A BOUNTY HUNTER’S DREAM
                                                  MARY BOLTON

James Butler Hickok, known throughout the West as Wild Bill Hickok, quickly holstered his gun, ignoring the sting in his left arm.  He could feel the blood trickling down inside of his shirt, but he didn’t want any of the townspeople that were watching to know what pain he was in.  He was a rider for the Pony Express, and had just delivered the mail to the offices of Russell, Majors & Waddell in St. Joe, when he had been called out.  All of these young guns had read all the lies about him, and they wanted to make a name for themselves by being the one to kill Wild Bill.  And like always, he’d quickly dispatched the young upstart, feeling once again the hopelessness for taking a life so unnecessarily.  Unfortunately, the younger man had been able to get a shot off before Jimmy had killed him.  Now he just wanted to get out of St. Joe, and find a place far enough away to camp for the night and take care of his arm.

So instead of spending the night here like he usually did, he made himself get on his tired horse, and headed him towards Rock Creek, a long day’s ride from here.  Each movement of the horse spent a spasm of pain through his arm, and once free from prying eyes, he let loose with every swear word that he knew and made up some new ones.

He made his way to a secluded lake that he knew about so he’d have plenty of water.  It took him a little while to set up camp and get a fire started.  Jimmy knew that he’d have to dig the bullet out.
 

Sarah Brooks let her horse make its way gingerly through the woods.  Night would be coming on soon, and she wanted to make the lake by then.  The delicate smell of wood smoke came to her nostrils, and she stopped her horse, running her hand down his neck.  Who else would possibly know about this spot?  She dismounted, dropped her horse’s reins, and crept through the underbrush to see what she could find out.  Sarah crept within ten feet of the man sitting by a fire.  He was holding his left arm with his hand as he looked down at a knife that was heating in the fire.  She could see blood on his shirt.  Had he been shot?  Should she offer to help him?  She knew that she could hold her own with him if the need arose.  Sarah gnawed on her lip debating the issue with herself.  She went back to her horse, took the reins, and retraced her steps, coming out this time into the clearing.

She watched the man steadily, and he eyed her warily.  His good hand had gone to one of his twin ivory handled Colts, and rested there lightly as she walked towards him.  She quickly decided that he was quite pleasing to look at...had long, rich brown-colored hair that fell straight, past his shoulders.  His eyes were lighter than his hair...perhaps hazel?  He’d taken his black hat off, and his black gloves.  She stood silent for a moment, letting him take her in..hoping he realized that she wasn’t a threat to him.

Jimmy was startled when, what could only be called a vision, walked through the woods toward him.  She was very pretty, wild blond hair framing her face...eyes so blue that he could see their color when she was still a ways away from him.  She wore a light brown hat, pushed back from her face.  Her slender hands had brown leather gloves on them.  She was leading an all black horse, and she stopped a few feet from him.  He quickly took in the single gun hanging low at her right hip.  There was a rifle holstered at her saddle.  The saddle also carried a canteen, bedroll, and saddle bags.  She was traveling.  A warmth seemed to come from her, but there was something else there...something intangible, and that he knew he should be wary of.  His hand had gone instinctively to his gun, but he slowly lowered it, realizing he didn’t have anything to worry about from her...not right now anyway.

“It looks like you need some help, mister.  I’m pretty good at doctoring if you’d like the help,”  she offered with her soft voice, still making no move to go closer to him.

She was getting confusing messages from this man.  Part of her believed that he could be a dangerous man.  His eyes looked cold and very old.  But the other part could sense his spirit, and that part was letting her know that she could trust this man with her life.

Jimmy’s first instinct was to tell her he didn’t need no help, but his other part was telling him not to be stupid.  From the looks of her rig, she could take care of herself, but he didn’t think that he needed to fear anything from her at this point.  She looked relaxed standing there.

“I’d like the help, thanks.  I got hot water, and my knife is ready.”

Sarah took her hat and gloves off and laid them on her saddle.  She pulled a thin strip of leather out of her pocket and tied her hair back as she walked towards him.  Taking a quick look, she saw it was a messy wound.

“Let me wash my hands off, and I’ll get right to it,” she said as she went and got some soap out of her pack and did just that.

Back at his side, she ripped his shirt away from his arm, picked up his knife and allowed it to cool.

“You already know this is gonna hurt like a son of a bitch.  Do you want anything to bite down on?”

“No...jest do it,”  he told her as he went inside himself, willing himself not to cry out as she started to dig around in his arm. 

Surprisingly it didn’t take her long to pull the bullet out.  She cleaned the wound out, poured some whiskey over it, and that was all his body could take.  He  passed out.

“Well, Mr. Whoever you are...I’m surprised you lasted that long.  I guess I can’t leave you here very well,” Sarah sighed.  She hadn’t really wanted any company this night.  She had a feeling that he hadn’t wanted any either, or else he would have found some help.

She threw her bedroll down on the ground and spread it out.  He’d need something nourishing when he woke up, she decided.  Then she stopped herself.  When was the last time she had taken care of anyone?  She remembered her baby sister, and immediately felt the cold anger come over her.  No!  She pushed that thought away.  Suffice it to say that it’s been awhile, but she thought that she could do it.  She went through what food she had, and decided that some hardtack, beans and biscuits would have to do for tonight.

Sarah heard a moan come from the prone man so she went over to him, feeling his forehead, glad when she found that it was cool.  His arm would be sore, but he’d be all right by morning.  His eyes fluttered, and he looked a little startled to see her leaning over him.  She backed off quickly.  

“Supper’s almost ready.  Sit up slow.  You might be a little dizzy.”

“You’re still here,”  he mumbled, as he struggled to sit up.

“I didn’t think it would be right to just leave you after you’d passed out,” she replied.  “How ya feelin’?”

“Mah head is poundin’,” he admitted.

“Coffee should clear it up,” she told him as she passed him a mug, then laid a plate of food next to him.

“Who are you?”  he asked her, point blank.

“Sarah Brooks,”  she smiled tentatively at him as she held out her hand.  “And you’re...?”

“Jimmy Hickok,” he told her slowly as he took her hand.  Her grip was surprisingly strong.

“And that’s why you had a bullet in your arm?”  she asked him, immediately knowing who he was.  So this was Wild Bill!  One would have thought he was at least ten feet tall..carried a  dozen pistols, smelled bad, and was just generally nasty.

“Yeah, I guess,” he shrugged, not sure that he liked the fact she knew of his reputation.

“Did you do the callin’, or did the other one?”

“The other.”

“And he’s dead now?”

“Yeah...that’s what happens.”

Sarah noticed that he wasn’t bragging, just speaking fact.  She nodded her head.  She also wasn’t surprised that he had gone off by himself.  She would expect Wild Bill to be a loner.

“Hear tell that you work for the Pony Express.  How’d all this happen to you?”

“Ever heard of a writer named Marcus?”

“Was he the one that wrote that book about you?”

He just nodded.  “He got mad at me, so he just wrote a bunch of lies.  It all took off from there.”

“That’s too bad.  It’s lucky you have the skill to back the lies up,” she observed with a smile “Or else I wouldn’t be caring for you now.”

The smile hit him in the region of his stomach, and it gave a funny turn.  He shook his head to clear it.

“It seems you know lots ‘bout me.  And I don’t know nuthin’ ‘bout you.”

“That’s true...you don’t.”

“You talk all proper like..but you look like you’re used ta spendin’ nights on the trail.  Ya wear your gun like you know how to use it.”

“I do, and I have.  I spend most of my time on the trail, and when I was younger, an aunt  from Boston came to spend time with my family and instructed my sister and I in the proper way to speak and act.  Now eat up.  You’ll need all your strength to travel tomorrow.  Where’s your home station?”

“Rock Creek.  How come you know so much ‘bout me?” he blurted.  It was unnerving.  He knew that he had a reputation, but
this lady seemed to know him.

“I make it my business to know.  You should be alright by morning, Hickok.  Don’t worry about being on guard tonight.  I’ll do that so you can get a good night’s sleep.”

Jimmy knew enough about people to know that this lady did not want to talk anymore about herself.  He’d respect that..mainly because he was the same way.  And there was no doubt in his mind that this lady could handle guard duty by herself.  In a way, her toughness reminded him of one of his best friends...Lou.  Lou could take care of herself in about any situation.  This lady probably could, too.  He picked up his plate, and ate what she had prepared.  It wasn’t bad.

He snuck a look at her.  She had stopped eating and was staring off into the distance.  What was she thinking?  The breeze was
gently blowing her hair from her face.  Sarah was slender, but she looked strong.  Her skin was tanned, and he could picture her in a parlor pouring tea for a bunch of church ladies.  He smiled to himself.  This lady probably had never done that.  What was her life like?  She seemed of gentle spirit, but he could sense a hardness about her.  She was giving, but didn’t want to get close.  She would care for him only as long as he needed her.  Then he had a feeling that she would disappear.  What did she do in her life?  What difference did it make?  After tomorrow morning, he’s never see her again.

“Why are you staring at me, Mr. Hickok?”  she asked without even looking at him.

“Jest tryin’ to figure you out, Miss Brooks.”

“Good luck,” she told him with a small laugh.  “No one’s been able to do it yet.”

“Got a husband?”

“Nope.”

“A gentleman friend?”

“Nope.”

“Any family?”

“Nope.  What about you, Mr. Hickok...you got any family?”

“Three sisters in Missouri is all.  I don’t see ‘em much.”

“That’s too bad,” she sighed.  “You finished with your supper?  Can I get you anything else?”

“I’m fine.  It was good.  Thanks.”

She took the plate from him and cleaned it off, along with her own.

“Now why don’t you get some rest?  You probably rode hard all day, and what with that wound and all...you’re probably tired.”

Now where had that come from? she asked herself.  It felt strange to be concerned about someone.  She hadn’t been in quite some time.  She wasn’t sure that she liked remembering how it felt.

