anyone didn't have fun here, it was because they really didn't want to," Polly assured her.

"I don't know when I've seen so many people smiling," Rachel added. She looked around at all the reminders of the party strewn around - plates, cups, serving platters. "Are you sure you don't want some help cleaning up."

"Thank you, Rachel, but it's taken care of. I hired some people to come back tomorrow and help clean - after church services, of course." She smiled and waved at Pastor McCready, who was just taking his own leave.

"Well, maybe I'll come out in the afternoon too," Rachel said. "I'd like to help."

"You're always welcome here, Rachel," Amy answered. "As company."

"Rachel's good at directing other people to clean things up," Buck said. He stepped in behind Amy, wrapped his arms around her and leaned in to whisper, loudly, "Believe me, I know."

They all laughed, and Rachel swatted Buck with her scarf. "You should be glad I was trying to teach you boys some discipline," she said, trying to sound stern through the laughter.

"Well, I'm glad you did," Amy said - earning a glare from Buck, and more laughter from the others.

Teaspoon stepped up and unwrapped Buck's arms, pulling Amy into a hug of his own. He kissed her cheek and said, "I'm just happy things have worked out for you, Amy."

She returned the hug gratefully. "Thank you for everything, Teaspoon."

Teaspoon let go and stepped back. "Merry Christmas everyone."

There were hugs and kisses all around, and then the three guests left to head back to Rock Creek. Amy and Buck saw them off, watching until the wagon disappeared out of sight. Then they extinguished the last of the lanterns illuminating the yard and went back to the house.

"It really was a good party, Amy."

"I had fun. Did you?"

"I had fun just watching you."

She smiled and leaned in against him, resting her head on his chest. "I'm so glad I have you to share this with."

He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm glad you have me too."

They stood there for several minutes, not talking, not moving, just holding each other in silence. Finally, reluctantly, he let her go. "I'll come and get you about 7:00 for church."

She looked at him quizzically. "You don't even believe in church."

"No, but I believe in you." He kissed her, then added, "Merry Christmas, Amy."

"Merry Christmas, Buck."

They watched the last of the wagons leave, then got their horses and rode slowly, silently around toward the back of the house. They took a long route around, not wanting to be seen by anyone in the house or the bunkhouse.