Sarah sat on her horse, looking down at the valley stretching our ahead of her. She turned her face up to the sun. She was glad that Indian summer had intruded on their fall weather. How long would it last? Sarah nudged her horse down the hill, but stopped as she heard the thundering sounds of horses’ hoofs pounding the ground. On top of that, there was the sound of gunshots. Lord! What was happening?

Wheeling her horse around, she came to a stop behind a bush. Whatever it was, she instinctively knew that she didn’t want to be a part of it. She strained her eyes, and saw the lead horse, a palomino galloping at full speed, being chased by four others. As it got closer, she recognized the Pony Express bag hooked over the saddle horn. The rider on the palomino turned and shot one of those chasing him. The odds didn’t look good for him, and it was made even more apparent when a gun sounded again, and the Pony Express rider fell off his horse and laid still. Sarah gasped, hoping that he was just faking it..hoping that the robbers would just go through his pouch and let him be.

The man didn’t move. The robbers looked through the pouch, throwing all the mail around. They went through the man’s pockets, and then she heard them shouting, and they sounded angry. One of the men pulled his gun and aimed it at the Rider’s head. No! Sarah’s hand went to her pistol, knowing that her only chance was shooting two of them immediately.

She kicked her horse, and rode towards them at a full gallop, screaming at the top of her lungs. She pulled her gun, aimed, and shot, all in the space of a couple seconds. Two of them dropped immediately, while the third ran for his horse and took off. Sarah made sure that he wasn’t going to turn around and come back before she got off her horse and hurried over to the young man.

“Hey Mister!” she called as she rolled him over. “Oh wow!” she said as she found herself looking into one of the handsomest faces she’d ever seen. He had long, brown hair that hung around his face, and very sensual lips. “Who are you?” she asked softly, because he was not coming around.

It looked like he’d hit his head on a rock when he’d fallen, because his forehead was all bloody. She had also noticed blood around his right shoulder before she’d rolled him over.

“Well, I can’t leave you out here in the middle of nowhere on this road, now can I?” she asked him. “Hopefully I can drag you over to those trees.”

She knew that neither of his wounds were mortal ones, so she wasn’t worried as she managed to drag him a few yards to some trees. She laid his blanket on the ground, and rolled him onto it. Next, knowing he would be worried about it, she gathered the mail together and put it back into the pouch. She tied his and her horses to the tree, then finally turned her attention to his wounds.

Sarah cleaned the head wound first, tearing her extra shirt into strips so she could wrap it up. Next she rolled him over so she could get to his back. Knowing the bullet still had to be in there, she started a fire, then heated her knife before she dug into the wound and pulled the bullet out. A small groan escaped from him, but he didn’t wake up. She cleaned the wound as best she could, and wrapped it up before she rolled him to his side.

It was then she noticed the gun that was staring at her. It was an ivory handled Colt, worn very low. That’s right - he’d been shooting at them. Where was the other gun? She quickly took the holsters off him, knowing it wouldn’t be very comfortable for him to be laying on it. Then she went in search of the other gun, and found it half buried in the dirt of the road. She placed it in the empty holster. She made the horses more comfortable, and then leaned against a tree to watch her patient. How long would it take him to come around? And should she do something about the two bodies lying in the road? No….she was too tired right now. She’d bury them later.

She reached her hand out to feel his forehead….what little she could touch with the bandage wrapped around his head. Good! He still felt cool, so she just sat there and stared at him. He looked to be tall…muscular…and he was a Pony Express rider…but why did he wear his guns like a gunfighter would? That disturbed her. Was that really why they were chasing him? Maybe robbery hadn’t been the real motive! But his face..it didn’t have that hardened look to it…but then he was unconscious. How hardened could it look in rest?

“Who are you?” she asked him softly as she took a drink from her canteen. Then she looked at the two bodies and sighed. She should have just scared them off. Sarah stood up, knowing what she had to do.

Luckily there was a creek nearby, where she washed off after she had buried the two men she had killed. Sarah refilled her canteen, and walked back to where the wounded man was. She felt his forehead again…still cool…and turned to her bag of food.  Luckily her Aunt Emma had made sure she’d had plenty of traveling food.

Jimmy Hickok could hear faint sounds around him. He lay perfectly still as he tried to figure out what had happened to him. He knew his head felt like it was splitting! He remembered being chased, then shot, then nothing. He could sense a person nearby. Was it one of the men who had chased him? He opened his eyes a slit, but everything looked blurry. Jimmy’s hand slowly made its way down to where his gun should be. If anything, he could always come up blazing.


“If you’re looking for your gun, it’s laying up by your head,” he heard a female voice say to him. “But I would really appreciate it if you didn’t shoot me. Right now, I’m all you’ve got.”

That caused him to open his eyes quickly. It was dark out. There was a campfire, and he could see a fuzzy blob sitting on the other side of it.
“Who are you?” he croaked. “What happened?”

“Mt name is Sarah Brooks. And you’re?”

“Hickok…Jimmy Hickok.” He said as his hand went to his head.

Sarah’s eyes widened. She knew the name. There were rumors about this man.

“You have quite a reputation around here,” she stated dryly. “But I’m pleased to meet you. How’s your head?”

“It hurts,” he admitted, “And everythin’s blurry.”

“I’m not surprised. I think you hit that rock pretty hard. Are you hungry at all and how does the rest of you feel?”

“Stiff…my shoulder hurts.”

“I had to dig around to find that bullet that went in you. Are you hungry?”

Jimmy finally pushed himself into a sitting position. The blob came a little more into focus. She looked slender..had long, blond hair. Her face was hidden in the shadows.

“A little. What happened?”

“I was riding through here, and I heard shots. Four men were chasing you. You got one of them..then one of them shot you, and you fell off your horse. They threw all the mail out of your pouch, went through your pockets, and then decided to shoot you. That’s when I decided that you might need some help. I shot two of them. The other one rode quickly off.”

“You really killed two of them?”

“Yeah.”

“And my mail pouch?”

“I picked it all up. It’s back in the pouch, and it’s with your other things.”

“And you rescued me?”

“Is that so hard to believe?” she asked him, suddenly feeling irritated.

“No…I know of only one other woman who could do that though. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled at him as she put some food on a plate, got up and went over to hand it to him. “The coffee should be ready soon.”

As blurry as she looked, he could tell, now that he could see her, that she was one of the most beautiful ladies he had ever seen.

“Thank you,” he told her, feeling his cheeks get warm.

“I didn’t know you were with the Pony Express. Your reputation would have you just roaming around, looking for men to kill,” she laughed.

For some reason, he didn’t feel offended by what she’d just said to him. Usually if anyone mentioned his reputation, he wouldn’t give them the time of day. “Yeah, have been for a couple years now. That reputation part..it ain’t true.”

“Really?” she asked with raised eyebrows. “Usually there’s just a little truth behind a lie.”

Jimmy tasted the food. She had sat down a little closer to him.

“I made a magazine writer mad, and he wrote some lies about me. The wrong people read them and started lookin’ for me. I’ve killed everyone who’s called me out, but they came lookin’ for me. I didn’t go lookin’ for them. I ain’t never killed a man in cold blood.”

“And nothing about you at the time would suggest that you were like this before?”

Jimmy squirmed under her glance.

“I was a little hot tempered is all.”

“Which is probably why he wrote what he did?”

“I guess. This food is good,” he stated, trying to change the subject.

Sarah sensed his unease. “Luckily I had been visiting my Aunt Emma. She made sure that I had plenty of traveling food. She always makes sure I have enough to feed an army!”

“Your Aunt Emma live close to here?”

“She lives over in Two Rivers. I was on my way home when I heard the shots.”

“Lucky for me. Where do you live Sarah Brooks?”

Sarah poured coffee for him. This man was just that..all man. She could sense his strength as he sat next to her. And she could also sense that deep inside she might find a heart of gold. This man was definitely not the stories that were told about him.

“A few miles on the other side of Rock Creek. Where is your home station, Jimmy Hickok?”

“Rock Creek. How come I’ve never seen you?

“I don’t get into town much, and I haven’t lived there for very long.”

“Where were you before that?”