“Yeah..I am,” he said as he slid down on his bedroll.  “Night, Sarah.  If you need me, wake me up.”

“If  I need you, you’ll probably wake up on your own.  Night.”

Sarah knew that it didn’t take him long to fall asleep.  Why did he trust her?  But then she knew how exhausted you felt after you had a bullet dug out of you.  She banked the fire for the night and also laid down.  From past experience, she knew she would sleep lightly.

Jimmy’s dreams were filled with blonde angels flying around him, ministering to him.  But he didn’t wake up until the smell of coffee tickled his nostrils.  He slowly opened his eyes, and immediately saw Sarah sitting there, looking as if she’d been awake for hours.  Lord almighty she was beautiful!

“Mornin’,” she smiled.  “How ya feelin?”

“Alright, I think!”  he said as he sat up.  He moved his arm slowly, and it felt sore, but he’d known it would.

“Coffee and biscuits?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

They ate in silence, then he watched as she quickly packed up her things.

“I think that you’ll be alright now, and I need to be on my way.”

He stood up and went over to her.

“I’m mighty be holdin’ to ya, Sarah.  Maybe someday I’ll be able to repay your kindness.”

“Maybe you will, Jimmy Hickok.  Watch your back!”  she told him as she swung up onto her horse, wheeled her around, and in a few moments, was gone from his sight.

Jimmy just shook his head.  He needed to be heading to Rock Creek.  He got his things together, and was soon on the trail.  His arm was still throbbing, and he felt like hell, but he knew he’d be a lot worse off if it hadn’t been for her doctoring.  He was fairly certain that he wouldn’t be seeing her again, but he knew that deep down, there was this small part of him that was hoping he would.

Sarah’s mind wanted to stay on Jimmy Hickok.  She hadn’t had a man in her life for years, but she knew with her occupation that was for the best.  And the last man she needed was Wild Bill!  She pulled the Wanted posted from her pants pocket and looked at the outlaw pictured on it.  If she wanted to eat for the next few months, she’d best find Jack Cassidy.  She repocketed the  poster, pushed Hickok from her mind, and headed for Sulfur Springs.

“Son!  What happened?”  Teaspoon asked Jimmy as he came riding into the station.

Teaspoon was the marshal of Rock Creek, and the overseer of the Pony Express Station.  He was also like a father to the riders that were based at the station.

“Got called out in St. Joe.  I musta got distracted and got winged.”

“Looks like the doc did a right good job of it.  How do it feel?”

Jimmy quickly decided to let Teaspoon think that a doctor had attended to him.

“Sore,” he admitted.

Teaspoon took the reins of his horse.

“I’ll take care of Cisco for you.  Go find Rachel and have her tend to your wound.  Then get sumthin’ to eat and get some rest. 

And those are orders!”  Teaspoon stated as he saw that Jimmy was about to protest.

So Jimmy just nodded his head and headed to find Rachel.  She cooked and cleaned for the riders, and they treated her like they would treat their mas...if any of them’d had mas.

Once in his bunk, Jimmy realized how exhausted he was.  The day’s ride had taken a lot out of him, and his arm felt better now that Rachel had ministered to him.  He closed his eyes, and immediately a blonde angel was there...Sarah...with her brilliant blue eyes.

“No!”  he whispered to himself as he tried to push her away.  He had already decided that he didn’t need a woman in his life.  He figured that since he was always looking over his shoulder to see who might be sneaking up on him, he didn’t need to worry about that and a woman, too.  Most women couldn’t be trusted to look after themselves, and besides, he wasn’t home very much anyway.  The Pony Express kept him on the trail, and he wondered how Lou and Kid made their marriage
work....probably because Lou had once been a rider and she knew what that life was like.  But marriage wasn’t for him, so he firmly pushed Sarah out of his mind.  Thinking about a woman was sure to get him killed.

Quite a few weeks had gone by, and every now and then, Sarah would hear a new tale about Jimmy Hickok...how he’d ambushed some outlaws..or called someone out while he was riding through their town..or tracked someone down and killed them in cold blood.  She didn’t think that sounded like the Jimmy she had met, but then they hadn’t talked that much.  Maybe he was like that!  Sarah rode slowly into Willow Creek, all of her senses on alert as she slowly looked around the town.  She tied her horse by the saloon, and started showing the poster of her latest bounty around.  Without exception, she was pointed in the direction of the saloon.  Bart Samuels was wanted dead or alive..and dead was always easiest for her.  Sarah looked into the saloon...yeah...he was leaning against the bar.


Jimmy had stopped for a bite to eat and a sarsaparilla in Willow Creek before he continued on to Fort Laramie with some mail for the army.  Teaspoon had assured him that he didn’t need to be in an all-fired hurry with this bunch of mail, so he’d figured that stopping to eat a decent meal on the trail would be nice for once.  The talk around him stopped, and he looked up from his steak to see what was going on.  He was quite surprised to see Sarah Brooks walk confidently into the saloon, go over to the bar and say in a voice that booked no argument, “Bart Samuels?  I’m here to take you to the jail in Cactus Flats.”

A large man reached for his gun and turned around to face her.  Jimmy was reaching for his gun when Sarah went for hers and shot the man dead before his gun had even cleared leather.  He knew his mouth must be on the ground as the man slowly fell to the floor.  He watched as Sarah quickly looked around her to make sure there were no other threats, then reholstered her gun.  Jimmy saw that her eyes were now the coldest he’d ever seen.  Was that what he looked like after he shot someone?

“Could one of you gents help me carry him to his horse outside?”

Jimmy quickly stood up.  He’d almost finished with his meal anyway.

“I will.”

She whirled around, seeing Jimmy for the first time.  What the hell was he doing here?

“Appreciate it,” she said.

A patron at the bar helped him heave the man over his shoulder, and he followed Sarah out to her horse.

“Which one?”  he asked, still not sure how he felt about all of this.

“His is that bay right there.”

Jimmy heaved him, belly down, over the saddle, making sure he would stay in that position.

“Much obliged, Jimmy,” she gave him a small smile as she began to mount her horse.  At that moment, a shot rang out, and

Sarah jerked back and fell from her horse.  Instinctively, Jimmy grabbed his gun, aimed, and fired at a man on the top of the hotel roof.  His second shot got him.  Then he turned his attention to Sarah, clutching her shoulder.

“Is the bullet still in there?”  he asked.

She grimaced as she nodded.

“Let’s get you to the doc then,” he said as he easily helped her to her feet.

“I’d rather just go on to Cactus Flats, get rid of this guy, and have the doc look at it there.  It’s not that far away.”

“You’re goin’ to the doc here!”  he told her as they continued to walk to the doc’s office.

“You’re a good one to talk.  Seems to me the last time you got shot, you didn’t take time to go to the docs.”

Jimmy chose not to say anything as he pushed her through the door at the doc’s office.  Luckily the doc was in.  He made Sarah lie down on the table.

“Why don’t you wait outside, son?”  the kindly man directed him.

“No!”  Sarah stated, not really wanting to blurt out her fear of doctors.  “Um....I mean, this won’t take long and all.  Do you really mind?”  she looked up at Jimmy.

Jimmy shrugged his shoulders, immediately sensing that there was something else going on.

“This is gonna hurt some,” the doc warned her.

“I know,” she said in a soft voice as the doc ripped her shirt away from the wound and began to prob for the bullet.

Jimmy saw her clench her teeth, and her face turned deathly white..but she didn’t cry out.  He took her left hand,                        “Squeeze as hard as you like,” he told her, and she did.  He had to admire her toughness.  She didn’t shed a tear as the doc pulled the bullet out, poured some sulfa powder on it, and stitched her up.  He dressed the wound.

“You lay there for a bit until you feel better.  Get her to drink some water, son.  I’ll be back in a half hour to see if you’re up to leavin’.”

“Thanks,” she stated wearily.

Jimmy poured her some water, and held her head up so she could take a few swallows.

“Now, why don’t you close them blue eyes of yours and get some rest?  I’ll go check on your bounty, then I’ll come back and check on you.”

“Jimmy..I want to thank you for helping me out, but I know that you probably have someplace that you need to be.  Why don’t you go on?  I’ll be alright now.”

“Jest get some rest,” was all he said as he left her.  He went out to her horse and checked to make sure the black was all right. 
The bounty wasn’t going anywhere.  The other body had been removed, so he just stared down at the street.
He knew she wanted him to leave...but he couldn’t.  That wouldn’t be right.  He didn’t know why he felt responsible for her, but he did..especially now that she wasn’t 100% and wouldn’t be able to defend herself if she needed to.  His mind replayed the scene in the bar.  All evidence showed that she was a bounty hunter...a FEMALE bounty hunter who was mighty good with  a gun.  He’d heard tell of a couple women bounty hunters, but he’d never heard names.  How did he feel about this?  How had she come to this way of life?  What difference did it make?  After he helped her to Cactus Flats, he would leave her.  And he would sincerely hope that he would never run into her again.  He knew Teaspoon wouldn’t mind the mail taking a little longer.

She was in between sleep and wakefulness, when she heard the doc asking her,

“How are you feelin’, Miss?”

“Much better,” she lied as she forced herself to sit up.  “How much do I owe you?”

“A dollar.”

She fished the money out of her pocket and handed it to him.

“I’m much obliged,” she told him as she grabbed her hat and, cradling her arm, she went outside.  And she was very surprised
to see Jimmy standing there, waiting for her.

“I thought you’d left.”

“Nope, I’m gonna ride with you to Cactus Flats.  I figure we can travel for a couple hours if you’re up to it..camp for the night, and pull into Cactus Flats late tomorrow mornin’.”

“Or I can travel until I get there this evening.  I do appreciate your help, Jimmy.  You probably saved my life...”

“Probably?”  he questioned with a smile.

