Their_Fathers_Dream_Part

                                           THEIR FATHER’S DREAM

                                                             PART 3

                                      MARY BOLTON & ROBBIE WOOTEN

The next day, Melissa noticed circles under Sarah’s eyes, but she didn’t comment on it since it was obvious that Sarah’s mind was a million miles from the ranch. After breakfast, Sarah told her that she was going out to work with Mariah, the bay stallion, so she decided to stay inside and tidy up a bit.

Sarah stood on the fence, watching the bay. She was remembering Jimmy breaking the stallion and then there had been the kiss that followed. She sighed. So what if she did the chasing? It would probably mean that she wouldn’t be able to catch him. Jimmy definitely didn’t want to be caught.

“Okay, Mariah, I think that it’s time you get used to working with me. I don’t think your buddy is going to be back anytime soon.”

Sarah heard hoofs approaching, so she looked down the lane that led to her ranch.

“Hey Cody!” she called as he rode up. He gave her one of his devastating smiles as he dismounted and tied his horse.

“How was your ride?” she asked him as he climbed up on the fence next to her.

“Pretty boring. He’s beautiful, ain’t he?” he commented as he looked at the bay.

“I think so. He’s still half wild, and I’ve made him my project for today. What are you up to today?”

“I thought that my first stop should be to check up on you ladies and see if things are alright.”

“That’s sweet of you even though I know you really came all the way out here to check on Melissa,” she told him with a grin.

Cody blushed slightly.

“I admit that I’m awfully fond of Melissa, but I like you too. You doin’ alright with Jimmy?”

Sarah looked into his crystal blue eyes.

“Cody, that is a hopeless cause. You should know that more than me. And I’m doing just fine. Now that you’ve checked on me, why don’t you go and get yourself a cup of coffee? Melissa is in the house.”

“You don’t really sound okay, Sarah,” he told her as he started to climb off the fence.

Sarah smiled at him. She really wanted to talk to someone about Jimmy, but she already knew that none of the riders would talk about him. And she knew Cody was anxious to see Melissa.

“I’m just a little tired. I didn’t sleep that well last night. Go get your cup of coffee.”

“Yes, mam!” he told her as he gave her another smile and tipped his hat to her.

“And the battle for Melissa’s affections begins again!” Sarah laughed to herself. She briefly wondered what Buck was up to, but dismissed that thought.

Melissa heard a tap on the door.

“It’s open,” she called, her arms loaded down with various things.

“Mornin’” she heard Cody’s voice, and she turned to see him there, hat in hand, eyes crinkled up in his smile. She had to admit that her heart skipped a couple beats.

“Cody! You’re back!” she smiled at him.

“Jist got in this mornin’ and thought I’d see how you ‘n Sarah were doin’!”

“We’re fine,” she told him.

“Sarah said somethin’ bout me getting’ a cup of coffee whilst I’m here.”

“Of course. Pardon my manners!” she stated as she set everything down. “Have a seat,” she invited as she went to pour him a cup. “How was the ride?”

“Not too excitin’,” he admitted.

“That’s good then. I mean if it were exciting you might not be here to tell about it,” she chuckled as she poured herself another cup and sat down across from him at the table.

“That’s true. But I thought about you a lot and that made it more excitin’,” he told her as he reached a hand across the table so he could gently squeeze hers.

Melissa looked down at the table and could feel her cheeks getting a little warm.

“So, I was wonderin’ if you’d like to go to the dance with me Saturday night,” he invited.

Melissa was still looking down at the table, her mind in a whirl. She had been hoping Buck would invite her to the dance, but so far, he hadn’t said anything about it. What if he just assumed that they would go together? That thought kind of irritated her. She looked back up at Cody.

“I’d like that Cody,” she smiled, knowing that this man would show her a good time.

“Great!” he said standing up. “I best git back to the station, but I’ll pick you up around 6, and we can have supper at the hotel first.”

“That sounds wonderful!” she told him as she stood up and walked him out. He waved to Sarah as he mounted his horse, gave Melissa another smile, and rode away.

Melissa climbed up on the fence, and Sarah rode over to her.

“Have a nice visit?”

“Yeah....he asked me to the dance on Saturday.”

“Oh? What if Buck asks you?”

“I’ll just have to tell him that Cody asked me already. Besides, it’s already Thursday. If Buck was gonna ask me, wouldn’t he have done it by now?”

“Not necessarily. You know men. They just assume things. Like Buck may be assuming that you’re going to the dance with him…maybe. What I don’t know about men would fill a book. But hey....at least you get to go!”

“Why don’t you come with us? We both know that Jimmy won’t ask you, but at least he’ll be there and maybe you could get at least one dance with him.”

“Now do you really think that Cody would want me along? No, I think that I’ll just use that night to get caught up on my sewing or something like that. Don’t worry none about me.”

“I will because I know that you’re gonna want to be there with Jimmy!” Melissa stated as she looked all around her and sighed.

“It’s so beautiful here. Duell would love it so.”

“Duell? Who’s Duell? Do you have some gentleman friend back home that you haven’t told me about?”

“Now don’t tell me that I have never mentioned my brother to you!”

Sarah screwed her face up as if in hard thought.

“I seem to remember mention of a brother at some point when we were young, but he wasn’t ever around and no one really talked about him.”

“That’s cause he was the black sheep of the family. He was always in trouble with one thing or another. He was accused of a murder he didn’t commit, so he wandered around the country trying to stay ahead of the law. He finally got his name cleared and he’s settled down in California. He’s married now. I think you’d like him if you met him.”

Sarah noticed a wistful tone to her voice.

“How long has it been since you’ve seen Duell?”

“Oh gee....probably going on five years,” she sighed.

“That’s ridiculous! Write him a letter and invite him and his wife to come and visit you!” she suggested.

“Visit me? Here?”

Sarah laughed at her tone of voice.

“This is your home too, you know. Of course you can invite him here. That would be so nice for you and for him, too, to get reacquainted! Write him today and give the letter to Cody or Buck to deliver for you. I insist!”

See her brother? She thought about it for all of two seconds.

“Yes, I will invite him and Nora! That would be so much fun to show him around here and get to know him better now that we’re both grown up!”

“Of course it would! Now go and write that letter before something happens to make you change your mind. I’ll even take it into town with me. I need to pick up some feed, and I can run it by the station then.”

“And maybe run into Jimmy?” Melissa asked, eyes twinkling.

“Maybe!”

Cody threw his gear down on his bunk. He knew that everyone was working on the fences, so he thought he would quickly change clothes and go out to help them. The door opened and Buck walked in.

“What took you so long to get back?” Buck asked him as he took in Cody’s dusty looking appearance. He’d cut his hand on the fence and began looking for something to wrap around it. “Have problems on the ride?”

“Nope. I was back a couple hours ago, but I went to check on Sarah and Melissa.”

That got Buck’s attention, since he knew that he really meant that he had gone to see Melissa.

“I assume that they was okay?” Buck asked, forgetting about his hand.

A huge smile spread across Cody’s face.

“They was fine. In fact, Melissa told me that she’d go to the dance with me on Saturday nite’,” Cody told him, very pleased with that fact. “And your bleedin’ on the floor. You should wash that a fore you put a bandage on it. Rachel could probably take care of it for you.”

“You’re takin’ Melissa to the dance?” Buck asked, feeling anger about to overwhelm him. Cody didn’t appear to notice.

“Yeah, she seemed right happy to be goin’ with me. Well, I guess I’ll go help with the fence. You best git that hand looked after!” Cody told him as he left Buck standing there.

Buck just shook his head. How could Melissa say that she would go to the dance with Cody? Didn’t they have something between them? Didn’t their shared kisses mean anything to her?

“Hello? Anybody in there?” Buck heard Sarah call out. He sort of jumped, startled. He wasn’t sure how long he had been thinking about Melissa and Cody...together. He shook his head to clear it.

“Yeah, Sarah,” he called out as he suddenly noticed the pain in his hand.

She came in with her sunny smile.

“Mornin’, Buck. I was…Lord! Your hand! Are you alright?” she asked him as she quickly went over to him and took his hand into both of hers.

Sarah saw the blood on the floor and his face looked a little pale.

“Sit down, Buck!” she told him and pushed him down on the bench at the supper table. His hand looked nasty. Sarah poured some water into a bowl and gently placed his hand in it. He winced. “How did you do this?”

“We was puttin’ up some fence, and I got it caught in between two pieces of rough lumber.”

“Do you have any medical supplies here?”

“On that shelf,” he pointed with his good left hand.

Sarah looked to see what was there, made her selections, and returned to him. She gently cleaned his hand, put some medicine on it, and bandaged it for him.

“That should take care of that,” she told him.

“You did a good job with it,” he told her admiring her work.

“Glad you liked it,” she told him with a smile as she took the cloth she had used to clean and dry his hand with and mopped up the blood on the floor. “Next time you might want to find help just a little faster!”

“My mind was on somethin’ else,” he admitted to her.

“Anything I can help you with?”

“No,” he told her softly.

“Okay,” she told him, a little concerned because she could tell that he had something weighing heavy on his mind. “The reason why I came here was to drop off this letter for Melissa. I was wondering if you could send it out on your next run.”

Sarah saw the look of pain go across his face as she mentioned Melissa’s name.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Did you see Cody this morning?” she asked him on a hunch.

“Yeah.”

“And he told you about that he’s taking Melissa to the dance? That’s what this is about, isn’t it?” she guessed.

“Why did she say she would go with him?” he blurted out.

“Why didn’t you ask her yourself?” she asked him.

“I was gonna ride out there tonight and ask her. She should have known that I was gonna ask her.”

“Buck, a lady accepts her first invitation. Next time you might want to ask her a little sooner. I know she would have enjoyed going with you.”

“Don’t I mean nuthin’ to her?” he asked her.

The light caught the planes of his face, and Sarah noticed for the first time what delicate features the man had. He really was very good looking.

“Yes, you do.”

“Then why is she goin’ out with Cody?”

“There’s nothing wrong with liking two men at once, is there? I mean I really like you, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to make any sort of commitment with you.”

Buck digested that. He suddenly smiled at her.

“Are you tryin’ to tell me somethin’ here?”

“Maybe,” she laughed.

“Sooo…Jimmy hasn’t asked you to the dance yet?”

“You have got to be kidding! Maybe you lost more blood than I thought you did!” she teased him as she leaned over across the table to feel his forehead.

Jimmy chose that moment to walk in. All he saw was Sarah leaning across the table, practically on top of Buck, with her hand on his face. They were both smiling at each other, and the familiar emotion of anger went through him.

“What’s goin’ on here?” he demanded.

Buck would have never thought it possible that so many emotions could have gone across one person’s face so quickly, if he hadn’t seen it for himself. He could see her joy at seeing Jimmy, her sadness for everything that had passed between them, and a little hope for the future, quickly replaced by despair that there would ever be something.

“I was just askin’ Sarah to the dance on Saturday nite.” Buck told him with a smile, ready to jump away from Jimmy’s rage.

“You cain’t take her to the dance Saturday nite!” Jimmy told him.

“Why cain’t I?” Buck asked.

“Yeah...why can’t he?” Sarah asked, daring Jimmy to say anything about it.

“Because I….” Yeah Hickok! Why couldn’t Buck ask this gorgeous woman to the dance?

“Melissa....won’t Melissa wonder why you ain’t takin’ her?”

“Melissa has already been spoken for,” Sarah told him.

“And I’ve been thinkin’ I should get to know this pretty lady a little better!” Buck told Jimmy as he slipped an arm around Sarah’s shoulders.

“You ‘n Sarah?” Jimmy stated. This was just a little too much to handle. He turned and walked out slamming the door behind him.

“I don’t think he liked that!” Buck told her as he slowly slid his arm off her shoulders.

“No, I don’t think he did either, not that it matters. He wouldn’t have asked me anyway. Thanks for your support. That was sweet of you to try and make him jealous but it won’t do any good. Jimmy’s made up his mind one way, and that’s the way it will stay.”

“Maybe not. You don’t know what’s going to happen in your life. If you’re supposed to be with him, you will be. And I meant it. I want to take you to the dance.”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea. Jimmy will be upset, and Melissa might not be too happy with me either.”

“Good. Say you’ll go. I don’t want you sittin’ at home alone when you could be out havin’ fun. And this way I might get out of dancin’ with the Hankins girl! We can have supper here. It would be fun to give Jimmy something to think about…make him think there are other men interested in you. I’ll pick you up around six.”

Sarah laughed. “The I’ll have to say yes....anything to get you out of dancing with the Hankins girl!” Sarah knew that she would have to talk to Melissa about this since she didn’t want her best friend angry with her also.

“Good.”

“Now don’t forget to take care of Melissa’s letter. I need to go and get some feed for my stock.”

“I’ll see you Saturday night.”

“Okay Buck....and take care of that hand.”

Sarah just shook her head at the strange turn of events as she climbed up on the seat of her buckboard and headed to the general store. She paid for her feed, and Mr. Tompkins helped her load it on the wagon. As she turned to untie the horses, she bumped into a solid body. The body turned out to be Jimmy’s and once again, her heart started to beat a furious tattoo in her chest.

“You really goin’ with Buck to the dance?” he asked without any preliminaries. Jimmy didn’t know what force had made him follow her to the general store, or what was making him talk to her now. He was supposed to be out with everyone else mending fences.

“Yes Jimmy. I told him I would go with him,” she said as she reached around him to untie the horses lead.

“Melissa ain’t gonna like it.”

“Melissa is going with someone else,” she told him again. “And I really don’t think she will be that upset about it. No one is serious about anyone else. No one is spoken for.”

“What’s wrong with you? First you go out with that no account Coulter....now Buck!”

“Damn it, Jimmy,” she swore, finally letting her anger get the best of her. “Why are you always so interested in my life? Why do you like to tell me what to do? Now I’m going to the dance with Buck, and that is final! Now get out of my way.”

Sarah pushed past him and heaved herself onto the buckboard. She looked down into his angry face. Damn again! Why did he have to be so darkly handsome? Why did she only want to throw her arms around him and spend her time close to him? She scowled at him, the directed her team of horses towards her ranch.

“Sarah! Tarnation!” he yelled at himself as he watched her go. Why couldn’t he just have a civil conversation with her? Why couldn’t he apologize for what he’d done and said to her? Instead they always got into a shouting match and parted with angry words. But he guessed that was probably for the best. He needed to just stay away from her…steer clear.

It took Sarah a few miles to calm herself down. What was it about that man that set her off? How could you want to strangle a man one minute and kiss all over him the nest? She pulled up to the barn, and Melissa was there almost immediately.

“How’d it go? Did you get my letter off?”

“Yeah....it will be on it’s way with the next Pony Express rider heading out that way. In fact, I gave it to Buck.”

“Buck? How is he?”

“He was a mite upset. Seems he’d run into Cody, and Cody told him he was taking you to the dance. I don’t think Buck liked that too well. Can you help me unload this feed?”

“If he didn’t like it that well, why didn’t he ask me himself?”

“I think he was going to, but Cody beat him to it. But there’s good news here.”

“What’s that?” Melissa asked with a frown.

“I’m going to the dance also.”

“Jimmy asked you?”

“You best sit down,” Sarah stated as she sat down and patted the wagon next to her. Melissa slowly sat down.