“Back East. I stayed with some of my family while I was at finishing school..two very long years. It’s so nice to be back here. I…”

Sarah didn’t have time to finish that statement. Hearing the click of a gun being cocked, she simultaneously drew her gun, whirled around and shot in the general direction. Both she and Jimmy heard a thud, as he quickly reached for his gun. As he stood, he swayed.

“Stay here!” she ordered before she disappeared. Jimmy crawled behind a tree as he tried to see into the darkness. Tarnation! Why did everything have to be so blurry? He felt like a newborn baby…not able to defend himself at all.

“Jimmy?” he heard. “I’m coming out. It’s alright,” he heard her soft voice as she appeared.

He stood up very slowly from behind his tree.

“I didn’t hear him, but you did. Darn it all! What good am I?” he asked as he sat back down on his blanket and reholstered his gun. “Did you get him?”

“Yeah…he’s dead. Hanging around you ain’t healthy, Jimmy Hickok!” she smiled, “And you’re so fuzzy inside your head, nothing can probably get through!”

“You’re fast,” he complimented. “And thanks once again for savin’ me!”

“You’re welcome. I’ve had a lot of practice. This was just luck though. I had no idea where he was. He must have wanted you bad to come back for you.”

Jimmy just shrugged his shoulders.

“And I bet when you’re feeling fine, nothing can get past you! Am I right?”

“Yeah, at least up until now,” he smiled shyly at her.

Sarah’s heart slammed against her chest at his small smile. Who would have ever thought that Hickok would turn out to be her age..and handsome to boot?

“Like I said..the next time you’ll probably be saving my bottom! Now, have you had enough coffee? Do you need anything else to eat?” she asked him as she returned his smile.

“I wish that I could see you clearer. You’re so purty!” he told her, surprised at himself for saying that.

“That’s sweet. Thank you! Now you’d better lay down, while I take care of this fire for the night. I think we can sleep easy, and I’ll bury that man in the morning.”

“No, I’ll do that. Did you already take care of the other two?”

“Yeah, while you were out of it.”

“Then I insist on doin’ the same with that one out there. Thank you for everything you done for me, Sarah. You’re one very special lady!”

She just smiled at him before she busied herself banking the fire and spreading out her own blanket. Jimmy watched her, feeling very contented. She knew her way around. She was a quick draw in her own right, and had proven that she could watch out for herself…and for him as far as that went. Plus on top of that, he liked being here with her, and she was pretty. And after tomorrow, he would probably never see her again. Remember who you are! He told himself firmly!

“Good night, Jimmy.”  She told him. “If you need anything during the night, let me know.”

“I will,” he told her. “Good night.”

Sarah slept well, waking a couple of times to check on Jimmy, but he seemed to be doing all right. As dawn was breaking, she got up for good, went to the creek to wash, and got some water for coffee, which she started. She brushed her hair, watching Jimmy the whole time. Something told her that once this man was well enough to ride, she would never see him again. That thought saddened her for some reason. In her lifetime she had never met any man that interested her for very long. She had a feeling that this one would be able to do that. Sighing, she went through her food pack, pulling out some things for their breakfast.

Jimmy had slept deeply knowing for once that he wouldn’t have to wake up on a split second notice. He opened his eyes and stretched.

“Mornin,” he heard Sarah tell him. There was a smile in her voice. “How are you feeling today? Is everything still blurry?”
He found her. “Yeah. It is.”

“Let me help you up. I’ll walk you down to the creek since you’d probably like to wash up a bit,” she offered as she came over to him.

She held her hand out to him, and he gratefully took it. She helped to pull him up, then put his arm around her shoulder so he could lean on her.
 
Jimmy took in a sharp breath. It had been a very long time since he’d been this close to a woman, and his stomach was in the process of doing very funny things.

“You all right? You dizzy?” she asked him.

“I’m fine Sarah.”

“Then we’ll walk slowly to the creek,” she told him, as she helped him in that direction. She could tell that he was feeling a little weak. Since his vision was still blurry, they would probably need to stay here at least one more day. “Here you are. If you need help coming back, yell for me.”

“I’ll do it,” he told her as she left him with a smile.

“No!” he muttered under his breath..struggling to regain his composure. “You don’t need no woman in your life! You don’t know what the future holds!” he scolded his body for betraying him. “I’ve got to get outta here today!”

Sarah warmed up some of the food, and handed him a plate as he made his way back to his blanket.

“After we eat, I need to check on your wounds to make sure they’re doing okay.”

“No, they’re fine. After breakfast I’ll bury that gunman and then head on out to Rock Creek. They’ll be worried about me.”

“Jimmy Hickok! You aren’t going anywhere! What if someone else takes a mind to attack you? How are you going to defend yourself since you can’t see them clearly? I know you aren’t feeling that great. You’re staying here so I can look after you one more day.”

“No I ain’t! I’ve got to get back to the station. This mail is already late, and it’s got to get through. I’ll be just fine!” he told her as he started to eat the food. As far as he was concerned, the matter was decided.

She looked into his steely gaze. Something had happened while he’d been at the creek. Right now he had a ten foot wall up. They ate in silence. She managed to finish before he did, silently got up, walked over behind him and came down on her knees to look at his shoulder.

“What are you doin?” he demanded.

“I’m going to make sure you’re all right before you leave here. I want to check on your shoulder and your head.”

Jimmy could feel her cool hands on his shoulder as she eased his shirt off, and took a peak under the bandage. He felt there was fire underneath each one of her fingers. Sarah was pleased with the way it looked.

“When you get back to Rock Creek, have the doctor put some of his medicine on it.”

“I have an Indian friend. I’ll have him put some of his medicine on it.”

“Yeah, that would he good too. Now let me see your head.”

He obediently turned around, which put him face to face with her. He finally realized that she had the bluest eyes of anyone he’d ever seen. This close up, she was gorgeous! His chest caught, and his stomach did a flip flop. She didn’t seem to notice as she looked underneath the bandage on his forehead.

“They both look good, Jimmy, and I’ll bury the other gunman. You need to use your strength for the ride. And I’m riding with you, and I don’t want to hear anything about that!” she told him as she stood up, and went to find some stones to cover the dead man with. Jimmy watched her, wanting to leave while she was busy with her task, but knowing that she probably had the capability to hunt him down and shoot him for not doing what she had told him to do. So instead, he made sure their fire was out, collected their belongings, saddled the horses, tied their bedrolls on them, and had everything ready to go when she came back from the creek.

“Thanks for getting everything ready to go,” she told him as he handed her the reins to her horse.

“It was the least I could do,” he told her as they mounted up. They turned their mounts towards Rock Creek and headed out in silence.

As he knew she would, she had a very good seat on her horse and seemed very at ease on him. This was some lady…she had very pretty, proper speech, but yet acted as if she had lived out here all her life. Which was she? The lady from the East, or the country girl from the West? And where had she learned to draw like she did? Thinking that, he voiced the thought.

“I was wonderin’ somethin’, Sarah.”

“What’s that?” she asked him, surprised that he was asking her anything. She’d figured that he wasn’t going to say another word until they got to Rock Creek.

“Where did you learn to draw a gun so fast?”

“Told you…I’ve had a lot of practice.”

“I can tell that. But why? That’s not usually somethin’ a lady practices.”

Sarah was torn. She didn’t really want to tell him her life story, but her life story figured into it. It would figure that her quick draw would be what would get his curiosity up. It was obvious that there was nothing else about her that he found attractive.

“I’m different I guess,” was all she told him, not really wanting to discuss it with him.

Jimmy knew she didn’t want to talk about it, so he let it go. There was something about her that reminded him of himself. He knew that he would have given her the same answer if she had asked him that question.

So the ride continued in silence. Towards noon, with the sun high in the sky, he was beginning to feel funny. He drank some water from his canteen and splashed some on his face, trying to clear his fuzzy head. His vision still left a lot to be desired, and he was beginning to wonder why it wasn’t clearing up for him. Then suddenly all was black.

Sarah had been riding a bit ahead of Jimmy, and when she heard the thud, she turned quickly to see him lying on the ground.

“Oh great! No…you couldn’t rest one more day, could you?” she asked his inert figure as she quickly got off her horse and hurried to him, hoping that he hadn’t hit his head again.

“Jimmy!” she called, shaking his good shoulder. There wasn’t any answer. “Damn!” she swore.