“Alright..you saved my life, but from the looks of it you’ve got mail to deliver.  I don’t want to hold that up.  I’ll be fine now...really,” she said as she went to her horse to mount him.

Jimmy cupped his hands so he could give her a leg up.  With that shoulder, there was no way she would be able to mount the horse.  He could tell she didn’t want to accept the help, but she wisely took the boost.  He handed her the reins to the dead man’s horse, than mounted Cisco.

“I’m goin’.  Let’s go,” he told her in a voice that booked no argument.
In truth, Sarah was glad to have him along.  She knew from past experience that she wouldn’t be worth crap for the rest of the day.  For once, it would be nice to have a protector along to watch over her.  This was another thing she wasn’t used to.  She was used to being alone, depending only on herself.  But she knew she could trust this man...and she didn’t know why she felt that way.  So she followed Jimmy, willing herself to sit straight in the saddle.  She gritted her teeth as each bounce of her horse, Sadie, sent pain shooting through her shoulder.

Jimmy wondered if she would ever talk to him.  Could she be that angry at him for insisting he come along with her?

“It’s gonna be dark soon.  We’ll set up camp over there!”  he pointed to a stand of trees close by a creek.

“Fine,” she gritted out between her clenched teeth.  All she wanted to do was slide off this horse and sleep for the next ten hours.

She reined up and got off Sadie.  She tied the outlaw’s horse a distance away from them, unrolled her bedroll, and laid down on it.

Jimmy watched her through all this.

“Want me to look at that shoulder?” he asked.

“No, it’s fine,” came the muffled reply.

“You know, you ain’t very good company,” he told her, irritated by her attitude.

“If you remember, Mr. Hickok, I didn’t want you to come along.  Now I need some rest.  If you want to stay, fine.  If you want to go on your way, that’s even better.”

Jimmy stood above her, studying her.  He could tell by her pale looks that she wasn’t doing fine.

“Sometimes bein’ prideful ain’t a good thing.  Go to sleep.”

Sarah wanted to lash out at him, but she didn’t have the strength.  She yawned, somehow knowing that he would still be there when she woke up.

In her sleep, she looked so young.  He could tell that she was in a deep sleep, too.  Jimmy just shook his head and started a fire.  He didn’t want to go through her things, and he didn’t have much food with him, so he decided to go looking for some.
Sarah could feel her stomach rumbling as a good smell came to her nose.  She opened her eyes slowly to see Jimmy busily working over the fire.  How long had she been sleeping?

“Good!  You’re awake.  The food’s ‘bout ready.”

She sat up.  “It looks good,” she ventured, realizing that he really hadn’t had to stay with her, and he definitely didn’t have to hunt and cook for her.  Maybe it was time for her to try to be a little friendlier.  She’d only have to be with him until tomorrow afternoon.  “What would I have done without you, Jimmy?” she smiled.

The smile zeroed in on his stomach, and he couldn’t have eaten a thing at that moment.

“You been tryin’ to get rid of me since we was in Willow Creek!”  he stated, flabbergasted.  “And now you’re actin’ like you’re happy I’m here?”

“Jimmy..both you and I are loners.  We’re used to doing things on our own and taking care of ourselves and watching our own backs.  We’re not used to taking care of people or letting people take care of us.  I’m sorry for being so nasty to you.  I wouldn’t have been worth hell today, and you knew that.  I do appreciate the care you’re giving me.”
Jimmy just sat there with a little smile and gave a small nod of his head.

“If it makes you feel better, jest tell yourself I’m payin’ ya back for takin’ care of me.”

“Okay.”

“And yer right...we are used ta doin’ for ourselves.  Sarah?”

“Yeah, Jimmy?” she asked as she watched him cut the meat into two separate pieces.  He handed one to her.

“You shoot real good.  You mite even be faster ‘n me.”

“I doubt that..maybe close to you, but not faster.  Stories have it you’re as fast as lightening!” she laughed.

Jimmy caught her infectious laughter and chuckled himself.

“How’d ya get into huntin’ bounties?”

He watched as a dark cloud went across her face.

“If I asked you to tell me your life story, would you?”  she answered his question with a question.

“No, probably not,” he admitted.

“I don’t want to tell you my life story neither.  We don’t know each other all that well.  It’s best we keep it that way, don’t you think?”

But her mind was screaming at her, denying what she said.  She did want to know all about this man.  She wanted to know what his childhood had been like..what his life was like now.

“Yeah,” he stated, disappointed.  He didn’t agree with her, but he did agree with her wisdom and the strength she was showing now.  “With any luck, you ‘n I won’t run into each other again after tomorrow.”

“With any luck,” she mumbled.  “But you can tell me about the Pony Express...how you like working for it..is it exciting?  Do
you meet a lot of people?”

“I like it just fine...mainly because when I work, I work by myself.  Mosta the time, it’s not too excitin’.  Sometimes it is. 
Sometimes outlaws try to get the mail from you, not really knowin’ what your carryin’.  Sometimes the Injuns attack us cause they think since  we’re carryin’ the white man’s words, we’re helpin’ the spread of ‘em.  I go on a run about once every three or four days.  Sometimes we get sent out on special runs.  I don’t meet lots of people..jest mainly the folks at the express offices.  It’s a good job.  The people I’m friendliest with are the other riders at my station.”

“Too bad they don’t let women do the job.”

“We had one who did...Lou.  She disguised herself so no one knew she was.   It even took us a bit afore we found out ‘bout her.  But after Teaspoon knew, he let her stay on cause she could do the job as good as we men could.

“I’d probably like her a lot.  Who’s Teaspoon?”

“The marshal in Rock Creek.  He used to be a Texas Ranger.  He also looks after the station.”

“He wouldn’t like me much then would he?”

“Why not?”

“Most marshal’s don’t have much use for bounty hunters.”

“Oh..that..I have a feelin’ he’d like you anyway.  You’re not like most bounty hunters.  You’re a lot purtier!”

Her delighted laugh rang out as she felt her cheeks turn warm.  He thought she was pretty.

“If I ever get to Rock Creek, I’ll have to introduce myself to him.”

Jimmy hated to admit it, but he was enjoying himself with her.  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a pleasant conversation with a female other than Lou or Rachel.  He pointed a finger at her.

“If you ever come to Rock Creek, you’d best come over to the station to say hello and let Rachel cook you a meal.”

“I will..if I ever get to Rock Creek.”  Sarah didn’t want to make any promises she might not be able to keep.

“The other riders are real good friends of mine.  We’re like brothers.  You got any friends like that?” he wanted to know.

“You’re asking if there is anyone out there that’s like a sister to me?”
He nodded his head.

“Nope...when I get lonesome, I talk to Sadie.”

“Sadie?” he asked and smiled as she pointed to her horse.

“I know how that goes.  Sometimes I think Cisco knows me better ‘n anyone else.  Don’t you ever get lonely?”

“Yeah...so?  No one ever died from loneliness.”

She looked at him as if daring him to feel sorry for her or to pity her.  But he knew how much it hurt to be lonely.  He’d felt it many times..not that he would admit that to another living soul.

“That’s true enough,” was all he said.  “Did you have enough to eat?”

“Yes, thanks.  I feel like I could go back to sleep.”

“Then do it.  I’ll take watch tonight.”

“Alright.”

She resumed her former position on her bedroll, closing her eyes.  Jimmy just watched her.  He’d never met anyone like her in his entire life.  The woman was like a world unto herself.  She was close to no one..had no family..was a bounty hunter.  Why hadn’t he ever heard of her since she was so good with a gun?  Probably because she wasn’t calling him out, and she wasn’t an outlaw.  He looked over at Sadie.  She usually took such good care of her, but she hadn’t had the energy tonight.  Well, he guessed he could do it.  Then he’d lay down for the night.

The morning came, and she felt stiff and more than a little sore.  She nodded to Jimmy as she walked off to take care of necessary chores.  She washed in the creek, then made her way back to camp.  She smiled at Jimmy, seeing the beginnings of a beard on his face.  It made him look more rugged...even more handsome.  She briefly wondered how many women fancied his attentions?  Probably quite a few.  Did any of them have his attention?  If she remembered correctly, he’d denied that, but he could have just been saying that, not wanting to admit it.

“How ya feelin’?”  he asked in his quiet voice.

“Okay.  I’ll be fine and ready to be on my own after we drop our friend off in Cactus Flats.”

He just nodded his head as he handed her a cup of coffee.  She took in the aroma with pleasure, noticing just what a pretty day it was..how blue the sky was, and how bright the sun was getting to be.  She shook her head.  What was comin’ over her?  She knew that she couldn’t get away from this man quickly enough!

“How many times you been shot?” he blurted out.  He’d been wondering about it since she’d been shot yesterday.

“A few.”

“How many is a few?”

“Five...maybe six times.”

“And how long you been doin’ this kinda work?”

“A couple years.  Where’s this leading to, Jimmy?”

Jimmy handed her a biscuit and a piece of beef jerky.

Yeah..where was it headed?  He wanted to tell her this life was too dangerous for her...that she was lucky she hadn’t been killed yet.  Bounty hunters weren’t known for living long lives.  But he knew she didn’t want to hear that, and he had no right to say anything to her.

“No where, I guess,” he bit off.

They ate in silence before he got their horses ready for the trail.  He helped her up into the saddle and without exchanging any
words, they left.  Once again, he led the way, his mind on Sarah.  She had a wall up this morning, and obviously didn’t want to talk to him.  Her face was expressionless, and he could tell that she was coming back into herself...her body very aware of everything around her.  She would be a formidable foe.  That’s when the insight hit him.  Was this the way everyone saw him?  Was this the way he acted around people he didn’t know that well?  He smiled to himself.  Sarah was a lot like him.  They could have been made out of the same mold.  Only with their jobs were they different.  And since he never had really let anyone close to him...not even the other riders..he assumed that she would be that way also.  Maybe it would be best if they never saw each other again.  After all, most bounty hunters just barely lived on the right side of the law, and Jimmy was committed to always doing what was right.