“I walked in on Buck. He was all upset with Cody, and he’d hurt his hand putting up some fence. I was bandaging it for him and we were talking. He asked me if Jimmy had asked me to the dance yet, and I laughed and told him that he had to be kidding, and Jimmy walked in and wanted to know what was going on with us. Well, nothing was going on, but I think Buck knew that I was still upset with Jimmy, so he told Jimmy that he was asking me to the dance. Jimmy got all upset, but I do admire him for the fact that he was concerned about how you would feel about that. Anyway, Jimmy went slamming out of the bunkhouse, and I thanked Buck for being supportive of my feelings, and since he was angry that you were going to the dance with Cody, and he knew I was angry because Jimmy didn’t ask me,
he told me that he really wanted to take me to the dance. So I told him I would go with him, hoping that you would know that I wasn’t chasing after him. I figure I can steer him your way for a couple of dances. I let him know that maybe next time he might want to ask you a little sooner. Say that it’s okay and you understand. If it’s not okay, I won’t go with him.”

Melissa knew that she could trust Sarah around Buck. She knew her friend wasn’t chasing after him. And there was a part of her that was still a little angry that he wasn’t the one who had asked her first.

“If it’s any consolation, I know that Buck cares for you, and I don’t think that he’ll give Cody another opportunity to take you to a dance.” Sarah told her softly.

“The funny thing is that I do like Cody. I like to be around him....but Buck....he’s something special.”

“I understand that totally!” Sarah affirmed. “I just wish Jimmy wanted to b around me like Buck wants to be around you. I think I’m a little jealous.”

Melissa put her arm around Sarah’s shoulders and squeezed them.

“I hope that happens for you one day. And I don’t mind you going with Buck to the dance. At least that way I know whom he’s with, and I don’t have to worry about it. And who knows, maybe I’ll be able to steer Jimmy over to you for a dance or two.”

“And maybe the sky will fall tonight also!” Sarah laughed as she leaned her head against her friends.

“Now let’s get this wagon unloaded!” Melissa declared, suddenly feeling better.

“You leavin’ to pick up Melissa?” Buck asked Cody, who had just finished combing his hair. He was determined that Cody was not going to find out how he was feeling about the dance tonight.

Jimmy had been watching Buck and Cody getting all dressed up for the dance. Noah was out on a run, and he was determined he wasn’t going to attend the social event.

“Yeah…soon…why?”

Jimmy had already determined that Cody had absolutely no idea how Buck felt about Melissa.

“I thought that I would ride along with you. I have to pick up Sarah for the dance.”

“You eatin’ at the hotel?”

“No, here,” was Buck’s reply as he looked in the mirror and decided that he looked all right.

“What about you Jimmy? Who ya takin’ to the dance?” Cody asked him as he pulled on his boots.

“I ain’t goin’,” was his reply.

Buck knew how disappointed Sarah would be if Jimmy didn’t show up. How could he get him to come?

“Now you know Teaspoon wants us to be good citizens of Rock Creek and attend these things,” Cody reminded him.

“I doubt that I’ll be missed,” Jimmy told him as he ran his hands through his hair. He didn’t want Cody to know how much it was hurting him inside that Sarah would be there, and he wouldn’t be.

Buck smiled to himself.

“He ain’t goin’ cause he’s mad at me for askin’ Sarah!” Buck threw into the conversation, knowing Cody would delight in this fact.

“So why didn’t you ask her out a for Buck did?” Cody asked.

Jimmy shot a dirty look Buck’s way.

“I wasn’t goin’ to ask her to the dance,” was all he said.

Cody knew how much Sarah liked Jimmy. He figured that Buck knew that too. So why was Sarah going with Buck? Cody had a feeling that there was something going on that he didn’t know about. Maybe if he could get Jimmy to the dance he might find out what it was.

“Then why you mad at Buck?”

“I ain’t mad at Buck,” he snapped at him.

“Prove it then and go to the dance!” Cody smiled.

“I ain’t goin’ to the dance!” Jimmy stated stubbornly.

Cody and Buck exchanged a glance before Cody started to parade around the bunkhouse squawking like a chicken. Jimmy grabbed a tin cup and went to throw it at Cody, but Cody was out the door. Buck followed quickly behind him.

“He’ll be there!” Cody stated, feeling self-satisfied. “So, why did you ask Sarah to the dance?”

“Cause I didn’t want her to sit at home alone.”

“You felt sorry for her?” Cody asked, confused.

“Sarah’s too purty for anyone to feel sorry for. If I hadn’t asked her, someone else woulda.”

“So why did you ask Sarah?” Cody asked again. “Did you do it to get to Jimmy?”

“Partly,” Buck admitted. “But I like Sarah, and I want to get to know her better.

“Oh, so you’re not upset that I’m going with Melissa?”

“Nooo,” Buck stated with a smile that took everything within himself to do. “If I had wanted to ask her, I woulda.”

Cody still felt confused. But he decided to let it go for now.

Jimmy drummed his fingers on the table. Part of him just wanted to get on his horse and ride for miles. Part of him wanted to go to that dance to see how close Buck and Sarah were. He probably had enough time to get a bath before Buck and Sarah arrived here for supper.

“I hope Cody gets here before Buck does!” Melissa stated as she paced around the front parlor. “And Buck is going to be awestruck by you in that dress.” Sarah was wearing a long sleeved blue, filmy looking dress that showed a little cleavage. She wore a simple pearl choker around her neck. Her hair had loose curls in it. Melissa didn’t think she had ever looked more beautiful.

“I did this for Jimmy. I want him to see what he’s missing out on! Isn’t that silly? For all I know he won’t even be there,” she sighed as she put some perfume at her throat. “So don’t go feeling jealous. I didn’t do this for Buck, but I bet you would have preferred me to wear sack cloth!”

That made Melissa giggle. “Yeah…that’s closer to it!”

“Don’t worry. You’ll make Buck stand up and take notice. You look very beautiful tonight, and Cody will have a hard time keeping his hands off of you. Shame on you for tempting him so!” Sarah told her, shaking her finger at her. Melissa laughed.

“Okay, I admit that I did this for Buck. See? I am as silly as you are!”

They both heard the knock on their door.

“Who’s getting it?” Melissa asked.

“I will. You just stand there and look beautiful for whomever it is,” Sarah told her as she opened the door to both Buck and Cody.

“Good evening, gentlemen! I didn’t know that you would be arriving together!”

“Evenin’ Sarah,” Cody told her as he took off his hat. “You look lovely tonight, don’t she Buck?”

But Buck had already fastened his eyes on Melissa, and he was having a hard time catching his breath. No! He was supposed to be making Melissa jealous! How could he make her jealous if he was drooling all over her? He dragged his eyes away from her and fastened his eyes on Sarah.

“You are beautiful tonight,” he told her as he looked down at her. “Jimmy’s a fool!” he whispered in her ear as he bent down to brush his lips against her cheek.

“He doesn’t think so,” she told him softly. “How’s the hand?”

“Much better,” he told her. “Thanks to you. Evenin’ Melissa.”

“Hey Melissa. You shore look purty tonight,” Cody told her as he went over to her. Melissa was trying desperately to control her wildly beating heart and her stomach that was turning somersaults at the sight of Buck. He looked so handsome in his dark suit. His hair looked so perfect, and she could vividly remember just how soft it felt in her fingers. She tore her eyes away from him, but didn’t miss the kiss he had given to Sarah. Little green fingers clutched at her chest.

“Why good evening, Cody. You look so handsome tonight! And mmm…you do smell so good!” she told him as she lightly kissed his cheek. Two could play at this game! She hoped that Buck didn’t miss it.

Sarah wanted to laugh out loud. Here she had two people who were crazy about each other but weren’t with the other. And one who was crazy about one of them, but was totally in the dark about what was going on around him. And then there was her. Liking both men, loving her best friend, but not having the man she wanted to know better anywhere near her. This was a sad situation. The thought caused her to chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” Buck asked her, not missing the kiss that Melissa had placed on Cody’s cheek.

“I’m sure that you think none of it is, but I find it very strange. Can we go?” she asked brightly as she handed her wrap to Buck. He helped her on with it as Cody assisted Melissa. Sarah was beginning to think that maybe this wasn’t a very good idea.

“Why don’t you drive?” Sarah asked Buck, thinking it better if Buck couldn’t see Cody with Melissa.

“Okay,” he said easily as they all got seated.

“Drop us at the hotel,” Cody reminded him.

Sarah was surprised that it was going so well as they chatted back and forth. As they got closer to the hotel, Cody asked Buck,

“Are you sure you don’t want to eat supper with us at the hotel?”

Yes Cody was clueless, Sarah decided. Buck looked at her, as if asking her what he should do. Sarah really didn’t want him spending any of his hard earned money on her, and as she opened her mouth to suggest that they just go to the station, Buck said,

“Why don’t we do that, Sarah?”

“Um…you don’t think Rachel might wonder where we are?”

“Rachel will understand, Sarah. She knows what you love is like!” Cody assured her.

“They serve an awful good meal there,” Buck told her with a smile.

“If that’s what you would like to do, Buck,” she told him, attempting a smile.

Cody helped Melissa out of the buggy, as Buck lifted Sarah down. Cody made sure he had a firm grip on his lady’s hand, while Buck guided Sarah with his hand on the small of her back. Sarah immediately realized that she was receiving strange looks from the townsfolk, and she knew it was because she was with Buck. She didn’t think Buck was noticing the looks since most of his attention was on Melissa. They sat and placed their order, and things seemed to settle down. The ladies were entertained with stories of adventures. The food was good, and the night air was turning cool as they walked to the dance.

Buck and Sarah had fallen behind Cody and Melissa.

“I swear he holds onto her hand like it was gonna fall off!” he complained. He had his arm loosely around her shoulders.

“Maybe he’s afraid that it will,” she told him, beginning to feel irritated at the whole situation. But then, what had she expected? “Will Jimmy be at the dance?”

“I think so. I bet he holds her real close while they dance!”

Sarah stopped in her tracks.

“That’s it, Buck Cross!”

He looked startled.

“What?” he asked her.

“You are a very good looking man. I’m not half bad looking myself. Neither you nor I are with the person we want to be with, but we can use this evening to have a little fun and get to know each other better. At least both of us know that Melissa cares about you and likes to spend time with you. Unlike Jimmy, who likes to keep me at arms length!”

Buck looked down at the ground, then back up at her.

“I’m sorry Sarah. You’re right. I did ask you to the dance, and I do want to get to know you better. And you are a beautiful lady. I really am sorry.”

The apology was heartfelt.

“It’s alright, really. I know how you feel.”

A small smile tugged at his lips.

“You really think I’m very good looking?”

Then it hit Sarah. This was something he had never been told. Women probably made it a point to stay away from Buck because of what he was.

“Yes, I do. You are one of the handsomest men that I have ever laid eyes on,” she told him softly as she caressed his cheek. He leaned into it.

“Even better lookin’ than Cody?”

“Yeah. I think you have it all over him in looks.”

“But women fall all over him.”

“It’s his personality, Buck. He comes off all suave and charming, while you come off as steady and quiet. Trust me, steady and quiet wins them every time over suave and charming.”

“You really think so?”

“Yes, I really think so,” she assured him.

Feeling new confidence, he hugged her to him.

“Thank you. Ready to go have some fun?” he asked her as he pulled away and offered his arm to her.

“Yes, I am, Mr. Cross,” she told him slipping her arm through his.

Buck was now determined to help Sarah all he could in her conquest of Jimmy.

Jimmy had been walking to the dance, and had been across the street from Buck and Sarah. He saw them stop and talk, and a knife went through his heart as they hugged. Had Buck given up on Melissa? Was this the new order of things? He wished that he could see how Sarah was dressed, but it was dark and she had a wrap on. Oh well, he guessed he would see her at the dance. He really didn’t want to go and see Buck all over her, but he knew if he didn’t go Cody would fun him from now until a month from now. He didn’t want that, so he forced himself to go.

“Dance?” Cody asked Melissa when he saw some gentlemen approaching them. He did not want to share this lady with anyone tonight. The sooner he let everyone know that, the better off he would be.

Buck just smiled and held out his hand to Sarah. She smiled her devastating smile at him and placed her hand in his. Buck couldn’t believe how much better he felt after his conversation with Sarah outside. She had given him hope about Melissa, so now he felt he could enjoy himself. He pulled her to him, and they danced around the floor. She was light on her feet, and he knew he would have fun tonight.

Melissa would watch Buck and Sarah over Cody’s shoulder. Buck didn’t seem to have a care in the world, and he didn’t seem able to take his eyes from Sarah. It was probably her cleavage that he couldn’t take his eyes from! This gave her new determination to pay all of her attention to Cody. She’d have him eating out of her hand by the end of the evening!

Buck felt someone tap his shoulder. Looking, he saw one of the ranchers looking expectantly at Sarah. He was about to turn her over, but Sarah kept a tight hold on him.

“I’m so flattered that you want to dance with me, Jed, but I promised Buck that I would give him almost all of my dances tonight. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll dance with you before the night is out though.”

Buck felt that Jed hadn’t been too offended since Sarah had smiled so prettily at him.

“Now why’d you do that?” he asked her, flattered.

“I did promised that I would come with you so that you wouldn’t have to dance with the Hankins girl! I think that Teaspoon should make Jimmy do that tonight!” she laughed.

“Yeah, I do too! Thanks!”

And once again, Sarah was aware of the looks that she was receiving from her fellow citizens of Rock Creek. What the hell was wrong with these people? Why couldn’t they see that Buck had a white side to him also?

About halfway though the dance, Buck decided that it was time for Jimmy to dance with Sarah. He excused himself to get them some punch, but instead went in search of Jimmy. He found him leaning against the wall, watching the dancers.

“Havin’ a good time?” Buck asked him as he leaned on the wall next to him.

“Yeah,” Jimmy lied, having long tired of watching Buck and Sarah having such a good time.

“I’m really getting’ tired of listenin’ to Cody go on and on about you being mad at me for bringin’ Sarah to the dance. Would you do me a big favor and do somethin’ to shut him up?” Buck asked.

“Like what?”

“Like maybe you could ask her to dance? That way if he sees you dancin’ with her, and sees me not mad at you for doin’ it, maybe he’ll let it go.”

“You’d let me dance with her?” he asked surprised. Buck hadn’t let anyone near her all evening.

“Shore. Why don’t you go ask her while I hide from Teaspoon so he don’t make me dance with Mary Jane Hankins!”

“It might not be a good idea. Sarah and I yell at each other a lot.”

“It’s only one dance,” Buck assured him. “And it will git Cody off our backs.”

Why was he protesting? If he were truthful with himself, he would admit it was all that he wanted to do. But he also knew that she was probably still mad at him over their last encounter. Jimmy pushed himself off the wall.

“Anythin’ to git him off our backs!” he said as he found Sarah talking to Lou. He took a deep breath and walked up to her.

“Hello Lou…Sarah, could I have this dance?” he asked as he held out his hand to her.

Sarah’s breath caught in her throat. He had an encouraging smile on his face, and she could almost see his dimples. Wordlessly, she placed her hand in his and he led her to the dance floor. Jimmy easily took her into his arms, and without thought, he cuddled her closely against him. She didn’t protest, and seemed to fit against him so well. Sarah just closed her eyes as she leaned her head against his shoulder. For five minutes, she could be happy.

Buck saw Cody go over to the punch table, so he quickly went to Melissa.

“Could I have one dance with one of the prettiest ladies here?” he requested in his best gentlemanly manner.

A smile hit Melissa’s face before she realized that she was still supposed to be angry with this man. Oh what the heck…it was only one dance.

“Certainly,” she told him, hoping that Cody wouldn’t interrupt them.

Buck expertly pulled her into his arms, much closer than she should have allowed. Oh well, one dance didn’t matter. She couldn’t believe the feeling that overwhelmed her. She felt as if she had come home. All of a sudden, she was where she was supposed to be, and she received a mental picture of her grandmother smiling down at her.

Another dance began, and Jimmy didn’t let her go. Sarah pulled away a bit from him and looked up at him. She was studying his face so hard, he was beginning to wonder what she was seeing.