Sarah grabbed both sets of reins for the horses and found a tree to tie them to. She unrolled Jimmy’s bedroll, then with what little strength she had left in her, dragged him over to it. She checked his head and shoulder to satisfy that no damage had occurred to either, then laid down on her bedroll. This whole experience was beginning to get to her. She heard Jimmy moan, and saw his hand move to his head.

“What happened?” he asked weakly.

“You passed out, Hickok!”

“Well, I’m feeling better. Let’s go on,” he stated as he started to sit up.

Immediately Sarah was there, kneeling next to him, her gun drawn, cocked, and pointed at his head.

“You get back on that horse before tomorrow morning, I swear I’ll shoot you, Hickok. You lay down now and get some rest. And don’t even think about sneaking off on me. You got that?” she asked, having not one ounce of good humor left inside of her at that moment!

Since he wasn’t sure if she was serious or not, he lay down. If he admitted it to only himself, he didn’t feel that great. Another day of rest wouldn’t kill him.

“That’s better!” she told him, uncocking her gun and replacing it in her holster. “You get some sleep now, and when you wake up, I’ll fix us something to eat.”

Jimmy didn’t have the energy to say anything to her. He closed his eyes, and was immediately asleep.

Sarah let out her breath. Knowing this man’s reputation, she doubted if he would have let her get away with that if he’d felt better. Well, at lease he knew that she meant business. She closed her eyes. A little nap wouldn’t hurt her either!

Jimmy woke with a start. It was dusk and all was quiet. He looked around him as he slowly sat up, and saw Sarah curled up on her blanket. He smiled as he remembered her drawing on him. She probably would have shot him. Maybe she’d be in a better humor when she woke up. Lord she was pretty! Then it hit him. He could see clearly! His head did feel better!

As if sensing she was being watched, her eyes slowly opened. She threw a sleepy smile his way.

“You feel better?” she asked.

The smile had a strange effect on him.

“Yeah…you?”

“Hey look…I’d just had to drag you, once again I might add, to a more comfortable location. I wasn’t about to do it again!” she defended herself. “You’re heavy!”

“I don’t blame you. I would have done the same thing.”

She cocked her head at him. “You’re a strange man, Hickok. There definitely aren’t a lot like you. Ready to eat?”

“I guess. You gonna let me ride tomorrow?”

“Depends. Can you see clearly yet?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re ready to ride then. I think it’s going to be a little cooler tonight. I think our Indian summer is over for this year.”

“I think so too,” he agreed with her as he watched her start to build a fire. “I’ll do that for you.”

“Thanks,” she told him as he expertly fashioned a fire, and soon had it going. She set the coffee pot on the fire, and prepared the rest of their dinner. She gave him another smile as she handed him a plate. She felt like they had come to some sort of truce, even though she had never been too sure when the war had been waged. He returned her smile, and immediately she felt weak all over.

Supper was eaten in silence. Sarah cleaned the plates, then poured them coffee.

“Now Sarah Brooks, how did you learn to shoot like that?” he asked, trying again.

“You don’t give up, do you Hickok?”

“Not if’n it’s somethin’ I want to know.”

Did she want him to know her better? But then, what difference did it really make in the scheme of things? After they got to Rock Creek, they’d never see each other again.

“I was born in Boston, and my parents were very wealthy. I was an only child, and I always had whatever I wanted..that is, everything but my parents. They were always traveling in Europe, and I was cared for by a succession of nannies. When I was 10, for some reason, they shipped me out here to spend some time with my Aunt Emma. The foreman of her ranch took me under his wing and taught me how to shoot. I never let my parents know about that. They would have forbidden it. You see, that’s not something a proper young lady should do! I realized early on that I liked to shoot…that with a little practice I could be very good at it! After that, I would beg my parents to send me out here when they were ready to go off on another jaunt. I practiced every chance that I could get, and what you’ve seen are the results of it. After finishing school I let it be known that I wanted to move out here permanently. Needless to say my parents weren’t too happy about that and forbade me to do it. Last year, the ship they were traveling on sank during an Atlantic crossing. Being the only child, I inherited everything. I sold all of my Boston holdings and moved here. I bought a spread on the other side of Rock Creek and have been living there ever since. I raise cattle. And that’s my story. You going to tell me yours now?”

“So you’re very wealthy?”

“Yes.”

“How did you get to the point where it didn’t bother you to kill another man?”

“I never said that it didn’t bother me to take a human life. It does, but I try not to think about it. Having my own ranch, I’ve had to defend it from various disgusting people.”

“Don’t you have men to help you?”

“Yes, but sometimes they’re out on the range with the cattle. But I don’t worry none. I can take care of myself.”

“So I’ve noticed,” he laughed.

“Now..tell me about you,” she invited.

“I ain’t nothin’ like you,” he told her with a shake of his head.

“So? Where were you born and raised?”

Sarah looked so appealing sitting there. He just wanted to reach out, and pull her against him. He knew how good and comforting that would feel to him. But he also knew that he couldn’t.

“No, Sarah. There ain’t no need for you to know me any better ‘n you do.”

He watched her carefully study his face. He could see a cold mask come down over her eyes.

“You’re right. There isn’t,” she bit out as she cleaned up the campsite and put things away. Then he watched her walk away from him, and soon the darkness around them had swallowed her up.

“I’m sorry,” he threw after her, softly. Jimmy knew that he didn’t have to worry about her. She seemed well able to take care of herself. His only concern was keeping the fire going since the temperature was starting to drop very quickly.

Sarah just kept walking, knowing that if she had said one more word to Jimmy Hickok she would have started to scream. So what if they would never see each other again? The least he could do was be friendly! She stomped her foot in anger. And just as quickly, she started to laugh. Face it…the only reason she’d wanted to hear what he had to say about his life was because she wanted to know him better. She’d wanted to listen to his low, soft voice talking to her. And he was being the wise one in all this. Sarah decided to just leave him to himself where he seemed happiest anyway. But there was just something about him, her inner voice told her. Something that she didn’t want to let go of.
Sarah turned around to walk back to camp. Lord it was getting cold! It would figure..the one man that she would find attractive would be someone with a reputation like Jimmy’s…a known gun, even if he didn’t want to be known as that. She could see him sitting next to the campfire. She sighed to herself for something that could never be. Then with a resolute step, she went back to the warm circle and not saying anything to him, pulled her blanket close to the fire and laid down on it. She had her back to him.

Jimmy wanted to say something to her…something that would make it all right between them.

“Sarah…maybe at another place or time..just now ain’t a good time for me.”

Without looking at him, she replied, “I understand that Jimmy. Good night. We can ride out of here at first light. We’re not that far from Rock Creek.”

Jimmy knew he was foolish enough to want more from her. He was lucky that she was talking to him. “Okay..night.”

What had woken her? She asked herself, but then realized that she was freezing, and that her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. The fire was out, and she didn’t have any other blanket. She hadn’t planned on being on the trail this long. Sarah sat up. She guessed that she’d better try to restart the fire.

Jimmy heard Sarah rustling around, and looked over in her direction. How had it gotten so cold?

“Are you all right?” he asked her.

“Yeah..a little cold.” She stated through chattering teeth.

“I don’t think building a fire is possible right now. It will be too hard to find some kindling.”

“Do you have any other suggestions then?”

Jimmy smiled to himself. The poor thing sounded so miserable.

“Yeah..come here,” he invited as he moved over on his blanket and raised the top one up. “We can keep each other warm. I’m a little chilly myself.”

Sarah immediately saw the wisdom of Jimmy’s offer, and deep down she knew that she could trust him. She quickly got up, picked up her discarded blankets, placed them on top of Jimmy, and went to lay on his left side so that she didn’t touch his injured shoulder.

He pulled the blankets tightly around them as he pulled her against the warmth of his body.

“Better?” he asked into her ear. Her head was tucked into his chest.

“Much!” she said, with relief.

Jimmy smiled again. This felt so good. This was all he had wanted. And then the irony hit him. No matter how much he had fought it, it had happened anyway. Gradually her shivering stopped, and he could feel her relaxing against him. Suddenly a very protective feeling overwhelmed him. He knew that he would happily give his life to keep anything from happening to her. Her hair smelled of the outdoors. Her body felt so good next to his. He would have his one night of heaven.