They arrived in Cactus Flats, and Jimmy waited while Sarah turned her bounty in and collected her reward.  She came out of the sheriff’s office and walked over to where he was leaning against a railing.

“Thanks, again, for all your help.  I hate to admit it, bit I don’t think I could have done it without you, Jimmy.”

“It warn’t nuthin’.” was all he said.

“I’d like you to take part of the bounty.  Without you, I wouldn’t have gotten any of it,” she said, holding some money out to him.

He was shaking his head as he backed off.

“No..that’s your money.  You earned it.  “Sides, I don’t need it, and you probably do.”

He swung up onto Cisco and looked down at her.

“Well, thanks again for your help.  Watch your back, Hickok.”

“I think I should tell you that, Brooks!”  he smiled down at her.

The smile was genuine and it made her short of breath.  She returned it, wanting to reach out and touch him, but she knew that she couldn’t.  So instead, she backed away from him.

“How about we both do it?”

“Okay...where you headed now?”

“Don’t rightly know, Jimmy.  I was thinking about going north for a time..see what’s up there.”

“Be careful.  I might not be round next time to help you out.”

Something was drawing her back to him.  Her hand reached out and rested on his leg.

“Don’t worry none about me, Jimmy.  I’m going to be okay.  I’m not about to get shot...just like you’re not going to, right?”

Jimmy felt as if fire was going through his leg where her hand rested on it.

“Alright.  Goodbye, Sarah.  Come by Rock Creek sometime.”

“Maybe...bye.”

She forced herself to once again step away.  He gave her a look that told her he didn’t believe her, turned Cisco to the south, and left her.

Sarah slowly let out her breath and watched him until she couldn’t see him anymore.  So what was she really going to do now?  She could head north as she’d told Hickok.  She could afford not to work until next spring.  That would be nice..just traveling around since she really didn’t have any place to hang her hat.  But if she did get a couple more bounties, she could start saving some money to buy a house and some land...maybe start to raise some cattle and make money in a proper way.  She headed to the general store to buy some supplies.

Jimmy delivered the mail, and decided to just ride back to Rock Creek, not stopping along the way.  Suddenly he wanted to be around people who knew him and loved him anyway.  He wanted some real home cooked food..and maybe if Kid was out on a run, he could talk to Lou for a time.

Jimmy had a couple of days off, and Sarah was never far from his mind.  He couldn’t figure out why she was there.  It’s not like he knew a lot about her, and she was okay when he left her.

“Is all the wanted posters hung?” Teaspoon asked Jimmy as he came out of the marshal’s office.  Jimmy had been staring down the street, and the older man looked that way, wondering what had Jimmy’s attention.

“Yeah.  Anything else I can do fer ya?”

“That corral fence back at the station could use some help.”

“I’ll do it,” Jimmy told him as he started to leave, then turned back to Teaspoon.

“You ever heard tell of any lady bounty hunters in the territory?”
Teaspoon scratched his chin.

“Well..I did hear tell a one.  The stories I heard bout her say she’s pretty quick with a gun and a dead shot..that she’s choosy ‘bout who she goes after, but no one seems to know much ‘bout her..where she come from and all.  Course I don’t know how much a lady she mite be since she’s a bounty hunter ‘n all.  I imagine she’s pruty hardened by now.”

“Ever hear a name?”

“Onct..let’s see..Sally?...no...Susan...nope...Sarah!  That’s it...Sarah sumthin’ or nuther.”
Jimmy just nodded his head.

“So ya never met her?”

“Nope,” Teaspoon told him.  He wondered why Jimmy was suddenly interested in this.  Hickok never one for long-winded conversations, always had a reason for anything he asked or said.  “Why?  You met up with her or seen her?”
Jimmy didn’t want to admit much.

“Seen her outdraw a bounty.  She’s fast.  Just wondered what you knew ‘bout her.”

Was it possible that Hickok might be interested in a woman?  Bounty hunters were close to being outlaws themselves.  Many of their methods were questionable...and Jimmy lived his life doing the lawful thing.  Naw..he was probably just impressed by her draw.

“She faster ‘n you?”

“Don’t know.  It’d be close.”

“Don’t never break the law then, son!”  Teaspoon chuckled.

“I think I’d best get to that fence!”  Jimmy told him with a smile as he left him.


Sarah headed north, taking her time, nursing her shoulder until it began to feel better.  She enjoyed the countryside and just meandered until she started to get restless.  Every now and then her thoughts would turn to Jimmy, but she would quickly push him out.  When the restless feeling hit, she knew that it was time for her to return to work so, stopping in the nearest town, she checked out the wanted posters at the sheriff’s office.  One caught her eye, so she ripped it down, bought her supplies, and headed out of town.

During his travels, Jimmy found himself looking for Sarah or checking out all the horses, hoping that one of them would be Sadie.  He wasn’t sure why he wanted to see her again, but he did.

But if she’d really gone north as she’d said she would, he might never see her again.  He knew that would be for the best...logically.  But there was still that part of him that wanted to be around her again.

Sarah frowned to herself.  The trail she was following was leading her directly to Rock Creek.  Damnation!  She stopped Sadie and pulled out the wanted poster with the likeness of Sam Calhoun on it.  It was a $200 bounty.  She knawed on her bottom lip.  Would it be possible to go into the town and avoid Jimmy Hickok?  She’d been doing a good job of not thinking about him, but this wasn’t helping.  She didn’t want to see him, mainly because she did want to see him.  Sarah looked down at the poster, then refolded it.  She looked down the road toward Rock Creek, then back in the direction she’d been.  But the $200 won out, and she nudged Sadie forward.  Maybe she would just stop in the marshal’s office...Teaspoon?  Was that what Jimmy had called him?


Teaspoon was busy reading the mail that had just come in when he heard someone walk into his office.  Looking up, he saw one of the prettiest ladies that had ever crossed his office threshold.  She was slender, had long blond hair hanging down from under her hat.  She was dressed as if she had just come off the trail, but she didn’t look dirty.  Her deep blue eyes jumped out at him, and her face wore a friendly smile.

“Marshal Teaspoon?”  she asked as she held her hand out to him.

He stood quickly.  “That’s me, miss.  I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.”

“I’m Sarah Brooks.  I’ve heard some good things about you, Marshal, and I was wondering if a Sam Calhoun had been through Rock Creek recently?”

“Sam Calhoun?  He’s a rough one.  Why yous lookin’ for him?”

“I’m a bounty hunter, Marshal.  He’s got $200 on his head.  I aim to find him.”

Things were starting to click in his head.  One thing Jimmy Hickok had neglected to mention to him was how pretty this lady was.  And here he had told Jimmy that she probably wasn’t much of a lady.  He’d have to eat those words now.  If Sarah wasn’t dressed as she was...put a dress on her...she could have been one of the finer ladies about town.  Did Jimmy personally know her?

Sarah had seen recognition come into the marshal’s eyes.

“I see that you’ve heard of me?”

“Yup..but the part I didn’t hear was how purty you are,” he smiled at her.

“Thank you, Marshal.  So, is Sam Calhoun anywhere around?  Have you heard anything?”

Jimmy would be coming back from his run tonight.  He had to find a way to keep her here until at least tomorrow.

“Word has it that his gang is headed this way...could be here in a couple days.”  Well, that much was true.  What he wasn’t telling her was that Sam had already been picked up.

Teaspoon always went with his instincts.  And it was telling him that this lady and Jimmy would be awfully good together.  Yes, she was a bounty hunter...but she didn’t look it, and he had a feeling that she didn’t act it.  But she must be successful if she made her living this way.

“Oh.”

“We have a real good hotel in town where you could stay till he comes.”

Sarah shifted from foot to foot.

“I don’t know as I want to stay here for a couple days, Marshal.  It looks like a real nice town and all, but if you know where they’re coming from, I could just head out that way...”

Why didn’t she want to hang around?

“Nope...didn’t hear tell of that.  The livery stable is at the end of the street, and they’d take good care of your horse.  You can get a good meal at the hotel.”

Sarah looked out the window.  She couldn’t exactly ask if Jimmy would be anywhere around.  With luck, he’d be on a long
Pony Express run.  And it would be nice to have a real bath and a good cooked meal.  It had been so long.

“You’ve persuaded me, Marshal Teaspoon.  If you hear anything, you’ll let me know?”

“Sure will..um, I won’t have to worry about no trouble from you whilst yer here, will I?” he asked as he switched back to his marshal role.

“No, Marshal.  You won’t even know I’m around.”

“Good.  Good day, miss.”

She smiled her best smile his way and left him.

“If she smiled that smile at Hickok, he’s in big trouble!”  Teaspoon mumbled under his breath.

Sarah reluctantly admitted to herself that she was enjoying being under a roof for once.  The bath was heavenly.  She luxuriated in it until the water started to cool off.  After she dressed in clean clothes, she had an expertly cooked dinner.  She followed that with a walk through town, checking it out..getting the lay of the land.  She found the Pony Express Station and after watching it from a safe distance for a time, she saw no sign of Jimmy or his horse.  She wondered how she could feel relief and disappointment all at one time?  She retraced her steps to the hotel and decided on an early night.


Jimmy rode in late, washed the trail dust off himself, and went to find Rachel to see if she had anything left over from dinner.

“How was your run, son?”  Teaspoon asked him as he came in.  He’d been sitting over a cup of coffee.
Jimmy was a little surprised to see him.

“It was fine..no problems.  Is there any supper left over?”

“Rachel left you some on the stove.”

Jimmy found the plate, poured a cup of coffee, and carried it all over to the table.

“Anything new round here?”  he asked as he shoveled some food into his mouth.  He was very hungry since he hadn’t stopped to eat.

“I had an interestin’ visitor in my office today.”

“Oh?  Who?”

“Remember ‘bout two months ago when we was talkin’ about lady bounty hunters, and you was sayin’ you’d seen one a them?”