“At least you ain’t yellin’ at me!” he told her with a small smile.

“At least you aren’t interfering in my life at the moment!” she told him with a sweet smile.

“I didn’t mean to do that,” he admitted to her. “I jist don’t want nuthin’ bad to happen to you.”

“So you care about me?” she asked him.

He didn’t think it would hurt to admit that.

“Well, yeah, I do, Sarah. I wish there was some way we could be friends and not yell at each other all the time.”

“I do too Jimmy. Maybe we just need to respect what the other is about. Let each other live their own lives as they see fit.”

“Maybe. Can we go for a walk and talk about it?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

After two dances, Buck noticed that Cody was dancing with the Hankins girl. That would keep him occupied for a while. He also saw Jimmy leading Sarah out.

“You look a little warm. How bout goin’ for a short walk to cool off?” he asked Melissa.

“Okay. I’d best tell Cody where I am.”

“No need. He’s busy right now,” he pointed as he laughed. When Melissa saw where he was, she laughed also.

“Poor Cody. Let’s go.”

Jimmy found her wrap for her and slipped it across her shoulders. They walked outside, and she noticed that he was walking close to her, but not touching her.

“It’s a pretty night,” she murmured as she looked up at the stars. They had ended up walking down to the station, and were leaning against the corral fence.

“Yes it is. Sarah?”

“Hmmm?”

“So, how do we go about respectin’ what each other is doin’?”

“I think we got off on the wrong foot with each other. I think if we start from tonight, that we could do that. I need to respect that you’re a loner and don’t want anyone close to you. You need to respect that I’m not that way, and I don’t want to be alone for the rest of my life. So if I don’t want to be alone, I have to go out with gentlemen and find what I’m looking for.”

It hurt him knowing it wouldn’t be him.

“What are you lookin’ for?”

“Oh....I’m still not sure of everything I’m looking for, but it’s gonna have to be a man who’s smart, is good hearted, loves children, likes to smile and laugh and have fun. He’ll be someone I can talk to and share things with, someone mentally and physically strong.”

“You ain’t said what he’ll look like.”

“That isn’t important, Jimmy. It’s what’s inside that counts!”

“Is that how you see Buck?”

Sarah sighed. It would be so easy to lie.

“He’s a friend Jimmy. Like you’re a friend. He didn’t want me sitting at home alone tonight while Melissa was out having fun.”

He couldn’t believe the sense of relief he felt.

“And Coulter? How do you see him?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t know him well enough to know how I would categorize him. I think I’d like to see him again if he comes around.”

That worried him.

“Am I allowed to tell you to be careful around him? I’ve knowed him for a couple of years. He’s a rough character.”

“I’ll be careful…promise!” she smiled up at him.

It seemed the most natural thing to do to lean down and kiss her upturned face. Her lips were like a magnet to his. He savored the feel of them beneath his, and it took only moments to weave his arms around her waist and pull her snugly against him while his mouth ravaged hers. Sarah’s arms tried their best to pull him closer. With gentle pressure, her mouth opened for him, and their tongues met in a joyful reunion. Her subtle perfume scent came to him then, and he moved his lips up and down her neck as he tried to get closer to it. The scent became seared in his memory, and he knew he would be able to call it forth whenever he would want to.

Sarah’s fingers seemed to have a mind of their own as they began to unfasten the buttons of his shirt. Her hands slipped inside and felt smooth skin. It felt so good to her. She ran her hands up and down his back and over his chest as his kisses came back to her mouth and became much deeper.

A gunshot rang out in town, and Jimmy jumped, startled, as his hand went for his gun, which wasn’t there. He’d left them at the dance.

“Damnit!” he swore. “What the hell was I thinkin’? What the hell was we doin’?”

Sarah knew the wall was coming up again. And if she didn’t salvage the situation, he would go running off, and they would return to the way they had been. She reached her hand out and put it on his arm.

“Now that’s what we have to stay away from if we’re going to be friends!” She tried to make light of it.

Jimmy ran his hands through his hair.

“You don’t understand, Sarah. I let my guard down. I could have gotten us both killed leavin’ my guns like that!”

Sarah walked around to stand in front of him. She willed her hands to stop shaking as she reached out to rebutton his shirt. Jimmy looked down in amazement. How had that happened?

“Jimmy....that seems to happen a lot when we’re alone. It’s a pretty night. Let it go, okay? Nothing happened. Neither you nor I was killed. We’re friends. Let’s leave it at that. And if we’re not friends, we go back to the way it was before. I don’t want that....do you?”

Jimmy could feel her calmness wrap around him. It was preventing his wall from coming up, and he didn’t want to push her away again.

“No.”

“Good. Shall we go back to the dance?”

“Yeah....I guess. Sarah?”

They had fallen in step. He had offered his arm to her, and she was walking closely to him.

“Yes?”

“That was nice back there. I didn’t want you to think that it weren’t.”

Sarah smiled to herself in the dark. Score one for her.

“Thank you for telling me that, Jimmy.”

Buck had immediately offered his arm to Melissa. They walked along in silence for a moment before she said, “This was a good idea. I feel much cooler now. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied. “You havin’ a good time with Cody?”

“It’s always fun with Cody,” she stated truthfully.

Buck tried to remember and believe what Sarah had said about suave and charming men.

“That good. How’s the children’s choir practice goin’?”

“They’re so cute. You need to come over one afternoon next week and see for yourself. I’m trying to have them ready for the Harvest celebration. They’re so excited about it.”

“I’ll try to drop in,” he stated noncommittally. “I’d like to hear them sing.”

“I’m sure they’d like to have an audience. You and Sarah having a good time tonight?”

“I’m gettin’ to know her better. She’s a real nice lady, and I like bein’ with her,” was all he said. Buck could see Sarah shaking her head at him, but there was this little piece of him that wanted to torment her a little.

“That’s good. Do you have a run coming up soon?”

“Monday. I should be back by Tuesday,” he informed her.

“I’ll miss you,” she heard herself saying.

He stopped walking and looked down at her. “Really?”

“Don’t sound like you don’t believe me. I always feel better when you’re in Rock Creek.”

He smiled down at her.

“I always like bein’ round Rock Creek now that you’re here, Melissa.”

“I’m sorry that I didn’t wait for you to ask me to the dance, Buck. It’s just that Cody caught me off guard…” she blurted.

“And jist maybe I should have asked you before Cody did,” he laughed as he hugged her to him.

“Maybe,” she said into his chest.

“How bout the dance at the Harvest celebration? Will you go with me?”

“What about Sarah?” she couldn’t resist asking him.

“Maybe we can think of a way to git Jimmy to ask her. She’d rather be with him anyway.”

“I know she’d like that.”

“Oh Melissa,” he whispered as he brushed a curl that had fallen in her face. He just couldn’t resist her any longer. Their lips found each other, and Melissa felt like she was in heaven. All the stress and uncertainty of the evening slipped away as she relaxed against him. As Buck was thinking that she had the softest lips, Melissa was thinking that she really didn’t want any other man ever kissing her again. This was all that she wanted.

“Melissa!” they heard Cody calling as he looked for her.

Buck pulled away from her.

“Your gentleman friend is looking for you. And I’d best go find the lady I brought with me. I don’t want her feeling neglected. Over here Cody!” he called.

And for some reason, the way he said what he’d just said, irritated her like nothing else that evening had. One minute he was kissing all over her, and the next he was willing to just turn her over to Cody and go back to Sarah. Was he planning on kissing all over her friend too?

“I was beginnin’ to git worried,” Cody told them as he approached them.

“Melissa was gettin’ overheated, so I brought her out here for some cool air,” Buck explained smoothly.

“You feelin’ alright now?” Cody asked, concerned.

“I’m fine!” she told him as she rewarded Cody with a dazzling smile and slipped her arm through his. “I could dance until dawn. Thanks, Buck.” she threw over her shoulder.

Buck had a frown on his face as they approached the dance. Jimmy and Sarah arrived at the same time as the three of them did.

“I hope you don’t mind that Sarah and I went for a walk,” Jimmy said as he turned her back over to Buck.

“No, I don’t mind at all.”

“Do you mind if we leave now? I’m getting tired,” Sarah told him.

“No, I don’t mind, but Cody and Melissa are goin’ to dance until dawn. Jimmy, can you watch over her until I bring my horse back?”

“You can take the buggy,” Cody told him.

Buck already knew that, but his feelings were confused by Melissa’s reaction to seeing Cody again.

“No....if Sarah don’t mind, she can ride with me on my horse.”

“Sarah don’t mind!” she smiled at him.

Well Hickok does, Jimmy told himself. He knew there was nothing he could do about it though.

“And how about if I come with you now? That way Jimmy won’t be inconvenienced.”

“I was just about to leave anyway. I’ll walk back with you,” Jimmy said.

The three of them were silent as they walked back to the station. Buck quickly went to change his clothes, while Jimmy went to saddle Buck’s horse. He thought of all sorts of nasty things he could do, but he didn’t want Sarah to get hurt. He led the horse out as Buck came out of the bunkhouse. Sarah walked next to him. Buck quickly mounted.

“Jimmy....hand her up to me,” he requested.

Jimmy shut his mind off as he put his hands around her small waist and handed her up to Buck. Buck wrapped his arms around her, and she settled against his chest.

“Night, Jimmy,” she called.

He waved to them and stood there watching until the night swallowed them up. He shook his head to clear it. What could possibly happen? Sarah had said they were friends. And he had known that Buck would see Sarah home. Let it go!

“This is nice,” Sarah commented. Buck had a nice solid body, and she was feeling surprisingly comfortable around him.

“Yeah, it is,” he agreed. “Did you have a good time with Jimmy?”

“Yeah. We came to a sort of understanding that it was okay to be friends. He agreed that he wouldn’t interfere in my life any more. I got past his wall a little bit. It will take time.”

“For what?”

“To be friends. I don’t think I can expect any more out of it. If I do, I’ll only be disappointed.”

“And that makes you sad?”

“In a way. I think he and I could be good together. How did it go with you and Melissa?”

“Alright, I think. I asked her to the Harvest Celebration dance. She didn’t say yes, but I think she will. She jist seems so darn happy to be with Cody.”

“He’s not unlikable, Buck.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Do you have any family around here or anywhere?” she asked suddenly.

“My brother, Red Bear, is chief of the Kiowa village near here. I see him a lot. I usually stop by there when I’m comin’ back from a run.”

“A chief? So, you’ve got noble blood in your background! I should have known that by the way you carried yourself. So, what’s stronger? The white part or the Indian part?”

“I think the Indian part. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You’re different from any lady I’ve ever met. I mean so is Melissa. But you....you seem tougher than most women, stronger in some ways.”

“So what’s your question?”

“Most of the people around here don’t want to be anywhere around me. They see me as a savage. I think the reason that Melissa don’t see me that way is because of spending so much time with her grandmother at the Cherokee village. So what about you? You don’t have no Indian background; you’ve lived out here most of you life. But yet, you ain’t afraid of me. You’re sitting on this horse lettin’ me put my arms around you…” he stated a little bitterly.

Sarah was silent a few moments.

“Buck, have women used you in the past? Is there a part of you wondering if you can trust me? Trust Melissa?”

Why was he surprised that she had this insight to him? And what did he want to tell her?

“There have been a couple of women who did that…see how close they could get me, and then throw it in my face if I showed signs that I started to care. One…” he stopped, feeling the pain all over again. Sarah waited patiently for him to go on. She felt Buck take a deep breath. “One of them, I really thought she was different. I fell in love with her. We....made love....” he barely whispered. “Then I found out she was only usin’ me to git what she wanted from her daddy. As soon as she got that, she let me know what she really thought of me!”

“Oh Buck, I’m sorry.”

“So there’s a part of me that don’t trust no woman. I’m always afraid that it will all git thrown back at the stupid Indian. Do they think I don’t have feelins’?”

Sarah could feel his pain. “Some people don’t think that, but I’m afraid a lot of people around here feel that way,” she told him, remembering some of the looks they had received that evening.

“I know.”

“Buck, Melissa and I aren’t like that, but I think you already know that deep in your heart. I spent a lot of time at the village with Melissa when we were young girls. My parents would go to visit her parents. I was used to the Cherokee from that. Plus I spent a few years back east going to teachers college, so I hope I have a more worldly view of things than most people around here. I see you for the person you are…a handsome, strong, intelligent man with a good sense of humor. The color of your skin doesn’t matter to me. I don’t mind sitting on this horse with your arms around me. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if I hadn’t discovered Jimmy first, and if Melissa hadn’t come out here, I would be chasing after you myself!”

Buck thought about what she said.

“Really? You would?” Sarah could hear the smile in his voice.

“Yes, I would. But since there is a Jimmy and a Melissa, I hope I can count on you as a close friend. My life would be a lot poorer if you weren’t in it.”

Buck stopped his horse, coming to a decision.

“You and I need to do something, Sarah,” he informed her.

Briefly, Sarah wondered what they could possibly do out here in the dark, in the middle of nowhere, but she trusted Buck. She let him help her off the horse. He found a log for her to sit on, and she watched as he gathered some twigs and started a fire. He threw something into the fire that made it smoke a bit, and then held out his hand to her. He took off his jacket and laid it on the ground next to him, so she would have something to kneel on. Wordlessly, she did that. Buck took his knife out of the sheath attached to his ankle and laid the blade in the fire.

“Follow along with me,” he told her. She watched as he moved the smoke around and over him. She did the same. Vague memories of having seen this done at the Cherokee village came back to her. She bowed her head as Buck began to chant what she supposed was an Indian prayer. At the end of it, he turned to her.

“I jist prayed to the Great Spirit that he open Jimmy’s mind to you, that you and he become one if that is what the Great Spirit wishes.”

Tears sprang to Sarah’s eyes.

“Oh, Buck....thank you,” she whispered.

He took his knife out of the fire and waited for it to cool.

“Do you trust me?” he asked her.

“Yes, I do.”

“Hold out your hand,” he commanded her.

She did. He took it in his, and made a small slash in it. Then he did the same to his hand. Buck smiled at her as he took her hand into his, and he let their blood mingle.

“Now you are my blood sister. I’ve never done this with anyone before, but the Great Spirit tells me that you will be important in my life. This is right.”

Sarah knew a high honor had been bestowed on her. Who would have known that by the end of the evening, she would have a brother? She’d always wanted one.

“Yes, Buck, this is right.”

They sat there for a few minutes longer until their blood stopped flowing. Buck then put the fire out, helped her onto his horse and got up behind her. She had never felt closer to another human, and hoped that she would never disappoint him.

“You really think that Cody and Melissa will dance until dawn?”

“No Buck, I don’t. I expect that you may pass them on your way back to the station. You really do care for her, don’t you?”

“Yes. I was beginning to think that maybe the Great Spirit hadn’t chosen anyone for me. Then she came along.” Buck briefly debated something with himself, then, “And Jimmy…I think he feels deep in his heart that the Great Spirit would never send anyone his way because he doesn’t see himself as worthy enough to share his life with someone else. You must have great patience with him, Sarah.”

“Why wouldn’t he think he was worthy enough for someone in his life?”

“Because of the way his life has turned out. Have patience. I think you’ll git what you want in the end. It’s jist that he needs time to totally rearrange his thinkin’. He’s always thought it’s not possible, and now he may jist be beginnin’ to see that maybe it is. That’s scary to a fella.”

Sarah turned around so she could see his face as they rode up to her house.

“Thank you for telling me that, Buck.”

“How’s your hand?” he asked her as he helped her down.

“A little sore. It will be all right. Yours?”

“It’s already healing,” he assured her as he walked her to the porch.

“Do you want to come in for a cup of coffee?”