Sarah had expected to feel uneasy..embarrassed…uncomfortable, but as soon as Jimmy’s arms went around her, she felt like she had come home. She cuddled in closer to him, and felt a warmth go through her body at the closeness of him. She yawned and her eyes felt heavy..so heavy.

Her even breathing told him that she had fallen asleep. He gently kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes. He knew that he couldn’t think about all of this right now, but later…when he was on the trail and feeling very alone..he knew this memory would bring him comfort.

As Sarah slowly awakened, she realized that she was being held very tightly against Jimmy’s body, and that she still felt very warm. He was still asleep, so she listened to his heart beating steadily. His body was very solid to be pulled against. She pulled away enough to see his face. It was so beautiful. Why couldn’t they…NO! He had already made his feelings perfectly clear. The only reason he’d suggested they sleep together was because he felt an obligation since she had saved his life.

Jimmy could feel himself coming to consciousness. He could feel Sarah was still securely in his arms, and that thought filled him with an excited warmth. Not thinking, he opened a sleepy eye, saw her upturned face studying him, and lowered his mouth to hers. The initial contact was like a bolt of lightening going through him. He had never felt anything like it in his life before. Her lips felt so soft, so giving beneath his. He rolled on top of her, as her lips opened underneath his and welcomed him inside.

Sarah couldn’t believe this was happening to her. She’d been kissed by other men, but none of them had ever made her feel like Jimmy was making her feel at this moment! His mouth moved sensuously over hers and was making her body feel things it hadn’t felt before. Her arms went around him as she pulled him closer to her. His tongue probed, seeking hers out..danced with hers in an age old dance. She didn’t think that either one wanted it to end.

Jimmy’s little voice was trying very hard to get his attention and tell him to stop, and sighing, he finally listened to it. He buried his face in her neck breathing, “Oh Sarah!”
And she just held him close against her, afraid to let him go..afraid that he would run to his horse and disappear on her. He finally raised himself up, brushed a lock of hair from her face, and smiled down at her.

“That shouldn’t have happened,” he told her.

“I know, but it did. I’m not sorry it did. Are you?” she asked boldly.

Looking down at her, he knew that he only wanted it to happen again.

“No,” he admitted as he smiled down at her and caressed her face with the palm of his hand. That did it! Her stomach had left her! “But, I think we’d best get up and head out for Rock Creek.”

“I think so too. I have a couple biscuits and some beef jerky left. We can eat that as we ride.”

“Okay,” he said without moving.

“How’s your head and your shoulder?”

“Much better,” he told her, still looking down at her. Sarah had the feeling that he was trying to memorize her looks.

“Good!” she laughed as she pulled him down for a quick kiss. There was no need to prolong this. It would only hurt more. “Let’s go!”

He laughed too as he shook his head. He stood up and held his hand down to her so he could pull her up. After that, it didn’t take long to roll up their blankets, saddle their horses, and mount up. Sarah handed him some biscuits and jerky, and they rode in a companionable silence as they ate.

They were just on this side of Rock Creek when she suddenly heard him say,

“Missouri..I was born in Missouri. My Pa was an abolitionist and was murdered when I was young. My Ma died a couple of years after he died. I’ve been on my own for quite a while now.”

Jimmy had suddenly wanted to give her a piece of himself..to let her know a little about him. She digested the information, amazed that he had told her anything. She felt bad for him because of his parents, but chose not to say anything. She knew he didn’t tell her that so she would feel sorry for him.

“Thank you for telling me that Jimmy. Well, this is where I tell you goodbye,” she said as she stopped her horse. “This is my cut off.”

Jimmy stopped his horse and looked at her. He wanted to make plans to see her again, but knew that he shouldn’t.

“Thanks for lookin’ after me..for savin’ my life. I do appreciate that.”

“You’re welcome, Jimmy. I’m glad that I met you. Now I’ll be able to tell people how wrong they are about you.”

“They won’t believe you. People believe what they want to believe.”

“But at least I know, and that’s what matters. Bye, Jimmy. Good luck with your life. Watch your back.”

“I will. Maybe I’d better tell you the same,” he smiled.

“Maybe,” she said as she threw a smile over her shoulder and quickly rode off. He felt bereft. Would he ever see her again?

He turned his horse back towards Rock Creek, and rode quickly to the station. Immediately he was surrounded by the other riders. Rachel, the lady who looked after them, and Teaspoon the supervisor of the station and the Marshal in town.

“What happened, Jimmy?” Rachel asked him as she saw the bandage around his head.

“You all right son?” Teaspoon asked as Jimmy threw the pouch of mail at him.

“We was worried about you!” Lou, the only female rider and his best friend, told him. “We was going to go and look for you if you didn’t come back today.”

“I’m fine. Four gunmen attacked me. Buck..you got any Indian medicine you can put on this wound in my shoulder?” he asked as he slid off his horse.

“At my bunk. Is the bullet still in there?”

“No..I was knocked unconscious, and then I was rescued by a lady who was passin’ by, and she took care of me. If it hadn’t been for her, I woulda been killed.”

Like he knew it would, that got their attention.

“Was she purty?” Cody asked, already trying to picture her. How like Cody!

“She was beautiful and might be able to shoot better ‘n me!” Jimmy told him as Kid just stood there and smiled.

“What was her name?” Rachel asked with a smile.

“Sarah..she has a ranch somewheres the other side of Rock Creek. Ever heard of her, Teaspoon?”

“Nope..caint’ say as I have,” he said thinking it over.

“Let’s get you inside and taken care of,” Rachel told him. “I’ve got some hot stew on the stove.”

“Sounds great,” he told her, as he tried to push Miss Sarah Brooks out of his head.

“So are you gonna see her again?” Cody asked him.

“No. We ain’t made any plans. She’s got her own life, and I got mine.”

Jimmy saw the frown that crossed Lou’s face, and knew she was disapproving of his decision.

“Was she nice?” Lou asked him.

“Yeah.”

“And she could shoot good?”

“Yeah.”

“And she was purty?”

“Yeah..drop it, Lou.” He warned.

“No..she’s got a point, Jimmy,”  Kid stepped in. “It sounds like this one could take care of herself.”

“Look..all I want is some hot food, medicine for my shoulder, and a real bunk to sleep a few hours in. I ain’t gonna see her again. Let it go!” he told them as Buck took off the bandage that Sarah had put on his shoulder so he could see the wound.

“She did a good job on this. It will probably heal all right, but these herbs will make sure of that.”

Buck packed them on, then put the bandage back on him. Rachel placed some hot stew in front of him, and he gratefully started to eat it.

“Don’t the rest of you have somethin’ to do?” Teaspoon hinted to the rest of the Riders, knowing that Jimmy wanted to be left alone.

They all filed out, leaving him with Teaspoon.

“Don’t you start on me!” Jimmy told him.

“I cain’t make you mind up for ya,” Teaspoon told him as he opened the door. “But I’d think some on lookin’ that lady up  She sounds good!” he laughed as he left Jimmy.

And in the quiet, he could picture her so clearly in front of him. He could feel her lips against his..feel her silky hair with his fingers. He could know that he had left something very special behind him.

Sitting in her bathtub, Sarah closed her eyes, and once again went over every detail of her encounter with Wild Bill Hickok! She knew if she was smart, as she washed the dirt off her body, she would wash all thought of him out of her head. Unless she sought him out, she wouldn’t see him again. And she knew that he wouldn’t appreciate her just showing up at his door. It was definitely a lost cause!

“But how do you let something go when you know it would be perfect for you?” she asked the air around her. Hard work! That’s what she needed, and that was easy enough to come by here.

Jimmy recuperated and began riding again. A month went by..then two..then three. And he couldn’t forget about Sarah. The more time went by, the easier it was to push her out of his head, but he knew that even at those times, she was deeply inside of him. Coming back from a long ride, knowing that he could take his time, he came to the cut-off that Sarah had taken. Stopping his horse, he looked down the road. What if he went to see her? Maybe somehow he had made her out to be better than she really was. Maybe if he saw her again, the attraction wouldn’t be there any more. He could always say that he’d had to come this way anyway and had decided to stop and water his horse and see how she was doing. That could work. And it would finally let him put her out of his mind. He was getting tired of her always taking up space there. He urged his horse forward, hoping that her ranch would be just off this road.