“Yeah?”  Jimmy asked, still eating.

“Well, the one we was talkin’ ‘bout is in town.”

Suddenly there were spasms in Jimmy’s stomach, and he knew he wouldn’t be eating another bite.  He tried to casually put his fork down.

Teaspoon noted that.

“She is?  Why, and for how long?”

“Couple days..I guess she thinks one a her bountys’ll come to town.  I think she said she was gonna stay at the hotel.”

“Is she like you thought she’d be?”

“Nope.  she ain’t like a bounty hunter atall!  I liked her, plus she’s real purty, but then you already knowd that.  Well, I guess it’s time for me ta make my rounds.  Wanna come along?”

It was possible he might see her walking through town.

“Shore.”

“You don’t wanna finish your meal?”

“I’m finished.  I ate most of it.”

Teaspoon had to quickly hide his smile.  Jimmy, who could clean a plate with the best of them, had barely touched the meal.  He knew why Jimmy was coming along.

“Let’s go then.”

Jimmy’s senses were on alert as they walked through the town, checking to make sure that all was well for the night.  There was no sign of Sarah.  They walked through the livery stable, and he spotted Sadie right off.  Well, he’d just have to get up early and stake out the hotel until she came out.  She’d have to at some point.

Sarah stepped out into the sunshine.  She’d just had a good breakfast, and now she wanted to go for a ride.  She headed  for the livery stable.

Jimmy watched her walk towards the stable.  As soon as he’d seen her, his heart had started a furious tattoo in his chest.  He’d been tempted to call out to her, but decided against it.  He had a feeling that she would not come by the station to see him, so he needed to initiate the contact, but it wouldn’t be in town.  He hurried to the station and saddled Cisco, then waited for her and Sadie to come out of the stable.  He didn’t have a long wait.  He followed at a safe distance until they were well out of town, then circled around so he could come up to her face to face.  He didn’t question what he was doing or why he was doing it.  Soon he caught sight of her riding toward him.  He stopped his horse, blocking her path.

As soon as the rider appeared, she knew who he was.  Sarah sighed, resigned to the fact that she wouldn’t be able to get away from him.  How had he found out she was in town?  He’d have had to follow her out of town.  And right now, he was effectively blocking her way.  She reined in a short distance from him, doing her best to keep her face expressionless.

“Hello, Jimmy.”

“Sarah!”  he nodded.  “You wasn’t gonna come by and say hello, was you?”

“No,” she told him steadily as she tried to get control of her breathing.  Her legs also felt very weak.

“Why not?” he demanded.

“Jimmy...I really think it’s best if you and I don’t get to know each other better, don’t you?”

He shifted in his saddle.

“I’ve been tryin’ to believe that, Sarah, but I think you ‘n I is a lot alike.  If nuthin’ else, we could be friends, and there ain’t nuthin’ wrong with that.  It’s not like we’re seein’ much of each other.  Why can’t we be friendly when we do?”  he said persuasively.

“I didn’t think of it that way,” she admitted.

“Well?”

She looked off into the distance.  What could it possibly hurt to just be a friend?  She didn’t have any.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have one?

“Okay...I guess that would be alright, but I have to admit one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know much about this friend stuff.  I might mess it all up.”

“I’ll let you know if you do.  Now, I have the day off.  Would you like me to show you around?”  he asked with a smile.

“Yeah, I’d like that Jimmy.”

It wasn’t much, but at least it was a beginning, but a beginning of what, he wondered.

“Then let’s head off to the east.  There’s some real pretty meadows out that way.”

“Alright.”

They rode in a comfortable silence.  When Jimmy stopped, she did the same with her horse next to his and looked around her.

“Oh, Jimmy, it’s beautiful.”  she breathed as she looked around her.  Before her was a carpet of green grass with some wild flowers poking their heads out.  In the distance, she could see the mountains.  This place was filled with peace.  “I could live my life out here.”

Jimmy nodded.  “I’ve often thought that, too.  Maybe one day I’ll have a house out here..about ten years from now!”

“Why so long?” she asked him, not really even being able to imagine being alive ten years from now.

“People come lookin’ for me.  I’m always looking over my shoulder.  Till that stops, I don’t see me settlin’ down any,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“Do you think that will ever happen?” she asked him.  “I mean, people coming after you?”

“No...leastways not till I’m dead.”

She nodded her head in understanding.  “That’s what I was just thinking...that I can’t even imagine being alive ten years from now.  I’ll be surprised if I’m alive five years from now..unless I stop doing what I’m doing.”

“Any possibility of that?”  he asked her.

“No,” was all she said.  “There ain’t a lot of ways a woman alone can support herself.  I’ve looked at all the options.  What I’m doing had the most appeal to me.”

“I can’t understand that,” he told her.

“You’ll have to, because that’s the way it is.  Now, what will you show me next?” she asked him, trying to change the subject.

“Sumthin’ awful bad musta happened to you in yer life to make you want to be a bounty hunter,” was all he said as he turned his horse’s head.  “Come on...there’s a waterfall that’s awfully purty not too far from here.”
Sarah followed him, shaken by what he had said to her.  He didn’t know how close to the truth he had been with his last statement.  She was lost in thought and was surprised when Jimmy stopped.  He pointed down with his gloved hand, and it was then she realized that they were on a rise.  She looked the way he had pointed and saw the most exquisite waterfall.

“You like beautiful things, don’t you?”  she asked him.

“I see so much ugliness...it’s nice to find some beauty to make up for the bad stuff.”

“Can we go down to it?”  she asked him.  “I’d like to just sit and stare at it for a time.”
Jimmy nodded with understanding.  He led the way down, and she dropped Sadie’s reins as she walked to the edge of the pool and sat down.

“Do you come here often?” she asked him as he sat next to her.

“Often enough.  It helps me clear my head, plus no one knows about it, so I don’t think they could find me here.”

“You’ve never brought anyone else here?” she asked, feeling pleased.

“No..you’re the first.”

“That makes me feel special somehow.”

“You are, Sarah.”

She was glowing inside with that remark, and she wasn’t sure why..especially when she hadn’t wanted to be around him in the first place.  She turned to look at him and the look on his face made her stomach drop.  His face was very serious, and she forgot what she was about to say to him.

“Jimmy?”  she whispered.

Jimmy only knew that he wanted to be closer to her.  He reached his hand out and caressed her cheek.  Her skin was so soft on his fingertips.  He traced her jaw line, then the shape of her lips.  She didn’t move..he wasn’t sure if she was breathing.  He moved closer to her, lowered his mouth to hers, and barely brushed her lips with his.  When he pulled away from her, her eyes were wide with surprise.

“Was it that bad?”  he asked with a small smile.

Sarah had never felt such incredible feelings in her life.  And those feelings felt very good!

“No..I think I’d like to do that again,” she invited.

Jimmy moved closer to her, and did the same thing to her again, only this time, he pressed his lips more firmly on hers, and his heart soared when she kissed him back.  He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again and then again.  By this time, her arms had gone around him and she was returning each kiss.  Her mouth opened willingly under his when his tongue asked entrance.  He wanted to push her down on the ground and love her..but there was a part of him that was letting him know that would be a big mistake.  Had she ever been with a man?  She  was kissing him expertly, and his body was beginning to betray him.

Sarah couldn’t have explained her reaction to Jimmy’s kisses if anyone had chosen to ask her.  She just knew that when she was in his arms, she felt safer than she’d ever felt in her entire life.  She felt as if she’d come home...an entirely new feeling for her since she’d never known what it was like to feel at home with anyone or in any place.  But she knew that feelings could be dangerous, so reluctantly, she pulled away from him.  He kept his arms around her though, and she leaned her head against his shoulder.  She didn’t want to break the contact with him as much as he didn’t want to turn her loose.

He struggled to regain his breath and his runaway thoughts.  How was it possible to go from one day wanting to not share his life with anyone, to the next day wanting to offer this lady anything she might want?  How was it possible to feel that way about someone he didn’t know that much about?  He didn’t want to think about it, so instead he asked,

“Would you like to come to supper at the station tonight?  We missed lunch, and Rachel cooks real good.”

“It wouldn’t be an imposition?”

“No..and after we was done, I could walk you back to your hotel.”

“Alright.  I think I might like that.”

Sarah was enjoying the conversation going on around her as she ate.  She had felt a little shy about this, wondering what Jimmy’s friends would think of her.  They had accepted her immediately.  At first they looked surprised to see Jimmy bringing a lady to supper, but they treated her like family, and she thought they tried to ask her questions that weren’t too nosy.  Marshal Teaspoon was there, as was a couple of other riders.  Cody had long blond hair and sky blue eyes and was very friendly.  He liked to laugh and joke, and was the total opposite of Jimmy.  Then there was Noah, a free Negro who was tall and quite handsome.  He seemed to be very intelligent, and she suspected that he’d had a fairly decent education.  The  last rider in attendance was Buck, a half-breed she suspected, but a good looking one, too.  He seemed sort of shy, but she figured that was just because he didn’t know her.  And lastly there was Rachel, the lady who tended to all of them.  She was quite beautiful and a great cook.

She enjoyed watching Jimmy out of the corner of her eye.  She was sitting next to him.  He seemed very comfortable in this situation and gave as good as he got.  It was nice to hear him laugh and joke.  She could also tell how respected he was.
At the end of the meal, she offered her assistance to Rachel, but Rachel just smiled and told her, “You’re our guest tonight.  Why don’t you and Jimmy take a nice walk?”

“I like that idea...Sarah?”  Jimmy offered as he stood up and held his hand down to her.

She took it.  He stopped by the door to get his hat and guns, then they went outside.

“She don’t look like no bounty hunter, Teaspoon, she’s too purty!”  Cody stated as he drank some coffee.

“And she’s nice,” Buck threw in.

“I think Jimmy really likes her,” Rachel added.