“Yes and no. Yes to talk to you, and no, because I don’t think I should be here when Melissa returns. I’ll be over soon to see her....and you,” he smiled at her.

“Okay. Thank you for a marvelous time. I did have fun.”

“You know what? I did too!” he laughed as he hugged her close. “And don’t forgit, when you need me, you jist have to let me know, my sister!”

“I will,” she assured him. “The same goes for me too!”

“Nite,” he told her with a tip of his hat and a kiss to her cheek. She watched him mount his horse, turn, and leave her.

She sighed and shook her head. What an unusual night this had been! She thought that she would turn in.

Melissa did not intend to dance till dawn with anyone, so after giving Sarah and Buck a good head start, she turned to Cody.

“I thin I just lost my second wind. Suddenly I feel so tired.”

“Then maybe I’d best take you home,” he told her, worried, for she did look tired. He collected her wrap and his firearm, and escorted her to the buggy. “I hope I didn’t keep you up too late.”

“No, of course you didn’t,” she assured him. “I just realized that I need to get some rest so that my playing doesn’t suffer tomorrow. I can’t disappoint the congregation.”

“I had a real fine time tonight, Melissa,” Cody told her truthfully, feeling like all was right with his world since he had this beautiful lady by his side.
“I did too, Cody,” she assured him.

“I like you a lot, Melissa. I’m real glad that you moved to town.”

“I like you too, Cody. Moving here was definitely the right thing to do.”

Unseen by the two of them, Buck was watching them from the top of a ridge close by. He smiled to himself, glad that Sarah had been correct about Melissa. He had a feeling that Cody would probably kiss her goodnight. He hoped that he enjoyed it since, hopefully, it would be the last time that he ever did that.

“I’d like to see you again soon…if that’s alright with you,” Cody smiled at her.

Melissa’s stomach did a little lurch. There was just something about Cody’s soft voice that could draw you in and make you want to be around him. She admired his confidence in himself, and the fact that he was always so attentive to her when they were together. She knew that he would be a good man to have around. But what about Buck? She knew that he liked her, but what if he was like this with other women? What if he were just stringing her along. But he had asked her to the Harvest Celebration dance. She hadn’t told him she would go! Oh no!

“Am I that terrible?” Cody asked her, feeling his heart plummet when she didn’t answer his question.

Melissa shook her head.

“No! You’re a wonderful man, Cody. I’m flattered that you want to spend more time with me. I think I’d like that,” she told him with a smile as he pulled into Sarah’s yard.

“Good! Maybe we could go for a picnic at a real purty lake that isn’t that far from here. I think you’d like it. How bout after you get done at church tomorrow?”

No! She had been hoping she would see Buck after church tomorrow. And maybe he’d ask her to go somewhere.

“I’m sorry Cody. I can’t. I promised Sarah that I would faithfully come back to the ranch and help her out with some things. I’ve been skipping out on her a lot lately.”

“Maybe next week then?”

“Maybe,” she stated noncommittally.

He helped her down from the buggy and walked her to the door.

“You have a good night now,” he told her softly as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him.

“I’ll try,” she replied as his lips came to rest on hers. She had to admit that he was a very good kisser, and it was fun to be in his arms, letting him assault her lips as he was now doing. She slowly pulled away. “Will you be at church tomorrow?”

“You just keep askin’ Melissa. One of these days I jist mite be there,” he told her as he gave her another kiss and opened the door for her.

“I just might, Cody!” she told him as she gave him one last smile, went in, and closed the door.

Whistling to himself, Cody turned the buggy back towards the town and slapped the reins across the horses’ backs. His bunk was going to feel good tonight. He planned on just lying there for a while and thinking about his evening with Melissa. She was the sweetest lady he had ever met. Was she the one for him?

Suddenly the wind picked up and his horses stopped so suddenly he was almost thrown from the buggy.

“What?” he asked as he regained his seat.

Then suddenly there appeared before him an old Indian lady, who looked at him with angry eyes. Where the hell had she come from?

“Stay away from my granddaughter! Melissa is not yours. She belongs to the dark one!” she told him in a warning voice.

“Who are you?” Cody demanded, but as quickly as the words were out of his mouth, the lady was gone.

Shaken, Cody drew his gun and looked all around him. The wind had died back down, and there was silence all around him. He shook his head. Had that really happened? The horses were dancing nervously, so he knew that it had. He slapped the reins hard on their backs. He wanted to get out of there! Had it been a ghost? His hand brushed against something soft and he picked it up. A feather? No, there was more than one. Suddenly Rock Creek seemed very far away!

The door slammed open, and Buck and Jimmy looked up. Jimmy had been cleaning his Colts, and Buck had put a bandage on his hand. Jimmy had watched him, but didn’t say anything. Cody came flying through the door as if something were chasing him.

“Buck!”

Buck looked up, amused. You never could tell what was going on with Cody.

“What’s wrong with you, Cody? You look like you seen a ghost!”

“I think I have! I was drivin’ back from Melissa’s, and all of a sudden out of nowhere, the wind picks up, the horses stop, and this old Indian lady is standing in mah path. She’s tellin’ me to stay away from Melissa! Then she disappears, and I find all these buzzard feathers in the buggy with me!”

“That’ll teach you to go against the company rules of drinkin’ whiskey!” Jimmy told him with a smile.

Buck, on the other hand, felt a chill go up and down his spine. This Indian lady was sounding awful familiar to him.

“Tell me exactly what she said,” he commanded in a deadly serious tone. Jimmy noted that, but kept about his task.

“She appears all mean lookin’ like and sez stay away from my granddaughter! Melissa is not yours! She belongs to the dark one! What dark one? Who in tarnation was she? You’re into all those spirit things, Buck! Is there some sort of prayer or somethin’ I should do?”

“It must have been Melissa’s grandmother. Didn’t she say she used to go to the Cherokee Indian village to spend time with her when she was young? Sounds ta me like she don’t like you messing around Melissa. I’d say you were safe unless you keep spendin’ time with her!”

Buck wondered if this was the same apparition, he had seen that night? Hadn’t she assured him that Melissa would be his? Was he the dark on?

“But say some prayer or somethin’,” Cody wailed. “You didn’t see her! She was powerful!”

Jimmy almost started to tease Cody again, but he bit back his comment when he saw Buck’s face. Buck believed him. That was good enough for him.

“I’m tellin’ you Cody, you don’t have to worry none about her. Stay away from Melissa, and she’ll leave you alone.”

“I need a prayer, Buck!” Cody begged.

Buck and Jimmy exchanged a look. Jimmy saw a faint smile that went across Buck’s face.

“Okay, Cody. When I go to pray in the mornin’, I’ll say a prayer to the spirits for you to protect you…alright? It’s the best I can do.”

“Alright,” Cody said as he went to his bunk and started to undress. “Wait a minute here!” he said whirling around, “Who the hell is the dark one? You’ve gone out with Melissa! You’re part Indian! Was she meanin’ you? Did you do this to try and scare me off?”

“Hold on a minute, Cody!” Jimmy stated as he stood up and went over to Cody. “I’ve been here for the last hour, and Buck came in shortly after that. He’s been with me the whole time so he couldn’t have done nuthin’ to scare you. You’re lettin’ this git to ya!”

“I guess, sorry, Buck!” he said.

Buck just shook his head.

“Come here, Cody. Kneel down in front of me,” he suggested.

“Why?”

“I can see that you ain’t gonna rest easy until I say a prayer to the spirits for you. I’ll jist do it now and git it over with,” Buck told him.

Cody went over to Buck and knelt down in front of him. Buck placed his hands on Cody’s head and began a prayer to Melissa’s grandmother, thanking her for scaring the wits out of Cody, and thanking her for the encouragement to continue his pursuit of her granddaughter. He also asked for wisdom so that he would do all the right things as regards to her.

“Feel better now?” he asked his friend.

“Yeah....thanks, Buck.”

“It’s the least I could do,” Buck replied as Cody lay down in his bunk.

Jimmy had a feeling that Buck had just pulled a fast one, but since he didn’t know Indian, he had no idea what he had said. He also knew Buck wouldn’t tell him.

“How’d you hurt your hand tonight, Buck?” was what Jimmy finally asked him as he hoisted himself into the bunk above Cody.

Somehow, Buck didn’t think that Jimmy would understand what he and Sarah had gone through.

“Got it caught on somethin’,” was his reply as he, too, laid down in his bunk.
As Buck willed himself to sleep, his thoughts turned to Melissa’s grandmother. He had no doubt that she was the one that had appeared to him out by the corral. And she was the one that had appeared to Cody. Spirits could be pretty persuasive when they wanted something to happen. He knew that things would eventually be right in his world…and Melissa would be part of that world!

Sunday service was truly inspirational, and Sarah enjoyed hearing Melissa’s music. She was truly a talented individual. She waited for her after the service, and they rode home together. Melissa had looked around when they had come out of the church and was disappointed that Buck wasn’t there. Well, what had she expected?

“What needs to be done this afternoon?”

“I want to work Mariah some more. I also need you to work that little mare we just broke. Then we’ll do something fun!” Sarah declared.

“What happened to your hand last night? Did you try to get some work done in the dark last night after you got home?” Melissa asked her.

Sarah frowned down at her hand. She didn’t want to lie to her friend, but how could she explain all that went on between her and Buck last night?

“A knife cut it,” was all she said, hoping that Melissa would assume that she’d cut herself in the kitchen.

“And what were you doing in the kitchen at that time of night?” Melissa laughed.

“All that dancing made me hungry. Buck sure does dance well. He said he asked you to the Harvest dance. You going with him?”

“Thinking about it,” she smiled, before she blurted. “Of course I am!”

“I hope so. He really hated that you were with Cody.”

“Couldn’t prove it by me. He didn’t act upset. In fact, he acted like he was having a wonderful time with you.”

“Yeah, after I yelled at him to quit ignoring me and quit watching you!” she laughed.

“Yeah?” Melissa asked, pleased.

“Yeah!” Sarah told her.

“Hmmm, suddenly I feel like I have a lot of energy!”

“Where you goin’?” Jimmy asked Buck when he walked into the barn and saw him saddling his horse.

“I thought I would ride out to see Melissa. Wanna come?”

“Yeah....I think that I would!” Jimmy stated as he pulled his saddle off the rack and headed for his horse.

“You would?” Buck asked, surprised.

“Yeah. Do you think it’s possible that a man and a woman can be friends?” Jimmy asked him as he slung his saddle across his horse’s back.

“Yeah, I do,” he said thinking about him and Sarah.

“I do too. At least Sarah ‘n I are gonna try to be friends. I like bein’ round her, and I think she likes bein’ round me. She knows I don’t cotton to romance, but she says that’s okay.”

Buck did his best to keep from laughin’ out loud. Jimmy didn’t know it, but he was headin’ for a big surprise as far as his feelings for Sarah were concerned. Hopefully he would fall in love with her before he realized that’s what was going on.

“I’m glad you feel that way, cause I was thinkin’. Remember when Sarah said that she ’n Melissa were goin’ to pick up that new stallion a hers?”

“Yeah…so?”

“It ain’t safe for them to jist take off across country on their own like that. I was gonna ask Teaspoon if I could go with them. Why don’t you come along too? That stallion is probably real valuable. They may need our two guns.

“Sarah can handle a gun,” Jimmy replied as he put the bridle in his horse’s mouth and fastened it. “I think with you along with them, they’d be okay. I don’t think Teaspoon would let both a us go.” He really wanted to go, but he wanted this friendship thing to move slow.

“Yes, Sarah can handle herself, but if she has a flighty stallion with her, she may need all the hands she can git. I bet Teaspoon would let us both go. What do you say we offer to go with her today? As far as that goes, she may turn us both down.” he laughed.

“Let’s go and talk to Teaspoon first. I don’t want to offer if he don’t let us go.”

“So you’ll go?”

“Yeah, like you say, she may need both of us.”

Teaspoon looked up as Buck and Jimmy came into his office.

“And what can I do fer the two a you on this fine day?” he asked pleasantly.

“We was wonderin’ somethin’,” Jimmy stated as he looked expectantly at Buck to outline the proposal to him.

“Yes?” Teaspoon encouraged.

“Remember that telegram that Jimmy delivered to Sarah?”

“I recall that,” he told them.

“It was lettin’ Sarah know that she could go and pick up her new stallion. I was wonderin’ if you would mind if Jimmy and I went along with the ladies. We figure they mite need our help. He’s probably a valuable horse ‘n all.”

Teaspoon wasn’t surprised that Buck wanted to go since Melissa would be there. He was surprised that Jimmy was wanting to tag along. He needed to encourage this.

“I think that’s a fine idea. When did you want to go?”

“I was thinkin’ bout mid week,” Buck told him.

“I’ll git a couple extra riders from the main office. I’ll send a request with the next run. I’m glad you two thought a this. I woulda hated for them to go off alone. You remember that you’re goin’ along to protect them.”

“We’ll remember,” Jimmy assured him.

“Thanks, Teaspoon,” Buck told him with a wide smile.

“Now be off with you! Enjoy your Sunday afternoon!” he commanded.

Sarah had been talking reassuringly to Mariah, getting ready to saddle him up when she heard riders coming. She looked up.

“I don’t believe it! Melissa!” she called as she walked over to the fence.

“What?” she heard her call from the barn.

“Buck and Jimmy are comin’!” she yelled excitedly.

“You’re kidding! Jimmy?” she asked as she came running out to look. They were just dismounting and tying their horses to the fence railing. She knew that she had a goofy smile on her face when she saw Buck. Sarah’s face probably held the same smile.

“Hello you two! To what do we owe the pleasure?” Melissa asked the two gentlemen.

“We wanted to see you,” Buck told her with a special smile. “and see if we could help you with anything.”

Jimmy found Sarah, who was standing in the corral with Mariah. She gave him a big smile, and he returned it. He couldn’t believe how differently he felt....how happy he was to have come to a decision about her and their relationship.

“Need any help?” he asked her as he climbed over the fence to stand in front of her.

Sarah was having a hard time believing that Jimmy had come out here to see her of his own free will.

“I was just about to work with Mariah. I’ll let you help me, and Buck, you can help Melissa with the mare she’s been working with.”

“Okay,” Buck stated as he followed Melissa to the barn.

“It’s nice to see you,” Sarah told Jimmy as they walked towards the stallion.

“I jist wanted you to know that I was serious bout the friendship thing.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

“I’m glad Buck got you home alright.”

“Yeah, he did. I had a good time last night. You?”

“Yeah, I did too. So, what are you goin’ to do with Mariah?”

“I just wanted to get some riding time in with him. Since you’re here, why don’t you saddle him up and ride him? I’ll saddle up my horse and go along with you.”

“I’d like that. Hey fella!” Jimmy told the stallion as he approached him slowly and ran his hand down Mariah’s neck.

“I think he remembers you!” she told him. “His saddle is over on the fence. I’ll get my horse ready.”

“Why don’t you take mine?” Jimmy asked her.

She looked over at the palomino. He was a large animal…very beautiful and stylish. “You’d really let me ride him?”

“Yeah. Cisco won’t mind. He’s always liked a pretty lady!”

“I’d like that. I’m gonna have to adjust his stirrups though. I’m just a little shorter than you are.”

He nodded to let her know he had heard her, and began to saddle Mariah. Sarah went over to Cisco.

“Hey boy,” she cooed to him as she ran her hands over him. “I sure do wish you could talk and tell me about your master. But then, you’d probably be like the rest of them and not tell me anything!”

Cisco nickered at her.

“So you like pretty ladies, huh? How many other pretty ladies has he let ride you?”

“None…you’re the first person, other than myself to ride him,” Jimmy told her as he caught her talking to his horse.