After he had gone couple of miles, he heard gunshots off in the distance. Jimmy, sensing that this couldn’t be anything good, kicked his horse and took off in the direction of the shots. The closer he got, the more it seemed like there must be a small army attacking something. Were there Indians around here?

Coming over the rise, he could see a medium sized home with a lot of pastureland around it. It looked like there were five gunmen shooting toward the house. Two of them were making a move to get closer to the house. Their gunfire was being returned. How many people were in the house? He quickly checked his guns, kicked his horse again, drew, and began firing at those closest to him. It got their attention, and diverted it to himself, which was what he had hoped for. And he and the person inside the house caught the five in a crossfire, and soon they had eliminated three of the men. The other two took off. Jimmy reloaded his guns, then got back on his horse, and rode slowly towards the house, hoping he wouldn’t be mistaken for one of the men.

“You okay in there?” he called. “I’m a rider with the Pony Express, ‘n I was just passin’ by and heard the shots/”

Sarah, who had been shot in her arm, and had been in fear for her life, dropped her gun at the sound of Jimmy’s voice.

“Jimmy?” she called out as she stood up and hurried out the door. And there he sat, looking as handsome as ever, astride his horse.

“Sarah?” he asked, surprised.

“I thought I wouldn’t be in this world much longer when I heard your gun from up on the hill. I was thanking God for whoever had come to help me. And it was you! Why were you out here?”

Then he noticed.

“Sarah! Your arm is bleeding! Where are all your men?”

“Bringing in some of the cattle. I think those men knew that there wouldn’t be anyone around here. They weren’t expecting me to be here, but I didn’t go with my men this morning. I was feeling lazy. I think my arm’s okay.”

“Let’s take a look at it!” he commanded as he steered her into her house. He took off his coat, hat and gloves and pointed to a chair at the table. She obediently sat. He pushed up her sleeve, and knew that he bullet was lodged in her upper arm.

“It’s gonna have to come out, Sarah. Can you tell me where everything is?”

“You should find everything you need over by the sink. There’s some soap there, a bowl for some water, some clean linen, a needle and thread if you need to sew me up and a knife. I can start the stove to heat the water.”

“I can do that. You just sit there and let me take care of you this time! It looks like they shot out a lot of your windows. Do you have any extra glass?”

“Some, but probably not enough. I just don’t believe you’re here!”

“It’s a new route. I didn’t know this was your place, but I heard the shots and took a little detour to see if I could help out.”

“Thank God that you did. And here I had thought that I would never see you again, Jimmy Hickok! It’s strange how life works sometimes. How’s your head and shoulder?”

And the smile on her face made his stomach do flip flops. She was more beautiful than he had remembered.

“They’re fine, and you shouldn’t be concerned none about me. You’re the one I’m worried about this time,” he told her as he lit the stove, and put some water on to boil.

“But now that you’re taking the time to do this, your mail will be late.”

He knew that he didn’t have any mail to deliver, but he couldn’t let her know that.

“It will be fine. Don’t fret none.”

He assembled what he would need and put it on the table where he would be able to reach it.

“Has everything been going well for you?” she asked politely, still finding it very hard to believe that Jimmy Hickok was standing in her kitchen. His hair was longer than the last time she had seen him, and he was still one of the handsomest men that she had ever come into contact with. She kept trying to get her racing heart to slow down, but she wasn’t having much success with it.

“Oh yeah. Nothin’ much out of the ordinary ever happens. You have a nice spread here.”

“Thanks. I like it.”

“Do you know what those men wanted?”

“I think they were just an outlaw gang passing through that were out to see what they could get. They realized that there weren’t any men around probably saw me by myself and took the opportunity presented to them. I’m sure they won’t be back..”

“When will your men be back?”

“Not until tomorrow sometime. Why?”

“I don’t think that it’s safe for you to be here on your own. I’ll stay with you tonight in case they come back.”

Sarah was about to protest that it wasn’t necessary..in fact, had opened her mouth to say the words, but realized in that instant that if she protested too much, he might leave, and she definitely didn’t want him to leave..not yet anyway.

“That’s a very generous offer, Jimmy, and I accept. I’ll feel safer with you here.”

“Good. I’m glad that’s settled,” he said as he grabbed a towel to lift the pan of boiling water.
He carried it to the table, then sat down next to her. Her wounded arm was lying on the table.

“I’m afraid it’s gonna hurt some,” he told her as he began to cut away her sleeve.

“I expect it will, but I trust you, Jimmy. Just do what you need to do.”

Jimmy took a deep breath to steady himself. He heated the knife to clean it, and then began his work on her arm. Sarah didn’t budge. He knew that he was hurting her..in fact, at one point she had silent tears streaming down her face, but she didn’t cry out. By the time he had stitched her up and wrapped the arm, she looked deathly pale.

“I think you had better lay down and rest for a time. Where’s your room?” he asked as he scooped her up into his arms. He could feel her sigh as she laid her head against his chest.

“At the top of the stairs,” and she pointed to her room. He laid her gently on the bed and covered her with a blanket.

“You were real brave down there, Sarah. Now you rest and I’ll try to repair some of those windows.”

“Okay..thanks,”  she yawned, surprised at how weak she felt.

Jimmy knew she was sleeping before he even got out the door. He went downstairs and cleaned up the mess, then tried to get up as much of the glass from the floor as possible. For the next couple hours, he stayed busy taking care of his horse, burying the outlaws that he had killed and fixing the windows that had been broken. Finally finishing, he washed up. He looked around the house as he came in, but didn’t see Sarah, so he went up the stairs to check on her. It looked like she was just beginning to wake up. He sat down gently on the side of the bed.

“Feel better?” he asked her softly.

“Much, although my arm is throbbing a bit. I guess I should think about getting us something to eat.”

“I can cook some. Why don’t I see what I can find? I can bring it up here for you.”

“How sweet of you,” Sarah smiled up at him as she reached her hand out to caress his cheek. “It is so good to have you here.”

He took her hand between the two of his.

“It’s good to be here. Sarah…I”

“Yes?” she asked eagerly.

What had he been about to say to her? His life hadn’t changed none. He still couldn’t have a lady in his life.

“Nuthin’..I’ll go see what I can find to eat. Why don’t you get out of those bloody clothes, wash up, and change into somethin’ more comfortable?” he suggested to her.

“I’ll do that,” she smiled at him, disappointed because he hadn’t said what he had wanted to say.

He quickly got up and headed down the stairs, needing some distance from her. Jimmy nosed around the kitchen, and decided to heat up some stew that was there. When it was done, he put some in a bowl, filled a glass with some water, grabbed a biscuit to go with it, and hurried back up to Sarah.

“That smells good, Jimmy. Did you bring some up for yourself? I really do hate to eat by myself.”

“Um..I can go and get some. Here…I’ll put this on the table. Can you reach it?”

“Sure! Now go and get yourself some.”

Jimmy hurried down the stairs, and sat down on the last one, putting his head into his hands. Maybe staying tonight wasn’t such a great idea…but what if those men came back? There was no way she would handle it on her own..especially with her injured arm. He’d just have to stay away from her..that shouldn’t he too hard to do. He touched his fingers to where she had touched his cheek. He could still feel her fingers there. WHY had he decided to do this? WHY had he come here? But if he hadn’t, Sarah would be dead now. That thought chilled him. He would never have wanted that to happen. He made himself get up and go to the kitchen. Maybe he was taking this all in the wrong light. Maybe he should just see what happened. Maybe nothing would happen.

“I was beginning to think that you got lost,” Sarah commented as he came back into the room. He sat down on the one chair in the room.

“Did you get enough to eat?” he asked her.

“Yes. You did a good job with it. I could get used to this luxury of being waited on!” she giggled.

“Everyone should get waited on sometimes.”  He smiled back at her.

“It’s strange really. When I lived back East, I was waited on all the time and took it for granted. This was nice. Thank you for it.”

“You’re welcome,” he told her. “I’ll clean everythin’ up, and make sure that all’s secure. You make yourself comfortable up here. I’ll sleep on the sofa by the door.”

“Okay..check in with me before  you turn in for the night, okay? And sheets and blankets are in the cabinet at the end of this hallway.”

“Okay,” he responded as he gathered up all the dishes and went back down to the kitchen. As he washed the dishes, he couldn’t get Sarah off his mind.