“But does she like him?”  Noah questioned.

Teaspoon just laughed and shook his head.

“Listen to yous!  Leave em be!  She is a bounty hunter whether she’s purty or not. But she is kinda nice.  And she’ll leave in a couple days.  I don’t know as they’ll have much of a chance to get anything started.”

“Oh...it can get started, Teaspoon..and they can continue it later on,”  Rachel laughed.  “I do so want Jimmy to find someone..and she seems perfect.  She could keep up with him.”

“But she’s a bounty hunter!”  Cody exclaimed, “And you know Jimmy and the law.”

“True, but if there ever was an honest bounty hunter, I’d bet on it bein’ her,”  Teaspoon told him.  “She’s different from anyones I’d ever knowd!”

Unaware that they were being so throughly discussed, Sarah and Jimmy walked side by side to the hotel. 
He wanted to touch her, so he finally took her hand, and she squeezed it when he did.  That made him smile.

“How long you plannin’ to stay in town?”  Jimmy asked her.

“According to Marshal Teaspoon, the man I’m lookin’ for is headed this way.  He said that he’d be here in a couple days.  I guess I’ll leave after that.”

“So we have a couple more days together?”

“I guess.”

“How you likin’ this friends stuff so far?”  he asked in a gentle teasing voice.

“I think I like it just fine so far.  It feels like all of this is just a break from my normal life though...that when I return to it, this will all have been a dream,” she confessed as they arrived at the hotel.

“Do you mind if I escort you to your room?”

She shook her head, so he followed her up the stairs.  At her door, he took the key from her and opened it.  The light from the hallway shone into the room, so he laid the key on the dresser  and turned to her.

“This ain’t a dream, Sarah,” he told her as he pulled her into his arms and gave her a hard kiss.  “It ain’t gonna go away.  Forget about the bounty and stay here for a time,” he whispered into her ear before he kissed it.  He left a fire trail of kisses down her cheek and neck, before he returned to her mouth.

Sarah couldn’t believe that Jimmy had just said what he said.  Neither could Jimmy, as far as that went.  He wasn’t sure where the request had come from, but if he’d thought about it, it wouldn’t have come from his mouth.  But now that it was out, it seemed like a good idea to him.  Especially since she was returning kiss for kiss.

He didn’t want anyone to walk down the hall and catch them at this, so he pushed her further into the room, and kicked the door shut with his foot.  Sarah felt like she was drowning and she didn’t think that she wanted anyone to rescue her.  She wasn’t sure who started it, but soon they were moving towards the bed.  When they got there, Jimmy lightly pushed her down on it, and since she didn’t let go of him, he came down on top of her, but that felt good..felt right.  He threw his hat on the floor, and decided that it would be for the best if he didn’t think about what was happening.  If he thought about it, he might make himself stop, and he didn’t think he wanted to do that.  Sarah had already shut her mind off.  All she would let herself know now was what was in the moment.  And that moment was Jimmy and Jimmy’s loving of her.

Clothes came unbuttoned, gun belts were taken off and laid on the floor.  Boots followed that, with clothes on top.  Subconsciously, Jimmy knew that he was with the lady he was supposed to spend his life with.  She was his home, and his search for her could stop.  If he had anything that needed healing, it would happen in her arms.

Sarah’s hands roamed over his exposed skin, and he could feel tingles wherever she had touched him.  And her touch was sure..like she knew what she was doing..like she knew what he wanted even before he knew that he wanted it.  Realizing that she knew what she was doing didn’t bother him.  Whoever she’d been with before him didn’t matter none...only that she never be with anyone else from now on.  He wasn’t coming to her in any pure state, so he didn’t expect that from her.  With his hands, he traced her, then kissed the parts he had traced.  Her softness enveloped him, held him, caressed him.

It didn’t take Sarah long to figure out that Jimmy was very knowledgeable, but she was pleased with that.  Right now she didn’t want fumbling..she wanted educated assurance.  And he gave her that.  His gentleness with her moved her heart.  His caring was evident.  She liked how his body felt to her..all hard, muscled, and lean where it was meant to be lean.  In these moments, she knew that she was meant to be with this man for the rest of her life, and right now that didn’t bother her.  She didn’t want him to be too far away from her.  She almost felt that this man was her twin self, and only with him would she be able to get rid of the demons she had carried with her all these years.

Joining together with her, was the sort of ecstasy that he didn’t know existed.  And if he had known, he never would have thought that he would be deserving of such.  What she was giving him was a gift...a very precious gift.  He moved in and out of her.  She held him tightly, and she clung to him, one with him for the ride.  He felt her gasp and tense, and he finally let go of himself.  He knew he would never be able to top this perfection with anyone else.  But soon, all rational thought left him.
She held him close to her as they struggled to catch their breaths.

“I don’t want to leave you,” he barely got out.

“Don’t go..please...stay with me tonight.”

He reached down and pulled the cover over them, then once again wrapped himself around her.  He didn’t care what anyone would say to him about this.  Whatever it was, being here with her would be worth any grief that came his way.  He wouldn’t leave her ever again.

Whenever they woke, they made love, but they didn’t talk a lot.  Jimmy knew that would come later, but for now, each bonding brought them closer together.  That was important.

The morning sun caressed her face, bringing her gently to consciousness.  Jimmy was curled up against her, soundly asleep.  The sun was shining on his hair, making little chestnut highlights dance around in it.  He was so beautiful, and in the light of day she knew that she had to leave him.  Last night had been wonderful, but it had also been foolishness.  If she was still here when he woke up, she knew that she wouldn’t want to leave him...knew that he would be able to convince her to stay.  That couldn’t happen!  She had things she needed to accomplish, and she couldn’t do that in Rock Creek.  To hell with the $200 bounty.  Her freedom was more important right now.

Holding her breath and dying inside, she moved away.  With each inch she got further away from him, and she felt like she died a little more inside.  Damn!  That was ridiculous to feel that way.  He was just a man..she’d only been kidding herself that he was important to her.

Feelings from last night jumped into her head, but she angrily pushed them away as she pulled on her clothes.  She strapped on her gun belt, picked up her boots and her saddlebags..her food pack, and with a hand on the door knob, turned back to look at Jimmy..still blissfully ignorant that she was going to leave him.

She feasted on him with her eyes.  She didn’t want to forget this part of him.  Then she turned the knob and went into the hall.  Leaning against the wall, she pulled on her boots and quickly headed for the livery stable.  She didn’t want to be anywhere around when he woke up.

Jimmy stretched, smiled, and reached for Sarah, but he was met with empty space.

“Sarah,” he called as he forced his eyes open.  But he didn’t sense her here.  Looking quickly around, he didn’t see any of her things.

He sighed as he flung his arm over his eyes to block out the sun’s brightness.  How long had she been gone?  Damnation!  Why had she run?  But he already knew.  In the past, she’d made it clear that she didn’t want to be around him.  And now that he’d pushed it, she was angry and running as far away from him as she could.  He’d done the same thing in the past, but with Sarah, it’d been different.  He didn’t want to run from her.  He wanted to run to her.  He wanted her in his life.  If this was the way she was gonna be, why had she encouraged his kisses, done those married things to him as many times as she had?  If she hadn’t cared, she couldn’t have done that with so much feeling.  No...she was scared..maybe she was afraid that he would make her stop being a bounty hunter..well, he chuckled, wasn’t that true?  He still didn’t know that much about her...why she did that...course, she didn’t know everything about him either.

Jimmy’s first instinct was to go after her.  He knew that he could find her if he tried hard enough.  But maybe he should give her some time.  What if something happened to her before he found her, though?  What if she got shot again, and he wasn’t around to help her out?  That thought filled him with fear..a fear he’d never felt before.

He got up and dressed.  He splashed water on his face, ran his fingers through his hair and put his hat on his head.  It didn’t seem as if anyone noticed him leaving the hotel, and he started to walk back to the station.

“Mornin’, son,” he heard Teaspoon say from behind him.  “I think you need a cup of coffee whilst we talk.”

“I don’t know as I wanna talk,” Jimmy told him as Teaspoon steered him towards the marshal’s office.

“I don’t figure you do, but Rachel was right worried ‘bout you last night.”

Teaspoon saw the look that Jimmy gave him, and he held up his hands.  “Hold on afore you say anything.  I know you’re all growed up.  You know right from wrong.  We’s just worried some ‘bout you.”

Well...who better than Teaspoon to talk it over with?  He followed the older man into his office.  Teaspoon poured them both a cup of coffee and motioned for Jimmy to take a seat.

“Is Miss Sarah still at the hotel?”  Teaspoon started.

“Nope.  She left awhile ago.”

Teaspoon nodded his head.

“I thought she was gonna stay a couple days.”

“I thought so, too.”

“How you feel about this woman?”

“I know this sounds silly, but I love her.”

The marshal nodded his head again.  He tried not to look too surprised at his revelation.  But again, he wasn’t surprised.  Jimmy observed a lot of life.  He may not have gone out with a lot of women, but because of all his looking around, he knew what he wanted and needed.  And if he, himself, had to pick a woman out for Jimmy, Miss Sarah would have filled the bill.

“I didn’t think I’d ever find anyone I could have feelings for.  Hell,” he laughed deprecatingly, “I didn’t even know’d I was lookin’, but bein’ with her...she answered it all for me.”

“I know’d how that is, alright.  How she feel about you?”

“Last night was darn near perfect, and I think it scared her.  She’s runnin’ from somethin’, and I don’t know what it is.  She won’t talk none about it.”

“Kinda like you, huh?”

This time the laugh was genuine.  “Yeah...she’s a lot like me.”

“So how is the two of you ever gonna talk and git to know one another?”

“Well,” Jimmy said as he finished his coffee and stood up, “That’s what I’m aimin’ to do right now.  I need some time, Teaspoon.  I want to go find her, get things straight, and bring ‘er back here.”