Sarah blushed as she quickly turned to the horse and began to adjust the stirrups.

“You’re not supposed to listen in on private conversations!” she scolded.

“He best not have told you anything too personal about me,” Jimmy laughed.

“His secrets are safe with me,” she teased. “I’m ready. How bout you?”

“Need a hand up?” he asked her.

“No, I can get it,” she told him as she jumped up to get her foot in the stirrup. Jimmy mounted Mariah and they were off.

“She’s real purty. What’s her name?” Buck asked as she led him to the stall where she had saddled the mare.

“Sequoia,” she told him as she led her out. “Do you want to ride along with me?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for anything,” he told her. “Lead her out, and I’ll get my horse.”

The mare was a little skittish, but she handled her with ease as she mounted, and watched Buck also mount.

“So, how did you talk Jimmy into coming?” she asked him as they headed west.

“The funny thing is that I didn’t. He came along on his own. He said that he and Sarah came to a new understanding about their friendship. He don’t seem so tense and edgy.”

“He did seem to be doing a lot of smiling. Which is very unusual for him. What did you do to your hand, Buck? It’s funny, but Sarah cut her hand last night. I think she said that she was in the kitchen or something like that. How’d you do it?”

“Got it caught on somethin’,” he told her, not surprised that Sarah hadn’t said anything.

“You two have to be more careful!” was all she said.

“I guess. How did church go today?”

“Alright. The congregation really got into the singing, so I was happy. Like I told you, the children’s choir should be ready to go by the celebration. You really should come to one of their practices.”

“I will....promise.”

“And I’m really glad that you came today so that I could tell you that I would love to go to the Harvest Celebration Dance with you. I didn’t get to tell you that last night.”

Buck felt elated that she told him that.

“Cody didn’t ask you?”

“Not yet. Does your offer still stand?”

“Of course it does. I would be honored to escort you to the dance.”

“And we have to think of a way for Jimmy to take Sarah.”

“It might not be that hard. He didn’t fight over comin’ today.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed, cause if he don’t ask her, Cody might.”

“Now that wouldn’t be too bad. From what you say, Cody’s fun.”

“He is…but I’m real glad you asked me to the dance.”

“I am too!” He smiled at her.

Jimmy didn’t seem to have any problems handling Mariah. Sarah realized that they suited each other. In return, she enjoyed riding Cisco.

“How ya doin’?” Jimmy asked her.

“I was just thinking what a wonderful horse Cisco is.”

“That he is. He’s fast…intelligent. He’s saved my hide more ‘n a few times.”

“How do you feel about Mariah?”

“He’s pretty wonderful too. If you don’t mind my askin’, since you have Mariah, why are you gettin’ that other stallion for breeding? It seems that Mariah would be able to sire some pretty good stock.”

“I think that he would too, but for some reason my father wanted this other stallion. I have to admit that the new stallion has impeccable bloodlines. He’ll breed good stock too. I’m just a bit worried about having two stallions on one ranch. Maybe my father had other plans for Mariah, but whatever they were, he didn’t let me know what they were before he died.”

Jimmy ran a hand over the stallion’s sleek neck.

“I’m sure you’ll think of something. And it might be nice to have two stallions to choose from.”

“It might. I’ll have to think about it. And I have to think about going out to pick up the stallion at Fort Laramie. I imagine that Melissa and I will leave about mid-week.”

“Yeah....Buck ‘n I were gonna talk to you about that.”

“Oh?” she asked curiously.

“I know you don’t like people interferin’ in your life, and I can understand that, but we was talkin’ and we don’t think you should go on that long of a trip by yourselves. We know you can take care of yourselves, but with a stallion that you don’t know, that’s another story. He’s mighty valuable, and someone may try and steal him.”

“That’s all true. So what are you and Buck suggesting?”

“That we go with you. We asked Teaspoon, and he thought it was a good idea. He’s sendin’ for substitute riders to take out places. He don’t want nuthin’ to happen to you.”

All of a sudden Sarah was excited about the trip she had been dreading. She couldn’t believe Jimmy was volunteering to go. She’d get to spend a few days with him with only Buck and Melissa around. What more could she ask for? She knew she couldn’t appear too eager though, or she’d scare him off.

“That sounds like a good idea, and I appreciate you and Buck thinking about it. I’ll be grateful for your help.”

“I was afraid you’d think I was interferin’ again,” he confessed.

“No…you and I have that straightened out. I know you wouldn’t do it anymore,” she told him confidently, having a feeling that all his good intentions would go right out the window if she went out with Jake Coulter again.

“Good. Umm…I imagine that Buck will take Melissa to the Harvest Dance. Or do you think Cody will?”

“I sincerely doubt that Buck will ever let Cody near Melissa again! Buck will be taking her, I’m sure,” she laughed. “He was so miserable last night.”

“He didn’t look miserable when you was dancin’!” Jimmy told her.

“Let’s just say he wasn’t with the person he wanted to be with. We had a good time, but it could have been better,” she told him.

“Let’s water our horses in that creek,” Jimmy told her pointing.

They rode over and dismounted. It was then he noticed her hand.

“How’d you do this?” Jimmy asked as he picked her hand up and looked at the bandaged palm.

“Cut it,” was all she told him. An image of Buck’s bandaged hand flashed into his head. Sarah’s left hand had been cut....Buck’s right.

“Buck’s hand got cut too,” he told her.

She sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

“You two was together when this happened, wasn’t you?”

“Yes,” she stated softly looking up at him.

“You’re blood brothers.”

“Sister. I’m his blood sister,” she corrected, waiting to hear what he thought of the idea. She knew that he didn’t like her hanging out with Buck. He hadn’t liked her going to the dance with him.

Jimmy kept a hold of her hand. He wasn’t sure what he felt. He knew that Buck didn’t let many people in....especially females. But yet, he’d bestowed one of the highest honors on Sarah. And this told him more about Sarah....that she was worthy of the utmost trust....that she knew tolerance for all man…that she was kind hearted and would be a friend to the death.

Sarah was wondering what was going through Jimmy’s mind. She could feel his thumb moving absently across the back of her hand as he looked down at the palm of it. He didn’t look upset.

“That’s a high honor.”

“I know.”

“You’re something else, lady,” Jimmy told her as he looked down at her. His face wore a smile.

She smiled back up at him, realizing that he wasn’t going to say anymore about it. He had understood. Jimmy’s other hand reached out and caressed her cheek. It drew her in and she could feel herself moving closer to him.
His lips touched hers lightly, questioning the rightness of being close like this. Never one to refuse Jimmy’s kisses, she wrapped her free arm around his waist and leaned into him. Jimmy’s kiss became firmer…until Cisco bumped into her and knocked her off balance. She clutched at Jimmy’s arm to steady herself.

Jimmy was looking down at her with an amused grin on his face.

“I think that Cisco is jealous!” he told her.

“Thank God! I mean we’re not supposed to be doing this stuff anyway. I really do want to be your friend.”

“I know,” he told her as he stepped back from her. “But sometimes it jist feels right.”

“Yeah....I know…but I’ll try harder if you will.”

He nodded his head almost imperceptibly. His mouth barely wore a grin. It was a gesture that was uniquely Jimmy, and it was endearing to her. “Okay…I’ll try too.”

“Okay. Ready to ride back to the ranch? I can make up a batch of lemonade real quick....maybe some sandwiches? The four of us could eat outside underneath that large tree by the house.”

“I’d like that. So would Buck.”

“Then let’s head back.”

After riding a couple miles, Buck and Melissa got off their horses and decided to walk them to cool them off. Impulsively, Buck grabbed Melissa’s hand and squeezed it. He felt happier than he had in quite some time...maybe the happiest he’d ever felt in his life. Talking to Sarah yesterday had settled some things in his mind. Ike McSwain had always been the person he’d talked to when he was troubled. Now he had Sarah. Had Ike’s spirit sent her to him? He liked to think that it did.

“I wish that I didn’t have a ride tomorrow mornin’,” he confided to her. “It’s gonna seem like a long time til I get back here.”

“It’s going to seem like a long time until you get back,” she agreed.

“But I’ll have something to look forward to. I hope that Jimmy is bringin’ this up with Sarah, but I asked Teaspoon, and he sez that Jimmy and I can go with you and Sarah to pick up her stallion. Is that okay with you?”

“Let me get this straight. I get to spend a minimum of three days with you?”

“Yeah.”

Melissa just wanted to jump up and down for joy! Three whole days with Buck, with just Jimmy and Sarah around?

Buck looked at her and saw the little smile playing about her lips. That made him feel better.

“I think I could handle that, and I know Sarah will be pleased with the extra help in getting her stallion back here. That was really sweet of you to think of it, Buck.”

“It weren’t nothin’. I’m looking forward to it...gettin’ to know you better ‘n all,” he told her as they stopped walking.

She turned to face him.

“That’s an added bonus alright,” she agreed. “If the towns people catch wind of it there will be a lot of talk though.”

“They won’t know what’s goin’ on. You and Sarah live far enough away from town for them not to keep up with what you’re doin’.”

“That’s true. I’ll have to tell Reverend Johnson that I’ll be away for a couple of days. But I really do love adventures.”

“Me too!” he agreed with her.

Melissa looked so pretty standing there. Her hair was blowing slightly in the breeze. The look she was giving him was sending shivers up and down his spine. He lovingly pulled her against him and began to softly caress her lips with his. But as always, this wasn’t enough for him, as he wrapped himself tightly around her and began to attack her lips in earnest. That was until Melissa was jerked away from him.

“What?” she called as the mare was spooked by something and had shied to the side, pulling her with her since Melissa was still holding her reins. She ended up losing her balance, and fell on her bottom. That made her start laughing.

“You okay?” Buck asked as he hurried over to her.

“I’m fine, but my bottom may be a little bruised,” she kept laughing. “Maybe it’s time to head back.”

“Maybe. Sequoia needs a little more workin’ I’d say.”

“Yeah, I would too!” she emphatically agreed as Buck held a hand down to her and pulled her back up.

Jimmy watched Sarah as she bustled about her kitchen putting the meal together. She seemed very at ease with the process as they chatted back and forth about nothing in particular. It struck him at one point that this was something he had never done before, and he realized he was pulling the whole scene in close to him...they way the sun shone through the window and made her hair lighter. Her ready smile as she cut meat and bread for the sandwiches...the way she squeezed the lemons and could carry on a conversation at the same time. In fact, Jimmy was never one to just sit and chat. He usually would sit in a group with the other riders, and while they would all talk and tease each other, for the most part, he would just sit and listen and observe. He was realizing that with Sarah, he was enjoying taking part in the conversation.

Sarah had stopped talking to Jimmy because he had seemed to drift off. He had a half smile on his face and was looking out of the window at some unseen thing. She was pleased to see that he looked so relaxed and content. He’d taken his hat off when he’d come into the house, and his richly colored brown hair fell heavily to his shoulders. Suddenly his attention was on her, and she smiled self-consciously at having been caught in the act of staring at him.

“What?” he asked her.

“I’m embarrassed that you caught me staring at you, but you just look so handsome sitting there. You sitting here…life being normal...I’ll treasure this later when I think about it,” she told him softly.

He was startled that she voiced what he had been thinking. He looked down at the floor quickly, a smile overtaking his face. He nodded slightly, feeling overcome with emotion, not sure what to do to express it. When he looked up again, he could tell that she could understand what he was feeling. She came over to him, leaned down, and kissed his lips lightly.

“Now, can you help me carry this stuff outside?” she asked him, her face inches from his.

“Yeah...I think I can do that for you,” he told her as he put his hand behind her head, pulled her closer for another kiss, then stood up.

The front door opened, and Buck and Melissa walked in.

“Great! You two are just in time! I’ve made sandwiches and lemonade. Jimmy and I were getting hungry, and we were hoping you would show up to help us eat this food.”

“I think we could force ourselves to,” Buck told her with a smile. “Do you need help with anything?”

“You can help Jimmy carry this stuff outside while I run and get a blanket. We’re going to eat under the oak tree next to the house.”

“I’ll get the blanket. You can direct the men,” Melissa giggled, happy that Sarah had thought of a way to keep Buck here longer.

“Men...let’s go!” Sarah ordered as she loaded Jimmy and Buck’s arms with what was needed outside for the meal. To be on the safe side, she carried the pitcher of lemonade.

The camaraderie continued through the meal. Buck brought up the trip, and that was planned out. They decided to leave very early on Wednesday morning. Then the talk turned to the Harvest Celebration festival, and the events that would take place. The ladies found out that there would be a horse race, baking contests, games for the children, a large picnic, and then the dance at the end of the day.

“And I’m takin’ this beautiful lady to the dance!” Buck stated as he put his arm around Melissa’s shoulders and kissed her cheek. He smiled at her slight blush.

“She jist said yes so that Cody wouldn’t git to step on her toes again,” Jimmy laughed.

“He’s not that bad of a dancer!” Melissa protested.

“What about you, Sarah? Who you goin’ to the dance with?” Buck asked her, hoping Jimmy had asked her by now.

“Well, as it stands right now…”

Jimmy knew that Sarah hadn’t been asked. Would it be alright to ask her? Would she go with him since they were only friends?

“She’s goin’ with me unless she gits a better offer,” Jimmy finished her sentence for her.

Sarah quickly looked at him, surprised, then turned to Buck.

“I’m going with Jimmy.”

“Great! We can have our picnic together. Sarah and I will fix something real special. Then we can all go on to the dance together when it starts,” Melissa told the group.

“Lordy! We’re spending all this time together. I’m gonna start feeling like we’re a family,” Sarah laughed.

Buck reached over and ruffled Sarah’s hair.

“We are family!” He reminded her fondly.

Jimmy had been watching the two of them. He could tell that Buck really cared about Sarah. And that Sarah really cared about him. Buck seemed to be treating her with a new respect and at that moment, he knew he never had to worry about Buck trying to romance her. That made him feel good.

Melissa slapped the side of her head.

“Wait a minute! You two are family, aren’t you?” she asked Buck and Sarah. Jimmy sort of smiled, realizing that Melissa had finally figured the two of them out.

Buck nodded, smiling.

Melissa picked up both their hands.

“You two did this last night! Did you know this?” she asked Jimmy. He nodded his head.

Buck held his breath, hoping this lady who was so special to him would understand about it. That she would know that this made Sarah special to him, and she would be all the more special for understanding it.

“Isn’t it unusual to be a blood brother with a woman?” she asked Buck.

“Sister,” Jimmy told her, gently teasing Sarah.

“Well…isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Does that mean we’ll be seeing more of you out here then?” was all she wanted to know. A quick jealous streak had gone through her because it was Buck and because Sarah hadn’t told her about it. She just as quickly remembered that this was something Indians did, but didn’t talk about. The one thing she did wonder was what had happened between them to make them feel so close to each other, but she knew they wouldn’t talk about that either. She needed to accept it for what it was.

“Somehow I don’t think I’m the reason why we’ll be seeing more of him out here,” Sarah stated dryly as she smiled happily at Buck. Melissa just blushed.

“Well, Buck, I think we best head back to town. Cody will have murder in his heart for us if we don’t sorta help him with those fences,” Jimmy reminded him.

Buck just moaned and shook his head. They all got up and carried everything inside. Buck grabbed Melissa’s hand, and she walked with him to his horse. Sarah walked along side Jimmy and scratched Cisco’s nose.

“Take good care of him, boy,” she told him softly. He nickered at her.

“Don’t go getting’ my horse to be eattin’ out a your hand!” Jimmy tried to tell her sternly. She just stuck out her tongue at him as he swung up into the saddle.

“When do you have another ride?” she asked him.

“Buck’s up tomorrow. I’ll be heading out tomorrow afternoon in the opposite direction. We'll both be back on Tuesday, and here early on Wednesday.”