He couldn’t erase how she looked sitting in her room. He shook his head to try to clear it. All he would do was stick his head in the room and make sure she was all right, grab some blankets, and sleep on the sofa. When her men showed up, he would say his good-byes and leave.

Jimmy dried off his hands, and started for the stairs.

Sarah could hear Jimmy moving around downstairs. She could tell that he was keeping his distance from her. This would be just like their last encounter. He would keep his wall up, and then he would leave. She would be lucky if she ever saw him again. This time had been a miracle. He wouldn’t let it happen again. Why didn’t he want a thing to do with her? She could tell that he cared about her, what with the way he was treating her and taking care of her. So why didn’t he want to stay for awhile? Why did he want to just be polite and push her away from him? And WHY did she have to be so attracted to him?

“You doin’ all right?” she heard him ask from the doorway.

“Yes. Did you get everything done?”

“I think so. Well..goodnight, Sarah. If you need me, call me. I’ll hear you,” he told her as he turned away from her and began to walk away from her.

“Jimmy…wait!” she called.

“Yeah?” he asked, filling the doorway again.

“Can we talk a minute?” she asked him.

“About what?” he asked, not moving from where he stood.

“About me..about you…Jimmy…I think that you and I could be real good friends, but you don’t seem to want to be..why not?” she asked trying to take the bull by the horns.

He shifted from foot to foot.

“Sarah..it ain’t like I don’t want to be, but you ‘n I have different lives. You don’t live in Rock Creek neither.”

“But maybe now that you have a Pony Express route that goes this way, you would feel free to stop in and say hello when you pass by.”

How could he tell her that there wasn’t a Pony Express route? “Yeah…I guess I could do that.”

“But you won’t want to, right?”

“It ain’t that. It’s just that…” he stopped, knowing he should just stop, and tell her goodnight.

“What is it, Jimmy?” she asked in what he hoped was an encouraging tone of voice.

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated breath.

“My future ain’t too bright, Sarah. People think I’m a gun fighter. They come lookin’ for me. I’m always lookin’ over my shoulder to see who’s behind me. That ain’t a life for a lady.”

“I’m not just any lady, Jimmy!” she told him. “I can mostly take care of myself..except when the odds are against me like today.”

Jimmy leaned his head against the door frame.

“That’s true all right, but it ain’t much of a life to offer a lady..especially a lady like you.”

Why did she feel like she was waging a losing battle? She should just save her breath and accept what he was telling her, but there was a perverse part of her that didn’t want to.

“And somewhere in all of this is why you won’t tell me that much about yourself?”

“Yeah..I guess its habit after all this time. The less people know, the less they can use against me.”

“I don’t think I would ever do that..use it against you.”

Jimmy finally walked into the room.

“No, I don’t suppose you would,” he admitted.

“So, tell me about you, Mr. Hickok. I’d really like to know, and I think that you and I could at least be good friends, but people can’t be friends if they don’t know the other. I told you about me. Now it’s your turn,” she told him as she moved over and patted the bed so that he could sit down and face her.

Suddenly Jimmy wanted to share himself with this woman. She exuded a warmth, and     she had only given to him since he had met her. He knew that he could trust her, and he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to stay away from her no matter how much he tried to talk himself out of it. He sat down on the edge of the bed and sort of smiled at her. She leaned against the headboard and gave him a patient, encouraging smile.

“Like I told you, I was born in Missouri. I have three older sisters. They still live there. My daddy was an abolitionist, and he was always givin’ speeches to whoever would listen to him. At one speech, there was some people there that didn’t agree with all he had to say, so they stabbed him. Doc couldn’t fix him up, so he died soon after. Ma was never very strong, so she died shortly after he did. My sisters were farmed out to some aunts. I was sent to live with an influential judge who owned half the territory in those parts. He decided he was gonna raise me to be a gunfighter. He wouldn’t let me have no schoolin’..he just wanted me to practice shootin’. I left him after a time..mainly cause I didn’t trust him. I knew that one-day I’d probably have to kill him, and I didn’t want to have to kill nobody. So I roamed around for a time, got into a bit of trouble cause of my temper, and finally hooked up with Teaspoon and the Pony Express. Then that Marcus character wrote those lies about me, and I’ve been hunted ever since. The other Riders are like my family to me. We’re all real close. Teaspoon is like our daddy. He watches over us and gives us advice and stuff.”

“Have you ever been in love?” she asked softly.

“Once to a lady named Rebecca. She was the widow of an abolitionist, and she still wanted to fight for the cause, and I didn’t cotton to it, so we went our own ways. How about you?”

Now what was she supposed to say about that? She had a feeling that the man sitting on her bed was the man she loved…the only man she would love.

“The man I finally fall in love with will be the man that I marry. I’ll fall in love whenever he comes along.”

“And he ain’t come along yet?” Jimmy asked her, holding his breath. Now why was it so important what her answer would be?

“Maybe he has,” she stated, looking at him steadily. “I don’t know.”

He felt she was trying to tell him something. What? And why did he feel so deflated?

“Good luck if he has. He’d be a lucky fella,” he forced himself to say.

“I don’t know if he’d feel that way,” she replied honestly.

“He don’t know?”

“No..I don’t think so.”

“You should tell him. Lots of times fellas are kinda shy with that.”

“No..now is not the right time to do that.”  She sort of smiled at him, wondering what his reaction would be if she told him that he was the one that she could love for a lifetime.

“I guess you would know. Well, I guess that I should let you have your rest,” he told her as he started to get up.

“Jimmy! Wait!” she stated, unconsciously coming to a decision. If she couldn’t have him for a lifetime, she would take what she could get.

“What, Sarah?”

“I haven’t ever done anything like this before, so I don’t want you to think that. In fact, you’re the first man I’m going to ask this of,” she stated nervously. What if he said no? “But I want you to lay with me tonight. I want you to stay up here with me, Jimmy.”

Jimmy knew his mouth had hit the floor. He had expected anything but that. His mind started racing.

“Sarah, you do that..what about this fella you love..he’ll know that you’ve been with another man if you ‘n I…”

Sarah quickly put her fingers across his mouth and shook her head. Then she looped her good arm around his neck and started to pull him closer to her. She didn’t feel any resistance coming from him. And his lips felt very willing as they started to caress hers.

Jimmy had wanted to feel closer to Sarah ever since he’d started to tell her of his life. Jimmy hadn’t had a lot of love in his life, and he could feel it coming from her in her attentiveness to him. Had she sensed what he was feeling..and that’s why she wanted him to stay with her? Jimmy pulled away from her and looked into her eyes.

“Sarah..if this is pity, I don’t want it,” he made himself say.

“Oh, Jimmy,” she sighed. “Don’t you recognize love when you see it?” And Sarah pulled him back to her.

Jimmy heard her words, but he didn’t want to think about the meaning behind them. He was very hungry for her, so he began to return her kisses. All his senses were heightened as he kissed her ears, her neck and her shoulders.

“Are you sure?” he asked into her ear.

“Yes,” she whispered into his before she kissed it. He shuddered at the pure delight of it.

Sarah moved down in the bed, and soon he was on top of her, leaning his weight on his arms, enjoying the feel to her beneath him. Then he could feel her laughing.

“Jimmy…the guns have got to go!”

“And probably the boots?”

“And the clothes too, I think,” she giggled.

Jimmy stood up and quickly took his gun belt off. He sat to pull his boots off, and had just begun to unbutton his shirt when Sarah took her nightgown off. He stopped breathing for a moment, and his fingers didn’t move. He had slept once with Rebecca, but Sarah was nothing like Rebecca. Sarah was a vision…a vision who was going to give herself to him. And from all indications, he would be the first man she had slept with. Should he do that to her? But how could he leave her now? He knew that he had feelings for her. Otherwise, why would he have come back to her? Somehow he was connected with her, and he wanted that connection to grow. Right now, he didn’t want to think about the complications that could arise from this.

Sarah saw the admiration in his eyes as he watched her. She wondered what was going through his head. She decided to take matters into her own hands, knelt up on the bed, and started to unbutton his shirt. With each button that opened, she kissed the waiting skin underneath it. When they were all undone, she slowly unbuckled his belt, and it wasn’t long before his trousers were around his ankles. She saw the bulge beneath his underwear and stopped. Now what was she supposed to do? What came next?