“What if she don’t want that?”

I’ll have to persuade her otherwise.”

“You really love her?”

Jimmy just nodded his head.

“You gonna askt her to marry you?”

Again the nod.

“Alright..take what you need.  Sarah is a special lady.  I think yer makin’ the right choice.”

“Thanks, Teaspoon.”

Sarah rode hard once she got away from Rock Creek.  She made a couple efforts to hide her trail, but she honestly didn’t think that Jimmy would follow her.  She knew he was attracted to her, but maybe even that was over since they had done all those married things last night.  Thinking about them made her whole body tingle.  Her feelings for Jimmy were strong, but she didn’t want to think about it.  As far as she was concerned..she was not going to see Jimmy Hickok again.  A man like him had to be a little wild...would never settle down.  There had to be some truth behind those stories...even if she hadn’t seen it.  She didn’t know him all that well.  He could have hidden it from her.  None of that mattered, though.  Sarah turned Sadie to the north and urged her on.

“Well, Sarah Brooks, you don’t want me to find you!”  Jimmy stated as he threw a handful of dirt down in disgust.  He was having a hell of a time following her trail and wished that he had Buck with him.  Buck could follow anyone, anywhere.  He had two choices...let the trail get colder and go back to Rock Creek for Buck or keep going.  And since he really didn’t want to explain this to anyone, he kept going.  Maybe at some point she would start to get careless.

She only slept a couple hours, mainly because Sadie needed some rest.  When she woke up, it was still dark, but Sadie looked fresher from the rest.  Sarah resaddled her, and they continued their trek to the north.

At first light, Jimmy was back on the trail.  He’d finally found faint traces of Sarah’s trail, and as best as he could tell, he was about three quarters of a day behind her.  She was traveling fast.  Did she have a destination in mind?

There had been no sign of anyone, but Sarah couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was trailing her.  And who else could it be besides Jimmy?  But what if it wasn’t him?  What if it was one of her bounties, fresh out of jail, coming after her for revenge?  She knew her instincts were usually right.  She decided to make a wide circle and see if she could find who was following her, get rid of them, then press on.  She had a life to live and bounties to find.

By the time night fell, Jimmy was bone weary from being in the saddle all day.  He was getting confused too, because if seemed like the trail he was following had started to go back in the direction he had come.  Did Sarah know he was following her?  Was she trying to sneak up on him?  He knew that he needed some sleep, so he made a camp without a fire.  Jimmy knew that Cisco would warn him if anyone tried to sneak up on him.  He ate some hardtack, drank some water, wrapped his blanket around himself, and drifted off.

Sarah saw the light horse through the trees...Cisco!  Damnation!  Why was he following her?  She had a few options here.  She guessed she could just shoot him, and that would be that.  That caused her to smile.  Or she could keep running from him, but she had a feeling that Hickok didn’t give up on something he had started.  Or she could stay and talk to him and try to persuade him to leave her alone.  Her heart fluttered at that and sadness washed over her.  If she admitted it to herself, all she wanted to do was go to him and lay in his arms and let him love the hurt away.  She’d never met a man like him, and she had a feeling that she never would again.  She withdrew her gun and crept slowly to the huddled body.

Jimmy was instantly awake and on alert.  He’d heard Cisco shuffle uneasily.  He eased his gun out of its holster and held it ready, waiting to get the drop on the person who was sneaking up on him.  When he could sense the person was directly behind him, he threw off his blanket, grabbed the person around the ankles and pulled.  As the person hit the ground, he was immediately on top with his gun pointed in the stranger’s face.  Unfortunately, there was also a gun in his face.  He wasn’t about to back down though.

“Why you sneakin’ up on me?”  He gritted out.

“Why you followin’ me?”  He heard a very familiar voice say.

“Sarah?!”  He exclaimed as he rolled off her and reholstered his gun.  She didn’t reholster hers, but kept it leveled at him as she sat up.

Why are you followin’ me?” she repeated in a hard voice.

Why did you leave me in that hotel room all by myself?” he asked her.  “And put that damn gun away.”

“I haven’t decided if I’m gonna shoot you yet or not,” she replied.

“You ain’t gonna shoot me!  Put the gun away, Sarah.”

He watched her as she wrestled with the decision.  Slowly, she lowered the gun and reholstered it.

“How about a fire?”  She suggested.

“You ain’t had a lot of sleep lately.  Why don’t we jest get some sleep, and we’ll get this all straightened out in the mornin’?”

“There ain’t nothing to get straightened out, Jimmy.”

“I think there is, and I think you know me well enough to know I’m gonna keep doggin’ ya till you talk to me.  And if that
bothers you, you may as well just shoot me now and git it over with!”

“I don’t suppose it would help to tell you that I never want to see you again...that I don’t want to talk to you...that I wish you would just go away?”

“Nope.”

He heard her sigh.

“Where’s Sadie?”

“Standing about ten yards from here.”

“Bring her into camp, get your bedroll, and let’s get some sleep.”

“Alright,” she stated, sounding defeated.  He hated that.  He didn’t want to defeat her.  He just wanted to love her.

It didn’t take her long to bring her horse to camp, untie her bedroll, and lay it on the ground.  Jimmy felt confident he would be able to get through to her, and he felt very content to be near her again.  She busied herself spreading out her blankets, laid down on the blanket, and pulled another over herself.  She hadn’t said a word to him.  He crawled in next to her.  Her back was to him, and he pulled her against him, kissed the back of her head, and just savored the feel of her next to him.  At first she held herself as stiff as a board, but he could feel her gradually relax against him.  He made no other move towards her.  There would be time enough for that.

“Now go to sleep,” he ordered as he tightened his hold on her so she couldn’t sneak away again.  He knew that he was going to fall asleep with a smile on his face.

Sarah felt very well rested when she woke the next morning.  Jimmy, in his sleep, was still holding her tightly against him.  And she knew that there wasn’t anywhere else she’d rather be.  Everything seemed brighter when he was near.

“How’d ya sleep?” she heard his soft, raspy voice ask into her ear.

“Very well..you?”

“I ain’t got no complaints.  I think there’s a stream near here.  Why don’t you go wash up, and I’ll start the fire and get the coffee goin’.”

“Alright.”

She got up without looking at him, a fact that he noticed.  No!  He was not going to get discouraged.  He watched her walk away from him, but knew she had to come back since Sadie was still here.  He busied himself, and soon he had a nice fire going with the coffee pot sitting on top of it.

“I don’t have much food with me,” she said as she came back into camp.  “Do you have any I can fix?”

“I think I have some beans and biscuits.”

“I’ll get it ready while you get washed up,” she told him.

“I can trust you not to run off?” he asked her.

“What would be the point?  You’d find me anyway.”

“True enough,” was all he said as he walked off.

Sarah found the food, and put it over the fire to heat.  She stared into the fire, hoping it would provide her with some answers, but none were coming.

“Am I that bad, Sarah?”  Jimmy asked her as he came back and sat next to her.

“No,” she barely whispered, not looking at him.

“What I can’t figure out is why I’m not feelin’ more like you.”  Jimmy mused.  “In the past, if a lady got my attention, she didn’t keep it long ‘cause I was so bound and determined that I don’t need no woman in my life.”

“So why you chasin’ after me?”  She asked him, tossing her long blond hair over her back.

“I guess it’s time for me to start considerin’ that my life might not be headed in the direction I thought it onct was.  How’s that food?”

“It’s about done.”

She dished it onto two plates, placed a biscuit on his and handed it to him.  He poured out two cups of coffee and sat one down next to her.  The silence lengthened as they ate.  Sarah kept sneaking glances at him, still finding it hard to believe that he had followed her and was now sitting next to her.

“Are you gonna tell me ‘bout you now?” he asked her as he set his plate down.

“If I tell you, will you go away and leave me alone?”

“I cain’t promise that.  I guess it all depends on what you have to say.”

“What do you want to know?”  She asked, pulling away from him.

“Why you became a bounty hunter.  What happened in your life to make you want to do this?  How’d you get to be so good at it?”

He watched her play with a blade of grass as she gathered her thoughts.

“My momma died when I was ten and my little sister was five.  My daddy was a mean man.  Before mamma died, he used to beat her a lot, and after she died, he turned on me.  He told me that since momma was gone, I had to take her place, so he made me do those married things with him.  When I turned twelve, I told him that if he ever touched me again, I’d blow his head off.  Ya see, I’d secretly been practicin’ with a gun he kept in the house, and I hid it so as he didn’t know where it was.  I told him that he had to leave my baby sister alone, too, or I’d shoot him for that too.  Well...he didn’t leave my baby sister alone.  I found out too late that he started doing those married things with her, and she didn’t tell me because he had her so afraid.”
Her voice got quieter, and he saw tears start to run down her face.  He didn’t think she was even aware of them.  He knew that she had gone inside of herself and was reliving the horrors that she was telling him about.

“One day I came home, and I heard him screaming at her.  As I got closer, I heard him tell her that she had to keep sharing his bed.  She told him she wasn’t going to do it.  I went tearing inside just in time to see him start hitting her.  I ran to get the gun, but by the time I got back, she was already dead.  He looked at me with this smile on his face and told me that since she wasn’t around anymore, I’d have to start doing married things with him again.  He walked towards me...I pulled the pistol and shot him..one bullet through his heart.”

She got quiet. 

“What happened then?”  He urged her, trying to keep his voice controlled.  Rage coursed through him, and if was lucky her
father was already dead.

“I went to town and got the sheriff, and he said it was self defense.  I let the minister bury my baby sister, but I burned down the house with my father still in it.  Then it occurred to me that there wasn’t much a girl of 13 could do to support herself.  I pretty much hated everyone and everything, and I was very good with a gun, so I started going after people.  It turned out that I had a talent for the job, and it paid good money.  It kept me on the move, and I found that if I stayed in any place for any length of time, I got restless.  Then I ran into you, Hickok, and you pretty much know the rest.”