Sarah reached for his hand and squeezed it.

“Ride safe then, Jimmy. I’ll see you on Wednesday morning.”

Jimmy looked down at her and just wanted to lean over her and kiss her. He didn’t dare do that in front of Buck and Melissa.

“I’ll try my best to be careful. You be careful too.”

“I will.”

While they were talking, Buck stood next to his horse away from Jimmy and took Melissa in his arms.

“I’ll miss you while you’re gone,” she told him. “Be careful on your ride.”

“I will. Wednesday will be here before you know it. You be careful with Sequoia also. She’s still a bit skittish.”

“I will,” she told him.

Buck kissed her very thoroughly before he mounted his horse. Seeing that Jimmy was waiting patiently for him, he gave Melissa another smile. Jimmy told her goodbye.

“Take care Buck!” Sarah told him as he walked his horse by her. “I’ll watch out for her (Here she pointed to Melissa) for you.”

“Thanks!” he told her. He reached out to caress her cheek, and then followed Jimmy out.

The ladies watched them leave.

“You angry with me for not telling you about Buck and I?”

“For a moment I was, but no...not now. I think it’s great that he has you to talk to. I don’t think he has a lot of people to share things with. I think it’s great that Jimmy asked you to the dance.”

“I was so surprised about that! He didn’t ask me until we were sitting on the blanket. Of course, he didn’t really ask me, did he? He sort of told me, but that’s okay. For whatever reason he asked, I’ll take it. He probably felt sorry for me since no one else had asked, and he didn’t want me to sit at home alone.”

Melissa laughed, “You think that all you want to. I know that he asked because he doesn’t want anyone else near you. He just doesn’t realize that’s why he asked you.”

“Then let’s hope that he doesn’t figure it out anytime soon. I like the fact that he feels like we can be friends and that he feels he can come out and see me without any obligations on his part. Now, since we have our new agreement, he talks to me and doesn’t seem to try to hide his feelings.”

“I admit that’s better than it was…but what about the good parts that you don’t get because he just wants to be friends? If that was me with Buck, I’d miss the hugs and kisses!”

Sarah laughed as she threw her arm around Melissa’s shoulders. “That’s still there. It’s so funny. He still kissed me and we laugh and say that we shouldn’t be doing it. But he doesn’t get upset like he used to. Men are so funny sometimes.”

“Aren’t they though? Well, what’s on for the rest of today?”

“Let’s feed the horses and get them bedded down. After that, we can do anything that we want.”

All Buck could think about was Melissa and all that had happened between them since he had met her. All that could still happen between them. He thought about her grandmother appearing to him and to Cody. What did this all mean? He knew that the spirits played a big part in his life, so he believed that what was happening was as it was supposed to be. He did know that he was really looking forward to Wednesday morning, and he wished that the trail wasn’t so long!

Jimmy settled into his ride, knowing that the trail was a good time to think things over, to let his mind wander wherever he wanted it to go. And when he let his mind run free, it went to Sarah. How come whenever he thought of her, he wanted to smile? He’d only been serious about Rebecca, and he couldn’t remember feeling like this about her. Whenever he’d been around her, it had seemed like he’d always been worried about something. It has always been so hard. Around Sarah, he felt lighter, freer. Maybe it was because that’s the way you were around a lady who was your friend and not your lover. He did know that he wanted Wednesday morning to come soon and that it would probably feel like two forever’s before he got back to Rock Creek. He made a decision to ride all night instead of camping out. That would help him get home sooner. If he slowed his pace, Cisco would be able to do it. Before he turned around to return to Rock Creek, he’d have to let him rest awhile. Maybe he’d get a room at the hotel for a few hours to rest up.

“I wonder if Buck got back alright…if Jimmy did too,” Melissa mused as she and Sarah collected the food and clothing they would need for their trip.

“I’m sure that they did. Teaspoon would let us know if they hadn’t,” Sarah assured her. “They’ll be here like they’re supposed to be tomorrow morning. So we have to do our part and get all this stuff ready.”

“Yes mam!” Melissa giggled.

Buck was sitting on the railing on the porch of the bunkhouse when Jimmy came riding in. In one smooth move, Jimmy came off Cisco. He took his hat off and slapped it against his leg, trying to get some of the dust off of it.

“Good ride?” Buck asked him.

“Yeah...what about yours?”

“It was okay. You’re back earlier than I thought you would be.”

“Everythin’ seemed to go jist right.”

“I know how that is. I’ll take Cisco for you if you want to get a bath.”

“Thanks,” Jimmy told him as he tossed the reins to Buck. A bath would feel real good, and he wanted to be clean for the trip tomorrow.

“The ladies doin’ all right?” he asked Buck’s back.

“I ain’t seem ‘em, but I’d a heard if they weren’t.”

Jimmy nodded his head and continued on his way.

Sarah and Melissa were leading their horses out when Buck and Jimmy rode up. Buck’s heart leapt when he saw Melissa, and as always, her welcoming smile warmed his heart.

“Mornin’,” Jimmy stated to one and all. He felt good all over when Sarah’s smile hit him. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah. All we needed were the two of you,” Sarah told him as she mounted up.

Jimmy nodded his head in approval that they were ready to go. He led the way out of the ranch.

“Who’s watchin’ over the place while you’re gone?” Buck asked her.

“A rancher friend that lives close by,” she replied.

Sarah rode up next to Jimmy, who set the pace, and felt confident about the trip. The morning was quite crisp. The sun was just peaking over the horizon when Sarah snuck a look at him. He had his black hat pulled low on his face. And he sat straight up on his horse. She felt that he probably knew this land better than anyone else (besides Buck) did. They took a break about midmorning and for lunch, then mid afternoon, and they set up a camp at night.

“Is it my imagination or is it colder here?” Melissa asked as she sat closer to the campfire.

“I think it’s cooler here,” Sarah agreed as she swallowed the last of her coffee.

“Winter will be here soon, so I guess it would be gettin’ colder,” Buck commented wryly. “It’s jist you ladies ain’t used to campin’ out like Jimmy ‘n me are.”

“Oh! Is that it Buck? You sayin’ we’re soft?” Sarah asked him.

“I think the wisest thing for me to say is no,” He stated diplomatically.

“Very good, Buck. That was the right answer!” Sarah laughed. “Although I have to admit it’s been awhile since I’ve camped out. We didn’t get the opportunity to do this at all back east.”

“How long was you there?” Jimmy asked her.

“Three years. I was going to teacher’s college in Boston.”

“So why ain’t you teachin’?” he asked her.

“I was two months shy of finishing when my father died. This place demanded my immediate attention, so I didn’t finish. I might one day. A year ago I would have said it was the most important thing in my life. Now that I’ve been running the ranch, I’m not sure if it really was all that important,” she mused.

“Feelin’s change alright,” Buck told her. “And if you ever decide it was important again, couldn’t you go back and finish?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you teach anyway?” Jimmy asked her. “You probably know more than anyone else around these parts.”

“Thanks for your vote of confidence. I guess that would be an option if I ever decided to sell the ranch, but I don’t ever see that happening, at least not anytime soon. I think I’d go crazy if I had to stay inside all day,” Sarah told him truthfully.

“I know how that is,” Buck told her. “I like bein’ out with nature too. I think it would slowly kill me if I had to stay inside all day.”

Jimmy just nodded his head in agreement, while Melissa yawned.

“I’d say that this little lady needs her bed,” Buck said. “Come on, I’ll tuck you in!”

“What about me, Buck? Do I get tucked in too?” Sarah asked, suddenly seized by the devil.

“Tuck her in Jimmy,” Buck threw over his shoulder.

Jimmy smiled as he looked down at the fire, then over at Sarah.

“You need to be tucked in?” he asked her.

“Yes, please...that way I know that I have my blanket all around me and my back won’t get cold!”

“Come on then,” he told her as he stood up and stretched. “Knowing you, you want to get an early start in the morning.”

“Yes, I’m anxious to see this wonder stallion that my father bought,” she told him as she stood up.

Melissa laid down on her blankets on her back and looked up at Buck.

“I’m ready,” she told him.

“Oh, lady,” he whispered, for she had never looked more desirable to him. He just wanted to stretch out on top of her and start loving her for all he was worth. But Jimmy and Sarah were there, and he couldn’t exactly do it in front of an audience. But then, he didn’t know if Melissa would welcome his advances.

“Yes?” she asked him softly.

He only meant to lean down and give her a gentle good night kiss. But Melissa was determined to feel closer to him. She’d been around him all day, not touching him. Now with the darkness around them, she needed to feel him next to her if only for a moment. She put her arms around him and pulled him down to her. She didn’t care if she was being forward. Buck sort of lost his balance, and landed on top of her, but that didn’t register. What registered were her lips locked on his, the smoothness of them.

Jimmy watched Sarah lay down on her blankets.

“Okay, tuck away, I’m ready.” She smiled up at him. With her down on the ground like this, he looked so tall.

He got down on his knees, reached down for her cover, and pulled it over her, tucking all the edges carefully around her. Sarah could feel his hands running up and down her legs. Since she had rolled over on her side, she smiled to herself when his hands carefully tucked the blanket in around her backside. Was it just her imagination, or had he actually caressed her there?

Jimmy wished that he could lie down next to her and just kiss her all over. He realized that those were more than friendly thoughts, so he forced himself to back away a bit.

“How’s that?” he asked her.

“Fine…except for one thing.”

“And what’s that?” he asked her as he came around to the front of her, scrunched down on his heels and looked into her eyes. Shadows were crossing her face.

“Isn’t a good night kiss, on the cheek of course, a part of this tucking in deal? I can’t sleep without a good night kiss.”

“Melissa kisses you every night?” he asked her with an upraised eyebrow.

“Not exactly,” she admitted. “Guess that means I don’t get one, huh?”

“Now I didn’t say that,” he told her, knowing that if he kissed anything, it wasn’t going to be her cheek. He knew full well what was going on over at Melissa’s blankets, and he couldn’t blame Buck for that. If he and Sarah were being romantic, he suspected they would be doing the same thing.

Jimmy carefully leaned over so he wouldn’t lose his balance, and touched his lips to hers. Hers met his and caught them, and it felt as if a magnet had caught them. He felt like it just might take a herd of wild horses to pull him away from her.

Sarah knew she had a choice here. She knew that it would not take a lot of work on her part to seduce this man tonight, but she had a feeling that she knew what the consequences would be. Jimmy’s wall would go back up, and the easy relationship they had right now would be gone. So, she pulled away very slowly and cupped his face with her hands.

“Now that was a pretty spectacular good night kiss, Mr. Hickok. I think that I can go to sleep now.”

“Good. You don’t have to worry about nuthin’. Buck ‘n me are used to sleeping out a doors. We’ll wake up if we hear anything. You rest easy.”

“With you here, I already knew that I would be able to. I’m really glad that you came along on this trip.”

“So am I. Night,” he said as he pulled out of her grasp very gently. He tucked her arms back into the blankets, caressed her hair, and went to his bedroll.

Warning bells started to go off in Melissa’s head as she started to feel very warm and tingly. Buck was stretched out full on top of her, and she didn’t think that anything had ever felt so good. She knew that it was up to her to end this session. And not really wanting to, she pulled away from him.

“Ummm...it’s getting late, Buck. We’d best get some sleep or Sarah and Jimmy will leave us in the morning!”

Buck leaned on his elbows as he brushed the hair out of her face.

“I guess you’re right, Melissa, but I surely do like what we was jist doin’!”

“Yeah, me too, Buck,” she admitted to him.

He just smiled down at her and kissed her quickly before he rolled off her with a small groan.

“Jimmy and I will hear anythin’ that comes near, so you won’t need to worry none.”

“Okay, but I think I already knew that you and Jimmy would take very good care of us.”

“Teaspoon would have out hides if’n we didn’t!”

“We can’t have that. I like your hide exactly where it is!”

Buck sort of laughed as he quickly tucked her blanket around her. He knew that if he didn’t get away from her quickly, he would do something that he would get his face slapped for. And he didn’t want to do anything that would anger this woman.

“Night, Melissa. Sleep well.”

“I don’t think I have to worry about it. You sleep well too!”

Buck laid down on his bedroll that was next to Jimmy’s wishing with his whole heart that he were lying with Melissa. Loving her would probably be wonderful. He looked over at Jimmy, who was staring at Sarah. Buck had a feeling that his friend was wishing the same thing. Maybe one day they would all get their chance at loving the person they wanted to be with.

They got under way early the next morning after the ladies had fixed a quick breakfast. They arrived at the fort just before noon, and they made their way to the livery stable where the horse was supposed to be. Sarah introduced herself to the owner, showed him the papers she had, and then the four of them were led to a stall.

“Oh my!” she stated. For standing there was a black stallion, at least 16 hands, with rippling muscles. He held his head proudly as he coolly looked at her. He was the most beautiful piece of horseflesh she had ever seen.
“So what do you think?” she asked Jimmy, who was standing next to her.

He took his gloves off and gave the horse a critical look. He couldn’t find any fault with the stallion. He was beautiful! He ran his hand over his head and neck and the horse didn’t shy away from him.

“I think your father knew what he was doin’!” Jimmy told her.

“He’s gonna give you some fine foals,” Buck told her.

“He’s wonderful,” Melissa breathed.

Sarah tugged her gloves back on.

“Shall we find a hot meal before we hit the trail again?” Sarah asked the group as she led them back outside.

Buck looked uneasily up at the sky.

“The sky don’t look so good. I think it’s gonna snow in these parts, and we need to get outta here.”

Jimmy looked up at the sky and had to agree with Buck’s assessment.

“Why don’t you get the stallion ready to travel, and I’ll find some sandwiches that we can eat on the trail,” Jimmy offered as he took off.

“Oh well…it would have been nice,” Sarah sighed.

“Why don’t you and Melissa walk around for about five minutes? I’ll get the stallion ready for you,” Buck offered her with a smile.

“Have I told you lately how wonderful you are?” Sarah asked him.

He appeared to think. “Nope...not lately!”

“Well, you’re pretty wonderful!” she laughed as she kissed his cheek. “Come on Melissa, let’s stretch our legs before we saddle up again.”

“I don’t think this guy is gonna give us any trouble,” Sarah commented as she looked at the stallion.

“Don’t get too cocky yet,” Buck told her. “He might not like snow!”

“You don’t think we’re gonna out run it?” Melissa asked him.

“Nope. But hopefully it won’t be too heavy, and we can find some cover for the night. It’s gonna git dark early,” he warned.

“It’s already startin’ to. We’d best start lookin’,” Jimmy suggested as the first flakes started to fall.

“Good idea,” Sarah approved, but no good place seemed to present itself as it started to snow heavier.

Jimmy rode up next to Buck, worried about the situation.

“I don’t like this. The ladies aren’t used to bein’ in the weather like we are…and that stallion ain’t used to it at all. You know of any cabins close by? Any folks in them would probably let us bunk on the floor, and we’d have a place to put the stallion.”

Buck’s brow furrowed in thought. “I think I know of a place about a mile from here. It’s off to the west.”

“We’re behind you,” Jimmy told him, as he turned his horse around and rode back to Sarah, who had Melissa by her side.

“Why don’t you go up and ride with Buck?” Jimmy suggested. “And how about if I take the stallion?” he asked Sarah as he held his hand out to take the lead from her.

“You look worried Jimmy. It’s the weather, huh?”

“Yeah. This snow is only gonna git worse. Buck knows of a cabin about a mile from here, and I’m sure whoever lives there will let us bunk on their floor.”

“I have to admit it would be nice to get out of this weather. Don’t tell Buck I said this, but all that back east living did make me soft, I’m afraid,” she laughed.