Jimmy felt her hesitate. She looked at him with a bewildered look on her face. Great longing over came him. All he wanted was to love this woman and protect her from all harm. He pushed her back down on the bed, kissing her all the while. His hands caressed her breasts and gently squeezed her nipples. A small moan came from deep in her throat, and Jimmy could feel her hands begin to run down his back and over his bottom.

When Jimmy’s mouth moved to her nipples, she couldn’t believe all the incredible feelings that went through her. She ran her fingers through his hair, never wanting him to stop what he was doing. But then he started to kiss her stomach, and she giggled. He looked up at her and smiled, and Sarah knew that if he couldn’t read what was on her face, he had to be blind! She enjoyed running her hands over his skin. His muscles were hard under her touch, and she could see little scars all over his body.

“Where they missed?” she asked him, tracing her finger around one of them.

“Yeah,” he admitted. “I’m sure I’ll get more as the years go by.”

“Oh, Jimmy,” she sighed as she reached for him again. She had noticed the long hardness resting against her leg. She tentatively reached out to touch it, and she could feel his shudder in her arms. Hmmm, that must be good. So she put her hand around it, and ran up and down the length of it.

“Oh baby..that feels so good.” He moaned as he lay on his back. So she continued what she was doing, enjoying watching his face as she caressed his long maleness. When she leaned down to kiss the tip of that maleness, he grabbed her and held her close to him. She could feel his heart pounding against his chest as he ran his hand up and down her arm.

“I want to come inside you, Sarah. It’s gonna hurt you though..for a little while.”

“I trust you, Jimmy. I want to be yours, and I want you to teach me how to do that.”  She told him truthfully.

He gently pushed her down on the bed, rose over her and pushed her legs apart. She felt the hardness against her, and she knew that she wanted that hardness inside of her. As Jimmy entered her, she did feel pain, as if she was being split in two, but he took his time and slowly the pain subsided.

Jimmy felt Sarah tense up and knew that he was hurting her. He didn’t ever want to do that, but he knew that this time it was necessary. He tried to take his time, and when he felt her relax, he eased his way fully into her.

Nature took over then as she seemed to wrap her body around him and hold him close to her. She moved with him, and a feeling of comfort came over him, leaving him feeling like he had finally..at long last..found his home..found where he was supposed to be.

They moved with each other, and soon their movements became faster, and Jimmy could tell that soon his spirit would leave him for a time. He wanted to make sure that Sarah’s joined his in this experience, so he took his time..waiting for some sign from her. When he felt her fingers digging into his back, he let himself go, knowing that he and Sarah would fly together to a higher place for a time. They belonged together he thought as his mouth found hers again, and he thrust deeply into her, spilling his seed inside of her.

Sarah couldn’t remember ever feeling, like Jimmy was making her feel. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was the man she was supposed to spend all of her life with. She didn’t ever want to let him go, and she wouldn’t think about it until tomorrow.

They laid closely together as they caught their breaths. Finally Jimmy pulled away enough to look at her.

“Are you okay?” he asked her.

Sarah reached out to cup his cheek in her palm.

“If I died tonight, my life would have been perfect. Jimmy, that was wonderful. I had no idea how wonderful this love stuff could be.”

“Are you gonna feel bad about doing this with me?” he asked, hoping she wouldn’t say she would.

“Jimmy…I will never feel bad about what happened between us tonight..what will happen between us for the rest of the night.”

As he smiled down at her, Sarah realized that she had never received a more beautiful smile from any man. It curled around her and held her close to his heart.

“Oh Jimmy…love me again and again and again until you have to leave me…” she said as a tear came out of her eyes and fell on her pillow. She didn’t want to think about what would happen when the morning came.

“I’ll love you with everything inside of me, Sarah.” He told her as he began to kiss her all over again.

Jimmy loved her all night. In between, he would hold her close, and they would talk and share some secrets. He had never felt closer to another human being. And when the dawn came, she fell asleep. Jimmy watched her for awhile before he climbed carefully out of bed. He had decided that he had to leave her while she slept. If she woke up and begged him not to leave, he knew that he would stay with her, and he wasn’t sure that should happen.

With heavy heart, he pulled his clothes on, not taking his eyes from her. She looked so innocent in her sleep..so beautiful. Sarah was everything that he could possibly want, but he knew that he couldn’t have her.

He leaned down close to her and silently kissed her cheek. Would he ever see her again? He held his breath as her eyes slowly opened. She seemed more asleep than awake.

“Is it time for you to go?” she asked him without moving.

“Yeah.”

“Ride careful, and I love you very much, Jimmy.” Then her eyes closed and she was sleeping again.

Had he heard her right? Had she just told him that she loved him? Was he the one she was talking about loving last night? Is that why she had let him love her? No…she’d been half asleep. She hadn’t known what she was saying. That had to be it. Whatever, he had to get out of there before she really did wake up. He needed space to think things over.

Jimmy pulled his horse to a halt and dismounted as he crested the hill in front of Sarah’s house. He had decided that he would wait until her men returned before he left the area. He had to know that she would be safe. He sat down on the grass, wishing that he had a cup of coffee. It took all he had inside of himself to not run back to her. He had never felt this strong pull with Rebecca, but he sure felt it with Sarah. He had never felt this loved with Rebecca. He had never felt at home with Rebecca, even though he had known that he loved her. Why was it so different with Sarah? He heard riders coming, and when they seemed to pose no threat to the ranch, he decided that they had to be Sarah’s men. He mounted and rode off.


Sarah yawned and stretched and was not surprised that Jimmy wasn’t there. She didn’t hear him downstairs, so she rolled over onto her back and closed her eyes, remembering Jimmy and his love. She thought about his fears and his apprehension about a relationship. Would she ever see him again? She wanted to remember his body and the things he had done to hers. She sighed. Lying here wouldn’t bring him back. There was work to be done, but first she needed a bath. Sarah heard her men ride up. She had a feeling that Jimmy was still around somewhere, making sure she was all right. That thought made her smile. She knew that he had feelings for her. Would they be strong enough to bring him back to her?


Jimmy was determined to push Sarah out of his mind. He pushed her words away also as he rode up to the station. Lou was sitting on the porch, but stood as he dismounted from his horse.

“You was late. I was getting worried.”

“I took my time on the way back was all. There weren’t no reason to worry, Lou.”

“I had already figured that out, but ever since..well..I’m glad you’re back. Have a good ride?”

“It was all right. Well..I need to take care of my horse. Is Kid out?”

“Yeah..Cody, Buck and Noah are out with Teaspoon lookin’ for someone. Rachel is cookin’ dinner. You sure you’re all right?” Lou asked him, seeing that he had his mind on something.

“I’m fine..just a little tired is all. I think I’ll take a bath, get some rest, and I’ll be fine. If Kid ain’t back by tonight, why don’t you ‘n I go for a ride?”

“I’d like that, Jimmy.”

He just nodded his head as he walked his horse to the barn. What he needed was to get involved in his normal, every day life. That way he could forget about Sarah.


It had been a month since Jimmy’s visit, Sarah reflected as she sat on her horse, watching her men brand her cattle in preparation for taking them to their winter range. He had been there with her every minute of every day, and she was getting ready to scream out her frustration. Maybe if she went to see him…NO! It was bad enough that she had thrown herself at him. She wouldn’t go crawling to him, begging him to come and see her!

“Son..we needs to talk.”  Teaspoon told Jimmy as he put his arm around his shoulders and steered him towards his office.

“Bout what, Teaspoon?” Jimmy asked as Teaspoon pointed to a chair for him to sit in.

“Bout whatever is on your mind.”

Jimmy looked out the window and shook his head.

“There ain’t nothin’ on my mind.”

“I see. Then can you tell me why you put the sugar in the flour bin yesterday? I knows you can read.”

“Honest mistake,”  Jimmy shrugged.

“And why whenever I sends you anywheres, it always takes you an extra day to come back?”

“I’ve got lost a few times.”

“And why when I sent you to pick up those new horses, you only come back with two instead of the three we bought?”

“You didn’t tell me to bring back three.”

Teaspoon shook his head and put his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder.

“Son..you ain’t never acted like this afore. This ain’t like you to make all these mistakes. Your head ain’t here, and that’s dangerous for you. Tell me where it is, son. Maybe I can help you.”