“You’re only 16?”

“You got a problem with that?” she asked defiantly.

“How could I?  You’ve taken good care of yourself and ain’t got yerself kilt.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-one.  Are you gonna ever give up this bounty hunter thing?”

“No, I ain’t got a reason to.  I don’t really want to live a long life.  I don’t want anyone close to me, ‘cause as soon as someone gets close to you, they think they can tell you what to do.”

“That’s usually true enough.  That night we was together..was that the first time you done married things since your pa made ya?”

“Yes,” she told him, still not really looking at him.

Jimmy ran his hands through his hair.  “I need to know..was it right?  Were you okay with it?  I mean I know       you wasn’t ‘cause you ran away.  Should we a not done it?”

“Jimmy...I wanted to do that with you.  I’ve wanted to erase that memory with my father for years, but the right person never came along to do it.  Don’t worry about it.”

Suddenly he was in front of her, making her look at him.  He’d put his hand under her chin, and raised her face so he could stare into it.

“Did those married things mean anythin’ to you, or did you just do them with me so as to erase what your pa did to you?”

Sarah wanted so bad to tell him that she’d only used him to erase bad memories, but she knew that if she did that, it would hurt him terribly.  She couldn’t do that deliberately to this man who had never done anything to hurt her.  He’d only made her feel cherished and loved...loved...why hadn’t that thought occurred to her before?

“They meant something to me, Jimmy.  I vowed to myself that I would never do those things ever again with someone I didn’t care about.”

“Really?” he swallowed quickly.  “You care about me?”

“Yeah..how could I not?  You’ve taken care of me so well..you saved my life..you’ve been nothing but a gentleman that’s treated me with nothing but respect.  Most men don’t do that once they find out what I do.  You’re the only friend that I’ve ever had.  It don’t matter how bad I treat you, you still come back and let me know that you want to be around me.”

“Oh Sarah...if you only knew!”  He told her as he reached for her and hugged her tightly.  “I would protect you with my life if that’s what it took to take care of you.”

“Don’t ever do that Jimmy.  I don’t want you to die ‘cause of me.  And as much as I care about you, I don’t think it’s a very good idea for us to spend a lot of time together.”

“How can you say that?”  He asked her gently.  “You don’t know me.  How can you know that you don’t wanna spend time with me.”

“Then tell me about you, Jimmy.  Let me know what you’re really like.”

“My  pa used to beat my ma, too...so I know what that was like.  He used to like to beat me up, too, so that I was always mad at everyone.  I only stayed at our farm till my ma died.  Then I left and went to live with a judge who started to teach me how to be a gunfighter.  One day he tried to get me to shoot a friend, and I decided then ‘n there that I didn’t want that life, so I left.  I wandered around, and my temper got me into lots of trouble.  My pa was an abolitionist, and he got stabbed at a meeting and died about a year later.  Can’t say that I was sorry to see him go.  I ran into Teaspoon, and he hired me for the Pony Express.  That was the best thing that happened to me.  He helped me get all growed up.  I learned I cain’t jest fly off at everyone when I get mad.  Unfortunately I was still letting my temper rule me when a writer came through town.  We had some words, and I shot his hat full of holes.  ‘Cause a that, he wrote a story about Wild Bill Hickok, which was filled with all these lies about me.  That started gunfighters callin’ me out.”

“So he saw you were fast when you shot his hat full of holes?”

“I’m not proud of the fact that I was showing off a bit then.”

“So what’s the truth behind the lies?”

“I’ve killed most a those who called me out.  And I’ve killed some in my Pony Express duties when they tried to rob me of my mail.  I’ve helped Teaspoon out with his marshalin’, and I’ve killed some others, but I ain’t never hunted no one down just to kill him in cold blood like the stories say I have.  I don’t take pleasure in taking a life, and I hate that guns come lookin’ for me to call me out.  I ain’t always gonna be the fastest one.  People in my life have to understand that.”

“But maybe before that happens, something new will come along and take their minds off you.”

“Which won’t happen lessen they shot me first.  I’m the big name.  I’m the one that’s fastest.  If they don’t take care of me, they won’t get the reputation!”  He told her heatedly, but none of it was said with pride or ego.  And she knew what he said was the truth.

“What if you became a sheriff or marshal?  I’ve heard of other gunfighters who have done that and gotten away from that life.”

“Knowin’ my luck, they’d still come after me.”

“Perhaps.”

“So that’s me, Sarah.  Anythin’ else ya need to know?”

“How do you feel after you pull the trigger, and you know you’ve killed someone else?”

“Kinda empty..a little cold.  It always takes me awhile to think it through and go on.  It never makes any sense to me...how ‘bout you?  How do you feel?”

Sarah shrugged her shoulders.

“I ain’t never thought it out.  It felt good to kill my pa.  And all the others I’ve killed have been very bad men.  Those are the only ones that I go after...the really bad ones.  So I guess I just tell myself that they deserve to die for what they did to other people.  Of course, if they come peacefully, I don’t kill them.  It’s their choice.”

“But you know that most are going to try to kill you.”

“Oh, yeah.  I’ve always said it’s a lot easier to bring ‘em back dead instead of alive.  At least that way I don’t have to feed them or guard them while I’m on the trail.”

Jimmy wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but he understood it.  He knew why she did it.  Did it make a difference in how he felt about her?  Not really.  He turned his full attention to her and caught her eye.

“Sarah...I want you to come back to Rock Creek with me.  I want you to stop your bounty huntin’ ‘cause we both know you’ll get kilt if you keep a doin’ it.  I don’t want that to happen to you.  You can do ‘bout anythin’ else.  I don’t really care.  You can ask my friend Lou.  I was always on her side with the other riders.  They didn’t want her to do stuff they thought was dangerous, but I knew she could carry her own weight.  I’d be the same way with you.  I ain’t gonna tell you what to do with your life, Sarah.  All I know is that I don’t want you to get kilt by some old bounty a yours.  I don’t wanna wait months afore I see you again.  I don’t want you spendin’ nights alone on the trail when you could be spendin’ them with me...”

She would have sworn her heart stopped.

“Jimmy..what are you saying to me?”

“I don’t know how you feel ‘bout all this, but you have admitted you care for me.  Well,” Jimmy said as he took her hand, “I love you, Sarah.  I want to make you my wife.  Now if you don’t feel that way ‘bout me yet, you can move into Rachel’s and we can get to know each other better.  I know it’d be a life you ain’t used ta, and I know that you might get restless ‘cause you’re used to bein’ out on your own.  But we could find somethin’ for you to do.  I jest know’d that I need to have you near me.  I want to care for you and protect ya and jest spend the time I got left lovin’ ya.”

Sarah knew she was staring, with surprise, at him.  She couldn’t believe what he was asking her.

“But Jimmy...I’ve told you that I thought it would be best if you and I just didn’t see each other anymore.”

“You’re sayin’ that cause your scared.  And after what your pa did to ya, I don’t blame ya.  But I would never hurt you like that..I swear I wouldn’t.  All I’m askin’ is that you think about it.  I don’t make lots a money with the Pony Express, but it’s enough to keep us fed.  And if we’re real careful, maybe in a couple years we’ll have enough money to build us a house in those meadows we liked so much.”

Getting married was something she had never even considered.  But this man sitting before her was very special.  She knew he would never hurt her.  The only hurt he could possibly cause her would be if he let someone kill him.  And she believed that he would pretty much let her go her own way..whichever way that was.  At the moment she couldn’t think of what she would want to do, but whenever she decided what it would be, she knew he would be behind her all the way.  And how wonderful to have this man love her for the rest of her life.  Much more wonderful than her telling him goodbye and never seeing him again.  That would be the worst thing that could happen to her..and that thought hit her like a ton of rocks.

Sarah got up and went over to her saddlebags and pulled a large pouch out of it.  Then she went back to where she’d been sitting.

“I’ll agree to your proposal if you agree to mine.”

A wide smile covered his face.  “You’ll marry me?”

“Yeah.  I think it would be real interesting to live my life with you, but only if you say yes to what I’m going to propose.”

“Let’s hear it,” he told her as he squeezed her hand.

She handed the pouch to him, and it was quite heavy.

“I have $600 in there.  You have to agree to let us use it to build a house in the meadows and use it for any other incidentals that we might need...maybe to raise some horses or cattle.  I want to lead a fairly simple life.  I always have, and since my line of work paid pretty well at times, I was able to save this up.  I didn’t break the law doing it, and if you’re my husband you’re entitled to share it with me.  What do you say?”

Jimmy sat the pouch down and stared at it.  Never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d ever have this much money offered to him.  It guaranteed that their life would start out well, but there was this little part of him that didn’t like the idea of accepting her money.  He knew she meant business, though.  He knew if he rejected her money, she would leave him.  But you didn’t reject gifts, did you?”

“So if I say yes, you’ll go back to Rock Creek with me and get married right away?”

“Yes, with pleasure.”

“And if I say no, you’ll leave?”

“Yes.”

He sighed as he ran his hands through his hair.

“What I didn’t hear you tell me is how you feel about me.”

“Fair enough.  I didn’t think I would ever say this to a man, but James Butler Hickok...I do love you, you know.  You’re the only man that’s ever been my equal, who’s also a gentleman and a caring person.”

Jimmy loved her all the more for stating it so simply.  He couldn’t let her go..now or ever.

“Okay, Sarah.  We’ll build us a house in the meadows..we’ll stock it with whatever you want to stock it with..we’ll have us some babies..any maybe..just maybe...we can live a life filled with peace and no one lookin’ for us.”

“I’d like that, Jimmy,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him and began to kiss him. 

“So would I, Sarah.  So would I!”
                                                                       
                                       


February 20, 1996


COPYRIGHT  - M.  BOLTON -  2003


Back to Young Riders Fan Fiction                                            Back to The Old West Revisited Home Page