“It don’t take long to git back into it. And I think you’re fine jist the way you are.”

The compliment pleased her.

“Thanks for that,” she told him as they continued to follow Buck.

“I see it,” Melissa told Buck, excited as she made out the outline of a cabin.

Buck smiled with relief, glad he had remembered seeing it on one of his past rides.

They rode up to the cabin, and Buck and Jimmy quickly dismounted.

“There ain’t any smoke comin’ outta that chimney,” Jimmy observed as he went to the door and knocked. “Hello in there!” he called.

“I don’t hear nuthin’,” Buck commented as Jimmy knocked again.

“It sorta looks deserted around here,” Melissa said as she looked around.

“Yeah, I don’t see any animals or hear anything. I’d say the place was empty.”

“Good, then they won’t mind us usin’ it,” Jimmy stated as he slowly opened the door and looked around. It was dark inside. He could see the hearth, and a blanket hanging up over the side of the room. He assumed a bed was behind it.

“Why don’t you ladies go inside, and we’ll take care of the horses?” Buck told them.

“Okay,” Melissa told him as they did as suggested. Sarah grabbed the food packet, and followed Melissa inside.

Melissa had already begun to explore. “Interesting, one bed,” she giggled. “This could get real dangerous.”

“Knowing those two men, they’ll offer to sleep on the floor in front of the fireplace. There’s some wood. I wonder if there’s a pile outside?” Sarah asked as she found some matches, laid the fire, and started it. It took a few minutes to catch, but the brighter it got, the warmer the cabin became.

“There’s even some food here, but it’s all dusty. These people must have left quickly,” Melissa said as she found a cloth and began dusting the furniture off. “You want to cook, or shall I?”

“I’ll do it if you make the place presentable,” Sarah smiled her way.

Melissa stopped in mid-dusting.

“I wonder what will happen tonight?” Melissa asked her.

“What do you mean? Not much can happen since the four of us are all going to be closed in here together.”

“I don’t know…I just have this feeling. It’s probably silly,” she mused more to herself as she continued with her work.

Buck and Jimmy unsaddled the horses, and put them in stalls. There was hay in the barn, so they gave the horses plenty of that, and what little feed they could find.

“This is too good to be true,” Jimmy told Buck as they headed back to the house.

“I know,” he stated as he looked at the cabin. He could see the warm light coming from it, and knew one of the ladies had lit the fire. “Maybe we should look around and see if there’s a woodpile. There can’t be that much wood in the cabin.”

“You go round that way, I’ll take this way,” Jimmy pointed as they separated. Jimmy didn’t find any, and he could tell that Buck hadn’t had any luck either.

“Hopefully there’s enough to git us through the nite,” Buck said as they walked around to the door. Something made him stop though.

“Come on...what’s wrong?” Jimmy asked, sticking his gloved hands into his pockets.

“I don’t know. I jist had a feelin’.”

“What kinda feelin’?”

“The ladies...us...things change sometimes.”

“That don’t make any sense, Buck.”

“It’s nuthin’. I’m freezin’. Let’s go in.”

The ladies smiled at them as they entered, and Buck and Jimmy jist stood there, stunned, as they looked around. The fire blazed warmly, and there were oil lamps that had been lit. The cabin looked clean and orderly…as if the women had lived there for years, and they were welcoming them home after time one the trail.

“Take off your coats. Supper will be ready soon,” Sarah told them.

So on the hooks by the door, they added their jackets to Melissa’s and Sarah’s. They both took off their guns and hung them up. When the coffee was ready, Sarah poured everyone a cup, then dished out the simple stew she had made. It received rave reviews.

“Was there any wood outside?” Sarah asked as she got up to put another small log on the fire.

“No, couldn’t find any.”

“There we’re out of luck after we burn those last two laying on the floor. We should be alright since we have our blankets, and there are blankets on the bed,” she mentioned to them.

“I’ll clean up the dishes since you cooked,” Melissa told her.

“Thanks,” Sarah smiled at her as she got up from the table and went to look out the window. All she could see was a blanket of white. She wondered if they’d even be able to get out of here in the morning, but decided not to voice that thought. They had enough food to last a few days. They’d be alright.

She felt Jimmy come up behind her.

“That was a mighty good meal, Sarah.”

“Thanks, Jimmy.”

“That don’t look good,” he commented looking out the window.

“Nope, it doesn’t,” she agreed.

Jimmy was intently staring at her. He wanted to pull her back against him and hold her tight. He reached his hand out to do that, then stopped himself, and wrapped his arms around himself.

“We’ll be okay. Don’t worry none.”

“I’m not. I always feel very secure when you’re around,” she smiled over her shoulder at him.

“Well, you shouldn’t,” he stated, before he even thought, knowing that he was often shot at.

She turned slowly around. “Why not? Surely you’re not going to take advantage of me since we have this new friends thing going,” she smiled bewitchingly.

He could feel his face getting warm. She had totally misunderstood what he meant, and since he didn’t want to get into it, he decided not to contradict what she just said.

“Well, you never know...” he told her with a gentle smile, thinking along the lines of what she was thinking. What would it be like to do those married things with her?

“Yeah, right, with Buck and Melissa here? What could possibly happen? I think that I’m safe with you.”

He laughed to himself.

“Yeah, I’d say that you was.”

Then they heard, “We only have one more log, Sarah,” from Melissa.

“We have more than enough blankets with what we brought with us, and what the people who lived here left behind,” Sarah stated calmly. “I don’t suppose that anyone has a deck of cards?”

All of them shook their heads.

“Then we’ll tell stories of our lives,” Sarah told them as she sat down on the floor in front of the fireplace. “Since it’s my idea, I’ll go first, alright?”

“Could be real interestin’,” Buck commented as he sat down across from her.

“What kind of stories?” Melissa asked as she seated herself beside Buck.

“It can be about anything in your life. Anything you want to share,” she told them. “You in?” Sarah asked Jimmy as he placed himself next to her. She wasn’t sure how he would feel about this since he was such a private individual. He nodded his head. “As long as you go first.”

Sarah took a deep breath and stared into the fire. “When I was a little girl, I was very independent. I liked to roam. My father kept telling me that I was fearless, but I just always felt like nothing could touch me. Well, one day, I think I was about eight, I wandered off from the ranch. I didn’t really think about it, I just got interested in following a trail, so I followed it for quite some time until I decided that I was hungry. It was then I realized that I had no idea where I was. I looked around me, and this place where I was, well it was just incredible, so peaceful. I found some berries that I could eat, and I laid down in this sweet smelling grass and took a nap. When I woke up, I kept thinking that I should be feeling scared since I didn’t know where I was, but I wasn’t. The wind started to come up, and it was like it was talking to me. Then suddenly, standing in front of me, was a doe, very calmly looking at me. The wind was telling me to follow her, so I did. She led me through the woods and I knew that it wasn’t the way I had come, but I followed. Eventually we came back to my ranch. It was just starting to get dark, and my parents must have been frantic, because they came running for me. I turned to look at the doe, but she had disappeared. After that, I looked for that peaceful place, but I could never find it. I looked for the doe, but I couldn’t find her either. And to this day, I can remember the whole experience vividly. Whenever I need peace in my life, I take myself back there and the magic works all over again.”

Then Sarah was quiet. Buck was nodding his head up and down, having what he had thought about this lady confirmed. The spirits spoke to her too, and had put her in their care. It was why he was drawn to her, why he knew that she would be his sister for life. Jimmy could tell that Sarah had just shared something that was very special to her. Something that she usually didn’t tell other people, and this realization made him feel closer to her. It also told him why Buck had made her his blood sister. Somehow, somewhere, they had a spiritual connection.

Sarah’s eyes found Buck. “You’re next.”

Buck ran his hand through his hair. For this group, he knew the only story he could tell.

“I had left the orphanage, and I felt lost. I didn’t have any world that wanted me to live in it. I wandered around quite a bit, and never really kept track of where I was. I only knew that I had a restless spirit inside of me that was searchin’ for the right place to be. The only thing I was certain of was that my Indian spirit would always be stronger than my white spirit, but I was also very certain that I wouldn’t be able to live in that Indian world. So one day I pull into this town, and I went into the saloon to get some whiskey. All I wanted to do was drink myself into a deep sleep so that I didn’t have to think about how my life was goin’. I was standin’ at the end of the bar, and these cowboys started in on the Indian thing. I ignored them, until one of ‘em surprised me and jumped me. That gave the rest of the saloon the excuse to jump on me and beat me up. I knew that things looked bad, and I didn’t expect to make it out alive, but there was a part of me that didn’t care. The pain from the beatin’ warn’t as bad as the pain I was carryin’ inside me. Then suddenly, this gunshot rings out and one man dropped off me. Suddenly the rest of them are flyin’ off me. It turns out to be Ike McSwain, a kid that had been in the orphanage with me. We really didn’t have no contact there, but now he was fightin’ to save my life like he were my best friend. And that’s what he turned out to be. After that, we joined forces and somehow ended up in the Pony Express. Ike was one of the kindest, gentlest persons you’d ever wanna meet. It didn’t matter then he couldn’t talk. We always had some real good conversations. We was always there for each other, no matter what. When he died, I was so angry at him for leavin’ me. He was the one who knew me best. We’d gone through so much together. But now I’m okay with it. I jist miss him a lot.”

Melissa had tears running down her face as she heard the pain in Buck’s voice through the telling of his story. By the end of it, she wrapped her arm through his and laid her head on his shoulder.

Jimmy had been nodding his head and turned to Buck, touched that Buck had been able to talk about something so personal to him.

“Ike brought out the best side of all of us. That’s jist the way he was,” he told Buck softly.

Buck nodded as he wiped a few tears out of his eyes and hugged Melissa to him. Sarah reached out and squeezed his hand and exchanged knowing glances.

“I’ll go next,” Melissa stated as she sat up straight and leaned against the stone wall next to the fireplace.

“I’m going to tell you about a dream…my father and Sarah’s father were very good friends. They had a dream together…to buy a ranch. And that ranch would raise and sell quality horses. Well, Sarah’s dad bought the ranch and let my father know that he still wanted him for a partner. My father saved every penny he could get his hands on, putting it in the back, never letting go of his dream. He often spoke of it, and you could tell how important it was to him. So anyway, as I was growing up, I learned how to play piano, and I loved playing. I took lessons in the town where we lived. I played at the church and anywhere anyone would listen to me. My father knew that I desperately wanted to go to Music College, but I was realistic, knowing that girls just didn’t go to college of any kind. That was reserved for men. But my father loved me so much, one day he called me into his study and told me to sit down. He was being so serious. He told me that he was getting older, and that sometimes as you got older your goals and dreams changed. He said that he had written to Sarah’s father to let him know that he was proud of her dad for making his ranch such a success, and he knew that Sarah’s dad didn’t need him as a partner anymore. That he had decided to give that dream up, and instead make my dream come true. He gave me all the money he had saved so that I could go to Music College. It didn’t do me any good to protest it. He truly convinced me that my dream was more important to him than any dream he used to have. So I went to Music College and learned more than I ever thought possible. It was only afterwards, after he had died, I found his journal. After reading it, I realized just how hard it was for him to give up the idea of being a partner in Sarah’s dad’s ranch. But I had meant more to him, so he had let me have my dream. And that’s why my playing is always a legacy to him. He made it all possible.”

Buck was pleased to learn more of the history behind Melissa’s and Sarah’s history. And he could tell how much love she had for her father because of the sacrifice he had made. Sarah and Melissa were smiling at each other.

“And it was her father’s wish that she come out here, which she did. The fathers may not have been partners, but their daughters are!” Sarah told them.

“As it should be,” Buck mentioned.

Jimmy wondered what it must have been like to have parents that loved you, and gave you good care? That were willing to sacrifice everything for their children? He knew that Buck didn’t know what it was like, neither did he. That’s probably why these two ladies were so caring and kind hearted now. It’s also probably why Buck and he were loners. Buck really hadn’t gotten that close to any of the other riders after Ike had died. Did Buck look at Sarah as a replacement for Ike?

“Your turn,” Buck told him, as if he needed to be reminded. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to share from his past since he wasn’t that crazy about any of it.

“When I was ten years old, it was my job to go hunt for my family. I used to think it was great fun to be off all day, findin’ meat for the table. It was great havin’ all that freedom, and I thought it was great to be off by myself. Not havin’ to see my father all day. So one day, I’m off huntin’ all day, and I come back and take the meat into my ma. My ma was always real tired and sickly, and it was usually my sister, Selina, who took care of the house and did the cookin’. Well, I walk into the house, I’m all dirty, have blood on my hands, and it feels all warm and cozy inside. And the smells, they’re jist so good. My ma jist pulled an apple pie out of the oven, and it smelled like that. She looked happy to see me, and it didn’t matter that I was all dirty. She gave me this big hug, takes the meat and tells me how proud she was of me. I member lookin’ round the kitchen, and I felt so good rite that moment. She sent me off to get cleaned up. By the time I did, everything had returned to normal, but for those few moments, life was the best it had ever been for me.”

Sarah was hugging her knees with her eyes looking into the fire as Jimmy spoke. Instead of answering questions for her, it filled her with additional ones. What was ‘life returning to normal’ for Jimmy as a child? Why did he want to be away from his father? Hadn’t he gone to school as a child? It didn’t sound like he had. Had he ever been allowed to be just a child? She knew she couldn’t ask him any of that, but she did know that he had shared something that was very dear to him. A memory he cherished from his childhood. It sounded like it had been a happy memory for him. And it was the most she had ever heard Jimmy say at one time, and she realized that she liked to hear the sound of his voice.

Jimmy found himself watching Sarah to see what her reaction to his story had been. She’d been watching the fire, but suddenly turned her eyes on him.

“That was nice, Jimmy. Thanks for telling us that.” She was biting her tongue to keep from asking all the questions she had for him.

“This whole thing has been nice...telling these stories,” Melissa stated. “I feel real close to all of you.”

Sarah watched Jimmy give his head that little affirmative nod. Buck just smiled.

“That’s good because this fire is almost burnt out, and I think we should save that big log for making coffee in the morning. Which means we’d best bundle up for the night.”

“We’ll sleep on the floor in here,” Buck told her as they all stood up and stretched. Sarah wandered over to the window and looked out again. It was still snowing and blowing hard.

“If you do that, you’ll freeze out here. I think we need to combine our resources so that all of us benefit from it.”

“What does that mean, Sarah?” Jimmy asked her, while the other two looked on interested in what she would say.

“It means that we all need to share our body heat and sleep in the bed. That way we can all use the blankets and none of us will get cold. Who gets the ends and who gets the middle?” she asked as she headed for the curtained off area carrying one of the oil lamps.

Jimmy, Buck, and Melissa just stood there looking at each other as Sarah disappeared behind the blanket. Soon she stuck her head back out. “Shy, I see...okay, I can see I have to assign sleeping places. Jimmy and Buck, you get one side, Melissa and I get the other. Jimmy and Melissa on the outside, Buck and I on the inside. Bring the blankets with you and hurry. It’s getting cold in here!”

That got them to move. By the time the three of them came around the curtain, Sarah was sitting on the bed taking her boots off. They all spread the blankets on top of the bed.

“I hope none of you snore,” Melissa giggled as she took her boots off.

“Buck does,” Jimmy teased, not at all sure how he felt about this. What he did know was that he did not want Buck and Sarah sleeping next to each other. But he could see why Sarah was doing it. It wouldn’t be proper for Melissa and Buck to sleep next to each other. He guessed he was just very envious of Buck getting to lie next to Sarah all night.

“Oh great!” Sarah mumbled as she crawled in under the blankets. Melissa followed suite, as did Buck and Jimmy.

“Night everyone,” Melissa told all of them.