Jimmy sighed, seeing Sarah in front of him again.

“You can’t help me Teaspoon. This is something that I need to handle on my own.”

“Beggin’ your pardon, but you don’t seem to be doin’ a good job of handlin’ it,”  Teaspoon said as he poured them both a cup of coffee, put Jimmy’s in front of him and sat down. Jimmy took a long swallow of his.

“I don’t think it would do any good to talk about it.”

“Won’t do no harm neither.”

Jimmy sighed again. He knew that Teaspoon was worried about him. He also knew that he wouldn’t leave Teaspoon’s office without talking to him, so he might as well just dive in.

“Remember that lady that rescued me when I got all shot up?”

“Yes..seem to remember that she  could shoot good and was purty?”

Teaspoon watched a smile cover Jimmy’s face, which he quickly tried to hide.

“Yeah..that’s Sarah all right. I went to see her a month ago. I didn’t want to, but I did it anyway. I spent the night there, Teaspoon.”

“I see..and you’ve  got feelins for this gal, and you don’t know whats to do.”

“I know what to do..I’m stayin away from her.”

“Do you love her, Jimmy?”

“It don’t matter if I do.”

“Do you love her, Jimmy?” he repeated.

“She makes me feel funny things, Teaspoon. I want to be with her all the time. She’s all I think about.”

“Is it because you stayed with her?”

“No..I thought about her a lot before I did that. But I think about her even more now.”

“Son..I always knew that one day my boys would get married and have lives of their own. Maybe it’s time that you did that.”

“You know I can’t do that, Teaspoon. What sort of life could I offer a lady? I got men gunnin’ for me. They might come for her too..”

“Sounds like she could take care of herself, and I thinks you could offer a lot to the right lady.”

“I’m always watchin’ my back.”

“She could help you do that. I think you love this lady, and I think you’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t go for her.”

“She’s got her own cattle ranch. She’d got a lot of money, Teaspoon. Sarah’s from back East and has gone to finishing school. I ain’t even had no schoolin’. What kind of future would that be?”

“I bet she don’t care none about any of that. She probably could use some help with that ranch of hers. And if she don’t need help, there’s always a place for you on the Express line. Plus I’ve been thinkin’ about hirin’ a deputy. I mean I’m always swearing you in to help me out. I may was well have you permanent like and pay you for that.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Of course I would. Now don’t you think you should go and talk to your Sarah?”

“I still don’t know, Teaspoon.”

“Jimmy, I ain’t tellin’ you what to do, but I will tell you that you need a special woman to be your wife. It sounds like this Sarah will be perfect for you and what you need. You pass this up, you may never have another chance. If it’s gonna make you happy, what can be wrong with it?”

“I just never thought I would get married is all. It’s a big step.”

“Yes, it is. But when the time is right, you make your move. Take a couple of days off, and when I see you again, you’d best have Sarah with you.”

Jimmy stood up, feeling as if the weight of the world had been taken off his shoulders.

“She may not be talkin’ to me anymore,” he warned.

“You’ll wear her down,” Teaspoon assured him. “Now get off with you.”

Jimmy tore out of the marshal’s office and ran for his horse. He took off in the direction of Sarah’s ranch, feeling more positive about his decision with every mile he covered. As he rode to the top of the hill in front of her ranch, he stopped and looked down. There seemed to be the usual activity, and he found her almost immediately. It looked like some of her men were breaking horses, and she was standing on the fence rail, watching them. He gently kicked his horse and started towards her.

Something told Sarah to look up, and when she did, she was totally shocked to see Jimmy Hickok riding towards her. Why was he here? He was looking towards her very intently. Maybe he’d had to take the mail on the new route again and had found himself wanting to tell her hello. After all, she had said that they could be friends. Sarah ran for her hose, jumping on it, she rode out to meet him.

Jimmy’s heart started beating hard against his chest as she got closer to him. He had never answered the question in Teaspoon’s office, but yes, he did love her. This was the lady he wanted to have in his life. It would somehow work out! But what if he wasn’t what she wanted.

“Jimmy! Hello!” she gave him her most welcoming smile.

“Hi, Sarah.”

“They give you the new run again? I hope you can stay to lunch.”

She watched him shift uncomfortably in his saddle.

“Can we go somewhere and talk, Sarah?”

“Sure.”  She told him as she turned her horse toward one of her favorite thinking places.

“It’s good to see you again, Sarah,” for it was. The sun danced in her hair as the blue sky was reflected in her eyes. He smiled to himself.

“It’s good to see you again too, Jimmy. It seems that whenever I give up on ever seeing you again, you show up.”

“I hope that’s all right.”

“I think that you already know that it is,” she replied as she dismounted her horse by a stream. She dropped his reins, and sat down on a large rock. She looked at Jimmy expectantly.

Jimmy slowly dismounted. He took a deep breath as he went to stand by her. He picked up a rock and tossed it into the creek.

“There ain’t no new Pony Express route, Sarah.”

“There isn’t?” she asked confused. “Didn’t you say…”

“I lied. I needed an excuse to come and see you, and that’s all I could think of.”

“So you didn’t just happen on my ranch when you rescued me?”

“Yeah, I did. I wasn’t sure where it was, and I did hear gunshots, but I still would have come even if you weren’t under attack.”

“Oh…why did you have to lie to me?” she asked looking up at him.

“I really wanted to see you, but I didn’t know if you wanted to see me. I guess that was my excuse in case you didn’t want to see me.”

“Oh..well, I wanted to see you..even if I hadn’t been under attack. I was glad that you had come. So I was on your mind?” she asked, pleased.

“Yeah, you seem to be there quite a lot,” he admitted.

“I missed you when I woke up,” she told him quietly, not adding that she had missed him every day since.

“I had to leave, Sarah. I wasn’t sure about a lot of things.”

“And now that you’re here..are you sure now?”

“About some things. Others I’m not so sure of.”

“What aren’t you sure of, Jimmy?” she asked, feeling her heartbeat start to quicken…feeling hope for the first time since she had met this man.

“Do you remember hat you said to me as I left you the last time?”

He watched her scrunch up her forehead as she thought about it.

“No.”

He took a deep breath.

“You said that you loved me. Did you mean it?”

“I did?” she gasped as she stood up and began to pace in front of her rock.

“Yeah..you did. Did you mean it?”

“Should I have meant it?” she countered, not sure of what to say.

“Yeah..I hope that you did.”

She turned towards him.

“I guess it would depend on how you felt about me, James Hickok!”

Jimmy laughed to himself as he looked quickly at the ground, and then back to her.

“Lady..you’ve been takin’ up space in my head ever since I met you. Bein’ away from you has been real hard. If what I feel is love, I hope that it lasts forever,” he told her as he finally walked over to her and took her hands. “Sarah, I know that I ain’t the best man in the world for you, but I sure do love you. I know that I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. So I need to know if you love me, and if you feel the same way.”

She knew she was staring at him with her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. She had never expected this from him…never in a million years. “But your future..”

“I decided I ain’t gonna worry about it. Teaspoon has offered me a job as deputy marshal with him, so I’ll be makin’ better money. It would probably be better if we lived closer to town, but I guess it would be okay out here. But Sarah…none of that matters right now. I need to know if you meant what you said when I left that mornin’.”

“You love me?”

“Yes,” he told her as he reached out and took her hands again. He gave them a reassuring squeeze.

“I meant it,” she told him, looking up into the depths of his dark eyes. “I love you a lot.”

A large smile covered his face. He retained the hold of one of her hands, used the other to take off his hat and fell down on one knee.

“Then I’m askin’ you to marry me, Sarah. I’ll be good to you, and I’ll do my best to take care of you. I know that I’ll love you forever.”

Sarah looked down at the man she knew that she would love forever.

“Well, I did say that I would marry the man that I fell in love with,” she smiled, “So, yes, Jimmy, I will marry you, gladly!”

With a huge smile on his face now, he stood up quickly and pulled her into his arms. His hungry mouth found her equally hungry one waiting for him and his kisses. He knew that they would decide all the practical things later on, but those things could wait right now. For now, all he wanted to do was start loving her…something he planned on doing for the rest of her life.


THE END       11/23/94

COPYRIGHT - M BOLTON - 2003


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