It was definitely cramped in the bed, but Buck didn’t mind. He didn’t think it was so bad lying next to Sarah. She gave him a fond smile.

“Buck, you ain’t givin’ me enough room,” they heard Jimmy say as he pushed Buck into Sarah. She tried to move, but then Melissa grabbed on for dear life before she hit the floor.

“Everyone has go to quit wiggling!” Sarah told them. “I’m tired and I want to get some sleep.” She rolled over on her side to give Buck more room. Surprisingly, she felt comfortable with the situation.

“Jimmy! Quit poking me and lay still!” Buck groused to Jimmy over his shoulder, since he too had rolled over on his side.

“I’m tellin’ you Buck, you ain’t givin’ me enough room!”

“If I move any closer to Sarah, I’m gonna suffocate her!”

“You’re fine, Jimmy. Lay still, or I’m gonna fall out!” Melissa threw at him.

For a few moments there was silence, then from Buck, “Jimmy, quit poking me!”

Sarah sat up, frustrated. She really was tired, and she knew that none of them would get any sleep if she didn’t separate Jimmy and Buck. But that would mean…no, they were only doing this for warmth and sleeping.

“That does it! I want to get some sleep. Buck, change places with me.”

“What? That means I’ll be next to Melissa!”

“And you’re complaining?” she asked him with a smile. Sarah climbed over Buck as he moved over to take the spot she had vacated. “This is okay with you?” she asked Jimmy, looking down at him. He was looking up at her with the most loving expression. He just nodded his head. “Good!” she told him. “Melissa, turn the lamp down. And I don’t want to hear anymore nonsense from anyone!”

She heard giggling. “But I’m still cold!” from Melissa.

“Buck, wrap your arms around the woman, and then you two go to sleep!” Then she looked down at Jimmy. “And I would like it if you wrapped your arms around me.”

Jimmy could not believe that all this was going on. He knew that Sarah wasn’t coming on to him. She was acting like getting stranded happened every day. But he knew in his heart, that this is where he wanted her to be. And lying with her in his arms was what he wanted most in the world.

“You’re something else, lady!” He told her as he opened his arms to her. “Where’d you come from?”

“What do you mean?” she asked him as she lay down close to his side, and he wrapped his arms around her.

“They don’t make ladies like you out here,” was all he said.

“Yeah, I know! Night, Jimmy.” she told him as Melissa turned the light down low.

“Night, Sarah,” she heard, and then felt a kiss on the top of her head. Sarah had never thought that anything could feel as good as Jimmy’s kisses, but this did, in a different way. She had never felt more safe and secure. She closed her eyes, knowing she was where she wanted to be.

“You okay?” Buck asked Melissa as she lay in his arms after she had turned the light down. This had to be the most romantic moment in the world for her. Forget that Jimmy and Sarah were right next to them. Buck had a body made for lying against. Once again, she felt like she had come home, and she knew that she would never have that feeling with Cody. She was hoping that Buck wouldn’t be able to tell how fast her heart was beating. How did Sarah think she was supposed to get some sleep?

“I’m fine...comfortable. You?”

Buck smiled to himself, thanking Sarah in his mind for what she had just done. This was something he would never be able to get away with in Rock Creek, but here on the trail it felt right...natural. He had strong feelings for this lady, and one day he hoped that he would get to explore them. In a strange way, he felt like he had done this many times with her.

“I’m doin’ alright. Now close those eyes of yours and get some sleep!” he ordered. “I’ll be right here lookin’ our for you.”

Suddenly Melissa felt her eyes getting heavy. Maybe she’d be able to sleep after all.

Jimmy knew as soon as Sarah fell asleep. He felt her relax in his arms and fall into him. His body felt like it had little bolts of lightening running through it. He’d had lustful thoughts for a few women in his life, but he’d never followed through with his thoughts. Rebecca was the only lady he’d made love to, and he couldn’t remember feeling like this towards her. He was just glad that he and Sarah had resolved their differences and were friends. But if they were just friends, why did he want to start taking her clothes off and learn all about her body? No! He couldn’t think that way! He willed himself to shut his mind off and go to sleep.

Buck smiled to himself as Melissa fell asleep. It meant a lot to him that she could relax enough with him this close, to fall asleep. That she trusted him enough to watch over her. Melissa smelled of the outdoors. He closed his eyes and wished that they were in a teepee at his brother’s village. If they were though, he doubted that they’d only be sleeping. He wondered if Melissa would ever love him. Would she ever let him show her how he felt about her? But then, how did he feel about her? He smiled again. He had a feeling that this woman was his future. And if that were so, he knew their time would come. Until then, he could wait. He also knew that he should go to sleep. He would need to be fresh for the hard ride in the morning.

Sarah slowly came to consciousness; It felt like she had a great weight laying on top of her. What was that? She forced her eyes to open, and smiled when she saw Jimmy laying half on top of her, his head on her shoulder. If this wasn’t heaven, it was pretty darn close to it. Looking at Jimmy, seeing how relaxed his face was, how unlined and handsome, and sensing the person behind all the walls he built to shut her out, she realized for the first time that she loved this man. And immediately that thought filled her with dismay. She knew she would never be able to tell him that. He would never be ready for it. But she also knew she would do whatever it took to be near him. She lightly kissed his forehead.

Jimmy felt a softness go across his forehead. He felt all warm and cozy…loved. But how was that possible? In his subconscious, he knew that he didn’t want to wake up. That he didn’t want to leave the place where he was now. But consciousness was calling to him, so he started to bring his hand up to wipe his eyes as he opened them up, and instead of coming to his face, it stopped on a soft mound. Rubbing his fingers over it, he felt a hard nub protrude. Warmth came over him, and he slowly opened his eyes to find himself looking into Sarah’s wide eyes.

They weren’t pushing him away, but it was just the opposite. Feeling like he was still in his sleep haze, Jimmy rose up and caught her mouth with his, as his fingers gently squeezed the mound of flesh underneath them. His tongue immediately invaded her mouth, and he shut out everything but the lady underneath him and what he was feeling.

Sarah had been surprised when his hand had begun to roam, and even more surprised when his eyes opened and he began to kiss her. She knew she should push his hand away from where it was. She knew that she should stop him, but she was also 100% positive that she would ignore her little voice. She put her arm around him and pulled him even tighter against her. When she did that, she felt a long hardness press into her leg. And knowing what it was, she should have been alarmed. She wasn’t.

Jimmy’s fingers went to her shirt and began unbuttoning it. Then he unbuttoned her long underwear, and his fingers found their reward as his hand met flesh. He teased at her nipple and then found her other one.

Sarah’s hand came to rest on Jimmy’s hardness. It was the first time she had ever felt a male’s arousal. And she heard the groan that came from deep inside him.

“What?” she heard Buck ask in his half asleep state, and it was like a bucket of water had been thrown on them. They pulled apart and looked at one another, eyes startled.

Jimmy realized where his had been and quickly pulled it out, and he sat up, looking for his boots. He was still hard, and he didn’t want her to see that. He grabbed his boots in his hands, jumped out of bed and practically ran for the front of the cabin. He tugged on the boots, fastened his gun belts around himself, put on his coat, and went outside. He leaned against the cabin, and his breath was coming out in quick puffs…like he’d been running from someone or something. What the hell had he been thinking? No matter that’s what he’d wanted to do with her since he met her, that wasn’t how friends behaved with each other. Where in tarnation had his head been at?

The door opened and Sarah stepped outside. She had quickly pulled herself together. She knew that she couldn’t let Jimmy get away without talking to him. She found him leaned against the side of the cabin. Sarah wasn’t sure what she should say to this complicated, complex man. As he looked at her, she saw that his face wore a mask. His wall was back up, and even though she wouldn’t see it, she knew that she was going to have a hard time getting across this wall. She made no move to get close to him. Instead, she stood in the doorway and looked around her.

“At least it’s stopped snowing. It should be a pretty day today.”

“Yup.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to get to the barn to check on the horses?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“I guess I’ll start the fire and make some coffee.”

“That would be good.”

“Jimmy, about what just happened…”

“It ain’t gonna happen again, Sarah. There’s no need to talk about it.”

She took a deep breath and tried again.

“Jimmy…about what just happened in there. I know that isn’t something that friends normally do…”

She saw that he had his jaw clenched so tightly the muscles were twitching.

“But we were just waking up, and it was an unusual situation.”

“You mean, if we didn’t change places and that was Buck you was all wrapped up with, you woulda done the same thing?”

“No...I don’t think so,” she stated honestly. “My friendship with Buck is different than what it is with you. I’ve never kissed all over Buck like I have with you. I think my subconscious knew that and made it okay since I was waking up with you. I doubt this is a situation that you and I will ever be in again. I know that you’re not comfortable with what happened…”

“It ain’t that...” he told her.

“That what, Jimmy?” she encouraged.

“I think I was enjoyin’ it a little too much,” he told her, blushing, glad that his jacket hid evidence that was still there.”

“Ooo...thank God! I was thinkin’ that you were finding me sorely lacking!”

“No, you ain’t sorely lackin’,” he assured her.

He saw her nod her head.

“Okay, then we’ll just say that it was an unusual circumstance and let it go at that. Friends still?” She asked holding out her hand.

Jimmy tried to quickly figure out what had just happened. He had come out here, deciding that he had to stay away from her. Somehow she had turned it all around and given it all a logical explanation, making it all alright. He took her hand in his.

“Friends,” he told her with a smile.

“Good. I’ll go start that coffee. And it’s really all your fault Jimmy Hickok!”

“How’s that?”

“You shouldn’t be so darn good in the loving department. You always seem able to make me lose my head!”

And with that, she went into the cabin, closing the door firmly behind her.

Jimmy just shook his head and laughed. Leave it to Sarah to find a way to make him feel better about all of it...boosting his ego. Oh well, he guessed that he should go and check on the horses.

Sarah jumping out of bed had succeeded in totally waking Buck up. Finding his arms around a still sleeping Melissa was temptation too hard to ignore, so he began to give her tiny kisses all over her face, finally getting to her mouth just as it had started to smile.

“Mornin’,” he told her as he moved on top of her and began to attack her mouth in earnest. He concentrated on her beautiful mouth for a time, exploring it thoroughly with his tongue, feeling himself getting more excited than he knew he should be. She wasn’t pushing him away, so he moved to her neck, then found her mouth again…to her ears, and then back to that incredible mouth.

“Oh baby,” he groaned as she began moving her hands up and down his back. He moved a little further down her body, and began to unbutton her shirt and everything she had on underneath it. His mouth came down on her nipples, and neither one of them heard the door and open and close as Sarah came back in. Melissa grabbed his head, and held it closer to her as he became well acquainted with her breasts.

Jimmy came running in.

“What’s wrong?” Sarah asked; she could see the alarm on his face.

“Your horse broke out of its stall, not the stallion, but the one you rode!” He hurried over to the curtain. “Buck...Buck come on…” Jimmy had this brief vision of Buck on top of Melissa, Melissa naked from her waist up. He immediately turned around when he saw the alarm on her face, and Buck’s head rose up. “Um…come out when you can...” he stammered as he backed quickly out.

Sarah saw how embarrassed he looked. He gave her his little smile as he went quickly past her and back outside. What was that all about?

Melissa had never been so embarrassed in her entire life. Buck quickly made a move to cover her up. “I’m sorry!” he whispered to her. “You okay?”

“I’ll survive,” she stated dryly. “I just hadn’t planned on giving Jimmy a free show in this lifetime!”

“He won’t say nuthin’.”

“Thank God!” she breathed, knowing that Jimmy would be discreet. That’s
just the way he was.

Buck sat up and quickly pulled on his boots.

“Somethin’ must be wrong. He looked upset so I’d best go and find out what’s goin’ on. I really am sorry...but then I’m not. Melissa...you ‘n me gotta talk when we have time to ourselves.”

“I agree.”

“Okay.” he told her as he leaned down and gave her a reassuring kiss and hug before he left her. He found Sarah busy making their breakfast.

“What’s up?” he asked her as he put his coat on.

“The horse I rode has disappeared. Jimmy probably wants some help to find it.”

“Okay. Did you sleep alright?”

“Yeah…you?”

“Fine.” he told her as he sort of blushed as he went out the door.

Melissa came out shortly after.

“Okay, what did Jimmy walk in on? I’ve never seen him blush like that!” Sarah asked her and Melissa blushed as hard as Jimmy had.

“He walked in on me ‘n Buck kissing all over one another. I was…he saw me half naked, Sarah!”

“Oh Lord! Poor you…poor Jimmy. You okay?” Sarah asked her as she took her hands and pulled her to the table. They both sat down.

“Yeah, just embarrassed by it. But while Buck was doing what he was doing, Sarah it felt so good…so right. I know I shouldn’t feel that way, but I care so much for Buck. I always feel so good around him. It’s so hard to describe, Sarah…but I guess we’re lucky Jimmy walked in on us. This ain’t the time or the place for anything to happen between us.”

Sarah hugged Melissa.

“Don’t feel so bad, Melissa. Jimmy and I went at it a little before we got up too. He was really upset, but I think I talked him out of being upset…at least I hope I did. I don’t want to lose his friendship.”

“Hopefully you won’t. Now, what do we need to do to get breakfast ready?”

Jimmy was just finishing saddling his and Buck’s horses when Buck walked in, trying to look all business like.

“Sarah said somethin’ bout her horse missin’?” Buck asked, not looking at Jimmy.

“Yeah, musta been spooked last night form the wind,” Jimmy stated, trying to keep a straight face. It didn’t work; he started to laugh because Buck’s manner was so uncomfortable.

“Well, ya coulda let me know you was comin’!” Buck blurted out.

“I didn’t know you was gonna be doin’ that!” Jimmy defended himself.

Buck leaned against his horse.

“I didn’t know either but she was there when I woke up…”

Jimmy nodded his head, knowing just what that was like, feeling his face get warm at the memory of Sarah touching him. He looked quickly away from Buck, but it wasn’t fast enough.

“You ‘n Sarah too?” Buck asked confronting him.

“Not quite like you ‘n Melissa, but yeah…”

“Wakin’ up with them, that was nice, warn’t it?” Buck mused.

“Oh yeah!” Jimmy agreed. “And I’m gonna git a mite uncomfortable if I think about it again! Let’s go look for Sarah’s horse!”

Buck mounted his horse and looked Jimmy’s way. “I wanted Melissa cause I really care about her...that she might be my future. Why with Sarah?”

“You thinkin’ on marryin’ her?”

“Maybe someday. So what’s with Sarah? You say she don’t mean nuthin’ to you. You ain’t plannin’ on bein’ with her, then leavin’ her are ya?”

“I ain’t plannin’ on bein’ with her that way. We’s friends. It jist happened since we was layin’ together all nite. It won’t happen again!”

Buck just shook his head. Jimmy had absolutely no idea how he felt about Sarah. Oh well, let him think it was just a friendship. That would work for now. Sarah definitely had his attention.

“You don’t think Buck thinks I’m used goods, do you?” Melissa suddenly asked Sarah.

Sarah laughed at her concern. “No! Buck honestly cares about you. He’s not that kind of man. You don’t have to worry him thinking that way.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure!”

“That horse is long gone,” Buck stated. They had been following what little trail there was. “He may be home by now!”

“I wonder if the stallion is saddle broke?” Jimmy asked.

“I guess we’re gonna find out. Or, Sarah could double with you on Cisco.”

“Or with you…you’re her blood brother!”

“I don’t want Melissa getting’ jealous. She rides with you if the stallion ain’t broke,” Buck declared. “Now breakfast is probably ready. Let’s git back.”

TO BE CONTINUED…..

COPYRIGHT – 2004   M BOLTON & R WOOTEN

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